theblackactor.com

Nikki's link

Hello, guys.

One of the readers of the blog, NIKKI, was kind enough to offer this link to me as interesting reading.

I agree; and think you may find the article interesting:

http://www.boston.com/ae/movies/articles/2008/05/17/a_black_hole/?page=1

Thank you, Nikki!!

Me

The Readers Spoke - Dissecting Halle

Okay, y'all.  I get it.  Looking at the comment threads from this series -- we have highlighted four films thus far -- I'm thinking folkses want me to talk about some of Halle Berry's more outstanding and credible work.

I had intended to do this, but I've been selecting films in no particular order.  Sooooooooooo...

Ima look at the pics in the pipeline and for the next few pics for the Dissecting Halle series, I will select pics which highlight some of Halle Berry's better work.

Now, I already have GOTHIKA in the pipeline for the next post, y'all.

But after that article, we'll talk about Things We Lost in the Fire.  And after that, I promise we'll talk about, say two more of her other critically-aclaimed pics, and then we'll go back to random selections.

A one-sided series (though this was not my intent) would get boring quickly (if it hasn't already), so we will mix it up a bit.

The Readers Spoke - The Mammy Post

The reader comments on The Mammy Post were quite interesting.

I think that on any blog when you see reader comments, you can assume that one comment may be representative of thousands or millions of like viewpoints.

To the women on this list:  This is what some people are thinking.

Anyway… here are the names that came up.

Oprah

“may be the greatest mammy of all time”

“Yeah, Oprah is the epitome of the modern mammy.”

“Oprah is a mammy because of the way she acts towards white women. Oprah always goes out of her way NEVER to upset her white female audience. Mammy isn't just about being overweight and being black. The stereotype of mammy is also the attitude of not offending whites and bending to their concerns. Over the years Oprah's show has gotten so white. But mammy Oprah also never discusses the friction between white women and women of colour. …she simply wants to make money off of white women so she won't offend them. Oprah is mammy because she soothes the prejudices of white women and she goes out of her way to "nurture" them and make them "feel good."

Queen Latifah

“Usually though Queen Latifah is the black asexual mammy in her films.”

Mo’Nique

“Mo'Nique… is a VERY good actress who could possibly be a "good" mammy in the future.”

Varying Definitions of Mammy

(on why Oprah isn’t a mammy) “A mammy would not be more successful than her 'master/mistress.”  … She beat the white folk at their own game and now controls it. If that is a mammy, then God help the rest of us black women.”

“After all isn't the definition of a mammy a Black women who cares for and comforts Whites?”

“As for Mo-Nique, she may not kiss white peoples ass, but nowadays, 'Mammy' is also about the image you portray. Very overweight, black female, not that successful in her own right, will say/do anything to please 'the massa', etc. THAT is a mammy”

“The fact that someone is black, overweight and female does not render them an inhabitant of the mammy status. Otherwise, majority of black women in America can be called mammies, don't you think?”

“idea of what a mammy is. To me it would involve being in a position where you have to agree with and kiss the white mans arse.”

“a good mammy understands why she is doing what she is doing and is wise enough to always be above the caricature.”

“Mammy isn't just about being overweight and being black. The stereotype of mammy is also the attitude of not offending whites and bending to their concerns.”

“chick from General Hospital - she's the new millenium ‘mean mammy’”

Others Who Readers Consider Mammies

Sherri Shephed

Dr. Bailey

“… let's not forget the fictional black mammies on TV such as Dr. Bailey also known as the Nazi on Grey's Anatomy. A lot of people don't realize Dr. Bailey is a stereotype of black female sexuality. Dr. Bailey has no love life a husband and child we hardly ever see. But whenever the white costars need a shoulder to cry on mammy Bailey is there.”

The Pine Sol Lady (her name is Diane Amos)

Someone on General Hospital

“Even on Tori Spelling's tacky reality TV show she has a black mammy that takes care of her newborn child.”

“… Madea, Eddie Murphy, Martin Lawrence… ”

“Loretta on Family Guy is a triple threat; she's a Sapphire …  and a Jezebel … too!”

Wanted: A Certain Kind of Black Film

One of the readers of theblackactor.com left a comment; a comment that resonated with me; a comment that hit the nail on the head.

Orville commented on the Kasi Lemmons post.

He felt that Eve’s Bayou was a good pic.  He added that he wants to see more of this kind of [good] work from black filmmakers.

And he said this:    

“I want to see movies with drama, with deep layers, good storytelling and complexity.”

This comment hit home with me because of all the things this blog represents to me and of all the things I may want or hope for, for Black Hollywood and for myself as a moviegoer (who is starving, starving, starving for good black film), it all comes down to that one sentence.

Like Orville, this is absolutely what I want.  If I got this and some good performances thrown in, I’d be a happy little camper.

And it’s something I rarely see from black film.

