World Premiere of Olympic Pride, American Prejudice at the LA Film Festival

June 4, 2016 the astounding Deborah Riley Draper documentary film Olympic Pride, American Prejudice had its world premiere at the LA Film Festival in Culver City, California. The film which chronicles the 18 African American athletes who competed in the 1936 Summer Games in Berlin, Germany at the height of Hitler's Nazi regime is a tour de force from Deborah Draper.  The 18 athletes who competed in track and field, boxing and boxing were Jesse Owens, Ralph Metcalfe, Mack Robinson (the older brother of baseball player Jackie Robinson), Art Oliver, James Clark Atkinson, John Brooks, Dave Albritton, James LuValle, John Woodruff, Archie Williams, Frederick Pollard,  Jack Wilson, Cornelius Johnson, Howard King, Willis Johnson, John Terry, Tidye Pickett, and Louise Stokes defied Hitler's notion of Aryan Supremacy.  Since the German's filmed everything, there is tons of footage of the track and field competitions. Although Jesse Owens was well known for the four gold medals he won in Germany, the other 17 athletes were largely ignored once they returned home under Jim Crow laws.

Written and directed by Ms. Draper whose 2012 multi-award winning film Versailles 73: American Runway Revolution (covered in this blog numerous times over the years) was just a glimpse into where this filmmaker is headed. Her tenacity for digging into the souls of the individuals covered in her documentaries is trail blazing. The research that it took to create this film is amazing. Ms. Draper and her crew traveled across the USA and to Berlin and beyond to bring a creditable film to the screen. From the opening vintage footage of the 400 meter race to the end logging each of the athletes accomplishments during and after Berlin, this film will inspire and fill you with pride.

Executive produced and narrated by multiple Image and Grammy Award winner Blair Underwood,  his well-tuned voice also resonates with the accomplishments of the athletes. The background music and the theme song " Find My Victory" written by Composer Cheryl Rogers for the film will fill you with emotion and if you find yourself shedding a tear, it's just a sign that the emotional ride was well worth it.

Executive Producer Blair Underwood, Writer/Director Deborah Riley Draper, Executive Producer Michael Draper, Executive Producer Amy Tiemann and daughter Miranda and husband Michael at the Olympic Pride, American Prejudice cocktail reception at the Culver Hotel during the LA Film Festival

Lorrie Ivas and Writer/Director Deborah Riley Draper at the LA Film Festival screening of Olympic Pride, American Prejudice at the Arc Light Cinemas

Eric Johnson and Shannon King Nash 

Executive Producer Blair Underwood, Writer/Director Deborah Riley Draper at the Olympic Pride, American Prejudice cocktail reception at the Culver Hotel during the LA Film Festival

Caralene Robinson, Evelyn Bakon Wheeler and Writer/Director Deborah Riley Draper, at the Olympic Pride, American Prejudice cocktail reception at the Culver Hotel during the LA Film Festival

Line Producer, Lacy Barnes, Evelyn Bakon Wheeler and Caralene Robinson on the red carpet at the Olympic Pride, American Prejudice cocktail reception at the Culver Hotel during the LA Film Festival

Executive Producer Blair Underwood and Evelyn Bakon Wheeler at the Olympic Pride, American Prejudice cocktail reception at the Culver Hotel during the LA Film Festival

Writer/Director Deborah Riley Draper, and Eric Johnson 

Writer/Director Deborah Riley Draper at the Q&A after the screening of Olympic Pride, American Prejudice at the LA Film Festival

DP Jonathan Hall, Writer/Director Deborah Riley Draper, Executive Producer/Narrator Blair Underwood at the sold out second screening of Olympic Pride, American Prejudice

Lorrie Ivas, Evelyn Bakon Wheeler and Writer/Director Deborah Riley Draper after the screening of Olympic Pride,  American Prejudice at the LA Film Festival

AAFCA Awards in Los Angeles

Grammy week in LA is loaded with parties and events everywhere. However, I arrived at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, Tuesday, February 9, 2016 to attend the AAFCA Awards the next evening.  This will be my third attendance at the AAFCA's. I am here to support my friend Writer/Director Deborah Riley Draper (her first documentary film was Versailles 73: American Runway Revolution) for which she was awarded the AAFCA Best Director Documentary Award in 2013) and is currently working on her second documentary, Olympic Pride, American Prejudice.  Deborah asked me to act as her publicist on the red carpet, as she will be presenting the Best Director Award for a documentary film along with Louis Gossett, Jr.  It was a full day starting with a visit to the taping of the The Talk at CBS Studios and lunch with Deborah, Lacy and Linda at the divine Asian fusion restaurant Rock Sugar.

