Crate Diggers: July 2017

Wednesday, July 26, 2017

War For the Planet of the Apes (2017) 1st Reaction

“APES TOGETHER STRONG!” - Caesar
Image result for war for the planet of the apes poster

*SPOILERS*

This film was amazing. This is the second best “Planet of the Apes” film rivaling the original. I really loved how throughout the film Caesar is haunted by the memory of Koba from the previous film and how he is fighting becoming like him. My favorite part of the film would have to be the scene where all the apes are escaping and the second faction of humans are attacking the Alpha and Omega faction. I also loved the references to the original film such as how they named the mute girl “Nova” and how the human faction was named “Alpha and Omega” like the bomb from the second film. There is so little wrong with this film but one thing to critique was the cowardly chimp that seemed like he was just forced in there to provide comedy to lighten up the movie which doesn’t really feel right for this film. Also there was this interesting moment where Caesar and his friends find the base and they are looking at some horses through binoculars without anyone on them and then 2 humans attack them. This instance reminded me so much of how in Star Wars Episode 4 A New Hope (1977) where the same thing shot for shot happens when Luke is looking for R2D2 and finds empty Banthas through his binoculars and Tusken Raiders attack him. All in all I would give this film a 9.9/10 and would recommend it to fans of the “Planet of the Apes” franchise, sci-fi fans, action fans and drama fans.

Trailer for the film
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxjPjPzQ1iU  “War for the Planet of the Apes | Final Trailer | 20th Century FOX”

Happy Birthday Iman Abdulmajid

“A self-esteem issue doesn't change whether you're considered beautiful or not because it's about what's inside you” - Iman Abdulmajid
(Iman Abdulmajid)
Iman Abdulmajid was born as Zara Abdulmajid on July 25th, 1955 in Mogadishu, Somalia. She was renamed “Iman” due to her grandfather’s request.
(Abdulmajid as a child)
At 4 years old she was sent to boarding school in Egypt. During her younger years their family would frequently travel to Kenya. Iman attended the University of Nairobi and studied political science. In 1976 had her first modeling assignment for Vogue. Iman was an instant success in the fashion world due to her long neck, tall stature, slender figure, fine features, copper toned skin, and exotic accent.
(Abdulmajid in 1976)
Iman worked with many notable photographers. In 1979 she appeared in the movie The Human Factor.
(Abdulmajid in 1979)
In 1985 she appeared in the movie Back in the World. Also in 1985 she appeared in Out of Africa.
(Abdulmajid in Out of Africa (1985))
In 1987 she appeared in No Way Out. Also in 1987 she appeared in Surrender. In 1988 she appeared in the movie Love At First Sight. She also appeared in the TV show “In the Heat of the Night”. In 1991 she appeared in Lies of the Twins, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country and House Party 2.
Image result for iman house party 2(Abdulmajid (Center) with Kid (Left) and Play (Right) in House Party 2 (1991))
In 1992 she married David Bowie. Also in 1992 she appeared in Michael Jackson’s music video, “Remember the Time”.
(Abdulmajid (Right) with Eddie Murphy (Center) and Michael Jackson (Left))
In 1994 she started her own cosmetics firm. Also in 1994 she appeared in Exit to Eden. In 1999 she appeared in the video game “Omikron: The Nomad Soul”. In 2001 she released the book I Am Iman.
(Abdulmajid in 2001)
In the mid 2000’s Iman spent 2 years as the host of “Project Runway Canada”. In 2005 she released the book The Beauty of Color. In 2007 she introduced her clothing line.
(Abdulmajid in 2007)
In 2010 her firm was a $25 million a year business. Also in 2010 she began hosting the second season of “The Fashion Show”. She then received a “Fashion Icon” lifetime achievement award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA).
(Abdulmajid in 2010)
In 2012 Iman signed fellow Somali designers Ayaan and Idyl Mohallim for her cosmetics line.
(Abdulmajid in 2016)
Today she turns 62 years old and we would all like to say happy birthday Iman Abdulmajid.

