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NAACP Image Awards: Kevin Hart Named Entertainer of the Year, "12 Years A Slave" Wins Best Picture

By goodblacknews on February 22, 2014

Kevin Hart wins Entertainer of the
(Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

Kevin Hart was named Entertainer of the Year while 12 Years a Slave racked up another four awards including for Outstanding Motion Picture at the NAACP Image Awards, which were held Saturday at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium.  Hart said he was a “real mama’s boy” and dedicated his prize to his mother, who recently passed away.

Director Steve McQueen and writer John Ridley won kudos for “12 Years” during a non-televised portion of the show Friday, while Supporting Actress Lupita Nyong’o said she was honored to win for a film ”that has inspired discourse long overdue.”
Forest Whitaker and David Oyelowo were honored for their roles in Lee Daniels’ The Butler and Angela Bassett won the Lead Actress prize for Black Nativity. Whitaker was also honored with the NAACP Chairman’s Award.  “I’m one of those with a funny accent and an African name,” Oyelowo referencing emcee Anthony Anderson’s earlier jokes about Brit actors with their accents and African names in his speech who cross the Pond to grab roles in Hollywood.  Meanwhile, Whitaker quoted a song from Nat King Cole, “The greatest thing you’ll ever learn is to love and be loved.”
On the television side, Hart and his BET show Real Husbands of Hollywood were honored for comedy, while Kerry Washington, Joe Morton and ABC’s Scandal picked up three awards for drama. Since showrunner Shonda Rhimes was unable to attend, Washington accepted the Scandal award. In her own acceptance speech, Washington said, “The historic nature of this role is due not to lack of talent, but lack of opportunity.”
The NAACP Image Awards were broadcast live on TV One and hosted by Anthony Anderson. Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) President Cheryl Boone Isaacs and Director’s Guild (DGA) president Paris Barclay were inducted into the Image Awards Hall of Fame. Both are the first African-American presidents of their respective organizations. Barclay referenced his upbringing saying, “I’m the first in a long line of factory workers.”  Boone Isaacs said AMPAS invited more women and minority this year than it ever has. “We still have a lot of work to do. I look forward to it,” she said to applause.

Barry Bonds to Join Giants as Special Instructor to Team's Hitters

By goodblacknews on February 22, 2014

Barry Bonds (AP Photo)

Barry Bonds is making a return to baseball, of sorts.  The San Jose Mercury News reports the career home run leader has wanted to take on a more active role in the San Francisco Giants organization and will get his chance. It marks his return to baseball after retiring in 2007.
Bonds finished with 762 career home runs. He also holds the Major League Baseball record for homers in a season with 73. He finished with a .444 career on-base percentage and stole 514 bases.
“He’s part of what we’ll do here,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “He’s going to be part of the group of instructors like (Will) Clark, (J.T.) Snow or (Jeff) Kent. He’s going to be like the other guy sna help where he can. I don’t have any concerns.”
The Giants are not sure what to expect from Bonds, 49, but the paper reports the team believes he can make an immediate impact. He was originally scheduled to arrive in Scottsdale on March 9 and leave on March 17, but the newspaper reports the Giants are still waiting on exact dates.
article by Jason Boyd via sportingnews.com

Beyoncé To Be Highest Paid Black Musician Of All Time At The End Of Mrs. Carter Tour

By goodblacknews on February 21, 2014

Source: Tumblr
(Source: Tumblr)

Beyhive, pat yourselves on the back. Thanks to your unwavering support of Queen Bey, according to MTV News, at the end of the Mrs. Carter Tour Beyoncé will be highest paid Black musician of all time.
According to estimates, the Mrs. Carter tour is expected to make well over $200 million which would make it Beyonce’s most successful tour ever and lead to her being crowned the highest paid Black musician of all time. This is on top of the Mrs. Carter tour already taking the honor of the highest-grossing concert by a female artist in 2013.
As MTV news points out, this feat would be an especially big one for Bey considering she’s the director and executive producer of the tour, via her production company, Parkwood Entertainment. That same company is also responsible for creating her self-titled visual album and her 2013 HBO documentary Life Is But A Dream.
The Mrs. Carter tour wraps March 27 in Portugal — unless Bey decides to extend it again — so it won’t be long before we see if she makes her mark.
See more at: http://madamenoire.com/402663/beyonce-highest-paid-black-musician-time-end-mrs-carter-tour/#sthash.KjVKdH5U.dpuf

