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PERMIT NO 00005
Friday, August 31, 2018 Vol. 12 No. 70
“Ain’t Too Proud”
L-R: Ephraim Sykes, Jeremy Pope, Jawan M. Jackson, James Harkness and Derrick Baskin in “Ain’t Too Proud” Photo by Matthew Murphy.
The Life and Times of The Temptations” at the Ahmanson Theatre now through September 30th Lady Beverly Cohn There are opening nights, and then there are Opening Nights! There are musical reviews, and then there are Musical Reviews! There are outstanding talented ensembles, and then there are Outstanding Talented Ensembles! There are enthusiastic audiences, and then there are Enthusiastic
Audiences! There are long, standing ovations, and then there are Long, Standing Ovations! My point? The opening night performance of “Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of The Temptations,” transcended the ordinary theatrical opening and morphed into a “happening” – very seldom experienced in the theatrical world.
With book by Dominique Morisseau based on “The Temptations by Otis Williams with Patricia Romanowski and music and lyrics from The Legendary Motown Catalog, under the magical, dazzling direction of Des McAnuff, with astounding, razor sharp choreography by Sergio Trujillo, what unfolded on the Ahmanson Theatre
stage was nothing short of a theatrical miracle depiction into the life and times of The Temptations. Told through the prism of Otis Williams, founding member of this iconic group, Derrick Baskin as Williams, gives a brilliant performance as both the narrator of the group’s odyssey, as well as his participation in the explosive song and dance routines. What
is particularly outstanding is that this is truly an incredibly talented ensemble with each and every performer on that stage delivering knockout song and dance numbers. The story begins in Detroit where Otis is living in a city housing project. As was common back then, he and his Continues on Page 3
Bully Victim Embraced By The ‘Jedi Order’ KMIR Max Rodriguez The story of a fifth grader who was sent to the hospital after a physical altercation with a fellow classmate is receiving national attention, and not for the level of violence inside an elementary school, but rather for the reason why the victim decided not to fight back. KMIR News first spoke to 10-year-old Aiden Vasquez, a student at Two Bunch Palms Elementary School who said another classmate hit him in the face when he tried to get his backpack back from the student. Vasquez said, “I saw blood dripping and I started screaming in pain.” However, Vasquez did not fight back.
Instead, “I told my mom, I got from Star Wars that is not the Jedi way.” His rejection of the dark side caught the attention of Luke Skywalker himself, actor Mark Hamill tweeted his support for the young Padawan, part of his tweet said, “I’m so proud of you for showing that you can be a Jedi in real life.” Those who follow the Jedi Order are proud of Vasquez. His story continues to receive national attention, and people continue to reach out to show their support. “Chicago Jedi” is a group made of Star Wars fans, the president of the group, Gabriel Calderon said he wants to encourage Vasquez to
continue to follow his values. Calderon said, “You aren’t alone, there are people out there who care about you, who look out for you and its part of being a Jedi that’s a special kind of family.” And now as part of the Jedi family, Vasquez can share the Jedi Order with his fellow peers. “I really don’t want anybody to get hurt anymore, I just want everyone to be nice to each other,” Vasquez said. “If you see a bully run away and tell a teacher.” American Film Director, J.J. Abrams has also reached out from the Star Wars set in London in hopes to show his support for the young fifth-grader. Source: KMIR