TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Big Bank Hank, one of the members of the pioneering hip-hop group the Sugarhill Gang, has died at the age of 57.
The performer, whose real name was Henry Jackson, died from kidney complications due to cancer, according to reports.
Jackson formed the Sugarhill Gang with Master Gee and Wonder Mike, having a big hit in 1979 with “Rapper’s Delight.” The record sold several million copies worldwide and helped establish rap as a vital genre of music.
The full version of “Rapper’s Delight” ran nearly 16 minutes long and was recorded in a single take. A shorter single version was also released and became a radio staple in the early 1980s.
http://youtu.be/ljUnyv5XUA8
Jackson’s death was reported by website TMZ and confirmed to Fox News by David Mallie, who manages the two remaining band members. “So sad to hear of our brother’s passing,” said Wonder Mike and Master Gee in a statement. “Rest in peace Big Bank.” article via bbc.com
Stevie Wonder performed his 1976 album “Songs in the Key of Life” at Madison Square Garden on Thursday night. (Chad Batka for The New York Times )
“Yes! We did it!” Stevie Wonder exulted, and rightly so, about three hours into his concert at Madison Square Garden on Thursday night. He and a huge band, directed by the keyboardist Greg Phillinganes, had played his 1976 album, “Songs in the Key of Life,” from start to finish, 38 years later and every bit as vibrant.
Mr. Wonder’s voice was bright and true, snaking through the melismas that successive generations of singers have emulated and rising easily through every uplifting key change he had built into the songs. At 64 — he started young — Mr. Wonder showed that his lifelong melding of serious intentions, omnivorous musical sophistication and jubilant execution was utterly sure. He laughingly forgot a lyric, played the wrong harmonica for a moment, sang just enough sour notes to show that he’s human and suffered numerous microphone glitches. It was the first show of a tour. But the concert was a triumph: not a simple nostalgia trip but a return visit to songs and ideas that still matter.
“Songs in the Key of Life” was beloved from the moment it appeared. It won a Grammy as album of the year and is widely cited as a favorite by musicians and pop listeners. In interviews, Mr. Wonder has called it the album he is most happy with. But it’s also a long, sprawling experience: 21 tracks that originally filled two LPs and a four-song EP.
Its songs touch on social ills, individual joys, faith, love, war, music, birth, memories, fears and hopes. One title may sum it up: “Joy Inside My Tears,” a ballad that, when he got to it at Madison Square Garden, had Mr. Wonder pounding the top of his piano with his fist, singing the title again and again with gospelly insistence.
Along with the radio-friendly tracks the album is widely remembered for — “Sir Duke,” “Isn’t She Lovely,” “I Wish,” “Pastime Paradise” — it holds exploratory songs like “Contusion,” a jazz-rock instrumental in tricky shifting meters, and “Black Man,” an anti-racism history lesson in funk.
It also balances hurt and healing; its opening song, the beguiling “Love’s in Need of Love Today,” warns, “The force of evil plans to make you its possession” unless love can conquer hate. The album traverses styles; there are blues, soul, rock, funk, chamber pop, bossa nova, big-band salsa, jazzy ballads, even honky-tonk country (in “Ebony Eyes,” for which Mr. Wonder brought out what he called a “thumbtack piano,” an upright with thumbtacks in its hammers to make each note go plink).
What has held it together, then and now, is Mr. Wonder’s good intentions and boundless musicality. All over the album, he ingeniously meshes syncopated ascending and descending lines, as he did in the upbeat “Sir Duke,” the doleful “Pastime Paradise” and the kinetic “I Wish.”
Onstage, he let the best riffs stretch out, savoring the danceable constructions he had set in motion decades ago, as the audience members, many of whom were around for the original album release, stood and shimmied. Now and then, backup singers — including India.Arie, who came and went in multiple regal costumes — took over verses that Mr. Wonder had originally sung. But he was always there to chime back in on higher, more difficult variations.
Mr. Wonder was voluble between songs, joking about tabloid reports that he dismissed as rumors but also doing some preaching. He advocated more accessibility worldwide for the disabled, and he called for better gun control, pointing to a family in the audience that lost a daughter in the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. In what seemed like a scripted moment, he said: “I challenge America, I challenge the world, to let hatred go, to let racism go. To respect every single man as if they were your brother, every woman as if they were your sister, every single child as if they were your child.” He continued, “This is the only way we will win as a nation, as a world.”
