Search Results for: American Film Institute

Jacquie Jones Steps Down at NBPC

Jacquie Jones Leslie Fields Cruz National Black Programming Consortium executive director resigns; Leslie Fields-Cruz is appointed interim executive director of the media arts nonprofit  Jacquie Jones, who has served as executive director of National Black Programming Consortium (NBPC) since 2005, has stepped down. The board of directors of the 35-year-old nonprofit, which develops, produces and funds media content about the black experience for public media outlets, including television, digital radio and online, accepted her recent resignation.  During her tenure, Jones directed the expansion of NBPC from a focus primarily on public television, where the organization continues to bring black voices

JOE ADAMS: A True Living Legend from Watts to the World

POWER, POISE & PRESTIGE: Legendary manager, actor and businessman Joe Adams is known as “The Man Behind The Man,” who guided the historical career of ‘The Genius’ Ray Charles, but the he was much more than that. The man who has preserved the legacy of Ray Charles was a barrier-breaking star long before ‘The Genius’ You may remember Joe Adams as the legendary manger of musical genius Ray Charles from the motion picture ‘Ray’, but what most people don’t know is Joe Adams was an entertainment innovator, actor, savvy businessman, and legend in his own right. In a rare one

JOE ADAMS: A True Living Legend from Watts to the World

WALKING WITH A LEGEND: (from left) The Bakewell Company Vice President Noel Fulcher enjoys a conversation with legendary Joe Adams and the Sentinel Executive Publisher and The Bakewell Company CEO Danny J. Bakewell Sr. at historical landmark RPM International Studios recently. The man who has preserved the legacy of Ray Charles was a barrier-breaking star long before ‘The Genius’   You may remember Joe Adams as the legendary manger of musical genius Ray Charles from the motion picture ‘Ray’, but what most people don’t know is Joe Adams was an entertainment innovator, actor, savvy businessman, and legend in his own

Harvard Launches Fellowship Program Named After Rapper, Nas

(AP Photo)   Nasir Jones, known by his rapper name Nas, recently had a Harvard University fellowship named in his honor, according to a press release on the Def Jam website. The Nasir Jones Hiphop Fellowship will fund Harvard scholars and artists whose work show creative ability in the arts as it relates to hiphop. The fellowship was established by The Hiphop Archive and the W. E. B. Du Bois Institute at Harvard. The Hiphop archive was founded by 2002 by Marcyliena Morgan, a professor of African and African American Studies at the university. According to The Hiphop archive site, the

Inglewood’s Director Aaron White One-Man Show: ‘The Blood they Shed’

  The Blood they Shed is a semi-autobiographical one-man poetic journey that combines the art of story telling narrative, poetry and comedy. The story is told from the perspective of a young man raised in South Central LA. The journey through his upbringing takes the audience on an emotional ride leading them to laugh, cry and reflect on some of the truths facing people in every corner of today’s world. The show invites you into his childhood home of old school soulful tunes, hilarious family members, Charlie Brown re-runs, growing up without a father, media’s pop-culture influence and gangster movies

Reel Talk May 23

WINNIE MANDELLA FILM Image Entertainment, an RLJ Entertainment brand, has acquired all U.S. rights to Winnie Mandela at the 2013 Cannes International Film Festival.  Budgeted at $15 million, the film is an adaptation of Anné Mariè du Preez Bezdrob’s biography Winnie Mandela: A Life and is written and directed by Darrell J. Roodt. Winnie Mandela stars Academy Award winner Jennifer Hudson (Dreamgirls; Sex in the City) and Academy Award nominee Terrence Howard (Hustle & Flow; Red Tails; Iron Man) and will be released in theaters Fall 2013.  The film is presented by TD Jakes, and produced by André Pieterse (Ironwood

In Defense of UN Ambassador Susan Rice

The Honorable Susan Rice, U.S. Ambassador at the UN  GOP’s ‘Racist’ and ‘Sexist’ Attacks on the Ambassador Representative Marcia Fudge, the newly-elected chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, says politically-inspired charges that United Nations Ambassador Susan E. Rice is “not very bright” and is “unqualified” to be named Secretary of State by President Barack Obama are racist and sexist in addition to being untrue. “All of the things have disliked about things that have gone on in the administration, they have never called a male unqualified, not bright, not trustworthy,” Fudge HYPERLINK “http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2012/11/16/susan-rice-libya/1710683/”said last week at a news

Willis Edwards Succumbs to Cancer

UPDATE: Willis Edwards Succumbs to Cancer  “He fought the good fight. He finished the course. He kept the faith. At 4:40p.m. on Friday, the 13th of July 2012, my “bestest friend in the whole wide world,” Willis Franklin Earl Edwards succumbed to cancer and departed this existence for his heavenly residence. He left on the wings of angels and arrived at the Pearly Gates in God’s own time. Final arrangements are pending and will be announced over the next few days. Thank you for the outpouring of love shown to Willis while he was here with us.”   Jackie Hawthorne

“Colored Girls” (Part I)

(L to R) Donna Brazile, Tina Flournoy, Minyon Moore, Yolanda Caraway and Leah Daughtry Black women with power and influence in America Though Black History is celebrated annually during the month of February, “real” Black History occurs throughout the entire year. The role of Black women down through the ages have always been as the vanguard of civilization and the sheer power and influence of their presence on society clearly illustrate the values, customs and norms of society. A sampling of such a group of Black women whose presence demonstrates power and influence in America are Donna Brazile, Tina Flournoy,