'Amazing Grace' Aretha Franklin documentary set to be released on April 5, 2019

It's taken 46 years but the Aretha Franklin documentary 'Amazing Grace' is being released April 5, 2019.

'Amazing Grace' is a documentary presenting Aretha Franklin recording the most successful gospel album of all time. Amazing Grace is crafted from never before seen footage originally captured in 1972 of the live recording of the album at The New Bethel Baptist Church in Watts, Los Angeles in January 1972.

When Franklin was planning her album, Warner Brothers agreed to film the session in 1972.

Warner Communications, the parent company of Warner Brothers Films and the Warner, Reprise, Elektra and Atlantic labels, had reaped the rewards of that new buzz-word, “corporate synergy” with the success of the 1970 Michael Wadleigh film and album of Woodstock. Warner had paid $100,000 for the rights and the film grossed $17 million and the album sold three million copies. Warner Communications hoped for Amazing Grace to have that same success.

Warner Brothers’ Director of Music Services, Joe Boyd (Nick Drake, Pink Floyd Producer), proposed hiring Jim Signorelli, a documentary filmmaker and his team of 16mm cameramen. However, before Signorelli’s deal could be signed, Warner Brothers’ CEO, Ted Ashley, mentioned the project during a meeting with Sydney Pollack. At the time, Pollack was recently nominated for an Academy Award for Best Director for his film, They Shoot Horses Don’t They. Pollack immediately signed up for the project upon hearing Franklin’s name.

Recorded live at Rev James Cleveland’s church in Watts, California in front of a lively audience/congregation, Amazing Grace would become the highest selling album of Franklin’s career and the most popular Gospel album of all time.

However, the film was never released publicly.

Sydney Pollack was a feature-film director. When recording, sound is usually post-synched on the back-lot. After the remarkable two days of recording, the editors threw up their hands.+ There were no clappers, no marks to guide the sound into synch with the picture. Pollack hired lip readers and specialist editors but received no luck.

The film languished for almost 40 years before former Atlantic staff producer/Wexler protégé Alan Elliott came to Wexler and ultimately to Pollack. Together, Elliott, Wexler, and Pollack approached Warner Brothers about using new digital technology to match sound to picture and make a film out of the raw footage.

Forty-seven years later, this film is a testimony to the greatness of Aretha Franklin and a timemachine window into a moment in American musical and social history

Watch The Trailer Below.

For more information on the cities where'Amazing Grace will be released" https://www.amazing-grace-movie.com/

Complete list of 2019 Image Award Winners

Here's a complete list of the 2019 Image Award winners which were dominated by The Black Panther, Blackish, and Beyonce . 

Of course there was the required, and of course well earned Regina King victory and the Showtime series Power snuck in their for a few wins.

TELEVISION CATEGORIES

Outstanding Comedy Series

“Atlanta” (FX Networks)
“black-ish” (ABC) — WINNER
“Dear White People” (Netflix)
“grown-ish” (Freeform)
“Insecure” (HBO)

Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series

Anthony Anderson, “black-ish” (ABC) — WINNER
Cedric the Entertainer, “The Neighborhood” (CBS)
Donald Glover, “Atlanta” (FX Networks)
Dwayne Johnson, “Ballers” (HBO)
Tracy Morgan, “The Last O.G.” (TBS)

Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series

Danielle Brooks, “Orange is the New Black” (Netflix)
Issa Rae, “Insecure” (HBO)
Logan Browning, “Dear White People” (Netflix)
Tracee Ellis Ross, “black-ish ” (ABC) — WINNER
Yara Shahidi, “grown-ish” (Freeform)

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series

Jay Ellis, “Insecure” (HBO)
John David Washington, “Ballers” (HBO)
Laurence Fishburne, “black-ish” (ABC)
Marcus Scribner, “black-ish” (ABC) — WINNER
Tituss Burgess, “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” (Netflix)

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series

Essence Atkins, “Marlon” (NBC)
Marsai Martin, “black-ish” (ABC) — WINNER
Natasha Rothwell, “Insecure” (HBO)
Uzo Aduba, “Orange is the New Black” (Netflix)
Yvonne Orji, “Insecure” (HBO)

