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The Afro-American, September 8, 2012 - September 14, 2012
Afro National Briefs representative in a statement to Entertainment Weekly. “Everyone was fine and went back to their normal workday.” Contrary to that statement however, McDaniel said the recent fire was extinguished using a fire hose from firefighters who climbed the building. In May, a fire roared through the studio requiring 100 firefighters to help douse the blaze. The recent fire was considerably less damaging and caused no injuries. McDaniel said the cause of that earlier fire is still undetermined. The studio has been open for four years and is where Perry has produced many of his recent Madea films. In March, he hosted a fundraiser for President Obama at the facility.
Michelle Obama, Fictional Semi-Nude on Magazine Cover, Ignites Critics
A Spanish magazine’s depiction of Michelle Obama as a slave with one breast exposed has stirred up an old controversy about the depiction of Black women in popular culture Taken from the “Famous Nudes” series done by artist Karine Percheron-Daniels, the August cover of Fuera de Serie has critics debating whether the image choice was meant to be a political statement or merely an attention-grabber; whether it is an offense or simply art. In the painting, the first lady’s face is overlaid on the 1800 “Portrait d’une négresse,” which some art commentators say was a statement on the end of Emancipation and the nascent feminist movement in early 19th century France. Created by French artist Marie-Guillemine Benoist, the painting depicts a female French slave in a headdress and white gown, one breast exposed. In Percheron-Daniel’s version, the
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Baltimore Office • Corporate Headquarters 2519 N. Charles Street Baltimore, Maryland 21218-4602 410-554-8200 • Fax: 1-877-570-9297 www.afro.com Founded by John Henry Murphy Sr., August 13, 1892 Washington Publisher Emerita - Frances L. Murphy II Chairman of the Board/Publisher - John J. Oliver, Jr. Executive Assistant - Takiea Hinton - 410-554-8222 Receptionist - Wanda Pearson - 410-554-8200 Director of Development & Sponsorships Susan Gould - 410-554-8289- sgould@afro.com Baltimore Advertising Manager Robert Blount - 410-554-8246 - rblount@afro.com Sr. Advertising Account Executive - Annie Russ - 410-554-8235 Advertising Account Executive - Marquise Goodwin - 410-554-8274 Director of Finance - Jack Leister - 410-554-8242 Archivist - John Gartrell - 410-554-8265 Director, Community & Public Relations Diane W. Hocker - 410-554-8243 Editorial Executive Editor - Avis Thomas-Lester Editor - Dorothy Boulware Acting Editor - Gregory Dale - editor@afro.com Production Department - 410-554-8288 Global Markets Director - Benjamin M. Phillips IV - 410-554-8220 bphillips@afro.com Baltimore Circulation/Distribution Manager Sammy Graham - 410-554-8266
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Michelle Obama portrayed in this Spanish magazine as a 19th-century French slave. first lady is also draped in an American flag. In an explanation of their cover story, the magazine called Michelle Obama the “gran mujer” (great woman) behind the history-making U.S. president, Barack Obama. “In the shadow of the U.S. President is a person whose popularity ratings exceed those of Barack’s own. This person is none other than his wife Michelle… To find out how Michelle has managed to seduce the American people . . . [we] detail the secrets of a woman [who] has not only won the heart of Barack Obama,” an except reads. Some critics say, however, that the image is another racist, misogynist objectification of Black women. “I find the editorial decision to portray Obama as the embodiment of enslavement and colonization extremely troubling,” especially since the image undermines the story, wrote Althea Legal-Miller in Clutch magazine. For her part, Percheron-Daniel said her painting was not meant to offend, and was more of a compliment.
Tyler Perry Studios Catch Fire Again
A building on the campus of Tyler Perry’s movie studio caught fire on Aug. 27 making it the second time this year that a fire erupted at the Atlanta studio. Atlanta Fire Department spokeswoman Capt. Marian McDaniel told the AFRO the official cause of the fire was careless smoking. McDaniel said that it was started when a laborer working on a roof of a building being renovated on Perry’s studio lot, lit a cigarette. Fire from a burning cigarette ignited tar Courtesy Wikimedia Commons and roof tarp and the blaze escalated. Tyler Perry Perry’s representative released a statement following the blaze indicating that there was only superficial damage to the studio and no one was hurt. “There was a small fire which was quickly and easily put out via fire extinguisher without incident,” said Perry’s
Actor Michael Clarke Duncan Dead at 54
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Michael Clarke Duncan, the hulking, prolific character actor whose dozens of films included an Oscar-nominated performance as a death row inmate in “The Green Mile” and such other box office hits as “Armageddon,” ‘’Planet of the Apes” and “Kung Fu Panda,” is dead at age 54. Clarke died Monday morning at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, where he was being treated for a heart attack, said his fiancée, Reverend Omarosa Manigault, in a statement released by publicist Joy Fehily. The muscular, 6-foot-4 Duncan, a former bodyguard who turned to acting in his 30s, “suffered a myocardial infarction on July 13 and never fully recovered,” the AP Photo Michael Clarke Duncan statement said. “Manigault is grateful for all of your prayers and asks for privacy at this time. Celebrations of his life, both private and public, will be announced at a later date.” In the spring of 2012, Clarke had appeared in a video for PETA, the animal rights organization, in which he spoke of how much better he felt since becoming a vegetarian three years earlier. “I cleared out my refrigerator, about $5,000 worth of meat,” he said. “I’m a lot healthier than I was when I was eating meat.” Duncan had a handful of minor roles before “The Green Mile” brought him an Academy Award nomination for best supporting actor. The 1999 film, based on the Stephen King novel of the same name, starred Tom Hanks as a corrections officer at a penitentiary in the 1930s. Duncan played John Coffey, a convicted murderer with a surprisingly gentle demeanor and extraordinary healing powers. Duncan’s performance caught on with critics and moviegoers and he quickly became a favorite in Hollywood, appearing in several films a year. He owed some of his good fortune to Bruce Willis, who recommended Duncan for “The Green Mile” after the two appeared together in “Armageddon.” Clarke would work with Willis again in “Breakfast of Champions,” ‘’The Whole Nine Yards” and “Sin City.”