Here's Hoping Joan Rivers Has The Last Laugh

While my family bands around my 84-year-old grandmother Pearl, who thankfully is doing well while dealing with a health issue (I wrote about this in yesterday's blog post: http://chrisbournea.blogspot.com/2014/08/road-trip-to-st-louis-detour.html), someone else of her generation is also facing a medical crisis. 

Legendary comedian Joan Rivers, 81, is reportedly on life support after going into cardiac and respiratory arrest during a relatively routine throat surgery on Thursday, Aug. 28.

It's hard to believe that Rivers, who is so energetic and up-to-date on pop culture, is in such serious condition. She's become a poster girl for the possibility of staying vital, active and relevant past a "certain age." In fact, she once famously said, "It's better to expire than retire."

Rivers and daughter, Melissa, 46, have had an outpouring of support. But Joan certainly has her fair share of critics who say she's mean-spirited in the biting comments she makes about celebrities in her stand-up act and appearances on the E! Network's Fashion Police.

Earlier this summer, Rivers grabbed headlines for walking out of an interview with CNN anchor Fredricka Whitfield after blowing her top when Whitfield grilled her about hurting people's feelings. (Watch the video "Joan Rivers Storms Out of CNN Interview" at this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lKS-Et-VmE)

As Rivers told Whitfield, the rich, famous and powerful whom she mocks probably couldn't care less about what Rivers says about the ugly dress they chose for an awards show. And if they do, so what? They're in the public eye and fair game.

I tend to agree. For one thing, Rivers doesn't usually pick on easy targets.

It's not like Rivers shows up at a homeless shelter or a battered women's center, rolls out a red carpet, picks up a mic and shouts at someone who's down on their luck, "Hey, you slob, why the f*** are you wearing those holey sweatpants?!"

And despite her reputation for being harsh, she has a philanthropic side and has been closely involved with several charities for years.

Years ago when I was going through a rough spot in life, Rivers' book Bouncing Back helped me do just that. 

As related by the book's subtitle ("I've Survived Everything... and I Mean Everything"), she's a true survivor who has lived through countless calamities, including her husband Edgar's suicide, bankruptcy and very public failures - not the least of which was being blacklisted by former mentor and friend Johnny Carson.

I met Rivers in 2000 at a reception following her speaking engagement at the Ohio Theatre in my hometown of Columbus, Ohio. She seemed approachable when I walked up to her and shared with her how her book helped me overcome a post-college "quarter-life crisis." She was nice and seemed genuinely concerned when she asked me if I was doing better. I happily reported that I was - thanks, in part, to her book. 

And no, she didn't critique what I was wearing.

I'm hoping Rivers rebounds and lives to joke about the time back in '14 when she was on life support. 

Road Trip To St. Louis - Detour

Well, this day ended up way different than expected.

My grandmother, Pearl, and I had planned to drive from my hometown of Columbus, Ohio, to St. Louis this weekend for a cousin's wedding. But, as the cliché goes, life is what happens when you're making plans...

Instead of going to St. Louis, I took my grandmother to Riverside hospital to be treated for symptoms related to hitting her head a few days ago. I'm relieved that she's doing fine - talking and walking (although on bed rest), etc., like her normal self as she undergoes tests.

It would have been a fun trip to St. Louis. I was looking forward to spending quality time with my Nanaugh Pearl and had even rented movies (yes, I still go to a bricks-and-mortar video store) for us to watch in the hotel: The Trip to Bountiful with Cicely Tyson and A Day Late and a Dollar Short with Whoopi Goldberg.

I'd also packed gospel CDs by artists such as Oleta Adams and Candi Staton that we'd both enjoy listening to on the way.

Oh, well. We can always plan another road trip. Her health is my main concern.

Road Trip To St. Louis - Day 1

I was probably a preteen, like in the above photo above, the last time I took a road trip of any considerable length with my maternal grandparents. 

My grandfather, whom I called "Daddy Bob," passed away almost exactly 10 years ago to the day of this post. He died on August 26, 2004. 

