Naacp

TMZ.com The charges 5 ex-Memphis PD officers are facing in the Tyre Nichols murder case can, and should, be tweaked based on evidence and what's most likely to secure convictions ... according to an NAACP chief. We spoke to Van Turner Jr. -- the President of Memphis' NAACP branch -- Monday on "TMZ Live" to discuss the fallout of the release of bodycam and surveillance footage depicting the fatal beating Tyre endured at the hands of officers earlier this month. Memphis Police Department There's been talk about a possible defense the officers could argue based on some of what they've been charged with -- 2nd-degree murder and kidnapping -- and how they could potentially be acquitted. So, the question becomes ... are different charges more appropriate? Turner Jr. says he believes the investigation is still very much fluid and, depending on further evidence that surfaces, it would be totally appropriate to tweak the charges against these men -- … [Read more...] about Memphis NAACP Prez Says Charges in Tyre Nichols Case Could Be Adjusted

EXCLUSIVE : Multi-hyphenate filmmaker, producer and financier Tommy Oliver has signed with CAA for representation of Confluential Films , his award-winning, Black-owned and -founded film, television, and docu production company and financier. CAA will also represent Oliver personally, as a writer-director, outside of Confluential. Oliver is the Founder & CEO, and he and his wife, Codie Elaine Oliver, are co-chairs of the creator-driven company devoted to championing inclusive, authentic and culturally specific projects, which only finances works from creators of color. News of the CAA signing comes just ahead of the 2023 Sundance Film Festival , where Oliver will be unveiling four projects. Features produced by Oliver and Confluential that are heading to the Utah festival include Erica Tremblay’s Fancy Dance , starring Lily Gladstone, Isabel Deroy-Olson and Shea Whigham; the Thembi Banks-directed drama Young. Wild. Free. , starring Algee Smith, Sanaa Lathan and … [Read more...] about Tommy Oliver & His Confluential Films Banner Sign With CAA Ahead Of Busy Sundance

Oscar-nominated actress Taraji P. Henson is joining the Sundance documentary Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project as executive producer and voice of Giovanni’s poems throughout the film. Going to Mars , directed by Joe Brewster and Michèle Stephenson, premieres Friday at the festival in U.S. Documentary Competition. It examines the life and work of Giovanni, who emerged in the 1960s as one of the nation’s foremost poets and a leader of the Black Arts Movement. She has won seven NAACP Image Awards and has been named one of Oprah’s 25 “Living Legends.” “I’m thrilled to join Michèle and Joe in bringing Nikki’s remarkable work to life on screen,” Henson said in a statement. “Interpreting and giving voice to her powerful words was a revelatory and emotional process, and moved me completely. This film reflects Nikki’s vibrance and legacy in all its complexity, and I am honored to be a part of it.” The filmmakers noted, “Taraji’s grace, generosity, and creative … [Read more...] about Taraji P. Henson Boards Sundance Doc ‘Going To Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project’ As EP And Voice Of Legendary Poet’s Work

EXCLUSIVE: Emmy-winning writer-producer Ed Redlich ( Unforgettable ), former CBS Entertainment head of programming Thom Sherman , and NAACP Image Award–nominated filmmaker Mo McRae ( A Lot Of Nothing ) have joined the creative team of the freshman CBS drama series East New York , from Warner Bros. Television. TV veteran Redlich, who had been on the show as a consulting producer since after the pilot, is coming on board full-time as an executive producer, working alongside series co-creators, executive producers, and co-showrunners William Finkelstein and Mike Flynn. Sherman will serve as an executive producer as part of the overall deal with CBS Network and CBS Studios for his newly launched production company, Play Well Entertainment. This marks the first project under the expansive pact he segued to after stepping down as Senior Executive Vice President of Programming For CBS Entertainment in November. Sherman had been very closely associated with East … [Read more...] about ‘East New York’ Adds Ed Redlich & Thom Sherman As EPs, Director Mo McRae As Supervising Producer

EXCLUSIVE : Colin Kaepernick has signed with CAA for representation. The former NFL star holds the all-time NFL record for most rushing yards in a game by a quarterback. In 2016, he took a knee during “The Star Spangled Banner” to bring attention to systemic oppressions against Black and Brown people, and since then, has founded and helped to fund three organizations: Know Your Rights Camp, Ra Vision Media, and Kaepernick Publishing, which advance the liberation of Black and Brown people through storytelling, systems change, and political education. Kaepernick sits on Medium’s Board of Directors, and has garnered numerous honors, including Amnesty International’s Ambassador of Conscience Award; Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Ripple of Hope Honor; GQ Magazine ’s “Citizen of the Year;” the NFL’s Len Eshmont Award; Sports Illustrated ’s Muhammad Ali Legacy Award; ACLU’s Eason Monroe Courageous Advocate Award; and the Puffin/Nation Institute’s Prize for Creative Citizenship. … [Read more...] about Colin Kaepernick Signs With CAA

