By The Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — Filmmaker Ava DuVernay has checked off another milestone for Black female directors. This week her film “A Wrinkle in Time” crossed the $100 million mark domestically, a first for a Black woman. The film got a late-game boost playing as a double feature at drive-in theaters with […]
Category: TV and Film
Posted inARTS & ENTERTAINMENT, ENTERTAINMENT, TV and Film
The New ‘Superfly’ Isn’t Great, But It’s Worth Seeing
By Vance Brinkley, Special to the AFRO So, while everyone was probably watching “The Incredibles” over the weekend, I paid money to see the new “Superfly,” a film with such a small marketing budget that it seemingly came out of nowhere. Featuring the promising Trevor Jackson from the popular spinoff show “Grownish,” no one was asking […]
Posted inAfro Briefs, ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT, ENTERTAINMENT, TV and Film
On a Big Night for ‘Panther,’ Boseman Honors Real-Life Hero
By The Associated Press The MTV Movie & TV Awards gave “Black Panther” its first taste of awards glory, with Marvel’s blockbuster taking home four honors including two awards for its star, Chadwick Boseman. Boseman quickly handed off his best hero award to James Shaw Jr., who wrestled an assault-style rifle away from a gunman […]
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Civil Rights Attorney Premieres New Wrongful Convictions Doc
By Lauren E. Williams, Special to the AFRO On May 31, TVOne held a private screening of its newest series, “Evidence of Innocence,” at the Internet & Television Association’s movie theater in Washington, D.C. The screening was followed by a panel discussion featuring acclaimed civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump, who also served as a narrator for […]
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Florida Republican Leader Posts Support for Roseanne’s Racist Tweet
The Associated Press A Republican leader in Florida has said he doesn’t understand the anger generated by Roseanne Barr’s tweet comparing a former adviser to President Barack Obama to an ape. Lake County Republican Committeeman Ralph Smith posted an image of Valerie Jarrett and a character from “Planet of the Apes” on Facebook with the […]
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Black Exec Cancels ‘Roseanne’ After Star’s Racist Tweet
By The Associated Press ABC canceled its hit reboot of “Roseanne” on Tuesday following star Roseanne Barr’s racist tweet that referred to former Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett as a product of the Muslim Brotherhood and the “Planet of the Apes.” ABC Entertainment President Channing Dungey, who is Black, said the comment “is abhorrent, repugnant and […]
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Iconic BET Exec Leaving Network
By Lenore T. Adkins/Special to the AFRO Debra Lee, chairman and chief executive officer of BET Networks, is leaving the company after spending 32 years there, Lee announced May 25. Her last day is May 28. The Hollywood Reporter reported that Lee won’t be replaced and that her departure comes months after she shifted her […]
Posted inENTERTAINMENT
Morgan Freeman Says He Did Not Assault Women
By DAVID BAUDER, AP Media Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Morgan Freeman says he likes to compliment people to make them feel at ease around him but that he has never sexually assaulted women. The Academy Award-winning actor is fighting back against charges of bad behavior made by multiple women in a CNN report this […]
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Morgan Freeman Apologizes in Wake of Harassment Accusations
By The Associated Press Oscar-winning actor Morgan Freeman apologized on Thursday to anyone who may have felt “uncomfortable or disrespected” by his behavior, after CNN reported that multiple women have accused the A-list actor of sexual harassment and inappropriate behavior on movie sets and in other professional settings. “Anyone who knows me or has worked […]
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‘Breaking Big’ Set to Showcase Success
By Nadine Matthews, Special to the AFRO “Come here boy, you need a hug.” In a previous interview with another publication, Carlos Watson revealed that this was the way his mother would greet him on the occasions when she was called from work to come pick him up from school in the middle of the day […]
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In Cannes, Spike Lee lambasts Trump Over White Supremacists
By The Associated Press In a passionate, expletive-ridden monologue at the Cannes Film Festival, director Spike Lee lambasted Donald Trump for the U.S. president’s response to last year’s violent White supremacist protest in Charlottesville, Virginia. Lee spoke to reporters Tuesday after his “BlacKkKlansman” premiered May 14 at Cannes to a rousing standing ovation. Director Spike […]
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Ava Duvernay, Khadja Nin, 80 Others, Protest at Cannes
By JAKE COYLE, AP Film Writer CANNES, France (AP) — Eighty-two women climbed the steps of the Palais des Festivals at the Cannes Film Festival in an unprecedented red carpet protest to press for improved gender equality in the film industry. The number of stars, filmmakers and film industry professionals ascending the steps represented the […]