ABOVE PHOTO: Sterling K. Brown (Photo: Kathy Hutchins / shutterstock)
By Florence Anthony
Hollywood Insiders were very dismayed over the manner which the Emmy Awards telecast on September 17 cut actor Sterling K. Brown’s acceptance speech short after the This Is Us star became the first African American man to win Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series since 1998. Andre Braugher, whom Brown acknowledged in his speech, won the award in 1998 for his role on Homicide. The win for Brown was back-to-back, coming on the heels of his win for People V. O.J. Simpson, for his portrayal of Prosecuting Attorney Christopher Darden……..
On September 17, The National R&B Music Society 2017 Honorees, recognized the career achievements of Siedah Garrett by awarding her with the organization’s Lifetime Achievement Award. Garrett received the award alongside Hall of Fame music producers Gamble & Huff among others at a black tie gala in Philadelphia. Kathy Sledge, the voice of Sister Sledge presented Siedah with the award. Veteran R&B songstress Betty Wright was also among the winners………
The fabulous Andra Day released a new recording on September 15, along with a music video for “Strange Fruit,” the historic song originally recorded by Billie Holiday in 1939. The record is available on the “Lynching in America” site (lynchinginamerica.eji.org/strange-fruit) and Andra Day’s YouTube channel. Day will also be performing “Strange Fruit” as part of her set at the Global Citizens Festival in New York City on September 23. As part of Google’s focus on inclusion, the company has given more than $2MM in grants to the Equal Justice Initiative……….
Producer Sidra Smith has launched an Indie gogo crowd funding campaign for a new web series, “A Luv Tale: The Series,” based on her groundbreaking film of the same name. In 1999, Sidra wrote, directed and produced the movie, “A Luv Tale,” starring Tichina Arnold, MC Lyte, Gina Ravera, Mich ele Lamar Richards and Angela Means. Centered around the lives of four lesbian navigating friendship and love, the project won numerous award. “A Luv Tale: The Series” will be set and shot in Harlem, with an entirely new cast of fresh talent, picking up where the film left off. Says Sidra Smith: “I hope people will see it as an opportunity to support a project that will address real issues in the LGBTQ community, while bringing the entertainment and drama of shows like Insecure and Sex and the City.”………
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