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“Becoming Thurgood: America’s Social Architect” is set to air on PBS at 10:00 Pm on Tuesday, September 9, 2025. This special program dives deep into the remarkable life of Thurgood Marshall, who made history as the first Black justice on the U.S. Supreme Court. The show promises to be an enlightening exploration of his journey, highlighting his role as a lawyer and a civil rights leader.

Viewers can expect to see how Marshall’s early experiences shaped his commitment to justice and equality. The documentary will showcase his groundbreaking work in the courtroom, particularly his involvement in landmark cases that transformed American society. It will also touch on the challenges...

The documentary studio Words + Pictures, best known for bringing to life Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story, is bringing another late icon’s story to the screen. Chadwick Boseman‘s life and his battle with cancer will be the focus of the studio’s next project, according to a report from Broadwalk Times.

Words + Pictures are working on a Chadwick Boseman documentary.

They were also the production studio that worked on ‘Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story’

(Source: https://t.co/fUwEcSAOfc) pic.twitter.com/h9YMMe5vCV

— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) August 22, 2025

The studio has a reputation for creating well-researched and moving documentaries, including The Kingdom, Giannis: The Marvelous Journey, Open Heart,...

Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story released this year to wide acclaim, and we're now hearing that the team behind the project are working on a new documentary about another beloved superhero star who left us way too soon.

Directed by McQueen filmmakers Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui, Super/Man focused on the extraordinary life and career of the legendary actor, who is still widely regarded as our best big-screen take on the Man of Steel yet.

Now, Boardwalk Times is reporting that Words + Pictures is developing a doc about late Black Panther actor Chadwick Boseman.

Boseman passed away in 2020 after a four-year battle with colon cancer. Though he will...

Words + Pictures, the documentary studio behind Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story, The Kingdom, Celtics City, and many other documentaries, is reportedly working on a new project about Chadwick Boseman.

The information comes from reports by The Hollywood Reporter.

Boseman was a beloved actor who passed away in 2020 after privately battling colon cancer for four years. Over his career, he played many iconic figures, including James Brown, Thurgood Marshall, and Jackie Robinson.

His most famous role was T’Challa, the Black Panther, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He also earned numerous award nominations for his work.

In 2016, Boseman was diagnosed with stage III colon cancer, which eventually progressed to stage IV.

Words + Pictures, the documentary studio known for projects like Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story, The Kingdom, and Celtics City, is now working on a new film about the life and legacy of Chadwick Boseman.

Boseman was one of the most loved actors of his generation, known for bringing powerful and historic figures to the screen. He played James Brown, Thurgood Marshall, and Jackie Robinson, but he became a global icon for his role as T’Challa, the Black Panther, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Throughout his career, he earned many award nominations and left a lasting mark on Hollywood.

In 2016, Boseman was diagnosed with stage III colon cancer, which later progressed to stage IV.

Dustin Lance Black and Sean Penn, who won Academy Awards for writing and starring in the 2008 Harvey Milk biopic Milk, are speaking out on orders from U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to remove the name of the gay rights activist and late San Francisco Supervisor from a Navy ship.

“This is yet another move to distract and to fuel the culture wars that create division,” Black, 50, says in a phone call with The Hollywood Reporter. “It’s meant to get us to react in ways that are self-centered so that we are further distanced from our brothers and sisters in equally important civil rights fights in this country. It’s divide and conquer.”

Adds Penn, 64, in an email to THR: “I’ve never before seen a Secretary of Defense so aggressively demote himself to the rank of Chief Petty Officer.”

News of the renaming of the Usns Harvey Milk,...

The loss of the Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman continues to weigh heavily on his co-star Michael B. Jordan, who still grapples with deep regret over their relationship following Boseman’s tragic passing in 2020. Boseman, known for his iconic portrayal of Black Panther, passed away following a battle with colon cancer.

Jordan, who starred alongside Boseman in the MCU film, reflected on his lingering remorse, admitting that he often wonders what he could have done differently in their friendship.

Michael B. Jordan and Chadwick Boseman in Black Panther | Credit: Marvel Michael B. Jordan opens up about his deep regret over Chadwick Boseman

Chadwick Boseman’s co-stars Michael B. Jordan and Daniel Kaluuya, are remembering the late Hollywood stars in the new Apple TV+ documentary, Number One on the Call Sheet.

The Creed star, who still gets emotional talking about Boseman, reflected on his late co-star’s legacy and his regret...

