WebProNews

Tag: emmy awards

  • Taraji P. Henson Talks Working With Vivica A. Fox on ‘Empire’

    Taraji P. Henson plays the role of Cookie Lyon on the hit series Empire, and fans will love the new season, when Cookie’s sister–played by Vivica A. Fox–joins the show’s cast for one episode.

    “I’m very excited about that,” Taraji P. Henson said in a recent interview. “I mean, I watched Vivica before I even got into the business. And she’s always been one that I’ve looked up to, like, ‘God, I want to be able to do what she does.’ So, to be able to work with the person who you’ve admired for so long, it’s just mind-blowing.”

    Vivica A. Fox will play the role of Henson’s older sister in the show. Ilene Chaiken, one of the show’s executive producers, said that Fox’s addition to the storyline will further fuel Empire’s dramatic plot.

    “Cookie’s other family members are troublesome, to say the least,” she said.

    Before she gets to work with Vivica A. Fox, however, Taraji P. Henson will wow fans at the Emmy Awards, where she is competing for Best Actress in a Drama Series.

    So who is Taraji P. Henson wearing to the Emmy Awards?

    “Alexander Wang,” she said in a recent interview with the New York Post.

    Could Taraji P. Henson’s life be any more exciting at the moment? From celebrating the upcoming premiere of Empire’s second season to starring alongside Vivica A. Fox–and then, of course, there are the Emmy Awards. This actress has life by the horns right now–and will likely continue to hang on tightly for what looks to be a lengthy ride.

  • Kathy Bates On What She Wanted To Say At Emmys

    Kathy Bates won a much-deserved Emmy Award on Sunday for her work on American Horror Story: Coven, and even though the actress has been in the business for several decades, she says she still gets nervous when it’s time to get up on that big stage. That’s why, she says, she didn’t say what she really wanted to say in her acceptance speech.

    Bates said her first thought was to pay tribute to Robin Williams, who died earlier this month after reportedly hanging himself at his home.

    “I almost wanted to say, ‘Look, I own this time and this is for you,’ but I was just so…nervous,” she said.

    Williams left behind many grieving fans, friends, and loved ones with his death on August 11 and was given a tribute at the awards show. Like most people who knew him, Bates has more than one story about his kindness, saying that he once checked on her at the Oscars after she lost in her category to Dame Judi Dench.

    “He came to me and said, ‘I really wished I could have had your name in the envelope; are you OK? I know how hard it is to lose.’ He was so kind to me.”

    Another fond memory of the comic actor? The time he gave her a quarter to call her mama after she won a Golden Globe for Misery.

    “When I won my first major award for Misery — a Golden Globe — they didn’t have cell phones and I was waiting at a pay phone to call my mother afterward and I didn’t have a quarter. I turned around and asked, and Robin said, ‘Here’s a quarter to call your mother.’ I never forgot that kindness,” she said.

  • Sofia Vergara Wants A Certain Celebrity To Lighten Up

    Sofia Vergara has been down for making fun of herself since she rose to fame on Modern Family, but some saw a particular bit she performed at the Emmy Awards as more sexist than funny.

    The curvy star stepped up on a revolving pedestal onstage during a purposely “boring” speech given by president of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Bruce Rosenblum. As she stood in front of the audience, showing off her famous assets, Rosenblum said, “What truly matters is that we never forget that our success is based on always giving the viewer something compelling to watch.”

    Viewers took to Twitter following the sketch, calling it “sexist” and “demeaning”. Several celebrities sounded off, including Katie Couric.

    Vergara said after the show that she’s aware of a certain person who started the sexist talk, and that she needs to lighten up.

    “I think its absolutely the opposite [of demeaning]. It means that somebody can be hot and also be funny and make fun of herself. I think it’s ridiculous that somebody started this—I know who she was—who has no sense of humor [and should] lighten up a little bit,” she said.

    Vergara also had a sense of humor about the way she’s viewed in 2012, when Ellen DeGeneres wore a Sofia Vergara costume on her Halloween show.

