One day after Barack Obama broke the Internet – talkin’ ‘bout “folks wanna pop off” – the President of the United States has been announced as GQ Magazine’s Man of the Year, gracing the cover for a second time.
In the accompanying interview with Grantland founder and “30 for 30” co-creator, Bill Simmons, POTUS reveals some interesting tidbits about his relationship with FLOTUS, Michelle Obama, and his teenage daughters Malia and Sasha.
Read some excerpts below, courtesy of UsMagazine.com:
How his daughters operate their cell phones:
“It’s so interesting watching my daughters. Both are complete ninjas on the phone, right? And they can do things that I don’t even understand — they’re doing it in two seconds,” Obama shared. “But I even see a difference between Malia, who’s 17, and Sasha, who’s 14. There’s almost a mini-generational gap in terms of Sasha being so connected seamlessly to this smartphone in a way that Malia, who was already a little bit older when it really started to take, is not.”
The five people he would answer the phone for while on a date with Michelle:
“Malia and Sasha,” Obama told GQ with a laugh. “And maybe my mother-in-law. My national security advisor, Susan Rice, and Denis McDonough, my chief of staff. Those are the only people whose call I would take during a date night with Michelle.”
The way some people look at Malia:
The president was asked if anyone has driven up to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue to pick up his eldest daughter, Malia, for a date. “No,” he replied. “But I’ve seen some folks glancing at her in ways that made me not happy.” In fact, Obama joked that he tells the Secret Service to “keep an eye on him.”
He’s like Aaron Rodgers under pressure:
The leader of the free world compared himself to Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers when he’s under pressure. “One thing I learned during the campaign was that I’ve got a good temperament. I don’t get too high and I don’t get too low. I’m able to stay focused even when there’s a lot of stuff going on around me,” he shared, saying he was “maybe Rodgers in the pocket, in the sense of you can’t be distracted by what’s around you, you’ve got to be looking downfield.”
The Sandy Hook shootings are among “the worst few days” of his presidency:
“Think about 2013, right after I’d been re-elected: Our goal was to lead with a big push on immigration reform,” Obama recalled. “And then, before the second inauguration has even happened, [the school shooting at] Sandy Hook happens. Which remains, by the way, the worst few days of my presidency. I went up and visited with those families and — you know, Bill, you’ve still got small kids. These are 6-year-olds, right? And you have 20 of them who’ve been massacred. Right away, our focus had to shift to ‘Is there a way for us to capture this moment to see if we can get over this incredible hump to try to put in place some common-sense gun-safety rules?’ And we knew it was a stretch, just because of the politics of Congress and the NRA. But we had to try.”
Read the entire interview HERE.
article via blackamericaweb.com
Posts published in “Entertainment”
Denzel Washington has been selected as the recipient of the 2016 Cecil B. DeMille Award, to be presented at 73rd Annual Golden Globe Awards on Jan. 10 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.
The award was announced by Lorenzo Soria, president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, on Monday.
“Washington’s long and storied career is earmarked by his countless roles in front and behind the camera,” he said. “It is the HFPA’s privilege to honor his contributions to the entertainment industry with the Cecil B. DeMille Award.”
Washington has been nominated for seven Golden Globes and won for “Glory” and “The Hurricane.” He won Academy Awards for “Glory” and “Training Day,” and has received two Emmy nominations, one Tony Award, one BAFTA Award, one NAACP Image Award and a Grammy Award for his narration of the legend of “John Henry.”
Washington most recently appeared in “The Equalizer,” directed by Antoine Fuqua. He will be seen in Fuqua’s “The Magnificent Seven,” starring alongside Chris Pratt and Ethan Hawke.
Recent recipients include George Clooney (2015), Woody Allen (2014), Jodie Foster (2013), Morgan Freeman (2012), Robert De Niro (2011), Martin Scorsese (2010), Steven Spielberg (2009), Warren Beatty (2007), Anthony Hopkins (2006), Robin Williams (2005), Michael Douglas (2004), Gene Hackman (2003), Harrison Ford (2002), Al Pacino (2001), and Barbra Streisand (2000).
article by Dave McNary via Variety.com
The award was announced by Lorenzo Soria, president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, on Monday.
“Washington’s long and storied career is earmarked by his countless roles in front and behind the camera,” he said. “It is the HFPA’s privilege to honor his contributions to the entertainment industry with the Cecil B. DeMille Award.”
Washington has been nominated for seven Golden Globes and won for “Glory” and “The Hurricane.” He won Academy Awards for “Glory” and “Training Day,” and has received two Emmy nominations, one Tony Award, one BAFTA Award, one NAACP Image Award and a Grammy Award for his narration of the legend of “John Henry.”