But I'm blessed that my grandmother, Pearlie Mae, whom I call "Nanaugh Pearl," is still alive and well.

This Labor Day weekend, Nanaugh Pearl and I plan to travel from my hometown of Columbus, Ohio, to my cousin Charles' wedding in St. Louis. Charles is my grandfather's nephew. (Or the son of grandfather's nephew; I'm not sure which, and should probably clarify that before the wedding. And, actually, I'm not exactly sure if he's the one getting married - something else I should probably clarify with my grandmother before the wedding.)

When I got off work yesterday evening and called Nanaugh to confirm the time to pick her up this morning for the seven-hour drive, she told me she hadn't been feeling well the night before. She said she was pretty sure she'd feel like proceeding with the trip by the time she got up this morning, but she didn't sound totally certain.

I had mixed emotions, hearing Nanaugh say that she might have to bail on the road trip we'd been planning for a couple months. On the one hand, having unexpected free time over the course of a three-day weekend would be an extremely rare luxury that I could use to catch up on housework, ever-pressing writing deadlines and the gazillion other things that keep piling up and that I never seem to catch up on.

And I could use the time to connect with other family and friends I've been meaning to catch up with.  

But what I mostly felt was disappointment at the prospect of not taking this trip with my grandmother. She will turn 84 on Monday, during the planned return drive to Columbus, and the chance to spend time solo with her on her birthday is an opportunity that most likely will not come along again in either of our lifetimes.

And I've been looking forward to this unique bonding opportunity with the woman who helped raise me (I call her "Mom" when speaking to her). We've never taken a long road trip without my grandfather.





My grandparents and I in 1982. No, we weren't the only black family to visit Aspen that year. It's one of those fake Olan Mills backdrops from the '80s.

Going anywhere, especially a long distance, with Daddy Bob was an adventure, to say the least. My grandfather was a complex man who was a stable, nurturing and even doting father figure to me. But, how shall I put this delicately? He, um, had a very strong personality and could be - ahem - challenging to deal with.

As much as I loved Daddy Bob and will cherish his memory, I have to be frank in saying he could turn a jaunt to the corner store into a hellish experience, let alone a long road trip. He was a speed demon who didn't refrain from tailgating and "blessing" out people who got in his way. 

(Imagine the video for rapper Ludacris' song "Move B***, Get Out the Way" with an AARP member at the wheel. The edited, i.e. "clean" version of the video can be seen by clicking this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tw429JGL5zo)

My grandfather was extremely impatient, not only with other drivers, but with those of us who happened to be passengers. But he was as loveable as he was irritable.

As a child, I often witnessed my grandmother being the long-suffering wife. Especially on car trips when she'd try to talk sense into my grandfather - an exercise in futility, of course.

So it will be interesting, as an adult, to travel with my grandmother without the - uh, how can I put this tactfully, in case my family reads this? - heavy responsibility of trying to "manage" my grandfather's ever-shifting moods.

And this road trip will also be a chance to catch up and have some good, lengthy conversations with my grandmother, something that doesn't happen very often. Like many adult children, I'm guilty of getting wrapped up in my own life and so "busy" that I don't get by to see parents and grandparents as much as I should.

And my guilt is compounded by the fact that my place is only 15 minutes away from the house where Daddy Bob and Nanaugh Pearl lived throughout my entire childhood.

I'm drafting this post around 7 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 30, and am supposed to swing by and pick Nanaugh up in a couple hours.

So my next post will either be a narrative kicking off the start of our road trip to St. Louis or an update that my grandmother didn't feel up to the journey, after all.

We'll see...

All Jokes Journal - August 25 '14

Raymond Lambert and I continue to work steadily toward meeting the quickly approaching deadline for the book we are collaborating on that will tell his story and chronicle the history of All Jokes Aside. 

The groundbreaking Chicago establishment was known as the "Motown of comedy clubs" - a first-rate, black-owned enterprise that helped give a start to superstars like Steve Harvey, Chris Rock, Dave Chapelle, Mo'Nique, D.L. Hughley, Bernie Mac,  Adele Givens, Cedric the Engerainer, JB Smoove and other kings and queens of comedy.

