CNN Films’ Luther: Never Too Much Special New Year’s Day Premiere at 8pm ET/PT on CNN

CNN Films examines the captivating story of the iconic Luther Vandross as he paves his own course to become one of the most decorated and influential artists of all time in Luther: Never Too Much. From award-winning filmmaker Dawn Porter (CNN Films’ John Lewis: Good Trouble) and produced by Raindog Films and Foxxhole Productions for Sony Music Entertainment and Sony Music Publishing, in association with Trilogy Films, the film will premiere on January 1, 2025 at 8pm ET/PT on CNN.

Luther: Never Too Much chronicles the story of Vandross from his formative years in Harlem, appearing in the Apollo Theater house band and the first episodes of Sesame Street, through his ascendance to become the indisputable master of the love song. Using a wealth of rarely seen archives, Vandross tells his own story along with the voices of his closest friends and musical collaborators including Mariah Carey, Dionne Warwick, Valerie Simpson and Roberta Flack. The film unpacks the nuances and ironies of Vandross’ storied career, exploring his personal life, health struggles, and a lifelong desire to be respected and understood.

“It was thrilling to explore Luther’s musical genius while making this film,” said director Dawn Porter. “We combed through hundreds of hours of interviews, concert footage and images to develop this one-of-a-kind portrait.” Porter added “I’m so fortunate to have had the opportunity to tell this story at a time when so much else seems divisive, Luther’s story is joy personified.”

“CNN Films has a successful tradition of celebrating the New Year by showcasing music documentaries, and Dawn Porter has beautifully illuminated the public and private life of Luther Vandross, giving CNN audiences a front row seat to celebrate his extraordinary songbook and enduring legacy,” said Amy Entelis, executive vice president for talent, CNN Originals and creative development, CNN Worldwide.

Directed and executive produced by Dawn Porter, Luther: Never Too Much is produced by Trish D Chetty and Ged Doherty for Raindog Films; Jamie Foxx and Datari Turner for Foxxhole Productions; and Leah Smith for Trilogy Films. Executive producers are Eli Holzman and Aaron Saidman for Sony Pictures Television Nonfiction; Tom Mackay and Richard Story for Sony Music Entertainment; Jon Platt and Brian Monaco for Sony Music Publishing; Colin Firth for Raindog Films; and Phil Thornton on behalf of Foxxhole Productions. Sony Music Vision is the distributor.

To celebrate the film premiere, Luther Vandross’ previously unreleased soulful rendition of the Beatles’ “Michelle” is available now. The song will be one of many included on Never Too Much: Greatest Hits, a new compilation of music by Vandross out December 13.

Luther: Never Too Much premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival to a standing ovation and critical acclaim. Giant Pictures released the film theatrically in select cities this fall. The film will also premiere on OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network and Max in 2025.

W. Paul Coates Awarded the 2024 Literarian Award for Outstanding Service to the American Literary Community

The National Book Foundation, presenter of the National Book Awards, announced W. Paul Coates, publisher, community activist, and founder of Black Classic Press and BCP Digital Printing as the recipient of the 2024 Literarian Award for Outstanding Service to the American Literary Community, which will be presented at the 75th National Book Awards Ceremony & Benefit Dinner on Wednesday, November 20. Since 1978, Black Classic Press (BCP) has published remarkable, and often out of print, works by and about people of the Black diaspora. A lifelong advocate for celebrating the life of Black writers and bolstering their literary legacies, Coates will be presented with the Literarian Award by author and recipient of the 2020 DCAL Medal Walter Mosley.

Born in West Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1946, Coates enlisted in the US Army and served in Vietnam from 1965 to 1967. Upon his return, Coates moved to Baltimore, Maryland where he began volunteering with the Black Panther Party’s community breakfast program and additional community programs that provided access to healthcare, clothing, and housing assistance. After leading the local chapter for several years, he established the George Jackson Prison Movement—a prison literacy program to provide incarcerated readers access to progressive Afrocentric literature. The movement led to the opening of The Black Book bookstore in Coates’s basement, which evolved into the Black Classic Press and later inspired the development of BCP Digital Printing. As founder and publisher of Black Classic Press, Coates has published original works by Yosef Ben-Jochannan, John Henrik Clarke, John G. Jackson, Walter Mosley, and many others, in addition to reissuing titles by Amiri Baraka, Edward Blyden, Amy Jacques Garvey, Larry Neal, J. A. Rogers, Bobby Seale, Carter Woodson, and W. E. B. Du Bois, among many other notable works.

