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Tag: Angela Bassett

  • “London Has Fallen” Star Angela Bassett On Race In Hollywood

    London Has Fallen, the sequel to 2013’s Olympus Has Fallen, helped to dethrone Deadpool over the weekend.

    Meeting profit expectations, London has Fallen pulled in an estimated $21.7 million in ticket sales.

    London Has Fallen stars Gerard Butler as a special agent trying to save the lives of world leaders in Britain. It also features Morgan Freeman, also reprising his Olympus role, and Angela Bassett as a serious secret service director who is fighting to survive a massive terror attack.

    Angela Bassett sat down to talk with the Los Angeles Times about London Has Fallen, her children, and the race issues in Hollywood.

    @Im.AngelaBassett embracing a powerful moment at the #LondonHasFallen premiere.

    A photo posted by London Has Fallen (@londonhasfallenofficial) on

    When asked what London Has Fallen brings to the conversation about the state or the world, she said, “To me, it’s just all about relationships and understanding humanity. This is really just entertainment. We’re making an action thriller that we hope audiences will appreciate for just that.”

    She continued, “It’s just the narrative of the good guy and the bad guy. What motivates you? Personal greed, revenge or altruistic endeavors? It’s no ideology. It’s not casting shade in anyone’s political beliefs or religion. It’s pure fun. I’m not a conspiracy sister over here.”

    The London Has Fallen star was also asked about the #OscarsSoWhite controversy that plagued this year’s Academy Awards.

    Thanks to my Glam Team! @dandremichael @hairjunkierandy @jlynnstyle18

    A photo posted by Angela Bassett (@im.angelabassett) on

    She said, “It seems every February a question is asked: ‘What do you think? How do you think it’s changed?’ Has it changed? It’s a question that sometimes it just irks you because it comes down to race just making it so black and white when I’m trying to carve out a career that’s based on talent.”

    She added, “I’m trying to express my humanity and my femaleness. I appreciate this broader dialogue is taking place. We have a very colorful, rich history in America about race, and it’s a conversation that continues to need to be examined.”

    Have you seen London Has Fallen Yet? What did you think of Angela Bassett’s performance?

  • Whitney Houston Biopic Is A Commercial Success, Garners Mixed Reviews

    Lifetime’s controversial Whitney Houston biopic, Whitney, proved to be a ratings draw for the network. The film, which was directed by Angela Bassett, attracted 4.5 million viewers and is the network’s most-watched telecast since the made-for-TV drama, Flowers in The Attic. However, despite being a commercial success, the film garnered mixed reviews from critics and audiences alike. People who were expecting a train wreck were pleasantly surprised, however, they still had some bones to pick with the film.

    The Daily Beast was one of the sites that expected the Whitney Houston biopic to flop, but they did have some kind words to say about the production. According to the review, the film “forces us to revisit, or maybe realize for the first time, how conflicted Houston was at the most successful time of her career”, while criticizing the film for being boring and not being thought-provoking.

    The New York Times also criticized the film’s structure, stating that cherry-picking key moments in Whitney Houston’s life and tying them together led to a “confusing” narrative. Billboard, on the other hand, voiced some concerns that the film focuses too much on Bobby Brown’s point of view when it comes to their relationship.

    Whitney Houston’s estate expressed their disapproval of the film. The late singer’s sister-in-law, Pat Houston, slammed the biopic even before it aired. In a statement released by Pat, she says, “You should expect people will always rise to the occasion for prominence and profit … not love, respect or honor … I question the morality of the making of this because of the lack of experience knowing Whitney’s life.”

    Whitney also made social media rounds when fans tweeted their reactions to the film’s gratuitous sex scenes as well as scenes of Whitney taking drugs. One disappointed fan even tweeted, “This @lifetimetv movie doesn’t do Whitney Houston’s legacy any justice, so far it’s only sex & Cocaine #Whitney #WhitneyHoustonMovie”.

