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Thomas Jefferson Byrd
Thomas Jefferson Byrd (June 25, 1950 – October 3, 2020) was an American character actor who played in several of director Spike Lee's films. He was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play for his performance in the 2003 Broadway revival of ''Ma Rainey's Black Bottom''. Career Byrd earned a Bachelor of Science degree in education from Morris Brown College and later received a Master of Fine Arts degree in dance from California Institute of the Arts. He was a member of Omega Psi Phi fraternity, Alpha Sigma chapter. Byrd starred in numerous regional stage productions including the San Diego Repertory Theatre's award-winning performance of ''Spunk''. He also starred in ''Home'' by Samm-Art Evans, ''Two Trains Running'', ''The Piano Lesson'' and ''Ma Rainey's Black Bottom'' at the Alliance Theater, ''Flyin' West'', ''Hamlet'' and ''Miss Evers' Boys'' at the Indiana Repertory, and in other productions of ''Flyin' West'' at the Brooklyn Academy of Music and a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Long Wharf Theatre
Long Wharf Theatre is a nonprofit institution in New Haven, Connecticut, a pioneer in the not-for-profit regional theatre movement, the originator of several prominent plays, and a venue where many internationally known actors have appeared. Founded in 1965, the theatre is committed to the creation of new works and the reexamination of classic plays. It is currently led by Artistic Director Jacob G. Padrón and Managing Director Kit Ingui. The theatre has staged world premieres by Samuel D. Hunter, Craig Lucas, Steve Martin, Paula Vogel, Athol Fugard, and Anna Deavere Smith, among others. In addition, some of the nation’s leading actors, including Sam Waterston, Stacy Keach, Brian Dennehy, Al Pacino, Karen Allen, Colleen Dewhurst, Judith Ivey, Jane Alexander, Reg E. Cathey, Mary McDonnell, and Anna Deavere Smith, have performed on one of the theatre’s two stages. History Long Wharf Theatre was founded by Jon Jory, Harlan Kleiman, Ruth Lord, Betty Kubler, and Newt Schen ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Girl 6
''Girl 6'' is a 1996 American black comedy film produced and directed by Spike Lee. The film stars Theresa Randle, Isaiah Washington, and Lee. Suzan-Lori Parks wrote the screenplay, making it the first film directed by Lee in which he did not write for it. Directors Quentin Tarantino and Ron Silver make cameo appearances as film directors at a pair of interesting auditions. The accompanying soundtrack is composed entirely of songs written by Prince. The film was screened in the ''Un Certain Regard'' section of the 1996 Cannes Film Festival. Plot Judy, a young and timid African American aspiring actress living in New York, attends an audition with Quentin Tarantino for, as he describes, "the greatest romantic, African-American film ever made". Initially doing quite well, Judy becomes very apprehensive and defiant when asked to undress herself. Eventually, she reluctantly complies, revealing her breasts. However, becoming quickly overwhelmed with guilt, she storms out. After dis ... [...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. The site 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. Finke was also given a five-year-plus employment contract reported by the ''Los Angeles Times'' as being worth "millions of dollars", as well as part ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brooklyn's Finest
''Brooklyn's Finest'' is a 2009 American crime film directed by Antoine Fuqua and written by Michael C. Martin. The film stars Richard Gere, Don Cheadle, Ethan Hawke, and Wesley Snipes. ''Brooklyn's Finest'' had its world premiere at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival on January 16, 2009 and was released theatrically in the United States on March 5, 2010. Plot Carlo Powers and Detective Sal Procida are having a conversation in a car when Sal shoots Carlo, grabs a bag of money and flees. Sal later confesses the murder to a priest, asking for help with his dire situation: his wife is pregnant with twins, and they live in a house that is too small for their four existing children; it also has mold that jeopardizes his family's health. Desperate to move, Sal has arranged to purchase a larger home through a woman who owes him a favor. The down payment is due the following Tuesday, and Sal is still short. Sal, who is a highly skilled and accomplished narcotics detective, has begun to pi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ray (film)
''Ray'' is a 2004 American biographical musical drama film focusing on 30 years in the life of rhythm and blues musician Ray Charles. The independently produced film was co-produced and directed by Taylor Hackford, and written by James L. White from a story by Hackford and White. It stars Jamie Foxx in the title role, along with Kerry Washington, Clifton Powell, Harry Lennix, Terrence Howard, Larenz Tate, Richard Schiff and Regina King in supporting roles. Along with Hackford, the film was also produced by Stuart Benjamin, Howard Baldwin and Karen Baldwin. It was released on October 29, 2004, by Universal Pictures. It received positive reviews from critics, with particular praise for Foxx's performance. It was also a commercial success, grossing $124.7 million worldwide against a production budget of $40 million. ''Ray'' received many accolades and nominations and was nominated in six categories at the 77th Academy Awards. For his performance, Foxx won the Academy Award for Bes ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Set It Off (film)
''Set It Off'' is a 1996 American crime action heist film directed by F. Gary Gray and written by Kate Lanier and Takashi Bufford. The film stars Jada Pinkett, Queen Latifah, Vivica A. Fox, and Kimberly Elise (in her film debut). It follows four close friends in Los Angeles, California, who plan to execute a bank robbery—each doing so for different reasons—to achieve better for themselves and their families. ''Set It Off'' was a box office success, grossing over $41 million against a budget of $9 million. The film earned positive reviews from critics, who praised the characters, music and performances of the cast (particularly that of Pinkett and Latifah, as well as the chemistry of the four leading actresses). The soundtrack was a commercial success, peaking at number four on the ''Billboard'' 200 and number three on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. Additionally, the singles "Set It Off", "Don't Let Go (Love)", "Days of Our Livez", "Angel", "Come On", "Let It Go" and " Missing You ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
She's Gotta Have It (TV Series)
''She's Gotta Have It'' is an American comedy-drama television series created by Spike Lee. It is based on She's Gotta Have It, his 1986 film of the same name. Ten 30-minute episodes were ordered by Netflix, all of which were directed by Lee. The show premiered on November 23, 2017. On January 1, 2018, the series was renewed for a second season, which premiered on May 24, 2019. On July 17, 2019, Netflix canceled the series after two seasons. Cast and characters Main *DeWanda Wise as Nola Darling *Anthony Ramos (actor), Anthony Ramos as Mars Blackmon *Lyriq Bent as Jamie Overstreet *Cleo Anthony as Greer Childs *Margot Bingham as Clorinda "Clo" Bradford (season 2; recurring season 1) *Chyna Layne as Shemekka Epps (season 2; recurring season 1) *De'Adre Aziza as Raqueletta Moss (season 2; recurring season 1) Recurring *Ilfenesh Hadera as Opal Gilstrap *Kim Director as Bianca Tate *Sydney Morton as Cheryl Overstreet *Elise Hudson as Rachel *Elvis Nolasco as Papo *Heather Headley as ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a film and television series library through distribution deals as well as its own productions, known as Netflix Originals. As of September 2022, Netflix had 222 million subscribers worldwide, including 73.3 million in the United States and Canada; 73.0 million in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, 39.6 million in Latin America and 34.8 million in the Asia-Pacific region. It is available worldwide aside from Mainland China, Syria, North Korea, and Russia. Netflix has played a prominent role in independent film distribution, and it is a member of the Motion Picture Association (MPA). Netflix can be accessed via web browsers or via application software installed on smart TVs, set-top boxes connected to televisions, tablet computers, smartph ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chi-Raq
''Chi-Raq'' () is a 2015 American musical crime comedy drama film, directed and produced by Spike Lee and co-written by Lee and Kevin Willmott. Set in Chicago, the film focuses on the gang violence prevalent in neighborhoods on the city's south side, particularly the Englewood neighborhood. The story is based on Aristophanes' ''Lysistrata'', a classical Greek comedy play in which women withhold sex from their husbands to put an end to the Peloponnesian War. It stars Nick Cannon, Wesley Snipes, Teyonah Parris, Jennifer Hudson, Angela Bassett, John Cusack, and Samuel L. Jackson. It was the first film to be produced by Amazon Studios, released in select theaters on December 4, 2015 and on their video on demand service Amazon Instant Video on December 29. Plot In Chicago's Southside, as the events are narrated by Dolemedes, a war rages between two rival gangs: the Spartans, led by rapper/gang leader Demetrius Dupree, nicknamed "Chi-Raq" and the Trojans, led by gang lord Cycl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Red Hook Summer
''Red Hook Summer'' is a 2012 American film co-written and directed by Spike Lee. It is Lee's sixth film in his "Chronicles of Brooklyn" series following ''She's Gotta Have It'', ''Do the Right Thing'', '' Crooklyn'', '' Clockers'', and '' He Got Game''. Plot Flik Royale is a pampered 13-year-old boy from Atlanta who is sent to live with his preacher grandfather, Da Good Bishop Enoch Rouse, in Red Hook, Brooklyn. Flik struggles to connect with his religious grandfather, and clashes with him over religion, technology, and other subjects. He develops a friendship with a girl named Chazz and encounters Box, a gangster who used to attend Enoch's church. In the midst of a sermon, a strange man strolls into the back of the church and accuses Bishop Enoch of molesting him 15 years earlier in Georgia. Enoch admits to the abuse, and says that it was subsequently covered up by his church, which paid the boy's family hush money and let Enoch go free to start a new life in Brooklyn. The new ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bamboozled
''Bamboozled'' is a 2000 American satirical dark comedy-drama film written and directed by Spike Lee about a modern televised minstrel show featuring black actors donning blackface makeup and the resulting violent fallout from the show's success. It features an ensemble cast including Damon Wayans, Jada Pinkett Smith, Savion Glover, Tommy Davidson, Michael Rapaport and Mos Def. The film was given a limited release by New Line Cinema during the fall of 2000 and was released on DVD the following year. Critical reception was mixed, and the film was unsuccessful financially, becoming a box office bomb. Despite its initial reception, ''Bamboozled'' later achieved cult film status for its satirical look at stereotypical depictions of black people in both historical and contemporary American film and television productions. Plot Pierre Delacroix (real name Peerless Dothan) is an uptight, Harvard-educated African-American man in the employment of television network CNS. At work, he endu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
