Jesse Jackson News

Author Howard Bloom is Tom Needham's special guest this Thursday on WUSB's SOUNDS OF FILM. He is going to be talking about his provocative new film, THE GRAND UNIFIED THEORY OF HOWARD BLOOM. In addition, the SOUNDS OF FILM is going to be featuring music from Hildur Guðnadóttir's Golden Globe-winning score for JOKER.

The Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts today announced three dynamite additions to its 2020 performance schedule. Tickets for these shows go on sale to donors this week, and to the general public on Saturday, January 11 at 10 am.

The Boch Center and Live Nation announced that Bill Maher will take the Boch Center Wang Theatre stage on Saturday, May 30, 2020 at 8:00PM. Tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday, December 20, 2019 at 10:00AM.

Metropolitan Entertainment and the Rochester Broadway Theatre League (RBTL) welcomes the return of comedian Bill Maher to Western New York. He performs at RBTL's Auditorium Theatre in Rochester on Sunday, May 31, 2020 at 7:30pm.

Acclaimed French-Canadian director, Francois Girard, joins Tom Needham on WUSB's THE SOUNDS OF FILM this Thursday at 6 pm in order to discuss his new film, THE SONG OF NAMES, based on the novel by Norman Lebrecht.

Producers Robert Fyvolent and David Dinerstein have announced the start of production on Black Woodstock, a feature documentary about the Harlem Cultural Festival directed by Ahmir a?oeQuestlovea?? Thompson. This film marks Thompson's feature directorial debut and focuses on the 1969 outdoor festival in Harlem's Mount Morris Park. The festival featured dozens of  extraordinary performances by artists including Stevie Wonder, Sly and the Family Stone, Nina Simone, B.B. King, the Staple Singers, the 5th Dimension, David Ruffin, Mahalia Jackson and Gladys Knight and the Pips. The Harlem Cultural Festival took place the same summer as the famed Woodstock festival, and boasted an attendance on par with that concert 100 miles away.  Over 300,000 people attended, yet it received virtually no coverage from the mainstream media. The 40 hours of never-seen-before footage was originally shot by the late television pioneer Hal Tulchin, but has remained in storage for the past 50 years, keeping this incredible event in America's history lost - until now. 

As Little Steven looks back on his early solo career with the upcoming boxed set, RockNRoll Rebel – The Early Work, the creatively restless Rock & Roll Hall of Famer is simultaneously looking forward with a slew of new releases including a theatrical, Gene Kelly-inspired video for his song “Love Again” from his latest album, Summer Of Sorcery, and an exuberant live performance of Bruce Springsteen's “Tucson Train.” Leading up to the December 6 release of the boxed set, Little Steven aka Steven Van Zandt has been steadily releasing digital deluxe editions of the albums included over the last few weeks and today has made available his 1989 album, Revolution, which includes two rare mixes of the title track. 

Little Steven has opened the doors on his personal archive of recordings to present an in-depth look at his solo career with a brand new boxed set. RockNRoll Rebel – The Early Work (Wicked Cool/UMe) collects the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer's solo work from 1973-1999 – including Artists United Against Apartheid's landmark 1985 LP, Sun City – together with 51 bonus tracks spanning previously unreleased demos, B-sides, rehearsals, outtakes, classic concert performances, and a number of never-before-heard Steven Van Zandt compositions. Little Steven's RockNRoll Rebel – The Early Work will be available exclusively via the online store uDiscover Music beginning Friday, December 6; pre–orders are available now.

BECOMING NOBODY director, Jamie Catto and vocalist Krishna Das are Tom Needham's special guests on Thursday, August 29th at 6 pm on WUSB's THE SOUNDS OF FILM.

Waad Al-Kateab & Edward Watts, the directors of the documentary FOR SAMA, winner of the award for Best Documentary at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival and at SXSW, will be Tom Needham's exclusive guests this Thursday at 6 pm on WUSB's THE SOUNDS OF FILM.

2019 MAC Nominee, Michele Brourman, makes her Solo Debut in Chicago in a One Night Only performance, Sunday, September 15th at the well known Davenport's Piano Bar and Cabaret Show time: 7:00 PM.

The 23rd Annual American Black Film Festival (ABFF) is excited to announce their distinctive 2019 lineup of narrative features, documentaries and short films in competition. Films are set to screen in Miami from June 13-15 at the Regal Cinemas South Beach and the New World Center.

THE LAWS OF HUMAN NATURE Author, Robert Greene, and UK-based composer Ilan Eshkeri are Tom Needham's special guests this Thursday at 6 pm on WUSB's THE SOUNDS OF FILM.

Bill Maher will perform his LIVE STAND UP TOUR at the Washington Pavilion on Sunday, August 18, 2019 at 7 p.m.

Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award Winner, Dionne Warwick, is Tom Needham's featured guest this Thursday at 6 pm EST on WUSB's 'The Sounds of Film.' The interview marks Ms. Warwick's third time on the long-running program. Also on the show, is award-winning director of 'City of Joel,' Jesse Sweet.

The NAACP today announced that globally dominant pop culture icon Shawn 'JAY-Z' Carter will receive the prestigious President's Award during the 50th NAACP Image Awards. The President's Award is presented in recognition of a special achievement and distinguished public service with previous recipients including Jesse Jackson, Lauryn Hill, Soledad O'Brien, Colin Powell, Condoleezza Rice, and Muhammad Ali among others. NAACP President Derrick Johnson will present the award to Shawn 'JAY-Z' Carter during a LIVE TV special on TV One on Saturday, March 30, 2019 from the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, hosted by Anthony Anderson.

Acclaimed director, Alison Klayman, will be Tom Needham's exclusive guest this Thursday at 6 pm on WUSB's THE SOUNDS OF FILM. She will be talking about her new film, THE BRINK, which follows the embattled former White House chief strategist, Steve Bannon, as he travels around the world trying to promote extreme nationalism.

Comedian, writer, producer and star of HBO's "Real Time," BILL MAHER, returns to Minneapolis at the historic State Theatre (805 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis) on Saturday, Aug. 17 at 8 p.m. For more than 25 years, Bill Maher has set the boundaries of where funny, political talk can go on American television.  First on "Politically Incorrect" (Comedy Central, ABC, 1993-2002), and for the last 16 years on HBO's "Real Time," Maher's combination of unflinching honesty and big laughs have garnered him 41 Emmy nominations. 

Backs Against the Wall: The Howard Thurman Story explores the extraordinary life and legacy of one of the most important religious figures of the 20th century. Born the grandson of slaves, Howard Thurman became the “spiritual foundation” for the Civil Rights Movement, inspiring many of its leaders — including his close friend Martin Luther King, Jr. Featured in the film are a host of scholars, theologians, and Civil Rights pioneers including Congressman John Lewis, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, Vernon Jordan, and more. Written and directed by Martin Doblmeier, the creator of dozens of award-winning films on faith, Backs Against the Wall premieres on the WORLD Channel today, February 8, 2019, 9:00-10:00 p.m. ET (check local listings), and on public television stations throughout the month of February.