By Karu F. Daniels (New York, NY)
A PIECE OF THE ROCK: I will never forget when I first saw the image of
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson making his feature film debut in
“The Mummy Returns,” as a half human, half (computer-generated) scorpion.
He embodied what I envisioned to be a ‘human lobster.’
After the movie, I ran to Red Lobster to chow down.
When I revealed this tidbit to the World’s most popular wrestling star –cum- next superstar action hero during a one-on-one interview at Beverly Hills’ posh Four Seasons hotel, he broke out into loud laughter.
I guess I wasn’t the only one feeling his presence during his eight-minute long acting stint, in the box-office hit.
The Rock is the star of this weekend’s latest blockbuster,
“The Scorpion King,” which opens nationwide this Friday, via Universal Pictures.
Since making his mark on
Vince McMahon’s family-friendly World Wrestling Federation (WWF) five years ago, The Rock has become a hot commodity -- and his very own franchise player. Spewing catch phrases, that are usually found on T-shirts, such as “Lay The Smack Down,” “Just Bring It,” “Jabroni” and “Can You Smell What The Rock Is Cooking?,” he’s known as the “People’s Champion.” He crept into Americana in the same fashion that uber-personalities
Martha Stewart and
Emeril (BAM!)
LaGasse did; with a groundswell of cult-like loyal fans that will just about buy anything with their names attached to it.
This may be the proven formula that will take The Rock to the top of the box-office, joining the 20-million dollar club alongside
Tom Hanks, Will Smith and
Leonardo DiCaprio.
A record-setting, six-time champion of the professional wrestling league, The 6’5”, 280-pound tanned titan has penned a best-selling book (2000’s
“The Rock Says…”), recorded chart-topping rap music (appeared on
Wyclef Jean’s
“The Ecleftic” ) and has become an entity of his own on the TV show circuit (with appearances on
“Martha Stewart Living,” “Star Trek Voyager” and
“Saturday Night Live” [not once, but twice)]).
Not your grandfather’s wrestler, The Rock has even graced the cover of
Newsweek magazine, and
TV Guide. Can someone say multimedia?
“I’m blessed,” he modestly says of his fame and fortune. “I’m extremely blessed, very lucky and at the end of the day, I just want to thoroughly entertain the fans.”
Awwwwww.
The Rock has come a long way since leaving home at the tender age of 18 to “tackle the world” and attend the University of Miami to study Criminology, while also pursuing a professional football career, alongside buddies such as
Warren Sapp and
Ray Lewis. An injury forced him to take the “low road” and after graduation he wound up in Canada playing football for $250 a week. “I was sleeping on a pissed-stained mattress, eating spaghetti everyday and living in an apartment with four other guys,” he says.
“In college, it was hard…[I thought], ‘All these guys are in the NFL and they’re making millions. And I worked for five years with these guys and its like, ‘Damn, I’m supposed to be there. I worked my butt off to get there and I’m not there.’ And it didn’t happen. And then I accepted that it didn’t happen, they’re better players but there’s got to be something better for me.’
“Playing in the CFL (Canadian Football League) was even worse. It was bad. And then I got cut. And then after that I realized that that was a chapter in my life that I had to close. I was ready to end it.”
Down on his luck and full of self-doubt, he returned back home. It was a humbling experience. “I had to move back in with my parents, which was tough. I was 24, and … now I’m moving back into this little apartment with my parents.’ That was tough.
“And I realized that ‘Now, I want to give wrestling a shot. I’ve got to try it. I have got to give it a shot. If it don’t work out then it don’t work out, but at least I’ll say that I’ve tried.”
Enter McMahon. The Rock, who has wrestling in his blood, literally –his father,
Rocky Johnson, is a professional wrestling pioneer and his grandfather,
High Chief Peter Maivia, was a Samoan wrestling legend—seemed like a shoo-in for a gig in the popular multimedia sports arena. Everyone like’s a “Part Two” and a “Spin-Off” right?
But The Rock didn’t want any handouts. “[Vince] gave me an opportunity and that’s all I ever wanted from him. I said, ‘Man, if you just give me an opportunity, that’s all I want. Don’t hand it to me, just give me an opportunity. That’s it.’”
And the rest as they say is history.
