Perhaps the ABFF will have a better understanding of black films like “Madea’s Witness Protection.”

Ever read a review of a black film in a general interest publication and think “Wow, the reviewer just didn’t get it”? Sometimes there is a cultural disconnect when it comes to the appreciation or criticism of African-American films. So Film Life, Inc., a multifaceted entertainment company best known for creating the American Black Film Festival (ABFF), has decided to launch ABFF Movie Review. It debuted last week and is a weekly online podcast offering critical reviews of current Hollywood films, highlighting black characters, issues, stereotypes, and performances.

The podcast is hosted by film critic Reggie Ponder, who is the resident critic for WBEW 89.5 FM Chicago/Vocalo.com.

“People of color rarely have the benefit of a film critique from a person who fully understands the nuances of their culture,” said Jeff Friday, CEO of Film Life, Inc., and founder of ABFF, in a press statement. “It is my hope that the ABFF Movie Review will not only entertain, but generate dialogue, encouraging people to respond on our social media. Reggie is the perfect critic for this because of his passion and understanding of black culture.”

Since its inception 17 years ago, the ABFF has showcased more than 600 films.

If you clicked on this list not knowing what to expect, you’re right. It’s going to be all over the place. This story stemmed from a very haphazard conversation we had in my office one day. Consider this your warning. This list is going to be a very random compilation of some of the more outrageous things we’ve seen in the media in the two decades or so. Whether the examples are somehow racially stereotypical or just a celebrity behaving strangely, it’s liable to show up on this list. So are you ready, cuz I’m ready. Let’s jump in.

1. Scary Spice

It was good to be a girl in the ’90s. It was the age of girl power. And no one embodied the phrase like the Spice Girls did. They were everywhere. As a girl, if you didn’t like the Spice Girls you had to at least pretend. Being that there was only one black girl, when a group of our white friends would “play” Spice Girls, most black girls happily chose to be “Scary” or if there was more than one black girl, a slight argument about who was going to play Scary might ensue. (Usually we just switched off.)  We all thought they were the ish until we got older. And when we got older and more wise to the ways of the world perhaps we took issue to the fact that the lone black girl, was named “scary.” Now all of the “girls” were attractive and had cutesy little names except the black girl. Unless they meant “scary” in the sense that she was “uncannily striking or surprising” then it’s a little suspect.

{Gossip.Entertainment}

• Nicki Minaj surprises ‘Super Bass’ YouTube star Sophia Grace Brownlee: Ellen DeGeneres invited the little girls from Essex, England on her show yesterday where they performed Minaj’s hit song for the audience, before being surprised by a very special guest. {The Huffington Post}
• Smokey Robinson feels sorry for Dr. Conrad Murray: Smokey Robinson admitted he has compassion for Dr. Conrad Murray, who is on trial in the death of Michael Jackson. {Today}
• Kelly Rowland debuts new video: You never can go wrong with a bunch of half-naked fine men that answers to your every beck and call, right ladies? {Necole Bitchie}
• Rihanna is so over Chris Brown (for the millionth time): Although Rihanna was had a tough time with former boyfriend Chris Brown, Rihanna recently revealed that she’s moved on with life and happy that Brown has as well. {Deadbolt}
• The Top Ten Black Boy Bands of All Time: They made little girls scream all over the world, made teenage girls start having their fist dirty thoughts, and had teenage boys embarrassingly repeating the words alone in their room. {Hip Hop Wired}

{News}

• Nigerian pleads guilty to trying to bomb plane: A Nigerian man said Wednesday he tried to bring down an international flight over Detroit with a bomb in his underwear in retaliation for the killing of Muslims worldwide, taking a federal court by surprise as he pleaded guilty on the second day of his trial. {NPR}
• Did Herman Cain win the GOP debate over Perry?: The instant analysis from the GOP debate doesn’t exactly bode well for Rick Perry, who needed a big night in the eyes of pundits. {Newser}
• Some churches are paying women to be in the pulpit: What do you think about the idea of churches getting cash for bringing in women candidates for senior pastor? {The Old Black Church}
• Shocking picture of Michael Jackson’s dead body revealed: Michael Jackson’s heartbroken daughter lashed out at Dr Conrad Murray for failing to save her father’s life, jurors heard today as they again saw a photo of the pop star’s dead body. {The Daily Mail}
• How Alabama’s immigration law attacks black immigrants: Alabama’s immigration law is reminiscent of that dark period in our nation’s history when African Americans suffered the indignity of a legalized, separate and unequal system that was inherently unjust, inhumane and oppressive. {New America Media}

{Love. Beauty. Fashion}

• Cute and affordable winter boots: These great boots are doable, even on a budget. {Afrobella}
• Has Miss RiRi moved on to another hot piece? Let’s hope so: Did Rihanna actually find love filming the “We Found Love” music video? {Too Fab}
• Be sure you date a man, not a boy: The funniest woman on TV, The Office’s Mindy Kaling, serves up some astonishingly helpful relationship advice in this exclusive excerpt from her new book, “Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me”? {Glamour.com}
• Who is the flyest mommy?: Brandy and her BFF Keisha Epps (from Total) were both spotted at Lara Manoukian’s Sinless Life Web Jewelry launch in L.A. over the weekend. {Bossip}

