Our predictions about Star Wars Episode 7: The Force Awakens by He said She said with LA ROB & D-THE VIP

In this edition we travel to a galaxy far far away and have a discussion about the much anticipated Star Wars Episode 7 "The Force Awakens" we discuss the development of the film and talk about the Expanded Universe.

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Top 10 black actors who should play Black Panther in a Marvel movie

Click link to play podcast of He said She said-Top 10 actors to play Marvel's Black Panther in a movie.

With the impending release of Guardians of the Galaxy the door opens for more obscure Marvel properties.  I for one can't wait for a big screen adaptation to Marvel's Black Panther. 

Who is the Black Panther?

He is a comic book character created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby his alter ego is T'Challa chief tribal leader of the the Panther Tribe of the advanced African nation of Wakanda.  Panther got his powers from the Panther God which grants him superhuman strength speed, stamina reflexes and agility at Olympic levels.  He has genius level intellect a master at hand to hand combat and has retractable vibranium claws (WHICH CAN SLICE THROUGH ANY SUBSTANCE) and has gone toe to toe with Captain America on numerous occasions. 

He would have to be played by a black actor who has screen presence and knows martial arts.  Here are my top 10 choices. 

#10 Ice T

Age 56

The ICE BERG has charisma and is in fabulous shape at his age.  He comes from an extensive military and gymnastic background.  However ICE doesn't have extensive martial arts training but if anyone could pull off Black Panther this light-skinned New Jack brutha could do it. 

#9 Brian White 

Age 39

Brian has the look and the screen presence.  He played a minor role in "Cabin in the Woods" where he played a security officer in this role he played a character with a mysterious background if anyone can add gravitas to the Black Panther its this guy.

#8 Bob Sapp 

Age 40

Bob Sapp doesn't have much on-screen experience but he is a mixed martial arts master with 11 wins and he is a scary man who would bring much needed physicality to the role.  

#7 Kevin Kimbo Slice

Age 40 

Anyone who calls himself Kimbo Slice is someone to be feared.  Rolling stone called him "The King of the Web Brawlers"  Real name Kevin Ferguson has had roles in "The Scorpion king 3" and the "The Circle of Pain" If I was casting I would take a chance on this guy because he knows how to emote for the camera and needs little training because he is an expert MMA fighter by trade. 

#6 Quinton Rampage Jackson  

Age 36

Mixed martial artist Quinton Rampage Jackson has been in Nike commercials, appeared in WWE Monday Night Raw and had a starring role in "The A-Team" reboot he would be a prime choice to play Black Panther because he already has a rabid fan base. 

# 5 Peter Mensah 

Age 54

Who could forget the ill-fated Persian messenger from the "this is Sparta" scene from 300 where his character is pushed into a well---- or the warrior trainer in the "Spartacus: Blood and Sand" and most recently in 2014's 300: Rise of an Empire.  Peter Mensah has an extensive filmography in both motion pictures and series work.  His character "Oenomaus" in "Spartacus: Blood and Sand" can crack the whip like a pro.  For my money I wouldn't mind seeing this talented actor play Black Panther.  

# 4 Morris Chestnut 

Age 45

You wanna talk about star power lets talk about Morris Chestnut believe it or not he has had extensive martial arts training and is in great shape.  This is the man who played Ricky Baker in Boyz n the Hood which was a landmark film about life in the ghetto.  Chestnut has that all too important ability to make us care for a character.  If he played the superhero Black Panther he would bring a debonair quality to the character and surprise us with his expertise in hand to hand action.

#3 Wesly Snipes

Age 51

Long rumored to be up for this role this was almost my number one selection.  Snipes surprised me with his spot on portrayal of Blade the vampire hunter he has skill physicality and can handle a sword like no ones business.  His acting ability is legendary he will appear in 2014's The Expendables alongside a bevy of action stars from the 80's.  At 51 Snipes is mature in his age but he is as sharp as he ever was let's get him into costume now! 

#2 Taimak 

Age 50

Remember this guy?  Sure you do he was in the 1985 martial arts cult film "The Last Dragon" where he played Leroy Green.  Taimak has the look and persona appropriate for Black Panther.  He would be great in this role because he is in remarkable shape and is a face we haven't seen in a while and ripe for a come back.   

#1 Michael Jai White 

Age 46

For my number one I'm going with actor Michael Jai White because hands down he can bring it and he is fun to watch.  I imagine Black Panther to be charismatic and cool but can kick ass like an old master.  He can do comedy well as seen in Tyler Perry's  "Why did I get Married?"  He has the star power to create a Black Panther franchise and I would love to see this actor interact with THE AVENGERS.

Paranormal activity at the Cecil Hotel: Why does negative energy attach itself to certain properties?

In the paranormal world I believe that certain grounds are sacred particularly those where tragic events took place.  The plantations in the Antebellum South, Auschwitz, Indian burial grounds and Ground Zero are all hollowed grounds not necessarily haunted but it wouldn't be a good idea to desecrate them.

When sacred grounds are desecrated strange phenomena  has been recorded by ghost hunters, evidenced by EVP (electronic voice perception) orb photos believed to be the ghosts of restless human spirits with unfinished business.  On the more sinister side it is believed to be demonic entities with an agenda to cause pain and suffering.  

Some places are magnets for negative energy examples include: The Middle East particularly because conflicts in this part of the world stretch back for centuries and are on going.  Abortion clinics are magnets for negative energy due to the guilt, shame and anger associated with these buildings.  Crime scenes and households where evil is allowed to incubate.  Households may become haunted due to people dabbling in the black arts specifically Ouija Boards so when it comes to the Cecil Hotel I prefer to look at it as a magnet for negative activity due to it's history of homicides.  Cecil made headlines on February 19th 2013 when the body of Elisa Lam a 21 year-old-Canadian student was found inside one of the water supply tanks.

Hotel guests had complained of low water pressure and water that "tasted funny."  Authorities later ruled Lam's death as an accidental drowning.  Surveillance video taken from inside the elevator showed Lam acting strangely.  Today the Cecil Hotel remains open and rebranded as "Stay on Main."  Let me set the record straight I believe in God and I believe that evil exists.  I have issues with most ghost hunting evidence.  It can easily be faked and a lot of the theories fall into pseudo science.  Since we can't capture a ghost and interview it no one can truly become an expert on the paranormal.  Upon my investigation of the Cecil hotel I can deduce that it is indeed creepy and may be haunted.  I can't rule out the possibility of foul play.

I believe a guest or someone on the hotel's staff murdered Elisa Lam.  In the surveillance video Lam is seen conversing with someone off camera.  I believe it was the killer.  Somehow she was lured back to his room and drowned in a bathtub then at night----- under cover of darkness he dragged Lam's body up the fire escape and dumped her in the water tank.  This is just my opinion but someone associated with the hotel has a secret.


Check out the video I made about the history of the Cecil Hotel and tell me if you think its haunted.

LA Rob is back from hiatus and getting it done!---2014 is a year of solutions!

It's been a LONG TIME since I posted here.  Honestly its because I've been busy living life and doing things.  Time is a funny thing when your young, you can't wait to become and adult and when you become one your so busy you don't notice how fast it moves.  I am not at all bitter about the passage of time because that is normal.  I believe it is the little experiences that shape us into individuals.


Most importantly it is FAILURE that makes us succeed.  I still remember all the people telling me not to move to California and the challenges I faced living here but you know what I learned?

MAN UP----LIFE IS HARD!!!! Life is a strategy game and at best we have 80 years to get it right if we're lucky---because some day we will reach an age where time decides certain life goals are no longer options.

Making movies is something I fell into.  I never wanted to be a director I simply fancied seeing my stories in 3D with human beings inhabiting my characters and those characters serving as avatars for an audience.  Cinema to me is more than a hobby more than a source of entertainment for me a good film can change the way I perceive the world.

Living in Hollywood these past five years has showed me that they don't want  us "black people" to weld any kind of meaningful influence in the industry.  Which brings me to my previous thought MAN UP!!! It may be 2014 and we have a black president but step inside a Paramount LOT and you can clearly see there are very few African Americans calling the shots.

This realization was a shock at first but it drove me explore alternative means of getting my work out.  Basically be so good they can't ignore you!

MY SHORT FILM "PREAMBLE" WAS CREATED FOR THE 2014 CFC COMPETITION

MY SHORT FILM FROM COLLEGE "DEVIL'S BLUE" MADE IN 2004

Not looking for compliments just demonstrating that if you do something enough you will improve as long you work hard at it.

My goals for this year is to get another car and finally shoot "So Much Alike" watch the trailer and prepare for the second LA ROB renaissance!

MY TRAILER FOR "SO MUCH ALIKE"

The Wolverine 2013 Review B+

The Wolverine is the follow up to the disappointing X-Men Origins movie.  This film takes the elements we like about the character and takes it to the next level.  What we get is a Yukuza action flick which isn't a bad thing.  The action sequences are marvelously staged and the cinematography is above average.  Director James Mangold is at the helm of this sequel spin off.  Mangold's previous work includes 3:10 to Yuma and the forgettable Knight and Day with Tom Cruse and Cameraon Diaz. 

We first see the Wolverine played by Hugh Jackman locked in a cage for some unspecified reason just before the H-Bomb is dropped on Hiroshima.  Wolverine saves a guard from the nuclear blast by using his bodies healing ability to absorb the flames.  Years later Wolverine is living like a nomad presumably still devastated by the events of X-Men 3.  In the previous film  he is forced to kill Jean Grey aka The Phoenix and becomes so traumatized by this event he chooses to live off the grid.  Conflict happens when his only friend a burly grizzly bear is severely injured by a gang of hunters and Wolverine is forced to end the bears suffering. 

