Paramount Pictures has given an awards season December release to Denzel Washington’s “Fences,” with a limited opening in New York and Los Angeles Dec. 16 and a wide release on Christmas Day, according to Variety. Paramount announced in April that Washington would star in and direct a movie version of August Wilson’s “Fences,” with Viola Davis on board to star. Both actors won Tony awards for their performances in the 2010 Broadway revival of “Fences,” which first debuted in 1985.
The third annual New York Black Expo will be held Saturday, July 30 from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the prestigious Sheraton New York Times Square, located on Seventh Avenue at 53rd Street in New York City. A celebrity lineup of leaders across a wide sector of the power base of the Black community will be participating in this year’s business expo, including leaders in local and regional chambers of commerce and advocates supporting the Big Black Campaign of the New York Black Expo. The expo will also provide an opportunity for diverse segments of the community to do business with the Black community. A variety of business leaders will be facilitating seminars, workshops and panel discussions. Industry experts in fashion, beauty and music will also be providing pertinent information. The New York Black Expo is presented by Mark Anthony Jenkins.
Beyoncé and Jay Z were spotted heading to their car after doing some power shopping at the Just Cavalli store July 18 in Milan, Italy. Bee was in the Italian fashion mecca for a stop on her Formation World Tour, where her friends John Legend and Chrissy Teigen flew over to show their support. Beyoncé and Jay Z also recently made a large donation to the Black Lives Matter movement.
Helen C. Shelton, a senior partner at leading global PR agency Finn Partners, will receive the 2016 Circle Award from ColorComm, the nation’s premier membership organization for women of color in communications. Shelton and six other women are being recognized for their contributions to the communications industry and for leading the way in their commitment for excellence and championing diversity. A founding board member of ColorComm, Shelton will be among the honorees and a featured speaker during the conference. Speakers include Arianna Huffington, CNN Anchor Fredricka Whitfield, CEO of the Cannes Lions Festival Philip Thomas and President of Essence Communications Michelle Ebanks.
Bellion Vodka infused with NTX technology is the drink of the summer, giving rise to a new category in the alcohol industry, “functional spirits,” DNA-and liver-friendly alcohol that does not affect the buzz factor. NTX is a new technology that consists of mannitol, polysorbate and glycyrrhizin, which Are approved for human consumption by the Food and Drug Administration and Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau.