On this day in 1558, Elizabeth I ascended to the English throne upon the death of her half-sister, thus giving birth to the remarkably fecund Elizabethan Age. From that era sprang probably the most influential writer in English history, William Shakespeare.

Today, let's remember Shakespeare by taking a look at Denzel Washington as Brutus in the 2005 Broadway revival of Julius Caesar. Washington received lukewarm reviews for his performance – and some outright bad ones – but it sure looks good.

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Denzel Washington, his wife Pauletta, and their son Malcolm, were caught palling around with the rest of the red carpet crowd at the Carousel of Hope Ball in Beverly Hills this weekend. Let's hope young Malcolm never tries to run for office.

Usually, these photographic "look backs" focus on female stars. After I downloaded all of these photos of Denzel Washington, I realize why. Checking out women's fashion and hair styles over a 20-year period is a lot more amusing. That said, it is interesting to see how much Denzel has shown no obvious signs of aging over the past 22 years.

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Wherein you, the readers, talk amongst yourselves.

Denzel Washington, spokesman for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, wrote an essay about the crises facing our children today for CNN.com. What do you think is the single most troubling issue facing our young people?

The childhood mugs of Denzel Washington, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Martin Sheen, Wesley Clark and Shaquille O'Neal are the new faces of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. The stars, all of whom benefited from the organization in their youth, lent their child photos for a national advertising campaign.

"What's going on with children doesn't worry me. What's going on with adults worries me. If we are not more committed to these young people … they will go as far as we take them, so the onus is on us, not on the children," Washington told the AP. "We've created this world for them, we are the ones that fall and we are the ones that can rectify it."

Washington's also the national spokesman for the organization.

• Angela Simmons segues into a singing career. Good idea or no? [C&D]

• Meanwhile, her dad, Rev Run, her step-mom Justine, and her little sister Miley pose for Jet. [Bossip]

• And Rev Run's former rap partner goes to the hospital… [People]

• In unrelated news, Denzel vacations with his two daughters in St. Tropez. [CL]

• Baltimore DJ K-Swift dies tragically in her hometown. [NB]

Ebony celebrates the oft-mentioned "cool black man" with eight collector's-edition covers featuring Barack Obama (clearly they stayed away from this photo), Denzel Washington, Jay-Z, Billy Dee Williams, Marvin Gaye, Muhammad Ali, Prince, and Samuel L. Jackson. Inside, the editors count down the 25 "Coolest Brothers of All Time." Who do you think should be on the list? It should be noted that sisters can be pretty cool as well. I might not be one of them, but still.

Usually, while everyone is glued to the action of a big game — like last night's game 5 between the Lakers and the Celtics — I'm checking the stands for celebs in attendance. That says something about my dedication to sports (none) and my dedication to the world of celebrities (problematic at best). Last night's game was star-studded, and considering the fact that court-side seats were selling online for more than $10,000 a pop, celebrities were the only ones who could really afford front and center.

Wesley Snipes gets sentenced tomorrow for tax fraud, and although he faces a maximum of three years, he's hoping that character testimonies from his famous friends will help sway the judge in his favor. Here are some excerpts from the statements, via TMZ:

• "Woody recounted how he was shooting "Wildcats" and that he and Goldie Hawn were the only Caucasians on the production team. Harrelson said a few of the folks were fans of Louis Farrakhan. Woody wrote, "It was the first time I experienced racism toward me.""

• "Denzel Washington says that Wes is like "a tree — a mighty oak.""

• "Judge Greg Mathis says: "Unfortunately, it was his honest nature that forced him into these legalities" and "I can say from my personal experience as a Judge that people are always trying to manipulate and defraud people with a high profile status.""

• "Judge Joe Brown says Wesley is "one of those rare individuals possessed of an extremely developed social conscience.""

That Woody Harrelson anecdote is totally going to save Wesley. Just a prediction.

So, Obama may have this thing locked, huh? 'Bout time, especially since TV, movies and theater have known for decades that black men are great in positions of power. Not only is our physical presence in high offices different, therefore inherently unsettling and humbling, our skin tone goes great with the luxurious leather chairs on which VIPs perch.

After the jump, some of our favorite authoritative black men from throughout the years. (Sorry, ladies, we'll get you next time.) Check them out, and please be vocal with your agreement or displeasure.

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• Are roles getting better for black actors? Or just for Will Smith and Denzel? [BSN]

• Its time to petition cable news networks to spend an equal amount of time covering missing black (and other minority) women. [PR]

• Ten thousand delegates descend upon Atlanta this week for the largest African American Baptist convention. They'll put aside their policy differences to address social issues like HIV/AIDS and justice. [AJC]

• A high school coach in Tennessee learns that you can only be blatantly racist for so long until the students start to catch on. [NC9]

That same poll that put Ellen DeGeneres ahead of Oprah on the list of favorite television personalities puts Denzel Washington at the top of the list of America's favorite movies stars. For the second year in a row, Denzel Washington came in first and Tom Hanks came in second. Wonder why more of those voters didn't go see The Great Debaters. Proving that the list isn't about box office returns, Will Smith came in at No. 5. And, uh, John Wayne was number six. America is so diverse, isn't it? [E!]

American Gangster, like its costar T.I. and Frank Lucas, the guy on whom the film was based, has run into some legal troubles. A group of federal drug enforcement agents filed a class action lawsuit against NBC Universal. They say they were defamed in the movie.

The suit, filed in federal court in Manhattan, charges that "the defamation involved the defendant NBC Universal, through its Universal Studios, falsely communicating, in writing, to millions of people in a motion picture called American Gangster that three-quarters of New York City's DEA, from approximately 1973 through approximately 1985, were convicted criminals…"

There were no such convictions, Drug Enforcement Administration officials told ABC News. But the agency had no immediate reaction when told of the lawsuit.

The agents are asking for $55 million. From now on, I guess Denzel Washington's going to have to only involve himself with movies that are 100-percent non-fiction.

The NAACP Image Award nominations are out, and although every black person who appeared on screen this year seems to have been nominated, The Great Debaters, Girlfriends, and Everybody Hates Chris. The TV and Movie nominations are after the jump (you can find the literature and music categories here), but here's a little tidbit to whet your palate. Angelina Jolie was nominated for her role in A Mighty Heart, which goes to show that the NAACP Image Awards are fair game for people of color and people who impersonate people of color in their films. Man, have we come a long way in the entertainment biz!

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The Great Debaters premiered yesterday, and while the Williams fam was a little too tipsy off of my aunt's spiked egg nog to do much yesterday evening, the critics, not to mention plenty of you, saw it and have plenty to say. The critical consensus is that the movie was good, and inspirational, and entertaining, but it veered into cheesy-historical-drama mode on occasion. And it seemed to have rubbed some the wrong way that Denzel and Co. took some liberties with the facts. Read critics opinions after the jump. And add some of yours in the comments.

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