Winston Duke’s newest character is all about the thrill. 

In “The Fall Guy,” Duke plays Dan Tucker, a talented stunt coordinator who knows how to make the most challenging movie stunts seem fun and easy. When his best friend, stuntman Colt Seavers (Ryan Gosling), gets involved with a few shady characters — on and off the set — Tucker is tasked with helping his buddy get answers and complete their sci-fi movie. 

Duke tells theGrio in an exclusive interview that he sought out “The Fall Guy” because he was ready to work on a project that brought him joy. The action comedy film is funny, heartwarming, and fun, with a deeper level of seriousness underneath, according to Duke. 

“I was in a place in my life where I said I wanted to do something fun,” Duke explains. “I didn’t want to do something super heavy. From the onset, the really great thing about movies is that they can be really layered. So even though the top layer may be very funny and palatable, sometimes the depth and the seriousness can be three layers beneath. I wanted something that at the outset, we can have a lot of fun and then find the meaning.”

While Duke’s character may be fearless in his new film, it’s a characteristic he had to develop in real life. The Tobagonian-Rwandan actor says that he is typically a “very fearful person,” but often challenges himself to look fear in the eye and overcome it. 

“Fear, I look at as a good thing. I always look at fear as something that tells me that I’m taking this seriously,” Duke shares. “Anytime I don’t have fear, I then wonder why I’m so casual. I think I’m a very fearful person. That’s what, to me, builds a lot of my integrity because I’m like — I recognize that this is important.”

“I recognize that there are consequences. I recognize all these things, and I’m gonna do it anyway. Right? I’m gonna do it anyway and I’m gonna come out better on the other end. I’m fearful of every project I take. I’m fearful of every stunt that I do. I’m fearful of every new relationship I make, all these things, but you know, you still do it.”

In “The Fall Guy,” Duke chose to perform many of his own stunts regardless of the fear. The actor hopes the film will expose audiences to the often underappreciated work of stunt performers, including his own stuntman, JoJo, who worked with Duke on “The Fall Guy” and “Black Panther.” 

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“I always end up doing a good amount of my stunts,” Duke says. “But I’m always chaperoned and partnered with a really great team. JoJo was on this stunt team. He had a really great relationship with me. He knew my body and knew how I worked. When he was putting things together for me, before I even showed up, he had an idea of how to tell the story with certain moves that I’m very familiar with.”

“My relationship with the entire [stunt] team was one that was super helpful,” Duke adds. “I also played the stunt coordinator in this movie. So I got to shadow the stunt coordinator, Chris O’Hara, and the rest of the stunt team, just for my own study.”

“The Fall Guy” is available to watch now in theaters nationwide. 

6

Sabrina Carpenter, the talented singer-songwriter, is celebrating her first UK Number 1 single with the funky track “Espresso.” Despite her busy schedule, which often includes late-night work sessions, Carpenter is expected to take a moment to relish this milestone achievement.

“Espresso,” a frothy and funk-infused banger, has climbed its way to the top of the Official Singles Chart, completing its ascent today. The song faced a neck-and-neck race with fellow artist Taylor Swift, with only a slim margin of fewer than 500 chart units separating them. Nonetheless, according to Official Charts Company data, Carpenter’s infectious track emerged victorious, becoming the UK’s most-streamed song of the week with 8.8 million streams.

Debuting on the Official Chart just two weeks ago, “Espresso” marks Carpenter’s first Top 10 single, adding to her previous successes with three Top 40 entries: “Nonsense” (32), “Skin” (28), and “feather” (19). Notably, “Espresso” also achieves a fun chart fact as the first caffeine-based UK Number 1 single in 24 years, following All Saints’ “Black Coffee,” which topped the charts in 2000.

In addition to Carpenter’s triumph, rising hip-hop country star Shaboozey claims his first UK Top 10 hit with “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” rising to Number 6. Meanwhile, Taylor Swift continues to dominate the charts with her 29th UK Top 10 single, “I Can Do It With A Broken Heart,” landing at Number 8.

