Page 33 - Florida Sentinel 4-16-21

National/Entertainment
BET's 'Baldwin Hills' Star Gerren Taylor Dead At 30
Howard’s Miles Simon Qualifies For U. S. Olympic Trials In 50-Meter Freestyle
Gerren Taylor from BET’s Baldwin Hills passed away Monday at 4:30 am at 30- years-old. Though it has been reported that she died in her sleep, the causes are unknown and have not yet been revealed.
Ashley Taylor Gerren, who was professionally referred to as Gerren Taylor, was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. At just 12-years- young, Gerren became the youngest model ever signed by the runway division of LA Mod- els after being recruited by a talent scout. She is most recog- nized for her star appearance in BET’s Baldwin Hills, which was a reality television series that followed the life, times, and ad- ventures of teens from the Baldwin Hills area. Gerren was also featured in America is Beautiful, a documentary re-
GERREN TAYLOR
leased in 2007 about self-image and beauty standards.
Gerren was also an entre- preneur and mother to a 7- year-old daughter, who she frequently featured on her In- stagram profile. It has been re- ported that Gerren’s family will be releasing a link to the public for fans to support her family, including her daughter during this time of need.
WASHINGTON – Howard University sophomore swimmer Miles Simon qualified for the 2021 U. S. Olympic Trials after making the cut in the 50-meter freestyle.
The Atlanta native clocked in at 23.11, just under the Wave I cut of 23.19.
“Having the opportunity to compete at this meet was one of my biggest eye-openers,” said Simon. “It allowed me to see and feel what it’s like to compete on a national level with world- class swimmers, such as Ryan Lochte and Joseph School- ing. Even though this year’s conditions could have given me
MILES SIMON
the excuses I needed to not train, I understood what I needed to do to reach my goals.”
For his efforts, Simon be- came only the second Bison in history to qualify for the U. S. Olympic Trials, joining his cur- rent coach Director of Swim- ming & Diving Nicholas Askew.
“The entire team and staff are more than thrilled about Miles’ most recent accomplishment,” Askew stated. “It is fulfilling to see Miles hard work being re- warded. This is another major milestone for our program. We cannot wait to cheer loud and proud from The Yard.”
Nate Parker Takes On Police Brutality In Movie ‘American Skin’
Nate Parker is the writer, director and star of “American Skin.”
Diddy, Jay-Z And Nas Endorse Ray McGuire For NYC Mayor
DIDDY, RAY MCGUIRE, JAY-Z AND NAS
Filmmaker Nate Parker, who previously delivered the 2016 historical drama “The Birth of a Nation,” reprises his flawed strategy of wearing mul- tiple hats as writer, director and star in “American Skin,” in a documentary so astoundingly heavy-handed in addressing race issues it is scarcely reflect- ing as we speak. What do you do when you can't get any jus- tice when a police officer shoots your son for no reason.
A year after his 14-year-old son Kajani (Tony Espinosa) died at the hands of police offi- cer Mike Randall (Beau Knapp) during a traffic stop, Iraq veteran Lincoln Jeffer- son (Parker) agrees to be the subject of a student film explor- ing the case. Behind the project is young director Jordin King (Shane Paul McGhie), a character who serves both as justification for the immediacy of the mockumentary format
and as Lincoln’s conscience. With legal justice unattained, Lincoln and his military bud- dies storm the station where Randall works to hold a mock trial at gunpoint. It’s not that every choice Parker makes up to that point is precisely nu- anced, but when the story de- volves into courtroom drama, the dreadful and self-important writing is laid bare. There is no doubt movies denouncing the lack of accountability over po- lice brutality can promote the need to address it, but when done this inelegantly in cine- matic form, the intention
proves insufficient. Jaw-droppingly verbose dia-
logue, makes you upset and drives the average parent to take justice into your own hands, but knowing realistically in the end, it can't be done, if and only you willing to die for it. Must-watch on Amazon Prime.
Diddy, Jay-Z and Nas are endorsing Ray McGuire for New York City mayor, adding a major dose of star power to his campaign and giving the candi- date credibility with fans of some of the biggest names in hip-hop.
“New York is in a state of emergency,” Diddy says in a video the McGuire campaign was set to release at midnight Wednesday. “New York could be the first city that really does
something bold to take care of the people. That’s why I was ex- cited about this conversation, just knowing Ray.”
McGuire interjects that he’s known Diddy and the other hip-hop moguls in the video for decades.
“Through those 30 years, no matter where we were at, Ray was always talking about the people,” Diddy says.
down as vice chairman of bank- ing giant Citigroup to run for mayor, has emphasized his hardscrabble upbringing by a single mom with two brothers and a dozen foster children in Dayton, Ohio. The new cam- paign video leaves unstated any similarities between McGuire’s self-described “streets-to-the-suites” story and the rise to mogul status of New Yorkers Diddy, Jay-Z and Nas.
McGuire, who stepped
Ponzi Schemer Bernie Madoff Dies In Prison
NEW YORK — Bernie Mad- off, the financier who pleaded guilty to orchestrating the largest Ponzi scheme in history, died early Wednesday in federal prison, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press.
Madoff died at the Federal Medical Center in Butner, North Carolina, apparently from natu- ral causes, the person said.
Last year, Madoff’s lawyers filed court papers to try to get the 82-year-old released from prison in the COVID-19 pan-
BERNIE MADOFF
demic, saying he had suffered from end-stage renal disease and other chronic medical con- ditions. The request was denied. Madoff admitted swindling thousands of clients out of bil- lions of dollars in investments over decades.
A court-appointed trustee has recovered more than $13 billion of an estimated $17.5 billion that investors put into Madoff’s business. At the time of Mad- off’s arrest, fake account state- ments were telling clients they had holdings worth $60 billion.
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