Tag: Entertainment-Variety

Legendary rap group Salt-N-Pepa and DJ Spinderella will be inducted into the NAACP Image Awards Hall of Fame during this year’s Image Awards ceremony.

Cheryl “Salt” James, Sandra “Pepa” Denton, and Deidra “DJ Spinderella” Roper will receive the special honor during the 57th NAACP Image Awards telecast on Saturday, Feb. 28. It’s the latest award for the rap trailblazers who were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last fall.

“As pioneers of hip-hop, Salt-N-Pepa and DJ Spinderella rewrote the rules and boldly claimed space in a genre that forever changed because of their voices, style, and undeniable talent,” said NAACP president and CEO Derrick Johnson. “Inducting them into the NAACP Image Awards Hall of Fame is a celebration of more than an iconic career – it’s a tribute to trailblazers who opened doors, and inspired generations in a way that still resonates today.”

The Hall of Fame Award is presented to “individuals or groups who have been pioneers in their respective fields and whose influence continues to shape their industry for generations.” Past inductees include New Edition, Eddie Murphy, Oprah Winfrey, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Spike Lee and Earth, Wind and Fire. Last year, the Wayans family received the special honor.

“Salt-N-Pepa and DJ Spinderella have built a legacy defined by confidence, authenticity, and cultural influence,” said Connie Orlando, executive VP of specials, music programming & music strategy at BET. “They reshaped how women are seen and heard in music, creating space for bold self-expression and empowerment. Inducting them into the NAACP Image Awards Hall of Fame honors a career that continues to strengthen community, elevate culture, and connect generations.”

The NAACP also announced the lineup of presenters for the ceremony, including “Sinners” filmmaker Ryan Coogler and stars Delroy Lindo and Miles Caton; “One Battle After Another” duo Chase Infiniti and Regina Hall; “You, Me & Tuscany” stars Halle Bailey and Regé-Jean Page; Janelle James; Nicole Beharie; Ryan Michelle Bathé; Sterling K. Brown; and the cast of Tyler Perry’s “Sistas.” NAACP president & CEO Derrick Johnson and NAACP chairman Leon W. Russell will also present during the ceremony, with Colman Domingo set to be recognized with the President’s Award and Viola Davis to accept the Chairman’s Award.

Other special honorees during this year’s NAACP Image Awards week include A$AP Rocky, who will receive the Vanguard Award for fashion; and Rev. Dr. Jamal-Harrison Bryant, who will receive the prestigious Mildred Bond Roxborough Social Justice Impact Award.

Deon Cole returns to host the 57th NAACP Image Awards, broadcast live from the Pasadena Civic Auditorium at 8 p.m. ET/PT on BET, CBS and across Paramount networks. Kyla Pratt and Terrence J. have been tapped to host the live red carpet pre-show, beginning at 3 p.m. PT on BET.com.

Ed Skrein is the latest addition to the live-action “God of War” TV series at Amazon Prime Video.

Skrein will star as Baldur in the series, which is currently in pre-production in Vancouver. He will appear alongside series leads Ryan Hurst (Kratos) and Callum Vinson (Atreus), as well as cast members Max Parker as Heimdall, Ólafur Darri Ólafsson as Thor, Mandy Patinkin as Odin, Alastair Duncan as Mimir, and Danny Woodburn and Jeff Gulka as as brothers Brok and Sindri.

As previously reported, the series will pick up with the story of the two most recent “God of War” games, in which Kratos must raise his ten-year old son Atreus while battling god of the Norse pantheon. Per the logline, “Father and son Kratos and Atreus embark on a journey to spread the ashes of their wife and mother, Faye. Through their adventures, Kratos tries to teach his son to be a better god, while Atreus tries to teach his father how to be a better human.”

The official character description for Baldur states:

“Baldur may be the youngest son of Odin, but he’s his father’s most dangerous weapon. Charismatic, unpredictable and armed with a razor-sharp tongue, Baldur lives by his own rules. As a boy, Baldur was cursed; this curse denied him the ability to feel pleasure and physical sensation. This fuels an insatiable anger and bloodlust in Baldur, who favors a brawling fighting style that blends his immense power with the raw impact of his fists. Above all else, he longs for an opponent that can truly match his prowess in battle. An opponent that can finally make him feel something.”

Skrein’s TV credits include “Game of Thrones” and “All the Light We Cannot See.” He is best known for his film roles, including starring in the first “Deadpool” movie as the villainous Francis/Ajax as well as features like Zack Snyder’s “Rebel Moon,” “Jurassic World Rebirth,” and “Alita: Battle Angel.”

He is repped by WME, 42, and Johnson Shapiro Slewett & Kole.

