THE OBENSON REPORT

No surprise...

I had to return at some point, right? My misanthropic leanings aside, the blogosphere inspires me, as I inspire it :o)

I've been doing a lot of thinking about whether to return, what my contribution should be if I do, how much time to commit, etc... I reached the conclusion that, as I've already shared with some of you, for me to start blogging again, my blog must be a natural extension of myself, like an umbilical cord between the placenta and fetus, with me being the placenta, the blog as the umbilical cord with which the placenta uses to feed and nourish the blogosphere, operating in this case as the fetus! (By the way, did you know that the word "placenta" is Latin for "cake?" Maria Theresa uttering, “let them eat placenta” just doesn’t have the same ring to it, does it?)

I think it's important that we all love what we do, and can readily explain why we do what we do, otherwise why do what we do? The blog as it existed previously started to feel like a chore. It wasn't fun anymore. But I'm not sure if it ever was. Taking the last month off allowed me to not only get a lot of writing done for my upcoming fall production project; it also provided me with an opportunity to ponder the reason(s) for my blog's existence, and thus, my interest and commitment to it. And I'm elated to state that my raison d'etre (or rather my blog's) has never been clearer to me!

So, what can you expect from now on? As the image header above states, albeit somewhat cryptically, anything and everything, the beginning and the end, the heavens and the earth, and other merisms... not just black cinema, which used to be my sole focus. Essentially, Tambay raw, while maintaining definite boundaries of course. Some things are better left unspoken, suppressed in the various tangible and intangible kinds of matter that make up the mind. I’ll post as I’m inspired to, so don’t expect some rigid schedule of entries. If you’re a subscriber, you’ll know when there’s something new. If you’re not, click the subscribe link above-right.

Likely, most entries will be related in some fashion to the projects I’m working on currently, since I’m devouring anything and everything that I think will inspire me – literature, music, film, fine art, photography, and of course people, amongst other things. Yes, I’m devouring people (figuratively speaking of course).

I hope the blogosphere appreciates my novel “placental” offerings!

Bon appétit!

TAO

• Culture Critical
• Deesha Philyaw (AKA Mamalicious!)
• The Black Actor
• The Invisible Woman
• Wigger Lover

"...there, Michael, in the middle of Sixth Avenue -- as I stood there jabbering... traffic speeding... I looked at my hands and my suit -- my briefcase -- and it came to me -- came over me -- through me -- the overwhelming sensation -- the feeling -- the fact -- that I was covered with some sort of film -- an oil -- an ooze -- my hair -- my face -- like a glaze -- a coating -- and at first I thought, “My God, I know what this is, this is some sort of amniotic, embryonic fluid - I’m drenched in afterbirth -- I’ve breached the chrysalis -- I’ve been reborn”... or some giddy illusion of renewal that happens in the final instant before death.” I realized, at that moment, that I had emerged -- as I have done nearly every day for the past twenty eight years of my life from the asshole of an organism whose sole function is to excrete the poison -- the ammo -- the defoliant -- necessary for even larger and more dangerous organisms to destroy the miracle of humanity -- and that I have been coated with this patina of shit for the better part of my life and that the stink and stain might in all likelihood take the rest of my days to undo -- and do you know what I did next? I took a deep, cleansing breath. I set that notion aside. I tabled it. I said to myself, “As clear as this may be -- as potent as this may feel -- as true a thing as I believe I have witnessed here -- It must stand the test of time.” And, Michael, the time is NOW!"

As spoken by Tom Wilkinson as Arthur Dent from the film Michael Clayton (although slightly edited for my benefit). He should have won the Oscar for best supporting actor, by the way. His performance in Michael Clayton trumped Javier Bardem's choirboy haircut killer!

TAO

An amalgamation of Did You Know and Things That Made Me Go Hmm...

All 4 winners in the major performance categories (best actor, best actress, best supporting actor and best supporting actress) were not American - actually, they're all European.

