Movie Milk Carton Alerts....

Last week I was wondering what happened to a certain film I'd written about a couple years ago. It was called "Frankie And Alice" (horrible title) and was to star Halle Berry as a woman with dual personalities, one of which was a white racist. Interesting concept, but when I saw the stills from the film, it looked like typical Halle fare; perfectly awful.

Right after I wondered what happened, I see an update from Tambay on Shadow And Act. Yes, old girl pulled the movie out of the drawer, and did it to be considered for an Oscar.

Alrighty then.


I don't want to talk about that movie really, but about other films that I wrote about and wondered what happened to....a couple I was actually looking forward to, like:

The "Martin" reunion on the big screen. Everyone would probably ask Martin why he now looks like a Macy's Thanksgiving Parade balloon. (wasn't looking forward to that one by the way)


The multiple Sammy Davis Jr. biopics, one starring Don Cheadle, one starring Andre 3000, and one starring Elijah Kelley. And where is Elijah Kelley? He was the "it" Black dude for exactly one minute.


Beyonce aka Beyaki playing Eartha Kitt. To which I say: bwahhahahahaha!!


The very unasked for sequel to "Four Brothers".


Jaime Foxx playing Mike Tyson in a biopic.


Beyaki playing Angela Davis in a biopic. To which I say: bwahhahahahaha!!


Wesley Snipes playing James Brown in a biopic (I'm seeing a pattern here).


Will Smith and Denzel Washington in a remake of "Uptown Saturday Night" (which I pray never sees the light of day).


Mos Def and Erykah Badu in a film that was described thustly:

Mos Def and Erykah Badu have signed on to star in the indie drama 'Bobby Zero'; a film focused upon the life of fictional struggling artist Bobby Zero as he hits rock bottom before going corporate with a job in advertising. Badu will play his girlfriend who is afflicted with agoraphobia.

Lots of questions. No answers.

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Random Movie News....

Even tho the Oscars annoy the beejesus out of me, I wouldn't be a proper film blog without at least mentioning it, and the two Black actresses nominated, Taraji P. Henson and Viola Davis. One, I've never been a fan of and her tired, overacting style, and the other--well let's just say I saw her on a talk show recently and found her to be wonderful; intelligent, humorous---a serious actress worthy of nomination and more high profile roles. I'll let you guess which is which.

Sergio televised his Oscar predictions below. I have none, cause if it has nothing to do with Mickey Rourke or "The Wrestler" I really don't have much to say on it. Even the clothes don't interest me this year. Here is Sergio--check him out:





Did you know John Singleton directed the Oscar promos this year? I guess he might as well be directin' somethin', cause as of late, it sho ain't movies. What's up, John? And yes, that is Taraji with him in the picture above. What she is wearing I can't even venture to guess...


Martin Lawrence will be starring in a kind of reverse "Coming To America". No title yet, but the plot is described as this:

'The film centers on a working-class man from Queens who discovers he is heir to the throne of an African country and travels there to claim his birthright'.

From IW: Martin is obviously not interested in breaking new ground, but I ain't mad, that mortgage is staying paid. And at least it's not what I blogged about a couple years ago--a big screen remake of his TV show "Martin". Someone must have finally woken up and put the brakes on that wonderful (not) idea.


Happy Birthday to Danny Glover's Robey Theatre company, turning 15 this year. Robey "Is a professional theater dedicated to developing and presenting plays that raise the social consciousness of audiences with work that explores the global Black Experience."

All my folkses in the L.A. area, please try to support Danny and his endeavors. He never gets enough props for dedicating himself to our art and community for decades, imho.


Barry Michael Cooper, writer of New Jack City among other things, who I interviewed for this blog, let me know that he has a new film, "Blood On The Wall$", which you can view in the form of 21 webisodes....perfect viewing while the boss is not looking at work! lol

Make sure you scroll down to see all of the webisodes...you can begin watching this gritty drama HERE.


This is old news now, but Halle Berry might finally do something interesting, while maybe proving once and for all that she actually has acting talent:

'Halle Berry has become attached to star in the Eunetta Boone-scripted film, "Who Is Doris Payne," based on real events. Berry will star as the title character, Doris Payne, an international jewel thief whose career spanned five decades.'

