NBA legend Daryl Dawkins passed away Aug. 27 at the age of 58 after suffering a heart attack. Dawkins was the first NBA player to break a backboard with a slam dunk during a televised game in the 1970s. His prowess above the rim earned him the nickname “Chocolate Thunder.” The first NBA player drafted out of high school, Dawkins shattered so many backboards that the NBA got tired of replacing them and ordered all NBA backwards be replaced with shatterproof backboards.
The Public Theater in New York City announced a one-week extension for the New York premiere of “Eclipsed.” Written by Danai Gurira and featuring Academy Award winner Lupita Nyong’o in her New York stage debut, this powerful story of survival and residence begins previews at the Public Theater Tuesday, Sept. 29 and was originally scheduled to run through Sunday, Nov. 8. It will now run an additional week through Sunday, Nov. 15, with an official press opening Wednesday, Oct. 14.
Tongues are wagging that singer-songwriter Ne-Yo married Crystal Renay recently, and she is expecting their child. Ne-Yo is also the father of two children, Madilyn Smith, 4, and Mason Evan Smith, 3, by “Atlanta Exes” star Monyetta Shaw.
The 2015 Urbanworld Film Festival will open with the BET biography “Muhammad Ali: The People’s Champ” and close with “A Ballerina’s Tale,” a documentary that centers on American Ballet Theater principal Misty Copeland. The two films are part of a full slate of more than 80 films, including shorts, that make up the 19th annual New York City-based festival, presented by BET Networks with HBO. The 2015 Urbanworld festival runs Sept. 23 to 27.
According to reports, Terrence Howard’s ongoing personal drama is carrying over into his professional life. A source says that Howard’s role in the upcoming season of “Empire” will be scaled back because of his recent divorce drama and numerous prior allegations of domestic abuse, which have resurfaced in recent weeks. The source also says that Taraji P. Henson’s role as Cookie Lyon will be pushed to the forefront.