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May 30, 1996 AUGUSTA FOCUS
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Whoopi turns Knicks coach in Eddie
Manhattan limousine driver
Edwina “Eddie” Franklin
(Whoopi Goldberg) lives and
breathes basketball. Her world
revolves around Madison Square
Garden, home of her beloved,
albeit last-place, New York
Knicks. She knows all there is to
know about the team: the play
ers, the coaches. She knows ev
ery statisticin the book. But what
she never could haveimagined is
that hitting a free throw during
a half-time contest would com
pletely change her life.
After a one-game stint as the
team’s honorary coach, Eddie is
offered the real head coaching
post as part of a publicity stunt
engineered by the new Knicks
owner, Wild Bill Burgess (Frank
Langella), a high-profile busi
nessman who would rather “sell
the sizzle than the steak” and
who sees, in Eddie, a headline
grabbing way to get people into
the seats.
What he doesn't see is a genu
ine motivator who can touch,
teach and win. Between laughs,
Eddie teaches the New York
Knicks and their owner a lesson
they will never forget, and she
reminds us all that the game is,
ultimately, just that — a game.
It’s for the fans, and it’s sup
posed to be fun.
- “Ifyoudon’t have the fans, you
don’t have the game,” declares
director Steve Rash. And that is
the essence of Eddie.
Since the mid-'Bos — from the
football strike in ’B4 to the can
cellation of last year’s World Se
ries — Rash and every other die
hard sports fan in America have
come to know the business side
of sports.
1995 was no exception. The
NBA lockout and the risk of
decertification of the players’
union threatened the cancella
tion ofthis year’s season. It seems
that, more and more, the real
games are being played off the
field.
With this in mind, director
Rash feels the time is right for
America to meet Eddie. “She’s a
fan’s fan,” Rash explains. “She
represents every man, woman
and child who has ever lost their
voice or raided their piggy bank
in support of their favorite team.
She’s the megaphone, if you will,
for me and everyone else who
has become disheartened by the
England’s
Boyracer —the self-described
“pop-a-ganda” machine from
Leeds, England — is coming to
the Red Lion Pub on June 22,
which is a Saturday, so write it
down now.
Leeds versus London, North
versus South — these are the
lines between Boyracer and the
rest of their country’s music
scene. Staunch Northern nation
alists, Boyracer show their polit
ical stripes with their new call to
arms, in full colour. At a time
when London-bound former
Mancunians flaunt their “out
sider” status whilst making ev
ery scene in Camden, Boyracer
wouldn’t be caught dead in the
NWI postcode, own no Oasis
records (except for Ged the drum
mer, and he’s got terrible taste in
music), and tirelessly spread the
word: The North must be free.
Musically and intellectually
inspired by Crass, GBH, Unrest
and local heroes the Wedding
Present, Boyracer operate in a
collective manner. Their many
independent releases have, un
til now, been funded with the
proceedsfrom their roadside zuc
chini stand. Stewart, the band’s
l Publix.
SUPER MARKETS
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Whoopi Goldberg stars as Edwina “Eddie” Franklin, with NBA star John Salley in Hollywood
Picture’s new comedy Eddie. Photo: Myles Aronowitz
lack of consideration shown for
the people who buy the tickets.”
Rash points out that Eddie is
first and foremost “a funny and
entertaining movie” and is not
intended to be any kind of state
ment. “It’s simply an avenue for
me to explore the role of the fan
in American sports,” the director
says. “I miss what I used to feel
about my teams and my heroes,
and I know that I'm not alone in
that sentiment. For me, Eddie
personifies what I hope will be
Boyracer speeds to Red Lion
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Boyracer will be at Red Lion Pub on June 22.
ideological leader and singer,
would have been happy to con
tinue in this manner. “I realized,
though,” hesays, “that the Man’s
[ts Our Pleasure.
come the next big wave in big
league sports. That is, the fan as
the real hero of the game.”
And who better than Whoopi
Goldberg to bring the ultimate
heroic fan to life? Recalling
Goldberg’s “Ilove this game” com
mercial of 1995, Rash says, “She
is, and has been, a Knicks fan
since she was a little girl. She
has a passion for the sport, a
passion for the Knicks, and a
passion for New York City.
Whoopi is the heart and soul of
own money could be turned
against Him.” ;
“This isn’t a rock-"n’-roll band,
it’s a pop-a-ganda machine,
art » music ¢ literature » theatre
Eddie.”
“You should see her walk down
the streets of New York, recalls
producer Mark Burg. “She’s like
the Pied Piper. There’s a flock of
people that follow her. Whoopi is
the working-class hero.”
Producer David Permut, who
nurtured the project for almost
three years, concurs. “Whoopi’s
enthusiastic participation level
elevated this project beyond any
body’s expectations,” he says, “and
I think that was the real key.
lovey,” adds bassist and singer
Nicola, who also plays with the
painfully underrated Hem.
Matty, the band’s guitarist and
the soft-spoken “lamb of the rev
olution,” will brook no compro
mise “until kids everywhere can
display regionalism with pride.”
And now the insurrection
comes Stateside with their Zero
Hour Records debut, in full
colour. Previous forays on the
Slumberland label —l994’s More
Songs About Frustration and
Self-Hate, 1995’s We Are Made
of the Same Wood, and a brief
tour with then-label-mates the
Ropers— haveprovided theband
with a fertile following. Such fur
ther releases as their stunning
10-inch on Ohio’s Happy Go
Lucky records and more seven
inch singles than a jukebox sees
in a lifetime are proof positive
this band is evolving into a cot
tage industry. Cunningly dis
guised as a pretty and cutely
experimental pop record, in full
colour will give your pop skin
the fenestration it deserves.
