Jeymes Samuel And Jay-Z’s ‘Book Of Clarence’ Bombs At The Box-Office During MLK Opening Weekend
Jeymes Samuel and Jay-Z needed more prayers for their Jesus-inspired film that tanked at the box office during opening weekend.
Jeymes Samuel and Jay-Z needed more prayers for their Jesus-inspired film that tanked at the box office during opening weekend.
“The Book of Clarence” hit theaters during Martin Luther King Jr. weekend and faced competition from Tina Fey’s “Mean Girls” musical and Amazon/MGM’s “The Beekeeper” starring Jason Statham. The $33.2 million domestic opening “Mean Girls” received and $19.1 million four-day opening for “The Beekeeper” completely swamped Samuels’ $2.6 million opening weekend numbers, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
2,010 theaters played the film during MLK weekend compared to the 3,791 North American theaters that played “Mean Girls” and 3,303 theaters that played “The Beekeeper.” However, “The Book of Clarence” less than $3 million open is nowhere near the $40 million it took to make the film.
The film opened at No. 9, below older releases like “Wonka,” “Anyone But You,” and “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom,” via Box Office Mojo. Distributed by Legendary Pictures, Samuels’ biblical satirical faith-based drama starred LaKeith Stanfield, Omar Sy, RJ Cyler, David Oyelowo, Alfre Woodard, David Oyelowo, and Teyana Taylor.
Written and directed by Samuels and produced by Jay-Z, “The Book of Clarence” received mixed reviews with a 68% on Rotten Tomatoes and a B CinemaScore, according to Fortune.
One top critic gave it a 3 out of 5 while praising Stanfield for how he “shines in a fun biblical comedy that doesn’t always come together.”
“The Book of Clarence needed a less indulgent editor and a woman reading the script, but Samuel deserves credit for finally making a Biblical epic that looks closer to the historic Hebrews even as it messes with the formula,” said another reviewer who gave the film a C+.
“The Book of Clarence is not going to register with everybody. I admired this movie for all it tried to do. Did it always work? No,” added someone else.
Samuels sought to provide a more relatable depiction of the biblical era compared to white-led Hollywood films on the story of Jesus.
“While I love those biblical epics, Black people are never in them. I see Yul Brynner and Charlton Heston. I love those actors, but they’re not Egyptian,” Samuel told Variety. “It was super important to tell a story that was based on the environment that I grew up in. It’s a local story — anyone can relate to it.”
André Swanston Principal Owner Of Major League Soccer’s NEXT Pro Connecticut Expansion Team
Major League Soccer‘s (MLS) NEXT Pro has awarded André Swanston and Connecticut Sports Group (CTSG) the fifth independent MLS NEXT Pro expansion team.
Major League Soccer‘s (MLS) NEXT Pro has awarded André Swanston and Connecticut Sports Group (CTSG) the fifth independent MLS NEXT Pro expansion team, Connecticut United Football Club.
Swanston, the principal owner, is the chairman and CEO of Swanston Labs and a Bronx-bornAlpha Phi Alpha member.
Connecticut is the largest media market in the U.S. without a professional sports team in the MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL and MLS. However, the Constitution State has positioned itself as a soccer TV viewership hub.
According to an MLS Next Pro release, Connecticut has one of the highest engagement levels of any market in America without an MLS team. Connecticut fans spend $1.1 billion yearly on sports tickets, merchandise, and subscriptions, 13% more per fan than the average American.
“As CT United FC embarks on its MLS NEXT Pro journey, I want to extend deep gratitude to the incredible fans, community leaders, and government officials who have embraced our vision. I am confident that, united, Connecticut can compete against anyone,” said Swanston. “We are committed to building the infrastructure–from a free youth academy to a state-of-the-art stadium-needed to propel Connecticut to the highest levels of soccer.”
Bridgeport’s Planning and Zoning Commission granted Connecticut Sports Group unanimous approval to develop a waterfront soccer stadium and mixed-use destination that includes retail spade and dining locations, community greens, a river walk, and a hotel.
The Connecticut Center for Economic Analysis reports the development is expected to generate $4 billion in economic impact over the next 25 years and nearly $1 billion in additional state and local tax revenue. The average annual employment will increase by over 1,000 full-time jobs over this period, which Connecticut Mayor Joseph Ganim welcomes.
“Bridgeport is in the midst of a renaissance, rebranding from an industrial city to now the capital of arts and entertainment of Connecticut,” Ganim said in a statement. “I am proud to announce that MLS NEXT Pro will join that landscape in providing entertainment opportunities for Bridgeport residents and the region at large. I also applaud the major investments that Mr. Swanston has made in Bridgeport and his vision to bring professional soccer to our city.”
