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December 3, 2008 1:40:25 PM CST

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Denzel Washington

Denzel Washington news stories

10 Stories

Denzel, Others Go to Bat
for Snipes

He's a 'mighty oak,' judge told; sentencing in tax case tomorrow

Ocala Star-Banner Apr 23, 08 9:35 PM CDT
(Newser) - Wesley Snipes is not merely an actor trying to get out of a jail sentence on tax charges. He is a "mighty oak," says Denzel Washington. "True citizen of the world," says Woody Harrelson. "Goodness in his heart," says Judge Joe Brown. Snipes is hoping such character references will persuade a judge to go easy on him at tomorrow's sentencing, the Ocala (Fla.) Star-Banner reports. More »

More about:  taxes • celebrity trials • Internal Revenue Service • Denzel Washington • Wesley Snipes

Depp Is Top Box Office Draw

Sweeney Todd star
fills more seats than Smith or Clooney

Associated Press Associated Press Jan 4, 08 10:27 AM CST
(Newser) - Johnny Depp trounced Will, George and Matt  to bring in more green at movie theaters than any other actor in 2007, reports the AP. The star of the Pirates of the Caribbean series, now proving he can sing, too, in Sweeney Todd , was voted the No. 1 box office draw for the second year in a row by movie exhibitors contacted by Quigley Publishing Co. More »

More about:  movie • box office • actor • Johnny Depp • movie theaters • Denzel Washington • Pirates of the Caribbean

NEW RELEASE

Debaters Inspires, Critics Argue

Film may play it by wrote, but it does it with conviction

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes Dec 25, 07 5:01 PM CST
(Newser) - The Great Debaters , which follows a Jim Crow-era black debate team, aims only for “inspirational pop entertainment in the Oprah Winfrey mode,” but it still manages to resonate, says the New York Times’ Stephen Holden. It is conventional, and sometimes clichéd, in telling the classic underdog story. “The wonder is that (it) transcends its own simplifying and manipulative ploys,” Holden says. “It radiates nobility of spirit.” More »

More about:  movie • movie review • Oprah Winfrey • civil rights • Denzel Washington

OPINION

Denzel's Bad Boy Roles Are All Good

Turns as drug lord,
dirty cop spark unfair slams, Post says

Washington Post Washington Post Dec 23, 07 5:29 PM CST
(Newser) - Denzel Washington has been playing bad boys lately, and it's a good thing for black America, Mark Anthony Neal argues in the Washington Post . Washington's turns as a drug lord and corrupt cop in recent flicks have sparked slams that he's catering to white America by playing crooks, but Neal believes that Washington and black Americans are hungry for such complex portraits. More »

More about:  African Americans • Denzel Washington • black culture • American Gangster • The Great Debaters

Black College Pinning Hopes
On Film Buzz

Great Debaters brings spotlight to Wiley, which hopes money follows

New York Times New York Times Dec 5, 07 1:17 PM CST
(Newser) - Wiley College may be on the ropes, but the historically black Texas school is betting that being on screen will turn things around. Staff face unpaid furloughs, limited office supplies, and the college hasn’t fielded a debate team in years. But The Great Debaters is already changing that—enrollment is up, the campus has been renovated, and Wal-Mart has endowed a scholarship. More »

More about:  Oprah Winfrey • Denzel Washington • The Great Debaters

America's Still Enchanted

Disney pic holds at top spot as Jessica Alba's debuts a tepid fourth

Variety Variety Dec 2, 07 6:21 PM CST
(Newser) - Jessica Alba's Awake slept this weekend as Enchanted kept top spot and the African American family pic This Christmas nabbed second, Variety reports. Three-D glam film Beowulf snatched third, and Awake met expectations by banking $6 million in fourth. Hitman shot up $5.8 million in sales and took fifth in its second week. More »

More about:  movie • Disney • Sony • Denzel Washington • Jessica Alba • Coen Brothers

Beowulf Hath Brought Low Ye Box Office

Holdovers Bee Movie and American Gangster claim second and third spots

Variety Variety Nov 18, 07 4:59 PM CST
(Newser) - Beowulf reaped $28.1 million and claimed top spot this weekend in the best debut ever for a digital 3D film, Variety reports. Other newcomers fumbled, as Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium landed fifth and Love in the Time of Cholera banked a sickly $1.9 million in tenth. Sales were down 30% overall from last Thanksgiving weekend, when Happy Feet and Casino Royale made more than $40 million each. More »

More about:  movie • box office • Nicole Kidman • movie theaters • Denzel Washington • Russell Crowe • Coen Brothers

Bee Movie Goes to Head
of the Class

Seinfeld vehicle passes American Gangster for number one spot

Variety Variety Nov 11, 07 5:20 PM CST
(Newser) - In a rare second-week coup, Bee Movie topped the weekend box office and passed fellow sophomore American Gangster, Variety reports. The Denzel Washington flick dropped 44% after leading last week, while Bee fell just 32%. Newcomer Fred Claus took third, with a less than stellar $19.2 million, while Lions for Lambs banked just $6.7 million. More »

More about:  movie • film • box office • entertainment • Tom Cruise • Jerry Seinfeld • Denzel Washington • audiences • Russell Crowe • Coen brothers • United Artists

Gangster Whacks Box Office

Ridley Scott flick is highest grossing R-rated crime film ever

Variety Variety Nov 4, 07 4:25 PM CST
(Newser) - American Gangster put competitors on ice this weekend and became the top-grossing R-rated crime flick ever. Starring Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe, Gangster scored the top debut of the fall, beating Seinfeld's Bee Movie by $46.3 million to $39.1 million. Seinfeld's first foray since Seinfeld buzzed a little less than DreamWorks Animation-Paramount had hoped, Variety reports. More »

More about:  movie • film • Hollywood • Denzel Washington • Tyler Perry • Ridley Scott • Russell Crowe

Denzel's Dead On in Gangster

Crowe shines as a cop who takes on drug king pin Frank Lucas

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes Nov 2, 07 1:20 PM CDT
(Newser) - As 1970s Harlem drug kingpin Frank Lucas, Denzel Washington is equal parts charisma and cold blood—a combination critics can't resist. "In the still, watchful center of his volcanic performance you'll find the measure of a dangerous man," writes Peter Travers of Rolling Stone , adding that American Gangster , a stunningly paced film that finds director Ridley Scott at the top of his game, "goes to the heart of America's obsession with success as a killer instinct." More »

More about:  movie review • Denzel Washington • Ridley Scott • Russell Crowe • American Gangster

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