Scott Tady: Oscar buzz for Boseman's Pittsburgh-made film; Blackhawk grad releases music

Few of us have stepped into a movie theater these past seven months, but that won't stop the Academy Awards from returning in 2021.

In recognizing this year's highest-quality movies, the Academy will embrace Netflix and other digital releases.

There's already Oscar buzz for the final film performance of Chadwick Boseman in the Pittsburgh-made "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom," debuting Dec. 18 on Netflix.

The New York Post used the word "stunning" to describe the trailer footage of Boseman, the late-star of "Black Panther," who plays the lead male role in "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom," adapted from a 1982 play by Pittsburgh's Pulitzer Prize-winning August Wilson.

Boseman portrays Levee, a standout trumpet player in Ma Rainey's popular blues band, yearning to go out on his own to launch a more artistically ambitious band. 

Boseman died of colon cancer in August at age 43 and had kept that diagnosis private for four years, including his summer of 2019 in Pittsburgh, where "Ma Rainey" was filmed, primarily in the city's North Side, made to replicate Chicago circa 1927.

Director George C. Wolfe didn't know Boseman had cancer, saying recently, "He was thinner, but I thought, you know, actors they fast. They do all these things. I also thought he was shedding some of the 'Black Panther' facade."

That leanness worked well for his determined horn player character, according to Wolfe.

Boseman goes head-to-head in the film with Viola Davis, who plays the titular character, known as "The Mother of the Blues."

Davis won a Best Actress Oscar for her remarkable Pittsburgh-filmed performance adapted from another Wilson play, 2016's "Fences," opposite Denzel Washington, who produced "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom." 

Interviewed by Zora, a magazine for, by and about women of color, Davis praised her "Ma Rainey's" co-star for his "willingness to let go of ego and almost an insistence to leave Chadwick Boseman at the door."

Amid filming, Davis didn't realize Boseman was battling cancer.

"He was extremely tired, but there's a lot of tired people in the business — especially people in his position," she said. "He would just fall asleep standing up, but boy when that camera rolled? You didn't see any of it."

Boseman looks utterly dynamic in the 2-minute, 39-second "Ma Rainey's" trailer that's got people talking.  

"Boseman's performance has been said to be among the finest of his career, and the scenes previewed Monday only reinforced that notion," the Detroit News said.

Variety magazine hails Boseman as the "front runner" for the 2021 Best Actor Oscar, while wondering if the consistently fabulous Stanley Tucci stands a chance to win instead for his highly praised role in “Supernova." 

If the Oscar posthumously goes to Boseman, it would be the first Best Actor performance to win from a western Pennsylvania-made movie since Anthony Hopkins, in 1991's “The Silence of the Lambs.”

Tent shows continue

Grand Valley Inn in Fallston continues its outdoor concert series under four heated party tents.

The schedule:

• Nov. 6, a combo Garth Brooks and Toby Keith tribute.
• Nov. 14, Michael Jackson and Friends Tribute with performer C.P Lacey.
• Nov. 28, Tribute to Motown with Dr. Zoot.

Showtimes are 8 p.m., with a $10 cover charge that must be pre-paid when a reservation is made at 724-843-9000.

That Nov. 6 show features Tom Davis of Florida doing a one-man Garth Brooks act, then straight-off-the-VegasStrip's Mike Sugg as Toby Keith. 

Sugg has done his Toby shtick at multiple Harrah’s casinos, as well as fairs, festivals and corporate events. Similar to the real country star, he stands 6-foot-3, weighs 225, and has green eyes. According to Sugg's website, he once fooled a reporter at the American Country Music Awards who interviewed him on the red carpet in Las Vegas.

Lacey, the Michael Jackson impersonator, also mimics legends like James Brown, Stevie Wonder and Snoop Dogg, and has entertained at the Apollo in Harlem, on BET's "Comic View" and "The Chappelle Show." 

Blackhawk grad shines

Acoustic guitar and violin pair exquisitely on "Art of the Night" off the new release from  A-Money and the Downtown City, a multi-genre collaborative project from singer-songwriter Adam Merulli.

 With lyrics recounting a gallery crawl through Paris, "Art of the Night" earned spins on WDVE-FM's homegrown show, and is a linchpin for Merulli's intimate acoustic album split into two parts, with the “The Schoolhouse Sessions Vol. 1” arriving Friday on major platforms.

The Blackhawk grad, is proud of his Beaver County upbringing that's influenced his art.

"My family still lives there. It’s home in a sense," he said. "Parents in Chippewa, brother in Center. There’s something in the BC that lends to my perspective. It’s this underdog, working class thing that’s in the air and water. Kind of like a Springsteen perseverance vibe."

One of his favorite local memories was seeing the Clarks headline Thursday's.

"Must have been 2003 or '04? They played with this band Ingram Hill. It was great. They were at the height of their powers," Merulli said. "I was like 'I wanna do that someday!' That stayed with me."

With volume II of his stripped-down "Schoolhouse Sessions" targeted for spring,  Merulli, like other area artists, is seeking creative ways to engage audiences.  

"Things have definitely changed gig wise. I haven’t played solo or in a band since March," he said. "It’s frustrating but I think the positive is still being able to connect with people online. I think people need music now more than ever. Sounds cliche or cheesy, but I believe it."

Scott Tady is entertainment editor for The Times and easy to reach at stady@timesonline.com.