Spain's Javier Bardem won best supporting actor for his performance in No Country For Old Men. It was the first Oscar for a Spanish performer in the 80-year history of the world's premier cinema awards. British Daniel Day-Lewis won best actor in There Will Be Blood, his second win in that category. Scotland's Tilda Swinton was named best supporting actress for her role in Michael Clayton, which was quite a surprise for me, as I had Cate Blanchett as the favorite for her riveting performance in the Bob Dylan quasi-biopic, I'm Not There. Lastly, French star Marion Cotillard beat Julie Christie as best actress with her acclaimed performance as troubled chanteuse Edith Piaf in La Vie en Rose. Cotillard was the first French woman to win the award since Simone Signoret in 1960.

But this certainly isn't the first time that non-Americans have swept the acting categories. In 1964, British Rex Harrison and Julie Andrews won for best actor and actress respectively, while Sir Peter Alexander Ustinov (also Brit, although his parents were of mostly Russian and Swiss heritage) and Lila Kedrova (a Russian) won for supporting.

To quote Paul Revere, "The British are coming! The British are coming!" Although, it's been suggested that those weren't his exact words.

Introducing: the man who will play Barack Obama on Saturday Night Live!

So... after about a week of suspense (and I use that word loosely), the producers of Saturday Night Live have finally decided on who will assume the job of caricaturing Barack Obama for this season of SNL, and possibly even longer, especially if Obama becomes the 44th president of these united states. I blogged about this a few days ago, and you can read that entry HERE. His name is Fred Armisen, and incase you're wondering, no he isn't black, so expect to see some controversy from this decision. The lack of black faces on SNL is and has been apparent since inception; and, as I said previously, the job of playing Obama could possibly become quite lucrative for whomever is chosen to portray him, if Obama does indeed become the next president of the United States. We're talking at least 4 years of guaranteed employment for that comic/actor! But, as has already been noted by several media outlets, there've been instances previously when real life black people have been caricatured by white cast members, for example, Darrell Hammond's impression of Jesse Jackson, and Horatio Sanz as Aaron Neville, amongst others. However, we're talking about potentially the next president of the United States, not Jesse Jackson, or Aaron Neville (of course, no disrespect towards those two men); and we're talking about one the longest running, sketch comedy variety shows seen weekly by millions of people. I really think the the producers of the show should have gone out of their way to find a black actor/comic to assume what could be quite a plump role. Or maybe they should make an effort to ensure that there is always more than 1 non-white cast member so that situations like this never have to arise again.

It'll be interesting to see how this plays out. So, let the shit storm begin!!

In honor of tonight's Academy Award celebration, this is a repost of my picks for who will win in the major categories. This was originally posted a month ago, on January 22, soon after the nominees were announced. Looking over the list now, there are a couple of changes I would make, given all that's transpired in the last month. BUT, I'll stick to my original picks!

So, what do you think?

The nominations for the 80th annual Academy Awards were announced Tuesday morning, with "No Country for Old Men" and "There Will Be Blood" leading the way with eight nods each. Not-so surprisingly, "colored" faces are mostly absent this year. Although, I thought the Oprah Winfrey produced, The Great Debaters was a lock for something - whether direction, acting, picture... something. Not that I think it's fully deserving, but I recall hearing much talk about a possible Oscar campaign for the film and its stars, with the Golden Globes leading the charge. Guess not. Oh well... life goes on, right? Ruby Dee's nomination for best supporting actress (American Gangster) is certainly a surprise. I haven't seen the film (no interest) but influenced by her nomination, I'm just might...

Notable omissions: despite all the noise about her NAACP Image Award nomination, Angelina Jolie didn't get any love from the Academy for her portrayal as Mariane Pearl in A Mighty Heart Also, Tommy Lee Jones should have received a nomination for his supporting role in the Coen Brothers western, No Country For Old Men.

Yes, it was a horrible year for blacks on screen folks! There just wasn't much for us to cheer, and it's evident below. Although I think it wasn't a very good year for film in general.

