Latest news with #HistoricalDrama
Yahoo
12-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Phylicia Rashad lands role in HBO's ‘The Gilded Age'
The post Phylicia Rashad lands role in HBO's 'The Gilded Age' appeared first on ClutchPoints. Legendary actress Phylicia Rashad joins season 3 of HBO's 'The Gilded Age.' Black elitism is the new focus of season 3 of the American historical drama series. Rashad joins Tony Award-nominated actress Audra McDonald and others in the upcoming season. 'We just got more and more interested in the history of the Black bourgeois community at the end of the 19th century,' the show's creator, Julian Fellowes, told Entertainment Weekly. 'People are not really taught it. They're taught one vision of that society, and the Black bourgeois community has been left out of it, largely. The more we learned, the more we wanted to put it into the show.' Actors Denée Benton as Peggy Scott and Audra McDonald as Dorothy Scott were already part of 'The Gilded Age.' Now, Broadway sensation Jordan Donica will play Benton's new love interest, Dr. William Kirkland, along with his parents, Phylicia Rashad and Brian Stokes Mitchell. 'I feel like people love our show because of the beautiful, camp drama. And I do think they come to learn something,' Benton said, per The Wrap. 'Exploring the nuances of the Black communities in that time, Black wealth, and the white supremacy that still found its way into those dynamics is really interesting meat to get into.' Fans are happy to see Rashad return to acting after she stepped down as the dean of the Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts at her alma mater, Howard University, last year. In 1970, Rashad earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Howard. She then began her acting career, and her most well-known part was that of Clair Huxtable on the renowned comedy The Cosby Show. In May 2021, she began working at Howard as the dean of the College of Fine Arts. Rashad led important developments at the Howard University Fine Arts Department while serving as its dean. The Chadwick A. Boseman Memorial Scholarship, which provides new theater students with a four-year scholarship paying the entire cost of university tuition, was established thanks in large part to her negotiating a $5.4 million grant from Netflix. She was also in charge of hiring several of the department's esteemed faculty members. Viewers can watch 'The Gilded Age' every Sunday at 9 P.M. ET on HBO. Related: 'Orange Is the New Black' star Danielle Brooks becomes member of Delta Sigma Theta Related: Ken Griffey Jr. calls for more recognition of HBCU athletes
Mail & Guardian
19-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Mail & Guardian
A dress worthy of a gallery
Mother of all garments: Nomzamo Mbatha (right) in the dress designed by Gert-Johan Coetzee (left) for season 2 of Shaka iLembe. The moment Nomzamo Mbatha stepped onto the red carpet at the Shaka iLembe season 2 premiere, time paused. Cameras clicked, audiences gasped and fashion lovers across the country leaned in closer. What she wore wasn't just a dress, it was a declaration. Bold, regal and layered in symbolism, the creation by South African designer Gert-Johan Coetzee was history retold in stitches, shells and silhouette. 'I was very excited to make this dress,' Coetzee says, his voice alive with passion. 'I love doing work that carries meaning, and the story of Shaka Zulu is not just important, it's empowering, especially for South Africans.' Mbatha, who portrays the Queen Mother in the epic historical drama, gave Coetzee full creative freedom to bring his vision to life. What emerged from his studio was an exquisite piece rooted in traditional Zulu culture, adorned with African symbology and elevated by futuristic craftsmanship. Coetzee calls his signature style 'African baroque with a modern twist' — a fusion of ornate drama and indigenous storytelling. The term 'baroque' conjures images of 16th-century grandeur: voluminous skirts, rich embroidery, lace collars and opulence. At first glance, pairing this with Zulu heritage might seem contradictory. But that's exactly where Coetzee thrives. 'That is who I am as a designer,' he explains. 'My style is African baroque. The dress is quite traditional, and very Zulu. It has a lot of beadwork, but it also has a lot of meaning.' At the heart of the dress is the cowrie shell, a symbol embedded in African cosmology. 'The beading is full of cowrie shells,' Coetzee says. 'Being African, we know that cowries signify abundance, wealth and spiritual protection. So, the whole dress is literally raining with cowries.' It's not just embellishment for visual effect, it's cultural code, woven into fabric. Portraying the Queen Mother, a critical figure in the lineage of power, required more than beauty. It demanded reverence, strength and presence. 'Nomzamo is playing the Queen Mother. She needed to look queen-like, yes, but also powerful. Intentional,' Coetzee says. 'She's not just a figure in history; she's the woman who birthed the king. Without her, there would be no Shaka.' This maternal, yet commanding, role shaped the garment's design. Structured shoulders inspired by Zulu shields evoke protection and leadership. The voluminous silhouette offers majesty, while intricate beadwork, hand-sewn over weeks by a team of nine artisans, brings spiritual richness. Yet the designer didn't rely solely on the past. A major component of the dress's armour-like construction is 3D-printed: 'It's one of my favourite things,' he says, pointing out the technological touch. 'This is fabric manipulation with modern tools but the essence is traditional. This is what I love — fusing Africa with innovation.' While Coetzee is known for his luxury couture, worn by global icons such as Cardi B and Lizzo, he remains firmly rooted in African soil. 'If anyone else had tried to make this dress, it would've ended up being a rip-off of my work anyway,' he says, half-joking. 'So I'm glad Nomzamo came straight to the source.' The dress draws inspiration from Coetzee's past beaded creations but elevates the aesthetic: 'It's similar in technique to the skirt I did for Cardi B but it's something different. This one is rooted in narrative. It's not just a showstopper, it tells a story.' That commitment to storytelling is what defines Coetzee's brand. While fashion trends change, his core remains. 'People come to me for a specific aesthetic and that's what I deliver,' he says. 'I always tell young designers, 'Create a signature the world hasn't seen, then stick to it.' That's how your work becomes recognisable globally even when others try to imitate it.' Coetzee's designs have found resonance internationally, with features in the US and UK. 