I'm Ready For My Closeup, Mr. Jamal

By Keith Boykin, in pop culture
Thursday, April 13 2006, 11:35AM

I just got back from Atlanta yesterday and I had a great trip. I went down to join the set of the film "Dirty Laundry" and got a chance to meet the cast and the crew of the production. I'd been on movie sets before, but I had forgotten that the days and nights are very long.

The experience began Monday night, when a group of cast and crew members and I went to the launch party for BET J, which is the network that airs my new television show, "My Two Cents." After a long day on the set, Loretta Devine, Terri J. Vaughn and a few others came out to the party and everyone seemed to have a great time.

'Dirty Laundry' Cast Members Go To BET J Party

True to their roots as a jazz and R&B channel, BET J's party featured performances by Earl Klugh, Keith Sweat, Angie Stone and others. But at the end of Angie Stone's performance, she called on Chris Tucker and Loretta Devine to join her on stage for her song "I Wish I Didn't Miss You." The three of them formed an unlikely trio as they sang and Loretta actually hit the last note on her own.

BET President and CEO Debra Lee and BET Entertainment President Reginald Hudlin were on hand for the event, along with many other familiar faces I noticed at the party. And since I had just gotten into town without eating, I made several trips to the buffet table for an improvised dinner.

Getting To The Set

Tuesday morning I was up early and ready to drive to the set location when I discovered that the parking valet had accidentally given away my rental car to the wrong person. I rented a green Dodge Stratus and the other person rented a green Grand Am, and the two cars were called for around the same time. The guy who took my car apparently didn't realize he had the wrong vehicle until 8 o'clock that night.

Believe it or not, I was not worried about the car mishap because it had happened before. Last November when I stayed at the Westin Hotel in Long Beach, California, the hotel valet actually gave away my rental car to a man off the street who claimed that it was his but had no claim ticket. A few minutes later, when I showed up at the door, the valet sheepishly admitted he had given away the car to the wrong person. The car was stolen and never seen again, and the hotel had to cover the costs and rent another vehicle for me. Fortunately, this time the car was returned to me.

On The Set of "Dirty Laundry"

The Atlanta hotel was kind enough to pay for a car service to take me out to the site location on Tuesday, where I spent the entire day watching the film being shot, talking to some of the actors and crew members and sitting in for a quick cameo that I hope doesn't end up on the cutting room floor.

Most importantly, I was inspired and impressed by the production. It was only last November when Maurice Jamal (the director), Nathan Hale Williams (the executive producer) and I put out a call to the community to help finance the film, and now here it was being shot in April. Maurice was on the set directing Rockmond Dunbar, Loretta Devine, Jenifer Lewis, Sommore, Terri J. Vaughn, Dr. Bobby Jones, Dottie Peoples and many others.

The scenes I saw were wonderful, beautiful and hilarious. All the cast members were amazingly down-to-earth, but Jenifer Lewis particularly cracked me up. She was a real hoot every time she entered a room or did a scene. It was like watching "Jackie's Back" all day long.

At the end of a long day of shooting, I felt very proud of Maurice and Nathan. But I also felt proud of our community. Despite the negative energy out there sometimes, we still move forward. We can still come together without waiting for the rest of the world to validate us and create something special of our own.

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