Well, it seems like Rihanna's already a winner, at least with voters here. She beat out Beyoncé by receiving 82% of the votes. Beyoncé received 17% of votes. Well, we'll see at the MTV Video Music Awards on Sept. 9.
Have a good weekend, peoples. See you in a few weeks, si Dieu veux.
Friday, August 31, 2007
Fun Friday: Fave rappers turned movie stars
These days, it seems that it's all the rage to be multifaceted in the entertainment industry. It's not enough to be just a singer; you now have a breed of singer-designer (clothes, shoes, jewellery)-actor-model-dancer, you name it. Of course, some of them are Jacks of all trades and masters of none, but I digress.
This trend is particularly obvious among rappers, with 50 Cent, Eminem and T.I. appearing in movies in recent years. However, there're some other actors who are doing the acting thing and doing it well, and here are my faves:
10. Ice T. I practically grew up seeing Ice T in movies, since he started dabbling in acting since 1984's Breakin'. New Jack City and a host of other movies followed. These days, he's honing his acting skills on television on Law and Order.
9. Eve. Although Evie Eve is perhaps best known on screen from the Barbershop movies, she has had parts in the little seen The Woodsman, The Cookout and the first XXX movie. She's not the strongest of actors but she has a lot of spunk and her roles can only keep getting better.
8. Common. There ain't nothing common about Common. Although he's relatively new to movies he's a veteran in the rap game, and has an onscreen presence that many other actors would envy. He owned his scenes in Smokin' Aces, and I can't wait to see him in action in the upcoming Night Watchman, Wanted and American Gangster. He ain't hard to watch, period....
7. Ludacris. I wasn't overly impressed with Ludacris in 2Fast 2Furious , but I sat up and took notice of his skills in Crash, where he played a philosophical thief, and Hustle and Flow, where he was an over-the-top entertainer. Come to think of it, he was way too good in that role to be acting....
6. DMX. Although I'm not toally sold on DMX as an actor, he nevertheless made some half-way entertaining movies, such as Romeo Must Die, Exit Wounds, Cradle 2 the Grave and Never Die Alone. Now, if only he would get some therapy he'd be a force to be reckoned with....
5. Snoop Dogg. Snoop has made a career out of his pot-smoking, cadillac driving persona, and while I don't approve of everything he does, he's a natural actor. His roles in Baby Boy, Training Day and Starsky and Hutch are some of my favourites, though he better not make another Soul Plane movie....
4. Ice Cube. As cool as his moniker suggests, Ice Cube has tried it all: drama (Boyz N the Hood, Higher Learning); action (XXX 2, Three Kings, Anaconda); and comedy (Are We There Yet?, Are We Done Yet, Friday, Next Friday, Friday After Next). The only thing left is romantic comedies, or is he too cool for that?
3. LL Cool J. Before LL Cool J came along in Deep Blue Sea, it was always the black guy who died first in horror movies. Not only did he survive but he blew the heck outa that shark too. His résumé includes In Too Deep, Any Given Sunday, Charlie's Angels, Rollerball, Deliver Us From Eva, SWAT, Mindhunters and Last Holiday. He needs more roles...preferably where he gets to take off his shirt....
2. Queen Latifah. Dana Owens has lived up to her nickname, and is true royalty whether behind the mike or in front of the camera. From the days of Living Single we knew she could act, but she really stepped up her game in Set It Off and got people talking. The Bone Collector, Barbershop, Taxi, Beauty Shop, Last Holiday, Bringing Down the House and more followed. She was nominated for an Oscar for Chicago and critical acclaim is coming in for Hairspray. Long live the Queen!
1. Will Smith. Who else could take the number one spot but the Fresh Prince himself? He has the patent for the rapper to movie star transition down pat. He took a big chance as a gay character in Six Degrees of Separation, and did his action man thing in hits such as Independence Day, Bad Boys 1 and 2, Men in Black 1 and 2, I, Robot, Enemy of the State and Wild Wild West; got romantic in Hitch; and got nominated for Oscars in Ali and The Pursuit of Happyness. And just the other day I was singing along to Parents of Today Just Don't Understand....
