Georgia Hollywood Review January 2022

Georgia Hollywood Review January 2022

I DR I S E L B A stars in Jeymes Samuel’s The Harder They Fall

LETTER FROM THE PUBLISHER

Publisher/Founder/Editor-In-Chief: Miles K. Neiman

The Harder They Fall

Managing Editor: Jennifer Thompson

Hollywood means many things to different people. It’s not just a place, it’s a state of mind. Whether it’s the feeling you had as a child when Luke learned to mas- ter the force in Star Wars , or the dreams of romance that Casablanca gave you when Bogart looked into Ingrid Bergman’s eyes, or simply the elation you felt when Rocky climbed those stairs on his run in the streets of Philadelphia, Hollywood is a place which transforms the imagination and takes us to places which we would not ordinarily go on our own. In this same vein, Jeymes Samuel (The Bullitts) takes us to a place we are familiar

viewpoint of what that experience was about. They made women subservient and people of color treated less than human so we never got to learn that until much later.” “Black culture has always celebrated the West,” continues Samuel. Samuel blends his passion and acute ear for musical rhythm with his eye for detail to create a western landscape that both capti- vates and shocks us with its pulp brutality and irony. With an all-star cast and a signa- ture Samuel cheeky vibe, The Harder They Fall doesn’t disappoint. As we know, Hollywood doesn’t always get it right. However, we are now living in

Proofreader: Sloane Neiman

Magazine Designer: Brenda J. Oliver

Advertising Design: Sharon Jollay

Photography: Richie Arpino Mia McCorkle

with, but it looks very different on-screen. In The Harder They Fall , Samuel shows us many things. He shows us the absurdity of violence and revenge, and how it never ends. He shows us various levels of “good and bad” and how things aren’t always so “black and white.” And he shows us what real cowboys looked like in the frontier days of the American West. “Cowboys was the term for black people and Mexi- cans,” says Samuel. “There wasn’t even a term for the white people. Then Hollywood took it right back and erased everyone of color from the narrative. Black people were always a huge part of the cowboy experience. It wasn’t even the old west, it was the new west, the new frontier. The new America. And a huge part of that was people of color and black peo- ple in particular. It’s just Hollywood gave us a really narrow

a time where more voices are being heard in Hollywood. It’s an exciting time. One where brand new stories can be told on-screen. There is a freshness in the air. The Georgia Hollywood Review is dedicated to telling these stories. The stories of all people. We represent the storytellers who tell the stories of marginalized voices. Peo- ple of color, women, the LGBTQIA+ community as well as mainstream voices. We celebrate all people. All cultures. All stories. We invite you to join us on our journey, as a leader in this space. Speak out. Listen. And absorb the knowledge and wisdom of the storytellers on the pages that follow. Let us, and them, entertain you. While Hollywood may indeed be a place, the ride there begins in our minds. After all, that’s where the real fun is.

Distribution: TGS Media LA Print LLC

Advertising Sales: [email protected]

Sales Support: Cristina Colomer

Georgia Hollywood Review TV Hosts: Angelo Diaz Andry Palacio Jai Santiago

Videographer: Jason Jones MONUMENTALmedia Contributing Writers: Carol Badaracco Padgett Connor Judson Garrett Echo Montgomery Garrett Tracey Hawkins Julie Herron Carson Jessica Holthaus Badour Ellen Howle

Sincerely,

Miles Neiman

about the cover

The Georgia Hollywood Review is published every other month by Georgia Hollywood Review, LLC. Repro- ductions in whole or in part, without expressed writ- ten permission of the publisher, are strictly prohibited. The Georgia Hollywood Review is not responsible for the content or claims of any advertising or editorial in this publication. All information is believed to be accurate but is not warranted. Copyright 2022. Send inquiries to 227 Sandy Springs Place, Suite D-288, Sandy Springs, GA 30328. For more informa- tion, contact [email protected].

Pictured: Idris Elba in Jeymes Samuel’s The Harder They Fall . Available on Netflix. Photography: Courtesy of Netflix

Jerome Jackson Denise K. James

Jessa Jansen Chris LeDoux Autumn Murray Michael J. Pallerino Mary Welch

Visit our webpage: www.GeorgiaHollywoodReview.com

Social Media: FB @gahollywoodreview IG @georgiahollywoodreview

4 | T H E G E O R G I A H O L L Y WO O D R E V I E W | J A N U A R Y / F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 2

