Morgan Freeman To Receive SAG Life Achievement Award

Morgan Freeman will be the 54th recipient of the SAG Life Achievement Award for his career achievement and humanitarian accomplishments. The award, which will be presented at the 24th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards on January 21, 2018, is SAG-AFTRA’s highest honor.

“I am thrilled to announce Morgan Freeman as this year’s recipient of the SAG Life Achievement Award. Some actors spend their entire careers waiting for the perfect role. Morgan showed us that true perfection is what a performer brings to the part,” said SAG-AFTRA President Gabrielle Carteris. “He is innovative, fearless and completely unbound by expectations. As a chauffeur, convicted murderer, boxing gym attendant, pimp or president, Morgan fully realized every character, baring their souls and showcasing their humanity. It has been a privilege to see his genius at work.”

Freeman, who began acting at age 12, has appeared in nearly 100 films, which together have earned over $4.5 billion at the box office. His credits include “Million Dollar Baby,” which earned him a Best Supporting Actor Oscar; “Unforgiven”, and “The Shawshank Redemption,” for which he received Best Actor nominations for a SAG Award, Oscar and a Golden Globe. Other credits include “Street Smart,” his 1987 breakthrough role, “Invictus,” “The Dark Knight,” “The Bucket List,” “Glory,” “Lean on Me,” “Se7en,” “Amistad,” “Bruce Almighty,” and “Along Came a Spider.” He most recently starred in Warner Bros.’ Going In Style, Paramount Pictures’ Ben-Hur, Summit Entertainment’s “Now You See Me 2” and Focus Features’ “London Has Fallen.” Freeman’s upcoming films include Broad Green Pictures’ “Villa Capri” and Disney’s “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms.”

With one of the world’s most recognizable voices, Freeman was the voice of two Oscar-winning documentaries: “The March of the Penguins” and “The Long Way Home.”

Freeman first became nationally known in 1971 when he starred in the Children’s Television Workshop’s “The Electric Company,” for which he created characters including the iconic Easy Reader. He is currently an executive producer of “Madam Secretary” for CBS, and hosts and is an executive producer for the Science Channel series “Through the Wormhole with Morgan Freeman,” which recently completed its seventh season. He also hosted the event series “The Story of God with Morgan Freeman” on the National Geographic Channel, and will next host “The Story of Us with Morgan Freeman,” which premieres October 11 on the National Geographic Channel.

His philanthropic work includes support for Artists for a New South Africa and the Campaign for Female Education – organizations working to create hope and better lives for thousands of people. In 1973, he co-founded the Frank Silvera Writers’ Workshop, now in its 37th season, which supports and nurtures promising African American playwrights to ensure those voices can be heard.

SOURCE: WWF

Akon Talks About Giving Millions Electricity in Africa

Akon stopped by to talk with VladTV about his light up Africa Project, how he used to live without electricity, and how the politics of starting his project were extremely tricky.

Akon let us know that he grew up in Senegal a small country on the West coast of Africa. Akon grew up without electricity and running water, and when it came time to eat, cook, or wash he had to use the same water from a running water well for everything. “When I came to the United States, and [saw] the projects or what they claimed to be projects, Vlad I thought they was living in luxury, compared to what poverty is back home…” Akon explained that the US citizens have it a lot better than others around the world.

So what led to Akon lighting up Africa? His grandmother was the main inspiration. He explained she never moved from her hometown and still lived without electricity. “Every time I would come, I would try to upgrade her, but she would never take it… one day I said ma I’m not coming to visit you anymore… you have to at least let me put electricity in the house. Come to find out the grid was so far out; I don’t care how much money I had there was no way I could bring electricity to her.” That’s when he said something had to be done, not just for his grandmother but for everyone in the rural area living without power. “Without electricity, you can’t even begin to develop a country, let alone your own home.”

Akon got started by partnering with a some of his Billionaire friends he made along his career, and he wanted to build power plants in the five major areas of Africa so the countries could share the plants, but as he got his investors together, he began running into the politics. “I started to realize how deep it was cause this is the type of business that starts real wars, the politics was little heavier than I expected…”Akon explained it was too complicated for him to be dealing with, so while searching for another solution, he came across Solar Energy. “So I went to China, met up with some friends out there, some manufacturers, and aligned myself with one of the biggest companies in China, that’s own by the Chinese Government, that manufactures Solar…” Akon learned a lot while doing this project, like how there was a significant tax on solar products due to George. W Bush. “He did it because his main agenda was in oil, he needed the oil to keep burning right, so anything renewable he wanted to keep away because if effected the money.” Akon took advantage of all of the unused solar products, and the Chinese manufacturers gave him a Billion dollar credit line to start his project. Akon’s project is now in 15 countries, and he’s provided almost 16 million people in Africa with power, and energy.

SOURCE: VLADTV