Sterling K. Brown has built an impressive career defined by emotional gentleness mixed with a commanding screen presence that leads to versatile, dynamic characters. Whether portraying real-life figures, complex dramatic roles, or engaging in lighter comedic fare with underlying pathos, Brown has consistently delivered performances that resonate with audiences and critics over the last few years. His ability to convey profound vulnerability and quiet yet warm strength has made him one of the most compelling actors of his generation, earning him numerous accolades in multiple mediums, including multiple Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe and an Oscar nomination.

With a career spanning over two decades at this point, Brown has brought truth and authenticity to every role, elevating each project with his performances, no matter how small. His work in television has redefined modern storytelling, while his foray into film has proven his ability to shine on the big screen just as brightly.

Diane Warren was denied an Oscar for the 16th time Sunday, after losing in the Best Original Song category to Emilia Pérez‘s “El Mal.” Warren, who was nominated for The Six Triple Eight‘s “The Journey,” wasn’t deterred by the loss, she told Variety. “I’m consistent as fuck,” Warren said. “You know, it is what it is. I’m happy to be here.”

Warren said she believed she had a fair chance at the 97th Oscars. H.E.R., an Oscar-winning artist, performed “The Journey,” and the Netflix-distributed...

Sometimes, you have to lose yourself to find who you really are. In the case of Chadwick Boseman, who was taken from us far too soon, this quote rings true not only in his career choices but also in his personal battle. In a world where superheroes are meant to wear capes and conquer impossible odds, the late MCU actor was fighting a different kind of battle—a real one.

And while he was busy portraying royalty on the big screen, the reality was that the star of Black Panther was privately waging war against colon cancer, a fight he never publicly acknowledged until his death in August 2020.

Chadwick Boseman as T’Challa/Black Panther in 2018’s Black Panther | Credits: Marvel Studios

While Boseman kept his diagnosis out of the public eye, he remained remarkably present in his charitable endeavors.

When Chadwick Boseman gave hope to kids while fighting his...

The late Chadwick Boseman is largely known for portraying Black Panther in the MCU, but he also lit up the big screen embodying titanic figures in American history. From James Brown in Get On Up to Thurgood Marshall in Marshall, Boseman gave new life to the important stories of trailblazers and, in turn, cemented himself as one of Hollywood's best and brightest with an Oscar nomination and a bevy of other accolades. Before becoming a household name though, he first took on a defining role as a game-changer in the realm of baseball, sports, and society as a whole — Jackie Robinson. Now, 42 is coming to Max on February 1 just in time for a rewatch before MLB Spring Training begins.

Obviously, this boils down to the longest-running TV shows I’ve never heard of. But I like to think I’m kind of the Lorax for highly-online dorks: I speak for the dweebs.

You’ve definitely heard of the longest-running show of all time — NFL on NBC, which ran for 85 years — and of course you know General Hospital (61 years) and Jeopardy! (60 years). But there was something in the water around 70 years ago (probably lead) that made Americans with niche interests create some of the most enduring entertainment in human history.

5 ‘It’s Academic’: 63 Years

Started in 1961, this is kind of an academic Hunger Games for high schools in the D.C. metro area. Over 100 schools compete in different regions, with the winners facing off in the legally dubious “Super Bowl.” It was modeled off a British show that had been airing since the 1940s, but It’s Academic stuck...

Fans of the late Chadwick Boseman can look forward to one of his true-story-based dramas coming to a new streaming home soon. Having gotten his start in acting with a number of supporting roles, Boseman found his first breakthrough in the world of historical storytelling with the 2013 sports drama 42, playing the iconic baseball star Jackie Robinson. The actor would continue his work in the true story genre, which included the quick follow-up to 42 in the form of the James Brown biopic, Get On Up.

Outside the genre, Boseman is arguably best known for his turn as Wakandan prince-turned-ruler T'Challa, aka the Black Panther, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, making his debut in Captain America: Civil War and returning for his solo movie and both Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame. Just prior to his death in 2020, Boseman had lined up what would become two of his most acclaimed roles in...

The movie version of The Piano Lesson–– based on August Wilson’s 1987 play of the same name and part of the playwright’s iconic 10-play American Century Cycle –– is the latest Wilson film produced by Denzel Washington and Todd Black.

The series of loosely interconnected dramas, which also includes Fences and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, chronicles the African American experience decade by decade throughout the 20th century, roughly bookended by the birth of Richard Wright and the death of Thurgood Marshall. Wilson’s plays observe the advance and retreat of vast social changes from one largely fixed perspective: They’re mostly set in Pittsburgh’s Hill District, where Wilson grew up and which The New York Times has called “a bastion of Black history, arts and culture.” To generations of actors, the American Century Cycle has proved a rich, encyclopedic source of inspiration.

