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President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump have each arrived in Atlanta for this evening’s CNN debate, an event that many predicted would unravel when it was first announced last month.

Biden arrived at about 3:15 p.m. Et, and greeted an entourage that included former Un ambassador Andrew Young and Stacy Abrams. Also spotted, per a pool report: Jeffrey Katzenberg, who is serving as campaign co-chair.

Later, Biden greeted supporters in downtown Atlanta, hugging Rep. Robert Garcia (D-ca), who is serving as one of the campaign surrogates.

Trump’s plane landed at about 5:30 p.m. Et, and he waved and gave a fist sign to cheering supporters.

Both Trump and Biden carefully descended the steps from their respective aircraft — as any kind of slip or fall would quickly overshadow the vigorous images they are trying to convey in the lead-up to the event.

CNN’s spin...

Robert M. Young, the adventurous director who called the shots for Edward James Olmos in The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez, Farrah Fawcett in Extremities and Tom Hulce and Ray Liotta in Dominick and Eugene, died Feb. 6, his son Andrew announced. He was 99.

After getting his start in educational and documentary films, Young also directed the 1969 Peabody-winning CBS telefilm J.T., written by Jane Wagner. Revolving around a Harlem youngster (Kevin Hooks) and an alley cat, it bowed on a Saturday afternoon and was repeated in primetime as the network preempted its most popular show, Gunsmoke.

Young also served as cinematographer, producer and co-writer with director Michael Roemer on the critically acclaimed drama Nothing But a Man (1964), featuring Ivan Dixon and jazz vocalist Abbey Lincoln as a struggling young Black couple in Alabama.

Young made his feature directorial debut with Short Eyes (1977), which starred Bruce Davison, José Pérez and several real-life prisoners...

Clarence Avant, the beloved recording industry insider whose work as an executive, label owner, dealmaker and mentor earned him the nickname the “Godfather of Black Music,” has died. He was 92.

Avant died Sunday at his home in Los Angeles, his family announced in a statement. His death came 20 months after his wife of 54 years, philanthropist Jacqueline Avant, was shot and killed by an intruder in their Beverly Hills home in the early morning hours of Dec. 1, 2021.

Survivors include their daughter, Nicole Avant, a producer, former U.S. ambassador to the Bahamas and the wife of Netflix co-ceo and chief content officer Ted Sarandos, and their son, Alexander, a producer (Dad Stop Embarrassing Me!) and talent rep.

“Clarence leaves behind a loving family and a sea of friends and associates that have changed the world and will continue to change the world for generations to come,” the Avant/Sarandos family said.

Exclusive: The Scripps-owned Bounce network has announced that Johnson has been renewed for Season 3.

The dramedy from executive producer Cedric The Entertainer and Eric Rhone and starring series creator Deji Laray and Thomas Q. Jones returns with two new episodes starting at 8 p.m. Saturday, August 5.

Shot on location in Atlanta, the series is a journey of love, self-discovery and brotherhood told from the Black male perspective but is inclusive of all men. The second season saw the series touch on hot-button topics including fatherhood, classism, and the ever-evolving relationship dynamics between Black men and women.

Johnson also stars Philip Smithey, Derrex Brady and D.L. Hughley. Laray and Jones serve as showrunners and executive producers; Rhone, Cedric The Entertainer and Reesha L. Archibald serve as executive producers.

Bounce TV also announced the return of Act Your Age with two new episodes set to premiere back-to-back on Saturday, June 3 at 8 p.

Harry Belafonte, the civil rights and entertainment giant who began as a groundbreaking actor and singer and became an activist, humanitarian and conscience of the world, has passed away. He was 96.

Belafonte passed away Tuesday due to congestive heart failure at his New York home, his wife Pamela by his side, said Paula M. Witt, of public relations firm Sunshine Sachs Morgan & Lylis.

With his glowing, handsome face and silky-husky voice, Belafonte was one of the first Black performers to gain a wide following on film and to sell a million records as a singer; many still know him for his signature hit “Banana Boat Song (Day-o),” and its call of “Day-o! Daaaaay-o.” But he forged a greater legacy once he scaled back his performing career in the 1960s and lived out his hero Paul Robeson’s decree that artists are “gatekeepers of truth.”

He stands as the model and...

Like Louis Armstrong, Nellie Mae Rowe claimed July 4, 1900, as the day she was born. If definitive records could be found in either case, they might indicate a less symbolic date. But for Black Americans born into poverty in the Jim Crow South, as Armstrong and Rowe were, that symbolism — Independence Day, the dawn of the century — is significant. Rowe took her independence seriously, as the captivating film portrait This World Is Not My Own makes vibrantly clear. After years of farm work and many more years as a domestic servant, the twice-widowed Georgian decided, in the powerful words of one of her great-great-nieces, “to design my life the way that I want it while I’m on this journey passing through.”

