oprah
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Courtney B. Vance’s Small but Mighty Role in The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks premieres April 22 at 8 p.m. ET on HBO, and I’ll be tuned in because it’s that good. I’m not just saying that because I had an otherworldly experience with one of the stars of the film, Oprah Winfrey, this week. It’s honestly worth watching more than once, and…
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Nothing Can Prepare You for How Powerful The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks Is
Writers tell stories in hopes that not only are they read but they also come to life. This is what has happened to Rebecca Skloot’s book The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, which chronicles the tragic tale of Lacks, a 31-year-old black woman from Clover, Va., whose terminal-cancer diagnosis and undying cells ended up changing…
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Wherever 2 or 3 Black Girls and Oprah Are Gathered Together, Magic Is in the Midst
Earlier this week, journalists were called to a swanky hotel in New York City to sit with the (majority-black) cast and director (George C. Wolfe) of HBO’s The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. We weren’t given many details—just where to be and at what time. With Oprah Winfrey leading the star-studded cast, we could only…
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Started From the Blog, Now We’re Here: When Shonda Rhimes Wants to Turn Your Book Into a TV Show, Let Her
We’re living in a DIY culture, and there’s no one more do-it-yourself than bloggers. Blogging is a means of communication, self-expression, culture, news and so much more. And the people who create blogs are typically ridiculously talented and effortlessly wear the responsibility of being a voice for their culture. Bloggers are inspiring, to say the…
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Queen Sugar Hits This Dad Right in the Feels
I love Queen Sugar. Let’s start there. I’d take Queen Sugar on a $200 date, juju on the beat with it, and cook greens, beans, tomatoes and potatoes just so it would have something to take home in case it got hungry. For those who aren’t familiar, the Ava DuVernay-helmed show is the story of…
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Iyanla Vanzant Is Out to Destroy the Myth of the Angry Black Woman
Iyanla: Fix My Life, the series featuring spiritual teacher and life coach Iyanla Vanzant, has been a fixture on the Oprah Winfrey Network since 2012, and the addition of scripted programming like Queen Sugar to the network has not changed that. For this season, Vanzant, known for her work with Basketball Wives’ reality star Evelyn Lozada…
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With Atlanta and Queen Sugar, TV Gets a Dose of Real Southern Blackness
“I’m criminally Northern,” from black Twitter stalwart and cultural critic Jamilah Lemieux about the epic Tuesday night of black Southern intensity fueled by new TV shows Atlanta and Queen Sugar. Clearly, the Chicago native, who now calls New York City home, was not alone, as similar sentiments also showed up on Twitter. Those from the…
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Ask Agatha: How To Hurt Someone Who Doesn't Give A Damn About You, And A Plan For Oprah's Money
Marcus from Queens, NY asks: The talk at my barbershop has been how those Scientologist people are busy trying to find Tom Cruise his next wife. Yeah he’s rich and famous but don’t you think it’s strange that women are lining up to be with someone whose crazy is so well documented? And isn’t it…
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Raven Labels Self "Colorless and American." World Replies "Colorless And American' Is NOT A Color, Raven"
Raven-Symoné recently waxed poetically about labels on Oprah’s “Where Are They Now?” special, and has (old) Black America in a tizzy. Raven expressed her dislike of labels, stating that she would not like to be labeled “gay” or “African-American.” She confirmed she is simply American, colorless, and human. Which are all labels, by the way. Colorless,…