https://twitter.com/ReelTalker/status/466950828772032514/photo/1


And Black (female) Twitter is also hating.

her as if she said it wrong..


>I was hoping this movie would fade into oblivion...

Please retire that word.

If you have to use mantan to play a role in 2014. . .



http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/adepero-oduye-as-nina-simone-survey

She just doesn't have that A list star power that studio execs crave.
Loved her in "Pariah", btw.
Zoe is the go-to chick for anything that requires a Black (or even Latin) female lead. There can only be room for one.

she's been blessed to be part of some movies that did big business but has she ever demonstrated that she can actually carry a movie on her own back?

I don't remember Colombiana burning up the box office... and even on TV, Rosemary's Baby isn't likely to do much either.

The casting of Jamie in Ray was not predicated on the notion that he had the power to open a movie.

It was based on the fact that Jamie was considered a good actor, who could actually sing and play the piano and seemed to evoke Ray physically.

with the double-hit of "Ray" and "Collateral".

At least as I recall it.

He has a dramatic part in "Ali", but I don't recall him getting much notice for it.

I still feel like casting Foxx as Ray Charles was still something of a gamble, but that's also an apples-to-oranges situation. People are primarily outraged about Zoe Saldana because she's lighter and more "European looking" than Nina Simone. Foxx didn't receive such criticism.

Moreover, with "Ray", we're still talking about an independent movie, but one that cost over four times what "Nina" cost to make and had a few more supporting known faces to balance out the cast than "Nina" has.

not for this
she keeps picking the wrong vehicles
~~~~
When you are born, you cry, and the world rejoices. Live so that when you die, you rejoice, and the world cries.
~~~~
You cannot hate people for their own good.

The argument is always made that Zoe has to star in this because she's the only black actress who can open a movie... and I think that is a fair enough consideration. After all, this is a business.

But the question is: How true IS that claim? What movie has Zoe actually opened? Not as part of an ensemble with a superstar director who already has the box office power, not playing in a licensed property or cult series that already has a rabid fanbase... what movie has Zoe starred in that people rushed to see BECAUSE it starred Zoe Saldana?

It seems like the powers that be are justifying this with box office success that can't really be attributed to her specifically. Star Wars, Avatar and Drumline weren't really about her.



>The argument is always made that Zoe has to star in this
>because she's the only black actress who can open a movie...
>and I think that is a fair enough consideration. After all,
>this is a business.
>
>But the question is: How true IS that claim? What movie has
>Zoe actually opened? Not as part of an ensemble with a
>superstar director who already has the box office power, not
>playing in a licensed property or cult series that already has
>a rabid fanbase... what movie has Zoe starred in that people
>rushed to see BECAUSE it starred Zoe Saldana?

the difference, not that she was the lead or not.

And when I say makes the difference, I mean to the money people who are bankrolling the film. I'm fairly certain that if it was purely artistic decision (which it never is for a movie that other people are paying for you to make), they'd've chosen the girl from Pariah and not Zoe Saldana.

>the difference, not that she was the lead or not.
>
>And when I say makes the difference, I mean to the money
>people who are bankrolling the film. I'm fairly certain that
>if it was purely artistic decision (which it never is for a
>movie that other people are paying for you to make), they'd've
>chosen the girl from Pariah and not Zoe Saldana.

She is doing well in big budget action movies. Just stick with that.
maybe show up in an indie project here and there.

I don't know the exact specifics about the studio backing this film, or the distribution.
It could be Focus Features, or IFC for all I know.
Even still, Zoe is more bankable in the mainstream than most Black actresses.
Besides, all it takes is an oscar nod during the "December academy-award rush" to ensure a victory.
I see how Hollywood wants to groom Zoe into the next "Halle Berry" (if you will).

It didn't do what it should have. Its implausibility (and ambiguity in tone and storyline) may have had something to do with that, as well the fact that, no matter what its quality, it was coming out in August through a secondary distributor and Saldana was _the_ only known face in the film.

but you have problems with this, you might be the one with race/color issues.

It's about who can play the role AND open the movie.

Then why not give the role to a White woman, or asian?
Hell.....why stop there? Give the role to Rupal.
Oversimplifying the real issue by deeming any criticism as having color issues just doesn't fly.

>but you have problems with this, you might be the one with
>race/color issues.

He looked like Denzel, but embodied the role of Malcolm.

They did not just dye her hair for this role, they changed her face, her skin color and her overall appearance for her to play the role. This isn't a role about a blue alien, this is a person that exists. There are people who are just as talented who could have played the role without the added blackening-up. The producers didn't even try, they just went Klump as a first resort.

________________________________________
Keep Penis Clean Or Find Genital Spots

http://www.womenshealthmag.com/files/wh6_uploads/images/zoe-saldana-art.jpg

Have you ever considered the possibility that she's often lit and retouched to look lighter than her actual skin tone?

