With the success of the Broadway play of “Cat On A Hot Tin Roof”, which earned reportedly $2.1 million dollars, Producer Stephen Byrd will begin production on a movie version starring the same all-black cast:
Byrd said he had secured the rights to a new film version of ‘Cat’ from the estate of scribe Tennessee Williams and intends to begin lensing in 2009, subject to the availability of thesps Terrence Howard, Anika Noni Rose, James Earl Jones and Phylicia Rashad…
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof’ centers on a tempestuous family gathering on the birthday of a Southern patriarch. Williams’ 1955 play was made into a 1958 film that starred Elizabeth Taylor and Paul Newman. SOURCE
Michael w/ Spike & his wife last year (Wire)Director Spike Lee is gearing up for another film and his latest anticipated flick will be a documentary on basketball great Michael Jordan.
Spike Lee is set to shoot a feature-length documentary about Michael Jordan. Helmer told a Cannes crowd that he hopes to bring the basketball legend to the fest with the pic next year.
The NBA is financing the docu, with Lee’s 40 Acres & a Mule Filmworks shingle producing. SOURCE
The documentary is also said to feature extensive unseen footage shot by NBA cameras during the final two years in Jordan’s career, the 2001-02 and 2002-03 seasons with the Washington Wizards. Spike Lee and Jordan previously worked together on a series of Nike TV commercials.
Cast of ‘Mama Black Widow’ (Wire/Splash)And speaking of buzzed about films, the upcoming film “Mama Black Widow” has been getting a lot of attention – mainly because of Rihanna who reportedly just joined the cast:
The Caribbean singer will be star alongside Mos Def, Macy Gray, Anthony Anderson and Kerry Washington.
‘Mama Black Widow’ is adapted from the novel written by Iceberg Slim, who was one of America’s most famous and bestselling African-American authors. It is the portrait of a black family’s migration from the Mississippi fields of the segregated south to the supposedly more open-minded underground of Chicago in the 1930s. SOurce
Otis Tilson will be played by actor Brian White (‘Stomp The Yard’) and Rihanna will be playing his sister Carol.
ahhh First i want to see MYa on broadway
where is mya at?!?!?!?!
Mya broke her foot and won’t perform until next month.
kerry look so pretty in that pic
Rihanna? Act? rotflmao!!!!! She cant even sing and dance. She also couldnt even play herself in that wack cheerleading movie. SMH Where are the REAL actors/actresses at? They are just giving anybody record deals and movie roles today.SMH
Very interesting ….. Rihanna and a movie hmmm… l love Ri but I wanna know how she’s gonna pull the southern drawl off with the heavy Carib accent she has. I’m from the island s and I know first had its not easy switching up…
Terence Howard has the most beautiful eyes….Spike Lee scares me. And why is Rhianna joinin that cast? Leave that spot for someone with actual talent.
MJ that should be interesting
Lmao at number 4 you said everything I was thinking about Rihanna.
I will read the book I have heard of it.
how the hell is rihanna gonna play a girl from mississippi????? she hasnt been in the u.s. that long to even be familiar with the various accents. wow
i hope rihanna can act. cause the rest of that cast is stellar.
Cant wait to see Rihanna do a Southern drawl. it might be kinda comical, which is certainly not the effect Spike is going for,but we’ll see…
okay so im guessing rihanna is going to have to pull of a southern accent. HELL SHE CANT EVEN PULL OFF ENGLISH!!!! as much as i like this girl im not sure about this one.
how tha hell rihanna gone be in a movie and damn near cant even speak english well and im sure her acting is as bad as her singing, my god people!!! they really said to hell with some talent
anywho Mos Def is sexy to me i dont care what anybody says he been my crush since i was like 13 mhmm
clair huxtable aka phylicia rashad has aged she still looks nice i dont why i wont her to stay the same as she was on the cosbys she reminds me of one of my aunts
terrance howard…COON!!! he one of them people if he got knocked the hell out by a bus and died i WOULDNT care, forgive me lord but i just do like this man
and how many movies micheal jordan black ass need, i dont like him either he on my COONtastical list alone with terrance howard
hmmmm….rihanna acting….smh..sooo not a good idea, i really do hope she gets coaching with dat southern accent or those criticisms will be hitting her in the head like bricks
I thought Iceberg Slim only wrote about his hood ways before jail and while he was in jail…
hmmmm..guess he had a lil bit of actual literature in him.
Terrance Howard scares me with those eyes…Spike Lee is a genius…Rihanna will need all the help she can get to pull this role off.
how in the hell is Rihanna gonna pull off a Southern accent. Oh well, go Ri Ri!!
Terrence Howard Is So Sexy His Eyes Are Captivating Ands Screams Seduction. Terrence Can Get It!
