I had to fight to keep this scene in the film. I thought it was important and historically innovative not only to have Langston Hughes (with a male date) AND Zora Neale Hurston make appearances in my Thurgood Marshall movie, but to show them having some kind of beef reflecting some creative/romantic tension. Nice to be validated by the New York Times book review!
The Harlem Renaissance Through Zora Neale Hurston’s Eyes
Zora Neale Hurston was a peerless raconteur and an intrepid investigator of American culture.Credit…Courtesy of Barbara Hurston Lewis and Faye Hurston
HITTING A STRAIGHT LICK WITH A CROOKED STICK Stories From the Harlem Renaissance By Zora Neale Hurston
Early in Reginald Hudlin’s 2017 biopic about Thurgood Marshall, Zora Neale Hurston makes a memorable cameo appearance. The soon-to-be legendary attorney and his wife are sharing a booth at a nightclub with Langston Hughes and a friend when Hurston saunters in. Portrayed by the R&B star Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas, she looks as if she’s stepped out of a Carl Van Vechten portrait, oozing confidence and sly intelligence. The brief scene in “Marshall,” with its cutting repartee, suggests what Hurston admirers have long known: She would have been some kind of star even if she’d never parked her genius in front of a typewriter. But how fortunate we are that she did. Today she is revered as a peerless raconteur, intrepid investigator of culture and ritual, and author of a great American novel, “Their Eyes Were Watching God.”
“Hitting a Straight Lick With a Crooked Stick,” edited and with an introduction by Genevieve West, with a foreword by Tayari Jones, helps illuminate Hurston’s path to iconic status. Its 21 stories are presented in the order in which she composed them. As a result, readers can note the progression from earnest “apprentice” works and experiments with form to the polished brilliance of her best-known stories. The latter include “The Gilded Six-Bits,” with its plot turning on heartbreak and betrayal; “Spunk,” a spooky adultery fable drenched in swagger; and “Sweat,” a nail-biting tale of domestic terror.
West is primarily interested in the eight “recovered” stories that unfold in Northern places like Harlem. She notes that their settings, far from Hurston’s well-known Eatonville, Fla., locale, “reflect the tumult of the Great Migration,” expanding our understanding of Hurston’s fictional territory. She also points out that stories like “The Book of Harlem” differed from Hurston’s fellow writers’ treatments of the epic journey from South to North by persistently flashing elements of wit. Just as Ralph Ellison sought to wring the marvelous from the terrible, Hurston boldly found humor in the midst of tragedy and disruption. All the while, she recognized that what a black audience found comic could be a double-edged blade, easily confusing uninformed audiences. (At the end of the intense “Six-Bits,” Hurston shows a white character blithely assessing what he believes to be the typical black personality: “Wisht I could be like those darkies. Laughin’ all the time. Nothin’ worries ’em.”)
Explaining the meaning of Hurston’s homespun title, West cites Hurston’s various definitions of the expression. Of those, my favorite is “making a way out of no-way.” Equally a part of Northern, Midwestern and Southern African-American culture, the saying recognizes our ancestors’ ability to survive and thrive in the most challenging circumstances. In many of the stories in this collection, Hurston’s men and women confront those challenges while also trying and failing at love, then trying again.
Hurston is equally insistent on displaying the bruised, bloody underside of romantic misadventure. “Everybody in the country cut the fool over husbands and wives — violence was the rule,” she writes in “The Country in the Woman.” Men aren’t the only ones who provoke mayhem, but they flaunt their willingness to live by their fists. And meat-axes. And pistols. (West calls this behavior “tyrannical masculinity”; she does not exaggerate.) Hurston’s willingness to show warts and wounds ran counter to black bourgeois sensitivities about revealing dirty laundry in public. Against the backdrop of Harlem Renaissance bigwigs calling for positive depictions of high-achieving Negroes, Hurston unpacked the lives of everyday black people doing everyday things.
Add her matchless powers of observation, exemplary fidelity to idiomatic speech and irresistible engagement with folklore, and the outcome is a collection of value to more than Hurston completists. Any addition to her awe-inspiring oeuvre should be met with open arms.
This is actually from a few years back. This is outside the hotel suite before I interviewed Barack Obama for THE BLACK GODFATHER.
I don’t do resolutions, but I do like to look back and remember highlights of the year that passed. I encourage others to do the same.
1. THE POPULARITY OF BLACK GODFATHER
Me interviewing the legendary Cicely Tyson for THE BLACK GODFATHER. Me interviewing music industry legends for the BLACK GODFATHER documentary.
