Michael Bakari Jordan is considered one of Hollywood’s brightest young actors. He garnered critical acclaim for his sterling portrayal of Oscar Grant in Ryan Coogler’s Fruitvale Station, a searing account of a slaying by police officers on a San Francisco train platform.
Kam Williams
Posted inArts + Culture, Books, Music
‘Dreams Are Made for Children,’ jazzy lullabies for tired tots
For this reason, it is a blessing to find Dreams Are Made for Children, a bedtime picture book that comes with a CD featuring a dozen performances of classic lullabies by a variety of jazz greats.
Posted inArts + Culture, Movies
Portrait of Nobel Prize-winning teen illustrates power of the human spirit
Malala Yousafzai was named after a girl who spoke out and was killed for speaking out. That folk hero of the same name was a flag-bearing teenager who perished in 1880 while rallying fellow Pashtun resistance fighters to an unlikely victory over British invaders in a pivotal battle of the Second Anglo-Afghan War.
Posted inArts + Culture, Television
Meagan Good: ‘Minority Report’ interview
Enjoying an enviable career that began at an early age, Meagan Good has blossomed into one of Hollywood’s most in-demand actresses for both big screen and television projects. The accomplished thespian was recently seen in A Girl Like Grace, a coming-of-age film which she also co-produced.
Posted inArts + Culture, Movies
The perfect gal: Kam Williams interviews Sanaa Lathan
Tony-Award nominee Sanaa Lathan delivers a striking presence and undeniable energy to each project she takes on and continues to build on an already impressive career. She recently completed production on two films.
Posted inArts + Culture, Movies
‘War Room’: faith-based parable focuses on a couple in crisis
In 2011, Pastor Alex Kendrick produced, directed, wrote and starre
d in Courageous, a very compelling, action-oriented, faith-based drama. With War Room, he’s opted to play only a supporting role in the flick, thereby freeing himself to focus more on his duties behind the camera.
Posted inArts + Culture, Movies
‘No Escape,’ a high-octane political thriller
After the company he works for files for bankruptcy, Jack Dwyer (Owen Wilson) accepts a position overseas with Cardiff, a transnational water bottling corporation.
Posted inArts + Culture, Movies
Cruise and company reunite to topple terrorist organization
Rogue Nation is the fifth installment in the Mission: Impossible franchise featuring Tom Cruise as the dashing and daring Ethan Hunt.
Posted inArts + Culture, Music
Musical documentary examines the African roots of the Tango
The word “tango” means “sun” in Congolese. Given that derivation, it comes as no surprise that the dance thought of as South American might be traced back to Africa.
Posted inArts + Culture, Books
‘Stand Your Ground,’ dissects perpetual war on Black males
“Why is it becoming increasingly acceptable to kill unarmed black children? Why are they so easily perceived as a threat? How are we to keep our black children safe? As the mother of a black male child, I find these to be urgent questions. The slaying of Trayvon [Martin] struck a nerve deep within me. […]
Posted inArts + Culture
Fashion documentary revisits the rise of hip hop designers
When rap arrived back in the late ’70s, more than the music burst on the scene. The performers’ outlandish costumes also had a profound effect on American culture, which proceeded to mimic everything from MC Hammer’s balloon pants to Run DMC’s fedoras and Adidas outfits.
Posted inArts + Culture, Books
‘America: The Black Point of View,’ a poignant memoir that doesn’t pull punches
Following that damning digression, Tony proceeds to relate his own heartbreaking life story, warts and all, in a vivid fashion that just jumps off the page. The jaw-dropping opus covers only his formative through teen years, a period he spent doing everything from killing roaches to subsisting on celery soup to standing up to neighborhood bullies.
Posted inArts + Culture, Movies
‘Dope,’ a compelling coming-of-age comedy
17-year-old Malcolm (Shameik Moore) was raised by a single mom (Kimberly Elise) in a rather rough section of L.A. where he’s turned out to be more of a milquetoast than a menace to society.
Posted inArts + Culture, Books
‘Child, Please,’ a humorous and pointed nod to old school child rearing
The incident reminded me of a bygone era when not only your own momma, but any adult in the neighborhood might straighten you out if you were messin’ up. However, that strict style of upbringing has long since fallen by the wayside in favor of a politically-correct age of permissiveness.