“It’s a world of laughter, a world of tears
It’s a world of hopes and a world of fears
There’s so much that we share
That it’s time we’re aware
It’s a Small World after all.”
These were wise words back in 1964, and are more poignant today than ever.
Sixty years ago, Walt Disney and his talented team of storytellers, artists, designers, and Imagineers made a huge splash on the world stage, contributing four magnificent attractions to the 1964 World’s Fair in New York. Part research and development project, part proving ground, and 100% inspired brilliance – Disney’s accomplishments at the World’s Fair raised the bar for themed entertainment around the globe.
Come join the “happiest cruise that ever sailed ‘round the world” as we celebrate the storied history of one of these attractions – the Disney classic “it’s a small world.”
Walt Growing...
It’s a world of hopes and a world of fears
There’s so much that we share
That it’s time we’re aware
It’s a Small World after all.”
These were wise words back in 1964, and are more poignant today than ever.
Sixty years ago, Walt Disney and his talented team of storytellers, artists, designers, and Imagineers made a huge splash on the world stage, contributing four magnificent attractions to the 1964 World’s Fair in New York. Part research and development project, part proving ground, and 100% inspired brilliance – Disney’s accomplishments at the World’s Fair raised the bar for themed entertainment around the globe.
Come join the “happiest cruise that ever sailed ‘round the world” as we celebrate the storied history of one of these attractions – the Disney classic “it’s a small world.”
Walt Growing...
- 5/22/2024
- by James Smith
- Pirates & Princesses
Snoop Dogg and Master P have filed a lawsuit against Post Consumer Brands and Walmart, accusing both the packaged food giant and big box retailer of conspiring against the release of a Snoop-branded cereal line.
The lawsuit, filed Tuesday by lawyer Ben Crump on behalf of the two rappers, claims that Post and Walmart engaged in “underhanded dealing” and “diabolical actions” in an effort to sabotage against Snoop Cereal’s success.
Snoop and Master P launched Broadus Foods — and the Snoop Cereal and Momma Snoop cereal lines — in 2022 with the...
The lawsuit, filed Tuesday by lawyer Ben Crump on behalf of the two rappers, claims that Post and Walmart engaged in “underhanded dealing” and “diabolical actions” in an effort to sabotage against Snoop Cereal’s success.
Snoop and Master P launched Broadus Foods — and the Snoop Cereal and Momma Snoop cereal lines — in 2022 with the...
- 2/7/2024
- by Daniel Kreps
- Rollingstone.com
New Zealand’s long-standing number one commercial radio network, Newstalk Zb, has now been supercharged with the launch of Zb Plus – a new paid digital subscription platform, extending Newstalk Zb’s coverage with new contributors, extra news, analysis and commentary, New Zealand Media and Entertainment announced today.
Launching today, Zb Plus will feature unique content and in-depth insights from some of the country’s most respected journalists, interviewers and opinion leaders. The platform will also host a range of regular opinion pieces from well-known columnists including Katherine Rich, Bruce Cotterill, Muriel Newman and Fran O’Sullivan.
Newshound and blogger Philip Crump has been named as editor of the new platform. Up until recently, Crump wrote under the pseudonym ‘Thomas Cranmer’ and is the writer behind the popular blog, Cranmer’s Substack. In the coming weeks, Crump will build a team of journalists who will deliver a growing depth of content across Zb Plus.
Launching today, Zb Plus will feature unique content and in-depth insights from some of the country’s most respected journalists, interviewers and opinion leaders. The platform will also host a range of regular opinion pieces from well-known columnists including Katherine Rich, Bruce Cotterill, Muriel Newman and Fran O’Sullivan.
Newshound and blogger Philip Crump has been named as editor of the new platform. Up until recently, Crump wrote under the pseudonym ‘Thomas Cranmer’ and is the writer behind the popular blog, Cranmer’s Substack. In the coming weeks, Crump will build a team of journalists who will deliver a growing depth of content across Zb Plus.
- 9/26/2023
- Podnews.net
Ed Sheeran was found not liable in the copyright lawsuit trial that accused his song “Thinking Out Loud” of infringing on Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get it On.”
After three hours of deliberations that followed a two-week trial in New York from April to May, the jury announced their verdict in favor of Sheeran, finding that he independently created his 2014 single and did not copy Gaye’s hit.
While Sheeran was pleased with the outcome (he won’t have to retire now, as he threatened during his testimony), he...
After three hours of deliberations that followed a two-week trial in New York from April to May, the jury announced their verdict in favor of Sheeran, finding that he independently created his 2014 single and did not copy Gaye’s hit.
While Sheeran was pleased with the outcome (he won’t have to retire now, as he threatened during his testimony), he...
- 9/25/2023
- by Daniel Kreps
- Rollingstone.com
William Friedkin, one of the great directors of the New Hollywood era who helmed classics like The Exorcist and Oscar-winner The French Connection, died Monday, The New York Times reports. He was 87.
