Page 16 - Florida Sentinel 12-24-19

Entertainment
'Surviving R. Kelly' Producer
Responds To Drea Kelly's
Lawsuit Threats
A24's Uncut Gems has garnered widespread acclaim for its writing, cinematogra- phy, costume design, and solid acting. Its star Adam Sandler has even generated Oscar buzz for his portrayal of Howard Ratner—a Jew- ish-American jeweler who suffers from compulsive gambling.
The film's directors, Josh and Benny Safdie, admit- ted it took some work to fi- nally secure Sandler's involvement—and it was thanks in part to one of JAY- Z's most powerful videos.
The Safdie brothers re- vealed this detail in a recent interview with Pitchfork, ex- plaining they had sent JAY's "Marcy Me" video during their recruitment efforts. The Safdies directed the visual with the help of Darius Khondji, the Oscar-nomi- nated cinematographer who also worked on Uncut Gems. Josh told Pitchfork that Sandler was greatly moved by the politically charged
ADAM SANDLER AND JAY-Z
video, so much so that it helped convince the 53-year- old actor to star in Uncut Gems.
"He really emotionally re- sponded to it," Josh recalled. "It only helped in that courtship."
"Marcy Me" was a stand- out cut from JAY's 2017 album 4:44. The video tack- les the issue of racial discrim- ination within the criminal justice system, as it centers on the pursuit of an allegedly armed black boy who turned
out to be innocent. A large portion of the video was shot from the cockpit of a helicop- ter, which, according to Josh, was no easy task.
"Those were the hardest, most chaotic shooting condi- tions I’ve ever been a part of," he told Pitchfork. "I’m very proud of that video."
Uncut Gems is now playing at select U. S. theaters. The crime-thriller also stars Kevin Garnett, Lakeith Stanfield, Idina Menzel, and the Weeknd.
The producer behind Life- time's Surviving R. Kelly docu-series, Brie Miranda Bryant, refute accusations made by Drea Kelly and hope that she will reconsider her possible lawsuit.
"I hope she feels differently after she sees it," Bryant said when talking about Kelly and Surviving R. Kelly Part Two: The Reckoning with Page Six. "The pieces that were in the trailer are from her interview in part one. She did not sit for Part Two."
Earlier this month, Kelly— who was married to the singer for 13 years—told TMZ that she plans to sue the network for releasing a misleading trailer. In the promo for Sur- viving R. Kelly Part Two: The Reckoning, previously unaired portions of Kelly's first inter- view with Lifetime is featured. But she explains to TMZ that she has nothing to do with this series and declined to partici- pate due to the show's mishan- dling of the survivors.
DREA KELLY
"When they brought the idea to me I let them know in no way, shape, form, or fash- ion would I be a part of it," Kelly said. "They reached out to my children without my permission. They reached out to my family without my per- mission... But what's more im- portant about this is I'm not happy with the aftercare and how the victims were handled throughout this entire process."
R. Kelly Responds To Allegations
He Purchased Fake ID For
Underage Aaliyah
R. Kelly has pleaded not guilty to a Brooklyn indict- ment in which he is accused of paying a public official to pro- vide a fake ID for Aaliyah. The bribery charges stem from Kelly's illegal marriage to the late singer in 1994, when she was still underage.
Prosecutors claim Kelly purchased the fraudulent card one day before his and Aaliyah's alleged secret wed- ding ceremony took place. It is believed that Kelly used the ID, which listed Aaliyah's age as 18, to obtain a marriage li- cense. Aaliyah was 15 and Kelly was 27 at the time.
According to TMZ, Kelly denied the bribery allegations during a hearing in the East- ern District of New York. He appeared in court via video stream, as he remains in a Chicago jail awaiting trial for other cases.
R. KELLY
Kelly and Aaliyah's wed- ding was allegedly held in Illi- nois, where it is illegal for anyone under 18 to get mar- ried without parental consent. The marriage was annulled after less than a year at the re- quest of Aaliyah's parents.
This JAY-Z Music Video Helped Secure Adam Sandler's Role On 'Uncut Gems’
Tom Joyner Retires From Radio Show After 25 Years On Air
Tom Joyner signed off from his nationally syndi- cated radio show for a final time on Friday (Dec. 13). For the last 25 years, The Tom Joyner Morning Show has entertained and informed lis- teners with a mixture of music, commentary, comedi- ans, celebrity interviews and more.
Joyner’s intention with his show has been to em- power and entertain, he said in an interview with CBS News. “Our thing has always been to empower people. But to empower, we have to first entertain. If I've got you laughing, I've got you listen- ing.”
The Tom Joyner Morn- ing Show, which debuted in 1994, is the top rated urban radio program in the nation, airing in 105 markets nation- wide, with eight million daily listeners. Joyner, who be- came the first black radio personality to land a syndi- cated radio show, credits his success with “super-serving” the black community.
“Don't worry about crossover,” said Joyner. “Just super serve, super serve, super serve. Anything that affects African Ameri- cans, that's what you do. Just worry about connecting to
TOM JOYNER
people and their needs.”
A native of Tuskegee, Ala., and graduate of Tuskegee University, Joyner got his start in col- lege radio. Having grown up in a town centered in the civil rights movement, Joyner didn't hesitate to protest the lack of black artists receiving radio play, and doing so
landed him a job.
“So I'm out there protest-
ing the fact our radio station in this all-black town didn't play any black music,” he re- called. “And this guy who owned the radio station, which was inside a Ford deal- ership, came out and said, 'I
don't need this. I'm trying to really sell some cars.' Tell you what, it's a sun up, sun down station, every Saturday, I'll let one of you play all the Aretha and The Tempta- tions that you want.”
After college, Joyner jumped from different radio stations around the South and Midwest, one of which was owned by Ebony and Jet magazine owner, John H. Johnson. In the mid-80s, Joyner held down jobs in Chicago and Dallas, which earned him the nickname “Fly Jock.”
Joyner made $14 mil- lion a year at the height of his radio career, though his salary began to drop. “It got to a point where they would – 'All right, we're gonna cut your salary in half.' 'Okay.' 'And then in half.' 'Okay.' And then in half two years ago,” Joyner said. “Because my salary was based on my results, and not only was I losing affiliates but radio in- dustry as a whole was losing traction.”
When asked if he would have stayed in radio for a higher paycheck he replied with a laugh, "Heck yeah. Shoot, my goal was to die on the radio. Have my funeral on the radio.”
PAGE 16 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY TUESDAY, DECEMBER 24, 2019