On Monday evening, Aug. 25, I spoke for nearly an hour with former All Jokes manager Ben Ross. Ben gave fascinating insights about being the white manager of a black-owned business and the behind-the-scenes scoop on performers like Chris Rock and Craig Robinson (most recently seen as Maceo Parker in the James Brown biopic "Get On Up"). 

Ben's dish is sure to keep readers turning the pages...

'Icon' Sheila E. Releases New Album, Memoir

Thirty years ago as a preteen, I was sitting in my grandparents’ rec room, bored as usual and channel-surfing. (At least my grandparents were a bit ahead of their time for the mid-‘80s and had cable.)

My interest perked up when I landed on MTV and caught a glimpse of a music video featuring a funky dance tune by an exotically beautiful woman playing Latin percussion. I not only perked up, I was mesmerized. 

Watch the classic music video for The Glamorous Life by clicking on this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZrGOBFS748

This woman, Sheila Escovedo – better known as Sheila E. – is set to release the story of her life on Sept. 2. The autobiography, appropriately titled The Beat of My Own Drum, can be ordered by visiting her website: http://www.sheilae.com/shop/autobiography/#sthash.DVT3jynf.dpbs.

Sheila also recently released a new album, also aptly titled Icon. The following is a review of Icon, comparing several of the tracks to songs on Sheila’s albums that were released on Warner Bros. Records in the '80s and '90s. 

The songs I reference may be obscure to those less familiar with Sheila's body of work, but will hopefully bring back fond memories for longtime fans:

A Throwback to '85 - Icon opens with “Mona Lisa." No, this isn't a remake of the Nat King Cole standard. Sheila's "Mona Lisa" is apparently about the subject of the famous da Vinci painting or a mythical woman from that era. Think “Dear Michelangelo” from 1985’s Romance 1600 album.

Soul Salsa - Sheila E.'s self-titled 1987 album has a spicy instrumental dance track called "Soul Salsa." The phrase also applies to Track No. 2 on Icon: “Fiesta,” which combines Latin salsa, reggaeton, R&B and hip-hop. Sheila’s trademark timbale playing permeates the song. This is an upbeat party groove in the vein of “Private Party (Tu Para Mi)” from 1991's Sex Cymbal album.

Watch the red-hot video for "Fiesta," which was filmed on the streets of her hometown of Oakland, by clicking this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjHQ-Xhm3Rc

Without (Self) Love, It Ain't Much - “Who I Am Now” is a heartfelt, confessional ballad in which Sheila shares how her spiritual faith has deepened over the years and enabled her to become more compassionate. It brings to mind the introspective hymn “Mother Mary” from the Sex Cymbal album.

'Love' On A New Train - “Lovely Day” is a delightful, upbeat ditty. Think “Love on a Blue Train” from the Sheila E. album. (Watch the video at the following link to the exclusive premiere on Billboard.com: http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/6229355/sheila-e-lovely-day-video-exclusive.)

Family Jam - In December 2003, Sheila E. presented the Family Jam, a reunion at the Los Angeles Forum of several singers and musicians who have worked with Prince, her longtime collaborator, in the past. 

The event featured such artists as Patti LaBelle joining in a gospel-tinged group sing-along of "Purple Rain" and warbling her funky, Prince-penned 1989 R&B hit "Yo, Mister." Chaka Khan performed "I Feel For You," the song Prince originally wrote for his 1979 self-titled album and that Chaka took to the top of the pop charts in 1984.

The Family Jam also featured Prince and the Revolution members Wendy and Lisa, Brown Mark, Matt Fink and Bobby Z.; the lineup of The Family, who were signed to Prince's Paisley Park Records and yielded the '85 hit "Screams of Passion" and the original version of the ballad "Nothing Compares to You" before Sinead O'Connor turned it into a pop hit in '90; Sheila E.'s Glamorous Life-era band; and Prince's Purple Rain co-star Apollonia Kotero. 

The Family Jam benefited the Elevate Hope Foundation, which support Sheila's passion for helping abused children heal through the power of the arts.

