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Joe Biden awarded his final Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, to a group of 18 recipients including Denzel Washington, Hillary Clinton, Bono, Jane Goodall and Michael J. Fox.

The ceremony in the East Room was packed with family members and friends, including a number of members of the Kennedy family, as the president gave a posthumous medal to Robert F. Kennedy. “Anyone not a Kennedy stand up,” Biden quipped at one point, with Kathleen Kennedy accepting and a number of the late senator’s other children president. Not attending: Robert Kennedy Jr., President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to serve as secretary of health and human services.

Another recipient, Hillary Clinton, got a standing ovation as she accepted her award, with former President Bill Clinton in the audience, sitting next to First Lady Jill Biden.

Honoree Magic Johnson towered over Biden, and lowered down on his knees...

President Joe Biden is set to award the Presidential Medal of Freedom to 19 individuals this Saturday in one of his final acts before leaving office. The prestigious award is the country’s highest civilian honor and is given to people who have made outstanding contributions to society in various fields such as public service, world peace, culture, and security.

Among those receiving the Medal of Freedom are well-known names from Hollywood, sports, business, and other fields.

Some of the biggest names include actors Denzel Washington and Michael J. Fox, as well as musician Bono. Fashion icons Anna Wintour and Ralph Lauren will also be honored, along with basketball legend Magic Johnson, who co-owns the Los Angeles Lakers. Chef José Andrés, known for his humanitarian work and culinary skills, is another recipient.

Other notable honorees include former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, famed conservationist Jane Goodall, and soccer star Lionel Messi.

President Joe Biden, in one of his last official duties before leaving office later this month, will award the Presidential Medal of Freedom to 19 people on Saturday, including a number of names familiar to Hollywood.

The Medal of Freedom is the country’s highest civilian honor and is presented to recipients “who have made exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values or security of the United States, world peace, or other significant societal, public or private endeavors.”

Biden will award the medals on Saturday at The White House.

Recipients include actors Denzel Washington and Michael J. Fox, the singer Bono, fashion icons Anna Wintour and Ralph Lauren, Lakers co-owner and NBA legend Magic Johnson, chef José Andrés, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, conservationist Jane Goodall, soccer star Lionel Messi, science communicator Bill Nye and financier George Soros.

Other honorees include AFI founder George Stevens Jr., investor David Rubenstein, entrepreneur Tim Gill,...

Kamala Harris’ rousing speech on the final night of the Democratic National Convention capped four days of campaign shouting, testifying, preaching and high-decibel warnings about the danger posed by the prospect of a second Donald Trump presidential administration.

At every turn, Democrats used four days of primetime TV coverage to reshape their image with middle of the road voters. Flag waving and chants of “USA, USA, USA” were prevalent all week — including during the three-minute standing ovation that greeted Harris when she stepped on the stage to close out a week of testimonials to her fitness to be the next president of the United States.

Numerous speakers depicted Harris’ quest for the White House as akin to a religious movement to protect the soul of America and the architecture of democracy. And speaker after speaker pledged their devotion to the country.

“I love my country with all my heart,” Harris...

[Editor’s Note: The following review contains spoilers for “Justified: City Primeval” Episode 6, “Adios.” Read preview episode reviews here.]

“There was something fishy about that particular kerfuffle.”

Raylan (Timothy Olyphant) is perplexed. Sitting in his partner’s car, driving away from their thwarted attempt to ensnare Clement Mansell (Boyd Holbrook), the Floridian Marshal (by way of Kentucky) can’t put his finger on what, exactly, is going on in Detroit. He knows what’s been done and who did it. He knows where to find the man he’s looking for. And yet, try as he might, Raylan can’t seem to keep the cuffs on his bounty.

“I wonder if anybody’s that lucky,” Raylan says. “I wonder if some combination of this dead judge and this alleged book and this particular shitbird are making people act in ways they otherwise wouldn’t. And I feel like I do when I’m being played a fool.”

Wendell (Victor Williams...

Gregory Allen Howard, the first African American screenwriter for a 100 million drama with Remember The Titans, died today in Miami after a brief illness, his publicist said. He was 70.

