VIDEO DISCUSSION: Ryan Coogler could not start directing Panther until he visited Africa; Halle Berry turns heads on the NAACP Image Awards red carpet; Ava DuVernay wins big

What's The 411 hosts Kizzy Cox and Onika McLean are talking about Halle Berry at the NAACP Image Awards; the name of Kim and Kanye West's new baby; kid CEO, Gabby Goodwin; Black Panther director Ryan Coogler; Ava DuVernay winning Entertainer of the Year at the NAACP Image Awards; Jordan Peele's Academy Award nomination for Best Director, Best Picture, and Best Original Screenplay; Daniel Kaluuya's Academy Award nomination for Best Actor, and the upcoming Lifetime movie about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

VIDEO CONVERSATION: Angela Rye is getting death threats for dating rapper Common; Tyrese child custody case settled for now; Congrats to Cardi B., and more

In Episode 119 of What’s The 411, journalist Kizzy Cox, and comedian Onika McLean are talking about the following:

QUICK TAKES:

Political commentator, Angela Rye has received death threats reportedly for dating rapper/actor Common.

Karreuche Tran and her manager, Jacob York, were on the Angie Martinez Show on Power 105FM. When the topic of Karreuche’s appearance on Iyanla Vanzant’s Fix My Life came up, York said it was good for Karreuche to be on the show, but as far as Ms. Vanzant is concerned, ‘she’s fake’!

RZA files trademark lawsuit against a Brooklyn dog walking company, ‘WOOF-TANG CLAN’.

Rapper Snoop Dogg is not one to mince any words. He clapped back at Donald Trump and cussed him out in a video in defense of Lavar Ball, the father of the UCLA basketball player who was arrested in China for shoplifting, and football player Marshawn Lynch, who recently took a knee during the National Anthem. If you check out the video, be sure to not to watch it at work.

Congratulations to Jordin Sparks she got married to Dana Isaiah in a secret ceremony in July, and she is now pregnant with her first child. The baby is due next spring.

In more baby news, congratulations to Kevin Hart and wife Eniko Parrish Hart on the birth of their son, Kenzo Hart.

Producer/director, Jordan Peele, says golfer Tiger Woods is in the ‘sunken place’ for golfing with Donald Trump.

And, Nigerian women are set to make history as the continent of Africa’s first African Olympic bobsled team is all women. The Nigerian women's bobsled team will be competing in the 2018 Winter Olympics to be held in Pyeongchang, South Korea, Feb 9th – 25th, 2018. 

Shout out to rapper Cardi B for her historic Grammy nomination. Cardi B is the first female rapper to be nominated in the Best Rap Song category.

WHAT’S POPPIN’ - CULTURE

The floodgates are open. Since the sexual abuse allegations from women against Harvey Weinstein, women’s sexual abuse claims against powerful men are now being taken more seriously. Even Terry Crews has opened up about being groped by another man.

Q. Kizzy, why do you think people now believe women now?

WHAT’S POPPIN – FILM AND POLITICS

Actor Denzel Washington places blame for black incarceration with parenting, according to several news reports. During a reporters’ press briefing about his new film, Roman J. Israel, Esq., Washington stated:

“It starts at the home…It starts with how you raise your children. If a young man doesn’t have a father figure, he’ll go find a father figure…So you know I can’t blame the system. It’s unfortunate that we make such easy work for them.”

Q. Is Denzel Washington right, is he overstating the issue, or do you think he is missing underlying issues?

WHAT’S POPPIN – RELATIONSHIPS

It’s a whole new world. Prince Harry (UK) proposed to American actress Meghan Markle. The royal wedding is scheduled for Spring 2018.

WHAT’S POPPIN – RELATIONSHIPS

As you probably know, singer/actor Tyrese Gibson and his former wife Norma Gibson, have been engaged in a brutal custody battle over their 10-year-old daughter. Well, according to TMZ, the judge in the case ruled Tyrese will have his daughter for Christmas and New Year’s, and both Tyrese and his former wife, Norma Gibson, will get 50/50 joint custody beginning in January.

Q. What do you think about the judge’s ruling in this case? Did the judge get this custody battle right?

PHOTO OF THE WEEK:

Our Photo of the Week is a wedding photo of professional tennis player, Serena Williams and her husband, Alexis Ohanian, one of the co-founders of Reddit.

MOTIVATIONAL QUOTE OF THE WEEK:

Our Motivational Quote of the Week is:

“You can’t win in life, if you’re losing in your mind. Change your thoughts, and it’ll change your life.”

A quote from Tony Gaskins, and posted by Raqiyah Mays on LinkedIn.

