Valentine’s Day at Kora & Farrah Olivia Restaurants!

Iron Chef & The Next Iron Chef  TV series contestant, Chef Morou who is known for being attentive to the quality of the food and the service provided at his restaurants, invites you to spice up your Valentine’s Day by spending it with him.

At Kora Restaurant, his ambitious, cost-conscious casual dining restaurant, he will be serving a special Valentine’s Day three course dinner for two, which includes two complimentary glasses of sparkling wine for $60. Solo Singles aren't left out. They can join in the fun for $30. 

At Farrah Olivia Restaurant, his artistic approach to modern American, French and African concept cuisine restaurant, where food is served in a simple and elegant environment, he will be serving a three course dinner for two for $100 per person, which includes a glass of sparkling wine each. At $200 per couple, this is a special treat for discriminating palettes accustomed to the finer things in life such as dining on sumptuous unique compositions of edible art.

Farrah Olivia Restaurant’s menu, which features a sumptuous array of dishes, are culinary celebrations of flavor, rare ingredients and visual appeal because they are created from fresh and seasonal produce, classic ingredients, elements from a wide array of cuisines, and techniques from American, French and African cuisine traditions.

For what you will receive for these prices, you won’t find similar deals.

Other promotions include:

The $6 bar menu where all drinks, pastas; pizzas are $6 or less, 1/2 price pasta Mondays and the $9 lunch special which includes a salad/sandwich/side of fries.

Kora & Farrah Olivia Restaurants are both located at 2250-B Crystal Drive Arlington, VA. Farrah Olivia Restaurant is located in Kora Restaurant’s private dining room. Both restaurants cater and are available to host receptions and other special occasions. There is metered parking along Crystal Drive and 23rd Street. All lots are free on weekdays after 4pm and all day on weekends.

For more information, visit www.korarestaurant.com or www.farraholiviarestaurant.com or call (571)431-7090

Madonna Will Perform At Super Bowl's Half Time

Madonna will be performing songs in the much coveted upcoming Super Bowl’s half time. She will be performing for 12 minutes, will sing songs including Vogue and it is said that she wants to put on a great show.

I hope she does put on a great show, so we can all “Strike a pose,” because if she doesn’t, it will look bad to the millions of viewers watching and some people already call her an “aging rock star,” which I don’t appreciate, because even though I don’t like her exhibitionism and outrageousness, to me she is a “madonnalicious” woman who is a singer, songwriter, actress and entrepreneur with spunk who has kept herself in good shape and can compete with the best recording artists of younger generations. As a matter of fact, I wonder how she got the gig with so many artists practically begging for opportunities to perform, talk more of the much coveted Super Bowl half time performance.

Anyway, I trust Madonna to prepare hard to put on a good show, but I hope no malfunctions occur to mess with her performance. She has reportedly said, “I’m so nervous.” Either way, we’ll all be watching…

Rudy On The Real Housewives of ATL?

Keshia Knight who played Rudy Huxtable, Bill Cosby’s youngest daughter in The Cosby Show is rumored to be joining the cast of  The Real Housewives of Atlanta. My thoughts are, please don’t do it Rudy, I mean Keisha. 

At 32 years old, she’s never been married and is a regular on Tyler Perry’s House of Payne, but the exposure she will get from the Housewives, I don’t believe will be totally positive and she doesn’t need that. The educated sistah who should focus on becoming a producer herself to open up more opportunities for herself and people like her, is a graduate of Spellman University and appears to want to be famous at all costs because she has posed in “black tail” magazines like Smooth and Maxim, which is definitely not what one would expect from wholesome Rudy Huxtable.

However, like Wendy Williams said, she is in a category with other actresses like Tatiana Ali, Raven Simone and Kyla Pratt and Hollywood makes it so that there are only so many roles to go around amongst all of them, so a sistah's got to do what a sistah's got to do. However, if they all have some good sense, they should come together and create projects for themselves and others like them, since they are already established brands. 

I believe Keshia knows what she needs to do, but just hasn’t gotten around to doing it because in 2011, she commented on the fact that only white actors had won Golden Globe Awards and said: "I think that there is definitely work to be done. It can always be more diverse. We live in a very multicultural and global society. More needs to be done to increase the representation of all people and really show the world for what it is. It’s not just one color."

Aside from that, I aways wondered why she never got together with Usher before he got married and everything that ensued from that. I don't know them personally, but I used to think they would have made a great couple. Now, I don't think that anymore, as she may not want to be married to a man with children and a baby mama.

If you want to do Housewives of Atlanta for financial or fame reasons, go ahead, but know I don’t think it’s the best for you as you shouldn’t expose yourself to the world like that…

S. (Sweet) Epatha Merkerson On The Wendy Williams Show!

Awarding wining actress S. (Sweet) Epatha Merkerson was on The Wendy Williams Show today. She said her unusual name was given to her by her father who said it was the name of the grade school teacher who was influential in keeping him in school, while her mother said it’s the name of his old girlfriend.

At the 2006 Emmys she had an embarrassing moment trying to find the acceptance speech she had written and put in her cleavage. She was having hot flashes and had put the note in her bra, she went to get the note, but it had moved and wasn’t there which is what looked weird on stage during prior to her commencing with her acceptance speech. She said when she took off the dress; she found the note stuck to her skin.

