LENA WAITHE

John Legend’s newest project brings him into the book business.

“Gone Girl” author Gillian Flynn and Emmy-winning writer-producer-actor Lena Waithe will each run new book imprints at Zando.

Cardi B’s “WAP” had new meaning at the BET Awards: winning and pregnant.

The Netflix show’s latest season charts the slow demise of a relationship. But if we don’t know what drew a couple together, we can’t empathize with what drove them apart.

It was a family affair at the Billboard Music Awards: Pink twirled in the air in a powerful performance with her daughter, and Drake was named artist of the decade, accepting the honor alongside his 3-year-old son.

The North Face asked climber Jimmy Chin to colead its new Explore Fund Council. The Explore Fund provides grants to nonprofits to increase outdoor participation, and the council will expand on that by adding new voices and perspectives, in addition to a $7 million commitment from TNF to increase support for the fund.

The percentage of regularly seen LGBTQ characters on streaming as well as prime-time broadcast TV and cable during the 2020-21 season fell. Prime-time broadcast fell to 9.1% after reaching an all-time high of 10.2% last season. GLAAD's report, “Where We Are on TV,” found that 70 out of 773 series regular characters on broadcast scripted prime-time TV were LGBTQ. The group found good news on the second request in the latest study — over half of LGBTQ characters on cable television were people of color, meeting GLAAD’s challenge. The advocacy group noted that nearly half of all LGBTQ representation in prime-time scripted cable is seen on just three networks — FX, Freeform and Showtime.

FILE - This Aug. 13, 2020 file photo shows a logo for Roku on a remote control in Portland, Ore. On Friday, Jan. 8, 2021, Roku is buying short-lived streaming service Quibis content library to bolster content for its free Roku Channel. AP Photo/Jenny Kane, File)Roku is buying the content library of Quibi, the short-lived streaming service, to bulk up its own free ad-supported channel. Quibi, short for quick bites, raised $1.75 billion from investors including major Hollywood players like Disney, NBCUniversal and Viacom. Roku created its business solely as a hub for other streaming services, but has recently begun piling up content for its free Roku Channel. Idris Elba, Kevin Hart, Liam Hemsworth, Anna Kendrick, Nicole Richie, Chrissy Teigen and Lena Waithe have all been in Quibi shows.

LOS ANGELES – Lena Waithe and Malcolm Gladwell will join several influencers on an advisory board for Audible to help discover new talent. The online audiobook and podcast platform announced Monday the formation of the Emerging Voices Advisory Board. The diverse board of esteemed artists, podcasters, producers and writers was created to help Audible experts define and “further the creative vision” of storytellers. On Monday, Audible also announced the launch of the Audible Podcast Development Program. Selected participants will have the opportunity to work alongside Audible experts to receive editorial, production and financial support.

(Tobin Yellan/Hulu via AP)LOS ANGELES – Several scenes in the film “Bad Hair” were so horrifying that some cast members initially second-guessed their own use of hair weave or extensions. The dark comedy horror is “only a film," they say, but the story’s underlying messages of harmful hair weave and false beauty standards for Black women had a lasting effect. Ultimately, she discovers that her newly installed hair is possessed, taking over her body and causing harm to others. A weave is a popular method where hair wefts are sewn onto braided hair and styled in any manner. He said the writing process started with talking to some of his closest friends who are Black women.

God bless Chadwick Boseman. Denzel Washington, via a statement. During the premiere party for Black Panther, Chadwick reminded me of something. My friend and fellow Bison Chadwick Boseman was brilliant, kind, learned, and humble. We are devastated by the tragic loss of Chadwick Boseman. From Black Panther to Da 5 Bloods, Chadwick Boseman brought strength and light to the screen, every time. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, via Twitter.

The three-hour show will be jam-packed with heavy hitters currently dominating the pop charts and streaming services, including DaBaby, Megan Thee Stallion, Roddy Ricch, Summer Walker, Kane Brown and Chloe x Halle. The three-hour show will be jam-packed with heavy hitters currently dominating the pop charts and streaming services, including DaBaby, Megan Thee Stallion, Roddy Ricch, Summer Walker, Kane Brown and Chloe x Halle. Comedian, actress and TV personality Amanda Seales will host the 2020 BET Awards, which will air on CBS for the first time. Drake is the leading nominee: Hes up for six honors, including video of the year and best male hip-hop artist. Ricch and Megan Thee Stallion follow Drake with five nominations each.

In this image released by NBC, Jason Beghe portrays Hank Voight, left, in a scene from the crime series "Chicago PD." The divide between crime fiction and real life dates back to the genre's origins, more than 200 years ago. Law enforcement violence and corruption were extreme in the mid-19th century and some police forces were rooted in the patrols that used to chase down runaway slaves. Meanwhile, The police in early crime fiction were depicted as good, courageous, and brilliant, says Otto Penzler, the crime fiction publisher and bookseller. Over the past 50 years, the image of law enforcement has sometimes mirrored debates between liberals and conservatives.

This image released by Pixar Animation Studios shows a scene from the animated short film "Out," featuring a gay protagonist, the first in Pixar's 25-year history. But there were scenes he never expected to animate until he began working on his short, Out.Hunter wrote and directed the nine-minute Pixar film, which recently debuted on Disney+. While frantically trying to hide evidence of his boyfriend, Manuel, Greg discovers the courage to reveal his sexual orientation to his parents. Greg, whos loosely based on Hunter, is Pixars first LGBTQ protagonist. To animate it, Hunter approached Wendell Lee, the only other gay animator still at Pixar from Hunters early days with the company.

NEW YORK – Former President Barack Obama will deliver a televised prime-time commencement address for the high school Class of 2020 during an hour-long event that will also feature LeBron James, Malala Yousafzai and Ben Platt, among others. Several high school students from Chicago public schools and the Obama Youth Jobs Corps will join, as will the Jonas Brothers, Yara Shahidi, Bad Bunny, Lena Waithe, Pharrell Williams, Megan Rapinoe and H.E.R. The event is titled “Graduate Together: America Honors the High School Class of 2020.” It's hosted by the education advocacy group XQ Institute, The LeBron James Family Foundation and The Entertainment Industry Foundation. Obama will reflect on the COVID-19 pandemic's disruption of school life, especially for seniors who have missed out on their milestone rites of passage. “We are grateful to President Obama for giving this gift to our nation’s three million high school seniors as they #GraduateTogether,” she added.

Lena Waithe is out to "break convention" with her latest project, "Queen & Slim," a film that follows a black couple who accidentally kill a white police officer in self-defense during a traffic stop. "I feel like black people, when they walk out their door, they go to war every day," Waithe said. He's like, 'It's a black man and black woman on a first date, on their way home. It's important, particularly for the black community, to "create the heroes that we need," she said. Waithe also said she thinks of her work on "Queen & Slim" as "protest art."