Podcasts about mars blackmon

Episode 60: Sneaker Legacy & 80s Music RoyaltyLace up for a deep dive into one of the most revolutionary moments in footwear history! As Air Jordans celebrate their 40th anniversary, Brian and Mike explore how a rookie's signature shoe changed not just basketball, but global fashion forever. From banned colorways to Mars Blackmon, we trace the DNA of sneaker culture's crown jewel. Plus, who exactly was the mysterious Chuck Taylor, and why does his name live on every classic Converse?In our second segment, two titans of 80s music face off in our signature "Spotify Game." Phil Collins and Kenny Loggins go head-to-head as we reveal shocking streaming numbers that challenge everything you think you know about 80s music popularity today. Get ready for some serious surprises when we uncover which yacht rock and Genesis-era classics are dominating playlists in 2025!Join us for laughs, stats, and hot takes as we celebrate the icons that shaped sneaker culture and 80s soundtracks. Whether you're a sneakerhead or just love to groove to Miami Vice-era hits, this episode's got something for everyone!Duration: 48 minutes Sent us a voicemail:https://www.speakpipe.com/The70sVsThe80sSend us an email:The70svsthe80s@gmail.com

Director Spike Lee's first feature-length film, "She's Gotta Have It," premiered in theaters on August 8, 1986. "She's Gotta Have It" is a comedy that follows Nola Darling, a free-spirited Black woman living in Brooklyn, New York, and her relationships with three suitors. Lee himself appears in the film as one of those suitors, a bike messenger named Mars Blackmon. Among Lee's other notable works are "Do the Right Thing" and "School Daze," his second and third feature-length films. "Do the Right Thing" earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay. Through his production company, 40 Acres and a Mule, Lee has produced dozens of films—many of them known as "Spike Lee joints"—since the 1980s. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, as many continue to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the movie Do the Right Thing, I will take you through some of the highlights of director Spike Lee. I will discuss how he has impacted black, hip hop, sneaker, sports and film culture through his work particularly in the creation of fictional character Mars Blackmon.

This week the dudes chat about: Boyz II Men, cruises, Mars Blackmon, Japon, Harry Potter, Vince McMahon, CM Punk, Oscars, and comics!

We talk the career, the commercials, the documentaries and above all the movies of Mr. Spike Lee. We go through our favorite movies of his, as well as the countless careers he helped to launch. We discuss our first memories of his work (Mars Blackmon, Nike commercials with Michael Jordan) to Do The Right Thing, to X, He Got Game, 4 Little Girls, Da 5 Bloods, and many many more. Put some Jagbags in your ear!

Director Spike Lee's first feature-length film, "She's Gotta Have It," premiered in theaters on Aug. 8, 1986. "She's Gotta Have It" is a comedy about Nola Darling, a free-spirited African-American woman in Brooklyn, New York, and her three suitors. Lee makes an appearance in the film as one of those suitors, a bike messenger named Mars Blackmon. Some of Lee's other notable works include "Do the Right Thing" and "School Daze," his second and third feature-length films.  "Do the Right Thing" earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay. His production company, 40 Acres and a Mule, has produced dozens of films -- several of them dubbed "Spike Lee joints" -- since the '80s. "She's Gotta Have It" was also a Netflix series from 2017 to 2019. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Devine qui vient mixer ?Chaque jour, de 13h à 14h, la Grenouille sort ses platines devant la radio pour une création anniversaire imaginée par quelques uns de nos DJ's résidents.Mardi 05 octobre : Le set black music d'Hangtime by Elodie Rama & Mars Blackmon.

There's no time like the present to drop episode 98 of the Promo UPFront Podcast with Kirby Hasseman and Bill Petrie on an eager world! This week the promo pair talk about Nike bringing back Mars Blackmon and whether it's a smart marketing move, share some lessons learned from Joe Rogan – with one they REALLY agree with, look at reasons someone might want to fire a customer, get excited about the virtual industry concert to support PPEF, and so much more! Patriotic content like this wouldn't be free without the support of great organizations like Shepenco. Not only do they have amazing cost-effective merchandise, the people behind the brand are second to none. To view their awesome offerings, head over to Shepenco.com. If you want some random samples or free good, email Alex Moltz at alex@shepenco.com – you won't be sorry you did.

How in the world did the classic cartoons get mashed with Michael Jordan, and now LeBron James? Was it always a commercial money-making scheme? And what's Bugs Bunny been doing all these years? Find out the hidden gems behind the history of this classic cinema story. Contact: Reach out on instagram - @illiteratepod Extras: trailer, Space Jam: A New Legacy (2021) https://bit.ly/spacejamlegacy0 trailer, Space Jam (1996) https://bit.ly/spacejamlegacy1 video, original Hare Jordan commercial (1992) https://bit.ly/spacejamlegacy2 music, final Bugs Bunny rap “Buggin'” (1996) https://bit.ly/spacejamlegacy3 video, Spike Lee Mars Blackmon basketball commercial https://bit.ly/spacejamlegacy4 video Spike Lee Mars Blackmon baseball “he's trying” commercial https://bit.ly/spacejamlegacy5 article, how Mars Blackmon and Michael Jordan met https://bit.ly/spacejamlegacy6 article, Jim Riswold, the originator of Michael and Bugs https://bit.ly/spacejamlegacy7 article, Joe Dante's unmade Looney Tunes film https://bit.ly/spacejamlegacy8 video, history of Bugs Bunny https://bit.ly/spacejamlegacy9

"Money it's gotta be da shoes!" Mars Blackmon https://youtu.be/Abr_LU822rQ​ Super spikes are causing a seismic shift – so why won't athletes admit it? It all amounts to a curious omerta – a case of “don’t mention the spikes” – from Nike and New Balance athletes who have benefited most from the technology. “Normally you’re asked by your sponsor to give a sales pitch, and it often seems so fake and contrived,” says Willis. “And here’s your one opportunity to really preach about it. Yet they don’t.” https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blo... ​ #SuperSpikes​ #Track​ #SuperShoes​ In March of 2020, I slipped on the illegally dumped cooking grease in front of John’s Burger and couldn’t walk for 6 weeks. This was my first injury since I started Endurance Training in 1979. Then in late April of 2020, I ended up in the hospital for the first time in my life. The diagnosis was Congestive Heart Failure. This Vlog / Podcast documents my Sixth Decade of Endurance Training. The past Decade was about HOW FAR I could go. This Decade will be about HOW FAST can I go post Congestive Heart Failure. https://linktr.ee/AND3RSON --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/andy-noise/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/andy-noise/support

On this episode, DP sits down with Ian Stonebrook, to chat all things AJ4 "Fire Red" related and the colorways history from the the best retro to the worst retro and more!2:09 What did the AJ4 Fire Red mean in 1989?8:13 What did the retros look like after 1989 for the Fire Red 4s?10:37 How did the Air Jordan 4 “Fire Red Laser” stack up?13:10 Mars Blackmon 418:29 2012 Fire Red True Retro23:06 2020 Fire Red Release31:34 What's your Top 3 Jordan Silhouettes? 

Drew Rizzo-Connor joins us again to talk about the ESPN doc, The Last Dance. Drew and Franklin talk about frustrated Pacers fandom, Michael Jordan's reluctance to speak up for Harvey Gannt, Isiah Thomas' role as Jordan's foil, some superstar comparison, and Drew's love for Air Jordans in this super fun, wide reaching conversation about hoops and much, much more. ENJOY!  N. B. A book we reference a couple times is Jack McCallum's The Dream Team. It's fantastic.  So are the Mars Blackmon commercials. "It's gotta be the shoes."     

In the midst of the television event known as The Last Dance, Rod and Chris take a look at one of the greatest creators of our time, Spike Lee, and his character Mars Blackmon. Find out why the guys think Mars had almost as great an impact on the Jordan Brand as MJ did.

Neal Arthur, managing director of Wieden & Kennedy New York, shares stories of his time as a sex ed teacher at a Catholic school. “There’s a weird sort of faux confidence in 8th grade that you have to have to make it,” he says. “You walk around acting like you’ve got it all figured out, yet you know nothing.” He also weighs in on his love of Nike’s “Mars Blackmon” ads and admits that he doesn’t like The Beatles or one particular Golden Girl.

On this week's episode of The Nailed It Wall Mrs. Scofield and Mr. Lane the STEM Guy are joined by Ella and Sam (our first returning guest). It is a travesty that Ella is making her first appearance on Episode 20. Mars Blackmon famously said "It's gotta be the shoes," when referencing the great Michael Jordan's freakish abilities. The shoes that make every teacher great lies in their parents, siblings, spouses, and their own children. This could not be more true as Mrs. Scofield celebrates the life of her dad with her own children. It is these special people in all the lives of teachers that creates the "It's gotta be the shoes," so they can go on and inspire others. The shoes Mrs. Scofield wears will always have the Emery Csikesz logo on them and her students will never forget her because of Emery Csikesz. This week on the four person pod they celebrate the life of Emery Csikesz and the celebration that took place this past weekend in California. The miracle that the Playing with Fire director's chair with Emery Csikesz's name appeared out of thin air and capturing those moments that will never be forgotten. This week they also give a totally biased review of Playing with Fire (Mrs. Scofield's niece and Sam and Ella's cousin) Finley Rose Slater who plays Zoey. They breakdown how Finley totally steals the show from this star studded cast. Mind you this is a totally biased opinion with ABSOLUTELY no regrets. If you haven't seen Playing with Fire yet, what are you waiting for? I mean seriously... All of the cool teachers have already seen it. #playingwithfiremovie

