Alias Smith and LeRoi

Milauna Jemai Jackson. We’re saying it again because you need to get used to hearing it. You’ll be seeing a lot more of her. The tough thing in this business about being on the brink, is that you still can’t see on the other side. But you know it’s there. And when you have a […]

Milauna Jemai Jackson is flipping the script on  what a black actress can do in Hollywood. For starters, don’t do it in Hollywood. With a breakout role in the hit Cinemax action series “Strike Back”, Milauna is a one-woman American Invasion, taking roles in Britain while Brit counterparts like Naomie Harris and Gugu Mbatha-Raw are […]

Omar Dorsey has more than a few things to say about more than a few things. That’s why there’s a part two to this conversation. His story is about turning up, turning around, turning down, and turning it out. The man’s got three Oscar nominated films to his credit and you’re just finding out his […]

  Omar Dorsey is that dude. That’s probably what you say when you see him in another film, another tv show, where he comes in and wrecks it, because that’s what he did the last time you saw him. “That’s that dude!” Well, now it’s time to check the credits, because you will be seeing […]

You cannot rain on Sunny Anderson’s parade. She is a self contained eco-system where everything always turns out right. Not that it starts out that way, because into every life a little rain must fall. But when she unleashes her megawatt mindset, and focuses on clearing out the clouds and getting down to getting to […]

John Ridley is a writer. In the truest sense of the word. If it can be written, he probably wrote one. Books, television shows, movies, columns, blogs… Maybe not a play, yet, but give him time. And he’s crossed genres from comedy to drama to biopics to adaptations to satire to whatever you can write […]

She Ready. That’s what you remember after an encounter with Tiffany Haddish. Comedienne/Actress/Energy Producer, she is a triple threat of her own making. It’s not easy to pin her down, which is why she also fancies herself a “Unicorn.” Yes, she is given to the occasional display of long luxurious flowing hair and a stride […]

Royale Watkins doesn’t get shook. After a stint in Desert Storm, taking the stage at Def Jam was a cakewalk. While Bernie Mac said he wasn’t scared, Royale didn’t have to say a word. They knew. With a cold hard stare and an easy smile, Royale has been on a ride with life that a […]

Stanford by way of Brooklyn,  writer Cheo Hodari Coker takes the street cred game to another level. As a journalist with Vibe Magazine he was a written bridge to hip hop, giving us an inside look at that world and it’s personalities in a way that made us, and them know that we were in […]

“You Are Here.” That should be the name of The Autobiography of Todd Bridges.  Because the thing that he has, the thing that he has always had, as a child, as a star, as a man, is that no matter where he is, he is absolutely able to inhabit that space, and be where he […]

Todd Bridges. The poster child for bad shit happening to child actors. You’ve heard the rumors. You’ve heard all sorts of stories. It’s worse than what you were ever told. But if the sun is gonna come out tomorrow, it’s going to shine on Todd. He’s a grown man now. He’s still quick to a […]

Life is the gym for Dondre Whitfield. Everyday, he gets up, gets in the ring and sweats it out. Every audition. Every callback. Every role. Every day. And if it’s true you only get out of it what you put into it, what Dondre gets is motivation. He is what the working actor is all […]

Dondre Whitfield is a Real Husband of Hollywood.  He met her when he was just a teenager and fell in love. He’s been with her ever since. Through the ups and downs, the sunny days and the rain, the times when she treated him like he was the only one she loved and the days […]

Gina Prince-Bythewood will not look you in your eye.  She will however, stare straight through your soul. With a soft smile and a killer instinct, she worked her way up through the ranks of show business, quietly not taking “no” for an answer as she’s put together a body of work based on love and […]

It’s all in his eyes. They’re his secret weapon. It’s what he uses to take in all of the information that he’s going to spit back at you in two or three takes. They say a lot when he says a little. It’s good for an actor to have a move. That’s his move. And […]

Tichina Arnold is funny. We know this because no matter how funny the person is who was hired because they were supposed to be funnier than her, she always walks away with a laugh. Always. If there were such a thing as comedy gold, it would be Tichina Arnold, and you would use her to […]

Lena Waithe ain’t go no time for that.  If you think you’re hustlin’, if you think you’re grindin’, think again. Here’s the difference between you and her. She does not have time to talk about what she’s doing because she’s too busy doing it. From P.A. to Movie Producer, there isn’t a job in this […]

Russell Simmons. Uncle Rush. Hip Hop was just music before Russell Simmons turned it into an industry. Between Run-DMC, Phat Farm, Def Comedy Jam, and most recently All Def Digital, Russell Simmons has displayed a creative vision which has positioned him at the forefront of things you didn’t even know had a front. He’s not a […]

Booty Call. It’s rare that you can trace a phrase that has become so entrenched in our culture that you don’t know where it came from, back to where it came from. Bill Bellamy is ground zero for making comedy, sexy, fresh, and fun. In a world of comedians smacking and flipping and rubbing it down, […]

Andre Cymone used to play bass with Prince. It was not just a job. It was an adventure. And it’s what he did. It is not who he was. It’s a lifetime later and with the release of his first collection of music in over 25 years, Andre has something to say. From our conversation, […]

Who is Affion Crockett? Pretty much anybody he wants to be. Calling Affion a gifted impressionist would be selling him short. He’s an actor. He’s a stand-up. He’s a dancer. He’s a filmmaker. And he’s the voices of a generation. Yes. Voices. Chris Rock. President Obama. Russell Simmons… and uh… uh… oh yeah. Jigga Man. […]

