The Winnie Mandela biopic hits screens on Friday with Jennifer Hudson and Terrence Howard as the iconic South African couple. It’s but one of two films about Nelson Mandela, as Idris Elba will star as the South African icon in the second pic “Long Walk to Freedom.” In the trailers, “Long Walk to Freedom” with […]
Sheila Johnson may not be the household name that Oprah is, but she’s also one of the few Black women worldwide who can call themselves billionaires. The co-founder of BET Networks with her then-husband, Bob Johnson, added to her growing list of media, sports, and entertainment properties by helping “The Butler” get made. Johnson is […]
Believe the hype. “The Butler” will make you laugh, cry, relive family memories and truly recognize the resilience of Black people in the face of years of institutional racism. Unlike controversial movies like “Driving Miss Daisy” and “The Help” this is a film where the Black characters are central and the white ones are peripheral. […]
Lee Daniels, who has helped both Halle Berry (he produced Monster’s Ball”) and Mo’Nique (he directed “Precious”) get Oscars might be in that enviable seat again with his new movie “Lee Daniels’ The Butler.” (His name in the title was the result of a copyright claim, not his ego.) The movie, which opens tomorrow, stars […]
When “The Butler” comes out on August 16, there will be three Black men that made it happen – director Lee Daniels, White House butler Eugene Allen and journalist Wil Haygood, who wrote the original “Washington Post” article, “A Butler Well Served by This Election” that inspired the movie. Haygood’s book “The Butler: A Witness […]
Spike Lee has been the nation’s leading Black cinema artist for many years. His groundbreaking film “She’s Gotta Have It” was released in 1986, and along the way Lee has made several memorable films including “Mo’ Betta Blues” “Jungle Fever” and his polarizing “Do The Right Thing.” Although he’s not given the credit he deserves […]
In 2009, a young man named Oscar Grant III was headed home to Oakland from New Year’s Eve partying in neighboring San Francisco. He never made it. After a fight in a subway car, the BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) train was stopped and officers responding to the scene detained and handcuffed several young men […]
Actor Robbie Jones has been working since he hung up his hoop dreams seven years ago. And in a weird way, he may have talk show hostess Wendy Williams to thank for his career upsurge. Jones started out doing commercials and during an appearance on “The Wendy Williams Show” he was teased for his role […]
HOT ON TV: All Times Eastern Friday, July 5 “Unbreakable” Bravo, 9 p.m. Samuel L. Jackson and Bruce Willis star in this movie about a man who escapes tragedy over and over again “Trevor Noah: African American Showtime, 10 p.m. A mixed-race comic raised under apartheid in South Africa presents a unique comic take on […]
Director Ava Duvernay can relate to her documentary subject Venus Williams. Both are from Compton, California and both emerged onto the national scene in areas where Black women are still scarce – film and tennis. So it’s fitting that Duvernay would helm the ESPN documentary “Venus Vs.” part of ESPN’s “Nine for IX” series celebrating […]
Actor/ comedian David Alan Grier has had a lengthy career on screen and stage. This spring, he co-stars with Craig Robinson (“The Office”) and Kerry Washington in the new Tyler Perry produced “Peeples.” The former “In Living Color” star says that although it may seem as though the universal story of a suitor meeting his […]
Black folks love a good movie and over the years, we’ve had plenty that deal with all kind of Black families – from the slightly dysfunctional to the all-out crazy. (Or as Kanye would say, cray-cray.) In honor of Black History Month and with the Oscars on tap this weekend (Good luck Denzel!) we had […]
