New Quincy Jones Documentary
Netflix launches the new documentary Quincy, about the musical icon Quincy Jones, on Sept. 21. The film will have a limited theatrical release and is directed by Rashida Jones and Alan Hicks, the director of Keep On Keepin’ On, which focused on jazz musician Clark Terry. Rashida Jones is Q’s daughter by his former wife Peggy Lipton of Mod Squad fame, and she stars in Angie Tribeca, the police comedy satire series on TBS.
The film promises a look at Jones’ career as a trumpeter, producer, conductor, composer and arranger, combining real moments with private archival footage.
“It’s rare that somebody who has lived as much life as my dad is still interested in growing and knowing the next generation,” Rashida Jones says. “He is such a man of action and accomplishments, but we were so lucky to spend real time with him, to let him reflect on life and the larger picture. I feel honored to be able to share that with audiences all over the world.”
“There is really no one like Quincy, the sheer breadth of his work alone is unparalleled, but the story of him as a man has never been comprehensively told. It was a privilege to have his trust, allowing us to capture intimate moments giving insight into the fabric of the man,” Hicks added.
“It’s a rare opportunity to be able to present the definitive story of someone who has for over seven decades, not just influenced, but altered the course of culture. Combining his God-given creative gift with a near maniacal work ethic, Quincy Jones has done just that, marshaling every expression of the arts to their full potency resulting in everything from Thriller to The Color Purple,” says Lisa Nishimura, Netflix VP of original documentaries.
Tyson Stars At DuSable Gala
Legendary actress, Cicely Tyson receives the Stars of Stars Living Legend Award at DuSable’s annual fundraiser, “A Night of 100 Stars. The new date for the event is Friday, October 12 at the Mariott Marque, 2121 South Prairie Avenue.
Tiffany Haddish Discusses Rape
Break out star-of-the-year, Tiffany Haddish, 38, is the cover story for Glamour magazine, but she’s not talking about hair or fashion. The hot as fire comedienne-actress is talking about the sexual assault she experienced as a teenager. The candid star revealed a police cadet raped her at 17.
Haddish, who stars in the comedy series The Last O.G. with Tracy Morgan and the upcoming comedy Night School with Kevin Hart, said the experience messed her up for a long time and she ended up in counseling. She reported the assault at the time.
Haddish told Glamour that she was raped the night of her high school homecoming dance. Her attacker lied about his age and befriended her after meeting her at a family member’s baseball game. He offered to introduce her to his younger brother. On the night of the dance, the man offered to give her a ride home, but took her to his place instead.
When she got there she noticed handcuffs and a police uniform. She asked him if it was a Halloween costume or something and he replied that he was a cadet, training for the police force. The next thing she knew, she had one arm up in the handcuff, and he pinned her down. She unsuccessfully tried to fight him off and he raped her.
Haddish said the experience turned her into someone who is always on the defense to protect herself against unwanted advances from men.
After wrapping filming for Nobody’s Fool, director Tyler Perry surprised her with a brand new Tesla Model X. He said that he heard her talking about getting a new car for a long time and felt that she deserved it and he was excited about her success.
Willie’s Money
Candidate for Mayor Willie Wilson says in so many words, “It ain’t nobody’s business what I do” with my dollars. Willie understands hard times and it touches his heart to pass out money. In his very own life he has known poverty. He rose from picking cotton at 20 cents an hour to making $62 million a year. He’s a man with a heart and a fistful of dollars. Let him be.
Hillary and Spielberg Team Up For TV
Hilary Clinton may not have won the Oval Office, but that doesn’t mean she’s finished with politics or partnering with world-famous power players.
Clinton will guest star as herself on the Oct. 7 season premiere of Madam Secretary, along aside other former real-life secretaries of state Madeline Albright and Colin Powell. She also will be executive-producing an adaptation of Elaine Weiss’s book The Woman’s Hour: The Great Fight to Win the Vote, with director Steven Spielberg.
