ABC names Channing Dungey as president, making her the first African-American to hold the position.
(Photo: Google Images)
ABC names Channing Dungey as president, making her the first African-American to hold the position. (Photo: Google Images)
Shadow and Act is reporting Channing Dungey has been named president of ABC Entertainment, making her the first African-American to hold the position. The author writes:
“Ben Sherwood, co-chairman, Disney Media Networks and president, Disney|ABC Television Group, today announced that Channing Dungey has been named president, ABC Entertainment, succeeding Paul Lee, who has decided to step down as president, ABC Entertainment Group. Ms. Dungey, who was instrumental in the development and success of such hits as “Scandal,” “Criminal Minds,” “How to Get Away with Murder,” “Quantico,” “Army Wives” and “Once Upon A Time,” will now report directly to Mr. Sherwood. In addition, Patrick Moran, executive vice president, ABC Studios, will continue to oversee day-to-day operations, and report directly to Mr. Sherwood.”
Dungey stated:
“I’m thrilled and humbled that Ben has entrusted me with this tremendous opportunity. And I am truly grateful to Paul for being a valued mentor and friend. I’ve had the great honor of working alongside the talented team at ABC for many years and look forward to starting this exciting new chapter with them.”
Prior to this position, Dungey served as executive vice president, Drama Development, Movies & Miniseries for the ABC Entertainment Group.
DOC MCSTUFFINS - The McStuffins family experiences the joys of adoption and also now must adjust to a new baby in the house in a multi-episode story arc of Disney Junior's Peabody Award-winning animated series "Doc McStuffins," beginning FRIDAY, MARCH 4 (8:00-8:30 a.m. EST) on Disney Channel. (Disney Junior)
GRANDMA, DOC, MOM, DONNY, DAD
DOC MCSTUFFINS – The McStuffins family experiences the joys of adoption and also now must adjust to a new baby in the house in a multi-episode story arc of Disney Junior’s Peabody Award-winning animated series “Doc McStuffins,” beginning FRIDAY, MARCH 4 (8:00-8:30 a.m. EST) on Disney Channel. (Disney Junior) GRANDMA, DOC, MOM, DONNY, DAD
Hereweread.com is reporting that Disney sensation Doc McStuffins is getting a new sibling! The McStuffins will add to their family through adoption. Charnaie writes:
“Doc McStuffins will become a big sister again, this time through the miracle of adoption! On Friday, March 4, Disney Junior will kick off a month long series of Doc McStuffins episodes about adoption. They will tackle topics like how to burp a baby and change dirty diapers to emotional insecurities siblings may face when a new baby or child joins the family.”
Check out the Sneak Preview for the adoption storyline below:
The new episodes featuring the adoption storyline will begin airing March 4.
The 2014 Jackie Robinson West team after their U.S. Little League World Series win.
(Photo: Google Images)
The 2014 Jackie Robinson West team after their U.S. Little League World Series win. (Photo: Google Images)
J.R. Gamble of The Shadow League is reporting the 2014 Jackie Robinson West Little League stripped of their Little League World Series U.S. Championship, is fighting back in court. The team was stripped of its U.S. Title after allegations that the team had brought in ringers from outside towns and manipulated district lines to form the best lineup they could. Once celebrated, the team and handlers were eviscerated by the media, particularly sports commentators. Now the team is headed to court to prove that they didn’t cheat and that their reputations were maligned by a host of people, who caused the youngsters and their families undue distress.
Gamble writes:
“The lawsuit names Little League International, ESPN and officials from the local league, including the team’s former coach, Darold Butler, former league president Bill Haley, Evergreen Park whistleblower Chris Janes and ESPN commentator Stephen A. Smith.
In addition, the suit alleges the controversy resulted in emotional distress, defamation of character and invasion of privacy of the team’s members and family.”
According to Gamble who interviewed NBA legend Isiah Thomas, some of the addresses of the kids were changed because some of them were homeless. Gamble writes:
“In a recent conversation I had with Chicago hero and NBA Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas, some of the kids on the team had big-time family issues, financial issues and housing instability consistent with young African-American kids trying to survive in an urban jungle. These complicated social matters made it much more difficult for the team. ‘You had kids who were homeless staying with other families and parents who weren’t working, so they didn’t have consistent addresses,’ Thomas said.
