Taye Diggs: Studios set double standard for black films

Actor Taye Diggs says Hollywood studios hold African-American films to a frustratingly separate and unfair standard.

Whether a studio decides to proceed with a black-oriented film can depend on the success of other movies with primarily African-American casts, even if the projects are unconnected, said Diggs, who starred in "The Best Man" romantic comedy and its sequel.

In a recent interview, the actor said he and others who worked on the "Best Man" movies are eager to start on a third. But its fate is tied to how other black-oriented films, including the upcoming "Think Like a Man Too," perform at the box office, he said.

"Unfortunately, the business is such that as far as studios are concerned, they judge one quote-unquote black movie on how other 'black' movies have done, even if they have nothing to do with each other," he said.

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McDonald's CEO Don Thompson supports a minimum wage increase

[SOURCE] One of the largest employers of low-wage workers said that the company will support a minimum wage hike. That is, if the legislation moves forward.

McDonald’s CEO Don Thompson gave the conditional endorsement in a widely overlooked speech last month at Northwestern University, according to a Chicago Tribune report.

“You know, our franchisees look at me when I say this and they start to worry: ‘Don, don’t you say it. Don’t you say we support $10.10,’” Thompson said. “I will tell you we will support legislation that moves forward.”

“McDonald’s will be fine,” he said at the early May speech. “We’ll manage through whatever the additional cost implications are.”

Michelle Obama speech at Maya Angelou Memorial

Here is Michelle Obama's emotional speech at the Maya Angelou Memorial held at wake Forest University on 06/04/14

Tracy Morgan in intensive care after car accident

[SOURCE] 30 Rock star Tracy Morgan is in intensive care following a serious crash on the New Jersey Turnpike.

The comedian's limo bus collided with a pair of tractor-trailers north of Trenton around 1 a.m. on Saturday. State police tell Philadelphia's NBC10 that one of the truckers was to blame. Reports say six vehicles were involved, all told.

Morgan was taken to Robert Wood Johnson Medical Center in New Brunswick. Police say one of the passengers from his bus has died; three others were critically injured and one is listed as being in fair condition.

Morgan was scheduled to perform at a casino in Dover, Del., Friday night and was presumably traveling home to Bergen County, N.J.

Koch Brothers Gift $25 Million To United Negro College Fund

[SOURCE] The United Negro College Fund announced a $25 million grant Friday from Koch Industries Inc. and the Charles Koch Foundation — a large donation from the conservative powerhouse Koch name that Democrats have sought to vilify heading into the 2014 midterm elections.

From the donation, $18.5 million will go toward nearly 3,000 merit-based scholarships to African-American students, and $6.5 million will go toward general support for historically black colleges and universities and the UNCF.

African-Americans are a key constituency within the Democratic Party. But Michael Lomax, president and CEO of UNCF, said that since the organization's inception in 1944, it has reached out to people of all backgrounds for support without an "ideological lens" because it is in everyone's interest. The organization has awarded $100 million in scholarships to more than 12,000 students at 900 schools this year alone, but he said the need is so great that the organization turns away nine out of every 10 applicants, or about 100,000 students annually.

He said that in today's politically charged climate, he's prepared to take criticism from those of different political leanings than the Kochs.

"Criticism is a small price for helping young people get the chance to realize their dream of a college education, and if I've got to bear the brunt of someone else's criticism to ensure that we have the resources to help those students, then I can handle it, and I can take the heat," Lomax said.