Boris Kodjoe's Next Movie: "All about Us"

In a recent interview with Kam Williams, Boris Kodjoe talks about his life, new movie ("All about Us")--a romantic dramedy about a Hollywood couple who decide to settle down in Mississippi after shooting a movie there, rather than return to L.A., and upcoming jobs. Here's a little snippet of the interview:

KW: What interested you in doing All about Us?

BK: First and foremost was the script, because I rarely, to that point, got a chance to consider playing a role like that, a regular family guy who is basically trying to balance his career goals with his obligations to his family. It's a very heartwarming story with some really interesting, fleshed-out characters. And when I had a meeting with the director, Christine Swanson, and her husband, Michael, I admired their passion for what they were doing. I think it's always a blessing to get to work with people who have that fire about what they're doing.

KW: What was it like filming All about Us on location in Mississippi?

BK: It was great. I encountered tremendous heat and lovely people.

KW: The script was semi-autobiographical. So, it must have been interesting to be acting out the filmmakers' life story.

BK: Yeah, it was interesting. I talked with Michael about the character, and about his path and his journey. And it was fun to sort of associate certain things that he went through with things that I've been through in my life. For instance, I had a young daughter, too, so there were many parallels that I could draw on. It was funny, because we were different people, yet all young fathers obviously go through some of the same stuff, and have some of the same concerns and anxieties. So, the process was really cool to me.

KW: What's up next for you?

BK: I'm shooting a movie right now with Bruce Willis called The Surrogates.

Check out the movie clip:





Good to see Boris doing his thang!!!

YourBlackCelebrities: Psychology, Math, Society & Media Determine Who Is Beautiful

By Chiderah A. Monde

Why is it that both Angelina Jolie and Halle Berry are widely considered beautiful women, no matter what race you are, no matter what gender?

With a constantly changing world, comes a constantly changing perception of beauty. Over the years society has changed its description of what is considered the physically “ideal” or “perfect” woman. No longer does the blond bombshell grace the covers of every magazine, nor does the deathly skinny frame or pale skin.

The 21st century demanded a change, for it’s “ideal” woman, and now she has curves, dark hair, and most importantly- darker skin.

Society’s perfect woman is not necessarily Black, although everyone agrees that Beyonce, Halle Berry, Alicia Keys and Janet Jackson top a lot of lists. But darker skin is definitely in- whether it is tanned white women, foreign femmes, or mixed beauties, women like Jessica Alba, Angelina Jolie, Aishwarya Rai, Adrianna Lima and Jessica Biel have taken the place of the blond bombshell era.

There’s no question about curves being in demand too. Beyonce is the epitome of the ideal curves for a Black woman, so is Alicia Keys, and quite frankly- so is Kim Kardashian. Men agree that body and curves are sexier, and women feel more comfortable with their bodies being similar shapes to celebrity women.

The interesting thing about the changing perception of beauty is how we can all agree that these women and physical features are considered acceptable. Psychologists argue that an individual’s perception of what is considered attractive is dependent on the person’s parents. That is, we base what is beautiful on what our mothers look like, what our fathers think, and what they both teach us to be beautiful. On the other scholarly hand, some consider attraction to be dependent on symmetry. That is, anything that is symmetrical is aesthetically pleasing. Once something seems out of line, out of sync, or asymmetrical, it is not attractive.

I don’t know how I feel about all of that.

Whether it’s psychology or symmetry that determines what is beautiful, it is all amplified by society and by media. Everything we buy, wear, eat and do is reflection of what some part of society has suggested we should. And “should” is an iffy word…

Nevertheless, we might be moving in an optimistic direction. If curves, dark hair and dark skin is currently in, society is setting an example for accepting a variety of body types. With things like Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty and Maxim’s 2008 Hot 100, the days of having only one perfect woman are long gone.

YourBlackCelebrities: Wendy Williams Meets Her Online Prototype

Who is the queen of all media? Well, that would be Oprah. But the queen of radio would be Wendy Williams, and the queen of Internet Celebrity Gossip would be Lady Drama. Her work with AllHipHop.com, YourBlackWorld.com and TheSource.com has black people talking all over America.


Lady Drama (AKA Ebony Garris) appeared with Wendy Williams on her new show this week. The Queen of Urban Radio made comments about how fabulous Ebony looked, as Lady Drama is the Queen of online media.

