10 Iconic Black Characters and the Actors Who Bought Them to Life

EXCLUSIVE: We’ll be seeing more of Skye Townsend on Robin Thede’s A Black Lady Sketch Show. Townsend, who recurred as various characters in Season 2, has been promoted to series regular for the third season of HBO’s Emmy-winning sketch comedy series, executive produced by Issa Rae.

Owen Gleiberman Chief Film CriticThe Oscar campaign for “CODA” has touted the film as “history-making.” If you wanted to be a literal-minded curmudgeon about it, you could say that the history it’s talking about was already made — when Marlee Matlin, in 1986, became the first deaf performer to win an Academy Award for best actress, for her great, ardent, wounded performance in “Children of a Lesser God.” Matlin deserved to win (the other nominated actresses that year were Jane Fonda for “The Morning After,” Sissy Spacek for “Crimes of the Heart,” Kathleen Turner for “Peggy Sue Got Married,” and Sigourney Weaver for “Aliens,” which is the only one I’d put in Matlin’s league).Nevertheless, history works in waves. Sidney Poitier made history by becoming the first Black actor to be a Hollywood star, as well as the first to win an Academy Award for best actor (in 1963, for “Lilies of the Field”).

There were big at the 22nd Annual Black Reel Awards presented by idobi. Featuring 12 live awards and 5 honorees, along with the unveiling of a new statuette, and tributes to Black Cinema History.

Whether you grew up watching , , , or , you know the joy of Black TV. From sitcoms to dramas, musicals and comedies, Black-led shows have delighted audiences since Diahann Carroll's  became the first weekly series to star a Black woman in a non-stereotypical role in 1968.

For some reason, out of the crop of new movies headed to Amazon Prime Video this month, many of them are associated with the 1980s. Not just movies from the Me Decade, although there are certainly a handful of classics from the Reagan era, but also movies that feel like they could have been made in that period – including a creature feature about rampaging dragons and a music-world spoof worthy of the ZAZ team.There’s also, of course, one of Steven Spielberg’s most powerful recent films and a 90s staple too.

Wilson Chapman editorThe NAACP and BET have announced the performers and presenters for the 53rd NAACP Image Awards.Nine-time Grammy Award winner and recent Super Bowl halftime show headliner Mary J. Blige will perform at the live show. The ceremony will also feature Samuel L.

Mary J. Blige, fresh off her performance at the Super Bowl halftime show, will hit the stage to perform at the 53rd annual NAACP Image Awards, which airs live Saturday, February 26 on BET.

NAACP Image Awards is ready to dole out shiny new trophies to honor the trove of Black excellence that made 2021 so special. The annual awards show highlights the achievements of people of color across television, music, literature and film, and the promotion of social justice through their creative endeavors.This year's NAACP Image Awards class is even more of a star-studded list than ever, with nominations for everyone from Megan Thee Stallion to Jonathan Majors, Ariana DeBose, Marsai Martin, Denzel Washington and more.

the Super Bowl! America's favorite sporting event, coming back for its 56th edition, is upon us and excitement is at a fever pitch.MORE: The heartbreaking details of Rams QB Matthew Stafford's wife's brain tumor revealedAll around the country, people will be tuning in to see the Los Angeles Rams take on the Cincinnati Bengals at the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles to reign supreme.WATCH: Super Bowl 2022 Halftime Show official trailerPlus, there's also one of the night's biggest highlights, the Halftime Show, with this year's edition featuring superstars Mary J. Blige, Dr.

Inglewood, California is in the spotlight on Sunday, Feb. 13, hosting the Super Bowl for the first-time ever at SoFi Stadium.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. -- Usher preached togetherness during “tumultuous times” while performing a series of his hits at an exclusive star-studded afterparty following the NFL Honors.The eight-time Grammy winner spoke about the importance of unity during the Chairman’s Party on Thursday night inside SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.

last year’s record heights, the highlights include four Black actors being recognized along with LGBTQ and deaf actors, as well as female and Asian filmmakers in the Best Director race. In the Best Actor race, Will Smith is considered a major contender to become only the fifth Black actor to win the award for his performance as Serena and Venus Williams’ father Richard in the inspirational sports film “King Richard.” If he wins, he would join a list that includes the late Sidney Poitier, Jamie Foxx, Forest Whitaker, and Denzel Washington, the latter of whom also earned his ninth acting Oscar nomination this year for “The Tragedy of Macbeth.” The Best Supporting Actress race also sees Smith’s “King Richard” co-star Aunjanue Ellis among the list of contenders, along with Afrolatina star Ariana DeBose for her performance as Anita in Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story.” DeBose is also an LGBTQ actress, making it the first time ever that more than one openly queer actor has been nominated in a single year as Kristen Stewart, who identifies as bisexual, was nominated for Best Actress for her performance in “Spencer.” To date, only nine Black women have won acting Oscars, with the first being Hattie McDaniel in 1939 for “Gone With The Wind” and Regina King the most recent in 2018 for “If Beale Street Could Talk.” Eight of those winners were for supporting roles, with Halle Berry being the only Black woman to win for a leading role with “Monster’s Ball” in 2001.

Will Smith has received his third Oscar nomination this morning, earning his place on the Best Actor list for his role in King Richard. Smith played Richard Williams, the father of tennis players Venus and Serena Williams, in a story charting the early days of their careers, and his role in the movie has been a favorite with critics and guilds all season long. In addition to pending nominations from SAG, BAFTA, and Critics’ Choice, Smith has already claimed prizes from several critics groups. It is a long-overdue return to the Oscars spotlight for Smith, whose turn in Warner Bros.’ King Richard, written by Zach Baylin and directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green, has been recognized 15 years on from his last citation by the Motion Picture Academy.

In recognition of their contributions to the world of entertainment, the executive committee of the Black Reel Awards is pleased to announce the recipients for honorary awards this year.

Halle Berry, 55, made history at the 2002 Academy Awards for her role in the drama film Monster’s Ball. She became the first woman of color to win the Best Actress award — an accomplishment that sadly hasn’t been repeated at the ceremony since. “I do feel completely heartbroken that there’s no other woman standing next to me in 20 years,” Halle said on ABC News and Hulu’s Screen Queens Rising special, streaming now. “I thought, like everybody else, that night meant a lot of things would change,” she added.

The Toronto Black Film Festival is back and is celebrating numerous international films as they mark their 10th anniversary.