“As a librarian, publisher, and community activist, W. Paul Coates has been instrumental in preserving the legacy of remarkable writers and elevating works that have shaped our personal and collective understanding of the Black experience within the borders of the United States and around the globe,” said Ruth Dickey, Executive Director of the National Book Foundation. “Coates has demonstrated for more than 40 years the importance of reading the past and nourishing the creative imagination of present and future writers of the Black diaspora. We are honored to celebrate his extraordinary career with the 2024 Literarian Award.”

Coates earned his bachelor’s degree in Community Development and Education from the Homestead-Montebello Center of Antioch University, now known as Sojourner-Douglass College, in Baltimore, Maryland, and his master’s in Library Science from Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta, Georgia. From 1980–1991, Coates served as the African American Studies manuscript and reference librarian at Howard University’s Moorland-Spingarn Research Center, where he oversaw the curation of out-of-print Black literature. A former member of the Black Panther Party, Coates was instrumental in the establishment of the Black Panther Archives at Howard University. He returned to Sojourner-Douglass College as an adjunct instructor of African American Studies, and co-edited Black Bibliophiles and Collectors: Preservers of Black History alongside Elinor Des Verney Sinnette. In 2018, he was the inaugural recipient of the Dorothy Porter Wesley Award from the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, and in 2020 he was presented with the Lord Nose Award by the Community of Literary Magazines and Presses. Coates is a founding member and chair of the National Association of Black Book Publishers, and was a member of the National Book Foundation’s Board of Directors from 1997-2005.

Coates is the 20th recipient of the National Book Foundation’s Literarian Award for Outstanding Service to the American Literary Community, which is given to an individual or organization for a lifetime of achievement in expanding the audience for books and reading. Past recipients include Dr. Maya Angelou, Terry Gross, Kyle Zimmer, the literary organization Cave Canem, Doron Weber, Oren J. Teicher, Carolyn Reidy, Nancy Pearl, Tracie D. Hall, and most recently, Paul Yamazaki. Nominations for the Literarian Award are made by former National Book Award Winners, Finalists, and judges, and other writers and literary professionals from around the country. Final selections are made by the National Book Foundation’s Board of Directors. Recipients of the Literarian Award for Outstanding Service to the American Literary Community receive $10,000 and a solid brass medal.

The 75th National Book Awards will be held on Wednesday, November 20, 2024 at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City. The in-person Ceremony & Benefit Dinner, which will be broadcast live for readers everywhere, will include the presentation of the Foundation’s two lifetime achievement awards and the 2024 National Book Award Winners in the categories of Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Translated Literature, and Young People’s Literature. For more information about the 75th National Book Awards Ceremony & Benefit Dinner and to register for the broadcast, please visit nationalbook.org/awards.

US Magistrate Judge Embry Kidd Confirmed to 11th Circuit Court of Appeals

The U.S. Senate confirmed federal magistrate judge Embry Kidd to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit on Monday.

Kidd was confirmed on a 49-45 vote and will be President Joe Biden’s second appointee to the federal appeals court that covers Alabama, Florida and Georgia.

Before becoming a U.S. magistrate judge in 2019, Kidd was a federal prosecutor in Florida and an associate at Williams & Connolly. After graduating from Yale Law School in 2008, Kidd clerked for Fourth Circuit Judge Roger Gregory.

[SOURCE: law.com]

House Democrats re-elect Hakeem Jeffries as House minority leader

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Tuesday was re-elected by House Democrats to lead the minority party amid a Republican sweep in both Senate and House chambers along with the White House.

Jeffries, D-N.Y. will serve as minority leader in the 119th Congress to start in January.

Leader Jeffries posted the following on social media:

Honored to be re-elected as House Democratic Leader for the upcoming Congress.

We will never give up the fight for the people.

— Hakeem Jeffries (@RepJeffries) November 19, 2024

Congressional Black Caucus Holds Ceremonial Swearing-in for U.S. Representative Erica Lee Carter

Congressional Black Caucus Chairman Steven Horsford (NV-04) and members of the Congressional Black Caucus issued a statement following the ceremonial swearing-in of the late Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee's daughter Rep. Erica Lee Carter (TX-18):

“The CBC was proud to welcome U.S. Representative Erica Lee Carter to our ranks to continue the legacy of her mother, and our beloved friend and colleague, the late Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee. An advocate for children and community empowerment, Rep. Lee Carter joins our caucus with extensive experience in federal, state, and local government, and the nonprofit sector. We are confident that Rep. Lee Carter will serve the people of Texas and our nation honorably for the remainder of the 118th Congress and beyond.”