Filed under: Music, Movies, Television, News, Theater, Celeb Updates
Dionne Warwick
Watch out now. Rev. Al Sharpton is in the movie business. The renowned civil rights activist is the subject of a documentary, ‘Rolling with Rev,’ that is making its rounds – in parts – on the film festival circuit.
Sharpton’s longtime spokeswoman, Rachel Noerdlinger, confirmed that the final two installments of director Edward J. Harris‘ film, titled ‘Slap the Donkey’ and ‘Trek to the Holy Land,’ have been selected for screening this week in New York City at the Ossie Davis/Ruby Dee Film Festival and the International Latino Film Festival.
Narrated by Danny Glover, ‘Slap the Monkey,’ which features notable luminaries and public intellectuals such as Percy Sutton, Dr. Ron Daniels and Dr. Cornel West, highlights Sharpton’s foray onto the national political scene and his ventures into international human rights dialogues. Meanwhile, ‘Trek to the Holy Land’ documents the journey of Sharpton; Michael Jackson’s former spiritual leader, Rabbi Schmuley Boteach; and journalist Herb Boyd as they head to Israel after the Sept. 11 attacks.
Dionne Warwick has never been one to mince words, and the Grammy Award-winning diva isn’t holding back on black radio magnate Cathy Hughes either.
The ‘Do You Know the Way to San Jose?’ singer went to the Huffington Post to verbally lash the Radio One founder about the growing battle surrounding music royalties.
“I was surprised when [Hughes] added my name to the list of African American artists and civil rights activists she’s attacked in her vicious campaign against fairly compensating musicians for their work,” Warwick wrote. “Then again,” she added, “since smearing African American leaders to protect her profits has become Ms. Hughes siren song, maybe I shouldn’t be surprised at all.”
Hughes, one of the most prominent figures in the ownership of black media, has fought publicly against Congress’ proposed performance royalties on broadcast radio, while Warwick strongly supports the move. “Every time we buy a CD or download a song, the artist is paid for their work,” Warwick added. “You might not know that this isn’t the case when a musician’s work is played on the radio. That’s because corporate radio CEOs like Cathy Hughes are exploiting a legal loophole that allows them to play these artists’ songs without paying them for their work.” More of Dionne Warwick’s diatribe here.
Gabrielle Union is back at work. Last year, the black Hollywood starlet, who always seems to be fodder for tabloids and gossip blogs, made a memorable turn in ‘Cadillac Records,’ alongside Jeffrey Wright, Mos Def, Columbus Short and Beyonce Knowles. This year, she’s returning to television. It was announced this week that the ‘Bring it On’ star will join the cast of ABC’s new fall drama ‘Flash Forward,’ a show about what happens when the world’s population is given a glimpse of its future. Union will have a recurring role as Zoey, a criminal defense attorney who will have a romantic arc on the show. The show premiers Sept. 24. The Omaha, Neb., native was recently seen on ‘Life,’ ‘Ugly Betty’ and ABC’s short-lived ‘Night Stalker.’
David Alan Grier will make his return to Broadway this fall. The ‘In Living Color’ star will join the cast of David Mamet’s upcoming play, ‘Race,’ which begins previews at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre on Nov. 16 in New York City. While no plot information has been made public, Kerry Washington and James Spader have already been announced to star in the project. Grier, who was recently seen on ‘Dancing with the Stars’ and ‘Chocolate News,’ has appeared on Broadway in ‘Dreamgirls’ and ‘A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.’ In 1982, the Detroit native garnered a Tony Award nomination for playing Jackie Robinson in ‘The First.’
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