Thursday 26 February 2015

Video: Gugu's acceptence speech at Essence Online’s 8th Annual‪ #‎BlackWomenInHollywood‬

BLACK WOMEN IN HOLLYWOOD
Black Women in Hollywood: Gugu Mbatha-Raw (4:18)



The biracial Beyond the Lights actress recounts her search for identity and how she found clarity.

Tuesday 24 February 2015

Diane Warren Calls Out Rita Ora For Not Supporting 'Grateful'

Diane Warren Calls Out Rita Ora For Not Supporting 'Grateful'

Posted: Updated: 
RITA ORA
No one was more surprised to see Diane Warren listed among this year's Best Original Song nominees than Diane Warren herself.
"I'm still shocked," Warren, who was nominated for writing "Grateful" from "Beyond the Lights," told HuffPost Entertainment. "This year there was Coldplay, Lorde, Lana Del Rey, Jennifer Lawrence sang a song, Imagine Dragons, Patti Smith -- and I'm leaving off 50 others. There were so many people this year."
Warren has seven career nominations now, but this year marks her first since "There You'll Be" from 2001's "Pearl Harbor."
"I do so many songs for movies. I always get disappointed. A few years ago, I won the Golden Globe for 'You Haven't Seen The Last of Me' from 'Burlesque,' and I didn't even get nominated at the Oscars. It was the one time in my life I was probably a front-runner," Warren said. "This time I said I was going to have no hope. No one saw the movie. It came and went in a weekend. But people loved it. It had 81 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. It had so much emotion. It was better a bunch of the Oscar movies. It's a great movie."
Directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, "Beyond the Lights" was one of the year's most underseen gems. Critics raved about the project -- we placed it on the HuffPost Entertainment list of 2014's best movies -- but the film was scuttled away almost as quickly as it came out. Relativity Media, which released "Beyond the Lights," reportedly didn't send out awards screeners. Warren herself had to pay for trade ads promoting her work. ("I said I'm going to bet on myself. I might not have any shot whatsoever, but I will always bet on myself," she said. "I'm good bet.") Even Rita Ora, who sings "Grateful," has largely ignored the song's existence.
"Gina, the director, wanted Rita to do it," Warren said. "Had I known there wouldn't be a lot of support, had I known she would have only tweeted about it once ... you know? She sang it great, but it's a little frustrating."
Ora will perform "Grateful" at the Oscars on Feb. 22, but beyond a few tweets -- one congratulating Warren for the Oscar nomination -- she's remained largely silent about the track. (Over the last month, her Twitter feed has heavily promoted "Doing It," a collaboration she did with Charli XCX, instead.)
According to Warren, both she and Prince-Bythewood have contacted Ora personally about recording a video for "Grateful." They received no response.
"I have to be really honest, I don't want to be a jerk or anything, but had I known about this lack of support, there are other artists I'm working with that -- if it had been up to me -- I would have gone with," Warren said. "She sang it great! But, come on. How on Earth are you not wanting to [promote it] ... I don't get it. Everybody around me, we're all shocked. How can ... just ... you know?"
A representative for Ora did not respond to multiple requests for comment. The singer, however, did provide a statement to Yahoo! Movies:
I'm so thankful to be have been able to participate in a piece of Diane Warren's lyrical genius. I am incredibly 'grateful' that I will have the opportunity to perform at the Oscars thanks to her work, and I'm so glad that I'll be able to share it with a wider audience on February 22."
A representative for Prince-Bythewood was not immediately available for comment.
Warren has written some of the most iconic pop songs from the last 30 years, including Oscar nominees "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" and "I Don't Want To Miss A Thing." She said that with the right awareness campaign, "Grateful" could have been just as big.
"What all these other songs have in common, and what this should have in common with them, is that they were mass appeal hits," Warren said. "I could see that maybe you don't put it out as a single before the nomination, but when you're going to sing it to millions of people ... really? No video, no nothing. Really?"
But despite the rocky rollout, Warren couldn't be happier with her work or the film itself. "I love the song," she said. "I love the point of view where it's coming from. I need to listen to my own words. It's such a great, positive message. Everybody who hears it really loves it, which is why it got nominated."
And while "Grateful" sits as an underdog contender behind favorites like "Glory" from "Selma" and "Everything Is Awesome!!!" from "The LEGO Movie," Warren isn't ready to chalk up another defeat.
"The little teeny song from the little teeny movie. My seventh nomination after losing six times. Who knows?" she said. "It could go all the way. Literally, everything is so against it. All these people are doing videos and going out. You know what? I'm a scrappy little fighter. My song's a scrappy little fighter."