Gregory Allen Howard , the first African American screenwriter for a $100 million drama with Remember The Titan s, died today in Miami after a brief illness, his publicist said. He was 70. Howard also was the only African American screenwriter to write a spec script that became a $100 million movie, also for Remember the Titans , which starred Denzel Washington and was produced by Jerry Bruckheimer. His credits included Ali, starring Will Smith and Jamie Foxx, directed by Michael Mannas, as well as the award-winning stage play Tinseltown Trilogy . Howard was a two-time winner of the NAACP Image Awards, and also won the Christopher Award, the Howard University Paul Robeson Award for artistic excellence, and the Heartland Film Festival Award for screenwriting excellence. Harriet , originally titled Freedom Fire , was Howard’s first feature assignment more than 28 years ago at Disney. Eventually, the movie was made and starred Cynthia Erivo, Leslie Odom Jr., … [Read more...] about Gregory Allen Howard Dies: Screenwriter On ‘Remember The Titans’ And Producer Was 70

EXCLUSIVE : Range Media Partners has signed iconic actress, producer and director Halle Berry , who to this day, remains the only Black winner of the Academy Award for Best Actress. The trailblazer won the prize for her performance opposite Billy Bob Thornton in the 2001 Marc Forster drama Monster’s Ball , with her role also garnering her Best Actress awards from the Berlin Film Festival, the Screen Actors Guild and the National Board of Review. Over the course of her more than three decades in Hollywood, Berry has featured in such major franchises as X-Men , Kingsman , John Wick and James Bond , working with a who’s who of talent while appearing in films of every imaginable genre — from thrillers like Gothika , Perfect Stranger and The Call , to dramas like Things We Lpost in the Fire , sci-fi epics like the Wachowskis’ Cloud Atlas , action-comedies including The Last Boy Scout , and rom-coms like Boomerang with Eddie Murphy. Other notable … [Read more...] about Halle Berry Signs With Range Media Partners

EXCLUSIVE: Misha Green will reteam with her Underground and Lovecraft Country star Jurnee Smollett for the Lionsgate thriller Sunflower . Green will direct off a script she wrote and produce with Craig J. Flores and his Bread and Circuses Entertainment banner. In Sunflower , two women struggle to escape from a deranged college professor who holds them hostage on a remote sunflower farm. Sunflower will be Green and Smollett’s next project, and the studio is eyeing a summer start for production. Smollett and Green first worked together on the critically acclaimed WGN series Underground before reuniting for their ten-episode HBO limited series Lovecraft Country , which counted 18 Emmy nominations, including nods for Smollett’s performance, Green’s writing, and Outstanding Drama Series, while Smollett was nominated for Emmy, NAACP and SAG Awards for her performance. “Everyone at our studio was completely drawn in by the way Misha, Jurnee, and the … [Read more...] about Misha Green Making Feature Directorial Debut With Lionsgate’s ‘Sunflower’, Reteams With ‘Lovecraft Country’s Jurnee Smollett

EXCLUSIVE: Nacelle , the studio behind Down to Earth with Zac Efron and Grant, Kevin Hart’s Guide to Black History , has struck a deal to distribute a feature-length doc filmed during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine . The company has taken worldwide rights to Comedy of War: Laughter in Ukraine . The doc comes from filmmakers Christopher Walters and Krista Liney, who runs producer Maiden, and shows the brutal reality of the conflict through the lens of stand-up comedians touring in war-torn Ukraine. Nacelle plans to take the doc to film festivals before launching worldwide sales. The documentary follows four rising stars of Ukrainian stand-up comedy, each with a unique perspective on the war currently being waged in their homeland. Performing in converted bomb shelters, they laugh in spite of the war, not at it. The Russian invasion of Ukraine began almost a year ago and has left tens of thousands dead and millions displaced. Comedy of War ’s filmmakers say that, … [Read more...] about Nacelle Boards Maiden’s Feature Doc ‘Comedy Of War: Laughter In Ukraine’