‘OSCAR' SNUBS CALLED IRRELEVANT; 'SELMA' BARES LESS BULL

"I don’t think about it,” DANNY GLOVER says with a laugh, responding to the Oscars snub of many black films or performances, including his portrayal of a police captain father in “Beyond the Lights.” 

“I got global warming on my mind.  I got what’s happening with workers on my mind.  I don’t think about that stuff.  I really don’t.  My life is beyond those types of things,” he said. “At 68 years old, the things that I think about are being home with my wife or finding a way I can connect as much as I can with my grandson.”

Glover said he looks for films that challenge, not those that will win awards. Which explains why he’s starring in the independent, racially charged thriller "Supremacy," which hits theaters and Digital HD this weekend. In the movie, he plays the head of a household taken hostage by a white supremacist.
 
A truly transformative Lela Rochon, Derek Luke, Evan Ross, Mahershala Ali and Anson Mount (Mr. Bohannon on“Hell on Wheels”) round out the cast directed by Deon Taylor.  Up next for Taylor is “Meet The Blacks” starring Mike Epps, Dave Chappelle and Charlie Murphy, opening in July.  

LESS BULL, MORE TRUTH: Longtime activist DICK GREGORY’s address during Martin Luther King Jr. ceremonies at Georgia State was a big hit, even though the comedian admitted he wasn’t part of the civil rights leader’s inner circle: “I was making too much money for that then,” he joked.  

On the film “Selma?”: “I told Oprah, 10,000 years from now, this will still be a hit, because you gave us something more than Bull Connor. You should be ashamed if you haven't seen it!” 

His Greatest Hits: “Thurgood Marshall was nothing but a government agent."  "Alex Haley ain’t know none of that.  Kunta Kinte came out of that white boy’s book “The African.” "Mixing Skittles with Arizona sweet tea produces a combination three times as potent as cocaine.”
 
The 82-year-old comic will receive his much deserved Hollywood Star at 11:30 Feb. 2 at the corner of Hollywood and Vine.  The ceremony lasts about 30 minutes; no ticket is required.

EMPIRE RISING: Denzel Washington is being wooed by filmmaker Lee Daniels to do a guest star appearance on Fox’s “Empire” – and the feeling reportedly is mutual.  “Denzel hasn’t done television in 30 years,” Daniels told The Philadelphia Enquirer. “But he saw the pilot and said, ‘I’ve got to be a part of this.’ ” Patti LaBelle’s coming too!

CRITICAL TIME: Orlando Jones, John Singleton, Mike Epps, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, and RZA are among the presenters at the African-American Film Critics Association (AAFCA.com) annual award ceremony and dinner at 7 p.m. Feb. 4 at Hollywood’s Taglyan Complex.

CLIPPETTES:  “FourFiveSeconds” featuring Rihanna was the first song to hit the net from the upcoming Kanye West album co-produced by Paul McCartney.  The acoustic joint will also appear on her album …

Public Enemy’s song, “Harder Than You Think,” was selected for NBC’s official Super Bowl XLIX Commercial, currently airing with a voiceover by fellow hip-hop legend Ice-T …

Sylvester Stewart AKA Sly Stone was awarded $5 million by a L.A. jury in his case against his ex-manager and his lawyer …

Rutina Wesley (Tara on "True Blood") has joined the cast of NBC's "Hannibal” …

Leslie Jones (“SNL”) will join Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig & Kate McKinnon as your new “Ghostbusters”…  

Shaquille O'Neal is working on a sitcom pilot about his business dealings called “Shaq Inq”…

“Selma” director Ava DuVernay and its star David Oyelowo are teaming again on a love story set to the backdrop of Hurricane Katrina … 

“We Are The World” celebrated a 30th anniversary with Smokey Robinson, Sheila E and others witnessing USA for Africa gifting a grant to the Grammy Museum’s Education program ... 

ABC wants more from Shonda Rhimes and has ordered a pilot of “The Catch,” called a romantic thriller ...

STAR POWER: Compton’s own Kevin Costner and “Black or White” co-star Anthony Mackie exuded class at the Atlanta screening of their film that had "Real Housewives" Phaedra Parks and Demetria McKinney, and civil rights icon Andrew Young in attendance.  Andre Holland (who played Young in "Selma") gives a strong performance as a junkie in the movie that also stars Octavia Spencer.  

TC ON TV: JAN 31 – “SNL” (NBC): D’Angelo will be joined by Jesse Johnson (original guitarist in The Time) during his sets. 
Feb. 1 – “Chris Paul's CP3 PBA Celebrity Invitational” (ESPN): A Super Bowl Sunday tradition taped this year at AMF Bowl-O-Drome in Torrance… “The Tonight Show” (NBC): Kevin Hart, Will Farrell, Ariana Grande and The Roots LIVE!
Feb. 2 – “Unwrapped 2.0” (COOKING): Alfonso Ribeiro is the new host of this series reboot!  
Feb. 3: “Being Mary Jane” (BET): Season premiere.
Feb. 4: “Laff Mobb’s We Got Next” (ASPIRE):  2nd Season premiere.

SUNDANCE SEPIA:  “Dope” by Rick Famuyima (“The Wood," "Brown Sugar") was hype, according to those who saw it at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. Zoe Kravitz, Kimberly Elise, Rick Fox, Roger Guenveur Smith, Chanel Iman, A$AP Rocky, and the voice of producer Forest Whitaker are featured in the hit described by a Playlist writer as a “coming of age tale for the post-hip-hop and social media generation, a black geek picture for the Urkels and Kanye Wests of the world, a crime/drug caper, a comedy, a gettin’-out-of-the-ghetto film and more.”

Also making noise were documentaries “What Happened, Miss Simone?” about the great Nina Simone;  “Fresh Dressed,” looking at the history of hip hop fashion; Stanley Nelson's "The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution;" and the apocalyptic thriller, “Z for Zachariah,” starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, Chris Pine and Margot Robbie.  

TASTY QUIP: “The good thing about the young is that they want to fix things. They don’t want to fall into the same ol’ bullshit.” – STEVIE WONDER to GQ.

DREAM TEAM PRODUCES BIG 'RING'

An all-star team of top women in entertainment have teamed to make “With This Ring,” a Lifetime Original Movie premiering Saturday, Jan. 24.  Jill Scott, Regina Hall and Eve Jeffers Cooper star as three single friends who make a pact to get married within a year after attending their best friend’s wedding. The romantic comedy is based on the best seller “The Vow” by Denene Millner, Angela Burt-Murray and Mitzi Miller.

This Sony Pictures Television production, written and directed by Nzingha Stewart (“Pretty Little Liars,” “The Fosters”),  boasts a supporting cast of Brooklyn Sudano (“My Wife and Kids”), NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, Stephen Bishop (“Being Mary Jane”), Jason George (“Grey’s Anatomy”) and Brian White.

Executive producers Tracey Edmonds (“Jumping the Broom”), Gabrielle Union (“Top Five”) in her first producing role and Sheila Ducksworth (“Soul Food”) can deservedly take their bows.  

OUT THE BOX: D’Angelo, riding the wave of his surprise critically acclaimed album “Black Messiah,” will  continue  to go against the grain by heading overseas with his first concert tour to support the release.  However, it’s been learned that before he hits the road, he’ll do an appearance on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” on Jan. 31 and one U.S. show at the Apollo Theatre on Feb. 7.  That date will be notable as he was first discovered during Amateur Night at the famed Harlem venue.   

TASTY QUIP: "They still trying to get that script right. I'm not doing a 'Beverly Hills Cop' unless they have a really incredible script. I've read a couple things that look like they can make some paper. But I'm not doing a shitty movie just to make some paper. The shit got to be right." - EDDIE MURPHY to Rolling Stone

BE THERE: The Black Association of Documentary Filmmakers West (BAD West) will present Michael Phillip Edwards’ “Haunted Jamaica” as part of their monthly St. Clair Bourn free screening program on Mon, Jan. 26. It kicks off at 7 p.m. at the Mayme Clayton Library & Museum in Culver City.  Edwards will do a Q&A after the screening. Refreshments, jerk chicken wings and salad will be served.

CLIPPETTES: With WGN’s Underground Railroad series already in development, comes news that NBC plans to do a mini-series on the subject with Stevie Wonder on board as an Executive Producer and hopefully composer of a Broadway bound spin-off of the material…

Disney’s “Queen Of Katwe,” a film about young African chess star Phiona Mutesi, is hoping to get Lupita Nyong’o and David Oyelowo on board… 

Keke Palmer is segueing from Broadway’s “Cinderella” to Fox’s “Scream Queens,” a creep fest show coming this fall from Ryan Murphy (“American Horror Story”). Lea Michele (“Glee”), Jamie Lee Curtis (“Halloween”), Joe Manganiello (“True Blood”) and Ariana Grande will be joining her… 

Meanwhile, almost everything old is new again at Fox as the network is considering bringing back “The X Files,” “Prison Break,” and a Jack Bauer lite “24”…

TLC (Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas & Tionne “T-Boz Watkins) are turning to Kickstarter for funding of their next and “final” album, their first without the late Lisa “Left-Eye” Lopes…

Mariah Carey announced on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” that she’ll be the latest superstar to do a residency at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas…

AOL has announced adding “That's Racist With Mike Epps,“  a 10-episode series, to their 2015 slate beginning Jan. 26 for the first five installments and March 2 for the rest... 

Miki Howard returns to the Catalina Bar & Grill (6725 W. Sunset Blvd) on Jan. 23 & 24 to perform her hits and selections from her new EP “Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blues,” some of which was recorded live during her last visit to the venue…

B.J. Britt, whose Agent Triplett character was killed in the mid-season finale of "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.," still has BET's "Being Mary Jane" returning Feb. 3rd…

TASTY QUIP: “If I were accused of something I didn’t do, you couldn’t shut me up about proclaiming my innocence.  I’d be all over the place, lawyered up, trying to sue people for slander. That’s defamation of character.  I think his silence is speaking volumes.  I also think we don’t know Bill Cosby. We know Heathcliff Huxtable.  I never thought he would’ve cheated on Camille ever, yet he made a child and I was shocked about that! It’s a trip because Bill Cosby is a good looking man. He didn’t have to drug anybody. Like I’d have gave him some.  It’s not about the sex, it’s about the control. Unfortunately predators come in all packages.” – LUENELL to TASTY CLIPS

TC ON TV: JAN 27 – “Real Husbands of Hollywood” (BET): Season Finale!

JAN 28 – “Empire” (FOX): It’s already been renewed for a second season.  Look for both Snoop Dogg and Foxy Brown to appear soon. 

JAN 29 – “Scandal” (ABC): Exactly what happened when Jake went to the bedroom? Who took Olivia and where did she go? The series returns to show all from Olivia's point of view.  "How to Get Away with Murder" (ABC): The wait is over!

JAN 30 – “Wendy Williams Show (SYN): Congrats for reaching her 1000^th episode!     

TASTY QUIP: “Will Smith plays globally. Denzel plays globally. When studios do their formula for budgets a big part of that is what it’s going to make internationally, so automatically when people believe in this mantra that “black doesn’t sell overseas,” you’re going to get less money for your budget. But if you go through the numbers, you’ll see plenty of Caucasian-American actors that don’t travel well overseas, too. A lot of white actors don’t pass Denzel, Will Smith, or Samuel L. Jackson overseas, so this myth that we don’t travel? I don’t believe it.” - SPIKE LEE to The Daily Beast

FROM 'NOWHERE' TO 'SELMA': 'NEW BLACK' STAR SPEAKS!

“Middle of Nowhere,” the drama that impressed “Selma” producers so much that they hired its director Ava DuVernay, is at long last released on DVD.  For some insights, TASTY CLIPS talked with the amazing LORRAINE TOUSSAINT, who counts both films, ABC's "Forever," as well as a lauded turn on season two of “Orange is the New Black” among her credits.  “It was one of the best scripts I'd read in a really long time,” she opined.  “Ava's a wonderful writer but she's also gifted in not overwriting a part. There was so much room for the unspoken in her script that I signed on to do it immediately.”

Portraying the mother of a young woman who is trying to make a living while devoted to an incarcerated husband, Toussaint understood the fierce love that is depicted.  “You want [your children] to reach their full potential and anything that gets in the way of that is an enemy - including themselves,“ she said, “because that's what mothers do.”

Thankfully, her own mother overlooked the “delusional“ aspirations of her 10 year old daughter and enrolled Toussaint in an acting class. “I come from Trinidad,” she revealed.  “I may be showing my age but there was one black actress I knew of and that was Diahann Carroll [as “Julia”].  I thank her every time I see her because of the power of role models.  Sometimes you have to see it, to know that you can be it.” 

In “Selma,” she is being Ms. Amelia Boynton, the civil rights icon who is now 103 years old. “I met her while we were shooting in Montgomery,” said Toussaint.  “It was an honor.  You could feel the waves of passion coming off of this person.  I was very clear that I was sitting in the presence of a woman who has lived and is still living a purpose filled life.”   

Toussaint is pointed about critics of the authenticity of “Selma.” “Oh for God's sake, it’s art and an interpretation,” she said.  “It's such an uninteresting debate because I can't even say go to history books because history is written by the winner. Whoever the dominant culture is determines what history is.  How much of history does not reflect Black Americans or Black American contributions to history?  How much of history has not documented the slave trade or many of the atrocities all over the world?  How much of history has excluded women and people of color?  Even a documentary is from a particular perceptive.   It's an uninteresting discussion to me.” 

