In partnership with Katrise Jones, the two co-own Salon Se Swa and recently opened up their fifth location in Charlotte, North Carolina according to All Hip-Hop.

Already successful in Raleigh, Greensboro, Winston-Salem and Rocky Mount it only makes sense to expand to Charlotte. “This new location allows us to cater to a larger customer base and better serve the needs of not only Charlotte, but also its surrounding areas,” said Jones.

But what about beyond the south?

Jones revealed they’re looking to turn the salon into a major franchise — allowing salons to pop up all over the nation.

source

No related posts.

The Tennessee-set drama tells a tale of two men from distinct backgrounds embarking on a music-steered journey through the deep south who are then linked by a series of events that took place years earlier.

“One of the things that drew me to it was it has life affirming quality to it. You see a lot of films where you don’t care for the people and you’re watching them do things, but it just doesn’t help us out,” Van Peebles told The Huffington Post. “Dr. [Martin Luther] King said, ‘We either learn to live together as brothers and sisters or we die together as fools.’ And I think ‘Redemption Road’ is about some very different folks having to learn how to live together as brothers and sisters.”

For Duncan, who also serves as the film’s co-producer, it was the portrayal of his character Augy and the direction of Peebles which drew his interest to working on the film. “Two things attracted me to the role. The first was the writing and the character. I never played a character like that,” he said. “Independent movies sometimes come along and the script is so good that you want to be involved in it. It wasn’t about the money, it was all about the script. The second thing that attracted me to this movie was Mario Van Peebles. Just to be able to work with that brother, I’ve met him several times before. And just to know him and to know how cool he is, and to finally get to work with a director like that, it was unbelievable.”

“Since I co-produced the movie, the brother was in my trailer literally every morning for 40 minutes,” Duncan continued. “We would go over lines and go over what we would do for the day before the sun set. And the brother is truly intelligent, he knows his game, he’s on top of his game, and those are the two main things that attracted me to the movie.”

It was Peebles’ vast experience as both an actor and a director that gave him the advantage of encouraging the film’s cast to showcase some of their best work. In fact, the former daytime television actor revealed that being personable is a vital when it comes to heading a motion picture. “You’ll be surprised how many actors don’t really get directed. And I think after 20 years, I’m getting pretty comfortable with it,” Van Peebles explained.

“They say that you have ten-thousand hours to really master something, well I significantly have had more than that. But I give my actors what I would want as an actor. So when I’m directing it I’m serving up what I would want to have. And a lot of it is not about the script, the lights, and the camera. It’s about people having people skills. And if you have the right people skills then you can really get this great performance from Michael Clarke Duncan, and this one from Morgan [Simpson], and this one from an actor like Luke Perry, who’s very sharp and can really mix it up. And that’s exciting.”

“He’s more hands on and he wants the characters to pop, he wants them to come to life,” Van Peebles added. “He wanted this character [Augy] to be so unique, because there is a flip side to this character. And once you see the movie, you’ll see what I’m talking about. The character’s going down a redemption road himself. This character has to redeem himself for something he did in the past. And in order for him to redeem himself he must help somebody. So Mario was very, very careful about how Augy was portrayed.”

For Duncan, holding court as co-producer while being the film’s leading star was no easy task. The ‘Green Mile’ alumnus and Chicago native juggled hats as he promoted and shot ‘Redemption Road’ all while developing his forthcoming FOX series, “The Finder.” He also talked about the difficulties in shooting the film: scheduling locations, knowing what shots were need and working against the daylight.

“Most of the time we were battling with the sun going down,” he said. “But I had a lot of different things going on with the producing and trying to get the movie out there, and trying to do publicity that was my end of it. Mario and a lot of other guys have been doing the ground work. I myself have been doing other things. … It’s a big challenge, so I’ve been trying to do as many interviews as I can to help the film out.”

The motion picture’s underlying message of living harmoniously with each other has already inspired viewers, according to Peebles. “I think as a filmmaker it’s like having a big megaphone. Some folks when they get on the mic they really don’t have much to say, and I thought here was a chance to entertain but say a little something with it. People who have seen the movie came back and said that it inspired them to try to do better with their people, their in-laws, their friends, with their relationships that have been broken or damaged. So the thing that inspired me wasn’t the money or anything like that, it was really the story itself. And of course, working with Michael Clarke Duncan.”

Mario Van Peebles is set to share the big screen alongside his iconic father, Melvin Van Peebles, in his forthcoming flick, “We The Party,” set to hit theaters early 2012. Michael Clarke Duncan’s FOX series, “The Finder,” premieres on January 5 immediately following “American Idol.”

source

Related posts:

1. Mario Lopez does Broadway!

Wright says the award winners show that not all Americans are “stuck on stupid.” He also joked that when Obama was considering a presidential bid, he told Wright not to say anything that would upset Iowa farmers. Wright became a flashpoint in the presidential campaign when videos surfaced showing his sometimes provocative sermons.

Wright agreed to take written-only questions after the talk, according to the Ames Tribune. He was asked why he remained defiant in his spring 2008 appearance before the National Press Club.
“I condensed 500 years of African church history into 30 minutes, and not one question I was asked afterward had anything to do with my paper,” Wright was quoted as saying.