Other notable movements on the Official Singles Chart include Mark Ambor’s “Belong Together” reaching another new peak at Number 11, Lay Bankz’s “Tell Ur Girlfriend” rising three spots to Number 15, and Chappell Roan’s “Good Luck, Babe!” climbing to Number 18.

Natasha Bedingfield’s 2024 remix of “These Words” with producer Badger jumps to Number 22, while Virginia singer-rapper Tommy Richman debuts straight in at Number 31 with “Million Dollar Baby.” Additionally, classic tracks from the late Amy Winehouse, including “Valerie” with Mark Ronson and “Back to Black,” re-enter the Top 40 as UK audiences continue to embrace the Amy Winehouse biopic “Back to Black.”

In the realm of albums, Taylor Swift maintains her stronghold atop the Official Albums Chart with “The Tortured Poets Department” for a second consecutive week. The record-breaking album, which shattered Official Chart records in its first week, continues to resonate with audiences, securing Swift her fifth studio LP to spend more than one week at the summit.

London-formed synth-pop legends Pet Shop Boys debut at Number 2 with their 15th studio album “nonetheless,” marking their highest-charting LP in 31 years. Meanwhile, Oklahoma-born alt-pop artist St. Vincent secures her third Top 10 album with “All Born Screaming” at Number 3, alongside other notable entries from Jess Glynne, The Zutons, Laufey, Luke Hemmings, PARTYNEXTDOOR, Teddy Swims, and Justice rounding out the Top 40.

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7

CNN anchor Kasie Hunt has come under fire after referring to a 6-year-old Palestinian child, Hind Rajab, who tragically lost her life in Gaza, as “a woman killed in Gaza.” The misrepresentation of the young victim sparked outrage across social media platforms, with many condemning the oversight as a disservice to the child’s memory and the broader context of the conflict.

Hind Rajab was fatally struck by Israeli tank fire while playing outside her home in Gaza, a region that longstanding tensions and violence have marred. Her death, among many other civilian casualties, drew attention to the human cost of the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine.

In a segment aired on CNN, Hunt’s characterization of Hind Rajab as a woman rather than acknowledging her age and identity as a child was met with swift criticism.

CNN’s Kasie Hunt referring to 6 years old Hind Rajab .”a woman killed in Gaza”

You gotta be a a disgusting pedophile to consider a 6 yo child a woman. pic.twitter.com/4NnW8rYEtJ

— Abier (@abierkhatib) May 1, 2024

Many viewers took to social media to express their dismay, highlighting the importance of accurate reporting and respectful coverage, particularly when it concerns innocent victims caught in the crossfire of political strife.

American journalism is disgraceful and biased: CNN’s Kasie Hunt referred to Hind Rajab, a 6-year-old Palestinian girl killed by the IOF in Gaza, as a “woman”.

Referring to a 6-year-old as a woman shows how language is manipulated to fit a certain narrative. This would never… pic.twitter.com/f25aXcuz58

— 𝐌𝐚𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐦 (@Malcolm_Ishmeal) May 2, 2024

Hind Rajab was SIX YEARS OLD.

She was barely a child not “a woman killed in Gaza”

Kasie Hunt you demon.

Are you also a p edophile to consider a 6 yo a woman? pic.twitter.com/xfy8K4ZJMF

— ADAM (@AdameMedia) May 1, 2024

According to CNN anchor Kasie Hunt, the martyred child Hind (6 years old) is a WOMAN, the child whose family was killed by the Israeli occupation and who was left trapped for days crying for help.

Even, when a rescue team was sent to her, they were targeted and killed, and she… pic.twitter.com/O2hIdyX5pw

— Khaled Yousry (@KhaledYousry22) May 3, 2024

What are your thoughts on Kasie Hunt’s characterization of Hind Rajab, the 6-year-old Palestinian child, as “a woman killed in Gaza” on CNN?

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Updated as of May 3, 2024 at 2:40p.m. PT: Though comedian Jerrod Carmichael stood 10 toes down when he initially called fellow comedian Dave Chappelle an “egomaniac,” it appears he’s done an about face.

