Cocoa Lounge NOW: Medicine for Melancholy

(Tracey Heggins and Wyatt Cenac in Medicine for Melancholy.)

Just as we were wondering if the grand old cinematic gates had closed on good black romance (it's been a whopping 11 years since Love Jones made its big screen debut) Barry Jenkins goes and drops Medicine For Melancholy on us and those gates are starting to creak again.

Medicine, an independent feature screening at this years' Los Angeles Film Festival, is "the story of two African-American twenty-somethings who wake up in bed together having no recollection of how they arrived there." The two wander the streets of San Francisco and find themselves at the Museum of African Diaspora, where they discover that they're much more intellectually and spiritually connected than their previous encounter would suggest.



The film covers not only romance but tackles issues of the declining African American presence in major cities (such as San Francisco) due to growing social crises like gentrification...

...A film that's smart and sexy? Now, that's definitely a dose of medicine for what's ailing the film industry.

The Black Model Museum: The First American Covergirl

Forty years ago, marked the first time a black woman ever appeared on the cover of a national American women's magazine. The pioneering face on the cover of the August 1968 issue belonged to Katiti Kironde, then a college student at Memorial University of Newfoundland.

Though not a model, Katiti's cover was a financial success and would open the floodgates for many model firsts in the years to follow: Jolie Jones, Mademoiselle '69; Daphne Maxwell, Glamour, '69; Jane Hoffman, Cosmopolitan, '69; Elizabeth of Toro, Harper's Bazaar, '69; and Beverly Johnson's coveted, American Vogue cover of '74, struck the last blow to the long-standing tradition of exclusion.

Thanks to Katiti's historic cover and the efforts of women and men in front of, and behind the lens, we've never known a world where diversity was blatantly not welcomed to the publication party. And we think that's something worth celebrating.

Today we're gonna party like its 1968!

P. Diddy Campaigns for Janelle Monae in Los Angeles

(Photo by: J. Althaus)

Los Angeles, CA -- There was a seismic shift in the energy of the Hollywood Sunset Strip last night around 7 pm. Just as anticipation was building around the nail-biting democratic race several thousand miles away, the energy outside the Key Club was also peaking Tuesday night.

But the issue at hand was neither Obama, Clinton, or McCain. The people had spoken and they wanted a musical change they could believe in. Afro-Punk kids, Music Industry execs, Hollywood blondes, and the Grown & Sexy put aside their differences to align for one common cause--Janelle Monae.

And she delivered.



After being presented to the crowd with a heartfelt speech from two of her chief campaign backers, P. Diddy & Big Boi of Outkast, Janelle Monae unleashed on stage with a wildly energetic performance of Violet Stars Happy Hunting, and from there, was an introduction to the many faces of Janelle Monae. She followed with the achingly beautiful, Smile, a song in which she shines with the vocal depth and tenderness of a young Judy Garland. Sincerely Jane has a strong social message and a bass line to match, and Letting Go has a fun, bouncy nature, easily reminiscent of Michael Jackson's early work from Thriller. With her brief, but powerful set, Monae clearly addressed the underlying issues, key ingredients for any new artists' success: talent, versatility, and influential backers.





The crowd was appreciative, and cheers became more akin to a campaign rally than an artist showcase (see Monae "Imagination Inspires Nations" posters being hoisted in the crowd photo).

If Diddy was making the case to bring a change in the music industry, as he suggested in his opening speech, then the results from last night was resoundingly clear: Janelle Monae is definitely a musical candidate of change. And, without question, receives the endorsement of The Cocoa Lounge.

Cocoa Lounge NOW: Black Lily

The city of brotherly love gives the sisters some...



Boasting an impressive lineup of some of our fave new artists (including Lizz Wright, Muhsinah, & Ayo) as well as some stellar films, the 2nd annual Black Lily Film & Arts Festival springs into bloom this Thursday, May 1st in Philly.

Hot on the heels of Coachella, Black Lily is inarguably the hottest--most affordable--ticket of the week.

[view full schedule here]

Art Tart: Bayou

Art Tart: Art you can sink your teeth in....

South of the Mason-Dixon Line, lies a strange land of gods and monsters. Born from centuries of slavery, civil war, innocent bloodshed, hate and strife lurks a world parallel to our own...

--From Bayou synopsis

Black girls aren't known for reading comic books, let alone being the heroines of them, but Jeremy Love's Bayou, may just help to dispel both myths.

Beautiful artwork partnered with a powerful story has drawn Bayou comparisons to the lush film, Pan's Labyrinth. If you thought you'd never pick up a comic in your life, this one may be the right kick to your cerebellum.

Read Bayou online: Bayou @ Zuda Comics

Cocoa Lounge: Role Play

Biopics are all the rage these days.

With everyone from Beyonce' (Etta James) to Jesse L. Martin (Marvin Gaye) to Rita Marley (Bob Marley) in some stage of production on a film about the life of a celebrated star, Hollywood's fascination with the biopic isn't showing any sings of distress.

So, in our own personal salute to the trend, here are a few films we'd love to see get the greenlight. Dah-ling, these casting suggestions are powdered, lit and ready for their close-ups.