Click here to watch the video.

Obama Introducing Kanye On Stage?

(From NME.com)

Barack Obama will introduce Kanye West onstage at Lollapalooza Festival(August 1-3) in an attempt to appeal to hip-hop fans, according to reports in the US media.

The Democratic Presidential Candidate, who has talked openly about aiming to use hip-hop to connect with his electorate, is expected to make a brief stage appearance at the festival in his home town of Chicago alongside the rapper-producer.

Speaking on US TV show 'What's In It For Us', Obama explained: "I've met with [b]Kanye [West]. And I've talked to other artists about how potentially to bridge that gap. I think the potential for them to deliver a message of extraordinary power that gets people thinking (is massive)."

The move comes after an announcement that Kanye West is going to perform at an event at the Democratic Conventionin Denver (August 25-28), alongsideWyclef Jean and N.E.R.D.

Sources close to the candidate have told reporters, that Obama has left a slot open in his schedule for the appearance at the festival in Grant Park, less than a mile from the national campaign headquarters.

Sanaa Lathan & Nia Long's Next Gig: The Cleveland Show

Sanaa Lathan & Nia Long are contributing their voice talents to The Cleveland Show (a spin-off of Family Guy).

The Hollywood Reporter reports that Sanaa Lathan and Nia Long have joined the voice cast of FOX's "Family Guy" spinoff "The Cleveland Show", which centers on Cleveland Brown. Lathan will voice a single mother and love interest for Cleveland, and Long gives voice to her rebellious teen daughter, Roberta.

This role will be Nia's first voice-over role. The show is schedule to premiere early next year.

Congrats ladies!!

pic courtesy of Essence cover party

Will & Jada's Open Relationship Might Be A Good Idea for Black Couples

By Chiderah A. Monde

Will Smith and Jada’s confession about their open marriage last year during an interview is still a hot topic. Since then people have been able to really think about what open marriage has meant for the Pinkett-Smith union, and what it could mean for black couples everywhere.

Black people continue to look up to Will and Jada as the pillar of black love. They represent the ideal successful black couple: complete with two gorgeous people in love, wealth, happiness and beautiful children to top it off.

It could all be so simple as to accredit their successful marriage to the agreement they have with each other, allowing them to be able to sleep with whomever they want as long as they inform each other of those happenings. Could it be that in this day an age, [open relationships + open communication] is the only formula that equals a successful relationship?

Let’s consider the possibilities.

The most important part of having an open marriage is that the idea eliminates the number one reason why people break up in this country- cheating. Open relationships require as much trust as one can possibly put in a person. Trusting them not to lie, trusting them not to hide things, and trusting them to remain faithful. It sounds like all of the basic necessities of a regular relationship are present.

Black couples that last are growing more and more rare. The current statistics claim that just about 45% of educated successful black women do not get married, and just as many get divorced. Those numbers are scary. At the same time interracial dating is becoming more popular, and more black men get involved with white, Asian, Latina and mixed women. For those situations where black women feel threatened about their husbands cheating, perhaps an open marriage could save them from this trouble, and save marriages from their demises.
Also, having an open relationship facilitates a key component of successful relationships- communication. Many marriage therapists focus mainly on the type of communication between husband and wife when couples come in to try and save marriages. People find that their spouses aren’t telling them things, especially when it comes to how they feel.

I don’t know, open relationships sound like a great idea. However, there must be dire disadvantages.

I asked some of my friends around campus, and got similar opinions about open relationships and open marriages. Most men agreed that they would love a woman who was gorgeous and successful, and who would allow them to sleep with other women. They said they would rather not know whom their wives are sleeping with, but if the trust between them is there, there shouldn’t be a problem. Most men could see themselves always coming back to their “80% women” regardless of who they slept with, since those outside relationships would be solely based on physical attraction. Will Smith said the same thing.

Most women that I talked to said that the situation is rather unrealistic. They all agreed that problems in the long run would be inevitable. They could see their men preferring the outside sex to their own, which would lead to wanting to leave, or more arguments about how drastically their sex lives have changed. It comes as no surprise to me that the women thought more about potential problems than the benefits of open relationships.

How about what an open relationship would mean for the black family?

When you take it outside the bedroom, it seems that an open marriage is not such a good idea. How do you explain to your kids “mommy and daddy spend nights with aunties and uncles”?

