Everyone looks good. So I guess it’s safe for Frank Lucas to be out and about wasn’t he in witness protection?

everyone looks nice. EXCEPT for brandy. and on a serious note. does frank lucas have a disease or something?

Alicia looks good as usual
and i’m glad Brandy is back on her feet
and is it me or is she looking better and better
as the days grow?

Alicia looks good

ALICIA IS SHOWIN EM’ UP! WOW BRANDY! AND NAS AND LL JUST AS FINE AS THEY WANNA BE. THEY WIVES OUGHT TA BE HAPPY, LOL

Man I got to see that movie this weekend! I know it’s gonna be CraZy!

why is the ex-drug lord…still around not in jail!!..For some reason i think the whole American gangster movie ..doesn’t teach any lesson….when Hollywood have taken in into their hand to make movie about every damn person….even though it doesn’t help change anything…now every drug dealer out there would be striving more so they can make a movie about them..Hollywood is full of crap most especially the movie industry…everyone is trying to take advantage of any opportunity to make money…..even super head is making movie about herself!! just wat we need…another senseless movie….

I saw American Gangster a couple of months ago, because I went to a preview for journalists, and it is a GOOD MOVIE. Everyone go see it.

Alicia Keys is so shapely and beautiful!

LL Cool J just looks scrumptious!

I’m glad to see Brandy’s cute smile again even though her choice of clothes is questionable…

@ 7. Click on the Frank Lucas link I put in the post. It goes to his wikipedia page and explains what happened with his case. He snitched on some corrupt cops, so they knocked down his prison term.

Nas be lukin HOT AS HELL. He could get it.

Ms Keys still got dat ol junk in the trunk. Work it gurl.

Brandy looks cute wit that haircut. Glad she’s gettin back on track. Much love sister.

brandy and LL have zero fashion sense.

smh @ the get up denzel’s wife is wearing.

…PS As cute as Brandy looks, that outfit and hair makes a bit like somethin out of Japan. She looks like she dressing to be a chick out of them Anime movies.

brandy was cold at least she have cloths on and not trying to get sick like these other heffas more power to u brandy

nas makes me horny………lol

King Kong ain’t got nothing on Denzel.

Frank Lucus you don’t look so tough now………I’ll kick your ass.lol

Good to see that n**ger Nas.

Alicia looking good……LL looking sharpe.

Brandy looking fantastic………….F* y’all Brandy HATERS.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I’m looking forward to hearing Nas’s discourse to see how he represents himself against the people that will come against him and attempt to confound him in these different interviews. The easiest way to embarass a house negro is to tell the truth. They will get frustrated.

@ angel…i know about all that …but i still don’t just see why that should be enough…Americans promote all these shits that are happening in their country …Fucked up shits…that guy is suppose to be suffering not big stars making a movie about him…and him getting rich.

Alicia keys is Da bOmB….i have all her albums

Brandy looks like shes suffering.

Nas do you

I sure hope like hell ole Frankie made his peace with the man up stairs after all the shit he’s done in his life….

So typical of Hollywood to glamorize a murdering, snitch…. but hey someone has got to make money some how…

Oh yeah, as I said before the movie isn’t that great!

American Gangster sucked!!! Don’t waste your money people, I’m serious.

Frank Lucas has some big ass hands.

If I see another pic of brandy at this event and in those clothes Ima jump off a bridge.

Go ahead and jump. Brandy has been MIA for months now. I’m happy to see pics of her in the mix. Keep doing it big CL!

@#17 and #18

I agree 100%. It will do nothing but make a generation of impoverished and marginalized kids feel further justified in doing the wrong thing… When, the reality of it all is Frank Lucas, a haggard thug gets a Hollywood biopic, starring an Oscar winning actor and sure to make tens of millions of dollars and yet has to beg the star for a car in return for his cooperation… He wants a Rolls Royce, he says…but Denzel helps him get a house, instead… The story is really lame, if you think about it…

And, Superhead’s movive…I’ll bet my hair there’s an awkwardly negative portrait of Bill Maher…and I bet the quality of the film with be Grade A because I’m sure some Conservative group will give her money to paint an embarrassing portrait of Bill. I bet you’re wondering what could embarrass the man… I’m thinking she’s going to paint him as an uber bigot who maybe idolizes Kennedy and is secretly self-conscious about his nose or something….

Denzel ass is forever trying to squeeze somebody azz. He is a perv ,and his wife hair looks greasy and artificial with all that money they have.Naz is a nigger ,but don’t get upset because i am black yall.

movie*

will be*

oh forget it, my typing skills suck!

American Gangster was a really good film i thought… i did like the documentary on BET better though.. That dude Frank lucas was kinda crazy… Dayummmmm

Ms Keys looks nice

NIce to see Brandy

lmao @15

***EVERYONE LOOKS GOOD***

How was the movie (American Ganster)?

Hold up! Is that Denzel’s wife!?! She looks like she could be his mother. 0_o

American Gangster is one of my fave movies of the year. Aside from the fact that lil’ boys are going to be running around trying to be like Frank.Thinking that ish is coo.

Poor poor Frank. He looks like he’s having a seizure. & he STILL won’t admit the fact that he has killed many people. sick.

LL needs to quit lickin’ his damn lips already!

American Gangster’s script was all over the place…but it was a good movie overall.

AMERICAN GANGSTER IS MY NEW FAVORITE MOVIE

Yeah, I went and saw American Gangsta. Pretty good. Him and his wife look good together.

denel is ugly and look a mess & pauletta looks a fool with them synthetic micro braids with all the money they got she could have atleast upgrade 2 some HUMAN HAIR, damn!!!!!!!!!

they must’ve had 2 paint make up on alicia keys because her face is pimpled up

ll looks like he has that nasty man diease

Some people say the movie was good some say it wasn’t, when I go to the shop to get my hair done I’ll see the bootleg and give ya’ll my opinion later lol.

It’s nice to see Brandy out and about, but she could have put on something that looked better.

Well I explained my thoughts and feelings about the film American Gangster. What I can say about it now is thank God I downloaded it instead of spending $10.50. But other than that, Denzel’s wife looks real haggard. All that money he makes and you would’ve thought his wife could put it to good use.

As for Alicia Keys, she’s gorgeous and all but she has to take that ghetto-ness out of her throat. It’s terribly unappealing.

At least y’all can now respect mama Tina….because i know she can never come on the red carpet wiv Matthew looking like she’s selling yams!!…geshhh!! …she need a makeover from Oprah ASAP…

@35 please get the name right before you try to clown him! lol

Anyway, the movie was only good b/c of Denzel….on bootleg that is….lol

Everyone looks good but Brandy.

I like the documentary better as well.

Last note: If little kids strive to be him then that means their parents didn’t expose them to what they could be. That isn’t his fault people’s parents don’t raise them right. Thank God for my parents!

I saw the ‘American Gangster’ early today (no bootleg). I thought the movie was excellent. I don’t believe it was Denzel’s intent to glamorize the life of Frank Lucas. Mr. Lucas took down alot of his family members - they either died or went to jail. He did 15 years in jail and lost over $250 million (once he was caught). There is nothing glam about this life. Frank Lucas was a drug dealer in the early 70’s. Over 30 years later, the US is still trying to win the war on drugs. It is a lost cause. Make the ish legal and take the profit out of the business.

As for Nas…I am so sick and tired of black people continuing to set us back. I am sure Nas thinks he has a good reason for putting out an album called ‘Ni$$er’. It is an embarrassment (sp?) to black people and he (and his record company) should be ashamed.

Just my two cents this Sat evening….

#35 Your Hating ass do know that pimples go away right??? Or are you that slow?

One more point…why are there people that are proud to have watched a bootleg movie? The same people who are buying bootleg movies are probably watching those movies in their new construction homes with a 2007 vehicle parked in the garage. Yet, cannot afford a $7 (matinee price in suburban Detroit) movie ticket.

#43 not with a double degree in Law and Psychology. I think not. Just b/c someone watches a movie on bootleg doesn’t mean we can not afford it. You are thinking to deep on this post. It is not that serious. As a matter of fact I seen it at the barber shop while my juvenile client was getting a hair cut. I am a Federal Juvenile Counselor. Didn’t your mama teach you not to jump to conclusions b/c more than likely you will be wrong??? lmho….some people!

I thought the movie was alright. I did prefer the doc. on BET better though. But nevertheless, the movie depicted most of the story.

What happened to Frank Lucas wife and child?

Denzel did his thing in this movie…it was really good. As for the real Frank Lucas, he appeared really arrogant in the BET interview they did recently. A big turn off cuz someone of that age should have gained some wisdom between now and then. I didn’t even want to see the movie after his interview…If it wasn’t for the fact that I had a date yesterday, I wouldn’t have seen it b/c I didn’t like his arrogance; it was beyond confidence.

@44…Obviously you are taking this a bit too personal since you took time out to respond. Trust me, I was taught very well by my mother.

Some people…

Alicia is looking hot!