Thomas says it was less about coaches and parents ‘cheating’ and more about navigating the unusual circumstances that inner-city African-American youth must go through. The teams that play in these tournaments are traditionally white kids from small towns with working parents and financial support.”
Canadian actor Stephan James stars as Olympic gold medalist Jesse Owens in 'RACE' (Photo Credit: Focus Features).
Canadian actor Stephan James stars as Olympic gold medalist Jesse Owens in ‘Race’ (Photo Credit: Focus Features).
When Canadian actor Stephan James traveled to Berlin, he walked alone into the same arena where groundbreaking athlete Jesse Owens (1913-1980) won four gold medals in front of 150,000 spectators at the 1936 Olympics. Walking on those same grounds close to eight decades later inspired James to believe he was part of a significant moment immortalizing an American icon.
The 22-year-old leading man is starring in Race, a two-plus hour period piece that retells the sequence of events surrounding the record-breaking track-and-field sprinter triumphing under Hitler’s regime. “I realized I was in a different space,” recalls James seated at a roundtable at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in downtown Atlanta. “I just remember having chills. You can only imagine Jesse’s mindset and the type of place he was in. It was a real moment that I was really able to lock in and feel what he felt.”
James’ transformation into the Alabama native who became the first American in history to earn four gold medals in a single year was comprised of a combination of meticulous research and detail-oriented physical acting. Born in Toronto, James closely studied Owens’ form. He shaved his hairline to resemble Owens’ hairline. The extremely toned performer trained on Georgia Tech’s campus two months prior to going into production under the tutelage of Tech’s assistant track-and-field coach, Nat Page. James, an exceptional basketball and volleyball player, admits to barely knowing anything about sprinting.
Speaking in a soothing, deep voice and back to wearing his original hairline, James, who celebrated his 22nd birthday two days prior, drew parallels between his sportsmanship and passion for acting. “It was all about focus and discipline,” urges James. “That same dedication I had for sports can easily transcend to the acting world: paying attention to how [Jesse] started his race, what were his stride and posture like and what was his face looking like. Paying attention to small details is something athletes do all the time.”
Researching Owens through literature and archives netted minimal results for James. He used those limited reference materials he found via the internet and married that information with anecdotes he gathered from being around Owens’ three daughters. “It was very helpful to me,” continues James. “They’re very involved in the whole scriptwriting process and filming. They filled in the blanks as far as their father was concerned.”
No stranger to performing in historical dramas, James is comfortable with accepting roles that allow him to identify with the plight of past generations of black and brown people. The Canadian Screen Award nominee portrayed a young Congressman John Lewis in the civil rights-era blockbuster, Selma, while he was conditioning for Race. James was also cast in The Book of Negroes, The L.A. Complex and Degrassi: The Next Generation.
“Acting is something that I just love to do,” confirms James, adding on that he’s a voracious reader as it relates to sports and politics. “For me to be able to do that, I have to be as focused as Jesse Owens was.”
James is especially proud of being selected as one of Toronto International Film Festival’s Rising Stars last year. The recognition put the young actor in similar spaces as numerous casting directors and producers. “That was a very special moment for me,” the gracious actor says. “Having that sort of honor from my own city is incredible. That’s something a lot of actors don’t get, having those types of influential people in front of them. That was a very important opportunity for me.”
Reiterating how fortunate he’s been to work on great projects, a mild-mannered yet confident James refuses to typecast his acting ability to strictly portraying historical figures. “I look forward to doing many different types of roles and exploring many different genres,” confirms James. “This is not it.”
James reiterates that possessing a flawless work ethic is how he lands roles. His skin color, he says, doesn’t diminish his potential. “Obviously we see that usually minorities aren’t equally represented in certain instances,” states James, “but for me, it’s always been a journey of working hard, focusing and not using that as a crutch or an excuse for anything.”
James adds, “When you’re telling a story like this, you have a responsibility to answer questions. Race shows how far we’ve come and why we can’t afford to take any steps backwards. I’m not a politician, but I’m not afraid of those questions.”
As James’ star continues to rise in cinema, he says no role he’s played thus far has been as challenging as Race. The influx of 16-hours days he spent on-set for a three-month shoot became taxing. James insists that stepping into the role of Jesse Owens is both physically and mentally demanding. “When you’re in a space where you’re only being another person,” says James, “you’re not yourself. You give so much of yourself to that person.”
