The Catholic League released a statement criticizing Jay-Z’s star-studded “Family Feud” video on Tuesday, calling the Ava DuVernay-directed clip “gratuitous as well as exploitative.”
The statement only addresses the portions of the video featured in the teaser trailer released last week — not the full 8-minute video which was available to stream on Friday — shows Jay and daughter Blue Ivy entering a church, where Beyonce watches over them from the pulpit.
In another scene, Beyonce hears his confession, likely referencing his oft-alluded-to infidelity.
“Is it anti-Catholic? No, it is not a bigoted assault. Indeed, it pales next to Jay-Z’s relentlessly racist (and anti-black) lyrics,” Catholic League president Bill Donohue concedes in the statement. “But it is nonetheless gratuitous as well as exploitative, just the kind of thing we would expect from this genius couple.”
Co-written and directed by DuVernay, the video tells the story of Jay’s family line and its rise to power, imagining a future where a grown-up Blue Ivy (played by “This Is Us” star Susan Kelechi Watson) leads a panel to rewrite the constitution with a group of female leaders, and another descendant (a cameo from “A Wrinkle in Time” star Storm Reid) leads a revolutionary war in 2096.
The reverse-chronological video begins where the story ends, in 2444, where “Black Panther” star Michael B. Jordan and “Westworld’s” Thandie Newton play warring members of a family in a Shakespearean tale of murder and power.
The video’s A-list cast includes David Oyelowo, Jessica Chastain, Omari Hardwick, Irene Bedard, America Ferrera, Aisha Hinds, Janet Mock, Niecy Nash, Rosario Dawson, Brie Larson, Mindy Kaling, Constance Wu and Rashida Jones.
A video trailer is supposed to be a teaser, but in this case it falls flat, leading nowhere.
Jay-Z’s recently released “Family Feud” video shows him walking into a Catholic church with his real-life daughter, rapping away–“Nobody wins when the family feuds”–as he struts. This is followed by a flashback scene where he is shown kissing a gal in her undergarments. Then Beyoncé appears, standing at the pulpit, wearing a navy blue outfit dressed like a queen. She is a priestess: she hears Jay-Z’s confession, apparently a statement on his real-life infidelities.
Is it anti-Catholic? No, it is not a bigoted assault. Indeed, it pales next to Jay-Z’s relentlessly racist (and anti-black) lyrics. But it is nonetheless gratuitous as well as exploitative, just the kind of thing we would expect from this genius couple.
Meet the All-Star 'The Lion King' Cast Led by Beyoncé and Donald Glover (Photos)
Like Rafiki brandishing the newborn Simba on top of Pride Rock, Disney on Wednesday unveiled the full cast of Jon Favreau's live-action remake of their 1994 classic "The Lion King." The new version coming in 2019 boasts an impressive cast to replace the original's iconic voice actors. Let's meet them.
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Donald Glover as Simba
Oh, we just can't wait for Donald Glover to be King. Being Lando Calrissian isn't enough, he has to fill in for Matthew Broderick as Simba too.
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Beyonce as Nala
The Queen B is now the Queen of the Jungle, suggesting that the role of Nala is likely larger than in the original and might even include some new songs.
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James Earl Jones as Mufasa
Some casting is too perfect to touch. We're excited for the new cast, but there's no replacing James Earl Jones.
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Chiwetel Ejiofor as Scar
Jeremy Irons was perfectly menacing as Scar in the original, but Ejiofor doesn't usually get to play the villain. Be prepared!
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Alfre Woodard as Sarabi
Woodard, who plays Simba's mother Sarabi, starred with Ejiofor in "12 Years a Slave" and has recently worked on Marvel's "Captain America: Civil War" and "Luke Cage."
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John Oliver as Zazu
We love Oliver's neurotic lectures on "Last Week Tonight," so he's a smart pick for Zazu, the ever irritated guardian for Simba. Rowan Atkinson voiced Zazu in the original.
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John Kani as Rafiki
Like Rafiki, Kani is a veteran wise beyond his years. But new audiences will come to know him as King T'Chaka in "Black Panther."
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Seth Rogen and Billy Eichner as Pumbaa and Timon
It means no worries with these two voicing the beloved warthog and meerkat. Ernie Sabella and Nathan Lane voiced the characters in the original film.
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Florence Kasumba as Shenzi
Kasumba is best known for her work on "Emerald City" and will also be in "Black Panther." Whoopi Goldberg played hyena leader Shenzi in the original.
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Eric André as Azizi
André plays another one of the trio of hyenas, but this time with a new name, "Azizi." We can perfectly see his irreverent, screwball persona matching what Jim Cummings did with "Ed" or Cheech Marin did with Banzai.
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Keegan-Michael Key as Kamari
Another new hyena. Maybe the "Key & Peele" star can bust out his Obama Anger Translator voice when he's saying, "Who's the pig?"
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JD McCrary as Young Simba
McCrary actually appeared on an episode of "The Eric André Show," as well as Tyler Perry's show "The Paynes."
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Shahadi Wright Joseph as Young Nala
Wright Joseph made her breakout role as part of the cast of "Hairspray Live!" and was even on Broadway for the stage production of "The Lion King."
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Jon Favreau is directing the movie, which arrives on July 19, 2019
Like Rafiki brandishing the newborn Simba on top of Pride Rock, Disney on Wednesday unveiled the full cast of Jon Favreau's live-action remake of their 1994 classic "The Lion King." The new version coming in 2019 boasts an impressive cast to replace the original's iconic voice actors. Let's meet them.