Seeking retribution Wolverine tracks down the hunters and lets them now how unhappy he is about the situation.  I had a problem with this scene because it is a bit of a stretch how he randomly runs into a character named Yukio played by Rila Fukushima.  She is a deadly assassin with precognitive mutant abilities.  I would assume she used her psychic abilities to find Wolverine at that particular bar because it isn't explicitly stated in the movie.

 Yukio convinces Logan to fly to Japan to meet an old friend who we find out is the guard he saved from nuclear blast years ago and is currently on his death bed.  He summoned Wolverine because he wants his mutant healing ability.  Logan is unwilling to help him because he believes death is a natural end.

From this point on the story is about everyone trying to rob the Wolverine of his mutant powers.  I get the feeling that this film largely caters to the Asian film market with it subtle and not so subtle nods to Asian culture.  The movie is very much a Yukuza action flick where we see Wolverines use his claws as deadly weapons, slicing and dicing foes explicitly riding the line between PG-13 and R Rated violence.  I enjoyed the creative action sequences particularly one taking place on top of a 300mph bullet train.  The set design is phenomenal and the cinematography is exceptional giving the movie a particularly slick look.  

The pacing doesn't seem to slow down and stays centrally focused on the Wolverine character.  I would have liked some acknowledgment of the bigger events going on in this expanding marvel universe.  I wanted to know what The Avengers and Shield were currently up to.   My only complaint is that the computer graphics are quite obvious in certain scenes and particularly unnecessary in others.  There is one where  Jackman as Wolverine is in the woods walking along side a computer generated bear.  I don't know if it was an insurance issues but the filmmakers could have had a real bear for that shot.  I have to acknowledge the rigorous training regiment Jackman must have endeared to look the way he does on camera.  According to fit magazines Jackman is taking training advice from former professional wrestler Dwayne Johnson. 

The Wolverine is quality entertainment and a recommended travel movie.  Stay for the credits as they lead into the next instalment Bryan Singer's Days of Future Past.  See The Wolverine in theaters B+! 

The Last Fall 2013 Review B+

The Last Fall is a independent film directed by Matthew Cherry.  It is about a professional football player transitioning to life after the game.  Its allot like Love and Basketball meets Any Given Sunday.  I enjoyed the myth busting aspect of this movie with regards to a professional athletes actual salary. Unlike other professional sports football players don't get a guaranteed contract.  When Kyle Bishop (played by Lance Gross) is cut from his team the situation is very jarring for him.  He returns to his hometown embarrassed and broke, his friends are surprised to see him and they are shocked when he is asking for a job.

Directed by Matthew Cherry a former professional football player himself Cherry relocated to Los Angeles and reinvented himself as a filmmaker.  He enrolled in Streetlights a non-profit production assistant training program that teaches people of limited means to become production assistants.  Cherry began his career on the sets of The Game, Heroes and Girlfriends.  The Last Fall was his directorial debut and I find it impressive how Cherry was able to wrangle all these elements in a effective manner.  

Watching this movie I felt the protagonist was sympathetic enough for me to root for however I find the ending a bit of a letdown.  Spoiler alert the main character has to make a critical decision but the movie ends before he makes it.  I can appreciate an opened ended ending but I found it unsatisfying.  I would have preferred to see the main character make the tough decision to continue playing football or explore a new life with his college sweetheart.  This ending nullifies his previous struggle.  

For an independent movie it is unique in that it is largely devoid of racial stereotypes contains little if any profanity or drug use and no nudity.  As a first time director this film is a triumph of technique and cinematography.  I applaud any minority filmmaker that can get a good movie in the can.  I am grading The Last Fall a B+ I look forward to Cherry's next project. 

North Hollywood comic book shop oasis for the imagination.

North Hollywood is a transient town just behind the Hollywood sign and down the street from Universal Studios.  Everyday people with big dreams are always coming and going determined to make there mark in the city of stars.  This is a town of dreamers so its only natural that a comic book shop open in the heart of NoHo.  Located on Lankershim and down the street from Starbucks Blast Off comics is a welcomed oasis for the imagination. 

This is a play ground for the imagination complete with an owner with almost super human abilities.  When asked about a particular title he has an encyclopedic, almost rain man knowledge of all comic books.  

Name any title he can immediately zero in on the the title, writer, year and publisher.... freaky!  Blast Off also specializes in rare comics and collectibles.  I was most impressed by a display bust of Christopher Reeve as Superman from the 1978 movie. 

What I enjoy is the atmosphere the shop is clean and organized it even has a section for young people complete with age appropriate reading material.

I particularly enjoy this shop because it has one of the best graphic novel collections this side of the valley.  Every time I visit I get a good vibe unlike other comic books stores were I feel pressured to buy something as opposed to taking my time to appreciate the artwork so this is indeed a browse friendly store.  

Blast Off Comics is worth your time the owners are passionate about comic books but most importantly they provide good customer service put this place on your radar.