  • Angela Bassett Addresses Whitney Houston Lesbian Rumors

    For her directorial debut, actress Angle Bassett decided to make a TV movie about the life of her friend and Waiting to Exhale co-star Whitney Houston. The movie premiered on Lifetime on January 17, and the portrayal of Houston in the film added fuel to the rumors that the singer was in a relationship with her longtime friend, Robyn Crawford. In an interview with ETOnline, Bassett defended her depiction of the late singer. Bassett said, “There always has been [rumors] and they still persist and I don’t know. But, there was always the speculation, so my thing was, let it remain. But it’d be however the audience sees it. If they read into it, that’s what they read into [regarding] their life – two women who are close and love each other and support one another.”

    Yolanda Ross, who plays Crawford in the film, also weighed in on the rumors. When she was asked if she thinks that the rumors were true, the actress simply said, “Whether or not it was more than that in terms of them being a couple, we can’t say that because it was not confirmed.” However, she revealed that she used this particular aspect of Houston and Crawford’s friendship to inspire her performance. “I know that I could play the emotions — how I’d feel, if I was that close with somebody. And if then, they started seeing someone else. I think as a human, jealousy comes into mind… hurtfulness… all of these different emotions.”

    The biopic was slammed by Houston’s family in a statement released by Whitney’s sister-in-law, Pat Houston. Pat said of Bassett, “Misrepresenting the term friendship to advance an agenda is not only disrespectful and dishonest but a slap in the face to her true and loyal friends.”

    Despite Whitney’s immediate family not being pleased with the film, Bassett has the approval of Whitney’s cousin, Dionne Warwick. According to Bassett, “It turned out wonderfully. She was pleased with the story and with how we told it and that made me pleased… She clapped and said, ‘Thank you’, and, ‘This will be a good thing’.”

  • Angela Bassett: Whitney and Bobby Loved One Another; Tried to Make It Work

    As her biopic of Whitney Houston sits ready to air tonight on Lifetime, Angela Bassett is talking about the themes of the film and what she hopes the audience gets out of it all.

    “If you walk through life and your children walk through life and think it’s all about unicorns and rainbows, or sunsets and sunrises, or stars and cotton candy and are ignorant of pitfalls, then you can fall into one unaware,” Angela Bassett said. “We make choices that affect our future, she made choices that affected her life.”

    Whitney Houston died of an accidental drowning in a hotel bathtub almost three years ago. Her drug use and life difficulties were well-known to the American public.

    Houston and former husband Bobby Brown aired some of their life’s dirty laundry in a reality TV show called Being Bobby Brown. One reviewer described the Bravo series this way:

    “Being Bobby Brown, the reality show spotlighting the R&B singer whose rap sheet might be longer than his catalog, is undoubtedly the most disgusting and execrable series ever to ooze its way onto television… Not only does it reveal Brown to be even more vulgar than the tabloids suggest, but it manages at the same time to rob Houston of any last shreds of dignity.”

    Angela Bassett knows that part of Whitney Houston’s story is a cautionary tale. At the same time she hopes to shine a light on another facet of her time with Bobby Brown that many people may have forgotten.

    “I hope people walk away with going on the journey and the realization that these two extremely talented, beautiful young people really loved one another,” Bassett said “They tried to make it work.”

    Angela Bassett acknowledges that not everyone will agree with her treatment of Houston’s story.

    “You have to understand with great success there will be critics and naysayers. My intention was to tell their love story as honestly as I could,” Bassett said. “Whenever the naysayers came, you know you expect that and then you keep on moving. If I can tell [this story] with some compassion, then you just keep on jumping those hurdles until you get to that finish line.”

  • Angela Bassett Dishes ‘I Can’t Believe I Get To Work With Jessica Lange and Kathy Bates’

    Angela Bassett opened up recently in a phone interview with Inquisitr about American Horror Story and what it’s like to work with legendary actresses Jessica Lange and Kathy Bates as part of a huge ensemble cast.

    Bassett, 56, says it was the lure of working with two of Hollywood’s most-acclaimed actresses that drew her to the show in the first place.

    “It was one of the prevailing reasons for me to join the cast,” said Bassett. “I can’t believe I get to work with Jessica Lange and Kathy Bates in a lifetime, especially at the same time. It’s wonderful. Last year most of my scenes were with Kathy and Jessica. Everyone is the ultimate professional and we have a good time. We all have an appreciation for this crazy world and the things we’re asked to do stretches us and grows us. The fact that we get to come back year after year is a plus.”