“I was a theater nerd growing up,...

It's hard to believe it has been four years since the heartbreaking death of Chadwick Boseman. The acclaimed performer, who was the first African-American actor to lead a standalone Marvel movie in Black Panther, among many other notable roles, passed away due to complications related to colon cancer in 2020. T'Challa, a.k.a. Black Panther, became a cultural symbol for Marvel and movie fans across the globe, and Boseman will forever be remembered for his amazing performance, and the cultural significance of the role.

Lupita Nyong'o, who played Nakia in Black Panther, shared a post on Instagram remembering her colleague and friend on the fourth anniversary of his passing. Alongside a stylish image of Boseman, Nyong'o shared a photo of herself laughing with her friend. Under the beautiful images, the actress wrote:

"Grief never ends. But it changes. It is a passage, not a place to stay. Grief is not a sign of weakness,...

A Shenandoah County, Virginia school board voted to restore the names of Confederate military leaders to a high school and an elementary school.

The vote occurred four years after they were removed during nationwide protests demanding a reckoning over racial injustice. In Virginia, local governments were banned from removing Confederate memorials and statues until the law was changed in 2020 after police killed George Floyd in 2020.

Statues of Confederate leaders, including Robert E. Lee, Andrew Jackson and Confederate President Jefferson Davis, were removed from Richmond’s famed Monument Avenue in 2020 and 2021 after protests and vandalizing of these statues.

Shenandoah County is one of the most politically conservative counties in the state.

In a reversal experts think was the first of its kind, Shenandoah County’s school board voted 5-1 to rename Mountain View High School, Stonewall Jackson High School and Honey Run Elementary Ashby Lee Elementary.

Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson was...

Tobias Menzies has become one of our most reliably excellent actors of late. Classically trained, he had an extensive theatre career in his native England during the noughties and early 2010s before he rose to prominence with roles in “Game of Thrones” and “Outlander.”

Menzies’ profile then increased further thanks to his lauded portrayal of Prince Phillip in “The Crown” and his stock has again risen thanks to his role as another major historical figure in Apple TV’s “Manhunt.” The acclaimed limited series follows the death of President Abraham Lincoln (played by Hamish Linklater) and the subsequent 12-day manhunt for assassin John Wilkes Booth (Anthony Boyle).

Menzies stars as Edwin Stanton, the Secretary of State and personal friend of Lincoln who headed up the hunt for Booth. Menzies proves himself capable of carrying this compelling show entirely on his own. His complex, gruff portrayal of Stanton is what makes the series soar,...

Laurence Fishburne, known for films like The Matrix and Apocalypse Now, reveals a touching, raw and emotional side to him in his one-man stage show, Like They Do in the Movies. The show, written by Fishburne and directed by Leonard Foglia, opened on March 21 at the Perelman Performing Arts Center in New York City.

Fishburne opens up about his acting career, spearheaded by his mother when he was a child. Hattie Fishburne saw talent in her son at a young age and pushed him into the performing arts. In contrast to usual well-known tough and authoritative roles, Fishburne’s performance in Like They Do in the Movies is soft and intimate as he narrates his life to the audience. Though, that doesn’t mean it isn’t powerful.

As a solo performer, Fishburne embodies each person/character that impacted his life and career, such as a Hurricane Katrina survivor, a homeless man and more.

Critics praised Boseman's acting in 21 Bridges, despite mixed reviews of the repetitive storyline. The film received a 54% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes but an impressive 91% from audiences. 21 Bridges was Chadwick Boseman's last film before his death in August 2020, highlighting his talent.

The 2019 action thriller 21 Bridges includes a well-rounded cast of established film and television actors who help bring life into the drama. The film follows Andre Davis, an NYPD detective, as he orders the police to shut down the 21 river crossing bridges of Manhattan to find two cop killers. Along for the ride is narcotics detective Frankie Burns, who has an ulterior motive in helping Davis and a team of hundreds as they search for the cop killers.

Despite mixed reviews due to the repetitive storyline, critics praised Boseman's acting in the movie. 21 Bridges got a 54% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes but an impressive 91% from audiences.

When Chadwick Boseman passed away in 2020 at just the age of 43, fans were understandably heartbroken and shocked. Boseman had a knack for becoming a chameleon in biopics, whether it be seamlessly turning into Jackie Robinson in 42, James Brown in Get On Up, or Thurgood Marshall in Marshall. However, no matter what else he did, Chadwick Boseman will always and forever best be remembered for his role as T'Challa in Black Panther.

