Day: July 31, 2014

Get On Up! is one of the best movies of the year! And who ISN’T a fan of James Brown’s music? We never realized what a dreadful childhood Brown endured – he was thrust into adulthood with no education and limited knowledge of ethics. Yet he went on to become of the greatest all time entertainers. Chadwick Boseman captures Brown perfectly and played him from the ages of 17 to 63. His hairstyles and wardrobe are perfection. We were lucky to meet James Brown backstage after a performance during the 60’s in the south side of Chicago. (During the show we caught the turquoise rhinestone cufflink he threw to the audience. And we still have it. ) Backstage, James’ southern accent was difficult to understand, but he was friendly and showed us his wardrobe and his beauty secrets, including pink foam hair rollers. He always wore Cuban heel boots and high hair because he was short. Boseman didn’t need the heels because he’s 6 feet tall. This is a fascinating story of Brown’s contradictory behavior and many political and cultural issues of the era are covered. And it’s hard to resist dancing in the aisles!