Since You Asked

Saturday, March 1, 2008

Chauncey's World of Ghetto Nerds: Semi-Pro is "Positive" Black Cinema that You can't Help but Love

I always complain about bad movies. I want to right that habit with a ringing endorsement for Will Ferrell's new flick, Semi-Pro.

Plus, and to give away too much, the character he plays turns out to be a brother after all, and not in a heavy handed, preachy sort of way. Jackie Moon has soul, he has heart, and there is a reason he looks so comfortable wearing that 'fro. How can you not love a movie where one of the main characters is named "Coffee Black" and which features a surprisingly good soundtrack? This is the type of "positive" black cinema critics have been clamoring for!

In Semi-pro we have a wonderful homage to the good ol' days of the ABA, Will Ferrell, some great, likely improvised scenes, and a wonderful antidote to the cumbersome weight of the Oscars last weekend.

A bonus, Jackie Moon is a great lover and Renaissance man with the gravitas of Barry White:



After seeing this video I was reminded of another great singing performance by an actor, Will Shatner's "Rocketman:"



Funny, these two professional artists are as "bad" (in a good way) as Jackie Moon and William "James T. Kirk" Shatner.

Snoop's great, "bad" song, "Sensual Seduction:"



And my boy R. Kelly's, "The Zoo:"



I was thinking Leonard Nimoy's, "The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins" should also make my informal list of actors performing "great" bad music:



Who else should be added to this list of talented artists?

1 comment:

  1. Hey, I just saw this too, mostly since I love anything 70s, Will Ferrell, and ABA. It's amusing, but could have been better.

    Here are some other performances:
    Jack Nicholson in "Tommy"
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THbvc3lx2pk
    Clint Eastwood in "Paint Your Wagon"
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5EctmFiEiQ

    Hard to believe that's the same guy from The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

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