their eyes were watching

Just a few months after the premier of her BET.com web-series, “Buppies,” Fresh Prince of Bel-Air alum Tatyana Ali is trying to recreate her 90’s sitcom magic with “Love That Girl” on TV One. Produced by Martin Lawrence and created by Bentley Kyle Evans (who produced “The Jamie Foxx Show”), the series features Ali as…

She immersed herself in the role of Mary, Claireece “Precious” Jones’ mother, in the critically acclaimed movie, Precious. And she had Hollywood, and black America, buzzing about her portrayal even before the movie was released. And now she’s won a Golden Globe. Congrats, Mo’Nique! In a recent New York Times piece, she talked about how…

Bossip just premiered a new music video by R&B chanteuse Sade, the “Smooth Operator” soulstress who has, until now, been M.I.A. from the mainstream music scene. The end of her decade-long hiatus comes just in time to kick off the tweens in elegant fashion with the single “Soldier of Love.” I’ve lost the use of my heart But I’m still alive Still…

It’s week one of the new year, but ye olde stereotyping won’t drop as quickly as that ball did on midnight. It’s a shame that my first TEWW post in 2010 has to be about ANOTHER ignorant ad. Apparently, KFC’s execs didn’t get my 2009 memo to text service company KGB: Minority consumers won’t turn a blind…

In March, just two years after The Wire went dead, the real Avon Barksdale will be brought to the screen in a new documentary, The Avon Barksdale Story—Legends Of The Unwired, which has already won best docudrama at the New York Independent Film & Video Festival. Watch the trailer. Ummm … is it just me?…

Every few years, people in the fashion industry rediscover Africa. Like mini-skirts and ripped jeans, African textiles reappear on the runways of New York and Europe and their revival is duly noted. Fashion is cyclical like that and I have no problems with the media taking note. That’s what I do for a living after…

For all the roundups, galleries and essays that we’ve run here on The Root, it’s never really officially the end of the year until I hear Skillz’ year-end wrap-up. Skillz, a rapper from Virginia who has released these wrap-ups since 2002, is also a ghostwriter for several rappers. At one point during all the media…

One difference between my generation and that of my parents has got to be the special bond us millennials have with our televisions. From our Saturday morning cartoon rituals to the T.G.I.F. line-ups, it seemed like our schedules revolved around the latest “must-see TV.” So naturally, our prime-time favorites also became holiday traditions. Admit it,…

It’s the 40th anniversary of the Jackson 5, and what better way to jump into the 21st century than to have a reality show? Yes, the first episode of The Jacksons: A Family Dynasty aired last night on A&E. As much as I think the Jackson family should sit down and be still, the Jacksons’…