Entertainment

ABOVE PHOTO:  Gabrielle Union Loretta Devine and Jill Scott join cast By Tambay A. Obenson Shadow and Act Announced this week, the 3rd season of BET’s hit original drama series, “Being Mary Jane,” will premiere on Tuesday, October 20 in a new time slot, at 9 pm ET (it previously aired at 10 pm). Also…

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ABOVE PHOTO: Kendrick Lamar (AP photo) Power 99 and The Fund for the School District of Philadelphia to award five Increase the Peace Scholarships Power 99, Philadelphia’s heritage home for Hip-Hop and R&B, announced the lineup for Powerhouse 2015 on Friday, October 23, 2015 at the Wells Fargo Center presented by Coors Light.  Powerhouse 2015…

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By Tambay A. Obenson Shadow and Act Stanley Nelson’s acclaimed new documentary, The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution, opened at Film Forum, located at 209 W. Houston St. in NYC last week, September 2, 2015, with a national roll-out to follow this fall. The film is also opening at the AMC Magic Johnson Harlem…

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Meet 15 women who have created and defined contemporary American culture in American Masters: The Women’s List, premiering nationwide Friday, September 25, 9-10 p.m. on PBS (check local listings) and available the same day on DVD via Perfect Day Films Inc. The newest chapter of filmmaker/photographer Timothy Greenfield-Sanders’ List documentary series (American Masters: The Boomer…

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ABOVE PHOTO:  Sanaa Lathan stars in The Perfect Guy. Interview with Kam Williams Tony-Award nominee Sanaa Lathan delivers a striking presence and undeniable energy to each project she takes on and continues to build on an already impressive career. She recently completed production on two films. In the independent feature, Ad Inexplorata, she plays Emily…

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ABOVE PHOTO:  Keith Beauchamp Interview with Kam Williams Producer Keith Beauchamp is no stranger to Emmett Till. It was his Emmy-nominated film, The Untold Story of Emmett Louis Till, that prompted the U.S. Justice Department, to reopen the case in 2004. Since his production of Untold, Beauchamp has worked closely with FBI and their Civil…

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By Tambay A. Obenson shadow and act So it looks like Will Smith is back this year (2015), after a brief break from acting (although he had bit parts in films like “Winter’s Tale,” and the movie his son starred in, “After Earth”). Big Willy returns to leading man roles, with two 2015 features: “Focus”…

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ABOVE PHOTO:  Denzel Washington and Viola Davis starred in a Broadway revival of FENCES, directed by Kenny Leon, both giving strong performances that would earn them the highest honor in the theatre world, the Tony Award.   By Tambay A. Obenson shadow and act Viola Davis, who won a Tony award for her performance in…

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ABOVE PHOTO:  Althea Gibson at the West Side Tennis Club, Forest Hills, NY, ca 1950.  (Credit: Corbis)   NEW YORK – People often cite Arthur Ashe as the first African American to win Wimbledon (1975).  He was indeed the first African American male to win the men’s singles title, but it was, in fact, Althea…

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ABOVE PHOTO:  Simeon Rice with two of his actors on the set of Unsullied.   Interview with Kam Williams As a defensive end with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Simeon Rice was a Super Bowl champion. He was also a four-time All-Pro and will most likely be a future NFL Hall of Famer. Born on February…

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