This is a picture of a yellow pick-up truck
This session starts with me
Trey Songz
“Director Larry Greenberg says: Trey, I used a chainsaw to defend against zombies in my last film and it was difficult to get the splatter right. How did you guys handle that in Texas Chainsaw 3-D?
Trey Songz: The splatter? I don’t know how they did it, but when they did it, they did it right. I know that they used a real chainsaw when he cut through the door and throughout the whole film. I wasn’t scared, but I still thought to myself, “He does actually have a chainsaw in his hands!” So, if he wanted to cut through anything, he could”
The complete interview…
Tyrese
Lawrence R. Greenberg’s Question:
“KW: Larry Greenberg says you have made a stunning transition from model to singer songwriter to action hero. Do you think you might run for Governor of California someday?
T: No way. I appreciate politics, but it’s definitely not for me. Arnold Schwarzenegger could never do another film.”
The Full Interview…
Tyrese
The “Legion” Interview
with Kam Williams
Headline: Tyrese Talks
Fresh off the phenomenal success of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, which was the #2 movie at the box office in 2009 (behind Avatar), Tyrese is back with another apocalyptic sci-fi adventure. Legion, however, is a horror flick with a rather novel, religious premise revolving around a struggle to survive the wrath of a vengeful God who has lost faith in humanity.
Kam Williams: Hey, Tyrese, thanks for the time. You had quite a year with Transformers 2. How does it feel riding that wave?
Tyrese: Honestly, everybody that’s in my life will tell you that I enjoy the highs of life, but I’m always that guy with the big fan in his hand trying to clear the smoke out right away in order to get back to the mission, back to the focus. It’s not that I don’t like to marinate in the blessings, because I do. But I’m very ambitious, very motivated to reach beyond what I’ve already mastered. I never get complacent. I’m not the type to relax and just kick my feet up as if I’ve made it. I’m always looking to go to the next level. Transformers has literally changed my life in so many different ways. I’m known around the world now, because so many men, women and children have seen the film at some point. What a blessing that is. And now that I have that international stage, I’m all about maximizing and taking it to another level.
KW: Last summer, you also released your own comic book, Mayhem. How is that doing?
T: Oh, man, it’s doing beyond well. It’s selling like crazy. You know it’s available on iTunes in 38 countries now. I’ve partnered up with Apple and it’s being sold digitally. Basically, I have a digital comic book. I did the voiceover for all of Mayhem’s parts, and hired a bunch of other actors to do the other characters. And when you see a car crash in the comic, you can actually hear it. So, it’s like you’re watching a still yet motion comic.
KW: When I interviewed you last summer, you said that you would personally call anybody who purchased 25 copies of Mayhem. I guess it’s too late for fans to take advantage of that offer.
T: No, not at all. If somebody’s going to invest that much to support something you’re passionate about, you’re supposed to call them with a personal thank you. I had that going over at the store, Meltdown Comics. I’m going to give you the number: (323) 851-7283. I’ll get that going again right now, if you’re willing to put it out there.
KW: I definitely will. Let’s talk about Legion. It looks intriguing and intense!
T: Yeah, Legion is a real, heavy thriller with spiritual and religious overtones.
KW: Yeah, it poses a very intriguing question: What would happen if God lost faith in humanity? And judging by the trailer, it looks like you and the other leads serve sort of like the three wise men, as you try to protect this pregnant waitress [Adrianne Malicki] carrying the Christ child from an army off angels dispatched by God.
T: It’s us trying to protect her from all these forces on a mission to stop her from giving birth.
KW: Did you have any reservations about signing on, given that Scott Stewart was a first-time director?
T: No, he had lots of experience working with A-list directors, because he owns the special effects company called Orphanage.
KW: How’d you get along with the rest of the cast, like Paul Bettany,Dennis Quaid, Charles S. Dutton and Lucas Black?
T: It was fun times, man. Paul Bettany is a really, really talented guy. That was my second film with Dennis Quaid, and my first time with Charles Dutton.
KW: Was making this movie at all transformational for you?
T: I never read that deeply into it, because my faith is so etched in stone that I don’t allow images or situations to shake it. I just showed up to do my part.
KW: In so many horror flicks, a brother is the first person to die. Is that the case this time?
T: No. But honestly, a black man always being the first to die makes sense to me because it’s hard to convince an audience that a black guy would trip and fall while being chased. Black folks would react totally differently than whites do to horror movie scenarios. You know what I mean? Rather than hang around some secluded place where people are getting picked off one-by-one, we’d be going, “I’m outta here!” That’s black folks’ instinct. We don’t run towards a problem, we run away from it.
KW: Laz Lyles would like to know, if you’re planning on doing another album soon?
T: No.
KW: Laz also asks, how do you feel about Mayhem as an entry into an exclusive canon of black superheroes?
T: You know what? I never really thought of it as a black thing. I just wanted to create a superhero. He is black, an African-American, but I really only wanted to develop a great character. So, that became my motivation.
KW: Larry Greenberg says you have made a stunning transition from model to singer songwriter to action hero. Do you think you might run for Governor of California someday?
T: No way. I appreciate politics, but it’s definitely not for me. Arnold Schwarzenegger could never do another film.
KW: Yale grad Tommy Russell asks, what do you think the chances are of China’s loosening its strict human rights and fiscal policies, and letting the yuan float against other currencies, in the wake of Obama’s visit?
T: I’m not well versed in the dynamics of these issues, so I don’t care to comment about them.
KW: Tommy also wants to know, who is your favorite designer of jewelry for men?
T: I don’t have one.
KW: Is there any question no one ever asks you, that you wish someone would? T: I don’t know, man.
KW: What is your favorite dish to cook?
T: I love making Chicken Alfredo with pasta.
KW: If you could have three wishes immediately granted, what would they be for?
T: I’m a mogul. That’s who I am. That’s who I was destined to be. I have so many ideas and so much more to accomplish. I’ve been on my share of private planes and inside elaborate mansions. And I’ve been around some very successful people. But I don’t get complacent. I realize that this is not my plane or my mansion. I’m not materialistically driven, but I do understand the dynamics of there being more out there to achieve, to reach for and accomplish. So, one of my wishes would be to allow the rest of the world to experience these thoughts and these ideas that I have which I think would impact the world. Another wish would be for more leading man roles.
