Press "Enter" to skip to content

Posts tagged as “Kerry Washington”

Regina King, Issa Rae, Billy Porter, Zendaya Among Record Number of Black Emmy Awards Nominees for 2020

by Lori Lakin Hutcherson (@lakinhutcherson; FB: lorilakinhutcherson)

Record numbers of Black talent have been nominated by The Television Academy for the 72nd Emmy Awards. According to Variety.com, 34.3% of the nominees in the acting categories alone are Black.

There were 102 acting nominees this year for lead, supporting and guest categories for drama, comedy and limited series/TV movie. Black actors earned 35 of those slots (notably, Maya Rudolph earned two in the same category – nominated in the Guest Comedy Actress category for both “The Good Place” and “Saturday Night Live”).

Black nominees across all acting categories include Cicely Tyson, Billy Porter, Angela Bassett, Sterling K. Brown, Zendaya, Mahershala Ali, Anthony Anderson, Don Cheadle, Issa Rae, Tracee Ellis Ross, Andre Braugher, Giancarlo, Esposito, Regina King, Jeffrey Wright, Uzo, Aduba, Samira Wiley, William Jackson Parker, Phylicia Rashad, Jeremy Pope, Yvonne Orji, Wanda Sykes, Ron Cephas Jones, Thandie Newton, Laverne Cox, Eddie Murphy, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Jovan Adepo, Tituss Burgess, Kenan Thompson, Louis Gossett Jr., Octavia Spencer and Kerry Washington.

In 2019, Black actors received 19.8% of the nominations, down from 2018’s 27.7%  — which was the previous highest percentage in the Academy’s history.

But the journey towards parity is far from over. In the group writing categories, the Outstanding Comedy, Limited Series and Variety Sketch Series only offered one nominee each, respectively, (“Insecure,” “Watchmen,” “A Black Lady Sketch Show”) for staffs with significant African-American representation. It’s worth noting that all three are HBO shows.

Black writers nominated in the individual writing categories include Dave Chappelle in the Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special category (“Dave Chappelle: Sticks and Stones”) and Cord Jefferson (who shares the nomination with “Watchmen” co-writer Damon Lindelof) in the Outstanding Writing for a Limited Series category.

The individual directing categories fared better, with Stephen Williams nominated in the Directing, Drama category for “Watchmen,” Dime Davis in the Directing, Variety Series category for “A Black Lady Sketch Show,” Stan Lathan in the Directing a Variety Special category (“Dave Chappelle: Sticks and Stones”) and Nadia Hallgren (“Becoming”) in the Outstanding Directing for a Documentary/NonFiction Program category.

Other African-American nominations include Jemel McWilliams for Choreography (“The Oscars”); “Becoming” and “The Apollo” in the Documentary or Nonfiction Series category, “Kevin Hart: Don’t F**k This Up” and “RuPaul’s Drag Race: Untucked” in the Unstructured Reality Program category; Karamo Brown (“Queer Eye”), Nicole Byer (“Nailed It”) and RuPaul (“RuPaul’s Drag Race”) for Reality Host and double nominee Victoria Thomas for Casting, Comedy Series (“Insecure”) and Limited Series (“Watchmen”).

Those honored in the Cinematography Multi-Camera Series, Single Camera Series and Nonfiction categories, respectively, are John Simmons (“Family Reunion”),  Kira Kelly (“Insecure”) and Nadia Hallgren (“Becoming”).  It’s also worth noting that in the Outstanding Narration category, four of the five nominees are Black: Angela Bassett, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Chewitel Ejiofor and Lupita Nyong’o.

The 72nd Emmy Awards show will air on ABC on September 20th. To see the full list of 2020 Emmy nominees, click here.

"Girls Trip, "Get Out," "Black-ish," Garner Multiple Wins at 49th NAACP Image Awards

The cast and crew of “black-ish” accepts award for outstanding comedy series at the 49th annual NAACP Image Awards at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium, in Pasadena, Calif. Pictured from left are Laurence Fishburne, Anthony Anderson, Jeff Mecham, Jenifer Lewis, Tracee Ellis Ross, Kenya Barris, Yara Shahidi, Miles Brown, Peter Mackenzie, Marsai Martin, and Marcus Scribner (Credit: Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP/Shutterstock)

by Lori Lakin Hutcherson (@lakinhutcherson)

The winners of the 49th NAACP Image Awards were announced last night during the live broadcast from the Pasadena Civic Auditorium which aired on TV One. The two-hour live special was hosted by Anthony Anderson and opened with a powerful moment in support of #TIMESUP featuring Angela Robinson, Kerry Washington, Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Laverne Cox, Lena Waithe and Tracee Ellis Ross.

