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"Middle Of Nowhere" Wins John Cassavetes Award (Best Feature Under $500,000) At Spirit Awards

By goodblacknews on February 23, 2013

 The 2013 Spirit Awards celebration is still ongoing at this very moment, as winners are revealed.   Announced just minutes ago, Ava DuVernay’s Middle Of Nowhere won the John Cassavetes Award – which is given to the best feature length film with a budget of under $500,000.
The film’s competition included Breakfast with Curtis, Mosquita y Mari, Starlet and The Color Wheel.
On the full list of nominess are titles and names that you’ll be familiar with like Beasts Of The Southern Wild (in several categories), Gimme the Loot (for Best First Feature), Rashida Jones (and Will McCormack) for Best First Screenplay (for Celeste and Jesse Forever), Wendell Pierce for Best Male Lead (for his performance in Four), The Central Park Five and The Waiting Room for Best Documentary, War Witch(Rebelle) for Best International Film, and Stones in the Sun (for the Piaget Producers Award). 
article by Courtney via indiewire.com

Michelle Obama, Jimmy Fallon Promote Fitness with "Mom Dancing"

By goodblacknews on February 22, 2013
jimmy-fallon-michelle-obama-dance

NEW YORK — In honor of her “Let’s Move!” fitness campaign, First Lady Michelle Obama showed off her dance moves on “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” Friday.
The first lady and the comedian appeared in a skit called “The Evolution of Mom Dancing.” In it, Fallon, disguised as a pink and green-clad suburban “mom” — was joined by Mrs. Obama in showing off dances like the “Go Shopping, Get Groceries,” the “Just the Hands Part of ‘Single Ladies,’” the “Where’s Your Father” (Get Him Back Here!),” the “Driving the Station Wagon” and the “Out of Sync Electric Slide.” But it was the first lady who wound up getting the better of Fallon’s hip swinging suburbanite when she launched into what has become one of her signature moves: “The Dougie.”
The skit was part of an appearance on the show in which the First Lady also challenged Fallon to a series of physical exercises, all designed to demonstrate the importance of keeping fit. The two even tweeted their pre-workout rivalry before the show, which was taped Friday afternoon in New York. Watch the dance skit below:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hq-URl9F17Y&w=560&h=315]

Johnathan Lee Iverson: Ringling Bros. First Black Ringmaster

By goodblacknews on February 22, 2013

Johnathan Lee Iverson is Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus' youngest and first black ringmaster. (PHOTO CREDIT: EOS Marketing/Feld Entertainment)

Johnathan Lee Iverson is Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus’ youngest and first black ringmaster. (PHOTO CREDIT: EOS Marketing/Feld Entertainment)

Johnathan Lee Iverson is the luckiest man in show business. For 48 weeks a year, he is in a different U.S. city in front of bright spotlights, wearing a radiant smile underneath a top hat, entertaining alongside a diverse cast in lively costumes and doing what he loves most – singing.  “I’m a fierce advocate for living out the best life you possibly can. There’s no glory in living beneath yourself,” says Iverson.

And rightfully so. The 6-foot-5 performer is the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus’ youngest and first black ringmaster.  The New York City native’s stellar voice – since the 129th edition – has been a staple in the 143-year-old Greatest Show on Earth’s celebratory, mystic and family-friendly production.

Obama Teams Up with ‘Kid President’ for White House Easter Egg Roll

By goodblacknews on February 22, 2013

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWXAEutqoAQ&w=560&h=315]
According to thegrio.com, President Barack Obama has teamed up with viral video star “Kid President” for a new web ad promoting the annual White House Easter egg roll.  In the amusing clip above, “Kid President” is summoned by the President to spread to word about how to throw your hat in the ring for a ticket to the special holiday event.
“Kid President, looks like you got my message,” Obama says.  “Yes Mr. President, I got your message,” Kid President responds, using a tin can phone. “This is historic … Kids dancing. Eggs rolling. I’m in!” he adds.
kid-president“Kid President”, who real name is Robby Novak, is a 9-year-old from Henderson, Tenn., who became a social media superstar after his YouTube video, “A Pep Talk from Kid President to You”, became a massive hit.
It has since garnered over 10 million views. The Easter egg roll will be held on April 1st. The lottery to score tickets opened Thursday at 10 a.m. It closes at 10a.m. this coming Monday.
article by Lori Lakin Hutcherson

Born On This Day in 1933: Jazz Singer and Activist Nina Simone

By goodblacknews on February 21, 2013

ninasimoneEunice Kathleen Waymon (February 21, 1933 – April 21, 2003), born in Tyron, North Carolina and better known by her stage name Nina Simone, was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, arranger, and civil rights activist widely associated with jazz music. Simone studied at the Julliard School of Music in New York and worked in a broad range of styles including classical, jazz, blues, folk, R&B, gospel, and pop.  Among Simone’s most popular recordings were “My Baby Just Cares For Me”, “I Put A Spell On You”, “I Loves You, Porgy” “Feeling Good” and the civil rights protest song “Mississippi Goddam.”  Learn more about this amazing musician’s life and music here and watch her live performance of  “Ain’t Got No… I Got Life” below:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUcXI2BIUOQ&w=420&h=315]
article by Lori Lakin Hutcherson

White House Releases New Official Portrait Of First Lady

By goodblacknews on February 21, 2013

Left: First Lady Michelle Obama Blue Room of the White House February 2009 in Washington, DC. This was the first time the offical First Lady portrait was captured digitally. (Photo by Joyce N. Boghosian/The White House via Getty Images) Right: In this handout provided by the White House, first lady Michelle Obama poses in the Green Room of the White House for her official photograph, made available to news outlets February 20, 2013 in Washington, DC. The portrait was released via the Flickr photo sharing website. (Photo by Chuck Kennedy/The White House via Getty Images)

Official portrait of First Lady Michelle Obama in the Green Room of the White House, Feb. 12, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)

The first lady’s new official portrait has been released for President Obama’s second term. While still wearing pearls, Michelle Obama is sporting a distinctly different look in comparison to her official portrait from 2009.
The first lady’s fashion choice, hairstyle, and location of the photo are different.  Mrs. Obama recently weighed in on her widely publicized choice to sport bangs, calling it the result of a “mid-life crisis.”  In this term’s portrait she is also seated, as opposed to standing.
article via thegrio.com

Beyoncé’s HBO Documentary Breaks HBO Ratings Records

By goodblacknews on February 21, 2013
Beyonce Knowles attends 'Beyonce: Life Is But A Dream' New York Premiere at Ziegfeld Theater on February 12, 2013 in New York City. (Photo by Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images)

Beyonce Knowles attends ‘Beyonce: Life Is But A Dream’ New York Premiere at Ziegfeld Theater on February 12, 2013 in New York City. (Photo by Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images)

Beyoncé’s HBO documentary Life Is But A Dream may have garnered mixed reviews, but it pulled in record ratings for HBO.  The superstar’s documentary had the “largest audience for a HBO doc since Nielsen revised its method of measuring viewership in 2004,” according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Beyoncé’s documentary premiere drew 1.8 million viewers, breaking the previous record of 1.7 million set by Spike Lee’s Hurricane Katrina opus When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts in 2006.
article by Carrie Healey via thegrio.com

CEO Makes Difference In At-Risk Youth Against All Odds

By goodblacknews on February 21, 2013

aao_aboutus_founder
Christine Carter is the CEO of the Against All Odds Foundation, which provides educational programs and social services for at-risk youth, but she could be the organization’s charter member.
As a child, Carter says her mother, a teen prostitute, traded her out for sex in order to get drugs. Her father was also a drug addict. At 5, left alone home with her infant brother, Carter took him to school with her. That’s when she became a part of the foster care system.
When she was 7, Carter’s mother died of complications from HIV/AIDS, and she began bouncing between foster homes and relatives who lived in the rugged housing projects of Newark, New Jersey. Facing abuse and neglect, Carter describes herself as the “residue of the 1980s crack era.”
“My childhood was one that no child should endure. I was physically abused, neglected, and literally left for dead,” Carter told TheBlackManCan.
But Carter refused to let the troubles of her early life define her.
“The adversity that I faced as a child prepared me for life’s greatest challenges. Growing up as an orphan compelled me to become a social worker and give back to those most vulnerable. If it were not for my childhood, I would not be where I am, nor would there be an Against All Odds Foundation,” Carter said.

Homeless Man Returns Engagement Ring, Couple Starts Online Support Fund

By goodblacknews on February 20, 2013

homeless man billy ray returns engagement ring

Homeless Kansas City man, Billy Ray Harris, who returned an engagement ring a woman accidentally dropped in to his cup last Friday, is reaping the benefits of the mantra “do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

For Sarah Darling and husband Bill Krejci, simply thanking Billy Ray Harris (pictured) for holding on to their ring wasn’t enough. Nor was giving the homeless man all the money they had the day he returned it to them. So days later, they decided to step it up, starting a financial support campaign for Harris.
“My wife was interviewed, and I noticed that on some websites people were asking how they could help Billy Ray,” Krecjci told the New York Daily News. “That’s when I got the idea to start the campaign.”

Krejci went to fundraising site Give Forward and started a donation’s page for Harris, which will remain active for the next 90 days. As of Tuesday evening, the page has garnered almost $14,000.  “A couple of days ago we noticed it was really starting to gain traction,” Nate St. Pierre, GiveForward’s director Of communications, told the News. “He (Krejci) put the goal at $1,000, and had no idea it would get so big.”

Teen Making History as 4th Black Driver in NASCAR

By goodblacknews on February 19, 2013
Darrell Wallace, Jr., driver of the #18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, poses with the Coors Pole award after qualifying for pole position for the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East American Real TV 150 at Dover International Speedway on September 28, 2012 in Dover, Delaware. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images for NASCAR)

Darrell Wallace, Jr., driver of the #18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, poses with the Coors Pole award after qualifying for pole position for the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East American Real TV 150 at Dover International Speedway on September 28, 2012 in Dover, Delaware. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images for NASCAR)

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Darrell Wallace Jr., is set to make history as only the fourth black driver with a full-time ride in a NASCAR series.  Wallace takes the wheel for the Truck Series race Friday at Daytona International Speedway. He is signed with Joe Gibbs Racing and will drive the No. 54 Toyota for Kyle Busch Motorsports.
Wallace joins Wendell Scott, Willy T. Ribbs and Bill Lester as the only full-time black drivers in the 65-year history of NASCAR. Scott, one of the original pioneers, is the only black driver to win a race.  Wallace, the son of a white father and black mother, openly talks of becoming the Tiger Woods of NASCAR. He wants to become a star who can transcend the sport and prove people of all colors can race.
Copyright 2013 Dan Gelston, The Associated Press via thegrio.com