Music & Movie Mojo: Chicago Latino Film Festival, The Jacksons' Summer Tour, Ice Cube Searches For The Coldest MC, & New DVD Releases

The International Latino Cultural Center of Chicago (ILCC) presents the 28th Annual Chicago Latino Film Festival (CLFF) from April 13-26. CLFF features over 100 films from Latin America, Spain and the United States. CLFF aims to promote Latino arts and culture by emphasizing films that portray examples of the vast diversity in Latin America and that challenge Latino stereotypes. During the majority of screenings, the audience will have the opportunity to participate in discussions with local and visiting filmmakers.

What began in 1985 with 14 films projected onto a concrete wall for 500 viewers, gave birth to the Chicago Latino Film Festival and has developed into a premiere Latino cultural organization with year round, multi-arts programming.

In an effort to highlight the importance of the artistic and educational value of all films, CLFF is non-competitive with the exception of the coveted Audience Choice Award, as determined by the filmgoers and the Gloria Achievement Award. Since 1999, the Gloria Award has been given as a special recognition to individuals and institutions for their outstanding contributions to the Latino arts.

Official website: http://www.chicagolatinofilmfestival.org/

Photo: Michael Ochs/Getty Images

The most legendary family in music history is returning to the stage this summer with highly-anticipated Unity Tour 2012. A worldwide sensation since the 1970s, the Jacksons unveiled their line-up of U.S. tour dates today. Beginning June 18, 2012 and scheduled through July 29, 2012, this extraordinary reunion tour marks the first time siblings Jackie, Jermaine, Marlon and Tito Jackson have toured together since their groundbreaking Victory Tour in 1984.

Beloved by millions of fans across the globe for their soulful, sunny sound, contagious stage presence, and unforgettable roster of hits, the Jacksons first achieved international superstardom with their late brother Michael -- becoming the first group ever to have their first four singles hit #1 on the Billboard Charts.

Throughout their four-decade long career, the group revolutionized music and pop culture, getting inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997. The Unity Tour 2012 will be yet another milestone for the Jacksons, bringing the most famous family in music back together for a historic series of shows.
"This is a dream coming true," said Jackie Jackson of the tour. "I can't believe this is finally happening. There's nothing like having all the brothers on stage at the same time. This will be exciting for our fans around the world-- and I know at each concert, MJ's spirit will be in the house with us."

Honoring Michael's memory and bringing the fans all the timeless hits they know and love is also paramount for Jermaine Jackson. "I am so happy and excited to perform again onstage with my brothers," he said. "I can't wait to sing all the songs that were so much a part of all of our lives. We are ready and committed to keep the family's legacy alive and perform once again with the highest level of excellence, creativity, and most of all, integrity."

A dynasty unlike any other, the Jackson family's impossibly catchy brand of pop-funk changed music forever. With their record-shattering catalogue of hits, they remain the biggest-selling family in music of all time. Don't miss your chance to witness music history firsthand this summer when the world-renown Jacksons reunite for the Unity Tour 2012. Current tour dates are listed below, with additional dates forthcoming. Tickets go on sale in select cities on Friday, April 6th. For more information and tour dates, please go to www.thejacksons.com
 

THE JACKSONS - 2012 SUMMER TOUR
DATE	DAY	CITY/STATE	VENUE:
6/18	Mon	Louisville, KY	Palace Theatre
6/19	Tue	Cincinnati, OH	PNC Pavilion at Riverbend Music Center
6/20	Wed	Rama, ON	Casino Rama
6/22	Fri	Merrillville, IN	Star Plaza Theatre
6/23	Sat	Detroit, MI	Fox Theatre
6/24	Sun	Kettering, OH	Fraze Pavilion
6/26	Tues	Cleveland, OH	Jacob's Pavilion
6/28	Thurs	New York, NY	Apollo
6/29	Fri	Atlantic City, NJ	Borgata
6/30	Sat	Englewood, NJ	Bergen PAC
7/1	Sun	Baltimore, MD	Lyric Opera House
7/3	Tues	Washington, DC	DAR Constitution Hall
7/6	Fri	Raleigh, NC	Raleigh Amphitheatre
7/7	Sat	Charlotte, NC	Time Warner Cable Uptown Amphitheatre
7/8	Sun	Atlanta, GA	Chastain Park
7/10	Tues	Nashville, TN	Ryman Auditorium
7/11	Weds	St. Louis, MO	Fox Theatre
7/13	Fri	Dallas, TX	Verizon Theatre
7/14	Sat	Houston, TX	Bayou Music Theatre (Verizon Theatre)
7/17	Tues	Albuquerque, NM	Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
7/18	Weds	Phoenix, AZ	Dodge (Comerica Theater)
7/20	Fri	Las Vegas, NV	The Cannery
7/21	Sat	San Diego, CA	Harrah's Rincon
7/22	Sun	Los Angeles, CA	The Greek
7/27	Fri	Saratoga, CA	The Mountain Winery
7/28	Sat	Lincoln City, OR	Chinook Winds Casino
7/29	Sun	Snoqualmie, WA	Snoqualmie Casino

