On theHollywood Beat: John Amos was recently in Los An­ geles to co-star along with Brandford Mars lis in a short feature spotlighting the talents of yet another, young Black filmmaker Marco William , as part of a Discovery program giving new directors their first shot at film. Dlahann Carroll's Last : What drew John Amos to the Hoorah: The Five Heartbeats" project was hot only the chance marks a return to the silver creen to work with WilliamJ, but the 8ehind- The-Scenes olll "I didn't w nt to be ru hed. I nted to put out qu lity film," obert To n end' e pi n - lion 0 hy it h t en him three Ion ye r to Iollo up hi hi h­ Iy- eel imed film debut, Hol­ lywood Shuffle". "A lot of the film th t Bl c peopl re in re hot in wh t I c 11 "coonerama", I'm tired of cooner m ." W nything, hi 1 te t film he Five Heartbeats" ( ted f r rele e M rch 29th) i wei worth the w it. Town end y he went to open udition and per onally w over 7,000 actor before ca ting the film , which i based on the ri e nd fall of a group during the Motown era of the 60' . Town end went on the road with the Dell to re e arch the film, before he and pal Keenen Ivory Wayan penned the script. Not only doe it showcase his ac­ ting, writing, directing, and com­ edic abilitie , but it also cast a light on Robert's singing. And he' not bad. Rounding out the Flve Heartbeats, are Michael Wright, Tico Wells, Harry J. Len­ nix, and Leon, who created quite a stir with hi provocative perfor­ mance in Madonna' controver­ sial "Like A Prayer" music video. Most recently, Townsend passed on a house in Malibu to plunk down $2 million and pur­ chase a building (Tinsel Townsend Productions) in Hol­ lywood, complete with a 99- seat theater. He hopes to make it a center to develop Black talent, from writers to directors, with plans to start his first season of plays this September. And why wouldn't he be determined. for veteran ctre Di h nn C; T­ roll. C rroll 1 t appe red op­ po ite J mes E rl Jone "Claudine". Th t b c 1 74. Tod y, C rroll y try to" t y y from n er", hen he thin bout the pli ht o the BI ck ctre in Hol- lywood. However, he more th n pie ed to be a p rt of "The Five Heartbeats." Say C rroll, "I en­ joyed w tching Robert. I feel though I'm in on the beginnin of the new breed. I think we've turned a corner." And while her part in the film w n.' t I rge one, he ay that it wa wonderful r�le. Before ccepting the part, he and Town end met for lunch at the Plaza in New York. Recalling their first meeting, Carroll char­ acterizes both of them playing coy. "Robert said he had fifteen minutes, and 0 I aid I had bout ffit en minute . But of cour e, they got to talking and well, you know. At the moment, Carroll is focu ing her energies on getting another TV serie . "That would be my last hoorah. I'm getting tired." Meanwhile, former co-star, Sidney Poitier struck an eight­ picture deal with Columbia Pic­ tures. With his new pact, Poitier will get the chance to star, direct and produce, in whichever order he chooses. involved. By Th Way: W hington nd John Lithgo will team to play good cop-b d cop in Warner' ne ction­ thriller "Rlchochet, " now filmin in Lo Angele . The c t include Ice- T, who i taking cling re I eriou the e d y .... Wh t' taking Lionel Richie 0 long In . cornin out with n Ibum? Motown' not ' ying, but they did however y that n arti t the caliber of a Lionel Richie c n take much time a he like. In the me ntime, labelm te Diana Ro i piggybacking her way up the R&B charts on a .duet (entitled "No Matt�r What You Do") te ming her with hip-hop heartthrob, Al B. Sure. FRONTLIN oldler comprl ed almo t thirty percent of the U.S. troot» In the Per Ian Gulf War. In "Black America's War," airing Tue day, April 2, 9 P.M. (check focal II tin ), FRONTLINE examine the legacy of the Gulf War on the Ilvc, . of ,I, ck . A ,.n . ANOTHER BAD. CREATION - (L-R) Red, M rk, Chris, LII' Dave, and Ro-Ro. Another Bad Creation Take five young teen and pre­ teen boys and their swinging partner, brimming with singing and dancing talent and good looks, put them together, stand back and you 've got, in gracious urban music jargon, another bad creation. Only, this time, it's literal Chris, 11, brothers Mar and Red - 8 and 10 respectively - LIP Dave 7, Ro-Ro 12 and homey General "G.A." Austin, 