History
Line To Gain: How That Yellow First Down Line Came To Be Part Of Every Football Game Shown On TV (Video)
May 23, 2016
Wow. This is pretty dope. Check out the history and engineering behind sports on TV’s adoption of that yellow first down line you see during all the football games.
Since the late 1990s, the virtual yellow line has been quietly enhancing football broadcasts by giving viewers a live, intuitive guide to the state of play. The graphic is engineered to appear painted on the field, rather than simply plopped on top of the players, so it doesn’t distract from the game at all.
The line debuted during a September 27, 1998, game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Cincinnati Bengals. It was developed by a company called Sportvision Inc. and operated by six people in a 48-foot semi-truck parked outside the stadium.
ESPN was the only network that immediately agreed to pay the steep price of $25,000 per game. Before long, other companies began offering the yellow line to the other networks, and now you won’t see a football game without it.
Posted in History, Sports, Technology, Videos | 
Tags: First Down, First Down line, Line To Gain, Sportvision, virtual graphics, virtual line, yellow line | 
No Comments »
How Jogging Was Once A Thing For Weirdos (Video)
May 23, 2016
One of the great short vids of recent times. Watch this clip, please… If only to hear why/how the late pro-segregation Congressman Strom Thurman was once himself followed by the cops at the end. This will give you a new perspective on one of the first recognized aerobic exercises that regular folks would come to regularly do…nowadays.
Today, it seems like everybody’s a runner. But it wasn’t always that way. Vox’s Phil Edwards looked into running’s history.
Posted in Health and Wellness, History, Human Interest, Videos | Tags: excercise, Jogging, Phil Edwards, trend | No Comments »
Comedian Louis CK Puts White Privilege In Perspective (Video)
May 23, 2016
3 brilliant minutes from Louis CK on white privilege. Wrapping ugly truths is comedy is a gift.https://t.co/bND8oBTMN4
— Shaun King (@ShaunKing) May 20, 2016
Preach!
This is dope. Okay, if you are not already, get into the comedy of Louis CK. He goes HARD with his brand of social commentary; not so serious that you will not get in a gut-busting chuckle, but you definitely get the point. And he does not just save it for the stage. Here he is giving it to Jay Leno and his audience a while back. White privilege is real; too real.
And anyone who says America’s history of slavery is way in the country’s rearview, f#ck you! See? Too strong, Gotta mix that sh!t in with some comedy, like Louis does. Watch.
(Shout out to Shaun King for the Twitter chatter that matters.)
Posted in Activism, Celebrity, Comedy, History, Interview, Series, Television, Videos | Tags: Jay Leno, Louis CK, The Tonight Show, White privilege | No Comments »
Atlanta DJs The Focus Of New “Started From Scratch” Documentary (Teaser #2)
May 21, 2016
What’s that DJ scene like in ATL? What’s the story there??
Creative Protest Films looks to be up to something good. “Started From Scratch” is underway, but they are not finished yet. Take a look at the latest teaser by clicking the pic above. You can follow the link below if you want to get involved. Got a feeling this project will be well worth the wait… and the work.
More after the jump.
CREATIVE PROTEST FILMS: STARTED FROM SCRATCH
(Shout to DJ Rasta Root in there. We post much goodness on here on that brotha!)
Posted in Film, Hip-Hop, History, Interview, Lifestyle, Producers, Trailer, Videos | Tags: creative protest, creative protest films, DJ Jaycee, DJ RASTA ROOT, earwax records, french spencer, jasz, jerry smokin b, khylen, khylen steward, kizzy rock, mc shy-d, nation time syndicate, Started From Scratch | No Comments »
Roots (Official Trailer)
May 11, 2016
Looks as compelling as the original TV mega-series driven by author Alex Haley’s groundbreaking story. A man tracing his family back to its “Roots” in the Motherland. The trailer shows an ensemble cast giving us a real look at history in the raw. Make your plans around this program’s debut on Memorial Day, May 30th.
Posted in EVENTS, History, Television, Trailer, Videos | Tags: Alex Haley, Anika Noni Rose, Anna Paquin, Forest Whitaker, History Channel, Laurence Fishburne, Roots, T.I., Tip Harris | 2 Comments »
Fat Joe On Nas Making Peace With Jay Z (Video)
May 3, 2016
A casualty of war. Don Joey tells a real story of how what was seen as good for the Culture… but left Terror Squad out in the cold. The definition of what real studio gamesmanship, beef over beats, Jay Z vs. Nas, happened then ended amicably; for most all but Joe and his bros (that would include Remy, on the couch there with him).
Watch and let Fat Joe tell you how it was and is right quick.
