"Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams" Debuts on Amazon Jan. 12th

Amazon Prime Original Anthology Series Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams Debuts on Friday, January 12, 2018

All ten episodes—featuring an all-star cast including Steve Buscemi, Bryan Cranston, Greg Kinnear, Anna Paquin, Terrence Howard, Maura Tierney, Janelle Monáe, Richard Madden, Liam Cunningham, Vera Farmiga, Juno Temple, Essie Davis, Benedict Wong, Annalise Basso, Mireille Enos, Rachelle Lefevre and Executive Producers Ronald D. Moore, Michael Dinner, David Kanter and Bryan Cranston—will be available globally in select territories on Prime Video

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--(NASDAQ: AMZN)—Amazon announced that its new sci-fi anthology series Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams will premiere on Friday, January 12, 2018, exclusively on Prime Video. Based on various writings from author Philip K. Dick, each of the ten standalone episodes are set in a different and unique world – some which lay in the far reaches of the universe, and others which are much closer to home.

While the stories may be worlds apart, central to each is the poignant and warm exploration of the importance and significance of humanity. From five to 5000 years in the future, each compelling tale will both illustrate Philip K. Dick's prophetic vision and celebrate the enduring appeal of the prized sci-fi novelist’s work. Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams will be available as a Prime Exclusive Series in the U.S., as well as in select territories globally, including Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Latin America, Spain and Turkey, among others. Dick’s Emmy award-winning The Man in the High Castle, the most-watched scripted series in the history of Prime Video, will begin its third season in 2018.

    “We’re excited to share the fantastical world of Philip K. Dick as it’s never been experienced before”

Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams features an all-star cast, including Steve Buscemi (Boardwalk Empire), Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad), Greg Kinnear (Heaven is For Real), Maura Tierney (The Affair), Janelle Monáe (Moonlight), Mireille Enos (The Catch), Anna Paquin (True Blood), Terrence Howard (Empire), Timothy Spall (Mr. Turner), Liam Cunningham (Game of Thrones), Richard Madden (Game of Thrones), Holliday Grainger (The Finest Hours), Mel Rodriguez (Last Man on Earth), Vera Farmiga (Bates Motel), Jack Reynor (Macbeth), Essie Davis (The Babadook), Benedict Wong (Doctor Strange), Geraldine Chaplin (A Monster Calls), Juno Temple (Vinyl) and David Lyons (Revolution), among many others.

Each episode is inspired by one of Philip K. Dick’s renowned short stories and has been adapted by leading American and British writers and directors, including Ronald D. Moore (Battlestar Galactica, Outlander), Michael Dinner (Justified, Sneaky Pete), Tony Grisoni (Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas), Jack Thorne (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child), Matthew Graham (Doctor Who), David Farr (The Night Manager), Dee Rees (Bessie), Travis Beacham (Pacific Rim), Jessica Mecklenburg (Stranger Things), Francesca Gregorini (Humans), Alan Taylor (Game of Thrones, Mad Men) and Peter Horton (Grey’s Anatomy, The Shield).

“We’re excited to share the fantastical world of Philip K. Dick as it’s never been experienced before,” said Brad Beale, Vice President, Worldwide TV Content Acquisition, Amazon Prime Video. “With the combined creative genius behind this series, as well as the stellar cast and visually compelling locations, every episode of this sci-fi anthology is sure to be an entertaining experience for our Prime members.”

Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams is executive produced by Ronald D. Moore and Maril Davis of Tall Ship Productions (Outlander) and Michael Dinner of Rooney McP Productions (Justified, Sneaky Pete), alongside Bryan Cranston and James Degus of Moonshot Entertainment (Sneaky Pete), Isa Dick Hackett, Kalen Egan and Christopher Tricarico of Electric Shepherd Productions (The Man in the High Castle), David Kanter and Matt DeRoss of Anonymous Content Entertainment (13 Reasons Why), Lila Rawlings and Marigo Kehoe of Left Bank Pictures (The Crown) and Don Kurt (Justified) and Kate DiMento (Justified), in association with Sony Pictures Television.

The entire first season of Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams will be available to stream and members can also download the series to mobile devices for offline viewing at no additional cost to their membership. The series will be available exclusively on Amazon Prime Video for members to watch via the Prime Video app for popular smart TVs, Fire TV, Fire Tablets and Android and iOS phones and tablets. Customers who are not already Prime members can sign up for a free 30-day trial at amazon.com/prime. For a list of all Amazon Video compatible devices, visit www.amazon.com/howtostream.


About Amazon Video
Amazon Video is a premium on-demand entertainment service that offers customers the greatest choice in what to watch and how to watch it. Amazon Video is the only service that provides all of the following:

•     Prime Video: Thousands of movies and TV shows, including popular licensed content plus critically acclaimed and award-winning Amazon Original Series and Movies from Amazon Studios like Transparent, The Man in the High Castle, Love & Friendship, and kids series Tumble Leaf, available for unlimited streaming as part of an Amazon Prime membership. Prime Video is also now available to customers in more than 200 countries and territories around the globe at www.primevideo.com.
•     Amazon Channels: Over 130 channel subscriptions that Prime members can add to their membership, including HBO, SHOWTIME, STARZ, Cinemax, PBS KIDS, Acorn TV and more. To view the full list of channels available, visit www.amazon.com/channels.
•     Rent or Own: Hundreds of thousands of titles, including new release movies and current TV shows available for on-demand rental or purchase for all Amazon customers.
•     Instant Access: Customers can instantly watch anytime, anywhere through the Amazon Video app on compatible TVs, mobile devices, Amazon Fire TV, Fire TV Stick, and Fire tablets, or online. For a list of all compatible devices, visit www.amazon.com/howtostream.
•     Premium Features: Top features like 4K Ultra HD, High Dynamic Range (HDR) and mobile downloads for offline viewing of select content.

In addition to Prime Video, the Prime membership includes unlimited fast free shipping options across all categories available on Amazon, more than two million songs and thousands of playlists and stations with Prime Music, secure photo storage with Prime Photos, unlimited reading with Prime Reading, unlimited access to a digital audiobook catalog with Audible Channels for Prime, a rotating selection of free digital games and in-game loot with Twitch Prime, early access to select Lightning Deals, exclusive access and discounts to select items, and more. To sign-up for Prime or to find out more, visit: www.amazon.com/prime.

About Amazon
Amazon is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Fire tablets, Fire TV, Amazon Echo, and Alexa are some of the products and services pioneered by Amazon. For more information, visit www.amazon.com/about and follow @AmazonNews.

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Negromancer News Bits and Bites from May 1st to 6th, 2017 - Updated #25

Support Leroy on Patreon.

SPORTS - From YahooSports:  "Always Dreaming" wins the 143rd Kentucky Derby.

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BLM - From YahooNews:  Roy Oliver, the fired cop who shot into a car full of teenagers, killing a 15-year-old, is free on bail after being charged with the child's death.

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OBIT -  From Variety:  The actor Don Gordon died at the age of 90, April 24, 2017.  He was known as a character actor and appeared on the big and small screen alongside his friend Steve McQueen several times, including in the film "Bullitt" and on the TV series, "Wanted: Dead or Alive."

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POLITICS - From WashPost:  House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) no longer was Democratic Party candidates to be forced to tow the party line of abortion i.e. be pro-choice.

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ECO - From IndependentUK:  We have all heard of the lead-contaminated water crisis in Flint, Michigan.  Well, more than 8,000 residents could lose their water service and homes for refusing to pay for the poisoned water.

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POLITICS - From RSN:  Under GOP House of Representatives healthcare plans, sexual assault and rape would be considered pre-existing conditions.

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BLM - From IBT:  Hog farms spray pig urine and feces into air around North Carolina's Black communities.

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TELEVISION - From Variety:  HBO is developing a "Game of Thrones" spinoff.

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COMICS-FILM - From DenofGeek:  The reboot of "The Crow" (the film that cost Brandon Lee his live over 20 years ago) is still alive and is seeking an "R" rating.

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MOVIES - From YahooNews: Mark Wahlberg reflects on almost passing on Paul Thomas Anderson's "Boogie Nights" 20 years ago.

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TELEVISION - From Variety:  Oscar-winner Anna Paquin and Oscar-nominee Terrence Howard have been added to the cast of Amazon's anthology, Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams."

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TELEVISION - From NewYorkMagazine:  Late night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel's recent monologue about his  newborn son's health issues may affect debates about access to health care, specifically the Affordable Care Act (ACA) a.k.a. "Obamacare."

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CELEBRITY - From YahooTV:  Brad Pitt admits his recent alcoholism.

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TELEVISION - From People:  The "Happy Days" cast reunites at a memorial for the late actress Erin Moran, who played Joanie Cunningham on the series.  Moran recently died, apparently from cancer.

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COMICS-FILM - From WeGotThisCovered:  Is Josh Gad playing the Penguin in "The Batman."

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BLM - From YahooNews:  North Charleston, South Carolina  police officer Michael Slager finally finally admits what we already know: he is a murderer.  Slager plead guilty to federal civil rights charges in the shooting death of an unarmed black man, Walter Scott.

From YahooNews:  Meanwhile, Attorney General Jeff Sessions' KKK version of the U.S. Justice Department will not bring charges against to Baton Rouge, La police officers, Blane Salamoni and Howie Lake II, for killing Alton Sterling in July 2016.

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SPORTS - From YahooSports:  City of Boston and the Boston Red Sox apologize to Baltimore Oriole Adam Jones for the racial taunts hurled at him during a recent Orioles-Red Sox Major League Baseball game.

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TELEVISION - From Wired:  Neil Gaiman wishes "American Gods" was not so relevant now.

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POLITICS - From LATimes:  The young'uns love them some "Auntie Maxine" a.k.a. Congresswoman Maxine Waters.

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BLM - From YahooNews:  Police Chief Jonathan Haber admits that he lied in the cop-shooting death of #JorrdanEdwards.

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BOND - From ThePlaylist:  Paul McGuigan, according to rumor, is being considered to direct the 25th James Bond movie.

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MOVIES - From THR:  Jeremy Renner signs to play famed gunslinger "Doc" Holliday.

