Black Actors

Gail Choice  |   OW Contributor
Oct 11 2012

Hollywood by Choice

Get ready for the Hollywood Black Film Festival, Oct. 25-28, at the W Hotel in Hollywood. The festival will feature an exciting lineup of films, panels, panelists and festivities over the four-day period.

Gail Choice  |   OW Contributor
Oct 11 2012

In theaters across the nation

What can I say about Ava DuVernay that hasn’t already been said regarding her talent and drive? I can simply say she’s a beacon of light in a world that can be at times black as pitch and foreboding. Yes, I’m talking about Hollywood and following your dreams. And what makes her all the more incredible is that she is Black and female. DuVernay went from marketing other filmmakers’ films to producing, writing and directing her own.

Gail Choice  |   OW Contributor
Sep 27 2012

Hollywood by Choice

The NAACP Beverly Hills/Hollywood Branch recently announced nominations for the 22nd annual NAACP Theatre Awards. The awards include 32 categories that encompass local and equity nominations.

This year’s nominations include "Twist"—an American musical acquiring seven theater nominations and directed by Golden Globe and multi-Emmy Award-winner Debbie Allen.

Gail Choice  |   OW Contributor
Jul 26 2012

Hollywood by Choice

A recent article in the August issue of Essence magazine got me to thinking about how little Hollywood has changed when it comes to casting Black women in film and television productions, specifically in regards to the darker-skinned Black woman.

Actress Nia Long and her two sons grace the cover of the magazine, and it is her comment in the cover story that clicked that certain something in my mind. She told writer Dream Hampton that, “I was the first Brown girl from my generation who got cast in lead roles.”

Gail Choice  |   OW Contributor
Nov 3 2011

Hollywood by Choice

Have you ever wondered what happened to your favorite musicians, or performers?

TV One features two of the best shows on television that gives you the 4-1-1 on the celebrities who entertained us and rocked our world.

One of the best shows on television is TV One’s “Unsung.” You don’t have to be a music lover, or nostalgia buff to be totally captivated by this show. It has all the drama, laughs, tears, heartbreak and triumphs that a program can muster.

Across Black America

Here’s a look at African American people and issues making headlines throughout the country.
 

Alabama
Freeman A. Hrabowski, president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, will address the annual African American Business Council luncheon on June 28. Hrabowski, who is chairman of President Barack Obama’s Advisory Commission on Education Excellence for African Americans, has a national reputation for his work studying the performance of minority students in math and science. Hrabowski, named one of the 10 best college presidents in the country by Time magazine, was a child leader in the Civil Rights Movement in Birmingham in the 1960s.
 

Arkansas
The Liberty Counsel filed a motion and a brief in United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas seeking to intervene on behalf of a Concepts of Life crisis pregnancy center to defend against a suit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union and the Center for Reproductive Rights. The groups seek to impose a permanent injunction before the Human Heartbeat Protection Act goes into effect July 18. Liberty Counsel also filed a brief opposing the ACLU’s request for an injunction. The “Heartbeat” bill states that when a woman seeks an abortion at or after the 12th week, doctors must test for a fetal heartbeat before an abortion is performed and inform the pregnant mother that the child in her womb has a heartbeat. If a heartbeat is detected, a woman cannot have an abortion, except in cases of rape, incest, and if a mother’s life is in danger. “As we promised when the legislation was introduced, Liberty Counsel will defend this law without reservation for the people of Arkansas, born and pre-born,” said Matt Staver, founder and chairman of Liberty Counsel. “No right is more foundational than the right to life. Without life, all other rights are irrelevant,” concluded Staver.