The 18th edition of the American Black Film Festival will make its New York debut next month with films directed by Tim Story and Spike Lee bookending the June 19-22 event, organizers announced last week.
The festival, which promotes work by and about people of African descent, is presented by Film Life, a New York City-based entertainment company. The Miami area was home to the festival for most of its existence. Now, Jeff Friday, the festival’s founder and Film Life chief executive, said in a phone interview that he hoped the move will be a permanent one, with the goal of reaching a larger, more diverse audience.
“Last year proved if nothing else, that black films can be more mainstream,” Mr. Friday said. “We want to encourage audiences to consume, ingest and enjoy black cinema as much as multicultural audiences enjoy other forms of black culture.”
Good Black News
SAN JOSE — San Jose State has expelled three of the students charged with the racially-tinged bullying of a freshman and extended one other student’s suspension, requiring him to go to counseling and to remain on probation for the rest of his college career if he returns to school.
All four had been suspended pending final disciplinary action for allegedly subjecting then-17-year-old Donald Williams Jr. to repeated abuse, including wrestling him to the ground and fastening a bike lock around his neck, calling him racially derogatory names, locking him in his room and displaying a Confederate flag.
The university’s move comes after news surfaced in November that the freshman reported being tormented relentlessly for weeks. The revelation sparked community outrage, an internal investigation, an apology from the college president, criminal charges and the creation of a task force. All four suspects have pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor battery and hate crime charges.
African-American leaders were pleased to learn Friday that the university had taken stern disciplinary action. The expelled students are banned for life from enrolling in any California State University college, according to university documents and sources familiar with the investigation.
“It’s a no-brainer,” said LaDoris Cordell, a retired judge and city police watchdog who chaired the task force. “They have no business being enrolled at SJSU.”
Already making a splash without starting his first NFL game, St. Louis Rams draft pick, Michael Sam, the first openly gay player in the National Football League is making some more news.
According to the NY Daily News, Sam’s rookie jersey is outselling every other draft pick but Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel. Although he was the 249th player selected in the draft, he is doing better than anyone picked in that position or ones picked earlier.
RELATED: Jason Collins Brooklyn Nets Jersey Top Seller on NBA.com
“This is unprecedented for a day-three pick, let alone a seventh round pick, to crack the top five rookies sold following draft weekend,” NFL spokesperson Joanna Hunter told Outsports.com.
Here is the order, as of Monday, May 12:
1. Johnny Manziel, Cleveland Browns
2. Michael Sam, St. Louis Rams
3. Jadeveon Clowney, Houston Texans
4. Teddy Bridgewater, Minnesota Vikings
5. Blake Bortles, Jacksonville Jaguars
article by Cedric “Big Ced” Thornton via blackenterprise.com
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Ras Baraka, son of late poet and activist Amiri Baraka, declared victory Tuesday in the race to succeed Democratic U.S. Sen. Cory Booker as mayor of the state’s largest city. Baraka, who served on Newark’s City Council, was a staunch critic of Booker, who stepped down last year to run for the Senate. He declared victory with nearly all districts counted and with a 54 percent to 46 percent lead over former State Assistant Attorney General Shavar Jeffries.
Baraka inherits a fiscal crisis that has left Newark in danger of being subject to state monitoring. His supporters held a raucous celebration at a downtown hotel after he announced his victory.
Speaking to the crowd, Baraka wished his mother a happy Mother’s Day and said he knew his father, who died in January, was “in the room tonight.” He urged the crowd to “be the mayor” and work for positive change, a reference to one of his campaign slogans, “When I become mayor, we become mayor.”
“We have a great city, an international city,” he said. “Watch out, America, here comes Newark!”
According to Wikipedia.org, Stevie Wonder was born May 13, 1950 in Saginaw, Michgan, and has spent over fifty years as a revered, award-winning musician, singer-songwriter, record producer, and multi-instrumentalist. A child prodigy, he has become one of the most creative and loved musical performers of the late 20th and early 21st century. Wonder signed with the Motown label at the age of eleven and continues to perform and record for Motown as of the early 2010s. He has been blind since shortly after birth.
