“Love Lies Bleeding” starring Kristen Stewart and Netflix’s “Supersex” series have been added to Berlin Film Festival’s Special lineup.
A romantic thriller centered on a bodybuilder and gym manager, “Love Lies Bleeding” is directed by “Saint Maud” helmer Rose Glass and will have its world premiere at Sundance this month. “Love Lies Bleeding” also stars Katy O’Brian, Ed Harris, Jena Malone, Anna Baryshnikov and Dave Franco.
“Supersex,” based on the life of porn star Rocco Siffredi, is created and written by Francesca Manieri. The series, which premieres on Netflix March 6, will look at how “Rocco Tano — a simple guy from Ortona [a small town in central Italy] — became Rocco Siffredi, the most famous pornstar in the world.”
Another standout is “Made in England: The Films of Powell and Pressburger,” a documentary by David Hinton that features rare archival material from the filmmakers and is narrated by Martin Scorsese.
Other additions include Nicolas Philibert’s documentary “Averroès & Rosa Parks; Heo Myeong-haeng’s “Beom-Joe-do-si 4 (The Roundup: Punishment),” the latest chapter of the successful Korean action series; the documentary “Elf Mal Morgen: Berlinale Meets Fußball (Eleven Tomorrows: Berlinale Meets Football);” “Exergue – on documenta 14” by Dimitris Athiridis, the second-longest film ever made at 840 minutes; “Gakuryu Ishii’s “Hako Otoko (The Box Man),” described by the Berlinale as a “surreal story based on the iconic book by Kobo Abe in which a cardboard box becomes the perfect shell for men who want to withdraw from society and gaze without being seen”; “Das leere Grab (The Empty Grave)” by Agnes Lisa Wegner and Cece Mlay; “Shikun” by Amos Gitai; and Abel Ferrara’s Ukraine documentary “Turn in the Wound.”
Martin Luther King, Jr., (January 15, 1929-April 4, 1968) was born Michael Luther King, Jr., but later had his name changed to Martin.
His grandfather began the family’s long tenure as pastors of the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, serving from 1914 to 1931; his father has served from then until the present, and from 1960 until his death Martin Luther acted as co-pastor.
Martin Luther attended segregated public schools in Georgia, graduating from high school at the age of fifteen; he received the B. A. degree in 1948 from Morehouse College, a distinguished Negro institution of Atlanta from which both his father and grandfather had graduated.
After three years of theological study at Crozer Theological Seminary in Pennsylvania where he was elected president of a predominantly white senior class, he was awarded the B.D. in 1951. With a fellowship won at Crozer, he enrolled in graduate studies at Boston University, completing his residence for the doctorate in 1953 and receiving the degree in 1955. In Boston he met and married Coretta Scott, a young woman of uncommon intellectual and artistic attainments. Two sons and two daughters were born into the family.
On April 3, 1968 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave is final speech, “I’ve Been to the Mountain Top.” Dr. King gave what many feel is one of his most important speeches. In this speech Dr. King called for a major boycott of all local and national brands. Dr. King spoke of the importance of the Black Dollar and how it could be used to leverage the garnering of civil rights.
In 1954, Martin Luther King became pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Ala. Always a strong worker for civil rights for members of his race, King was, by this time, a member of the executive committee of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the leading organization of its kind in the nation.
He was ready, then, early in December, 1955, to accept the leadership of the first great Negro nonviolent demonstration of contemporary times in the United States, the bus boycott described by Gunnar Jahn in his presentation speech in honor of the laureate. The boycott lasted 382 days.
On December 21, 1956, after the Supreme Court of the United States had declared unconstitutional the laws requiring segregation on buses, Negroes and whites rode the buses as equals. During these days of boycott, King was arrested, his home was bombed, he was subjected to personal abuse, but at the same time he emerged as a Negro leader of the first rank.
In 1957 he was elected president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, an organization formed to provide new leadership for the now burgeoning civil rights movement. The ideals for this organization he took from Christianity; its operational techniques from Gandhi. In the eleven-year period between 1957 and 1968, King traveled over six million miles and spoke over twenty-five hundred times, appearing wherever there was injustice, protest, and action; and meanwhile he wrote five books as well as numerous articles.
