The Primetime Emmy nominations were announced this morning, and we got some decent representation, which is more than we can say for the Oscars. Check below to see if your favorite Black actor/filmmaker was nominated for an Emmy. Who do you think was snubbed?

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series

Anthony Anderson – Black-ish

Don Cheadle – House of Lies

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series

Niecy Nash – Getting On

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series

Andre Braugher – Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Keegan-Michael Key – Key & Peele

Titus Burgess – Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series

Viola Davis – How to Get Away with Murder

Taraji P. Henson – Empire

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

Uzo Aduba – Orange Is the New Black

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie

Queen Latifah – Bessie

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie

David Oyelowo – Nightingale

Outstanding Variety Sketch Series

Key & Peele

Outstanding TV Movie

Bessie

Nightingale

Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series

Cicely Tyson – How to Get Away with Murder

Khandi Alexander – Scandal

Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series

Reg E. Cathey – House of Cards

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie

Regina King – American Crime

Angela Bassett – American Horror Story: Freak Show

Mo’Nique – Bessie

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie

Michael Kenneth Williams – Bessie

Outstanding Writing for a Limited Series, Movie, or Dramatic Special

John Ridley – American Crime, “Episode One”

Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series, Movie, or Dramatic Special

Dee Rees – Bessie

Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series

Key & Peele

The 67th Primetime Emmy Awards will air September 20 at 8/7c on FOX.

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Let’s throw it back to the classic, Boyz n the Hood. Boyz n the Hood is a critically acclaimed film released in 1991. It’s the story about a boy with a dream, a dream to make it out of the hood. It earned director John Singleton several accolades and jumpstarted the acting careers of Ice Cube and Morris Chestnut.

Synopsis:

Boyz n the Hood is the critically acclaimed story of three friends growing up in a South Central Los Angeles neighborhood. It is a place where harmony co-exists with adversity, especially for three young men growing up there: Doughboy, an unambitious drug dealer; his brother Ricky, a college-bound teenage father; and Ricky’s best friend Tre, who aspires to a brighter future beyond “The Hood.” In a world where a trip to the store can end in death, the friends have diverse reactions to their bleak surroundings. Tre’s resolve is strengthened by a strong father who keeps him on the right track. But the lessons Tre learns are put to the ultimate test when tragedy strikes close to home, and violence seems the only recourse.

Cast:

Cuba Gooding Jr. – Tre Styles

Ice Cube – Darrin “Doughboy” Baker

Lawrence Fishburne – Jason “Furious” Styles

Morris Chestnut – Ricky Baker

Nia Long – Brandi

Angela Bassett – Reva Devereaux

Regina King – Shalika

Crew:

Director/Writer – John Singleton

Cinematographer – Charles Mills

Boyz n the Hood is available here.

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Whitney had us on the edge of seats as we anticipated its airing on Lifetime. Was it going to be good? Or would it disservice Whitney Houston’s legacy? It turned out to not be so bad. It was ratings gold. So if you haven’t had enough of it, or you wanna hear more of Deborah Cox singing Whitney’s songs, then good news for you. Now it’s on DVD.

Cast:

Yaya DaCosta – Whitney Houston

Arlen Escarpeta – Bobby Brown

Crew:

Director – Angela Bassett

Writer – Shem Bitterman

Whitney is available for purchase here.

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I came across the clip found below and just had to share. Waiting to Exhale is a 1995 film starring Whitney Houston, Angela Bassett, Loretta Devine, and Lela Rochon. It was adapted from the Terry McMillan novel of the same name. It explores the friendship between four Black women as they navigate their own relationships and lives.

Cast:

Whitney Houston – Savannah Jackson

Angela Bassett – Bernadine “Bernie” Harris

Lela Rochon – Robin Stokes

Loretta Devine – Gloria “Glo” Matthews

Gregory Hines – Marvin King

Dennis Haysbert – Kenneth Dawkins

Mykelti Williamson – Troy

Michael Beach – John Harris Sr.

Giancarlo Esposito – David Matthews

Donald Faison – Tarik Matthews

Leon – Russell

Wendell Pierce – Michael Davenport

Crew:

Director – Forest Whitaker

Writer – Terry McMillan

Writer – Ronald Bass

Waiting to Exhale is available here.

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Biggie Smalls AKA The Notorious BIG was a rapper of many names. He had almost as many names as Diddy. He was essential in bring East Coast rap to the forefront in hip-hop. Unfortunately, his life was cut short in a drive-by shooting.

Notorious is a biopic depicting the short life of Christopher Wallace AKA Biggie Smalls. Jamal Woolard portrayed Biggie. Angela Bassett makes another wonderful biopic performance, this time as Biggie’s mother, Voletta Wallace. The film captures key moments of Biggie’s short life. It is available here.

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Tina Turner (Anna Mae Bullock) is a music treasure. She is the Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll. At 75, she can still put on a better performance than most of your faves.

What’s Love Got to Do with It? is a biopic based on her life. Angela Bassett continued her string of portraying powerful women in history by playing Turner. The films chronicles how Turner was able to build her music career while facing the struggles in her life, including her abusive relationship with Ike Turner.

What’s Love Got to Do with It? earned several award nominations and garnered Angela Bassett a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Comedy/Musical and an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Motion Picture. It is available here.

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One can hardly get on a bus without thinking of Rosa Parks. Her refusing to give up her seat on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama was the catalyst for the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Her civil disobedience cemented her place in the history books.

Today is Rosa Park’s birthday, so it’s only fitting that she would be honored today. In California, it is Rosa Parks Day. Seeing as how big a part women have played in the Civil Rights Movement, it’s good to see one get recognition, as many others were relegated behind the lines.

In 2002, CBS aired a television film based on her titled The Rosa Parks Story. It starred Angela Bassett as Rosa Parks. It chronicled her life, including her refusal to give up her bus seat and the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

The Rosa Parks Story won several NAACP Image Awards and Black Reel Awards while earning Julie Dash a nomination for the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Miniseries or Movies for Television, a first for a Black female director.

The Rosa Parks Story is available here.

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After featuring Malcolm X and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., it’s only appropriate that today be dedicated to their wives, Betty Shabazz and Coretta Scott King. There’s no doubt that Malcolm X and MLK wouldn’t be the men they were without the support of their wives. And when they were cut down in their primes, Betty and Coretta continued on, fighting the good fight.

Betty was active in the NAACP. She also served on a committee for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Coretta was an advocate for the rights of women and the LGBT community. She was instrumental in the establishment of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

It’s no surprise that these ladies would become friends. They had a lot in common. Their paths were similar. They were both single mothers who had to take the reins after the death of their husbands. They inherited their husbands’ causes. They were well known figures in the Civil Rights Movements. Betty & Coretta chronicles their story. Angela Bassett portrays Coretta and Mary J. Blige portrays Betty in this Lifetime film.

In a time where men were the face of a movement, it’s good to see the legacy of these women immortalized. With Betty & Coretta, Angela Bassett has played both Betty Shabazz and Coretta Scott King, which is alright with me. It doesn’t get any better than Angela Bassett. Betty & Coretta is available here.

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The reviews are mixed, but Lifetime got the numbers. It would seem that Angela Bassett’s directing career is off to a good start, and this could provide a boost to Yaya DaCosta’s acting career.

I’m sure we can expect even more biopics from Lifetime. The only question is who’s next. Michael Jackson? Lifetime doesn’t care about permission, just ratings. So you might be seeing your fav on Lifetime next, whether you want to or not.

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Photo credit: Jack Zeman/Lifetime

Lifetime has been releasing a string of biopics that no one has asked for. There were ones about Saved by the Bell, Brittany Murphy, and of course the infamous one about Aaliyah. This time they’re trying their hand with Whitney, about the legend Whitney Houston.

Aaliyah: The Princess of R&B was met with universal panning. The internet was alive with anger the weekend the film premiered. Both Lifetime’s and Wendy Williams’s mentions on Twitter were in shambles for the entire weekend. Despite that, the Aaliyah film was a ratings success.

Lifetime really has nothing to lose with Whitney. If it’s good, then no harm no foul. Everyone wins. If it’s bad, they’re hoping that Black Twitter will hate watch it, and they still have ratings gold. I am a big fan of Angela Bassett, so I’m hoping that this turns out to be good, especially since the family was against it. Aaliyah’s family was against The Princess of R&B, and we saw how that turned out.

Since Whitney Houston’s family is against the film, Lifetime couldn’t secure her vocals. They enlisted Deborah Cox to rerecord Whitney’s songs for the film. Deborah Cox is a great talent, so that’s a check in the plus column. For those who have any faith in the film, this weekend will be a chance to see if it hits the mark.

Synopsis:

“Whitney” chronicles the headline-making relationship between the iconic singer, actress, producer and model Whitney Houston and singer and songwriter Bobby Brown from the time they first met at the very height of their celebrity to their courtship and tumultuous marriage. Throughout it all, difficulties followed the superstar couple while they dealt with the overwhelming rewards and consequences of the fame and fortune created by Houston’s meteoric rise that would soon overshadow them both.

Cast:

Yaya DaCosta – Whitney Houston

Arlen Escarpeta – Bobby Brown

Crew:

Director – Angela Bassett

Writer – Shem Bitterman

Whitney premieres Saturday, January 17 at 8/7c on Lifetime.

Source: Lifetime

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