COLORLINES

Will Smith Says He Turned Down the Role of ‘Django’ Because He ‘Needed to be the Lead’

by Jorge Rivas on March 26 2013, 11:44AM

Actor Will Smith tells Entertainment Weekly he turned down the role of Django in Quentin Tarantino’s ‘Django Unchained’ because the slave character was not the lead in the film.

Topics: Media, /NOW Blog

‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Actor Jesse Williams Offers Tips On How To Portray Slavery

by Jorge Rivas on February 20 2013, 3:54PM

Actor Jesse Williams, known for his role as Dr. Jackson Avery on the TV series “Grey’s Anatomy” just published an essay on CNN.com that juxtaposes the Quentin Tarantino films “Django Unchained” with “Inglorious Basterds,” the 2009 fantasy involving a band…

Topics: Arts & Culture, /NOW Blog

Gun Group Launches ‘What Would Django Do?’ to Rally Black Support

by Jorge Rivas on January 25 2013, 11:10AM

A controversial group’s new effort dubbed “What Would Django Do?” looks to bring people of color to its side in the debate over gun control.

Topics: /NOW Blog, Politics

Quentin Tarantino Drops N-Word Less Than a Minute into Press Conference

by Jorge Rivas on January 14 2013, 11:49AM

Less than a minute in to the director’s press conference backstage he had already dropped the N-word. Tarantino was answering a question about the use of the N-word in his film.

Topics: Arts & Culture, /NOW Blog

‘Gun Appreciation Day’ Founder Says Slavery Wouldn’t Have Happened if Slaves Were Armed

by Jorge Rivas on January 11 2013, 5:23PM

The chairman of Gun Appreciation Day Larry Ward is taking ‘Django Unchained’ a little too seriously.

Topics: Criminal Justice, /NOW Blog

Seven (Yes, 7!) Slave-Themed Films Coming in 2013

by Jorge Rivas on January 10 2013, 3:54PM

2013 is going to be the year of the slave-theme movies.

Topics: Arts & Culture, /NOW Blog

Oscar Disaster: ‘Django’ Costume Designer Revealed in Glitch Didn’t Get a Nomination

by Jorge Rivas on January 10 2013, 11:01AM

It’s an Oscar disaster and a heartbreaking story.

Topics: Arts & Culture, /NOW Blog

10 Things You Should Know About Slavery and Won’t Learn at ‘Django’

by Imara Jones on January 9 2013, 10:02AM

Slavery as revenge fantasy is a far cry from the ugly truth: Slavery as the economic engine that created the inequitable world in which we still live.

Topics: 'Django', Economy, History

Hollywood’s Slavery Films Tell Us More About the Present Than the Past

by Dexter Gabriel on January 9 2013, 9:37AM

“Django Unchained” and “Lincoln” share a long history of Hollywood epics that feed our modern myths and expectations back to us, rather than genuinely explore our history.

Topics: 'Django', Arts & Culture, History

Oscar Website Glitch Reveals Nominee Page One Week Early

by Jorge Rivas on January 8 2013, 10:44AM

A test page at Oscars.com revealed that ‘Django Unchained’ costume designer Sharen Davis seems to have gotten a nomination for an Academy Award.

Topics: Arts & Culture, /NOW Blog