Indianapolis Recorder, Indianapolis, Marion County, 8 October 2004 — Page 26

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A merry, marry musical

Nelly makes big movie debut

I Do! I Do!

'book anil lyrics by Toro Jones music by Harvey Schmidt

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U OWN 7 G.Wts O : A * £ > i .

By CHUCK CREEKMUR From BET.com Nelly has already conquered the pop charts as both of his new albums, “Sweat” and “Suit,” have debuted as No. 1 and 2 on Bill-

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board. Now the rapper is trying to make a similar mark in the world of film with “The Longest Yard.” The movie is a remake of a classic Burt Reynolds’ film from the ’70s, but this version stars comedians Chris Rock and Adam Sandler. I n the film, a crooked jail warden wants a group of inmates to play football against the guards, under the assumption they will be beaten. Nelly told BET.com, “It’s amazing... Burt Reynolds is also in this one with (former Dallas Cowboy) Michael Irving,‘StoneCold’Steve Austin and former football players Bill Romanasky, Bryan Bosworth.” Nelly explained the other forces behind the big budget movie. The movie is just big and fun. A bunch of grown men running around in the dirt having fun,”

Nelly said. The set has just been off the chain. It’s a real good, fun atmosphere.” This isn’t Nelly’s first foray into film. In 2001, Nelly starred in “Snipes,” a crime thriller where he played a new hip-hop artist named Prolifik. Ofhis own role, the rapper said, “I play a running back by the name of Earl Megat and I am kinda’the first convict that wants to play the guards. After that the rest of the brothers come over- like “OK, we’re down. But it’s a hot movie and I think everybody is gonna love it and it’s big for me cause it’s my first blow-out one. I did the one in ‘Snipes’ but that was 2001. That kinda’ went to DVD but this is like my first motion picture and I am real excited.” The Longest Yard” will be released sometime in 2005.

'American Idol' Fantasia ends tour

SINGAPORE (AP) - Days before the last show in the “American Idol Live” tour, Fantasia Barrino, winner of the third season of the popular U.S. TV singing competition, insisted Sunday that she will not be forgotten. “I’m not going to let people forget me. I’m going to be on cereal boxes, milk cartons and ice-cream trucks,” said the 19-year-old from the state of North Carolina. Barrino w-as speakingto reporters in Singapore, w'here she and six finalists from the show performed on T uesday as part of their three-month, 50-city tour. “I don’t want everybody to see me as the ‘American Idol’ — I want them to see me as Fantasia,” she said.

A year ago, Barrino was unemployed and borrowing money to rent a one-bedroom apartment where she lived with her daughter, Zion, now age 2. Now she has a new $500,000 home, a new single on music store shelves — and a lot of optimism. “I think it’s just about pushing past ‘American Idol’ and going on with your career,” she said. “American Idol” is an enormously popular TV show in Singapore — the live tour’s only stop outside the United States. LAMC Productions, a promoter in the wealthy Southeast Asian city-state, said it won rights to host the event after an intense bidding competition.

Fantasia Barrino

Race has fishy role in 'Shark Tale'

Will Smith is the voice of Oscar.

By JAMES HILLS BET.com Staff Writer At what age do children first notice race? While watching tf new underwater cartoon “Si rk Tale,” will your toddlers “gel that Will Smith’s character Oscar is supposed to be Black because he hangs out in the more ghetto part of the communal reef and starts his sentences with “yo, yo” or simply because they recognize Smith’s voice? Will the graffiti-sprayed whales and run-down conditions tip kids off that these fish are the scale-and-gill equivalent of I lolhwood sport rayalofthe Black community? Will any of this sink in? I lad this film, which alternates between laugh-out-loud funny and mildly amusing, been made for adults, perhaps its imaging of the deep blue sea as a multi-eth-nic, urban landscape could be taken with a grown-up grain of salt. As it stands, this is a kid’s film whose color lines are drawn so clearly it ’s hard to imagine that even a .'3-year-old won’t begin his racial education by believing Black fish live in the ghetto and all Italian sharks are mobsters. "Shark” tells the story of Oscar, a fish with dreams of becoming a celebrity. Oscar is Will Smith at his Will Smithy-est - the coldblooded version of the ultra-hip,

yet non-threatening Fresh Prince persona. Afraid that hell be destined to work in his father’s Whale wash for the rest ofhis life, Oscar has taken to hustling, which lands him in trouble with a pesky, mobconnected Sykes, a Puffer fish, voiced by Martin Scorcese. Beneath the waves, the mob isn’t big White guys; they’re Great White Sharks who sound a lot like movie Mafioso greats like Robert DeNiro, Peter Falk and “Soprano” stars Micheal Imperioli and Vincent Pastore. Tied-up and left to be devoured by sharks, Oscar emerges unscathed when an errant anchor kills an approaching shark while leaving his timid brother, Lenny (Jack Black), to befriend the victorious fish. The two strike up a symbiotic relationship. As a meek vegetarian, Lennygets to hideout with Oscar, as a newly crowned shark slayer Oscar gets to “fight” Lenny in staged battles that has him a-movin’on up. Oscar quickly becomes a celebrity and fulfills all the material wishes his tiny heart could desire. With success comes greed and the greedy. Naturally, Oscar barely notices the undying love of his best friend Angie (Renee Zellweger) or that the slinky Ix)la (Angelina Jolie) is just a bottom feeder looking to suck off his success. What follows is a pretty standard rags-to-riches fable that ulti-

mately has thestarleamingthat fame doesn’t make the man, er, fish. By positing Oscar as Black, Tale” becomes a bit more poignant, warning about the soulless allure of Escalades and phat cribs. But all the poignancy is undone when you have to watch adolescent fish with Black voices defacing property with spray paint. Since “Aladdin,” theatrical cartoons have attempted to rope in adult audiences with clever pop culture references. “Shark Tale” definitely has its share, the least of which are several nods to “Godfather,” which will have fans rolling. But coupled with the Oscar’s hip-hop Hava, the film loses the timeless quality that many toons have in spades. Ten years from now, “Shark Tale” may seem a bit dated with its puns on “Cribs” and music video ho-fessionals, whereas “Finding Nemo” will keep fresh. In the end, it’s disappointing that the first big-budget CG cartoon with a lead Black voice has to cash in on easy stereotypes (including two cool-looking, but still offensive Rasta jellyfish). Granted, it took Disney several decades before animating an actual Black human, but at least The Lion King’s”Mufasa(James Earl Jones) had dignity. Oscar, on the other hand, comes qff a bit fishy.