WENN.com Issa Rae is out here living her best life, and she ain’t going back and forth with no haters. The writer/director hosted a yacht party over the weekend to celebrate all of young, Black Hollywood who have been nominated for an Emmy Award this year. Tracee Ellis Ross , Tiffany Haddish and Lil Rel were all in attendance, just to name a few. Things got so lit on the boat that Issa — who is nominated for Best Actress in a Comedy series — started collecting mens shirts. @IssaRae threw the littlest yacht party pic.twitter.com/L2HPvlUT2M — Melanin Squads (@Melanin_Squad) September 16, 2018 Black excellence comes in many forms. This is one. Thank you, Issa. Hit the flip for more photos and videos from the lituation.
Tessa Thompson is the star of the latest Marvel movie, Thor: Ragnarok where she plays Valkyrie. A superhero who selected by Odin to lead the Valkyrior. The fictional character is white in the comics, so naturally, fans hurled racist insults at Tessa. She took the high road on the matter online. didn't RT because I think the (understandable) bullying that happens as a result is pointless, when all said & done. BUT hi racists fans FU pic.twitter.com/l2F85n3fbE — Tessa Thompson (@TessaThompson_x) October 7, 2017 I sat down with her to discuss the racist haters. I also got an update on Creed 2 which isn’t being written by Ryan Coogler, and also hanging out among the Black Hollywood elite. Check out our interview and go see Thor: Ragnarok, November 3rd.
Lynn Whitfield Talks Greenleaf & More! Beloved veteran actress (and legendary auntie) Lynn Whitfield is currently enjoying the success of OWN’s deliciously messy church drama Greenleaf that’s sweetened her golden legacy in Black Hollywood while also fueling loud whispers about a Thin Line Between Love And Hate sequel in the near (or not-so-near) future. But, for now, Auntie Lynn is focused on snatching church wigs as ruthless matriarch “Lady Mae” on a hit series that dives head first into everything uplifting, soul-simmering and ugly about the Black megachurch. “ Greenleaf , I’m very excited about… we’re telling a story that hasn’t been told and I love the work. I love the art form of telling a story” One of the many reasons to watch OWN’s #1 show is for Mother Oprah who plays Lady Mae’s bad(ly behaved) and boozy sister “Mavis McCready” when she’s not handpicking incredible talent like Lynn or ruling her TV empire. “We worked with (Oprah) before and I think she knew what she would get. Apparently, what she said was that she could only hear our voices and see our faces in the role of Bishop and Lady Greenleaf. She just knew who she wanted.” Months ago, Martin sent nostalgic Black movie lovers into a tizzy when he posted this on Instagram. Could it really be happening? Welllll… “About a year ago, or maybe it was less than a year, you know, they sent something over and we chit-chatted about it and, you know, he’s been busy. I’ve been busy. Let’s see what happens. Because I’m sure he’ll reach out or I’ll reach out and see what’s going on but it would be FUN–it’s hard, though, because it is a classic and how do you continue that and where Martin is and where I am now what would the story be? I have ideas! I always have ideas, we’ll see!” With a show as popular (and pearl clutch-worthy) as Greenleaf , we doubt the sequel (or reboot) happens anytime soon but Auntie Lynn is just grateful for her fans and longevity in the industry. “I feel very honored that people have been so loyal and stuck with me… EVEN BOSSIP yall mostly have been nice to me THANK…THE LORD. I mean, you know, for the most part, ohh a couple of times you got a few stomach shots and stretched the… -laughs- But, here’s the thing, you know, being able to see comments and hear comments and see that it actually meant something to people that they have, you know, been touched by the work or excited by the work and still expect good stuff and I feel even better when they say ‘you still fiiiine, you still got it goin on’ like… thank GOD they still even recognize me, you know, but it’s just great… it’s great to spend your life doing something” I’m still excited. I still love it. I get reaaaally–you know, I’m still like ‘Oh no no give me one more take!-one more take! you know, I’m excited!” We also chatted up the always reliable, often incredible Keith David (“Bishop Greenleaf,” Lady Mae’s husband) who reflected on his 30+ years in Hollywood. “Every opportunity I have to work, every chance I have to work is an opportunity to bring some joy into somebody’s life now whether we’re doing a comedy, a musical, doing a play, doing a movie, the field that we’re in is an opportunity to bring some joy into somebody’s life and that is an awesome responsibility but an awesome privilege to be able to pick up the gauntlet” Greenleaf Season 2 airs every Wednesday at 10 pm on OWN and, trust us, it’s LIT. OWN/Getty