Films featuring Iman Abdulmajid
  • The Human Factor (1979) as Sarah
  • Exposed (1983) as model
  • Out of Africa (1985) as Mariammo
  • No Way Out (1987) as Nina
  • Surrender (1987) as Hedy
  • House Party 2 (1991) as Sheila Landreaux
  • Lies of the Twins (1991) as Cat/Elie
  • L.A. Story (1991) as Cynthia
  • Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991) as Martia
  • The Linguini Incident (1991) as Dali Guest
  • Exit to Eden (1994) as Nina

TV Shows featuring Iman Abdulmajid
  • “Miami Vice” (1984-1989) as Dakotah
  • “The Cosby Show” (1984-1992) as Mrs. Montgomery
  • “In the Heat of the Night” (1988-1992) as Marie Babineaux
  • “227” (1985-1990) as Eartha Kitten
  • “Project Runway Canada” (2007-2009) as herself
  • “The Fashion Show: Ultimate Collection” (2009-2011) as herself

Books by Iman Abdulmajid
  • I am Iman (2001)
The Beauty of Color (2005)

Happy Birthday Emperor Haile Selassie

“Outside the kingdom of the Lord there is no nation which is greater than any other. God and history will remember your judgment” - Emperor Haile Selassie
(Emperor Haile Selassie)
Emperor Haile Selassie was born as Tafari Makonnen Woldemikael on July 23rd, 1892 in Ejersa Goro, Ethiopia. In 1906 his father died. In 1907 he was appointed governor over part of the province of Sidamo.
(Woldemikael as a child)
In 1916 he was appointed to the position of Balemulu Silt'an Enderase. In 1918 Woldemikael came down with the flu during a flu epidemic but survived. In 1924 he was given the title Ras. Also in 1924 Tafari toured Europe and the Middle East. During this time To guard against economic imperialism, Tafari required that all enterprises in Ethiopia have at least partial local ownership. Throughout his travels he and his entourage were greeted with enthusiasm and fascination. His entourage also included a pride of lions which some were given as gifts to world leaders.
(Woldemikael in 1924)
In 1928 he was promoted to the title of Negus. Also in 1928 Woldemikael was challenged when Dejazmatch Balcha Safo went to Addis Ababa with a sizeable armed force. Woldemikael then bought off Safo’s army and arranged to have him displaced. In 1930 he changed his name to “Haile Selassie”.
(Selassie in 1930)
Also in 1930 he was promoted to the title of emperor. Selassie then defeated a force that tried to take over Addis Ababa. In 1931 he introduced Ethiopia's 1st written constitution. In 1934 Italy tried to invade Ethiopia. In 1935 Selassie set up a headquarters so he could help lead the defense of his country from the Italians. The Italians would employ chemical weapons extensively throughout the conflict, even targeting Red Cross field hospitals in violation of the Geneva Conventions.
(Selassie in 1935)
In 1936 he launched a counteroffensive against the Italians. His army was defeated and retreated in disarray. Selassie and his family had to be exiled Jerusalem. Italy then declared Ethiopia an Italian provence. Selassie’s speech to the League of Nations about Italy’s war crimes made the emperor an icon for anti fascists around the world. The League agreed to only partial and ineffective sanctions on Italy. Selassie spent his exile in England. In 1937 Selassie was involved in a traffic accident, leaving him with a fractured knee.
(Selassie in 1937)
In 1941 with the help of South African and British troops, Selassie returned to Ethiopia to take it from Italian control. Selassie then took back control of the country. In 1942 Selassie abolished the legal basis of slavery throughout the empire.
(Selassie in 1942)
In 1947 he sent aid to the British government when Britain was affected by heavy flooding. In 1951 he reduced the flat tax of Ethiopia. In 1954 the emperor spoke of Ethiopian participation in the Korean War as a redemption of the principles of collective security. In 1955 Selassie introduced a revised constitution.
(Selassie in 1955)
In 1960 Selassie contributed Ethiopian troops to the United Nations Operation in the Congo peacekeeping force during the Congo crisis. Also in 1960 there was an unsuccessful coup to try to dispose Selassie. The coup spurred Selassie to accelerate reform. In 1962 Selassie declared Eritrea the fourteenth province of Ethiopia. Eritrea then started a war for their independence.
(Selassie in 1962)
In 1963 Selassie presided over the formation of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU). Selassie was elected as the OAU's first official chairperson. Also in 1963 Selassie attended President Kennedy’s funeral. In 1964 Selassie would initiate the concept of the United States of Africa, a proposition later taken up by Muammar Gaddafi.
(Selassie (Right) with Jomo Kenyatta (Left))
In 1966 Selassie attempted to create a modern, progressive tax that included registration of land, which would significantly weaken the nobility. This law led to a revolt in Gojjam. In 1967 he visited Montreal, Canada to open the Ethiopian Pavilion at the Expo '67 World's Fair. In 1970 he visited Italy.
(Selassie in 1970)
In 1971 he visited China and met Chairman Mao. In 1972 famine killed 40,000 Ethiopians. Reports show that Selassie was unaware of the extent of the famine. In 1973 there was an oil crisis in Ethiopia. In 1974 4 days of serious riots in Addis Ababa against a sudden economic inflation left five dead. Selassie was then deposed from power and imprisoned.
(Selassie in 1974)
On August 27th, 1975 Emperor Haile Selassie died of respiratory failure in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. He was 83 years old.
(Selassie’s funeral)
Today is his 125th birthday and we would all like to say happy birthday and rest in peace Emperor Haile Selassie.

