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Producer Sherwood Schwartz wasn't looking to make anyone a star when he began casting his 1960s sitcom "Gilligan's Island." The show was intended to be slapstick fun for the whole family, peppered with jokes that landed just as hard with parents as they did with their children. To get this across, he needed an ensemble that could remain in mellifluous orbit around Bob Denver's blundering Gilligan. (Denver himself was already a small screen star thanks to his portrayal of beatnik Maynard G. Krebs on "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis.") If the actors could get away with delivering Schwartz's groan-worthy banter without evoking groans from the undemanding folks at home, they were welcome on his uncharted desert island.

This isn't to say he hired a bunch of nobodies to fill out the cast of "Gilligan's Island." Jim Backus and Natalie Schafer were established, veteran performers, while Tina Louise...

Action stars of the 1950s juggled heroism with romantic expectations, delivering thrilling performances in versatile genres. Robert Taylor, Stewart Granger, and Errol Flynn were iconic 1950s action stars with distinct contributions to the Hollywood landscape. From swashbucklers to war dramas, these action heroes charmed audiences with their talents, leaving lasting legacies in film history.

The action movie landscape of the 1950s was much different from what has dominated the industry in recent years, but that did not stop this era from producing some of the greatest action stars ever. Action movies of this era consisted of genres like adventure films, epic swashbucklers, and, of course, Western movies. Out of this came many fantastic stars who dominated the box office, delivered several feature films a year, and have often remained household names among film enthusiasts to this very day.

The biggest action movie stars of the 1950s had to juggle incredible...

In 1972, director-writer Perry Henzell released his Jamaican crime flick “The Harder They Come” with singer-songwriter Jimmy Cliff — then, a burgeoning reggae star — as its anti-hero lead actor. For his menacing cinematic debut, Cliff provided the lion’s share of the film’s riveting soundtrack, with lilting songs such as “You Can Get It If You Really Want” and the movie’s title tune.

Both the soundtrack and film (the latter released in the United States in 1973) became sensations. “The Harder They Come” brought island culture to the world beyond the Caribbean, and helped popularize reggae in the Americas. Along with his anthemic title song becoming an instant classic, Cliff’s “Many Rivers to Cross” was subsequently covered by Linda Ronstadt, John Lennon and Annie Lennox, among other artists. Along with being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010, the Library of Congress deemed Cliff’s “The Harder They Come...

In 1970, Jimmy Cliff found himself at a crossroads. At the age of 26, the Jamaican singer-songwriter was already one of the pioneers and rising stars of reggae, having enjoyed top 10 hits in the UK with his joyous hymn to unity “Wonderful World, Beautiful People” and a spine-tingling cover of Cat Stevens’ “Wild World”. He was in London, preparing for an extensive tour, when he received an offer to star in a low-budget movie back home. “I said, ‘You know, I’m really glad to be here in Europe’,” recalls Cliff, now 78, his voice still rich and mellifluous as it sings down the line from his home in Miami. “It’s not wise to run all over the place and do something like that.”

Perry Henzell, the writer-director who wanted the musician for his film, flew to Britain to change Cliff’s mind. “He said one sentence to me that stopped me in my tracks,...

Way back in pre-pandemic 2015, Jimmy Cliff was on tour in Japan and missing his family. After one show, he sat down at a piano backstage and quickly wrote a song, “Human Touch,” about longing for personal connections: “I like the way I can keep in touch when you’re far away … There’s nothing like your smiling face and your warm embrace.”

Cut to six years later, and Cliff, finishing up his first album in nearly a decade, realized that in the Covid-19 era, the message of “Human Touch” took on a new meaning.

Season 14 of “The Voice” begins its Top 12 live shows on Monday, April 23 when a dozen artists take to the stage and sing for America’s votes. Six-time champ Blake Shelton is coaching three of those hopefuls. Two of them — Pryor Baird and Kyla Jade— won the public vote. Shelton chose the third, Spensha Baker, from his four remaining contestants in the Top 24. That decision meant the elimination of Gary Edwards, Austin Giorgio and Wilkes.

We asked you which of these three artists that didn’t make the grade with Shelton was the most deserving to move on to the live shows. The overwhelming choice was Wilkes who garnered a whopping 82% of your votes. Giorgio netted 11% while Edwards managed just 7%.

If you haven’t voted in our poll yet, take read of the brief recap of each of these three artists and then cast your ballot as to which was the best.

