I think the fall is going to be a promising time for black film. We’re already anticipating the sequel to “The Best Man” in November and from the looks of this first trailer for Lee Daniels’ “The Butler,” October will bring good things are way as well.

We’ve heard a lot about this new cinematic feat — most recently because of Terrence Howard’s comments about Oprah’s tig ‘ol bitties — thankfully, this film is so much for than that. “The Butler” is the story of Eugene Allen, the African American White House butler who served several presidents over his 34-year post before retiring as head butler in 1986. Forest Whitaker plays the rple of Allen, but he is far from the only big name in this feature film. Oprah Winfrey, Robin Williams, David Oyelowo, Colman Domingo, John Cusack, Alan Rickman, Jane Fonda, Melissa Leo, Liev Schreiber, Jesse Williams, Aml Ameen, Lenny Kravitz, and Cuba Gooding Jr all have parts in this gripping story that, as you can see from the trailer, is about much more than Allen, capturing race relations between blacks and whites from the ’50s through the ’80s and how that shaped Allen’s own family dynamic.

I’m personally pretty excited about this one, and I think it will be much better received than “The Help,” although criticism has already reared it’s ugly head due to the subject of servitude. Check out the trailer and tell us what you think? Will you head to the theater to see this October 18?

Source(s): WENN, OWN

Earlier this week we reported on Washington Wizards player Jason Collins’ decision to come out as the first openly gay male playing in the NBA. Intrigued by Jason’s revelation, fans had many unanswered questions. Since his coming out, Jason has sat down with a couple of news outlets including Sports Illustrated and Good Morning America, but we’ve just learned that the 34-year-old Los Angeles native will also be appearing on an upcoming episode of Oprah’s Next Chapter. The media maven went took to her Twitter page yesterday to talk up her exclusive interview.

A recently distributed press release on Oprah’s upcoming sit down reveals that the Next Chapter interview will stand out from all the rest because she will actually be interviewing his family as well.

“Oprah Winfrey will speak with NBA player Jason Collins; his twin brother, Jarron; and the Collins family for their first interview together on the heels of Jason Collins becoming the first active pro athlete in one of the four major American team sports to announce that he is gay. The special episode of Oprah’s Next Chapterwill air this Sunday, May 5, from 7:30 to 9 p.m. ET/PT on OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network.

Jason Collins reflects on the worldwide reaction following his decision to reveal that he is a gay man and remarks how he hopes his story will further the conversation around equality. Oprah and Collins are joined by his twin brother, former NBA player Jarron Collins; his parents, Portia and Paul Collins; his sister-in-law, Elsa Collins; and Teri Jackson, his aunt and a San Francisco Superior Court judge, who was the first family member he came out to,” the news release reads.

Jason’s Next Chapter interview is scheduled to air Sunday, May 5th at 7:30/6:30 c.

Turn the page for a sneak peek. 

With a new batch of television talk show hosts set to grace the boob tube this year — shout out to Queen Latifah — we can’t help but long for these old-time fav shows of yesteryear from time to time.

WENN

The Richard Bey Show

Before there was the “Jerry Springer Show” we had Richard Bey. For nine seasons, “The Richard Bey Show,” (known in the early days as “9 Broadcast Plaza”) entertained its audience with raunchy, slapstick segments such as the “Miss Big Butt” contest, the “Mr. Puniverse” contest, “Dysfunctional Family Feud” and “Blacks who think O.J. is guilty vs. Whites who think he is innocent.” Despite its success and huge ratings, “The Richard Bey Show” was canceled in December 1996 after a nine-year run.

Big screen adaptations of novels written by black authors are few and far between, which is precisely why we shouldn’t just support black movies, but black books as well – especially considering African-American achievements in literature are highly underrated. So definitely give these movies a watch, but do yourself one better and pick up the original books, because we already know that the movies are never ever as good as the original literary work

From EurWeb

Oprah Winfrey sits down with Oscar-winning actress Jane Fonda and her adopted African-American daughter Mary Williams for their first-ever interview together on “Oprah’s Next Chapter,” airing Sunday, April 7 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on OWN.

Williams grew up in Oakland as a member of the Black Panther Party, as chronicled in her recently released memoir The Lost Daughter. Williams was one of six children raised by a single mother after Mary’s father was sent to prison. At age 13, Mary was invited to attend the Laurel Springs Children’s Camp run by Jane Fonda and her then-husband, Tom Hayden. There, her bond with Jane grew strong. One year later, Jane invited Mary to live with her in Santa Monica, California.

