Pioneering percussionist, composer, band leader, and drummer Max Roach was born Maxwell Lemuel “Max” Roach in North Carolina to parents Alphonse and Cressie, and worked with dozens of musical greats, including Miles Davis, Charles Mingus, Thelonious Monk, and Dizzy Gillespie.
Posts tagged as “entertainment”
This film image released by Paramount Pictures shows Denzel Washington portraying Whip Whitaker in a scene from “Flight.” (AP Photo/Paramount Pictures, Robert Zuckerman)
Denzel Washington scored his first Oscar nomination in over a decade this morning for his acclaimed performance as an alcoholic pilot in the hit drama Flight. This is Denzel’s sixth career Academy Award nomination, making him the most honored black actor in history. He’s won twice before: supporting actor for 1989′s Glory and best actor for his villainous role in 2001′s Training Day.
This recognition caps perhaps a career-best year for the A-list superstar, following the box office success of February’s action thriller Safe House and now his return to Hollywood’s most prestigious night.
Meanwhile, Quvenzhané Wallis received her first Oscar nomination ever for her acting debut in Beasts of the Southern Wild. At nine, Wallis is also the youngest actress to ever be nominated in the Academy’s leading actress category.Auditioning for the lead role when she was only 5 years old, Quvenzhané was 6 when filming began in 2010 in Pointe-aux-Chenes and Isle de Jean Charles, not too far from her hometown of Houma, Louisiana.
Beasts of the Southern Wild won the ‘Grand Jury Prize’ at the Sundance Independent Film Festival and won the Camera d’Or for best first film at the Cannes Film Festival.
Tamron Hall, Michael Eric Dyson, and Al Sharpton. (Photo: Getty Images)
From Ebony.com:
MSNBC yesterday reported a huge increase in their overall ratings, a 20% increase, in 2012, no doubt due to the 2012 Presidential campaign, but also due to a another major factor – Black viewership. The network announced an incredible increase in their already large number of Black viewers – a whopping 60.5% increase during the past year.
That’s compared to CNN, whose Black audience increased last year by 23.7%, while Fox News’ Black audience decreased by the same amount.
No doubt MSNBC’s more progressive leaning approach to the news and their wide array of black hosts and pundits such as Toure, Melissa Harris-Perry, Tamron Hall, Joy-Ann Reid (pictured above and who I predict is headed for her own MSNBC show soon) Karen Finney, Michael Steele, Al Sharpton, Eugene Robinson, Jonathan Capehart, Goldie Taylor and if I’ve forgotten anyone, I’m sorry, have played a large part in the increase in black viewers.
When recently asked about this remarkable development, MSNBC president Phil Griffith said: “I think we made a commitment, we decided, that in order for this channel to succeed, that we had to reflect the country. This meant that we had to be part of the country in ways that the other channels weren’t.”
Read the rest of this story on Ebony.com.
post via thegrio.com
The University of Arizona has announced that it has created a “Hip-Hop Concentration” minor under the Africana Studies department, the first of its kind for any institution, according to the school’s website.
The course’s objectives are to “provide students with a solid introduction and broad understanding of the origins and developing of the forms of expression that make up hip-hop culture throughout the world: hip-hop dance, rap music, graffiti/tagging, fashion, business, and film.
Denzel Washington in a scene from ‘Safe House’
According to Quigley Publishing Company’s 81st Annual Poll of Motion Picture Exhibitors, actor Denzel Washington was voted the top money-making star in 2012. He’s been on the poll seven other times but this is the first time he was crowned winner.
The only woman in the Top Ten this year, Anne Hathaway, placed second with her roles in “Les Miserables” and as Catwoman in “The Dark Knight Rises.” Hugh Jackman and Mark Wahlberg , both with their initial Poll appearance, were third and fourth respectively.
Jackman was in “Les Miserables” and a voice talent in “Rise of the Guardians” and Wahlberg scored with “Contraband” and in the sleeper hit of the year, “Ted.” Johnny Depp was in “Dark Shadows” and had an uncredited role in “21 Jump Street,” but still managed a fifth this year. He has been in the Top Ten eight times, with wins in 2010, 2007 and 2006.
According to the report, exhibitors collectively decided Denzel was responsible for movie traffic in 2012, based on his performances in “Flight” and “Safe House.” He’s the fourth African American to win the poll and joins the ranks of Sidney Poitier (1968), Eddie Murphy (1987) and Will Smith (2005).
