THE FACTS
In an interview with EbonyJet.com, Antoine Fuqua and Wesley Snipes talked about the alleged lack of masculine actors.

THE SPIN
Antoine Fuqua’s latest film, Brooklyn’s Finest, is officially in theaters as of today. The film chronicles the lives of a trio of New York City cops played by Richard Gere, Don Cheadle, and Ethan Hawke. Rounding out the cast is the IRS’ favorite actor, Wesley Snipes, who portrays an ex-con slowly drawn back into the life he abandoned.

While reading Fuqua and Snipes’ interview with EbonyJet.com I found their comments about the state of the black male actor interesting.

EBONY: Too many black films now are aimed at women. Or nerds or comic book geeks. I mean what happened to us? What happened to movies for men?

SNIPES: That’s right!

EBONY: What happened in the film industry?

FUQUA: I think we’re in a time they’ve cut the cojones off or are trying to. You want me to put it to you for real? Everything is soft, they’re putting everyone in dresses and O.K. that’s fun. But I grew up watching movies about men. Watching movies from the 1930’s the 40’s the 50’s Movies like Public Enemy and Scarface (i.e. referring to the original Howard Hawks’ 1932 version with Paul Muni).

EBONY: Exactly! You don’t have those definite masculine actors today like you had back then like Robert Mitchum, Gary Cooper, Lee Marvin, Yul Brynner, John Wayne, William Holden. You can go on and on the list was endless back then.

SNIPES: We just had this same conversation…

FUQUA: Yeah we just had this exact same conversation just recently. Even in casting now, it’s hard to find men. I mean we have Denzel. No doubt. We’ve got Wesley. But Wesley now is going to come back and help me do that. Because if Denzel is busy, then where am I going to go? We’re not that deep with skilled quality actors and masculinity.

The interviewer goes on to say that “we’ve got too many soft black men from the U.S. in movies now.

Outside of Tyler Perry and a few comedians doing family roles (which is typical for an actor of a certain age and appeal), I don’t feel like we’ve seen that great a dip in seeing the hypermasculine black male on film.

In fact, the influx of rapper turned actors (you know, those sensitive souls) have kept that sort of theme in Hollywood even more constant. But maybe I’m mistaken.

YOUR SPIN: Are we in need of more “manly actors?”  Tell us here.

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(*The views contained herein are solely the views of their respective authors, and do not express the views of TV One. TV One does not take responsibility for their content.)

THE FACTS
Hidden Beach Records has filed a lawsuit against Jill Scott, claiming she owes them three additional albums.

THE SPIN
Jill Scott has planned out a great year for herself:  One movie on the big screen, another on TV, in addition to plans for an animated series and bra line.

Oh and then there’s her day job – her singing career – which she hopes to reminds folk of when she drops a new album.

That is, if she gets the chance to. I had no clue that she left Hidden Beach, but they’re obviously pissed about it. So pissed that they’ve filed a suit seeking millions of dollars in damages.

The Hollywood Reporter sheds light on the suit:

The complaint alleges causes of action for breach of contract and damages owed under California’s Labor Code Sec. 2855. That statute, sometimes known as the “De Havilland Law” because it stems from actress Oliva De Havilland’s successful fight in the ’40s against long-term studio deals, provides that talent cannot be bound by personal services contracts for longer than seven years. Hidden Beach isn’t disputing that Scott’s deal violated the seven-year rule but the law carves out a requirement that certain recording artists who wish to terminate their lengthy deals must reimburse their labels in the amount the labels would have received under the terms of the contracts. Since breaking onto the scene with the double-platinum selling ”Who Is Jill Scott?” album in 2000, Scott’s studio albums (and live albums) have generated millions in revenue. So while Hidden Beach’s alleged damages are unspecified in the complaint, under California law they could total several million dollars.

The lawsuit is unusually detailed in its description of the small label’s close relationship with Scott. She clearly was the center of attention for McKeever. The complaint alleges he paid her million-dollar advances when he wasn’t required to, allowed her to keep merchandising revenue, paid $450,000 to fund a concert DVD that Scott later asked not be released, bought her lavish gifts and indulged her desire to slow her recording schedule to pursue an acting career (Scott has appeared in the films “Houndog,” “Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married?” and HBO’s “No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency”).

“Hidden Beach feels that Jill Scott is an incredibly talented artist,” the company’s lawyer Lawrence Hinkle told us. ”No one regrets that this lawsuit had to be filed more than Hidden Beach, but its hands were tied and it had no other option.”

Jill has since responded releasing the following statement:

“The lawsuit filed on February 3, 2010 by Hidden Beach Recordings against Jill Scott has no legal merit and misrepresents the history of Ms. Scott’s relationship with the label. Jill Scott has the legal right to terminate her recording contract with Hidden Beach Recordings under California’s 7-year rule, where she had been a recording artist for more than 10 years. “During her time at Hidden Beach Recordings, she released several highly successful albums. At this time, with many creative projects in the works which include music, film and television roles and product development, Ms. Scott looks forward to continuing to further her artistry and building the Jill Scott brand in other creative environments.”

Just in case this doesn’t work in her favor, she might want to pick up a few take out menus and come up with some new material via an all night recording session to fend off an angry label. Hopefully none of this impedes the album she’s planning to drop later this year.

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YOUR SPIN: Was Jill smart for leaving Hidden Beach?  Tell us here.

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(*The views contained herein are solely the views of their respective authors, and do not express the views of TV One. TV One does not take responsibility for their content.)

THE FACTS
Writer questions why there are so few adaptations from works by black authors.

THE SPIN
Despite Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire (my goodness, what a long title) garnering a heap of praise from the film community, there are very few films that are adapted from novels penned by black authors.

In the article, “Can’t Hollywood swing for the ‘Fences’?,” Boston Globe writer Wesley Morris tackles Hollywood’s reluctance to pull material from black literature.

In his piece he asked why can Denzel Washington star in The Book of Eli but not in a big screen version of August Wilson’s Fences (versus the Broadway revival)?

He also goes on to add that when it comes to black films in general these days they only come from Tyler Perry.

Morris writes:

There are so few current movies about black lives based on black books that this movie needs to remind us not that it isn’t based on a true story (although it could be) but on a chilling work of fiction. The full title serves a promotional purpose: Dammit, we made a movie based on a book written by a black author!

On one hand, that’s silly: What bearing does an announcement of the movie’s provenance have on the experience of watching that movie? On the other, it’s important. In the rest of the movie universe, films adapted from novels and plays by white authors (Shakespeare, Dickens, and Neil Simon aside) don’t announce their source material. Picture it, “Ryan: Based on the Novel ‘Up in the Air’ by Walter Kirn.’’ So “Precious,’’ which is more or less an independent film, brings with it a degree of politics. “Dear Hollywood,’’ it argues, “we will keep on with these extra-strength titles until more adaptations are made.’’

The makers of “Precious’’ might be on to something. Winfrey has been the film’s biggest supporter (early last year, she and Perry signed on as executive producers). And most of the movies she’s starred in or officially backed began as books. Given her lucrative affinity for literature, imagine how effective she’d be as a proponent of film adaptations. Oprah, how would you feel about starting a book-to-movie club?

Doesn’t he have a point?

Shouldn’t more works from authors like Morrison, Hurston, Baldwin, and new black writers be afforded the same opportunities to see their work on the big screen like their white counterparts?

Would love to hear from you.

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YOUR SPIN: What do you think? Tell us here.

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(*The views contained herein are solely the views of their respective authors, and do not express the views of TV One. TV One does not take responsibility for their content.)