In the American entertainment world, 2014 has been quite interesting in more ways than one. On the national scene, African-Americans have overcome many hurdles in the quest for success, but some lost ground over the past year.
Following is a look at some of the best and worst in the entertainment industry.
The best
SNL hires three Black females
LaKendra Tookes and Leslie Jones auditioned for Saturday Night Live (SNL) during showcases held in New York and Los Angeles shortly after the series was criticized for its lack of diversity. Both women were hired as writers for the show. Following the hire, Sasheer Zamata, who has performed at the Upright Citizen’s Brigade Theater in New York City, joined SNL in January 2014 as the first African-American female cast member since 2007.
Pharell earns star on Walk of Fame
A new star has been added to the Hollywood Walk of Fame and Pharell Williams celebrated his latest accomplishment with family and friends. In early December, the singer, songwriter, producer, fashion designer and creative director was recognized for his contributions to the music industry in Hollywood, Calif.
Lupita wins
Born in Mexico to Kenyan parents, Lupita Nyong’o made her film debut playing the character “Patsey” in acclaimed director, Steve McQueen’s “12 Years a Slave.” The Yale graduate won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role in “12 Years a Slave.” She became the first Kenyan to win an Oscar, the first African actress to win Best Supporting Actress and the first Mexican-born actress to win an Oscar.
Dr. Dre sits on the throne
Due to selling his company Beats to Apple in early 2014, Dr. Dre has become one of music’s highest-paid stars. This year he earned $620 million and topped $115 million artist Beyonce. It seems as if Beats, created in 2008 and sold for $3 billion was a good choice after all.
The worst
Tracy Morgan crash
Actor and comedian Tracy Morgan was critically injured in June when a tractor-trailer slammed into his limousine bus, which left one of Morgan’s crew members dead. The Georgia truck driver was charged with death by auto in connection to the crash. Many celebrities and fans showed their care and support for Morgan as he was admitted into the intensive care unit.
In August, Kevin Roper, the truck driver involved in the accident, pled not guilty.
Elevator brawl
Social media exploded in an uproar after TMZ released a video of Solonge, Beyonce’s sister, physically attacking Jay-Z, Beyonce’s husband in an elevator. The video showed Solonge kicking and appears to be screaming at Jay-Z while Beyonce stood in the corner and watched. The three calmly exit the elevator as if nothing occurred. While the three have yet to bluntly state what happened that evening, Beyonce released a remix to her hit song “Flawless,” which features Nicki Minaj, where she briefly addressed the incident.
Columbus Short’s restrictions
Ex “Scandal” star Columbus Short was accused of threatening his wife, Tanee Short, with murder and suicide. She filed for divorce in early April and filed a restraining order which required Columbus to move out of their home. Since the first incident, also in April, Columbus has been charged with criminal domestic violence and child abuse. In May, Tanee claimed Columbus violated his restraining order six times. As a result of his charges, Columbus was fired from the popular TV series, “Scandal.”
Time served for Chris Brown
In 2009, Chris Brown was charged with attacking his then girlfriend, Rihanna shortly before the Grammy Awards. This domestic violence case spread nationally and Brown was sentenced to probation and jail time shortly after. On June 2, Brown was released from a Los Angeles County Jail after serving 108 of his 131 sentenced days in prison. After his release, he tweeted, “Back to the music and the fans.”
Robin Thicke’s Plea
This summer was a rough one for music artist Robin Thicke and his wife, actress Paula Patton. The couple split after being exclusive for more than 20 years due to a long list of items according to Thicke, who immediately stated cheating wasn’t the main reason for the split. Thicke apologized to Patton during his performance at the 2014 BET Awards, where he said “I’d like to dedicate this song to my wife and say I miss you and I’m sorry and this is called ‘Forever Love.’” Since his performance, he has dedicated his entire album to his now ex-wife, who filed for divorce in October.
Sony caves, then relents:
On Dec. 17, Sony said it was withdrawing “The Interview,” a Seth Rogen and James Franco satire, following apparent cyberattacks and threats by North Korea, but then changed its mind after being blasted by President Barack Obama in a news conference. The movie appeared nationwide Christmas Day, a move that won praise from the president.
