OUTSTAGN/SPOT BITZ: 2018

From power couple Kim Kardashian and Kanye West's surrogate giving birth their third child, the murder of rapper XXXTentatcion, rapper Drake owning the music charts with three back to back No. 1 singles on Billboard's Hot 100 to allegations that talk show queen Wendy Williams may be divorcing her "husbandger" Kevin Hunter supposed mistress pregnancy, 2018 has seen its share of viral making stories, history making events and various celebs and personalities of African American descent who catapulted into the headlines for their monumental moments.

Before OUTSTAGN reveals the Top 10 Black Entertainment Stories of 2018, below are the stories that made No 20 to No 11.

20.ACTOR POOCH HALL GETS STOPPED BY BURBANK
POLICE AND ARRESTED FOR DRIVING UNDER THE
INFLUENCE AND CHILD ENDANGERMENT.

19. SINGER/SONGWRITER JOHN LEGEND WINS
EMMY FOR JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR LIVE
BECOMING THE FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN MALE
AND YOUNGEST ARTIST TO BECOME AN EGOT
(EMMY, GRAMMY, OSCAR, TONY WINNER)

18. GRAMMY AWARD WINNING ARTIST JANET
JACKSON IS ANNOUNCED TO BE INDUCTED INTO
THE ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME

17. MUSIC STREAM SERVICE SPOTIFY REMOVES
R KELLY'S MUSIC AFTER REPORTS OF HIS
ALLEGED ABUSIVE SEX CULTS

16.ENTERTAINMENT MOGUL OPRAH WINFREY GOES
DOOR TO DOOR IN ATLANTA TO CAMPAIGN FOR
GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE STACY ABRAMS

15.UP AND COMING RAPPER XXXTENTACION WAS
SHOT AND KILLED IN HIS VEHICLE IN FLORIDA; ALBUM
RESURGE TO NO 1 ON THE BILLBOARD 200.

14.FORMER FIRST LADY MICHELE OBAMA 'S AUTOBIOGRAPHY
"BECOMING" BECOMES TO BIGGEST SELLING BOOK OF 2018
SELLING 2 MILLION IN 15 DAYS ; GOES ON (INTER)NATIONAL
TOUR TO PROMOTE IT.

13.ACTOR/RAPPER DONALD GLOVER DEBUTS CONTROVERSIAL
MUSIC VIDEO "THIS IS AMERICA" DURING HIS HOSTING DUTIES
AT "SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE"

12.COMEDIAN/ACTOR KEVIN HART STEPS DOWN FROM
HOSTING THE 91ST OSCARS AND APOLOGIZES
AFTER PAST HOMOPHOBIC TWEETS RESURFACES
ON TWITTER

11.GRAMMY AWARD WINNING SINGER BEYONCE BECOMES
THE FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN FEMALE TO HEADLINE
COACHELLA DUBBING IT "BEYCHELLA."

HERE ARE THE TOP 10:

10.ACTOR GEOFFREY OWENS BECOMES A VIRAL SENSATION AFTER FOX NEWS PUBLISHED PHOTOS OF HIM WORKING AT TRADER JOE'S. OWENS BECAME THE FACE OF JOB SHAMING. (SEPTEMBER)

9.TENNIS SUPERSTAR SERENA WILLIAMS GETS ACCUSED OF CHEATING; ARGUES WITH EMPIRE DURING U.S. OPEN FINAL FOR SEXISM; UPSTAGES HISTORIC WIN BY NAOMI OSAKA'. (SEPTEMBER)

8.GRAMMY AWARD WINNING RAPPER KENDRICK LAMAR WINS PULITZER PRIZE IN MUSIC FOR HIS ALBUM. "DAMN."; BECOMES FIRST RAPPER AND NON CLASSICAL/JAZZ ARTIST TO WIN. (APRIL)

7.THE TRIALS OF CARDI B. AND OFFSET

BREAKOUT RAPPER CARDI B AND HER HUSBAND, RAPPER OFFSET FROM THE RAP GROUP MIGOS MADE HEADLINES IN 2018: FROM REVEALING THEIR SECRET MARRIAGE, DISCLOSING HER PREGNANCY DURING A PERFORMANCE ON SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE, GIVING BIRTH TO A GIRL, KULTURE, ANNOUNCING HER DIVORCE FROM OFFSET AND HIS PUBLIC OUTCRY TO WIN HER BACK WHILE ON STAGE AT ROLLING LOUD FESTIVAL.

6.KANYE WEST ARGUES SLAVERY WAS A CHOICE; VISITS TRUMP AT THE WHITE HOUSE.

KANYE WEST'S LATEST CD "YE" DIDN'T MAKE MUCH NEWS BUT HIS REMARKS AND APPEARANCES DEFINITELY DID. IN MAY, WEST, WENT ON TMZ LIVE AND GENERALIZED THAT 400 YEARS SLAVERY WAS A CHOICE CAUSING CONTROVERSY AND CONVERSATION. THEN, IN OCTOBER, HE VISITED PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP AFTER THE PASSING OF THE MUSIC MODERNIZATION ACT AND CONCLUDED WITH A 10 MINUTE RANT ABOUT HIS LOVE FOR TRUMP WHILE WEARING A "MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN: AND THEN FOLLOWED WITH HUGGING TRUMP--THEN LATER DENOUNCING HIM.

5.CARDI B AND NIKKI MINAJ RIVALRY

IN THE RAP WORLD, NO OTHER DISSONANCE WAS PLAYED TO THE WORLD IN 2018 MORE THAN WITH CARDI B AN NIKKI MINAJ. AS CARDI STRUCK MULTIPLATINUM WITH HER DEBUT CD, "INVASION OF PRIVACY" , MINAJ'S CD, "QUEEN' SOLD POORLY. MEANWHILE CONSTANT TWITTER RANTS ENSUED BETWEEN THEM AND NIKKI'S QUEEN PODCASTS CHIMING IN ON THE BEEF AND DISPELLING IT... BUT ALL WAS BROKEN WHEN IN OCTOBER, A MELEE OCCURS WITH CARDI'S TIRADE TOWARD NIKKI AT THE ANNUAL HARPERS BAZAAR ICONS PARTY DURING NEW YORK FASHION WEEK IN RESULTING IN CARDI GETTING A LUMP ON SIDE OF HER HEAD AND HER EXIT FROM THE PARTY.

4.BILL COSBY GOES TO PRISON FOR SEXUAL ASSAULT

AMERICA'S DAD BILL COSBY HAD HIS FINAL DAY IN COURT WHEN THE JUDGE SENTENCED HIM THREE TO 10 YEARS IN MONTGOMERY COUNTY CORRECTIONAL FACILITY IN PENNSYLVANIA FOR DRUGGING AND SEXUALLY ASSAULTING ANDREA CONSTAND. AFTER A HUNG JURY IN 2017 AND BEING CONVICTED IN APRIL ON THREE COUNTS OF AGGRAVATED INDECENT ASSAULT, HE WAS PROSECUTED IN SEPTEMBER. COSBY BECAME THE FACE OF THE "ME TOO" MOVEMENT WHERE WOMEN CAME OUT TO SEXUAL ASSAULT FROM MEN, MORE SPECIFICALLY MEN OF POWER.

3.BLACK PANTHER BREAKS BOX OFFICE RECORDS (INTERN)NATIONALLY.

"WAKANDA FOREVER" AND ITS CROSSED HAND TO CHEST GESTURE HAVE BECOME PART OF NOT JUST BLACK CULTURE BUT GLOBAL CULTURE THAT WILL BE ETCHED IN HISTORY FROM THE MARVEL FILM, "BLACK PANTHER." IT HAS BECOME A CULTURAL PHENOMENON THAT HAS INFLUENCED THE WORLD AND HOW THEY SEE SUPER HEROES. THE MOVIE WHICH WAS RELEASED IN FEBRUARY WAS THE MOST ANTICIPATED FILM OF 2018 AND GROSSED OVER 700 MILLION DOMESTICALLY BECOMING THE TOP FILM OF 2018 AND OVER 1.3 BILLION IN INTERNATIONAL SALES. ITS POPULARITY ALSO GARNERED DISCUSSION IN THE BOARD ROOM OF THE ACADEMY AWARDS OF CREATING A NEW CATEGORY "BEST POPULAR FILM " AT NEXT YEARS 91 ST ANNUAL ACADEMY AWARDS BUT WAS RESCINDED.

2.THE QUEEN OF SOUL DIES.