Honourable mention - Tupac Shakur. Gone too soon for sure, we saw glimpses of Tupac's thespian ability in Juice, Poetic Justice and Above the Rim. Rest in peace, bro.
This trend is particularly obvious among rappers, with 50 Cent, Eminem and T.I. appearing in movies in recent years. However, there're some other actors who are doing the acting thing and doing it well, and here are my faves:
10. Ice T. I practically grew up seeing Ice T in movies, since he started dabbling in acting since 1984's Breakin'. New Jack City and a host of other movies followed. These days, he's honing his acting skills on television on Law and Order.
9. Eve. Although Evie Eve is perhaps best known on screen from the Barbershop movies, she has had parts in the little seen The Woodsman, The Cookout and the first XXX movie. She's not the strongest of actors but she has a lot of spunk and her roles can only keep getting better.
8. Common. There ain't nothing common about Common. Although he's relatively new to movies he's a veteran in the rap game, and has an onscreen presence that many other actors would envy. He owned his scenes in Smokin' Aces, and I can't wait to see him in action in the upcoming Night Watchman, Wanted and American Gangster. He ain't hard to watch, period....
7. Ludacris. I wasn't overly impressed with Ludacris in 2Fast 2Furious , but I sat up and took notice of his skills in Crash, where he played a philosophical thief, and Hustle and Flow, where he was an over-the-top entertainer. Come to think of it, he was way too good in that role to be acting....
6. DMX. Although I'm not toally sold on DMX as an actor, he nevertheless made some half-way entertaining movies, such as Romeo Must Die, Exit Wounds, Cradle 2 the Grave and Never Die Alone. Now, if only he would get some therapy he'd be a force to be reckoned with....
5. Snoop Dogg. Snoop has made a career out of his pot-smoking, cadillac driving persona, and while I don't approve of everything he does, he's a natural actor. His roles in Baby Boy, Training Day and Starsky and Hutch are some of my favourites, though he better not make another Soul Plane movie....
4. Ice Cube. As cool as his moniker suggests, Ice Cube has tried it all: drama (Boyz N the Hood, Higher Learning); action (XXX 2, Three Kings, Anaconda); and comedy (Are We There Yet?, Are We Done Yet, Friday, Next Friday, Friday After Next). The only thing left is romantic comedies, or is he too cool for that?
3. LL Cool J. Before LL Cool J came along in Deep Blue Sea, it was always the black guy who died first in horror movies. Not only did he survive but he blew the heck outa that shark too. His résumé includes In Too Deep, Any Given Sunday, Charlie's Angels, Rollerball, Deliver Us From Eva, SWAT, Mindhunters and Last Holiday. He needs more roles...preferably where he gets to take off his shirt....
2. Queen Latifah. Dana Owens has lived up to her nickname, and is true royalty whether behind the mike or in front of the camera. From the days of Living Single we knew she could act, but she really stepped up her game in Set It Off and got people talking. The Bone Collector, Barbershop, Taxi, Beauty Shop, Last Holiday, Bringing Down the House and more followed. She was nominated for an Oscar for Chicago and critical acclaim is coming in for Hairspray. Long live the Queen!
1. Will Smith. Who else could take the number one spot but the Fresh Prince himself? He has the patent for the rapper to movie star transition down pat. He took a big chance as a gay character in Six Degrees of Separation, and did his action man thing in hits such as Independence Day, Bad Boys 1 and 2, Men in Black 1 and 2, I, Robot, Enemy of the State and Wild Wild West; got romantic in Hitch; and got nominated for Oscars in Ali and The Pursuit of Happyness. And just the other day I was singing along to Parents of Today Just Don't Understand....
Honourable mention - Tupac Shakur. Gone too soon for sure, we saw glimpses of Tupac's thespian ability in Juice, Poetic Justice and Above the Rim. Rest in peace, bro.
