May 25, 2013

‘Fruitvale Station’ Stars Work Cannes Film Festival (Pics)

Octavia Spencer attends The Art of Elysium, Rabbit Bandini and Leon Max event for Ahna O'Reilly at Festival de Cannes during the 66th Annual Cannes Film Festival at on May 19, 2013 in Cannes

*The film conquered Sundance earlier this year, winning the festival’s Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award. On Thursday (May 16), director Ryan Coogler’s “Fruitvale Station” unleashed its charm on the Cannes Film Festival, where it is competing in the Un Certain Regard competition – a section of the festival introduced in 1998 to recognize young talent [...]




J-Hud and Jordin Sparks in ‘The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete’

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*Back to acting, Jennifer Hudson is returning to the big screen for a new two-hour drama, “The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete” Critics say the singer turned actress is brilliant and shows a different, darker side. She stars alongside Jordin Sparks as women facing the harsh conditions of inner city life in Brooklyn projects. [...]




Ava DuVernay is a Girl on Fire! Director Wins at Independent Spirit Awards

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*It’s a great year for black people in the arts, some would say. Filmmaker Ava DuVernay is yet another great to be celebrated for her wonderful contributions to film. Saturday, she was awarded the John Cassavetes award at the Independent Spirit Awards, for her independent film, “Middle of Nowhere.” Last year she blew audiences and judges [...]




Weinstein Co. Nabs Film about Oscar Grant’s BART Shooting

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*The Weinstein Company has acquired distribution rights for the Forest Whitaker-produced “Fruitvale,” which follows the true story of 22-year-old Bay Area resident Oscar Grant who was unarmed when he was shot dead by police officers at the Fruitvale BART station. The feature directorial debut of Ryan Coogler, who also wrote the screenplay, premiered to wide [...]




‘Beasts of the Southern Wild’ Headed Back to Theaters

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*In the wake of its four Oscar nominations last week, Fox Searchlight said Wednesday that “Beasts Of The Southern Wild” will be re-released in theaters beginning this Friday (Jan. 18). However, the film’s return engagement will hit only a limited number of cities — New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Phoenix, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Boston, San Francisco, [...]




John Singleton, Paramount Settle ‘Hustle & Flow’ Court Battle

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*Paramount Pictures and director John Singleton have reached a settlement to end litigation stemming from a 2005 deal for the breakout hit “Hustle and Flow,” according to The Hollywood Reporter. THR’s Eriq Gardner reports: Singleton sued Paramount and MTV Films in October 2011, originally claiming he was owed at least $20 million for alleged breaches [...]




Spike Lee’s Latest Headed to Theaters Soon

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*Another Spike Lee joint his headed to the big screen this summer “Red Hook Summer,” Lee’s controversial film that premiered at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival is hitting theaters soon and is expected to be a big hit since he struck up a deal with Variance Films, an independent distribution company, reports Deadline. “From my [...]




Video: Tea Partier Says Chris Rock Altercation Shows ‘Liberal Hypocrisy’

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*At 2 a.m. on Jan. 23 at a Sundance Film Festival event hosted by Spike Lee, Chris Rock was confronted by a Tea Party advocate who took offense to the comedian’s assertion the movement was racist. Rock allegedly reacted to the man by snatching away his video camera, which was being operated by a woman, [...]




BET Nabs Common, Danny Glover Crime Drama ‘LUV’

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*”LUV,” a coming-of-age story that premiered last month at Sundance, has been acquired by the Indomina Group and BET Networks, the companies announced Saturday. Common, Michael Rainey Jr., Dennis Haysbert, Danny Glover, Charles S. Dutton, Meagan Good, Lonette McKee and Michael Kenneth Williams star in the movie about Woody, an 11-year-old orphan who reveres his [...]




Ava DuVernay’s History Making Turn at Sundance: Wins Dramatic Directing Award

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*Filmmaker Ava DuVernay made history over the weekend at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah by becoming the first African American woman to win the Directing Award: Dramatic. This was a monumental moment for all African Americans industry-wide, as it obviously hasn’t been done before. Her film, “Middle of Nowhere,” made waves at its reveal [...]




Chris Rock and Dave Chappelle on One Stage for One Tour … Maybe

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*Some of us have been waiting for this for a long time, and it could finally be here. Comedians Chris Rock and Dave Chappelle could be taking to the stage together on an iconic comedy tour. “I’ve been talking to Chappelle a lot,” Rock told New York magazine’s Vulture “Been trying to get Chappelle to [...]




2 Live Crew to Reunite for Summer Tour

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*Luther Campbell has announced that his former rap group 2 Live Crew, famous for lewd party hits such as “Me So Horny” and “Pop that Coochie,” has reunited and will head out for a tour this summer. Uncle Luke announced the news on Saturday at the Sundance Film Festival, where he is promoting a short [...]




Quincy Jones Nearly Outshines Daughter Rashida at Sundance

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*The Sundance Film Festival has been hopping with excitement, especially with premiere film “Celeste and Jesse Forever,” starring Rashida Jones. But critics and fans were hailing her father, Quincy Jones, nearly upstaging the actress at the reveal. “He’s what he is and he will always be and has always been, way before I was here,” [...]




Spike Lee Disappointed with Industry’s Lack of Color

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*When it comes to the big screen, and even the small screen, there’s no question that black and brown faces are hard to come by in significant roles. Even in the independent film industry, where artists have a bit more freedom, the diversity is still lacking, says filmmaker Spike Lee. The Brooklyn native premiered the [...]




Tracy Morgan on Collapse: ‘Superman Ran Into Kryptonite’

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*Tracy Morgan is making light of his hospitalization at Utah’s Sundance Film Festival and confirmed he would be returning to work shooting “30 Rock” on Tuesday (Jan. 24). As previously reported, the comic was taken to the Park City Medical Center after collapsing at an awards ceremony at the festival, according to reports. Morgan was [...]