Jazz Great Abbey Lincoln - {August 6, 1930 – August 14, 2010}

Jazz singer, actress and civil rights advocate Abbey Lincoln died yesterday at age 80. I only recently got into Ms. Lincoln's music but I've been a fan of her film acting for a while. The first film I saw her in was, "Nothing But A Man" (1964) with Ivan Dixon. As well she starred in the film, "For Love of Ivy" (1968) with Sidney Poitier.

She also did a lot of television work in the 70's and such as guest appearances on, "All in the Family", "Marcus Welby, MD" and, "Mission Impossible".

But Abbey Lincoln was primarily known as one of the great jazz singers of all-time. Ms. Lincoln leaves us with some of the greatest jazz vocals ever recorded.

Anna Marie Wooldridge in a 1956 Jet Magazine appearance before she became professionally known as Abbey Lincoln

Read more about Abbey Lincoln here

Like mother, like daughter

Beautiful actress Phylicia Rashād with her stunning daughter Condola Rashād attend the premiere of the film Just Wright which stars Queen Latifah and Common. Condola is 24 years-old and an actress.

A film to see: Skin

I saw the film Skin starring Sophie Okonedo recently and was pleasantly surprised to see a film that takes a very different angle on race. The film is about a girl who appears Black but was born to White parents. The story follows the family's efforts to have their daughter classified as White by the government and the difficulty that brings to her in life. This takes place in South Africa and is based on a true story.

This film is a must see for many reasons. The acting is understated and the story is not formulaic as you might expect. Skin was in limited release this past fall so you may be able to see it on dvd by now.

Sunday Randomness

Health-Care Reform
It is amazing to me how few Americans can think either critically or logically. Case-in-point, most Americans are against health-care reform. How is it possible that the majority of Americans are against something that will help them? The answer is that it is only possible if Americans are not able to think in a logical manor. And if Americans are not able to think logically then health-care reform or the lack of it is the least of our worries.

PBS
Why is Public Broadcasting so lily white? My local PBS station is having a beg-a-thon this week and I am wondering why any Person of Color would want to give any money to PBS which looks like ABC, NBC and CBS when it comes to diversity. Masterpiece Theater, Antiques Roadshow, The Mclaughlin Group, where is the diversity? The only non-White programming seems to be during a couple of months a year when PBS begrudgingly acknowledges the histories of People of Color. During those months we get a few, mostly recycled, shows featuring people of color on PBS. But then it's back to regular programming and we are once again invisible.

NBA Basketball
There is a NBA game on as I type this. I ask myself; was the NBA always this boring?

Weather
As someone who lives on the west coast I admit that I'm a little jealous of the winter weather on the east coast. I know that snow can really be a pain after a certain point but it just looks so cozy now on the east coast. But I guess there is such a thing as too much of a good thing, right.

Mo'Nique
I really don't get Mo'Nique receiving a Best Actress Academy Award Nomination for her role in the film Precious née PUSH. From what I've seen of Mo'Nique she is a tacky and abrasive person much like the person she portrays in the film. So in my opinion the role was so close to who she is, minus the child abuse, that she really does not deserve a Nomination.

A film to see

I saw the film City Island recently. It's an interesting little film about love, honesty and hidden dreams. It stars Andy Garcia as a corrections officer living in New York City's City Island. Garcia has a few big secrets. One involves a passion and the other the past. The film co-stars Julianna Margulies.