BV Entertainment Newswire April 3: Cassandra Wilson, Anthony Mackie, Jaheim, Nat King Cole, 'Crash'

Days of 'Thunder'

"I think the direction took me," Cassandra Wilson says of her latest album, 'Thunderbird,' which has been proclaimed as a "new and different sound" by the jazz media. Acclaimed producer T-Bone Burnett -- of Roy Orbison and Elvis Costello fame -- helmed the eclectic 10-track CD, in stores April 4, featuring new spins on traditional classics, and Wilson's own compositions. "Something I think most people know about me as a musician, I'm open to possibilities. I never paint myself into a corner because music is intimate and there are so many things you can do that are fun and exciting with it. And when is becomes a chore, you keep doing the same thing over and over again, eventually you lose, and your audience loses it as well. So I love the challenge of working with new musicians and working with a new methodology and 'Thunderbird' is a prime example of that."

The Grammy Award winning jazz singer/songwriter says the album took a little under a year to record, utilizing three Los Angeles studios. "You don't just go into a studio and knock it out all in a month or a couple of months," she explained. "You have to take time to breathe and to let the project breathe. Because if you rush it, you won't give the material an opportunity to show you where it is going."

The release of the new disc comes at a very difficult time for the Wilson, who turned 50 in December. She is currently based out of her native Jackson, Miss., caring for her 80-year old mother, who is suffering from Alzheimer's. "She was diagnosed the year before last and it took a turn for the worst in November so I had to come down to help manage things and to help set up the household so that she is cared for," Wilson told Black Voices. "So I've been here since November."

"It has been a little bit difficult, it has been trying," she added. "But the other side of it is that it's a great opportunity for me to be with my mother at this time in her life and it's so much information that you get when you spend that time, that quality time with an aging parent. It's really a blessing. And I feel fortunate to be able to. It's heavy, but it's wonderful."

'Thunderbird' isn’t the only latest music contribution Wilson has made. She is featured on 'Confidential,' the debut album from dead prez rapper M-1, whom she refers to as "quite a character." Wilson collaborates with Q-Tip on the track "Love You Can't Borrow." Wilson, the mother of a 17-year old son, is embracing hip-hop culture. "I'm not one of those jazz purists who believes that it's an insignificant form. It's true that a lot of the lyrics are insubstantial, to say the least, but I think the methodology is fascinating. I think the ways the kids are making music now are really interesting."

"It's good to be known and to be valued as someone who is accomplished at doing something but it's also important, I think, to challenge yourself and a the same time have fun," she added.

More Work for Mackie

Anthony Mackie is set to star in "We Are Marshall," based on the true story of a small town's efforts to rebuild after the devastating effects of a tragic plane crash. Directed by McG ('Charlie's Angels'), the film will be set in Huntington, West Virginia, and stars Matthew McConaughey, Matthew Fox, David Strathairn and Kate Mara. Jaime Linden wrote the screenplay from a story co-written with Cory Helms. The Warner Bros. pic will shoot on location in Atlanta and in various locations in West Virginia. Mackie, a Julliard graduate, has performed on Broadway with Whoopi Goldberg, Charles S. Dutton, and Alfre Woodard. The New Orleans native, who made his film debut in the indie 'Brother to Brother,' was most recently seen in 'Freedomland.' He also appeared in 'Million Dollar Baby,' 'The Manchurian Candidate,' '8 Mile' and Spike Lee's 'She Hate Me.'

Masters for King

Homage will be paid to the late, great Nat King Cole when PBS' acclaimed biography series 'American Masters' highlights his life and remarkable career on May 17 (check local listings). "He was cool before it was cool to be cool," soul veteran Isaac Hayes says in the Ian A. Hunt-directed documentary. The one-hour doc features rare archival performances, home movies and interviews with his family members, along with Harry Belafonte, Tony Bennett, Harry Connick Jr., Whoopi Goldberg, Hayes, Quincy Jones, B.B. King, Eartha Kitt, Carlos Santana, Stevie Wonder and Andrew Young. “Nat King Cole triumphed over every barrier placed in his way, using his colossal talent to confront racism at a time when such actions could get a black man killed," 'American Masters' creator and executive producer Susan Lacy stated. “He left us a storehouse of classics, pure poetry that will live forever because they are, quite simply, among the greatest songs ever sung." Officially titled, ' American Masters: The World of Nat King Cole,' the film coincides with the May 2 release of a new 28-track CD anthology title 'The Very Best of Nat King Cole.' The Cole retrospective highlights the five-time Emmy Award winning series 20th anniversary.

Gone Gold

A little more than a month after its release, Jaheim 's third album 'Ghetto Classics,' has been certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America. Anchored by its first single "Everytime I Think About Her" (featuring Jadakiss), the Divine Mill/Warner Bros. set debuted at Number One on Billboard's Top 200 Albums chart, selling 152,900 copies in its first week. Both of Jaheim's previous albums, 2001's "Ghetto Love" and 2002's "Still Ghetto" have been certified platinum. Of the set's title, Jaheim told Black Voices: “The ghetto just came from being who I be, and just being in the hood all the time and hearing people say ‘Yo, we love what you do,’ and ‘Don’t stop what you doing.’”The New Jersey native co-produced several tracks on the album, which features collaborations with Scott Storch, Bink and members of late R&B balladeer Luther Vandross' band.

'Cut' Above the Rest

A new edition of the Academy Award winning Best Picture 'Crash' will arrive in stores this week, as a special two-disc 'Director's Cut Edition.' Never-before-seen footage integrated back into the original theatrical version, as well as special features illuminating the process and the actors involved in creating this mesmerizing drama, will be included. Brand new supplemental material on the additional disc includes deleted scenes with director Paul Haggis commentary, and bonuses such as a music video, music montages and script and storyboard comparisons. Based in Los Angeles, the racially charged drama stars Don Cheadle, Matt Dillon, Terrence Howard, Sandra Bullock, Thandie Newton, Jennifer Esposito, Larenz Tate and Ludacris.

An unrated and re-mastered version of Sharon Stone's break-out film, 'Basic Instinct,' is also on store shelves, featuring a conversation with the Academy Award nominee, along with intros, screen tests and audio commentary from director Paul Verhoevan and director of photography Jan de Bont. Released in 1992, the steamy thriller starred Stone and Michael Douglas and revolved around a brutal murder, a brilliant killer and a cop that can’t resist the danger.