@ 45…in the end of the movie it said that the wife went back to puerto rico and his mom went back to north carolina. I wasn’t ever sure if she had a child b/c she didn’t in the movie at least but she did look pregnant in the movie after they got married.

The movie was good but slow in alot of parts didn’t really care about the cop and his wife stuff.

OMG…Nas is sooo sexy!!! I wouldn’t mine havin a little rendevous w/him

LL lickin his sexci lips as usual!
keys luk pretti

I agree with #50
The beginning was extremely slow…
The movie was cool though.

I just came from seeing American Gangster. It was a good movie. From the way Denzel (LOOOOVE his swagger…dayum!) portrayed him, I would think that Frank Lucas was seriously bi-polar. He got 15 years for turning in over 75% of the NY Drug Enforcement Agency.

I left the movie wondering where he was and what he was doing. Frank was smart; the Feds seized over $250 mil in cash and assets…I’ll bet he had $500 mil no one new about. And I’ll bet you this day, he hates fur coats LOL!

Brandy looks good - I don’t particularly care for that outfit, but if it works for her…

NAS is the man.

I heard that Jay-Z and LL are supposed to have a freestyle battle…and that most people are thinking that LL will come out on top of that…hmmm…He looks good though for 40…

Alicia needs help from Jenny Craig. Seriously my peoples.

Did anyone see the Lynched documentary on CNN? It puts Nas album title in perspective. I love Nas and we go back like chiropractors, but I disagree with his choice of album title and his logic behind it. I am anxious to see what ultimately comes of it. AG was a pretty good movie. T.I. looked sooo young.

Shiat y’all - Pauletta don’t care bout all that…she’s got Denzel LOL!

55.Jashawn

I’m just saying, why does Alicia Keys need Jenny Craig?You got on bi-focals or something?

Who the fuck told Frank Lucas he could come outta hidding just cause the movie coming out; he could still get popped with the quickness and no regret….he better take his wheelchair riding arthritic looking ass home and catch that shit on the dvd.

I swear LL and Maxwell make me want to stalk the shit out of them for real, and i aint no stalkin chick.

Luv Brandy, hate that damn outfit; it looks homely as hell.

Nas looks like he’s in the zone.

Alicia looks pretty, but i swear, her weight is so up and down; one minute you’d swear she crashed dieted and the next she’s gained it back. it’s weird. I’m so glad the lord didn’t make me that way; i truly feel sorry for those who are constantly battling their weight so they don’t look fat, and it just seems alicia, beyonce, ashanti are thick as hell one minute (a cupcake away from big girl), then the next minute they have lost it. I truly don’t believe it’s a blessing to have their shape at all. Big jumbo legs and thighs; hellz no. It looks cute on some people (when it’s controlled) but i would seriously be depressed if i had to deal with that.

1. Frank Lucas’s wife served time as well (ref: http://www.accessatlanta..../11/02/gangster_1103.html)

2. Franks daughter, Francine, went to live with her maternal grandparents in puerto Rico at the age of 6 (ref: above link)

3. Frank suffers from severe arthritis which is why he is stricken to a wheel chair (ref: Jet magazine 11/05/07)

4. I saw the movie, I left wondering, could Frank Lucas be a major contributor to the impoverished lives of african-americans who lived in harlem/new york during and after that time period. I believe Frank should still be behind bars until the day he dies; I don’t care how many people he turned over to state’s evidence

“American Gangster” is an INSTANT CLASSIC!!!… Among the best of its genre. I saw it when it opened last night… Then headed over to “Jet” to see Nas perform. He was awesome!!!

LMAOOOO @ 59 [lucas comment]
i am hearing mixed reviews on this movie, it
makes me wanna just wait for a while, but im
still anxious, so, i dunno!
LL is fine and all, but he’s taking this
lip licking thing to an extent.

thats enough.

I saw American Gangster and overall I thought it was a great movie. I had really enjoy it. I think you will love and appreciate the movie more if you are older. I think if you are a little young you won’t care to much for it.

Denzel, as always, 2 thumbs up!! Love to see he and his wife withstand the Hollywood B.S…

Frank Lucas, dude was no joke!

Last but not least, L.L. looks LUCIOUS!!!***

Denzel said he wouldn’t do the movie unless they showed Frank Lucas’s downfall. Why would anyoe want to be like him he ended up poor. They made a movie about Jesse James, actually lots of movies about Jesse James. They made movies about Al Capone , The Godfather etc. They made a movie about Ed Gein the serial Killer.

This movie was NOT only about Frank Lucas but also about Richie Roberts the cop that brought him down. I liked the movie a lot and I’m glad there wasn’t a lot of violence.

People don’t like it , because there are not a lot of shoot em up scenes nor a lot of violence. It is basically a crime drama more so than a gangster movie and the movie is getting good reviews from critics. The reviews are NOT mixed.

So if you ar eolder you would like it.

I’m glad Denzel is versatile and can play different types of roles as an actor . I was kind of sick of him playing the good guy. It’s like dude don’t you want to challenge yourself and not limit yourself to one type of role.

Anyway I enjoyed the film. I highly doubt anyone would want to be like Frank Lucas at the end of the day look what happened to him. Sure he has a house and NO he won’t be getting paid a lot of money from the movie.

Nas & Lil Scrappy look alike….

I think “American Gangster” should have been called “American Tragedy.”
Because if your dumbass was making a million dollars a day and you’re
broke now. You are a tragic dumb motherf**ker……………IMO.

As for Nas in Vegas, I was at that lil performance, I’m even in the pic posted, ugh. I was pissed. He went on over an hour late. He showed up about 30 min late and for the other 30 min, he just wanted to be in the back smokin his cigar. He was drunk as hell and he only did two song, when he himself said he would do three. But I think the DJ pissed him off so he didn’t do the last one. Why do celebs think that they can go on whenever they want here in Vegas cause we ain’t got no last call?!?!?!

@65 Nikki

I hear you, but for all those people you mentioned who got movies made in their honor, there was a portion of the population who emulated these people. But when this emulation takes place, no one wants to take responsibility for it. The reality is we have people in our society that think fictions can be made into real life, and some actually cannot tell the difference between the two. We can call them stupid, and we can say their parents didn’t teach them, we can say they didn’t have god in their life, we can say all sort of things, but the actual reality is, everytime we buy a gangsta cd, or purchase a ticket to a movie like “american gangster” we are reinforcing these images, in which some will fall prey to it’s likeness. Some poor man will fall in love with the power denzel displayed in playing frank lucas. And we all can hypothesize about the actual message of the film, however, some will always view it as glamorizing a particular lifestyle…i haven’t seen the movie yet, just the previews, however, i can’t imagine what “good” message a urban inner-city kid with weak values and morals, no parents, no church home, and taste for wealth and the fast lifestyle would get from this movie. For this person, the movie would simply provide a “how to” affect. Step 1 to becoming a notorious gangster, step 2, and so forth. He won’t get the message that some will get and see the outcome as bad. The sad truth is alot of drug dealers will tell you straight up, i know i’m going to die one day, probably before my time, and i know i will go to jail, but i’ll live good for a while and i can help my family get things and do things they would have never been able to do. Sounds sad, but alot of people who decide to become drug lords feel they are doing what they have to do, and see their lives as a sacrifice and the means to an end. And sadly their boys view them as “fallen soldiers.”

I’m on the fence of whether or not i will actually pay to see this film even though i don’t necessarily agree with glamorizing these type of societal characters. Any type of attention = glamorization on some level to me….i hate that even one man will view this as a means to get over. Bootleg will probably be the way i go for now.

alicia don’t need no damn jenny craig…. she looks like a NORMAL person. some of yall on here are ridiculous…seriously.

as for american gangster, i saw it on bootleg too, and it was good. although, i thought there was some glamourization of this lifestyle, and the fall only encompassed the last 10 minutes of the film. and lastly, other than Ruby Dee and the lady with the red hair who ran one of frank’s drug houses, no other black women got any speaking parts in the damn movie. the sistas were just there naked for eye candy pretty much.

please people denzel aint all that anymore!!1….his wifey makes him look ugly…cant u guys see the way bee makes jay look fine…

As for Nas, notice his new target audience right? Cuz’ obviously it’s not us… I just keep thinking, there is some white music executive somewhere who approved his album title. L.A. Reid has to answer to somebody…and that person is giving it the thumbs up. They’ve been sitting back watching us destroy our culture through the arts for years while getting paid !…, and our artists are too stupid to realize what they are doing.

jscene
Saturday, November 3, 2007

Alicia looks pretty, but i swear, her weight is so up and down; one minute you’d swear she crashed dieted and the next she’s gained it back. it’s weird. I’m so glad the lord didn’t make me that way; i truly feel sorry for those who are constantly battling their weight so they don’t look fat, and it just seems alicia, beyonce, ashanti are thick as hell one minute (a cupcake away from big girl), then the next minute they have lost it. I truly don’t believe it’s a blessing to have their shape at all. Big jumbo legs and thighs; hellz no. It looks cute on some people (when it’s controlled) but i would seriously be depressed if i had to deal with that.

