Oprah Winfrey will be conducting a two-night virtual town hall with Black thought leaders, activists, and artists to discuss systemic racism in America, a topic that has been the focus of the mainstream dialogue more than ever following the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis a few weeks ago. 

“I’ve been having private conversations with friends and thought leaders about what’s next and where we go from here,” Oprah said. “I thought it would be both of interest and service to bring their ideas, concerns and comments into a national spotlight.” The special, titled OWN Spotlight: Where Do We Go From Here?, will be broadcasted on OWN as well as all of the networks attached to its parent company, Discovery 18.

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“As a network dedicated to supporting and uplifting Black lives, OWN is committed to providing our community with important dialogue and helpful resources in this challenging time as we mourn the murder of George Floyd and ask ourselves how can we come together to create meaningful change,” OWN president, Tina Perry, said. “I am proud that our Discovery family has joined us to amplify this message in solidarity.”

“There is no one like Oprah to bring us all together at this critical moment in our history to offer insights, perspective and action,” president and CEO of Discovery, Inc., David Zaslav, said. “We are honoured to partner with OWN and use our global reach to amplify this important discussion about the global issues of economic and social justice and equality to a potential audience of one billion people across more than 200 markets in a way that only Discovery can.”

Guest speakers include: filmmaker Ava DuVernay,actor David Oyelowo, politician Stacey Abrams, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, journalist Charles M. Blow, professor and author Jennifer Eberhardt, journalist and founder of the “1619 Project” Nikole Hannah-Jones, historian and author Ibram Kendi, Color of Change founder Rashad Robinson, and NAACP national board member Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II. Part 1 of Where Do We Go From Here?will air on Tuesday, June 9th, and Part 2 on Wednesday, June 10th.

It was a powerful film that dramatized one of the Civil Rights Movement's most poignant moments in history, but Selma was reportedly blackballed by the Academy Awards. Selma would go on to earn Oscar nominations for Best Picture and Best Original Song, with Common and John Legend winning for the latter. However, as well-received as the movie was, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences decided not to include the film in any other category. David Oyelowo starred in the Ava Duvernay-directed film as Dr. Martin Juther King Jr., and he recently told Screen Daily's Screen Talks that after they wore "I Can't Breathe" shirts to the movie's premiere, Academy members were angry.

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"Selma coincided with Eric Garner being murdered," Oyelowo said of the black man who was choked to death by police as he told them, "I Can't Breath." The actor added, "That was the last time we were in a place of ‘I Can’t Breathe.'... I remember at the premiere of Selma us wearing ‘I Can’t Breathe’ T-shirts in protest," the actor continued. "Members of the Academy called in to the studio and our producers saying, ‘How dare they do that?' 'Why are they stirring sh—?’ and ‘We are not going to vote for that film because we do not think it is their place to be doing that.' It’s part of why that film didn’t get everything that people think it should’ve got and it birthed #OscarsSoWhite. They used their privilege to deny a film on the basis of what they valued in the world."

Later, DuVernay co-signed David Oyelowo's account when she tweeted, "True story." Someone from The Academy acknowledged the story and retweeted the filmmaker with a response that read, "Ava & David, we hear you. Unacceptable. We're committed to progress." Check it out below.

The prosecutor in the Central Park 5 case, Linda Fairstein, has filed a lawsuit against Ava Duvernay and When They See Us co-writer Attica Locke, as well as Netflix for defamation. TMZ reports Fairstein filed documents to court on Wednesday announcing that she sent a letter warning Duvernay and Netflix that she would be filing a lawsuit against them if the docuseries were released out of fear of the “false” and “defamatory” portrayal. Ultimately, she was met with a response from Duvernay claiming that she had no authority objecting the film because she hadn’t seen it.

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Fairstein’s essentially claimed that everything in the film, at least when it pertained to her, was a lie. She accused Duvernay and the writers of painting her out as a “racist, unethical villain who is determined to jail innocent children of color at any cost.” Fairstein said Netflix and Duvernay fell short of being factual when they portrayed her as a prosecutor who unlawfully interrogated minors without an accompanying adult, advocating for the arrests of “young black” thugs and calling POC’s animals, spinning the timeline of the Central Park jogger case, and much more. She’s essentially claiming that they lied when they portrayed her.

The backlash she received after When They See Us aired hit her pockets heavily, she claimed. Her published and agents dropped her, she stopped getting booked for public speaking appearances, and she was forced to resign from her position from several boards for non-profit organizations. 

Fairstein’s suing Netflix, Duvernay, and Locke for defamation and wants damages. She demands a public apology, removal of the scenes that she claims are false, and a disclaimer that these scenes are dramatized and not based on a true story. We’ll see how that works out for her. 

Netflix issued a statement regarding Fairstein’s suit. “Linda Fairstein’s frivolous lawsuit is without merit. We intend to vigorously defend When They See Us and Ava DuVernay and Attica Locke, the incredible team behind the series,” a rep for Netflix said. 