Baltimore Museum’s ‘Great Blacks in Wax’ Exhibit Celebrates Black History

By goodblacknews on February 20, 2014

group-of-black-wax-figures
BALTIMORE —This month the Great Blacks in Wax Museum in east Baltimore is celebrating Black History Month as well as the 50th anniversary of equal rights for all.  The folks at the museum said Black History Month is all about teaching others about black culture.  “It’s about teaching, specifically our children, about the accomplishments of great individuals of African descent, so we hope to get a lot of school kids and other people, as well, coming into the museum,” said museum spokesman Jon Wilson.
The museum’s exhibits and life-like wax figures chronicle the history of black people in America. This year for Black History Month, it’s focusing on the Civil Rights movement because of the 50th anniversary of the Equal Rights Bill.  “This legislation by Lyndon B. Johnson made the law that you had to do things more equally and give people their rights no matter what their ethnicity,” Wilson said.  The museum is also offering “Civil Sights for Civil Rights” tours for groups that get visitors out and about in Baltimore to see historic venues.
“Baltimore has a very, very rich heritage as it related to Civil Rights, basically because of the Mitchell family and Thurgood Marshall being a Baltimorean. You can go to a lot of historical churches in this area. The Niagara Movement, which was the beginning of the NAACP — you can go to these different churches,” Wilson said.
Museum officials said they expect 8,000-10,000 people to come through the doors in February. They hope each visitor takes away understanding and an acceptance.  “We want people to walk away with an understanding that, for us to work together, the community has to work together and have respect for different cultures,” Wilson said.
The museum is open every day in February, but it operates year-round.
Read more: http://www.wbaltv.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/museum-offers-civil-rights-tours-during-black-history-month/24540596#ixzz2tuxWTYFu

LL Cool J Named Harvard University's Artist of the Year

By goodblacknews on February 19, 2014

According to the Boston Globe, Rapper-actor LL Cool J has been named Harvard’s 2014 Artist of the Year, and will be honored at the annual Cultural Rhythms Festival on Feb. 22. In making the announcement Wednesday, Harvard Foundation director S. Allen Counter had this to say about Ladies Love Cool James (aka Todd Smith): “His pioneering contributions to a new genre of music and distinguished history of creativity have been lauded by young people around the world, and he is greatly admired for his excellent humanitarian efforts through the Jumpstart program,” an initiative that enhances early education programs in low-income neighborhoods. In recent years, the Harvard Foundation has honored Shakira, Quincy Jones, Queen Latifah, Sharon Stone, Andy Garcia, Will Smith, Matt Damon, Halle Berry, Jackie Chan, and Denzel Washington.
article by Lori Lakin Hutcherson

Kevin Hart and Ice Cube’s "Ride Along" Cruising for a Sequel

By goodblacknews on February 19, 2014

Ride Along Movie

According to Variety.com, Universal Studios has started pre-production on a sequel to its hit buddy comedy Ride Along, with Ice Cube and Kevin Hart on board to reprise their starring roles.  Ride Along has topped $117 million in U.S. box office after five weekends, starting its run with three consecutive first-place finishes. The film was budgeted at a cost-effective $25 million.
Will Packer, Ice Cube, Matt Alvarez and Larry Brezner will again produce. Tim Story is attached to direct again from a script by Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi. Universal signed the writers to script the sequel last year.  The decision to greenlight Ride Along 2 comes on the heels of the healthy opening of another Hart comedy, Sony’s About Last Night, which took in $27.8 million over the four-day weekend.
article by Lori Lakin Hutcherson

Jada Pinkett Smith to Star in Fox’s Batman Prequel "Gotham"

By goodblacknews on February 19, 2014
Jada Pinkett Smith Gotham
(Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic)

Fox’s Batman prequel has found another villain: Jada Pinkett Smith has been tapped to play Gotham’s Fish Mooney, a sadistic gangster with street smarts and a short temper.  Based on the DC Comics characters and written by The Mentalist’s Bruno Heller, the one-hour drama series from Warner Bros. TV focuses on a younger version of Batman ally James Gordon (Ben McKenzie). Other cast members include Donal Logue as Detective Harvey Bullock, Zabryna Guevara as Captain Essen, Erin Richards as Barbara Kean, Sean Pertwee as Alfred Pennyworth and Robin Lord Taylor as Oswald Cobblepot (better known as the Penguin). Heller is executive producing with director Danny Cannon (CSI).  Smith, who starred in TNT’s HawthoRNe  and executive produces The Queen Latifah Show, is represented by Paradigm, Overbrook Entertainment and Tencer & Associates PR.

article by Whitney Friedlander via Variety.com

JUST FOR FUN: Will Smith and Jimmy Fallon Perform "Evolution of Hip-Hop Dancing" on The Tonight Show (VIDEO)

By goodblacknews on February 18, 2014
Will Smith, Jimmy Fallon, Tonight Show
(Lloyd Bishop/NBC)

Jimmy Fallon loves the ’90s. Like, really, really loves the ’90s.  After famously reuniting the casts of Saved by the Bell and Full House on Late Night, the 39-year-old comedian gave a nod The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air during his first-ever time hosting The Tonight Show Monday. Of course, he couldn’t have done it without a little help from his first guest, Will Smith.