KW: You proved that you could handle a lead role a long time ago when you did Baby Boy.
T: I appreciate that.
KW: When you look in the mirror, what do you see?
T: I see ambition, focus, hunger, determination, passion, integrity and humility. I see a father and a man of substance. I see a man that’s spiritually grounded. And I see a man who just won’t settle, because there’s so much more to do.
KW: The Flex Alexander question: How do you get through the tough times?
T: Prayer is powerful, of course. But it’s also about your surroundings. Your surroundings help you get through tough times so much faster than being alone.
Your surroundings are everything.
KW: The Mike Pittman question: Who was your best friend as a child?
T: A friend of mine named Timothy Jackson.
KW: The Uduak Oduok question: Will Africa affect American culture in the 21st Century?
T: Africa has already had a big impact on American culture long before now. We recognize the struggle, the racism, the discrimination, the pain, the sacrifice, slavery. And honestly, I feel that we work in conjunction with Africa on so many different levels. We love Africa.
KW: The bookworm Troy Johnson question: What was the last book you read?
T: Right now, I’m reading this book by James Patterson called “I, Alex Cross.”
KW: The music maven Heather Covington question: What are you listening to on your iPod?
T: R. Kelly’s new album, “Untitled.” I have a song on there with him. The album is so crazy, so ridiculous. I’ve just been listening to that, man.
KW: What advice do you have for anyone who wants to follow in your footsteps?
T: I don’t know exactly who I’m talking to, but let me just say that your surroundings can create a better reality for your life. You can often tell how far your life and career will go by the five people you spend the most time with. If you have a problem with your life, you should have a problem with the people in your life. Change your surroundings, and you’ll change your life.
KW: Thanks again, Tyrese, and best of luck with Legion, Mayhem and your many other ventures.
T: Okay, bro, I appreciate it.
To see Tyrese in the Coca-Cola commercial that made him famous, visit:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObdSno1uoQs
To see a trailer for Legion, visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejJvnZm7UOY
Van Jones
Larry Greenberg says: I sometimes hear corporate polluting compared to littering. Is there a better simile, one that could inspire real action?
Van Jones: To me, that analogy is inspiring. Ordinary Americans can’t pollute for free. You can’t dump your trash on the sidewalk or throw all your refuse into your neighbor’s yard. I don’t understand why corporate polluters should be allowed to dump megatons of carbon, the most dangerous pollution in the history of the world, into our thin shell of an atmosphere, and not pay a penny to do it. So, from my point of view, it is a very motivating framework.
The whole interview…
Van Jones
The “Carbon Nation” Interview
with Kam Williams
Headline: Former Obama Green Czar Opines on the State of the “Carbon Nation”
Anthony “Van” Jones and his twin sister, Angela, were born on September 20, 1968 in Jackson, Tennessee to Loretta and the late Willie Jones, a teacher and principal, respectively. Van graduated from the University of Tennessee with a bachelor’s degree in communications and political science, before earning a Juris Doctor at Yale Law School.
A clean energy pioneer and author of the eco-employment best-seller “The Green-Collar Economy,” he was invited by the Obama Administration to serve as Green Czar. But Van decided to resign from the post in the wake of a relentless, right-wing smear campaign which accused him of everything from being a Communist to signing a petition suggesting that the Bush Administration had knowingly permitted the terrorist attacks on 9/11 to transpire.
Jones is currently teaching at Princeton University, where he holds a joint appointment at both the center for African-American Studies and the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs in the Program for Science, Technology and environmental Policy. He is also serving as a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress and as a Senior Policy Advisor at Green for All.
Here, he talks about all of the above, and about his appearance in Carbon Nation, a cautionary documentary about the consequences of climate change.
Kam Williams: Hi Van, thanks for the time.
Van Jones: Thank you.
KW: My readers sent in a lot of questions for you. I’ll start with Sam Chekwas, who asks: What interested you in appearing in Carbon Nation?
VJ: Back in 2007, I met this white guy [director Peter Byck] with a lot of hair and a video camera, at a conference that I happened to be attending for the launch of an organization called Blacks in Green. I had never heard of him and Peter had never heard of me. We just started talking; he liked what I had to say, so he asked me if I’d be willing to be in this documentary he was doing about carbon pollution. I said, “Sure!” It was kind of a no-brainer.
KW: Before you got interested in environmental issues, you started the Bay Area Police Watch, a San Francisco-based organization with an emergency hotline and a lawyer referral service for victims of police abuse. What inspired that?
VJ: I saw in the Nineties that we were increasing police power with get tough policies and 3 strikes laws, but without additional oversights. I had this radical idea that the police should obey the law. My view was that any human system without adequate checks and balances will tend towards corruption and abuse. That’s why you have meat inspectors. Not because you hate butchers, but because of an understanding of human nature. Similarly, I felt like you gotta have some oversight of law enforcement. And though the rampant racial injustices throughout the criminal justice system were offensive to me and to millions of other people, I’ve never drawn a tight circle around the black community to define the limits of my moral concern. But that narrative tends to get imposed on you, if you’re an African-American activist. But in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, we did create Color of Change, an organization which focused on African-Americans in particular, because we felt that there was a big gap there in terms of online advocacy which had left the black community particularly vulnerable.
KW: Pres Edwards, Sr., asks: Where are the jobs in the Green Economy? In which industries? Who are some of the larger employers? What are some of the entry-level jobs?
VJ: There are 80,000 jobs in the wind energy industry right now. And you can quadruple that number, if you have the right policy in place to promote clean energy. There are about 46,000 jobs supported by the solar industry right now. That’s fewer than it should be, too. And you have a whole other set of jobs in energy-efficiency in buildings and in creating the “Smart Grid,” as we call it. There’s also manufacturing smart batteries and bio-fuels, Those are just the energy jobs. Then we have the water, food and other industries which are also experiencing some redirection. As far as employers who are hiring, Vestas is a big wind company, and Solyndra is a solar power company. But some of these companies are starting to struggle in the absence of America’s committing to a cleaner future by way of Congressional action. The prospects of green economic opportunity is going to be determined to a great extent by politicians arriving at some sort of bi-partisan resolution.
