Leaderboard

This was a question posed by @daniellegfny in another conversation. I thought it was important so I decided to post it here.

s Angeles, CA ) Melvin Van Peebles “The Godfather of Black Cinema” documentary film Sweet Black continues with production in ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ Melvin Van Peebles “God Father of Black Cinema” Documentary Sweet Black Production Continues In The wake of His Death (Los Angeles, CA ) Melvin Van Peebles “The Godfather of Black Cinema” documentary film Sweet Black continues with production in light of the famed filmmaker’s unexpected death. The iconic filmmaker was 89. The legendary director who brought us films that illuminated the black experience, including Sweet Sweetback’s Badaass Song, considered to be the movie that pioneered the blaxploitation sub-genre, passed away September 21 at his New York City home surrounded by his family. His son, acclaimed director/actor Mario Van Peebles made the announcement of his father’s death the next day via Instagram. Los Angeles based Tanya and Philip Hart of Flying Free Films are co-producers of the documentary Sweet Black along with Sylvie Gautier of Pop Films located in Paris, France. Sweet Black is a feature documentary about the director, writer, actor and playwright Melvin Van Peebles, and it celebrates the 50th Anniversary of his industry game-changing film Sweet Sweetback’s Badass Song which debuted in 1971. Catherine Bernstein and Martine Delumeau are the writers and directors. Jerome Colin is director of photography for the film. Phil and Tanya Hart were in the middle of producing Sweet Black when they received word of Melvin Van Peebles’ passing. They had completed an interview with famed director Reggie Hudlin and were preparing to interview with actor/director Bill Duke. Phil Hart recounts, “I was in the midst of being interviewed by our crew from Paris about my experience of attending the March 31, 1971, premiere of Sweet Sweetback’s Baadaaasss Song at the Grand Circus movie theater in Detroit. At the time I was a graduate student and activist at Michigan State University. On September 16 our crew was at Melvin’s apartment in Manhattan where we interviewed his sons Mario and Max and his grandchildren Mandela and Marguerite. Each read an excerpt from Melvin’s diary. Phil and Tanya Hart are both excited and saddened as they enter post-production on Sweet Black, “We are so pleased to be on the team that is telling the story of The Godfather of Black Cinema” Melvin Van Peebles with permission from and participation by the Van Peebles family. Rest In Peace and Power Melvin Van Peebles.” Sweet Black will air in March 2022 on ARTE TV in France, Germany and the EU. Soon thereafter it will air in the US. For more information or interviews contact: Media Contact, Edna Sims, Owner ESP Public Relations (310) 770-8117 E-mail: esppr@icloud.com About Tanya and Philip Hart The Harts are both included in The HistoryMakers Digital Archives and are co-producers of Sweet Black, a documentary film about Melvin Van Peebles and the making of Sweet Sweetback’s Badaasss Song to air on ARTE TV in March 2022 in France, Germany and the EU and soon thereafter in the US. Tanya Hart has a long relationship with both PBS and BET which began during her years on the air in the Boston television market. Tanya Hart has won four Emmy Awards, a Peabody Award, and other recognition for her television, radio, and film content over the years. Philip Hart has been recognized with a Notable Non-Fiction Children's Trade Book Award, and other awards for his films, books, and urban development projects Together the Harts have numerous types of content available via distributors and online such as Ray Charles: The Music Lives On and Tanya Hart Sings both on Spotify and other streaming services. Whether through films, books, music or documentaries the Harts continue to spotlight African American achievements. The Harts are recipients of the Diversity in Media Award from The Caucus for Producers, Writers & Directors and the 2019 Bessie Coleman Aerospace Legacy Award. Social Media – Phil and Tanya Hart Twitter and Instagram @TanyaHollywood Facebook Tanya Hart Media Contact: Edna Sims, Owner ESP Public Relations (310) 770-8117 E-mail: esppr@icloud.com  

@Cyniqueyou are amazingly insightful except when it comes to self assessment. Your writing and thinking are both penetrating and luminous. And your peevishness is like balsamic vinegar on a salad.