Copyright 2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Related posts:

1. Even the enemy loves Obama
2. Obama’s Speaking Indonesian Dazzles at State Dept.

The rapper’s reality show, “50 Cent: The Money and the Power,” won’t be back.

After only six episodes, the series, which was shot in Brooklyn, appears to be the victim of poor ratings and lack of buzz.

Fifty’s show attempted to discover the next hip-hop mogul among 14 wannabes – ranging from an 18-year-old youth counselor, who describes himself as “grandma’s little hustler,” to a guy whose family owns six businesses and raps, “I’ve got more ladies than Fifty’s got Mercedes.”

In a lineup full of rappers-turned-reality stars – Snoop Dogg’s “Father Hood” on E!, Flavor Flav’s “Flavor of Love” on VH1, Rev Run’s “Run’s House,” Diddy’s “Making the Band” and Xhibit’s “Pimp My Ride” on MTV – it’s surprising that the hip-hop star, who survived nine gun shots in 2000, can’t beat bad ratings.

But Fifty’s failure doesn’t signal the end of the reality road for the network, which said last week it has 16 new series in the works.

“Our new shows will feature themes of affirmation and accomplishment,” says Brian Graden, MTV Networks’ vice president of entertainment.

“Our shows are going to focus less on loud and silly hooks and more on young people proving themselves.”

Source

Related posts:

1. Rapper and ex-con Foxy Brown gets reality show
2. Another example of how hard 50 Cent is.
3. Trina fails to convince us she’s a lady

Diesel, 40, and Jimenez welcomed their first child on April 2. Diesel is currently shooting and producing Fast and Furious, due out June 2009, and will next be seen starring in Babylon AD on August 29. Despite his daughter’s fall birth, the ‘Fast and the Furious’ actor and his model wife wait nearly two months to share the news.

When I use the word sellout for Vin Diesel it’s not because like usual he’s another black male who stays as far away from black women as he possibly can, even though it appears that black men have abandoned ship when it comes to black on black love, I personally see nothing wrong with dating interracially (I am also bi-racial). It’s mainly because Vin has always made it clear that since he is bi-racial he doesn’t want to be “stereotyped” with black roles. So this punk made sure in his contract with the studios that he NEVER gets casted in a role as a black man, EVER. I find this insulting and just plain sad.

Karma has a wonderful way of kicking people in the butt when they lose their identity. Vin doesn’t realize that although it’s still quite difficult for African Americans to get halfway decent roles in movies, when a talented black actor does make it big he is HUGE. Vin could have easily been one of those actors, but he tries so hard to force everyone to believe that he is this way because he doesn’t believe in race and putting himself into categories. He considers himself “multicultural” and doesn’t like labels. Well that’s fine and dandy mister Diesel, and we can clearly see how far your reluctance to embraced your blackness has taken you.

Let’s see. His movies are almost all B level disappointments that somehow makes it to the big screen. Since he refuses to be grouped in a black category the only movies he can get are lackluster action heros roles, fast and the furious and Pitch Black sequels. I find it interesting since Vin wants to make such a huge statement about being racially ambiguous, why is it he played an Italian American man in “Find Me Guilty”. Yes, he is half Itailian, but he is also half black. So you only want to be ambiguous when it’s time to play a black man, not a white one? Got it!

This is the same setup that Tiger Woods likes to use. “I am not black I am Cablinasian” was one of his most embarrassing statements to date. Every white person I knew was laughing their asses off when he said that, and every black person I knew felt insulted and hurt.  The golfer has never hid his resent to the world for having to explain why he doesn’t see himself as black like 70% of bi-racial black people do. He claims he is making a statement about race because people shouldn’t have to choose. I think overall in a perfect world that would be nice, but here’s the catch. Almost all of the people like Vin Disel, Tiger Woods and others like them that make these type of colorblind comments only associate with whites, date, and marry whites or non blacks, and yet this is being colorblind? So if race is no issue and you want to be seen as multicultural then why do you only adhere yourself to white and non black circles?

Why don’t they just say, “I’d rather be white and associate myself with whites because that’s what I prefer?” Stop insulting black people with these weak excuses and just be real. Tiger has most likely never seriously dated a sister and I can bet my life that Vin Disel hasn’t either. Look at celebrities like Wentworth Miller from Prison Break, Lenny Kravitz, Dewayne The Rock Johnson, Halle Berry, and Boris Kodjoe. They are all bi-racial, and have not one single issue letting the world know it. Wentworth Miller doesn’t even look black and he openly admits it and is proud of his racial identity. Many of these celebs I just mentioned are involved in relationships with whites but again that’s not the issue. Besides, when you look at their dating history they have all had relationships with blacks on several occasions.

This is what I call being multicultural. Loving BOTH sides of your racial identity. Not claiming to be colorblind and then only associating yourself with one side (usually the non-black one). Not shaving your black ethnic hair bald ever single day so no one will see your naps and associate you with being black like Vin Diesel does. Now because of his reluctance to embrace his blackness he is type casted in these mindless, incredibly idiotic movies that are not worth his talent. I am amazed that Vin still gets casted in roles at all because his movies are usually huge box office disappointments. I guess that’s the white part thats working in his favor in this case.

Diesel is currently shooting and producing Fast and Furious, due out June 2009, and will next be seen starring in Babylon AD on August 29. I’m assuming it’s the movie version not the t.v. show.

No related posts.

No related posts.