“Leader of the Band," a mid-tempo track from Icon, features a family jam of another sort. The song is fittingly titled since it features Prince. 

"Leader of the Band" is not another steamy duet like “Erotic City,” but rather a salsa-flavored track on which His Royal Badness plays piano.

Click this link to read my review of Now & Forever, Sheila E.'s amazing 2011 album with her legendary bandleader father, Pete Escovedo, and talented percussionist brothers Peter Michael and Juan and special guests such as Gloria Estefan, Earth, Wind & Fire, Israel Houghton, Raphael Saadiq and the late, great George Duke.

“Leader of the Band,” also features Sheila’s famous bandleader and percussionist father, Pete Escovedo, and Sheila’s brothers Peter Michael and Juan, who are also percussionists. The track opens with Sheila playfully begging her father, “Come on, Pops, let me be the leader for once.”

And after turning in yet another stunning timbales solo, Sheila concludes, “Mmm-hmm. I learned that from my daddy.”

Sheila E.'s stellar new Icon album is available on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Icon-E-Sheila/dp/B00EXWY9IU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1409215144&sr=8-1&keywords=Sheila+E.+Icon

Prince To Release New Music, 'Purple Rain' Revisited

The perennially prolific Prince is set to release not one, but two new albums on Sept. 30 (read more at the following link: http://www.soultracks.com/story-prince-two-albums). And in July of this year, "Purple Rain" marked its 30th anniversary.

On the eve of the groundbreaking movie and soundtrack album's anniversary on July 4, I had the pleasure of seeing Prince live at the Essence Festival in New Orleans.

As a loyal Prince fan since my aunt Cathy took me and my prepubescent cousins Darlene and Stacy to see the groundbreaking rock and roll musical in the summer of '84, I was elated when I recently discovered a special-issue "Purple Rain" double CD on Amazon.

For my fellow "PR" devotees out there, I highly recommend picking up "Purple Rain: The Complete Soundtrack." It not only has rare extended mixes of Prince and the Revolution classics like "Computer Blue," it also features songs that were performed in the movie but did not appear on the original soundtrack, such as The Time's "Jungle Love," Apollonia 6's "Sex Shooter" and "Modernaire," by former Prince sideman Dez Dickerson.

For those of you who are true music geeks like me, you'll really get a kick out of listening to the "Computer Blue" extended mix. If you've seen the movie (if you grew up in the '80s, how could you have not?), you may recall the scene where Prince enters the First Avenue Club to find Revolution members Bobby Z., Matt Fink and Brown Mark working out a funky keyboard riff. This riff is included in the "Computer Blue" extended mix, as is a computerized female voice that sounds like Revolution member Wendy Melvoin filtered through some kind of digital blender.

"Purple Rain: The Complete Soundtrack" also features the infamous "backwards masking" ending of "Darling Nikki," remixed so that you hear Prince uttering the words, "How are you? I'm fine/The Lord is coming soon..." 

SPOILER ALERT: The second CD features a hidden bonus track: a full-length version of "Love Theme from Purple Rain," a beautiful instrumental track that played during Prince and Apollonia's love scene in the movie and served as the underpinning for Prince's classic B-side, "God."

Since it's a rare special-issue, "Purple Rain: The Complete Soundtrack" doesn't come cheap. But for anyone who's a fan of the movie and/or His Royal Badness himself, this collector's item is priceless.

Yes, 'Black Jesus' Is Offensive And, Yes, It Should Stay On The Air

Critics of the new Adult Swim comedy show Black Jesus -- featuring a profanity-spewing, beer-guzzling, drug-dealing Christ in contemporary South Central L.A. -- contend that it's blasphemous and should be yanked from the airwaves.

It's not surprising that series creator Aaron McGruder would grab headlines for controversial subject matter, as he did for many years with The Boondocks.

I don't have cable and haven't seen Black Jesus. And I don't plan to watch it online.

As a consumer and comedy fan who happens to be a Christian, I'm exercising my right to simply tune out something that I may potentially find offensive and disturbing. But as a writer myself, I support McGruder's right to artistic expression and, furthermore, self-expression.