Among Wonder’s works are singles such as “Superstition”, “Sir Duke”, “You Are the Sunshine of My Life” and “I Just Called to Say I Love You”; and albums such as Talking Book, Innervisions and Songs in the Key of Life. He has recorded more than thirty U.S. top ten hits and received twenty-two Grammy Awards, the most ever awarded to a male solo artist, and has sold over 100 million albums and singles, making him one of the top 60 best-selling music artists. Wonder is also noted for his work as an activist for political causes, including his 1980 campaign to make Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday a holiday in the United States.
In 2009, Wonder was named a United Nations Messenger of Peace. In 2008, Billboard magazine released a list of the Hot 100 All-Time Top Artists to celebrate the US singles chart’s 50th anniversary, with Wonder at number five.
To learn more about Wonder’s life and music, click here. To hear him do a live version of “As” with a moving speech towards the end, click below:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCHJ_UFSaes&w=560&h=315]
article by Lori Lakin Hutcherson (follow @lakinhutcherson).
According to Variety.com, “Scandal” and “Grey’s Anatomy” creator Shonda Rhimes has set a long-term extension of her overall deal with ABC Studios through May 2018.
Rhimes’ deal extension has been a long time in the works, given the amount of business she has in play at ABC and her status as an uber-showrunner. “Grey’s Anatomy”, Rhimes’ initial breakout hit, remains a Thursday workhorse for the network as it heads into its 11th season. “Grey’s” spinoff “Private Practice”, although not as highly-rated, lasted seven seasons in the ABC lineup. “Scandal” blossomed into a bona fide hit for ABC this past season, and will kick off its fourth season this fall.
Next up for ABC under the Shondaland banner is the Viola Davis-starrer “How to Get Away with Murder.” The series was was created by “Grey’s Anatomy” vet Peter Nowalk and is executive produced by Rhimes and her longtime producing partner Betsy Beers.
article by Lori Lakin Hutcherson (follow @lakinhutcherson)
Rhimes’ deal extension has been a long time in the works, given the amount of business she has in play at ABC and her status as an uber-showrunner. “Grey’s Anatomy”, Rhimes’ initial breakout hit, remains a Thursday workhorse for the network as it heads into its 11th season. “Grey’s” spinoff “Private Practice”, although not as highly-rated, lasted seven seasons in the ABC lineup. “Scandal” blossomed into a bona fide hit for ABC this past season, and will kick off its fourth season this fall.
Next up for ABC under the Shondaland banner is the Viola Davis-starrer “How to Get Away with Murder.” The series was was created by “Grey’s Anatomy” vet Peter Nowalk and is executive produced by Rhimes and her longtime producing partner Betsy Beers.
article by Lori Lakin Hutcherson (follow @lakinhutcherson)
It’s a royal return for the King of Pop to the Billboard Hot 100 and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts. Michael Jackson‘s “Love Never Felt So Good” with Justin Timberlake makes splashy debuts at No. 20 on the Hot 100 and No. 6 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. The track (heard below) is the first single from Jackson’s posthumous album “Xscape,” due tomorrow (May 13).
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wnuTGGuAVs&w=560&h=315]
“Good” sold 80,000 downloads in the week ending May 4, according to Nielsen SoundScan, after only three full days on-sale. The song went on-sale in the evening of May 1, after it premiered on the iHeartRadio Music Awards the same night. It’s available as both a duet and as a solo track from Jackson, although sales of the Timberlake version drive 80 percent of its combined sales.
Powered by hourly play across a multitude of Clear Channel-owned radio stations on May 2, “Love” debuts at No. 38 on the Radio Songs chart. It bows with 34 million in audience for the week ending May 6, from 358 stations, according to Nielsen BDS. “Love” is Jackson’s biggest Radio Songs hit since “Butterflies” peaked at No. 14 in early 2002.
