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May 28, 2016

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TV Media Weekly | May 28 - June 3, 2016 ta's persistent struggle for free- dom and to preserve his Mandin- ka heritage and name. The first in his line to arrive in America, it's around Kunta Kinte that the story forms, but it doesn't end with him. He eventually mar- ries Belle (Emayatzy Corinealdi, "The Invitation," 2015), a fellow slave, and they have a daughter, Kizzy (Anika Noni Rose, "The Good Wife"). Kizzy, in turn, is raped by the man to whom she's later sold and has a son, George (Regé-Jean Page, "Survivor," 2015). George fathers eight chil- dren, and so on, with the story following each generation's indi- vidual struggles through to the American Revolution and the Civ- il War, the dawn of the Ku Klux Klan, the slave uprisings and eventual emancipation. The rest of the cast boasts some big names, including Forest Whitaker ("The Last King of Scot- land," 2006) as Fiddler, an older slave who takes the newly arrived Kunta under his wing and teaches him English; Jonathan Rhys Mey- ers ("The Tudors") as the farmer who buys Kizzy and fathers George; and Anna Paquin ("True Blood") as the fiancée of a vi- cious Confederate soldier, who has her own agenda in regards to the handling of slaves. Hollywood heavyweight Laurence Fishburne ("The Matrix," 1999) plays Haley himself. Haley's book became a cultural sensation in the United States, spending 46 weeks on The New York Times Best Seller List, with almost half that time spent in the top spot. It won both a Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award, sold more than a million copies in the first year, and is con- sidered by many to be one of the most important works of the 20th century. The original miniseries, which first aired on ABC in 1977, raked in a whopping 37 Emmy nomina- tions, winning nine, as well as a Golden Globe and a Peabody Award. Roughly 130 million viewers tuned in to the minise- ries, with nearly 85 percent of all TV households seeing some or all of it, and the last episode was the second-most-watched series fi- nale in U.S. television history. Big shoes to fill? I'd say so. But the minds behind the remake have every confidence in the new version and the decision to bring the story to a new generation of viewers. "It was time — almost 40 years had passed," Burton, an ex- ecutive producer on the remake, told the Associated Press. "It made sense. If we want to keep these stories alive in the cultural consciousness, we have to rein- vent them and retell them." Though there's been some pla- giarism controversy surrounding Haley's work, with the author ac- knowledging that most of the book's dialog and incidents are fictional, he did maintain that the framework for the story is built around real people and history. His dogged research into his bloodline included a visit to the Gambian town of Juffure, where Kinte was born, and, combined with oral history passed down by his grandmother, led him to learn that he was the great-great- great-great grandson of Kunta Kinte. Regardless of the accuracy of details, the work is considered a highly important depiction of slavery in America and the impact it had on those who lived through it, and the story is every bit as vi- tal today. "It expanded the conscious- ness of people," Burton told the Sun Sentinel back in 1987, a de- cade after the show's run. "Blacks and whites began to see each other as human beings, not as stereotypes. And if you throw a pebble into the pond, you're go- ing to get ripples. ... 'Roots' is part of a changing trend, and it's still being played out." His words still hold true. The eight-hour, four-night revival of "Roots" premieres Monday, May 30, on History, A&E and Lifetime. By Jacqueline Spendlove TV Media I n a seemingly never-ending sea of TV and movie remakes, the original "Roots" is one se- ries that set the bar particu- larly high. Undaunted, however, History is taking a crack at a re- boot, and it's off to a good start with an all-star cast. Based on author Alex Haley's 1976 novel, "Roots: The Saga of an American Family," the original miniseries debuted in 1977 to ex- plosive ratings and rave reviews. The show launched the career of then-unknown actor LeVar Bur- ton ("Star Trek: The Next Genera- tion") and was lauded for open- ing a dialog between black and white Americans on previously tabooed subject matter. The high- ly anticipated "Roots" remake premieres Monday, May 30, on History, A&E and Lifetime. Baby-boomer fans who fol- lowed the original miniseries may decry an attempt to remake the wheel, but arguably there's no reason the material should stay in the past. Haley's book chronicles the life of Kunta Kinte — a young man snatched from The Gambia during the 18th century and sold into slavery in the United States — down through the lives of his descendants, to Haley himself. Stepping into the role that a young, fresh-faced Burton brought to life 40 years ago is Malachi Kirby ("EastEnders"), the remake's Kunta Kinte. The se- ries follows Kunta from his youth in West Africa, where he's accost- ed by slave traders and tossed aboard a ship, to endure the gru- eling three-month journey to Co- lonial America. Upon his arrival, he's sold to a plantation owner who changes his name to Toby, and from there we witness Kun- Regé-Jean Page as seen in "Roots" Back to their 'Roots' History remakes the massively popular 1977 miniseries 2 | Cover story A/Grindstone Charlie's B/Norris Insurance 1 x 4" 3830 S LAFOUNTAIN, KOKOMO 765-453-9125 SUN-THURS 11AM-1OPM FRI & SAT 11AM-11PM www.grindstonesrestaurantandpub.com $ 3 00 OFF $15.00 Food Purchase Expire: 05/31/16 One coupon per person, per visit. Not good with any other offer. Taxes & Gratuity not included. Must present this Coupon for discount. TV

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