Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor Thanks Keke Palmer for ‘Making Me Famous,' Aaron Pierre Breaks Out Viral ‘Mufasa' Dance Moves and More Inside ABFF Honors
Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor enjoyed a surprise early birthday celebration at the 2025 American Black Film Festival (ABFF) Honors ceremony on Monday night — complete with a cake, sparkling candles and the well-heeled crowd singing her 'Happy Birthday' (the Stevie Wonder version, of course).
Ellis-Taylor was among the special honorees at the awards show, feted not just for turning another year older, but for delivering another year full of dazzling performances, including in the best picture Oscar-nominated film 'Nickel Boys.' Though the spotlight was on Elllis-Taylor, she seemed less interested in accepting her well-deserved flowers than in doling them out to her fellow honorees.
More from Variety
Taraji P. Henson Urges Black Creatives to 'Keep Telling Your Truth, Because It's All We Have'
ABFF Honors to Salute Taraji P. Henson, Jeffrey Wright, Garrett Morris and Mara Brock Akil
Kerry Washington Pays Tribute to Whitney Houston, Diahann Carroll at ABFF Honors
'Keke Palmer made me famous,' Ellis-Taylor declared as she took the stage at the SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills to accept ABFF's Excellence in the Arts trophy from her 'Origin' director Ava DuVernay.
A dozen years ago, Ellis-Taylor and Palmer — who was honored with the Renaissance Award for her varied career accomplishments thus far — co-starred in the Lifetime TV movie 'Abducted: The Carlina White Story.' According to Ellis-Taylor, Palmer and her mother Sharon Palmer fought to ensure that she had the opportunity to do meaty work that reached a wide audience.
'And I've been chasing that feeling ever since,' Ellis-Taylor said. 'Because it was the first time I felt the line between who I was and who I played merged.'
Ellis-Taylor also saluted Marla Gibbs, the evening's Hollywood Legacy award honoree, explaining that one cannot be honored 'alongside' an icon like 'The Jeffersons' and '227' alum, 'because [she] will always be in the distance — unreachable, unmatched. She was my understanding of what it was to be a comedian. They had Carol Burnett. We had Marla Gibbs.'
Then, she offered words of affirmation to Rising Star award winner Aaron Pierre, explaining that she only knew him by rumor, but that what she'd heard 'portends a world-changer.'
She saved her final praise for Giancarlo Esposito, who picked up the evening's other Excellence in the Arts prize. 'I was born an agitator, probably. But there was no definition to it, until I saw you. I was given words to what was churning inside of me,' Ellis-Taylor said of watching Esposito in Spike Lee's 'Do the Right Thing.'
His insightful and inciting quote ('How come you ain't got no brothers on that wall?') inspired her activism moving forward, as the film opened her eyes to the structural inequities that need to be addressed in the fight for equality. 'This is why these messages of 'another seat at the table' is deaf to me. I don't want to hear that. I'm not interested at no seat at no table. I don't want the seat or the table. I want the structure. I want the land that the structure belongs,' Ellis-Taylor preached. 'Why? Because it's mine. … Thank you ABFF, because you are encouraging me to tear down that wall, to tear down that house and reclaim the land.'
Ellis-Taylor's rousing speech might've been the most potent of a night that felt more church revival than awards show. In fact, the black tie gala kicked off with the gospel choir from Victory Bible Church in Pasadena, Calif., singing a rousing rendition of 'The Best Is Yet to Come,' by Donald Lawrence and The Tri-City Singers, to honor the historically Black communities affected by the L.A. wildfires.
The show, hosted by comedian Zainab Johnson, was packed with sincere moments, like Anthony Mackie sharing the advice Esposito gave him, a kid fresh off the boat from New Orleans, about how to be a successful working actor, decades before they were Marvel co-stars; or Palmer discussing the importance of creators owning their rightful share of their content; or a 93-year-old Gibbs saying that she's not done yet, and sharing her mantra: 'Long as you're still here and still breathing, you've got another shot.'
But the event was far from a somber affair. Case in point, Pierre was played onto the stage to accept his award with the viral anthem, 'Aaron. Pierre. That's Mufasaaaa,' which was created by the crew of 'The Jennifer Hudson Show' for his 'Spirit Tunnel' entrance last December. In on the joke, Pierre gave the people what they wanted and gamely did his little dance — suavely two-stepping, spinning and high-fiving the trophy presenter, while the crowd clapped and sang along.
