LIFESTYLE Eunice Moseley Special to The Washington Informer “He is the head of a gang,” said Bill Duke, a legendary actor (“The Oval,” “Commando,” “Predator”) and director (“Fame,” “Hillstreet Blues”), about his new role in the Warner Bros. Picture presentation, “No Sudden Move,” premiering on HBO Max July 1. “He’s competing with other gangs – that’s big in Detroit. He is one of many gang leaders.” “No Sudden Move” is a thriller crime drama starring Don Cheadle and Benicio del Toro with appearances by Matt Damon. It is directed by Academy
Award-winning Steven Soderbergh (Ocean’s franchise) and written by Ed Solomon. Bill Duke’s character is called “OG,” the Original Gangster. “I’ve worked with Steven Soderbergh on other films,” Duke said about how he got on the project. “We heard of his film . . . reached out.” About enjoying the taping, he said, “Just working with Matt Damon and Don Cheadle was great. Don, off screen, is the funniest person you’d ever want to meet.” The New York native talked about filming the crime drama during the pandemic. “Yes, it was during the pandemic,” Duke said. “There were
certain things we had to do. All the time we had a ‘Covid Team’ there on set, testing us several times a day.” Warner Bros. Pictures’ “No Sudden Move” also stars Ray Liotta, Jon Hamm, Brendan Fraser, David Harbour, Amy Seimetz, Kieran Culkin, Noah Jupe, Craig Grant, Julie Fox and Frankie Shaw. It takes place in 1954 in racially charged Detroit. A small gang has been set-up to take the fall. However, they escape and are now on a search for who hired them and to find out why. Before our interview ended Bill Duke said, “Tell your readers to check out my network, YouNite. It will be up pretty soon . . . second week in July. We will have something positive for the kids and its focus is on all the good.” The YouNite Network has been launched by Bill Duke’s company Duke Media Entertainment with an aim to provide inspiring, educational and entertaining projects. Duke is also a producer (“Dark Girls”), author (“The Works of the Invisible Man”) and poet (“The Journey”). Other credits include Steven Soderbergh’s “High Flying Bird,” “Black Lightening,” “Menace II Society,” “X-Men 3,” “Starsky & Hutch,” “Charlie’s Angels” and ”Sister Act 2.” He also has a
STUDENT LOAN from Page 21
took office, said he’s reluctant to forgive debt for those who went to expensive private schools like Harvard and Yale. “For millions of student borrowers, one of the most difficult challenges is balancing their debt with their dreams of starting a career, starting a family, and buying a home,” Schumer said. “When the pandemic hit, these challenges magnified a hundredfold. Job opportunities disappeared and our economy came to a halt.” “Even as the economy recovers, young people, borrowers with a load of debt will struggle more than most to get back on their feet. Why not give them a little more breathing room?” he suggested. Jennifer Blatz, president and CEO of StriveTogether, offered that if the Biden-Harris administration remains serious about addressing significant threats to the nation’s economic viability and
narrowing the racial wealth gap, reducing student loan debt should be among the tools they use. “Its impact is immediate and measurable,” Blatz insisted. “Loan forgiveness could address these racial inequities, which are getting even wider because of the pandemic. Student debt forgiveness, while providing stability to families and the economy in this immediate crisis, would give us an opportunity to step back and address the systems that have brought us to the moment of desperation,” she said. Blatz added that taking a holistic view of racial and economic disparities remains tantamount including “inequities in postgraduate opportunities and employment.” “Canceling student debt would help the nation reset to seek more sustainable solutions,” she said. WI @StacyBrownMedia
Bill Duke Stars in ‘No Sudden Move,’ Launches YouNite Network
Since the pandemic began, the federal government froze student loan debt, resulting in borrowers saving about $2,000. President Biden also suspended collections on loans in default to private lenders which has resulted in an estimated $72 billion in relief. Still, many Democratic lawmakers have called on the president to cancel student loan debt. So far, Biden has canceled $1.5 billion in debt for those defrauded by for-profit schools. Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-New York) continues to lead a contingent of Democrats urging the president to do more. They want President Biden to cancel as much as $50,000 in student loan debt per borrower. Biden, who pledged to cancel $10,000 per borrower when he
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5 Bill Duke (Courtesy photo)
501 c3 Foundation, Duke Media Foundation, which exposes youth to new media tools. For more information vis-
it www.YouNiteNetwork.com www.DukeMediaFoundation.org www.WarnerBros.com WI
EBOLA from Page 20
Sierra Leone has prior experience administering the Johnson & Johnson Ebola vaccine in 2015 during the West African epidemic. The country's Ministry of Health and the University of Sierra Leone collaborated with Johnson & Johnson on the first clinical study of the vaccine in an Ebola-affected country which took place in Sierra Leone's Kambia district. “We are moving with urgency and purpose to bring all of our available resources to help prevent the spread of this latest Ebola outbreak in Guinea,” said Ruxandra Draghia-Akli, M.D., Ph.D., global head, Global Public Health Research and Development, Johnson & Johnson, in May. “We believe that, through the preventive use of Ebola vaccines, the global health community can help protect vulnerable communities living under the threat of this disease,” she said. WI
son announced up to 200,000 Ebola vaccine regimens would be made available as part of a WHO early access clinical program now underway in Sierra Leone.
The country's Ministry of Health and the University of Sierra Leone collaborated with Johnson & Johnson on the first clinical study of the vaccine in an Ebola-affected country which took place in Sierra Leone's Kambia district.
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