LEE DANIELS

By Ryan StealLee Daniels, the director of the Oscar-winning 2009 film, Precious, announced some new changes he has made in the film. Daniels mentioned that he sent his white crew home because they couldn’t light the Black actors’ skin properly. They were New Yorkers that looked at this as a job.”Daniels said he was forced to fire everybody after feeling that his white actors were disrespectful and that their job wasn’t impressive. Daniels went on to say that the decision to fire the white actors was made blindly and without consideration of whether it would take a financial toll on them. “I’d seen ‘The Madness of King George,’ and I loved the way he shot it,” Daniels said of Du

Affluent Black families are the focus of “Our Kind of People,” a new Fox drama series from “Empire” creator Lee Daniels.

This image released by Paramount Pictures shows Andra Day in "The United States vs Billie Holiday." (Takashi Seida/Paramount Pictures via AP)“The United States vs. Billie Holiday,” “Minari,” “Da 5 Bloods” and “One Night in Miami” are among the films AARP is honoring at its annual Movies for Grownups Awards, the nonprofit organization said Thursday. Director Lee Daniels’ “The United States vs. Billie Holiday,” starring Andra Day as the jazz singer, was named best picture, while the Korean American family drama “Minari” got best intergenerational film. “We focus on films made by and for grownups,” said Tim Appelo, the film and television critic for AARP. Catherine O’Hara took best actress for “Schitt’s Creek,” Mark Ruffalo got best actor for “I Know This Much is True” and “This Is Us” was named best series.

This combination photo shows promotional art for Billie Eilish: The World's a Little Blurry, a documentary debuting Friday on Apple TV+, from left, The United States vs. Billie Holiday," premiering Friday on Hulu and Superman & Lois," a new series premiering Tuesday on The CW. (AppleTV+/Hulu/The CW via AP)Here’s a collection curated by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists of what’s arriving on TV, streaming services and music platforms this week. Ad— Based on Johann Hari’s 2015 book, “Chasing the Scream: The First and Last Days of the War on Drugs,” Lee Daniels' “The United States vs. Billie Holiday” chronicles the legendary jazz singer's addiction and activism. Andra Day, who's nominated for a Golden Globe, plays Holiday in the biopic, which premieres Friday on Hulu. ET at the Amazon Music Twitch channel and will feature music from the group’s new album, “Life Rolls On,” released on Feb. 12.

Oscar-nominated filmmaker Lee Daniels and Golden Globe nominee Andra Day join "CBS This Morning" to discuss their new film "The United States Vs. Billie Holiday." They talk about tackling the untold story of the jazz legend's civil rights activism. And in her first acting role, singer Andra Day explains how she transformed her voice and body to play the iconic jazz singer.

Technically they even snubbed an entire category when best supporting actress was skipped over by mistake. From the Kate Hudson movie that no one has heard of to the very awkward shut out of Spike Lee, here’s a look at some of the biggest surprises of the morning. You’d be hard pressed to find someone who wasn’t surprised to hear Kate Hudson’s name announced among the best actress nominees. That movie is called “Music,” a fantasy musical drama with Hudson, Leslie Odom Jr. and Maddie Ziegler that marks pop star Sia’s directorial debut. Lee’s acclaimed Vietnam drama “Da 5 Bloods” was expected to be a shoo-in for any number of categories: Best picture, best director, best actor for Delroy Lindo or supporting actor for Chadwick Boseman, who died last year.

The lead role of Billie Holiday is practically inhabited by singer-songwriter Andra Day. In fact, her last name, Day, is actually a stage name she picked years ago as an homage to Lady Day. To watch a trailer for "The United States vs. Billie Holiday" click on the player below:Smith asked Day, "So, when you first heard about this role, playing Billie Holiday, did you think, 'I have to do this'?" To make up for her lack of acting experience, Andra became kind of a Billie Holiday expert. When you can find an actor to jump off the ledge with you, you'll end up with Billie Holiday."

Revealing the unknown Billie Holiday Billie Holiday turned a lifetime of pain into immortal lyrics, with a voice that still haunts decades after her death. Her life is now the subject of a new film, "The United States vs. Billie Holiday," about the government's persecution of the jazz singer. Correspondent Tracy Smith talks with singer-songwriter Andra Day (who adapted Holiday's nickname "Lady Day" as her own), and with director Lee Daniels, about the emotional roller-coaster of bringing Holiday's tormented life to the screen.

Lee Daniels, Lulu Wang and Taraji P. Henson are among the talent participating in a series of virtual panels about inclusion and equity in Hollywood hosted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The organization that puts on the Oscars said Thursday that the panels rolling out through September and October will be available to the public. Entitled Academy Dialogues: It Starts with Us, the series is part of the film academys push to further equity and inclusion in its ranks and in the entertainment industry. The series launched last month with a conversation between Whoopi Goldberg and civil rights attorney Bryan Stevenson about the power of narrative. Its currently available on YouTube.

NEW YORK A tribute to Andre Harrell, the influential music executive who discovered Sean Diddy Combs and died earlier this month, will air Sunday. It will air commercial free on BET, BET Jams, BET Soul and REVOLT TV, where Harrell served as vice chairman. Diddy often credits Harrell with giving him the tools to find success in music and life, even saying Harrell was like a father figure to him. In 1993, Harrell let go of Diddy, who then launched his uber-successful Bad Boy Records. Diddy posted multiple tributes to Harrell on social media following his death.