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Access Atlanta > Blog > Archives > 2008 > February > 29
Friday, February 29, 2008
Spike Lee hangs out at Morehouse
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
CREDIT: Rodney Ho
Acclaimed filmmaker Spike Lee stopped his alma mater Morehouse College Friday to support the new sports and journalism program he helped launch.
Lee said Nike donated $250,000 to the program and Lee, whose relationship with Nike goes back 22 years, was only happy to show up to thank the sneaker company. Lee himself donated $325,000 to seed the program. (Oddly, Nike never referenced giving $250,000 during the actual press conference, just a couple of small scholarships and internships at the local Nike office.)
He recounted how he was a huge Nike fan as a teenager where wearing “mo’s” or imitations were uncool. When he became a filmmaker and shot his breakout film “She’s Gotta Have It,” his character Mars Blackmon naturally wore a pair. A couple of ad men from the agency repping Nike saw the film and offered him the chance to direct and star in his own Nike ads with rising basketball star Michael Jordan. Lee said yes, of course. And he did dozens of ads over eight or nine years.
“It was mutually beneficial,” he said. He helped propel Nike to the next stratosphere as a brand and he himself was able to build his own career. He recently came out with a Spik’eze special Nike sneaker, which he called a “best of” past Air Jordan sneaker designs. “It’s flying off the shelves,” he said.
Lee is in postproduction on his next film, a World War II drama “Miracle at St. Anna” about black American soldiers fighting Germans in Italy starring John Turturro, James Gandolfini, Derek Luke, Michael Ealy and Laz Alonso. I noted that this sounds like a big budget film. “It looks like $100 million,” he said. It comes out in October.
During a talk on stage, he talked about how the movie landscape for African Americans has changed in 20 years. “There was only one black director when I got out of film school. Every time a black film came out, it was an event. Today, Tyler Perry has a film out every week.”
He also said Morehouse graduates too many business majors, too many people taking jobs simply for the money, not for the love of the job. “This is a liberal arts college,” he said. “We need to be more well rounded… I hope we start more entrepreneurial programs.” As for his sports journalism program, he hopes to generate more minority sports writers. “The press box is still a mostly segregated area while on the field, the brothers are running up and down the field.”
Lee spent moments of downtime at the event scanning his Blackberry for basketball game start times. (He left the presentation moments after he showed a trailer for his film, probably to see his beloved New York Knicks lose to the Hawks at Philips Arena. Sorry, Spike!)
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
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Seinfeld brings his act to Atlanta in May
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Tickets go on sale on Friday, March 7 for the comedian’s May 2 appearance
at the Fox Theatre.
Tickets, priced from $47 to $77, go on sale at 10 a.m. at Ticketmaster outlets. Tickets may also be purchased online at www.ticketmaster.com or by phone at 404-817-8700.
RELATED LINK:
• Month of March full of comedy acts
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
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Hit woman for ‘The Wire’ charms crowd
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Buzz stopped by the Margaret Mitchell House and Museum on Wednesday night for the book chat with actress/author Felicia “Snoop” Pearson.
The TV hit woman for the HBO show “The Wire” was in town this week to promote her memoir, “Grace After Midnight.”
The hit series is down to its final two episodes. And Baltimore’s drug king-pins and soldiers have started to fall.
Contrary to her murderous TV character, Pearson, sporting her trademark braids, charmed a packed crowd with humor and frankness in a coffee table chat with moderator Michelle Gipson. Buzz got a glimpse of her life as a youngster on the Baltimore streets and time served in a women’s penitentiary.
Ironically, strong-willed Pearson always had loved ones who tried to set her straight. But “A hard head makes a soft behind,” she loves to say.
Pearson, 27, is now using her celebrity to help at-risk children in after-school projects and prison deterrence programs.
The openly gay actress says fans can expect to see her shed her guyish persona and show a feminine side in upcoming film roles. “I’m gonna switch it up. It ain’t nothin’ but acting,” Pearson said.
‘PANAMA’ BACK ON
Van Halen fans can safely break out the bandannas and parachute pants once again. This week’s postponed concert featuring Eddie Van Halen, David Lee Roth, etc. at the Arena at Gwinnett Center has been rescheduled for Wednesday March 19. According to Live Nation reps, tickets purchased for the original Feb. 25 date will be honored on March 19.
Ticket refunds also will be available at the original point of purchase.
Additionally, tickets are on sale now at www.livenation.com, the venue box office or Ticketmaster charge by phone at 404-249-6400. Deep-pocketed fans can enjoy what is being touted as “the ultimate Van Halen experience” by purchasing access to concert preshow parties, backstage access and premium seating by going to www.iloveallaccess.com.
Fans can receive tour updates via www.van-halen.com.
‘ONCE’ NOT ENOUGH FOR MUSICIANS
Want to catch some freshly minted Oscar winners live? Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, the adorable co-stars of “Once” who won the little gold guy Sunday night for “Falling Slowly” as “Best Original Song,” are touring with their band, The Swell Season. Tickets go on sale today at 10 a.m. for a May 13 show at the Cobb Energy Centre. Unlike the Oscars producers, we’re assuming that the folks behind the sound board on this tour will actually allow Irglova to speak on stage without Jon Stewart’s assistance …
For details: www.ticketmaster.com.
A BIT OF ‘BETRAYED’
Because of our staunch, unwavering commitment to public service, we reluctantly resisted placing our copy of “Betrayed: The True Life Story of Lisa Lynette Clark” on eBay Thursday after it was pulled from store shelves by Phoenix Publishing. We’re poring over the extremely explicit tell-all (written by Jennifer Grant, the former pokey pal of the Douglasville 37-year-old who married her teenage lover and later gave birth to their child), so you won’t have to. Today’s excerpt is from Page 39: “Saturday night came, the big night. I would pick him up and we would be together alone for the first time. I wore all black with a short black leather studded jacket. He told me he loved it. For once, he wasn’t high. As we drove, I noticed he smelled different. He had used some Old Spice body wash. It made me nauseated as it reminded me of my dad.”
HIGH FIVE
Television
The top OnDemand programs for the week of Feb. 18-24, 2008, as determined by Comcast customers in metro Atlanta:
1. “The Wire,” Episode 58, “Clarifications” HBO
2. “Fairly Odd Parents” Season 7: Episode 78: “Fairly Odd Baby,” Nickelodeon
3. Pop it Off Boyz, “Crank Dat Batman” music video, Music Choice
4. “Family Guy: Season 4: Episode 51: “North by North Quahog” TBS, Series
5. Chris Brown, “With You,” music video, Music Choice
— Courtesy: Rentrak’s OnDemand Essentials
ON MY iPOD
James Blunt, pop singer-songwriter who will perform at the Tabernacle: “I’ve been listening to Fleetwood Mac, Elliott Smith, Cat Power — I love the simplicity of her music — and Elton John. I was so lucky to get [John’s] support early on. I haven’t spoken to him in a couple of weeks, though. We both have the great fortune of being busy, working artists.”
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Feb. 29: Leap year birthdays: Actor Alex Rocco is 18 (born 1936). Actor Dennis Farina is 16 (born 1944). Actor Antonio Sabato Jr. is 9 (born 1972). Rapper Ja Rule is 8 (born 1976).
Contributing: Adrianne Murchison, Sonia Murray and news services
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
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