The Dec. 17 debut of “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies” marks both an end and a beginning for Peter Jackson.

It represents the culmination of his 16-year, six-film J.R.R. Tolkien marathon — an outsized success in duration, execution, visual-effects wizardry and overall popularity. No director in history has maintained tighter control over the creative direction of a global film franchise, which so far has amassed close to $5 billion in ticket sales alone.

But after bringing his Mi

ESPN’s Chris Broussard speaks at the Flint Big Brothers Big Sisters 70th anniversary gala at Art Van Furniture in Flint on Friday, Sept. 12.

Chris Broussard makes a living by giving his views on sports on national TV on ESPN, and during the first of two stops in Flint on Friday, he had a lot to say.

But sports were only a small part of his message: He was more focused on speaking about systemic racism, the need for a reconstruction of the black male image, and the Michael Brown killing in Fe

Long Beach Indie to Highlight Positive Young Black Men

In the midst of the furor over the death of Michael Brown and the continuing legacy of the Trayvon Martin killing, the Long Beach Indie International Film Festival is featuring a suite of films highlighting positive images of young African American men. Taking place August 27-31, 2014 at the Cinemark at the Pike Theaters in Long Beach, California, the festival screens more than 90 diverse films from across the globe.

The brainchild of fe