Friday, March 29, 2024

The Pulse of Entertainment: Bill Duke, the Godfather of Black Cinema, Releases Photo Book to Documentary ‘Dark Girls’

Bill Duke, the godfather of black cinema, releases photo book to documentary ‘Dark Girls’ and airs sequel with ‘Light Girls’ on OWN

Famed actor/film director Bill Duke (Xmen:The Last Stand) releases photo book to "Black Girls" documentary, sequel "Light Girls" airs on OWN.
Famed actor/film director Bill Duke (Xmen:The Last Stand) releases photo book to “Black Girls” documentary, sequel “Light Girls” airs on OWN.

*“Pain is pain,” said famed movie actor/director Bill Duke about why he tackled light skin girls in his new documentary “Light Girls,” a sequel to his documentary “Dark Girls” (2011). Bill feels that aside from racism in this country there is “colorism” where you are judged by the tone of your skin. “We bicker over skin tone. Whites go to tanning salons…injections to look like our butts and lips.”

Bill’s documentary on “Light Girls” aired on the OWN network January 19, 2015 and it coincided with the release of his photo book based on “Dark Girls” (Harper Collins). “Dark Girls” is a documentary celebrating the beauty of dark-skinned women. The photography in the project is that of Barron Claiborne.

“Claiborne is a genius,” Duke said when asked why he chose this particular photographer. “Harper Collins gave me his name. I liked the way he was and the way he worked. The writer (Sheila P. Moses) she came on to interview the women participants.”

In “Light Girls” there were over 250 interviews of men and women which included Russell Simmons, Soledad O’Brian and Iyanla Vanzant. Some of the light skin women interviewed were Keke Wyatt, Erica Hubbard, LisaRaye, Chante Moore, Kym Whitley, Claudia Jordan, Raven Symone, and Essence Atkins.

“Part of it was based on my experiences growing up as a child, being a dark skin boy,” said Bill Duke, known as the godfather of black cinema because of his groundbreaking directorial debut on A Rage in Harlem (1991). “They are similar things today, how dark skin women are treated by media, I want to give a voice to the voiceless.”

Bill Duke is also known for his acting with credits that include starring in Car Wash (1970), American Gigolo (1980), Commando, Predicator, Menace II Society, Action Jackson, and X-Men: The Last Standing. As a director his credits consist of Deep Cover (1992), and Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit (1993).

For more information on Bill Duke’s “Light Girls” log onto www.BillDuke.com. To order the photo book “Dark Girls” log onto www.HarperCollins.com.

NAMM TEC Awards honor guitarist Slash and bass player Nathan East

Lead guitarist Slash (Guns 'N Roses, MJ) perforing at the 3th NAMM TEC Awards, honored with the Les Paul Award.
Lead guitarist Slash (Guns ‘N Roses, MJ) perforing at the 30th NAMM TEC Awards, honored with the Les Paul Award.

*I was invited to attend the 30th annual NAMM TEC Awards and went because I love technology. When I arrived I was pleased to hear that legendary electric lead guitarist Slash (Guns and Roses, Michael Jackson) was to be honored with the NAMM TEC Les Paul Award, and bass player Nathan East (Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson) was to be honored with the NAMM TEC Hall of Fame Award.

I had such a great time seeing entertainment industry technicians be awarded for their technological developments and sound quality skills that I stayed until the end. That is so unlike me, I tend to want to beat the traffic leaving events at the same time by leaving early.

Winners of the 30th NAMM TEC Awards included Pharrell’s “Happy” for Best Record Production for a Single or Track; the video game “Call of Duty: Ghost” for Best Interactive Entertainment Sound Production; Warner Bros’ Gravity for Best Film Sound Production; “Game of Thrones” for Best Television Sound Production; “Sting & Paul Simon on Stage Tour” for Best Tour/Event Sound Production, and my favorite brand for microphones – Shure (Shure GLXC) which won for Best Wireless Technology.

Image Award winning comedian/actor Sinbad (First Kid, Planes) hosted the event, which offered performances by bass player Nathan East and lead guitarist Slash.

“Every single person in this room is worthy of this award,” East said when he accepted the NAMM TEC Hall of Fame Award. “We have the same challenges, how we keep it moving forward. I’d like to give a big thanks to NAMM TEC Awards. I also received my first Grammy Award nomination for my first solo record.”

Slash, who began his career in music with the band Guns ‘N Roses and became a trademark for Michael Jackson’s on stage performances, said when he accepted the NAMM TEC Les Paul Award that he was, “Quite honored. My first electric guitar I ever got was a Les Paul. Some years later I got to meet him. We sort of became friends, he is like a mentor – so thank you.”

You can find out more on the NAMM TEC Awards by logging onto www.TecAwards.org.

(Syndicated Columnist: Eunice Moseley, has an estimated weekly readership of over ¼ million with The Pulse of Entertainment. She is also a Public Relations/Business consult at Freelance Associates, and Promotions Director (at-large) for The Baltimore Times. Her Event/”Uplifting Minds II”: The 16th annual “Uplifting Minds II” free entertainment conference Sat. April 18, 2015,  sponsored in part by Security Square Mall. Media sponsored are The Baltimore Times and www.EURweb.com. www.UpliftingMinds2.com, www.ThePulseofEntertainment.com.)

We Publish News 24/7. Don’t Miss A Story. Click HERE to SUBSCRIBE to Our Newsletter Now!

YOU MAY LIKE

SEARCH

- Advertisement -

TRENDING