On the note she said she thanked her divorce lawyer, “Yeah that man saved me a lot of money.” When asked how long she was married, she said, “Too long.” She is best known for her role as NYPD Lieutenant Anita Van Buren from 1993 to 2010 on the long-running NBC police procedural drama series Law & Order.

She appeared in 390 episodes of the series, more than any other cast member, which makes her the longest running African American on a prime time TV show. “We shall over come someday.” She said her character,  Lieutenant Anita Van Buren  wears a wig.

While discussing the audition process, she said, “When I first when to meet Dick, NBC said we’ve seen her hair natural too much.” She said she felt the character’s hair wouldn’t be a big, it would be coiffed and Dick laughed. She said she makes money from residuals.

Unbeknownst to many people, she was the mail lady on Pee Wee’s playhouse. She said she went in for an audition, and met Paul Rueben, who plays Pee-wee Herman, who looked like a 1960’s reject when she came in the room. They did the audition and got along beautifully. She said, “I got the role and from that day on we’ve been fast friends, because he can make me laugh. I love him, we are the best of friends.” She also said she was laughing so hard during the taping that she had to look at the plate instead of him to keep her composure.

Epatha who has no kids, is divorced and currently not dating, is the star of Find Our Missing on TV1. This is an innovative project because there is no national forum to get the stories out for the families of missing people of color, to jar peoples’ memories if they had seen something that connects the links to ensure the closure of so many open cases of missing minorities. It’s unfortunate, but reality is, when white children go missing, that’s when Amber Alerts and everything else works in synergy and there is a national focus to assist in their return and the crime perpetrator’s capture, but when black people go missing they stay missing…

The first show is about Monica Renee Bowie who was kidnapped on July 5 from the parking lot of the Berkshires at Lenox Park Apartments in DeKalb County, Georgia, but from toddler to adults black people go missing and their families need to know what happened to their loved ones. They are currently on the third episode. The show’s main aim is to receive tips from the public and has partnered with The Black and Missing Foundation www.blackandmissinginc.com another organization that addresses the same issue.

Watch Find Our Missing which airs Wednesday nights at 9PM on TV One or visit www.tvone.tv/shows/find-our-missing or for black and missing stories, visit www.blackandmissinginc.com/stories/

Jessica Alba On The Wendy Williams Show!

Red carpet worthy dresser known to sport designer wears including Versace dresses, was on the Wendy Show Today. Wearing Wendy Shoe Cam worthy shoes the pretty mother of Honor and Haven, who are 5 months and 3 and half years old, and were given unique but not weird names, so they could have regular jobs in the future, was her usual demure self.

She talked about having to get ready for award shows, wear her dress, zip it up and run out the door, so her young daughters don’t have a chance to put their little hand prints over it, at the very least. Recently, her 5 month old did a spew on her dress before an award show, which I’m sure must have been a nightmare for Brad Goreski, her stylist who was Rachel Zoe’s assistant, who she says is so cute and sweet.

She said Rachel Zoe, Brad’s former boss, and her are friends and there’s no big deal in the “situation”/relationship, even though Rachel and Brad are said to not be “getting along” currently, since Rachel didn’t want him to move on with his life even after he gave her a 2 month notice of his departure.

When asked about losing the weight after child birth, she said she is not really under the Hollywood pressure to lose weight, but there’s a size she feels comfortable in, which she likes to maintain, and makes sense, since she gained 30-35lbs with her second pregnancy while she gained a lot more than about twice the first time. Her daughters look like gorgeous little princesses, so they are definitely worth the weight gain.

Walk down memory lane, she talked about her fist red carpet event when she was16 years old and how she wore a light blue slack ensemble, which she said was her worst red carpet moment. The picture shown shows her looking so happy to be there. She said she had never worn a dress before that day and thought the fancy pant outfit was a good alternative.

With a Mexican American dad and a French/Danish mom, she is definitely a mutt, which makes her so exotic looking. Her husband, Cash Warren is the biracial (half African American and half Caucasian) son of actor, Michael Warren of Hill Street Blues. They have been married for almost four year after meeting on the set of Fantastic Four, where he, a producer, was working with the director and she was acting. Son on of black man for

The cutie who maintains a strict no-nudity clause in her contracts and has been wearing weaves in her hair, on and off for 10 years has a new baby business, The Honest Company ( www.honest.com ), which she said Honor, her daughter, inspired her to create. The line includes affordable, non toxic, eco-friendly cleaning and body care products such as laundry detergent, dish and hand soaps, baby oils which she said she uses to remove makeup, hair conditioners, diapers and no-sting/tearless shampoos. She said she created a line of what she wanted when she had her baby and could be delivered to her house. Visit the website to get a free trial and sample of diapers.

She said she loves NYC and she keeps threatening her husband Cash that they have to get an apartment in NYC. Maybe that has something to do with her wanting to be in another creative media center as well as her daughters to be in close proximity to Baron Davis of the New York Nicks who is their god father.

Terrell "T.O." Owens On The Wendy Williams Show!

Good enough to drool over, controversial, football wide receiver, six-time Pro Bowl selection, and current co-owner and player for the Allen Wranglers of the Indoor Football League (IFL), 38 year old Terrell Eldorado Owens AKA T.O., who is currently starring in the movie, Dysfunctional Friends, which is the black Big Chill, with Stacey Dash and Stacy Keibler , who he said he worked with before George Clooney got her by stating, “I got the first kiss before he kissed her,” was on the Wendy Williams Show today.