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MOVIES - From ThePlaylist:  Ridley Scott says Neill Blomkamp's "Alien 5" is probably dead.

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AWARDS - From Variety:  The 44th Annual Daytime Emmy winners were announced last night.

From Deadline:  The winners in the "Creative Arts" categories of the 44th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards.

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COMICS-FILM - From YahooMovies:  A black and white version of the recent hit, "Logan," will hit theaters May 16th.

TRAILERS:

From YahooMovies:  See the new trailer for Christopher Nolan's "Dunkirk," due this July.

Viola Davis, Lee Daniels Common Join "BET Presents the ABFF Honors"

Viola Davis, Lee Daniels, Common, Maxwell, Omari Hardwick, Morris Chestnut and Dionne Farris among Big Names to Take the Stage During the 2017 “BET Presents the American Black Film Festival Honors”

Actress and Director Regina Hall to Host Annual Ceremony

Awards Show Tapes Friday, February 17 in Los Angeles and will air on BET and Centric Wednesday, February 22 at 8:00PM ET

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--BET Networks and American Black Film Festival (ABFF)’s “BET Presents the American Black Film Festival Honors” is thrilled to announce that Viola Davis, Lee Daniels, Common, Morris Chestnut and Omari Hardwick are confirmed to present during the annual ceremony taping in Los Angeles on Friday, February 17th, 2017. Also set to take the stage are Maxwell and Dionne Farris, who will woo the audience with sultry performances. ABFF Honors' mission is to celebrate Black culture by honoring individuals, movies and television shows that have had a significant impact on American entertainment. “BET Presents the American Black Film Festival Honors” airs on BET and Centric on Wednesday, February 22nd, 2017 at 8:00PM ET.

Hosted by actress and director Regina Hall, “BET Presents the American Black Film Festival Honors” is proud to celebrate some of Hollywood’s most iconic artists. As previously announced, the show will honor actor and director Denzel Washington with the “Hollywood Legacy Award;” writer, producer and actress Issa Rae with the “Rising Star Award,” film director and producer F. Gary Gray with the “Excellence in the Arts Award” and actor and singer, Terrence Howard with the “Excellence in the Arts Award.” In addition, there will be a special appearance by some of Young Hollywood’s biggest stars, including Jay Ellis (Insecure, The Game), Kofi Siriboe (Queen Sugar), Alexandra Shipp (X-Men: Apocalypse, Straight Outta Compton) and Kylie Bunbury (Pitch).

“BET Presents the American Black Film Festival Honors” is sure to be a highlight of the Hollywood Awards season and Black History Month. The event is executive produced by ABFF Ventures founder Jeff Friday, Suzanne de Passe and Madison Jones for de Passe Jones Entertainment, Jesse Collins for Jesse Collins Entertainment, and Connie Orlando, Stephen G. Hill and Debra Lee for BET Networks.

The 2017 ABFF Honors sponsors are AT&T, Cadillac and Prudential Financial Inc. (Red Carpet Partners) and Hennessy (Official Spirit Partner).

For more information about the 2017 ABFF Honors, log on to www.ABFFHonors.com. Also, follow us on our social media platforms:

SOCIAL MEDIA:
Twitter: @ABFFHonors
Instagram: @AmericanBlackFilmFestival
Facebook: American Black Film Festival
YouTube: American Black Film Festival
Website: http://www.bet.com/shows/abff-honors.html


ABOUT ABFF
The American Black Film Festival (ABFF) is an annual event dedicated to showcasing quality film and television content by and about people of African descent. It supports emerging artists to foster a wider range of images, stories and storytellers represented in the entertainment industry. The festival is committed to the belief that Black artists and content creators deserve the same opportunities as their mainstream counterparts. ABFF founder Jeff Friday conceived the festival in 1997 as a vehicle to promote diversity in the motion picture industry, and strengthen the Black filmmaking community through resource sharing, education, artistic collaboration and career development. Today, the ABFF is recognized as the preeminent pipeline to new Black talent, both in front of and behind the camera, and is regarded as one of the leading film festivals in the world. The ABFF is a property of ABFF Ventures LLC, a multifaceted entertainment company specializing in the production of live events, television and digital content targeted to upscale African American audiences.

For additional information about the festival, visit www.ABFF.com.

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Terrence Howard to Make a Special Appearance during BET's "ABFF Honors"

The 2017 “BET Presents the American Black Film Festival Honors” Adds Terrence Howard as Honoree with Special Appearances by Jay Ellis, Kofi Siriboe, Alexandra Shipp and Kylie Bunbury

Actress and Director Regina Hall Hosts Annual Ceremony

Awards Show Tapes Friday, February 17 in Los Angeles and will air on BET and Centric Wednesday, February 22 at 8:00PM ET

#ABFFHonors

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--BET Networks and American Black Film Festival (ABFF)’s “BET Presents the American Black Film Festival Honors” is excited to add an iconic artist to the list of honorees. Oscar nominated actor and singer, Terrence Howard, will be presented the “Excellence in the Arts” honor. In addition, set to make special appearances are some of Young Hollywood’s biggest names, including Jay Ellis, Kofi Siriboe, Alexandra Shipp, and Kylie Bunbury. “BET Presents the American Black Film Festival Honors” airs on BET and Centric on Wednesday, February 22nd, 2017 at 8:00PM ET.

This year’s ABFF honorees have made great contributions to the art of entertainment through their work and our newest honoree is no different. Terrence Howard is a man of many talents. Best known for his current role on Fox’s Empire as malicious music mogul, Luscious Lyon, the real Terrence Howard is also a musical force. His self-taught talent is on full display in several of his earliest film appearances including Ray and Hustle and Flow. The Columbia Records signee completed his debut album in a mere five days, and went on to write music for a number of his on – screen characters. His big screen performances have earned him a BET Award, five NAACP Image Awards, and Oscar and Golden Globe nominations among them.

In addition to the honorees, some of Hollywood’s rising stars are set to make a special appearance. Jay Ellis (Insecure, The Game), Kofi Siriboe (Queen Sugar), Alexandra Shipp (X-Men: Apocalypse, Straight Outta Compton) and Kylie Bunbury (Pitch) are confirmed to open the show.

ABFF Honors' mission is to celebrate Black culture by honoring individuals, movies and television shows that have had a significant impact on American entertainment, as well as the people who are proponents of championing diversity and inclusion in Hollywood. The annual event will be hosted by actress Regina Hall.

“BET Presents the American Black Film Festival Honors” is sure to be a highlight of the Hollywood Awards season and Black History Month. The event is executive produced by ABFF Ventures founder Jeff Friday, Suzanne de Passe and Madison Jones for de Passe Jones Entertainment, Jesse Collins for Jesse Collins Entertainment, and Connie Orlando, Stephen G. Hill and Debra Lee for BET Networks.

The 2017 ABFF Honors sponsors are Cadillac, AT&T and Prudential Financial Services (Red Carpet Partners) and Hennessy (Official Spirit Partner).

For more information about the 2017 ABFF Honors, log on to www.ABFFHonors.com. Also, follow us on our social media platforms:

SOCIAL MEDIA:
Twitter: @ABFFHonors
Instagram: @AmericanBlackFilmFestival
Facebook: American Black Film Festival
YouTube: American Black Film Festival
Website: http://www.bet.com/shows/abff-honors.html


ABOUT ABFF
The American Black Film Festival (ABFF) is an annual event dedicated to showcasing quality film and television content by and about people of African descent. It supports emerging artists to foster a wider range of images, stories and storytellers represented in the entertainment industry. The festival is committed to the belief that Black artists and content creators deserve the same opportunities as their mainstream counterparts. ABFF founder Jeff Friday conceived the festival in 1997 as a vehicle to promote diversity in the motion picture industry, and strengthen the Black filmmaking community through resource sharing, education, artistic collaboration and career development. Today, the ABFF is recognized as the preeminent pipeline to new Black talent, both in front of and behind the camera, and is regarded as one of the leading film festivals in the world. The ABFF is a property of ABFF Ventures LLC, a multifaceted entertainment company specializing in the production of live events, television and digital content targeted to upscale African American audiences.

For additional information about the festival, visit www.ABFF.com.

ABOUT BET NETWORKS
BET Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIA.B), is the nation's leading provider of quality entertainment, music, news and public affairs television programming for the African-American audience. The primary BET channel reaches more than 90 million households and can be seen in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, the United Kingdom and sub-Saharan Africa. BET is the dominant African-American consumer brand with a diverse group of business extensions: BET.com, a leading Internet destination for Black entertainment, music, culture, and news; CENTRIC, a 24-hour entertainment network targeting the African-American Woman; BET Music Networks - BET Jams, BET Soul and BET Gospel; BET Home Entertainment; BET Live, BET’s growing festival business; BET Mobile, which provides ringtones, games and video content for wireless devices; and BET International, which operates BET around the globe.

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Complete List of Winners at the 2015 BET Awards

Beyoncé, Chris Brown, Kendrick Lamar and Nicki Minaj Win Big at the Annual “BET AWARDS” 2015

Janet Jackson Receives Inaugural Ultimate Icon: Music Dance Visual Award

Epic Evening Featured Performances by Puff Daddy & The Family, Kendrick Lamar, Alicia Keys, Chris Brown, Big Sean, Meek Mill, Ne-Yo, Nicki Minaj, The Weeknd, Tinashe, Tyga and More

#BETAWARDS

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--From JANET JACKSON and PUFF DADDY & THE FAMILY to SMOKEY ROBINSON and KENDRICK LAMAR, it was a night full of electrifying performances, heartfelt speeches and unforgettable moments at the 15th annual “BET AWARDS" hosted by ANTHONY ANDERSON and TRACEE ELLIS ROSS, which aired live from the Microsoft Theatre at L.A. LIVE on Sunday, June 28, 2015.

Hosts ANTHONY ANDERSON and TRACEE ELLIS ROSS surprised the audience with a hilarious original opening song complete with Tracee flying over the stage in a money suit. The two captivated the crowd the entire night, thanks to their riffs on a range of hot topics, from Rachel Dolezal to Tyler Perry and impersonating celebrities from Sam Smith to Cookie and Lucius from “Empire.”

