May 23, 2013

Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer in New BET, 20/20 Specials

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*Forget ‘LINsanity. Award season has been VIOLAted – in a good way of course – with long overdue accolades for “The Help” star Viola Davis. For the past two months, she and her talented co-star Octavia Spencer have been making the obligatory talk show rounds to promote the film, as well as their Oscar nominations [...]




Eddie Murphy, Brett Ratner Already Plotting Next Project

brett ratner eddie murphy

*Director Brett Ratner says he’s already in talks with “Tower Heist” star Eddie Murphy for yet another new project. “I’d make anything with Eddie,” Ratner told The Wrap without further elaboration. (He did say that it’s not the widely reported “Beverly Hills Cop 4,” even though he’d still like to make that one day.) Over [...]




Academy to Screen Films from Honorees Oprah, James Earl Jones

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*The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ posh Governors Awards dinner, set for Nov. 12, has announced its first-ever Governors Awards Film Series, which consists of three representative films — one each for Oprah Winfrey, who is to receive the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, as well as the two Honorary Award winners, James Earl [...]




Malcolm Lee on Filmmaking, Being Spike’s Cousin and Black Myths in Hollywood

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*I first came across director Malcolm Lee back in 1999 at the Los Angeles press junket for his directorial debut “The Best Man.” Back then I was a knotty dreadlock wearing, basketball jersey sporting, cheap marijuana smoking, would-be Venice Beach playground legend and a sometime ne’er-do-well who was enjoying the Los Angeles scene just a [...]