Easter Egg in Black Cowboy Movie "The Harder They Fall" a Tribute to Chadwick Boseman

Photo Credit: Netflix 

Rufus Buck (Idris Elba, center) escapes custody on a train with

the help of his gang associates Treacherous Trudy (Regina King)

and Cherokee Bill (LaKeith Stanfield) in “The Harder They Fall.”

"The Harder They Fall," the black-led western taking a fresh look at the genre is making a lot of noise on and off the screen for Netflix.

Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes at 87%, the movie which dropped Wednesday on Netflix following a limited theatrical run, has drawn high praise from critics, has a banging soundtrack and got co-producer Jay-Z to join Instagram — even if it was only temporary.

It certainly looks like director Jeymes Samuel has found the formula for success, though with talented
stars like Idris Elba, Regina King, LaKeith Stanfield and Jonathan Majors driving the action on the screen and Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Jay-Z adding his clout to the soundtrack — the prospects of failure may have been somewhat lessened. 

Anytime you're dealing with a new take on a genre, especially one that involves race, America's not so politically correct path on the matter and redefining who and what people are and can be, using a mix of history and fantasy, the pressure is immense. Samuel's ability to rise above it and blend those elements into an empowering, educational and perhaps most of all fun piece of film is to be applauded.

And while the movie does an adept job of horning the past of black cowboys, albeit in a fictional framework, it is easy to connect the passions and problems that drive the protagonists with those Black people still are dealing with today.

So, it is only appropriate that in a nodding wink to the audience, almost too easy to miss if you're not looking for it, the film pays homage to the late Chadwick Boseman. The "Black Panther" star died in 2020 of colon cancer at the age of 43, and the filmmakers made sure the Disney/Netflix star was not forgotten.

The Twitter account for Strong Black Lead, Netflix's division dedicated to advancing Black stories, creators, and experiences, tweeted about the tribute:

Our favorite trivia from #TheHarderTheyFall might be the fact that the train is named after our forever king, Chadwick Aaron Boseman.

 Our favorite trivia from #TheHarderTheyFall might be the fact that the train is named after our forever king, Chadwick Aaron Boseman. 🖤 pic.twitter.com/wahEALnftR

— Strong Black Lead (@strongblacklead) November 3, 2021

Gap Band Co-Founder Ronnie Wilson Dead at 73

Ronnie Wilson, a co-founder of one of the seminal funk groups of the 1970s and 80s — the Gap Band — along with his brothers Charlie and Robert, is dead at the age of 73.

The performer, who was preceded by his brother Robert in death, who died of a heart attack in 2010 at the age of 53 following the group's official retirement after 36 years, suffered a stroke last week and his wife Linda Boulware-Wilson told TMZ that he died at his Tulsa, Oklahoma, home Tuesday morning.

"The love of my life was called home this morning, at 10:01am. Please continue to pray for The Wilson, Boulware, and Collins family, while we mourn his passing," Boulware-Wilson wrote in a Facebook post confirming the death. 

"Ronnie Wilson was a genius with creating, producing, and playing the flugelhorn, trumpet, keyboards, and singing music, from childhood to his early seventies. He will be truly missed!!!"

The Wilson brothers founded the band in the 1960s and named it after streets in their hometown (Greenwood, Archer, and Pine) in remembrance of the Tulsa race massacre. After years of steady work and some mild successes, the GAP band exploded on the scene in the late 70s and 80s with hits like "Burn Rubber on Me (Why You Wanna Hurt Me),"  "Early in the Morning," and their signature hit "You Dropped a Bomb on Me."

CDC Decision Opens the Door for Children to Begin Receiving Covid Vaccine

As early as Wednesday of this week some parents will have the choice to vaccinate their young children,
following a unanimous vote by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's vaccine advisory panel Tuesday to recommend giving the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine to children ages 5 to 11.

CDC Director Rochelle Walensky declared, "Today is a monumental day in the course of this pandemic and one that many of us have been very eager to see ever since your vote … recommending COVID-19 vaccination for those 16 and older," at the start of the panel meeting according to reporting from the Washington Post.

"There are children in the second grade who have never experienced a 'normal' school year," Walensky, who was expected to sign off on the recommendation later Tuesday, continued. "There are students in middle school who missed out on school sports and extracurricular activities. There are missed proms and homecoming dances … Pediatric vaccination has the power to help us change all of that."

Once  Walensky's signature is on the letter, 28 million kids will be eligible for a two-shot dose of the vaccine — containing one-third of the adult dose and administered three weeks apart — and according to White House coronavirus response coordinator Jeff Zients the vaccination effort is expected to be fully running by next week.

“Starting the week of Nov. 8, the kids vaccination program will be fully up and running,” Zients said at a press conference Monday, following the Food and Drug Administration's emergency use authorization of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for kids in the same age group Friday. “Parents will be able to schedule appointments at convenient sites they know and trust to get their kids vaccinated.”