Emil Wilbekin has been named Managing Editor of Essence.com; responsible for the development of original, timely and compelling daily content and programming for the site’s multiple channels. The announcement was made by Angela Burt-Murray, Editor-in-Chief of ESSENCE, to whom he will report.
As Managing Editor, Emil will lead the Essence.com editorial team and work closely with on the development and extension of the site’s unique offerings, which include original video programming — EXTRA on ESSENCE and ESSENCE TV — and an active online community in partnership with the Ning social network. EXTRA on ESSENCE is an of-the-minute roundup of the week’s hottest entertainment news, gossip, and celebrity style.
“30 Rock’s” Tracy Morgan Returns as Host for the Third Time to Commemorate One of the Greatest Record Labels of Hip Hop Tuesday, October 13 at 9:00 PM*
Back for its sixth year saluting the best in hip hop, VH1′s Hip Hop Honors 2009 will celebrate the achievements of one of hip hop’s greatest brands — Def Jam Records. The music event will tape from the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) Howard Gilman Opera House in Brooklyn, New York, and airs on VH1 on Tuesday, October 13 at 9 PM ET/PT.
The Multi-Talented Star Listed #4 on the Forbes Celebrity 100 List
Beyonce is the cover of Forbes Celebrity 100 June ‘09 issue which offers what they call a glimpse “Inside Beyonce’s Entertainment Empire.” The detailed cover story offers a behind the scenes look at the “machine that aids her ability to collect an estimated $87 million this year (including publishing and music sales, touring and other performances, film work, her fashion collection and endorsement deals).
Al Roker, widely recognized as America’s favorite weatherman, has been named host of Wake Up With Al, a new weekday morning program on The Weather Channel. Roker will join The Weather Channel’s Stephanie Abrams, who will serve as his co-host. The announcement was made today by Lisa Gersh, interim CEO of The Weather Channel. The one-hour program will air weekdays from 6-7 a.m. ET and premiere this summer.
“Simply put - Al Roker is synonymous with weather. He has an energy and a style that jumps off the screen, and we already know that people want to wake up with him in the morning,” said Gersh. “We have spent months coming up with the right way to integrate Al into The Weather Channel’s programming, and I think, alongside Stephanie, we’ve come up with the perfect formula with this announcement.”
As part of Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s (BGCA) new advocacy campaign — BE GREAT — five-time Grammy award winner, philanthropist and Boys & Girls Club alumnus Usher today unveiled a new billboard featuring his childhood picture and a call-to-action — BE ICONIC. Usher joins some 25 prominent alumni in the new advocacy campaign to help increase public awareness and understanding about the positive impact of Clubs.
From academic failure and gang violence to poverty, drugs and obesity, America’s youth face a daunting array of problems — with serious consequences and fewer safety nets at home and in the community. According to a 2007 BGCA alumni survey conducted by Harris Interactive, 57 percent of alumni reported, “The Club saved my life,” while another 28 percent credited Boys & Girls Clubs with keeping them in school.
Columbia Records has announced the release of BLACKsummers’night, the heavily-anticipated new studio album from modern soul artist Maxwell, on Tuesday, July 7, 2009.BLACKsummers’night is the first full-length Maxwell release since Now, his critically-acclaimed third studio album, debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 in August 2001.
The ADCOLOR® Awards - the marketing, advertising and media industries’ premier celebration of diverse talent – will return for its third year on Sunday, October 4 at the Arizona Biltmore Resort & Spa in Phoenix. Hosted by award-winning CNN reporter Soledad O’Brien, the ADCOLOR® Awards will honor dozens of communications professionals and their unique accomplishments.
This year’s awards will be presented by Arnold Worldwide, CNN, Google, Microsoft Advertising, and Omnicom Group.
The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) has announced that Michael Wilbon will be honored with the organization’s Lifetime Achievement Award at the Salute to Excellence Awards Gala on August 8, in Tampa.
“Michael is the epitome of the cross-over journalist, and he has achieved that distinction at the highest levels,” said NABJ President Barbara Ciara. “One of far too few black columnists in the United States, Michael connects with sports fans and players like none other while capturing the enduring, challenging and inspiring moments of the game.”
A sports writer for The Washington Post since 1980, and a columnist since 1990 with a column that appears as much as four times per week, Wilbon is one of fewer than 10 black columnists at major daily newspapers in America.
Beatrice Arthur, 86, star of two iconic television series, died peacefully Saturday, April 25th. Beatrice won Emmy Awards for her role in the ’70’s television series Maude and also for her role as Dorothy in the ’80’s series The Golden Girls.