Update: Family recovered from Brittons Hill site
Minister of Home Affairs, Dale Marshall is at this moment reporting that the bodies of all five members of the Codrington family have been recovered from the cavern at Brittons Hill. He added that two autopsies have been conducted so far. Both he and the emergency coordinator, Dr. Brian Charles, thanked everyone involved in the effort.
Meanwhile, a trust fund has been set up to assist Doniya Linton, the three-month-old daughter of Donavere and Cassandra Codrington. Click here for more details.
Meanwhile, a trust fund has been set up to assist Doniya Linton, the three-month-old daughter of Donavere and Cassandra Codrington. Click here for more details.
Ghetto Fabulous Part Three
Disclaimer. Ghetto Fabulous is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual persons is coincidental.
My fingers trembled as I peeled back the slip of paper to reveal my “A” Level scores. I held my breath as my eyes ran down the column. English – B, Spanish – B, History – B. Award of an Exhibition.
Blood rushed to my head and I clutched the document to my chest and jumped up and down, grinning from ear to ear.
“Thank you, Jesus, I passed everything.” My best friend Veronica Catwell exhaled in relief and clutched my arm. "How you did?”
I showed her my slip as we walked away from the Principal’s office, where the results were being distributed. Around us, the faces of the other students mirrored the information received; some looked glum, others were jubilant; yet others were in tears.
“Exhibition, girl. Congrats.” Veronica hugged me and I congratulated her on receiving two C’s and a B.
“If it wasn’t for you I wouldn’t have done so well, Allie,” she smiled gratefully and linked her arm through mine as we walked back to our form room.
“Well, it’s thanks to you that I had somewhere quiet to study,” I assured her.
Veronica lived in a five-bedroom, three bathroom mini-mansion in Oxnards. Her parents, both lawyers, were hardly ever at home and Veronica and her 10-year old brother Simon were practically raised by a housekeeper. We spent many an evening at her house preparing for exams in peace and quiet that would not have been possible at my home.
I strongly believed that Veronica’s parents only tolerated me because I kept their daughter on a focused study path. Carefree and slightly spoiled, Veronica was not the most dedicated student in the world. While I recognised that studies would be my springboard to professional success, Veronica saw school as just somewhere to be between 8:45 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Now that she had been successful in her “A” Levels and was University-bound, I wondered whether my presence in the Catwell household would be looked on as favourably as before.
Later that evening, I shared the news of my Exhibition with my family.
“I never had doubt you could do it,” my mother declared, folding the slip of paper with my results almost reverently, “when I catch my hand, I goin’ give you a little somethin’.”
I smiled inwardly. Mummy always expressed her feelings towards her children with money or food, just like Granny. Hugs and kisses were never a part of their socialisation.
“That’s okay, I know things rough. Anyhow, the Exhibition should cover the tuition, books, everything.”
“You plan to go Cave Hill or overseas?” Suzette queried from her place on the front house carpet where she and the two older children were colouring and drawing. The baby was asleep soundly on a blanket nearby.
Before I could reply Mummy cut in. “Overseas, obviously. Wuh point it is getting an Exhibition and studying ‘bout here? Besides, these foolish employers in Barbados like they does only respect yuh if yuh study over in away. Dem ain’ care if yuh degree come from University of Pudding and Souse, once it overseas.”
Suzette and I laughed, which started off my niece and nephew, who always liked a good laugh even though most of the time they didn’t understand what the joke was about.
“Yuh all very happy in here tonight. Wuh happen?” Daddy walked in, touching each of his grandchildren on the head and playfully slapping Suzette and I with his Nike cap before joining Mummy on the small sofa.
Mummy sucked her teeth and pulled her flowered duster closer to her small bosom. “We must be happy, you wasn’t home. Anyhow, your chile pass she exams and get an Exhibition.”
Daddy’s eyes lit up and he held out his arms. “Come here girl, that’s good news. Wait till I tell Dove and the other fellas.”
