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WATCH: Kerry Washington stars in Tyler Perry’s war movie ‘The Six Triple Eight’ trailer – Essence

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Photo credit: Courtesy of Netflix

Today, Netflix released the trailer for , a strong World War II drama inspired by the true story of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, the primary and only coloured unit of the Women’s Army Corps to serve overseas throughout the war. Written and directed by Tyler Perry, the film highlights the courage and resilience of those unsung heroes who, despite racism, sexism, and grueling conditions, remained dedicated to their mission and their country.

Kerry Washington plays Major Charity Adams, a commander who led a battalion of 855 women, mostly black, alongside women of Caribbean and Mexican descent. The unit was tasked with a rare mission: sorting through 17 million pieces of backlogged mail, restoring vital communications between soldiers on the front lines and their families back home. Working across the clock in difficult conditions, these women completed the duty in lower than 90 days, breaking barriers and giving hope to so many.

Produced by Perry, Nicole Avant, Angi Bones, Tony L. Strickland, Keri Selig and Carlota Espinosa, the film features an all-star solid, including Ebony Obsidian, Milauna Jackson, Kylie Jefferson, Susan Sarandon, Dean Norris and Oprah Winfrey. The film also features an original song, “The Journey,” written by Diane Warren and performed by HER, with choreography by the legendary Debbie Allen.

is ready to premiere in select theaters on December 6, 2024, followed by a worldwide release on Netflix on December 20, 2024. This compelling film not only pays tribute to the legacy of the 6888th Battalion, but in addition brings their extraordinary story to the forefront, ensuring that these trailblazing women are remembered for his or her invaluable contributions to history.

Watch the trailer below.

This article was originally published on : www.essence.com
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Drake Makes Another Legal Move Against Universal Over Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Not Like Us’ Diss

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Drake, Kendrick Lamar, theGrio.com

For the second day in a row Drake took legal motion against Universal Music Group, this time in Texas Kendrick Lamar diss track “Not Like Us”.

The result is analogous reporting in New York on Monday, through which Drake accuses UMG of falsely inflating the recognition of “Not Like Us” on Spotify and other streaming services.

These two legal moves have taken the bitter feud between the 2 hip-hop superstars to a complete latest level, and the parent company of each men’s record labels has now been drawn directly into the fray.

Tuesday’s indictment filed in Bexar County accuses UMG of engaging in “irregular and improper business practices” to acquire radio airplay of “Not Like Us,” including making illegal payments to San Antonio-based iHeartMedia. The petition, a precursor to a possible lawsuit, seeks testimony from corporate representatives of each firms.

The lawsuit alleges that UMG allegedly knew that “the song itself, in addition to its accompanying album cover and music video, attacked the character of one other of UMG’s most distinguished artists, Drake, by falsely accusing him of committing a sex crime, engaging in pedophilic acts, harboring sex offenders and committing other criminal sexual acts.”

The filing points out that “the song calls Drake a ‘certified pedophile,’ a ‘predator,’ and an individual whose name should ‘be recorded and placed on a neighborhood watch.’

The petition states that Drake may sue UMG for defamation, amongst other things.

A UMG representative didn’t immediately reply to an email looking for comment on the brand new filing. In a press release Monday responding to the New York report, the corporate said that “the suggestion that UMG would do anything to undermine the standing of any of its artists is offensive and unfaithful. We apply the very best ethical practices in our marketing and promotional campaigns.”

An email sent to an iHeartMedia representative looking for comment also didn’t immediately receive a response.

The New York petition also previews a possible lawsuit and alleges that fired UMG employees were perceived as loyal to Drake “in an apparent attempt to conceal his plans.”

The repeated legal maneuvers represent a serious and maybe unprecedented escalation within the hip-hop dispute, especially since at its center is a label representing two of music’s biggest stars.

Drake, 38, a five-time Grammy Award-winning Canadian rapper and singer, and Lamar, 37 Pulitzer Prize winner who shall be the foremost character of the following one Super Bowl halftimethey collaborated occasionally over a decade ago.

That modified when Lamar began publicly attacking Drake in 2013. Fight it intensified rapidly earlier this 12 months.

“Not Like Us,” Lamar’s wildly popular single released in May, was a very brutal moment within the two artists’ barrage of duels.