Dressed in overalls and printed tees, the duo performed the “Evolution of Hip-Hop Dancing,” showing off moves ranging from the “Cabbage Patch” and the “Running Man” to the “Robot” and the “Pop and Lock.” Other signatures included “Crank That (Soulja Boy),” “Kid ‘N Play,” “MC Hammer” and “The Carlton.” Unfortunately, Smith’s Fresh Prince of Bel-Air costar Alfonso Ribeiro didn’t make a cameo.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTpn30Pms8I&w=560&h=315]
And while they both attempted to do the “Leg Thing No One Can Do,” it was the “Spank That” move that tripped Smith up. Fallon transitioned into “Dirt Off Your Shoulder,” but Smith was still spanking it.  The funnymen recovered and decided to “Make It Rain” before “Picking Up the Money Because That’s all You Had.” When Fallon began to demonstrate the “Twerk,” 45-year-old Smith bowed out and walked offstage.
The recurring bit is a fan favorite. During his tenure on Late Night, Fallon performed “The History of Rap” with Justin Timberlake; the singer later helped Fallon with his “Evolution of End Zone Dancing” tutorial. Fallon also once demonstrated “The Evolution of Mom Dancing” with First Lady Michelle Obama.
article by Zach Johnson via eonline.com

Lamar Odom Making Basketball Comeback in Spain After Signing With Laboral Kutxa

By goodblacknews on February 18, 2014

Lamar Odom
AP Photo/Lori Shepler

Lamar Odom is no longer a free agent.  Seven months after the Los Angeles Clippers released the athlete, Odom signed a two-month contract with Spanish club team Laboral Kutxa for the rest of the 2013–14 season, with the option to play for one more year. Laboral Kutxa is ninth in the 18-team Spanish league and last in its Euroleague group.
“We’re very happy to have signed a very important player who has had a long and fruitful career in the NBA,” Josean Querejeta, president of Laboral Kutxa, says in a statement. “We’ve worked very hard over the last couple of days to make this happen. We felt we needed a boost and had to break the collective cloud that has been hanging over us over the last while so we could get back to winning.”
Odom, 34, could make his debut as early as Saturday when Laboral Kutxa plays Valladolid. The native New Yorker previously played for the Miami Heat, the Los Angeles Lakers and the Dallas Mavericks.
In August, Odom was arrested and charged with driving under the influence. In December, he pleaded no contest and was sentenced to three years’ probation and three months of alcohol abuse treatment. That same month, Khloé Kardashian filed for divorce from Odom after four years of marriage.
article by Zach Johnson via eonline.com

From Top Model To Black Panther, Actress Yaya Alafia Is 'Truly African-American'

By goodblacknews on February 18, 2014
In 2013, Yaya Alafia played Black Panther Carol Hammie in The Butler.
In 2013, Yaya Alafia played Black Panther Carol Hammie in The Butler.
Yaya Alafia arrived on TV screens more than a decade ago as Yaya DaCosta, the young model proud of her African and Latina roots in Season 3 of America’s Next Top Model. But, as she tells NPR’s Michel Martin, she has come a long way since competing on the series. “I have practiced such deliberate amnesia when it came to that show,” she admits. “Just hearing my voice at such a young, vulnerable age, forced into this other world that I wasn’t prepared for.”

But that experience did prepare her for a successful film career. In 2013, she starred in three films: Mother of George, Big Words and The Butler, in which she played a Black Panther.
“[My father] was an organizer in the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. My mother did a little bit of work with the Black Panthers,” she says. “It felt kind of natural for me going on that audition.”
A graduate in Africana studies and international relations from Brown University, Alafia celebrates the fact that she is “one of those Africans in America that’s kind of a mutt, for lack of a better word.” And although her roots stretch from Nigeria to Brazil, she believes that “when people start to get a little too specific, it serves as a divisive tactic.”
Originally from Harlem, she spent a trimester of high school abroad in the Dominican Republic. She says her experience there made her aware of complicated issues involving racial identity. “I didn’t realize how deep-rooted the brainwashing went and how much self-hate there was. … My host mother would yell at me, saying … ‘You’re going to burn out there, don’t get too dark, you could be so pretty.’ And that really had an effect on me.”