Rihanna — who appears to have ditched her red hair — chose to shock fans in a different way recently in London. She opted for the tube as her mode of transportation to the city’s famed O2 Arena, where she made a stop on her “Loud” tour on October 6.  Happily riding the British version of the subway on her way to rock out, RiRi chatted up fans and posed with them for pictures. Fan described her as “humble” and “normal” as they rode together towards a night of fun revelry in music. Head over to the UK web site for The Daily Mail for more great quotes from some of Rihanna’s freaked out fans — but stick around on Madame Noire to check out the photos of the racy star taking public transportation and entertaining on stage!

Word is that the staff at TMZ has personally reviewed a sex video starring the late great Tupac Shakur. In the 1991 video, Tupac receives oral sex, drinks a drank, smokes a blunt, dances with a friend, keeps receiving oral sex, and sings along to an unreleased track of him rapping all at the same time. The big joke making the rounds online is — “Boy that Tupac sure was a great mult-tasker!” And of course, inevitable speculation about what is going to happen with the room full of groupies also present has stirred great curiosity for viewing what was clearly a pre-orgiastic rite. TMZ elaborates:

The tape, shot in 1991, begins with a bunch of groupies in a living room during a house party. Tupac walks into the room with his pants down to his ankles, his shirt off … sporting several chains.

Tupac — whose head is shaved — pulls one of the women toward him, and she begins performing oral sex. As she does her thing, an unreleased song of Tupac’s is playing in the background, as Tupac is singing along and dancing, wiggling his hips.

And it gets even better. As the woman services Tupac, who is holding a cocktail in one hand and a blunt in another, Money B from Digital Underground walks over to him. Tupac puts his cocktail arm around Money B, continues singing and dancing … and the woman never stops.

As the tape ends it appears he’s ready to begin sexual intercourse. It’s unclear if there’s another tape.

We’ve learned the person in possession of the tape is making plans to release it.

I suppose all that is interesting. It is hard to imagine being so enraptured in the 20-year-old sex life of a tragically murdered rap legend, unless your own personal love life is in the toilet. I for one have never seen the R. Kelly sex video, the Kim Kardashian/Ray-J sex video, the Paris Hilton sex video, or even the original that started all this madness — the Pamela Anderson/Tommy Lee grandparent of them all.

I for one have no interest in seeing random people who are not professionals making love, unless they are absolutely ordinary and complete strangers. Maybe I am odd, but I would rather watch some highly amusing amateur Adult Videos than peer even more deeply into the lives of people who have been warped by celebrity. Especially when they are dead. That seems particularly twisted of us.

My personal thoughts aside, the folks at Uproxx.com state: “More than anything, this tape will lend credence to the long-standing rumor that Tupac would often cross-stitch while performing cunnilingus on a lady.” Perhaps if this is true, the Tupac sex video could act as an instructional video for all the many men in this world who need an education in this area. Otherwise, I’m not interested.

What are your thoughts Madames? Interested in watching Tupac act silly before falling into a pile of groupie “hos”? Or would you prefer to maintain the dark, but complex image of him as a troubled but brilliant artist? I for one prefer the latter.

Idris Elba — hunky British actor known for his fascinating leading roles — is heating up the web today for stating that he would be happy to play James Bond in the next version of the film. But he has ONE major condition.

The Hot star of the BBC series “Luther” told CNN:

I would do it, but I don’t want to be called the first black James Bond. [Emphasis ours.] Do you understand what I ‘m saying? Sean Connery wasn’t the Scottish James Bond and Daniel Craig wasn’t the blue-eyed James Bond. So if I played him, I don’t want to be called the black James Bond.”

As Elba goes on to explain, he didn’t come to the States “to play black roles. I just came to play roles.”

That is an interesting stipulation to make — but good luck with that Idris. Just like President Obama being the first black president of the United States NO MATTER WHAT, that is how he will be seen if he lands this iconic gig.

There has been similar talk of Beyonce playing Wonder Woman if that movie idea ever makes it to the big screen. These are both very interesting casting concepts, which would certainly breathe new life into old cultural institutions. But, I wonder if the mainstream is ready for blacks to portray heroic images typically enacted by white actors, or if there might be a negative reaction.

Recently when Marvel Comics made Spiderman a black and Latino bi-racial youth, some reactions were not pretty. And this was just for the comic book.

I personally believe younger audiences are ready for a black James Bond, a creole Wonder Woman, and an Asian Superman. What do you think Madame Noire lovlies? Leave your comments below!