From IW: This is the story of a Black woman who stole fine jewels for decades, at a time when just being Black and in a store that sold them was cause for intense suspicion. The plot sounds fabulous--I hope Halle can pull it off. For a great post related to this film, click HERE for Obenson's thoughts.


Did you know that Preston Whitmore has been financing up and coming filmmakers? One of the films has made it to BET:

'BET has acquired broadcast rights to"Dough Boys," the debut film from Preston Whitmore's Give Back Raise Up Program wherein he finances and produces low budget pictures to give newcomers in front and behind the camera an opportunity to showcase their talent. BET will air the film in May. Paramount Home Video will distribute the DVD.'

From IW: Nice. And speaking of newcomers, received this in my email:

"Good afternoon! My name is Princeton Holt, and I decided to contact you humbly and see if you would at least be interested in seeing my first feature, "Cookies & Cream".

Cookies & Cream is a character piece about a racially mixed single mother, who maintains an adult entertainment job in order to take care of her daughter and herself. The film has seemed to make male audiences feel a bit helpless, which I think has a lot to do with a subtle sexism in the sense that love from a man alone is not enough to dictate this female character's destiny, which I think has been unsettling to several male viewers, although the overall reception from men has been favorable. I would be very interested in hearing a female reaction to this subject.

Again, I really appreciate what you are doing; it is necessary for the survival of true art films about our past, present and future generations. Thank you for your work, as well as your time and consideration. "

From IW: Hmmmm.....it was shown at "The Sexy International Film Festival" (whatever that is), so at the very least, it must be sexy, haha. Here is the teaser:




Last but not least, I really will be reviewing Diary Of A Tired Black Man later today. I was going to do it last weekend, but it really wasn't Valentine's Day fodder. I have to admit, I've been watching and rewatching a lot of stuff on TV lately....did anyone catch the mini movie marathon on TV One yesterday? "Double Take "(blech) with Eddie Griffin, "Hollywood Shuffle", and a low budget independent film called "Traci Townsend" which involves a reporter (Jazsmin Lewis) examining her failed relationships. The movie is trite, and as as I've said before Jazsmin Lewis' acting skills seem to be limited to her innumerable hairstyles, but it is a good segue to my review later. **sigh** A lot of Black male/female relationships seem to be on permanent "fail" lately.....more on that later....



Oh sh*t! I almost posted this without putting this in (thanks sergio). There is an on-line petition against Sasha Fierce playing Angela Davis. For those commenters on my last post, and for the lurkers who also feel that even the mere thought is beyond ridiculous, you can click and sign HERE.

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Random Movie News....

So there are rumors that there will be a new "Catwoman", and no mention at all about Halle Berry being in it...no one even seems to be considering her. That is understandable, but why anyone is considering another Catwoman movie seems to be the bigger question.


Spotted this on my girl Purple Zoe's Ultraviolet Underground:

Mos Def and Erykah Badu have signed on to star in the indie drama 'Bobby Zero'; a film focused upon the life of fictional struggling artist Bobby Zero as he hits rock bottom before going corporate with a job in advertising. Badu will play his girlfriend who is afflicted with agoraphobia.

Bobby Zero is slated to begin filming in 2009 after the birth of Badu and Jay Elec's bundle of joy.

From IW: Yes, yes, yes!!!


Ummm....have read that Will Smith is going to do a remake of "Uptown Saturday Night". I'm trying to keep calm about this tidbit, as that movie is one of my very all times faves, but all I have to say is this: You bet not f*ck it up! Seriously, if this legacy is tainted I'll be runnin' folks down like "The Punisher"!

OK, here is the new trailer for "Black Dynamite" that I really wanted to post the first time (it is much more detailed, with a lot more scenes), but I couldn't find the embed code for it....the narrator has obviously been listening to a ton of Rudy Ray Moore:

In YT cinema news....

