How Bout Some Trailers?

Okay, regarding my last post--I thought Darktown Strutters would be interesting based on it's premise, but I must say I did not love it. At all. Any movie that randomly has The Dramatics pop up in a jail cell in full costumes doing a full performance with Temptations-like choreography gets a huge side-eye from me. Why were movies that weren't dramas in the 70's so effin weird? I know it was a time of rampant drug use, and a lot of films from that decade were hard evidence of that...from "Tommy" to "Heavy Traffic" to "Darktown Strutters" just to name a few--they were just so disjointed, so horribly edited and all over the place with zero cohesiveness. *sigh* Thank goodness for Fred Williamson...

Anyway, let's view a few trailers, yes? These films at least have a linear storyline, but let me know if you find them interesting (personally I can't wait to see "Brooklyn's Finest"). I will get around to writing about the zillions of films I've seen in the past month and a half.

First up, Chris Rock's remake of "Death At A Funeral", with Danny Glover, Tracy Morgan, Zoe Saldana, Martin Lawrence, and my next husband, fine ass James Marsden.. I've had the original on Tivo for the longest, but still can't get myself to watch it....I would like to see the original before viewing this one with a Black cast-I'd like to see if they made it any different--or better:




Then we have this one, which is not really a Black film, but Sanaa Lathan (down with the swirl once again) was tweeting about how "proud" she was of it. When I first read about this film a year ago, it also got the side-eye from me, and after viewing this trailer, it now has a bigger one; Michael K. Williams from "The Wire" nonwithstanding. I dunno...:




I will be working with the publicity team on this one, so expect to see more about this film--hope you likey, at least for the novelty of seeing Wesley Snipes with back-length cornrows..."Brooklyn's Finest" (Michael K is in this one too, as well as The Cheadle, who I always like a lot more in crime thrillers):




Btw, here is a clip from Darktown Strutters; watch at your own risk (and yes, that is Roger Mosely...the chick is actually the first Black Bond girl for you trivia buffs):

The Family That Preys (On Your Wallet) Part 2

OK, I saw "The Family That Preys" last night, and while I agree with Miss Snob on some points (review posted yesterday), I am going to take a different, albeit less detailed approach.

Let's pretend that you are an alien from another planet (or another country), and had never heard of Tyler Perry and his movies. You would:

-Wonder why a movie that you think is about an affair has no real mention of said affair until a whole hour into it.

-Be perplexed on how in this day and age, someone can withdraw a substantial amount of cash in a joint (or maybe not joint, it unclear) account without the primary person's permission.

-Be puzzled about how the supposed secondary storyline, while not very interesting, is somehow stronger than the supposed disjointed, wtf first one (I say it is solely based on the performances of the two veterans in the secondary one, Alfre Woodard and Kathy Bates).

-Need an explanation of why Sanaa Lathan stays married to a man, or even got married to a man she so obviously loathes on every level.

-Side-eye the marriage of a zestmaster in an afro wig, pretending to be married and straight, when it is oh so very clear he ain't (not that there's anything wrong with that).

-Marvel at how Taraji P. Henson's eyebrows seem to be two emoting mini-actresses in their own right.

-Not find anything even remotely attractive about Rockmond Dunbar, and wonder why anyone would (OK that was really just Ms. Invisible, but someone has to be thinking that too!)

-Just say OK, what was that? at the climax, when a man leaves someone he'd been with for four years and had a child with like it was a one night stand, with no explanation.

-Have no inkling still of who Tyler Perry is, and why he keeps making the same movie over and over (so someone told you), but you do know that Sanaa Lathan, Taraji P. Henson, and Robin Givens had the fiercest hair on film record, and wonder where you can buy that amazing flatiron.

That is all.

All in all, I never get worked up about the works of Tyler Perry, but just have a kinda watchful resignation to it. His movies never really do anything for me, but I know they do for others, and I'm OK with that. I also would never, ever pay to see one, and am very glad I didn't have to with this one.

