Rych McCain Hollyhood Notes

Friday, September 5, 2014

Sylvester Stallone - Film

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Sylvester Stallone - Film

By Rych McCain, International/Nationally Syndicated Entertainment Columnist

By Rych McCain, www.twitter.com/rychmccain and Facebook (Like Me)

Sylvester Stallone

Keeps The Expendables Momentum Revved Up!

Photos Lionsgate

Sylvester Stallone

He is the first actor/writer/producer in Hollywood history to create and have three highly successful film franchises i.e., “Rocky,” “Rambo” and now “The Expendables.” When this fact is brought up, Sylvester Stallone somewhat shirks it off as just another day at the office. The man lends credibility to the notion that the bigger one is; the less importance they put on themselves. Stallone’s latest installment “The Expendables 3” on one hand is more of the same from the last two films but on the other hand it brings a fresh facelift with a new set of younger crew members that mix in with the original vets. This adds a whole new dynamic that the fans of the franchise will appreciate while drawing first time younger converts into the fold.

When asked about the longevity of the franchise Stallone jokes, “After the 5^th Expendables you start wearing Dependables. You just keep going.”

Mel Gibson

In this installment, Mel Gibson plays the master bad guy Conrad Stonebanks who is an international arms dealer among other illicit activities. Stonebanks and Barney Ross (Stallone) were the two who originally formed The Expendables but they split and Ross though he had killed Stonebanks when he crossed over to the other side a decade earlier. A showdown fight scene finally comes to a head. How much fun was it to film that scene? Stallone explains, “It was good. You know it varies in situations in actual sports where you have rivalries get together; two people that have actually done very well in their own world. Then you say I wonder how they would do against each other. So when that finally happens it becomes an event. And yes a contact is made and you do get hurt. Its freezing there (filmed in Bulgaria) the water and you say oh my God I’m not going to do it again but you have to do it again. So I’ve been looking forward to it. Mel is a great athlete. He’s very fast, very strong and it was great being punched by him.”

L-R Harrison Ford and Sly Stallone

Bruce Willis had played “Church” in the first two films so what happen with this installment where he was not in it and his character was killed off? Stallone says, “Things didn’t work out then Harrison Ford came along. That happens in films and casting. That’s just the way it is; nothing personal. It sounds like it got personal and I’m sorry it did sound that way but it was just actors talking and things move on. I think Bruce Willis is a great guy and he does fantastically entertaining films. When he nails it, he nails it big time.”

Barney (Stallone) leads squad on reconnaissance

In day and time where there is so much gun violence happening how does Stallone defend making this kind of film? He gives an overview, “First of all there is no blood and ours is so over the top that it isn’t something that you would expect people to repeat. It’s a very sensitive thing and I really don’t know what the answer is. We just try to make it so it looks as though it’s a fantasy. It isn’t real. Some times I think when you make a movie, some movies can get so real then you say hum I can do that. There are not a lot of people that can do what the Expendables can do.”

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The Ladies Of "Sisterhood Of Hip Hop" - TV

By Rych McCain, International/Nationally Syndicated Entertainment Columnist

By Rych McCain, www.twitter.com and Facebook (Like Me)!

The Ladies of “Sisterhood Of Hip Hop”

Keeping The Game Real!

Photos Courtesy The Oxygen Network

L-R: Nyemiah, Bia, Brianna, Diamond and Siya

On Tuesday, August 12 (9 PM ET/PT) The Oxygen Network will premiere a new reality series titled “Sisterhood Of Hip Hop.” The show is centered on the dreams, aspirations and challenges of being a female MC in the male dominated rap game. The cast includes female rappers Brianna Perry, Nyemiah Supreme, Siya, Diamond and Bia. Every one of these ladies brings unique talent and skills to the table and they are not only set out to claim their stake in rap stardom but do it in the spirit of empowerment, cooperation and sisterhood as a group. This is what really needs to be seen by our youth who have been psychologically programmed that rappers can’t or don’t get along. The show is produced by 51 Minds with Christian Sarabia, T.I., Rabih Gholam and Roy Orecchio serving as executive producers.

