The perseverance and success of Nate Parker

Nate Parker plays Nat Turner, who led the 1831 slave rebellion

Sometime last year, I read an online story about actor Nate Parker's decision to quit acting until he could produce a movie he had long fought to make. After filming for Beyond the Lights concluded in 2013, Parker said he told his agent to not send him any more roles until he could take the story about revolutionary slave hero Nat Turner to the big screen.

Parker's resilience paid off and The Birth of a Nation, about Turner, a slave who led a rebellion against Virginian slave owners in 1831, came to fruition. The movie, which Parker wrote, produced, directed and starred in, debuted Monday at the Sundance Film Festival, and has reportedly been purchased by Fox Searchlight for a record $17.5 million. It is the highest amount ever paid for the rights to a movie in the festival's history. And it could've gone for more, as sources reported that Netflix, the online streaming platform, had offered $20 million.

What makes this story so remarkable to me is the journey Parker took in making this film. It took him seven years to advance this movie from the writing stage to funding and then filming. For nearly two years, Parker wasn't a working actor, which means he didn't earn any income from acting. Instead, he invested his own money, including $100,000 to fly around the country talking to anyone he hoped could help finance the movie.

Parker wrote, produced, directed and starred in the biopic

Two of his eventual investors included a pair of NBA players (Gosh I just love my sports connection, don't I?) in current San Antonio Spurs star Tony Parker and former player Michael Finley. Why do I bring this up, besides the obvious sports plug? To highlight the fact that there are unconventional ways to make a movie. A significant issue cited by many amid the current #OscarsSoWhite controversy is that minorities often struggle to have quality movie projects funded. Parker's own struggles in getting the movie financed were well documented in an article by Rebecca Ford of The Hollywood Reporter, in which he voiced his frustration with the kind of roles he was being offered.

"So few of them had integrity," he said in his interview with Ford. "As a black man, you leave auditions not hoping you get the job but wondering how you explain it to your family if you do."

He shared in the article that as he pitched the movie to studio execs, he was repeatedly turned down with reasons such as these:

"Movies with black leads don't play internationally; a period film with big fight scenes would be too expensive; it was too violent; it wouldn't work without a big box-office star leading it; Turner was too controversial — after all, he was responsible for the deaths of dozens of well-off white landowners."

Last May, after 27 days of shooting–yes, you read it correctly– filming ended at its Georgia location. And thanks to the perseverance of its visionary, who plays Turner in the movie, The Birth of a Nation debuted to a standing ovation and exceptional reviews. I'll not only be heading to the movies to see this during opening weekend, but I'll be cheering for its nomination during next year's awards season.

Note: All pictures are screen grabs taken from the movie and credited to Elliot Davis of the Sundance Institute.

Napa Valley Here I come!

Do you know there are more than 500 wineries in Napa Valley? If you count the vineyards in the Sonoma area, then you can understand why the San Francisco area is the wine-making capital of the U.S. I knew I wouldn't have the time to tour several wineries so after researching a few major ones, I decided on touring the Castello di Amorosa. The vineyard, which translates into Castle of Love in Italian, is regarded as the "Disney" of Napa Valley, according to my tour guide Sarah, and is located in the highlands of the valley (Calistoga to be exact.)

The winery was modeled after a 13th century European castle

The castle was modeled after a 13th century Tuscan Castle, which is quite obvious from the moment you drive through its gates, past the massive vineyards, toward the castle's entrance. Not that I have been to Tuscany, or Italy for the matter, but judging by what I've seen in movies (Diane Lane's Under the Tuscan Sun comes to mind,) it seems right on the money. Lol. Just kidding. But really, I have toured quite a few European castles and the Castello di Amorosa would fit right in with most of them. Built on 30 acres over 14 years, it is unbelievable how much money and details were put into building what was meant to be just a winery. Of course it's since been featured in a couple of movies and was even the scene of a date during one season of ABC's The Bachelor.

