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Oprah Winfrey Makes $1 Million Donation to Aid Homeless Women in Washington D.C.

By goodblacknews on June 11, 2016

Photo
Oprah Winfrey makes $1 million donation to help DC homeless women at N Street Village (photo via fox5dc.com)

article by Matt Ackland and staff via fox5dc.com
The gift was unexpected, but so welcomed. It happened on Thursday at N Street Village’s Empowerment Luncheon. The organization helps women in need through housing and employment as well as helping those battling drug addiction or are encountering health issues.
They only wanted to hear Oprah Winfrey’s inspirational words, but they got so much more.
“I thank you N Street for seeing, hearing and knowing that every life matters, every woman matters,” Winfrey said.
Linda Rush introduced Winfrey at the luncheon. For years, Rush was addicted to crack and involved in prostitution.  “My mom dropped me off. She walked me in here,” said Rush.
At one time before finding N Street Village, Rush wanted to reach out to Winfrey.  “Twenty years ago, I wanted to write her a letter and ask her to help me into a program,” Rush told FOX 5. “The people I was getting high with, they were like, ‘Oh, she don’t have time for you.’”
Two decades later, Rush told Winfrey that story and how N Street Village helped turn her life around.
“Before I introduced her, I said that now she can see for herself how things turned out,” Rush said. “She said, ‘I see.’ And that felt – I can’t even describe that feeling.”
“N Street Village has been a vital part of Washington D.C. for over 40 years now,” said Schroeder Stribling, executive director for N Street Village.
It has four locations across the city helping homeless women get their lives back on track. Stribling said Winfrey’s gift brought her to tears.  “I went up and I kind of couldn’t help myself, but hang on her for a while and cry,” Stribling said.
 
To read more, go to: http://www.fox5dc.com/news/156895468-story

‘Rebel’ Cast Set: John Singleton’s BET Pilot Stars Danielle Moné Truitt & Giancarlo Esposito

By goodblacknews on June 10, 2016

Danielle Truitt and Giancarlo Esposito
Danielle Truitt and Giancarlo Esposito (photo via deadline.com)

article by Nellie Andreeva and Erik Pedersen via deadline.com
BET has set the cast for Rebel, its two-hour police-drama pilot from filmmaker John Singleton. Stage actress Danielle Moné Truitt is set as the lead, Oakland cop Rebecca “Rebel” Knight, and Breaking Bad alum Giancarlo Esposito will play her lieutenant, who’s a friend and mentor. Mykelti Williamson, Cliff “Method Man” Smith and Brandon Quinn co-star.
The show examines the unique and conflicted relationship officers of color have with their jobs at a time when police forces are rife with brutality and misconduct. Officer Cole has excelled by playing by the rules but always has known that she must be better and smarter on the job because she is both black and female. After her brother is killed by police, Rebel soon becomes disillusioned with the system and is forced to take matters into her own hands and become a private investigator and a champion for her community. Caught between family loyalty and the fraternity in blue, Rebel’s actions set in motion a cause-and-effect crisis that can’t be undone.

Mykelti Williamson Method Man Brandon Quinn 3-shot

Williamson will play Rebel’s father Rene Knight, a strong but broken man. Although he loves his daughter dearly, he blames her for the death of her brother, Malik. Smith is TJ, Rebel’s ex-husband. They share a history in the military that bonds them for life. Although he’s moved on, there is still a lot of passion between them, and he can’t seem to stay away. Quinn will portray Rebel’s partner Thompson “Mack” McIntyre, whose decision to shoot at Rebel’s brother places him squarely between her career and her family.
Rebel is produced by MarVista Entertainment for BET and co-written, executive produced and directed by Singleton. Dallas Jackson also is an Executive Producer. Production on the two-hour pilot began this week in Los Angeles.
To read more, go to:  http://deadline.com/2016/06/rebel-pilot-cast-giancarlo-esposito-danielle-truitt-john-singleton-bet-1201769874/

ESPN To Air Muhammad Ali Funeral Live Tomorrow at 2PM EST

By goodblacknews on June 9, 2016
Muhammad Ali (photo via express.co.uk)
Muhammad Ali (photo via express.co.uk)

article by Patrick Hipes via deadline.com
ESPN will provide live coverage of Muhammad Ali’s memorial service Friday in his hometown of Louisville, KY. As a result, the network is shifting its coverage of the opening match of the European soccer championships between host France and Romania to ESPN2. Coverage for both events begin at 2 PM ET.
Ali died Friday in Arizona after suffering for years with Parkinson’s disease. The three-time heavyweight champ and worldwide sports icon was 74.
Former President Bill Clinton, Billy Crystal and Bryant Gumbel are among those scheduled to give eulogies at the service, to be held as the 22,000-seat KFC Yum! Center. That comes after a funeral procession travels along Muhammad Ali Boulevard and past his boyhood home on its way to Cave Hill Cemetery. The pallbearers include Will Smith, who played the champ in 2001’s Ali.
To read more, go to:  http://deadline.com/2016/06/muhammad-ali-funeral-tv-coverage-espn-1201769223/

