Breaking Christian News on The Gospel Herald

Whether it's the Grammys, Emmys, Globes or Oscars, the scene is always the same. After winning an award, almost every entertainer gets on stage and recites these words..."I'd like to thank God!" Thanking God has somehow made its way into our society's book of manners, but God was noticeably absent at the 86th Academy Awards on Sunday and barely received a mention from the Oscars' top winners.

In less than 10 days, five albums will vie for the Outstanding Gospel album of 2013 at the NAACP Image Awards. Tamela Mann's album "Best Days," Hezekiah Walker's "Azusa," Donald Lawrence's "Best for Last," Shirley Caesar's "Good God" and the soundtrack from the film "Black Nativity" are all nominated for Outstanding Gospel Album.

A family-friendly flick with an edge, "The Lego Movie" offers not only big action and big laughs, but some big ideas, too.

"We need to be more mindful of having other things to substitute in your life to make you feel whole," says Whitaker.

The South African Grammy nominated guitarist and singer weighed in on the state of gospel music urging for more labels, and radio stations to embrace the genre.

Based on a memoir written in 1853 by Solomon Northup, a free man kidnapped and sold into slavery, it's one of the few films that convey the experience of slavery from the slave's point of view. It is the most vivid and authentic portrayal of American slavery ever captured on screen and its sober presentation of bondage is interwoven with the universal themes of identity, betrayal, brutality and the need to keep faith in order to survive.