After seeing all of the 2010 Oscar nominated short films, I was pulling hard for “Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty” to bring home the gold for best animated short but it was not meant to be. The award winner was Francois Alaux and Herve de Crece’s “Logorama,” which is still a great thing!

I was going back &  forth between who I wanted to win, so was still excited to see this very clever gem win.

According to the directors,

“Logorama presents us with an over-marketed world built only from logos and real trademarks that are destroyed by a series of natural disasters (including an earthquake and a tidal wave of oil). Logotypes are used to describe an alarming universe (similar to the one that we are living in) with all the graphic signs that accompany us everyday in our lives. This over-organized universe is violently transformed by the cataclysm becoming fantastic and absurd. It shows the victory of the creative against the rational, where nature and human fantasy triumph.”

The awesome thing about the win is that now, “Logorama can now be viewed online! Yes!!!!

Enjoy…

I love when Negro pop culture blogs do those “who rocked it better” posts & always wondered if I would do that here. Well I’m not exactly out looking for fashion trends etc but I couldn’t pass this opportunity up.

So anyway, I ask you, who rocked “Island Life” best? Is it a toss up???

Behind the Island Life album cover:

Grace Jones’ former lover & photographer Jean Paul Goude took this photo of her in 1978 for a New York Magazine model profile.

Of the image, Goude has stated in his book “So Far, So Goude:”

“…unless you are extraordinarily supple, you cannot do this arabesque. The main point is that Grace couldn’t do it, and that’s the basis of my entire work: creating a credible illusion.”

The image is actually a composite of several photos stitched together to make this iconic image. Awesome work from the pre-Photoshop days!

Last night I while working Melinda Anderson’s “Back To The 80s” event, I found myself in a conversation with this 20 something Canadian girl who asked me about other parties happening later. I shared with her the only other set that I knew about. A house music set called “Moist.”

After she giggled over “Moist,” she asked my name so of course I said “my name is Tafari.” She was like oh wow, “is that from ‘The Lion King.’”

I was like excuse me? Are you for real? All followed by blank stares. No my name has nothing to do with “The Lion King.”

Then she was like, it’s OK, “people call me “Nala” all the time because my name is Nelee and I like it.”

Well, that’s nice but don’t try to get me caught up in your Disney movie name mess!

Admittedly, I did laugh on the inside when she said this to me because I knew that my kids would get a kick out of it. They call me “the lion king” or “king of the lions” all of the time because of my mane of hair.

After telling my boy about this funny incident today over lunch, he was like, she must have been thinking about “Jafar” from “Alladin.” O_o Wow!

Side notes:
- My name is Ethiopian in origin
- I meet some of the most interesting people when out working events
- “Scar” is my favorite character in “The Lion King”
- I’ve never seen “Alladdin”
- I wish I could time travel back to the 80’s so that I could tell myself to be a better student

Last night, I made a trip to the Detroit Film Theatre to see the 2010 Oscar nominated live action & animated short films.

This was quite a treat because it’s not often that large audiences get a chance to see short films. For instance, I only saw 2 of the 2009 nominated shorts.

The program ran a little more than 3 hours & was well worth the time!

Featured were 5 live action & 5 animated films, all of which were AWESOME! Well almost all of them. I’m not a fan of “Wallace & Grommit”, so I took those few moments & dozed off for a few.

My psychic prediction for best animated short is “Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty.”

My psychic prediction for best live action short is “The New Tenants.”

I’m also pulling for “Kavi” for best live action short.

If you’re interested in catching the short films, the official Oscars website has a screening list. You won’t be disappointed.

In other movie news; I saw “The Wolfman” last week & its at the top of my life of worst films of 2010 & possible 2011. Yes, it was that bad! In fact, on Twitter, I said the “the shit I took on Saturday morning was better than ‘The Wolfman.’”

This weekend, I saw “Shutter Island” and it was really all that. Mystery, complex characters, drama, drugs, suspense & an awesome surprise twist! So basically it was everything that a great movie needs.