Coors Light® is partnering with hip-hop pioneer Ice Cube for the Coors Light Search for the Coldest program, a national talent search for the best MC in the country. Garnering more than 140,000 online votes in 2011, its inaugural year, the program is quickly becoming a platform for up-and-coming MCs to showcase their skills to a broad, national audience.
"I've had the opportunity to grow my career into many areas, but hip-hop is where it all began for me," said Ice Cube. "As a fresh and innovative brand, Coors Light is a natural fit with the hip-hop community, so I'm excited to partner with Coors Light to find the next Coldest MC in the country."
Coors Light Search for the Coldest will include a regional tour and competition featuring high-octane concerts with celebrity appearances and performances. MCs will compete to make it to the finale in New York City, where hip-hop heavy hitters Ice Cube, DJ Drama and DJ Khaled will decide who will be crowned 2012's Coldest MC. The grand prize winner will receive the opportunity to develop a single track by a celebrity producer, studio time and their song featured on the Coors Light Search for the Coldest Mix tape. Last year, PyInfamous was crowned the Coldest MC and opened for hip-hop acts N.E.R.D. and Pac Div in New Orleans during the ESSENCE® Music Festival.
"Coors Light is known as The World's Most Refreshing Beer and hip-hop has always been about what's fresh and new in music. Who better than Ice Cube, a hip-hop pioneer, to help Coors Light identify the Coldest upcoming MC?" says Mwanza Lumumba, brand manager, Coors Light African American marketing. "We're proud to design a program that recognizes aspiring artists within the hip-hop community."
Coors Light Search for the Coldest also continues its partnership with OurStage, a leading destination for new music discovery, who provides opportunities for emerging artists to open for, be mentored by, or collaborate with established artists. The website, www.SearchForTheColdest.com, will allow hip-hop fans to vote for the artist they believe should advance to the final round of the competition. Fans will also have the chance to win daily prizes, including trips to the ESSENCE Music Festival, and the Search for the Coldest grand finale in New York City.
Contest Overview:
Contestant Submissions: April 1 – May 15
The competition begins with online submissions in which emerging MCs upload an audio track or video of an original composition to www.SearchForTheColdest.com, between April 1 and May 15, to be voted on by fans and celebrity judges.
Voting: April 1 – July 10
Legal-drinking-age consumers can vote for their favorite MC from April 1 – July 10, and the top contestants will be selected to perform in the semifinals.
Semifinalists
Eight semifinalists will be chosen through both online submissions and via live performances in select markets.  The final eight will fall into the following categories:

• New York-based semifinalist, chosen via online submission
• New Orleans-based semifinalist, chosen via online submission
• Video channel semifinalist, best video submitted
• Best live-performance challenge in Baltimore on June 20
• Best live-performance challenge in Philadelphia on June 21
• Best live-performance challenge in Atlanta on June 28
• Best live-performance challenge in Charlotte on June 30
• Wild card semifinalist, best MC among all other markets

The semifinal events will feature celebrity appearances and performances. All eight semifinalists will make it to the grand finale in New York City for a chance to be crowned Coldest MC.
Grand Finale: July 26
Contest finalists will battle it out in New York City. Celebrity judges Ice Cube, DJ Drama and DJ Khaled will select the contestant who will be crowned the Coldest MC and awarded the grand prize.
For competition rules and details, visit http://www.SearchForTheColdest.com.