The Woman’s Hour centers on a topic close to Clinton’s heart, recounting women’s arduous decades-long fight to secure the right to vote – a battle that ended with ratification of the 19th amendment in 1920. Clinton was enthusiastic about getting it produced, and will now reportedly be involved in the writing and casting process. There’s currently no timetable for The Woman’s Hour’s release.
Octavia Spencer Channels Madam C.J. Walker
Academy Award winner Octavia Spencer will star in her very own Netflix limited series, as turn-of-the-century Black beauty and hair care products mogul Madam C. J. Walker.
Based on her great-great-granddaughter A’Lelia Bundles’s biography On Her Own Ground, the show promises a “highly irreverent” account of Walker’s success as a Black entrepreneur at the turn of the 20th century, overcoming “epic rivalries, tumultuous marriages and some trifling family” to become the first female self-made millionaire in the United States, and one of the most successful African-American female business owners of all time.
LeBron James is one of the eight-part show’s executive producers, and if that guy doesn’t know excellence when he sees it, then truly no one does.
Royal Wedding Choir Signs with Sony Records
Karen Gibson and the Kingdom Choir, who performed at the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, have signed a record deal with Sony Music U.K.
At the wedding they performed Stand By Me by Ben E. King, prompting the song to soar to No. 1 on the Billboard’s Hot Gospel Songs chart. The London-based choir was formed in 1994. In 2000, they won BBC Radio 2’s Minstrels in the Gallery, a competitive festival of religious music. Two years later, they were nominated for best UK Choir at the Oasis Awards. They have performed with Luther Vandross, the Spice Girls, and Sir Elton John.
“The Kingdom Choir is absolutely delighted with the journey of the past few months! It’s been a roller coaster, but we wouldn’t have it any other way – first, the honor of being able to sing at the Royal Wedding, and then the thrill of being signed to Sony!” conductor Gibson told Billboard. “It’s like an un-dreamt dream – one that you wouldn’t even consider because you never thought it could happen to you.”
The group will go into the studio later this month to begin work on their debut album, which is set for release on November 2 and will include their arrangement of the Ben E. King classic. Congrats to the choir! They bought some soul to the royal wedding and deserve the success that awaits them.
White Women’s Obsession With Nail Art
Can Black people have anything to call their own? It’s official; nail art is being taken over by white women.
White women used to get French manicures or maybe one finger of sparkly polish on their nails. But now their latest Black trend steal is “nail sculptures.” You know, to Black women it’s just jewels and embellishments on their nails. Neighborhood salons have for years have been busy putting the bling on Black customers hands and sometimes toes.
Now white women think they’re starting something new with this nail obsession. Regular Black women and current celebs like Cardi B have been rocking these for years. But when Kylie Jenner and the Kardashians do the same, it’s like a new invention. Why does white media feel like the Kardashian clan is the originator of all things beauty?
Last year, Vogue referred to elaborate nail art as “manicure sculptures,” praising some nail tech for creating these amazing creations and charging $300 (WTF?). Meanwhile, in a recent Elle slideshow on nail art, most of the nails featured were on –you guessed it – white women. And as usual, Black readers immediately checked them.
The latest white woman-endorsed nail trend? “Jelly Nails.” Although the trend hasn’t been around as long as airbrushing, they were first introduced about two years ago at local nail salons. But of course, when ABC recently featured them, they gave credit to the look going viral after Kylie posted hers. Once again, this is not new; when Black women asked for it pre-Kylie, they just called it “glass nails.”
It’s time for Black women to stop just giving the thieves the side-eye and start “reclaiming” what’s theirs!
Real Equal Opportunity
Back in March, Iceland introduced legislation that made it illegal to pay men more than women for the same job. Now, the island Nordic country is the first in the world to legally require all companies with 25 employees or more to prove that they pay women and men equally. Companies will have to undergo certification every three years to ensure that their pay policies follow the rules. Those that fail to prove pay parity will face fines.
