Black Iraqis Claim Discrimination A News Report (Jan 11th, 2010)

Black Iraqis in the southern province of Basra are complaining of discrimination, saying they are not fairly represented in the state.

African Iraqis have lived in the country for centuries and now number more than one million.

Many of them are descendants of African slaves brought to Iraq. Many Iraqis still refer to them by their ancestral name, abeed - meaning slaves.

Al Jazeera's Omar Al Saleh reports.

The Rocketeer (Real Action Hero) Figure (Version 2.5)Based on The Rocketeer (1991) Film

Hey!!

I'm a happy camper because I received The Rocketeer (version 2.5) figure from BigBadToyStore.com He's very qool and has many points of articulation. He's manufactured by Medicom Toy. This is the third version released over the course of several years: version 1.0, version 2.0 and now version 2.5. I was previously looking at acquiring one of the older versions, but either I couldn't find a dealer to buy the figure from or it was just ridiculously priced like $300.00 or more.

So, just sharing of little bit of my hobbies here.

The 12" Rocketeer Figure (Pictured Right)
Is my Latest Collectible.
The Rocketeer Bust (Pictured Left)
Is Another Collectible
I've Had For Less Than A Year!
LOVE THEM BOTH!

I actually got into figures because of my former partner who collected a lot of figures himself. I had taken him to Toy Toyko (121 2nd Avenue between St. Mark's Place & East 7th Street in lower Manhattan), a store in New York City which specializes in all kinds of Japanese imported toys. It was there that he coincidentally saw some Tokyo Tribe 3 figures and got me into these Japanese characters of African descent who had a hip-hop flava to them (dress wear with jeans and boots), and I thought that was qool. And they stood 12" tall like this Rocketeer figure. The Tokyo Tribe figures are also made by Medicom Toy, too.

My particular focus is on toy figures of African descent. This Rocketeer figure is one of the VERY FEW times I've gone outside that scope. He just has a qool ol' skool outfit and gun and so he makes the cut narrowly into the toy shrine!

This Was The Official Poster Art
Used In Promotions In Train Stations And Such
In The Summer Of 1991

The old style poster art confused a lot of people because they thought it was an animated film which it wasn't. The poster art was emulating or mimicking the pulp comic book art styles from back in the days (1930s/1940s).

At the time it was Disney's most expensive film they produced (I think $60 Million) and had top flight visual effects by George Lucas' ILM (Industrial Light and Magic). The film never caught on with people (the poster art as explained above was part of the marketing confusion) and bombed at the box office. So obviously no sequel.

But for some reason The Rocketeer character stayed in my mind and apparently a lot of other people's minds all these years because there are 3 versions of this figure, the bust that I have and there are other toy properties being issued as well here in 2010. So that's amazing for a film that was made almost 20 years ago!!

Yep! This Film Starred Some Qool Folks! It Had
Bill Campbell, Jennifer Connelly, Alan Arkin, Timothy Dalton,
Paul Sorvino and Terry O'Quinn (From "LOST")








The Only Other Figure I'd Like Get Is Minato Misaki


AND

The Green Hornet/Kato Figure By Enterbay Is Also Qool

RebelStarrLive Venue NYCSaturday, Janaury 9th, 2010

Click To Enlarge For Details


GO SUPPORT AND SEE REBELSTARR, Y'ALL!!!!!!!!!

LOVE by Nhojj!A Black Same Gender Loving Music VideoOUTMUSIC Award WINNER:2009 Outstanding R&B/Soul Song of the Year

Nhojj's Official Website

Yo Nhojj,

You deserve it man!

I'm proud to have helped work on this ground breaking music video project, but most of all I'm proud to be a Black same gender loving male!

Some of the footage from this music video
are from Writer/Director Kirk Shannon-Butts' film
BLUEPRINT (a Black Same Gender Loving Film)

ROD's Top 25 Black FilmsOf The Last Decade (2000-2009)

Hey Black Family,

I'm posting what I consider MY best top 25 Black films that I've seen in the last decade (2000-2009). It was initially agonizing to compile the list because it started out as a top 10 list. And my top 10 list was inspired by the posting that I read from the pro-Black film website that I regularly check out called Shadow&Act.com. Ultimately I decided that picking 10 Black films from the last decade is too narrow in quantity for a 10 year period, and so I decided to increase my list to 25 Black films.

The Shadow&Act.com posting was a re-post of two "Top 10 Black Film" lists from BlackVoices.com and TheGriot.com, two websites that target an African Diaspora audience. Of course, whenever something like these lists are compiled for FUN, educational, informational or other factored in reasons, there's always the question(s) which I asked myself: What does it mean to be Black? or what constitutes a Black film?

With that said, Shadwo&Act.com said: "BV (Black Voices.com) doesn’t specify what its criteria is to determine what constitutes a 'black film.' But I think we’d all agree that the films on their list can be defined as such. They also don’t say what the consider good, or the 'best,' other than describing them as 'witty, entertaining and inspiring.' So, I dunno… I can’t really say much about what they’ve got here."

One poster on Shadwo&Act blasted and criticized both top 10 lists for NOT having at least one 1 foreign film of African descent on there. I have to strongly agree with that.

So what I did was consult my friend Jair, The Literary Masturbator and asked his opinion of my list and to suggest his own films. In this way, I at least had someone I respected look at my list and give feedback. Both he and I agreed that one of the greatest agonizers is NOT forgetting a film which is hard when you're looking back 10 years!!

