Ava Duvernay & David Oyelowo Named 20th Urbanworld Film Festival Ambassadors

*Urbanworld Film Festival announced today that critically-acclaimed filmmaker Ava DuVernay and one of Hollywood’s most sought after actors, David Oyelowo, will serve as the ambassadors for Urbanworld Film Festival’s 20th anniversary. Urbanworld will be held in New York City from September 21 – September 25, 2016, with AMC Empire 42nd Street hosting its featured film […]

Instagram Bans Hashtag #Curvy, Users Protest with #StillCurvy

*Why won’t Instagram let curvy women be great? The social media platform recently banned the innocuous word “curvy” in hashtag form because it violated its policies. According to Buzzfeed, an Instagram spokesperson said the hashtag will no longer be searchable because “it was being used to share images and videos that violated Instagram’s community guidelines around […]

Rashida Jones Sounds Off on the Porn Industry and Being Sex-Positive

*With her documentary “Hot Girls Wanted,” Rashida Jones is giving folks something to think about regarding young women and their ascent into the amateur porn industry. While she doesn’t have a problem with porn, the “Parks and Recreation” star is more concerned with how young female performers are exploited as well as the effect it […]

Freaknik Coming Back to ATL? Sorta, but Not Really Says Club Owner

*Black Twitter has been abuzz about news that Freaknik was making a comeback, but the owner of the venue where the party is set to take place Labor Day weekend wants enthusiasts to slow down, because it’s not quite what you think. Promoter Danny Hefner is reportedly bringing back Freaknik for the new generation, and […]

Simone Biles, Gabby Douglas, Allyson Felix, Serena Williams in New Nike Ad ‘Unlimited Pursuit’ (Watch)

*Powerful female athletes from the Rio Olympics have surfaced in the latest ad for Nike. Gymnasts Simone Biles and Gabby Douglas, ageless track wonder Allyson Felix and tennis maven Serena Williams join other top women of sport in the 40-second clip, “Unlimited Pursuit,” released Wednesday by the sports apparel giant. The latest chapter in Nike’s “Just Do It” campaign sees the […]

Judge Foils Promoter’s Attempt to Block Faith Evans From Bad Boy’s Atlanta Show

*Faith Evans is free and clear to perform at the Atlanta stop of Puff Daddy’s Bad Boy Reunion Tour after a judge this week denied a promoter’s legal effort to keep her off the stage. As previously reported, Atlanta promoter Jeremy Hill and The Middle Georgia Entertainment Group sued Evans for breach of contract, claiming […]

Serena Williams Seeded No. 1 for U.S. Open

*Serena Williams will look to rebound from her loss at the Olympic Games earlier this month with her run at the U.S. Open, where she’ll enter as the No. 1 seeded woman, the U.S. Tennis Association announced Tuesday. Novak Djokovic was named the No. 1 seed on the men’s side. Williams barely held on to that top spot in […]

Idris Elba Trains to Become a Professional Kickboxer for Discovery’s ‘Fighter’

*Idris Elba continues his relationship with Discovery Networks UK with his participation in the new limited series, “Idris Elba: Fighter.” The three-part documentary follows the British actor as he undertakes the physically and mentally demanding task of training to become a professional kickboxer. The series culminates with Elba facing a seasoned fighter in a real no-holds-barred match set to […]

Comedy Central Orders Series From its Snapchat King, James Davis

*Comedy Central hopes comedian James Davis can do for the network what he has done for its Snapchat. On Wednesday, the cable channel announced it had ordered a television series that will feature Davis as the creator, star and executive producer. The as-yet-untitled project, due to premiere in January 2017, is expected to inhabit the […]

Starz Renews ‘Survivor’s Remorse’ for Season 4

*Starz announced today that it has given a fourth season renewal to “Survivor’s Remorse,” its comedy series from executive producers Mike O’Malley, Tom Werner, LeBron James and Maverick Carter. Season Three of “Survivor’s Remorse” has seen record increases in its audience, averaging 2.9 million viewers per episode among all reportable platforms, an increase of more […]

Aisha Hinds Scores Harriet Tubman Role in WGN’s ‘Underground’

*The last scene in the season one finale of WGN America’s “Underground” had Jurnee Smollett-Bell’s character Rosalie being assisted by none other than Harriet Tubman, whose face was not shown. Well you can now add a face to the portrayal. “Under the Dome” and “Star Trek Into Darkness” alum Aisha Hinds has been tapped to […]

Marshawn Lynch Now Mentoring as Member of Cal Football’s Scout Team (Pics)

*Former Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch has found a way to continue racking up yards on the gridiron without having to come out of retirement. The Bay Area native has returned to his UC Berkeley alma mater to serve as the running back for the scout team. That’s right – the Cal defense must try to contain “Beast Mode.” […]

‘Green Leaf: The Gospel Companion’ to TV Series Out Friday

*As final preparations are made for the August 26th release of Green Leaf : The Gospel Companion Vol. 1 album, it’s more than worth noting that this is not an ordinary soundtrack album but, then again, Green Leaf, is far from an ordinary TV series. The series, from Lionsgate and seen on the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) just set […]