ESPN’s 30 For 30: This Magic Moment (Documentary)
April 25, 2016
Think. Really think… that is, if you remember back when Shaq and Penny Hardaway were the 1-2 punch that was supposed to take the Orlando Magic all the way to the tippy top of the NBA. Do you remember why that didn’t happen? ESPN takes us back and takes us there; to the heart of the story about when the ‘magic’ happened and when the Magic fell apart.
Posted in Film, History, Sports, Television, Videos | Tags: 30 For 30, Anfernee “Penny†Hardaway, Anfernee Hardaway, ESPN, Orlando Magic, Penny Hardaway, Shaq, Shaq Diesel, Shaquille Oneal, This Magic Moment | No Comments »
The Birth of a Nation (Trailer)
April 16, 2016
Furious! How you’ll feel… starting right when you see the little girls skipping out massa’s big house onto the porch. Guaran-DAMN-teed! “The Birth of a Nation” hits theaters October of this year. Nat Turner’s story brought to the big screen.
Set against the antebellum South, “The Birth of a Nation” follows Nat Turner (Nate Parker), a literate slave and preacher, whose financially strained owner, Samuel Turner (Armie Hammer), accepts an offer to use Nat’s preaching to subdue unruly slaves. As he witnesses countless atrocities – against himself and his fellow slaves – Nat orchestrates an uprising in the hopes of leading his people to freedom.
Posted in Film, History, Trailer, Videos | Tags: Armie Hammer, Nat Turner, Nate Parker, Revolt, slave, The Birth of a Nation, uprising | 1 Comment »
Pelé: Birth of a Legend (Trailer)
March 25, 2016
Quick! Name a soccer legend. Off top, that name you just blurted was Pelé (and if it was someone else’s, you are ready to revise right now). Facts. And it looks like this biopic on the brother from Brasil was done right. Bravo! “Pelé: Birth of a Legend” hits theater screens May 13, 2016.
“… the miraculous story of the legendary soccer player’s rise to glory from a young boy, to the 17 year old who scored the winning goal in Brazil’s first ever World Cup victory in 1958. From a life full of disadvantages and an impoverished youth in Brazil, Pelé used his unorthodox yet authentic style of play and his unbeatable spirit to overcome all odds, find greatness and inspire a country that he changed forever.”
– IFC Films
Posted in Celebrity, Film, History, Sports, Trailer, Videos | Tags: Birth of a Legend, Colm Meaney, Diego Boneta, Kevin de Paula, Pelé, Pelé: Birth of a Legend, Rodrigo Santoro, Vincent D'Onofrio | No Comments »
Unforgivable Blackness (Documentary Trailer)
February 29, 2016
Sometimes it takes outsiders to tell you about yourself. PBS America – out of the United Kingdom – put out this documentary on the first Black American boxing champion, Jack Johnson. Dude was ahead of his time ways that would still scare a good amount of White people today. Just saying.
This film by Ken Burns tells the story of one of the greatest boxers of all time and his refusal to accept the rules of a society that considered people of his colour to be second-class citizens. This is the story of a man who refused to recognise racial differences and who forced America to reconsider its very definition of freedom.
Check out this trailer. Watching this documentary would be the way to end your Black History Month viewing with a bang…to the rib cage. Damn. Johnson was a baaaad maaan (Muhammad Ali voice).
Posted in Celebrity, Education, Film, History, Sports, Trailer, Videos | Tags: African American, black history, Black History Month, Boxing, champion, Jack Johnson, PBS, PBS America, Public Television, Unforgivable Blackness | No Comments »
Neshoba: The Price of Freedom (Documentary Trailer)
February 29, 2016
“Neshoba: The Price of Freedom” tells the story of a Mississippi town still divided about the meaning of justice, 40 years after the murders of civil rights workers James Chaney, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner, an event dramatized in the Oscar-winning film, “Mississippi Burning.” Although Klansmen bragged about what they did in 1964, no one was held accountable until 2005, when the State indicted preacher Edgar Ray Killen, an 80-year-old notorious racist and mastermind of the murders. Through exclusive interviews with Killen, intimate interviews with the victims’ families, and candid interviews with Black and White Neshoba County citizens still struggling with their town’s violent past, the film explores whether the prosecution of one unrepentant Klansman constitutes justice and whether healing and reconciliation are possible without telling the unvarnished truth.
Posted in Activism, Film, History, Trailer, Videos | Tags: African American, American Civil Rights Movement, Andrew Goodman, black history, Black History Month, Civil Rights, Civil Rights Movement, conspiracy, cover up, Edgar Ray Killen, James Chaney, Klansmen, Ku Klux Klan, Michael Schwerner, Mississippi, Mississippi Burning, MURDER, Neshoba County, Neshoba: The Price of Freedom, race relations, Racism, reconciliation, The Price of Freedom | No Comments »
PBS: Freedom Riders (Documentary)
February 28, 2016
Wow. Another moment in American History that just so happens to fall into the Black History category. You know how when someone gets in over his head and exclaims, “I did not sign up for this!” Well, in the first few minutes of this film you see that these young adults knew EXACTLY what they signed up for… and they went anyway. Civil Rights fighters of the highest caliber. Man, the courage it must have taken for CORE (Council On Racial Equality) to get on those buses.
