Press "Enter" to skip to content

Posts published in “Business/Finance”

‘Fruitvale Station’ Bows Strong Amid Trayvon Martin Reaction

By goodblacknews on July 14, 2013
‘Fruitvale Station’ Bows Strong Amid Trayvon Martin Reaction
The opening of Fruitvale Station on the same weekend as the Trayvon Martin trial concluded was certainly not planned on purpose. But the similarity of the two high-profile shootings was a potent reminder for the Weinstein Co. pickup, which scored the weekend’s highest per-screen average of nearly $54,000 from seven locations, including the sold-out Grand Lake theater in Oakland, Calif.
“Obviously, we had no idea of what would be going on at the time we dated the movie, but it’s very topical,” said Weinstein distribution topper Erik Lomis, referring to Saturday’s acquittal of Zimmerman, a former neighborhood watchman,  in Sanford, Fla.  “It’s hard to watch this film and not be moved,” Lomis added.
Fruitvale Station is based on the true story of Oscar Grant, a young African-American man in Oakland, who was shot and killed by a BART police officer in 2009.  The film, which stars Michael B. Jordan and Octavia Spencer, sold out Friday night and Saturday evening screenings at the Oakland location, as well as at the Arclight Hollywood and the Angelika in New York.

Author Zane: The Hardest-Working Woman in Adult Fiction

By goodblacknews on July 11, 2013
Author Zane
Author Zane attends the panel discussion during the TV One presentation at the 2005 Television Critics Association Summer Press Tour at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on July 17, 2005 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)

James Brown may forever be known as the hardest working man in show business; but, when it comes to bestselling authors, the intrepid business woman behind the nom de plume Zane might very well be the hardest working woman in erotic fiction.

With her newest title, Busy Bodies (an anthology of steamy short stories) set for release on July 16, two seasons of the Cinemax series Zane’s Sex Chronicles under her belt, and the Lionsgate adaptation of her second novel Addicted wrapped and awaiting a premiere date, you might wonder when Zane sleeps!
Between work on her formidable list of upcoming projects, theGrio caught up with the plucky author, whose faithful following of readers has landed her on the New York Times bestseller list an astounding 26 times.
Zane shared her personal recipe for success, advice for young, black writers and her top tips for entrepreneurs.
How a research assistant became “Zane”
You might be surprised to learn the mega-author (who assumed her pseudonym when she was a part-time research assistant for her theologian father) got her start sharing a few short stories on AOL chat rooms.
“I had always loved books and had a very vivid imagination as a child, but as far as becoming ‘Zane,’ that wasn’t until November 1997,” Zane told theGrio. “I wrote a short story and shared it with a few people I’d met online. I self-published three more stories online and got about 8,000 hits by word of mouth alone.”  Over the next three years, Zane’s popularity grew online and she was contacted by several major publishers, offering book deals she ultimately turned down.

Kanye West to Launch Capsule Collection with French Denim Brand A.P.C.

By goodblacknews on July 11, 2013
A.P.C. announces capsule collection with Kanye West
A.P.C. announces capsule collection with Kanye West. (Photo: Twitter)

Kanye West’s new daughter North is not the only new addition to the superstar’s long list of creative (or procreative) projects.  Via Twitter, the high-end French denim label A.P.C. has announced a fashion partnership with the rapper.  Following on the heels of the release of his sixth album Yeezus, West will be releasing a capsule collection — a line with a limited number of  items and a short sales duration — with the designer brand.

West has tried his hand at designing several times before. His own collection Dw Kanye West, which has shown at Paris Fashion Week, was seen as a disappointment by fashion insiders, although he has famously designed some well-received shoes for Giuseppe Zannoti.  Hopefully his capsule collection with A.P.C. will fare just as well. Between a child, an album, and now this fashion project, West seems to be on a prodigious creative roll.
article by Alexis Garrett Stodghill via thegrio.com

Kevin Hart’s ‘Let Me Explain’ Stand-Up Comedy Film Makes Big Box-Office Splash

By goodblacknews on July 6, 2013
Kevin Hart speaks onstage during the 2012 MTV Video Music Awards at Staples Center on September 6, 2012 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
Kevin Hart speaks onstage during the 2012 MTV Video Music Awards at Staples Center on September 6, 2012 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

Kevin Hart‘s new stand-up comedy film Let Me Explain has been a surprise smash at the box office and could potentially become the most successful film of its kind ever. Hart, who has been on a winning streak following his hit film Think Like a Man and popular BET series Real Husbands of Hollywood, already has one very successful stand up film under his belt; 2011′s Laugh at My Pain.

But the performance of Let Me Explain is unprecedented. According to Deadline.com, the film has already earned $7.4 million in ticket sales during its first two days of release, which nearly eclipsed the entire run of Laugh at My Pain. And Variety reports that Let Me Explain made $29 million by Sunday night.
The movie achieved this feat while opening in 876 theaters. In comparison, Disney’s The Lone Ranger (starring Johnny Depp) opened in 3,904 theaters and yet only grossed $5 million more than Hart’s low-budget comedy.

NBA Champ Dwayne Wade Releases Fitness App "Dwyane Wade Driven"

By goodblacknews on July 3, 2013
The Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade released a fitness app called “Dwyane Wade Driven” while his team was simultaneously celebrating its third NBA championship with a parade and rally. The app offers customized training programs and videos for basketball players and other athletes. 
“It shows people ways to work out, a lot of different ways to work out, whether it’s basketball drills or not,” Wade told The Associated Press. “A lot of people work out at home. A lot of people don’t have access to a gym. A lot of people don’t have trainers. So it’s kind of like I’m the personal trainer for basketball and fitness and I’ll show them a lot of things I do with my body and for my body.”
The app was available for download starting Monday. It includes basketball drills and a fitness routine, along with ways for users to track their progress. Driven Apps, the publisher, plans to release additional bundles for users to download once they have mastered or completed the initial Wade program.

EbonyLife TV: Nigerian Woman Mosunmola ‘Mo’ Abudu Launches Entertainment TV Network

By goodblacknews on July 2, 2013
In this photo taken on Sunday June 30, 2013, Mo Abudu, chief executive officer of EbonyLife TV, attends the launch of Africa’s first global black entertainment network in Lagos, Nigeria. Mo Abudu, who could be considered Africa's Oprah Winfrey, is launching an entertainment network that will be beamed into nearly every country on the continent with programs showcasing its burgeoning middle class. Mosunmola "Mo" Abudu wants EbonyLife TV to inspire Africans and the rest of the world, and change how viewers perceive the continent. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba)
In this photo taken on Sunday June 30, 2013, Mo Abudu, chief executive officer of EbonyLife TV, attends the launch of Africa’s first global black entertainment network in Lagos, Nigeria. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba)

LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — A woman who could be considered Africa’s Oprah Winfrey is launching an entertainment network that will be beamed into nearly every country on the continent with programs showcasing its burgeoning middle class.
Mosunmola “Mo” Abudu wants EbonyLife TV to inspire Africans and the rest of the world, and change how viewers perceive the continent. The network’s programming tackles women’s daily life subjects — everything from sex tips to skin bleaching.
“Not every African woman has a pile of wood on her head and a baby strapped to her back!” the glamorous Abudu, 48, told The Associated Press from a hotel’s penthouse floor against a backdrop of the Atlantic Ocean and high-rise buildings flanked by palm and almond trees.
“We watch Hollywood as if all of America is Hollywood,” she said. “In that same vein we need to start selling the good bits of Africa.”
Months of work to provide original content includes the flagship program “Sistaz!” about two Greek-Nigerian sisters and a British-born Nigerian friend who check into the Eko Hotel for a holiday reunion and rediscover the passion of sisterhood and the vibrant city of Lagos.

Prada Uses Black Model in Print Campaign for 1st Time in 19 Years

By goodblacknews on July 1, 2013
Malaika Firth
Malaika Firth in Prada ad (Image: Jezebel.com)

Prada, a label known for rarely casting models of color, has selected a black model for a new print campaign. For first time in 19 years, a woman of African decent will be a major face of the luxury fashion brand in a Fall/Winter 2013 advertisement.
Malaika Firth, a bi-racial black woman who is half Kenyan and British, was born in the Kenyan city of Mombasa and raised in the United Kingdom. The 19-year-old, who also boasts Ugandan, Swiss, and Seychellois ancestry, appears in the latest Prada seasonal ad series with 44-year-old supermodel Christy Turlington among other faces. 
Fellow supermodel Naomi Campbell was the last black woman to be featured in a Prada ad campaign in 1994.
Firth told The Telegraph that she is “extremely proud and happy” to be following in the footsteps of the pioneering black supermodel. Naomi Campbell was one of the first black models to receive international recognition.

GM Promotes Alicia Boler-Davis to Senior Vice President for Improving Brand's Quality and Customer Service

By goodblacknews on June 29, 2013

Alicia Boler-Davis
Alicia Boler-Davis, General Motors Senior Vice President of Global Quality and Global Customer Experience

As the company continues early production of its important new full-size pickup trucks, Akerson has elevated Alicia Boler-Davis to senior vice president of global quality and global customer experience. She had been a vice president of global quality and U.S. customer experience, reporting to Mary Barra, GM’s senior vice president of global product development.
Boler-Davis will now report directly to Akerson. The promotion came a week after GM earned the top spot among major auto manufacturers in the widely watched J.D. Power and Associates Initial Quality Study that measure customer problems in the first 90 days of ownership.
Akerson made the announcement before a crowd of about 2,000 GM employees on Wednesday at the automaker’s Warren Technical Center to celebrate GM’s performance in the annual survey.
GM was the best-performing major auto manufacturer overall in the consumer study for the first time in its history and individual models from its brands took the top spot in eight of the vehicle market segments. The Chevrolet brand beat stalwarts like Toyota and Honda.
Calling the celebration his “most memorable day” since becoming CEO in September 2010, Akerson urged employees to guard against complacency. “This award gives us a glimpse of what it’s like to be on top,” he said.

Obama Travels to Africa to Foster Economic and Business Development

By goodblacknews on June 27, 2013
Obama in Africa
Obama greets Malawi President Joyce Banda at White House summit in March. (Photo: Joshua Roberts-Pool/Getty Images)
During a 2009 stopover in his ancestral Kenya, President Obama said, “I have the blood of Africa in me.” He is the first American president able to make such a declaration, but that’s not the only thing that will be different about his first major tour of the continent that begins today.
Unlike his immediate predecessors, his primary focus will not be human rights violations, AIDS or aid. This president will be taking care of business.  The weeklong trip with his family includes stops in Senegal, South Africa and Tanzania, each representing a different region of the continent and chosen for very strategic reasons. The goal is for the “U.S. to significantly increase our engagement in the years to come,” said Ben Rhodes, the White House deputy national security adviser for strategic communications.
New York Rep. Gregory Meeks, who sits on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told BET.com that Obama is developing the next phase of the nation’s relationship with Africa.
“The trip shows a new direction and attention, and instead of focusing on aid or hunger, which are important, he’ll be talking about business, economic development and how we can get the Export-Import Bank involved in Africa with American and African businesses,” Meeks said. “And he’s bringing along a number of business folks, including African-Americans, to make these kinds of contacts.”