Funny you say this, as these are the women Black men seem to covet the most.

I think Alicia is beautiful. Thank God that he made her body the way he did.

haven’t seen the movie yet but I plan on it. I know Denzel did an excellent job he’s one of my favorite actors.
LL looks a mess now I know why he doesn’t wear suits. he can’t pull it off. it to slim in the legs but why are his legs so damn skinty when his torso all buff.
A.keys should always wear dark bottoms because you can’t tell she has tree stump legs in these black jeans. LOL
Brandy looks better but that damn outfit is just wack. LOL. I’m glad she got out of the ugly fog that was following her because it was taking a toll on her already funny face.

@74 — I agree with you… even though I am a Nas fan. Overall, our artists need to take responsibility for their impact on our community. And as for Nas’ “target audience” don’t just go by the picture of the (mostly white) crowd in Vegas. There just aren’t enough Black people here!!!

#71 The problem is is not Glamorizing the lifestyle AT ALL. Only someone ignorant would think that. It is showing how corrupt cops are and people it is about a man’s downfall.

Bonnie & Clyde
Jesse James
Ed Gein
Scarface
Al Capone
THe Godfather

All of these movies are showing people what not ot do it is Not in anay way glamorizing anything. THat’s like saying AMerican History X which is about a skinhead is glamorizing racism..uh no not at all all of these movies have messages and the messages are powerful. It is very shameful that people want to view these as glamorizing a life style as I said before Denzel didn’t want to be in it if that is what it did. There isn’t even a whole lot of violence in it.

The only movies that glamorize things would be those horror movies NOW THAT is glamorization. The killers in those movies kill people and most of the time there;s a sequal and they do it again.

Sorry for the grammatical errors I meant I agreed with what Nikki said before. I also meant American History X.

I also agree that movies like these are not glamorizing violence, if that is all you got out of it you completely missed the point.

I love Denzel and Don Cheadle they are both very versatile and can play any type of character. Although I have yet to see Denzel do comedy and Don Play a villian, but only time will tell.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANGEL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I haven’t spoken to you in so damn long get at me you know how to reach me….love ya chica

@78 lily

You clearly took what i wrote out of context, cause first off, i was making a statement based on the “image” of frank lucas…if you read, i said i haven’t seen the movie….and when i was speaking about glamorization of gangsta films, i was responding to the names of the characters who had movies made in their honor from Nikki’s post …but i’m not going to repeat myself….i thought my point was clearly articulated and i knew that some people who saw the film would take what i said outta context…but one thing i do want to say in response to your statement: you said that wasn’t glamorizing and only someone ignorant would think that….please go to the jails and prisons and tell that to the hundreds of thousands of inmates who thought that shit was cool when they were playing characters like “frank lucas” out in the streets.

@75 T

And which men would those be who covet these women the most? The ones in your hood?

I can’t wai tfor Alicia’s album.

Brandy looks nice.

#7 Say it aint so! I really hope Superhead is not really making a movie, her second book was dreadfull and she think she’s an A-List celebrity.. poor thing

I’m sorry , but some of you guys have NO clue about drug-dealers. They don’t do that shit cuz they want to emulate anybody WTF. They do it because they feel like they have no choice or they are forced to do it and the other option is that they are influenced by friends.

I’ve seen no one trying to emulate Jesse James , Al Capone or any Black Mobster.

If you lead that type of life you either end up Dead, In Jail , Poor or far off in the witness protection program, but still poor. It is important to tell these types of stories to show the result of leading a life like that. veryting isn’t sugar coated. Shit the news is far more violent than any movie I’ve seen. The only people that profited off of this movie were the people involved Frank Lucas only got a house because Denzel bought him one. You have to remember that this is based on a New York Times Article so that writer would profit off of that and Frank would profit off of the writer that wrote the article in the NY TIMES years ago. You also have to remember that Richi Roberts that cop that was involve this movei was also about him.

LL is a undercover brother. LOL

To #7: Watch the movie or Google the guy and you’ll know why he’s no longer in prison
Brandy, I love you!

@87

First off, unless you have interviewed every drug dealer than you could not possibly verbalize for them all. Some young guys do emulate drug dealers cause they think it’s cool; some come from nice families and nice neighborhoods and don’t have to slang, get your facts straight. Example: In Sugar Hill, the young guy that was killed on the bike who had Wesley’s back got killed cause he looked up to Wesley and his brother; he wanted to be them, but yet, he came from a nice neighborhood and did not have to resort to that lifestyle, but he only did cause he thought it was cool; JUST LIKE A LOT OF OTHER YOUNG MALES HIS AGE….

And i said that some guys feel they have no choice, please read.

And you say it’s important to tell stories like these to show the outcome of that choice….yep, and yet these lifestyles prevail and are steadily increasing. I wonder why. Maybe because it’s as i said, and there’s a portion of society who view these characters as admirable in some way….no, i never said that was the purpose of the movie, but when you have certain people with certain mentalities viewing these character, they will no doubt every time, miss the point.

@ 77 - The crowd at Jet didn’t really even know who Nas is, for the most part. I even heard some girl saying, “Wow, there is gonna be rapper performing on this stage” wtf?! The event wasn’t promoted to the general public of las vegas, such as on urban radio and what not. The people that went to Jet last night were your average club goers that listen to dance and techno music that Jet often plays a lot. No one that I know who is a fan of Nas even knew about the show until I found out and told them. Because when Nas does play Vegas, his last show was sold out to a mostly black crowd. Nas was getting paid to show up to a club. I don’t know if he or his people were purposely trying to target a new or different audience, but I just think he wanted to get paid.

@43 - they can probably afford it, they’re just cheap as hell

I went to see the movie tonight. It was cool. I liked it for the most part.
I love Brandy’s hair but I hate her outfit. It looks a lil off to me. Maybe she isn’t rocking it right. I don’t know. It looks like it could be cute
Love Nas for reeeal. I look forward to his new album. Hope it isn’t disappointing
LL looks good for his age. He claim his lip licking isn’t contrived but I think it is. It was more sexy when he did it naturally. Now it’s like he’s trying too hard
I see Denzel got the s-curl action goin on. I still love him though

Frank Lucas is not to blame for the drug problems in our communities. FYI if Frank wasn’t doing what he was doing someone else would have done it regardless, the mafia or NYPD perhaps? There was just too much money to be made for someone not to do it. Frank Lucas just happened to be the first guy to think of it. Also the Vietnam War introduced blacks to heroin not Frank Lucas. The majority of people drafted in Vietnam were poor blacks who didn’t have a reason to not fight, such as college. If you weren’t going to college to be a doctor or a lawyer then chances are yo ass was gonna fight. To make a long story short the soldiers that were in Vietnam experimented with heroin, Frank heard about it and brought it to America, something the mafia was doing for years, only he had a better product right from the source. The mafia bought their supply from him, and distributed it. If Frank wasn’t selling the they would of got it from somewhere else, and still sell it. All I’m saying is whats going on with the drug problem today is bigger than just Frank Lucas. And was inevitable.

Despite the whole drug thing and murder thing, Frank lived his life with morals. I just find it ironic that a drug dealer can have more morals than a police officer…..then again I should know better.

And you say it’s important to tell stories like these to show the outcome of that choice….yep, and yet these lifestyles prevail and are steadily increasing. I wonder why. Maybe because it’s as i said, and there’s a portion of society who view these characters as admirable in some way….no, i never said that was the purpose of the movie, but when you have certain people with certain mentalities viewing these character, they will no doubt every time, miss the point.

______________________________________________________________________

You seriously have no clue if you think that Movies Books and Entertainment in general is the reason why we have crime in our neighborhoods. If people raised thier children better than maybe things would be better. Stop blaming the movies for the problems int he Black neighborhood. As I sais before most of these kids aren’t tryng to emulate anyone.

#90 Most of the people that are in these situations are not trying to emulate anyone I know from a personal family experience and growing up in that environment. Sure they would see a movie and like , but for the most part it does not influence their actions. If you go tot the jail cell and ask anyone why they did it, Trust me their answer won’t be because I saw a movie.

Take the movie Ray for example he was a drug addict and so we shouldn’t tell his story because people are going to want to be drug addicts. I also feel it is important to tell stories like these they don’t have happy endings and there is a reason why. Do you read books? Have you read Native Son? In the book Bigger Thoimas murdered and Killed a White woman, but it was an important and classic books. Violent movies and books should not be sugarcoated and thier stories should be told, because you or anyone else can learn a lot from them. If you feel like these books and movies influences your children then be a parent and talk to them about it or not let them watch it. Shit people look up to Freddy Kreugar and Michael Myers How many crazy psychopathic serial killers we have in the hood? Exactly.

#90 You can’t stop making a movie with a lesson because a very small portion of society may view it the wrong way. That’s like saying don’t sell the Harry Potter books because a very small portion of kids are going to want to join cults? Sounds silly doesn’t it? Statistics show that Entertainment Movies, Books and Music don’t influence young people as much as you think. People are moreso influenced by friends and family than movies or entertainment.

