Nzinga Blake
Encyclopedia
Nzinga Blake is an American
/ Sierra Leone
an actress, writer and currently the host of Culture Click, which appears on Saturday mornings on most ABC stations. Blake was a host on Current TV and starred on the TV series Fridays on Cartoon Network
, as well as in national television commercials for Sprite
and Kinkos. Her father, Cecil Blake, is the former Minister of Information
in Sierra Leone
.
, which only lasted one season. She played the role of Vivian. She also had a recurring role on What About Brian
, where she played Brian's receptionist Rona. While at Current she also did a lot of voice overs for the animation SuperNews!
, where she did various characters, but mostly known for doing the voice for Condoleezza Rice
.
Recently she was listed in the credits under "Special Thanks" for the E! True Hollywood Story
on Tropic Thunder
.
In 2009 she began hosting for BET and is the LA Entertainment correspondent for a talk show on Australia's Network 10 entitled the 7pm Project.
Blake was named after Nzinga of Ndongo and Matamba
, a 17th century Queen
and folk hero
ine of the Mbundu
people of southwestern Africa
. She is a 1999 graduate of Munster High School
in Indiana
, and a 2003 graduate of UCLA
as a Film & Television Major.
On an episode of Google Current
she suggested (jokingly) "maybe people could update my page and say that I'll be starring opposite Brad Pitt
and Johnny Depp
in their next big movie".
As mentioned in one of the ads for Fridays, she is fluent in speaking Japanese
, although she claims to speak some. Later on in said ad, she mentions the block title, start date, and network in Japanese.
She was a host on Current TV
.
Blake is now host of "Culture Click", an educational and informative
TV show using virtual reality
to cover current events, societal issues and pop culture, which made its debut on September 3, 2011.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
/ Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
an actress, writer and currently the host of Culture Click, which appears on Saturday mornings on most ABC stations. Blake was a host on Current TV and starred on the TV series Fridays on Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network is a name of television channels worldwide created by Turner Broadcasting which used to primarily show animated programming. The channel began broadcasting on October 1, 1992 in the United States....
, as well as in national television commercials for Sprite
Sprite (soft drink)
Sprite is a transparent, lemon-lime flavored , caffeine free soft drink, produced by the Coca-Cola Company. It was introduced in the United States in 1961. This was Coke's response to the popularity of 7 Up, which had begun as "Bib-Label Lithiated Lemon-Lime Soda" in 1929...
and Kinkos. Her father, Cecil Blake, is the former Minister of Information
Minister of Information
The Ministry of Information , headed by the Minister of Information, was a United Kingdom government department created briefly at the end of World War I and again during World War II...
in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
.
Life and career
Nzinga has done a couple of television series including a recurring role on Showtime series BarbershopBarbershop: The Series
Barbershop: The Series is an American sitcom which made its debut on the Showtime cable network in August 2005. It is based upon the Mark Brown-created characters from the popular films Barbershop and Barbershop 2: Back in Business , and was developed for television by screenwriter John Ridley...
, which only lasted one season. She played the role of Vivian. She also had a recurring role on What About Brian
What About Brian
What About Brian is an American comedy-drama television series created by Dana Stevens and co-produced by J.J. Abrams' company Bad Robot Productions. The series premiered on April 16, 2006, on ABC, as a midseason replacement and concluded on March 26, 2007...
, where she played Brian's receptionist Rona. While at Current she also did a lot of voice overs for the animation SuperNews!
SuperNews!
SuperNews! was a half-hour, satirical animated television series which aired on Current TV. It was created by Josh Faure-Brac who also wrote for the show and performed the majority of male voices. The show is primarily based on popular culture satire and political humor...
, where she did various characters, but mostly known for doing the voice for Condoleezza Rice
Condoleezza Rice
Condoleezza Rice is an American political scientist and diplomat. She served as the 66th United States Secretary of State, and was the second person to hold that office in the administration of President George W. Bush...
.
Recently she was listed in the credits under "Special Thanks" for the E! True Hollywood Story
E! True Hollywood Story
E! True Hollywood Story is an American documentary series on E! that deals with famous Hollywood celebrities, movies, TV shows and well-known public figures...
on Tropic Thunder
Tropic Thunder
Tropic Thunder is a 2008 American action satire comedy film written, produced, and directed by Ben Stiller, and starring Stiller, Robert Downey, Jr., and Jack Black. The main plot revolves around a group of prima donna actors who are making a Vietnam War film...
.
In 2009 she began hosting for BET and is the LA Entertainment correspondent for a talk show on Australia's Network 10 entitled the 7pm Project.
Blake was named after Nzinga of Ndongo and Matamba
Nzinga of Ndongo and Matamba
Nzinga Mbande , also known as Ana de Sousa Nzinga Mbande, was a 17th century queen of the Ndongo and Matamba Kingdoms of the Mbundu people in southwestern Africa.-Early life:...
, a 17th century Queen
Queen regnant
A queen regnant is a female monarch who reigns in her own right, in contrast to a queen consort, who is the wife of a reigning king. An empress regnant is a female monarch who reigns in her own right over an empire....
and folk hero
Folk hero
A folk hero is a type of hero, real, fictional, or mythological. The single salient characteristic which makes a character a folk hero is the imprinting of the name, personality and deeds of the character in the popular consciousness. This presence in the popular consciousness is evidenced by...
ine of the Mbundu
Mbundu
The Northern Mbundu or Ambundu are a people living in Angola's North-West, North of the river Kwanza. The Ambundu speak Kimbundu, and mostly also the official language of the country, Portuguese...
people of southwestern Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
. She is a 1999 graduate of Munster High School
Munster High School
Munster High School is located at 8808 Columbia Avenue in the town of Munster, Indiana, in the United States. It is owned and operated by the School Town of Munster. Munster High School serves as the only high school for the Munster School District and has a long history of educational achievement...
in Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
, and a 2003 graduate of UCLA
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
as a Film & Television Major.
On an episode of Google Current
Google Current
Google Current is a brief, once every half hour, television program on the channel Current TV . Selected episodes are also available on the Internet. The series tracks not necessarily what the news is, but what people are searching for on Google....
she suggested (jokingly) "maybe people could update my page and say that I'll be starring opposite Brad Pitt
Brad Pitt
William Bradley "Brad" Pitt is an American actor and film producer. Pitt has received two Academy Award nominations and four Golden Globe Award nominations, winning one...
and Johnny Depp
Johnny Depp
John Christopher "Johnny" Depp II is an American actor, producer and musician. He has won the Golden Globe Award and Screen Actors Guild award for Best Actor. Depp rose to prominence on the 1980s television series 21 Jump Street, becoming a teen idol...
in their next big movie".
As mentioned in one of the ads for Fridays, she is fluent in speaking Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
, although she claims to speak some. Later on in said ad, she mentions the block title, start date, and network in Japanese.
She was a host on Current TV
Current TV
Current TV, or Current, is a media company led by former U.S. Vice President Al Gore and businessman Joel Hyatt. Comcast owns a ten percent stake of Current's parent company, Current Media LLC....
.
Blake is now host of "Culture Click", an educational and informative
E/I
E/I, which stands for "educational and informative," refers to a type of children's television programming shown in the United States. The Federal Communications Commission requires that every full-service Terrestrial television station in the U.S. show at least three hours of these television...
TV show using virtual reality
Virtual reality
Virtual reality , also known as virtuality, is a term that applies to computer-simulated environments that can simulate physical presence in places in the real world, as well as in imaginary worlds...
to cover current events, societal issues and pop culture, which made its debut on September 3, 2011.