Launched in 2022 by Major League Soccer, MLS NEXT Pro is a professional men’s soccer league in the United States and Canada that completes the pro-player pathway.
MLS NEXT Pro comprises 27 MLS-owned clubs and four recently announced independent clubs.
Draymond Green Booed In Return To Basketball Court
As Green made his way onto the court at FedEx Forum he was greeted with boos from Memphis Grizzlies fans
Golden State Warriors’ star Draymond Green’s return to the basketball court after his lengthy suspension by the NBA for “unsportsmanlike acts” earned him boos from Memphis Grizzlies fans over the holiday weekend.
According to CBS Sports, as Green entered the game at Memphis’ FedEx Forum on January 15, Grizzlies fans made their displeasure known.
The veteran forward returned from what was initially an indefinite suspension that only lasted 12 games. Green missed another four to get into game condition.
The Warriors lost 116-107 in a nationally televised to a depleted Grizzlies team missing stars Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, and Marcus Smart.
Green came off the bench to only play 24 minutes. He ended up with seven points, seven rebounds, four assists, and a steal.
He did criticize the team’s play afterward. The Warriors, two years removed from an NBA championship, have struggled this season, going 18-22. They are thirteenth in the Western Conference playoff race.
“You just gotta have pride in yourself as a man that I’m not gonna let my guy score,” Green said. “Our closeouts were too soft. Our rotations were too slow. So there’s just no pride. Until every guy takes pride in themselves and wants to stop the guy in front of him, we’ll suck.”
“Just got to have pride in yourself as a man… Until every guy take pride in themselves and want to stop the guy in front of them, we’ll suck.”
Draymond Green on the Warriors’ lack of defensive effort last night 👀
Beverly Johnson’s Diet During Modeling Heyday: Eggs, Brown Rice, and Cocaine
Veteran supermodel Beverly Johnson is opening up about the drug addiction she acquired in the 1970s due a cocaine-led diet she was encouraged to follow in order to stay thin.
Johnson, 71, is celebrating the 50th anniversary of becoming the first Black woman to appear on the cover of Vogue and is speaking candidly about the early days of her modeling career where she consumed cocaine, a bowl of rice, and two eggs a week after fashion industry insiders encouraged her to look “chiseled to the bone” for photo shoots.
“We were led to believe that cocaine was not addictive,” she told Page Six. “We didn’t know cocaine was addictive. Everyone used drugs back in the day but that particular drug for models was used because we did not eat.”
“I remember eating two eggs and a bowl of brown rice a week,” she added. “I would be shaking in a cab, and I would say pull over because I have to get a bag of M&Ms. I would just stop and get the shakes. We did not eat, and every time you came to work they would say, ‘Yes! Chisel to the bone girl. Yes,’ like congratulating you. Nobody really told you the truth.”
Johnson’s eyes opened during a visit at home with her mother when she was placed in front of a three-way mirror and made to look at herself.
“It was the first time I saw my bones looking back at me,” she recalled. “It was a major wake-up call for me.”
In addition to celebrating her Vogue milestone, Johnson is celebrating 50 years of sobriety. Her current one-woman show, Beverly Johnson In Vogue, sees her reliving her modeling and acting career, growing up in Buffalo, New York, her family life, romantic history, and paying homage to the women that came before her.
The show is playing at the 59E59 Theatre until Feb. 4.
Johnson is also set to appear alongside her daughter Anansa Sims in the WeTV reality show Sims with the latter’s fiancé Matt Barnes. The show will follow their blended family and wedding planning journey.
Solo Stove Drops CEO After Snoop Dogg’s ‘Giving Up Smoke’ Ad Campaign Flames Out
After Snoop Dogg fooled people into thinking he was giving up weed for a Solo Stove commercial, the company's CEO was canned.
A clever marketing campaign last year nearly convinced people that Snoop Dogg was giving up his favorite pastime after a video circulated of the legendary rapper saying he was “giving up smoke.”
Days after the video clip toured the internet, it was revealed that Snoop was actually taking part in an ad campaign for Solo Stove.
“I have an announcement,” Snoop stated in the video clip. “I’m giving up smoke. I know what you’re thinking. ‘Snoop! Smoke is kind of your whole thing.’ But I’m done with it. I’m done with the coughing and my clothes smelling all sticky-icky. I’m going smokeless. Solo Stove fixed fire—they took out the smoke. Clever.”
The ad campaign-ruse did not lead to the sales the company hoped for, so CEO John Merris was terminated and replaced, Complex reports.
The company that makes Solo Stove, Solo Brands, announced it had appointed Christopher T. Metz as its new president, chief executive officer, and director of the board.
