LOS ANGELES – OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network announced today that “Our OWN Easter,” a one-hour gospel music special celebrating the glory of the Resurrection will premiere on the network Tuesday, March 30 at 9 p.m. ET/PT following the critically-acclaimed drama series, “Queen Sugar.” “Our OWN Easter” from executive producer Dr. Holly Carter, Rikki Hughes and Relevé Entertainment, an All3Media America company, will showcase some of the most renowned gospel and R&B artists in music and entertainment as they commemorate Easter in their “OWN” unique way, blending sunrise service traditions with modern performances. 

The spiritual celebration will be hosted by gospel royalty and GRAMMY Award winner BeBe Winans and his talented multi-hyphenated niece Deborah Joy Winans who starred as Charity Greenleaf in the hit OWN series “Greenleaf” for five seasons.  It will feature powerful, uplifting, and iconic performances by such artists as Fantasia, CeCe Winans, Kirk Franklin, Anthony Hamilton and The Hamiltones, Ledisi, Travis Greene, Osby Berry, Jonathan McReynolds, with appearances by Cedric the Entertainer, Michelle Williams and others. Viewers will also experience inspiring spoken word from prominent faith leaders Bishop J. Drew Sheard, Pastor William Murphy and Priscilla Shirer.Check out a first-look trailer HERE  “Our OWN Easter” is the second special for OWN produced with Dr. Holly Carter and Relevé Entertainment. The first special, “Our OWN Christmas,” hosted by Meagan Good and DeVon Franklin, premiered on OWN in December and was the #1 non-news cable telecast in the time period among African-American W18+, households and total viewers.
Holly Carter is the founder of Relevé Entertainment, which specializes in television/film production, talent partnerships, and brand development. The company consistently delivers high-quality, “break-through” family and faith-based programming that engages national audiences. Recently, Carter created and executive produced “The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel,” the highest-rated original TV movie of 2020. 

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Rickey Smiley talked to Snoop this morning, and he spoke on how we can help Kobe’s wife Vanessa and her daughters, described the feeling in Los Angeles, and explained why he felt like he needed to call Gayle King out for what she did.

The post RICKEY SMILEY INTERVIEWS SNOOP DOGG ON THE RICKEY SMILEY MORNING SHOW appeared first on WE SPEAK MEDIA.

-Dr. Maya Angelou

In a life rich with experiences and stories, author, poet, memoirist, and activist Dr. Maya Angelou touched the lives of millions around the globe through her teachings, her writings, her voice, and her actions.

Born Marguerite Annie Johnson in 1928, her incredible story began with tragedy when a sexual assault at the age of seven rendered her mute for five years. During those years, however, books and poetry became her solace and constant companions, eventually helping her find her voice again to embark upon an intellectual and creative journey that defies description.

In her her teens and early adult life Dr. Angelou saw more experiences than many do in a lifetime: from motherhood, to becoming San Francisco’s first female and black streetcar conductor, to touring the world as a cast member of the opera Porgy and Bess — all while mastering several languages. She sang and danced in professional cabarets, worked as a journalist in Africa, and became one of the most prominent civil rights activists of her generation.

The success of her first book, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” in 1969 brought her mainstream attention as an author. Six other autobiographical works followed, in addition to poetry, children’s literature, and non-fiction (even cookbooks!).

Through her works, Dr. Angelou gave a voice to millions. She championed women’s rights and gender equality. She redefined black beauty and celebrated African-American oral traditions. She advocated against war and campaigned for universal peace.

She was also the recipient of numerous honors during her lifetime. She became the first poet to make an inaugural recitation in three decades when Bill Clinton became President in 1992. Her vast impact on popular culture was also felt through a host of award nominations, public accolades, and more than 50 honorary degrees.

Today’s video Doodle celebrates Dr. Maya Angelou on what would have been her 90th birthday. Set to her poem “Still I Rise,” the Doodle includes her own voice along with the voices of other individuals whose lives she has inspired, and who aspire to live by her legacy today.