What the blood claaat???

http://versedonline.com/nina-simone-webpage-bashes-zoe-saldana-in-published-letter/

Or you can look at her hand in comparison to her face in the same picture that was originally shared.

________________________________________
Keep Penis Clean Or Find Genital Spots

Okay, they're darkening her up. That's some ol fuck shit.

plus nina's complexion was something she found pride in

this is just ridiculous. saldana's make up doesn't even look natural, she just looks dirty.

considering a big part of Nina's thang was speaking up for dark-skinned black women and was also about speaking up for black women who aren't considered classically beautiful in that European sense, casting Zoe just doesn't work at all. it'd be like casting a white guy to play Malcolm.

U smarter than this....

but I have noticed that skin-color casting complaints are a lot quieter when the actor is darker than the subject.

>but I have noticed that skin-color casting complaints are a
>lot quieter when the actor is darker than the subject.

Nobody is talking about skin color...That would be simplistic, no?

People in the know are discussing Nina's actual history and how her looks (nose, weight, color, hair, ect...)played into her empowering message...

I think you know that, homie...

This ain't no silly paper bag debate...

Nah...I'm going to let u rock on this strawman steez, homie...lol

Bringing up every black actor in Hollywood on some "See, Denzel did it...Jaimie did it!!!!," ect ain't cutting it (dull knife and all...word to JB)...

Maybe this movie will push people to actually read a couple of books about Nina to get what folks are talking about....

a list of actors who've played Frederick Douglass:

http://www.imdb.com/character/ch0029197/?ref_=fn_ch_ch_1

Again...I think u r trying a one size fits all approach to this...

And you are using a pretty fucking big shoe horn....

Malcolm's looks were relatively unimportant as far his story

Nina's looks and complexion is a large part of her story and her message

other than Malcolm being known as "Red" (which Denzel pulled off with minimal obvious makeup issues) not withstanding

smh

Jeez.

You ever hear the way that girl talks? Zoe doesn't have much of a "Blaccent." She doesn't look anything like her, either. And she can't sing. So why was she cast in this role again?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3ClwX7oyXk

I never ever ever ever get tired of watching that clip lol

and she wanted the role. it's not rocket science

Vote with your dollars.

________________________________________
Keep Penis Clean Or Find Genital Spots

Soul Woman: The Nina Simone Story

I can see why some people would be offended if (for example) Nia Long was cast to play Celia Cruz in a film. I can see the same dynamic here. Remember the controversy that ensued when Jennifer Lopez was cast as Selena?

End of the day, Zoe Saldana is a black American (even if she ain't a Black American)

In this case, I agree that it's not that big of a deal. Zoe is a black American.

If a role called for subtle nuances, then I definitely think that culture matters a lot. It's like when non-American Blacks (or even non-southern American Blacks) try to play roles set in the south back-in-the-day. Their accents are so fake and terrible that it's actually a little annoying.

I picked out Stringer Bell and Chris Partlow were easy to spot as being "dropped in" to a role (for example). Their accents, body language, mannerisms, etc. were all so obviously contrived. They just didn't match the setting of the Wire.

I felt his accent work and mannerisms were strained, but Idris claims that a lot of street dudes really felt his performance on a deep level... to the point that he has to address fans in an American accent so as not to traumatize them with his real voice.

As for Chris Partlow... I don't know why you would say that; Gbenga is a black American of Nigerian descent. Ultimately, all of these cats are ACTORS. In the end, it's about whether they do a good job or a bad job. But the culture in which they actually grew up should not be relevant. It's like arguing that Leonard Nimoy can't play Spock well because he's not a Vulcan background.

In the Wire, the hood in Baltimore was being portrayed, and Chris just didn't fit into that setting. He didn't even sound like a hood dude to me.

Kinda like, if they were filming a flick about hip hop in the Bronx in 1985, and there were people that were cast as NYC natives, but had California or Mississippi accents. That would stand out right away. Or a film set in the deep south, but the dude cast as the sharecropper's son had a Boston accent. Wouldn't fly.

I don't think it matters as much in this Nina Simone flick tho.

You can kinda hear his accent, but at the time most people had no clue that he wasn't American. I was definitely shocked when I found out and i'm from Md

I think him playing a person from bmore helped a lot with that though. I've always thought that md accents sound slightly brittish in some crazy way

It matters when said subject's looks was a huge part of her message...

When I read lines like:

"Nobody has a problem when Af-Ams play Africans or Jamaicans"

"It's pure blackness policing"

I don't see much specifics culturally being discussed....

I think one of the proper ways to go at this is with the understanding of the Nina's specific message and how she utilized her looks for that message...Not blanket statements about "culture"....Of course there are some folks that are on some WHY A DOMINICAN-AMERICAN PLAYING AN AFRICAN AMERICAN?!!!"

But most people in this thread are coming with more direct gripes...Like Zoe's make-up looking totally idiotic...Or the fact that the woman she is playing made her looks an important part of her message of black self love....

it was not about Zoe's looks or the makeup or anything.