For Will and Jada, this conversation has to be had, considering their lives are public and their kids are sure to hear about it sooner or later.

Then there’s the problem of STDs and/or AIDS. Let’s be realistic, no sex is exempt from possibly introducing transmitted diseases- celebrity sex or not. Couples have to be twice as careful about using protection and being checked regularly for diseases, and extremely aware of the sexual history of the people they decide to sleep with. Maybe open relationships are not such a good idea…there’s all the extra background checking and detective work one must do just to have sex.

As far as religion goes- open marriages completely contradict morals established in the black church. Isn’t that considered adultery? But then again…so is cheating, and people still do it. God might not like this idea either. Accepting open marriage and open relationships in the black church would require review and revision of morals established by the church. As crazy as it sounds, open marriage is the “less immoral” way to commit adultery.

It may just be that having a Will and Jada kind of relationship can only work for Will and Jada.

Black couples that aren’t celebrities may not be as prepared to deal with problems such as children from outside relationships, STDs or AIDS, and paying for child support if children were to result from their extramarital affairs. Jada considers Will’s oldest son to be one of her own, even though he is a result of one of Will’s previous relationships. Jada has the patience, the money, and the time to take care of children that are not her own- most women do not.

I am not knocking the strategy though, I think some people would do well in these kinds of relationships, but it definitely isn’t for everybody. Just like marriage isn’t for everybody. It depends on the people involved and their personalities.

Omarosa: The Jerk Who Challenged Wendy Williams

Omarosa, the woman who does all she can to get attention, recently appeared on the Wendy Williams TV show. Omarosa is a lot like New York, from "I Love New York", just a little cuter on the outside, but far uglier on the inside. She sold out another brother on The Apprentice, and seems to think that she is destined for stardom.

As this woman works overtime to keep her 15 minutes of fame on the move, she will slowly find that all the social hoeing, hating, hooking and manipulating she is doing to get ahead is not going to serve her well in this life. I am sure that her love and her men are just as shallow and fake as her smile and her breasts. In fact, she probably can't keep a man anyway.

Omarosa, going head to head with Wendy Williams is cute, but the truth is that whatever you have inside of you that keeps you unhappy needs to be dealt with. You're an ugly human being.

The Lady Behind The Drama: Our Own Lady Drama On The Wendy Williams Show Tuesday!

Anybody that reads YourBlackWorld has probably stopped by the gossip section to read up on the lives of celebrities. It is a guilty pleasure for some people, but for Ebony Garris, it is a regular day at work.

Garris is the writer of YourBlackGossip, and under the name Lady Drama, she keeps us all informed about what is going on with our favorite Hollywood hipsters. But this talented talker is not just the writer for YBG, Garris keeps the gossip coming in to AllHipHop.com as a rumor-assistant, and she also writes columns for Hood and Urban Magazines.


Lady Drama always had a love for gossiping. Growing up she looked up to and regularly listened to Wendy Williams, while harnessing her talent for writing. Garris has been a gossip professional for three years, but has been a writer for six, and continues to flourish at both. The name Lady Drama just came to her one night, and from then on her career as gossip diva extraordinaire set its own path to success.


So does Lady Drama, queen of gossip at YBW, read gossip sites too? Yep! She admits being well acquainted with sites like TMZ.com, Bossip.com and Concreteloop.com. She’s not a huge fan of MediaTakeOut.com, and when asked why she explained that the site is not very honest. Lady Drama takes pride in her work, saying, “I say how I feel and I’m very honest about it…[MediaTakeOut.com] likes to bring celebrities down…that’s not what I do.”

How does one find the material to create a gossip site? Lady Drama tells about how at first a gossip guru must do a lot of research. Googling names and looking up court dates are only two of the tactics that kept her busy collecting material. But as success of the site grew, Lady Drama fans began sending in their tips, sightings and rumors.

The regular Gossip Girl admits that the best thing about her job is being able to know everybody else’s business while they know nothing about her! She laughs, “Everybody gossips, why not get paid for it!” Although Lady Drama keeps current and informed 24/7 with the lives involved in the world of entertainment, she thinks of the name as her alter ego. Ebony Garris is calm and cool, and Lady Drama is always in tune with Hollywood and the latest buzz.

