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Craig “muMs” Grant Dies: Prolific Actor Played “Poet” On ‘Oz’, Recurred On ‘Hightown’ & ‘She’s Gotta Have It’

by deadline.com Leave a Comment

Craig “Mums” Grant, an actor and poet who appeared in all six seasons of HBO’s prison drama Oz among dozens of film, TV and stage credits, died Thursday. He was believed to be 53. His reps at Ellipsis Entertainment Group announced the news but did not provide details.

Billed as muMs da Schemer, the name he used during his early slam-poetry years, Grant guested or recurred as Arnold “Poet” Jackson on Oz during its entire 1997-2003 run, appearing in all but seven episodes. His character was a heroin addict who is released from “Emerald City,” only to return after killing a drug dealer. A member of the Homeboys prison gang, the character often recited poems about social and political injustice endured by Black Americans.

Born and raised in New York City, Grant competed in at the 1996 National Poetry Slam as a member of the Nuyorican team and was featured in the 1998 feature documentary Slam Nation: The Sport of Spoken Word. He also was featured on early seasons on HBO’s Def Poetry Jam . Grant later became a member of the LAByrinth Theater Company, which staged his one-man show A Sucker Emcee.

After Oz wrapped in 2003, Grant guested on such popular TV shows as The Sopranos, Chappelle’s Show, Law & Order, Boston Legal, Cold Case, Blue Bloods, Nurse Jackie, Luke Cage, High Maintenance and The Last O.G . He also recurred as Cash Jackson on the 2017-19 Netflix dramedy She’s Gotta Have It.

He recently wrapped a role in Steven Soderbergh’s No Sudden Move, starring Jon Hamm, Benicio Del Toro and Don Cheadle. After the time of his death, Grant had been filming a recurring role on Starz’s Hightown and was scheduled to Atlanta next week to travel to Atlanta next week to wrap up an arc on Tyler Perry’s BET+ series All the Queen’s Men .

His other film credits include Monsters and Men, Breaking Point, The Good Heart, Ball Don’t Lie, Interview and Dark Water.

On Broadway, Grant took part in the annual The 24 Hours Plays four times during the 2000s.

“We are heartbroken over the loss of one of the most genuine, caring, loving souls we have ever had the pleasure of representing,” Ellipsis Entertainment said in a statement. “Craig was more than our client, he was our dear friend. We all just lost a phenomenal man.”

What the Rise and Fall of Flash Taught Me in My Earliest Days as a Creative Entrepreneur

by www.rollingstone.com Leave a Comment

Flash is officially dead . For all its service to the internet and popular culture, it was very much a product of the 1990s and early 2000s. We now have web technologies that are faster, safer and more accessible. When Adobe announced the end of Flash, I recalled fond memories of my early journey into entrepreneurship. Surfing the first wave of Flash, I learned foundational lessons about doing business in emerging technologies that have served me for two decades.

When I first discovered Flash, I was 11 years old. I was in middle school and already mesmerized by new media and the internet. It was love at first sight. This new software enabled me to create interactive web experiences with all the bells and whistles imaginable, and I knew this was exactly what I wanted to do.

At school, I’d sneak in time on the class computer to stay connected to the two worlds I was passionate about — Flash and music. After school, I’d race home to spend hours experimenting with Flash. Between building programs and completing homework, the “real” studying happened on sites like Flashkit, FWA and Macromedia’s Site of the Day. I looked for news, inspiration and cutting-edge approaches to developing this next chapter of the web. I spent my nights and weekends immersing myself, learning and honing my skills. Through a mix of persistence and luck, I landed a few freelance gigs with local indie and punk rock bands. Musicians were just starting to realize they needed an internet presence, and I was a kid who knew the scene, and I could design and build not just websites but online experiences — all thanks to the power of Flash.

Through word of mouth, more jobs kept trickling in, and before long, I, a music- and tech-obsessed teenager, was building websites, splash pages and e-cards for some of the largest independent record labels in America. Long nights and weekends locked away with my computer were starting to pay off.

The floodgates opened after my first project for Capitol Records — what I considered the holy grail of record labels. Inbounds from Atlantic Records, Warner Music, Sony Music and Def Jam soon followed. These iconic major labels wanted interactive websites and marketing materials for their biggest stars. It’s mind-blowing in retrospect — one day I was on a call with Katy Perry to discuss a Flash-powered media player shaped like a strawberry, and the next, I was designing websites for Lenny Kravitz, Snoop Dogg and New Kids on the Block.

My most unforgettable moment came when I was invited to encounter a living legend. Mick Jagger and I met up in New York City to walk through the new Flash website I had built for him. He was impressed by the elegant design, smooth animations and interactive audio and video elements, while I stood in awe of rock & roll royalty. I’m not sharing this to brag or to make it sound like I was living the techie-version of Almost Famous . I’d be lying if I said I don’t love an opportunity to mention this buzzy past life, but that’s not the main takeaway.

The Rolling Stone Culture Council is an invitation-only community for Influencers, Innovators and Creatives. Do I qualify?

For those building businesses in technology , a few key skills determine our success. One is the ability to spot trends and emerging technology. Another is the foresight to know that the tides will one day turn. Flash’s journey provides an excellent example of both.

When Flash burst on the scene, there was nothing quite like it. The internet was just becoming mainstream, and Flash promised a supercharged version of the web. I was lucky enough to get in just before the music industry exploded with demand. While teenage-me stumbled into an opportunity, adult-me has learned that this is something you can anticipate.

If you pay attention, you can spot a crossover point between new tech and a market fit. Sometimes, as with Flash and the entertainment business, you need to be ahead of the hype train, but that’s by no means a rule. Consider the technology’s maturity and its available distribution channels, as well as the market’s awareness and appetite. Those lines can cross at unpredictable moments. More often than not, you don’t need the first-mover advantage. An early mover advantage, however, can take you far.

Often overlooked in business advice is that getting out at the right time is as important as getting in. The tech landscape is always shifting, and if you bet your business on a specific stack, you might be on top for a while, and then suddenly, you’re scrambling to get your next lead. Being well established in a niche market will buy you more time, but don’t bet on being the equivalent of COBOL, the 1950s programming language that remains crucial for global banking infrastructure. That kind of longevity is the exception, not the rule. Eventually, almost every platform becomes obsolete or loses its luster. That’s what happened with Flash.

Just about every industry’s appetite for interactive, boundary-pushing marketing materials has increased exponentially, yet modern browsers have made it possible to accomplish great things with good old HTML and JavaScript. At the end of the day, the critical question is: What delivers the most value for the customer? And the underlying tools required to deliver this value never stay the same for long. You need to look ahead, remain aware and move with the times.

Be ready to reinvent your business, and when the right moment comes, lean into what comes next and the different technologies needed to deliver value. It’s a cycle that repeats endlessly. As one technology fades, another arrives, and the key to success is to predict and adapt to each wave. Focus and mastery are important, but being open to change and ready to ride a new wave will lead in unexpected directions.

Flash may be dead, but like other once emergent and now obsolete technologies, its lessons and influence will live on.

Addison Rae’s Next Act: Pop Star

by www.rollingstone.com Leave a Comment

“It’s not as deep as people will think it is,” says Addison Rae , discussing the meaning behind her surprise debut single, “Obsessed.”

Rae has 78 million followers on her TikTok , which she launched in the summer of 2019. In less than two years, the 20-year-old has built an empire that spans fashion, beauty, podcasting — and, as of today , music.

When Rae first downloaded TikTok, she was an ordinary teenager, getting ready to attend Louisiana State University, where she would study broadcast journalism. She dropped out after just a few months, as videos of her doing TikTok challenges and dance moves were viewed by millions, and moved to Los Angeles as an early member of the Hype House . She was determined to tackle the entertainment industry.

About a year into her TikTok fame, Forbes reported that she was the highest-paid person on the platform, earning $5 million from her posts. Rae now sells her own branded clothing and merch, and advertises for celebrity-backed clothing companies like Fashion Nova and Kim Kardashian’s Skims. She was the face of American Eagle’s 2020 campaigns. She’s risen far above her roots — marked by her parents’ on-and-off-again relationship, living in a one-room RV, and traveling between Louisiana and Texas.

