Ava duvernay doll

Left-wing Hollywood filmmaker Ava DuVernay will devote her new Spotify podcast to the subjects of police brutality against black people and cops who kill, focusing on what she sees as the lack of accountability in law enforcement. Spotify announced on Monday its new lineup of podcasts, which include an eight-episode series featuring Barack Obama and Bruce Springsteen titled “Renegades: Born in the USA.” DuVernay’s series is titled “The LEAP Files” and is focused on the Law Enforcement Accountability Project (LEAP) — an activist organization that she founded last year to fund media projects around police brutality. “One of the things that defines artists is our curiosity — always wanting to learn more, reach further,” she reportedly said in Monday’s announcement. “And so this is a non-scripted project called The LEAP Files . We analyze high-profile cases that have been in the news as it relates to police brutality against black people. This podcast pulls back the curtain.” … [Read more...] about ‘Selma’ Director Ava DuVernay Will Devote New Spotify Podcast to Police Brutality Against Black People and Cops Who Kill

The Hollywood Foreign Press Assn., the group behind the annual Golden Globes awards, has no black people in its membership and has reportedly rejected legitimate journalists in favor of those who aren’t serious journalists. The findings come just a week before the 78th Golden Globes ceremony is set to take place, with Tina Fey and Amy Poehler hosting the show braodacasting on NBC on Sunday. Widely considered a joke in the entertainment industry, the organization is also facing accusations that it pays its own members using money from from the organization’s TV deal with NBC.  The group continues to allow its voting members to receive lavish perks from the studios, including gifts and overseas junkets. Watch below: The Los Angeles Times reported that the HFPA has no black journalists among its 87 members, with members coming from Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America. This year’s Golden Globes nominations came under fire from the mainstream media for marginalizing … [Read more...] about L.A. Times: Hollywood Press Group That Selects Golden Globe Winners Has No Black Members

The major Hollywood studios and streamers have signed on to a diversity initiative spearheaded by Selma filmmaker Ava DuVernay that will promote women and ethnic minority crew members for jobs on TV and movie productions. DuVernay has officially launched ARRAY Crew , a database for Hollywood’s below-the-line crew members who work behind the scenes to keep sets running and who work in post-production in such jobs as editing, mixing, and visual effects. Hollywood’s major media companies are supporting the project — WarnerMedia., Disney, Sony, ViacomCBS, and NBCUniversal. In addition, Netflix and Amazon have also thrown their weight behind it. “Our goal is simply to amplify more professionals in an effort to build inclusive film and television crews,” DuVernay said in a statement. “The overwhelming support of the studios and streamers has bolstered our belief that our industry can become a more balanced place to work for more kinds and cultures of people, resulting in … [Read more...] about Major Hollywood Studios Going All in On Diversity Hiring

Colin Kaepernick’s Netflix film production was briefly plunged into turmoil over fears that anti-Black Lives Matter activists were planning a protest during a location shoot. The film project, entitled Colin in Black and White , is being produced by Emmy-winning Director Ava DuVernay and will star Jaden Michael as a young Colin Kaepernick. Producers became worried that the production was going to be targeted on Friday by a protest sponsored by the conservative group, the Proud Boys. While no protest ever materialized, the producers sent a list of instructions to crew and staff just in case, TMZ reported. A memo was sent about the possible protest telling staff that “anti-BLM sentiments may protest against the production.” Insiders also told TMZ that someone claiming to be a member of the protesters had called the production offices to warn about the protest plans. It is unclear why no protest was mounted, but Kaepernick was not onset during last week’s location shoot. … [Read more...] about Anti-BLM Demonstrators Threaten to Derail Production of Colin Kaepernick’s Netflix Series

This column from CNN Senior Entertainment Writer Lisa Respers France will become a weekly newsletter later this month. You can subscribe here . Tell us what you'd like to see more of in the newsletter at [email protected] . (CNN) The push for more diversity in Hollywood is both opening doors for creators of color and raising the visibility of those who were already in the room. The overwhelming whiteness of Hollywood is not a new issue. For years, discussion about the need for more diversity, both in front of and behind the camera, has been ongoing within the industry, sparking movements like #OscarsSoWhite and inclusion riders in which stars require increased diversity on sets as part of their contracts. But as the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police led to protests and a global conversation about race, racism and privilege, there appears to be some serious self-reflection happening in Tinseltown. Civil … [Read more...] about Creators of color, your time in Hollywood is now