Topics: Air Jordans, Whitney Houston, Sade, The Color Purple, Whoopi Goldberg, Oprah Winfrey, Phylicia Rashad (Bonus Artist: Luck Pacheco)   1985 Notes   General Snapshots   1.    President: Ronald Reagan   2.    Jan – In Hollywood,  California, the charity single "We  Are the World" is recorded by USA for  Africa. The  single raises money to combat the  ongoing famine in Ethiopia. The  American act consists of high-profile  performers, including Michael  Jackson, Lionel Richie, Tina Turner,  Cyndi Lauper and Diana Ross.   3.    Jan – The newest music video channel, VH-1, begins broadcasting on American cable. It is aimed at an older demographic than its sister station, MTV. The first video played is Marvin Gaye's rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner".   4.    Mar – WrestleMania debuts at Madison Square Garden.  In the main event, Hulk Hogan and Mr. T defeated Paul Orndorff and Roddy Piper. The attendance for the event was 19,121. The event was seen by over one million viewers through closed-circuit television, making it the largest pay-per-view showing of a wrestling event on closed-circuit television in the United States at the time.   5.    Apr – Coca-Cola changes its recipe and releases New Coke. The response is overwhelmingly negative, and the original formula is back on the market in less than three months.   6.    Aug - Ryan White who was expelled from Western High School in Indiana is allowed to attend his first day of classes via telephone.   7.    Sep - The Farm Aid concert is held in Champaign, Illinois, USA.   8.    Oct  – The Nintendo Entertainment System is released in U.S. stores. By 1988, industry observers stated that the NES's popularity had grown so quickly that the market for Nintendo cartridges was larger than that for all home computer software.  The NES was released two years after the North American video game crash of 1983, when many retailers and adult consumers regarded electronic games as a passing fad. With the NES, Nintendo also changed the relationship between console manufacturers and third-party software developers by restricting developers from publishing and distributing software without licensed approval. This led to higher-quality games, which helped change the attitude of a public that had grown weary from poorly produced games for earlier systems.   9.    Nov - Microsoft Corporation releases the first version of Windows, Windows 1.0.   10.    Open Comments:   11.    Top 3 Pop Songs   12.    1    "Careless Whisper"    Wham!   13.    2    "Like a Virgin"    Madonna   14.    3    "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go"    Wham!   15.    Grammy Awards   16.    Record of the Year: Quincy Jones (producer) for "We Are the World"   17.    Album of the Year: Phil Collins (producer & artist) for No Jacket Required   18.    Song of the Year: Michael Jackson & Lionel Richie (songwriters) for "We Are the World"   19.    Best New Artist: Sade   20.    Top 3 Movies   21.    Back to the Future   22.    Rambo: First Blood Part II   23.    Rocky IV   24.    Other Notables:  The Color Purple / Out of Africa / Cocoon / The Jewel of the Nile / Witness / The Goonies / Spies Like Us / The Breakfast Club / Brewster's Millions / St. Elmo's Fire /  Krush Groove   25.    Top 3 TV Shows   26.    The Cosby Show   27.    Family Ties   28.    Murder, She Wrote       29.    TV Debuts   30.    Sep - What's Happening Now!! / Stir Crazy   31.    Black Snapshots   32.    Feb -  Whitney Houston releases her debut  album – Whitney Houston.   33.    Mar  – Mike Tyson makes his professional debut in Albany, New York, a match which he wins by a first-round knockout.   34.    May - Michael Jordan is named as the NBA's "Rookie of the Year."   35.    May – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Mayor Wilson Goode, the  first African American to hold that office,  orders police to storm the  headquarters of the black liberation/back-to-nature group MOVE to end a stand-off over serving arrest warrants. (Due process?!?!)  The police drop 2 explosive devices into the headquarters, killing 6 adults and 5 children, and destroyed an additional 61 residental homes in the resulting fire. The survivors filed a civil suit against the city and the police department, and were awarded $1.5 million in 1996.   36.    Jul - The final episode of The Jeffersons airs. (1975-) 10 yrs   37.    Aug - Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids  (1972-) 13 yrs   38.    Nov - Ebony Man: EM  Magazine launches   39.    Best Comedy Recording: Whoopi Goldberg - Original Broadway Show Recording   40.    Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female: Aretha Franklin for "Freeway of Love"   41.    Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male: Stevie Wonder for In Square Circle   42.    Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal: Commodores for "Nightshift"   43.    Economic Snapshot   44.    Avg. Income = $22,138   45.    House = $99,331   46.    New Car = $9,531   47.    Avg. Rent = $375   48.    Tuition at Harvard = $9,800   49.    Movie Ticket = $2.75   50.    Gas = $1.20   51.    Stamp = $0.22   52.    Socilal Scene: “Money, it's gotta be da shoes!” - Mars Blackmon   53.    The Air Jordan I was originally released in 1985 and is almost single-handedly responsible for modern-day sneaker culture. Michael Jordan originally wanted to sign with either Converse or Adidas. But Converse declined and according to a Wall Street Journal article published in 2015 so did Adidas. Still MJ was not convinced. Only when Nike, thinking they had nothing to loose, offered to give MJ his own shoe- and clothing line did he change his mind. This was unheard of at the time, no NBA player had an entire product line named after them. As the first basketball player with his own signature shoes Jordan would immediately become the king of basketball sneaker advertising. Just to be on the safe side Nike worked an out-clause into the contract: if Air Jordans didn’t earn Nike $3 million in the first 3 years, or if Jordan didn’t make the NBA All-Star Game in his first three years, Nike could dump him. Jordan was voted into the All-Star Game as a Rookie starter and the "Air Jordan 1" shoe made Nike $130 million in 1985 alone. The rest is history.   54.    Open Comments:   55.    The pushback and common critisisms   56.    Extremely superficial materialism is one of the only ways that many black Americans express a sense of self worth.    57.    When you live in a society where nobody has a savings account, or a college degree, or has traveled abroad, having a fresh pair of sneakers and a gold chain shouldn't be your version of keeping up with the Joneses.   58.    Liking shoes is as much of a "black thing" as liking chicken is a "black thing". Everyone likes both of these things.   59.    Open Comments:   60.    It became popular in the late 80s for people with moderate or low incomes to wear clothing adorned with the names and logos of luxury, high-end brands. Then all the luxury brands started making their own low-end, logo-covered versions. You wear your favorite sports team to affiliate yourself with them. It's the same thing with Tommy Hilfiger, Gucci, Jordache, Guess, Wrangler, Levi, Gitano, Bonjour, Sasson, etc., it's a way of signalling.   61.    Question: We went from tailored suits and dresses to baggy jeans and yoga pants. From afro's and braids to fashioned bandanas and bleached blondes. From the stylish Supremes and Tempations to tatooed  faces and pireced everytginhg. - What do you think is at the root of our decisions? Are we victims of advertising?   62.    Music Scene   63.    Black Songs from the Top 40 (No Lionel Richie showed up!)   64.    5    "I Feel for You"    Chaka Khan   65.    6    "Out of Touch"    Hall & Oates   66.    12    "Easy Lover"    Philip Bailey and Phil Collins   67.    17    "Cherish"    Kool & the Gang   68.    20    "We Are the World"    USA for Africa   69.    22    "Part-Time Lover"    Stevie Wonder   70.    23    "Saving All My Love For You"    Whitney Houston   71.    26    "Cool It Now"    New Edition   72.    28    "Loverboy"    Billy Ocean   73.    29    "Lovergirl"    Teena Marie   74.    31    "Oh Sheila"    Ready for the World   75.    32    "Rhythm of the Night"    DeBarge   76.    38    "Neutron Dance"    The Pointer Sisters   77.    40    "Nightshift"    Commodores   78.    Vote:   79.    Top RnB Singles   80.    Jan - "Operator"    Midnight Star   81.    Jan - "Gotta Get You Home Tonight"    Eugene Wilde   82.    Feb -  "Mr. Telephone Man"    New Edition   83.    Feb - "Missing You"    Diana Ross   84.    Mar - "Nightshift"    The Commodores   85.    Apr - "Back In Stride"    Maze featuring Frankie Beverly   86.    Apr - "Rhythm Of the Night"    DeBarge   87.    May - "We Are the World"    USA for Africa   88.    May - "Fresh"    Kool & the Gang   89.    May - "You Give Good Love"    Whitney Houston   90.    Jun - "Rock Me Tonight (For Old Times Sake)"    Freddie Jackson   91.    Jul - "Hangin' on a String (Contemplating)"    Loose Ends   92.    Jul - "Save Your Love (For #1)"    René & Angela   93.    Aug - "Freeway of Love"    Aretha Franklin   94.    Sep - "Saving All My Love for You"    Whitney Houston   95.    Sep - "Cherish"    Kool & the Gang   96.    Sep - "Oh Sheila"    Ready For the World   97.    Oct - "You Are My Lady"    Freddie Jackson   98.    Oct - "Part-Time Lover"    Stevie Wonder   99.    Nov - "Caravan of Love"    Isley-Jasper-Isley   100.    Dec - "Don't Say No Tonight"    Eugene Wilde   101.    Vote:   102.    Top RnB Albums   103.    Jan - New Edition    New Edition   104.    Feb - Solid    Ashford & Simpson   105.    Mar - Gap Band VI    The Gap Band   106.    Mar p- Private Dancer    Tina Turner   107.    Apr - Nightshift    The Commodores   108.    Apr - Can't Stop the Love    Frankie Beverly and Maze   109.    May - The Night I Fell in Love    Luther Vandross   110.    Jun - Whitney Houston    Whitney Houston   111.    Jun - Rock Me Tonight    Freddie Jackson   112.    Nov - In Square Circle    Stevie Wonder   113.    Vote   114.    Featured Artists: Whitney Houston and Sade   115.    Whitney Elizabeth Houston, @22 yrs old: Singer, actress, model, and producer, Whitney Houston is one of the world’s most successful female entertainers of all time.   116.    Born and raised in Newark NJ,  she is the daughter of Grammy-award-winning gospel singer, Emily “Cissy” Houston and John R. Houston, who managed his daughter’s production company.    117.    Childhood & Early Life   118.    She was no stranger to the entertainment industry, having come from a line of singers and actresses. Not only did her mother’s vocal group, the ‘Sweet Inspirations’, sing backup for Aretha Franklin, but her cousins Dionne and Dee Dee Warwick are also renowned singers, as well as her godmother, Darlene Love. She began performing in her church’s gospel choir as a soloist at the age of eleven and learned to play the piano. While attending Catholic school, she took voice lessons from her mother, with whom she would occasionally perform in nightclubs.   119.    Career   120.    In 1977 (@ 14 yrs old), she was a backup singer for Michael Zager Band’s single ‘Life’s a Party’ and the following year she sang on Chaka Khan’s single ‘I’m Every Woman’. She was offered an opportunity to sign with a recording company, but her mother declined so she would finish high school. In the early 1980s, (@17 yrs old), she worked as a model, appearing in several magazines including, ‘Seventeen’, where she became the first African American to be featured on the cover. She also took on acting gigs appearing in TV show episodes such as, ‘Gimme a Break’, while continuing to develop her vocal skills. In 1983,(@ 20yrs old) she was signed with ‘Arista Records’. President Clive Davis spent the next couple years assembling lyricists and producers to balance her gospel-like sound with contemporary melodies. In 1985, her debut album, ‘Whitney Houston’ gradually became the number one selling album of her career.  She went on to win two Emmy Awards, six Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards.   121.    Open Comments:   122.    A Hot Mess   123.    On February 11th, 2012, Whitney Houston (@ 48 yrs old) was found facedown in a bathtub.  Weeks later, an autopsy report would contribute Houston’s death to accidental drowning, heart disease and cocaine use. There were additional traces of a muscle relaxant, Xanax, marijuana and an allergy medication in the singer’s system.    124.    The sad, secret life of Whitney Houston: From a secret lesbian relationship to a decades-long struggle with drugs, five years after singer’s death, a new film ‘Whitney: Can I Be Me’ examines what caused her tragic downfall - Tara Brady [Jun 12, 2017] https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/music/the-sad-secret-life-of-whitney-houston-1.3105861   125.    Selected quotes from the article:   126.    What exactly killed Houston? Why did she drown? How did she drown? Was she simply overwhelmed by the controlling demands of her formidable mother, Cissy Houston, Svengali Clive Davis, and her record company, Arista? Did the aftermath of her toxic and co-dependent marriage to Bobby Brown send her spiralling? Or was it the dissolution of her decades-old lesbian relationship with her assistant Robyn Crawford? It’s complicated, as documentarian Nick Broomfield discovered.  “In the end I think the divide between who she was and what her public persona was became more and more difficult,” says  documentarian Nick Broomfield. “And she just went down,    127.    The imploding relations between Houston, Bobby Brown and Robyn Crawford. Brown told Us Weekly magazine that Houston was bisexual and that she once had an affair with Tupac Shakur. He went on to say that Houston kept her relationship with Crawford hidden because of Cissy. “I really feel that if Robyn was accepted into Whitney’s life, Whitney would still be alive today,” Brown told the magazine. “She didn’t have close friends with her anymore.”   128.    From Cissy’s notorious 2013 interview with Oprah Winfrey:  “Would it have bothered you if your daughter was gay?”  “Absolutely,” Cissy snapped back. “You wouldn’t have condoned it?” continued an incredulous Oprah. “Not at all.” ...“I didn’t particularly like [Crawford],” Cissy told the talk show queen. “She just spoke too much, disrespectful sometimes, like she had something over Nippy (Houston’s nickname), and I didn’t like that at all. She was all right, she turned out to be all right, I guess. That was her friend.”   129.    Houston and Crawford first bonded while they were teenagers working at a community centre in East Orange, New Jersey. When Houston’s modelling career began to take off, she’d face bullying in school, and Crawford, who was originally a friend of Houston’s older brothers Michael and Gary, would frequently come to the rescue. When Houston moved out of her family home, she shared her first apartment with Crawford. Deep into Houston and Brown’s 14-year marriage, Crawford remained a fixture in Houston’s domestic arrangements.   130.    Houston’s marriage to Brown, understandably, made for an uneasy romantic trinity. In Derrick Handspike’s unauthorised 2008 biography, Bobby Brown: The Truth, The Whole Truth and Nothing But . . ., the author quotes Brown as saying: “Now I realise Whitney had a different agenda than I did when we got married. I believe her agenda was to clean up her image while mine was to be loved and have children. “Whitney felt she had to make rumours of a lesbian affair go away. Since she was the American Sweetheart and all, that didn’t go too well with her image. In Whitney’s situation the only solution was to get married and have kids. That would kill all speculation whether it was true or not.”   131.    Supermarket tabloids did a brisk trade during the 1990s by peddling the idea that Houston’s life spiralled into addiction after she married Brown. She was the gospel-singing good girl – the church-going daughter of Cissy and a cousin of Dionne Warwick. He was a bad boy who, aged 20, when they first met, had already been shot and stabbed in the shoulder. Their tumultuous marriage (from 1992 to 2007), characterised by drug use, infidelity and a costly entourage, was seldom out of the headlines. But contrary to popular belief, Brown did not introduce his troubled wife to cocaine. Houston first dabbled with drugs with her brothers, Michael and Gary, as a teenager. The truth is that Houston was always as “street“ as her R&B star husband. But that part of her personal history didn’t fit with what Broomfield calls “the Whitney character”.  