  • Sarah Silverman Reportedly Brings Pot to Emmys

    It’s hard to make it through any awards show without someone making a goof, whether it is Jennifer Lawrence tripping or someone’s nipple popping out in a wardrobe malfunction, and last night’s 2014 Emmys was no exception. This time the person who attracted some extra attention was comedian Sarah Silverman, who reportedly brought marijuana to the awards.

    According to E! Online, Sarah Silverman accidentally showed off her marijuana vaporizer pen on the red carpet. During an interview with E!’s Giuliana Rancic, after discussing Silverman’s cleavage, Rancic opened up the star’s purse to show off its contents.

    “This is my pot. Liquid pot,” Silverman told Rancic after she pulled out the vaporizer pen. Check out a picture of the marijuana pen below.

    While some starts might be a little embarrassed by the situation, Sarah Silverman didn’t miss a beat and continue to tell Rancic about the rest of the items she had in her clutch. “This is what everything’s really supposed to be in,” Silverman said. “Money, lipstick, a little mirror, my license—what if I need my license?”

    Check out a video of Silverman flashing her pot pen below.

    Silverman went on to win an Emmy in the Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special category for We Are Miracles. On the way to retrieve her award, Silverman kicked off her shoes and ran on stage barefoot. During her acceptance speech, Silverman commented, “And we’re just all made of molecules and we’re hurtling through space right now.” This led Pitch Perfect star Anna Kendrick to post the following tweet:

    In case you’re a little rusty on acronyms, Kendrick is saying that Sarah Silverman was “high as f***.” Check out Silverman’s acceptance speech below to see if you agree with Kendrick’s assessment.

  • Halle Berry Stuns At Emmy Awards

    Ageless, timeless beauty.

    Is there a better way to describe Halle Berry? Among a sea of gorgeous Hollywood actors and actresses at last night’s 66th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, Berry stood out in a breathtaking, lush, purple gown.

    The 48-year-old wore a long halter gown with a high thigh-slit that showed off her right leg. The dress was sexy but stylish. Elie Saab designed the outfit that featured a cinch belt at the waist which helped to show off Berry’s slim silhouette. Berry also sported her token cute pixie-cute.

    The actress was a presenter at last night’s ceremony. She gave out the award for Outstanding Drama Series. Breaking Bad took home the honors along with several other awards last night, including statues for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series won by Bryan Cranston, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series won by Aaron Paul, and Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series won by Anna Gunn.

    Berry has been nominated for two Emmys in the past, both for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries. The first nomination, which resulted in an Emmy win, came in 2000 for her titular role in Introducing Dorothy Dandridge. Her second nod came in 2005 for Their Eyes Were Watching God.

    Berry also got a lot of love on Twitter for her stunning appearance last night.

    You can currently see Berry play an astronaut in the CBS sci-fi drama Extant, which airs on Wednesdays 10/9c.

  • Sara Bareilles: ‘Smile’ Precedes Billy Crystal’s Robin Williams Tribute

    Sara Bareilles set the tone for a somber few moments at the Emmy Awards on Monday evening. Singing ‘Smile’ as tribute was paid to those in and surrounding the industry who passed away this year, including Paul Walker, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Don Pardo, James Garner, Maya Angelou, Lauren Bacall, and more, Sara Bareilles wasn’t introduced. She simply appeared on stage, simply but elegantly dressed in black, and sang. Nothing touched hearts the way Billy Crystal did when he honored his dear friend Robin Williams at the end of her performance, however.

    The Robin Williams tribute was expected, as it had been advertised throughout the past few days on news programs and talk shows. Once Sara Bareilles set the stage for Billy Crystal, viewers and members of the audience were beyond prepared to shed a few tears. And shed they did.

    Billy Crystal did his best to keep it light–clearly struggling and choking back tears during his first few seconds speaking. Getting himself in check, he then shared stories about Robin Williams that many likely never heard before.

