3/5/16 O&A NYC ITS SATURDAY- ANYTHING GOES: Morgan Freeman Dramatically Reads Justin Bieber’s ‘Love Yourself

saturday extra
morgan-freeman-love-yourself

Morgan Freeman gives new meaning to the term dramatic reading when he recites  lyrics from Justin Bieber’s Love Yourself. Freeman read the lyrics for a video he taped for Vanity Fair and the result is a fun campy interpretation. Continue reading

2/10/16 O&A NYC WILDIN OUT WEDNESDAY: Richard Pryor and Maya Angelou FromThe Richard Pryor Special? (1977)

wildin out wednesday

richardpryorshow23743822

The Richard Pryor Special? aired on May 5, 1977, and created an immediate sensation for NBC. The network had given Pryor an hour in prime time to put on a show of his choice. Pryor chose to bring his irreverence humor to a nation mainstream television audience- explosive! His gut-wrenching honesty  coupled with Pryor’s ability to deliver authentic pathos are the hallmarks of his comedy. One such moment was the sketch featuring Maya Angelou. Continue reading

11/9/15 O&A NYC Hollywood Monday: In the Heat of the Night

Hollywood Mondays

MPW-55059

In the Heat of the Night is a 1967 dramatic mystery film directed by Norman Jewison starring Sidney Poitier, Rod Steiger, and Warren Oates. The movie is based on the 1965 John Ball novel of the same name, which tells the story of Virgil Tibbs (Poitier). Tibbs is a black police detective from Philadelphia, who becomes involved in a murder investigation in a racist small town in Mississippi. Continue reading

7/6/15 O&A Hollywood Monday: Halle Berry- Introducing Dorothy Dandridge (excerpts)

Hollywood Mondays

introducing-dorothy

Introducing Dorothy Dandridge is the 1999 biography of Dorothy Dandridge follows her career through early days on the club circuit with her sister to her turn in movies, including becoming the first black actress to win a Best Actress Nomination in 1954 for “Carmen Jones”, to her death from prescription drugs, which remains debated whether it was suicide or accidental. In 2000 production won five Emmy Awards including Outstanding Art Direction, Cinematography, Costumes, Hairstyling and Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie—Halle Berry.  Continue reading

12/1/14 O&A Hollywood Monday: How The Grinch Stole Christmas!

Hollywood Mondays

how-the-grinch-stole-christmas-movie-poster-1966-1020427389

How the Grinch Stole Christmas! is a children’s story by Theodor “Dr. Seuss” Geisel written in rhymed verse with illustrations by the author. In 1957 the book was published by Random House, and it also appeared in an issue of Redbook Magazine. The story criticizes the commercialization of Christmas. The 26-minute short directed by cartoon legend Chuck Jones and narrated by Boris Karloff was originally telecast on CBS on December 18, 1966.

Continue reading

Hollywood Monday: Vin Diesel – Multi-Facial (1995)

Hollywood Mondays Multi-Facial_DVD_coverMulti-Facial is the movie that launched Vin Diesel’s career. The 1995 short film was directed, written, produced, scored by and starring Vin Diesel.  It had a budget of $3,000, which he paid for himself.

The story depicts the professional and emotional issues faced by Mike (Diesel), a multiracial (Italian and African American) actor. The film was noticed at the Cannes Film Festival by director Steven Spielberg, who remembered Diesel’s performance and cast him in the 1998 Oscar winning film Saving Private Ryan.

Continue reading