By Bill Vaughan
Entertainment Writer
After winning both the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival, the highly anticipated “Summer of Soul (…or, When the Revolution Could Not be Televised)” will be shown in a limited engagement June 25-July 6 at Hollywood’s legendary El Capitan Theatre.
Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson’s debut as a filmmaker is a powerful and transporting documentary — part music film, part historical record created around an epic event that celebrated Black history, culture and fashion.
Over the course of six weeks in the summer of 1969, just 100 miles south of Woodstock, the Harlem Cultural Festival was filmed in Mount Morris Park (now Marcus Garvey Park).
The footage was never seen and largely forgotten — until now.
Presented in their glory are iconic performers, including Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone, Sly & the Family Stone, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Mahalia Jackson, B.B. King, the 5th Dimension and more.
Tickets are now on sale at www.elcapitantickets.com and Fandango with guests receiving a mini poster (while supplies last) and able to see a display of Harlem Cultural Festival memorabilia.
The film, from Searchlight Pictures, will begin streaming on Hulu in the U.S. on July 2.
CLASS ACTS: A group of Hollywood A-Listers including Kerry Washington, George Clooney, Don Cheadle, Eva Longoria, Mindy Kaling and more are teaming with the Los Angeles Unified School District to launch the Roybal School of Film and Television Production, an entertainment-industry-focused curriculum for students from underserved communities to start in fall 2022.
According to Clooney in a statement about the school to begin with ninth and 10th grade students: “Our aim is to better reflect the diversity of our country. That means starting early. It means creating high school programs that teach young people about cameras and editing and visual effects and sound and all the career opportunities that this industry has to offer. It means internships that lead to well-paying careers. It means understanding that we’re all in this together.”
OPEN CALL: The Pan African Film Festival is now accepting entries for its 30th annual edition to be held next Feb. 8–22 in Los Angeles and virtually throughout the world. For submission instructions, information, fees and registration, go to www.paff.org and click on “Submit a Film”; or email submissions@paff.org.
TASTY QUIP: “I feel like we get caught up in thinking there’s ‘only one’ of us. There can only be one R&B superstar; there can only be one rap girl at a time. That’s not true. God was not stingy when He was giving out gifts. And you’re not the only person. There are many other women, especially Black women, who can do what you do. And let’s all create spaces for each other to get out there and do that.” – JAZMINE SULLIVAN to Issa Rae for Essence
CLIPPETTES: In George Clinton news: the funk legend was among those announced as getting a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame; and will be portrayed in a now filming biopic about Casablanca Records founder Neil Bogart by rapper Wiz Khalifa …
Founding Talking Heads members Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz will virtually introduce an outdoor screening of Jonathan Demme’s “Stop Making Sense,” the landmark 1984 concert film starring David Byrne and the band. It is part of the Sounds of Summer film series at Exposition Park on June 25 and will have DJ Dublab spinning …
Chris “Ludacris” Bridges of The Fast and the Furious franchise and Beau Bridges are joining Queen Latifah to film “End Of The Road, a thriller for Netflix …
Meanwhile, the streaming service has cancelled the Jamie Foxx sitcom “Dad Stop Embarrassing Me” with David Alan Grier.
TASTY QUIP: “An insider later told me they had been thinking of me as the first Black Bachelorette way back during my audition. At the time, there had been a shift in leadership at ABC. Channing Dungey, who is a Black woman, had just taken over as president. At the TV upfronts, she said, “There will be a lead of color while I’m here. I’m making it my priority.” They didn’t say this part, but it couldn’t be a man. A Black man going into the homes of white women and sleeping with their daughters is a narrative the audience still can’t accept.” – RACHEL LINDSAY to Vulture
TC ON TV: June 25 – “Mary J. Blige’s My Life” (Amazon): A documentary commemorating the 25th anniversary of the singer’s smash release with newly filmed recollections, archival footage and the icon performing the album in full. She and Sean “Diddy” Combs are executive producers of the project with an assist from Quincy Jones. “Bosch” (Amazon): The detective drama starring Titus Welliver, and former “The Wire” castmates Jamie Hector and Lance Reddick returns for a seventh and final season. “Central Park” (AppleTV+): More of the animated musical comedy featuring the voices of Daveed Diggs, Leslie Odom Jr., Titus Burgess, Josh Gad and Stanley Tucci. “Wolfgang” (Disney+): A candid and inspiring documentary directed by David Gelb (“Jiro Dreams of Sushi”) on the life of celebrity chef and restauranteur Wolfgang Puck. “Friday Night Vibes” (TBS): Tiffany Haddish hosts a double feature of the Kevin Hart movies “Central Intelligence” and “Get Hard.” “The 48th Daytime Emmy Awards” (CBS): Sheryl Underwood will host this year with “The Bold and The Beautiful” star Diamond White tapped to sing during the “In Memoriam” segment. “The Shop: Uninterrupted” (HBO): Tom Brady, Kid Cudi, Chelsea Handler, Draymond Green, Maverick Carter and Paul Rivera.