Muhammad Ali TV Tributes & Special Reports Planned: Here is a List

By goodblacknews on June 8, 2016

Image (1) TrialsOfMuhammadAli__130724210042.jpg for post 548293article by Greg Evans via deadline.com

UPDATE with I Am The Greatest marathon:  Television specials and special programming for the late Muhammad Ali are being put together quickly on both broadcast and cable networks, with ABC’s 20/20, CBS’s 48 Hours and Spike TV airing tributes to The Greatest on Saturday night and 60 Minutes re-airing its 1996 interview with Ali. We will update this post as more specials are announced, so keep checking back:
WEDNESDAY

I Am The Greatest:  The Adventures Of Muhammad Ali
El Rey Network, June 8 beginning at 10 PM ET
The network will pay tribute to with a marathon of all 13 half-hour episodes of the 1977 animated series which is making its cable premiere. The series aired on Saturday mornings on NBC in 1977 with voices provided by Ali and his real-life publicist Frank Bannister and featured the pair traveling  the country fighting crime and solving mysteries both real and supernatural.
MONDAY
The Greatest
Bounce TV, 10 PM ET/9 PM CT
Bounce TV will air a special presentation of The Greatest, the 1977 motion picture in which Ali appeared as himself. The dramatization of Ali’s life starts with his winning the heavyweight gold medal at the 1960 Olympic Games and continues through his defeat of George Foreman at the legendary Rumble in the Jungle.
SUNDAY
60 Minutes: The Greatest
CBS, 7 PM
60 Minutes revisits this classic 1996 segment on Muhammad Ali. Ed Bradley’s touching profile shows a former athlete still adored by fans, who won’t let Parkinson’s syndrome prevent him from helping others or affect his sharp wit. John Hamlin is the producer.

SNL's Leslie Jones Graces the Cover of ELLE’s 1st Women in Comedy Issue

By goodblacknews on June 8, 2016

ELLE
Comedian Leslie Jones on Elle Magazine (photo courtesy ELLE)

article via clutchmagonline.com
Leslie Jones is looking fierce with her signature spiky hair on July’s cover of Elle, which celebrates women in comedy.
Jones, who is starring in the upcoming Ghostbusters remake, made mention of her Elle cover at an impromptu stand-up appearance.
“I ain’t used to that (crap)!” she said, adding that her recent fame has inhibited her love life. “I used to be able to be on those sites, you know Tumblr, Grindr, Tinder. Yeah, I said Grindr, I ain’t passed trickin’ a gay man into (having sex) with me,” she joked.

“I just knew that I was funny, and I knew that it was just a matter of time. I didn’t know what was going to actually happen—this is definitely way bigger than I thought—but I knew there was no way I was going to be that funny and nobody was going to notice it.” — Leslie Jones

Jones even joked about how uncomfortable she was dressing for the cover, especially as a size 12.
“I had 22 (bleeping) outfits on today. Jimmy Kimmel had on one (bleeping) suit,” she complained. “I can’t move in this (outfit), trying to be cute. You’re going to see some bra straps.” She said she took off the jacket and then her shoes. “Let me take these shoes off, too,” she said, kicking off her heels.
Well, no one never said Jones doesn’t keep it real.

‘Roots’ Ratings: Reboot Clocks Cable’s Biggest Miniseries Opening Crowd In 3 Years | Deadline

By goodblacknews on May 31, 2016


The premiere of A+E Networks’ four-night Roots reboot logged 5.3 million viewers across History, A&E and Lifetime on Memorial Day. The first installment, which aired simultaneously on the three networks, also got repeated two more times over the course of the evening, to cume a total of 8.5M viewers.
Source: ‘Roots’ Ratings: Reboot Clocks Cable’s Biggest Miniseries Opening Crowd In 3 Years | Deadline

Elaine Welteroth Named as Editor-in-Chief of Teen Vogue

By goodblacknews on May 22, 2016

488193588-elaine-welteroth-poses-for-a-photo-during-alcon-air
Elaine Welteroth poses for a photo during Spring 2016 New York Fashion Week, Sept. 14, 2015, in New York City. (ROBIN MARCHANT/GETTY IMAGES)

article by Angela Bronner Helm via theroot.com
Elaine Welteroth, who made headlines when she became Teen Vogue’s first African American beauty director, has been made the title’s new editor-in-chief.
She will be the youngest editor in the company’s 107-year history. She is also the second black woman named to head a Conde Nast book; Keija Minor has been at the helm of Brides magazine since 2012.
According to her Linkedin profile, Welteroth, 29, has held editorial positions at Glamour and Ebony magazines, and has been at Teen Vogue for more than three and a half years. She received her degree in Mass Communications/Media Studies with a minor in journalism from Cal State Sacramento.
The current EIC of Teen Vogue, Amy Astley, will be moving to the head position at Architectural Digest.
To read more, go to:  African-American Woman Named as Head of Teen Vogue

Cleveland teens win Robotics World Championship

By goodblacknews on May 9, 2016


A team of Cleveland teens just won the FIRST Robotics World Championship, in a championship competition that included 20,000 students from 42 countries. Youth Technology Academy Team 120: Cleveland’s Team, along with students from Illinois, California and Virginia, took the top prize on April 30.
“Everybody worked, had a part to do in the robot, it’s just teamwork,” said Peng Zhou.“Some nights we stayed until 10 or 11 o’clock,” said Mark Goeser. “Friday night consisted of this, we didn’t go to parties, we’re just here working on the robot, it’s a lot of work!”
The team, which consists of hundreds of students from the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, all of whom are looking forward to STEM and engineering careers.“This is where we aspire, it’s where we learn to innovate and become the future,” said Iris Harris.  “I feel like this is not only a big win for Cleveland but it’s also a big win for us and this helps our future!”
Source: Cleveland teens win Robotics World Championship

Ta-Nehisi Coates Signs Two-Book Deal at Random House

By goodblacknews on May 6, 2016

article via blackamericaweb.com
NEW YORK (AP) — Ta-Nehisi Coates is a prize-winning nonfiction author, journalist and comic book writer. Now he is taking on fiction.
Random House’s One World imprint announced Thursday that Coates has two more books planned, one nonfiction and the other fiction. The books were acquired by One World publisher Chris Jackson, who edited Coates’ best-selling “Between the World and Me.” The book was a Pulitzer Prize finalist last month and winner of the National Book Award.
The first new book is scheduled to come out next year. No other details were made available.
Coates is a national correspondent for The Atlantic and is working on a new Black Panther comic book series for Marvel. He is also the author of “The Beautiful Struggle,” a memoir about his childhood.

‘Dear White People’ Series Ordered at Netflix; Justin Simien to Write and Direct

By goodblacknews on May 5, 2016

Dear White People Sundance
“Dear White People” (photo via Variety.com)

article by Daniel Holloway via Variety.com
Netflix has given a series order to “Dear White People,” an adaptation of writer and director Justin Simien’s 2014 feature film of the same name. Simien will write all 10 half-hour episodes and direct the premiere. The series will begin production later this year and debut worldwide on Netflix in 2017.
“Dear White People” tells the story of a diverse group of students of color experiencing campus life at a fictional Ivy League university dominated by white students. Devon Shepard will serve as executive producer alongside Stephanie Allain Bray and Julia Lebedev, who executive produced the film.
The series will be produced by Lionsgate Television, which also produces “Orange Is the New Black” for Netflix. Lionsgate’s Roadside Attractions released the original movie.
“Justin is a gifted storyteller whose bold, unique vision is perfectly suited to Netflix,” said Cindy Holland, vice president of original content at Netflix. “His original film ‘Dear White People’ announced the arrival of a fresh, creative voice that had everyone talking, and we’re excited to have Justin create this new series for our members worldwide.”
“We’re proud to expand our partnership with our friends at Netflix on a comedy that tackles racial themes with a combination of intelligence, honesty, irreverence and wit,” said Chris Selak, executive vice president, television, Lionsgate Television. “Our original film with Roadside Attractions catapulted ‘Dear White People’ into the national conversation about race, and Justin and the rest of the creative team have an opportunity to expand this world and bring its timely and universal themes to a global television audience.”
The film version of “Dear White People” began life in 2012 as a concept trailer, which Simien paid for with his tax refund. The crowd-funded movie went on to win the U .S. dramatic special jury award for breakthrough talent at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival.