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Eddie Murphy, Gabby Sidibe Steal the Show
Most people wouldn’t concoct an idea for an action-comedy film out of boredom. But most folks aren’t Eddie Murphy. “I wanted to get out of the house and do some stuff,” Murphy said at a press conference last month about coming up with the plot for Tower Heist. “I’d been sitting around the house too…
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Is BET's New Sitcom the Next 'Cosby Show'?
BET critics may have one less stone to throw at the network with the debut of the new original series Reed Between the Lines. The sitcom, which some are already touting as the second coming of The Cosby Show, brings two black TV notables back to the small screen. Glam girl Tracee Ellis Ross is…
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African Runway Style: Arise's New York Show
If you want to see what’s hot on black Twitter, check out The Chatterati.Akoto Ofori-Atta is the editor of The Grapevine. Like her Facebook page and follow her on Twitter. In its fourth appearance at New York Fashion Week, Arise magazine made a return to the city this fall with its much-anticipated Spring 2012 group…
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Remembering Aaliyah 10 Years Later
Last week I saw the video for Aaliyah’s “I Miss You” for the 100th time, stomach tightened, eyes fixed to the screen as if it were the first. As I watched the celebrity ensemble share a moment of collective grief, somberly mouthing the words in the posthumously released clip, I feel certain that Aaliyah Dana…
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Obama Oreo Slur: Really, Rush?
Straight from our “Seriously?” file, Media Matters is reporting that conservative talk-show host Rush Limbaugh linked President Obama to the new Triple Double Oreo cookie. What do the two have in common? Well, the cookie will have both chocolate and vanilla cream, which, according to Limbaugh, makes it “biracial,” just like Obama. “It isn’t going…
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Who Killed the R&B Group?
At Washington, D.C.’s DAR Constitution Hall, the crowd — a mix of distinguished salt-and-pepper goatees and shellacked updos — awaits Charlie Wilson, former front man for the Gap Band. But first En Vogue, the once ubiquitous, platinum-selling R&B group from the ’90s, is opening the show. Fifteen minutes past the scheduled start time, they emerge…
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Sapphire: The Interview
As with most Oprah-certified, book-to-film adaptations, Precious drummed up the kind of anticipation you can’t pay for — unless your name is Tyler Perry. The two teamed up to executive-produce the critically acclaimed film in 2009, slinging Sapphire, the author of Push, the wildly controversial 1996 book on which the film is based, back into…
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Sister Souljah: More Than a Street-Lit Author
It was 8 a.m. on a weekday morning, and the phone rang three times before someone picked up on the other end. In the faintest whisper, a voice struggled to say hello. “Sister Souljah?” “Yes,” she replied, the word coming out in a breathy squeak, as if blown from a dog whistle. Her tone seemed…
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Is Hip-Hop Feminism Alive in 2011?
In 1992 Dr. Dre released his single “Bitches Ain’t Sh—,” complete with a chorus that emphatically reduces women to nothing but “hoes and tricks.” In 1996 Akinyele famously sang “Put It In Your Mouth,” a song that flooded radio airwaves and clubs across the country. Fast-forward to 2003, and Nelly releases a video for his…
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Love and Hip Hop: Far From Reality
In step with the wave of reality shows starring black women in relationships with famous or wealthy men, VH1 debuted Love and Hip Hop this week. The show, dubbed a “docu-series” by VH1, chronicles the lives of five women connected to hip-hop either by the men they love or by their aspirations to become successful…
Black News and Black Views with a Whole Lotta Attitude