Scroll on for a look inside the ceremony:
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
14 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Chrisley family returns to reality TV with new show but experts warn of comeback risks
Now that Todd and Julie Chrisley have received a full pardon from President Donald Trump, the couple's journey post-prison is set to be captured in a docuseries – and experts are weighing in on whether it is the right move for the reality TV stars. The Lifetime network previously greenlit "The Untitled Chrisleys Project" on the family prior to Todd and Julie's release from prison. The project, which is set to premiere later this year, showcases how Savannah Chrisley, Chase Chrisley, Grayson Chrisley, Chloe Chrisley and Nanny Faye Chrisley navigated the family hardship while Todd and Julie were behind bars for bank fraud and tax evasion. The reality couple were not initially expected to be included in the show since they were in prison. However, Savannah confirmed last week that fans can expect to see everything unfold on camera while she was waiting for her father outside the Pensacola, Florida, federal prison. Savannah also shared on her podcast Tuesday that production has "started back up now that mom and dad are home" and that they are ecstatic to be making their "new start at life." Todd And Julie Chrisley Return To Reality Tv After Trump Pardon Frees Them From Prison As Todd and Julie – who were found guilty in June 2022 of not only bank fraud and tax evasion but also conspiring to defraud the IRS, and sentenced to 12 and seven years, respectively – were deep in scandal, experts cautioned that "redemption is a grind" when it comes to the reality family regaining their popularity and the public's trust. Read On The Fox News App "Redemption is a grind, not a headline. If you want the crown back, start by crawling --because no celebrity gets to skip the hard part," Reputation Management Consultants CEO Eric Schiffer told Fox News Digital. "You can't Netflix your way out of disgrace. Substance beats spectacle. A strong comeback is built on humility, not headlines. Redemption doesn't come from a camera crew but the grind when nobody's looking." He added, "Don't try to outshine your scandal -- outwork it." Trump Announces Pardon For Todd And Julie Chrisley After Reality Tv Stars' Fraud, Tax Evasion Convictions The couple were convicted of conspiring to defraud community banks out of more than $30 million in fraudulent loans as well as tax evasion. Their sentences were later reduced. As another expert pointed out, in many ways, a celebrity's "comeback is framed by the substance of the underlying charges and conviction." "A lot of fans balked at the substantive allegations surrounding the Chrisley's convictions, while an even larger swath of American parents related to--at least, in part--Lori Loughlin's actions on behalf of her child," Doug Eldridge, founder of Achilles PR, shared with Fox News Digital. In 2019, the "Full House" star was arrested for her involvement in the college admissions scandal in 2019. One year later, Loughlin served two months in prison, completed 150 hours of community service and paid a $150,000 fine after pleading guilty to conspiracy charges stemming from making payments to William "Rick" Singer, the mastermind of the scam, to get her daughters, Isabella and Olivia Jade, into the University of Southern California. "In cases like the Chrisley's, Loughlin, or Martha Stewart, a 'relatable conviction' doesn't absolve them from wrongdoing or somehow make it right," Eldridge told Fox News Digital. Trump Pardons Todd, Julie Chrisley: What To Know About Reality Tv Stars "In each of these cases, there was a lingering sense of relatability in terms of the actions, charges, and conviction and that's incredibly important when discussing a post-conviction comeback. How they feel about you going in, will dramatically impact how they feel about you coming out." In 2004, Stewart served time at Alderson Federal Prison Camp in West Virginia after being found guilty on charges related to insider trading. "It's hard to overstate the importance of relatability and its causal connection to likability and eventually, marketability," Eldridge stated. "For a case study in relatability, look no further than Meghan Markle: this is the one aspect that has eluded the 'Duchess' over the last seven years and its absence has effectively served as the prevailing winds that drove her ship into the rocks, every time she has tried to push a new venture out of port. If they can't relate to you, they'll never like you and they certainly won't invest in you," Eldridge noted. Since Markle and Prince Harry's royal exit in 2020, the Duchess of Sussex launched her new lifestyle brand, As Ever, in April. She additionally launched a lifestyle Netflix show in March titled, "With Love, Meghan." Meanwhile, a Hollywood actor who appeared to have played his cards right is Tim Allen, according to experts. "Tim Allen didn't hide from his past; he joked about it and moved forward -- authenticity wins," Schiffer remarked. The "Home Improvement" star was arrested in 1978 at the Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport in Michigan while carrying over a pound of cocaine. He later pleaded guilty to drug trafficking charges and, at 23, spent two years and four months in federal prison. Although he was not expecting such a long sentence, Allen said on a podcast that he "wanted to be able to come out with something." Like What You're Reading? Click Here For More Entertainment News "I just shut up and did what I was told," he recalled. "It was the first time ever I did what I was told and played the game... I learned literally how to live day by day. And I learned how to shut up. You definitely want to learn how to shut up." In a press release about the Chrisleys' docuseries, it