By ANDREW DALTON, AP Entertainment Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Oprah Winfrey paused before talking politics Friday as she stood in front of a crowd of graduates at the University of Southern California. Then she decided it was safe. “The rumors from my last big speech have finally died down,” she said to laughter and […]
Category: ENTERTAINMENT
Posted inARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
R. Kelly Stages Racy Performance Amid Protest, Allegations
By TOM FOREMAN Jr., Associated Press GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) — With demonstrators standing outside his concert protesting his presence, R. Kelly summoned his passionate fans to carry him through what has been a difficult week. Interspersing references to God with his suggestive lyrics and salty language, Kelly stirred up a crowd inside the Greensboro Coliseum […]
Posted inARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Ryan Coogler Reflects on Tsunami That is ‘Black Panther’
By JAKE COYLE, AP Film Writer CANNES, France (AP) — At the Cannes Film Festival on Thursday, filmmaker Ryan Coogler reflected on the historic sensation of “Black Panther” and the changes he hopes it might effect on the movie business. Noting that Hollywood theories can’t be challenged “if you don’t have anything that disproves it,” […]
Posted inARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Rapper Juelz Santana Pleads Not Guilty to Airport Gun Charge
By The Associated Press NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Rapper Juelz Santana says he’s working on new music while under home confinement after authorities said he tried to bring a gun on a plane at Newark Liberty International Airport. In federal court on Thursday, his lawyer entered a not guilty plea to charges of possession of […]
Posted inENTERTAINMENT
R. Kelly set to Perform in North Carolina Despite Protests
By TOM FOREMAN Jr., Associated Press CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — R. Kelly is going on with his concert in North Carolina Friday, rejecting calls from protesters to cancel his appearance over longstanding allegations of sexual misconduct. The concert was scheduled for Friday at the Greensboro Coliseum, where protesters will also appear outside the arena to […]
Posted inARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Crow, Common Part of New Grammys Inclusion Task Force
By The Associated Press Sheryl Crow and Common are among the artists and executives on the Recording Academy’s new task force on inclusion and diversity. The academy announced the team’s 16 members — 13 of whom are women — in a statement May 9. Common and Sheryl Crow are among the artists and executives on […]
Posted inARTS & ENTERTAINMENT, BUSINESS, ENTERTAINMENT, TV and Film
TV Expands Media Choices for Black Content
By Nadine Matthews, Special to the AFRO Back in 2012, Deshuna Spencer became excited to see some of the Black independent films that she read about regularly on websites dedicated to the subject, “I didn’t have the money,” she tells the AFRO, “to go to New York City, or Los Angeles or Paris to see those […]
Posted inENTERTAINMENT
RAMBLING ROSE
Hello everyone, how are you doing? I am doing great thank you for asking. As you know this week is Mother’s Day weekend and for the first time, I want to salute the moms, who have been in the entertainment field most of their lives as I have, raising a family and doing so successfully. […]
Posted inAfro Briefs, ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT, ENTERTAINMENT
Kennedy Center Latest Group to Revoke Cosby Honors
By Micha Green, AFRO Washington, D.C. Editor, mgreen@afro.com Bill Cosby’s fall from America’s favorite TV Dad persists as he continues to lose prestigious honors he once earned during his 50-year career following his recent conviction for drugging and sexually assaulting a Temple University employee in 2004. For the first time in the history of the organization, the […]
Posted inAfro Briefs, ENTERTAINMENT, Living
Divine Designs Grace Carpet at Met Gala
By The Associated Press Divine designs floated up the red carpet at Monday’s religion-themed Met Gala in shimmering golds, reds and fuchsia, in crowns and in crosses, and even a pair of giant wings. One lesson of the night: If anyone can make a mitre modern, it’s Rihanna. The Grammy-winning artist — never one to […]
Posted inAfro Briefs, ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT, ENTERTAINMENT, Living, Music
Rapper Wale Says Being Dark Skinned Hurt His Career
Micha Green, AFRO Washington, D.C. Editor, mgreen@afro.com While rap has been known to highlight women, drugs, money and violence, in recent years a more emotional style has been popularized by rappers such as Drake, Logic, J. Cole and Wale. One of these rappers isn’t like the others. Following Kanye West’s “Ye vs. The People” featuring T.I. and […]
Posted inNEWS
Camille Cosby’s Comparison of Husband’s Conviction to Slavery, Emmitt Till Draws Criticism
By AFRO Staff Camille Cosby, wife of famed comedian Bill Cosby who was recently convicted in a Pennsylvania court with the drugging and raping of plaintiff Andrea Constandt, is now in the public crosshairs after a spirited defense of her husband in which she compared his conviction to the horrors of slavery and lynching. In […]