KENDRICK LAMAR kicked off the show with an explosive performance of his latest single “Alright” and graced the stage again after winning Best Male Hip Hop Artist. BEYONCÉ and CHRIS BROWN tied with 3 awards, followed by Oscar-winning film “Selma” and FOX’s “Empire,” which each took home two awards.

One of the most attention-grabbing moments of the evening was JANET JACKSON taking the stage to receive the inaugural Ultimate Icon: Music Dance Visual Award, presented by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. The pop icon was honored with a tantalizing, high-energy dance tribute highlighting a mix of some of the most memorable and successful performances of her storied career, as told by a star-studded roster of a few of the hottest names in the 2015 class of pop music. It included a pulsating rendition of “Pleasure Principle” by TINASHE, followed by “All for You” by JASON DERULO and CIARA’s hard-hitting delivery of “If.” All three stars joined forces for an unforgettable dance-off to “Rhythm Nation,” which had the entire crowd on their feet and cheering. A humbled Jackson shyly thanked God and her fans for her 25 plus year career, along with BET for the honor, all while smiling brightly and clutching her trophy in hand.

ALICIA KEYS made a surprise appearance joining THE WEEKND on the “BET AWARDS” stage for a stunning performance of "Earned It" that drew a standing ovation. The ultra-talented JANELLE MONAE delivered an incredible performance of "Yoga,” which was amped up even more with an appearance by JIDENNA, who took over the stage to perform his own hit “Classic Man.”

Always one to keep the party going, NICKI MINAJ got the crowd popping when she joined MEEK MILL on stage with CHRIS BROWN to perform their brand new single “All Eyes on Us.” Then, today's hottest rising stars, AVERY WILSON and ANDRA DAY both had impressive performances during the evening as a part of Music Matters presented by Nissan.

Earlier in the night CHRIS BROWN had the audience moving to his latest hit with TYGA “Ayo,” then the crowd got on their feet when OMARION joined the stage to jump on “Post To Be” for a hot dance routine with Brown.

YAZZ, JUSSIE SMOLLETT and SERAYAH from the cast of “Empire” had the entire room dancing to “No Apologies,” “You're So Beautiful,” and “Drip Drop,” which JUICY J joined for on stage.

BIG SEAN got the crowd on its feet to “One Man Can Change the World,” “Blessings,” and “IDFWU” with special guest E-40.

Presenter LAVERNE COX got in on the night's fun with co-presenter GABRIELLE UNION, who played a round of “hip-hop trivia” to determine who would have to change after wearing matching dresses.

One of the nights top highlights was a surprise reunion performance from PUFF DADDY & THE FAMILY who brought out original members of Bad Boy Records including LIL’ KIM, MA$E, FAITH EVANS, THE LOX, 112 and a projection of NOTORIOUS B.I.G. as well as special guests FRENCH MONTANA and PHARRELL to perform classic records including “Peaches & Cream,””Feel So Good,” “Hypnotize,’” and “All About The Benjamins” as well as Diddy and Pharrell’s newest collaboration “Finna Get Loose.”

Following the performance, Diddy presented legendary recording artist and Motown executive SMOKEY ROBINSON with the Lifetime Achievement Award. TORI KELLY blew the audience away during the tribute performance for Robinson with her powerful vocals to a rendition of “Who’s Loving You,” followed by soulful performances from ROBIN THICKE and NE-YO, before Smokey himself took the stage to perform “Tracks of My Tears,” “Cruisin’,” and a crowd sing-along to “My Girl,” for which Kelly, Thicke and Ne-Yo returned to the stage.

PATTI LABELLE proved she hasn’t missed a beat joining TAMAR BRAXTON and K.MICHELLE who put their differences aside as they performed “If Only You Knew.”

FETTY WAP capped the epic night with smash hit “Trap Queen”, which delivered on its promise to be the hottest ticket in town. The "BET AWARDS" 2015 drew the biggest names in music, entertainment and sports, with appearances by Rihanna, Kevin Hart, Janet Jackson, Brandy, DeSean Jackson, Donald Glover, Gabrielle Union, Kelly Rowland, Laverne Cox, Michael B Jordan, Michael Ealy, Nicole Ari Parker, Sanaa Lathan, Terrence Howard, Tia Mowry-Hardict and Zendaya.

NICOLE ARI PARKER and BORIS KODJOE presented Bivian “Sonny” Lee lll (Founder and President of Son of a Saint) as a recipient of the 2015 Shine-A-Light. Michael B. Jordan also presented the honor to the #BLACKLIVESMATTER movement.

RIHANNA made an appearance to give BET the first look at her music video for “Bitch Better Have My Money” before its Thursday, July 2 release, which had the audience yelling “give her her money.”

In addition to all of these incredible moments, the complete list of “BET AWARDS” 2015 winners is:

Best Female R&B/Pop Artist
Beyoncé

Best Male R&B/Pop Artist
Chris Brown

Best Group
Rae Sremmurd

Best Collaboration
Common & John Legend, “Glory” from the Motion Picture Selma

Best Male Hip Hop Artist
Kendrick Lamar

Best Female Hip Hop Artist
Nicki Minaj

Video of the Year
Beyoncé, “7/11”

Video Director of the Year
Beyoncé, Ed Burke & Todd Tourso

Best New Artist
Sam Smith

Best Gospel Artist
Lecrae

Best Actress
Taraji P. Henson, “No Good Deed/Think Like a Man Too/From the Rough”

Best Actor
Terrence Howard, “St. Vincent/Lullaby/Sabotage”

YoungStars Award
Mo'ne Davis

Best Movie
Selma

Subway Sportswoman of the Year
Serena Williams

Subway Sportsman of the Year
Stephen Curry

Coca-Cola Viewers’ Choice Award
Nicki Minaj ft. Drake, Lil Wayne, Chris Brown “Only”

McDonald’s I’m Lovin’ It Award
Nicki Minaj

Fandemonium Award
Chris Brown

Centric Award
The Weeknd

Best International Act: Africa
Stonebwoy (Ghana)

Best International Act: UK
Stormzy

For performance clips of the “BET AWARDS” 2015, please visit: http://www.epklink.com/2015BETAwards

BET.com/Awards is the official site for the “BET AWARDS” 2015, and features all the incredible content from this year’s show. Join the conversation on social media by following BET’s multiple social media platforms dedicated to the BET Awards:

    On Twitter & Instagram: @BETAwards, Use hashtag: #BETAwards
    On Facebook: facebook.com/TheBETAwards
    On Tumblr: betawards.tumblr.com

The “BET Awards” 2015 will premiere around the world on BET’s international network on Tuesday, June 30 at 9:00pm BST / 10:00pm CAT and will air live on MTV Australia for the very first time (check local listings).

Encore viewings of the show will air on BET on:

    Sunday, June 28 at 12:30 a.m.* (immediately following LIVE post show)
    Monday, June 29 at 8:00 p.m.*
    Tuesday, June 30 at 4:30 p.m.*

*ALL TIMES ARE EST

Stephen Hill, BET’s President of Programming, Connie Orlando, BET’s Senior Vice President of Music and Specials, Lynne Harris Taylor, BET’s Vice President of Specials, served as Executive Producers for the “BET Awards” along with Jesse Collins, CEO of Jesse Collins Entertainment.

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2015 "BET Award" Nominees Announced; Winners Announced June 28th

BET Networks Announces Official Nominees for The “BET Awards” 2015

Chris Brown and Nicki Minaj Lead with Six Nominations Followed by Beyoncé and Lil Wayne with Four

Sam Smith Receives Two Nods, and Newcomer FKA Twigs is Nominated for Best International Artist: UK

“BET Awards” to Air Live on Sunday, June 28 from Nokia Theatre L.A. Live in Los Angeles, CA at 8 P.M. ET

#BETAWARDS

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--BET Networks, a unit of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ:VIAB, VIA), today announced the nominations for the "BET Awards" 2015. Chris Brown and Nicki Minaj lead with an impressive six nominations. Chris Brown is nominated for ‘Best Male R&B/Pop Artist,’ two separate nods in the ‘Best Collaboration’ category, two nominations in the ‘Video of the Year’ category and the ‘Coca-Cola® Viewers’ Choice Award.’ Nicki Minaj is nominated ‘Best Collaboration,’ ‘Best Female Hip Hop Artist,’ ‘Video of the Year,’ two nominations for ‘Coca-Cola® Viewers’ Choice Award’ and ‘Best Group’ as a member of Young Money.

Beyoncé and Lil Wayne round it out with four nominations each. Beyoncé is nominated for ‘Best Female R&B / Pop Artist,’ ‘Video of the Year,’ ‘Video Director of the Year,’ and the coveted ‘Coca-Cola® Viewers’ Choice Award.’ Lil Wayne is nominated for ‘Best Collaboration,’ ‘Video of the Year,’ ‘Coca-Cola® Viewers’ Choice Award,’ and ‘Best Group’ as a member of Young Money. This year also marks a special milestone for the "BET Awards" as it celebrates its 15th anniversary live from the Nokia Theatre, Sunday, June 28, 2015.

    “This year’s nominees showcase a diverse group of talent that includes longstanding entertainers, breakout performers, and outstanding athletes”

BET Networks recognizes artists, entertainers, and athletes across 20 categories with the "BET Awards" 2015 nominations. The nominations are selected by BET’s Voting Academy, which is comprised of fans and an esteemed group of entertainment professionals in the fields of television, film, music, social media, digital marketing, sports journalism, public relations, and the creative arts.

“This year’s nominees showcase a diverse group of talent that includes longstanding entertainers, breakout performers, and outstanding athletes,” said Stephen Hill, BET’s President of Programming. “We congratulate all of the talent on their remarkable contributions to the world of entertainment and look forward to them joining us in celebrating 15 years of the BET Awards.”

