"The Disappearing Party"

So, I kinda finished editing the video for the free class I taught up at the rec center. I probably could have spent another four or five hours on it, but things are coming at me so fast with this TCC teaching gig, that I could not afford the extra time. The short has too many gigs to post here, but I present the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gE-_N4_DMVc

Man, these kids are great. Considering that they were non professionals and that we only had 5 hours to shoot the whole thing, the shoot went well. Of course, we got side tracked here and there by the normal stuff - someone giggling uncontrollably, or having to shoot a scene 10 times - but I really think that everyone learned how time consuming and how much hard work film acting is. I'm also pleasantly surprised by generally how well a lot of scenes cut together. I'm no editor, or film director, but considering both my lack of skills and the cheapie FLIP camera we were working on, and no external microphones, things turned out decently enough.

Lastly, I just hope through stuff like this and the other classes I'm thinking about, plus the efforts of the community at large, we can inspire our kids to reach for great heights. Right now, we're failing them. And we're not just failing the kids on the northside. Perhaps about 15% of those kids will go to college. About the same amount will probably join the Armed Forces and less than that will enter a vocational/technical trade school. I just don't feel that I was fully aware of the depth and breadth of options available to me. While I certainly am blessed for the education I have, things could have been a lot simpler...and MUCH LESS EXPENSIVE. The problem which makes the situation worse for northside kids is that none of them have really been told that there's a HUGE life waiting to be lived on the other side of high school. Some do sports for extra curriculars, and others do church...THAT'S IT. Life exists outside the black community, outside of Sapulpa/Tulsa, outside of Oklahoma and they would be so much better of getting out and, if they wanted, coming back on their own terms. It's an uphill battle and I pray that I have the strength to endure naysayers, energy suckers, bad behavior, lack of money/motivation, and bureaucracy.

ME, U, the Guys, n' the Girl makes 5

Audition Notice for "Around the World in 80 Days"

Around the World in 80 Days
AUDITIONS

CAST: 5 actors
4 men and 1 woman

Need performers who are capable with accents/dialects, have comic chops, and willing to work together as an ensemble.

Our last open call audition is being held Monday, June 1st at 7 p.m. at Manion Park. Looking forward to seeing you there.

--Robert.

Workout

So, now that TJ has accepted the challenge issued by Dr. Cheeks and myself, it's on, boys and girls. And just to show the world that I'm in fighting form, I present me working out...

Disclaimer: I urge all women and children to avert their eyes as my manboobs seemed to take a life of their own when I was on the treadmill. I may invest in a sportsbro.

While I was rather focused, the gleam in my eye was actually not determination...it was Caddyshack. Each treadmill is equipped with it's own TV screen. 100 Channels, baby! And they call this working out!

What's really awesome is that all the fatties come in late at night. A whole legion of chubbsters forsaking their sleep apnea masks to get a little workout before that early morning sampling of covered and smothered at Waffle House.

Gotta give props to Anytime Fitness for letting me workout there. Hell, I don't know what I'm thanking them for...I could sponsor 3600 starving Malawian children for what I pay per month. That, and I didn't really ask permission. Uh, sorry...here's some more free pub:

ANYTIME FITNESS IS AWESOME.

Challenge!

TJ bought a scale. Could be he wants to lose weight.
He also bought some bean dip. Uh, no comment.

TJ and I have been fat for years. While it used to be a point of mutual understanding, it's grown into a rather unsightly health problem. Truth is, I don't wanna help put his kids through college, 'cause he keeled over with a burrito in one hand...and vice versa.

So, TJ if you're reading this, and I know you are, 'cause you're almost the only person who reads anything that I write, consider yourself CHALLENGED, sucka!

Tulsa loses potential movie franchise

See, this is why Oklahomans are behind the curve.

The House of Night movie (and possible franchise), which is set in Tulsa and to be adapted from the popular series of books written by area writers P.C. and Kristin Cast, will not be filmed in Tulsa, said the upcoming film's producer Michael Birnbaum.

