Friday, August 23, 2024
THE SUPREMES EARL ALL YOU CAN EAT
SPIKE LEE ATTENDS THE DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION
VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS AND FIRST GENTLEMAN DOUG EMHOFF
ANNUAL LEGISLATIVE CONGRESSIONAL BLACK CACUS
SAMM HENSHAW - CHURCH FT EARTHGANG
I LOVE THIS CATCHY SONG BY SAMM HENSHAW IT'S CHURCH WITH AN ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT VIBE. THIS SONG IS NOT NEW BUT IT NEVER SOUNDS OLD TO ME.
Wednesday, August 21, 2024
THE PIANO LESSON ALL ABOUT THE WASHINGTONS
With eldest son John David working with Oscar-winning directors like Spike Lee and Christopher Nolan, daughter Olivia starring in the Boots Riley series "I'm a Virgo" and the West End production of "Slave Play," and youngest son Malcolm getting behind the camera to adapt August Wilson's Pulitzer Prize-winning play "The Piano Lesson," it's fair to say Denzel Washington and wife Pauletta Washington may be shaping the next great entertainment dynasty, up there with the Hustons and the Fondas. Producing his son Malcolm's directorial debut, which stars both his other son John David and one of his best friends, Samuel L. Jackson, Denzel helps to hone in on one of the key themes of "The Piano Lesson": Family legacy.
The official synopsis reads: "A battle is brewing in the Charles Household. At the center stands a prized heirloom piano tearing two siblings apart. On one side, a brother (John David Washington) plans to build the family fortune by selling it. On the other, a sister (Danielle Deadwyler) will go to any lengths to hold onto the sole vestige of the family's heritage. Their uncle (Jackson) tries to mediate, but even he can't hold back the ghosts of the past."
In many ways, "The Piano Lesson" is about how history haunts. Speaking for a recent piece in Vanity Fair, co-star Michael Potts said of Malcolm's translation from stage to screen, "He got the haunting. He created this ghost story, which is far more difficult to manifest on stage, but the way he did it in the movie was extraordinary. It's like, this family's haunted. They're haunted by their past. They're haunted in their present."
Potts was featured in the Tony-nominated 2022 Broadway production directed by Jackson's wife, Latanya Richardson Jackson, and starring John David, Jackson, and Ray Fischer, all of whom reprise their roles in the film. They're joined by new cast members Danielle Deadwyler, Corey Hawkins, and Erykah Badu. A previous TV film version of the play was produced by Hallmark for CBS in 1995 and starred Charles S. Dutton and Alfre Woodard. Denzel himself has a great history with Wilson plays, having performed in "Fences" on Broadway and following it up with an Oscar-winning screen adaptation written by, directed by, and starring himself. He also produced an adaptation of Wilson's "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" for Netflix starring Viola Davis and featuring Chadwick Boseman's final role.
"The Piano Lesson" currently is slated for an "international premiere" at Toronto International Film Festival, implying it will have its world premiere at Telluride, though no lineup for the Colorado fest has been announced.
Netflix will release the film in select theaters November 8, before streaming on November 22. Watch the trailer below.
INDIE WIRE
I'M WITH HER
Thursday, September 12, 2019
ANGELA BASSETT COVERS NEW BEAUTY MAGAZINE
This article first appeared in the Fall 2019 issue of NewBeauty.
When Angela Bassett arrives to our cover shoot, she does the unthinkable: she shows up early. There are no airs—she got ready at-home with her loyal glam squad—there are no requests, besides a black coffee, and there is, thankfully, no drama, even though the rest of us are scrambling to finish prep. “I’m ready when you are,” the 61-year-old says, taking a deep, almost meditative-like breath as she steps in front of the camera, bringing that same energy she projects on the big screen to a still photo shoot.
To say she is busy is an understatement: Besides being a mom to 13-year-old twins Bronwyn and Slater with husband Courtney B. Vance, there’s tomorrow’s flight to Berlin to start filming Gunpowder Milkshake, a female-driven action film Bassett says will be “strong and powerful for women.” There was also last weekend’s talk as a spokesperson for the American Heart Association.
Soon, there will be her sort of start-of-fall, back-to-the-grind regular gig of Fox’s 9-1-1, what she refers to as “a feature film every week.” And then there is her first Netflix film, Otherhood, featuring Felicity Huffman and Patricia Arquette, available now.