Someone introduced the notion that she was not culturally in tune to play Nina (perhaps because she's a Latina? I dunno... that was not really explored)

I say that part is irrelevant. As long as she ain't playing Nina with a Spanish accent, it don't matter where her parents come from.

When an AfAm, African or AfroBrit is cast.

>it was not about Zoe's looks or the makeup or anything.



Nah...it's strawman direction that JF wants this convo to go...lol

I already know the angle u r coming at this with (the African being amused by the inner race politics of African-Americans...)

But the OP is merely doing the old "y'all mad because she ain't black enough" shit...

If people would only open up a book and read something about Nina Simone they would understand that this casting is deeper than cosmetics...I mean I even saw the word "hating" used...lol...Like for real?

But yeah...it's all good...

and Nina Simone's history be damned. You think Hollywood is going to greenlight a film starring an unattractive Black woman? The days of "Sister Act" are long gone.

This is what I'm reading from you, homie:

"Zoe black, but not black enough and they mad. There would be
a fraction of this outrage if they cast Nia Long or Gabrielle
Union..."


And I guess my point is you are boiling this down to some very A + B = shit...lol...And I guess if we were on Bossip that would be a huge part of the debate....

Using the word "mad" and "hating" kinda drags this discussion down to bullshit levels like we were discussing a Dipset song from 10 years ago...

Especially when all anyone has to do is do a little knowledge on who actually Nina Simone was and what she stood for....

But I guess I'm asking for too much, brother JF...

Do you, dog....And see u at the top...

I don't have a horse in this race. I'm not a big fan of Nina Simone or Zoe Saldana, and probably won't see the film.

I have, however, noticed an odd intra-racial dynamic developing on this site #THATSITE), twitter, and "the black internet" in general. Call it a baclkash to euro-centric beauty standards, but there is a rise in "light-skinned" othering, and a reluctance to claim multi-racial or multi-cultural black people as black.

25 years ago, Black America would have laid FULL claim to Zoe, Drake and Lolo.

Oh...so this is a TROLL post?

Ah...carry on, homie...And on the real...no beef...U r one of my dude's on these here threads...

I'm just saying...Shit ain't always straight no chaser...Ya dig?

I mostly believe this shit, but I'm being extra provocative to get people to say what they really feel.

I fucks with you too, Murph.

>I don't have a horse in this race. I'm not a big fan of Nina
>Simone or Zoe Saldana, and probably won't see the film.


That actually proves what Murph is saying about actually knowing something
about Nina Simone. Not only do you not, but you aren't even interested.


>I have, however, noticed an odd intra-racial dynamic
>developing on this site #THATSITE), twitter, and "the black
>internet" in general. Call it a baclkash to euro-centric
>beauty standards, but there is a rise in "light-skinned"
>othering, and a reluctance to claim multi-racial or
>multi-cultural black people as black.
>
>25 years ago, Black America would have laid FULL claim to Zoe,
>Drake and Lolo.



What's wrong with that though? That's called waking up.
There are two reasons I say that.
1)Look what happens when black people claim interracial people They
replace black people. "We need a black actress.... we'll go with Halle Berry."
How mad would white people be if she played Marilyn Monroe? I mean, she
is half white right?
2)No other race of people will even claim anyone mixed with black.
Tommy Sotomayor would say "black people are the world's trash can".
I don't really like saying it like that, but see what he's trying to say.
We accept everyone and end up being an instrument of our own exclusion.
At any rate, we need to call biracial people biracial, so that we aren't
passed over when a black person is needed.

>I already know the angle u r coming at this with (the African
>being amused by the inner race politics of
>African-Americans...)

I'm a player in the politics as much as anybody else... this stuff is not frivolous to me at all.

>If people would only open up a book and read something about
>Nina Simone they would understand that this casting is deeper
>than cosmetics...I mean I even saw the word "hating"
>used...lol...Like for real?

I agree 100%.

I think Zoe Saldana should not play this role because of how she LOOKS. The aspect of her being Latino is not relevant, though.

But I think it is a valid question: Why was it okay for Denzel to be Malcolm X? One could argue that Malcolm's skin tone was also an essential part of his persona... I mean, cat was called "Red" when he was younger.

Why were were able to get past chocolate wonderboy Denzel playing him if we're so upset at Zoe's physical incongruity to Nina?

(I have my own theories about that, but I won't get into it)

the glasses

and the fact that light-skin = pretty boy

denzel is a shade and a half short of "chocoloate" as i am myself

i get called light skin all the time and i'm darker than Malcolm too

all he had to do was act like-skinned and he was close enough to not ruin it...

it's not as if people envision Malcolm as light as Drake or anything...

people definitely view Nina as past chocolate though

it's multiple dynamics...Denzel considered light enough to pull off the pretty boy but Zoe not dark enough and far too conventionally attractive to pull off Nina

the darker makeup wouldn't be so bad if it didn't look like they were unsuccessfully trying to "uglify" her

>>I already know the angle u r coming at this with (the
>African
>>being amused by the inner race politics of
>>African-Americans...)
>
>I'm a player in the politics as much as anybody else... this
>stuff is not frivolous to me at all.
>
>>If people would only open up a book and read something about
>>Nina Simone they would understand that this casting is
>deeper
>>than cosmetics...I mean I even saw the word "hating"
>>used...lol...Like for real?
>
>I agree 100%.
>
>I think Zoe Saldana should not play this role because of how
>she LOOKS. The aspect of her being Latino is not relevant,
>though.
>
>But I think it is a valid question: Why was it okay for Denzel
>to be Malcolm X? One could argue that Malcolm's skin tone was
>also an essential part of his persona... I mean, cat was
>called "Red" when he was younger.

Because Malcolm himself never made his looks part of his overall message...Malcolm never wrote specific songs about his looks...Malcolm never was quoted in interviews stating that it was important to him that other light skinned, red headed black kids saw another "red" succeed to give them some sense that they can be accepted on their own merits...

KAP.....Come on dog....lol

Let's bury THIS part of the discussion....Shit is silly...

....folks talked about how much Washington was able to pull off the look, sound, and mannerisms of Malcolm X (the word "channeled" was thrown around a lot)

more to your point though, perhaps a reason there was less umbrage about the casting then is because Washington had already done well playing malcolm x in plays AND has a much higher credibility as an actor than Soldana does particularly withing the "Black Acting Pantheon"

game recognize game

the swerve you all are pulling (why y'all ain't get mad when...) pokes at several sore sports

part of the reason folks are upset (not me, i'll wait to see how she actually does in he role) is because of the perception that there is a large group of Black actresses and talents that are untapped. similarly there is a belief that there aren't that many meaty roles for women of color. perhaps folks feel lime Soldana is "getting ALL the roles" and the other talented folks are being frozen out of those opportunities

likewise, and it seems that the selection of Soldana is more about $$$ (as acknowledged), on some who is Black and female we can throw in there?, that about art or paying respect to the "legacy" of Simone - who is pretty much venerated by the folks who know/care.

and finally: folks just seem to generally like being "mad" about something more nowadays than at any time I can personally recall

Thank you

>....folks talked about how much Washington was able to pull
>off the look, sound, and mannerisms of Malcolm X (the word
>"channeled" was thrown around a lot)
>
>more to your point though, perhaps a reason there was less
>umbrage about the casting then is because Washington had
>already done well playing malcolm x in plays AND has a much
>higher credibility as an actor than Soldana does particularly
>withing the "Black Acting Pantheon"

Yeah...this is true...But also? Denzel was a critical darling with an Oscar in his hand for Glory...So he was already viewed as a gifted actor...Something Zoe is not viewed as at this time...

As for the money angle...Well, yeah...Hollywood is all about the money...The problem though is this is being pitched as an "art-film"...Not a comedy or a big budget flick that has to do well in its first week to survive...

And yep...Some people just want to be mad...But they only feed into the premise that its all about Zoe not being dark enough to play Nina...

The casting of Jennifer Hudson as Winnie Mandela also caught caught flack (as well as Terrance Howard playing her husband).

There are probably others, but I'm not much of a film buff to be able to keep up with these things.

>The casting of Jennifer Hudson as Winnie Mandela also caught
>caught flack (as well as Terrance Howard playing her
>husband).

though a South African friend did tell me she was impressed with Howard's Xhosa. Not sure how widely held that opinion is.

*remembers 'The Mighty Quinn'*

*shudders*



What the blood claaat???

not because they chose an AfAm actor.

Denzel.

Townsend.

None of them.

Ugh.


What the blood claaat???

~~~~
When you are born, you cry, and the world rejoices. Live so that when you die, you rejoice, and the world cries.
~~~~
You cannot hate people for their own good.

her only decent acting role.

She was a good actress until they started putting her in rom-coms and having her play Greeks and Italians.

actor than singer. But I think she'd rather keep trying at the singing thing than go hard with acting. Sucks.

especially since she was walking around in her underwear.

Netflix will have it in a month

but somebody gotta stir the pot

No one was whining when JGL was wearing a prosthetic nose and makeup to look like Bruce Lee in Looper.

Just love to complain about nothing.

A goddamn NINA SIMONE biopic is being made on a REAL budget, most people have NO IDEA WHO SHE IS and all you niggas can focus on is if the nigga playing Nina is nigga enough.

Dummies.

and this introduction via this movie w/that actress in the lead role is likely to give ppl the wrong impression of Nina and what she was about.

historical education tools.

It's a narrative film. It's a work of historical fiction, emphasis on "fiction". Even if they had picked a Nina Simone lookalike, the story is still heavily fictionalized to fit the desired narrative that will fill a two hour story and attracted the average American moviegoer to the cinema.

It is not a documentary. It is not a scholarly work. It is not even a biography in the literary sense. It's a damn movie.

This movie, by the look of it, could very well turn out to be horrible. Awful, even. It doesn't mean that Nina Simone is awful or that an indie art film made without her heirs' input should be taken as a definitive statement on her life. Yes, people will take it that way, but that's their problem.

I'm going to save this and copy/paste it every time a movie based on a real person or event comes out because I feel like I am forever pointing this out every time.

Say it again

Like its not even a good makeup job. For this to be a big budget movie you would think they would do better. She looks like she's doing a comedy skit

Not to mention Nina Simone's looks are a huge part of her story. You really can't compare biopics and who looked like what because the way the person looked may not be that important in the grand scheme of things, but to handle it like this in this particular instance is not a good look imo

I don't even know how Zoe could look at herself made up like that and not be even a lil bit embarrassed...it just doesn't feel right.

http://thesuperslice.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Etta-James-02.jpg

I'll letchall haddat.

But "Cadillac Records" even being made was partially about Sony and Beyonce finding a movie to make Beyonce look like a viable movie star.

And to be honest, people looked at Beyonce sideways when "Cadillac Records" came out too. Also, Nina Simone, I would argue, is more popular and has a far more devoted fan base than Etta James in the modern era.

Zoe is to Nina.

I mean, how can you really compare the two.

Beyonce and Etta:
http://www.eonline.com/eol_images/Entire_Site/20090205/300.ad.EJames.Beyonce.020509.jpg

Zoe and Nina:
http://www.eurweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/zoe-saldana-nina-simone2.jpg

Zoe is in black face, doesn't have the same features, and just looks ridiculous. Beyonce just put on a blond wig.

~~~~
When you are born, you cry, and the world rejoices. Live so that when you die, you rejoice, and the world cries.
~~~~
You cannot hate people for their own good.

Estimated budget is $7 million - a third of the cost of your average Tyler Perry movie. It's some Hollywood lady's pet indie project.

I be seeing how some of u niggas post over the year smh

nm

... there'd be backlash.

b/c of the makeup, prosthetics, & overall whitewashing of that movie.

*sidenote* Ever since Angels in the Outfield, I swore JGL was happa.
I was shocked to find out he was white & that Keanu + Zach Morris were happa, blew my little mind lol.

its bc of how her darkness influenced people (and her) views of her attractiveness and how that impacted the art

that's it...it's integral to her character that she not be light nor considered and unattractive by euro-centric ass standards

it's like Jamie Foxx not acting blind...it's too key to fuck up with shitty makeup

and it's partially about complexion too...aint no way that this can't be considered a bad casting unless she really has the chops to convince us our eyes don't work

>https://twitter.com/ReelTalker/status/466950828772032514/photo/1
>
>
>And Black (female) Twitter is also hating.


Actually...everybody--black, white, brown, purple--should be hating...

All the hating and outrage will only serve to raise the movie's profile and make it into more of an issue (and probably more of a success from curious lookie-loos) than it deserves.

Alot of times when you ask people, "Who would play you in your Hollywood biography?", they often just pick an actor they really like with minimal consideration for what the actor looks like.

Ps Did Nina Simone end up marrying or living with a white man? For such a big fan of her music, I know very little of her life after 1980.

As much as she embodied Blackness she had a lot of internal turmoil with race.
I posted this swipe awhile backbut it was an interesting read.
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/08/11/raised-voice

the eye-wink troll/Contrarian contingent are walking hand-in-hand on this one...lol

I need to see a clip before faking outrage

She's doing to the public in movies what John Forte is doing to us with this post.

Mainstream audiences aka white people to care...

I know they don't care what we think.

It's too bad nobody is going to see this movie.

Zoe black, but not black enough and they mad. There would be a fraction of this outrage if they cast Nia Long or Gabrielle Union

>Zoe black, but not black enough and they mad. There would be
>a fraction of this outrage if they cast Nia Long or Gabrielle
>Union

That Strawman has gone Godzilla on us ya'll!!!!

Hide the women and children!!!!

very strange looking pic

if you didn't already *know* she was supposed to be nina simone, and saw that pic, what are the chances that you would GUESS that is who she was supposed to be?

like zero?

*shrug*

I think she's under-regarded as an actress.
Her work in "Out of the Furnace" was excellent.

-->
www.realmdynamics.com

>I think she's under-regarded as an actress.
>Her work in "Out of the Furnace" was excellent.


Her work ethic is unbelievable.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0757855/?nmdp=1&ref_=nm_ql_5#filmography

https://twitter.com/search?q=%23blackbiopics&src=hash


Black twitter clearly doesn't think Zoe is black.

to show that I wasn't strawmanning

I brought up her being Latina above just to bring it up, but that really has nothing to do with my opinion of her suitability for this particular role. For me, it's more about her appearance (and honestly, I don't know if she has the chops to authentically channel Nina). If they would have cast Solange or Kerry Washington I'd have the same issue. I don't question Zoe's Blackness at all here, I question "why her, over other actresses that actually look a lot more like Nina?"*


*I think someone mentioned that SHE chose this role, and not the other way around, so that kinda negates the whole discussion about "why not..."

on some "lets pile on with our own opposite" comparisons?

you don't see how you're putting words in their mouth with the whole "they don't think she's black (enough)"?

i know "black on black crime" is the meme folks wanna run with but really dog?

besides

tom hanks as fredrick douglas *IS* funny

that's pretty much the basis for most of Black comedy in America

hee.hee.hell

right?

than this indie pic would have otherwise drawn.

