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A cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a specific area of culture. A film, book, band, or video game, among other things, will be said to have a cult following when it has a small but very passionate fan base. A common component of cult followings is the emotional attachment fans have with the object of the cult following, often identifying themselves and other fans as members of a community. Cult followings are also commonly associated with niche markets. Cult media are often associated with underground culture, and are considered too eccentric, bizarre, controversial or anti-establishment to be appreciated by the general public.

Many cult fans express a certain irony about their devotion. Sometimes, these cult followings cross the border to camp followings. Cult fans of director Ed Wood admire his films not because they consider them to be excellent, but because they are so bad that they become funny and curiously fascinating. The same phenomenon can be observed with things that are appreciated by a certain generation out of nostalgia or childhood memories. Fans may become involved in a subculture of fandom, either via conventions, online communities, or through activities such as writing series-related fiction, costume creation, replica prop and model building, or creating their own audio or video productions based around the formats and characters.^[1]

Examples[link]

There is not always a clear difference between cult and mainstream media. The film Pink Flamingos is known for its disgusting scenes, and only a small number of people are drawn to this movie. Therefore it can be classified as a cult movie. Franchises such as Star Trek, Star Wars, Batman, Transformers, Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show have core groups of fanatical followers but still attract mass audiences, so some (e.g. actor Bruce Campbell, see below), argue they cannot be considered true cult films. Professors Xavier Mendik and Ernest Mathijs, authors of 100 Cult Films, argue that the devoted following among these films make them cult classics.

Some cults are only popular within a certain subculture. The film Woodstock is especially loved within the hippie subculture. A Clockwork Orange has a cult following of punks, skinheads and other groups. Certain mainstream icons can become cult icons in a different context for certain people. Reefer Madness was originally intended to warn youth against the use of marijuana, but due to its ridiculous plot and cheap look, it is now often watched by audiences consisting of marijuana-smokers and has gained a cult following.^[2]

Actor Bruce Campbell (he himself called "The King of B-Movies", and maintaining a dedicated cult following for films such as The Evil Dead) once contrasted "mainstream films" and "cult films" by defining the former as "a film that 1,000 people watch 100 times" and the latter as "a film that 100 people watch 1,000 times".

Quentin Tarantino's films borrow stylistically from classic cult movies, but are appreciated by a large audience, and therefore lie somewhere between cult and mainstream. Certain cult phenomena can grow to such proportions that they become mainstream.

It often takes a few years before a cult starts to form around a particular film or band. Captain Beefheart's album Trout Mask Replica, Jim Carrey's film The Cable Guy and the TV series The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show were originally not very successful, but as time went by built up a cult following. In some cases this cult status is unexpected, like the Disney film Fantasia (1940), which was a flop at its release, but was re-appreciated by fans of psychedelica in the 1960s. Some films, especially from within the science fiction and horror genres, were produced with the specific goal of achieving cult status, like the drug oriented movie Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, and most films by Terry Gilliam.^[3][3] Other examples which fall into the category of "intentional cult film" are Repo Man (1984), The Toxic Avenger (1984), the sequence of The Evil Dead horror films beginning in 1981, and Brazil (1985).

Many cancelled television shows (especially ones that had a short run life) see new life in a fan following. One notable example is Invader Zim, an animated show that aired for 2 seasons on Nickelodeon before being cancelled. The series enjoys a good life on DVD, and many specialty stores such as Hot Topic sell clothing and merchandise associated with it. Another examples are Roswell and Joan Of Arcadia, which had short life, but a large fan base until now. Long-running TV series such as The X-Files, Buffy the Vampire Slayer,Chuck and Lost also have huge cult followings.

In a BBC review of Farscape episode "Throne for a Loss", Richard Manning, the review writer said "­Farscape is now officially a cult series because it's being shown out of sequence." The episode in question was actually shown as the second episode, after the premiere; despite originally being intended as the fifth episode to be shown.^[4]

Anime, manga, kung fu films and kaiju are mainstream entertainment in Japan, but elsewhere are generally appreciated by a cult audience. Doctor Who is a prime time family show in Great Britain, but during a 15-year period out of production, gained cult status among fans; it is also a cult series in the US. Also, the animated pre-school show Pocoyo has attracted a reasonably large cult following among viewers older than its target audience due to the show's humour and its narrator, Stephen Fry.^{[citation needed]}

