‘Legends!’ cast full of multi-talented actors

Susan Daniels

When stage and screen actress Tonye Patano auditioned for “Legends!,” the classic cat fight comedy starring “Dynasty” divas Joan Collins and Linda Evans, she hadn’t finished her lines yet when Collins blurted out, “Oh, I can’t wait to work with you.” Full story



Heroes for the new hip-hop generation

Vidya Rao

The Gym Class Heroes aren’t yet a household name. But with 350,000 MySpace friends, 1.7 million web pages mentioning their work and the hearts and minds of most of MTV’s “TRL”-watching population, the up-and-coming alt-hip-hop band are well on their way. Full story


Tinseltown power broker invests in Image Awards

Kam Williams

This year marks the 10th time that Hollywood heavyweight Vicangelo Bulluck has served as the executive producer of the NAACP Image Awards, the nation’s premier event celebrating outstanding achievements and performances by people of color in the arts and in the promotion of social justice.

Despite his stature, the man known to his friends as Vic is a mild-mannered Renaissance man — an utterly unpretentious executive who’s clearly secure with his station in life. Full story

Whitaker, Hudson capture top honors at the Oscars

Jake Coyle

It was a memorable but not completely triumphant Oscar night for black actors, as Forest Whitaker and Jennifer Hudson won trophies, but Eddie Murphy lost in an upset.

As expected, Whitaker won best actor Sunday for his frightful yet charismatic performance as Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in “The Last King of Scotland.” Jennifer Hudson, a former “American Idol” contestant, scored the best supporting actress award for her debut performance in the musical “Dreamgirls.” Full story


Despite star performance, ‘Dinah’ misses the mark

Susan Daniels

Known as “Queen of the Blues,” Dinah Washington lived life in large, bold strokes. She made her presence known both on and off the stage, whether she was crossing over between musical genres or, as was the case in 1959, taking a stand against racist policies directed toward black entertainers performing in Las Vegas.

Desperate to be loved, Washington — who began as a church gospel singer, received her first professional break from Lionel Hampton and became the female singer synonymous with R&B music from the 1940s until her death in 1964 at age 39 from substance abuse — was a self-made performer with a musical gift as big as her passion. Full story


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