Sherry Lansing, a former head of Paramount Pictures, and Friedkin’s wife, confirmed his death. She said the cause was heart failure and pneumonia.
Rising to prominence in the Seventies, Friedkin came to specialize in gritty, white-knuckle thrillers, often shot through with a healthy dose of practically documentary-style realism. The French Connection, his breakthrough film, won five Academy Awards,...
Sherry Lansing, a former head of Paramount Pictures, and Friedkin’s wife, confirmed his death. She said the cause was heart failure and pneumonia.
Rising to prominence in the Seventies, Friedkin came to specialize in gritty, white-knuckle thrillers, often shot through with a healthy dose of practically documentary-style realism. The French Connection, his breakthrough film, won five Academy Awards,...
- 8/7/2023
- by Jon Blistein
- Rollingstone.com
It was an honor for production designer Darren Gilford to work on Disney’s new adaptation of “Haunted Mansion.” As one of the first creative Imagineering interns in the ’90s, the attraction has always held a soft spot for Gilford. “It was an opportunity to do something very different,” he told TheWrap. “I’ve never done [something like] this. I’ve only done one other period piece before.” And to see the finished product on the screen, Gilford and his team knew their Haunted Mansion history.
“When we started the project, we had a bible. An Imagineering Haunted Mansion bible which is like a sacred document,” he said. That bible laid out all the nitty-gritty about the ride, which the design team employed to craft recreations of the ride’s iconic portraits, as well as the wallpaper and various other items found inside the house. “There were so many Easter eggs in the details,...
“When we started the project, we had a bible. An Imagineering Haunted Mansion bible which is like a sacred document,” he said. That bible laid out all the nitty-gritty about the ride, which the design team employed to craft recreations of the ride’s iconic portraits, as well as the wallpaper and various other items found inside the house. “There were so many Easter eggs in the details,...
- 7/30/2023
- by Kristen Lopez
- The Wrap
Disney's newest attempt at turning a theme park ride into a feature film has arrived with the silly spook-fest with a heart of gold, "Haunted Mansion." Fans need no reminder that the beloved attraction made its name on the strength of humor, scares, and a unique approach to the classic haunted house setup that took full advantage of what Disney does best. After the 2003 Eddie Murphy-starring film came and went (though not before inspiring a bit of a cult following over the intervening years), all eyes were trained on director Justin Simien and his star-studded take on the beloved IP.
The basic structure isn't too far afield from what audiences might expect: a grieving widower named Ben Matthias (Lakeith Stanfield) has given up on his astrophysicist passions and his dabbles in the supernatural, turning into an avowed skeptic with absolutely no patience for the ghost-obsessives around him in New Orleans.
The basic structure isn't too far afield from what audiences might expect: a grieving widower named Ben Matthias (Lakeith Stanfield) has given up on his astrophysicist passions and his dabbles in the supernatural, turning into an avowed skeptic with absolutely no patience for the ghost-obsessives around him in New Orleans.
- 7/27/2023
- by Jeremy Mathai
- Slash Film
Maybe it’s the cumulative effect of watching so much top-notch talent being wasted. Or the woozy sensation of being subjected to two hours of cut-rate CGI effects apparently purchased in a bulk deal. Or the blatant product placement for Burger King jalapeño poppers. Or the in-joke nod to Beetlejuice, a comparative reference which does this movie zero favors. But there will inevitably be something about Haunted Mansion, Disney’s latest attempt to spin amusement park memories into box-office gold, that qualifies as a dealbreaker. A corporate I.P. Easter-egg hunt posing as a movie,...
- 7/26/2023
- by David Fear
- Rollingstone.com
Ben Crump, co-counsel Ray Hamlin, and other attorneys held a press conference on Tuesday in New York featuring a key witness who claims undercover officials were involved in the assassination of Malcolm X in 1965.
Mustafa Hassan — who spoke for the first time publicly about his observations from the day Malcolm X was killed, and was part of the Organization of Afro-American Unity (Oaau), formed by Malcolm X — said he was on security detail at the event at Audubon Ballroom where Malcolm X was shot.
Hassan read from an affidavit filed in Kings County,...
Mustafa Hassan — who spoke for the first time publicly about his observations from the day Malcolm X was killed, and was part of the Organization of Afro-American Unity (Oaau), formed by Malcolm X — said he was on security detail at the event at Audubon Ballroom where Malcolm X was shot.
Hassan read from an affidavit filed in Kings County,...
- 7/25/2023
- by Althea Legaspi
- Rollingstone.com
Exclusive: Tomii Crump has joined Creative Artists Agency as an agent in its Nonfiction Television department.