In
The Scorpion King, The Rock portrays Mathayus—a no holds barred Akkadian assassin who has a score to settle with Gomorrah’s evil ruler Memnon, played by European heart-throb
Steven Brand. Set in ancient Egypt five thousand years ago, Mathayus endures his fair share of distraction on his quest to take down Memnon’s empire –in the form of foes-turned-allies like Nubian Balthazar, played by Oscar nominated thespian
Michael Clarke Duncan (
“The Green Mile”), and the sexy sorcerer Cassandra, played by TV actress
Kelly Hu (
“Nash Bridges”).
The colorful movie is a swashbuckling, family-friendly, color-blind effort that is critic proof and mass appealing. Love scenes are tame. There’s hardly any bloodshed. And the plentiful fight scenes are neatly choreographed.
“The Scorpion King” is light on extraordinary special effects, unlike its predecessor
“The Mummy Returns.” After all, it is the prequel. And an added bonus is that there are actual Black people living in Egypt, too. So, it’s not your Grandfather’s “Filmed Version” of Egypt, either.
Although he doesn’t take any producer credit on the film, The Rock maintains that he was quite instrumental in the actual process. “It’s important to me because this is my vehicle, this is my livelihood. Not only do I want to act in it, but I want to micromanage --- not to the point where I get on everybody’s nerve.”
“Well, maybe I did get on some people’s nerves,” he playfully recants after giving that last comment more thought.
So is the 29-year-old bronzed image of male beauty –he’s very proud to admit that he’s half Black and half Samoan (“There’s no White in me”) — ready for the pressure of being the next big action hero in the making
ala Sylvester Stallone and
Arnold Schwarzenegger?
“The comparisons are great but I always say that those cats got big shoes to fill,” he responds to the notion of being next in line for their theatrical thrones. “And I don’t want to fill them. I just want to do my own thing,” he adds. “The comparisons are great but it’s like different times and different eras. They’re in their 50s and I’m in my 20s, which is different.”
Until he reaches the point of doing the large body of work that those two 80’s movie icons have, The Rock has other affairs to tend to. He and his wife
Dany Garcia of five years are the proud parents of an 8-month old daughter,
Simone Alexandra (“You become really selfless and you make your decisions based around your baby”). He takes up residences in L.A. (“I have a small place here, but everybody else is there”) and Miami. He appears on WWF every Thursday night. And he’s ironing out other major movie deals (
“Hell Dorado” – a Universal “buddy” vehicle set in current day South America, which may star
Chris Tucker).
And what about a
”Scorpion King” sequel?
“They’ve talked about that and I was like, listen: I’m not going anywhere, and Universal isn’t going anywhere,
’Scorpion King’ isn’t going anywhere. So let’s just let
’Scorpion King’ come out and lets just see what happens. I didn’t even want to talk sequel with them actually,” he concludes.
So, I guess that’s what The Rock is cooking.
* * *
HARLEM WORLD: Is Harlem having another “renaissance”? With the reconstruction of the World’s Famous Apollo Theater, Former
President Bill Clinton taking up residence there, and the gross commercialization of 125th Street, Harlem continues to be a hot spot for urban culture.
The Apollo recently opened its doors to host the
“V-Day Harlem” festivities, which brought out a bevy of beautiful sisters, all in the name of “Vagina.”
The famed venue, seen in households every weekend via the long-running TV show,
“Showtime At The Apollo,” may take on the title as “Dem Time At The Apollo” when the Democratic National Committee (DNC) bring their celebrity-filled concert to the Apollo, to help launch their nationwide voter registration drive. Next Wednesday (April 24), DNC Chairman
Terry McAuliffe will join
Congressmen Charlie Rangel (D-NY),
Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and Voting Rights Institute National Chair
Donna Brazile to present
“A Night At The Apollo,” featuring a diverse group of entertainers donating their time and talents to support the worthy cause. Twenty million dollar comic-actor
Chris Tucker and legendary actress
Cicely Tyson have been tapped as the show’s emcees. The show –so far— boasts confirmed performances by
Michael Jackson, Tony Bennett, k.d. lang, Ruben Blades and
Vickie Winans. Clinton is also scheduled to appear.
Also at the Apollo, plans are underway to bring in a
George C. Wolfe-directed musical revue celebrating the extraordinary spirit of music, dance and culture in Harlem from the 1920s to the present. A kick-off event took place at Jimmy’s Uptown to announce the play, titled
“Harlem Song,” which will open on July 6 at the famed venue. Co-chaired by
Whoopi Goldberg and
Harry Belafonte, who was on hand for the festivities,
“Harlem Song,” promises to gloriously blend spoken word and mixed media with live performances. It will be the first extended engagement show in the Apollo Theatre's history. Tickets for
“Harlem Song” went on sale this week at the Apollo Theatre box office and through all Ticketmaster outlets. For more information, log onto
www.harlemsong.com.
* * *
AN ‘UPSCALE’ AFFAIR: Although I almost got into an all-out brawl with a hair-dressing hip-hop homothug after making comments about my thoughts on
Eve’s
Grammy Awards’ get-up, the soiree celebrating
Upscale magazine’s re-launch was definitely the place to be on Monday night in New York City. Held at the Flute bar in the East Chelsea district, the three-hour-plus event was a diva-fied affair, bringing out the likes of Supreme diva
Diana Ross and Grammy Award-winning Grand-diva
Patti LaBelle.
Ross, who was accompanied by
Upscale cover girl
Tracee Ellis-Ross’s father
Robert Ellis Silberstein, arrived in high style in a long stretch limousine. Unfortunately, because New York City could get New York Gritty, a huge garbage bin was smack dab in front of the venue. According to insiders, the window of the limo rolled down and a voice behind a pair of black Chanel sunglasses screamed "I
KNOW we are not behind a garbage dumpster!" Forever the consummate diva, Miss Ross was not having it. I’m sure she’s going to have some words for her former beau, New York’s billionaire mayor
Michael Bloomberg.
But her diva-ness wore off once she got in the packed joint. Ross was gracious with her time, doing interviews, taking pictures, and gushing over the success of her "baby" Tracee, who is the star of the
Kelsey Grammer-produced UPN sitcom,
“Girlfriends.”
Lately, Ross has made the rounds cheering on her daughter. At last Wednesday’s soiree held in
La La Land at LUXE on Rodeo Drive, she showed up with actor-director
Bill Duke on her arm.
Hmmmm. Is she going back “black”? You know what they say: ‘Once you go Black, you never go Back.’
With all of this jet-setting the recently-divorced Ross is doing in support of the “Girlfriends’” star, we wonder if she will garner a recurring role on the show.
Hmmmm. Just a thought.
The L.A. event drew out actors
Sean Patrick Thomas (
“The District”),
Mathew St. Patrick (
“Six Feet Under”), the cast of
“Girlfriends,” “Access Hollywood'”s
Shaun Robinson and singer
Kenny Lattimore.
Super-producer
Rodney Jerkins, actress
Jill Marie Jones, and a host of others turned out for the New York event, which was sponsored by Raynal French Brandy.
A product of Atlanta’s
Bronner Brothers hair care dynasty,
Upscale celebrates its 13th year in the publication, with over 100 editions printed, with their re-launch. With a new edit team, the magazine shows much promise.
Def Jam chart-topping, platinum-bound hip-hop/soul diva
Ashanti is the cover girl for the May issue of
Upscale and it is a very striking and candid spread. She never looked so good. The magazine’s savvy decision-makers made a smart move on banking on the highest-debuting R&B starlet.
Coming after
Upscale –for once—will be
VIBE’s upcoming cover featuring Ashanti, which she just shot for. We can’t wait to see how that will turn out.
* * *
MUSIC NOTES: Michelle Williams of
Destiny’s Child flew into the big apple last weekend to rev up the media machinery to promote her sparkling debut solo album,
“Heart To Yours,” which was released on Columbia Records this week. While in New York, Williams made the rounds with DC members
Beyonce Knowles and
Kelly Williams on TV shows such as
“BET Tonight” with
Ed Gordon,
“TODAY,” “Live With Regis & Kelly” and
“Good Day New York” to promote their brand new autobiography,
“Soul Survivors: The Official Autobiography of Destiny’s Child,” published this week by Regan Books/HarperCollins. Williams celebrated the release of her new album at a swank “Gospel Lunch” at New York watering hole, Lola, on Monday. The event, hosted by Columbia Records classiest Vice President of Media Relations
Yvette Noel-Schur, was attended by a bevy of industry-ites from the gospel and secular music industries. A wide-eyed and very gracious Williams –with her southern twang—thanked everyone for coming out and sang her favorite gospel song, “Blessed Assurance.” The Gospel-Lite album is a dazzling debut. Music mogul and DC manager/daddy
Matthew Knowles was also on hand to congratulate Williams on her effort. He also announced that he’s helming a gospel imprint for SONY. He hinted that the Queen of Gospel may join the ranks. The Queen of Gospel
Shirley Caesar,
Men Of Standard, Mary Mary and Bad Boy soul crooner
Carl Thomas collaborated with Williams on
“Heart To Yours.” While here, Williams also taped a segment of
“The Ananda Lewis Show,” which will air in the coming weeks…Grammy winning gospel superstar
