A friend and I were talking about movies the other day and "The Five Heartbeats" entered the conversation. I allowed some of his passionate discourse before tossing in my two cents about the generally poor performances, mediocre script and lackluster direction. While, I don't consider myself a Robert Townsend hater (I enjoyed Hollywood Shuffle and own it on DVD), anyone with the execrable "Meteor Man" and "BAPS" on his resume has a lot to answer for. But then came to coup de grace... When I offered Angela Bassett's riveting portrayal of Tina Turner in "What's Love..." as an example of superior story-telling, he STILL preferred "The Five Heartbeats." WHAAAAAT?!? Two Oscar-nominated performances versus an over-long "movie of the week!" You've got to be kidding. In his defense, his affection for Heartbeats is rooted in his own experiences as a member of an male, R&B group. That none of his bandmate...

Is right here . It's insightful and intelligently addresses the fact that the evidence now points to the fact that Bryant is ACTUALLY innocent as opposed to likely to be found NOT GUILTY. It also raises the Catch 22 of Bryant's current situation. Since the case will most likely be dismissed, Bryant will not face jail time, but the civil case looms. All pundits are predicting that he will probably offer a settlement to the accuser in order to get on with his life. But what will that life offer him. A settlement (even one that includes restrictive language about denial of guilt) will open the door for the accuser's lawyers to crow about "justice" being served. But is justice served when a false accusation spurs a seven figure nuisance settlement? The accuser's father sent a letter condemning the judge's actions, but what about his daughter's actions? The prosecution has no expert witness to refute the defense position that the accuser has se...

Debra Dickerson's Slate article on racism sparked a predictably anxious debate in their Fray . Below, I have excerpted some highlights of the interactions I had with some folks in response to her piece. Subject: RE: Racist like??? From: roadwarrior Date: Aug 12 2004 2:39PM Yes there is damage done by holding ones ethnicity and heritage only in "high" regard. That implies that one is looking down on another's race with low regard. Also, if one is true to the facts, they should also have the strength to look at their heritage and find its weaknesses... don't only look at your heritage with high regard but also with low regard where appropriate. When everyone looks at their race with high regard, then the negativ aspect of racism rears its ugly head... just like the Arian race was supposed to be superior. The negative aspects of racism feed off of each individual's insecurity with themselves and their race. The individual's insecurity causes him ...

So the latest is that the accuser may forgo the criminal trial in favor of a civil suit. According to her lawyer, she is concerned that the court screw-ups will make it difficult for her to get a fair trial. But how about Kobe's fair trial? The medical records are sealed and can't be admitted into evidence, but this is a young woman who has attempted suicide twice. Does it prove that she can't be raped? No. Does it mean her mental state is in question? Yes. Evidence suggests that she had sex with another person AFTER her encounter with Bryant. Until her boyfriend offers a sample, one can only guess his identity. Does it prove that she wasn't raped? No. Does a sexual encounter mere hours after a rape fall outside the typical victim profile? Yes. In the 200-page document emailed to the press, the prosecutors expressed concern that these revelations might make it more difficult to prove their case. Well, of course it makes it more difficult. The question i...

In a flabbergasting revelation today, the Illinois GOP virtually assured that Illinois' vacant Senate seat would be occupied by a Black person. After an embarrasing stumble through wishful thinking (Mike Ditka), their choices have narrowed to Andrea Barthwell (a former deputy drug czar) and conservative talk show host Alan Keyes. Never mind that Keyes doesn't live in Illinois and hasn't even had the chance to meet with the GOP there. Apparently. his most compelling qualification is that he's Black. I can't decide what's more insulting to Illinois voters: that they would prop up a candidate from another state or that they feel voters might confuse the two candidates on the basis of their color. Keyes is a fringe player. In all of his runs for state and national office, he has been marginalized by conservative candidates whose message is less strident and more centrist. He is a talented speaker, but how many voters share his extreme views? How many can d...

In the post-Fahrenheit 9/11 cinematic world, it's easy to lose sight of some other great docs. About a month ago, I attended a screening of "The Hunting of the President." This wonderful effort chronicled the Mr. Toad's wild ride that was the Whitewater "investigation." Like Moore's films, it uses a mix of stock footage and music cues to comic effect. However, as narrated by Morgan Freeman, it carries more emotional heft, especially when focusing on Susan McDougal. After the screening, it occurred to me that despite the overwhelming evidence that Whitewater was a partisan witch hunt, fully 50% of Americans were convinced that Clinton actually did something nefarious. This in the face of being led into a war of convenience against a sovreign nation that posed no immediate threat to our country. The negative Clinton public opinion shaped Gore's decision to distance himself from the enormously popular (pre-Lewinsky) president and tipped some De...