    Bassett joined the cast last season as Marie Laveau in American Horror Story: Coven. This season she plays Desiree Dupree, who is described as a “three breasted woman” with a “ding-a-ling,” in American Horror Story: Freak Show. Bassett says, while she’s used to portraying different characters, there’s a unique aspect that comes with working on a television show that is different each season.

    “As an actor you’re used to putting on characters and taking them off — becoming characters and doing your research, but I think what I found most challenging about television and shedding one character and come up with another, is that there’s this lag time before I get to see what the character is looking or sounding like,” said Bassett. “We start filming in July and the first episode is in October, and as an actor, you wonder if you’re getting it right because you don’t have the immediate reaction of the audience just yet. That’s the little caveat of frustration.”

  • Whitney Houston: Angela Bassett Defends Biopic

    Angela Bassett says that she is happy to have been able to direct a biopic about legendary singer Whitney Houston, but fans and critics haven’t been too kind to her.

    Whitney Houston’s mother has been the most critical of the biopic and of Bassett and earlier this year she accused the first-time director of delivering misinformation and providing inaccurate facts in the film.

    “In the two years since Whitney’s death, many people have stepped forward to speak about their close relationship with her. I find it difficult to believe people who knew and supposedly loved her would participate in a movie about her done by folks who didn’t know her. We are exhausted by the continuing misinformation and comments offered by people who did not know her. Please please let her rest,” Whitney’s mother Cissy told Entertainment Tonight.

    Bassett met and worked with Whitney on the set of Waiting To Exhale and claims that she did know her and can also relate to her story.

    “I did spend a little time [with] her, but to know her intimately, intimately — I mean, who does but the person and the Lord they serve? Who knows a person,” she said according to ABC News.

    She added, “But I know a little about being in the spotlight, a little about celebrity and its demands, a little about trying to find a mate and the support that’s needed in your industry; mine being acting, hers [the] music industry. I know about being a woman, about being a black woman that came up in a little hometown … and yet you are able to become a success because of this God-given gift of talent. So I know a little bit about what it might have been like.”

    In spite of all the negative criticism, Bassett has held her head high.

    She told The Huffington Post that she is proud of the biopic and hopes that Whitney would be proud of it too.

    “I consider it a gift that was given to me, the opportunity to tell this story and try to tell it with love and compassion and dignity. I, like, everyone adored her,” she said.

    Do you think Whitney’s family is being too harsh?

  • Whitney Houston Biopic Is A “Gift”, Says Angela Bassett

    Whitney Houston was beloved by millions, but an upcoming biopic about her is receiving some criticism. Now, director and former co-star Angela Bassett is speaking out about the Lifetime movie, saying she wants to be able to tell Houston’s story with compassion.

    “I consider it a gift that was given to me, the opportunity to tell this story and try to tell it with love and compassion and dignity. I, like everyone, adored her,” she said in an interview with HuffPost Live.

    Houston, who passed away in 2012, has been heavily mourned by her fans and family, who say they don’t agree with a biopic about the late singer.

    “In the two years since Whitney’s death, many people have stepped forward to speak about their close relationship with her. I find it difficult to believe people who knew and supposedly loved her would participate in a movie about her done by folks who didn’t know her. We are exhausted by the continuing misinformation and comments offered by people who did not know her. Please please let her rest,” her mother Cissy said earlier this year.

    Bassettt says she has a unique perspective as director for the film as a black woman from a small town who made it big in show business.

    “I did spend a little time [with] her, but to know her intimately, intimately — I mean, who does but the person and the Lord they serve? Who knows a person? I know about being a woman, about being a black woman that came up in a little hometown … and yet you are able to become a success because of this God-given gift or talent. So I know a little bit about what it might have been like,” she said.

  • Angela Bassett with a Third Boob and a Bearded Kathy Bates among the Freaks in ‘American Horror Story’ Trailer

    A bearded lady, a woman with a third breast, and the world’s strongest man lead the Freak Show in Ryan Murphy’s newest horror story.

    Weeks ago, the American Horror Story: Freak Show production team began releasing cryptic, mini-trailers on the FX YouTube page. A scary clown and a sword swallower were among the characters showcased on these videos. Now a longer, more in-depth, trailer has come out featuring some of the series main attractions.

    The newest American Horror Story: Freak Show trailer includes Kathy Bates as a bearded lady, Jessica Lange as the German owner of the show (wearing a dress that resembles a carnival tent), Angela Bassett as a woman with three breasts, and Sarah Paulson as conjoined twins.

    Michael Chiklis, who recently joined the cast, has a prominent feature in the trailer as the Strongman. Chiklis’ character will be the father of Evan Peters’ character, who is shown in the trailer involved in an embrace with a mysterious blonde. Bates also plays Chiklis’ ex-wife.


    The fourth installment of the horror anthology takes place in Jupitar, Florida in the 1950s. It’s one of the few remaining freak shows left, and the members of it will do whatever it takes to keep it alive. This edition of American Horror Story will be Lange’s last year on the show. She plans to retire from acting after it.

    Last month, Lange won her second Emmy for playing Fiona Goode in American Horror Story: Coven. Last season, Bates and Bassett joined the show as series regulars. They will likely continue to work on the series even after Lange retires. Bates also won an Emmy for portraying Madame Delphine LaLaurie on American Horror Story: Coven.

    American Horror Story: Freak Show also stars Emma Roberts, Frances Conroy, and Denis O’Hare. Catch the premiere October 8 on FX.

  • Jyoti Amge, the World’s Smallest Woman, Joins Cast of ‘American Horror Story’

    Jyoti Amge, the world’s smallest woman, has signed on to star in the upcoming season of American Horror Story: Freak Show.

    The 2′ 0.6″ tall native of Nagpur, India has been acknowledged as the world’s smallest living woman in both the Guinness Book of Records and the Limca Book of Records. Series creator Ryan Murphy announced the news Wednesday on Twitter, alongside a photo of series’ star Jessica Lange.

    Amge, 20, has a genetic disorder called achondroplasia, a form of short-limbed dwarfism. The word achondroplasia literally means “without cartilage formation,” according to the Genetics Home Reference website.

    After Amge was named the world’s smallest woman, she stated that she would like to become an actor. Looks like her wish came true in a big way.

    The new season is set in 1950’s Florida and stars Lange as freak show manager Elsa Mars. Joining Lange is Sarah Paulson as conjoined twins Bette and Dot Tattler. Michael Chiklis will play strongman performer Wendell del Toredo and Angela Bassett stars as Wendell’s wife Desiree Dupree.

    Things will likely get interesting with Kathy Bates playing Wendell’s ex-wife Ethel Darling. Rounding out the cast are Evan Peters as their son Jimmy Darling, Emma Roberts as Maggie and John Carroll Lynch as a villain.

    American Horror Story: Freak Show will premiere on FX in October. Murphy has said it has “a little more humor and a little bit more camp” than Asylum, but a darker tone than Coven.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Whitney Houston’s Daughter Bobbie Kristina Lashes Out At Angela Bassett

    Whitney Houston’s daughter Bobbi Kristina is not happy about the Lifetime biopic about her late mother.

    Angela Bassett, who worked with Houston in the 1995 movie Waiting To Exhale, is making her directorial debut for the late singer’s biopic. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Bassett said that she never thought of casting Bobbi Kristina for several reasons. “One being that she’s not an actress. I know she’s acted here and there. I know she’s been on their family’s reality show, but she’s not an actress and acting is a craft,” she said.

    The 21-year-old Bobbi Kristina took to Twitter to show her anger towards Bassett’s statement. “When I win my first Grammy or Oscar, *Shrugs* hmm whichever comes1st, I’ll be sure 2shout URname out bitch! hahUrTestResults=MALE. Lmao,” she tweeted. Reports also stated that Bobbi Kristina called Bassett a “bassketcase.” Bobbi Kristina deleted the tweet from her account.

    America’s Next Top Model alum Yaya DaCosta is set to play Houston’s role. DaCosta has been working as an actress since she was a child and she also had recurring roles in Ugly Betty and All My Children.

    Bassett also said that the biopic will attempt to shed light on the “complexities of human behavior and life.” However, they have a very tight schedule and they only have 21 days to tell the entire story. Bassett explained that it’s not merely about memorizing lines. “You have to drive the story – there’s a technical aspect.”

    Whitney Houston’s family thinks the biopic is ‘cheap’.