In these years, he led a massive protest in Birmingham, Alabama, that caught the attention of the entire world, providing what he called a coalition of conscience. and inspiring his “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”, a manifesto of the Negro revolution; he planned the drives in Alabama for the registration of Negroes as voters; he directed the peaceful march on Washington, D.C., of 250,000 people to whom he delivered his address, “l Have a Dream”, he conferred with President John F. Kennedy and campaigned for President Lyndon B. Johnson; he was arrested upwards of twenty times and assaulted at least four times; he was awarded five honorary degrees; was named Man of the Year by Time magazine in 1963; and became not only the symbolic leader of American blacks but also a world figure.
At the age of thirty-five, Martin Luther King, Jr., was the youngest man to have received the Nobel Peace Prize. When notified of his selection, he announced that he would turn over the prize money of $54,123 to the furtherance of the civil rights movement.
On the evening of April 4, 1968, while standing on the balcony of his motel room in Memphis, Tennessee, where he was to lead a protest march in sympathy with striking garbage workers of that city, he was assassinated.
The Antoine Fuqua-directed film stars the King of Pop’s nephew Jaafar Jackson
Michael Jackson will be back on the big screen in 2025 with “Michael,” a biopic directed by Antoine Fuqua and starring the late King of Pop’s nephew Jaafar Jackson.
Lionsgate, which is releasing the movie domestically, while Universal is handling overseas distribution, announced that the film will begin production on Jan. 22.
Produced by “Bohemian Rhapsody’s” Graham King and scripted by John Logan, the official synopsis for the film reads: “‘Michael’ will bring audiences a riveting and honest portrayal of the brilliant yet complicated man who became the King of Pop. The film presents his triumphs and tragedies on an epic, cinematic scale — from his human side and personal struggles to his undeniable creative genius, exemplified by his most iconic performances. As never before, audiences will experience an inside look into one of the most influential, trailblazing artists the world has ever known.”
John Branca and John McClain, the co-executors of Michael Jackson‘s estate, will also produce the film, which may influence the way that “Michael” depicts the multiple allegations of child sexual abuse that were brought against the singer during his career and following his death. Jackson has denied allegations of child sexual abuse and he was tried — and found not guilty — of child molestation in 2003. Jackson died in 2009 at the age of 50 and always maintained his innocence.
Fuqua is coming off helming his third “Equalizer” entry starring Denzel Washington for Sony Pictures. His prior feature, the Will Smith slavery drama “Emancipation,” was released by Apple in 2022.
“Michael” is slotting into the date previously held by “The Exorcist: Deceiver,” which was removed from Universal’s upcoming theatrical schedule along with news that director David Gordon Green had exited the project. The “Exorcist” sequel was originally slated for Apr. 18, 2025, but has been put on hold indefinitely as Universal and Blumhouse begin the search for a new director.
TRENTON, N.J. — The New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency (NJHMFA) has been honored as a 2023 Leader in Real Estate, Construction, and Design by NJBIZ.
This recognition joins many awards the Agency won in 2023 for its work on promoting affordable and mixed-income housing construction and economic development across New Jersey.
This most recent award recognized NJHMFA’s role in making high-quality, accessible, affordable housing construction possible through its financing capacity, innovative programs, and collaborative partnerships. Since 2021, NJHMFA has undergone a record expansion of the Agency’s core multifamily programs, which now produce more than $1.3 billion in annual construction.
“NJHMFA is committed to ensuring that New Jersey residents have access to high-quality affordable housing near the schools, jobs, transportation, services, and other amenities that their households require,” said Executive Director Melanie R. Walter. “We are honored that NJBIZ has recognized our successful efforts to provide these housing opportunities by naming us as a Leader in Real Estate, Construction, and Design for 2023.”
Among the projects that were cited as part of NJBIZ’s recognition are Hinchliffe Residences and Barclay Place. Both projects, which opened in the summer of 2023, are examples of how NJHMFA financing can help municipalities further their planning, growth, and housing goals, while simultaneously creating a thriving inclusive community for all who live there.
Hinchliffe Residences was a key component of the long-awaited redevelopment and revitalization of Hinchliffe Stadium in Paterson. Hinchliffe Residences reflects and embraces the unique architecture and history of the adjacent Hinchliffe Stadium, one of the only four standing stadiums that once hosted Negro League baseball games. This development seamlessly integrates historical essence with modern planning elements, including affordable senior housing, a daycare, and a new parking deck. The project is the state’s largest-ever historic preservation project and a key piece of the city’s future. The Hinchliffe redevelopment has received a 2023 Smart Growth Award from NJ Future, the 2023 Outstanding Implementation Award from the New Jersey Chapter of the American Planning Association, and the 2023 Governor’s Excellence Award for Innovative Economic Development.