Whether you call her a folk artist, an outsider artist or simply self-taught, Rowe devoted herself with joy to her paintings, drawings and chewing gum sculptures (using gum she’d chomped herself,...

Common said working on the film Selma turned him into an activist and that a recent seven-month stay in London, where police don’t carry guns, “felt like a weight was off my shoulders” as he talked over his life and career at an event awarding him the Tribeca Festival’s second annual Harry Belafonte Voices for Social Justice Award.

NYC Mayor Eric Adams made a surprise cameo at the fest, which has been dotting the city with films, talks and music for 21 years now except during pandemic-shuttered 2020. “I think about this amazing festival which opened after 9-11 when no one thought we could come back. Covid is not terrorism, but it brought terror… But we came back,” Adams said, praising the musician, actor and philanthropist for his efforts in prisons and schools and for using his work as artist for social justice.

Common played civil rights activist James Bevel in Selma,...

It’s been one year since George Floyd’s death at the hands of police on the streets of Minneapolis — and America and the world were horrified by the cellphone video. Cities exploded with protests that would last throughout the summer and feed a renewed national focus on justice, equality and race in general. As we mark the solemn anniversary today, many TV networks will air programming that focuses on that terrible day and its aftermath as America continues to struggle with social justice issues.

Here is a sampling of what to watch tonight and this week. All programming is for Tuesday, May 25, unless otherwise noted.

ABC

The network will air the one-hour special After Floyd: The Year that Shook America at 10 p.m. Part of ABC’s Soul of a Nation series and anchored by Tamron Hall and T.J. Holmes, it takes a close look at the generation-defining moment...

BET will honor the one-year anniversary of George Floyd’s death with a series of three news specials reflecting on his life and the turbulent last year in American society.

The three-night event will kick off on the formal anniversary, Tuesday, May 25, with the “Bars and Ballads for George Floyd” event featuring Jon Batiste, Nas, former U.N. ambassador Andrew Young, singer and activist Anthony Hamilton, Civil Rights leader and Color of Change President Rashad Robinson, actor Michael K. Williams, rapper/lecturer Bun B, rapper/activist Trae tha Truth and others.

That event will be followed by two nights of news programming hosted by Soledad O’Brien. “Justice Now: Race & Reckoning” will air on Wednesday, May 26, followed by “Justice Now: The Way Forward” on Thursday, May 27. Guests across the two nights include Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison; Floyd’s brother, Philonise Floyd; director and recent Oscar winner Travon Free; and New...

Trojan Jamaica/BMG has partnered with Until the Ribbon Breaks for a remix of Toots and the Maytals’ “Got to Be Tough,” donating all proceeds to Black Lives Matter.

The title track to Toots Hibberts’ final studio album, the video features footage of protests and police brutality, including figures Rosa Parks, Jesse Jackson, Andrew Young, C.T. Vivian, and Paul Robeson. Senator Corey Booker can be heard stating, “Everything about us is interwoven, it is interconnected, we are in relationship with each other” throughout the track, repeated through the beats and Hibbert’s own singing.

FBI director J. Edgar Hoover was obsessed with the Reverend Martin Luther King. And while the Civil Rights activist was putting his life on the line with his message of non-violence as he struggled and protested to bring civil liberties, freedoms and unalienable rights to African Americans, Hoover doggedly surveilled and harassed Dr. King. By the time of his “I Had a Dream” galvanizing speech on Aug. 26, 1963 during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, King was described by the head of FBI domestic intelligence William C. Sullivan in a memo that the activist as “the most dangerous Negro in the future of this nation.”

The new award-winning documentary ‘MLK/FBI” is a vividly and frighteningly look at the extent of Hoover’s obsession with the Nobel Prize-winner. Directed by veteran documentarian/producer/editor Sam Pollard, “MLK/FBI” is the first film to utilize recently discovered and declassified material that was...

While there isn’t necessarily a lot of new information in “MLK/FBI” about the U.S. government’s campaign of harassment and spying on civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Sam Pollard’s documentary hits hard nonetheless.

Pollard (“Mr. Soul!”) weaves together the many facets of FBI director J. Edgar Hoover’s efforts to discredit King, and as we learn the timeline of these efforts, the film examines them in the context of the bureau’s constant selling of itself to the American public as unassailable good guys. Ultimately, the documentary tells a larger story of how dissent is punished in the United States, and how white power structures perpetually prop themselves up. (Welcome to 2021.)

