Read a great interview with Daniela about the upcoming two episodes “Blye, K.” and “Blye, K, Pt.2″ as well as working with the three guys…

Read the whole scoop on ew.com.

Climbing high into the sun;

Here they come zooming to meet our thunder,

At ‘em boys, Give ‘er the gun! (Give ‘er the gun!)*

Down we dive, spouting our flame from under,

Off with one helluva roar!**

We live in fame or go down in flame. Hey!***

Nothing’ll stop the Army Air Corps!¹ 

¹ Robert MacArthur Crawford wrote what is now known as the “U.S. Air Force Song” in 1939. The original title and lyrics contained the words “Army Air Corps,” which I have used here.

Last weekend I finally made time to see Red Tails, George Lucas’ long-awaited and much-discussed epic about the experience of Tuskegee Airmen serving in Italy during World War II.  I was vaguely aware of the controversy swirling around the film: Lucas’ difficulty in securing financial and promotional backing for a “Black” project that had nothing to do with Tyler Perry; the interracial romance between two characters; the less-than-impressive box office receipts, etc.  However, none of these things explained why I was slow to add my pennies to George the Great’s coffers.  Rather, I was already quite familiar with the story of the Airmen and believed that I would not learn anything new from the movie.  I was, it turned out, wrong.

On the night I saw “Red Tails,” the audience was small but diverse.  Several young people of color were in the crowd, a fact that assaulted me with ambivalence.  On the one hand, I was glad to see people who might have a slight interest in learning some history, albeit served up in a form “based on actual events.”  On the other, I was apprehensive that the assembled masses would engage in a running — and loud — dialogue with the movie’s characters.  (Do not act surprised.  Black people are famous such cinematic interaction.)  I am pleased to report that my mixed emotions soon melted away as my senses were overwhelmed by scenes of the beautiful Italian countryside and the exhilaration of flight.

The movie took me back to a time when the freedoms I now enjoy without the slightest thought were denied to people who look like me.  Racism was not a theory; it was real, terrible, and an accepted fact of life.  The intelligence, ability, and patriotism of African-Americans were openly questioned, even in the face of a world-wide struggle against the unparalleled evil of fascism.  Indeed, there were moments when it was hard for me to tell which enemy was more reprehensible: the American officers who doubted and belittled the Tuskegee Airmen or the ruthless German pilots whom the Airmen desperately wanted to meet in battle.

While it obviously depended upon certain stock traits and characters, “Red Tails” also managed to depict African-American men who treated themselves and others with the respect that American society had denied them.  They were highly-trained professionals who took pride in what they did — and were willing to give the last full measure for a country in which they were, at best, step-citizens.  Moreover, the movie reintroduced us to the concept of shared national sacrifice during times of crisis, a sensibility that has proven to be elusive in the wars America has fought during the last decade.

When the last of the credits had rolled off the screen and the lights came up, I found myself feeling grateful to George Lucas for using his enormous wealth and influence to remind us that America is still very much a work in progress.  In our current age of economic dislocation, social media inundation (and alienation), and bitter partisanship in the corridors of leadership, it is encouraging to know that our heroes do not always have to come from a galaxy far, far away.

Glory is a better film than Red Tails, but has many of the same qualities.  Like Glory, Red Tails deals with discrimination and segregation in the army.  Throughout the beginning of the film, the characters deal with the fact they haven’t been assigned a single mission, just patrols of areas with no real enemy.

George Lucas, who executive produced the film, told Jon Stewart that studios were unwilling to make a movie with an all-black cast.  Lucas paid for the effects in the movie from his own pocketbook.  This makes sense, because the planes reminded me of the star-fighters from Star Wars.

The film revolves around the Tuskegee Airmen, a group of African-American fighter pilots.  The characters include Colonel A. J. Bullard (Terrance Howard), who leads the fighters and often drinks, Joe Little (David Oyelowo), a good pilot who has eyes for an Italian woman Sofia (Daniela Ruah), and Major Stance (Cuba Gooding Jr.), who tries to help the pilots into battle by convincing Major Mortamus (Breaking Bad‘s fantastic Bryan Cranston) to put the fighters on deck.

Eventually the Tuskegee Airmen are put on to flight against the Nazis, and are known as the “Red Tails” for the red paint on the tails of their planes.  They gain the respect of the other pilots, and become well-known in the air-force.

