Jury Coordination and Notes

Archive for October, 2015

YouTube: What You Did and Did Not Know, Now You Do by Gerry Orz

Sunday, October 25th, 2015

google_youtube.jpgYouTube is the third most popular site of the 300,000,000 sites of the Internet. It has over One Billion accounts, just to give you a perspective. This is a whopping one-third of the Internet!

Let’s compare it to good old TV. By that I mean, providers that usually provide you with hundreds, sometimes thousands of channels. This seems like a pretty good bargain, but lets look a bit deeper. Those thousands of channels all air different things at different times. Want to watch a particular show? Wait until nine tonight. While on Netflix, (which  has 64 million users, 10 million more than every large TV provider), there are thousands of movies and TV shows available for instant streaming. So many people have decided to just use their Amazon Prime and Netflix accounts and eliminate the satellite line. With new Smart TV’s becoming cheaper and cheaper, soon these ultra large instant streaming services, and others such as Hulu, are going to be leading in TV programming. Already, for many shows, they are aired on Amazon Instant Video before going to live TV.

Let’s peak into YouTube a bit more. This massive site is getting all the more popular with people of all ages. Although it may not have movies and new episodes of shows, there are around 300 hours of independent videos uploaded every minute! Yes, you heard me right. That is equal to a whole season on TV and, it’s not just coverage and tutorials on Headshot.GerrySM.jpgYouTube. There are so many skit channels and channels that are entire series, some as famous as big TV shows. Another thing about all YouTube is that, if you’re like almost every other person in United States, you have some sort of computer and some sort of Internet access, or have an Internet providing place nearby such as a library or fast food places. So, you can get it for free. Of course, there is paid content like movies and TV shows on YouTube but, let’s be honest, with millions of hours of videos on YouTube, everyone has a channel that makes content that’s perfect for them. Thousands of people spend all of their TV watching time watching programming on YouTube. The largest channels have 10,000,000+ subscribers. Not only do viewers get entertained for hours, the creator makes a career out of it. The largest part of entertainment known as TV is transforming into a new thing where someone can have a good idea and produce it with their phone. People are wrong about TV watching dying. TV is evolving into a much larger entertainment system through this system known as the world wide web.

If you’re not a YouTube user already, it might be time to give it a while. And, while you’re at it, subscribe to our KIDS FIRST! Channel and be the first to get our latest reviews and red carpet coverage.

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Fall and Winter Movie Hype by Keefer Blakeslee

Wednesday, October 21st, 2015

SeeYouatMovies.2.jpgSpielberg, Zemeckis, Howard, Hooper and James Bond. What do these people have in common. They all have films coming out in fall or winter of 2015! To me this is the best time of the year for films. It’s the quarter before award season and all the Hollywood studios want to bring out their best films. I usually get excited this year and I’m ten times more excited than usual when I saw the line up for this fall. I have not seen a list of films this big in a while! In that spirit, I have created a list of my top film choices for the fall and winter seasons. Get your calendars out and start planning your movie viewing schedule now.

Note: Willie and I talked about this subject on are radio show before. If you want to listen to that, check it out on our radio show, KIDS FIRST! Coming Attractions.

thedanishgirl.jpg1) The Danish Girl
Directors: Tom Hooper, Lasse Hallström
Starring: Eddie Redmayne, Alicia Vikander, and Matthias Schoenaerts
Release date: November 27th
Rating: N/A
Synopsis: Artist Einar Wegener (Eddie Redmayne) undergoes a sex-change operation in the early 1900s.
Hooper directed one of my favorite films of all time The King’s Speech. That alone gets me excited, but the subject matter they’re addressing is fascinating and important.

I think this story would be a delicate matter to portray but I have high hopes with the filmmakers and actors in it.

2) The Walk
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Charlotte Le Bon, and Ben Kingsley
Release date: September 30th
Rating: PG
Synopsis: In 1974, French high-wire artist Philippe Petit (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) attempts to walk on a tightrope attached to the north and south towers of the World Trade Center.

