tuckergurl

Rough

I knew this movie was bad but even I am surprised at how rough this review from the always warm and fuzzy Manohla Dargis is. Check it out:

IT should come as no surprise that "Basic Instinct 2," the long-gestating follow-up to Paul Verhoeven's 1992 blip on the zeitgeist screen, is a disaster of the highest or perhaps lowest order. It is also no surprise that this joyless calculation, which was directed by Michael Caton-Jones and possesses neither the first film's sleek wit nor its madness, is such a prime object lesson in the degradation that can face Hollywood actresses, especially those over 40. Acting always involves a degree of self-abasement, but just watching trash like this is degrading.

Segregation in Stuy Town

I was so fascinated to find this article in The Times about the desegregation of my old neighborhood, Stuyvesant Town:

"My perception," said Leo Stevens, an African-American who has lived in Stuyvesant Town for 33 years and raised five children there, "is that excluding celebrities and black immigrants or foreigners, the number of 'average, everyday African-Americans' has been relatively static over the last 30 years. Our sparse number, spread out over this huge complex, makes it difficult to be accurate."

My familes was one of the very, very, very few "average African-American" families that grew up in Stuy Town. I am curious about this flick that she is writing about the desegregation of my old hood. Very curious.

Dave Chappelle's Block Party

See this movie. Now! You will not regret it. Everyone involved is a genius. And buy the CD. I am endorsing unabashed consumption. Do it!! Again, you will not regret it.

(Not Quite) Mixed

On Friday night I went to hear Angela Nissel read from her new book, Mixed, her memoir about growing up half black and half white in Philadelphia. I was a huge fan of her last book, The Broke Diaries, her hilarious account of her poverty filled days at UPenn. I have a warm spot for another Angela with big, curly hair (and no I'm not jealous that she writes for Scrubs. Not at all).

At the end of the reading, I snuck over to the cafe to finish this thing I am writing. I had spotted the rare empty table at the Astor Place Barnes and Nobles so I ran to take advantage of it. Also, I was having the quintessential Broke Diaries moment. Since getting back from Africa, I am waiting to get some cash and am real, real lean lately. Therefore, purchasing her book is not happening in the immediate future. Plus, I HATE waiting in line for people to sign my books. It's always a pretty awkward exchange and usually takes entirely too long (or so I was telling myself).

As I began to type, a young woman, early 20s, who I had seen at the reading, tapped my shoulder. She too was in the big hair, light skinned family. She smiled at me and asked, "What did you think of that?" I wasn't sure how to respond. I knew this was a loaded question but I was unsure why.

Sensing my uncertainty, she continued, "It's just my Mom and I are always looking for books, you know."

Let me explain the subtext of this sentence for those of you who could not hear her say it. My Mom and I was code for, my White Mom and I. Books was code for books about biracial folks. I knew all of this because she was nodding at me the whole time she was saying it. This nod I knew implied that I too was a biracial girl on a similar journey ... which I am not. Both my parents were just plain old African-American. Sure there was some mixing in the gene pool, hello slavery, but I am not what she is looking for. My parents were not black and white. I mean, I am definately on a journey but it ain't this one.

The thing is, when she began to nod, I did this strange thing. I nodded back. I could tell she really, really wanted me to. So I did. It just seemed easier that way.

She continued, "I thought this book might be a good one but books like these always have the section where the person goes crazy, you know. Why do they always have to go crazy?" I explained to her that I had not read the book but since it was her personal experience, she had to be true to what happened. Shit happens and sometimes folks go a little crazy. Lord knows shit happened to her. I told her not to look at the book as saying she went crazy because she was biracial. It was just another thing that made her life more complicated.

This conversation was going well until she asked, "Can you recommend other books like this?" My mind drew a blank. I knew I had read other memoirs about being biracial but it really was not a genre I looked into much. She continued, "You just seem like someone who has read a lot about this." I felt this pressure. I had made myself into this guru and I felt I had to keep it going. I started to play in my hair like I tend to do in moments like these as if the answer lies beneath a nap in the center of my head.

Unable to come up with something, I used the universal, female stalling tactic. "That skirt is really cute. Where did you get it?" She smiled and went on about buying it somewhere in Portland or somewhere like that. I was not really listening.

Then, like clockwork, she got right back to it, "I read The Color of Water."

"YES!" I exclaim, entirely too loud like some freak. "I read that one." I had. It was good.

"But he goes crazy in that one too. Can you tell I'm writing a memoir?" She laughed. We went on about how everyone was. It was the new Macarena. Everyone was doing it.

