Comics, Family, and Sickness: The Weekend Wrap-Up Plus Monday

Friday:

I chilled out, medicated myself, and watched TV. Yeah, I know, I'm such a wild man.

Saturday:

I participated in a podcast at Comics and Collectibles. Shoutout to Ron, Sean, and Donnie who were working, and shoutout to Geekland Podcast members Ben Songer, Willie Gilless, Chris Eaton, and Justin Vactor. You can check it out at www.geeklandpodcast.com. They also do another podcast, Entertainment Overload, which can be viewed at eopodcast.wordpress.com.

Later, I went over my cousin Gloria's for a college fundraising party for my two cousins Rachel and Alison. They are both going to Lemoyne-Owen in the fall. I hung out, tripped out with my family, and yelled at my cousin Kamaria. She hates me. In fact, she does not hesitate to tell me this. Before I left, I told Rachel to balance schoolwork with fun, and "don't trust them boys". Alison already has a daughter, so I told her that I believed she could juggle schoolwork, her beautiful daughter, and her slow boyfriend (so I've been told).

After that, I saw Death Race. It started out predictable, but there were quite a few twists and turns in the end. Jason Statham was awesome, as usual. Tyrese even did okay. I will give it 3.5/5 on flixster.com.

Sunday:

I was in a bit of a delirium. I medicated myself all day, and I pretty much slept and watched TV. It kinda worked.

Monday:

I sweated, coughed up stuff, and still went to work. It sucked, but I made it through.

I know I keep sounding like a broken record, but I really should be discussing some roles soon, so I can go back to being the awesome actor that I know I can be. Be easy, readers!!!

RIP Sho Nuff

Actor Julius Carry has died. He was 56.

The star passed away on Tuesday, according to MediaTakeOut.com, but details of his death have yet to be released.

Carry was most famous for his role as Sho Nuff in cult 1985 martial arts film The Last Dragon. He enjoyed a long career in the TV industry, starring in shows such as 1989's Doctor, Doctor and making notable appearances in JAG, Diagnosis Murder and Spin City.

Podcasting, Videos, and Wrestling: The Weekend Wrap-Up

Friday:

I went to Hastings and bought a few things, then I went to Cici's Pizza.

Saturday:

I got my hair cut, went to Valvoline, and participated in the Geekland podcast (www.geeklandpodcast.com). They also did the Entertainment Overload Podcast (www.eopodcast.com) Shout out to Justin Vactor, Willie Gilless, Ben Songer, and Kevin Coll of Fused Film(www.fusedfilm.com). It was cool.

After that, I went to the movies and saw Stepbrothers. It dragged a little, but Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly are hilarious!! It seemed like they adlibbed the entire movie.

Sunday:

I took part in a video shoot for a local rock band called the New Intruders. One of the band members in the New Intruders, Christopher McCoy, has a production company with is wife, Laura Hocking McCoy, called Oddly Buoyant Productions. The video was for a cool song called "Fighting Machines". It was cool. The band rocked out, and local filmmaker Sarah Fleming directed it. Actor/filmmaker John Pickle also helped out with the shoot. Shout out to local actors Bret Magdovitz, Jeff Pope, Annie Gaia, and others. The shoot involved girls jello wrestling. It was kinda awesome.

After that, I went home, took a nap, and went to my boy Shomari's house and watched a WWE pay-per-view, Summerslam. It was cool. I also talked comics with Shomari and this other guy.

Monday:

I went to an advance screening of Longshots. Ice Cube played a guy who goes on to coach his niece who becomes the first female to play in the Pop Warner Football Superbowl. I sat with Justin Vactor and his parents. It was cool, the crowd kinda made it interesting, but Justin and I realized that we weren't the target audience. It's for the kiddies, but it was a nice, touching story.

I guess podcasting is on the order for this weekend, maybe some filming. C'mon, filmmakers, let's make something happen!!! Be easy, readers!!

Remembering Bernie Mac (1957-2008)

The very first time I saw Bernie Mac on TV, it was for an ad for some comedy show in Memphis. This was back in the early 90s, when Bernie Mac was on Def Comedy Jam, and he dressed in more "hip-hop" clothing. Even the little snippets they played on the commercial were funny. Months later, he was in House Party 3 and Above the Rim. I always thought he was funny, and maybe a little bit crazy. I was happy when he became a regular on Brandy's show Moesha. I was happy when his character married one of the main characters. Soon after that, however, his character was written out. I always looked forward to his guest appearances. Bernie Mac's segment on The Original Kings of Comedy seemed to finally put him on the map for mainstream audiences. To this day, I still quote that routine. The "milk and cookies, him downstairs" bit is great. If you don't know what I'm talking about, buy the DVD immediately. Ironically, there is also a bit where he is begging America for a TV show. About a year later, The Bernie Mac Show debuted. I enjoyed seeing Bernie as a father figure, and I loved the scenes where he would talk to the audience, addressing them as "America". I also loved his appearances in films such as Bad Santa, Friday, Charlies Angels: Full Throttle,(one of the bright spots of that mess)and the Oceans Eleven franchise. My last memory of Bernie Mac is one that I think captures his personality perfectly. I was an extra on "The Open Road", an indie film starring Justin Timberlake. We were filming in the lobby of the Peabody Hotel. Bernie Mac came through the lobby because he was staying there while he was filming "Soul Men". Somebody asked him something and he said, "I ain't gone do sh-t!!" I had my back turned, so I wondered who was this person being loud like that. It couldn't have been an extra talking crazy like that. I slowly turn around, and sure enough, there's Bernie Mac walking through the lobby, being his usual boisterous self. Bernie Mac was what I like to call "good crazy". He will definitely be missed. One of his earliest catchphrases was "Who you wit (with)?" I was always "wit'" Bernie as a fan,and my thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends at this time.