KW: Ben Thypin asks: How do you respond to those who say that green jobs are, at best, limited in their potential impact in terms of the number of and quality of jobs created and, at worst, “make-work” jobs that form just one part of the grand socialist apparatus designed to crush the private sector and, implicitly, all that is patriotic and holy?
VJ: [Laughs] That’s funny. I used to be called the “Green Jack Kemp” because of my promotion of entrepreneurial and work-based solutions for poor people. As champions of green jobs, we’re asking questions that progressives should like, like “How are we going to avoid baking the planet,” and “How are we going to create jobs for ordinary Americans?” Meanwhile, we’re offering solutions that conservative should like. I’m not calling for more welfare; I’m calling for more work. I’m not asking for more entitlement programs; I’m asking for more enterprise. I’m not calling for redistributing wealth; I’m calling for reinvigorating our stuck energy sector, so some new entrepreneurs can create some new wealth.” Right now, when you go and hit the light switch in your house, you’re participating in a state-protected monopoly. You’re being forced to accept dirty power from a single producer. I’m the guy that’s trying to break up that monopoly to introduce free enterprise and competition to the energy sector. I’m saying you should have the right not only to be an energy consumer but an energy producer. Follow the money to understand why my message keeps getting drowned out. Big oil and big coal are terrified by the green jobs message. We’re just trying to end illegitimate government support for a single technology, which is un-American. We should be leading the world in the next generation of technological innovation. But we can’t unleash private capital because of what the government is doing to stifle innovation and to choke competition. The government built the grid to favor one industry over others. But I don’t hear any conservatives screaming about that. Folks don’t understand that the elite economic interests that are holding them down are also feeding them a bunch of lies.
KW: Attorney Bernadette Beekman asks: How would you assess the state of the union?
VJ: I think there’s going to be a tug of war in this country over who are the real patriots because at a time of national crisis, economic collapse and calamity, ecological peril and social dislocation, the American people deserve to be a partner to the American government. Nobody wants a nanny state, where the government is stamping out initiative and telling us what to do, but the idea that the only alternative to that is to throw the American people overboard into a global economy with no protections to cushion us from some of these blows is absurd on its face. That’s why I think there’s been a concerted effort to distort my message. When you hear me speak beyond the sound bites taken out of context, I think I make a lot of sense to people, even those in Red States like the one where I grew up.
KW: Children’s book author Irene Smalls asks: Has your approach to fighting for change changed since you left the Obama administration?
VJ: I hope everybody’s getting smarter. I’m learning and changing all the time, and I expect to continue doing so my entire life.
KW: Irene also asks: What do you think is the one environmental thing this country has to get right in the next ten years?
VJ: Carbon. We’re going to bake this planet, and be a curse to all species, including our own, if we don’t find an alternative to carbon-based fuel. That’s the #1 problem.
KW: Irene says: I don’t hear many young people talking about green jobs. How do you feel you can make green jobs “sexy” to appeal to young, poor unemployed or underemployed youth?
VJ: The problem isn’t that the green jobs aren’t sexy enough. It’s that they’re not plentiful enough. A young person looking for a job isn’t looking just for a sexy job, they’re looking for any job. And, unfortunately, we have a 50% unemployment rate among our urban youth of color. It’s not about making green jobs more attractive. It’s about making them more available. And that requires Congress passing legislation that will give a real break to the people who want to introduce new technologies to the American marketplace.
KW: Lois Clark asks: Do you have any resentment about being made a sacrificial lamb in the Fox News wars against President Obama?
VJ: There’s no higher honor, in my estimation, than being asked to serve in the White House. I learned more in those six months than in the prior six years. I don’t think that anybody who has had the privilege to serve the country at that level should walk out and behave like a crybaby. And I plan to continue to serve the country in other capacities.
KW: Teri Emerson says: I would like to know if, looking back, you have any regrets about resigning your position at the White House; and whether the President fought at all for you to stay.
VJ: No, I don’t have any regrets about resigning. Once it became clear to me that the right-wing was not going to let me serve in the way I wanted to serve, I resigned. I didn’t ask President Obama to defend me. His focusing on getting healthcare passed so every baby in the nation could see a doctor was far more important than his having to explain every aspect of my colorful past.
KW: Ilene Proctor asks: How would you surmount the unhinged, right-wing, Republican/corporate coalition coming into power this year which vehemently clings to their denial of climate change that puts our whole planet in peril?
VJ: I think we were naïve during the first two years of the Obama Administration because the Republicans didn’t fight us on this point during the 2008 Presidential Election. Obama and McCain both ran on a clean energy platform. But now, uncontested lies have eroded hard-won public understanding. So, we have to go back and make the case again.
KW: Larry Greenberg says: I sometimes hear corporate polluting compared to littering. Is there a better simile, one that could inspire real action?
VJ: To me, that analogy is inspiring. Ordinary Americans can’t pollute for free. You can’t dump your trash on the sidewalk or throw all your refuse into your neighbor’s yard. I don’t understand why corporate polluters should be allowed to dump megatons of carbon, the most dangerous pollution in the history of the world, into our thin shell of an atmosphere, and not pay a penny to do it. So, from my point of view, it is a very motivating framework.
Van Jones
KW: Legist/Editor Patricia Turnier asks: What advice do you have for attorneys who want to climb the ladder of success by becoming a partner in a big law firm?
VJ: I wouldn’t know. That isn’t the route I went.
KW: Patricia has another question: Latinos and African-Americans of West Harlem are exposed to dumping grounds for noxious facilities and unwanted land uses. This situation creates serious health problems such as lung diseases. The New York City asthma death rate is higher than any other city in the U.S. As an environmentalist and as a lawyer which riders and other measures are needed to correct this phenomenon?
VJ: I don’t like to comment on a specific local issue because there are plenty of people already working on the problem who know a lot more about it than I do. In this case, Patricia should reach out to We Act, a great Harlem-based environmental justice group.
KW: Reverend Florine Thompson asks: Who or what has been your greatest source of inspiration and encouragement in life?