We chatted for a while longer. She asked me why I had not bought the book and I said I was cheap and did not buy hardcover books. She said it was soft cover. Then I felt really cheap.

I could tell she wanted to exchange numbers or emails but she did not have the courage to ask. I did not help her out because I knew I could not keep the charade up much longer. Sooner or later she would find out that I was not biracial that my looking like her was a result of the new Pantene conditioner I bought for curly hair that really gave my curls a lot more definition than they usually have. And then, our whole friendship would be a farce. I could see the awkward conversation in our future so I just avoided the whole thing. She gathered her stuff and I wished her well.

She did ask me one thing, I sware she did, "What shampoo do you use? You're hair is really healthy." I did tell her that.

Behind The Music: Still The Best Show On TV

I just watched the Kid Rock Behind The Music. I am not ashamed. It was good. And I don't even like his music.

Brokeback Lawsuit

This is from indieWIRE:

Actor Randy Quaid has filed a lawsuit against Focus Features, claiming that he was misled about Brokeback Mountain being a small movie in what his lawyers are calling a "movie laundering scheme".

In court documents filed yesterday in Los Angeles (and published by AOL's TMZ.com), Quaid's lawsuit (seeking $10 millon in damages) reads:
Producers James Schamus and David Linde, by and through Focus Features, LLC, and Del Mar Productions, succeeded in obtaining Randy Quaid's performance in 'Brokeback Mountain' by falsely representing it as a low-budget, art-house film, with no prospect of making any money. Yet, from day one, defendents fully intended that the film would not be made on a low budget, would be given a worldwide release, and would be supported as the studio picture it always was secretly intended to be.

Additionally, the filing also contends that Quaid is "an instantly recognizable household name and much-admired actor on the world's stage". His legal representatives claim that he is responsible for a worldwide box office of "nearly $2 billion." The film was made for $14.9 million and has grossed more than $80 million in the U.S.

Download the pdf and look at this! I think this lawsuit is really going to make an impact on independent film.

At first, I dismissed this lawsuit mainly because Randy Quaid was in this film for a hot minute. Plus, the document acts as if Randy Quaid is the kind of star that people go to movies specifically to see. However he does have a leg to stand on with this suit.

Producers were calling this film low-budget but it did cost 14.9 million dollars which is low but that low. What the film has made (which is 80 million dollars so far) is not really the issue because he did not ask for a back end deal so he is not supposed to see any portion of the profits. I do think it can be proven the Producers had a deal with Universal before the film was made. If this is the case, the film was then worth much more than 14.9 million dollars. The reason for this is that marketing is not included in that number and they spent a ton on this film.

Still the big question this suit brings up is: What is a low budget film? What is the cap on a film being seen as low budget? This question has been defined lately by big Hollywood stars who take pay "cuts" to be in these teeny movies that really are not teeny at all. But what I want are cold hard facts. What is the industry standard for a low budget narrative film. What is the cap on it? Where is this information? The lawsuit states that the cap is 7 million dollars but where did the lawyers get this information? SAGIndie, the Screen Actors Guild's indie film wing, creates low budget contract for actors. They work with projects with budgets of $0 to 2 million dollars. That seems a little low.

I am going to wait to read what some other news outlets have to say but as someone in this industry, I think this lawsuit could bring about a lot of dialogue.

The New Era of Obama

Many people have sent this article to me and thanks so much. I love Barack Obama. It has been a long time since I have said so. Let me remind y'all again.

I love how this article begins:

MOST politicians spend their careers working to overcome flaws. Then there are politicians like Barack Obama.

So charismatic that his greatest challenge has been trying to play down expectations during his first Senate term, Mr. Obama's enviable plight was neatly underlined at a black-tie dinner here last weekend, as President Bush facetiously tried to roast him.

"Senator Obama, I want to do a joke on you," the president told the audience at the annual Gridiron dinner, an event where politicians and the press mingle to make fun of one another. "But doing a joke on you is like doing a joke on the pope. Give me something to work with. Mispronounce something."

Keep in mind that President Bush had no idea who Obama was before his famous Democratic Convention speech in 2004. I remember a journalist asking him a question about Obama and Bush looking almost pale thinking the journalist said Osama. Barack must get that a lot.

What I find interesting about this article is what is not being said. It seems strange that the writer did not address race. In some ways, I can understand why she did not. Barack is a beloved by everyone and that has nothing to do with race really. He is intelligent. He has integrity. He is straightforward. I for one really miss the days of having politicians we can be proud of. As a person who has just travelled abroad, I can say that people in other countries hate Bush. Hate him. And I sick of people telling me so.

