April 10, 2006

Actress Regina Hall was so fascinated by the world of journalism that the Washington, D.C. native got her Bachelor of Arts in Media Studies from Fordham University and a Master's Degree in Journalism from New York University. Understanding the media has made it easy for the actress to distinguish between rumor and fact when relatives call to relay stories they’ve heard.

“My mother called me three days ago. She said, ‘Well, I heard that Brad [Pitt] and Angelina [Jolie] broke up. He walked out on her,’” Hall recalled during an interview at the Four Seasons Los Angeles at Beverly Hills. “I asked her, ‘Where’d you hear that mom?’ She’s like, ‘In the news.’ She kind of was talking and she said, ‘They say her arms are thin too!’ I’m noticing she’s saying things that I just read in last week’s tabloids. She’s like, ‘I’m reading the news.’ I’m like, ‘Mom, you’re reading the tabloids!’ I say that to say that journalism is so powerful. People believe so much. If you see it on television—it’s factual! If you read it in print—it’s factual! It’s a job where responsibility is so important because people really believe most of what they read and see on television.”

Though Hall, who currently graces the cover of JEWEL magazine, is a journalist turned actress in real life, those skills didn’t help her character Brenda in ‘Scary Movie 4.’ “She wasn’t a good reporter,” said Hall laughing.

Hall said there’s a scene that was deleted from ‘Scary Movie 4’ that proved how bad Brenda really was. “She gets everything wrong! There’s a scene that got cut out where Brenda goes: ‘I just report what I see. Just the facts.’ Just then, in the background, because of the plane crash, there are some E.M.S. workers trying to resuscitate a Black man. Brenda looks and says, ‘Get a shot of this. The cops are beating up a Black man.’ Then a bunch of Black people come and take the E.M.S. workers off of him and try to fight them. But the scene didn’t end up making it. So you don’t see how bad she really is as a reporter.”

Despite dying in the first three chapters of the uber-successful ‘Scary Movie’ franchise, (which has made over three hundred million dollars to date), Hall not only comes back to life for the fourth installment, but is already onboard for ‘Scary Movie 5.’ “It’s nice when people aren’t tired of a character yet,” she added.

Speaking of ‘Scary Movie 4,’ director David Zucker said that despite the film being a comedy, most of the actors were able to contain their laughter while shooting except comedian Kevin Hart. “When he and Anthony Anderson shot the scenes for ‘Brokeback Mountain,’ Kevin kept loosing it. He and Anthony had to be really close in that scene and he kept cracking up.”

Dreadlocked Decision

Essence magazine’s Susan L. Taylor backed out of a speaking engagement a Hampton University, a private, historically black university in Hampton, Va, after learning that a department at the university had instituted a strict no-braids, no dreadlocks policy for its students.

“I recently withdrew my participation in the 28th Annual Conference on the Black Family at Hampton University. It has always been important for me to honor my commitments, so I feel it’s imperative to explain my actions,” Taylor began in a statement to BV Buzz via e-mail. “I began receiving E-mails from numerous sources advising me of disturbing regulations disallowing locks and braided hairstyles for Hampton students. One such e-mail included an Associated Press story headlined: ‘University Bans Certain Hairstyles for Students.’ As a businesswoman and public figure who has proudly worn my hair braided for more than 25 years, I was incredulous and felt insulted. My executive assistant, Debra Parker, contacted the university for clarification, and when she was advised that this was the school’s policy, I easily made the decision to cancel my visit.”

When contacted for comment, a university spokesperson clarified the school’s newly implemented rule. “It’s not a School of Business policy. It’s a policy for the 5-Year M.B.A. Program. It has a very strict conservative dress code that affects only 150 students—not all of the students in the school of business programs or all of Hampton’s students. Like the R.O.T.C. program or certain companies with certain dress codes, students know what the rules are going into the 5-Year M.B.A. Program,” explained Yuri Milligan, Director of University Relations. Taylor still believes that the program’s policy misses the mark and has challenged the university’s president, Dr. William R. Harvey, to re-examine the issue. “Dr. Harvey, I strongly recommend that you reconsider this policy and invite informed image consultants to address students in your business program about how to make individual style work in the corporate environment. Perhaps the greatest challenge your students will face in the work world is remaining whole and true to themselves in environments that are often hostile to African-Americans. Staying connected to our community and culture is critical. Trying to transform themselves to fit into hardly welcoming environments has scarred countless numbers of Black people,” she said.

