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Kwame’s sister releases trailer for upcoming documentary on Kilpatrick’s hard times
13Mar2012 Filed under: African Americans in the Media, Black Elected Officials, Black Men, Black Women, Detroit, Famous People From Michigan, Gen X&Y Thursday Author: Johannah
Ayanna Kilpatrick isn’t just the sister of former mayor Kwame Kilpatrick — she’s a star in the making.
Rumors have swirled since January that Ayanna will be one of the women featured on a new reality show called “Motor City Wives.” It’s beginning to look like her TV debut might be part of a broader entertainment strategy. After all,why not trade in on all that name recognition?
You might remember Ayanna Kilpatrick from her role as the head of the Kilpatrick Civic Fund during her brother’s mayorship. The nonprofit fund (unconnected to the city or his tenure) was set up to educate voters and improve Detroit neighborhoods. It was also alleged the clan dipped into the pot to float a family fundraising trip, rent on Ayanna Kilpatrick’s house and moving costs for Kilpatrick’s 2008 relocation to Texas.
After setting up a company to absorb the proceeds from her brother’s 2010 memoir, “Surrendered: The Rise, Fall & Revelation of Kwame Kilpatrick,” Ayanna leaked the trailer for what’s said to be an upcoming documentary based on her brother’s book.
Thus, a Detroit media mogul was born. Maybe. A typical movie trailer lures audiences by packing the max amount of titillating imagery and fast-paced action into 120 seconds. Not “The Real Kwame Kilpatrick (Carlita Speaks), which offers viewers about 30 seconds of content, stretched to accommodate an 80-second YouTube clip.
If we’re getting real, “The Real Kwame Kilpatrick” is best summed up as a Scorcese fan’s poorly-edited promo for an upcoming “Hard Copy” investigation.
The authorized footage begins with a voice-over from the former Mayor himself, over two or three still images (again, the lack of action in the trailer is disconcerting). “Today,” he thunders, “I want you to sit back, relax, and open your mind — because I am the REAL Kwame Kilpatrick.”
Cut to a sniffling Carlita Kilpatrick, remembering her husband’s stint in federal prison. She sighs, choking back tears, describing the last suit he wore before being led away to the Federal Correctional Institute in Milan. “And his suit still had his cologne in it.”