‘We Were All Rooting For You’ ANTM Model Speaks Out!
Black Stars Who Slayed on the 2026 American Black Film Festival Honors Red Carpet
Why Lil Durk’s Music Will Play a Huge Role in His Murder-for-Hire Case
Exclusive: Raphael Saadiq Opens Up About Being With D’Angelo Days Before His Passing
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Strong Brock Lead: Mara Brock Akil Signs Overall Deal With Netflix
Mara Brock Akil is getting her much-deserved flowers in a special way this year—and the latest news means some of those bouquets are made of cash! Deadline announced on Wednesday that Brock Akil signed a multi-year overall deal with Netflix to create original content. “We are thrilled to welcome Mara Brock Akil to Netflix,” Channing…
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Christian Cooper Releases It's a Bird Comic Book Inspired by Viral 'Central Park Karen' Incident
Y’all remember Christian Cooper, the Central Park bird watcher who gave us the Watergate of viral Karen stories? (Karengate? Beckygate? Hey-Blacky-get-the-hell-away-from-my-gate? I’m sure we’ll settle on a name eventually.) Well, he’s back with a new comic book partially inspired by his encounter with Amy “Central Park Karen” Cooper, the woman who lost her job, dog…
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Earth's Least Imaginative Heroes: Marvel's Avengers Game Underwhelms
I just wanted to feel like a hero. That’s it. I wanted Marvel’s Avengers to make me feel the way Spider-Man (2018) and the Batman: Arkham games did while playing as their titular characters. Unfortunately, a mediocre single-player campaign, lackluster multiplayer and a litany of technical issues make this a not so heroic affair. Marvel’s…
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MLK/FBI First Look Clip: How Martin Luther King Jr. Became the 'Most Dangerous Negro' After the March on Washington
Today, Martin Luther King, Jr. is lauded as an American hero—a direct contrast to the actual reality of an activist whose own country terrorized him. In the upcoming documentary MLK/FBI, that very contradiction is explored in depth. From the press release provided to The Root: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is remembered today as an…
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Instead of Fighting for a Seat at the Table, The Black Effect Podcast Network Makes History By Building Its Own
Much like the rest of the entertainment industry, despite all of the money and resources being thrown around, the wonderful world of podcasts is still very much a game of have and have nots—especially for Black creatives. Joe Budden’s exodus from Spotify highlights how Black creators are habitually devalued by media companies despite our tremendous…
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The March on Washington Film Festival Goes Virtual in 2020, Keeping Our Stories at the Center
Like many film festivals, the March on Washington Film Festival (MOWFF) is typically held in a physical location (in MOWFF’s case, Washington D.C.) but in 2020, everyone is all about the pivot to virtual. The 8th annual MOWFF is doing the same this year, hosting more than 20 events over seven days, including documentaries, panel…
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Kenya Barris Has a New-ish Spinoff and It’s Old-ish; Jenifer Lewis and Laurence Fishburne to Star
The Kenya Barris Cinematic Universe (KBCU) continues and this time, we’re focusing on the OGs! According to The Hollywood Reporter, ABC is officially developing Old-ish, the third spinoff of the popular franchise that began with Black-ish. The upcoming series will star Jenifer Lewis (as Ruby Johnson) and Laurence Fishburne (as Earl “Pops” Johnson). Barris did…
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Halle Berry Expresses Disappointment in the Best Actress Oscar Category and Its Continued Lack of Diversity
In 2002, Halle Berry became the first Black woman to win an Academy Award for Best Actress, thanks to her work in the film Monster’s Ball. In the speech, she thanked Dorothy Dandridge, Lena Horne and Diahann Carroll for paving the way for her, and said she hoped that “every nameless, faceless woman of color”…
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RZA Discusses New Deal With Downtown Music Publishing and the Power of Artistic Expression
Robert “RZA” Diggs is not only one of the foremost members of the legendary Wu-Tang Clan, but he’s also proven through the years to be quite the astute businessman and entrepreneur. Alongside his older brother Mitchell “Divine” Diggs, RZA announced on Tuesday that Downtown Music Publishing signed a global publishing agreement with Wu-Tang Productions to…
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Want a Best Picture Oscar Nomination in 2024? The Academy Requires You to Step Up Your Inclusion Game
The Academy is changing—and we don’t just mean its members. As part of its Academy Aperture 2025 initiative, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced on Tuesday that it will be enacting new representation and inclusion standards for Oscars eligibility in the Best Picture category. That’s right, if you want the biggest and…