Got the Hump Day blues? We have some good news to cheer you up.
Ava DuVernay is taking over the big and the small screens. Just a week after announcing her new series on OWN, the Selma director is set to direct and executive produce a new CBS drama, For Justice. The pilot will focus on an agent in the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division who has to choose between her family and her profession. No word yet on when the series will premiere, but we’re expecting nothing but more great things from Ms. DuVernay. [The Hollywood Reporter]
Even after her Grammys snub, Beyoncé is still being recognized for her innovation. Her company, Parkwood Entertainment, was named the second Most Innovative Company in the World by Fast Company all thanks to her surprise album drop in 2013. In what’s being dubbed as “the Beyoncé Effect,” the epic release and sale of Beyoncé has earned her company a top spot in innovative marketing history. [Fast Company]
Looks like The Real is here to stay! The new talk show has been renewed for a second season and cleared for a two-year deal on the majority of its home stations. Over 1.54 million viewers tune in daily to the candid gabfest hosted by Loni Love, Tamar Braxton, Tamera Mowry-Housley, Adrienne Bailon and Jeannie Mai. The Real is already ranked as the No. 1 new syndicated talk show of 2014. Congratulations ladies! [Deadline]
Jennifer Hudson is returning to the Academy Awards stage. The Oscar winning singer has just announced that she’ll be performing at the 87th Oscars show on February 22. J. Hud will be performing in one of several musical sequences throughout the awards show. We can’t wait! [Deadline]
Michelle Obama has banned boxed macaroni and cheese from the White House. In her interview with Cooking Light, the First Lady shared how she and the White House chef, Sam Kass, made the First Daughters stop eating the unhealthy, processed food. “My kids loved the macaroni and cheese in a box. Sam said, if it’s not real food then we’re not going to do it. If we want macaroni and cheese, we’ll cook it with real milk and real cheese,” she said. “From then on, we stopped eating macaroni and cheese out of a box, because cheese dust is not food.” [Huffington Post]