I would compare this movie to a situation when you are really, really hungry, and there is no place familiar to eat, so you pull your car over and give one place a try. The meal is bland and pretty ordinary, but you aren't hungry anymore for the moment, and you can at least say you tried a new place, tho you won't be back. You walk out the door and promptly and completely forget about it, and get hungry two hours later.

Yeah, it's like that.

btw, what happened to jennifer hudson being in this movie like everyone was talking about a few months back?

The Family That Preys (On Your Wallet)

There is a blog that is always on my radar called "The Black Snob". Miss Snob writes in a way that I wish I had time to do. Unfortunately I don't; I barely even have time to read her thought provoking and involved posts. Here is her detailed review of "The Family That Preys" via Sergio (who I'm sure printed this review on flyers and handed to everyone in the Chicago metropolitan area). Veeerrrry interesting:

I Saw A Tyler Perry Film And Didn't Walk Out In The First 15 Minutes....But Not Because I Didn't Want To

The Snob went to see Tyler Perry's "The Family That Preys," for free, as a guest of a friend. She went with an open mind and that mind was so dulled that it couldn't cut through Perry's horrid dialog, shoddy stagecraft and hysterical directing.

I didn't have high hopes, but I didn't expect what I got.

When I read how others saw this film I wonder if they were grading on a curve. Or maybe his previous films were so poorly executed that by comparison this one was brilliant. But I do know this:

I've watched a lot of black films, many which barely passed as "entertainment." They were what they were, imperfect comedy vessels produced by hacks, but hacks who understood film, if only on a hackery level.

Perry is not good enough to be called a hack.

Compared the producers and directors of such high black cinema as "Juwanna Man," "Two Can Play This Game," "Waiting to Exhale" and both "Barbershop" films, Perry doesn't even come close. To say he is a hack would be to assume that he understood the most basic, crudest elements of filmmaking on a budget.

And from what I saw Saturday morning, this man does not.

Words cannot describe how much I didn't like "The Family That Preys." (Although this review comes close.) The corny, hackneyed mish mash of "Days of Our Lives" and "Soul Food" for a plot could be forgiven. The sickly sweet use of the Lee Ann Womack's relatively recent country classic "I Hope You Dance" could be forgiven. Forcing poor Alfre Woodard and Kathy Bates to go through lines as subtle as a hand grenade. I can even forgive making Rockmond Dunbar's character the dumbest cuckolded man in the history of cuckolds. But I cannot forgive the fact that Perry either does not or refuses to learn the basic elements of filmmaking.

[SPOILER ALERT! If you actually want to be "surprised" by Perry's been-there-done-that plot, please stop reading. But if you watch this film and can't see what's going to happen from a mile out, you obviously don't consume much fiction, whether as a book, TV show, film, music or long form poem.]


Show, don't tell: This was the greatest sin of the whole movie. There's a wedding at the beginning that you never see take place. There is an affair that you never learn any of the "good" parts of -- like the seduction, the courtship, the illicit meetings, any allusions of sex or intimacy between those two characters, allusions of any love or lust between the two. All parts of the affair are learned through a list of talking points uttered by various characters throughout the film.

There's two "children," one per each cheater. One child you only see via the back of his head and the other is invisible, despite both being mentioned. The history of the friendship between Woodard and Bates' characters is verbally mentioned, but not shown. Potential for the examination of class/race issues are offered up but never probed. Woodard takes Bates to an impromptu Baptism when there was no lead-up explaining why Bates would want to be Baptized. There are no conversations between the two about life and death, the existence of God or who Jesus Christ is. Just a Baptism out of nothingness, never touched upon, referenced or explained ever again.

And rather than show through better filmmaking why Sanaa Lathan's character is such a gigantic bitch or why she is obsessed with money, there are jibs and jabs from her sister (who comes off almost equally as bitchy), regular references to luxury items and finally, a blurted out half-assed excuse/motivation for Lathan's nuttiness when she barks at her mother for driving their father away who apparently abandoned them. This is the first and only reference to the man and how his actions affected their family.