Red Tails is not a fantastic movie, but it sure is enjoyable.  The dialogue is kind of cheesy sometimes (most notably with the bombers and the German fighters), but the directing, coming from Anthony Hemingway, who worked on The Wire and Treme, two fantastic and greatly underrated shows about race, is good.  Anyway, I say it’s worth a watch.

See screencaps of Daniela’s photoshoot at daniela-ruah.webs.com.

Last weekend I headed to the movies, along with throngs of other Black folks, in support of Red Tails, the cinematic Hollywood portrayal of the Tuskegee Airmen which is by all measures a blockbuster.

The George Lucas produced film depicts the potent racist struggle Black pilots had to navigate in order to join the U.S. Air Force, notwithstanding the fight they fought just to defend this country in World War II. This story of the Tuskegee Airmen, like much of our little-known and devalued history, deserves to be told. Watching the film (steered by a Black director, writer, and an all-Black cast of leading actors) I couldn’t contain my pride.

We are all sick and tired of seeing stereotypes of Black men played out in media; from the nightly news to cooning sitcoms to big screen flashes of men in dresses. It is a daily fight to resist what we know is NOT the norm of brothas. We know Black men are hard workers who commit to their responsibilities, affectionate and respectful of the women in their lives, proud of their accomplishment, not to mention intelligent and articulate. So for me, seeing that visualized on the big screen as a major production was a glorious moment in time.

I am proud that I saw Red Tails. Proud that my husband, children and I shared the experience as a family. And even still proud that my choice to go out and see it during opening weekend was included in the chorus demanding more positive, full-bodied films about Black life.

Yet, midway through the film I did lean over to my husband and whisper my concern of the absolute absence of Black women on the screen?!!? Now I cautiously pointed this out.  But not before I checked myself and my filters. I mean this was, after all, a film about the experience of the Tuskegee AirMEN. So, no I did not go into the theatre expecting to see women in major roles…I honestly would not have minded if there were no women in the film (well it would bother me just a teeny bit).

However, it is because of the fact that there was only one woman given a major role in this film; a film about one of the most historical contributions Black Men have made in this country, that I am most aggravated. That one woman was Daniela Ruah. A White woman.

This has stumped me. Still I know my person; that I have been viewed as being a little subversive when it comes to Black women and our plight in media. I accept that I am intensely aware of societal “norms” and how those norms are guided by patriarchy and racism. Conversely I questioned every possible filter to find why this bothered me so much, and IF it should.

I must say, all the soul-searching in the world won’t shake my disappointment. Disappointed for a few reasons. The most glaring reason is that there is not a Black man on this earth who can say he has not been nurtured, loved, encouraged, chastised,  or influence by a praying Black woman. Hold my mule right now if I’m exaggerating…

Didn’t think so. Before a Black man even understands the dynamics of an intimate relationship or attraction to women, he is familiar with the love o a Black woman. This is why, for the life of me, I cannot grasp how the audience comes to know the influence of the father of Easy’s character and Black Jesus, but never that of a mother, grandmother, Big Ma, sis, fiance or wife back home…

Beyond befuddled. Especially when considering the real-life stories of Tuskegee Airmen boasts solid marriages with Black women…many were married during their time of duty.

Now let’s factor in the enormous attention this film got after George Lucas, the formidable Hollywood  director (Star Wars Trilogy) who happens to be white, revealed how many rejections he received from studio heads to produce and distribute this film. He was quite literally the great white hope for Red Tails- the Hollywood version.

That speaks volumes to how we had to get this right…this was our one shot. This sets the bar…at what ever level we believe we qualify for. Whatever is in this film will be considered the formula for movie execs when considering Black films. That formula will be devoid of an intimate and sanguine relationship between a Black man and woman. Conversely it will have Black men pining over the foreign (read exotic) love interest of a lighter hue.

Just on the other side of perturbed.

On the brighter side, I wasn’t so miffed that I would discourage other people from seeing  Red Tails. However I do see this as a valid point of discourse about 1.) the image mainstream media is pushing regarding Black male/female relationships; and 2.) the historical shared experience we have had breaking down barriers in America and 3.) last but not least is the consistent symbolic annihilation of Black women by media which in turn erases us from the history books.

Am I off-base?

