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AUDREY’S SOCIETY WHIRL: THE BLACK LIST, VOL. I

HOME BOX OFFICE Premieres Film Documentary ‘The Black List, Vol. 1’; Richard “Dick” Parsons Hosts VIP Private Screening Of The HBO Documentary Film Followed By A Swanky Reception At The Ritzy Time Warner Center

By Audrey J. Bernard, Lifestyles/Society Editor

(September 4, 2008)

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*Famous filmmaker and portrait photographer Timothy Greenfield-Sanders and award-winning journalist Elvis Mitchell are the brain power behind an innovative documentary celebrating the luminescent profiles of some of the most fabulous and fascinating African Americans from the worlds of the arts, sports, politics, business and government in the HBO documentary film, The Black List, Vol. 1, that premiered on Home Box Office on Monday, August 25 at 9 pm (EST). The Black List, Vol. 1, features fascinating stories of their individual struggles, triumphs and joys of black life in the U.S.

In The Black List, Vol. 1, Greenfield-Sanders and Mitchell worked in tandem to secure each participant’s candid first-ever interviews revealing their unique perspectives on the black experience in the U.S. The dynamic documentary shares their triumphs and how they turned their negatives into positives.

The making of The Black List, Vol. 1 consisted of Greenfield-Sanders shooting each person with his large-format camera for a portrait as Mitchell meticulously interviewed each participant, in order of appearance:

      Slash, former Guns N' Roses guitarist; Toni Morrison, author and Nobel laureate; Keenen Ivory Wayans, film writer/director, creator of TV's In Living Color; Vernon Jordan, lawyer and former president of the National Urban League; and Faye Wattleton, current President of the Center for the Advancement of Women and former President of Planned Parenthood; Marc Morial, former Mayor of New Orleans and current National Urban League president; Serena Williams, eight-time Grand Slam tennis champion; Lou Gossett Jr., Oscar®-winning actor; Lorna Simpson, artist and photographer; Mahlon Duckett, former Negro League Baseball star; Zane, best-selling erotic author and publisher; Al Sharpton, pastor, activist and 2004 Presidential candidate; Kareem Abdul- Jabbar, Hall of Fame basketball great; and Thelma Golden, art curator at the Whitney Museum and now the Studio Museum in Harlem; Sean Combs, mogul, actor and music producer; Susan Rice, former Assistant Secretary of State and Senator Barack Obama's senior campaign advisor; Chris Rock, comedian, producer and director; Suzan-Lori Parks, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright; Richard Parsons, former Time Warner CEO; Dawn Staley, 3-time Olympic gold medalist, WNBA All-Star and current Temple University women's basketball head coach; and Bill T. Jones, Tony Award-winning dancer and director of the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company.

      The Black List, Vol. 1 made its world premiere at 2008's Sundance Film Festival as part of a multimedia initiative titled "The Black List Project" that included the HBO documentary, a museum exhibition of photographic portraits, a book of those photographs, and an interactive educational program.

The Black List, Vol. 1 credits interviews by Elvis Mitchell; direction by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders; produced by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders, Elvis Mitchell, Michael Slap Sloane; and executive produced by Christopher McKee, Scott Richman, Tommy Walker and Payne Brown.

Prior to the release of the extraordinary documentary film, Richard “Dick” Parsons -- who is featured in the documentary -- hosted a swanky pre-reception where guests were served out of this whirl food; followed by a special private screening in an adjacent room with plush seating; followed by a delicious post-dessert reception featuring scandalicious chocolate sweets.

The VIPs were the first to see the exciting confluence of powerful African Americans who shared their stories and insights into the struggles, triumphs and joys of black lifestyles.

As I sat watching the film, my eyes were drawn to the sea of affluent African Americans in the audience. Ironically, I couldn’t help from thinking that they could very well be in the next edition of the series -- The Black List, Vol. 2 -- as they too were cut from the same rich tapestry of beguiling blacks living large in America. (Photo Credit: Wilson Morales and RD/Leon/Retna Digital)