Open up your pores and let it
breathe, baby. @ — Andrew
Beaujon
Art competition to feature
works by children with MS
To highlight its 50 years of
serving families affected by mul
tiple sclerosis (MS), the National
Multiple Sclerosis Society - Geor
gia Chapter will hold a children’s
art competition to recognize chil
dren and teenagers wholive with
the daily, unpredictable, devas
tating effects of a family member
who has MS.
Says Lynda Stewart, chair of
the MS Society - Georgia Chap
ter, “Every day for nearly a half
century, the National MS Soci
ety has helped millions of people
who don’t have MS directly but
who stand and wait, care and
watch, help and encourage. As
well as helping people with the
disease, we help families.”
To participate in this art pro
gram, children between the ages
of five and 15, their teachers and
family members, should contact
Connie Divine at (770) 984-9080
Georgia Council for the Arts
awards organizational grants
Grants totalling $2.6 million
have been awarded by the Geor
gia Council for the Arts to 189
nonprofitorganizations statewide.
These grants, which take effect
July 1, are contracts for services
with the listed organizations to
provide literary arts, visual arts
and performing arts program
ming.
The grants package is funded
primarily by an appropriation
from the Georgia General Assem
bly, with additional funding com
ing fromthe National Endowment
for the Arts. Grant applications
arereviewed by peer panels, which
evaluate applicants based on ar
tistic excellence, administrative
capability and accessibility for
multicultural populations and
people with disabilities.
In announcing the grants, Gov
ernor Zell Miller commended the
General Assembly for its contin
ued support for arts funding in
Georgia. “These grants bring per
forming and visual arts to Geor
gians across the state,” Gov. Mill
er said. “They fund established
groups such as the Augusta Sym
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1. Who wrote the composition for
the Peter Gunn television series?
2. What do Oliver Nelson, Benny
Golson, Benny Carter, Lalo
Schifun, Pete Rugolo and J.J
Johnson?
3. Where did the first books on
jazz appear?
4. Who are Stan Kenton, Harry
James, Maynard Ferguson,
Woody Herman and Glenn Mill
er?
5. Name the instruments found
in a big band.
6. The following have a unique
talentin addition to playing their
instrument. What is it?
7. Tenor saxophonist Stan Getz
andlllinoisJacquet are true styl
ists. However, they share the
or 1-800-822-3379 for a free en
try form. Entries are due by
Friday, August 16, 1996.
Each drawing should be be
tween 8 1/2"x 11"t0 24" x 34" in
size and address the theme of
MS and family life. The entries
can be paint, crayon, pencil/ink,
as long as they can be easily
transported.
According to Lynda Stewart,
“Because MS is not a fatal disease
and because it generally strikes
young adults, children as young
as five or six may assume some
form of caregiver role. And they
may still be a caregiver when
they’re 50 or 60. It’simportant for
people to understand the special
dynamics that develop in a family
touched by a chronic illness.”
Please call the MS Society -
Georgia Chapter at (770) 984-
9080 or 1-800-822-3379 for more
information.
phony and emerging groups such
as the Morgan County African-
American Museum.”
The grants awarded locally are
listed below, grouped by discipline
areas. Unless noted as a project
grant, which funds a specific
project, all grants are for general
operating support for the organi
zation. The only local area award
ed grants is Richmond County.
- Community Art: Augusta Mini
Theatre, $6,862 and Greater Au
gusta Arts Council, $6,862.
- Dance: The Augusta Ballet,
$39,778.
- Literature: Augusta College
(project), $2,283.
- Music: Augusta Children’s
Chorale, $1,000; Augusta Choral
Society, $2,401; Augusta Jazz
Project, $3,003; Augusta Opera
Association, $41,932; and Augus
ta Symphony, $51,462.
- Presenter: Imperial Theatre,
$1,144 and Sacred Heart Cultural
Center (project), SI,OOO.
- Theater: Augusta Players,
$6,862.
- Visual Arts: Gertrude Herbert
Institute of Art, $11,436.
ability to play an instrument not
usually found in ajazz ensemble.
Name the instrument.
8. Name the white saxophonist
whose band members atone time
were all black.
9. A “box” refers to what instru
ment? :
10. With what term does a musi
cian sometimes refer to his in
strument?
11. What was the name of Jelly
Roll Morton’s band in 19267
12. Heis considered the father of
“stride piano.”
13. Who are the “Hot Five”? “The
Hot Seven”?
14. What is pianist Earl Hines’
nickname?
15. What trumpeter played the
solo on Glen Miller’s “String of
Pearls™?
16. Which of the following trombon
ists—Kid Ory, Miff Mole, Jack
Teagarden, and J.C.
Higginbotham—are from Georgia?
17. The saxophone family in
cludes soprano, alto, tenor, bari
tone, bass and what other in
strument?
18. What jazz pianist recently
fell off a platform in front of the
Taj Mahal?
19. What is the name of the fe
male trumpet and fluegelhorn
soloist with the 1996 Richmond
County All-County Jazz Band?
20. Name the two trumpet play
ers with the initials C.S, and
RE.?
Answers on page 11