As Pattie Howard, Houston’s backing vocalist, notes: “People may not know it but Whitney was from the ‘hood’. They wanted to present her as the princess. And that’s what white America was presented with.” Kenneth Reynolds, who worked in marketing for Arista Records recalls that: “Anything that was too black sounding was sent back. We wanted Joni Mitchell. We wanted Barbra Streisand. ” “She was very carefully groomed for nearly two years before the first album came out,” explains Broomfield. “So every aspect of her was carefully considered. She was a major project. A lot of money was spent on her. Anything that was too R&B was out. They didn’t want a female James Brown. That was not part of their vision. Which, of course, was a very successful vision.”   132.    In 1989, just as Houston topped 25 million in album sales and surpassed the Beatles’s record with seven consecutive number one hits, she attended the Soul Train awards where, in response to her “white” music, she was roundly booed. Pre-Beyoncé and Mariah Carey, “crossover” was synonymous with cultural betrayal. People shouted “Oreo” – brown on the outside, white on the inside – as her nomination for Best Female Vocalist was announced. “It’s not a good feeling,” says Houston, in Can I Be Me. “It’s horrible and kind of funny. You think: ‘Are they booing me?’ And you have to sit there and be cordial and smiley. And you feel like: ‘Oh my God’.” Kirk Whalum, the saxophonist who toured with Houston for more than seven years recalls that night, which coincidentally, was the first time she met Brown. “It was devastating [for her],” says Whalum.   133.    By the end of the 90s, Houston found herself at the centre of a perfect storm of ongoing racial friction, marital troubles and drug abuse. Friends, unable to watch Houston’s decline, began to drift away. Her father, John, died in 2003, but not before his management company, John Houston Entertainment LLC, filed a $100 million lawsuit against his own daughter. Months before his death, he made a public appeal on the syndicated show, Celebrity Justice: “You get your act together, honey, and you pay me the money that you owe me.” Robyn Crawford’s departure in 2000, too, prompted a new, crippling dependency on crack-cocaine and other substances. - “Robyn was the one who was keeping her together,” says writer Allison Samuels. “That’s when drugs became so important to her.”   134.    Open Comments:   135.    The Smooth Operator -Helen Folasade Adu, professionally known as Sade (@26 yrs old)   136.    Sade is an internationally renowned, multi-Grammy award winning singer who is known for her smooth, melodic vocals and the seamless incorporation of different styles of music. She was born in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria on January 16, 1959. Her father Adebisi Adu, a Nigerian lecturer of economics, and her mother Anne Hayes, a district nurse, had met in London. Sade was the couple’s second child. Shortly after her birth, Sade’s parents separated and she and her brother followed their mother to Colchester, Essex, England. There, the children were raised by their mother as well as their maternal grandfather. Upon finishing her education at Clacton County High School in Colchester, she enrolled at Central St. Martin’s College of Art and Design in London to pursue fashion and design. After completion of her program, she worked as a model and menswear designer.    137.    Sade entered the music scene around 1980 when she started singing harmony for Arriva, a Latin funk band. She joined another funk band called Pride and was a background singer for the group. Pride garnered much attention from record companies due to their performances around London. Eventually Sade and fellow bandmates, Stuart Matthewman, Paul Denma, and Andrew Hale signed a deal with the U.K. division of Epic Records and formed the band Sade. In 1984 the band’s debut album, Diamond Life, was released to much critical success and was bolstered by singles such as “Hang On to Your Love” and “Smooth Operator.” The band followed up their debut with their next album, Promise, which was released the following year. “The Sweetest Taboo,” a single from Promise, was on the U.S. Hot 100 for six months. She was awarded the Grammy for best new artist of 1985.    138.    Open Comments:   139.    Selected quote about her sound   140.    Let's get this into context. With Sade it's unlikely there will ever be a full, naked baring of the soul. In terms of contemporary icons, it's better to listen to Mary J for stories of drama and shattered devotion. But Sade, today, is all about the acknowledged presence of absence. What's missing in her music is as important as what's present. - The Fader   141.    A small, yet important, fact: When Sade signed her first record deal with Epic in the early '80s, she accepted a small advance, worth ~$70,000 in exchange for an unusually high cut of sales for a new artist—15 percent. It was a deal that ended up proving immensely lucrative, and it has freed her from many of the commercial demands that often encumber artists. Put simply, she only works when and how she wants to. As one executive at her label, Epic, put it to me: "Who's going to argue with a woman who's sold 50 million albums? She's more powerful than anyone working at the label, including the [President]." - The Fader   142.    Question: Does the Sade sound ever wear out?   143.    The Movie Scene   144.    The Color Purple/Film synopsis   145.    An epic tale spanning forty years in the life of Celie (Whoopi Goldberg), an African-American woman living in the South who survives incredible abuse and bigotry. After Celie's abusive father marries her off to the equally debasing "Mister" Albert Johnson (Danny Glover), things go from bad to worse, leaving Celie to find companionship anywhere she can. She perseveres, holding on to her dream of one day being reunited with her sister in Africa. Based on the novel by Alice Walker.   146.    Review by Roger Ebert   147.    Returning to "The Color Purple" after almost 20 years, I can see its flaws more easily than when I named it the best film of 1985, but I can also understand why it moved me so deeply, and why the greatness of some films depends not on their perfection or logic, but on their heart. The movie may have inconsistencies, confusions and improbabilities, but there is one perfect thing at its center, and that is the character of Celie, as played by Whoopi Goldberg. "Here is this year's winner for best actress," I wrote in my original review, and that should have been true, but although "The Color Purple" had 11 nominations, it won not a single Oscar. When a movie character is really working, we become that character. That's what the movies offer: Escapism into lives other than our own. I am not female, I am not black, I am not Celie, but for a time during "The Color Purple," my mind deceives me that I am all of those things, and as I empathize with her struggle and victory I learn something about what it must have been like to be her.  - Roger Ebert   148.    Selected Quotes   149.    In Honor of Its 33rd Anniversary, Here Are 10 Life Lessons I Learned From the Color Purple - By Melissa Kimble Dec 18, 2018 [https://www.oprahmag.com/entertainment/tv-movies/a25616715/the-color-purple-quotes-anniversary/]   150.    I was born a few years after the film was released. However, I can credit much of my self discovery to the many times I’ve watched it. My favorite quotes from the movie taught me valuable lessons about Black womanhood, faith, and self love. And these 10 are the ones I’ll never forget.   151.    “Girl, you oughta bash Mister’s head open and think about heaven later.” By Oprah Winfrey - In a film where women are treated like inferiors, Sofia breaks the mold by refusing to be her husband's punching bag. This scene-stealing monologue, with its rage filled entrance by the O of O, is an act of defiance—especially one committed in early 20th century Georgia. It was powerful and necessary to see a Black woman go against the grain on screen. And to me, it was a call to action to be fearless.   152.    "I'm poor, Black, I may even be ugly, but dear God, I’m here! I’m here!" By Whoopi Goldberg - What a victorious statement this was by Celie, who, up until this point, had spent most of her life feeling unworthy and invisible. It reminded me that even with our flaws and imperfections, we still deserve to show up in our own lives.   153.    "Until you do right by me, everything you think about is going to crumble." By - Whoopi Goldberg - With these words, Celie breaks a cycle of abuse from Mister and sticks up for herself. I interpreted this line as a sign that I don’t have to carry the weight of people who have caused my pain; life will take care of everything.   154.    “Miss Celie, why you always covering up your smile?” By Desreta Jackson - Growing up, I was very insecure about my smile. And when Shug Avery posed this question to Miss Celie, it also made me turn to myself. When Shug encourages Celie to smile, I learned that there’s no need to cover up my own   155.    Open Comments:   156.    Featured Artist   157.    Caryn Elaine Johnson, a.k.a. Whoopi Goldberg (@ 30 yrs old): an American comedian, actress, singer-songwriter, Broadway star, political activist, author and talk show host, she is one of the most successful and established African American actresses of her time.    158.    Born and raised in Manhattan, she is one of 14 entertainers ever to have won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony. What differentiates Goldberg from her contemporaries is the excellence that she portrayed in all the mediums of entertainment, be it television, theatre, films or radio.    159.    Childhood & Early Life   160.    Her mother was a nurse and a teacher while her father served as a clergyman. She was raised in the Chelsea-Elliot Houses by her mother alone after her father disbanded the family when she was young. She studied until her teen years and later dropped out of school. Her started acting started at a young age. It was during her stage performance that people complimented her by saying that she looked like whoopee cushion. It was from there that she took the stage name Whoopi and adopted Goldberg as her surname to sound more Jewish.    161.    Career   162.    In 1974, (@ age 19) she moved to California and thereafter lived in various cities such as Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco. It was during this time that she honed her acting skills and developed her talent as a stand-up comedian.  However, soon thereafter, she returned to New York and started receiving training under acting coach Uta Hagen. Her first ever appearance on screen was for William Farley’s feature, ‘Citizen: I'm Not Losing My Mind, I'm Giving It Away’ in 1982 (@ 27). In 1983, she created, starred and directed a ‘The Spook Show’, a one-woman show that addressed the issue of race in American but in a unique and innovative style. Next, she created other off-Broadway productions such as ‘Little Girl’ an African-American child obsessed with having blond hair and ‘Fontaine’ a junkie who also happens to hold a doctorate in literature. The innovative presentation and sense of wit and style in her shows impressed director Mike Nicholas who offered to take ‘The Spook Show’ to the Broadway. The show which ran for 156 performances, met with much acclaim both commercially and critically. It went on to earn her a Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album. The eye-catching performance and amazing positive reception of the show earned her attention of the Hollywood bigwigs. It helped her bag a role in the Steven Spielberg film, ‘The Color Purple’, released in 1985. The movie met with resounding success, clutching 11 Academy Awards nominations and she won her first Golden Globe award.   163.    Open Comments:   164.    Oprah Gail Winfrey , a.k.a. Oprah Winfrey (@ 31 yrs old): Talk show host, actress, producer and philanthropist.   165.    Childhood & Early Life   166.    Born in Kosciusko, Mississippi, on a small family farm, to an unwed mother who had a short relationship with a soldier stationed nearby, Oprah grew up in dire poverty, and was primarily raised by her grandmother. Sexually abused and mistreated as a child, Winfrey rose above adversity to focus on her primary and high school education.    167.    Career   168.    When she was still a teenager, the local CBS television station in Nashville, Tennessee offered her a job as a co-anchor. She turned it down three times. At age 19, Oprah Winfrey said yes after the fourth offer. She failed the interview, but instead was offered a job as a full-time reporter for a Baltimore television news channel. She did poorly as a reporter, and by age 22 she was fired from the news division. The director of the station gave Winfrey a boost by selecting her to anchor a morning talk show entitled ‘People are Talking’. For the next seven years, her talk show enjoyed excellent ratings. In 1981, (@ 27) she moved to Chicago to host a talk show entitled ‘A.M. Chicago’. Four years later, (1985) after a tremendous boost in the ratings, the producers changed the name to ‘The Oprah Winfrey Show’. She caught the attention of Quincy Jones, a Chicago native, and he cast her as Sofia for the first movie he produced, 'The Color Purple'. The following year ‘The Oprah Winfrey Show’ was broadcast nationally.    169.    Open Comments:   170.    TV Scene:   171.    Featured Actor: Phylician Ayers Allen, a.k.a Phylicia Rashad is an Emmy-nominated American actress, singer, and director.   172.    Her multi-faceted career began with Broadway before she branched into television and films. She is best remembered for her character as Claire Huxtable in the NBC sitcom ‘The Cosby Show’, which ran for eight years. The series brought Phylicia much deserved recognition, also earning her two Emmy nominations. Phylicia, however, is immortalized for her rich performances on the stage as an artist. She starred in several lavish musicals and dramas, all praised highly by critics. She became the first African American actress to walk away with a Tony Award for her performance in Lorraine Hansberry’s ‘Raisin in The Sun’.  Subsequently, she was venerated within the African American acting community at the NAACP Awards, where she was called ‘The Mother’ of the Black Community. Her other popular plays include ‘Cat on a Hot Tin Roof’, ‘August: Osage Country’, and ‘Gem of the Ocean’. She has tried her hand at stage direction and has successfully directed hit plays at prominent stages. Over the course of her career, Rashad has starred in several television series and voiced many characters. Her prolific output continues to be on the rise as she is still an active part of the entertainment industry.   173.    Childhood & Early Life:   174.    Phylicia Rashad was born Phylician Ayers Allen on June 19, 1948, in Houston, Texas to Vivian Ayers and Andrew Arthur Allen. Her mother was a prize-winning poet and artist, while her father was a reputed orthodontist. She has three siblings: Andrew Arthur Allen Jr., Debbie Allen, and Hugh Allen. Phylicia was raised in the United States and Mexico. She studied at Howard University, Washington D.C. and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in theatre in 1970. During her university days, she was inculcated into the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority.   175.    Career   176.    After graduating with a degree in theatre, Phylicia immediately joined the Negro Ensemble Company in New York. She toured the city and was seen in several plays under this troupe. Her Broadway debut occurred in 1972 and she was seen in several minor roles for hit musicals, including ‘The Wiz’ (1975) and ‘Dreamgirls’ (1981). In 1978, Rashad tried her hand at something new by releasing the concept album ‘Josephine Superstar’, an album that was based on Josephine Baker’s life. She decided to embark on an alternative career in television owing to the scarcity of good roles given to her. In 1982, after moving to television, Rashad landed a recurring role in the series ‘One Life to Live’ as Courtney Wright, a publicist. In 1984, Phylicia Rashad was roped in to play the role of Clair Huxtable, an attorney, in the hit comedy ‘The Cosby Show’. The show starred Bill Cosby in the lead role and Phylicia played his wife. The series ran for over eight years and was a critical and commercial success. Phylicia’s role as Clair proved to be the highest point in her career, earning her two Emmy Award nominations.   177.    Open Comments   178.    Question: Is she a good actor? Do you buy her in other roles?   179.    Vote: Best Pop Culture item/event for 1985