Why am I so stoked to see "The Wrestler" after hearing so much about it this weekend? Darren Aronofsky is one of the most talented directors out there by far; his "Requiem For A Dream" was off the charts. Full disclosure--I used to have a huge crush on Mickey Rourke back in the day, and as an added attraction it will be interesting to see what he's doing with that mangled face of his (he's the wrestler). Marisa Tomei is one who consistently challenges herself, so I'm looking forward to watching her too (she's the girlfriend/stripper). Here is the trailer:

OMG! This sounds soooo interesting and hilarious--it will be on lots of folkses "to see" list I'm sure in the Black community--and it will actually be shown at Sundance. Chris Rock is finally bringing it again--in a film called "Good Hair". From Black Film Academy:

The film has Rock traveling far and wide to examine the complexities of African American hairstyles – from everyday maintenance to the origins of hair weaves.

“It’s really deep and funny… I did a Michael Moore expose on hair,” he tells WENN. “(It’s about) the business of black hair - weaves and relaxers and all this stuff. I even went to India, where they get all the weaves.”

Rock and Stilson, (a producer and writer on “The Chris Rock Show”) also traveled to Birmingham, Memphis, and Dallas, to interview and tape some hairdressers as they prepped for the annual Bonner Brothers Hair Show in Atlanta.

‘Contestants come from all over the world to compete,’ Rock tells E! Online. ‘It’s like a black Comic-Con.”

I’m not making this up,’ he adds. ‘Someone’s doing hair underwater.’

From IW: Loves it! Can't wait. And finally for all of you aspiring filmmakers, The San Francisco Black Film Festival is calling out for entries (click on my link on my sidebar for more info)...make it happen!

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Questionable....

Some things have come up on my radar for the past couple of weeks, some of them questionable as hayell, some of them just mild what tha?'s. Some of them are a bit late, but I just wanted to put my thoughts out there anyway:

Halle Berry as "Sexiest Woman Alive"? Yes, she is very pretty, yes she has a great body (she really knows how to show the goods), but I have always found her a bit devoid of the sexual vibe. Like I can't imagine her doing the do without worrying about her hair, if she actually does the do at all (did you follow that?). Apparently, Slausnificent agrees with me.

Terrence Howard booted from Ironman for being greedy? HaHA! (doing my best Nelson from the Simpsons). Dude! What were you thinking? Terrence practically sleepwalked his role in that film---I honestly thought they chose him cause the filmmakers were too lazy to think of another Black guy. This was clearly a case of shut the f*ck up and just get paid. Will The Cheadle be any better? I dunno, but he is like 3 feet, 18 inches, so that is not exactly an auspicious start.

OK, we've been hearing for years that Will and Jada have this wonderful stage marriage as gay and lez in wedlock. But can this story about him paying for discreet, ummm..."down-under" sex be real? If so, wow--let the fireworks begin.

ps: these blind items are supposedly, allegedly, about him. questionable indeed: http://www.laineygossip.com/Trailer_Visits.aspx and http://www.laineygossip.com/Trailer_Visits_With_His_Trainer.aspx

Why, why, why, oh why is Beyonce playing Eartha Kitt? Just damn!!! I agree with Clay Cane 100%:

Etta James and now Eartha Kitt are roles that could make a career for an up and coming actress. Also, isn’t it a rule that once an actor plays a real life character in a movie they should be avoiding additional biopics? That would be like Jamie Foxx playing Sammy Davis, Jr. Beyonce has already portrayed Diana Ross (I don't care what ya say, Deena Jones is Diana), Etta James, and now Eartha Kitt. What's next -- Harriet Tubman?

Yes, Beyonce is a great performer, but an actress she is not. Eartha Kitt was a child conceived by rape, born on a cotton plantation in South Carolina, and rose to fame the old fashion way, hard work—while suffering awful sexism and racism. Her career was practically ruined for being an outspoken advocate against the Vietnam War and she allegedly made the First Lady at a White House luncheon in 1968 burst into tears. Nothing about Eartha's life story will Beyonce be able to pull off. Bey doesn't even know how to drop her George W. Bush Texan accent—how is she going to manage Eartha's South Carolina/pseudo-European accent?

