Entertainment

ABOVE PHOTO: Tyler Perry, Stacey Abrams, and U.S. Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., pose for a photo on the red carpet at the grand opening of Tyler Perry Studios, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2019, in Atlanta. (Photo by Elijah Nouvelage/Invision/AP) By Ron Harris ASSOCIATED PRESS ATLANTA — Tyler Perry officially christened his massive new film studio Saturday,…

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LOS ANGELES — Lamont Dozier is one of the top songwriters in history, recognized by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the Songwriters Hall of Fame, BMI, the Grammys and Rolling Stone’s “100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time.” He’s written over 100 top 10 hits and is a legend among songwriting legends. Now, Dozier…

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By Nekesa Mumbi Moody associated press NEW YORK — Diahann Carroll, the Oscar-nominated actress and singer who won critical acclaim as the first black woman to star in a non-servant role in a TV series as “Julia,” has died. She was 84. Carroll’s daughter, Suzanne Kay, told The Associated Press her mother died of cancer…

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ABOVE PHOTO: Jessye Norman (Photo: Shutterstock) By Mesfin Fekadu ASSOCIATED PRESS NEW YORK — Jessye Norman, the renowned international opera star whose passionate soprano voice won her four Grammy Awards, the National Medal of Arts and the Kennedy Center Honor, has died, according to family spokesperson Gwendolyn Quinn. She was 74. A statement released to…

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Philadelphia’s Kulu Mele African Dance & Drum Ensemble is observing its 50th anniversary with the world premiere of their new spellbinding production, “Ogun & the People,” on Saturday, Nov. 30, at 8:00Ppm at the Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts’ Zellerbach Hall, located at 3680 Walnut Street. The ensemble also will release its new commemorative…

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By Jocelyn Noveck ASSOCIATED PRESS Emmy night is always a chaotic mix of the humorous, the emotional and the inspirational, mixed with some major sequins and glitter. And on this Emmy night, all those elements came together in one glorious moment: Billy Porter’s win as best actor in a drama for “Pose,” the first openly…

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By Danae Reid With fall and winter on the horizon, many of us are preparing to go back into lengthy periods of recluse. The second half of this seasonal cycle is commonly referred to as “cuffing season,” which inadvertently means that folks are looking for new shows to add to their arsenal. Whether you’re looking…

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By RONALD BLUM NEW YORK (AP) — The Metropolitan Opera announced Tuesday that Plácido Domingo had agreed to withdraw from his slate of scheduled performances at the opera house following allegations of sexual harassment made by multiple women in two Associated Press stories. The opera legend indicated that he would never again perform at the…

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This combination photo shows author Ta-Nehisi Coates at the The Gordon Parks Foundation Annual Awards Gala in New York on May 22, 2018, left, and Oprah Winfrey at an event to announce new Apple products in Cupertino, Calif. on March 25, 2019. Winfrey has selected Ta-Nehisi Coates’ novel “The Water Dancer” as her next book…

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NEW YORK (AP) — Christmas is bringing the gift of a previously unreleased Aretha Franklin recording. “Big Band Holidays II” from the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis has a holiday album that will feature the late icon singing “O Tannebaum.” Franklin performed the song as she played the piano at a 2015…

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