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Keke Palmer To Play First Black Cinderella On Broadway

By goodblacknews on August 5, 2014

Keke Palmer
After becoming the youngest talk show host with BET’s “#JUSTKeke,” Keke Palmer adds yet another first to her résumé.
The 21-year-old actress will become the first African-American to fill the glass slippers of Cinderella on Broadway in “Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella.”
“It’s honestly one of those things that I can’t believe is really happening,” said Palmer in a press release. “Theater offers so much more than I haven’t been able to access doing film and TV and everything like that. I’m excited to learn all that it has to offer — that focus and that dedication to perform at a certain level every night.”
Keke will also pay homage to Rodgers & Hammerstein’s 1997 made-for-TV production, starring singers Brandy and the late Whitney Houston. “I feel like the reason I’m able to do this is definitely because Brandy did it on TV,” she said.
She makes her Broadway debut on Sept. 9 at the Broadway Theatre.
Sherri Shepherd used one of her final episodes as a co-host of “The View” today to announce that she will star as the wicked Stepmother.
article by Kristin Corry via Vibe.com (with additions by Lori Lakin Hutcherson)

Giancarlo Esposito Joins Cast of Movie Musical Drama "Stuck"

By goodblacknews on August 4, 2014

Giancarlo Esposito Joins Musical Drama ‘Stuck’; Rom-Com ‘Temps’ Sets LeadsGiancarlo Esposito has joined the cast of NYC-set musical drama Stuck, about six strangers trapped on a stalled subway train. Filming is underway with a cast that includes Amy Madigan and singer-actress Ashanti. Esposito will play Lloyd, a mysterious homeless man who might offer more wisdom than expected.
Stuck is adapted from the stage play by Riley Thomas, who co-scripted with director Michael Berry; the helmer is set to release his drama Frontera, also co-starring Madigan alongside Ed Harris, Eva Longoria, and Michael Peña, this month. Esposito starred on the recent NBC series Revolution and was just announced as joining the cast of Disney’s The Jungle Book. He’s also in pre-production on his own project Patriotic Treason which he’ll direct, produce, and co-star opposite Ed Harris in the period retelling of the saga of abolitionist John Brown. Esposito nabbed a Critics Choice Award for his Emmy-nominated turn as Gus Fring on Breaking Bad, and is set to return to ABC’s fantasy series Once Upon A Time as Magic Mirror/Sidney Glass/Genie in the show’s September 28th Season 4 premiere.
article by Jen Yamato via deadline.com

Timbaland Hints New Missy Elliott Album May Drop Soon

By goodblacknews on August 3, 2014
Missy Elliott (Cindy Ord/BET/Getty Images for BET)
It’s been nearly a decade since Missy Elliott’s last solo album, 2005’s The Cookbook, but Timbaland says a new one may be on its way. “It’s coming,” the rapper’s longtime producer and songwriting partner tells Rolling Stone. “It’s on her. She got the first single, it’s just a matter of when she wants to do it. We got the hollow-tip bullet in the gun. We have the game-changer right there,” he says, making the sound of a gun firing.

Asked what that bullet sounds like, Timbaland remains vague: “It’s something you ain’t never heard Missy do. It sounds today, but the future.”
Despite their close relationship, the two artists work in an unusual way. “I’ve never watched her record, never in my whole career,” he continues. “I do it, she be like, ‘OK, I got it,’ and I leave the room. She kicks us out. That’s how she do it: She does everything herself.”
In 2012, Elliott released two new Timbaland-produced songs, “9th Inning” and “Triple Threat,” but in the following years her output has been limited to feature appearances. In 2013, she had verses on Little Mix’s “Without Me” and Fantasia’s “I Deserve It,” and earlier this year she and Sharaya J, an artist signed to her the Goldmind Inc., rapped over Faith Evans’ “I Deserve It.”
Timbaland, meanwhile, co-produced much of Justin Timberlake‘s The 20/20 Experience, Jay Z‘s Magna Carta… Holy Grail and Michael Jackson‘s posthumous Xscape. He tells us he’s at work on a solo album called Opera Noir he describes as his Purple Rain. “I have no features on it,” he says. “It’s all about truth and what’s going on around us.”
article by Nick Murray via rollingstone.com

Walter Mosley's "Devil in a Blue Dress" Headed to Broadway

By goodblacknews on August 3, 2014

devil in a blue dress, denzel washington,
It was first a novel, then a film and now it’s headed to Broadway. “Devil in a Blue Dress” will be getting the theater treatment.  The popular film that starred Denzel Washington and Don Cheadle in 1995 — based on one of Walter Mosley‘s most popular works — is coming to the Great White Way.
“Devil in a Blue Dress” is a noir novel and film about a man in 1948 Los Angeles who loses his aerospace manufacturing job and turns to private detective work.
Mosley revealed the Broadway news when he was promoting his new book, “Debbie Doesn’t Do It Anymore.”  He has partnered with Jazz musician and composer Branford Marsalis to bring the work to the stage.  There’s no word on if Washington or Cheadle will reprise their roles from the film, but the production should begin within the next year.
article by Deron Dalton via eurweb.com

Jamie Foxx to Play Mike Tyson in New Film

By goodblacknews on August 2, 2014

jamiefoxx & mike tyson
Having already played the corner man to one of the greatest boxers of all-time in “Ali” starring Will Smith, Jamie Foxx looks ready to get back in the ring and take on the lead role to portray one of the most recognizable boxers and sports figures of this generation.
Foxx is attached to play Mike Tyson in an untitled biopic that Terence Winter (“Wolf of Wall Street”, “Sopranos”, “Boardwalk Empire”) is set to script. Rick Yorn, who is Foxx’s manager, will produce the movie.
As one of the most polarizing figures in sports, producers are eager to tackle Tyson’s life story. Known for the power and ferocity he displayed in the ring, Tyson became not just the top boxer at the end of the ’80s but one of the most popular sports figures, with a rough around-the-edges personality he displayed both in and out of the ring.
After losing his heavyweight title in 1990 following the upset loss to Buster Douglas, Tyson’s life began to spin out of control, including a six-year stint in prison after being found guilty of rape. Tyson returned to boxing but never quite returned to form, and became more known for his losses to Evander Holyfied (a match which made headlines when Tyson bit off part of Holyfield’s ear) and Lennox Lewis.
After leaving boxing in 2005, Tyson still had hurdles to overcome, such as his 2003 bankruptcy and the death of his young daughter. In recent years, he has kept out of trouble.
He premiered a one-man show in Vegas in 2012 that he later took to Broadway with the help of Spike Lee and released a memoir “Undisputed Truth” that made the New York Times bestseller list.
Though it’s unknown exactly which parts of Tyson’s life Winter will focus on, he has plenty of material to cover over the past 30 years. HBO tackled the story before with the 1995 pic “Tyson” starring Michael Jai White, but no one has tried to adapt his story as a feature film, though boxing is a popular sport for films.
Foxx played Dwight “Bundini” Brown in “Ali” and also cocky quarterback Willie Beamen in Oliver Stone’s “Any Given Sunday.” Winter, on the other hand, is no stranger to taking on controversial figures after receiving an Oscar nom for adaptation on Wall Street bad boy Jordan Belfort’s life in “The Wolf of Wall Street.”
Foxx can be seen next in Sony’s reboot of “Annie.” He is repped by CAA and LBI Entertainment. Winter is repped by CAA and is currently working on the final season of HBO’s “Boardwalk Empire.”
article by Justin Kroll via Variety.com

LL Cool J and Russell Simmons Visit and Encourage Youth at Rikers Island

By goodblacknews on August 1, 2014

Russell Simmons, LLCoolJ
Russell Simmons; LL Cool J (Getty Images)

NEW YORK (AP) — A group of young people at a New York City jail complex got some words of encouragement on Thursday from hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons and actor/rapper LL Cool J.
The two visited Rikers Island to mark the launch of a national anti-violence program from Simmons’ RushCard, a prepaid debit card.  RushCard’s Keep the Peace initiative is giving grants to neighborhood organizations. One of those is LIFE Camp, a Queens organization that works with young people, including those at Rikers, to reduce violence.
Cool J told the audience that his rough upbringing could have had him where they are if things had worked out differently, and he encouraged them to believe in themselves.  “You can absolutely without a doubt do anything you put your mind to,” he said.
Simmons told them to focus on what’s inside them.  “It’s your spirit you’ve got to work on,” he said.
Deputy Warden Clement Glenn said partnering with programs like LIFE Camp is among the ways the Department of Correction tries to get young people to change their behavior.
“We’re trying to encourage them not to come back into the system, hoping they will integrate into society and become contributing members of their community,” he said.
article via thegrio.com

Doc McStuffins Merchandise Garners $500 Million in Sales, Record for Toy Line Based on African-American Character

By goodblacknews on July 28, 2014
Natalie Elisabeth Battles, 3, of Arkansas, with her Doc McStuffins toys. She sometimes wears a doctor’s coat to preschool. (Credit: Jacob Slaton for The New York Times)

Jade Goss, age 2, looks as if she just stepped out of the wildly popular “Doc McStuffins” cartoon.  “She has the Doc McStuffins sheets. She has the Doc McStuffins doll. She has the Doc McStuffins purse. She has Doc McStuffins clothes,” said Jade’s mother, Melissa Woods, of Lynwood, Calif.

“I think what attracts her is, ‘Hey, I look like her, and she looks like me,’ ” Ms. Woods said of the character, an African-American child who acts as a doctor to her stuffed animals.

With about $500 million in sales last year, Doc McStuffins merchandise seems to be setting a record as the best-selling toy line based on an African-American character, industry experts say.  Its blockbuster success reflects, in part, the country’s changing consumer demographics, experts say, with more children from minority backgrounds providing an expanding, less segregated marketplace for shoppers and toymakers.

DocMcStuffinsBut what also differentiates Doc — and Dora the Explorer, an exceptionally popular Latina character whose toy line has sold $12 billion worth of merchandise over the years, Nickelodeon executives say — is her crossover appeal.  “The kids who are of color see her as an African-American girl, and that’s really big for them,” said Chris Nee, the creator of Doc McStuffins. “And I think a lot of other kids don’t see her color, and that’s wonderful as well.”

Nancy Kanter, general manager of Disney Junior Worldwide, which developed “Doc McStuffins” — and who suggested the character be African-American in the first place — said Doc’s wide-ranging fan base could be gleaned from a spreadsheet. “If you look at the numbers on the toy sales, it’s pretty obvious that this isn’t just African-American families buying these toys,” Ms. Kanter said. “It’s the broadest demographics possible.”

Regina King Joins "American Crime" Cast, Returns to "Big Bang Theory" and will Direct Upcoming Episode of "Scandal"

By goodblacknews on July 23, 2014

We’ll be seeing a lot of Regina King during the next season, both in front of and behind the camera.  King has joined the cast of John Ridley’s new ABC drama series, “American Crime,” and will return to CBS’ “The Big Bang Theory” to reprise her role.
“American Crime,” which Ridley is writing, directing and executive producing, follows a racially-charged murder case and the trial that follows, as audiences will experience the murder and trial through the eyes of several different people who are, in some way, connected to the events. It’ll frankly tackle matters of race, class and gender politics in the USA.
King will play the devoutly religious sister of one of the series’ key characters, who comes to Modesto in order to help her brother handle a judicial system that she believes is stacked against him.  King will appear in 7 episodes of the new series, with an option for two additional.
As for her return to CBS’ “The Big Bang Theory”… The show is primarily centered on 5 characters living in Pasadena, California: roommates Leonard Hofstadter and Sheldon Cooper, both physicists; Penny, a waitress and aspiring actress who lives across the hall; and Leonard and Sheldon’s equally geeky and socially awkward friends and co-workers, mechanical engineer Howard Wolowitz and astrophysicist Raj Koothrappali.
King plays Mrs. Davis (a role she first played in 2013), who is the head of human resources where the physicists are employed, who previously was responsible for questioning Sheldon after he landed in hot water following an uncomfortable conversation with his sexy assistant, Alex (Margo Harshman).
Meanwhile, behind the camera, King will direct the 16th episode of ABC’s “Scandal” during its fourth season, which will air during the second half of the upcoming 4th season.  This comes after the actress made her feature film directing debut with a TV adaptation of author ReShonda Tate Billingsley’s novel “Let the Church Say Amen” for BET.
article by Tambay A. Obenson via Shadow And Act

James Brown is Celebrated in "Get On Up", Opening this Friday

By goodblacknews on July 23, 2014
Chadwick Boseman as Brown in the new biopic “Get On Up.” (Credit: D Stevens/Universal Studios)

It’s just the kind of movie clip YouTube was made for. In the 1965 Frankie Avalon vehicle,“Ski Party,” James Brown and his backing vocal group, the Famous Flames, enter a ski lodge after rescuing a frozen reveler. Resplendent in a white-and-red sweater, tight black slacks, black pointy-toed shoes and a regal pompadour, Brown performs “I Got You (I Feel Good),” giving the lily-white crowd of clapping skiers a taste of the showmanship that had made him a star on the so-called “chitlin circuit” among blacks. Even in a movie as disposable as “Ski Party,” Brown turned a corny scene into genuine entertainment.

In the biopic “Get On Up,” opening Friday, the filmmakers recreate this moment, trying to see it from Brown’s point of view. While he glides through his steps, we see slow-motion shots of the listeners as if they were creatures from another, whiter planet, one Brown is reluctantly visiting in hopes of reaching a wider audience. In that scene, Brown dances off the set. In the new film, he does a split but doesn’t come up, apparently having ripped his pants. The new moment is slightly comic but undercuts Brown’s mastery.

Depicting James Brown on screen has always been a seductive proposition. As one of the greatest stage performers of the 20th century, he has inspired documentarians, playwrights, comedians and other artists who see the outlines of his greatness. But capturing the man inside, and the meaning of his life, is a tricky business.

Brown at the Roseland Ballroom in New York in 2004.CreditFrank Micelotta/Getty Images

There was a fluidity to his identity that was reflected in his many stage nicknames: Mr. Dynamite, the hardest working man in show business, Soul Brother No. 1, the Godfather of Soul and the Original Disco Man, as he variously billed himself. All enduring pop stars have the ability to shift with the culture, but Brown’s moves — from staunch integrationist to proto-black nationalist and back, from civil rights role model to wife beater, from disciplined bandleader to drug addict — suggest an inner turmoil that belied his outer confidence. Shortly after his death, I helped edit a collection of articles that spanned Brown’s long career, and in reading the pieces was struck by how many journalists saw the contours of the man but struggled to truly penetrate his psyche. With a feature film about to arrive and a coming documentary, it’s time to take stock of this imposing figure.
Brown, who died on Christmas Day 2006, began his career in the ’50s under the spell of Little Richard and ended it as a major influence on current singer-dancers like Usher and Chris Brown. Michael Jackson and Prince, of course, were acolytes. Reared on gospel, blues and jazz, Brown was a dominant force in the soul ’60s, created funk, inspired disco and laid hip-hop’s foundation with his beats.

As important as Brown was on vinyl, his stage show and personality are legendary: Tilting a mike stand far forward and, before it hit the stage, pulling it back via the cord. Dropping into and rising out of splits. Feigning exhaustion and donning a regal cape before returning to sing again. Executing every new dance from the ’60s to the ’80s with deft steps and body control made Brown a dominant figure during an explosive era for pop music.

The Wayans Brothers Kick Off Brand-New Comedy Tour in U.S.

By goodblacknews on July 21, 2014
Wayans brothers Keenen (56), Damon (53), Shawn (43) and Marlon Wayans (41) are known around the world as some of the funniest comedians in the game.  Continuing to build on their huge successes on television (“In Living Color”, “Last Comic Standing”, “My Wife and Kids”) and in film (“Scary Movie”, “White Chicks”, “Haunted House”), the Wayans’ are currently on traveling the U.S. with “The Wayans Brothers Tour”, bringing the siblings on stage together as they’ve never been before.The tour kicked off last week on the East Coast – check below for upcoming cities and tour dates:

The Wayans Brothers Tour Dates
July 23-24, 2014- Potawatami Casino / Milwaukee, WI
July 25, 2014 – Star Plaza Casino / Merriville, IN
August 1, 2014 – NJPAC / Newark, NJ
August 2, 2014 – Tower Theater / Philadelphia, PA
August 8, 2014 – Chuckchansi Casino / Coarsegold, CA
August 15, 2014 – Seminole Hard Rock Live Arena / Hollywood, FL
August 16, 2014 – Hard Rock Live / Orlando, FL
August 21, 2014 – Wagner Noel Pac / Midland, TX
August 22, 2014 – Abraham Chavez Theatre / El Paso, TX
September 12, 2014 – Jackson Convention Complex / Jackson, MS

article by Lori Lakin Hutcherson (follow @lakinhutcherson)