Ava DuVernay was honored as the NAACP Entertainer of the Year. NAACP Chairman Leon W. Russell presented the NAACP Chairman’s Award to William Lucy, NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson presented the NAACP President’s Award to Danny Glover and several members of the Memphis Sanitation “I Am A Man” Workers were also in attendance – they were presented with the NAACP Vanguard Award earlier in the week during a press conference at the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, TN.

Gap Band leader Charlie Wilson was honored with the Music Makes a Difference honor which is bestowed upon an individual within the recording industry who has achieved worthwhile success and inspiration for civic engagement, criminal justice, education, economic opportunity, or criminal justice.

“Girls Trip” triumphed as the winner in the Outstanding Motion Picture category, and picked up a second award for its breakout star Tiffany Haddish in the Supporting Actress category.

Jordan Peele

Jordan Peele‘s horror opus “Get Out” received three awards, including Best Actor honors for lead Daniel Kaluuya, and Best Director and Best Writing wins for Peele. “Black-ish” took home the award for best television series, while host Anderson won Best Actor, Tracee Ellis Ross repeated as Best Actress and Marsai Martin won for Best Supporting Actress in a TV series.
In recording, Bruno Mars took home awards for Outstanding Male Artist, Outstanding Music Video/Visual Album  and Outstanding Song – Traditional for “That’s What I Like.” Kendrick Lamar owned the Outstanding Album, Outstanding Song – Contemporary and Outstanding Duo, Group or Collaboration categories (the latter with Rihanna).

The winners of the 49th NAACP Image Awards in the non-televised categories were announced during a gala dinner celebration that took place Sunday, January 14, 2018, at the Pasadena Conference Center – the event was hosted by The Real’s Adrienne Houghton, Loni Love, Jeannie Mai and Tamera Mowry-Housley.

The NAACP Image Awards is the premiere multicultural awards show. It celebrates the accomplishments of people of color in the fields of television, music, literature and film, and also honors individuals or groups who promote social justice through creative endeavors.

For all information and the latest news, please visit the official NAACP Image Awards website at: http://www.naacpimageawards.net.

Below are all of the winners for the 49th NAACP Image Awards:

MOTION PICTURE

Outstanding Motion Picture – “Girls Trip” (Universal Pictures)

Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture – Jordan Peele – “Get Out” (Universal Pictures)

Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture – Daniel Kaluuya – “Get Out” (Universal Pictures)

Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture – Octavia Spencer – “Gifted” (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture – Idris Elba – “THOR: Ragnarok” (Marvel Studios)

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture – Tiffany Haddish – “Girls Trip” (Universal Pictures)

Outstanding Independent Motion Picture – “Detroit” (Annapurna Pictures)

Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture – Jordan Peele – “Get Out” (Universal Pictures)

Serena Williams Signs On as New "Purple Purse" Ambassador to Promote Financial Empowerment for Domestic Abuse Victims

Serena Williams (via instagram)

via eurweb.com
Serena Williams has signed on as the newest ambassador for Allstate Foundation Purple Purse, the insurance company’s decade-old initiative to provide financial empowerment to domestic abuse victims. The pregnant tennis star takes over for Kerry Washington as ambassador of the organization, which says it has helped about one million women escape abusive relationships through a mix of financial education and job training.
In explaining her decision to sign on, Williams told Mic.com, “Not a lot of people really know about financial abuse. It’s an invisible but also really devastating form of domestic abuse that traps victims in these harmful relationships.”One reason financial abuse is so prevalent, Williams said, is because it takes many different — sometimes subtle — forms.
An abuser might contact their partner’s employer, for example, and undermine their ability to stay on the job. Or the abuser might take out and use credit cards in their partner’s name.“If a woman’s credit is ruined, she can’t get an apartment,” Williams pointed out. “Most of the time when people leave abusive relationships, they have this awful debt and that can take years and years to recover, especially if they have kids.”
Williams’s announcement on Thursday (June 22) came with a newly-released hidden-camera style video by Purple Purse — showing ride-sharing passengers who get into a car and discover a purse that has been left behind. Soon, a phone inside the purse begins ringing, and the passengers then see a series of alarming texts that indicate an abusive relationship. The video’s message? If you see something, say something, says Vicky Dinges, Allstate senior vice president for corporate responsibility, who heads the project.
To see video, click below:
https://youtu.be/Q3pUlXtNgU4
To read original article, go to: Serena Williams Promotes Financial Empowerment for Domestic Abuse Victims | EURweb

Screen Actors Guild Foundation to Honor Rashida Jones with 2017 Actors Inspiration Award for Philanthropy

Rashida Jones (photo via lifetailored.com)

by Lori Lakin Hutcherson (@lakinhutcherson)
The Screen Actors Guild‘s SAG-AFTRA Foundation announced today that Emmy®-nominated actor Rashida Jones will receive its Actors Inspiration Award, an honor recognizing artists who give back to the community by championing worthy philanthropic causes which make a difference in the world. On Monday, June 12th, the award will be presented to Ms. Jones at the Foundation’s 8thAnnual Los Angeles Golf Classic, an event benefiting its assistance and children’s literacy programs.
Rashida Jones is an actor, director, producer, screenwriter, musician and activist. Her philanthropy includes work with the International Rescue Committee, traveling around the world as an advocate for the nonprofit which delivers lifesaving care to people fleeing conflict and natural disaster; serving on the board and as a celebrity ambassador for Peace First, a youth organization that encourages the development of the world’s next generation of peacemakers; and supporting Oceana in its mission to protect and restore the world’s oceans. In addition, she lends her voice to several other important charities including Amnesty International, the Elton John AIDS Foundation, and The Trevor Project. Ms. Jones is also a supporter of the SAG-AFTRA Foundation’s online children’s literacy program Storyline Online (storylineonline.net) and will be filming a new video for Storyline Online following the Actors Inspiration Award ceremony. She will join the ranks of actors Viola Davis, Lily Tomlin and Chris Pine as Storyline Online advocates. Rashida Jones’ commitment to supporting vulnerable populations around the world, the environment, and children’s literacy embodies the spirit of the Actors Inspiration Award.

Kerry Washington's Simpson Street to Produce Film Adaptation of Bestseller "The Mothers" for Warner Bros. 

Kerry Washington (photo via variety.com)

article by Justin Kroll via Variety.com
Warner Bros. has optioned Brit Bennett’s debut novel and New York Times bestseller, ”The Mothers,” with Kerry Washington on board to produce. Washington will produce under the Simpson Street Banner, along with Natalie Krinsky. Bennett will write the script and executive produce.
Originally published in October 2016 by Riverhead, a division of Penguin, “The Mothers” is a story about young love, friendship, a big secret in a small community, and the things that ultimately haunt us most. At this time, Washington is just producing the project.
Simpson Street’s first production, “Confirmation,” earned critical acclaim as well as an Emmy nomination for best movie made for television. “The Mothers” will be their first feature project for Warner Bros. ‎Washington also received an Emmy nomination for “Confirmation” and continues to star in the hit ABC series “Scandal.”
To read more, go to: Warner Bros. Options ‘The Mothers’ for Kerry Washington | Variety

Octavia Spencer Named Harvard University's Hasty Pudding Woman of the Year for 2017

Hopper Stone/Twentieth Century Fox Film 

article by Ashley Lee via hollywoodreporter.com
Academy Award winner Octavia Spencer has been named 2017’s Woman of the Year by Harvard University‘s Hasty Pudding student theatrical group.  The Oscar winner and Hidden Figures actress will be honored — and roasted — Jan. 26 at the organization’s first-ever live-streamed ceremony.
The group stated in a release that they are “proud to honor an actress whose depth of talent has captivated audiences with her comedic wit and her graceful portrayals of the underrepresented.”
The Woman of the Year honor is given to performers who have made lasting contributions to entertainment. Established in 1951, the Woman of the Year has been given to Meryl Streep, Katharine Hepburn, Julia Roberts, Jodie Foster, Elizabeth Taylor, Lucille Ball, Anne Hathaway, Claire Danes, Helen Mirren, Amy Poehler and Kerry Washington.
To read more, go to: Octavia Spencer is Hasty Pudding Woman of the Year 2017 | Hollywood Reporter

Kerry Washington's Simpson Street Productions Developing Female LAPD Drama ‘Patrol’ at ABC

Kerry Washington (BROADIMAGE/REX/SHUTTERSTOCK)

article by Elizabeth Wagmeister via variety.com
ABC is developing a new drama with one of the networks most trusted stars, Kerry Washington. The “Scandal” star is on board to executive produce “Patrol,” a workplace drama about four female LAPD officers who attended the police academy together five years ago and are forced to reconnect after a high-stakes, traumatic secret returns to haunt them.
The project marks the first to fall under Washington’s new overall deal with ABC, which she inked this April to develop new projects for ABC Studios — the studio behind “Patrol.”
Washington is producing the potential series by way of her recently-launched production shingle Simpson Street. The actress has been expanding her behind-the-camera work lately. Simpson Street came fresh out of the gate with HBO’s “Confirmation,” in which Washington starred as Anita Hill, marking the company’s first project.
Chitra Elizabeth Sampath, who served as a writer/producer on the first season of ABC’s “Secrets and Lies,” wrote the “Patrol” script and will serve as a co-executive producer. Along with Washington, executive producers are Groundswell Productions’ Michael London and Janice Williams, plus Washington’s Simpson Street producing partner Sharla Sumpter Bridgett.
To read more, go to: http://variety.com/2016/tv/news/patrol-kerry-washington-series-abc-1201848288/

