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Viola Davis' departure from the “G20” production signals a strong message of solidarity amidst ongoing industry strikes, despite the film being among many independent productions granted a waiver by SAG-AFTRA to proceed with filming. The political thriller was set to be produced by Davis, with her company JuVee Productions backing the film alongside Amazon Prime who was set to distribute the film. Although the agreements grant independent productions to proceed with filming, it allows major Hollywood studios to distribute the films.“I love this movie, but I do not feel that it would be appropriate for this production to move forward during the strike,” Davis said in a statement according to <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/31/entertainment/viola-davis-sag-aftra-strike-g20-filming/index.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=twCNN&utm_term=link&utm_content=2023-07-31T10%3A45%3A09">reports</a>. “I appreciate that the producers on the project agree with this decision. JuVee Productions and I stand in solidarity with actors, SAG-AFTRA, and the WGA.”The actress was met with praise from fellow colleagues, including Yvette Nicole Brown who urged other actors to follow in her path. Following her decision, SAG-AFTRA sent a message to its members Sunday evening justifying the interim agreements that allow films and TV Shows to run and addressed the backlash of the agreements. “We are confident that the terms of this agreement, particularly the streaming revenue share, will make distribution of these projects through AMPTP platforms unfeasible, until such time as an industrywide agreement has been reached,” the message states. The Committee added that they “encourage SAG-AFTRA members to work on the projects that obtain an interim agreement” and that the terms of the agreement “reflect” the ongoing demands that SAG-AFTRA is seeking from the AMPTP.Viola Davis is among the few actors to speak out since the strike commenced in mid-July. Following the WGA strike, both strikes aim to negotiate with Hollywood studios for livable wages and jobs, as AI and streaming services threaten the industry.

Viola Davis Steps Away From Upcoming Project Despite Waivers

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Jennifer Hudson, Viola Davis and Trevor Noah are among the list of winners at this year's 54th NAACP Image Awards.The announcements were made during the second night of the non-televised ceremonies.EGOT Jennifer Hudson has won Outstanding Host in a Talk or News/Information (Series or Special) – Individual or Ensemble for <a href="https://www.wbls.com/wbls-news/jennifer-hudson-to-have-daytime-talk-show-this-fall">The Jennifer Hudson Show</a>. After securing EGOT status weeks prior, Viola Davis scored another victory for Outstanding Literary Work - Non-Fiction for her memoir, <a href="https://www.wbls.com/wbls-news/viola-davis-set-to-release-memoir-finding-me">Finding Me</a>. Comedian and television host, Trevor Noah won for Outstanding Variety or Game Show for <a href="https://www.wbls.com/wbls-news/trevor-noah-ended-daily-show-run-thanking-black-women">The Daily Show</a>.https://www.instagram.com/p/Co8ix34pIWd/The NAACP Image Awards is an iconic annual celebration that highlights artists committed to uplifting values that inspire equality and progressive change. Categories include, Motion Picture, Television and Streaming, Recording, Literary, Directing, Writing, Podcast, Documentary, Hair, Make-up, and Costume. Other notable award recipients this year include Tabitha Brown (Outstanding Host in a Reality/Reality Competition), Lizzo (Outstanding Host in a Reality/Reality Competition), Robin Roberts (Outstanding News/Information), Quinta Brunson (Outstanding Breakthrough Creative) and many more.https://www.instagram.com/p/Co_HdOMJnHR/https://www.instagram.com/p/Co_HxhgphHP/https://www.instagram.com/p/Co_H3hiJxxD/https://www.instagram.com/p/Co_H_60pwP8/The 54th NAACP Image Awards will take place Saturday, February 25 and the show airs on BET at 8pm ET.

Jennifer Hudson, Viola Davis and Trevor Noah Among List Of Winners At 54th NAACP Image Awards

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<h5 id="h-the-late-blues-singer-ma-rainey-was-awarded-with-a-lifetime-achievement-award-at-the-2023-grammy-awards">The late Blues singer Ma Rainey was awarded with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2023 Grammy Awards.</h5>Gertrude "Ma Rainey" Pridgett entered the music business over a century ago and her impact is still present. Rainey was a blues singer who became known for her signature "moaning" singing style. She was lauded as "The Mother of Blues" for her powerful vocals and energetic disposition. Because of her musical innovation, she was awarded with a <a href="https://www.grammy.com/news/ma-rainey-lifetime-achievement-award-2023-grammys">Lifetime Achievement Award </a>at this year's Grammy Awards. The award honors performers who have made creative contributions of outstanding artistic significance to the field of recording.Netflix's Ma Rainey's Black Bottom starring <a href="https://www.wbls.com/wbls-news/viola-davis-opens-up-to-oprah-about-chadwick-boseman-not-interested-in-being-a-movie-star">Viola Davis</a>, attests to Ma Rainey's musical contributions. Set in 1927, the film dramatizes a turbulent recording between Rainey and her manager Irvin. While Rainey's impact was not celebrated during her lifetime, she has garnered a great deal of recognition posthumously. In 1983, she was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame and then inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (1990). Her legacy continued with a commemorative postage stamp in 1994.https://www.instagram.com/p/CN00k9wDA06/