VJ: That’s a good question. I have many sources of inspiration. I’d have to point to Dr. Martin Luther King, first and foremost. But my parents were good, hardworking folks who kept us in the church and the public schools, and out of trouble, for the most part. Along the way, I’ve had a chance to meet some of my civil rights heroes and, more recently, members of the young generation around Obama, people in their teens and twenties who were determined to make history and who were too idealistic to think that what they were trying to do might be impossible. They proved that visionary pragmatism can win over the majority. That comes from a particular place in your heart that generation Y is offering America. They just can’t afford to be naïve now, in terms of the ferocity of the opposition. They give me a lot of inspiration. And so does being a father, which has really made me much more committed to trying to solve these problems, and not just to protesting them.
KW: Reverend Thompson has a follow-up: What do you see as the role of “The Church” in this new green economy? How should the Black Church, which is basically the largest people base in the African-American community, begin to forge a foothold in the green market?
VJ: First of all, fighting for and defending the values from the pulpit is critical. You can’t love the Creator, and disrespect the creation. We have to make that very clear as people of faith. So, we’ve have to heed our Biblical obligation to be good stewards of the Earth after leaving the Garden of Eden. And secondly, it’s time to start bringing the congregations down to City Hall and to ask the mayors, the city councils and the school boards, “What’s the plan? What’s the local government going to do for us?” There are some cities that are doing good stuff, but there aren’t enough of them. If you don’t fight for what you want, then you deserve what you get. And in politics, if you don’t ask, you don’t get at all. In addition, black folks need to attend green conferences, too. We just self-segregate and don’t go. They might even waive your fee if you apply on a diversity basis, because they’d be so shocked to see somebody from a different background wanting to be a part of the green movement.
KW: The Tasha Smith question: Are you ever afraid?
VJ: All humans have fear, and those of us who are fortunate have faith.
KW: The Columbus Short question: Are you happy?
VJ: I’m happier than I was in 2009.
KW: The Teri Emerson question: When was the last time you had a good laugh?
VJ: Yesterday, dealing with my two year-old son who is certifiably insane.
KW: What is your guiltiest pleasure?
VJ: Pop Tarts.
KW: The bookworm Troy Johnson question: What was the last book you read?
VJ: Mad as Hell, which is about the Tea Party. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0061995231/ref=nosim/thslfofire-20
KW: The music maven Heather Covington question: What are you listening to on your iPod?
VJ: Mad as Hell. I’m listening to it on audio book.
KW: What is your favorite dish to cook?
VJ: Scrambled eggs.
KW: When you look in the mirror, what do you see?
VJ: Indescribable gorgeousness!
KW: The Ling-Ju Yen question: What is your earliest childhood memory?
VJ: Shirley Chisholm speaking at the 1972 Democratic National Convention. I was almost four.
KW: Is there any question no one ever asks you, that you wish someone would?
VJ: Yes, “Did you sign that petition implicating the Bush Administration in 9/11?” Because I never signed it, and I hate being vilified for a controversial idea I never espoused. The reason they love to beat on that drum is because it’s so discrediting. In a two-year period, all my dreams came true: the birth of a son… publishing a best-selling book… launching a successful organization… joining the Obama Administration… And then all my nightmares came true.
KW: What advice do you have for anyone who wants to follow in your footsteps?
VJ: Trust your intuition and be resilient. If you have real breakout ideas, even your friends will laugh at you secretly until you can prove their viability. I’ve never launched any initiative or campaign that people thought was a slam dunk.
KW: The Dulé Hill question. Do you attribute your success to yourself or to God?
VJ: To the God in myself is probably the most honest answer. I think everybody has a divine destiny. There’s the God within and the God without, and you have to attend to the alignment of the two of them.
KW: The Tavis Smiley question: How do you want to be remembered? What do you want your legacy to be, and where are you in relation to that at this point in your life?
VJ: I want to be remembered as one of the great innovators among social justice advocates of the 21st Century. I’m only 42, and I’ve got a lot more tricks up my sleeve.
KW: Thanks again, Van, and best of luck with all your future endeavors.
VJ: Thank you.
To purchase a copy of Van Jones’ book, “The Green-Collar Economy,” visit:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B003GAN3FK/ref=nosim/thslfofire-20
To see a trailer for Carbon Nation:
Viola Davis
Larry Greenberg says: You are one of the few actresses to enjoy success in theater, film, and television. Do you view these as a continuum or as three distinct forms?
Viola Davis: Probably as a continuum.
The whole interview…
Viola Davis
“The Help” Interview
with Kam Williams
Headline: Victorious Viola!
A graduate of the Juilliard School, Viola Davis built an exceptional background in theater productions and has continued to perform on the stage throughout her television and film career. Making her feature-film debut in 1996 as a nurse in The Substance of Fire, she followed that up with several TV movies and guest-star appearances on dramatic series like Law & Order and NYPD Blue.
She went on to play another nurse in City of Angels, a hospital drama with a predominately African-American cast that didn’t last long on CBS. She began collaborating with Steven Soderbergh for Out of Sight, and went on to star in two of the director’s subsequent films, Traffic and Solaris.
In 2001, she appeared in Kate and Leopold as well as in Oprah Winfrey’s television presentation of Amy & Isabelle. The following year, she landed parts in both Far From Heaven and in Denzel Washington’s directorial debut, Antwone Fisher.
However, in 2008 she made the most of a modest but critical role as the mother in John Patrick Shanley’s screen adaptation of his award-winning play, Doubt. Although her screen time was minimal, her indelible performance garnered Viola an Academy Award nomination in the Best Supporting Actress category.
Here, she talks about her latest outing as Aibileen in The Help, a compelling tale of survival, set in Mississippi during the waning days of Jim Crow segregation, which explores the unspoken tensions simmering just below the surface between well-to-do white women and their African-American maids.
Kam Williams: Hi Viola, thanks for the interview. I’ve admired your work for a long time, so I’m very honored to have this opportunity to speak with you finally.
Viola Davis: Thank you, Kam.
KW: I have a lot of questions sent in by fans, so let me get right to them. Legist/Editor Patricia Turnier asks: What message do you want people to take away from The Help?
VD: That anything can be achieved with a good, healthy dose of courage. These ordinary people who are just kind of just going about their lives are transformed into heroes because they have the courage to put their voices out there. I think that’s a powerful message in this time of political strife.
KW: Patricia also asks: Are there any unwritten rules which are part of the movie industry?
VD: Yes, there are a lot of unwritten rules in the industry.