Howard also was the only African American screenwriter to write a spec script that became a 100 million movie, also for Remember the Titans, which starred Denzel Washington and was produced by Jerry Bruckheimer.

Related Story Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2023: Photo Gallery & Obituaries Related Story Virginia High School Featured In 'Remember The Titans' To Be Renamed Related Story Herman Boone Dies: 'Remember The Titans' Coach Portrayed By Denzel Washington Was 84

His credits included Ali, starring Will Smith and Jamie Foxx, directed by Michael Mannas, as well as the award-winning stage play Tinseltown Trilogy. Howard was a two-time winner of the NAACP Image Awards, and also won the Christopher Award, the Howard University Paul Robeson Award for artistic excellence, and the Heartland...

The International Documentary Association (IDA) announced the winners in 18 categories at the 38th annual IDA Documentary Awards Ceremony on December 10, 2022 at the Paramount Theater in Los Angeles. Hosted by Jenny Yang, the show was live-streamed on IDA’s YouTube channel.

Shaunak Sen’s Indian eco-documentary “All That Breathes” won Best Director, Editing, Feature Film, and the Pare Lorentz Award, beating out in that category Laura Poitras’ “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed,” Sara Dosa’s Best Cinematography and Writing winner “Fire of Love,” Simon Lereng Wilmont’s “A House Made of Splinters,” Edward Buckles’ “Katrina Babies,” Isabel Castro’s “Mija,” Daniel Roher’s “Navalny,” Akuo de Mabior’s “No Simple Way Home,” Lukasz Kowalski’s “The Pawnshop,” and Neasa Ní Chianáin and Declan McGrath’s “Young Plato.”

The winner of the Sundance Film Festival 2022 Grand Jury Prize for World Documentary, “All the Breathes” is building momentum on the awards circuit,...

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All that Breathes topped the 2022 IDA Documentary Awards, winning best feature and two other competitive awards. The film was previously selected as the winner of the Pare Lorentz Award.

In addition to the top prize, the HBO title, which follows two brothers who run a bird hospital dedicated to rescuing injured black kites that are often affected by air pollution in New Delhi, won best director for helmer Shaunak Sen and best editing.

National Geographic and Neon’s Fire of Love documentary about volcanologists Katia and Maurice Krafft, which led the nominations for the 38th annual International Documentary Association honors with five nods, won two awards.

The IDA Documentary Awards were presented in a ceremony at Los Angeles’ Paramount Theater, hosted by actor-comedian Jenny Yang.

Best Feature Documentary

All that Breathes (India, United States, United Kingdom | Sideshow and Submarine Deluxe, HBO Documentary Films...

Aunjanue Ellis has never kept her sexuality a secret, but only now has the 53-year-old actor been given the opportunity to speak on it publicly. In a June interview with Variety, the "King Richard" star opened up about being bisexual and how she's been giving subtle nods to the public about it.

"How do you work that into the conversation, in the middle of me talking about this movie?"

At the Essence Black Women in Hollywood Awards in March, Ellis wore the word "queer" emblazoned on her red Dolce & Gabbana suit jacket. But she noted that the media present at the event didn't ask her about it. "I was thinking, 'Why didn't more people pay attention to that?' And I was like, they probably thought it said 'Queen,'" she joked to Variety. "It wasn't that I was expecting any sort of major reaction or anything like that.

Aunjanue Ellis was content being a journeywoman actor in the business and providing for her family — but now the acclaim is pouring in.

And yes, that includes an Oscar nomination for her role as Oracene ‘Brandy’ Williams in Reinaldo Marcus Green’s “King Richard.” On the latest episode of the award-winning Variety Awards Circuit Podcast, we talk to Ellis about what it feels like to now be an Academy Award nominated actress, which she still can’t say out loud. She discusses her experience with working with double Oscar-nominee Will Smith (for best picture and actor) and the difference between his “lore” and the “good person” she was privileged to work with, in addition to her cast members. Listen below:

Ellis tells the podcast that didn’t turn her phone on until around 11 p.m. on the day of the Oscar nominations, and was flooded with multiple messages. However, it...

February is Black History Month, and new content celebrating Black stories across television and film is on its way.

