Jessie Maple, Pioneering Black Filmmaker, Dies at 76

Pop star Bebe Rexha has shared pictures of her black eye after she was hit by a mobile phone while performing on stage. Footage shared online from the gig in New York showed the phone hitting the star on the forehead after being thrown by a person in the crowd. The singer, whose real name is Bleta Rexha, then stumbles backwards and puts her hand up to her face before turning away from the audience and falling to her knees.

Bebe Rexha gave fans an update on how she’s recovering after a concertgoer threw a phone at her face during a recent performance.

2023 Tribeca Festival, director Mario Van Peebles opened up about his directorial debut, 1991’s “New Jack City,” alongside Fab 5 Freddy, Vanessa Williams and Michael Michele with an at-capacity crowd at the SVA Theater for an illuminating 35 minutes full of joy, surprises and honesty.It can’t be understated how jovial Van Peebles—the son of prolific Black filmmaker Mario Van Peebles—was from the moment he stepped on stage to quickly introduce the film, which chronicles the rise of a ruthless drug lord in the dilapidated slums of late-1980s New York City. By the time the opening credits began to roll he was encouraging a major clap-along in the audience to the groove-worthy opening track.

Carol Higgins Clark, author of the best-selling Regan Reilly series and an actress in several television series and made-for-TV movies, died June 12 in New York of appendix cancer. She was 66.

Salma Hayek Pinault and Annie Murphy are filling in for Trixie Mattel and Katya Zamolodchikova!

Even with the institution of gender neutral categories in the acting and supporting acting fields, everything old is new again as the Seventh Annual Black Reel Television Awards (BoltsTV) announced the list of this year’s nominees for recognition. Two names were still returning favorites to the nominations field which also included one record-breaking repeat performance and one surprising new entrant to challenge them all.

J. Kim Murphy Robert Gottlieb, an editor extraordinaire who worked with writers as varied as Toni Morrison, John le Carré, Michael Crichton, Robert Caro and Bill Clinton, died Wednesday at a hospital in Manhattan. He was 92. Gottlieb’s death was confirmed to the New York Times by his wife, actor Maria Tucci. Working at publishers Simon & Schuster and Alfred A. Knopf, Gottlieb’s impressive record of shepherding manuscripts into well-regarded, sometimes bestselling and award-winning works earned him a towering reputation among literary elite. John Cheever, Joseph Heller, Doris Lessing, Chaim Potok and Ray Bradbury were among his clients, along with Katharine Graham, the once publisher of the Washington Post.

Robert Gottlieb, the legendary editor at Simon & Schuster, Alfred A. Knopf and The New Yorker who helped shape the work of many of the world’s greatest writers over the past six decades, has died, according to Knopf and The New Yorker. He was 92.

The full truth. Kelly Clarkson hasn’t held back when talking — or singing — about her ex Brandon Blackstock.

Award-winning novelist Cormac McCarthy has died aged 89. Best known for his novels including The Road and No Country For Old Men, McCarthy died at home on Tuesday (June 13) of natural causes.

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor Veteran music writer Scott Schinder, who wrote for virtually every major music publication over the course of a three-decade-plus-long career, has died after a long illness, his friend Randy Haecker confirms to Variety. Schinder’s work can be read in Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly, Billboard, Time Out New York, the Austin Chronicle, Please Kill Me, Creem, Musician, Newsday, Stereophile, Musician, Tower Pulse, New Musical Express, Melody Maker, Texas Music, SXSWorld and probably many others. No cause of death has been announced; he was 61. A native of Long Island and a longtime New York resident, Schinder was a ubiquitous presence on the city’s music scene, where, beginning in the 1980s, he could be found most nights of the week at CBGB, Irving Plaza, Maxwells, Under Acme, Brownies and multiple other venues of the era. Indeed, the photo on his author page at Please Kill Me could have been taken at one of dozens of different venues in the city on any of a couple thousand evenings (it was actually taken at CBGB circa early 1990s).

Katie Holmes looked elegant at the Theatre World Awards. The annual awards recognize the work of Broadway and off-Broadway shows and were hosted in New York City this past Monday. Katie Holmes brings casual sophistication to Cannes Film Festival: See picsKatie Holmes confirms there have been talks of a ‘Dawson’s Creek’ rebootKatie Holmes wears cool sunglasses while out in New YorkHolmes wore an all-black look for the evening, wearing a suit jacket and a matching skirt.

Anne Beatts, her former business partner Eve Brandstein and Solaris managing partner Michael Bloom announced exclusively to TheWrap on Friday.Beatts, who died in 2021, was the first woman to write for “Saturday Night Live” and helped pave the way for more women to enter the comedy field, Brandstein, who co-directed and produced the 2022 John Lennon documentary “The Lost Weekend: A Love Story,” said.Brandstein and Beatts first worked together on the beloved 1982 series “Square Pegs” starring Sarah Jessica Parker. “[Anne] came from New York and the whole ‘SNL’ scene. I was a little in awe of her comedy credentials at that point,” Brandstein said.

Not holding back! Kelly Clarkson dives deep into her heartbreak and anger on her new single, “I Hate Love,” in the wake of her divorce from Brandon Blackstock.

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor Grammy-winning Songwriters Hall of Fame member Cynthia Weil — who co-wrote “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling,” “On Broadway,” “Make Your Own Kind of Music,” “On Broadway,” “Walking in the Rain,” “You’re My Soul and Inspiration,” “Uptown,” “Kicks,” “Here You Come Again,” “Through the Fire,” “Somewhere Out There” and many other hits with her husband and Brill Building colleague Barry Mann — has died, her daughter confirmed to TMZ on Friday morning. No cause of death was announced; she was 82. “My mother, Cynthia Weil, was the greatest mother, grandmother and wife our family could ever ask for,” Jenn Mann said. “She was my best friend, confidant, and my partner in crime and an idol and trailblazer for women in music.”

Not your average LBD! Kendall Jenner has Us shook over her latest fashion statement. 

a statement on Twitter Wednesday, saying that she “passed away peacefully, surrounded by family.”“Her films, books, and unapologetic push to highlight discrimination and injustices within the news and entertainment industries will remain with us,” the announcement continued. “The world through Jessie’s lens offers views of humanity that are often overlooked due to race and power dynamics.”Please read the media announcement that the family of Jessie Maple asked that we share.

Netflix has announced the release date of Black Mirror season six, including the titles of five new episodes.

Gay filmmaker and author Kenneth Anger, known for his experimental and homoerotic movies and his wildly gossipy “Hollywood Babylon” books, has died at age 96.

Kourtney Kardashian is switching up her look again!