The nominations follow below, along with my selections for who will win in red bold, and other ramblings, in parentheses:

Best Picture

"Atonement" (This will win. Didn't see it. But the word on it is strong)
"Juno" (Over-rated)
"Michael Clayton" (a little puzzled by this one. Saw it... entertaining mostly. Not a best picture nom.)
"No Country for Old Men" (Solid but over-rated)
"There Will Be Blood" (Solid, but without Daniel Day Lewis, it wouldn't be on this list)

Actor in a Leading Role

George Clooney, "Michael Clayton" (Like George Clooney. Not his best)
Daniel Day-Lewis, "There Will Be Blood" (Awesome performance. He was the movie and he will win)
Johnny Depp, "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" (Ho-hum)
Viggo Mortensen, "Eastern Promises" (Didn't see it; a long-shot)

Actress in a Leading Role

Cate Blanchett, "Elizabeth - The Golden Age" (A good actress in a mediocre flick)
Julie Christie, "Away From Her" (Yawn)
Marion Cotillard, "La Vie en Rose" (Eh... *shrugging*... although I think she will win)
Laura Linney, "The Savages" (Didn't see it. Doubt she'll win)
Ellen Page, "Juno" (Over-rated, over-hyped)

Actor in a Supporting Role

Casey Affleck, "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" (good job, but not his time yet)
Javier Bardem, "No Country for Old Men" (His name is already in the envelope. Although I couldn't get past the funny hair cut)
Hal Holbrook, "Into the Wild" (Memorable film; forgettable role)
Philip Seymour Hoffman, "Charlie Wilson's War" (Yawn)
Tom Wilkinson, "Michael Clayton" (Love the guy; always solid in his roles, even this one. But Bardem's haircut gets the nod this year)

Actress in a Supporting Role

Cate Blanchett, "I'm Not There" (Wow, nominated in 2 categories. Go Cate! She'll win this one. Mesmerizing performance)
Ruby Dee, "American Gangster" (Intriguing selection. Likely a long-shot)
Saoirse Ronan, "Atonement" (Who?)
Amy Ryan, "Gone Baby Gone" (Who?)
Tilda Swinton, "Michael Clayton" (captivating in her business suits; but can't beat Cate as a man)

Directing

Julian Schnabel, "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" (I think this will be his year)
Jason Reitman, "Juno" (Eh...)
Tony Gilroy, "Michael Clayton" (Shouldn't be on this list)
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, "No Country for Old Men" (The usual, but no gold this year fellas)
Paul Thomas Anderson, "There Will Be Blood" (Strong 4th outing, since Punch-Drunk Love. But it was Daniel Day Lewis's show)

Writing (Original Screenplay)

Diablo Cody, "Juno" (Aarrghh... no more Juno noms, please!! Although, I think it will win in this category)
Nancy Oliver, "Lars and the Real Girl" (Nope)
Tony Gilroy, "Michael Clayton" (Sorry Tony)
Brad Bird, Jan Pinkava, Jim Capobianco, "Ratatouille" (Interesting selection. Would be even more interesting if it wins)
Tamara Jenkins, "The Savages" (Pass)

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)

Christopher Hampton, "Atonement" (Hmmm... I think it's his to lose)
Sarah Polley, "Away From Her" (Word is strong on this one; surprised she wasn't nominated for Director)
Julian Schnabel, "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" (Probably not)
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, "No Country for Old Men" (Again, usual solid work, but not this year)
Paul Thomas Anderson, "There Will Be Blood" (Again, it's Daniel Day Lewis's film)

Alright - that's all folks!

Well, last night, my lovely city, New York, got hit with the worst snow storm we've seen in 2 years; and the snow continues to fall rather rapidly, traveling with strong gusts of wind along with it. See pic below.

Happy weekend to all!! Mine will be full of film screenings, including an ongoing Sydney Lumet retrospective at The Film Forum.

Also, this Sunday, the 24th of February, I’ll be joining the Invisible Woman as guests on AfroNerd Radio, with host dburt, talking about black cinema, past, present and future. The show airs live at 8PM EST, at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Afronerd. Why watch the boring Oscar celebration when you could be listening to us???

AND, please to check out my "What Is A Black Film?" entry from earlier this week, and join the discussion. These are conversations that I believe we all need to be having but rarely do. So CLICK HERE to read all that's been said, and add your $.02.

Here's a picture I just took of the view outside my apartment living room window in Brooklyn. Obviously some shoveling needs to done, and hopefully I won't have do it!!

A special "Did You Know" in honor of the upcoming Academy Award Oscar celebration on Sunday

Did You Know...

... From around 1982 until 2007, African-American actors, directors, producers and executives held a secret ceremony on the night before Oscar night, to celebrate black performers, calling the event, the Black Oscars. Every talent, from the likes of Samuel L. Jackson to Will Smith, participated in this event, which was considered a moment for black Hollywood to honor its own. In 2007, the "Friends of the Black Oscars," the secretive group that sponsored the event, decided that the Black Oscars had finally become obsolete, thanks in large part to the recent increases in the presence of black performers in the race for Oscar - Halle Berry, Denzel Washington, Forest Whitaker, Eddie Murphy, Jennifer Hudson, Will Smith and Djimon Hounsou, notably.

Be sure to check out my Oscar Picks HERE.

I'm so sure that my Brit readers will love this... The UK version of "Hell Date" should be bloody brilliant :o)

From Black Talent News...

BET Networks Launches BET in the UK

BET Networks will launch BET, a new television channel in the United Kingdom dedicated to bringing British consumers access to BET shows, including "106 & Park," "American Gangster," "Hell Date," "The BET Honors," College Hill" and "Meet the Faith."

BET will be offered free-to-air on the digital satellite platform beginning on February 28. Available via the Sky Guide, BET will be accessible to more than 8.8 million digital satellite homes.

"We're thrilled to be able to bring high quality, Black cultural content to communities around the world and deliver on our commitment to expand the BET brand internationally," said Debra L. Lee, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, BET Networks. "For more than 27 years, BET Networks has been the leader in providing premium entertainment to African American audiences, and we're so excited to establish BET as the premier destination for UK audiences to enjoy content that reflects the many viewpoints of the Black experience."

Read the rest HERE...

It's been a long time since I watched an episode of the original Law & Order series, or any of its offspring. I used to be such a fan of the show throughout the '90s, and even into the early 21st century. It's simple formula and style won me over, keeping me involved for all those years. But I eventually got my fill of the program and moved on. However I'm sure there'll be a few watery-eyed fans after the below piece of news goes wide.

From The Hollywood Reporter...

No more 'Order' for Martin

"Law & Order" veteran Jesse L. Martin is expected to leave the long-running NBC drama after nine years. Anthony Anderson is in final negotiations to come on board and fill the void left by Martin's departure. Anderson will play a new detective partnered with Jeremy Sisto's Cyrus Lupo. Martin will film one more episode of the Wolf Films/Universal Media Studios series, in which his character, Detective Ed Green, will be written off, sources said. The actor had signed on to do the first 13 episodes this season with an option for more. Martin... next is set to portray Marvin Gaye in the biopic "Sexual Healing," which is expected to begin production in late April or early May. "Law & Order" continues Anderson's streak of dramatic roles that includes FX's "The Shield," the Oscar-winning "The Departed" and, most recently, on Fox's gritty cop drama "K-Ville," for which he landed an Image Award nomination.

Yup, I too raised my eyebrows when I read that Anthony Anderson will be his replacement. But I realized that I actually haven't seen Anderson in much, except for bit parts here and there, so, I'm not really qualified to pre-assess just how successful (or unsuccessful) he might be in the role. The program is very much a revolving door of actors and actresses, but if he works out, Anderson could be guaranteed paid employment for a few years, in a show that's actually usually quite good.

As a super-hero comic book fan, I mostly dug the first 2 X-Men flicks, the second especially, even though poor Halle Berry was given very little to do in each. The third one in the series really stunk! However, my opinions certainly aren't enough to persuade or dissuade 20th Century Fox from continuing on with the series - this time in what has come to be anointed a prequel, detailing the origins of the always cantankerous Wolverine, of course played by Aussie star, Hugh Jackman, who has assumed the role since the first film in the series, almost 8 years ago (wow, it's been that long? Time certainly is flying on by).