Still, James is proud to have portrayed another iconic subject, even pointing out how surprised he was that Germans adore the Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient’s legacy. “I really just hope that people are inspired by a man who is not only an American hero but a world hero,” says James. “He’s someone who’s broken so many barriers with just his talent, love, passion and dedication. If Jesse could do what he did in the time in which he did it, then there’s no excuse for us. The sky’s the limit.”
This post was written by Christopher A. Daniel, pop cultural critic and music editor for the Burton Wire. He is also contributing writer for Urban Lux Magazine and Blues & Soul Magazine. Follow Christopher @Journalistorian on Twitter.
TMZ is reporting that Denise Matthews, known as ‘Vanity’ of the 1980s pop group Vanity 6 has died. A protégé and former girlfriend of legendary musician Prince, the Canadian born model/singer/actress exploded onto the pop cultural scene as a member of Vanity 6 with their international hit ‘Nasty Girl.’
Prince and Vanity in 1983 (Photo: Google Images)
The group toured with Prince until his 1999 tour and reportedly broke up after Prince and Vanity parted ways before filming Purple Rain.
Vanity’s role in the group and cult film classic was re-cast with singer Patricia ‘Apollonia’ Kotero and the remaining two original members of the group (Susan Moonsie and Brenda Bennett). The group performed under the moniker Apollonia 6.
After her split from the group in 1983, Matthews went on to star in a number of B-movies that would eventually become fan favorites — Motown’s The Last Dragon (1985), co-starring 1980s heartthrob Taimak and Action Jackson (1988), co-starring 1980s star Carl Weathers of Rocky fame. The actress also starred in 52-Pickup, a 1986 crime thriller based on Elmore Leonard’s novel of the same name. Directed by legendary director John Frankenheimer, the film co-starred screen legends Roy Scheider and Ann-Margret.
Matthews continued as a solo artist signing with Motown and releasing two albums in 1985 and 1986, Wild Animal and Skin on Skin which produced the hit songs “Pretty Mess”, “Mechanical Emotion”, and “Under the Influence.”
In 1986, Matthews was also involved in a high profile romance and engagement to legendary rocker Nikki Six of Mötley Crüe. The engagement eventually ended with Matthews becoming a born-again Christian and rejecting Hollywood.
In recent years, Matthews has been in the media more for health problems, battling kidney failure — largely the result of drug abuse during her time as a celebrity.
Matthews was 57 and is survived by her sister Patricia.
This post was written by Nsenga K. Burton, Ph.D., founder & editor-in-chief of The Burton Wire. Follow her on Twitter @Ntellectual.
Hampton University's historic 2015-2016 men's lacrosse team.
(Photo: Logan Whitton/laxmagazine)
Hampton University’s historic 2015-2016 men’s lacrosse team. (Photo: Logan Whitton/laxmagazine)
Corey McLaughlin of Lacrosse Magazine is reporting that history was made on Saturday, as the Hampton men’s lacrosse team became the first from a historically black college or university to debut at the NCAA Division I men’s level.
Led by Coach Lloyd Carter, a Morgan State University alumnus, The Pirates also became the first HBCU since Morgan State in 1981 to field a varsity men’s team in the sport.
McLaughlin writes:
“The Hampton story was featured on the November cover of Lacrosse Magazine, with the headline, “It’s real,” the team’s slogan — sometimes sung by Carter and the players — in reference to the historical significance and the quick transition from a relatively young club program to a varsity sport in just one offseason.
The team was the dream of a former Hampton student, Michael Crawford, who died in December 2010 of an undiagnosed enlarged heart, one semester short of graduation. He wanted to start a club team at Hampton. His mother, Verina, saw to it that it happened, seeing the project through the Hampton administration.
US Lacrosse assisted the campaign by awarding the Hampton club a First Stick Program equipment grant in 2011, supporting Hampton Lacrosse Day in 2012 and the HBCU Lacrosse All-Star Classic in subsequent years.”
ESPN broadcast the first hour of the historic game live from Armstrong stadium on Hampton University’s campus; the second hour of the game was broadcast on ESPN2.
The Pirates lost to Roberts Wesleyan 20 – 3.
Click here for Logan Whitton’s photo gallery of the Hampton University Pirates men’s lacrosse team.
Dr. Paula A. Johnson has been named Wellsley College’s 14th president. (Google Images)
Jeremy C. Fox of the Boston Globe is reporting Wellesley College has named Dr. Paula A. Johnson as the 14th president, making her the first African-American chosen for the coveted post. Johnson, who is a Harvard Medical School Professor and women’s health advocate, will assume the post in July.