Known for her height, baritone voice and dry comedic delivery, Beatrice started her career in television as an actress in her 50s after performing on Off-Broadway and Broadway productions since the ’40’s. Beatrice also won a Tony Award for supporting actress in the musical Mame. In 1971, Norman Lear created the role of Maude, an outspoken and liberal-minded cousin of Edith Bunker’s character. Maude’s sparring with Archie Bunker was so popular a spin off show was created, debuting in 1972.
Obsessed, the movie starring Idris Elba, Beyonce Knowles and Ali Larter won the weekend domestic box office to the tune of $28.5 million. Not bad in a weakened economy. The movie cost about $20 million to make with much lower opening weekend expectations.
Kobe Bryant transcends his sport like only a few before him have done. This basketball prodigy entered the league at age 18 and quickly began to rack up accolades: Slam Dunk Champion, NBA All-Star, NBA Champion, Olympic Champion and League MVP among others. His on-the-court exploits have been well documented, yet few have been able to witness what it’s like for Kobe on game day. Directed by film and cultural icon Spike Lee, the audience gets inside the locker room and inside the mind of this enigmatic superstar for a never-before-documented look at how Kobe prepares for and plays in one of the biggest games of the season. With unprecedented access, Spike covered the day with over 30 cameras and had Kobe mic’d up throughout the entire game providing the most-complete and intense look at the Laker superstar both on-the-court and off.
The trio of Crew Grrl Order brings a mission to resurrect the female presence in Hip Hop through the musical movement. Members include lyricist, RETINA (North Carolina), Street Poetess, LADY PAYN (Atlanta/Brooklyn) the latest addition is the majestic CLEO JONES from North Carolina replacing the energetic, Ms Ebonee (North Carolina/Queens). Their debut album, ‘B-Girl Stance’ is currently in retail stores nationwide, complimenting the national touring that has followed.
Darrell E. Walker has been promoted from Executive VP of Business Affairs to ExecutiveVP and General Counsel for BET Networks. Darrell reports to President and COO for BET Scott Mills, and is based at BET headquarters in Washington, D.C.
As a result of his promotion, Darrell will manage all corporate legal matters, including business affairs, content management, compliance matters, contract negotiation and administration, and will oversee all legal and support staff as well as outside legal counsel.
Lifetime Television, the network that “celebrate, entertain and support women,” have revealed their 2009-2010 plans that include the premiere of the all-new Project Runway, August 20th at 10pm followed by the new half-hour series Models of the Runway at 11pm.
Lifetime will also expand its comedy line-up via a new pilot featuring current View co-host and comedian Sherri Shepard. The show will be loosely based based on Sherri’s experiences and personal life. In the pilot, which was first developed for The CW, Sherri will play a woman dealing with a wandering husband who lets her husband’s mistress and child move in with them. More info to come, but I do know that fellow comedian Kym Whitley has made an appearance.
A&E Television Networks has picked up seasons 1-3 of American Gangster from BET Networks. As a result, the show’s will air globally on A&E’s Crime & Investigation network. American Gangster, narrated by Ving Rhames, profiles the lives and misdeeds of infamous criminals and is produced by Nelson George, Frank Sinton of Asylum Entertainment, Mark Rowland and BET.
Robin Schwartz has officially resigned as President of OWN Television, the forthcoming cable network from Oprah Winfrey and Discovery Communications. The news was made official by CEO Christina Norman, who said in a statement: “As a result of her resignation, I’ve decided to streamline executive reporting and will not be replacing the position.” Nina Wass, SVP/Creative Affairs and Maria Grasso, SVP/Programming, will now report directly to Christina. Robin joined OWN in June 2008 from Regency Television, where she served as President of the joint venture between New Regency Films and News Corporation’s Fox Television Studios.
Singer/Songwriter Keri Hilson will join Keyshia Cole and The Dream on the A Different Me tour which will kick off on May 13th in Cincinnati, Ohio. Riding on the success as a guest artist on Lil Wayne’s “I Am Music Tour,” Hilson has been given another opportunity to engage fans with an exciting stage performance during the 20-city tour.
Doug Morris, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of Universal Music Group (UMG), the world’s leading music company and Eric Schmidt, Chairman of the Board & Chief Executive Officer of Google Inc., today announced that UMG and YouTube, a Google subsidiary, are working together to launch VEVO, a music and video entertainment service that will feature UMG’s premium video content.