For an encore, he played one song that wasn’t on “Songs in the Key of Life”: his hit “Superstition,” bolstered by the six-member horn section that was part of the band, which also included a string section and multiple percussionists, keyboardists and guitarists. It wasn’t too different from the rest of the concert: a great riff, a kinetic beat and a warning everyone could dance to, this one about dogma versus rationality. “Superstition ain’t the way!” the arena sang along.
The rest of the “Songs in the Key of Life” tour dates are:
11/9 – Verizon Center – Washington D.C.
11/11 – TD Garden – Boston, MA
11/14 – United Center – Chicago, IL
11/16 – Wells Fargo Center – Philadelphia, PA
11/20 – Palace Of Auburn Hills – Auburn Hills, MI
11/22 – Philips Arena – Atlanta, GA
11/25 – Air Canada Centre – Toronto, ON, CA
11/29 – MGM Grand Garden Arena – Las Vegas, NV
12/3 – KeyArena – Seattle, WA
12/5 – Oracle Arena – Oakland, CA
According to Deadline.com, Harry Belafonte was honored last night at the Sixth Annual Governors Awards of the Academy Of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences. Belafonte received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award and during his speech, galvanized the industry crowd by asking them to aim higher.
Belafonte gave one of the all-time great acceptance speeches at the Governors Awards, citing Hollywood’s often-shameful power to influence attitudes, and challenging the heavy-hitters in the room to instead create works that allow global audiences “to see the better side of who we are as a species.”
He reminded the crowd about “Birth of a Nation,” the early “Tarzan” films (depicting “inept, ignorant Africans”) and “Song of the South,” as well as the industry’s cowardice during the McCarthy hearings. He also referred to the industry’s decades-long treatment of Native Americans in films, “and at the moment, Arabs aren’t looking so good.” The industry doesn’t like trouble-makers and “on occasion, I have been one of its targets.”
But he said that “today’s harvest of films yields sweeter fruit,” citing “Schindler’s List,” “Brokeback Mountain” and “12 Years a Slave” as examples. He also thanked such inspirations as Langston Hughes, James Baldwin, Eleanor Roosevelt and Paul Robeson, quoting the latter’s statement that “Artists are the gatekeepers of truth” as well as the radical voice of civilization.
He then called Sidney Poitier to the stage, recognizing the actor’s role in changing public attitudes toward blacks. And he added that he hopes things will improve this century: “Maybe it could be a civilization game-changer.”
Other Governors Awards winners were 94 year-old actress Maureen O’Hara, legendary Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki, and masterful screenwriter Jean-Claude Carriere gave a moving tribute to Hollywood’s “forgotten” writers. article by Lori Lakin Hutcherson (follow @lakinhutcherson)
For those of you in New York City, here’s a film festival event to add to your November calendar… full details below:
The African-American Women in Cinema announced the full line-up of this year’s 17th Annual African-American Women in Cinema Film Festival (November 19th – 22nd), which features an opening night premiere and reception, keynote panels, additional premiere screenings, a youth filmmaking event, and a short films program. The films chosen for this year’s festival are judged by a jury committee made up of prominent industry leaders, who adhere to the organization’s mission statement of promoting films from African American, Latina, Native American and the Asian diaspora. AAWIC is the only film festival in New York City with such a wide multicultural reach.
Gladys Knight and Letoya Luckett star in Opening Night feature “Seasons of Love”
The Opening Night selection is the New York premiere of director Princess Monique’s “Seasons of Love.” Starring Gladys Knight, Taraji P. Henson, Method Man and LeToya Luckett, the film follows one couple’s romantic ups and downs, as they struggle to determine the things that matter most in life. The film also features Ana Isabella, a rising star from Puerto Rico. The film is a Lifetime Studios production and will premiere on Lifetime on November 23rd.
AAWIC is also pleased to announce the premiere event entitled INTERNATIONAL DAY presented by UNESCO NYS and African Women For Good Governance on November 22nd. There will be a panel discussion called Discussing the African Film Industry moderated by Winsome Sinclair (prominent casting director). Following the discussion there will be a special presentation organized by African Women For Good Governance and later a film screening hosted by producer Mohamed Dione.
The festival will close with an awards VIP reception that will take place at the United Nations and the Nigerian Embassy, respectively. The President of African Women For Good Governance and Ambassador of UNESCO, Sire Dione Conde, expressed her excitement for the festival, stating, “We are pleased to be a part of such a prestigious festival that celebrates women in the industry and are very happy to present the first ever International Day! We look forward to making history together.”