Fox writes:
“Johnson, 56, said in an interview that she felt a special responsibility as the college’s first African-American leader and believes that student diversity is one of Wellesley’s strengths.
She said she would work ‘to not only strengthen and deepen that diversity, but also ensure that our residential experience is taking full advantage of that diversity, that our young women are really experiencing all the richness that that diversity brings on campus….’
Wellesley graduated its first African-American student in 1887. In 2014-2015, the most recent academic year for which data are available, the student population was 5 percent black, 9 percent Hispanic, 22 percent Asian, and 6 percent biracial or multiracial. Another 12 percent were international students.”
Johnson is the former chairwoman of the Boston Public Health Commission, a professor at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and a physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
Johnson will replace H. Kim Bottomly, who will step down after nine years of service.
Nigerians are building fireproof housing with re-purposed plastic.
(Photo: Google Images)
Nigerians are building fireproof housing with re-purposed plastic. (Photo: Google Images)
Films for action is reporting Nigerians are finding ways to recycle plastic to build housing that is fireproof, bulletproof and can withstand earthquakes. Author Amanda Froelich writes:
“These colorful homes are bulletproof, fireproof, and can withstand earthquakes. They also maintain a comfortable temperature, produce zero carbon emissions, and are powered by solar and methane gas from recycled waste.”
The use of recycled plastic is important because plastic needs to be reused and kept out of landfills due to its negative impact on the environment. Froelich writes, “Researchers predict that 99% of all birds on this planet will have plastic in their gut by the year 2050.” In addition to re-purposing plastic, using plastic to build housing helps to solve Nigeria’s housing crisis in which nearly 16 million housing units are needed to fill the gap.
Kaduna-based NGO Development Association for Renewable Energies (DARE), with help from London-based NGO Africa Community Trust, have joined together to solve both issues – negative impact on the environment and Nigeria’s housing crisis by building houses with zero carbon emissions and that can cost under $1000US to build.
Award-winning actor, director and playwright Roger Guenveur Smith.
Award-winning actor, director and playwright Roger Guenveur Smith. (Photo Patti McGuire)
Performing on-stage is how celebrated actor, director and playwright Roger Guenveur Smith answers those burning questions he has about the past. His inquisitive one-man play, Rodney King, is a minimalist but dynamic production that journeys into the life of the black man notoriously beaten by four Los Angeles cops in 1991. The videotaped assault ignited a media firestorm, sparking the 1992 riots following the officers being acquitted.
“Theatre is where we do the undoable, and we say the unsayable,” says an extremely breathy Smith via phone three days prior to his recent two-night stint performing Rodney King at Georgia Tech’s Ferst Center for the Arts. He started developing the original work following King’s untimely June 2012 death from drowning in his backyard swimming pool.
Curious about what ultimately led to King’s demise, Smith says he imagined him as a tragic hero pre-dating the internet, calling King “the first reality television star.” “Rodney King was an ordinary man placed in an extraordinary circumstance,” continues Smith, “a human being struggling with the same issues that we all struggle with. He had the further complication of public notoriety; being fast forwarded, freeze-framed and rewound millions and millions of times all over the world. He was viral before viral was viral.”
A barefoot Smith takes center stage with only a microphone and square spotlight against an onyx ambiance. The soft-spoken, meticulous Berkeley, CA-born performer delivers investigative monologues full of octave changes, emphases on syllables, percussive sound effects, puns and periodic echoes. The Yale School of Drama alumnus manipulates bubbling aquatic sound effects, a pulsating heartbeat, news audio footage and majestic psychedelic music with the help of sound designer/frequent collaborator Marc Anthony Thompson, lighting designer Jose Lopez and production manager Kirk Wilson.
Smith profiles King’s life leading up to his devastating beating. The dramatist’s lines are visceral details spoken with a style equal parts spoken word poetry and documentary narration. Smith splices in subtle commentaries on police brutality, racism, black male pathology, violence, gun control and mental health in the African American community. A SAG award nominee known for his physical acting, the actor cast in ensemble films like Do the Right Thing, Malcolm X, Poetic Justice, Panther, Get on the Bus, Deep Cover, Mooz-Lum, American Gangster, Dope and Chi-Raq, relied strictly on surfing the internet for research.