My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic is a flash-based animated cartoon for young girls and their parents, that has gained one of the larger cult followings^{[dubious – discuss][citation needed]} and became a prime example when it came to using the Internet, in late 2010, early 2011. The cartoon was created by Lauren Faust, who also worked with The Powerpuff Girls and Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, as originally made to be an attempt to revive the Hasbro franchise. Despite the target demographic being young girls, It has gained a huge cult following on the internet by older viewers, predominately teenagers and adults, who call themselves "bronies", after an internet board was posted from 4chan before the show's debut in the United States. Reasons for this unintended appreciation include Faust's creative contribution to the writing and characterization, the expressive Flash-based animation style, themes that older audiences can appreciate such as the show following the concept to some older cartoons from the late 20th century, and a reciprocal relationship between Hasbro, the creators, and the fans. Elements from the show are used to create various Internet memes to make up for the show's canon.

See also[link]

• Cult films
• Cult video game
• Otaku
• Sleeper hit
• Underground music

Further reading[link]

• Lathrop, Tad and Wayne Jancik, Cult Rockers: 150 of the most controversial, distinctive and intriguing, outrageous and championed rock musicians of all time (Pocket Books, 1996)
• Adam Gibson's anecdotal evidence

References[link]

Spike Lee
Lee at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival
Born	Shelton Jackson Lee (1957-03-20) March 20, 1957 (age 55) Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Alma mater	Morehouse, NYUTisch School of the Arts
Occupation	Actor, director, producer, screenwriter
Years active	1977–present
Spouse	Tonya Lewis (1993–present)

Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee (born March 20, 1957) is an American film director, producer, writer, and actor. His production company, 40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks, has produced over 35 films since 1983.

Lee's movies have examined race relations, the role of media in contemporary life, urban crime and poverty, and other political issues. Lee has won numerous awards, including an Emmy Award. He has also received two Academy Award nominations.

Early life[link]

Spike Lee was born in Atlanta, Georgia, the son of Jacqueline Carroll (née Shelton), a teacher of arts and black literature, and William James Edward Lee III, a jazz musician and composer.^[1][2] Lee moved with his family to Brooklyn, New York when he was a small child. (The Fort Greene neighborhood is home to Lee's production company, 40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks, and other Lee-owned or related businesses.) As a child, his mother nicknamed him "Spike." In Brooklyn, he attended John Dewey High School. Lee enrolled in Morehouse College where he made his first student film, Last Hustle in Brooklyn. He took film courses at Clark Atlanta University and graduated with a B.A. in Mass Communication from Morehouse College. He then enrolled in New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, where he earned a Master of Fine Arts in Film & Television.^[3]

Film career[link]

Lee in 2007

Lee's thesis film, Joe's Bed-Stuy Barbershop: We Cut Heads, was the first student film to be showcased in Lincoln Center's New Directors New Films Festival.

In 1985, Lee began work on his first feature film, She's Gotta Have It. With a budget of $175,000, the film was shot in two weeks. When the film was released in 1986, it grossed over $7,000,000 at the U.S. box office.^[4] The reception of She's Gotta Have It led Lee down a second career avenue. Marketing executives from Nike^[5] offered Lee a job directing commercials for the company. They wanted to pair Lee's character from She's Gotta Have It, the Michael Jordan-loving Mars Blackmon, and Jordan himself in their marketing campaign for the Air Jordan line. Later, Lee would be a central figure in the controversy surrounding the inner-city rash of violence involving Air Jordans.^[6] Lee countered that instead of blaming manufacturers of apparel, "deal with the conditions that make a kid put so much importance on a pair of sneakers, a jacket and gold". Through the marketing wing of 40 Acres and a Mule, Lee has also directed commercials for Converse, Jaguar, Taco Bell and Ben & Jerry's.

Awards, honors and nominations[link]

Lee's film Do the Right Thing was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay in 1989. Many people, including Hollywood's Kim Basinger (who announced her feelings live during that year's Oscar telecast), believed that Do the Right Thing also deserved a Best Picture nomination. Driving Miss Daisy won Best Picture that year and according to Lee in an April 7, 2006 interview with New York magazine, this hurt him more than his film not receiving the nomination.^[7]

His documentary 4 Little Girls was nominated for the Best Feature Documentary Academy Award in 1997.

