Posts Tagged ‘Will Smith’

Yes. Lady Gaga arrived at the Grammy red carpet in an egg. Yes. Nicki Minaj looked a lot like a Flintstones character. And even though the red carpet attire has generated the biggest Grammy buzz, I’ll leave the “Who Wore What” talk to our savvy fashion editors. I, instead, am going to recap last night’s performances.

Afterall, the Grammys are a music awards show!

No better way to open music’s biggest night than to pay homage to Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin. Saluting the Queen, whose recent illness caused her to miss the show, were the strongest female voices from across the musical spectrum. Yolanda Adams, Martina McBride, Christina Aguilera, Jennifer Hudson, and Florence Welch of Florence and the Machine sang a medley of Aretha hits like “Respect” and “Ain’t No Way.”

Each songstress sang phenomenally, but the look on Florence’s face after singing “Think” was priceless! Her expression read, ”Wow…did I really just hold my own alongside JHud, Martina, Yolanda, and Christina!?!” Yes, Florence, you did your thing!

I’m embarrassed to say, but before I realized Gaga had prostheses on her shoulders, I thought, “Geez, her shoulders are SO skinny.”

Besides the alien arm pieces, Gaga’s “Born This Way” performance was, surprisingly, not that weird. I dig the sample of Madonna’s “Express Yourself,” and I appreciate the classy choreography. Gaga’s set was reminiscent of when awards show performances were less about showing skin and more about engaging the crowd. A+ to Gaga and her gang of misfits.

A lot can happen in 4 years as was evidenced by Bieber’s audition video for Usher from 2007. The Tween King, who’s gone from pre-pubescent obscurity to Grammy nominated artist virtually overnight, performed kid friendly and fun, “Never Say Never.” Adding a little more glitz to Bieber’s shine was Usher’s cameo, but Jaden Smith’s cameo was the highlight of that set.  Owning the same charisma and star power of his famous dad, Mini-Will’s rap verse and animal print pants get my stamp of approval.

For the 10 millionth time, I adore Cee Lo’s “F**K You,” so I was thrilled to see his Grammy performance of the hit single. The puppets, the feathers, the blue tiles on the piano – perfection.

Singing along with Cee Lo for this 70s inspired show was Academy Award winner, Gwyneth Paltrow. Gwyneth - beautiful girl, great earrings, fierce shoes.

But I would advise that Ms. Country Strong stick to Oscar stages as singing live is not her best suit. Katy Perry’s voice, however, is her best asset, and she sounded flawless singing, “Not Like The Movies” from her Teenage Dream album.

I got a little tearful as her chiffon gown became the backdrop on which clips of her wedding to Russell Brand were projected. That marriage BETTER last or else I’ll feel SO silly for being so emotional over it!

Love, LOOOOVE Mick Jagger! The Rolling Stones front man is living proof that you can be pushing 100 and still be sexy!

Not sure why this year’s Grammy’s marked the first time Sir Michael Jagger took the stage as a performer, but his energetic tribute to the late Solomon Burke was worth the wait!  Jagger’s lively rendition of ”Everybody Needs Somebody to Love” had the entire Staples Center clapping and singing along. And Album of the Year winners, Arcade Fire, were the perfect punctuation to a classy night as they performed hit, “Ready to Start.”

What were your favorite moments from the 53^rd Annual Grammy Awards? Comment below, and check back often for more of the latest music news and reviews from Erica Renee Davis right here on Positively Celebrity!

Sporting her mohawk may only leave her with half a head of hair, but for Willow Smith, that’s just enough to “whip.”

The pint-sized priss debuted her first single, “Whip My Hair,” this week, and with major radio stations already adding this cute kiddie jam to their rotations, love it or hate it, you WILL hear it.

Not sure how well-versed a nine year old is in the art of “swagg,” but “Whip My Hair’s” infectious beat and catchy hook are hot enough to compete with hits from pop stars twice and three times Miss Willow’s age.  Her talent and style alone create a pretty solid foundation for this budding little rocker, and an added bonus is that, Hollywood ”IT” couple, Will and Jada Pinkett Smith, are her parents.

And Jay-Z, one half of another Hollywood power duo, signed Willow to his Roc Nation label.

