Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Frank Lucas, Harlem's Real Life 'American Gangster,' on BET

In the late '60s and early '70s, Frank Lucas was the king of the Harlem drug scene. He was also one of the toughest, dangerous and most unforgiving criminals in the countrY. The real Frank Lucas -- whose rise and fall is chronicled in the Universal feature film "American Gangster" starring Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe -- retraces his early childhood, the turns of events that led to his life of crime, his criminal past on the streets of Harlem and his reign for the first time with BET on this season of AMERICAN GANGSTER. This episode of BET's critically acclaimed series premieres Wednesday, October 31 at 10PM*.

Hopefully we find out that Frank Lucas was more than just a gangster. Will the series and movie leave a potential message to the media/viewers other than the fact Frank Lucas was a criminal? There are lessons to be learned from his story and hopefully when they portray his story, it's not caught up in a Hollywood screenplay. Hollywood has the tendency to take real life stories and rewrite movies to thier own liking to make it a bit more dramatic and appealing. We'll be sure to catch the movie at the Magic Johnson theatre to find out, and you can catch the movies review in harlem world magazines fall 2007 issue (in stores all around Harlem).
- Eliezer Suarez
Posted by Community at 16:41:33 | Permanent Link | Comments (2) |

Frank Lucas, Harlem's Real Life 'American Gangster,' on BET

In the late '60s and early '70s, Frank Lucas was the king of the Harlem drug scene. He was also one of the toughest, dangerous and most unforgiving criminals in the countrY. The real Frank Lucas -- whose rise and fall is chronicled in the Universal feature film "American Gangster" starring Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe -- retraces his early childhood, the turns of events that led to his life of crime, his criminal past on the streets of Harlem and his reign for the first time with BET on this season of AMERICAN GANGSTER. This episode of BET's critically acclaimed series premieres Wednesday, October 31 at 10PM*.

Hopefully we find out that Frank Lucas was more than just a gangster. Will the series and movie leave a potential message to the media/viewers other than the fact Frank Lucas was a criminal? There are lessons to be learned from his story and hopefully when they portray his story, it's not caught up in a Hollywood screenplay. Hollywood has the tendency to take real life stories and rewrite movies to thier own liking to make it a bit more dramatic and appealing. We'll be sure to catch the movie at the Magic Johnson theatre to find out, and you can catch the movies review in harlem world magazines fall 2007 issue (in stores all around Harlem).
- Eliezer Suarez
Posted by Community at 16:33:44 | Permanent Link | Comments (0) |

Monday, October 15, 2007

Rezoning Plan May Transform Area of Harlem

The Bloomberg administration is seeking zoning changes that would allow for substantial new development along much of 125th Street, a move that could transform a major Harlem thoroughfare into a dense hub of activity....

"Folks want to build higher right now," Assemblyman Keith Wright said. "You have some rather large vacant lots that are being held onto by private developers, and they're just waiting for the proposed rezoning,"..."I don't want a 42nd Street — I don't want a lot of tall high rises," Council Member Inez Dickens said, calling for a height limit of about 19 stories...."We thought that they could have given greater density as you got closer to the Metro-North station and the subways," the president of the Real Estate Board of New York, Steven Spinola, said. It would have been great early in the process to have a Harlem Community Trust in place based on the Arts Percent for Art program where one percent of public dollars is set aside for community-based art.

Posted by Community at 14:58:12 | Permanent Link | Comments (0) |

Thursday, October 04, 2007

The Harlem School of the Arts and Ovation TV Launch Groundbreaking Partnership

Gandhi by HSA student AlvesHarlem School of the Arts students will soon be seeing the school - and themselves - on television and the Internet, while Ovation TV - the national network devoted to art and personal creativity - will have a direct connection to the thriving Harlem arts community.

HSA and Ovation TV have joined forces in a unique and groundbreaking partnership that will support HSA's education and community arts initiatives. This will include airing public service announcements featuring HSA students while Ovation TV will enjoy unique opportunities for local involvement and an increased community profile. Select HSA students will also gain invaluable industry experience through internship-type opportunities with Ovation TV.

"This partnership with Ovation TV will bring our students' art and the Harlem cultural experience into living rooms nationwide," said Kakuna Kerina, President & CEO of The Harlem School of the Arts. "We applaud Ovation TV for its commitment to arts institutions like ours, and we look forward to working together to nurture the arts on the community and national level."
Posted by Community at 11:25:01 | Permanent Link | Comments (0) |

Tuesday, October 02, 2007

Harlem's 125th Street named 'Great Street'

Fifth Avenue has the parades, and Third has the festivals. But Harlem's "main street," 125th Street, has the history and now a big title. It's been named one of America's "Great Streets" by the American Planning Association.

Posted by Community at 17:21:43 | Permanent Link | Comments (0) |

Monday, October 01, 2007

Secretary Of State Visits Harlem Public School

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice toured Community School 154 – the Harriet Tubman School – in Harlem as the guest of Congressman Charles Rangel today.

Posted by Community at 19:05:46 | Permanent Link | Comments (0) |