Month: October 2016

Season Four of Hit Bounce TV Series Family Time Premieres Tues. Oct. 4 at 9:00 p.m. ET

ATLANTA, Ga. — ATLANTA (Sept. 27, 2016) — Bounce TV, the fastest-growing African-American network on television, announced today that the fourth season of the popular comedy series Family Time will premiere Tues. Oct. 4, 2016 with new episodes every Tuesday night at 9:00 p.m. ET.

Family Time comedically chronicles the lives of the Stallworth family, headed by the dad Tony, a struggling general contractor played by Omar Gooding, and his wife Lisa, an unfulfilled stay-at-home mom portrayed by Angell Conwell. When they are not battling each other, they are contending with a host of family, friends, and neighbors including their mischievous children Devin (Bentley Kyle Evans, Jr.) and Ebony (Jayla Calhoun), Tony’s financially-challenged best friend Donnie (Clayton Thomas) and Lisa’s feisty sisters Rachel (Tanjareen Thomas) and Lori (Paula Jai Parker).

The first episode of the new season finds Lisa giving relationship advice to Tony’s friends when he lets her visit the barbershop; Rodney Perry guest stars. Other notable guest stars this season include A.J. Johnson (House Party), Glenn Plummer (Speed, South Central), Gloria Govan (Basketball Wives) Michael Colyar (Black-ish), award-winning singer Chante Moore, Nicholas Turturro (NYPD Blue) and Laurence Fishburne’s son Langston Fishburne making his acting debut. The new 13-episode season will also feature Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas-themed episodes.

The half-hour situation comedy was created by Bentley Kyle Evans (The Jamie Foxx Show, Martin) and is produced by Evans and partner Trenten Gumbs (Love That Girl), both of whom produce the successful Bounce TV original series In The Cut which is currently wrapping up its second season in the Tuesday 9:00 p.m. ET time slot.

Series stars Gooding and Conwell also serve as producers of the show. Gooding is best known for appearing in television shows such as Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper, Smart Guy, Deadwood, Barbershop: The Series and Playmakers. He has also starred in feature films Baby Boy and Ghost Dad. A two-time NAACP nominee, Conwell’s television credits include The Young and the Restless, The Real Husbands of Hollywood, NYPD Blue, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Moesha and 3rd Rock from the Sun. She also appeared in MGM’s Soul Plane alongside Kevin Hart, Sofia Vergara and Mo’Nique, in the comedy The Wash as well as in Baby Boy with Gooding.

Bounce TV is the only emerging broadcast network, also known as a “multicast” network, producing original scripted series. Family Time has seen viewership soar every season and season three last fall delivered more than 4.5 million viewers and 3.3 million homes across all plays making the show the network’s most-watched original series to date.

The Walters Debuts New Manuscripts Website

BALTIMORE,Md. — Baltimore, MD— The Walters Art Museum has launched a new website that houses its digital collection of manuscripts: manuscripts.thewalters.org. Featuring a user-friendly design, the site provides visitors with intuitive search options, including the ability to refine their search by date, geography, subject, culture, and more. It also gives users a chance to coordinate their own online collections by gathering, saving and sharing their favorite masterpieces.

Over the past decade, cataloguers, conservators, curators and digitization specialists have been poring over the museum’s collection of more than 900 manuscripts dating from the 8th to the 20th century. The new site is designed to make these works accessible to scholars and curiosity seekers alike, bringing the Walters’ manuscript holdings to the widest possible audience.

“The Walters is among the first institutions to distribute its digital manuscript images under a Creative Commons 3.0 license that allows visitors to download publication-quality pictures for free,” said Julia Marciari-Alexander, Andrea B. and John H. Laporte Director of the Walters Art Museum. “This benefit has been a key aspect of the Walters digitization project since the beginning, and has already piqued significant interest in the museum’s collection, as manuscripts from the Walters have started to appear on the covers of books, in scholarly articles and on social media.”

The manuscript digitization project was initially supported by three substantial grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the first of which was awarded in 2007, and a generous gift from an anonymous donor. The culmination of a decade of work, the manuscripts site features an extraordinary level of detail in the information it disseminates about each work, including the flyleaves, annotated margins and bindings. To date, the Walters has digitized 45 percent of its manuscripts collection.

“Here we have digital surrogates of entire manuscripts and not just the illuminated pages,” says Amy Landau, director of curatorial affairs and curator of Islamic and South & Southeast Asian art, a content specialist for the project who oversaw the digitization of the Islamic works. “When you have a collection that’s one of the best in the United States in terms of its manuscript holdings, you want to break new ground.”

Among the highlights users can enjoy in their entirety is an illuminated 13th -century Book of Hours from England (W.102) with appealing imagery, including a hooded figure pulling words up the side of a page with a rope, to the spot where the book’s actual scribe had forgotten to place the text. Also in the online manuscripts collection is the Islamic Book on Navigation (W. 658), a 17th -18th century collection of maps that provide a view of how people understood the world in terms of cartography—one of the most important Ottoman compilations of maps, seas, and ports known today.

“Making the images completely free really encourages people to research our works because they know that they can then publish them,” says Lynley Herbert, Robert and Nancy Hall Assistant Curator of Rare Books and Manuscripts cataloguer of the medieval works. “It’s an exciting moment for manuscript scholarship.”

The manuscripts site, an ongoing project, joins the museum’s growing network of online resources, including its general website, thewalters.org, and its online collection, art.thewalters.org.

What to watch in the vice presidential debate

(CNN) — (CNN) — Sen. Tim Kaine and Gov. Mike Pence come into Tuesday night’s debate with a mission.

Pence needs to help Donald Trump recover from his lost week and re-focus his message, as well as convince people the White House is in good hands with the unpredictable Trump. Kaine wants ensure Hillary Clinton can solidify her post-debate gains in several swing states and in national polls.

Here are five things to watch when the vice presidential nominees sit down for their only debate:

How will Pence respond to Trump’s troubles?

On releasing tax returns, birtherism, debate prep and name-calling, Pence has chosen to go his own way during the campaign. He has also talked about his record in Indiana as a conservative governor. That daylight has left Trump in a somewhat awkward position and it’s allowed Pence to maintain a future in politics.

But breaking with your opponent in a studio interview is one thing, doing it on stage next to an opponent who wants to pummel your running mate is something else entirely.

Pence has to defend Trump, who is boasting about “brilliantly” using tax laws for his benefit, after a New York Times story outlining a more than $900 million loss and suggesting he may not have paid federal income taxes for 18 years beginning in 1995. Look for Kaine to possibly exploit the fact that Pence has been transparent in releasing his taxes, compared to Trump who hasn’t released them and is the nominee. And the Virginia senator will no doubt talk about Trump’s temperament as commander-in-chief.

Pence will go on the attack against Clinton’s policy record. Trump missed opportunities at the first debate to go after Clinton on obvious lines of attack like the Clinton Foundation and Benghazi. Pence, a former talk-show host, won’t make the same mistake. “Hillary’s record on foreign affairs alone could literally take up the entire 90 minutes and it wouldn’t be pretty,” he told supporters Monday night.

How personal does it get?

Donald Trump and his surrogates have spent the last week suggesting that this race will get nastier. Trump hinted that the next big debate topic would be the Clinton’s marriage. He questioned Saturday night whether Clinton was loyal to her husband — without offering any evidence that she isn’t — and mimicked her stumbling to a car when she was ill with pneumonia.

Meanwhile, Clinton and her surrogates have hammered Trump over comments he made about a former beauty pageant and for pushing birtherism.

Focusing too much on personality — rather than substance — could further turn off swing voters. But for Kaine, picking up the baton from Clinton, who had a successful performance, that could mean getting more distance in the polls. And for Pence, floating Clinton’s marital troubles could lay the groundwork for Trump as a kind of trial balloon.

And also look for Kaine to highlight Pence’s record on LGBT issues to paint the GOP ticket as out of step with swing voters. “I’ve been in elected life for 22 years, it’s not knowing another fact, but it is about thinking hard about the material, thinking hard about Pence’s record, and also what Pence’s record would say about the guy who chose him, since it really is more about Donald Trump than it is about Gov. Pence,” Kaine said about his approach to the debate.

Can they help close the likeability gap?

Clinton and Trump both have record high unfavorability ratings: the latest CNN/ORC poll puts Clinton’s at 54% and Trump’s at 59%. Both VP candidates may try to sand off some of the rough edges and make people more open to backing their ticket.

Pence has argued that Trump is a decent and good man worthy of comparisons to Ronald Reagan. He has talked about quiet moments of prayer and reflection with Trump. And Kaine has vouched for Clinton’s honesty and said that he can brag about Clinton in a way that Clinton can’t brag about herself.

But it is one thing to say good things about their running mates, and it’s another to show it. And this is where stories and anecdotes — something this campaign has been short on — can be helpful. Some of that was featured at the conventions this summer, with family members vouching for the candidates. For swing voters, who are sitting on the fence out of disgust with both candidates, humanizing and memorable portraits could be helpful.

