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Refinery29
9 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Refinery29
F1's Damson Idris Just Wants To Make His Black Women Fans Proud
Damson Idris is racing straight to becoming a household Hollywood name. But no matter where his career takes him next, we can say that we saw him first. The 'we' is Black women, of course, who dubbed the British-Nigerian actor as a certified Internet Boyfriend long before his starring turn in this summer's first big blockbuster. After captivating audiences as Franklin Saint in Snowfall, Idris is shifting gears — literally — into high-octane territory with his leading role in F1, the Formula 1 racing film from director Joseph Kosinski and producer/ star Brad Pitt. Whether he's embodying a South Central kingpin or donning a racing suit opposite Hollywood heavyweights, Idris brings depth, precision, and a quiet confidence that continues to set him apart. And as Unbothered's very own Christa Eduafo found out when she sat down with him recently in New York City, the actor is well aware that his Black female fanbase bet big on Damson Idris stock early. 'I can't wait for them to go on this journey with me throughout my career,' Idris said with a smile. Here, Idris opens up about the evolution of his career, his mother's influence as both an anchor and a humbling presence (African moms stay on brand), and the unwavering support he receives from the fans who've been riding with him since day one. He also teases his upcoming role in Children of Blood and Bone, the hotly anticipated fantasy epic based on Tomi Adeyemi's bestselling novel. Between blockbuster projects and staying rooted in purpose, Idris is proving he's not just a rising star, he's shaping the future of Black storytelling, barrelling full speed towards superstardom — and we're riding shotgun. Unbothered: You're starring in what's going to be the blockbuster of the summer. Walk me through when you found out you were going to be in F1. Was it shock? Was it readiness? How did that feel? Damson Idris: Man, I was in Turks and Caicos. So I was on vacation, I was looking at the sunset, and then I got a phone call: 'Hey, do you want to be a Formula 1 driver?' And I lost my mind. I just screamed to the heavens. This is a part that I prayed for. I dreamed of this, so being able to accomplish it, and to be at this place today where I believe we made a brilliant movie, is a dream come true. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Unbothered (@r29unbothered) You mentioned prayer. You've said that you manifested this role. In a previous interview, you said you downloaded the Formula One game and named your player, Joshua Pierce, which is the name of your character in the film. So do you manifest often? DI: 100%. I understand how powerful we are as beings and with the characters that I play, I do believe that what's mine is mine. So it's really a feeling that I tend to chase. With Snowfall, I really wanted to work in the States and I loved those kinds of gangster movies, like Goodfellas, American Gangster and the like. And then with this movie, I really wanted to play an athlete because of my football background. But I was also ready and prepared for a movie that I believe was going to reach every corner of the world. So when this opportunity came, I knew it was mine and I wanted to do a really good job. So hopefully I made everyone proud. You were amazing in the film. I'm a big manifestation person as well, and it's just about knowing, just being certain, and that's really it. So between Joshua Pierce and Snowfall's Franklin, you play characters that have a lot of aura to them. So I was wondering, would you say you have aura? DI: I just learned what aura is the other day. Do I have aura? I don't know. No, I'm the worst person to ask. I'll never admit that I have aura. I'll never admit it, but I don't know. Alright, yeah, I got a little, tiny, little sprinkle of aura [laughs]. ' [My mum] is my biggest fan. When the movie comes out, the opinion that's gonna matter most to me is hers. damson idris ' You said recently that you're most excited for your mom to see this film, and that she would call to check on your safety when you were on set. What were those calls like? DI: Just her screaming in Yoruba, 'you better be safe!' She's my biggest fan. So when the movie comes out, you know, the opinion that's gonna matter most to me is hers. Your character in the film, Joshua, has such a beautifully close relationship with his mother. And I know you mention all the time that you have one with your own. So I was wondering, how does your mom keep you grounded as your star is rising? DI: I call her all the time. Every day I call her. On this career [journey] that I'm on, you know, you spend so much time in the back of a car alone, alone in a hotel room, you know, alone on a plane, so to have someone that I can call that just constantly reminds me of where I came from is so important to me. And my mom is that person. That's so valuable to have. I'm Ghanaian, so African parents can be our biggest cheerleaders, but they can also humble us lovingly. So I was wondering if you have an example of a time that your mom lovingly brought you back down to earth. DI: Oh my gosh, when I first started acting, working in a theater is this revered thing in the UK. So I would be doing plays, and my mom would come and watch the plays, and she'd be like, 'yes, theater is okay, but when are you going to be on EastEnders or Hollyoaks? Because my mom loves soaps. So in my head, funny enough, through that was how I said to myself, Man, I need to be on a screen. So, yeah, I guess my mom was a huge motivator for that. She was underwhelmed by my theater parts. ' I'm grateful that [Black women] support my work. I can't wait for them to go on this journey with me throughout my career. I always want to make Black women proud. damson idris ' You have a lot of Black female fans. You're a little bit of a heartthrob. What has that attention been like? Is that a new experience, something you pay attention to or is it just kind of background noise? DI: I don't pay attention to it but I'm grateful that they support my work and that they support my aura. I can't wait for them to go on this journey with me throughout my career. You know, I always want to make Black women proud. I was raised by one. Can you give a little message to your Black women fans? DI: To my gorgeous Black women out there who are supporting me, thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I can't wait for you to watch F1. I promise you, Joshua has aura [laughs]. ' You know exactly how we felt when we walked out of Black Panther? That's how we're going to feel with [ Children of Blood and Bone ]. We put everything into it. damson idris ' Children of Blood and Bone is next for you. It just wrapped. That was a stacked cast. You worked with a lot of members of the diaspora there. What was the most exciting part about being a part of that film? DI: So many of them are my friends that I've known for so long. In passing on this journey, we always say the same thing to each other: 'When are we going to work with each other?' So I tip my hat to Paramount and Gina Prince-Bythewood for assembling a juggernaut of a cast. We spent six months in Cape Town filming and we just wrapped. Every day, a new heavyweight would come in and just prove why they exist. You know, from Idris to Viola to Chiwetel to Regina to Cynthia. I could just say their first names and you know what time it is. But also just watching a lot of us, younger actors, find our way and own our power too. Tosin Cole and Amandla Stenberg, and Thuso Mbedu, our lead, who I just think is such a beautiful actress. I can't wait for her career to blossom too. So, I just feel really blessed. Lashana Lynch, Zackary Momoh, there was a so much great energy on set. You know exactly how we felt when we walked out of Black Panther? That's how we're going to feel with this picture. We put everything into it. We showed so much respect to Africa, and we showed so much respect to the story too.
Los Angeles Times
13 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
‘Girlfriends' celebrates its 25-year anniversary with a free art exhibit in L.A.
Twenty-five years ago on Sept. 11, 2000, UPN debuted a comedy called 'Girlfriends' that followed the lives of four Black women living in Los Angeles. The show's creator, Mara Brock Akil, who'd gotten her start writing on shows like 'South Central,' 'Moesha' and 'The Jamie Foxx Show,' was tired of seeing out-of-touch depictions of Black women on screen. She wanted to raise a mirror to Black women and showcase them in their fullness as fleshed out characters who are ambitious, creative, messy at times and most importantly nuanced. For eight seasons until the show was abruptly canceled in 2008, viewers tuned in to watch the tight-knit friend group that included Joan (Tracee Ellis Ross), Toni (Jill Marie Jones), Lynn (Persia White) and Maya (Golden Brooks) navigate relationships, sexism at work, beauty, classism, sexuality and everything in between. Today, 'Girlfriends,' which was added to Netflix's catalog in 2020, is widely considered one of the most influential TV shows to affect Black culture. To commemorate the 25th anniversary of 'Girlfriends,' DCDG & Co., an L.A.-based fine arts agency, has teamed up with the cast and Loren LaRosa of iHeartRadio's 'The Breakfast Club' to independently curate an art exhibition that pays homage to the groundbreaking series. The showcase, which explores the show's core themes including sisterhood, ambition and self-discovery through photography, sculpture, paintings, an installation and more, will be on display from Friday through Sunday at the Line Hotel in Koreatown. Each artwork featured in the all Black women exhibition was selected by the 'Girlfriends' cast and LaRosa — all of whom are first time art curators. The three-day event will also feature an artist talk led by DCDG & Co. co-founder Delaney George on Saturday, which is open to the public. '[This] show deserves to be celebrated and if we in the culture don't do it, then we're just waiting for the powers that be or networks that are transitioning to a digital space,' says David Colbert Jr., co-founder of DCDG & Co. 