Tag: Showtime

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FM Politics Trending

Docuseries Episode About DeSantis’ Years In Guantanamo Bay Detention Camp Canceled Or Delayed

DeSantis' Years In Gitmo Show Cancels Or Delays
DeSantis speaks at the Museum of Tolerance in Jerusalem. Image source: Amir Levy, Getty Images.

Mr. “Ensures Freedom Of Speech,” Ron DeSantis might have some issues with The First Amendment when it comes to him. The most recent episode announcement of Showtime’s Vice docuseries, “The Gitmo Candidate & Chipping Away,” disappeared from Showtime’s website.

According to the episode description, it “investigates allegations from former Guantanamo Bay detainees that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis witnessed acts condemned by the United Nations as torture,”

It’s unclear whether the campaigning governor had anything to do with the disappearance of the show announcement. “We don’t comment on scheduling decisions,” someone from Showtime told both The Hollywood Reporter and TheWrap. “As with all current affairs programming, there can be scheduling changes, and we are very much still in discussion about the scheduling of this episode. We are proud of our reporting and of our continuing partnership with Showtime,” Vice also revealed to both of the media outlets mentioned above.

Potentially, Showtime and Vice intentionally deleted the controversial episode announcement. That way, we write about it, everyone notices, and in the end, the audience is more heated and eager to watch the show.

What seems clear is that DeSantis’s years in GITMO is a subject the governor would prefer to avoid discussing. When recently asked about witnessing someone going through the forced feeding in Guantanamo, Florida Gov. seemingly got a little angry, claimed the allegation “totally BS,” and then used big words like “preordained narrative” (the governor had to pause when saying this phrase, possibly because he couldn’t figure how to pronounce it correctly). 

The full version of the dispute above was also supposed to be available in the Vice episode, which never came out.

DeSantis’s Presidential Bid

Ron DeSantis announced his presidential run on May 24th, promising to “lead the great American comeback.” He also mentioned all the good Republican things in his announcement video, including border, crime, and “restoring sanity.”

Notably, the initial announcement of DeSantis’ campaign could have worked out better. It was supposed to occur in one of Twitter’s audio spaces, where Elon Musk was also present to co-host the event. However, none of the online guests could hear the candidate’s speech.

Both Trump and Biden later mocked DeSantis for a failed launch attempt.

Written by Nikita Serdiuk | IG: @nikitasrdk | Twitter: @nktserdiuk

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Viola Davis Stars as Michelle Obama in Showtime’s ‘The First Lady’

Viola and OT as Michelle and Barack Obama
Source: Showtime

Showtime is gearing up to release a new anthology series titled The First Lady. It depicts the lives of three female political figures in US history: Betty Ford, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Michelle Obama. The series is set to air next year, with Michelle Pfieffer starring as Betty. Gillian Anderson is also starring as Eleanor, while Viola Davis stars as Michelle. 

According to Entertainment Weekly, The First Lady will focus on all three first ladies’ personal and political lives, including their experiences before entering the White House. 

Exclusive photos from the series include an image of Viola Davis standing next to her on-screen husband, O-T Fagbenle, who depicts Barack Obama. Another one shows Davis hovering over Regina Taylor, who represents Michelle’s mother, Marian Robinson. Lexi Underwood and Saniyya Sidney portray the Obama daughters, Malia and Sasha, respectively. 

The images of each first lady with their on-screen families give a sneak peek of what’s to come on The First Lady regarding how they handle the public and also their lives with loved ones.

After doing extensive research, Viola Davis reportedly said to EW that she feels very protective of Michelle’s legacy. “It’s our job as actors not to judge whoever we are portraying, but I ended up thinking she’s just dope,” she says. To prepare for the role, she had a very long talk with Mrs. Obama, read her book Becoming, and also watched her 2020 Netflix documentary. Davis did all of this to perfect her representation of the former first lady on screen.

Also worth mentioning is that Davis is the executive producer for The First Lady. The first series will follow all the leading ladies’ “journeys to Washington through an enlightening intimacy.” Entertainment Weekly reports. 

The show will debut in Spring 2022.

Written by Amber Alexander

Twitter: Ambernofetari

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Nas is Making Three Documentaries for Hip Hop 50th Anniversary

Nas and his Mass Appeal Entertainment Company are working with Showtime to produce three documentaries for Hip Hop’s 50th anniversary. Nas cares both about the past and the future of hip-hop.

Video Music Box and Nas

The first movie will be released on December 3 at 8 p.m. EDT. It has the working title of Video Music Box. The documentary will cover 40 years’ worth of never never-before-seen archival footage. The television show “Video Music Box” will be the main focus.

“Video Music Box” is a local television program in New York that has been running since 1983. Brooklyn native Ralph McDaniels, founder and steward of the Video Music Box.  However, it is also very important to the world of hip hop. It was the first television show with a focus on hip-hop culture and music. The show was mostly shot on-location on the streets of New York. “Video Music Box” captured the opinions of everyday New Yorkers on Hip-Hop music and culture as well as prevalent news topics. The show also captured various rappers, some of which are still massive to this day. Lil Kim, The Notorious B.I.G., Jay Z, Nicki Minaj, and even the film’s director Nas, have all appeared on the show.