Gugu Mbatha-Raw Recalls a Near Death Experience and Explains How it Gave Her the Courage to Live Life

Gugu Mbatha-Raw Recalls a Near Death Experience and Explains How it Gave Her the Courage to Live Life



Gugu Mbatha-Raw
PHOTO CREDIT: JASON LAVERIS
Gugu Mbatha-Raw is unstoppable. Not only did our ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood Breakthrough Award honoree make two blockbusters last year, but she also found the courage to run away from an armed attacker.
During her acceptance speech at this year's ceremony, the 31-year-old actress recalled how she was mugged at gunpoint while filming Beyond the Lights.
"I thought, 'This is it. This is the ultimate fear,'" she recalled. "The end of life, right there in front of you. I ran away as fast as I could. It was all okay, but what it gave me was a sense of letting go of the fears that stop us from doing the things that we want to do."
In fact, she credits that mugging with giving her the strength to pursue lifelong dreams. She said that after her near-death experience, she decided to travel to South Africa, and she later took took the time to explore both her Black and White ancestry.
"It really was a gift," she said. "I guess all that is to say that our fears can sometimes be great if we stand up and face them."

Kelly Rowland Interrupts Interview to Speak to Gugu Mbatha-Raw

Kelly Rowland Interrupts Interview to Speak to Gugu Mbatha-Raw
Published on 19 Feb 2015

HollywoodToday 


In a grand fashion some of the most dedicated and hard working African American women in Hollywood gathered again to pay tribute and celebrate the success of each other. With Oprah at the helm, the delicious 4 course luncheon went without a hitch as star studded names like Regina King, the ensemble cast of the hit show Orange is the New Black, Gugu Mbatha-Raw to name a few took to the stage to accept their Essence awards. Check out the photos!





Monday 23 February 2015

'Belle' & 'Beyond The Lights' Directors On their Star Gugu Mbatha-Raw

'Belle' & 'Beyond The Lights' Directors On their Star Gugu Mbatha-Raw

By As Told To Cori Murray

Gugu Mabatha-Raw
Within a year, Gugu Mbatha-Raw went from possessing Georgian decorum in Belle to slaying present-day glitz in Beyond The Lights, her directors remember the journey. 
Gugu's a doll. She's got this inherent grace that was so right for the era we set Belle in. Gugu understood that journey we were going to have to send Dido on from girl to woman. She wasn’t asking for more, she was asking to be equal, and that’s a completely different thing, and it’s a fine line. Gugu read various drafts of the script, and we kept talking throughout the process and there came a point when it was so clear she was going to be Dido. It made sense. The financiers knew it, the pro- ducer knew it, I knew it, and it was about offering it to her agent, making sure she said yes. She said, “I’m around; I’m not going anywhere. I’m doing this part. I’m taking this role.” Then it was about matching everybody to her and putting together a cast that could fit around her.
Belle director Amma Asante, as told to Cori Murray
For Beyond the Lights, my casting director, Aisha Coley, suggested a couple of people for Noni, and one of those people was Gugu. There was nothing I had seen of her that made me say, “That’s her,” but Aisha just said, “I think you should see her.” She came in for an audition and it was pretty immediate. It rarely happens that quickly, but there was something so magnetic about her, and she was so connected to the character. As the audition continued, every single scene, it was magic. I just wanted to watch her. She had this innate vulnerability where you just cared about her. That honestly is what, I think, is going to make her a star.
Beyond the Lights writer and director, Gina Prince-Bythewood
This feature was originally published in the March 2015 issue of ESSENCE, on newsstands now!

Sunday 22 February 2015

Video:Essence Black Women in Hollywood: One-on-One with Gugu Mbatha-Raw


BWIH honoree Gugu Mbatha-Raw describes her work as an artist and her love of being in the comforts of home.