The nationally recognized juvenile fiction series is set in an alternate version of Tulsa, OK. According to wikipedia, the nine volume series chronicles the "adventures of Zoey Redbird, a 16-year-old gifted fledgling vampire who attends the House of Night school where she will eventually change into a Vampire or die in the process." Written by a mother-daughter duo, the books have been listed on the New York Times bestseller list. The series was also positively mentioned in a recent People magazine. Hollywood producer Michael Birnbaum (John Tucker Must Die, Bandits) seeing the potential in the books --his daughter is a fan-- optioned the series late last year.

While the book makes specific reference to Tulsa and Oklahoma locations, according to Birnbaum whom I spoke with by phone last week, the movie will "probably not" be filmed in Tulsa. Among places Birnbaum is considering for production include Louisiana, Connecticut, and Canada. He cited Oklahoma's unfavorable tax incentives for film productions as the reason for not filming in the Sooner state. Oklahoma can not compete with a state like Louisiana which offers a sizable tax rebate on productions that shoot in that state, Birnbaum said. According to its state film commission website, Louisiana leads the country in tax incentives.

The loss to Tulsa is immeasurable as the production of one or more titles from the series would have benefitted Tulsa vendors, below-the-line talent, and actors. Like Forks, WA where the successful Twilight series is set, Tulsa may still benefit from tourism sparked by interest in the books no matter where the movies are shot.

A call to the state Oklahoma Film and Music Commission was not returned.

The Louisiana Film Commission site also said "since 2002, when the first tax credits were introduced, the incentives have generated more than $2 billion in new revenue and spurred creation of thousands of high-wage jobs, state-of-the-art infrastructure development and new business opportunities." That new revenue comes not only from motion picture production, but from sound recording, interactive and live entertainment as well.

So, here's the deal. What are Oklahoma tax incentives for film productions based on? Why aren't we more competitive? What would it take to become more competitive? What are the duties and responsibilities of the local and state OFMC if not to woo productions to Oklahoma? Having worked in statewide tourism, I know that Oklahoma has such a diversity of landscapes that it can accommodate almost any production's needs. SO, what's the deal?

Girlfriend, U R NOT Bella Swan!

So, many of you know that I too have been caught up in this Twilight frenzy. I tried to cloak my giddy fascination with the books under the guise of "responsible parenting." The princess was checkin' 'em out, so I figured I see what the hell this Meyer lady was infecting my kid with. Okay, duh, Stephen King, in a head to head competition with JK Rowling to see who's got the bigger literary johnson, Stephenie Meyer will forever fall several inches short. That said, you can't deny ol' girl's weaving of naive, pre-teen romanticism with short bursts of action (and on occasion, blood).

The thing that I don't like, and I utter this at the risk of sounding like a Twilight hate-nerd, is that every chick (young and old) who reads the books struts off thinking that she's the physical manifestation of Bella Swan. Bitch, please...you ain't no Bella Swan!

Bi-otch, you ain't smart like Bella Swan!
The last book you read was thin and had glossy pictures of celebrities...oh, that's right it was a supermarket tabloid. When was the last time you spent extra time figuring out Calculus?

Bi-atch, you can't cook like Bella Swan!
Bells serves up that homecooked grub for her pops the cop. Don't heat up a hot pocket and call it cuisine. Three words: Ladies Home Journal.

Bi-etch, you ain't ryde or die like Bella Swan!
Homegirl throws caution to the wind for love...constantly...to the point where you sometimes question her aforementioned "smarts." She's always making herself potential vampchow because of the company she keeps. But, it's all for love...which grown-ass people realize is just as stupid as it is sweet.

To be fair, Bells also uses her friends; strings boys along; and is deceptive to her father, but hey...she's 17. That's all normal, right?

Yeah, I almost thought I was Bella Swan too...but I checked myself just like I'm checkin' you now. No thanks needed...money is appreciated.