Nas to commemorate 50 years of hip hop

Showtime says the Nas-driven “Hip Hop 50″ will run over a three year-span and includes further unscripted series and features, podcasts, and digital shorts. The project culminates in 2023, marking the 50th anniversary of Hip-Hop.

Showtime is also doing two other documentaries about New York and its subcultures. Josh Swade’s “Ricky Powell: The Individualist” is about the New York City photographer, and will air on December 10. There will also be a graffiti culture film, “Rolling Like Thunder,” directed by Roger Gastman. This will premiere on December 17.

Written by Justin Acosta

Twitter: @hahalacka

 

 

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Lupe Fiasco Drops Song “Big Energy”, Celebrates “Food & Liquor” Gold Status

Last month, Lupe Fiasco announced that his new album, untitled at this time, is “my Illmatic“. As fans still wait for a release date, the man has been to work.

In August, Lupe put out “Teach A Man To Fish”, a fresh freestyle that came to the heels of a summer of freestyle work. Earlier this month he released a brand-new freestyle “Diet Soda Poetry”, a flip of Drake’s “Champagne Poetry”. Now, he’s released an original track that comes to us courtesy of the SHOWTIME documentary The One and Only Dick Gregory. 

Lupe and Mr Gregory

For those unaware, Dick Gregory was a ground-breaking 1960s comedian and civil rights activist. Throughout the turbulent times of the 60s-70s, Gregory was at the forefront of political activism and rebellious comedy.

Gregory led hunger strikes against the US involvement in Vietnam and was banned from performing at the University of Tennessee. The man is an absolutely fascinating historical character.

Lupe Fiasco certainly paid homage to the man. Appearing on the soundtrack to the documentary, “Big Energy” covers Dick Gregory’s life and times, taking us from milestone to milestone.

Lupe recounts his life:

“Born in St. Louis, moved to Illinois to school/Then came up to Chicago for professional college pursuings/Told jokes in the army, not your average Amish mami.”

“In the 1960s is when he really was in his prime/Had a brick layin’ in Playboy, even ended up in Times/Wrote n-gger in ’64 and then wrote many more/Extending proficiency to flip obscenity to lore.”

“…his life was quite fascinating/From the rare hostage crisis to Kennedy assassination/He was there, present and probably every affair/From Selma to telling Kentucky Fried treat their chickens with care.”

A diet of Gold

But celebrating Gregory’s life isn’t the only celebration Lupe’s doing. Last Wednesday (September 22), Lupe announced that his debut LP Food & Liquor has finally been certified Gold. Released in 2006, the album has passed the 500,000 copies-sold milestones.

Lupe took to Instagram to celebrate, thanking his fans and enemies alike. Whether they “stayed down like an elephant chest” or “tried to harm the name”, Lupe says “#TheMarathonContinues”. Food & Liquor, 15 years-old last Sunday, is the jewel in Lupe Fiasco’s crown. Indeed, the album debuted at No. 8 on the Billboard 200 and took three Grammy nominations. Among these were Best Rap Album, Best Rap Song (“Kick, Push”), and Best Solo Rap Performance. In 2008, Lupe won Best Urban/Alternative Song for “Daydreamin” at the 50th Grammys.

Fans and artists alike toasted to Lupe and Food & Liquor‘s legacy, among them Tyler, the Creator and ScHoolboy Q.

Garrett C. Owen

Twitter | Instagram

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Hip-Hop culture 50th anniversary: a show is being developed by Nas

hip hop culture

Hip Hop Culture 50th Anniversary


In 1973 DJ Kool Herc staged a party in South Bronx for his sister. That party is considered by many as the birthplace of hip-hop culture.

The genre has evolved from a party in a South Bronx cellar to a worldwide soundtrack over 47 years. Now it is nearing its 50th anniversary. Several of its pioneers are making sure its impact is recognized.

Rapper Nas and director Sacha Jenkins are among those retelling the story of hip-hop culture. Nas’ Mass Appeal is teaming up with CBS Viacom to celebrate hip-hop’s 50th anniversary with a new series called Hip Hop 50.

The show examines the genre’s rich history through the eyes of legends. It also dives into the subcultures that arose as a result of its emergence.

The show will include documentaries that focus on different areas of hip-hop culture. It will also feature specialized podcasts and unscripted programs exploring the genre.

An important aspect of the show is Nas and Jenkins’ intention to use a variety of filmmakers. They will also include young artists’ views and how they were influenced by the legends.

According to Jenkins, the most important lesson from Hip Hop 50 is “Our voice is everywhere.” It will show how hip-hop music has addressed inequalities in society like racial injustice. It will also show how hip-hop has influenced language, clothing, and other music genres.

The Hip Hop 50 show will premiere on Showtime this year and will run through 2023. Check out the teaser trailer below

HIP HOP 50 “Teaser” – YouTube

 

-Twitter hirum_lee

 

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#FMTrends:Welcome to “The Chi” Showtimes Incredible New Series.

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Welcome to ‘The Chi”

“The Chi “ a new series on Showtime is already a hit. Every couple of years we get a Television series that gives us a break from the scripted mess of reality T.V. This year “The Chi” is the series.

Continue reading “#FMTrends:Welcome to “The Chi” Showtimes Incredible New Series.”