This film has a special place in my heart because I grew up reading this story. When I went to elementary school, one of my favorite books was “The Man Who Walked Between the Towers.” I read it to myself, my mother and my teacher. This takes me back to elementary school. Who dares put my childhood story on the big screen?! Zemeckis?!! I’m sold.

3) Bridge of SpiesBridgeOfSpies.jpg
Director: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Tom Hanks, Mark Rylance and Amy Ryan
Release date: October 26th
Rating: PG-13
Synopsis: New York lawyer James Donovan (Tom Hanks) is recruited by a CIA operative (Scott Shepherd) to negotiate the release of pilot Francis Gary Powers after getting captured by the Soviet Union during the Cold War .

Let’s go over the list. One of the best directors of all time? Check.
One of the best actors of all time? Check.
Written by the incredible Coen Brothers, Ethan and Joel? How? Also check.
I think these reason are more than enough to be on the list.

4) In the Heart of the Sea
Director: Ron Howard
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Cillian Murphy and Tom Holland
Release date: December 11th
Rating: PG-13Keefer.2014.5.jpg
Synopsis: The incredible tale that ultimately inspired author Herman Melville to write “Moby-Dick.”

I think Spielberg said it best when describing his film Minority Report,“Yes it’s a popcorn movie, but it’s a gourmet popcorn movie.” That’s exactly how I would describe what I think this film is going to be. This is not supposed to be a loaded remark. In fact I trust director Ron Howard to keep the spirit of this iconic story while also adding his own twist.

5) Spectre
Directed: Sam Mendes
Starring: Daniel Craig, Christoph Waltz and Ralph Fiennes
Release date: November 6th
Rating: PG-13
Synopsis: James Bond is up against the sinister organization SPECTRE.

If you asked me, “What do you think is cinema’s biggest action icon?” I would answer, “Bond…James Bond.” The man who likes his martini shaken not stirred is coming back on the big screen. To see Ian Fleming’s character still alive and well is amazing. Because of that, it makes it to my list.

Hopefully you will find films that you would also like to see. With this line up of films coming out, it’s a perfect way to end the year. As Ebert would say, “Thank you and I’ll see you at the movies.”

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Black Actresses in Hollywood By Willie Jones

Sunday, October 11th, 2015

Viola_Davis.jpgViola Davis recently became the first black actress to ever win the Emmy for Outstanding Leading Actress in a Drama Series, for her performance in How to Get Away With Murder. In her acceptance speech, she gave a quote that will surely go down in the history of great acceptance speech quotes. Ms. Davis said, “The only thing that separates a woman of color from anyone else, is opportunity.” Truer words have never been spoken.

I’m not saying black actresses don’t get any recognition at all, or ever have, because that’s not true. Since 1939, when Hattie McDaniel laid the foundation for black actors in general with her Supporting Actress win for Gone With the Wind, black actors have been getting some recognition. But the issue is, that black actors, and actresses especially, don’t get enough recognition.

Consider that a black actress never won Best Actress at the Academy Awards until 2002. Until this year, no black actress won the Emmy for Leading Actress in a Drama. A black actress didn’t win Best Actress in a Play at the Tony Awards until 2005. But, I would like to focus on Hollywood and the movie industry.

The Hollywood ladder, in terms of power and appreciation, is as follows: white male, white female, black male, black female. Black actresses are at the bottom of the barrel because they’re women and they’re a minority. That may explain why only 15 black women were Oscar nominated in the 20th century. I use the Oscars because that’s the highest honor anyone can get in Hollywood. This century alone has produced 13 Oscar nominated black actresses which means we’re improving.