Outstanding Drama Series

“How To Get Away With Murder” (ABC)
“Power” (Starz) — WINNER
“Queen Sugar” (OWN)
“The Chi” (Showtime)
“This Is Us” (NBC)

Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series

Jason Mitchell, “The Chi” (Showtime)
Keith David, “Greenleaf” (OWN)
Kofi Siriboe, “Queen Sugar” (OWN)
Omari Hardwick, “Power” (Starz) — WINNER
Sterling K. Brown, “This Is Us ” (NBC)

Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series

Alfre Woodard, “Marvel’s Luke Cage” (Netflix)
Naturi Naughton, “Power” (Starz)
Rutina Wesley, “Queen Sugar” (OWN)
Taraji P. Henson, “Empire” (FOX) — WINNER
Viola Davis, “How to Get Away with Murder” (ABC)

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

Jesse Williams, “Grey’s Anatomy” (ABC) — WINNER
Joe Morton, “Scandal” (ABC)
Jussie Smollett, “Empire” (FOX)
Romany Malco, “A Million Little Things” (ABC)
Wendell Pierce, “Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan” (Prime Video)

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

CCH Pounder, “NCIS: New Orleans” (CBS)
Lynn Whitfield, “Greenleaf” (OWN) — WINNER
Sanaa Lathan, “The Affair” (Showtime)
Susan Kelechi Watson, “This Is Us” (NBC)
Thandie Newton, “Westworld” (HBO)

Outstanding Guest Performance in a Comedy or Drama Series

Erika Alexander – “Black Lightning” – Book of Consequences: Chapter Three: Master Lowery (CW)
Kendrick Lamar – “Power” – Happy Birthday (Starz)
Kerry Washington – “How to Get Away with Murder” – Lahey v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (ABC) — WINNER
Loretta Devine – “Love Is_” – Rose (Going Home) (OWN)
Tisha Campbell-Martin – “Empire” – Without Apology (Fox)

Outstanding Television Movie, Limited-Series or Dramatic Special

Behind The Movement (TV One)
Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert (NBC)
Seven Seconds (Netflix)
The Bobby Brown Story (BET) — WINNER
The Simone Biles Story: Courage to Soar (Lifetime)

Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Limited-Series or Dramatic Special

Brandon Victor Dixon, “Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert” (NBC)
John Legend, “Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert” (NBC)
Michael B. Jordan, “Fahrenheit 451” (HBO) — WINNER
Russell Hornsby, “Seven Seconds” (Netflix)
Woody McClain, “The Bobby Brown Story” (BET)

Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Limited-Series or Dramatic Special

Anna Deavere Smith, “Notes From the Field” (HBO)
Gabrielle Dennis, “The Bobby Brown Story” (BET)
Jeanté Godlock, “The Simone Biles Story: Courage to Soar” (Lifetime)
Regina King, “Seven Seconds” (Netflix) — WINNER
Toni Braxton, “Faith Under Fire: The Antoinette Tuff Story” (Lifetime)

Outstanding News/Information (Series or Special)

A Thousand Words With Michelle Obama (BET)
AM Joy (MSNBC)
Angela Rye’s State of the Union (BET)
Oprah Winfrey Presents: Becoming Michelle Obama (OWN) — WINNER
Unsung (TV One)

Outstanding Talk Series

“ESPN’s First Take” (ESPN)
“Red Table Talk” (Facebook Watch)
“The Daily Show with Trevor Noah” (Comedy Central)
“The Real” (Syndicated) — WINNER
“The View” (ABC)

Outstanding Reality Program, Reality Competition or Game Show (Series)

“Iyanla: Fix My Life” (OWN) — WINNER
“Lip Sync Battle” (Paramount Network)
“RuPaul’s Drag Race” (VH1)
“Shark Tank” (ABC)
“The Voice” (NBC)

Outstanding Variety Show (Series or Special)

“2 Dope Queens” (HBO)
“Black Girls Rock!” (BET) — WINNER
“Bruno Mars: 24K Magic Live at the Apollo” (CBS)
“Saturday Night Live” (NBC)
“Trevor Noah: Son of Patricia” (Netflix)

Outstanding Children’s Program

“Doc McStuffins” (Disney Junior) — WINNER
“Marvel’s Avengers: Black Panther’s Quest” (Disney XD)
“Motown Magic” (Netflix)
“Sesame Street” (HBO)
“Top Chef Junior” (Universal Kids)

Outstanding Performance by a Youth (Series, Special, Television Movie or Limited-Series)

Alex R. Hibbert – “The Chi” (Showtime)
Lonnie Chavis – “This Is Us” (NBC)
Lyric Ross – “This Is Us” (NBC)
Marsai Martin – “black-ish” (ABC) — WINNER
Miles Brown – “black-ish” (ABC)

Outstanding Host in a Talk or News/Information (Series or Special) – Individual or Ensemble

Jada Pinkett Smith, Adrienne Banfield Norris, Willow Smith – “Red Table Talk” (Facebook Watch) — WINNER
Joy Reid – “AM Joy” (MSNBC)
LeBron James – “The Shop” (HBO)
Lester Holt – “NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt” (NBC)
Trevor Noah – “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah” (Comedy Central)

Outstanding Host in a Reality/Reality Competition, Game Show or Variety (Series or Special) – Individual or Ensemble

Iyanla Vanzant – “Iyanla: Fix My Life” (OWN)
LL Cool J – “Lip Sync Battle” (Paramount Network)
Queen Latifah – “Black Girls Rock” (BET)
RuPaul -” RuPaul’s Drag Race” (VH1)
Steve Harvey – “Family Feud” (Syndication) — WINNER

RECORDING CATEGORIES

Outstanding New Artist

Ella Mai (10 Summers/Interscope Records) — WINNER
Jade Novah (EMPIRE)
Koryn Hawthorne (RCA Inspiration)
Omar Wilson (BSE Recordings)
Tory Lanez (Mad Love/Interscope Records)

Outstanding Male Artist

Bruno Mars (Atlantic Records) — WINNER
Childish Gambino (RCA Records)
John Legend (Columbia Records)
MAJOR. (BOE/Empire)
Raheem DeVaughn (BMG)

Outstanding Female Artist

Andra Day (Warner Bros. Records)
Ella Mai (10 Summers/Interscope Records)
H.E.R. (MBK/RCA Records) — WINNER
Janelle Monáe (Atlantic Records)
Janet Jackson (Rhythm Nation)

Outstanding Duo, Group or Collaboration

“A Good Night” – John Legend feat. BloodPop (Columbia Records)
“All The Stars” – “Black Panther” – Kendrick Lamar, SZA (Top Dawg Entertainment/Aftermath/Interscope Records) — WINNER
“Could’ve Been” – H.E.R., Bryson Tiller (MBK/RCA Records)
“Finesse (Remix)” – Bruno Mars feat. Cardi B (Atlantic Records)
“Everything Is Love” – The Carters (Roc Nation)

Outstanding Jazz Album

“Facing Dragons” – Christian Sands (Mack Avenue)
“Hollywood Africans” – Jon Batiste (Verve)
“RISE!” – Ben Tankard feat. Marion Meadows, Kirk Whalum, Paul Jackson Jr. (Ben-Jamin’ Universal Music)
“The Story of Jaz” – Jazmin Ghent feat. Jeff Lorber, James P. Lloyd, Kim Scott, Philippe Saisse (Jazmin Ghent Music) — WINNER
“Waiting for the Sunrise” – Camille Thurman (Chesky Records)

Outstanding Gospel Album (Traditional or Contemporary)

“Heart. Passion. Pursuit. Live at Passion City Church” – Tasha Cobbs Leonard (Motown Gospel)
“Hiding Place” – Tori Kelly (Capitol Records)
“Make Room” – Jonathan McReynolds (Entertainment One)
“One Nation Under God” – Jekalyn Carr (LMG)
“Unstoppable” – Koryn Hawthorne (RCA Inspirational) — WINNER

Outstanding Music Video/Visual Album

“APES**T” – The Carters (Roc Nation)
“Could’ve Been” – H.E.R. feat. Bryson Tiller (MBK/RCA Records)
“Finesse (Remix)” – Bruno Mars feat. Cardi B (Atlantic Records)
“This Is America” – Childish Gambino (RCA Records) — WINNER
“All The Stars” – Kendrick Lamar, SZA (Top Dawg Entertainment/Aftermath/Interscope Records)

