In a limited release, Chris Rock’s Good Hair brought in over one million at the box office, even though it was only playing in 186 screens. The film’s producer, Nelson George, told BET.com, “We did well over $1 million in only five markets in the opening weekend with high per screen averages. We are extremely pleased with that start. Word of mouth about the film online has been amazingly positive.”

From Oprah to Wendy Williams, everyone has been talking about Good Hair. In addition, the film has received rave reviews from nearly every major outlet: The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times and the legendary Roger Ebert.

George continues, “This Friday we open up in Canada and then Octobr 23rd we go wide in the States, hitting 600 theaters every place black folks rest their head. We hope to go down as one of the most important docs of 2009 and feel we are well on our way to fulfilling that goal.”

Congrats to Nelson George, Chris Rock, Nia Long and everyone else involved in Good Hair.  The movie is clearly one of this year’s best.

Summary: Comedian Chris Rock tackles the epic history of hair in the Black community.

Review: The term “good hair” has lived with the African-American community for ions, cementing itself into the Black American lexicon. Most of us can remember, or some still say, lines like, “She got good hair!” While the term has often been brushed off as one of the things we just “do” as Black folks, Chris Rock has analyzed this mindset, the history and the choices behind Black folks and their hair.

Good Hair could have easily gone the way of judgmental and didactic — I’ve known many women who wear their hair “natural” and deem Black women who use perms and weaves as sell-outs and adhering to standards of Whiteness. On the other hand, I’ve known weaved out females who stress the natural looked is played and, “I’m not gonna get a job looking like Angela Davis!” Therefore, Rock had a risky topic on his plate — plus, he is a man. However, quite brilliantly, Rock skillfully peeled back the archaic layers, opening up a dialogue that could’ve been volatile.  His talent made the doc hilarious and thought-provoking, rising above race and gender.

One of the first steps to becoming a good documentarian is to realize you are not the star of the show. So, when a celebrity as A-list as Rock makes a documentary, you have to wonder if his star power will overshadow the message. Thankfully, it doesn’t. Rock uses himself as the vessel by interviewing women at salons, chatting with men at barber shops, talking with a chemist about the chemicals in hair products and even traveling to India to discover the origins of weaves.

Don’t think Good Hair is a rambling of facts and laughs. Skillfully moving the story forward, Rock highlights the Bronner Brothers International Hair Show in Atlanta, Georgia. This legendary hair show and the quirky yet extremely competitive personalities he features, give the movie a bloodline, linking together the profit of hair and style. One of the most astounding revelations: African Americans spend $9 billion a year on all things hair.

Rock has others voicing their thoughts on the good hair philosophy like Nia Long, Maya Angelou (she got her first perm at 70!), Salt-N-Pepa , Andre Harrell and two perm icons: Ice-T and Al Sharpton. Rock balances a story that could easily be too specific or agenda-pushing — with his style of humor and wit, even if you can’t relate to Good Hair, you will be informed, laugh and come away with sensitivity to the African-American experience.

Good Hair opens in select cities Friday, October 9th and nationwide Friday, October 23rd.

Odd title for a post? Well, it’s true. The comedian turned documentarian will star in the movie Will You Be My Black Friend?, based on the GQ magazine article in November 2008 by Devin Friedman. In the article, Friedman is perplexed why has no Black friends and he makes it his American duty to find some.

Lionsgate is pairing up with Oprah’s company Harpo Films, Inc. to make the movie. The studio described the film as:

Inspired by a true story, a white, married journalist living in Manhattan comes to the unnerving realization one night at a cocktail party that virtually his entire social circle is white. Indeed his entire existence has become steeped in a certain style of “whiteness”: a rarefied industry (publishing); a weekend house in the Catskills; yoga; ambient music; and seasonal gourmet cooking. With help of the internet, a “white guy” sets off on a humorous journey to make “black friends,” only to discover that regardless of race, the older you get, the harder it is to make friends.

Interesting idea for a movie — I hope Rock is part of the script so he can inject that political but hilarious commentary.  It will be interesting to see who will play the White dude seeking out Black folks — I can see Brian Austin Green or anyone from The Hills in the role — they look like they don’t know any Black people!

