John Ridley

John Ridley is an American film director, actor, and writer. Ridley got his start as a stand-up comedian. He eventually was hired as a writer for sitcoms such as "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" and "Martin". He began to concentrate on writing and wrote his first novel "Stray Dogs" which became the basis the 1997 film "U-Turn," directed by Oliver Stone. Ridley also provided the original script for the film "Three Kings," starring George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg and Ice Cube. But his script was changed so much by director David O. Russell that he only received a credit for the original story. He also tried his hand at directing with the film "Cold Around the Heart". He is one of the creators of [http://www.urbanentertainment.com/0/ Urban Entertainment] , showcasing short films and animation from minority filmmakers, including his own works: the animated cartoons "Undercover Brother" (the basis for the film starring comedian Eddie Griffin) and "Those Who Walk in Darkness", featuring the voice of rapper Lil' Kim — which itself was the basis of a novel of the same name written by Ridley. Ridley is a regular panelist on the MSNBC daily morning show "Morning Joe", and was an occasional guest on the network's cancelled nightly program "Scarborough Country". He hosted the short-lived "Movie Club with John Ridley" on American Movie Classics and has written "The Authority" and "The American Way" for DC Comics. He has recently become a regular guest commentator on American Public Media's "Weekend America" in a segment called "Good News, Bad News, No News" which reviews the week's news. He co-produced the film "Bobby". He wrote the play "Ten Thousand Years" about kamikaze pilots in World War II. On the weekend of August 19, 2006, John co-hosted the syndicated program "Ebert & Roeper" while film critic Roger Ebert was on medical leave. On August 28, 2007, it was announced that George Lucas hired him to pen the script for his upcoming World War II film "Red Tails".

Financial Core status

In the recent Writer's Strike of 2007-2008 John Ridley was the only Feature, and/or Primetime Television writer to elect for financial core status. (Several soap writers also did so.) Financial Core status legally allows a person to obtain in most of the benefits of union membership, including the right to work in jobs requiring union membership, without the obligation to follow strike orders or contribute financially to union political activities. (In 2005/6, this gave a 4.21% reduction in union fees compared to full membership )

Ridley wrote many articles critical of the WGA and its leadership, and cited these criticisms for his choice to go "fi-core". However, some WGA members view Mr. Ridley's motivations as both self-serving and self-promoting.

Bibliography

Fiction novels

* "Stray Dogs" (1997)
* "Love is a Racket" (1998)
* "Everybody Smokes in Hell" (1999)
* "A Conversation with the Mann" (2002)
* "The Drift" (2002)
* "Those Who Walk in Darkness" (2003)
* "What Fire Cannot Burn" (2006)

Graphic Novels

* "The Authority: Human on the Inside" with artist Ben Oliver (2004)
* "The American Way (comic books)" with artist Georges Jeanty (2006)

Stage Plays

* "Ten Thousand Years" (World Premiere in 2005)

Screenplays

* "U Turn" (1997)
*"Cold Around the Heart" (1997) (also directed)
* "Three Kings" (1999) (story)
* "Undercover Brother" (2003)
* "Positively Fifth Street" (2007) (also directing)
* "Let Me Take You Down" (2007) (also directing)
* "Red Tails" (2008)

Teleplays

* "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air"
* "Martin"
* "The John Larroquette Show"
* "Team Knight Rider"
* "Static Shock" (2000)
* "Third Watch" - six episodes (1999-2001)
* "Platinum" (2003) (also directed)
* "Justice League" (2004)
* "" (2005) (also directed)

Magazine Articles

* The Manifesto of Ascendancy for the Modern American Nigger in Esquire Magazine, December 2006, Volume 146, Issue 6

References

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External links

* [http://www.JRidley.com/ Official site]
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* [http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=9957776 NPR--Fresh Air Interview with Terry Gross]