It is said that he lost his $80 million fortune, has four kids by four “baby mamas” and is no longer cool with Kita Williams and Monique Jackson, the other stars of his The T.O. Show, who served as his marketing and publicity experts, providing guidance in both his personal and professional lives. Say it all ain’t so, TO! Below is what he shared...

Concerning the upcoming Super Bowl, he said he likes both teams and predicted that they would get to the Super Bowl, so he said they are both very, very good teams and also said, “I’m in NY, but Chad Ochocinco, (wide receiver for the New England Patriots) is my friend.” Trust Wendy, she quickly slipped it in that she doesn’t believe in Chad and Evelyn Lozada’s relationship, even though T.O. laughed and said it’s real and they are getting married. When asked if he will be going to Indianapolis for the game, he said he will be going because he has some things to do there.

It's not news that T.O. is no longer in the NFL and is now in the IFL where really anyone can play. He said he is using it to keep himself in shape and it is also business opportunity for him. Fortunately, he gets paid more than the obligatory $500 others are paid, which he said his attorneys and agents are still working on. He is using the opportunity to show anyone looking that he’s still got "it," just like other players use other sports and hobbies to stay in shape and he has no fear of injuries that could permanently leave him out of the NFL for good. At his age, he needs to get back in the NFL ASAP and get the last few years he can out of it before it’s all over.

Wendy remarked about him coming to her show all by himself, with no agents, managers or friends. Talk about fair weather friends! In a February GQ magazine article, he bares his soul, and discusses losing his $80 million and how has been going through “stuff,” since October/November 2010, including his advisors putting his money into risky investments, while telling him to concentrate on his game. No wonder rich people are so weary of people.

He said the article is an eye opener for a lot of guys coming into the league. However, he also said, this has happened to many people in the league before him and will happen to more people after him. A “friend” of his also stole about $300,000 from him, which the bank graciously returned to him, even though I'm sure they will prosecute the "friend." His grandmother, who raised him also recently passed away, so these are trying times for the cute guy with a warm smile.

Concerning the four kids by four women who were not his wives or fiancés, and were products of drive by relationships he had, he said of his "situation", “I’m not proud of that situation, but I’m proud of my kids. Up until now, nobody knew about my kids.” He pays a hefty $45,000 total monthly to all his baby mamas, which is an amount based on his 2006 salary of  $10-$12 million a year. So he’s in and out of courts working on changing that since he isn't making that much anymore.

He also just recently met his 5 year old son for the first time earlier this month. Why this guy who should know women would want to have babies by him to "be a millionaire" like the 50 cent song, doesn’t wear condoms every time is beyond me. Rich men need to know that having babies by rich men is a "job" many women want, so they can get off the work/pay day treadmill.

Chad while sowing his wild oats and acquiring the kids and baby mamas with the prevalent "No woman will tie me down" mentality of many modern males, has experienced the flip side of that mentality, where he doesn't have a spouse covering his back, reviewing opportunities being brought to him and even interceding in prayer for him and his decisions, so it's really not surprising that he ended up the way he has.

The bad thing about his current situation is that he didn’t lose his money through drugs, strippers and gambling like some do. He lost it in bad investments and having a lot of trust in the wrong people, which a very upset Wendy said, “Makes me want to crack your scull.”

He also said, Mo and Keita from the T.O show double crossed him by shopping for a reality show for themselves, without him, and then when he found out and confronted them, they said they were going to make him the executive producer. Ahuh...I tell you, you can’t trust your own people. We sometimes act like crabs, stepping on each other to get out of a bushel!

The brother is down, but definitely not out, please support T.O.’s acting career and watch the movie, Dysfunctional Friends starting this Friday in select theatres all over the country. Also, read the GQ article in the February edition of GQ Magazine, in which he tells GQ, 'I'm in Hell,' so you can learn to not make the mistakes he made.

Today's Quote!

Be free. Be liberated.

Free Film Training Courtesy of Opening Act Productions!

Ron Newcomb, Scott Mathias & Shane McClung

(The men of Opening Act Productions)

 

 

In an effort to raise the bar in the DMV's filmmaking community, yesterday, Opening Act Productions, the makers of, The Fellows Hip: Rise of the Gamers (www.thefellowshipmovie.com), a buddy-comedy written in honor of online gamers and The Lord of the Rings movie about four geeks and the Lord of the Rings gaming competition, and The Fellowship of Christian Filmmakers held a free film trainining event in Alexandria.

The very informative session included topics such as the business side of film-making, getting the right story, business plans, forming your business, money, pre-production, crew (what is essential?), interns, cast, locations, the filmmaking process, what should I shoot on?, work flow (data storage), post-production, distribution, social networking, crowd funding, section 181, what if I love acting and film-making at the same time?, move to LA or not?, and faith.

There was a screening of The Soliloquy: If it were done...produced by film, stage and voice actor, Josh Murray, which is a well shot 8 minute modern short film, based on William Shakespeare’s Macbeth. He is currently raising funds on Indie Go Go.

Click here to watch the film and to donate to assist him.

There was also an interview & Q&A session with producers, Chad and Aaron Burns of the Burns Family studios, the makers of Pendragon: Sword of His Father. They are currently in production with Beyond the Mask, a 1770’s action-fused historic adventure in which, running for his life, the protagonist, an East India Company assassin buried his past in a quiet English village, assuming the mantle of an Anglican priest. But the disguise won’t last for long when a woman he loves and a war he no longer wants, forces him to confront the question of who he really is. In the face of a looming global conflict, he discovers for himself the meaning and source of true justification and freedom. The trailer can be viewed at www.BeyondTheMaskMovie.com

Feel free to check out all the films mentioned above. They are clean and family friendly. Some pictures from the event are below for your viewing pleasure.

Till next time, here’s where Sociable Susan signs off.

Artisan, Jose Delgado’s Indigenous Costa Rican Masks

This week I was very fortunate to attend Jose Delgado’s art exhibition in the School of International Service Building at American University. I didn’t know about the event beforehand and I just stumbled upon it on my way to class, when I noticed his wife arranging the beautiful masks.

Being an art connoisseur, I had no choice but to stop and appreciate his work. She took the time to talk to me about his recent move to the US from Boruca, a place that is home to a tribe of indigenous people living in the southern zone of Costa Rica. His wood-carved sculptures represent a history of cultural resistance and showcases Costa Rica’s exotic flora and fauna.

Boruca mask making was previously traditional “diablito or devil designs.” However, they now include ecological-devil and ecological-indigenous face sculptures. The masks with names including Toucan Diablito and Owl & Jaguar are carved on light balsa wood and are breathtakingly beautiful.

They make excellent decorations, gifts and collector pieces. They are available for sale now. Get some of his priceless pieces now while you can, because after viewing them, I know this talented artist is definitely heading for greatness.

You can view some of his work below and at https://picasaweb.google.com/109787983936686006182

 

 

 

 

D'Banj & Mo Hits Allstars NYC Concert

D'Banj & The Mo Hits Allstars Concert

Live in New York

Feb 19th 2012

Irving Plaza, New York City

For tickets, visit www.livenation.com (search D'BANJ)

For enquiries, call Ogugua Iwelu 1(646)2871630

iPhone Suicides!

According to the New York Times, workers at a factory in Shenzhen, China, owned by Foxconn (a company that manufactures iPhones, iPads and other devices for Apple) regularly work sixteen-hour, seven-day work weeks.

They stand until their legs swell and they can’t walk, and they perform repetitive motions on the production line for so long that some permanently lose the use of their hands. To cut costs, managers make workers use cheap chemicals that cause neurological damage. There has been a rash of suicides at the Foxconn plant, and 300 workers recently threatened to jump off the roof over a safety and pay dispute.

In short, as one former Apple executive told the New York Times, "Most people would be really disturbed if they saw where their iPhone comes from."

Mark Shields, a self-described member of the "cult of Mac," started a petition on Change.org demanding Apple exert its influence on its suppliers to improve working conditions for the factory workers that make iPhones, iPads and other Apple products.Click here to sign Mark’s petition right now.

Apple knows it can play an important role in ensuring safe and fair working conditions for the workers at its suppliers, like Foxconn. In 2005, the company released a supplier code of conduct, and it performs hundreds of audits each year in China and around the world to confirm its suppliers are meeting the code’s expectations.

But that’s where Apple’s commitment falters: the number of supplier violations has held steady year to year and Apple hasn’t consistently publicly stated which suppliers have problems or dropped offending suppliers.

The bottom line, Apple executives admit, is that they’re not being forced to change.

One current executive told the New York Times that there’s a trade-off: "You can either manufacture in comfortable, worker-friendly factories," he said, or you can "make it better and faster and cheaper, which requires factories that seem harsh by American standards.And right now, customers care more about a new iPhone than working conditions in China."

That means public pressure is the only thing that can force Apple to ensure its suppliers treat workers humanely. If enough people sign Mark’s petition -- and tell Apple they care more about human beings than they do about how fast the company can produce the next generation iPhone -- the company could be convinced to make real change for the workers at Foxconn and other factories.

 Click here to sign Mark’s petition demanding Apple change the way it does business.

Thanks for being an awesome change-maker,

- The Change.org team

Today's Quote!

Success is built over time. When you do something new, know there's always a learning curve, so don’t initially get too adventurous. First take baby steps, stabilize and grow from there.

Today's Quote!

There are many things you can do wrong in life and undo,
but you can’t unsay what you've said and you can't undo taking someone else's life.

The Martha Show Cancelled & Replaced!

Domestic Goddess, business magnate, author, magazine publisher, television personality and founder of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Martha Stewart, may not be in the best spirits right now as her talk show on the Hall Mark Chanell has been cancelled and is being replaced by a new show with Marie Osmond, the singer, actress, doll designer, and member of the show business family, The Osmonds. Talk about a hostile take over!

She will be hosting The Marie Osmond Show according to The New York Post. The new show will feature cooking and chatty celebrities, but I doubt it can ever be as good as The Donnie and Marie Show, which I so loved. That show is just irreplaceable.

Mrs. Clinton Says No To A 2nd Term!

She’s been First lady, Senator, Presidential Candidate and Secretary of State AKA “Top Diplomat,” but now, Mrs. Hillary Clinton wants to rest. She says she wants, “to step off the high wire of American politics.” She wants to finish this term with Obama and say, “So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, goodbye,” just like the Von Trapp kids did in the movie, Sound of Music.

Can one blame her? I really can’t, especially considering her very descriptive choice of words, “high wire of American politics.” Hey, I know she's right, but as the saying goes, uneasy lies the head that wears the crown, so that's just how it goes. I hope young ladies who want to be just like her read this and understand that even if you've dreamed of wearing the pin stripe suit in the corner office of a major corporation all your life, you can get up there, realize that it's really hot up there and you might not like it after a short period of time. So, if that happens to you, you are not crazy. You are just evolving and you need to move on to find peace.