'We sometimes feel small here in Africa. But the world is watching. They want what we have — our stories, our symbols, our spirit,' he says. Indeed, Coetzee's work is cultural diplomacy. He brings indigenous African aesthetics into global high fashion — on his own terms. 'The cowries, the shields, the armour, the structure … none of it is borrowed,' he emphasises. 'It's owned. It's African. And it's powerful.' Beyond the historical Queen Mother, Coetzee drew inspiration from a lineage of powerful women — both fictional and real. 'I was channelling the energy of Joan of Arc, of Princess Diana and of modern heroines like Princess Shuri,' he says. 'Not their style but their spirit. Women who shaped worlds.' Mbatha fits into that lineage: 'She's strong. Everything she plays is strong. She empowers power,' Coetzee says. 'This dress needed to reflect that inner strength, not just beauty.' Crafting the dress was no small feat. Each cowrie shell was hand-sewn. Each bead was placed with precision. 'It's incredibly labour intensive,' Coetzee admits. 'We had nine women working on it for almost three weeks. It's couture at its highest level.' Even the materials were hand-selected to honour tradition and artistry. The beads resemble ostrich egg shells but are made of a unique clay composite. Their earthy tones — black, cream, ivory and hints of gold — give the garment a regal, yet grounded, look. The final result? A dress that could walk a red carpet or sit behind glass at a museum. For Coetzee, design is not just about aesthetics, it's about meaning. 'Fashion should honour where we come from,' he says. 'This dress pays homage to Zulu culture, to African tradition, to maternal power, to modern innovation. It's all of those things in one.' Even accessories hold significance. Coetzee shared a prototype for a clutch bag inspired by a calabash, used for carrying water. 'We hollow it out and drink from it,' he says. 'That's part of who we are. So we took that and turned it into fashion. That's the future of African luxury.' Despite the grandeur of his work, Coetzee remains modest. 'I don't go to many red carpets,' he says with a smile. 'I prefer to stay behind the scenes. Let the stars shine. My job is to make them shine brighter.' But shine he does. Through his intricate designs, cultural reverence and unapologetic authenticity, Coetzee is reshaping how the world sees African fashion, not as a trend, but as timeless art. And the dress? It's not just a garment. It's a story stitched in beads and power. A love letter to Africa. And a reminder that royalty isn't just born, it can be made.
Forbes
31-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Summer Travel On TV: To France!
Summer is coming on, and travels are ensuing. Some for vacation, some searching new locales where to take residence. Me, until further notice, I'm spending my time just as I did the pandemic and the Palisades Fire: At home, watching foreign series on my TV. Although I am always down for a damaged detective solving cases in an arctic landscape, in Finnish, Swedish, or Danish, lately I've found myself compelled by TV series offerings from France, most of which are available in the French original with English subtitles, and some also offered subtitled. So join me on my TV Vacation adventure! Bon Voyage! "Carême on Apple TV+ This historical drama based on real characters tells the story of the machinations of Talleyrand during the rise and reign of Napoleon, as seen through the eyes of Carême, one of Frances most famous pastry chefs, who, of course, is a sensualist making love opportunistically to a series of equally opportunistic lovers including none other than Josephine – it is all very French and very enjoyable. Reformed on Max In French, the title is 'Le Sens des Choses' which translates as 'The sense of things,' which comes from the Passover Haggadah, and speaks to the spiritual, emotional, and overall impact of the ritual and its significance. Reformed is the story of Lea, (played with great warmth and charm by Elsa Guedj) a young French woman, unmarried, who moves back in with her father (played by Eric Elmosnino), in his apartment. The father is a widower, and a psychoanalyst whose own mother is a Holocaust survivor and is losing her memory. Lea has dropped out of medical school to become a reformed Rabbi – which to her father is a sacrilege. Each episode involves a problem that has been brought to her, for which she is often unsure of the proper response. Yet by the close, she has come up with a solution that is wise and expressive of Jewish values. It is not a show that moves at an American pace. It is at moments funny, awkward, and occasionally, sad. It is definitely the kind of show where you feel good after every episode. The first season has eight episode. A second season has been ordered. Try it. You may like it. Asterix and Obelix: The Big Fight on Netflix Asterix and Obelix are beloved French comic book characters known all over the French speaking world, who live before the Common Era in a small village of Gaulois, in what today is Brittany, resisting the Roman Empire of Julius Caesar. Their druid has a magic potion that grants them superhuman strength, whose powers Obelix has permanently having fallen in the tub as a child; while Asterix, the brains of the two, has only when he quaffs the potion. Their many, many adventures have taken place in a series of books, and then a series of movies (often with the roles played by France's greatest actors), and finally, now, in a five part animated series that is currently streaming on Netflix, in French original with subtitles, or in a dubbed version. One sign of the deep affection for Asterix and Obelix, is that the project has attracted incredible animators, and the series is written and directed by Alain Chabat one of France's most successful and beloved comedy writers. The five episodes are filled with delightful word play, gags, and a certain French pride and chauvinism particularly when compared to the puffed up pompous Romans. The Art of Crime on Mhz The Art of Crime is multi-year series (there are four seasons currently available) in which an art historian and a detective to solve art-related crimes. As is standard for this sort of pairing, she's upper class, he lower. She sees a psychiatrist, he should. Eleonore Bernheim stars as the art expert, and she is both charming and enthusiastic. There few murders in this series, and if so they are rarely gruesome, but the art is wonderful as is the scenes of Paris as they pass by. A pleasure for which I am not guilty at all.
