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Posts tagged as “entertainment”

Chaka Khan on the Cover of Billboard for 60th Birthday

By goodblacknews on March 18, 2013

Chaka Kahn on Billboard

This month’s Billboard magazine’s Stars Tribute issue honors iconic singing legend, Chaka Khan, for her 60th birthday and the 40 anniversary of her career in entertainment.  “Chaka has always been an innovator as an artist,” says Tammy McCrary of Chaka Khan Management.  “In today’s market, it is just as important to be innovative technologically. This is why we chose to partner with Printergize.”
The new mobile app will go directly to www.chakakhan.com, where Chaka’s Billboard magazine cover image will come to life through the Augmented Reality app. At that moment, users will see Chaka introduce her 100 Days of Chaka campaign, which marks the 100 days from her birthday (March 23) to the anniversary of the release of her first recorded album with Rufus, “Rufus” (July 1, 1973), 40 years ago. This timeline will highlight daily, a series of historic moments in Chaka’s career, mixed with celebratory current events.  The 100 Days of Chaka culminates with the release of “The iKhan Project: Alive!” on July 2nd.
article by Brittney M. Walker via Chaka Khan on the Cover of Billboard for 60th Birthday | EURweb.

Oprah Winfrey Tops Forbes List of "Most Influential Celebrities"

By goodblacknews on March 18, 2013

Oprah Winfrey

Oprah Winfrey’s list of career accomplishments keeps growing.  For the second year in a row, the iconic television host and philanthropist is number one on the Forbes’ list of most influential celebrities.
Snagging the 2013 No 1. Spot with 48 percent of people rating her as “influential,” Winfrey tops the list which includes several of  Hollywood’s elite like Steven Spielberg (No. 2), Barbara Walters (No. 8) and Clint Eastwood (No. 10).
Winfrey’s reign over the media world has lasted for decades. After she ended her 25-year-run on  The Oprah Winfrey Show in 2011, the mogul started her TV empire O.W.N., the Oprah Winfrey Network.

Halle Berry’s ‘The Call’ Surprise Hit at the Box Office

By goodblacknews on March 17, 2013

Halle Berry The Call

Halle Berry arrives at the premiere of Tri Star Pictures’ ‘The Call’ at the Arclight Theatre on March 5, 2013 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

After a string of box-office disappointments like last year’s “Cloud Atlas” and this year’s “Movie 43,” Oscar winner Halle Berry entered this weekend in need of a hit.  It appears her new thriller “The Call” brought just what the doctor ordered.
According to box office estimates, the movie opened with $17.1 million, making it her third largest non-X-Men debut.  Entertainment Weekly reports that, “Sony/TriStar, which acquired the $15 million R-rated film from Troika Pictures, effectively marketed “The Call” to women, and according to the studio, the opening-weekend audience was 61 percent female and 47 percent below the age of 30 — and it also played very well with African-American moviegoers. “The Call” earned a ‘B+’ CinemaScore grade.”

Berry Gordy to be Honored by Songwriters Hall of Fame

By goodblacknews on March 12, 2013
Berry Gordy poses in the press room during the 27th Annual Rock And Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at Public Hall on April 14, 2012 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images)

Berry Gordy poses in the press room during the 27th Annual Rock And Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at Public Hall on April 14, 2012 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images)

As the head of Motown, Gordy helped establish careers and hits for Diana Ross and the Supremes, Stevie Wonder, The Temptations, and Michael Jackson and The Jackson Five. A Broadway musical about Gordy’s life, “Motown: The Musical,” debuted this week.  Previously announced inductees include Tony Hatch, Mick Jones and Lou Gramm, Holly Knight, JD Souther, Steven Tyler and Joe Perry.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press via thegrio.com

How Chi McBride Changed the Direction of CBS’ ‘Golden Boy’

By goodblacknews on March 12, 2013

goldenboy
Three episodes into the new CBS drama “Golden Boy” and it’s already apparent that the show’s main storyline – a young NYPD officer’s road to becoming the city’s youngest police commissioner – are at times upstaged by the relationship between the cop (Theo James) and his partner, played by Chi McBride.
Their partnership was never supposed to be a major part of the series, according to CBS Entertainment President Nina Tassler. In fact, McBride was not even supposed to share top billing.
“When we bought the show last year, it was really designed and developed as a single-star vehicle, telling the story of a young man’s meteoric rise from a beat cop to the Police Commissioner of New York,” Tassler explained to journalists in January. “When we watched the pilot shoot, there was a palpable chemistry between Theo James and Chi McBride. So it was during shooting of the pilot, watching the shooting of the first episode, that you could see that this show was evolving into a different kind of show. A mentor/mentee relationship.
“You’ll see, it’s turned into a two-hander between these two actors. It’s extraordinary.”

R.I.P. Cleotha Staples of the Staples Singers

By goodblacknews on February 26, 2013

 
APphoto_Obit-Cleotha Staples
Cleotha ”Cleedi” Staples (pictured), the eldest member of the famed soul/gospel group, The Staple Singers, passed away on Feb. 21 of causes related to Alzheimer’s disease. The performer had battled the disease for over a decade, according to Philly.com.  She was 78.  Cleotha was born in Drew, Miss., on April 11, 1934 to Roebuck “Pops” Staples and his wife Oceola. She was soon followed by siblings Pervis, Yvonne, Mavis and Cynthia.
After relocating to Chicago in search of better employment opportunities, Cleotha’s father managed to work a few manual labor jobs while Oceola toiled at a hotel stint overnight. Pops began to teach his children gospel songs in order to keep them entertained during the evenings while their mother worked. Pops’ sister Katie enjoyed her brother and his family’s singing so much that she invited them to sing at her church one Sunday morning in 1948. Congregants loved what they heard and begged for three encores.  This event marked the beginning of the Staples family’s professional singing career.
The Staple Singers “Respect Yourself” On Soul Train: 
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0X-UPmTAWMg&w=420&h=315]

Top Moments In Black History: Bob Johnson Becomes 1st African-American Billionaire

By goodblacknews on February 26, 2013

bob johnson billionaire

This Black History Month, NewsOne takes a look back at the top African-American moments from 2000 to 2012. Some will make you happy while others will undoubtedly make you angry and/or sad. Either way, here’s to the last 12 years of our living history. Enjoy!

Moment: Bob Johnson Becomes First  African-American Billionaire
Bob Johnson, founder and former chairman and executive chief officer of Black Entertainment Television (BET), is noted as the first African-American billionaire. Johnson built the BET network and brand with ex-wife, Shelia Johnson, and then later took the company public.
After buying back all of the publicly traded stock, Johnson sold BET to Viacom for $3 billion. The move landed Johnson in “Forbes” magazine as the first Black American to be listed as one of the world’s top earners.
Another of Johnson’s many business achievements is becoming the first principal owner of a North American major-league sports franchise. The Charlotte Bobcats and its WNBA counterpart, the Sting, were owned primarily by Johnson’s investment group, which included former NBA superstar Michael Jordan. Johnson continues to make waves in the business world with his RLJ Companies brand and media investments.
article by D.L. Chandler via newsone.com

R.I.P. Former Temptations Member Otis "Damon" Harris

By goodblacknews on February 25, 2013
The Temptations in 1972 (L to R): Richard Street, Melvin Franklin, Otis Williams, Dennis Edwards and Damon Harris. (Photo: Getty Images)
Otis “Damon” Harris, a former member of the Temptations, died at age 62 on Monday (February 18), according to the Baltimore Sun. The singer passed away at Baltimore’s Joseph Richey Hospice following a 14-year battle with prostate cancer which a family spokeman told the Sun had greatly worsened last summer.

Born in 1950, Harris joined Motown hitmakers The Temptations at age 21 in 1971 after a stint in a Temptations cover band called the Young Tempts with high school friends. The young musician, who sang lead on the Temptations’ Grammy-winning Hot 100 No. 1 hit “Papa Was A Rollin’ Stone” in 1972, was in the group until 1975.
Harris went on to release two albums with his childhood friends in the group Impact, which produced the singles “Happy Man” and “Give A Broken Heart A Break.” Harris followed his time in Impact with a solo album, 1978’s “Silk,” before choosing to leave the music industry.   
During his later years, he was an activist for the group Stand Up to Cancer and his own Damon Harris Cancer Foundation, encouraging men to receive regular cancer screenings, as he himself had delayed in seeing a doctor prior to his cancer diagnosis.
article by Chris Payne via billboard.com

"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]