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Actor Louis Gossett Jr. and Colette Phillips attend the 17th Annual Trumpet Awards at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre on January 25, 2009 in Atlanta, Georgia.

Picture courtesy of WireImage.  Click here for more!

From the Jewish Journal:

This week, actor Louis Gossett Jr. will fly to Washington, D.C., to attend the inauguration of Barack Obama, where he will celebrate with an inner circle of African American celebrities who campaigned for the president-elect. But in between those festivities, he will make a more personal stop — to deliver the toast at the National Inaugural Jewish Ball sponsored by Ohev Shalom — the National Synagogue, a thriving Modern Orthodox congregation in the capital.

Click here to see the full paper.

By Andrew Gans
07 Jan 2009

Stage and screen star Louis Gossett, Jr., who was seen in the Kennedy Center’s 2008 production of Fences, will be part of an upcoming tribute to the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Entitled “Raising the Roof!,” the Jan. 19 performance – the eve of the historic inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama - at Boston’s Jordan Hall will feature actor Gossett as well as The Young People’s Chorus of New York City and the Boston Children’s Chorus.

The program is described as a “tapestry of words and music honoring the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.”

Francisco J. Nuñez, artistic director and founder of the Young People’s Chorus of New York City, said in a statement, “We are delighted to be taking part in this annual tribute to Martin Luther King on the eve of the inauguration of Barack Obama. It is not only Dr. King’s birthday we are celebrating today, but his dream of all God’s children uniting together in brotherhood and our hopes and prayers for our nation under our new president.”

Gossett added, “It is the responsibility of every generation to raise the quality of life for the next one . . . This [event] is progress. This is great progress and a model for the rest of our nation.”

The show will air live at 7 PM ET in Boston; Washington, DC; Tampa; St. Petersburg; Phoenix; Cleveland; Miami; Ft. Lauderdale; Sacramento; Orlando; Daytona Beach; St. Louis and Pittsburgh. In New York, the show will air on WABC Jan. 25 at 1 PM ET.

Louis Gosset, Jr. has appeared on Broadway in Chicago, Murderous Angels, Carry Me Back to Morningside Heights, My Sweet Charlie, The Zulu and the Zayda, Golden Boy, Tambourines to Glory, A Raisin in the Sun, The Desk Set and Take a Giant Step. Gossett won an Academy Award for his performance in “An Officer and a Gentleman.” Gossett also founded the Eracism Foundation in 2006, which seeks to “promote education and awareness of racism, ignorance and social apathy.”

For more information visit www.bostonchildrenschorus.org.

Mr. Gossett arrives at the CNN Heroes All-Star Tribute Held at the Kodak Theater, Nov 22, 2008.

Guests, Louis Gossett Jr. and Publicist Colette Phillips

Photo Courtesy ContactMusic

About the Event From CNN:

Singer Christina Aguilera joined fellow Grammy Award winners Alicia Keys and John Legend for “CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute,” which honored the top 10 CNN Heroes of 2008. The show, taped before an audience of more than 2,500 at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, premiered on the global networks of CNN on Thanksgiving night.

Liz McCartney, dedicated to helping survivors of Hurricane Katrina rebuild their homes, was named 2008 CNN Hero of the Year.

McCartney, who will receive $100,000 to continue her work just outside New Orleans, was selected from among the top 10 CNN Heroes after six weeks of online voting at CNN.com. More than 1 million votes were cast.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Christopher Chen
or Mirjana Van Blaricom
(818) 989-1589
info@pressacademy.com
www.pressacademy.com

The International Press Academy announces Louis Gossett, Jr. will receive the 2008 Mary Pickford Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Entertainment Industry at this year’s 13th Annual Satellite Awards^TM to be held on Sunday, December 14, 2008 at the InterContinental Hotel in Century City, California.

Mr. Gossett is a star of stage and screen whose career began in 1958 and covers more than 50 years, continuing to this day. He is the recipient of numerous awards and accolades, including the 1983 Academy Award® for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his portrayal of the tough gunnery sergeant Emil Foley in An Officer and a Gentleman, which was directed by Taylor Hackford. This film also featured memorable
performances by a young Richard Gere and Debra Winger.

Over the years, Mr. Gossett’s career has reflected the dignity and grace of a true scholar of his craft, from the 1961 production of Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun, to his Emmy Award-winning role in the groundbreaking television mini-series Roots (1977), to his portrayal of Anwar Sadat in the 1983 television movie, Sadat, and hosts of other performances, Louis Gossett, Jr. has exemplified the quintessential thespian. At present, Mr. Gossett has taken a leading role on the popular science fiction series Stargate SG-1introducing him to yet a new generation of fans worldwide.

