The Magic and Urban Legend of Air Jordans revisited with Unbanned: The Legend of AJ1

The Magic and Urban Legend of Air Jordans revisited with Unbanned:  The Legend of AJ1

Unbanned: The Legend ofAJ1 goes beyond the shoe's namesake and breaks down the rules that resulted in the most popular sneaker in the world literally being banned by the NBA.  Proving that the more things change, the more they stay the same.  It's all very reminiscent of the backlash toward former NFL star Colin Kaepernickfor taking a knee to protest inequality toward people of color and the senseless shootings of a multitude of unarmed black men and women.

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The Gospel According to Andre Gives Fly on Wall Insight to a Fashion Icon

The Gospel According to Andre Gives Fly on Wall Insight to a Fashion Icon

The Gospel According to Andre will serve as the best dish of caviar money can buy to those obsessed with fashion.  I, for one, was honored and gleefully proud that Andre Leon Talley opened a door to fashion that will forever be changed by his existence.

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The Final Year Shares Insider View of a Presidential Transition

The Final Year Shares Insider View of a Presidential Transition

Barack Obama made history as the first person of color to become President of the United States...twice.  It goes without saying that in these dark days we are dwelling in, longing for the days when I turned on the news and saw POTUS singing some Al Green, dancing with his Queen Michelle,  joking around with Jimmy Kimmel or giving a speech that ALL Americans could be proud of would be an understatement.

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Tell Them We Are Rising is a Love Letter to HBCU's on PBS

Tell Them We Are Rising is a Love Letter to HBCU's on PBS

Being a graduate of "The Mecca" Howard  University,  you know I had to check out  the Stanley Nelson directed Tell Them We Are Rising culminating the rise and (in some instances) the fall of Historical Black Colleges and Universities such as  Howard University, Hampton Institute,Morgan, Morehouse, Spellman, Fisk and so many other Historical Black Colleges and Universities.

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Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind

Robin Williams:  Come Inside My Mind

A few years ago, I attended a live-taping of "The Odd Couple" in which the creator Gary Marshall loved to interact with the audience during taping breaks.  He shared tale after tale of all the now famous people he discovered from Julia Roberts to Henry Winkler to Robin Williams.  Williams had just passed a few weeks before and Marshall gleefully spoke of how Williams' character of Mork was born on "Happy Days" because his son wanted to see a martian on the show.   Mork from Ork was only the beginning for the shooting comet we knew as Robin Williams.

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Sammy Davis, Jr. : I Gotta Be Me is the Ultimate Tribute to the Ultimate Entertainer

Sammy Davis, Jr. :  I Gotta Be Me is the Ultimate Tribute to the Ultimate Entertainer

Sammy Davis, Jr. was the ultimate entertainer.  He could sing.  He could dance.  He could do a killer celebrity impersonation.  He could act.  He was a member of the Rat Pack.  And...he bridged the racial gap of entertainment like no other.  There will never be another.

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A Question of Faith

A Question of Faith

"Sometimes when tragedy strikes, instead of running toward God...we can't run away from him fast enough."  These are the words spoken by Paster David Newman in the new film A Question of Faith, the first faith-based film released nationally and produced by African-American women...Lisa Diane Washington and Angela White.

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HIRED GUN: OUT OF THE SHADOWS - INTO THE SPOTLIGHT

HIRED GUN:  OUT OF THE SHADOWS - INTO THE SPOTLIGHT

What is a hired gun?  It's a musician that has the ability to read charts fast, fit in like a missing piece of a jigsaw puzzle and be ready to tour at a moment's notice.  Sounds like a great way to earn a living right?  Not all of the musicians  interviewed would agree with you.  As a matter of fact, several members of Billy Joe's band referred to him as 'heartless'.  Most attribute this attitude as an aftermath of his former manager stealing 90 million dollars and vanishing into thin air.  That kind of betrayal would leave a bad taste in anyone's mouth.

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LA FILM FESTIVAL 2017: OUT OF STATE

LA FILM FESTIVAL 2017:  OUT OF STATE

"The first time I walked into the Saguaro Correctional Center in Eloy, Arizona I cried.  There, in the middle of a dusty prison recreation yard, were 100 men chanting my entrance into the facility.   Prior to arriving, I had reasonable concerns about filming in prison and had been  advised by mentors to love my subjects but to also be cautious given their histories. Every expectation was immediately thrown out the door when I saw these men chanting in varying

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LA FILM FESTIVAL 2017: SKID ROW MARATHON

LA FILM FESTIVAL 2017:  SKID ROW MARATHON

When one thinks about skid row, the last thing that would come to mind is running through the streets of Los Angeles to prepare for a marathon half way around the world.

The Honorable Judge Craig Matthews spends his entire day sentencing convicted criminals from the Los Angeles Superior Court.  When he invites these skid row felons to join him on Mondays and Thursdays at 5:45am...the results will blow you mind.