A United Kingdom merges the credibility of a true story with romance and international intrigue

In 1947, a young man meets a young woman at a social event. They talk and dance and enjoy each other’s company. He asks her out again. She accepts. Once more, they have fun together. It doesn’t take long for them to fall in love. This a common scenario, especially for that time period. But other factors make this match much, much more complicated.

He is Seretse Khama (David Oyelowo) the King of the African nation of Botswana. She is Ruth Williams (Rosamund Pike), a London office worker. He is black; she is white. Their proposed marriage is challenged not only by their families but by the British and South African governments.
South Africa has just introduced apartheid, a series of laws designed to keep blacks and whites separate in almost every aspect of life. And a highly visible interracial couple, especially a black man and white woman, in a neighboring country threatens the foundation of these new laws. The British, heavily reliant upon South Africa’s uranium and gold, doesn’t want to upset its trading partner. Further, there is also a risk of war if South Africa invades Botswana, a British protectorate.

A United Kingdom is a fascinating story that would almost be unbelievable if it weren’t true. And it’s a See It! The story moves quickly through the mutual attraction which overwhelms Ruth and Seretse. Each seems to believe that the other isn’t as serious about the relationship as he or she is. As the story develops, it’s clear that there is nothing political or Machiavellian about their love. It’s pure and natural as any bond between two people. Yet her father disowns her. His uncle who carefully molded his nephew to assume the mantel of power now views his mentee as unfit to serve as king.

A United Kingdom effectively depicts the political atmosphere at that is extremely hostile to a union that in today’s world would cause in many cases, no more than a minor stir. (However, there is a bit of a buzz over Prince Harry’s current, apparently, serious relationship with African-American actress, Megan Markle.)

The dialogue is used as a powerful device to capture the sentiment of each side. Ruth’s sister who supports the relationship nevertheless reminds Ruth of English facilities that post signs: No blacks. No Irish. No Dogs. And Seretse’s uncle delivers a powerful speech besieging his countrymen to reject his nephew as their leader pointing out that the British would have never allowed Princess Elizabeth’s ascendancy to the throne as queen, had she married a Negro.

But filmmaking is about basics. And, A United Kingdom is a love story and it doesn’t work unless Rosamund and David sizzle together - and they do. They worked together before and Oyelowo hand-picked Pike for the project. They create the on-screen bond which convinces audiences that they could withstand international manipulation and hostility.

The film is directed by Amma Asante, who is British, and whose directing credits include the film, Belle. She, a black woman married to a man of Scandinavian heritage said in a recent interview that all interracial marriages even today, are political - or at least viewed that way.

A United Kingdom is Rated PG-13 for some language including racial epithets and a scene of sensuality and is 111 minutes in length. It will educate, entertain and amaze you. And it’s a See It!

It needs some work but it’s a nice house, large rooms, furniture comes with it, so the three college students who need a place to live decide to rent it. Elliott (Douglas Smith), his girlfriend Sasha (Cressida Bonas), and his friend from childhood John (Lucien Laviscount) move in. Immediately they start seeing things. A tall skeletal man in a hooded robe moves about. And of course, they hear noises. Kim, (Jenna Kanell) a friend of Sasha’s, conducts a séance and realizes that these occurrences are not Elliott’s, Sasha’s and John’s imagination. There’s really something going on in that house. Elliot goes to the college library to research some writings he found in the house and links a mass murder almost 50 years ago to the events going on where they live.

The Bye, Bye Man is a low budget film starring a group of relative unknowns but it just somehow comes together. And it gets our highest rating, See It! First and foremost it’s not predictable. It does have unlikely character responses, typical of horror films. But, The Bye, Bye Man isn’t full of “you’ve seen it all before” plotlines. The stress of living in the house creates some intriguing conflicts between Elliott, Sasha, and John.

I have written before about the importance of writers creating characters that viewers connect with. The screenwriters succeed here; because this is a group that you’ll root for. The Bye, Bye Man actors are relatively unknown but proffer solid performances. Cressida Bonas is not as well-known as an actress as she could be considering a few years ago she drew international attention as Prince Harry’s steady girlfriend.

Veteran actress Faye Dunaway has a small supporting role. (I have to admit I thought she was dead.)

The Bye, Bye Man gets a B+ for cast diversity. It’s very diverse in terms of black actors, including Lucien Laviscount in a leading role, but Hispanics and Asians are non-existent in this movie.

The Bye, Bye Man was shot in Cleveland in five weeks with a minuscule budget of $10 million. Also, it ends in a way that opens the door for a sequel.

The Bye, Bye Man is rated PG-13 (for terror, horror violence, bloody images, sexual content, thematic elements, partial nudity, some language and teen drinking) and perfectly timed at 96 minutes. And it’s a See It!