'The Wonder Years' meets 'Soul Food' in this 1/2 hour drama/comedy set in late 1970's Pittsburgh, PA -- when the steel mill industry was booming, the Steeler's "Steel Curtain" defensive line was unstoppable and 'Soul Train' was the hippest trip in America.
This dramedy takes place during the late 1970s in Pittsburgh, PA. The show focuses on Ananda Larson, a 9 year old black girl, living in the suburbs of the steel city, and her family and friends. This coming-of-age series is for anybody who remembers the wackiness of the 70's & who can relate to the Larson family.
Ananda's father, Reggie, is the sole bread-winner in the family, making his living at a large telephone company, while wife Alicia takes care of the duties at home. Ananda's siblings, oldest sister Lorraine (14), older brother Chuckie (10) and younger siblings, fraternal twins Darnell & Shantell (6) provide their fair share of grief for young Ananda.
A family full of colorful characters that include grandparents, aunts & uncles and friends round out this show. Much like "The Wonder Years", the show is told from the point-of-view of an adult Ananda. "The 'Burgh" is a celebration of the memorable times black families had in the 1970's.
After her wedding is called off by her fiancé (father of her youngest child) the day before their intended nuptials, a devastated Dominique must re-adjust her life as a now single mother of 4. Losing her fiancé, her self esteem and her job, hope overall is surely to be lost until she befriends a mentally challenged man who helps her rediscover the simpler things in life - laughter, friendship and true love.
In this short, a young black girl who's mother has died and who's father is working non-stop to make ends meet, befriends a down-on-his-luck homeless man who stands on the same corner everyday, dancing to a solitary song on his worn-down cassette player, holding a hand-written sign that is undecipherable. She sees the ugly side of society's treatment of those in unfortunate situations as this man is taunted, teased & looked down upon on a daily basis.
She eventually realizes what his signs say -- various pleas for help that are written backwards. After the man is severely beaten in an alley, the young girl & her father take him to the hospital for help. It is soon discovered that this man is a man reported missing from another state, sought by his family & reunited with in the end. This project was conceived while I listened to the song "Think", from the "Superfly" soundtrack. This instrumental is an underlying theme to this project/piece, in the end, encouraging ALL of us to "THINK".
The Life of an African-American man & the woman in his life are suddenly and chaotically altered when a former lover from college, whom he wrongfully helped to get committed to a mental institution years prior, is released with REVENGE on her mind.
This script has been called "Fatal Attraction" with an Urban twist.
Four females, best friends since childhood , sharing a lifetime of experiences together and sharing the same birthday, discover that one of them (Leilah) is dying of a brain tumor. She is also pregnant. Declining to treat the tumor with radiation for fear that it will harm her unborn child, she & her friends know that she is eventually going to die. Leilah also discovers that she is adopted & enlists the help of her "sistahs" to help her find her birth parents.
Her health deteriorates quickly once she finally gives birth to Kisoni, her name a combo of her mother's best friend's names. Even in poor health, she helps her friends, Kia, Ebony & Isis deal with issues in their lives, become independent, stronger women in the process. Leilah's condition also brings them closer together than ever as they fully embrace the meaning of "sisterhood".
Those that have read this script love it & call it a cross between "Waiting To Exhale" & "Steel Magnolias"
There is also a plan to write a sequel to this script: Leilah's twin sister, whom she found out was killed in a drunk-driving accident in the first script, actually is alive & well. Leilah's twin, comes to town, seeking to get to know the husband & daughter of the twin sister she never knew, causing confusion for Leilah's widow, daughter Kisoni (now 4 yrs old) and her friends.
I have music video treatments available for songs by: Avant & Mary J. Blige. More to come.....
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