Please join the discussion during #GirlsMediaChat on Twitter, 9p CST Thursday, Jan 26 (TONIGHT)

Get the real history of Tuskegee Airmen:

Follow the Tuskegee Airmen dedicated Tumblr started by National Museum of African American History and Culture 

Listen to living legends share their stories on StoryCorps

Check out Red Tails Reborn, a PBS documentary

written by: John Ridley and Aaron McGruder

produced by: Rick McCallum, Charles Floyd Johnson, & George Lucas

directed by: Anthony Hemingway

rating: PG-13 (for some scenes of war violence) 

runtime: 121 min.

U. S. release date: January 20, 2012

“Red Tails” is being referred to as George Lucas’ new film, and even though he didn’t direct it, I’d agree with that. Bringing the story of the Tuskegee Airmen to the big-screen has been his pet project of his for decades. And now after getting sidelined by the many incarnations of Indiana Jones and various Star Wars projects, we have a January release. Not a good sign. As you’d expect from Lucasfilm studios (who have at their disposal ILM and Skywalker Sound), the movie has impressive visuals, with breathtaking aerial dogfights that are easy to follow. As you’d expect from Lucas, the dialogue is wretched and cartoonish, eliciting laughter out of the audience instead of excitement. While it may be a safe all-ages film, the important story deserves so much more than this generic treatment, consisting of laughable stock characterization and a synthetic narrative.

The problems start in the opening sequence, where in the middle of WWII we’re thrust into effects-heavy aerial action that sees the U.S. outnumbered and ripped apart by German planes. Nothing wrong with all that, as the war chaos is palpable and easy to follow (although I did find myself thinking of how I’ve seen more impressive work from certain video games), but what gets in the way of all this (literally) is a mess of distracting red words. No joke. As we try to watch the drama unfold in the sky, we’re interrupted by these crazy crimson letters, listing off all the (mostly) unrecognizable actors that will be in the movie. Done in what appears to be a late 70s/early 80s movie-of-the-week font, these credits have an unfortunate ripcord effect for the audience.

Now, that may seem like a petty or trite observation, but the first 5 minutes of a war movie should not give us any, um, red flags. So, right there – not a good start.

It’s 1944 and the U.S forces need help in the skies above Europe, yet the African-American pilots of the 99th fighter squadron stationed in Italy aren’t being called into action. These able-bodied brave men are itching to leave Ramitelli Airfield, so why aren’t they being utilized? That’s because the white brass have very little faith in the “coloreds” (as they’re crudely called) all on account of their skin color. They are given hand-me-down planes and left to soar the countryside and take out Nazi trucks or trains. Important tasks, but nothing that would gain any recognition in the papers back home and change the world’s perception of the Negro presence in the military.

Such inaction gives hotshot pilot, Joe “Lightning” Little (David Ovelowo, “Rise of the Planet of the Apes”) a chance to fly over the nearest Italian town and blow a kiss to a local hottie (Daniela Ruah) hanging laundry on her roof. Wouldn’t you know it, she notices him to and blows his plane a kiss. Ugh. Face palm. The first of many. Little is the kind of guy who has a hard time following orders and always has to be the arrogant maverick. Sound familiar? In fact, his repetitive rebellious behavior adds very little to the overall story. Little’s by-the-book best friend Martin “Easy” Julian (Nate Parker) leads these Airmen – and guess what? He’s an alcoholic. They are accompanied by other war-movie staples, the young and eager Ray “Raygun” Gannon (Tristan Wilds) and the tag-team comic relief combo of Andrew “Smokey” Salem (Nee-Yo) and Samuel “Joker” George (Elijah Kelly). These actors do a serviceable job, with Ovelowo as the standout, but the lines they have to utter and bland characterization is atrocious.

But what of the two stars listed on the movie’s poster – one an Oscar winner, the other an Oscar nominee? Well, there’s Cuba Gooding Jr. who plays the appropriately named Maj. Stance, who spends his screen time mastering a stoic grimace and crinkled brow, while brandishing a pipe like a prized prop. As Col. Bullard. Terrence Howard is given the most to do, by spending the majority of the movie at the Pentagon, trying to convince the powers that be, like Maj. Mortamus (a stiff Bryan Cranston, given zero to do) that these segregated African-Americans are a worthy asset. Howard is convincing in a military role, as we saw in “Iron Man” (better than Don Cheadle, that’s for sure), and he does the best with the inevitable rousing speeches, but nothing original or in-depth here.

