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7.6 Million Total Viewers Watched The Bet Awards Last Night - The Network Spins The Numbers
53 minutes ago
For a second consecutive year, broadcast of the Bet Awards show, which aired last night, June 30, was a hit for the network, drawing 7.6 million total viewers and, according to a Bet press release, accounted for 51% of all social chatter across all of cable, dominating Twitter with nearly ten million tweets. It was also the #2 Bet telecast of all time, only behind the Bet Awards show in 2009, which included a Michael Jackson tribute, and helped the network's website, Bet.com, break an all-time single day record, drawing in more visitors than ever before in the history of the website. Daily unique visitors were up 39% from last year's show, while page views »
- Tambay A. Obenson
A Month+ Before Its Release, Warner Bros Blocks Weinstein Company From Using 'The Butler' Title
3 hours ago
As Mike Fleming Jr, who reports on this for Deadline, notes, this does seem rather petty. Warner Bros is the latest Hollywood company seemingly trying to use trademark law to stop another company from releasing a film with a title similar to one in its library. According to Fleming, the story goes: A title fight is brewing between The Weinstein Company and Warner Bros over The Butler, the Lee Daniels-directed drama that stars Forest Whitaker, Oprah Winfrey and David Oyelowo, with a stellar cast playing small roles as the occupants of the White House during Cecil Gaines’s tenure as butler for eight presidents. Warner Bros is trying to block Harvey Weinstein from using the »
- Tambay A. Obenson
Watch 6-Minute Compilation Of Ugandan Action Movie Studio's Library + Preview Doc On Man Behind The Company
4 hours ago
It was a couple of years ago when we featured the trailer for a film that was dubbed Uganda’s first action film, titled Who Killed Captain Alex. Long time readers might remember the insane, hilarious trailer, that was loaded with nutty action sequences, and entry-level special effects. We were amused, but also intrigued. The trailer was played several million times on video sharing sites across the web, becoming an instant viral hit. I never did get to see the full film, however. And now, 2+ years later, a feature length documentary film on the man behind company behind films like Who Killed Captain Alex (the illustrious Ramon Film Productions, a »
- Tambay A. Obenson
First Release Trailer For Neil Drumming's Hip-Hop Dramedy 'Big Words'
6 hours ago
Affrm's multi-platform distribution label Array has revealed what it's calling The 'Big Words' Tour - a summer screening schedule for Neil Drumming's Slamdance 2013 Official Selection dramedy Big Words, which stars Dorian Missick, Yaya Alafia, Gbenga Akinnagbe, Darien Sills-Evans, Zachary Booth and Jean Grae. Following its Frameline Film Festival screenings this weekend, the film will make its commercial theatrical debut in New York City and Los Angeles on July 19, which will be followed by playdates via Affrm partners: Imagenation, Urbanworld Film Festival, BronzeLens Film Festival, ReelBlack Film Series, Langston »
- Tambay A. Obenson
Viola Davis Stares You Down As Major Gwen Anderson In New 'Ender's Game' Character Poster
7 hours ago
Here's a character poster for Viola Davis' Ender's Game character - Major Gwen Anderson. British actor Nonso Anozie, also co-stars, although, no character poster for his character (Sergeant Dap). Based on the popular book by Orson Scott Card, the film, which, directed by Gavin Hood (Tsotsi), who also wrote the screenplay adaptation, deals with a young strategist, Ender Wiggen, who is drafted to save the entire human race 70 years after a devastating alien war. Ho-hum. I've had more than my fill of these "white boys/men save the entire human race" movies. Harrison Ford, Ben Kingsley, Hallee Steinfeld, Abigial Breslin and Asa »
- Tambay A. Obenson
Michonne On A Horse; Tyreese Fending Off Horde Of Zombies - New Poster For 'Walking Dead'
7 hours ago
You folks, who are rabid fans of the original comic book series that the TV show is based on, will have to chime in with your wisdom on this. What I can tell you with certainty is that Lawrence Gilliard Jr. (likely best known for his role as D'Angelo Barksdale on The Wire) will join the season 4 cast of AMC's hit zombie drama series The Walking Dead, in a new series regular role, playing a character named Bob Stookey - described as the local town drunk of Woodbury and a former army medic, who descended into alcoholism before the zombie apocalypse; and after the apocalypse, was one of many survivors to join The Governor's settlement in »
- Tambay A. Obenson
Rip Google Reader, 7/1/13 - Alternatives + How To Continue Receiving S&A Content
8 hours ago
Google Reader users are probably all aware by now that the popular news feed aggregator is being put to sleep permanently by Google (for shame!!) after today. If you're just hearing about this, that's right, after today, July 1, Google Reader will no longer exist, which means that if you rely on it (as I do heavily) to capture your daily news from the dozens (or, in my case, hundreds) of sites and blogs you subscribe to, you'll need to export your subscriptions list out of Reader so that you can import them into another similar tool (a few exist, and others are coming). In light of this news, I thought it would be a good idea to let our readers who use Google Reader »
- Tambay A. Obenson
TV One Sets 2nd Season Premiere Of 'Rickey Smiley Show' For Friday, July 26, 9Pm Et
9 hours ago
