Black-ish star Tracee Ellis Ross’ alter ego is more gangsta than any of us will ever be!
T-Murda is back and she has a little help from fellow actress Regina Hall in rapping Drake’s verse from the song “Jumpman” featured on his What a Time to Be Alive collaboration mixtape with Future.
Rocking braids and a grill, T-Murda hits every note with ease and Hall isn’t too far behind!
Are we seeing a collab from these two in the future? We wonder what Regina’s stage name would be?
Destination America is premiering a new six-part series on April 15 at 10/9c featuring TV’s first African-American paranormal investigation team. GHOST BROTHERS consists of three best friends– all raised in religious households – who take their healthy curiosity and passion for the paranormal to the next level. The trio tour a series of haunted houses throughout the U.S. to uncover the history and the truth behind the local tales. “Messing with ghosts” is taboo in their families and the bros – Dalen, Juwan, Marcus – aren’t afraid to wear their (frightened) hearts on their sleeves as they investigate things that go bump in the night. They add a refreshing dose of (nervous) laughter to an otherwise scary subject, making the series genuinely entertaining and fun to watch. As these budding enthusiasts take an interest of theirs to the next level, the charismatic GHOST BROTHERS offer a fresh, funny and unique take on the spirit world.
GHOST BROTHERS SEASON ONE EPISODE GUIDE
Magnolia Plantation Premieres Monday, April 15 at 10/9c
The Magnolia Plantation in Derry, Louisiana entices the Ghost Brothers to investigate claims of deceased slaves still practicing voodoo in the afterlife. During this time, voodoo was a secret practice that took place behind closed doors at the plantation and was believed to have been used by slaves to curse their masters and protect themselves. After hearing about stories of apparitions resembling slaves and soldiers, and some unexplainable things happening in the vicinity of the slave quarters, the Ghost Brothers are on a mission to find out if the spirits of slaves are still practicing voodoo on this historic plantation.
The Allen House Premieres Monday, April 22 at 10/9c
The Ghost Brothers travel to Monticello, Arkansas to investigate the Allen House, which has claims of doppelgangers and apparitions connected to a love triangle and a jilted woman’s suicide that took place in the house in 1949. In 2007, the Spencer family bought the Allen House and soon learned the home had a tragic history of death. Since renovations began, paranormal activity picked up. Visitors to the home believe that they see the apparition of the woman who committed suicide, Ladell Allen, in the mirrors of the home and roaming the halls. But Rebecca and Mark Spencer don’t think she is the only spirit here – they have also been plagued by strange activity including the presence of ghostly doppelgangers in the home.
Prospect Place Premieres Monday, April 29 at 10/9c
Prospect Place, in Trinway, Ohio, was once a stop on the Underground Railroad. This historic mansion lures the Ghost Brothers to find out if an evil entity and other unsettled spirits that date back to the Civil War era, still reside on the property. George W. Adams was a staunch abolitionist whose estate became a refuge for slaves. It’s believed that an angry bounty hunter once came to the house and demanded that George release the slaves he protected. Seeing the predicament, several ranch hands emerged with their rifles, causing the bounty hunter to retreat. According to legend, these same loyal ranch hands followed the hunter to his camp and hanged him in George’s barn for his crimes against humanity. The Ghost Brothers are on a mission to find out if in fact an evil entity resides in the barn on the property and if it can be connected to the bounty hunter.
The Delta Queen Premieres Monday, May 2 at 10/9c
The most majestic riverboat of the early 1900s, the Delta Queen has been enchanting passengers for over 80 years. Numerous crewmembers and passengers believe it is now a ghost ship that is teeming with ongoing paranormal activity. Several years ago, the Delta Queen was moored on the banks of the Tennessee River in Chattanooga until new owners purchased and moved her to Louisiana for extensive renovations. But the move seemed to activate strange occurrences happening on board. The most infamous ghostly inhabitant is presumed to be Mary Becker “Ma” Greene, a former captain of the Delta Queen who passed away on her beloved boat. The Ghost Brothers invite a couple who had a paranormal experience while on board to join their investigation and to help them get to the bottom of who or what is haunting the Delta Queen.