So, everybody wins.

I'm probably just going to ignore this film unless I hear that I need to do otherwise.

It is fun, however, to read the uninformed "WHY DIDN'T THEY CAST XXXX" commentary and the commentary about how "Hollywood" - some sort of hive-mind bog, I imagine - hates black people so "they" did this to "us".

from "the curious".

Not enough to make an impact.

Odd that Mary J. Blige, _no one's actress_, let's be clear, didn't receive a twentieth of the hate Zoe Saldana is getting. It was mostly a mix of indifference tinged with concern.

Now, I _understand_ why Saldana is getting the backlash she's getting...it's just sociologically interesting how much the appearance of the actress is valued over their ability to, well, act when people play armchair casting director.

>from "the curious".
>
>Not enough to make an impact.
>
>Odd that Mary J. Blige, _no one's actress_, let's be clear,
>didn't receive a twentieth of the hate Zoe Saldana is getting.
>It was mostly a mix of indifference tinged with concern.
>
>Now, I _understand_ why Saldana is getting the backlash she's
>getting...it's just sociologically interesting how much the
>appearance of the actress is valued over their ability to,
>well, act when people play armchair casting director.

this guy
http://content7.flixster.com/question/36/68/86/3668865_std.jpg

playing this guy
http://image1.findagrave.com/photos/2008/189/9929_121557018699.jpg

came out.

One of the key complaints was that casting - not even just because they didn't look alike, but that they tried to pass off a grown man as a very young teenager and Larenz Tate made no attempt to play a 1950s/1960s young black man instead of O-Dog or Willie Fuffner.

http://blog.commarts.wisc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/gary.jpg

confession:

i LOVE that movie (why do fools...)

that's that grade-A, C-plus black cinema

we didn't know how good we had it back then relative to just being able to go see some blackfolks not having to be "representative of the people" all the time

it's definitely on the so-bad-its-good playlist

ANY movie with halle berry going all sistagirl is g-o-l-d

the problems are all in the execution to me.

some stuff is great for how great it isn't

as one of the film's main settings, and they shot those scenes in the most country corner of another city in another southern state that they could find.

they ain't got no money for all that realism

It was made after Gregory Nava had a big hit with "Selena" and after Disney had their own music period piece biopic with "What's Love Got to Do with It"

My problems are all in the acting and the direction. Gregory Nava may not have been the best choice - it def feels like he couldn't connect to the film or properly establish the tone.

And then there's Larenz & Vivica's acting...

There is a really, really nice tracking shot when we first go back into the past to see Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers on stage.

you went into a VIVICA FOX movie looking for acting and direction

*gasface*

The rest of the cast of Soul Food did fine in spite of her!

♥♥Church Diva♥♥

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/05/15/nina-simone-biopic-director-cynthia-mort-files-lawsuit-against-films-production-company_n_5331854.html

Nina Simone Biopic Director, Cynthia Mort, Files Lawsuit Against Film's Production Company
Posted: 05/15/2014 1:05 pm EDT Updated: 2 hours ago Print ArticleNINA SIMONE

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The highly-anticipated Nina Simone biopic, “Nina,” is set to make its debut during a screening at this year’s annual Cannes Film Festival on Thursday, but a new lawsuit filed by the film’s director, Cynthia Mort, is the latest source of controversy for the film.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Mort filed a motion in Los Angeles Superior Court against the film’s production company, Ealing Studios Enterprises Limited, alleging a breach of the terms outlined in her contract as director, which reportedly affected the filmmaker’s decision-making on the project.

"She worked tirelessly to prepare the Film for a wide and successful commercial release," says the lawsuit. "Yet, throughout the course of the Film's production and post-production, Defendants consistently acted to frustrate Mort's involvement in the Film, thereby breaching the Director Agreement. These breaches by the Defendants include, but are not limited to: taking complete control of editing the Film in June 2013 and failing to consult with Mort about subsequent cuts and changes; abandoning Mort's previous cuts of the Film; failing to disclose the Film's financials, finishing budget, and financing deals; and failing to keep Mort informed of other crucial creative and budgetary developments and decisions throughout production and post-production of the Film."

The film chronicling the life of the late jazz icon was also engulfed in controversy surrounding the casting of Zoe Saldana, which led to a Change.org petition requesting the replacement of the Afro-Latina actress with "an actress who actually looks like Nina Simone."