Norman Lear, who recently passed away at the age of 101, transformed the network television sitcom in the 1970s by confronting America's cultural contentiousness head-on and daring viewers to laugh at a bigot like Archie Bunker on "All in the Family" or the white-folks-hating George Jefferson on "The Jeffersons." People were more than ready to accept this challenge. "All in the Family" was the top-rated show on television for six of its nine seasons, while "The Jeffersons" ranked in the top 10 for four of its remarkable 11 seasons. Along with "Good Times," "Sanford and Son," "Maude," "One Day at a Time" and "Diff'rent Strokes," Lear basically dominated the decade. It was a creative hot streak that's never been matched and one that Lear could never replicate.

After the 1978 premiere of "Diff'rent Strokes," Lear went ice cold. "The Baxters" and "Palmerstown, USA" only hung around for two seasons, while "Hanging In" and "aka...

Dawn Porter looks for stories of people who made history without asking. By following congressman and civil rights leader John Lewis in John Lewis: Good Trouble, or President Obama’s White House photographer Pete Souza in The Way I See It, she says she hopes to shade in between the lines of history.

In her most recent project, Hulu’s The Lady Bird Diaries, she fixates on Lady Bird Johnson’s life, relying largely on archival audio recordings that were released following the former first lady’s death in 2007. In...

Mario Van Peebles has set his latest film “The Price for Freedom,” which tells the story of civil rights pioneers and NAACP organizers Harry T. and Harriette V. Moore, who were instrumental in advancing the cause for Black voters in Florida.

The Moores’ story is described as “equal parts civil rights history and a personal tale of love, commitment and family,” as it chronicles the activists’ fight for voting rights and the equalization of pay for Black teachers in Florida, as well as their battle against racial violence and lynching.

After opening 64 chapters of the NAACP in the state and registering hundreds of thousands of Black voters, the Moores were murdered on Dec. 25, 1951, when a bomb exploded directly under their bedroom at their home on the outskirts of Mims, Fla.

“It was their attempted defense alongside the young Thurgood Marshall (destined to become the first Black Supreme Court justice) of the ‘Groveland Four,...

Prime Video has announced that Christmas movie “Candy Cane Lane,” starring Eddie Murphy and Tracee Ellis Ross, will be released exclusively on the streaming platform on Dec. 1.

Directed by Reginald Hudlin, “Candy Cane Lane” follows Murphy as Chris, a man who is determined to win his neighborhood’s annual Christmas home decoration contest. After unintentionally striking a deal with an elf (Jillian Bell) to improve his odds of winning, she casts a spell bringing to life the 12 Days of Christmas, and chaos ensues for the whole town. Chris must then work to save Christmas for his family and community, an endeavor that entails battling magical creatures. The screenplay is written by Kelly Younger and inspired by his childhood experiences on Candy Cane Lane in El Segundo.

Ross stars as Chris’s wife, Carol. The movie also stars Thaddeus J. Mixson, Ken Marino, Nick Offerman, Robin Thede, Chris Redd, Genneya Walton,...

Three years after Chadwick Boseman's untimely death, Lupita Nyong'o paid tribute to her Black Panther co-star.

Nyong'o, who played the spy Nakia opposite Boseman as King T'Challa, shared a photo on Instagram of the late actor from 2018. "Three years ago today, I experienced a singular pain at the news of Chadwick Boseman's death. The confusion was so profound that it took months to trust the feeling of joy again," she wrote. "Death is hard to understand, maybe even harder to accept. But the love generated from the life he lived will fuel every anniversary marking his absence. Chadwick may no longer be in our photos, but he will always be in our hearts."

Related: Chadwick Boseman Remembered by Marvel Fans Three Years After His Death

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Lupita Nyong'o (@lupitanyongo)

In addition to starring in Black Panther, Boseman made a name for himself playing historical figures,...

Sideshow Collectibles honored Chadwick Boseman with a 1/6 scale figure of Black Panther in his original MCU suit.

Sideshow's Black Panther Legacy collection introduced a new toy with Black Panther's original on-screen suit, spotlighting the black and silver design as seen in 2016's Captain America: Civil War and Black Panther. The meticulously crafted figure is loaded with accessories, including a shield, spear, interchangeable hands, and the Wakandan warrior mask from T’Challa's combat training sequences. It also recreates the likeness of the late actor when unmasked. Sideshow Collectibles has previously made Black Panther figures, but the attention to detail in this latest version, combined with the striking silver accents, sets it apart as a stunning tribute.

