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Good Black News

Mo’ne Davis is Sports Illustrated‘s Sports Kid of the Year

By goodblacknews on December 1, 2014
Mo'ne Davis Sports Kid of the Year Cover Sports Illustrated

Another honor for the first girl in history to throw a shutout during a Little League World Series

Monday marks another big moment for superstar teen pitcher Mo’ne Davis.
Sports Illustrated announced the 13-year-old has been named this year’s Sports Illustrated Sports Kid of the Year — with a little help from First Lady Michelle Obama:

Davis caught the world’s attention this summer, when she became the first girl in history to throw a shutout during a Little League World Series. She has since graced the cover of Sports Illustrated, donated her jersey to the Baseball Hall of Fame, landed a commercial shot by famed director Spike Lee, and plans to release a memoir in 2015.
Read more at SIKids.com
article by Maya Rhodan via time.com

GBN Wishes You and Yours A Happy Thanksgiving

By goodblacknews on November 27, 2014

Happy Thanksgiving
 

Carlton Wins! Alfonso Ribeiro Voted Champion of "Dancing With The Stars", Takes Home Mirror Ball Trophy

By goodblacknews on November 26, 2014
New champion: Alfonso Ribeiro held the mirror ball trophy up high on Tuesday night after winning the 19th season of Dancing With The Stars

He has been doing The Carlton for more than 20 years and Alfonso Ribeiro can now add a more prestigious dance title to his resume.  The 43-year-old actor wept with joy as he and partner Witney Carson were crowned champions last night of the19th season of ABC’s “Dancing With The Stars.”

After hugging Witney during rapturous applause from the studio audience, an emotional Alfonso said: ‘I cannot believe this. I’ve wanted it forever. My god, I don’t even know what to say.’

His dance partner said: “He’s one of the most hard working people I’ve ever met.”  Turning to the “Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air” star, Carson added: “You deserve it.”

article via dailymail.co.uk

Viola Davis Producing ABC Drama Based on Michigan Prosecutor Kym Worthy

By goodblacknews on November 25, 2014

Viola Davis and Kym Worthy
Viola Davis and Kym Worthy

”How To Get Away With Murder” star Viola Davis is about to step behind the camera for her next project… another ABC drama, about another powerful female lawyer.
Davis and her producing partner Julius Tennon have teamed with producer Debra Martin Chase (“Sparkle”) for “Conviction,” a legal drama inspired by the life of Kym Worthy, the chief prosecutor of Wayne County, MI, known as the toughest woman in Detroit, reports Deadline.com.
Worthy became the second African-American to serve as a county prosecutor in Michigan when she was appointed as chief prosecutor of Wayne County in 2004. She is known for a number of high-profile cases, like filing charges against Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, and her campaign to clear a massive backlog of 11,000 unprocessed rape test kits in Detroit.
The script is being written by Jason Wilborn (“Damages”), with Jeff Melvoin (“Army Wives”) on board as show runner.  Davis and Tennon are executive producing through their JuVee Productions, and Martin Chase through her Martin Chase Prods. ABC Studios, where Martin Chase Prods. has an overall deal, is the studio.
Also executive producing are Kim Swann and Leah Keith who brought Worthy’s story to Hollywood, and Melvoin, while Wilborn serves as co-executive producer and Martin Chase Prods.’ Charles Pugliese as producer. Worthy will serve as a consultant.
In addition to “Conviction,” Swann is developing several projects with Worthy as her producing partner. Keith is adapting her novel “A Rented Life” into a feature. At ABC and ABC Studios, Martin Chase Prods. also has a limited series in development based on the book Catherine The Great by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Robert Massie with a script by Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Michael Cristofer (“Gia”).
article via eurweb.com

Ryan Coogler, Shaka King, Terence Nance and More Push for #BlackOutBlackFriday in Light of Ferguson Decision

By goodblacknews on November 25, 2014

75Following the announcement that police officer Darren Wilson would not be indicted for the murder of Michael Brown in Ferguson, MO, several human rights groups have sprung into action to protest the decision and push back against undue violence at the hands of police.
In the entertainment community, Blackout for Human Rights, a “network of concerned citizens who commit their resources to immediately address the staggering level of human rights violations against fellow Americans,” has been active in the past few months with a series of videos calling for a nationwide boycott of all major retailers this Black Friday, the major shopping day following Thanksgiving.
One hope is that pressure from the community will cause Wilson to be held accountable at a federal level.