Most importantly, there are so many black actresses who could play Eartha Kitt. The depth and history of Eartha could be an Oscar winning role, but in a Beyonce’s performance all you will get is a NAACP nomination. The reality is, no matter how hard this woman tries to be Meryl Streep, and I believe she is trying, I believe she takes acting class with some of the best teachers in the business—mama just doesn’t have "it."

beyonce "emoting" as etta james in cadillac records--the lights are on, but no one's home.....

Was watching some seriously random movies over the weekend. One of them was "Motives 2" (don't judge me!). What was up with that movie? Seriously, this was completely like a Black and English speaking version of a Mexican tele-novela on TeleMundo, from the outfits, to the makeup, to the overly extreme-to-the-max over the top melodramatic situations and acting. Boo.

I also rewatched "Sugar Hill" for the first time since the 90's. Did that movie just seem so much better because of Terrence Blanchard's moody score, or was it actually good? And how could Wesley Snipes look so damn fine in that movie and be a complete and total turn-off today? How does that happen? And what the eff happened to Theresa Randall? (I always hated her hair in every movie). All I know is Clarence Williams III played the hayell out of Wesley's junkie dad character.

I know I talk about some of the limited choices we have in Black Cinema in the states, but elsewhere, it is even more dismal. To wit, this email from reader Aulelia of "Charcoal Ink". Should we be grateful that we even have choices, good or bad?:

Hi IW,

I feel compelled to write to you and let you know that I finally saw the Great Debaters today. I had to resort to downloading it because the bloody film was not released in the UK despite all of my patient waiting.

I am not even surprised that it does not have a European Region 2 DVD release which is deeply frustrating as I had wanted to buy it.

Anyway, I know it came out ages ago for you in the US but just wanted to say that I thought it was brilliant. Loved it. Lol, no surprise as I am obsessed with Denzel but jokes aside, I found it to be quite touching. I knew what to expect plot wise and I did not feel disappointed.

What does make me sad is how black people in the UK are being starved of such rich films like GD. We keep getting absolute SHITE being advertised here (like journey to the centre of the earth) yet films like GD are ignored - why ? - because they have a black cast.

It is shameful and disgusting. Just want let to let you know that the situation for seeing black films in the UK in cinemas is barely alive.

No wonder Idris and his lovely self has found more work in the US. It is a shame but what it is is merely a reflection of reality.

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Random Movie News....

And I mean hecka random. Sergio sent me these tidbits last week, but I've been in slack mode. You might have seen these movie announcements somewhere else, but for those who haven't here they are:

First up, from AOL:

Brett Ratner is in negotiations to direct Universal Pictures and Imagine Entertainment's remake of 'The Incredible Shrinking Man.' Brian Grazer is producing the project, which has Eddie Murphy attached to star.

The Hollywood Reporter states that an updated version of the best-selling novel and 1957 sci-fi classic starring Grant Williams, 'Man' is taking the comedic approach to the fantastical material, telling the story of a famous Las Vegas magician who is put under a spell that causes him to shrink. He must find a way to reverse the spell before he gets so small that he 'disappears.'

Thomas Lennon and Robert Ben Garant penned the most recent draft of the screenplay for the project, which had previously seen Pete Segal and Keenen Ivory Wayans in the director's chair.

From IW: Dang, even Keenan Wayans moved on from this mess? Eddie is solidifying his morph process into Jerry Lewis.

Next is a film that might be awesome if anyone else was attached to star. From Variety:

Halle Berry will star in and produce psychological drama "Frankie and Alice" for indie shingle Access Motion Pictures in association with Reality Pictures in Motion.

Story follows a young woman struggling with multiple personality disorder and torn between who she is and a racist Caucasian alter-personality that preys upon her mind. No production start date has been set.

"Frankie and Alice" is the second independent production for Toronto-based Access Motion Pictures, which recently completed "Phantom Punch," a Sonny Liston biopic starring Ving Rhames and directed by Robert Townsend.

From IW: If only Angela Bassett or....anyone else could do this role. *sigh* Never mind....


