Greetings from Hollywood!

That's how Cecil B. DeMille always started his broadcasts of THE LUX RADIO THEATER. I love that open and I continue to be obsessed with that old show.

I'm writing this MLK Weekend from Burbank where I'll be performing NOT A GENUINE BLACK MAN at The Actors Group this evening at 7. I'll be running there Saturday nights through March 30.

Tickets are available at BrownPaperTickets.com or by calling 1-800-838-3006.
A limited number of discount tickets are available through Goldstar.

On the subject of Martin Luther King Day...

I don't know about you, but in the last two years, it's felt to me as though his legacy is more important than ever. Dr. King's dream of equality and inclusion has never been a total reality. Sure, you can't legally put COLORED on a drinking fountain anymore, but “equal access” and “equal protection” in many cases is far from equal.

We live in an age when law enforcement is called on people of color for using the bathroom at Starbucks, mowing a lawn and waiting for a AAA tow. It is an era when it is controversial to say that police shouldn't kill unarmed black people and that the lives of African Americans have value. It is a time when bigots feel emboldened to spew the vitriolic poison coursing through them and anything that's offensive to any group other than straight white men is dismissed as “political correctness.”

In spite of all of this, it's not all bleak. We are also living in a time when people have gotten off of their couches and into the fray. It's an era when people have taken to the streets by the millions to say that devaluing one of us is devaluing all of us. It's period when the masses have realized that apathy and indifference create a vacuum that allows ignorance to flourish.

As we commemorate and remember Dr. King this weekend and what he fought and ultimately died for, also remember that we must remain vigilant in our efforts to achieve his dream. Lots of people think we're living through a dark time.

Personally, when all is said and done... I think that this will be our finest hour.

Here's what I've been into the last week...

BOOK

I just started my umpteenth read of 100 WAYS TO MOTIVATE YOURSELF by Steve Chandler. I've recommended this book to you before as I've been reading it continuously for nearly 20 years. It's one of the handful of books that changed my life.

It's 100 bite sized tips and anecdotes on how to stay motivated. I read one a day. Every 100 days, I go back to the beginning and start over.
READ IT.

MOVIES

THE UPSIDE
I've been a fan of Bryan Cranston's work since the days of watching MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE with my kids when they were young and, of course BREAKING BAD is one of the greatest television shows in the history of the medium (time for a rewatch on Netflix!). To that end, I try to see everything that he does.

In THE UPSIDE, Cranston plays a wealthy quadriplegic man in need of a caregiver yet resisting the idea. His personal assistant (played by a very reserved and wonderful Nicole Kidman) wants to hire someone with experience and credentials. Cranston's character has given up on life and chooses the worst applicant, Kevin Hart, an ex-con looking for work to comply with the terms of his parole who wanders into the interview under the assumption that it's a janitorial gig.

One of the best parts of this movie is that Hart is less of the “over the top” manic character that he usually plays. He's very good in this and he and Cranston have chemistry.

It's predictable in a lot of ways, but you'll enjoy the ride and leave the theater feeling good about life.
GO.

GLASS
Saw GLASS, the third in M. Night Shyamalan's trilogy of films that includes Samuel L. Jackson and Bruce Willis' 2000 UNBREAKABLE and James McAvoy's 2016 SPLIT.

I recently watched UNBREAKABLE but haven't seen SPLIT. I was told that GLASS would feature characters from the two previous films but would be a “stand alone” meaning that viewing the previous films wasn't required.

UNTRUE.

See UNBREAKABLE and SPLIT and THEN see GLASS or you'll be lost.

I enjoyed what I “got.” I'm going to see SPLIT and then see GLASS again. McAvoy is brilliant in GLASS. And, Samuel L. Jackson is... well... Samuel L. Jackson.
MAYBE.

MLK EVENT

Unity in the Community in San Leandro is co-producing/ hosting the MLK celebration on Monday.

A highlight of the day will be “Barbershop Forum” ... this borrows from real forums that have been happening in barbershops around the area for the past two years—so for MLK day they are taking it from the shop to the community center.

Day-long activity from 10:30 AM-3:30 PM
Free admission. Light Refreshments.

10:30 AM: Student Oratorical Contest and Poetry Slam
1 PM: Barbershop Forum – Community Conversation

San Leandro Senior Center
13909 E. 14th Avenue, San Leandro

If you're in the East Bay, check it out!

PERFORMANCES

NOT A GENUINE BLACK MAN

As I mentioned earlier, I'm performing GENUINE at The Actors Group in Burbank tonight and most Saturdays through March. I'm also bringing the play back to the Bay Area.

The 1/25 performance at the Douglas Morrison Theater is sold out. If you weren't able to get tickets, fear not. You'll have one more opportunity to see the play in the East Bay on Saturday February 16 at 7 PM when I bring NOT A GENUINE BLACK MAN to the Castro Valley Performing Arts Center for the first time. Tickets are $35 advance, $45 at the door. We're extending an early bird special. Purchase by midnight this Sunday night and pay on $25 with the password GENUINE. Even though we just announced yesterday, tickets are already selling fast.

Get yours here: Buy Tickets

THE WAITING PERIOD

Tomorrow at 5:30, I'll be doing a free public performance of my show on depression, THE WAITING PERIOD at the Marsh in San Francisco. This is part of a continuing program the Marsh and I are doing to destigmatize mental illness and promote suicide prevention. We've been able to keep the program going thanks to generous donations from Fremont Bank, OSIsoft, The Handlery Hotel Union Square and kind contributions to our GoFundMe campaign.

Reserve your seats for tomorrow's free performance here.

If you can help us in any way with our fundraising by making a tax deductible contribution we'd appreciate it. So will the people whose lives you help us save.
You can do that here.

THE GREAT AMERICAN SHIT SHOW

Charlie Varon and I continue our new show on life in the current political climate on Wednesday, February 6 at the Marsh in San Francisco. We're pleasantly surprised that every performance of this show we've done has sold out so far!

Tickets are available here: Buy Tickets

We're also bringing it to the stage at the San Leandro main library on March 7. There are about a dozen seats left for this performance so get yours NOW here: Buy Tickets

Have a wonderful weekend!

Copie

FOLLOW BRIAN:

Twitter: Twitter.com/briancopie
Facebook: facebook.com/briancopie1
BrianCopeland.com