Topics: Air Jordans, Whitney Houston, Sade, The Color Purple, Whoopi Goldberg, Oprah Winfrey, Phylicia Rashad (Bonus Artist: Luck Pacheco)   1985 Notes   General Snapshots   1.    President: Ronald Reagan   2.    Jan – In Hollywood,  California, the charity single "We  Are the World" is recorded by USA for  Africa. The  single raises money to combat the  ongoing famine in Ethiopia. The  American act consists of high-profile  performers, including Michael  Jackson, Lionel Richie, Tina Turner,  Cyndi Lauper and Diana Ross.   3.    Jan – The newest music video channel, VH-1, begins broadcasting on American cable. It is aimed at an older demographic than its sister station, MTV. The first video played is Marvin Gaye's rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner".   4.    Mar – WrestleMania debuts at Madison Square Garden.  In the main event, Hulk Hogan and Mr. T defeated Paul Orndorff and Roddy Piper. The attendance for the event was 19,121. The event was seen by over one million viewers through closed-circuit television, making it the largest pay-per-view showing of a wrestling event on closed-circuit television in the United States at the time.   5.    Apr – Coca-Cola changes its recipe and releases New Coke. The response is overwhelmingly negative, and the original formula is back on the market in less than three months.   6.    Aug - Ryan White who was expelled from Western High School in Indiana is allowed to attend his first day of classes via telephone.   7.    Sep - The Farm Aid concert is held in Champaign, Illinois, USA.   8.    Oct  – The Nintendo Entertainment System is released in U.S. stores. By 1988, industry observers stated that the NES's popularity had grown so quickly that the market for Nintendo cartridges was larger than that for all home computer software.  The NES was released two years after the North American video game crash of 1983, when many retailers and adult consumers regarded electronic games as a passing fad. With the NES, Nintendo also changed the relationship between console manufacturers and third-party software developers by restricting developers from publishing and distributing software without licensed approval. This led to higher-quality games, which helped change the attitude of a public that had grown weary from poorly produced games for earlier systems.   9.    Nov - Microsoft Corporation releases the first version of Windows, Windows 1.0.   10.    Open Comments:   11.    Top 3 Pop Songs   12.    1    "Careless Whisper"    Wham!   13.    2    "Like a Virgin"    Madonna   14.    3    "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go"    Wham!   15.    Grammy Awards   16.    Record of the Year: Quincy Jones (producer) for "We Are the World"   17.    Album of the Year: Phil Collins (producer & artist) for No Jacket Required   18.    Song of the Year: Michael Jackson & Lionel Richie (songwriters) for "We Are the World"   19.    Best New Artist: Sade   20.    Top 3 Movies   21.    Back to the Future   22.    Rambo: First Blood Part II   23.    Rocky IV   24.    Other Notables:  The Color Purple / Out of Africa / Cocoon / The Jewel of the Nile / Witness / The Goonies / Spies Like Us / The Breakfast Club / Brewster's Millions / St. Elmo's Fire /  Krush Groove   25.    Top 3 TV Shows   26.    The Cosby Show   27.    Family Ties   28.    Murder, She Wrote       29.    TV Debuts   30.    Sep - What's Happening Now!! / Stir Crazy   31.    Black Snapshots   32.    Feb -  Whitney Houston releases her debut  album – Whitney Houston.   33.    Mar  – Mike Tyson makes his professional debut in Albany, New York, a match which he wins by a first-round knockout.   34.    May - Michael Jordan is named as the NBA's "Rookie of the Year."   35.    May – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Mayor Wilson Goode, the  first African American to hold that office,  orders police to storm the  headquarters of the black liberation/back-to-nature group MOVE to end a stand-off over serving arrest warrants. (Due process?!?!)  The police drop 2 explosive devices into the headquarters, killing 6 adults and 5 children, and destroyed an additional 61 residental homes in the resulting fire. The survivors filed a civil suit against the city and the police department, and were awarded $1.5 million in 1996.   36.    Jul - The final episode of The Jeffersons airs. (1975-) 10 yrs   37.    Aug - Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids  (1972-) 13 yrs   38.    Nov - Ebony Man: EM  Magazine launches   39.    Best Comedy Recording: Whoopi Goldberg - Original Broadway Show Recording   40.    Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female: Aretha Franklin for "Freeway of Love"   41.    Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male: Stevie Wonder for In Square Circle   42.    Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal: Commodores for "Nightshift"   43.    Economic Snapshot   44.    Avg. Income = $22,138   45.    House = $99,331   46.    New Car = $9,531   47.    Avg. Rent = $375   48.    Tuition at Harvard = $9,800   49.    Movie Ticket = $2.75   50.    Gas = $1.20   51.    Stamp = $0.22   52.    Socilal Scene: “Money, it's gotta be da shoes!” - Mars Blackmon   53.    The Air Jordan I was originally released in 1985 and is almost single-handedly responsible for modern-day sneaker culture. Michael Jordan originally wanted to sign with either Converse or Adidas. But Converse declined and according to a Wall Street Journal article published in 2015 so did Adidas. Still MJ was not convinced. Only when Nike, thinking they had nothing to loose, offered to give MJ his own shoe- and clothing line did he change his mind. This was unheard of at the time, no NBA player had an entire product line named after them. As the first basketball player with his own signature shoes Jordan would immediately become the king of basketball sneaker advertising. Just to be on the safe side Nike worked an out-clause into the contract: if Air Jordans didn’t earn Nike $3 million in the first 3 years, or if Jordan didn’t make the NBA All-Star Game in his first three years, Nike could dump him. Jordan was voted into the All-Star Game as a Rookie starter and the "Air Jordan 1" shoe made Nike $130 million in 1985 alone. The rest is history.   54.    Open Comments:   55.    The pushback and common critisisms   56.    Extremely superficial materialism is one of the only ways that many black Americans express a sense of self worth.    57.    When you live in a society where nobody has a savings account, or a college degree, or has traveled abroad, having a fresh pair of sneakers and a gold chain shouldn't be your version of keeping up with the Joneses.   58.    Liking shoes is as much of a "black thing" as liking chicken is a "black thing". Everyone likes both of these things.   59.    Open Comments:   60.    It became popular in the late 80s for people with moderate or low incomes to wear clothing adorned with the names and logos of luxury, high-end brands. Then all the luxury brands started making their own low-end, logo-covered versions. You wear your favorite sports team to affiliate yourself with them. It's the same thing with Tommy Hilfiger, Gucci, Jordache, Guess, Wrangler, Levi, Gitano, Bonjour, Sasson, etc., it's a way of signalling.   61.    Question: We went from tailored suits and dresses to baggy jeans and yoga pants. From afro's and braids to fashioned bandanas and bleached blondes. From the stylish Supremes and Tempations to tatooed  faces and pireced everytginhg. - What do you think is at the root of our decisions? Are we victims of advertising?   62.    Music Scene   63.    Black Songs from the Top 40 (No Lionel Richie showed up!)   64.    5    "I Feel for You"    Chaka Khan   65.    6    "Out of Touch"    Hall & Oates   66.    12    "Easy Lover"    Philip Bailey and Phil Collins   67.    17    "Cherish"    Kool & the Gang   68.    20    "We Are the World"    USA for Africa   69.    22    "Part-Time Lover"    Stevie Wonder   70.    23    "Saving All My Love For You"    Whitney Houston   71.    26    "Cool It Now"    New Edition   72.    28    "Loverboy"    Billy Ocean   73.    29    "Lovergirl"    Teena Marie   74.    31    "Oh Sheila"    Ready for the World   75.    32    "Rhythm of the Night"    DeBarge   76.    38    "Neutron Dance"    The Pointer Sisters   77.    40    "Nightshift"    Commodores   78.    Vote:   79.    Top RnB Singles   80.    Jan - "Operator"    Midnight Star   81.    Jan - "Gotta Get You Home Tonight"    Eugene Wilde   82.    Feb -  "Mr. Telephone Man"    New Edition   83.    Feb - "Missing You"    Diana Ross   84.    Mar - "Nightshift"    The Commodores   85.    Apr - "Back In Stride"    Maze featuring Frankie Beverly   86.    Apr - "Rhythm Of the Night"    DeBarge   87.    May - "We Are the World"    USA for Africa   88.    May - "Fresh"    Kool & the Gang   89.    May - "You Give Good Love"    Whitney Houston   90.    Jun - "Rock Me Tonight (For Old Times Sake)"    Freddie Jackson   91.    Jul - "Hangin' on a String (Contemplating)"    Loose Ends   92.    Jul - "Save Your Love (For #1)"    René & Angela   93.    Aug - "Freeway of Love"    Aretha Franklin   94.    Sep - "Saving All My Love for You"    Whitney Houston   95.    Sep - "Cherish"    Kool & the Gang   96.    Sep - "Oh Sheila"    Ready For the World   97.    Oct - "You Are My Lady"    Freddie Jackson   98.    Oct - "Part-Time Lover"    Stevie Wonder   99.    Nov - "Caravan of Love"    Isley-Jasper-Isley   100.    Dec - "Don't Say No Tonight"    Eugene Wilde   101.    Vote:   102.    Top RnB Albums   103.    Jan - New Edition    New Edition   104.    Feb - Solid    Ashford & Simpson   105.    Mar - Gap Band VI    The Gap Band   106.    Mar p- Private Dancer    Tina Turner   107.    Apr - Nightshift    The Commodores   108.    Apr - Can't Stop the Love    Frankie Beverly and Maze   109.    May - The Night I Fell in Love    Luther Vandross   110.    Jun - Whitney Houston    Whitney Houston   111.    Jun - Rock Me Tonight    Freddie Jackson   112.    Nov - In Square Circle    Stevie Wonder   113.    Vote   114.    Featured Artists: Whitney Houston and Sade   115.    Whitney Elizabeth Houston, @22 yrs old: Singer, actress, model, and producer, Whitney Houston is one of the world’s most successful female entertainers of all time.   116.    Born and raised in Newark NJ,  she is the daughter of Grammy-award-winning gospel singer, Emily “Cissy” Houston and John R. Houston, who managed his daughter’s production company.    117.    Childhood & Early Life   118.    She was no stranger to the entertainment industry, having come from a line of singers and actresses. Not only did her mother’s vocal group, the ‘Sweet Inspirations’, sing backup for Aretha Franklin, but her cousins Dionne and Dee Dee Warwick are also renowned singers, as well as her godmother, Darlene Love. She began performing in her church’s gospel choir as a soloist at the age of eleven and learned to play the piano. While attending Catholic school, she took voice lessons from her mother, with whom she would occasionally perform in nightclubs.   119.    Career   120.    