Ironically, both actors have previously appeared as Tuskegee Airmen in other movies. Gooding Jr. played a pilot in the superior HBO movie “The Tuskegee Airmen” with Lawrence Fishburne back in 1995, and Howard also played a Tuskegee pilot in 2002‘s “Hart’s War” starring Bruce Willis. Considering these two actors have portrayed characters from this part of history before, one would think they’d be a little more picky than saying yes to such paper-thin roles.

“Red Tails” suffers miserably at the hands of the two screenwriters, John Ridley (“Undercover Brother”) and Aaron McGruder (“The Boondocks” animated series), who can’t be bothered with things like complexity and instead clearly (and broadly) defines way too much. The result has gives viewers a broad Cliff Notes version of what these Tuskegee Airmen went through. There was an opportunity to show an inspiring moment of acceptance when we see the Caucasian pilots show their appreciation to the Airmen as they buy them drinks in a “Whites Only” bar. But no time was made for any character moments in that important scene, which is wasted on a congenial montage instead. While these writers failed to accentuate stronger character scenes, the most embarrassing aspect of their work is the lazy dialogue. Lines like, “Those foolish Africans!”, “Germans! Let’s get em!” and after hearing my favorite one, “My God, those pilots are Africans!”, I was looking for the eject lever in my theater seat.

This is the first feature film by director Anthony Hemingway, who’s made his name in such acclaimed television series as “The Wire” and “Treme”. Actually, Lucas serves as uncredited co-director, having had to come in and do reshoots while Hemingway was busy with “Treme”. I couldn’t detect any distinctive choices in the direction here, so it’s hard to comment on Hemingway’s work. Maybe the fact that “Red Tails” did seem like a big-budget television movie says something right there, but this movie feels like a Lucas-piloted matinée through and through. Lucas’ involvement isn’t necessarily a bad thing, since the movie certainly benefits from all the CGI he has at his disposal. It definitely benefited from some fine airplane design work too. I can’t believe I’m even thinking of it, but I would wager that the aerial acrobats would’ve been even more dramatic in 3D. Yeah, I went there. Bottom line, “Red Tails” winds up being a harmless textbook educational tool, instead of a stand up and cheer tale like, say “Glory”. It’s a nose close to being a good movie, but it tailspins into undeserved mediocrity.

RATING: **

- TY Walker

Red Tails tells the story of the pilots in the Tuskegee training program in World War II, specifically Martin “Easy” Julian (Nate Parker), Joe “Lightning” Little (David Oyelowo), Ray “Ray Gun” Gannon (Tristan Wilds) and Samuel “Joker” George (Elijah Kelley). The foursome makes for an excellent team, but thanks to segregation, they’re stuck shooting ground bound targets like trains and trucks while the white pilots fight off the enemy during bomber escorts.

However, their big day finally comes and thanks to some negotiating on behalf of Col. A.J. Bullard (Terrence Howard), Easy, Lightning and the rest of the Tuskegee Airmen get to take to the sky and guard the bombers from German attack. While the guys are thrilled with the success of their mission and the opportunity for more chances to fight, the pressure increases as they come to the realization that they really can die out there.

Click here to read more.

Read the whole spoiler on tvline.com.

“There’s a Kensi/Deeks episode where they go undercover as a married couple in suburbia — and it is hilarious,” NCIS: LA showrunner Shane Brennan promises TVLine.

NCIS: LA and Hawaii Five-0 Cross Over for Two-Night, ‘High Octane’ May Sweeps Event

If only to further tease “Densi” fans, Brennan adds, “Everything you wish for when want characters to get together, we put in this episode.”

Now mind you, Brennan never specified that the NCIS agents are posing as a blissful bride and groom. “They’ll be throwing things at each other…,” Brennan shares, laughing. “It is so much fun.”

But I have to say that this time, with Daniela Ruah as his guest, he was surprisingly daring, even for a boy from Cumbernauld. Daniela has an unexpected background in London, with a French non-Welsh speaking boyfriend in Wales. She gave that as her reason for having escaped visiting Cumbernauld. (I can recommend the service area. I really can.)

Watch, and enjoy.