Three words: Set.For.Life

As we speak, I am sitting in front of the mirror, flat ironing my tresses so my hair will whip perfectly when I’m out on the town tonight.

I’m kinda feeling that Willow has a winner with this track.  Do you think ”Whip My Hair” will be a success?

Want to hang out with the stars? Not a problem. You only need the right look, the right location and mostly – wads of cash. But other than that you’re in.

While we can’t help you out with your wardrobe or cash flow we can tell you where you’ll be likely to get a peek at some of your favorite celebs.

New York’s MEGU, which means “blessings” in Japanese, is  found at 62 Thomas Street, where you’ll find celebs like Jay Z, Beyonce, Janet Jackson, Will Smith, Josh Harnett, and Leonardo DiCaprio…likely enjoying Megu’s specialty Sake drinks which range from $60 to $500 per glass.

All work and no play makes for one dull life. And celebs are anything but dull. That’s why you’ll want to check out CAMPBELL APARTMENT at 89 East 42nd Street. It’s a really hot spot in New York City, and rumor has it the hit show Gossip Girl was filmed on location here…and where some say its steamy sexy love scene at the bar was quite…uh…real. But with mega-stars like George Clooney, Liam Neeson, and Heidi Klum hanging out here, you might be able to get over that. Still, I’d be careful where you eat at the bar.

Now that it’s the Holidays, where are the top celebrities going to celebrate?  Most are staying local, going on trips throughout the U.S, but some are venturing out too.

Where are the celebs being spotted spreading some Holiday cheer? Since Thanksgiving it seems that everyone has taken a trip to the Big Apple. NYC is the #1 holiday destination so far. Miley Cyrus, Will Smith and family, John Mayer, Kristen Stewart, and Reese Witherspoon are just a few of the famous folks celebrating in NY.

Skiing has been another popular way to spend the Holidays with Gwen Stefani and son Kingston in Deer Valley and the Clintons at Camp David all spending quality time with the family.

Las Vegas has been a place of Holiday celebration for stars Benji Madden and Kelly Carlson. Carlson was spotted shopping at the Palazzo Shoppes.

Out of the country it seems that Dubai is the place to go. Mischa Barton, Lily Allen and Mary-Kate Olsen were all seen at the grand opening for Atlantis in Dubai.

And visiting Brazil puts Matthew McConaughey and Camila Alves into the Holiday spirit.

Wherever the destination, it looks as if Hollywood celebrities will have a positively fabulous holiday vacation!

Best surprise: With song/dance man Hugh Jackman as host, surprise presenters, and funny gag bits, the Oscar’s was one of the most entertaining it’s been in a long time. (Ratings were even up 6 percent from last year’s telecast.)

Worst surprise: Chances are you won your office pool because just about no surprise winners threw off our ballots. “Slumdog Millionaire” cleaned up winning 8 nominations including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay as predicted, and Kate Winslet, Heath Ledger, and Penélope Cruz won as expected. The biggest upset was Sean Penn winning Best Actor over Mickey Rourke, but really we all knew it was between the two anyway.

Worst use of presenting the Best Pictures:  Up until the last ten minutes of the show, you wouldn’t even know which films were nominated for Best Picture, and isn’t this what the night was really all about? Instead of showcasing clips throughout the night like usual, the clips were only shown right before the award was handed out. Even worse, they were intermingled with previous films that have similar themes making the clips confusing and taking attention away from the nominees.

Best presentation of movies: The montages of film genres recapping the best of 2008 were done so in great pop culture fashion. Coldplay’s “Lovers in Japan” played to the great romance flicks, Wall-E the adorable robot found a tape of the best animation movies, and the hilarious James Franco and Seth Rogen reprised their “Pineapple Express” roles as they watched DVDs of the funniest comedies.

Worst use of presenting the Best Songs: The song nominees, which are usually played in their entirety throughout the night, also weren’t given their full due. The two “Slumdog Millionaire” songs and “Wall-E” song were shortened and played one after the other. We all knew “Jai Ho” was going to win, but “Wall-E” should have been given it’s own set piece rather than making John Legend sing with “Slumdog’s” Indian back-up dancers and drummers.