Our own Lady Drama has tons of plans for the future, including an appearance on the Wendy Williams Show this Tuesday. On July 22nd, if you’re in the New York, Dallas, Detroit or Los Angeles areas, tune into Fox 5 at 10am to catch Lady Drama introduce the show! The opportunity to meet her idol came when she got a call from the producers of the show a couple days after requesting audience tickets.

In addition to that, Garris is currently working on a book that she would like to have out by next summer! As she is finishing up her book, print publication is also her focus. In the future, she plans to do more magazines, columns, newspapers and websites. Garris would like for Lady Drama to continue to succeed and become well known, and with the way she’s going now, that is sure to happen soon!

Black First Lady: Michelle Obama's Greatest Media Hits

A full ranging video that pays homage to the wit, intelligence, lucidity and perspicacity of Michelle Obama:

The Problem In Hollywood: Black Actresses Now Replaceable?

A movie that came out last month featured well known Estonian actress Mena Suvari as the lead character. The movie “Stuck” tells the story of a woman named Brandi who hits a homeless man with her car late one night, and is later is charged with his murder. The movie is based on the true story of a black woman named Chante Mallard who was convicted for the crime in 2001.

Suvari even has cornrows in the movie, giving her the look of being African-American even though they claim she portrays a “white trash” sort of character. Although she is a great actress- I do like some of her other work- I wonder why they couldn’t cast a black actress to play the role accurately, instead of distorting the character into what Suvari will be playing?

Black actresses are constantly competing for the same roles, and now with white actresses being able to look more “ethnic”, their chances of getting roles are diminishing. Jezebel.com features an article about the Suvari movie, and explores the unfortunate possibility of Black actresses becoming even more overlooked.

Ever since they have been allowed to act in movies, Black women have only been given roles as “mammies”- playing nannies to white children, cooks, and housekeepers, or “jezebels”- the seductive love interest, prostitute, or neighborhood man-stealer in every movie.

Nowadays, those two roles have been only a little bit broadened. Black women play secretaries and assistants (Wanda Sykes, Loretta Divine), or the typical Black family women in Tyler Perry-type Black movies (Angela Basset, Gabrielle Union, Nia Long, Kimberly Elise, etc). Often times Black women will be given the shot at action movies (Jada Pinkett-Smith, Halle Berry, Sanaa Lathan, Keri Washington, Gabrielle Union) but those only come after huge recognition and success of previous movies, or after suggestions of who would look good next to the successful Black men that star in them (Will Smith, Denzel Washington, Jamie Foxx).

It comes as no surprise that Black actresses are unhappy. In Essence’s December 2007 issue, there’s an article interview with Sanaa Lathan, Gabrielle Union and Nia Long about this topic. Union said, “I could make a living doing Black urban romantic comedies for the rest of my life…. But am I growing as an artist?” The personal accomplishment is not there for most of these ladies. They are not being paid fairly, and their years and years of acting is not reflected in their recognition.

Gabrielle Union also raised an interesting point in saying, “… they’ll complain on the blogs that we don’t have enough black stars. Well, you rip us to shreds every two seconds from our nose to the weave to the clothes to the shoes to the ashy ankles.”

Instead of supporting the few talented ladies that we have, the black community often resorts to criticism of how they are portrayed. Do we forget that the make-up and hair artists for these movies are white? The directors are white, the camera men are white, the lighting crew, publicists, clothing designers, casting directors, and everybody else that works on a movie….usually white. How can we expect them to completely and accurately reflect Black life?

Black culture in Hollywood only comes through what we see on the screen, and read in the pages. As an aspiring actress, I wonder what place in the line of Black actresses I will eventually get to with conditions like these. All of these ladies, especially my favorite actress Sanaa Lathan, have reason to complain about their roles. We as the Black audience and general public have to take notice, and be upset enough to try to change things and steer us in a direction where Black actresses are not overlooked and chosen second to somewhat “ethnic” looking white women.

Paris Bennett Pregnant

Paris Bennett, granddaughter of Ann Nesby & season 5 American Idol contestant, is expecting a baby. The 19-year old's daughter is due in October.

According to Blackvoices.com, Paris' mother, Jamecia Bennett is elated:

"This makes five generations," an overjoyed Jamecia stated. "I'm proud of how she did it. I was 16 when I got pregnant."

Paris' mother was mum on who the child's father is. "He chooses not to be in the public eye," she offered. "I respect that." She also wouldn't divulge what he does for a living. "I can't tell," she said.