In 1977 (@ 14 yrs old), she was a backup singer for Michael Zager Band’s single ‘Life’s a Party’ and the following year she sang on Chaka Khan’s single ‘I’m Every Woman’. She was offered an opportunity to sign with a recording company, but her mother declined so she would finish high school. In the early 1980s, (@17 yrs old), she worked as a model, appearing in several magazines including, ‘Seventeen’, where she became the first African American to be featured on the cover. She also took on acting gigs appearing in TV show episodes such as, ‘Gimme a Break’, while continuing to develop her vocal skills. In 1983,(@ 20yrs old) she was signed with ‘Arista Records’. President Clive Davis spent the next couple years assembling lyricists and producers to balance her gospel-like sound with contemporary melodies. In 1985, her debut album, ‘Whitney Houston’ gradually became the number one selling album of her career.  She went on to win two Emmy Awards, six Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards.   121.    Open Comments:   122.    A Hot Mess   123.    On February 11th, 2012, Whitney Houston (@ 48 yrs old) was found facedown in a bathtub.  Weeks later, an autopsy report would contribute Houston’s death to accidental drowning, heart disease and cocaine use. There were additional traces of a muscle relaxant, Xanax, marijuana and an allergy medication in the singer’s system.    124.    The sad, secret life of Whitney Houston: From a secret lesbian relationship to a decades-long struggle with drugs, five years after singer’s death, a new film ‘Whitney: Can I Be Me’ examines what caused her tragic downfall - Tara Brady [Jun 12, 2017] https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/music/the-sad-secret-life-of-whitney-houston-1.3105861   125.    Selected quotes from the article:   126.    What exactly killed Houston? Why did she drown? How did she drown? Was she simply overwhelmed by the controlling demands of her formidable mother, Cissy Houston, Svengali Clive Davis, and her record company, Arista? Did the aftermath of her toxic and co-dependent marriage to Bobby Brown send her spiralling? Or was it the dissolution of her decades-old lesbian relationship with her assistant Robyn Crawford? It’s complicated, as documentarian Nick Broomfield discovered.  “In the end I think the divide between who she was and what her public persona was became more and more difficult,” says  documentarian Nick Broomfield. “And she just went down,    127.    The imploding relations between Houston, Bobby Brown and Robyn Crawford. Brown told Us Weekly magazine that Houston was bisexual and that she once had an affair with Tupac Shakur. He went on to say that Houston kept her relationship with Crawford hidden because of Cissy. “I really feel that if Robyn was accepted into Whitney’s life, Whitney would still be alive today,” Brown told the magazine. “She didn’t have close friends with her anymore.”   128.    From Cissy’s notorious 2013 interview with Oprah Winfrey:  “Would it have bothered you if your daughter was gay?”  “Absolutely,” Cissy snapped back. “You wouldn’t have condoned it?” continued an incredulous Oprah. “Not at all.” ...“I didn’t particularly like [Crawford],” Cissy told the talk show queen. “She just spoke too much, disrespectful sometimes, like she had something over Nippy (Houston’s nickname), and I didn’t like that at all. She was all right, she turned out to be all right, I guess. That was her friend.”   129.    Houston and Crawford first bonded while they were teenagers working at a community centre in East Orange, New Jersey. When Houston’s modelling career began to take off, she’d face bullying in school, and Crawford, who was originally a friend of Houston’s older brothers Michael and Gary, would frequently come to the rescue. When Houston moved out of her family home, she shared her first apartment with Crawford. Deep into Houston and Brown’s 14-year marriage, Crawford remained a fixture in Houston’s domestic arrangements.   130.    Houston’s marriage to Brown, understandably, made for an uneasy romantic trinity. In Derrick Handspike’s unauthorised 2008 biography, Bobby Brown: The Truth, The Whole Truth and Nothing But . . ., the author quotes Brown as saying: “Now I realise Whitney had a different agenda than I did when we got married. I believe her agenda was to clean up her image while mine was to be loved and have children. “Whitney felt she had to make rumours of a lesbian affair go away. Since she was the American Sweetheart and all, that didn’t go too well with her image. In Whitney’s situation the only solution was to get married and have kids. That would kill all speculation whether it was true or not.”   131.    Supermarket tabloids did a brisk trade during the 1990s by peddling the idea that Houston’s life spiralled into addiction after she married Brown. She was the gospel-singing good girl – the church-going daughter of Cissy and a cousin of Dionne Warwick. He was a bad boy who, aged 20, when they first met, had already been shot and stabbed in the shoulder. Their tumultuous marriage (from 1992 to 2007), characterised by drug use, infidelity and a costly entourage, was seldom out of the headlines. But contrary to popular belief, Brown did not introduce his troubled wife to cocaine. Houston first dabbled with drugs with her brothers, Michael and Gary, as a teenager. The truth is that Houston was always as “street“ as her R&B star husband. But that part of her personal history didn’t fit with what Broomfield calls “the Whitney character”.  As Pattie Howard, Houston’s backing vocalist, notes: “People may not know it but Whitney was from the ‘hood’. They wanted to present her as the princess. And that’s what white America was presented with.” Kenneth Reynolds, who worked in marketing for Arista Records recalls that: “Anything that was too black sounding was sent back. We wanted Joni Mitchell. We wanted Barbra Streisand. ” “She was very carefully groomed for nearly two years before the first album came out,” explains Broomfield. “So every aspect of her was carefully considered. She was a major project. A lot of money was spent on her. Anything that was too R&B was out. They didn’t want a female James Brown. That was not part of their vision. Which, of course, was a very successful vision.”   132.    In 1989, just as Houston topped 25 million in album sales and surpassed the Beatles’s record with seven consecutive number one hits, she attended the Soul Train awards where, in response to her “white” music, she was roundly booed. Pre-Beyoncé and Mariah Carey, “crossover” was synonymous with cultural betrayal. People shouted “Oreo” – brown on the outside, white on the inside – as her nomination for Best Female Vocalist was announced. “It’s not a good feeling,” says Houston, in Can I Be Me. “It’s horrible and kind of funny. You think: ‘Are they booing me?’ And you have to sit there and be cordial and smiley. And you feel like: ‘Oh my God’.” Kirk Whalum, the saxophonist who toured with Houston for more than seven years recalls that night, which coincidentally, was the first time she met Brown. “It was devastating [for her],” says Whalum.   133.    By the end of the 90s, Houston found herself at the centre of a perfect storm of ongoing racial friction, marital troubles and drug abuse. Friends, unable to watch Houston’s decline, began to drift away. Her father, John, died in 2003, but not before his management company, John Houston Entertainment LLC, filed a $100 million lawsuit against his own daughter. Months before his death, he made a public appeal on the syndicated show, Celebrity Justice: “You get your act together, honey, and you pay me the money that you owe me.” Robyn Crawford’s departure in 2000, too, prompted a new, crippling dependency on crack-cocaine and other substances. - “Robyn was the one who was keeping her together,” says writer Allison Samuels. “That’s when drugs became so important to her.”   134.    Open Comments:   135.    The Smooth Operator -Helen Folasade Adu, professionally known as Sade (@26 yrs old)   136.    Sade is an internationally renowned, multi-Grammy award winning singer who is known for her smooth, melodic vocals and the seamless incorporation of different styles of music. She was born in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria on January 16, 1959. Her father Adebisi Adu, a Nigerian lecturer of economics, and her mother Anne Hayes, a district nurse, had met in London. Sade was the couple’s second child. Shortly after her birth, Sade’s parents separated and she and her brother followed their mother to Colchester, Essex, England. There, the children were raised by their mother as well as their maternal grandfather. Upon finishing her education at Clacton County High School in Colchester, she enrolled at Central St. Martin’s College of Art and Design in London to pursue fashion and design. After completion of her program, she worked as a model and menswear designer.    137.    Sade entered the music scene around 1980 when she started singing harmony for Arriva, a Latin funk band. She joined another funk band called Pride and was a background singer for the group. Pride garnered much attention from record companies due to their performances around London. Eventually Sade and fellow bandmates, Stuart Matthewman, Paul Denma, and Andrew Hale signed a deal with the U.K. division of Epic Records and formed the band Sade. In 1984 the band’s debut album, Diamond Life, was released to much critical success and was bolstered by singles such as “Hang On to Your Love” and “Smooth Operator.” The band followed up their debut with their next album, Promise, which was released the following year. “The Sweetest Taboo,” a single from Promise, was on the U.S. Hot 100 for six months. She was awarded the Grammy for best new artist of 1985.    138.    Open Comments:   139.    Selected quote about her sound   140.    Let's get this into context. With Sade it's unlikely there will ever be a full, naked baring of the soul. In terms of contemporary icons, it's better to listen to Mary J for stories of drama and shattered devotion. But Sade, today, is all about the acknowledged presence of absence. What's missing in her music is as important as what's present. - The Fader   141.    A small, yet important, fact: When Sade signed her first record deal with Epic in the early '80s, she accepted a small advance, worth ~$70,000 in exchange for an unusually high cut of sales for a new artist—15 percent. It was a deal that ended up proving immensely lucrative, and it has freed her from many of the commercial demands that often encumber artists. Put simply, she only works when and how she wants to. As one executive at her label, Epic, put it to me: "Who's going to argue with a woman who's sold 50 million albums? She's more powerful than anyone working at the label, including the [President]." - The Fader   142.    Question: Does the Sade sound ever wear out?   143.    The Movie Scene   144.    The Color Purple/Film synopsis   145.    