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Samuel Jackson
Samuel Leroy Jackson (born December 21, 1948) is an American actor. One of the most widely recognized actors of his generation, the films in which he has appeared have collectively grossed more than $27 billion worldwide, making him the highest-grossing actor of all time. In 2022, he received the Academy Honorary Award as "a cultural icon whose dynamic work has resonated across genres and generations and audiences worldwide". Jackson made his professional theatre debut in ''Mother Courage and Her Children'' in 1980 at The Public Theatre. From 1981 to 1983 he originated the role of Private Louis Henderson in ''A Soldier's Play'' off-Broadway. He also originated the role of Boy Willie in August Wilson's '' The Piano Lesson'' in 1987 at the Yale Repertory Theatre. He portrayed Martin Luther King Jr. in the Broadway play ''The Mountaintop'' (2011). He returned to Broadway in the 2022 revival of ''The Piano Lesson'' playing Doaker Charles, for which he received a Tony Award for ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
August Wilson
August Wilson (né Frederick August Kittel Jr.; April 27, 1945 – October 2, 2005) was an American playwright. He has been referred to as the "theater's poet of Black America". He is best known for a series of 10 plays, collectively called ''The Pittsburgh Cycle'' (or ''The Century Cycle'')'','' which chronicle the experiences and heritage of the African-American community in the 20th century. Plays in the series include '' Fences'' (1987) and '' The Piano Lesson'' (1990), each of which won Wilson the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, as well as '' Ma Rainey's Black Bottom'' (1984) and '' Joe Turner's Come and Gone'' (1988). In 2006, Wilson was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame. Other themes range from the systemic and historical exploitation of African Americans, race relations, identity, migration, and racial discrimination. Viola Davis said that Wilson's writing "captures our humor, our vulnerabilities, our tragedies, our trauma. And he humanizes us. And he allows ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Spike Lee
Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee (born March 20, 1957) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, actor, and author. His work has continually explored race relations, issues within the black community, the role of media in contemporary life, urban crime and poverty, and other political issues. Lee has won numerous accolades for his work, including an Academy Award, two Primetime Emmy Awards, a BAFTA Award, and two Peabody Awards. He has also been honored with an Honorary BAFTA Award in 2002, an Honorary César in 2003, and the Academy Honorary Award in 2015. His production company, 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks, has produced more than 35 films since 1983. He made his directorial debut with '' She's Gotta Have It'' (1986). He has since written and directed such films as '' School Daze'' (1988), '' Do the Right Thing'' (1989), '' Mo' Better Blues'' (1990), ''Jungle Fever'' (1991), '' Malcolm X'' (1992), '' Crooklyn'' (1994), '' Clockers'' (1995), '' 25th Hour'' (2002 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fresh (1994 Film)
''Fresh'' is a 1994 French/American independent film, independent crime drama film written and directed by Boaz Yakin in his List of directorial debuts, directorial debut, and produced by Randy Ostrow and Lawrence Bender. It was film score, scored by Stewart Copeland, a member of the Police. The story revolves around a preteen boy named Michael, nicknamed Fresh (portrayed by Sean Nelson (actor), Sean Nelson), who runs drugs for gangsters. Inspired by the chess lessons of his father, an alcoholic speed-chess master (Samuel L. Jackson), Fresh devises and executes a brilliant plan to extricate himself and his drug-addicted sister (N'Bushe Wright) from their hopeless lives.Berry & Berry (2007), p. 128. Marketed as a hip hop culture, hip hop hood film, ''Fresh'' went relatively unnoticed by the public, but won critical acclaim. Critics praised the film for offering a realistic glimpse of life in New York City's projects during the crack epidemic. "There's shocking resonance to the not ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Menace II Society
''Menace II Society'' (pronounced ''Menace to Society'') is a 1993 American teen crime drama film directed by the Hughes Brothers in their directorial debut. Set in the Watts and Crenshaw neighborhoods of Los Angeles, the film follows the life of Caine Lawson ( Tyrin Turner) and his close friends. It gained notoriety for its scenes of violence, profanity, and drug-related content, and also received critical acclaim for the performances of Turner, Jada Pinkett (in her film debut), and Larenz Tate, the direction, and its realistic portrayal of urban violence and powerful underlying messages. Plot Kaydee "Caine" Lawson and his best friend Kevin "O-Dog" Anderson enter a liquor store to buy some malt liquor, but a Korean cashier and his wife closely watch and hurry them to buy their drinks and leave. As they leave, the cashier tells O-Dog "I feel sorry for your mother." Enraged, O-Dog pulls out a gun and kills both the cashier and his wife. O-Dog subsequently takes the surve ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
True Romance
''True Romance'' is a 1993 American romantic crime film directed by Tony Scott and written by Quentin Tarantino. It features an ensemble cast led by Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette, with Dennis Hopper, Val Kilmer, Gary Oldman, Brad Pitt, and Christopher Walken in supporting roles. Slater and Arquette portray newlyweds who head to California with a stolen suitcase of drugs, with the Mafia in close pursuit and their future very uncertain. ''True Romance'' began life as an early script by Tarantino; he sold the screenplay in order to finance his debut feature film, '' Reservoir Dogs'' (1992). It is regarded by proponents as a cross-section of writer Tarantino and director Scott's respective trademarks, including a Southern California setting, pop cultural references, and stylized violence punctuated by slow motion. Though initially a box-office failure, the film's positive reviews, with critics praising the dialogue, characters, and offbeat style, helped it earn a cult fo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Juice (1992 Film)