I cannot wait to see Rihanna do her thang on the big screen…. with a bit of coaching she can go far who knows. She’ll know when she tries….!!
why must americans insult others who have a different way of pronouncing the english language?
the last time i checked barbados uses the british system.
if beyonce could be called an actress, rihanna sure could be called one. go head rihanna, let dem know that u will get ur oscar soon from now. they thought u would never get a grammy, but u show dem gal that they have to stand under ur umbrella.
AMERICANS ARE THE ONES WHO BUTCHER/MURDER THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE.
the british know wat i am talkin about.
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is my ish, they better not mess it up like they did “A Rasin in the Sun” *rolls eyes*
okay… even though i am a rihanna fan…
i don’t think this is the role for her…
and if it is… she would have to be the sister… that was adopted from the carribean… and just so happened to be in a movie with people who can pull off a southern accent…
but who knows… maybe she didn’t join the cast… and like ciara or somebody is in it…
no doubt i love riri! but yeah… i’m honest enough with myself to know.. it isn’t for her…!
well as seeing as rhi rhi has just murdered “mama black widow” im going to see the cat on a tin roof and MJ doc seems worth it
SMH @ #20. I knew you aka ‘a rihanna stan’ wouldnt be able to keep Beyonce name out your mouth. You just proved my theory that rihanna stans are jealous of Beyonce’s success. She has NOTHING to do with Rihanna no talent behind. Beyonce keeps getting every role she wants and all her movies are a success so dont compare her to a newbie like rihanna. Rihanna has no musical talent and her getting this role proves that nobody cares about talent. Oh and FYI she got that grammy for best collaboration. She does not have a grammy of her own or for best album. She has not done anything amazing and until she starts taking some singing/dancing/acting classes I wont be impressed.
Rihanna just killed the Mama Black Widow movie. I was looking forward to seeing it until they announced she was in it. People dont even like to see her perform so what the hell makes them think people want to see her act?
I LOOOOOOOOVE Mos Def!!!!!!!!!!
I really don’t think MAMA BLACK WIDOW will get theatrical distribution…not with the subject matter and that cast …may have to go limted release, cable or straight to DVD
I would give my left pinky toe to see Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, i absolutely love Phylicia Rashad.
Im not really interested in the Rihanna acting thing, but she might suprise us.
TERRANCE HOWARD IS ONE SEXY BROTHA DAMN!!!
@ #4 WTF???
hahahah why did i say the exact same thing when i heard this lol great minds think alike………..this role seems extremely serious and hard core…shes a fembot, she has no emotions lol
Clair!!!!!
Good to see Terrance and Anika
And Mos def
that movie, “mama black widow” is gone go straight to dvd with rihanna in it! for realzzzz!
TIANNA….just for CL Peeps Info and yours
My God Mother went to see this other night….”Slick Back Ivanhoe”…”aka Mr. Baby Wipes” (Terrance Howard) is no longer appearing in this all black production….his replacement is the next Denzel…. Robert Christopher Riley.
I heard that Debbie Allen is the director of this production….It sounds great, although my God Mother said that it was ghetto as hell…they waited until the lights were off before the show started to let people know that Mr. Baby Wipes was no longer in the show…..I heard that Robert Christopher Riley did an excellent job and that this brother is on his way! Cannot wait for it this to hit the Bay Area/ S.F.
Glad to hear about Ice Berg Slims and black cast is hitting the screen. It don’t get no grimier than Ice Berg Slim.
The cast for Mama Black Widow looks good….Interesting, I needa check out Rihanna’s performance, lol
Checking for ‘Cat on a Hot Tin Roof’ AMAZING CAST, just the 4, i know the rest will be amazing!! I wonder is Debbie will direct this too.
MJ, film, hmm, idk i don’t know much bout him than ball, not that interested like the Widow film, Macy was decent in Training Day, love Mos Def, Kerry, Anthony’s ok to me too, i got love for him, what about Rihanna’s accent?? hopefulgy this is her nitch, she’s a MADE INTO MODEL, HER BIG FOREHEAD PON DE REPLAY DAYS, NOT A MODEL, HER BIG FOREHEAD UMBRELLA DAYS, ARE BETTER, SOO IDK, WHO CARES THO, ALL ABOUT THE ALL BLACK CAST IN ‘CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF”!!1
When I read Spike to make a movie on MJ…I immediately thought Michael Jackson, lol….but now I see its Jordan haha
Just because someone has an accent does not mean they dont know how to speak English well. You guys need to get that into your ignorant heads.. Hell! American English is not even correct!
You people are NEVER satisfied.
You guys don’t even KNOW if Rihanna doesn’t have ACTING SKILLS but you already down her, even if you don’t like her music what does acting have to do with it?