The debut for “Good” is handsome not just because of its sales and airplay figures, but also thanks to its streaming numbers. The tune collected 1.9 million U.S. streams in the week ending May 4, according to BDS. It arrives at No. 41 on Streaming Songs.
Bringing Michael Jackson Back: The Inside Story of ‘Xscape’ (Cover Story)
“Good” arrives as Jackson’s 49th Hot 100 hit (not counting his entries as part of the Jackson 5). He nets his highest Hot 100 rank since “Butterflies” reached No. 14 (Jan. 26, 2002). He also ties for his third-highest debut: “You Are Not Alone,” his 13th and last No. 1, launched at the summit (Sept. 2, 1995), almost three months after “Scream,” with Janet Jackson, started at its No. 5 peak. “Good” matches the bow of his classic “Thriller,” which began at No. 20 on Feb. 11, 1984 and rose to its No. 4 highpoint three weeks later.
“Good” becomes Jackson’s 33rd top 20 Hot 100 hit, tying him with Rihanna for the seventh-best sum in the chart’s 55-year history. (Jackson was born the same month as the Hot 100: August 29, 1958, or 25 days after the chart’s inception.) Elvis Presley leads with 48 top 20 hits, followed by Madonna (44), the Beatles (42), Elton John (40), Lil Wayne (39) and Stevie Wonder (36).
On Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, “Good” is likewise Jackson’s highest-charting entry since “Butterflies,” which reached No. 2 on the ranking. He lands his 33rd Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs top 10. (James Brown boasts the most top 10s all-time, 60, followed by Louis Jordan, with 54, and Aretha Franklin, with 52.)
Timberlake, meanwhile, tallies his 21st Hot 100 top 20 and 10th such hit on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.
article by Keith Caufield & Gary Trust via billboard.com
Powered by hourly play across a multitude of Clear Channel-owned radio stations on May 2, “Love” debuts at No. 38 on the Radio Songs chart. It bows with 34 million in audience for the week ending May 6, from 358 stations, according to Nielsen BDS. “Love” is Jackson’s biggest Radio Songs hit since “Butterflies” peaked at No. 14 in early 2002.
The debut for “Good” is handsome not just because of its sales and airplay figures, but also thanks to its streaming numbers. The tune collected 1.9 million U.S. streams in the week ending May 4, according to BDS. It arrives at No. 41 on Streaming Songs.
Bringing Michael Jackson Back: The Inside Story of ‘Xscape’ (Cover Story)
“Good” arrives as Jackson’s 49th Hot 100 hit (not counting his entries as part of the Jackson 5). He nets his highest Hot 100 rank since “Butterflies” reached No. 14 (Jan. 26, 2002). He also ties for his third-highest debut: “You Are Not Alone,” his 13th and last No. 1, launched at the summit (Sept. 2, 1995), almost three months after “Scream,” with Janet Jackson, started at its No. 5 peak. “Good” matches the bow of his classic “Thriller,” which began at No. 20 on Feb. 11, 1984 and rose to its No. 4 highpoint three weeks later.
“Good” becomes Jackson’s 33rd top 20 Hot 100 hit, tying him with Rihanna for the seventh-best sum in the chart’s 55-year history. (Jackson was born the same month as the Hot 100: August 29, 1958, or 25 days after the chart’s inception.) Elvis Presley leads with 48 top 20 hits, followed by Madonna (44), the Beatles (42), Elton John (40), Lil Wayne (39) and Stevie Wonder (36).
On Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, “Good” is likewise Jackson’s highest-charting entry since “Butterflies,” which reached No. 2 on the ranking. He lands his 33rd Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs top 10. (James Brown boasts the most top 10s all-time, 60, followed by Louis Jordan, with 54, and Aretha Franklin, with 52.)
