Actors

Author Zane, and Cast of Cinemax's 'The Jumpoff' Discuss Roles & Their Views On the Series


We have all witnessed what happens when Zane puts a pen to a piece of paper to create a phenomenal novel. Now, Cinemax has given us another opportunity to witness Zane’s work come to life on the small screen, every Friday evening in Zane’s The Jumpoff. This is Zane’s second television series. Her first series, The Sex Chronicles, focused on the lives of a group of girlfriends. The Jumpoff however, focuses on a group of five, 30-something frat brothers as they face various twists within their lives.  We had the chance to speak with three of the actors from the show, Kinyumba Mutakabbir (pictured far left), Tanjareen Martin, and Amin Joseph (pictured center) as well as the show’s creator, Zane, to discuss the series and some things that we can expect when watching Zane’s The Jumpoff on Friday nights. Kinyumba is a former college football star turned model and actor. You may recognize him from Calvin Klien ads, or from Tyler Perry’s I Can Do Bad All By Myself.  Tanjareen Martin, an Inglewood native, claims to have heard every possible joke about her name. She has a background in broadcasting  and has produced episodes of The Judge Joe Brown Talk Radio Show, as well as Love For Sale, featuring singer Mya and herself.  Amin Joseph is a Howard University Theatre Arts graduate who has recently starred in G.I. Joe: Retaliation and appeared on the show "Southland."  Together, Zane and the members of the cast provided interesting perspectives on providing entertainment for an underserved demographic, as well as, insight to their respective characters and roles within the grand scheme of Zane’s The Jumpoff.

Michole White - Following Her Passion To Act

Some of you may remember her character as Olivia (Imogene) Jones, and other may better know her better as Merrick from the hit TV series Lie to me. Or like me you  saw her as the pretty girl who reminded you of R& B singer Tamia, regardless of her many talents or how many times you’ve seen her face Humble is the only way I could describe such an amazing actress. The naturally talented beauty Michole White had a few minutes to share with me to discuss her new project with an all star cast and moving story. Sharing a couple laughs and her views on life and the industry today was definitely a pleasure.
Hi, George?
Hi Yes, Michole, can I call you Michole?
Of course what else would you call me? Lol
Lol, Ok Michole. I must admit I’m a fan of your work, I remember growing up seeing you on several of my favorite shows such as Living Single and Fresh Prince of Bel-Air to name a few, and even a few more recent projects. How long have you been acting?
Foe a long time! Oh gosh, it’s been longer than I care to say, what are you trying to do to me. (Laughs) Hmmm it’s been about 20 years now which means I’ve been doing this since I was born. (Laughs)
And I see you’ve never stopped LOL, seeing as how you’ve been acting since you were born, has it always been something you wanted to do?
Well as a child I was always acting and loved putting on my own plays and shows and my mother was a model.  She enrolled my siblings and I into modeling and I remember it was one day, years ago, I saw a commercial for Barbizon School of Modeling and I asked my mother to send me. I was so excited and there I learned all about modeling and just enjoyed performing.  Barbizon eventually opened an acting development branch and I HAD to join it. So I knew I always loved performing.
In your career I’ve seen you perform as several different characters, do you have any favorites or favorite types of characters?
That’s a good question, I wouldn’t say I have a favorite type or look at it that way. I try and approach each character depending on who that person is and what they feel.  As I said I Love to perform so I Try and give my all in each character. I’m sorry I couldn’t give you a better answer but I try and bring the best of each to life.
Your new project “I will follow” releases this Friday march 11, 2011. Can you tell us a little more about the character you will be portraying?
Her name is Fran and she is the daughter of one of the main characters who shares a strained relationship with her cousin who is the played by Salli Richardson-Whitfield who is just great. She is the strong tough woman, who has a sense of entitlement who feels she’s never gotten what she needed. While her cousin who, was very close to her mother, shared the relationship she desires.
It seems You, Salli, and I all share a common factor, we are all Chicago natives.
Really! Get out. That’s great.
How was it working with Ms. Richardson? How did you two come together two make the best possible stage for your characters?
I believe we worked extremely well together; she was very supportive and so friendly. It was almost like working with a good friend, looking out for each other. She would pull my coat tail if she noticed something was wrong and would just be there for everyone.
I understand that the director Ava DuVernay also created as well as was very personally connected to the story. How did that affect your performance as Fran? As a cast?
Ava is great. She was very inspiring and motivational, because the story was so close to her we all felt responsible for bringing the best out of it and doing her proud and she trusted us so much to create her vision, which made us want to rise to the occasion.  Not only as a director but as a person as well. She was very successful publicist in this industry for over ten years and now she’s proving that you can follow your heart and try something new and do what you love.
Among many accomplishments I’ve heard of that she has accomplished, I noticed that this film was wrapped in modest 15 day shoot. Do you think that you were able to pull the best character you could to the forefront in such a short amount of time?
I think so, as actors we all showed up and really connected to the story and to each other. Something great that Ava had allowed us to do was to practice is which is often unheard of when shooting a movie. She made sure we met each other and practiced on a set stage and it really helped feel more into character. That’s very uncommon as most of the time when shooting movies you may not meet your co-cast until actually on the shoot. I think that helped a lot to bring out the best of the story.
For someone like me, filming that quickly seems as if it would carry a lot of pressure, seeing as how you felt great about it, were there any other times in your career that you have had to convince yourself to keep going or try harder?
Hmmmm with the industry changing so much in just the last ten years it’s been harder to get jobs and with the decline of movies larger stars take roles that would normally go to named actor. So keeping busy and working would be one of them.
Now that this film has wrapped and the film is being released do you have another job lined up?
Well actually I’m currently working on a music project now, recording and getting things ready.  I’ve always loved music and acting but when the decision came down to which one I would pursue I chose acting. Now I want to branch out.
 
