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Colman Domingo Holds Back Tears While Discussing ‘Sing Sing’

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Colman Domingo, thegrio.com

Colman Domingo gave his all in his latest role as a wrongly convicted man.

In “Sing Sing,” Domingo plays John “Divine G” Whitfield, a real-life figure who served as a pacesetter in Rehabilitation through art program while in prison. RTA is a program that gives creative arts workshops to over 230 incarcerated men and ladies across the country. As Whitfield fights to be released from prison, he finds belonging with a gaggle of incarcerated men who create a theatrical production as a part of this system.

The role required Domingo to stretch himself emotionally and provides what he calls his most liberating performance yet. The Oscar-nominated actor had just wrapped filming “The Color Purple” and was preparing to shoot “Rustin” when he began production on “Sing Sing” in 2022. Domingo says in a brand new interview with theGrio that he had just 18 days to complete the film, which forced him to let go and go deep.

“I usually put myself through a very rigorous process of research and all these other details that can drive someone crazy, but that’s my process,” the 54-year-old actor shares. “But for this (film), I had to liberate myself in a different way. I just had to figure out what was human, what was deeply connected to me as just a black man in the world.”

“I could have been in that situation, or I could have been in that situation, and my life path would have been different,” he adds. “But holding on to life and hope and art in the way that (Whitfield) did, because I think that’s what he had to do, and that’s the true essence of the spirit.”

Colman Domingo speaks on stage as CÎROC Limonata & The House Of Creed have fun the film “Sing Sing” and Colman Domingo throughout the opening of the 2024 Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival on the Performing Arts Center on August 2, 2024 in Edgartown, Massachusetts. (Photo by Arnold Turner/Getty Images for CÎROC Limonata)

Domingo says he also had to interrupt free “from the company of men who may not have been professional actors but who respected their craft.” “Sing, Sing” features several formerly incarcerated actors and RTA participants playing past versions of themselves, including Clarence “Divine Eye” Maclin, who received critical approval for his performance.

“I couldn’t come in with any preconceived notions about them or their process. I had to be completely free, and that’s the only way we could create a film that I think has more soul work than anything else.”

Domingo tells Grio that he was the “leader” on set among the many forged, but made sure the opposite actors, whom he calls “artisans,” felt supported and had “the space to do their job.”

“I trusted that these were men who had actually done the work when they were in these programs, when they were incarcerated, and some of them were doing the work outside of them,” he explains. “A lot of them had never done a movie before. I never looked at it as something that wasn’t great. I thought, ‘Oh, what a great opportunity that we can create something different.’ The texture will be different; the authenticity will be different because they have life experience.”

Domingo gets emotional during an interview with theGrio, talking about one scene where his character hugs Maclin after he gets out of prison. In that scene, Whitfield has an entire breakdown, sobbing and unleashing years of emotion as Maclin hugs him.

“That scene was rewritten at least 20 times,” Domingo says of the scene, which director Greg Kwedar shot in a single take.

“When we were going to shoot it, I asked Greg to give us a take where—we already have the skeleton of the scenes in us, but I think we just have to let them play out,” he says. “All I need to know about my character is that he’s been incarcerated for 25 years, wrongly convicted of a crime for 25 years. His last parole was seven years earlier, when he had to stay in prison. My own secret is that his mother had also died, so he had no one waiting for him at the end.”

“We shot that scene once and we knew that was it,” Domingo explains. Describing the scene as “organic and guttural,” Domingo says he had no idea he would “let out that wail” like that.

“It came from my brother Clarence hugging me. The shared story of ‘this man can carry my pain, my trauma.’ It became for me a little bow tied around our story of these two men who you never thought would get along, and suddenly they’re really accountable to each other on the outside. You have someone there — Oh, I’m about to cry — you have someone there who has your back.”

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Domingo, who was previously nominated for an Oscar for his role in “Rustin,” is already reaping the rewards for his role in “Sing Sing.” The actor says the accolades are nice — not due to the glamour and glitz, but due to the light they shed on the film and its significance.

“I think if it leads people to the film and its message, then great,” Domingo concludes. “I did it with love. I did it with respect for these men, believing that their stories matter. That’s why I produced the film. I think stories like that matter. That’s what I want to tell the world. And if we get the amplification and all the buzz and nominations and awards, I say go for it.”