The Barclay Place development is the first completed project financed through the NJHMFA’s Hospital Partnership Subsidy Program. This program, serves as a national model, with other states now replicating the way NJHMFA leverages hospitals’ status as anchor institutions to improve community health outcomes through the creation of affordable and supportive housing. NJHMFA, Saint Joseph University Medical Center, NJCDC, NJCC, and other partners received a 2023 Smart Growth Award from NJ Future, the 2023 Project of the Year Award from the Supportive Housing Association of New Jersey, and the 2023 Governor’s Excellence Award for Housing Development for this remarkable supportive housing community.
Other projects that have received recognition in 2023 include the Gordon H. Mansfield Veteran’s Community in Tinton Falls, NJ, a 70-unit community for military veterans that won the NAA Excellence Award for New Construction Community of the Year; One Thompson Place in Dover, which received a 2023 Smart Growth Award; and Freedom Village at Hamilton Woods, which was cited as part of the NJBIZ award. Other landmark projects in the development pipeline include Hospital Partnership Subsidy Program projects in Newark and Camden, and 28 Walnut in Madison, which was among the first projects to receive Affordable Housing Production Fund Support.
About Us: The New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency (NJHMFA) advances the quality of life for residents of and communities throughout New Jersey by investing in, financing, and facilitating access to affordable rental housing and homeownership opportunities for low and moderate-income families, older adults, and individuals with specialized housing needs. To learn more about NJHMFA, visit: https://NJHousing.gov/
First Steps – “Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.”
Martin Luther King Jr.
The James Kerney Campus (JKC) of Mercer County Community College plans to celebrate its annual Martin Luther King Jr. community day of service on Jan. 15, 2024 with a day of events.
The day’s agenda starts at 8 a.m. with registration in the JKC Front Lobby. The organizers plan to follow through about one hour later with the welcoming remarks in Kerney Hall. Then, the variety of service projects will begin.
At 12:30 p.m. the participants will break for lunch in the JKC cafeteria. They will resume their service agenda with a Service Celebration at 1:30 p.m. in the Trenton Hall at JKC.
SERVICE ACTIVITIES TO INCLUDE:
Sock Drive – Collecting men’s white crew or tube socks for clients of Task. The mission of Task is to feed those who are hungry in the Trenton Area and offer programs to encourage self-sufficiency and improve the quality of life of its patrons.
Utensil Wrap Up and Bag Lunches – Task –(Peanut butter and Jelly sandwiches, juice box, dessert) The mission of Task is to feed those who are hungry in the Trenton area and offer programs to encourage self-sufficiency and improve patrons’ quality of life.
Community Clean Up – MLK Park/ City Streets
Trenton Hall Garden – Building raised beds for the MCCC’s Vegetable garden. This project will provide fresh produce to supplement the colleges’ food pantry.
Kidspack 2.0 – the goal is to provide snack (granola bars, fruit and Juice) to the street Teams for Jan. 16th walk home.
Blessing Bags – Rescue Mission and Womanspace – provide hygiene bags for clients.
JERSEY CITY, N.J. — (BUSINESS WIRE) — Organon (NYSE: OGN), announced on Thursday that Kevin Ali, Chief Exec. Officer, and Matthew Walsh, Chief Financial Officer, are scheduled to participate in a fireside chat at the 42nd Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference on Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024, at 1:30 p.m. PT.
Organon is a global healthcare company formed to focus on improving the health of women throughout their lives. Organon offers more than 60 medicines and products in women’s health in addition to a growing biosimilars business and a large franchise of established medicines across a range of therapeutic areas. Organon’s existing products produce strong cash flows that support investments in innovation and future growth opportunities in women’s health and biosimilars. In addition, Organon is pursuing opportunities to collaborate with biopharmaceutical innovators looking to commercialize their products by leveraging its scale and presence in fast growing international markets.
Organon has a global footprint with significant scale and geographic reach, world-class commercial capabilities, and approximately 10,000 employees with headquarters located in Jersey City, New Jersey.
