Random Thoughts, or too Much Free Time: 10/28/08

1. Yesterday morning, I turn on my big ol' TV in the living room. It is on AMC because my brother DVRed Mad Men (a good show)the night before. Why is The Omen on at freakin' 8 AM?! Don't give me that Halloween crap. There are times and places for everything, and that wasn't it. Later, I find out that they ran a freakin' Omen marathon...in the morning? Seriously? Yes, I know I'm a prude, yes, I know that I have the attitude of someone born in the 1920s. Hey, I gotta be me.

2. High School Musical 3 made $42 mil. The movie only cost $15 mil. That's crazy!! Disney rules again. Man, I would love to be down with Disney. I could be in a cheesy live-action kids show, be a voice in a cheesy cartoon, and have my likeness cheesy on merchandise. I would have no problem being cheesy as long as I was making cheese...money, that is. Plus, I would finally have films that I could show my whole family. I really need something with kids and a dog that I could show my little cousins. Hey, Disney, holla atcha boy!!!

3. So, Lindsey Lohan has gotten fired from Ugly Betty. Lilo, Lilo, Lilo,...I have only seen one of your films (Mean Girls) but I thought it was good. I have been hoping that you would get it together, but you haven't. I even enjoyed you on Ugly Betty. Leave the nose candy alone, dump Butchy McRoughpants (Samantha Ronson), and be the star that you can be. I still hope you get it together, Linds. I hate to see people piss away opportunities.

4. You knew it was coming....Be easy, readers!!!

The Jennifer Hudson Tragedy

I'm sure everyone knows the details by now. It is sad and truly tragic what has happened to this young woman's family. First, her mother and brother, and now her nephew is murdered. I am angered when innocent children are hurt. That makes me want to fight somebody. My thoughts and prayer go out to her family. Whoever did this, you are a disgusting human being. Honestly, this person should pray for the death penalty because inmates have no remorse for child murderers. If this person does survive, their life will be a living hell. I believe that God is in control, even if I don't always understand. I pray that Jennifer Hudson gets through this. Be strong, sister.

Movies, B-days, and Karaoke: The Weekend Wrap-Up

Friday:

I got off work, got a little bite to eat, and watched Mama Mia. You can like women AND like musicals, leave me alone. Excellent, except for Pierce Brosnan's singing. 5/5.

Saturday:

I was on the Entertainment Overload Podcast (www.eopodcast.wordpress.com)and the Geekland Podcast (www.geeklandpodcast.com). Shout out to Ben Songer, Chris Eaton, Willie Gillis, Justin Vactor, and Kevin Coll. Afterwards, we went to Dan McGuiness and ate and tripped out.

Later, I went to a birthday dinner for my good buddy Paul "P-Dub" West at Casa Mexicana. Shout out to P-Dub, D-Bug, "Angry" Nick, Donovan "Glass" Turner, Shomari "Da Sho" Gant, Cresha, Mark, Terrence Young, and his lovely spouse Jill Young. The food was good, the fellowship was better.

After that, I went to the Vault for Karaoke Smackdown. Shout out to David H., Joe, The Chris Haley, Lauren, Kim, and the rest of the gang. We came, we saw, we karaoked.

Sunday:

I pretty much chilled in the house until night. I went to Red Robin for the first time. I ate a Fruschetta Chicken burger. Yum!! Then, I went to Hastings for more used DVD goodness.

Monday:

I went to Wal-Mart after I got off work. One woman working there started singing Quincy Jones' "Secret Garden". Of course, I joined in. Later, I did MC Hammer's Human Typewriter dance and we sang MC Hammer's "Pray". You can have a good time anywhere.

I haven't really been acting latey. But I do have a screening coming up this week. Stay tuned for details on how it goes. Be easy, readers!!!

RIP Levi Stubbs of the Four Tops

Stubbs, a cousin of R&B legend Jackie Wilson, died on Friday (17Oct08) at his home in Detroit, Michigan. The exact cause of death had not been released as WENN went to press.

The star sang lead on some of the vocal group's most memorable hits, including Reach Out I'll Be There, I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch), Baby I Need Your Loving, and Standing in the Shadows of Love.

Born Levi Stubbles in Detroit in 1936, the singer formed a doo-wop quartet with his friends Abdul 'Duke' Fakir, Renaldo 'Obie' Benson and Lawrence Payton in 1954.



Initially going under the moniker Four Aims, the band changed its name to Four Tops in 1956 and gained a following as a club act. After signing to Motown Records in 1963 the group notched up a string of hits which have endured as classics for more than 40 years.

The group continued to tour, but Stubbs stepped down from his role in 2000 after he was diagnosed with cancer. He later suffered a stroke, and had been in poor health ever since.

He is survived by his wife of 48 years, Clineice, and their five children. (c) WENN

RIP Rudy Ray Moore "Dolemite"

AKRON, Ohio (AP) — Rudy Ray Moore, a raunchy 1970s comedian who played the title role of a flashy pimp in the movie Dolemite and influenced a generation of rappers, has died. He was 81.
Moore died Sunday evening at an Akron nursing home from complications of diabetes, said his brother, Gerald Moore.

Services will be held in Akron and Spokane, Wash., where his mother and other family members live, he said.

Rudy Ray Moore was part of the heyday of black "party records." His stage personality featured blunt sex routines but, unlike contemporaries Redd Foxx and Richard Pryor, he never crossed over to mainstream white audiences.

The Washington Post said in a 1992 profile that Moore was "an astounding renderer of 'toasts,' — elaborately boastful, profane and scatological tales of life in the old-style urban subculture of pimps, prostitutes, gamblers and badmen. His husky, down-home voice is ideal for it."


Moore said he developed the style, later a feature of rap music, by listening to men sitting outside joints "drinking beer and lying and talking (expletive)."

Moore played the fast-talking pimp and title character in the 1975 film Dolemite. In later years Moore collaborated with 2 Live Crew, Big Daddy Kane and Snoop Dogg.

Moore's other acting credits during the Blaxploitation era of black action films included The Human Tornado in 1976 and Disco Godfather in 1979.

Recovery, New Rides, and Movies: The Weekend Wrap-Up

Friday:

I got off work and went home. I was still sick. Boo.

Saturday:

Mom brought me the Blazer, and I gave her my KIA. No more dirty Kia riding. I now have a Blazer. I will NOT let this car get as dirty as the Kia got. No more eating in the ride, and a lot more car washes. I chilled at home until about 6 or so. Then, I rolled around and got some McDonald's, then some TCBY. They have a German Chocolate yogurt flavor!! AND it's 95% fat free!! Double score!! I wanted to go to the Bartlett 10, but I had my times mixed up. I went to the Hastings on Germantown Parkway and wasted time. What a "wild and crazy" Saturday night.

Sunday:

I laid around the house in semi-recovery mode. I watched the Titans DESTROY the Kansas City Chiefs. Haters take note: The Titans are 6-0. Deal with it!! I also got an opportunity to mess with my brother's two closest sports buddies who are die-hard Cowboys fans because they lost to the St. Louis Rams. That's two losses in a row, Cowboys fans. What's wrong?! Later, I went to My Favorite Place and had some Mexican food. Then, I went to the Malco Cordova Cinema and saw Fireproof. It was a Christian film starring Kirk Cameron. The acting wasn't the greatest, but it was a nice, uplifting story. I think one of the main actors is a guy that I knew from the U of M. Crazy, right? I will give it a 3/5 on flixster.com.

I am finally feeling better, and looking forward to getting out a little more this weekend. There will be a hip-hop show in the M-Town that I would really like to see. Also, I will rejoin my podcasting bretheren on the Geekland podcast (www.geeklandpodcast.com). Be easy, readers!!!

The Super-Late Recap of the Past Few Days

I know, this is very late. Work has been crazsy, I've had computer issues, and I feel like crap. Here goes:

Friday:

I worked a half day, shot some footage for the Memphis Grizzlies, got a $62 ticket for the exhibition game that evening, went back to my side of town to celebrate a coworkers' b-day (I see you, LaLa), then I went back downtown to watch the game. We won. Yay.

Saturday:

I went to a SAG workshop, then I did the podcast(www.geeklandpodcast.com),and then I hung out at various places until the screening of Chasing the White Dragon at Studio on the Square. It was a good film. Kudos to the director Kat Phillips and kudos to my friend Learyn Wilde, who did an awesome job. After that, I went to an after party at Chris McCoy and Laura Hocking-McCoy's place. It was good food, good fun, and good conversation. Ain't no party like a Chris and Laura party 'cause a Chris and Laura party don't stop. Literally. At 2:45 PM, I had to call it a night.

Sunday:

Rod Pitts and I had a late breakfast at Perkins, then we went to the Hattiloo Theatre. Later, I attended a Q and A with Giancarlo Esposito at Studio on the Square. Oh,yeah, the Indie Memphis Film Festival was going on. Shameless plug after the fact. He was interviewed by New York Times movie critic Elvis Mitchell. It was interesting. I talked to him briefly after the session. Next, he showed his directorial debut Gospel Hill. It had an all-star cast: Danny Glover, Samuel Jackson, Angela Bassett, Julia Stiles, Nia Long, and others. I enjoyed the film a lot, I gave it a positive review on flixster.com.

After that, I went to the Karaoke Smackdown. Shout out to David H, Joe, Anna, Amy, The Chris Haley, April Steele, Broadway, and others.

Monday:

I was off work(thanks for exploring and stuff, Mr. Columbus). I went to the grocery store, lounged around, and then I went out and saw an evening screening of Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist. I also gave it a favorable review on flixster. Michael Cera (Superbad, Juno) was Nick, and Kat Dennings (The House Bunny) played Norah. Kat's skin is very pale, but at least she looks like a real person. By "real", I mean she's not afraid to eat. It was a fun, quirky movie about teenage hijinks on a Friday night. Good stuff. I never had such experiences, but if I did, I hope it would've happended like that movie.

Tuesday and Wednesday:

Not really worth mentioning. Oh, yeah, I've been sick since Saturday. Sickness is uncool.

Thursday:

After work, I hauled my sick behind to Studio on the Square again for the last day of the Indie Memphis Film Festival. I saw the Music Video Showcase. I was in the New Intruders video "Fighting Machines". Shout out to Merchas, a student at the school I work at, who had a video called "This Yo Song". Shout out also to longtime associate Valencia Robinson, who had the video "Good Things are Real". Of course, I voted for the video I was in, but those vids were cool, too.

Later, more karaoke goodness at the Karaoke Smackdown. Shoutout to everybody that I said on Sunday minus Chris and April but plus Lauren. Now figure that one out.

Friday:

I am still a sicko(in more ways than one), and I have to pick up the vehicle my parents are giving me, and figure out if I am going to do the podcast tomorrow and if I am going to a get-together tomorrow night. Oh, how I miss perfect health, or the reasonable facsimile that I once possessed. The vitamins and Robitussin have not proven effective enough. It's time for the good drugs, the ones that knock you out. Yay non-prescription meds!!!! Be easy, readers.

Wasted Time, Weddings, and Uncomfortableness: The Weekend Wrap-Up

Friday:

I was talked into going to West Memphis to a karaoke bar by my sometimes friend Mario Lindsey. The bar didn't have karaoke that night. I did run into an old friend of mine from my dormitory days at good ol' U of M. We called him Smurf. I guess Smurf moved back to West Memphis. Next, we went to downtown Memphis and ate at BigFoot Lodge. The food was okay, but I should have been at home. I have to learn to say no.

Saturday:

I worked for a few hours (BOOOO!). Next, I particpated in the Entertainment Overload Podcast (www.eopodcast.wordpress.com) and the Geekland Podcast (www.geeklandpodcast.com). Shoutout to Justin Vactor, Ben Songer, Willie Gillis, and Chris Eaton. After that, we went to Schlotzsky's and ate. Next, I ran my mouth in the comic book store for a while, then I went to the wedding reception of my good buddy and former coworker Andrew "4 Stacks" Britton. He and his beautiful bride were married at the Pink Palace. The reception was cool: delicous cake, a good DJ, and dancing. I enjoyed myself.

Sunday:

I went out to Oakland and gave my cousin Anwar Crawford his birthday gift: The Rey Misterio DVD, 619. That's his area code and the name of one of his moves (hes' a wrestler). Later, I went to the movies and saw Miracle at St. Ana. It was directed by Spike Lee. It was cool, but it was a little confusing. I will give it 3/5 stars on flixster.com.

Later, I ate at a place that I had no business being at (Cic's Pizza). I went home and watched the Steelers beat the Jaguars. Also, shoutout to the Titans for beating the Ravens. I am becoming a fan of the NFL. Too bad I didn't do this sooner.

Monday:

I went to a wrap party for N-Secure, a film shot in Memphis. Shout out to Janine Farmer, Christian B of the group Free Sol, April Hale, and Keenon Walker. Keenon and Janine are now eligible to join the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) because they had speaking roles. I am a little jealous, but I am happy for them. One day, I will be SAG eligible. It was okay, but after the people I knew started leaving, I felt out of place. I was only on set two days, and these people had been working together for a while. I found out a woman that I had met in '05 on a movie set also worked on N-Secure. Her name was Lisa Kiesel. I am frustrated about my career right now. Trying to balance acting and a day job is tough. Also, I have gotten too comfortable. I need new headshots, new cards, and I have got to discipline myself and lose this weight. I feel like I have made very little progress in 4 years of doing this. I am a tall, overweight dude trying to succeed in an image-conscious business full of small, skinny people. I am tired of playing thugs or victims in horror movies. I hate the fact that I am not in one film in Indie Memphis this year. However, I am tired of letting fear and frustration beat me. I have done it all my life. I have always had a dream of performing and entertaining. I can't quit now. I don't want to start anything else. I am happy when I am on set or on stage. I just have to regroup. Be easy, readers.