Viola Davis Inks Overall Development Deal With ABC Studios

Viola Davis ABC Studios deal
Viola Davis (ROB LATOUR/VARIETY/REX SHUTTERSTOCK)

article by Elizabeth Wagmeister via Variety.com
On the heels of announcing its overall pact with “Scandal” lead Kerry Washington, ABC is similarly vying more hits from Viola Davis — this time, with the Emmy winner stepping behind the camera.  The “How To Get Away with Murder” star’s production company JuVee Productions has entered into an overall deal with ABC Studios and ABC Signature Studios.
Under the new pact, JuVee Productions — which Davis founded with her husband, Julius Tennon — will develop new projects for broadcast, cable, streaming services and digital platforms.
Additionally, JuVee has also hired Bravo’s Andrew Wang to serve as the company’s head of television development and production. At Bravo, Wang was vice president of scripted television development and production and was responsible for the cabler’s first scripted series, comedy “Odd Mom Out,” drama “Girlfriends Guide to Divorce” and the upcoming dark comedy “My So-Called Wife.” He was at Bravo for four years.
“We started JuVee because we wanted to see narratives that reflected our multi-ethnic and multifaceted culture,” Davis commented. “We wanted to be a part of classic storytelling, and we didn’t want to wait.”

To read more, go to: http://variety.com/2016/tv/news/viola-davis-abc-studios-deal-juvee-productions-1201762447/

Kerry Washington Signs Overall Production Deal with ABC Studios

Kerry Washington (photo via atlantablackstar.com)
Kerry Washington (photo via atlantablackstar.com)

article by Elizabeth Wagmeister via Variety.com
ABC is building on their relationship with one of their biggest stars, as “Scandal’s” Kerry Washington has signed an overall deal with ABC Studios and ABC Signature Studios. 
Under the new pact, Washington will be expanding her behind-the-camera work, developing broadcast, cable and digital projects exclusively for ABC Studios and ABC Signature, which specializes in cable and digital content.
Washington has entered into the deal by way of her recently launched production company Simpson Street. The shingle debuted its first project earlier this month with HBO’s film “Confirmation” in which Washington starred as Anita Hill. ABC Signature was also behind the TV movie, which received positive reviews.
As part of the deal, first reported by Deadline, Sharla Sumpton Bridgett (“Coach Carter”) has been brought on as a development executive and producing partner at Simpson Street.

John Legend Will Be Honored with President's Award at This Year’s NAACP Image Awards

2015 Billboard Music Awards - Arrivals
John Legend (Source: Jeffrey Mayer / Getty)

John Legend‘s career transcends his success as an artist. Over the past decade, he’s established several philanthropic and social justice organizations where he uses his influence to make a difference in the lives of others.
The “Glory” singer will be presented with the NAACP President’s Award at this year’s NAACP Image Awards.
“His contributions to music and artistic creativity have been recognized by peers and fans worldwide, and he is greatly admired for his humanitarian efforts” said Cornell William Brooks,President and CEO, NAACP.
“Legend remains a true inspiration through his philanthropic work and I am truly proud to honor his altruistic efforts both domestically and internationally by bestowing upon him this year’s NAACP President’s Award” added Brooks.
Previous honorees include Kerry Washington, President Bill ClintonSoledad O’BrienMuhammad Ali and most recently, Spike Lee.
In 2007, Legend established “The Show Me Campaign” with the mission of providing students with a quality education as well as end the school-to-prison pipeline. Similarly, he recently launched, #FREEAMERICA, a multi-year culture change campaign focused on ending mass incarceration.
The nine-time Grammy award winner, Golden Globe and Oscar winner also has a successful production company, Get Lifted Film Co. that strives to provide TV and film content that’s inclusive and inspirational.
Legend, 37 and his wife, model Chrissy Teigen, 30, are expecting their first child this summer. 
Watch Legend accept the coveted honor when the NAACP Image Awards air live on TV One Friday, February 5th at 9pm.
article by Zon D’Amour via hellobeautiful.com