SOHH.com is reporting that while on New York radio station Hot 97 recently, N.E.R.D. front man Pharrell Williams revealed to host Angie Martinez that the band is gearing for the release of their first film, directed by legendary hip-hop video director and filmmaker, Hype Williams. The movie, which is not yet titled, will depict the trio’s musical journey from the recording process to tours.
“[The movie] is going to be like The Beatles’ Hard Day’s Night,” Pharrell revealed. “[It's a] full length film. It’s for our fans.”
This can be a boost to there music if done well. Not a lot of people who are familiar with the Neptunes sound are even aware that they have a group called N.E.R.D. (that makes some dope music too). I have a feeling that this won’t be as huge as similar film like Jay-Z’s Fade to Black, just because of artist recognition. But hopefully it will be interesting enough to garner some interest.
Also be on the lookout for N.E.R.D.’s new disc, Seeing Sounds, which is slated for release on June 10.
Well, it looks like their has been a recent Will Smith sighting in New York City’s Time Square. This is because the filmmakers of this summers blockbuster Hancockneeded to re-shoot scenes to tone down the subject matter for the film.
…Peter Berg had mentioned that the film “remained surprisingly sexual, violent and true in spirit to an original script,” which had caused it to receive an R-rating twice from the MPAA.
This film will be released on July 2 and the trailer looks great. I’m not sure whether i really care if it’s rated R or PG-13, but if I had to pick one I’d go with PG-13. Mostly because I know that the film will do better number$ if it is not limited to an R-rated audience.
Plus sometime R-ratings aren’t that necessary. Reportedly, they re-shot a scene that originally had Hancock drinking with a 13 year old kid. The MPAA didn’t like that, for obvious reasons, and that was one of the reasons they gave the film the R-rating. Personally, i don’t need to see an adult drinking with a teenager to get the understanding that this dude has a drinking problem. So I say cut it or re-shoot the scene with someone that’s at least 18 years old, and move on, get the PG-13 rating and make some big bucks.
Hip-Hop legend DMC will hold a press conference on Monday (May 12) to announce a new partnership with Children’s Aid and Family Services, a Paramus, New Jersey based non-profit organization serving children in the state’s foster care/adoption system.
DMC will serve as the face of CAFS’s new “It’s Cool to Care” campaign, helping to raise awareness and encourage adults to make a difference in the lives of adoptive and foster children.
DMC (Darryl McDaniels), of Run DMC fame, will also take on a mentoring role lives of kids who are waiting to be reunited with their families or waiting to be taken into new families.
DMC has taken on the personal agenda of championing foster children since 2000, when his parents revealed that he was adopted, as he gathered information for his autobiography. And in 2007, DMC released the Emmy Award winning DMC: My Adoption Journey, a VH1-produced documentary that gave viewers a look into the rapper’s quest to discover his birth origins.
Highbridnation is reporting that The Hollywood Black Film Festival (HBFF) has announced the world premier of Two Turntables and a Microphone, a documentary about the life and death of Run DMC’s great DJ, Jam Master Jay (Jason Mizell). According to the website:
The premiere will take place on Tuesday, June 3, at 8 p.m., the film festival’s opening night at the Writers Guild Theater in Beverly Hills. Two Turntables and a Microphone not only celebrates the life and times of this Hip Hop icon but also documents the investigation his still unsolved murder.
The film features interviews with Russell Simmons, Run DMC, Jay-Z, Method Man and more which not only provide insight into the legendary DJ’s life but some believe could provide information that could finally help police solve the murder.
This is long overdue and is such a tragic story. Hopefully some good will come out of this and his killer(s) will be found.
Rapper/actor Common has been casted in the upcoming Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins(#4 in the series). He will play a fellow freedom fighter and member of John Connor’s inner circle. Terminator 4 is slated to released on May 22, 2009.
Common is definitely trying to stay invincible this summer. He’ll be appearing in the upcoming June release Wanted starring Angelina Jolie, Morgan Freeman and James McAvoy. He’s also set to drop his next CD, Invincible Summer, in June or July.
While I haven’t been terribly impressed by Common’s previous outings on film (American Gangster, Smokin’ Aces, Street Kings–>does this even count?), he has been keeping busy and I’m sure that is giving him an opportunity to improve his acting craft. Hopefully by the time Terminator is released he will be at the top of his acting game.
So Diddy is keeping the hollywood/hip hop legacy going strong. According to an Allhiphop.com article Sean Combs became the first male rapper (Will Smith received a star in 2007) to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on May 2, during a ceremony that drew the largest crowd in the event’s history. Fans wearing Sean John “Harlem to Hollywood” t-shirts packed Hollywood Boulevard, while fans with posters screamed “Diddy” and “Bad Boy” as they welcomed Combs.
The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce announced that May 2, 2008 has also been declared Sean Combs day in Hollywood. “If it wasn’t for the Hip-Hop community I wouldn’t of got this star,” Diddy told AllHipHop.com. “I always love getting recognized for positive things. Sometimes we always get recognized for some things that are negative, [so] to be recognized for something positive is truly a blessing.”
Now if we can just get Run DMC into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame!
Ludacris is set to release his sixth album, Theater of the Mind, in September, a project he terms appropriately “theatrical.”
He has been working on the Def Jam Records set while shooting Max Payne, the big screen adaptation of the popular Rockstar video game.
Calling the album a collection of his experiences up to this point, Ludacris told Billboard.com that Theater will be film-worthy. Though he hasn’t yet chosen a first single, he said a track should come out by June or July.
It will be interesting to see how Theater of the Mind comes across to the listener. It can be tough doing concept albums, especially these days. Luda will also be in theaters October 31 with Guy Ritchie’sRocknRolla, which stars Thandie Newton and Jeremy Piven.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the flick is set in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina and focuses on a high school basketball coach (played by Forest Whitaker) who takes his team of displaced students from various city schools to a state championship. The film is directed by Tim Story.
I would suppose that if Wayne and Bow Wow are playing hoopers, they must be point guards because neither one of them look like they are over 5′ and weigh less than a buck-O-five. Seriously, I hope Lil’ Louisiana can stay off of the syzurrp so he can complete the filming.
According to an interview on Blackfilm.com, there are big changes in store for rapper’s recurring character when FX show returns this summer.
Andre “3000″ Benjamin will reprise his guest role on the FX drama The Shield when the show airs its seventh and final season this summer, reports Blackfilm.com.
“I’m actually playing a guy running for mayor in the show finale,” he told the Web site. “My character was first introduced years ago in a small role.”
In 2004, the rapper made a guest appearance as the owner of a comic book store who tried desperately to keep the area outside of his shop free of hookers and drug dealers.
Benjamin’s appearance this summer will take place in episode 13. In the meantime, his next film, Semi-Pro, is due in theaters Friday.
It seems like Flavor Flav can’t be stopped. He is starring in a new half-hour comedy series on MyNetworkTV, the network’s first (hmmm… And how long has it taken BET? 25+ years??).
The show is called Under One Roof and Flav plays Calvester Hill, a former convict who moves in with his wealthy, conservative brother, Walter (Kelly Perine). Calvester turns the Hill family’s life upside down, parading his old prison cronies through the house, teaching his nephew to be a gangsta rapper and butting heads with Walter’s snooty wife.
OK, I guess we’ll see if his past run-ins with the law will pay off. Flav’s other show, Flavor of Love premieres with its 3rd season this Monday at 9:00 pm on VH1.
