Entertainment

By Tambay A. Obenson Shadow and Act Some news gems dropped in this Hollywood Reporter profile of Lee Daniels and his mega-hot Fox series, “Empire,” that fans of the primetime soap opera will probably appreciate knowing. •  First, the show is a draw for countless entertainers that want to guest-star in it, as others have…

Read More

ABOVE PHOTO: Taraji P. Henson as “Cookie” in FOX’s ‘Empire’ By Tambay A. Obenson Shadow and Act One of the people that “Empire” creator Lee Daniels really wanted to guest star on the hit Fox show was Queen of  All Media Oprah Winfrey. According to an interview with the show “Access Hollywood”, Daniels has gotten his…

Read More

ABOVE PHOTO:  In a Wednesday, March 4, 2015 photo, student Zalmir Deputy makes a recording at Strawberry Mansion High School in Philadelphia. Musician Drake provided the school with the recording studio after seeing an ABC News special about the difficulties at inner-city school.  (AP Photo/Matt Rourke) By Kathy Matheson ASSOCIATED PRESS A troubled city high…

Read More

ABOVE PHOTO:  Bill Cosby  (Randy Miramontez / shutterstock.com) By Tamara Lush ASSOCIATED PRESS SPRING HILL, Fla. — When William and Judy Thompson met comedian Bill Cosby in the late 1980s to discuss their teen daughter’s modeling and acting career, they felt immediately at ease. Cosby and William Thompson both belonged to black fraternities in college….

Read More

ABOVE PHOTO:  Nick Gordon from a scene from the Dr. Phil show. (Photo grab: CBS) By Lynn Elber ASSOCIATED PRESS LOS ANGELES — Nick Gordon was “volatile” and emotionally distraught over hospitalized girlfriend Bobbi Kristina Brown during the taping of a “Dr. Phil” episode, series host Phil McGraw said. “He said he had an enormous…

Read More

ABOVE PHOTO:  Anika Noni Rose (lev radin / Shutterstock.com) By Tambay A. Obenson Shadow and Act Anika Noni Rose has booked the lead role in the CBS civil rights crime drama drama pilot “For Justice,” from “Law & Order” scribe/showrunner Rene Balcer, and directed by Ava DuVernay. Rose joins the previously-cast Phylicia Rashad in a…

Read More

ABOVE PHOTO: Jada Pinkett-Smith By Tambay A. Obenson Shadow and Act Too bad! As I’ve said on this blog in the past, she’s one of the best things about the show. But the actress Jada Pinkett-Smith revealed on “Live! with Kelly and Michael” this morning that she will, in fact, not be returning for season…

Read More

ABOVE PHOTO:  Angie Stone  (Source: DeKalb County Police Department) By Phil Benson CBS46 LITHONIA, GA –CBS 46 in Atlanta reported that R&B singer and songwriter Angie Stone was arrested Tuesday in DeKalb County on suspicion of hitting her daughter in the face with a metal stand, police said.Stone was booked into jail on a charge…

Read More

ABOVE PHOTO: Taraji P. Henson as “Cookie” in FOX’s ‘Empire’ By Tambay A. Obenson A companion piece to the UCLA Ralph Bunche Center’s own rather extensive, comprehensive report on diversity in the American film and TV industry, here’s the Writers Guild of America West’s own report on its findings on the state of diversity in writing…

Read More

By Sergio Shadow and Act Alas, it’s the end of an era. Oprah Winfrey announced this week that Harpo Studios location in Chicago’s Near West Side will shut down at the end of the year and move to Los Angeles with the rest of Winfrey’s OWN network. OWN programming currently being produced at the Chicago…

Read More