Liam Neeson is the King of the weekend

I had many titles prepared for this entry like “Taken3 has marched all over Selma” or “Tooken the crown from the King” or “Please support black films”. This past weekend Taken 3 made $40 million dollars with its 3rd installment of a man with a particular set of skills. The first one had originality and unexpected thrills, while the reviews for this third installment were middling at best. Selma was released wide on the same weekend and is being mentioned as an Oscar contender and gathered $11 million in revenue. Now my colleagues and friends have stated that I am comparing apples and oranges, but in the end $11 million dollars for a good film on opening weekend is deplorable. Even with a bangin soundtrack- cop that song Glory with John Legend and Common- it keeps me inspired. I have been told that I should be happy with the result and that I have unrealistic expectations. That black films just do not do well and black people can’t support such films on a grand scale because we are only 13 percent of the population and our dollars are already stretched.

I guess the issue is that we have been conditioned to believe that stories with black people in them are only relevant to black people. No one else wants to see our stories. Or that people already know the stories of Martin Luther King or Mandela – which over reached as a film- so why bother going. I don’t know that is true. People do not say the same about World War 2 films when they are done right- Saving Private Ryan or the Holocaust- Schindler’s List. Maybe we just need black films to be made by Steven Spielberg (also the mind behind The Color Purple) or add Quentin Tarantino to the mix to drive controversy. Maybe we just do mainstream films that happen to have black people in them- The Wedding Ringer is opening at a theatre near you on MLK Jr. Weekend. Prediction is $42 million in this “soft” season.

Maybe because our television shows are more diverse black people are staying home and not watching good movies like Top Five and Beyond the Lights- thank you Shonda Rhymes and Lee Daniels. Or maybe we just don’t understand how important opening weekend is to the life of a film. But I think these are all excuses because a film like “No Good Deed” opens up number one at the box office- man that Idris Elba is fine or Ride Along – which is not mainstream is the biggest opening of a January film ever- gosh that Kevin Hart is funny.

In the end, as an entertainment executive the actions and non-actions of the black and non-black community drive my decisions on what programming I deliver to the masses. See you at The BET Experience with a sorority sisters booth in full display- And right now I am just waiting for Think Like A Man 3 and Ride Along 2 or just Kevin Hart in anything at all.

The “Empire” Strikes Back

I am strangely excited about the introduction of Empire on Fox tonight. I have watched all the previews and read every article in Variety, Entertainment Weekly, Complex, whatever and whoever was writing about it. I know that it is a crazy soap opera with over the top potential stereotype characters but it all looks so juicy.

Taraji P Henson and Terrence Howard look like they are living out their fantasies and dreams playing these roles. They had so much chemistry from Hustle and Flow that Taraji forced the producers to hire Terrance as her estranged husband or she would walk. THAT is a ride or die chick. Its also what makes her so perfect for this role. I will watch anything she is in- “person of interest” is a perfect case in point. But other reasons why I am excited about this show are because:

1. It reminds me of a movie treatment me and my boys came up with that was based on a hip-hop mogul that was based on Sean Puffy Combs and his top rapper, Biggie. There was a lot of violence, sex and bravado in our treatment. There was a mystery and relationships. This show feels like it has all of these same elements. It feels like our dreams are coming together in this show. #FrankieBlonux

2. This show gives people more options for black viewers. Starting next week I can watch Empire and the Game while catching Black-ish and Arrow on DVR (don’t sleep on the characters on Arrow and my man John Diggle). Add in Shonda Rhymes #TGIT line-up and Real Husbands of Hollywood and it almost feels like the early 90s (Cosby, Different World, Living Single, Martin, In Living Color, NY Undercover).

3. It’s based on my favorite Shakespeare play, King Lear. Which child do you choose to run your empire when you are gone and why? It was the reason why I got down with Sons of Anarchy- I miss you Jax! Can’t really go wrong when you base your concept on “the Bard”. Lee Butler seems like the type of creative that will make this work well.

For these reasons I am already all in. I am just hoping it doesn’t disappoint, like this season of Sleepy Hollow (the two lead women are still great to watch but the storyline is convoluted) and gets canceled before it even gets started. I have high hopes for the future of diverse television (Jane the Virgin, Marco Polo, Off the Boat and that show with the Fluffy comic in it) and that we don’t pull of the mask and find out James Earl Jones is just an old crusty white dude inside a big black shell. So grab a bottle of Alize and enjoy.