This Cast of Knee-Grows Pictured Above!!!
In the opening line of one of Harlem Poet Langston Hughes' Poems reads like this: " What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun? Or does it explode?"
As far as I'm concerned last night's TV version of "A Raisin in The Sun" absolutely IMPLODED!!!!
I mean, sweet Jesus Christ!!!! Some things in modern black history are just plain sacred and our dearly departed sister and playwright Lorraine Hansberry's classic and timeless 1959 literary work, "A Raisin in The Sun" shouldn't be tampered with especially by a non-acting knee-grow like Sean "Puffy P. Diddy" Combs in the lead role (or ANY role for that matter) of Walter Lee Younger.
This knee-grow has no emotion, no fire, no acting skills, absolutely no nothing to be calling himself an actor on Broadway or the small screen. That knee-grow "P. Diddy" or whatever he's calling himself this week gave better acting performances in those "ProActive Skin Acne" commercials than he did in that 3 hour loooooooong telecast last night!
I can remember my son at the age of 3 watching the 1988 PBS stage play of "A Raisin in The Sun", with our dear brother actor & activist Danny Glover and our dearly departed sister, Esther Rolle in the lead parts of Walter Lee and Lena Younger and my chip off the young block could recite the entire 3 hour-plus stage play. I would marvel at the emotion my precious lil 3 year old would & could show. Hell, he could even drop down on his knees and cry at the exact same moment Danny Glover, and for that matter Bro. Sidney Poitier (the original Walter Lee Younger in the 1961 movie, A Raisin in The Sun) did! My boy was a sight to see. I was soooo proud and amused to see a lil boy of 3 years old recite an entire play and showing some true acting skill at that tears and all!!!
Now, getting back to that non-acting knee-grow "Diddy".... Bottom Line: PLEASE GIVE IT UP!!! Go back to your Sean John clothing company, go back to making 100,000 babies (well on the other hand PLEASE don't go back to doing that!), just please leave the acting to ACTORS cause guess what bruh? You was down right embarrassing last night!
If I'd paid good money to see your ass on Broadway it would've been a show up in New York City alright....The one I would've been putting on to get my cheddar back!!!!!
(That's money to you lames out there.)
Here's a short review of the rest of the "cast":
-Sister Phylicia Rashad.
Awww-ite but no Lena Younger. This woman is a better actress than she showed last night. Looking at her made me think she was still The Cosby Show mama just with a different family and a few strands of gray in her head. Not good at all. A waste in this role, in my opinion.
-Sister Sanaa Lathan.
This sister showed some talent as the Walter's younger sister, Beneatha. However, no trophy for her either although I could at least come out of my liteweight "Raisin Coma" long enough to perk up and pretend to be interested in what she had to say. I like most of this sisters' work on film, I loved her in sister Terry McMillian's adaptation of her book turned HBO movie, "Disappearing Acts". But this just wasn't her best, in my opinion cause it appears she gave more while everybody else around her gave less.
-The little Brother who played Walter and Ruth's son "Travis" newcomer Justin Martin.
Not too many lines but for a child not bad when he did speak. Very cute little boy.
_Sister Audra McDonald.
A great singer on Broadway. (I own some of her Broadway & commercial releases) A beautifully gifted stage actress. Wrong! for the part of Ruth Younger, originally brought to the screen by our dear sister Mother Ruby Dee and brought to the PBS stage play by Starletta DuPois . She looked like she was just plain bored working along side Sean "Puffy" Combs and I wouldn't doubt if between takes she wasn't taking sneak peaks at her watch and thinking, "When oh when will this shit be over!!!" Same for Sanaa Lathan.
In Conclusion: A Raisin in The Sun 2008 Made-For-TV Movie sucked like hell!!!!! I watched it from start to finish and I think I'll be having nightmares for quite some time to come. Well, maybe it wasn't all that bad but I'll tell you dear friends it wasn't all that good either!!!
Well folks gotta go ....I've got the DVD versions of both the original 1961 movie with Sidney Poiter and Ruby Dee and the 1988 stage play with Danny Glover and Esther Rolle to watch!
Or.... maybe just maybe I can just call my son, now 21 to come on over and perform the whole dag-on thang for me!?!...It'll sure be a helluva lot better than that substandard bootleg crap I suffered through last night!!!!
Hey now that sounds like a good idea! Uhhhh, Excuse me for a moment....
HEY GENERAL BRANDON X!!!!! CAN YOU COME IN HERE FOR A MOMENT?....I KNOW IT'S BEEN 20 YEARS BUT MOTHERS GOT SOMETHING SHE WANTS TO ASK YOU!!!!!! ;-)
BLACK POWER!!!!!
5 comments:
As an actress who has performed in two revivals of Raisin, I have to tell you I'm sorry, but you are so dead on wrong. I do love Esther Rolle, but her whiny Mama cannot be mentioned in the same breath as Philicia Rashad's brilliant and TONY-AWARD WINNING performance. Like Sean Combs or don't, he brought something very fresh to the part of Walter Lee, an innocence and hopefulness that I honestly didn't see in any performance since Sidney. I was mortified with what they did with the script. Just because you CAN cut to outside, or Benetha's school, or the abortion clinic doesn't mean you should. And why did they have Benetha perform the dance welcoming the men home, and then they cut the scene where her dance works, and Walter comes home and joins her? That is such an important scene. To say nothing about cutting out Benetha's afro and Asagai's revolutionary monolouge. But yet they preserved the scene with George groping Benetha. ARRRGGGH!
Danise,
That's why everyone has an opinion dear Sista. I typed the entry based on my opinion and the opinions of others who saw that generic piece of "work" and shared their views and you read the entry & responded to it.
However, right or misguided we may think of each other's opinion, I appreciate you taking the time to comment. Please do again.
Thank you for Reading The Black Fist Blog!
Danise's was only the second positive review of that mess of a remake. All others ripped it to shreds like you did Sis. I did find a few bright spots but Diddy was NOT one of them.
Peace!
You're right Sister P, here it is 2 days later and folks are STILL talking about how bad that movie was.
Give me Sidney Poitier & Ruby Dee (1961) -or- Danny Glover & Esther Rolle (1988) ANYDAY!
Thank You For Reading The Black Fist Blog!
That shit was pitiful! I agree with you. I've never seen the 1961 version you were talking about but since you put it out there I will get the DVD but I love Danny Glover as Walter Lee Younger the PBS version he showed so much acting skill and depth it was brilliant I agree with you and Sister P. I don't know what movie Danise was watching but it sure wasnt what we were watching.
And that line about P.Diddy did better acting in those ProActive skin acne commercials was CLASSIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! General Nikki X your humor is unmatched and I really don't think people know just how gracious and humorous you are. Alot of people just view you are 100% serious all the time. I like the humous side of you and the black power sister!
Trey T. ALWAYS at your General's service
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