Attack of the two dimensional character: There were only two types of characters in this movie -- the good, salt of the earth, working class-to-poor people and the evil, college educated, stuck up rich people.

Does Cole Hauser's William Cartwright have any motivation to cheat on his wife that we know of? No. Do we find out the nature of his marriage? No. Do we learn why he and his mother have such a frigid relationship? No. Do we find out why he loves or does not love his wife or Lathan's character? No. Do we find out why he chose to carry on a years long affair with Lathan's character? No. Do we find out if he had a relationship with Lathan's character's "son" (who Perry -- shock, shock -- outs as Cartwright's son? No. He's just evil.

The same goes for Lathan who is a cold, calculating and cackling witch with no explanation. She also turns into an immature, nonsensical woman who doesn't act anything like a tough, hardworking woman who managed to pull herself up out of poverty and earn an Ivy League education. We don't learn that she had any love for Cartwright until shortly after the film's climax. I'd assumed she was playing him for the money given how "evil" she was, but she tearfully blurts out the most trite and cliched, "He loves me. He's going to leave his wife and marry meeeeee!" bullshit that is even below "The Young and The Restless" standards.

The "good" characters are just as awful. Dunbar's "Mr. Cuckold" is the stupidest wronged spouse in the history of wronged spouses. He is written as so weak and so witless he defies belief. When he learns his wife has a separate account with more than $280,000 in it and asks her about it, she castrates him telling him he has no business looking at her money and that she gets the cash from "bonuses."

She also has a "bonus" car given to her by the company and a "bonus" house, also from the company.

Yet, Dunbar's character doesn't figure it all out until the very end where he uncharacteristically slaps Lathan so hard that she flies over a diner counter top. While this got a lot of laughs from the audience, no doubt under the guise of "she had it coming," I was still disturbed as it wasn't necessary and gives the impression that there is a justification to physically assault another person, especially a woman, if she had it coming.

Wildly gesticulating caricatures: Perry does not understand how you can't direct actors for film the same way you'd direct actors for stage. Too often he has instructed his talented actors to "overact," as you would do for a stage play. On the stage you have to make wider gestures to fill the open theater void. Film is an intimate medium. Actors have to dial back so the dialog and interactions seem real. But the actors weren't dialed back, so they all sounded like cartoons, especially with such unimaginative dialog.

Repetitiveness: Apparently Perry was worried I wouldn't get a few points, so he had his characters repeat them over and over. For Lathan, "I get bonuses!" From every character to Dunbar about his dream of his own construction company some variation of," You need to get your head out of the clouds and be thankful for what you have!" Everyone except Woodard's character, "I need a drink." Having a fresh from work (and two fresh from cheating) threesome return home needing a shower almost immediately. Largely because Lathan and Hauser's characters, hint, hint, wink, wink, did the nasty that day. Perry's character just needed a shower because he was funky from work.

Perry is a lazy screenwriter: I could go all day naming plot devices that did not work or make sense, but if I had to pick one, the most maddening would be how Dunbar's character finds out about the secret account flushed with cash. He learns of it from a bank teller while trying to make a withdrawal. By this point, he and Lathan have been married for four years. The teller asks him which account and he is confused, asking the teller where the extra account came from and what is in it.

How dumb is Lathan's character if she didn't have the presence of mind to open her "secret" account at a different bank? Or if she had to have it at that bank, why would she have her husband's name listed on it? Because that's the only way the teller would say "which account." Because he gave his name only accounts with his name should have come up. Plus, this undercuts the fact that they've already been married for four years and we are to assume that he has never gone into the bank to make a transaction not once when his name is on his wife's secret account.

What the hell, people: Out of all these things I've mentioned, I guess my biggest disappointment was with the audience.

