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Leroy Hassell Laid to Rest in Richmond
Funeral services were held today for Leroy Hassell Sr., Virginia’s first black chief justice, in Richmond. But before Hassell was laid to rest, hundreds of mourners were able to pay their respects at the Virginia State Capitol on Friday. Hassell is the first African American to lie in state in the Virginia capitol building, in…
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OWN to Receive $50 Million Boost
David Zaslav, president and CEO of Discovery Communications, says that the company will invest $50 million in OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network to boost its original programming. Twenty-four new shows will premiere in 2011. While the network shows mostly reruns, over the next six to 12 months, viewers will begin to see more original programming,…
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After the Egyptian Revolution, Reflecting on the Selma March
As Egyptians celebrate the end of Mubarak’s 30-year reign, Nicolaus Mills, a professor at Sarah Lawrence College, remembers the Selma-to-Montgomery march in 1965. In this essay, he talks about the power of nonviolent protests when demanding change. As I watched the television footage of demonstrators in Cairo’s Tahrir Square make the decision to reduce the…
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Pepsi's Super Bowl Ad: She Kicks, She Scowls, She's Peddling Pepsi
Will advertisers ever get black women right? We’ve asked this question before on The Root. (Remember the KGB commercial about black women and extensions?) This time, it’s Pepsi who jumped into the fray. The ad features a black woman — who only says about five words, including “Pepsi Max, zero calories” — as she reprimands…
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Uncle Luke for Mayor of Miami?
In you’ve-gotta-be-kidding-me news, Luther Campbell — yes, that Luther Campbell — is throwing his name into the politics game. He hopes to run for mayor of Miami this year, if the Magic City decides to recall its current mayor, Carlos Alvarez. It’s been more than 20 years since Uncle Luke and the 2 Live Crew released “Me So Horny”…
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Nicki Minaj on SNL: 'The Bride of Blackenstein'
If you’ve seen any of Nicki Minaj’s videos, you know that she’s a woman of many characters. She’s dramatic. She’s animated. And she’s quite the personality. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that she took those talents to Saturday Night Live this week as she performed a couple of her hit songs and even…
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Activist Mohamed ElBaradei Joins Egyptian Protesters
Mohamed ElBaradei, the former head of the International Atomic Energy Administration, joined the demonstrations at Tahrir Square in Egypt on Sunday. At one time, he was considered the No. 1 choice to take the reins from President Hosni Mubarak. Speaking to Fareed Zakaria on CNN this morning, ElBaradei said, “I think it is loud and…
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The Old Spice Guy Returns
The Old Spice guy, Isaiah Mustafa, took the Internet and television commercials by storm this time last year with his bare bod wrapped in a towel. Whether he’s standing on a beach or in the bathroom, women across America have swooned over him as he peddles body wash. After a short hiatus, Mustafa is back.…
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Tichina Arnold to Return to Television
If you’ve missed Pam (Martin) and Rochelle (Everybody Hates Chris), then wait no longer. Tichina Arnold will soon return to television on Happily Divorced. The TV Land comedy pilot will star Fran Drescher as a woman who heads back into the dating world after finding out that her husband is gay. (It’s based on Drescher’s…
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Antoine Dodson to Star in His Own Reality Show
Antoine Dodson is going from tiny screen to small screen in the next few months. He has scored a reality show, according to Entertainment One, a content-and-distribution company. The show will follow Dodson as he uses the money he’s made from his iTunes chart topper and his Halloween costume. The show doesn’t have a title…
Black News and Black Views with a Whole Lotta Attitude
