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'Straight Outta Compton' & Creed Take Top Honors From African-American Film Critics

By goodblacknews on February 24, 2016
Straight Outta Compton 2
“Straight Outta Compton” (Photo: Universal Studios)

Universal’s N.W.A. biopic Straight Outta Compton has been named Best Picture by the African American Film Critics Association, one of three categories it topped along with Best Ensemble and Best Supporting Actor for Jason Mitchell. Best Director went to Creed helmer Ryan Coogler, while its star, Michael B. Jordan, won for Breakout Performance and Tessa Thompson was named Best Supporting Actress. Best Actor went to Will Smith for Concussion and Best Actress to Teyonah Parris for Spike Lee’s Chi-Raq.

The AAFCA honors excellence in cinema by creating awareness for films with universal appeal to black communities, while emphasizing films about the black experience and those produced written, directed and starring performers of African descent. It will hold its awards ceremony February 10 in Hollywood.
Here’s the full list of winners:
Best Picture
Straight Outta Compton (Universal Pictures)
Best Director
Ryan Coogler,Creed (Warner Bros.)
Best Ensemble
Straight Outta Compton (Universal Pictures)
Best Actor
Will Smith, Concussion (Sony)
Best Actress
Teyonah Parris, Chi-Raq (Roadside Attractions/Amazon Studios)

TECH: Urbangeekz and Atlanta Tech Village Partner for Women and Minority Entrepreneur Contest

By goodblacknews on February 24, 2016
Christian_Ross_4
Christian Ross, VP/Managing Broker, Village Realty at Atlanta Tech Village (photo credit: Kunbi Tinuoye)
UrbanGeekz has joined forces with Atlanta Tech Village to offer women and underrepresented minorities the chance to be part of a thriving technology innovation hub in the heart of Atlanta.
We have teamed up to offer an exciting opportunity for a talented tech entrepreneur to gain around the clock access to Atlanta Tech Village’s flourishing startup community in the Buckhead district. 40aba8ae1838d185c69dee7563b62134_400x400
To help foster inclusion and engagement of underserved communities in the technology space, we are launching a competition where one lucky winner will win six months of free co-working space at Atlanta Tech Village’s state-of-the-art facility. The competition is open to women of any background and underrepresented minorities.
This is an amazing chance for one fortunate entrepreneur to kick-start their startup without having to worry about the cost of office space. It is also an invaluable opportunity to network, exchange ideas, access curated mentors, and much-needed resources.
To participate applicants should apply here and submit a video up to 60 seconds introducing themselves and their startup. Each submission will be judged based on the mission, viability, and the long-term impact of the company.
“UrbanGeekz is less than a year old and in a short time we have had a lot of success, including partnerships with the likes of AT&T and 20th Century Fox,” says Kunbi Tinuoye, founder and CEO of UrbanGeekz, whose editorial team is based at Atlanta Tech Village (the Village). “But this collaboration is by far the most rewarding on both a personal and professional level. We’re thrilled to partner with Tech Village to support an ambitious entrepreneur.”
“Being an entrepreneur isn’t for the faint-hearted, “she adds. “You need a huge amount of faith, self-belief, and dogged determination. Having access to a supportive community, resources, mentorship, business coaching, and guidance on raising capital in a space like Tech Village can give entrepreneurs a tremendous boost to scale their startup.”
Atlanta Tech Village, a thriving ecosystem for tech firms, is the Southeast’s largest co-working and office environment for emerging technology companies and tech startups. There are nearly 300 companies and 900 plus members based in the Village. As one of the fastest-growing technology startup centers, the Village is dedicated to fostering innovation, encouraging collaboration, and driving economic development in Atlanta community and beyond.
“Atlanta Tech Village is proud to partner with UrbanGeekz to support entrepreneurship and empower women and minorities on their quest to change the world through technology,” says Karen Houghton, director of Atlanta Tech Village. “We are a community of innovators that becomes greater with ever increasing diversity. We understand that startups are hard, and having a community of positive, supportive people around you can be inspiring.”
“The Village offers an abundance of resources from work space to meet-ups and networking events, to mentors and advisors for advice. We look forward to growing our community and supporting entrepreneurs on their startup journey.”
Atlanta Tech Village is an incredible place for new startups to land. It’s so much more than an office space,” says Aliceson Y. King, whose company Center for Excellence in Drug Safety and Pharmacovigilance (CEDSPV) is based at the Village. “It is a community that provides amazingly talented colleagues in a diverse array of areas and super knowledgeable mentors who can assist in guiding you and your business to success from the start. Being at ATV for the last year has made all the difference in moving my startup to the next level.”
Since its inception in 2013, the Village has been home to some of the most successful startups in Atlanta, such as Yik Yak, BitPay, and Insightpool. Three years in, it is one of the top 10 tech hubs in the U.S. The technology hub also boasts a competitive accelerator, Atlanta Ventures, where startups receive mentor support and up to $120,000 in investment capital.
Applicants must…
– Submit a video (up to 60 seconds) introducing themselves and their startup.
– Be over 18 years old.
– Be a woman (any demographic) or male/female underrepresented minority.
We will consider entrepreneurs from any field but our focus is on tech startups and technology related companies. The application deadline is March 13th at 11:59 pm EST.

