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From today’s lens, it is hard for some to imagine the United States government tormenting anyone for just singing a song. Certainly not ‘Strange Fruit,’ her protest song against lynching. What crime could the United States government possibly find in amplifying the senseless killing of Black people, Black men specifically, for nothing more than the color of their skin? Why was any entity of the federal government outraged over a now classic American protest song with the lyric “Black bodies swingin’ in the Southern breeze/Strange fruit hangin’ from the poplar trees?”
The harsh truth is Jim Crow wasn’t just in the South. Racism was all over the nation and few knew that as well as Billie Holiday.As a woman born Black and poor with extremely limited options in Jim Crow America, survival, in and of itself, was a win. Becoming the iconic Lady Day, beloved by both Black and white Americans for her talent, did not shield her. No amount of fame could save her from the punishment reserved for her refusal to stop singing ‘Strange Fruit.’ Unable to outrun her demons, she had turned to drugs early to numb the pain of her rough childhood, her unfortunate choice in men and just the price of living Black and female in America. And the government, her government, used her weakness, her drug addiction, against her.
Fighting unfairly, Federal Bureau of Narcotics chief Harry Anslinger, who founded this country’s infamous “War on Drugs,” hired Jimmy Fletcher, a Black man, to infiltrate her jazz circles and take her down. But their plan hit a major snag when Jimmy did the unthinkable and fell in love with her. It wasn’t enough to save her from a horrific death chained to a hospital bed surrounded by federal agents. Did the government kill Lady Day?
The United States vs. Billie Holiday dares to answer that question.
Directed by Academy Award nominee Lee Daniels, with a screenplay written by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Suzan-Lori Parks based on the chapter “The Black Hand” on Billie Holiday in Johann Mari’s 2015 bestselling book, Chasing The Scream: The First and Last Days of the War on Drugs, and introducing Grammy-nominated singer Andra Day as Billie Holiday, Hulu presents The United States vs. Billie Holiday. Trevante Rhodes, from the Academy Award-winning film Moonlight, stars as Jimmy Fletcher, with Tony Award nominee Da’Vine Joy Randolph from Ghost: The Musical and Dolemite Is My Name, Orange Is the New Black’s Natasha Lyonne, Mudbound’s Garrett Hedlund, and Rob Morgan, as well as Miss Lawrence, Tyler James Williams, Evan Ross, and Tone Bell.
The United States vs. Billie Holiday premieres in February.
From today’s lens, it is hard for some to imagine the United States government tormenting anyone for just singing a song. Certainly not ‘Strange Fruit,’ her protest song against lynching. What crime could the United States government possibly find in amplifying the senseless killing of Black people, Black men specifically, for nothing more than the color of their skin? Why was any entity of the federal government outraged over a now classic American protest song with the lyric “Black bodies swingin’ in the Southern breeze/Strange fruit hangin’ from the poplar trees?”
The harsh truth is Jim Crow wasn’t just in the South. Racism was all over the nation and few knew that as well as Billie Holiday.As a woman born Black and poor with extremely limited options in Jim Crow America, survival, in and of itself, was a win. Becoming the iconic Lady Day, beloved by both Black and white Americans for her talent, did not shield her. No amount of fame could save her from the punishment reserved for her refusal to stop singing ‘Strange Fruit.’ Unable to outrun her demons, she had turned to drugs early to numb the pain of her rough childhood, her unfortunate choice in men and just the price of living Black and female in America. And the government, her government, used her weakness, her drug addiction, against her.
Fighting unfairly, Federal Bureau of Narcotics chief Harry Anslinger, who founded this country’s infamous “War on Drugs,” hired Jimmy Fletcher, a Black man, to infiltrate her jazz circles and take her down. But their plan hit a major snag when Jimmy did the unthinkable and fell in love with her. It wasn’t enough to save her from a horrific death chained to a hospital bed surrounded by federal agents. Did the government kill Lady Day?
The United States vs. Billie Holiday dares to answer that question.
Directed by Academy Award nominee Lee Daniels, with a screenplay written by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Suzan-Lori Parks based on the chapter “The Black Hand” on Billie Holiday in Johann Mari’s 2015 bestselling book, Chasing The Scream: The First and Last Days of the War on Drugs, and introducing Grammy-nominated singer Andra Day as Billie Holiday, Hulu presents The United States vs. Billie Holiday. Trevante Rhodes, from the Academy Award-winning film Moonlight, stars as Jimmy Fletcher, with Tony Award nominee Da’Vine Joy Randolph from Ghost: The Musical and Dolemite Is My Name, Orange Is the New Black’s Natasha Lyonne, Mudbound’s Garrett Hedlund, and Rob Morgan, as well as Miss Lawrence, Tyler James Williams, Evan Ross, and Tone Bell.
The United States vs. Billie Holiday premieres in February.
