19 January 2017

Martin Luther King III, Vanessa Bell Calloway, David Mann, Lou Gossett, Jr., Bill Withers, Ed Gordon & More Added To 25th Annual Trumpet Awards

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Martin Luther King III
Bounce will world premiere the 25th Annual Trumpet Awards, the prestigious annual event celebrating African-American achievements and contributions, on Sunday, January 29 at 9:00pm ET.
Bounce recently acquired all assets of The Trumpet Awards and now owns, produces and exclusively premieres the star-studded ceremony.
Black-ishAngie Tribeca star and two-time EMMY nominated writer and actor Deon Cole and RosewoodThe Real Husbands of Hollywood and seven-time NAACP Image Award nominated actress Nicole Ari Parker will host the black-tie ceremony, to be held at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre in Atlanta, Georgia on Saturday, January 21, 2017.
Updates announced today:
  • Martin Luther King III will be presented with the Impact Trumpet Award.
  • An all-star Gospel Tribute featuring Shirley CaesarErica CampbellJekalyn CarrLe'Andria JohnsonTravis Greene and Derek Minor.
  • Previously announced honoree iconic musical group New Edition will be saluted in a medley performed by R&B bands Jagged Edge and Silk.
  • Vanessa Bell CallowayEd GordonLou Gossett, Jr., David MannWillie Moore, Jr., Gary Owen and Bill Withers have been added to the line-up of presenters.
  • Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed is set to open the ceremony.
Tamela Mann, Regina BelleBJ the Chicago Kid, Lalah Hathaway, Kenny Lattimore and Keke Wyatt will also be performing throughout the evening.
Honorees at this year's silver anniversary ceremony include television host and Daytime EMMY nominee Wendy Williams who will be presented with the Trumpet Award for Entertainment, former NBA great Dikembe Mutombo who will be recognized with the Humanitarian Trumpet Award, New Edition receiving the Lifetime Achievement Trumpet, GRAMMY-winning soul singer Peabo Bryson accepting the Legend Trumpet and fashion blogger Gabi Gregg being given the Trailblazer Trumpet Award.
In a very special tribute, civil rights icon and founder of the Trumpet Awards Xernona Clayton will be presented with the distinguished "Golden Trumpet Award" in recognition of her unparalleled leadership, affecting change, and steadfast work in building the legacy of the awards.   
Black-ish, Angie Tribeca and two-time EMMY(R) nominated actor Deon Cole and Rosewood, The Real Husbands of Hollywood and seven-time NAACP Image Award nominated actress Nicole Ari Parker host  the 25th Annual Trumpet Awards...
ABOUT BOUNCE
Bounce (@BounceTV) airs on the broadcast signals of local television stations and corresponding cable carriage and features a programming mix of original and off-network series, theatrical motion pictures, specials, live sports and more.  

Bounce has grown to be available in more than 94 million homes across the United States and 93% of all African-American (AA) television homes, including all the top AA television markets. Among the founders of Bounce are iconic American figures Ambassador Andrew Young and Martin Luther King, III.
SOURCE: Bounce

18 January 2017

Protect Public Education - Stop Betsy DeVos! [Video Included]

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Image via www.bravenewfilms.org
The following is an email I've received from our friends at Brave New Films and, as usual, I'm very happy to share it with you


If you live in the US and are concerned about the future of the country's public education, this is definitely worth reading/watching... 

Stay safe!

Loup Dargent
Image via www.bravenewfilms.org
The Email: 
Loup,

Yesterday, the U.S. Senate held their hearing on Trump’s Secretary of Education nominee, Betsy DeVosAnd it was terrifying. 

We saw on full display a woman with no previous education experience other than trying to destroy Michigan's public school system and replace it with failing for-profit charter schools. 

A woman who is out to destroy public education as we know it and spent millions of dollars to do so.

Education can be the building block of a just and equal America – or it can be the feeder of an unequal, segregated America. 

Stand up today and share this video to protect free, public education for all! 

In solidarity, 
Robert Greenwald, President"


The Video:



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14 January 2017

Tell The White House Press Corps: Stand Up To Donald Trump's Blacklist! [Petition]

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The following is a very topical email (it has to do with Trump's behaviour towards the Press... as you've probably already guessed from the title of this post) I've recently received from Media Matters for America... 

Feel free to read it and act accordingly.

Stay safe!

Loup Dargent


Image via Media Matters For America
The Email: 
"Loup -- 

​At Donald Trump's first press conference as president-elect, Trump berated and blackballed CNN reporter Jim Acosta for daring to ask questions about his network's bombshell reporting on Trump's relationship with Russia. Even worse, the incoming White House press secretary threatened to throw Acosta out for doing his job and ask questions, and another Trump adviser attacked him. 