Watch the story of the “Freedom Riders” – expertly told by PBS.
Posted in Activism, Education, Film, History, Television, Videos | Tags: American Civil Rights Movement, black history, Black History Month, C.O.R.E., Civil Rights, CORE, Council On Racial Equality, Freedom Riders, John Lewis, PBS | No Comments »
The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross (Documentary Series)
February 27, 2016
Five centuries of history… Black History… our history. Encapsulated in an outstanding documentary mini-series you’ve gotta watch if your Black History Month is to be truly complete. Dr. Robert Louis Gates already does fine work helping celebs learn about their ancestries and themselves on “Find Your Roots.” But to teach a people, a nation, a WORLD about itself through something like this? Outstanding!
(Above is Episode 1 to get you started. Hit the jump for Episodes 2-6.)
Posted in Activism, Education, History, Series, Television, Videos | Tags: African Americans, American Civil Rights Movement, black history, Black History Month, Civil Rights, Many Rivers to Cross, PBS, Public Television, Robert Louis Gates, The African Americans, The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross | No Comments »
4 Little Girls: Spike Lee Speaks On The Heart-Wrenching Decision He Had To Make (Video)
February 26, 2016
Another must-see before the focus on Black History for 2016 is lost…“4 Black Girls” (a real gut punch; but you still MUST watch). It will be hard to watch. Let Spike tell you (as he tells Oprah, above): It was hard to make.
In 1997, Spike Lee released “4 Little Girls,” a moving documentary about the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in Birmingham, Alabama, which killed four African-American girls. The film went on to earn an Oscar nomination for best documentary. Watch as Spike discusses one of the most difficult decisions he’s ever made as a director and how the birth of his daughter, Satchel, changed his perspective.
You can see a trailer for the actual documentary here.
Posted in Activism, Education, History, Interview, Series, Television, Videos | Tags: 16th Street Baptist Church, 16th Street Baptist Church bombing, 4 Little Girls, American Civil Rights Movement, Birmingham, black history, Black History Month, Civil Rights, Oprah, Oprah Winfrey, Oprah Winfrey Network, Oprah's Next Chapter, OWN, Spike Lee on a Pivotal Moment in the Civil Rights Movement | No Comments »
The Murder of Fred Hampton (Documentary Trailer)
February 26, 2016
‘All Power To The People’ as a concept should not scare us. Fred Hampton’s stance in the above trailer comes through just as plain and clear on grainy archival footage as it would were he standing flat-footed saying it to our faces today: ‘If you are scared of socialism…you are scared of yourselves.’Â How deep is that?!
This trailer was made before Fred Hampton’s death when the film was to be called “Black Panther.” It shows Hampton (August 30, 1948 — December 4, 1969) giving a speech on revolution and racism in front of a large audience. Includes glimpses of Panthers Bobby Rush and Bobby Seale and filmmaker Howard Alk. This trailer is not included in the DVD release of the film.
– Chicago Film Archives
Black History is OUR history, all of ours (not just Black people’s). You should watch this; even after February 29th.
Posted in Activism, Education, Film, History, Speech, Trailer, Videos | Tags: American Civil Rights Movement, black history, Black History Month, Black Panther, Black Panthers, Bobby Seale, Chicago Film Archives, Civil Rights, Civil Rights Movement, Fred Hampton, The Murder of Fred Hampton | No Comments »
Nine From Little Rock (Documentary)
February 25, 2016
“Nine From Little Rock” is the Academy Award-winning (1965) documentary short that chronicles the experiences of the nine students selected to integrate Central High School in Little Rock (Arkansas, USA) in 1957. One of those nine students, Jefferson Thomas is the narrator. Famed doc director Charles Guggenheim helmed the storytelling effort. Though scripted, Thomas’ polish does not prevent viewers from understanding the realness of what the nine – Ernest Green (b. 1941), Elizabeth Eckford (b. 1941), Terrence Roberts (b. 1941), Carlotta Walls LaNier (b. 1942), Minnijean Brown (b. 1941), Gloria Ray Karlmark (b. 1942), Thelma Mothershed (b. 1940), and Melba Pattillo Beals (b. 1941), and Thomas himself (1942–2010, RIP) – went through.
Sure, first days at school can make you nervous. But how about riding there and being walked in by armed military escort; being eyeballed by the overly curious and malicious haters alike. Then imagine the pressure to perform! Folks already thinking you should not be there; expecting you to fail!
