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The film Green Book follows the story of two men — Dr. Don Shirley, a world-class Black pianist, and Tony Lip, a tough-talking bouncer from the Bronx.  The two men couldn’t be more different, yet somehow during a journey in the 1960s deep south — in spite of their differences, they form a tight bond. When Universal Pictures premiered the first trailer, fans of Mahershala Ali were excited to see him take on this new role, where it appears to be a depiction of Driving Miss Daisy in reverse.

However, as more information exposes the back story of Dr. Don Shirley, as well as accusations from his family about the film’s inaccuracies, the support for the film waned. What was once one of the most highly anticipated films of the holiday season, slowly became a trending topic on social media for the wrong reasons.

While some critics enjoyed the film and its leads, others found it glib and reinforced racial stereotypes.  (I enjoyed the fried chicken scene myself, but to each is own.)

And although many people on social media were judging the film before its premiere and delivering hot takes based on a select group of opinions, Mahershala Ali and executive producer Octavia Spencer remained silent about the adverse reaction to the motion picture. Mahershala Ali did apologize to the family of Dr. Don Shirley, as they referred to the film as “a symphony of lies”.

During Sunday night’s Golden Globes, Mahershala Ali walked away with a win for Best Supporting Actor.  The film also earned an award for Best Motion Picture Comedy.  Actress and executive producer Octavia Spencer graced the stage along with the rest of the production team to accept the award.

In the press room, both Ali and Spencer had a lot to say about the film, winning and addressed some of the bad press the film has received.

On the varied roles he’s played, and how he decides on them, Mahershala Ali says:

“I think about that a lot. I have so much anxiety about that I have to manage once I say yes that I only say yes to something that makes me uncomfortable. When I get the script, something comfortable, that’s the job I say no to, so I only say yes to the job that scares me to some degree.”

On the controversy about the family of Dr. Don Shirley not liking the film: “I will say this. My job is always the script. I’ve got to look at what I am responsible for, and all the prayers and time and the energy and the work, I’m not one who is necessarily going to throw that all away over things that I have no control over.

I respect the film. I respect Don Shirley and his family, and I have a job to do, and I have to continue to do my job as well as my next project and treat everyone that I work with, with respect.

I have made contact with the family, and I have to move on but do wish them (the Shirley family) well, and I think they wish everybody was happy. In any situation, you don’t want anybody to be upset…so I wish them well, send them my love, and I hope they respond.”

Octavia Spencer had a message for Don Shirley’s family who disagree with the film:

“What I will say in lieu of directing it to the Shirley family is what it meant to me. I have been a part of four films from this era, and this is the first time I saw a person of color with agency. I thought, ‘Well this is a guy I want to know, and this is a guy whose story needs to be out there for the young people who are still in the resistance.’

So for me, it was about the idea that there were people like Don Shirley in the sixties and we never saw them on film, so that’s what I took from it. That’s what I still take from it. And Mitch and Mahershala and Theo and all of the filmmakers were putting their hearts into it, so that’s what I say to the Shirley family. He meant a lot to a lot of people, and I am glad I got to share that story.”

Viggo Mortensen on his racist character’s chant of heart in Green Book:

“What I’m saying is that it is the job of every generation to learn, hopefully, to be less ignorant, to beat ignorant with experience. You can look at that as oppressing or you can look at that as a challenge.

I think it’s a positive thing. I think it’s just like physically you need to work on yourself, also mentally, also psychologically, also socially. Every generation learns the language of racism and prejudice. Behavior evolves, harbors thoughts that are similar to other times, I agree, but it’s simply now or never.

So when people say there’s a lot of antagonism; everybody’s in their corner and nobody’s listening and so this is a perfect time for a movie like this. Yeah, it’s a perfect time but anytime, any generation with a movie this well made, that is also entertaining but also about profound issues, timeless issues. Unfortunately, however, you want to look at it. It’s always going to be a good time for a movie like this.”

The press room applauds soon after that.

And while the criticism to some extent may be warranted, it still hasn’t brought down the momentum the film has received in the awards circuit. From Critics Choice to Directors Guild of America — the film is on its way to compete for more coveted awards.

The post Mahershala Ali and Octavia Spencer Respond To The ‘Green Book’ Backlash appeared first on Black Girl Nerds.

Shamael Lataillade, a former employee at a Moschino boutique in West Hollywood, California, filed a lawsuit against the Italian luxury clothing company for racial discrimination against her and shoppers of color. In the suit, Lataillade claims that employees at the store were instructed to racially profile black patrons who didn’t appear to be wealthy and classify them using a racist codename.

Lataillade says a store supervisor would call black clientele “Serena” and ordered employees to follow and watch them closely if they weren’t wearing diamonds or name brand clothing, according to documents obtained by TMZ. Associates were also told to tell so-called “Serenas” that certain items were out of stock. The female supervisor even went as far as sometimes recording the license plate numbers of black clients. In one instance, she purportedly called the police to report a “suspicious” customer who Lataillade says turned out to be a high-profile rapper.

In addition, Lataillade, who is a Haitian-American woman, claims that the supervisor stereotyped her as someone who practices voodoo. Lataillade argues that she was then fired for speaking out about the “Serena” code word and other forms of racism she faced.

Ironically, the code word “Serena” seems to be a reference to iconic tennis star Serena Williams, who boasts a net worth around $180 million.

In response to the suit, which seeks unspecified damages, Moschino denied Lataillade’s charges and told TMZ the company “complies with applicable equal employment laws and values and respects all customers and clients regardless of their race or background.”

Nevertheless, this lawsuit points to the notorious phenomenon of “shopping while black,” an epidemic that dates back to the 20th century, when department stores prohibited black shoppers from using their main entrance and trying on clothes in fear their skin would tarnished items. Oprah Winfrey even fell victim to the “shopping while black” stigma back in 2013, when a Zurich store clerk snubbed the billionaire and suggested that she could not afford a $38,000 purse.

The post Former Black Employee Files Suit Against Moschino for Racially Profiling Black Shoppers appeared first on Black Enterprise.

This week a new series on CBS is scheduled to premiere called Fam, bout a woman whose vision of a perfect life with her adoring fiancé and his wonderful family is radically altered when her 16-year-old, out-of-control half-sister unexpectedly comes to live with her. Sheryl Lee Ralph plays the role of Nick’s mother Rose.  Sheryl Lee Ralph has a long career that has spanned over many years in TV, film, and theater.

Film editor Joi McMillon has worked with director Barry Jenkins on the film Moonlight and If Beale Street Could Talk. Her film Moonlight won the Best Picture Oscar and actress Regina King won a Best Supporting Golden Globe win.

Segment 1: With an illustrious career in film, TV, and theater, acting veteran Sheryl Lee Ralph joins us to chat about her new CBS series ‘Fam’ which makes it debut this week.

Segment 2: Film editor Joi McMillon who worked on one of the most critically acclaimed films of 2018 ‘If Beale Street Could Talk’ chats with us about working on the movie which earned Regina King a Best Supporting win during the Golden Globes telecast.

Hosts: Jamie and Jonita

Editor: Jamie Broadnax

Music: Sammus

It’s enough to make you forget your no-carbs, get-fit New Year’s resolution. Wilkinson Baking Company unveiled a fully automated bread-making machine at CES 2019, and it’s a bread lover’s dream come true. The BreadBot mixes, […]

The post ‘Bread Bot’ That Makes 10 Loaves Per Hour Lets You Load Up on Carbs appeared first on Geek.com.