Outstanding Song – Traditional

“Amen” – Andra Day (Warner Bros. Records)
“Better With You In It” – MAJOR. (BOE/Empire)
“Beyond” – Leon Bridges (Columbia Records)
“Long As I Live” – Toni Braxton (Def Jam Recordings) — WINNER
“Never Alone” – Tori Kelly feat. Kirk Franklin (Capitol Records)

Outstanding Song – Contemporary

“A Good Night” – John Legend feat. BloodPop (Columbia Records)
“As I Am” – H.E.R. (MBK/RCA Records)
“Boo’d Up” – Ella Mai (10 Summers/Interscope Records) — WINNEr
“Finesse (Remix)” – Bruno Mars feat. Cardi B (Atlantic Records)
“This Is America” – Childish Gambino (RCA Records)

Outstanding Soundtrack/Compilation

“Black Panther The Album Music From and Inspired By” – Kendrick Lamar, SZA feat. 2Chainz, ScHoolboy Q, Saudi, Khalid, Swae Lee, Vince Staples, Yugen Blakrok, SOB x RBE, Jorja Smith, Anderson .Paak, Ab Soul, Reason, Zacari, Babes Wudumo, Sjava, Travis Scott (Interscope Records) — WINNER
“Greenleaf, Season 3 (Music from the Original TV series)” – Various Artists (Lions Gate Entertainment)
“Marvel’s Luke Cage Season Two” – Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad (Mondo Music)
“Insecure® Music From The HBO® Original Series, Season 3” – Various Artists (RCA Records)
“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (Soundtrack From & Inspired by the Motion Picture” – Various Artists (Republic Records)

Outstanding Album

“Dirty Computer” – Janelle Monáe (Atlantic Records)
“Ella Mai” – Ella Mai (10 Summers/Interscope Records) — WINNER
“Even More” – MAJOR. (BOE/Empire)
“Everything Is Love” – The Carters (Roc Nation)
“I Used To Know Her: The Prelude” – H.E.R. (MBK/RCA Records)

LITERARY CATEGORIES

Outstanding Literary Work – Fiction

“An American Marriage” – Tayari Jones (Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill) — WINNER
“Better Late Than Never” – Kimberla Lawson Roby (Grand Central Publishing)
“Black Panther: Who Is The Black Panther? Prose Novel” – Jesse James Holland Jr (Titan Books)
“Envy” – Victoria Christopher Murray (Touchstone)
“They Come in All Colors: A Novel” – Malcolm Hansen (Atria Books)

Outstanding Literary Work – Nonfiction

“Barracoon” – Zora Neale Hurston (Amistad HarperCollins Publishers)
“Black Girls Rock! Owning Our Magic. Rocking Our Truth” – Beverly Bond (37 Ink, A Division of Atria Books)
“For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Politics” – Donna Brazile (Author), Yolanda Caraway (Author), Leah Daughtry (Author), Minyon Moore (Author), Veronica Chambers (With), (St. Martin’s Press) — WINNER
“May We Forever Stand: A History of the Black National Anthem” – Imani Perry (University of North Carolina Press)
“The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row” – Anthony Ray Hinton (Author), Lara Love Hardin (With), (St. Martin’s Press)

Outstanding Literary Work – Debut Author

“Heads of the Colored People: Stories” – Nafissa Thompson-Spires (37 Ink, A Division of Atria Books)
“Lighting the Fires of Freedom: African American Women in the Civil Rights Movement” – Janet Dewart Bell (The New Press)
“Lucile H. Bluford and the Kansas City Call: Activist Voice for Social Justice” – Dr. Sheila D. Brooks (Author), Clinton C. Wilson II (Author), (Rowman & Littlefield)
“Small Country: A Novel” – Gaël Faye (Hogarth)
“Us Against The World: Our Secrets to Love, Marriage, and Family ” – David Mann (Author), Tamela Mann (Author), Shaun Saunders (With), (W Publishing) — WINNER

Outstanding Literary Work – Biography/Autobiography

“Barracoon” – Zora Neale Hurston (Amistad HarperCollins Publishers)
“Becoming” – Michelle Obama (Crown) — WINNER
“The New Negro: The Life of Alain Locke” – Jeffrey C. Stewart (Oxford University Press)
“The Prison Letters of Nelson Mandela” – Nelson Mandela (Author), Sahm Venter (Editor) (Liveright Publishing)
“Well, That Escalated Quickly: Memoirs and Mistakes of an Accidental Activist” – Franchesa Ramsey (Grand Central Publishing)

