By Monique
There’s a lot of news out there, and even though I try to do my best to cover it all, there’s still so much that I can’t fit on my website simply because there aren’t enough hours in a day. So I’ll let you see the articles that have piqued my fancy this week and (maybe) every week.
Swan Lake makes history: This news was posted last year, but it’s something that stuck in my head ever since I read about it a few months ago. I’m a huge fan of ballet and Misty Copeland in general, so it was amazing for me to read that she and Brooklyn Mack made history as being the first two black leads in Swan Lake.
The Lakers play an all-Asian backcourt: Say what you will about the LA Lakers, but you can’t say that they didn’t break a glass ceiling by playing Jordan Clarkson and Jeremy Lin as the team’s backcourt, making them the NBA’s first all-Asian starting backcourt.
The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill gets an honor: Lauryn Hill has been cemented as music royalty for her lauded first solo album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. The album has now been inducted into the Library of Congress.
Jazz Jennings takes over MSNBC: Jazz Jennings became Clean & Clear’s first transgender spokesgirl, and the teen is also bringing her story to TLC with the reality show, All That Jazz. The teen was available for a Twitter chat this week; you can read the conversations on MSNBC.
Gavin MacIntosh blasts YouTube: The Fosters‘ Gavin MacIntosh took to Twitter to voice his displeasure over YouTube censoring a kiss he and another actor shared while in character on an episode of the popular ABC Family show. MacIntosh later deleted the tweets, but MacIntosh accused YouTube of discrimination.
Chantelle Winnie wins prestigious fashion award: Model and vitiligo activist Chantelle Winnie was recently named a “Beauty Idol” at the Gala Spa Awards. Winnie called the win “an amazing honor.”
Bond franchise gets first Mexican Bond girl: Stephanie Sigman has made history as the James Bond franchise’s first Bond girl. Her character Estrella will, of course, tempt Bond as present a unique challenge to him as he fights the world’s evil.
Revenge star places an ad for equality: Revenge’s Nick Wechsler placed an ad in Esquire in support of same-sex marriage and marriage equality. Wechsler said that as an ally, it’s important for him to use his platform to make a statement.
Comedians come out in support of Trevor Noah: Yes, I did read about the controversy surrounding Trevor Noah and some questionable tweets. Yes, they were terrible jokes. But I don’t think he’s anti-Semitic. I’m not Jewish, though, but that’s just my point of view. But I will say that the Anti-Defamation League gave Noah a slap on the wrist, which is what I think is necessary, but they didn’t come down harshly on him, while on the flip side, they came down harsher on Lena Dunham (who is Jewish) for her “humorous” post comparing Jewish men to dogs. They were specifically harsher on her because her jokes, as Abraham H. Foxman, the ADL’s National Director stated, “evokes memories of the ‘No Jews or Dogs Allowed’ signs from our own early history in this country” and the derogatory use of “dogs” to describe Jews that persists even today.
In any case, comedians are coming out to support Noah and his right to joke/offend. Aasif Mandvi called it “much ado about nothing,” Patton Oswalt offered a critique of dissecting jokes on Twitter, and the comedians of Last Comic Standing talked about how tough it is for comedians to make jokes on Twitter. Keenan Ivory Wayans even went so far as to call Twitter “a forum for idiots.”
What do you think of these articles? Give your opinions in the comments section below!