BRIDGEWATER, N.J. — (BUSINESS WIRE) — Amneal Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NYSE: AMRX) announced today that Chirag Patel, Co-Chief Exec. Officer and President, and Tasos Konidaris, Chief Financial Officer, will participate in the 42nd Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference on Jan. 9 to 10, 2024.
Chirag will present on Jan. 10 at 11:15 a.m. PST, and a live webcast will be accessible on the Company’s website at https://investors.amneal.com. A replay of the webcast will be available for 30 days following the event.
About Amneal
Amneal Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NYSE: AMRX), headquartered in Bridgewater, NJ, is a fully integrated global pharmaceuticals company. We make healthy possible through the development, manufacturing, and distribution of a diverse portfolio of approximately 270 pharmaceutical products, primarily within the United States. In its Generics segment, the Company is expanding across a broad range of complex product categories and therapeutic areas, including injectables and biosimilars.
In its Specialty segment, Amneal has a growing portfolio of branded pharmaceuticals focused primarily on central nervous system and endocrine disorders, with a pipeline focused on unmet needs. Through its AvKARE segment, the Company is a distributor of pharmaceuticals and other products for the U.S. federal government, retail, and institutional markets. For more information, please visit www.amneal.com.
ISELIN, N.J. — R. Stanley Prater, Chairman, African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey (AACCNJ) announced that Gary Mann, CEO, Jasfel Analytics, and Tammeisha Smith, CEO, Dunbar Center will serve as Chairman of the Board and Vice Chair of the Board of Directors, respectively, effective Jan. 1, 2024.
“It has been an honor and privilege to serve as the Chamber’s Chairman over the last four years, and I am confident that newly elected Chairman; Gary Mann and Vice Chair; Tammeisha Smith are well positioned and the right choices to lead the Chamber into the future,” said, R. Stanley Prater.
“I am truly honored and humbled to step into the role of Chairman of the Board. Stan has been an exemplary steward and leader, and I extend my sincere gratitude to him”, said Gary Mann, CEO, Jasfel Analytics. “As I assume this responsibility, I am mindful of the extraordinary work of John Harmon, Founder and CEO. Standing on the shoulders of both Stan and John, I am committed to building on their incredible legacy.
Together, with the continued guidance of John, we will further advance and expand revenue generating opportunities and strategic relationships for African American businesses in New Jersey and beyond.”
“As we look ahead, I am inspired by the collective strength and diversity of talent within our membership. I firmly believe that our success is interlinked with the success of every member, said Tammeisha Smith, CEO, Dunbar Center. “Therefore, I encourage active participation, constructive feedback, and a shared commitment to our common goals. Together, we will chart a course that not only sustains our present momentum but also paves the way for a brighter, more prosperous future.”
“It certainly doesn’t seem like it has been four years, but it has been an absolute honour and pleasure to serve as the Vice Chairman of the Board of the African American Chamber of Commerce”, said Robert Warrington, Esq. “It has been immensely satisfying to be a part of an organization that takes pride in highlighting daily how Black excellence in the business community continues to benefit New Jersey’s economy. I am confident that Gary Mann and Tammeshia Smith will continue to uphold that standard in the years to come as the organization continues to advocate for inclusion of its constituents in New Jersey’s economy.”
“We are grateful to former Chairman Stan Prater for his leadership to excellence, growth and sustainability over his tenure, he definitely made an impact on our organization”, said John E. Harmon, Sr., IOM, Founder, President, & CEO, AACCNJ.
“And to our incoming Chairman, Gary Mann and the other officers that will join him, there remains a tremendous amount of work to be done and each of you possess the commitment and unique skills necessary to get the job done with excellence.
I look forward to working with each of you to design strategies that will derive value for our members and those that invest in the mission of AACCNJ while concurrently contributing to the competitiveness of New Jersey.”
The official Changing of the Guard ceremony/reception will take place on January 18th from 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. at the APA Hotel in Iselin, NJ. Members only, may register at www.aaccnj.com.
Awards totaling $100,000 will be distributed nationwide to students continuing education
CAMDEN, N.J. — (BUSINESS WIRE) — American Water (NYSE: AWK), the largest regulated water and wastewater utility company in the U.S., announced today that it is accepting applications for its 2024 Inclusion and Diversity (“I&D”) Scholarship. Awards totaling $100,000 will be distributed nationwide to students within America Water’s national footprint, continuing their education in a non-medical STEM or business-related field at an accredited four-year college or university.