I don't have a problem in people liking and enjoying Perry's stage plays and films, but let's not fool ourselves. This is some piss poor film-making and everyone in that audience should have known it. THESE are the same people who saw "Dreamgirls," who watch "CSI: Miami," who read "Waiting to Exhale" and whose favorite films are "The Color Purple," "The Best Man" and "Bad Boys II." These are people who have seen both excellent cinema and some of Hollywood's finest hackery, yet they applaud something they have to know is a vastly inferior product when compared to "CB4," "Hitch" or "New Jack City."

I can understand why someone would love "Beauty Shop," the boring sequel to the "Barbershop" films, or "Glitter," that "A Star Is Born While a DJ Saved My Life" nightmare by Mariah Carey because as bad as those movies were the people making them understood the basic elements of filmmaking. That way, you could focus on the REAL problems of the film. Not get stuck on elementals you should have learned in either film school or via virtual film school -- a la Quintin Tarantino, a cinephile who consumed mass amounts of movies as he taught himself the craft.

I mourn what could have been -- a watchable melodrama on the subjects of marriage and infidelity featuring black performers.

Seeing actors I like (Rockmond Dunbar, Alfre Woodard, Kathy Bates) and love (Sanaa Lathan, Cole Hauser) wasted in a work undeserving of their talent drove me mad. To have an affair movie with no dramatization of the affair was ridiculous. I wasn't expecting a dry humping sex scene, but would it have killed him to shoot some passionate kissing, a fall on a bed and a fade to black? Give me the seduction. Give me the thickness of the drama. I want to understand what makes a marriage breakdown. By the end of the film, I learned nothing about commitment, family, love or loss that I couldn't find in a fortune cookie.

I realize this film was supposed to be some sort of departure for Perry, going with a biracial cast of characters with a grab for serious drama. But he really demonstrated his limitations as a director and it's hard to "cross-over" when you know that you can't screen your films for critics. And this is likely because Lion's Gate, which put out this film, knows it wouldn't even fly as a film student's freshman experiment. They know Perry can't direct and don't care, because they know black people who know his films are overacted with lots of shortcomings, love Perry anyway and focus on the good more so than the crappy.

So I applaud Perry for his ability to sell his vaudeville to a black movie-watching public who is willing to forgive his egregious sins of cinema because they are so starved of visions of us on screen. So starved that they are willing to pretend like "The Family That Preys" is "Unfaithful" meets "In Living Single" when it's really neither.

It seems I am too big of a snob for Tyler Perry films. My desire for the film fundamentals of A + B = Basic Filmmaking to be met are so strong that not even the power of blackness can override it.

Try harder.


From IW: Wow!

Hello There...

Hi all. I guess it's safe to say I'm back for awhile for 3 good reasons:

1) I was moved by the concern of my safety in the quake via email (btw, it scared the sh*t out of me, and I was in the big one in San Francisco).

2) If I die in a quake, I don't want my last blog post legacy to be a week old "today in b'days post", haha.

3) Your girl is monetizing her blog a bit, which means I have to get my slacking self together and actually write on my own blog a bit regularly (the nerve). I even answered your recent comments (!).

So, there has been a lot of little, unimportant news...I'll get to some of it. Thanks for all who emailed me about the Black Cinema stamps. I actually wrote about them a while ago in February HERE. I usually write about things way ahead of time, so if it seems like I'm late or not aware of something current, use my searchbar to check the archives.

First up. a funny story Sergio emailed me about the Oprah/Tyler Perry "romance" (lmao):

“He just kept complaining to Oprah that he’s this successful film director and yet the paparazzi ignore him,” said a source close to Perry’s camp. “So [while on vacation in Italy] Oprah took him by the arm and said, ‘come on, let’s go take some pictures.'"

According to the source, Oprah made sure the paps got all the shots they needed of the pair while they vacationed with Oprah’s BFF Gayle King in Portofino, Italy last week.“Apparently, he complains a lot to Oprah because she did the same thing for him while they were in L.A. together last year,” said the source.

From IW: Damn, just sad.