The welcome room features floor to ceiling murals such as this titled Good Government

Not being much of a wine connoisseur, I signed up for the tour just for the experience along with a bit of history. For $40, I got an accompanied guide on a tour of the castle, including sections not open to general admission entry. I also had a choice of five wines to sample. If you're truly interested in sampling a variety of wines and not there just to get drunk, here's a tip: go on a tour with someone else and pick completely different wines to taste. You can share your samples, so you get to taste 10 wines, instead of just five. I went with a friend of a colleague who was visiting my colleague, so we chose to combine tastings. Before sampling from five wines, we were allowed to sample from an 11-month-old Cabernet Sauvignon straight from the barrel. I actually liked it. I realized that I prefer it to the product that gets bottled up. Not a fan of Cabernet.

I thought about hijacking one of these tanks. Just one.

White wine fermenting

Older wines dating back several decades

Sampling the 11-month old Cabernet Sauvignon was great

Since I'm more of a sweet wine drinker, I ended up buying two bottles I had tasted (the La Fantasia and the Late Harvest Gewurztraminer-not the dry one.) I also bought a Balsamic Vinegar dressing and Roasted Garlic Grape Seed Oil that were just too good to pass up after I tasted them at the marketplace. I've already cooked dishes with both and can tell you that you undoubtedly notice their flavors in dishes.

My purchases for the day

This castle may not be the cheapest option for wine tasting, but I can see why it is one of the most popular, if not the most, wineries to tour in the Napa Valley region. If you have a few days to spend in this area, you can try some of the smaller wineries that may offer more tastings for less. But as previously mentioned, with about 500 wineries in the area, and only one day to tour, I'd say this is a pretty good choice. There's also a small farm right outside the exit point, which had some sheep and a few other animals that little kids would enjoy.

You can watch these farm animals without paying for the tour

On a final note, unlike the Sterling, which requires a tram (with paid ticket) to get to, you can drive up to this castle and take pictures of the vineyards, farm animals and the exterior of the building without paying. The other point to note is that the winery does not partake in commercial sales despite producing 25,000 cases every year. It only sells directly to visitors to the castle or online. I imagine this opens it up to possible commercial sales, but the castle does not have any supply partnership with any restaurant, hotel or commercial establishment.

#OscarsSoWhite

Nominations for the 2016 Academy Awards were announced last week and the notable lack of minority nominees has sparked major outrage. The hashtag #OscarsSoWhite is trending for the second consecutive year after, once again, no minority actor was nominated in any acting category.

The controversy has heightened as several celebrities have spoken out against the Academy of Motion Picture and Sciences, the organization that awards the Oscars, and its continued lack of diversity representation and recognition over several decades. What makes this issue more interesting is that the Academy's president Cheryl Boone Isaacs is black, the first black to hold the position in its history.

A few major entertainers have spoken out against the nominations including British actor David Oyelowo, a member of the Academy who was notably shunned last year in the best actor category for his portrayal of American icon Martin Luther King Jr. Others include movie director Spike Lee, actors Viola Davis, George Clooney and Reese Witherspoon (also an Academy member,) and documentary filmmaker Michael Moore. Some celebrities like husband and wife acting powerhouse Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith are choosing to boycott the ceremony. Music legend Quincy Jones, the first black member of the Academy, who says he has been asked to present, said he will only accept the invitation if he is allowed to address the issue before he presents his award. And many in the black community are calling for Chris Rock, this year's host, to pull out of his obligation.

I disagree.

Not with the continued failure to recognize movies and actors with minority backgrounds, which is an inexplicable travesty, but with the idea that Rock should back out of hosting. In fact, Rock might be the most important voice in the black community to speak against the problem; if he chooses to do so. Without his comments, this issue remains only an issue until the show airs. Then it dies a sudden death. But if Rock has anything to add to this debate, on a live stage, then it'll be time-stamped in history for decades to come. Much like the video of Eddie Murphy at the 1988 awards has been circulated as a yardstick to judge how little the academy has come in addressing the problem in two decades. Yet even if Rock doesn't plan to say anything, isn't it at least better to make the show's producers and academy members worry about just what he might say to add fuel to the fire? This sentiment is shared by comedian Ricky Gervais, who's known for his controversial comments as a multiple host of the Golden Globes.

As a very polarized nation, it's virtually impossible to not have issues involving race or diversity pop up every so often. Some are very much warranted, others, not so much. But because of America's detailed history of racial discrimination, it is imperative to spend some time discussing whether or not any topic involving race is warranted. It's a no-brainer that the killing and persecution of blacks nationwide stands at the top of the racial debate, but is this #OscarsSoWhite issue really warranted? Were there roles good enough to stand with the best of them this year?

Yes; particularly these male actors:

Idris Elba, whose role as a fictitious African warlord in Beasts of no Nation was more than spectacular. He convincingly portrayed a ruthless soldier that any West African native like me (I am Nigerian) will find similarities to many guerrilla leaders in war-torn countries like Sierra Leone and Liberia.

Abraham Attah: The breakout star of Beasts was 14-year-old Attah, who had never acted before landing the role of an 11-year-old captured and trained by Elba to become a child soldier. This young boy was such a natural and, in my opinion, deserved a nod for equally holding his own alongside such a seasoned actor as Elba. His performance was reminiscent of Quvenzhane Wallis' Oscar-nominated performance as narrator and actor in Beasts of the Southern Wild.

Abraham Attah (middle) was captivating in his first acting role

Michael B. Jordan: A couple of years ago, Jordan was overlooked for his compelling portrayal of Oscar Grant, a black man shot and killed by a police officer at a San Francisco train station, in the movie Fruitvale Station. This year, he packed on the pounds, muscle build and finesse to play unseasoned boxer Adonis Johnson, the son of Apollo Creed, Rocky Balboa's biggest rival turned best friend, in the movie Creed. The movie earned Sylvester Stallone his second Oscar acting nomination, nearly 40 years after his first nod for portraying the same character. This movie could not have been as successful as it was without the chemistry between Jordan and Stallone. But while Stallone didn't need to stretch himself too much in developing his character, Jordan had to reinvent himself as a legitimate boxer. His crucial fight scene was shot in one take!

Omissions like these prove there's no actual rhyme or reason to these nominations. A selection of voters–no one really knows who gets this honor–choose their favorites from more than 300 movies. What we do know is that about 94% of the Academy's members are white, and 77% of them are male, according to the LA Times, whose 2012 study of the Academy was based on 5,100 members (the Academy currently has 6,300 members.) The study also showed that the median age of members was 62 while members aged 50 or younger constituted only 14% of its membership.

How do you expect an older white generation to make any connection to a movie such as Straight Outta Compton when they barely have any clue about the black or Latino experience? The few times blacks have won as actors were primarily for their roles in movies with a slavery or oppressive theme, which, members to connect to quite frequently. So maybe there weren't as many quality roles for minorities to choose from this year as some may argue, but what about last year? Were quality performances from the likes of Oyelowo and Selma director Ava Duvernay enough to get them nominations? If your guess is no, you happen to be right.

The increasing calls for boycotts forced a response from the Academy with Isaacs announcing that the Academy's 51-member Board of Governors will discuss ways to address diversity in its upcoming meeting. An LA Times writer suggests that one of the proposed changes might involve expanding the number of actors nominated. This couldn't be further from the ideal solution. By increasing the  nominees to 10, the Academy insults, not includes, minorities. It comes across as more of a passive recognition intended to quiet the kind of negative publicity the organization currently faces. Besides, throwing a few minorities into a mix of 10 does not guarantee a win, especially given the abysmal number of blacks who have won in the Oscar's history. Take for example Chiwetel Ejiofor, who carried the entire movie 12 Years a Slave, which won the best picture two years ago, but lost out to Matthew McConaughey for playing a skinny, HIV+ Texan (he didn't even have to alter his accent,) who illegally sells cheap medication to the Dallas HIV community in Dallas Buyers Club.