The “Avatar” star responded to the widespread backlash during a 2013 pre-Oscar event, where she shared her thoughts on the negative comments.

“The reality is what keeps me focused and what kept me from I guess getting stressed or being hurt by the comments is that I’m doing it for my sisters,” she said. “I’m doing it for my brothers. I don’t care who tells me that I am not this and I am not that. I know who I am and I know what Nina Simone means to me. So that is my truth and that set me free.”

In seeing this film, but i will prolly watch it eventually

♥♥Church Diva♥♥

Chick from Pariah woulda "fit" better.

Horrible in 12 ys a slave

in different places on this topic just shows how ridiculous many people are being about this.

in Hollywood.

India.Arie played Nina Simone before - in a guest-shot on a TV show in 2003 ("American Dreams"). That and one other part are literally the only times she has ever acted in mainstream media. Who's going to bankroll a film behind her?

While you will never hear me say hiring Zoe Saldana and slathering mud on her face is a good idea (maybe just having her naturally tan - or just using better makeup - would be better), neither is hiring a non-actress musician who hasn't really been what is considered famous since before the recession as the lead in a movie you want to sell tickets too.

Looking like Nina Simone isn't going to carry India Arie through a two hour picture.

Nina Simone doing The Mary onstage in a scene set in 1960-something, lol

I genuinely want to know: what would you have done?

As I understand it, the financiers backing the project wanted a bankable star to replace Mary J. Blige when she dropped out. That's obviously a short list in Hollywood, and Zoe Saldana was apparently the only person free to shoot when they needed her (which was like six weeks or so after he casting was announced) on that short list.

What would _you_ have done, OKCastingDirectors, if the money people said "either you cast Zoe Saldana or there's no movie"? I ask because I sincerely couldn't answer that definitively one way or the other. One could just close one's eyes and point, like the Genie in "Aladdin" when Jafar turned him evil, but my name is still going to be on this damn movie, which I'm certain will be a panned bomb.

On the other hand, everything else was already in place to start filming, the director had been trying to make this picture for nearly a decade, and if we refuse to cast ole girl, somebody's gonna end up on the hook. Probably not the casting director, but blame fingers will be pointed and people will "remember" this incident in the future.

I don't want you to have sympathy for a bad decision, mind you I dunno what sort of loan sharks Jimmy Iovine & Paul Rosenberg (they're the producers) brought in on this picture, but is it at all possible that they could have found their seven million elsewhere or was it too late? They've taken this thing to Cannes in hopes of getting an American distributor to pick it up, but who wants this thing?

Im sure that's not how it always goes in hollywood, but I wouldn't want to put all that time and effort into it knowing it's not gonna be what I want it to be.

But that's just me.

Viola Davis was busy too? She seems like the obvious choice for the role.

I IMDb'd everyone everyone was naming as alternates (who were actually actors and could ideally open a picture)

Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer, etc - they were all currently filming pictures and had like three or four on deck.

And as much emphasis has been placed on the argument that Zoe Saldana could open a film better than the girl from Pariah or *insert OKFamous actor or non-acting singer here*, I betcha her "indie discounted quote" is still lower than Davis' or Spencer's.

so i'm already not myself in this hypo.

given that, i would've rolled w/Zoe.

Lets not forget Viola has an Oscar and Zoe does not, for those if you keeping score. Hell Viola already has the hair texture and skin color. Zoe running around with makeup to darken her skin, afro wigs that look a hot mess and a prosthetic nose.. SMMFH

Whoopie Goldberg was Nina Simone's choice for who would play her in a film, that should tell you something right there !

♥♥Church Diva♥♥

And she wasn't available when they were filming.

Thanx, I stand corrected.. Viola was nominated

My brain is stuck in pre Oscar hype confusion mode.. lol

>Whoopie Goldberg was Nina Simone's choice for who would play
>her in a film, that should tell you something right there !



And this....^^^^

Even Nina's brother wanted Viola Davis...


The real B.S. is the fact the story is based on a fictional love affair between Nina and this white dude named Clifton Henderson who was Nina's assistant and gay. The love affair never happened.. What the fuck!!!!??

Some white Latina name Cynthia Mort is directing and writing this film. Now I don't have an issue with a white person directing a film about a black person, though when you add in all the other bullshit surrounding this film it seems as though Cynthia is out for self, using this film as a means to spring board her career and cares nothing about a historical figure of Nina's magnitude.

Up until this "Nina" film Cynthia had only directed episodes of "Rosanne" and another show named "Tell me you love me" and a TV movie in 2011.. thats essentually it.. SMH


IMO Zoe was picked because she is considered by the white establishment to be more palatable to white folks who in general can't handle someone closer to Nina's facial features and complexion. Adding in a fabricated relationship with a white man is further evidence to the pandering to white audiences. God forbid if Nina is up there hugging and kissing on another person of color. Thats too much black on black screen time... rolleyes..