KW: Film director Kevin Williams says: Congratulations on another great performance! How did you approach you’re role and the material in such a way that it manages to stand out from other Civil Rights era films?
VD: Well, I made a choice to humanize this woman beyond her uniform is what I did. I made a choice to explore Aibileen fully: her joys, her grief at losing her son, her journey in finding a purpose in life, because when you meet her, she has basically died to herself after losing her child. So, that’s what I did. I created a human being. That’s not what you usually see in a maid. You see the woman cooking in the kitchen or taking care of a child, and she comes up, says her one line, and then she goes back into the kitchen. So, I made a choice to use my craft to create a character.
KW: Rene Harris says: I read an article in which you were quoted as saying it is a painful certainty that you will never see a contemporary black woman on screen as layered and complex as you. Do you expect someday to be in a position to greenlight just such a story someday?
VD: Oh, absolutely! My husband [Julius Tennon] and I started a production company. We’ve already optioned a book and some scripts to do exactly that, to create more complicated, multi-faceted roles for African-Americans, especially African-American females. I think it’s important. Cicely Tyson was my inspiration to become an actor. And one of the people I’ve always wanted to emulate in pursuing that dream was Meryl Streep, in terms of the different types of roles she’s been able to play and the number of different stories she’s been able to tell. I know very few black actors who’ve been given the opportunity to do that. I want to do what she does. I want to span different genres. I want to be able to transform. I want to be able to be sexy, and funny, and quirky, and all the other things that I am. And I feel that the best way that I can achieve that is by producing. I am not a writer, but I feel that when our production company is successful, we’ll be able to give some young writers with fresh voices an opportunity to put their work out there.
KW: Rene was also wondering whether there are any books that present complex women of African descent that you might consider getting the rights to?
VD: Oh, there are 50 million of them! I already optioned a book called The Personal History of Rachel DuPree. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B004J8HXSG/ref%3dnosim/thslfofire-20
I also like The Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B004VOZLHI/ref%3dnosim/thslfofire-20
And I love all of Octavia Butler’s books. She’s created some very complicated black heroines with a variety of belief systems. There are many great books out there, but those are a few of the ones that stand out.
KW: Speaking of writers, children’s book author Irene Smalls says: You are one of my favorites. I read an article saying that even though you are dark-skinned you have succeeded as an actress in Hollywood. How do you feel about a comment like that?
VD: I really appreciate that comment. I’ve always seen myself for who I am, which is a lot of things. So, I guess that when I walk into a room, I bring all those things to a role, and I’ve always just simply seen myself as an actor. And I believe that it serves me well to just think in terms of my craft. If hypothetically, I saw myself only as a sex symbol, or as some other limited stereotype, I think I would feel like a complete failure. I’ve been to acting school and I think that at the end of the day, when you just focus on the work and you’re comfortable with who you are, that at some point someone’s going to recognize your talent and give you an opportunity. And after that, there’s a domino effect. I’ve always believed that, and never wanted to be anything other than who I am.
KW: Attorney Bernadette Beekman says: I love your work, and have enjoyed seeing you on Broadway. I’d like to know whether the actresses bonded along racial lines during the filming. I’m asking because I saw some cast members on a TV talk show, and there seemed to be different reactions to the cover photos of you on Essence and Vogue.
VD: The absolute truth is that the bond between all of the actresses on the set was beyond compare. It was the most loving and most supportive environment you can imagine. First of all, we had a great cast which was all about the work. No egos. Secondly, I think we all understood that we needed each other. We needed a relief from the world that we were creating. Each of us was as uncomfortable as the next. In terms of the magazines, I’m not exactly sure what Bernadette is referring to. I suppose that the covers are open to interpretation, but I want to assure you that if you were in a room with the cast, you would see absolutely no division.
KW: Harriet Pakula Teweles asks: How do you encourage someone to see the film who might say, “I read the book and already discussed it in my book group, so I don’t think I need to see the movie. “
VD: First of all, film is a different medium. These characters actually come to life in the movie, and you get to feel them in a completely different way which is palpable. Plus, with a movie, you’re able to share the experience with an audience. And [director] Tate Taylor did a great adaptation of the book. Because he’s friends with [the book’s author] Kathryn Stockett, he felt a great responsibility to stay true to the story, so he fought hard for everything that you see on the screen. Therefore, I’m urging people who might have read the novel to see the movie for the unique experience the film has to offer.
KW: My wife, Susan Doran, would like to hear your reaction to this quote from the postscript to the book: “There’s no trickier subject for a writer from the South than that of affection between a black person and a white one in the unequal world of segregation. For the dishonesty upon which a society is founded makes every emotion suspect, makes it impossible to know whether what flowed between two people was honest feeling or pity or pragmatism.”
VD: I think that is precisely what the movie is about. And I think that the reason why the book has been so successful is their unlikely friendship, because they’re coming from two different worlds. They’re coming from a place where they cannot trust each other, because of what each represents in terms of what the culture has dictated that we should believe about each other. Then, all of a sudden, this idea of a book is put in the midst of all of that mistrust, and the requirement of our having to work together to finish the book literally forces us to have some sort of relationship with each other. I think that’s why it works.
KW: Susan would also like to hear your reaction to Kathryn Stockett’s recently saying she’s proud of the South.
VD: I can’t speak for the author, but I would guess that she feels proud of the progress the South has made because, growing up, she experienced a very different Mississippi than the one that exists today.
KW: Director/Professor Hisani Dubose says: I fell in love with your acting abilities ever since I saw you in Antwone Fisaher. What type of roles are you currently looking for?
VD: Complicated women who are filled with contradictions.
KW: Larry Greenberg says: You are one of the few actresses to enjoy success in theater, film, and television. Do you view these as a continuum or as three distinct forms?
VD: Probably as a continuum.
KW: Rudy Lewis asks: What was it like working opposite Denzel Washington in the staging of August Wilson’s Fences?.
VD: It was a wonderful, beautiful experience working with the consummate professional.
KW: Is there any question no one ever asks you, that you wish someone would?
VD: No, I think people ask me just about everything.
KW: The Ling-Ju Yen question: What is your earliest childhood memory?
VD: Meeting my 9 year-old sister for the first time when she came to live with us when I was 5.
KW: When you look in the mirror, what do you see?
VD: In one sentence? Gosh! I see a wise, confident yet insecure and ultimately proud, African-American woman?
KW: The Tavis Smiley question: How do you want to be remembered?
VD: Oh my God! I would love to be remembered as a person who used her life to inspire others in any way, shape or form.
KW: Thanks again for the time, Viola, and best of luck with all your endeavors.
VD: Thank you very much, Kam
Walking toward New Jersey on the New Hope Free Bridge
Wesley Snipes
Lawrence R. Greenberg’s Question to Wesley Snipes:
“Larry Greenberg says, after I receive my black belt in Kempo, I am considering looking at another martial art form. Which one would you recommend?
Wesley Snipes: Shu-to Kwon Do. [Laughs] No, that’s a joke. I would recommend, Yoga.”
The Full Interview…
Wesley Snipes
The “Brooklyn’s Finest” Interview
with Kam Williams
Headline: Wesley’s Finest!
Born in Orlando on July 31, 1962 to Marian, a teacher’s aide, andWesley, Sr., and an aircraft engineer, Wesley Trent Snipes was raised in the South Bronx, although the family moved back to Florida before he was able to graduate from NYC’s famed, Fiorello La Guardia High School of Music and Art. Still, Wesley went on to study drama in college at SUNY Purchase’s prestigious acting conservatory.
However, he dropped out during his junior year to pursue his passion professionally. In Hollywood, the versatile thespian’s stage and Shotokan karate training came in handy in helping him land a variety of roles. The accomplished actor/black belt’s long list of credits on his enviable resume’ include the Blade Trilogy, Jungle Fever, White Men Can’t Jump, U.S. Marshals, Waiting to Exhale, Mo’ Better Blues, New Jack City, Murder at 1600, The Fan, Demolition Man, Passenger 57, To Wong Foo and The Art of War.
Wesley’s many accolades include a couple of NAACP Image Awards and making People Magazine’s 50 Most Beautiful People in the World List. And he and his second wife, artist Nikki Park, are raising their four children both in the U.S. and South Korea. Here, he talks about his latest film, Brooklyn’s Finest, a gritty, NYC crime saga, directed by Antoine Fuqua, which co-stars Don Cheadle, Richard Gere, Ethan Hawke, Ellen Barkin, Lela Rochon, Will Patton and Vincent D’Onofrio.
Kam Williams: Hey, Wesley, thanks for the time. We met last year in New York when you were receiving an award at the Jacob Javits Center.
Wesley Snipes: Oh yes, wonderful.
KW: Laz Lyles asks, what drew you to Brooklyn’s Finest’s script, especially with the screenwriter [Michael C. Martin] being a first-timer?
WS: Well, it wasn’t as much the script, as it was working with this cast and with Antoine Fuqua. So, I’d have to say that the idea of working with them motivated me more so than the script.
KW: Why so?
WS: I wanted to work with the ensemble of great actors that Antoine Fuqua had assembled. He and I had talked about doing a film together maybe about three or for years prior to actually working on this one. We were trying to find the right project. He was working on other things. I was working on other things, and was out of the country. Then there was a window if opportunity, and he said, “Wes, I want you to play this.” I had some reservations, because of that Nino Brown reference [the character he played in New Jack City]. But he basically explained to me, “that’s part of the reason I want you to do this. The characters have some overtones of that old Nino’s type of lifestyle.” When he told me that Don [Cheadle] would be playing the other character, and who else would be in the cast, I was like, “Well, let’s do this!” [Chuckles]
KW: Richard Gere… Ethan Hawke… Ellen Barkin…
WS: It’s always great when you can work with an ensemble of very, very talented people. And Ellen and I had worked on The Fan together.
KW: Don’t you sometimes have a clash of egos, when you have so many stars on the same set?
WS: I didn’t experience that. I actually love the ensemble environment. That’s what I come from, the so called “bus and truck” repertory theater. So, you put me in with a group of artists, and it’s like a breakdance battle. “Let’s go!”
KW: I know that your family moved back to Florida while you were attending a prestigious acting academy in NYC. How did you prevent that disruption from spoiling your dreams?
WS: After I finished high school, the first chance I got, I caught a Greyhound bus back to New York where I ended up being accepted to a program in drama at the State University at Purchase.
KW: Children’s book author Irene Smalls says that from The Waterdance to Blade you have handled many different roles. She wants to know which one is your all-time favorite?
WS: That is.
KW: Jimmy Bayan asks where in L.A. do you live?
WS: [LOL] What, does he want to come over for dinner? I’m a universal man, but tell Jimmy I’m back and forth between the East and West Coasts a lot.
KW: Documentary director Hisani Dubose is interested in knowing how you positioned yourself to play Blade, the first high-impact, black superhero. She said she knows that your company, Amen-Ra, co-produced it, but it still must have been a major task.
WS: It was challenging. It was one of our firsts, and it was early on in the game. I had an inkling that it was something that hadn’t been done before, and some of my management at the time didn’t approve of the idea. They actually told me I shouldn’t do it. But I reflected on the fact that we had never seen a film like that before, not just a black superhero, but a black, vampire superhero who fights martial arts. I thought, “We gotta try this, even if just for the fellas around the way.”
KW: Larry Greenberg, says, after I receive my black belt in Kempo, I am considering looking at another martial art form. Which one would you recommend?
WS: Shu-to Kwon Do. [Laughs] No, that’s a joke. I would recommend, Yoga.
KW: Yale Grad Tommy Russell asks: “Do you think Obama will be able to resuscitate the healthcare reform bill?”
WS: Resuscitate it? Doesn’t something have to be alive first to resuscitate it?
KW: Tony Noel asks, as a martial artist, who do you see as the next generation of martial arts actors coming into prominence?
WS: That’s a difficult question. It’s hard to tell because a lot of martial artists aren’t strong actors, and a lot of actors aren’t strong martial artists. But we hope to be able to produce some of them through our company in the near future.
KW: Is there any question no one ever asks you, that you wish someone would?
WS: Nothing that comes to mind.
KW: The Tasha Smith question: Are you ever afraid?
WS: Yeah!
KW: The Columbus Short question: Are you happy?
WS: I am full and well.
KW: The Teri Emerson question: When was the last time you had a good laugh?
WS: [LOL] Yesterday.
KW: The bookworm Troy Johnson question: What was the last book you read?
WS: ”From Fatigued to Fantastic” by Jacob Teitelbaum.
KW: The music maven Heather Covington question: What are you listening to on your iPod?
WS: The Larry Levan Story, the whole series.
KW: When you look in the mirror, what do you see?
WS: A beautiful expression of God having a wonderful human experience.
KW: What is your favorite dish to cook?
WS: Grits and eggs. [Chuckles]
KW: The Ling-Ju Yen question: What is your earliest childhood memory?
WS: [Whistles] Oh man… Playing with my babysitter’s toes.
KW: If you could have one wish instantly granted, what would that be for?
WS: Long-lasting health.
KW: Thanks again, Wesley, and best of luck with Brooklyn’s Finest and all off your endeavors.
WS: Thank you.
To see a trailer for Brooklyn’s Finest, visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUMC8rh6uuE
Who doesn’t need a little soap?
Zane
Back to Poni TV
Lawrence R. Greenberg’s Question:
“KW: Larry Greenberg asks, when Zane’s Sex Chronicles came to life on Cinemax, whether the characters were portrayed as you had visualized them originally in your mind’s eye?
Z: Yes. And that resulted from my being very hands-on from the casting to the script.”
The Full Interview…
Zane
The ”Sex Chronicles” Interview
with Kam Williams
Headline: Valentine’s Zane!
Zane (not her real name) is the best-selling author of a plethora of African-American-oriented erotica, including Dear G Spot, Afterburn, Gettin’ Buck Wild, The Heat Seekers, Addicted and The Sex Chronicles, to name a few. This iconoclastic phenom has also edited and/or contributed to such other titles as Love is Never Painless, Caramel Flava, Chocolate Flava, Best Black Women’s Erotica, Brown Sugar 2, Twilight Moods, Dark Dreams, and Becoming Myself. Besides writing, Zane is the publisher of Strebor Books International for which she is responsible for acquiring dozens of titles per year and currently has nearly 50 authors signed to her imprint.
She serves as the moderator of PlanetZane.net, where thousands of her fans who call themselves “Zaniacs” converge on a daily basis to discuss her work, as well as love and relationships. Zane has more than 35,000 MySpace friends and nearly 400,000 friends at BlackPlanet.com. Here, she talks about “Zane’s Sex Chronicles” the daring Cinemax television series loosely based on her own real life sexploits, which premiered on Cinemax in October of 2008 and whose first season was recently released on DVD.
Kam Williams: Hi, Zane, I don’t know whether you remember me, but we met last year in Manhattan at the boat party thrown by Troy Johnson on the Hudson River during the Book Expo America Convention.
Zane: Yes, Absolutely!
KW: How have you been?
Z: I’m fine, how are you?
KW: Everything’s great! Thanks for the interview. You are one of the most ambitious people around. Where does that drive come from?
Z: I have always had it. I guess I got it naturally, from my parents. [Chuckles]
KW: You have so many projects in the pipeline besides your erotica, like a line of cosmetics. How’s that coming?
Z: I actually have it all laid out. I have the logos done and am getting ready to place the first order. So, that’s pretty much done.
KW: What about your plans to launch a line of sexual devices?
Z: With anything I do, I feel that if I’m going to be a bear, I want to be a Grizzly. [Laughs] So, while I definitely could launch that today, I want to make sure it’s branded as my line of toys, and that takes a little bit longer. I don’t want to just jump out and start selling adult toys. There’s no challenge in that, honestly.
KW: I read that you’re also planning to produce several movies.
Z: That, I’m definitely working on. I already have the script for “Addicted” done, and it’s being line-budgeted. I’m working on another script now, and also on some more television series.
KW: Congratulations on the release of the first season of Zane’s Sex Chronicles on DVD. Did you like the way the book was adapted to the screen?
Z: I was very, very happy with it. From the beginning, my goal was to have the highest-rated show in Cinemax history. We laugh about that now because it was kind of bold when I said it, but we actually achieved it. So, I couldn’t be more pleased.
KW: Is the show presently on hiatus?
Z: The second season will start airing on Cinemax on March 5th. But there will be a sneak preview of the first episode on February 13th for Valentine’s Day.
KW: What was the source of our inspiration for this steamy series?
Z: I had led a double-life for more than five years. So, it’s really about me and how I led a double-life that my friends and family knew nothing about. In fact, my parents didn’t have a clue that I was Zane.
KW: With your father being a minister and your mother being a schoolmarm, how did they react to learning the truth that you were the best-selling author of all this popular, graphic erotica?
Z: Their reaction was nothing like I expected. More than anything else, they were interested in understanding why I felt like I couldn’t talk to them about it. They really had raised us to self-explore and to do anything we wanted to do, so they were very open about it. My father understood how he had raised me and, in his opinion, sex is a very natural part of life, and how everybody got here. And he definitely understands the basic purpose behind what I do. It’s not just writing about sex.
KW: Do you take credit for creating this whole movement of black erotica?
Z: There was already an underground movement of black erotica. And I didn’t start out to write erotica. This wasn’t anything that was planned. I just started writing short stories for self-entertainment when I was living in this little hick town in North Carolina. One night, one of my friends handed me a story to read that was being circulated around at the factory where she worked. It turned out to be one of mine somehow. That was when I realized I was kinda on to something.
KW: Why did you start out self-publishing?
Z: Several publishers offered me book deals, but all of them wanted me to change my writing style. In fact, I never even intended to put out a book. By the time I published The Sex Chronicles in May of 2000, I couldn’t even print them fast enough. The same thing happened with Addicted in August of 2000, which is when the New York Times called it the hottest paperback in the country. After that, Simon and Schuster came back and agreed to sign me as is.
KW: How would you describe your books? As erotica? As romance? Are they aimed at a specific audience?
Z: A common misconception is that my books are about sex. I think my books are really about life. The sex is literally the last thing I write when composing a book. I write the rest of it first, and then go back and fill in the sex scenes. Even with the TV series, I believe my readers appreciate and really get into the character development. So, my stories are really about life and different issues people are dealing with. And they aren’t aimed at a specific audience.
KW: You’re a single woman, I suppose that when you’re dating a guy who knows you’re Zane, he must feel a certain amount of performance anxiety.