Get more details on EurWeb.com.

Well this is a pair we NEVER would have thought we’d see all buddy buddy. Not Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry, but their characters of Miss Sophia from The Color Purple and Mabel “Madea” Simmons, of course. But it kind of makes sense. they’re both feisty “women,” they speak out about whatever is on their mind, and if a fool steps up, they can prepare to get BEAT DOWN.

Through his Twitter page, Perry tweeted this surprising photo/blast from the past with the caption, “Madea meets Sophia tomorrow. You don’t want to miss this.” Not 100 percent sure what these two have up their sleeves, but with Winfrey allowing Perry to bring new sitcoms to her OWN network this year, this could be anything from a guest appearance on one of them, to a promotional video, to just two rich people with time on their hands having some fun. Either way, it’s creepy and interesting all at the same time. So how would you caption this colorful photo of these two?

s_bukley / Shutterstock.com

It hasn’t been an easy transition for Oprah Winfrey. Since ending her uber-popular syndicated talk show The Oprah Winfrey Show to focus on her own network, OWN, and magazine, her ratings and popularity has waned a bit. But according to the new Forbes list of 2013’s Most Influential Celebrities, Ms. O is still the most influential celebrity in America.

To create their list, Forbes turned to E-Poll Market Research, which ranks more than 7,500 celebrities on 46 different personality attributes based on their polling data of Americans. The E-Poll Research found that 48 percent of the people surveyed rated Winfrey as influential. And things are seeming to turn around for the OWN network, with ratings that are creeping up thanks to big “get” interviews, such as Lance Armstrong who confessed to Winfrey about his drug use. The two-part show drew 28 million viewers around the world.

Steven Spielberg came in second on the list with an influential rating of 47 percent. Spielberg is just one of four directors in the top five. The others are Martin Scorsese (third), Ron Howard (fourth), and George Lucas (fifth), reports Forbes.

From TMZ

Making love to Oprah Winfrey is a life-changing experience … so says Terrence Howard, who claims the best part about doing a sex scene with the Big O in their upcoming movie was her “tig ol’ bitties.”

Seriously, Terrence said that in a recent interview with Movie Fanatic, in which he talks about his and Oprah’s love-making scene in “The Butler,” slated for release later this year.

Read more at TMZ.com.

Oprah walks the red carpet at the 6th Annual Essence Black Women in Hollywood luncheon, where she was honored. Andreas Branch/Patrick McMullan/Sipa USA (Sipa via AP Images)

Oprah Winfrey has been chosen as the commencement speaker for this year’s Harvard graduation, the prestigious university’s 362nd commencement ceremony.

Citing her many business endeavors and philanthropic efforts — her book club, talk show, and push to pass the “Oprah Bill” creating a national database of child abusers — the school’s Harvard Gazette says her work makes her a compelling guest.

“She has used her extraordinary influence and reach as a force for good in the world, with a constant focus on the importance of educational opportunity and the virtues of serving others,” Harvard President Drew Faust said.

Harvard’s graduation ceremony will be held on May 30. On that day, Oprah will also make an appearance at the school’s alumni association annual meeting.

Oprah is just one of the many esteemed guest speakers appearing at graduation ceremonies at colleges and universities around the country. It was announced a couple of weeks ago that President Obama will be making the commencement address at Morehouse in May.

Source: WENN

Oprah’s Master Class will be kicking off its third season Sunday, March 3rd with 14-time Grammy Award-winning singer, Alicia Keys. According to the show’s website, during the special Alicia will be discussing lessons that she has learned over the years about pursuing her passions, motherhood and marriage.

During a 30-second preview of the season premiere, the “Girl On Fire” singer can be heard describing the troubled Harlem neighborhood that she grew up in and her swift rise to fame.

“Literally, I was running from pimps and prostitutes, to boom- I was on the Oprah show.”

It also appears that she will touch on some of the shady dealings of the music industry and her negative experiences with them.

“You’re meeting people who are lying to you to get whatever they want out of you,” said the newly appointed global creative director of Blackberry during the clip.

She seems to be tackling some family demons during the upcoming episode as well.

“I realize that the only person that gets hurt from all of this anger is me,” she says of what appears to be familial drama.

The episode will premiere on the OWN network this Sunday at 10/9 c. While most appear to be completely over hearing about her relationship with Swizz Beatz, viewers may find the story of her childhood and rise to fame particularly interesting.

Watch the preview on the next page. Will you be checking out Alicia on Oprah’s Master Class this Sunday?