Latest news with #LeVarBurton
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
LeVar Burton To Deliver Howard University's 157th Commencement Speech
LeVar Burton is making his way to Washington, D.C. for a special affair. The actor and director has been named the keynote speaker for Howard University's 157th commencement ceremony. Set to take place on Saturday, May 10, 2025, at 10 a.m. on The Yard, the 68-year-old will serve as the Commencement orator and also receive an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree. According to a press statement from the HBCU, graduates from the university's 14 schools and colleges this year will be among the largest graduating classes in the institution's history to receive bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees in various disciplines. Additionally, Emery Neal Brown, Ph.D., will receive an honorary Doctor of Science degree, the Honorable Barbara Lee will receive an honorary Doctor of Laws degree, Lilian Seenoi-Barr will receive an honorary Doctor of Laws degree, and Natasha Tretheway will receive a Doctor of Letters Degree. Burton is recognized by Howard University as is one of the world's most prolific and impactful artists, noting his decades-long career that includes roles as an actor, director, producer, author, and podcaster. His accolades include 15 Emmys Awards, a Peabody Award, a Grammy Award, and seven NAACP Awards, including a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Inaugural Children's & Family Emmys. Recently, the Reading Rainbow host returned to his book-reading roots with a reading at the Altadena, CA library. The space had been closed since the devastating wildfires that plagued the area earlier this year. According to NBC Los Angeles, the book selected for the program was The Rhino Who Swallowed a Storm. 'So many kids have been impacted by the fires, by this tragedy,' Burton said. 'An event like this was just an opportunity for them to be kids.' More from Is Frank Ocean Finally Dropping A New Album? Chrisean Rock Gets Cozy With New "Boo," Blueface's Mom Shares Her Two Cents G Herbo Reveals Health Battle, Hospitalization Following Flu Diagnosis
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Warren Zeiders tour coming to Camdenton this summer
CAMDENTON, Mo. — Ozarks Amphitheater has announced up-and-coming country star Warren Zeiders is coming to Camdenton in June 2025. The Relapse Tour will be in the Ozarks on June 26, 2025. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 20 and can be purchased at at Bridal Cave, Split Arrow Boutique or by calling 573-346-0000. LeVar Burton to speak at the Gillioz Theatre Zeiders, 25, recently won the Country Music Television (CMT) award for 'Breakthrough Male Video of the Year' after releasing his debut album 'Pretty Little Poison' in 2023. The titular track was a number-one single and certified double platinum. He also contributed to the soundtrack for 'Twisters' in 2024, and has racked up nearly eight million Spotify listeners. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
LeVar Burton to speak at the Gillioz Theatre
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Missouri Humanities is inviting the public to an evening with actor, director, author and education advocate LeVar Burton. In partnership with the Springfield-Greene County Library District and the Friends of the Springfield-Greene County Library District, LeVar Burton will be hitting the stage at the Gillioz Theatre on April 3 at 7 p.m. The event will be free and patrons can reserve up to four seats under their name. Burton will be conversing about the transformative power of literacy in building stronger communities. Most would know Burton's acting work in 'Star Trek: The Next Generation' and as the executive producer and host of 'Reading Rainbow' on PBS, in which he received 12 Emmy Awards and a Peabody Award. For more information about Missouri Humanities, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
18-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
With This White House, Can Arts Funding Be Saved? The Creative Coalition Has a Plan
The Creative Coalition's inaugural National Arts Advocacy Summit dubbed the 'Davos of the Arts in the Desert,' brought 50 thought leaders from the arts and business to Las Vegas' Summerlin community on Feb. 12 and 13 for a two-day invite-only gathering. The call to action was to develop a blueprint for the TCC to take to Capitol Hill to advocate for arts funding, with the $207 million earmarked for the National Endowment for the Arts on the line. The TCC's visit to Washington, D.C., known as 'Right to Bear Arts Day,' is scheduled for late April and will include a trip to the White House. More from The Hollywood Reporter Showrunners on the State of Television at Arts Summit: "Streaming Was a Drug and Now TV Is in Rehab" LeVar Burton Says "Arts Are Above Politics" Amid Trump's Kennedy Center Overhaul Mark Wahlberg, Sony and Howard Hughes CEO's New Vegas Studio Bill Is Prepped for Go 'Our vision for the summit was accurate,' says Robin Bronk, CEO of The Creative Coalition. 'It was everything we hoped for, being able to come together, to speak with one voice and to have different types of leaders bring their best game to the table.' The summit began with a hike at Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, followed by dinner at Harlo Steakhouse in downtown Summerlin, where actors, musicians, entertainment executives, CEOs, and media personalities shared ideas and engaged in lively conversation. Participants included Paramount Global senior vp Rob O'Neill, executive producer Jessica Sharzer (American Horror Story), actor and president of The Creative Coalition Tim Daly (Madam Secretary), Howard Hughes Holdings CEO David O'Reilly, LeVar Burton (Star Trek: The Next Generation), Harry Hamlin (80 for Brady), Amazon's head of communications strategy Sallie Schoneboom, actor Richard Kind (Only Murders in the Building), executive producer Bill Prady (The Big Bang Theory), Iain Armitage (Young Sheldon), Amy Brenneman (The Old Man), Gloria Calderón Kellett (With Love), Peri Gilpin (Frasier), Retta (Good Girls) and The Hollywood Reporter co-editor-in-chief Maer Roshan, among others. (THR is the official media partner of the Summit.) The following day, at Red Rock Resort, Summit attendees dedicated eight hours to crafting actionable strategies for advancing arts education, funding and policy, highlighting the arts' essential role in U.S. economic growth and workforce development. The Creative Coalition was founded in 1989 (by Christopher Reeve, Susan Sarandon, Ron Silver and Alec Baldwin) when the Reagan administration announced it would heavily reduce and potentially eliminate the National Endowment for the Arts. The urgency surrounding the conversation of arts funding recently shifted into high gear as the Trump Administration announced in January the NEA would cut funding for underserved communities. With the president installing himself as the chairman of the board at the Kennedy Center, the intersection of arts and politics made top headlines. Andy Buczek, TCC legislative director, kicked off the summit's morning session with a hot take on the state of the arts and a history of the NEA, which was established in 1965 and provides thousands of grants to arts organizations within 435 congressional districts and all 50 states. These dollars often go to organizations that struggle to raise money, such as small-town community theaters or galleries, who find the NEA dollars critical because they leverage them to raise other funds. Approximately 2,151 unique communities are served annually through NEA grants, arts-funded therapy helps military and veteran populations cope with trauma and every dollar of direct NEA funding leverages $9 in non-federal funding. Despite these statistics, several attempts have been made to zero out NEA funding. Throughout the day, every participant had an open mic in the dialogue, which included goal setting, drafting the blueprint, leadership huddles and next steps, and arts workforce-related fireside chats covering family caregiving and the business of art. Cohorts were established for follow-up action in several areas: to pull together an executive summary for Congress and the White House that includes data to support public arts funding; to increase public service awareness; and to create a campaign bringing notables from business and industry back into the communities where they received arts education. 'After the meeting, the committee wanted at least another day to keep rolling up their sleeves and honing the plan,' says Bronk. 'We will meet through Zoom and all were willing to give up more time for this.' According to data compiled by the Coalition, in 2022, the arts sector reached an all-time high of $1.1 trillion in value added to the U.S. economy. 5.2 million workers across the country are employed to produce arts and culture goods and services. Arts and culture exports produce a trade surplus of $21 billion. 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