Crump joins CAA from NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, where she most recently served as Senior Vice President and Head of Unscripted Talent & Casting. In this role, she oversaw unscripted talent, casting, talent relations, and celebrity bookings for programming across competition and game formats, docuseries and lifestyle, live Events and specials, and syndication studios for NBC, Bravo, E!, Oxygen, Syfy, Universal Kids, USA, short form digital, and Peacock.
Throughout her tenure with NBC, Crump oversaw talent for a multitude of series, including massive international formats like Love Island, The Voice, America’s Got Talent, Password and That’s My Jam. She was instrumental in the launch of Barmeggedon, Snake in the Grass, Traitors, Celebrity Game Face, Celebrity Prank Wars, House of Villains and Queen’s Court.
In syndication, she was a key member of the launch teams...
Crump joins CAA from NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, where she most recently served as Senior Vice President and Head of Unscripted Talent & Casting. In this role, she oversaw unscripted talent, casting, talent relations, and celebrity bookings for programming across competition and game formats, docuseries and lifestyle, live Events and specials, and syndication studios for NBC, Bravo, E!, Oxygen, Syfy, Universal Kids, USA, short form digital, and Peacock.
Throughout her tenure with NBC, Crump oversaw talent for a multitude of series, including massive international formats like Love Island, The Voice, America’s Got Talent, Password and That’s My Jam. She was instrumental in the launch of Barmeggedon, Snake in the Grass, Traitors, Celebrity Game Face, Celebrity Prank Wars, House of Villains and Queen’s Court.
In syndication, she was a key member of the launch teams...
- 7/19/2023
- by Lynette Rice
- Deadline Film + TV
Let's take a brief trip through the looking glass, shall we?
There is not a more tantalizing mystery in United States history than the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Though the Warren Commission emphatically concluded that Lee Harvey Oswald was the sole gunman and acted alone, many people believe their investigation was either flawed or a full-scale cover-up. Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists alleged an alliance between the Fidel Castro-led Cuban government and mobsters in the States. Louisiana District Attorney Jim Garrison believed Kennedy's murder was orchestrated by New Orleans businessman Clay Shaw and anti-Castro Cubans (who were still raw over the failed Bay of Pigs invasion). Everyone from Lyndon B. Johnson to Frank Sinatra has been linked in some way or another to the assassination.
The myriad of theories, many of which clumsily intersect with competing theories, tend to discredit each other. But it's understandable why people need...
There is not a more tantalizing mystery in United States history than the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Though the Warren Commission emphatically concluded that Lee Harvey Oswald was the sole gunman and acted alone, many people believe their investigation was either flawed or a full-scale cover-up. Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists alleged an alliance between the Fidel Castro-led Cuban government and mobsters in the States. Louisiana District Attorney Jim Garrison believed Kennedy's murder was orchestrated by New Orleans businessman Clay Shaw and anti-Castro Cubans (who were still raw over the failed Bay of Pigs invasion). Everyone from Lyndon B. Johnson to Frank Sinatra has been linked in some way or another to the assassination.
The myriad of theories, many of which clumsily intersect with competing theories, tend to discredit each other. But it's understandable why people need...
- 5/16/2023
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
Ed Sheeran won a copyright infringement trial on Thursday, and so has music itself, at least according to some music copyright experts.
With Sheeran coming away victorious in the much-publicized “Thinking Out Loud”/ “Let’s Get It On” trial, music copyright experts tell Rolling Stone they’re hopeful the decision will chill what they describe as frivolous lawsuits going forward, as the verdict tells those looking to sue that winning out isn’t so simple.
“It will give people a little bit more comfort in terms of feeling they might...
With Sheeran coming away victorious in the much-publicized “Thinking Out Loud”/ “Let’s Get It On” trial, music copyright experts tell Rolling Stone they’re hopeful the decision will chill what they describe as frivolous lawsuits going forward, as the verdict tells those looking to sue that winning out isn’t so simple.
“It will give people a little bit more comfort in terms of feeling they might...
- 5/4/2023
- by Ethan Millman
- Rollingstone.com
A musicologist testified Wednesday that Ed Sheeran’s “Thinking Out Loud” and Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On” “sound very, very similar” in the copyright infringement trial against Sheeran.
However, the testimony was overshadowed in part when Kathryn Townsend Griffin — the daughter of the late “Let’s Get It On” co-writer Ed Townsend, whose estate is suing Sheeran — collapsed in court during the defense’s cross-examination of music expert Dr. Alexander Stewart, a witness for the plaintiff.
On the stand, Stewart told the court that the two songs...
However, the testimony was overshadowed in part when Kathryn Townsend Griffin — the daughter of the late “Let’s Get It On” co-writer Ed Townsend, whose estate is suing Sheeran — collapsed in court during the defense’s cross-examination of music expert Dr. Alexander Stewart, a witness for the plaintiff.
On the stand, Stewart told the court that the two songs...
