BV Entertainment Newswire May 26

Born Again

Kimberly Elise opens up about her divorce in the latest issue of 'Essence' magazine, on stands now.

"There’s a great tragedy in that part of my life being over," the 39-year-old 'Diary of a Mad Black Woman' star tells 'Essence' contributor Lisa Teasley, about ending her 16-year marriage to Maurice Oldham -- the father of her two daughters.

Oldham reportedly followed Elise to Hollywood, as she pursued an acting career. According to the article, she made the decision to separate through five yeas of "inner work," which led her to believe that to become her best self in the next phase in life, she had to "commit to growing solo."

While no official reason was given for the separation and the subsequent divorce, it was reportedly "amicable"

"I’m proud of our marriage and what we created," she said. "I by no means feel as if we failed. There’s no shame. It just ended. And that’s a big difference. For me it was purely a spiritual necessity. When it’s being driven by something like that, there’s a great euphoria. There has been far more joy and happiness than tears and regret because I took the time to make sure it was the correct decision.

"It’s been like a rebirth, really," she said. "I feel like a newborn baby in the world."

Elise, who has starred in 'Set It Off,' 'Beloved' and 'John Q,' plays a no-nonsense prosecutor on the CBS legal drama 'Close to Home' -- which was just picked up for a second season. She was recently cast in 'P.D.R.' starring Terence Howard, Bernie Mac and Evan Ross.

Vivid 'Imagenation'

Lee Daniels, the man behind the Oscar winning success of 'Monster's Ball,' has joined the list of honorees at the 2006 Revolution! Awards June 6 at the Apollo Theater. As previously reported by Black Voices, the ceremony --hosted by M1 of dead prez and former 'Essence' magazine editor Michaela Angela Davis -- recognizes artists and industry leaders of color who use their work as vehicles for social change, to foster solidarity and blaze new trails.

Other filmmakers including Warrington Hudlin ('House Party'), Thomas Allen Harris ('Twelve Disciples of Nelson Mandela'), and Keith Beauchamp ('The Untold Story of Emmett Till') will be feted at the event, which will raise funds for the building of Imagenation Soul Cinema, Harlem’s first independent movie house dedicated to showcasing films from the African Diaspora -- scheduled to open next year. Dead prez, who will perform during the festivities, will also be honored. "We’re very excited as an organization to present Revolution! Awards to these great artists," said Moikgantsi Kgama, Executive Director of Imagenation. "They are people who have demonstrated exemplary work that is both uncompromising and visionary." Previous recipients include Chuck D., Stanley Nelson, Erykah Badu, Roger Guenever Smith, Talib Kweli, Sherry Simpson Dean and Joe Brewster.

Daniels, who also helmed 'The Woodsman,' will make his directorial debut with the taut drama 'Shadowboxer,' which has been rescheduled from its June 9 theatrical release date to July 21, and will be distributed via Codeblack Entertainment.

Union For Tyler Perry

Gabrielle Union has been cast in 'Daddy's Little Girl,' Tyler Perry's next movie, which is set to start production next month. The movie, produced by Hollywood power player Reuben Cannon, has been described as a heartfelt, reverse Cinderella ("Cindefella") tale about a young, beautiful and successful female attorney who falls in love with a single father of three daughters who works as a janitor in her office building. Despite her father's strong objections, love triumphs in the end.

'Daddy' is expected to be released next February through Lionsgate, which brought Perry's previous hit movies ('Diary of a Mad Black Woman,' and 'Madea's Family Reunion' ) to the mainstream. "We believe that 'Daddy’s Little Girl' will be another commercially potent, richly rewarding addition to this franchise, and audiences will find his latest film as entertaining as the box office hits that Tyler has already created," said studio chief Michael Paseornek, who negotiated the deal.

Union, who is a Neutrogena Clean & Clear spokeswoman, will next star in the Ryan Murphy-directed dramatic comedy 'Running with Scissors,' due out in October.

'Mind' Changes

'In My Mind,' the long awaited solo debut album from hip-hop super-producer Pharrell Williams has been rescheduled for release July 25. The album, which was originally due out last year, will feature collaborations with Jay-Z, Daddy Yankee, and Gwen Stefani, among others. According to a spokesperson for The Neptunes frontman, the first single from the set is titled "Number 1" featuring Kanye West. A Hype Williams-directed music video --shot in Miami-- will premiere on BET May 31. Most recently, the N.E.R.D. rapper, a Virginia Beach native, has produced hit songs for Mariah Carey ('Say Something'), Snoop Dogg ('Beautiful') and himself ('Frontin'').

Star Power for 'Tony'

Oprah Winfrey won't host 'The 60th Annual Tony Awards,' set to air June 11 on CBS, but the media queen will present during the show -- along with nearly sixty stars who have graced the theater stage.

The show's executive producers Glenn Weiss and Ricky Kirshner announced that Glenn Close, Hank Azaria, Bernadette Peters, Liev Schreiber, Kyra Sedgwick, Mark Ruffalo, Julia Roberts, Eric McCormack, Ralph Fiennes, Cynthia Nixon, Martin Short, Alfre Woodward and many others will present during the three-hour ceremony.

"The 60th Anniversary show is bigger than just one host," said Weiss and Kirshner in a joint statement. "So we’ve put together a line-up of 60 stars from the stage to lead our celebration."

Presented by The American Theatre Wing, the awards celebrate excellence on Broadway. The event will be telecast live from New York City's Radio City Music Hall.