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D. Watkins

D. Watkins

Salon

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Remembering Nikki Giovanni, the iconic poet who taught me how to exist with freedom

They say never meet your heroes, but I met this architect of Black joy in 2017 and learned an important life lesson

11.12.2024 6

Salon

D. Watkins

"Dream bigger": Sheryl Lee Ralph is living proof of her "Abbott Elementary" character's wisdom

Entertainment icon and ABC’s "Abbott Elementary" star Sheryl Lee Ralph has a unique opportunity to use her role as Mrs. Howard to both highlight...

21.11.2024 10

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D. Watkins

Kamala Harris' loss breaks my heart — for my wife and daughter, and for America

Vice President Kamala Harris lost her campaign for president overnight, breaking the hearts of many, including my wife Caron and four-year-old...

06.11.2024 30

Salon

D. Watkins

DeWanda Wise’s messy polyamorous marriage on “Three Women” has lessons for all couples

"The first person I'd ever met who was poly, I met in 2005, so it's not conceptually passing strange to me and not really foreign territory," actress...

31.10.2024 6

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D. Watkins

“Sometimes you have to jump”: Roy Wood Jr. on why his “Daily Show” exit was about facing fears

Last fall, Roy Wood Jr. took his seven-year-old son with him to clean out his office at “The Daily Show.” Wood had been working at “The Daily...

21.09.2024 10

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D. Watkins

"Wise Guy" director Alex Gibney on the legacy of "The Sopranos" and lovable bad guys

Alex Gibney is the Academy Award, Grammy, and Emmy Award-winning director, writer, and producer of "Taxi to the Dark Side," "Enron" and "Going Clear,"...

19.09.2024 8

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D. Watkins

Tyrese on "1992," making Hollywood uncomfortable and rejecting "wack" R&B

Tyrese Gibson is a Grammy Award-nominated, multi-platinum recording artist and celebrated film star from the "Transformers" and "The Fast and the...

15.09.2024 4

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D. Watkins

"Art heals": Colman Domingo on why nurturing the incarcerated is in everybody's best interest

Oscar-nominated actor Colman Domingo is actively challenging men to be more tender through his new film “Sing Sing,” which follows a group of...

26.07.2024 7

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D. Watkins

Blair Underwood embraces the demonic dark in “Longlegs" with Nicolas Cage

Blair Underwood terrified me last weekend to the point where my Sunday was ruined.  Yes, I am talking about that Blair Underwood –– the Peabody,...

20.07.2024 4

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D. Watkins

"I need Kendrick to give me a call": How "The Office" star got involved in rap's greatest beef

Who would think that fun-loving actor Brian Baumgartner, known for playing Kevin for nine seasons on the legendary, Emmy Award-winning series, "The...

30.05.2024 20

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D. Watkins

"We've been doing that to survive": "Black Twitter" filmmaker on Black culture repurposing spaces

Director Prentice Penny on his new docuseries about the coming-of-age story of an influential online community

15.05.2024 20

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D. Watkins

“They were never going to pick me”: John Leguizamo on how rejection made him

"I've been rejected my whole life," actor John Leguizamo told me. After starring in over 100 movies, earning a Special Tony Award, an Emmy Award,...

09.05.2024 30

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D. Watkins

Dulé Hill on the "powerful" value of artists and why "The West Wing" "still rings true today"

Actor Dulé Hill's big break was in 1999 on Aaron Sorkin's "The West Wing," where he played Charlie Young, the personal aide to President Jed Bartlet,...

29.04.2024 40

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D. Watkins

Butchered a social media recipe? You are not alone

I failed at trying to bake or cook over a dozen recipes I found on Instagram, so don't feel bad when you do the same.  In the 1993 classic film,...

23.04.2024 10

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D. Watkins

I'm excited about Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark, but what about the pioneers of women's hoops?

Seeing images of college sensations turning WNBA stars Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark fill my timelines and appear on all the media sites I subscribe...

20.04.2024 30

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D. Watkins

Apples are the only thing that can save me from over-eating

A few apples a day can keep the guilt away . . . or whatever mom used to say.  I don't want to act like I have discovered a foolproof plan, and no,...

11.04.2024 9

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D. Watkins

Useful hacks (or outright lies) that can trick toddlers into healthy eating

You know what's more difficult than advanced trigonometry? Getting your toddler to eat healthy on a consistent basis or getting them to try new...

09.04.2024 10

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D. Watkins

Books are trash too: Remember to throw them away during spring cleaning

Trashing books has the power to save the publishing industry. Spring cleaning has become a universal time to declutter our lives, chucking everything...

06.04.2024 20

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D. Watkins

"It's a weird dance" playing the "Victim": When trauma-seekers pigeonhole writers of color

It took award-winning author Andrew Boryga 10 years to write his debut novel "Victim," which was published in March. When I talked to Boryga recently...

30.03.2024 30

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D. Watkins

I thought I had partied at Freaknik

The kind of PTSD that comes with weekly shootings, teenage funerals and that third world American experience in general, makes phone alerts scary. A...

30.03.2024 10

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D. Watkins

“I didn't look at myself as 'I'm the white lady’”: Why Lisa Ann Walter says "Abbott" feels like home

ABC's "Abbott Elementary" star Lisa Ann Walter wants the world to know that the sitcom's success is the result of creator and showrunner Quinta...

27.03.2024 10

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D. Watkins

5 life-changing lessons from Larry David

Larry David’s existence has made us all better, and we all need to give him his flowers right now.  This is the last season of "Curb Your...

