They can sing a joyful noise. In pitch-perfect harmony. Never missing a beat. Yet they rarely take center stage. Why? Background singers, are the unsung heroes of music. Without them, lead singers sound hollow. Now their voices are heard, in an enlightening documentary that is as illuminating as it is...

Monday night, June 10, Chaka Khan, the legendary lady of funk and soul, was inducted into the Apollo Legends Hall of Fame in celebration of her 40th anniversary in the music business.

Khan follows in the footsteps of Aretha Franklin, Michael Jackson,...

When the 22nd annual St. Lucia Jazz & Arts Festival came to a rollicking close May 12, over 50 artists had whipped audiences into frenzy and sustained a cool vibe that lasted for 13 days. When they weren't listening to toe-tapping music on Pigeon Island National Landmark, festivalgoers...

Yes New Orleans, Louisiana is steeped in history, culture, fine arts and friendly gregarious people. And all those ingredients seem to peak every April when the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival takes center stage. Thousands of music lovers sojourn to a city that already has a rhythm...

Jackie Robinson's life is a lesson in courage. It's a sobering reminder of the barbaric cruelty of racism and an inspiring testament to those who rallied against it. This revealing film tracks his ascension from the Negro Leagues to Major League Baseball. And though you think you may know his...

"911. What's your emergency?" Call center operators, they're the unsung heroes. Everyday they answer the pleas of frantic people in distress. But even they weren't prepared for this call.

We don't call 911 often, but when we do, we expect the person at the other end of the line to...

"You will come out of my belly one day. I don't know if God will give me strength to love you." That's the lament of an expectant mother, a child soldier, in this gripping drama that chronicles the plight of kidnapped children turned into killing machines.

A quiet life in...

Never has contributing to the delinquency of a minor been so wonderfully tragic and compelling.

Sometimes Woody Watson (Michael Rainey Jr.), an 11 year-old, is a vulnerable kid. "Only one place I have is OK. Inside me where I can hide everything." Other times he's a little...

A stellar year for filmmaking is behind us, and the best movies are worth seeing whether you screen them in a theater, on DVD or on VOD. Grab some popcorn and enjoy the exceptional work of black actors, directors and other talented artists.

1. Beasts of the Southern...

You can tell you're watching a Quentin Tarantino film if it's ultra violent, unsettling, the humor is off-putting, scenes are inflated, it's controversial and the "N" word flows like the Mighty Mississippi. Hence, Django Unchained.

The movie's original, pre-Civil War Spaghetti-Western premise is novel and has merit. According to...

In the beginning, it was seemingly a cut-and-dry case of absolute depravity, known as "The Central Park Jogger": Lone white Wall Street woman jogging at night in the park. Black and Latino youths "wilding," creating mayhem, violence and committing gang rape. In 1980s, racially divided New York City, the crime...

Grass. Booze. Cocaine. Veteran pilot Whip Whitaker (Denzel Washington) hits the drug-abuse trifecta. And that's just hours before he straps himself into the cockpit of a 50-ton jet, with 96 passengers and six flight crew members aboard. On the plane's ascent from the Orlando, Fla. airport, he battles...

It's a win-win situation: World-renown Miami Beach, a flip flop-wearing tourist's haven, and Downtown Miami, a vibrant new hot spot for upscale locals. Vacationing in these districts gives visitors the best of both worlds: Big beach fun and deluxe city life.

South Beach Has All the Fun
Walk...

"You were on your way to something. Don't stop." That kind of encouragement, greatly needed by a forlorn young woman, is the spirit that drives this exquisitely told romantic drama. It's one of the best black films to come along in years and its filmmaker, Ava DuVernay, became...

Director Lee Daniels (Precious) has enlisted and army of A-list actors in his screen adaptation of The Paperboy, Pete Dexter's Deep South Florida bayou crime novel. Daniels should personally thank David Oyelowo, Nicole Kidman, Matthew McConaughey and Zac Efron. Their performances give this crude, misguided and deranged Cat on a...

Toronto, the provincial capital of Ontario, with its population of 2.5 million people from 200 distinct ethnic backgrounds, is the ultimate melting pot. It's a cultural, culinary, shopping and wellness hub, especially when you visit the city center, which comprises districts with names like Cabbagetown, Entertainment, Harbourfront and Distillery.

Downtown...

Black films, actors and directors headed to the 37th annual Toronto International Film Festival this September and made their mark. They brought glimpses of black life, strong performances and a full array of fiction and non-fiction films to TIFF, which is under the guidance of Artistic Director Cameron Bailey, a...

Whether you're a beginner or advanced player the summer tennis camps/programs at the Drysdale Tennis School at Stratton Mountain Ski Resort in Vermont can help you hone your game -- and there are fringe benefits. The herds of skiers are gone. The resort is peaceful. No lines at the gondola...

Millions of years back, glaciers covered northern New York State. Ten thousand years ago, they receded leaving behind crevices filled with water and forming 11 long and narrow Finger Lakes. Five of the lakes are large, feigning Mother Nature's handprint. Today this beautiful region -- dotted with historic cities, vast...

Every May thousands of golf fans head to Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida for The Players, arguably the most noted tournament outside the four majors and certainly the most fan-friendly. The rest of the year, this amicable town located in St. Johns County, Florida, just south of Jacksonville, is a haven...