Rolling Stone reported that the interim CFO, Andrea Tarbox, gave a statement giving the reason for the change at the top.
“While our unique marketing campaigns raised brand awareness of Solo Stove to an expanded and new audience of consumers, it did not lead to the sales lift that we had planned, which, combined with the increased marketing investments, negatively impacted our EBITDA [earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization]. We believe there is a significant opportunity for us to build awareness and that these new campaigns will expand our reach and benefit our brands over the long term.”
The company said after the video clip went viral (over one million views), it got a boost of about 60,000 social media users, but that did not generate sales.
Jerod Mayo Replaces Bill Belichick, Becomes Patriots’ First Black Head Coach
Jerod Mayo will succeed Bill Belichick as the Patriots head coach. He is the first Black head coach in franchise history.
Former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick drafted linebacker Jerod Mayo in the first round of the 2008 NFL Draft.
Sixteen years later, Mayo is replacing him.
Mayo, who played his entire eight-year career with the Patriots, is the 15th head coach and the first Black head coach in Patriots history. Following his retirement after the 2015 season, Mayo worked in finance for Optum, a healthcare services provider before joining Belichick’s staff.
Mayo said the finance experience, as well as working under Belichick as the Patriots’ linebacker coach, has prepared him for this moment.
“I feel like I’m prepared. I feel like I’m ready,” Mayo said in early January, according toESPN. “I feel like I can talk to men, women, old, young, white, Black—it doesn’t matter. And hopefully, develop those people into upstanding citizens and help them evolve. That’s how I think about it. I feel like my calling is to develop.”
Mayo added that building relationships with his players is a big part of his coaching philosophy.
“I coach out of love. Once you build that relationship with a guy, you can be tough on the players,” he said. “But if you don’t have that warmth before confidence, it was a little different when I played. Whatever the coach told you to do, you just go out and do it. But this generation is a little bit different. They want to understand the ‘why.’”
Mayo, 37, was a two-time Pro Bowler and the 2008 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. Mayo and Belichick won a Super Bowl together, defeating the the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX.
He has big shoes to fill. Belichick won 17 division titles and six Super Bowls. in New England. Mayo, now the youngest head coach in the NFL, will be formally introduced by the team on Wednesday, Jan. 16.
Mayo is not the only Black man who has a chance to become a head coach this offseason. Las Vegas Raiders interim head coach Antonio Pierce, who went 5-4 in nine games this season, is likely to retain the position full-time and even has the support of several of his players, including defensive end Maxx Crosby, who has threatened to request a trade if Pierce isn’t hired full-time.
His latest setback: Searchlight is backing out of distributing the bodybuilding drama Magazine Dreams, which was originally driven around Majors’ critically acclaimed performance, Variety reports.
Directed by Elijah Bynum, the film received rave reviews when it premiered at Sundance Film Festival last year. Majors was praised for his performance as amateur bodybuilder Killian Maddox.
Searchlight reportedly purchased the film for a mid-seven figures but removed the film from its roster in October.
Majors was arrested in March 2023. He was charged with assault and harassment after his ex-girlfriend Grace Jabbari accused him of assaulting her in a taxi. Following a domestic violence trial last month, Majors was found guilty. His sentence hearing is scheduled for Feb. 6.
Majors sat down for his first interview since the high-profile case and shared how “shocked and afraid” he was upon hearing the verdict.
“I’m standing there and the verdict comes down. I say, ‘How is that possible based off the evidence, based off the prosecution’s evidence, let alone our evidence? How is that possible?” he toldABC News Live.
Majors also denied getting physical with Jabbari, claiming he was “reckless with her heart” and would never strike a woman “ever.”
“I’m an athlete. I’m a sportsman. I know my body. I know how it moves. I know my strength, or lack thereof, you know? None of that was employed on her,” he said.
The legendary Wade will be the first player in Heat history to have a bronze statue in front of the Kaseya Center.
Perhaps the most recognizable and important Miami Heat player in franchise history will be the first athlete to have a statue in front of the team’s arena.
During a ceremony honoring Wade, Heat president Pat Riley, Wae’s former coach, announced to Wade and the world that the statue will be unveiled next year.
Pat Riley surprises D-Wade with the announcement of a statue coming outside the Kaseya Center ⚡️
“When we retired his jersey in February 2020, I said Dwyane was the face of this franchise forever, and I meant it,” said Riley in a written statement. “Dwyane’s legacy is a towering one not only for the Miami HEAT but for Miami-Wade County. I can’t think of a better way to honor him than by memorializing that legacy.”
According to the team, the unveiling will take place in fall 2024; no exact date is scheduled right now. Wade, who retired in 2019, had his jersey retired by the Heat the following year.