Acting, Podcasts, and Hanging Out:Last Tuesday and the Weekend Wrap-Up

8/05/08:

I was an extra on Craig Brewer's $5 Dollar Cover. This is a series of webisodes focusing on local talent in Memphis. MTV is helping him produce it. The first series of webisodes will have 15 installments, and if they are successful, there will be 30 more. It was cool. I saw local artist Amy Lavere, and I saw local filmmakers Morgan Jon Fox (Omg/HaHaHa), Arnold Edwards (Curbside Confessions), and young photographer Tommy Kha. I worked with Monica Summerfield and Annie Gaia, who I have worked with a few times, such as in the movie Eat. Shoutout to Jacqui G, another local actor, and Christian B, local musician/actor, was also working behind the scenes. We eventually got on set, but I just hung out. A student from my job was on set, and so was local musician Tonya Dyson. It was cool, I hung out, conversated with people, and was on set for a little while. It's always good to be filming again.

Friday:

I was on the set of $5 Dollar Cover again. This time, the extras were in our Halloween costumes for a Halloween party at 345 Stop on Madison. My outfit was a 1980s b-boy, or breaker: I had on a white Kangol-like hat, navy blue track jacket, and a silver chain. None of the Caucasian people I talked to got it. Oh, well. It was cool. The food was awesome!! I chilled out with Lavita Brooks (Katrina's Wake) and Nia Glen-Lopez (Tricks). I also met some other people and joked around with them. I ran into a guy named Jim who used to live in the same apartment complex that I did on Southern. I hung out with him and his friends during filming. We started crumping, getting hyphy, and making jokes about Memphis rap inbetween takes. Local artist Muck Sticky was also in attendance. I also met his bodyguard Bam-Bam. Bam-Bam is a lifelong Frayser resident and a wrestling fan. He was cool. Mama Sticky, Muck's mom, was also in the crowd. We were watching a Snowglobe "performance", which was actually them lipsyncing and performing to one of their songs. They rock!! I talked to the trumpet player Nashawn afterwards. He knows local teacher/rapper Jason "Da Hater" Harris of rap group Iron Mic Coalition. I WILL buy their next album. I had a good time.

Saturday:

I went to Comics and Collectibles and participated in the Geekland Podcast. Check it out at www.geeklandpodcast.com . Shoutout to Justin Vactor, Willie Gilless, and Ben Songer. Those guys and Chris Coll also recoreded the Entertainment Overload Podcast. I wasn't on that one, but it was cool. Check that out at eopodcast.wordpress.com .

After that, we all hung out at Dan McGuiness on Colonial. I ate fried pickles for the first time. I like it, but I think it may be fattening. Later, I celebrated my friend Wanda's birthday at McAlister's. After that, we saw the new Mummy film. I didn't really care for it. It seemed to try too hard to be funny, and I did not like Maria Bello as Rachel Weisz' replacement. I will give this 2.5/5 on flixster.com.

Sunday:

I filmed on That's What I Like About Concrete at White Station High School. Shout out to Katherine and Alanna, the directors. I may have to film one more time. The high school and college kids were funny. We ate a lot of hot fries and Dum-Dum pops. You'll have to watch the movie to understand.

After that, I went to a screening for Funeral Arrangements, Anwar Jamison's directorial debut. I thought that the film was good, but I sucked. Anwar said that I am just being hard on myself, but we'll see. Oh, well, I just have to be better next time.

Monday:

I saw an advance screening of Clone Wars, the new animated Star Wars cartoon. I think I will give it a 3.5/5 on flixster.com. It was long, but they made you care about the main characters. Good stuff.

Hopefully, I will act or discuss some acting opportunities this weekend. Be easy, readers!!

Podcasting, Theatre, and Movies: The Weekend Wrap-Up

Friday:

I got off of work, watched WWE Smackdown, and chilled out.

Saturday:

I got my hair cut early in the morning, then I went home and back to sleep. Afterwards, I went to Comics and Collectibles and joined Willie Gilless, Ben Songer, and Justin Vactor for the Geekland Podcast (www.geeklandpodcast.com) and the Entertainment Overload podcast(www.eopodcast.com). Geekland went pretty smooth, but Entertainment Overload didn't. I have gotten accused of "spoiling" shows. Also, they started talking about The Sarah Silverman Program. I think she's a racist, and I said I'd throw a rock at her if I see her. I'm sorry, but I think she is racist and hateful. I am just sick of people making fun of other people's race or orientation. It's just not needed.

After the podcasts, I went to the preview of the Hattiloo Theatre's upcoming season. Shout out to Rodney Lomax, who brought his two daughters and his nephew out. We chitchatted about writing and acting. Shout out also to Janeen Farmer, who perfomed a monologue from Celebrity Slave Ship . There was also a magician. It was fun, but it was crowded. I went back to Comics and Colectibles, but the Fused Film podcast was over.

Later, I went to see The Wackness, which stars Josh Peck, of Nickelodeon's Drake and Josh, as a high school graduate enjoying his last summer before college in 1994. It was a good film with a great early 90s soundtrack. I gave it a 3.5/5 on flixster.com.

Sunday:

I stayed at home and finished watching most of the extras on JLA: New Frontier. Later, I went to the discount movie theater (Bartlett 10) and watched The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. It was a little long, but it was okay. I will give it a 3/5 on flixster.com

Monday:

I received an email asking for extras for Craig Brewer's Five Dollar Cover, but we are shorthanded at my work and I am unable to get off. Oh, well, at least I can still get considered for an extra position. Hopefully, I will get some acting in this week. Don't stop believing. Be easy, readers!!!