This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
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Rickey Smiley delivers a scathing wake-up call and warns that Donald Trump’s presidency will be ‘open season’ for ‘racists’

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Donald Trump is putting the White House so as by introducing controversial nominations of individuals holding the very best positions in the federal government.

Comedian Rickey Smiley believes that along with his second presidency approaching, the country “would be happy to be in a constitutional crisis.”

The radio show host is now more convinced than ever that Trump’s seemingly outlandish claims about how he plans to make America great again were not only statements made in jest to drum up support, but as an alternative he was presenting his agenda.

Smiley, in a live chat with fans earlier this month, said the media didn’t take the Republican’s words literally.

Rickey Smiley warns America about what one other presidency under Donald Trump would be like. (Photo: Mindy Small/Getty Images; Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

For example, at a June campaign event in West Palm Beach, Florida, he told attendees they’d never must worry about casting a ballot if he won the 2024 presidential race. “Christians, get out and vote, just this time. You won’t must do that anymore. Over the subsequent few years, you understand what, it will be fixed, it will be advantageous, you will not must vote anymore, my beautiful Christian women.” he said Trump.

On TikTok, Smiley told his viewers that Trump’s vision of civic engagement would come true. “There will be no more elections,” he said. But also that “it’s nothing compared to what will actually happen.”

With his victory over Democratic vice chairman nominee Kamala Harris, the Senate and House of Representatives will also be run by the GOP, further enabling the struggling public official to pass a lot of his proposed legislative actions.

One of the important priorities of the pinnacle of “The Apprentice” is to issue a decree allowing mass deportations.

@rickeysmileydigital

We would be lucky if there was a constitutional crisis

♬ original sound – Rickey Smiley

His decision was also prompted by Trump’s belief that the 2020 election was rigged in favor of Democratic President Joe Biden announce“A massive fraud of this nature and scale allows for the lapse of all rules, regulations and articles, even those contained in the Constitution.” Smiley warned his fans: “You have no idea what you’re getting into.”

“He’s going to take over the military. … He doesn’t care about Senate confirmation or anything like that,” Smiley continued.

Even though people like Linda McMahon and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. were nominated to move the Department of Education and the Department of Social and Health Services, respectively, they could not assume office without the consent of the Senate, except by nomination in the course of the recess.

“They are not interested in the Constitution and democracy is over – and that is simply a fact,” the comic said. Moreover, Smiley warned that the civil unrest of 2020 would come to light again.

“They are preparing to eliminate everything,” he continued. “You think this was something in the 1960s… I wouldn’t be surprised if they said buses were for black people and buses were for white people and black people had to sit in the back of the plane. … Some black people will die before they become anything close to slavery again.”

He also darkly predicted: “You’re going to have a bunch of racists here who are just killing black people, knowing that nothing can be done about it. It’s going to get dangerous. Enjoy this silence, enjoy these final months of this Biden administration. … We are heading towards dictatorship.” There were mixed reactions within the comments to his message about Trump’s “open season.”

The fan agreed: “You are very correct!! Sad, that’s what these (orange emoji) Cult Followers are asking.” Another lemon drink he wrote“Every person he elects is on his feet, similar to Trump. But you are right, everyone will find something for themselves.

And a third person said: “He said what he was going to do. The fact that he is a convicted criminal, a misogynist, a racist, a fraud and a child of God. When someone shows you who they are, believe them. God bless the USA.”

However, several people were unhappy with the artist. One commenter asked, “Why create fear?” The second person told the comic: “you are ignorant.”

Trump will be inaugurated on January 20, marking the primary time a convicted felon and twice-impeached president will take office.


This article was originally published on : atlantablackstar.com
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A relative of Louis Armstrong helps create a musical icon on Broadway

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Brandon Louis Armstrong, Louis Armstrong, Broadway musical, theGrio.com

NEW YORK (AP) – A latest stage musical about Louis Armstrong on Broadway begins with a jazz icon in a rehearsal room next to an anonymous pianist. Keep an eye fixed on the important thing guy.

The audience may not understand it, but there are literally two Armstrongs on stage at that moment – the actor playing the nice trumpeter and one of his real-life descendants. The pianist for the kismet act will likely be Brandon Louis Armstrong, the great-great nephew of the musical giant.