I’m tired of yall complaining mofos.
And I’m so tired of people saying Rihanna can’t speak english………she speaks better than 80% of AMERICAN RAPPERS. Please, British people are the ones speaking REAL english, all the rest is just derived from REAL ENGLISH, uncliding what is spoken in America. America is NO better than Trinidad, Bahamas, Barbados, Jamaica, etc. It’s a shame that black people diss yet another BLACK girl, you don’t hear white people diss Catherine Deneuve (legendary french actress) for having a french accent but blacks gonna laugh at someone’s Barbadian accent. We really are pitiful.
@40, I dont think they were trying to say Rihanna couldnt speak English well. They worded it wrong, but I get what they mean. Rihanna speaks English fine and well. But she has a Caribbean accent and its Strong.
So they’re wondering how is she gonna be able to pull of an American SOUTHERN accent in this film when she can barely talk in a normal American dialect, which over here, is considered normal speech. That’s our society, whichever way you look at it. Just like Britains think Americans speak funny b/c thats THEIR speech and their perspective looking over at us.
I dont think she’s a good artist and I wish she would go back to her Caribbean roots, when I liked her, but still didnt care for her music. She can sound good in the studio, but on stage She is talentless. Cant sing or dance. Sorry, but she has absolutely no stage presence. In fact, her background singers are actually better than her and they prove it every time by overpowering her vocals.
OMG, he looks so handsome. Just saw his profiile on millionaiire&celeb datiing site i “W e a l t h y R o m a n c e. co m” last week. I am wondering what kind of relationship he is looking for on that siite.
there is what they call speech coaches out there to work with all these actors… rihanna will not be the first non-american attempting to play an american with an extremely distinct accent.
and for everyone ‘shitting on her’ before she even shows what she can do.. sad. i have seen her evolve from the ‘big forhead pon-da-replay girl’ into a very beautiful woman with a huge fan base. as far as she goes, i cant put anything past her… and im not even a fan, just one black female wishing another one the best.
>>> My people workin…..thats what I like to see. Those r going 2 be some good >>>movies. I have to say I am a little skeptical about the M.J. movie
Should be interesting. Looking forward to see how it pans out.
LOVE Macy Grays new look!
Nice. It is good to see our black folks working. Mos Def I absolutely adore. I really like Macy Gray’s look. She looks good.
yall sum haters i bet she can act better than beyonces gold diggi ass rihanna can sing fuck u hoes
Hmm #48 are you tone deaf Rihanna sound ok on her cd but she can’t sing live to save her life.
For those that don’t know, Brian White will be playing a transvestite hooker…he must be trying to get that Oscar (or BET award, lol).
And for all of you’ll complaining, you’ll will all be there because Rihanna is in it. That’s why they casted her. If they had casted a talented new comer you’ll wouldn’t care, so shut it up!
Interested to see all 3 movies, but really excited to see Black Mama Widow, I am a fan of Kerry Washington and Mos Def. I hope they dont try to put all the shine on Rihanna just cuz she is in it because Ms. Kerry Washington is a bona fide actress!
#48 is delusional as hell. Beyonce got more talent in her pinky than Rihyawnna has in her whole body. That’s why Beyonce got 2 movies coming out, an album, and doing a james bond song, while Rihyawnna has to use Chris to stay relevant and nobody is checking for her no talent ass in this movie. ROTFLMAO!!!!
——–Michael needs to lay off the weed, white girls, and cocaine.
Kerry Washington looks absolutely flawless in that pic.
What, Rihanna act?? ROFLMAOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The child cant sing, dance, perform live – what makes her think she act WTFFF!!!???
She couldnt even act HERSELF in Bring It On with Solange…thats why Im finding it hard to take her serious. SOLANGE did a better job in that film and it was HER first time too LOLL…
Rihanna should sit her delusional small ass DOWNN before she embarrasses herself thinking she ‘great’ at everything SMH!!
AND apparently Rihanna’s ass has only a small part in this film so with Kerry Washington and Mos Def in there you’ll forget shes even there…
I LOVE LOVE LOVE MOS DEF!!! He is a GREAt rapper, great actor and a fine piece of ass lol..
48 – Shut up Rihanna stan, TYPICAL of you to bring up Beyonces name..smh
Rihanna is the Beyonce imitation wanting to do everything Beyonce does, so shut up if you gonna bring her name into it smh!!..
I can not wait to see this movie u never know ri-ri might blow it out the water. Im so tried of all this hate when i come to us black people that why we never get no where because we do not support each other. Im going to support the movie because i am a fan of hers.
Hmm..i fink rihanna is gnna suprise us..im very intrested to see wot she cn bring to this film x
Love the cast line-up…. but um Rihanna acting I will have to see on-screen.