Oscar Winning Director Barry Jenkins On Beale Street
Oscar is calling. Director Barry Jenkins is back with his first movie since his Best Picture Oscar winner Moonlight. His new film is an adaptation of James Baldwin’s 1974 novel If Beale Street Could Talk.
“Once I read it, I just knew this was a film. This is a film that I see, and I feel,” Jenkins said. Jenkins worked closely with the Baldwin estate to write the screenplay.
If Beale Street Could Talk follows a pregnant woman from Harlem whose lover is falsely accused of rape. When she finds out she is pregnant, she races against the clock with help from her family and her lawyer to find evidence to exonerate him. The film premieres at the Toronto International Film Festival in September and is scheduled for release November 30.
Beyonce Takes Charge Of Her Vogue Cover
Vogue’s September issue has arrived and the one and only Beyoncé is the cover girl. The singer, on the final leg of her “On the Run II” tour with husband Jay-Z, has fronted the glossy three times before, but there’s something extra special about her fourth go-round. Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour gave her editorial rule of the issue. She let Beyoncé orchestrate the photos inside the magazine, as well as write her own long-form captions.
Condé Nast creative director Raul Martinez presented Beyoncé with a selection of photographers to shoot the cover. She chose 23-year-old Black photographer Tyler Mitchell. The up-and-coming lensman hails from Atlanta and is a graduate of the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University. He is also the first Black photographer to shoot the magazine’s cover in its 126-year history.
“I think it’s important for women and men to see and appreciate the beauty in their natural bodies,” Beyoncé said in the cover story accompanying the shoot. “That’s why I stripped away the wigs and hair extensions and used little makeup for this shoot. To this day, my arms, shoulders, breasts, and thighs are fuller.”
This year’s fall book of fashion is billed as Vogue‘s largest to date. While some had predicted that it would be noteworthy for one other reason – that it might be the last issue of Vogue under the editorial watch of Wintour – both Wintour and Conde Nast have continued to deny those rumors.
The Amazing 69-Year-Old Dad
Hollywood heartthrob Richard Gere, 69, is soon to be a father again. The Pretty Woman actor and his new wife Alejandra Silva, 35, are expecting. After dating since 2014, Gere and his publicist wife married in a civil ceremony in early April.
Previously, she said about falling in love with the handsome actor, “I was a little lost, without light, and knowing him gave meaning to my life.” For his part, Gere said, “I have found the quiet and happy life that I have always sought.” So when their new child reaches college age, Gere will be 90. Wow.
Keyshia Cole At African Fest For The Arts
Keyshia Cole takes the Main Stage of the African Fest on Saturday, September 1. Cole joined the music industry at age 12 and was recognized for her first single, Love, from her debut album The Way It Was. She is also a reality star with three different shows since 2006 where fans have been able to take a peek behind the scenes of her family life.
Derrick Rose’s Rose Scholars
Derrick Rose has helped his hometown of Chicago with a multitude of charitable works, but he has started a new program that can help out a select few from around the country.
The former Bulls point guard has announced the launch of the Rose Scholars, which will provide scholarship money to three motivated high school students for their college expenses.
“As I started to reflect on my service to others, the idea of The Rose Scholars program started to form,” Rose says. “An award that would reflect on my desire to find greatness, my dedication to perseverance and determination, my passion for self-empowerment, and my wish to elevate it in promising individuals.”
The deadline for the application is September 30 and the winners of the awards will be notified around October 15.
Ivanka Closes Fashion Line
Ivanka Trump has decided to shut down her namesake fashion line as she switches her focus to policy in Washington “for the foreseeable future.”
Criticism of Ivanka’s brand intensified after the 2016 presidential election when she opted to work as an advisor for her father while retaining ownership of the brand. The family has faced criticism that its portfolio of real estate and consumer goods businesses conflict with their roles as Washington officials.