Special thanks to these project partners who include (in order of appearance):  

​“Maya Angelou, I love her so much. Everything she represented as a woman, her creativity, her story, who she is. She was a renaissance woman of all types, she recreated though levels, all angles, all places in her mind. She is brilliant…I am honored to be able to say her words.”

“Being around Maya was so powerful and inspiring. I count myself very blessed to be one of the ones chosen to be a part of this. For some reason she took a liking to me and went out of her way to extend herself to me and I am forever grateful for that.”

“Dr. Angelou’s work is filled with such incredible wisdom and spiritual teachings. It feels like the ultimate privilege to have the opportunity to speak her words. She is a national treasure we should always celebrate.”

“Maya Angelou is not what she has done or written or spoken, it’s how she did it all.  She moved through the world with unshakeable calm, confidence, and a fiery, fierce grace and abounding love.” 

Here’s to Dr. Maya Angelou for her courage, compassion, and words, which continue to inspire hope around the world.

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Tami Roman: “People Have That Warped Sense of Perception About Me” | Book of John Gray | OWN

John and Aventer Visit a Family Who Lost Their Home to Hurricane Harvey | Book of John Gray | OWN

Destiny’s Child’s Michelle Williams Joins Hurricane Harvey Relief Efforts | Book of John Gray | OWN

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Aviron’s The Strangers: Prey at Night brought in $610,000from Thursday evening previews, which is better than both Kidnap and You’re Next, which we used as comparisons in our preview below, and just behind the $735k brought in by 47 Meters Down prior to its $11.2 million debut last June.

STX’s release of Amazon Studios’s Gringo brought in $190,000 from Thursday night screenings.

We’ll take a closer look at things tomorrow morning once Friday estimates come in. For now you can check out our weekend preview below.

WEEKEND PREVIEW: After a record-breaking February saw calendar grosses top $1 billion for the first time ever, March is hoping to maintain that momentum. Although, last weekend’s new releases didn’t exactly blow the doors off, but Disney and Marvel’s Black Panther kept things moving along and with the film entering its fourth weekend in release it faces its first true test for the #1 spot at the weekend box office. Interestingly enough, it’s another Disney title serving as the challenger as A Wrinkle in Time looks to top the weekend’s list of newcomers, which also include The Hurricane Heist, Gringo and The Strangers: Prey at Night.

At the top of the box office it’s a two horse race. On the one hand, Disney and Marvel’s Black Panther is looking to become the first film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to top the weekend box office in its first four weekends. On the other hand, Disney is anticipating their release of A Wrinkle in Time will debut with $35 million from nearly 4,000 theaters, which would be well below the average of $61.6 million for Disney films opening in anywhere from 3,800-4,000 theaters, but we’ll get more into A Wrinkle in Time shortly, let’s first take a look at Black Panther.

Black Panther has held on better than previous top Marvel openers in its second and third weekends and we’re expecting similar success this weekend. Of the top MCU openers, the 34% fourth weekend drop for The Avengersis the best, which took place over Memorial Day weekend 2012. For Black Panther‘s senior effort we’re anticipating a performance slightly ahead of Age of Ultron‘s Memorial Day weekend 44% drop, anticipating a 42-43% dip and a weekend around $38 million, pushing the film’s domestic gross just shy of $560 million. Additionally, eyes will be firmly glued to the film’s performance internationally as Black Panther‘s worldwide gross currently totals over $930 million and, with its release in China on Friday, will become the fifth film in the MCU to top $1 billion globally by the end of the weekend.

All that being said, will Black Panther‘s domestic gross be enough to top the weekend?

As noted, Disney is expecting a $35 million opening for A Wrinkle in Time from 3,980 locations. It’s an expectation that looks low compared to other titles that debuted in that many theaters, though if you take the mixed reviews into consideration (it currently holds a rating of 54 on Metacritic) and the $33 million three-day opening for Tomorrowland — to which Wrinkle is being closely compared — $35 million begins to look a little more reasonable.