''Juice'' is a 1992 American crime thriller film directed by Ernest R. Dickerson (in his directorial debut), written by Dickerson and Gerard Brown, and starring Omar Epps, Tupac Shakur, Jermaine Hopkins, and Khalil Kain. It follows four black youths growing up in Harlem, following their day-to-day activities, their struggles with police misconduct, rival neighborhood gangs, and their families. The film marked the first acting role for Epps, Kain, and Shakur. It was shot in Harlem in 1991. Plot Roland Bishop, Quincy "Q" Powell, Raheem Porter, and Eric "Steel" Thurman are four teenage African-American friends growing up together in Harlem. They regularly skip school, instead spending their days hanging out at Steel's apartment, at a neighborhood arcade, and also a record store where they steal LPs for Q's DJ interests. They are also harassed daily by the police and a Puerto Rican gang led by Radames. Fed up with the harassment he and his friends have endured, Bishop decides th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Coming To America
''Coming to America'' is a 1988 American romantic comedy film directed by John Landis, based on a story originally created by Eddie Murphy, written by David Sheffield and Barry W. Blaustein, and starring Murphy (in various roles), Arsenio Hall (also in various roles), James Earl Jones, John Amos, Madge Sinclair, and Shari Headley. It tells the story of Akeem Joffer, the crown prince of the fictional African nation of Zamunda who travels to the United States in the hopes of finding a woman he can marry and will love him for who he is, not for his status or for having been trained to please him. The film was released in the United States on June 29, 1988. In 1989, a pilot for a planned spin-off television series was made, although this was never picked up for a series. A sequel, '' Coming 2 America'', was released on March 4, 2021. Plot In the wealthy African nation of Zamunda, crown prince Akeem Joffer grows weary of his pampered lifestyle on his 21st birthday and wi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Deadline Hollywood
''Deadline Hollywood'', commonly known as ''Deadline'' and also referred to as ''Deadline.com'', is an online news site founded as the news blog ''Deadline Hollywood Daily'' by Nikki Finke in 2006. It is updated several times a day, with entertainment industry news as its focus. It has been a brand of Penske Media Corporation since 2009. History ''Deadline'' was founded by Nikki Finke, who began writing an '' LA Weekly'' column series called ''Deadline Hollywood'' in June 2002. She began the ''Deadline Hollywood Daily'' (DHD) blog in March 2006 as an online version of her column. She officially launched it as an entertainment trade website in 2006. The site became one of Hollywood's most followed websites by 2009. In 2009, Finke sold ''Deadline'' to Penske Media Corporation (then Mail.com Media) for a low-seven-figure sum. She was also given a five-year-plus employment contract reported by the ''Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper# ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Good Morning America
''Good Morning America'', often abbreviated as ''GMA'', is an American breakfast television, morning television program that is broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC. It debuted on November 3, 1975, and first expanded to weekends with the debut of a Sunday edition on January 3, 1993. The Sunday edition was canceled in 1999; weekend editions returned on both Saturdays and Sundays on September 4, 2004. The weekday and Saturday programs airs from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. in all time in the United States, United States timezones (live in the Eastern Time Zone and on broadcast delay elsewhere across the country). The Sunday editions are an hour long and are transmitted to ABC's stations live at 7:00 a.m. Eastern Time, although stations in some media markets air them at different times. Viewers in the Pacific Time Zone receive an updated feed with a specialized opening and updated live reports. A third hour of the weekday broadcast aired from 2007 to 2008, exclu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tony Award For Best Featured Actor In A Play
The Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play is an honor presented at the Tony Awards, a ceremony established in 1947 as the Antoinette Perry Awards for Excellence in Theatre, to actors for quality supporting roles in a Broadway theatre, Broadway play. Honors in several categories are presented at the ceremony annually by the Tony Award Productions, a joint venture of The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing, to "honor the best performances and stage productions of the previous year." The award was originally called the Tony Award for Actor, Supporting or Featured (Dramatic). It was first presented to Arthur Kennedy (actor), Arthur Kennedy at the 3rd Tony Awards for his portrayal of Biff Loman in Arthur Miller's ''Death of a Salesman''. Before 10th Tony Awards, 1956, nominees' names were not made public; the change was made by the awards committee to "have a greater impact on theatregoers". Frank Langella holds the record for having the most wins in this category, w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Mountaintop (play)
''The Mountaintop'' is a play by American playwright Katori Hall. It is a fictional depiction of Martin Luther King Jr.'s last night on earth set entirely in Room 306 of the Lorraine Motel on the eve of his assassination in 1968. Historical background In 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. was in Memphis, Tennessee to speak out on the behalf of the Memphis sanitation workers who went on strike regarding the death of two workers crushed by a malfunctioning truck. The workers dealt with continuous mistreatment and denial of their civil rights. A week before his assassination, King led a demonstration through downtown Memphis which resulted in the death of one reporter as well as a multitude of injuries and property damages. The poor work conditions and pay the sanitation workers suffered angered the black community and encouraged them to speak out on the behalf of other issues concerning civil rights. Martin Luther King Jr. on April 3, the night before his assassination, gave his spee ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