    Some of the more poignant excerpts from the tribute included the following:

    “He made us laugh. Hard. Every time you saw him. On television, movies, night clubs, arenas, hospitals, homeless shelters, for our troops overseas, and even in a dying girl’s living room for her last wish.”

    “The brilliance was astounding. The relentless energy was kind of thrilling. I used to think if I could put a saddle on him and stay on for 8 seconds I was going to do OK.”

    “He was the greatest friend you could ever imagine – supportive, protective, loving. It’s very hard to talk about him in the past because he was so present in all of our lives. For almost 40 years, he was the brightest star in the comedy galaxy.”

    In closing, Billy Crystal said, “But while some of the brightest of our celestial bodies actually are extinct now, their energy long since cooled, but miraculously because they float in the heavens so far away from us now, their beautiful light will continue to shine on us forever and the glow will be so bright it’ll warm your heart, make your eyes glisten and you’ll think to yourselves, Robin Williams, what a concept.”

    At the end of the Emmy Awards Monday night, two things remained abundantly clear. One: Billy Crystal loved his dear friend and paid homage to him using humor. And two: Sara Bareilles played a much bigger role in the evening than anyone expected. Her rendition of ‘Smile’ is no doubt drifting through the minds of viewers today, and they will forever remember her voice leading up to Billy Crystal’s tribute to Robin Williams.

  • Giuliana Rancic’s Surprising Emmy’s Date

    Giuliana Rancic’s Surprising Emmy’s Date

    Giuliana Rancic and her husband Bill are very close, but she chose someone else to walk the red carpet with for the Emmy Awards this evening.

    Rancic helped make a wish come true for 7-year old Evelyn Haner, who says her dream was to meet the fashionable television host. Working with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Rancic agreed to escort Haner to the awards show and even let her be the first to lay eyes on her gown, a strapless red Gustavo Cadile number with a full skirt.

    Rancic has been sharing photos from the red carpet tonight on Instagram, giving her fans a sneak peek at her gown and at her co-host Ross Matthews.

    Rancic and her husband Bill made headlines earlier this year when they announced they are thinking about having a second child. The couple struggled to become pregnant for quite a while a few years back, with Rancic undergoing IVF treatments. When she was told she had to have a mammogram, Rancic found out she had breast cancer and had to have a double mastectomy. These days, she’s in good health, but she and Bill say they owe their son, Duke, a world of thanks.

    “Technically this baby saved her life because had she not gone through IVF — the doctor made it mandatory that she get a mammogram — they would have never found what they found so we owe this little guy debt of gratitude and I’m sure he’ll never let you forget it!” Bill said.

  • The Emmys: Who Is Host Seth Meyers Rooting For?

    The Emmy Awards are coming on Monday night and host Seth Meyers is still in preparation mode.

    The TV veteran and funnyman is getting ready for his Emmys hosting duties and trying to shake off those butterflies.

    “Butterflies tend to go away with the first laugh,” he says, “so you try to make that happen as early as you can.”

    He says he will adhere to the long-standing Emmys tradition of having an extended comedy segment at the beginning. The reason they do that is very understandable.

    “The longer the night goes, the less joy there is in the room, because by then a number of people have lost.”

    Clever thinking, Emmys producers.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nu10Iuav2vo

    Meyers has a fun-filled evening planned and indicated that there would be room for flexibility, if needed.

    He is no tenderfoot when it comes to lighting up the screen.

    We all remember his great co-hosting gig on the Weekend Update segments of Saturday Night Live. He now sits in the coveted Late Night chair and is killing it.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLQg6U6jUk0

    So, who is Set Meyers rooting for at this year’s Emmys?

    Weekend Update co-host Amy Poehler, of course!

    Poehler is up for Best Actress for her role as Leslie Knope on Parks and Recreation. This is her 11th nomination, but she has never won.

    “But here’s the good news,” said Meyers, “No matter which way it goes, I’m VERY confident she’s going to be OK.”

