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Posts published in “Entertainment”

Johnathan Lee Iverson: Ringling Bros. First Black Ringmaster

By goodblacknews on February 22, 2013

Johnathan Lee Iverson is Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus' youngest and first black ringmaster. (PHOTO CREDIT: EOS Marketing/Feld Entertainment)

Johnathan Lee Iverson is Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus’ youngest and first black ringmaster. (PHOTO CREDIT: EOS Marketing/Feld Entertainment)

Johnathan Lee Iverson is the luckiest man in show business. For 48 weeks a year, he is in a different U.S. city in front of bright spotlights, wearing a radiant smile underneath a top hat, entertaining alongside a diverse cast in lively costumes and doing what he loves most – singing.  “I’m a fierce advocate for living out the best life you possibly can. There’s no glory in living beneath yourself,” says Iverson.

And rightfully so. The 6-foot-5 performer is the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus’ youngest and first black ringmaster.  The New York City native’s stellar voice – since the 129th edition – has been a staple in the 143-year-old Greatest Show on Earth’s celebratory, mystic and family-friendly production.

Born On This Day in 1933: Jazz Singer and Activist Nina Simone

By goodblacknews on February 21, 2013

ninasimoneEunice Kathleen Waymon (February 21, 1933 – April 21, 2003), born in Tyron, North Carolina and better known by her stage name Nina Simone, was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, arranger, and civil rights activist widely associated with jazz music. Simone studied at the Julliard School of Music in New York and worked in a broad range of styles including classical, jazz, blues, folk, R&B, gospel, and pop.  Among Simone’s most popular recordings were “My Baby Just Cares For Me”, “I Put A Spell On You”, “I Loves You, Porgy” “Feeling Good” and the civil rights protest song “Mississippi Goddam.”  Learn more about this amazing musician’s life and music here and watch her live performance of  “Ain’t Got No… I Got Life” below:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUcXI2BIUOQ&w=420&h=315]
article by Lori Lakin Hutcherson

Beyoncé’s HBO Documentary Breaks HBO Ratings Records

By goodblacknews on February 21, 2013
Beyonce Knowles attends 'Beyonce: Life Is But A Dream' New York Premiere at Ziegfeld Theater on February 12, 2013 in New York City. (Photo by Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images)

Beyonce Knowles attends ‘Beyonce: Life Is But A Dream’ New York Premiere at Ziegfeld Theater on February 12, 2013 in New York City. (Photo by Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images)

Beyoncé’s HBO documentary Life Is But A Dream may have garnered mixed reviews, but it pulled in record ratings for HBO.  The superstar’s documentary had the “largest audience for a HBO doc since Nielsen revised its method of measuring viewership in 2004,” according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Beyoncé’s documentary premiere drew 1.8 million viewers, breaking the previous record of 1.7 million set by Spike Lee’s Hurricane Katrina opus When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts in 2006.
article by Carrie Healey via thegrio.com

Jennifer Beals Reteams with ‘L Word’ Director for ABC’s ‘Venice’

By goodblacknews on February 16, 2013

jennifer beals

Actress Jennifer Beals attends the 5th Annual ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood Luncheon at the Beverly Hills Hotel on February 23, 2012 in Beverly Hills

ABC will see an “L Word” reunion on its new Romeo & Juliet-esque drama pilot “Venice.” The Showtime series’ star Jennifer Beals has signed on for a lead, while creator/executive producer Ilene Chaiken has come on board as executive producer/showrunner, according to Deadline.
“Venice” is a soap about the haves and the have-nots of California’s most seductive city, Venice. It focuses on two rival families and a forbidden and dangerous romance emerging between them as they battle for control of Venice.  Beals will play Lisa Carver, the elegant bohemian matriarch of the Carver family, one of the two feuding clans. McG is directing the pilot.
article via eurweb.com

Prince to Headline 47th Montreux Jazz Festival

By goodblacknews on February 16, 2013
Prince will play three headline shows at the Montreux Jazz Festival this July, for what will be the famous fest’s first edition since its founder Claude Nobs passed away.  The master musician will perform over the three nights of July 13, 14 and 15, organizers of the Swiss music event have announced. Montreux is familiar turf for Prince. He first played at the fest in 2007 and returned in 2009, when he delivered two shows in the same evening.
Prince recently returned to the spotlight with the new track “Screwdriver,” and he was on hand at the Grammy Awards to present Gotye and Kimbra with the Record of the Year trophy. On May 19, Prince will receive the Icon Award and perform at the 2013 Billboard Music Awards.
Prince Returns with ‘Screwdriver’ Song: Listen
The Montreux Jazz Festival is entering a new era without its founder and former GM Claude Nobs, who died in January after sustaining injuries from a fall while cross-country skiing on Christmas Eve. Just months earlier, he’d stepped away from the event he created back in 1967.  The 47th Montreux Jazz Festival runs from July 5-20. The full line-up will be unveiled April 18.
article by Lars Brandle via billboard.com

Marvin Gaye-Inspired Stage Play to Hit Theaters Tonight

By goodblacknews on February 15, 2013
Marvin Gaye performing on stage (Photo by David Redfern/Redferns)