Videos of Emperor Haile Selassie

Saturday, July 22, 2017

Happy Birthday George Clinton

“Style is whatever you want to do, if you can do it with confidence” - George Clinton
(George Clinton)
George Clinton was born on July 22nd, 1941 in Kannapolis, North Carolina, USA. He grew up in Plainfield, New Jersey. During his teen years Clinton formed a doo wop group called The Parliaments.
(The Parliaments)
In the early 1960’s Clinton was a staff songwriter for Motown. Clinton changed the name of the Parliaments to “Parliament” and “Funkadelic”.
(Parliament Funkadelic)
Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic dominated diverse music during the 1970s with over 40 R&B hit singles and 3 platinum albums.
(A Parliament Funkadelic concert)
In 1982 Clinton became a solo artist. He also produced albums for Bootsy Collins and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The primary reason for recording under his own name was due to legal difficulties with his record label. Also in 1982 Clinton signed to Capitol Records under 2 names, his own as a solo artist and as the P-Funk All-Stars. The same year he released the album “Computer Games”. The single “Atomic Dog” reached #1 on the R&B charts and #101 on the pop charts.
(Clinton in 1982)
In 1985 he was recruited by the Red Hot Chili Peppers to produce their album “Freaky Styley”. Also during the 1980’s many hip-hop and rap artists cited Clinton's earlier music as an influence.
(Clinton in 1985)
His music was sampled heavily by many Hip Hop artists. In 1989 he released the album “The Cinderella Theory”.
(Clinton in 1989)
In 1990 he appeared in the movie Graffiti Bridge. Also in 1990 Clinton appeared in the movie House Party.
(Clinton in House Party(1990))
In 1993 he released “Hey Man, Smell My Finger”. In 1994 he appeared in the movie PCU. Also in 1994 Clinton did a song with Ice Cube called “Bop Gun”.
(Clinton (Right) with Ice Cube (Center) and Bootsy Collins (Left))
In 1995 Clinton made a song with 2 Pac called “Can’t C Me”. In 1996 he released “T.A.P.O.A.F.O.M. (The Awesome Power of a Fully Operational Mothership)”. In 1997 he appeared in the movie Good Burger.
(Clinton in Good Burger(1997))
In 1999 he appeared in the movie The Breaks. In 2007 Clinton featured on Snoop Dogg’s album “Tha Blue Carpet Treatment”.
(Clinton (Right) and Snoop Dogg (Left))
In 2008 Clinton released “George Clinton and His Gangsters of Love”. In 2009 George Clinton was awarded the Urban Icon Award from Broadcast Music Incorporated. Also in 2009 Clinton was inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame. In 2015 Clinton made a song with Kendrick Lamar called “Wesley’s Theory”.
(Clinton (Left) and Kendrick Lamar (Right))
Today he turns 76 years old and we would all like to say happy birthday George Clinton.

Albums by George Clinton
  • “Computer Games” (1982)
  • “You Shouldn't-Nuf Bit Fish” (1982)
  • “Some of my Best Jokes Are Friends” (1985)
  • “R&B Skeletons in the Closet” (1986)
  • “The Cinderella Theory” (1989)
  • “Hey Man, Smell My Finger” (1993)
  • “Dope Dogs” (1993)
  • “T.A.P.O.A.F.O.M.” (1996)
  • “How Late do U Have 2BB4UR Absent?” (2005)
  • “George Clinton and His Gangsters of Love” (2008)

Films Starring George Clinton
  • Graffiti Bridge (1990) as George
  • House Party (1990) as a DJ
  • PCU (1994) as himself
  • Good Burger (1997) as Dancing Crazy
  • The Breaks (1999) as himself

Videos of George Clinton