Magnolia Hotel Premieres Monday, May 9 at 10/9c
The Ghost Brothers travel to The Magnolia Hotel to find out if evil events that once occurred there are linked to a continued presence of paranormal activity. In the mid-1800s, The Magnolia Hotel became the first stagecoach station and hotel in Seguin, Texas. The hotel eventually fell into disrepair, until new owners purchased the property and started restoring it to its former glory. But unexpectedly, during the restoration process, they experienced frightening phenomena. Numerous witnesses claim that the violent spirit of William Faust, a regular hotel guest who murdered a little girl haunts the hallways. A psychic and a guest investigator join the Ghost Brothers in their mission to find out if unsettled spirits have remained from this hotel’s violent past.
The Fitzpatrick Hotel Premieres Monday, May 16 at 10/9c
The Ghost Brothers head to Washington, Georgia to try to solve the mysterious hauntings of The Fitzpatrick Hotel, which was built on top of the town’s first cemetery. Some believe that reports of multiple female spirits residing at the hotel are tied to bodies beneath it, such as Polly Barclay who became the first woman in Georgia to be hanged in 1806 for conspiring to murder her husband. There are also reports of apparitions being seen throughout the hotel, including a little girl and a female spirit believed to be Mrs. Fitzpatrick. Claims of numerous other unexplained occurrences surround the Fitzpatrick Hotel, and the Ghost Brothers are out to see if they can make contact with any of the lost souls left behind.
Ice Cube, Common and other stars of Barbershop: The Next Cut are set for a VH1 town hall to discuss the upcoming comedy sequel and topics affecting young people ranging from relationships and artistic expression to gun violence. It’s the inaugural episode of VH1’s new Behind The… series, which will explore pop culture and its intersection with current cultural and political issues.
Sway Calloway will lead a dialogue with local college students and grassroots organizers, most of whom have 
been impacted personally by gun violence. Among others appearing on Behind the Movie: Exploring Chicago with the Cast of Barbershop: The Next Cut are Anthony Anderson, Cedric The Entertainer, Deon Cole, Regina Hall, Eve, Nicki Minaj and Ryan Henry from VH1’s Black Ink Crew: Chicago, whose tattoo shop is a legacy to his late sister and niece.
“It is important to me that Barbershop does more than entertain,” said Ice Cube, who also produced the sequel that hits theaters April 15. “Along with comedy, the story touches on relationships and gang violence. This partnership with VH1 is the perfect way to expand this conversation.”
Exec produced by Chris McCarthy, Amy Doyle, Ryan Kroft and Calloway, the Behind the Movie special will air at 10 pm April 11 on VH1. Watch a clip above.
Source: Deadline
For today’s edition of sketch spotlight we wanted to do something different, and with that being said we decided to take a look at Amanda Seales‘ web series known as Til This Week.
Seales is best known as a comedian, a DJ, host, a commentator, and most recently as an actress, and her new series is gaining a ton of momentum and she has Hollywood talking. We expect to see this series on TV soon, as the steam its creating has the right folks talking.
Byron Allen’s National Association of African-American Owned Media has accused Comcast of violating key terms of its agreement with the FCC that paved the way for its 2011 acquisition of NBCUniversal.
The org filed a petition with the FCC late Friday outlining its assertion that Comcast has not complied with its promise to launch multiple new cable channels owned at least in part by African-Americans within eight years of the merger. Comcast strongly denied the claims made in the petition, calling the allegations “inflammatory, inaccurate and unsupported.”
The petition challenges the significance of the African-American ownership interests in Aspire, which counts Magic Johnson among its investors, and Sean Combs’ Revolt channel. Byron Allen’s Entertainment Studios and the NAAAOM have a lawsuit pending in federal court against Comcast charging racial discrimination in the cable giant’s failure to carry any of Entertainment Studios’ seven cable channels.
