Features

The Ru Report #148

Long Overdue
Sexy screen siren Nia Long is on a roll.

The caramel complexioned star of such Black cinematic favorites as "Love Jones" "Boyz N the Hood" and "Soul Food" is back on the big screen this week in the glossy remake of the 1966 classic "Alfie."

Although she's done some indie projects (most notably Melvin Van Peeble's telling biopic "Baadasssss!," which is now available on home video via Columbia Tri Star) and a handful of noteworthy TV projects including "Judging Amy" and "ER," "Alfie" marks the Brooklyn native's return to the silver screen.

So what was the hold up?

Well for one, she just wasn't feeling the cinematic fare that was being doled out by the Big Hollywood Machine. "I think the quality has gone down, personally," she recently admitted in an interview. "I go to the movies all the time but I just think that filmmakers and studios need to invest more financing behind urban films and there are so many stories that can be told that are on a higher intellectual level."

Now, haven't we've heard this story a million times over?

But "Alfie" presented a great opportunity for the actress who just celebrated her 34th birthday last week. She had some real fat to chew on in the role of Lonette, the one woman in the career philandering lead character's life whom he has always considered out of his league. The bosomy bar owner is also off-limits since his best friend, Marlon, portrayed by Omar Epps, wants to marry her.

"No one sees through Alfie more than Lonette does, yet even she succumbs to his charms," observed Ms. Long, who rocks a more mature and sexier look in the film than her previous work. "I was very excited to read her storyline in the script because it follows a very different curve than the other women. In fact, I think what happens between her and Alfie really opens his eyes a little… actually a lot."

I won't dare give away the story line and updated twist to this film, but let's just stay Lonette has somewhat of a staying effect on Alfie that will be perfect for a sequel.

And one of the most memorable scenes of the sexy movie involves Ms. Long, a form fitting dress, a pool table and the soul stirring of Teddy Pendergrass. Woo-wee! Nia Long epitomized the term "Love T.K.O."

The Trinidadian thespian, now seen weekly on NBC's "Third Watch," really enjoyed working with "Alfie" director Charles Shyer. "As an actor, he really just gave me the forum to just be," she explained. "I never felt stifled, I never felt like he was judging me. Each take was different and he was able to appreciate whatever I brought in the moment."

"A lot of times the directors get caught up in the authority of it all, that they forget to tell the actors what they need to hear to tweak the performance," she confided. "We have the talent. I think actors are sort of born with this talent but you need a good director to help with your work and to grow. We'll always go for what's natural. We're creatures of habit."

The "Big Momma's House" star admittedly knows that "Aflie" is the vehicle to put her back in the spotlight that she let dim for a few years to raise her 4-year-old son Massai Zhivago Dorsey II. But she doesn't regret the hiatus. "I think it was the best thing I could've ever done for myself," she revealed. "In life, your spirit sort of shakes you to do certain things and you don't always understand why and if you're faithful enough you follow that usually at the end of the day it always reveals itself to you."

Ms. Long--who was recently romantically linked to soul singer Ricky Fante and was also one of "People" magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People a few years back--will be revealing more of her self to us in the near future. In late January, the 2004 NAACP Image Award winner for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series re-unites with her "Friday" and "Boyz N' The Hood" co-star Ice Cube for the feel-good family comedy, "Are We There Yet?"

A Whole Lotta Law
Are American movie fans having a Jude Law Overload?

Let's analyze.

I can't remember in recent history of any one actor boasting five high profile movie projects, all arriving in theaters within a four month time period. In September, the computer-generated fantasy flick "Sky Captain And The World Of Tomorrow" bowed to mixed reviews and delivered paltry box-office receipts. October saw the release of the quirky "I Heart Huckabees," which also garnered mixed reviews from the mainstream media who the big Hollywood Studio Machine covets. And this weekend, the blonde British bloke stars in the hugely hyped remake of the 1960s classic "Alfie," alongside Susan Sarandon, Marisa Tomei and Nia Long.

Next month, Mr. Law stars in "Closer" opposite the pout-lipped Oscar darling Julia Roberts, and the adorable Natalie Portman. And he also stars as Errol Flynn in the soon to be hyped Martin Scorsese epic, "The Aviator," which is scheduled to open on December 17, just 12 days before his 32nd birthday.

What's with the inundation of Jude Law? Is it great "agent-ing" (Ka' Ching!) or just bad timing? "I could let myself get weighed down with a cynical view that these films that took me two years to make have come out or will come out in a period of about five months, but that seems to be the reality of the situation and I have to look at that positively rather than negatively because I have no say in the matter," he commented while doing media chores at New York City's Essex House hotel. "I chose them because to me, they all offered something differently, they've all come out as very different types of film, driven by very different types of director, very different parts, and I hope that people recognize and enjoy the variety rather than the bombardment."

Looking ahead, it was just announced that the South East London native will star in "Dexterity." And already green-lit is the period movie "All The King's Men" co-starring Sean Penn and Meryl Streep.

"What can I say? I have to live with it," he quipped. "I'm trying to be positive."