Gugu Mbatha-Raw on her excitement at playing a scantily-clad pop star after her breakthrough role as a corseted aristocrat

'You can't put me in a box!': Gugu Mbatha-Raw on her excitement at playing a scantily-clad pop star after her breakthrough role as a corseted aristocrat

She caught the attention of the critics following her turn as Dido Elizabeth Belle, the mixed-race daughter of a naval admiral who grew up in aristocratic circles in the 18th Century.
And actress Gugu Mbatha-Raw proved she can't be pigeon-holed thanks to her role as a raunchy pop songstress in Beyond the Lights.
Gracing the cover of Town & Country magazine's March issues, she talks to the publication about landing such diverse parts: 'I would love to say that I’m some sort of evil mastermind who strategised it. But when I got both roles I did think, "This is great - you can’t put me in a box!"'
Scroll down for video 
Cover girl: Gugu Mbatha-Raw goes high fashion for the March issue of Town & Country magazine
Cover girl: Gugu Mbatha-Raw goes high fashion for the March issue of Town & Country magazine
And she seems intent on continuing to keep fans guessing. Gugu currently appears in sci-fi fantasy Jupiter Ascending and has been cast opposite Matthew McConaughey in Civil War drama Free State of Jones.
The 31-year-old may seem to be one of the breakout stars of the last 12 months, but she has been working away since graduating from Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts.
Roles in Hamlet on Broadway alongside Jude Law followed in 2009, and Gugu admits that unlike most of her contemporaries at drama school, she didn't fit into the world of most period dramas - until Belle came along.
She adds: 'Growing up and going to RADA [Royal Academy of Dramatic Art], so many of my peers go on to do period dramas, which is what we’re known for in the UK.
Purple reign: The 31-year-old reveals that she is relishing avoiding being stereotyped after landing a string of diverse roles
Purple reign: The 31-year-old reveals that she is relishing avoiding being stereotyped after landing a string of diverse roles
Breakthrough: The actress received huge acclaim for her role in Belle, about the daughter of an admiral and a slave who grew up in aristocratic circles in 18th Century England
Breakthrough: The actress received huge acclaim for her role in Belle, about the daughter of an admiral and a slave who grew up in aristocratic circles in 18th Century England
'And I had all this classical training but, in some ways, nowhere to put it. It was fascinating to be able to do a movie like Belle - something period, with that Jane Austen feel, in which I wouldn’t be playing a slave or someone in a brutalized role.'
The star certainly looks every inch the Hollywood starlet in her cover shoot for the magazine.

Donning dresses by Altuzarra, Jason Wu and Lanvin, the star looks stunning as she poses seductively against a wall for a black and white shot.
Talking about her own personal style, the actress reveals she likes to keep it simple.
'In my daily life it’s about being comfortable. I wear a lot of black.
'But now, to promote these films, I’ve been working with a stylist.
'I’ve had some fun Cinderella moments in red carpet land. 
'I love the Audrey Hepburns of this world, and I think Cate Blanchett is stunning and always nails it.
'It’s important to know that it’s okay to be your natural self.
'It’s also okay to dress up and wear makeup and hair extensions if you want, so long as you don’t feel like you need that or will be worthless without it. The point is, it should be a choice. 
 Read the full story at Town & Country.



Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2948025/Gugu-Mbatha-Raw-talks-diverse-film-roles.html#ixzz3ROPutCcC
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Thursday 19 February 2015

Gugu Mbatha-Raw is at Essence Online’s 8th Annual‪ #‎BlackWomenInHollywood‬ event TODAY! Watch the livestream at 2:30PM EST

Come and see the stars. Gugu Mbatha-Raw is at Essence Online’s

 8th Annual‪#‎BlackWomenInHollywood‬ event TODAY! Watch the

 livestream at 2:30PM EST.http://bit.ly/BTL_Essence



Rosario Dawson coos over new mother Zoe Saldana's snaps of her twins at Alfre Woodard's Oscars Sistahs Soiree

Double trouble! Rosario Dawson coos over new mother Zoe Saldana's snaps of her twins at Alfre Woodard's Oscars Sistahs Soiree