Did you know that Charles Dutton served some serious hard time? I didn't. My man has overcome some serious odds. From Variety:

Random House's Crown Books will publish multihyphenate Charles Dutton's memoirs in 2010. The book's working title is "From Jail to Yale.''

In 1968, at age 17, the Baltimore native was convicted of manslaughter, and he served 7½ years in prison.

Less than two years later, he went back to prison after being convicted of possession of a deadly weapon. During his second stint behind bars, he became involved with prison theater groups and after his release went on to college and the Yale School of Drama.

From IW: Interesting.

This is very random: Sanaa Lathan and Nia Long will be two of the voices on "The Cleveland Show" a spin-off of the cartoon "Family Guy". This should be interesting as I am usually not amused by the "satire" of Blacks on that show. At all.

What I am amused by, however, is a new blog I discovered called "You Know You Dead Azz Wrong". It is crazy, hilarious, and extremely mean and ignorant. Keep that last part in the forefront of your mind if you click on the link, and view sigh inducing pictures like this one (sorry folkses):

*sigh*

Lord Jesus...."DRAMA!" as my 'zesty' pals usta say.

The wigs alone make me want to lay down and take a long, long, nap.

Old School Music Fridays

After writing that mess this morning, I need something to put me back in my ordinarily mellow mood.

I know I might be pushing the limit of "old school" with this one....

While reading Regina's blog this morning, she posted a video by the old school group "A Taste Of Honey". You know "boogie oogie oogie"? She stated that the bassist in the duo was Raphael Saadiq's sister. I have known the Tonys for years (they're from my hometown, Oakland), and never knew that. They have a huge family, most of them musically talented...amazing.

Anyway, it got me to thinking about them. And I've been thinking about Ms. Badu ever since her CD came out on Tuesday. This combines them both, with the ultimate homage to "old school hip-hop music". I absolutely adore this song and video in every way (way more than the movie it came from). Please excuse the beginning--it was the only clear embeddable version I could find. Check it.

1. Quick 2. Regina 3. Cassandra 4. Chocl8t 5. MarvalusOne 6. AJ 7. Rosemarie 8. Marcus LANGFORD 9. Lisa C 10. Kreative Talk 11. LaShonda 12. mrsgrapevine 13. sHaE-sHaE

By The Way...

Did anybody see the TV version of "A Raisin In The Sun"? What were your thoughts? Please let me know...

Score For Hudson and Perry

He's lucky to get her, she's lucky to work for him. From Filmwad:

Oscar-winner Jennifer Hudson is finally getting back into the movie business in full force after nearly a year of silence. The Dreamgirls star has lined up projects like the Sex and The City Movie, The Secret Life of Bees, and Winged Creatures. Now she'll be collaborating with Tyler Perry, reigning king of feel-good, middle-class, African American cinema (the first adjective disqualifies Spike Lee and Charles Burnett). Perry's new film is called The Family That Preys, and it focuses on "two families from different sides of the tracks that become intimately involved in love and business."

Sanaa Lathan, Kathy Bates, Alfre Woodard and Rockmond Dunbar are all aboard already. The film begins shooting on March 2nd at Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta. Perry wrote, directed, and will star in the film. Like his films or not, you've got to give him credit for his almost surprising independence and popularity. He's really become the Orson Welles of black cinema. But early Orson Welles, when he could do whatever he wanted and before he had to resort to drunkenly shilling for Paul Masson wine.


From IW: Interesting.

Reader Comments and Industry Shenanigans.....

I love you guys' comments...it is always so interesting to read what someone thinks about film and it's by-products...some of your comments are very thoughtful and on point, some of them make me laugh out loud--freakin' hilarious.

I want to post a couple of comments that came up in the past couple days, as I thought some of you may be interested. The first up is from reader Janice, who commented on my post "Chocolate Rain" regarding the movie "Bolden":

wow, i'm really excited about this (and this is the first I've heard about the movie.