He played the majority of his career in Miami except when he left after objecting to the Heat’s contract, which he felt was inadequate after winning three championships for the franchise. He played one year for his hometown team, the Chicago Bulls, before reuniting with former Heat teammate LeBron James with the Cleveland Cavaliers. He returned to Miami to finish out his legendary career.
In all, Wade won three NBA championships, took home an NBA Finals MVP, and was a 13-time All-Star.. He also won a gold and bronze medal with Team USA in the Summer Olympics.
Fulton County DA Fani Willis Speaks On Alleged Relationship With Prosecutor
Willis touched on the allegationsk while speaking at Big Bethel AME Church on Jan. 14 in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Fulton County (GA) District Attorney Fani Willis finally addressed the misconduct concerns surrounding her alleged relationship with Special Prosecutor Nathan Wade, both of whom were instrumental in indicting Donald Trump for attempting to overturn the 2020 presidential election.
Willis touched on the allegations made last week when she spoke at Big Bethel AME Church on Jan. 14 in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
In the speech, excerpted by The Hill, Willis defended herself from the accusations that her recruitment of Wade in the case was improperly handled. Willis suggested that the defamation against the two attorneys has racist motivations, noting that Wade, the sole man of color appointed as a special counselor, is the only one being attacked.
“I’m a little confused. I appointed three special counselors. It’s my right to pay them all the same hourly rate. They only attack one,” Willis said Sunday. “I hired one white woman, a good personal friend and a great lawyer, a superstar, I tell you. I hired one white man—brilliant y friend and a great lawyer. And I hired one Black man, another superstar, a great friend and a great lawyer.”
Willis also detailed the troubling double standard inherent in those accusations.
“God, isn’t it them who’s playing the race card when they only question one,” said Willis. “They’re playing the race card when they constantly think I need someone from some other jurisdiction in some other state to tell me how to do a job I’ve [done] almost 30 years…I’m just asking, ‘God, is it that some will never see a Black man as qualified, no matter his achievements?’”
Mike Roman, a co-defendant in the Trump indictment, and his attorney, Ashley Merchant, proposed that the two Black lawyers have been involved in a full-fledged romantic relationship. According to Merchant, the relationship began before Wade was appointed special counselor, urging that the revelation is grounds for the case to be dismissed.
Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene then requested an investigation into these claims, leading to Willis’ defending herself and Wade at the Sunday service.
I just sent a criminal referral requesting an immediate investigation into Fani Willis and her alleged secret boyfriend, Nathan Wade, to Gov. Brian Kemp and AG Chris Carr.
Georgians are sick and tired of Fani using her office to go after Joe Biden’s top political opponent rather… pic.twitter.com/kI2wnfehDn
“Dear God, I do not want to be like those that attacked me,” Willis shared. “I never want to be a Marjorie Taylor Greene, who has never met me but has allowed her spirit to be filled with hate. How does this woman, who has the honor of being a leader in my state, how is it that she has not reached out to me?”
Despite Willis’ calls that the controversy stems from a racial bias, her unveiled subpoena in Wade’s divorce trial by the Wall Street Journal complicates the matter further.
Such an honor to be named the 2023 NCAA Woman of the Year! Thank you so much to the @NCAA, @TexasLonghorns, and @TexasVolleyball for all the amazing opportunities and experiences throughout my college career that have helped shape me into who I am today! 🤩🧡 https://t.co/DyOGWSKvN7
Eggleston, who majored in business administration and management, is the first student-athlete from Texas to receive the award.
“It was such an honor to be nominated,” Eggleston said in a written statement. “There are so many amazing student-athletes across the country who are going through their own journeys and their own hardships and finding ways to power through, find success, and just grow as people. To be listed alongside some of these amazing student-athletes is incredible, and I’m so honored to have even been considered.”
Eggleston wasn’t available to receive her award, so her parents did.
The volleyball player set the court on fire ever since she was a freshman, when she was named Big 12 Conference Player of the Year. During her time at the university, she was an American Volleyball Coaches Association All-American five times, including three first-team honors. The three-time Big 12 Conference Player of the Year is one of only two players in conference history to earn first-team All-Big 12 honors five times.
Eggleston led her team to the 2022 NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship title and also won the NCAA Championship Most Outstanding Player and the 2022 AVCA National Player of the Year.
“The thing I’m most proud of from my time at Texas is definitely winning a national championship,” Eggleston said. “What I’ve dreamed of since I was super young was going somewhere, making a difference at the school, and making an impact on the athletic department. I think my team really had the opportunity to do that, and we did.”
Eggleston is currently working toward her master’s in sports management atTexas while playing volleyball for Galatasaray Sports Club in Istanbul, Turkey.