CONTENTS

36

8 l.a. to georgia Louis Gossett Jr. 10 georgia streaming Ryan Millsap 12 georgia actor Deji LaRay 14 art in film Anderson Smith 16 actor/producer Elaine Del Valle 18 actor’s life Cadden Jones 19 thursday night live 20 voice for the stars Mama Jan 22 l.a. actor Katie J. Stone 23 exercise for a-listers A History of Pilates 24 makeup artist Sheena Razmi 25 music legends Bruce Springsteen 26 lgbtqia+ Marsha Molinari August Getty 30 l.a. director Romel X Rose 32 film culture scene Mondo Video! 34 new releases The Harder They Fall Bruised 38 l.a. culture Quentin Tarantino’s New Beverly Cinema

18

34

16

25

14

T H E G E O R G I A H O L L Y WO O D R E V I E W | J A N U A R Y / F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 2 | 5

CONTRIBUTORS

Carol Badaracco Padgett

Tracey M. Hawkins has been a contributing editor and writer for various print publications,

Connor Judson Garrett

Echo Montgomery Garrett has written for more than 100 media outlets, including Delta Sky, Parade,

is an Atlanta-based writer and copywrit- er. Over the past 30 years she has written

was the 2017 Edward Readicker-Henderson Travel Classics Award recipient, honed his

Photo by Kevin Garrett

such as The Thirty-A Review, American Contemporary Art, and Frontier Airlines magazines; as well as award-winning websites, galleries and novelists. She has served as a collegiate Professor of Art History, as well as a collections consultant, curator, and artists’ representative. traceymhawkins.com and skrybes.com

for the Atlanta Business Chronicle , Oz Magazine, National Real Estate Inves- tor, Waste Age, Retail Traffic, and other B2B and B2C publications. She also worked as a copywriter crafting copy for Revlon, Georgia-Pacific, Stainmaster, and Publix. She loves to meet people, find their spark, and share their stories. Reach her at [email protected] .

craft as an advertising copywriter in Los Angeles. He is the author of two poetry books, Become The Fool and Life in Lyrics; a novel, Falling Up in The City of Angels; and a co-authored mind-body self-help book, The Longevity Game. His writing has appeared in Private Clubs Magazine, South Magazine, and Hook & Barrel.

ABC.com, AARP, The Atlanta Journal- Constitution, and Business Week . She’s the author of 20 books, including multi-award winning My Orange Duf- fel Bag: A Journey to Radical Change. Up next: a book called Unsung about growing up around Nashville’s Music Row with parents in the industry.

Julie Herron Carson ,

Jessica Holthaus Badour From veteran com- munications specialist to preeminent food safety professional,

Denise K. James

Jessa Jansen is the founder of J Squared Ven- tures and a regular contributor at The Boom Bap

is an independent writer and editor based in Atlanta with clients across the Southeast. When she isn’t working, you can find her exploring the city or dancing around her apartment —or on another road trip.

an Atlanta native, has over 30 years of public relations and feature writ-

Hour Podcast Blog, Sociomix, The Borgen Project and more. Connect about writing projects on Medium @jessajansen.

ing expertise. Her specialties in- clude media relations, newsletters, website writing, and cause-related marketing, as well as feature writing for The Thirty-A Review magazine and Atlanta ShowGuide . Julie is a graduate of the University of Geor- gia and lives in northeast Atlanta with her husband and teenage son.

Jessica Holthaus Badour has built a successful and diversified career de- veloping compelling means of sharing information while engaging the public on essential issues. She is currently working full-time for the Georgia Department of Agriculture while freelancing in her spare time. www. linkedin.com/in/jessicaholthausbadour

Autumn Murray has written for various print and online publications includ-

Michael J. Pallerino is an award- winning writer who has written for a number of national B2C and

Mary Welch is a veteran writer and editor who has worked for a number of publi- cations, including the Atlanta Busi- ness Chronicle,

Chris LeDoux Alaskan born and bred, Chris earned degrees in both psychology and sociology, but his fascination with cinema and filmmak- ing instead led him

ing The Plunge, Divine Lifestyle,

and Simply Amazing Living . Authority Magazine and Thrive Global declared her a “Social Media Impact Hero” for her “Choose Love” campaign to pro- mote acceptance and diversity. She is working on a book about her life and overcoming abuse while inspiring oth- ers to Choose Love in all situations. [email protected]

B2B publications. When he is not lost in his writing, music and binge watching, Michael can be reached at [email protected].

to the world of visual effects. Chris’s impressive résumé includes composit- ing and VFX supervision on numerous films and TV shows, including 12 Years A Slave , Doctor Strange , The Greatest Showman , and Better Call Saul . Chris has also directed major music videos and led visual effects teams. craftyapes.com

