LeBron James and Drake are being sued for allegedly stealing the rights to a movie about a segregated hockey league. Billy Hunter, the former head of the NBA players union, claims he holds the exclusive rights to produce any movie about Canada’s old Colored Hockey League, an all black hockey league founded in 1895.
The lawsuit states Lebron and Drake used their production companies to go behind Hunter’s back and sign a deal with the authors of a book their Black Ice documentary is based on.
The authors, George and Darril Fosty, are also listed as defendants, citing breach of contract for allegedly violating the agreement. However, the authors say no one violated any agreements because a documentary is different from a movie.
The lawsuit says Hunter paid the authors a total of $265,000 for the movie rights to the story. Hunter is asking for a cut of Lebron and Drake’s profits off their documentary and an additional $10M in damages.
James and Drake’s documentary, directed by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Hubert Davis, is being showcased at the Toronto International Film Festival on Sept. 10.
Representatives for LeBron James and Drake haven’t made any comments on the allegations.
According to a confirmed report from FOX 32 Chicago, actor Barton Fitzpatrick, who plays “Reg” on Showtime series The Chi, was robbed at gunpoint in his hometown.
The 25-year-old actor was accosted when an armed assailant jumped in the backseat of the car he was riding in as a passenger on Sunday, taking all of Fitzpatrick’s valuables, including a chain. The robber foiled in his original carjacking plan, but still made off with the actor’s personal belongings.
The actor was not injured and no suspects have been arrested for the crime.
Fitzpatrick appeared in 16 episodes of The Chi, playing a gang leader until the character was killed off in Season 2. It is highly rumored that Fitzpatrick’s character was killed off because of his unwillingness to have his character in a relationship with a transgender.
New Jack City will be revived on stages around the nation by theatrical hitmaker Je’Caryous Johnson thirty years after its initial debut.
The Met in Philadelphia will host the world premiere of Johnson’s traveling stage version of the Warner Bros. cult favorite on Nov. 4. Johnson wrote, directed, and produced the stage edition, which is presented by Je’Caryous Johnson Entertainment. During its run, the play will make visits to a number of cities, including Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, DC, Detroit, Charlotte, North Carolina, Atlanta, Brooklyn, Texas, and Los Angeles, California. Up until the spring of 2023, more cities are expected to be added.
The cast of Johnson’s NEW JACK CITY LIVE includes critically acclaimed actor Allen Payne, who will reprise his role as “Gee Money,” legendary rapper “Treach,” who will be “Nino Brown,” legendary rapper “Big Daddy Kane,” who plays “Stone,” and actor Flex Alexander, who will take on the role of “Pookie.”
While experiencing classic theater storytelling through the culturally astute lens of Je’Caryous Johnson, NEW JACK CITY LIVE will give audiences across the nation the opportunity to relive all their favorite, intense, heart-pounding moments from the blockbuster movie.
As this season of HBO’s Hard Knocks This Season comes to a close, Detroit native Eminem took on the task of checking out the Detroit Lions training camp as they gear up for their 2022 season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles.
As Em greeted the players and staff of the Lions, Head Coach Dan Campbell let Mr. Mathers know, “Nobody represents this city like you do.”
Check out the teaser below for the season finale of Hard Knocks This Season.
“Nobody represents this city more than you do.”
HC Dan Campbell has the ultimate respect for Detroit native, @Eminem. (via @NFLFilms)
Fat Joe is being announced as this year’s host for the “BET Hip Hop Awards.” GRAMMY nominated recording artist, actor, and entrepreneur will hit the stage at the Cobb Energy Center on September 30th.
The annual celebration will bring together the hottest names in Hip Hop to pay homage to the year’s best in hip hop culture.
“Fat Joe is Hip Hop royalty. He has represented the artform and the Bronx, the birthplace of Hip Hop, throughout his outstanding musical career. He is a treasured friend of the network and we’ve loved seeing and supporting his evolution to becoming the superstar he is today,” shared Connie Orlando, EVP, Specials, Music Programming & Music Strategy at BET. “We can’t wait to watch him take the stage with his vivacious energy, standing together with today’s hottest and beloved Hip Hop stars.”
