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R-L: Tone Loc guest stars as art teacher Mr. Summers who, with guidance counselor Jerome Griffin (Michael Jace), helps
Cornelius (Vicellous Reon Shannon) find a way to focus his creative energy in a positive manner. © Walt Disney Pictues and Television
Rapper Tone Loc goes back
to school on Dangerous Minds
Rap artist Tone Loc joins the
faculty at Parkmont High as their
art teacher, Mr. Summers, on
Dangerous Minds. The episode
entitled “To'e Me Up, To'e Me
Down” was directed by Dennie
Gordon from a script by Christina
Booth, and airs Monday, January
6 at 8 p.m. on ABC.
The unexpected death of a col
league sends Bud Bartkus
(Stanley Anderson) into an emo
tional tailspin. His efforts to be
liked by his students bring him
Television’s first Kwanzaa
special a moving family drama
ST. PAUL, Minn,
The Independent Television Ser
vice (ITVS) presents Harambee! —
starring Howard Rollins(TV’s In the
Heat of the Night), Aaron Beener
(TV’s The Bill Cosby Show), Brenda
Pressley (TV’s Brewster Place,
Broadway’s original Dreamgirls),
and Novella Nelson (Broadway’s
Having Our Say). Written and di
rected by Fracaswell “Cas” Hyman,
with executive producerLizNealon,
Harambee! — Swahili for “unity” —
is a moving family drama set in an
urban housing project during the
seven days of Kwanzaa. The one
hour program, presented by ITVS
with funds provided by the Corpora
tion for Public Broadcasting, will
premiere nationwide on PBS begin
ning Dec. 19. (Check local listings.)
The realities of random violence
confront the Barnes family when a
stray bullet enters their apartment
on Christmas night. Eleven-year
old JoJo Barnes (Aaron Beener), his
sister and cousin are then forced to
stayinside because oftheir mother’s
real concerns for her family’s safety.
In frustration, JoJo writes a school
composition on the injustice of vio
lence, and how it has made him a
prisonerin hisown community,even
within his own home.
That evening JoJo's family at
tends their first Kwanzaa celebra
tion at their housing project’s com
munity center where Chimbuko
| Publix.
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scorn and ridicule, leading Bud to
question the value of his work.
Elsewhere, Cornelius (Vicellous
Reon Shannon) is caught leaving
graffiti on local businesses. At Mr.
Griffin’s(Michael Jace)insistence,
he enrolls in an art class as a
method to focus his creative im
pulses in a positive manner.
Through the insight of his instruc
tor Mr. Summers (Tone Loc),
Cornelius discovers that he pos
sesses real talent as an artist.
A chart-topping musical artist
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Howard Rollins, Aaron Beener and Novella Nelson star in
television’s first Kwanzaa special, Harambee.
(Howard Rollins), an activist and
former drug addict who has walked
the road of recovery for five years,
sees Kwanzaa as a way to help the
community come together to meet
the changes in their neighborhood.
When Jodo’s grandmother,
[ts Our Pleasure.
and actor, Tone Loc has appeared
in the theatrical film Heat, star
ring Al Pacino; and Blank Check,
Posse and Poetic Jusice, where he
appeared with Janet Jackson and
one of rap’s most. controversial
figures, the late Tupac Shakur.
Dangerous Minds has used a
number of musical artists, prima
rily rap artists, in nonmusical,
dramatic roles. This practice be
gan with the casting of rap super
star Coolio as the health educa
tion teacher in the pilot episode.
Queenesther (Novella Nelson), is
chosen as the community elder to
beginthe Umoja (Swabhili for “mutu
al well-being) ceremony, she proud
ly asks her grandson to share his
school essay with the gathering. A
popular newspaper columnist, at-
art ®* music ® literature ° theatre
Subsequent episodes have fea
tured the artists Yo Yo, Joe Torry
and Fredro Starr in small but piv
otal roles.
Dangerous Minds is produced
by Predawn Productions and Don
Simpson/Jerry Bruckheimer Pro
ductions in association with
Touchstone Television. Executive
producers are Don Simpson, Jerry
Bruckheimer, Ronald Bass, Diane
Frolov and Andrew Schneider.
Michael Vittesis co-executive pro
ducer.
tending with JoJo’s journalist aunt,
is so moved by the boy’s plea for a
safer neighborhood that he features
the essay in his column the next
morning.
Sparked by the temporary atten
tion from City Hall and the police
department following the publica
tion of JoJo's essay, the housing
project residents use Kwanzaa as a
catalyst for action.
But change is never easy or with
out risk. JoJo's older sister must
make a choice between her family
andher gangbangerboyfriend, Flex.
JoJo’s mother must decide whether
to trust again, and JoJo must come
to terms with information that his
police officer father was a substance
abuser at the time of his death.
Finally, it is the fiery and deter
mined family matriarch
Queenesther, who embraces the
Kwanzaa philosophy, demonstrat
ing how each person must take a
stand to stop the violence that
plagues our communities.
Together,JoJo’s community re
alizethey can make a better world
for themselves and their chil
dren using the Kwanzaa philos
ophy as their guide: Umoja (mu
tual well-being), Kujichagulia
(self-determination), Ujima (col
lective work and responsibility),
Ujamaa (cooperative economics),
Nia (purpose), Kuumba (creativ
ity) and Imani (faith).