No this movie doesn’t glamorize it if it did he would’ve still been doing what he was doing today.

I’m glad that Black people are being a bit more mature about movies and not complaining that Denzel is playing a bad person. It’s called acting and as an actor it is good to challenge yourself and play different roles. Black people shouldn’t be limited to some type of box where they always have to play the morally good character. it’s great to show off your range. Kathy Bates was excellent in Misery she played a deranged psychotic lady and she won an Oscar for it.

J Scene -
Alicia looks very nice and I’m glad she doesn’t have to be a size 2 for her to be accepted personally. And it’s not just black men who adore that type of shape. My shape is similar (a bit taller) and I get love from a lot of groups. There is nothing wrong with being slender or thick, we come in all shapes and shades. I don’t think those who like that type of shape are limited to one area which is evident by Alicia’a Beyonce’s and Ashanti’s popularity with men. That’s why they are always on the covers of magazines. I totally respect your opinion and am sure that you are a pretty lady, but I think there are many who may disagree.

Alicia and Brandy look cute.

Nas and LL look good, especially Nas.

Frank Lucas looks pathetic.. Trust me, he is the least of our worries. Puff Doody having multiple kids with multiple women out of wedlock is more Dangerous!

The dropout rate of black males in high school is EXTREMELY dangerous!

The Down Low and untruthful black males that are having promiscuous sex is MORE DANGEROUS!!

Ghetto neighborhoods in Detroit and Maryland are DANGEROUS!!

So what if an Oscar winning actor portrays a gangster? Denzel is a FRIGGIN actor.. That is his job, stop sounding stupid and ignorant already! When white Oscar winners play the same roles - do white folks whine? NO!! It is their craft! Halle Berry didn’t win the Oscar because she was nude, it was because she was better than all the other females in that category. Trust me, I saw all the movies.

Denzel is a great actor and he plays complex characters very well. Sean Penn won the Oscar (He was a murderer in Mystic River), Tim Robins portrayed a Pervert and he won the Oscar as well, and Kevin Bacon was a Pedophile in The Woodsman. What is the big deal? You all are acting like black people can’t be gangsters or Prostitutes.. Please..

Change the way you look at things or black people will be left behind!

@ Jscene,

Of course you will have rogue dealers out there, but the vast majority become dealers because of their situations and environment.

Who more likely to become a dealer? A 12 year old in S. Hampton or a 12 year old from a broken down neighborhood in the Bronx? The child from S. Hampton may one day own the plane that brings the drugs in, but the seller will be a desperate lad or lass from the neighborhood whose mom is either working 2 jobs or she is a cracked out prostitute.

They pray on people who have weaknesses. Once you are in the game, the trick is being able to get out!