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rks-0naOjKk

    Seth Meyers said about that encouraging statement, “I don’t want anyone to think I’m this incredibly selfless person,” he added with a laugh. “The hard part is not when friends of mine lose an award, but when I lose. I like to remind them that they’re all winners, whereas, when I lose, I really feel like a loser!”

    That could be said of many things in life, couldn’t it? Good luck to Seth Meyers and Amy Poehler!

  • Julia Roberts and Hubby to Receive LGBT Honor

    Julia Roberts and husband Danny Moder will soon be honored by the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network for their work on an HBO film called The Normal Heart. Roberts starred in the film and Danny Moder served as director of photography. The adaptation came from a 1985 play of the same name, written by Larry Kramer that highlighted the early years of the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

    Julia Roberts and Danny Moder will receive the GLSEN Humanitarian Award, not only for their work in The Normal Heart, but also for their off-screen efforts to raise HIV/AIDS awareness. The couple also helps global charities like UNICEF, Stand Up to Cancer, and Heal the Bay.

    “We are proud to recognize Danny Moder & Julia Roberts, whose inspiring work on HBO’s The Normal Heart has brought renewed attention to an important movement – and an on-going crisis – in LGBT and American history,” GLSEN said in a statement to the media.

    Danny Moder and Julia Roberts will be recognized for their efforts at the 2014 Respect Awards in Los Angeles on October 17. Just the trailer for The Normal Heart gives a hint at why.

    The Normal Heart was nominated for sixteen Emmy Awards. The 2014 Emmy Awards will take place next Monday night, August 25th. In addition to Julia Roberts, the film stars Mark Ruffalo and Matt Bomer. Roberts, who played Dr. Emma Brookner, was nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie. Mark Ruffalo was nominated for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie for his performance as Ned Weeks. Matt Bomer, along with Jim Parsons (Big Bang Theory), Joe Mantello, and Alfred Molina all received nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie.

    The Normal Heart was released on DVD back in May. It sounds like one of those films that absolutely everyone should see. The cast of Emmy-nominated characters is beyond impressive.

    Congratulations to Julia Roberts and hubby Danny Moder for their work both on and off-screen to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS.

  • Lisa Kudrow Previews New Season of ‘Who Do You Think You Are?’

    Lisa Kudrow recently previewed the new season of TLC’s celebrity genealogy documentary series Who Do You Think You Are? for TV Guide.

    The season, which kicked off on Wednesday with an episode about former Sex and the City star Cynthia Nixson’s great-great-great grandmother, will feature Valerie Bertinelli, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Lauren Graham, Kelsey Grammer, and Rachel McAdams.

    Who Do You Think You Are? is an adaptation of the British series of the same name that has aired on the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) for 11 seasons.

    The US version of the series premiered on NBC in 2010 and ran three seasons before being canceled by the network in 2012.

    The series was subsequently picked up for a fourth season by TLC and in June the network renewed the series for a six-episode fifth season.

    Season four set a strong precedent with celebrities such as Christina Applegate, Kelly Clarkson, Cindy Crawford, Zooey Deschanel, Chelsea Handler, Chris O’Donnell, and Trisha Yearwood.

    In the first episode of season five, Cynthia Nixson discovers that her great-great-great grandmother was a victim of domestic violence and, in an act of self-defense, killed her husband with an ax.

    “Real life is much more riveting and powerful. We were bug-eyed by that story!” Kudrow said.

    She went on to reveal that three more season five celebrity guests – Bertinelli, Ferguson, and McAdams – had a murderer in the family.

    Kudrow said it’s not unheard of for a celebrity to back out due to the personal nature of the information uncovered by the show:

    “…and we respect that. Sometimes they’ll talk to their family and the family says, ‘Nope. Not for us.’”

    Kudrow serves as executive producer of the series along with former Scandal star Dan Bucatinsky. Along with Don Roos (Boys on the Side, Marley & Me, Single White Female) Kudrow and Bucatinsky comprise the production company Is or Isn’t Entertainment.