This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
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Usher’s Son Naviyd Reveals Teachers’ Crazy Obsession With His Dad, But Fans Side With Instructors

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The second oldest son of star Usher has caused a stir online after posting a hilarious video on TikTok through which he makes fun of teachers who gush over his famous father, who has been making women laugh for the reason that Nineteen Nineties.

At 15 years old, Naviyd Ely Raymond has a singular personality.

Fans who follow his social media, especially TikTok, know him as greater than just the “nepo kid.” He’s smart, funny, and enjoys the identical day by day routine as another teenager—with one exception: his father is legendary.

Usher’s teenage son, Naviyd, says he’s uninterested in teachers asking him about his famous father. (Photo: Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images)

Naviyd goes to highschool like most children his age, but unlike his peers, his teachers cannot wait to search out a reason to call home and invite “Mr. Not Leaving My Girlfriend With Me” to a parent-teacher meeting.

In the recent fastingNaviyd shared a video from the writer’s perspective, dubbed over in the shape of a comedy audio clip.

In the video, he jokingly responds to an off-camera voice that he has to go to highschool, saying, “I don’t care about going to school.”

He added the text below the video: “When the teacher comes up to me and says, ‘I’m a huge fan of your dad’ and ‘You look just like Usher.'”

Within 24 hours of the video being posted on Tuesday, September 17, it had been viewed greater than 311,000 times, and fans began commenting on it.

While it’s easy to assume the situation as a bit embarrassing for the teenager, many fans found humor in it. After all, they understood why teachers paid special attention to Naviyd.

First of all, many individuals think he looks exactly like Usher.

“You all can see that’s Usher’s son. They have similar facial features. Especially the eyes,” one person commented. Another chimed in, “Wait, you’re literally his twin.”

@naviydraymond I never understood why they tell me this as if I care 🙁🙏🏾 #fyp #viral #school #father ♬ Poojina – Poppyx

Fans stated earlier this 12 months that not only does he resemble his father in appearance, but that he also feels like his father when he sings.

From there, the comments section took a hilarious turn, with fans imagining what they might do in the event that they were Naviyd’s teacher.

“I need a parent-teacher conference ASAP! But not with Tameka,” one person joked, referring to Naviyd’s mother, Tameka Foster.

Some commentators suggested that Naviyd could use the eye to his advantage. One fan wrote, “I’ll let you meet him if you let me skip this test,” pretending to be in his shoes.

When the Shadow Room republished The video garnered 29.2 million comments from followers, a lot of whom identified the irritating facial expressions, curly brown hair and graffiti-splattered shirt.

“Lmaooooo! Celebrity kids don’t care who their parents are. I love it!” one person said.

Another joked: “I’ll be doing back to school gatherings like Chris Brown. 1k to meet dad.”

There was even a bit of advice for Naviyd within the comments section. “Boy, if you don’t shut up and take the good grades this lady is going to give you,” one fan jokingly warned.

Not everyone saw the humor within the situation, though. Some understood how frustrating it may very well be for a youngster attempting to navigate school with a famous parent.

“I understand how annoying it can be,” one commenter sympathized. “Tell your dad you’re uncomfortable, and maybe he can talk to the staff about not bringing it up so you can enjoy your school experience. Good luck.”

Naviyd is not any stranger to the highlight. Usher has previously shared hilarious stories about his son on social media, including how Naviyd took over his Instagram DMs to send messages to celebrities. One notable case involved the PinkPantheress singer, who sent messages to teenagers.

The young man’s message to the “Boy’s a Liar” artist read: “Hi, this is Usher’s son, Naviyd. I’m your biggest fan, please follow me.”

He then added an emoji of eyes and hands clasped in prayer: “I recommended the show ‘Masterpieces.’” PinkPantheress responded and invited Usher and Naviyd to seem on her show, in response to Entertainment Tonight.

Usher saw the humor in his son’s antics, sharing on his Instagram Story: “Because he was the one who did the most to connect with her on my account… I had to pretend he wasn’t allowed to go there…”

“Yeah… He broke my trust… and I will never trust him with my phone,” Usher joked. “But I appreciate his effort and that he did it,” calling his son a “little genius.”

The “You Remind Me” singer will not be only a fantastic father, but in addition someone dedicated to teaching life lessons to his 4 children.