Over the course of Black History Month, many channels will premiere nonfiction specials and programming that spotlight Black leaders in politics, entertainment and social justice. PBS will premiere specials about civil rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer and singer Marian Anderson, while Starz will premiere a feature length documentary on Congresswoman Barbara Lee.

In addition, the Smithsonian Channel will debut a four-part miniseries tracing the origins exploring the legacy of slavery around the world. Aside from new documentaries and docuseries, streaming channels like Tubi will offer hundreds of hours of Black Cinema to watch, as well as original fiction programming.

Check out the full list of Black History Month programming below. (This list will be updated as more titles are announced).

“Barbara Lee: Speaking Truth to Power” — This feature-length documentary follows the career of congresswoman Barbara Lee,...

Civil and voting rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer will be getting the biopic treatment.

Common is set to produce a feature about the life of Hamer, titled God’s Long Summer, which will follow Hamer’s rise from oppressive plantation sharecropping system in 1962 Mississippi where at 44 years of age, according to the project’s synopsis “she fought against the Southern political establishment, systemic racism and misogyny by exercising her right to vote and fighting for the rights of others. Labeled as plain spoken and unfit to lead the movement, Hamer captivated the nation with her powerful voice, sheer will, and faith in her ...

Civil and voting rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer will be getting the biopic treatment.

Common is set to produce a feature about the life of Hamer, titled God’s Long Summer, which will follow Hamer’s rise from oppressive plantation sharecropping system in 1962 Mississippi where at 44 years of age, according to the project’s synopsis “she fought against the Southern political establishment, systemic racism and misogyny by exercising her right to vote and fighting for the rights of others. Labeled as plain spoken and unfit to lead the movement, Hamer captivated the nation with her powerful voice, sheer will, and faith in her ...

PBS’ American Masters documentary “How It Feels to Be Free” – which counts Alicia Keys among its roster of exec producers – salutes the careers of six Black female entertainers who used their celebrity to promote civil rights and challenge racists stereotypes.

The documentary – which premieres today on PBS and is set to become a market priority for its distributor Fremantle at NATPE this week – is directed by Yoruba Richen.

A Yap Films production in association with Itvs, Chicken & Egg pictures and Documentary Channel in Canada, it celebrates the careers of Lena Horne, Abbey Lincoln, Nina Simone, Diahann Carroll, Cicely Tyson and Pam Grier.

While its premiere may seem timely in the wake of the Time’s Up and Black Lives Matters movements, PBS and Itvs first came on board five years ago – it just took years to raise the necessary finance, according to Richen.

It was only when two of the film...

Alfre Woodard will star as civil rights and voting rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer in a forthcoming limited series for ABC Studios, Variety has learned exclusively.

Woodard is executive producing along with Carl Beverly, Sarah Timbermann, Roderick Spencer and Harry Belafonte, while Gina Belafonte serves as a producer.

Hamer rose from sharecropping in the Mississippi Delta to become a driving force in the voting rights movement, a prominent voice for civil rights and women’s rights and a leader in the push for economic opportunity for African Americans. She was the co-founder and vice-chair of the Freedom Democratic Party and organized Mississippi’s Freedom Summer in 1964 along with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. She continued her civil rights work until she died in 1977, and she was posthumously inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame in 1993.

Woodard and Spencer teamed up in 2019 to produce the Netflix film “Juanita,” written by Spencer and starring Woodard.

Cinematographer Ashley O’Shay makes her feature directorial debut with “Unapologetic,” screening as part of the Doc NYC series.

The documentary is shortlisted in the Best Feature category by the International Documentary Association and follows two young Black women organizing for Black political, economic, and social liberation through a calendar year of triumphs and necessary forfeits.

The story of “Unapologetic” is told through the lens of Janaé and Bella, two fierce abolitionist leaders. O’Shay takes a deep look into the Movement for Black Lives, from the police murder of Rekia Boyd to the election of Mayor Lori Lightfoot.

“I hope ‘Unapologetic’ inspires viewers to meet the movement where they’re at. At such a hallmark time in the conversation around policing and brutality in our country, it is crucial for communities to investigate how they can best serve the movement, and recognize what Black grassroots organizations have already taken the lead,...

Best known for his avant-garde meta-documentary “Symbiopsychotaxiplasm,” pioneering award-winning documentarian of Black history, culture, and politics, the late William Greaves directed over 100 films. However, his library of work still remains largely undiscovered in the mainstream, partly due to availability and access.

One such film is “Nationtime,” a documentary on the 1972 National Black Political Convention. The film was considered too radical for television broadcast at the time and has since only existed in an edited 60-minute version. But thanks to a new 4K restoration from IndieCollect, the film has been returned to its original 80-minute length, which Kino Lorber will release later this month. The film’s resurgence couldn’t be more timely, as the U.S. heads into a rather significant election against the backdrop of racial justice protests.

Unearthed in a Pittsburgh warehouse in 2018, and narrated by Sidney Poitier and Harry Belafonte, “Nationtime” presents a dynamic and powerful look at the three-day Gary,...

Love her or hate her, there’s no denying that Gloria Steinem has been one of the most transformational American figures of her lifetime, not only fighting the good fight of feminism but also skillfully shifting the course of the national dialogue, taking concepts that were once considered radical and making them palatable and urgent to a broad audience.

That ability to bring big and potentially scary ideas to the masses, and to inspire thought and action, is sorely missing from “The Glorias,” Julie Taymor’s subject-approved biopic, based on Steinem’s memoir “My Life on the Road.” It’s a mannered and muddled take on an exciting life story, and even Taymor’s trademark flights of fantasy are fairly hit and miss.

Taking the title of the book literally, Taymor and co-writer Sarah Ruhl use a bus as a central motif, and the passengers are Steinem, in four separate...

Exclusive: Kino Lorber has acquired U.S. and Canadian distribution rights to documentary Nationtime by William Greaves, about the historic National Black Political Convention of 1972 which brought together major Black leaders and activists of the time.

The distributor is planning an October 23 release in virtual cinemas through its Kino Marquee label.

Narrated by Sidney Poitier, the film was originally considered too radical for TV broadcast, and has only circulated in a heavily edited 60-minute version. But the original full-length version was found in a Pittsburgh warehouse in 2018 and restored in 4K by IndieCollect, supervised by Louise Greaves and funded by Jane Fonda and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association Trust.

The documentary, which also includes poems recited by Harry Belafonte, focuses on the Gary Convention in Indiana, which gathered 10,000 Black politicians, activists, and artists from across the political spectrum, including more than 500 media representatives.

Delegates included Black Panther co-founder Bobby Seale,...

Kamala Harris on Wednesday night became the first woman of color to accept a major party’s vice presidential nomination, closing out the third night of the Democratic National Convention with a powerful speech in which she traced the legacy of the black women who paved her way, and told her own story of growing up in California as the daughter of immigrants.

“My mother taught me that service to others gives life purpose and meaning,” she said. “How I wish she were here tonight, but I know she’s...

“The first Black female self-made millionaire. A successful doctor also dealing with a full house. An artist who steps in to take care of a friend’s kids when she thinks she’s going to jail. A Satmar woman secretly educating herself and eventually breaking out on her own. This year’s lead actress nominees portray a breadth of complicated characters, and mark the TV industry’s continual edging away from ageist tropes to create meaty roles for women across all generations.

“When I first started in this business, I remember thinking that roles after 40 were so scarce that you had to be in a certain category to even be offered those roles because there were so few,” says Linda Cardellini, who’s nominated in the lead comedy actress category for Netflix’s “Dead to Me.”

“In the ’90s, it might’ve been, ‘You’re gone over 30!’” echoes “Black-ish’s” Tracee Ellis Ross,...

Less than a day before the President of the United States told her to go back to Africa, Rep. Ilhan Omar declared that she likely loved America more than most everyone in the room. The Minnesota Congresswoman told the audience at the progressive conference Netroots Nation in Philadelphia that she gets called “anti-American because I criticize the United States,” but that “as an immigrant, I probably love this country more than anyone that is naturally born.”

You don’t need to love America to stay here, but Omar’s remark...