Travelgirl Magazine, Atlanta Woman, Business to Business, Car Business Today and biography.com . In her spare time she enjoys travel- ing with her son, Grady, and tries to fix up her 100-year-old home in Virginia-Highland. www.marywelchwriter.com

6 | T H E G E O R G I A H O L L Y WO O D R E V I E W | J A N U A R Y / F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 2

LA TO GA

Louis Gossett Jr. By Autumn Mur r ay

L ouis Gossett Jr. is an icon in the film and television industry with more than 400 acting credits in his repertoire. He is highly known for his role as Gunnery Sergeant Emil Foley in the 1982 romantic drama film An Officer and a Gentleman, in which he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor—the first black actor to receive the award. He has also won an Emmy Award for his role as Fiddler in the 1977 ABC television miniseries Roots . The highly acclaimed series broke television records and was even viewed more times than the American classic Gone With the Wind . Gossett Jr. started acting at the age of 15 and worked throughout the 1950s and ‘60s on Broadway making a good living. In 1967 he made his way to Los Angeles for roles in film and television. On his first day in Los Angeles, he went for a drive and was pulled over by police officers because they thought his music was too loud. They pulled him out of the car, chained him to a tree for hours, and eventually released him because he hadn’t committed a crime. Even in the south where he had visited several times to help harvest his family’s watermelon farm over the course of several summers, he had not been treated in such a degrading manner. This experience changed the way he viewed the world from that moment on and it is one of the main reasons why he founded The Eracism Foundation. Gossett Jr. founded The Eracism Foundation with the mission of contributing to the creation of a society where racism does not exist. The foundation defines eracism as “the removal from existence of the belief that one race, one culture, one people is superior to another.” Throughout his acting career, getting jobs was twice as hard for Gossett Jr. and he was typically paid on a lower scale than his white co-stars. Even winning the Oscar didn’t change his ability to be equally compensated or get first opportunities in starring roles. However, he believes that going through all these things made him the person that he is today. In his book An Actor and a Gentleman Gossett Jr. highlights the problem of racism in Hollywood and the challenges faced by black actors from the 1950s through to today. It also includes revealing stories and his friendships and interactions with celebrities, including Sidney Poitier, Paul Newman, Shirley Booth, Sammy Davis Jr., Steve McQueen, Richard Gere, Halle Berry, and many more. Gossett Jr. has been acting for more than 70 years. He is also known for his acting roles in A Raisin in the

Academy Award Winner Louis Gossett Jr.

tale that spans cultures and generations. I play a former Havana jazzman with Alzheimer’s whose mind is revived through Cuban music. Foster Boy is about a high-powered lawyer and an angry young man who has been imprisoned after years of abuse in the foster care system. Together they strive to overcome their differences to find justice and expose the foster care system. My character is the judge in the foster care trial. Gossett Jr. has survived two bouts with cancer and at the age of 85, he is not showing any signs of slowing down. Gossett Jr. is still taking on acting roles and has several projects in production and others in negotiation. He will be launching his podcast For What It’s Worth in the next few weeks where he speaks as an elder, sharing his stories and lifetime experiences for the younger generations to engage in and learn from. The show’s guests will include music artists, dancers, writers, athletes, and motivational speakers. He is highly known for his role as Gunnery Sergeant Emil Foley in the 1982 romantic drama film An Officer and a Gentleman , in which he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor—the first black actor to receive the award.

Photo by Bobby Bosston

Sun with Sidney Poitier, Skin Game with James Garner, Enemy Mine with Dennis Quaid, The Deep with Jacqueline Bisset, Toy Soldiers with Sean Austin, Iron Eagle with Jason Gedrick, the Return to Lonesome Dove miniseries with Barbara Hershey, Lackawanna Blues with S. Epatha Merkerson, the Watchmen series on HBO featuring Regina King, Jean Smart, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Don Johnson, and several others. GHR: CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT ANY OF THE FILM PROJECTS YOU ARE WORKING ON? LG: I am superstitious. I don’t talk about the projects that I am involved in until they are released. I can tell you about The Cuban airing on Netflix, which I am very proud of; as well as Foster Boy , which can be viewed on BET and several streaming services. The Cuban combines music, romance, loss, and memories into an emotional

www.eracismfoundation.org

8 | T H E G E O R G I A H O L L Y WO O D R E V I E W | J A N U A R Y / F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 2

GA STREAMING

Content King Ryan Millsap, Chairman and CEO of The Blackhall Group, conceives his latest film industry venture By Ca ro l Bada r acco Padge t t

S ome people follow movements, while others create them. Some interpret >Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40

www.georgiahollywoodreview.com

Made with FlippingBook - Online catalogs