ISSA RAE
Issa Rae urges participation in Small Business Saturday
The "Insecure" star is urging people to shop locally as part of Small Business Saturday, a couple days after Thanksgiving. (Photo by Taylor Jewell/Invision/AP, File)LOS ANGELES – With many small businesses struggling to hold on during the coronavirus pandemic, Issa Rae believes now is the time to support independent stores more than ever. The creator and star of HBO series “Insecure” strongly encourages people to shop locally as part of Small Business Saturday, a couple days after Thanksgiving. She said the initiative created by American Express can help give an extra push during the holidays to small businesses who have gone into survival mode. So far, during the pandemic, Rae has watched several businesses close down, which she says “breaks my heart."
Shock, grief, and gratitude after death of Chadwick Boseman
God bless Chadwick Boseman. Denzel Washington, via a statement. During the premiere party for Black Panther, Chadwick reminded me of something. My friend and fellow Bison Chadwick Boseman was brilliant, kind, learned, and humble. We are devastated by the tragic loss of Chadwick Boseman. From Black Panther to Da 5 Bloods, Chadwick Boseman brought strength and light to the screen, every time. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, via Twitter.
Expert: Uncommon to be diagnosed with colon cancer so young
Actor Chadwick Boseman, known for playing real-life Black icons and ruling Wakanda as the Marvel character Black Panther, died at age 43 after a four-year battle with colon cancer. Jacksonville oncologist Dr. Scot Ackerman said Saturday on The Morning Show that its unusual for someone to be diagnosed with colon cancer at such a young age. God bless Chadwick Boseman. Denzel Washington, via a statement. During the premiere party for Black Panther, Chadwick reminded me of something. You will be missed. Bosemans Black Panther co-star Sterling K. Brown.
Book-publishing exec Dawn Davis is new Bon Appetit editor
Book-publishing executive Dawn Davis is Bon Appetit's new top editor, taking the helm following a reckoning on race and culture at the food magazine. Davis starts at Bon Appetit on Nov. 2, Conde Nast said Thursday. Bon Appetit is one of the main brands of New York-based magazine publisher Conde Nast, which also publishes Vogue, The New Yorker and GQ. Bon Appetit's former top editor, Adam Rapoport, left in June after food writer Tammie Teclemariam tweeted out an old Halloween photo in which he wore a stereotyped Puerto Rican costume. Staffers then said the Bon Appetit had been too white-centric" and marginalized non-white stories, and pledged to make big changes.
HBO's 'Coastal Elites' cast tackles social satire, anxiety
LOS ANGELES For Bette Midler and Sarah Paulson, making HBO's Coastal Elites in pandemic-forced isolation proved an unsettling challenge. I mean, what else could happen to me? Midler said during an online news conference Wednesday about the social satire. Midler said she welcomed the chance to take part in the project but couldnt ignore the oddity of making it. The connection actors share on a set is what Im usually the most interested in and inspired by, Paulson said. So its a little frightening.Midler said she did gain some emotional release from making the series.
Kumail Nanjiani is finding his way through 'The Weirds'
(Skip Bolen/Netflix via AP)NEW YORK Kumail Nanjiani has a few names for quarantine life. He's now finding his way in a Hollywood where South Asian actors, when they're cast at all, have usually been typecast. "But I dont feel Pakistani because I dont live in Pakistan. I dont feel American because a lot of Americans dont think of me as American. During quarantine, Nanjiani went back and watched three movies he hadnt seen since he was 10: Krull, Beastmaster and The Thief of Baghdad.Suddenly there would be an image and youre like, Oh, my God.
Whitney Houston biopic in the works
LOS ANGELES – A feature film about Whitney Houston's life is in the works from the screenwriter of “Bohemian Rhapsody.” The biopic is being shepherded by the Whitney Houston Estate, music producer Clive Davis and Primary Wave Music, the partners said Wednesday. “I Wanna Dance with Somebody" will follow Houston from obscurity to pop stardom and promises to be “frank about the price that super-stardom exacted," according to the announcement. “From all my personal and professional experience with Whitney from her late teenage years to her tragic premature death, I know the full Whitney Houston story has not yet been told,” Davis said in a statement. The announcement also said that Stella Meghie is in “advanced talks” to direct. ___This story has been corrected to restore Anthony McCarten's first name.
Issa Rae can now be your Google Assistant
The comedian, writer and producer is the new voice of Google Assistant, joining singer John Legend as one of the service's limited-time celebrity voice cameos. Like other virtual assistants, Google Voice can aid with everything from questions about the current weather to delivering motivational messages. "Then, you know, I realized that I use Google Assistant frequently anyway and just thought about how cool it would be to do." In order to access Rae's voice, users need only say, "Hey Google, talk like Issa," or go to the Assistant Settings on their device. Her voice is available in English in the US on any device that has the Google Assistant, including Android and iOS phones, smart speakers and Smart Displays.