Related: Black Panther's Chadwick Boseman Granted Posthumous Hollywood Walk of Fame Star

Boseman’s Black Panther has been a defining aspect of pop culture since his debut. His five appearances in the MCU solidified...

Before becoming a household name, Chadwick Boseman showcased his talent on popular TV shows, including "Fringe" and "Castle." Boseman's performances in TV episodes like "Law & Order" and "Justified" demonstrate his ability to embody complex and riveting characters. Even in his first screen credit on "All My Children," Boseman proved his ability to bring depth and authenticity to his portrayals, breaking stereotypes.

Before achieving fame on the big screen, the late Chadwick Boseman guest starred on a number of hit TV shows that audiences. The celebrated actor, who passed away of colon cancer in August of 2020, is well remembered for his strong portrayals of iconic figures such as Jackie Robinson, Thurgood Marshall, James Brown and of course, the title hero in Black Panther, T'Challa. However, prior to landing those major film roles that made him a household name, Boseman received a great deal of work from the TV industry.

Like many movie stars,...

In the three decades since School Daze and the equally influential TV series A Different World were released, HBCUs, or historically Black colleges and universities, have seen a resurgence of much-needed attention. In 2019, Beyoncé’s Homecoming docufilm celebrated Black marching band and dance team culture, a pinnacle of any Hbcu football game. The 2021 inauguration of Vice President Kamala Harris put her undergraduate university Howard in the national spotlight; that same year, the Washington institution would rename its College of Fine Arts in honor of the late Chadwick Boseman, who graduated there in 2000, with Phylicia Rashad as dean.

For Hbcu alums working in Hollywood, there’s a connective thread of deep pride for their educational foundations. THR spoke with nearly 30 executives, producers, directors, actors and writers who collectively acknowledged how their collegiate experience best prepared them for the multifaceted demands of careers in entertainment. While some have built formal alumni networks...

The 123 hours of audiotapes that Claudia “Lady Bird” Johnson recorded during her husband’s wholly unexpected tenure in the White House capture five of the most fraught and productive years of the American presidency from a front-row vantage point. Her observations, some held sealed until as late as 2017, were a core resource for Julia Sweig’s biography Lady Bird Johnson: Hiding in Plain Sight. Based on that book and Sweig’s subsequent podcast, Dawn Porter’s sympathetic and involving documentary furthers the argument that Lady Bird made the most of a vaguely defined role, embarking on advocacy projects that were ahead of their time while providing crucial support and counsel to Lbj.

A director who has explored the American political landscape in stand-alone docs (Gideon’s Army, John Lewis: Good Trouble) and series (Bobby Kennedy for President), Porter casts a fresh light on a well-trod period of recent history. Beyond the first lady’s recordings,...

The new movie Devotion is a mix of several genres, combining the best of the war film, the buddy film, and the biopic. With its story about the friendship that emerges between two men, one Black and one White, during the Korean War, it is the type of inspirational story that Hollywood excels at telling.

Indeed, whether through the biopics focused on the extraordinary lives of African Americans or through war movies showcasing the power of comradeship during war, the cinema has given many viewers reasons for hope. Such movies show that, even in the gloomiest of times, there is always a reason to believe in a better future.

Top Gun: Maverick (2022) Rent On AppleTV, YouTube, & Redbox

Obviously, one of the main appeals of a movie like Devotion is its emphasis on comradeship. This is also a key theme of Top Gun: Maverick, which is a long-awaited sequel to the enormously successful Top Gun.

Warning: The following contains Spoilers for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

The late Chadwick Boseman was best known for his iconic portrayal of Black Panther in the Marvel Cinematic Universe — but the actor himself was just as important to society as his superhero character. The MCU has been one of the greatest successes in the history of Hollywood, but 2018's Black Panther was one of its most important films. It was as much a cultural event as anything else, confronting themes of Black identity, prejudice and racism, and exhibiting a boldness that's quite unusual among superhero tentpoles. This cultural relevance is actually increasing with time, as discussions about racial identity and prejudice become even more pressing.

That, in part, explains why the news of the death of Chadwick Boseman was such a tragic shock. Black Panther's star passed away on August 28, 2020, due to colon cancer. He received the diagnosis 4 years prior,...

Don't worry, "Black Panther" fans. The long-awaited Marvel sequel, "Wakanda Forever," may mourn the loss of King T'Challa (played by the late Chadwick Boseman), but the film still finds a way to honor him with a proper sendoff.

Following Boseman's death on Aug. 28, 2020 - the actor died at age 43 after a battle with colon cancer - fans had mixed feelings about his role getting recast in "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever." However, during Disney's Investor Day event in December of that year, Marvel confirmed Boseman would not be replaced with another actor.