In what I think is an interesting, curious casting choice, Black Eyed Peas front-man, Monsieur will.i.am, (aka William Adams) is confirmed to join Hugh Jackman, and a short list of mostly impressive character actors, as yet another delightfully genetically altered organism (read mutant) who goes by the name of Wraith, described as a mutant with the power to turn himself translucent. This will be will.i.am's big screen debut, by the way. It'll be interesting to see whether the producers of the film alter his appearance for the role... will he keep his braided hair style? Will they make him shave? Will his mutant outfit be just as flamboyant? Will Wraith be as stylish with the multi-colored hats? Might there be a musical number thrown in just so he can perform? Questions... questions... questions...

The film will also star Liev Schreiber and will be directed by Gavin Hood, the South African filmmaker responsible for Tsotsi (didn't see it; no interest), as well as one of Variety Magazine's "Ten Directors to Watch." Gavin Hood is white, by the way.

And incase you were wondering, as I'm so sure you were, the word "wraith" is defined, according to Webster, as a ghost or specter; a barely visible gaseous or vaporous form.

All together now... Oooooooohhh... :o)

Anyway, you can read the entire article on EURweb.

Possibly Chiwetel Ejiofor's "break-out" role? I use the term "break-out" loosely, since his face and name are (or should be) familiar to more than the average film enthusiast. He's certainly been around, and even starred in a few successful indie flicks (Dirty Pretty Things and Kinky Boots immediately come to mind); although one can't really zero in on that one specific role of his that really made audiences sit up and take notice.

Well, here, Ejiofor is assuming starring role duties in possibly the most important film of his career, directed by author, essayist, playwright, screenwriter, and film director, David Mamet, one of the more revered talents working within the studio system today. You may be familiar with some of his award winning efforts: Wag the Dog, State and Main, Glengarry Glen Ross, and of course, The Untouchables.

The film is called Redbelt and is said to be set in the west-side of Los Angeles fight world, inhabited by bouncers, cage-fighters, cops and special forces types. Redbelt, is the story of Mike Terry (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a Jiu-Jitsu teacher who has avoided the prize fighting circuit, choosing instead to pursue an honorable life by operating a self-defense studio with a samurai’s code. Terry and his wife Sondra (Alicia Braga), struggle to keep the business running to make ends meet. An accident on a dark, rainy night at the Academy between an off duty officer (Max Martini) and a distraught lawyer (Emily Mortimer) puts in motion a series of events that will change Terry’s life dramatically introducing him to a world of promoters (Ricky Jay, Joe Mantegna) and movie star Chet Frank (Tim Allen). Faced with this, in order to pay off his debts and regain his honor, Terry must step into the ring for the first time in his life.

Interesting story and cast of characters. I'm guessing Ejiofor will get to throw a few kicks and punches, which could be fun! The film is labeled as action/drama, and is scheduled for an April 25th release. Expect Mamet's usual clever, terse, stylized dialogue, and some commentary on masculinity.

Here's the trailer (audio and video are a little out of synch):

"Black film." "Black cinema." We've attached both labels to several different works of cinema since the dawn of the medium. But on closer inspection of many of those titles, one will discover that several of them are not deserving of the marker. So, what is a "black film?" Are there any specific characteristics that a film must adhere to for it to be considered "black cinema?" Is this something that can be readily defined?

Here are 3 characteristics that I believe every "black film" should contain:

1. The core team behind the production is dominated by people of African decent. By “core team” I mean, the writer, the director and the producer must be of African decent; or, at the very least, the writer and the director must be of African decent.

2. The core team in front of the camera is also dominated by people of African decent. And once again, by “core team” in this case, I’m referring to the actors and/or actresses in the film. Essentially, the film must primarily tell a story (or stories) of a person (or people) of African descent.

