Entertainment

ABOVE PHOTO:  Marion “Suge” Knight joined by his attorney David Kenner, left, during his arraignment, Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2015, in Compton, Calif. Knight, 49, pleaded not guilty on to murder, attempted murder and other charges filed after he struck two men with his truck last week.  (AP Photo/Paul Buck, Pool) By Anthony McCartney Associated Press COMPTON,…

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ABOVE PHOTO:  Octavia Spencer and Kevin Costner in a scene from Black or White. By Kendall Alexander Just when Anthony Mackie was explaining to The Grio, that America is “just tired of being bombarded with race right now,” while discussing Selma’s Ava DuVernay and David Oyelowo’s snub by the Academy Awards, establishment, he ironically stars…

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ABOVE PHOTO:  Octavia Spencer and Kevin Costner Inteview with Kam Williams Kevin Michael Costner was born in Lynwood, California on January 18, 1955. After landing a breakout role in Silverado in 1985, he enjoyed a meteoric rise in such hit pictures as The Untouchables, No Way Out, Bull Durham and Field of Dreams en route…

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By Tambay A. Obenson Shadow and Act A useful study released this week from multinational accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers, on your movie-going habits helps explain recent trends in declining theatrical attendance. Specifically, the majority of participants in the survey (53 percent) said that the reason they saw fewer movies in the theater last year (2014) than…

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ABOVE PHOTO:  Omari Hardwick By Tambay A. Obenson Shadow and Act Forget about the so-called renaissance in black film. It looks like the real renaissance is happening, in TV land, based on the onslaught (relatively speaking of course) of new series centered around characters of African descent, across the broadcast network and cable TV networks….

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ABOVE PHOTO:  Taraji P. Henson and Terrence Howard. By Sergio Shadow and Act Last week, it was reported that Fox TV’s prime time hip-hop soap opera “Empire” was renewed for a second season. No doubt the network was happy with the ratings for the show, and felt that it was strong enough to survive its…

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Interview with Kam Williams After directing and/or producing such successful feature films as The Butler, Monster’s Ball [for which Halle Berry won an Academy Award], and Precious [for which Mo’Nique won hers], two-time Oscar-nominee Lee Daniels [for Precious] has set his sights on TV for the first time. Here, he talks about directing the new…

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ABOVE PHOTO: Selma director Ava DuVernay. (Helga Esteb / shutterstock.com) By Kam Williams Birdman and The Grand Budapest Hotel have emerged as the early Oscar favorites after garnering nine Academy Award nominations each. Both of those films are excellent movies and well-deserving of all the accolades they’ve received. Nevertheless, the simultaneous snub of Selma is…

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By Tambay A. Obenson Shadow and Act Spike Lee will be presented with the NAACP President’s Award at the 46th NAACP Image Awards. The NAACP President’s Award, chosen by NAACP President and CEO Cornell William Brooks, is an honor that recognizes the special achievement and distinguished public service of its recipient. Past honorees include Van…

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By Tambay A. Obenson Shadow and Act Promising a definitive portrait of the Black Panther Party – its rise and fall – acclaimed veteran director Stanley Nelson aims to paint a complete and accurate account of the revolutionary black nationalist organization, in his very timely new documentary “The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution,” a…

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