One Hot Beach Vanessa Williams has finally made it to the small screen as brazen hotelier Elizabeth Bauer in UPN’s new drama series ‘South Beach,’ premiering Jan. 11 at 8 p.m. “I thank ‘Desperate Housewives’ and the people that are watching that are embracing woman to look hot and to be funny and be sexy and be over 40,” Williams told Black Voices yesterday. “I think people in television aren’t as quite as scared as they used to be of women my age,” she added.
The former Miss America turned recording star (‘The Comfort Zone,’ ‘Next,’ ‘Everlasting Love’), Broadway performer (‘Kiss of the Spider Woman,’ ‘Into The Woods’) and movie actress (‘Soul Food,’ ‘Shaft’ ‘Johnson Family Vacation’) revealed she had a two year development deal with NBC where various projects (two sitcoms and a talk show) were slated but never materialized. “I think once Martha [Stewart] got out of jail, honestly, that’s what they were kinda gearing up for.” Now the 42-year old mother of four makes her mark on the
Jennifer Lopez-produced ‘South Beach,’ which has eight episodes already filmed. “It all depends on the role, I think, in terms of what I choose and what interests me,” she said of her most recent career choice. “I played pretty much everything. This is a great fit. It’s a strong woman in an hour drama. It’s glamorous, it’s pretty direct and youth driven but you’ve got some old vets like me and [co-star]
Giancarlo Esposito doing it, so it’s a lot of fun.”
Foxx Television News Jamie Foxx – the Academy Award winner with the number one album in the country ‘Unpredictable’– will be all over the TV screen over the next few weeks. ‘Jamie Foxx: Unpredictable,’ a one-hour primetime special featuring guest appearances by
Mary J. Blige,
Stevie Wonder,
The Game,
Snoop Dogg,
Angie Stone and
Common, will air on NBC Jan. 25. His spokesperson also confirmed that a slew of high profile TV appearances are underway, including presentations at this year’s ‘Golden Globe Awards’ (Jan. 16), and ‘Academy Awards’ (March 5). Performances on ‘The Tonight Show with Jay Leno’ (Jan.24) and the ‘Grammy Awards’ (Feb. 8), where he is nominated in the Best Male R&B Vocal Performance category, have also been confirmed.
From Eartha To EternityEartha Kitt will receive the Nightlife Legend Award at the 2006 Nightlife Awards, to be held Feb. 6 at New York City's Town Hall. The annual awards event celebrates the best in New York cabaret, jazz and comedy and boasts "no acceptance speeches — just pure entertainment." Kitt, a 50-year veteran of the entertainment business best known for playing ‘Catwoman’ in the 1960s TV show, is scheduled to perform at the event.
Boondocks ‘Game’ PlanDuring last weekend’s ‘New York Times’ Fifth Annual Arts & Leisure Weekend,’
Aaron McGruder revealed plans to spin his wildly poplar Cartoon Networks series
The Boondocks off into motion picture and video game properties. The Chicago native also shared his distaste for the American educational system, while also admitting to currently dating a schoolteacher. Regarding the show’s much ballyhooed use of ‘The N-Word,’ McGruder said he’s heard much more offensive language on black radio stations. In celebration of Martin Luther King Day, ‘Boondocks’ will premiere an episode (Jan. 15) titled ‘The Return of the King’ where Dr. King is thrust into a post 9/11 America, after coming out of a 32 year coma. Another upcoming controversial episode, set to air on Feb. 25, centers around a kidnapping plot against
Oprah Winfrey. McGruder revealed that Sony (‘Boondocks’’ parent company) forbade the usage of the visual likeness of the media maven, and it was edited out of the show.
Wolfe, Martin Nodded By DGAGeorge C. Wolfe and
Darnell Martin were recognized by The Directors Guild of America as nominees for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Movies for Television for the year 2005 for ‘Lackawanna Blues,’ and ‘Oprah Winfrey Presents: Their Eyes Were Watching God,’ respectively. Wolfe is a Tony Award winning theatrical wiz and Martin garnered a place in cinematic history as the first African-American woman to make a movie with a major studio (1994’s ‘I Like It Like That’). Wolfe and Martin are up against directors of ‘Elvis,’ ‘Warm Springs’ and ‘Empire Falls.’ “These directors from very diverse backgrounds bring to life a wide range of characters while evoking the spirit and history of specific places and points in time,” DGA President Michael Apted said. The winner will be announced on Jan. 28 in Los Angeles.