Rae, a trained dancer who started dancing competitively at the age of six, has “always been around music,” she tells Rolling Stone via Zoom. “I was always just overly interested in it, and I didn’t know why,” she says. “I knew I was a dancer, I knew I loved to dance to music, but I didn’t really know what I wanted to do with music. Going through high school and college, I always wanted to branch out and start singing and expressing that whole love for music in a different way.” she started singing with a local church group in Louisiana, but the dabbling didn’t go much further.

In the summer of 2020, Rae started a podcast series with her mom, a Spotify original called Mama Knows Best , before launching Item Beauty, a clean-makeup line. What most people don’t know is that Rae then quietly began plotting her next play: Becoming a pop star.

Rae, who’s been trying to figure out “who I am as an artist” for the last two years, used the extra time allotted to her by Covid-19 quarantine to study songwriting and production, and build a tight-knit team that she could trust to help guide her into a new shade of limelight. Four to five times a week for about six months, the bright-eyed optimist drove to a private studio in Hollywood owned by Jacob Kasher Hindlin — a songwriter who goes by the name Jkash and has helped create hits for the likes of Charlie Puth, Jason Derulo, Maroon 5, and 5 Seconds of Summer.

“I got to learn a lot about myself as an artist really fast because I was there so much, really exercising every part of my brain to write and learn melodies and things like that,” Rae says.

Hindlin agreed to put her music out via his own independent label, Sandlot Records, and teamed up with Adam Mersel. (Mersel is perhaps best known for managing the likes of Bebe Rexha and Dear Evan Hansen star Ben Platt, but he also recently launched a record label, Immersive, through Interscope.) Rae hired top-tier publicity agency The Lede Company to handle her media outreach, specifically tapping publicists Katie Greenthal and Courtni Asbury, who spent 10 years at Def Jam before joining Lede last year.

After the first four months of going into the studio consistently, just tinkering away and shelling out demos, Rae and a team of experienced songwriters and producers came up with the bulk of debut single “Obsessed” in a single session. Benny Blanco — who’s a good friend of Hindlin and has collaborated closely with superstars like Katy Perry, Justin Bieber, Halsey, and Ed Sheeran — co-produced the song with Ryan McMahon, who co-wrote Walk the Moon’s “Shut Up and Dance,” and Blake Slatkin, who co-wrote and produced 24kGoldn’s breakout chart-topper “Mood.”

McMahon and Slatkin also served as co-writers with Rae, executive producer Madison Love, Tia Scola, and Brett McLaughlin (aka Leland). Love’s credits include Lady Gaga and Blackpink’s “Sour Candy,” Machine Gun Kelly and Camila Cabello’s “Bad Things,” and Ava Max’s “Sweet But Psycho.” Love also worked on Selena Gomez’s “Rare” with McLaughlin, who’s had a hand in multiple songs by Gomez, Troye Sivan, and Sabrina Carpenter. Carpenter’s latest single, “Skin,” was co-written by Scola.

Rae is the first to admit that she wouldn’t be where she is today without her “legendary” team: “I feel so honored to be able to work with people that really have a love and passion for this, knowing that I have a growing love and passion for this as well,” she says. “They’ve been very patient and understanding in helping me about every single step.”

Rae refers to her current state as “a visual producer,” explaining she can “definitely envision sounds” now: “I’ll be like, ‘Okay, can we find this kind of sound? I feel like there needs to be a double here or a triple here or something here.’”

But she’s also been hands-on with the whole process. “When something has my name on it, I feel like it’s very important to know exactly what it is and what the message it gives off is,” she says. “When it comes to the makeup, I’m really involved — [same] when it comes to my own videos and my own content. It’s all a representation of who I am. That’s how I felt when I started with my music… I really wanted to figure it out for myself, but also surround myself with people who are trusted, amazing, and know exactly what they’re doing so I can learn from them.”

She admits she didn’t even know musical keys until she started on this journey. “[Those] are basic things that people in music, people who have done this their entire lives, know… I’m a little late to the game when it comes to knowing all this information, but I won’t stop learning,” she promises.

In a way, that’s Rae’s secret to success: She learns by doing. When she feels passionate about something, she starts moving and figures out logistics on the way. She doesn’t sit and worry herself with “what ifs.” She says people are often shocked to find out that she has varied interests — but she wants to be known as more than a TikTok influencer.