Below are some AAFCA red carpet moments.

Actress Emayatzy Corinealdi

Comedian Tommy Lee Davidson

Actor Courtney Vance

Director Deborah Riley-Draper

Deborah Riley-Draper

Actress Sheryl Lee Ralph

Chaz Ebert and Deborah Riley-Draper

Singer/Actor Tyrese Gibson

Deborah Riley-Draper and Louis Gossett, Jr.

Stars of TV Sitcom "Blackish"

Miles Brown and Yara Shahidi from Blackish

Chaz Ebert

Deborah Riley-Draper

Sheryl Lee Ralph

Courtney Vance star of the OJ mini series as Johnny Cochran

2016 Sundance Film Festival

Park City, Utah

After a short 35 minute ride from Salt Lake City Airport we arrived in Park City for my first trip to Sundance with four friends from Chicago.  We stayed at a luxury triple level, three bedroom, three bath condominium at the base of Deer Valley Ski Resort. Our arrival was late day and even though we hired Guardian Angels to shop for food for the Condo, we opted to go out for dinner.  Based on a recommendation from our airport driver we chose Deer Valley Lodge restaurant. The restaurant featured a seafood buffet which turned out to be quite amazing. I had some of the best oysters, King Crab legs, sashimi, shrimp and a variety of other seafood on the buffet that I have ever experienced. Between the buffet, all day travel and the mountain air, I slept like a newborn.

The following day we attended the screening of Director Spike Lee's documentary about Michael Jackson http://www.sundance.org/projects/michael-jackson-s-journey-from-motown-to-off-the-wall, one of Sundance's hottest tickets. There is some great footage of Michael's time at Motown and the beginning of his solo career.  The genius of Michael is told by Spike Lee through an abundance of archival footage, interviews with peers who knew Michael, other Jackson family members and in Michael’s own words and images.  It is an in-depth look at his solo career and his collaboration with Quincy Jones.  It is an important portrait of how passionate and hard-working Michael was in his quest to become the “King of Pop.”  Michael Jackson; From Motown to Off the Wall. Speaking of quest, Questlove was in the audience and part of the Q&A with Spike Lee following the screening.
Michael Jackson; from Motown to Off the Wall

After the Spike Lee screening we headed into Main Street to attend the BET party. We didn't stay very long but I did get pictures with some of the stars in attendance, Gabrielle Union (who is currently starring in Nate Parker's Birth of a Nation), Emayatzy Corinealdi co-starring in Don Cheadle's film Miles Ahead, and Vanessa Bell Calloway (Southside and You) the story of Barack and Michelle Obama.

Birth of a Nation and Being Mary Jane star Gabrielle Union with Evelyn Wheeler at BET Party in Park City, Utah

Gabrielle Union and Angela Thompson at BET party in Sundance, Utah

Emayatzy Corinealdi (co-star with Don Cheadle in Miles Ahead)  with Evelyn Wheeler at BET Party in Sundance, Utah

Vanessa Bell Calloway and Evelyn Wheeler at the BET party in Sundance, Utah

Following an early evening dinner, we attended an industry party at the home of Entertainment Attorney Corky Kessler.  He also headed a panel on Financing Your Film that we attended the following morning. It included a pitch session for scriptwriters looking to get their projects off the ground. Pitches were only allowed to be made in front of the panel members, so we didn't get a chance to hear them.  The winner was a twenty year old who didn't even have script yet, just an idea, but it completely floored the people listening to the pitch. Can't wait to see if it makes it to the screen or will be at Sundance sometime soon.

Chi-Raq creators with Evelyn Wheeler in Park City, Utah

Producer of Chi-Raq Roger Jackson with Evelyn Wheeler

This young man took my seat when I got up to get a drink so I made him take a picture with me (didn't get his name) at the BET Party at Sundance

I attended the screening of the documentary film chronicling the life of Dr. Maya Angelou. This film is superb and left almost everyone in attendance in tears. And Still I Rise.

Screening of the documentary "And Still I Rise"

Colin Johnson grandson of Dr. Maya Angelou at the screening of the documentary "And Still I Rise" in Sundance, Utah

1936 Olympics Movie Crowdfunding Team Awards

The Olympic Price, American Prejudice Crowdfunding Team Awards were held in Atlanta on December 19, 2015 at Maggiano's Little Italy Restaurant.  Awards were handed out to Team Leaders for a number of efforts including Most Donors and $1000+ Fund. A special award from the Team went to Writer/Producer/Director Deborah Riley Draper for Best Director. The Team wanted to be the first to extend this honor to her before all the other accolades start to come. OPAP has been accepted to the Berlin Film Festival to screen on February 14, 2016 and is schedule to screen at the Dusable Museum of African American History in Chicago on February 25, 2016. OPAP Narrator, Blair Underwood is scheduled to attend the Chicago event.