Orville’s sentence was very important to me; so much so, I wrote a short post about it.

So, I’ll ask you:

What do you want for Black Cinema or hope for from Black Hollywood?

    

Orville blogs over at AngryGayBlackCanadianMan

Reader Comments on theblackactor.com (Pt. I)

From time to time I will feature reader comments on theblackactor.com.
    
I’ll pick any arbitrary parameters.  In this instance (and because I was slowed by the holiday ), I decided to pick five comments from five commenters left within this month (as of 3:00 EST, Nov. 25).  However, in the future, I will use other parameters.
    
Commenters on theblackactor.com bring meaning and insight to theblackactor.com.  They also share useful and valuable information with me and the other readers of theblackactor.com.  The commenters on this blog contribute -- in many ways – much like the author does, to the extent they raise awareness, inform and offer an opinion.  All readers of theblackactor.com are important to me but those who comment on theblackactor.com are uniquely valuable to this blog’s intention.  And I thank them for their participation. 
    
November 25, 2007
Five reasons why I'm not a Spike Lee fan - Part V    

Aulelia says…
    
@ Kimi + The Black Actor.com = I loved Eve's Bayou too. Excellent film. I think one reason why there is a dearth of black female directors/producers is because of the stereotypes that exist in most films. The Black female character is never the centre of a mainstream film and if she is the centre or one of the key figures, she will be singing or dancing. I like musicals just as much as the next person but do black people always have to be singing to be seen? Do black women always have to be looking pretty and singing? I don't know if many black female producers would purposefully promote that stereotype but since many people watch films and make assumptions from them, it is safe to assume that the black woman has become a stereotype. deeply saddening because the black woman needs to be carved and portrayed truthfully. and to an extent, i only think black female directors can do this. black male directors of course can try but i think what they will mostly achieve is create an image of what they think is a real black woman. is that fair?
    
November 25. 2007
Show me your tits, black man; I'll make you a star
    
Moonlightwater says…    

Thank you for this post. I've often wondered why so many AA males (dating from my childhood watching Flip Wilson) would regularly agree to perform in drag. Though other comments allude to white counterparts doing the same; it appears as though the percentage of drag performances in our community is quite high... particularly in recent memory. I do think that this is a subtle emasculation/feminization of the black male and a further continuance of the 'sassy black female' image that is so pervasive in film and TV. Unfortunately, each of the Group II performances have been portrayed in this manner..realizing that this 'sassiness' is indeed part of the humor.

November 25. 2007
Spike Lee and those chi chi's

ListentoLeon says…    

Although Spike's movies aren't perfect, I think you can cut him a little slack on some of the examples.
I liked the way that the womanizing angle was used in Mo Betta Blues as one of the things that led to Bleek's personal downfall, then ultimately his "redemption"(or basically, coming to terms with himself and his life). Spike was kind of creative with that one.
*obligatory unnecessary guy moment*
Plus, Cynda Williams was fine as Hell back then!
*end obligatory unnecessary guy moment*
In Clockers, I think the rap video/commercial clip was the only real bad depiction of women in the film. The male characters were the ones with the obvious and in some cases fatal flaws.
Crooklyn was a coming of age story, so I don't really think that was a good example
I DO, however, agree that I can make no argument at all in defense of She Got Game, Girl 6, She Hate Me, or She's Gotta Have It. You definitely have a point about those ones!    

November 13, 2007
Terrence Howard

Kimi says…
    
I can't say a bad word about Terrence Howard's acting abilities & he definitely has range.  He should give some other AA actors lessons on choosing varied material successfully.
    
He seems a little strange on a personal level based on some interviews I've read but haven't seen him in a role yet I didn't think he did a good job in.    

November 5, 2007
The chitlin' circuit
    
Shion says…
    
Morris Chestnut is very underrated.He has what it takes to be a leading man and should get the same support that Taye Diggs gets in his career...seriously to see his growth from Boyz in the hood to Four Brothers..he has it.Denzel is 50 and some change.Jaime Foxx is a great actor but does leading man potential just like Kevin Spacey.Will Smith is too busy feeling the sci-fi/adventure niche.Morris Chesnutt and Malik Yoba should get more exposure quality wise. I saw an interview that Morris did with a white anchorwoman.She made a comment about how great smelling his cologne was since she was sitting next to him. You could see the woman swoon. lol
Boris seems too much like an pretty boy like Shemar moore..nothing personal against him but it just the way he comes across.
    

Don’t trip.  Y'all know as well as I do, that when people leave comments (myself, included), they are shooting off their views uaually without significant regard to spelling, grammar or usage.  I posted the comments as the authors wrote them.  I saw no reason to do otherwise; particularly since I believe their intent is obvious.
    
Aulelia blogs over at Charcoal Ink.
ListentoLeon blogs over at… well, ListentoLeon.