Here’s why we’re going with a venti latte today:
- Kevin Hart and Will Ferrell’s new film Get Hard has an official release date of March 27, 2015. Directed by Etan Cohen, who penned Men in Black 3, the film follows an innocent investment banker (Ferrell) who is convicted of a crime and hires a streetwise man (Hart) to help him prepare for prison. Filming will start next month in New Orleans. [HollywoodReporter]
- The children of Martin Luther King, Jr are in a legal battle regarding the late civil rights leader’s personal possessions. Bernice King was ordered to relinquish his Bible and his 1964 Nobel Peace Prize to be kept in a safe temporarily. The judge will hold the posessions until the dispute is settled between the siblings. Bernice claims that her brothers, Dexter King and Martin Luther King III, are trying to sell the items and spoke out about why she doesn’t want to give them up, “They are very sacred, not just to me but to a lot of people. I just don’t believe, morally, that you sell it.” [TMZ]
- Laz Alonso is set to co-star opposite Debra Messing in NBC’s drama pilot The Mysteries of Laura. Based on a popular Spanish series, the show follows the life and relationships of Laura Diamond, a homicide detective who can handle murderous criminals, but not her hell-raising twin children. Alonso will play Billy, Laura’s partner in crime. [Deadline]
- Jermaine Dupri was served with a civil lawsuit by his ex-business partner, Eddie Weathers. According to documents filed in a Georgia courthouse, Weathers is seeking $1 million in damages. He claims that he and Dupri were supposed to split profits made from their company, Dieniahmar Music LLC, evenly but that he was purposely kept out of a merger deal that cost him hundred of thousands in royalties. [Radar]
- This year the Academy Awards boasts one of the most diverse group of presenters in its history. Hosted by Ellen Degeneres, the full list of presenters includes Michael B. Jordan, Jamie Foxx, Whoopi Goldberg, Gabourey Sidibe, Sidney Poitier, Viola Davis, Tyler Perry, Will Smith and many more. The 86th Annual Academy Awards airs live on Sunday March 2 at 7 p.m. ET on ABC. [Vibe]