Positive is the route to go--especially considering the bona fide actors who can't even rent a movie nowadays.

For Adults Only
Is comedy veteran Thea Vidale giving best-selling sex goddess Jenna Jamison a run for her money?

Perhaps.

It was just announced that the plus-sized funny-woman has been named co-host of the 2005 AVN Awards Show, which will be held on January 8 at the Venetian Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. Miss Vidale is both the first female comic and the first Black comic to host the awards show, which pays homage to porn's biggest and best.

For those of you who don't know, the near 50-year-old Washington, DC native has appeared on a number of television shows, including a 1993 stint on ABC as the star of her own series, "Thea." Now, she is also known as one of the "bluest" headliners on the circuit.

"I like porn; it's very interesting to me," she said. "I've yet to see a whole movie...but who ever does?" quipped Ms. Vidale. "You never hear anyone ask, 'What happened at the end of the movie?' when talking about a porn movie. That's because we all know what happened. Somebody came, motherf@#%er, somebody came."

And while the woman many considered the 'Black Roseanne Barr' doesn't have a particular favorite among porn stars, she does admit that multiple AVN Award-winning performer Lexington Steele has caught her attention.

"I haven't seen all [the porn stars] yet, but I think Lexington Steel is…interesting. His @#$% is big, but…my friend interviewed him once and he was talking about anal sex. I'm not saying that he was hitting on me, but I started to think that he was looking at me during the interview and was thinking about it," she revealed.

"And I was scared," she continued. "If you think you're going to put a 12-inch @#$% in my ass, I'm calling the police because I know that's gotta hurt. I have so much respect for women who can take something like that. Not that I haven't f@#%ed in the ass, but I haven't worked with what they have."

A spokesperson for the show assures us that Ms. Vidale has plenty more to say to men-- both those who are well-endowed and those who aren't--and women, those who can take a 12-inch d@#% up their ass and those who can't. But she's going to save it for the stage. This will surely be a naughty good time.

Endless Ashanti
Platinum-plated hip-hop soul singer Ashanti called me from the Vancouver set of her latest movie project, "The Muppets' Wizard Of Oz," late last week. She turned 24 just two weeks ago and she's excited about all the new happenings that are underway. The latest Muppets TV film, which is directed by Kirk R. Thatcher ("It's A Very Muppet Christmas"), also stars Queen Latifah, David Alan Grier, Jeffrey Tambor and Quentin Tarantino and will air on ABC next May. But before then, the Glen Cove, New York native will make her official big picture debut in Paramount's "Coach Carter" with Samuel L. Jackson due to open on January 13. The true to life flick will also star Debbie Morgan and "One On One" star Robert Ri'chard. And just before all of her motion picture motions, Ashanti will release her third album, "Concrete Rose" in early December. Ashanti also revealed the news to me that she has garnered a major endorsement deal--as a spokesperson for Clairol Herbal Essences hair products line. Go Ashanti!

Video View
The Great White Way finally comes home for theater lovers with the recently released DVD package of "Broadway: The American Musical." Hosted by Emmy and Academy Award-winning actress Julie Andrews, the six-part series chronicles the history of American musical theater through the eyes of the writers, the directors and the stars of Broadway. Originally premiering on PBS October 19-21, the expansive program takes a look at the way American musical theater has evolved from its humble beginnings before the invention of electricity to the extravagant productions seen presently. Adolph Green, Frances Gershwin Godowsky, Al Hirshfeld, Kristin Chenoweth, Idina Menzel, Ben Vereen, Nathan Lane, Mel Brooks, Carol Channing, Harvey Fierstein, Jerry Orbach and many more theater stars offer first person accounts throughout the series, which also incorporates archival footage, newsreels, private home movies, original cast recordings, still photos and diaries among other extensive sources reliving the history of Broadway. The 3-disc box set features over five hours of exclusive bonus features including additional performances, interviews and a special featurette entitled: "Wicked: The Road to Broadway." The DVD release is part of an extensive campaign which also includes release of a companion book by series creator/director Michael Kantor and theater scholar professor Laurence Maslon from Bulfinch Press, and a 5-CD boxed set that features more than 100 of the most memorable songs ever performed on the Broadway stage. A single "best-of-the-best" CD that features 21 tracks, from Columbia Broadway Masterworks and Decca Broadway, is also available.

And just in time for the sequel ("The Edge Of Reason") which arrives in theaters on November 19, "Bridget Jones's Diary" is getting the Collector's Edition treatment with the release of a new DVD package now in stores. Starring Oscar winner Renee Zellweger in the lead role, with Hugh Grant and Colin Firth, "Bridget Jones…" served as the ultimate voice for frustrated, single woman everywhere. And it was a huge blockbuster success. The new edition features all new bonus materials such as: reviews, columns, behind the scenes footage for the sequel and hilarious featurettes such as "Portrait of the Makeup Artist," "A Guide to Bridget Britishisms," and "The Young And The Mateless--Experts Guide To Being Single."

"God bless America... "