I was googling and came across a trailer for a short movie written by one of the lovely actresses, Karimah Westbrook.

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=91509181

I really want to see this short film but they don't have any info, looks well shot.

I took a look at the page, and must admit, it did pique my interest; unfortunately it is probably one of those films that will be shown at a couple black film festivals and never heard from again **sigh**. The synopsis is this:

Best Kept Secret is a short drama that explores the Down Low lifestyle that many African American men are living. Today, while there are black men who are openly gay, the majority of those having sex with men still lead secret lives, products of a black culture that deems masculinity and fatherhood as a black man’s primary responsibility.

A few years ago, the epidemiological data started rolling in, showing increasing numbers of black women who weren’t IV users getting infected with H.I.V. While some were no doubt infected by men who were using drugs, experts say many were infected by men on the Down Low. The center for disease control states that African American women represent a whopping 68% of new H.I.V cases, causing President Bush to declare a state of emergency and pledged to combat the spread of HIV/AIDS in the black community.

AIDS researchers point to shame and stigma as two driving forces spreading AIDS in America. Best Kept Secret will heighten the awareness of this dangerous secret and encourage people to live a more protective and honest sexual lifestyle.

From IW: Here is the trailer:


Reader Lance, a screenwriter, has made some interesting points over the past few days...this one related to those actresses in "Bolden" as well:

hmmm, i wonder if "hollyweird" are going to "shop" the new sisters to push out the "old"...particular sistergals who are in their 30's...like sanaa, gabrielle, nia and so on...

it's the glass ceiling effect but in hollywood, age is the excuse. and if you ain't got major $$$$ to bankroll your own project...the future looks dim. ;-(

Even if that is what might possibly happen in the future, these pretty chicks don't have much to look forward to...example--this post I read on a blog that recently came on my radar "The Black Actor", another blogger who also writes about Hollywood shenanigans and its effects on Black folk:
Something Sanaa Lathan Said...

I was preparing another post and fooling around on the computer. In the back of my mind was what Sanaa Lathan stated in that Essence interview. She said, “I’m happy to have gotten a job this year.”

Anyhoo, while on IMDB I took a look at Sanaa’s work over the past four years.
I was stunned.

For the years 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007 Sanaa Lathan has appeared in TWO FILMS only!

I had no idea.

Then I took a look at Nia Long

I was equally surprised. She doesn’t fare much better than Sanaa Lathan – with only five movies in the last four years.

Then I was wondering about Gabrielle Union, she’s working regularly.

Only TWO FILMS in the last four years!?

From IW: Damn. She posted this too:

Where are the young black actresses?

Where u at?

I was going to prepare a post. But now I can’t. So, I guess I’ll post this instead…

I needed two things to write the post. To begin with, I needed two lists…

a list of ten popular white actresses under 30 – between the ages 20 - 29.a list of ten popular black actresses under 30 – between the ages 20 - 29.

I’m unable to write the post because I can’t finish one of the lists. :(

… unless you, the readers can. I don’t know everything. There’s plenty that I don’t know. And plenty I’m not in the loop about. So, I could be missing eight actresses.

It’s quite possible. In fact, I’m really expecting to be embarrassed if and when readers fill up the list. Because as I’m writing, I’m saying to myself, “surely, you’re missing people.” Because really, I just can’t believe this is the end of the list. I don’t believe it.

[The Black List]
Meagan Good
Lauren London

[The "Other" List]
Hilary Duff
Anne Hathaway
Lindsay Lohan
Scarlett Johansson
Christina Ricci
Kate Hudson
Kirsten Dunst
Anna Paquin
Jessica Biel
Keira Knightley

Isn’t it reasonable to expect that in almost 2008, we should be able to name off the top of our head ten young black actresses?

I was unable to do this.

Can anyone?

Ah, Meagan Good. I remember when I first saw her in Eve’s Bayou. I thought her career held such promise. Like Jurnee Smollett, I thought Good’s showing in the film was more than respectable. I thought Meagan Good was going to blossom into a highly regarded young actress. It seems that Meagan Good is becoming more well known as a caricature in the gossip rags, rather than a talented young actress to be reckoned with (which she probably could be – and may still be, before all is said and done).

The good news: Meagan Good works very regularly!

As for newcomer Lauren London, I thought she held her own in ATL.

One of the reasons I don’t think young black actresses are given the chance to shine and bloom like their white counterparts is because I think often their white counterparts are seen as actresses first and whatever else they are, second. Say what you want to say about Lindsay Lohan, she is still recognized as a very talented actress. My guess is that sistas are probably often seen through amorous eyes first; probably in some instances with little regard to their thespian capabilities.

When the list fills up, I’ll write the post.

How were they selected? Not much thought went into it. I just started listing the names of some of the most popular actresses I knew of. Then I separated them by age. I went from there.

If you’re wondering, the following people don’t qualify for the list. Why? The main reasons…

Beyonce has been in only two movies the last four years. Jennifer Hudson has only one film credit at present. Eve hasn’t been in a motion picture in three years. Raven Simone has appeared in one film in the last four years.

From IW: In case anyone thought we were making inroads in Hollywood...SIKE!

Speaking of Lauren London, 100% percent of you agreed that the Lauren/Weezy hookup was extremely disgusting, to put it nicely, haha. Lance also had a great theory on why 50 cent (and reader names 5 dimes, 50 pennies, and my favorite, .34 Euros, from LaJane) was in a thousand years able to act with DeNiro and Pacino...which everyone was completely perplexed on, (including me):


when i first heard about this project a year ago. 50cent, deniro and pacino, i was like "wtf?!!!"...50???

get real...true, there are plenty of actors who could "probably" do a superior job than 50 based on previous acting roles, etc. but why 50?... i did some research to find out that millennium films, that produced "home of the brave" starring 50 is also producing this film "righteous kill". interesting.

did 50 had a contractual commitment with this prod. co that would have tied him into this film? maybe or maybe not. but one thing is for sure...50 cent has "will smith" bank right now and he could have easily bankrolled his way into the film with millennium's producers blessing.

will i watch the film? sure, it's de niro and pacino. those are the stars to watch fo sho. the producers would be suicidal to have 50 run alongside d&p for the length of the film. if so, d&p will school him so much, that they ain't gonna let him fuck up "their" game. case in point: denzel washington in "training day"...who woulda thought snoop dogg and dr. dre would step up their acting game. when denzel's on the set, betta have yo' shit together.

From IW: Indeed.

And finally, I mentioned the other day I was developing a crush on Tony Rock. Well, after viewing this little tidbit he's in, I might have to rethink that. Remember "Farrah", the one who was kicked out of Destiny's Child back in the day? Well , she's made a "movie" called "Single Black Female", which is such a huge rip-off of "Single White Female" that they didn't even bother to change the title. Even worse, it looks like it was filmed on somebody's camera phone, straight up. It should also be noted that Farrah is one of the "Executive Producers", which goes a long way in explaining the reason why this film is even in existence. Watch at your own risk:

Something Kinda Not So New......

Sanaa Lathan will get romantically involved with Matthew Broderick (?!) in the upcoming film "Wonderful World".

According to Variety, the film centers on a depressed, divorced, and unemployed father who finds solace in his Senegalese roommate's sister.

matthew broderick is an odd choice....not only does he seem very "american", he's always seemed to have a touch of the zest, i'm just sayin'....

Today in B'Days

Sanaa Lathan is 36.

I'm Not One To Gossip (Yeah Right) But....

I hope this isn't true; she's one of my faves...from Babes, Bling, & Booze:

Word is that Sanaa Lathan is preggers for Adewale Ogunleye of the Chicago Bears. Good for them.

From IW: Hope she isn't doing this to spite Omar Epps, her ex, whose wife is currently pregnant or because she feels like she's missing out.