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American Justice on Trial: People v. Newton which Deadline Hollywood called “history-making,” will have its television broadcast premiere on PBS starting in February in honor of Black History Month.

After a successful festival run where it racked up six “best documentary” awards, plus getting a coveted spot on the Academy Awards shortlist, the film is finally going to be seen on national television.

Telling the the ground-breaking, nail-biting, untold story behind the murder trial of Black Panther leader Huey Newton, AMERICAN JUSTICE ON TRIAL is scheduled to have over 700 airdates on 200+ PBS stations covering over 80% of the country, including top markets New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Washington, Boston and San Francisco.

Click here or the link below to find out when the film is playing in your area. You can also buy the DVD or get a digital copy to stream or download.

For 50 seasons, “Saturday Night Live” has served as the premier venue for televised live music performances while continuously pushing boundaries to reimagine the relationship between music and comedy.

“Ladies & Gentlemen… 50 Years of SNL Music” will feature untold stories behind the culture-defining, groundbreaking and news-making musical performances, sketches and cameos of the past 50 years.

The three-hour special broadcast event will showcase interviews with musical artists, cast, writers, producers and more who have been part of “SNL’s” legacy.

Directed by Grammy and Academy Award-winning filmmaker Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson and Emmy Award-winner Oz Rodriguez.

About the Legendary Quest Love

Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson

Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson is an Academy Award‒winning filmmaker, drummer, DJ, producer, director, culinary entrepreneur and New York Times bestselling author, who is the unmistakable heartbeat and co-founder of Philadelphia’s most influential hip-hop group, The Roots.

The artist is a modern-day renaissance man and award-winning creative force that made his directorial debut with the Academy Award‒winning feature documentary Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised). He is next set to direct the definitive documentary on the iconic group Earth Wind And Fire.

The film will mark Questlove’s latest foray into filmmaking following his directorial debut and will be produced by Two One Five Entertainment (the production company founded by The Roots’ Questlove and Black Thought).

Thompson is also currently directing a documentary about Sly and the Family Stone, set to co-direct the upcoming SNL50 music documentary and has additionally executive produced documentaries The League, from Academy Award nominee Sam Pollard, and Sundance award winner Descendant, from Emmy nominee Margaret Brown.

Questlove has written multiple books, including the New York Times bestsellers Mo’ Meta Blues, Creative Quest, Music Is History, The Rhythm of Time, the first book in his middle grade series of the same name, and his picture book, The Idea In You. He is the publisher of AUWA, an imprint of MCD / Farrar, Straus and Giroux on the Macmillan platform.

Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson currently serves as the musical director for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, where The Roots serves as the house band.

National Action Network to Identify First Two Companies in the Next 90 Days that Have Dropped Their Pledges

WASHINGTON, DC (January 22, 2025) – Rev. Al Sharpton, Founder and President of the National Action Network (NAN), today announced the organization and its partners will identify two companies in the next 90 days that will be boycotted for abandoning their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) pledges. NAN’s formation of a council to identify these companies comes as President Trump has begun his promised assault on DEI programs in the federal government.

“Donald Trump can cut federal DEI programs to the bone, he can claw back federal money to expand diversity, but he cannot tell us what grocery store we shop at,” said Rev. Al Sharpton, Founder and President of National Action Network (NAN). “Companies that think they can renege on their promises to do better, bring in new voices, or abandon us will see the impact of Black buying power. That’s why in the next 90 days we will begin to send a message that we will not go back, and we will bring this issue to the topline by going after their bottom line.”

Rev. Sharpton formally announced the council on Monday during NAN’s MLK Day Rally at Metropolitan AME Church in Washington, D.C. His remarks on the need to safeguard DEI were delivered as Trump was sworn in as president for the second time, promising to target federal DEI programs in his inaugural address. To view Rev. Sharpton’s keynote King Day address, click here.

