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The Ru Report #175

Funny Girl

“Let me tell you, driving down one street and seeing five different billboards just blows my mind,” said Tichina Arnold, who is one of Black America’s most popular comedic actresses. The television veteran was referring to the massive marketing push that the UPN network is putting behind her latest project, the Chris Rock-helmed sitcom “Everybody Hates Chris,” which premieres on September 22 at 8 p.m. “I’m really excited and I believe this show is going to lead up to everybody’s expectations and then some.”

Ms. Arnold, who was recently seen making a splash on the network’s popular “One On One” series, is riding another great wave in a career that has spanned more than two decades. Making her debut at Brooklyn’s Bedford Stuyvesant-based Billie Holiday Theater during her adolescent years lead her on a path that would include a breakout performance in the star-studded musical film, “Little Shop Of Horrors” (in 1989) and an NAACP Image Award winning turn in the groundbreaking sitcom “Martin.”

For her latest foray on the tube, the Jamaica Queens native steps into the shoes of Rochelle, the title character’s sassy mother, who works part time in a small realty office and runs the household on a tight budget. “After I auditioned for the role and after I got it, I asked Chris how his mother was,” she explained about her approach to the role. “His life is really similar to my life so I kind of pulled from different people I know, like my mother and my aunt and my grandmother and try to remember how they spoke to me when I was little.

“Reading the script, I get a sense of memories when I was little and Chris’s age,” she continued. “I was a latchkey kid as well. I had to raise my little sister because both of my parents were working. So I was bussed into an all Jewish school so its like I have a lot of stuff that I can relate to.”

And as expected, Ms. Arnold steals every scene she’s featured in.

On the day that “The RU Report” caught up to her on Los Angeles’ historic Paramount Lot, she was running frantically to her trailer during a lunch break to handle media chores for the network. She just left the child care center, where she dropped off her baby daughter — 17-month old Alija Kai — whom she refers to as a “busy body …going on 10 years old.”

“I’m more cautious and I think about what I do before I do it,” she revealed about how motherhood has changed her outlook on life and work. “I think about her every five minutes of the day. I don’t make any decisions without her on my mind.”

And being a single parent isn’t easy. But Tichina Arnold makes do the best way she can. “I try to do a little something-something,” she said. “I love my little residual checks [from “Martin].”

“Her pappy is in Philadelphia, living happily and I’m here,” the once-divorced thespian and sometimes singer deadpanned about her baby’s daddy. “We just broke up, it didn’t work out but… he’s happily married with his children”

As forthcoming as they get, Ms. Arnold is quick to clear up misconceptions or untruths about her past. “I never dated a baseball player. Oh you know what? I was married to a boxer.” The way she talks up her former marriage is sincerely as if she didn’t remember it at all.

“We were married a long time ago,” she clarified. “We were married for two years. We eloped. So I always tell people that I married for spirituality, I didn’t marry because I was in love because we eloped after three months of knowing each other. I took that plunge. And it didn’t work out.”

Sounds like that pugilist must’ve put “it” down on her.

When these sentiments are quipped aloud, Ms. Arnold laughed loudly, adding “He put something down, but I don’t know what.”

From the moment she played the feisty Zena Brown on ABC’s now defunct soap opera “Ryan’s Hope” (circa 1987-1989), Tichina Arnold had this instantaneous connectivity to television audiences. She went on to star in the network’s legendary “All My Children” before getting into TV comedy. Playing modest, she attributed most of the winning formula to “good timing.”

“Just because you’re right for a part or just because a show is a good show or a good script doesn’t mean that its going to work,” she said, adding, “I think if this show would’ve come out two years ago, it probably wouldn’t have been received the way it’s being received now, which is cool because that’s how I treated my career since I started. Timing is everything.”

“I’ve been in this industry since I was eleven and God has blessed me. I’ve had my down times –those times when you don’t work consistently — but that’s just the nature of the business. But this is all I’ve done so I’ve been blessed enough to still be in this business. I know a lot of people that I started out with that are not in the business anymore. So doing what you want to do is more satisfying than anything.”

In the midst of eyeing cameo role in the forthcoming “Dreamgirls” movie, Ms. Arnold is also tapping back into her entrepreneurial pursuit. A few years ago, her China Moon Rags line was all the rage amongst the Hollywood set. The Swarovski crystal-embroidered bandannas attracted celebrities such as Janet Jackson, Vivica Fox, Regina King, Christina Aguilera and Tisha Campbell, as customers.

“I’m starting it back up again,” she said of the accessories line, which was started by mistake (”I hate doing my hair but I like looking good so I started putting stones on bandannas and then I started giving them out as gifts and then all of my friends, most of my friends are celebrities so they started wearing them on the red carpet and different places and it got me a lot of exposure.”).

“China Moon Rags is my heart but after I had my daughter I left it alone but now I’m going to get back into it. So you’re going to see a lot more of China Moon Rags in a minute!”

Musically, the industry doesn’t excite her. She dabbled into recording an album but the current state of the business has left a sour taste in her mouth. While she does refer to singing as her first love (”Singing paid the bills for me before anything else.”), unless a deal is delivered to her on a single platter, she’ll resort to conveying her gift in other avenues. Ms. Arnold is actively involved in various community and charitable causes — and lends her voice to them quite frequently.

Although “Everybody Hates Chris” just wrapped taping its sixth show for a 22-episode block, she has another “new concept” she’s tweaking. “I’m working on this project called ‘Shut Up & Listen’ about relationships. I’ve done studies and I’ve gathered up questions and had people answer them for me, and then I put together a forum. I’m not going to tell how I’ve put together the forum or how it’s done but it’s a real interesting project. I’m just waiting for the time when the time is right for me to present it..”

“I’ve come a long way man,” she reflected. “Being that I started so early, and starting in show business that early your goals are to not be a star. My goals still aren’t to be a star. I want to do good work. And when I was 10, I just wanted to work – I wanted to get work. So, that was the goal – to entertain people and make people laugh and make people cry. That was my goal and that still is. The stardom is great. I love the perks of stardom but I’m more gratified, more satisfied with doing good work. The ultimate goal for me is for people to look back at my life and say ‘Wow, Tichina, I love you in everything you’ve done.’ That’s satisfying to me.”

That’s a great aspiration to have — and master, which she has done a damn good job at thus far.

Stages
“The View”’s bright shining Star Jones will make a splash on Broadway this season. The former super-sized television personality will host the “Broadway Gospel Celebration” on October 16 at New York City’s Town Hall. Broadway Inspirational Voices — under the direction of Tony Award nominee Michael McElroy — will perform at the benefit concert for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. Chart-topping R&B/Dance singer/songwriter Deborah Cox, who was last seen in Broadway’s “AIDA”, will also perform on the show. Ticket prices range from $40 to $250. The Broadway Inspirational Voices, founded by Mr. McElroy — last seen in “Big River” — features more than 60 members from such shows as “All Shook Up,” “Avenue Q,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “The Color Purple,” “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels,” “Doubt,” “Hairspray,” “The Lion King,” “The Producers,” “Rent” and “Wicked.” (www.broadwaycares.org)

This year’s lone Black Tony Award winner Adriane Lenox is using her star wattage for a good cause. Well, for the sassy star of Broadway’s hit play, “Doubt,” who has chops to boot, the reasoning may be a little two-fold. In the Pulitzer Prize-winning John Patrick Shanley play, the Memphis native doesn’t bellow one lick in her breakthrough 10-minutes of stage time. Now everyone unfamiliar with her vocal prowess can get a chance to see and hear her sing up close and personal. On October 10, she will appear in “New Voices: Broadway Babies” at New York City’s Symphony Space performance hall. Described as a celebration in song of women and their thoughts on motherhood, children, and the many joys of family, the concert will feature an array of Broadway talents, including Kate Baldwin, Catherine Cox, Rebecca Luker, Jessica Molaskey, and Michele Pawk. The one night only event is presented by the New Voices Collective, founded by Jen Bender, Joel Fram, and Doug Okerson in 2002 with a mission to provide a forum for a community of artists to develop new works and explore new directions.

And according to independent publicist Tom Estey, his client Valarie Pettiford is getting back on the boards. The Tony Award nominated star of “Fosse,” who now stars on UPN’s “Half and Half,” is set to star in “The Wild Party,” set to open October 15 at Los Angeles’ Blank Theatre.

Music Notes
All eyes are on “The Biz,” America Online’s new reality series searching for the next music mogul produced by AOL Music and Warner Music Group. Former Def Jam honcho Lyor Cohen, who is now Chairman and CEO of U.S. Recorded Music for Warner Music Group, serves as one of the executive producers of the project. For the competition, contestants from around the country tests their music industry savvy, vying for a position as president of a newly created WMG record label.

“People on television just want to be actors,” Mr. Cohen said about the concept in an interview. “We want people who are really passionate about music.”

Chevrolet have inked a sponsorship deal for the “The Biz,” as part of the promotion of its 2006 Chevrolet HHR. Lasting until November 30, Chevy will receive prominent brand placement wherever the show is promoted across the AOL service, AOL.com portal, the AOL Instant Messenger service and AOL’s leading entertainment web properties.

That’s major.

An interactive online competition between the Top 10 finalists is set to take place in New York City this fall and will air online and be promoted to AOL’s audience of more than 100 million monthly visitors.

That Beyonce sure looks like something on the cover of the October issue of the best-selling Black women’s magazine, “Essence,” which just hit newsstands, nationally, this week. This is the singer-actress’s second solo cover for the mag, and third overall (she also appeared on a special “generational” concept cover with Mary J. Blige and Janet Jackson last year). While she’s adorning a busy Gianfranco Ferre get-up in a Lorenzo Aguis photo that was artistically out of focus — I hope — she’s proudly sporting a piece from House Of Dereon — her mother’s crafty fashion creations in one of the gorgeous inside shots. The magazine is celebrating Beyonce and “25 Other Strong Women Who Are Shaping The World.” Abyssinian Development Corporation honcho Sheena Wright, the beautiful daughter of Deborah Fraser-Howze (who heads up the Black Leadership Commission on AIDS), college presidents Beverly Daniel Tatum, Elaine Johnson Copeland, Thelma B. Thompson; and gay rights activist Jasmyne Cannick are also highlighted, amongst others. “Essence”s indomitable editorial director Susan Taylor offers up a heartwarming Q&A with acting legend Ruby Dee, while Diana Ross’s eldest daughter Rhonda Ross contributes an essay titled “In The Shadow Of The Stunning.” Best-selling author and former video vixen Karrine “Superhead” Steffans closes out the 270-page edition with a profile written by “Washington Post” writer Teresa Wiltz. Revamped and bulging with all sorts of lifestyle-related content, the new issue of “Essence” may be worth picking up.

To commemorate the 20th anniversary of their seminal opus, “King Of Rock,” Hip-hop titans Run-DMC has new product on store shelves. Well sort of. This month, SONY BMG Music Entertainment releases the first four albums (the self titled debut from 1984, the aforementioned “King Of Rock,” 1986’s “Raising Hell” and 1988’s “Tougher Than Leather”). Newly re-mastered and packaged as expanded editions, each set features multiple bonus tracks including demos, live performances, single B sides, remixes, spiels, and radio spots, most of which were previously unreleased. In addition to all of that, each CD booklet features rare photography and memorabilia from the Run-DMC archive. Perfect for true rap culture enthusiasts. Also included in each volume are tribute quotes from the likes of Eminem, 50 Cent, Chris Rock, MC Lyte, Kid Rock and visionary producer Rick Rubin.

“American Idol” Fantasia Barrino will head out on tour with three-time Grammy Award winning hip-hop demigod Kanye West this fall. Her west coast based record company publicist did not confirm it, but I hear it’s a sure thing for her to join Mr. West and his crony Common for a jaunt. J Records — Ms. Barrino’s label — is working her latest single, “Ain’t Gonna Beg” from her platinum-selling debut “Free Yourself” before she heads into the studio to work on a sophomore project, an insider hinted. I think musical mastermind Clive Davis should rally his troops behind Ms. Barrino’s stirring cover of Willie Nelson’s classic “You Were Always On My Mind.” And in this time of national public interests in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, releasing it as single would be a perfect anthem of hope and inspiration that can be heard all across the world. And CD single sales could go to charity. But what the hell do I know?

On November 1, legendary romantic crooner Freddie Jackson is set to release a new album via Artemis Records. The album, titled “Personal Reflections,” features cover versions of well known chart topping hits such as the first single “Don’t Know Why,” “I Go Crazy,” and “Back Together Again” (a duet with fellow R&B veteran Meli’sa Morgan). “These are some of my all-time favorites, and the idea appealed to me of maybe exposing some of these wonderful songs to people who didn’t catch them the first time around, or maybe hadn’t been born yet,” offered Mr. Jackson. Producers include Kevin Evans (Janet Jackson, Barry White), Rex Rideout (Luther Vandross), and Cecil Sanchez (Mary J. Blige).

Katrina, Be Damned!
Jazz at Lincoln Center will produce the “Higher Ground Hurricane Relief Benefit Concert” live from the Rose Theater in Frederick P. Rose Hall in New York City on September 17. The five-hour concert, hosted by Laurence Fishburne, will feature New Orleans’ native son, acclaimed trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, who is the artistic director of Jazz At Lincoln Center. Terence Blanchard, Ken Burns, Shirley Caesar, Cyrus Chestnut, Peter Cincotti, Elvis Costello, Bill Cosby, Robert De Niro, Paquito D’Rivera, Jon Hendricks, Norah Jones, Diana Krall, Abbey Lincoln, Bette Midler, Dianne Reeves, Marcus Roberts, Paul Simon, Meryl Streep, James Taylor, McCoy Tyner, Robin Williams, Cassandra Wilson, Buckwheat Zydeco and many more are confirmed to participate.

“New Orleans is the birthplace of jazz. The city’s diverse population of Spanish, French, British, West Africans and Americans created an original music that embodies the fundamental principals of democracy. Jazz at Lincoln Center was established to celebrate jazz and so we are particularly moved to action by the destruction visited on the Crescent City by Katrina,” Mr. Marsalis said in a statement.

Contributions will benefit New Orleans musicians affected by Hurricane Katrina and provide general hurricane relief. The Fund will be administered and distributed through the Baton Rouge Area Foundation, a non-profit community foundation. Baton Rouge has become a staging ground for many of the relief efforts, and as many as 500,000 individuals have been relocated there. The Baton Rouge Area Foundation is working with organizations in the region to assure that services and resources directly reach those most affected.

The event will be televised live nationally on “Live From Lincoln Center” on PBS, hosted by Beverly Sills. XM Satellite Radio will carry the concert live on their network from coast to coast. Higher Ground will also be broadcast live via radio partner WBGO Jazz (88.3FM) in the New York City area and offered nationally and internationally via National Public Radio and its 807 member stations in the U.S., NPR Worldwide, and streamed live on www.npr.org, www.wbgo.org, www.xmradio.com. The event will be recorded by Jazz at Lincoln Center and a CD will be produced and released by Blue Note Records with all profits going to relief fund efforts. Concert tickets — priced at $50, $100, $500, $1000, $5000, and $10,000– are available at the Jazz at Lincoln Center box office, by calling CenterCharge at (212) 721-6500 or via www.jalc.org. CenterCharge service fees will be donated to hurricane relief efforts.

Word from the resilient seaport city of Mobile, Alabama is that it was not devastated by Hurricane Katrina. According to a spokesperson for the Mobile Bay Convention and Visitors Bureau, approximately 85 percent of hotel and motel room inventories are functioning, and most are being used for recovery efforts. The city is within a 130 mile radius of New Orleans. “Mobile’s first priority will be to assist evacuees, FEMA and rescue workers,” said Leon Maisel, President and CEO of the Mobile Bay Convention and Visitors Bureau. “Our flood waters have receded, leaving us deeply concerned for our friends and neighbors to the west. Our prayers go out to them.” According to the Alabama Department of Transportation website, all major transportation routes to the Gulf Coast city are open, with only a few lane closures affecting vehicle travel to and within Mobile. With no oil leaks in Mobile Bay, Carnival Cruise Lines has resumed sailings from the Port of Mobile. The city holds the second largest natural gas reserve in the world. The Holiday ship returned for a cruise last weekend. City services are steadily resuming to normal functions and Mobile’s annual music festival, BayFest, will be held in downtown Mobile as planned on Oct. 7 through October 9.

The ever-lovely nationally renowned gossip guru Tanya Hart reached out to me last week to let me know that she’s making efforts to join with the online record store cdbaby.com to donate all profits from her CD sales to the American Red Cross disaster relief fund. She recently released the incredible neo-soul EP “Tanya Hart Sings” on her own record company, THC/Eklektic. “You may think that a few sales won’t help, but with thousands of musicians banded together to do this it will help a lot of people get their lives back together after this disaster,” she said. “I am pleased to join this needed disaster relief effort. Won’t you too please join us in bringing hope to those whose lives have been devastated by Hurricane Katrina.”

Lastly, mega-movie theater chain AMC Theaters will donate all proceeds from concession and movie ticket sales on September 15 to the American Red Cross Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund. All 207 AMC theatres throughout the U.S. will be participating in this day as part of AMC’s ‘Movie Day’ contributing to hurricane relief efforts. The company also established AMC Cares, which is a relief fund that will help AMC associates provide a source of financial help to other AMC associates who are experiencing loss due to Hurricane Katrina as well as future disastrous or catastrophic events.

Notable/Quotable
“Your challenge is figuring out how to get past their attempt to stop you,”
–Groundbreaking broadcasting mogul Cathy Hughes on not letting racism and sexism stand in the way in the workforce.

©2005 The Ru Report™. All Rights Reserved~~P.O. Box #25 Bushkill PA 18324

Message Karu F Daniels or email him directly at therureport@aol.com

By Karu F. Daniels on 9/17/2005[read on] [26 comments]

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