True once they are in the lifestyle, it seems glamorous, but they end up losing a lot more. I have yet to meet a dealer that pushed their family and friends to become dealers..

~~~~~~~~~~

90.

jscene

First off, unless you have interviewed every drug dealer than you could not possibly verbalize for them all. Some young guys do emulate drug dealers cause they think it’s cool; some come from nice families and nice neighborhoods and don’t have to slang, get your facts straight. Example: In Sugar Hill, the young guy that was killed on the bike who had Wesley’s back got killed cause he looked up to Wesley and his brother; he wanted to be them, but yet, he came from a nice neighborhood and did not have to resort to that lifestyle, but he only did cause he thought it was cool; JUST LIKE A LOT OF OTHER YOUNG MALES HIS AGE….

And i said that some guys feel they have no choice, please read.

And you say it’s important to tell stories like these to show the outcome of that choice….yep, and yet these lifestyles prevail and are steadily increasing. I wonder why. Maybe because it’s as i said, and there’s a portion of society who view these characters as admirable in some way….no, i never said that was the purpose of the movie, but when you have certain people with certain mentalities viewing these character, they will no doubt every time, miss the point.

American Gangster = DAMN GOOD.

DENZEL = STILL SEXY AS F*CK. I love his swagger and his suits were sharper than Diddy’s.

and why are we analyzing this movie like it’s a really bad thing? It’s a true story. What happened, happened. Not a fanatical story worshiping drug lords. I find it amazing that he build an empire in his own hood like that even though it had a terrible effect. It’s about the life he lived which was crazy. And the paranoia of living so large. Chilllll

idk, LL Cool aint sexy to me anymore.

stacey wrote:
“please people denzel aint all that anymore!!1….his wifey makes him look ugly…cant u guys see the way bee makes jay look fine…”
— — —

Not really.The fact that Bee looks good just highlights how ugly Jay-Z is with his camel lookin self and how she could have done better.

Brandy looks really nice. The hair really compliments her face. Her outfit is a bit different. She’s been going to a lot of fashion shows this past year and it seems her style has changed. We don’t understand it because, she’s a little bit ahead of the game. Everyone is wearing the same things right now whereas not many people, if any are rocking what Brandy is rocking. I bet you everyone will be wearing what she has on next year and wont even remember that Brandy started it. Do you Brandy!

@43 and 92 U just made cuz ur azz had to pay for it. ha ha ha

mad. lol

Alicia looks great…Paulette and Denzel look nice too.

In another life Denzel would be my husband…and if he was, I would have to pull an intervention between him and that damn S-Curl. Denzel: It’s not cute! It looks like a half wet half dry Jheri Curl. You are fine just as you are!!

Alicia Keys- looks good as always
Brandy- I used to think brandy was ugly back in the days of Moesha but know her look is growing on me and she looks beautiful
Frank Lucas-umm..did he have a stroke or something
Nas-whatever
LL Cool J- that a sexy a** u know what
Last but not least Denzel and wife- I really got to see that movie cause his is one of the most talented actors ever

American Gangster the movie was A DAMN GOOD MOVIE, even though it portrays a King Drug Lord. The story and the acting was Great. I agree Frank Lucas was a ruthless man and I sure hope it has made his peace and prayed and asked for forgiveness b/c what he did is disgraceful and very heartbreaking, BUT we have to admit thats what goes on in life WE CAN’T STOP the drugs from being on this Earth and we CANT STOP the selling and using of it, its just sad for some people.
Everyone has their own opinion, THATS JUST LIFE, I say give the movie a chance and if you havent seen it GO SEE IT and HAVE YOUR own opinion instead of listening to others !!!!
Other than that everyone looks nice!!!

AG was an excellent movie….Equal parts violence/dialogue….it’s a must see!!!! Please check it out….4.5 stars!!

American Gangster was just aiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight. I tried to see it Friday..but it was sold out EVERYWHERE. So, saturday night, I went to Muvico..got there at 8:30 p.m…..and couldn’t see it until 11:15 p.m. I was like…”Damn, is it that serious???” And I got in line at 10:00 p.m. to get seated. Arundel Mills mall hired a S.W,A.T. team to seat people. But, it was great to see hundreds of black folks supporting Denzel during the opening weekend!

I thought Russell Crowe and Cuba Gooding and Common and T.I. was excellent in the film. I wasn’t that impressed with Denzel’s performance. My boyfriend and I agreed that his performance reminded us of Denzel in Training Day. Same facial expressions and everything. I still love me some Denzel. Definitely no Academy Award for this one. I think Crowe may be nominated, however.

I want to add one more thing…..aside from Denzel’s portrayal….Frank Lucus was ingenious went it came to handling business and financial matters. The way he set up shop was amazing. Period. But he was ruthless. I will never condone drugs in the black community.

I like the way the movie ended. I know for sure Lucas had a hidden stash when he got out of prison in ‘91. I think he is still a wealthy man…even if the U.S. confiscated most of his assets.

Nas looks gorgeous!

WTF is Brandy wearing?

brandy look cute i’m feeling the outfit

the movie was awesome and I think it shows you can be at the top of the game as a drug lord and you will still fall down. Denzel did a great job as usual.

I saw the movie the day it first came out. Let me tell you when I say, the f*cking movie theater was packed. Good thing me and my fam’ got there real early. Anyway, the movie was damn good. Many people on here complaining how the movie glamorized Frank really didnt pay attention. The movie wasnt glamorizing anything but how this big time drug kingpin’s empire was taken down. Duh!!! Unlike Scarface and The Godfather which actually does glorify the gangster life. American Gangster will teach a lesson to all the fools who are living that life right now as we type. You live the high and good life, the gangster life now, but please believe your ass will be pay for every thing you have done.

P.S. Denzel Washington is a great actor and so is Russell Crowe.

I agree with Lily, Erik and Keyshia. If you havent seen the movie yet, why waste time commenting. Im just saying.

AMERICAN GANGSTER WAS GREAT!!!

People talking about Nas setting us back as far as African Americans, imo integration set us back, how can one man’s album title set a race of people back? We are African Americans, there’s a reason we get called African Americans, when someone says real Americans, they are not talking about black people. We need to understand the issues, stop kissing ass and trying to be accepted when you know they could care less about us. Get money with them, do what you have to do to survive in this capitalist society, but don’t turn your eyes away from the truth, real knowledge is not something you recieve in the typical United States school system. Your enemy from 40 years ago is still your enemy 40 years later.

clarkthink
Have you ever heard of assets being seized and legal bills that need to be paid.
I know some of you are young on this board but do a little bit of thinking.

Hate to spoil the movie. But to everyone who looks up to Gangsta and supports the Stop Snitching created by criminals/thugs just know that in the end of the movie Frank Lucas end up snitching too. He had a 70yr prison reduced to 15yrs.
That just proves that if you are willing to go along with the Stop Snitching ish your protecting thugs. All why these king pins are preaching “Lucas” did the same thing in the end. He should have practiced what he preached and took the years.

Man up to your ish you do the crime you do the time. Stop labeling it as snitching. Let these “hard core thugs’” (A WORD USED LOOSELY) man up to they ish.

he was on 106 and park and i swear he reminded me of almost every character he’s ever played…..he so damn down to earth and his swagger is ridiculous,lov e denzel….the movie was pretty good,it took a while to jump off but let me just say that from the shit denzel was doing in that movie ooooh weee frank lucas was no joke and even at 77 i wouldnt fuck wit frank.

nas look sexy as hell in those pictures real talk.

#125, he snitched on cops. Frank dont give a sh*t about no cops. Its not liked he snitched on his blood but on the crooked ass corrupt cops. Can you believe 75% of cops was in the drug business. The same people who are supposed to “protect” you are also trying to kill you.

I am going to see the movie because I am a mature adult of course my son nor I will take my 8 year old grandson to see it.
Another reason I am going is because I respect Denzel as a man and actor.
Sex and the city is a movie that repulses me more than this one, and if I can support that the I can support this (NOT!!!, I DIDN’T WATCH IT WHEN IT WAS ON HBO, I ALWAYS WONDERED WHY A SISTER WASN’T IN THE MIX AND NOT A TOKEN
EITHER).
As for Paulette whoever it is that continuously makes the nasty comments on this blog about her, she is someones mother and Denzels wife and they love her.
You probably don’t respect your own mother or maybe you were orphaned.(BY THE WAY WHAT DOES YOUR MOM LOOK LIKE 24/7, AND IS YOU DAD STILL LOVING HER AFTER MANY YEARS?????)
You can easily tell when immature children are responding because intelligent adults who not be thinking this way about someone who they don’t know or much less saying it.
ENJOY SUNDAY AFTERNOON ENTERTAINMENT CHILDREN!!!!

B-ROCKA…CAN’T WAIT FOR AN ALBUM…BRANDY IS BEAUTIFUL!!!! FRANK LUCAS IS A TRUE G!!!!! HE LOOKS LIKE HE IS ABOUT TO DIE…MNAYBE THAT”S WHY THEY MADE THE MOVIE…I’M SURPRISED HE LIVED SO LONG…He KILLED A LOT OF PEOPLE!

The movie is really NOT about Frank Lucas. If you’re looking for Scarface, The Godfather, or even Blow this is not the movie for you. The script was all over the place and really didnt give you any real insight into what made Frank Lucas into one the biggest American Gangsters…which is ridiculous considering the length of the movie. They should of called the movie AMERICAN NARCOTICS COPS…cause the movie spent more time on Richie Roberts played by Russell Crowe than Frank Lucas…which made it kind of corny….

127 i agree with you totally……fuckin pigs…they are all crocked to me,i don’t think any of them are in it to protect us,if anything to bring down as many black people as possible

i do believe that frank lucas still has money because in the documentary that car he was in looked a lil too nice,and he still just had this way about him that said “i get money,i get money” lol i could be wrong,maybe bet provided the car to him,but frank was a pretty smart man,i mean smart enough to tell on the right people and get his time reduced so i believe that he still had some money somewhere.

B’Rocka is beautiful!!,….i wasn’t feelin’ AG either.

Alicia always looks flawless.
LL still lookin yummy.
Hating Brandy’s outift, yunk. WTH was she thinkin?

Excellent footage. I’m am very happy that various governments were exposed, and have always been behind the drug trade and/or anything else illegal for that matter.

Love Denzel and I think him and his wife are a cute couple even though i’d rather have him

i TH0UGHT AM3RiCAN GANGST3R WAS A G00D M0VI3. i H0N3STLY D0NT THiNK D3NZ3L WAS TRYiN 2 GLAM0URiZ3 HUSTLiN BY ANY WAY, SHAP3 0R F0RM. H3 WAS JUST T3LLiN THA ST0RY 0F 0N3 MAN’S LiF3.

AM i THA 0NLY P3RS0N THAT THiNKZ PAUL3TTA L00KZ LiK3 SIST3R PATT3RS0N? LOL **T33 H33**

ALiCiA K3YS….L0V3 ALL H3R ALBUMZ. CANT WAiT 4 THA N3W 0N3. SH3′S SUCH A B3AUTiFUL P3RS0N.

love the love @ Denzel and his wife!

Frank Lucas should NOT be out of jail……………..OH ya’ll DIDN’T see him set a man on fire in that movie and SHOOT a man in the head with EVERYONE watching?! Oh ok.

Nas, LL, Alicia = HOT.

So there’s Brandy.

I want to have sex with Nas.

Hmmmmm…interesting comments re: Frank Lucas.

I am torn when it comes to Frank Lucas. I respect his ingenuity and smarts. I admire his style. I disrespect Frank Lucas for leading an onslaught of murder, AIDS and the decimation of “community” in Harlem. Did Frank Lucas contribute anything good for Harlem? Did he donate to education funds, non-profit organizations, recreation centers (this list can go on…)?

#138 Actually yes he did he contributed to the Black community the same way Bumpy Johnson did. He gave food to the poor as well as other things.

NAS LOOKS SO CUTE

Saw the movie yesterday and thought it was really good. A well made quality movie. Try to support instead of bootlegging it. The same people who will bootleg a black movie will happily pay the chinese folks to do their nails, the egyptians to do their hair and the arabs to buy food and liquor.

American Gangster was a HOT movie! Denzel really played his part well…Everyone did. Russel Crowe was good too, he covered his accent well. It’s definetly a movie to add to your DVD collection when it comes out on DVD

#100 Speaks the truth

Saw the movie…it was good…more about the detective Ritchie Roberts than Frank Lucas…must see if u can!

OOOOOOOOOOOOH, L.L.!!!!! How do you DO it?!? You’re FLYY even in a suit!!!! Getting better with time!!!!! Love you!!!!!

I luv Denzel I really do !…But Is it that he’s getting old or what cause he has not been looking that good to me lately, He’s never been the most gorgeous man but his swag is undeniably sexy, the walk the talk I mean the whole 9 yards, but … is it just me or does it look like he has false teeth? Please say it ain’t so Denzel! I still luv you but what’s really good?

I just saw the movie today it was good. Nas and keys look good. Sorry I cant say the same for frank.

Oh and Nas looks really good, @ first I thought it was a pic of him from back in the day, ’cause he has that slim baby faced look that he had back when he still had that chipped tooth! Alica Keys looks good, and so does Brandy. Not feelin Brandy’s outfit at all but everything else looks good on her.

People are not going to stop bootlegging movies. We as a people must support our black artist so that they can continue to get products made. So, if the movie is good enough, go to the theatre and see it as well.

NAS IS SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO SEXY!!

Loves, loves, loves B-Rocka. Come back to us B!!!! We need some change in audio….

dueces

#100 preach! That’s exactly what I am talking about…
# 140, I really hope that you was just giving general knowledge with that statement. I know no one in their right mind would think giving out a few effin turkeys at Thanksgiving would constitute “giving back” to the community.That man could have built a recreation mansion for the neighborhood with all that money he made. He was a terrorist to the black community, he only gave a damn about making his money. In all the interviews I have seen him in, he has no remorse or regret whatsoever. He thinks he sooo cute and that he was above the law. As smart as he thought he was, he effed up with his chinchilla, carrying weight in his car, and plenty of other things. It just shows that the drug game ends with either death or jail-ain’t no retirement plan in Orlando with that ish.

Brandy is pretty again,love da fit.now bring us sum mo! great music

#59
“Alicia looks pretty, but i swear, her weight is so up and down; one minute you’d swear she crashed dieted and the next she’s gained it back. it’s weird. I’m so glad the lord didn’t make me that way; i truly feel sorry for those who are constantly battling their weight so they don’t look fat, and it just seems alicia, beyonce, ashanti are thick as hell one minute (a cupcake away from big girl), then the next minute they have lost it. I truly don’t believe it’s a blessing to have their shape at all. Big jumbo legs and thighs; hellz no. It looks cute on some people (when it’s controlled) but i would seriously be depressed if i had to deal with that.”

Who even says all this about another black woman’s body? Because even if you are into the ultra thin thing, you know that most African American women have Alicia’s/Beyonce’s/Ashanti’s bodies. It is true for the majority of us, bigger butts and legs… And, it has nothing to do with being “one cupcake away” from anything…it’s our shape… My “Freshman 15″ was a “Freshman 30″, I went from a 5 to a 9 and guess what? I still looked the same…I still had the same shape…
So, the 1 cupcake theory is out the window…unless we gain to the point of obesity, we will always have the same shape so no man is going to quibble about the pounds…you shouldn’t, either…

Disappointed that my comment was deleted

American Gangsta i sone of the best movies of the year…Tickets were sold out everywhere in toronto and the movie was well deserving….it did not only glorify the actions of Frank lucas but it also showed you the effect of his actions on society…a particular scene in the movie where they show him being a family man and also people suffering from what he was doing. This movie again also proves that denzel is a very great actor

PEOPLE SWEAR THAT NO ONE IN THE WORLD WOULD WANT TO FOLLOW IN FRANK LUCAS’S STEPS, BUT IF YOU WATCHED THE MOVIE, FRANK LUCAS NEPHEW IN THE MOVIE PLAYED BY T.I. EVEN TOLD HIS UNCLE THAT HE NO LONGER WANTED TO PURSUE HIS DREAMS OF BEING A BASEBALL STAR, INSTEAD HE WANTED TO BE LIKE UNCLE FRANK…….HMMM WONDER WHY…AND LIKE I SAID BEFORE, IN THE MOVIE SUGAR HILL, THE BOY THAT PLAYED IN CLUELESS WANTED TO BE LIKE WESLEY’S SNIPES’ DRUG DEALER CHARACTER, EVEN THOUGH HE CAME FROM A GOOD NEIGHBORHOOD AND DIDN’T HAVE TO DO THAT, AND EVEN WHEN THE DRUG RIVALS SHOT HIM WHILE HE WAS TRYING TO COVER WESLEY’S CHARACTER, WHEN HE WAS DYING, HE WAS SMILING AND SAID ” I HAD YOUR BACK, BUT I HAD YOUR BACK.” NOW TELL ME WHAT WAS THIS YOUNG MAN’S INSPIRATION? I DON’T KNOW, SOME YOUNG MEN CRAVE THE POWER AND RESPECT THESE MEN SEEM TO DEMAND, AND THEY FIND THAT APPEALING.

PEOPLE WANT TO BE ABLE TO GO TO THE MOVIES AND EAT THEIR POPCORN AND SEE EXAMPLES OF VIOLENT MEN AND NOT FEEL GUILTY ABOUT IT. BUT THE REALITY IS SOME YOUNG MEN AND EVEN YOUNG WOMEN LOOK UP THESE UNSAVORY CHARACTERS, AND THEY ASPIRE TO HAVE MONEY LIKE THEM, POWER LIKE THEM, AND RESPECT LIKE THEM. THEY DON’T READ THE END OF THE BOOK WHEN THE CHARACTER IS KILLED AND/OR JAILED. AND IF YOU THINK THIS SHIT IS NOT HAPPENING IN RECORDS NUMBERS THEN YOUR HEAD IS IN THE SAND. IT IS HAPPENING, AND I NEVER SAID I KNEW THE ANSWER TO THIS PROBLEM, I JUST DON’T DENY IT’S A REAL PROBLEM. THE MUSIC, THE VIDEOS, AND MOVIES, ALL THIS SHIT CONTRIBUTES TO THE STATE OF THE WORLD…

SOMEONE SPOKE ABOUT THE HARRY POTTER’S BOOK….WELL, THERE WAS A GROUP OF PEOPLE THAT TRIED TO GET THE HARRY POTTERS BOOK REMOVED FROM THE LIBRARIES.

I NEVER SAID ANYTHING NEGATIVE ABOUT DENZEL AND HIS DECISION TO PLAY THIS CHARACTER, SO I DON’T KNOW WHERE THAT COMMENT CAME FROM.

@98 and 154

I wasn’t downing Alicia’s body, i said she’s a pretty girl. However, i did also say i, i personally would not want that type of body, and i’m entitled to that opinion….i wasn’t downing anyone. Anytime you are constantly dieting and watching every crumb that goes into your mouth cause it might go to your hips or thighs, i’m sorry, i don’t want that worry, and i’m glad so far i don’t have that issue. I just feel sorry for those who have to do that. Seems so unfair. And sometimes i wonder how happy they are with their actual weight cause it always seem to go up and down, like they diet and then they get tired of dieting. It must be frustrating as hell.

I don’t know alot of white males who want woman with big butts, i don’t think that’s their taste. I don’t think they mind the hips as much, but they also don’t seem to like big thighs. True, any man want a shapely woman, but shapely women come in all sizes, tiny women too. I have alot of white friends, and my white female friends be breakin their damn necks up in the gym trying to stay small cause they know their man will replace their asses if they miss a beat. i don’t think mainstream feels that way, that’s why anorexia and bullimia is on the rise, even among black women now. And hollywood don’t play that…they are even contradictory, one minute they say jlo have beauitful curves, then the next minute they are saying how the dress she’s wearing highlights her good features and mask her bad features like her big butt. See how their true feelings come out.

@ jscene
you would be depressed if you were the size of these women yeah right you have issues i bet you have a cute flat tummy with small legs but the problem is every eveything else is flat and small( hips,chest,@ss).

Brandy looks great! I was sort of taken aback by her ensemble at first, but after giving it further consideration, I really don’t mind it at all.

Oh, and Denzel’s wife is a QUEEN. Beautiful. I’d never seen her before.

Bill Says:

American Gangster is a GREAT Movie !!!!

American Gangster’ roughs up some big bucks
Crime saga rakes in $46.3 million; ‘ “American Gangster,” which stars Denzel Washington, helped revitalize Hollywood’s listless autumn.

LOS ANGELES - A heroin pusher put some sting back into the movie business.

Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe’s bloody crime saga “American Gangster” took in $46.3 million to lead the weekend box office, with Jerry Seinfeld’s family cartoon “Bee Movie” following with $39.1 million. Together, the movies revitalized Hollywood’s listless autumn.

“It took three of the biggest stars in the world to get the box office back on track, and they did it in high style with two totally different kinds of movies,” said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Media By Numbers. “You had an R-rated movie and a PG-rated movie bringing in a really diverse audience.”

After six-straight weekends of declining revenues, overall business rose, with the top-12 movies taking in $127.2 million, up 12 percent from the same weekend last year, when “Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan” was No. 1 with $26.5 million.

Universal’s “American Gangster,” directed by Ridley Scott and starring Washington as 1970s Harlem drug lord Frank Lucas and Crowe as a Jersey cop on his trail, rode a wave of acclaim and Academy Awards buzz to debut at the top of the box office.

Audiences had been relatively disinterested this fall in serious R-rated films aimed at adults. Many of those earlier movies were box-office underachievers despite critical praise, but “American Gangster” landed with both good reviews and packed theaters.

Box office results
