St. John's Confidential File

HELLO AMERICA!—Usually when the Payne sisters (Scherrie and Freda) leave Hollywood they are heading for Europe or some other exotic trip to shake hands with their many fans over the years.  This time they landed in Indian Shores, Florida which is off of Tampa. Scherrie who is applauded throughout Europe for her shows which includes music from the past as...

HELLO AMERICA!—Recently, I have been receiving so many messages concerning current actors of color portraying old concepts and views of themselves as a people in this country. Betty Hamilton, a third-grade teacher, and listener of my radio WLMR radio show and reader of this column from Boston inquired why so many potentially fine actors, especially black female artists believe...

HELLO AMERICA!—Many-times honored for his work in films and television, Louis Gossett, Jr. speaks out about an industry he has loved most of his life and career. The actor made his debut on Broadway in Lorraine Hansberry's play "A Raisin in the Sun" in 1959, since that time, there have been numerous other awards bestowed on Gossett. MSJ: Today, there...

HELLO AMERICA!—Many people consider Asia as being the center of the martial arts world even though it has never been a proven birthplace of all the arts. However, it can’t be denied that its influence upon martial arts and the most prominent arts originated from the region Kung Fu, Karate, Hwa rang do. History has shown that martial arts have...

HELLO AMERICA!—There are numerous reports from young filmmakers throughout the country that they are confused concerning marketable “storylines” for their assigned film projects on a personal level or a school assignment. For example, students at Los Angeles City College, as well as those matriculating at College of Marin in northern California, are in agreement that their film students are...

HELLO AMERICA!—The theme of the evening was “Dance to Wellness,” and that theme was carried through with considerable panache, as the energetic ensemble of 19 dancers from the Debbie Allen Dance Academy took to the floor and impressed an enthusiastic audience of Yo San University supporters at the Pacific Design Center (PDC) recently.  With their flowing gymnastic and emotionally...

HELLO AMERICA!—Hearing about the sudden illness of Harry Belafonte was very disturbing as well as surprising. He was scheduled to be honored in person at the Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation's Restore Brooklyn Annual Benefit Gala in New York City. I spoke with the folk singer several months ago and he seemed just as sassy and determined as ever when discussing...

HELLO AMERICA!—Don’t be shocked by the shenanigans and unbridled actions of some of our new Tinseltown stars because it has always been that way in the motion picture industry. To name a few, there were stars like Fatty Arbuckle, Charlie Chaplin, Jean Harlow, John Barrymore and tons of others who hit the entertainment headlines time and time again. In...

HELLO AMERICA!—One of the nicest, talented actors in Hollywood after being away from the industry for several years has announced that he is returning to one of his passions which of course is ACTING before the camera.  His name is Leon Isaac Kennedy!  He built up quite a following when starring in such films as "Penitentiary 1 &2" and numerous television...

HELLO AMERICA!─Jonathan Bogner was born in London,, England (1963). Bogner is an Executive Producer at Relativity Television. He develops, sells and produces reality shows. As a producer he has developed and sold the following shows to series or pilots: "Kim of Queens" (Lifetime/Series), "My Five Wives" (TLC/Series), Tree People (Discovery/Series), "Rocky Mountain Life" (Discovery/Special), "Dance Kids ATL" (TLC/OWN/Pilot), "Parking...