Washington most recently appeared in “The Equalizer,” directed by Antoine Fuqua. He will be seen in Fuqua’s “The Magnificent Seven,” starring alongside Chris Pratt and Ethan Hawke.
Recent recipients include George Clooney (2015), Woody Allen (2014), Jodie Foster (2013), Morgan Freeman (2012), Robert De Niro (2011), Martin Scorsese (2010), Steven Spielberg (2009), Warren Beatty (2007), Anthony Hopkins (2006), Robin Williams (2005), Michael Douglas (2004), Gene Hackman (2003), Harrison Ford (2002), Al Pacino (2001), and Barbra Streisand (2000).
article by Dave McNary via Variety.com
The Black church has, for years, been known for not being the biggest supporter of the LGBT community, but today, Kirk Franklin, a respected force in the religious community, has come forward to apologize on their behalf.
“I want to apologize for all of the hurtful and painful things that have been said about people in the church that have been talented and gifted and musical, that we’ve used and we’ve embarrassed… and all this other horrible crap that we’ve done,” he told The Grio. “We have not treated them like people. We’re talking about human beings, men and women that God has created.”
The “I Smile” crooner explained the Bible was not written as an anti-gay work, but rather, the opposite: “The Bible is not a book that’s an attack on gay people,” he said. “It’s not a book written to attack gay people. It is horrible that we have made it where the Bible is a homophobic manual.”
Bringing it all together, Franklin said that he just wants all LGBT-identifying people to know that God is in their corner. “I mean, you want to talk about things that God gets at… pride and jealousy and envy and arrogance,” he said. “But what we also see is God sending his son to save us all, because we were all… straight, gay or whatever, lost and in need of a savior, and there’s room at the cross for all of us.”
article by John Justice via bet.com
Model Maria Borges strutted her teeny-weeny-afro down the runway at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion show and we were here for every second of it! This was a huge moment for kinky curls, and Borges relished in the spotlight.
“For me, it is huge! I’m glad I’m doing it, you know? And they chose me to make history. I have no words to explain. It’s so good for me, and to be able to inspire the other girls everywhere as well!” she revealed in an exclusive interview with XONecole.
It’s a big moment, since tight curled tresses have always been under scrutiny for not complying with Euro-centric beauty standards. Borges working the main stage in one of the sexiest, most watched televised fashion shows, definitely gives natural hair the attention it deserves.
This isn’t the first VS show for Borges who has previously rocked the runway in fabulous weave-a-licious looks, but there was something special about taking the stage in her mama-made glory.
‘Starting February of this year, I cut my hair and I’ve been wearing it like this since. Before, I was using my natural hair mixed with extensions. Black is beautiful! I have to embrace my worth and that’s it! For me, I think I look more beautiful with short hair. I feel sexy, beautiful and powerful. All the good things!’ the Angolan beauty gushed.
article by Keyaira Kelly via hellobeautiful.com
“Murder Town,” a legal drama to be exec produced by star Jada Pinkett Smith, has landed at ABC as a put pilot, Variety has learned.
The potential series hails from A+E Studios and marks the first project to be sold to a network outside the A+E Networks portfolio.
Pinkett Smith will star as a complicated prosecutor who makes history as Wilmington, Delaware’s first African-American District Attorney. She finds herself confronted by old loyalties and loves, a shocking revelation about her murdered husband and a polarizing, racially-charged case that threatens to burn her and her city to the ground.
Barry Schindel (“Intelligence,” “Numb3rs”) penned the pilot, which is based on an original script by Rob Fresco. “Murder Town” marks a reunion for the writer/producer and ABC, as he has worked on the network’s long-running crime drama “Castle.”
Schindel will executive produce with Pinkett Smith, plus Miguel Melendez. Overbrook Entertainment will produce with A+E Studios.
article by Elizabeth Wagmeister via Variety.com
The potential series hails from A+E Studios and marks the first project to be sold to a network outside the A+E Networks portfolio.
Pinkett Smith will star as a complicated prosecutor who makes history as Wilmington, Delaware’s first African-American District Attorney. She finds herself confronted by old loyalties and loves, a shocking revelation about her murdered husband and a polarizing, racially-charged case that threatens to burn her and her city to the ground.
Barry Schindel (“Intelligence,” “Numb3rs”) penned the pilot, which is based on an original script by Rob Fresco. “Murder Town” marks a reunion for the writer/producer and ABC, as he has worked on the network’s long-running crime drama “Castle.”
Schindel will executive produce with Pinkett Smith, plus Miguel Melendez. Overbrook Entertainment will produce with A+E Studios.
article by Elizabeth Wagmeister via Variety.com
It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s… Icon!