However, if she leaves public service, I can hear men saying under their breaths,  “Another one bites the dust,” and that's out of a pool of already too few women in high political offices. Either way we must respect her need to go back to life’s basics and focus on herself and her family for some time at least, especially considering that she might be hoping to become a grandma soon….However, I hope she has taken the time to invest in some young ladies, so they can be power women like her some day.

Earth to Chelsea, seems like your mom wants to clear her calendar in the near future, so it’s time for you to start having some youngins for your mom to help look after...

"Best of INPUT" Documentar​ies Screen In Washington, DC Jan. 29 - Feb. 3

Selections from the world’s most innovative and provocative productions by public broadcasters appear at venues around Washington during Best of INPUT: Television Out of the BoxJanuary 29 – February 3, 2012
INPUT, the International Public Television Conference, is an annual producers’ screening and discussion showcase. Held in cities around the world since 1978, the conference reviews submissions from over sixty countries. A number of the international jury-selected finalists from the May 2011 conference in Seoul will be screened and discussed.

For full schedule and updates visit: www.centerforsocialmedia.org

All programs are free but reservations may be required for certain screenings (see individual listings)

Sunday, January 29, 3 pm

La Maison Française, 4101 Reservoir Road NW

Moloch Tropical

(France, 106 min., drama, director: Raoul Peck)

In a fortress perched on the top of a mountain in northern Haiti, a democratically elected "President" and his closest collaborators get ready for a state celebration with many international guests. Meanwhile, the country is in turmoil. As the day goes on, the rebellion worsens.

RVSP: http://taboo-input2012-auto.eventbrite.com/

For more information: www.la-maison-francaise.org


Monday, January 30, 5:30 pm

Silverdocs/American Film Institute, 8633 Colesville Road, Silver Spring, MD

Village Without Women / Selo bez žena

(Bosnia & Herzogovina, 83 min., documentary, director: Srđan Šarenac)

Three Serbian brothers, all bachelors, live in a womanless village in southern Serbia. Not finding any Serbian women interested in living in their isolated village, they decide to try their luck with Albanian women from villages across the border, whose men are mostly working in countries of the European Union. An entertaining portrait of rural life and the need to make choices to achieve your goals.


Tuesday, January 31, 6:30 pm

Goethe-Institut

Unusual Programming from Germany and Switzerland

20x Brandenburg – Warriors without Enemies (Krieger ohne Feind)

One episode of twenty

(Germany, 15’, television piece, director: Burhan Qurbani)

Part of a project to mark the twentieth anniversary of the eastern German state of Brandenburg. This episode is a “play with reality” - young right-wing extremists in a rural setting are supposed to take part in a social rehabilitation program and learn to sing together. Their teacher is from Cameroon.


Either Broder. On Safari in Germany (Entweder Broder)

(Germany, 30’, television-specific episode, writer/directors: Joachim Schröder & Tobias Streck)

Henryk M. Broder and Hamed Abdel Samad travelled across Germany with their specially customized colorful Volvo. They spoke with “aryans,” vegetarians, fundamentalists, socialists, friends of peace, and war profiteers. They covered a distance of 30,000 km on their safari in Germany, with Jesus, Mohammed, and Moses on board and a fox terrier named Wilma in the back seat.


Low Cost (Claude Jutra)

(Switzerland, 60’, fiction, director: Lionel Baier)

Shot entirely using a mobile phone, this fiction film’s main character has known the date of his death since he was nine years old. As it approaches, he spends his final moments with those dear to him. A fiction film about the value of human life in an age where everything is at a “discount.”

RSVP to 202-289-1200 ext. 169 or rsvp@washington.goethe.org


Wednesday, February 1, 6:30 pm

Goethe-Institute

Presented by the Embassy of Brazil

Home Key / Chave da Casa

(Brazil, 60 min., documentary, Directors: Paschoal Samora, Stela Grisotti)

The documentary follows the last 48 hours of a group of Palestinians in the refugee camp of Al-Rweished, on the border between Jordan and Iraq, before leaving for Brazil. They leave behind family, friends and a past full of memories. Nine months later, the film follows five of them in different points of Brazil, showing their adaptation issues, their fears for family safety, for the ones that were left behind in the Middle East, the country, the uncertainties and hopes for a new future.

RSVP to 202-289-1200 ext. 170 or rsvp@washington.goethe.org


Thursday, February 2, 7 pm

The Hill Center at the Old Naval Hospital, 921 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE

The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers

(USA, 81’, documentary, directors: Judith Ehrlich & Rick Goldsmith)

In 1971, Daniel Ellsberg, a leading Vietnam War strategist, concludes that America’s role in the war is based on decades of lies. He leaks 7,000 pages of top-secret documents to the New York Times, a daring act of conscience that leads directly to Watergate, President Nixon’s resignation, and the end of the Vietnam War.


Friday, February 3, 8 pm

WHUT Broadcast Event

Nora

(USA, 35, dance documentary, directors: Alla Kovgan & David Hinton)

Shot in Southern Africa, Nora is based on childhood memories of the self-exiled dancer Nora Chipaumire, who was born in Zimbabwe in 1965. Using performance and dance, she brings her history to life in a swiftly-moving poem of sound and image.

www.whut.org

www.movementrevolutionafrica.com/nora/

Partners: Goethe-Institut, La Maison Française, Silverdocs/American Film Institute, Embassy of Brazil, the Hill Center at the Old Naval Hospital, American University’s Center for Social Media, WHUT/Howard University Television, Women in Film and Video, in cooperation with INPUT, and the International Public Television Screening Conference.

