THE TOP ILLI MO STORIES THIS WEEK ARE:
Amazon released the trailer for Spike Lee’s Chiraq on Tuesday. The film is mostly based on the Greek comedyLysistrata, in which Athenian women withhold sexual privileges from men to force them to negotiate an end to the Peloponnesian War. In this updated version, women withhold sex from their men as a means to help bring peace to the South Side of Chicago. The film boasts a hefty number of stars: Samuel L. Jackson, Dave Chappelle, Angela Bassett, Wesley Snipes, Mad Men's Teyonah Parris, and Nick Cannon all make appearances in the trailer. (Lysistrata, by the way, ends with a peace treaty and a bitchin’ bacchanal.)
The trailer starts with a flashing “This is an emergency” repeated three times, followed by basic story of women deciding that they are going to withhold sex via the pledge “I will deny rights of access and entrance.”
The trailer showcases Tevonah Paris, who stars as Lysistrata, along with Samuel L. Jackson, Nick Cannon and John Cusack.
Roadside Attractions and Lionsgate are teaming up with Amazon to release the film in a limited release on Dec. 4, followed by a release on Amazon Instant Video.
To see the trailer go to http://variety.com/2015/film/news/new-trailer-spike-lee-chiraq-1201632414
The concept is genius of females protesting the punanny to stop male dominated violence. This movie is definitely right up Spoke Lee's alley to gear up controversy for socially conscious issues in pop culture context. Will it be a commercial success? Its likely.
The 2016 People’s Choice Award nominations were announced this week and Chicago filmed TV series Empire is up for Favorite Drama and Actor & Actress for Chicago native Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson.The People’s Choice Awards airs on CBS Wednesday, January 6th 2016 with host Doloth, Ill native Jane Lynch.
In related Empire newz, the first volume of the Season 2 soundtrack will be released on Nov. 20, Columbia Records revealed Friday. The album, which was produced by Timbaland, Ne-Yo, J.R. Rotem and Swizz Beatz, features music from cast members Jussie Smollett (Jamal), Yazz (Hakeem) andTerrence Howard (Lucious) and superstar guests like Alicia Keys and Pitbull. The standard edition release features 11 tracks and the deluxe edition will include eight additional songs.
The 24th Annual St. Louis International Film Festival (SLIFF) debuted Thursday and runs through Nov.15. The program features actor/writer/director Alex Winter, a former St. Louisan who receives the fest’s annual Charles Guggenheim Cinema St. Louis Award. Winter’s documentary “Deep Web” kicked off SLIFF on Nov. 5, and he’ll also accompany screenings of “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure” (on Nov. 6) and “Downloaded” (on Nov. 7).
The fest extends well beyond Winter, of course: SLIFF has films for all seasons and every taste. The 24th Annual Whitaker St. Louis International Film Festival will screen an unprecedented 447 films: 97 narrative features, 86 documentary features, and 264 shorts. The fest also will feature seven special-event programs, including two free master classes and the closing-night party, and 67 free programs. This year’s SLIFF has 270 screenings/programs, with 70 countries represented. Check out Vital VOICE’s picks for must-sees this year:
For more info on the festival schedule go to
http://www.thevitalvoice.com/st-louis-international-film-festival-show-schedule/
KFNS returned to airwaves KFNS (590 AM) Thursday after a nearly yearlong absence following its collapse under a maze of unpaid bills, employee unrest and even fisticuffs at the studio.
Former St Louis sports anchor Zip Rzeppa will be in St Louis for a book signing /art exhibit on Nov. 21 in St. Charles. Rzeppa will be at the Fraser Leonard Fine Art Gallery, in St. Charles, at 2 p.m. to sign copies of his autobiography, "For A Greater Purpose."
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville held the grand opening recently of its Eugene B. Redmond Collection and Learning Center named by SIUE Professor Emeritus and East St Louis Poet Laureate Eugene. B Redmond (PICTURED CENTER). The center chronicles Redmond's more than 60 years of chronicling of the artistic world, study cultural history from around the globe, and view the photographs and works of poetic legends and other noted wordsmiths. The Collection and Learning Center contains three rooms. The reading room displays many of Redmond’s collections and artifacts and those pieces will be rotated on a regular basis. A workroom houses special collections that will be digitized in coming months. The teaching room is equipped with 24 computers, a smart board and a state-of-the-art podium.