'These moments might get passed up on.' 'Girlfriends: A Visual Tribute' is part of DCDG & Co.'s ongoing curatorial series called Iconic Visions, which invites individuals in various creative spaces like TV, film, music, fashion and sports to step into the role of curator. When Colbert brought the idea about doing the exhibit to his friend Brooks — whom he met at Frieze a couple of years ago — her response was an immediate yes. 'I always want to do something special for [these milestones] because it is a bookmark of everything that 'Girlfriends' has done,' says Brooks. 'We are still uplifting communities. We are still entertaining and empowering the daughters of the mothers who watch the show, so we're kind of raising generations of young women.' Brooks, who has been a longtime supporter of the L.A. arts community, says having an art exhibition to celebrate the anniversary was the perfect way to blend both of her passions. 'We are wearable art. We are visual art in the space of a TV show,' she says. 'This also inspired artists to celebrate how they see us as women of color, as women in a space of unity and connection, and what better way to be the springboard and the catalyst to celebrate what sisterhood looks like?' White, who's been drawing and painting since she was a child, had a similar reaction to being a part of the exhibit. 'When they sent me the links to the art, I literally got tears in my eyes,' she says. 'I was just really touched by the women and [their] different experiences.' 'Girlfriends: A Visual Tribute' also features a solo exhibition put together by DCDG & Co. cultural curator Erika Conner, which is a collection of photos of iconic Black women including Rihanna, Lil Kim and Naomi Campbell, taken by renowned photographer Cheryl Fox. While the main exhibition pays tribute to 'Girlfriends,' there's only one artwork — a mixed media piece by Jillian Thompson that uses acrylic, thread and collage — that displays the beloved friends group's actual faces. All of the other artwork draws inspiration from the show's aesthetic, style and themes. Among the artwork, which was made by artists from around the nation, there are multiple L.A.-based artists featured in the show including Brittany Byrd, McKayla Chandler, Tiffany 'Just Rock' Brown, Asari Aibangbee and Tumi Adeleye. McKayla Chandler, a multidisciplinary artist based in L.A., created an interactive installation for the exhibit called 'Mama's Hands Only.' The installation mimics a living room and features a couch, rug, an entertainment center with family photos sprinkled on top and an old school TV that displays episodes of 'Girlfriends.' The focal point of the installation, which hangs on a wall above the couch, is a large portrait of Chandler's mother braiding her hair as she's done since she was a little girl. 'To me it feels like connection. Any young, Black woman or Black kid in general can relate to sitting in their mom's lap and getting their hair braided,' says Chandler. '[The show] is really about these friends going through life together, going through different relationships and even bickering with each other, [then] coming back together. It's a very special bond that they have with each other, so [with] me thinking about showing my mom here and having this place for you to sit down, look through someone's old photographs and watch 'Girlfriends,' it lends to the nostalgic feeling of it all.' Although Tiffany 'Just Rock' Brown, a photographer based in L.A., primarily takes photos of men, particularly male rappers, she decided to submit a few images for the 'Girlfriends' exhibit because she grew up watching the show with her family. Her photo, titled 'In This Light,' that was selected for the show depicts two Black women embracing while on the set of Kendrick Lamar's 'Not Like Us' music video, which was shot in Nickerson Gardens. 'These girls are the epitome of what you see when you come to these areas, but they're also the inspiration for high fashion, for all those things that don't get acknowleged,' she says. It reminded her of the void that 'Girlfriends' filled when it debuted. 'I think there's beautiful representation of what [Black people] have done and what we've accomplished, and 'Girlfriends' is a true representation of that,' says Brown. 'Women that were dressed flawlessly. They were beautiful. They were successful. They were just living life and trying to find love, just regular stories. It's very much still a space that's missing [in television], but I think it should definitely be celebrated.' Like Brown, Brittany Byrd, a multidisciplinary artist from L.A., was also introduced to 'Girlfriends' at a young age. 'It was just always on in my house,' says Byrd. 'I just remember seeing Tracee Ellis Ross and I was like, 'Damn, she's beautiful!'' For the exhibit, Byrd created a piece titled 'Episode 17,' which is inspired by an episode in Season 4 titled 'Love, Peace and Hair Grease.' 'It's mostly about Lynn and her exploring her hair through her identity as a Black woman, but whether you're mixed or all Black, hair is something that is at the top of our minds,' says Byrd, who was still putting the final touches on her 6-foot painting. 