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol debuts on DVD and Blu- Ray on April 17th. Blamed for the terrorist bombing of the Kremlin, IMF operative Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) is disavowed along with the rest of the agency when the President initiates "Ghost Protocol".

Left without any resources or backup, Ethan must find a way to clear his agency's name and prevent another attack. To complicate matters further, Ethan is forced to embark on this mission with a team of fellow IMF fugitives whose personal motives he does not fully know.

Ghost Protocol also stars Jeremy Renner, Paula Patton, and Ving Rhames.

Before making Hollywood hits such as THE FUGITIVE, UNDER SIEGE, HOLES , and THE GUARDIAN Andrew Davis’s first love was music.  Shot in 1977, STONY ISLAND is a soulful, feel-good tale about the hopes and aspirations of a group of young musicians who form an R&B band in their multi-racial Chicago neighborhood.  Davis wrote and produced the film with fellow Chicagoan Tamar Hoffs. The film features the cinematic acting debuts of Dennis Franz, Susanna Hoffs, Rae Dawn Chong, and Meshach Taylor, with musical performances by saxophone legend Gene ‘Daddy G’ Barge, the Stony Island Band, and multi-Grammy award winning jazz artist David Sanborn. On April 24, 2012, Cinema Libre Studio will proudly release for the first time on DVD and digital platforms Mr. Davis’ first feature film STONY ISLAND.

 

“My kid brother, Richie, was a budding guitar player and I was a young cameraman struggling to get into the union, wanting to cross over to directing. I wanted to make a film about how we grew up on the south side of Chicago . We made STONY ISLAND with Richie’s neighborhood buddies, a handful of Chicago legends and some of my California film crew,” says Davis who began his feature film career as an assistant cameraman during the infamous Democratic Convention in the summer of ’68 on Haskell Wexler’s classic, MEDIUM COOL (in homage to MEDIUM COOL’s reality based drama, STONY ISLAND captures Mayor Richard J. Daley's 1976 funeral). Wexler’s ultra-realistic approach influenced Davis who went on to become an award-winning cinematographer of commercials, documentaries and features before crossing over to big budget movie directing.

 

Co-written and produced by Andrew Davis and Tamar Hoffs (who has since become a director in her own right), the film was shot by Davis’ former assistant cameraman Tak Fujimoto (who went on to shoot such blockbusters as THE SIXTH SENSE, SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, and PHILADELPHIA) and edited by Dov Hoenig (THE FUGITIVE, HEAT).  STONY ISLAND was made for only $350,000 on the mean streets of Chicago at a time when movies were rarely allowed to shoot in the city.

 

The cast included Richie Davis (now a Chicago guitar legend, and founding member of the beloved Chicago Catz) in the lead with Tamar’s daughter, Susanna Hoffs (later of the Bangles) as his love interest.  Subsequent to performing in Stony Island, several cast members went on to achieve great success, including Dennis Franz of NBC’s ‘NYPD Blue’ fame, Rae Dawn Chong (daughter of Tommy Chong, QUEST FOR FIRE, THE COLOR PURPLE), Meshach Taylor (‘Designing Women’) and George Englund, (son of Cloris Leachman, now a producer).

 

STONY ISLAND is driven by the music, with a score crafted by David Matthews (who started his career as the bandleader for James Brown and went on to work with Simon and Garfunkel, Julian Lennon, Robert Plant, Paul McCartney, Frank Sinatra and Billy Joel).  The Grammy-award winning Gene Barge (known as ‘Daddy G’ from his days with Gary and the US Bonds) supervised the fictional Stony Island Band in addition to playing saxophone and starring in the film.  Barge had served for years as staff producer at Chicago ’s legendary Chess Records, working with artists such as Muddy Waters, Buddy Guy and later touring with the Rolling Stones.  Ronnie Barron, who passed away in 1997, was a legendary New Orleans musician and protégé of Little Richard who recorded with Dr. John, Ry Cooder, The Animals, Louis Prima, Paul Butterfield, and Tom Waits. The multi Grammy Award-winning ® saxophonist David Sanborn plays alto sax on the score and Davis’ college classmate, Tomlinson Holman, who went on to invent and codify the THX standard for audio quality, was instrumental in recording the soundtrack for the film.