As a philanthropist and humanitarian, Mr. Gossett’s achievements have been equally impressive. Mr. Gossett is the founder of the nonprofit Eracism Foundation aimed at creating entertainment that helps bring awareness and education to issues such as racism, ignorance, and societal apathy.

The International Press Academy gives recognition to veteran artists and personalities who have become pioneers and institutions in the entertainment industry by bestowing their coveted Satellite Award in a number of distinctive categories, as well as its lifetime achievement honors, the Nikola Tesla Award and the Mary Pickford Award. Mr. Gossett will be the thirteenth recipient of the Mary Pickford Award.

Past recipients of the International Press Academy’s Mary Pickford Award for Outstanding Artistic Contribution to the Entertainment Industry include: Kathy Bates, Martin Landau, Gena Rowlands, Susan Sarandon, Arnon Milchan, Robert Evans, Karl Malden, Francis Ford Coppola, Maximilian Schell, Alan J. Pakula, Jodie Foster, and Rod Steiger.

Via the Muncie Free Press:

The Family and Social Services Administration’s (FSSA) Indiana Commission on the Social Status of Black Males (ICSSBM) began its 14th Annual Black Male State Conference. The two-day event at the new Indianapolis central library started this morning with a new theme to focus on the “Total Education of the Black Male”.

…

Today’s keynote address was presented by Emmy-winning actor Louis Gossett, Jr. Gossett’s Broadway theatre credits include A Raisin in the Sun, Golden Boy, and Chicago. Gossett also earned an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in An Officer and a Gentleman. The format for this year’s conference has changed slightly enabling the ICSSBM to focus solely on adults on the first day and turn to the African-American youth on the second day.

Read the full article.

Ashford and Simpson, Lou Gossett Jr.and Colette Phillips on The Red Carpet at The Opening Gala of Tyler Perry's new Motion Picture & Television Studio on October 4, 2008 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Rick Diamond/Getty Images North America)

Mr. Gossett and publicist Colette Phillips helped friend and film-maker Tyler Perry celebrate a historical and momentous event – the opening of his new movie and TV studio complex in Atlanta, Georgia.  Its opening marks the first state of the art Black owned movie studio in the United States.

Perry says he will film House of Payne at the facility as well as his other ongoing TV show, Meet The Browns.  With a string of cinema successes to his credit, Perry has stated that he will also use the complex for his film projects.

The event was star studded with guests such as Oprah, Sidney Poitier, Ruby Dee; Cecily Tyson, Danny Glover; Will Smith, Patti La Belle, Gladys Knight, John Legend, Andrew Young, Hank Aaron, and a host of other celebrities.  R&B singer Mary J Blige performed at the event.

The weekend celebration culminated with a Gospel brunch at Perry’s home, a property which is rich in its own history.  The home was once owned by a southern segregationist who sued to revoke the sale of the property once he found out that it had been purchased by a Black man.

Congratulations Tyler!

Academy Award-winning actor Louis Gossett Jr. (left) joined Colette Phillips, president and CEO of Colette Phillips Communications (center) and Boston City Council President Maureen Feeney. Photo Courtesy Don West

From the Malibu Times:

Academy award winning actor Louis Gossett Jr. is seen here with Boston City Council President Maureen Feeney (far right) and his publicist Colette Phillips, president and CEO of Colette Phillips Communications Inc. Gossett, a Malibu resident, was the guest of honor at Get Konnected, a monthly multicultural professional and social networking event founded by Phillips.

From Bay State Banner:

With an acting career spanning over five decades in film, television and theater, Gossett is perhaps best known for his roles as Fiddler in the groundbreaking television miniseries “Roots” and as Gunnery Sgt. Emil Foley in the 1982 film “An Officer and a Gentleman.” The former earned him an Emmy; the latter, an Oscar.

In 2006, Gossett decided to focus his energies on fighting social ills when he founded The Eracism Foundation, a nonprofit organization designed to create a “conscious offensive against racism, violence and ignorance.” Toward that end, the foundation has created programs focused on youth mentoring, anti-gang violence initiatives and diversity sensitivity training sessions known as “Shamba Centers.”

While the Eracism organization’s work is part of the solution, Gossett said, there is much more work to be done — and he thinks the classroom is a good place to start.

The Boston Globe caught up with Mr. Gossett and Ms. Phillips prior to the Get Konnected! multicultural social networking event in Boston founded by Ms. Phillips.  The article covers some personal details as well as several upcoming events on Mr. Gossett’s calendar.  Catch the full scoop here.