BV Entertainment Newswire Jan. 13: Beverly Todd, B.B. King, Black Boy

Mother Load

Beverly Todd is gunning for Oscar gold with her gritty role as Louise Graham -- the disillusioned drug addicted mother in Paul Haggis’s critically acclaimed drama ‘Crash,’ nominated for a Best Screenplay Golden Globe Award this year. “People are excited about ‘Crash’ in positive ways and enjoy the fact that something has touched their heart and soul,” Todd, a 40-year acting veteran, told Black Voices earlier this week. “It means that there is an audience for films of substance.” Films of substance are nothing new for Todd, who has starred in a string of notable projects -- including ‘Lean On Me,’ ‘Clara’s Heart,’ and ‘They Call Me Mister Tibbs.’ The Chicago native said she was drawn to ‘Crash’ after observing an area of Harlem known as ‘Junkie Heaven.’ “As an actress, I've always watched people and their behavior."

While Todd is largely recognized as a thespian, she has also worked as a film executive and is currently producing a documentary on Dionne Warwick. “There's no other sound in the universe like the sound of Dionne's voice,” Todd shared. “You know it's her from the first note of a song and no one can sing a song as well as she can.” Todd’s most recent film is the gritty ‘Animal,’ starring Ving Rhames, Jim Brown and Terence Dashon Howard.

For The King

B.B. King will perform ‘A Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King’ at New York City’s Lehman Center for the Performing Arts on Jan. 15. The 18-time Grammy Award winner has reigned as the "King of the Blues" since he began recording in the late 1940s. “Martin Luther King is one of the great figures in American history,” the legendary blues guitar icon commented to Black Voices this week. “[He’s] a true giant, courageous, revolutionary and impressionable,” he added. “Coming from the cotton fields, I know what this man did for civil rights is remarkable.”

Starz Shining For Freeman

Morgan Freeman is helping the Starz InBlack premium cable channel shine this season. On Feb. 5, the Academy Award winning actor interviews eight gifted blues singers for the concert special ‘Blues Divas.’ Performances from Mavis Staples, Deborah Coleman, Irma Thomas, Bettye Lavette, Odetta, Ann Peebles, Denise LaSalle and Renee Austin are captured at Freeman’s Ground Zero Blues Club in Clarksdale, Mississippi for the special. The show is punctuated with informal chats with the divas and the ‘Million Dollar Baby’ actor. Freeman also will get the star treatment on Jan. 15 when Starz InBlack airs six films he starred in: ‘Bonfire of the Vanities,’ ‘Driving Miss Daisy,’ ‘Unforgiven,’ ‘Outbreak,’ Last of the Mississippi Jukes,’ and ‘Scandalize My Name’ back to back.

‘Black Boy’ Out Again

Richard Wright’s classic autobiography ‘Black Boy: A Record of Childhood and Youth’ was recently re-released in a special 60th Anniversary Edition by Harper Collins. The subtly crafted narrative of Wright’s journey from innocence to reckoning in the Jim Crow South remains a seminal text in African American history. When first published, the memoir soared to the top of the bestseller lists, became a Book-of-the-Month Club selection, and won acclaim from prominent writers, reviewers, and social figures of the era. In 1945, the ‘New York Times’ raved: “Black Boy is powerful, moving, and horrifying. It is certain to be extravagantly praised and roundly condemned. It will be widely read.”

Home is Where the Heart Is

B.G. is heading back home to New Orleans. On Jan 14, the former Cash Money Records rapper will perform at the House Of Blues to celebrate the forthcoming release of his new solo record ‘The Heart Of The Streets: Vol. 2 (I Am What I Am).’ “I'm really excited,” B.G. told Black Voices last night. “Word got around that I'm coming home and all my people gonna be there. This show is special because we were supposed to do this show the day Hurricane Katrina hit, so I'm keeping my promise." The current Detroit resident wanted to shoot the entire music video for the album’s first single, ‘Move Around’ (produced by Mannie Fresh) in New Orleans but was denied a permit by city officials because the area where he wanted to shoot was the most devastated by Hurricane Katrina. "New Orleans is all I know,” he continued. “Even if it washed away completely, I'd still represent the 504. What kind of person would I be to give up the city that raised me just because it's struggling?” ‘The Heart of Tha Streetz: Vol. 2 (I Am What I Am)’ will be released March 21 on his own Chopper City Records.