11 comprise 'Another Bad Crea­ tion, the dazzling new discovery and first Motown act from New mlltion/Bell, Biv, DeVoe mem- er Michael Bivin ' Biv Enter­ tainment Inc. Just like their name, Another Bad Creation i coming "hard:" "Iesha," the group' debut single, produced by Dallas Austin and written by Bivin and Austin, is a "Poi on"-type monster with all the fury of tone rna h. Of cour e, the tory of how creation wa di covered of classic music biz fable proper­ lions. Bivins ran into the fellas in Los Angeles about a year ago while the group was in town making demos. BIVINS, A MAN versed in spotting young talent, was im­ pre ed simply by the unit's ap­ pearance. "They just looked like a group," says Bivins. "A blind man could have seen the poten­ tial, and this was before I found out they could sing and dance." Almost immediately Bivins and the group were working together, with the New Edition veteran haping their mu ical ound and appearance. In no time the group wa in the tudio, and again they wowed their musi­ cal mentor by cutting "Iesha" in ju t three days, remarkable for newcomers. Both on recordings and onstage, Another Bad Creation is a ort of New Editiion-meet - Bell, Biv, DeVoe amalgamation, <> exuding the hardworking flash of NE and the swagger, funkiness and street-styled savvy of BBD. But Creation has its own thing - what other vocal group boasts an onstage D.J. and, especially, the omni-presence of Creation's sixth member, General "G.A." Austin, the group's very own one-man pos e and homeboy. It's a cool concept you imply gotta see to understand. . I:_ol all their onstage prowess, offs(age the fella are ju t "nor­ mal" kids who embrace the late t trends in film, music and fashion. They love mo t port and almo t no hotel room 0 • the road will escape the fellas' penchant for body salm ei ion and to-the­ death pillow fights. However, harne s the po itive energy and excitement mu icaHy and you've got o me thing pe­ cial, the best of everything cur­ rently happening in cutting-edge R&.B/pop. You've got: Another Bad Creation. African Pop at its be t CAROLYNW Arts Correspondent IELD with a upply of urgent tc. "The Lion and His Queens" offer an earthy, high energy "jive" imilar to the blues. Mbaqanga, it called in South Africa, literally' a poor man's stew. Mbaqanga combine tribal' and ·t 0 w n hip r h y t h m wit h lyric that tell of the joys and sorrow of daily township life. Though lyrics are ung in Zula. the album "Rhythm and Art." i mo tly in English. Hit like Won't You Sing Along" and "Sing. This Song" explain jive mu ic and invite the listener to join in. THE VO AL and electric instrumentation of the e veteran mu icians merge into vivacious and powerful dance rhythms. Mbaqanga provides a fresh and melodic sound that is climbing pop charts in­ ternationally. Shanachie . Records 'ha relea ed a half dozen' album featuring Mah- "Face .. A new musical trend doctor, that's right a doctor. To carry it a step furt-her he' a I ung special it! Opening this unusually talented pr of'e ional act is Huel West, broth r to Ace. Huel i musi ally inclined and ha hi own production co. All in all, they forecast a' J at h i n ian d t e M I'ft 0 tell a Que ens sin c e the M a ti'o re 11 a Queens ince t e 1980's. . Mahlathini' current pet name "Lion of Soweto" began as a Zula dancer. • In the' 50 s he emerged a a jazz and wed­ ding vocali t , The Lion's grave I t hroa ted vocal iza tion reminded me of Howling Wolf as he interjected commentary, did Zulz posturing and "ha-d the last word." The Mahotella Queens are South Africa' best female vocal trio. They began w.ith West Nko is' band in the '60' but - left to "get the children up," then returned to singing in the '80's. The Queen col­ laborate wi th Mahlathini for an unmatched blend. Their voice combine in sweet r­ monious melodies. Mildred. Manxola, Hilda Tiobatia and Nobesuthu Shawe are grandmother, yet dance and move like young te r Simon "Mahlathini" N'­ Kabinde i a culture hero at home in .So u t h Africa. His musical popularity i also commended in France, England and North America, where he' "making home a global place." Demand brought West Nkosis' Mak­ gona Tshole Band, Mahlathini • and . t he M a hot e II a Que e n back to the United States for their second 40-cit