On Tuesday, Trump followed through on this vow by ordering all federal DEI staff on paid leave. Agencies have until the end of the month to submit a plan to the Office of Personnel Management on how they will shrink the number of employees who work on their respective DEI programs. Equally alarming is an order Trump gave to the Justice Department to deliver recommendations to private companies and educational programs that receive federal funds to downsize their initiatives.

Trump’s actions this week culminate an assault on DEI that Rev. Sharpton has fought since the Supreme Court gutted affirmative action in higher education in June 2023. Since then, NAN has sought to hold companies accountable for the billions of dollars they collectively pledged toward DEI initiatives after the protests over the murder of George Floyd in 2020.

NAN’s new initiative will send the largest message yet to the private sector on the importance of DEI. While hedge fund billionaire Bill Ackman has led the push to end these crucial initiatives, global business leaders such as JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon have stressed the economic benefits of DEI. Now, those companies who have felt pressure to drop DEI and ignore the fact it is good for business will begin to feel the economic impact from Black Americans, whose buying power is expected to reach $1.7 trillion in the next five years.

About National Action Network (NAN)
National Action Network is one of the leading civil rights organizations in the Nation with chapters throughout the entire United States. Founded in 1991 by Reverend Al Sharpton, NAN works within the spirit and tradition of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to promote a modern civil rights agenda that includes the fight for one standard of justice, decency and equal opportunities for all people regardless of race, religion, nationality or gender.

For more information go to www.nationalactionnetwork.net.

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This is America, 1857. Up is down, pain is everywhere, and innocence and tranquility are losing the battle to hatred and fear. Peace is the shrinking minority, and very few possess grace — even fewer know compassion.

There’s no safe haven in these wild lands, and only one goal matters: survival. American Primeval is a fictionalized dramatization and examination of the violent collision of culture, religion, and community as men and women fight and die for control of this world. The ensemble tells a story of the sacrifice all must pay when they choose to enter the lawless and brutal frontier.

“We are very appreciative that Netflix is trusting us to take a big swing withAmerican Primeval,” director and executive producer Pete Berg (Friday Night Lights, Lone Survivor) told Netflix. “I’m looking forward to taking viewers into the most dynamic, intense, and heart-pounding survival tale humanly possible. We are going into the belly of the beast.”

American Primeval is Berg’s first project under his first-look deal with Netflix and is written by Mark L. Smith (The Midnight Sky, The Revenant, Overlord), with Eric Newman (Griselda, Narcos, The Watcher) serving as showrunner and executive producer. This also marks the second collaboration between Berg, Newman, and Kitsch, who worked together on the limited series Painkiller, which premiered on service in 2023.

Where was American Primeval filmed?

Out of 130 shooting days on American Primeval, only two(!) were filmed indoors. The rest were all shot on location in New Mexico, at places including Pueblo de Cochiti, Santa Clara Pueblo, Bonanza Creek Ranch, Parajito Mountain Ski Area, and Charles R Ranch.

In building out the scope of American Primeval, Berg was inspired by his love for the Robert Redford film Jeremiah Johnson. “When I saw it as a kid, I felt like I was in it,” the director says. “I was in the elements … just surviving, and I always wanted to do something like that.”

American Primeval was Berg, Newman, and Smith’s chance to go into the New Mexico mountains and create that kind of immersive experience for viewers. “If ever there was anything easier said than done, it’s this,” says Newman. “I believe all of us will forever be haunted in scripts by the words ‘it snows’ or ‘night, exterior night.’ ”

While filming, the actors were braving the kind of weather their characters would have faced in 1857, trudging through the snow, rain, thunder, and lightning, with rattlesnake cameos a daily occurrence on set. Kitsch wouldn’t have had it any other way. “When you’re on hour 15 of shooting, and you’re freezing, and you’re beyond exhausted, it all comes into play,” the actor said. “There’s nothing better than shooting on location. I loved it.”

Because the crew was up in the remote mountains, they all really learned how to survive together as a team. “We didn’t have Wi-Fi anywhere we were, we had no cell service,” says Berg. “So we were actually interacting with each other and bonding.”

