NASHVILLE, TN — Stanley Nelson’s Tell Them We Are Rising: The Story of Black Colleges and Universities is the centerpiece of a yearlong multi-platform effort called HBCU Rising. Nelson is an award-winning documentarian whose work is known for examining the history and experiences of African Americans. His most notable films are The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution, Freedom Riders, Freedom Summer, Wounded Knee, Jonestown: The Life & Death of People’s Temple, and The Murder of Emmett Till. His latest film, Tell Them We Are Rising: The Story of Black Colleges and Universities, premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival,…
Author: Janice Malone
NASHVILLE, TN — The Nashville Rep is currently featuring a run of A Raisin in the Sun until April 15, 2017. Written by Lorraine Hansberry, this play is an American classic that first appeared on Broadway in 1959. The insightful play made an immediate historical impact – being the first play written by an African American woman to be produced on Broadway. Former Tennessee Titan, now successful actor Eddie George, plays the pivotal role of ‘Walter Lee.’ The role of Walter Lee has been performed on stage and screen by notable actors such as Sidney Poitier, Ossie Davis, Danny Glover, Denzel Washington, and Sean “Puffy”…
By Janice Malone NASHVILLE, TN — The first U.S. National Tour of the hit musical “The Bodyguard,” starring Grammy® Award-nominated and multi-platinum R&B/Pop recording artist and film/TV actress Deborah Cox, makes its Nashville debut at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center’s Andrew Jackson Hall in a limited, one-week run March 21-26, 2017. In addition to Cox’s starring turn as ‘Rachel Marron,’ TV star Judson Mills will play the role of bodyguard ‘Frank Farmer.’ “The Bodyguard” tells the story of former Secret Service agent turned bodyguard, Frank Farmer, who is hired to protect superstar Rachel Marron from an unknown stalker. A romantic thriller, “The Bodyguard” features a host of irresistible classic songs, including: “So…
By Janice Malone GREENVILLE, MS — Former Tennessee Tribune intern and recent TSU graduate Tyrie Whiteside has landed his first job as a full-time newspaper reporter! Whiteside graduated college this past December (2016) but it didn’t take long for him to exit the unemployed status. In less than 90 days the young writer was quickly hired as a general assignment reporter for the Delta Democrat Times, a daily newspaper in Greenville, Mississippi. “The first month after college graduation, I can’t recall how many job applications I sent out. It was a lot of them. Emails had become more important to…
By Janice Malone MEMPHIS, TN —The YWCA Greater Memphis will have its 20th Annual Benefit Luncheon, March 8, 2017 at the elegant Holiday Inn – University of Memphis, 3700 Central Avenue, in East Memphis. Each year over 425 diverse attendees, who care passionately about women and children, attend the luncheon. Proceeds benefit their domestic violence shelter for women and children in Memphis. The YWCA Greater Memphis is proud to announce the guest speaker will be Grammy nominated singer Michel’le from the hit TV show “R&B Divas: LA.” The multi-talented singer/songwriter made headlines for revealing years of domestic abuse at the hands of two music moguls…
By Janice Malone NASHVILLE, TN — Nashville Children’s Theatre (NCT) celebrates Black History Month with And In This Corner: Cassius Clay, the making of Muhammad Ali, opening this week and running through March 12. And In This Corner: Cassius Clay was written by playwright, rapper, and essayist, Idris Goodwin. DéYonté Jenkins has the coveted starring role as the young Cassius Clay. This will be the thespian’s debut on the NCT stage. “I hope that both adults and kids who see this play will cause them to find their own personal truth about themselves. And once it’s found, stick with it and hold fast to those beliefs no matter what people…
NASHVILLE, TN — Don’t miss the one night only performance of award winning singer/actress/director/dancer Jasmine Guy, as she stars in ‘Raisin’ Cane: A Harlem Renaissance Odyssey’ on Feb. 24 at TPAC’s James K. Polk Theater (tickets are still available). Joining Ms. Guy on stage will be the acclaimed Avery Sharpe Trio. The “Raisin’ Cane” production celebrates and honors the legendary voices of the Harlem Renaissance through text, song, music, movement, and imagery. Jasmine Guy’s been regular presence on film, television, and stage. She was the star of the Bill Cosby spin-off “A Different World” for which she won six consecutive NAACP Image…
By Janice Malone NASHVILLE, TN — The new documentary Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise premieres nationwide, February 21 at 7pm (Nashville) on WNPT, during Black History Month as part of the 31st season of THIRTEEN’s American Masters series. PBS Distribution will release the film on DVD the same day, with additional bonus features, and on Digital HD February 22. American Masters – distinctly refers to the film as “a redwood tree, with deep roots in American culture,” Dr. Maya Angelou (April 4, 1928-May 28, 2014) led a prolific life. As a singer, dancer, activist, poet and writer, she inspired generations with lyrical modern African-American thought…
By Janice Malone LANSING, MI — “The Bridge Party” is dramatic stage play about the meetings of an African American women’s bridge club in the South that takes place in the 1940’s. Originally written in 1988, The Bridge Party’s been performed throughout the U.S. Most notably in 1998, legendary actress Ruby Dee and actress/director Adilah Barnes appeared in The Bridge Party at the University of Michigan. What many people may not know is the playwright who penned this story is from nearby Columbia, TN. Sandra C. Seaton is the play’s award-winning writer and author who was born in Columbia but now resides in Lansing,…
MURFREESBORO, TN — The new competition series Hunted has arrived at CBS. (Wednesdays 7-8pm central). The show follows nine teams of two in a real-life manhunt as they attempt the nearly impossible task of disappearing in today’s vast digital world. Meanwhile, highly skilled investigators combine state-of-the-art tracking methods with traditional tactics to pursue and catch them. Murfreesboro businessman and adventure seeker Lee Wilson is one of the show’s contestants, who landed on the show after receiving a random email. “I actually had no clue this show existed until I almost deleted an email from my inbox with the subject line ‘t.v.…