An epic tale spanning forty years in the life of Celie (Whoopi Goldberg), an African-American woman living in the South who survives incredible abuse and bigotry. After Celie's abusive father marries her off to the equally debasing "Mister" Albert Johnson (Danny Glover), things go from bad to worse, leaving Celie to find companionship anywhere she can. She perseveres, holding on to her dream of one day being reunited with her sister in Africa. Based on the novel by Alice Walker.   146.    Review by Roger Ebert   147.    Returning to "The Color Purple" after almost 20 years, I can see its flaws more easily than when I named it the best film of 1985, but I can also understand why it moved me so deeply, and why the greatness of some films depends not on their perfection or logic, but on their heart. The movie may have inconsistencies, confusions and improbabilities, but there is one perfect thing at its center, and that is the character of Celie, as played by Whoopi Goldberg. "Here is this year's winner for best actress," I wrote in my original review, and that should have been true, but although "The Color Purple" had 11 nominations, it won not a single Oscar. When a movie character is really working, we become that character. That's what the movies offer: Escapism into lives other than our own. I am not female, I am not black, I am not Celie, but for a time during "The Color Purple," my mind deceives me that I am all of those things, and as I empathize with her struggle and victory I learn something about what it must have been like to be her.  - Roger Ebert   148.    Selected Quotes   149.    In Honor of Its 33rd Anniversary, Here Are 10 Life Lessons I Learned From the Color Purple - By Melissa Kimble Dec 18, 2018 [https://www.oprahmag.com/entertainment/tv-movies/a25616715/the-color-purple-quotes-anniversary/]   150.    I was born a few years after the film was released. However, I can credit much of my self discovery to the many times I’ve watched it. My favorite quotes from the movie taught me valuable lessons about Black womanhood, faith, and self love. And these 10 are the ones I’ll never forget.   151.    “Girl, you oughta bash Mister’s head open and think about heaven later.” By Oprah Winfrey - In a film where women are treated like inferiors, Sofia breaks the mold by refusing to be her husband's punching bag. This scene-stealing monologue, with its rage filled entrance by the O of O, is an act of defiance—especially one committed in early 20th century Georgia. It was powerful and necessary to see a Black woman go against the grain on screen. And to me, it was a call to action to be fearless.   152.    "I'm poor, Black, I may even be ugly, but dear God, I’m here! I’m here!" By Whoopi Goldberg - What a victorious statement this was by Celie, who, up until this point, had spent most of her life feeling unworthy and invisible. It reminded me that even with our flaws and imperfections, we still deserve to show up in our own lives.   153.    "Until you do right by me, everything you think about is going to crumble." By - Whoopi Goldberg - With these words, Celie breaks a cycle of abuse from Mister and sticks up for herself. I interpreted this line as a sign that I don’t have to carry the weight of people who have caused my pain; life will take care of everything.   154.    “Miss Celie, why you always covering up your smile?” By Desreta Jackson - Growing up, I was very insecure about my smile. And when Shug Avery posed this question to Miss Celie, it also made me turn to myself. When Shug encourages Celie to smile, I learned that there’s no need to cover up my own   155.    Open Comments:   156.    Featured Artist   157.    Caryn Elaine Johnson, a.k.a. Whoopi Goldberg (@ 30 yrs old): an American comedian, actress, singer-songwriter, Broadway star, political activist, author and talk show host, she is one of the most successful and established African American actresses of her time.    158.    Born and raised in Manhattan, she is one of 14 entertainers ever to have won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony. What differentiates Goldberg from her contemporaries is the excellence that she portrayed in all the mediums of entertainment, be it television, theatre, films or radio.    159.    Childhood & Early Life   160.    Her mother was a nurse and a teacher while her father served as a clergyman. She was raised in the Chelsea-Elliot Houses by her mother alone after her father disbanded the family when she was young. She studied until her teen years and later dropped out of school. Her started acting started at a young age. It was during her stage performance that people complimented her by saying that she looked like whoopee cushion. It was from there that she took the stage name Whoopi and adopted Goldberg as her surname to sound more Jewish.    161.    Career   162.    In 1974, (@ age 19) she moved to California and thereafter lived in various cities such as Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco. It was during this time that she honed her acting skills and developed her talent as a stand-up comedian.  However, soon thereafter, she returned to New York and started receiving training under acting coach Uta Hagen. Her first ever appearance on screen was for William Farley’s feature, ‘Citizen: I'm Not Losing My Mind, I'm Giving It Away’ in 1982 (@ 27). In 1983, she created, starred and directed a ‘The Spook Show’, a one-woman show that addressed the issue of race in American but in a unique and innovative style. Next, she created other off-Broadway productions such as ‘Little Girl’ an African-American child obsessed with having blond hair and ‘Fontaine’ a junkie who also happens to hold a doctorate in literature. The innovative presentation and sense of wit and style in her shows impressed director Mike Nicholas who offered to take ‘The Spook Show’ to the Broadway. The show which ran for 156 performances, met with much acclaim both commercially and critically. It went on to earn her a Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album. The eye-catching performance and amazing positive reception of the show earned her attention of the Hollywood bigwigs. It helped her bag a role in the Steven Spielberg film, ‘The Color Purple’, released in 1985. The movie met with resounding success, clutching 11 Academy Awards nominations and she won her first Golden Globe award.   163.    Open Comments:   164.    Oprah Gail Winfrey , a.k.a. Oprah Winfrey (@ 31 yrs old): Talk show host, actress, producer and philanthropist.   165.    Childhood & Early Life   166.    Born in Kosciusko, Mississippi, on a small family farm, to an unwed mother who had a short relationship with a soldier stationed nearby, Oprah grew up in dire poverty, and was primarily raised by her grandmother. Sexually abused and mistreated as a child, Winfrey rose above adversity to focus on her primary and high school education.    167.    Career   168.    When she was still a teenager, the local CBS television station in Nashville, Tennessee offered her a job as a co-anchor. She turned it down three times. At age 19, Oprah Winfrey said yes after the fourth offer. She failed the interview, but instead was offered a job as a full-time reporter for a Baltimore television news channel. She did poorly as a reporter, and by age 22 she was fired from the news division. The director of the station gave Winfrey a boost by selecting her to anchor a morning talk show entitled ‘People are Talking’. For the next seven years, her talk show enjoyed excellent ratings. In 1981, (@ 27) she moved to Chicago to host a talk show entitled ‘A.M. Chicago’. Four years later, (1985) after a tremendous boost in the ratings, the producers changed the name to ‘The Oprah Winfrey Show’. She caught the attention of Quincy Jones, a Chicago native, and he cast her as Sofia for the first movie he produced, 'The Color Purple'. The following year ‘The Oprah Winfrey Show’ was broadcast nationally.    169.    Open Comments:   170.    TV Scene:   171.    Featured Actor: Phylician Ayers Allen, a.k.a Phylicia Rashad is an Emmy-nominated American actress, singer, and director.   172.    Her multi-faceted career began with Broadway before she branched into television and films. She is best remembered for her character as Claire Huxtable in the NBC sitcom ‘The Cosby Show’, which ran for eight years. The series brought Phylicia much deserved recognition, also earning her two Emmy nominations. Phylicia, however, is immortalized for her rich performances on the stage as an artist. She starred in several lavish musicals and dramas, all praised highly by critics. She became the first African American actress to walk away with a Tony Award for her performance in Lorraine Hansberry’s ‘Raisin in The Sun’.  Subsequently, she was venerated within the African American acting community at the NAACP Awards, where she was called ‘The Mother’ of the Black Community. Her other popular plays include ‘Cat on a Hot Tin Roof’, ‘August: Osage Country’, and ‘Gem of the Ocean’. She has tried her hand at stage direction and has successfully directed hit plays at prominent stages. Over the course of her career, Rashad has starred in several television series and voiced many characters. Her prolific output continues to be on the rise as she is still an active part of the entertainment industry.   173.    Childhood & Early Life:   174.    Phylicia Rashad was born Phylician Ayers Allen on June 19, 1948, in Houston, Texas to Vivian Ayers and Andrew Arthur Allen. Her mother was a prize-winning poet and artist, while her father was a reputed orthodontist. She has three siblings: Andrew Arthur Allen Jr., Debbie Allen, and Hugh Allen. Phylicia was raised in the United States and Mexico. She studied at Howard University, Washington D.C. and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in theatre in 1970. During her university days, she was inculcated into the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority.   175.    Career   176.    After graduating with a degree in theatre, Phylicia immediately joined the Negro Ensemble Company in New York. She toured the city and was seen in several plays under this troupe. Her Broadway debut occurred in 1972 and she was seen in several minor roles for hit musicals, including ‘The Wiz’ (1975) and ‘Dreamgirls’ (1981). In 1978, Rashad tried her hand at something new by releasing the concept album ‘Josephine Superstar’, an album that was based on Josephine Baker’s life. She decided to embark on an alternative career in television owing to the scarcity of good roles given to her. In 1982, after moving to television, Rashad landed a recurring role in the series ‘One Life to Live’ as Courtney Wright, a publicist. In 1984, Phylicia Rashad was roped in to play the role of Clair Huxtable, an attorney, in the hit comedy ‘The Cosby Show’. The show starred Bill Cosby in the lead role and Phylicia played his wife. The series ran for over eight years and was a critical and commercial success. Phylicia’s role as Clair proved to be the highest point in her career, earning her two Emmy Award nominations.   177.    Open Comments   178.    Question: Is she a good actor? Do you buy her in other roles?   179.    Vote: Best Pop Culture item/event for 1985