So in closing, my criteria for my own top 25 Black films is based upon:
(1) The majority of the characters (fiction) and/or real persons (documentaries) are of African descent

(2) The stories are the primary focus of the African experience
(a slice of life)

(3) Black films that I (ROD) have SEEN (NOT word of mouth)

(4) American and foreign (import) films

(5) The films were exhibitioned in movie theaters or via tv/cable viewing

(6) The Black films depict people of African descent in a affirming, cultural, uplifting and respectable way.

Yes, I know item 6 is subjective and means many things to many people and that African people aren't monolithic in a think tank kind of way, but I have my own views of what it means, and all I can do is critically use and share item 6 in correlation with the other 5 items and hope you find my list FUN and of interest. (SO NO, A FILM LIKE SOUL PLANE WHICH IS A STUPID ASS FILM THAT HOLLYWOOD GREEN LIGHTED DOES NOT QUALIFY AS UPLIFTING TO ME!!!!! )

I'm sure my list can be torn apart in some regards, but I can only go by what I've SEEN (and NOT heard) through regular mainstream theater outlets as well as independent movie theaters and the blessing of film festivals which is always needed to get that independent voice in the wilderness heard. So hey, just having FUN here!

I look forward to people posting comments here on the blog and giving their own top 10 list and a couple of films you think are worthy in your mind. Because quite frankly, I, too am always looking and starving for Black (same gender loving) films which I haven't seen or heard of which can cater to my LOVE of the African experience. And that is part of the reason I'm encouraging folks to post. There's always something that someone hasn't seen that one can be skooled on.

ROD's
Top 25 Black Films
of the Last Decade (2000-2009)

The list below is arranged in alphabetical order
and DOES NOT signify a particular order
of importance or ranking!!
It's simply my favorite 25 Black films.
Period.
No favorites!
(Well, I'm kind of lyin' about NOT having some favorites,
but I won't share it and be biased!Again, just havin' FUN!)

NOTE THE SYMBOLS NEXT TO CERTAIN FILMS
WHICH ARE DENOTED BY THE SYMBOL LEGEND AFTER THE LIST

1- 10,000 Black Men Named George (2002)

2- Akeelah And The Bee (2006)

3- Antwone Fisher (2002)

4- Bamboozled (2000)

5- Black Candle, The: A KWANZAA Celebration (2008)

6- Black List, The: Volume 1 (2008)

7- Blueprint (2007)+

8- Brother To Brother (2004)+

9- City Of God (2002)~

10- Drumline (2002)

11- Four Rent Boys and A Sangoma (2004)*+~

12- Great Debaters, The (2007)

13- Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats And Rhymes (2006)

14- Hotel Rwanda (2004)

15- Huey P. Newton Story, A (2001)

16- Kirikou and the Wild Beast (2005)#~

17– Masai: The Rain Warriors (2004)~

18- Mississippi Damned (2009)*+

19- Proud (2004)

20- Pursuit Of Happyness, The (2006)

21- Rag Tag (2006)*+~

22- Remember The Titans (2000)

23- Sometimes In April (2005)

24- Tsotsi (2005)~

25- Wooden Camera, The (2003)~


Noteworthy Honorable Mentions:
American Blackout (2006)

Dreamgirls (2006)

La Tropical (2002)

Love and Basketball (2000)

Rize (2005)

Seven Pounds (2008)



SYMBOL LEGEND:
*SAW THESE BLACK FILMS AT DIFFERENT NYC FILM FESTIVALS

+ BLACK SAME GENDER LOVING (SGL) FILM (5)

# ANIMATED FILM (1)

~FOREIGN FILM [PRODUCED & MADE OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES] (7)

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

HEARD WAS EXCELLENT BY WORD OF MOUTH
(DID NOT SEE THESE FILMS THOUGH):

1- Ballast (2008)

2-Medicine For Meancholy (2008)

3- Precious (2009)

4- When The Leeves Broke (2006)

Mr. Anthony JenkinsMy Beloved Friend TransitionsSunrise: Sept. 13th, 1948Sunset: December 2009 A Nubian Knight Resting His Arrows...

Anthony Jenkins (picture right)
At the 16th Annual KWANZAA Celebration
(December 29th, 2007) at The LGBT Center

I can't believe you're gone! I'll miss you!
And I'll Miss All Those Outfits You Wore At
Black Men's Xchange-New York (BMX-NY)
While Living Your LIFE AUTHENTICALLY!

YOU EXUDE A ROYALTY LIKE A
KING OF AFRICAN GREATNESS!!

REST YOUR ARROWS, NUBIAN KNIGHT!

PEACE BRUTHA!

HAPPY KWANZAA! Day Seven (7): January 1st Habari Gani? Imani (ee-MAH-nee): Faith

Today, January 1st,
is the Seventh Day of Kwanzaa!

The Seventh Principle of Kwanzaa is:
Imani (ee-MAH-nee): Faith



- To believe with all our heart in our people,
our parents, our teachers, our leaders
and the righteousness and victory of our struggle
so that a better world can be created
for communities now and in the future.
(Light The Nearest Green Candle on the Right)

Traditional Greeting: "Habari Gani?"
(Translation: "What's the Word?" or "What's the News?")
Response on January 1st: "Imani!"


Find a meaningful way to instill Imani your life today,
and in the coming year.


HAPPY KWANZAA!

Seven Principles of Kwanzaa: Imani -- powered by eHow.com

7TH KWANZAA PRINCIPLE: IMANI (FAITH)
Running Time: 59 Sec

The Black Candle: A KWANZAA Celebration DVD