Actors
‘Abbott Elementary’ Star Sheryl Lee Ralph Stuns During Historic Emmy Win
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Kevin Mazur / Getty As just the second Black actress to win an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress, Sheryl Lee Ralph stunned the audience by singing a verse from “Endangered Species,” by jazz singer Diane Reeves. “I am an endangered species, but I sing no victim song,” Ralph crooned, holding out several words for emphasis as names of those she wished to thank flashed across the screen. “I am a woman, I am an artist, and I know where my voice belongs.” Ralph’s beautiful voice drew tears from many members of the audience who rose to their feet in a standing ovation after the performance. Sheryl Lee Ralph began her career on Broadway where she won a Tony Award for her role in 1981’s Dreamgirls. She became the second Black woman to win a...
King’s Honor: Chadwick Boseman Wins Posthumous Emmy Award
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: The Washington Post / Getty The late Chadwick Boseman has received another honor, this time winning an award on the first night of this year’s Creative Emmy Awards this past weekend. The actor, who passed away in August 2020, won the posthumous honor for his voiceover role as T’Challa a.k.a. Black Panther for the animated Marvel anthology series What If on Saturday evening (September 3rd). The series made its premiere on the Disney+ streaming platform almost exactly one year to the day that he died. At the ceremony, Boseman’s widow, Taylor Simone Ledward accepted the award on his behalf. Related Stories “What a beautifully aligned moment it really is that one of the last things he would work on would not only be revisiting a character that was so importan...
Que?: Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck Held Wedding at “Imitation Plantation”
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Bellocqimages/Bauer-Griffin / Getty Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck’s official wedding festivities took place this weekend at a Georgia estate owned by Affleck which has been called an “imitation plantation.” Affleck purchased the massive Georgia estate in 2003. The home sits on 87-acres, and is 6,000-square-feet and features a deep water port, a 10,000-square-foot guest house and equestrian facilities. Related Stories The Academy Award-winning actor tried to sell the property in 2018 three years after appearing on PBS’s “Finding Your Roots” series hosted by Harvard professor Dr. Henry Louis Gates. On the show, it was uncovered that Affleck’s ancestor, Benjamin Cole owned multiple enslaved African-Americans. Affleck listed the house twice...
Mo’Nique and Netflix Settle Bias Lawsuit
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Victoria McGraw @victoriasaidit / Radio 1 Digital Comedian Mo’NIque has settled her lawsuit with Netflix where she accused the streaming giant of racial and sexual discrimination for making her a lowball offer of $500,000 for a one-hour comedy special on the service. The matter has been “amicably resolved,” Michael Parks, an attorney representing Mo’Nique in the suit, told The Hollywood Reporter. The terms of the settlement have not been disclosed. Related Stories The comedian accused Netflix of underpaying Black women pointing out the eight-figure deals offered to other comedians including Dave Chappelle and Chris Rock.“The offer made to Mo’Nique was merely an ‘opening offer’ from which there was an expectation — both by Netflix and Mo’Nique ...
Mo’Nique and Netflix Settle Bias Lawsuit
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Victoria McGraw @victoriasaidit / Radio 1 Digital Comedian Mo’NIque has settled her lawsuit with Netflix where she accused the streaming giant of racial and sexual discrimination for making her a lowball offer of $500,000 for a one-hour comedy special on the service. The matter has been “amicably resolved,” Michael Parks, an attorney representing Mo’Nique in the suit, told The Hollywood Reporter. The terms of the settlement have not been disclosed. Related Stories The comedian accused Netflix of underpaying Black women pointing out the eight-figure deals offered to other comedians including Dave Chappelle and Chris Rock.“The offer made to Mo’Nique was merely an ‘opening offer’ from which there was an expectation — both by Netflix and Mo’Nique ...
Idris Elba To Executive Produce, Star In New Apple TV+ Series
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: RB/Bauer-Griffin / Getty Idris Elba’s partnership with Apple TV is now bearing fruit as it’s confirmed that he’ll star in and will serve as executive producer on a new series for the tech giant. According to reports, the Luther actor will be the lead in a new thriller series entitled Hijack. The plot of the seven-part series features Elba as Sam, an in-demand business negotiator who finds his skills put into action as the plane that he’s on is hijacked en route to London. “[Sam] needs to step up and use all his guile to try and save the lives of the passengers — but, his high-risk strategy could be his undoing,” says the synopsis of the series. Hijack is the first project to emerge from the first-look deal that Elba’s production company, Green Door Pictur...
