All Articles Tagged "The Grio"
Giving Back: Usher Joins Oklahoma Tornado Relief Concert
Usher and Darius Rucker are teaming up, along with other top music artists, to perform at a concert to help those affected by the recent tornado that tore through Oklahoma.
The event, titled “Healing in the Heartland: Relief Benefit Concert,” was organized by country singer and native Oklahoman Blake Shelton. Joining Rucker and Usher, who worked with Shelton on The Voice, are country stars Miranda Lambert, Luke Bryan, Rascal Flatts and Reba McEntire, among others listed in the lineu
Will The 21-Year-Old Drama END?? Janet Hubert Talks What Really Caused Her To Leave “Fresh Prince” And Squashing Beef With Will Smith
After thrusting herself back into the spotlight with a scathing open letter to Wendy Williams, Janet Hubert has a few more things she wants to get off her chest. In an interview with theGrio, she finally set the record straight for those who keep asking about why she had to leave The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, says that she would love to reunite with all the cast (even the replacement Vivian, Daphne Reid), why she wants to stop all the animosity between herself and Will Smith, and why she hopes the way he has treated her and others in the past won’t affect the legacy of his children. Eh, you read that right.
Hubert says the contract NBC expected her to take, which required her to do no work outside of the Fresh Prince and therefore would decrease her income was an outrageous one. And when they wanted her to go public and say that the contract was something she allegedly came up with, she said “Hell no.” Things went downhill from there:
“It was a negotiation that should have come back like most do. We were a very successful show and I felt like I was an integral part of that, and felt valuable, but you cannot feel valuable in Hollywood.”
How things between Hubert and Smith (and even Alfonso Ribeiro) got so ugly after her departure from the show:
“I think what happened, because the audience was so on my side at that time, that Will probably felt like he needed to go out, and he needed to tell a lot of lies. Alphonso went out to a college and told a lot of lies, but the problem is I have proof that a lot of that didn’t happen.”
Feud reports between Hubert and Smith beefed up once again when TMZ published a photo of the cast of the Fresh Prince meeting up and Hubert was not present. On what she wants to say to Will Smith:
“I would say to him, we need to heal this. You’ve done some things, you’ve said some things, that were totally untrue and you know that they were untrue. I’ve said some things that I probably should have never said. But you’ve never heard them come from my mouth. Especially the TMZ thing last Christmas; my Mom passed away. So there I was again in the media getting beaten up…and you get tired. I’m tired. Aren’t you tired Will?”
And she says that she feels for Smith’s children, because she sees how people attack them in the media. She goes on to explain why she hopes his past behavior won’t have a negative impact on the way people view his children:
“My heart breaks from some of the comments that people make about his children. And for the damage that you may have done to someone else, your children may suffer… for your legacy.”
Hmmm, for Hubert’s sake, I hope these two can mend things because 21 years is too long to hold so much anger in your heart. Plus, it’s just a tired conversation in general. How long ago was that sitcom!?
See her conversation with theGrio in full on the next page:
Will You Watch? Arsenio Hall Drops Trailer For Upcoming Return To Late Night Television
FayesVision/WENN.com
From The Grio:
From 1989 to 1994, Arsenio Hall was one of the most popular late night talk show hosts out there. His saucy show had the best guests the black community had to offer, and he was hilarious! Even as a kid I can remember staying up late and doing the signature “Woof woof woof” when the show came on. After being out of the spotlight for so long, Hall returned to television in general earlier this year as a contestant on Celebrity Apprentice, a season in which he would end up winning. The notoriety from his appearance on the show and the fact that he could still bring the funny made execs at CBS want to give him another shot at reliving his talk show host fame from back in the day. The show will debut on Sept. 9 2013, and he’s already released a trailer to get folks excited.
To see the trailer, click over to The Grio, where you can also get more info about Arsenio’s return to late night television.
‘We’re Not Nominated When We Do Honorable Work’: Jamie Foxx And Kerry Washington Speak On Hollywood And Black Actors
Source: WENN
Django Unchained stars Kerry Washington and Jamie Foxx recently sat down with The Grio‘s Chris Witherspoon to discuss their new film, which follows the story of a slave who frees himself from slavery and then goes back to rescue his wife. The two A-listers opened up to Chris about some touchy subjects including Kerry not being Emmy-nominated for her outstanding work in Scandal as well as the common belief that Black actors are frequently overlooked when it comes to award nominations in Hollywood. Check out some of the interview’s highlights.
On Kerry not getting the recognition she deserves:
Kerry: I feel really grateful to have a job and to be able to do what I love for a living and to work with people who I respect and admire. I do this because I love to do it, not because I have a desire to have attention.
Jamie: Well, I think she should be nominiated. I think it’s right to feel that way.Because sometimes you look at people that do get nominated and you go [makes confused face]… but I tell people, Kerry Washington has yet begun to fight.
On if they’d be opposed to getting an Oscar nomination for playing slaves:
Kerry: I don’t think you can ever control how people respond to the work. I’ve never had shame in playing somebody who is a slave or a prostitute, or anybody who may be looked down upon in society. I think we all deserve to have our stories told no matter who we are. And if I’m proud of playing a woman who is handling a crises, I’m gonna be proud of playing a woman who is a maid. My story doesn’t deserve to be told more than my grandmother’s story. My grandmother did clean houses. My great great grandmother was a slave. Everybody deserves to have their story told. There’s no shame in who we are or who we’ve been.
Jamie: A lot of times we’re not nominated when we do honorable work. Because with the slave she [Washington] plays there is dignity in everything she played. It wasn’t subservient; she wasn’t giving up to anything. So a lot of times they do overlook that, they may not want to reward that.
Check out the interview on the next page. How do you feel about Hollywood’s tendency to overlook Black actors?
Iyanla Vanzant Shoots Down Talk She Exploited Evelyn For Ratings: “I Can’t Care What People Say”
By now everyone knows what a game changer Iyana Vanzant’s new show “Fix My Life” will be for Orpah’s OWN network. Kicking off the season with “Basketball Wives” Evelyn Lozada; she brought in record ratings for the channel, but with that recognition came backlash that the network was exploiting the reality TV star’s life, much like VH1. In an interview with The Grio, Ms. Vanzant completely rejected that notion.
“The show was done prior to the upheaval with her and Chad, and it was scheduled to be the third show, not the first show,” the life coach explained. “The reason it was the first show was, because of the upheaval with her and Chad, it was timely…And so, you know, at my age, I can’t care what people say, and most of it, I forget.”
“She wrote me, just like every other guest. That’s an indication of willingness.”
Vanzant told her audience at the screening that Lozada’s story reflects the core of her series’ theme – “life happens to everybody” – and that her intention with the first two episodes was to show young women who idolize reality stars that money, power and status can still equate to the same problems as those living “in the projects.”
Noted Vanzant, “Stupidity doesn’t care about your income level.”
Following the show’s taping, Vanzant says she continues to speak with Lozada nearly ever other day, and that the reality star “swings between gratitude and embarrassment.” Vanzant blames social media for attacking her, calling it a “veil” for “cowards.” Nevertheless, Vanzant doesn’t justify Lozada or anyone else’s actions or feelings; rather she seeks to understand and grow from them.
When asked about Lozada throwing a bottle at her cast member’s head, the life coach replied, “Have you ever been a Puerto Rican from the Bronx?…She was raised by a thug.”
Evelyn behind her, Iyanla Vanzant will now move on to other everyday people who are willing to have their lives taped for the sake of gaining wisdom from the life coach. If she’s not exploiting them. I wouldn’t say she’s exploiting Evelyn either. What do you think?
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Jennifer Hudson Helps the Less Fortunate in Her Nephew’s Name
Source: theGrio.com
Actress and singer Jennifer Hudson returns to Chicago Tuesday to honor the memory of her slain nephew.
Hudson and her sister, Julia Hudson, plan to hand out school supplies starting at 10 a.m. at the Kroc Corps Community Center, 1250 W. 119th St. in the West Pullman neighborhood, as part of the second annual Julian King Hatch Day.
Check out the rest of the story here.
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The African American Olympic Medalists from London 2012
Source: theGrio.com
The 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London are coming to a close on Sunday, August 12. So far the United States has earned 30 gold, 16 silver, and 20 bronze medals, bringing our country’s total medal count to 66.
theGrio congratulates African-Americans who have competed in the London Games, and recognizes black Americans who have earned medals. The slideshow contains the black stars who won gold, silver or bronze in the 2012 games.
Check out the rest of the African American winners at theGrio.com.
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The Most Iconic Black Hairstyles of All Time
Source: The Grio.com
Black hairstyles are a unique aspect of African-American culture. African-American hair looks have summed up seminal political moments through powerful creative poofs, expressed the joy of a generation in colorful asymmetrical cuts, or been emblazoned in memory as the crowning adornment of our favorite celebrities. Whether we have worn our hair braided, curly, natural or straight, the iconic hairstyles listed above have made a bold impact beyond the realm of the black community, inspiring awe and sometimes mimicry in the mainstream. These looks may have come and gone with popularity — some have become timeless — but none will ever be forgotten. View our gallery of the most iconic black hairstyles of all time, and reminisce on some of your favorites. Pixie cuts, box braids, S-curls and pompadours — which black hairstyles have you loved and worn?
Check out the hairstyles that made the cut at theGrio.com.
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How Did Black Women Become the Villians?
Source: thegrio.com
From thegrio.com
By Kirsten West Savali
There is an epidemic in the African-American community that extends into our homes, relationships and throughout our religious institutions. That illness is the apathy towards abuse against our women and children by grown men who assert their physical power to physically and psychologically assault them.
This illness, in high definition in the recent case of Pastor Creflo A. Dollar, ranges from Stage 1, which is blind tolerance, all the way to the aggressive Stage 4, which is conscious support. What becomes evident upon close examination is that many of us have taken three things from the Antebellum South and Civil Rights eras: The word “N***a,” Jesus, and the acceptance of physical abuse as a way of corrective punishment.
Let’s be clear: This is not an attack on the church at-large. To make such a narrow indictment would do the topic of ingrained abuse a grave injustice. This goes deeper even than patriarchy. Because though that ugly word lies at the root of domestic violence around the globe and pre-dates this nation by hundreds of years, what we’re talking about is the fatal cocktail of gender, race and class that leaves black women disproportionately curled up into self-defensive balls in dark corners, and as Creflo’s 15-year-old stated in the 911 call, “scared” and not knowing “what to do.”
Read more about victim blaming in the black community at thegrio.com
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A Jubilee Event You’ll Actually Want to Watch: Grace Jones Hula Hoops for 4 Mins Straight While Singing
Source: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images via theGrio.com
Just a couple of weeks ago we were singing the praises of Grace Jones. And just yesterday she gave us yet another reason to admire her awesomeness. In her performance for the Diamond Jubilee, Jamaican-born Grace Jones sang “Slave to the Rhythm” while hula hooping for four minutes straight. I don’t know about you but as a girl and now woman who still can’t hula hoop properly, this is quite impressive. Especially since Grace is 64.
Check out the performance at theGrio.com.
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