Big win for Black voters in Alabama, Susan Lorincz charged, I saw "The Blackening"
Big win for Black voters in Alabama, Susan Lorincz charged, I saw "The Blackening"
Friday, June 9, 2023.
About a month ago, I watched an advance screening of the upcoming horror-comedy “The Blackening.” The movie is about a group of Black friends trapped in a secluded cabin and must fend off a demented killer — the stuff horror movies are made of. The movie, however, subverts the traditional horror film tropes by making the entire main cast Black. So who dies first? If you’re not a fan of the horror genre, don’t worry — there are plenty of laughs along the way.
“The Blackening” is based on a Comedy Central short that aired back in 2018. I shared the trailer in March and was looking forward to seeing a film that felt a little different from the standard Hollywood fare. I talked with Jay Pharoah and Melvin Gregg, who play Shawn and King in the film, respectively, about their hopes to see more movies like “The Blackening.”
“If this movie does good, it’ll show that you can have a film that is unique. It’s not casting the same people they typically cast and shows that a Black audience can perform. This isn’t a movie that Hollywood would typically make.” Gregg explained. “This was made independently. Had it gone through studios, a lot of times it probably wouldn't have been made because it doesn't check off the boxes that Hollywood typically wants.”
Pharoah agreed. “I think Hollywood is bleeding for fresh ideas just because when you have so many remakes and reboots, it's clear that the people in charge [have] run out of ideas,” the comedian said. “So people in writing positions like Dwayne (Perkins) and Tracy (Oliver), I believe they're gonna be able to further push the button and bring more stories and inspire more Black people who are trying to do the same thing.”
“The Blackening” will hit theaters on June 16.
Related: How ‘The Blackening’ Turns Horror Film Stereotypes Upside Down, The New York Times
What I’m Reading
New York City police stepped aside for five days and allowed Brownsville residents to respond to 911 calls, an experiment that organizers believe could potentially transform how law enforcement is conducted in New York. Workers from an organization called Brownsville In Violence Out persuaded people to turn in illegal guns, prevented shoplifting, kept a man from robbing a bodega, and more.
What Happened When a Brooklyn Neighborhood Policed Itself for Five Days, The New York Times
A fascinating read: The awakening of April — a woman in a catatonic state for 20 years — and the successful treatment of others, could help change how some of psychiatry’s sickest patients are treated. New research suggests that a subset of patients with psychiatric conditions such as schizophrenia may actually have an autoimmune disease that attacks the brain.
A catatonic woman awakened after 20 years. Her story may change psychiatry, The Washington Post
What’s In The News
Susan Lorincz, a white Florida woman who shot through her front door and killed a Black mother of four, has been arrested and charged. She told detectives that she called the kids "the N-word" and other slurs…
Major: The Supreme Court ruled that Alabama discriminated against Black voters, a decision that is a major victory for the Voting Rights Act…
Smoke from Canadian wildfires this week delayed flights, led to the cancellation of sporting events and plunged most of the Northeast’s air quality into dangerous levels…
The Atlanta City Council approved legislation for ‘Cop City’ funding after hours of public comment calling to reject it…
Trey Songz is facing a $10 million sexual battery and assault lawsuit from a woman accusing him of grabbing and exposing her breast while at a pool party…
Black farmers in the United States are growing increasingly frustrated as their calls for help continue to go unanswered…
“For the first time, data show what disability rights advocates have known for some time: Autism is impacting non-White people, women and girls more than ever,” Katherine Gilyard reports…
In a highly watched case, former Florida State University football star Travis Rudolph was found not guilty on all counts of murder…
A new rideshare company in Georgia called Black Wolf will let you hire an armed driver to get you to your destination…
Racism is a decades-old issue in soccer. The Black player currently subjected to the most vicious, relentless and high-profile racist insults is Vinícius Júnior…