25.03.2024 10

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D. Watkins

“We created monsters”: “Top Chef”’s Gail Simmons says the show changed how Americans dine out

Gail Simmons believes that "Top Chef" has created a generation of monster-diners — and she would know. The veteran judge of Bravo's hit culinary...

20.03.2024 6

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D. Watkins

"I tried on the American dream": CNN analyst Natasha Alford on finding success without assimilating

Natasha Alford is an award-winning journalist, the Vice President of Digital Content for The Grio, and CNN political analyst. She is most known for...

17.03.2024 10

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D. Watkins

"She's a total mess": Alison Brie takes on a new kind of role in "Apples Never Fall"

Over the years, we’ve gotten to know Alison Brie in Type-A roles like Trudy Campbell on the hit AMC series “Mad Men,” Annie Edison on...

15.03.2024 8

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D. Watkins

"We almost died for these greens": A journey through my food desert

Urban farming is changing the world and leaving me more optimistic than my 14-year-old self could ever imagine. I truly believe that easy access to ...

13.03.2024 6

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D. Watkins

Chicken mozzarella fingers: How to combine the 2 best bar foods for happy hour at home

"Yo, meet me at Burkes!" My cousin Tye always said. "Hurry up before you miss happy hour!"  Cousin Tye was one of the only dudes in my family that...

11.03.2024 4

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D. Watkins

All hail Leon, the king of "Curb Your Enthusiasm"

Yes Larry David has millions of dollars, unlimited opportunities in Hollywood and enough resources to come out on top, even when he clearly loses....

10.03.2024 10

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D. Watkins

The empathy and artistry of Nas' "Illmatic" and the mixtape that changed my life

In April, the rapper Nas' debut album "Illmatic" will turn 30. But those of us who participated in the 1990s DJ-mixtape economy knew what was about to...

03.03.2024 30

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D. Watkins

Real sneakerheads get why Donald Trump's gold shoes are a failure . . . and ugly, too

Former president, now presidential candidate and the world’s most famous defendant Donald Trump dropped the Never Surrender high-tops at Sneaker Con...

23.02.2024 9

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D. Watkins

We're not stupid or more racist: "Daily Show's" Dulcé Sloan says New Yorkers get Southerners wrong

You know Dulcé Sloan from "The Daily Show," where she delivers witty commentary from the desk as a correspondent and plays hilarious characters...

23.02.2024 20

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D. Watkins

Plant based brownies that you can feel good about eating

Did you know that you can grow brownies? I never tried it personally; however, I was able to use some leftover ingredients to create what I consider...

21.02.2024 50

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D. Watkins

The secret to better pancakes is breakfast cereal

To all of the parents who work so hard for their children's approval, I am happy to say that I have a simple pancake recipe that will both awaken the...

15.02.2024 10

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D. Watkins

My wife taught me to appreciate romance — but I make these chocolate-covered strawberries for myself

Valentine's Day was never a complex sale for me; I always understood the power of love and the commercial marketing attached to it. My elementary...

14.02.2024 7

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D. Watkins

Ditch the reservations: 5 things to do on Valentine's Day other than going out to dinner

Do you love Valentine's Day? Feb. 14 is rapidly approaching, and I'm here to make sure that you do not look basic when trying to express your love to...

11.02.2024 10

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D. Watkins

Watching "The Book of Clarence" shows we've been losing our organized religion

I never heard of a biblical comedy-drama until seeing the trailer for the Jeymes Samuel film "The Book of Clarence." Samuel’s 2019 Netflix cowboy...

04.02.2024 6

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D. Watkins

Don't be intimidated: For a veritable five star home-cooked meal, make scallops

In full transparency, I am so in love with this species of marine bivalve mollusks — but it didn't start out that way. Back in the day when I was...

01.02.2024 6

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D. Watkins

The salmon burger might be the pinnacle of burgers

While a meat patty or a plant-based burger can be great, there's something special about a salmon burger

26.01.2024 10

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D. Watkins

New year, new you? This green smoothie is so filling while also being incredibly nutritious

Here's a recipe so good that you won't abandon your diet

16.01.2024 5

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D. Watkins

Danielle Brooks on leaving a legacy with “The Color Purple” and being ready for a "weird" role next

Back in 1982, Alice Walker published her genius novel "The Color Purple." That book would make her the first African American woman to win a Pulitzer...

10.01.2024 5

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D. Watkins

A 2-ingredient chocolate mousse that doesn't sacrifice on flavor

"I found a super easy method for chocolate mousse on the internet" is a sentence that I never thought would make its way onto my blank page or even...

09.01.2024 6

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D. Watkins

"American Fiction" reframes what Black success means, especially for writers

"American Fiction" is the perfect film, at least for me. I am not a film critic, nor do I try to be one; however, I am a Black artist coming of age in...

22.12.2023 30

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D. Watkins

Egusi stew is the comfort food of your dreams

My hatred for bullies had introduced me to Egusi, the stew of my dreams. And you can enjoy this beautiful dish with little to no salt.  I was a 9th...

19.12.2023 20

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D. Watkins

Navigating the new sober boom, where "a person's sobriety is as unique as their fingerprint"

“You’ll be OK. I take breaks, on and off, all of the time,” my cousin Maja said with a smooth smile during my first week off alcohol. “And if...

16.12.2023 10

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D. Watkins

This easy, creamy pasta is perfect for weeknights and comes together in less than 30 minutes

There’s a cheap, delicious way to whip up a batch of pasta with a creamy lemon flavor that will impress everyone in your orbit. Unless they hate...

11.12.2023 6

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D. Watkins

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