    Sources said that Nina Terrero, who conducted the interview with Bassett, said that the 55-year-old actress said her comments about Bobbi Kristina “without a hint of malice.” She also said that Bassett is a sweet woman and an established actress who “has everything to lose” with the Houston biopic.

    Bassett has not commented on Bobbi Kristina’s outburst and even shared the interview to her followers on Twitter.

    Image via YouTube

  • Whitney Houston’s Daughter, Bobbi Kristina, Twitter-attacks Angela Bassett

    Whitney Houston’s daughter Bobbi Kristina Brown took a moment on Twitter to share how she really feels about Angela Bassett after The Butler actress revealed she never considered Bobbi to play Whitney in a planned TV biopic for Lifetime.

    Bassett, who marks her directorial debut with the movie, has cast Yaya DaCosta from All My Children to play Whitney in the tentatively titled I Will Always Love You: The Whitney Houston Story.

    In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly about the project, Bassett seemed a little harsh when she told the magazine she wanted real talent for the job.

    “I did not think about casting her,” said the Waiting to Exhale actress. “And probably for a number of reasons, you know. One being that she’s not an actress. I know she’s acted here and there. I know she’s been on their family’s reality show, but she’s not an actress and acting is a craft.”

    Ouch!

    Needless to say, her remarks didn’t go over too well with Houston’s daughter. So Brown did what dissed celebrities do — she ranted on Twitter.

    She may have taken it too far when she likened Bassett to a man.

    “Ha MsAng ‘bassketcase’ has such a damn nerve my lord, at least the world doesn’t mistake me for the wrong sex…she has some #XtraEquipment.”

    She later posted, “When I win my first Grammy or Oscar, *Shrugs* hmm whichever comes 1st, I’ll be sure 2shout URname out [expletive]! Ha UrTestResults = Male. Lmao.”

    She later deleted the tweets and apologized in another sorry, not sorry tweet: “I’m a young woman that can admit her wrongs. 4who was offended I apologize BUT understand me before you’re quick to judge though. ThankU.”

    The daughter of Houston and R&B singer Bobby Brown has only one acting credit to her name, in a 2012 episode of For Better or Worse.

    Houston‘s manager and sister-in-law Pat Houston also criticized Basset and her plans to turn Houston’s life story into a TV movie, believing the vocal icon is “certainly worthy of more than a television movie.”

    I Will Always Love You: The Whitney Houston Story is expected to air next year.

    Image via YouTube

  • Kerry Washington Hits Red Carpet Post-Baby at BET Awards

    Kerry Washington stepped out on the red carpet Sunday night for the BET Awards in Los Angeles.

    The event marked Washington’s first live television appearance since giving birth to daughter Isabelle Amarachi on April 21. The child is the first for both Washington and her husband, former San Francisco 49ers cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha.

    Observers said Washington looked “slim, fit, and healthy” in a brightly-colored floral strapless Dolce & Gabbana dress, white Jimmy Choo pumps, and the bare minimum of jewelry.

    Washington was nominated for a Best Actress award this year alongside Angela Bassett (Black Nativity, American Horror Story,) Lupita Nyong’o (12 Years a Slave,) Gabrielle Union (Being Mary Jane,) and Oprah Winfrey (The Butler.) Lupita Nyong’o won.

    Washington won the BET Best Actress award in 2013.

    Washington, 37, and Asomugha, 32, married in a small, private ceremony in Hailey, Idaho in June 2013. The notoriously private couple managed to keep the wedding secret for over a week.

    The couple kept their daughter’s birth from hitting the news for an impressive 11 days following her birth.

    Washington began acting in 1994 and landed small television and film roles for the next few years, including parts in Mr. and Mrs. Smith with Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt and The Last King of Scotland with James McAvoy and Forest Whitaker.

    In 2012 she gained notoriety for her performance opposite Leonardo DiCaprio, Jamie Foxx, and Christoph Waltz in Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained.

    Also that year she landed the lead role in ABC’s hit series Scandal. Thanks to her role as Olivia Pope, Washington is now a household name. The term “gladiators” and the phrase “It’s handled” have become synonymous with the series and millions of viewers covet Olivia Pope’s wardrobe.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons