I don't know how much publicity ABC Family has been putting into their new black family drama Lincoln Heights but I wanted to mention it here in case some of you hadn't heard it about show. It has been airing on Monday nights at 7PM est for the last month. I made it a point to download and watch the first 3 episodes this past weekend and the show isn't that bad. Its every wholesome and very positive. I do feel the writing is a little soft and surface but its a family themed show airing in a family hour time slot so I understand why the writing lacks a little bite. The casting is good (save one actor that irks the hell out of me), however, and the acting makes up for any of the writers' shortcomings.
I found this promo clip on youtube for you to watch.
There's a reair of last night's episode this evening at 7PM est on ABC Family. If you have time, check out the show.
Tuesday, January 30
Monday, January 29
Movie Passes
I received 3 movie passes in the mail last week to check out Dreamgirls, The Queen and Babel. Thank heaves for the passes. I was especially eager to see DG to see what all the fuss was about but refused to spend 9 dollars to support a movie starring (or not really starring IMO) Beyonce affectionately known as Bianca by moi.
Overall, I was thoroughly entertained by DG from beginning to end. Part of my entertainment was singing along to the soundtrack in my head. Everytime someone started singing I said to myself "hey I know that song." It dawned on me later in the day that I had owned the original soundtrack as a youngster and spent a fair amount of time listening to it back in the day.
Its easy to get lost in the music, the dancing and the costuming in a film like DG. But I was intent on looking beyond that and focusing on the acting. I thought most of the performances were rock solid but there was one glaring weakness. Yea, you know who.
My ratings:
Jamie Foxx: Surprisingly forgettable. There didn't seem to be much depth to the character or performance. I definitely expected much, much more. In fact, I believe he's capable of greater than what he gave us.
Bianca: My internal bad acting meter was quite happy she wasn't in the movie as much as I had anticipated. I didn't expect much from her ( because she's a not an actress) and she didn't disappoint. Contrary to her own beliefs she wasn't very good in the film. I will admit she started off cool in the beginning. My BA meter barely flickered. However, by the movie's end my BA meter was in the dangerous red zone. Alert! Alert! Alert! Bad actor on the screen defiling the craft of acting. As hard as she tried she just didn't make the cut. Bless her heart.
I want somebody to explain to me how she got nominated for a Golden Globe Award. Now, that's just wrong.
On a positive note, she looked great, sang great and she did her thing during the group performance numbers.
Jennifer Hudson: After all the glowing praise I had heard for the last month I was most eager to see her performance. I must say, I was a little disappointed. It wasn't everything I expected it to be. Don't get me wrong she was good but not great. I expected great. I'll honestly be suprised if she wins the oscar. I'm putting my money on another actress in that category.
On a more positive note, JH's performance of And I Am Telling You was the highlight of the film for me. Also, she has great screen presence.
Eddie Murphy: Very entertaining performance. He made me laugh more than a few times. However, felt like I've been there, done that with him. It was missing some depth.
Anika Rose: I'm shocked more people haven't mentioned her. I was pleasantly surprised. Her performance was near flawless.
Danny Glover: Rock solid. Wish I could've seen more of him
DG, like The Wiz, was an instant classic for me. I can't wait for the DVD to hit stores so I can add it to my collection.
Overall, I was thoroughly entertained by DG from beginning to end. Part of my entertainment was singing along to the soundtrack in my head. Everytime someone started singing I said to myself "hey I know that song." It dawned on me later in the day that I had owned the original soundtrack as a youngster and spent a fair amount of time listening to it back in the day.
Its easy to get lost in the music, the dancing and the costuming in a film like DG. But I was intent on looking beyond that and focusing on the acting. I thought most of the performances were rock solid but there was one glaring weakness. Yea, you know who.
My ratings:
Jamie Foxx: Surprisingly forgettable. There didn't seem to be much depth to the character or performance. I definitely expected much, much more. In fact, I believe he's capable of greater than what he gave us.
Bianca: My internal bad acting meter was quite happy she wasn't in the movie as much as I had anticipated. I didn't expect much from her ( because she's a not an actress) and she didn't disappoint. Contrary to her own beliefs she wasn't very good in the film. I will admit she started off cool in the beginning. My BA meter barely flickered. However, by the movie's end my BA meter was in the dangerous red zone. Alert! Alert! Alert! Bad actor on the screen defiling the craft of acting. As hard as she tried she just didn't make the cut. Bless her heart.
I want somebody to explain to me how she got nominated for a Golden Globe Award. Now, that's just wrong.
On a positive note, she looked great, sang great and she did her thing during the group performance numbers.
Jennifer Hudson: After all the glowing praise I had heard for the last month I was most eager to see her performance. I must say, I was a little disappointed. It wasn't everything I expected it to be. Don't get me wrong she was good but not great. I expected great. I'll honestly be suprised if she wins the oscar. I'm putting my money on another actress in that category.
On a more positive note, JH's performance of And I Am Telling You was the highlight of the film for me. Also, she has great screen presence.
Eddie Murphy: Very entertaining performance. He made me laugh more than a few times. However, felt like I've been there, done that with him. It was missing some depth.
Anika Rose: I'm shocked more people haven't mentioned her. I was pleasantly surprised. Her performance was near flawless.
Danny Glover: Rock solid. Wish I could've seen more of him
DG, like The Wiz, was an instant classic for me. I can't wait for the DVD to hit stores so I can add it to my collection.
