WebProNews

Tag: lee daniels

  • Taraji P. Henson Gets Her Mind Blown, Works With Vivica A. Fox On ‘Empire’

    Empire fans waiting for Season 2, you won’t just watch out for the comeback of Taraji P. Henson as Cookie Lyon, you will also be watching out for her oldest sister.

    And yes, even Taraji P. Henson is very excited to work with her. It’s no other than Vivica A. Fox!

    Vivica A. Fox will be playing Henson’s older sister in the show for one episode. Ilene Chaiken, one of the show’s executive producers, said that Fox’s addition to the storyline will add more drama to the plot.

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

    Lee Daniels, Empire’s co-creator, said that there is a possibility that this season will focus on Cookie Lyon’s family in order to set up that spin-off for success.

    Though they did not reveal yet in what episode Fox will show up, Henson expressed her excitement to work with her.

    “I’m very excited about that,” Taraji P. Henson said. “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.”

    Henson also commented on her nomination for Primetime Emmys Lead Actress in a Drama for this year’s ceremony, Henson said she’s amazed but “it’s sort of bittersweet.”

    “Because here we are in 2015, and we’re still saying things like, ‘First African-American,’ ‘First woman this,’” Henson commented.

    “I just pray to God … and it’s not even about me. I hope Viola wins. I hope I win,” Henson continued. “Just so we can get past this and we don’t have to say in 2020 or 2030 or 3000, ‘The first’ I mean, come on, really,” Henson said, laughing.

    Empire Season 2 premieres September 23.

  • Eddie Murphy Is Richard Pryor’s Daddy In New Biopic, Directed By Lee Daniels Of ‘Empire’

    Eddie Murphy has been sought out to join the cast of Richard Pryor biopic, as first reported in Entertainment Tonight. Murphy will be playing the late comedian’s father, LeRoy “Buck Carter” Pryor, a WWII veteran and former boxer, in Lee Daniels’ latest Weinstein Co. drama.

    Murphy, who idolized and impersonated the legendary comedian in the 70’s, seems to be living a childhood dream with this new role offered to him even though he won’t be playing as his idol. “Richard’s the one that made me want to do comedy,” Murphy said. “When I was young, I wanted to be Richard Pryor so bad I used to sneak in the basement, put his albums on, and just listen,” he added.

    Daniels’ Richard Pryor biopic was first announced in January 2014 and was rumored to be released in time for this year’s Oscars, but the exact date of release has not been set. Pryor’s wife, Jennifer, expressed her confidence in Harvey Weintein’s production of the biopic. “Because, you know, Harvey is good at that sh-t,”, she said. Jennifer is a producer on the film, alongside Bruce Cohen.

    Daniels teased the Murphy casting Thursday night by posting a photo on Instagram, with a caption “Strap in and brace yourself. They done let me and him out of our cages! #idonteventhinkimreadyforthisone! #excited #proud #OMG.” Daniels has been successful with his hit TV drama “Empire” and is excited to collaborate with the Weinstein Co. again.

    The confirmed cast of the biopic include Mike Epps as Pryor and Kate Hudson as Jennifer. Oprah Winfrey is rumored to have been offered the role of Pryor’s grandmother, Marie Carter.

    The 53-year-old actor, who recently appeared in the SNL 40th anniversary special, has played alongside Pryor in Harlem Nights in 1989. He has also been chosen to star as Pryor in a proposed biopic which was supposed to be directed by Bill Condon until the project’s cancellation.

    Eddie Murphy and Richard Pryor in ‘Harlem Knights’

  • Eddie Murphy to Star in Richard Pryor Biopic

    Eddie Murphy will reportedly star in an upcoming biopic about legendary comic Richard Pryor. He is set to play the late comedian’s father, LeRoy “Buck Carter” Pryor, who was a boxer and WWII veteran, in the Weinstein Co. drama. Lee Daniels–best known for The Butler and Empire–will direct the biopic.

    The role of Richard Pryor will be played by actor Mike Epps. Might this mean nominations for next year’s Academy Awards for both Epps and Eddie Murphy? Richard Pryor’s widow indicated that’s a possibility.

    “Harvey (Weinstein) would like it to be released for the Oscars. Because, you know, Harvey is good at that sh-t,” Jennifer Lee, who also serves as one of the biopic’s producers, said.

    Eddie Murphy grew up idolizing Richard Pryor.

    “Richard’s the one that made me want to do comedy,” he has previously said. “When I was little I used to sneak into my basement and put his albums on.”

    Eddie Murphy recently appeared on the SNL 40th Anniversary Show, and made news for refusing to do a sketch about Bill Cosby.

    Lee Daniels hinted at a role for Eddie Murphy in this Richard Pryor biopic when he posted a recent picture of himself with Murphy on Instagram.

    “Strap in and brace yourself. They done let me and him out of our cages! #idonteventhinkimreadyforthisone! #excited #proud #OMG,” he captioned the shot.

    In addition to Eddie Murphy and Mike Epps, this biopic about Richard Pryor is rumored to also star Oprah Winfrey and Kate Hudson.

    The biopic is still in pre-production, and no release date has yet been released.

  • Oprah Reveals Why She Decided on “No Kids”

    Oprah Reveals Why She Decided on “No Kids”

    Oprah Winfrey has worn the hats of many titles. She’s most famous for her heartfelt, in your face talk show, generous donations and philanthropical lifestyle. But one hat the 59-year-old mogul hasn’t sported is the title of being a mother.

    In her latest film, The Butler, Winfrey plays a mother. She did such a good job that she was nominated for a Screen Actor’s Guild Award. But why hasn’t she decided to take on that special role in her very own life?

    In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter she said, “motherhood was never a dream of hers.”

