Happy Holidays!! As we close out another year, I have one more list of recommendations to close out!! This month’s list is split with a little holiday flair!
With the release of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, the anticipated FX series Kindred, the emergence on online Black & Brown shopping directory (Harlem Fashion Row) created by a Black woman Brandice Daniel , and so much more Black Girl Magic is in full effect…I would even say overload!!
Black Girl Magic in Media is a “curated site that shows the vast, creative representations of Black girls and women in media.” This project was launched in response to the many reactions after “The Little Mermaid” trailer dropped. While there were numerous reactions of excitement and joy, sadly (but not surprisingly) there were quite a few visceral reactions. Thus, the light bulb went off and I wanted to make sure I played a part in changing the narrative of how Black girls and women in the media are truly magic!!
Through out the week this space will provide an array of features including: spoiler-free television and film reviews, “Black Girl Magic” Highlights, monthly staff picks, recommended book, television, and film lists!!
So if you want to hop on the ride, check us out on Instagram at @blackgirlmagicinmedia !! And if you would like to contribute your thoughts on Black Girl Magic, please feel free to share here! You never know we might feature you :-)!
One more month and we will be closing out 2022….but hold tight!! Got another list for you to stock your bookshelves. Check out this month’s recommendation below:
Today’s celebration is about showcasing various interviews with the director and cast members…Nothing like hearing the thoughts and feelings from those involved. Check them out below:
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever star Tenoch Huerta on what he learned as Namor in the MCU
ScreenRant interview with Black Panther: Wakanda Forever star Lupita Nyong’o discussing her character Nakia and how she has changed after losing T’Challa, and her ties to Shuri and Ramonda.
ScreenRant interview with Black Panther: Wakanda Forever star Danai Gurira breaking down Okoye’s emotional arc and her relationship with the royal family.
ScreenRant interview with Black Panther:Wakanda Forever director Ryan Coogler as he talks Chadwick Boseman’s Legacy & Talokan’s Origins
Behind-the-scenes featurette from director Ryan Coogler
In preparation for the November 11th release of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Marvel partnered with three artists across the United States and asked them to create murals to connect to the film!
The cities featured include Los Angeles, Chicago, and Harlem. Check them out below:
Today’s tribute/celebration is a collection of magazine covers featuring many of the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever cast members!! Simply stunning!!
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever cast members [Letitia Wright, Winston Duke, Dominique Thorne, Dominique Thorne, Danai Gurira, & Lupita Nyong’o] on the November/December 2022 issue of “EBONY”
Angela Bassett on the November 2022 issue of “Essence”
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever cast members [l-r Angela Bassett, Letitia Wright & Tenoch Huerta] (above) and tributes to Talokan and Wakandan culture (below) on the November 2022 issue of “Empire”
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever cast member Lupita Nyong’o, Letitia Wright, & Danai Gurira [above] and individual covers [below] on the November 2022 issue of ELLE
Lupita Nyong’o on the cover of The Hollywood Reporter
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever cast members Angela Bassett, Winston Duke, Danai Gurira, Lupita Nyong’o, Dominique Thorne, Letitia Wright, and Tenoch Huerta on the cover of “Entertainment Weekly”
Michaela Coel on the cover the November 2022 issue of “VOGUE”
It’s a new month and the HOT TOPICS are here!! As always a few goodies for you to put on your calendar, add to your grocery list, cue up in your AirPods, dig into and find some more info about, or to make your coffee table stand out!! Check out this week’s hot topics below:
Leave me a voicemail… New Exhibition to honor Black and Brown lives that were taken at the hands of police brutality. Created by Iranian-American artist, filmmaker and Even/Odd founder, Mohammad Gorjestani, in collaboration with curator Klaudia Ofwona Draber and art director Neil Hamamoto, “1-800 Happy Birthday” sets out “to transcend the subject matter to new channels both physical and digital and have it live in aesthetic and community in places born from the culture it represents”. Originally as an online voicemail project, callers could leave a message for people who were unjustly killed by law enforcement on their birthdays. Wow!! The power of a message. The exhibition will be on view at WORTHLESSSTUDIOS (7 Knickerbocker Ave. Brooklyn, NY 11237) till January 16th, 2023.
Need a morning pick me up or something for your late night study grind?? Well hip-hop artist and entrepreneur Jadakiss is teaming up with his father and son to bring you the Black-owned coffee brand, Kiss Café . Described as “created with honesty and accessibility” Kiss Café seeks to highlight a legacy of three generations that bring you premium coffee. Now this is right up my alley!! Cannot wait to make my purchase!!