TV One will premiere the second season of the network's original sitcom The Rickey Smiley Show on Friday, July 26 at 9pm Et. Loosely inspired by the real-life experiences and antics of lauded comedian, TV, and radio personality Rickey Smiley, the series pulls TV One viewers even deeper into "Rickey's World" this season, introducing two additional alter egos to his already beloved, wacky troupe of trademark personalities. "We are thrilled to debut The Rickey Smiley Show season two this July," commented Maureen Guthman, Svp of Program Strategy and Acquisitions for TV One. "The series' exceptional first season run - anchored by Rickey's relatable and hysterical characters - puts a twist »
- Tambay A. Obenson
Kevin Hart Is Having The Best Year Ever! First Trailer For 'Ride Along' Surfaces
9 hours ago
Ride Along isn't set to hit theaters until January 17, 2014, but, in April, it was reported that Universal Pictures is already considering a sequel. Ride Along stars Ice Cube, Kevin Hart, Tika Sumpter, Jay Pharoah, John Leguizamo and Bryan Callen, in a film that will see Hart play a high school security guard who is ready to get married, but must first survive a Training Day-like ride along experience with her tough cop brother, played by Ice Cube, who doesn’t want the marriage to happen and tries to scare Hart's character away. Sumpter plays Hart's fiancee; Callen is a wily, undercover cop alongside John Leguizamo; and »
- Tambay A. Obenson
NBC's Craig Robinson Comedy Pilot From Creators Of 'The Office' Is Still Alive
10 hours ago
In May, when NBC released its official fall schedule lineup, it looked like Craig Robinson's comedy series, from creators of The Office, was dead. Skip ahead to today, to news that the series actually could see the light of day, as NBC has reportedly ordered 3 additional scripts for the untitled series, and extended its options on the entire cast, which includes Amandla Stenberg and Larenz Tate. First announced as a possibility last fall, NBC gave a pilot order to a new comedy series from The Office executive producer Greg Daniels, penned by Owen Ellickson (supervising producer for The Office), and starring »
- Tambay A. Obenson
Watch All 14 Bet Awards Performances If You Missed Them (Or Want To See Them Again)
10 hours ago
The 2013 Bet Awards celebration aired last night on the network, with Chris Tucker hosting, and, based on how active my Twitter feed was, I'd say that ratings for the show will be high (once I see the press release revealing the numbers). A lot of you tuned in, and, many of you who did seemed relatively impressed by this year's show. A few said it was the best Bet Awards show ever! I caught glimpses of it, but didn't watch the whole thing, and so can't really comment on how great it was. I assume Bet will re-broadcast the show at some point soon. But if you missed it (or you just want to relive some of its best moments - the performances - all over again), Bet »
- Tambay A. Obenson
3 Jim Kelly Film Recommendations For Those Unaware Of His Contributions To Cinema
11 hours ago
I’ve been asked by Tambay, with the passing of Jim Kelly on June 29th at his home in San Diego after a battle with cancer, what Jim Kelly films I would recommend to those who are unfamiliar with his work (and if you are, I mean like, seriously, where in the hell have you been?).So as a sort primer to introduce him to the uninitiated, out of the 16 films that he made during his film career, there are three that I must recommend as “must sees”.First of all, there is of course 1973’s Enter the Dragon with Bruce Lee (who died just a month before the film’s release under what I still consider to be mysterious circumstances) and John Saxon, directed by Robert Clouse (though Lee actually »
- Sergio
PBS To Debut New Doc 'The March' + Week Of Programs Honoring March On Washington's 50th
11 hours ago
PBS, Sundance Productions, Smoking Dogs Films, and Cactus Three today announced The March, a new documentary honoring the 50th anniversary of the original March on Washington, a watershed moment in the Civil Rights Movement. The March premieres on Tuesday, August 27, 2013 at 9 pm Et. It's part of a full week of special programming and events by PBS, in honor of this 50th anniversary. The rest of the story via press release from PBS follows below: Unprecedented in size, the August 28, 1963 massive demonstration for racial and economic equality issued a clarion call for racial justice that would help usher in sweeping civil rights legislation and a sea change in »
- Tambay A. Obenson
Venus Williams' Multiple Wimbledon Championship Dreams In New Clip From 'Venus Vs'
11 hours ago
Espn Films and espnW will premiere the documentary Venus Vs., directed by Ava DuVernay, as the first film in the upcoming Nine for IX series, tomorrow, July 2, at 8pm Et. Venus Vs. highlights Venus Williams' work that changed the course of women's tennis. In a stunning case that drew increasing attention and debate, Williams challenged the long-held practice of paying women tennis players less money than their male counterparts at Wimbledon. With a deep sense of obligation to the legacy of Billie Jean King, Williams lobbied British Parliament, Unesco and Fleet Street for financial parity. The boys clubs at Roland Garros and Wimbledon finally relented in 2007 and during that same year »
- Tambay A. Obenson
Review: 'Gideon's Army' Is A Necessary Look At The Work Done By The Unsung (HBO Tonight)
11 hours ago
Director Dawn Porter's Gideon's Army, which will premiere tonight, July 1, on HBO, can be summarized as follows: 3 young, idealistic public defenders in the Deep South - Travis Williams, Brandy Alexander and June Hardwick - struggle against long hours, low pay and staggering caseloads to ensure justice is served for America’s forgotten poor. There's a melancholy that runs through the entire documentary, as we get to know, quite intimately, 3 of the 15,000+ men and women public defenders in this country, as well as the many clients each represents. Despite the courtroom wins (obviously not all the time), the film paints a rather sobering portrait of the lives of these 3 young »
- Tambay A. Obenson
Fox Searchlight Takes Amma Asante's 'Belle' (Black Films Are In Vogue Again...)
