section D
December 23-29, 2009
Reflections
By Steve Holsey
Outstanding
There have been thousands of outstand-
ing film performances over the decades. But
some stand out and, of course, such mat-
ters are, to a degree, subjective.
For whatever reason, movies were on
the
my mind the morning I was preparing to
n
s emot
write this week’s column. The following are t
h
e
J
a
c
k
s
o
ions
among my all-time favorite performances,
and they are in no particular order.
Jamie Foxx in “Ray.”
Heath Ledger in “The Dark Knight.”
Angela Bassett and Laurence Fishburne
in “What’s Love Got To Do With It?”
Meryl Streep in “The Devil Wears Prada.”





The family that
tHe GAP BAnD






JAMie FoXX in HeAtH LeDGeR in


“Ray.” “The Dark Knight.”






sings





together…

AnGeLA BAssett MeRYL stReeP



the Pointer sisters
in “What’s Love Got in “The Devil Wears

By Steve Holsey
To Do With It?” Prada.”


There is a National Family

Day and a National Family

Week — several of each, in fact

— but as far as we know, there

is no such thing as Family

Singing Group Day or Family

Singing Group Week.

Maybe there should be be-

cause through the years there

have been a surprisingly large

number of such groups.
eDDie MURPHY in ReGinA KinG in


This week we are spotlight-
“Dreamgirls.” “Ray.”

ing some of them.

IN THE LATE 1970s, three
Diahann Carroll in “Claudine.”
brothers — Charlie, Ronnie
Tom Hanks in “Forrest Gump” and “Cast
and Robert Wilson — emerged
Away.”
from Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Denzel Washington in “Training Day.”
As the Gap Band, they really
(Even though I hated the character.)
hit their stride in the 1980s
with some of the most exciting
Glenn Close and Michael Douglas in
and memorable hits of all time,
“Fatal Attraction.”
including “Early in the Morn-
the Bee Gees
Ruby Dee in “A Raisin in the Sun.”
ing,” “Burn Rubber (Why You
Wanna Hurt Me?),” “Outstanding” and “You Dropped a Bomb
Robert Mitchum in “The Night of the
on Me.”
Hunter.”
They got their name, by the way, from the first letters of
Bette Davis in “All About Eve.”
three streets in Tulsa: Greenwood, Archer and Pine.
Eddie Murphy in “Dreamgirls.”
THE POINTER SISTERS — Ruth, June, Anita and Bonnie
Judi Dench in “Notes on a Scandal.” — started with a repertoire and attire heavy on songs and looks
Regina King in “Ray.”
from yesteryear.
Barbra Streisand in “Funny Girl.”
The ladies did a remarkable job on these gems, including
“Black Coffee” and the complicated “Cloudburst.” That was in
Will Smith in “Six Degrees of Separa- addition to contemporary fare such as “Yes We Can Can” and
tion.” “How Long? (Betcha Got a Chick on the Side).”
Debbi Morgan in “Eve’s Bayou.” By the start of the ’80s, the group, now minus Bonnie who
Gloria Swanson in “Sunset Boulevard.”
had left to start a solo career, was on its way to reaching a new
level of popularity. New and often danceable songs was their
Mykelti Williamson in “Forrest Gump.” focus and, as announcers used to say on radio, “the hits just
Sean Penn in “Milk.”
kept on coming” — among them “Jump (For My Love),” “I’m So
Excited,” “He’s So Shy,” “Slow Hand” and “Automatic.”
Angela Bassett, Whitney Houston and
Loretta Devine in “Waiting to Exhale.”
THE ISLEY BROTHERS have a history that is nothing
short of amazing. The group consisted of Ronald (the lead
I would like to hear about some of your
singer with the amazing voice), O’Kelly and Rudolph Isley.
favorites.
The trio had their first hit in 1959 with the churchy “Shout.”
MICHELLE WILLIAMS, formerly of
Their second most successful recording from that era was
Destiny’s Child, is establishing herself as a
solid and respected ac-
See the family that sings together Page D-2
tress. In early February
the isley Brothers
she will be heading to
New York for a starring
role on Broadway in
“Chicago.”
Williams previously
appeared in that same
show in London. She is
the first Black woman
to ever portray Roxie
Michelle Williams
Hart in “Chicago.”
(Renee Zellweger played the part in the
movie version.)
Before she got the great opportunity to
join Destiny’s Child,
Williams was a back-
ground singer for
Monica, and before that
was a member of a group
called United Harmony.
MEANWHILE, the
eccentric, attention-
DeB
arge
grabbing Erykah Badu is
gearing up for the Feb.
23 release of her new Erykah Badu
album, oddly yet not
surprisingly titled “New Amerykah, Part II:
Return of the Ankh.”
sister sledge
See Reflections Page D-2
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