“This will be the BIGGEST award show in history,” Fat Joe said in a statement. “It’s truly an honor to host and produce the “BET Hip Hop Awards” and I can’t thank Connie and the entire BET family enough for this opportunity. We’re going to celebrate music, culture and entertainment, honor the biggest and brightest stars in the world and make this an unforgettable night full of laughs and surprises. Always remember that yesterday’s host is not today’s host.”
The official “BET Hip Hop Awards” 2022 nominations, selected by a voting academy of esteemed music industry insiders, performers, and presenters are to be announced at a later date.
The award show premieres exclusively on BET on October 4th at 9 p.m.
LeBron James and Drake are being sued for allegedly stealing the rights to a movie about a segregated hockey league. Billy Hunter, the former head of the NBA players union, claims he holds the exclusive rights to produce any movie about Canada’s old Colored Hockey League, an all black hockey league founded in 1895.
The lawsuit states Lebron and Drake used their production companies to go behind Hunter’s back and sign a deal with the authors of a book their Black Ice documentary is based on.
The authors, George and Darril Fosty, are also listed as defendants, citing breach of contract for allegedly violating the agreement. However, the authors say no one violated any agreements because a documentary is different from a movie.
The lawsuit says Hunter paid the authors a total of $265,000 for the movie rights to the story. Hunter is asking for a cut of Lebron and Drake’s profits off their documentary and an additional $10M in damages.
James and Drake’s documentary, directed by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Hubert Davis, is being showcased at the Toronto International Film Festival on Sept. 10.
Representatives for LeBron James and Drake haven’t made any comments on the allegations.
Comedians Tiffany Haddish and Aries Spears are being sued for allegedly grooming two children. A lawsuit filed against the two from a 22-year-old woman, Jane Doe claims they groomed the two siblings.
The filing alleges child sexual abuse when the 14-year-old girl and a seven-year-old boy, were convinced into performing sexual acts for comedy skits that were video taped.
The John Doe in the suit also claims Spears and Haddish molested him while filming a “Funny or Die” video titled “Through a Pedophile’s Eyes.” In the sketch, Haddish allegedly played the boy’s mother and Spears portrayed a pedophile.
Haddish’s attorney says the lawsuit is nothing more than an extortion attempt, and that the plaintiffs have been trying to assert the claims for years.
According to the New York Post, the attorney for Spears, said the comedian “isn’t going to fall for any shakedown.”
Funny or Die said it immediately removed the video after it became aware of it. “We were not involved with the conceptualization, development, funding, or production of this video. The platform said they viewed the video “absolutely disgusting and would never produce such content,” according to TMZ.
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You know, this may be an intense spooky season. A.A. Milne’s iconic character Winnie the Pooh became public and is now in a slasher film. This edition of the bear is to not be confused with the loveable honey-guzzling bear of Disney.
On Wednesday (Aug. 31), the trailer for Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey were released, reimagining the children’s comic into a horror film where Pooh is strangling, slashing, and smashing a group of teens.
The film is about Pooh and Piglet on a rampage after being abandoned by Christopher Robin. Film director Rhys Waterfield told Variety said the two stars are going back to their animal roots after they have to fend for themselves after Robin goes to college.
50 Cent is known for his internet antics and beef with other rappers and public figures, but this time, he’s fueling the beef inside his crew. 50 recently took to IG where he instigated the beef between Power universe actors Joseph Sikora and Gianni Paolo who play Tommy on Power and its spinoff Force, and Brayden on Ghost.
The beef started on stage during Fif’s Tycoon Weekend where he took the stage and performed the Power theme song. During the performance, Power actors came on stage. Gianni Paolo made his way to the stage where he was greeted by most of the Power actors except for Sikora. The Tommy actor was caught on video pushing Paolo’s hand away when he tried to dap him up.
“We saw each other at the hotel afterward and talked. All good. [thumbs up emoji],” Sikora commented under a post of the exchange. Paolo saw the comment and said that things were actually not good between the two actors.
“He’s been doing this sh*t for years when I’ve shown nothing but respect and love,” Paolo wrote on IG. “He kept just saying he doesn’t f*ck with me. Nothing was resolved. Stop spreading lies cause people are pressing you about your saltiness. I’ve said nothing but amazing things about this dude on the podcast and if you listen to it you know.”