Hell they will probably either omit the song "Mississippi Goddamn" or change the title to "Mississippi Gosh Darn-nit"


http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0607725/

2. I keep telling y'all this is just a TV writer's pet indie art film project - it's not a major Hollywood production, and a lot of the bad decisions make sense when you look at the lack of experience and the money people controlling the project. It it very likely to fail entirely on its own without all of the think-piecing.

3. Zoe Saldana was cast because she was the closets thing to a black movie star they could toss into the film as the lead before they started shooting.

4. The Clifton Henderson character is being played by David Oyelowo, who is very much not white. If the actual person in real life was white, that makes this whole thing doubly amusing - they bought the life rights from Henderson to make the film, sort of the same way they bought the life rights from Louis McKay to make "Lady Sings the Blues" and depicted McLay as a saint compared to helpless, pot-swinging drug addict Billie Holliday.

5. Yeah, it's heavily fictionalized, just like a lot of so-called "biopics" are (see also: the aforementioned "Lady Sings the Blues"). I don't consider fictionalization of actual people/events a bad thing when making a biopic (and, well, neither do most of the people who make those films): I consider making a bad movie a bad thing. If people watch a movie and really think Tina Turner had a friend named Jackie in real life and that Ike actually sexually assaulted her in the recording booth, then that's on them. That movie worked because it was good. This one is likely not to work because it looks a mess, even beyond fictionalization.

Likely because the director is suing.

I haven't seen any reviews or "buzz" over the film. It may very well be dead, dying, or close enough.

because of the lawsuit.

Aaaaand it's coming out.

Aaaaaand UGH.

http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/the-nina-simone-bio-starring-zoe-saldana-will-apparently-be-released-later-this-year-20150526

>because of the lawsuit.
>
>Aaaaand it's coming out.
>
>Aaaaaand UGH.
>
>http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/the-nina-simone-bio-starring-zoe-saldana-will-apparently-be-released-later-this-year-20150526


So fucked up in every way....

This post happened....

___________________________________________________________


DJTB YOMM

what a fantastic idea!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

http://briccglobal.com/talk-that-talk-tuesday-nina-simone-that-blackness-talkthattalk/




^^^^^

http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/nina-simone-film-starring-zoe-saldana-gets-a-release-date-first-poster-20160301

**********
"Everyone has a plan until you punch them in the face. Then they don't have a plan anymore." (c) Mike Tyson

"what's a leader if he isn't reluctant"

more caramel/light brown than anything. Still far from Nina though.

This shit is a mockery and a disaster.....

I'm more concerned with the acting

>I'm more concerned with the acting





It;s the skin tone...it's the acting...it's the fake nose....It's EVERYTHING that Nina Simone stood for...U can pretty much take your pick...lol

nm

http://i.imgur.com/gVGhO9K.png

http://www.today.com/offsite/watch-new-trailer-for-nina-nina-simone-biopic-starring-zoe-saldana-634878531835

You tell me if you think this is good....
acting,
singing,
makeup,
or otherwise!

I was sitting on the sofa an my SO heard the opening song and asked verbatim "is that a white woman singing?"

David Oyelowo deserves a swift kick in the ass for producing and participating too.
___________________________________________________________


DJTB YOMM

She looks ridiculoid

and the tone seems like melodrama halmark bullshit

please watch the Documentary y'all

fuck this shit.

**********
"Everyone has a plan until you punch them in the face. Then they don't have a plan anymore." (c) Mike Tyson

"what's a leader if he isn't reluctant"

Nina had such a specific vocal character and tone.
The makeup looks like someone melted brown crayola crayons on her face. The acting is bad. The prosthetic nose?!?!
I imagine after the director saw she couldn't act no parts of this role they probably threw the paint on her so people would know who the fuck she was supposed to be. It's like on Halloween when kids show up at your door and you have no idea what the fuck they are.

___________________________________________________________


DJTB YOMM

https://twitter.com/NinaSimoneMusic/status/705202774154223617?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

I saw the never ending reaction gifs and it made me long for the old days of okay player.

___________________________________________________________


DJTB YOMM

Not mad....At all....

>I saw the never ending reaction gifs and it made me long for
>the old days of okay player.

The problem is that Zoe bears such little resemblance to Nina Simone that it becomes a distraction.

And I'm not buying the idea that someone else couldn't have played Nina Simone. Viola Davis is an Emmy-winning actress on ABC's most popular block of television. I wonder why there wasn't a push to offer that role to her.

>The problem is that Zoe bears such little resemblance to Nina
>Simone that it becomes a distraction.
>
>And I'm not buying the idea that someone else couldn't have
>played Nina Simone. Viola Davis is an Emmy-winning actress on
>ABC's most popular block of television. I wonder why there
>wasn't a push to offer that role to her.


Yeah...I had issues with that joke of Steve Jobs movie starring Ashton Kutcher....But that Aaron Sorkin Steve Jobs film? The look of the main actor was not a concern....At all (at least for me...)

This Nina Simone film is on a whole other level of ridiculousness and disrespect....

that was bad