    The company’s first television series, The Comeback, aired for one season on HBO and starred Kudrow and Malin Akerman (Couples Retreat, The Proposal, 27 Dresses.) The series received three Primetime Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for Kudrow.

    “If they had left it on, it would have been fine. Because I think in a couple of years, TV caught up to it,” Kudrow said of the series.

    Those words proved true earlier this year when HBO revealed it would bring the show back almost ten years later for a six-episode second season.

    In 2008 Is or Isn’t launched the web series Web Therapy with Kudrow and Bucatinsky starring as an Internet therapist and her assistant.

    In the summer of 2011 the series transitioned from the Internet to television in the form of a half-hour Showtime series.

    “I feel like we snuck in through the back door, almost [like] being a recurring character that finally becomes a regular. So that was easy. Painless, sort of,” Kudrow has said of the transition process.

    In January the network announced it would renew the series for a fourth season, set to premiere in October.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Jim Parsons: Nominated for Two Emmys, Leaving Big Bang Theory?

    Jim Parsons has been nominated for two Emmy Awards for his role in The Big Bang Theory, however rumors are swirling about a possible exit from the show. Might he take his Emmys and run and leave fans mourning his absence on the hit TV show?

    This isn’t the first time Parsons has been nominated. In fact out of the several nominations he has received in the past, he has taken home Emmys for three. In addition to Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory has received an Emmy nod for Outstanding Comedy Series. Parsons’ costar and on air love interest Mayim Bialik received a nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.

    Rumors about Jim Parsons leaving the show started last season when his character, Sheldon Cooper, appeared to be exiting the story line. Rumor has it that contract negotiations for all of the show’s characters are currently in a limbo of sorts.

    Those rumors along with the one about Jim Parsons leaving the show likely has Big Bang Theory fans up in arms. CBS Chairman of Entertainment, Nina Tassler, says there’s no reason to fret just yet, however.

    “We’re feeling very confident that everything will work out,” she said at the CBS portion of the Television Critics Association Summer Tour in Beverly Hills on Thursday. “These deals manage to get done somehow miraculously year after year.”

    Can you even imagine what The Big Bang Theory would be like without Sheldon Cooper? Hopefully Jim Parsons’ contract–as well as those of his cast mates–will be renewed once again. Fans will still have to wait a little while to enjoy new episodes, however. The show’s new season isn’t set to premiere until September 22nd at 8:00 P.M.

    Will you be tuning in?

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Debra Messing to Star in NBC’s ‘The Mysteries of Laura’

    Debra Messing will star in NBC’s new detective comedy-drama hybrid series The Mysteries of Laura this coming fall.

    Messing plays Detective Laura Diamond, a NYPD homicide detective and single mother of twin boys.

    The series is scheduled to premiere Wednesday, September 24.

    Messing will star alongside Josh Lucas, who is known for The Lincoln Lawyer and Sweet Home Alabama.

    McG (Chuck, The O.C., Supernatural,) Aaron Kaplan (Made of Honor, You, Me, & Dupree,) and Greg Berlanti (Arrow, Brothers & Sisters, Eli Stone) are among the executive producers.

    Messing spoke about what she calls the “dramedy” on Sunday at NBC’s Television Critics Association summer press tour.

    “When I read the script it didn’t feel to me that this a new standard [or] an extreme case,” she said. “I responded to something incredibly universal about the predicament.”

    Messing predicted that “it is the balance of the tone of drama and the comedy that is going to be the newest adventure and the newest challenge. That we haven’t seen on network TV before.”

    “I didn’t have to choose. Do I want to do a comedy? Or do I want to do a drama? It’s both,” she said.

    Messing rose to fame on NBC’s hit sitcom Will & Grace which ran for eight seasons from 1998 to 2006.

    Since then, she has starred in the television miniseries The Starter Wife for which she received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie. Messing went on to star in the short-lived television series of the same name.