When I was a boy, I used to make mix tapes all the time from the radio. I thought I was a pro at it! I never caught the commercials or the DJ talking. This made my mix tapes popular with the ladies.

Mix tapes required thought, good timing & effort. Making drag & drop playlists or CDs is just not the same.

Essayist Michael Resnick has said:

“With the CD revolution in the near past and the digital revolution at hand, our music collections exist increasingly on hard drives, computer software, and mp3 players, while vinyl and CDs collect dust in the attic. Simultaneously, the ‘mix tape’ has gone digital, the medium for which it seems it was always meant.”

I wonder if my children will ever reminisce over CDs or their vibrantly colored & shiny 8GB iPod Nanos?

My how times change!

2010 is shaping up to be the year of good Negro music. By now, the entire world knows that Sade released her latest album “Soldier of Love” last week. An album that was 10 years in the making & well worth the wait!

Interestingly enough, even the hip-hop world has been feeling Sade’s comeback. Rakim recently told “NY Mag:”

“I grew up on soul music, but when my pops introduced me to Sade just before Diamond Life hit, it was a revelation. That voice and her style just took out even the hardest hood at the knees. ‘Smooth Operator’ may have been a smash for everyone worldwide, but that was my track, and you can catch me referencing what she was trying to get across from Paid in Full up to my new album. Being in the biz for about the same amount of time, I respect and try to emulate how she floats above the industry … one of the few that can do things on her own terms, knowing her fans will watch out for her. To this day, she’s one of the artists I can listen to with 100 percent admiration. I can’t wait to get my hands on this album and congratulate her for continuing to build her already iconic place in the world.”

You gotta love that coming from one of the best hip-hop MCs ever.

As I had anticipated, I immediately fell in love with the entire album.  And frankly, as far as I’m concerned, Sade just cannot do any wrong. I’d drink this woman’s dirty bath water. I’m that deep in.

“Soldier of Love” follows the musical pattern of the rest of Sade’s releases, so if you’re looking for something wild & unexpected, it’s not here. What you do get is a 10 tracks that take you on an emotional ride of love, loss, triumph & of course sexiness.

The runaway hit is obviously the very strong & sultry “Soldier of Love” but backing that up are “Skin” a very modern smooth reflection of what Sade offers best, “The Moon and the Sky” an intensely sing drama with a sleek Spanish vibe & “The Safest Place’,” which is where you find warmth & love through melody.

If it takes another 10 years to get another album from one of my favorite song birds, I’m OK with that because “Soldier of Love” will get me through that “Long Hard Road.”

On more musical goodness, we also have José James’ 2nd full LP “Blackmagic.” Because I already knew José was the business, I was not tripping when I fell in love with this album upon 1st play.

“Blackmagic” represents the type of music that we need to hear more of on the radio’ it needs to be championed! It’s fresh, to the point, hypnotic & captivatingly sexy. The tempos float between jazz, beat laden R&B & some of that silky stuff your momma used to tell you about.

“New York Times” jazz critic Ben Ratcliff recently opined about José & “Blackmagic:”

“José James is a young American jazz singer who’s gotten most of his reputation making moody, post-D’Angelo R&B in Europe. He has traces of Gil Scott-Heron and Joe Williams in his voice; he can swing hard, murmur, sing ballads and chant cosmic chants. He still hasn’t made the serious jazz record my ear can imagine, but perhaps “Blackmagic” is fresher than that anyway.”

I wish I could pick a favorite from 14 tracks but it would be very difficult to do. Each track builds upon the next until you reach a totally lush eargasm. Fella’s if you need something to make your night to go swell with your boo, pop this album on, hit repeat & the rest will be history. Especially once “Love Conversation” & “No Tellin’” play! I’m so serious!

The last LP that I must mention is Robert Glasper’s 2009 “Double Booked” album. I’m late on this one yes I know, but better late than never. I’ve been a fan of Glasper’s since his last album “In My Element” so I’m not sure how this latest joint went below my radar.

