We have two new names to add to the line-up for NBC’s live-action remake of The Wiz. Funny man David Alan Grier is stepping into the furry shoes of the Cowardly Lion, and—drumroll, please—newcomer Shanice Williams will be playing the role of dorothy. Williams was selected from thousands of young women after producers held an open casting call in New York City in June. We can’t wait to hear her musical chops! [TV Line]
We hope Nicki Minaj’s wax figure isn’t too hot to handle! The “Anaconda” rapper just got her own figure at the Madame Tussauds Wax Museum in Las Vegas. Surrounded by wax back-up dancers, wax Nicki is situated in a full-on Anaconda pose. It feels like we’re in the music video. Billboard]
Cheryl Boone Isaacs is here to stay (at least for the next year). The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences president was just reelected for a third term (incumbents can run for a total of four terms). We hope she continues to bring more diversity to the Academy! [Deadline]
President Obama is enlisting the help of a woman who has made waves in the art world. Thelma Golden, who is currently the director and chief curator at the Studio Museum of Harlem, was just tapped to serve on the board of the Barack Obama Presidential Center in Chicago. “The South Side of Chicago has historically been the nexus of several important cultural movements for African-Americans, and I believe the new center will help usher in a new era of community engagement for this extraordinary neighborhood,” she said in a statement. [ArtNews]
Oh yaaas, honey. Idris Elba is smoldering on this month’s cover of Maxim magazine, but there’s more to his cover than unbelievable sexiness—he is the first man in Maxim history to be featured on the magazine’s cover by himself. “There was no one else in the world more badass than Idris,” Maxim editor-in-chief Kate Lanphear said to Racked. We would have to agree! [TIME]