    In 2012 and 2013 Messing starred alongside Jack Davenport (Pirates of the Caribbean, The Talented Mr. Ripley) and Katharine McPhee (The House Bunny, You May Not Kiss the Bride) in NBC’s musical Smash. The series was canceled after two seasons.

    Image via Twitter, Debra Messing

  • Katherine Heigl Doesn’t See Herself as Being “Difficult”

    Katherine Heigl took the opportunity to address accusations that she’s a difficult actress to work with during her appearance at NBC’s Television Critics Association summer press tour on Sunday.

    “I certainly don’t see myself as being difficult. I would never intend to be difficult,” Heigl said when asked to address rumors that have circulated for a few years now.

    “I think it’s important to everybody to conduct themselves professionally and respectfully and kindly, so if I’ve ever disappointed somebody, it was never intentional.”

    In September 2013 The Hollywood Reporter published an article in which several sources were quoted as saying that both Heigl and her mother Nancy were extremely difficult to work with.

    “She can cost you time every single day of shooting,” an insider said. “Wardrobe issues, not getting out of the trailer, questioning the script every single day.”

    The source went on to criticize Heigl’s mother:

    “I have never experienced anything like Nancy Heigl … It’s about the mouth. ‘F— you. You are a f—ing liar.’ … Whatever you’d say, you were an idiot.”

    Back in 2008 Heigl said that her mother managed “everything – finances, agents, lawyers, publicists, contacts with studios, producers, all of it.”

    Heigl had nothing but praise for her mother:

    “She didn’t care if she made any friends in this town. Her job was to protect me and to be very fierce in defending me. I always have one person saying, ‘If you don’t want to do it, you don’t have to do it.’ … My mother was the only one who thought what I wanted was important.

    She is really smart and really savvy, and she refuses to make choices based on fear. This is a fear-dominated industry; it’s about rise and fall, and my mother refuses to be intimidated by that. This is all a game of chicken, and my mother is really good at chicken.”

    Not everyone agrees that Heigl is such a difficult actress to work with, including Greg Berlanti (Arrow, Brothers & Sisters) who directed her in Life as We Know It:

    “I would work with her again in a heartbeat. She’s an amazing actress, and her in a TV show that’s a great idea and well executed would be something I would watch and would feel lucky to work on myself.”

    Anthony Burns, who directed Heigl in the upcoming low-budget comedy North of Hell, defended both the actress and her mother:

    “I’m from Texas. I like honesty and to be cool and have a beer and laugh, and they are most definitely like that.”

    Burns described Heigl as “a good old girl who likes to speak her mind.”

    Many believe that Heigl will attempt to restore her professional image with her recent return to the small screen.

    “She’s really determined to put everything behind her,” said an unnamed studio executive. “The only way to do that is to go to work in film or television with good people and for those people to have good things to report back. And it’s not an overnight thing.”

    The small screen venture is NBC’s CIA drama titled State of Affairs. Heigl stars as an agent who is brought in from the field to be the president’s (played by Alfre Woodard) daily briefer.

    And mother and daughter continue to work together: Heigl and Nancy are two of the executive producers of the series, which is set to air November 17.

    State of Affairs marks Heigl’s first television role since she starred as Dr. Izzie Stevens in Grey’s Anatomy from 2005 to 2010. Her work on the long-running ABC series made her a household name and earned her an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Cicely Tyson in ‘The Trip to Bountiful’: From Broadway to Lifetime

    Cicely Tyson in ‘The Trip to Bountiful’: From Broadway to Lifetime

    Horton Foote’s 1953 television play plans to make another TV debut this coming weekend.

    Lifetime’s rendition, The Trip to Bountiful, will recreate the original story.

    The story first aired on NBC in 1953 and then went on Broadway the following year. In 1985, it was made into a Hollywood film featuring Geraldine Page and then made another Broadway comeback just last year.

    One legendary actress who is excited to see her Broadway role on-camera is Cicely Tyson.

    Tyson plays Carrie “Mother” Watts, whose final wish is to see her childhood home one last time before she dies.