'Whether it's done or if we're polished, we're always just kind of seeking those questions of validity through societal beauty standards when it's like we're as beautiful as we feel. So I want my piece to just evoke emotion.' As she prepares for opening night of the exhibit, Brooks says she's most excited to meet all of the artists and to see how all of the artwork comes together. One of her favorite pieces in the exhibit is a massive, hyperrealism painting by Alé Reviere. Fittingly titled 'See Through You,' it depicts a young woman's face, staring intensely back at the viewer. 'All of her features were just so us,' says Brooks. 'The texture of her hair and the expression on her face. There was a pain. There was a sadness, but there's also sort of this freedom and unapologetic look in her eyes.' She adds, 'Pieces like that just move me.'
The Guardian
19-06-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Karen Bass in hot seat as Trump targets Los Angeles – but it's not her first crisis
In the mid-1990s, Karen Bass was in the streets of Los Angeles, protesting alongside Latino activists against new laws that targeted undocumented immigrants and were expected to land more young men of color in prison. These days, Bass is monitoring the status of protests against US immigration agents from a helicopter, as the Democratic mayor of Los Angeles. Bass, a 71-year-old former community organizer, is leading the city's response to an extraordinary confrontation staged by the federal government, as federal agents have raided workplaces and parking lots, arresting immigrant workers in ways family members have compared to 'kidnappings', and Donald Trump sent in the national guard and hundreds of US marines in response to local demonstrations. As Trump and other Republicans have tried to paint Bass as the negligent guardian of a city full of wild criminal behavior, Bass has pushed back hard. The political career of Los Angeles' first Black female mayor was forged during the chaos and violence of the 1992 LA uprising, which left more than 50 people dead, and in the long struggle afterwards to rebuild a more equal city. When the Trump administration tried to depict a few protests in downtown Los Angeles as rioting equivalent to the aftermath of the Rodney King trial in 1992, Bass scoffed: 'There is zero comparison,' noting that, as a Black community leader in South Central Los Angeles, 'I was at the epicenter when it was occurring.' Bass has earned widespread praise within California for her forceful denunciation of Trump's immigration raids, and her focus on the safety of LA's immigrant residents, and the terror the raids have caused. She has repeatedly described immigrants as central to the city's identity. 'We are a city of immigrants, and we have always embraced that,' Bass said. She has also made clear that what's happening in Los Angeles has wider importance, and that the tactics the administration is testing out in one Democratic-majority city are likely to be used elsewhere. 'I don't think our city should be used as an experiment,' she said last week. Bass, a force in California state politics before she spent a decade in Congress, built her reputation on consensus-building and pragmatism, not political grandstanding. Once a favorite of congressional Republicans for her willingness to work across the aisle, she is now denouncing Trump administration officials for the 'outright lie' of their characterization of Los Angeles as a war zone, and saying bluntly that 'this is chaos that was started in Washington DC.' 'As city leadership, she's been holding it down,' said Eunisses Hernandez, a progressive Los Angeles city council member who represents a majority-Latino district north of downtown. 'All of our leaders are navigating unprecedented waters.' In the short time Bass has been mayor – she was inaugurated in December 2022 – she has been faced with a series of escalating post-Covid crises, starting with the city's long-running struggle with homelessness and rising housing costs, then a historic double Hollywood strike in 2023, followed by ongoing economic problems in the city's crucial film and TV business. As multiple wildfires raged across the city this January, she was slammed for having left the city for Ghana during a time of high wildfire risk and dodging questions about her absence. Her leadership during the wildfires left her political future in question, with half the city's voters viewing her unfavorably, according to a May poll. The challenges Bass faces in leading Los Angeles through this new crisis are also only beginning, even as the first wave of Los Angeles' anti-immigration raid protests have quieted in the wake of Saturday's large nationwide demonstrations against the Trump administration. 'Our city is under siege,' said Roland Palencia, an organizational consultant and longtime local activist. 