She's the proud new mother of twin boys so of course she wants to show off their pictures.
Zoe Saldana couldn't resist whipping out her phone to share images of Bowie and Cy with Rosario Dawson at Alfre Woodard's Oscars Sistahs Soiree at the Beverly Wilshire in Beverly Hills on Wednesday evening.
Rosario smiled delightedly at the snaps of the tots, born on November 27, as the 36-year-old looked on.
You've gotta see them: Proud mother Zoe Saldana showed Rosario Dawson snaps of her twin baby boys Bowie and Cy at Alfre Woodard's Oscars Sistahs Soiree at the Beverly Wilshire in Beverly Hills on Wednesday evening
You've gotta see them: Proud mother Zoe Saldana showed Rosario Dawson snaps of her twin baby boys Bowie and Cy at Alfre Woodard's Oscars Sistahs Soiree at the Beverly Wilshire in Beverly Hills on Wednesday evening
Out and about: The couple have yet to share pictures showing their twins clearly but on Friday Zoe posted this double snap of her and Marco walking in the hills with their boys safely strapped to their fronts
Out and about: The couple have yet to share pictures showing their twins clearly but on Friday Zoe posted this double snap of her and Marco walking in the hills with their boys safely strapped to their fronts
The new mom looked fabulous in a ruffled blue Lanvin frock, belted at the waist, and printed high-heeled pumps.She accessorised with a black clutch.
At the event, she dished to InStyle about what it’s like to dress for the red carpet just a few months after giving birth.
'When you have just had babies, two babies, you sort of let go and you’re not as demanding when it comes to fashion,' she told the magazine. 'You ask yourself, "What is very flattering as my body is sort of getting itself together again?"'
Cuddling up: Rosario and Kerry Washington were evidently very pleased to see one another
Cuddling up: Rosario and Kerry Washington were evidently very pleased to see one another
Two diamonds: Viola Davis looked pretty in pink while Sistahs Soiree hostess Alfre Woodard went for an elegant black chiffon gown with a cape attached at the shouders
Two diamonds: Viola Davis looked pretty in pink while Sistahs Soiree hostess Alfre Woodard went for an elegant black chiffon gown with a cape attached at the shouders
Zoe is also a presenter at the Academy Awards on Sunday and she revealed she is feeling good about her dress - and the fact that she and her artist husband Marco Perego, 35, will get a date night 'after three months in our baby cave.'
'This is a rare occasion for us,' Zoe said, adding, 'I’m pretty sure as soon as we go and I present, we’re going to be anxious to get home, to see what the babies are up to.
'We’re going to force ourselves to stay out because we have a great team of people that will be looking after them. It’s a great night to be out, so we want to try and enjoy it.'
Smile ladies: Emayatzy E. Corinealdi, Ava DuVernay, Danai Gurira and Alfre posed for a snap
Smile ladies: Emayatzy E. Corinealdi, Ava DuVernay, Danai Gurira and Alfre posed for a snap
Variations on black: Carmen Ejogo went for a sequin mini dress while Angela Bassett suited up
Variations on black: Carmen Ejogo went for a sequin mini dress while Angela Bassett suited up
Variations on black: Carmen Ejogo went for a sequin mini dress while Angela Bassett suited up
Smile for the selfie:  Zoe took a snap of LaTanya Richardson, Carmen Ejogo and Anika Noni Rose
Smile for the selfie:  Zoe took a snap of LaTanya Richardson, Carmen Ejogo and Anika Noni Rose

Others at the celebrity-packed party that Alfre hosts annually to toast Oscar-nominated actresses and directors included Kerry Washington, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Viola Davis, Carmen Ejogo, Ava DuVernay, Angela Bassett, Emayatzy E. Corinealdi, Danai Gurira, Khandi Alexander, CCH Pounder and Aisha Tyle.
Rosario, who looked stunning in a sleeveless scarlet romper, cuddled up to Kerry.
Fit for the silver screen: Kim Wayans wore an elegant cream chiffon gown embellished with strips of glossy material and sequins
Fit for the silver screen: Kim Wayans wore an elegant cream chiffon gown embellished with strips of glossy material and sequins


It's how yo wear it: Khandi Alexander and Aisha Tyler both rocked black ensembles
The Scandal star rocked a V-neck dress with a blue bodice and white skirt painted with blue and yellow flowers.
Viola was pretty in a pink strapless dress and gold sandals as she draped an arm around Alfre, who donned a black chiffon dress with a cape attached at the shoulders and sparkly flats. 
The 87th Academy Awards, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, will take place on Sunday at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood and be aired live on ABC.
Here she is again: Zoe was all over the event, slipping into this photo with Danai Gurira, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Marianne Jean-Baptiste and Carmen Ejogo
Here she is again: Zoe was all over the event, slipping into this photo with Danai Gurira, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Marianne Jean-Baptiste and Carmen Ejogo
Say Oscar: Alfre hosts the party annually to toast Academy Award-nominated actresses and directors
Say Oscar: Alfre hosts the party annually to toast Academy Award-nominated actresses and directors






Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2960551/Rosario-Dawson-coos-new-mother-Zoe-Saldana-s-snaps-twins-Alfre-Woodard-s-Oscars-Sistahs-Soiree.html#ixzz3SE9WMzhY
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