Coach Smith

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THE ENTERTAININGLY active Will Smith (Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Men In Black, Enemy of the State, Independence Day, etc) has always been my Favourite Black Actor on Earth since the 90s (reinforced by the fact that I also consider Joel Okuyo Atiku aka Prynce as my Best from UG); both lads are quite tall, fun-loving and athletic.
In May 2021, I saw a dreamvision that told me that if Will Smith is to win an Oscar after missing out with Ali (2001) and The Pursuit of Happyness (2006) which he considered worthy though Idi Amin (read Forest Whitaker) won it, he might have to do a sports-related film perhaps where he trains high schoolers in South Africa or some other place. The green and yellow jacket he wore in my dream had the word "Basketball" emblazoned across his chest; I did not even know what Will was working on post-Gemini Man (a 2019 revolutionary film production). Some months later however, after watching King Richard abruptly courtesy of Vision Group's Urban TV, my first impression was: This is the performance I was anticipating! I knew about the Williams Sisters from sports documentaries, so it was very easy connecting dots even though I missed the opening scenes of their Hollywood biopic. Someone actually advised their father to teach them basketball (and turn them into the "next two" versions of Michael Jordan), but he had his own masterplan. Although Venus stood out in this film, Serena is my genius, love her more than any other Black tennis star; she's humble yet very strong. At the turn of the new year, I thought Elvis Mbonye would prophesy Will as the Best Actor in the 2022 Oscars but heard nothing. Patiently, I waited for BAFTAs instead and the results gave me a lot of hope. Then the unexpected slap happened; whether stageplanned or spontaneous, not everyone hates Chris; Mr. Rock is one of the Funniest Comedians in my Top 100 List. Hard luck to the shortman! While giving his acceptance speech, Will apologized for the violence, "Denzel said to me a few moments ago, he said: At your Highest Moment, be careful; that's when the Devil comes for you..." Meanwhile, my Number 1 Will Smith movie is still "I, Robot (2004)".
Will has fought against hood bullies, aliens, cowboys, animals, boxers and robots; he has been a fresh prince, government agent, lawyer, fighter-jet pilot, astronaut, cop, tech entrepreneur, flying superhero, caddy, boxer, homeless businessman, genie, dating coach, tennis coach, assassin, supervillain, badboy and cartoonfish fittingly named Oscar. Now he is an Academy of Motion Arts legend; it's like a lifetime achievement for the 53 year old, but he still has more films to feature in.