Outstanding Literary Work – Instructional

“Carla Hall’s Soul Food: Everyday and Celebration” – Carla Hall (Author) Genevive Ko (With) (Harper Wave)
“For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Politics” – Donna Brazile (Author), Yolanda Caraway (Author), Leah Daughtry (Author), Minyon Moore (Author), Veronica Chambers (With), (St. Martin’s Press)
“Poised For Excellence: Fundamental Principles of Effective Leadership in the Boardroom and Beyond” – Karima Mariama-Arthur (Palgrave Macmillan)
“Rise and Grind: Outperform, Outwork, and Outhustle Your Way to a More Successful and Rewarding Life” – Daymond John (Author), Daniel Paisner (With), (Currency) — WINNER
“Well-Read Black Girl: Finding Our Stories, Discovering Ourselves” – Glory Edim (Ballantine Books)

Outstanding Literary Work – Poetry

“Confessions of a Barefaced Woman” – Allison Elaine Joseph (Red Hen Press)
“Ghost, Like a Place” – Iain Haley Pollock (Alice James Books)
“Refuse” – Julian Randall (University of Pittsburgh Press)
“Taking the Arrow Out of the Heart” – Alice Walker (Author) (37 Ink/Atria Books) — WINNER
“The Gospel According to Wild Indigo” – Cyrus Cassells (Crab Orchard Review & Southern Illinois University Press)

Outstanding Literary Work – Children

“Facing Frederick: The Life of Frederick Douglass, A Monumental American Man” – Tonya Bolden (Abrams For Young Readers)
“Hidden Figures: The True Story of Four Black Women and the Space Race” – Margot Lee Shetterly (Author), Laura Freeman (Illustrator), (Harper) — WINNER
“I Can Be Anything! Don’t Tell Me I Can’t” – Diane Dillon (The Blue Sky Press)
“The 5 O’Clock Band” – Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews (Author), Bryan Collier (Illustrator), (Abrams For Young Readers)
“The Word Collector” – Peter H. Reynolds (Orchard Books)

Outstanding Literary Work – Youth/Teens

“A Very Large Expanse of Sea” – Tahereh Mafi (Harper)
“Chasing King’s Killer: The Hunt for Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Assassin” – James L. Swanson (Scholastic Press)
“Harbor Me” – Jacqueline Woodson (Nancy M. Paulsen) — WINNER
“The Journey of Little Charlie” – Christopher Paul Curtis (Scholastic Press)
“We Are Not Yet Equal: Understanding our Racial Divide” – Carol Anderson (Author), Tonya Bolden (With), (Bloomsbury YA)

DOCUMENTARY CATEGORIES

Outstanding Documentary (Film)

“Amazing Grace” (Sundial Pictures/Neon) — WINNER
“Making The Five Heartbeats” (Green Lighthouse)
“Quincy” (Netflix)
“RBG” (CNN)
“Whitney” (Roadside Attractions/Miramax)

Outstanding Documentary (Television)

“Hope & Fury: MLK, The Movement and the Media” (NBC)
“King in the Wilderness” (HBO)
“Say Her Name: The Life and Death of Sandra Bland” (HBO) — WINNER
“Shut Up & Dribble” (Showtime)
“Time For Ilhan” (Fuse)

WRITING CATEGORIES

Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series

Justin Simien – “Dear White People” – Chapter 1 (Netflix)
Marquita J. Robinson – “Glow” – Work the Leg (Netflix)
Peter Saji – “black-ish” – Purple Rain (ABC)
Regina Y. Hicks – “Insecure” – High-Like (HBO)
Trevor Noah, Steve Budow, David Kibuuka, Zhubin Parang, Dan Amira, Lauren Sarver Means, Daniel Radosh, David Angelo, Devin Trey Delliquanti, Zachary DiLanzo – “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah” – Alex Wagner (Comedy Central) — WINNER

Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series

Janine Sherman Barrois – “Claws” – Cracker Casserole (TNT)
Kay Oyegun – “This Is Us” – This Big, Amazing, Beautiful Life (NBC) — WINNER
Lena Waithe – “The Chi” – Pilot (Showtime)
Patrick Joseph Charles – “Black Lightning” – Sins of the Father: The Book of Redemption (The CW/Netflix)
Lena Waithe, Dime Davis – “The Chi” – The Whistle (Showtime)

Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture (Television)

Anna Deavere Smith – “Notes From the Field” (HBO)
J. David Shanks – “Seven Seconds: Matters of Life and Death” (Netflix) — WINNER
Katrina M. O’Gilvie – “Behind the Movement” (TV One)
Ramin Bahrani, Amir Naderi – “Fahrenheit 451” (HBO)
Shalisha Francis – “Seven Seconds: Of Gods and Men” (Netflix)

Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture (Film)

Barry Jenkins – “If Beale Street Could Talk” (Annapurna Pictures)
Boots Riley – “Sorry To Bother You” (Annapurna Pictures)
Charlie Wachtel, David Rabinowitz, Kevin Willmott, Spike Lee “BlacKkKlansman” (Focus Features)
Peter Chiarelli, Adele Lim – “Crazy Rich Asians” (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Ryan Coogler, Joe Robert Cole – “Black Panther (Marvel Studios) — WINNER

DIRECTING CATEGORIES

Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series

Donald Glover – “Atlanta” – FUBU (FX Networks) — WINNEr
Gina Rodriguez – “Jane the Virgin” – Chapter Seventy-Four (CW)
Hiro Murai – “Atlanta” – Teddy Perkins (FX Networks)
Ken Whittingham – “Atypical” – “Ernest Shackleton’s Rules for Survival” (Netflix)
Millicent Shelton – “Insecure” – High-Like (HBO)

Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series

Ayoka Chenzira – “Queen Sugar” – Here Beside the River (OWN)
Deborah Chow – “Better Call Saul” – Something Stupid (AMC) — WINNER
Dee Rees – “Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams” – Kill All Others (Prime Video)
Salli Richardson-Whitfield – “Marvel’s Luke Cage” – I Get Physical (Netflix)
Zetna Fuentes – “How To Get Away With Murder” – Lahey v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (ABC)

Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture (Television)

Ernest Dickerson – “Seven Seconds: Until It Do” (Netflix)
Ramin Bahrani – “Fahrenheit 451” (HBO)
Tanya Hamilton – “Seven Seconds: That What Follows” (Netflix)
Tracy Heather Strain – “Lorraine Hansberry: Sighted Eyes/Feeling Heart (PBS) — WINNER
Victoria Mahoney – “Seven Seconds: Witness for the Prosecution” (Netflix)

Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture (Film)

Barry Jenkins – “If Beale Street Could Talk” (Annapurna Pictures)
Spike Lee – “BlacKkKlansman” (Focus Features)
Steve McQueen – “Widows” (20th Century Fox)
Ryan Coogler – “Black Panther” (Marvel Studios) — WINNER
Alan Hicks, Rashida Jones – “Quincy” (A Le Train Train\Bob’s Your Uncle\Tribeca Production for Netflix)

ANIMATED/CGI CATEGORY

Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance (Television or Film)

Issa Rae – “Bojack Horseman” (Netflix)
Laya Deleon Hayes – “Doc McStuffins” (Disney Junior)
Mahershala Ali – “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (Columbia Pictures/Sony Pictures Animation in association with Marvel)
Samuel L. Jackson – “Incredibles 2” (Disney and Pixar Animation Studios) — WINNER
Shameik Moore – “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” (Columbia Pictures/Sony Pictures Animation in association with Marvel)

MOTION PICTURE CATEGORIES

Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture

Chadwick Boseman – “Black Panther” (Marvel Studios) — WINNER
Michael B. Jordan – “Creed II” (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios)
Denzel Washington – “The Equalizer 2” (Columbia Pictures)
John David Washington – “BlacKkKlansman” (Focus Features)
Stephan James – “If Beale Street Could Talk” (Annapurna Pictures)

Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture

Amandla Stenberg – The Hate U Give” (20th Century Fox) — WINNER
Constance Wu – “Crazy Rich Asians” (Warner Bros. Pictures)
KiKi Layne – “If Beale Street Could Talk” (Annapurna Pictures)
Sanaa Lathan – “Nappily Ever After” (Marc Platt Production/Badabing Pictures Production for Netflix)
Viola Davis – “Widows” (20th Century Fox)