Speaking in an interview with “The Breakfast Club,” Carmichael admitted he wanted apologize to Chappelle for his choice of words.

“I want to say that I’m sorry for that because, one, I’m a huge Dave Chappelle fan,” he said on the show. “I think he’s brilliant. I think he’s a bright light in a dying industry. I think he’s more important now than ever before because comedians are now just posting clips of them doing crowd work online and calling it art, and it’s not art. Dave Chappelle is an artist. He’s one of the few artists that we have. And I care deeply about the work that he makes.”

See original story below.

Jerrod Carmichael is still airing out his thoughts and feelings towards Dave Chappelle.

If you’ll recall, back in June 2022, Carmichael—who came out as gay in his standup special “Rothaniel” just a few months prior—called out the O.G. comedian for his slew of anti-transgender/transphobic “jokes” in his recent standup specials and his insistence on not backing down from using them.

“I’m tired of hearing it. Chappelle, do you know what comes up when you Google your name, bro? That’s the legacy? Your legacy is a bunch of opinions on trans shit? It’s an odd hill to die on,” Carmichael said at the time during an interview with GQ. “And it’s like, hey, bro. Who the fuck are you? Who do you fuck? What do you like to do? Childish jokes aside, who the fuck are you? It’s just kind of played. But he’s choosing to die on the hill. So, alright, let him.”

Now, in a new digital cover interview with Esquire, Carmichael described Chappelle as an “egomaniac” for how he misinterpreted his response.

“He took it as ‘Fuck Dave Chappelle,’ because he’s an egomaniac,” he said. “He wanted me to apologize to him publicly or some shit.” (I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out the hilarious irony of Chappelle allegedly wanting an apology for comments being made about him when he couldn’t offer one up to trans folks and others who called him out and had something to say about his material but I digress.)

Further elaborating on his original criticisms of “The Chappelle Show” comic, Carmichael said:

“[Chappelle is] not revealing anything personal about himself and he’s removed from what he’s talking about, and I think he’s smarter than that and deeper than that and has more interesting thoughts.”

In reference to comments Chappelle made about “Rothaniel,” in which he described it as “the bravest special for 1996,” Carmichael added:

“It’s like, that’s a funny enough line, whatever, but I wonder if he gets the irony that the fact that you are mocking it even then is why it was hard. I still think saying you’re gay is saying something’s wrong with you. And so much of comedy is just gay jokes. As long as people continue to laugh at it and mock it, and as long as it’s a punchline, it’s going to be scary for somebody. It’s scary for me.”

10

Kendrick Lamar is not letting up on his feud with Drake. After dropping an explosive response earlier in the week, the Compton native has returned with yet another diss track aimed squarely at the Toronto rapper.

On Friday morning, May 3, Kendrick took to social media to unveil his latest offering, “6:16 in L.A.” The track wastes no time in getting to the heart of the matter, with Lamar accusing someone of dishonesty right from the start. As the song progresses, Kendrick sets his sights on Drake’s actions following their initial confrontation on “Like That.”

Lamar doesn’t pull any punches, calling out Drake’s close friend and streamer Akademiks, suggesting he appears compromised. He also takes aim at Drake for involving his manager Anthony Saleh in the feud after Saleh’s photos were shared on Drake’s Instagram Stories.

But Kendrick doesn’t stop there. He goes on to accuse Drake’s OVO team of operating behind his back, insinuating that individuals within Drake’s camp are working against him. Kendrick alleges that Drake conspired with another friend, Zack Bia, to utilize Twitter bots in a bid to undermine him.

In one of the cutting lines of the track, Kendrick raps, “You playin’ dirty with propaganda, it blow up on ya. You’re playin’ dirty with Zack Bia and Twitter bots. But your reality can’t hide behind Wi-Fi.”