The complete list of nominees for the "BET Awards" 2015 are:

BEST FEMALE R&B/POP ARTIST
BEYONCÉ
CIARA
JANELLE MONÁE
JHENÉ AIKO
K. MICHELLE
RIHANNA

BEST MALE R&B/POP ARTIST
AUGUST ALSINA
CHRIS BROWN
JOHN LEGEND
THE WEEKND
TREY SONGZ
USHER

BEST GROUP
A$AP MOB
JODECI
MIGOS
RAE SREMMURD
RICH GANG
YOUNG MONEY

BEST COLLABORATION
AUGUST ALSINA F/ NICKI MINAJ – NO LOVE (REMIX)
BIG SEAN F/ E-40 - IDFWU
CHRIS BROWN F/ LIL WAYNE & TYGA - LOYAL
CHRIS BROWN F/ USHER & RICK ROSS - NEW FLAME
COMMON & JOHN LEGEND - GLORY (FROM THE MOTION PICTURE "SELMA")
MARK RONSON F/ BRUNO MARS – UPTOWN FUNK

BEST MALE HIP HOP ARTIST
BIG SEAN
COMMON
DRAKE
J. COLE
KENDRICK LAMAR
WALE

BEST FEMALE HIP HOP ARTIST
AZEALIA BANKS
DEJ LOAF
IGGY AZALEA
NICKI MINAJ
TINK
TRINA

VIDEO OF THE YEAR
BEYONCÉ - 7/11
BIG SEAN F/ E-40 - IDFWU
CHRIS BROWN F/ LIL WAYNE & TYGA - LOYAL
CHRIS BROWN F/ USHER & RICK ROSS - NEW FLAME
COMMON & JOHN LEGEND - GLORY (FROM THE MOTION PICTURE "SELMA")
NICKI MINAJ - ANACONDA

VIDEO DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR
BENNY BOOM
BEYONCÉ, ED BURKE & TODD TOURSO
CHRIS ROBINSON
FATIMA ROBINSON
HYPE WILLIAMS

BEST NEW ARTIST
BOBBY SHMURDA
DEJ LOAF
FETTY WAP
RAE SREMMURD
SAM SMITH
TINASHE

BEST GOSPEL ARTIST
DEITRICK HADDON
ERICA CAMPBELL
FRED HAMMOND
LECRAE
MALI MUSIC
MICHELLE WILLIAMS

BEST ACTRESS
GABRIELLE UNION
KERRY WASHINGTON
TARAJI P. HENSON
TRACEE ELLIS ROSS
VIOLA DAVIS

BEST ACTOR
ANTHONY ANDERSON
IDRIS ELBA
JUSSIE SMOLLETT
KEVIN HART
TERRENCE HOWARD

YOUNGSTARS AWARD
JACOB LATIMORE
JADEN SMITH
MO'NE DAVIS
QUVENZHANÉ WALLIS
ZENDAYA

BEST MOVIE
ANNIE
BEYOND THE LIGHTS
SELMA
THINK LIKE A MAN TOO
TOP FIVE

SPORTSWOMAN OF THE YEAR
BRITTNEY GRINER
CANDACE PARKER
SERENA WILLIAMS
SKYLAR DIGGINS
VENUS WILLIAMS

SPORTSMAN OF THE YEAR
CHRIS PAUL
FLOYD MAYWEATHER, JR.
LEBRON JAMES
MARSHAWN LYNCH
STEPHEN CURRY

COCA-COLA VIEWERS’ CHOICE AWARD
BEYONCÉ – 7/11
DEJ LOAF – TRY ME
KENDRICK LAMAR – i
NICKI MINAJ F/ DRAKE, LIL WAYNE & CHRIS BROWN - ONLY
RAE SREMMURD F/ NICKI MINAJ & YOUNG THUG – THROW SUM MO
THE WEEKND – EARNED IT (FROM THE “FIFTY SHADES OF GREY” SOUNDTRACK)

CENTRIC AWARD
AVERY SUNSHINE – CALL MY NAME
JAZMINE SULLIVAN F/ MEEK MILL – DUMB
MARK RONSON F/ BRUNO MARS – UPTOWN FUNK
SAM SMITH F/ MARY J. BLIGE – STAY WITH ME
THE WEEKND - EARNED IT (FROM THE “FIFTY SHADES OF GREY” SOUNDTRACK)

BEST INTERNATIONAL ACT: AFRICA
AKA (SOUTH AFRICA)
FALLY IPUPA (DR CONGO)
SARKODIE (GHANA)
SAUTI SOL (KENYA)
STONEBWOY (GHANA)
THE SOIL (SOUTH AFRICA)
WIZKID (NIGERIA)
YEMI ALADE (NIGERIA)

BEST INTERNATIONAL ACT: UK
FKA TWIGS
FUSE ODG
LETHAL BIZZLE
LITTLE SIMZ
MNEK
STORMZY

The “BET Awards” 2015 will premiere around the world on BET’s international network at 8:00pm GMT (check local listings).

Stephen G. Hill, BET’s President of Programming, Connie Orlando, BET’s Senior Vice President of Music and Specials, Lynne Harris Taylor, BET’s Vice President of Specials, will serve as Executive Producers for the “BET Awards” along with Jesse Collins, CEO of Jesse Collins Entertainment.

The “BET Awards” will take place along with the BET Experience at L.A. Live in Los Angeles from June 25-28, 2015. BET.com/Awards is the official site for the “BET Awards” and will have all the latest news and updates about this year's show. All information about the BET Experience at L.A. LIVE presented by Coca-Cola® can be found at BETExperience.com. The BET Experience VIP Package offers the only way to purchase a “BET Awards” ticket, great seats to 3-nights of concerts at the Staples Center, and exclusive access to events at the free Fan Fest. For more information and to purchase tickets, go to BET.com/BETX.Follow the Experience on Twitter @betexperience.


ABOUT BET NETWORKS
BET Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIA.B), is the nation’s leading provider of quality entertainment, music, news and public affairs television programming for the African-American audience. The primary BET channel reaches more than 90 million households and can be seen in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, the United Kingdom and sub-Saharan Africa. BET is the dominant African-American consumer brand with a diverse group of business extensions: BET.com, a leading Internet destination for Black entertainment, music, culture, and news; CENTRIC, a 24-hour entertainment network targeting the 25- to 54-year-old African-American audience; BET Digital Networks - BET Gospel and BET Hip Hop, attractive alternatives for cutting-edge entertainment tastes; BET Home Entertainment, a collection of BET-branded offerings for the home environment including DVDs and video-on-demand; BET Event Productions, a full-scale event management and production company with festivals and live events spanning the globe; BET Mobile, which provides ringtones, games and video content for wireless devices; and BET International, which operates BET in the United Kingdom and oversees the extension of BET network programming for global distribution.

ABOUT “BET AWARDS”
The “BET Awards” is one of the most watched award shows on cable television according to the Nielsen Company. The “BET Awards” franchise remains as the #1 program in cable TV history among African-Americans, and it is BET's #1 telecast every year. It recognizes the triumphs and successes of artists, entertainers, and athletes in a variety of categories.

ABOUT JESSE COLLINS ENTERTAINMENT
Jesse Collins Entertainment is a full service television and film production company founded by entertainment industry veteran Jesse Collins. For more than a decade, Collins, the company’s CEO, has played an integral role in producing some of television’s most memorable moments in music entertainment. Formerly Executive Producer/EVP of Cossette Productions, Collins has produced ground-breaking and award winning television programming including the BET Awards, the GRAMMY Awards, BET Honors, UNCF An Evening of Stars and the BET Hip Hop Awards. Collins is an executive producer of Real Husbands of Hollywood, (now going into its 4th hit season) alongside industry icons Stan Lathan and Ralph Farquhar; and has worked with superstar talent such as Will Smith, Chris Rock, Jay-Z, Rihanna, Kanye West, Kendrick Lamar, Drake, Prince, Mariah Carey and many more.

BET EXPERIENCE AT L.A. LIVE PRESENTED BY COCA-COLA®
BET Networks, an entertainment powerhouse, and AEG, one of the leading entertainment companies in the world and developer/ operator of L.A. LIVE, have teamed up once again to create the BET EXPERIENCE AT L.A. LIVE (BETX), June 25 - 28, 2015 presented by Coca-Cola®. This three-day festival will be filled with music and comedy concerts taking place at Club Nokia and STAPLES Center; “106 & PARK”; FREE BET Fan Fest at the Los Angeles Convention Center including seminars, celebrity basketball games, celebrity meet & greets; and other special appearances. The weekend will be capped off with the “BET Awards” on Sunday, June 28, 2015 at Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE.

Follow us @BET_PR AND @BETAWARDS

---------------

"Empire's" Terrence Howard to Present at 87th Oscars

Terrence Howard And Felicity Jones To Present At 87th Oscars®
Oscar®-nominated actor Terrence Howard (2006) and Oscar nominee Felicity Jones will be presenters at this year’s Oscars, show producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron announced today. The Oscars, hosted by Neil Patrick Harris, will air on Sunday, February 22, live on ABC.

Howard was nominated for his leading role in 2006’s “Hustle & Flow.” His other films include Oscar-winning Best Picture “Crash” (2004), “Ray” (2004), “Iron Man” (2008), “Prisoners” (2013), “Lee Daniel’s The Butler” (2013) and “St. Vincent” (2014).  Howard currently stars in the hit television series “Empire.”  His upcoming films include “Term Life” and “Cardboard Boxer.”

Jones is nominated for Actress in a Leading Role for “The Theory of Everything.” Her previous film credits include “The Tempest” (2010), “Like Crazy” (2011), “The Invisible Woman” (2013) and “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” (2014). Jones’ upcoming films include “True Story,” “Autobahn,”  “A Monster Calls” and “Inferno.”

Oscar presenters and performers include:
Presenters:
Ben Affleck, Jennifer Aniston, Jason Bateman, Cate Blanchett, Jessica Chastain, Marion Cotillard, Benedict Cumberbatch, Viola Davis, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Idris Elba, Ansel Elgort, Chris Evans, Kevin Hart, Terrence Howard, Josh Hutcherson, Scarlett Johansson, Dakota Johnson, Felicity Jones, Nicole Kidman, Jennifer Lopez, Jared Leto, Shirley MacLaine, Matthew McConaughey, Sienna Miller, Chloë Grace Moretz, Eddie Murphy, Liam Neeson, Lupita Nyong’o, David Oyelowo, Gwyneth Paltrow, Chris Pine, Chris Pratt, Margot Robbie, Zoe Saldana, Octavia Spencer, Meryl Streep, Channing Tatum, Miles Teller, John Travolta, Kerry Washington, Naomi Watts, Oprah Winfrey and Reese Witherspoon.

Performers:
Jack Black, Common, Jennifer Hudson, Anna Kendrick, Lady Gaga, John Legend, Adam Levine with Maroon 5, Tim McGraw, Rita Ora and Tegan and Sara with The Lonely Island.


The 87th Oscars will be held on Sunday, February 22, 2015, at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center® in Hollywood, and will be televised live on the ABC Television Network at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT. The Oscars, produced by Zadan and Meron, also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.

Review: "Sabotage" Mostly a Failure

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 42 (of 2014) by Leroy Douresseaux

Sabotage (2014)
Running time:  109 minutes (1 hour, 49 minutes)
MPAA – R for strong bloody violence, pervasive language, some sexuality/nudity and drug use
DIRECTOR:  David Ayer
WRITERS:  David Ayer and Skip Woods
PRODUCERS:  David Ayer, Bill Block, Paul Hanson, Palak Patel, and Ethan Smith
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Bruce McCleery (D.o.P.)
EDITOR:  Dody Dorn
COMPOSER: David Sardy

CRIME/THRILLER with elements of action, drama and mystery

Starring:  Arnold Schwarzenegger, Olivia Williams, Sam Worthington, Joe Manganiello, Josh Holloway, Terrence Howard, Mireille Enos, Harold Perrineau, Max Martini, Kevin Vance, Mark Schlegel, and Martin Donovan

Sabotage is a 2014 crime thriller co-written and directed by David Ayer.  The film stars Arnold Schwarzenegger as the leader of an elite DEA task force that is being hunted after they take money from a drug cartel safe house.

Sabotage focuses on John “Breacher” Wharton (Arnold Schwarzenegger), the commander of an elite Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) Special Operations Team.  During a raid on a drug cartel safe house, the team steals 10 million dollars from the cartel's massive stash of cash.  However, the team members are unable to hide the fact that some of the cartel's money is missing from their DEA superiors, and the money also disappears from the place where the team hid it.

Six months later, team members find themselves being murdered one by one.  Wharton joins local police Investigator Caroline Brentwood (Olivia Williams) in an attempt to discover who is killing members of his team.  Why are they being killed?  Where is the money?  Are the answers closer than Wharton and Brentwood would like to admit?

Sabotage is a muddled mess.  In many of these reviews, I talk about what the movie should have been or could have been.  Sometimes, I even guess what story the director and writer(s) were trying to tell.  In the case of Sabotage, I am not sure what the filmmakers wanted to give us.

There are some good actors in this movie, but it still manages to seem miscast.  What is Arnold Schwarzenegger doing here?  He looks old and tired, while delivering some of the worst acting of his career; this might be the worst of his career.  There are some good moments in Sabotage, even some compelling and thrilling moments.  Sabotage had potential...

3 of 10
C-

Friday, September 5, 2014


The text is copyright © 2014 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.

Filming Begins on "Prisoners," Starring Hugh Jackman

Filming Begins on Alcon Entertainment’s “Prisoners”

Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal head an outstanding cast in director Denis Villeneuve’s dramatic thriller

Principal photography is underway on location in Georgia for Alcon Entertainment’s “Prisoners,” a Warner Bros. Pictures’ release starring Oscar® nominees Hugh Jackman (“Les Misérables”) and Jake Gyllenhaal (“Brokeback Mountain”), under the direction of Denis Villeneuve, who helmed the Oscar®-nominated foreign language film “Incendies.”

How far would you go to protect your child? Keller Dover (Jackman) is facing every parent’s worst nightmare. His six-year-old daughter, Anna, is missing, together with her young friend, Joy, and as minutes turn to hours, panic sets in. The only lead is a dilapidated RV that had earlier been parked on their street. Heading the investigation, Detective Loki (Gyllenhaal) arrests its driver, Alex Jones (Paul Dano), but a lack of evidence forces the only suspect’s release.

Knowing his child’s life is at stake, the frantic Dover decides he has no choice but to take matters into his own hands. The desperate father will do whatever it takes to find the girls, but in doing so, he may lose himself, begging the question: When do you cross the line between seeking justice and becoming a vigilante?

Led by Jackman and Gyllenhaal, the dramatic thriller “Prisoners” features an all-star cast, including Maria Bello (“Beautiful Boy”) as Keller’s distraught wife, Grace; Oscar® nominees Terrence Howard (“Hustle & Flow”) and Viola Davis (“The Help,” “Doubt”) as Franklin and Nancy Birch, whose daughter Joy went missing with the Dovers’; Academy Award® winner Melissa Leo (“The Fighter”) as Alex Jones’ Aunt Holly; and Paul Dano (“Looper”) as Alex Jones.

Denis Villeneuve directs the film from an original screenplay by Aaron Guzikowski (“Contraband”). Kira Davis, Adam Kolbrenner, and Academy Award® nominees Broderick Johnson and Andrew A. Kosove (“The Blind Side”) are the producers, with John Starke, Ed McDonnell, Stephen Levinson, Robyn Meisinger and Mark Wahlberg serving as executive producers.

Villeneuve is supported by a top-flight creative team that includes 10-time Oscar®-nominated cinematographer Roger Deakins (“Skyfall”), Oscar®-nominated production designer Patrice Vermette (“The Young Victoria”), Oscar®-winning editor Joel Cox (“Unforgiven”), editor Gary Roach (“J. Edgar”), and costume designer Renée April (“Rise of the Planet of the Apes”).

Alcon Entertainment’s “Prisoners” is scheduled for release on September 20, 2013, and will be distributed domestically by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

Darrell Roodt's "Winnie" to Open 2012 Montreal International Black Film Festival

WINNIE to open the 8th Montreal International Black Film Festival (MIBFF) Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Montreal, August 7, 2012 - The highly anticipated film Winnie by Darrell Roodt will open the 8th edition of the Montreal International Black Film Festival on September 19th, as a Quebec Premiere. Winnie, a Canadian co-production, produced by Quebec producer Michael Mosca from Equinoxe Films, will kick-start the official competition. "We are very proud to open the festival with such a big film produced by a Quebec producer; It's a deeply moving story that leaves no one untouched ," stated Fabienne Colas, President of the Festival.

Winnie stars Jennifer Hudson (Winnie Mandela), Academy Award winner and Grammy Award winner, and Terrence Howard (Nelson Mandela), Academy Award nominee.

Based on the biography by Anne Marie du Preez Bezdrob, Winnie Mandela :A Life, Winnie is an intimate, in-depth and unbiased film that will take the audience on a remarkable journey of understanding Winnie Mandela, one of the world's most famous female activists, exploring both her personal and political life. Winnie Mandela is a complex historical figure, appreciated for her role in the struggle against apartheid led by her husband, but whose obscure acquaintances make an equally controversial personality.Through her fierce determination and dauntless courage, Winnie Mandela survived her husband's imprisonment, continuous harassment by the security police, banishment to a small Free State town, betrayal by friends and allies, and more than a year in solitary confinement - all the while keeping the name of Nelson Mandela alive. A sensitive and balanced portrayal, the film nevertheless thoroughly investigates and honestly examines the controversies that dogged Winnie Mandela in recent years.

South African filmmaker and screenwriter Darrell Roodt, whose film Yesterday was nominated for an Academy Award in "Best Foreign Language Film" category in 2005, made an international name for himself with his debut feature A Place of Weeping (1986), a passionate condemnation of apartheid. Educated at the University of Witwatersrand, South Africa, he gained further acclaim for The Stick (1988), another look at the anti-apartheid struggle. In 1990, he made his first film with American backing, Jobman (1990). Roodt's best-known film is his adaptation of the anti-apartheid stage musical Sarafina! (1992) starring Whoopi Goldberg. He has made around 30 films ans TV series among which Cry, the Beloved Country starring James Earl Jones and Richard Harris (1995). He has since alternated between making films in Hollywood and South Africa. His latest film Winnie has been officially selected in both Cannes Film Festival and Toronto International Film Festival.

After its Quebec premiere at the Montreal International Black Film Festival, WINNIE, distributed by Equinoxe Films, will hit Quebec screens starting October 5, 2012.

The 8th MIBFF will be held from September 19 to 30.

ABOUT THE MONTREAL INTERNATIONAL BLACK FILM FESTIVAL (MIBFF)
Presented by Global Montreal, the Montreal International Black Film Festival (MIBFF) was created in 2005 by the Fabienne Colas Foundation, anon-profit organization dedicated to promoting Cinema, Art and Culture. The mission of the MIBFF is to stimulate the development of the independent film industry and to showcase more films on the realities of Blacks from around the world. The Festival wants to promote a different kind of cinema, cinema that hails from here and from abroad and that does not necessarily have the opportunity to grace the big screen, groundbreaking cinema that moves us, that raises awareness and that takes us all by surprise! The MIBFF wants to deal with issues and present works that raise questions, that provoke, that make us smile, that leave us perplexed, that shock us... A fresh new look at black cinema from the four corners of the globe!

www.montrealblackfilm.com

www.facebook.com/blackfilmfestival

www.twitter.com/filmblackmtl

Review: "Red Tails" Has Wings

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 52 (of 2012) by Leroy Douresseaux

Red Tails (2012)
Running time: 125 minutes (2 hours, 5 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for some sequences of war violence
DIRECTOR: Anthony Hemingway
WRITERS: John Ridley and Aaron McGruder; from a story by John Ridley
PRODUCERS: Rick McCallum and Charles F. Johnson
CINEMATOGRAPHER: John B. Aronson
EDITORS: Ben Burtt and Michael O'Halloran
COMPOSER: Terence Blanchard

WAR/DRAMA/HISTORICAL

Starring: Terrence Howard, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Nate Parker, David Oyelowo, Tristan Wilds, Elijah Kelley, Ne-Yo, Kevin Phillips, Bryan Cranston, Lee Tergensen, Gerald McRaney, Daniela Ruah, Marcus T. Paulk, Leslie Odom, Jr., Michael B. Jordan, Andre Royo, Cliff “Method Man” Smith, and Lars van Riesen

The subject of this movie review is Red Tails, a 2012 war film and historical drama produced by Lucasfilm and released by 20th Century Fox. Starring Terrence Howard and Cuba Gooding, Jr., Red Tails is a fictionalized portrayal of the Tuskegee Airmen, a group of African-American servicemen who served in the United States Air Force (USAAF) during World War II. George Lucas financed Red Tails (both production and distributions costs) and also directed re-shoots for the film.