Yobe governor: No plan to retrench workers
Gov. Mai Mala-Buni of Yobe on Tuesday said his administration has no plan to retrench civil servants in spite of the state’s meagre resources. Mala-Buni gave the assurance in Damaturu on the sidelines of the swearing-in ceremony of newly appointed permanent secretaries and board members. He said he would continue to attract investments to Yobe from both state and non-state actors in order to meet the financial obligations of the state. “People accuse me of frequenting Abuja; the truth is, if I remain in Damaturu, we cannot pay even our salary bills. “And that means we will have to join the league of states that are retrenching workers; we don’t have such plan. “You are aware of the projects we started, including the four modern markets we are building, the ongoing 3,600 houses, the over 87...
Courts fixes date for ruling in Sheikh El-Zakzaky’s no-case-submission
A Kaduna High Court on Thursday, fixed July 28 for ruling in the No-case-submission filed by the leader of the proscribed Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), Ibrahim Zakzaky and his wife Zeenat. Justice Gideon Kurada fixed the date after the prosecution and counsel to the defendants, addressed the court on the no case submission prayer. Mr Femi Falana, SAN, and lead counsel to El-Zakzaky, who spoke to reporters shortly after the adjournment, prayed the Court to rule in favor of his clients. “The prosecution and the defence addressed the court on the the no-case-submission prayer. ” We did indicate last time that even though the prosecution called 15 witnesses, we felt that no case has been established to warrant our clients being in court. ” In other words, we addressed the court that there...
UK: Some countries are using coronavirus vaccines as a geopolitical tool
British foreign minister Dominic Raab said on Friday there was no doubt some countries were using vaccines as a diplomatic tool to secure influence but Britain did not support so-called vaccine diplomacy. Raab was speaking to Reuters on the sidelines of a G7 summit in Cornwall, southwestern England, that was likely to be dominated by the West’s attempts to reassert its influence as the world looks to rebuild from the COVID-19 pandemic. Western diplomats fear Russia and China are using their vaccines to gain influence across the world, especially in poorer countries that do not have their own production or the means to buy shots on the international market. Asked whether he was concerned that China and Russia could use vaccines in exchange for influence, Raab said: “There’s no doubt there’s...
Nigerian minister accuses entertainers of promoting abuse of women’s bodies
The Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Pauline Tallen, has accused entertainers of promoting abuse of women’s bodies by employing vulgar lyrics and depicting female dancers in a most disdainful manner. Tallen said this while speaking on the theme “My Body is My Own: Claiming the Right to Autonomy and Self-Determination,” at the launch of the State of the World Population 2021 report in Abuja on Tuesday. According to Tallen, entertainers are frustrating the government’s efforts which include tackling the fear and stigma of survivors of violence, weak community and facility referral systems, lack of counselling services for women and girls and the communities as well as seeking justice for victims. “It is almost disheartening to note that while we are confronting these obstacl...
Mo’Nique “Unapologetically” Doubles Down On Bonnets In Public Slander
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: E! Entertainment / Getty Mo’Nique is definitely the queen of speaking her mind, but after her most recent comments regarding women wearing bonnets in public, the comedienne explains exactly why she meant what she said. Earlier this week, the Academy Award-winning actress stirred up controversy after weighing in on the online debate regarding whether or not Black women should be wearing bonnets in public.; agreeing that Black women should not wear their bonnets outside the home. “I’ve been seeing it not just at the airport. I’ve been seeing it at the store, at the mall… When did we lose our pride in representing ourselves? When did we slip away of let me make sure I’m presentable when I leave my home?” the Oscar-winning Precious actress stated in an I...
Minister: Nigeria’s earlier break-up prediction failed, others will
Information minister Lai Mohammed says a prediction that Nigeria would break up in 2015 did not materialise, asserting that current predictions by individuals and organisations will also fail. A former U.S. ambassador to Nigeria, John Campbell, and one other expert had suggested that Nigeria had become a failed state calling on the U.S. government to step to salvage the country from total collapse. Mr Mohammed stated, “This declaration is merely the opinions of two persons, former U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria and a Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations John Campbell, and the President Emeritus of World Peace Foundation, Robert Rotberg. “Declaring any nation a failed state is not done at the whims and caprices of one or two persons, no matter their status. Just because Nigeria is ...
