‘Abbott Elementary’ Star Sheryl Lee Ralph Remembers Sidney Poitier at ‘Sidney’ Premiere: ‘He Did Not Let Me Down’

The African American Film Critics Association (AAFCA) will present AAFCA Salutes Broadway on Monday, October 17th at the Lamb’s Club in the heart of New York’s theater district.

William Earl “Death of a Salesman” actor Wendell Pierce, “The Piano Lesson” director LaTanya Richardson Jackson and “Till” star John Douglas Thompson are among the honorees set for the inaugural Salute to Broadway presented by the African American Film Critics Association. The event is set for Oct. 17 at The Lambs Club in the heart of Midtown’s theater district. “It’s no secret that some of our greatest actors have come from the stage or have tested their chops on it,” said Gil Robertson, co-founder of AAFCA. “Sidney Poitier, Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis are just a handful of our beloved icons for which this was true, with Tony winners Denzel Washington, Viola Davis, Audra McDonald, Adrienne Warren and Myles Frost among those continuing that legacy. As a reliable pipeline for outstanding Black talent in front of the camera as well as behind it, Hollywood has benefited greatly from this esteemed training ground and AAFCA Salutes Broadway celebrates that rich heritage.”

Roy Trakin There’s a famous photograph by Henry Diltz of Joni Mitchell playing guitar in Mama Cass Elliot’s Laurel Canyon backyard, with David Crosby holding up a joint in back and Eric Clapton sitting cross-legged watching transfixed. There, in the foreground, is Cass’ nine-month-old daughter Owen, teething on a film canister. “I often wonder what I was thinking,” says the now-55-year-old mother of two kids in their 20s, who lives in Encino with her husband of 31 years. “Clearly, I was thinking about that film canister. It was all pretty surreal, pretty cool.” Owen Elliot-Kugell, the only child of Mama Cass of the Mamas & the Papas, the seminal co-ed group that came to define the sound of 1960s hippie culture, has for years spearheaded the campaign to get her mother a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The ceremony will finally take place on Monday, Oct. 3 on a stretch of Hollywood Blvd. between Sycamore and LaBrea alongside the stars of Sidney Poitier and Tyne Daly, with the likes of bandmate Michelle Phillips and good friend John Sebastian on hand to mark the occasion.

Manori Ravindran International Editor Malala Yousafzai — activist, Nobel Peace Prize winner and film and TV producer — is in production on her first project for Apple, Variety can reveal. Her production company Extracurricular has partnered with indie studio A24 for a still-untitled feature documentary on the legendary ‘haenyeo’ society of fisherwomen, who live on South Korea’s Jeju Island. The Apple Original Films title is directed by Peabody Award nominee Sue Kim (“The Speed Cubers”), and is the first project to go into production from Extracurricular’s Apple TV+ partnership, which was struck in March 2021.

Oprah Winfrey and Apple are winding down their content deal.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Oprah Winfrey and Apple TV+ have concluded their mega overall deal, first announced in 2018. Both sides have confirmed the evolution, but declined to comment. It’s understood that both sides have agreed to continue to work together, but on a project-by-project basis, now that their previous deal is ending. Winfrey and Apple TV+ are already currently collaborating on the documentary “Sidney,” about the life of iconic Oscar-winning actor Sidney Poitier. That project, directed by Reggie Hudlin, is through Apple Original Films and debuted this past Friday on Apple TV+. Winfrey and Apple also continue to collaborate on “Oprah’s Book Club,” which is available on both OprahDaily.com and Apple Books. 

momentous Emmy win, and this time she's getting the love in person. On Wednesday, the star had an emotional meeting with Oprah Winfrey after the latter sent her a bouquet of flowers in congratulations on her Emmy Award.The pair connected at the L.A.

Peter Debruge Chief Film Critic A pioneering movie star intensely aware of his place in film history, Sidney Poitier published no fewer than three autobiographies during his life, generously sharing what he’d lived and learned with those who’d appreciated his work in films such as “In the Heat of the Night” and “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner.” But words can only reach so far in an era dominated by the moving image, and as such, we’re fortunate that Poitier was open to repeating himself one last time for “Sidney” — director Reginald Hudlin’s definitive portrait for Apple TV+ — before his death this year at the age of 94. Few movie stars have been more inspirational than Poitier, who was more than just a star, but also a symbol to so many — be they aspiring Black performers or the public at large, who saw their own views on civil rights embodied in the characters he played. But what of those who were born too late to fully appreciate what this remarkable actor meant to audiences deprived of role models? Produced by Oprah Winfrey (who appears frequently throughout) with the participation of Poitier and his family, “Sidney” puts that legacy in context, retracing a career that changed the way that Hollywood — and the world — saw the Black experience.

who passed away at 94 in January — was already at death’s door.“I was not expected to live,” says Poitier in the new documentary “Sidney,” which premieres on Apple TV+ on Friday. “I was born two months premature.”The film traces Poitier’s remarkable journey from his father tucking him into a shoebox as a sickly infant to growing into a screen icon and the first black man to win the Best Actor Oscar, with “Lilies of the Field” in 1964.“I remember thinking, ‘If he could do that, I wonder what I can do,’ ” says Oprah Winfrey, who produced the documentary, about how Poitier’s groundbreaking career inspired her.“It was the first time I’d seen a black man assert his power,” says Halle Berry — who became the first African-American woman to win the Best Actress Oscar in 2002 — of Poitier’s impact on her.

Oprah Winfrey and Sidney Poitier: two icons, one powerful story.

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A royal connection. Abbott Elementary star Sheryl Lee Ralph revealed an interesting link to the late Queen Elizabeth II from her past.

Oprah Winfrey is mourning Queen Elizabeth II's death. ET's Rachel Smith spoke with the 68-year-old TV personality at the premiere of during the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival, and Winfrey shared where she was at the time that the U.K.'s longest-serving monarch died.«I was hiking in Maui when I heard that she passed,» Winfrey said.

Olivia Newton-John fans were not pleased  after she was left out of the «In Memoriam» segment at the 2022 Emmys on Monday night. Following the tribute -- which honored other actors who died this year, including Betty White, Bob Saget, Paul Sorvino, James Caan, Ray Liotta, Robert Morse, Louie Anderson, Sidney Poitier, and many more -- Twitter was flooded with disappointed viewers who called out the awards show for not honoring the late star who died in August at age 73.While Newton-John is listed on the «In Memoriam» page on the Emmys website, she was no where to be seen during the telecasted tribute which was played for the audience on a screenbehind John Legend, who performed his song, «Pieces.» The actress had a famed film and music career, but she also graced the small screen, with credits in dozens of TV shows, including S, ,  and and more.«She’s been on over fifty TV shows and specials.

Olivia Newton-John fans weren’t impressed on Monday after the 2022 Emmys left the actress out of its In Memoriam segment.

The Emmys' In Memoriam segment honours actors, directors, producers and other individuals in the entertainment industry who have passed away since last year’s ceremony – but one star was missing from last night's tribute. This year's segment honoured a number of stars including Betty White, Sidney Poitier, and Nichelle Nichols. But fans watching awards ceremony noticed that one star, the late Olivia Newton-John, who died on 8 August 2022 after a long battle with breast cancer, had been left out of the tributes.

John Legend took the stage at the 2022 Emmy Awards to honor all the stars that are now gone. The In Memoriam segment was one of the highlights of the night with the EGOT winner performing his new song “Pieces.”

Anne Heche, who died last month, was one of several late beloved stars honored during the In Memoriam tribute at the 2022 Emmy Awards on Monday, September 12.