Red Tails is set in Italy, 1944. The 332d Fighter Group of young African-American (called “Negroes”) USAAF pilots have already made it through recruitment and training in the Tuskegee training program. They have endured racism, and, now that they are in Europe, are still facing segregation from their white counterparts. In fact, they have not flown a single combat mission, but instead conduct strafing runs against German targets and also fly coastal patrols. Even their planes are secondhand, worn out Curtiss P-40 Warhawk aircraft.

Back in Washington, Colonel A.J. Bullard (Terrence Howard) is fighting the white bureaucracy to get his black flyers treated as equals. Meanwhile, in Italy, Major Emanuel Stance (Cuba Gooding, Jr.) is keeping his bored men in fighting shape. Opportunity comes when Bullard is asked to have his fighter pilots act as bomber escorts for the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress bombers. There is an unacceptably high casualty rate among bomber crews mainly because of the actions of their current escorts. Bullard accepts and also manages to get new planes, North American P-51 Mustangs, for the 332d. With the tails of their aircraft painted bright red, these African-American flyers become known as the “Red Tails.” Now, can they prove themselves to the doubters?

Apparently, the critical consensus on Red Tails is that the film has “one-dimensional characters, corny dialogue, and heaps of clichés.” With the exception of Platoon and a few others, war movies are inherently clichéd. As for the corny dialogue, which is another staple of war films (old and new), that is true, but it is so infrequent that it stands out when someone does utter something trite or contrived.

As for the characters, they are anything but one-dimensional. They are fairly complicated, especially in terms of their motivations, external and internal conflicts, hopes, dreams, and fears. The screenplay is a bit light on the characters’ past, but the most important thing that the audience needs to know about the characters’ past is known. What is that? Well, that is the fact that they are black and that bigots and racists have been trying to hold them back and hurt them all their lives. “Nuff said.

Red Tails isn’t as heavy and dramatic as a war movie like Saving Private Ryan; in fact, sometimes, Red Tails’ drama is a little soft, like a sentimental television movie. Red Tails’ most potent drama comes from the aviation sequences, especially the aerial battles. When the Tuskegee airmen are in the air, the film soars. The scenes of aerial combat are exciting and skillfully executed, but what else would we expect from Lucasfilm, the people who gave us the soaring spacecraft in the Star Wars films.

Some viewers may be put off that Red Tails is a dramatic retelling of a real group of men and their exploits during World War II. Red Tails is more historical fiction than history, but it is still a truly exceptional film. I am just happy that someone made a film to acknowledge the contribution black servicemen made during World War II, because African-American are generally absent when Hollywood visits World War II. I bet many of those same people complaining about Red Tails’ historical inaccuracies never previously gave a thought to the absence of Black men in WWII films.

George Lucas’ 93 million dollar investment in this project is not at all wasted. It is a lovely gift to African-American history and film, and it is a damn good film, also. By the time Red Tails’ end credits faded away, I still could have watched another two hours just like it.

8 of 10
A

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

---------------------

George Lucas' "Red Tails" Now on Blu-ray and DVD

FROM EXECUTIVE PRODUCER GEORGE LUCAS COMES THE INSPIRATIONAL STORY OF THE MEN WHOSE BRAVERY MADE THEM HEROES AND WHOSE ACTIONS MADE HISTORY

RED TAILS

Terrence Howard and Cuba Gooding Jr. Lead an All-Star Cast In The High-Octane Action-Adventure Coming to Blu-ray, DVD and Digital Download Just in Time for Memorial Day on May 22

Lucasfilm Ltd. and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment present the remarkable story of an inspirational group of men whose legendary bravery was cemented in the sky in RED TAILS, soaring onto Blu-ray™, DVD and Digital Download May 22. Set for release just prior to Memorial Day, RED TAILS stars Academy Award® Winner Cuba Gooding Jr. (Jerry Maguire) and Academy Award Nominee Terrence Howard (Hustle & Flow) leading a powerful ensemble cast in this high-flying epic inspired by the real-life adventures of the first African-American combat unit to serve in World War II.

Italy, 1944. As the war takes its toll on Allied forces in Europe, a squadron of black pilots known as the Tuskegee Airmen are finally given the chance to prove themselves in the sky... even as they battle discrimination on the ground. Featuring jaw-dropping aerial action and thrilling special effects, RED TAILS is a breathtaking tribute to the unsung heroes who rose above extraordinary challenges and ultimately soared into history.

Directed by Anthony Hemingway, RED TAILS features an extraordinary cast which includes David Oyelowo (Rise of the Planet of the Apes), Nate Parker (The Secret Life of Bees), Elijah Kelly (Hairspray), Tristan Wilds (“90210”), Method Man (“The Wire”), Ne-Yo (Stomp The Yard), Michael B. Jordon (Chronicle), Leslie Odom, Jr. (“Smash”), Marcus T. Paulk (Take the Lead), Kevin Philips (Pride), Andre Royo (“The Wire”), Daniela Ruah (“NCIS: Los Angeles”), Gerald McRaney (“Major Dad”), Bryan Cranston (“Breaking Bad”). The film was produced by Rick McCallum and Charles Floyd Johnson and written by John Ridley and Aaron McGruder.

The RED TAILS Blu-ray™ is loaded with special features including the documentary Double Victory along with profiles of the filmmakers and behind-the-scenes featurettes. The Blu-ray™ and DVD will be available for an average retail price of $25.00 and $20.00 respectively. Prebook is April 25.

RED TAILS Blu-ray Combo Pack Special Features
Double Victory: The Tuskegee Airmen at War
George Lucas: Executive Producer
Anthony Hemingway: Director
Terence Blanchard: Composer
The Cast of Red Tails
Movie Magic
THX Media Director


About Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment LLC
Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, LLC (TCFHE) is a recognized global industry leader and a subsidiary of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, a News Corporation company. Representing 75 years of innovative and award-winning filmmaking from Twentieth Century Fox, TCFHE is the worldwide marketing, sales and distribution company for all Fox film and television programming, acquisitions and original productions on DVD, Blu-ray Disc Digital Copy, Video On Demand and Digital Download. The company also releases all products globally for MGM Home Entertainment. Each year TCFHE introduces hundreds of new and newly enhanced products, which it services to retail outlets from mass merchants and warehouse clubs to specialty stores and e-commerce throughout the world.

http://www.redtails2012.com/

Follow Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment on Twitter @FoxHomeEnt

RED TAILS Blu-ray
Street Date: May 22, 2012
Screen Format: 16:9 (2.40:1)
Audio: English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, French 5.1 Dolby Digital
Subtitles: English / French / Spanish
U.S. Rating: PG-13
Total Run Time: 3 hours, 52 minutes (including bonus material)
Closed Captioned: Yes

RED TAILS DVD
Street Date: May 22, 2012
Screen Format: 16:9 (2.40:1)
Audio: English 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish 2.0 Dolby Digital, French 2.0 Dolby Digital
Subtitles: English / French / Spanish
U.S. Rating: PG-13
Total Run Time: 2 hours, 5 minutes (including bonus material)
Closed Captioned: Yes

"Pride" is Also About Determination

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 115 (of 2007) by Leroy Douresseaux


Pride (2007)
Running time: 109 minutes (1 hour, 49 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for thematic material, language including some racial epithets, and violence
DIRECTOR: Sunu Gonera
WRITERS: Kevin Michael Smith & Michael Gozzard, J. Mills Goodloe, and Norman Vance, Jr.
PRODUCERS: Brett Forbes, Patrick Rizzotti, Michael Ohoven, Adam Rosenfelt, and Paul Hall
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Matthew F. Leonetti
EDITOR: Billy Fox, A.C.E.

DRAMA/HISTORICAL

Starring: Terrence Howard, Bernie Mac, Kimberly Elise, Tom Arnold, Brandon Fobbs, Alphonso McAuley, Regine Nehy, Nate Parker, Kevin Phillips, Scott Reeves, Evan Ross, and Gary Sturgis

Pride is a 2007 biopic and drama starring Terrence Howard and Bernie Mac. The film is loosely based upon the true story of Philadelphia swim coach, James “Jim” Ellis, who, in 1971, formed the first swim team made of African-American swimmers.

In 1973, Jim Ellis (Terrence Howard), a college educated African-American, arrives in Philadelphia looking for work. He lands a job with the Philadelphia Department of Recreation to begin closing the Marcus Foster Recreational Center. Instead, he refurbishes the rundown center’s abandoned swimming pool, and then, shocks this local inner city community by forming a swim team. With the help of the center’s janitor, Elston (Bernie Mac), Ellis forms Philadelphia’s first black swim team. He recruits from a group of young men who hang around the center, and eventually adds one female swimmer.

They struggle to be a winning swim team, but soon, Team PDR (Philadelphia Department of Recreation) is earning respect and also the ire of an all-white team, the Barracudas, the swim team of the affluent Main Line Academy. Team PDR heads for their biggest competitive test at the Eastern Regional Swimming Final, but a dark incident from Coach Ellis’ past might sink their dreams.

Pride might come across as an amalgamation of many different Hollywood sports movies, especially those based on true stories or real life events. Out of its clichés, however, comes a truly inspirational film that is both an uplifting and moving story about a teacher who encourages his pupils to be not just proud, but also determined and resolute in pursuing their goals.