Aspire and Revolt were birthed in the wake of Comcast’s Memorandum of Understanding with the FCC that included a promise to launch two channels with African-American ownership within two years of the merger closing. Comcast pledged to add another two such channels within eight years of the merger closing, in addition to channels with Hispanic ownership as part of a total of 10 new independent channels by 2019. Comcast’s NBCU acquisition closed in January 2011 after a more than year-long regulatory review.
The NAAAOM’s petition singles out FCC commissioner Mignon Clyburn for criticism, saying she failed to live up to her promise to scrutinize Comcast’s compliance regarding the minority-owned channels.
Entertainment Studios and NAAAOM also has a lawsuit pending against Charter Communications, which is in the final stages of the regulatory review of its acquisition of Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks. Entertainment Studios settled its action against DirecTV parent AT&T late last year.
Comcast released the below statement:
“Since NAAAOM’s frivolous lawsuit has gone nowhere, it is now trying the same string of inflammatory, inaccurate and unsupported allegations before the FCC. Just as a court has already once dismissed their case having found no plausible claim for relief, we believe this complaint is also completely without merit and will defend vigorously ourselves.
“Comcast is proud of our outstanding record supporting and fostering diverse programming, including programming from African-American owned and controlled cable channels. We currently carry more than 100 networks geared toward diverse audiences, including multiple networks owned or controlled by minorities.”
Source: Variety
March 15, 2016, New York, New York – Helmed the largest gathering of African American film and television enthusiasts, The American Black Film Festival (ABFF) prides itself on creating unique opportunities and partnerships, as well as working to diversify Hollywood. Since its inception in 1997, the ABFF has partnered with HBO®, Comcast NBCUniversal, TV One and McDonald’s to develop talent discovery programs for up-and-coming actors, comedians, filmmakers and television hosts. These platforms provide exposure for tomorrow’s rising stars and leaders in entertainment.
“The American Black Film Festival’s Talent Discovery Programs introduce dynamic content creators and artists to a broader audience. These programs are a rich mine for discovering new talent, and offer career springboards outside of the traditional film platform and entertainment industry,” says Melanie Sharee, ABFF Programming Director.
Comcast NBCUniversal will partner with ABFF for two talent competitions at the festival this year. The Star Project searches to find the next fresh face for film and television. This highly successful competition has discovered Hollywood’s “next big star,” such as 2011 winner Emayatzy Corinealdi (Miles Ahead, Roots, Middle of Nowhere). If you are an actor ready to compete for the opportunity to audition in front of judges who are executives and casting directors from NBC, this is the competition for you. Submission and deadline info: http://www.abff.com/star-project/.
Returning to the festival is Comcast NBCUniversal’s Television Hosting Workshop designed to help emerging TV hosts sharpen their skills and identify dynamic personalities ready for on-air opportunities. Submission and deadline info: http://www.abff.com/nbcu-tv-hosting-workshop/.
ABFF’s 4th annual Comedy Wings Competition, sponsored by HBO®, is a national search to identify outstanding comedic talent — people who demonstrate a natural ability to be funny. The Comedy Wings Competition has been created to showcase talented yet undiscovered comedians and introduce them to the industry at large. Zainab Johnson is a Comedy Wings alum, who has appeared on television comedy shows, tours and film and was a finalist on Last Comic Standing.
Up to ten semi-finalists will be selected from the 2016 pool of competition entries, to perform at a renowned Los Angeles comedy club in May, to secure a position as a finalist. The four finalists will be flown to the 2016 ABFF in June to perform before a panel of judges, and one winner will be chosen. Submission and deadline information: http://www.abff.com/comedy-wings/.
The HBO® Short Film Competition is regarded as one of the country’s most prestigious short film screening series. Each year, five filmmakers (writers and/or directors of African descent) are selected to screen their film at the American Black Film Festival in Miami, where one winner will be selected to receive the HBO® Short Film Award and cash prize of $10,000. Previous winners of this competition include Director Ryan Coogler (Creed, Fruitvale Station, Black Panther), who won this competition in 2011 for his short film, Fig and Director Stephen Caple, Jr. (The Land, Class) won the competition in 2015 for his short film, A Different Tree. Submission and deadline information: http://www.abff.com/submissions/shorts/.
