Maya Angelou Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

Emma & Mommy Talk to God, The Color Purple, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Separate is Never Equal, Wonder, and To Kill a Mockingbird. Of those titles, only The Color Purple contains LGBTQ content.The display had a piece of artwork showing a child in a wheelchair against a background of five colors, along with a quote from poet Maya Angelou reading, “In diversity there is beauty and strength.”The display also contained a multicolored infinity symbol, symbolizing autism awareness, with the slogan, “We all think differently,” reports The Topeka Capital-Journal.A temporary summer employee, Ruth Splitter, believed the autism symbol signified support for LGBTQ Pride, and told Lancaster, during an argument on June 22, she found it offensive.Even after being told it was a neurodiversity and autism logo, Splitter launched into an “anti-LGBT diatribe,” according to the librarians’ lawsuit.That same day, Splitter complained to library board member Michelle Miller in a text about “gay pride.” Miller, the vice chair of the library board, told Splitter she would raise her concerns at the board meeting the following day, allegedly telling her, “We’re not going to have that display up because I will rally the board members to call [Wheeler] to take it down.”Miller then texted Wheeler, saying she had stopped by the library, even though she had not.“I do not want any kind of rainbow display (aside from solely colors focused) especially in this month,” Miller said, referencing the fact that June is celebrated as Pride Month.

Bat For Lashes has shared a heartfelt new single called ‘Letter To My Daughter’. Check it out below.Shared today (March 21), the new track sees the London-born musician Natasha Khan drop the latest teaser of her upcoming sixth studio album ‘The Dream Of Delphi’ – out May 31st via Mercury KX.“This title is pretty self-explanatory.

Addie Morfoot Contributor AMC Theaters and Fifth Season are teaming up to release Bradford Thomason and Brett Whitcomb’s feature documentary “Butterfly in the Sky,” about the beloved 1980’s PBS children’s series “Reading Rainbow.” The film, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2023, takes audiences behind the scenes of the children’s series and tells the story of the show’s creators, who believed the small screen could inspire a love of reading. The docu also spotlights the show’s host LeVar Burton and gives an inside look at the challenges he and the show’s creators faced in cultivating a love of reading through television.

Saturday Night Live set its sights on The Floor, Fox’s new game show hosted by Rob Lowe that has contestants facing off in a series of quiz duels.

Michelle Obama could extend her list of Grammy wins this year. The former First Lady is the recipient of one Grammy award for best spoken work album.

Donald E. Wildmon, whose American Family Association led boycotts over sexuality and gay themes in American TV shows and in the arts, died on Dec. 28 in Tupelo, Miss. He was 85.

The United States of America is honoring Celia Cruz’s legacy by releasing currency with her face in 2024. The Queen of Salsa music will appear in the nation’s quarter after the United States Mint began recognizing women’s contributions in different areas.The Mint, the U.S.’s sole manufacturer of legal tender coinage, recently gave a glimpse and shared more details about the much-anticipated coin.

Klaris Law, a boutique media, entertainment, technology, and intellectual property firm based in New York, announced today that Nevin Law Group, a Broadway production law practice, will join its team. Nevin Law Group Founder Doug Nevin has been named partner and head of the newly-formed Theater and Live Events department at Klaris.

Senegalese and French director Ramata-Toulaye Sy is only the second Black woman to make it into Competition in Cannes. Her debut feature, Banel & Adama, which had its debut Saturday, follows in the footsteps of Mati Diop’s 2019 Atlantics.

Throughout most of the ‘80s, Lisa Whelchel was known for playing the role of Blair Warner on TV’s "The Facts of Life." The character was known for being pretty, wealthy and a bit snobby, but behind the scenes, Welchel was just a teenager herself trying to get through those turbulent years while starring on a hit series. She recently revealed she was sent to a "fat farm" for gaining weight during the show's breaks. Welchel revealed that a scale was kept on set to weigh the actresses, and on three separate occasions she was deemed too heavy and sent off to a camp to lose weight.

After headline-making rumours that their marriage is on the rocks, Chance the Rapper and his wife Kristen Corley are reportedly still going strong.

Video footage of Chance the Rapper doing some dirty dancing with a scantily clad woman recently went viral, and it appears his wife has something to say about it.