Best use of presenting awards: Rather than randomly presenting awards, the telecast walked the audience through the making of a movie starting with the screenwriting process to art direction to editing. Stars associated with the category was also a nice touch like action hero Will Smith presenting Best Visual Effects and Sound Mixing and “Religious” filmmaker Bill Maher presenting Best Documentary.

Best presenters: Steve Martin and Tina Fey presented the screenplay awards humorously (“Don’t fall in love with me” Martin stoically told a googly eyed Fey) and controversially (poking fun at Hollywood-favorite Scientology). And don’t forget about Ben Stiller who delivered a dead-on impression of Joaquin Phoenix’s bizarre appearance on the “Late Show with David Letterman” while presenting with Natalie Portman. It would have been even funnier though if it wasn’t just parodied at the previous night’s Independent Spirit Awards.

Best use of presenters: Keeping most of the identities of the presenters top-secret beforehand made for a more exciting show because you never knew who was going to come out next. Hello Will Smith, hello Reese Witherspoon!

Worst use of presenters: While it was fun seeing past winners like Nicole Kidman, Robert De Niro, and Christopher Walken, presenting the nominees, it came off too self-congratulatory. Instead of comments like “You really nailed it” and Marion Cotillard clasping her hands together cooing “Thank you” to Winslet, let’s see some clips instead. Most viewers at home haven’t seen all the movies, so it’d be more interesting to see the performances for which they’re nominated. 

Best acceptance speech: Instead of the director or co-stars accepting on his behalf, the acceptance of Heath Ledger’s Oscar by his family was much more touching. “Tonight we are choosing to be happy and celebrate what he has achieved,” his mother, Sally Bell, said.

Funniest acceptance speeches: Where to begin? First there’s Phillipe Petit, the subject of the documentary, “Man on Wire,” who not only balanced the Oscar on his chin, he also made a coin disappear.  Then the Japanese director of the Best Animated Short, “Kunio Kato thanked Mr. Roboto.” Finally, Best Director, Danny Boyle, bounced up and down in homage of Tigger for his children.  

Worst camera shots: Awkward alert… Not only did Jennifer Aniston have to present an award mere feet away from Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, the camera cut away to Brangelina twice! At least Jolie and Pitt made nice and weren’t giving dirty looks.

Best use of teeny boppers: While baby faced stars like Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, Robert Pattinson, and Amanda Seyfried presented and performed on stage to most likely draw in the younger audience, their presence was downplayed and didn’t make the Oscars feel like the Teen Choice Awards.

Best secret talent: Anne Hathaway showed off her really good voice in her pretend-impromptu song and dance number with Jackman. Look out Beyoncé. Maybe you won’t be needed next year.

Here are the winners of the major categories:

Best Picture: “Slumdog Millionaire”

Best Actor: Sean Penn, “Milk”

Best Actress: Kate Winslet, “The Reader”

Best Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger, “The Dark Knight”

Best Supporting Actress: Penélope Cruz, “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”

Best Director: Danny Boyle, “Slumdog Millionaire”

The team behind “The Pursuit of Happyness” is together again. Director Gabriele Muccino and Will Smith join creative forces to produce a movie about the harsher times in one’s life. Ben Thomas (Smith) lives a life of grief and regret, but this has set him on a path to help others. And although the ending doesn’t fully live up to the buzz, “Seven Pounds” is very worthy of a trip to the box office.

The Good: - Will Smith – Some background information first – Similar to “Happyness”, “Pounds” is about a man’s life that isn’t at its most wonderful. Different from “Happyness” are the struggles Ben Thomas (Smith) is going through – sorrow and remorse. Smith demonstrates his acting talents in two ways: 1) in his range (going from compassion to brink of suicide to unexpected love – are all in there) and 2) in his ability to portray these extreme emotions in a genuine way – a skill highly noticed during “Happyness.”

- The Plot – The story doesn’t stick to conventions and the events that occur clearly don’t happen as they would in real life. But it’s believable in a way that makes it seem as if it could be one of those random happy stories on the Today show.