What’s reasonable, however, is up for interpretation. Removing animated titles and Marvel films from the equation, here’s a look at the films Disney has released in 3,800-4,000 theaters and their opening weekends:

• Oz The Great and Powerful – $79.11M opening from 3,912 theaters
• Maleficent – $69.43M opening from 3,948 theaters
• Cinderella – $67.88M opening from 3,845 theaters
• The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian – $55.03M opening from 3,929 theaters
• National Treasure: Book of Secrets – $44.78M opening from 3,832 theaters
• Tomorrowland – $33.03M opening from 3,972 theaters
• The Lone Ranger – $29.21M* opening from 3,904 theaters

* The Lone Ranger opened on a Wednesday and brought in $48.7 million in its first five days

Should we limit our comparison to Tomorrowland, Disney’s $35 million expectations might look on point if not optimistic. However, that film could also be considered the outlier. To look at IMDb page views leading up to release we see Wrinkle dramatically outperforming a film such as Pete’s Dragon and in recent days it has shown significant gains, catching up with films such as Cinderella and Maleficent. And while it isn’t outperforming either of those latter titles over the two weeks leading up to release, or expected to deliver an opening similar to either film, the performance comparison helps maintain some perspective whereas we might have otherwise grown a little too confident in forecasting an opening in the low 30s.

All that being said, while Wrinkle certainly could settle right around Disney’s anticipated $35 million debut, we’re seeing evidence supporting a debut closer to $40-45 million. Helping support this fact is online ticket retailer Fandango.com tells BoxOfficeMojo that Wrinkle is the site’s top seller over all titles, including Black Panther, heading into the weekend. Add to that, Wrinkle should also tap into a whole new family demographic that even Peter Rabbit didn’t target. While the tepid reviews suggest the film might not find increasing momentum throughout the weekend, dialing back chances for a $45M+ opening, we expect the audience members already anticipating the film heading into the weekend will be enough to top $40 million, if not push a bit higher.

Internationally, Wrinkle is opening in limited markets this weekend, among them Spain, Russia, Ukraine, Vietnam, Singapore and Malaysia, and will have an extended rollout throughout the spring and early summer.

In third we expect to find the second of the weekend’s new wide releases, Aviron’s resurrection of the Strangersfranchise, ten years after the first film delivered $52.5 million. The first film’s performance prompted talk of a sequel in 2009, talk that seemed to disappear once Relativity purchased Rogue Pictures shortly thereafter, eventually finding new life in 2017 under the direction of 47 Meters Down helmer Johannes Roberts. The road to release ends with The Strangers: Prey at Night debuting this weekend in 2,464 locations with the studio anticipating an opening in the high single digits.

Our analysis has us looking at films such as 47 Meters Down ($11.2m opening) as well as Aviron’s Kidnap ($10m opening) and Lionsgate’s You’re Next ($7m opening) for comparisons and all analysis suggests an opening anywhere from $7-10 million and we’re leaning toward the higher end of that range, anticipating a $9+ millionopening.

Look for Fox’s Red Sparrow to land in fourth in its second weekend, which we anticipate will drop around 50% for a sophomore weekend around $8.3 million, giving the film a domestic cume around $31 million come Sunday.

Rounding out the top five is MGM’s Death Wish, which is looking to drop around 47% or so for a $6.9 millionsecond weekend and a domestic cume around $24 million after ten days in release.

Outside the top five we still have two more new releases to discuss, beginning with Entertainment Studios’s The Hurricane Heist. Opening in 2,402 locations, this $40 million feature adds a little criminality to your average disaster pic and tracking as of last week had a rather wide range of expectation from $3-8 million. Based on our analysis we’re shrinking that range to $3-5 million. Looking at films such as Brick Mansions ($9.5m opening), Homefront ($6.9m opening) and Triple 9 ($6.1m opening) and Bullet to the Head ($4.5m opening) we have been hard-pressed to find any suggestion this film will live up to the openings for those films. Interest simply just doesn’t seem to be there, forcing us to forecast an opening that could come up shy of $4 million.