Pollard and his interview subjects, which include King confidants Andrew Young and Clarence Jones as well as controversial former FBI chief James Comey, walk us through the reams and reams of recently declassified bureau files detailing wiretaps,...

Last month the documentary feature Dear Santa proved to be the perfect film to coincide with the upcoming holiday. And though this week’s doc is only a couple of days away from its holiday, it couldn’t be more timely and relevant to today’s headlines. This coming Monday our nation once again celebrates the life and legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr.. Of course, he wasn’t as revered then, during his own lifetime, as he is now. Some groups openly despised him. At the top of that list, white supremacists like the Ku Klux Klan may have been the most vocal (and violent). But Dr. King had a more powerful enemy, very close to the President, none other than “G-man number one” J. Edgar Hoover, who put considerable effort into spying on and discrediting him. How did Hoover’s obsession over King begin? And just how far did it go?...

IFC has released the first official trailer for “MLK/FBI,” an urgent and timely documentary detailing the FBI’s targeted surveillance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. under the direction of J. Edgar Hoover, the extent of which was revealed in a slew of recently declassified documents. The film arrives courtesy of filmmaker Sam Pollard, director/producer of documentaries “Mr. Soul!” and “Sammy Davis, Jr.: I Gotta Be Me” who got his start editing Spike Lee joints like “Jungle Fever” and “Mo’ Better Blues.” “MLK/FBI” world premiered at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival and went on to play NYFF. IFC Films will release the film early next year.

Here’s IFC’s official synopsis: “Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is remembered today as an American hero: a bridge-builder, a shrewd political tactician, and a moral leader. Yet throughout his history-altering political career, he was often treated by U.

Stacey Abrams never intended to become a documentarian. However, after the former tax attorney and Minority Leader of the Georgia House of Representatives lost the 2018 election for Governor, with likely voter suppression orchestrated by winner Brian Kemp, it’s safe to say she was angry. And when it comes to the passion necessary to produce a documentary, angry isn’t the worst place to start.

“I am always angry,” she said in a phone interview. “If you remember Bruce Banner in ‘The Avengers’ movie, when he’s in the midst of a fight against the aliens and Captain America says, ‘We need you to get angry,’ he says, ‘That’s my script, Captain: I’m always angry!”

But Abrams is angry “in a righteous indignation, not a hostile way,” she said. “It fuels my passion and my drive to get to engage people and give them the tools to build the world they want.

As the world seems like it is aflame with a pandemic, divisive rhetoric from an oppressive administration and the unjust killing of Black lives at the hands of police officers, hope seems dim. However, there are voices and role models in the world that are fighting for change and on the frontlines fighting against 45, his henchmen and ardent supporters. Enter Stacey Abrams who is essentially the star of the Liz Garbus and Lisa Cortés documentary All In: The Fight For Democracy, which debuts in theaters on September 9 and then on September 18 on Amazon Prime Video — just four days before National Voter Registration Day.

The docu comes as the 2020 presidential is just around the corner and puts a glaring spotlight on the wildly overlooked issue of voter suppression in the country. Through personal experiences, activism and historical All In rips the band-aid off of a problem that has corrupted our democracy...

Music documentary “Fandango at the Wall,” chronicling an extraordinary journey undertaken by musician Arturo O’Farrill and producer Kabir Sehgal — both multiple Grammy winners — to Veracruz, Mexico to recruit master musicians for a live album recording at the U.S.-Mexico border wall, is set to premiere on HBO on Sept. 25. HBO Latino and HBO Max will also carry the film.

A joint production between Tiger Turn Productions and Sony Music Latin, the feature-length doc was directed by Varda Bar-Kar and executive produced by Quincy Jones, Andrew Young and Carlos Santana. It serves as a timely reminder of how diplomatic relations between the United States and Mexico have soured due to President Trump’s rhetoric and his efforts to build a border wall separating the neighboring countries.

The bond of music ties together the citizens of Mexico and those of Mexican descent who’ve kept alive the sounds and traditions of son jarocho,...

Bob Dylan, Bono, Gregg Allman and Willie Nelson appear in the new trailer for Jimmy Carter: Rock & Roll President, out September 9th.

Directed by Mary Wharton, the trailer opens with Carter listening to Dylan’s Bringing It All Back Home on vinyl. “All right!” he says giddily as “Mr. Tambourine Man” plays. “Sounds familiar.” Paul Simon dedicates a performance to the president, while Carter introduces the Allman Brothers onstage.

“He was cool,” the late Allman recalls in the trailer. “He enjoyed our music and he became our friend.” Adds...