Paris, who goes by the nickname Princess P, is also engaged to the unidentified baby's daddy.

"She has a ring," said Jamecia, who's hopeful that she'll be planning a wedding for daughter.

Okay, I understand being happy about the upcoming arrival, but it's amazing that her mother isn't thinking of how her 19-year old has (or had) this bright future ahead of her. Pregnancy appears to be the trend with young Hollywood now-a-days.

However, we wish Princess P all the best with the new princess on her way!

Tyler Perry's Next Film: "The Family That Preys"

Tyler Perry's next film, "The Family That Preys" is due out Sept. 12, 2008. The movie trailer has yet to be released, however, here is a synopsis of the movie from blackfilm.com:

Academy Award®-winner Kathy Bates and Academy Award®-nominee Alfre Woodard star as the matriarchs of two very different families being torn apart by greed and scandal in the contemporary drama TYLER PERRY’S THE FAMILY THAT PREYS. The sixth feature film by Perry chronicles the inner workings of two families—one upper-crust and the other working class—that become inextricably linked by scandal.

Wealthy socialite Charlotte Cartwright (Kathy Bates) and her dear friend Alice Pratt (Alfre Woodard), a working class woman of high ideals, have enjoyed a lasting friendship throughout many years. Suddenly, their lives become mired in turmoil as their adult children’s extramarital affairs, unethical business practices and a dark paternity secret threaten to derail family fortunes and unravel the lives of all involved. Alice’s self-centered newlywed daughter Andrea (Sanaa Lathan) is betraying her trusting husband Chris (Rockmond Dunbar) by engaging in a torrid affair with her boss and mother’s best friend’s son William (Cole Hauser). While cheating on his wife Jillian (Kadee Strickland) with a string of ongoing dalliances with his mistress Andrea, William’s true focus is to replace the COO of his mother’s lucrative construction corporation. Meanwhile, Alice’s other daughter Pam (Taraji Henson), a kind but no nonsense woman married to a hard working construction worker (Tyler Perry), tries to steer the family in a more positive direction.

While paternity secrets, marital infidelity, greed and unsavory business dealings threaten to derail both families, Charlotte and Alice decide to take a breather from it all by making a cross-country road trip in which they rediscover themselves and possibly find a way to save their families from ruin in TYLER PERRY’S THE FAMILY THAT PREYS.

Sounds like it will be a hit.

Also check out the movie poster. Now this is interesting to say the least!

Black Celebrity News:Will Smith Continues his run in the Box Office

 

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Will Smith, the closest thing to a sure bet in Hollywood these days, flew to the top of the worldwide box office with his critically mauled superhero saga "Hancock," distributor Columbia Pictures said on Sunday.

 

The comedy-drama, in which Smith plays a drunken crime-fighter with an image problem, sold an estimated $185 million worth of tickets, the Sony Corp-owned studio said.

 

Moviegoers in the United States and Canada contributed $107.3 million in the six days since the film opened on Tuesday evening, and the film racked up an additional $78 million in 50 territories. Columbia said the film opened at No. 1 in 47 of those 50 markets, including Britain, Germany, Australia, Brazil and South Korea.

 

The North American tally includes sales of $66 million for the U.S. Independence Day holiday weekend, beginning Friday. "Hancock" ranks as Smith's eighth-consecutive chart-topper, and his 12th overall, Columbia said.

 

"Audiences love Will Smith and the characters he plays," said Rory Bruer, Columbia's president of domestic theatrical distribution. "People want to share in the things he's doing."

 

Smith, 39, a one-time rapper famed for his gung-ho performances, ventures into darker territory with "Hancock." His slovenly character's messy crime-busting efforts cause more problems than they solve, and he enlists a public relations man, played by Jason Bateman, to help restore his reputation among the displeased citizenry of Los Angeles.

 

Critics were intrigued by the basic premise, but were vexed by a dramatic sub-plot involving Charlize Theron, who plays Bateman's wife. Peter Berg ("The Kingdom") directed the $150 million film, which was notably brief at just over 90 minutes.

 

Smith has ruled the July 4 holiday weekend five times, beginning with 1996's "Independence Day," the biggest movie of his career. Adjusted for ticket-price inflation, the "Hancock" opening ranks at No. 3 among those offerings, according to tracking firm Box Office Mojo.

 

Click to Read More.

 

will smith,hancock,black men,black in america,black men in america