Google is working to combine its on-air TV ad sales business,Google TV Adswith web video from YouTube and other Web sites to allow marketers to make cross-platform ad buys from a single interface, per the WSJ. The feature, which the company hopes will attract a higher class of brand advertisers, fits into Google’s larger vision of providing technology to make multiplatform buys easier to manage and more precisely measurable. It could also position the search giant to become an integral cog in serving ads to broadband video that migrates to living room televisions.
Fox is planning on launching a new Saturday late night show featuring comedian Wanda Sykes. The show is said to be more in the mold of Bill Maher’s HBO show than a typical talk show. It will air Saturdays at 11 and will be an hour long. The network is considering launching the show either this fall or in January, when the network has historically launched many projects so as to capitalize on the promotional power of the American Idol audience.
Fox is limiting its late night presence to Saturday nights, but network execs have said they would like to re-launch a weeknight late night show if the right talent was found. They have also said they like the strategy of cultivating new late night shows on Saturdays.
Nicky Wood has been promoted to Senior Vice President, Sales, Russia, CEE and Sub Saharan Africa, Warner Brothers International Television Distribution. Wood will now supervise WBITD’s growing operations across Russia and Central and Eastern Europe, and will continue to oversee operations in Sub Saharan Africa. She will also be responsible for overseeing the licensing of Warner Bros. Entertainment content–including television series, theatrical motion pictures, movies for television, and animation–to free and pay TV operations over terrestrial, cable, satellite and IPTV platforms, as well as to selected new media clients in the areas of ad-supported video-on-demand and subscription video-on-demand in these territories.
In her previous role, Wood served as VP, Sales, Scandinavia and Eastern Europe from 2006, and before that, Sales Director, Eastern Europe.
She joined WBITD in 2004 from Sky, where she was head of acquisitions for the entertainment channels, and formerly spent four years at MTG’s Viasat Broadcasting as VP Acquisitions for their Nordic and Central and Eastern European operations.
The Black Broadcasting Network (BBN), a 24/7 ad-supported multiplatform network exclusively targeting 18-34 year-old urban African-American audiences, will add a variety of sports programming to its lineup. Black College Sports will feature various sports highlights from historic black universities and colleges nationwide along with interviews with coaches and players. Ringside Boxing will partner with BBN to serve up IBF World Championship boxing in primetime. Premier Basketball League sports 13 teams in the PBL league and features recognizable players from college and pro levels in addition to street players.
Actress Taraji P. Henson shareswhat the experience of being an Academy Award nominee has meant to her, what it’s like to work with Brad Pitt, and why she chose her mother and her grandmother to be her dates at her big Oscar ceremony. Nominated for best supporting actress for her role as Benjamin Button’s mother. Taraji opens up for Cathy Hughes in a special episode of TV One on One premiering Sunday, April 5 from 10-11 PM, repeating at 2 AM (all times ET). In addition to conducting a wide-ranging interview with Henson in which the actress talks about everything from her rumored “engagement” to Tyler Perry to her time as a public school special education teacher, Ms. Hughes also gives TV One viewers a behind-the-scenes look at just what it takes to make a glamorous appearance on the Academy Awards Red Carpet.
BET returns to beautiful Riviera Beach in West Palm Beach, Florida for the network’s signature spring break music extravaganza SPRING BLING ‘09. For two days of non-stop fun, SPRING BLING fans will experience popular episodes of REVAMPED(segments showcasing the hottest dance acts across the country, accompanied by live performances); GET TO STEPPIN (fast-paced competition between the best step teams in the nation); SPRING BLING THIRD WHEEL (a unique dating show with a twist); HAIR & MAKEUP (a behind-the-scenes access to the hottest hairstylist and makeup artist duo, Dr. Boogie and Unique London); DO IT OR DON’T (a “get physical” competition and trivia game testing your boldness); andthe BET fan favoriteBEACH TOWEL THROWDOWN (featuring performances from the today’s biggest names in hip-hop and R&B).
Al Roker, widely recognized as America’s favorite weatherman, has been named host of Wake Up With Al, a new weekday morning program on The Weather Channel. Roker will join The Weather Channel’s Stephanie Abrams, who will serve as his co-host. The announcement was made today by Lisa Gersh, interim CEO of The Weather Channel. The one-hour program will air weekdays from 6-7 a.m. ET and premiere this summer.
The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) has announced that Michael Wilbon will be honored with the organization’s Lifetime Achievement Award at the Salute to Excellence Awards Gala on August 8, in Tampa.
Lifetime Television, the network that “celebrate, entertain and support women,” have revealed their 2009-2010 plans that include the premiere of the all-new Project Runway, August 20th at 10pm followed by the new half-hour series Models of the Runway at 11pm.