Brianna

As with all reality shows, these ladies’ lives will become an open book to millions of viewers. Are they ready for that kind of scrutiny? Brianna responds saying “I think its pretty dope that the world is about to get an open look on us and our grid and everything that we’re doing. We have been working pretty hard. We have a lot of exciting things about to pop off i.e., a lot of new music and visuals so just to have the world be on this journey with us is pretty cool.

Nyemiah Supreme

I’m excited.” Nyemiah chimes in saying, “I’m really excited/scared at the same time. I’m totally excited for us to get the chance to open up to a whole new audience so it’s not just music listeners it’d TV watchers. And then I am a little scared because I know they get vicious when it comes to TV trying to tear people down but I know they’re going to love our music and love what we have to offer so I’m just totally hyped.”

Siya

Siya follows saying, “Honestly, I’m speechless.” Siya is openly gay and when asked what kind of challenges that presents to her she explains, “It really haven’t been Challenges’ per say because I am gay, it’s just been the whole image factor. The fact that I won’t change how I look for the hip hop industry or anyone for that matter. I’m very proud of the fact that I am openly gay and I take pride in being the first of my kind. And really, can’t nobody tell me s**t about it so challenges, there really aren’t any!”

How was it to deal with cameras being on them all the time while taping the show? Nyemiah laughs, “I went into it just prepared that I will spill out some of the things that I don’t want the world to know and let a bit of my secrets to go. So I mentally prepared myself for this. At first is definitely was a little uncomfortable just trying to have conversations with people like management, family and there’s a camera starring at you. It took a lot of adjustment but by the time we were almost finished I felt like I was a pro at it.

Diamond

Diamond has accumulated a lot of experience and industry knowledge since her ground breaking days as a member of the platinum hit making group “Crime Mobb.” What would she say to the show’s viewers who are new and trying to break into the game? She advises, “My first thing would be to definitely make sure you always have a lawyer (preferably a music industry attorney) to look over all of your contracts and everything because a smile and a handshake does not match what you think is on a piece of paper because its 90% business, 10% entertainment. Also, never give up, always keep pushing. It’s a male dominated game so it’s hard but if people continue see you keep going no matter what; eventually they’ll learn to respect you.”

Bia

How does the theme of sisterhood play out with the group? Bia explains, “I think it plays into respect and being a woman and having the same core values like we each want to win and it would be great to see other women winning at the top so it’s nothing better than us helping each other to get where we need to go. So I think that’s what sisterhood means at the end of the day.”

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Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Kelly Noonan and Joey Kern In "Beneath" - Film

By Rych McCain International/Nationally Syndicated Entertainment Columnist

By Rych McCain, www.twitter.com/rychmccain and Facebook (Like Me)

Kelly Noonan And Joey Kern

Ride The Edge Under Ground In “Beneath”

Photos by IFC Midnight Films

In the coal mining belt of the country, miners and their families are ever aware of the dangers and hazards of going deep into the bowels of the earth to dig out the minerals that are needed for many purposes in industry and commercial use. Every now and then tragedy strikes in the form of a cave-in collapse underground. The new IFC Midnight film “Beneath” is based on a real life coal mine collapse but what really happened to the miners who died down there remains a mystery to this day. Some think something unexplainable may have gotten to them or maybe the lack of oxygen turning into to methane gas could have caused them to go mad and turn on each other to who knows what else. For some this movie will be a horror film and others a suspense thriller.

L Randy (Joey Kern) & Samantha (Kelly Noonan)

Two of the main characters are Kelly Noonan who plays Samantha Marsh the daughter of George Marsh who is the leader of the minors who go down. Due to his failing health, George is being forced to retire so this will be his final trip down. His daughter Sam decides to go in the shaft with him for his last trip. Joey Kern plays Randy who is Samantha’s ex. She left their small town to go to school and is now a lawyer practicing environmental law. Of course her ex-boyfriend feels less than because he’s just a hick town minor.

Sam (Noonan) in the cave

Considering the danger and drama that unfolded 600 feet underground in the mine, would she actually go that far under ground in a coal mine in real life? Noonan responds, “I don’t know. I don’t think that I would have any desire to go that deep in a mine – no.” At the beginning of the movie Noonan is all fine and the queen bee of the bar room scene but once she goes down in the earth with the all male crew she gets filthy dirty and stays that way for the duration of the flick. What was it like psychologically to be dirty for an entire film? She laughs, “I was very happy on the last day of shooting. I was praying that we didn’t have to re-shoot anything because it got real after a while.