Don’t forget Good Hair is in theaters Friday, October 9th!

This week, I’ll be interviewing the legendary Nia Long for Chris Rock’s upcoming film Good Hair, which is in theaters this Friday, October 9th. Let us know what questions you have for the Hollywood veteran. Read the rest of this entry »

Check out this exclusive clip of Chris Rock’s Good Hair, which is in theaters October 9th.  In this clip, “How Much Is The Weave,” Rock talks the price of weaves that range from $1,000 and up.  WOW! Read the rest of this entry »

It has been ten years since the legendary Chris Rock has been graced with an Emmy and last night the Brooklyn native was a two-time winner at the Creative Arts Emmys.

Chris’ last Emmy was in 1999 for The Chris Rock Show. This weekend he racked up two Emmys for “Outstanding Picture Editing For A Special” and “Outstanding Writing For A Variety, Music Or Comedy Special,” both for his HBO special Kill The Messenger. This makes Rock a five-time Emmy winner.

By the way, I am the only one shocked to find out he won no Emmys for Everybody Hates Chris?!

Tina Fey also racked up an Emmy for her portrayal of Sarah Palin on Saturday Night Live. Never missing out on a funny moment, Fey thanked the former Alaska governor for, ” being an inspiration to working mothers everywhere” after bouncing “on her job right before 4thof July weekend.”

Kathy Griffin was the host and supposedly upped the raunch factor. An edited version of the Creative Arts Emmys will will air Sept. 18 on E!.

Congrats to Chris — and don’t forget Good Hair is in theaters Friday, October 9th.

Ever come across a movie where you see the trailer and you just feel it right in your scalp that the flick is going to be brilliant? This is the feeling I had when I interviewed Chris Rock for I Think I Love My Wife back in 2007 and he mentioned he was making a documentary on African-American hair. Rock might be in the running for an Oscar nod in the best documentary category!

Check out the latest trailer for Chris Rock’s Good Hair, which includes commentary from Ice-T, Nia Long, Paul Mooney, Raven Symoné, Maya Angelou, Salt n Pepa, Eve and Reverend Al Sharpton.

Good Hair is in theaters Friday, October 9th!

The 13th annual Urbanworld Film Festival will be in New York City from September 23 – 27, 2009. It’s America’s largest multicultural film festival and this year will include films from Chris Rock, Oscar nominee Sophie Okonedo and F. Gary Gray’s Law Abiding Citizen. The festival will include a total of 68 films ranging from documentaries to feature films. Below is the complete list:

Urbanworld Film Festival 2009 Roster

Opening Night:

LAW ABIDING CITIZEN directed by F. Gary Gray

Narrative Features include 12 films:

BLUE directed by Ryan Miningham

DON’T LET ME DROWN directed by Cruz Angeles

HUSH directed by Mark Tonderai (UK IN FOCUS)

JUST ANOTHER DAY directed by Peter Spirer

MISSISSIPPI DAMNED directed by Tina Mabry

RAIN directed by Maria Govan

SALUD directed by Cesar De Leon

SHIFTY directed by Eran Creevy (UK IN FOCUS)

SKIN directed by Anthony Fabian

THE GOOD NEIGHBOR POLICY directed by Edgar P. Davis

TOE TO TOE directed by Emily Abt

TURISTAS directed by Alicia Scherson

Documentary Features include 17 films

AMERICANA directed by Topaz Adizes

BAMA GIRL directed by Rachel Goslins

BURMA VJ directed by Anders Ostergaard

CRIPS AND BLOODS: MADE IN AMERICA directed by Stacy Peralta

EVENTUAL SALVATION directed by Dee Rees

GOOD HAIR directed by Jeff Stilson

MRS. GOUNDO’S DAUGHTER directed by Barbara Attie, Janet Goldwater

OFF AND RUNNING directed by Sharese Bullock

P-STAR RISING directed by Gabriel Noble

PRESSURE COOKER directed by Mark Becker

SAMO: ART & INFLUENCE OF JEAN-MICHEL BASQUIAT by Bethany Ward-Lawe

SAY MY NAME directed by Nirit Peled

SHOOTING STARS directed by Johnny Nunez

STILL BILL directed by Alex Vlack, Damani Baker

THE LOST SON OF HAVANA directed by Jon Hock

THE VISITORS directed by Melis Birder

WHAT’S ON YOUR PLATE? directed by Catherine Gund

Short Documentaries include 5 films:

A SENTENCE APART directed by Theo Rigby

A SONG FOR OURSELVES directed by Tadashi Nakamura

BRONX PRINCESS directed by Yoni Brook

HOODS TO WOODS directed by Brian Paupaw

KEEP ON STEPPIN’ directed by Christine Noschese

Page Three

Urbanworld 2009 Selections

Short Films include 29 films:

A BARBER’S TALE directed by Nelson George

AMAZON WOMEN directed by Kiara C. Jones

BIG BLACK GOOD MAN directed by Usame Tunagar

BROTHERS INCORPORATED directed by Michael Johnson

ENTER THE PREACHER directed by Paulette James (UK IN FOCUS)

FATHER’S DAY directed by Brian Rolling

FRENCH FOR FOREIGNERS directed by Kartik Singh

GRACE directed by Alrick Brown

HAIR WE ARE directed by Daniella Belchner (UK IN FOCUS)

HOPE directed by Justin Foran

HUG directed by Khary Jones

IN THE WIND directed by Marty Papazian

LA OPERACIONE directed by Victor Cruz

LIFE ON EARTH directed by Jeffrey A. Keith

LOCKS directed by Ryan Coogler

MANALI CREAM directed by Navdeep Kandola (UK IN FOCUS)

MARIACHI directed by Elena Greenlee

MEDICINE MAN directed by Himkar Tak

NUEVA YORK directed by Manolo Celi

OSVALDO’S directed by Randy Wilkins

OUT OF THE DARKNESS directed by Nikki V. Roberts

POPOUS PANE & THE KIDS HE LOVES TO HATE directed by Derrick Anthony

PRODUCTION directed by Lenny Payan

SATURDAY MORNING BLUES directed by Yvonne Michelle Shirley

SECOND CHANCES directed by Moses Halley of Films by Youth Inside

THE FALL directed by Aaron Wallace

THE ROE EFFECT directed by Kiel Adrian Scott

TRECE ANOS directed by Topaz Adizes

WING IT directed by Maria Quintana

Chris Rock’s Good Hair is in theaters October 9th, which is a documentary about the history of hair in the African-American community.  The film was a hit at Sundance and is expected to be as successful at the box office.  In the documentary, Rock interviews celebrities such as Ice-T, Kerry Washington, Nia Long, Raven Symoné, Maya Angelou, and Reverend Al Sharpton.  Finally, the trailer has hit the web — check it out below and let us know what you think!

“Good Hair” TV Promo from Nelson George on Vimeo.

While  Chris Rock’s documentary, Good Hair, received rave reviews at the Sundance Film Festival and will hopefully get a nationwide release — Rock is already on another film project. According to the Hollywood Reporter:

“Tracy Morgan and Martin Lawrence are joining Chris Rock in Screen Gems and Sidney Kimmel Entertainment’s remake of ‘Death at a Funeral.’

Also joining the cast are Loretta Devine, Ron Glass, Danny Glover, Regina Hall, James Marsden, Zoe Saldana and Columbus Short.

Neil LaBute is directing the ensemble comedy in which a funeral ceremony turns into a debacle of misplaced cadavers and family secrets. When things can’t get any worse, a man arrives saying he’s the dead man’s gay lover and threatens blackmail.

Rock, who co-wrote the script with Ayesha Carr, is producing with Sidney Kimmel, Share Stalling, Lawrence Malkin and William Horberg.”

Although Rock has admittedly said he hasn’t had great luck with films, Loretta Devine, Danny Glover, Tracy Morgan and Martin Lawrence seem like an excellent combo.

The original Death at a Funeral was a huge hit in 2007 and received strong reviews.