Belief In ReliefTyra Banks is offering more than her two-cents to benefit victims of Hurricane Katrina. The supermodel recently partnered with iAmplify to announce the release of "What About the Child," a new track from multiple Grammy Award winning neo-soul singer
India.Arie, to raise funds for children affected by the disaster. Arie recently performed the song on Banks’ wildly popular talk show -- which she also wrote the theme song for. The song is now available to download for one-dollar. For a larger donation, viewers can buy VIP tickets to see ‘The Tyra Banks Show,’ and even get acknowledged in the show credits. All proceeds from the track will go directly to UNICEF's Hurricane Katrina Fund.
Check the Registry Lorraine Hansberry’s classic ‘A Raisin In The Sun’ and the racially charged ‘Imitation Of Life’ are amongst this year’s 25 films listed in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress. The list, which also includes ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show,’ ‘Hoop Dreams’ and ‘The Music Man’, will join the 400 already preserved films deemed culturally, historically or aesthetically significant by the governing board. "The films we choose are not necessarily the 'best' American films ever made or the most famous, but they are films that continue to have cultural, historical or aesthetic significance -- and in many cases represent countless other films also deserving of recognition," Library of Congress’ James H. Billington said.
A Better ‘Vibe’Through its recently established charity program, VCares, ‘Vibe’ has announced it will auction off an exclusive pool table autographed by a host of celebrity attendees of the ‘3rd Annual VIBE Awards.’ The auction will begin on Jan. 16 via their website and will close at midnight Jan. 22. The opening bid will start at $5000. “The effects of Hurricane Katrina are still being felt by many today,” says VIBE President
Kenard Gibbs. “During this holiday season, ‘Vibe’ wants to give back to the community that has supported us throughout the years as we hope to raise a significant amount with this one-of-a-kind item.” The celebrity-autographed, pool table retails for $13,690. Celebrity signatures include:
Ciara,
Young Jeezy,
Jasmine Guy,
Chris Brown,
Anthony Anderson,
Terry Crews,
Juelz Santana,
Kadeem Hardison,
Boris Kodjoe and
George Clinton, among others. All proceeds will go to Habitat for Humanity International, The Kuumba Academy, and the United Negro College Fund.
‘Crash’ LandingThe results are in and the African American Film Critics Association (AAFCA) announced their Top 10 list late last week. ‘Crash’ topped the list as the best film of 2005. Other honorees included
Terrence Howard for Best Actor for ‘Hustle and Flow’ and
Felicity Huffman earning Best Actress for ‘Transamerica.’
Christopher Nolan’s ‘Batman Begins’ and the
Johnny Cash biopic ‘Walk the Line,’ alongside independent flicks like ‘The Constant Gardner’ and ‘Good Night, and Good Luck’ also made the list.
Jawn Murray, Black Voices contributor and AAFCA member, believes that the list may have missed a few marks. “Our list captures an amazing ensemble of cinematic masterpieces without question, but I’d be remiss by not recognizing films that speak to the African-American experience and showcase our talents both in front of and behind the camera. While theatrically-released films like ‘Rize,’ ‘Hitch,’ ‘Get Rich or Die Tryin,’ ‘Rent,’ ‘Coach Carter,’ ‘Diary of a Mad Black Woman’ and others were not among the collective’s top ten list, those movies deserve recognition for the value they bring to African-American film-going experience. More so,
Taraji P. Henson gave a brilliant performance in ‘Hustle & Flow’ and though she wasn’t honored by the AAFCA or the Golden Globes, let’s hope that Oscar doesn’t forget.”
All Hail The QueenThe people have spoken.
Mary J. Blige's latest opus, 'The Breakthrough' is the No. 1 album in the country. According to Nielsen Soundscan, the critically acclaimed set sold 727,000 copies in its first week of release, besting much hyped new CDs from Academy Award winner
Jamie Foxx and slain rap legend
The Notorious B.I.G. 'The Breakthrough' --executive produced by Blige -- features collaborations with
Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis,
Will.I.Am,
Nina Simone,
Jay-Z,
Raphael Saadiq,
Rodney Jerkins,
50 Cent and
U2 is her biggest selling chart debut to date.
Keys On The StreetAlicia Keys is taking it to the street – ‘Sesame Street.’ The multiple Grammy Award winning musical wunderkind is slated to appear on the popular children’s variety show on Dec. 29 and Dec. 30, as part of a two-episode visit about self esteem.