The McDonald’s Video Competition offers an exciting opportunity for aspiring filmmakers and challenges them to create a 90-second video based on the concept of McDonald’s 365Black mantra, “Deeply Rooted in Your Community.” Three finalists will be selected to attend the ABFF and screen their video before the festival audience, where one winner will be selected. In addition, finalists will attend a private “Mentor Luncheon” with director Malcolm D. Lee (The Best Man, Barbershop, The Best Man Holiday). Submission and deadline info: http://www.abff.com/mcdonalds-video-competition/.
TV One’s 2nd annual Screenplay Competition will highlight three new writers who will receive an all- expense paid trip to the ABFF, where each finalist will get to direct a scene from their script. Each script will be performed by professional actors in front of a live audience at TV One’s “Celebrity Scene Stealers” event during the ABFF. The 2015 TV One Screenplay Competition winner Kiki McKnight, will premiere her film Deadbeat Dad Rehab at this year’s festival. This film centers around four men who are in denial of their poor parenting skills and attend a rehab for deadbeat dads that uses unusual methods to help them become true fathers and real men. Submission and deadline info: http://www.abff.com/tv-one-screenplay-competition/.
Sponsors are HBO® (Founding and Presenting Sponsor), GMCVB (Host and Presenting Sponsor), TV One, Cadillac, and McDonald’s (Presenting Sponsors); Comcast NBCUniversal and Prudential (Platinum Sponsors); American Airlines (Official Sponsor); Motion Picture Association of America (Supporting Sponsor); and Black Enterprise, Ebony Magazine and MIA Magazine (Media Partner). To purchase passes, tickets and/or book hotel rooms for the 2016 American Black Film Festival, go to www.ABFF.com.
Join the conversation on social media by logging on to ABFF’s multiple social media platforms:
Laced with opportunities for sequels, Batman vs. Superman, Dawn of Justice, has hit the theaters with a whopping running time of 2 hours and 31 minutes. Starring Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne/Batman and Henry Cavill as Clark Kent/Superman, it’s nothing like any other Batman or Superman movie you’ve seen in the past!
Moment after moment and scene after scene, good versus evil and God versus man are still prevalent throughout, but there is an extremely heavy darkness that the film carries. The injections of humor that these Superhero’s super movies were once riddled with have been dialed back, way back, to a point where some may say that it’s too much gloom not enough hum(or).
Both Batman and Superman, steeped in egotistical extravagance, present throughout the movie in a manner seeking reverence from the populations of Gotham and Metropolis rather than simply being in it for the good of all mankind. And the brute strength and superhuman powers that they possess are skewed and overshadowed by the films excessive use of special effects.
If you are a true fan of either Batman or Superman, there is unfortunately a chance that you may be quite disappointed by the films lack of seizing the opportunity to give the true score settling battle that you are probably awaiting. Perhaps that is in the plans, somewhere several sequels away. In the meantime, I’m certain that DC Comics and all of its affiliates would appreciate you taking advantage of the several other products and promotional items that are being created to keep you hanging on in hopes of ever finally settling the score.
Judi Dud
According to several reports is seems that radio jock and comedian Rickey Smiley is all set to join the WQHT HOT 97 FM April Fool’s Comedy Show!
The show is set to take place at the Theatre at Madison Square Garden on Friday, April 1st and will be hosted by the iconic Tracy Morgan, and will include performances by some of the funniest people in show business including Aries Spears, Deray Davis, Dominique, Felipe Esparza and more. HOT 97 has your chance to win tickets each weekday with
HOT 97’s April Fools’ Day Comedy Show is presented by Marquee Concerts. Tickets are on-sale now at Ticketmaster.com.
According to sources, it seems that there is about to be another talk show on the horizon, featured as a presentation.
The special presentation will launch with an illuminating and intimate conversation between the charismatic NBA legend, Earvin “Magic” Johnson, and the brilliant ballerina Misty Copeland – American Ballet Theatre’s (ABT) first African-American female principal dancer.
“Magic in the Making” will premiere Monday, March 28 at 9 p.m. EDT exclusively on ASPiRE.
Source: Radio Facts