Dance Moms, The Life Time Show

Set in Pittsburgh's renowned Abby Lee Dance Company, owned and operated by notoriously demanding and passionate instructor, Abby Lee Miller, the Life Time series follows children's early steps on the road to stardom, and their doting mothers who are there for every rehearsal, performance and bow...all under the discerning and demanding eye of Miller and intense mothers who enter their young daughters into dance competitions.

Seeing the highs and lows surrounding competition season delivers an intriguing and dramatic look at the cast's frantic pursuit of the ultimate National Dance title. Her “brand” of “inspirational” teaching is unique to her. She makes statements like, “It’s my way or the high way. If you forget, I’m gonna chop your head off.” Abby is a verbal bully who isn’t in great shape herself, so I don’t see why or how she’s as good as they say she is at what she does, but she’s been teaching since she was 14, and they say she is one of the most sought after dance trainers in the country. I don’t think I really believe that. Maybe she’s the queen on Pittsburg, but let her go to LA or NYC and then we’ll see how good she is compared to real competition.

The show, which is called a reality show, but is really a scripted show judging by what occurs in it promotes the verbal abuse of children and is accused of “creative editing to create what they want to depict. According to TMZ, the producers of the show have been accused of wrong portrayals and even banned from StarQuest, a competition in Pennsylvania. They are also accused of not airing the true results of the competition ... and editing the footage in a way that misled viewers into believing certain dancers were competing against each other .... when in fact they were not.

Producers also misled the organizers of Star Quest into thinking the show was about young girls in the competitive dancing world -- not about their catty foulmouthed mothers. Listen everyone, there’s no such thing as reality TV. The best you can get is loosely scripted, which is what reality shows are. Even talk shows are scripted, I know because I have been on them and even interned on one.  People are told to clap, say oohs and ahhs, shake their heads to match with what the host is saying etc. So everything you watch, even a documentary is at least loosely scripted. The bottom line is once a camera is on a subject who is aware, the subjects modify their behavior, so there is nothing like a "real" reality show. 

The show comes on every Tuesday at 9 PM on Lifetime. Feel free to watch, if you are into watching the verbal abuse of children and parents vs Abby verbal wars, as they all laugh all the way to the bank.

Roseanne Bar Is Back In Business!

Roseanne Bar will be in new comedy on NBC. She will be playing her normal blue collar self as the operator of a trailer park that acts like a surrogate mother to the financially strapped tenants. That’ll be fun to watch. I'll keep you posted...

New TV Show, Touch Special Preview Event Tonight!

 

Today is the preview of Touch, an American procedural and science fiction television series in which Kiefer Sutherland plays Martin Bohm, a former journalist and luggage handler whose wife was killed in the September 11 attacks.

He is the father of David Mazouz who plays Jacob "Jake" Bohm, an autistic and mute boy who is obsessed with numbers and can predict future events, who also serves as the narrator of the show.

Danny Glover plays Professor Arthur DeWitt, an expert on children who possess special gifts when it comes to numbers. Pretty British born international stage, TV and movie actress, Gugu Mbatha-Raw plays New Yorker, Clea Hopkins, a conflicted social worker with good intentions who is sent to do an evaluation of the Bohms’ living situation.

Roxana Brusso plays Sheri, a former biker and the director of the facility that Jake attends and Karen David plays Kayla Graham, a woman who works at a call center and whose dream is to become a singer. The show which shows life’s interconnectedness packs an emotional punch, has a soulful edge and has incredible global scenes with locations including LA, NY, Dublin, Baghdad, and Japan, which all bring differ technical and physical challenges. As Gugu said, “The script and writing are just so fantastic.” Please support our very own  Gugu Mbatha-Raw & Mr. Danny Glover by watching the special preview event tonight on Fox at 9/8 PM. Check your local listings.

NBC's Lester Holt On The Wendy Williams Show!

NBC anchor man, Lester Holt man is so smart and sexy and regularly tells us what’s going on in the world around us. The 6’2 tall and svelte host of NBC's Nightly News and Dateline NBC was on the Wendy Williams Show today. When asked about his thoughts on the upcoming Super Bowl, the San Francisco Bay area born grandson of Jamaican descendants says he likes and admires both teams for different reasons.

When asked about the recent President’s State of The Union Address, he said, “He set the stage for the campaign to come, the tax issue and disparity between have and have nots and went back to his old election let’s work together and get on the same page sentiment.” When an old picture of him from the 80s or 90s was shown, the always well spoken journalist was temporarily thrown off, forgot his correct English grammar and said, “That ain’t right!”

When asked about why he no longer sports a moustache, he said he shaved it off during a transitional time in his life. “It was in 1999 into 2000, they were demoting me, and I knew it was time to go, so I took my family on a ski vacation. When I had fallen for the 15th time on the slopes that day, and got into tub, and I thought to myself, what am I doing here, spending all this money on a vacation? The next thing I knew I was in front of the mirror shaving it off and once you start you have to finish, so I shaved it off.”

