Brandon Curry wins 2019 Arnold Classic

Brandon Curry defeated the last year’s winner ‘The Giant Killer’ William Bonac as well as top flight contenders such as Roelly Winklaar and Cedric McMillan to win the 2019 Arnold Classic competition.

Curry, 36, of Murfreesboro, Tenn., had won Arnold championships in Brazil and Australia, but it was his first Arnold win in the United States.

Brandon Curry received a trophy and a check for $130,000 from the from Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Watch an interview of Curry with Muscular Development Magazine after winning the 2019 Arnold Classic:

Arnold Classic 2019 Official Results & Prize Money

Brandon Curry, $130,000

William Bonac, $75,000

Luke Sandoe, $30,000

Cedric McMillan, $50,000

Roelly Winklaar, $15,000

Steve Kuclo, $10,000

Aretha Franklin inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame

Aretha Franklin is among the performers named as inductees to the Blues Hall of Fame.The Blues Foundation announced this year's honourees on Friday. An induction ceremony is scheduled for May 8 at the Halloran Centre for the Performing Arts and Education in Memphis, Tennessee.

The blues and rhythm & blues are interconnected enough that installing the late Queen of Soul might seem like a no-brainer to many fans. But for anyone who doubts that Franklin counts as a true exemplar of the genre, the Blues Foundation helpfully points out that the very first record she ever released after signing with Columbia was a song called "Today I Sing the Blues," and her fifth album was "Unforgettable: A Tribute to Dinah Washington." In 1980 she released a compilation of her more blues-oriented early material, "Aretha Sings the Blues."

Count Basie and Booker T. & the MGs are also set into be inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame.

Dear Black Boy, a new children's book by former NFL star Martellus Bennet

Dear Black Boy, written by former NFL star Martellus Bennet is a letter of encouragement to all of the black boys around the world who feel like sports are all they have. It is a reminder that they are more than athletes, more than a jersey number, more than a great crossover or a forty-yard dash, that the biggest game that they'll ever play is the game of life, and there are people rooting for them off of the courts and fields, not as athletes, but as future leaders of the world. The same things that make these strong beautiful black boys great on whatever playing surface they choose are the same things that will propel them forward in life: mental toughness, dedication, passion, determination, and effort are all things that carry over into the game of life. With the right preparation, every Black Boy can win. 10% of proceeds from book sales will go to charity.

"I just felt like I needed to write something for the Black kids who had to see or witness these things," Bennett told The Root. “I thought about myself as a kid and the things that [kids today] see because of the way media is consumed. We didn’t have access to as many things that were happening in the world. Now, you see all these things.”

The book can be purchased through Bennet's own website at https://www.theimaginationagency.com/shop-categories/books/dear-black-boy/

Nzingha Stewart to direct Misty Copeland biopic, Life in Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina

New Line's Misty Copeland biopic, Life in Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina, has found its director in Nzingha Stewart.

The feature project adapts Copeland's best-selling memoir of the same name from the star dancer who became the first African-American woman to be promoted to principal dancer in the American Ballet Theatre.

The movie will chronicle Copeland's rise from her poor and tumultuous beginnings — she only began ballet at the late age of 13 and found herself in the middle of a custodial struggle between her mother and the ballet teachers who were her legal guardians at the time — to becoming a crossover star that has written books, appeared in movies and commercials, and has become a speaker.

"As an African-American woman, I know firsthand that when Misty Copeland leaps, we all soar," said Stewart in a statement. "As a filmmaker, I am thrilled to bring this hopeful, triumphant and cinematic story to the big screen."

Stewart is a prolific television director and has worked on shows ranging from How to Get Away With Murder and Scandal to Grey's Anatomy and A Million Little Things. She was also an exec producer on Tyler Perry's drama For Colored Girls. She is currently filming her feature directorial debut with Tall Girl, a coming-of-age story for Netflix.

[SOURCE: HOLLYWOOD REPORTER]

Cory Booker focusing on Trump's racist policies

New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker responded Friday to critics who believe he should unequivocally call President Trump “a racist.” Booker, campaigning for president at Reedy Fork Baptist Church, said he has been “very focused” on fighting Trump’s “racist and harmful policies” and is less concerned with “how you label” the president. He also accused Trump of emboldening white supremacists in the country.

Yahoo News asked Booker how he felt about the distinction at his event on Friday. He offered a lengthy critique of Trump’s positions on racial issues.

“Donald Trump has been using race … as a way to divide Americans. He’s been attacking people. He’s been using racist policies and language. He’s been empowering hate,” Booker said.

Booker went on to note FBI data showing that the number of hate crimes in the country spiked in 2017, Trump’s first year in office.

“We’ve seen unfortunate reports of biased incidences going up. I believe we need to protect ourselves and our communities and our neighborhoods from the kind of racist policies and actions that we see coming from this president,” Booker said. “It’s deeply unfortunate that this is a man who … can’t condemn Nazis … a guy who, literally, you see white supremacists using his language in their own materials.”

Booker added that Trump’s behavior has been “unacceptable” and is “something we should stand up against.”

“This is something that I’m very focused on from the time that I’ve been in office. I want to stand strong against the kind of policies that are hurting people,” said Booker.

After his extended criticism of the president, Yahoo News pressed Booker on whether he thought Trump was a “racist.”

“I’m less concerned about how you label him than I am about protecting people that he’s hurting and protecting against his racist and harmful policies,” Booker said.

[SOURCE: YAHOO NEWS]