Top Ten Money-Making Stars of 2012
1. Denzel Washington
2. Anne Hathaway
3. Hugh Jackman
4. Mark Wahlberg
5. Johnny Depp
6. Daniel Craig
7. Daniel Day-Lewis
8. Brad Pitt
9. Leonardo DiCaprio
10. Robert Downey , Jr,
Read more at http://www.eurweb.com/2013/01/denzel-washington-brought-in-the-most-movie-money-in-2012/#9VVjV0Kz6mU2ZAmS.99
Yuri Arcurs/Shutterstock.com
Ever hear of Kate Henshaw-Nuttal? How about Genevieve Nnaji? You might soon. They are two of Nollywood’s top actresses. Nollywood (Nigeria’s film industry) is continuing to give Hollywood a run for its money… with help from moviegoers. The Nigerian film industry is now an $800-million industry, reports Forbes. And it’s becoming more global. In fact, even the Dish Network has recognized the power of Nollywood. It has just announced it will launch Africa Box Office (ABO), an Afro-Caribbean movie channel. ABO is broadcasts films exclusively from Nollywood, the prolific Nigerian film industry. It also airs films from other major African and Caribbean motion picture houses.
According to a press release, ABO is the largest Afro-Caribbean content aggregator for television in North America, broadcasting over 150 new movies per year, eight movies every day, and three premieres every week. It has a catalog of more than 1,500 African and Caribbean movies, leveraging the Afrotainment Family of Channels.
Hear The Root’s editor-in-chief, Henry Louis Gates Jr., chat with the Django Unchained director about the n-word and a possible sequel.
A Django Unchained and Inglourious Basterds trilogy? The historical accuracy of the n-word in
Django? The unlikely connection between the slavery-themed film and The Birth of a Nation? How Django fits into Hollywood’s overplayed, often offensive white-savior stereotype? You name it, and The Root‘s editor-in-chief, Henry Louis Gates Jr., and Quentin Tarantino — whose latest film, Django Unchained, a “postmodern slave-narrative Western,” as Gates describes it, opened on Christmas Day — likely covered it in this exhaustive interview.
When asked why he wanted to combine a slave narrative with a Western, Tarantino said this:
It’s two separate stories I’ve always wanted to tell. One, I’ve always wanted to tell a Western story. Two, I’ve always wanted to re-create cinematically that world of the antebellum South, of America under slavery, and just what a different place it was — an unfathomable place. To create an environment and again, not just have a historical story play out — they did this and they did that, and they did this and they did that — but actually make it a genre story. Make it an exciting adventure.
Listen to the whole interview by clicking here.
Also, read it in three parts:
Tarantino Unchained Part 1: Django Trilogy?
Tarantino Unchained Part 2: On the N-Word.
Tarantino Unchained Part 3: White Saviors.
Shonda Rhimes (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)
The Hollywood Reporter released its Women in Entertainment Power 100 and seven black women made the ranks this year. Oprah, naturally, was the top-ranking African American, at number 18, as the CEO of the OWN network.
Debra Lee, chairman and CEO of BET Networks, was number 23, while Vanessa Morrison, president of Fox Animation Studios, came in at number 27. Shonda Rhimes, creator of Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice, and Scandal, has always made a point to bring a diverse cast of characters to the TV screen and was number 47 on the list.
Colin Salmon attends the Royal World Premiere of ‘Skyfall’ at the Royal Albert Hall on October 23, 2012 in London, England. (Photo by Eamonn McCormack/Getty Images)
Black British actors are taking Hollywood by storm. In recent years more and more have been cast in on-screen roles, not just in big budget U.S. films but also on American television. In fact, nowadays it is highly likely a Brit will be found starring in a major Hollywood movie or hit TV series. Currently, U.S. television boasts several black British actors who are regular cast members in popular shows like Homeland and Game of Thrones.
“I love British actors,” says Brooks Jackson Colyar, a Los Angeles-based agent who represents actors and comedians. “I am fascinated they can take that accent and turn it into everyday American English,” she adds. Black British actor David Oyelowo, 36, is a classic example. Born in the Oxford to Nigerian parents, Oyelowo was best known in the UK for playing an intelligence officer in the television drama series Spooks.
Beyoncé at a Pepsi photo shoot in October. The images will appear early next year as life-size cardboard cutouts in stores.
Singer Beyoncé Knowles and Pepsi have agreed to a $50 million endorsement deal, according to the New York Times. The agreement includes promotional appearances, a new commercial and an investment into a few of Beyoncé’s creative projects.
“Pepsi embraces creativity and understands that artists evolve,” Beyoncé said in a statement. “As a businesswoman, this allows me to work with a lifestyle brand with no compromise and without sacrificing my creativity.”