"You will not see T'Challa in the [Marvel Cinematic Universe] 616 universe. We couldn't do it."

"Chadwick Boseman was an immensely talented actor and an inspirational individual who affected all of our lives professionally and personally," said Marvel President Kevin Feige, per Deadline. "His portrayal of T'Challa the Black Panther is iconic and transcends iteration of the character in any other medium from Marvel's past.

Even in a year when movie theaters closed down in response to the pandemic, Chadwick Boseman's death was one of the most shocking film industry stories of 2020.

The celebrated actor passed away from colon cancer on August 28, 2020, having kept his illness private since being diagnosed in 2016. Over the last four years of his life, Boseman starred in films where he played both major Black historical figures (Thurgood Marshall in "Marshall") and trail-blazing Black superheroes (T'Challa in "Black Panther"). He also took home critical acclaim for his role in "Da 5 Bloods" and received an Oscar nod for his lead turn in "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom." All four of the movies listed here were helmed by Black directors and feature casts composed heavily, if not primarily, of Black actors.

In other words, the question of what to do about the intended "Black Panther" sequel, "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever," was not to be taken lightly.

The tragic passing of Chadwick Boseman, a generational talent hitting just the prime of what should have been a decades-long, award-filled acting career, in the summer of 2020 came as a devastating blow to many, especially during a year filled with so much loss and grief due to the then ongoing global pandemic. In a far too short, brilliant career, Boseman specialized in multi-layered depictions of mythic or near-mythic Americans, from Jackie Robinson (42), the first Black man to play in the major leaguers, to James Brown (Get On Up), the funk pioneer and singer-performer, to Thurgood Marshall (Marshall), the ground-breaking NAACP attorney and future Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. Each major role demanded a different skill set, some more physical than others,...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

The animated series “Xavier Riddle and The Secret Museum” shares the misadventures of Xavier Riddle and his two best friends. The PBS Kids’ show follows the trio as they tackle the everyday problems that children tend to face by traveling back in time to learn from real-life icons and inspirational people.

The show, which is based on the “Ordinary People Change the World” book series by author Brad Meltzer, has been popular among children five to eight years old since it first aired in 2019.

This story will walk you through everything you need to know about the show and its key characters.

Who Are the Main Characters of “Xavier Riddle and The Secret Museum?”

Let’s meet the show’s main characters:

Xavier Riddle:

Voiced by Aidan Vissers, Xavier is the show’s namesake and the leader of his friend group, which includes his younger sister, Yadina, and their friend Brad.

Continuing its strong ties to the entertainment industry, Howard University will be the host of the new “Disney Storytellers Fund,” which will “create opportunities for historically underrepresented students to have future careers as storytellers and innovators in media and entertainment,” according to a joint release.

The new fund was announced Saturday at the Essence Festival of Culture in Burbank, Calif., where the Walt Disney Co. is headquartered.

Howard has existing ties with Netflix and Amazon, among others. Earlier this year, it appointed actress Phylicia Rashad as dean of the recently reestablished College of Fine Arts. The university also renamed that college after Chadwick Boseman, who attended Howard before going on to become an A-list actor playing iconic roles including Black Panther, Thurgood Marshall, Jackie Robinson and James Brown.

The Disney Storytellers Fund at Howard University will provide stipends over a five-year period for student projects focused on storytelling across animation,...

The Netflix documentary Civil: Ben Crump follows civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who often represents marginalized clients in wrongful death, injury, police brutality and discrimination lawsuits. Director Nadia Hallgren follows Crump and his various cases, including his most high-profile one against the city of Minneapolis for the death of George Floyd. The documentary is filmed against the backdrop of this historical case while showing how Crump handles these tragic events that captured the full attention of Americans and the international community.

The film, which premiered at the Tribeca Festival and opened the American Black Film Festival on Wednesday, begins with Crump in the shadows. He’s on a call from one of Floyd’s family members, who is begging for his help. This is the lawyer’s life daily, on the phone, traveling, organizing and talking to families while maintaining his personal life. From his hero Thurgood Marshall, Crump learned...

Click here to read the full article.

The 2022 Peabody Awards have announced the second round of winners, which includes My Name is Pauli Murray in the documentary category and Hacks in the entertainment category.

The New York Times’ Day of Rage: How Trump Supporters Took the U.S. Capitol won in the news category alongside PBS NewsHour’s January 6th Reporting.

