Today, America morns the loss of civil rights icon Coretta Scott King, widow of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., as she died, reportedly in her sleep early today. Ms. King had suffered from failing health due to a recent stroke and a mild heart attack. Coretta Scott King 1927-2006 was 78. For a look at the life she lead, the scarifies and contributions made on behalf of her family, community, race and the nation we have printed a copy her biography.

Coretta Scott was born in Heiberger, Alabama and raised on the farm of her parents Bernice McMurry Scott, and Obadiah Scott, in Perry County, Alabama. She was exposed at an early age to the injustices of life in a segregated society. She walked five miles a day to attend the one-room Crossroad School in Marion, Alabama, while the white students rode buses to an all-white school closer by. Young Coretta excelled at her studies, particularly music, and was valedictorian of her graduating class at Lincoln High School. She graduated in 1945 and received a scholarship to Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio. As an undergraduate, she took an active interest in the nascent civil rights movement; she joined the Antioch chapter of the NAACP, and the college’s Race Relations and Civil Liberties Committees. She graduated from Antioch with a BA in music and education and won a scholarship to study concert singing at New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Massachusetts.

In Boston she met a young theology student, Martin Luther King, Jr., and her life was changed forever. They were married on June 18, 1953, in a ceremony conducted by the groom’s father, the Rev. Martin Luther King, Sr. Coretta Scott King completed her degree in voice and violin at the New England Conservatory and the young couple moved in September 1954 to Montgomery, Alabama, where Martin Luther King Jr. had accepted an appointment as Pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.
For more on Coretta Scott King Click Here

Lee The Cool Guy
C-YA In A Better Place:)

Retro-Podcast

Todays blog is dedicated to the detectives of days past as we have loaded a phat episode of The Fat Man for this posting. Click the Retro Podcast link to your right for access to the Podcast page. Also, we are now listed in iTunes for your ease of access.
Enjoy the show, comment on our commentary, leave us some feedback if you please. It is the only way we can continue to provide the programming you seek and the alternative media we all crave.

Get the Feed Here

Lee The Cool Guy
C-YA

Dashiell Hammett Wrote The Maltese Falcon bringing to life the Sam Spade character Humphrey Bogart made into a classic. It really sucks that this is not the show we’ve got planned for you today, it’s just a bit of history to wet your imaginations for things to come at RetroVisionTheater.com

So!

Back So Soon? Can’t get enough of “The Cool Guys” biting commentary and charming wit? Just can’t do without your dose of Cool? Okay, OKay we know you’re here for the free downloads. Well, you’re lucky today because we got another episode of the Falcon on tap for your listening pleasure. Click here if you please. Falcon Podcast
Lee “The Cool Guy!”
C-YA

It’s Black Box Theater Wednesday

This has got to be the easiest day to write of my week, because reviewing theater is such a relief from the difficult topics to be covered in the real world. When the productions I am charged with commenting on is good, that makes the job that much more enjoyable.
Harvest, opening at the LaMama theater in the east Village Thursday last, was a treat to attend as this unusual and rarely discussed issue of a rich nation preying on the poor via the ultimate exploitation by buying healthy body organs from those with little else to market to earn a living.

The setting takes place in a poor East Indian apartment located in a most deplorable community where 40 families are sharing the same bathroom facilities. With few options, the lead character Om decides to sell his organs for a chance at having some of the better things in life for himself and his family, even though the thought of the “Guards” can come at any moment to grab an organ or two at anytime is never far from his mind. As if that indignity is not enough, the recipient is constantly monitoring the donor to make sure he is living a clean and healthy life style, lest the contract is void and all gifts and monies will be retracted. Hell of a plot!
With the writer throwing in a hateful mother in-law a cheating wife and a low life brother to spice up the story this is a can’t miss; “talk about drama”

These folks have the talent the credentials and the skill to assure one an evening of mind expansion and thought provocation. I know I had a lot to think about on the way home

Here are the people that provided the experience:

Playwright: Manajule Padmanabhan
Director: Benjamin Mosses

The Players:
Jaya…Diksha Basu
Ma…Naheed Khan
Om…Debargo
Ginni…Christianna Nelson
Jeetu…Rupak Ginn
The Guards
Sam Chase
Jeffery Withers
Zina Anapiloti
This production closes Feb 5th

LaMama
74a E. Forth St NYC

Lee “The Cool Guy”
C-YA

It’s Monday, the weather sucks here in New York and the kids are going to school late today, if at all. When there ani’t a damn thing you can do but go with the flow, then go with the damn flow and don’t fight fate!
Lee ‘The Cool Guy” is podcasting his entry for this day as I will do so more often in the coming weeks. Click the link for todays podcast and have some with a bit of news, commentary and a great episode of “The Falcon”.

Lee”The Cool Guy”
C-YA

It’s Black Box Wednesday, and I am glad to be back writing for the new year, late as it is! This is our first review of ‘06’ and we are happy to report the opening of The Love Show at the Theater For The New City, 150 1st Ave. in the east village.
This cleverly directed and choreographed cabaret styled show by Angela Harriell complete with sexy, accomplished professionals in the art of dance chronicled the trials and tribulations of an aspiring dancer’s determination to realize her dream to create a successful dance company.
The story of the companies ups and downs were seamlessly and glitch free integrated into the performance via video projection between each interpretive dance number that expressed the mood of the scene.
The show, a happy and fun piece of work from the opening number to the expertly choreographed, starry eyed closing dance called “This Moment” had this writer spellbound by the artistry the performers exhibited while they effortlessly handled one demanding routine after another. In a word, impressive!
Equally impressive, was the live music performed by singer Rhonda Gdasi, as she is a show by herself, belting out decades of favorites that brought memories of theater the way it should be done. In a phase: home girl got a voice and she knows how to use it! Not to be out done, Mathew V. Baram a pianist impervious to a missed note tickled the ivories while Danny Sher maintained the backup beat on the drums. In summary; it was all good!
This is a Best Bet!
Lee “The Cool Guy”
C-YA

Here are the performers
Dancers:
ANGELA HARRIELL
CHRISTINA JOHNSON
JULIANA SMITH
KARL MAIER
EMMA STEIN
JESUS
CHAPA-MALACARA

Info You Need

VENUE
Theatre for the New City

OPENED
January 12, 2006
CLOSES
January 28, 2006
PERFORMANCES
Thu – Sat at 8pm; Sun at 3pm
TICKETS
$12$10 students/seniors212-254-1109
CHOREOGRAPHER
Angie Harriell