 “I say go see the film,” she adds. “Does it move you to dig deeper to find more facts about what happened? Does it open your heart and mind? Does it inspire and inform and entertain? I think “Selma” has met all of those benchmarks and surpassed them.” 

After ruling on "Orange is the New Black," Toussaint offered a glimmer of hope for more.  "She certainly took a hit literally and figuratively at the end of season two," she said, "but even I as an observer of that character have to say, I know she's dead, but are we sure she's dead?  That's Vee.  Is she really going to go out like that?  To honor the Netflix model I won't say much more about season three except Vee has fun and Vee was fun."

As for what’s next for Toussaint? “It’s the story of an extraordinary woman who led troops and was instrumental in changing the course of [America’s] Civil War - literally on the field and off,” she declared.  “Her name happened to be Harriet Tubman.  There's so much we don't know.” 

CLIPPETTES: The two actresses LIFETIME hired to star in their Aaliyah biopic, Zendaya Coleman (who quit) and Alexandra Shipp (who replaced her) are the front runners to play a younger version of Storm in the next X-Men flick…

Allen Hughes (who directed “Menace To Society,” “Dead Presidents,” & “The Book of Eli” with his twin brother Albert) will helm the History Channel reboot of “Roots.”…

The Blu-Ray to James Brown biopic “Get On Up” adds full song performances and featurettes “The Founding Father of Funk” and “On Stage with The Hardest Working Man in Show Business” to the mix of extras…

“The Adventures of Puss in Boots,” continuing the animated exploits of DreamWorks’ popular hero,  premiered on Netflix with voice work from John Leguizamo and Danny Trejo (“Machete”)…

TC ON TV: SAT, JAN 17 - WHITNEY (LIFETIME) to be followed by BOBBY BROWN: REMEMBERING WHITNEY and WHITNEY HOUSTON LIVE: HER GREATEST PERFORMANCES … LIFE OF A KING (UP): Cuba Gooding Jr. stars as neighborhood chess teacher Eugene Brown ... INSIDE EMPIRE (FOX): Behind the scenes of the hit series … SNL (NBC): Kevin Hart. 

SUN, JAN 18 - NICKI MINAJ - MY TIME AGAIN (MTV) … OPRAH WINFREY PRESENTS (OWN): Legends Who Paved The Way…

MON, JAN 19 - STAR WARS REBELS (DXD): Billy Dee Williams' Lando Calrissian gets animated ... LIGHT GIRLS (OWN) … THE NIGHTLY SHOW with LARRY WILMORE (COMEDY): Series Premiere!

TASTY QUIP: “Keep your grind right & it’ll keep your mind right. – MIKE EPPS on Twitter.

QUEEN LATIFAH & DIVAS LIVING & LOVING OUT LOUD

 

Queen Latifah, Fantasia, Keysia Cole, Jennifer Hudson, Myesha Chaney (“Preachers of LA”) and Masika Kalysha (“Love & Hip Hop”) are some of the black female celebrities opening up in a probing new book.  "Real Divas: Living & Loving Out Loud," documents their feelings about finding and/or maintaining love while living a life in the public eye. Former Right On/current Hip-Hop Weekly Editor-In-Chief Cynthia Horner teams with Rap Sheet founder, Author and Publisher Darryl James to ask the difficult questions in this anthology now available at Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com and RealDivasBook.com.

ASK HIM: With allegations that Ava DuVernay's "Selma" wrongly defames President Lyndon B. Johnson as an adversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., TASTY CLIPS wonders if it was strong enough for youngest son Dexter King.  In the mid-90s, we became acquainted in an Atlanta social scene he seemed bored with. At one such event, King opened up like never before asking if I wanted to know what happened to Dr. King.  The answer shook me.  "LBJ killed my father," he said, later citing evidence that swayed him to believe an order was given to F.B.I. honcho J. Edgar Hoover from the top.  Months later, he reasoned on ABC’s “Turning Point” that Dr. King’s rising power and opposition to the Vietnam War made him a target.  

PEEP THIS: The Black Hollywood Education & Resource Center hosts its 21st Annual African American Film Marketplace & S.E. Manly Short Film Showcase, Jan. 16-18, at Raleigh Studios (5300 Melrose Ave.). The Opening Night Reception will feature a Filmmaker’s Dialogue with Award Winning Director, Michael Schultz ("Cooley High," "Car Wash," "Which Way Is Up," "Woman Thou Art Loosed," TV’s  "Arrow" & "Black-ish").  Visit bherc.org or call (310) 284-3170.

MIGHTY: For a preview of their Jan. 17 Nokia Theatre concert, TASTY CLIPS spent a Fabulously Hot New Year in Columbia, SC with The O'Jays.  The free event, that has become one of the premier holiday gatherings in the southeast, featured the group (Eddie Levert, Walter Williams & Eric Grant) in a tight 60 minute performance.  Levert’s early vocal issues didn't matter with the crowd singing loudly along to their many hits.  A second set was aborted with songs like "Family Reunion," "Living For The Weekend," and "Message in Our Music" M.I.A.  "That's like asking James Brown to play all his s**t," reminded a colleague.  In L.A., they'll be joined by The Whispers with tickets still available at axs.com.  

CLIPPETTES: Forest Whitaker ("Taken 3") is among the honorees of the MLK "Celebrating The Dream" 2015 Luncheon on Jan. 15 at the Dorothy Chander Pavillion.  For more info: mlk-chf.org/ 

Drake, Alabama Shakes, Raekwon & Ghostface Killah, Steely Dan, Jack White, Fitz & The Tantrums, Azealia Banks, David Guetta, Florence + The Machine, Toro Y Moi, FKA Twigs, Carl Craig, The Weeknd and Maxwell's new fave, Hozier are but a few of the acts just announced for Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival 2015 (Apr. 10-12 & 17-19 in Indio, CA).  

Early 1900s New Orleans is the setting of "Storyville," a new Starz series developing from famed producer/writer/director George C. Wolfe, who visited Jelly Roll Morton’s world once before in his Tony Award winning Broadway musical "Jelly's Last Jam." 

Charlie Murphy, Eddie Griffin, George Lopez, Cedric The Entertainer, Mike Epps and DL Hughley are all coming together, according to HumorMillMag.com sources.  The Black and Brown: Comedy Get Down Tour is supposed to be routed in the southeast before adding several more stops.  The site also reports that Griffin is developing an urban “SNL” type show to be set in Vegas.  

The animated "Madea's Tough Love," released straight-to-DVD on Jan. 13 features voice work from Tyler Perry, Cree Summer, Rolonda Watts, Cassie Davis and Bootsy Collins!

TASTY QUIP: “Forget these women. What you’re seeing is the destruction of a legacy. And I think it’s orchestrated. I don’t know why or who’s doing it, but it’s the legacy. And it’s a legacy that is so important to the culture.” – PHYLICIA RASHAD on Bill Cosby’s current situation to Showbiz 411.

TC on TV: JAN 13 - AMERICAN EXPERIENCE (PBS): "Klansville, U.S.A." looks at the rebirth of the KKK in 60's North Carolina.  

JAN 14 - SNOOP & SON: A DAD'S DREAM (ESPN): Series Premiere!  UNSUNG (TV ONE): Rick James.  BLACK-ISH (ABC): "Martin Luther Skiing Day" THE GAME (BET): Final Season Premiere! 

JAN 15 - GOTHAM COMEDY LIVE (AXS): Sinbad opens the 4th Season!

TASTY QUIP: “We’re pushing it because we’re questioning everything — but isn’t that what art is supposed to do? That’s what scared me, though, like, oh my God, the NAACP is going to get us! Barack Obama is going to hate us!” – TARAJI P. HENSON on her series "Empire" (Weds. on Fox) to the NY Post.

A FEW MORE 2014 FAVES: CONCERTS: Booker T was old school but oh so hip.  FILM: “Begin Again” was an uplifting music industry movie with a good cast - Adam Levine, Mark Ruffalo, Keira Knightly & Cee Lo Green. “Guardians of the Galaxy”  TV: "True Detective," "Olive Kitteridge," "Mr. Dynamite," "The Strain," "American Horror Story: Coven."  ACTRESS: Jada Pinkett Smith (“Gotham”). PRODUCTS: PB2 with premium chocolate powder became a go-to 85% less fat alternative to those Reese’s either as a sprinkle or mixer.  Camille Rose Naturals won Essence Magazine’s Reader’s Choice Awards and TASTY CLIPS became a fan of their Coconut Water Penetrating Hair Treatment.  STAND-UP: Corey Holcomb. TV HOSTS:  Wendy Williams, Roland Martin, Bill Maher.  RADIO HOSTS: Joe Madison, Karen Hunter 

TASTY QUIP: "Stu Scott's passing hit me like a ton of bricks. Rest in PEace bro you pioneered that coolest side of that sportscasting pillow. #Booyah" - CHUCK D of Public Enemy about the Cancer stricken ESPN host on Twitter.