Timberlake, meanwhile, tallies his 21st Hot 100 top 20 and 10th such hit on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.
article by Keith Caufield & Gary Trust via billboard.com
You may recall in February when we reported Tracee Ellis Ross had signed on for the cast of Anthony Anderson’s pilot for “Black-ish” on ABC. Well congratulations to the pair, since ABC recently announced they will be picking up the show for their 2014-15 TV roster.
As mentioned, the series will center around Anderson’s character, an “upper-middle-class Black man who struggles to raise his children with a sense of cultural identity despite constant contradictions from his liberal wife, old-school father and his own assimilated, color-blind kids.”
Ross recently shared the news with her 300,000+ Instagram followers:
“Yup we’re #Blackish …this is a dream and yet it’s reality! @kenyab_in_imax3d #KenyaBarris #LaurenceFishburne @AnthonyAnderson #LarryWilmore and MEEEEE …thank you ABC.”
The actress will play alongside Anderson as his liberal wife and also expressed:
“This is how I feel right now…#goodthingshappening.”
Laurence Fishburne is an executive producer of the show and make some re-occurring appearances as the old-school dad. Anderson recently appeared in NBC’s short-lived comedy “Guys With Kids”. He’s also been tapped to host the NBC game show “Wall of Fame”. Tracee Ellis-Ross is arguably best known for her role as the ambitious Joan Clayton on the CW network’s “Girlfriends”. This will be ABC’s sixth comedy pilot this season and it’s second African-American themed drama pilot so far. We’re looking forward to some honest laughs.
article via madamenoire.com
To all the mothers, grandmothers, daughters and sons – may you have a wonderful day celebrating or being celebrated as the most important women in our lives. Happy Mother’s Day – like Kevin Durant says, you are the real MVP!
Michael Sam, a defensive end for the University of Missouri, was drafted by the St. Louis Rams on Saturday, making him the first openly gay athlete to be drafted in any of the four major American sports, and putting him on track to be the first openly gay player in the National Football League.
Sam, who was named the SEC Defensive Player of the Year in 2013, went as the 249th pick. He is only the second person ever to hold that title and fall out of the top 33 picks of the NFL draft. The other was Chad Lavalais of Louisiana State University, who was picked 142nd back in in 2004. Before the draft, CBS had Sam’s prospect ranking at 169.
If Sam went so late in the draft because teams were concerned about the unwanted attention that selecting the first gay player, they did not seem to be concerned about such impressions across the board; Zach Mettenberger, who plead guilty to sexual battery after groping a woman outside of a bar, went second in the sixth round of the draft. Prince Shembo, who was investigated in connection with the sexual assault of a woman who soon after committed suicide, was the 139th pick.
Now that Sam has been drafted, he will move onto the next challenge of securing a spot on the roster. He’ll need to make the team over the summer to become the first openly gay player actively in the NFL, and his spot isn’t guaranteed. As Alex Leichenger previously pointed out here on ThinkProgress, “Sam is considered undersized for an NFL defensive end and may have to become a linebacker in the pros…. His pass-rushing ability would be an advantage at outside linebacker, but there will be questions about whether he has the speed to play in pass coverage in the NFL.” Sam also had a fairly bad showing at the scouting combine earlier this year.
Still, some predicted that Sam would have difficulty finding a team that would draft him because of his coming out. One general manager predicted that he would not be drafted at all. And while public statements from teams and players in the league were encouraging, behind-the-scenes talk from people in the league showed doubt that Sam would garner a pick in the draft.
“I just know with this going on this is going to drop him down,” an NFL scout anonymously told Sports Illustrated. “There’s no question about it. It’s human nature. Do you want to be the team to quote-unquote ‘break that barrier?’”
Below is video of the moment when Sam got the news:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nW-_fFdkegs&w=560&h=315]
article by Annie-Rose Strasser via thinkprogress.com