Our Empowerment

Los Angeles (PRWEB) April 5, 2006 -- Documents were filed in the United States District Court, Central California alleging copyright infringement (Court Case Number: CV061951GPS) -- “Phat Girlz” slated to be released April 7 of this year, stars Mo’Nique, of “The Parkers” as lead character Jazmin Biltmore, “a sassy overweight Black woman” which apparently matches lead character, Arshon, in “Phat Gyrlz” a 2001 screenplay penned by Deborah Young under the pseudonym of “Ola Vay”.

“Phat Girlz”, penned by unknown Nnegeste Likke, was originally picked up as a Screen Gems project in 2002. After hearing of its filming, Ms. Young issued several notices to cease and desist. As a result of reading both scripts, Ms. Young’s version written in 2001 and Ms. Likke’s version registered in 2002, Screen Gems along with Todd Black of Escape Artists dropped the project from its slate. In 2004, The project was picked up by Executive Producer Bobby Newmyer, Outlaw Productions, (Training Day, Santa Claus Franchise) exhausting his time, money, and energy in the film. Newmyer passed in 2005 while on location in Canada.

According to the documents filed, “Phat Girlz” contains more than twenty five citings of “overwhelming similarities” in character descriptions, action sequences, dialogue, feel, and overall character setup from Ms. Young’s original script, “Phat Gyrlz”.

Reports state Ms. Young first presented the script to Mo’Nique’s brother, and Manager, Steve Imes, Jr. in 2001 along with several other production companies, with the hopes of getting Mo’Nique to portray lead character, Arshon.

A Long Beach native, Ms. Young has authored several other screenplays and three novels under her pen name of Ola Vay. She is a single mother of two, and a survivor of several personal tragedies involving child abuse, including the traumatic deaths of her mother, father, sister, uncle, two aunts –three of which occurred in a three week period in 2004. When asked about her ability to survive and overcome her past, Ms. Young commented, “it was the grace of God that brought me where I am today, from my bus ticket to LA which I received as a gift” to her featured monologue in last year’s Vagina Monologues, a play used to raise awareness and funding for abuse victims.

Ms. Young states she had written the script “Phat Gyrlz” on her own experiences as a full figured Black woman in Middle America. She’d hoped her own experiences would help and even heal other women such as herself who sought to have real love in their lives. Ms. Young has been an advocate for several mentoring programs that target the needs of abuse victims in getting out their message and promoting self love to overcome the trauma of abuse.

Currently, Ms. Young, Co-Creator, is shopping “The Roaches” a half hour animated series based on the creative fantasy of Bill Gates losing his mass fortune and his roaches being evicted from their Beverly Hills mansion to the cold concrete streets of the Cabrini Green Projects where the bourgeois roaches are relocated to “start their new lives”. One of the inspirations behind this series was the ability to identify with the hard reality checks of going from riches to rags, and back again. An undying belief that just as God can let you endure hardships, God also helps one to appreciate the real riches, “the kind you store in heaven”.

“We decided to use our really humble beginnings to create something all people can appreciate regardless of race, class, or gender –the struggle to be able to reinvent and redefine yourself as an artist, and living force by trusting in God’s grace.” The series features today’s hottest talents from hip-hop to country western.

When asked how she felt about the pending effects of her lawsuit, Ms. Young stated, “I just want to be given the opportunity to sing like any “caged bird”. My family is hoping for the best, and praying on the rest. I know this is a great journey and challenge like any other life experience. I am simply a spirit having a human experience, and God has my back. I’m not afraid.”

This is certainly a David and Goliath story worth staying tuned in see.