The group, which counts filmmakers Ryan Coogler, Shaka King, Terence Nance, Rick Famuyiwa and others among its members, is using the hashtag #BlackOutBlackFriday to put the call out on social media for supporters to participate in “a nationwide day of action for human rights awareness, as opposed to a day of consumerism.”
To watch the first few videos, click here.
article by Jai Tigget via blogs.indiewire.com

Run For Justice: Londrelle Hall and Ray Mills Run 540 Miles From Atlanta To Mike Brown Memorial In Ferguson as Tribute and Peaceful Protest

By goodblacknews on November 25, 2014

Screen Shot 2014-11-25 at 1.39.42 AM
When the news came out about the shooting death of Mike Brown at the hands of police officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Mo., many were outraged, heartbroken, and some people just didn’t know what to do. But for Londrelle Hall, 28, and Ray Mills, 29, all they wanted to do was run. The two decided they wanted to go to Ferguson and make a difference. They wanted to protest for and pay tribute to Mike Brown, but also run for black men in general, whose image in the media has been maligned. Mills told NBC News, “Statistically, it seems like in our community we [black men] are incarcerated or doing nothing. We want to go against the grain and not be another statistic, and we wanted to inspire other people to do the same.” Hall agreed, saying “We want to show that people who look like us can be doing something positive.”
Screen Shot 2014-11-25 at 1.38.09 AMRunning in their “Run For Justice” hoodies, the men garnered quite a following on Instagram. Hall has 38,000 followers, and many of those supporters left positive, encouraging messages on their page and even text the men to keep their spirits up. After taking time out of their busy schedules and full-time jobs to train, the men ran and walked for 20 days, doing at least 35 miles a day, no matter the weather, taking their protest and awareness across counties, from state to state. They eventually found their way to Brown’s memorial in Ferguson, where they were met by supporters. Once they reached the spot as rain poured down on everyone, Hall broke down in tears, saying on Instagram, “My Soul Cried.”
It wasn’t easy at all, but Hall says that even though they’ve met their goal, they will continue to run for Brown and for all injustices going on.
“The purpose of this was never forget, but to keep raising awareness of what’s going on around us, so this is not the end. We will still run, not necessarily 540 miles, but we will still run.”
article by Victoria Uwumarogie via madamenoire.com

Beyoncé, John Legend and Juicy J Win American Music Awards

By goodblacknews on November 24, 2014
Beyonce
Beyoncé (PHOTO CREDIT: DIMITRIOS KAMBOURIS/ GETTY)

It was a big night in music last night at the American Music Awards. Beyoncé and John Legend won the Favorite Female and Male awards in the Soul/R&B category.  Mrs. Carter also won the Favorite Album award for her latest album, Beyoncé.

The night’s big winners also included soulful newcomer Sam Smith for Favorite Male Artist – Pop/Rock and Katy Perry featuring Juicy J took home Single of the Year for “Dark Horse.”  See the full list of winners below:

FAVORITE BAND, DUO OR GROUP – POP/ROCK
Imagine Dragons
WINNER: One Direction
OneRepublic
FAVORITE ALBUM – RAP/HIP-HOP
WINNER: Iggy Azalea “The New Classic”
Drake “Nothing Was The Same”
Eminem “The Marshall Mathers LP 2”
FAVORITE ARTIST – LATIN
Marc Anthony
WINNER: Enrique Iglesias
Romeo Santos
FAVORITE MALE ARTIST – POP/ROCK
John Legend
WINNER: Sam Smith
Pharrell Williams

HEALTH: A Nutritional Guide to Seven Common Nuts

By goodblacknews on November 23, 2014

Nuts are nature’s way of showing us that great things come in small packages. A handful can pack your diet with plenty of protein, fiber, unsaturated fats, and wonderful vitamins and minerals.
Let’s break down what each of these common nuts are good for…
pm_almonds2111
 
Benefits of Almonds:
– Helps with weight loss and reduces body fat
– Lowers blood pressure
– Lowers cholesterol
– Offers the most nutrients per calorie per ounce (23 nuts)
– Good source of calcium, iron, fiber, vitamin E (prevents pre-mature aging), magnesium, phosphorus (building strong bones and teeth), flavonoids (lowers risk of heart disease), riboflavin and L-carnitine (boost brain activity)
peanuts
 