“I have such an artistic mind and heart, and I’ve always, always, always been drawn to that,” Rae says. “I think now it’s about exploring that and fully submerging myself in that art.. I fully want to give myself every chance to be a part of it, understand it, and really appreciate the art of it… It’s been what I’ve eaten, slept, and breathed for the last year.”

While she’s no engineer, she’s definitely one to hover over the board and pelt collaborators with questions. She refers to her current state as “a visual producer,” explaining she can “definitely envision sounds” now: “I’ll be like, ‘Okay, can we find this kind of sound? I feel like there needs to be a double here or a triple here or something here.’” Some nights, Rae now plays around with Garageband trying to make beats and tracks herself.

Rae says “Obsessed” turned a creative faucet within her, setting the tone for her future. “That’s kind of when everything clicked,” she explains. “Me as an artist, what I wanted to do, and what I wanted to communicate to my audience literally started with ‘Obsessed.’ Every song we’ve done after that has just felt so right. Now, when I listen to all the songs we did before, I’m like, ‘Ah, what were we doing?’ It’s a process. It takes a lot of time to figure out who you are as an artist.” Normally, it would be easy to scoff at a 20-year-old for saying something like that, but Rae’s earnestness is disarming.

“Obsessed” is based on a conversation Rae had with a friend. “It was a funny joke that turned into an empowerment song, and I think that’s the coolest part about it,” she says. “It’s not, ‘Oh, I’m obsessed with myself because I’m perfect.’ It’s more like, ‘I can love myself just as much as I want someone else to love me.’” She says it unintentionally turned into a self-love anthem: “It’s ‘You love me? Well, I can love myself too. I don’t need that from someone else when I have it inside.’ I think that’s a great place to be at in life. I’m working on it, and I think it’s a great thing for everyone to work on. It’s not easy to love yourself, especially since there’s so much comparison in this world today.”

Self-love is necessary to be on social media, she says. “There are people who don’t mind being mean or hateful, or saying things that could affect you as a person and your self-worth. I think that’s a really hard thing for people to understand, because it hasn’t always been this way. I don’t think social media always was as negative as it is today. If people can really learn to love who they are then they have no reason to bring someone else down.”

When asked how many songs she has done, Rae giggles, bashful. “I don’t know if I can say exactly, but I do have a lot,” she says.

“A lot of people assume that just because of TikTok, I get things handed to me. By doing it this [independently], it feels so much more organic.”

Maybe not all of them will see the light of day. Rae also won’t confirm or deny plans for an album. “Who knows,” she says cheekily. “There are endless opportunities for me to showcase myself as an artist now. But like I said, I’m learning. I am by no means a professional at this. I am by no means perfect at any of this.”

As for releasing the music — why did Rae choose to do it independently instead of signing with a major label for a hefty advance? The star says she didn’t want people to think she just “walked in” somewhere and got a readymade music career. She also didn’t want any contract controlling how she shaped her narrative. She’s not opposed to record labels: She just felt the need to set the bar herself. She craved the space and room to play without pressure or deadlines.

“A lot of people assume that just because of TikTok, I get things handed to me. By doing it this way, it feels so much more organic,” she says. “I want to show that this is a real passion of mine and not just something that I jumped into and got the chance to do.” TikTok may have given Rae the means to take such a luxurious approach, but she earned that all on her own. She didn’t have to jump in. Rae could easily go on “influencing,” but she’d rather grow.

US defence secretary hits ground running, meets PM Modi, NSA Doval

by www.rediff.com Leave a Comment

United States Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin on Friday conveyed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi the Biden administration’s strong desire to further deepen strategic ties with India to address the pressing challenges facing the Indo-Pacific as he began a three-day visit here with an aim to expanding cooperation between the two sides amidst China’s growing assertiveness in the region.

IMAGE: United States Defence Secretary Lloyd J Austin meets Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi, March 19, 2021. Photograph: ANI Photo.

Austin, who arrived in New Delhi as part of his three-nation first overseas tour as the defence secretary, called on the prime minister and discussed international, regional and bilateral issues of mutual interest, following which Modi tweeted that India and the US are committed to their strategic partnership that is a ‘force for global good’.