You would expect that the press would be outraged at such behavior from the administration. You would be wrong. The press pretended like none of this ever happened. They ignored that their colleague was being punished and shut out right in the middle of the press conference and continued engaging with Trump as if nothing out of the ordinary was going on. 

>> Tell the White House Press Corps: Stand up to Trump's blacklist

Trump has literally banned the Des Moines Register from covering his events. He banned Univsion from attending his events. He revoked The Washington Post’s credentials for a period in retaliation for a headline that he didn’t like. He revoked Politico’s credentials for a while to punish them for an article he didn’t like. BuzzFeed--which Trump called "a pathetic pile of garbage" during the press conference--has been on a blacklist since June of 2015. The Daily Beast is on the blacklist and is almost always denied credentials as a result. This list isn’t exhaustive, either. 

But journalists covering Trump don’t learn. Time and time again, as one outlet after another is frozen out, reporters continue to go about their interactions with Trump and his people as if nothing is wrong. 


Enough is enough. Some principles are more important than competition among news outlets. 

When Trump does this, journalists must refuse to engage until he removes that person/outlet from the blacklist. Instead of ignoring Trump's bad behavior and going about their business, they must close ranks and stand up for journalism.
If a free press has any hope of surviving the next 4 years, we need the journalists covering Trump to nip this in the bud and send a clear message.

Anyone could be next.

John Whitehouse
Digital Director
Media Matters for America
@existentialfish "

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13 January 2017

The Hasty Pudding Theatricals Announces Ryan Reynolds as The 2017 Man of The Year

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Ryan Reynolds (PRNewsFoto/Hasty Pudding Institute of 1770)
The Hasty Pudding Theatricals, the oldest theatrical organization in the United States, announces producer and Golden Globe nominated actor, Ryan Reynolds as the recipient of its 2017 Man of the Year Award. The Pudding is proud to honor such a talented and diverse actor, whose seamless transition across multiple genres captures audiences and keeps them coming back to see what's next.
The Hasty Pudding Theatricals' Man and Woman of the Year Awards are presented annually to performers who have made lasting and impressive contributions to the world of entertainment. The Man of the Year award was established in 1963. Its past recipients include, among others, Clint EastwoodTom HanksRobert De NiroHarrison FordJustin TimberlakeRobert Downey JrChris Pratt and most recently, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who was the 50th Man of the Year.
The Man of the Year festivities, presented by the Related Companies, will take place on Friday, February 3rd, 2017. The Hasty Pudding Theatricals will host a celebratory roast for Mr. Reynolds and present him with his Pudding Pot at Farkas Hall, which has been the Pudding's historic home in the heart of Harvard Square since 1888. A press conference will follow the roast at 8:40 p.m.
For the first time ever, the press conferences for Hasty Pudding's Man and Woman of the Year will be live-streamed and available to the public free-of-charge. More information will be available on the Hasty Pudding's social media channels soon via Facebook www.facebook.com/thehastypudding, Twitter @thehastypudding and Instagram @thehastypudding. 
After the press conference, Mr. Reynolds will attend the opening night performance of the Pudding's 169th production, Casino Evil.
"We're thrilled to present Mr. Reynolds with our Man of the Year award, especially after he proved his ability to simultaneously break box-offices records and the fourth wall in 2015," said Guan Chen, President of the Hasty Pudding Theatricals. "And if his headline-stealing kiss with Andrew Garfield at the Golden Globes is any indication, it looks like he's getting ready for his roast."

Deadpool
Ryan Reynolds is one of Hollywood's most diverse leading men seamlessly transitioning through varied genres of drama, action and comedy in his rich and ever evolving career.
Reynolds is the Golden Globe nominated star of the 20th Century Fox record-breaking film DEADPOOL. The movie opened in February 2016 and shattered expectations, opening to $152.2-million over the four-day Presidents' Day weekend making it the biggest R-rated opening of all time and the biggest February opening in box office history. The superhero juggernaut also replaced "Matrix Reloaded" as the highest-grossing R-rated film in history with more than $750- million globally. The film continues to break records with 2 Golden Globe nominations. A "Best Actor" nod for Reynolds and Best Picture nomination for the film, making it the first live-action superhero movie to pick up a Golden Globe nomination in the Comedy or Musical category. The film also received a Writers Guild of America nomination for "Best Adapted Screenplay" and a PGA Award nomination for "Best Picture." Reynolds, who is a producer on the film, will begin shooting DEADPOOL 2 later this year.
Next up Reynolds can be seen opposite Jake Gyllenhaal and Rebecca Ferguson in Sony Pictures' LIFE. Teaming up once again with Reese & Wernick and director Daniel Espinosa for the space thriller out March 2017. He also has THE HITMAN'S BODYGUARD with Samuel L. Jackson coming out August 2017.
Reynolds body of work continues to be extremely diverse. In 2015 he starred in a variety of feature roles including MISSISSIPPI GRIND, WOMAN IN GOLD, THE VOICES and SELFLESS. MISSISSIPPI GRIND directed by Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden premiered at Sundance to rave reviews. In The Weinstein Company's WOMAN IN GOLD, Reynolds starred alongside Helen Mirren to tell the story of Maria Altmann (Mirren), a Jewish refugee who is forced to flee Vienna during World War II and her personal mission to reclaim a painting the Nazis stole from her family: the famous Lady In Gold. In Lionsgate's serial killer comedy THE VOICES by famed French director Marjane Satrapi, Reynolds stars as a troubled, med-addicted factory worker driven to murder by his talking pets, a psychopathic cat called Mr. Whiskers and Bosco, his peace-loving dog. Reynolds also voices both of the animals. He also starred opposite Sir Ben Kingsley in the independent feature SELFLESS, directed by Tarsem Singh.
Reynolds voiced two DreamWorks Animation films in 2013. TURBO, in which Reynolds voices a snail named 'Turbo' who has dreams of winning the Indy 500. The movie also features the voices of Samuel L. JacksonMaya Rudolph, Snoop Lion and Michelle Rodriguez. Prior to that, Reynolds had his animated film debut as the voice of 'Guy' in DreamWorks Animation's, THE CROODS. The movie also featured the voices of Nicolas CageEmma Stone and Catherine Keener and earned over $508 million worldwide. Reynolds has signed onto the sequel, which is already in development.
His other film credits include; the Universal action thriller, SAFE HOUSE opposite Denzel Washington. The film opened to $40 million domestically in its first weekend and went onto earn $208 million worldwide. The Universal comedy, THE CHANGE UP, opposite Jason Bateman, the Warner Brothers adaptation of the popular DC Comic, GREEN LANTERN and the mystery/thriller BURIED. In the acclaimed and cinematically challenging film, Reynolds is the only actor to appear on camera for the duration of the piece.
In 2009, Reynolds served as Disney's romantic comedy lead in THE PROPOSAL, opposite Sandra Bullock. The film opened at #1 at the box office and grossed $315 million worldwide. Reynolds was also seen as 'Deadpool' in the X-MEN spin-off, X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE. He starred opposite an all-star cast including Hugh Jackman and the film grossed $365 million worldwide. Additionally that year, Reynolds starred in ADVENTURELAND opposite Kristen Stewart, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and was nominated in the "Ensemble Performance" category at the 2009 Gotham Awards.
Some of Reynolds other film credits include; PAPERMAN and the Working Title film DEFINITELY, MAYBE for Universal Pictures, writer/director John August's THE NINES, director Joe Carnahan's SMOKIN' ACES for Working Title and Universal Pictures and THE AMITYVILLE HORROR, a remake of the classic cult film which opened #1 at the box office and made $107 million worldwide. As well as cult favorites WAITING and VAN WILDER.
DarkFire, Reynolds' TV production company, recently sold its first two projects, the live action comedy "Guidance" and the animated comedy, "And Then There Was Gordon" to 20th Century Fox TV. Reynolds will executive produce alongside Allan LoebJonathon Komack MartinTim Dowling and Steven Pearl.
In addition to his numerous leading roles, Reynolds also serves on the board of directors for the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research. In November of 2007, Reynolds ran the New York City Marathon in honor of his father - who has long suffered from ravages of Parkinson's disease. Reynolds marathon run raised over $100,000 for the Michael J Fox Foundation.

TO LIVE STREAM the Hasty Pudding Theatricals' Man of Year press conference, viewers can tune in at 8:40 p.m. ET via the Hasty Pudding's Facebook www.facebook.com/thehastypudding

12 January 2017

ICG Publicists Name Denzel Washington Motion Picture Showman Of The Year

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Denzel Washington (photo credit: John Russo)
Oscar winner Denzel Washington will be named Motion Picture Showman of the Year at the 54th Annual International Cinematographers Guild Publicists Awards (ICG, IATSE Local 600in recognition of his remarkable career achievements, including producing, directing and starring in Fences, a major contender in this year's Oscar race. The awards will be held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Friday, February 24.
"Denzel continues to excel as a major creative force in filmmaking while also recognizing the key role that publicity and promotion play in the success of filmmaking," said awards committee chairman Henri Bollinger. "His understanding of what it takes to attract movie audiences supports his exceptional talents as an actor and filmmaker."
ICG National President Steven Poster, ASC, said, "Denzel Washington brings a unique reality and a dignity to every character he portrays, be they actual or imagined people, good guys or bad. I always look forward to seeing him on screen."
Denzel's unforgettable performances have garnered him two Academy Awards, three Golden Globes, and countless other awards.
He received his first Academy Award for the historical war drama Glory (1989) and his second for his portrayal of the corrupt cop in the crime thriller, Training Day (2001). Denzel won a Tony Award for his performance in Fences, during his return to Broadway in 2010.
Denzel's current project is the critically acclaimed film adaptation of August Wilson's Fences, released Christmas 2016In addition to producing and directing the adaptation, Denzel reprises his original Tony Award-winning role alongside Viola Davis.
Denzel's professional acting career began in New York, where he performed in theatre productions such as Ceremonies in Dark Old Men and Othello. He rose to fame when he landed the role as Dr. Philip Chandler on the NBC long-running hit television series, St. Elsewhere. His other television credits include The George McKenna Story, License to Kill, and Wilma.
As Denzel crossed over into the world of film, he garnered critical acclaim for his portrayal of real life figures. He earned his first Oscar nomination for Cry Freedom (1987), as South African anti-apartheid activist Steve Biko. From there, he went on to portray Muslim minister and human rights activist Malcolm X in Malcolm X (1992), boxer Rubin "Hurricane" Carter in The Hurricane (1999), football coach Herman Boone in Remember the Titans (2000), poet and educator Melvin B. Tolson in The Great Debaters (2007), and drug kingpin Frank Lucas in American Gangster (2007). A few of his other beloved credits are: Much Ado About Nothing (1993), A Soldier's Story (1984), Crimson Tide (1995), Devil in a Blue Dress (1995), and Inside Man (2006).
Denzel's most recent credits include Unstoppable (2010) where he reunited with director Tony Scott for the fifth time, 2 Guns (2013) where he starred alongside Mark Wahlberg, and The Equalizer (2014) an action thriller film directed by Antoine Fuqua. In 2016, Denzel teamed up with Antoine Fuqua again for a remake of The Magnificent Seven, which also starred Chris Pratt and Ethan Hawke.
In 2016, he was selected as the recipient for the Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award at the 73rd Golden Globe Awards, cementing his legacy in Hollywood.
Washington is a native of Mt. Vernon, NY, and graduated from Fordham University, where he majored in drama. He spent a year at San Francisco's prestigious American Conservatory Theatre before beginning his professional acting career.
As previously announced, the Publicists Awards Luncheon will also honor Jeffrey Katzenberg with a Lifetime Achievement Award. Ryan Murphy will receive the Television Showmanship Award and Nanci Ryder will be awarded with the President's Award.
Annual International Cinematographers Guild (ICG, IATSE Local 600)


10 January 2017

NAFSA Opposes Jeff Sessions for Attorney General

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Jeff Sessions (via Gage Skidmore)
In written testimony to the United States Senate Judiciary Committee, Esther D. Brimmer, executive director and CEO of NAFSA: Association of International Educators expressed the organization's strong opposition to the appointment of Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions to attorney general. NAFSA stands with 144 civil and human rights organizations against Sessions' appointment.
Opposing any presidential cabinet nominee is an extremely rare move for NAFSA. As Brimmer noted in her statement to the Judiciary committee, "NAFSA does not take this step lightly. As a matter of practice, NAFSA believes it is preferable to reserve judgment on cabinet level nominees until after they have had a chance to testify in the confirmation hearing process. However, in the case of Senator Sessions, his long track record provides sufficient evidence for us to determine he is not qualified to enforce laws pertaining to immigration and civil rights that are vital to NAFSA's mission."
NAFSA, the world's largest professional association dedicated to the promotion and advancement of international education and exchange, specified objections to Sen. Sessions' appointment on the basis of three components: Senator Sessions' anti-immigrant stance, alarming record on voting rights and fight to continue the unconstitutional ruling in Alabama for separate and unequal education for minority students.
Brimmer's statement explained that NAFSA's commitment to fostering peace and security through international education relies upon leadership that embraces openness, equality and justice. The statement also noted that NAFSA believes that Senator Sessions' hostile positions on immigration, voting rights and education disqualify him from leading the United States Department of Justice, and his record on these issues indicates that if confirmed, he will champion policies that are neither just nor inclusive.
Read Brimmer's complete Congressional testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee

NAFSA Logo www.nafsa.org/ (PRNewsFoto/NAFSA) 


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