A.S. degree program in Cannabis Studies….Soon students at Olive Harvey College (a predominately Black community college) will be able to get an Associate Degree in “Applied Cannabis Studies a first of its kind in the state of Illinois. The degree was designed for students to gain an advantage in the cannabis industry and offer pathways to acquire the proper licensing. As noted by the president of Olive-Harvey College, Dr. Kimberly Hollingsworth, “Olive-Harvey College has always been a leader in the study of cannabis agriculture and operations because of the exponential job growth in the industry and due to its numerous upward mobility opportunities in the mainstream economy.” For more information about the program, see here.
Photo credit: Olive-Harvey College Hemp House
For all my Theater folks…Check out the 20th-anniversay of Suzan-Lori Parks Broadway revival of Topdog/Underdog starring Corey Hawkins and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. Directed by Kenny Leon, Topdog/Underdog is a “play that chronicles the adult lives of two African-American brothers as they cope with poverty, racism, work, women, and their troubled upbringings. Lincoln lives with Booth, his younger brother, after being thrown out by his wife.”
As noted by Parks about the play, “I think the meaning of the play isn’t just confined to a man’s experience… I think it’s about what it means to be family and, in the biggest sense, the family of man, what it means to be connected with somebody else.”
You can see Topdog/Underdog at the John Golden Theatre (252 W 45th St. New York, NY 10036) till January 15th, 2023. Purchase tickets here.
As we prepare for the much anticipated sequel Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, writer Ta-Nehisi Coates is giving fans a little taste of the comic book mythos. Set to debut on November 3rd, the “Wakanda Forever: The Official Black Panther Podcast,” hosted by Coates, will bring fans into the making of the larger-than-life sequel.
The podcast will be a 6-episode series that features interviews with director Ryan Coogler, producer Kevin Feige, cast member Angela Bassett, and much more. The first three episodes will premiere on November 3rd (in advance of the film) with the remaining episodes dropping weekly in January 2023 connecting to the 5-year anniversary of the first film, Black Panther.
“Wakanda Forever: The Official Black Panther Podcast,” is a production of Proximity Media in partnership with Marvel Studios, Marvel Entertainment, and The Walt Disney Studios. The series is produced by Paola Mardo. Executive Producers are Ryan Coogler, Zinzi Coogler, Sev Ohanian, and Paola Mardo.
The wait is finally over…we finally get to see the final chapter(s) of “The Best Man” franchise.
How many folks have been hanging in since 1999 (raises hand)???!! Well instead of another film we are getting a 8-episode limited series. Set to premiere as a Peacock Original, The Best Man: The Final Chapters will “catch up with Harper, Robyn, Jordan, Lance, Quentin, Shelby, Candace, and Murch as relationships evolve and past grievances resurface in the unpredictable stages of midlife crisis meets midlife renaissance.”
The cast includes Morris Chestnut, Melissa De Sousa, Taye Diggs, Regina Hall, Terrence Howard, Sanaa Lathan, Nia Long and Harold Perrineau. Malcolm Lee serves as co-showrunner, executive producer, and director of four episodes.
Fall is here!! Another one of my favorite times of the year!! Nothing like the crisp breeze blowing, the crunchy leaves, the sweaters and knee-high boots, and the early nights! And as always why not have a good book to curl up and read. Well I got you covered!! Check out this month’s book recommendations below:
Black Women Will Save the World: An Anthem ~April Ryan
Love in the Age of Dragons ~Fatima R. Henson
Running to Fall ~Kalisha Buckhanon
Mr. Loverman ~Bernardine Evaristo
And remember you can always go back and check out the previous month’s list and past recommendations in the “Resource” section of the website!!
“I really don’t think life is about the I-could-have-beens. Life is only about the I-tried-to-do. I don’t mind the failure, but I can’t imagine that I’d forgive myself if I didn’t try.” ~Nikki Giovanni
Not gonna waste anytime, its the first week in October and I got some new new that’s ready for you to hit play!! Check out this week’s new trailers below:
The Midnight Club (Streaming on Netflix October 7th)
The Winchesters (Streaming on The CW October 11th)
A Friend of The Family (Streaming on Peacock October 6th)
Season 19-Grey’s Anatomy (Streaming on ABC October 6th)
Season 5-All American (Streaming on The CW October 10th)
Shantaram (Streaming on Apple TV+ October 14th)
Season 2-The White Lotus: Blossom Circle (Streaming on HBO Max October 30th)
Black Future Feminist 