LisaRaye McCoy (“Single Ladies”, “All of Us”, “The Player’s Club”) has teamed up with hair care company Red Pro Products and recently launched the eponymous “LisaRaye Celebrity Flat Iron”, the first in a series of “Diamond Collection” styling tools. McCoy kicked off the product’s introduction in New York, where she visited a salon in Harlem, did interviews with Vlogger contest winners “Glamfun” from Boston and “ChinaCandyCouture” from Atlanta (see their competition videos and interviews at www.youtube.com/glamfun and www.youtube.com/chinacandycouture) and partied at the Cove Lounge with Monifah of “R&B Divas,” Jamie Foster Brown of “Sister to Sister” Magazine, several other celebrities, stylists and fans.
Although infused with crushed diamonds and branded with a celebrity name, LisaRaye, not unlike Halle Berry with her Scandale Paris line for Target, wanted to create a top-quality product accessible to women in all income brackets.
“I wanted to create an awesome, professional grade flatiron that was affordable for the everyday consumer,” McCoy said. “Everyone wants to have beautiful, healthy hair, but can’t necessarily afford to go the salon every week. My flatiron solves that problem.” The LisaRaye Flat Iron Facts:
Crushed diamonds are infused into the plates, which create an extra smooth surface with consistent heating, allowing styling with a finished look without the use of product.
Consistent heating helps prevent damage to the hair when styling, and results in a smoother, shinier, healthier head of hair.
Quick heat up and recovery, and variable temperature settings (up to 460 degrees)
Package includes hair clips, a heat-resistant comb and carrying pouch for travel
The flatiron is also designed for styling and curling, as well as straightening.
To learn even more about the Diamond Plated Flatiron and where to get it, click here. article by Lori Lakin Hutcherson (follow @lakinhutcherson)
Jay Z is officially in the champagne business. The rap mogul has purchased luxury spirits brand Armand de Brignac, whose gold bottle he helped make iconic in his 2006 video “Show Me What You Got.”
New York-based Sovereign Brands said Wednesday it sold its interest in — better known as Ace of Spades after the image on its bottle — to a new unnamed company led by Jay Z. “We are proud to announce that Sovereign Brands, a New York-based wine and spirits company owned by the Berish family, has sold its interest in the Armand de Brignac (‘Ace of Spades’) Champagne brand to a new company led by the globally renowned Shawn ‘Jay Z’ Carter,” the company said in a statement.
The bubby, which starts at $300 a bottle, is served in the luxury suites at the Barclays Center, home of the Brooklyn Nets (Jay used to be a co-owner of the NBA team). The Roc Nation boss and his wife, Beyoncé, also had a custom-designed, 18-foot-tall tower of the champagne served at a 2012 fundraiser for President Obamathat took place at Jay’s 40/40 Club.
Jay got behind Ace of Spades after he boycotted rival Cristal over its decision to distance itself from its hip hop clientele. article by Evelyn Diaz via bet.com
Before he suits up to play Marvel’s Black Panther, Chadwick Boseman will star as a man seeking vengeance in the Ink Factory and EOne thriller “Message From the King.” Fabrice Du Welz is set to direct from a script by Stephen Cornwell and Oliver Butcher. The movie follows a man from South Africa who comes to Los Angeles to avenge the death of his sister.
Boseman’s star has been on a fast rise after he logged starring roles in the Jackie Robinson biopic “42” and played music legend James Brown this year in “Get On Up.” His lead role in Marvel’s upcoming “Black Panther” will further boost his profile. Boseman will next be seen in “Gods of Egypt.” article by Justin Kroll via Variety.com
According toVariety.com, Academy Award winner Jamie Foxx has agreed to star in ensemble gangster drama “The Trap,” the latest project from “Spring Breakers” director Harmony Korine. Korine will write and direct the feature, which the controversial filmmaker behind “Kids” and “Trash Humpers” has described as “his most ambitious film to date.”
Plot details on “The Trap” are being kept under wraps. The revenge film is expected to shoot early next year in Miami. Following the success of of his last project, “Spring Breakers,” which earned Korine and star James Franco critical acclaim, more A-list talent is expected to come aboard the gangster drama, especially after Foxx’s commitment.