Other winners include Philly D.A., presented by Kevin Bacon; Sort Of, presented by Tan France; and NBC Bay Area: The Moms of Magnolia Street & No Man’s Land: Fighting for Fatherhood in a Broken System, presented by H.E.R.

The remaining awards will be presented virtually Wednesday through Thursday. A full list of nominees can be found here, and the first round of winners is here.

A total of 30 winners will be chosen from the nominees and revealed this week with celebs announcing each recipient via a short video...

HBO Max’s “Hacks” is the latest entertainment series to be honored by the Peabody Awards, which announced the win on Tuesday morning.

“When they’re together taking on all things comedy and feminism, ‘Hacks’ crackles with wit and truly sings,” Melissa McCarthy said in her presentation to the show.

Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group, in association with Paulilu, First Thought Productions, Fremulon Productions and 3 Arts Entertainment, are behind the show.

“HBO Max’s Hacks became a word-of-mouth hit thanks to the brilliantly funny intergenerational pairing of Jean Smart as standup legend Deborah Vance and Hannah Einbinder as Ava Daniels, the desperate young comedy writer sent to freshen up Deborah’s act,” the org said in its statement honoring the show. “Created by ‘Broad City’ writers Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs, and Jen Statsky, the series follows Deborah and Ava as they try to revive their...

We desperately need a good courtroom drama.

Not the Johnny Depp-Amber Heard kind, where everyone’s a mess, and the outcome matters less than the spectacle.

But rather, an old-fashioned, high-stakes, plot-heavy movie melodrama—the kind that makes the audience see-saw back and forth, while truth hangs in an ever-changing balance. First things lean one way, then the other. A single stray fact reverses the entire narrative. Sometimes when the verdict comes in, the winner is actually a bad guy, though we only find out later, as in, say, Anatomy of a Murder.

Once a box-office staple, legal dramas of that sort—12 Angry Men, A Few Good Men, The Verdict, Suspect, and any number of films you’ve watched on TCM—were great entertainment. But, much more, they taught a recurring lesson about the dark and slippery nature of reality. Things are seldom what they first seem. Under meticulous scrutiny,...

Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s historic appointment as the first Black woman to serve on the Supreme Court was the focus of Saturday Night Live’s cold open.

In the Oval Office, Jackson (played by Ego Nwodim) and President Biden (played by James Austin Jackson) recreated the photos of them watching the Senate’s confirmation vote earlier this week. “I promised to put a Black woman on the court, and that is what I did. So that is one campaign promise down and only 74 to go,” Biden said.

Jackson’s...

A lot of history has been made recently — though fortunately, this week, Saturday Night Live got thrown a softball: the confirmation of the first Black woman to the Supreme Court. Which means that this week’s cold open was able to be both topical and satirical and kind of feel good, which is a sweet spot the show manages really well.

Justice-in-waiting Ketanji Brown Jackson (played by Ego Nwodim) is in the Oval Office with the President. Biden (James Austin Johnson) invites her to imagine talking to the great Americans who came before her, giving the cast a chance to...

“Saturday Night Live” put the spotlight in its cold open on Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s appointment to the Supreme Court with a sketch that featured Ego Nwodim as the history-making jurist and Kate McKinnon as the spirit of the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

The sketch opened with Nwodim as Jackson and James Austin Johnson as President Joe Biden recreating the moment that went viral on social media when the President released a photo of the two watching the Senate’s historic April 7 confirmation vote on C-SPAN2. The barbs, not surprisingly, took aim at the shockingly disrespectful line of questioning that Jackson faced from Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and other Republicans.

Nwodim’s Jackson assured the Commander in Chief that as the first Black women to join the nation’s high court, she had to “work twice as had as a white man my entire life and spend an...

The Saturday Night Live cold open featured Ego Nwodim as Ketanji Brown Jackson, newly confirmed to the Supreme Court, meeting famous women and Black Americans who came before her — along with a few jokes at Ted Cruz’s expense.

In contrast to last week’s Fox & Friends satire, this skit was perhaps less about humor and more about marking her place in history, with Jackson in the Oval Office, awaiting the White House celebration of her historic confirmation, and meeting the ghosts of those who broke the glass ceiling and the color barrier.

When Ruth Bader Ginsburg (played by Kate McKinnon) appeared, Jackson asks her, “I’d love to know what advice you have for me as a woman on the Supreme Court.”

“Okay, here’s my advice. Always label your lunches. So the justices, they got sticky fingers. Second, if you are anything like me, white ladies are...

This week’s “Saturday Night Live” opened by tackling the confirmation of Ketanji Brown Jackson, with cast member Ego Nwodim playing the recently confirmed first Black woman to serve on the United States Supreme Court.

