Spike Lee on January 25th

Tonight I had the opportunity to hear Spike Lee talk at my school. He speech was nothing too new--but it was good stuff. His main messages:

1. It's not cool to be ignorant. I'm talking to you black guys who think you're so tough. Parent your children and go to school.
2. I got where I am today with a lot of support from certain family members. Among those were not my parents who wanted me to get a real job, but, thats parent's job--to help you get stable. Luckily, there are great teachers and grandmas who will encourage you to live your dreams.
3. You need to do what you want to do. Theres no worse existence than hating your job. "I don't drag myself out of bed, I fly out of bed like I was shot from a cannon."

Then, there was Q & A, which was mostly unproductive, but, what can you do?

My Favorite Thing:

A upper middle-age man got up to ask a question and before he could even get a sentence out, Spike was like, "Whoa you could do voiceovers!" Everyone laughed, because the man did have a very distinct, listenable voice. Then, Spike guided him through a trailer, asking the man to repeat after him things like, "Coming this summer to a theatre near you." The man totally played along, and everyone in the entire thousand person auditorium ate it UP. Then, he asked his question, which was about the theme of "Wake up" in Spike's films. This man was oozing happiness. Spike Lee just made him famous among strangers for five minutes.

My Least Favorite Thing:

A child got on a mic and asked, "You're an actor and a director...how do you do that? What do you need?" Spike answered, "Well, you need cameras, and people, and you have to do a lot--how old are you?"
"Nine."
"Well, you're starting at the right time."
Everyone applauded. Um. Okay. He's nine, not mentally challenged. That's a really dumb question for a nine-year old to ask actually. Think about yourself in 4th grade. Did you know you needed a camera for movies? Right. Little attention monger. Why do we clap for children being incredibly average. If the kid had explained a docu-drama he was making, yeah, I would have clapped. But for being alive and holding a microphone? No.

Awesome Thing:

Michelle and Barack's first date? Do the Right Thing.