Page 26 - Florida Sentinel 6-22-18

Entertainment
Pharrell And Kenya Barris To Team Up To Create ‘Juneteenth’ Stage Musical
Bill Cosby Fires His Legal Team
While awaiting his sen- tencing after being found guilty for assaulting Andrea Constand in 2004, Bill Cosby has given the boot to his entire legal team.
According to Deadline, Cosby has now retained Pennsylvania attorney Joseph P. Green Jr. The established local lawyer takes over from the high-profile team led by Tom Mesereau. Brought on board in August 2017, the ef-
Bill Cosby has fired his legal team.
forts of Mesereau, the cable
news friendly ex-Michael Jackson attorney did not pre- vent a Norristown, PA jury from finding Cosby guilty of three counts of aggravated indecent assault in a retrial that ended April 26.
Looking at potentially decades behind bars and amid chatter that his wife Camille could be seeking a divorce, Cosby is currently under house and is set to be sentenced after a two-day hearing September 24-25.
Black-ish creator, Kenya Barris and Pharrell.
Trailer For Michael B. Jordan’s ‘Creed II’ Released
Warner Bros and MGM re- leased the first trailer for Creed II on Wednesday.
Michael B. Jordan, Tessa Thompson and Sylvester Stallone lead the film, repris- ing their roles from the first Creed.
“Life has become a balanc- ing act for Adonis Creed. Be- tween personal obligations and training for his next big fight, he is up against the challenge of his life.
Steven Caple, Jr. steps in
Michael B. Jordan has been super busy. He has wrapped up filming ‘Creed II’ and the of- ficial trailer has been released.
the director's chair while Ryan
Coogler, who directed the first film, is an executive pro- ducer.
Aside from Michael B. Jordan, Tessa Thompson and Sylvester Stallone, other returning cast members are Phylicia Rashad as Mary Anne, Wood Harris as Tony 'Little Duke' Bur- ton, and Andre Ward as Danny ‘Stuntman’ Wheeler.
‘Creed II’ will be in theaters November 21, 2018.
Kenya Barris and Phar- rell Williams are putting their heads together to pro- duce an exciting new project.
In an announcement fitting for June 19th, the two cre- atives confirmed to be collab- orating on a forthcoming stage musical about June- teenth, the holiday commem- orating the final day of slavery in the United States in
1865.
According to Deadline,
Barris will handle script writing duties with Peter Saji, a co-producer and his Black-ish counterpart, and Pharrell will write and compose the music.
If you recall, Barris did an iconic ‘Juneteenth’ semi-mu- sical on this season’s opening episode of Black-ish.
Akon Launches New Currency Concept In Africa
Akon is making big money moves. The artist and busi- nessman recently launched a new cryptocurrency on June 19, and it is appropriately called Akoin, Page Six con- firms.
The rapper launched the new currency during a panel discussion at the Cannes Lions.
The website for Akoin states that a “Akon Crypto City” is currently in development on 2,000 acres of land. The property was reportedly awarded to the artist by the president of Senegal. The Crypto City will reportedly be “a first of its kind 100% crypto-based city with Akoin at the center of transactional life.”
The new project follows the launch of Akon Lighting
Akon has been heavily in- volved in the solar energy busi- ness in Africa. Since its launch, it has installed successful light- ing sources in 14 nations in- cluding Guinea, Senegal, Mali, Niger, Benin and Sierra Leone. It has launched a similar ini- tiative in Latin America.
Africa, a project started in 2014 which aims to provide electricity to the continent by way of solar energy.
Nina Simone’s Childhood Home Is Now A National Historic Treasure
One of history’s boldest and groundbreaking women, the legendary songstress and civil rights icon Nina Simone is receiving another honor as her childhood home will now become a National Treasure in her birthplace of Tryon, N.C.
National Trust for Historic Preservation announced the news Tuesday (June 19). The
Iconic songwriter and civil rights activist, Nina Simone.
National Trust’s African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund are now working with black artists Adam Pendleton, Rashid John- son, Ellen Gallagher, and Julie Mehretu.
The group of artists were previously known for restor- ing the home in 2017 after they collectively purchased it for $95,000.
Fans Mourn Florida Rapper XXXTentacion’s Death With Vigil
Fans continue to mourn the loss of 20-year-old rap- per, XXXTentacion, who was fatally shot after leaving a motor company in Deer- field Beach, Florida on Mon- day, June 18. In honor of his memory and legacy, fans held a vigil at the scene of the shooting on Tuesday (June 19).
Dozens of fans flocked to the location outside of RIVE Motorsports to pay their re- spects to the late rapper. Many brought offerings of flowers, photos and candles. Others showed their adora- tion by throwing up the “X”
Broward County native Jason Onfroy aka XXXTenta- cion was fatally shot on Mon- day.
sign as well as coloring the sidewalk with heartfelt notes, lyrics, and drawings.
As previously reported,
XXX – born Jaseh Onfroy – was shot several times be- fore he was rushed to the hospital where he was later pronounced dead.
His attorney, David Bo- genschutz, said he believes his client was a victim of a random robbery, as the two assailants reportedly stole a Louis Vuitton bag out of his car.
Police reportedly suspect two people were involved in the shooting, one of which ul- timately killed the rapper. They are reportedly offering $3,000 to anyone with infor- mation about the incident.
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