culture
-
Jazz in the Gardens? More Like Jazz in a Stadium
For the 10th consecutive year, Miami Gardens, Fla., will draw in swarms of people like moths to a flame—or music heads to a festival—this weekend for the annual Jazz in the Gardens Music Festival, held at Sun Life Stadium and co-hosted by D.L. Hughley and Rickey Smiley. But before the festival boasted legendary names such…
-
Spending His Birthday With His Boys Instead of Her Proves She’s an Option, Not a Priority
I’ve been with my boyfriend for almost a year. It’s our first time spending our birthdays with each other. I was planning something for his birthday, but he told me he might go out of town with his friends. I told him it was fine because it’s his birthday and he can spend it how…
-
American Crime Recap: Regina King Finally Makes an Appearance
Over at the Gutierrez house, Jenny is still giving her dad, Alonzo, the silent treatment for allowing her brother to get thrown into juvenile hall. As he’s leaving the house one morning, Alonzo is approached by a TV news reporter about his son’s involvement in Matt’s murder. He tells the reporter that they should be…
-
Scandal Recap: 50 Shades of Everybody
This week’s episode of Scandal introduced us to different sides of Olivia Pope and friends. 1. Leo Bergen Has a Kinky Side Sue, a 26-year-old played by Lena Dunham, has written a tell-all memoir about her kinky sexcapades with 17 of D.C.’s power players—ambassadors, senators … and Abby’s boyfriend, Leo Bergen (or “the Dustbuster,” as he’s called in…
-
Award-Winning Poet Explores How We Look and See
In 2010 Terrance Hayes won the National Book Award for his fourth poetry collection, Lighthead. His first book, Muscular Music, won both a Whiting Award and the Kate Tufts Discovery Award. Hayes has also received awards from the Guggenheim Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts and the MacArthur Foundation as well as a Pushcart…
-
What I Learned From Mo’ne Davis About Girls, Sports and Success
When I worked with Mo’ne Davis to write her new book, Mo’ne Davis: Remember My Name: My Story From First Pitch to Game Changer, I met a 13-year-old who epitomizes the benefits of girls’ involvement in sports. Of course, I already knew about Mo’ne’s women’s-history-making Little League pitching performances, when she struck out scores of…
-
The Powerhouse Effect of Empire
Fox’s megahit Empire brought its first season to a close last night with a two-part finale. It’s no secret that the series has stirred up controversy, inspired fierce devotion, garnered record-breaking ratings and changed the face of television. The show has made an impact in other ways, too: In just one short season, the Lyons…
-
Empire Recap: What a Long, Strange Trip
It’s the dramatic two-hour finale of Empire, with appearances by Patti LaBelle, Rita Ora, Snoop Dogg and Juicy J. Actually, it’s a one-hour finale filled with an extra 60 minutes of flashbacks and filler. Take a drink whenever you see Lucious’ do-rag, Bunkie’s shooting or the infamous trash-can scene. Let’s go. One week away from…
-
Same-Sex Marriage Is Happening. It’s Time for Christians to Recognize It as the Right Thing
As a Christian, I still can’t quite reconcile the notion of same-sex marriage with my faith. And as an attorney, I’m somewhat concerned that after same-sex marriage becomes the law of the land, there will be cases where clergy may be pressured—even sued—to force them to allow same-sex weddings in their churches. But I also…
-
Empire: Meet the Woman Who Puts Some of Those Words in Cookie’s Mouth
Now that television has entered the era of Empire, claims that black-cast dramas don’t succeed no longer carry any weight. Since its Jan. 7 bow, viewers for the campy hip-hop-tinged drama have steadily increased, to nearly 15 million an episode. And black viewers reportedly account for 64 percent of Empire’s total audience. Behind the scenes,…