Neal Arthur, managing director of Wieden & Kennedy New York, shares stories of his time as a sex ed teacher at a Catholic school. “There’s a weird sort of faux confidence in 8th grade that you have to have to make it,” he says. “You walk around acting like you’ve got it all figured out, yet you know nothing.” He also weighs in on his love of Nike’s “Mars Blackmon” ads and admits that he doesn’t like The Beatles or one particular Golden Girl.

Season PremieresElementary (CBS)This take on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's classic character has disgraced Sherlock Holmes fleeing London for present-day Manhattan after a stint in rehab. He arrives to find that his father has assigned a sober companion to live with him - Dr Joan Watson, a former surgeon whose medical licence was revoked three years earlier after she lost a patient. She now seeks penance by helping addicts stay clean. However, Holmes has his own plan for keeping on the straight and narrow, throwing himself into his work as a police consultant in New York City. The two find that they make a good team and are soon cracking some of the NYPD's most-difficult cases.She's Gotta Have It (Netflix)Iconic filmmaker Spike Lee revisits his first feature film with this Netflix original series of the same name. Brooklyn-based artist Nola Darling struggles to stay true to herself and her dreams while dividing her time between her friends, her job and her lovers -- all three of them. That trio includes married businessman and father Jamie Overstreet, photographer and self-described "biracial Adonis" Greer Childs and chatty Michael Jordan fan Mars Blackmon. In addition to creating the series, Lee directs all the episodes and serves as an executive producer alongside wife Tonya Lewis Lee.CLAWS (TNT)At the Nail Artisan of Manatee County salon in Central Florida, five diverse, hardworking manicurists try to make ends meet in a staid economy while managing perilous personal lives awash in drama. Amidst all the silk wraps, pedicures and polish treatments, salon owner Desna, who lives with and cares for her mentally ill twin brother, leads a staff that includes best friend Jennifer, now sober and raising two kids from a previous relationship; enigmatic Ann, who provides security for the salon; mild-mannered preppy and ex-convict Polly; and Virginia, who becomes easily bored and impatient with her job. Also hanging around the salon are shady redneck Roller; ambulance coach Bryce, Jennifer's husband who is also newly sober; and Uncle Daddy, a dangerous, deeply Catholic and actively bisexual crime boss.Queen of the South (USA)While living in the barrio of Jalisco, Mexico, poor Teresa Mendoza falls in love with a member of a successful drug cartel, hoping the love will help her rise above the hopelessness she feels in her life. When it doesn't happen, she is forced to flee the country after her boyfriend is murdered. She seeks refuge in America, where she teams up with an unlikely person from her past to take down the leader of the drug ring that is after her. Teresa ends up starting her own drug empire, becoming one of the world's wealthiest women in the process. With her success, she discovers that money doesn't fix all of her problems, and she can only depend on herself if she wants to stay one step ahead of others and stay alive.Luther (BBC America)Luther is a brilliant but emotionally impulsive detective who is tormented by the dark side of humanity while hunting down murderers. Once the self-destructive detective knows the killer's identity, it becomes a psychological duel between predator and prey.The Handmaid’s Tale (Hulu)Based on the best-selling novel by Margaret Atwood, this series is set in Gilead, a totalitarian society in what used to be part of the United States. Gilead is ruled by a fundamentalist regime that treats women as property of the state, and is faced with environmental disasters and a plummeting birth rate. In a desperate attempt to repopulate a devastated world, the few remaining fertile women are forced into sexual servitude. One of these women, Offred, is determined to survive the terrifying world she lives in, and find the daughter that was taken from her. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Mars Blackmon joins us to talk about Zion busting through his shoe last night and injuring his knee in duke's loss to UNC. We also talk packers with Tom Silverstein and the likelihood they try for a trade with the Steelers for AB, and Jeff Potrykus talks Badger Hoops match up with Northwestern Saturday.