A bit of exciting casting news was just revealed involving a trio of Black Hollywood favorites, Terrence Howard, Paula Patton and Mike Epps. All three have recently signed on to star in a new film that is described as reminiscent of 2005’s Oscar-winning film Crash, which also starred Howard. https://twitter.com/THR/status/841734772426592256 The dramatic crime thriller .38 […]
L.A. Da Boomman stopped by Hot 1079 to chop it up with B High about his absence from the music industry and to introduce his new artist LR Newton. During the conversation Boomman talks about earning $1 million in a year with his independent label MMI. Launching the careers of Roscoe Dash and producer […]
Draya Michele Tweets About Miami, Parties In Atlanta Draya Michele recently reflected on a possible Miami vacay on Twitter after stepping out for a nightclub appearance in ATL. Orlando Scandrick’s ex partied at Club Prive Friday and showed off her BANGING baaaaawdy in a curve hugging red dress… and despite being in “Black Hollywood”, Draya couldn’t help but reflect on what she’d really like to be doing in Miami. Thanks for sharing girl. She’s since deleted the tweet. What do YOU think about Draya wanting to lay out and get smashed in Miami??? Hit the flip for more photos. ATLPics.net
Tracey Edmonds Talks New Movie “With This Ring” And Black Actresses In Lead Roles Earlier this week, we caught up with always-fab executive producer Tracey Edmonds to chat about her latest television movie “With This Ring.” Among other things, Tracey opened up with her thoughts on the increased presence of black actresses in lead roles on television, having an all-black female cast in the movie and her boo Deion Sanders’ acting skills . Check out a little of what she had to say below: On the increased presence of African-American actresses in lead roles: I think that we have made some strides. And so the blessings are that you see a lot more African-American females, especially on television in leading roles. And that’s amazing to see. Kerry Washington in “Scandal,” Viola Davis in “How to Get Away With Murder,” Alfre Woodard, you know, also on another network show, Taraji Henson. So I mean we do see a lot more African-American women in empowered and in leading roles. And so I’m very, very excited about that. we’ve made some strides. On the challenges for African-American actors in Hollywood: The challenges are still the lack of slots for what I’d call all African-American casted films where basically your entire cast is African-American….or [telling] African-American stories. There is still a long way to go, especially on the theatrical side of things. There are only a couple slots a year, you know, for urban films versus the hundreds of slots that are available for mainstream films. So we still have a long ways to go, you know, in that arena. For example like, “ With this Ring,” all of our leads are African American women. But that is still pretty rare to see. So it’s a blessing that Lifetime is creating slots to allow these types of stories to be told because these types of stories, even though you have African-American casting, the scenes are still relatable across the board. There are still fabulous women of all colors that are still single, that are still dealing with the dynamics that we’re exploring in the story. On how she’d rate boyfriend Deion Sanders’ acting cameo in the film: Oh I rate it a 10. He came in and he did his thing and he did not disappoint at all. He played the heck out of that role. I mean we were all left kind of wishing that we had a little bit more because his character was so much fun. “With This Ring” was also co-produced by actress Gabrielle Union and stars Regina Hall, Eve and Jill Scott. You can catch the premiere tonight on Lifetime at 8pm! Will you be watching??
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