Black Meetings and Tourism

Happy Black History Month! Take a moment to learn something new about Black culture. February 14 is Valentines Day. Tell someone you love them. March is fast approaching. Go out and smell the roses. And, don't forget to check out one or more of the following. PORTLAND JAZZ The Portland Jazz Festival , set for Feb. 13-22, will celebrate the 70th anniversary of Blue Note Records with each of the festival headline concerts featuring current or past Blue Note artists. The roster will include Dianne Reeves , Cassandra Wilson , Terence Blanchard , McCoy Tyner , the Portland Jazz Orchestra and more. The festival will have more than a dozen Jazz Conversations, four middle school performances of The Incredible Journey of Jazz , 10 free performances by Oregon student musicians at the PDX Jazz Pavilion at Pioneer Courthouse Square , and three two-hour workshops and master classes conducted by members of the Portland Jazz Orchestra , (the resident ensemble of the Portland Jazz Festival). For information: pdxjazz.com or (503) 228-JAZZ. PAFF The 17th Annual Pan African Film & Arts Festival (PAFF) is set for Feb. 5-16, at the Culver Plaza Theatre in Culver City, CA. Opening this year's festival is the South African drama Jerusalema directed by Ralph Zinman . Actress Marla Gibbs will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award . Actor Omar Benson Miller ( Miracle at St. Anna ) has been selected for the PAFF Canada Lee Award . California Assembly Speaker Karen Bass will receive the Community Service Award for her commitment to supporting the exhibition of film, art and creative expression. The PAFF Art Market , featuring 100 different artists and artisans, will remain at the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza (3650 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.). This year's celebrity host is actor Blair Underwood . For information: www.paff.org. ALOHA The Honolulu Arts & Culture Events will take place through March 2009. There will be a host of events throughout February and March, including the Hawaii Potters Guild ; free slam poetry writing and performance workshops for teens; opera and jazz for kids; On the Spot: Outrageous Improv Comedy , an Expression Session designed for kids ages 5-12; The Carnival of the Pacific , an annual Mardi Gras-style street festival; Live From The Lawn – Hot Latin Night , featuring flamenco jazz performances by Sambanda and Capoeira , and more. For information: (808) 351-5800 or www.artswithaloha.com. AT THE MOVIES Madea is back! TYLER PERRY'S MADEA GOES TO JAIL , ( Lionsgate ) will hit screens Feb. 20. This time America's favorite irreverent, pistol-packin' grandmother is raising hell behind bars and jockeying for her free- dom...Hallelujer! The movie, produced, written and directed by Tyler Perry , stars Keisha Knight Pulliam , Viola Davis and Derek Luke . The film is rated PG-13. JANKEY PROMOTERS stars Ice Cube , Mike Epps , Terry Crews , Little JJ and Cisco Reyes . Written by Ice Cube, the comedy is directed by Marcus Raboy . Jankey Promoters follows the shenanigans of a pair of shady con- cert promoters (Cube and Epps), self-described "Modesto's finest," who get in over their heads when they get a shot at booking a big-name hip-hop act. The movie is in theaters nationwide March 27. AN "OCEAN" VIEW Actor Bernie Casey stars in the award-winning film, When I Find the Ocean , currently out on DVD for Black History Month. The family-friendly film, set in 1965, features a recreation of the historic civil rights march in Selma, Alabama. The movie follows the journey of a little white girl ( Lily Matland Holly ) who sets out to find the ocean and peace with her father, who died at sea. Casey, who is a former NFL player, stars as a tugboat captain who befriends the girl during a time of severe civil unrest. "When I Find The Ocean" also stars Lee Majors and Diane Ladd . Tonya S. Holly wrote and directed the film. B Y D A R L E N E C . D O N L O E – A R T S & E N T E R T A I N M E N T E D I T O R Black Meetings & Tourism February/March 2009: www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com 16

• Cover