In the controversy over Black Jesus, I fall somewhere in the middle of outraged critics who say it should be banned and passionate "converts," so to speak, who think it's hilarious social/religious satire.

I'm not a fan of blasphemy. But I'm not in favor of censorship, either. As the old saying goes, I disagree with what you say but I'll defend to the death your right to say it.

Do I like the idea of something I hold sacred being mocked? No. Is Black Jesus crass, in poor taste, insensitive and disrespectful to millions of believers around the world? Possibly. 

But I'd rather live in a society where the Aaron McGruders of the world have the freedom to express themselves without fear of persecution.

And a society where people can say things that other people might find offensive, without fear that they are going to be literally or metaphorically gagged, bound and spirited away (pardon the pun) by the politically correct "thought police" in the middle of the night.

As a viewer, I have the right to change the channel. Or turn off the TV.

Chris Bournea is the author of the novel The Chloe Chronicles,  now available at Amazon.com. He is currently working on a book with Raymond Lambert that will tell the story of Lambert's All Jokes Aside, the famous Chicago comedy club that helped launch the careers of many kings and queens of comedy.

Is It Ever Okay For A White Person To Mock Black Speech?

As a Generation Xer who grew up on '80s teen movies, I looked forward to watching the John Cusack movie "Say Anything" for the first time when I recently came across it in the library. I don't know why I'd never before seen "Say Anything," since I saw most of the John Hughes movies like "Sixteen Candles" and "The Breakfast Club" numerous times.

 

I found "Say Anything" mildly entertaining until a scene early on in the movie when Cusack's character and his little nephew mock "Hey Love" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEC-SbF7g5A), a popular commercial from the '80s in which two black men discuss a greatest-hits soul music collection. One of the men is played by John Canada Terrell, later seen in Spike Lee's seminal flick "She's Gotta Have It." 

In the scene from "Say Anything," Cusack mimicks Terrell's "black" speech. In the commercial, when Terrell's buddy asks to borrow his "Hey Love" greatest-hits record, Terrell replies, "No, my brother, you got to buy your own" - which Cusack imitates in an exaggerated, "black" accent.

It's obvious this scene is meant to be cutesy and inoffensive - a teen boy joking around with his nephew.

And I doubt if either Cusack or Cameron Crowe, who wrote and directed the movie, are raging racists. My guess would be that they're both dyed-in-the-wool Hollywood liberals.

So that raises the question, if you're a liberal white person who otherwise supports minorities and champions the underprivileged - someone who's proved you're one of the "good guys" - is it okay to mock black speech?

In a brilliant podcast titled "Pop Culture Expiration Dates: Why Music and Movies Go Bad" (http://www.cracked.com/podcast/pop-culture-expiration-dates-why-music-movies-go-bad/), Jack O'Brien, editor-in-chief of the humor website Cracked.com, also imitates black speech. But for an entirely different reason.

O'Brien mocks the voice of Best Buy's "Beat Pill" Character, which appears to represent black urban males. In the podcast, O'Brien describes a Best Buy commercial (http://www.marketmenot.com/best-buy-make-my-party-pop-off-commercial/) in which a white guy asks the Beat Pill about what he needs to "make my party pop off." O'Brien imitates the Beat Pill's "black," urban accent for the purpose of pointing out how much of a racist stereotype the character is.

From my perspective as an African-American male, Cusack's character's imitation of black speech in "Say Anything" was politically incorrect and insensitive, while O'Brien doing the same thing was not because he did it to prove a point.

But another African American may feel entirely different. It's all in how you look at it.

 

 

Did George Lucas Ruin Your Childhood Memories?

The hilarious documentary The People vs. George Lucas makes a good point: It's virtually impossible to recreate that sense of awe and wonder that we felt as children the first time we saw something amazing like Star Wars.

The People vs. George Lucas features a lot of laugh-out-loud commentary from sci-fi fans, critics and everyday people who offer perspectives on why the second Star Wars trilogy doesn't come anywhere to measuring up to the first.

