NEW YORK — When “The Wiz Live!” airs on NBC this Thursday, it will come alive for the blind with a voiced description of the broadcast’s sights and action integrated into its soundtrack.
NBC parent Comcast says this will be the first live entertainment program in U.S. history to be accessible in this way to those who are blind. The vocal description is a narration track interspersed between existing pauses in dialogue that describes the show’s visual elements such as facial expressions, settings, costumes and stage direction.
This enhanced broadcast of “The Wiz Live!” will be a pilot program available on local NBC stations where SAP (Second Audio Program) feeds are available. The service will be provided by Descriptive Video Works, which has provided more than 1,000 hours of live description for certain news and sports events.
“The Wiz Live!” premieres Thursday at 8 p.m. EST, with stars including Queen Latifah, Mary J. Blige, David Alan Grier, Ne-Yo, Elijah Kelley, Uzo Aduba and Common, as well as Shanice Williams as the young heroine, Dorothy.
article via accessatlanta.com
Posts published by “goodblacknews”
Today we’ve got goods for all. Nothing beats a laid back flannel/plaid for an instant look that may not be as haphazardly casual as you think. I found that out when I slipped on this top (pictured) sort of in a panic.
One of my sisters was stopping by my house on one of those middle-of-the-week /middle-of-the-day “Why aren’t we at work?” days. Because she hassles me sometimes about my “house outfits,” I actually hustled and changed the minute I heard she was on her way. Admittedly, I can come up with some seriously “eclectic” house roaming outfits. My son calls them my “behind the scenes” looks. I laugh every time because I do know better, I just don’t really care all the time.
That day I was wearing an old school Batman & Robin T-shirt and some loud patterned sweatpants. Whatever… I was at home, but I certainly wasn’t in the mood to hear the light criticism only a sister can deliver. So I tried a little before she arrived. I grabbed my jeans and this H&M flannel. Besides, I had a lunch date that day, so I figured I’d try at least a little. I was shocked by the immediate compliment my sister gave me. In fact, she wanted one. Okay!
Then, as I was walking her out, my actress neighbor stopped to comment on my “super cute” look. Huh? It’s just a flannel shirt. It wasn’t like it was my Isabel Marant one, and I wasn’t even fully styled. This was my new, reasonably priced find I thought might be cute open with a rocker tee or tank underneath. But I didn’t really do the whole styled look… just grabbed it and put it on. I get it… it was better than the sweats I’ve been shuffling around in on my off days. Yes, a flannel (if styled correctly) can be dressed up.
Now, I’m not talking the grunge look of yesterday… but the new “flannels” (I put them in quotes because we are really talking plaids and material). Yes, they are different, but for some reason people seem to think they are synonymous. They are not. My kids’ school uniforms were plaid (a pattern) – my pajamas are flannel (material).
The pattern is a classic and the colors can be fun. For today’s gift choices, I will call them all flannels (you get it). The price of these H&M finds & styles are certainly right and make for a gift that might just give a little more than the wearer expects. Lightweight & heavier weights available.
The pattern is a classic and the colors can be fun. For today’s gift choices, I will call them all flannels (you get it). The price of these H&M finds & styles are certainly right and make for a gift that might just give a little more than the wearer expects. Lightweight & heavier weights available.
LONG FLANNEL SHIRT $24.99
http://www.hm.com/us/product/32030?article=32030-D&cm_vc=SEARCH
As pilot season kicks off, ABC is looking to stay in business with “American Crime” creator and Oscar winner John Ridley, giving his detective drama project “Presence” a formal pilot order.
In contention for the 2016-17 television season, “Presence” has been hot at ABC since the get-go, as the drama was the first pilot script order at the network this development season. “Presence” follows Presence Foster, a former Army veteran who finds herself navigating a widely divergent and highly colorful cross section of L.A., as she unintentionally begins a career as an unlicensed private investigator.