Ma Rainey Posthumously Receives The 'Lifetime Achievement Award' At The 2023 Grammys

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Viola Davis made her way into the very exclusive group of EGOT winners this past Sunday by winning a Grammy in the category of Best Spoken Word Album for her audiobook Finding Me. An EGOT winner is someone who has won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony. There are only 18 people in the world who have achieved that feat. Many have achieved this status through directing or producing on some of the projects they won for, while Viola Davis was the performer for each of her wins.Davis joins an even shorter list of Black people who have created history by achieving EGOT status. But who were the first black people to win an EGOT? We’ve got you with this week’s In Case You Didn't Know<h2 id="h-whoopi-goldberg-s-egot-win">Whoopi Goldberg's EGOT Win</h2><img src="https://images.ctfassets.net/hsw71v2um1i3/72o6KikyaQj6zlStMkocAB/6591a6824d6b8fa91097654b63f61b02/GettyImages-2289386-401x600.jpg" alt="Whoopi EGOT" class="wp-image-102950"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Mary Tyler Moore and Whoopi Goldberg in the pressroom during the 56th Annual Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall, New York City. June 2, 2002. Photo by Scott Gries/ImageDirect</figcaption>The first black EGOT win was only in 2002. It was achieved by Whoopi Goldberg. It took her 16 years to win all four awards. She first got her Grammy in 1986, her Oscar in 1990, as well as her Emmy in early 2002. Later that year she cemented her EGOT status with a Tony award for performance in Thoroughly Modern Millie.<h2>John Legend's EGOT</h2><img src="https://images.ctfassets.net/hsw71v2um1i3/4bNqK9QAG20vzqtya1YKEb/56e2117e84af5fc5f4ab6ed5e66d7057/GettyImages-1030447678-480x600.jpg" alt="john legend egot" class="wp-image-102951"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">LOS ANGELES, CA - SEPTEMBER 09: John Legend poses in the press room of the 2018 Creative Arts Emmy Awards - Day 2 at Microsoft Theater on September 9, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Paul Archuleta/FilmMagic)</figcaption>The first Black man to win an EGOT was John Legend. The singer achieved this feat 16 years after Whoopi Goldberg in 2018. It took him a total of 12 years to collect all four. He started with his first Grammy in 2006. However, he didn't begin his EGOT quest until almost ten years later, winning an Oscar in 2015. He then won a Tony in 2017 and cemented his EGOT status in 2018 with an Emmy for producing Jesus Christ Superstar.<h2>Jennifer Hudson's EGOT</h2>Up next is Jennifer Hudson. Her admittance into the EGOT club came only four years after John Legend and took her a total of 15 years to complete. She first received her Oscar in 2007, then a Grammy in 2009. She received an Emmy in 2021 and cemented her status with a Tony in 2022 for being a part of Strange Loop: The Musical, which won best play. Hudson is currently the youngest woman to win an EGOT. <h2>Who May Make The List Next</h2>What Black person will be next to win? Well, people are looking at Cynthia Erivo as she is waiting on her Oscar win. Common is also in the running as he is awaiting on a Tony. Additonally, H.E.R. would be on that list as well. She is waiting on a Tony award and she hasn't even hit 30 yet!

In Case You Didn't Know: Black EGOT Winners

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The 57-year old <a href="https://www.wbls.com/wbls-news/viola-davis-is-grammy-nominated-potentially-the-18th-egot">actress</a> earned her first Grammy for her performance of the audiobook for her memoir, Finding Me. This victory officially earns her the coveted EGOT status.On Sunday, at the <a href="https://www.grammy.com/awards/65th-annual-grammy-awards-2022">65th Annual Grammy Awards</a>, Viola Davis won a Grammy Award for "Best Spoken Word or Non-musical Album". Contenders in this category included Jamie Foxx, Questlove, and Lin-Manuel Miranda.She shared in an Instagram caption, "The 6 year old Viola is screaming!!!!! She is so excited at the 57 year old she will become. Thank you <a href="https://www.instagram.com/recordingacademy/">@recordingacademy</a>!"She excitedly added, "I just EGOT!"https://www.instagram.com/p/CoTTGFzgoBG/In Davis' on stage speech, she noted that <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/finding-me-a-memoir-viola-davis/17354350">Finding Me: A Memoir</a> was written to honor her six-year old self. In Finding Me, Davis traces her rise from growing up in poverty and family violence in Rhode Island to becoming one of the world’s most acclaimed actors.While majority of Davis' career has overflowed with awards and firsts, her journey to become an EGOT began twenty years ago. <ul><li>In 2001, Davis won a Tony Award for "Best Featured Actress in a Play" for King Hedley II. She would later earn another for her role in Fences.</li><li>Then in 2015, she won a Primetime Emmy Award for "Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series" in How to Get Away with Murder.</li><li>In 2017, she scored a victory at the Academy Awards (Oscars) for "Best Supporting Actress" in Fences </li></ul>She is now the 18th person to hold the coveted EGOT status joining the likes of Jennifer Hudson, <a href="https://www.wbls.com/wbls-news/new-music-friday-john-legend-releases-new-album-legend">John Legend,</a> and Mel Brooks.