Exclusive: Sony Music Latin has partnered with Tiger Turn Productions for the feature music documentary Fandango at the Wall. Directed by Varda Bar-Kar and executive produced by Quincy Jones, Andrew Young, Carlos Santana, the feature follows Grammy-winning musician and Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra founder Arturo O’Farrill and and Grammy-winning producer Kabir Sehgal as they prepare to record a live album at the U.S.-Mexico border wall.

“When I first learned about this film, I knew we had to be part of it. We’re excited to partner with the production team and to share this powerful story with the world,” said Ruben Levya, Senior Vice President at Sony Music Latin, leading artist services and premium content.

“The film explores the roots of Latin music and, in particular, Afro-Mexican music known as son jarocho. It is both timely and timeless, as it looks at the issue of immigration between the United States and Mexico,...

The original stars of CBS’s popular series “Dukes of Hazzard” are speaking their mind about the recently renewed criticism of the show’s use of the Confederate flag.

John Schneider and Tom Wopat, who played Bo and Luke Duke in the series which ran from 1979 to 1985, addressed the controversial symbol of the Confederacy that is painted atop the show’s famous car, a Dodge Charger nicknamed the General Lee.

“I have never had an African American come up to me and have any problem with it whatsoever,” Schneider, 60, said in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. “The whole politically correct generation has gotten way out of hand.”

Also Read: Kanye West Renounces Trump Support, Declares Own Political Party the 'Birthday Party'

Wopat, 69, was more understanding of the current generation’s call to remove the flag from pop culture.

“The situation in the country has obviously changed in the last 40 years.

When Netflix released the documentary The Black Godfather almost exactly a year ago, it introduced audiences to Clarence Avant, an African-American entertainment industry insider, dealmaker and mentor who has quietly played an extraordinary role in the lives of leading entertainers, athletes, executives and politicians. Now, a year later, with the country in the throes of a seismic examination of institutionalized racism, the film feels more timely than ever.

In his own way and out of public view, Avant for decades has fought to create opportunity for African-Americans through bold stratagems and sheer force of will.

“He knew his purpose, head on, was black people are going to move forward,” his daughter Nicole Avant explains in The Black Godfather. She says it’s as if her father took stock of his gifts and business clout one day and decided, “I’m going to use it for good and I’m going...

CNN Films has acquired broadcasting rights to “Jimmy Carter Rock & Roll President.” The look at the bond between the 39th president and pop and country musicians is slated to be the closing film for AFI Docs film festival on June 21.

The documentary was originally scheduled to open the 19th annual Tribeca Film Festival, which was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. “Jimmy Carter Rock & Roll President” chronicles the Georgian candidate’s relationship with music as a defining part of his campaign for the White House and his presidency. His embrace of music helped the small-town peanut farmer reach out across racial and generational divides.

“Jimmy Carter Rock & Roll President” will feature rare, archival footage and interviews with Willie Nelson, Jimmy Buffett, Paul Simon and Bob Dylan along with segments from Bono, Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood, Roseanne Cash, Chuck Leavell, Andrew Young and Madeleine Albright. The film was was produced by Chris Farrell,...

CNN Films has acquired the North American broadcast rights to the documentary “Jimmy Carter Rock & Roll President,” which was supposed to be the opening night film at the Tribeca Film Festival in April.

The documentary will now close out the AFI Docs Festival on June 21.

“Jimmy Carter Rock & Roll President” showcases the role music played in propelling Jimmy Carter from Georgia to the White House, and how his love for music gave him an unexpected edge in the presidential race. Willie Nelson, Bono, Bob Dylan, Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood, Jimmy Buffett, Roseanne Cash, Chuck Leavell, Paul Simon, Andrew Young, and Madeleine Albright are just a few of the contributors giving interviews in the documentary. Rare, archival footage from live performances by Buffett, Nelson, etc. are also included in the documentary.

Also Read: Jimmy Carter Praises Fox News Host 'for Your Good Work on Television'

“When Chris and Mary came to...

CNN Films has acquired North American broadcast rights to the Mary Wharton-directed documentary Jimmy Carter Rock & Roll President. The film was produced by Chris Farrell and written by Bill Flanagan. The docu was originally set to open the Tribeca Film Festival in April. It has now been set as the closing film for AFI Docs on June 21.

The feature docu chronicles the role of popular music in propelling a relatively unknown candidate from Georgia to the White House, and the significant role that music has played in President Carter’s life and work. The film shows how Carter’s life-long passion for music gave him an unexpected edge as a presidential candidate, as he tapped into a force that transcended racial and generational divides, and often party lines.

From Bob Dylan to Johnny Cash to Willie Nelson, Carter developed friendships with icons and his appreciation for music helped define his administration.