A CONVERSATION
WITH SETH GORDON
(Writer / Director / Producer)

NF: What was the inspiration behind Back in Action?

The idea came to me a few years ago when I was at a Dodgers game with Beau Bauman, who would eventually produce the film, and it hit me almost fully formed: What would happen if a spy had a kid? Wouldn’t they have to leave their job, become anonymous, and go off the grid in order to have that family?

I thought about Jason Bourne, about Mr. and Mrs. Smith, or a hypothetical Mr. and Mrs. Bond. What would it mean if you had this treasure trove of spy skills at your disposal when the challenges of parenthood come up? Wouldn’t you, at some point, feel obligated to put those skills to use if, let’s say, your daughter was lying to you or wouldn’t tell you who her boyfriend is?

I thought that would be a pretty fun way to force them out of retirement. The very people they were trying to protect — their kids, who know nothing about their real spy parents — accidentally push them out of hiding, and then the truth
comes out as they’re all on the run together. It was something we haven’t really seen before.

The other contributing factor was that I wanted my son, who was around 11-years- old at the time, to be able to see a movie I made. One of the characters, Leo, is based on him. He’s a teenager now, so the action is really fun and exciting for him. And he loves Nigel, who was a late addition to the last few acts of the script.

NF: This is your first time directing a film that you co-wrote, correct?

It is! Beau has been so supportive of me wearing different hats over the years. He knew writing something original was something I wanted to do, and I asked him if he knew of anybody I could write it with, just because I’d never been through that full process. So he introduced me to Brendan O’Brien, and he and I wrote the spec draft together. Then I took it over from there during the long process before we actually began shooting.
“
Our intention from the start was to make a big, exciting,
family-friendly action-comedy that I could watch with my wife
and my kids, that the whole family could enjoy. There’s not
enough of that out there these days. I’m very proud of Back
in Action because we think it accomplishes everything we set
out to do — which was to make a movie with fresh action, hard
laughs, and a whole lot of heart. —

NF: Did any other aspects of your personal family life or the rigors of parenting in this day and age make its way into the film?

For sure. The central conflict of the movie is essentially between the parents and the daughter. And while I think that’s a relationship that many parents immediately understand, for me personally, it was borne out of me witnessing the relationship between my sister and my parents. She’s 10 years older than I am, but I was old enough to understand these arguments that were happening when she was in high school, and it seemed like they fought about everything at that time.

NF: How did Jamie Foxx and Cameron Diaz end up getting involved in the project? How were you able to pull off the impossible coup of getting Cameron out of retirement and the two of them back together?

I had worked with Jamie before on Horrible Bosses and I loved the idea of him playing Matt. I was so excited when he said yes. Then, when it came to casting Emily, the idea came from Jamie and his camp: What do you think about Cameron Diaz? And I said, “That would be amazing. Are you kidding?! But…isn’t she retired?” She was just perfect for the part, though. There was no real debate.

It was a lucky combination of this being the right story and role and her relationship with Jamie that got her to come out of retirement, and she’s amazing as Emily. She did all the hard work around prepping the stunts and the many hours of training that requires. All the action, almost all of it is her except for when she’s jumping off a boat on the Thames or anything that could’ve been truly dangerous. It’s all her otherwise!

NF: This is Jamie and Cameron’s third collaboration with each other since Annie in 2014 and Any Given Sunday in 1999. What was it like directing this incredible duo? Was there a shorthand and camaraderie between the two of them that allowed you to take advantage of their natural chemistry?

Absolutely. Above all, for me, it was about creating as many moments as I could, to get out of the way as much as I possibly could, and to let them play because they have all that amazing chemistry together. It really just came down to identifying where in the movie would be good for that. Where could we set up a situation where they could play a little more and not necessarily have it be interspersed with punches?

A perfect example was the scene where Matt, Emily, and the kids are in the car driving to the petrol station and they start jamming to “Push It!” I didn’t warn them that I was going to play that song. I had a little microphone that I could use to talk to them when they’re in the car and I had Spotify on my phone, so I just started putting songs on without telling them. Songs I knew the kids wouldn’t know, but had a good chance of Jamie and Cameron knowing them. They knew the entirety of “Push It!” and the rest is history.