3. This is a tough one, for obvious reasons. The film must be financed either fully or partly by a person of African decent. This poses an obvious problem, notably that it eliminates the vast majority of Hollywood movies, because Hollywood movies are funded almost entirely by studio money - white-owned and operated studio money - with very few exceptions, like when Spike Lee funded Get on the Bus entirely with the financial assistance of capable black people, as well as Malcolm X, which was partly funded by a few of the black elite.

Those are my 3 criteria for any film to be labeled a "black film." Or, it should at least meet 2 of the 3. Actually, in thinking about it a little more, the first two criteria are the most crucial. The last one isn’t as crucial, although one could make a strong case for the influence that the financier might have on the production of the film; meaning that, for example, a script might be altered for one reason or another because the financial backer of the film might oppose a specific plotline or theme, and might push for the removal of what he/she/they oppose, whether aggressively or passively, putting the filmmaker into a situation where they are forced to choose between maintaining the integrity of the original story they wanted to tell, versus just getting the film made, by any means necessary, regardless of how much sacrificing must be done to do so. Obviously, this hypothetical setup could involve either a white financial backer or a black financial backer; we shouldn’t take certain things for granted simply because the person sitting across from us at the contract table is the same skin color as we are!

But, I’ll say, for now, every film must meet at a minimum, the first 2 criteria; and if they meet the 3rd one, then that's even better.

What says you? How do you identify a "black film?"

While you're thinking about it, be sure to check out Mark A Reid's book above, Redefining Black Film. It's definitely a worthwhile read!

Poor Kenan Thompson... as the ONLY black member of the current Saturday Night Live cast, he would have been the obvious choice to play Barack Obama in any sketches involving the presidential candidate - a job that could have possibly become quite lucrative for him, if Obama does become the next president of the United States. We're talking at least 4 years of guaranteed employment! However, Mr Thompson clearly isn't being considered for the task, as the producers of SNL are on the hunt for a black comic to join the SNL cast and assume the job of portraying Obama. Apparently, according to the below article, Kenan Thompson is thought to be a little too plump! Let's just hope that the SNL producers don't get too "creative" and instead have a white actor in black face play Obama.

FROM THE NEW YORK OBSERVER:

Who Will Play Obama on SNL?

On a recent episode of 30 Rock, an NBC sitcom about the making of a Saturday Night Live–like comedy show, a dilemma arises when the cast’s only black actor goes missing.

“Can I play Barack Obama?” asked an opportunistic white cast member.

The answer, of course, was no.

It just so happens that the real Saturday Night Live is faced with that very conundrum every week.

Only one current cast member, Kenan Thompson, is black, which would seem to be a desirable trait in portraying Mr. Obama.

But Mr. Thompson—who starred in a movie called Fat Albert—possesses a body type that makes him better suited to execute impressions of Al Sharpton than the lanky Illinois Senator. The result: an Obama-free show.

A spokesman for Lorne Michaels, the show’s longtime producer, said that there was no word yet on who the show would cast as Mr. Obama, or when an Obama character would make its debut.

“We’ll know when we know,” the spokesman, Marc Liepis, said in an e-mail. “Truthfully, there’s no timetable on these things.”

Read More Here...

From Variety Magazine...

"Madea" set for animated adaptation

Perry's production company has partnered with Exodus Film Group to produce an animated series based on his signature character, an opinionated, larger-than-life African-American woman.

Much like Perry's hit TBS laffer "House of Payne," the untitled "Madea" toon will be funded and produced before the show is shopped to potential networks. "Madea" could also wind up being distributed directly to video.

"After receiving thousands of letters from parents telling me how much their kids love Madea and realizing that a lot of the plays were not kid friendly," said Perry, "I wanted to do something more appropriate, and this seems to be it. A 'Madea' animation looks like the best way."

Exodus will finance the project.

"Exodus recognized that there was a void in the marketplace for animated properties geared toward the African-American family," said Jerome Williams, Exodus VP of business development.

Perry will create, write and exec produce the animated project. Exodus CEO John Eraklis, prexy Max Howard and Williams will also serve as exec producers.