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The 2020 VMAs Were Virtual and It Was Like MTV Started Playing Music Videos Again
It’s time for yet another awards ceremony with a virtual stage! This time, it’s MTV’s biggest night for music—the Video Music Awards (VMAs)! The actual ceremony as a whole was pretty—er—white, but here’s a Black-ass fact: Keke Palmer was the first-ever Black woman to host the VMAs solo! The first VMAs debuted in 1984, so…
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Trailer Roundup: What Is The Forty-Year-Old Version of Noughts & Crosses?
After having to suffer through a week of witnessing Satan’s minions trot out a batch of Black friends, yet another instance of heinous police brutality, the subsequent domestic terrorism at a protest and a major sports strike…it feels like we’re living in a nightmarish dystopian movie. But, we’re not…I’m sorry to say that this is…
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Chinonye Chukwu Is Directing a Film About Mamie Till Mobley's Relentless Pursuit of Justice Following Emmett Till's Brutal Murder
We will never forget the image of Emmett Louis Till’s grotesquely disfigured face, after his mother Mamie Till Mobley decided to intentionally leave his casket open so the nation could reckon with the hateful evil that caused it. Additionally, we shall never forget the stark pain on her face as she stood over her son’s…
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First Look Clip: Ava DuVernay Reveals to Oprah What She Felt Right After Kamala Harris Was Announced as VP Candidate
August 28 is an important date. 2020 is an important year. That’s why Oprah Winfrey has decided to launch OWN Spotlight: Culture Connection & August 28th, featuring separate conversations with Ava DuVernay and Rev. Al Sharpton with regard to the historical context of this date as well as the significance of the Black vote and…
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R. Kelly Attacked by Fellow Chicago Prisoner, per Attorney
It appears things have escalated while Robert “R” Kelly continues his stint in jail. According to ABC Chicago, Kelly’s attorney Steve Greenberg claims a fellow inmate at Chicago Metropolitan Correctional Center attacked the 53-year-old R&B singer on Wednesday. As such, Greenberg is continuing to request that Kelly be released on bail as he believes his…
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Before Magic Mike, There Was 'Sparkling Shemar' on Soul Train
In 2012, a young white boy portrayed by another young white boy with a first and last name that can easily be switched gyrated onto the forefront of our screens…and our hearts (OK, loins). He became known in stripper lore as Magic Mike, keeper of WAP (Wet Ass Pecs). However, much like many things that…
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ABFF Founders Jeff and Nicole Friday Launch Social Justice Now Film Festival, Michael B. Jordan and BLM's Opal Tometi Named Co-Ambassadors
Art often imitates life and social justice is a huge part of our lives right now…in fact, at this very moment. Just ask the NBA. In the spirit of creating art as an expression toward social justice, American Black Film Festival (ABFF) co-founders Jeff and Nicole Friday have launched the Social Justice Now Film Festival,…
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Jharrel Jerome, Janet Mock and Yara Shahidi Among Next Round of Casting for Ta-Nehisi Coates' Between the World and Me HBO Adaptation
The ensemble cast for HBO’s special adaptation of Ta-Nehisi Coates’ Between the World and Me just became even larger! On Wednesday, it was announced that Jharrel Jerome (When They See Us), 2017 TED Global Fellow and poet-playwright Marc Bamuthi Joseph, Janet Mock (Pose), pianist and composer Jason Moran, Wendell Pierce (Burning Cane), Mj Rodriguez (Pose),…
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Gabrielle Union Noticed Isis Was a 'Bad Stereotype' in the Original Script for Bring It On—So She Made Changes
Hey, Hollywood! You want to continue with the lazy Black stereotypes? Well, bring it on—because folks like Gabrielle Union will call you out for it and make sure it’s changed. In a recent interview with Vogue, Union reflected on her experience on the set of Bring It On, where she played the iconic head cheerleader…
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Netflix and Chill at a Social Distance: Danielle Brooks, Asante Blackk and Mike Colter to Star in Isolation Anthology Series
We typically chill with Netflix, but this is no time to chill—this is not a drill! We have more quarantine content coming up! On Wednesday afternoon, Netflix announced their new series based on the concept of self-isolation and quarantine, aptly titled Social Distance. Here’s the scoop, from the press release sent to The Root: Set…
