The Year 2017 has been a historic year in entertainment especially for African Americans and people of color. From the film, "Moonlight" an LGBT centric film winning Best Picture at the Academy Awards , to the meteoric rise of comedian Tiffany Haddish and rapper/reality star Cardi B and actress Maghan Markel planning her royal wedding to Prince Harry . Along with historymakers there were those whose personal lives took the spotlight going viral in the social mediasphere.
Below are the TOP 10 BLACK ENTERTAINMENT STORIES of 2017
Honorable Mention: Various NFL players continue Colin Kaepernicks "knee-test" from last year and protesters plans boycott of NFL.
10.Usher's herpes allegations from accusers
Grammy Award winning singer Usher personal life kept him in the news for half of July. It was reported that Usher paid a woman $1.1 million to settle a lawsuit after she claimed she contracted a sexually transmitted disease from him, according to legal documents. The legal papers claim Usher knew that he had herpes but still engaged in unprotected sex with a woman without telling her of his condition. Then, as news of that lawsuit made headlines, another lawsuit was filed by another woman for similar reasons. Another woman also came forward claiming she and Usher hooked up in a hotel room, something he denied.
9.Wendy Williams faints on live TV
The Queen of Gab was the Hot Topic this year when she fainate don her popular talk show. Dressed as the iconic Statue of Liberty for her annual Halloween show, about 48 minutes into the broadcast Williams appeared behind a plastic podium, ready to kick off the “How You Doin’? Halloween Costume Contest.”But while announcing the segment, Williams began slurring her words. She then slowed down and started swaying back and forth before stumbling backwards and catching herself. After a lengthy commerical break, Williams returned on set and said she will coninue the show. Williams claimed her fall was due to heat exhaustion.
8.Cardi B makes music history
When you are spoofed on Saturday Night Live, you have achieved pop culturedom. And reality star Cardi B became part of that status through comedian Tifffany Haddish. The turn of events for Cardi occurred when in September, her song "Bodak Yellow (Money Moves)" hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. It marked only the second time in history that a female rapper topped the charts unaccompanied (The first being Lauryn Hill in 1998 with "Doo Wop (That Thing)" but technically Cardi is the first who just rapped, whearas Lauryn rapped and sang). Later in the year, she was nominated for two Grammy Awards for her historic song and she notched two more Top 10 hits ("Motorsports" with Migoa and Nikki Minaj) and G-Eazy’s A$AP Rocky-featuring “No Limit,).
7. GET OUT and GIRLS TRIP break Box Office records
Two movies that began with the letter "G" and has two word titles "Get Out" and “Girls Trip” emerged as the top grossing movies of 2017. "Get Out," released in February, directed by comedian Jordan Peele’s in his directorial debut, was a surprise hit, making more than $200 million and making its $4.5 million budget back tenfold. The movie, which was a mix of dark humor and horror was about a Black man who discovers a horrifying family secret while visiting his white girlfriend’s parents for the first time. The summer film, "Girls Trip" that featured Queen Latifah, Jada Pinkett Smith, Regina Hall and Tiffany Haddish as four long-time friends on a road trip to the Essence Music Festival in New Orleans was box office gold. The movie made over $100 million , making it the highest grossing live action comedy of the year. Both movies made overnight "celebsations" out of Daniel Kaluuya and Tiddany Haddish respectively.
6. Bill Cosby on trial
Comedian Bill Cosby's rape allegations from several women spilled over from 2016 into the next year with a high-profile sexual assault trial in which Cosby faced off against one of his dozens of accusers. The trial ended in a mistrial on June 17 after a Pennsylvania jury was deadlocked , unable to come to a unanimous decision. The jury deliberated for six days before a judge announced the mistrial. In the middle of all of this, the defense asked for a mistrial, but the judge refused to grant one and told the jury to keep talking it out to try to reach a “guilty” or “not guilty” verdict. Cosby was charged with three counts of aggravated indecent assault against Andrea Constand. He now faces a retrial in spring 2018.
5.Omarosa leaves White House
In December, The former "Apprentice" star was in her own reality when it was reported that Omarosa Manigault Newman was fired and escorted from her job "kicking and screaming" by President Trump's Chief of Staffer John Kelly. She quickly refuted the allegations going on Good Morning America when interviewed saying she resigned and that her last day would be Jan 20 to meet her one year mark as the assistant to the president and director of communications for the Office of Public Liaison. The huge backlash from the African American community via social media resulted when Omarosa tried to claim that she accepted the job to help for her people. The remarks even had GMA anchor Robin Roberts speak out of her journalistic ethos saying, "Bye Felicia."
4.The Year of Tiffany Haddish
This was definitely the year of Tiffany Haddish. The budding comedian whose stint on the "The Carmichael Show," ended earlier this year, but, thus summer, had her breakthrough role in the adult comedy "Girls Trip" stealing every scene (and made grapefruit a food phenom) she was in with her co-stars. Since "Trip," she has received a Critics Choice nomination and there are talks of an Oscar. She also starred in her own Showtime comedy special and in November, she became the first African American female comedian to host the longtime skitcom "Saturday Night Live" and bringing in huge numbers in viewership. She also wrapped a movie with Kevin Hart and released her first memoir, "The Last Black Unicorn."
3.Meghan Markle gets engaged to a prince, causes racial backlash
In November, the "Suits" actress made history with the color of her skin. Kensington Palace announced that Prince Harry and actress Meghan Markle got engaged. The wedding will be in May 2018 at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle. The day the engagement was announced, Harry and Markle spoke together for the first time, telling the BBC of the proposal. The engagement sparked some racist backlash because Markle is a half-Black actress, a divorcee and three years older than the prince.
2.Oscar Snafu LaLa Land/Moonlight
The biggest night in Hollywood had a record number of African Americans who won Oscars (Viola Davis winning Supporting Actress for "Fences" and Mahershala Ali winning Best Supporting Actor for "Moonlight") ended with a serious OOPS when "La La Land" was announced as Best Picture by actress Faye Dunaway when she read it from her co-presenter Warren Beatty's envelope. When the producer and team of "LaLa Land" received the award, it was revealed that "Moonlight" actually won the award making it the biggest mistake in the awards history. In the days that followed, PricewaterhouseCoopers, the accounting firm that tallies the Oscar votes, said that one of its accountants handed the wrong envelope to presenters Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty.
AND THE NUMBER ONE STORY OF 2017 IS:
1.Sexual Harrassment charges/allegations
in Hollywood; #Me Too Movement
This story transcended race, gender and class . In October, Hollywood was in the spotlight but not for its entertainment. When, The New York Times published its first story about producer Harvey Weinstein, in which several women, including actress Ashley Judd, accused him of sexual harassment. What followed was an avalanche of accusations made by more than 80 women, including actresses Gwyneth Paltrow, Angelina Jolie and Salma Hayek, all accusing Weinstein of sexual misconduct. Weinstein, who was terminated by his own company and expelled from the Academy of Arts and Sciences, has denied all allegations of non-consensual sex, though he is currently being investigated by more than one police department.However, Weinstein was just one of many powerful man to be impacted by damning allegations. In the weeks and months that followed, hordes of women went public with stories of harassment, spawning a popular Twitter hashtag, #MeToo (that was created by African Ameircan woman Tarana Burke ten years ago). Actor Terry Crews was the first noted man to come out with his allegations of sexual harassment opening the conversation to men who are sexually assaulted. Among the men who lost their jobs in the aftermath: NBC News' Matt Lauer, CBS News' Charlie Rose and "House of Cards" star Kevin Spacey, mogul Russell Simmons and talk show host, Tavis Smiley.
RIP BITZ
In 2017, we lost some notable African American entertainers and figures who made an impact in their respective fields.
Al Jarreau - Just days after announcing that he was retiring from touring after being hospitalized for exhaustion, legendary jazz singer Al Jarreau passed away 2/12/17. He was 76.
Joni Sledge - Singer Joni Sledge, founding member of the iconic musical group Sister Sledge was found unresponsive at her home i on March 10 . She was 60.
Auntie Fee - Viral internet sensation Auntie Fee has passed away after spending three days on life support. The video cook's March 14 heart attack led to her untimely death. She was 59.
Chuck Berry - The rock pioneer whose rollicking songs, springy guitar riffs and onstage duck walk defined rock & roll during its early years and for decades to come, died on March 18th. Berry was 90 years old.
Linda Hopkins - The singer whose soaring, gospel-rooted voice was heard on Broadway died 4/10/17 . She was 92.
Charlie Murphy - the older brother of Eddie Murphy, a Chappelle's Show star and an accomplished comedian in his own right, died 4/12/17. He was 57.
Cuba Gooding Sr. - The singer and father to actors Cuba Jr and Omar was found dead in a parked vehicle in California 4/20/17. He was 72.
Christopher "Big Black" Boykin-The Rob & Big star passed away on May 9 at age 45 after suffering heart failure.
Prodigy-The rapper, who was a member of the hip-hop duo Mobb Deep, died on June 20 at age 42, from complications from sickle cell anemia.
Nelsan Ellis-The True Blood actor, who played Lafayette Reynolds, died at age 39 in July after suffering complications from heart failure
Dick Gregory - Dick Gregory, the pioneering black satirist who transformed cool humor into a barbed force for civil rights in the 1960s, then veered from his craft for a life devoted to protest and fasting in the name of assorted social causes, health regimens and conspiracy theories, died 8/19 . He was 84.
Bernie Casey - Bernie Casey, best known for his scene-stealing role in Revenge of the Nerds and as the star of I’m Gonna Git You Sucka, has died at the age of 78.
Hugh Hefner-The Playboy founder died at the age of 91 on Wednesday, September 27. "
Ralphie May-The stand-up comedian died at age 45 on October 6 after suffering cardiac arrest
Keith Wilder - Keith Wilder, the singer of the influential Seventies funk outfit Heatwave, died 10/29/17 at the age of 65.
Robert Guillaume-Actor Robert Guillaume, best known for his title role on the 1990s series Benson, died at the age of 89 at his . home October 24.
Fats Domino-The rock 'n' roll legend died of natural causes at the age of 89 on October 24.
Earle Hyman-Best known for playing Russell Huxtable on The Cosby Show, Earle Hyman died at 91 on November 17 at the Lillian Booth Actors Home in Englewood, New Jersey.
Della Reese-The Touched by an Angel alum and “Don’t You Know?” singer died at her home in California at age 86 on November 19.
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