07.11.2010

Road movie an entertaining ride into blues country

CHICAGO (Hollywood Reporter) – Starring Michael Clarke Duncan and Morgan Simpson as a troubled and mismatched duo, "Black, White and Blues" ripples with the emotions and the saddened circumstances of those gallant and talented folks who sing the blues.

Director Mario Van Peebles has laid down a sobering, juicy film from the sharp pickings of screenwriters Simpson and George Richards.

In this Deep South odyssey, the smart oddity is that the lead duo plays against the stereotypical grain: Duncan is Augie, a Shakespeare-quoting, teetotaling black man who digs country, while Simpson plays a womanizing, hard-drinking white man who reveres the blues. They both have skeletons in their closets and crippling demons to purge.

Back-roading toward Alabama in Augie's cherished pick-up named Charlene, they indulge in the roadside distractions -- juke joints, blues shacks and country bars -- where they banter and argue over their differing musical tastes. Their bonding is not always harmonious, but it rings as true and, ultimately, as chilling as a slide guitar slithering on top of a conflicted lyric.

Both performances are pitch perfect. With his basso voice, intimidating glare and toothy smile, the giant-sized Duncan casts a mesmerizing presence. Remarkably, he invests his daunting physicality with a deep-carved vulnerability. Similarly, Simpson, with his scrawny frame and shifting glances, revels in the hard-ingrained darkness that has crippled his life. And in a sobering turn as a honky-tonk owner, Tom Skerritt rims clear-eyed perspective culled from personal woe into the story refrain.

Van Peebles' storytelling is supple, brilliantly augmented by the sure-handed editing of Mark Conte, who blends the narrative into the textures and cadences of the film's music. Composer Tree Adams, who wrote many of the blues songs within his vibrant score, is truly a one-man musical wonder. Other tech credits resound with grace and clarity, most notably director of photography Matthew Irving's tight framings and grand-hued panoramas, indicative of this plucky, moving film.

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AKWAABA: Weaving Unity Between Ghana and Staten Island

COAHSI presents an exhibit and demonstrations of , a strong cultural tradition for the people of Bonwire, Ghana. Kente Cloth weaving is a tradition that is carried down by the men in the society, and they take great pride in continuing their traditions. Three men who moved from Ghana to Staten Island will educate the public on their tradition, with the help of COAHSI's folklorist. The men will weave the Kente Cloth on a loom that will be built by a local carpenter on Staten Island.

Staten Island, NY (Vocus) October 8, 2010 ^a

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112th Congress: John Hoeven, R-N.D. (Senate)

Pronounced: HO-ven

Residence: Bismarck

Born: March 13, 1957; Bismarck, N.D.

Religion: Roman Catholic

Family: Wife, Mical Hoeven; two children

Education: Northwestern U., M.B.A. 1981; Dartmouth College, B.A. 1979 (history & economics)

Career: Bank CEO

Political highlights: No previous office; governor, 2000-present

Hoeven, the longest-serving active governor in the country, was heavily recruited to run for the Senate seat held by retiring Democrat Byron L. Dorgan. Consequently, he is likely to be spared the kind of dues-paying that usually awaits freshmen.

Before declaring his Senate candidacy, Hoeven -- phenomenally popular in North Dakota -- received promises from Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky that he would be given seats on the Appropriations and Energy and Natural Resources committees. That positions him to bring funding and projects to his state, which has experienced a boom as a result of its growing energy industries. Under his leadership, North Dakota has achieved the lowest unemployment rate in the nation.

"I want to be able to come down and have an immediate impact, work on issues important to our state and to our country," Hoeven says. "Appropriations touches just about everything that goes through Congress."

A banker most of his life, Hoeven was financially supported by organizations such as the American Bankers Association (ABA). But the ABA and others who donated to and backed Hoeven's run will likely be disappointed that the former CEO and president of Bank of North Dakota does not see banking issues as one of his top legislative priorities in the 112th Congress.

Instead, Hoeven wants to focus on shaping energy policy, with a mind to encouraging investment by keeping standards consistent and taxes on businesses low.

"In the energy world right now, they don't know what the rules of the road are going to be when it comes to carbon emissions," he says. "That holds them on the sidelines, so they don't invest. We have to make sure we can give them a favorable tax policy."

Hoeven does not support a cap-and-trade policy for carbon emissions. But he says there may be pieces of the energy bills that were in the works in the 111th Congress that he would support once the new Congress convenes.

Although other new GOP senators are likely to be hard-line partisans, Hoeven may be more willing than others to work with Democrats. "I do think that's something that a governor brings to the mix," he says. "Governors have to work with people from both sides of the aisle."

Agriculture is a major industry in North Dakota, and Hoeven expects to back legislation to support food production as well as biofuels. He also hopes to have a hand in international trade policy, health care legislation and moving a six-year highway bill.

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