He stopped in mid-hug and asked: “Wait, wuh today’s date is? These got to be lucky numbers!”
As he and Mummy started to quarrel, I sighed and headed to my room.
That's all for now, folks. Hope you enjoyed.
My fingers trembled as I peeled back the slip of paper to reveal my “A” Level scores. I held my breath as my eyes ran down the column. English – B, Spanish – B, History – B. Award of an Exhibition.
Blood rushed to my head and I clutched the document to my chest and jumped up and down, grinning from ear to ear.
“Thank you, Jesus, I passed everything.” My best friend Veronica Catwell exhaled in relief and clutched my arm. "How you did?”
I showed her my slip as we walked away from the Principal’s office, where the results were being distributed. Around us, the faces of the other students mirrored the information received; some looked glum, others were jubilant; yet others were in tears.
“Exhibition, girl. Congrats.” Veronica hugged me and I congratulated her on receiving two C’s and a B.
“If it wasn’t for you I wouldn’t have done so well, Allie,” she smiled gratefully and linked her arm through mine as we walked back to our form room.
“Well, it’s thanks to you that I had somewhere quiet to study,” I assured her.
Veronica lived in a five-bedroom, three bathroom mini-mansion in Oxnards. Her parents, both lawyers, were hardly ever at home and Veronica and her 10-year old brother Simon were practically raised by a housekeeper. We spent many an evening at her house preparing for exams in peace and quiet that would not have been possible at my home.
I strongly believed that Veronica’s parents only tolerated me because I kept their daughter on a focused study path. Carefree and slightly spoiled, Veronica was not the most dedicated student in the world. While I recognised that studies would be my springboard to professional success, Veronica saw school as just somewhere to be between 8:45 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Now that she had been successful in her “A” Levels and was University-bound, I wondered whether my presence in the Catwell household would be looked on as favourably as before.
Later that evening, I shared the news of my Exhibition with my family.
“I never had doubt you could do it,” my mother declared, folding the slip of paper with my results almost reverently, “when I catch my hand, I goin’ give you a little somethin’.”
I smiled inwardly. Mummy always expressed her feelings towards her children with money or food, just like Granny. Hugs and kisses were never a part of their socialisation.
“That’s okay, I know things rough. Anyhow, the Exhibition should cover the tuition, books, everything.”
“You plan to go Cave Hill or overseas?” Suzette queried from her place on the front house carpet where she and the two older children were colouring and drawing. The baby was asleep soundly on a blanket nearby.
Before I could reply Mummy cut in. “Overseas, obviously. Wuh point it is getting an Exhibition and studying ‘bout here? Besides, these foolish employers in Barbados like they does only respect yuh if yuh study over in away. Dem ain’ care if yuh degree come from University of Pudding and Souse, once it overseas.”
Suzette and I laughed, which started off my niece and nephew, who always liked a good laugh even though most of the time they didn’t understand what the joke was about.
“Yuh all very happy in here tonight. Wuh happen?” Daddy walked in, touching each of his grandchildren on the head and playfully slapping Suzette and I with his Nike cap before joining Mummy on the small sofa.
Mummy sucked her teeth and pulled her flowered duster closer to her small bosom. “We must be happy, you wasn’t home. Anyhow, your chile pass she exams and get an Exhibition.”
Daddy’s eyes lit up and he held out his arms. “Come here girl, that’s good news. Wait till I tell Dove and the other fellas.”
He stopped in mid-hug and asked: “Wait, wuh today’s date is? These got to be lucky numbers!”
As he and Mummy started to quarrel, I sighed and headed to my room.
That's all for now, folks. Hope you enjoyed.
Happy Independence, T&T!
Cheese-on-bread extends congrats to Trinidad and Tobago, which celebrates its 45th Anniversary of Independence today. Despite any differences we might have, all yuh is still family.
Click here to read the Trinidad Express' Independence editorial, and here to see which Trinidadians received national honours.
Photo of Port-of-Spain: http://images.wcities.com
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