“American Water is thrilled to again offer the Inclusion and Diversity Scholarship, providing equitable opportunities for students across American Water’s national footprint to continue their education,” said Lori Sutton, Chief Inclusion Officer, American Water. “This scholarship supports the development of our future leaders and reinforces our unwavering commitment to inclusion, diversity and equity.”
The I&D Scholarship will be administered through a partnership with Scholarship America®, the nation’s leading nonprofit scholarship and educational support organization.
American Water announced the inaugural class of I&D Scholarship recipients earlier this year. Ten students were selected out of 1,475 applications and received $10,000 through the scholarship. Awards are renewable up to three additional years or until a bachelor’s degree is earned, based on eligibility.
The I&D Scholarship is offered annually to eligible students through 2026, totaling over $1 million in awards.
Learn more about American Water’s I&D Scholarship, eligibility and deadlines here.
About American Water
American Water (NYSE: AWK) is the largest regulated water and wastewater utility company in the United States. With a history dating back to 1886, We Keep Life Flowing® by providing safe, clean, reliable and affordable drinking water and wastewater services to more than 14 million people with regulated operations in 14 states and on 18 military installations. American Water’s 6,500 talented professionals leverage their significant expertise and the company’s national size and scale to achieve excellent outcomes for the benefit of customers, employees, investors and other stakeholders.
The numbers are in: Nicki Minaj’s “Pink Friday 2” is the No. 1 album in the United States, touting the biggest debut sales week for a rap album by a woman in the last four years.
The record joins the original “Pink Friday,” Minaj’s 2010 debut album, as her third overall record to hit the peak of the list alongside 2012’s “Roman Reloaded.” With this, Minaj now claims the most chart-topping albums to date for a female rapper.
“Pink Friday 2” opened with the equivalent of 228,000 albums sold in the week ending Dec. 14, according to data provided by Luminate. Notably, “Pink Friday 2” was also a top seller on vinyl, logging 25,000 copies sold — the highest figures for a rap album by a woman since Lumnate began calculating vinyl sales in 1991.
The 22-song record welcomed guest verses from Drake to Lil Wayne, J. Cole, 50 Cent and more, while also sampling Billie Eilish, Blondie, Rick James and numerous others. It was also preceded by the announcement of a 2024 arena tour that is set to launch in March.
Shortly after its release, Minaj took to X (formerly Twitter) to claim the Billboard charts were going to disqualify 100,000 of its sales because she had encouraged a contest that urged fans to buy four copies each. A majority of these tweets, in which she alleged that she was being “punished” for “making great music [and] having great fans,” have since been deleted.
Despite the protests, Minaj still managed to lead with flying colors while Taylor Swift’s “1989 (Taylor’s Version)” followed at No. 2 with 109,000 units and Drake’s “For All the Dogs” at No. 3 with 68,000 units.
Aside from Minaj’s new release, rising star Tate McRae landed her first top 10-charting album on the Billboard 200 with a strong 66,000 units at No. 4 for her latest “Think Later.” The set had a strong streaming presence, logging nearly 76 million streams. Ahead of her record’s release, McRae also reaped her first top 10-charting hit on the Billboard Hot 100 with “Greedy.” The song sits at No. 9 on this week’s list.
A large chunk of this week’s Top 10 records are Swift’s: “Midnights” is No. 7, “Lover” is No. 9 and “Folklore” rounds it out at No. 10. Aside from that, SZA’s “SOS” is No. 8, Michael Bublé’s “Christmas” is at No. 5 and Morgan Wallen’s “One Thing at a Time” is No. 6.
As for the singles chart, Mariah Carey reclaims the throne with “All I Want For Christmas Is You” at No. 1 with 42 million streams. The 1994 single has led the Hot 100 for consecutive weeks annually since 2019, largely thanks to it becoming a mainstay on holiday playlists across most DSPs.
Outside of McRae at No. 9 and Jack Harlow’s “Lovin On Me” at No. 6, the rest of the Top 10 on the Hot 100 is complete with yuletide cheer: Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” is at No. 2; Bobby Helms’ “Jingle Bell Rock” holds at No. 3; Wham!’s “Last Christmas” keeps at No. 4; Burl Ives’ “A Holly Jolly Christmas” is No. 5; Andy Williams’ “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” is No. 7; The Ronettes’ “Sleigh Ride” is at No. 8 and lastly, Dean Martin’s “Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow!” is No. 10.