Is there a Doc in the House?: Afro-Punk

My wife and I went to see The Cure a few years back. Robert and the fellas put on a good show, playing all the expected tunes and some cuts off of the then-new album. It was not a surprise that out of probably 15,000 people we were THE ONLY black couple that we saw...just two out of the 8 total black folks we spied in attendance.

If you happen to be an unusual black kid with tastes that are generally off the beaten track you end up finding normal in packs where you are the only dark face. But, deep inside, there's still always a feeling of "what the hell?!"

Though I still have not seen all of it, what I have seen of "Afro-Punk" hits home with a vengeance.

I've always been partial to music that wails and screeches. I grew up saying that I liked hip hop just to be feel normal and deflect the unspoken questions/assumptions that could see brewing. At that time there weren't many black kids in my sleepy hometown of Sapulpa, OK listening to punk/progressive/industrial/post-punk (and in small letters "alternative") music.

Afro-Punk not only explores the experience of the darker nation with punk music...but it's an excellent study on how people who don't ascribe to monolithic ideas of race cope when operating in a venue in which they are the odd minority. Not just the minority, but the odd minority.

In the years since it's release, the doc has also spawned a website that showcases the contributions of black artists in rock/punk and their derivations. Check out the shoegaze-pop of one of last year's "it" groups The Black Kids or the Mars Volta-ish sounds of Irradio just to name a few. http://www.afropunk.com

Lesser Moments in Pop Culture: Ready for the World

While the world tittered with a hypothetical musical showdown twixt the uni-gloved Prince of Pop and the purple panted Funk-Rock heir apparent known as Prince, the industry churned out grade c imitations of the aforementioned dynamic duo in hopes of bringing more black heat to the charts and lining their pockets with wads of cash.

One of the acts was Ready for the World.

With frontman Melvin Riley looking like a lesser talented cousin of Michael Jackson, and generously borrowing a sound that could have come straight from Paisley Park, these Michiganders' only significant musical contribution to Black Music History is "Oh Sheila."

Oh brother.

These guys were actually talent musicians. But, while the synth, canned drums, and bass come together to give this joint a li'l groove, ultimately the song is dead on delivery for three reasons.

1) Don't step to the Purple One.
As if they hadn't already borrowed generously from elements of Prince's style and sound, the title character of "Oh Sheila" was widely believed to be a not-so-subtle reference to Sheila E, sometime Prince collaborator and rumored love interest. How the hell you gonna try to make it big singing about makin' naughty with someone else's paramour? This is a musical David and Goliath, the humble band of lesser knowns trying to keep in step with the the post- "Purple Rain" mainstream juggernaut known as Prince...only in this case David gets dismembered and buried in the desert.

2) British much?
What the hell is it with Melvin's hackneyed British accent? I can almost see the late night studio decision that yielded such a colorful screwup. "Hey, wait guys...oh shit (taking a puff from his joint)...what if, damn...I said the intro in and English accent...that'd be fresh, right?"

Crickets.

That accent was worse than Kevin Costner's in Robin Hood. You remember those kids in high school who went around talking in terrible English accents after watching "Monty Python's Meaning of Life" for the first time? Worse! The prevailing mainstream belief is that black people with British accents sound silly, uptight, and uncool. I happen to like the accent. As a general rule, though, wannabe funkish hipsters should refrain from trying to sound like Gordon Brown before the House of frickin' Commons...especially when they're supposed to be spitting game to Sheila mo'freakin' E. Major party foul.

3) the "oh, oh, oh" Sheila part.
Sounds like Melvin's humping the mike stand. This part made me blush as a child and still makes me cringe. I guess it could be worse, at least he's not saying "skeet, skeet, skeet."

After one more chart hit witih "Love You Down," Ready for the World faded into oblivion, perhaps rightly so.

Here's to you, Ready for the World, you soul-less bastards (and I mean that in the nicest way possible), you are today's Lesser Moment in Pop Culture.

Check out a live lip synched performance from the faux funksters.