Since 1988, activist/journalist Daryle Lamont Jenkins, a.k.a. “The Klanbuster,” has dedicated his life to monitoring the movements of the Ku Klux Klan and other white supremacist groups. In 2000, he co-founded One People’s Project, a watchdog organization that maintains a database not only on hate groups but on their membership as well. It is geared towards researching and reporting […]
Kam Williams
Posted inMovies
Courtroom docudrama ‘Crown Heights’ recounts real-life miscarriage of justice
In the spring of 1980, Colin Warner (Lakeith Stanfield) was wrongfully accused of murder on the streets of Brooklyn by a 15-year-old juvenile delinquent (Skylan Brooks) who picked him out of a photo lineup provided by the police. That supposed “eyewitness” testimony was the only evidence linking Colin to the crime, but it didn’t prevent […]
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Ms. Hall’s Curtain Call!
Regina Hall launched her career in the late ’90s while still earning a master’s degree from New York University. The accomplished actress will soon appear in Naked, a remake of the 2000 Swedish film Naken. The romantic comedy co-starring Marlon Wayans is set to be released on August 11th. In 2016, Regina appeared opposite Morris Chestnut in […]
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Claustrophobic docudrama revisits ’67 riots
Detroit’s ’67 riots broke out in the wee hours of July 23, in the wake of a police raid on an unlicensed bar where folks had been toasting a couple of vets who’d recently returned from Vietnam. Word spread like wildfire through the Black community that the cops had arrested all 82 people they found […]
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‘Girls Trip’ Review: BFFs party in New Orleans in raunchy reunion romp
Ryan (Regina Hall), Sasha (Queen Latifah), Dina (Tiffany Haddish) and Lisa (Jada Pinkett Smith) have been friends since their college days in the ’90s. Back then, the tight-knit Flossy Posse partied as hard as they hit the books. After graduating, they curtailed the carousing considerably for the sake of their professional careers. Today, journalism major Sasha’s still struggling to […]
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‘Everything, Everything’: a bittersweet coming-of-age tale
It’s Maddy Whittier’s (Amandla Stenburg) 18th birthday, but she won’t be celebrating the occasion at a party or restaurant. In fact, she won’t be leaving the house or even having friends over any time soon. That’s because she has SCID, a rare genetic disorder that basically makes her allergic to everything. Consequently, she’s been stuck […]
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Amirah Vann: ready for her close-up!
The Underground interview with Kam Williams An actress and singer/songwriter from Far Rockaway, Queens, Amirah Vann began performing at a young age. Pursuing her passion for performing, she completed her undergraduate study in acting at Fordham University at Lincoln Center before entering a graduate acting program at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. Soon thereafter, Vann began […]
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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 […]
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‘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 […]
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‘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 […]
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‘La La Land’…I mean ‘Moonlight’ wins Best Picture
Climactic moment ruined by monumental blunder The Academy Awards ended on a sour note when Faye Dunaway announced that favorite La La Land had won the Oscar for Best Picture. Trouble is, she and co-presenter Warren Beatty had been handed the wrong envelope. So, while La La’s producers were taking turns delivering heartfelt acceptance speeches, […]
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‘Hidden Figures’ takes top ensemble honor
Denzel, Viola and Mahershala garner individual acting accolades The La La Land juggernaut hit a speed bump at the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards on Sunday, when it only took home one trophy, Emma Stone’s for Best Actress in a Leading Role. On an evening dominated by African American entrants, Blacks prevailed in the other three […]
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2017 Oscar Nominations: Academy embraces diversity
La La Land Record 14 Academy Award Nominations La La Land, Damien Chazelle’s enchanting homage to the Hollywood musical is up for Academy Awards in the Best Picture, Director, Lead Actor (Ryan Gosling), Lead Actress (Emma Stone), Song, Original Screenplay, Original Score and a host of other categories. The Academy also embraced diversity this year, […]
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“Hidden Figures” — NASA docu-drama belatedly credits unsung African American mathematicians
All of the astronauts picked by NASA to participate in its maiden manned space programs, Mercury and Gemini, were White males. However, behind the scenes, there was a dedicated team of African American women mathematicians who played a pivotal role in ensuring that they launched and returned safely, whether from orbiting the Earth or a […]
Posted inArts + Culture, Movies
Denzel and Viola co-star in adaptation of Pulitzer prize-winning play
Back in 1987, Fences won both the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the Tony Award for Best Play. The August Wilson classic, set in the Pittsburgh in the ’50s, chronicled the day-to-day struggle of a blue collar, African American family. The production was brought back to Broadway in 2010, and it landed the Tony for […]
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Tyler Perry back in drag for another madcap adventure
No one has ever accused Tyler Perry of being short on ideas. After all, the prolific writer/director has been the brains behind a profusion of plays, movies and television shows. But he would be the first to admit that he was not the source of inspiration for Boo! A Madea Halloween, the ninth in the Madea series […]
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Kevin Hart wows hometown crowd of 50,000 at Lincoln Financial Field
Step aside Chris Rock, Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence, the undisputed reigning “King of Comedy,” pound-for-pound, is clearly now Kevin Hart. That’s after his “What Now?” world tour during which the diminutive comedian staged 168 shows across the United States and Canada, as well as ports-of-call in Europe, Asia, Australia and Africa. The pinnacle of […]
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REVIEW | ‘Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise’
Reverential retrospective offers intimate look at the life of late icon Maya Angelou (1928-2014) was born Marguerite Annie Johnson in St. Louis, Missouri on April 4, 1928 to parents for whom she and her big brother Bailey soon became a burden. When Maya was just three, the siblings were sent alone by train to live […]
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Nate Park talks ‘The Birth of a Nation’
Actor/humanitarian-turned-writer/director Nate Parker first received critical attention for his starring role in The Great Debaters opposite Denzel Washington and Forest Whitaker. Parker received an honorary doctorate from Wiley College, the school featured in the fact-based story. More recently, Parker starred in Beyond the Lights opposite Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Minnie Driver, and Danny Glover. He also appeared […]
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Teen tries to retrieve stolen sneakers in gritty inner-city saga
Brandon (Jahking Guillory) saved up for a pricey pair of Air Jordans, only to suffer the utter humiliation of having them stolen right off his feet at gunpoint by a gang of ghetto predators. Thus arrives a moment of truth for the nerdy 15 year old who finds himself stuck at an unpleasant station in life where […]