I just saw Ray...

[Reverend_Smitty]

I would have waited until the DVD came out but I wouldn't have gotten any credit for my music class, anyway...wow, just wow! Jaime Fox was unbelievable, he totally deserves an Oscar for that role.

[ikojo]

1. The movie was good but I hope Ray supported all the

kids he brought into the world.

[Reverend_Smitty]

2. I don't know...

but he certainly had the means to do it...good move on his part owning the rights to his songs

[ikojo]

10. That was my favorite part of the movie...seeing Ray Charles a

blind black man stand up to the slick white businessmen. They probably thought they had a hayseed on their hands who would take whatever pennies they were throwing at him. His mom may not have been warm and fuzzy but she certainly raised a strong self assured man.

[msgadget]

4. He absolutely did.

Ray's 12 children each received one million dollars from his estate.

[ikojo]

8. So, there wasn't the nasty fight with the estate like

there was between Jerry Garcia's many children and his wife and ex wife?

That's nice to hear. I suspect that after all the court fights Jerry Garcia's kids got very little.

[msgadget]

14. Nope,

I didn't read the usual bad gossip following his death. No tales of wicked stepmothers, neglected kids, villainous nurses or anything came my way but I'm pretty sure there's someone somewhere with a negative take on things.

Shame about Garcia's kids, that the lawyers made out better than they did.

[ikojo]

16. I can't say for sure that the lawyers did better than the

kids and ex wife, but the court fight ended in 2003 or 2004. That's eight or nine years after he died. One can only assume that with a court fight that long the only true winners were the lawyers.

[msgadget]

17. Wow,

That's a LONG time to battle it out. How much was in the estate?

[ikojo]

18. According to thesmokinggun.com it was valued

at 9.9 million, not an astronomical fee when it comes to successful entertainters but not pennies either.

As I was googling for this information I came across news that Jerry Garcia's estate was suing a burrito maker for using Jerry's likeness. I hadn't heard that before.

[rockymountaindem]

3. I agree about the Oscar

except Don Cheedle (spelling?) was equally great in Hotel Rwanda. It's gonna be a toughy. Lots of people are talking about DiCaprio, but I haven't seen The Aviator, so I'll reserve judgment.

[bigwillq]

7. Foxx BETTER win

but in any other year Cheadle and DiCaprio are deserving.

[ronnykmarshall]

13. Jamie has to win!

This year there is a great crop of performances by lead actor, Jamie Foxx is brilliant!

I'll be very pissed if he doesn't walk home without the Oscar.

I just hope the Academy doesn't pull the "well, let's give you the supporting Oscar instead" like they've done in the past.

Hell, I love to see Jamie win BOTH Oscars!

[Reverend_Smitty]

15. Hell, I just want to see his acceptance speech...

His Golden Globes one was great

[msgadget]

5. I wasn't even a Ray fan until I saw the movie.

[Reverend_Smitty]

6. lol...

I've been a fan, but now I feel like listening to one of his CD's right now

[msgadget]

12. I never considered how brave he was to

use gospel or to try country music or even that he was smart enough to own his own music. I have an attention span shorter than my kids' so the movie was a bit tedious for me to sit through but it was worth it.

[TheDebbieDee]

9. I wasn't much of a fan either, MsGadget.......

I had no idea Ray Charles was so kewl! What a talent!

And Jamie Foxx is no slouch either - what a great job he did portraying Ray Charles!

[henslee]

11. Yup, what a solid performnance by Jamie. And what a deliciously

visual film. It failed to fall into those "period movie" cliches you so often see... a good thing. And yet they kept an epic feel to it. I loved the scenes with him as a boy. The black women looked like real black women and not some waifish light skinned versions. And the L.A. 60's scenes felt very authentic. So did the drug scenes. And casting Booger from Revenge of the Nerds as Ahmet was brilliant...I think.