He wanted Rodney King to come from an outsider’s perspective, not from recollections courtesy of King’s family and friends. “I didn’t know Rodney King personally. Never met him or saw him, but I’d always been inspired by him,” proclaims Smith, who majored in American Studies at Occidental College. “It was a tremendous loss, and I wanted to know why I was so moved when I heard about it.”
The passionate thespian earned an Obie, a Peabody and NAACP Theater awards for his critically acclaimed, Spike Lee-directed A Huey P. Newton Story. Smith has also revisited and portrayed Christopher Columbus, feuding baseball players Juan Marichal and John Roseboro and Frederick Douglass. He prides himself on bridging gaps between the past and the present using a variety of voices, acknowledging Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee as major influences because they used their acting as both educational and political instruments.
Smith took time to pay homage to rock icon David Bowie, who passed two days prior to the interview. “He was always reaching into something new, something fresh,” recalls Smith. “There was always a theatricality to his music, so you couldn’t peg him down to any one thing. His connection to the culture was always profound and very genuine.”
Smith recalls performing A Huey P. Newton Story in 1997 at the Public Theater in New York following the death of hip-hop artist The Notorious B.I.G. He decided to incorporate the rapper into his quasi-period piece, insisting that being an avid listener of music is what fuels his polyrhythmic dramatic license. “Musicality is fundamental to my work when it’s working,” suggests Smith, adding that his work is heavily inspired by jazz.
“I always try to acknowledge the present moment. I don’t wanna engage in a historical piece or characters simply as an exercise of nostalgia, so hopefully we’re all living in the moment.” Considering the numbers of young African Americans being harassed and then killed by law enforcement in recent years, Smith believes Rodney King reflects the times.
“When this started in 2012, I thought this would be a prayer or memorial for Rodney [King],” continues Smith. “This whole thing over the last three-and-a-half years has just blown up incredibly. At one point, Rodney was unique, but now almost everyday you open your laptop, and there’s somebody else whose getting smashed.”
Smith is continuing to quench his thirst for connecting with history through his art. He’s excited about co-starring in The Birth of a Nation, actor/director Nate Parker’s biopic on Nat Turner which premiered at Sundance and made history by landing a $17.5 million deal from Fox Searchlight. Smith is directing the L.A. premiere of Katori Hall’s The Mountaintop, chronicling the last day of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s life. He and Thompson are crafting 500 Lives Per Mile, an account of the community of black and West Indian men who helped construct the Panama Canal.
“I feel privileged to be able to do what I do effectively,” says Smith following a gasp and waves of chuckles here and there. “I can play effectively in stillness and in silence.”
Smith was extremely happy to bring Rodney King to Atlanta during MLK weekend. The city cemented a place in the veteran talent’s heart beyond its civil rights past. The actor was first cast in the first of nine film projects, School Daze, with Lee.
Atlanta is a constant reminder, Smith says, of where his career started and why he continues to do what he loves. “Spike and I have a tremendous relationship,” says Smith, who has been friends with Lee for over 25 years. “It’s always good to be in Atlanta. It was because of the sacrifices that countless folks made that we’re able to come together, see the show and get along.”
This post was written by Christopher A. Daniel, pop cultural critic and music editor for the Burton Wire. He is also contributing writer for Urban Lux Magazine and Blues & Soul Magazine. Follow Christopher @Journalistorian on Twitter.
Join us today for a Google Hangout at 12:15 p.m. today discussing the “State of Black Athletes in the NFL.” As we continue down the road to Super Bowl 50, tune in as we discuss the Cam Newton clapback, the double standard facing black coaches, and why the slow response to the CTE controversy? Would it be different if the racial composition of the league players were different?
Guests who will be joining the Google Hangout today at noon are as follows:
Max Beaulieu, former football player at Syracuse University and sports agent at Avant Garde Management Group.
Cassius Butts, Board Member of Professional Sports Lives Magazine and sports blogger
Coach Bobby Jackson, former football student-athlete at Northwestern University of the Big Ten Conference. He has spent over 18 years as a strength & conditioning coach for various high school and college programs training and mentoring athletes on the amateur, collegiate, and professional level.
Andre Hardy, former Oakland Raider and Arizona Cardinal. Recently finished a season with the Brooklyn Bolts of the FXFL.
Nsenga K. Burton, Ph.D., founder & editor-in-chief of The Burton Wire