2015 Auditorium Theater Gala

Auditorium Theatre Stage taken from Facebook Page

The Auditorium Theater Gala in Chicago was once again one of the highlights of my year.  I was delighted to spend time with my Chicago friends attending the gala and hanging out for the rest of the weekend.  This years gala was held Saturday, November 21 at the Auditorium Theatre celebrating the end of the Billy Strayhdorn Festival (a three month celebration honoring William Thomas "Billy" Strayhorn (November 29, 1915 – May 31, 1967) and what would have been his 100th birthday ) http://www.billystrayhorn.com. The evening once again began with cocktails and d'oeuvres at the Hilton Chicago Normandie Lounge, followed by dinner in the Grand Ballroom featuring a live performance of Billy Strayhorn compositions by Orbert Davis and the Rich Daniels Quintet.  Billy Strayhorn was an American jazz composer, pianist, lyricist, and arranger, best known for his successful collaboration lasting nearly three decades with bandleader and composer Duke Ellington.  His compositions include "Take the 'A' Train", "Chelsea Bridge", and "Lush Life". The event was attended by nearly 300 guests, and $215,000 was raised to support the initiatives of the Auditorium Theatre. Billy Strayhorn Lush Life Tribute. https://www.facebook.com/auditoriumtheatre/

Following the Gala, guests boarded trolleys to the Auditorium Theatre for VIP seating at the finale performance of "The Billy Strayhorn Festival, Lush Life: The Music of Billy Strayhorn." The fully staged salute to Strayhorn was directed by Bruce Mayhall Rastrelli and starred Broadway’s Darius de Haas, local cabaret icon Joan Curto, pianist Alan Broadbent, the Auditorium’s Too Hot to Handel Orchestra, Joel Hall Dancers and a 30-voice-all-male choir under the direction of Bill Chin.

It was an amazing evening celebrating an amazing American Jazz Icon.

Billy Strayhorn

This work is from the Carl Van Vechten Photographs collection at the Library of Congress.

Grammy Awards, Clive Davis Pre-Grammy Party

Evelyn Bakon Wheeler

Music's hottest stars were out in LA on Saturday, February 17, 2015 for Clive Davis's annual Pre-Grammy Gala honoring the music industries Icons.  I watched from the sidelines as the top stars in the Industry filed into the Beverly Hilton Hotel for the party of the year.  Miley Cyrus and boyfriend Patrick Schwarzenegger were in attendance.  I was nearly run over in the lobby by Rita Ora as she made her way to the red carpet only to suffer another near miss by Jennifer Hudson a few minutes later. It was a parade of stars from Taylor Swift, John Legend (who also performed), Pharrell Williams, Ciara, Iggy Azalea, bad boy Chris Brown, Nikki Minaj, and Sam Smith (also a performer) stepped out for the fun night.

Sunday night February 8, 2015 was the 57th Annual Grammy Awards at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. The show was broadcast live by CBS and hosted for the fourth consecutive time by LL Cool J.

Sam Smith won four awards, including Best New Artist, Record of the Year, Song of the Year for "Stay with Me" and Best Pop Vocal Album for In the Lonely Hour. Beck's album Morning Phase was named Album of the Year. This prompted Kanye West, who later said he thought Beyoncé should have won, to leap onstage to interrupt Beck, but West left the stage without saying anything. Both Pharrell Williams and Beyoncé took three awards, making Beyoncé the second-most-honored female musician in Grammy history following Alison Krauss. Lifetime Achievement awards were given to the Bee Gees, George Harrison, Pierre Boulez, Buddy Guy, and Flaco Jiménez.

In all, 83 Grammy Awards were presented.

The show aired simultaneously on Fox8 in Australia, Sky TV in New Zealand, and on Channel O in South Africa.

For more on the Grammy and to see more pictures follow the link below:

http://www.popsugar.com/celebrity/Celebrities-Pre-Grammy-Awards-Parties-2015-Pictures-36808746?stream_view=1&r=1#photo-36809119

Linda O'Bannon, Miguel and Evelyn Bakon Wheeler at the Beverly Hilton

 Ariana Grande

 Beyonce

 Ciara

Gwen Stefani 

Jennifer Hudson

 Jessie J

 Kim and Kanye

Lady Gaga 

 Madonna

 Miley

Nikki Minaj

Rhianna