Morris Chestnut

Mar 14 2013

Hollywood by Choice

Academy Award winner Halle Berry’s latest flick “The Call” hits the silver screen on Friday. I wasn’t invited to screen the movie—imagine that!—but, like the rest of America, I have seen the trailers and they look as if it may be a real thriller.

Gail Choice  |   OW Contributor
Mar 24 2011

Hollywood by Choice

Michelle Williams is singing and dancing her way to a new level of stardom. This former Destiny’s Child diva is playing to audiences across the nation with stage performances that showcase her outstanding talents.

Gail Choice  |   OW Contributor
Sep 9 2010

Hollywood by Choice

“Takers” is still going strong. Friday’s box office receipts put the movie in the number-three position fighting it out with George Clooney’s “The American,” and Robert Rodriguez’s “Machete.” And it looks like Julia Robert’s “Eat, Pray, Love” continues to be a contender along with “The Last Exorcism.” It is a sure bet however, that “Takers” will remain in the top five after the holiday box office receipts are counted. 
 

Across Black America

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

California
San Diego college students and volunteers will carry out their sixth home restoration project on Wednesday, July 10 through Sunday, July 14. as part of the “Healing our Heroes’ Homes” (H3) program created by the nonprofit Embrace. The five-day effort will take place at the home of medically retired Marine Corps Capt. Sarah Bettencourt. Bettencourt served with many different units across the country during the Global War on Terrorism and developed a rare neurological disorder in 2008. With a focus to restore the homes of disabled veteran homeowners, H3 falls in line with Embrace’s mission to mobilize college-student volunteers and community members to serve less fortunate members of civilian and veteran communities. The project for the Bettencourts’ home includes kitchen and bathroom remodeling, building ADA-compliant disability ramps, widening their driveway to ADA standards, widening doorways and landscaping.
 
District of Columbia
The 2013 Smithsonian Folklife Festival will showcase its five-year community research project on African American identity with the program “The Will to Adorn: African American Diversity, Style, and Identity.” This multicity collaboration examines the history and culture of the aesthetics of African Americans. The festival will be held June 26-30 and July 3-7, outdoors on the National Mall between Seventh and 14th streets. “Whether we realize it or not, we are all dress artists. The way we compose our look is a creative expression of our ideas about who we are and who we aspire to be,” said Diana N’Diaye, program curator. “This program explores the diversity of African American traditions of style, but also teaches young people the importance of documenting their own culture and saving that information for themselves and future generations.”