Source: The Washington Post / Getty
This inauguration will be a historic. Not only are we evicting a tyrant from the White House, it will also be the first time a Black woman has held the office of Vice President. And under normal circumstances, Black women would have showed up and showed out to be there to commemorate the occasion.
But this year is different. We’re still in the midst of a pandemic, which is disproportionately affecting Black folks.
And after Wednesday’s attack on the Capitol, the risks are even greater.
Judging by the actions of the domestic terrorists who stormed the Capitol, I think it’s safe to assume that the January 6, wasn’t the only raid they had planned.
The inauguration might also be a target. Not only will Joe Biden be there, so will his supporters.
Now, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser is encouraging people to avoid the inauguration all together, encouraging them instead, to watch the event virtually.
In a tweet, Bowser shared a graphic that read: “We are asking Americans NOT TO COME TO WASHINGTON, DC for the 59th Presidential Inauguration on January 20, and to instead participate virtually.”
Bowser shared this request in her Situational Update, where she also discussed rollout of the COVID vaccine for elderly DC residents.
Bowser’s request comes as the FBI has issued a bulletin stating that there are plans for “armed protests” (which sounds like attacks to me) at all 50 state capitals ahead of the inauguration.
ABC News reported, in response to the elevated threat, 15,000 National Guardsmen could be deployed around Biden’s inauguration day festivities.
If you’re looking for some escapist entertainment (and honestly, aren’t we all?), then hold onto your butts. Marvel’s WandaVision hits Disney+ this Friday, January 15. As the first Marvel series for Disney’s streaming channel, expectations are high. And thanks to the mind-bending visuals and compelling trailers, WandaVision looks like something entirely new and different from the company.
Critics who previewed the series took to social media this weekend to share their thoughts on series, which sees Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany reprising their MCU roles as Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch and Vision, respectively. Frankly, I always felt indifferent to the Wanda/Vision relationship and subplot, as those characters were given short shrift by the MCU. It didn’t help that they made their big screen debut in Avengers: Age of Ultron, a film largely considered to be the worst of all the Avengers offerings.
But despite the film’s shortcomings, Bettany and Olsen are compelling actors and their characters have a large fanbase in the comics. So it makes sense that a series would allow the MCU to explore the couple on a deeper level. it would also give more focus to Wanda, who is easily the strongest Avenger of the group.
The first reactions from critics on Twitter have us all the more excited for Friday:
WANDAVISION is a tantalizing experiment with shades of Lynch that is almost irritatingly dedicated to slowly playing out its mystery. (I wanted more!) But one surprise: It's funny! The jokes feel at home in the I LOVE LUCY/BEWITCHED-homaging world, Paul Bettany is a comedy star pic.twitter.com/ulKuupVgmH
— Hoai-Tran Bui (@htranbui) January 9, 2021
Though, I do wonder what people will make of this who don’t have a working knowledge of, say, Bewitched. Like, the b-plot of one episode is “Vision accidentally swallows gum.”
— Mike Ryan (@mikeryan) January 9, 2021
I love Wanda's story from the comics, and I'm really happy to see this series take inspiration from some of those iconic Vision and Scarlet Witch story lines and moments.
Plus, the cast is having so much fun in the first three episodes, it was a blast to watch! pic.twitter.com/0nrCnIp1Iw
— Hector Navarro (@Hectorisfunny) January 9, 2021
#WandaVision was like “hey we’re going to change almost everything about you episode to episode” and she was like “ok mind if I absolutely nail this?” pic.twitter.com/oSetXtS1ix
— Ash Crossan (@AshCrossan) January 9, 2021
It’s a wonderfully intimate return to the MCU, engaging with the TV medium with gusto and affection. Oh, and Kathryn Hahn is and always has been a treasure. pic.twitter.com/HBmGhk0YWS
— Alex Biese (@ABieseAPP) January 9, 2021
There’s a lot to like in #WandaVision, especially Olsen and Bettany’s performances, but what I appreciated the most is the chance to experience a relationship that was mostly developed off-screen between MCU films. Starts streaming on January 15! pic.twitter.com/PX965i6BO2
— Wenlei Ma (@WenleiMa) January 9, 2021
Fans wanting BIG action scenes may need to adjust their expectations, at least early on, but the beauty of this format is it allows room to hang out w/ characters & revel in the weirdness on display without a story that’s relying too heavily on rushing to its next major battle. pic.twitter.com/N451h2KcwO
— Erik Davis (@ErikDavis) January 9, 2021
Expectations are high for WandaVision, as the series will be setting the bar for future Disney+ offerings like Loki and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. WandaVision will also be following in the footsteps of The Mandalorian, as an original Disney+ offering based on pre-existing property. WandaVision will also be kicking off Phase 4 of the MCU and setting the tone for the films and series to come. The bar is high, to say the least.
WandaVision premieres on Disney+ on January 15.
(featured image: Disney+)
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The post First Reactions To WandaVision Promise a Strange, Trippy Ride first appeared on The Mary Sue.