Referring to the prejudices against perceived to be non-conforming looking African Americans in the past, Wendy said, "Previously in the black community, it was known that a clean shaven face will take a brother far," eluding to looking more "employable" as the reason he shaved it off. However, Lester said, brothers didn’t like that he shaved it off, like he gave up his black card. Was it that the brotha's were living vicariously through him, since they didn’t dare have one? We will never know.

He’s a married family man who has been married to his Caucasian wife of 30 years, Carol. As you know, Wendy had to comment on that by saying, “So you are down with the swirl,” AKA interracial love. I say find true love wherever you can. The union produced two sons, Stefan and Cameron who are 25 and 22, so they are in the second phase of their marriage and currently undergoing the empty nest syndrome. Talk about following in your father's footsteps, his older son also works for NBC as a weekend anchor in Chicago, and hosts the lead in show into his father’s show, which is every father's dream come true. A priceless picture of his son watching him on screen at work, which he said he thought “Was a picture mocking dad,” was shown. It was so precious.

The bass guitar playing musician, who always looks so conservative and serious, also has a fun side. He dressed up as singer, Susan Boyle for Halloween two years ago, and lip synched “I Dreamed A Dream,” which is the song she sang on Britain’s Got Talent. Talking about one of his most memorable interviews, he talked about Jennifer Hudson who was patient with him and his crew, has such a great story to tell and was such a delight to be with, when he interviewed her.

He is a man who is very secure in his manhood to be able throw questionable phrases around. For example, he called professional wrestler, David Otunga, Jennifer’s fiancé, “One chiseled piece of man candy.” A term his wife found out to his dismay is most often used on gay websites.” He said he asked the producers to edit it out, but as you guessed, they said, "No way."

He has also just finished an interview with Scotty McCreery, the high school senior and winner of the 10th season of American Idol, who he caught up with in Kansas City, Missouri. The special will be airing soon. To show more of his fun side and alluding to the multiple hats he wears at his job, he ended by saying, “I also do small parties, bar mitzvahs and weddings.” Even if it doesn't all come across on screen all the time, a very warm, fun and versatile man of many talents is who Lester Holt really is.

NY Giant's Devin Thomas on The Wendy Williams Show

 

The weather maybe cold, but NY Giant's wide receiver, Devin “Show Time” Thomas is hot, hot, hot! Even Lester Holt said, “He’s one chiseled piece of man candy.” The 25year old from Michigan who has recently found fame was a real life hero on Sunday January 22, 2012 when he made a huge impact in the NFC Championship Game against the San Francisco 49ers, as he recovered two fumbles, one of which was recovered in overtime to set up the winning score that took the Giants to Super Bowl XLVI.

The former Carolina Panther said he’s been working hard preparing for the game, and Wendy encouraged him stay out of the clubs, stay at home and stay focused to which he concurred. When asked how he feels about being a NY Giant, the former Redskin who said he’s very familiar with Washington, DC said, “I’m loving being a Giant. It’s a true blessing.” This is the first time he’s in the play offs and super bowl. The single guy who said he didn’t leave a girlfriend in DC is also an actor and model with juicy pictures to prove it. When asked who he is modeling his career after like Michael Strahan, he said “I’m doing it my way and not following anybody. I’m following my own standards."

As you know, Wendy had to ask him about those much coveted Super Bowl tickets. He said players are allowed to have 10 tickets. They get 2 for free and have to take care of the rest, which we all know he definitely can afford. After taping his segment, even Wendy had to say, “Maybe I’m pre-menopausal. I’m hot and they keep it cold in the studio. I’m a mess. I’m sure having all that man candy next to her had her hormones working over time...Watch the Super Bowl which features this hottie on Feb 5th on NBC.

Jerry Springer on the Wendy Williams Show!

Yelling, fist fighting, hair/wig pulling and chair throwing are staples of the outrageous Jerry Springer Show. The show where the security personnel really earn their keep restraining unruly guests and has had titles like I married a horse, Two strippers and a red neck, Springer, I barely know her, Sex, chicken and candy and I slept with 251 men in 10 hours is now a world wide TV staple. The affable 68 year old host, Jerry “Cat Daddy” Springer was on Wendy’s couch today sporting Wendy shoe cam worthy black shoes with red shoe laces, which he said are that color so he doesn’t forget to tie them.

He was asked the question, “Where is the craziest place people have ever chanted your name?” He initially jokingly said Cleveland, then thought about it and said at a ball game in a stadium during half time in the men’s room, which are huge and hold about 300 guys with urinals all around, which people go to all at the same time, so they don’t miss the game. He said, “At my age it’s hard enough going without so many guys chanting Jerry behind me.”

The British-born American television presenter and host of the tabloid talk show since its debut in 1991 said some people love the show, which I can believe for it’s weirdness, and shock and entertainment value, but he said he is also accused of ruining the culture and he said he hopes hell isn’t that hot because he burns easy. However, it’s a fun show to watch and it makes people feel good about themselves when they see people doing much worse than they are, so he said people are always very nice to him when they meet him.

He is a man of many talents including being a former Democratic mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio, a former news anchor and a musician. It is also said that one of his earliest memories about current events was when he was 12 and watching the 1956 Democratic convention on television where he saw and was impressed by John F. Kennedy who he later helped in his campaign. Although most of the people on his show have minimal educatation, he is a very educated man who earned a political science degree from Tulane University and a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from Northwestern University. He was also a political campaign adviser to Robert F. Kennedy and an attorney at the Cincinnati law firm of Frost & Jacobs, now Frost Brown Todd.