Or is it Hardware rocketing through the skies, or Static Shock surfing on his big, floating garbage lid?
These three Black superheroes soon will return to a comic book store near you. If all goes well, cartoons, television appearances, movies and toys will follow.
That is the message that Milestone Media and DC Comics has been leaking out, by dribs and drabs, all year long.
Industry professionals Denys Cowan, Derek Dingle, Dwayne McDuffie and Michael Davis planned Milestone in the early 1990s as an independent, African American-owned and controlled comic book. It launched instead as an imprint of one of the “big two” publishers, with a special arrangement between Milestone and DC. It was hailed as a pioneering event in the comic book world.
Milestone would have total creative control over its comics, retain the copyright to all of its characters and have the final say on merchandising and licensing deals, according to the deal. Marvel and DC, the Coke and Pepsi of the comics industry, had dabbled in creator-owned projects before. But a deal of that size and scope was unprecedented.
The arrangement was “very unique in that it allowed Milestone access to a complete system of distribution and promotion while still maintaining a great deal of independent control over the content of the books,” Jeffrey A. Brown, Bowling Green University professor and author of BlackSuperheroes, Milestone Comics, and Their Fans, said to Urban News Service.
The agreement “proved beneficial to both DC and Milestone,” Brown said. It “facilitated the Static Shock animated series,” which ran for 52 epi
sodes on the WB Network from 2000 to 2004. It also “kept the characters alive with occasional appearances in the DC Universe after Milestone closed down.”
Milestone’s comic book line launched in 1993 and went on hiatus in 1997 after giving readers hundreds of individual issues. Why did it shut down? “The various titles published by Milestone had a very dedicated fan following but the glut of new publishers over-saturated the market,” Brown said.
Despite rapid expansion, the American public’s interest in comics waned in the late 90’s, partly due to fascination with the still relatively new internet. Dozens of comic book companies and thousands of comic-specialty retailers went bust.
Now, thanks to television, social media and stronger story lines, comics are in another growth phase. The number of shops has risen and other distribution channels have emerged and improved. You can buy individual issues at comic book stores, digital comics for your tablet — via Amazon or ComiXology — and graphic novels are now seen as a legitimate genre of literature.
Queen Latifah and Jermaine Dupri are on the hunt for the next big hip hop sound in the industry.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, the duo is putting in work on a new unscripted series called The Rap Game. The eight-episode series will follow five aspiring young artists navigating the vast Atlanta hip hop scene and mentored by some of the greatest names in the game.
Dupri, who acts as producer on the show, has tapped the likes of Usher, Ludacris, Da Brat, T.I. and Silento to help guide the pupils each week, showing them how to better hone their crafts.
The goal for the young hopefuls is to secure a record contract with So So Def.
article by Matthew Wright via thegrio.com
Suzan-Lori Parks, who teaches creative writing at the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University, has been chosen as the winner of the 2015 Gish Prize, established through the will of the late actress Lillian Gish. The prize, considered among the top honors in the arts, comes with a cash award valued at $300,000.
The Gish Prize Trust said that Parks’ work “challenges contemporary conceptions of race, sexuality, family and society, and is distinguished by its striking wordplay, vibrant wit, and uninhibited style.” Parks will be honored at a ceremony on November 30 at the Public Theater in New York.
Parks is a graduate of Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts. She is a former MacArthur Foundation “Genius Award” winner. Professor Parks was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 2002 for her play “Topdog/Underdog.”
article via jbhe.com
Three of our all-time favorite black girls have been named to TIME’s annual 30 Most Influential Teens list. Malia Obama, Zendaya Coleman, and Amandla Stenburg are honored by TIME for their “accolades across numerous fields, global impact through social media and overall ability to drive news.”
The oldest First Daughter, Malia, is described as a “full-fledged cultural icon” by TIME. That title is perfect for the first daughter whose fashion choices and college visits are followed by millions of Americans. Like her parents, this 17-year-old Obama has big things ahead of her.
Former Disney Channel star Zendaya Coleman earned her spot on the list for emerging as a positive voice and role model for girls everywhere. She unapologetically reminds the media body positivity. In this year alone she eloquently schooled E!’s Giuliana Rancic for mocking her dreadlocks at the Oscars and shared unretouched photos from a magazine photoshoot.
17-year-old Amandla Stenburg lands a spot on TIME’s list for being a bold active critique of pop culture. Earlier this year the talented actress known for her role as Rue in “The Hunger Games” made the video “Don’t Cash Crop My Cornrows” which detailed cultural appropriation in pop culture and went viral. Not only is Amandla a talented actress and pop culture critic, she is also a musician and author.
Congratulations to these young women! We can’t wait to see the continued impact they will surely have on society!
article via theculture.forharriet.com