The US defence Secretary also held wide-ranging discussions with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and almost all key issues of mutual concerns, including China’s aggressive behaviour in the region are learnt to have figured in the deliberations.

After the Prime Minister’s discussions with Austin, a Prime Minister’s Office statement said the US Defence Secretary reiterated Washington’s continued commitment towards strengthening the bilateral defence ties and “expressed strong desire” to further enhance the strategic partnership for peace, stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond.

‘Pleasure to meet US Sec Def Lloyd Austin today. Conveyed my best wishes to POTUS Joe Biden. India and US are committed to our strategic partnership that is a force for global good,’ Modi tweeted.

Austin’s visit is seen as a reflection of the Joe Biden administration’s strong commitment to ties with its close Asian allies and partners. Austin visited Japan and South Korea before India.

‘Thrilled to be here in India. The breadth of cooperation between our two nations reflects the significance of our major defense partnership, as we work together to address the most pressing challenges facing the Indo-Pacific region,’ the US Defence Secretary tweeted.

Austin’s India visit came hours after the top foreign policy officials of the US and China exchanged sharp rebukes at the start of a meeting in Alaska, the first high-level talks under the Biden administration with the Chinese side.

A readout by the US government said Secretary Austin commended India’s leadership role in the Indo-Pacific and growing engagement with like-minded partners across the region to promote shared goals.

‘The two sides reaffirmed their commitment to promote a free and open regional order. Both sides exchanged perspectives on shared challenges confronting the region and committed to further strengthen their broad ranging and robust defence cooperation,’ it said.

Welcoming Austin, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said his visit to India is definitely going to further deepen the cooperation and partnership between two countries.

‘Looking forward to our meeting tomorrow,’ Singh tweeted.

IMAGE: United States Defence Secretary Lloyd J Austin being received by National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. Photograph: ANI Photo.

On Saturday, Austin will lay a wreath at National War Memorial in the morning, and will be given a guard of honour at Vigyan Bhavan before his talks with Singh, officials said.

Ways to further accelerate India-US strategic ties, boosting cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, China’s aggressive behaviour in eastern Ladakh, challenge of terrorism and the Afghan peace process are expected to be focus of the talks between Austin and Singh, people familiar with the US official’s visit said.

They said India’s plan to procure around 30 multi-mission armed Predator drones from the US for the three services at an estimated cost of over $3 billion is also expected to figure in the talks.

The medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) Predator-B drones, manufactured by US defence major General Atomics, are capable of remaining airborne for around 35 hours and can hunt down targets at land and sea, they said.

India’s plan to acquire 114 fighter jets at a cost of around $18 billion could also figure in the talks as American defence majors –Boeing and Lockheed -Martin– are eyeing it, the people said.

His visit to India came days after the top leadership of the Quad grouping of India, the US, Japan and Australia vowed to expand their cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region.

Ahead of Austin’s visit, Senator Robert Menendez, Chairman of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee, wrote a letter to the US Defence Secretary, urging him to take up with Indian leaders the issue of New Delhi procuring Russian S-400 missile defence system.

Though democracy and human rights issues do not come under the domain of the Pentagon, Menendez also urged Austin to raise these concerns with Indian leaders.

In October 2018, India signed a $5 billion deal with Russia to buy five units of the S-400 air defence missile systems, notwithstanding a warning from the Trump administration that going ahead with the contract may invite US sanctions.

IMAGE: US Defence Secretary Lloyd J Austin III being welcomed as he arrives in India on a three-day visit, in New Delhi, March 19, 2021. Photograph: ANI Photo.

Recently, the US imposed sanctions on Turkey under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) for purchase of S-400 missiles from Russia.

The evolving situation in the Indo-Pacific region in the wake of China’s increasing military muscle flexing has become a major talking point among leading global powers. The US has been favouring making Quad a security architecture to check China’s growing assertiveness.

The visit is also taking place at a time when India and China are looking to achieve the objective of disengagement from all friction points in eastern Ladakh after completing withdrawal of troops in the North and South banks of Pangong lake areas.

Austin and Singh had a telephonic conversation on January 27.

The Indo-US defence ties have been on an upswing in the last few years.

In June 2016, the US had designated India a ‘Major Defence Partner’.

The two countries have also inked key defence and security pacts over the past few years, including the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) in 2016 that allows their militaries use each other’s bases for repair and replenishment of supplies as well as provides for deeper cooperation.

The two sides have also signed COMCASA (Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement) in 2018 that provides for interoperability between the two militaries and provides for sale of high end technology from the US to India.

In October last year, India and the US sealed the BECA (Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement) agreement to further boost bilateral defence ties.

The pact provides for sharing of high-end military technology, logistics and geospatial maps between the two countries.

Godzilla Vs. Kong First Reactions Arrive: Does This Fight Live Up to the Hype?

by movieweb.com Leave a Comment

On March 31, the wait is finally over. Kaiju fans worldwide will get to see which monster is crowned king when Godzilla Vs Kong is released simultaneously on HBO Max streaming and in participating movie theaters. Some online pundits were lucky enough to see an advanced digital screening of Godzilla Vs. Kong , and their reactions are here. So, does the movie officially live up to all the hype? Or will it be another Gojira-sized disappointment for Toho fans around the world?

Legends collide in Godzilla vs. Kong , as these mythic adversaries meet in a spectacular battle for the ages , with the fate of the world hanging in the balance. Kong and his protectors undertake a perilous journey to find his true home, and with them is Jia, a young orphaned girl with whom he has formed a unique and powerful bond. But they unexpectedly find themselves in the path of an enraged Godzilla, cutting a swath of destruction across the globe. The epic clash between the two titans – instigated by unseen forces – is only the beginning of the mystery that lies deep within the core of the Earth.

RELATED: Godzilla Vs. Kong TV Trailer Teases Epic Underwater Fight and a New Monster

So, is this the fight we’ve been waiting for? Frosty from Collider brags, “watched #Godzilla for the first time in my living room and while I have a decent set up this movie demands to be seen on the biggest screen possible. If you can find a theater you feel safe to visit def see this on a movie screen.” So the monster fights are worth the price of admission. But what about the human characters? Frosty goes onto brag some more about getting early access to the film while sharing some insight for those having to wait a few more days, “Have seen #GodzillaVsKong twice. The human scenes are exactly what you expect and not worth talking about. The Godzilla Vs Kong stuff is why you pay to see this movie on an IMAX screen. They each have scenes that showcase their power and the 3rd act is awesome.”

As we expected, it sounds like Godzilla Vs. Kong is all about the giant monsters punching each other in the face. Collider mainstay Perri Nemiroff reiterates this fact, stating, “As expected – and probably as it should be – the titan fights are the best parts of #GodzillaVsKong. Adam Wingard definitely has the eye to make the most of those moments! Still don’t think they’ve nailed how to incorporate human characters , but the top-notch ensemble helps.”

It seems to be the general consensus that the human moments in Godzilla Vs. Kong are garbage, even if they do star Stranger Things phenom Millie Bobby Brown. More than review the movie, the pundits who have seen it seem more interested in bragging rights than sharing what the movie actually is. Collider’s Vinnie Mancuso says this about seeing the movie early, “I have seen #GodzillaVsKong and my review is that I am going to watch this movie every day it is available on HBO Max, turning the volume on my television up a little bit every time.” About the people parts of the movie, he goes onto say, “The human parts are still bafflingly bad, but the parts where one giant monster wallops the other giant monster in the face are incredibly good.”

Entertainment Reporter for Gizmodo and io9, Germain Lussier ranks Godzilla Vs. Kong last in the MonsterVerse, with Kong: Skull Island ranking highest, then Godzilla and King of the Monsters . But that doesn’t mean he’s not a fan. He goes onto state, ” Godzilla vs. Kong has excellent action and effects. The story is crazy ambitious and at times achieves some unique sci-fi-coolness. I’d watch it again for that stuff but most of the human angles are so overstuffed, illogical and pointless, it constantly took me out of it.” You can check out his tweet below long with a number of other online movie pundits and entertainment journalists. Godzilla Vs Kong hits HBO Max on March 31.

Topics: Godzilla Vs King Kong , Godzilla , King Kong , Streaming , HBO Max