Produced by Sounwave and Jack Antonoff, known for his work with Taylor Swift, “6:16 in L.A.” features samples of Al Green and Teddy Pendergrass. The title itself holds significance, referencing the late 2Pac’s birthday and Canadian Father’s Day, both falling on June 16. This choice could be seen as a direct response to Drake’s recent use of an AI version of ‘Pac and Snoop Dogg in his “Taylor Made Freestyle.”

Kendrick’s latest salvo comes hot on the heels of his initial response to Drake, in which he pulled no punches in tearing apart Drake’s earlier shots at him on “Push Ups.”

The ongoing feud between Kendrick Lamar and Drake shows no signs of cooling down anytime soon. Listen to Kendrick’s “6:16 in L.A.” below to hear the latest chapter in this heated rivalry.

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The White House announced today that Representative James “Jim” Clyburn, a key figure in the Democratic Party, former Assistant Democratic Leader and Majority Whip in the United States House of Representatives and a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., will be awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Joe Biden. The White House announced the honor, highlighting Clyburn’s transformative impact on the lives of millions of Americans and his significant contributions to the nation.

“Words cannot express the profound honor and gratitude I feel upon receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom. This recognition is not only a testament to my work, but also to the countless individuals who have supported my journey; the giants who fought alongside me for justice, equity, and the pursuit of progress; and the support of my loving family,” said Congressman Clyburn.

Through three decades in the House, Representative Clyburn has been a pivotal figure in shaping American policy and legislation. Known for his advocacy for civil rights, historical preservation, healthcare reform, and economic equity, Clyburn’s work has left an indelible mark on the fabric of American society. “Through his dedication and leadership, Representative Clyburn has created a freer country for all Americans,” the White House stated.

The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the nation’s highest civilian honor, bestowed upon individuals who have made exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values, or security of the United States, as well as those who have advanced world peace or significantly impacted societal, public, or private endeavors.

Clyburn is one of nineteen recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom this year, representing a diverse array of fields and accomplishments. These recipients, according to the White House, are the pinnacle of leadership, embodying the values of community, hard work, and service. Their collective efforts have shaped America and inspired generations.

The awards ceremony is scheduled to take place at the White House on May 3, 2024. The event will honor not only Representative Clyburn but also the other distinguished recipients whose contributions have enriched the nation and the world.

That’s suspicious… two Cobb County cops resigned from the department following the resurfacing of a troubling body camera video showing their violent arrest of a Black man. The tea is that the two were supposed to be fired already.

Let’s back up.

On August, 19, 2023, officers responded to a report of two pairs of people aiming guns at each other near the Six Flags Over Georgia parking lot. When the officers approached Montavious Smith, he was by himself and already lying chest-down on the concrete, per the body camera video. One officer got on Smith’s back and began punching him repeatedly as the other officers surrounded and held onto his legs and arms.

“Please don’t kill me! I’m underaged!” Smith is heard yelling in the video as the officers commanded him to put his hands behind his back while his bare chest was pressed into the concrete.

In the incident report, officers Nicholas Malagon and Noah Maack said they had to tackle him to the ground. However, an internal affairs investigation revealed their description of the event didn’t relate to the content of the video, where Smith doesn’t appear to resist the officers at all, per WSB-TV.

That’s where the officers got themselves in trouble.

Read more from WSB-TV:

Cobb County Police Chief Stuart VanHoozer says he terminated Malagon for unreasonable use of force and other policy violations. Maack was fired for making false statements in his incident report, including saying that Smith was tackled.

Maack also suggested to internal affairs that his report was based on what he saw and other sources of information.

“I mean, not really. I mean, I guess I could use a different word other than tackle,” Maack can be heard saying in a recording of an interview with internal affairs.

The chief also asked the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to determine if there were any criminal charges that should have been added.

However, a whole year later, it turns out the officers didn’t get booted from their jobs just yet. The report says Wednesday, the officers formally resigned from their positions instead of facing termination. So much for facing the consequences of their actions.

As for Smith, he still faces a misdemeanor drug charge, obstruction of law enforcement and tampering with evidence, per the Cobb Solicitor’s Office.