The First Daughter of Soul. That is a name you don’t just give to anyone. Unless she’s Lalah Hathaway. Have there been other children of other iconic soul singers? Yes. But only one is the daughter of Donny Hathaway, and only one can sing like Lalah. As unpretentious as a chocolate chip cookie, but every […]

To know Luenell is to love her.  She is the light that catches your eye when you come into a room. It’s not the head of platinum blonde hair, mind you, it’s the sparkle in her eye. It’s this force of nature disguised as a black woman with a bunch of jewelry on, with a voice […]

At the end of the day Maronzio Vance is right. Just know that’s what you’re up against when you begin a conversation with a comedian who without even trying has the ability to ruffle feathers from the fringes of the comedy world to the penthouses of the hip hop elite. He takes no prisoners. If […]

Brandon T. Jackson is on a mission.  After bursting into show business somewhere around the ripe old age of 16 as one of the “Teens of Comedy”, he’s on the verge.  “Of what?”, you might ask.  He’s already famous.  Which he’s none to happy about.  Any basketball wife can be famous.  He wants respect.  Admitting […]

Barry Katz thought he told you that he won’t stop. As one of the most successful talent managers in the business, he was at ground zero building careers for names like Louis C.K., Tracy Morgan, Dave Chappelle and more… But something funny happened along the way. From his penchant for getting fired by his erstwhile […]

Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain. Barry Katz is a name you probably don’t know, but as one of the most successful talent managers in the business, he has had his hands stirring a pot that’s been bringing you some of the most amazing names in comedy for over 20 years. Tracy Morgan. […]

Simone Shepherd. The time it takes you to spell her name is about the same amount of time it’s taken her to turn the game on it’s side. She’s the “six seconds Doug. E. Fresh you’re on” of the internet. When Vines came along, no one knew what to do with it. But she figured […]

The Green is for the money. The Gold is for the honey. If you’ve never heard that phrase before then you’ve never spoken to the Bishop Don “Magic” Juan. Pimp turned Preacher, the man has a way with words. He has a way with women. He has a way of flipping the script and turning […]

Here are two things you need to know about Kali Hawk; 1) Don’t box her in. 2) Don’t bring her down. Ever evolving, she seems at times like a four year old bouncing around inside the circus of thoughts serving as her brain, fueled by the idea of “why?” Why do things have to be […]

Reggie Hudlin is like Visa. He’s everywhere you wanna be. Movies. TV. Comic Books. The Executive suite. P-Funk bbq. ( We don’t know if he’s actually been to a P-Funk bbq, but it’s not unlikely.)  He’s a director, a writer, a producer, a suit, and a fan of everything he does. From the Oscar’s to […]

When you get Sinbad on the mic,  good luck getting him off.  He lives for this.  When people say “funny is funny” — that’s Sinbad.  If Cosby is the master, and Pryor is… well, Pryor… then Sinbad is just plain funny. Whenever, wherever, however. There’s no act he can’t follow. Because everything  is material. Even you burning […]

Sinbad got jokes.  Like when people say “funny is funny” — that’s Sinbad.  If Cosby is the master, and Pryor is… well, Pryor… then Sinbad is just plain funny. Whenever, wherever, however. There’s no act he can’t follow. Because everything  is material. Even you burning the stage down.  All he needs is his eyes, his ears, […]

Her friends call her LisaRaye. Not Lisa. Thank you. A lot of things have been said about LisaRaye. Gossip, blogs, tweets, tabloids… a lot of it’s not true. A lot of it is. If you want to know what’s what, ask her. She’ll tell you. Now, you might not like the way you get told. […]

Fame. Debbie Allen has that. How’d she get it? Beauty, brains, perseverance, and talent are the cornerstones that turned her into the triple threat choreographer/ actress/director that we know her as today. Ms Allen (if you’re nasty) is also a card carrying member of the quote club.  You know the quote club; “I’ll be back..”, “Do […]

Malcolm Lee makes movies. But in the world of black filmmakers he holds a special spot. When you think about African-American love stories or romantic comedies, a few films immediately come to mind… Love and Basketball, Boomerang, Love Jones, Claudine (if you’re older) or  Think Like a Man  (if you’re younger) … Maybe even Two […]

Dean Edwards has voices inside his head. And they took up a lot of time. So this podcast turned into a two parter. If you don’t know Dean you should. He was the first guy I ever saw do a “Denzel”, years back when he was still on Saturday Night Live. Fact – There are more […]

Dean Edwards has voices inside his head. They’ve been there for a while. He was the first guy I ever saw do a “Denzel”, years back when he was still on Saturday Night Live. Fact – There are more black NFL coaches than there are Black SNL dudes. He joins the ranks of Chris Rock, […]

Tamala Jones is a quiet storm. She’s spent most of her umpteen-plus years in Hollywood minding her business and racking up credits. Unlike many of the Blactresses that wander the mean streets of LA, she’s managed to keep her dance card full. Because work is work. Sometimes you’re working with Ice Cube, sometimes you’re working […]

Lil Rel Howery will not be ignored. An old soul trapped inside the body of a young dude, he seems cut from the same cloth as Robin Harris and Bernie Mac, with a touch of Martin thrown in to flavor the taste. He might or might not agree with that but if he didn’t he would tell […]

When we sat down with Leslie Jones to talk about comedy, being a big chick, and why there were no black women on SNL, she had not yet been called to audition for the show, which would ultimately end up with her being hired as a staff writer. While she’s put in work getting ready […]

When we sat down with Ernest Dickerson as our inaugural guest, we had no idea where the conversation would really go. Not the typical talking head, we found Ernest to be insightful, genuine, and passionate about his craft. He’s soft spoken, but engaged, he listens, he talks, and has no bad habits that we were able to […]