'The plan here is basically, strangle the city: economically, politically, every which way.' At least 2,000 members of the national guard and hundreds of US marines are still staged in downtown Los Angeles. A legal battle over whether Trump illegally deployed the national guard over the protests of California's governor is still playing out: after a Tuesday hearing, a federal appeals court seemed likely to keep the national guard under Trump's control as the litigation continues. While denouncing the Trump administration for causing chaos in Los Angeles, Bass has also had to confront some of those taking to the streets, demanding that protests be 'peaceful' and responding sharply to anti-Ice graffiti on downtown buildings and businesses, noting that the city was supposed to host the Fifa World Cup in 2026. 'I do not believe that individuals that commit vandalism and violence in our city really are in support of immigrants, they have another agenda,' she said on 10 June. 'The violence and the damage is unacceptable, it is not going to be tolerated, and individuals will be arrested and prosecuted to the full extent of the law.' Meanwhile, federal agents are still conducting unpredictable immigration raids across the Los Angeles area, detaining people at work, in parking lots, and even at a weekend swap meet. Family members have been left without any information about their loved ones' whereabouts for days: lawyers and elected officials have described horrific conditions in the facilities where suddenly detained immigrants are being held. On Tuesday, Bass lifted the evening curfew that she had set for a swath of downtown Los Angeles a week before, one that major Los Angeles restaurants had complained had cost them tens of thousands of dollars. But the economic shock waves of the immigration raids are still rippling through the city, with many immigrants, even those with legal status to work in the US, afraid of going to work, or even leaving the house. The message Angelenos have taken from the federal raids so far, Hernandez said, was 'It doesn't matter whether you're documented or not: if you look brown, if you look Latino, if you look like an immigrant, we're going to stop you.' A third of Los Angeles county's roughly 10 million residents were born outside the United States. Half are Latino. An estimated 1 million people here are undocumented. Since the federal government stepped up the raids, swaths of the city once bustling with immigrant businesses and immigrant customers are unusually quiet, community members and local politicians say. 'It is pretty profound to walk up and down the streets and to see the empty streets, it reminded me of Covid,' Bass told the Los Angeles Times during a Father's Day visit to Boyle Heights, a historic Latino neighborhood. Bass has urged Angelenos to help local businesses harmed by the Trump administration's targeting. 'Now is the time to support your local small business and show that LA stands strong and united,' she posted on X on Tuesday. But Hernandez, the city council member, warned that the economic pain of the raids could escalate even further, particularly as immigrant families afraid to send breadwinners to work over the past two weeks faced the threat of being evicted from their homes. 'We cannot afford to have more people fall into the eviction to homelessness pipeline,' she said. When small businesses lost money, Hernandez added, the city's revenue was hurt, as well: 'Our budget – a significant portion of it is made from locally generated tax dollars,' she said. 'That revenue is drying up.' And the city government, already struggling with a huge budget deficit after the wildfires this January, also faced new crisis-related costs, Hernandez said: 'We're spending millions upon millions in police overtime.' She noted that the police department had estimated Ice-raid-related overtime costs at $12m within the first two weeks. Many journalists and activists have criticized the Los Angeles police department's own response to the protests of the past two weeks as violent and heavy-handed. The city of Los Angeles is currently facing a lawsuit from press freedom organizations over the police department's use of force against journalists. Palencia, the longtime activist and organizational consultant, said Bass's commitment to Los Angeles' immigrant community, and to Latinos in particular, was not in doubt. Bass's connection to the Latino community is deep, Palencia said, forged both through her early political activism as the founder of the Community Coalition, a non-profit which built ties between Black and Latino communities in order to jointly confront the challenges of the crack epidemic in the 1990s, and through her own family. Bass's ex-husband was Latino, and she remains very close to her four Mexican American stepchildren and their children. But, Palencia argued, leaders like Bass and the California governor, Gavin Newsom, will need a long-term leadership plan, one that gives more guidance to all the state's residents on how to respond to a new and dangerous situation. Even though Los Angeles had had a quieter week, the feeling that the city was 'under siege' continued, Palencia said. 'It's kind of like a cat-and-mouse situation,' he said. 'It's very fluid – and it can blow up any time.'
The Independent
17-06-2025
- Climate
- The Independent
Massive eruption in Indonesia spews ash 10,000 metres high
Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki in south-central Indonesia erupted on Tuesday (17 June), sending a towering ash plume 10,000 meters into the sky. Authorities raised the eruption alert to the highest level and extended the danger zone to 8 kilometers. The eruption followed an intense spike in volcanic activity—50 incidents in two hours, far above the daily average. No casualties were reported. Ash clouds were seen from cities 90 to 150 kilometers away. 'Yes, this is the first time I have seen an eruption this big,' said local villager Frans Kino. Residents were warned about possible lava flows triggered by rainfall.
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Downpours to unleash flash flooding in Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas
Inches of rain are forecast to pour down on a zone from central and eastern Texas to southeastern Oklahoma and western Arkansas in the coming days, which can trigger dangerous flash flooding. Downpours will be strewn across the Interstate 10 and 20 corridors of the southern United States from New Mexico and Texas to Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas into midweek. In some instances, the heavy rain will be associated with gusty and severe thunderstorms. Some of the most intense thunderstorms from large complexes will focus on parts of Texas into Tuesday night, with some areas potentially blasted by more than one severe storm with high winds, hail and flash flooding in 24 hours. Should a large complex of thunderstorms reach its peak intensity, a long-lived high wind event that tracks for hundreds of miles could unfold. The weather community refers to such a potentially large, damaging thunderstorm complex as a derecho. At this time, AccuWeather meteorologists believe that a derecho is unlikely, but some communities can face damaging weather as storms become intense for a brief time and lead to regional power the app? Unlock AccuWeather Alerts™ with Premium+ A storm swinging out from northern Mexico will track across the South Central states from Wednesday to Friday, setting the stage for thunderstorms to erupt in a very moist environment created by the Gulf. This setup will unleash the tremendous amounts of moisture in the atmosphere in the form of torrential downpours where up to a few inches of rain can pour down in a few hours or less. This alone can trigger rapid flooding of city streets, turn dry washes into raging torrents and lead to rapid rises on some streams and rivers in the region from central Texas to western Arkansas, including southeastern Oklahoma and perhaps northwestern Louisiana. "Some of the heaviest rain and perhaps a concentration of flash flooding is likely to occur along the I-35 corridor of Texas and southern Oklahoma and includes the major cities of Dallas, San Antonio and Austin, Texas," AccuWeather Senior Storm Warning Meteorologist Eddie Walker said. Where the downpours repeat over a number of days, 6-10 inches of rain could fall in localized areas, which can lead to flooding on a more regional basis. Much of the zone where the heaviest rain will fall is not in drought, as downpours since the early spring have replenished soil moisture and then some. There are some areas, mainly south and west of Austin, where drought is serious and any non-flooding rainfall would be welcomed. However, even in part of this zone of south-central Texas, too much rain can fall too fast and lead to dangerous flash flooding. "In Texas, many droughts end in floods," AccuWeather Chief On-Air Meteorologist Bernie Rayno said, "However, in this case, flash flooding won't discriminate between drought and saturated areas." Want next-level safety, ad-free? Unlock advanced, hyperlocal severe weather alerts when you subscribe to Premium+ on the AccuWeather app. AccuWeather Alerts™ are prompted by our expert meteorologists who monitor and analyze dangerous weather risks 24/7 to keep you and your family safer.