Beyond that, what makes Viola’s win so legendary is that it is in the leading category. Most of the Oscar nominations earned by black actresses have been in the supporting category. As a matter of fact, on the night Viola Davis won her historic Emmy, two black actresses won for their performances in supporting roles. There have also been more Supporting Actress winners of color at the Oscars than in the Leading category. To this day, Halle Berry is still the sole black winner of the prestigious Oscar for Leading Actress. Additionally, it was another eight years before another actress of color was just nominated in that category. Willie1.jpg

Don’t get me wrong, being nominated is great no matter which category, but there is a prestige difference between Leading and Supporting. And the only reason that more black actresses aren’t nominated, is because they aren’t getting the roles. They aren’t somehow as marketable as the rest of the actors on the ladder. But there isn’t a black actress out there who couldn’t do what Julianne Moore, Kate Winslet or Cate Blanchett can do. Viola Davis, Phylicia Rashad and Angela Bassett could have played the lead in Still Alice, or The Kids or All Right or Little Children. It’s a shame that legends such as Alfre Woodard, Cicely Tyson or Ruby Dee didn’t get the recognition they deserved because they didn’t get the roles. Even before them, Ethel Waters, Hattie McDaniel, Juanita Moore and others were limited to roles of submissive nature.

So, I love Viola Davis’ win. Not just because she deserves it (she’s truly amazing in How to Get Away With Murder), but also because it’s another big step. Davis is becoming, if she hasn’t already become, a huge pioneer for black actresses. Along with Audra McDonald, who has won the most performing Tony Awards, they have jump-started the revolution for our generation.

The next step is to start getting black actresses nominated for roles that aren’t a slave, nanny, mammy, maid, impoverished citizen or real person. It’s time writers start writing roles for black actresses that could be played by any actress – roles in films like Blue Jasmine, The Savages, You Can Count On Me, Away From Her, Thelma and Louise and similar. Then maybe, we’ll have a black Katniss or a black Tris. The talent is there. The passion is there. The work ethic is there. But the roles aren’t. Spike Lee and Tyler Perry shouldn’t have a monopoly on the pool of black actresses. Directors such as Woody Allen should create roles for black women. Then, there’s the issue of having more black writers or casting directors, directors and producers who are more willing to give black actresses the chance to lead in their films.

The Help and 12 Years A Slave offer great roles for black actresses, but they also pigeonhole them. How about a black Clementine Kruczynski? Or how about Loretta Devine playing Kay in Hope Springs? All black actresses need is the opportunity and they will wow you.

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Cheers to Viola Davis – First African American Woman to Win an Emmy By Brianna Hope Beaton

Sunday, October 4th, 2015

ViolaDavis.jpgViola Davis just made history on September 20, 2015 becoming the first African-American woman to win an Emmy for being the best actress in the drama series, How to Get Away with Murder. This was her first Emmy win and nomination and started her emotional acceptance speech with, “In my dreams, I see a line. And over that line, I see green fields and lovely flowers and beautiful white women with their arms stretched out to me over that line, but I can’t seem to get there no how, I can seem to get over that line… That was Harriet Tubman in the 1800s. Let me tell you something – the only thing that separates women of color from anyone else is opportunity. You cannot win an Emmy for roles that simply are not there.”

Mrs. Davis grew up in Central Falls, Rhode Island after her family moved there from South Carolina when she was two months old. She developed a love for acting in her teenage yearBriannaHopeBeaton2.jpgs and studied theater both at Rhode Island College and the prominent Julliard School in New York City. She made her debut with a small role as a nurse in 1996, The Substance of Fire.  She went on to appear as a guest on many TV shows, films and plays where she was awarded a Tony in 2001 for Best Featured Actress for her role as Tonya in the original production of King Hedley II and the 2010 for Best Actress in a Play for her rose as Rose Maxon in the revival of Fences.

Mrs. Davis is truly an inspiration to me and other young ladies who enjoy acting and want to pursue their dreams. She inspires me to continue with my craft, study and be better each and every day. Its women like her that shows how with determination, studying and opportunities, my dreams can come true.

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