Terrence Howard discusses Fox's hit show 'Empire' at SCAD Atlanta's aTVfest.
(Photo: The Burton Wire)
Terrence Howard discusses Fox’s hit show ‘Empire’ at SCAD Atlanta’s aTVfest. (Photo: The Burton Wire)
Writing for The Root, the Burton Wire’s founder and editor-in-chief Nsenga K. Burton, Ph.D. caught up with Terrence Howard, star of Fox’s Empire at SCAD Atlanta’s aTVfest to talk about why he decided to return to TV, what it’s like playing a music mogul and working with Taraji P. Henson again. Read an excerpt below:
EXCERPT
Terrence Howard is back on television and loving every minute of it. The man who is as well-known for his tremendous acting ability (The Butler, Ray, Hustle & Flow, The Best Man, Pride) on-screen as he is for his difficult life offscreen is back on the small screen as Lucious Lyon, the patriarch of a musical empire in Fox’s ratings juggernaut Empire. Howard is no stranger to television, having starred in HBO’s award-winning miniseries Lackawanna Blues and ABC’s Their Eyes Were Watching God, both based on iconic literary works. His last foray into network television on the short-lived television series Law & Order: Los Angeles made many wonder if Howard would ever return to television in a weekly series.
The Root: What brought you back to TV?
Terrence Howard:This world we’re living in today—there is no distinction between whether you’re onstage, film, or on TV. I’ve played the movie star, or attempted to be a movie star and all of that. The work that I find on this show is more challenging than 90 percent of the roles in film, and that’s what you want as an artist. You want to continue to be challenged. Every week I’m challenged to see if I can keep up with Lee’s [Empire creator and executive producer Lee Daniels] imagination. With Lee’s creativity and Danny’s [Danny Strong, writer and executive producer] broad view of how he sees the world, I find myself growing as an artist in this place.
TR: What’s your favorite and least favorite thing about playing the character of Lucious Lyon?
TH: I love the fact that Lucious is unapologetic about who he is, and that Lee has given him a backbone of pure determination. I love that about him. What I don’t like about him is his inability to connect with the people that really mean the most to him. He’s definitely trying to reach some of his people but cannot connect with people he should. That’s what I also love about him. I love that you struggle with trying to connect and that you can’t, because it’s the human condition. Not everybody is like us. We can connect. There are people that are like him, that simply can’t, and you are portraying that. It’s really hard for me not to connect. So when I see a character not doing it, it’s beautiful.
Writing for Al Jazeera, Richard Nield reports that Malawi is suffering a humanitarian emergency and the impact of the record floods will be felt for months, if not years. Neild writes:
“More than a million people have been affected by Malawi’s worst rains in the 50 years since independence in 1964. Floods have washed away tens of thousands of houses, destroyed crops, and wiped out livestock in the southern African nation – one of the poorest in the world.
According to UN figures published on February 4, 336,000 people have been displaced by the floods, which hit 15 of Malawi’s 28 districts. There have been 104 confirmed deaths and 172 people are missing. The broader impact of the destruction of agriculture means that an estimated 1.15 million people have been affected nationwide.”
Although International aid organizations have stepped in to try to provide food, shelter and basic services for those who have been displaced, thousands have been cut off from aid because of the scale of the disaster and the difficulty of locating scattered groups of people. The government has declared a State of Disaster.
Piney Woods Country Life School is the nation's largest historically black boarding school. (Photo: Piney Woods Country Life School)
Piney Woods Country Life School is the nation’s largest historically black boarding school. (Photo: Piney Woods Country Life School)
Alexia Fernández Campbell and Mauro Whiteman are reporting for the National Journal that Piney Woods Country Life School, the nation’s largest historically black boarding school, sends 97 percent of its students to college. Piney Woods Country Life School is 2,000-acre boarding school in rural Mississippi, located 20 miles south of Jackson. The authors write:
“It opened in 1909 as the vision of an educated African-American man from St. Louis who felt a desire to teach the illiterate children of freed slaves how to farm and read. In the face of hunger, poverty, and lynching threats, Dr. Laurence Jones and his wife fought to keep the school open in the segregated South.
Now, more than 100 years later, the vocational agriculture school has transformed into a rigorous, college-prep high school for low-income African-American students from across the United States.
Expectations at Piney Woods are high, and so is the pressure. Graduating is a given-every student here is expected to go to college. It doesn’t matter if they come from a ghetto in the Bronx or the suburbs of Detroit. Some 97 percent of students who graduated from Piney Woods last year earned college acceptances, from places such as Spelman College in Atlanta and Kings College in Pennsylvania. Many of these students proud to make this achievement by showing support for their new college with a t shirt blanket of their college’s crest.
Roughly one-third of the school’s 120 students grew up in Mississippi. The rest come from 20 other states, and a handful are international students from Ethiopia and the Caribbean. Everyone receives tuition assistance or a scholarship to help cover the $23,000 annual cost. In return, students are required to work part time on campus.”
The school is funded by private donations and foundations.
Photo of the chaos following the float accident at Carnival in Haiti that resulted in 20 people dead and countless injuries.
(Photo: Google)
Photo of the chaos following the float accident at Carnival in Haiti that resulted in 20 people dead and countless injuries. (Photo: Google)
Caribbean 360 is reporting that 20 people were killed and 46 injured in a parade in Port-au-Prince last week. The float, sponsored by Haitian hip-hop group Barikad Crew, was packed with people. The float came into contact with a power line as it moved through the streets of the capital which led to the debacle.
Some members of the float were instantly electrocuted while others jumped off causing panic in the crowd and dozens of people to be trampled. Evans Sanon of the Associated Press is reporting:
“Prime Minister Evans Paul said 16 people were confirmed dead and 78 were injured. His statement conflicted with earlier reports on the number of casualties. Nadia Lochard, a coordinator for the Department of Civil Protection, had said at least 20 people were killed.”
A young girl listens to a radio broadcast of educational lessons in Sierra Leone.
(Photo: Google Images)
A young girl listens to a radio broadcast of educational lessons in Sierra Leone. (Photo: Google Images)
Robbie Couch of the Huffington Post is reporting that radio stations in Sierra Leone are broadcasting lessons to children in response to the halt in schooling due to the Ebola breakout in 2014. Couch writes:
“Classrooms are empty in Sierra Leone, but education hasn’t ground to a halt. School has yet to resume after last year’s summer break in the West African country due to the rapid spread of Ebola throughout 2014. According to AFP, more than 1 million school-aged kids in Sierra Leone — one of the hardest-hit nations of the epidemic — have been out of class for several months.
Students, however, have utilized radio to stay focused on learning. In October, the Sierra Leone government partnered with UNICEF and a variety of developmental organizations to launch a radio education program for school-aged kids, NPR reported.
The program runs on 41 government radio stations, in addition to the country’s sole television channel, according to NPR. Instructors create hour-long teaching sessions for younger children — who listen in the morning — and older students — who tune in later in the day.”
The measure was put in place to ensure that children’s rights to education are not disrupted.
Mike Will Made It at a Music Choice event.
(Photo: Google Images)
Mike Will Made It at a Music Choice event. (Photo: Google Images)
The name Mike WiLL Made-It is music’s most fitting double entendre. The highly sought-after producer’s trunk-rattling tracks typically open with a megaphone echo-like drop announcing his imprint, Ear Drummers. Another seductive, robotic voice follows pronouncing his pseudonym in full.
His beats consist of snare loops or crisp hand claps cracking and popping. Deep bass pounds and drops hard. The hi-hats’ staccato effects resemble ignited dynamite about to erupt.
The 25-year-old, self-identified “King of the Turn Up’s” discography includes producing tracks for Jay Z, Kanye West, Rihanna, Juicy J., Project Pat, Yo Gotti, Ciara, B.o.B., Ace Hood, Kelly Rowland, ScHoolboy Q, Lil Wayne, 2 Chainz, Brandy, Meek Mill, Juvenile, Ludacris, T.I., Nicki Minaj, Big Sean, Trey Songz, Mariah Carey, 50 Cent, Usher, Young Jeezy and Rick Ross.
Seeming nervous at first, Mike WiLL speaks in short refrains. The Marietta, GA native’s deep, air-filled voice expresses how grateful he is to be successful. “It’s really a blessing, man,” he says wearing dark shades with his hands in his bubble coat pockets. “It’s everything I’ve envisioned, and it’s all coming together. This is a vision I had when I was 18 in my basement.”
Born to a mother who sang background for gospel singer Dottie Peoples, a teenaged Mike WiLL played songs he heard on the radio with a broken keyboard. He started tinkering around with a drum machine on a random visit to a music store, knowing that moment he wanted to produce records.
When Mike WiLL was 17, he handed rapper Gucci Mane a demo of instrumentals at Patchwerk Studios. They started collaborating frequently, encouraging the student-athlete then enrolled at Georgia State University to quit school so he could concentrate on music full-time.
The BET Hip Hop Award winner produced tracks for Future’s mixtapes, his major label debut, Pluto and executive produced his sophomore effort, Honest. Mike WiLL repeated his executive producer role for Miley Cyrus’ chart-topping, Grammy-nominated fourth LP, Bangerz.
These days, he’s eyeing new talent for Ear Drummers, which landed a deal with Interscope Records. His imprint’s first act is Tupelo, MS duo, Rae Sremmurd, or Ear Drummers spelled backwards.
Composed of brothers Swae Lee, 21, and Slim Jxmmi (Jimmy), 23, they released their energetic debut LP, SremmLife, featuring the infectious singles “No Flex Zone” and “No Type.” It’s evident during a promotional appearance for SremmLife in Atlanta that the siblings have lots of love for one another.
They sound like overdubbed vocals as they talk about their success. “We feel blessed,” says Slim Jxmmi beating a skateboard against his left thigh. “It’s like waking up everyday, looking under your pillow and finding $10,000,” adds Swae Lee with the same staccato timing as Mike WiLL’s hi-hats. “Just imagine that.”
Rae Sremmurd, known originally as Dem Outta St8 Boyz, originally recorded their uptempo music on a personal computer before uploading it to social media. They appeared on BET’s now defunct 106 & Park for the Wild Out Wednesday segment. They met with record label executives but was never able to secure a deal.
Homeless and working odd jobs for a short period of time, Rae Sremmurd persevered. “It was definitely a fight, but now people have adapted to it,” says a chilled Swae Lee. “It’s a new sound. We went with the evolution.” A laid back, gravel-voiced Slim Jxmmi chimes in. “We just had to make it out,” he says.
Then, fate intervened. One of Mike WiLL’s producers, PNazty, convinced the duo to quit their jobs and relocate to Atlanta after his cousin played their music for him. The brothers agreed.
Mike WiLL believes Rae Sremmurd’s passion mirrors his own. “When I met them, the perfect vision just played out,” says Mike WiLL still with his hands in his pocket. “We’re all young, like-minded and blessed kids. They’re super creative and know how to keep it raw.”
“They’re Ear Drummers. Their ears are super forward. These guys are cut from the same cloth. They’re family, so it’s a little bit different.”
Going around greeting everyone, the extroverted pair imitates Mike WiLL’s megaphone drop and sound effects. They lists titles of the producer’s songs. Slim Jxmmi calls it “hit after hit.”
“When I hear [Ear Drummers], I automatically think it’s gonna bang,” says a more extroverted Swae Lee still using staccato cadence. “You’re gonna expect smashes, good vibes, good collaborations, good times and great beats. It’s good music for your ears.”
A few feet away, Mike WiLL passes out copies of his latest mixtape, Ransom. The self-motivated producer keeps his affairs in-house, sharing how the mixtape’s packaging was created by his “day one homie.”
“Our whole squad put this project together,” says Mike WiLL. “Being able to do this on our own, seeing people respond to it and like it is a blessing. We just young cats out here working.”