"Higher education without affirmative action would not mean a future in which race is removed from the admissions process — that would be impossible," Aya Waller-Bey writes for The Atlantic…
Nakala Murry filed a criminal affidavit against Greg Capers, the Indianola Police officer who shot her 11-year-old son Aderrien Murry in the chest after he called 911 for help…
Five months after the Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, the rail giant is looking to dismiss a mass class action lawsuit it faces…
Cornel West announced that he's running for president as a third-party candidate…
The mother of the 6-year-old student who shot his teacher at a Virginia elementary school has been charged with federal gun and marijuana charges…
President Joe Biden announced a $115 million award to support needed investments to rebuild Jackson, Mississippi’s water infrastructure…
Black people are more than four times as likely as white people to be stopped for biking and walking infractions in San Diego, data show…
The Equal Justice Initiative has opened a new health clinic that will provide free health screenings and services to people released from prison and other vulnerable populations in Alabama…
What’s Happening
I was in attendance for the Kansas City Chiefs’ visit to the White House after their Super Bowl LVII victory in February over the Philadelphia Eagles. I got to hold a championship ring, which is about the closest I’ll get to the big game…
Wow: An incredible 14-year-old animated a scene in “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse”…
Soraya McDonald wrote a powerful essay about Tina Turner and it's a must read…
“Abbott Elementary” delivered the biggest audience for an ABC comedy in three years, since the popular sitcom “Modern Family”...
Kelis is reportedly dating Bill Murray and I have so many questions…
Julia Mae Hunter-Rice, who recently celebrated her 107th birthday, says smiling is her secret to a long life…
Both Breonna Taylor and Tyre Nichols should have celebrated their 30th birthdays this week…
William Spriggs, one of the most prominent Black voices in economics, has died. He was 68…
Spoilers: Ineye Komonibo talked with Brian Tyree Henry and Issa Rae about the joy of "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse"...
Reuben Wilson, an organist who helped usher in soul jazz, has died. He was 88…
South Carolina GOP Senator Tim Scott stopped by “The View,” and the presidential hopeful was booed as he argued with Whoopi Goldberg and Sunny Hostin about race, LGBTQ rights and more...
Kristen Welker is set to become the first Black host of NBC’s long-running political show “Meet the Press”...
Tupac Shakur has posthumously received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (but he was probably watching the ceremony from across the street)…
A Black-owned chocolate company says it “exceeded” its 2023 revenue goal within 2.5 months of receiving a Keith Lee review…
Juvenile was upset that he wasn’t booked for the 2023 Essence Fest in New Orleans, but the organizers seem to have rectified the situation…
Tyler James Williams taught “everyone a lesson on how to combat homophobia and cultivate safe spaces for those in the LGBTQ+ community”…
My colleague Taryn Finley talked with hip-hop pioneer Yo-Yo about her new cooking show and reflected on her rap career…
Nicole Beharie fans were vindicated in their suspicions that the actress was treated unfairly on the set of "Sleepy Hollow" after an excerpt from a book was published in the Hollywood Reporter…
Stephen A. Smith told Fox News’s Sean Hannity that he’d vote for Chris Christie over any Democrat in the 2024 election. And he said he’s not apologizing for his comments about Biden…
A new study found that “previously sedentary 70- and 80-year-olds who started exercising, including some who had already experienced some cognitive decline, showed improvement in their brain function after workouts”…
What I’m Watching
Can you beat my time on Black Crossword? 1 minute and 3 seconds…
NPR is celebrating Black Music Month throughout June with Tiny Desk Performances from Babyface, Charlie Wilson (watch his here), and more…
Tory Lanez is set to be sentenced for shooting Megan Thee Stallion on June 13th. Prosecutors want the rapper to serve 13 years in prison…
The White House has announced a Juneteenth concert to take place on June 13th...
Mary Pryor is hosting a Father’s Day event in Harlem on June 18th, and it will provide dads with massages, cocktails, manicures and more…
The University of Michigan's Center for Racial Justice is accepting applications from activists, artists and scholars for its Visiting Fellows Program. The deadline is June 30th…