ROUNDUP: JURNEE CREATES scholarship fund / WILL SMITH ISN’T A SCIENTOLOGIST / MYA ON BROADWAY

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Jurnee Smollett at the premiere of ‘The Great Debaters”. (Splash News)

Jurnee Smollett, co-star of “The Great Debaters,” announced her intentions of working with Wiley College officials to establish a $2 million scholarship fund in honor of Henrietta Bell Wells, the woman behind her “Great Debaters” character, and her mother Janet Smollett, a civil rights activist and humanitarian, Saturday evening.

While holding back tears, Ms. Smollett vowed that the scholarship fund would “put young girls through college” and help diminish the negative stereotypes and images of black women as depicted by the media, which she feels are sensationalized. She also said the scholarship fund could possibly enable more African-American women to envision greater opportunities outside of what’s usually cast to them.

“I’m told I’m a statistic,” said Ms. Smollett, in a passionate address to the packed audience in the center. “I’m told that my young black sisters are disease-ridden…but we are greater than what society tells us we are.” [read more]

Will Smith and good friend Tom Cruise. (Wireimage)

Will Smith and his wife Jada Pinkett-Smith are denying recently published claims that they’ve been recruited into the Church of Scientology.

“You don’t have to be Jewish to be a friend of Steven Spielberg. You don’t have to be a Muslim to be a friend of Muhammad Ali. And you don’t have to be a Scientologist to be a friend of Tom Cruise,” Smith tells us. “I am a Christian. I am a student of all religions. And I respect all people and all paths.”
- Will Smith [SOURCE]

Smith is responding to Radar magazine’s upcoming April cover story “Scientology Under Siege,” which makes the case that Will Smith, Jada Pinkett Smith and Kimora Lee Simmons are the new celebrity faces of Scientology.

In the article, the magazine said, “The Church has also set its sights on African Americans, opening up a center in Harlem in 2003 and making a strong play for Hollywood supercouple Will Smith and Jada Pinkett.”

A new promotional picture featuring Mýa has surfaced online. Mýa will be apart of the long-running Broadway musical “Chicago” as the character ‘murderess Velma Kelly’ from May 12th to July 13th.

Mya portrayed “Mona” in the 2002 film version of the Tony-winning musical, but will now take on the lead role of Velma Kelly onstage in New York.

In additional to her new acting gig, Mýa will release a music compilations disc entitled, “LIBERATION: The Series” later on in the year. See more promo pics at URBAN-HOOPLA.