Hailing from ABC Studios, Ridley wrote the pilot script and will direct and executive produce through his International Famous Players Radio Picture Corporation with his fellow “American Crime” executive producer Michael McDonald, who will executive produce “Presence” by way of his ABC-based Stearns Castle banner.
Aside from “Presence” and “American Crime,” which debuts its second season on January 6, Ridley and McDonald have another drama set up in the early stages with ABC Studios — the duo optioned the rights to Kim Reid’s novel “No Place Safe: A Family Memoir” for a limited series.
Ridley also has a top-secret Marvel project in the works at ABC Studios, where he is under a producing deal.
article by Elizabeth Wagmeister via Variety.com
If there’s one football player who had the world cheering for his family from the sidelines this year, it’s Devon Still. The former Cincinnati Bengals player let the world know that his daughter, Leah, has no evidence of cancer.
Leah touched the world this year with how she was bravely battling the disease. And Still’s former football team stepped up to the plate and made sure he had medical insurance in order to take care of his daughter.
In an Instagram post, Still gladly shared Leah’s health update.
“Thanks for all the support and prayers!” the caption read. “Just got the phone call that her scans showed NED (no evidence of disease)!”
Leah was diagnosed with cancer in 2014, and was the recipient of the Jimmy V Perseverance Award at this year’s ESPYs.
article by Yesha Callahan via theroot.com
article by Yesha Callahan via theroot.com
Today, as promised, goodblacknews.org (GBN) brings you more gift ideas for the holidays.
On Day 2 we turn to women’s rain boots. We found these practical-yet-stylish versions of the conventional boot great for her.
I haven’t had the chance to wear mine yet… but gotta say… I love them already. On sale now, the leopard is a great buy.
CHELSEA LEOPARD RAIN BOOTS $49.99
https://www.jcrew.com/womens_category/shoes/boots/PRD~B1329/B1329.jsp
ALSO AVAILABLE IN SOLID MATTE COLORS $68.00:
https://www.jcrew.com/womens_category/shoes/boots/PRD~C2499/C2499.jsp?N brd=J
Check out entire J. Crew women’s gift guide:
https://www.jcrew.com/gift-guide/Womens.jsp
RAG & BONE MOTO RAIN BOOT – BORDEAUX
A spin on the classic moto, this edgy/chic rain boot is offered in four colors. $160.00
http://www.rag-bone.com/sale/shoes/moto-rain-boot- 886353097429.html#start=1
*Lesa is wearing JCrew (vintage hat), Rag & Bone (jacket) Twelfth Street Cynthia Vincent (dress)
#GBN #goodblacknews.org #giftideas
The NAACP and TV One announced today that Anthony Anderson has signed a multi-year deal to continue as host for the 47th and 48th NAACP Image Awards. The 47th NAACP Image Awards will be nationally telecast live on TV One on Friday, February 5, 2016 as a two-hour special from the Pasadena Civic Auditorium. The live telecast will also include a one-hour live pre-show from the star-studded red carpet.
“I look forward to the NAACP Image Awards each year! The NAACP Image Awards always delivers an epic evening with the best of the best across film, TV, music, and literature,” said Anderson. “It is a privilege and honor to be asked back to host for the next two years – there is no doubt that this year’s show is going to be magnificent. I may even have a few surprises up my sleeves!”
Anthony Anderson currently executive produces and stars alongside Tracee Ellis Ross and Laurence Fishburne on the hit ABC series “Black-ish,” for which he won a NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series. He has also earned Emmy and People’s Choice Award nominations for his role in the series. Anderson can next be seen in “Barbershop 3: The Next Cut.”
As previously announced, Reginald Hudlin and Phil Gurin have signed a three-year deal to continue as executive producers for the NAACP Image Awards.
For all information and latest news, visit the official NAACP Image Awards website at http://www.naacpimageawards.net.
article by Tambay A. Obenson via Shadow and Act
Vanessa, a teacher in Washington DC, and her husband Ron are experts now in how trans kids should be treated. But they had to learn fast, when they realized their four-year-old daughter, Ellie, is transgender.
