Bee Bop. Jazz. The ’50s and ’60s were a hotbed for cool music, and the hip musicians who played those genres on records and in smoky, dimly lit nightclubs, were a special breed. Years later, most people still revere legendary trumpeters like Miles Davis and Chet Baker and are amazed by the lives they led. Time to add another artist of note to that list of iconic … [Read more...]
Arts & Entertainment: a space for local and national arts and entertainment stories, with an emphasis on stories pertaining to African and African Americans.
Oyez! Oyez! Oyelowo! David Oyelowo talks to Kam Williams
David Oyelowo is a multiple Golden Globe and Emmy-nominated actor and producer who has quickly become one of Hollywood’s most sought-after talents. Later this year he’ll be seen in the third film in the Cloverfield horror franchise, and as the lead in the as-yet untitled Nash Edgerton film, co-starring Charlize Theron, Joel Edgerton, Thandie Newton and Amanda … [Read more...]
‘Kong: Skull Island’ — an engrossing reboot of classic franchise
The beloved classic King Kong (1933), starring Fay Wray, revolved around an expedition to an uncharted island in the Indian Ocean inhabited by an array of prodigious prehistoric creatures. The explorers proceed to capture and cage a gigantic ape with plans to put him on exhibition in New York as the “8th Wonder of the World.” He eventually escapes and wreaks havoc around the … [Read more...]
‘The Obama Years: The Power of Words’ – riveting retrospective revisits president’s defining moments
How many immortal speeches have been delivered by U.S. presidents and other American icons? Lincoln's "Four score and seven years ago" Gettysburg Address; FDR's "We have nothing to fear but fear itself;" Eisenhower's beware of the "Military-Industrial Complex" farewell address; JFK's "Ask not what your country can do for you" inaugural address; Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" … [Read more...]
‘I Am Not Your Negro’ rings powerfully true today
He didn’t live to see today’s America, but James Baldwin (1924-1987) predicted that a-then divided America would continue to exist so long as the country refused to see Black people as Americans. Unlike last year’s 13th by Ava DuVernay that used a myriad of voices to explain the 13th Amendment and its origins and failures since its passage, Baldwin is the lone star of I Am … [Read more...]