4 days...and counting.

I will not be watching news coverage on election day.
I remember back in 2000. I went to sleep and Gore was the President.
I woke up and he wasn't and for 6 weeks after that we had no President.
My heart was more than broken. And I can't experience that again.
I'll be watching mindless t.v.
Hopefully there'll be a 'Charm School' marathon on VH1.
I'll go to bed and wake up and
prayerfully Obama will be our man.
I don't know if my heart will be able to contain
the emotion inside me that day.
I well up thinking about it.

thoughtsandthings 10/20-10/27 my/barack/obama/rant

8 days to go and I cannot wait.
I'm obsessed with this election.
I'm obsessed with Barack Obama winning this election.
I'm obsessed with Barack Obama NOT winning this election.
I think about him, and this election and what it means all day every day.
I watch CNN and FOX round the clock.
It has affected how I eat, sleep and interact with people.
I find myself counting how many people have Obama/Biden stickers on their cars.
I find myself counting how many people have mccain/palin stickers on their cars.
I find myself wanting to pull the mccain/palin sticker people over
and shake them and interrogate them.
And ask them WHY?
I'm afraid.
I'm afraid that black people won't vote.
that white people won't vote.
that the white people that will vote
won't vote for Barack.
even though they too are losing their homes and don't have health care.
I'm afraid that the polls are getting too close.
that they'll cheat.
I'm nervous.
I'm nervous about election day.
And what'll happen when Barack's named President.
And what'll happen if he isn't.
I'm anxious.
I'm anxious to get this over with.
I'm anxious to cast my vote.
to make my voice heard.
I wish that Barack wasn’t black.
glad that he is
just wish that he wasn't.
that race wasn't a factor
and we could just focus on the issues.
I wish that there was an antibiotic for ignorance.
But the ignorant wouldn’t even take it.
They wouldn’t know that they needed it.
I'm elated that Barack is running for President.
I'm elated that he's running such a classy and dignified campaign.
that he believed in himself, in us,
and this country enough to do so.
I'm voting for Barack because he speaks to me
I believe he'll speak for me.
I'm voting for him because he's wants to
create the America that I want my sons to grow up in.
I'm confident that he'll make a change.
I know for sure that he is the man for this job.
I know for sure that if Barack runs the country
like he ran his campaign we're going to be fine.
I know for sure that the time is now.

thoughtsandthings 10/13- 10/20...Bees. a review.

The Secret Life Of Bees...a review.

I’m so heavy with emotion right now.
I saw the Secret Life Of Bees and was so completely moved.
This movie is beautiful.
If Sade and Angela Bassett had a baby it would be Sophie Okenedo.
She gave a commanding performance
She summoned emotion so raw that at times it was more than I could take.
If she isn’t nominated for an Oscar it'll just be a tradegy.
And Alicia Keys was amazing.
I couldn’t see any other actress in that role.
Queen Latifah, Jennifer Hudson & Dakota Fannning all gave
inspiring performances.
I love that these ladies (Queen, Jennifer & Alicia)
came into the industry to sing/rap and gave
such incredible performances as actresses.
To have stumbled upon this career and to be so strong in it
is out of this world.
I can only imagine what that set must have been like.
The emotion on the set must’ve been palpable.
Gina Bythewood did a phenomenal job.
To garner such performances from these woman is a feat beyond measure.
If you haven't seen it GO NOW!

The Secret Life Of Bees...

Gina Prince Bythewood is the bomb. Really. And her resume is sweet.
Her movies "Love And Basketball" & "Disappearing Acts" are succulent.
And this week she's releasing her latest work, The Secret Life Of Bees.
Set in the early sixties, this is a story of a girl on a
quest for love and family.
Even though Gina is ridiculously busy promoting this film,
she made time to give me some inside scoop on the movie.
The making of this project sounds like a true love affair.
The bees are buzzing...Oscar.


How did you come to direct this movie?

it was sent to me as a manuscript before it was released as a book, but i was burnt out from doing back to back films and just tossed it into my closet without reading it. through the years i kept hearing what a great book it was. then, about two years ago an actress friend of mine told me she was going in to audition for this movie, "the secret life of bees" and i got incredibly jealous. i felt like it was my movie, even though i still had not even read the book. so i went home that night and read it, and was so blown away by the story, by lily's journey and by the boatwright sisters -- black women who crushed every stereotype. i realized i had made a huge mistake and was just pissed off for the next couple weeks. then by some miracle, the project fell apart and i got a call asking me if i would be interested in writing and directing it. this time i jumped at the opportunity and thankfully got the gig.

What inspired you to do this particular film? What about the movie spoke to you?

it all starts with the story, and i thought it was a beautiful story that moved me. lily's journey was very similar to what i went through growing up, being adopted and searching for the truth about my birth mother, and why i was given up, and most importantly, was i loved. i identified with her. and then, the chance to bring the boatwright sisters to life. here were three black women in the 1960's who were self-sufficient, educated, cultured and just fascinating characters. it is so rare to have one black female character in a film like that, and here were three.

What makes this film special?

there are so many beautiful themes within this film, and all of them are universal. they cross race, gender, religious lines and that is rare. and we as black women rarely get to see ourselves portrayed honestly on film. that does not mean saintly, or all good, which is just boring, but honestly and beautifully.



How does this film fit into your body of work?

it is a universal story that is told with black characters.

You have an incredible all star cast. What was the best thing about working with these women?

seriously, i was amazed every day. i was a fan of every actor in this film, and i got to go to war with them, and they looked to me to guide them. it was exciting. and then to hear latifah, jennifer and alicia sing on set in between takes, i mean come on. like my own private concert. crazy.


Secret Life is set in the early sixties… What were some of the things that you did to bring the women into that time and space?

i gave every actor a huge amount of research -- the documentaries "eyes on the prize,""four little girls," and books like "coming of age in mississippi," and "freedom summer." also a ton of music. five cds worth of 60's joints. and then we did some fun improvs.

Any funny and/or interesting behind the scene stories from the set that you'd like to share?

i can tell you first hand that kneeling on grits hurts like hell, and dakota wanted to do it for real, even in her closeup. that tells you what kind of actor she is. tristan and latifah are really acting with live bees, without gloves. there is no trick there. they both went to bee school to get comfortable, but it was still very scary. during all of filming, with thousands of live bees, only tristan got stung twice, the beekeeper and one camera man. so lucky. and this film not only has dakota's first real kiss on screen but also alicia's.

What do you want the audience to come away with?

you as an audience are trusting me with two hours of your life and i take that as a great responsibility. i want to move you, and inspire you. one of my favorite themes of this film is that optimism is courageous and i hope that everyone takes that away, as this is an important moment in history and optimism and courage are sorely needed.

THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES IS IN THEATRE'S FRIDAY OCTOBER 17th.
DON'T WALK...RUN! GO SEE IT! AND TAKE A FRIEND!