He spends time along with his 16-year-old son Usher “Cinco” V and 15-year-old Naviyd Ely — whom he shares with ex-wife Tameka Foster — in addition to his almost-4-year-old daughter Sovereign Bo and almost-3-year-old son Sire Castrello along with his current wife Jenn Goicoechea.

Perhaps Naviyd will use this same genius to distract teachers and help himself earn a spot on the list of outstanding students in science.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mMFIOGsIdA


This article was originally published on : atlantablackstar.com
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Footage from Netflix’s Simone Biles documentary reveals mistakes made at the Paris Olympics

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Thanks to Netflix’s Simone Biles documentary, Jordan Chiles may win her Olympic medal appeal, though. Court documents released Monday reportedly show that video footage utilized in Chiles’ ongoing bronze medal appeal comes from Katie Walsh and Religion Sports, the director and production company behind the docuseries “Simone Biles: Rising.”

At the 2024 Paris Olympics, Chiles was awarded the bronze medal when her coach, Cecile Landi, filed an appeal in court. However, shortly thereafter, the Team USA gymnast “suffered a major blow” when the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) overturned her coach’s initial appeal, saying it got here 4 seconds after the one-minute closing date for submitting scoring inquiries. In affirming the court’s ruling, the International Olympic Committee re-awarded the bronze medal to Romanian gymnast Ana Barbosu.

“I am speechless,” Chiles said in response to the ruling. “This decision seems unfair and is a major blow not only to me but to everyone who has supported my journey. To add to this heartbreaking pain, the unjustified racial attacks on social media are wrong and incredibly hurtful. I put my heart and soul into this sport and I am proud to represent my culture and my country.”

“We won’t let this go so easily and we will continue to look for video footage and other things,” Landi said at the time, USA Today reports.

As Chiles and US Gymnastics begin the means of appealing the court’s decision, the footage could prove to be a lifesaver. It reportedly shows Landi filing her appeal in the courtroom inside 60 seconds. According to USA Today, Landi will be heard saying “Inquiry for Jordan” exactly 49 seconds after the results were announced on the tape. She reportedly repeated the same phrase before the 60 seconds had elapsed.

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Despite accepting the investigation at this time, the Romanian Gymnastics Federation’s appeal rested largely on the claim that Team USA’s motion was filed too late. Now, US Gymnastics first flagged the video in August and submitted the evidence to CAS the day after the ruling. However, the court denied the motion, saying no evidence was added after their decision.

“This shows it was done!!” the Olympian’s mother, Gina Chiles, wrote on Facebook on August 11, in keeping with USA today“I keep listening to this. They didn’t even try to find the facts!!! That’s clear. That shows it was sent in time.”

So on September 16, Chiles’ team filed a proper appeal to the Swiss Federal Court of Justice against the CAS ruling, including the footage and noting that CAS didn’t accept it. The recent court documents also highlighted other errors that occurred during the legal proceedings, similar to the failure of US Gymnastics’ parties to share information and sending emails to incorrect addresses.

Footage from the docuseries also revealed that Olympic judges did not heed an investigation that would have led to Biles winning one other gold medal at a world competition. While the footage shows that Coach Landi’s investigation into Biles’ scoring went unheeded, the 11-time Olympic medalist is unconcerned about the mistake.

“Honestly, it’s not a big deal to me, Rebecca had a better floor anyway 🫶🏾 it’s annoying that it wasn’t processed, but I’m not mad at the results,” Biles wrote on X. “BUT JUSTICE FOR JORDAN, do you hear me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
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Influencer Calls Out Shaquille O’Neal After He Denies He’s the Mystery Man in Her Controversial Photos

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shaq

It’s no secret that fans think Shaquille O’Neal, 52, has a thing for influencers. However, the NBA legend is letting the world know he is not dating the Philadelphia content creator, despite growing speculation they connected after viral photo.

On Monday, September 16, a photograph of Maria Ozuna Teachey appeared on social media. In the mirror selfie, a tall man might be seen standing behind her, grabbing her breasts.

shaq has an influential guy
Shaquille O’Neal has been criticized online after an influencer shared a photograph of them in a bedroom that went viral. (Photo: Paras Griffin/Getty Images for Pepsi Stronger Together)

Teachey signed the photo on his Facebook page“Without apology, we… Can you guess who this is? #loveyou.” She deleted the post from Instagram.