- The Characters – It’s annoying when movie characters are always the same. Luckily, that’s not the case with the roles in “Pounds.” Each has a unique place within Thomas’ plan and they aren’t rewritten caricatures of roles we’ve already seen. Sometimes they or the situation is odd, but it works. The best is Rosario Dawson who is definitely not the average ingénue.

The Bad: - Timing/Pace/Length – “Seven Pounds” is a little long and drags in a spot or two.

- The Jellyfish – Smith’s character has a jellyfish and it, like Dawson, is an important character. But my question is “Why?” This aspect of the movie really bothered me for some reason. The jellyfish doesn’t make sense, not even metaphorically.

In The End: It doesn’t quite reach the bar set by “The Pursuit of Happyness,” but “Seven Pounds” is likable and different from other “good deed” themed films. And although audiences are left mostly in the dark about what exactly is going on through most of the movie, the director reveals enough along the way so that no one is completely lost. It’s a nice film about giving to others (literally) that’ll have you leaving the theater with a smile.

Angelina Jolie wielded a gun in this summer’s action flick, “Wanted,” but the role also helped her get the most bang out of her buck. In The Hollywood Reporter’s list of highest-earning actresses released on Friday, Jolie came in at No. 1.

The Oscar winner, who was No. 2 last year, reportedly made $15 million for her assassin role in “Wanted” and could make $20 for the sequel.

 It’s been almost 20 years since she burst onto the scene in “Pretty Woman,” but Julia Roberts proved she can still garner big money. She made the list at No. 2 for making $15 million for her upcoming film, “Duplicity.”

Other big movie stars of Robert’s caliber, however, didn’t make the cut this year. Nicole Kidman and Halle Berry are both Oscar winners like Jolie and Roberts but failed to garner a $10 million salary from any of their movies. 

Last year’s highest-earning actress, Reese Witherspoon, slipped to No. 3 for earning $14 million for “Four Christmases,” which has been No. 1 at the box office for the past two weeks.

Cameron Diaz, Katherine Heigl (who made her debut on the list), Kate Hudson, Anne Hathaway and Jennifer Aniston, who made $8 million for the upcoming “Marley and Me,” rounded out the list.

Despite the power wattage from these actresses, the Y chromosome still helps to make the big bucks. Will Smith can make up to $25 million per movie and Brad Pitt can get up to $20 million. 

Nevertheless, Shiloh et. al have some rich movie star parents.

Barbara Walters presented her 16th annual edition of “The Ten Most Fascinating People” Thursday night with a list of some obvious choices and a sprinkling of “huhs?”.

The most obvious choice for No. 1 was President-elect Barack Obama. As Walters said herself, “Who are we going to pick other than President-elect Obama, I mean really?”

Viewers heard more about how Obama is a symbol of hope for America and asked him if the expectations for him to cure the economy and save the planet are too high to which he replied, “I can meet expectations of a government that is competent and honest and every single day is trying to make lives of ordinary Americans better.”

One new thing we learned, however, is that Obama never expected to be President – he wanted to be an architect, basketball player or judge.

Someone who does think he could be President is No. 10 on the list, Will Smith. He could potentially play a President because he said Obama would want Smith to play him in a movie; but, Smith also said if he really wanted to be President he could. “If I absolutely chose to, absolutely,” he said. “But I’m not ever going to choose to. I like being in movies.”

In fact, he’s starring in “Seven Pounds” opening in two weeks, which seemed to be the only reason why he was on Walter’s list.

Tom Cruise, who came in at No. 2, also seemed to be on the list because of his upcoming movie, “Valkryie.” Walters said this time interviewing him he appeared to be a “weathered and wiser Tom Cruise.” He is now keeping mum on his previously outspoken Scientology beliefs and, as Walters said, “He is no longer the boy wonder we fell in love with, the cocky young stud who finds his heart at the last minute or the hero who defeats evil with ease. Now he’s grown into something far more daring and interesting.”

While Smith and Cruise are uber-famous stars, Walters put a low-profile actor, Frank Langella, on her list at No. 4. And surprise, he’s also in a movie coming out: “Frost/Nixon.” Langella is not a star, but Walters said he has finally found stardom with his Tony Award for playing Richard Nixon in a play and now his role in the screen adaptation.

If Walters wanted to pick an actor who has finally made success, she should have picked the No. 1 comeback actor right now, Robert Downey, Jr.