Estimated ticket sales for Nov. 2-4
1. “American Gangster,” $46.3 million.
2. “Bee Movie,” $39.1 million.
3. “Saw IV,” $11 million.
4. “Dan in Real Life,” $8.1 million.
5. “30 Days of Night,” $4 million.
6. “The Game Plan,” $3.85 million.
7. “Martian Child,” $3.65 million.
8. “Michael Clayton,” $2.9 million.
9. “Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married?”, $2.7 million.
10. “Gone Baby Gone,” $2.4 million.

Washington is known for heroic roles, yet as he did with his Oscar-winning turn as a bad cop in “Training Day,” he imbues Lucas with charm and charisma even as the man carries out savage deeds.

“American Gangster” was the biggest opening ever for the film’s two stars. Crowe’s previous best was $34.8 million for “Gladiator,” also directed by Scott, while Washington’s was $29 million for “Inside Man.”

“These are two great actors telling this true story of Frank Lucas,” said Nikki Rocco, head of distribution at Universal. “You couldn’t have picked a better cast.”

© 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

i’m with #19. it was not as good as you would have thought. way to long for it not to have really told a good story. it introduced to many characters without giving a background on them. things went to fast with no explanation. shit just started happening and left you thinking “what the hell just happened?” or “who the hell is that?”

i give the movie a “D” and the only reason it didn’t get an “F” was because ole Denzel did his thug thizzle. he really gaved the character life and for a moment, you thought he was really frank lucas.

CEO of Smack
Ridley Scott’s portrait of ’70s dope visionary Frank Lucas may not be epic, but it’s still super-fly
by J. Hoberman

American Gangster is a movie with obvious gravitas and a familiar argument: Organized crime is outsider capitalism. As archetypal as its title, Ridley Scott’s would-be epic aspires to enshrine Harlem dope king Frank Lucas in Hollywood heaven, heir to Scarface and the Godfather. Or, as suggested by the Mark Jacobson article on Lucas that inspired the movie, a real-life Superfly.
Ambitious as American Gangster is, it’s well suited to Denzel Washington’s particular star quality—the circumspect badass. Washington plays Lucas as a combination of ruthless thug and gentlemanly striver. His two sides are established in a murky opening sequence when, factotum to old-school crime boss Bumpy Johnson, Lucas torches a guy in one shot and tosses Christmas turkeys to the crowd in the next.

It’s 1968, and Bumpy is complaining that corporations are pushing out the middle man. He then drops dead in the very chain-store outlet that prompted his disquisition, leaving Lucas to create a new empire—by eliminating the middle man. Rather than dealing with the mob, Lucas figures out a way to import high-grade heroin direct from Indochina. Then he takes Harlem by storm, selling smack that’s twice as good for half the price under the label Blue Magic.

Scott’s Lucas is more attractive, if less hypnotic, than the character profiled by Jacobson. (The writer notes that upon hearing tapes of his conversations with Lucas, his wife remarked, “Oh . . . you’re doing a story on Satan.”) To balance the moral equation, Steven Zaillian’s script introduces a Lucas nemesis in the form of actual police detective Richie Roberts (Russell Crowe). As Lucas is a visionary, Roberts is a man of stoopid integrity. Busting a bookie, he finds a car stuffed with unmarked bills and actually brings it in as evidence—causing his partner, soon to be revealed as a drooling junkie, to moan: “I’m a leper because I listened to you and turned in a million bucks.”

The world capital of smack and police corruption—such was disco-era New York. Still, for all of American Gangster’s discreet period markers and cleverly cobbled- together locations, it doesn’t get the period’s putrid exhilaration—the sense of irreversible decay and giddy disorder. Scrupulously academic, it does acknowledge the key texts of the day: Scott recycles the theme from Across 110th Street, references Sidney Lumet’s Prince of the City, and draws on the quintessential New York dope opera so closely that his movie might have been subtitled The “French Connection” Connection. Albeit directed with high-powered panache, American Gangster lacks The French Connection’s messy human drama and, a choreographed final bust notwithstanding, thrill-machine set pieces. The movie never spins out of control.

American Gangster functions on parallel tracks: As Roberts recruits a posse of lowlife cops, so Lucas brings his brothers up from North Carolina to help in the business. As the cop’s marriage falls apart, the gangster treats his wife, Miss Puerto Rico 1970, like a queen. Further, both men are humiliated and threatened by the predatory animals of the NYPD’s corrupt Special Investigations Unit. American Gangster and Honest Cop, each played by an Oscar-winning tough guy, finally converge when Roberts stakes out the Ali-Frazier fight and, spotting the self-effacing Lucas ringside in an uncharacteristic sable coat, has to wonder: “Who the fuck is that guy?”

Who indeed? Lucas is self-made with a vengeance, a cold-blooded killer and warm-hearted family man in one tightly wound package. It’s one of the movie’s running gags that nobody—certainly no white person save Roberts—seems able to understand that Lucas actually works for himself. American Gangster more than makes its point regarding his entrepreneurial spirit. But Roberts is actually more enigmatic: What makes him so irrationally honest? Could it be the same thing that inspires Lucas? Late in the movie, the gangster dodges an assassin’s bullet and waxes indignant: “I ain’t running from nobody—this is America.”

Marc Levin’s current documentary Mr. Untouchable, a portrait of Lucas’s better-known rival Nicky Barnes, shares American Gangster’s logic in presenting its subject as an all-American business genius. Barnes too brags about his professional operation and high-quality shit, dismissing Lucas and his family as rubes: “They acted country and they dressed country.” The corresponding cameo in American Gangster is a mirror image: When Lucas discovers that Barnes (broadly played by Cuba Gooding Jr.) is slapping his Blue Magic brand on inferior smack, he confronts his competitor and, with all the indignation of an idealistic MBA, accuses him of “trademark infringement.”

That’s not the only grotesque irony to be found in American Gangster, although at 157 minutes, the movie is a tad leisurely in letting the audience in on Lucas’s secret dope-smuggling method—a social metaphor that gives the notion “wrapped in the flag” a whole new meaning.

Go Brandy

Alicia is perfect. When you meet her in person she not as big as she seems in pictures or on t.v. ; the same goes for beyonce.

Alicia album in stores 11/13/07 As I am

Damn Nas is looking Xtra sexy in that pic.
Bandy and Alica looks awesome!
That man is in a wheelchair for a reason
Denzel You too sexy to look this way fix yourself up!

American Gangster, In Theaters This Week
Taken From Wire and Staff Reports
The Birmingham Times
Originally posted 11/1/2007
http://thebirminghamtimes...p?NewsID=83528&sID=22

Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe star in the most highly anticipated film of the year
In American Gangster, two of Hollywood’s finest, Academy Award® winners Denzel Washington (Training Day, Glory) and Russell Crowe (Gladiator) lead a spectacular cast of accomplished and rising stars – including veteran actress Ruby Dee, the versatile Chiwetel Ejiofor, Jerry Maguire Oscar®-winner Cuba Gooding, Jr., Josh Brolin, Armand Assante, rappers RZA, Common and T.I. – in a blistering tale of a true American entrepreneur. Universal Pictures will release American Gangster nationwide on November 2nd.
American Gangster also brings together an outstanding team of Oscar® caliber filmmakers; producer Brian Grazer, director/producer Ridley Scott and screenwriter Steven Zaillian for a cinematic event that tells the true juggernaut success story of Frank Lucas (Washington), a cult superstar from the streets of 1970s Harlem, who rose to the heights of power by becoming the most ruthless figure in his business. Lucas was taken down by Richie Roberts (Crowe), an outcast cop driven to bring justice to the streets.
Filmed on location in New York and Thailand, American Gangster spans the years during the height of the Vietnam War, 1968-1974. Lucas and Roberts’ efforts in the post-Boomer society – separately and, eventually, together – would mark the beginning of the end of an era of complicit lawlessness that claimed thousands of lives. And in one corrupt city during one turbulent time, two men living on different sides of the American Dream had no idea they would move from mortal enemies to reluctant allies on the same side of the law.
The legend of heroin smuggler/family man/death dealer/civic leader Frank Lucas was first chronicled seven years ago in a New York Magazine article by journalist Mark Jacobson. In 2000, executive producer Nicholas Pileggi – who co-wrote the screenplays for Goodfellas and Casino with Martin Scorsese – introduced Jacobson to Lucas, thus beginning a journey in which Lucas recounted his outrageous rise and fall to the journalist. From watching his cousin murdered by the KKK in La Grange, North Carolina, to earning mind-boggling figures in drug sales to facing a lifetime in prison, Lucas had one stunner of a true tale.

Jacobson’s subsequent article, “The Return of Superfly,” unfolded the complex story of a desperately poor sharecropper who moved to Harlem and slowly bypassed the usual suspects of its burgeoning heroin scene to rule a New York City empire. Through selling a purer product at a cheaper price to thousands of addicts in the Vietnam-era streets, Lucas amassed a fortune calculated in the tens of millions – and the eventual attention of the law. Had he not been pushing an illegal, deadly substance new to this country, Lucas would have assuredly been celebrated as one of the keenest businessmen of the decade, if not the century, for his family-run enterprise.
Growing up penniless in a small Southern town, Lucas arrived in New York in 1946 as a self-described “different son-of-a-b***h.” For two decades, he worked side-by-side with Ellsworth “Bumpy” Johnson (the inspiration for the 1997 film Hoodlum, starring Laurence Fishburne), serving as the kingpin’s right-hand man until Johnson’s death in 1968 – tutored in the ways of gangsters like Frank Costello and Lucky Luciano. And upon Johnson’s death, Lucas seized the reins. He changed the name of the game to the hot new import heroin and immediately put his stamp on the city – with a gun to the head of anyone who dared challenge him.
Fascinated by Jacobson’s article, Academy Award®-winning producer Brian Grazer optioned the project for Imagine Entertainment and met with Pileggi and Lucas to discuss the gangster’s exploits. Grazer was fascinated by the cautionary tale of a man with “the dream of corporate America who found a way to make a deal with individuals in Southeast Asia that could lead him to the highest grade of heroin.” He continues, “After he had this heroin, he would make a deal with U.S. military officers to import it in body bags of U.S. soldiers traveling from Vietnam back into America [the so-called Cadaver Connection]. I thought that was a remarkable, inescapable and interesting idea.” The producer would take this option and turn to veteran screenwriter Steven Zaillian to pen a script based on Lucas’ life.
