T.J. Holmes aims to ‘engage’ with his news talk show

Longtime CNN newsman T.J. Holmes says he didn’t need sophisticated market research to know there isn’t anything on television like “Don’t Sleep,” the topical nightly news/talk show he launches Monday at 11 on BET.

“All I had to do was turn on my TV,” he says. “Day in and day out, so many issues critical to my community, the black community, are not raised and discussed.”

“Don’t Sleep” will fill that void, says the 35-year-old Holmes, though he stresses the half-hour show will not be “just a ‘black’ show or just for black people.”

He has invitations out to both President Obama and Gov. Mitt Romney, and he says he’s “hopeful” one or both will come on his show before the election.

“I know some Republicans might think, ‘Oh, that’s an African-American audience, they won’t like me.’

“But the black community isn’t monolithic. Everyone isn’t a Democrat with a certain level of education and all the other stereotypes. And to me, even if you don’t intend to vote for somebody, you should hear what they have to say. That’s what the marketplace of ideas is all about.

“I want this to be a show anyone will come on, because they know they’ll get a fair shake.”

The show will include some of his own commentary on the news, Holmes says, but it will focus more on guests and a nightly panel in which experts discuss critical issues.

“We’re not just going to report somebody said this and somebody said something else and move on,” he says. “We want to tell viewers what it means.”

This news focus, he acknowledges, will take the show into topics that aren’t light and fun — like the dangerously low rate of black high school graduation.

“There are topics where people will say, ‘Oh, I’ve heard that stat before,’ ” Holmes says. “But what we’ll do in this case, for example, is visit a predominantly black high school in Chicago that has a 100% graduation rate. We’ll show something positive, something that gives hope.”

He’s hoping to find the balance, he says, between presenting important information and keeping the show lively.

“Even at CNN,” he says, “the word ‘entertain’ had a certain connotation, like there was no substance. So I use the term ‘engage’ — and I think we can do that.”

Source : nydailynews[dot]com

Movie News Martin Freeman and Eddie Marsan Join Edgar Wright's The World's End ADD COMMENTS

Martin Freeman ("The Office", "Sherlock", The Hobbit) and Eddie Marsan ( Sherlock Holmes, Snow White and the Huntsman) have officially joined the cast of Edgar Wright's next, The World's End. Read the full details in the official press release below:

Working Title Films and Big Talk Productions have commenced filming on The World�s End, the third installment of Edgar Wright�s trilogy of comedies, following the successes Shaun of the Dead (2004) and Hot Fuzz (2007). The new movie is filming in the U.K. As with the first two movies in the trilogy, Universal Pictures International (UPI) will distribute The World�s End internationally and Focus Features will distribute it in North America.

As with the two earlier pictures, Mr. Wright co-wrote the script with Simon Pegg, who will once again star alongside Nick Frost. Joining the team are actors Martin Freeman (Shaun of the Dead, The Hobbit), Paddy Considine (Hot Fuzz, The Bourne Ultimatum), Eddie Marsan (Sherlock Holmes), and Rosamund Pike (Jack Reacher).

The World�s End also marks Mr. Wright�s third movie with Working Title and Big Talk, following Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz; The World�s End is produced by Nira Park of Big Talk and Working Title�s Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner. The film will be executive-produced by James Biddle, Mr. Wright, Mr. Pegg, Mr. Frost, and Liza Chasin.

Mr. Wright is also reteaming with such creative collaborators as director of photography Bill Pope, production designer Marcus Rowland, hair and make-up designer Jane Walker, editor Paul Machliss, stunt coordinator Bradley Allen, and VFX Double Negative. Guy Speranza is the film�s costume designer.

In The World�s End, 20 years after attempting an epic pub crawl, five childhood friends reunite when one of them becomes hellbent on trying the drinking marathon again. They are convinced to stage an encore by mate Gary King (Simon Pegg), a 40-year-old man trapped at the cigarette end of his teens, who drags his reluctant pals to their hometown and once again attempts to reach the fabled pub � The World�s End. As they attempt to reconcile the past and present, they realize the real struggle is for the future, not just theirs but humankind�s. Reaching The World�s End is the least of their worries.

Working Title Films, co-chaired by Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner since 1992, is one of the world�s leading film production companies. Founded in 1983, Working Title has made nearly 100 films that have grossed over $5 billion worldwide. Its films have won six Academy Awards, 30 BAFTA Awards, and prizes at the Cannes and Berlin International Film Festivals. Working Title�s 2012/2013 slate also includes Les Mis�rables, directed by Tom Hooper and starring Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, and Anne Hathaway; John Crowley�s Closed Circuit, starring Eric Bana and Rebecca Hall; Hossein Amini�s The Two Faces of January, starring Viggo Mortensen, Kirsten Dunst, and Oscar Isaac; Dan Mazer�s I Give It a Year, starring Rose Byrne and Rafe Spall; the telefilm Mary and Martha, directed by Phillip Noyce and written by Richard Curtis, starring Hilary Swank and Brenda Blethyn; Ron Howard�s Rush, starring Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Br�hl; and Joe Wright�s epic love story Anna Karenina, starring Keira Knightley, Jude Law, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson.

Big Talk�s credits include all of Edgar Wright�s films to date: Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, and Greg Mottola�s Paul, written by and starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost with Kristen Wiig. Most recently Big Talk developed and produced Joe Cornish�s debut feature Attack the Block, which was released to critical acclaim in 2011, winning all four Audience Awards at Sitges, SXSW, the LAFF, and Fantasia International Film Festival. Next up for Big Talk is the black comedy Sightseers, directed by Kill List�s Ben Wheatley. The film had its world premiere at Cannes with a Special Screening in the Directors� Fortnight section. It will have a Gala Screening at the London Film Festival, and will be released in the U.K. in November. Big Talk is currently in production on Cuban Fury, a dance comedy starring Nick Frost, Chris O�Dowd, and Rashida Jones, directed by James Griffiths; and Jeremy Lovering�s psychological thriller In Fear.

Universal Pictures International and Focus Features are part of NBCUniversal, one of the world�s leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. NBCUniversal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment television networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, and world-renowned theme parks. Comcast Corporation owns a controlling 51% interest in NBCUniversal, with GE holding a 49% stake.

(Photo Credit: Zak Hussein / WENN.com)


Source : comingsoon[dot]net