culture

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera has already made its mark on Broadway as the longest running show of its kind in history. Now, it is making yet another memorable contribution. The show’s producers have tapped Norm Lewis to become the first African American to play the lead role of the Phantom, a deformed…

A judge has ordered the release of the names of the six members of the jury that acquitted George Zimmerman in the shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, the Orlando Sentinel reports. After previously ordering that the jurors’ identities be kept confidential, Circuit Court Judge Debra Nelson granted access to the names in a March…

Embattled celebrity chef Paula Deen abruptly closed the Savannah, Ga., seafood restaurant that was at the center of a workplace discrimination lawsuit that last year upended her business and reputation, the Associated Press reports. She and her brother, Bubba Hiers co-owned Uncle Bubba’s Seafood and Oyster House for a decade. A spokesman for the Deen…

Lupita Nyong’o is set to become the new face of Lancôme, beginning in September, according to USA Today. Nyong’o, who this year won an Oscar for her role in 12 Years a Slave, will join the ranks of Kate Winslet and Julia Roberts as a spokeswoman for the French cosmetics line, the article says. “I…

Listen carefully and you’ll hear a tiny Southern twang way in the back of Anthony Mackie’s voice. It comes despite 11 years of classes in acting for film, TV and stage. It breaks through his molded diction training from New York’s prestigious Juilliard School. Fragmented roots of New Orleans poke through Mackie’s vocal cords, blooming…

Last week it was reported that Avery Coffey, age 17, had received offers to five ivy League schools. And just this week, 17-year-old Kwasi Enin bested that effort by getting accepted at all eight of them. These were moments of celebration for two black teens who had worked tirelessly to achieve the elusive goal of Ivy acceptance, and the…

There really is no rest for the weary. The crazy train just kept moving right along in Thursday night’s “The Fluffer.” As a matter of fact, this train stops every five blocks, and you probably should’ve taken a cab like you wanted to from the start. But it seems like no one at OPA or…

Picture this: A race of people who are cast out by the mainstream because of the way they were born or look or their culture. Those who oppose their existence wish to use them for their own selfish ends, while others simply want them all dead. Among the oppressed number, there rise several factions of…

A 24-year-old Kent State University freshman remained in custody Thursday after shooting himself in the hand during a domestic dispute and prompting a campus lockdown, university police told the Associated Press. Quavaugntay Tyler fired only once Wednesday night during some sort of dispute with two female students, campus police Chief John Peach told AP. No…