Oscar® winner Zaillian was equally fascinated with the unlikely relationship between this multimillionaire thug/entrepreneur and this complicated cop-turned-prosecutor. He was certain to weave a shattering parable that didn’t just dramatize Lucas’ rise and fall but told of the juxtaposed path of his chief tracker and nemesis.
Roberts, who spent the late 1960s to early ’70s as an Essex County, New York, detective, was the man ultimately responsible for bringing down the folk hero. Grazer and Zaillian thought that what made this story especially compelling was not just Lucas – who lived by a strict code of family and community as he pushed poison into thousands of lives in the very community in which he lived – but also Roberts, who found his own destiny interwoven with that of the drug kingpin.
Washington, initially resistant to portray a man whose complex rise to power meant the death of so many, was captivated by the script and came aboard for the lead role. He was intrigued by the intricate story of Lucas’ life and believed the businessman who had hurt so many was, in fact, trying to redeem himself through years of penance.
To prepare for the role, Washington says he, “got in a room with Frank, turned on the recorder and talked with him. I didn’t try to imitate him, necessarily, but Frank’s such a charmer; that’s key to his character. I played Rubin ‘Hurricane’ Carter and did the same thing with him – just hung out with him, got him alone and got the truth – or, hopefully, got some version of it. But with Frank, I said, ‘Don’t tell me anything I don’t need to know. I don’t want to have to testify.’”
In his research, the New York native learned more than he thought possible about the drug trade, specifically, the Country Boys’ Blue Magic. “In those days, as the story is told, heroin was sold for $50,000 to $60,000 a kilo at 50 percent, 60 percent purity,” he comments. “Frank found it 100-percent pure for $4,200 a kilo and sold it on the street at a higher purity and lower price than his competition. You can do the math. He made an incredible amount of money, at one point claiming about a million dollars a day himself.
“However, what interested me in the story was not to glorify a drug dealer, and I told Frank that when I met him.” Interestingly, Washington wrote the biblical passage Isaiah 48:22 [“There is no peace, saith the Lord, unto the wicked”] on his shooting script to remind him of Lucas’ journey and quest for redemption.
Game for a third collaboration with the director and a third with producer Grazer, Crowe signed on for the part of the complicated and hardened police officer Roberts. He was interested in how Zaillian’s story captured the time and place in which the corrupt New York City, the borough of Harlem and the slightly simpler world of Roberts’ New Jersey operated as satellites of one another in the drug-fueled era. Corruption had become so rampant within the Narcotics Special Investigations Unit (SIU) community, according to journalist Mark Jacobson in “The Return of Superfly,” that “by 1977, 52 out of 70 officers who’d worked in the unit were either in jail or under indictment.” Roberts was the exception to the norm, and Crowe admired what he learned of the man.
With the two lead talents in place, the filmmakers filled out the enormous all-star ensemble with more than 30 principal roles. Working behind the scenes to bring this remarkable story to the screen, Scott and Grazer also assembled a crew of top-notch craftspersons. They include acclaimed cinematographer Harris Savides (Zodiac, The Yards), BAFTA-winning production designer Arthur Max (Gladiator, Black Hawk Down), Academy Award®-winning costume designer Janty Yates (Gladiator, De-Lovely), two-time Oscar®-winning editor Pietro Scalia (JFK, Black Hawk Down) and composer Marc Streitenfeld (A Good Year).
Executive producers of the drama include Nicholas Pileggi, Zaillian, Branko Lustig, Jim Whitaker and Michael Costigan.

Jscene:

I agree with all you said! Our culture is violent loving, sexually charged sespool of self hate and glorification of immorality. As a former gang member, call me stupid or what, but I’m a female and I grew up loving scarface and the godfather. I wanted that life style. Yes, i grew up in the hood, but I wanted to be a gangsta’s chick. I listened to rap music talking about bonnie and clyde. I saw my friends and what they did on streets and loved the money and power. I wasn’ the only one either.

Those images had an influence on me. I watched TV, but really there wasnt any positive role models to counteract the bad ones. i had my fam, but what teenager is really gonna listen to his or her parents? as a kid I thought I knew more than my moms. The school system didnt care. Believe it or not there are those who live in the suburbs that have turned to crime. I know many. There is a place for the ganster movie in our world, but there just isnt enough positive stuff for black folks, beside tyler perry.

Frank Lucas introduced a new kind of coke and herion to the streets. The stuff he had was so much more pure than the watered down stuff the mob was selling. He killed more people by introducing that stuff and more people got hooked. whoever said he was an american terrorist is correct. anyone that benefits from the murder of their own people is a domestic terrorist. He ruined harlem. yeah drugs were there, but not on that level. What he did was just as bad for the black communtiy as any klansmen, maybe worse. At least the klan hate and killed people who werent their own. All drug dealers are enslaving and killing their own people!! And the real drug kingpins, the suppliers, sit back and laugh at us while the poor people suffer. It’s like that all over the world, no matter what race you are.

The entertainment industry is a sick place. The cry and complain about stick thin chicks, then if a girl gains weight she is called fat. Nothing will change as long as we continue to buy the products that they sell. For instance Britney spears is a crzy unstable bad mother, but she has the #! Albumn. We reward bad behavior in this world!!! Alicia Keyes is fine to me, but the entertainment industy will never have a ugly thick chick as a really huge star. Looks and sex appeal is what counts, not talent. Sorry people I don’t agree with it, but thats the way it is.

Denzel and his wife are great. They are one of the few long standing hollywood marriages so we should have some respect!

#158,

why would I care what a white man likes? Why would I care what ANY man likes when it comes to MY BODY, but especially a WHITE ONE? And, I say that NOT because I find them foreign, I grew up around them and filipinos and other races and trust me…they DO NOT have a problem with our body type…lol

WOW, American Gangster really did revive the box office (but I find it harmful to a race of kids predisposed to violence and incarceration) I wonder if Jay Z’s album will fare as well…probably not…

Gemi:

I agree, who cares what a man wants really. if he don’t like you then his loss. As for white men, I have to say there are plenty of white men loving sistah’s and there are plenty of men of all colors that don’t like thin chicks, with no butt or breasts. look it up!! there are organizations and websites dedicated to thick women of all colors! I am a thick woman that has had no problem at all pulling any man no matter what his race is. It all depends on how you carry yourself and your confidence; personality, style.

Denzel’s wife be looking random like Tiffany’s mom…”Sista Patterson” on I love New York!!

Nas looks CHUNKY… not a good look…..

How is Brandy’s weave line doing?

Actually, Frank Lucas has at the very least 2 children. Francine his daughter and Frank Lucas jr. his son. But who knows, there could be more. With the popularity and glamourization of a gangster lifestyle I’m sure more and more of them will start popping up for their 15 in the limelight.

Thsi is incredible! Movies are made about people in history all the time. Hitler was a bad man. A movie was made about him and his reign of terror. People paid to see it. It is a history lesson. I thought it was interesting to learn about Harlem back in those days and what went on with our black people. No, I do not condone what lucas did. But what he did is a part of our h istory. Also, people get out of jail early all the time for cooperation. This man did 15 years of his life and was let out early for helping to uncover the largest operation of corruption in the New York police Department. What he did was wrong, he did time and now he is out. Whether he is remorseful or has repented- i dont know. Actually, none of us know. So, lets not cast judgment on the man. Denzel did a great job in the movie and the film was great. I left the theater wanted to google Frank Lucas so I can learn more because I know the movie could not tell it all. At the end of the day, it was a history lesson.

So, please people- stop with all the philosophical arguments about glorifying wrong doing.

MeatLoaf, Where have you been ?????

@35 OMG!! You must be the next top model!!! Who are you to sit around and decide who’s ugly? It’s easy to hide behind a computer screen. I bet you look like Tracy Chapman or some sh*t!! Do you have a fast car? Lmao…..I bet you don’t even know Tracy Chapman.

@58 How do you figure Alicia Keys needs Jenny Craig. You must be anorexic and think that shyt is cute. Baby, I’m here to tell you…thick is it! Skinny azz women that look sick are out. Listen to the lyrics in Kanye’s “The Good Life”. Ask your man….My bad!!!

Sup Bill!

I been chillin! Just reading…not posting!

l.l. need a mustache

nas look 15 yrs. old

brandy looks great

pauletta didn’t need the black hose. who wears pantyhose anymore?

LMFAO @ Brandy’s outfit. No this chick does not have on gray stockings!

And what kind of bird is Pauletta wearing? LOL! Ridiculous.

Alicia my baby always looking good and keeping it classy…It’s great seeing Brandy out and about can’t wait for the new album to drop it’s been way to long since Afrodisac!!

American Gangster is a movie that everyone should see because it explains “How dope made it into America” during the 60’s to the present. There is a line in the film from an actor who says “What do you want us to say - America is trafficing drugs?” But - that is the truth.
Hollywood has been glamorizing the “Gangster” for quite a while. Actors gravitate to these roles because they do make for interesting characters and the actor can play it up. Look at how Bonnie & Clyde made American folklore by their exploits of bank-robbing. As an audience, we are fasinated by these types and want to know what drives them, A great actor brings these characters to life by giving them something the public can digest and understand. The movie is only going to be as good as the script, director and actors. This movie accomplishes all three with a powerhouse of “can’t miss” personnel.

listen i know frank lucus he and my grandfather are best of friends. frank is not broke!!! he might not have as much as he did but he still has millions!! if you ask him what happened to the money he will tell you hes broke because he dones not have nearly as much as he used too. and thats fact!! he lives here in jersey still big paid!!!

salut a tos