As synchronicity would have it, when an advance reader’s copy of Colson
Whitehead’s 2019 novel, The Nickel Boys, landed in RaMell Ross’s hands, he would be
deep at work on an exhibition in New Orleans, already contemplating the both knotty
and tempestuous history of American South and its mark specifically on the Black soul.

“I was, at the time, in the process of executing a project for the Ogden Museum
called ‘Return to Origin’ in which I shipped myself from Rhode Island to Alabama, in a
crate,” Ross explains. As a visual artist, writer and filmmaker, this is familiar territory for
rumination: “I was working with the concept of reverse Black migration and return. As
you know, the South is as important as any place for people of color or Black folks, at
least. I shipped myself there on a gooseneck trailer. And so, kind of already in this
mindset of thinking; it’s a return to the birthplace of the concept of Black identity.”

Whitehead’s riveting, tour de force of a novel, (which would go on to capture the
Pulitzer Prize in fiction in 2020), had roots sunk deep into that same marshy territory.
Redolent, gripping, and shape shifting on the page, the book stares squarely into the
ugly legacy Jim Crow segregation’s violent practices and their lingering effects.
Remarkably, Ross made note, the novel also meaningfully celebrated humanity’s tools
for survival, the resolute powers of the life force.

Like the historical frameworks that Ross was exploring in his installation, The
Nickel Boys confronted an era that didn’t quite yet feel like history, rather the novel
made the struggles and brutality we presently navigate feel that much more urgent,
perilous. The book, which followed Whitehead’s highly regarded The Underground
Railroad, shadows the harrowing story of two Black boys — Elwood and Turner—
negotiating their hard-time served in a severe reform school, while attempting to claim,
protect and nurture their own humanity.

Based on the real story of the infamous Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys in
Marianna, Florida, a reformatory that operated for 111 years and made headlines in the
early 2000s, as a notoriously savage institution. Hundreds of men came forward to tell
decades-old stories about abuse —physical and emotional—that they had endured
during their time served at the state-run institution, just west of Tallahassee. While the
institution closed in 2011, an on-going investigation determined that more than 100
boys had died on the grounds, nearly half of them buried in unmarked graves.

As Ross moved through the novel, absorbing its layers and heart-stopping twists
he could trace a sure line between it and his own practice—most particularly his 2018
documentary, “Hale County This Morning, This Evening. “You know all of my work — my
photography and writing, it’s all sort of centered on the Black experience, the aesthetic
of what all of that means — which is really complex.” Through those lenses, it’s subject
matter that he sees as ever evolving and quietly shifting, and his work mimics capturing
light in a bottle — in its glimmers, glances and breaths.

Whitehead’s text found a familiar place inside him. “Reading this story there is so
much poetry, in the quotidian—the epic banal, as I call it.”
Ross, who was born in Frankfurt, Germany and raised in Fairfax, Virginia, (and
now splits his time between Rhode Island and Alabama) keyed into Whitehead’s
storytelling: its spare and specific language; its emotional landscapes; its rhythms, which
felt familiar to his ear. “It was such an open-ended visual world,” he says, “I mean, it is
such a minimalist novel. It seemed like he laid the stage for a sort of interstitial poetry of
what it would be like to be Elwood to explore and grow up. It was such an open-ended
visual world.”

While he was aware of Whitehead and his previous work, this specific text would
be a high-dive into something he thought—as an artist who works intimately with
dreamscapes-like images—that he could, perhaps, find a place inside.

Prime
November 14

Starring Aldis Hodge, Cross is a crime thriller series that follows ALEX CROSS, a decorated D.C. homicide detective and forensic psychologist who faces a sadistic serial killer leaving a string of bodies strewn around the city.

As Alex and his partner, John Sampson (Isaiah Mustafa), track this killer, a mysterious threat from Cross’ past appears, aiming to destroy what he’s done to keep his grieving family, career, and life together.