Marvin Gaye performing on stage (Photo by David Redfern/Redferns)

The story of the late, legendary Motown artist Marvin Gaye will be coming to a stage near you, thanks to the efforts of his sister Zeola “Sweetsie” Gaye.  My Brother Marvin is said to provide behind-the-scenes insights in the life of the “Let’s Get It On” singer.  “Through the years, I became taken aback and disappointed with everything that had been written, said and published about my family, especially my brother Marvin that wasn’t accurate,” Zeola Gaye said in a press release.  The cast for the show includes Lynn Whitfield in the role of Gaye’s mother and Keith Washington as the singer himself.
“In the play, I simply wanted to set the record straight. I wanted to leave a true account about Marvin the man and our family. People need to know what really happened and Marvin would want his fans to really know what happened. We are finally bringing the truth the world needs and must know,” Zeola added in her press release.  The show will be on tour throughout several major American cities including Houston, Baltimore and Motown’s birthplace of Detroit starting today (February 15) and concludes in the spring.  Click here to buy tickets.
article via thegrio.com

First Look: Don Cheadle in Superhero Mode for "Iron Man 3"

By goodblacknews on February 15, 2013

don-cheadle-iron-man-3

Golden Globe-winning actor Don Cheadle is ready for his close-up.  The popular House of Lies star is getting his own Marvel poster for the highly-anticipated sure-to-be summer blockbuster Iron Man 3.
Reprising his role as Capt. James Rhodes, a.k.a. War Machine (which he took over from Terrence Howard in Iron Man 2) , it looks like Cheadle will be playing a prominent role in the action again in this sequel, which stars Robert Downey Jr. as the titular hero and Ben Kingsley and Guy Pearce in the villainous roles.  Both Iron Man (2008) and its 2010 sequel grossed over $300 million domestically at the box office.  Iron Man 3 hits theaters on May 3.
article via thegrio.com

Black Teen's Awesomely Smart "Jeopardy" Answer

By goodblacknews on February 13, 2013

A Teen Jeopardy contestant by the name of Leonard wasn’t sure of the answer to the game’s final question, but he knew one thing: He was a winner. He got a chuckle out of the host and a bunch of fans on Twitter when he revealed this response:  “Who is … some guy in Normandy. But I just won $75,000!” Nice. We like the confidence.  Uproxx explains why Leonard was so confident that he would come out ahead.
Watch the video here:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvU_uJkOHH0&w=560&h=315]
article by Jenée Desmond-Harris via theroot.com

New Comic Book Based on Eartha Kitt Celebrates Her Iconic Character

By goodblacknews on February 12, 2013

Eartha Kitt Femme FataleEartha Kitt was once referred to as “the most exciting woman in the world” by Orson Welles. From her vast singing and acting career and for being outspoken in the world of politics and publicly ostracized for her anti-war remarks that derailed her career, Kitt’s life was definitely one of intrigue.  Now she’s being immortalized via a comic book. “Eartha Kitt: Femme Fatale“, written by New York Times Bestselling Author Marc Shapiro, who also penned the Julie Newmar series, was released last week.  “This series has been have been so much fun to do,” said Shapiro. “And it is an homage to the kinds of stories that first appeared in the mid-60′s”.

According to the press release:

Eartha Kitt is on holiday, searching for the purrfect wave. When suddenly??? Well, we won’t spoil the surprise. But in the tradition of DC Nation and all good things for all ages comes “Eartha Meets The Gorgon,” the first in a series of adventures. “Eartha Meets The Gorgon” is the long anticipated return to good clean fun.

The print version of the comic is only available at the Comic Book Flea Market and can be ordered directly through this link: http://bit.ly/Y6oDHl. To find out more about the legendary Eartha Kitt please go to her website: http://www.earthakitt.com
It will also be available digitally at locations such as these:  Wowio, ComiXology, DriveThru Comics, Google Play, My Digital Comics, Overdrive, Iverse, iTunes, Kindle, Wowio, Nook, Kobo and wherever eBooks are sold.
article by Yesha Callahan via clutchmagonline.com

Young Filmmaker Samantha Knowles asks 'Why Do You Have Black Dolls?' in her Debut Documentary

By goodblacknews on February 9, 2013

Samantha Knowles, 22, surrounded by the subject of her new 25-minute movie.
Sometimes, a doll is not just a doll. It’s a reminder of a child’s beauty and potential.  No one understands that better than 22-year-old director Samantha Knowles, whose experience growing up as an African-American in a predominantly white community was the inspiration for her new documentary, “Why Do You Have Black Dolls?”
The 25-minute debut film about the significance of black dolls has been accepted at five film festivals and a trailer for “Why Do You Have Black Dolls” can be seen on Youtube.com.
“When I was 8, a white friend came over and innocently asked, ‘Why do you have black dolls?” remembers Knowles, who was raised in Warwick, N.Y., and now lives in Prospect Heights. “At the time, I obviously couldn’t really answer the question.”  Fourteen years later, she can.  Knowles, who initially made the film as her honors thesis at Dartmouth College, spent $6,000 and interviewed more than 20 dollmakers and historians, mostly in New York and Philadelphia.