Essence Music Festival to be
held July 3-6 in New Orleans
M Tickets are on sale
now for this nonstop
celebration.
Officials of Essence Communi
cations, Inc. (ECI) said “Let’s do
it again!” and have decided to
return the Essence Music Festi
val to New Orleans. The nonstop
celebration of music, culture and
heritage will be held July 3-6 at
the Superdome.
The publisher, CEO and chair
man of ECI, Edward Lewis, said
in announcing the return to New
Orleans, “Our festival attracts
some of the greatest minds and
some of the biggest names in
entertainment and our event has
become the largest musical, cul
tural and spiritual gathering of
its kind in the world. Join Es
sence for another unique cele
bration of our culture and heri
tage over the 1997 Fourth of July
weekend.”
The event has showcased some
of the hottest stars in the music
and entertainment industry in
side the Louisiana Superdome,
one of the world’s largest indoor
arenas.
Lastyear Stevie Wonder, Luth
er Vandross, Patti Laßelle and
Frankie Beverly & Maze were
featured on the main stage while
otherblues, jazz and popular art
ists played in the Superlounges
located in smaller venues within
New Jersey Rainbow Poets
offers prize for religious poetry
A SI,OOO grand prize is being
offered in a religious poetry con
test sponsored by New Jersey
Rainbow Poets, free to everyone.
Thereare 28 prizesin all, totalling
over $2,000.
“We think great religious poems
can inspire achievement,” says
Frederick Young, theorganization’s
famous contest director. “We're es
peciallykeenoninspiringbeginning
poets and we think this competition
will accomplish that. Georgia has
produced great poets over the years
and we'd like to discover new ones
from among the Augusta-area
A
(TR TR
E i
‘ /i ,/ 5
1. What instrument is played by
Joe Sample, Billy Taylor, James
William and Ellis Marsalis?
2. What outstanding drummer
has the initials S.E.?
3. Who are Red Radney, Snooky
Young, Max Vax and Chuck
Mangione?
4. Of Ed Shaughnessy, Lionel
Hampton, Maynard Ferguson
and Buddy Rich, who doesn’t
belong?
5. Name the saxophonist who
played with Dave Brubeck with
one of the most fluid sounds.
6. Who is the piano player with
the Joe Kennedy Jr. Trio?
the Superdome. Artists such as
Rachelle Farell, The Ohio Play
ers, Bobby Blue Bland and
Ramsey Lewis played to packed
audiences in these intimate set
tings.
The Essence Music Festival has
drawn some of the most charis
matic and influential minds to
its empowerment seminars. Re
nowned speakers, authors and
activistssuch as Dr. Na’im Akbar,
Maya Angelou, Rev. Jesse Jack
son, Rev. Barbara King, attor
ney Johnnie Cochran and Terry
McMillan have been featured.
New Orleans mayor Marc H.
Morial hailed the decision to re
turn the festival to his city. “New
Orleans and the Essence Music
Festival,” the mayor said, “are a
winning combination. I would
like to thank Essence for its com
mitment to our city.”
The musical performances be
gin on Thursday July 3. There
willbe anoldies but goodies night,
diva night and jam-a-thon party
night. The popular Empower
ment Seminars will again be pre
sented during the day. The festi
val’s closing crescendo will be a
daytime gospel program on Sun
day, July 6.
Tickets are on sale now. Prices
are S2O, S3O, S4O, $45 and $55.
Forticketinformation call 1-800-
488-5252. In New Orleans, call
522-5555 and in Baton Rouge
call (504) 366-5000.
grassroots poets.” d
Thedeadline forenteringisiec.
25. Poems may be written on any
subject, using any style, aslong as
there is a spiritual inference. A
typical poem might be alove poem,
or nature poem, one that inspires.
Winners will be notified by the
end of March 1997, and will be
invited for free publication. All
entrants will receive a winner’s
list.
To enter, send one poem only of
21 lines or less to: Poetry Contest,
103 N. Wood Ave., Suite 70, Lin
den, NJ 07036.
7. What is Cobham meets Belson?
8. Who is the leader of the Art
Ensemble of Chicago?
9. Who was the band director of
the Tonight Show before
Brandford Marsalis?
10. Whois the present director of
the Tonight Show band?
11. An outstanding saxophonist
and recording artist from the Chi
cago area, he now serves as di
rector of jazz studies at the Uni
versity of North Florida. Who is
he?
12. Name the 10 legendary jazz
figures honored at the second
annual Amercian Music Stamp
Festival.
13. Who was Tommy Thomas?
14. Who was Ray McKinley?
15. Where and when was com
poser/arranger Gil Evans born?
16. Who was Natalie Cole’s mu
sical director?
17. Namethe trumpet player who
resided on the West Coast and
sounded like Miles Davis?
18. What is vocalist Cleo Laine’s
husband’s name and what in
strument does he play?
19. What Charlie Parker tune
was named for his stepdaugh
ter?
20. What is the name of
Cannonnball’s brother/partner
who is still an active cornetist?
Answers on page 4B
