Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Death, Sex and Police Brutality

TREME PICKS UP THE PACE
He begins his day having sex with a stripper in a FEMA-issued trailer. By the end of the day, Antoine Batiste’s (Wendell Pierce) life is upside down. His live-in girlfriend suspects he’s cheating on her, which leads to an argument. Batiste weasels out of the house to play his trombone with a few other struggling jazz musicians another night at the same bar where he met the stripper. When he leaves the club, Antoine accidently bumps into a parked New Orleans Police cruiser, officers respond by profusely beating Antoine and leaving his trombone on the street. He ends up sitting on a cement floor with other random men arrested by police.
In the third episode of what continues to put a microscope on a contagious string of complicated lives post-Katrina in New Orleans, David Simon’s Treme picks up the pace with unpredictable but satisfying drama. This week, every key character that anchors the show experienced a substantial life-changing crisis.

Shortly after losing his job as a hotel clerk, Davis McAlvary (Steve Zahn) finds himself in a confrontation with National Guard members. Davis, like Antoine ends up in a place no one wants to spend any time, the Orleans Parish jail. In an effort to repay the city’s overworked and underpaid public defender who frees him, Toni Bernette (Melissa Leo), Davis offers to give Bernette’s teenage daughter complimentary piano lessons. The problem for Davis is convincing Creighton Bernette (John Goodman) the lessons won’t go beyond a professional relationship. The implication in the scenes is that Davis may attempt to do a lot more than just teach.
A trip to the Lower 9th Ward brings local Indian Chief Albert Lambreaux (Clarke Peters) to the discovery of a decomposed body covered by a canoe. Within seconds of Albert and Lorenzo (Ameer Baraka) taking a walkthrough of the home full of mold and mildew, the two enter the backyard and lift up a canoe. The skeletal remains are those of Jesse, Albert's lifelong friend and symbolic member of Albert’s Indian tribe. You can catch all of the recently aired Treme episodes on HBO, April 29, 7 p.m. eastern time.
Who’s your favorite Treme character and why?
Please forward your comments about this story to Maniko Barthelemy at newsheels@gmail.com.

Monday, April 19, 2010

REINTRODUCING NEW ORLEANS


HBO EXECS LOVE “TREME”

Why did New Orleans natives want to go back so badly, after Hurricane Katrina? What happened to the millions of dollars in donations and government funds that poured into the city shortly after one of America’s worst natural disasters? Is the criminal justice system in Louisiana really as shady as rumored?

Why is it taking so long for the Big Easy to make a respectable comeback? Is it even worth rebuilding or investing in a city where levees are still reportedly not up to withstanding another Katrina? Why do New Orleans natives publicly mourn the dead with a street parade?

 With more than 1.4 million people tuned-in to its premiere, HBO’s Treme (pronounced treh-May) hinted at its unspoken promise to answer all those pestering questions about New Orleans post and pre-Katrina. The show and its substance were so impressive that HBO execs did not wait long for hard numbers to come out before renewing its brand new series for a second season.

The premium cable network’s early salute to David Simon and Eric Overmyer is a move many believe is bold. The duo best known for their work on the HBO series “The Wire,” which lasted five seasons and peeled away layers of corruption, chaos and cruelty in Baltimore, seems likely to do the same and get even more in-depth in New Orleans with “Treme.”

Treme’s characters are complex and comical. John Goodman’s character is a Tulane University professor, who’s fed up with misconceptions about the city and its residents. He routinely disgorges media outlets a verbal gumbo full of spicy and confrontational language. Clarke Peters, a cast member many may remember from “The Wire,” plays a local Indian chief. His return to the Lower 9th Ward neighborhood brings him heartbreak, hope and happiness, despite the obvious obstacles he faces personally and professionally. Steve Zahn’s character is a local eclectic down-on-his-luck radio DJ. He lives in the Treme neighborhood, is obsessed with New Orleans music and moves through life dancing to his interesting, innovative beat.

To keep true to the sound of the city, Simon and Overmyer tapped several local musicians and bands. Kermit Ruffins, a former member of the world-renowned Rebirth Brass Band, plays himself in the drama. Ruffins, with his amazing talent, raspy voice, Southern accent and New Orleans drawl, adds a necessary revealing twist on the significance of the city’s authentic music. New Orleans native Wendell Pierce, whose resume is extensive in film and television, plays a struggling musician whose professional and personal life is unraveling into an emotional and financial cesspool.

The city’s unique jazz funerals, with a brass band playing the type of music full a flavor distinctly New Orleans opens a book that’s been rather confusing for some, regarding the way African-Americans in The Big Easy traditionally bury their loved ones.

The elements of the show are compelling and give viewers a healthy balance of intriguing storytelling, drama and facts. While the setting, plot and cast are all crucial components to making “Treme” a top-rated show, as much as “The Wire,” Simon and Overmyer intentionally make New Orleans the center of attention. Writers creatively zoom- in and wrap the show around the city’s rough edges. Every bit of New Orleans that is entertaining, informative and saddening is on full display.

At its core, the drama fills a void for those who still call New Orleans home, even though their zip code is different post-Katrina. For skeptics and tourists wondering if New Orleans is worth the time, effort and resources needed to recover; “Treme” dishes the answer, one episode at a time. There are eight episodes left in this first season of “Treme.” What do you think about “Treme?” “What do you think HBO is getting right or wrong?

Please forward all comments to Maniko Barthelemy at newsheels@gmail.com or you can post your comment directly.
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