But, at least Langella is honest. In regards to if he wants to win an Oscar he said, “It would be disingenuinous and absurd for an actor to say it doesn’t matter. Of course it does. Very few people win an Oscar. Wouldn’t it be great to be one of them?”

Someone who has won quite a lot of accolades is record-breaking Olympic swimmer, Michael Phelps, who won eight gold medals this year. Enough said there.

Enough also said with No. 8 on the list. Teen sensation Miley Cyrus has her own hit TV show, her new solo album not as Hannah Montana and a hit movie, “Bolt.” Not to mention that little scandal with the photos in “Vanity Fair.” She did admit that she sometimes worries, “Am I just it for now? But I live for the moment so I’m loving this and taking it all in.”

And it wouldn’t be a recap of 2008 without talking about Sarah Palin and her uncanny impersonator, Tina Fey. Walters put Palin at No. 3 because she showed that the celebrity lifecycle applies to politics as well. In under three months she went from, “hopeful unknown, to white hot star, to tarnished disappointment, to comeback tour.”

Fey, who came in at No. 7, didn’t think her impression was mean or sexist towards Palin: “There’s a strange double standard of a woman portraying another woman,” she said. “We stuck to things that at a lot of times she herself said.”

Another political commentator, Rush Limbaugh, made the list at No. 6. The conservative radio host appeared to make the list simply because he was a popular commentator on this year’s election who was one of the few to defend Palin. After some grilling on Walter’s part regarding his opinion on Palin, women aging in our culture and his contract of $38 million a year, Limbaugh described himself as “a harmless, lovable little fuzzball.”

Lastly, the pregnant man, Thomas Beatie, appeared on the list at No. 5. We’ve heard all about how Beatie became a man but used his female reproductive organs to give birth to a baby girl in June. What we did learn, however, is that the pregnant man is now pregnant once more. “You’re going to go through this again?” Walters asked.

All in all, a list of some obvious picks and also some “so whats?” Joy Behar, Walter’s co-host on “The View” also had some bones to pick with the show when she appeared during the end credits.

“What exactly do I have to do to get on this show? Miley Cyrus is 16 years old. I have brassieres older than her. Should I skin a moose? Become a man and then get pregnant? Maybe I’ll jump over a couch.”

Maybe next year, Joy.

“I AM WILLIAM WALLACE!” er, that is to say “ I AM LEGEND,” I mean, “I AM KING TAHARQA!”  That’s more like it.  According to reports, Will Smith will tackle the role of quite possibly one of the better Sudanese-Nubian rulers of Egypt whose forces clashed with those of Esarhaddon of Assyria in 677 BC. 

Randall Wallace of Braveheart fame (for writing it, not for being the main character’s great-great-great-great-great-great-grandson or something, although that would be fairly boss) is slated to write the screenplay for the film, which has been titled The Last Pharaoh.  

Smith has been itching to make this movie for quite some time, and who could blame him?  Let’s not forget, we are talking about the King Taharqa here.  Yup, that one.  As in, the one who rule Egypt from 690 BC to 664 BC and has been characterized as one of the greatest military minds of the ancient world.  And if Alexander has taught us anything, it’s how seamlessly such a figure’s life translates into a prohibitively expensive film.  

Stevie Wonder, who certainly needs no introduction, will be honored by The Library of Congress with the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song.

Winners are recognized for their lifetime achievement, while transcending musical styles which promote expression and cultural understanding.

The 58-year-old Wonder, a self-taught prodigy, appeared on American Bandstand at age 12, and music hasn’t been the same since.

His songs include, “You Are the Sunshine of My Life” (which has been sung by every B-rated torch singer this side of the Mississippi…just an observation), “My Cherie Amour,” “Superstition,” “Living for the City,” and far too many to mention.

He’s collaborated with some of the world’s most renowned artists, like Marvin Gaye, The Supremes, Michael Jackson, Paul McCartney, Elton John, Gladys Knight, and Bob Marley, to name just a few; and his music’s been used by Will Smith, Coolio, Warren G, 50 Cent, and others.

The 58-year-old Wonder will receive the Gershwin Award on February 23, 2009.