Roland S. Martin's Blog, page 100

Hill Harper Joins CBS Pilot ‘Limitless’

Source: Nellie Andreeva / Deadline.com CSI: NY alum Hill Harper is returning to CBS with a co-starring role opposite Jake McDorman and Jennifer Carpenter in CBS’ drama pilot Limitless, based on the 2011 feature starring Bradley Cooper. The pilot, executive produced by Cooper, follows Brian Sinclair (McDorman) as he discovers the power of the mysterious drug NZT […]

Record Breaker: ‘Empire’ Soundtrack Scores Rare No. 1 For TV Series

Source: Erik Pedersen and Dominic Patten / Deadline.com Shattering a lot of the rules of television, Fox’s Empire has been the No. 1 show on the Big 4 networks for weeks, and now its soundtrack is the No. 1 album in the country. The hip-hop soap debuts in the top spot on the Billboard 200 this week, and […]

UK TV Veterans Form Indie Media Outfit Sugar Films To “Redefine Diversity”

Source: Nancy Tartaglione / Deadline.com UK TV execs Pat Younge, Narinder Minhas and Lucy Pilkington are launching Sugar Films, a London- and Cardiff-based TV production and digital media indie. The focus will be on integrating television content, digital production and creative solutions to create “bold, diverse and provocative content.” Those will include returnable formats, documentaries and specialist factual […]

HBO Films Acquires David Oyelowo’s ‘Nightingale’ For May Premiere

Source: Denise Petski / Deadline.com HBO Films has acquired Nightingale starring David Oyelowo (Selma) for a May 29 premiere. Directed by Elliott Lester from a screenplay by Frederick Mensch,Nightingale is a single-character drama that probes the darkest corners of a disturbed mind, as a war veteran begins to unravel thread by thread. The searing story […]

‘Empire’ Finale Ratings Hit New High, Double Digit Rise Over Last Week

Source: Dominic Patten / Deadline.com The final numbers are in and Empire gone up again. Nielsen numbers have the 8 – 10 PM finale of the Fox drama snagging a 6.5 rating among adults 18-49 and 16.7 million total viewers. First of all, that’s a record for the TV ratings rule breaking series and up 71% and 69% […]

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Kevin Hart And Airport Bathrooms Don’t Mix Well (VIDEO)

Source: Nick Vadala / Philly.com North Philly native Kevin Hart chatted with Jon Stewart onThe Daily Show Wednesday, relaying a story in the process about what he says was the most embarrassing moment of his life. Hart, it turns, is no fan of airport bathrooms — or, at least, not after someone kicked in the […]

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Ex-Phily Cops Loses Civil Rights Trial

Source: Julie Shaw / Philly.com A FEDERAL JURY in a civil case yesterday found that two police officers did not violate an ex-cop’s constitutional rights and cause him harm when they stopped and frisked him in 2013 and did not use unreasonable force. But the ruling in favor of Officers David O’Connor, 31, and Brad Momme, […]

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White Girl Writes Black Friend, Saying Her Dad Forbade Her From Attending Birthday Party Because Of Race

Source: Tobias Salinger / New York Daily News This Tennessee girl got a gift-wrapped lesson in bigotry for her 10th birthday. Harmony Jones, who is black, invited a white friend to her party on Friday night in Memphis, but the child received a stunning magic marker note in response: Her friend’s dad wouldn’t let her attend because […]

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Roland Martin Show Audio Podcast: GOP Still Stalling, Race Relations At Starbucks, 49'er Chris Borland Retires

In this edition of “The Roland Martin Show” Civil Rights Attorney Barbara Arnwine and Former Justice Dept. Prosecutor and Georgetown Law Professor Paul Butler discuss the GOP’s stalling of the Loretta Lynch confirmation vote. Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. speaks with Roland Martin from SXSW and talks about the continued struggle to diversify the tech industry, plus discusses the need for […]

NewsOne Now Attorney General Eric Holder Special Edition Audio Podcast

Outgoing AG Eric Holder Talks Criminal Justice Reform, Smart On Crime   Outgoing Attorney General Eric Holder spoke with Roland Martin about criminal justice reform during a recent one-on-one interview for TV One’s “NewsOne Now.” During their discussion Martin highlighted the fact that criminal justice issues surrounding sentencing and mandatory minimums have come into the […]