Here’s a highlight reel of this year’s NAACP Image Awards! We had so much fun celebrating special honorees Dave Chappelle, Kamala Harris, and the Wayans family, as well as the amazing actors and storytellers nominated for their wonderful work. Thank you Deon Cole for being an exceptional host, as well as the NAACP, BET and CBS.
With Halloween putting Marvel fans of all ages into Black Panther costumes around the world, one writer has explained that was actually a major reason for his creation of Shuri, sister of King T’Challa, and the female Black Panther of Marvel’s Universe.
Co-creator of Shuri, Reginald Hudlin, shared insight into the Character’s purpose, after seeing a reference to the character on Abbott Elementary. During the Halloween episode of the show, “Costume Contest,” teacher Janine Teagues (Quinta Brunson) reacts to one of her white students dressing as a Black Panther, prompting Hudlin to cite a similar surprise he found after creating Shuri:
Shuri made her debut in 2005, specifically in Black Panther #2 by Reginald Hudlin and John Romita Jr., with this story establishing early on that Shuri always wanted to become the Black Panther, having planned to fight her uncle for the throne had her brother, T’Challa, not beaten her to the punch. Establishing this early on seems to suggest that Hudlin had plans to anoint Shuri as the Black Panther from the very beginning. Hudlin’s foreshadowing would pay off four years later once Shuri officially gains the cowl in Black Panther #1 by Reginald Hudlin and J. Scott Campbell.
The foreshadowing adds additional context to Hudlin’s claim that he created Shuri so that both his son and daughter could dress up as the Black Panther for Halloween. The movies that would follow from the Marvel Cinematic Universe would launch the character into an entirely new stratosphere of popularity. Hudlin saw it unfold firsthand in a scenario not unlike that seen in the Abbott Elementary episode, where children of all races dress up as the Black Panther. It showcases the enduring impact that pop culture can have on audiences, even beyond that of the comics.
The impact of any body of work can be impossible to predict and that is no more true than with the MCU release of the first Black Panther movie. The Black Panther namesake was beloved in its own right, but no one could have imagined it would have amounted to a billion-dollar franchise. The adoration of the movies and the comics has allowed fans to celebrate it in ways that are personal to each and every one of them.
It means a lot for children to see themselves reflected in media they admire, so for Black Panther to do that for both boys and girls brings Hudlin’s dream to fruition in even more ways than he could have expected.
Comment + PermalinkI’ve been producing the NAACP Image Awards for 12 years, and every year it’s a really satisfying experience. Having the whole Black entertainment community come together in a big family reunion, celebrating each other’s successes, and looking good while we do it!
There’s a lot going into the show, like this year figuring out the right way to promote voting in a crucial election year. I knew I wanted VP Kamala Harris involved, and I wanted to do it in a way that was fun for the audience. The producers huddled with our amazing writing team and brainstormed some great ideas. We pitched them to Latifah, who made them better, and off we went.
It’s so gratifying to see the quality of Black films and television shows elevate over the years with the rise of more Black producers, writers and directors, and the actors making the most of the increase in quality of material with incredible performances. It’s very satisfying to help make a document of evolution of Black Excellence in the entertainment business over the years.
Because we honor film, television, music, sports and political figures (elected and otherwise) we feature a wider range of Black achievement than anywhere else on an annual basis.
Here’s a quick interview on the Red Carpet before the show started.
I’m grateful to the NAACP for trusting me to produce the show every year, grateful to my production partners Phil Gurin and Byron Phillips. And I’m grateful to all the talented people we get the honor of celebrating every year.
Comment + PermalinkBlack historical stories are not and should not be uniformly depressing stories that you “must see” instead of want to see. Here’s a list of five of my projects that will entertain the hell out of you while you learn stories you need to know.
I always placed Thurgood Marshall on the same pedestal that I placed Martin Luther King and Malcolm X. Three different men who dedicated their lives to helping Black people, and in doing so, transformed America and made the world a better place.
I never thought I would get the opportunity to make a film about his life, but it happened! Producer Paula Wagner brought me the script, and a Chinese company financed the film after every studio in Hollywood turned it down. I assembled a dream cast with Chadwick Boseman, Josh Gad, Sterling K. Brown and Kate Hudson and we made a movie about Thurgood’s early years as a bold, fly and cocky lawyer who fought for justice against incredible odds.
Sometimes heroes are famous. Sometimes their stories are lost in history, sometimes, like in the case of Clarence Avant, heroes don’t seek the spotlight. Sometimes being famous gets in the way of getting things done.
That’s one of the many lessons to be learned watching THE BLACK GODFATHER, where you see a man overcome one giant obstacle after the next to become a force in the entertainment business, a master negotiator, a huge supporter of political change, and a loving husband and father. This movie is a blueprint for success.
THE BLACK GODFATHER is available on Netflix.
Sidney Poitier is one of the most important actors in history. Not only was he a master thespian, his contributions on and off screen to the civil rights movement had worldwide impact. I was honored to tell his story, coming from an island with no resources except the wisdom and willpower given to him by his parents, and his ability to evolve with the times and opportunity.
Two time Oscar winner, author, director, producer, Ambassador to Japan, father of six daughters, friends with Harry Belafonte, Marlon Brando, Quincy Jones, Barbra Streisand, Paul Newman, mentor to Denzel Washington and many more….Sidney Poitier is everything.
SIDNEY is available on Apple Plus.
Our history isn’t just about great men, but great institutions and movements. My docu-series PHAT TUESDAY is about the evolution of Black comedy was fostered by Black comedy clubs like The Comedy Act Theater and Phat Tuesdays, which led to a nationwide transformation of how Black comedy was brought into the mainstream, leading to more movies and TV shows.
PHAT TUESDAY has the funniest people ever in it, including Steve Harvey, Dave Chappelle, Cedric the Entertainer, Joe and Guy Torry, Bill Bellamy, Lil Rel, Tiffany Haddish, Bob Saget, Snoop Dogg, Anthony Anderson, Regina King, Nick Cannon, JB Smoove, Kym Whitley, Flame Monoe and more.
PHAT TUESDAY is available on Amazon Prime.
Unlike the other films on this list, I didn’t direct this one, but I’m very proud being a producer on this masterpiece by Quentin Tarantino. DJANGO UNCHAINED is a fictional story, but very much grounded in true stories about that horrible era in American history.
A lot of people complain about not wanting to watch “slave movie” and dismissing them as torture porn. I understand that complaint, but DJANGO UNCHAINED is the opposite of that. It’s a movie that will make you laugh, cringe in horror and cheer wildly. We need more stories like this on the big screen!
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