You probably heard this one. Keshia Knight Pulliam is gonna play a prostitute in "Madea Goes To Jail". Everyone seems to be up in arms over this, but I'm sure ol' girl has bills to pay, and what else have we seen her in lately? Besides, truth be told, if you read the gossip blogs she is waaay past Rudy on the Cosby show.

And speeding in on the "Just Why?" train and narrowly missing one of my "WTF Volumes" is this...from Yahoo:

A "Soul Train" movie is on track to arrive in movie theaters next year, the creator of the venerable urban dance television show said on Thursday.

Don Cornelius told Reuters that he has teamed up with Warner Bros. Pictures to develop a buddy comedy that he hopes will spawn multiple sequels.

The project, currently called "Soul Train: The Movie," revolves around two male dancers on the show who get into "a lot of good stuff and some bad stuff as well," said Cornelius, who will serve as a producer.

It features "lots of music, lots of comedy," he added, as well as "a little bit of violence." He also promised it would be "more than slightly sensual."

"'Soul Train' has always been about sexuality," Cornelius said. "It's almost never been about guys, and almost always about girls. It's what has kept us afloat for these three decades or so."

From IW: What? I can't even comment on all that's wrong with Don and his "genius". Might be time for the home for the elderly....

By the way, the picture above is of some of the original "Soul Trainers". Come to think of it, those dudes look as zesty as that story idea sounds...

Did anyone else see "88 Minutes"? I could not figure out for the life of me why Al Pacino never seemed pressed even once that he had like an hour and a half to live. Not once. Didn't even break a sweat. I love thrillers, but save this one for Showtime, straight up.

And finally, thanks to Villager for bestowing on me the "E For Excellence Award" for my blog. It is wonderful to be recognized amongst your peers, and with the work he does over at Electronic Village ....it makes me proud that he took the time to recognize me and mine. Check him out when you have a chance---he always has very important and relevant information about our folkses and our community. He is building something over there that we can all be proud of.

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Top 10 Worst Black Films Of 2007

Alrighty then. Hope you guys had an awesome day yesterday, no matter what you chose to do. I was going to do one of those standard end of the year "Top 10 Best Films of 2007" lists for black film, but guess what? Surprise, surprise, I couldn't think of ten. The really sad part is I couldn't even think of five. Damn.

The big ticket black films of the year, "Why Did I Get Married?" and "American Gangster" were amusing to watch, but nothing more. The fact that they are considering Denzel's performance for a Golden Globe and other such awards just underscores how bare our cupboards are to me.

Here is to hoping 2008 will be a banner year for Black Cinema.....

Anyhoo, I did however have enough fodder for a "Top 10 Worst Black Films of 2007". Surprise, surprise, again (not). These are in no particular order, as I think they were all pretty much equally atrocious. Some of them kinda walk the line for "Black Cinema", but I included them because of their casts, their hype, and high visibility in the Black Blogosphere:

#1

I Think I Love My Wife

When, when, when is Chris Rock finally going to get it that he does not need to ever be in a film of his own making? Just produce (and for heaven's sake no more directing!), or star in a movie that someone, anyone else, wrote. This was a remake of a non-black film that I've seen called "Chloe In The Afternoon", and it was so mangled in it's interpretation that I didn't even know it until I read that fact yesterday.....so he can't even translate someone else's material. Here is a short clip of him talking about how he came to make this film...LMBAO acting like there was some kind of artistic thought/process behind this bulls--t:

#2

Code Name: The Cleaner

The whole time I was watching this (and for the life of me I don't know why I watched it till the end) I kept saying to myself "Why would Cedric make this movie?". It'll be a happy day when Cedric The Entertainer finds a film or a T.V. show that matches his hilarious abilities in his stand-up. As of now--not even close. This is a clip of the one kinda (operative word kinda) funny scene in the movie. If this is the best it had to offer, you can just imagine how dismal the rest was if you haven't seen it:

#3

The Salon

One of the most stock, stereotypical, lazy black films in quite some time, and that's saying a lot. I wrote about it here. They could've had robots make this movie and no one would have noticed the difference. Some foolio named Mike Brooks had a short clip on "youtube" and it looks like he has a very, very small part as "Street Vendor" in the film, and used this scene for his acting reel/resume. It is a perfect snapshot of everything that is wrong in this movie:

#4

Daddy Day Camp

Cuba Gooding. A script even Eddie Murphy wouldn't touch. An already worn to death premise. 'Nuff said. Here is some New York guido with a clip called "What's Going On Cuba?" The ish is low budget and unscripted, but dude is funny as hayell and completely on point:

#5

Confessions Of A Call Girl

Tho this one had an extremely limited release (with good reason) and zero hype, I included it anyway cause Tamala Jones was in it, as was Lynn Whitfield, who must have absolutely nothing else going on whatsoever. This movie was supposed to be a drama, but was so freakin' laughable that I think they need to rethink the genre and make it comedy. I wrote about all the painful details here. I tried to find a clip of this movie, but all that kept coming up was this tired picture, but in a way it's apropos, so here you go....for those of you who don't know, this is Karinne "Superhead" Stefans, infamous groupie, hoe, and bubblehead:

#6

Who's Your Caddy?

What can I say about this movie that hasn't already been said? It came from the "Our Stories" production company that is supposed to be our savior, and make "wholesome, family oriented films that are a reflection of us and our community" (their words). If this movie is a reflection of us, we might as well pack it in right now. The fact that this film, after all of it's extensive hype, only made $2.9 million in it's opening weekend spoke volumes. Here is a clip of some of the actors and Tracey Edmonds talking about some of the scenes like this crapfest was "Goodfellas" or something---SMH. At the end, Tracey says "This summer, there is nothing like our film coming out". Truer words were never spoken.

#7

Perfect Stranger

Halle Berry continues to make horrible film after horrible film, but is still considered A-List. In fact, has she ever, ever, starred in a great film? In a good one? Even a decent one? I'm talking a theatrical release, not television. The state of mainstream acting seems to be that your acting abilities equate to how the public views your face. The more beautiful the perception is, the better actress you are. Makes perfect sense to me (insert sarcasm). Nicole Kidman and Keira Knightly, anyone? Here is a clever mash-up of Halle's movie and the sitcom "Perfect Strangers" with Balki:

#9

Are We Done Yet?

Admittedly, I haven't seen this film, but the Good Lord knows I don't have to to include it on this list. Here is a so-called "Blooper Reel", which is ironic, as this is what this whole film seems to be. It also shows off Nia Long's super-amazing acting abilities:

#9

Smokin' Aces

Not technically "Black Cinema", but a large portion of the main cast was. After the huge hype of Alicia Keys, Common, and Taraji P. Henson being in it, it was a HUGE letdown, from the beginning to the closing credits. I kept waiting for it to get better, and it never did. I didn't even feel like looking for something interesting associated with this movie, so here is the trailer:

#10

First Sunday

I know it hasn't come out yet, but let's just get it over with to make more room for next year's list, kay? Since I posted the trailer the other day, here it is with some super dramatic music some funny genius uploaded on youtube. It changes the tone and context entirely....kinda goes back with what I say sometimes about how important a soundtrack can be to a film:

Btw, "Rush Hour 3" might've taken spots 1 through 6 if it was considered Black Cinema and not a mainstream summer blockbuster. Congrats to Ice Cube, who made this list twice.

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And I Will Co-Sign On That!

Oh no she did not say this! From A Hot Mess:

Halle Berry came out and complained that she’s not considered for enough roles because she’s black. I swear she’s always bitching about something and she is the LAST person who needs to be complaining about getting enough roles.

“It doesn’t matter that I have an Oscar, an Emmy, a Golden Globe and a Silver (Berlin) Bear (DEAD! What?! -J),” Berry, who is pregnant with her first child, said during an interview at a Manhattan hotel to promote her new movie “Things We Lost in the Fire.”

“I shouldn’t have had to try so hard to be considered. I should have to stop convincing studios I am right for it — it should be on my acting merit,” she said.