As Mike WiLL and Rae Sremmurd progress forward, they plan to keep the energy in their music. It’s hard for Swae Lee to pinpoint specific what Mike WiLL says to keep them encouraged. “Mike WiLL taught us a lot of stuff,” says Swae Lee. “We can’t even process it all right now. He gave us so much game.”
Slim Jxmmi, on the other hand, does address something Mike WiLL always says to them. “Keep it consistent,” says Slim Jxmmi still playing with the skateboard. “It keeps the hits coming. We got the juice, so let’s get it.”
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.
Rapper Common and Singer-songwriter John Legend won the 2015 Best Song Oscar for the song 'Glory,' for the film 'Selma.'
Photo: Google Images
Rapper Common and Singer-songwriter John Legend won the 2015 Best Song Oscar for the song ‘Glory,’ for the film ‘Selma.’ Photo: Google Images
At the 87th Academy Awards, John Legend and Common won the Best Song award for ‘Glory’ for the film Selma. There has been much ado about something since the critically-acclaimed film Selma was left out of the Best Director and Best Actor categories, despite being nominated for the Best Picture award.
You could hear a pin drop when the dynamic duo offered their acceptance speech, which included remarks about mass incarceration and the struggle for justice now. John Legend stated, “We know that the Voting Rights Act that they fought for 50 years ago is being compromised right now in this country today.”
Watch video of the acceptance speech below:
Common and John Legend also performed the soon to be classic song at the awards ceremony. Watch the performance below:
Selma lead actors David Oyelowo and Carmen Ejogo wept as the two performed the song. “Glory” also won the Best Song award at the 2015 Golden Globes.
This post was written by Nsenga K. Burton, Ph.D. editor-in-chief of the award-winning news site the Burton Wire. Follow her on Twitter @Ntellectual.
Legendary playwright August Wilson.
(Photo: Google Images)
Legendary playwright August Wilson. (Photo: Google Images)
Writing for The Root, the Burton Wire‘s founder & editor-in-chief Nsenga K. Burton, Ph.D. reviews the new PBS documentary on legendary playwright August Wilson. American Masters—August Wilson: The Ground on Which I Stand airs on PBS tonight. Read an excerpt from the article below:
EXCERPT BEGINS
American Masters—August Wilson: The Ground on Which I Stand, airing on PBS Feb. 20, gives an inside look at a private man referred to by many as an outsider. Wilson, the brilliant Pittsburgh-born playwright who wrote 10 plays—nine of which took place in his hometown—covering 10 decades, explored the cultural ideas and attitudes of what playwright-actor-director Ruben Santiago-Hudson calls “a specific type of people.” Through Wilson’s words and those of people closest to him, including colleagues, friends, family and community elders, along with excerpts from his award-winning plays, viewers are given a glimpse into the extraordinary life lived by an ordinary man.
The Ground on Which I Stand offers various types of commentary—scholarly, familial and collegial—about the mister behind the master of literature, who was able to capture the spirit and culture of a people in a way that is described as “super reality” in the documentary. The audience learns about the man behind the mythical figure who churned out Pulitzer Prize-winning plays and poetry that explored “the frustration and the glory of being black” (pdf) in America, as Santiago-Hudson says.
Wilson’s ability to show the beauty and brilliance of a group of people living on the margins of society in Pittsburgh’s Hill District, a place that is clearly a center of African-American life and culture, is unparalleled. He was able to articulate the language and draw meaning from the precarious pressure-filled spaces to create images of blackness that are complicated, rhythmic and powerful.
EXCERPT ENDS
Read the article in its entirety on The Root. Check local listings for channel and airtime.
Reuters Africa is reporting that at least 17 people were killed after a freight train carrying commuters and merchandise including coal derailed in Mozambique’s capital on Thursday, a railway company driver told Reuters on Friday.
The train was traveling from Maputo to neighboring Zimbabwe. The company has made no comment.