The weekend’s final new wide release is STX’s release of Amazon Studios’s Gringo, an R-rated dark comedy from director Nash Edgerton debuting in 2,404 locations. Similar to The Hurricane Heist, there’s a rather large range when it comes to industry expectations, suggesting an opening anywhere from $3-7 million, and once again we’re skewing toward the lower end of expectations. A title such as this needs some kind of advanced buzz to push it along and that just doesn’t appear to be there and reviews aren’t going to help as its current Metacritic score of 45 isn’t going to attract many moviegoers debating what to see. A $2-5 million debut is the range we’re currently expecting, somewhat optimistically forecasting an opening around $3 million for the three day.

In moderate release, Focus Features will open their Sundance 2017 acquisition Thoroughbreds in 549 locations, while limited releases include Sony Classics’s The Leisure Seeker in 28 theaters and IFC will release Armando Iannucci‘s The Death of Stalin into four locations.

This weekend’s forecast is directly below. This post will be updated on Friday morning with Thursday night preview results followed by Friday estimates on Saturday morning, and a complete weekend recap on Sunday morning.

• A Wrinkle in Time (3,980 theaters) – $42.0 M
• Black Panther (3,942 theaters) – $38.0 M
• Strangers: Prey at Night (2,464 theaters) – $9.5 M
• Red Sparrow (3,064 theaters) – $8.3 M
• Death Wish (2,882 theaters) – $6.9 M
• Peter Rabbit (3,112 theaters) – $6.2 M
• Game Night (3,061 theaters) – $5.8 M
• The Hurricane Heist (2,402 theaters) – $3.8 M
• Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2,157 theaters) – $3.4 M
• Gringo (2,404 theaters) – $3.0 M

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Last year, Oprah Winfrey told The Hollywood Reporter‘s Awards Chatter podcast, “I will never run for public office.” So, imagine her surprise when people rallied for her to run for President of the United States in 2020—all thanks to her empowering speech at the 2018 Golden Globes.

Lady Gaga and Meryl Streep have already offered their support. “It’s up to the people,” Winfrey’s partner, Stedman Graham, told The Los Angeles Times. “She would absolutely do it.”

But does Winfrey want to do it? Her best friend Gayle King discussed the possibilities on CBS This Morning Tuesday. “I do think that’s interesting, because Stedman says he thought the reporter said to him, ‘Would she make a good president?’ And he said, ‘Absolutely, she would.’ That’s how he interpreted the question. Because this is the thing: Stedman would never so cavalierly say, ‘Absolutely, she would do it. It’s up to the people.’ He would never do it. I got e-mails from people yesterday that said, ‘Is Stedman being strategic or is he being supportive?’ He is nothing but supportive,” she explained. “He would never just throw it out there like that.”

To get some clarity, Norah O’Donnell re-read the quote Graham gave to the newspaper. “He did say, ‘It is up to the people,'” King told her co-host. “But I’m telling you, his interpretation of the question was…He thought the reporter was saying, ‘Would she be a good president?'” King then said she “absolutely” does not think Winfrey’s “position has changed” since then. “I don’t.”

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Oprah Winfrey has added another accolade to her long list of awards and recognitions.

The speech was met with several standing ovations, with the crowd erupting in a boisterous applause when Winfrey assured sexual predators that their “time is up.”

“I want all the girls watching to know a new day is on the horizon,” she continued. “And when that new day finally dawns, it will be because of a lot of magnificent women, many of whom are right here in this room tonight, and some pretty phenomenal men, fighting hard to make sure they are the leaders to take us to the time where nobody has to say ‘me too’ again.”

The speech came as many stars wore black to the award show to oppose sexual harassment in Hollywood.

“This year, we became the story. But it’s not just a story affecting the entertainment industry, it’s one that transcends any culture, or workplace,” Winfrey said.

Reese Witherspoon presented the mogul with an impassioned speech of her own, calling Winfrey’s hugs “the greatest thing ever.” And showering the star with “thank yous.”

The post Oprah Winfrey Accepts Cecil B. DeMille Award at 2018 Golden Globes with Impassioned Speech appeared first on WE SPEAK MEDIA.

Best director, motion picture: Guillermo del Toro, “The Shape of Water”

Best performance by an actor in a motion picture, musical or comedy: James Franco, “The Disaster Artist”

Best performance by an actress in a supporting role in any motion picture:Allison Janney, “I, Tonya”

Best performance by an actor in a supporting role in any motion picture: Sam Rockwell, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”

Best screenplay, motion picture: Martin McDonagh, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”

Best motion picture, animated: “Coco”

Best motion picture, foreign language: “In the Fade”

Best original score, motion picture:Alexandre Desplat, “The Shape of Water”

Best original song, motion picture: This Is Me” — “The Greatest Showman”

Television

Best television series, drama: “The Handmaid’s Tale,” Hulu

Best performance by an actress in a television series, drama: Elisabeth Moss, “The Handmaid’s Tale”

Best television series, musical or comedy: “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,”Amazon

Best performance by an actress in a television series, musical or comedy: Rachel Brosnahan, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”

Best performance by an actor in a television series, musical or comedy: Aziz Ansari, “Master of None”

Best television limited series or motion picture made for television: “Big Little Lies,” HBO

Best performance by an actress in a limited series or motion picture made for television: Nicole Kidman, “Big Little Lies”

Best performance by an actor in a limited series or motion picture made for television: Ewan McGregor, “Fargo”

Best performance by an actress in a supporting role in a series, limited series or motion picture made for television: Laura Dern, “Big Little Lies”

Best performance by an actor in a supporting role in a series, limited series or motion picture made for television: Alexander Skarsgard, “Big Little Lies”

The post Golden Globe Award Winners 2018: The Complete List appeared first on WE SPEAK MEDIA.

Meher Tatna, President of the HFPA stated, “The Hollywood Foreign Press Association is delighted to announce Oprah Winfrey as the recipient of the 2018 Cecil B. de Mille Award.  As a global media leader, philanthropist, producer and actress, she has created an unparalleled connection with people around the world, making her one of the most respected and admired figures today. For generations, Oprah has celebrated strong female characters on and off screen, and has been a role model for women and young girls for decades. Holding titles such as Chairman, CEO and Founder, Oprah is one of the most influential women of our time, and this honor is well deserved especially in this 75th anniversary year of the Golden Globe Awards.”

Chosen by the HFPA Board of Directors, the Cecil B. de Mille Award is given annually to a talented individual who has made an incredible impact on the world of entertainment. Honorees over the decades include Audrey Hepburn, Barbra Streisand, Denzel Washington, George Clooney, Harrison Ford, Jodie Foster, Lucille Ball, Martin Scorsese, Meryl Streep, Michael Douglas, Robert De Niro, Robin Williams, Sidney Poitier, Sophia Loren, Steven Spielberg, and many more.

For 25 years, Winfrey was host of the award-winning talk show “The Oprah Winfrey Show.” As Chairman and CEO, she’s guiding her successful cable network, OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network, is the founder of O, The Oprah Magazine, and oversees Harpo Films.

Winfrey is a Golden Globe Award-nominated actress for her role in “The Color Purple,” earned critical acclaim in “Lee Daniels’ The Butler” and produced and acted in the Academy Award-winning film “Selma.”  Winfrey starred in the Emmy-nominated HBO Films “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” and will portray “Mrs. Which” in Disney’s “Wrinkle in Time” film adaptation from director Ava DuVernay releasing in March 2018.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa as they celebrate the school’s seventh graduating class. Winfrey established the school in 2007 to provide education for academically gifted girls from disadvantaged backgrounds. Graduates of the school have continued on to higher education both in South Africa and at colleges and universities around the world.

Produced by dick clark productions in association with the HFPA, the Golden Globe Awards are viewed in more than 236 countries worldwide and are one of the few awards ceremonies to include both motion picture and television achievements.

Meher Tatna is President of the HFPA. Allen Shapiro, CEO of dick clark productions; Mike Mahan, President of dick clark productions; and Barry Adelman, Executive VP of Television of dick clark productions, will serve as executive producers.

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