CeCe Winans has landed a role on the television show,
“7th Heaven.” On the May 6 episode of the WB series, Winans will play herself while singing renditions of the National Anthem and “God Bless America,” for the show which will be based on the true story of
Staff Sgt. Dwight J. Morgan – who was killed in Afghanistan…Arista Records chief
Antonio “L.A.” Reid’s latest female superstar
Pink is blowing up a mile a minute. With nearly three million copies of her critically-acclaimed Top 10 sophomore album,
“M!ssundaztood,” sold, her recent Grammy win (for “Lady Marmalade”) and a gig as an opener on the forthcoming
Lenny Kravitz tour, Pink just keeps on keeping on. The former Miss
Alecia Moore (her real name) inked a lucrative deal with Bally’s Total Fitness, this week, which will include a creative collaboration on a new hip-hop dance aerobics class, titled “Get Your Body Started,” a national dance competition, and the presenting sponsorship of the her upcoming “Pink - The Party Tour 2002.” The class will launch this month and was developed by Pink's choreographers along with Bally's group exercise experts. Available in more than 400 Bally facilities throughout the United States and Canada, the class is based on the innovative choreography featured in Pink's award-winning videos, and set to her hit songs, including the blazing hot single, “Get The Party Started.” …Kentucky-fried rap collective
Nappy Roots has been certified GOLD for their recently released, critically acclaimed Atlantic Records debut
“Watermelon, Chicken & Gritz.” Continuing to take the country by storm with their infectious first single “AwNaw,” the six-man hip-hop posse are currently on the cross-country WB College Tour with plans to go out on a bigger bill this summer. Until then, more major TV bookings are underway. According to the group’s rep,
Sydney Margetson, Nappy Roots will next appear on the nationally-syndicated variety show,
“Soul Train” and will perform on BET’s Annual
“Spring Bling” festivities. The group has already appeared on
“The Late Show” with
David Letterman and
“The Tonight Show” with
Jay Leno. Their new single, “Po’ Folks,” features crooner
Anthony Hamilton…Is
Lil’ Bow Wow really 18 years old? His spokesperson at Columbia Records isn’t talking about it, but New York radio station WQHT played an excerpt of an interview of the teeny-pop rap star admitting to just turning 18.
Hmmmmm. Is that why he dropped the “Lil” off of his name and is just known as Bow Wow? …The innovative, groundbreaking music showcase
“Black 2 Broadway” returns to New York’s BB King Blues Club & Grill on Monday night (April 22) with performances by Broadway stars
BJ Crosby (
“Smokey Joe’s Cafe”),
Victor Cook (
“Three Mo’ Tenors”) and R&B veteran
Marva Hicks. A special guest performance by the incomparable and sometimes forgotten Tony Award-winning chanteuse
Melba Moore is also scheduled. Produced by industry veterans
Sean Hollingsworth and
Kevin Anthony,
“Black 2 Broadway” has become a hot ticket item on the New York arts and culture circuit. At last month’s showcase, Tony Award winning diva
Lillias White brought the house down with her medley of
Alicia Keys’s “Fallin’” paired with the
James Brown classic, “It’s A Man’s World.” Broadway favorites such as
Savion Glover, Darius de Haas and
Billy Porter also performed mesmerizing sets of new and familiar material…
The Ru Report learned that
Erik Parker recently walked out of his editor gig at the
Source magazine. Apparently the real “H.N.I.C.” over at the hip-hop bible didn’t deem Parker favorable enough to take over the top post abandoned by
Carlito Rodriguez. Latina cutie
Kim Osorio has assumed the newly created position of “Executive Editor.” She’s the first woman to helm the best-selling music mag, since its inception 14 years ago. YOU GO GIRL! The tall, handsome and dread-locked Parker can wind up at another urban lifestyle glossy. Take a guess at which one…There’s been a resurgence of 70s Blaxploitation icon
“Dolemite.” Last week, the funniest “Skit-com” on network television, FOX’s
“MAD tv” spoofed the
Rudy Ray Moore-created franchise with a hilarious satire performed by comic actor
Aries Spears, in the role of “The Son of Dolemite.” It was Pure Comic Genius. And fans of the notorious, low-budget action comedies will be happy to hear the news that Xenon Pictures just released