Leigh-Anne Pinnock has unveiled her second cover song ahead of the release of her solo material.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent March 20 marks the celebration of Nowruz, the Persian New Year. It’s Iran’s first Spring festivities since the death of Jina “Mahsa” Amini, the 22-year-old Iranian Kurdish woman who died while in police custody for allegedly wearing a loose headscarf. On Nowruz, which means “New Day,” Iranian activist Naza Alakija is paying tribute to Iran’s “Woman. Life. Freedom.” movement with the release of a powerful short film titled “Rise” about a young woman who, like Amini, pushes back agains Iran’s morality police and is kidnapped from the streets of Tehran. Alakija, who is the founder and CEO of London-based Evoca Foundation, produced the short – which features British-Iranian actress Yasaman Mohsani (“Secret Invasion”) as the victim – with partners who have chosen to remain anonymous for fear of retribution from Iran’s security forces, as has the film’s female director.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences may have appallingly snubbed Till this year when it came to Oscar nominations, but the President of the United States today had nothing but accolades for the Chinonye Chukwu directed film about the 1955 lynching of civil rights activist teenage Emmett by racists and his mother’s relentless fight for justice.

Jessie James Decker is still clapping back at haters!

Anna May Wong is getting her own quarter!

Silent era movie icon Anna May Wong is now a different kind of star. Starting Monday, her image will appear on new quarters, making her the first Asian American to appear on US currency.

Anna May Wong broke into Hollywood during the silent film era, and now her name speaks louder. The late star will soon be in our pockets after becoming the first Asian American to appear on U.S currency.A century after she landed her first leading role, Wong’s signature blunt bangs and pencil-thin eyebrows will be on full display at the back of the new quarters starting Monday, October 24, 2022.The new coin design is part of the American Women Quarters Program, a project highlighting pioneering women in different fields.

a courageous advocate who championed for increased representation and more multi-dimensional roles for Asian American actors.”Wong’s coin will start shipping Oct. 24.

EJ Panaligan editor As part of a new initiative, the United States Mint will honor Anna May Wong, star of movies such as “Shanghai Express,” by making her the first Asian American featured on U.S. currency, placing her likeness on quarters with production starting Oct. 18. The printed quarter shows an image of Wong resting on her hand, serving as a tribute to what most consider the first Chinese American movie star. She was born in 1905 in Chinatown, Los Angeles and died in 1961 of a heart attack in her Santa Monica home. Wong started her career in the entertainment business at 14 years old, talking her way into her first movie role. In the following years, she rose to stardom as among the first Asian American stars in Hollywood and appeared in more than 50 films. Though the quarter seeks to pay tribute to her career in the film industry, it also acknowledges the difficulties that came her way trying to land meaningful roles as an Asian American actress during a time where racial discrimination and commonplace practices of putting white actors in “yellowface” to portray Asian characters was prevalent. In addition, Wong’s characters were often killed in the films she acted in, which she once joked about, saying that she had already “died a thousand deaths.”

Three months ago Love Island fans waved goodbye to show host Laura Whitmore for the final time as she gracefully bowed out of hosting the hit ITV2 dating show. In the weeks that followed, many fans couldn’t resist speculating about who might take over the reins of the show, with several names ranging from this year’s winner Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu, through to former Strictly star AJ Odudu and even The Inbetweeners favourite Emily Atack.

Zoe Saldana is paying tribute to Nichelle Nichols.

Gallery: ‘You’re learning about life. It’s a part of growing up. . . ' The straight stars who have had same sex encounters (BANG Showbiz)"Mescal makes me feel absolutely comfortable and secure to shine as bright as I need to.

Billy Porter is just one letter away from achieving EGOT status, and with his directorial debut, he might just make that lofty goal a reality.The star and filmmaker spoke with ET's Denny Directo at the premiere of his film during the opening night of Outfest Los Angeles at The Orpheum Theatre on Thursday, and he opened up about getting behind the camera and going for Oscars gold.«Its life changing. It is necessary,» Porter said of directing a feature film for the first time.

Mickey Guyton has her 1-year-old son, Grayson, to credit for her desire to speak out against disparities in the country music industry.“The reason why I even started using my voice was I did see such disparities in my particular industry against women and women of color,” the 39-year-old country singer told ET. “And then once I became pregnant, it was like, how could I not say something? Like, I don’t want my son when he grows up to look back and know that I said nothing. He's been a huge motivation for that. I realize, no matter what career you have, you can’t enjoy it if you see people struggling.” She continued, “It will never be OK for me and that’s something where I can sleep at night knowing that I’m seeing so many incredible artists of color coming up in this industry.