Watch the trailer for The People vs. George Lucas at this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aoc3roT81nU

Many of the Star Wars fanboys (and girls) came to the conclusion that the first Star Wars trilogy may have been more inspired, since creator George Lucas was young and hungry when he made it. But they also realized that the reason why the first Star Wars trilogy was so awe-inspiring is because when they saw it, they were children, when everything seemed larger than life.

In the documentary, one fanboy describes the anticipation he felt when it was announced in the late '90s that a new Star Wars movie would soon be released, and the enormous sense of disappointment he felt when he finally got to see 1999's The Phantom Menace.

The fanboy said he became increasingly irritated not only by the fact that the movie wasn't as good as he'd hoped it would be, but that the children around him in the movie theater didn't seem to realize that it "sucked," as he put it.

While I'm a Star Wars fan and grew up watching the movies like most of my Generation X peers, I'm not as rabid a fan of the Force as the people featured in The People vs. George Lucas.

I was, however, a huge fan of '80s movies about young people pursuing dreams in the arts, like Purple Rain, Krush Groove and Flashdance.

And when I recently saw the Broadway musical adaptation of Flashdance, I felt the same sense of irritation and violation that The People vs. George Lucas commentators did: that something special from my childhood was being desecrated. Some cultural touchstones are classics and shouldn't be tampered with.

No Time To Write That Book? Try Emailing Yourself

Have you always wanted to write a book, but you don't have much time? One convenient option is using your SmartPhone, iPad or other tablet to write via email.

While you may not have time to sit down at your desktop or laptop and write for an hour each day, it's easy to carve out a few minutes here and there by dashing off a few lines throughout the day in the form of emails to yourself.

 

While standing in line at the bank, the post office or the grocery store or while waiting for your turn at the barber shop or beauty salon, you can use your phone to type out a few lines of your work-in-progress and email them to yourself.

Instead of thumbing through the latest edition of Us Weekly and living vicariously through overexposed celebrities while in the dentist's office or the bathroom, use your own imagination to escape your drab surroundings and draft creative-writing emails. 

If you do this every day, the emails add up to chapters, and the chapters will eventually become a full-length book. At the end of a week, if you cut and paste your emailed prose into a Word file and print them out, you just might be surprised at how much writing you were able to accomplish during what would otherwise be unproductive, wasted time. 

My 'Insanity Workout' Experience

(This post was originally published on Jan. 9, 2014)


In 2013, I tried a couple of different fitness programs. One of the ones I tried was The Insanity Workout, a 60-day program that basically boils down to taking a bootcamp-style fitness class six days a week. 

I embarked on the Insanity Workout while in the fall of 2013 while in the midst of rehearsals for The Springtime of Our Lives, my first stage play that I wrote and directed. Taking on such an intense workout while involved in such a major undertaking was – well, insane. But I actually had a really good experience with the Insanity Workout.

Unlike some fitness gurus, who spend most of their time talking, Insanity trainer Shaun Thompson (aka “Shaun T.”) does most of the workout along with the fitness models. The workouts take place in a spacious gymnasium instead of the fake-looking studios that are the backdrops in so many workout videos.

And Shaun and the Insanity producers definitely get an A-plus for diversity by including fitness models of nearly every race.

 
The only criticism I have of The Insanity Workout is that it’s a bit too repetitive. The same moves are done over and over, which can get monotonous, not to mention exhausting. The repetitiveness can make you start wondering in agony, "When is this ever going to be over?!"

And occasionally text appears onscreen that contrast with the visuals.  For example, a message encouraging viewers to “Never Stop” is superimposed over a shot of one of the fitness models sprawled on the floor, having given up finishing that particular exercise before the rest of the crew. Conversely, a message assuring viewers to “Take a Break When You Need To” is superimposed over a shot of a fitness model gyrating energetically.

But for the most part, I had fun doing The Insanity Workout. It was motivating to roll out of bed and know exactly what I was going to be doing as soon as my feet hit the floor – trudging down to my basement to do the day’s "insane" workout.
Overall, the Insanity Workout is worth the time, energy and sweat.