Foxx, who last appeared in “The Amazing Spider-Man 2,” has two holiday films opening this year: “Horrible Bosses 2″ at Thanksgiving and Sony’s “Annie” reboot, opening December 19. article by Lori Lakin Hutcherson (follow @lakinhutcherson)
Pauline Malefane, foreground, of the Isango Ensemble in a reimagining of Mozart’s opera “The Magic Flute” at the New Victory Theater. (EMON HASSAN FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES)
Less glockenspiel, more drumming! A very different sort of “The Magic Flute” took the stage at the New Victory Theater on Sunday afternoon in front of an attentive and appreciative family audience. This two-hour adaptation of Mozart’s fairy tale opera was presented under the Xhosa title “Impempe Yomlingo” by the South African Isango Ensemble, a company that recruits performers from townships in the Cape Town area and presents classics from the Western canon in an updated, African context.
But perhaps “updated” isn’t quite the right word: In the program notes, the show’s director, Mark Dornford-May, relates a myth from the Tsonga tradition about the andlati birds that live high in the mountains and cause terrifying storms and lightning. Only a hero brave enough to seek them out with a magic flute can appease them and avert destruction.
“The story may never have reached Mozart, but the similarities are fascinating nonetheless,” Mr. Dornford-May writes. “Who knows? Maybe one of the greatest pieces of European opera had its roots and inspiration in a South African folk tale.”
Certainly, few productions can match the colorful exuberance and pulsating energy of this “Flute,” or field as versatile a cast as this, in which every member sings, dances and drums. The bare set evokes a township square. The traditional orchestra is replaced by eight marimbas, supplemented by an array of percussion, including djembes, oil barrels, hand clapping and — standing in for Papageno’s glockenspiel — suspended water bottles of graduated pitches. Tamino’s flute is a trumpet, played with jazzy vigor by Mandisi Dyantyis, the ensemble’s co-music director and conductor.
The vocal performances were a testament to South Africa’s deep pool of singing talent. The notes were all there — Pauline Malefane courageously scaled the heights of the Queen of the Night’s arias; Mhlekazi Mosiea was a dignified Tamino; Ayanda Eleki, a proud, patriarchal Sarastro — even if there were times when they audibly strained the limits of the singers’ technique. But the cast offered portrayals with ample personality and charisma, among them Zolina Ngejane’s superfeisty Pamina and Zamile Gantana’s bon-vivant Papageno.
But this African “Flute” is, above all, a story of community, and the music, too, is at its most convincing where it draws on South Africa’s glorious choral tradition. If that means taking liberties with Mozart’s score, fine: Tamino’s taming of Monostatos and his posse of slaves suffers no injury by the infusion of a bit of calypso rhythm. The celebrations that greet Sarastro’s first appearance — complete with ululating women — are a jubilant riot.
The communal aspect also raises the stakes for the lovers’ trials, which are presented as a series of tribal initiation rites, with Tamino’s face painted white, like that of a tribal youngster embarking on a circumcision ritual. In traditional productions, this is often the part of the opera where the tension slackens, but in this post-apartheid setting, the young people’s quest for dignity, wisdom and reconciliation is shown to be of vital importance to everyone.
Nevertheless, in her interview with Glamour magazine, she tells the magazine the attention she’s received has been overwhelming. “Right now I’m still adjusting. I guess I feel catapulted into a different place; I have a little whiplash,” she said. “I did have a dream to be an actress, but I didn’t think about being famous. And I haven’t yet figured out how to be a celebrity; that’s something I’m learning, and I wish there were a course on how to handle it.”
She couldn’t even imagine what winning the Oscar would be like, she observed.
“I don’t think I will ever be able to really articulate how bizarre it was to hear my name at the Academy Awards. I’d watched in my pajamas the year before!” she said. “I felt numb — dazed and confused. I remember feeling light — weightless. More like limbo than cloud nine.”
Nyong’o, who was born in Mexico of Kenyan parents, mentions that she didn’t know success on this level would be possible for a woman with darker skin. For her, Oprah Winfrey wasn’t just a role model but a “reference point,” and seeing Winfrey and Whoopi Goldberg in “The Color Purple” was key to her belief that she could become successful.
She hopes she can have the same effect on people who see her.
“I’ve heard people talk about images in popular culture changing, and that makes me feel great, because it means that the little girl I was, once upon a time, has an image to instill in her that she is beautiful, that she is worthy,” she said. “Until I saw people who looked like me, doing the things I wanted to, I wasn’t so sure it was a possibility.”
The December issue of Glamour will be available on newsstands November 11.
For those of you in New York City, here’s a film festival event to add to your November calendar… full details below:
McCoy kicked off the product’s introduction in New York, where she visited a salon in Harlem, did interviews with Vlogger contest winners “Glamfun” from Boston and “ChinaCandyCouture” from Atlanta (see their competition videos and interviews at 
