My Publicist Note Book

Famed movie critic Roger Ebert dies at age 70 [Thank you. Forty-six years ago on April 3, 1967, I became the film critic for the Chicago Sun-Times. Some of you have read my reviews and columns and even written to me since that time. Others were introduced to my film criticism through the television show, my books, the website, the film festival, or the Ebert Club and newsletter.  However you came to know me, I'm glad you did and thank you for being the best readers any film critic could ask for -   Roger Ebert  on  April 2, 2013 9:37 PM ]  T he Pulitzer Prize-winning movie critic for the Chicago Sun-Times for more than 45 years and for more than three decades the co-host of one of the most powerful programs in television history (initially with the late Gene Siskel, the movie critic for the Chicago Tribune, and, following Siskel’s death in 1999, with his Sun-Times colleague Richard Roeper), Ebert died Thursday, according to a family friend. He was ...

Jada Pinkett-Smith’s ‘Free Angela’ Documentary Hits Theaters April 5th Jada Pinkett-Smith  is creating the change she wants to see. Her list of projects includes a powerful new documentary film,  Free Angela and All Political Prisoners , which will be shown in select theaters on Friday, April 5th. Directed by  Shola Lynch , the film chronicles the life of extraordinary political activist and professor  Angela Davis , who was branded a terrorist and jailed in 1970 for her affiliations with the Communist Party USA  and  Black Panther Party . Executive-produced by  Jada  and  Will Smith ‘s  Overbook Entertainment  and  Jay-Z ‘s  Roc Nation , the film debuted at the  Toronto Film Festival  last fall, as well as the  London International Film Festival  and Stockholm International Film Festival . In January 2013,  Free Angela  was  acquired by  Codeblack , a subsidiary ...

Remembering The passing of Dr. martin Luther King ...April 4, 1968...It was 45 years ago today that civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was killed by an assassin’s bullet in Memphis. The world has changed greatly since 1968, but King’s message survives intact. King was in Tennessee to help support a sanitation workers’ strike. At the age of 39, King was already an internationally known figure. Starting with the Montgomery boycott in 1955, King had led a series of nonviolent protests against discrimination. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. changed the course of history and inspired us to build what he called "the beloved community." The King Legacy of Service Anniversary video tells the story of how Dr. King's birthday evolved into a national day of service. Featuring civil rights luminaries such as Congressman John Lewis, Reverend Dr. Joseph Lowery, and Ruby Bridges, the 6-minute video reminds us of the importance of keeping Dr. King's legacy of se...

Billy Crudup, Anton Yelchin, Selena Gomez & Laurence Fishburne Are 'Rudderless' For William H. Macy. Having worked with folks like  Steven Spielberg, the Coen Brothers, Paul Thomas Anderson, David Mamet, Gus Van Sant  and more,  William H. Macy  has no shortage of experience to draw on as he makes his feature directorial debut. But first, he'll need to get a cast together and he's done just that! Billy Crudup, Anton Yelchin, Selena Gomez  and  Laurence Fishburne  have all joined the perhaps too obviously titled " Rudderless " alongside Macy and his wife  Felicity Huffman . Macy and Felicity Huffman star in  Rudderless ,   a musical drama about a grieving father who forms a band after finding his deceased son’s songs. The Shameless  star co-wrote the original story with Casey Twenter and Jeff Robison, who adapted the script. Unified Pictures’ Keith Kjarval is producing with Amberdale’s Brad Greiner. Macy's ot...

New ‘Hannibal’ Trailer and Images: Meet Dr. Lecter and His Associates Bryan Fuller’s   Hannibal   television series is a different, but equally disturbing, take on the tale of Dr. Hannibal “The Cannibal” Lecter. Hugh Dancy plays Special Agent William Graham (the protagonist of   Red Dragon ), who has retired from his position as a profiler with the FBI, tormented by his ability to somehow understand and, to a degree,   empathize   with the serial killers he pursues. 1   Mads Mikkelsen costars as Dr. Lecter, a brilliant psychiatrist recruited by the FBI to assist Graham when he (reluctantly) returns to work. Laurence Fishburne ( Man of Steel ) and Caroline Dhavernas ( Wonderfalls ) costar as Graham’s boss Agent Jack Crawford and Lecter’s protégé Dr. Alana “Al” Bloom. Meanwhile, the pilot episode script written by Fuller was brought to life under the direction of David Slade ( Hard Candy ,  The Twilight Saga: Eclip...

NBC's Hannibal — 'A Killer's Legend Reborn' Trailer Thursday nights are going to get scary. Thanks in part to TV producer Bryan Fuller, and his fast-approaching horror series "Hannibal," about the non-prison days of Dr Hannibal Lecter, which will be debuting on April 4th. And if you ask us, the NBC show will definitely make nighttime TV viewings a little jittery. Case in point: this brand-new creepy trailer for the horror series, starring Hugh Dancy as an imaginative, yet mentally unstable, FBI profiler, who gets assigned to a mind-probing psychiatrist with a snacky penchant for human flesh. Well, to be fair at this point in his life, no one knows Dr. Lecter (played by Danish star Mads Mikkelsen) is a cannibalistic serial killer. Which makes it even more disturbing. Will he or won't he ... eat his new partner? Now, that's what we call entertainment! synopsis: Will Graham is a gifted criminal profiler who is on the hunt for a ...

Syl Johnson Fet. Melody Whittle w/ Syleena Johnson [ together they fuse a powerhouse of soul treasures and hit a home run ] On Sound Cloud Now!! Click to Play  

Michael Baisden Radio Show Canceled After Failure to Reach Syndication Deal with Cumulus. Nationally syndicated afternoon radio host Michael Baisden is leaving radio and not entirely of his own volition.... The drama between  Michael Baisden  and  CUMULUS MEDIA NETWORKS  came to a head with his show being canceled for good. His final day was supposed to be Friday, March 29. Baisden and comedian co-host George Willborn were supposed to begin the farewells after 10 years on radio on yesterday’s show. However, reports say that when Baisden arrived at Cumulus radio studios to begin his broadcast, he discovered that he had been locked out and a repeat show was aired. It’s not clear whether Baisden will get the opportunity to bid his audience farewell on the Cumulus network, but he is using his massive social media following to share his thoughts about the situation and hint at possible future plans. Here’s an excerpt from Michael Baisden’s  ...

Premieres Friday,June 7th, 2013 Join the over 30 million people that will watch us Anywhere... Anytime! Meeting a need​  ... [​ ​ In a recent poll, nearly all African Americans polled -- 97 percent -- say they are unhappy with the African-American TV programs currently on air. Seventy-five percent say they want more documentaries, 71 percent prefer more history, 68 percent desire to see more independent films and 59 percent would like to see more news, according to a new study conducted by Target Market News, a Chicago-based organization that tracks African-American consumer market trends .​] Black on Purpose Television Network is reaching out to independent filmmakers and others with content and fresh Ideas of all kinds to air on the network. For a list of what we are looking for as well as information on the network please visit our website: www.blackonpurpose.tv FILLING A NEED... Historically, the portrayal of minorities in movies, telev...