Monday, January 22
Tagged - ABC
I've been tagged by Bernie
B. Best friend? Best friends should know dang near everything there is to know about you. I'm much too guarded for that. I have a few close friends
C. Cake or pie? Y'all know I'm a junk food junkie. Its cake and pie depending on my taste buds that day
D. Drink of choice? Cold water or Trader Joe's lemonade
E. Essential item? Cell phone
F. Favorite color? Black
G. Gummi bears or worms? Gummi Bears
H. Hometown? The C-P-T bka Compton, CA.
I. Indulgence? Food and watching movies. 7-11 Peanut Butter cookies top my list right now. So good for a dollar
J. January or February? February is too short. It always throws me off. January by default
K. Kids and names? None of my own but you've heard me mention my godson Sterling. By the way, he's ditched the guitar and now devoted himself to skateboarding
L. Life incomplete without? Loving relationships with family and friends
M. Marriage date? As soon as my mail order bride arrives we're going to the courthouse.
N. Number of Siblings? None thank god. That's means I woulda had to share. ;-)
O. Oranges or Apples? Orange juice. Raw apples.
P. Phobias/fears? Fear of snakes. A mild fear of heights
Q. Favorite Quotation? Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt
R. Reason to smile? Doing a good deed
S. Season? Spring
T. Tag three people: Hey, if you feel inclined to answer then you've been tagged. :-D
U. Unknown fact about me? I cried like a baby when I got a "D" in 7th grade health on my final semester report card and I couldn't talk my teacher into letting me do extra credit to raise my grade. All I could think about is "oo, my mama gon' beat my ass when she finds out." My 7th grade health teacher used a point system to determine grades. My unfamiliarity with that style of grading system threw me for a loop. I didn't understand how significant every point was.
V. Vegetable you hate? Red cabbage
W. Worst habit? I've been staring the screen for 10 minutes already trying to think of something to put here. I guess I'll have to follow suit with Bernie and say procrastination.
X. X-rays I’ve had: Left foot, full dental and chest
Y. Your favorite food? Pre-vegetarianism, Cheeseburger. Now its pasta with red sauces. Speaking of which, Berry had a pic of some very tasty looking pasta on her blog last week.
Z. Zodiac? Capricorn. Caps rule the world, didn't 'cha know?
ABC Meme...
A. Available or Single? SingleB. Best friend? Best friends should know dang near everything there is to know about you. I'm much too guarded for that. I have a few close friends
C. Cake or pie? Y'all know I'm a junk food junkie. Its cake and pie depending on my taste buds that day
D. Drink of choice? Cold water or Trader Joe's lemonade
E. Essential item? Cell phone
F. Favorite color? Black
G. Gummi bears or worms? Gummi Bears
H. Hometown? The C-P-T bka Compton, CA.
I. Indulgence? Food and watching movies. 7-11 Peanut Butter cookies top my list right now. So good for a dollar
J. January or February? February is too short. It always throws me off. January by default
K. Kids and names? None of my own but you've heard me mention my godson Sterling. By the way, he's ditched the guitar and now devoted himself to skateboarding
L. Life incomplete without? Loving relationships with family and friends
M. Marriage date? As soon as my mail order bride arrives we're going to the courthouse.
N. Number of Siblings? None thank god. That's means I woulda had to share. ;-)
O. Oranges or Apples? Orange juice. Raw apples.
P. Phobias/fears? Fear of snakes. A mild fear of heights
Q. Favorite Quotation? Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt
R. Reason to smile? Doing a good deed
S. Season? Spring
T. Tag three people: Hey, if you feel inclined to answer then you've been tagged. :-D
U. Unknown fact about me? I cried like a baby when I got a "D" in 7th grade health on my final semester report card and I couldn't talk my teacher into letting me do extra credit to raise my grade. All I could think about is "oo, my mama gon' beat my ass when she finds out." My 7th grade health teacher used a point system to determine grades. My unfamiliarity with that style of grading system threw me for a loop. I didn't understand how significant every point was.
V. Vegetable you hate? Red cabbage
W. Worst habit? I've been staring the screen for 10 minutes already trying to think of something to put here. I guess I'll have to follow suit with Bernie and say procrastination.
X. X-rays I’ve had: Left foot, full dental and chest
Y. Your favorite food? Pre-vegetarianism, Cheeseburger. Now its pasta with red sauces. Speaking of which, Berry had a pic of some very tasty looking pasta on her blog last week.
Z. Zodiac? Capricorn. Caps rule the world, didn't 'cha know?
Friday, January 19
The Inside 2
Now that I have a camcorder I'm always looking for something to shoot to get more comfortable using it. I thought it might interesting to show everyone the mock version of the promo I'm shown before I step inside the booth to rerecord everything you hear being read.
Thursday, January 18
The Inside
Had to record a promo for Legion yesterday that will air this Saturday. I took a few pics.
On the Lot
The fake set of buildings you see here are one the first things you notice when you pull onto the Lot.
Another fake dwelling. A quaint family home.
Parking lot - Bout to head inside for my session
It was a gloomy day. The freeze that hit Cali was killer. Me no like grey skies and chilly temperatures.
The building where I recorded
Its probably hard to tell but this 'building' is nothing more than a big trailer or a bungalow
POV - The sound engineer at the sound board
This is my view from inside of the booth. The engineer is busy editing and mixing something I had recorded.
Tools of the Trade - The monitor, mic, stand and headphones
I record while watching the promo play on the monitor to sync my line readings to picture (aka video.)
On the Lot
The fake set of buildings you see here are one the first things you notice when you pull onto the Lot.
Another fake dwelling. A quaint family home.
Parking lot - Bout to head inside for my session
It was a gloomy day. The freeze that hit Cali was killer. Me no like grey skies and chilly temperatures.
The building where I recorded
Its probably hard to tell but this 'building' is nothing more than a big trailer or a bungalow
POV - The sound engineer at the sound board
This is my view from inside of the booth. The engineer is busy editing and mixing something I had recorded.
Tools of the Trade - The monitor, mic, stand and headphones
I record while watching the promo play on the monitor to sync my line readings to picture (aka video.)
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