  

 

The Best of 2013

(This post was originally published on Jan. 9, 2014)
 
It’s hard to believe, but 2013 is gone and, with the start of 2014, we’re into the teens and almost halfway through another decade. The following is a look back at some of my “favorite things” of the past year.

MOVIES

My favorite movie of the year, hands-down, was “Lee Daniels’ The Butler.” This epic story of an African-American White House butler who serves eight presidents while witnessing the civil rights movement and other historic moments is based on a true story. And that profile of the late Eugene Allen, which originally appeared in the Washington Post on the eve of President Barack Obama’s first election, was written by Wil Haygood, who is a native of my hometown, Columbus, Ohio.

It was really cool getting to hear Wil share behind-the-scenes details and describe the movie’s success (it’s officially become a blockbuster, having broken $100 million at the box office and recently came out on DVD) at the Columbus Association of Black Journalist’s Gala at the Hilton Easton in November.

 

“The Butler” and its stellar cast, including Forrest Whittaker and Oprah Winfrey, were unfortunately overlooked by the Oscars and the Golden Globes. But the movie and cast have at least gotten well-deserved recognition with numerous NAACP Image Award nominations (http://www.naacpimageawards.net/).

Also on my "Best of 2013" list for movies is "12 Years a Slave," which was nominated for a Best Picture Oscar and is considered a favorite to win. Chiwetel Ejiofor and Lupita Nyong'o also received well-earned nominations for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actress, respectively.

 

While "12 Years a Slave" is definitely not "entertaining" in the traditional sense, it's probably the most realistic depiction of slavery to ever appear in a mainstream, theatrically-released film. And it does what movies are supposed to do - transports you to another time and place and immerses you in the story.

In the documentary category, the Oscar-nominated "20 Feet From Stardom" is definitely worth checking out.

 

"20 Feet" offers a fascinating glimpse into the lives of successful background singers such as Lisa Fischer, who has backed such legends as Tina Turner, Luther Vandross and the Rolling Stones; Darlene Love (Sam Cooke, Elvis, Sonny and Cher) and Merry Clayton (the Rolling Stones) and why these phenomenally talented women never became solo stars. The doc also chronicles the story of up-and-comer Judith Hill, who has performed with Michael Jackson and other superstars and her struggle to establish herself as an artist in her own right.

MUSIC

"Next Exit," Columbus, Ohio-based duo Ingram Street's mixtape, is in my 2013 Top 10 list for music.

 

Brothers Woody and Minquel Ingram deliver a palatable blend of the old and the new on hip-hop-flavored R&B jams like “Internet Man,” which samples New Edition's classic “Mr. Telephone Man.” They also promote nostalgia for us Gen Xers and Yers on the self-titled “Ingram Street,” which samples the familiar theme to “Sesame Street.”

 
Look for Ingram Street to kick into high gear in 2014. You can watch the video for the smooth track "Don't Disturb This Groove" and learn more about Ingram Street on their page at Soultracks.com, a prestigious website for everything related to soul music: http://www.soultracks.com/first-look-ingram-street-dont-disturb-the-groove.

BOOKS

One of the best literary endeavors of 2013 is my friend Lin Rice’s short story “Off the Record,” which is featured in the new anthology “Best Ohio Short Stories.”

In this story, Lin skillfully keeps you turning the pages – or, moving your Kindle screen forward, which is the way I read it – by portraying a mysterious organization that tracks alien abductions. The main character is an out-of-work reporter who reluctantly agrees to do business with the organization and conduct interviews with people who claim to have had experiences with extraterrestrials.

Lin creates suspense, keeping you guessing as to whether this creepy organization is legitimate and how they draw this reporter in – sort of like a sci-fi version of the John Grisham novel “The Firm.”

One of the best aspects of the story is how Lin, a guy, portrays the female main character. Except for a few clarifying pronouns, the female character could be of either gender – which will encourage both male and female readers to identify with her.

“Off the Record” is definitely one of the literary highlights of 2013 - not that I’m biased, of course.