“God of War” has received a two-season order at Amazon. Ronald D. Moore is the writer, executive producer, and showrunner on “God of War” under his Tall Ship Productions banner.

Frederick E.O. Toye will direct the first two episodes of “God of War.” Maril Davis of Tall Ship also executive produces alongside Cory Barlog, Naren Shankar, Matthew Graham, Asad Qizilbash, Jeff Ketcham, Hermen Hulst, Roy Lee, and Brad Van Arragon. Joe Menosky, Marc Bernardin, Tania Lotia, and Ben McGinnis serve as co-executive producers on the series. The series is co-produced by Sony Pictures Television and Amazon MGM Studios in association with PlayStation Productions and Tall Ship Productions. Tall Ship is under an overall deal at Sony TV.

Mara Brock Akil, the acclaimed showrunner and executive producer, is set to make her debut as a novelist with “The Revelation of Dionne Daphne,” to be published June 30.

The novel will be released by Storehouse Voices, an imprint of Crown Publishing. Known as the creator of such enduring series as UPN/CW’s “Girlfriends,” CW/BET’s “The Game,” BET’s “Being Mary Jane,” OWN’s “Love Is __” and Netflix’s “Forever,” Brock Akil brings her signature storytelling to the page with a story that explores love, identity, buried trauma and self-revelation.

“The Revelation of Dionne Daphne” centers on Dionne Daphne, a magnetic, thirty-something New Yorker in the 1990s who appears to have it all. She is the beauty editor at a prestigious magazine, moves within elite social circles and has a seemingly perfect boyfriend. That carefully curated life begins to fracture when he arrives unannounced at her Brooklyn doorstep with life-altering news, forcing Dionne to confront truths she has long avoided.

As Dionne reckons with the present, she is pulled into her past, unearthing a dark secret hidden since childhood. What follows is an emotionally charged exploration of enduring love, world-shattering revelations and personal awakening. At once provocative and deeply moving, the novel traces broken lovers, fractured families and distant friendships as they find their way back to one another, revealing how light can emerge from life’s deepest shadows.

The novel marks a significant expansion of Brock Akil’s storytelling across mediums. Over a career spanning more than 25 years, she has introduced audiences to complex characters, including Joan Clayton of “Girlfriends,” Mary Jane Paul of “Being Mary Jane” and, most recently, Keisha in the Netflix series “Forever.”

“I wrote this novel to take readers through a story that may feel familiar — one of isolation, shame, resilience and the redemptive power of love,” Brock Akil said. “My hope is that readers see themselves in Dionne, recognize the weight they’ve been carrying and feel permission to release it. Stepping into fiction has been a beautiful expansion of my storytelling, and I’m grateful to have Storehouse Voices alongside me on this journey.”

“Mara Brock Akil has shaped the emotional landscape of a generation through television,” said Tamira Chapman, publisher of Storehouse Voices. “With “The Revelation of Dionne Daphne,” she brings that same vulnerability, insight and cultural fluency to the page. This is a powerful literary debut that affirms the permanence and importance of Black women’s interior lives.”

Chelcee Johns, executive editor at Storehouse Voices, said the novel exceeded expectations years in the making. “This debut wrestles with sexual awakening, family trauma, sudden love and evolving friendship through a character with as much bite as tenderness,” Johns said. “We’re proud to publish Mara Brock Akil’s fiction debut and excited for longtime fans and new readers alike.”

Brock Akil’s work has earned widespread recognition, including the African American Film Critics Association TV Honors Legacy Award in 2025. She will receive the Producers Guild of America’s Norman Lear Achievement Award on Feb. 28, in Los Angeles. Her hit Netflix series “Forever,” adapted from the beloved Judy Blume novel, reached No. 1 on the platform last year and is set to return for a second season.

Gwyneth Paltrow will be honored at the New York Women in Film & Television’s 46th annual Muse Awards on March 20.

She joins previously announced honorees Jamie Brewer, Patricia Cardoso, Izzy Harrison, Audra McDonald, Jane Raab and Joy Reid.

“Gwyneth Paltrow embodies the bold, multidimensional leadership we celebrate at the Muse Awards,” NYWIFT CEO Cynthia Lopez said in a statement on Tuesday morning. “As an Academy Award–winning performer, she has delivered iconic work on screen, and as the founder and CEO of goop, she has redefined what it means for an artist to build and lead a global enterprise. Her career reflects vision, risk-taking, and cultural impact both in front of and behind the camera.

“She joins an extraordinary class of honorees this year – trailblazers across film, television, journalism, sports, and advocacy – who together represent the power of women shaping the future of our industry,” Lopez continued.