stated that "[i]n the new series, the Chrisleys don't know best anymore, but they're doing their best to be there for each other." Todd and Julie's children, along with other family members, faced the challenges of "carrying on the Chrisley name and legacy on their own with only phone calls and brief visits with their incarcerated parents," the release, obtained by Fox News Digital last month, added. Click Here To Sign Up For The Entertainment Newsletter Despite their decision to televise their post-prison release, expert Schiffer advised that, "Redemption is earned in silence, not syndication." Meanwhile, based on past celebrity cases, Eldridge noted that a comeback for the Chrisleys will be based on "the formula" that "will always be the same: relatability determines likability, which drives marketability."Original article source: Chrisley family returns to reality TV with new show but experts warn of comeback risks
Time Magazine
an hour ago
- Time Magazine
How D-Day: The Camera Soldier Preserves Important History Using Immersive Tech
Friday marks 81 years since D-Day, the largest naval, air and land operation in history on June 6, 1944, in Normandy, France. Now, a new documentary will immerse viewers into the action of that pivotal day. Co-produced by TIME Studios's immersive division and the Emmy-nominated immersive documentary team Targo, D-Day: The Camera Soldier— available on the headset Apple Vision Pro —puts users into footage taken by photographer Richard Taylor, a soldier who filmed the landing on Omaha Beach in northwestern France, which saw the most casualties of all of the five beaches that the Allies targeted. It profiles Taylor's daughter Jennifer Taylor-Rossel, 67, who always struggled to relate to her short-tempered father and only saw her father's D-Day footage after his death. Researching her father's past—and venturing to Normandy from Connecticut—made her feel like she was close to him for once. 'Well, I'm crying,' Taylor-Rossel said after viewing the experience for the first time at TIME's Manhattan office on May 30. She had come armed with his Purple Heart, Silver Star, dog tags, and a folder full of letters he wrote about D-Day and photos from his time at war, even a picture of him eating ice cream in Paris. During the 20-minute immersive experience, she smiled when she saw footage of her trip to Normandy and gasped loudly when she watched her father get shot in the arm. The first thing she said when she took off the headset was, 'I hope we don't get into another war.' The immersive experience comes at a time when there are fewer and fewer D-Day veterans alive to talk about what it was like on that fateful day. Immersive media is one key way to preserve stories of people who lived through D-Day for future generations. Here's a look at the man behind the camera on Omaha Beach and what to expect when you're watching D-Day: The Camera Soldier. Who was Richard Taylor? Richard Taylor was born in Iowa in 1907 and left school at the age of 15 to take an apprenticeship at a photography studio. After working as a photographer in New York for several years, he enlisted, at 35, into the Signal Corps in the U.S. Army, charged with documenting World War II. He covered the Battle of the Bulge, Malmedy massacre, and the Battle of Hürtgen Forest. 'Remember we are essentially reporters,' the manual for Signal Corps members says, 'and the job is to get front line news and action…There is little time when in combat for the niceties of photography. Concentrate on good subjects and good basic camera performance, and telling a coherent story. Then you will have done your job.' In a July 1944, roundup of newsreel footage of D-Day broadcast in U.S. theaters, TIME called Taylor's footage from a landing barge under fire on Omaha Beach 'The finest shot of all.' When Taylor had Jennifer, he was in his early 50s and had been married twice before. He'd often complain about pain in his feet from too many nights sitting in cold water in foxholes throughout the war. He didn't really talk about D-Day, though she remembers the first time she saw a big scar on his arm, and when she asked him what happened, he stated very matter of factly that he got shot on D-Day. It's thought that he got hit with a piece of shrapnel. After he died in 2002, Taylor-Rossel found a box of his letters and paraphernalia from the war, but wasn't sure what to do with the items. A decade later, in 2022, a military history expert named Joey van Meesen contacted her, interested in researching Taylor's life and asked her if she saw the footage he shot on D-Day. When she said she had not, he sent it to her. She went out to meet him in Normandy. Taylor-Rossel describes her father as difficult, remote, and hard to have a relationship with. But 'Normandy was the place where I felt connected with him because I had done all of this research on him.' A product of that research is D-Day: The Camera Soldier. What it's like to experience D-Day: The Camera Soldier The Apple Vision Pro projects D-Day: The Camera Soldier onto a big screen, wherever you are viewing it. Users will hear Taylor's biography as they flip through an album of family photos, literally turning the pages themselves. Then, viewers are plopped down in the middle of Normandy American Cemetery with Joey van Meesen. Taylor-Rossel said she felt tears welling up in her eyes when she was surrounded by the D-Day grave-markers while wearing the headset, 'knowing that my dad was there and survived it, but then you look at all these men that didn't survive it.' There's one foreshadowing letter written by Taylor in cursive that users can pick up with their hands and move closer to their headset, in which he says he's 'anxious' about D-Day and 'if I live through it, it's going to be rather rough.' Then there's a box of objects that viewers can pick up themselves, like his dog tags, a thermos, a rations box, and a photo of Taylor holding his camera. Users will find it hard to get a grip on this replica of the camera he used on D-Day. That's intentional, says director Chloé Rochereuil: 'What struck me the most when I held it in real life was how heavy it was. It's a very big object, it's very hard to use. It made me just realize how incredibly difficult it must have been for him to carry this equipment while documenting a battlefield. And that makes the work even more significant.' The experience zooms in on the faces of soldiers, which are colorized. 