Random Movie News....

I guess it's time to have some actual Black Cinema news, considering that was why I created this blog. Unfortunately, not much has been going on (what a surprise) but here are some tidbits (scroll down for my other new posts and answers to your comments):

Brazilian helmer Jose Padilha will direct the drama "Marching Powder," a passion project that Don Cheadle has long wanted to star in and produce. The film is based on "Marching Powder: A True Story of Friendship, Cocaine and South America's Strangest Jail," a memoir Thomas McFadden wrote with Rusty Young.

Cheadle intends to play McFadden, a British man convicted of drugs trafficking in Bolivia and sent to La Paz's San Pedro prison for six years, where he worked as a prison tour guide in a corrupt prison that was subject to so much bribery that it had its own capitalist system. Brad Pitt's Plan B will also produce.

From IW: Is The Cheadle stuck on the accent thing? While it's admirable that Don and Brad are obviously not interested in doing trash, it would be nice if they would their invest time and energy on films that people actually want to see. Time will tell how this one works out.

In some semi-disturbing news:

Oscar nominee and Emmy and Tony Award winner Laurence Fishburne will join the cast of the CBS Paramount Network Television and Jerry Bruckheimer Television series, CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION, on the CBS Television Network. His character will debut in this season's ninth episode.

From IW: What tha???

The next item is old news, but I still wanted to comment on it:

Percy Miller (formerly Master P) has announced the launch of Better Black Television (BBTV) which is being touted as "a family friendly network that will provide positive content for a black and brown culture that will appeal to all races with a goal to bring people of color a choice when turning on their television." Taking his fast-paced and growing brand to Wall Street, Miller, BBTV's Chairman & CEO, makes history as the first hip-hop entrepreneur to own a television network. Five years in the making, BBTV is the brainchild and passion of some of the most diverse, powerful, celebrated entertainers, influentials and trendsetters from the television, film, professional sports, corporate America and music industries.

From IW: Okay. I have to say that Percy has the mark of a true businessman, changing like a chameleon when necessary and excelling, so maybe it will work. On the other hand, didn't they try this ish with the "Black Family Channel" (which imploded last year)? Robert Townsend, Evander Holyfield, and Randy Jackson (not the rich one) all invested in the channel with the same premise, and came up with nathan, nada. Hopefully this new venture will be better executed and nowhere near as low budget. (pic of percy from "Dancing With The Stars")

And finally, some news that made me sigh in disgust more than once:

Vin Diesel, star of Pitch Black and The Chronicles of Riddick, promises two more Richard B. Riddick movies.

"David Twowy right now is writing the scripts. The only question is whether we take a page from the ‘Lord of the Rings’ guys and try to shoot the two chapters at the same time. There are two more in mind,” he said of Riddick, the Furyan warrior first introduced in the 2000 film “Pitch Black.” “‘The Chronicles of Riddick’ was presented as a three part trilogy that would answer ‘Pitch Black’ in the same way that ‘Lord of the Rings’ answered ‘The Hobbit.’”

Diesel told MTV News that in spite of the poor reception, the time between the sequels is only about getting it right, not about trying to find support.

From IW: Whatev! This coupled with the news that Vin will be in yet another "Fast and Furious" movie has me absolutely convinced that Hollywood has one thumb stuck in their mouths, and the other one stuck up their asses...in other words, completely and totally flatlined!