Someone has it in for Oprah Winfrey. The media mogul's name was reportedly trending on Tuesday (March 17) after QAnon, a far-right group launched a conspiracy theory that she was arrested on charges of sex trafficking. The message has been making the rounds on social media over the last week that states Oprah, Tom Hanks, Charles Barkley, Justin Trudeau, and a number of other Hollywood and political figures were recently taken into custody.

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According to the theory, all of these figures were named by Harvey Weinstein in his trial, and to cover up their involvement in sex trafficking, they've been detained for coronavirus links. The theory has been reportedly debunked by online sleuths, but as the internet goes, it didn't take long for the meme to circulate worldwide. Adding to the believability were photos that were supposed to be of Oprah's home being investigated by federal authorities.

After seeing that she was the No. 1 trending topic on Twitter, Oprah hopped online to deny the allegations. "Just got a phone call that my name is trending. And being trolled for some awful FAKE thing. It’s NOT TRUE," Oprah Winfrey wrote. "Haven’t been raided, or arrested. Just sanitizing and self distancing with the rest of the world. Stay safe everybody."

Ava DuVernay criticized those that participated in spreading the rumor. "Trolls + bots began this disgusting rumor. Mean-spirited minds kept it going," she tweeted. "#Oprah has worked for decades on behalf of others. Given hundreds of millions to individuals + causes in need. Shared her own abuse as a child to help folks heal. Shame on all who participated in this." Check it out below.

Fans of the popular fantasy novel series Wings of Fire by Tui T. Sutherland are in for a major treat now that Warner Bros has tapped famed filmmaker Ava DuVernay to adapt the books into a television show.

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According to Deadline, DuVernay will work alongside Warner Bros Animation after they won a bidding war for rights to a WoF series that reportedly reached eight figures. Ava has already won the hearts of critics and viewers alike with her Netflix series When They See Us, which won tons of awards like “Best Limited Series” at the 25th Annual Critics’ Choice Awards back in January (seen above). Pair that small screen success with her ability to tackle the fantasy genre with ease — she directed the 2018 film A Wrinkle In Time perfectly — and you’ve got just the right person for the job. Sutherland will see that her work is translated properly by serving as executive producer, and the series will be produced under Ava’s ARRAY Filmworks company. Wings of Fire takes you into an advanced society where dragons talk, make tools and go to war in the fictional lands of Pantala and Pyrrhia. Hey, if Daniel Radcliffe won’t be returning to Harry Potter anytime soon, this may be the next big thing.

Any Wings of Fire fans out there? Let us know your thoughts on this news down below in the comments.

It’s hard to even fathom that nearly a year has passed since the death of Nipsey Hussle. The rapper only released his debut album a little over a year prior to his passing but within his short lifetime, he made an impact that went beyond his own community. Chances of receiving a posthumous album from him seem slim at this point but new reports claim that a documentary of the late rapper will be making its way to Netflix soon.

According to Deadline, Netflix has won a bidding war over a feature-length documentary on the life of Nipsey Hussle. Ava Duvernay has been tapped as the director for the documentary while her production company and Nipsey’s Marathon Films will co-produce the project. Reports claim that Netflix picked up the documentary for a high-eight figure deal, weeding out some other competitors who also have some heavy pockets. Duvernay was reportedly chosen for the director by Nipsey’s estate due to the work she did with 13th and When They See Us.

The news of a documentary on Nipsey Hussle being produced arrives a little over two weeks after Nipsey Hussle posthumously won Grammy for Best Rap Performance on “Racks In The Middle” ft. Roddy Ricch and Hit-Boy. The award show also included a heartfelt tribute with performances from DJ Khaled, John Legend, YG, Roddy Ricch and Meek Mill. 

After distancing herself from the forthcoming #MeToo documentary now titled On The Record, Oprah Winfrey is speaking freely about her association with the project. When it was announced that the media mogul would act as executive producer of a film that highlighted women who have accused Russell Simmons of vicious sexual assaults, Oprah received backlash. She was accused of taking aim at famous black men in the industry who have faced similar accusations while ignoring others including Jeffrey Epstein and Harvey Weinstein.

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Oprah shared that she and the On The Record filmmakers weren’t seeing eye-to-eye on the creative vision for the project. Later, Oprah’s best friend Gayle King would come forward to assert that Oprah wasn’t “muzzled” into backing away from the documentary. However, in an interview with The New York Times, Oprah revealed that Simmons did “reach out multiple times and attempted to pressure me.”

“I told him directly in a phone call that I will not be pressured either into, or out of, backing this film,” she said. “I am only going to do what I believe to be the right thing.” Award-winning filmmaker Ava DuVernay added,  “She’s got Simmons on one side pressuring her, and then she’s got a film on the other side that she doesn’t agree with. So if she walks away from the film, she seems like she’s caving to Simmons, and if she stays with the film, then she’s putting her name on something that she feels doesn’t quite hit the mark.”

Ultimately, Oprah didn’t feel as if the film was ready for its premiere at The Sundance Film Festival at the end of the month. It’s reported she wanted to highlight other #MeToo survivors, but the filmmakers had other plans.