Here, Viola Davis talks about her latest outing as Aibileen in The Help, a compelling tale of survival, set inMississippi during the waning days of Jim Crow segregation, which explores the unspoken tensions simmering just below the surface between well-to-do white women and their African-Americantalks about her latest outing as Aibileen in The Help, a compelling tale of survival, set inMississippi during the waning days of Jim Crow segregation, which explores the unspoken tensions simmering just below the surface between well-to-do white women and their African-American maids.

As the film unfolds, we find corporate executive Beth Emhoff (Paltrow) fighting a cough as she flies back to Minneapolis following a business trip to Hong Kong. En route, she takes a phone call from an ex-boyfriend she apparently just shared a rendezvous with during a brief layover in Chicago. Upon arriving home, Beth’s symptoms escalate to include a fever, seizures and finally foaming at the mouth before she succumbs to the disease in less than 48 hours.

The plan to have an impactful weekend begins with the The Akron premier of actor Michael Rapaport’s “Beats, Rhymes & Life – the Travels of A Tribe Called Quest.” This is a film about the legendary hip-hop group A Tribe Called Quest who topped the charts with positive and impactful lyrics during a time when hip-hop wasn’t all about money and its trappings. The screening will be held at 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 2, at the Akron Civic Theater.  Tickets are $5 and can be purchased via Ticketmaster.

When I saw the film, I cried so much. I got angry. I went through so many different emotions but the thing that stood out to me the most is the courage that this woman had, the courage. Just based on that alone is what made me say, “I’m in.” - Mary J. Blige

During the interview, Hank Azaria seemed to be most pleased with being “stretched” in his acting performance ...