'They're all like my son's age,' Taylor-Rossel says, marveling at how young the D-Day soldiers were after viewing the experience. As the barge lands on Omaha Beach, viewers begin to hear a male narrator who is supposed to be Richard Taylor, speaking straight from letters that Taylor wrote to family around the time of D-Day. 'In the next six or seven hours, hell would break loose,' he wrote in one. In another, reflecting on the moment when he got hit in the arm by a piece of shrapnel, he wrote, 'Thank God, I made it to the beach without getting more' and described having a hole in his arm 'large enough to insert an egg.' Rochereuil says she was not trying to do a play-by-play historical reenactment or make a video game. D-Day: The Camera Soldier not only provides a glimpse at what it was like to be on Omaha Beach that day, but it also might appeal to viewers who, like Taylor-Rossel, may have had a hard time getting a loved one who served in World War II to open up about their experience. 'Parents are the closest people to us, but often we don't fully know who they were before we existed—like, what were their dreams? What were their fears?' Rochereuil says. 'Her story touches on something universal, which is a relationship that we can have with one parent.' 'The only way to connect people to history is by making it personal. It's no longer abstract. My hope is that immersive media will make history feel alive and relevant again'
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Nintendo "won't know" if the Switch 2 eShop will crash on launch day as everyone rushes to download Mario Kart World, former marketing leads warn, but "they're prepared"
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. The Switch 2's launch is finally upon us this week, and there are understandably a few concerns from fans wondering if the Nintendo eShop will be able to withstand the surge of people rushing to download Mario Kart World as soon as its metaphorical doors are opened. According to two of the company's former marketing leads, that's not something Nintendo will know in advance, but it will be "prepared" to fix any problems. Kit Ellis and Krysta Yang – once the hosts of Nintendo Minute, and respectively the former director of social media marketing and original content and senior manager of creator relations and original content at Nintendo of America – have released a new video (further below) discussing what the company is likely to be busy with behind the scenes in the run-up to the console's launch on June 5. Ellis mentions the worries from players that the eShop could potentially "burst into flames," noting that all those who've purchased the Mario Kart World console bundle will be receiving a download code that they must redeem in order to play it. That's in addition to other things like the Switch system transfers, and returning fans redownloading their Switch libraries, that are likely to keep Nintendo's servers busy. Addressing this, Ellis notes that not only is the new console's launch thankfully staggered worldwide thanks to time zone differences, but "there are a lot of people right now who are planning for this, have probably been talking about this for weeks if not months." Specifically, he says these employees will have been discussing "what can we do, how can we stay in touch," pointing out that Nintendo of America will likely want to hear how things go in Japan, where the console will be launching a few hours sooner. "'Please give us your updates, is there anything that you did, is there anything that you saw that you didn't expect so that we can be ready,'" he says, giving an example of a conversation likely to be happening very soon. "This game of like Telephone and, you know, collective planning is happening in a big way right now." Yang notes that this process is called "triaging," and it's something that only happens "during really, really big things like big launches like this." It requires those involved to "be on a call about every two hours or so," even into the night, to give updates on the current situation – good or bad. The communications team is on hand to potentially "communicate out to the general public, like 'hey we recognize that there's an issue happening, here's the fixes that are coming" if things start to go awry, giving indications of when things might be back online and what's being done to fix it. She notes that Nintendo won't "know 100% what is going to happen, it's a wait and see," while Ellis agrees: "They won't know until the thing actually happens." Although this could sound a little bit concerning, Yang reassures: "Yes, but they're prepared in terms of like having a team that can either fix it, or work on a fix, and communicate that out to people." Yang adds that a team will be "on call," with Ellis saying that he can "remember many Christmas days where we had these calls scheduled, like 'Oh the eShop has died, and here's what's happening.'" On the other hand, however, launches that Nintendo had "been nervous" about, like Fortnite's Switch release, ended up going without a hitch. Here's hoping that issues are minimal when the new console's launch actually rolls around on Thursday. If you're keeping up with Nintendo Switch 2 news, also be sure to check out our roundup of upcoming Switch 2 games.
