Indianapolis Recorder, Indianapolis, Marion County, 3 January 2003 — Page 18

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THE INDIANAPOLIS RECORDER

FRIDAY, JANUARY 3, 2003

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"Believing the Dream, Achieving the Dream, Living the Dream."

Dr. Martti Luther King Jr. Dinner

Sponsored by the IUPUI Black Student Union

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U invite you to join ns ns itr honor I )r. hi inn nnrl thknowledge those iniistontling indirirlnnls irho htire exemplified hing i drenni. Our propr,tut will fe, it tire Ros/yn M. Hroeh. nee ehuirof the SA/K.P National Hom'd of-1 dreetors. . lx </ young itetire lender in the A/l/K./', Ms. Brock will remind us of the iniportniit historieul siguiftennee of the civil rights niot enient. nnd more tniportnntly eueoitrnge nnd inspire its.'to die .retire/) involved in the future of civil rights for .ill.

Monday, January 20, 2003 6 pan. Indiana Roof Ballroom 140 W. Washington Street

Ticket price: $35 for General Public Ticket Deadline is January 13, 2003

lot quest ions about the ft inner or the Black Student Union, call 274-3931.

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Tonight the stars will do more than TWINKLE, THEY’LL LIGHT UP THE NIGHT.

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Co-Hosts: Lou Rawls Vivica A. Fox h Dr. Hobby Jones Special Appearances by: If India.Arie ★ Jon B. ^ ★ FAton John ★ Kenny Lattimore ★ Donnie McClurkin ★ Chante Moore It Michelle Williams

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LEVtsion Listings. 17 www.uncf.org

► Continued from Page 1 ing to the beat of classic rap and R&B. (4) “Drumline": First of two entries on this 10 Best List by emerging director, Charles Stone. Cute campus comedy with Nick Cannon as a matriculating street musician from Harlem who adds a little urban Hava’ to his alma mater’s marching band, much to the frustra tion of bug-eyed, fuddy-duddy Orlando Jones. (5) “Antwone Fisher”: Denzel Washington makes an impressive directorial debut with a melodramatic adaptation of Finding Fish, an autobiography about a child abuse victim, sent to a shrink for help with anger management, who learns to confront his demons. (6) “Paid in Full”: Charles Stone’s other entry, this his first feature ever. Sobering crime saga, set in the ‘80s, about a Harlem homey who deals drugs until his conscience catches up with him. Bucks the trend towards the glorification of the gangsta’ lifestyle. (7) “Like Mike”: Rapper LiT Bow Wow wowed ‘em as adorable HT orphan Calvin, a clumsy kid magically transformed into an unstoppable NBA star after donning a pair of Michael Jordan’s sneakers. (8) “All About the Benjamins”: The movie winch forced me to take back everything I ever said about Ice Cube’s acting. I used to compare him, unfavorably, to a block of wood, a cigar store Indian, a zombie, an android and worse. This unlikely buddy comedy pairs bounty hunter Cube with trashtalking con artist Mike Epps for some fairly funny shenanigans. (9) “I Spy”: Even though Eddie Murphy now makes more bad movies (see Nos. 2 & 5 below) than good ones, this very loose adaptation of the Bill Cosby/Robert Culp classic TV series had more than enough laughs to let us know that Eddie hasn’t totally lost it. (10) “Barbershop”: Despite all the brouhaha, rappers Ice Cube and Eve Jeffers and funnymen Anthony Anderson and Cedric the Entertainer Kyles head an ensemble cast in this lighthearted, nostalgic comedy which recreates the familiar atmosphere of a cherished institution in the black community. The 10 Worst Black Mov-

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selling their pre-modern, racially polarizing, female-degrading, homicidal, negative images so callously and matter-of-factly? Makes me wanna holler. Just like Tarzan. Aaaaaaargghhaaaararararaaaa raraaaaaaaarrrrrrgh! (5) “Showtime”: Just another unfunny, Eddie Murphy take-the-money-and-run ripoff, designed to trade on his name before his fans wise up and realize their being duped. (6) “Martin Law'rence: RunTelDat”: In a self-serving, stand-up routine, Martin gives his side of incidents in his life, longsince sensationalized by the tabloids. Not the least bit entertaining, especially if you’re already familiar with the Weekly World News versions. (7) “ Juwanna Mann”: Maybe I’ve seen too many movies, but I’ve lost my appetite for the grossout, gender bender genre filled with gags about farts and falsies. It’s back to obscurity for director Jessie Vaughan after this awful remake of “Tootsie.” (8) “Snipes”: Can someone explain to me why rappers appear

