Taraji P. Henson to Host American Music Awards (TV News Roundup)

Natalie Oganesyan
·4 min read
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In today’s TV news roundup, Taraji P. Henson will host the American Music Awards, and NBC released a trailer for the eighth season of “The Blacklist.”

FIRST LOOKS

NBC released a trailer for the eighth season of “The Blacklist.” Season 8 finds Raymond Reddington (James Spader) facing his most worthy adversary yet in Elizabeth Keen (Megan Boone), who is now aligned with her mother, a notorious Russian spy. In Liz’s attempt to figure out Reddington’s end goals, the two have a fallout that sows adverse consequences for everyone, including the task force they helped create. “The Blacklist” also features Diego Klattenhoff, Amir Arison, Hisham Tawfiq, Laura Sohn and Harry Lennix. Watch the teaser below.

PRODUCTION

HGTV began production of “Design Star: Next Gen,” a new competition series inspired by its reality franchise “HGTV Design Star.” Set to premiere in 2021, the six-episode series will be hosted by Allison Holker Boss (“So You Think You Can Dance”) and will feature eight designers, renovators and social media influencers as they compete in weekly challenges. The series will be shot in an isolated “design hub” community, where each competitor will be given a house-like space to reimagine for each challenge. The judging panel will feature potter, interior decorator and author Jonathan Adler as head judge, along with designer Lauren Makk and a rotating cast of celebrity experts. At the end of the show, one contestant will win the prize of $50,000 and their own HGTV show.

AWARDS

CBS News executive vice president of news Kim Godwin was honored with the Ida B. Wells Award from the National Association of Black Journalists for being a strong newsroom leader, advocate for underrepresented stories and champion for newsroom diversity. In her position at CBS News, Godwin has editorial oversight over international newsgathering. This year she helped launch CBS News Race and Culture Unit and CBS Village, a multi-platform franchise that aims to highlight content about diverse groups. Before joining CBS, she spent more than 20 years as a manager and newsroom leader at top local stations in the country. Outside of her reporting, Godwin has served as the interim director for journalism at Florida A&M University, where she is now a Chair of the Board of Visitors. The Ida B. Wells Award, named after the venerated journalist, is presented annually by the NABJ and the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.

EVENTS

Comedians Sherri Shepherd and Kym Whitley will host the fifth annual Multicultural Media and Correspondents Association Dinner Nov. 11 in a virtual format. MMCA, an advocacy organization that aims to increase media diversity, will include honorees Richard Parsons, Lisa Ling, Sen. Marco Rubio, Sen. Jacky Rosen, Maria Hinojosa, Nikole Hannah-Jones and Detavio Samuels. The dinner, an invitation-only gathering of content producers, policymakers, executives, corporations and advocacy organizations, aims to uplift prominent media industry professionals and pioneers of color.

AWARD SHOWS

Taraji P. Henson will host the “2020 American Music Awards,” which will take place Nov. 22 at 8 p.m., airing live on ABC. The Golden Globe-winning actor, writer and producer is best known for starring in the music drama “Empire,” her role in the Academy Award-nominated film “Hidden Figures” and breakout performance in the critically acclaimed “Hustle & Flow.” Outside of her roles, Henson is also a New York Times bestselling author. She also launched the Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation in honor of her late father to provide scholarships to Black students majoring in mental health, offer mental health services to underrepresented youth and work to lower recidivism rates among Black men and women. Henson is currently developing an “Empire” spinoff with her production company, TPH Entertainment. This year’s AMA nominees include two-time AMA winner The Weeknd and rapper Roddy Ricch, both of whom lead this year’s nominees with eight nods. Two-time nominee Dua Lipa will perform at this year’s show.

LATE NIGHT

Tonight, John Lithgow, Freddie Highmore and Giveon will appear on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” while Anthony Anderson, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, along with performers Big Boi and Sleepy Brown featuring Killer Mike and Big Rube, will appear on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.” John Oliver and JoJo are tonight’s guests on “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert,” and John Mulaney will be a guest on “Late Night With Seth Meyers.”

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