Read more at: http://urbangeekz.com/2016/02/atlanta-tech-village-and-urbangeekz-partner-for-women-and-minority-entrepreneur-contest/#sthash.fg2HNIUd.dpuf

Candi Carter Promoted to Executive Producer of ABC's "The View" as it Heads into 20th Season

By goodblacknews on February 23, 2016
Candi Carter The View
“The View” Executive Producer Candi Carter (Photo COURTESY OF ABC)

article by Lori Lakin Hutcherson (@lakinhutcherson)

According to Variety.com, ABC has renewed “The View” for its 20th season, which will start in the fall of 2016,  and is naming Candi Carter as the show’s executive producer effective immediately.  Carter has served as the interim showrunner on “The View” since September, working with consultant Hilary Estey McLoughlin and co-executive producer Brian Teta, to help reboot the talk show, which has struggled since creator Barbara Walters retired in May 2013.  Carter is the first African-American executive producer in the show’s history.

It’s been an up-and-down period for “The View,” which saw viewership decline in season 18 after Rosie O’Donnell rejoined then departed the Hot Topics seat last February, and Rosie Perez and Nicolle Wallace left over the summer. But the numbers have slightly improved this season to date. “The View” is ranked first in viewers (2.97 million) for the second consecutive week, and it has beat CBS’ “The Talk” in the key demographic for four of the last six weeks.
In season 19, “The View” has tried to regain heat with its panel of Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Candace Cameron-Bure, Paula Faris, Michelle Collins and Raven-Symone. The show has increased its political debates during Hot Topics and landed interviews with presidential hopefuls such as Bernie Sanders, Carly Fiorina and Martin O’Malley.
Carter spent 15 years as a supervising producer at “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” and has produced for BET. “It’s an honor to be part of the extraordinary legacy built by Barbara Walters, the exceptional, funny and smart women at the table led by Whoopi Goldberg and a terrific team behind the scenes,” Carter said.  “Every day is a thrill.”
To read original article by Ramin Setoodeh, go to: http://variety.com/2016/tv/news/the-view-renewed-for-season-20-with-first-female-executive-producer-exclusive-1201712878/
 

Kevin Hart, Dwayne Johnson to Host 2016 MTV Movie Awards

By goodblacknews on February 21, 2016

Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart (photo via blackamericaweb.com)

article by EURweb via blackamericaweb.com
Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart, stars of the upcoming summer film “Central Intelligence,” will team up to host the 2016 MTV Movie Awards, airing Sunday, April 10 at 8 p.m., Variety reports.

Taking a page from Fox’s “Grease Live!,” this year’s 25th anniversary telecast will take place across the Warner Bros. backlot, filming outdoors across multiple locations in a taping on April 9. (“Grease Live!” also taped on the Warner Bros. lot.)
“We want to do a big, brave thing to celebrate movies,” the show’s executive producer Casey Patterson says of filming across the backlot. “We love Kevin and Dwayne for doing big, risky, bold things. Most award shows play it safe. They’re the right guys to take big swings.”
“It’s an honor to be hosting the ‘MTV Movie Awards’ with a guy who’s not only one of the funniest guys on the planet, but who’s often mistaken as my twin, Kevin Hart,” said Johnson. “We live for our fans and promise to make this an epic, historic unforgettable night for them.”
Hart commented, “I love hosting — it’s my thing. Dwayne and I are the perfect team for the epic 25th anniversary show. It’s going to go down.”

5th Grader Egypt Ufele Starts Clothing Line After Being Bullied About Weight

By goodblacknews on February 18, 2016

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Egypt Ufele (photo via clutchmagonline.com)

article via clutchmagonline.com
A 10-year-old girl from Queens, NY was constantly being bullied about her weight, and decided to put her sewing machine to work and designed a plus-size clothing line that debuted at New York Fashion Week.
Egypt Ufele, Ify for short, says she was inspired to start designing clothes after she was bullied at school. Ify told the Today Show that she wanted to turn the “negative attention into positive attention,” by embracing her style and creativity to start her own fashion line for people of all shapes and sizes.
Ify’s Instagram account is aptly called bullychasers, and she named her line “Chubiiline” to not only embrace herself, but also to make the world realize, chubby isn’t negative. To see video of Ufele and her story, click here:
To read more, go to: http://www.clutchmagonline.com/2016/02/5th-grader-starts-clothing-line-after-being-bullied-about-weight/

