Morgan Freeman recovering - respect is due

The news is spreading fast so I am sure that most have heard the news, Morgan Freeman was in a car accident. So far the news has been clear to point out that his injuries were not life threatening. The last I heard he suffered a broken arm and shoulder.

Of course I have also heard a good and bad thing along with that news. The good thing is possibly the bigger issue. Before rumors run around, all indications and statements at this time from the police and other sources state that he was not drunk driving. He was driving very late at night, and it is believe he may have fallen asleep at the wheel. While that is still very bad, it is something any driver on a long trip, or after a long hectic day, can attest to having done at least once. Thankfully there have been no fatalities reported.

The other item that I heard is the potential gossip and venom that the major news and entertainment media loves to put out on any entertainer in the news. It’s the shadow of the negative spin that normally occurs in any news about an entertainer, especially if it’s a Black entertainer. In this case it’s the question of the passenger in the car.

It was a woman, that has been confirmed. Who the woman is has also been confirmed but I will not mention it as that is not relevant to me. The state of her injuries is unreported though. I hope that she is relatively well and not in danger of any complications or critical medical state.

Morgan Freeman is a superb actor. He has worked diligently to gain the recognition and acclaim he has today. His ability to display gravitas on the big screen is nearly unmatched by any actor, and certainly unmatched by any current actor now.

He started in his acting career at 8, in a school play. He won a statewide drama competition at 12. He has served in the Air Force. In 1964 he was a dancer in the 1964 World’s Fair. He has worked with Pearl Bailey and Cab Calloway on Broadway. He is famous for his role as Easy Reader on the PBS show Electric Company (which I grew up with) at the age of 34. But he gained prominence after his movie role of Fast Black in Street Smart in 1987 at the age of 50. He has been married for 24 years.

I mention all this because at 71 any injury can potentially be serious. In addition I think he deserves some respect. Morgan Freeman grew up before the Civil Rights Movement in the South, which was no easy task. His achievements in his youth meant that he was not just good but stellar to be recognized at that time in America. His time in the military reveals a dedication to America and a will that exceeded the segregationist policies of the time. And his ability has stood out enough (1 Academy Award and 3 nominations, 1 Golden Globe and 3 nominations, and 2 Screen Actor's Guild Award nominations) that when many other actors end their careers, or have extreme difficulty in getting work, he is now in demand.

Respect means that the tendency of the media to create rumors about the woman in question should not happen. Respect means that whatever her reason to be in the car is private and not fodder for Entertainment Tonight, The Globe, or the gossip blogs.

I do not presume anything about the woman in the car. I don’t know of her, and really don’t want to. But I shudder to think that the Freeman family may be dragged through the mud because some media outlet will hope to increase ratings and circulation. No one deserves that kind of treatment, especially after an accident, especially at 71.

So I hope Mr. Freeman and the lady in the accident are well. I wish them swift recoveries. And I have my fingers crossed that Paris Hilton or Britney Spears will do yet another stupid thing to keep the dogs of journalism away.

Bad films and Screen Actors Guild Awards hopefuls - 1.9.2007.1

Well it’s January and the worst of the films of the year are starting to be released. I’m sure many may have noticed that the early weeks of the year seem to have a bunch of films that blink away with a speed that is rarely seen. This of course is a good thing, as many of these films don’t deserve to be released in a theater and I doubt many will be worth a DVD either. One such film, I’m guessing, is Code Name: The Cleaner.

Cedric the Entertainer (his real name is Mr. Cedric Kyles) can be a funny man. I’ve seen some of his stand-up on film and it wasn’t bad. Star quality it was not, nor has anything in his body indicated that he has leading man capabilities. That’s not to say he doesn’t have talent. I just think his talent isn’t being conveyed in the films he has done.

Beyond his support work in The Steve Harvey Show, which had it’s moments though they were few to me, his movie Johnson Family Vacation is probably his best film work. I’m not counting the 5 animated roles where he supplied his voice (including the upcoming Madagascar 2). I am including his leading role in the Honeymooners remake [horrendous] and the sequel supporting role in Be Cool [just bad]. The Cleaner looks to be on par with these lesser films and will no doubt clean the few pockets that view it. Of course there is a following for Mr. Kyles, as well as those that will watch anything that has an African American lead because they are showing support – even if that support goes to cheap and tasteless theatrical films like Soul Plane. I admit I haven’t seen it, nor will I, but if others do and disagree please let me know. If you convince me of the worth perhaps I will watch it, via a bootleg DVD.

Speaking of movies, here are some of my choices to win the Screen Actors Guild Awards. I hope these will lead to nominations and wins at the Oscar’s as well. For best actor I chose Mr. Forest Whitaker for The Last King of Scotland. I think it will be Ms. Helen Mirren in The Queen. For best support I pick Mr. Eddie Murphy in his stand out performance in Dreamgirls and from the same movie I pick Ms. Jennifer Hudson as best supporting actress. In the cast category of course I chose Dreamgirls.

In television I have fewer choices as I don’t watch many shows. I may well be off on these but here are my choices. For best actor in a drama I think Mr. Hugh Laurie wins for House. For a comedy I would chose Mr. Tony Shalhoub for Monk, though I do like the comedic acting of Mr. Jeremy Piven. Sadly I have not seen Entourage so I can’t say if his work is better than Mr. Shalhoub.

As for the other television shows, I have no comment. I watch little regular broadcast television programs. In general I think the effort executives have put into finding the lowest common denominator in programming is so bad as to not warrant viewing. And yes I do prefer a more high-brow television show so that doesn’t help either. Still a preference towards House, 24, and the West Wing does not prevent me from enjoying Farscape, Gilligan’s Island, or Cheers.

Well let’s see how good my choices are.

This is what I think, what do you think?