GIFTS

WHY DID OTHER COMPANIES PASS?
SPIKE: They never give you a reason; they just say, “It’s not for us.”
My co-writer Kevin Willmott and I wrote the script and went to
Sundance and everybody was saying no, no, no, no, no. Amazon said
yes. I tell my students, “All it takes is one yes.”
‘CHI-RAQ’ IS PLANNED FOR AN AWARDS RUN. WHAT’S
YOUR GOAL WITH THIS FILM?
THE MOUNT DECEMBER 2015
18
SPIKE LEE GOT WITH
AMAZON BECAUSE
STUDIOS PASSED ON
‘CHI-RAQ’
BY NY MAGEE
*The Electronic Urban Report/EUR recently attended a
screening of Spike Lee‘s latest film, “Chi-Raq.” It’s a modern
day adaptation of the ancient Greek play Lysistrata by
Aristophanes, set against the backdrop of gang violence in
Chicago.
Teyonah Parris stars as the sexy girlfriend of a gang leader
(played by Nick Cannon), who convinces women to abstain
from sex in order to persuade their significant others to end
gang violence in Chicago.
Lee has faced much criticism since the film was
announced, and now the controversial director is revealing
that he had a hard time selling the project to major studios –
which inevitably led his decision to release the film exclusively
to Amazon subscribers.
Spike discussed his Amazon deal with The Hollywood
Reporter/THR, in which he says that real change to ending
gang violence in Chicago begins with legislation. He also
explained how he’s aiming to save lives with “Chi-Raq.” Below
are highlights from the interview.
YOUR NEXT FILM, ‘CHI-RAQ,’ ABOUT CHICAGO GUN
VIOLENCE, IS GOING TO BE AMAZON’S FIRST
FEATURE RELEASE DEC. 4.
SPIKE: They’re a great company. And also everyone else said no.
SPIKE: It’s really not about awards. I’m going to save lives. There’s
people being shot on the streets of Chicago daily. It’s not just Chicago,
it’s happening in cities all over America. It’s happening in L.A., New
York — what’s Baltimore called? Bodymore, Murderland. What’s
Philadelphia called? Killadelphia. There’s a major part of this film
that’s about guns in our country. What is it going to take for we
as people, and supposedly the most civilized country on Earth, to
stop this madness? The NRA is not bigger than the United States of
America.
HOW CAN REAL CHANGE HAPPEN?
SPIKE: Legislation. How is it that somebody can go in our states, like
Oregon, and buy — why is a store selling an assault weapon? You
don’t even hunt with an assault weapon. Why are they being sold?
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OUR GOAL IS YOUR
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SERENA WILLIAMS: TENNIS, FASHION, AND PRE-MED CLASSES
BY JOCELYN NOVECK, AP NATIONAL WRITER
NEW YORK (AP) _ Serena Williams is
the top tennis player in the world and an
emerging fashion designer. But she still
needs something to do in that down time
between matches. That’s where the premed
classes come in.
At a recent panel discussion, Williams
explained that she’s not necessarily
interested in becoming a doctor, but
wants to study nutrition, holistic medicine,
and healing naturally.
“I love the holistic side of medicine,”
she said. Besides, she explained, during
tournaments she actually has more free
time than when she’s not playing. “I like
to keep going,” she said. “I don’t like to be
still.”
At the panel, part of the Fast Company
Innovation Festival, Williams was
interviewed along with Nike CEO Mike
Parker, with whom she works closely.
Asked what she’d be doing in 10 years,
she quipped: “That’s why Mark and I
are so close. Because I’m going to be the
CEO.” The audience erupted in applause.
But Williams also made it clear
that despite all her other activities, she’s
not any less motivated by tennis _ even
though she never thought she’d be still
playing at age 30, let alone now at 34.
“I think it’s really important to know
what you’re good at _ and I know what
I’m good at,” she said. “For me right now
… I love being on the court, I love winning
titles. So as much as these opportunities
come up, and so many things come
up, but is it going to interfere with my
being the best in the world? If the answer
is even close to yes, then I have to say no.
I have the rest of my life to figure these
things out.”
Williams was also asked about the
much-discussed incident where she
chased down a thief who’d grabbed her
cellphone in a restaurant. Asked what
she was thinking when she chased the
guy down, she said: “I wasn’t, really.”
“I just jumped up and I ran,” she said,
“and when I got there I thought, `Oh,
what am I doing, this could be it!”’ But
the thief, professing confusion, handed
the phone back from under his sleeve.
The next day, she said, her father called
and said, `Serena, if you need a phone,
I’ll buy you three or four phones! Just
please don’t do that again.”’
Naturally, Williams was also asked
about her recent U.S. Open semifinal
loss to Italy’s Roberta Vinci, which derailed
her quest for a Grand Slam. What
happened, she was asked?
“I didn’t win!” she said to laughter.
“She played well. I don’t think I played
the best I could have …but she played an
outstanding match, and that happens
sometimes. And unfortunately I didn’t
win but I did the best I could. It was what
it was, and it was hard to put behind me,
but I eventually did.”
And, she added with a smile: “I can’t
wait to play her again!”
THE MOUNT DECEMBER 2015
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