[VIDEO/TRAILER] HBO’s (@HBO) “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” Starring Oprah Winfrey (@Oprah)!

Have you heard the story of Henrietta Lacks?

If not you definitely should be doing some research as there is not a single person in the world who has not benefitted from her “immortal cells.”

via NewYorkTimes.com

The story began in January 1951, when Mrs. Lacks was found to have cervical cancer. She was treated with radium at Johns Hopkins, the standard of care in that day, but there was no stopping the cancer. Her doctor had never seen anything like it. Within months, her body was full of tumors, and she died in excruciating pain that October. She was 31 and left five children, the youngest just a year old. She had been a devoted mother, and the children suffered terribly without her.

Neither Mrs. Lacks nor any of her relatives knew that doctors had given a sample of her tumor to Dr. George Gey, a Hopkins researcher who was trying to find cells that would live indefinitely in culture so researchers could experiment on them. Before she came along, his efforts had failed. Her cells changed everything: they multiplied like crazy and never died.

A cell line called HeLa (for Henrietta Lacks) was born. Those immortal cells soon became the workhorse of laboratories everywhere. HeLa cells were used to develop the first polio vaccine, they were launched into space for experiments in zero gravity and they helped produce drugs for numerous diseases, including Parkinson’s, leukemia and the flu. By now, literally tons of them have been produced.

Starring Oprah Winfrey, HBO has produced a biopic detailing Henrietta’s life and her unwitting contributions to medical science. Check out the trailer below!

This is almost like a medical version of Hidden Figures! It represents yet another contribution of African-American women to the world and their worth. You can catch The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks on Saturday, April 22nd!

Written By: Michael “Hey Mikey” Fanning

 

Let’s Hear It For The Girls! “Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising” (@NeighborsMovie) is Non-Stop Laughter!

It’s all laughs and war in the hit sequel to 2014’s Neighbors! Mac (Seth Brogen) and Kelly Radner (Rose Byrne) are expecting their second daughter and ready to move to a roomier house in suburbia. They finally find a couple who wants the house, but it is placed on escrow (the explanation of which is hilarious) for thirty days before being sold. All seems well until an independent sorority, “Kappa Nu,” founded by Morgan (Chloe Grace Moretz) and her two friends who just want to be able to have fun and party without the harassment of frat boys. Not wanting to spook the buyers, The Radners’ reasoning and the girls’ determination to party soon cause a prank war of the ages!

The girls, however, may have the edge as they are being backed by Teddy (Zac Efron), who is currently feeling undervalued and unappreciated by the people in his life. Get ready to laugh so hard you can’t breathe and cry so hard your eyes get red! Summer is almost here and what better way to kick it off with than a movie that delivers the laughs!

The Sun, Love, & Tears Come Out for “Annie!”

“Annie” is the tale of a kind and optimistic, little red headed orphan girl adopted by a rich man. That is the story you know right? Only part right! 2014’s “Annie” places new twists and developments for the Twenty-First Century’s first cinematic rendition of the beloved American sweetheart. This time around the story is set in present day New York City and instead of Annie being a red-headed Caucasian girl, she’s African-American with a poof of curly hair. Beyond that not too much has changed. Annie (Quvenzhané Wallis) is still parent-less having been abandoned by them at restaurant as a toddler. Her parents leave a note with her promising they will return for her someday. That someday seems to be no day, as six years have passed and she has been shuffled around from one foster home to another. She winds up in the home of Ms. Hannigan (Cameron Diaz), a clear alcoholic, embittered by her failed music career. She takes her anger out on Annie and the other girls in her care, wanting to make them has hateful as she is. Annie, however is highly optimistic, fueled by her deep belief that things will look up for her and the other orphan girls someday.

Quvenzhané Wallis as “Annie”