In addition to her Oscar-winning acting work, Paltrow is the founder of goop, multiple category-ensemble of brands, including goop Beauty, GWYN, and goop Kitchen, a fast-growing, health-forward take-out and delivery concept with 13 locations and new market expansions underway.

The gala will take place at Cipriani 42nd St. and will be emceed by “CBS Sunday Morning” contributor, comedian and actress ​Nancy Giles.

Founded in 1977, NYWIFT connects, educates and advocates for women to accelerate diversity and equity in media, to better reflect our world and transform our culture. The Muse Awards is NYWIFT’s flagship fundraising event attended by an audience of 700 leading executives from every major studio, broadcast and cable network and film production facility.

Robert De Niro became emotional during a recent appearance on the “The Best People With Nicole Wallace” podcast, where the Oscar-winning actor urged people to “resist” President Donald Trump and his administration.

“The story is our country, and Trump is destroying it, and who knows what his reasons are, but it’s sick, it’s fucked up,” he said. “We have to save the country.”

De Niro then described Trump as the “enemy of this country,” adding, “Let’s not kid ourselves. It’s that simple. Everybody has to stick together to get them out and get back on track.”

Throughout the podcast interview, De Niro repeatedly called on Americans to oppose Trump’s administration.

“People have to resist, resist, resist, resist, resist. That’s the only way. There’s no magic. There’s no nothing – people are not going to go away, even if Trump dies for some reason by having an illness or something,” he said at one point. “Parts of that movement are still there, and that’s the scary part. It has to be neutralized by the people.”

Toward the end of their conversation, Wallace referenced De Niro’s 1981 Academy Award acceptance speech for “Raging Bull.” She noted how he “thanked everybody” and that he’s “always about lifting up everybody around you.”

When asked, “Why is that?” De Niro began to choke up. “You have to — you have to lift people up,” he said, his voice cracking. “You have to bring them together. Period. You can’t divide people. You can’t win that way.”

He continued, “It’s a no-win situation, and look what we have, look who we have there, it’s almost like a destiny to have this thing there, destroying… attempting to destroy this country and maybe not even understanding why. So it’s up to us to protect the country.”

Robert De Niro is among the Hollywood figures who have been outspoken in their criticism of Trump. In October 2025, the actor appeared in a video shared on the TikTok account of the political activist group Indivisible, encouraging people to attend the No Kings protests.

“The original No Kings protest was 250 years ago,” De Niro said. “Americans decided they didn’t want to live under the rule of King George III. They declared their independence and fought a bloody war for democracy. We’ve had two and a half centuries of democracy since then. Often challenging, sometimes messy, always essential.”

He continued, “Now we have a would-be king who wants to take it away: King Donald the First. Fuck that. We’re rising up again, this time, nonviolently raising our voices to declare: No Kings.”

Watch De Niro’s full conversation on the “The Best People” podcast below.

Critical Role has hired Hallmark Media alum Alyssa Zeisler as general manager of its paid streaming service Beacon.

Launch in May 2024 by the Critical Role team, Beacon offers exclusive and early access content for fans of the D&D-inspired brand, as well as live event pre-sales, instant access to VODs and podcasts, discounts on merchandise

In her new role, Zeisler will oversee Beacon’s product roadmap, business performance, content and platform strategy, as well as the continued evolution of Beacon as a community hub, creator-led ecosystem, and a central destination for all things Critical Role and table-top, role-playing games. Under Zeisler, Critical Role’s mission is to continue to grow Beacon “as a fan-first membership experience while supporting Critical Role’s long-term vision for sustainable, meaningful expansion across relevant formats, platforms, and markets.”

Most recently, Zeisler was Hallmark Media’s vice president of product, where she helped lead the relaunch of streamer Hallmark+. Prior to her time at Hallmark, Zeisler worked for Dow Jones, where she served as vice president of subscription and strategic products and research development chief at The Wall Street Journal. Previously, Zeisler was audience managing editor at Barron’s.

“Beacon is central to how we think about the future of Critical Role, and it’s time for it to level up and evolve,” Critical Role CEO and co-founder Travis Willingham said. “Alyssa brings exactly the kind of leadership this next phase requires. She understands how to build lasting, audience-first platforms at scale, and her experience leading subscription and direct-to-consumer businesses makes her a perfect fit to help Beacon grow while staying true to the unique authenticity that makes Critical Role what it is.”

Zeisler added: “My goal for Beacon is to make it the gold standard for direct-to-consumer platforms. It’s a place where we can experiment with new formats in the TTRPG space while creating a seamless experience for fans. We’re building the blueprint for how a community-led brand transitions into a sustainable, global media company, and I’m excited to be at the helm as we evolve this ecosystem into something truly industry-defining.”