Dr. Harvey’s office referred calls to Milligan who couldn’t respond to Taylor’s letter to the university president. “I don’t know anything about that,” Milligan said.

Though Taylor did not speak at Hampton, she is in the lineup on the revamped Pantene Total You Tour. She’ll be joining fitness guru Donna Richardson Joyner, ‘America’s Next Top Model’ winner Eva Pigford ‘Girlfriends’ star Jill Marie Jones and Tom Joyner Morning Show personality Myra J. The eight-city tour kicked off in Houston April 1 and has dates scheduled in Washington, D.C., Chicago, Charlotte, Philadelphia, Atlanta and New York City.

Buzzworthy

Veteran news journalist Arthel Neville has joined the Fox news show ‘Geraldo at Large,’ serving as the series’ west coast correspondent. “Arthel Neville is a passionate storyteller, one full of style, poise and star quality. She has the grit to chase a story down no matter the obstacles and tells stories with passion that evokes powerful emotions from those who find themselves in the midst of a news fury,” said host Geraldo Rivera. Neville last served as the west coast correspondent for the Fox series ‘A Current Affair,’ captivating viewers with her impassioned coverage of Hurricane Katrina, which devastated her hometown of New Orleans. In addition to launching the news magazine show ‘Extra,’ Neville provided weekly reports on ‘The O’Reilly Factor,’ hosted Fox’s ‘Good Day Live,’ served as a senior correspondent on “FOX Files” and hosted CNN’s ‘Talk Back Live.’

John Henton (‘Living Single’), Kym Whitley (‘Oh Drama’), Sherman Hemsley (‘The Jeffersons’), Terri J. Vaughn (‘Steve Harvey Show’), comedienne Miss Laura and Broadway singer D’Atra Hicks are starring in a musical called ‘My Sweet Potato Pie.’ The production kicked off last week in Memphis, will run two weeks in Detroit and has performance dates scheduled nationally throughout the summer.

Biz Markie paid a surprise appearance at the party to celebrate the Stellar Award win for Washington, D.C.’s Heaven 1580-AM radio station. The Sunday brunch, which was done in partnership with Open Ear Entertainment, was held at the post Camelot of Upper Marlboro in Maryland. Comic Joe Clair hosted the affair and Karen Clark Sheard, Youthful Praise, Byron Cage and BET’s ‘Coming To The Stage’ winner Joe Recca all performed.

According to the National Enquirer, June Pointer of the Pointer Sisters is days away from death. The singer, who has had a troubled history of drug and alcohol abuse, suffered a stroke on Feb. 27, 2006. While in the hospital Pointer was also diagnosed with breast cancer, colon cancer, liver cancer and bone cancer. “I’ve interviewed June many, many times and unfortunately she’s never been able to get off of drugs. After speaking to her sister Bonnie Pointer, she confirmed that June doesn’t have much longer to live,” said senior reporter Patricia Shipp. Pointer is now in a hospice in Santa Monica.

Can't Say Names...

Apparently a certain television and film actress shouldn’t be allowed in the house, because after an overnight visit to a Los Angeles publicist’s abode, said actress stole more than $1,000 worth of personal items. Makeup, designer jeans, perfume and other personal possessions were among the valuables the actress took without permission. Maybe she was rehearsing for the lead in the Winona Ryder story?

BV Scene

Motown president Sylvia Rhone meeting with producer Dallas Austin at the Windows Lounge at the Four Seasons Los Angeles at Beverly Hills, while Star Jones Reynolds, Suge Knight, artist manager Silas White and famed gospel narrator Edna Tatum dined separately… Singer Gladys Knight was spotted shooting a video at Drai's in Barbary Coast Hotel in Las Vegas for her forthcoming jazz CD on Verve Records… Rebecca Romijn and boyfriend, actor Jerry O’Connell cutting line in front of me and the other passengers in the first class security line for United Airlines at Los Angeles International Airport when an airport attendant came to escort them ahead of the pack… Actor Kiko Ellsworth and his fiancée at a screening of ‘Scary Movie 4’ at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood… Singer LaLah Hathaway having a post-concert dinner at the Atlanta hotspot Harlem Bar following a show at that Atlanta Civic Center with Mint Condition… R&B singer and ‘One on One’ star Ray J shopping at a Wal-Mart in South Philadelphia.