Roll Wit It

Genuis

Something

Read this New York Times article by Rick Moranis

pretty good

RAISING ARIZONA

The continual persecution and exploitation of immigrants continues to grow in the United States of America. Anti-immigrant laws like Arizona’s SB1070 and national initiatives like Secure Communities and the 287(g) program have set this country back 60 years to a civil rights crisis. Check out this song and video of Arizona Rappers that are protesting the immigration bill.

Inception Trailer 3

Simply Amazing

Ukulele Man Jake Shimabukuro

TEDxTalks — May 15, 2010 — Few people would consider the ukulele a serious musical instrument. Until, that is, they hear Jake Shimabukuro play one. Jakes uncommon compositions and playing techniques defy labels and categories, and he lays down jazz, blues, funk, classical, bluegrass, folk, flamenco and rock with equal virtuosity. Occasional tours with Jimmy Buffett & The Coral Reefer Band have broadened his experience and brought his talent and charming stage presence to crowds of up to fifty thousand people. Jake has also performed on NBCs The Late Show with Conan OBrien, The Today Show, and Last Call With Carson Daly, and been featured on NPRs Morning Edition and World Café, Public Radio Internationals The World, and others. In December 2009, he performed with Bette Midler for Queen Elizabeth during a special fundraising concert in Blackpool, England.

http://tedxtokyo.com/tedxtokyo-2010/p…

For more information on Jake click here

Evolution of Morgan Freeman

Building Realism Through Characters

by Leslie Esdaile Banks

From the web site fictionfactor

The basis of any genre of writing is creating a world that is credible to the reader.

This aspect of developing an entertaining “ride for the reader’s money” is critical to success. Thus, with that main paradigm at the forefront of all creative endeavors, a writer can easily slide between genres as distinct as romance, to women’s fiction, to even horror. I know – I’ve done it in 14 novels.

Now one might rightfully ask, how in the heck does a “romance writer,’ go from the world of wine and roses to “the dark side,” with ease and grace? How can a “horror writer” make such villainous characters – like vampires – seem so endearing?

Again, the answer is simple: develop your characters based upon realistic human emotions and reactions to stimuli in your novel plot.

Within every good book, what makes for reality-suspended reading is ironically reality. If your characters are credible, the way they see the world is identifiable as true to life, because you can empathize with their thoughts and feelings.

Any situation you hurl your characters into has rules that you, the writer and creator of your fictional world, should not violate. By finding the thoughts and actions that are true to your characters’ personalities and sticking to them, you will create a captivating book.

Emotions are the centerpiece. From there, the action fans out in a ripple effect that embraces (or traps) your characters. The moment your characters behave in a way that is less than believable, then your reader is jerked back from their escape, away from the world you’ve created within your book, and they are halted by one thought: “Huh? Naaaaah…. Get out of here-nobody would do that.”

And, the moment that thought occurs within the reader’s head, you’ve lost them.

The reader then becomes a “flaw detective,” looking for other violated laws of reality within the novel until they are no longer held to the plot. Conversely, if they believe the emotions and bond to the characters, then whatever world you thrust them into, they’re with the story for the duration.

A lot of focus is often put on solid plotting and action, and in truth, there is no substitute for that. However, it is not the primary force within the story. It all begins with people, as your readers are people, and that’s what the readers bond to-first.

© Copyright 2003 Leslie Esdaile Banks. All rights reserved

Leslie Esdaile Banks is a full-time author with over 14 novels and 4 novellas, writing for Genesis Press, Inc., BET/Arabesque, Simon and Schuster/Pocketbooks, and St. Martin’s Press, Inc.

You can visit Leslie at www.esdailebooks.com, or you can learn more about Leslie’s books at www.vampirehuntress.com

I Give Up Quentin Tarantino

Whats in the trunk?

Black Vampires in Film

Taken from from an article written by Bertena Varney Examinier.com

Vampires have always been known as seductive creatures of the night They have pale skin, glowing eyes, and very sharp sexy phallic like fangs. When one says vampire they often think of the very dark Gary Oldman in Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise in Interview with a Vampire, and of course the beautiful vampires in the Twilightmovies. But so often there are another group of vampires that are often overlooked- Black Vampires. They are very sensual and sexy creatures. They range from the blaxpoitation of early film to very strong lead characters such as Blade. So in honor of Black History Month,  I have compiled a list of the very few black vampires in film.

Here is the list based on their release date from older to recent:

1. Blacula- 1972. William Marshall plays Prince Mamuwalde, the ruler of an African nation, who seeks the help of Count Dracula to help stop the slave trade. Dracula, who along with his other evils is revealed as a racist, not only refuses to help but also transforms Mamuwalde into a vampire and renames him Blacula. It is the first of the blaxpoitation horror films.
2. Ganja and Hess – 1973. Archaeologist, Dr. Hess Green who becomes a vampire after being stabbed with an ancient cursed dagger by his assistant and then falls in love with his assistant’s widow, Ganja. The film stars Marlene Jones and Duane Gunn.
3. Vamp- 1986. Stars Grace Jones as a vampire who challenges fraternity boys to survive til dawn.
4. Vampire in Brooklyn- 1995. Sexy Eddie Murphy play Maximillian, a vampire who is searching for his soul mate, NYPD, Rita Veder.

Eddie Murphy in Vampire in Brooklyn

5. Kindred: the Embraced- 1996. Erik King plays the Detective Sonny Toussaint, a vampire who helps protect the masquerade of the vampires. This television show ended after the first season after the real life death of the lead actor, Mark Frankel.
6. The Blade Trilogy: Blade- 1998, Blade II- 2002, and Blade Trinity- 2004. Wesley Snipes plays a daywalker. His mother was turned to a vampire and it affected him prior to birth. This sexy vampire has some of the qualities of vampires such as the need of while being able to walk in the sunlight. Blade was probably the first movie to really draw attention to the black vampire as a sex symbol as well as serious vampire movie.
7. Dracula 2000- 2000. Marcs played by Omar Epps is a supporting character in this story of how Dracula came to be.
8. Queen of the Damned- 2002. Aaliyah, singer and actress portrayed Queen Akasha, the Mother of all Vampires. Lestast’s music waits the Queen and the story begins. This film is based on Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicle Series. This was the actress’ last movie because she killed during filming. She was a very talented and sexy vampire in the film.
9. Twilight- 2009. Laurent, the member of the “bad” vampires in Twilight was a wonderful sight on screen. His sexy abs, long hair, and stunning eyes make him very sexy. He was very stunning on screen and played the character very well.

Who will be the next sexy black vampire?

Well, according to the MTV website Snoop is a he fan of True Blood so much so that he went so far to ask on camera if the producers would allow him to play a vampire on a future show. Snoop has in the past played a ghost in the horror movie Bones.

Who knows he may be the next black vampire. What do you think?

Unfortunately, there have not been very many black vampires or movies but as the popularity of the seductive monster increases maybe there will be more black vampires in film.

What are your thoughts on this?