Prolific film and literary critic dies
Brunch 11am-3pm
Dinner 3pm-7pm
Caribbean L BQ ife, June 7–13, 2019 59
Over the past two
decades, film and literary
critic Kam Williams
published nearly ten
thousand articles and
reviews.
Throughout his nearly
22-year career as a writer,
he was most known
for his film reviews and
celebrity interviews for
websites such as Rotten-
Tomatoes.com and over
100 publications around
the world, ranging from
local papers like Princeton,
NJ’s Town Topics to
international news chain
Metro.
A prolific journalist,
he also wrote countless
book reviews, editorials
and a novel that will be
published posthumously
later this year.
Mr. Williams, who was
a resident of Princeton,
NJ, died Thursday, May
30 from prostate cancer.
He was 66 years old.
Born Lloyd Joseph
Williams in New York
City and raised in St.
Albans, Queens, Mr. Williams
was commonly
referred to as “Kam,”
a nickname short for
“Kamau,” a name given
to him while he was a
student at Brown University,
by famed Jazz musician
Sun Ra.
Mr. Williams’ path to a
career in writing was circuitous.
He was a graduate
of Brooklyn Tech
High School in New York
City and earned his Bachelor’s
degree from Cornell
University in Black
Literature in 1974. While
receiving his Master’s in
English from Brown University
in 1975, he first
attempted a career in
screenwriting at Chicago’s
WTTW, a PBS affiliate
TV station.
However, Mr. Williams,
had a diverse
set of interests and
diverted his attention
from writing for business
and entertainment
law, receiving his J.D.
from Boston University
in 1978 (along with Bar
membership in MA, PA,
CT, NY and NJ) followed
by an M.B.A. from The
Wharton School at the
University of Pennsylvania
in 1980.
Mr. Williams’ first wife,
the late Kristina Barbara
Johnson (who had previously
been married to
sculptor J. Seward Johnson
II, the grandson of
Johnson & Johnson Co-
Founder Robert Wood
Johnson I) introduced
him to art dealing and
the antique business in
which he subsequently
deployed his corporate
and legal knowledge for
over a decade.
Mr. Williams had a
colorful personality and
a commanding presence,
according to friends and
family. He was a tall
African American man
with freckles and wore
his bright-red hair in a
large Afro hairstyle that
was immediately noticeable
in a crowd.
His diverse life experiences
and base of knowledge
(he was a polymath
who read a book a week)
made him a compelling
conversationalist and
lead to a brief but recurring
guest appearance
on the radio show, The
Howard Stern Show.
It was that experience
that later sparked
his career in journalism
when a family friend and
writer at the Princeton
Packet, a local newspaper
in his hometown Princeton,
NJ, recommended
Mr. Williams write a film
review of Howard Stern’s
1997 biographical film
“Private Parts.”
Mr. Williams’ intense
work ethic and glowing
journalistic reputation
lead to extensive work
interviewing celebrities
associated with upcoming
film and book releases,
including Quentin
Tarantino, Jamie Foxx,
Mel Brooks, Russell Simmons,
LeBron James and
former U.S. President
Jimmy Carter, among
many others.
He was also a staunch
supporter of civil rightsrelated
causes, publishing
countless op-eds
on the topic and later
joined the NAACP Image
Awards Nominating
Committee.
Outside of his writing
career, he had a deep passion
for music and boasted
a large collection of
albums. He enjoyed long
daily walks in nature,
was an avid sports fan
and a passionate Little
League baseball coach.
He was also an enthusiastic
participant in
weekly trivia nights with
a large group of friends
at a local bar in Princeton,
NJ.
He is survived by
many friends, four siblings
(Lawrence, Daryl,
Teresa and Rod) and his
second wife of 25 years,
Susan, and stepson,
Nicholas.
Kam Williams.
Parties start at $36 per person
Showers Rehearsal Dinners Bachelorette Parties
Boutique Weddings with many packages and options to choose from
Brunch, Lunch, Dinner Parties Buffet Style or Formal Table Service Full Bar/Open Bar
Call our Catering Managers Peter, John, Bobby & Lorraine
718-989-8952
7717 3rd Ave, Bay Ridge, Brooklyn www.GreenHouseCafe.com
A diminished ‘Godzilla’ still
bests ‘Rocketman,’ ‘Ma’
By Jake Coyle
NEW YORK (AP) — “Godzilla:
King of the Monsters’’ was brought
down to size at the weekend box
office but was still easily No. 1,
while the Elton John biopic “Rocketman”
and the Octavia Spencer-led
horror film “Ma” got off to strong
starts.
The latest “Godzilla’’ installment
came in slightly below industry
expectations, opening with an estimated
$49 million in ticket sales.
That’s barely more than half of the
$93 million debut of 2014’s “Godzilla.”
Last week’s top film, “Aladdin”
slipped to second with $42 million.
Dexter Fletcher’s “Rocketman,”
starring Taron Egerton, didn’t launch
with the same bravado as last year’s
Freddie Mercury biopic “Bohemian
Rhapsody.” It opened third with $25
million.
The weekend’s most profitable
release was likely “Ma.” The Blumhouse
Production thriller made $18.2
million on a $5 million budget.
/www.GreenHouseCafe.com
/Tomatoes.com
/www.GreenHouseCafe.com
/www.GreenHouseCafe.com
/Tomatoes.com
/www.GreenHouseCafe.com