The film isn’t marked by any great performances, but both Terrence Howard and Bernie Mac give high-quality turns as the fatherly and stern, but loving African-American role models. Howard as Ellis seems strangely serene, but he cleverly hides Ellis’ passion and firebrand spirit until the moments that it is most needed. Mac’s performance exposes Elston as a terse, but gentlemanly father figure who simply wants more for the young people of his community. In a time when so many are cynical without really knowing why they should be, a film like Pride will seem like a stereotype. Taken in context, however, Pride is a winning film about a man who taught marginalized children to be proud.

7 of 10
B+

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

NOTES:
2008 Image Awards: 2 nominations: “Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture” (Terrence Howard) and “Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture (Theatrical or Television)” (Sunu Gonera)

"Hustle & Flow" Finds a Real Groove

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 122 (of 2005) by Leroy Douresseaux


Hustle & Flow (2005)
Running time: 116 minutes (1 hour, 56 minutes)
MPAA – R for sex and drug content, pervasive language, and some violence
WRITER/DIRECTOR: Craig Brewer
PRODUCERS: Stephanie Allain and John Singleton
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Amy Vincent
EDITOR: Billy Fox
Academy Award winner

DRAMA/MUSIC

Starring: Terrence Dashon Howard, Anthony Anderson, Taryn Manning, Taraji P. Henson, Paula Jai Parker, Elise Neal, DJ Qualls, Ludacris, and Isaac Hayes

DJay (Terrence Dashon Howard) seems like the typical philosopher-hustler – misusing his gift for words as a streetwise pimp living a dead end life on the fringes of Memphis society. Hearing that a former Memphis deejay named Skinny Black (Ludacris) has an album that went platinum makes DJay wonder what happened to all the big dreams he had for his life.

DJay has a chance encounter with Key (Anthony Anderson), an old friend who is a sound engineer. Key also has dreams of being in the music business, and that spurs DJay, who realizes that if he’s going to make his mark, this might be his last chance. He begins writing freestyle raps, and Shelby (DJ Qualls), a church musician with a beat machine, joins DJay and Key to lay down some bass crunching tracks. His housemates, Shug (Taraji P. Henson), an expectant mother, and Nola (Taryn Manning), a young woman DJay pimps out of his car to johns, join him in the creative process as DJay works this new hustle to create the flow that will take him to a better life.

Craig Brewer’s Hustle & Flow feels so real that the Memphis heat radiates off the screen and made me feel uncomfortable. Simply put, Hustle & Flow is a gritty and grimy drama that captures the desperate essence of hustlers, would-be artists, and struggling artists. Brewer who won the Sundance Film Festival Award in the category “Dramatic” for this film that recreates the real world of low level street pimps and drug dealers; this isn’t the prettified, “super fly,” rap version of pimping and dealing. Brewer’s film is so authentic that it, at times, seems like a documentary that has overdone keeping things real. Still, Brewer uses the first scene in which DJay, Key, and Shelby create a musical track to shock the film into a vibrant life that forces us to focus on this creative trio.

Terence Dashon Howard is a star on the rise, and this performance affirms that. His DJay is an earthy guy who is so common that he barely registers to anyone outside the few women in his life. Howard creates a character that is desperate and hungry, but even more resigned to a life that will soon finish him. Watch Howard bring him to new life as DJay realizes he has a goal; Howard modulates the performance so that neither DJay nor the story every come across as inauthentic to the audience.

Howard and Brewer aren’t alone in their efforts at make this a winning film. Taraji P. Henson’s Shug is so genuinely needy, and as Nola, Taryn Manning molds her performance to give it a contour that perfectly fits the ebbs and flows of Howard’s DJay. Anthony Anderson gives a quiet, but surprisingly nimble dramatic turn that tells us that Hollywood has barely tapped his talents. DJ Qualls also adds a small, but different flavor as the beat maker who is uncannily in sync with everyone else.

Hustle & Flow is not only one of the best dramas set amongst the black folks who live in squalor and deep poverty in a long time, but it rings with truth as few urban dramas have since Boyz N’ the Hood, the directorial debut of John Singleton, who is this film’s co-producer and the man who self-financed the film. I can only hope that Craig Brewer keeps bringing us back to this kind of real thing.

8 of 10
A

NOTES:
2006 Academy Awards: 1 win: “Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song” (Jordan Houston, Cedric Coleman, and Paul Beauregard for the song "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp"); 1 nomination: “Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role” (Terrence Howard)

2006 Black Reel Awards: 3 wins: “Best Actor” (Terrence Howard), “Best Original Soundtrack,” and “Best Supporting Actress” (Taraji P. Henson); 3 nominations: “Best Ensemble” (Ludacris, Terrence Howard, DJ Qualls, Taraji P. Henson, Anthony Anderson, Paula Jai Parker, Taryn Manning, and Elise Neal), “Best Film,” and “Best Supporting Actor” (Anthony Anderson)

2006 Golden Globes: 1 nomination: “Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama” (Terrence Howard)

Review: John Singleton Shepherds "Four Brothers"

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 144 (of 2005) by Leroy Douresseaux

Four Brothers (2005)
Running time: 105 minutes (1 hour, 45 minutes)
MPAA – R for strong violence, pervasive language, and some sexual content
DIRECTOR: John Singleton
WRITERS: David Elliot & Paul Lovett
PRODUCER: Lorenzo De Bonaventura
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Peter Menzier, Jr. A.C.S.
EDITOR: Bruce Cannon, A.C.E. and Billy Fox, A.C.E.

DRAMA/ACTION/CRIME/MYSTERY

Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Tyrese Gibson, André Benjamin, Garrett Hedlund, Terrence Howard, Josh Charles, and Chiwetel Ejiofor, Sofia Vergara, Fionnula Flanagan, Taraji P. Henson, Barry Shabaka Henley, and Jernard Burks

The Mercer Brothers – hotheaded ex-con Bobby (Mark Wahlberg), ladies’ man Angel (Tyrese Gibson), family man and businessman Jeremiah (André Benjamin), and rock musician Jack (Garrett Hedlund) – return to the mean streets of Detroit after their adoptive mother Evelyn Mercer (Fionnula Flanagan) is murdered during the holdup of a corner grocery store. They take the matter of her murder into their own hands in spite of assurances from police Lt. Green (Terrence Howard) and Detective Fowler (Josh Charles) that they are working on the case.

Soon the Mercer boys realize that their mother’s death wasn’t just the tragic result of a simple store holdup. Bobby and Angel use their rough old ways of handling business to track their mother’s killers, but these aren’t the same Detroit neighborhoods they left and their old ways have new consequences. Whatever the result of their own private investigation, the Mercer brothers discover that their brotherly bonds, first forged by adoption, are as thick as those of brothers by birth.

I expected John Singleton’s new film, Four Brothers, to be a very well made action drama, but it turned out to be one of the best films I have seen thus far this year. It has the cool intensity of a 70’s action movie or blaxtiploitation film. While Four Brothers is certainly a straight genre piece, it is also a character-driven film with a lot of action and drama. First credit should go to the script by screenwriters David Elliot & Paul Lovett, long time collaborators. They not only pounded on story structure, but they made very engaging characters out of the protagonists for the most part.

The villains, however, come out on the short end. Some are very interesting, like Chwetel Ejiofor’s Victor Sweet, but in the end he emerges as nothing more than a really evil dude; there’s no The Godfather-like examination of evil here. All the “bad guys” seem to be interesting characters worth developing, but the script never gets that far. That’s one of the things here that keeps Four Brothers just short of being a truly great film.

On the other hand, Singleton’s intense, block-by-block building of this film’s narrative and the frenetic pace he gives it glosses over any script and performance shortcomings (I found Fionnula Flanagan’s Evelyn Mercer to be as creepy as she was sympathetic.), and John Singleton’s masterful directorial performance makes Four Brothers as good as the kind of memorable crime films like Out of Sight. Four Brothers doesn’t miss a beat, and this is one of the year’s best directing jobs.

The four leads really drive this film. All are good: Andre Benjamin, known to many as Andre 3000 of the Grammy-winning musical act OutKast, is a natural acting talent, and here, he doesn’t come across like a fish out of water as is the problem with so many something-else’s-turned-actor. Garrett Hedlund, barely out of high school when he captured the juicy role of Patroclus opposite Brad Pitt’s Achilles in Troy (a film by Wolfgang Peterson), comes across as an affable and energetic co-star. He’s sort of the odd-man-out, but he makes do with the lesser part the story hands him.

The driving force of the brotherly quartet is Mark Wahlberg and Tyrese Gibson. Wahlberg is a very good actor who is rushing towards greatness. He’s a movie star, and his presence can make you want to see the movies in which he stars, regardless of genre. He’s got Hollywood star cool, yet there is a bit of an edge to him – part tough guy, but loner/rebel. Hey, it works on the big screen. Who’d a thunk it? Tyrese Gibson is a damn good actor, and has movie star appeal. He’s the other piece in a matching set with Wahlberg, being every bit the handsome tough guy, but with a bit of softie in him. In this film, he doesn’t come across at all as a supporting player. He plays Angel Mercer so naturally that you’d think he’d been doing the acting thing for at least twice as long as he actually has.

The cast, writers, directors, and crew come together to make this urban action/exploitation film into the consummate gritty Hollywood action drama. Four Brothers might come across at first glance as junk, but it’s really a hamburger recipe turned into a fine steak. Enjoy it on the big screen or make a must-keep date for it on home video and DVD.

8 of 10
A

NOTES:
2006 Black Reel Awards: 4 nominations: “Black Reel Best Director” (John Singleton), “Best Ensemble” (André Benjamin, Tyrese Gibson, Mark Wahlberg, Sofía Vergara, Garrett Hedlund, Terrence Howard, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Taraji P. Henson), “Best Film,” and “Best Original Soundtrack”

2006 Image Awards: 1 win: “Outstanding Directing in a Feature Film/Television Movie” (John Singleton)

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Lucasfilm Announces "Red Tails" for January 12 2012

(Leslie Odom Jr, Michael B. Jordan, Nate Parker, Kevin Phillips, David Oyelowo and Elijah Kelley portray some of the heroic Tuskegee Airmen in a scene from Lucasfilm's epic action film Red Tails, in theaters January 20, 2012 - Photo: Business Wire)

Lucasfilm’s Red Tails Will Take Flight on January 20, 2012

Twentieth Century Fox to Release Epic Action Story Inspired by the Heroic Tuskegee Airmen

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A high-flying action epic inspired by the heroic exploits of the first all African-American aerial combat unit, the Lucasfilm Ltd. production of Red Tails will launch on January 20, 2012, released by Twentieth Century Fox. Produced by Rick McCallum and Charles Floyd Johnson, the gripping WWII actioner is directed by Anthony Hemingway (“Treme,” “The Wire,” “Battlestar Galactica”).

