Monthly Archives: February 2019

Denzel W as MALCOLM X tonight at CALS Ron Robinson Theater

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Malcolmxdvdset.jpgTonight (February 7) at the CALS Ron Robinson Theater, there is the chance to view Denzel Washington as the enigmatic and charismatic MALCOLM X. The screening starts at 6:30.  Admission is $5.00

This movie is a part of the CALS Movies of a Movement: the Civil Rights & Social Change Collection.

The 1992 film is a biographical epic of the controversial and influential Black Nationalist leader.  It covers his early life and career as a small-time gangster, to his ministry as a member of the Nation of Islam.

It was directed by Spike Lee who also co-produced (with Marvin Worth) and co-wrote (with Arnold Perl) the film. Joining Washington in the cast are Angela Bassett, Albert Hall, Al Freeman Jr, Spike Lee. and Delroy Lindo.

Rock the Oscars 2019: Geena Davis

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On February 7, 2012, Academy Award-winning actor Geena Davis spoke in Little Rock.  She was hosted by the University of Arkansas Clinton School for Public Service and the William J. Clinton Foundation.

Davis founded the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media in 2004. The institute is the only research-based organization working within the media and entertainment industry to engage, educate and influence the need for gender balance, reducing stereotyping and creating a wide variety of female characters in entertainment. Davis won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in “The Accidental Tourist” in 1988.

She was again nominated for an Academy Award and Golden Globe for her performance as Thelma in Ridley Scott’s “Thelma and Louise,” in which she co-starred with Susan Sarandon.  She received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress for her portrayal of baseball phenomenon Dottie Hinson in “A League of Their Own.”

Geena Davis is the founder of the non-profit Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media and its programming arm See Jane, which engages film and television creators to dramatically increase the percentages of female characters — and reduce gender stereotyping — in media made for children 11 and under.  In 2015, she founded the Bentonville Film Festival.

Tonight at the Clinton School – Little Rock Central High 1957-59 and Beyond: A Black and a White Perspective

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This evening at 6pm, the Clinton School Speaker Series offers another insightful, timely discussion: Little Rock Central High 1957-59 and Beyond: A Black and a White Perspective.

John Bilheimer and Henry Jones bring the civil rights movement to life, offering a first-hand account of what life was like for a black teen and a white teen in the Deep South in the late 1950s.

Bilheimer, who is white, and Jones, who is black, discuss their experiences growing up in Little Rock during the height of the battle over school desegregation from 1957-1959. The two grew up near one another before leaving the state to pursue their education. Billheimer earned undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Arkansas and Harvard University; Jones attended Yale University and the University of Michigan. The pair did not meet until adulthood while working at Arkansas’ first integrated law firm.

All Clinton School Speaker Series events are free and open to the public. Reserve your seats by emailing publicprograms@clintonschool.uasys.edu or by calling (501) 683-5239.

Poetic Tribute for Karen Hayes

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Image may contain: 1 person, smiling, sitting, text and indoorLast week, local poet Karen Hayes put a period on her earthly writing.

Tonight from 6:30pm to 8:30pm, some of her friends and fans are honoring her memory with a Poetic Tribute.  It will take place at Guillermo’s Gourmet Coffee (10700 N Rodney Parham).

This is a chance to join others in a night of celebrating the life, passion, and poetry of the inimitable Karen Hayes. Poets will read from her works, and recall the joy and love of this vibrant poet, friend, and lover of all.

This is a way to celebrate Karen in the best way possible, and in the way she lived her life – with heart and words.

Sign Up Now to Volunteer with LRSD’s Artistry in the Rock!

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The Little Rock School District is hosting the 2019 Artistry in the Rock, a 4 day student showcase highlighting the creative and performing art talents of students K-12.

Volunteers are needed to work the front desk, student art gallery and performance area.

Artistry in the Rock will occur March 12-15 in the Hall of Industry located in the State Fairground complex off of Roosevelt.

There are two shifts each day, 9am-11am and 11am-1pm.

Sign Up to help with 2019 Artistry in the Rock

Rock the Oscars 2019: THE ALAMO

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One of the early settlers in Little Rock was a man from Tennessee named Davy Crockett.  He did not stay in Little Rock very long. He and several others ventured to the Republic of Texas.  His final days are depicted (with more liberties than the original Texans had under Mexican control), in the film The Alamo.

(While Stephen F. Austin does not appear in the movie, he was actually one of Little Rock’s founding fathers before becoming a founder of Texas.)

The very fictionalized, grandiose, and jingoistic movie starred John Wayne as Crockett, Richard Widmark as Col Jim Bowie (another Arkansas traveler who left his impact on the state), Laurence Harvey as Col. William Travis, along with Frankie Avalon, Patrick Wayne, Chill Wills, Ken Curtis, and Denver Pyle.

Though one of the top grossing films of the year, it was still a financial flop due to its excessive cost.  However, when Oscar time came around, the film received seven nominations. They were Best Picture, Supporting Actor (Wills), Cinematography-Color, Film Editing, Sound, Song, and Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture.

Wills took out an ad claiming that his fellow Alamo actors were praying for him to win even harder than the original Alamo soldier had prayed for victory.  There was much backlash.  It was felt that this may have affected award chances in all categories.  It only won the Award for Best Sound – which went to Gordon Sawyer and Fred Hynes.

The remake/new version of The Alamo received no Oscar nominations.

UA Little Rock Downtown’s Inaugural Lecture features Chancellor Andrew Rogerson

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The UA Little Rock Downtown Campus will have evening lectures. The inaugural one will be tonight and features Chancellor Andrew Rogerson discussing “Tales of a Wandering Microbiologist.”

Before becoming chancellor of UA Little Rock, Andrew Rogerson spent 30 years as a researcher and professor in eight universities and two government laboratories.

Fascinated by the hidden, and continually engaged in the possibilities of the invisible, Dr. Rogerson has worked on a diverse range of research projects all united by the fact they have involved microbes. Rogerson’s research was funded by various federal agencies including the National Science Foundation, the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

This fun lecture requires no prior knowledge of science.

Enjoy a rare opportunity to discover the enthralling life of microbes through the life’s work of UA Little Rock’s chancellor.

The program will begin at 6pm at the UA Little Rock Downtown Campus.