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture

Brian Tyree Henry – “If Beale Street Could Talk” (Annapurna Pictures)
Mahershala Ali – “Green Book” (Universal Pictures, Participant Media, DreamWorks)
Michael B. Jordan – “Black Panther” (Marvel Studios) — WINNER
Russell Hornsby – “The Hate U Give” (20th Century Fox)
Winston Duke – Black Panther” (Marvel Studios)

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture

Danai Gurira – “Black Panther” (Marvel Studios) — WINNER
Letitia Wright – “Black Panther” (Marvel Studios)
Lupita Nyong’o – “Black Panther” (Marvel Studios)
Regina Hall – “The Hate U Give” (20th Century Fox)
Regina King – “If Beale Street Could Talk” (Annapurna Pictures)

Outstanding Independent Motion Picture

“BlacKkKlansman” (Focus Features)
“If Beale Street Could Talk” (Annapurna Pictures) — WINNER
“Nappily Ever After” (Marc Platt Production/Badabing Pictures Production for Netflix)
“Sorry To Bother You” (Annapurna Pictures)
“Traffik” (Codeblack Films/Lionsgate Entertainment)

Outstanding Breakthrough Performance in a Motion Picture

Storm Reid – “A Wrinkle In Time” (Walt Disney Studios)
Letitia Wright – “Black Panther” (Marvel Studios) — WINNER
Winston Duke – “Black Panther” (Marvel Studios)
John David Washington – “BlacKkKlansman” (Focus Features)
KiKi Layne – “If Beale Street Could Talk” (Annapurna Pictures)

Outstanding Ensemble Cast in a Motion Picture

“Black Panther” (Marvel Studios) — WINNER
“BlacKkKlansman” (Focus Features)
“Crazy Rich Asians” (Warner Bros. Pictures)
“The Hate U Give” (20th Century Fox)
“Widows” (20th Century Fox)

Outstanding Motion Picture

“Black Panther” (Marvel Studios) — WINNER
“BlacKkKlansman” (Focus Features)
“Crazy Rich Asians” (Warner Bros. Pictures)
“If Beale Street Could Talk” (Annapurna Pictures)
“The Hate U Give” (20th Century Fox)

Special Award – Entertainer of the Year

Beyoncé — WINNER
Chadwick Boseman
LeBron James
Regina King
Ryan Coogler

Ken Gibson, Newark NJ's first black mayor dead at 86

Ken Gibson, Newark’s first black mayor, elected in the wake of the city’s turbulent riots, has died.

Gibson was 86.

Propelled to leadership after the Newark Riots tore at the city in 1967, Gibson helped establish a foundation for black political power. He served as the city’s mayor from 1970 to 1986 and was the first black mayor of a major northeastern city.

Elected in 1970, when Newark was still just three summers removed from its devastating 1967 riots, Gibson served for 16 years, during an era that was difficult not only for Newark, but for American cities in general.

And while he was sometimes faulted for lacking the dynamism of his successor in City Hall, Sharpe James, history later came to view Gibson as a competent and well-meaning civil servant who stabilized Newark’s finances, improved the health of its citizens and fought the good fight during difficult times.

“He gets a lot of credit for holding things together when things could have easily fallen apart,” the late Bob Curvin, who spearheaded Gibson’s 1970 campaign and later became the director of the Ford Foundation’s Urban Poverty Program, once said about Gibson.

[SOURCE: NJ.COM]

Sen. Kamala Harris Letter Demands Answers from Barr on DOJ’s Attempt to Overturn Affordable Care Act

U.S. Senator Kamala D. Harris (D-CA) on Friday sent a letter to Attorney General William Barr demanding an explanation for the Justice Department’s latest position in Texas v. United States in support of striking down the entire Affordable Care Act as unconstitutional. During his confirmation hearing in January, Harris secured a commitment from Barr to reconsider the DOJ’s opposition to the Affordable Care Act.