I do think the fact that Obama is black is something to mention though. Many people are looking for a voice that is not a 50-70 year old white male in office. It is why so many people have so much hope in Obama. Obama as "The Great Black Hope" is something that might later be his downfall. Addressing that fact would have made this article a bit more complex.

White People ... Why?

I have to ask a question. Something I have been wondering about for most of my life.

It is cold here in New York. Yes, it is warmer than it has been (or so I've heard) but it is still cold. Cold I say. I know the sun is shining and this might be misleading but make no mistake. It is cold. And being New York, it will not be warm until late April, early May. Maybe. (As we all know, global warming changes everything.)

So, why, oh why, white people are you wearing sandals? Why are you wearing shorts?

Don't get me wrong. I like white people. Some of my best friends are white. But I just do not understand you. And I am not alone. I can speak for a large portion of the African-American community ( and probably most people of color but I will not speak for them) when I say that at times like these, we are laughing at you. Laughing at you.

White people, I am going to let you in on a secret. You know how sometimes a black person looks at you and then shakes their head. Or when you see two black people look at you and then look at each other trying not to laugh. Well, that has to do with your crazy choice to wear no jacket in 30 degree weather or open toed sandles or shorts! Black folk do not even have to exchange words about this. All we do is look at each other and shake our heads. This is code for: "White people. Who understands them."

Don't you feel cold? Don't you get sick? Can't you just wait until it is legitimately warm before you pull out the summer clothing? Or better yet, just go somewhere warm for a weekend and get all of this out of your system. Help me understand. Help us understand.

Thank you. I am done.

something cool

Check this out from one of my fave blogs.

Best Sunset -- South Africa

Best Sunset -- South Africa
Originally uploaded by tuckergurl.

I got back to New York yesterday FINALLY after a sort of hellish travel experience. In short, because I thought I had a multiple entry visa but really had a single entry visa, they would not let me back into Nigeria to leave. Our "compromise" was that I slept in the airport for a day and then was able to fly home that following night. They would not let me leave the premesis because I was a "criminal" for trying to come into Nigeria without a visa. It was so insane. There were a few of us in the same boat so at least I was not alone. I does not feel like such a big deal now but it really was at the time.

This trip has been really amazing. I am not so articulate right now because it has been chock full of incredible (and incredibly different) experiences. I really did cram a lot into these 7 weeks.

Since I am a fan of lists, I decided to do a Best of list. (For those who do not read that often, I went to South Africa, Rwanda, Nigeria & Ghana.) I am sure I will have a lot to say about all of my experiences but I'll write about things as they come up.

Best Restaurant: Tanjia in Lagos, a pricey Moroccan restaurant. I do love Moroccan food. Why haven't I gone to Moracco?

Best Wine: Well, South Africa of course . It is what they are known for. I had some amazing Italian wine that a woman brought to a get together I went to in Abuja, Nigeria. I should have written the name of that wine down.

Best Duty Free Shops: Nairobi, Kenya. I spent a nice amount of time in that airport.

Best Airport: Johannesburg, South Africa. Great bookshop and perfect for last minute souvenir shopping!

Best TV Show: Scandal, a South African soap though Big Brother Nigeria did peak my interest.

Best Internet Cafe: This is an unfair category mainly because there is a bit of a dearth of cafes in Ghana and I never needed one in Nigeria or Rwanda but I would recommend the cafes in Obz in Cape Town. You will not be sorry.

Best Party: I went to an outdoor party in Osu, a ritsy neighborhood in Accra, Ghana. It had a great Hi-LIfe band.

Best Looking Currency: Rwanda. I like the look of the franc.

Best Souvenirs: Ghana has great stuff that is pretty cheap. However, if you live in Brooklyn, chances are that everyone on your block has most of this stuff.

Best Experience Overall: I gotta say that building that house for Zanele as part of Habitat was the highlight. You gotta build a house for Habitat for Humanity. It really is amazing and hopefully you'll go with as cool people as I did.

I have learned a lot and and am writing more about it in my journal. I'll share more later.

It is strange how your life just goes back to the way it was. I came home, watched the VH1 video countdown, made some coffee. It was like I never left and that's not a bad thing. One thing I learned that I can share is that my life really is not all that bad. I think I thought I would come back and really have clarity on the things that suck about my life. What I learned is that I like a lot about my life and am excited about some things to come. I've been waay to focused on what I have lost and not focused enough on all of the great things in my life. That has definately changed.