On last winter’s season 13 of “The Voice,” coach Blake Shelton got to pick all three of the artists to take to the Top 12. One of those, Chloe Kohanski, became his sixth winner. On this current season 14, America got to decide two of his team while he was limited to choosing just one. Each of his four remaining artists had their strengths. In the end, he opted for Spensha Baker over Gary Edwards, Austin Giorgio and Wilkes.

Do you think Shelton made a mistake? Below, read a brief recap of each of these three artists that didn’t make the grade with him in the Top 24 playoffs and then vote in our poll as to which was the most deserving to move on to the live shows. And be sure to sound off in the comments section with your thoughts on Shelton and his team.

Gary Edwards (steal from Adam...

Blake Shelton has won “The Voice” a whopping six times in 13 seasons. In the current season, he already has Kyla Jade competing in the Top 12. The other five artists on his team — Pryor Baird, Spensha Baker, Gary Edwards, Austin Giorgio and Wilkes — sang on Tuesday’s episode. Which of these do you think was the best and will join Jade when Carson Daly reveals the results on Wednesday’s episode?

After reviewing a recap of all the songs they’ve performed in the series so far, vote for your favorite of these five in our poll. And be sure to sound off in the comments section about Shelton and his 14th season as a coach on “The Voice.”

See ‘The Voice’: Which of the first four artists to make the Top 12 could win season 14? [Poll]

Pryor Baird

Age: 35

Hometown: Orcutt, California

Top 24 Public Vote 2

Song: “9 to 5” by Dolly Parton

Knockout...

Blake Shelton has been with the “The Voice” since it began in 2011 and has won six of the previous 13 seasons. He is the reigning champ, having coached Chloe Kohanksi to victory last fall. However, he may have a hard time winning for a lucky seventh time in season 14 with the return of Alicia Keys and the addition of Kelly Clarkson to the coaching panel. Our readers say that both those women have stronger teams heading into the live round, which kicks off April 16 with all artists in the Top 24 performing.

As with the other three coaches, Shelton had to cut his team of eight down to five during the knockout round that just ended. In addition, he added one more artists to his team when their original coach went with another singer in their knockout.

We have compiled a power ranking of the contestants now on Team Blake Shelton. These...

Blake Shelton is hoping to go seven for 14 as a coach on “The Voice.” He has been a mentor on all 13 previous seasons of the show and has won a whopping six times to date: Jermaine Paul (season 2), Cassadee Pope (season 3), Danielle Bradbery (season 4), Craig Wayne Boyd (Season 7), Sundance Head (season 11) and Chloe Kohanski (season 13). Is winner number seven among the six artists that Shelton is bringing to the live shows that kick off on April 16?

As with the other three coaches, he had to cut his team of eight down to five during the knockout round that just ended. In addition, Shelton added one more artists to his team when their original coach went with another singer in their knockout.

Which of the six artists now on Team Blake Shelton do you think could go all the way and win season 14 of “The Voice”? Take a look at detailed...

“The Voice” aired the last of the three episodes dedicated to the knockout round of season 14 on April 9. It featured the final seven match-ups and produced a lot of drama. This is the final pre-taped stage of the competition that saw the 32 remaining artists pared down to 20 for the live shows. The four coaches — Kelly Clarkson, Alicia Keys, Adam Levine and Blake Shelton — didn’t pick the songs that their artists performed in match-ups against each other. However, they did get to declare a winner of the sing-off and each could steal one of the rejects of the other three and save one artist from their team as well.

Below, take a read of our recap of each of the seven knockouts from April 9 and then weigh in with your choice as to the best of these match-ups by voting in our poll and sounding off in the comments section.

Cue the bell — Monday’s episode of The Voice brought to an end Season 14’s Knockout rounds. But did it suggest a frontrunner going into the Live Playoffs? Before it, the contestants had surprised us over and over again, sometimes in a positive way (for instance, Kyla Jade emerging from her shell to own Lesley Gore), sometimes not so much (Terrence Cunningham making something bad of “Tell Me Something Good”). So maybe it remained too early to start predicting who’d win — we were still learning who was going to be able to perform at a consistently high level. (That said,...

If I didn’t know better, I’d guess that Wednesday’s American Idol audition episode — the second-to-last in franchise history — was intended as a subtle advertisement for Second Chance (aka the show that Cookie Lyon will evict from Fox’s 9/8c timeslot at the end of March).

