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Watch: Lupita Nyong’o Is a Lifelong Star Wars Fan
So far, there hasn’t been a challenge that Lupita Nyong’o hasn’t mastered. Whether it’s nailing her breakout role as Patsey in the unflinching 12 Years a Slave to Oscar perfection or owning the Broadway stage in Eclipsed, penned by fellow African actress Danai Gurira, her everywomanness has yet to fail. In Star Wars: The Force…
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Spike Lee Answers the Questions and the Critics of Chi-raq
Even before the trailer for Spike Lee’s latest film, Chi-raq, was unveiled, there was controversy. From the very beginning, there were people who objected to the film’s title as well as to a New Yorker telling such a sensitive Chicago story. No one even seemed to be sure what the film was about. Now all…
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The Wiz Live! Brings Iconic Musical to a New Generation
As far as iconic black-cast plays and musicals go, few are as universally loved as The Wiz. The initial soulful production of the American classic on Broadway in 1975 won seven Tonys and made Stephanie Mills a star. Her rendition of “Home” is still a classic. In 1978 the film version from Motown and Universal…
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Creed: The Son of Rocky’s Nemesis Hits the Screen
Fruitvale Station, the painful glimpse into the life of Oscar Grant, who was killed in 2009 by a transit cop in the Bay Area, put both director-writer Ryan Coogler and actor Michael B. Jordan on the Hollywood fast track. Already a Sundance darling, Fruitvale Station got even more attention because its theatrical release in 2013…
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Jennifer Holliday Unsung: A Once-in-a-Generation Voice
Google the soulful ballad “And I Am Telling You (I’m Not Going)” and Jennifer Hudson’s name pops up first. Not Tony Award winner Jennifer Holliday, who originated the role of Effie and sang the legendary showstopper in the original 1981 Broadway smash Dreamgirls—which is why this Unsung has been a long time coming. As powerful…
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Bonded: Black Actresses Who’ve Shared the Screen With 007
It’s hard to think of a film franchise bigger than Bond. Dr. No, the first one, hit the big screen in 1962, and the latest one, Spectre, the 24th in the installment, opens Friday. During that 53-year span, the following five black actresses have orbited the 007 universe. Trina Parks: Diamonds Are Forever (1971)…
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Meet Cornelius Smith Jr., Scandal’s Newest Gladiator
There’s a new gladiator in town, and his name is Marcus Walker. Well, Scandal fans know he is not completely new. When fans were first introduced to Marcus, he was an activist at the center of a Ferguson, Mo.-esque scenario in which a black male teenager was shot and killed by a white police officer.…
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TV One’s Unsung Reveals the Realness of Chanté Moore
“I think Chanté exemplifies the title Unsung,” says Jermaine Dupri’s father, Michael Mauldin, who once managed Chanté Moore. And he definitely has a strong argument. It’s hard to see how Moore—stunningly beautiful, with a pleasant personality, down-to-earth demeanor, killer vocals and strong songwriting chops—didn’t drown in gold and platinum plaques. After all, quite a few…
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Meet Cush Jumbo, the Brit Star Who Plays The Good Wife’s New BFF
The black-British acting invasion hasn’t slowed, and Cush Jumbo, who popped up in the season premiere of The Good Wife on CBS, is the latest import. In her native England, Jumbo distinguished herself on the theatrical stage, winning awards and nominations for performances in Shakespeare’s As You Like It and the all-female version of Julius…
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Andre Royo: From Bubbles on The Wire to Thirsty on Empire
Thanks to The Wire, arguably television’s most underrated series of all time, Andre Royo is affectionately known as “Bubbles” or “Bubs,” the drug-addicted informant. But it’s been some time since he’s been back in the mix in a television series. Although he has a role as Mayor Robert “Bobo” Boston on Amazon’s Hand of God,…
