A fundraiser for the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, D.C., featuring Dave Chappelle that was briefly canceled following the comedian’s controversial Netflix special The Closer, has been rescheduled for next year. The event, which was shelved after students protested Chapelle’s anti-transgender comments in the Netflix show, now will be held April 22, 2022, according to Politico.com.
“We recognize that not everyone will accept or welcome a particular artist’s point of view, product or craft, but reject the notion that a ‘cancel culture’ is a healthy or constructive means to teach our students how society should balance creative freedom with protecting the right and dignity of all of its members,” the Duke Ellington School of the Arts said in a statement. The fundraiser will raise money for a new theater to be named after Chappelle.
Halle Berry‘s new film, Bruised, which marks her directorial debut, premiered Saturday at Hollywood’s AFI Fest. She told The Hollywood Reporter that the film, about a disgraced MMA fighter’s return to the ring, was “the hardest thing I’ve ever done.” The Oscar winner is a longtime boxing fan, and trained for months for the starring role. “I was told a long time ago, if you’re going to be a filmmaker and tell a story, let it be something you love and something you know,” the Monster’s Ball star said. “And I feel like this is something I love and know.”
Finally, La La Anthony has revealed that she had emergency heart surgery in June. “Within a 24-hour period, they said, my heart was beating 30,000 extra beats more than the average person,” the Power star disclosed in the Self magazine November cover story. Fortunately, the procedure was a success, and Anthony’s heart rate is now normal.
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