Z: Frankly, yes. [Laughs]
KW: Children’s book author, Irene Smalls who also attended the same party where we met says, “You have certainly taken Black erotica to a whole new level. What are your goals when you write a new story, characters, morals or making the story sexier?”
Z: The first two are my priority. The sex scenes are very easy. To me, sexuality is just a part of normal everyday life. I concentrate much more on the morals and character development than anything else. Getting my message across is what really matters to me. I get letters from women who express that they realize that there are good men who exist, and that they don’t have to just settle, and that maybe they should expand their options and what they define as a good man.
KW: Irene also asks, given your success as an author, having your own imprint, and with the TV series, where do you want to go next as an entrepreneur?
Z: My goal for this year is to delve deeper into movies and television. In addition to that, I’ll be starting a Zane-branded music label, because music has always been an important part of my life, and I like to do things I’m passionate about. Music in many ways defines who I am today. Prince is almost single-handedly responsible for my being sexually uninhibited. [LOL] And I write to music. So, music, in many ways, has defined me.
KW: Reverend Florine Thompson asks, does Tiger Woods have a sexual addiction, because he allegedly had multiple sexual partners outside of his marriage, or do you think the rehab is a ploy to repair his previously pristine image?
Z: Technically, I have no idea. But I have noticed that a lot of cheaters automatically claim to be a sex addict as an excuse. In his case, I really don’t know. Without knowing him, I couldn’t possibly respond to that question. If he were single, it wouldn’t be a big deal.
KW: Reverend Thompson also asks, why do you think so many professional athletes are perpetrators of domestic violence and how do we overcome domestic violence in the African-American community?
Z: One thing we have to do is face it head-on, and it’s interesting she should bring that up because one of my offices is just publishing a powerful book called My Darkest Hours, written from the perspective of a man who admits to being an abuser.
KW: The good Rev was wondering whether there’s always price of pain to pay for love.
Z: I think there is. Love does require a degree of sacrifice on the part of both people.
KW: Finally, she asks, who or what do you credit for your success?
Z: Wow! Well, other than God who obviously is the source of my talents and blessings, I would say my parents.
KW: Larry Greenberg asks, when Zane’s Sex Chronicles came to life on Cinemax, whether the characters were portrayed as you had visualized them originally in your mind’s eye?
Z: Yes. And that resulted from my being very hands-on from the casting to the script.
KW: Laz Lyles was wondering whether your writing about the black body and black sexuality carries any political implications.
Z: I don’t feel that my writing is really political. I believe that women are still very much undervalued by today’s society. My whole point overall is to empower women of all races to understand that we only get one shot at life, and that we are entitled to be just as satisfied as men are. We shouldn’t have to sacrifice our happiness because we think we’re less worthy. I believe that a woman should feel empowered to make her own choices when it comes to her sexuality.
KW: Is there any question no one ever asks you, that you wish someone would?
Z: Nobody’s ever asked me if I have any regrets.
KW: Do you have any regrets?
Z: Yes, I do have many, many regrets. But at the same time, I do understand that everything I’ve done was for a reason, and I’ve accepted and learned from my mistakes. And as I’ve matured, I’ve learned how to have fewer and fewer regrets by simply doing what I want to do regardless of the consequences. For instance, if I have feelings for someone, I will tell them. So, at least I’ll know that I expressed them.
KW: The Columbus Short question: Are you happy?
Z: Very!
KW: The Tasha Smith question: Are you ever afraid?
Z: No.
KW: The Teri Emerson question: When was the last time you had a good laugh?
Z: Last night.
KW: The bookworm Troy Johnson question: What was the last book you read?
Z: Daddy by Default which is a book that I’m about to publish. The last published book I read was The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell.
KW: The music maven Heather Covington question: What are you listening to on your iPod?
Z: One of my favorite songs right now is “Sex Therapy” by Robin Thicke. I also like “It’s the God in Me” by Mary Mary, but Prince is still my all-time favorite. I listen to him all the time.
KW: What has been the biggest obstacle you have had to overcome?
Z: The minds of repressed people who prejudge me without knowing anything about me. Most of my harshest critics are people who have never read any of my work.
KW: When you look in the mirror, what do you see?
Z: Someone who just enjoys life, and knows that every day is a gift. Someone who tries to be the best mother that she can be, because that’s my biggest job in life. I believe that the best judge of my character, and the only thing that matters to me, is what my children say about me to their friends when I’m not around.
KW: How old are your children, and do they know that you’re Zane
Z: Yes, they do. They’re 6, 15 and 22. But nobody at my daughter’s high school knows that I’m Zane. And until recently, when I did The Mo’Nique Show, nobody at my daughter’s school knew. But a secretary recognized me.
KW: The Boris Kodjoe question: What do you consider your biggest accomplishment?
Z: My children.
KW: What is your favorite dish to cook?
Z: Probably spaghetti.
KW: The Flex Alexander question: How do you get through the tough times?
Z: Prayer. I also cry, and I do what I call an emotional clearinghouse. I’ll take however much time I need to pray, to cry and to let go. To accept the things I can’t change, and to release the people out off my life who aren’t good for me.
KW: The Ling-Ju Yen question: What is your earliest childhood memory?
Z: When I was 3 years-old, my uncle brought over a puppy Labrador retriever to give to me as a pet. I was terrified of it at first. But my brother made me pet it on the porch for hours, until I wasn’t scared anymore. And I ended up having that dog for 16 years.
KW: The Mike Pittman question: Who was your best friend as a child?
Z: Pam, Cornelia and Don were my best friends in high school, and I’m still close to all of them.
KW: What advice do you have for anyone who wants to follow in your footsteps?
Z: To find their own voice, and not to try to emulate anyone else. To do it for the right reasons. I write because it’s a cleansing and an entertaining experience for me. Too many people get caught up in how much money they can make, ignoring the fact that the readers don’t care about that.
KW: The Laz Alonso question: How can your fans help you?
Z: By living and appreciating life to the fullest. So, what people can do for me is to really be themselves.
KW: How do you want to be remembered?
Z: As someone who made her own path in life, and left her own trail.
KW: Thanks again for the interview Zane, and I hope to see you at the book convention in the Spring.
Z: Thank you very much.
To purchase a copy of Zane’s Sex Chronicles (Season One) on DVD, visit: