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Posts published in “Entertainment”

Idris Elba to Portray Mandela in Upcoming Biopic

By goodblacknews on March 28, 2013
Actor Idris Elba arrives for a State Dinner in honor of British Prime Minister David Cameron at the White House on March 14, 2012 in Washington, DC. Cameron is on a three day official visit to Washington. (Photo by Brendan Hoffman/Getty Images)

Actor Idris Elba arrives for a State Dinner in honor of British Prime Minister David Cameron at the White House on March 14, 2012 in Washington, DC. Cameron is on a three day official visit to Washington. (Photo by Brendan Hoffman/Getty Images)

“Not in terms of performance,” he clarifies. “But my film’s about his entire life. Anyone wanting to understand who Mandela was should go and watch my film.”  Although the British-born actor is aware that his movie won’t be the first to portray Mandela’s story on the big screen, he does believe that it will capture a more complete portrayal of the South African leader’s experiences.

Comedy Duo Key and Peele Grace Cover of New York Times Magazine

By goodblacknews on March 28, 2013

Key & Peele

Comedians Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele grace the cover of this week’s New York Times Magazine, entitled “Is Giving the Secret to Getting Ahead?”  The Comedy Central duo illustrates the work of Wharton professor Adam Grant, and his theories on workplace dynamics.
Click to read the full nytimes.com article and view all pictures.
via Key and Peele grace cover of New York Times Magazine | theGrio.

Jennifer Hudson, Octavia Spencer To Star In New Lifetime 'Five Film'

By goodblacknews on March 22, 2013

Jennifer Hudson, Octavia Spencer

Jennifer Hudson and Octavia Spencer (“The Help”) have been tapped to star in the soon to premiere Lifetime movie event “Call Me Crazy: A Five Film.”  Following the success of the first “Five’ feature (Alicia Keys), “Call Me Crazy” brings together an all-star ensemble cast with five interwoven stories about how everlasting bonds of love and family can overcome life’s most challenging hurdles.
Jennifer Hudson will star in the short “Maggie,” which focuses on a female veteran (Hudson) that returns home from war to her son and father (Ernie Hudson), only to have her life shattered by the onset of posttraumatic stress disorder, through which her lawyer, “Lucy,” helps her.
“Through the five shorts named after each title character — Lucy, Eddie, Allison, Grace and Maggie – powerful relationships built on hope and triumph raise a new understanding of what happens when a loved one struggles with mental illness,” reports Lifetime.

Angela Bassett Delights in Collaboration with "Olympus Has Fallen" Co-Star Morgan Freeman and Director Antoine Fuqua

By goodblacknews on March 21, 2013
Angela Bassett at Sardi's restaurant in New York. Bassett co-stars in the action flick, “Olympus Has Fallen.” (AP Photo/Carlo Allegri, file)

Angela Bassett at Sardi’s restaurant in New York. Bassett co-stars in the action flick, “Olympus Has Fallen.” (AP Photo/Carlo Allegri, file)

That all changed once they started working together on a set outside Shreveport, La., where they recreated parts of Washington, D.C., including the White House.  “He was nothing but professional and kind and warm and fun, and you know, a treat,” Bassett recalled.
The actress plays Secret Service Director Lynn Jacobs alongside Freeman’s Speaker of the House Trumbull, who assumes presidential power when the president and vice president are incapacitated after a terrorist attack on the White House.  “He’s been in so many great roles and he works all the time, you know? Who am I going to be in a world with him? His right hand! And he was at my left. So it was great,” Bassett said.

Jackie Robinson Film Screenings to Help Kansas City Negro Leagues Museum

By goodblacknews on March 21, 2013

42

Chadwick Boseman as Jackie Robinson in a scene from “42.” (Warner Bros. Pictures)

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kansas City was announced Wednesday as the host site for the only advance public screenings of a film chronicling the rise of Jackie Robinson, a nod to the city where the baseball great made his professional debut two years before breaking the major league color barrier.  Harrison Ford stars as former Brooklyn Dodgers General Manager Branch Rickey in the film, “42,” which details Robinson’s Rookie of the Year season in 1947 while combating unabashed racism on and off the diamond.
Ford and fellow cast member Andre Holland planned to attend the screenings on April 11 at a movie theater on the city’s north side. Proceeds will benefit the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, museum president Bob Kendrick said.  Although the story of Robinson in Brooklyn is well known, Kendrick said Kansas City also played a prominent role in his early career. Robinson played for the Kansas City Monarchs, a member of the Negro Leagues, in 1945, batting .387 while hitting five home runs and stole 13 bases in 47 games. After a year in the minor leagues, he joined the Dodgers in 1947 and won the inaugural Rookie of the Year award.