The setup of the “SNL” sketch had President Joe Biden (played by James Austin Johnson) inviting Jackson to the White House to celebrate her confirmation. Biden congratulated the new justice, to which she responded, “Well, I was happy to do my part. Work twice as hard as a white man my entire life and then spend a week listening to Ted Cruz call me a pedophile.”

Johnson’s Biden expressed optimism in the name of progress, saying, “First Black female justice. It’s just a normal thing now, like wearing crocs in public.”

Biden left the Oval Office and encouraged Jackson to take a beat to digest the history of the moment, which paved the...

The Senate voted to confirm Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court on Thursday, clearing the way for her to become the first Black woman to serve on the high court.

The vote was 53-47, reflecting the increasing partisan divisions over recent confirmations of nominees to the bench. Three Republicans — Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski and Mitt Romney — joined with all members of the Democratic caucus to confirm her.

Vice President Kamala Harris presided over the vote, a rare event in which all members were present in their seats during the roll call. After she announced the final tally, the chamber erupted into sustained applause. Many Republican left the chamber during the ovation, but Romney stayed and clapped.

Major broadcast networks provided special reports of the moment, in addition to cable news networks. There was a moment of some drama, as senators waited for Sen. Rand Paul (R-ky) to show up.

Betsy West and Julie Cohen first learned about activist Pauli Murray from the subject of their previous documentary. “We first learned about Pauli from Ruth Bader Ginsburg when we were making ‘Rbg.’ Ginsburg credited Pauli with coming up with the foundational strategy to win equal rights for women,” West tells Gold Derby in our Meet the Experts: Film Documentary panel (watch the exclusive video interview above). In doing their subsequent research on Murray, the pair saw how much Murray had contributed including having influence on Thurgood Marshall and refusing to move to the back of the bus years before Rosa Parks did so. “We discovered the incredible breadth of this person’s life: A person who had such a profound impact on our society, but has not yet been significantly recognized by.”

“My Name is Pauli Murray,” which is currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video, shines a light on the...

Six top documentarians will reveal secrets behind their projects when they join Gold Derby’s special “Meet the Experts” Q&a event with 2022 Oscar and guild contenders. Each person from the documentaries will participate in two video discussions to premiere on Wednesday, November 17, at 5:00 p.m. Pt; 8:00 p.m. Et. We’ll have a one-on-one with our contributing editor Charles Bright and a roundtable chat with all of the group together.

RSVP today to this specific event by clicking here to book your reservation. Or click here to RSVP for our entire ongoing panel series of 17 panels in November and December. We’ll send you a reminder a few minutes before the start of the show.

This “Meet the Experts” panel welcomes the following 2022 awards contenders:

“Becoming Cousteau”: Dan Cogan

Synopsis: A look at the life, passions, achievements and tragedies surrounding the famous explorer and environmentalist Jacques Cousteau.

“We can’t comprehend legal movements for justice without understanding Pauli’s role in them,” Chase Strangio, an ACLU attorney, declares partway through “My Name Is Pauli Murray.” This idea reverberates throughout the stirring documentary, which takes a much-needed deep dive into the life and work of Pauli Murray, a highly influential attorney and activist. Using a combination of archival footage, Murray’s own autobiographical words, and interviews with contemporary thinkers, the documentary begins with Murray’s early life and then continues on to chronicle their brilliant legal contributions and trailblazing activism.

In addition to their career as a lawyer, Murray was a gender rights advocate, a poet, the first Black non-male person to be ordained an Episcopal priest, and even a one-time Mademoiselle magazine “Woman of the Year.” Many of Murray’s beliefs and ideals were considered radical at the time, but they blazed on, and in doing so...

Why did I not know about Pauli Murray?

That is the overwhelming response of viewers to the new documentary My Name Is Pauli Murray, directed by the Emmy-winning and Oscar-nominated team behind Rbg, Julie Cohen and Betsy West.

As West put it in a tweet Friday, “Some people are furious, some dumbfounded that they weren’t taught about #PauliMurray.”

The documentary, now streaming on Amazon Prime, corrects a historical injustice by introducing audiences to a “Black, queer, gender-nonconforming” person who broke barriers at every stage of their life. As a law student, Murray’s innovative thinking laid the conceptual framework for overturning Plessy v. Ferguson, the 1896 Supreme Court decision that had validated the notion of “separate but equal” accommodations for Blacks and whites.

“During most of Pauli’s lifetime it was fairly difficult and radical to be fighting for racial equality,” Cohen tells Deadline. “It was fairly difficult and radical...