THE WORLD GAVE ITS R-E-S-P-E-C-T WHEN GRAMMY AWARD WINNING AND ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAMER SINGER ARETHA FRANKLIN DIED AUGUST 16 AT THE AGE OF 76 AFTER A LENGTHY BATTLE WITH CANCER. A CAREER SPANNING OVER 50 YEARS, FRANKLIN WAS THE MOST DECORATED FEMALE SINGER OF ALL TIME WINNING COUNTLESS AWARDS (INCLUDING 18 GRAMMY AWARDS). HER HOMEGOING SERVICE WAS HELD AUGUST 31 AT GREATER GRACE TEMPLE IN DETROIT, AND WAS LIVESTREAMED AND TELEVISED BY VARIOUS NEWS OUTLETS. HER FUNERAL WAS ATTENDED BY HUNDREDS AND PERFORMERS INCLUDED ARIANA GRANDE, GLADYS KNIGHT, FANTASIA AND HER LONGTIME FRIEND SMOKEY ROBINSON TO NAME A FEW. IT LASTED WELL OVER 8 HOURS WHICH WAS HISTORIC IN ITSELF, BUT IT WAS SUITED PERFECTLY FOR THE WORLD'S QUEEN.

AND
THE NO. 1
STORY OF
2018
WAS..............................................

1.THE ROYAL WEDDING OF PRINCE HARRY AND MEGHAN MARKLE

THE WEDDING OF PRINCE HARRY AND ACTRESS MEGHAN MARKLE WAS HELD MAY 19, IN ST GEORGE'S CHAPEL AT WINDSOR CASTLE IN THE UNITED KINGDOM. MARKLE, WHO BECAME A DUCHESS, MADE HEADLINES BECAUSE SHE WAS ONCE MARRIED AND BIRACIAL (AFRICAN AMERICAN AND CAUCASIAN), A FIRST FOR BOTH INSTANCES WITHIN THE ROYAL FAMILY. THE WEDDING ALSO WAS DIVERSE IN ITS SELECTION OF PERFORMERS, SPEAKERS AND MUSICIANS (E.G. THE KINGDOM CHOIR SINGING "STAND BY ME.") GUESTS INCLUDED OPRAH WINFREY, TV HOST JAMES CORDEN, SERENA WILLIAMS AND SIR ELTON JOHN TO NAME A FEW. IT WAS ESTIMATED ABOUT 18 MILLION SAW THE TELECAST OF THE WEDDING IN THE U.K. AND 29 MILLION IN THE UNITED STATES . THE GLOBAL AUDIENCE WAS ESTIMATED HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. And in the world of motion pictures, many words have been written by the screenwriter for actors and actresses to perform on camera, creating thousands of stories told from the beginning credits to THE END.

Since the 19th century, there have been many stories transfixed into motion pictures from silent films and "talkies" inside nickelodeons all the way to the IMAX special effect theaters of today. One genre of stories has been of the African American Experience. From the race-juke joints/jazz-dance halls to the Deep (Segregated/Integrated)South, from gritty blaxploitation backdrops to Black Power struggles, from interracial bonding and relationships to crossover star vehicles and from hood flicks to buppy rom coms, the African American Experience has been fully represented in film.

Below is OUTSTAGNs choices of the 50 Most Influential African American Films of All Time. What defined these films as an African American film was either it was directed by an African American director, had at least one African American actor/actress in a prominent role in a film, and/or the content was based on an African American subject matter. The films selected made the list because of their impact in black and pop culture by creating important cultural shifts, imagery and movements in African American Film.

BEFORE GETTING TO THE TOP 50, WE WOULD LIKE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN FILM DIRECTOR OSCAR MISCHEAUX WHOSE FILM CAREER SPANNED FROM 1919 WITH SILENT FILM "THE HOMESTEADER" TO HIS LAST FILM, "THE BETRAYAL" IN 1948.

HERE ARE THE FILMS FROM 60 to 51:

60.PARIS IS BURNING (1991)

59.LOVE JONES (1997)

58.BLACULA (1972)

57.THE BEST MAN (1999)

56.WATERMELON WOMAN (1997)

55.MANDINGO (1975)

54.COONSKIN (1975)

53. CAR WASH (1976)

52.BROTHER FROM ANOTHER PLANET (1984)

51.COTTON COMES TO HARLEM (1970)