Queen Latifah as Pearl Bailey

Pearl Bailey climbed her way from vaudeville to starring roles in such film classics as St. Louis Blues and Carmen Jones, with a sassy performance style equivalent to that of a pared-down, black Mae West. Her long career included many fascinating anecdotes including an appointment by President Nixon as the "Ambassador of Love," and singing 'He'll Understand' at Joan Crawford's Funeral.

Only one bold, actress wtih jazz-pipes could come close to filling Bailey's shoes and Queen Latifah is just about the only woman for the job.




Kelly Rowland as Donna Summer

Donna Summer remains the highest of royalty in the disco genre: The Queen. During the explosive disco scene of the late 70s and early 80s, Summer's music fueled dance clubs around the country, including the infamous Club 54. The first African American ever to win a 'Rock' award at the Grammys, Donna Summer doesn't always get the respect she deserves in black music history; partly because disco is frequently lost in the shuffle between the post-Motown era and the birth of Hip Hop music.

Kelly Rowland has the look and energy of Donna Summer in her prime--not to mention the hair.




Ledisi as Dinah Washington

Dinah Tells a Joke, a rare moment recorded when Dinah Washington wasn't singing (included on the Queen: The Music of Dinah Washington compilation) is a most hilarious glimpse into the fun-loving personality that captured the hearts of jazz fans world-wide. With a voice that is one of the most distinctive in jazz music, Washington quickly skyrocketed to music success, but her life was tragically cut short, at the age of 39, from an overdoes of sleeping medication.

Married a whopping seven times, Dinah's romantic resume' could make Elizabeth Taylor blush.

Ledisi, like Washington, possesses an infectious onstage personality and her voice, like Washington's, is a very rare treasure.

The Listening: Tawiah

We keep 'Another One' on repeat so 'Watch Out' for Tawiah.

Is the UK the home of the next soul movement or what???

Check for Tawiah's recently released material on iTunes and we promise it'll keep your head noddin'.

The No.1 Ladies Detective Agency Lives Up to its Name

(photo credit: Keith Bernstein)

The BBC debut of the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency took the #1 slot in viewership in the UK, with 6.3 million viewers, nearly twice the audience of its closest rival.

The story centers around the adventures of Precious Ramotswe, the proprietor of a female owned detective agency. Precious investigates cases and helps people solve problems while juggling a blossoming love life of her own.

The series was one of director, Anthony Minghella's, last projects before his untimely passing last week and though some may have questioned casting singer Jill Scott as the African lead, Minghella was mesmerized by her: "She was the one person out of everyone we auditioned who had this majesty and enormous soul."

We can't wait for this one to premiere on HBO...which means adding the channel to our already ginormous cable bill. Ouch!

This is a must-see for fans of Valerie Wilson Wesley's Tamara Hayle books and anything with Idris Elba gets a thumbs up from us.

We'll be keeping the No.1 Ladies Detective Agency under close watch. Over and out.


Related Posts: Coming Soon: Films in Production From ATL to Africa

Santogold: L.E.S Artistes

London's up-and-coming directing talent, Nima Nourizadeh, who's helmed videos for Hot Chip, Lily Allen, Mark Ronson and Chromeo, lends his quirky music video style to Santogold's L.E.S Artistes.

The videos' avant garde feel may create more questions than it answers but you can't knock an artiste for trying.

Love it or hate it, Santogold pushes boundaries...hard.

Art Tart: Elizabeth Colomba

Art Tart: Art you can sink your teeth in....



A storyboard artist by trade, Elizabeth Colomba's work is frequently only seen by the director of Hollywood films (Waist Deep, Next Friday, The Wood, Everything Is Illuminated and Romeo + Juliet to name a few).

But her work off-the-clock is equally worthy of feature-film treatment. The women in the above paintings all hint at a period piece waiting to be told.

The moody backgrounds and rooms of Colomba's Victorian imagination are just as layered as the women within them.

We dig it.

Saturday Soul: PP Arnold

PP Arnold paid her soul dues as one of the original members of The Ikettes, those energetic women who were the must-see staples of nearly every Ike and Tina Turner performance.

With some pull from Mick Jagger, Arnold ventured out on her own and moved to Europe where she recorded the first released version of Cat Stevens' "The First Cut is The Deepest, " her biggest hit of 1967.

It's always a pleasure discovering little gems like this one. Enjoy!

NOW: The Soul of The Southwest

(clockwise: Shingai Shoniwa of the Noisettes, Miss Jack Davey, Maya Azucena and YahZarah )

South By Southwest (SXSW), one of the largest music festivals in the U.S., is scheduled to kick off this week in Austin, Texas, and though primarily known for it's huge array of rock bands, the festival has a very cool sprinkle of Alternative/Soul chicas on its roster this year:

The UK's Noisettes.
Los Angeles' J*Davey
DC's YahZarah as Purple St. James
and Brooklyn's Maya Azucena

What's that? You can't get time off work for a week-long trip to Austin, Texas? Check the artists' myspace pages for tour info because one of 'em's surely scheduled to rock a city near you.