Emmy-winning director and executive producer of Fox's 'The Following' Marcos Siega at SCAD Atlanta's aTVfest (Photo Credit: Catrina Maxwell/Getty Images for SCAD Atlanta)
Emmy-winning director and executive producer of Fox’s ‘The Following’ Marcos Siega at SCAD Atlanta’s aTVfest (Photo Credit: Catrina Maxwell/Getty Images for SCAD Atlanta)
When actor Kevin Bacon initially read the script for the Fox series, The Following, he asked if David Fincher could direct it. The lead star of Footloose was approached by the show’s easy going director and executive producer, Marcos Siega, explaining to Bacon that he and the actor would be working together.
Introducing himself to cast and crew is only one task that Siega has to do whenever he takes on projects. Siega had many conversations with Bacon about the show’s concept and direction. Before The Following, Bacon had never worked in television. Now heading into its third season, The Following has allowed both Siega and Bacon to build and enjoy a tremendous working relationship.
Considering himself the “humble boss on-set,” Siega credits The Following’s cast and crew for their hard work and input, calling the show “an incredibly collaborative process.”
“It’s about building trust,” says Siega prior to an advanced screening of The Following’s third season opener at SCAD Atlanta’s aTVfest. “If I need something from [Kevin], I just talk to him. There’s no secret to directing actors. It’s really just communicating and being really clear. It’s a partnership.”
Born and raised in Queens, NY, Siega never officially enrolled in film school but always knew he wanted to make feature films. The director of Franco-Brazilian origins convinced his musician peers to let him shoot their music videos. A musician in a punk band himself, Siega seized the opportunity to learn and hone his filmmaking ability.
Siega directed videos for artists like Everclear, Jurassic 5, Maroon 5, System of a Down, Weezer, Alien Ant Farm, Kelly Osborne, Sevendust, Anthrax, Blink-182, Collective Soul, Cypress Hill, Paramore and Papa Roach. He says working with those performers on-set helped to tighten up his social skills.
“The music videos were a tremendous learning experience,” says Siega. “I got to learn how to shoot, work the equipment, edit and talk to not necessarily actors but musicians. It’s the way that you talk to them to get them to do what you need them to do.”
Soon after, Siega’s talents evolved from music videos to film and television. The self-motivated and extremely passionate director’s promo work for the daytime talk show, Ellen, earned Emmys. One of his three feature films, Pretty Persuasion, received a Grand Jury Prize nomination at Sundance Film Festival in 2005.
Some of Siega’s other television credits include directing episodes of Dexter, True Blood, Cold Case, Veronica Mars and The Vampire Diaries. He says after he started watching HBO’s The Sopranos, he realized that television was at a turning point.
He names all of the emotional responses he experienced watching the hit series. “This was a movie, not a TV show,” he says. “It wasn’t something that was disposable after one episode. I was invested in who the characters were. That’s what you experience when you see a great film.”
Just before Siega boarded his flight to appear at aTVfest, he wrapped up shooting an episode of The Following around 3 a.m. He points out how Bacon’s cinematic presence gives The Following similar aesthetics as any major motion picture. Siega is very enthusiastic when he talks about creating television programs.
“It wasn’t always exactly what [Kevin] imagined,” says Siega, “but when he saw the end result, I think he was very pleased. I’m learning every time I shoot something no matter what it is. It’s not something I have to do. It’s something I love doing.”
Although he’s grateful for his accomplishments, Siega thinks it’s equally as important to address the struggles that come with pursuing careers in film and television. “For all of the success I’ve had and all of the learning I’m still doing, there were thousands times more when people said no,” says Siega.
“That stuff doesn’t go on Google or Wikipedia. Only what you accomplish goes on there.” Always one to offer a word of advice to students and aspiring filmmakers, Siega says he stays encouraged when he runs into novice talent with the same passion he has.
In return, Siega urges them to commit themselves to their dreams. “Never stop,” he says. “Don’t stop. If you believe in what you’re doing, just do it. Do it for the right reasons. I still look at doing television as a learning process for the thing I love most and that’s storytelling.”
The one-hour third season premiere of The Following airs Monday, March 2nd on Fox. Check local listings for times.
This post was created by Christopher A. Daniel, pop cultural critic and music editor for The Burton Wire. He is also a contributing writer for Urban Lux Magazine and Blues & Soul Magazine. Follow Christopher @Journalistorian on Twitter.