- 4/27/2023
- by Daniel Kreps
- Rollingstone.com
Ed Sheeran took the stand on Tuesday in a New York courtroom, denying accusations that his hit song “Thinking Out Loud,” copied Marvin Gaye’s soul classic “Let’s Get It On.”
A lawyer defending the estate of a co-writer of Gaye’s 1973 song said he had “smoking gun” evidence that Ed Sheeran took elements of the Seventies classic on his 2014 single during his opening statement in the civil trial against the musician.
Attorney Ben Crump made the remarks during the court hearing where the British star’s attorneys claimed...
A lawyer defending the estate of a co-writer of Gaye’s 1973 song said he had “smoking gun” evidence that Ed Sheeran took elements of the Seventies classic on his 2014 single during his opening statement in the civil trial against the musician.
Attorney Ben Crump made the remarks during the court hearing where the British star’s attorneys claimed...
- 4/25/2023
- by Tomás Mier
- Rollingstone.com
Andrew Lester has been charged with armed assault in the shooting of 16-year-old Ralph Yarl, Prosecuting Attorney Zachary Thompson said at a news conference on Monday, as The Washington Post reports. Yarl, 16, was shot in the head and then shot one more time when he went to pick up his younger twin brothers at a friend’s house in Kansas City, Missouri, and accidentally rang the doorbell at the wrong address.
The shooting has sparked questions regarding whether the incident was racially motivated. During the press conference, Thompson said the...
The shooting has sparked questions regarding whether the incident was racially motivated. During the press conference, Thompson said the...
- 4/17/2023
- by Andrea Marks and Althea Legaspi
- Rollingstone.com
Emmy-winning cinematographer Bill Butler, who was Oscar nominated for shooting “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” and was also the D.P. on Steven Spielberg’s “Jaws,” died Wednesday, according to the American Society of Cinematographers. He was 101.
Spielberg remembered Butler in a statement, saying, “On ‘Jaws,’ Bill Butler was the bedrock on that rickety, rocking boat called the Orca. He was the only calm in the middle of that storm, and as we went into a battle against nature and technology that wore both of us down, the audience eventually won the war. Bill’s outlook on life was pragmatic, philosophical and so very patient, and I owe him so much for his steadfast and creative contributions to the entire look of ‘Jaws.’”
In addition to “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” Butler served as d.p. on a number of other high-profile films of the 1970s, including Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Conversation,...
Spielberg remembered Butler in a statement, saying, “On ‘Jaws,’ Bill Butler was the bedrock on that rickety, rocking boat called the Orca. He was the only calm in the middle of that storm, and as we went into a battle against nature and technology that wore both of us down, the audience eventually won the war. Bill’s outlook on life was pragmatic, philosophical and so very patient, and I owe him so much for his steadfast and creative contributions to the entire look of ‘Jaws.’”
In addition to “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” Butler served as d.p. on a number of other high-profile films of the 1970s, including Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Conversation,...
- 4/6/2023
- by Carmel Dagan
- Variety Film + TV
Rolly Crump, a legendary Disney animator and Imagineer, whose designs helped define the early days of Disneyland, has died at the age of 93.
Rolly joined Walt Disney Studios in 1952, working on a number of the period’s animated features in marginal positions, including serving as an in-between artist on “Peter Pan” and as an assistant animator on “Lady and the Tramp,” “Sleeping Beauty” and “One Hundred and One Dalmatians.”
In 1959, he was recruited by Walt to join what was then known as Wed Enterprises, later Walt Disney Imagineering. While at Imagineering, he worked on designs for The Haunted Mansion (including the prototypical Museum of the Weird), the Enchanted Tiki Room and It’s a Small World, including the iconic Tower of the Four winds sculpture/statue that accompanied It’s a Small World when the ride debuted at the 1964/65 World’s Fair in Queens.
“People say the term legend can get...
Rolly joined Walt Disney Studios in 1952, working on a number of the period’s animated features in marginal positions, including serving as an in-between artist on “Peter Pan” and as an assistant animator on “Lady and the Tramp,” “Sleeping Beauty” and “One Hundred and One Dalmatians.”
In 1959, he was recruited by Walt to join what was then known as Wed Enterprises, later Walt Disney Imagineering. While at Imagineering, he worked on designs for The Haunted Mansion (including the prototypical Museum of the Weird), the Enchanted Tiki Room and It’s a Small World, including the iconic Tower of the Four winds sculpture/statue that accompanied It’s a Small World when the ride debuted at the 1964/65 World’s Fair in Queens.
“People say the term legend can get...
- 3/13/2023
- by Drew Taylor
- The Wrap
Rolly Crump, one of Disneyland’s most important designers, who made crucial contributions to such attractions as the Haunted Mansion, It’s a Small World and the Enchanted Tiki Room, died Sunday at his home in Carlsbad, CA, where he was under hospice care. He was 93.
His death was announced on the Facebook page of his autobiography It’s Kind of a Cute Story.
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“It is with a heavy heart that we announce that Roland ‘Rolly’ Fargo Crump passed away peacefully yesterday morning at his home in Carlsbad, CA,” the statement reads. “He was 93 years old.”
The Haunted Mansion at Disneyland in Anaheim (Getty Images)
Crump, who worked as an...
His death was announced on the Facebook page of his autobiography It’s Kind of a Cute Story.
Related Story Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2023: Photo Gallery & Obituaries Related Story Bud Grant Dies: Hall Of Fame Minnesota Vikings Coach Led Team To Four Super Bowls, Was 95 Related Story Rick Scheckman Dies: Veteran Film Coordinator With David Letterman Was 67
“It is with a heavy heart that we announce that Roland ‘Rolly’ Fargo Crump passed away peacefully yesterday morning at his home in Carlsbad, CA,” the statement reads. “He was 93 years old.”
The Haunted Mansion at Disneyland in Anaheim (Getty Images)
Crump, who worked as an...
- 3/13/2023
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
In the first teaser trailer for Disney's new live-action "Haunted Mansion" movie, based on the classic theme park attraction, there are plenty of callbacks to famous ride moments. You don't have to be a Disney historian to recognize the "grinning ghosts come out to socialize," or the moment when a "motley crew of so-called supernatural experts" (per the official synopsis) stare up at a familiar wall of elongating portraits in an art gallery. However, there's at least one blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment in the trailer that's something of a Disney deep cut, homaging a forgotten part of the Haunted Mansion ride's history.
Around the 1:10 mark in the trailer, you can see a shot of someone getting knocked back onto a bed by a burst of water. Nothing like that happens in the current version of the Haunted Mansion ride at Disneyland, the Magic Kingdom, or any of the international Disney parks.
Around the 1:10 mark in the trailer, you can see a shot of someone getting knocked back onto a bed by a burst of water. Nothing like that happens in the current version of the Haunted Mansion ride at Disneyland, the Magic Kingdom, or any of the international Disney parks.
- 3/3/2023
- by Joshua Meyer
- Slash Film
Benjamin Crump gave a fiery speech while accepting the Social Justice Impact Award at the 2023 NAACP Image Awards Saturday night.
“Tonight’s recipient of the Social Justice Impact Award is a voice for those whose mere existence has been criminalized,” Tracee Ellis Ross said as she introduced the nationally recognized trial lawyer. “A voice for the collective advancement and protection of Black people. Whether bringing international awareness to another senseless death of a Black person at the hands of police or taking to task those who wish to suppress and erase our history, attorney Benjamin Crump is a tireless advocate for justice and equality.”
Following a highlight video, Crump took the stage, where he thanked several people including NAACP National Board of Directors chairman Leon Russell, God, his family and “all of those who have fought with me throughout the years to make liberty and justice for all a reality.
“Tonight’s recipient of the Social Justice Impact Award is a voice for those whose mere existence has been criminalized,” Tracee Ellis Ross said as she introduced the nationally recognized trial lawyer. “A voice for the collective advancement and protection of Black people. Whether bringing international awareness to another senseless death of a Black person at the hands of police or taking to task those who wish to suppress and erase our history, attorney Benjamin Crump is a tireless advocate for justice and equality.”
Following a highlight video, Crump took the stage, where he thanked several people including NAACP National Board of Directors chairman Leon Russell, God, his family and “all of those who have fought with me throughout the years to make liberty and justice for all a reality.
- 2/26/2023
- by Carly Thomas
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Angela Bassett, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and Abbott Elementary were among the top winners of the 2023 NAACP Image Awards.
Bassett took the top prize of Entertainer of the Year at the Queen Latifah-hosted ceremony, with Latifah herself presenting her with the honor. And when Bassett took the stage to accept the last award of the Saturday night live ceremony, her first remarks referenced Ariana DeBose’s viral BAFTA rap.
“I guess Angela Bassett did the thing, huh?” Bassett said.
After acknowledging her “sisters” in the all-female Entertainer of the Year category, Bassett reflected on her past projects like What’s Love Got to Do with It and How Stella Got Her Groove Back and working with directors like Spike Lee and the late John Singleton. She mentioned her Black Panther: Wakanda Forever writer-director, Ryan Coogler, last, saying he “showed us that we are royalty and he built the crown for us all to wear.
Bassett took the top prize of Entertainer of the Year at the Queen Latifah-hosted ceremony, with Latifah herself presenting her with the honor. And when Bassett took the stage to accept the last award of the Saturday night live ceremony, her first remarks referenced Ariana DeBose’s viral BAFTA rap.
“I guess Angela Bassett did the thing, huh?” Bassett said.
After acknowledging her “sisters” in the all-female Entertainer of the Year category, Bassett reflected on her past projects like What’s Love Got to Do with It and How Stella Got Her Groove Back and working with directors like Spike Lee and the late John Singleton. She mentioned her Black Panther: Wakanda Forever writer-director, Ryan Coogler, last, saying he “showed us that we are royalty and he built the crown for us all to wear.
- 2/26/2023
- by Hilary Lewis
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Ilyasah Shabazz, 60, was two-years-old when her father, civil rights activist Malcolm X, was slain by three armed men as he was preparing to speak in New York. Shabazz announced on Tuesday, the anniversary of his 1965 assassination, that her family is suing the FBI, the CIA, the New York Police Department, and other agencies for allegedly concealing evidence related to his killing.
She was joined by her sister, Qubilah, and their attorney Ben Crump at a news conference at the site of the former Audubon Ballroom in upper Manhattan, where Malcolm...
She was joined by her sister, Qubilah, and their attorney Ben Crump at a news conference at the site of the former Audubon Ballroom in upper Manhattan, where Malcolm...
- 2/22/2023
- by Charisma Madarang
- Rollingstone.com
When news broke on Saturday that the Memphis Police Department’s Scorpion Unit was disbanded, Amber Sherman, a community organizer in the city who has helped lead the demonstrations for Tyre Nichols, seemed unimpressed: “Yep. Now they need to answer all the demands.”
The five police officers who fatally beat Tyre Nichols during a traffic stop on Jan. 7 hailed from the specialized anti-violence unit — which stands for Street Crimes Operation to Restore Peace in Our Neighborhoods. Less than 24 hours after the city released the brutal footage of the stop, the...
The five police officers who fatally beat Tyre Nichols during a traffic stop on Jan. 7 hailed from the specialized anti-violence unit — which stands for Street Crimes Operation to Restore Peace in Our Neighborhoods. Less than 24 hours after the city released the brutal footage of the stop, the...
- 1/29/2023
- by Hannah Murphy Winter
- Rollingstone.com
Allen Media Group’s African American-focused news, lifestyle, sports and entertainment platform theGrio has announced the inaugural The Grio Awards. The black-tie event will take place at the Beverly Hilton on Saturday, October 22th with co-hosts comedian Sheryl Underwood and Taye Diggs.
The award show’s inaugural honorees are slated to attend in-person, including:
Tyler Perry – Icon AwardNorman Lear – Champion AwardPatti Labelle – Music Icon AwardKenan Thompson – Comedy Icon AwardBen Crump – Justice Icon AwardAlena Analeigh McQuarter – Young Icon AwardRobert F. Smith – Philanthropy AwardAllyson Felix – Sports Icon AwardDon Peebles – Business Icon AwardQueen Latifah – Television Icon AwardDave Chappelle – Cultural Icon AwardJennifer Hudson – Trailblazer Icon Award
The event will also feature special musical performances by Yolanda Adams, Tyrese, Fantasia and Labelle. Greg Phillinganes will serve as musical director, and DJ Kiss will serve as both DJ and announcer.
“I created theGrio Awards to celebrate and amplify African American excellence and the incredible champions from...
The award show’s inaugural honorees are slated to attend in-person, including:
Tyler Perry – Icon AwardNorman Lear – Champion AwardPatti Labelle – Music Icon AwardKenan Thompson – Comedy Icon AwardBen Crump – Justice Icon AwardAlena Analeigh McQuarter – Young Icon AwardRobert F. Smith – Philanthropy AwardAllyson Felix – Sports Icon AwardDon Peebles – Business Icon AwardQueen Latifah – Television Icon AwardDave Chappelle – Cultural Icon AwardJennifer Hudson – Trailblazer Icon Award
The event will also feature special musical performances by Yolanda Adams, Tyrese, Fantasia and Labelle. Greg Phillinganes will serve as musical director, and DJ Kiss will serve as both DJ and announcer.
“I created theGrio Awards to celebrate and amplify African American excellence and the incredible champions from...
- 10/17/2022
- by EJ Panaligan
- Variety Film + TV
Each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit streaming platforms in the United States. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.
Bitterbrush (Emelie Mahdavian)
Watch an exclusive clip above.
While they don’t know it yet, this is, for friends Colie Moline and Hollyn Patterson, the end of five years range riding together in the American Pacific Northwest. It’s also their most comfortable after trading the usual camper for an old cabin this summer. With only themselves and a crew of herd dogs for assistance, they take to the Idahoan plains in search of the beef cattle and calves they’ve been contracted to reclaim. The work is tiring and tenuous in consistency, but also spiritually and physically rewarding—if not financially. Colie and Hollyn have grown close: an easy rapport and trust that allows director Emelie Mahdavian (and us) a glimpse into their personal lives,...
Bitterbrush (Emelie Mahdavian)
Watch an exclusive clip above.
While they don’t know it yet, this is, for friends Colie Moline and Hollyn Patterson, the end of five years range riding together in the American Pacific Northwest. It’s also their most comfortable after trading the usual camper for an old cabin this summer. With only themselves and a crew of herd dogs for assistance, they take to the Idahoan plains in search of the beef cattle and calves they’ve been contracted to reclaim. The work is tiring and tenuous in consistency, but also spiritually and physically rewarding—if not financially. Colie and Hollyn have grown close: an easy rapport and trust that allows director Emelie Mahdavian (and us) a glimpse into their personal lives,...
- 6/24/2022
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
A simple list of Ben Crump’s clients tells us how important his work as a civil rights attorney is: Between 2020-2021 alone, he represented the families of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and Daunte Wright.
“Civil” began as a collaboration between Crump and Kenya Barris (“black-ish”), who considered working on a scripted series together. But as Crump puts it, Barris felt people would want to see “this real life superhero,” so they asked director Nadia Hallgren (“Becoming”) to make a documentary about Crump himself.
The result leaves us with the feeling that a combination of approaches might have worked best: a non-scripted series could have given Hallgren valuable opportunities to broaden the story, while still introducing viewers to her primary subject.
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‘My Name Is Pauli Murray’ Filmmakers Explain How They Portrayed a ‘Legendary But Little Known American’ (Video)
As a straightforward portrait, “Civil” can feel a...
“Civil” began as a collaboration between Crump and Kenya Barris (“black-ish”), who considered working on a scripted series together. But as Crump puts it, Barris felt people would want to see “this real life superhero,” so they asked director Nadia Hallgren (“Becoming”) to make a documentary about Crump himself.
The result leaves us with the feeling that a combination of approaches might have worked best: a non-scripted series could have given Hallgren valuable opportunities to broaden the story, while still introducing viewers to her primary subject.
Also Read:
‘My Name Is Pauli Murray’ Filmmakers Explain How They Portrayed a ‘Legendary But Little Known American’ (Video)
As a straightforward portrait, “Civil” can feel a...
- 6/19/2022
- by Elizabeth Weitzman
- The Wrap
Father’s Day and Juneteenth overlap this year, and there is no shortage of programming on television for the latter holiday, which celebrates the day in 1865 when Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas, and delivered the news that all enslaved people were free. The Emancipation Proclamation arrived two years later on Jan. 1, 1863.
Juneteenth has gained more awareness in recent years, finally becoming recognized as a federal holiday in 2021.
Programming celebrating Black music, culture and more will run all weekend, culminating in the holiday itself on Sunday, June 19.
Below, check out our Juneteenth viewing guide to watch to watch on TV and streaming this weekend.
Getty Images ABC
Country singer Jimmie Allen will host an hourlong segment recognizing the influence of Black artists in music. The special will run on ABC on Friday, June 18 starting at 8pm Eastern and Pacific time. The “Sound of Freedom:...
Juneteenth has gained more awareness in recent years, finally becoming recognized as a federal holiday in 2021.
Programming celebrating Black music, culture and more will run all weekend, culminating in the holiday itself on Sunday, June 19.
Below, check out our Juneteenth viewing guide to watch to watch on TV and streaming this weekend.
Getty Images ABC
Country singer Jimmie Allen will host an hourlong segment recognizing the influence of Black artists in music. The special will run on ABC on Friday, June 18 starting at 8pm Eastern and Pacific time. The “Sound of Freedom:...
- 6/18/2022
- by Dessi Gomez
- The Wrap
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump commanded the attention of the audience inside the New World Center Performance Hall in Miami Beach for the kickoff to the 2022 American Black Film Festival on Wed. June 15, where he took the stage to introduce “Civil,” the upcoming Netflix documentary about his life and work.
“I keep getting asked, ‘Why did I do this?’ Crump recounted. “I said, I understand, we always have to fight in two courts when we’re fighting for the lives and the dignity and the humanity of Black people: the court of law and the court of public opinion.”
Speaking before crowd of filmmakers, film fans and some personal friends, Crump declared how the documentary wouldn’t be possible without Kenya Barris, who knows how to portray the Black experience on film.
“Kenya created ‘Black-ish’ and wrote ‘Girls Trip’ and [created] ‘America’s Next Top Model’ … We present those experiences in Black America,...
“I keep getting asked, ‘Why did I do this?’ Crump recounted. “I said, I understand, we always have to fight in two courts when we’re fighting for the lives and the dignity and the humanity of Black people: the court of law and the court of public opinion.”
Speaking before crowd of filmmakers, film fans and some personal friends, Crump declared how the documentary wouldn’t be possible without Kenya Barris, who knows how to portray the Black experience on film.
“Kenya created ‘Black-ish’ and wrote ‘Girls Trip’ and [created] ‘America’s Next Top Model’ … We present those experiences in Black America,...
- 6/17/2022
- by Clayton Gutzmore
- Variety Film + TV
The Netflix documentary Civil: Ben Crump follows civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who often represents marginalized clients in wrongful death, injury, police brutality and discrimination lawsuits. Director Nadia Hallgren follows Crump and his various cases, including his most high-profile one against the city of Minneapolis for the death of George Floyd. The documentary is filmed against the backdrop of this historical case while showing how Crump handles these tragic events that captured the full attention of Americans and the international community.
The film, which premiered at the Tribeca Festival and opened the American Black Film Festival on Wednesday, begins with Crump in the shadows. He’s on a call from one of Floyd’s family members, who is begging for his help. This is the lawyer’s life daily, on the phone, traveling, organizing and talking to families while maintaining his personal life. From his hero Thurgood Marshall, Crump learned...
The film, which premiered at the Tribeca Festival and opened the American Black Film Festival on Wednesday, begins with Crump in the shadows. He’s on a call from one of Floyd’s family members, who is begging for his help. This is the lawyer’s life daily, on the phone, traveling, organizing and talking to families while maintaining his personal life. From his hero Thurgood Marshall, Crump learned...
- 6/16/2022
- by Valerie Complex
- Deadline Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
Benjamin Crump occupies a peculiar position in American society. The attorney has famously represented families whose loved ones have been killed by the police: Trayvon Martin, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd are just a few of his highest-profile cases. But Crump is a civil lawyer, not a prosecutor. He can’t charge the officers involved in these cases, nor can he guarantee that they end up being held accountable for their actions. What he can, and does, do is help aggrieved families get some financial restitution.
But Crump is also an outsize public figure, known for his immediate presence at the sight of nearly every tragedy. He has been accused of peddling in the grief of Black families and of exploiting these incidents for personal gain. Nadia Hallgren’s Civil, a new Netflix documentary about the litigator, is an attempt to correct this...
Benjamin Crump occupies a peculiar position in American society. The attorney has famously represented families whose loved ones have been killed by the police: Trayvon Martin, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd are just a few of his highest-profile cases. But Crump is a civil lawyer, not a prosecutor. He can’t charge the officers involved in these cases, nor can he guarantee that they end up being held accountable for their actions. What he can, and does, do is help aggrieved families get some financial restitution.
But Crump is also an outsize public figure, known for his immediate presence at the sight of nearly every tragedy. He has been accused of peddling in the grief of Black families and of exploiting these incidents for personal gain. Nadia Hallgren’s Civil, a new Netflix documentary about the litigator, is an attempt to correct this...
- 6/13/2022
- by Lovia Gyarkye
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
“Civil” takes a mythic approach when introducing Benjamin Crump — the lawyer widely known for representing Black families touched by police killings — presenting him to us in silhouette as he accepts a call from the family of George Floyd, before the movie slowly and skillfully creates a portraiture of his interior life, backed by wistful music. It’s a counter-narrative of sorts, to the many Fox News segments branding him “the most dangerous man in America” (footage that features throughout the documentary), but it’s also an excavation of the ways Crump himself is tirelessly dedicated to writing the counter-narratives of Black people slain by police.
Following Crump across twelve volatile months during 2020-2021, the film may end up on the wrong side of scattered — it takes a number of open-ended detours the longer it goes on — but its approach to the attorney himself is in step with his attempts to...
Following Crump across twelve volatile months during 2020-2021, the film may end up on the wrong side of scattered — it takes a number of open-ended detours the longer it goes on — but its approach to the attorney himself is in step with his attempts to...
- 6/12/2022
- by Siddhant Adlakha
- Indiewire
A new month has arrived, which means a fresh batch of movies and TV shows streaming on Netflix. While many are no doubt still making their way through “Stranger Things” Season 4, June brings the arrival of a new season of another beloved Netflix series: “The Umbrella Academy.” The third season of the semi-superhero show premieres June 22 and finds the gang stranded in a timeline where the Umbrella Academy does not exist, while battling not only a rival team but also plenty of timeline-altering shenanigans.
In terms of new Netflix original films, June 17 sees the debut of “Spiderhead,” a psychological thriller starring Chris Hemsworth, Miles Teller and Jurnee Smollett and directed by “Top Gun: Maverick” filmmaker Joseph Kosinski.
June will also see the debut of the new Adam Sandler-fronted basketball inspirational drama film “Hustle” on June 8, while a litany of comedy specials from the likes of Pete Davidson and Amy Schumer...
In terms of new Netflix original films, June 17 sees the debut of “Spiderhead,” a psychological thriller starring Chris Hemsworth, Miles Teller and Jurnee Smollett and directed by “Top Gun: Maverick” filmmaker Joseph Kosinski.
June will also see the debut of the new Adam Sandler-fronted basketball inspirational drama film “Hustle” on June 8, while a litany of comedy specials from the likes of Pete Davidson and Amy Schumer...
- 6/10/2022
- by Adam Chitwood
- The Wrap
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