So many great screenings, from Harvard University in Cambridge to the Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival in Martha’s Vineyard to Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta to multiple events in Los Angeles, I haven’t gotten so much love for the film. The African American Film Critics Association named us the Best Documentary of The Year; and the National Board of Review named us Best Documentary of The Year. Not to mention all the compliments from people from every walk of life. This movie has changed lives, no doubt about it. Two nominations from the NAACP Image Awards is really wonderful. I did not all expect the best director nomination, which is otherwise full of directors of scripted films. Really nice!
2. THE CRITICAL AND COMMERCIAL SUCCESS OF BLACK MOVIE SOUNDTRACK AT THE BOWL
Biggest crowds yet. Folks flew in from all over. The innovator MeShell NdegoCello rocks the house at the Hollywood Bowl. Dionne Ferris wows the crowd singing Hopeless from the Love Jones soundtrack.
The third edition of the salute to Black Movie Soundtracks was the first one without the support of the Academy of Motion Pictures, but we ended up selling more tickets and getting even more critical acclaim. The show has become a staple of Los Angeles summers, and we are getting requests to bring the show to other cities. We had an all star line up with Snoop Dogg, Chaka Khan, Charlie Wilson, MeShell Ndgeocello, Raphael Saadiq, El DeBarge, Bebe Winans and Dionne Farris. We are already in the planning stages for the next show at the Hollywood Bowl for 2021.
3. SAFETY
Prepping for the big shoot at Clemson Stadium with brilliant DP Shane Hurlbut. Subject of the film Ray McElrathbey, director Reggie Hudlin, star Jay Reeves.Me and my amazing cast. Love every single one of them!
Sometimes things come together perfectly. Such was Safety. My agent sent me the script and I loved it. After a quick series of meeting with the producer and the studio, we were making the film. The shoot was a dream, so much fun, and we did really good work that pleased the cast, crew and studio. Now we’re editing and I can’t wait for the world to see the film.
I also got to spend time in Atlanta and see old friends like college roommate Dr. Clinton Carter, and dear friends Steve and Terri Ewing. But my favorite day off from work was probably spent on a school field trip with my young start TJ Mixon and his dad, who should be a role model for show biz dads. Here we are at the birth home of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King. We saw all the Museums and monuments to Dr. King that day, and I strongly encourage you to do the same. Each location is unique and full of knowledge you need to be an enlightened citizen. TJ ate it up. Lobby of the Human Rights and Civil Rights Museum in Atlanta. Ebenezer Baptist Church, where Martin Luther King Sr. and Jr preached.
4. THE 50TH NAACP IMAGE AWARDS
I am very proud of my work over the years on the Image Awards, and I am particularly proud of bringing the show to the Dolby Theater, home of the Oscars, for its 50 anniversary. It’s important that we celebrate our own triumphs, and document our achievements. So even though I still haven’t won an Image Award, I am glad to make sure other people get theirs in a way they deserve.
5. I DIRECTED A COUPLE OF HOURS OF TV AS WELL
I almost forgot these shows I directed aired this year as well! I got to work with the ridiculously talented Don Cheadle, Regina Hall and the amazing cast, crew and producers of BLACK MONDAY! What a total blast! On set with the hilarious Tracy Morgan. Needless to say, we coordinate!
If that wasn’t enough I also directed several episodes of THE LAST O.G. with Tracy Morgan, Tiffany Haddish, another amazing cast, and my alter ego Saladin Patterson at the helm as showrunner, and finally got to direct funny words written by old friend Angela Nissell! What a great year! Tiffany and I on set in a Brooklyn park. She saw some girls playing in the distance…she went over to say hi! So nice!
6. THE SUCCESSFUL TEST SCREENING OF EMPEROR
I produced a movie last summer and we are finishing it up now. The last days of editing can be very intense, but we ultimately got the movie to a hugely successful test score where the audience applauded multiple times during the ending. I can’t wait for you to see it!
7. TAKING CARE OF FAMILY
Jaqueline Jenoure with her granddaughter Helena on Thanksgiving.
While I was off hunting and gathering, my wife took care of the kids and took the epic step of moving her mom to Los Angeles. Now the kids have two grandmas in full effect and she gets full time Cali sunshine. Everyone wins.
8. OUR TRIP TO HARVARD
Helena in front of a statue of John Harvard in the middle of Harvard Yard. The snowstorm didn’t stop our fun, but it did detour some tourists for a short while. A bust of W.E.B. DuBois, one of America’s foremost intellectuals, and the first black man to graduate with a PhD from Harvard.