How did the make-up people achieve that look? “Oh yeah, it was so funny. I would come in the morning and sit in the make-up chair. They would make me pretty and depending on where we were shooting that day on the script, it was about four different levels of dirty and bloody. They just started whapping me with dirt socks and brushing dirt on my face. It was pretty funny.” Men on the other hand have a different viewpoint on being dirty as Kern explains it, “I love it! “You know it’s so much easier to get into the character when you have something like that, that you can just kind of put on. You have to resign yourself that for the next five weeks or so while you’re shooting this that you are just going to get dirty every day. Those real coal minors get filthy so you really have to kind of like embrace it.” When asked if he would go down in a real mine kern is quick to respond, “Hell no! Especially not after making this movie, I feel it’s like karma. I fell like now if I did go down in a mine something bad will happen.”

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Day 26 - Music

By Rych McCain International/Nationally Syndicated Entertainment Columnist

By Rych McCain, Twitter.com/rychmccain and Facebook (Like Me)

Day 26

Back In The Saddle!

Photos VSP

In 2007 MTV aired a new show titled “Making The Band 4” During that first season finale on August 26^th the show’s creator music mogul Sean “Ditty” Combs selected five young men to form a singing group named after the 26^th day of the show that they were formed. Brian Andrews, Michael McCluney, Qwanell Mosley, Robert Curry and Willie Taylor thus became “Day 26.” They were signed to Combs’ Bad Boy/Atlantic Records. Day 26 released their debut single “Got Me Going” in January of 2008 and in march three months later released their self titled album “Day 26” that debuted a #1 on the Billboard 200 going gold selling 800,000 copies. The second single released in June failed to make the Billboard Hot 100 and only peaked at #52 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip Hop songs chart. Unfortunately a third single was scrapped

In August of 2008 the group return to the second season of the show titled “Making The Band 4 – Tour,” which saw the break up of their sister group of the show “Danity Kane.” The group followed up with their second album “Forever In A Day” which was released in April 2009 and featured Danity Kane members Dawn Richard and Aundrea Fimbres. Unfortunately the smooth sailing waters became rough and ugly as Que was having disagreements with their manager Screwface and other members of the group and he eventually left the ensemble. In November of 2011 the group released a single “Made Love Lately.” As the old saying goes, if you get a little rip in the fabric it will eventually become a big tear and that is what happened as the group eventually broke up.

By November of 2013 word surfaced via Twitter that the group had reunited. They signed with a new label BMG Rights Management. We caught up with the guys back stage at the BET Music Matters concert at the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Mall in Los Angeles and had a nutty good time. What kind of conversations did the guys have when they decided to come back together so they wouldn’t make the same mistakes that they did initially? Que said and they all agreed, “Keep it all out in front, keep it all out on the table. That was the problem the first time. Keep it all out on

Day 26 on stage in LA, BET's Music Matters Pre-BET Awards

the table and keep God first and that’s where we lost it the first time. Not letting other people in. It starts with us five and ends with us five. Not letting nobody else come in on the five and divides it up. So as long as us five take care of what we need to take care of from day one, we’ll be fine.” The group recently dropped their new EP “Return” which is FREE to download and also includes a free 26 page E Book. Brian adds, “We’ve got all hot new music and even got some things on there that the fans requested.” This is definitely a fun loving group to be around. They crack jokes, laugh and easily go with the flow but on the serious side; what would they say to upcoming groups who are subject to outsiders getting into one members ear against the others and the host of other mind games, ego trips etc. that they have to pull through.

Robert says, “You don’t need them. First and foremost, always put God first in anything that you do. But also educate yourself on this game because you’ll get into this game thinking like things should be a certain way and it’s really not that. But I mean as far as groups are concerned; yo, if that’s your group, you stay true to your brothers or sisters. As long as your group is solid nothing can infiltrate that. But when you start allowing people to come in saying oh you don’t need this person or you can do this by yourself. Of course each and every one of us has experienced that and that’s when things start to unravel. But once you keep your core with your group, nothing can stop that.”

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