RelatedAmerican Idol: Kelly Clarkson to Return — Simon Cowell, Maybe Not

After all, the one-hour telecast featured plenty of auditioners hoping for one more swing at reality-singing glory. Season 14 Golden Ticket recipients Emily Brooke and Adam Lasher returned, as did The Voice grad Mackenzie Bourg. We even got the sister of...

Daredevil’s finale is like the rest of the show: smart touches with flashes of brilliance and fun alongside an overuse of tropes and some ham-handed writing.Set to the somber “Many Rivers to Cross” by Jimmy Cliff is the funeral that Ben Urich actually deserves (albeit with a startling lack of black people, which, come on), with Matt’s priest presiding. So he was Catholic, too? That’s very narratively convenient. Also narratively convenient? The fact that Ben’s widow, Doris, tells Karen that Ben spoke so much about Karen and really admired her, and Karen is totally what their daughter would’ve been like if they had a daughter. Okay. No. No, no, no. That is just lazy writing to throw the blame off Karen for Urich’s death. Yes, while Fisk is ultimately at fault, she didn’t help matters by taking Ben somewhere without his knowledge of why,...

New album 'Tracks of My Years' is out Sept. 30.

Bryan Adams is getting back to his roots.

For his first studio album since 2008's Eleven, the Grammy winner is releasing Tracks of My Years on September 30. The album does feature one original song ("She Knows Me," co-written by Adams and longtime collaborator Jim Vallance), but it's otherwise completely composed of time-honored classics from the '50s, '60s and '70s. Among the tracks featured on the album's deluxe version is a cover of Jimmy Cliff's 1969 song "Many Rivers to Cross."

Pics: Peek Inside Bryan Adams' Book of Celeb Portraits

See Adams perform the track in ETonline's exclusive video below.

"Making the selection of the songs for the album took a long time" said Adams. "We recorded all kinds of songs until the songs sort of presented themselves, or sounded different enough from the originals. We did about three months of recording, spread out over...

The University of Georgia’s 73rd Annual Peabody Awards set a record with 46 recipients, which were announced today on CBS This Morning. The winners, chosen from nearly 1,100 entries, were selected by the Peabody board to be named the “best in electronic media for 2013.”

Recipients range from local news to international coverage, also including entertainment series, documentaries, web-based winners and more. A complete list of the winners is below:

180 Days: A Year Inside an American High School (PBS)

The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. (PBS)

Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown (CNN)

Best Kept Secret (PBS)

Borgen...

The 45th Annual NAACP Image Awards went off without a hitch earlier this evening (February 22) with "12 Years a Slave" continuing to make waves snagging the biggest prize of the night.

Before her film won Outstanding Motion Picture, the gorgeous Lupita Nyong'o added another piece of hardware to her already impressive collection taking home a trophy for Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture, while Kerry Washington snagged up her second Image Award with a win for Best Actress in a Dramatic Series. Kerry's show "Scandal" also won Outstanding Drama Series.

In addition, the hilarious Kevin Hart took home Entertainer of the Year, while Oprah Winfrey paid tribute to the late Nelson Mandela with a touching speech and musical dedication.

"He was everything we have all have heard and more. He was humble and he was unscathed by any kind of bitterness after all that we know he's been through," Winfrey said.

The 45th NAACP Image Awards were presented Saturday night (Feb. 22), with names like Kevin Hart, Kerry Washington, "12 Years a Slave" director Steve McQueen and Lupita Nyong'o being honored.

The Image Awards pay tribute to the best in film, TV, writing, music and literature. Take a look at the full list of winners below.

Winners are in bold.

Entertainer of the Year

Kevin Hart

Film

Outstanding Motion Picture

"12 Years A Slave" "Fruitvale Station""Lee Daniels' The Butler""Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom""The Best Man Holiday" 

Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture

Forest Whitaker - "Lee Daniels' The Butler"Chadwick Boseman - "42"Chiwetel Ejiofor - "12 Years A Slave"Idris Elba - "Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom"Michael B. Jordan - "Fruitvale Station"

Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture

Angela Bassett - "Black Nativity"Halle Berry - "The Call"Jennifer Hudson - "Winnie Mandela"Kerry Washington - "Tyler Perry Presents Peeples"Nicole Beharie...

PBS is partnering with AOL for six new one-hour documentaries as part of its Makers: Women Who Make America franchise. Scheduled to premiere in June and August 2014, the docus build on the multi-platform initiative founded by filmmaker Dyllan McGee, which launched in 2012. The new series expands on the three-hour PBS documentary of same name, which premiered in February 2013 and told the story of the American women’s movement over the last half-century. Kathy Griffin, former CIA agent Valerie Plame, former Nasa astronaut Peggy Whitson and the producers of Makers are scheduled to discuss the project at the press tour tomorrow. Among those profiled in the docu-series are Lena Dunham, Chelsea Handler, Shonda Rhimes, and Sarah Silverman. Each of the new documentaries tackles a different sphere of influence, including business, war, space, Hollywood, politics and comedy. McGee’s credits include The African Americans: Many Rivers To Cross (PBS), Emmy-nominated Gloria: In Her Own Words...

Adding their picks to the awards season deluge, the 45th Annual NAACP Image Awards unveiled the official list of nominees.

Not surprisingly, “The Butler” will compete in categories including Outstanding Motion Picture, Outstanding Actor, Outstanding Supporting Actor & Actress and Writing.

Meanwhile, Kerry Washington’s “Scandal” is up for Outstanding Drama Series, and Ms. Washington herself received a nod for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series.

NAACP Chairman Roslyn M. Brock gushed, “This has been an incredible year from the artistic community, with phenomenal contributions across the board from the music, television, motion picture, and literature genres that have the power and impact to drive social change.”

The 45th Annual NAACP Image Awards will go live on Friday, February 21st.

And the nominees are:

Television

Outstanding Comedy Series

"House of Lies" (Showtime)

"Modern Family" (ABC)

"Real Husbands of Hollywood" (Bet)

"The Game" (Bet)

"The Soul Man" (TV Land)

Outstanding Actor in...

Versatile actor best known for her roles in The Sound of Music and Of Human Bondage

In the Hollywood of the 1940s and 50s, when typecasting was an essential constituent of stardom, Eleanor Parker, who has died aged 91, never gained the recognition she deserved, because she refused to be pigeonholed. "It means I've been successful in creating the characters that I've portrayed – that I'm not just a personality who is seen in a variety of roles." Dana Andrews, her co-star in Madison Avenue (1962), called her "the least heralded great actress".

The 1957 film Lizzie is almost a reflection of her career. Parker plays three separate and distinct characters harboured inside one woman – the shy, self-effacing Elizabeth; the wanton, raunchy Lizzie; and the "normal" Beth – and switches brilliantly from one to the other. Parker was always able to be convincing in these three sorts of characters. She was naive as the girl...

The 6th and Final episode of Henry Louis Gates Jr.’s PBS series The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross, airs Tonight, Tuesday, November 26th at 8pm Et/Pt. Titled A More Perfect Union, covering the years 1968 through 2013, tonight's episode explores... ... the new future African Americans sought, following the victories of the civil rights movement, but instead, ran into a growing class disparity that threatened to split the black community in two. As hundreds of African Americans won political office across the country and the black middle class made unprecedented progress, larger economic and political forces...

PBS has released four new preview video clips for the remaining three episodes of Henry Louis Gates, Jr.’s critically acclaimed docu-series The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross. The six-part, six-hour series "takes viewers on an unprecedented journey through African-American history—from slavery to freedom, and from the plantation to the White House." The final episodes will tackle the Jim Crow era of 1897-1940, Civil Rights struggles of 1940-1968, and the reach towards a "More Perfect Union" from 1968-2013, and are set to air Tuesday November 12th, 19th and 26th at 8pm Et/Pt on PBS. Find the new clips below, and additional details and...

Tessanne, it will be an absolute travesty if you don’t walk away as the winner of ‘The Voice’ this season. You’ve made me speechless too many times to get my hopes up!

Tessanne Chin, when you closed the Nov. 4 episode of The Voice with a powerful rendition of Jimmy Cliff‘s “Many Rivers To Cross,” you shed tears of joy — and your fans may have too!

Tessanne Chin: You Are A Shoe-In To Win The Voice

Tessanne, you’ve killed it so many times on the show that it’s glaringly obvious that you’re going to win!

On Oct. 28, you sang ”Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)” by Kelly Clarkson for a knock-out round, even after a bit of a rough rehearsal. Adam Levine said, “If this is her on a bad day, we’re in good shape.” Christina Aguilera was blown away by your talent,...

It's finally time for viewers to have their say on The Voice, as the show went live for the first time this season with the top 20 artists competing for America's vote.

The three-night extravaganza – which culminates with the top 12 being revealed on a special Thursday night episode – began as frenemies Blake Shelton and Adam Levine squared off with their respective teams. And Team Adam came out the clear winner.

Rolling Stone's Complete Coverage of 'The Voice'

While Adam has started off strong in the past, he's often lost...

The Voice's first live show featured a slew of strong singers on Monday but Tessanne Chin turned in the performance of the night. The Jamaican singer, 28, amped up the glamour with red nails and lips, as she took Jimmy Cliff's "Many Rivers to Cross" to a fierce level. As the night's last performer, Chin (who'd been Cliff's backup singer) wiped away tears as her coach, Adam Levine, and the crowd gave her a standing ovation. "They saved the best for last," Cee Lo Green said. "You are one of my favorites. You make me feel things." The first...

The Voice's first live show featured a slew of strong singers on Monday but Tessanne Chin turned in the performance of the night.

The Jamaican singer, 28, amped up the glamour with red nails and lips, as she took Jimmy Cliff's "Many Rivers to Cross" to a fierce level.

As the night's last performer, Chin (who'd been Cliff's backup singer) wiped away tears as her coach, Adam Levine, and the crowd gave her a standing ovation.

"They saved the best for last," Cee Lo Green said. "You are one of my favorites. You make me feel things."

The first...

Tessanne Chin was this week’s stand-out contestant, but she wasn’t the only singer who blew us away. Read on for our take on the night’s best (and worst) performances.

The Voice finally went live Nov. 4, giving Team Adam and Team Blake a chance to show what they’re really made of; and as far as HollywoodLife.com is concerned, Jamaican songstress Tessanne Chin absolutely stole the show with her mind-blowingly soulful rendition of Jimmy Cliff‘s “Many Rivers To Cross.” Is it any wonder why she was crying tears of joy at the end of the episode? Seriously, she’s in it to win it.

Team Blake

Though she started off sweeter than sugar, newlywed Shelbie Z was growling hard by the end of her performance of Reba McEntire‘s “Fancy.” And that extra umph really paid off! “Not only are you a great singer … but something...

We’ve now reached that awkward phase in The Voice‘s trajectory where the coaches’ feedback is like a shot of novocaine — numbing in its bland positivity, but always with a painful little jab of knowing you’re not getting to hear their whole truth (and sometimes anything close to the truth, for that matter).

Things got so ridiculous during Night 1 of the Season 5 Live Playoffs, in fact, that Nic Hawk, coming off a performance of Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines” that was the culinary equivalent of smashing a dozen eggs with the back of a frying pan, ended up...

As fans of "The Voice" know all too well, we've finally reached the point in the season where things get really wild. That's right: Season 5 has reached the live shows. With Monday's (Nov. 4) live performances, coaches Adam Levine, Christina Aguilera, CeeLo Green and Blake Shelton give up control over the fate of their artists, as America's vote now comes in to play. Who among their teams will make it to the Top 12? Let's find out!

Team Adam and Team Blake will take the stage tonight, but before that can happen, it's time for a special performance from coach Christina takes the stage with Flo Rida to perform the rapper's new single. Welcome to live show filler!

(Also, can we get an amen for the return of dapper Adam? Gone are the days of that sloppy, bearded mess of the blind auditions, with the clean-shaven, suited Levine back in his rightful place.

PBS's fall series from Henry Louis Gates Jr., titled The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross, made its premiere last night, with episode 1, and will continue to air through November 26, every Tuesday, from 8-9pm Et. There are 6 episodes total. If you missed episode 1 last night, titled The Black Atlantic, you an watch it in full below, embedded at the bottom of this post, courtesy of PBS.  Written and presented by Gates, PBS states that the six-part, six-hour series is the first documentary film to air, since 1968, to chronicle "the full sweep" of African American history, from the origins of slavery on the African continent, through more than four...

PBS's fall series from Henry Louis Gates Jr., titled The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross, makes its premiere tonight, from 8-9pm Et, and will continue to air through November 26, every Tuesday, from 8-9pm Et. There are 6 episodes total. A preview of episode 1, titled The Black Atlantic, is embedded at the bottom of this post.  First, here's a recap of what to expect. Written and presented by Gates, PBS states that the six-part, six-hour series is the first documentary film to air, since 1968, to chronicle "the full sweep" of African American history, from the origins of slavery on the African continent, through more than four centuries of remarkable historic...

Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr at the Paris Theatre: "It's a series about roots, but also about routes." Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze At the Paris Theatre in New York City, Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr, who worked as a consultant on Steve McQueen's 12 Years A Slave, presented a premiere screening of The African Americans: Many Rivers To Cross, his six-part, six-hour series chronicling African American history from the early 1500s to 2013. 12 Years A Slave, starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, Lupita Nyong’o, Benedict Cumberbatch, Alfre Woodard, Paul Dano, Sarah Paulson, Garret Dillahunt, and Brad Pitt has its UK premiere at the British Film Institute's London Film Festival tonight and screened at this year's New York Film Festival.

12 Years A Slave and The African Americans: Many Rivers To Cross comes after Quentin Tarantino's 2012 Django Unchained and this year's Lee Daniels' The Butler.

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. half-joked...

Here's your first-look at PBS's previously announced fall series from Henry Louis Gates Jr., titled The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross.  Written and presented by Gates, PBS states that the six-part, six-hour series is the first documentary film to air, since 1968, to chronicle "the full sweep" of African American history, from the origins of slavery on the African continent, through more than four centuries of remarkable historic events up to the present day - as America has a black president yet remains a nation divided by race. The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross is scheduled to begin airing on PBS on Tuesdays, October...

Beverly Hills, Calif. — After a tragedy like the Trayvon Martin killing, calls routinely arise for a conversation about race.But Henry Louis Gates thinks the more direct way for structural change is through schools and their curriculum.

That's what he's hoping will happen with "The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross," a six-hour PBS documentary series that traces 500 years of black history.

"To tell the whole sweep of African-American history – no one's tried to do that. That was what we were crazy enough to do," Gates said in an interview on Wednesday.

He hopes the series will find its way into the nation's schools as well as its living rooms, and acquaint audiences of all ages – both black and white – with black history, about which he says both races are equally ignorant.

"How can I help with the conversation about race? Schools are tools for the formation of citizenship. My...

Diane Haithman contributes to Deadline’s TCA coverage. Included on today’s TCA panel on PBS’s new documentary The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross With Henry Louis Gates (along with Gates and journalist Charlayne Hunter-Gault) was a grown-up Ruby Bridges, known for being the first black child to attend a public elementary school in the South (1960, age 6, New Orleans). She revealed that she was taught alone in one room for a full year by a teacher from Boston because many of the local teachers refused to teach black kids. “I never missed a day of school and neither did she,” Bridges said. After the panel, Deadline asked Bridges for her comment about two stories of involving race that have recently dominated the news: The high-profile George Zimmerman case and the less highly-charged instance of Paula Deen confessing under oath to having used the N-word. On Zimmerman: “Being a mother myself,...

Much more details on PBS's previously announced fall series from Henry Louis Gates Jr., titled The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross.  It was last fall when Gates launched a weekly black history series on TheRoot.com, highlighting the varied experiences of African Americans, going back the Transatlantic slave trade. That online print column was part of a run-up to Gates upcoming six-part PBS series, The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross, which filmed last year. Written and presented by Gates, PBS states that the six-part, six-hour series is the first documentary film to air, since 1968, to chronicle the full sweep of African American...

Eleanor Parker today: Beautiful as ever in Scaramouche, Interrupted Melody Eleanor Parker, who turns 91 in ten days (June 26, 2013), can be seen at her most radiantly beautiful in several films Turner Classic Movies is showing this evening and tomorrow morning as part of their Star of the Month Eleanor Parker "tribute." Among them are the classic Scaramouche, the politically delicate Above and Beyond, and the biopic Interrupted Melody, which earned Parker her third and final Best Actress Academy Award nomination. (Photo: publicity shot of Eleanor Parker in Scaramouche.) The best of the lot is probably George Sidney’s balletic Scaramouche (1952), in which Eleanor Parker plays one of Stewart Granger’s love interests — the other one is Janet Leigh. A loose remake of Rex Ingram’s 1923 blockbuster, the George Sidney version features plenty of humor, romance, and adventure; vibrant colors (cinematography by Charles Rosher); an elaborately staged climactic swordfight; and tough dudes...

PBS announced today a fall primetime line-up featuring a strong roster of wide-ranging programs, including a few that you'll probably be interested in knowing about - like this one from Henry Louis Gates Jr., titled The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross. It was last fall when Gates launched a weekly black history series on TheRoot.com, highlighting the varied experiences of African Americans, going back the Transatlantic slave trade. That online print column was part of a run-up to Gates upcoming six-part PBS series, The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross, which filmed last year. Written and presented by Gates, PBS states that the six-part, six-hour...