In all the 21 years he has hosted his show, he has never gotten an Emmy. Wendy said that’s how you know “those things,” referring to the Emmys, are rigged. When asked about that he said, “Could you imagine the protests? Wendy even asked if he had received an award for even something less popular like the best lighting, or best hair. To which he jokingly responded, “Maybe best dentist. It’s a crazy show but there’s nothing artistic about it. I just happen to be hosting a popular show. You don’t get an Emmy for that.” However, he has done other things outside of The Jerry Springer Show. He was also the second host of the show, Americas Got Talent.

Prior to show biz, he was in politics then he became a star with his show. His case is unique because most people do it the other way around. When asked who he’s voting for in the upcoming election he said, “I love Barak Obama, but there are lot of people that don’t and it’s going to be a tough race.” And as you guessed, Wendy had to ask if America could have a balding or over weight president likely like Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey. To which he said, I was born in 1944 and in every presidential election we always elect the cooler guy. It's the hero against the egg head."

He went on to name the many “cool” presidents we’ve had like Kennedy who was cooler than Nixon, Nixon who was cooler than Humphrey and McGovern, Reagan who was cooler than Carter, Carter who was cooler than Ford, Clinton who was cooler than George Bush, George Bush who was cooler than Gore and Kerry and Obama was was cooler than McCain. "We like the cooler guy to be the president. We want a good looking guy like James Dean. Other than the issues, there’s a self concept of how we want to be viewed in the world through our president because we want to be viewed as cool."

He also gave away black Jerry Spring Show security T-shirts to contestants who played the, Which of These Is A True Jerry Springer Show Title Game with him and Wendy and after being called "Cat Daddy" by a contestant, he responded jovially by winking and saying, “You just call me Cat.” Considering his age, that's a really fun guy to be around...

Did Heather Locklear Almost OD? Say it Ain’t So!

Prescription pills and booze and pretty Miss Heather Locklear wouldn’t be thought of together, but hey, this is real life and drugs, booze and stuff are part of it for many in Hollywood. According to Hollyscoop.com, she and Jack Wagner, her former fiancé had a fight which involved shoving and pushing, a dog and the cops being called. She entered rehab, but was later spotted at a LA Lakers game with glassy red eyes. They say the aging 50 year old beauty is no longer a force to be reckoned with in Hollywood manifesting in a lack luster career because roles for her have dried up is what is affecting her.

However, we often don’t see ourselves like others see us, because regardless of how Hollywood treats her, she’s still beautiful, and she and Jack are a beautiful age appropriate couple and she has a 14 year old daughter to take care of, so there’s nothing wrong with getting older. However, maybe because she’s been cute and pretty it all her life, she’s not having issues now that she’s not the hot young starlet anymore. She’s been the cheer leader, the hot teenager and the hot young lady all men wanted all her life, so maybe she based her self-worth on men desiring her and now that is gone, she's finding things to mask the pain.

That’s what happens when you’ve been pretty forever. However, beauty is vain and real beauty comes from the inside. If you were a cutie petutie all your life with a self-worth based on people’s responses to your beauty, the sooner you get off that bandwagon the better for you. However, if you were plain looking or even ugly and swanned into a beauty, you are better off, because you can go back to a place where were before you swanned. 



A word is enough for the wise…

Heidi & Seal Hit Splitsville? Say It Ain't So!

German supermodel, Heidi Klum and British born half Nigerian soul singer, Seal after three children together, and being married for almost 7 years have decided to call it quits. If they are getting a divorce after all their annual marriage renewal celebrations, I guess most people shouldn’t bother getting married at all.

I can’t believe this after Seal gallantly married her when she was pregnant by then 53 year old Flavio Briatore and then adopted her daughter. They always seem to be like the perfect couple, but that goes to show that looks can be deceptive. I have always admired the couple who kinda flaunted their interracial marriage in Hollywood because they were so secure in their relationship with each other and because they were both successful  in their careers outside of Hollywood and only went there to become bigger brands, which I might add is always the best way to go when dealing with Hollywood.

However, like I tell people in Europe, especially when they are thinking of heading to the US and particularly Hollywood that relationships don’t last long term here. Relationships that would have stood the test of time in Europe or in remote parts of the US are easily destroyed and discarded in Hollywood. There are just too many distractions there.

However, even if something is wrong in the marriage, Heidi should know better how to work on it because this isn’t her first foray into matrimony. She married stylist Ric Pipino in 1997 and the couple divorced in 2002, then she had the baby for Flavio and then married and had three more kids for Seal.

No matter what I hear about them I love and admired them as a couple. I hope they can work it out. Maybe the key to that would be moving away from LA/Hollywood, a place known to destroy even the strongest marriages and they should both consider working less and spend more time with their family. Money has its place, but isn't everything. With her doing the many businesses and shows she's doing and him globe trotting around the world singing and touring, something’s gotta give. This was such a strong union and they need time and energy to rekindle the fire between the two of them.

I love them both and wish them well especially for the sake of those four kids who definitely don’t need to have “my mother’s boyfriend, my father’s girlfriend and stepmother, step father issues” in their lives. I would urge the couple to get it together, get in counseling and stay together, even if they are not as passionately in love as they once were because marriage is really about hanging in there when the going gets tough. Also, I remember asking a couple who had been married for over thirty years what their secret was, and they both said there's no secret. The only secret to a long term marriage is to stay married.

A word is enough for the wise...