Elizabeth Wagmeister Senior CorrespondentWayfarer Studios — the independent production studio from filmmaker, author and “Jane the Virgin” actor Justin Baldoni — has received a $125M investment to boost strategic growth and further the company’s production of film, television, documentaries, podcasts and new media projects, Variety has learned exclusively.The private investment comes from Wayfarer Studios’ co-founder Steve Sarowitz, the entrepreneur, billionaire philanthropist and chairman of software company Paylocity, along with his wife, Jessica Sarowitz. Wayfarer was founded in 2019 by Baldoni and Sarowitz, who has served as an active advisor since the company’s inception.Wayfarer Studios’ mission is to bring people together and highlight connection through storytelling.

Helen McCrory's family and friends were out in force on Friday as they celebrated her life at a moving memorial in London’s Covent Garden, just one year on from her tragic death. A wealth of famous faces were among those at the service, including Benedict Cumberbatch, Eddie Redmayne and Keeley Hawes, as they commemorated the life of such a much loved staple of stage and screen.

Helen McCrory's life has been celebrated at a star-studded memorial, one year after her shock death. The 52-year-old actress passed away in 2021 after a secret battle with breast cancer and stars including Benedict Cumberbatch. Helena Bonham Carter, Ralph Fiennes, and Keeley Hawes came together with her husband Damian Lewis, 51, and children Manon, 15 and Gulliver, 14, this week, to celebrate her life.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music CriticOne of pop culture’s most famous mother figures got a sendoff from her community at the Mother Church of country music Sunday, as Wynonna and Ashley Judd welcomed country stars and other celebrities to Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium for “Naomi Judd: A River of Time Celebration,” a tribute that was broadcast live on CMT.A frequently heaven-looking Wynonna, who with her late mother was half of the country duo the Judds, sang “River of Time” early in the ceremony, then closed it joined by her local Christ Church choir for what was the pair’s final hit, “Love Will Build a Bridge.” She also participated in a recreation of the mother/daughter harmonies by pairing up with Brandi Carlile for a duet of “The Rose,” preceded by a video testimonial by Bette Midler. Pure magic on stage tonight ✨ @Wynonna @brandicarlile pic.twitter.com/5XmUe8EdGA— CMT (@CMT) May 16, 2022“It’s so strange to be here, but natural at the same time,” said Wynonna.

Ketanji Brown Jackson said her confirmation as the first Black woman to the Supreme Court “is a moment in which all Americans can take great pride.”

Oprah Winfrey has her eyes on the ongoing battle in Ukraine.

EXCLUSIVE: Bob Hercules, who co-directed the Peabody-winning American Masters bio-documentary Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise, is set to co-produce and co-direct Tom Who, a documentary about the career of late-night talk-show icon Tom Snyder. Preproduction kicked off this week on the project, which is being co-produced and co-directed by Snyder’s daughter Ann Marie Snyder.

Mahalia has dropped off a brand new single called ‘Letter To Ur Ex’ – you can listen to it below.Produced by BKay, Cadenza and Flip_00, the R&B singer’s short but soulful new record hears her get retrospective, as she asks her partner’s ex to let him go so that she can start a fresh journey with him.“I wrote ‘Letter To Ur Ex’ the morning after me and my guy had had a really bad argument due to a text that had been sent by his ex partner the night before,” Mahalia explained. “I think when everybody begins a new relationship, it’s vital that it feels like a fresh start.

Kanye West is focused on raising a family of four but who is the man that raised Ye himself? The “Gold Digger” rapper has made it clear that he’ll do whatever it takes to keep his family together amid his tumultuous divorce with Kim Kardashian. Most recently, he spent Super Bowl Sunday with his kids North, Saint, Chicago and Psalm. He took them to his weekly Sunday service and brought his eldest two kids to the big game.

Cheslie Kryst tragically died on Jan. 30 after reportedly jumping from a 60-story Orion building in New York City at around 7:15 a.m. The 30-year-old, who won the title of Miss USA in 2019 and worked as a lawyer and host on EXTRA, was found dead in the street and later identified, according to The New York Post, and her family released a statement through the LEPR Agency that announced her passing later in the day.