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BLOOD ROAD

BLOOD ROAD

Like so many in the U.S., my father was a Marine who served his country in Vietnam.  While he was away, he sent letters and reel-to-reel tapes to me, My Mom and my brother letting us in on his adventures, his fears and his never-ending love for us.  Daddy was one of millions of men that ventured down the Ho-Chi-Minh trail, otherwise known as "blood road" for all the blood shed by both sides during the war.

While watching this documentary, I  couldn't help thinking about the fact that our family was one of the lucky ones.  My Dad returned from the war in one piece, but there are so many that were "missing in action".

One of those missing soldiers was Captain Steve Rusch.  His plane was shot down during the war and his family didn't know if he was a P.O.W (prisoner of war), dead or lost somewhere with a mistaken identity.  It would be 30 years later, that a portion of his remains would be found - two teeth.

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THE FREEDOM TO MARRY

THE FREEDOM TO MARRY

The Freedom to Marry chronicles Wolfson, Bonauto and a few couples along the way who they fought the good fight with.  This documentary, at times, was just as heartwarming as it is heartbreaking, but inspiring all at once.

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I AM HEATH LEDGER

I AM HEATH LEDGER

Described by his Mom as a "wild stallion",  this  overzealous Australian teen  booked his first film "10 Things I Hate About You," shortly upon arrival in Tinseltown.  However, it was his big break opposite Mel Gibson in The Patriot that put him on the map and Brokeback Mountain made him an A-list star.

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COPWATCH

COPWATCH

Do we ever wonder what happens to those capturing the injustice?  I know I didn't, but thanks to the new documentary Copwatch that portal has now been opened.  Directed by Camilla Hall, this documentary profiles several WeCopwatch members - revealing how their mission to film police brutality has impacted their lives.  This isn't about what happened in front of the cameras, but about those who stood behind them.  The members featured captured the fatal arrests of Eric Garner, Michael Brown and Freddie Gray.

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Let It Fall

Let It Fall

Remembering the L.A. Riots and the Rodney King beating vividly, I was surprised to become enlightened about all the elements and incidents that were popping off.  I had no idea that a young LatashaHarlins was shot in the head over some orange juice by the shop owner.  No idea that Karen Toshima, a budding artist, was gunned down in Westwood.  No idea that James Mincey, Jr. was murdered based on the stereotype that he "looked" "big and threatening" or that innocent families had their homes ransacked for drugs leaving their abode inhabitable.

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Born In China

Born In China

In celebration of Earth Day,  DisneyNature  releases  "Born In China."  This remarkable documentary is narrated by John Krasinski and takes audiences on a breathtaking journey into the wilds of China.

Directed by Chinese filmmaker Lu Chuan, produced by Disney’s Roy Conli and renowned nature filmmakers Brian Leith and Phil Chapman, "Born In China" shows an authentic side of nature in China that global audiences have never seen before,” says director Lu Chuan.   “These animals are metaphors.  They give birth, like we do and do their best to raise their cubs, like we do.  They succeed and they fail. Their drive to do what is best for their families resonates with all of us.”

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#inspiringWomanPBS Maya: And Still I Rise

#inspiringWomanPBS Maya:  And Still I Rise

We don't know the heartbreak of never having a lifetime love.  We don't know how isolating and lonely it is to be a strong, intelligent, independent black woman.  We don't know what it is to balance love for a parent, even when that parent treats you as if you have rocks for a brain.  These are the Maya Angelou private images that we would never know...until now.

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An Inconvenient Sequel - Truth to Power

An Inconvenient Sequel - Truth to Power

Al Gore has been instrumental in keeping the conversation front and center, but like any issue that reaps the benefits of government assistance, he has been met with resistance and criticism from likely and unlikely sources.  His biggest critic? The 45th President of the United States - Donald J. Trump.  Trump has gleefully boasted that global warming is a hoax and at one point demanded that Gore's Nobel Peace Prize be taken away.

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Marches, Trump, The Blackhouse and HBCU's at the Forefront of Sundance 2017

Marches, Trump, The Blackhouse and HBCU's at the Forefront of Sundance 2017

Hosted by Jessica Williams, the 2017 awards ceremony was a celebration of independent film, but also a detestation of the new administration of President Donald Trump.   With Executive Orders banning citizens from a number of Muslim majority countries from entering the U.S. for the next several months and more, his January 20 inauguration threw a shadow over the festival, coming one day after this year’s Robert Redford-founded shindig kicked off.

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Bright Lights: RIP Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds

Bright Lights:    RIP Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds

As many people have seen in numerous posts over the years, I unequivocably love my mother.  She's my sheroe.  She taught me that it was never too late in life to accomplish ANYTHING.  She is one of the bravest women I know, loves me unconditionally and sometimes behaves as if she doesn't want to ever let me grow up.  One day, as we prepared to go out somewhere, she was tugging on my clothes annoying me to no end.  Being a smartass I quipped, "You're always going to be my mother aren't you?".  She quickly snapped, "Well, what did you expect...of course I am".

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