By Dreux Dougall

When scripted African-American shows started drowning in a sea of reality TV, there was little doubt that a life preserver was needed to save black programming from these murky waters.  It was a huge relief when Stacy Littlejohn responded to this crisis by creating the hit show “Single Ladies.” One of the most popular scripted shows on VH1, “Single Ladies” drew an audience of 3.3 million viewers  for its recent season finale. Littlejohn led the show to stunning success as executive producer and head writer as well, penning the intimate conversations between Val, Keisha, April, and their friends. Through vividly depicting their wild adventures, Littlejohn kept us glued to the tube every Monday night. The Atlanta Post sat down with Stacy to discuss what inspired her to tell these characters’ stories, how she got into television, and what we can look forward to during “Single Ladies: Season 2.” Plus, this 15-year industry veteran shares advice for upcoming writers just starting out. Here’s what Littlejohn had to share with The Atlanta Post audience.

Let’s start at the beginning. Where are you from originally?
I’ve lived all over — in Hayward, in Oakland — but mostly just the Bay area.

You originally had plans to be a lawyer. Tell us about the moment you decided to be a writer instead.
That moment came in college. I had wanted to be a criminal defense lawyer. But then I realized I might be defending people who have actually killed someone or done really bad things. For whatever reason that really stopped me in my tracks. I have a very heavy conscience. From that moment on I realized, “I don’t want to do this anymore!” Then I didn’t know what I wanted to do. I took a semester off and tried to refocus.

I realized that as a little kid I used to watch a lot of television. I used to watch “Perry Mason,” who was a criminal defense lawyer. And I thought, “Wait a minute! Was it that I wanted to be a lawyer like Perry, or was it that I like the way the shows were written?” I used to be really impressed when I saw the way things were written on TV shows.

When I looked around the TV landscape, I didn’t see a lot of black shows that I could be proud of. I thought, “Maybe I could do that, maybe I can write some shows,” and that’s kind of how it happened. It was all these maybes, maybes, maybes — that turned into, “Alright, let me stop saying maybe. Let me just try it!”

I got internships at TV stations and realized that is what I was destined to do. I started writing and it was very natural for me. It was fun and something I became passionate about quickly.

(Variety) — We’ve all seen it: the billboard touting a new TV show with a diverse cast of characters — Latino, African-American, Asian, white and so on. But this all-inclusive rainbow casting doesn’t always translate into storylines that reflect the lives of those who have been traditionally underrepresented on television.  ”When you hear the dialogue or see the stories, the Asian guy could have been the white guy, the African-American guy the Latino guy. They’re the same characters. They’re just putting a different face on them,” says Christopher Lloyd, co-creator of ABC comedy “Modern Family,” whose characters include a gay couple with an adopted Asian daughter, a Latina mother and son, and an updated “Father Knows Best” white couple with three kids.  ”I have been in those meetings where the network executives would say, ‘Look, I’ve got to check a box,’?” Lloyd says. “The public kind of is aware that they’re being manipulated.”  No one, including Lloyd, whose show was originally titled “American Family,” doubts that TV should look more like the USA. Sometimes it just struggles to do it in a genuine way.

Read More…

(New York Times) — Nneka Onuorah began taking tap-dancing lessons when she was 4, and by her teenage years, she was proficient in jazz, contemporary and hip-hop moves. She assumed she was destined to be a professional dancer. Instead, after attending LaGuardia Community College, she wound up in a different corner of the entertainment business, as the music specials coordinator at Black Entertainment Television. Ms. Onuorah, 23, lives in Corona, Queens.

In a name: My father came here from Nigeria, where he was a chief in his village, when he was about 23. My first name means “my mother is prominent.” My mother, Kim Onuorah, used to work as an accountant at the Park Lane Hotel. My parents separated in 1998. From the time I was about 10 until I was 15, I lived with my maternal grandmother in Atlanta. She supported my dreams of becoming a dancer.

Read More…

(Network Journal) — Japan has been known to be a very insular country, but as of late Blacks–African Americans and Africans–have been making their mark on the country, despite lingering stereotypes. Blacks are finding that the Japanese are willing to do business with them as well as accept them as entertainers.  Take Dante Carver, for example. The 33-year-old African-American is the most popular television personality in Japan.  There is also a popular blog for blacks in the country – Sista in Sendai – that offers resources and an outlet for a growing number of blacks living in Japan.

There is a former professional wrestler and American footballer, Robert Malcolm “Bob” Sapp, who has made a major name for himself in Japan as a pitchman. Sapp currently has an MMA record of 11–6–1, mostly fighting in Japan. He is well-known in Japan, where he has appeared in countless commercials, television programs, and various other media, and has released a music CD, It’s Sapp Time.  And not long ago fitness guru Billy Blanks took his Tae Bo exercise phenomena to Japan with great results.

On top of this, the most popular enka singer (traditional Japanese music) is African-American. To say Jero White Jr. (who goes by just Jero) is hot in Japan is an understatement. He is a mega star in the country. It seems it was his grandmother who first exposed him to enka singing and loving the music so much he made it his mission to move to Japan and perform as an enka singer. Now the 25-year-old is considered one of the best in the country.

Read More…