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Remembering the Ones We Lost in 2013
The year 2013 saw the passing of noted political leaders (Nelson Mandela, Hugo Chávez), iconic sports figures (Ken Norton, L.C. Greenwood) and talented entertainers (Bobby “Blue” Bland, George Duke). But it was the deaths of the less famous—Jonathan Ferrell, Renisha McBride and Kendrick Johnson that reminded us we still have a ways to go for…
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NWA, LL Cool J and Chic Didn’t Make the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Seriously?
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced its 2014 class of inductees today, and here’s to LL Cool J, NWA and Chic for making the grade. Oh, wait. It turns out they didn’t. This year’s class—Nirvana, Kiss, Peter Gabriel, Hall and Oates, Cat Stevens and Linda Ronstadt—are a deserving bunch, and I even own…
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Final Frontier: Top Black Sci-Fi Roles
Even though Gravity — the new movie opening Friday that stars Sandra Bullock and George Clooney as a couple of astronauts who get lost in space — isn’t technically a sci-fi flick, it did get us thinking about our favorite black characters who’ve been to galaxies far, far away. Here are 11 iconic characters who…
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Not Your Typical Spike Lee Joint
(The Root) — The first clue that 4 Little Girls isn’t going to be your typical Spike Lee joint comes in the film’s opening minutes: Folk singer Joan Baez mournfully sings “Birmingham Sunday,” the 1964 song inspired by the deaths of Denise McNair, Carole Robertson, Addie Mae Collins and Cynthia Wesley in the 16th Street…
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They Got the Beat: 20 Black Music Producers
In honor of Black Music Month, we’ve created a list of the top black music producers working today. The list is a mix of the well-known and the up-and-coming, which means the sounds you hear booming out of car windows this summer will most likely have been created by one of these top black producers.…
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The 13 Best Dance Movies of All Time
When Flashdance opened on April 15, 1983, most critics hated it. Even the late, great Roger Ebert dissed it. But the story of a Pittsburgh welder-exotic dancer (played by Jennifer Beals) who dreams of joining a ballet company became a box office hit that inspired other dance movies, as well as that ’80s jumbo-sweatshirt and…
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Jackie Robinson: 10 Things You Didn't Know
Most people know that Jackie Robinson became the first African American to break the color barrier in Major League Baseball on April 15, 1947, and that as a member of the Brooklyn Dodgers, he survived racist attacks from fans, players and even his own teammates to become one of the legends of the game. But…
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Beyond Jackie Robinson: 15 Firsts
On April 15, 1947, Jackie Robinson became the first African American to break the color barrier in Major League Baseball. In that spirit, here are 15 other barrier breakers who opened doors for future generations simply by proving that African Americans can do it all. Twilight was the first African American to earn a degree…
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The Bible, Hollywood Style: 10 Flicks
The recent success of the History Channel’s 10-part series, The Bible, along with the Easter holiday, got us thinking about other movies inspired by the Good Book. Here are 10 films that try to capture — to varying degrees of success — the spirit of the Scriptures. Cecil B. DeMille’s nearly four-hour epic sets the…
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Tracey Edmonds Takes You to 'Vurch'
(The Root) — With 20 years of experience behind her, Tracey E. Edmonds knows a thing or two about creating successful TV shows and films. In the ’90s, she and former husband Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds launched the Edmonds Entertainment Group, which produced Soul Food in 1997. As president of Our Films, she released 2011’s Jumping…