“The Dolemite Collection,” featuring seven of Moore’s outrageous films, including classic titles such as
“Disco Godfather,” “The Human Tornado,” “Dolemite,” “Petey Wheatstray” and
“Rude,” along with two new releases:
“Live At Wetlands,” and
“Bigger & Badder.” The titles are available on VHS and on DVD retailing for $15 separately, and for $70 for the entire specially-packaged boxed set. Also, The Right Stuff recently released a brand new raunchy CD from Moore, titled
“21st Century Dolemite,” where he tackles topics such as “Hot Nuts,” “Chitlins’” and “Driving In L.A.” Moore recently “blew” through New York doing a round of media chores and performing at the Village Underground. When he got to talking about “popping” vaginas (well, he didn’t actually use that word) and guys leaving women with “nothing more than sticky bellies,” it was a bit much for me. Nevertheless, the crowd lapped it all up…
The RU Report has learned that supermodel
Tyra Banks is working on an album. I personally think she should stick to the acting. She has Billionaire Media Empress
Oprah Winfrey in her corner. Maybe she can be the next Black Beauty Queen turned Oscar Starlet (
ala Halle Berry). The ill-fated-ness of L.A. Lakers superstar
Kobe Bryant’s rap career should be a tell-tale sign that some folks shouldn’t quit their day jobs. You may be able to sell some sneakers, but you sure can’t sell no records. Ask
Shaquille O’Neal about that! We love Banks on those Victoria Secrets commercials, or doing her Beauty Tips on the
Oprah show. We even liked her in that recurring role on Showtime’s Black drama,
“Soul Food.” But selling records? We’re not too sure about that, one. People who are known to belt have a hard time going gold these days with such a competitive and glutted marketplace. But then again, there’s always
J-Lo. Tyra may figure,
‘If she could do it, then so can I.’ While we’re on the subject of selling records: Baltimore can finally take its “piece” of the hip-hop “pie” with the hot new track from local rapper
B-Rich (
nee Brian Rich), titled “Whoa Now.” With an infectious sample of “Movin’ On Up” –the theme song from the hit 70s sitcom
“The Jeffersons,” performed by
“Good Times” actress
Janet DuBois—“Whoa Now” has exploded at Baltimore’s WERQ and WXYV radio stations, along with generating a strong buzz at Atlanta’s WVEE, Philadelphia’s WUSL and Washington D.C.’s WKYS, amongst others. Baltimore has staked its claim on the rap map with its first major rap star. Listen out for the track. It’s a different spin on hip-hop sampling, and sure to get the party bouncing. It reminds me of a Hoot Nanny. Rich’s debut album,
“80 DIMES” is due out on June 25…Lastly, Real Deal Record’s First Lady Of Inspirational Soul,
LEXI, embarks on the 22-city
“Gospel Flava Heal The Nation Spring Jam Tour 2002,” which kicks off tonight at Lincoln University in Lincoln, PA. The tour –visiting Black colleges and universities— will also feature
Tonex, Donald Lawrence & The Tri-City Singers and
B.B. Jay. LEXI will release her new album,
“Somewhere Different,” on May 21 via Real Deal, which is owned and operated by Heavyweight Boxing Champ
Evander Holyfield.
* * *
ESSENCE ALL STARS: Yesterday, Essence Entertainment announced the honorees for the
“2002 Essence Awards,” being taped for the first time in Los Angeles at the Universal Amphitheatre on May 31, to air June 6 on FOX.
Honorees will include
Halle Berry, Alicia Keys, India.Arie, James “Jimmy Jam” Harris & Terry Lewis, Terry McMillan, Kenny Gamble and media entrepreneur
Cathy Hughes.
Janet Jackson will be honored with the first-ever ‘Entertainer of the Year Award,’ chosen by more than 35,000 readers of
ESSENCE magazine through a national reader’s poll.
“We’re thrilled to recognize the remarkable achievements of this year’s Essence Award honorees as we mark 15 years of commemorating excellence in the African-American community,” said
Clarence O. Smith, the CEO of Essence Entertainment. “The merit of this year’s awardees honors the legacy of the Essence Awards and continues to demonstrate the ongoing need for such recognition.”
Actor/comedian and radio personality
Steve Harvey will return for the second consecutive year to host the star-studded celebration.
RU
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Email Karu F. Daniels Directly At TheRuReport@aol.com.
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