On May 2, 2007, the 50th San Francisco International Film Festival honored Spike Lee with the San Francisco Film Society's Directing Award. He was the recipient of the 2008 Wexner Prize.^[8]

Use of actors[link]

Recurring actors[link]

A number of actors have appeared in multiple Spike Lee productions. Spike's sister, Joie Lee, and John Turturro lead the list at nine films, followed by Roger Guenveur Smith and the late Ossie Davis, with seven films.

Actor	Joe's Bed-Stuy Barbershop: We Cut Heads (1983)	She's Gotta Have It (1986)	School Daze (1988)	Do the Right Thing (1989)	Mo' Better Blues (1990)	Jungle Fever (1991)	Malcolm X (1992)	Crooklyn (1994)	Clockers (1995)	Girl 6 (1995)	Get on the Bus (1996)	4 Little Girls (1997)	He Got Game (1998)	Freak (1998)	Summer of Sam (1999)	The Original Kings of Comedy (2000)	Bamboozled (2000)	A Huey P. Newton Story (2001)	25th Hour (2002)	She Hate Me (2004)	Inside Man (2006)	When the Levees Broke (2006)	Miracle at St. Anna (2008)	Red Hook Summer (2012)
Danny Aiello				N					N											N
Rick Aiello				N		N
Michael Badalucco						N			N						N
Thomas Jefferson Byrd									N	N	N		N				N
Ossie Davis			N	N		N	N				N	N								N
Rosario Dawson													N						N
Kim Director													N		N		N		N	N	N
Chiwetel Ejiofor																				N	N
Giancarlo Esposito			N	N	N		N
Robin Harris				N	N
Zelda Harris								N					N
Michael Imperioli						N	N		N	N					N
Samuel L. Jackson			N	N	N	N
David Patrick Kelly							N	N
Joie Lee		N	N	N	N			N		N			N		N					N
John Leguizamo														N	N								N
Delroy Lindo							N	N	N
Bernie Mac											N					N
Lonette McKee						N	N						N							N
Coati Mundi					N					N			N				N		N
Charlie Murphy					N	N	N		N
Bill Nunn			N	N	N								N
Christopher Perez				N		N							N		N
Wendell Pierce							N				N											N
Dania Ramirez																			N	N
Theresa Randle						N	N			N
Miguel Sandoval				N		N
Roger Guenveur Smith			N	N			N				N		N		N			N
Wesley Snipes					N	N
Leonard L. Thomas			N	N	N		N		N	N
John Turturro				N	N	N			N			N	N		N					N			N
Nicholas Turturro				N	N	N	N
Denzel Washington					N		N						N								N
Isaiah Washington								N	N	N	N
Kerry Washington																				N			N
Michole Briana White																			N	N
Steve White				N	N		N		N
Isiah Whitlock, Jr.																			N	N

Public figures as actors[link]

Several well-known public figures have appeared in Spike Lee films portraying characters other than themselves. They include

• Ray Allen (He Got Game)
• Travis Best (He Got Game)
• Mark Breland (Summer of Sam)
• Jim Brown (He Got Game, She Hate Me, Sucker Free City)
• Rick Fox (He Got Game)
• Evander Holyfield (Summer of Sam)
• William Kunstler (Malcolm X)
• Nelson Mandela (Malcolm X)
• Bobby Seale (Malcolm X)
• Al Sharpton (Malcolm X, Bamboozled)
• Wyatt Tee Walker (Malcolm X)

Controversy[link]

Lee in September 2011

After the 1990 release of Mo' Better Blues, Lee was accused of antisemitism by the Anti-Defamation League and several film critics, who pointed to the characters of club owners Josh and Moe Flatbush in the film, which have been described as "Shylocks". Lee denied the charge, explaining that he wrote those characters in order to depict how black artists struggled against exploitation. Lee further expressed skepticism that Lew Wasserman, Sidney Sheinberg or Tom Pollock, the Jewish heads of MCA and Universal Studios, would have allowed antisemitic content in a film they produced. He also said he could not make an antisemitic film because Jews run Hollywood, and "that's a fact."^[9]

In the Knicks' 93–86 loss to the Indiana Pacers in Game 5 of the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals, Reggie Miller scored 25 points in the 4th quarter. Lee was apparently taunting Miller throughout the 4th quarter, and Miller responded by making shot after shot. Miller also gave the choke sign to Lee. The headline of the New York Daily News the next day sarcastically said, "Thanks A Lot Spike".^[10] This was parodied in the Seinfeld episode "The Susie", in which Kramer, Lee and Miller ultimately reconcile and go to a strip club together.