Sweetheart, did you ever think maybe it is based on your acting talent? You AREN’T that good of an actress. I don’t care if a flying Monkey wearing House of Dereon gave you your Oscar, you ain’t all that. And you’re lucky to be getting as many roles as you do while much more talented actresses like Angela Bassett are forced to do Clean & Clear commercials. SMH.

From IW: Maybe she can blame her delusion on the pregnancy. It took a few minutes for me to digest that she has an Emmy, Golden Globe, and Oscar....talk about bizarro.

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Where Does Web Site Traffic Come From?

I don't know, as I am probably the most low-tech blogger out here, but what I do know is that my numbers double steadily about every 2 weeks. I think I do pretty well for a fairly new blogger, but yesterday I had an nuclear explosion of traffic. When I looked to see where it was coming from it was a bit of a surprise.

As some of you know, I am not the biggest fan of Halle Berry, but she gave me a gift yesterday with the announcement of her pregnancy. For some reason I was listed as a go-to source in this story on AOL, right next to people.com.

Congrats and thanks, Halle, I appreciate it. Just try to make some movies worth seeing, mmkay?

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Today in B'Days

Halle Berry is 41

Magic Johnson is 48

Jackee Harry is 51

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Yet Another Dramatic Role For Halle Berry

Halle Berry will be starring in the upcoming "Tulia". According to Stereohyped:

Berry will portray the key attorney for the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund in a case involving the 1999 arrests of 10% of the black population of Tulia, Texas. The arrests did not produce drugs or money, causing prosecutors and civil rights groups to denounce the bust as racial profiling. The undercover agent who conducted the bust was indicted for perjury; most of the 46 arrestees were pardoned by Texas Gov. Rick Perry last year. The character that Berry plays is not African American but Indian.

From Invisible Woman: *sigh* I can't even start with the Indian stuff. Let me focus instead on the fact that Hollywood continues to give this woman dramatic role after dramatic role, which is clearly not her forte. For every "Monster's Ball" (which I wish to the core Angela Bassett wouldn't have turned down) there is a "Catwoman", a "Rich Man's Wife", a "Perfect Stranger", a "Gothika", and a "Swordfish".

Not one of my faves, to be sure. I think we can all agree that she is great to look at, practically flawless, but as an actress, well, there is a lot that I could say but won't, as I don't even feel like taking the time. I think it was Denzel Washington, Morgan Freeman or maybe even Robert DeNiro who said acting is "all in the eyes". It doesn't matter, cause all of those guys have it in the eyes, no question. When I look in Halle's eyes, all I can see is swirling sandstorms.

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5 THINGS.......

5 Things I hate about Hollywood:

1) It's complete and total refusal to recognize any other black leads besides Halle Berry, Denzel Washington, Will Smith, and Eddie Murphy (these go for the sexy lists as well, minus Eddie)

2) Ratio of foolio black films to quality ones....still 10:1

3) Blacks still excluded from the upper echelon of studio executives and decision makers

4) Price of going to the movies is almost as much as my PG&E bill (for you non-Californians that's gas and electric)

5) Beyonce still not going away

Anything to add to the list?

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Casting Trivia.....

The Smiths are continuing their acting dynasty with daughter Willow in "Kitt Kittredge: An American Girl Mystery" (?) a story set in The Depression. Jill Scott (my girl!) will play a lead role in an upcoming Tyler Perry movie (?) called "No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency" (??). We'll have to see how these 2 turn out, they both sound pretty sketchy right now. Ludacris and Nick Cannon have been cast in the basketball movie "Ball Don't Lie" about a b-ball player and his conflicting life on the streets.

Speaking of casting, here is some interesting trivia:

-Did you know that Halle Berry turned down the Sandra Bullock role in "Speed"? (Probably busy making the classic "The Rich Man's Wife")

-Will Smith turned down the role as Neo (that went to Keanu Reeves) in "The Matrix"? (Whew!)

-That Angela Bassett turned down Halle Berry's Oscar winning role in "Monster's Ball" and then had the audacity to be pissed that Halle won (she probably thought that legacy should have been hers) and talked greasy about Halle , saying that "it's amazing what happens when someone decides to show their body?" Sour grapes, girl. By the way, has anyone seen Angela lately?

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