1/14/18 HOLLYWOOD MONDAY: Martin: A Ballet By Gordon Parks (Prelude)

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Martin: a ballet by Gordon Parks, an original five-movement ballet chronicling the struggles of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. Filmed in 1990 the work stars John Jones as Dr. King and Sheila Rohan as Rosa Parks, featuring choreography by Real Lamb. “Martin” (PBS, 1990),  about the life of Dr. Martin Luther King. Parks served as executive producer, director, composer, keyboardist and documentary photographer for this boldly ambitious project. Continue reading

1/2/17 O&A NYC HOLLYWOOD MONDAY: John Travolta- Dance Scenes from Saturday Night Fever and Pulp Fiction

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John Travolta as Tony Manero, a working-class young man who spends his weekends dancing and drinking at a local Brooklyn disco, strutted across the screen and into movie history in the 1977 film Saturday Night Fever. 

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12/19/16 O&A NYC HOLLYWOOD MONDAY HOLIDAY ISSUE: Trading Places – Security, Merry Christmas

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Trading Places (1983) directed by John Landis, and starring Dan Aykroyd and Eddie Murphy tells the story of an upper-class commodities broker and a homeless street hustler. Their lives cross paths when they are unknowingly made part of an elaborate bet. Ralph Bellamy, Don Ameche, Denholm Elliott, and Jamie Lee Curtis also star. 

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12/5/16 O&A NYC Hollywood Monday: Dr. Suess’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

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How the Grinch Stole Christmas! is a children’s story by Theodor “Dr. Seuss” Geisel written in rhymed verse with illustrations by the author. In 1957 the book was published by Random House, and it also appeared in an issue of Redbook Magazine. The story criticizes the commercialization of Christmas. The 26-minute short directed by cartoon legend Chuck Jones and narrated by Boris Karloff was originally telecast on CBS on December 18, 1966.

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11/21/16 O&A NYC HOLLYWOOD MONDAY: Judy Garland- Somewhere Over The Rainbow

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In 1939 MGM released the Frank Baum children’s classic The Wizard of Oz. The public wanted child star and box office powerhouse Shirley Temple to play the role of Dorothy. The studio decided to go with 17-year-old newcomer Judy Garland instead. This was one of the first scene filmed it sets the tone for the rest of the film. Continue reading

10/31/16 O&A NYC HOLLYWOOD MONDAY: The Addams Family- The Mamushka!

Hollywood-MondaysIn The Mamushka!- Dance of Brotherly Love Gomez (Raul Julia) dances with fake Uncle Fester (Christopher Lloyd).  Continue reading

(repost) 5/1/23 O&A NYC HOLLYWOOD MONDAY: Carmen Jones- Gypsy Song – Beat Out Dat Rhythm on a Drum

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In the groundbreaking black version of Carmen Jones there is a wonderful club scene Gypsy Song -Beat Out Dat Rhythm on a Drum featuring three sepia divas, Dorothy Dandridge, Pearl Bailey and Diahann Carroll. But there are at least three more present and future stars in the scene. As Carmen enters the club, the stunning woman with the pony-tail is famous beauty/dancer Carmen De Lavallade. Next two are fabled drummer Max Roach, and albeit just for a couple of seconds, Alvin Ailey! Continue reading

10/17/16 O&A NYC HOLLYWOOD MONDAY: Harlem Nights- Eddie Murphy and Della Reese Fight Scene

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Harlem Nights is a 1989 comedy-drama crime film starring Eddie Murphy and Richard Pryor. The film also featured Michael Lerner, Danny Aiello, Redd Foxx  (In his last film before his death in 1991), Della Reese  and Murphy’s brother Charlie Murphy. Murphy and Pryor star as a team running a nightclub in late-1930s  Harlem, New York while contending with gangsters and corrupt police officials. Continue reading

10/10/16 O&A NYC HOLLYWOOD MONDAY: Tina Turner- The Acid Queen (Tommy)

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The Acid Queen, a song written by Pete Townshend and the ninth song on The Who’s rock opera album Tommy, tells the attempts of Tommy’s parents to try to cure him. They leave him with a gypsy, a self-proclaimed “Acid Queen”. She feeds Tommy various hallucinogenic drugs. Continue reading