Read the letter below:

March 29, 2019

The Honorable William P. Barr

Attorney General

U.S. Department of Justice

950 Pennsylvania Avenue NW

Washington, DC 20530

 Dear Attorney General Barr:

I write to follow-up on our exchange at your confirmation hearing on January 15, 2019, where you agreed to reconsider the Justice Department’s position on the Affordable Care Act (ACA).  I am deeply concerned by the Justice Department’s filing on Monday in Texas v. United States, which supports striking down the entire ACA.  This is an extreme and legally flawed position that threatens the health care and economic security of millions of Americans.

Under Attorney General Jeff Sessions, the Justice Department refused to defend the ACA in Texas v. United States.  The Justice Department argued that the law’s individual mandate was unconstitutional due to provisions included in the 2017 Republican tax bill, and urged the court to strike down key consumer protections in the law, including critical benefits protecting the millions of Americans with pre-existing health conditions. On December 14, 2018, a conservative district judge in Texas agreed with the Attorney General’s argument and struck down the entire ACA as unconstitutional. 

The judge’s reasoning has been roundly criticized, even by conservative legal scholars.  Law professor Jonathan Adler, an opponent of the ACA, described the ruling as “pretty bananas.”  Law professor Ilya Somin, another ACA opponent, said the decision was “badly wrong.”  Philip Klein of the Washington Examiner and author of the book Overcoming Obamacare wrote:

I hate Obamacare so much that it’s possible I’ve written more words criticizing it over the past decade than any person alive.  I have supported multiple previous legal efforts against the legislation and its implementation . . . . Despite my policy preferences, I’d say the latest decision from U.S. District Court Judge Reed O’Connor of Texas declaring Obamacare unconstitutional is an assault on the rule of law.

I agree.  Admittedly, I support the ACA because I am a progressive who believes all Americans should have quality health coverage.  But I oppose the Texas ruling because I am an attorney and I understand the law.

I urge you to examine the effects of your decision.  If upheld, the Texas ruling would cause serious harm to millions of Americans.  Nearly 20 million Americans could lose their health insurance.  Protections for pre-existing conditions would be eliminated.  Seniors would pay more for prescription drugs.  And many young adults would no longer be able to stay on their parents’ insurance until the age of 26. 

As Attorney General, you have the ability to change course and direct the Justice Department to take a different position in this case.  That is why, at your confirmation hearing, I asked if you would reverse the Justice Department’s position on the ACA.  In our exchange, you committed to reconsidering the Justice Department’s opposition to the health care law.

Now, under your leadership, the Justice Department has submitted a court filing that supports striking down the entire ACA as unconstitutional.  Reportedly, you opposed this decision, based at least in part on the conservative legal establishment’s skepticism of efforts to invalidate the law through the courts.  Nonetheless, you reportedly allowed the Justice Department’s position in this case to be dictated by officials at the White House and the Office of Management and Budget.

These events raise questions about your commitment to reconsider the Justice Department’s position.  They also raise serious concerns about your obligation to protect the Department’s independence, shield it from political interference, and ensure compliance with Justice Department guidelines relating to appropriate communications with the White House.

• Accordingly, I request that you answer the following questions by Monday, April 15, 2019:
• Since your confirmation, have you reviewed the May 11, 2009 memorandum relating to Justice Department communications with the White House and Congress
• Since your confirmation, have you consulted with Administration official(s) regarding the Justice Department’s position in Texas v. United States?  If yes, with whom and when? Please describe your review and reconsideration of the Justice Department’s position in Texas v. United States, including:

• Any review of filings, including the notice of withdrawal filed by three career Justice Department attorneys immediately before the Justice Department submitted its brief refusing to defend the ACA;
• Any review of legal rulings in the case; 
• Any consultation with Administration officials, health experts, and/or legal scholars; and
• Any review of studies or data relating to the impact of invalidating the ACA.

• Were you directed by any Administration official(s) to support striking down the entire ACA?  If yes, by whom and when?
• Were any career officials involved in the Justice Department’s filing on March 25, 2019?To the best of your knowledge, does the Administration have another proposal to provide coverage to the millions of Americans who would lose health insurance if the ACA were invalidated in its entirety?

Deputy Detained Black Attorney Thinking He Was A Suspect

You can now add lawyering while black to the list of things black people can't do without being harassed by the police.

Lawyers have filed a complaint against the Harford County Sheriff's Office, requesting an investigation after Rashad James an African-American legal aid attorney was detained after a sheriff insisted he was the client in the case and not the attorney.