“Right now I always feel like I’m talking to my great-great-grandfather from the afterlife as Brandon,” he says. “I can just spend a moment talking to him, ask if he’s OK and hear his voice.”

The younger Armstrong makes his Broadway debut “Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical” playing many roles, including pianist, teacher and understudy to Louis Armstrong himself.

James Monroe Iglehart portrays Louis Armstrong during a performance of “A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical” in New York. (Jeremy Daniel via AP)

“I was cautious about how I would be able to step into this world and connect with some of the history of my family and my lineage,” he says. “I am very thankful, grateful and happy.”

Behind the smile

“A Wonderful World” – Starring the Tony Award Winner James Monroe Iglehart and sometimes James T. Lane within the title role – it’s a stage biography of one of probably the most influential figures in jazz, a musician known for “Hello, Dolly”, “Cheek to Cheek” and “A Wonderful World”.

The musical looks behind his broad smile and delves into his rise from poverty, 4 marriages and his struggles with racism, from New Orleans Klansmen to Chicago thugs to Hollywood bigots. A transcendent power emerges from it, warts and all.

“The message is that jazz is about the choices we make between the notes,” the younger Armstrong says. “It’s not about making the best selection each time. It’s about making a selection and allowing yourself to be present wherever those decisions take you.

Show choir and “Hamilton”

The younger Armstrong was born and raised in Los Angeles. His house has all the time been full of music, but nobody in his immediate family is a musician or desired to perform.

“I grew up in a house where there was a lot of jazz, a lot of gospel, a lot of R&B and a lot of hip-hop. “My mom was also really into 80s hair metal bands and stuff like that,” he says. “I stopped listening to Motown and started liking Guns n’ Roses and then Kenny Rogers. It’s just always been a tapestry of music.”

He was enchanted by his highschool’s choir performance and was invited to hitch in – all of the boys got here since it took muscles to lift the ladies – and was later stunned to see a regional production of the classic musical “Ragtime.”

“I was so moved by it that I thought, ‘I don’t care if I’m the one sweeping the floors when this is over.’ I just want to be a part of whatever it is,” he recalled.

He graduated from the American Academy of Music and Drama and after working on the local stage — including playing Donkey in “Shrek” — landed the third national tour of “Hamilton,” which began in 2019 in Puerto Rico with Lin-Manuel Miranda.

No name disappears

Armstrong didn’t rely on his name to realize success. In press interviews when it broke out, his famous pedigree was not even mentioned. “I never, surprisingly, thought about ever leading like this,” he says. “It’s inevitable in this particular program.”

James Monroe Iglehart plays Louis Armstrong, theGrio.com
James Monroe Iglehart portrays Louis Armstrong during a performance of “A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical” in New York. (Jeremy Daniel via AP)

Iglehart, also a co-director, remembers Armstrong walking into the rehearsal room and giving his name. “We thought, ‘How cool.’ He said, “No, no, I’m related.” He got the job because of his voice and acting, not his name.

“We really did it on talent,” Iglehart says. “I all the time feel like probably the most talented person on the show needs to be her. But the undeniable fact that it was his lineage, we felt it was a sign.

“A Wonderful World” is a strategy to honor not only Louis Armstrong, but additionally Brandon’s grandfather, Louis Henry Armstrong, who told stories of his proud lineage and infrequently picked Brandon up after school listening to jazz music, much to his teenage embarrassment.

“I just think in moments like this how incredibly proud he would be of something like this,” he says. “It’s the best kind of therapy every night.”

Even though the forged includes the true Armstrong, the opposite actors and creators didn’t pull Brandon aside to ask him what Louis would think of a line or scene. This is because Louis Armstrong left many wealthy records about his thoughts.

“A lot of the heartbeat of our show – and I prefer it this way – is the heartbeat in Louis’ voice, rather than someone coming in and arbitrarily squeezing himself into it,” the younger Armstrong said.

In addition to being a rehearsal pianist, serving within the band, and playing for a New Orleans music teacher who recognized Louis Armstrong’s talent, Brandon knows that someday he will likely be asked to proceed within the role of his great-great-grandfather.

“I think what worries me the most is when it happens, I just try not to cry throughout the whole show,” she says with a laugh. “Somehow the universe paved a path for me that brought me here, where I can literally walk up on stage and carry this baton.”

This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
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