Episode 24 brings us to She's Gotta Have It, the 1986 freshman joint of the original b-boy provocateur director, Spike Lee. In their most open and raw discussion yet, Jeremy breaks down what it takes to film a great sex scene while Daniel ponders the consequences of making regrettable art. Also, why do white people prefer white films?

"Pleasebabypleasebabybabybabyplease!" With these immortal words of a come-on as Mars Blackmon, Spike Lee burst on the cinema world in 1986 with his ultra low-budget debut, SHE'S GOTTA HAVE IT. 31 years later, he decided to expand this story of a young, independent woman with three men in her life (and bed) to a ten-part, roughly 5 1/2 hour long Netflix series. How does 1986 compare to today? Well... Jack and Korey are about to find out on this second installment of the "VERSUS" series (go back to ep 96 for Flatliners to hear the first part of that). wagesofcinema@gmail.com

Thirty years after Spike Lee introduced his bombastic, Mr. Fantastic self to the world via Nola Darling -- a free-spirited twenty-something Brooklyn graphic designer with three baes, a handsy lesbian pal, and an exasperated BFF -- there's still something about Nola Darling that we've just got to have. Decades later, it's Netflx that's gotta have it, and the prolific Lee has agreed to go back to the future and direct a 10-episode order of a 'contemporary take' on his sexy, groundbreaking indie. My guest for this episode, writer and filmmaker Nikki Harmon, is slightly terrified at the prospect, but will be watching anyway. Our guest this episode, Nikki Harmon, is a film and video professional who lives and works just outside her native Philadelphia. She has written, produced, worked on or directed on several documentaries, short narratives, educational and industrial films, music videos, feature-length films and television shows. Throughout her production career, Nikki has maintained her commitment to teach and worked for community organizations such as the Big Picture Alliance and Scribe Video Center teaching youth and adults video production. Most recently, she has taught at both Drexel and Arcadia universities as an adjunct professor. Nikki is a married mother of three who recently published her first novel, When I Was Your Girlfriend, and is working on a screenplay -- and another novel. She's Gotta Have It is her favorite Spike Lee film. Thirty years later, she still ain't mad at Nola, is fairly certain Mars Blackmon became more irritating with age, and agrees that it's just a matter of time before Bravo green lights an eye-rolling reality TV show called Basketball Lesbians. My money is on Logo or Centric though.... This episode also features a brand new No Tea for the Fever Theme Song by Loretta 'Funky LB' Brown. Want more deets -- or just to say hello? Visit NoTeaForTheFever.com, tweet us @noteafever, or send us an e-mail or voice memo via noteaforthefever@gmail.om. 

It was on this day in 1986 that She's Gotta Have it The first film by Spike Lee was released in theaters. On today's "A Day in the Life" we explore Lee's ascendancy in pop culture as a result of the film and the character he played, Mars Blackmon.

Une émission très spéciale ce mercredi puisque nous aurons le plaisir d’être ensemble pendant 3 heures, de 21h à minuit. A cette occasion, nous vous proposons un programme très riche avec plusieurs invités. LISA SPADA Que ce soit en solo ou en groupe (on l’avait reçu avec le projet Third Shot), Lisa Spada occupe la scène parisienne (voir européenne) depuis plusieurs années. La chanteuse n’a nulle égale pour véhiculer ses récits avec un éventail large de styles, de la soul au jazz en passant par le blues, le gospel ou la folk. Ne se contentant pas d’apparaitre dans des premières parties prestigieuses (Jamiroquai, Dwele, Mika…) et de collaborer avec beaucoup de monde, Lisa endosse la cape d’activiste avec la création du projet « Let’s Get Together » qui réunie les meilleurs chanteurs de la Soul française sur scène (New Morning, Trabendo). C’est donc forte de cette belle expérience qu’elle sortira (enfin) bientôt son premier album solo « Family Tree » dont nous avions découvert quelques extraits lors de sa récente première partie de Dwele au New Morning. De quoi nous mettre l’eau à la bouche et la folle envie de l’inviter dans l’émission ! MR PRESIDENT Mr President est une des nombreuses formations de Bruno Hovart aka Patchworks, multi-instrumentiste de génie et tête de gondole du label Favorite Records. Avec l’album « Hips Shaking », sorti il y a quelques semaines, il revient au projet qui avait attiré l’oeil et les oreilles des observateurs internationaux comme Okayplayer, Gilles Peterson ou encore Jazz FM. Si la pochette de ce nouvel opus un clin d’oeil clair au « sound of philadelphia », Mr President n’hésite pas à franchir les frontières de sa funk et de son disco de prédilection, en mettant un pied dans la pop music. Le résultat ne peut être que brillant, comme d’habitude, quand l’on connait la qualité de production du monsieur. C’est donc depuis son fief de Lyon que Patchworks répondra à nos questions de fans absolus. HORNDOGZ Si vous mélangez des anciens de la Malka Family avec un producteur qui bosse avec les cadors de la scène funky hexagonale, et que vous leur mettez des masques de chiens, vous obtenez les Horndogz. Eric «Shrizzadelic» Rohner, Gilles «C-Freak» Garin et Rico «Adiko» Kerridge forment un trio explosif qui vient de sortir l’album « #Wooof ». La section cuivres des Gréments de Fortune, backing band de Ardisson sur Canal+, continue à faire bouger les têtes avec tous les ingrédients qu’on aime dans la funk. plus particulièrement le P-Funk des Parliament/Funkadelic. Mais ils en oublient pas non plus d’y incorporer du hip hop pour pimenter le tout. A noter des invités triés sur le volet : Blitz The Ambassador, Bibi Tanga, Juan Rozoff ou encore Fred Wesley. HANGTIME RADIO SHOW La fin de saison arrivant à grands pas, il était également naturel de faire une dernière passerelle radiophonique avec le Hangtime Radio Show sur Radio Grenouille. Pour la dernière fois de l’année, Mars Blackmon nous fera profité de ses dernières trouvailles et nous racontera ce qui se passe de beau aux alentours de la cité phocéenne. Playlist de l’émission : 1. Intro - Vaitea : Heartbreaka 2. Lisa Spada interview : - Lisa Spada : Family Tree - Lisa Spada : Soul Mate - Lisa Spada : Take Me As I Am - Lisa Spada : You’re A Man 3. Mr President interview : - Mr President : Gimme All What You Got - Mr President : i Can Go For That (No Can Do) - Mr President : South Street Walk - Mr President : His Shaking 4. Passerelle radiophonique avec Hangtime : - Jeremiah Jae : Two Step (Her Booty) - Kate Tempest : The Beigeness - Electric Wire Hustle : Bottom Line - Pleasure : Let’s Dance (The Reflex edit) - Maga Bo : No Balanc’o da Canoa 5. Horndogz interview : - Horndogz : Rocksteady (feat. Breis, Mary Griffin et Dee Nasty) - Horndogz : Movin’ On (feat. Ty, Breis et Peeda) - Horndogz : Paris (feat. Mike Larry et Jude Kitsude) 4. Outro - Horndogz : Move On Up (feat. Bibi Tanga et Peeda)

The shoes that MJ has never worn…. The Air Jordan Spiz’ike is a fusion of the best qualities of the Air Jordan III, IV, V and VI and pay homage to Spike Lee and his famous character, Mars Blackmon. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, Mars Blackmon, an annoying, Brooklyn-loving, sports-loving, die-hard New York […]

In 1986, 40 Acres and a Mule Productions released it's first independent film She's Gotta Have It, announcing a new look, vibe and voice in black cinema A Spike Lee Joint. 17 films (or joints) later, Mr. Shelton Lee has amassed a bold, brave and colorfully creative body of work, moving effortlessly between comedy, drama, biography, documentary, commercials, music videos and more. Join John and Andy as they track the progress of Mars Blackmon and showcase how a street kid from Brooklyn became one of the most important voices in late 20th century filmmaking....contains adult language.