They are a family rooted in strong values. Vanessa’s parents lived the ultimate love story – meeting young, falling in love and spending their whole lives together. Ron’s parents were also in love, but the family had to deal with tragedy. When Ron was 10, his dad died of brain cancer.
‘The emotional scars were still deep, knowing my dad was no longer living. So, when I met Vanessa and thought about raising a family, I really wanted to ensure she and our kids were what I focused on – my role as a husband and dad. They came first,’ he told me.
Their son, Ronnie, was born first. Ellie was due 18 months later.
‘We had an amniocentesis and found out the “sex,” but at the time we really didn’t think about sex and gender being different. We pretty immediately formed a family identity as “Vanessa and Ron with two small boys.”’
The amnio did not tell the truth about Ellie, however. The packaging was misleading. As soon as she was able to speak, Ellie set about clarifying who she was to her parents. ‘I’m not a boy. I am a girl. I’m a girl in my heart and my brain. My penis is my only boy part. The whole rest of me is girl,’ she would explain to them out of the blue, without prompting.
Vanessa was disturbed when she witnessed Ellie trying to fight her own inner truth. Ellie would lie in bed at night, unable to sleep, poking her chest and attempting to convince herself of something she was told but did not believe: ‘Boy, boy, boy! I have to be a boy! I have to like Power Rangers!’
Witnessing this struggle, Vanessa and Ron knew it was time for them to transition. Their daughter had spoken, and they had to listen.
Ellie had already rejected the name she had been given at birth. She had been okay with it until she realized people would see her as a boy if she used it. So she informed her parents that she was ‘Ellie.’
The results of Vanessa and Ron’s full acceptance of Ellie was dramatic. ‘She blossomed, became happier and just seemed more herself,’ Vanessa says. ‘We have a happy, silly, strong-willed, outgoing daughter. Before her transition, she was mostly quiet, shy, sometimes angry and certainly not outgoing.
‘At the forefront of parenting is ensuring the happiness and safety of your children. It was clear that by not listening to her, we’d be putting her at risk, and that is not something we were willing to do.’
Ron and Vanessa then did the incredible; not only did they not hide what was going on in their family, they built a new community consciousness around their child.
They are a family rooted in strong values. Vanessa’s parents lived the ultimate love story – meeting young, falling in love and spending their whole lives together. Ron’s parents were also in love, but the family had to deal with tragedy. When Ron was 10, his dad died of brain cancer.
‘The emotional scars were still deep, knowing my dad was no longer living. So, when I met Vanessa and thought about raising a family, I really wanted to ensure she and our kids were what I focused on – my role as a husband and dad. They came first,’ he told me.
Their son, Ronnie, was born first. Ellie was due 18 months later.
‘We had an amniocentesis and found out the “sex,” but at the time we really didn’t think about sex and gender being different. We pretty immediately formed a family identity as “Vanessa and Ron with two small boys.”’
The amnio did not tell the truth about Ellie, however. The packaging was misleading. As soon as she was able to speak, Ellie set about clarifying who she was to her parents. ‘I’m not a boy. I am a girl. I’m a girl in my heart and my brain. My penis is my only boy part. The whole rest of me is girl,’ she would explain to them out of the blue, without prompting.
Vanessa was disturbed when she witnessed Ellie trying to fight her own inner truth. Ellie would lie in bed at night, unable to sleep, poking her chest and attempting to convince herself of something she was told but did not believe: ‘Boy, boy, boy! I have to be a boy! I have to like Power Rangers!’
Witnessing this struggle, Vanessa and Ron knew it was time for them to transition. Their daughter had spoken, and they had to listen.
Ellie had already rejected the name she had been given at birth. She had been okay with it until she realized people would see her as a boy if she used it. So she informed her parents that she was ‘Ellie.’
The results of Vanessa and Ron’s full acceptance of Ellie was dramatic. ‘She blossomed, became happier and just seemed more herself,’ Vanessa says. ‘We have a happy, silly, strong-willed, outgoing daughter. Before her transition, she was mostly quiet, shy, sometimes angry and certainly not outgoing.
‘At the forefront of parenting is ensuring the happiness and safety of your children. It was clear that by not listening to her, we’d be putting her at risk, and that is not something we were willing to do.’
Ron and Vanessa then did the incredible; not only did they not hide what was going on in their family, they built a new community consciousness around their child.
This month on Goodblacknews.org, we’ve got 31 days of gift ideas, likes, wants and have to haves. We are easing into the holiday spirit, so here are a couple of items to get you started.
Let’s talk men’s sneaks. With a wink to the 80’s & 90’s, these picks provide a modern spin on some timeless classics. Here are a couple of everyday options for a stepped-up casual style:
NEW BALANCE® FOR J.CREW MESH 1400 SNEAKERS
A remix of the iconic 1400 sneaks is the creative result of the collaboration between New Balance and J. Crew. Check out the cool custom combos of color available. $170.00
https://www.jcrew.com/gift- guide/Mens/PRDOVR~46482/46482.jsp?color_name=cranberry
MEN’S NIKE® INTERNATIONALIST MID SNEAKERS
These original runners were brought back with added, updated style. Loving that they kept the waffle bottoms. $100.00
https://www.jcrew.com/gift-guide/Mens/PRDOVR~E3928/E3928.jsp?color_name=grey
Check out J.Crew’s full gift guide:
https://www.jcrew.com/gift-guide/Mens.jsp?intcmp=m1_giftguide
*Lesa is wearing Uniqlo (jacket), Pretty Persuasion (hat) & Rag & Bone (t-shirt).
#GBN #goodblacknews.org #giftideas
https://www.jcrew.com/gift-guide/Mens.jsp?intcmp=m1_giftguide
*Lesa is wearing Uniqlo (jacket), Pretty Persuasion (hat) & Rag & Bone (t-shirt).
#GBN #goodblacknews.org #giftideas
One of the nation’s largest black-owned companies, ENVIRO AgScience, Inc., is celebrating 30 years of business. The family-owned business has grown from a mom-and-pop landscaping business into a $29 million-dollar construction management and commercial landscaping firm.
In addition to its Columbia, South Carolina, headquarters, ENVIRO has offices in Atlanta, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles and is looking to expand its offerings globally. The company is ranked No. 92 on the 2015 BE 100s Industrial/Services List.
ENVIRO is best known for building schools and community centers in the Columbia area, but has also been involved in military structures, jails, mess halls, warehouses, and historic, municipal and airport renovations throughout Georgia and North and South Carolina. Currently, ENVIRO is part of the team helping to build a new minor league baseball stadium, Spirit Communications Park, completing bond referendum projects with the Richland County Recreation Commission and annual grounds maintenance for Richland Two School District.
ENVIRO began as a commercial lawn care business that has grown into a full-service construction and landscape company servicing government, military, schools and universities, along with private sector firms. It was founded by Louis B. Lynn in 1985 after a successful career at one of the nation’s largest agrichemical companies. With a legacy of business excellence and ownership, including his grandfather, who owned a grocery store and his father, who ran a butcher shop, Lynn also chose the path of entrepreneurship. Lynn has parlayed a ‘golden handshake’ from Monsanto Corporation into a multi-generational, black-owned business.
Earlier this year, ENVIRO executed its succession plan and Lynn assumed the role of chairman, leaving his children to manage daily operations and strategy of the family’s construction management and commercial landscape firm. Now it is the next generation, Lynn’s children, who are spearheading plans to make ENVIRO a multinational company. His daughters Adrienne Lynn Sienkowski, 41 and an engineer, is chief operating officer, and Krystal Conner, 38 and a pharmacist, is CEO. His son, Bryan Lynn, 30, is a facilities manager.