12 hours ago
What a turnaround in attitude towards "black films" for both The Weinstein Company (TWC) and Fox Searchlight in the last 12 months, it seems. You might recall that these were 2 companies that previously questioned the box office appeal of "black films" 3 or 4 years ago, given that those they'd acquired and released back then, hadn't fared as well as expectations. Now these 2 companies combined, hold the fates of several upcoming, high-profile "black films" in their hands. We've already touched on TWC's acquisitions of Fruitvale Station, The Butler, and Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom (all scheduled to open in the next 6 months). As for Fox Searchlight, in addition to the rom-com »
- Tambay A. Obenson
Sneak Peek: Own & Wanda Sykes Team Up For 'Herlarious' Comedy Specials
12 hours ago
Oprah Winfrey's Own Network will air a pair of new Wanda Sykes comedy specials titled Herlarious, on Saturday, July 13 and Saturday, July 20 at 10pm. Taped before a live studio audience at Harpo Studios in Chicago, the specials will be hosted and produced by Sykes and Page Hurwitz's Push It Productions, in conjunction with Harpo Studios, and will feature appearances by female stand-ups, including Kym Whitley, Andi Smith, Gloria Bigelow, Marina Franklin, Tracey Ashley, Carmen Lynch and Dominique Witten. In addition to performing new stand up material, Sykes will also feature in a series of comedy shorts that will air during the specials. This is in addition »
- Tambay A. Obenson
Two O.J. Simpson Projects In The Works (One For TV, One For Theaters). Casting Call...
12 hours ago
What to make of all this new interest in O.J. Simpson... the only explanation I have is that June 2014 will mark the 20th anniversary since he was charged with the murders of Nicole Brown-Simpson and Ron Goldman. It was in March that Fox TV announced it had inked a development deal for a drama project based on Jeffrey Toobin’s best-selling book titled, The Run Of His Life: The People V. O.J. Simpson. By all accounts, it sounded to me like a Traffic-like project that will look at the case from a variety of different perspectives. The project comes from Nina Jacobson (producer of the successful The Hunger Games franchise) »
- Tambay A. Obenson
'Gideon's Army' Broadcast Premieres Tonight (July 1) On HBO - Watch 3 New Clips
13 hours ago
A fascinating documentary that I saw earlier this year, while it was premiering at the Sundance Film Festival, on a subject that I wouldn't have ever even considered as a documentary topic; needless to say, I really appreciated, was informed and even entertained by it. Titled Gideon’s Army, from African American filmmaker Dawn Porter, the film tells the story of a group of the idealistic public defenders working in the Deep South, and the man who brought them together to train, mentor and turn into lawyers. This is Gideon’s Army: In 1963, the landmark Supreme Court decision Gideon v. Wainwright guaranteed all defendants facing imprisonment the right to a lawyer. »
- Tambay A. Obenson
David E. Talbert's 'Baggage Claim' Gets A New Trailer (Paula Patton, Taye Diggs, Derek Luke...)
13 hours ago
One of a few black rom-coms on the horizon, here's your a second look at the trailer for playwright/director David E. Talbert's rom-com, Baggage Claim. Fox Searchlight moved the film's release date up by a month to September 27, 2013, in what will be one of the most crowded fall seasons in black cinema history, given the number of black films scheduled to open between August and December this year. Some actually had to be moved to early next year to avoid the competition. The ensemble cast includes Paula Patton, Taye Diggs, Derek Luke, Trey Songz, Jill Scott, J Cole, Djimon Hounsou, Adam Brody, Boris Kodjoe, Tia »
- Tambay A. Obenson
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