He then said that the two were cool during season 6 of Power, but everything changed once Ghost started. “If you’re gonna try and pretend like shit is resolved for social media case you’re mad everybody is asking a 47 year old man is throwing shade at someone who everybody fucks with then at least do better than that my guy.”
Fif caught wind of Paolo’s response and added fuel to the fire, instigating Sikora to “sock” Paolo.
“[Eyeball emoji] oh sh*t, it’s up! [thinking emoji] Now I never like to start shit but you should sock him Tommy,” Fif wrote. “Wait I think this little nigga Brayden got a knife. lol.”
Regina Hall has been quite active since we saw her co-hosting the 2022 Oscars. Her latest project is the comedy/satire Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul, (Sept. 2 on Peacock), which premieres in theaters this weekend. The 51-year-old comedian, plays Trinitie Childs, the first lady of a megachurch, who’s husband is Sterling K. Brown, who plays pastor Lee-Curtis Childs. Hall’s character supports her husband and the church as they rebrand after being involved in a scandal that upsets their congregation.
The famed actor and director who is known for her roles in Black Monday, Girls Trip, the Best Man and cult classic Scary Movie franchise recently partnered with CÎROC for #CIROCStands for Black Businesses at the 20th annual Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival. A mission that highlights effort and ongoing commitment to celebrate the powerful voices and people within the Black community that are depicting excellence and igniting change.
The DC native and Me Time (Aug. 26 on Netflix), cast member who also stars in the limited series, The Best Man: The Final Chapters (Dec. 22 on Peacock), spoke with Kim SoMajor of The Source and dished on her new partnership with #CIROCStands, having ownership in Hollywood, starting her production company Rh Negative and more.
What sparked you to take on your latest film project, “Honk for Jesus. Save YourSoul.”
I really enjoyed the script when I read it and then I met with Adamma and Adanne and although they were young, I had seen their short film and knew they had a vision for what they had in mind. I hadn’t worked with Sterling before so when he joined, I was excited to work with him and couldn’t imagine creating these characters with anyone else.
What’s your role and intention set to accomplish with your partnership with CÎROC?
As a Black woman, I of course support female, Black owned businesses which is part of why I appreciate what #CIROCStands is accomplishing for the community. It’s that shared mission that drew me to them. Being at Martha’s Vineyard and being on a panel with such amazing women was truly inspiring. There’s such a rich history and roots in the culture there and I loved celebrating that!
How does the association align with everything that you’re doing as a businesswoman?
Like #CIROCStands, I believe it’s important to highlight people of different backgrounds. There are smart, talented people from varied pasts and to find them and give them a space to create and tell really good stories is part of why I was inspired to start producing.
As a business owner, starting Rh Negative production company- What has been adefinitive moment for you that reaffirmed that you made the right move in launching?
Producing is a process that involves many people and I love the sense of collaboration involved in developing a project from beginning to end. It brings me joy every time I’m able to facilitate the success of a project and enable other people’s dreams coming true.
With your production company, you are providing an opportunity for many creatives.How important is it for black women to have ownership in Hollywood or entertainment ingeneral?
We live in a diverse world and it’s important that diversity be seen on screen, which means it must exist behind the scenes. Everyone has different life experiences, and that varied history creates well-informed decisions that positively influence each project and inherently the industry as a whole.
How did you know that was the next move for you?
I’ve wanted to produce for several years. I felt like I had worked and gotten to a place where I had enough knowledge to be able to produce. It wasn’t an overnight thing, despite what people think, it took years, hard work, and a will for it to happen.
Can you share 5 tips on balancing asuccessful entrepreneurial lifestyle and home life of wellness?
More of a balance is always the goal, although it’s not always easy. I would say what helps me is good friends, an incredible team, fun, rest, and a quiet place where my imagination can roam.
What’s in store for you in the last quarter of 2022?
We’re of course excited for Honk for Jesus to be released and then we have TheBest Man coming out just in time for the holidays! Then a few other things that are soon to be announced. I work with two organizations called Scleroderma Research Foundation and Solutions Project and hope to partner with them on a few things too.
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