Glasper explains the concept of “Double Booked” as:

“Most people, if they have different bands, they do separate albums,” says Glasper. “But I felt I’d be making more of a statement if I put it all on one joint.” The result, in essence, is a snapshot of Glasper’s life. “This is what I’m dealing with,” he continues. “It’s not like I play jazz but I also play hip-hop now and then. I’m in it, for real, both sides of the spectrum. That’s my life. A lot of people go in stages they might focus on trio for a long time, then they change or whatever. My thing is both, all the time.”

With that said, I now know that “Double Booked” is a must have for the jazz piano enthusiast. This album goes from trio style to soulful experimental jam session while inserting interesting hip-hop elements all in the stroke of a few keys.

The runaway jam on the album is “All Matter” which features a VERY unique emotional vocal performance by soul star Bilal, on jazzier side of things, I’m in love with “Yes I’m Country (And that’s O.K.)” & “Butterfly” prove to be gems than can be played over & over. As a matter of fact, I played the entire album on repeat last Friday & it helped me get through my work day.

Robert Glasper just can’t do any wrong. And no, I would not drink his dirty bath water.

One a single note:
Si*se, one of my favorite Latin bands is making a comeback March 12th with their release “Gold.” In the meantime, they have given a sample of the goodness to come with their single release “This Love.” Totally fucking hot!

Erykah Budu last week released her 1st single (I’m not counting “Jump In The Air” because it sucked) “Window Seat” & I’m not able to get enough of it. It’s classic Badu & it totally has me feenin’. March 30th (New Amerykah pt.2: Return of the Ankh’s release date) cannot get here soon enough for me.

Julie Dexter recently dropped “Transitions,” a new single produced by Zo! This is one of them songs that makes you move, snap your fingers & head bop no matter where you’re listening. There is no word of an album on the horizon but I hope that there is and is along the lines of “Transitions” because this shit is HOT!

Just for shits & giggles, I decided to see what a few random Google auto searches would yield by simply typing in “black people…” I guess a lot of people are Googling such topics like illustrated below. Is it BS, racism, coincidental or just crazy?

And for the record, I don’t act like an animal, smell like cocoa butter or sour milk, nor do I love watermelon. In fact, I hate watermelon but I LOVE some good fried chicken.

Gil Scott-Heron is back like a mofo with “I’m New Here;” his 1st album in 16 years. After listening to “I’m New Here” many times, its clear that Gil still has that magic with his powerful rough but smooth voice proving that he’s still powerful, relevant & on pint.

The release has 15 cuts & is a hot 28 minutes long but it packs a powerful punch with poetry, re-memories, hip-hop beats, blue grass themes & the devil!

“Me & The Devil” was the 1st single from the album & it really is a soul stirring, head bopping song that reminds me of why I LOVE Gil Scott-Heron so much. A musical bro-mance if you will. And damn the song’s video is almost too good. It’s just as raw as Gil himself & equally intense.

“On Coming From A Broken Home” (Part 1) & (Part 2) are haunting like “Home Is Where the Hatred Is.” These are the kind of pieces that makes me stop, play, process & repeat.

It’s no surprise that critics from NPR to Soulbounce are enjoying Gil’s latest work, because this shit is just all that; true amalgamation of musical & poetic deliciousness.

I’m happy that www.gilscottheron.net released a free preview! Check it out cause it’s so worth your time.

I’ll tell you, Feb 9, 2010 is a day of great musical releases. Gil Scott-Heron & Sade! Who could ask for more?

Back in November 09, I was finally able to see the movie “Precious” (Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire). I had not read the book prior to seeing the film, but friends who had “warned” me about what to expect.

To put things mildly, what I was told really didn’t prepare me for what I saw. I mean I left the theater without being able to close my mouth from shock.

There were several scenes that had me about to break down in major tears but somehow I was able to keep from going there. The emotional/sexual/physical abuse, overt colorism, etc were almost too much. But… the story of a young woman fighting to survive for her sake & the sake of her children helped me make it through the movie. I was hoping that this girl who had everything against her finally won.

Once I got home, I sat down to figure out how I was going to talk about the movie & was stuck. I guess I was stuck because I felt like I was missing something. What did the movie not cover from the book. And I also wanted to know more about Precious’ friends from the “alternative.” So, at this point, I logged onto Amazon & purchased “Push.”

Flash forward>>>>>>>>>>>>

I’ve read the book & it filled in all of the holes that I knew were missing and I was satisfied knowing the complicated back-stories of Precious’ friends.

One thing that stuck with me through the book was this passage from chapter 1:

“I big, I talk, I eats, I cooks, I laugh, watch TV, do what my muver say. But I can see when the picture come back I don’t exist. Don’t nobody want me. Don’t nobody need me. I know who I am. I know who they say I am-vampire sucking the system’s blood. Ugly black grease to be wipe away, punish, kilt, changed, finded a job for.”
~ Precious

Is the book hard to read? Yes! The vernacular is written phonetically & some may struggle with that as I’ve heard.

Is the book graphic? Hell yes! The book makes the movie look like a PG rated after school special.

My favorite laughable take aways from the book not fully played out in the movie? “Cunt Bucket.” & “Hasta la vista, baby.”

“She look at me like I said I wanna suck a dog’s dick or some shit. What’s with this cunt bucket? (That’s what my muver call women she don’t like, cunt buckets. I kinda get it and I kinda don’t get it, but I like the way it sounds so I say it too.)” ~ Precious

——–

“My muver say, “Eighty –six that bitch.” I says into the intercom. “Hasta la vista, baby.” That’s Spanish for good-bye but when niggers say it, it’s like, kiss my ass.” ~ Precious

Without a doubt, “Push” is a MUST read, if you’ve seen or want to see the movie “Precious! The short novel fills in the missing links & believe me there are many. This is surprising because the book is a quick 192 pages compared to the 110 minute movie.

Flash forward one mo’ gin’ (Negro Dialect)>>>>>>>>>>>>

This past Monday I attended a MLK symposium talk sponsored by the University of Michigan titled “Push, Literacy, Women, and African American Literature” given by poet & novelist Sapphire.

Sapphire coming to town was too much like right! While at the talk, I planned on getting my book autographed & asking some of the pressing questions on my mind regarding the movie & book.

After the very exciting session was said & done, I wasn’t able to get my book signed but I did get the chance to ask two of my three questions which are addressed in the audio link here.

I wish I could have asked my 3rd question regarding the content on 111 para 4. I just wanted to be sure that what I read was what I read & not what I was thinking it was.

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

A few of my Tweets from the Talk:

• I’m at the Sapphire lecture & the hall is almost at standing room only. Wow! http://twitpic.com/yoj1t http://twitpic.com/yoj1h
• Sapphire is reading from “Push.” I’m loving this!
• White people are leaving the Sapphire’s talk. I guess they cannot handle her reading from “Push.” Interesting!
• Standing in line to ask Sapphire a question. http://twitpic.com/yow8y
• I actually talked with Sapphire. Posting audio later. I’m excited!!!!
• Sapphire just read this woman who tried to read her. Shit!!!
• Male rape victim now at the mic talking to Sapphire. Wow!
• The line was way too long to get my book signed by Sapphire but I was able to get a photo. Yes! http://twitpic.com/yp4kx

Did you see the movie, read the book or both? What are your thoughts?

Suite Suzy & I recently got the kids a Wii along with some fun games & they are loving it.

After spending 8 hours hooking that bitch up & figuring it out, I’m now realizing how fun it actually is. Mario Cart is my shit BTW!

With a little practice in now, I see the potential for Nintendo to add in some adult oriented entertainment.

So, with that said, after the holidays are over, I’m contacting Nintendo to discuss my ideas for a game titled “Wii Fuck.”

The “Wii Fuck,” would come with a Jack Rabbit for women & a Fleshlight for men. The goal of the game would be to get off before your opponent.

Would you order a copy???