In this episode of Red Cards, a fender bender gets carried away, leading to the death of New Orleans Saints defensive end, Will Smith. The perpetrator claimed self defense, saying Smith was the aggressor. Renowned defensive end Will Smith was leaving the French Quarter Festival when security cameras show him lightly rear ending another vehicle.
An altercation ensued, culminating in the other driver, Cardell Hayes firing shots at Smith and his wife, killing the retired football player. Smith family publicist, Lauren Renschler, called it “sick irony” that a New Orleans icon would die in the most typical New Orleans fashion – murder by gun violence. When Hayes was convicted, some rejoiced, while others wondered what would have happened if the roles were reversed, and “Saint Will” was the one claiming self defense.
Penny Hardaway’s career as an NBA superstar didn’t end the way he wanted it to. Back in his hometown of Memphis, he’s helping a new generation of hoopers realize their dreams.
Players Only recently released a new film on his life. It’s titled “One Cent” for obvious reasons.
The film gives a detailed account of Hardaway’s life and career. Watch the full film below:
BBC Africa Eye recently released a new set of documentaries following the plight of multiple women. The 1st set of films tells the stories of 3 sugar babies looking to better their lives and the 2nd set follows the story of children sold into marriage to repay their family debts. Watch all of the films below:
In Kenya, “sugar daddy” relationships are out in the open – in nightclubs, on campuses, and all over social media.
Female students “prefer dating older men than dating school kids” in Nairobi, says 21-year-old Jane. Although she comes from a traditional family in rural Kenya, Jane freely admits that she gets support from two older guys, and asks, “What is wrong about sex anyway?”
Bridget Achieng is a Kenyan model, socialite, and reality TV star. But she didn’t always live the glam life. She takes us back to the slums where she grew up, and talks frankly about how she made herself famous through sex appeal, rich tycoons, and social media. *** Following some inaccurate coverage of Bridget in the Kenyan media, the BBC would like to make clear that – as they show in their film – Bridget ran a jewelry business, contributes to Nairobi Diaries, and leads a charitable foundation for children in Kibera. She currently runs an interior design consultancy in Nairobi, and has recently announced that she is expecting a baby.
Grace is a single mum and nightclub dancer who dreams of being a star. She goes to the Kenyan coast looking for a rich “sponsor” – AKA sugar daddy – who can fund her dream of making it as a singer. But is there such a thing as easy money?
Through a tradition called “money marriage”, some young girls are used as currency in a type of modern slavery among the Becheve people in southern Nigeria. Children are sold to men as old as 90 to settle debts or as a form of payment. BBC Africa hears from the girls themselves, an elderly husband and the man fighting against the custom.
In July 2018 a horrifying video began to circulate on social media. It shows two women and two young children being led away at gunpoint by a group of Cameroonian soldiers.
The captives are blindfolded, forced to the ground, and shot 22 times. The government of Cameroon initially dismissed the video as “fake news,” but BBC Africa Eye, through forensic analysis of the footage, can prove exactly where this happened, when it happened, and who is responsible for the killings.
Warning: this video contains disturbing content. Watch the full documentary below:
Investigation by Aliaume Leroy and Ben Strick.
Produced by Daniel Adamson and Aliaume Leroy.
Motion Graphics: Tom Flannery
Earlier this month T.I. released his latest studio album. The album is the tenth of T.I’s musical career.
Properly titled “The Dime Trap,” the album features a focused T.I. rapping about his journey through his career. Stand out songs include “Wraith,” “The Weekend,” and “The Amazing Mr. F*** Up”.
Recently T.I. released a short documentary about the making of the album. Watch the full documentary below:
What do you love? What sparks some of your favorite childhood memories? Does that thing make you feel a spark of passion every time you speak of it? “Virgin Blacktop” is a film that analyzes each of those individual thoughts. Each thought is generated from a place of love and engulfed in remembrance.
“Virgin Blacktop” is a documentary type film. The film is directed by filmmaker Charles Samuels. It follows Samuels and his group of friends as they tell stories of their beginning days as skateboarders. The group was known as the “wizards” and each got their start in New York towns/cities. That was before they later would combine to form a new sidewalk surfing team.
Overall the film is enjoyable and informative. The tale is unique as it centers around a group of New York skateboarders, The kind of music they chose as their skating background also adds an interesting twist to the story. The “funk” is what they were turned on to. The funk was definitely alive in the “Wizards” as they took the New York skating world by storm.
As humans we were all created to be equal. Yes, we wear different hairstyles and have different personalities, but at the end of the day we’re more similar than anything else. Actors and Actresses face many of the same struggles to make it in the entertainment industry. However, each should be given the same opportunities to advance their careers. That also goes for actors/actresses with disabilities. An entertainer shouldn’t be discouraged from doing the things they love. “CinemAbility: The Art of Inclusion” discusses those challenges faced by disabled performers, but also shed’s light on their career achievements.
“CinemAbility: The Art of Inclusion” is a film directed by Emmy award winner Jenni Gold. Gold is the only female wheelchair using Director Member of the Directors Guild of America. Her personal perspective helped Gold put together a wonderful film. A film in which Jane Seymour delivers a wonderful performance as the narrator of the tale. This film also features commentary from the likes of Ben Affleck, Jamie Foxx, Marlee Matlin, Gary Sinise, William H.Macy and Geena Davis.
Overall I enjoyed this film. It’s a wonderful documentary and really sheds light on important issues facing performers in the entertainment industry. I think it’s important to know that actors/actresses with disabilities should receive offers for film roles. I also feel like it’s important to know that it’s not ok for a performer to play the role of a disabled person when there are performers with disabilities that are more than capable of handling the role. “CinemAbility: The Art of Inclusion” was very enlightening and I think its a film that anyone with an interest in the entertainment should watch.