    The elderly woman lives in a small Houston, TX apartment along with her son Ludie (Blair Underwood) and his handful-of-a-wife Jessie Mae (Vanessa Williams).

    For the most part, Mother Watts feels trapped and really desires to revisit her hometown Bountiful. However, her overprotective son forbids it since she doesn’t have a vehicle.

    There’s obvious tension in the home, as the two ladies don’t see eye-to-eye when it comes to the man that they both dearly love.

    Jessie Mae can be quite self-centered and controlling towards Ludie, so it causes her husband to feel forever in the middle of the women’s drama.

    Tyson describes William’s character as “a piece of work” and their relationship as the typical relationship between in-laws. She believes, however, that Mother Watts’ character possesses one of the strongest willpower throughout the story.

    “She has within her a fighting spirit that cannot be denied, and that is what I like about her,” she said, according to The Buffalo News . “Her feeling that God has kept her here for a purpose she is yet to fulfill, and she is determined to do it despite the odds.”

    Against her son’s wish, Mother Watts leaves home and hops on a train in hopes to see her hometown. She ends up meeting a friend on the train who helps her make her way back home. She then finds out that Bountiful is not the same as she remembers it. (image)

    The film’s message is said to be one that will inspire you to respect and appreciate your elders, which Tyson helps  bring to life through her depiction.

    Williams, who will also star in the re-created film, says that Tyson is an all around inspiring performer.

    “I hope people get a chance to really see another spectacular performance from Cicely Tyson,” she said. “She informed me as an actress. People of a certain generation know her from ‘(The Autobiography of) Miss Jane Pittman,’ which was seared in our brains. To be able to see her again in such a pivotal role was an honor – to be with her and to watch her on a nightly basis.”

    Tyson has already won a Tony Award for her recent Broadway performance. It’s safe to assume that this phenomenal actress will also add an Emmy to her award collection.

    The Trip to Bountiful is scheduled to air on Lifetime this Saturday at 8 p.m.

    Watch the trailer here:

    Image via YouTube

  • James Gandolfini Has A Street Named After Him

    James Gandolfini, who was one of the iconic television actors of the current generation, died earlier this year. The late actor was honored this weekend with a special ceremony in his hometown of Park Ridge, New Jersey.

    Gandolfini, a special actor who will always have a place in the hearts of all of the fans of The Sopranos, was honored by having a street in his hometown named after him on Sunday. The actor who was known primarily to audiences in the role of Tony Soprano, died of a heart attack on June 19, 2013, at the age of 51.

    The death of The Sopranos actor came as a big surprise to all of his friends and fans, and while he had scares in the past, it was not something anyone had seen coming.

    In addition to his role on The Sopranos, he starred in several films including the recent drama Enough Said, which was released after his death, and co-starred Julia Louis Dreyfus.

    It has been a tough year for Gandolfini, and as a member of the Hollywood community that will surely be missed, he was also given a touching tribute from his former on-screen wife, Edie Falco, at this year’s Emmy Awards show.

    The family of James Gandolfini, as well as friends and co-stars, all showed up for the ceremony on Sunday. In addition to naming a part of Park Avenue “James Gandolfini Way,” the city council declared Sunday to be James Gandolfini Day in Park Ridge.

    One of his former co-stars on The Sopranos, Dominic Chianese, spoke during the event and said of Gandolfini, “All I can say is, I thank God that Jimmy Gandolfini was in my life.”

    The ceremony was attended by all sorts of people, including those who knew him growing up, while acting in plays as a kid. One resident, Mike Meidanis spoke of him, saying “He was a humble man. He was so kind to everyone. You could never tell he was a big star.”

    He is also set to receive a tribute during Monday’s Gotham Independent Film Awards.

    James Gandolfini was a special actor that showed a lot of emotion in his roles, and will be forever missed by his family and friends, as well as his many friends who enjoyed watching him over the years. He leaves behind his wife Deborah Lin, as well as their son Michael, and daughter Liliana.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons