By John Carucci
NEW YORK (AP) --Jessica Williams says it's a great time to be an actress of color, and applauds Netflix for leading the way in promoting diversity.
Williams, who cut her teeth as a correspondent on "The Daily Show," takes on her first starring role in the streaming network's original film, "The Incredible Jessica James ."
The actress feels Netflix helped shape stories about people of color, citing original programming like "Master of None" and "Orange is the New Black" that are able to "showcase people of color in an amazing way."
While inclusion continues to improve, especially on Netflix, Williams says the struggle for racial equality is far from over.
"I think it's a difficult time in some ways to be a person of color, and I think the same for actors of color, but I also think it's a great a time. Because I think now … there's so much more room, I think, for us to be seen, and there's room for us to create our own stories," Williams said.
Williams feels great pride that she's part of movement toward greater diversity on screen, calling it something that makes her heart warm and sing. She said she remains mindful of the actresses who paved the way.
"It's like so many black actresses that came before me and my generation. They came before and they did not necessarily have this opportunity that I feel like I have now, and so I'm really grateful for that, and I really do think it's a really great time to be an actress that is black, in a way," she said.
But that doesn't make shifting gears from a comedy news show to a feature film an easy choice. Williams certainly felt some trepidation with the move.
"I was really nervous because this movie does have comedy in it. It also has a lot of heart, and some sweet moments. So I was worried whether I would be able to portray that or not. But I had a lot of fun doing it, and I found out that I could," she said.
Written and directed by Jim Strouse — who previously directed Williams in his 2015 film, "People Places Things" — the story was written with Williams in mind. Her desire was to correctly depict the "life of a modern, young black woman," and took it a step further by also taking on the role as an executive producer.
"Just in case I had things to say creatively," Williams said.
Strouse called Williams a comedy ninja and the right actress to portray the ever-changing nature of romantic relationships.
"I remember when a relationship goes astray or whatever, you break up, you don't talk and in like maybe months down the road you have coffee," he said. "Now it's like, you ghost and maybe a couple months down the road you start liking each other's photos again. It's a weird time."
He called the dynamic interesting, then with a knowing smile said, "I don't know if it's healthy."
As for her previous gig, Williams has the distinction of being the youngest correspondent hired for "The Daily Show." Now she's hoping to join the list of the show's alumni who have moved on to bigger and better things.
"To be mentioned among people like Samantha Bee or Hassan Minaj and Steve Carrell and Steve Colbert is insane," she said. "It's, it's very surreal and I think — I packed up everything to move and be on the 'Daily Show' and I was nervous because I was 22. I was, umm, I had a lot of big shoes to fill working with Jon Stewart. I felt like in the beginning I had a lot to prove, and it's really an honor to be among those people."
Google Opens Its Defense In Antitrust Case Alleging Monopoly Over Online Ad Technology
Google opened its defense against allegations that it holds an illegal monopoly on online advertising technology Friday with witness testimony saying the industry is vastly more complex and competitive than portrayed by the federal government.
"The industry has been exceptionally fluid over the last 18 years," said Scott Sheffer, a vice president for global partnerships at Google, the company's first witness at its antitrust trial in federal court in Alexandria.
The Justice Department and a coalition of states contend that Google built and maintained an illegal monopoly over the technology that facilitates the buying and selling of online ads seen by consumers.
Google counters that the government's case improperly focuses on a narrow type of online ads — essentially the rectangular ones that appear on the top and on the right-hand side of a webpage. In its opening statement, Google's lawyers said the Supreme Court has warned judges against taking action when dealing with rapidly emerging technology like what Sheffer described because of the risk of error or unintended consequences.
Google says defining the market so narrowly ignores the competition it faces from social media companies, Amazon, streaming TV providers and others who offer advertisers the means to reach online consumers.
Justice Department lawyers called witnesses to testify for two weeks before resting their case Friday afternoon, detailing the ways that automated ad exchanges conduct auctions in a matter of milliseconds to determine which ads are placed in front of which consumers and how much they cost.
The department contends the auctions are finessed in subtle ways that benefit Google to the exclusion of would-be competitors and in ways that prevent... Read More