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(1) “Friday After Next”: Heavens to Murgatroyd! I wasn’t prepared for so many insulting stereotypes to be slickly passed off as if merely entertainment, and in such a deceptively consumable fashion. If Amos and Andy could be reincarnated, they’d return as protagonists Craig (Ice Cube) and Day-Day (Mike Epps).This j neo-plantation comedy is also peopled by an array of offensive, two-dimensional characters like a buff, bronze ex-con rapist, a midgety, bozo-haired pimp, his stable of baloneybrained, bimbo hos, and a mustachioed, marshmallowassed matron who just loves to scream and yell, reminiscent of Sanford & Son’s battle-axe Aunt Esther. The worstest of the worst. (2) “Pluto Nash": Eddie Murphy and Warner Brothers took two years to summon up the nerve to release this piece of futuristic gahbahj, Still, somebody’s going to hell for foisting it on the unsuspecting public. (3) “Undisputed": An unimaginative Rocky in blackface, little more than a soulless knockoff. Almost identically constructed, the film irritatingly telegraphs its every punch. Worse, it trades in the most insulting racist stereotypes in service of its purloined plotline. (4) “8 Mile”: Which movie really has the harmful message, "8 Mile ” or “Barbershop”? On a subliminal level, the emergence of the Eminem character as Tarzan fosters a power arrangement which positions Blacks in the subservient role, even in the | very heart of the Black community. I low can we expect there to he any hope for the next generation, with gangsta' rappers infantilizing their audience by

to revel in selling seemingly suicidal images, willingly associating themselves with the traits commonly found in the worst of humanity? Almost invariably, these imposing predators from the ghetto proudly proclaim themselves as homicidal, gun-tot-ing, misogynistic maniacs. “Snipes” stars hip-hoppers Nelly, Kool Moe Dee, Fat Joe and Schooly D in a bloody rapsploit which routinely refers to women as 1 itches w hile reducing them to brainless appendages. (9) “Queen of the Damned”: If only this movie teaches Generation Next how’ to spot a brilliant marketing campaign attached to acheesy vampire flick, then maybe Aaliyah will not have died in vain. An embarrassing swan song for the late diva, who appears onscreen for all of 20 minutes, despite top billing. Plus, her voice was dubbed by her brother. (10) “Men in Black 2”: The Fresh Prince seemed to sleepwalk through this stale, recycled assortment of vaguely familiar generic gags. I didn’t laugh once. I’d like to spin him around a few times like the bullies from his neighborhood.

FISH

► Continued from Page 1 numbers-running, before he took the advice of a ho’ with a heart of gold w’ho told him to clean up his act before the ghetto gobbled up his future. Then after a friend is gunned down in front of his very eyes, Antwone enlists in the U.S. Navy, where he finds requited love with the sea and requited lust with Seiko, a girl he gets jiggy with while stationed in Japan. Oh, and he has one session with a shrink named Dr. Williams, who is played in the movie by Denzel in an absurdly expanded role. . It all leads to a tidy Hollywood ending, in the literal sense only, as M r. Fisher, after serving 11 years

as an enlisted man, ends up in a dead-end job as a security guard for Sony Pictures. Somebody must have decided his tawdry tale of woe was one worth retelling, because first there was the book, now the movie, and maybe next the action figure. Unfortunately, as the African-American answer to Angela's Ashes (Frank McCourt’s depressing account of growing up Irish), I found Antwone Fisher’s Finding Fish to be a “feel bad” book of unparalled proportions. On second thought, the movie may be bogus, but it certainly leaves you feeling better than the book. Sour or sweet, choose your poison.

MUSIC ► Continued from Page 1 with the chart topping hit “Gangsta Love” featuring Alicia Keys. Other artists such as Musiq Soulchild, Cam,ron, Fabulous, BigTymers, LiT John and the Eastside Boys, Clipse and LL Cool J were at the top of every DJs playlist with those songs you just couldn’t keep out of your head. The production duo the Neptunes dominated the soundboards by producing 40 percent of the top singles on your favorite music countdowns, including four No. 1 hits. Last year was not without its share of rumors, scandal, and controversy — from the countless stories of Bobby Brown and Whitney Houston to the musical soap opera complete with song and video performed by Jennifer Lopez and Sean “P.Diddy" Combs. Speaking of J. Lo, she continue to demonstrate her star power with the success of her clothing line, perfume, movies, and multi-platinum ah hum, not to mention her latest and well publicized relationship and engagement to actor Ben Afileck. From the courtroom to the conBooksigning

cert there is no holding down P.Diddy. In addition to having the No. 1 selling urban clothing line “Sean John,” Combs gained sole ownership of Bad Boy Entertainment from longtime distributor Arista, becoming one of only four Black entrepreneurs to own his master recordings. With no signs of slowing down, he recently added New Edition and Southern rap group Mjg and Eightball to his roster. Rap artists Jay-Z and Nas and their war of words sparked two of the year’s most anticipated albums - Jay-Z’s double platinum album “Blueprint”and Nas’ platinum album “Stillmatic” battled at the charts as well as in barbershops across the country. On a somber note, the industry suffered great loss with thedeaths of Lisa “Left Eye” Lopez and legendary DJ Jam Master Jay, while fans still cope with the death of Aaliyah. With artists such as Beyonce, and little sister Solange, rap acts Outkast and Twista all set to release albums this year, plan on 2003 being as interesting as the year that past.

Wendy Woods Jackson, author of"A Soulful Christmas Carol," recently signed copies of her latest book at Elevations Book & Coffee Shop. (Photo/C. Guynn)

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