Your Favorite Underrated Actor

Here is a tribute video that combines songs by the late actor as well as clips from classic movies like The Landlord.  Gone too soon, here is a rundown of her accomplishments in film and the stage.

Way Back Weds High Inergy/Vintage Vid

I'm not into girl groups or women singers outside of Chaka Khan but everytime I see an old episode of Soul Train from the mid-to-late 70s, I get mad because these ladies did not get their due.  Maybe I was too young to remember but I really hope one day they will develop their own cult following since a reunion is not likely.

Since I think I did post the above in the past year, I decided to throw this in.

I was a fan of disco music as a kid, almost as much as blaxploitation films, and this is another one I cannot get out of my head.  Alton McClain and Destiny may have been a one-hit wonder but in the age of booty-poppin, autotune, bad hair weaves,and other stuff that brings on migraines, they would be very welcome.

YouTube Blaxploitation Magic

You probably already know that YouTube is a great source of free movies and the blaxplotation films are not the exception.  However, there have been some serious gems...even if they were duds.

I saw Black Sister's Revenge on TVOne some years ago.  It was edited and though I got the message okay.  However, this version had my eyes glued to the monitor and sho' nuff wanting more wishing Jamaa Fanaka had done a sequel.  Here's a summary.

A homegirl from the South arrives in Compton in the early/mid 1970s to stay with relatives.  The relatives initially look their nose down at her (?) but since she's got one of those personalities, she wins them over.  Same applies to the neighborhood kids who are less than tactful (IMO she looks okay, she's just dark-skinned...but then again so are a lot of BLACK people).  However, by the time the big party arrives, one of the local thugs has his eye on her.

She falls for him even though he ain't got no job or prospects and even her uncle tries to place a wedge in between the new couple.  It is when dude gets locked up, she shows us what a ride-or-die chick REALLY is.  I won't give away the in-between but when she catches him cheating....let's just say there were no stunts!

***

On the flip, I saw a little bit of Darktown Strutters.  The truth is that there was only so much I could take.  I have surgery coming up in the next month so maybe I will get bored enough to sit through the entire thing.  How bad is it, you ask?  Well, I was able to sit through TNT Jackson, the Blacula sequel, and many Tyler Perry movies.  I don't mind women in Labelle outfits riding around in choppers but those special effects and cartoon sounds were just too much.  Not even Roger Mosely could save this flick...and I liked Sweet Jesus Preacherman!

Will Bounce TV Take a Stand Against Russy?

What I think about Russell Simmons money.

I haven't seen the entire travesty of a video and I will not share it here.  However, I've seen enough to know that drugs really fries brain cells.  Though I've had my own issues to deal with in the past few weeks, I've noticed that I haven't seen those Rush Card commercials on Bounce TV.

Yeah, everybody's got bills to pay but I've heard many not-so-great things about celebrity-endorsed debit cards and how they take advantage of regular folks trying to get ahead.  Particularly the Russell/Kimora Simmons Rush Card.  I went on YouTube to find a testimonial but none in the immediate searches got to the point in the first 3 minutes of viewing.

Hopefully, Bounce TV will stop running these commercials and in the meantime, you can check out this 411 on debit card account fees and what is legitimate.  Courtesy of the Federal Reserve Consumer site.

GEORGE DUKE RIP

Here is a real genius at work in the studio with a very young Sheila E.  Click here to read more about his life.  Courtesy SPIN magazine.