The Hard Rock Calling weekend at Hyde Park featured an eclectic line-up, with Iggy and the Stooges, Soundgarden, Bruce Springsteen Alison Krauss, John Fogerty and Black Stone Cherry all playing. The legendary Paul Simon took to the stage on the Sunday night as the final headliner for Hard Rock Calling.

Simon opened with the classic track Kodachrome and, a few tracks in, he was joined on stage by reggae legend Jimmy Cliff. Together they played Cliff’s most famous tracks – The Harder They Come and Many Rivers to Cross. The lively reggae track Me and Julio Down By The Schoolyard sparked a mass of dancing. The second half of his set saw Ladysmith Black Mambazo join Simon, they performed several songs a capella before singing my favourite track on the album Graceland – Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes. It was great to hear that song being played just as...

The winner of this year’s Voice UK contest is Leanne Mitchell, the big-voiced crooner who was one of her team mentor Sir Tom Jones’ favourites from the start.

This was a surprise to everyone, not least the singer herself, after the joint favourites going into the weekend's show had been Bo Bruce and Tyler James.

But Leanne did her coach proud with It’s A Man’s World and then matched him octave for octave on their duet Mama Told Me Not To Come.

Leanne Mitchell got the chance to sing with her mentor Sir Tom, and matched him octave for octave

But her moment of the night really came with her reprise of Whitney Houston’s Run To You, which she somehow made her own.

The Voice Finale Review: The BBC Gamble Everything On One Last Roll Of The Dice...

This was the song Leanne had sung the...

Vince Kidd has come fourth in The Voice UK. The Team Jessie J member was eliminated from the competition tonight (June 2) after receiving the fewest public votes in the show's final. Earlier in the programme, he performed a cover of Jimmy Cliff's 1969 track 'Many Rivers to Cross' and sang with his coach on a version of the popstar's hit 'Nobody's Perfect'. After host Holly Willoughby revealed which of the four contestants would not be progressing to win The Voice UK, a disappointed Kidd said: "It's been a fantastic experience - I've learnt a lot. It's been fantastic (more)...

The winner of this year's Voice UK contest is Leanne Mitchell, the big-voiced crooner who was one of her team mentor Sir Tom Jones' favourites from the start.

This was a surprise to everyone, not least the singer herself, after the joint favourites going into the weekend's show had been Bo Bruce and Tyler James.

But Leanne did her coach proud with It's A Man's World and then matched him octave for octave on their duet Mama Told Me Not To Come.

Leanne Mitchell got the chance to sing with her mentor Sir Tom, and matched him octave for octave

But her moment of the night really came with her reprise of Whitney Houston's Run To You, which she somehow made her own.

The Voice Finale Review: The BBC Gamble Everything On One Last Roll Of The Dice...

This was the song Leanne had sung the previous week...

We offer up song suggestions for the top nine.

By Eric Ditzian

"American Idol" top 9

Photo: Fox

Last week on "American Idol," it was all Elton John, all the time. On Wednesday (April 6), the contestants get to open up more than one songbook, because this week's theme is based on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's Songs that Shaped Rock & Roll exhibit. They'll be able to cover everyone from Jefferson Airplane to Jane's Addiction, the Moody Blues to the Red Hot Chili Peppers, the 5 Satins to the 4 Seasons, plus Kings B.B., Carole and Ben E.

But with great variety comes great responsibility. Here's what we'd like to hear from the remaining nine hopefuls:

Casey Abrams

With a cleaned-up beard on his face and a fire lit under his butt following a near-exit, Abrams stormed back into the mix with last week's most emotionally resonant take on Elton. We...

Best Supporting Actress winner Melissa Leo.

I interviewed Melissa Leo in January of 2009 for her much-buzzed about (and Oscar-nominated) turn in "Frozen River," in many ways a fitting precursor to her Oscar-winning role as Mark Wahlberg's overbearing mother in David O. Russell's "The Fighter." During our talk, Leo was engaging, dramatic, and mercurial, much like her performance on the Oscars. She remains one hell of an actress, and we at The Interview congratulate her on this well-deserved win.

Melissa Leo: Many Rivers to Cross

By

Alex Simon

Born and raised in New York City, Melissa Leo is one of those faces you always see popping up on the big or small screen at least once a year, and you invariably find yourself asking "Wasn't she in fill in the blank with a movie or TV title of your choosing" and you'd probably be right. A fiercely prolific...

Some lucky people are getting out of town for Memorial Day 2010. But some of us are staying at home. Luckily, all your favorite channels are doing mega marathons of all your favorite shows.

Zap2it is the one-stop shop for all your Memorial Day programming. From delightfully bad reality TV like "Real Housewives" and "Jersey Shore" to the quirky 1990s dramedy "Twin Peaks" to the serious TCM salute to war movies, there's something for everyone on TV this weekend. All times Eastern, but check your local listings for times and channel numbers.

Saturday, May 29, 2010

A&E (11 a.m. - 6 p.m.): Flip This House

Animal Planet (1 p.m. - 7 p.m.): River Monsters

BBC America (8 p.m. - 8 a.m.): Doctor Who

Bet (10 a.m. - 7 p.m.): Everybody Hates Chris

Biography (8 p.m. - 3 a.m.): Celebrity Ghost Stories

Bravo (9 p.m. - 2 a.

It was a chance 'to be vulnerable,' the 'I Invented Sex' singer tells MTV News.

By Jayson Rodriguez

Trey Songz performs on "MTV's Unplugged"

Photo: Scott Gries/ MTV

New York — Trey Songz was fun, flirty and fearless during his "MTV Unplugged" performance, which premiered Monday (April 26) on MTV.com. The Grammy-nominated singer recorded the material earlier this month, at Manhattan's Nep Studio 33, before an intimate audience of (surprise!) mostly women.

"Shout-out to the guys with their girls," a cheeky Trey said, before chuckling as he pointed at a man in the crowd: "He like, 'Yeah, what up.' "

The Virginia native showcased a number of the hits from his latest album, Ready, including a mash-up of "I Invented Sex" and Marvin Gaye's classic "Let's Get It On."

"You don't believe me?" he teased a fan during a brief pause after "I Invented Sex." "I got the blueprint at the crib.

It was a chance 'to be vulnerable,' the 'I Invented Sex' singer tells MTV News.

By Jayson Rodriguez

Trey Songz performs on "MTV's Unplugged"

Photo: Scott Gries/ MTV

New York — Trey Songz was fun, flirty and fearless during his "MTV Unplugged" performance, which premiered Monday (April 26) on MTV.com. The Grammy-nominated singer recorded the material earlier this month, at Manhattan's Nep Studio 33, before an intimate audience of (surprise!) mostly women.

"Shout-out to the guys with their girls," a cheeky Trey said, before chuckling as he pointed at a man in the crowd: "He like, 'Yeah, what up.' "

The Virginia native showcased a number of the hits from his latest album, Ready, including a mash-up of "I Invented Sex" and Marvin Gaye's classic "Let's Get It On."

"You don't believe me?" he teased a fan during a brief pause after "I Invented Sex." "I got the blueprint at the crib.

Album and video of performances are available for pre-order now.

By Jayson Rodriguez, with Jem Aswad, Hillary Crosley, Maura Johnston, Gil Kaufman and Amy Wilkinson

<i>Hope For Haiti Now</i> album

Photo: Hope For Haiti Now

While earthquake relief in Haiti was the reason for and inspiration behind "Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief," there's no question that it featured some amazing, one-of-a-kind musical performances.

The songs chosen by most of the artists had a thematic connection to the occasion, and the soaring lyrics delivered by the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Mary J. Blige and Justin Timberlake underlined the hope for the country that's coming from around the world. The songs' unplugged, often gentle renditions underscored the seriousness of the situation.

George Clooney helped organize the event, and his hope is that the songs carry the event beyond the evening and into the following weeks, months and years.

Kiss, Donna Summer, Genesis, Jimmy Cliff and the Stooges also make the list.

By Gil Kaufman

Red Hot Chili Peppers' Anthony Kiedis

Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images

LL Cool J, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Kiss lead the list of first-time nominees for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame class of 2010.

The nominees also include such first-timers as long-running rock act Genesis, reggae legend Jimmy Cliff, early rock band the Hollies and singer/songwriter Laura Nyro. According to a press release from the Rock Hall, the 12-member nominee class has some repeat offenders as well, including disco diva Donna Summer, girl-group icons Darlene Love and the Chantels, 1970s pop superstars Abba and punk godfathers the Stooges (hoping the eighth time will be the charm).

After last year's ceremony returned to the Cleveland site of the Hall for the first time in 12 years to mark the induction of Metallica,...