Gonna get things rolling & onto the
first award in a moment but first one of the 6 films nominated for
the big Blue Ribbon for best picture of the week of color.
From 1973 Larry Cohen's Black Caesar
Raised in the ghetto Tommy Gibbs has
great ambition to become a full-fledged player in the criminal
underworld. From a shoe shine boy running payoffs for the mob he
raises in power to the head kingpin of Harlem. Through violence &
muscle he puts the squeeze on the Italian mafia & a cop on the
take. His ambition in a business not respected others because of his
race is too much for his rivals to endure & the hit is out on
Gibbs...A blaxploitation classic.
Time for the first golden amber of the
week. The Lifetime of Influence Under The Influence awarded to the
individual in media who has had an impact on me over the years –
The 40
This week's recipient is the legendary
Redd Foxx.
Personally I found the 70s produced
some of the best TV sitcoms & one of my favourites was Sanford &
Son. Actually this might still be my favourite sitcom of all time.
Watching Sanford & Son growing up @ such a young age I didn't
catch the racial satire of this show but thankfully w/ the advent of
DVD & it being released to enjoy once again in its entirety I see
Foxx's brilliance. It's one of those shows that can actually make me
laugh when I have become so jaded over the years that I just smile on
the inside other then have outbursts. All though television may have
limited Foxx's exuberant 'blue' talent his persona is larger than
prime time.
To achieve the complete genius of Redd
Foxx you have to see a live stage performance (or listen to one of
his albums). As a teenager I had a real love for stand up comics
especially those w/ a 'dirty' mouth. Thanks to the VHS serge I was
fortunate enough to see some of favourites but Foxx was going to be a
little hard to come by. His Video in a Plain Brown Wrapper was in
the X rated section of the video store amongst all the porn (censored
because Canada didn't allow hardcore yet) & Fritz the Cat. By
the time I was 15 I started renting from this section. I don't think
it was because the video store didn't care just wanting the rental
money but because I looked older then I actually was. I got served @
the liquor store w/out being carded @ this time too so as a teen my
friends & I had some adult perks. My best friend & I watched
Foxx in concert & almost pissed ourselves from laughing so hard.
If nothing else in life Redd Foxx
taught me you gotta wash your ass.
Bottom of the bottle so back to the
fridge for another cold one.
Be back after this..
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