That’s great; I’m a big music buff myself.  On a personal Note How do you keep going and reaching for your goals. What inspires you as industries change and things don’t seem as bright.
Well there are a few things, first you have to empower yourself every day and see that you have the power to create within yourself.  I know in this profession it seems like you’re going and asking someone else for a job but you have to realize that you have the talent and remind yourself that it’s your journey you’re walking. Another thing would be staying proactive in your own career. Years ago I use to wait for my agent to call me with a job now go out there and audition and look for openings as well.
As someone who wants to achieve his dreams I have to say I totally agree with you. I also want to thank you for speaking with me today, it’s been a pleasure.
No thank you George and I wish you much success in the future!
I wish you all the best to!

Some of you may remember her character as Olivia (Imogene) Jones, and others may know her better as Merrick from the hit TV series Lie To Me. Or like me you saw her as the pretty girl who reminded you of R &  B singer Tamia. Regardless of her many talents or how many times you’ve seen her face humble is the only way I could describe such an amazing actress. The naturally talented beauty Michole White had a few minutes to share with me to discuss her new project with an all-star cast in the moving story that is the movie, I Will Follow.  Sharing a couple laughs and her views on life and the industry today was definitely a pleasure speaking with her.

Actor, Keith David co-star of The Cape is a True Entertainer

Keith David is more than an actor.  He is truly, a Jack-of-all-Trades.  The 54-year-old performer has been doing so since his diaper days, as well as on-stage work, and voice-acting for a number of films and video games.  His latest role is as the Circus-Ringleader and magician Max Milini, who plays mentor to lead role Vince Faraday in the NBC series The Cape.
Debuting January 9th, The Cape will join the lengthy list of credits that David has on his résumé, which also includes singing, as he prepares to release a Jazz/Hip-Hop album this year.
Parlé caught up with this man on a mission for a talk on the new show, his acting and music careers, and the representation of Blacks in today’s film industry…
PARLÉ: I know you have a lot of acting experience, how did you get involved with The Cape?
I was called in for an audition, and I took it.  I found the script fascinating.
PARLÉ: What did you find most fascinating about the script?  What stood out to you?
I enjoy stories about bonding, great male bonding.  What stood out was how much Vince Faraday, the main character, loves his son and makes sure that he knows one man can make a difference.  Max Milini is a guy that wants to make a difference.  That line, while reading the script, is what stuck out to me.  I have a son, and I want him to know the same thing…
PARLÉ: That’s very cool, interesting…How do you think the public will receive the show once it’s up and running?
They will love it!  That’s what I thought when I read it. I thought, “What’s not to like?”  It has action, adventure, female empowerment; Orwell is a female character with that representation for women.  She stands up for what she believes in, goes after what she wants.  Vince’s wife is very protective; a lawyer fighting to see his name cleared with her work.  He’s been betrayed and framed, very, very well I might add.  Everyone thinks he’s Chess, a multi-millionaire, with the resources to make people think Vince has committed the crimes.
PARLÉ: Cool, cool.  Unfair, but cool…How does your character, relate or reflect off of you in real-life?
Max is a magician, a thief, a showman.  He is a Jack-of-all-Trades.  His experience as a circus ringleader has taken him all over the world, training others in magic and the sorts.  He’s similar to Ira Aldridge [1807-1867] in that sense, one of the famous Black actors who traveled all around Europe, performing and apprenticing magicians through his town, pushing them on.  I see something similar in myself, on-screen as I help The Cape, and off-screen as myself.  I have always been fascinated with magic and slight-of-hand
PARLÉ: Is there a specific trick that you’ve always wanted to try out?
Ah, just a couple of card tricks here and there…
PARLÉ: That’s interesting.  You’re really a Jack-of-all-Trades yourself!  But, with your role as a mentor to Vince, do you guys sometimes get into it with each other?
As with allllll fathers and sons, sometimes you butt heads.  But as long as everything is dealt with respectfully; that’s the main thing!
PARLÉ: Being an actor must be a demanding job.  Series wise, how time-consuming is it?
That’s a very, odd question because…it depends really.  If it’s a half-hour series, an hour…for the actor specifically it depends on the load of the character, but being an actor is a 24-hour job.  You also have people working backstage, writing, editing; I get to see the ultimate collaboration that has to happen.  The ultimate collectivity it takes to make a series work.  But to complete an episode, wholly, it may take from 8-10 days
PARLÉ: Oh, man…We’ve spoke about your extensive film history.  What are the main differences between being on-screen in a film and in a series?
The timing.  With movies, depending on the budget, you may have more time to film, or less time to film.  Everything is done on a budget, there’s a certain amount which allows you to do things in a specific amount of time.
PARLÉ: And the work may not come out as well if it’s rushed, correct?
Definitely, definitely.   And with a series, you have an allotted amount of time to complete a project.
PARLÉ:  Switching topics a bit, before we spoil the show, can you tell me a little about your background in acting?  I know you’ve been in over 150 films!  How long have you been acting to start off?
I have been acting my whollllle life.  I knew I wanted to be an actor since I was about 2-years-old.
PARLÉ: No way!
[Silence] Yes sir.
PARLÉ: Wow…
People have callings, plain and simple.  Early on I did want to be a minister, until I discovered that I could play a minister.  Acting is a calling for me, it’s not a vocation.
PARLÉ: Hmm…And how about experiences, what were some of your favorites, up to this point?  Or favorite people to work with?
I have met some wonderful people.  A dear friend of mine, Ruben Santiago-Hudson is one of them.  We’ve collaborated on Broadway shows.  It’s always a pleasure working with him.
PARLÉ: Any high points and/or low points?
The high points are when I’m working, acting.
PARLÉ: …And when you’re away from the screen or the stage; your work, that’s when your low points take place…
No, because I’m also a singer.  When I’m not acting, it gives me more time to focus on that aspect of my life.
PARLÉ: And how long have you been singing for?
I was a singer before I was an actor!  My grandfather had a social club where I’d perform for troops at that age.
PARLÉ: Did you have a specific song that you enjoyed singing then?  Any influences in that arena?
Nat King Cole.  Nat King Cole is my hero.  I enjoy doing a Valentine’s Day tribute to him around the time of the holiday.  As far as the songs I liked to perform, well...California Here I Come, and –singing- When the red, red robin comes bob-bob-bobbin alonggg…
PARLÉ: Hahaha, that’s great, really!  How about instruments?  Play any?
No! No instruments….although, I am attempting to learn to play a guitar.  Ruben plays, and he also plays a mean, mean harmonica man.
PARLÉ: I’d imagine when you two do get together, it’s a great duo.
Yeah, it is.  It’s good blues…
PARLÉ: Is that your favorite genre of music?
Blues?  Naw, I wouldn’t say so, I’m mostly a Jazz man, but they are very, very closely related.
PARLÉ: I also understand that you have a band with an album coming out this year.  Will you guys be touring anytime soon?
Maybe on my down time.  Last year I sang with the Columbus Jazz Orchestra.
PARLÉ: I also wanted to ask you how you feel about Blacks and their representation in film; their portrayal.  Do you think that they’re getting a fair shake?
Do you?
PARLÉ: I do think that we are misrepresented; typecast, in a sense.  I got around to watching Chris Rock’s Good Hair recently, and the scene where he wants to see if he could sell some Black hair really took me.  When he comes into the Korean hair shop with the Black hair in a bag and asks the cashier and owner if he’d like to buy some, the owner’s face was one of disgust, as if to say, “This is terrible!” I think that that’s a small vein in relation to what goes on today, in film, and the job market in general.  But, you have an owl’s-eye view on the topic!
Yeah, everyone has their prejudices and opinions.  Have we made progress?  Yes.  Is the work finished?  No.  But it’s up to us, not to be stereotypical.  I’m lucky enough to not be placed in a position where my character was a specific kind of way because I am Black.  I can’t really speak on the circumstances of other actors. But, I think from a racial aspect, I think that there is a want of a more eclectic representation.
PARLÉ: Have you ever felt like you were being typecast for a role?
Of course!  People call me into playa certain character all the time.  But the thing that people don’t realize is that actors typecast themselves.  If you’re called in to do a specific role a number of times, and you agree to it, then, well, you’re typecasting yourself.  I have tried to make my career so that every role I choose is different from the last…
PARLÉ: Yeah, that’s very, very understandable.  Well, do you have any last words for the people preparing for the show?
Watch it! And stay tuned in every week!!
PARLÉ: Haha…Well, it’s truly been a pleasure Mr. David.  I wish you the best of luck with the show, and your future projects…
Thank you.

Keith David is more than an actor.  He is truly, a Jack-of-all-Trades.  The 54-year-old performer has been doing so since his diaper days, as well as on-stage work, and voice-acting for a number of films and video games.  His latest role is as the Circus-Ringleader and magician Max Milini, who plays mentor to lead role Vince Faraday in the NBC series The Cape.  Debuting January 9th, The Cape will join the lengthy list of credits that David has on his résumé, which also includes singing, as he prepares to release a Jazz/Hip-Hop album this year. Parlé caught up with this man on a mission for a talk on the new show, his acting and music careers, and the representation of Blacks in today’s film industry…

Phalana Tiller - An Actress To Follow

A natural born story teller and thespian at heart Phalana (Pa-La-Na) Tiller shared with us some of her love and passion for what she does and why she continues to strive to be happy with it. Native of Botswana by way of D.C.  the energetic and enthusiastic passion of such a lovely actress won me over within a few minutes of being able to chat with her.
Hi Phalana?
Hi yes, George right?
Yes, how are you?
I’m doing great and yourself?
Good,  I’ve heard a great deal about you and your career, but I’d like to know more about how you got into acting?
Well I’ve always wanted to tell stories ever since I was little. I’ve always had a passion for acting and performing and the theater. Also my father was a theater actor and he would take me to plays and ask me to help him rehearse his lines. It’s kind of funny now to think about a time when I’d read the lines of Lenny as he read the lines if George from of Mice and Men.
I could see why, LOL it’s such a mature role for a young actress to be. Would you say that was the start of it all for you?
You know, I’ve always loved to do it but for a very long time I didn’t think I could make a living from it until I was in college. Even though my father had been an actor I just didn’t think it was possible. But in college I started acting in plays and shortly realized “I Can Do This”.
I know that since beginning your career you’ve been on the stage and in film, What would you say if any have been your favorite roles or characters or parts of being an actress?
I’d have to say acting in general! I love being able to tell the story and convey a message but if I had to pick  one it would be when I was a part of a sketch comedy group. IT was so much fun and each time you performed you were able to feel the audience’s involvement and adlib. It was great.
Since moving into film from your stage performance days you’ve completed several projects including your work as Christine in the feature I will Follow out 3/11/11. Can you tell us about that experience?
It was unusual but great, the actors were more connected than normal and what I really appreciated from the director Ava DuVernay was that she let us practice and rehearse which made a world of a difference as its very un-commomn in film.
How was it working with Ava, from what I understand she was very connected to the story personally?
Oh, I think she energized us. She had so much trust in the selection of the cast and our abilities that we felt responsible to do the best we could for her.
And how does your character connect to the story? Who is Christine?
Well I play Christine who is sort of an unorthodox character who visits the main character may played by Salli Richardson after the passing of her aunt. Like most of the characters Christine helps Maye to deal with her feelings. But right away there’s an instant connection between the characters a connection on a sisterly level.
Keeping with the tradition of unorthodox, how has this role/film differed for you compared to your previous work?
I can honestly say because of the character, Christine is very different. She’s a bald cable woman who happens to come in and share something meaningful.  It’s also great because it was only one day of filming. It’s what most actors wish for; to play a pivotal role in an outstanding film but not needing to be there for every shot.
You seem to have such passion for what you do and you work, what keeps you motivate outside of enjoying what you do?
For me it’s just the honor & privilege to tell human stories. I’ keep doing it because I love it. Its like teachers who love what they do and some people will say, “Oh you must have it hard” but you respond no, because I Love what I do.
Now that wrapping for the film has been completed and scheduled for release on3/11/11, where will your fans be able to find you know?
Actually I just received a script called “Truth in Magic” that’s a true story based on the life of Ruth Dodson and her work . SO hopefully that comes into fruition.
I hope so too! It was a pleasure speaking with you and I look forward tro chatting with you in the future!
Same here and thanks!
Thank You!

A natural born storyteller and thespian at heart Phalana (Pa-La-Na) Tiller shared with us some of her love and passion for what she does and why she continues to strive to be happy with it. A native of Botswana by way of D.C., the energetic and enthusiastic passion of such a lovely actress won me over within a few minutes of being able to chat with her.

Hometeam Productions present FAIL: A New Show With Old Roots

Fresh from the mind of two talented actors and soon to be stars comes FAIL. Based on the trials of their college years, Vanessa Baden and James Bland bring us a new and fresh yet reminiscent show about a group of semi-adults and how they bond grow and through their misadventures deliver us scripted comedy along the likes of some of our favorites from back in the day. I had the chance to wrap with the two and get a lot more in detail and am for one looking forward to the premiere.
Parle Magazine: So guys, I’ve heard a lot about the show and its good reception, but how did the idea of FAIL come together to get you to this point?
Vanessa: Well it started when we were in college, James was attending FSU and I attended FAMU, and we were working our way up through the entertainment ladder and one night while working on our feature script for our production company we noticed the void there was in television and decide to fill it.  We pulled from our college experience because the thing is our lives are truly like sitcoms. (Laughs) We were just not normal, and decided it would be great to use all the random things that we went through.
Parle Magazine: Thinking about my college years I definitely can see some sitcom moments (laughs) but I have to ask with everyone now a day’s displaying their lives on T.V. How would this be different from Shows like Real World and College Hill?
Vanessa: Well the brand of comedy is totally different from a lot of shows that are out now, aside from the show being scripted and not reality T.V. we studied shows like Martin & Community & resembled the very heavy dialogue and situational comedy. We also have the very over those very over the top characters that you learn to love because of the outlandish situations and they are the same crazy people we all have in our lives (laughs)
Parle Magazine: Speaking of characters in our lives, I was also wondering how do these characters connect and does that drive the show? I understand there are several main characters?
James:  Well you know the show is about the characters and how they came together and why they stayed together.  So Hope and Jones were both put on academic probation because they were focusing on all the wrong things in life like money and the breezy’s  (LOL) and decided they needed to figure out a way to get through their classes so they created a study group. From there they bring in different  people that they think can help them pass the class, for example they bring in Billy Jean cause they “think” she’s smart and the study group becomes the catalyst for their experiences.
Parle Magazine: Keeping with the idea of using your own life as the story what made you choose to convey yours and well as the other characters as scripted instead of reality TV. stars?
James: Well mainly because at the end of the day we are artist. We’re just true artist and we just tried to create a platform for us to perform and express ourselves through our art.  And after studying older shows like Martin we wanted to create an opportunity for other actors to showcase their talents and be taken seriously.
Parle Magazine: I’m glad you mentioned Martin again, personally that was a favorite of mine and was a wildly popular show in its time.  What do you think that you guys will bring either similar or different from shows Like Living Single and Martin that will secure your place in T.V. history?
Vanessa:  You know something that we’ve noticed is that it’s all real. The stories and are real and the actors are real which are some of the characteristics those shows we loved had.  The actors weren’t necessarily Hollywood born and bred and through that we able to bring the same type or realism and believability to the show.  In Fresh Prince of Bel- Air Will Smith was a rapper before then and the same for Queen Latifah and there is a certain quality of genuine actions our actors share with them.
Parle Magazine: You guys seem very enthusiastic about this product and well prepared. I’m getting excited about it myself and can’t wait for the premiere.
Vanessa:   I hope you feel the same way after the premiere! (Laughs)
Parle Magazine:  (LOL) Aside from my own personal excitement you’ve also garnered the attention of celebrities like T-Pain and other professionals in the industry. How does that make you feel about your creation?
James:  Feel s good, it’s an exhilarating because we really out our entire selves into the project. At the time we were both unemployed and weren’t booking any acting jobs and in a bit of a rough spot. So we decided to put all of our creativity into our production and hoped that people would get it, that they would bite into the idea.  It became my obsession, and honestly I am so excited about FAIL and what we’ve put into it that the success to me is inevitable.
Parle Magazine: There’s that great enthusiasm again.  I’m definitely looking forward to the show and I wish you guys the best of luck.
James: Thanks man I really appreciate
Vanessa: Yes, thanks for the time.

Fresh from the mind of two talented actors and soon to be stars comes FAIL. Based on the trials of their college years, Vanessa Baden and James Bland bring us a new and fresh yet reminiscent show about a group of semi-adults and how they bond and through their misadventures deliver us scripted comedy along the lines of some of our favorites from back in the day. I had the chance to wrap with the two and get a lot more in detail and I for one am looking forward to the premiere.


.

Joomla! Debug Console

Session

Profile Information

Memory Usage

Database Queries