When I finally made it home, I was so happy to spend quality time with my family. When I went back on the road to have a screening of my movie BLACK GODATHER at my alma mater, I brought my daughter. I showed her my freshman dorm building, she had lunch with a friend of hers who is a student, and we had dinner with some friends of mine. It was great for her to see a part of the world that meant a lot to me. Me with great documentary filmmaker Ross McElwee, who was my senior thesis advisor for my senior project…a short film called HOUSE PARTY!
9. ALEX DOING NEW THINGS
Once she dropped out of the race, it immediately became apparent she was the best candidate for President. Once you could no longer take her for granted, and folks took a hard look at the remaining options, there was a deeper appreciation of what she brought to the table: practical but innovative solutions to problems, the toughness required to take on Trump, and inclusion of everyone in America. Lucky for us in California, she’ll still be our senator and she will continue to be a national force for good.
10. SEN. KAMALA HARRIS FOR PRESIDENT
Once she dropped out of the race, it immediately became apparent she was the best candidate for President. Once you could no longer take her for granted, and folks took a hard look at the remaining options, there was a deeper appreciation of what she brought to the table: practical but innovative solutions to problems, the toughness required to take on Trump, and inclusion of everyone in America. Lucky for us in California, she’ll still be our senator and she will continue to be a national force for good. Comment+ Permalink
Here’s a list of songs that capture the mood lyrically while keeping a groove going that keeps heads nodding without disrupting digestion.
I’M BLESSED – Charlie Wilson featuring TI
Here’s a man testifying is gratitude for a second chance at life. And if you haven’t heard the song, you will be singing the chorus by the second verse.
A SONG FOR MAMA – Boyz II Men
A song about Mama cooking a gang of food for the family. And it’s Boyz II Men. No brainer to be on the list.
FAMILY REUNION – O’Jays
A grown folks classic. A perfect example of the positivity that was a highlight of Philadephia International songs.
FAMILY REUNION – Jill Scott
Jill does her take on the family get together, with a great comedic tone and a lovely bounce of a groove.
GRANDMA’S HANDS – Bill Withers
No specific Thanksgiving reference, but can you think of Thanksgiving without your grandmother?
HARVEST FOR THE WORLD – The Isley Brothers
You can’t enjoy abundance without taking a moment to think of those who don’t have it. Also from The Isley Brothers: CARAVAN OF LOVE, which could also be on this playlist.
BE THANKFUL FOR WHAT YOU GOT – William DeVaughan
https://youtu.be/KDTXljIqxRE
This smooth-as-baby-hair jam gets the to heart of the matter – whatever you have, appreciate it.
I WANT TO THANK YOU – Alicia Myers
This disco anthem of the “I Will Survive” category straight up gives thanks to God, so it’s also on brand for Thanksgiving.
BLESSING IN DISGUISE – Sly Stone
This is an obscure track from late in his career, but Sly Stone has written many songs that are “on theme” like THANKFUL AND THOUGHTFUL and THANK YOU FOR TALKING TO ME AFRICA. Play them all!
WHY GOD LOVES YOU – P.M. Dawn
Underrated hippie hip hop who delivered the beautiful DIE WITHOUT YOU for my BOOMERANG soundtrack back in the day. I just love this song and how it extends the boundaries of what hip hop can be.
Alicia Keys honors Pharrell Williams‘ contribution to Netflix’s The Black Godfather!
The 38-year-old “Girl on Fire” singer presented the “1000″ singer with Hollywood Song Award for “Letter to My Godfather” at the 2019 Hollywood Film Awards held at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on Sunday (November 3) in Beverly Hills, Calif.
Alicia looked stunning in a backless black dress, and Pharrell looked stylish in a painted “Human Made” jacket and Mickey Mouse t-shirt.
Alicia began her tribute to Pharrell by recognizing all of the love in the room, before Pharrell delivered a powerful speech focusing on the unparalleled contributions made by The Black Godfather subject, Clarence Avant. He said that he has opened doors when others would glue them shut and has consistently demanded equality throughout his career.
The Hollywood Music In Media Awards honors the music of visual mediums (film, TV, movie trailers, video games, commercials, etc.), the talented individuals responsible for creating, producing and placing it and the music of mainstream and indie artists from around the globe.
Awards will be given out on Wednesday, November 20th, 2019 at the Avalon in Los Angeles.
ORIGINAL SONG – DOCUMENTARY THE BLACK GODFATHER “Letter To My Godfather” Written by Pharrell Williams & Chad Hugo. Performed by Pharrell Williams.
MUSIC DOCUMENTARY / SPECIAL PROGRAM THE BLACK GODFATHER (Netflix)
The full list of nominees can be seen here: https://www.hmmawards.com/2019-music-in-visual-media-nominations/