Ryan Eggold, Alona Tal, and Johnny Ray Gill also star; Ben Watkins serves as showrunner.

If you ever wondered what the evolution of Hip Hop, R&B, Jazz and Rock n Roll would look and sound like in the near and distant future, look no further than the great Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley.

Every creation is a mind blowing creativity experience utilizing the finest in production, next level lyrics with a complex roster of vocals that seem to raise the bar with every release.

His latest single, Banneris very next level. As with all of his recordings, from first audio you are quickly reassured that you are rocking with the very best. His vocal arrangement is that of an instrument itself! Just check out how he changes the flavor on this mind blowing passage –

“ The wolf study how to cheat sheep
The lead sheep is not a cheap sheet
Dem watch until di shepherd need sleep Den lure you in until you knee deep.”

– Prolific stuff!

He writes lyrics with thought provoking purpose. Blending messages of hope and wisdom delivered in his Jamaican dialect that he remains so loyal to.

Always a man for the people, and the well being of humanity as depicted in his video for “Banner” shot in his native Kingston Jamaica.

We are looking forward to seeing him perform live to complete the ultimate connection with an artist that is a true treasure.

The magical Marley family continues to amaze and display unique traits inherited from the great Bob Marley, Rita Marley and the Wailers.

THE BACKGROUND

Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley is a multi-Grammy winning Jamaican musical luminary, celebrated for his genre-defying tracks, profound lyrical themes, and philanthropic endeavors.

As the youngest son of Bob Marley, Damian’s unique artistry fuses reggae with dancehall, hip-hop, R&B, and rock, resulting in a signature sound that resonates globally.

His impressive Grammy collection includes victories for “Halfway Tree,” “Welcome to Jamrock,” “Distant Relatives” (a collaborative masterpiece with Nas), and his socially conscious triumph, “Stony Hill.”

Damian recently unveiled his rendition of George Harrison’s timeless classic, “My Sweet Lord,” which received accolades from George’s late wife, Olivia Harrison, along with the George Harrison Estate.

With an extensive social media following and millions of monthly Spotify listeners, “Jr. Gong” not only reigns as a chart-topping musical virtuoso, but also maintains his status as an influential reggae icon and a pivotal figure in the worldwide music arena.

– RE CLassics

Regardless of what some may think of Ms. Harris or politics in these times in general, in just 100 days or so she ran one of the best American presidential campaigns I have ever witnessed in 40 years of working on and or observing such races.

There are many sad that she did not win, and I am one of them. And you, we, have every right to wonder what could have been. We can talk and debate certain national and global matters another day.

Today, this week, this month, for a long minute, folks have every right to express every emotion they feel about what awaits us. Love and peace (non-violence) and joy and working together and bringing people together are part of the solutions for the human family, not hate and violence and fear and ignorance and confusion and meanness and greed and division.

I am more determined than ever to do my part, in all ways, to make this place just and equal and fair and humane for all people. It will not be easy, but we must. We owe it to the younger people and children not yet born. And we owe it to all who came before us, the elders and those who are no longer here who made it possible for us to keep pushing and fighting the good fight.

I went to sleep so very sad last night, but woke up determined. And so it is. And so it is….

A Message from
KAMALA HARRIS

My heart is full. Full of gratitude for the trust that you have placed in me, full of love for our country, and full of resolve.

I know you gave so much of yourselves to this fight. And I am so grateful to you.

The outcome of this election is not what we wanted. And it is not what we fought for. But the light of America’s promise will always burn bright – as long as we never give up and keep fighting.

While I concede this election, I do not concede the fight that fueled this campaign.

The fight for the ideals that reflect America at its best: Freedom, opportunity, fairness, and dignity. That is a fight I will never give up.

I will never give up the fight for a future where every American can pursue their dreams. Where the women of America have the freedom to make decisions about their own bodies. The fight to protect our students and our streets from gun violence. The fight for our democracy.