By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer, Report for America Corps Member, msayles@afro.com Los Angeles native Stephen Blake gained his fascination with film when he was just 9 years old. His uncle gifted him an 8mm movie camera, and he immediately began creating short films, casting his sisters and neighbors as the main characters. Eventually, his […]
Category: TV and Film
Posted inArts & Culture
The ‘Woman King’ makes revolutionary debut
By Stephane Dunn, Ph.D., and Beverly Guy-Sheftal Ph.D., Chicago Defender Back in a 1974 review of the Bond-like Cleopatra Jones movie starring Tamara Dobson, Feminist and former Ms. Magazine editor Margaret Sloan spoke volumes about Black female spectatorial desire. Damn, that felt good she wrote. After viewing The Woman King, we know exactly what she […]
Posted inTV and Film
Fall Preview: ‘The Woman King’ comes for the throne
By JAKE COYLE, AP Film Writer Gina Prince-Bythewood didn’t get very far into reading the script for “The Woman King,” a historical epic about a real West African army of female warriors, before she knew she wanted to direct it. “Literally five pages into it I knew it was going to be my next film,” […]
Posted inENTERTAINMENT
David A. Arnold, comedian of Netflix specials, dies at 54
By The Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — David A. Arnold, a comedian who was a producer of the “Fuller House” reboot and the creator and showrunner of Nickelodeon’s “That Girl Lay Lay,” has died. He was 54. Arnold’s family said in a statement Thursday that the doctors “ruled the cause of death due to […]
Posted inMedia
Bernard Shaw, CNN’s 1st chief anchor, dies at 82
By DAVID BAUDER, AP Media Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Bernard Shaw, former CNN anchor and a pioneering Black journalist remembered for his blunt question at a presidential debate and calmly reporting the beginning of the Gulf War in 1991 from Baghdad as it was under attack, has died. He was 82. He died of […]
Posted inTV and Film
Barack Obama wins Emmy for narrating national parks series
By The Associated Press Barack Obama is halfway to an EGOT. The former president won an Emmy Award on Sept. 3 to go with his two Grammys. Obama won the best narrator Emmy for his work on the Netflix documentary series, “Our Great National Parks.” The five-part show, which features national parks from around the […]
Posted inBUSINESS
The Connect Masterclass lets aspiring actors and models meet and learn from entertainment industry pros
By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer, Report for America Corps Member, msayles@afro.com D.C. native Cashaéy Serenity has worked in fashion, modeling and acting for over a decade, and now she’s employing her expertise and industry contacts to host The Connect Masterclass for aspiring models and actors to network and learn from entertainment professionals. The event, […]
Posted inTV and Film
Idris delivers action-packed performance in new thriller film, ‘Beast’
By Dwight Brown, NNPA News Wire If the job of an actor is to scare the daylights out of you, “Beast” –which hit the theaters on Aug. 19– gets the job done. The success of this film’s eye-catching, ear-grabbing hocus pocus can be traced back to smart direction, near seamless visual and sound effects, tight […]
Posted inBaltimore News
Police correct the record on alleged extortion of ‘Lady in the Lake” crew
By Tinashe Chingarande, Special to the AFRO, tchingarande@afro.com Baltimore Police are still investigating The production crew of a star-studded television miniseries set in Baltimore has agreed to resume work after a brief halt due to alleged threats, according to a statement from the Baltimore Police Department (BPD). Police say they responded on Aug. 26 to […]
Posted inBooks
Late Comedían Bernie Mac honored in novel
By Nadia Reese, AFRO Editorial Assistant nreese@afro.com This year, comedian and actor Bernie Mac was honored in a daily motivational novel entitled, “I Don’t Care If You Like Me, I Like Me.” The book was created and released on May 24 by his wife, Rhonda R. McCullough, his personal publicist, Denise Jordan Walker and author […]
Posted inTV and Film
Netflix debuts supernatural thriller featuring Jamie Foxx, Snoop Dogg
By Ama Brown, Special to the AFRO Jamie Foxx and Snoop Dogg took Netflix by storm recently, taking down supernatural beings for the culture in “Day Shift,” a fun, witty cinematic rollercoaster. Our protagonist, Bud (Jamie Foxx), is introduced as a clever, no holds barred vampire slayer–who is late to pick up his daughter from […]
Posted inARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
AFRO spotlight: a look at 130 years of entertainment and culture
By Kara Thompson, Special to the AFRO The entertainment and media industry in the United States is the biggest in the world at $660 billion, according to the International Trade Administration’s Global Media & Entertainment Team. With a market that large, it’s no wonder that news publications– the AFRO included– cover the people, productions and […]