“Which child am I most passionate about work-wise? All of them. But this one [Otherhood] is special because it hits on my mother’s birthday and we filmed it in New York—is there anything better?
“But you never know…” she trails. “Of course, you do this kind of work and you hope that there is an audience of people—hopefully a diverse audience who’ll get a chance to see you, who’ll come to know you and appreciate your work and become fans and all of that, but you never know who will like it or how it will turn out.”
A surprising admission for one of Hollywood’s most celebrated actresses, maybe, but Bassett readily admits she feels as if she’s continually striving to grow and get herself out there when it comes to her career.
“Of course, when they say, ‘I wrote this for you,’ it’s such a tremendous boost to anyone’s confidence, but it’s all about faith—you don’t know if a project will fly or if it will fail. You always go into it with the highest of hopes and expectations, but you never know what is going to capture the hearts. You want to go in with the greatest of intentions and come away with great experiences and wonderful relationships made. So you say ‘yes.’ It’s important to say ‘yes.’”
DEAR LIFE
HELLO I KNOW IT'S BEEN A MINUTE SINCE I BLOGGED LIFE GOT IN THE WAY. I LOVE BLOGGING BUT I HAVE SO MUCH THAT I'M TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH. NEED TO FINISH THAT BOOK AND EXPAND MY JEWELRY LINE BUT SOME HOW I ALWAYS COMEBACK EVEN IF IT'S JUST FOR A SHORT SEASON. BLOGGING REQUIRES DAILY COMMITMENT I MAY NOT HAVE AT THE MOMENT BUT I PLAN ON RETURNING STAY TUNED FOR THE NEXT BLOG POST.
BAD BOYS 4 LIFE TRAILER
Ride together. Die together BAD BOYS 4 LIFE IN THEATERS JANUARY 17, 2020. GREAT TO SEE MARTIN LAWRENCE AND WILL SMITH BACK TOGETHER. Marcus Burnett is now a police inspector and Mike Lowery is in a midlife crisis. They unite again when an Albanian mercenary, whose brother they killed, promises them an important bonus.
CONGRESSIONAL BLACK CAUCUS - ALC 2019
The Annual Legislative Conference (ALC) is the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation's leading policy conference on issues impacting African Americans and the global black community. From September 11-15, 2019 in Washington, DC, join thought leaders, legislators, grassroots organizers, influencers and celebrities at the 2019 ALC! Come support CBCF's mission, network, and engage in dynamic policy sessions and challenging discussions.
THROWBACK PICTURES WHEN PRESIDENT OBAMA WAS JUST ELECTED PRESIDENT AND SPOKE AT PHEONIX DINNER AT THE CONGRESSIONAL BLACK CAUCUS DINNER HIS SPEECHES WERE ALWAYS INSPIRING. PRESIDENT OBAMA WE MISS YOU ALOT.
DANIELLE BROOKS COVERS SHAPE MAGAZINE
Famous for her role in Orange is the new black, 29-Year old Danielle Brooks shared with Shape Magazine how she is using her influence to promote body positivity as she stars on the digital cover of the its September issue.
Read excerpts from her interview:
On using her influence to promote body positivity: “I began to realize the impact of my voice when the first season of Orange Is the New Black dropped. I started to see girls use my red-carpet looks as inspiration for their prom dresses. I began to see my interview quotes on social media. I realized that I could be what I wished for as a young girl, for someone else. I wanted someone in the industry, who I felt was a reflection of me, to scream from the mountaintops, ‘I love my body! I can accomplish whatever I want in the exact body God created me to be in!”
On breaking down barriers: “This opportunity to be on [the digital cover of] Shape is a pretty big deal to me. I feel like the world has built these invisible bullets to bully us in telling us who we’re supposed to be and what we’re supposed to look like. And I’ve always had this desire to prove people wrong to say that this body that I’m in is enough. Now that I’m about to be a mother, it means even more to make sure that this human being I’m going to bring into the world knows that they are enough.”
On creating joy for yourself and others: “When you let your light shine, it not only gives others the permission to do the same but opens up a world of unknown opportunities and joys for you as well.”
Read more of the interview on Shape.com
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