Benefits of Peanuts:
– Helps to maintain healthy skin, hair and muscles
– Helps to quicken metabolism and regulate body’s hydration level
– Can aid in muscle cramping
– Good source of protein, vitamin E, niacin, folate (promotes fertility), magnesium, copper (lowers cholesterol levels), manganese (regulates blood sugar level) and vitamin B3 (memory boost)

Storycatchers Theatre in Chicago Pays At-Risk Youth to Write, Produce and Perform Original Musicals

By goodblacknews on November 23, 2014
Screen Shot 2014-11-23 at 3.42.32 PM

GBN volunteer Becky Schonbrun recently informed us about an inspiring program out of Chicago for at-risk youth called Storycatchers Theatre, which, according to their website, has been “preparing young people to make thoughtful life choices through the process of writing, producing and performing original musical theatre inspired by personal stories” for over 30 years.

While participating in storytelling, scriptwriting, and performance-skills residencies with Storycatchers artists, the youth participants not only get a chance to write songs, poems, stories and scenes inspired by personal experiences, they get paid to do so. The process reinforces their recognition of choices and consequences, enhancing the ability and desire of participants to make choices that lead to positive outcomes.

NAHYPA photoIn November of 2013, Storycatchers received a NATIONAL ARTS & HUMANITIES YOUTH PROGRAM AWARD in recognition of its work with detained and incarcerated youth. Founder and Artistic Director Meade Palidofsky traveled to Washington DC to accept the award from First Lady Michelle Obama. The National Arts & Humanities Youth Program Awards are an initiative of the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities (PCAH). The President’s Committee partners with the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) to administer the program.

To see video of this inspiring program and to hear from the participants in their own words, click here.

“Flip For Your Fate?”, a staged reading of works in progress by Storycatchers Theatre at the Cook County Juvenile Detention Center, will be held on Dec. 5 at 6 p.m. Admission is free. Reservations are required.

To learn about other upcoming Storycatchers performances, click here.

article by Lori Lakin Hutcherson (follow @lakinhutcherson)

Carter Passenger, 1st African-American Principal at Beverly Hills High and Author of "Where A Man Stands," Sells Film Rights to T.D. Jakes

By goodblacknews on November 23, 2014

curtis-paysinger

The memoir-style book centers on Carter Paysinger, who became the first black principal in the 80-year history of Beverly Hills High School

Hot off the success of the faith-based hit Heaven Is for Real, producer T.D. Jakes has scooped up film rights to another inspirational tale, Carter Paysinger and Steve Fenton‘s Where a Man Stands: Two Different Worlds, an Impossible Situation, and the Unexpected Friendship That Changed Everything.

The memoir-style book centers on Paysinger, a black student from the wrong side of town who landed hard at the upscale, mostly white Beverly Hills High, and his friendship with Fenton, a Jewish kid with whom he had little in common. Years later, Paysinger became a coach, teacher and eventually the first African-American principal in the storied school’s 80-year history. That perch gave him the opportunity to team with Fenton to turn around the school and help the community that put him on the path to success.
Paysinger and Fenton collaborated on the book, which was published Nov. 4 by Howard Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster.
To see video of Paysinger’s story, click here.
The story, which sparked the interest of a number of production companies and studios, is playing well in the Hollywood orbit. In fact, Paysinger and Fenton started the Beverly Hills Athletic Alumni Association seven years ago and enlisted such industryites as Beverly Hills High alums Bob Gersh, Eric Tannenbaum (Two and a Half Men), Gary Newman (20th Century Fox Television), Alan Nierob (Rogers & Cowan) actor Corbin Bernsen, Brad Turell (Paradigm), entertainment attorneys David Weber and Darren Trattner, and manager Allen Fischer (Principato Young).
“When we announced the book deal, I received more inquiries on the movie rights than any other book I published,” Howard Books vp and publisher Jonathan Merkh said. “This is a story that is unique yet universal.”
Fenton and his wife, Leeza Gibbons, first connected with Jakes when they saw him give a sermon at the Potter’s House megachurch in Dallas. Jakes, whose recent producing credits include Black Nativity, enjoyed a breakout success with Heaven Is for Real, which was made for $12 million and earned $101 million worldwide.
“Where a Man Stands is about human connection, rising above seemingly insurmountable obstacles, and seeing beyond what lies beneath the surface,” Jakes said. “It’s an uplifting tale that demonstrates what is possible when we take a stand for what we believe in.”
Derrick Williams, executive vp at T.D. Jakes Films & Entertainment, is overseeing for the production company.
article by Tatiana Siegel via hollywoodreporter.com