All beings want to return to the creator (Brahma) . Which is why destruction (Shiva) is venerated (Venus) by some and sustenance (Vishnu) by others. We live by our myths (beliefs)

I think the current theory was that a catastrophic meteor event wiped out the dinosaurs, but still this may be part of the "grand design," God's way of rebooting the planet.

@DelYou are obviously not among those who say that time doesn't exist... Are you explaining that you identify time by associating it with specific events and this scheduling has fine tuned your mind? Other than sun rise, sun set, the phases of the moon, the constellation of the stars and the changing of seasons, the only way i currently experience time is through the reminiscing that allows me to recreate the past in my mind. Tempus fugit

******************************************************************* I LOVE your vignettes!!! When I was a teenager, I knew a young Hispanic couple who had one of those big fancy weddings that the girl’s parents paid for. She said it cost $50K and they had saved up the money for years. After they were married, the newlyweds were living in a tiny apartment and didn’t even have their own furniture. I never could understand why the parents didn’t use that money to buy them a house, that would have been a better investment, IMO. My Husband and I were married at the courthouse but it was a Christian ceremony. I don’t like to post about my personal business but we are retired and those possessions you mentioned are not important to me because I have all of that. You can’t buy trust and loyalty and those attributes mean more to me than anything. I have known my Husband for forty years and we trust each other completely. But I get your point, most people can easily be bought off. *******************************************************************

@TroyWell, that's what i said: the world as we know it is coming to an end. However, the claim has been made that dinosaurs were the predecessors of man, but they being flawed precipitated their becoming extinct, and the process started all over again with humans being the result. Civilization may implode and wipe mankind out, setting the stage for the process to start all over again in yet another attempt at "getting it right". This is the grand design theory.

I could make the same pronouncement but no one in the media would pay attention to me. The media gives them a platform. I doubt any man want the masses to know another man is banging his wife, which may be why Will seems salty @Delano. I’m any event I have no idea as i don’t consume the information. Social media keeps thrusting photos of the “son,” who seems to be an effeminate cross dresser, but i never click the images.

Mzuri Also, people need to understand that MARRIAGE and WEDDINGS aren't the same thing. The wedding is just the CEREMONY And like most ceremonies, it's a way for rich people to get together and spend money showing the society HOW MUCH money they can spend doing "the most" and being extravagant with food, drinks, music, dressing up, ect..... WEDDINGS were designed by wealthy people for wealthy people to flaunt their wealth but at some point poor people started having weddings trying to IMITATE what they saw. Poor people...in their IGNORANCE...saw the wealthy throwing big parties and coveted it and started getting thousands of dollars in debt throwing big wedding parties THEMSELVES trying to imulate what they saw rich people do. Only for the marriage to end within 5 years, usually over FINANCIAL problems. Business arrangement or not, I would lose my mind knowing that my husband was getting down with somebody else. I am too possessive for that. Yeah, well you may "lose your mind" initially...lol....but I bet if your husband was RICH ENOUGH and bought you enough cars, clothes, jewelry, and even let you have a few "boy toys" of your own to spend time with -you'd FIND your mind real quick, lol Infact, WHATEVER you lost you'd probably stop looking for while enjoying yourself at the weekly trips to the spa that he pays for you....lol. . "Guuuurl, I can't BELIEVE that negro actually brought her up in the HOUSE last night! I told him she ain't gonna sleep in MY bed! Not with ME in it! I told him he better take that skeezer down stairs, she ain't coming up here!"

************************************************************** @Troy I am sorry but I disagree. The Smiths are always doing something to keep themselves in the news. I don’t care who they are screwing, that is their personal business, but why even make this public announcement that they are not monogamous. I think it is because they are chronic attention seekers. @Pioneer1 I think marriage is more of a business arrangement and it also serves as a financial protection for the union’s children. So many marriages fail because people think it’s all about love. As to the Smiths and their open marriage, I couldn’t do it. Business arrangement or not, I would lose my mind knowing that my husband was getting down with somebody else. I am too possessive for that. **************************************************************