Issa Rae's ColorCreative & Project Greenlight Digital Studios Offer "The New Normal Writing Contest" to Budding Filmmakers

By goodblacknews on February 15, 2016
ColorCreative
Issa Rae on the set of “So Jaded” – ColorCreative (photo via Shadow and Act)

article by Tambay A. Obenson via ShadowAndAct

Last year, after the revival of HBO’s “Project Greenlight,” Adaptive Studios announced Project Greenlight Digital Studios, an extension of the brand and concept into the digital space, to make Project Greenlight a 24/7 affair, allowing viewers and community members to participate in greenlighting projects, and creators to interact with industry pros. The new operation will provide premium content that will be curated for an online audience, along with a slate of contests and promotions.

One of the offerings is a digital series anthology contest, co-hosted with Issa Rae’s ColorCreative TV, with the aim of finding emerging and diverse writers. The winner will develop and produce a digital series anthology based on a theme to be selected in advance.
Called “The New Normal” Writing Contest, submissions are now officially open until March 1.
From the announcement: “We’re looking for underrepresented voices in media. If you feel like you have a point of view that’s rare in the entertainment world, then here’s your chance to speak up! Three winning writers will be partnered with a seasoned showrunner, director and line producer to create a digital anthology series. Each of the three winning writers will receive a $5,000 prize; one of the winning writer’s pitches will be selected for development.”
Watch Issa Rae break down the details in the just-released video below:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktFJXFQBLLU&w=560&h=315]

The New Yorker’s Tribute to the Schomburg Center for Research In Black Culture Is Everything

By goodblacknews on February 15, 2016

Newyorker
article via clutchmagonline.com
The New Yorker recently unveiled its latest illustrated cover, and it’s gorgeous.
Featuring Kadir Nelson’s stunning “Harlem On My Mind” painting, the Feb. 16 issue pays homage to the Schomburg Center for Research In Black Culture.
Nelson said he wanted his painting to be “a stylistic montage” that honors “the great Harlem Renaissance painters: Aaron Douglas, William H. Johnson, Norman Lewis, Jacob Lawrence, Elizabeth Catlett, Archibald Motley, and Palmer Hayden.”
Also included in the beautiful illustration are Black cultural giants Zora Neale Hurston, Malcolm X, James Baldwin, Billie Holiday, Duke Ellington, and the Nicholas Brothers.

Meet Cat Frazier, the Woman Responsible for Animated Text – the Hottest GIFS on the Internet

By goodblacknews on February 9, 2016

Cat Frazier (Photo courtesy of Ms. Frazier)
Cat Frazier (Photo courtesy of Ms. Frazier)

article by via John Walker via fusion.net
As the internet continues to streamline itself down to an increasingly uniform, minimalist aesthetic, many young people are pushing back against all that sans serif black on white. One of those young people is Cat Frazier, a graphic designer from Oakland who just might be the patron saint of this retro-maximalist aesthetic movement.
You might not know Cat Frazier by name, but I can almost guarantee that you’ve seen her work. The 24-year-old is the creative genius behind the Animated Text Tumblr, where she creates intentionally tacky-looking gifs of rotating text that occupy some tonal void between “Feeling Myself” and “Teenage Dirtbag.” Aesthetically, the gifs—each one requested by a follower—look similar to the kind of animated welcome banners you might have seen on someone’s personal web site circa Y2K. (Maybe your own?) According to Cat, that GeoCities feel is totally intentional.
“My background is in graphic design, where you’re told to make it clean, make it pretty, make it legible, and make it generic so it appeals to a lot of different people,” Frazier told me over the phone. “But the internet I grew up with—like GeoCities and Myspace and Blingee—was always really personal, as tacky as it was. You didn’t need a degree in design,” to claim ownership over your corner of the web, she explained, and that empowerment-through-DIY is something she wants to bring back with Animated Text.
Cat, who works by day as an instructional designer for California’s Pacific Gas and Electric Company, says that the point of Animated Text is not so much the retro-’90s aesthetic itself, but rather her “relationship with the followers.” Every gif was specifically requested by one of her fans, so she sees each post as a collaborative process, rather than one where she’s the “keeper of the keys” or whatever.
Thinking back on that “Rihanna/Azealia Banks stole seapunk!” moment from 2012, I asked Cat if she was worried about being cool-hunted out of commission by larger brands. “I see a lot of clothing sites [use my gifs without attribution],” she told me. “But it doesn’t upset me… It’s, like, more power to them! Someday, I hope to see an entire internet of animated text.”

Cat Frazier/Animated Text
Cat Frazier/Animated Text

Animated Text’s follower base has grown substantially since its launch in 2012—thanks, in part, to a crucial March 2013 reblog of a “ur not gucci lol” by Frank Ocean. While more followers is obviously a good thing, Cat says that one particular problem keeps coming up.
“Literally everyone assumes I am a straight white man,” she said. That’s why Cat started posting pictures of herself along with the Animated Text gifs in recent months, to “prove I am female, that I am black, that I am gay,” and not that unholy trinity of falsely presumed neutrality: straight, white, and male.
By injecting more and more of herself into the Animated Text project, she became more and more comfortable with being vulnerable on the internet, something she did not expect when she was designing ostentatiously disaffected gif mantras like “lol nothing matters” or “blog the pain away.” That newfound comfort with being vulnerable online also inspired Frazier’s latest venture: Ask Cat, an “advice column for the smartphone age” that you can submit to by texting 510-962-9372.
To read more, go to: http://fusion.net/story/263103/animated-text-cat-frazier-ask-cat/

Beyoncé Announces The Formation World Tour; Launches Initiative to Help Flint Water Crisis

By goodblacknews on February 8, 2016

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Beyoncé mid-slay with dancers at yesterday’s Super Bowl Halftime Show (photo via colorlines.com)

article by Lori Lakin Hutcherson (follow @lakinhutcherson)
Something tells me we will soon have to invent a new way to say “slay,” because if the boss moves perpetrated in the last two days by Beyoncé have shown us anything, they’ve shown us she has every intention of erecting on top of the foundation she laid with 2013’s “Beyoncé” an impenetrable Fortress of Slayage where the word will soon retire itself (because really, where else has it to go?).
To recap, not only did Queen Bey the day before the Super Bowl drop her “Formation” video – which the internet is still feverishly and giddily unpacking – she performed it at halftime, paid homage to the Black Panthers in the Bay Area on their 50th anniversary during the 50th Super Bowl, paid homage to Malcolm X with her squad’s literal formation, and then claimed the commercial space right after halftime to announce her Formation World Tour, which kicks off April 27 in Miami.  Phew!  No wonder “slay” is ready for a permanent vacation.
According to usatoday.com, the Formation World Tour will be hitting cities nationwide including Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Boston, and Philadelphia. It ends June 12 in Hershey, Penn., before a string of European dates get underway June 28. Tickets go on sale beginning Tuesday for American Express and Beyhive fan club members, and to the general public starting Feb. 16. [Tour dates listed below.]

But that’s not all new world leader Yoncé’s got going on – along with the tour, the singer also launched a new initiative to aid the water crisis in Flint, Michigan.

“True to her life’s work of always giving back, fans will be given the opportunity to participate in Beyoncé’s #BeyGOOD initiative supporting local United Way programs,” Live Nation released in a statement, announcing that the United Way of Genesee County will partner with the Community Foundation of Greater Flint to “create a fund that will address long-term developmental, education, nutrition and health needs of the children affected by the Flint Water Crisis.”

Beyoncé last toured the USA with her husband, rapper Jay Z, on the six-week On the Run Tour in summer 2014, which was filmed for a HBO special. The Formation World Tour is her first solo jaunt since the Mrs. Carter Show World Tour in 2013.

Urban Movie Channel Announces 6 New Streaming Premieres in Honor of Black History Month

By goodblacknews on February 7, 2016
The North Star
The North Star (image via Shadow And Act)

article by Tambay A. Obenson via Shadow and Act
RLJ Entertainment’s Urban Movie Channel (UMC) kicked off Black History Month with the premiere of the Underground Railroad drama, “The North Star,” on February 5, 2016. Based on true events, the film chronicles the perilous journey of two slaves, Benjamin “Big Ben” Jones (played by former Philadelphia Eagles’ Jeremiah Trotter) and Moses Hopkins (Thomas C. Bartley, Jr.), who escaped from a Virginia plantation and made their way to freedom in Buckingham, Pennsylvania in 1849.
A directorial debut by Thomas K. Philips, the feature film also stars Lynn Whitfield, Clifton Powell, and Keith David.
On February 19, UMC will premiere “Becoming Barack: Evolution of a Leader,” a revealing portrait of President Barack Obama‘s formative years in Chicago, and “Bound: Africans VS. African Americans,” a hard hitting documentary that addresses the little known tension between Africans and African Americans, produced by Isaiah Washington and directed by filmmaker Peres Owino.
Later in the month on February 26, UMC will feature untold stories of history with the premieres of “An American Ascent,” a documentary about the first black mountaineer group to climb Denali, the highest peak in North America, and the first two installments from producer/director Tim Reid‘s Legacy Documentary Series, “Legacy of Blacks in Auto Racing” and “Builders of the Alaska Highway.”
Available at urbanmoviechannel.com, UMC is the first urban-focused streaming service in North America showcasing quality and exclusive urban content designed for African American and urban audiences.
To read more, go to: http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/urban-movie-channel-announces-6-new-streaming-premieres-in-honor-of-black-history-month-20160205