Page 28 - Florida Sentinel 7-16-21

Entertainment
Janet Jackson, H.E.R. And More Invited To Join Motion Picture Academy
Tiara Thomas, H.E.R., and Dernst Emile II, winners of Best Original Song for "Fight For You" from "Judas and the Black Messiah," pose in the press room during the 93rd Annual Acad- emy Awards at Union Station on April 25, 2021 in Los Angeles, California.
Sprite Launches 'Live From The Label'
Janet Jackson and H.E.R. are among 17 film music pros invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sci- ences, it was announced Thursday (July 1). They are part of a larger group of 395 people who were invited to join the Academy this year by all branches.
Those invited by the music branch include Jon Batiste, who won an Oscar for best original score in April for Soul (in tandem with Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross);
and H.E.R., Dernst Emile II (D’Mile) and Tiara Thomas, who won an Oscar for best original song for “Fight for You” from Judas and the Black Messiah.
Leslie Odom Jr., who was double-nominated this year for best original song for “Speak Now” from One Night in Miami... (which he co-wrote with Sam Ashworth) and best supporting actor for his portrayal of Sam Cooke in that film, was invited by both the music and acting branches.
has yet to be revealed but will be announced at a later date. To access each livestream performance, you will need a 20 oz. Sprite or Sprite Zero Sugar with the corresponding
stage. Artists handpicked from the Sprite Way commu- nity by the headliners will open each Live From The Label show with a perform- ance of their own.
Performance Series With Saweetie,
Latto And Virtual Roundtables
With nearly three decades of putting on for hip-hop under its belt, Sprite has proven time and time again that it’s truly for the culture with its Live From The Label program as the latest exam- ple. Announced on Monday (June 28), Live From The Label will give fans across the globe access to three virtual livestream performances, with the first live show head- lined by Latto (Stage 1) from Atlanta on July 29.
The second will be head- lined by Saweetie (Stage 2), who will set the stage ablaze from the west coast on Aug. 12. The artist headlining Live From The Label’s third stage
SPRITE LIVE FROM THE LABEL
Pop Smoke's Alleged Murderer Will Not Face The Death Penalty In His Upcoming Trial
A year and a half has gone by since the music world was stripped of one of its most promising rappers, Pop Smoke. The Brooklyn native was shot and killed during a home invasion in a Holly- wood mansion he rented in an attempted robbery gone wrong. Four individuals were arrested for the tragic mur- der: Corey Walker and Ke- andre Rodgers, who were 19 and 17 respectively at the time of their arrest, as well as a 17-year-old and a 15-year- old whose names were not re- vealed, due to them being minors.
Almost a year after their ar- rests, Walker’s trial is un- derway, and on Tuesday a big decision was shared by the court. According to video provided by The Shaderoom, Deputy District Attorney Hi-
POP SMOKE
lary Williams, the prosecu- tor for the case, said that the maximum sentence that Walker would face if he were convicted is life without pa- role, meaning that the now 20-year-old defendant will avoid the death penalty.
The reason could be that
COREY WALKER
he was not the individual who pulled the trigger on Pop Smoke. The defendant who was 15 years old at the time allegedly confessed to being the triggerman in the murder during a recorded interview at a juvenile detention center in May 2020.
PAGE 16-B FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY FRIDAY, JULY 16, 2021