Monthly Archives January 2012

Opening Night 70′s Party – January 27, 2012

I went back to ToonSeum for the opening night 70′s themed party over the weekend. The opening event was held in conjunction with the area gallery crawl in downtown Pittsburgh, so both the art and cartoon lovers came out.

The nominees are in… this past Tuesday the annual Oscar nominations were announced.  A lover of movies, I was always impressed by a show that honored the best of the best in film as a youth.

D’Angelo is doing a European tour!  According to various websites, he rocked the stage of Filadelfiakyrkan Church in Stockholm last night.

“Can You Guess What McDonald’s Food Item This Is? Say hello to mechanically separated chicken.

 
 
It’s been almost a year since my blog entry on the rivalry between Nicki Minaj and Lil’ Kim.  Just when you thought it was over, Nicki’s back with a new track called “Stupid Hoe.”

 
 
One who started out as a hair stylist and a staff writer for Motown Records in the late 60s, these days is known as one of the architects of FUNK.  To honor his contributions and innovative approach to music, Berklee will grant the musician a Doctorate of Music degree on February 16th.

 
 
The new movie “Red Tails” garnered the number-two spot among top box office grossing films in its first week of release. It’s the story about the Tuskegee Airman of World War II.

Two of music’s favorite children made their transitions recently. One was once considered the Queen of the Blues, the other a Master of Funk. I’m speaking of Etta James and Jimmy Castor, two people in music that may not have always been top of mind as artists via the mainstream, but certainly loved and highly respected among their fans and peers.

The Tuskegee airmen were so called because most of the Black pilots were trained at Tuskegee University in Alabama during the 1940s. Through their bravery and actions, the Tuskegee airmen joined the ranks of other patriotic Americans who defended the United States of America against the Axis military powers during World War 2.

Let’s not wait to honor those we love, admire, look up to and respect, in death.

Chris Munger directed this 1974 blaxploitation version of the popular skinflick Starlet!…1969. The story concerns Clara, Juanita Brown, an aspiring actress from the housing projects of Gary, Indiana, who goes to Hollywood in search of fame and fortune.

Funk saxophonist Jimmy Castor, who recorded a string of R&B hits in the 1970s with his group, the Jimmy Castor Bunch, died on Monday January 16, 2012 in Las Vegas at the age of 71 from possible heart failure.

You want some raw adult comix shit! Then this is da shit. It’s so raw I’m speechless. These motherfuckers, in the comix book, are straight out of the 1970’s and they forgot to grow up.

From The Curator’s collection The Museum of UnCut Funk presents The Real Deal Comix…issues 1,3,4,5,6. Issues 2 is sold out and damn near impossible to find.

In a time of debt ceiling debates, federal budget cuts and the possible reduction in US military spending, I thought it would be befitting to highlight some of the koolest military / war related comic books I could find, many of which are archived in the collection of The Museum of UnCut Funk. As I continue to research military comics and their portrayal of Blacks and other minorities, The Museum of Uncut Funk has created an online exhibition of the comic books presented in this blog.

The history of the cinema is dotted with “a-star-is-born” films: James Cagney in “Public Enemy,” Boris Karloff in “Frankenstein,” Sylvester Stallone in “Rocky,” Robert De Niro in “Mean Streets.” But for Pam Grier, her star-making film is less auspicious.