Khandi Alexander News

Geena Davis's Bentonville Film Festival (BFF), which debuts May 5-9, today unveiled a robust panel series that covers over a dozen topics addressing women, diversity and their intersections within the entertainment industry, featuring many well-known and highly regarded participants from various sectors of the industry.

?Oscar® nominee Queen Latifah (“Chicago”) stars as legendary blues singer Bessie Smith in the HBO Films drama BESSIE, directed by acclaimed filmmaker Dee Rees (“Pariah”) from a screenplay by Dee Rees and Christopher Cleveland & Bettina Gilois.

In anticipation of the HBO film, 'Bessie,' chronicling the life of legendary blues singer Bessie Smith, HBO announces the launch of 'Bessie's 81 Theatre Tour' on April 28.

Starring Oscar® nominee Queen Latifah ("Chicago") in the title role, BESSIE focuses on legendary blues singer Bessie Smith's transformation from a struggling young singer into "The Empress of the Blues," one of the most successful recording artists of the 1920s and an enduring icon today. Check out the first trailer for the film below!

The HBO film BESSIE is scheduled to debut SATURDAY, MAY 16 at 8:00 p.m. (ET/PT) on HBO. This marks a return to the network for Oscar® nominee Queen Latifah following her Golden Globe- and SAG Award-winning performance in HBO Films' “Life Support.”

?HBO has confirmed the debut date for BESSIE, with the HBO Films presentation scheduled to debut SATURDAY, MAY 16 at 8:00 p.m. (ET/PT) on HBO.

The winners of the '46th NAACP Image Awards' were announced last night during the live broadcast from Pasadena Civic Auditorium which aired on TV One (9-11 p.m. ET live/PT tape-delayed). The two-hour live special was hosted by Anthony Anderson. There was a one-hour live pre-show from the red carpet hosted by Kevin Frazier and Shaun Robinson. Scroll down for the full list of winners!

Oscar nominee Queen Latifah ('Chicago') stars as legendary blues singer Bessie Smith in the HBO Films drama BESSIE, directed by acclaimed filmmaker Dee Rees ('Pariah') from a screenplay by Rees and Christopher Cleveland & Bettina Gilois. With a story by Rees and Horton Foote, the film focuses on Smith's transformation from a struggling young singer into 'The Empress of the Blues,' one of the most successful recording artists of the 1920s and an enduring icon today.

Nominations have been revealed for the 46th annual NAACP Image Awards. The event will take place on Friday, Feb. 6, 2015, and be broadcast live on TV One.

Olivia Pope's mom will soon be making her return.

Oscar(R) nominee Queen Latifah ('Chicago') stars as legendary blues singer Bessie Smith in HBO Films' BESSIE

Oscar® nominee Queen Latifah (“Chicago”) stars as legendary blues singer Bessie Smith in HBO Films' BESSIE, written and directed by acclaimed filmmaker Dee Rees (“Pariah”). Currently in production in Atlanta and debuting in 2015, the film focuses on Smith's transformation from a struggling young singer into “The Empress of the Blues,” one of the most successful recording artists of the 1920s and an enduring icon today. The cast also features Michael K. Williams, Khandi Alexander, Mike Epps, Tika Sumpter, Tory Kittles, Oliver Platt, Bryan Greenberg, Charles S. Dutton and Mo'Nique. BESSIE is executive produced by Queen Latifah, Shakim Compere, Lili Fini Zanuck, Shelby Stone and Randi Michel.

Cheyenne Jackson will lead Lambda Legal's West Coast Liberty Awards Red Carpet Fundraising Gala as the Liberty Awards Host, which celebrates those working towards Lambda Legal's vision of equality. Bravo TV's Million Dollar Listing star Madison Hildebrand will also join in the evening's celebrations as the Red Carpet Host. This year's honorees include Scandal's Dan Bucatinsky, The Fosters Executive Producers/Showrunners Bradley Bredeweg, Joanna Johnson and Peter Paige, Congressman Henry A. Waxman, and transgender advocate Bamby Salcedo. The West Coast Liberty Awards are today, June 13th, at the Beverly Wilshire Four Seasons in Beverly Hills.

'The Tallest Tree in the Forest', A Play with Music written and performed by Daniel Beaty, is being directed by Moises Kaufman in its World Premiere production at Center Theatre Group's Mark Taper Forum at the Music Center in Los Angeles. The show opened on Saturday, April 19 and runs until May 25.

Cheyenne Jackson will lead Lambda Legal's West Coast Liberty Awards Red Carpet Fundraising Gala as the Liberty Awards Host, which celebrates those working towards Lambda Legal's vision of equality. Bravo TV's Million Dollar Listing star Madison Hildebrand will also join in the evening's celebrations as the Red Carpet Host. This year's honorees include Scandal's Dan Bucatinsky, The Fosters Executive Producers/Showrunners Bradley Bredeweg, Joanna Johnson and Peter Paige, Congressman Henry A. Waxman, and transgender advocate Bamby Salcedo. The West Coast Liberty Awards are on Friday, June 13th, at the Beverly Wilshire Four Seasons in Beverly Hills.

The National Association for Multi-ethnicity in Communications (NAMIC), has announced the nominees for the 2014 NAMIC Vision Awards.

The nominees for THE 45TH NAACP IMAGE AWARDS were announced today during a live press conference at the TV One presentation to the Television Critics Association during its Winter 2014 Press Tour in Pasadena, CA. David Oyelowo ('Lee Daniels' 'The Butler'), Joe Morton (ABC's 'Scandal'), Keke Palmer (VH1's 'CrazySexyCool'), Bresha Webb (TV One's 'Love That Girl') and Gina Torres (USA's 'Suits') announced the categories and nominees with NAACP Image Awards Committee Chairman, Leonard James and President and CEO of TV One, Alfred Liggins.

Created by David Simon (HBO's 'The Wire,' 'Generation Kill' and 'The Corner') and Eric Overmyer ('St. Elsewhere,' 'Homicide: Life on the Street' and HBO's 'The Wire'), the Peabody Award-winning drama series TREME returns for its five-episode conclusion SUNDAY, DEC. 1

The American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) at Harvard University and the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research (formerly known as the Du Bois Institute), in conjunction with Hilton Als of The New Yorker, will present a staged reading of Alice Childress's Wedding Band: A Love-Hate Story in Black and White, co-directed by Hilton Als and A.R.T. Artistic Associate Shira Milikowsky. It takes place at the Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle Street, Cambridge, starting at 7:30pm, and will be followed by a post-reading discussion.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, TREME star Khandi Alexander has been tapped to play Kerry Washington's mother on the hit ABC series. Alexander will appear in multiple episodes, beginning this week's episode via flashbacks.