June 27 – “2021 BET Awards” (BET/MTV/VH1/LOGO/TVLAND): The show, hosted by Taraji P. Henson, will remember DMX with a special presentation by Busta Rhymes, Method Man, Griselda, Swizz Beatz and Michael K. Williams. Also performing are Andra Day, City Girls, DaBaby, DJ Khaled, H.E.R., Kirk Franklin, Lil Baby, Migos, Moneybagg Yo!, Rapsody, Roddy Ricch, Tyler, the Creator and more. “The Chi” (SHO): So, who do you think shot the shady mayor? “DJ Cassidy’s Pass The Mic” (BET): This post awards edition which Cassidy says “will be the greatest party of all time and will celebrate the greatest party records ever made,” will feature Ashanti, Ja Rule, Nelly, Akon, Kelis, Fat Joe, Fabolous, Sean Paul, and over a dozen other surprise iconic guests.
June 28 – “Love & Hip Hop Atlanta” (VH1): The special “Inside The A” has cast members Scrappy, Karlie Redd, Momma Dee and Erica Dixon along with celebrity commentators looking back at the show’s highlights prior to the new season’s premiere.
June 29 – “The Legend of The Underground” (HBO): A searing and timely look at the struggle against rampant discrimination that exists in Nigeria today, as seen through the lens of several charismatic, non-conformist youth who fight to live life out loud. Directed by Nneka Onuorah and Giselle Bailey; executive produced by John Legend.
June 30 – “Dave” (FXX): The rapper meets NBA all-time leading scorer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, but gaining his affection is not exactly a layup.
July 1 – “No Sudden Move” (HBO Max): Set in 1954 Detroit, this crime caper from director Steven Soderbergh (“Ocean’s Eleven”) boasts an all-star cast of Don Cheadle, Benicio Del Toro, David Harbour, Jon Hamm, Ray Liotta, Bill Duke, Brendan Fraser and the late Craig muMs Grant (“Oz”). “Martha Gets Down and Dirty” (Disc+): Martha Stewart will let her hair down and roll up her sleeves to share her gardening, lifestyle and entertainment tips in this eight-episode series along with her famous friends including Kim Kardashian West, Tiffany Haddish, Al Roker, Nicole Richie and Tamron Hall. “Audible” (Netflix): A documentary short about a deaf high school football player shaken by a friend’s suicide in advance of his final homecoming game. “Top Chef” (Bravo): Whether she wins or not tonight, Houston Olympian turned chef Dawn Burrell’s Afro/Asian cuisine has made her one to watch. The 18th season finale will be followed by a new show, “Top Chef Amateurs.”
TASTY QUIP: “It’s such a strange experience for minorities — I view it, unfortunately, as a bit of a ladder. And if you’re born into a certain circumstance, be it poverty or whatever, in order to survive, in order to accomplish a certain level of existence, you have to climb. And I don’t mean this in the ambitious way, I mean this in, like, you have to educate yourself — you have to remove yourself from the ditch that you’re born into.” – JONATHAN MAJORS (“Lovecraft Country”) to THR
As featured in the Los Angeles Wave and Independent, Tasty Clips is one of the leading entertainment columns in the nation, serving nearly one million weekly readers. Bill Vaughan may be reached at tastyclips@yahoo.com, via Twitter @tastyclips, or Instagram @tasty_clips.