A debate surprise?

In the first debate, Clinton introduced Alicia Machado, a beauty queen who Trump disparaged for gaining weight. She also got Trump to say it was “smart” that he possibly didn’t pay federal income taxes. Both subjects have ended up in campaign ads and underscored Clinton’s argument against Trump in new ways.

Pence and Kaine have the same opportunity. Trump failed to bring up Benghazi and the Clinton Foundation in his debate, and didn’t break much new ground on the e-mail scandal either. A recent North Carolina poll shows that a majority of voters in that crucial swing state are bothered a lot by those issues. Clinton didn’t talk much about Trump making his products out of the country.

So Pence and Kaine both have opportunities. The key is to cover old ground in new ways, either by using catchy phrasing (Clinton’s “Trumped-up trickle down” was not so catchy), or by introducing actual new information. Clinton clearly had studied Trump’s record. Pence and Kaine have a chance to frame an old issue in a new way, but it means hitting the briefing book and figuring out how and when to drop it in a debate. Both should study Clinton’s playbook.

Does anyone make it to Saturday Night Live?

Alec Baldwin and Kate McKinnon have their hands full with Trump and Clinton. But surely there is room on the SNL stage for their running mates?

Yes, Kaine and Pence are boring by comparison. That is their purpose in this race, to soften their running mates. Pence says he isn’t a name-caller. Kaine embraces his suburban dadness. They are standard issue politicians from the pre-Trump era. And perhaps that’s where the funny is — Kaine and Pence as a nice-and-nicer duo beleaguered by the foibles of their running mates. SNL’s writing crew will be watching. Tuesday night could turn into a Saturday Night cold open. Casting tip: Bobby Moynihan as Kaine and Beck Bennett as Pence.

Or perhaps “Hamilton” creator and star Lin-Manuel Miranda, who is hosting.

Why your Starbucks barista seemed a little happier this morning

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — If your Starbucks barista seemed particularly happy for a Monday morning, there’s a reason: The whole company just got a raise.

Pay increases of 5% to 15% took effect Monday for all 157,000 Starbucks employees in the United States.

The raises were announced in July. They include an increase in base pay of at least 5% and a doubling of company stock awards for employees who have been there at least two years.

The bumps apply to workers in Starbucks’ 7,600 company-operated stores, but not in the almost 5,000 licensed locations operated by other companies.

Starbucks does not disclose its pay scale, saying only that it depends on where an employee lives. But workers in stores get an average of $9.35 an hour, according to Glassdoor.com, which tracks salaries. Shift supervisors get an average of $11.68 an hour, according to the site.

The Starbucks raises are the latest move by a major U.S. retailer to hike pay to fill positions in an improving labor market.

Starbucks didn’t say what it would spend on the raises, but it previously said it would spend $275 million in 2015 and 2016 on additional “digital and partner investments.” A significant part of that will go to wages, spokesman Corey duBrowa said.

Customers are paying for it, at least in part. The company raised the prices of some drinks in July, as much as 30 cents in some cases.

Starbucks had faced complaints from employees unhappy that their hours had been cut. An online petition posted a few weeks before the pay hikes were announced claimed that cutbacks in hours and staffing were killing morale and hurting customer service. The petition got 13,000 signatures before the raises were announced, and 4,000 more since.

CEO Howard Schultz addressed the complaints in a letter to employees announcing the raises, saying, “You have my personal commitment that we will work with every partner to ensure you have the hours you need.”

Even after that promise, some employees told CNN they were unhappy with the hours they were being scheduled to work.

Six women to be honored with Fannie Lou Hamer Award

Annapolis, MD–Six trailblazing women will be honored Oct. 2 at the 21st annual Fannie Lou Hamer Awards Reception for the lasting contributions they’ve made to Anne Arundel county and the city of Annapolis.

The legacy of Fannie Lou Hamer (1917-1977), an American voting rights activist, civil rights leader, and philanthropist is being celebrated and remembered this year by honoring Marthena Cowart, Gordenia Henson, Kashonna Holland Peters, Scotti Preston, and Sandra Wallace for their outstanding service to the community.

“Mrs. Hamer was a feminist and a civil rights heroine,” said Carl Snowden, chair of the Annapolis-based Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Committee, Inc. “Each year, on the eve of her birthday, Marylanders pause to honor this Mississippian, a sharecropper, who shared a passion for economic and social justice.”

The awards that bear her name recognize women from various racial backgrounds who, while not necessarily household names, have excelled in their chosen field while working to improve the civil and human rights in the region.

The honorees were selected by a committee of community residents charged to identify six outstanding women who, while not necessarily be household names, have excelled in their chosen field while diligently to improve civil and human rights in the region.

Fannie Lou Hamer was the last of 20 children born to Mississippi sharecropper parents. She was instrumental in organizing Mississippi Freedom Summer for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), and later became the Vice-Chair of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, attending the 1964 Democratic National Convention in Atlantic City, N.J., in that capacity.

Her plainspoken manner and fervent belief in the Biblical righteousness of her cause gained her a reputation as an electrifying speaker. She ran for Congress in 1964 and 1965, and was seated as a member of Mississippi’s official delegation to the Democratic National Convention of 1968, where she was an outspoken critic of the Vietnam War.

Hamer also worked on other projects, including grassroots-level Head Start programs, the Freedom Farm Cooperative in Sunflower County, and Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Poor People’s Campaign.

Hamer died at the age of 57. One of her famous quotes, “I am sick and tired of being sick and tired” is engraved on her tombstone.

This year’s honorees join the ranks of more than 100 notable women, including Sen, Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), Administrative Law Judge Tracey Warren Parker, and former Annapolis Mayor Ellen Moyer.

“We are living right now in a world that is fighting for change on many levels, from social unrest in our cities, to expansive international crises,” said Sen. Mikulski, a 2009 Hamer honoree. “And while the news may seem grim, there is inspiration every day around the world as people come together to bring about peaceful change.”

The awards reception is sponsored by the Martin Luther King Jr. Committee of Anne Arundel County and St. John’s College and will include musical performances by Antonette Maddox and Randi Roberts. as well as the Annapolis debut of This Little Light of Mine: Fannie Lou Hamer’s Legacy, a documentary film on Hamer’s life by Robin Hamilton, a freelance journalist and owner of Around Robin, production company.

The proceeds from this events is being used to pay off the debt incurred by building the Civil Rights Foot Soldiers Memorial. Tiffany Mason contributed to this story.

The women honored this year have and are now carrying Fannie Lou Hamer’s torch of service so that she can continue to rest in peace.

Kashonna Holland

President and CEO of Simply Kashonna, Holland is being honored for unabashedly spreading the message of of “bold, fearless, and courageous living” through her work as an author, speaker, and life coach. Through Holland’s book, workshops, talk shows, and events, the Jessup, Md. native is able to assist those struggling to find meaning and direction in life. Holland also serves as ambassador for the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women, encouraging women to live heart healthy.

Paula Peters

At 16, Paula Peters, of Annapolis, commenced a long career as an advocate for civil, LGBT, and women’s rights in her community. Having served as a political activist, she volunteered for presidential nominee John Kerry, President Barack Obama, and the Hillary Clinton campaign. Peters iss a commissioner on the Anne Arundel County judicial nominating commission.

Gordenia Henson

Gordenia Henson

Gordenia Henson

Gordenia “Deni” Henson’s greatest legacy may be motherhood. A mother of two biological daughters, she balanced a career the film and media industries while fostering 16 children. An Annapolis native, Henson serves as the executive director of the Hoppy Adams Foundation, a nonprofit honoring the legendary disc-jockey Hoppy Adams through philanthropic work. She is also the President of the Peerless Rens Club, a local African American social club established in 1948 that serves the Annapolis community.

Marthena Cowart

Marthena Cowart

Marthena Cowart

Having served in high-profile positions in the federal government for decades, Marthena Cowart, a certified master gardener, spends her days directing the implementation of the landscaping plans she designed for the Civil Rights Foot Soldiers Memorial in downtown Annapolis. Cowart also serves as a board member for the Friends of the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra.

Scotti Preston

Scotti Preston

Scotti Preston

Scotti Preston of Glen Burnie has played an integral part of the preservation Historic Annapolis, where she spearheads groundbreaking outreach programs that explore African American history through interpretation and living history. Preston’s extensive volunteerism includes work with Black History Month events, arts programs, educational organizations, local heritage festivals, and the Anne Arundel County school system.

Sandra Wallace

Sandra Wallace

Sandra Wallace

Sandra Wallace lived the Civil Rights movement, attending the first integrated class of Annapolis High School and serving as one of the county’s first African American nurses. After graduating in 1968, the Annapolis native, participated in an equal opportunity professional program for African Americans, becoming the first African American nurse at Crownsville State Hospital in Anne Arundel County.