Saturday, August 30, 2014

HBO miniseries to revisit Yonkers desegregation saga

HBO miniseries to revisit Yonkers desegregation saga: YONKERS, N.Y. — In May, actor Jim Belushi tried to save the Land of Oz as the voice of the Cowardly Lion in the animated film, Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return.

Now he's tapped to play a mayor who says he tried to save Yonkers from itself.

Belushi will portray former Yonkers Mayor Angelo Martinelli, part of the growing cast of Show Me a Hero, an upcoming HBO miniseries by award-winning producer David Simon that will delve into the tempest that was the city's desegregation battle in the late 1980s.

"It's never really gone away," said Martinelli, who is "delighted" to be played by Belushi. "I don't know if anybody will be able to capture those days. Those days were tumultuous. I had friends that turned against me because I wanted to settle that thing. I probably got a few extra gray hairs that I didn't need."