Sadly, until we have enough minorities in the decision-making positions, both in funding movies for production and in the nomination process, we will continue to see this lack of diversity. As Oyelowo said during his speech at a gala honoring Isaacs last week, "For 20 opportunities to celebrate actors of color, actresses of color, to be missed last year is one thing; for that to happen again this year is unforgivable."

Why I love San Francisco!

About a month ago I traveled to Oakland for work and happened to have a day off each week. It was the perfect opportunity to make good on a promise I'd made to go back to San Francisco and make it across the Golden Gate Bridge.

I visited the Valley for the first time two years ago, but with an extremely busy work schedule I could only make it to The Fisherman's Wharf and Alcatraz Island. I'll revisit that trip in a future blog post, but this time, I'd like to focus on my trip to my bike ride across the bridge.

Can I emphasize how beautiful San Francisco is enough? AMAZING CITY!!! Yes, the houses are narrow and extremely expensive. Sure, the streets are more like paved hills than roads and pathways. But these very oddities are a huge part of the city's character. I didn't quite get to explore San Francisco my first time around, so I always wondered what all the fuss was about until I gave it a second go.

With gorgeous views like these, who wouldn't love this city?

What I love about the Golden Gate Bridge is its designated sides for pedestrians and bikers. With my limited time, I didn't want to spend more time walking, so I opted for the bike route. I rented a hybrid bike from Basically Free Bike Rentals, which I found to be quite easy and affordable. For three hours, I paid $24 to pedal across the bridge and its environs. If you're wondering the catch behind the bike shop's name, here it is: You pay $24 for three hours, and upon return, you can use that same value to make a purchase at the Sports Basement store on Mason Drive. Great bargain right?

It'd been about 10 or so months since I last rode a bike. Plus I was more aptly dressed for a social call in the Hampton's than for a sporting event, but being an adventure freak, I was going to make the ride no matter what. And if you're anything like me, I bet you'll enjoy wheezing across the bridge, with the occasional stop for pictures.

Unfortunately the better view happens to be the pedestrian side, which boasts of views of Alcatraz and the city, but then you can ride to Sausalito on the Vista side of the bridge, park your bike and take the underpass across to the pedestrian side. The bridge is only about 1.7 miles, so if you're looking for more of a workout, ride down to the wharf at Sausalito. It was exhilarating speeding down at such fast speed that I felt catapulted into the world of a Tour de France rider (yeah right!). The climb back up, however, was no joke. I couldn't even ride up (cue lack of practice and inappropriate attire excuse as stated above,) settling instead for the slow walkup.

The fishing pier by the bridge

I had plenty of daylight left after returning my bike, which inspired me to drive to the oft-mentioned Twin Peaks, a pair of hills that, at 925 feet, offer a spectacular view of the San Francisco skyline. In my years of traveling, I haven't come across too many views offering a breathtaking view of a city at no cost. The Gellert Hill in Budapest, Hungary, is about the only one that comes to mind right now. So if you have a car and can make it here, you should. Did I mention that it offers a FREE sweeping view of San Francisco? I visited during the day and was still captivated by the view. I can only imagine what it looks like at night. Climb up the actual peaks, but be careful as the steps are uneven and are more like rugged stones etched into the dirt.

The top of Twin Peaks offers sweeping views of San Francisco

Thanks for joining me on my journey. Hope you're inspired to visit!

I also like that it is a quiet, serene site that's void of all the tourist trappings: expensive cafes and street vendors pandering to curious tourists. There are bathrooms if you plan on hanging out there for a while, which is a great idea when you have company. I happened to be alone so I didn't stick around too long, but I'd have loved to sit and watch the sun set with someone. Nevertheless, as I always preach to my family and friends, you don't need to wait for a companion to go out an explore. And after exploring this city, I realized why so many people love San Francisco despite its ultra expensive cost of living. As a tourist though, it's one of the best cities to explore.