    According to the interview, “she doesn’t regret not having kids.”

    “If I had kids, my kids would hate me,” said Winfrey.

    The humanitarian dedicates so much of her time and resources to her charities and those less fortunate that she feels like children of her own wouldn’t be doted on as much.

    But what was this Renaissance woman dreaming about all these years all while her closest pals have been talking about motherhood?

    “Gayle [now a mother of two] was the kind of kid who, in seventh grade Home Ec class, was writing down her name and the names of her children,” she said. “While she was having those kind of daydreams, I was having daydreams about how I could be Martin Luther King.”

    Winfrey may not be a mother, but I think it’s safe to say she’s beautifully touched the lives of many.

    Catch Winfrey in action in a clip from Lee Daniels, The Butler.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QZ4YLIYJoQ

    Photo Credit: YouTube

  • Goldie Hawn Glitters at amfAR Gala in Brazil

    Academy Award winning actress, Goldie Hawn, was just one of the celebrities to grace the amfAR Inspiration Gala in Rio de Janeiro this 4 October. The event held by the The Foundation for AIDS Research was located at the Copacabana Palace to raise HIV and AIDS study funding.

    Hawn and fashion icon Kenneth Cole were the honorary chairs for the event, which was hosted by Linda Evangelista. Hawn, Evangelista and director Lee Daniels were captured in a chummy moment by event photographers (above). This was the first such Gala in Rio, which is currently hosting its film festival, so the streets must be crawling with star-gazers. Galas are also planned in Los Angeles (December) and New York City (February 2014). The organization is well-regarded for its glitz and glamour events, including their annual Cannes Film Festival dinner that attracts the cream of the film industry crop.

    amfAR Facebook

    Tickets started at $1,500 for the event, which featured a cocktail and fashion reception followed by dinner and a live auction. The auction included seven lots, according to the Associated Press, from a trip for two to the Moet & Chandon family chateau with tickets to the French Open (final bid, $30,000) to $35,000 for a work of art by Brazilian Ernesto Neto. Though reports do not indicate the final amount raised, Brazilian news accounting estimates about $1 million.

    “So kind and wonderful,” was how Hawn characterized the citizens of Rio. The eternal blonde bombshell is a philanthropist in her own right, having founded The Hawn Foundation, which promotes “heart-mind centric” education for children and educators through its MindUP program. Hawn sites 10 years of development with neuroscientists, cognitive psychologists and educators on the program.

    The 67-year-young star was last seen on the silver screen in The Banger Sisters (2002) and since then has committed herself to charitable causes. She and longtime partner Kurt Russell were seen at the end of last month attending the DreamBall of the Look Good Feel Better organization, which provides makeovers and cosmetics to women battling cancer.

    [Images via amfAR official Facebook and Instagram.]

  • Oprah Returns To The Big Screen In ‘The Butler’

    Oprah Winfrey is one of those people who can single-handedly shape popular culture on a whim. Her show was a fortress of culture for decades and her book club coerced millions of Americans to read literary titans and upcoming writers (albeit for all of the wrong reasons, at least in most cases). So when someone like her agrees to appear in a feature film, it is bound to draw some attention.

    That kind of attention is exactly what Lee Daniels is hoping to draw with his new film “The Butler”. The film follows an African American man from his beginnings in rural Georgia to his long-term position as White House butler, in which he serves seven presidents and watches the country change. Think of it as a more socially conscious and less goofy “Forrest Gump”.

    Oprah plays the supportive, although disenchanted wife of the titular character, who is played by Oscar winner Forest Whitaker. The cast also includes Terrance Howard, Lenny Kravitz Cuba Gooding Jr., and Robin Williams, along with several other recognizable faces.

    While the support around is strong, look for Whitaker to steal the show as he did in his signature role in “The Last King of Scotland,” which earned him his best actor statuette.

    The film is Daniels’ follow-up to 2009’s “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire,” which won its fair share of Oscar spotlight, including wins for best actress and best adapted screenplay. If the film follows in those footsteps Oprah could find herself nominated for a second time. She earned a best supporting actress nomination for 1985’s “The Color Purple”.

    Read more about the movie, including an interview with the two stars, here.

  • Robin Williams Will Portray President Dwight D. Eisenhower in The Butler

    Robin Williams get on a lot of people’s nerves, and I can understand why. His frantic style of comedy isn’t everyone cup of tea, and, to be perfectly honest, I’m not a big fan of it, either. However, when it comes to tackling dramatic roles in a believable fashion, Williams ranks among the best of them. In my humble opinion, anyway. His turns in “The Final Cut”, “One Hour Photo”, and the incredibly dark comedy “World’s Greatest Dad” are nothing short of exceptional. For someone like me, his next project doesn’t come as much of a surprise.

    For next excursion into serious cinema, Williams will portray President Dwight D. Eisenhower in “Precious” director Lee Daniels’ “The Butler”. The film currently sports an insanely impressive cast, including Forest Whitaker, Oprah Winfrey, John Cusack, Alan Rickman, Jane Fonda, Cuba Gooding Jr, David Oyelowo, Lenny Kravitz, Terrence Howard, Alex Pettyfer, and Minka Kelly. That’s a hell of a lot of star power right there, folks. Also, it’s good to see Cuba Gooding Jr. doing something that isn’t going straight to home video.

    “The Butler”, which follows the allegedly true adventures of Eugene Allen during his 34 years at the White House, is based on Wil Haygood’s report “A Butler Well Served by This Election”. Haygood will also serve as associate producer and researcher on the project. And if IMDb Pro is to be believed, Zac Efron, Nicole Kidman, and Mariah Carey are also rumored to be attached to the production, as well.

    Look for “The Butler” to arrive in theaters sometime next year.