The game was a low-scoring snooze, and Maroon 5’s half-time show exuded strongly bleached blandness, leaving the ads our last best hope to avoid total Super Bowl viewing disaster. Here are the ads that rose to the occasion, and those that did not:

The Good:

Andy Warhol Wins

Big year for Andy Warhol who was paid tribute in two separate Super Bowl spots.

In one practically perfect ad, Warhol himself eats a Burger King Whopper. Burger King cut the ad from footage of Jorgen Leth’s 1982 film, appropriately called Andy Warhol Eating a Hamburger.

Serious student of Warhol also noticed Coa-Cola’s animated retro pre-game commercial “A Coke is a Coke” blew a kiss to the artist/director/producer. It’s Warhol who famously said:

What’s great about this country is that America started the tradition where the richest consumers buy essentially the same things as the poorest. You...

Coming out of the first half of a very low scoring 3-0 Super Bowl match-up today between the New England Patriots and the Los Angeles Rams, Adam Levine and Maroon 5 proved conclusively that they could pull off a halftime show that put Justin Timberlake to shame – at least when it came to ill-considered timing and strongly bleached blandness… and that’s a feat.

Nobody’s first choice for the once-coveted spot and fighting the backlash from those calling for a boycott in a sign of solidarity with Colin Kaepernick, The Voice coach and crew made last year’s staid effort by the former N’Sync star almost positively cutting edge with their Super Bowl Liii rollout of tried and tired hits and poses.

If the limbo low charisma and stripped down Levine wanted “to move on” and “speak through the music” Maroon 5’s pyrotechnically enhanced and Chinese lanterns offering was...

Reruns of The Cosby Show are being pulled off the air after Bill Cosby was found guilty of sexual assault. Atlanta-based network Bounce TV, which was founded by Martin Luther King III and Andrew Young, has made the decision to nix all scheduled episodes following Thursday's court decision. According to Page Six, Bounce made a statement to several media outlets that read, "Effective immediately, Bounce is removing The Cosby Show." On April 26, the jury found the now 80-year-old guilty of drugging and sexually molesting Andrea Constand in his home in 2004, and he faces up to 10 years behind bars. TMZ reported that the jurors heard testimony from Andrea and five other women — who claimed Cosby drugged and assaulted them— over the 12-day trial period. At one point, prosecutor Kristen Feden reportedly called out the disgraced celebrity for smiling during the trial. "He's laughing like it's funny, but there's absolutely nothing funny...

Half a century ago today, Martin Luther King Jr was shot dead in Memphis while supporting striking black sanitation workers in that southern city.

For a nation still severed today along stark racial and economic lines, the death at age 39 of the Nobel Peace Prize-winning preacher and civil rights icon on the evening of April 4, 1968 was a devastating blow — a blow whose impact continues to reverberate in 2018.

As the anniversary of King’s assassination is somberly marked today around the U.S. and the world, we spoke to some of Hollywood’s leading creators and producers across the generations about his murder, and the legacy of his dream and work.

Ava Duvernay

Selma & A Wrinkle In Time director, Oscar nominee, Queen Sugar Ep, Array founder

On this day 50 years ago, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr was in a fight. A pillow fight with friends. They were enjoying a relaxed moment...

Heading for its world premiere at Doc NYC on Thursday, November 16, 2017, Maynard examines the fascinating life and legacy of Maynard Jackson. We are pleased to premiere the first trailer, which you can watch below. Here's the festival's description: "Director Sam Pollard constructs a portrait of charismatic trailblazer Maynard Jackson, who became Atlanta’s first black mayor in 1973. The son of pastors raised in the segregated South, Jackson entered college at 14 and took office at 35. During his three-term tenure, he led the city through the traumatic Atlanta child murders and triumphantly hosted the 1996 Olympics, all while championing racial equality. Family and colleagues, including Bill Clinton, Andrew Young and Al Sharpton, tell the epic story of a dynamic leader and his legacy...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

The world may be familiar with the story of Olympic athlete Jesse Owens, the African-American track and field star who won four gold medals at the 1936 Olympic Games, possibly because of the recent feature film about his triumph entitled “Race,” starring Stephan James. However, the world might not know about the 17 other African American athletes who also competed in 1936. The new documentary “Olympic Pride, American Prejudice” tells the story of those forgotten 17 athletes and how they defied Jim Crow and Adolf Hitler by demonstrating the myth of white supremacy. Though their stories might not be well known, they are heroes in their own right, and their presence on the world stage was an important precursor to the American Civil Rights Movement.

Read More: ‘Olympic Pride, American Prejudice’ will Trace Trials & Triumphs of Black Athletes at 1936 Olympics (Fundraising)

Narrated by actor Blair Underwood (“L.A. Law”), “Olympic Pride, American Prejudice” weaves rarely...

Chicago – One of the most vital – and contemporarily relevant – historical films is about to be released. “Selma” is the story of the titanic struggle to establish voting rights in Alabama in 1965, led by the iconic civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Actor David Oyelowo portrays King, and was directed by Ava DuVernay.

The circumstances of this artistic collaboration is nearly as intriguing as the depiction in the film. David Oyelowo spent seven years preparing the path to his role as Dr. King, and was instrumental in getting Ava DuVernay – a television and independent film director – onto this major film project. The result is a showcase of humanity, exposing the raw events of a minority struggle against a power that wanted to continue to deny them their inalienable rights (according to the Declaration of Independence). The events of “Selma” led to major legislative reforms in equitable voting for African Americans,...

Following the controversy’s flareup in digital media, cable news shows are now dissecting the depiction of president Lyndon B. Johnson clashing with Martin Luther King Jr. over voting rights in critically acclaimed drama “Selma.”

MSNBC led the charge with hosts Steve Kornacki, Chris Matthews and Chris Hayes all dedicating segments on their respective programs to analyzing the controversy surrounding director Ava DuVernay‘s film. Despite the outcry among political insiders, the film has received universal praise from film critics on review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes, and is nominated for four Golden Globe awards.

Also Read: ‘Selma’ Controversy Grows Over...

How could Ava DuVernay, a former Hollywood publicist and Sundance-winning director of a movie that cost just $200,000, be the one to break the long trail of futility in mounting a major movie that conveyed how much of a galvanizing presence Dr. Martin Luther King Jr was in the battle for civil rights in America? Coming aboard Selma after the previous star package cratered under Lee Daniels, DuVernay found herself with David Oyelowo’s determination to play Mlk, a Paul Webb script and little else. The director (who made uncredited contributions to the script) managed to navigate around formidable obstacles, not the least of which were copyrights on Mlk signature speeches held by his estate. After platforming the film for Oscars, Paramount opens it wide this Friday. This interview was done before several confidantes of President Lyndon Johnson complained he has dishonestly been depicted as, at most generous, a benign force...

Left to right: André Holland plays Andrew Young, Colman Domingo plays Ralph Abernathy, David Oyelowo plays Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Omar Dorsey plays James Orange in Selma. (c) 2014 Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved. Photo credit: Atsushi Nishijima

Paramount Pictures announced today that the Golden Globe nominated film Selma from director Ava DuVernay will be shown for free to the town’s citizens at the Selma Walton Theater in the city of Selma, Alabama beginning January 9th.

“With deep gratitude to the people of Selma, Alabama, we are proud to share this powerful film depicting the historic events that took place there 50 years ago,” said Oprah Winfrey on behalf of the film’s producers. “I hope generations will watch the film and share their stories of remembrance and history together.”

“The city and people of Selma welcomed the production with open arms this past summer and in celebration of...

Ava DuVernay faced a daunting task in bringing “Selma” to the big screen. The drama, about the 1965 Civil Rights marches in Alabama to demand voting rights for blacks, had already been through several directors by the time she came on board.

Adding to the challenges, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s estate would not grant the team behind the film permission to use his iconic speeches. Still, DuVernay managed to put together a critically acclaimed drama which debuted strongly at the box office this weekend after Paramount pictures rolled it out in limited release. And thanks to “Selma,” DuVernay recently...

Left to right: David Oyelowo plays Martin Luther King, Jr. and Carmen Ejogo plays Coretta Scott King ©Paramount Pictures

AFI Fest 2014 presented by Audi, a program of the American Film Institute, announced today that it will offer a first look at director Ava DuVernay’s highly anticipated film Selma on Tuesday, November 11. The presentation will feature 30 minutes of exclusive footage from the film followed by a conversation with producers Oprah Winfrey, Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner, DuVernay and actor David Oyelowo at the Egyptian Theatre.

Selma, from Paramount Pictures, Pathé and Harpo Films, is the story of a movement.

The film chronicles the tumultuous three-month period in 1965, when Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. led a dangerous campaign to secure equal voting rights in the face of violent opposition. The epic march from Selma to Montgomery culminated in President Lyndon B. Johnson (Tom Wilkinson) signing the Voting Rights Act of 1965, one...

Directed by Ava DuVernay (Middle Of Nowhere), Selma is being produced by Oprah Winfrey, Plan B -- the producers of the Academy Award-winning Twelve Years A Slave, and Cloud Eight Films’ Academy Award-winning Christian Colson (127 Hours,” “Slumdog Millionaire). Selma is the story of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s historic struggle to secure voting rights for all people – a dangerous and terrifying campaign that culminated with the epic march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, and led to President Johnson signing the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The film’s release will celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the landmark legislation. The film stars David Oyelowo as Martin Luther King Jr., Tom Wilkinson as Lyndon Baines Johnson, Carmen Ejogo as Coretta Scott King, Andre Holland as Andrew Young,...

I had been sitting back wondering whether Ava DuVernay's "Selma" would be ready in time for this year's upcoming awards season. Paramount already has a couple of things to play with, from Jason Reitman's "Men, Women & Children" to Christopher Nolan's "Interstellar." Well, add another, as DuVernay's film has just been slated for a Christmas Day limited release. The film, which is being produced by Oprah Winfrey and Brad Pitt's Plan B shingle, is still shooting in Atlanta, Georgia and Montgomery and Selma, Alabama, but I guess there is enough faith that the editing will come together in time. It of course tells the story of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s struggle to secure voting rights for all during the heated civil rights movement of the 1960s. This led to President Lyndon Johnson signing the landmark Voting Rights Act of 1965. The film will go wide on Jan.

With The Company, Coco Before Chanel, Howl, Ginger & Rosa, Devil’s Knot and American Hustle under his belt, and a role in J.C. Chandor’s upcoming A Most Violent Year, Alessandro Nivola is quickly becoming the go-to actor for directors working on period pieces. Now, he’s added another one to his busy schedule in the form of civil rights biopic Selma.

Nivola will play civil rights activist John Doar in the movie, which Ava DuVernay (Middle of Nowhere, ABC’s Scandal) is directing for Paramount and Pathe. Though the film is being marketed as a Martin Luther King Jr. biopic, it actually focuses on “the three attempts of black marchers to walk from Selma to Montgomery, the capital of Alabama, in 1965 in order to gain voting rights. The first two times they were beaten back by police, and by the third time it had become a national crusade.”

Doar...

Family, friends and famous admirers including first lady Michelle Obama, former president Bill Clinton and Oprah Winfrey gathered Saturday in North Carolina and paid tribute to poet, orator and sage Maya Angelou. Angelou was honored as a renaissance figure and one of the 20th century's most famous black writers at the private memorial service at Winston-Salem's Wake Forest University, where she taught since 1982. Angelou died on May 28 at the age of 86 after a remarkable life with important roles in civil rights and the arts. The funeral program includes tributes from Clinton and Winfrey and a eulogy to be given by the first lady.

Paramount Pictures and Pathé today announced that principal photography has commenced on “Selma,” directed by Ava DuVernay (“Middle Of Nowhere.”) The film is shooting in Atlanta, Georgia, and Montgomery and Selma, Alabama.

The screenplay was written by Paul Webb (“Four Nights in Knaresborough”). Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner will produce through their Plan B banner (“World War Z,” “12 Years A Slave”), with Christian Colson through his Cloud Eight Films (“127 Hours,” “Slumdog Millionaire”), and Oprah Winfrey (“The Hundred-foot Journey,” “Beloved”) through her Harpo Films. Ava DuVernay, Paul Garnes, Cameron McCracken and Nan Morales are executive producing.

Brad Grey, Chairman and CEO of Paramount Pictures said:

“This story will resonate deeply with not only those brave men and women who fought for voting rights alongside Dr. King, but also the countless millions of people who continue to fight against discrimination in voting today. This talented group of filmmakers, led by...

Paramount Pictures and Pathé today announced that principal photography has commenced on Selma, directed by Ava DuVernay (Middle Of Nowhere.) The film is shooting in Atlanta, Georgia, and Montgomery and Selma, Alabama.

The screenplay was written by Paul Webb (“Four Nights in Knaresborough”).

Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner will produce through their Plan B banner (“World War Z,” “12 Years A Slave”), with Christian Colson through his Cloud Eight Films (“127 Hours,” “Slumdog Millionaire”), and Oprah Winfrey (“The Hundred-foot Journey,” “Beloved”) through her Harpo Films.

Ava DuVernay, Paul Garnes, Cameron McCracken and Nan Morales are executive producing.

Selma is the story of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s historic struggle to secure voting rights for all people – a dangerous and terrifying campaign that culminated with the epic march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, and led to President Johnson signing the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Paramount is handling the film’s domestic distribution,...

Common is near a deal to play prominent civil rights activist James Bevel and Andre Holland is set to play Andrew Young in Selma, the Ava DuVernay-directed drama that has Oprah Winfrey and Brad Pitt’s Plan B producing at Paramount. David Oyelowo is playing Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Bevel, field general of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, was a key figure in the politically charged march against segregation in Alabama. Holland, who stars opposite Clive Owen in the Steven Soderbergh Cinemax series The Knick and opposite Kevin Costner and Octavia Spencer in the Mike Binder-directed Black And White, plays Young, who was long a close confidante of Mlk. Common is repped by CAA, Holland by Paradigm and Brookside Artist Management.

42 actor Andre Holland has been cast as politician Andrew Young in Paramount's Martin Luther King Jr. film Selma. David Oyelowo will star as Martin Luther King Jr. in the film, while Carmen Ejogo will take on the role of Coretta Scott King. Tom Wilkinson will play President Lyndon B. Johnson. Photos: March on Washington at 50: Obama, Oprah, Foxx, Honor Martin Luther King Jr. Ava DuVernay (Middle of Nowhere) is directing the film, which focuses on the attempts of black marchers to walk from Selma to Montgomery, the capital of Alabama, in 1965 in order to gain voting rights,

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Reports are surfacing that DreamWorks is ready to move forward with the authorized version of Martin Luther King‘s life story, the one that Mlk’s family is behind and which has the rights to use his copyrighted speeches. They have Jamie Foxx and director Oliver Stone poised for an Any Given Sunday re-team on the project, which they want to do with Warner Bros. All I can think of as director Paul Greengrass and producer Scott Rudin prepare for tomorrow’s opening of Captain Phillips is, Paul, get busy on your Mlk film Memphis, because your Oscar-caliber script is just way too good to get relegated to the scrap heap. I’ve been writing for years about Memphis, Greengrass‘ script about a great man’s final days. It started out at Universal, which put it in turnaround right around the time that the director’s relationship with the studio...

Bounce TV celebrates its 2nd year on the air. Congrats! You made it this far! Here's to another 2 years... at least. Less than a month from now, the network will premiere its very first original scripted series, My Crazy Roommate, starring Laila Odom and Brittany Richards, created by Kyle Evans who saw previous success in Martin and The Jamie Foxx Show. The network spins the numbers, and gives up all the news on what's coming, via press release below: Atlanta, Sept. 25, 2013 -- Martin Luther King III and Ambassador Andrew Young are among the Founding Group and Board of Directors of Bounce TV, the nation's first and only over-the-air broadcast television network designed...

The deal will make Bounce TV a multicast channel on seven Univision-owned stations in markets including San Francisco, Boston, Miami, Denver, Sacramento, Raleigh and Tampa. When complete, Bounce will reach 86% of African American TV households — its target audience — up from 80%. It also will be in all top 10 markets and 24 of the top 25 for African Americans. The companies didn’t disclose terms of the agreement. Univision Television Group President Kevin Cuddihy says that the collaboration will “create a powerful one-two combination for viewers and advertisers.” Martin Luther King III and Ambassador Andrew Young helped to create Bounce.

The TV channel that targets black audiences celebrated its first anniversary today by disclosing the agreement — along with other pacts designed to boost its appeal to viewers and advertisers. The arrangement with Lionsgate will enable Bounce TV to air movies including Halle Berry’s Monster’s Ball, Cuba Gooding, Jr.’s Boat Trip and Murder Of Crows, and Terrence Howard and Bernie Mac’s Pride. The agreement leaves Bounce missing just DreamWorks Animation. It already licenses films from Disney, Fox, Paramount, Miramax, MGM, Universal, Sony, and Warner Bros. The deal comes as Bounce says that, beginning today, it’s being carried as a digital sub channel on ABC’s Detroit affiliate, Wxyz. Next month it will be introduced as a sub channel on MyNetworkTV stations in Phoenix, Minneapolis, and Orlando. The network, whose founders include Martin Luther King III and Ambassador Andrew Young, says it expects Nielsen to begin compiling...

Bounce TV Celebrates First Birthday; Nation's First-Ever Broadcast Television Network for African Americans Founded By Martin Luther King III, Ambassador Andrew Young Atlanta, Sept. 24, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Bounce TV (www.bouncetv.com) -- The nation's first-ever broadcast television network designed for African-American audiences -- will turn one on Sept. 26 and its first year on-the-air has been overwhelmingly successful, with accelerated growth and expansion among station groups and distribution, advertisers and viewers alike. In just 12 months on the air, Bounce TV: Is already seen in 80% of African American homes, 17 of the top 20 African American markets and over...

Family Time, a TV comedy featuring actor Omar Gooding and created by Bentley Kyle Evans (Jamie Foxx, Martin), will premiere tonight, June 18th, on Bounce TV, the nation’s first-ever over-the-air broadcast television network for African Americans. Martin Luther King III and Ambassador Andrew Young serve as the co-founders and board of directors for the network, which is available in 75% of African American households. Family Time follows the Stallworth family, who move from working class to middle class after a chance encounter with a winning lottery ticket. Gooding, who plays Anthony Stallworth, spoke with me about the network’s place in history, the show’s themes,...