Frank Ocean Models For Band Of Outsiders

By goodblacknews on March 21, 2013
Frank Ocean Models For Band Of Outsiders
Frank Ocean (Band of Outsiders Tumblr/Instagram)
Frank Ocean has already taken the music industry by storm and is now moving on to fashion. Aside from blending sick urban style and high-end couture, (think of his sleek and chic navy blue Dior Homme Spring 2013 look he rocked at the Grammys) Ocean has been hobnobbing with industry leaders like designers Riccardo Tisci, Raf Simons, and Karl Lagerfeld.  Ocean also attended Fashion Week in Paris chilling at the Dior and Givenchy fashion shows and striking a pose for GQ Magazine.
Now the “Forrest Gump” singer is headlining in his first fashion campaign as the latest subject in Band of Outsiders’ ongoing Polaroid series. Ocean joins the likes of Josh Brolin and Michelle Williams who also modeled for the brands new segment. The sun-kissed images were shot at the Los Angeles Times building by creative director Scott Sternberg. In the hazy shots Ocean rocks the brand’s Spring 2013 collection, featuring a dapper white shirt, black trousers, and a tuxedo jacket with a satin lapel.
Stay tuned to the Band of Outsiders’ Tumblr and Instagram pages as new images from the shoot continue to pop up.
article via Billboard.com
Related Post: Oprah, Frank Ocean Among GLAAD Award Nominees 

Three Years Ago Today: Good Black News was Founded

By goodblacknews on March 18, 2013

gbnthumbnail.jpegGOOD BLACK NEWS proudly celebrates its third anniversary today, with 4,367 Facebook followers, 2,803 Twitter followers and scores more via Pinterest, Google+ and Tumblr.  Last September, GBN launched a dedicated website, goodblacknews.org, which allowed us to expand our presence on the internet beyond Facebook (we are also on YouTube and LinkedIn) and provide archives and search functions to you, our loyal readers.  

The outpour of appreciation you’ve shown us via comments and e-mails means the world to us, and only inspires GBN to keep getting better.  In the coming months, we aim to refresh and revise the look of goodblacknews.org to improve mobile access, provide more original content, and (if you sign up for it) a downloadable e-newsletter featuring GBN’s Top Stories of the Week. 
Please keep helping us spread GBN by sharing, liking, re-tweeting and commenting, and consider joining our e-mail list via our “Contact Us” tab on goodblacknews.org.  We will only use this list to keep you updated on GBN and send you our e-newsletter — nothing else.  And, of course, you may opt out at any time.
GBN remains a labor of love, and our Founder/Editor-In-Chief (Lori Lakin Hutcherson) and staff are all unpaid volunteers.  We believe in bringing you positive news, reviews and stories of interest about black people all over the world, and greatly value your participation in continuing to build our shared vision.
Thank you again for your support, and we look forward to providing you with more Good Black News in the coming year, and beyond!
Warmly,
The Good Black News Team

Chaka Khan on the Cover of Billboard for 60th Birthday

By goodblacknews on March 18, 2013

Chaka Kahn on Billboard

This month’s Billboard magazine’s Stars Tribute issue honors iconic singing legend, Chaka Khan, for her 60th birthday and the 40 anniversary of her career in entertainment.  “Chaka has always been an innovator as an artist,” says Tammy McCrary of Chaka Khan Management.  “In today’s market, it is just as important to be innovative technologically. This is why we chose to partner with Printergize.”
The new mobile app will go directly to www.chakakhan.com, where Chaka’s Billboard magazine cover image will come to life through the Augmented Reality app. At that moment, users will see Chaka introduce her 100 Days of Chaka campaign, which marks the 100 days from her birthday (March 23) to the anniversary of the release of her first recorded album with Rufus, “Rufus” (July 1, 1973), 40 years ago. This timeline will highlight daily, a series of historic moments in Chaka’s career, mixed with celebratory current events.  The 100 Days of Chaka culminates with the release of “The iKhan Project: Alive!” on July 2nd.
article by Brittney M. Walker via Chaka Khan on the Cover of Billboard for 60th Birthday | EURweb.

Oprah Winfrey Tops Forbes List of "Most Influential Celebrities"

By goodblacknews on March 18, 2013

Oprah Winfrey

Oprah Winfrey’s list of career accomplishments keeps growing.  For the second year in a row, the iconic television host and philanthropist is number one on the Forbes’ list of most influential celebrities.
Snagging the 2013 No 1. Spot with 48 percent of people rating her as “influential,” Winfrey tops the list which includes several of  Hollywood’s elite like Steven Spielberg (No. 2), Barbara Walters (No. 8) and Clint Eastwood (No. 10).
Winfrey’s reign over the media world has lasted for decades. After she ended her 25-year-run on  The Oprah Winfrey Show in 2011, the mogul started her TV empire O.W.N., the Oprah Winfrey Network.

Halle Berry’s ‘The Call’ Surprise Hit at the Box Office

By goodblacknews on March 17, 2013

Halle Berry The Call

Halle Berry arrives at the premiere of Tri Star Pictures’ ‘The Call’ at the Arclight Theatre on March 5, 2013 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

After a string of box-office disappointments like last year’s “Cloud Atlas” and this year’s “Movie 43,” Oscar winner Halle Berry entered this weekend in need of a hit.  It appears her new thriller “The Call” brought just what the doctor ordered.
According to box office estimates, the movie opened with $17.1 million, making it her third largest non-X-Men debut.  Entertainment Weekly reports that, “Sony/TriStar, which acquired the $15 million R-rated film from Troika Pictures, effectively marketed “The Call” to women, and according to the studio, the opening-weekend audience was 61 percent female and 47 percent below the age of 30 — and it also played very well with African-American moviegoers. “The Call” earned a ‘B+’ CinemaScore grade.”