Entertainment

Angela Bassett’s acting career has taken her from roles in which she’s known for setting a cheating husband’s car on fire to playing the fiery musical icon Tina Turner, but this year she has taken on a different type of role: that of director. Bassett is sitting in the director’s seat for Lifetime’s Whitney Houston…

Lauryn Hill is returning to the stage February for a handful of shows. On Feb. 13 Hill will launch her Small Axe: Acoustic Performance Series, kicking things off in Washington, D.C. Although Hill, who was released from jail after serving time for tax evasion, has not released new music since her MTV: Unplugged series, the…

Erica Garner is making sure her father is not forgotten. Eric Garner died July 17 after being placed in a choke hold by a New York City police officer. Last month a grand jury decided not to indict the officer who inflicted the choke hold. That decision sparked protests and marches, in which Erica has…

Last week rumors were circulating about Jennifer Hudson’s Broadway debut in the revival of The Color Purple. The New York Post reported that Hudson would play Celie, but theater journalist and critic Jonathan Mandell has confirmed that the R&B singer will play Shug Avery. Yes, @IAMJHUD will make her Bway debut in #TheColorPurple revival, publicists confirm,…

Who knew that Eddie “Party All the Time” Murphy was back in the studio making music? Last week a new single popped up on SoundCloud, and Murphy is giving everyone a reggae vibe.  “Oh Jah Jah” is set to be released via iTunes on Jan. 27 by reggae label VP Records. From the looks of…

Talk about an awkward slip of the tongue at the most inopportune time and place. During Sunday night’s Golden Globes red-carpet segment, NBC host Natalie Morales had the opportunity to speak with Viola Davis. The conversation was going quite well until the end. Davis, who stars in Shonda Rhimes’ How to Get Away With Murder,…

Last week it was announced that seventh-, eighth- and ninth-graders in New York City would be able to see the movie Selma for free, thanks to the generosity of Paramount Pictures and 27 African-American business leaders. Because of the popularity of the New York City endeavor, Paramount and the business leaders plan to team up with other cities to…

Beyoncé and Jay Z celebrated their daughter Blue Ivy’s third birthday last week, but if the Internet has its way, they’ll be celebrating a new birth soon. Beyoncé’s Instagram account was all the buzz Sunday, when the 33-year-old posted a photo of herself buried in the sand. But what people took notice of was the…

Sunday night, Common took home the Golden Globe for Best Original Song, Motion Picture, for “Glory,” which appeared on the soundtrack for Selma. During his speech, the Chicago native took the time to pay tribute to the numerous unarmed black men who have been killed by police over the last year. Common, who shared the award…

It looks as though two cast members of VH1’s Sorority Sisters have been suspended from their sorority. April McRae and Joy Hammond are members of Alpha Kappa Alpha, and according to Lawrence Ross, author of The Divine Nine: The History of African American Fraternities and Sororities, AKA’s official website shows that the women were suspended.…