culture
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Cam Newton Proves Doubters Wrong; Carolina Panthers Headed to Super Bowl 50
The game was over. The Carolina Panthers had completely destroyed the Arizona Cardinals, 49-15, and Terry Bradshaw was trying to do a postgame interview with Cam Newton. The crowd at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C., was still buzzing and yelling when their 6-foot-5-inch, 260-pound “Super Cam,” as he is sometimes called, walked over to…
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For Don Cheadle, Miles Davis Film Is Personal
Don Cheadle was nominated for an Oscar for Hotel Rwanda in 2004. He lost to Jamie Foxx for his performance in Ray. Next year, academy voters will have to seriously consider Cheadle for his passionate portrayal of jazz legend Miles Davis in Miles Ahead. But the actor, director, co-writer and co-producer of the film told The…
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The Root Gathered an All-Black Panel to Discuss #OscarsSoWhite
While we all know that the Oscars have been so white since forever, the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite has only lived a couple of years on social media. This year the social media phenomenon has taken wings and, on its flight, has gathered up outrage and inspired everyone, from Twitter users to A-list celebrities, to speak out.…
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After #OscarsSoWhite Backlash, Academy Approves Radical Changes to Improve Diversity
After facing harsh criticism—and an upcoming boycott of the Academy Awards by Spike Lee, Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith—for its all-white Oscar acting nominees for a second year in a row, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences plans to radically overhaul its voting and recruitment process in a bid to double by…
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Duck Dynasty Star Adopts Black Baby
In what might be called a Hollywood trend, Jep Robertson and his wife, Jessica, stars of the wildly successful Duck Dynasty franchise, recently adopted an African-American baby, Jules Augustus Robertson, or baby Gus. Baby Gus made his debut on Jep and Jessica: Growing the Dynasty on A&E this Wednesday. Social media predictably weighed in this week, with the…
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Does Winning an Oscar Really Help Black Actors?
For many actors, an Oscar nomination or win serves as validation in the competitive entertainment industry. It theoretically opens doors and leads to more opportunities, which is one reason minorities—instead of seeking accolades elsewhere—are seemingly determined to force the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to acknowledge the achievements of brown people. “I would…
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Grand Jury’s ‘Rare’ ‘No Vote’ in Tamir Rice Shooting Points to Bigger Issue
The process of a grand jury indictment is largely mystifying to the average citizen. When the grand jury decided not to indict Cleveland Police Officers Timothy Loehmann and Frank Garmback in the shooting death of 12-year-old Tamir Rice, the process of the grand jury fell under the microscope. When news broke Wednesday that the grand…
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22 People, Places and Things Less Petty Than Janet Hubert
Early Monday morning, Jada Pinkett Smith logged on to Facebook to tell the world that we should all boycott the Oscars because the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences didn’t see it for Will Smith’s interpretation of an Igbo accent. That same MLK Day, “blacktress” Janet Hubert (aka the original Aunt Viv) popped open her laptop, picked…