Social media users assumed Shaq was the mystery person in Teachey’s viral photo. However, he denied being in a relationship with the self-identified video creator.

The photo was posted on WorldStarHipHop’s Instagram page, where Shaq he wrote“No, not the baby.”

Influencer Maria Ozuna Teachey shared a brand new photo that has fans convinced she dated Shaquille O’Neal. (Photos: _1.filly/Instagram; Maria Ozuna Teachey/Facebook.)

After Shaq’s denial, Teachey returned writing“Come on, kid. That was a long time ago. Why did he lie to you? Have fun.” She used the hashtags: “#playwithsomebodyelse #Filly #goatworthy #dontaskagain. I’m done.”

She then showed a video of the article that To read“Diesel” in capital letters on the letterhead. It read: “Shaquille, welcome back to Harrah’s Atlantic City & The Pool. We look forward to an amazing show.”

The Hall of Fame inductee went viral after sharing a video of himself posing with various women, very like the man in Teachey’s photo.

“Is she my girlfriend too? Trust me, I’ll tell you who my woman is. By the way, my woman’s name is Shaqirah” O’Neal with subtitles Instagram post shared on September seventeenth.

In one other post, the four-time NBA champion addressed the rumors by referencing Denzel Washington’s famous “King Kong” scene from Training Day. signature, Shaq said“I’ll let you know when I fall in love.”

O’Neal then posted a video of himself performing a clothed striptease for media personality Alexa Leighton, writing, “My real girlfriend knows I’m a big black exotic dancer.”

In the clip Leighton says“Hi, I’m Shaq’s girl. And when I play this song, I can get anything I want,” before Chris Brown’s “Under The Influence” began playing on her phone.

Maria Ozuna Teachey, for her part, has seemingly downplayed the Shaquille O’Neal rumors. On Sept. 17, she posted a video message to her 200,000 Instagram followers.

“It’s a new day. Let’s get to work. Don’t believe everything you see. Get back to work,” Teachey said in the clip. Many of the comments under her video focused on the Shaq rumors.

One person I asked“Anyone else come here for the Shaq comments?” Another added, “Damn it, Shaq broke your heart. Don’t believe everything you see. I think you did it hot.”

O’Neal’s fans also had plenty to say about the discussion surrounding Teachey. For example, an Instagram user commented, “Nope uncle, that was definitely a bedroom pic.”

Another person exclaimed: “One thing about Shaq, he doesn’t let anyone pressure him!”

The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer’s stripper routine also drew loads of response. One of his fans joked, “You move like you need WD-40.”

Shaq’s connections to influencers are nothing latest. Last June, he was spotted having dinner with fitness influencer Brittany Renner.

Shortly after, rumors began to fly when he messaged Christian influencer Ariana Cossie, aka The Home Depot Girl, who gained popularity for a post in which she said she was “too pretty” for the workplace.

Many online users thought she was being judgmental, with some even shamelessly suggesting she was running an OnlyFans. She did receive some support after the backlash. Cossie shared a screenshot of her exchange with Shaq, in which he told her to “don’t let these people bother you.” Cossie said, “Thanks Shaq!” and he replied, “Don’t read the comments, that kind of stuff will drive you crazy. Have a great day, tell all your boyfriends I said hi lol.”

Two months ago, he was spotted partying in Nashville with web sensation Hailey “Hawk Tauh” Welch, a Tennessee native who went viral for an on-the-street interview in which she explained what drives men wild in the bedroom.

The former Los Angeles Lakers player married Shaunie Nelson in December 2002. They finalized their divorce in 2011 after multiple incidents of infidelity from Shaq. Although Shaunie cited irreconcilable differences as the reason for the split, she married Houston pastor Keion Henderson in May 2022.

After splitting from Shaunie after eight years of marriage, Shaq began dating reality star Nicole “Hoopz” Alexander. They dated for 3 years and even got engaged before splitting in 2013. He also dated model and Blu Hazl founder Laticia Rolle.

The “Inside the NBA” analyst can be rumored to have had affairs with “Confessions of a Video Vixen” creator Karrine “Superhead” Steffans, “Basketball Wives” alum Laura Govan and “Empire” actress Annie Ilonzeh.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mMFIOGsIdA


This article was originally published on : atlantablackstar.com
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