In May 1999, the New York Post reported that Lee said of National Rifle Association President Charlton Heston, "Shoot him with a .44 Bulldog."^{[citation needed]} Lee contended, "I intended it as ironic, as a joke to show how violence begets more violence," Lee said. "I told everyone there it was a joke. I said I did not want to read in the papers, 'Shoot Charlton Heston.'" Insisting that he had no reason to apologize, Lee further explained that his remark was in response to a question about whether Hollywood was responsible for the then-recent rash of school shootings, saying, "The problem is guns," he said. Republican House Majority Leader Dick Armey issued a statement condemning Lee as having "nothing to offer the debate on school violence except more violence and more hate."^[11]

In 2002, after remarks made by Mississippi Senator Trent Lott regarding Senator Strom Thurmond's failed presidential bid, Lee charged that Lott was a "card-carrying member of the Ku Klux Klan" on ABC's Good Morning America.^[12]

Lee sparked controversy on a March 28, 2004, segment on ABC when he said that basketball player Larry Bird was overrated because of his race, saying, "The most overrated player of all time, I would say it'd be Larry Bird. Now, Larry Bird is one of the greatest players of all time, but listen to the white media, it's like this guy was like nobody ever played basketball before him—Larry Bird, Larry Bird, Larry Bird, Larry Bird, Larry Bird."^[13][14]

In October 2005, Lee commented on the federal government's response to the 2005 Hurricane Katrina catastrophe. Responding to a CNN anchor's question as to whether the government intentionally ignored the plight of black Americans during the disaster, Lee replied, "It's not too far-fetched. I don't put anything past the United States government. I don't find it too far-fetched that they tried to displace all the black people out of New Orleans." On Real Time with Bill Maher, Lee cited the government's past atrocities including the Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis in the Negro Male.^[15]

At the 2008 Cannes Film Festival, Lee, who was then making Miracle at St. Anna, about an all-black U.S. division fighting in Italy during World War II, criticized director Clint Eastwood for not depicting black Marines in his own WWII film, Flags of Our Fathers. Citing historical accuracy, Eastwood responded that his film was specifically about the Marines who raised the flag on Mount Suribachi at Iwo Jima, pointing out that while black Marines did fight at Iwo Jima, the U.S. military was segregated during WWII, and none of the men who raised the flag were black. Eastwood also pointed out that his 1988 film Bird, about the Jazz musician Charlie Parker featured 90% black actors, and sarcastically said that Invictus, his then-upcoming film about post-apartheid South Africa, would not feature a white actor in the role of Nelson Mandela. He angrily said that Lee should "shut his face". Lee responded that Eastwood was acting like an "angry old man", and argued that despite making two Iwo Jima films back to back, Letters from Iwo Jima and Flags of Our Fathers, "there was not one black soldier in both of those films".^[16][17][18] He added that he and Eastwood were "not on a plantation."^[19] In fact, black Marines are seen in scenes during which the mission is outlined, as well as during the initial landings, when a wounded black Marine is carried away. During the end credits, historical photographs taken during the Battle of Iwo Jima show black Marines. Although black Marines fought in the battle, they were restricted to auxiliary roles such as ammunition supply, and were not involved in the battle's major assaults, but took part in defensive actions.^[20] Lee later claimed that the event was exaggerated by the media and that he and Eastwood had reconciled through mutual friend Steven Spielberg, culminating in his sending Eastwood a print of Miracle at St. Anna.^[21]

During a lecture at Concordia University in Montreal, Canada on February 11, 2009,^[22] Lee criticized how some in the black community wrongfully associate "intelligence with acting white, and ignorance with acting black", admonishing students and parents to maintain more positive attitudes in order to follow their dreams and achieving their goals.^[23]

In March 2012, after the shooting of Trayvon Martin, Spike Lee was one of many people who retweeted a message which claimed to give the home address of the shooter. The address turned out to be incorrect, causing the occupants to leave home and stay at a hotel. Lee issued an apology, and reached an agreement which included compensation.^[24][25]

Personal life[link]

Lee and his wife, attorney Tonya Lewis, had their first child, daughter Satchel, in December 1994.^[26] Spike Lee is a fan of the American baseball team the New York Yankees, basketball team the New York Knicks, and the English football team Arsenal.^[27] One of the documentaries in ESPN's 30 for 30 series, Winning Time: Reggie Miller vs. The New York Knicks, focuses partly on Lee's interaction with Miller at Knicks games in Madison Square Garden.

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Spike Lee

• Spike Lee at the Internet Movie Database
• Spike Lee on Charlie Rose in 2010
• Spike Lee on Charlie Rose
• Spike Lee collected news and commentary at The New York Times
• Spike Lee collected news and commentary at The Wall Street Journal
• Spike Lee collected news and commentary at The Guardian
• Ubben Lecture at DePauw University
• Criterion Collection Essay on Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing
• Lee's Lens Exposes Inequalities, but he's no Revolutionary by Brendan Kelly, Canwest, April 11, 2009

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (August 2009)

Lisa Lisa (born Lisa Velez, January 15, 1966)^[1] and her band Cult Jam were an urban contemporary band and one of first freestyle music groups to emerge from New York City in the 1980s. Cult Jam consisted of guitarist/bassist Alex "Spanador" Moseley, and drummer/keyboardist Mike Hughes. They were assembled and produced by Full Force.

History[link]

Velez is of Puerto Rican descent and grew up in New York City and attended Julia Richman High School in Manhattan, NY. The group released their debut album Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam with Full Force in 1985. She was signed by Columbia Records and the label released their single "I Wonder If I Take You Home" to the European division of CBS Records for the compilation album Breakdancing. Stateside club DJs began playing the single from the import LP, and thus the U.S. division of CBS, Columbia Records, released the record. It quickly became a chart-topper on Billboard's Hot Dance/Disco chart. It then crossed over to the R&B chart where it peaked at #6, and then to the pop chart, peaking at #34 in summer 1985. The single eventually went gold.

"I Wonder If I Take You Home" was followed by another club hit, "Can You Feel the Beat", which also went to #40 on the R&B chart in late 1985. A sampling of the lyrics of this song would later be used by Nina Sky for their hit single "Move Ya Body" in 2004. Their third single, the ballad "All Cried Out", also went gold, going to number #3 R&B and #8 pop in summer 1986. "All Cried Out" was later covered by Allure in 1997 and was a hit in 1998. Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam with Full Force went platinum.^[2]

Their second album, Spanish Fly, was a huge success in 1987. It spawned two #1 pop hits, "Head to Toe" and "Lost in Emotion", both of which went gold and both of which sported a retro Motown flavor mixed with the Freestyle sound they were known for. "Head to Toe" also parked at #1 R&B for two weeks and stayed in the pop top 5 nearly three months. Lost In Emotion's video went on to become the 4th most played video of 1987 on MTV. 'Spanish Fly went platinum, peaking at #7 on the album chart. Other singles from the album were the ballad "Someone to Love Me for Me" b/w "Spanish Fly" (#7 R&B), "Everything Will B-Fine" (#9 R&B).^[2]

In between albums they recorded "Go For Yours," which was featured in the movie Caddyshack II and is found on its soundtrack exclusively.

1989's Straight to the Sky was a moderate hit that included the Top 30 pop/#3 R&B single, "Little Jackie Wants to Be a Star", as well as the club hit "Just Git It Together". Two decades later, their hit song would inspire the name of the group Little Jackie.

Their fourth and final album, Straight Outta Hell's Kitchen, was less of a commercial success, though it did include a hit with "Let the Beat Hit 'Em", which reached the pop Top 40 and was a #1 hit on both the R&B and club charts. The group disbanded in 1991. Velez pursued both solo and acting careers, and Moseley and Hughes went on to do other projects.

Lisa Lisa released a solo album called LL77 in 1994, which included the moderate club hit "When I Fell In Love" and the notable single "Skip To My Lu", which hit #38 on the R&B chart. She resurfaced circa 2001 on the Nickelodeon series Taina, in which she played the title character's mother.

On June 24, 2008, Lisa Lisa presented an award at the BET Awards sparking interest that she may be plotting a comeback.

In 2009, Lisa Lisa released Life 'n Love, a full length album of new material on Mass Appeal Entertainment featuring the single "Can't Wait" with guest rapper Pitbull.

Discography[link]

Studio albums[link]

Compilation albums[link]

Singles[link]

See also[link]

• List of number-one hits (United States)
• List of artists who reached number one on the Hot 100 (U.S.)
• List of number-one dance hits (United States)
• List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. Dance chart

References[link]