Usher

Lisa Olivia Fitch  |   OW Contributor
Jun 14 2012

The awards show celebrates various forms of entertainment

Billed as “the biggest night in music,” the Black Entertainment Television (BET) Awards has evolved since its start in 2001 into a major effort to celebrate the accomplishments of musicians, actors and sports stars.

All told, there are … persons/acts nominated to receive honors in 20 categories at the July 1 event, and the music category is loaded with the majority of recipients. Actor Samuel L. Jackson, declared the highest-grossing movie actor of all time, according to the Guinness Book of World Records, will be this year’s BET Awards host.

Kianna Shann  |   OW Contributor
Jun 30 2011

Three designers show how they made it

Once dominated by fair skin, fashion is an industry that is growing into a multicultural world embracing all nationalities, (although it may seem like a slow embrace). African American designers are among those moving toward the front of the fashion equality line.

These designers have proven they have what it takes to rise against the odds, and stand firm in a world driven by glamor, luxury, beauty and crossover appeal to the contemporary market.

May 17 2011

Chris Brown leads with six nominations

NEW YORK, N.Y.—BET Networks announced that actor/comedian Kevin Hart has been tapped to host this year’s BET Awards. Ranked among the top five cable award shows every year among total viewers. The brightest night in music will broadcast live from the historic Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on Sunday, June 26 on BET.

Apr 14 2011

Looking at the modern ‘British invasion’

Someone asked me last week if I thought American R&B was dead. Record sales have been declining for American artists who categorize themselves as the music genre’s front-runners. In fact, few major mainstream R&B artists, with the exception of Beyonce, Alicia Keys and Usher, are seeing an increase in album sales as their careers expand. For most of the American Soul family, there is a fight to stay relevant, charting and modern enough for our generation.

Mar 31 2011

The entertainer’s aggression rears its ugly head…again

As Chris Brown took the stage at Good Morning America last week, I held my breath. I was rooting for him, waiting to see him return to grace and reignite the magical flame that had previously put him in the tradition of great R&B artists.

Brown’s up-and-down behavior has been at the forefront of a media circus which developed after pictures of Rihanna appeared on the Internet the night before the 2009 Grammy Awards, displaying eyelids which had been swollen shut, a fat lip, and bruises all over her face.

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.