Category: ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Alice Walker reads one of her many poems in 2014. (Screenshot via YouTube) Alice Walker won the Pulitzer Prize and the American Book Award for her third novel, “The Color Purple,” which was made into an internationally popular film by Steven Spielberg. Her other best-selling novels, which have been translated into more than two dozen […]

In this Feb. 6, 2015, file photo, hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons presents the Vanguard Award on stage at the 46th NAACP Image Awards in Pasadena, Calif. RushCard, the pre-paid debit card backed by Simmons, is creating a multi-million dollar fund to help cover the costs that its customers had while the card was beset by […]

In this Oct. 21, 2015, file photo, ballet dancer Misty Copeland attends the American Ballet Theatre’s 75th Anniversary Gala. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File) NEW YORK (AP) — Misty Copeland, Caitlyn Jenner, Reese Witherspoon, and five women touched by the South Carolina church massacre and lauded in the aftermath as “The Peacemakers of Charleston” are […]

Beverly Johnson, left, at age 18, with her mother, Gloria. (Courtesy Photo) Beverly Johnson rose to fame in August of 1974 when she made history as the first Black woman to grace on the cover of Vogue magazine. The multi-talented supermodel/actress/businesswoman/author has enjoyed an enduring career which has included writing a several books and starring […]

Lee Daniels prepares to talk to the audience at the Middleburg Film Festival. (Photo credit: Middleburg Film Festival) On a crisp fall day at Salamander Resort and Spa, several dozen people were seated in the well-appointed library, eagerly awaiting the arrival of Academy Award-nominated director, Lee Daniels. The acclaimed director of such hit films as […]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Khloe Kardashian and Lamar Odom filed a court petition dismissing a divorce filing, but the reality TV star says that doesn’t mean they’re reconciling after the former NBA star was found unconscious in a Nevada brothel. FILE – In this Sept. 9, 2009 file photo, Khloe Kardashian and Los Angeles Lakers […]

NEW YORK (AP) — A five-year recording hiatus didn’t stop Lizz Wright from reclaiming a spot at the top of the Billboard jazz charts with her new release, “Freedom & Surrender.” In this Sept. 9, 2015 photo, Lizz Wright poses for a portrait in promotion of her new album “Freedom & Surrender” in New York. […]

In this Jan. 16, 2015, file photo, former Tennessee Titans running back Eddie George poses for photos at an urban improvement project designed and constructed by his landscape and design company, The Edge, in Nashville, Tenn. Former NFL star and Heisman Trophy winner George will make his Broadway debut on Jan. 11, 2016, in the […]

This photo combo of file photos shows Harry Belafonte, left, and Usher. During an hour-long conversation moderated by Soledad O’Brien, on Friday, Oct. 23, 2015, in New York, the 37-year-old Usher and 88-year-old Belafonte related with obvious warmth to each other as fellow artists, as activists and celebrities and as elder statesman and protege. (AP […]

This Nov. 8, 2014 file photo Maureen O’Hara arrives at the 6th annual Governors Awards at the Hollywood and Highland Center in Los Angeles. O’Hara,who appeared in such classic films as “The Quiet Man” and How Green Was My Valley,” has died. Her manager says O’Hara died in her sleep Saturday, Oct. 24, 2015 at […]

Three African Americans are among the recipients of the 2015 MacArthur Foundation’s “Genius Awards are (from left) Patrick Awuah, Ta-Nehisi Coates, and LaToya Ruby Frazier. (Photos Courtesy of macfound.org) Three African Americans are among the 24 recipients of the 2015 MacArthur Foundation’s “Genius Awards,” which honor people who demonstrate “extraordinary originality and dedication in their […]