Watch. Make your Black History Month OFFICIAL!
Posted in Activism, Film, History, Videos | Tags: Academy Award, American Civil Rights Movement, Arkansas, black history, Black History Month, Bobby Seale, Central High School, Charles Guggenheim, Civil Rights, Civil Rights Movement, Documentary Short Subject, Integrate, Jefferson Thomas, Little Rock, Nine From Little Rock, Short Subject | No Comments »
The Black Power Mixtape (1967-1975) [Trailer]
February 24, 2016
Another must-see for your Black History Month experience: “The Black Power Mixtape” (1967-1975). That’s right man. We wouldn’t lead you wrong. A mixtape, before we really recognized the term for the most part, of powerful stuff on the Civil Rights Era struggle. Peep the trailer above ( rent/buy link below), teasing footage of Black Pathers co-founder Bobby Seale, reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., activist Angela Davis, and others; with commentary from contemporaries (like Talib Kweli).
The Black Power Mixtape is an award winning compilation feature documentary that displays the story of the African-American community 1967-1975, the people, the society and the style that fueled a change. Told with sparkling, beautiful and deep footage, lost in the archives in Sweden for 30 years.
WATCH THE FULL FILM NOW: THE BLACK POWER MIXTAPE (IFC FILMS)
Posted in Activism, Film, Hip-Hop, History, Trailer, Travel, Videos | Tags: 1967-1975, African American, American Civil Rights Movement, Angela Davis, black history, Black History Month, Bobby Seale, Civil Rights, Civil Rights Movement, Dr. Martin Luther King, Goran Hugo Olsson, Martin Luther King, Martin Luther King Jr., Sweden, TALIB KWELI, The Black Power Mixtape, The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975 | No Comments »
Eyes on the Prize Parts 1 & 2 (Documentary Series)
February 23, 2016
Not to say that any print, audio, or audio-visual work is the end-all of what Black History Month should be… But if you have not watched the PBS American Experience documentary “Eyes On The Prize,” you have NOT had Black History Month! Above, you have your chance: Part 1 (“Awakenings”) and Part 2 (“Fighting Back”) are ready for your viewing and enrichment. Arguably, the best series on the decades-long American Civil Rights Movement. Filmmaker Henry Hampton and PBS have, no doubt, taken tremendous pride in bringing this presentation to the masses over the years.
Watch. Now.
Posted in Activism, Education, Film, History, Series, Television, Videos | Tags: American Civil Rights Movement, american experience, Assassination, Awakenings, black history, Black History Month, Civil Rights, Fighting Back, Henry Hampton, March, marches, PBS, PBS American Experience, Protest, Protests, Public Television, rallies | No Comments »
The Untold Story Of Emmett Louis Till (Trailer)
February 22, 2016
Of course, since Black History is truly World History, every month should allow for some study of Black History. Here in the United States, however, we have designated the month of February as Black History month each year.
(Check out the KRS-ONE lecture posted on here for why February was chosen. Powerful!)
Before Black History month is over, you should take every opportunity remember African Americans’ contributions and accomplishments, triumphs and troubles, success and sacrifices. Sacrifices… far too many Black people have made the ultimate sacrifice, losing lives at the hands of vile violent racists. The trailer above is for “The Untold Story Of Emmett Louis Till,” whose long-unpunished race-motivated murder has been acknowledged as the spark that lit the fire known as the American Civil Rights movement. Such a tragic story; but one we must NEVER forget!
Watch above.
Posted in Activism, Film, History, Trailer, Videos | Tags: Black History Month, Emmett Louis Till, Emmett Till, The Untold Story Of Emmett Louis Till | No Comments »
KRS-ONE – Black History Month: Lessons 1 & ​2 (Lecture Audio)
February 21, 2016
Black History Month: Lessons 1 and 2 is an eye-opening lecture of Black historical teachings by KRS-ONE. Narrated by Kris himself, this is a critique of Black History Month itself, re-frames the historical narrative of Black people in America properly, speaks of Black consciousness, cites and honors Black revolutionaries (past & present), and covers modern-day Black intellectuals. Mainly, Black History Month: Lessons 1 and 2 is meant to do away with misinformation regarding the African American ancestral narrative. Who better to do this with sharp intellectual analysis, retrievable facts, cited literature and poignant commentary than KRS-ONE? Nobody!
And what price is better than FREE? But, yeah, about that. Maybe… consider PAYING something for it; chipping in whatever you feel is doable financially. Because THIS is worthy work by a man who has been The Teacha to us all (Hip-Hop Nation, Black people AND Humanity) for so long. He did not have to do this. But once you click play you will be so glad he did!