It didn't just start...... Rich people have always been "swingers" in this society. They even have big "wife swapping" conventions....lol. Marriage is primarily about MONEY and CONNECTIONS anyway, and most wealthy people know that. Poor people get married trying to IMITATE the wealthy, and don't even know why they do it. For the rich...marriage is less about love and more about: -SECURING one's fortune -ADDING to your fortune by marrying a wealthy or well connected spouse -Ensuring your LEGITIMATE children inherit your wealth, and not the little "bastards" you make outside of the marriage. So rich men AND women screw around shamelessly, and don't even hide it from eachother. Most rich men have mistresses that the wife not only knows about but in some cases CHOOSES. "Now baby you KNOW I didn't intend for THAT to happen. Come on, now" Some rich men will even hire a well endowed "super lover" to please his wife....often times while in his presence, lol.

Daniel I am laughing and shaking my head at the same time. It’s maniacal and frightening at the same time. I believe it's true, based on my observations. Troy I haven't taken anyone I've met on a message board or social media SO seriously that I have to use an "ignore" app or and block out their posts just to tolerate the environment. Looking past their content is enough for me.

The objective of a book review is to provide insight into the author's message. Without an independent review of messaging, it's difficult to judge whether the reader might want to explore this new perspective. I recently read a fascinating book review by a black woman, Veronica Chambers, about an 800+ page novel written by a black woman, Honoree Fanonne Jeffers. I was damn near tempted to buy the book, "The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois," and read it. The only thing that stopped me, for now, - is I don't have the time. It is definitely on my list. I would like to explore what it would be like growing up in the south (Georgia). Then, navigating the world of "Our Kind of People" and regular black folks. Then deciding to take the road less traveled in your career choice. The reviewer also provided the literary context of the coming of age novel and its relationship to poetry. The latter indicated that the prose would be musical. Also, the reviewer is a subject matter expert on W.E.B Du Bois, has been highly educated in the literary genre and discipline. So the review was art in itself.

Yep! I definitely missed @Cynique when she left; it was like losing a wise friend who was way more intelligent than me. The sad part is I had to wean myself from her posting, and anyone who has experienced loss knows it's a process. And I got into a habit of not visiting as much. I'm so glad you've returned,@Cynique. Thank you, @Troy , for tagging me. AALBC forum requires independent thinking. Haven't you noticed the people who post here don't follow a script? Thinking outside of the program is a challenge, especially when the forum is not an echo chamber. The latter makes it hard for trolls and ditto heads. The good news is the people who sign up want to throw away the "script." Maybe when they attempt to post, it makes them feel uncomfortable. For example, has the OP who wrote the AALBC forum is "boring" ever started a topic? If s/he hasn't - that indicates how intimidating this forum may be to some. Still, I find it encouraging that a lot of people are signing up. Signing up on a literary website means people are ready for a new paradigm. Give them time.

@Cynique I'm glad you got a chance to actually meet some of the participants in real life. @Pioneer1 you are probably correct about women and moderation style. The vast majority of time it was a woman asking me to moderate some else another woman wrote. I would always advise that they simply not take something the person said personally and if they could not do that to simply ignore them. They usually could never do this and they always left. People love the idea of taking the action of "Blocking" or "unfriending" someone. It is usually women who boast about this; "Yeah I had to unfriend her, she keeps getting on my nerves." You don't hear guys talk like this. I'm sure the pinheads at Facebook completely understand this psychology and have exploited it. As far as our collective intelligence. I always pushed back against this idea, but I think you may be right one some level. The evidence of the information contained in Ebony is prime example. I also know people are more attracted with optics over substance. This is killing us... She has a crack mind. Please Cynique, your contributions were, and are, invaluable here. The site is useless without people like you -- period. My motivation for the book was to capture some of the exchanges and bring it to a new and difference audience. I still think it is a good idea, I just never really truly had the time to manage the project. It would be easier to get off the ground today. You can always @Mel Hopkins she comes through periodically and would be happy to hear from you I'm sure. I think you two would get along ITRW too 🙂 That is a good question, but outside the scope of this conversation. I have started a new conversation on the Black Literature forum.

@Cynique I feel the most important job in the future is system disintegrator and farmer.

Whatchu smoking. You're like crack for the mind