“I am humbled and honored to direct the story of the Tuskegee Airmen – heroes who have paved the way so others could have the opportunity to pursue their dreams,” said Hemingway. “To be selected by George Lucas and Rick to direct this film was more than my wildest dreams come true. It’s been a blessing to work with them, along with the amazingly talented artists at Industrial Light & Magic. I’ve grown a lot on many levels from this experience. As director, I had the fortune to work with a highly skilled crew from the Czech Republic, U.K. and the U.S., along with a remarkably talented group of actors. The resonant beauty, strength and dedication of our heroes is reflected in the powerful ensemble cast.”

Red Tails stars Oscar® winner Cuba Gooding Jr. (Jerry Maguire), Oscar nominee Terrence Howard (Crash), Emmy® winner Bryan Cranston (“Breaking Bad”), Nate Parker (The Secret Life of Bees, The Great Debaters), David Oyelowo (The Last King of Scotland, Rise of the Planet of the Apes), Tristan Wilds (“90210”), Grammy® Award winner Cliff Smith aka Method Man (“The Wire”), Kevin Phillips (Pride), Rick Otto (“The Wire”), Lee Tergesen (Monster), Andre Royo (“Heroes”), Grammy-Award winner Ne-Yo (Stomp the Yard), Elijah Kelley (Hairspray), Marcus T. Paulk (Take the Lead), Leslie Odom Jr. (“Grey’s Anatomy”), Michael B. Jordan (“Friday Night Lights,” Chronicle) and Daniela Ruah (“NCIS”).

“I've wanted to do this film for a great many years,” said George Lucas, executive producer of Red Tails. “So it is especially gratifying to see it all come together. It has been a real pleasure to work with Anthony and the extraordinary cast on a project that we all passionately believe in. The Tuskegee Airmen were such superb pilots that it was essential for us to create visual effects that would live up to their heroism and put audiences in the cockpit with them. They were only in their early 20s when they performed these amazing feats,” Lucas added. “They became the best of the best—the top guns. It is an honor to bring to the screen a story inspired by their heroics.”

SYNOPSIS:
1944. As the war in Europe continues to take its toll on Allied forces, the Pentagon brass has no recourse but to consider unorthodox options – including the untried and untested African-American pilots of the experimental Tuskegee training program. Just as the young Tuskegee men are on the brink of being shut down and shipped back home, they are given the ultimate chance to show their courage. Against all the odds, with something to prove and everything to lose, these intrepid young airmen take to the skies to fight for their country – and the fate of the free world.

About Fox Filmed Entertainment
One of the world’s largest producers and distributors of motion pictures, Fox Filmed Entertainment produces, acquires and distributes motion pictures throughout the world. These motion pictures are produced or acquired by the following units of FFE: Twentieth Century Fox, Fox 2000 Pictures, Fox Searchlight Pictures, Twentieth Century Fox Animation and Fox International Productions. Twentieth Century Fox International is a unit of Fox Filmed Entertainment, a segment of Fox Entertainment Group.

About Lucasfilm Ltd.
Lucasfilm Ltd. is one of the world's leading film and entertainment companies. Founded by George Lucas in 1971, it is a privately held, fully integrated entertainment company. In addition to its motion-picture and television production operations, the company's global activities include Industrial Light & Magic and Skywalker Sound, serving the digital needs of the entertainment industry for visual effects and audio post-production; LucasArts, a leading developer and publisher of interactive entertainment software worldwide; Lucas Licensing, which manages the global merchandising activities for Lucasfilm's entertainment properties; and Lucasfilm Animation, which produces cutting-edge digital entertainment. Additionally, Lucas Online creates Internet-based content for Lucasfilm's entertainment properties and businesses. Lucasfilm Ltd. is headquartered in northern California.

Lucasfilm, the Lucasfilm logo, Red Tails and related properties are trademarks and/or copyrights, in the United States and other countries, of Lucasfilm Ltd. and/or its affiliates. TM & © 2011 Lucasfilm Ltd. All rights reserved. All other trademarks and trade names are properties of their respective owners.

2011 NAACP Image Award Winners in Television Categories

42ND NAACP Image Awards Television Winners List:

Outstanding Comedy Series: “Tyler Perry’s House of Payne”
Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series: David Mann – “Meet the Browns”
Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series: Vanessa Williams – “Desperate Housewives”
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series: Ice Cube – “Are We There Yet?”
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series: Sofia Vergara – “Modern Family”
Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series: Kevin Rodney Sullivan – “Modern Family” (Game Changer)
Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series: Aaron McGruder – “The Boondocks”

Outstanding Drama Series: “Grey’s Anatomy”
Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series: LL Cool J – “NCIS: Los Angeles”
Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series: Regina King – “Southland”
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series: Terrence Howard – “Law & Order: Los Angeles”
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series: S. Epatha Merkerson – “Law & Order”
Outstanding Writing in a Dramatic Series: Shonda Rhimes – “Private Practice” – (Did You Hear What Happened to Charlotte King?)
Outstanding Directing in a Dramatic Series: Millicent Shelton – “Men of a Certain Age” (Go with the Flow)

Outstanding TV Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special: “Sins of the Mother”
Outstanding Actor in a TV Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special: Idris Elba – “Luther”
Outstanding Actress in a TV Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special: Jill Scott – “Sins of the Mother”

Outstanding Actor in a Daytime Drama Series: Rodney Saulsberry – “The Bold and the Beautiful”
Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama Series: Tatyana Ali – “The Young and the Restless”
Outstanding News/Information (Series or Special): “Unsung”
Outstanding Talk Series: “The View”
Outstanding Reality Series: “Sunday Best”
Outstanding Variety (Series or Special): “UNCF An Evening of Stars Tribute to Lionel Richie”
Outstanding Children’s Program: “True Jackson, VP”
Outstanding Performance in a Youth/Children’s Program (Series or Special): Keke Palmer – “True Jackson, VP”
Outstanding Documentary (Theatrical or Television): “For Love of Liberty: The Story of America’s Black Patriots”

Original "Big Momma's House" is a Fun House

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 35 (of 2006) by Leroy Douresseaux

Big Momma’s House (2000)
Running time: 98 minutes (1 hour, 38 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for crude humor including sexual innuendo, and for language and some violence
DIRECTOR: Raja Gosnell
WRITERS: Darryl Quarles and Don Rhymer; from a story by Darryl Quarles
PRODUCERS: David T. Friendly and Michael Green
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Michael D. O’Shea
EDITORS: Kent Beyda and Bruce Green
Image Awards nominee

COMEDY

Starring: Martin Lawrence, Nia Long, Paul Giamatti, Jascha Washington, Terrence Howard, Anthony Anderson, Ella Mitchell, Cedric the Entertainer, and Tichina Arnold

FBI Agent Malcolm Turner (Martin Lawrence) is a master of disguise, but to catch an escaped convict, he’ll have to pull off his greatest masquerade. Murderer and bank robber Lester Vesco (Terrence Dashon Howard) has escaped from prison. Vesco is looking for his old girlfriend, Sherry Pierce (Nia Long), long suspected by the police to be Vesco’s accomplice because she worked at the bank he robbed, and also suspected of knowing where the money from the robbery, which was never recovered, is. Panicked by news of Lester’s escape, Sherry takes her young son, Trent Pierce (Jascha Washington), and heads to the home of Big Momma, Sherry’s massively fat grandmother, Hattie Mae Pierce (Ella Mitchell), in Cartersville, Georgia.

Malcolm and his partner, John (Paul Giamatti), also head to Georgia and put Big Momma’s house under surveillance in hopes of discovering whereabouts of both Lester Vesco and the Sherry is allegedly hiding the money. When an emergency suddenly calls Big Momma away from her house for a week or so, Malcolm and John are afraid that Sherry will change her plans to stay at Big Momma’s house. Malcolm, using his and John’s fantastic abilities at creating prosthetics and masks, disguises himself as Big Momma. He, however, doesn’t count on falling in love with Sherry while pretending to me Big Momma. Will the romance and the effort it takes to maintain the disguise cause Malcolm to miss the arrival of Vesco and the return of the real Big Momma.

There’s something appealing about a man playing a woman. It’s especially interesting if the man is playing a woman for comedy, but there is something really attention-grabbing when a black man plays a fat black woman, which is what actor/comedian Martin Lawrence does in Big Momma’s House. Just seeing Martin in that get-up as a morbidly obese, black Southern matron elicits raucous laughter, so one sees Big Momma’s House strictly for the comedy. Martin is damn funny in drag, although he can disguise himself quite well to play a variety of comical male roles, as he does here, early in the film playing an older Asian hood.

Big Momma’s House if filled with sidesplitting comedy and a generous helping of belly laughs. The film falls apart when it tries the romantic comedy angle between Malcolm Turner (without his Big Momma getup) and Sherry Pierce; it’s dry and rings hollow. The actual police procedural (or what tries to be) doesn’t amount to much, so Paul Giamatti’s John is wasted. It’s hard to tell if Lawrence and Giamatti have any real screen chemistry, but something’s definitely there when they’re on screen together.

With its generous helping of laugh-out-loud comedy and a generous side of flatulence and juvenile humor for the kids, Big Momma’s House is simply a comedy that works. Add Martin Lawrence’s Big Momma to the list of great comic performances by actors in drag.

6 of 10
B

NOTES:
2001 Image Awards: 1 nomination: “Outstand Actress in a Motion Picture (Nia Long)

Wednesday, February 15, 2006

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