Movies

Pam Grier Is Writing A Movie For Her And Cardi B, Shares Advice For Megan Thee Stallion

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If there’s one thing that we always love to see in the industry, it’s legends supporting legends. Recently, Foxy Brown actress Pam Grier has been doing a whole lot of that. Specifically, she’s showing love to two of the biggest names in the female rap game today.

The 73-year-old joined Rolling Stone for an interview. During, she revealed that she’s got some particularly exciting things in the works. Among them is yet another movie to add to her already impressive filmography, which boasts titles like Friday Foster, Coffy, and Quentin Tarantino’s Jackie Brown.

What sets this upcoming role apart, though, is that Grier herself is writing it, and she has plans to star alongside another famous face. “I’m writing something for me and Cardi B,” she told journalist Rob Sheffield, noting that she’s specifically a fan of the song “WAP.”

She didn’t dish any further on the movie in collaboration with Bardi, though she was quick to shift the conversation to Megan Thee Stallion while on the topic of their salacious single. “I love Megan Thee Stallion. I told her, ‘You and your artistry are beautiful,’” she recalled.

“‘People are gonna punk you because a stallion is a male horse. There’s some really foxy mares!” was the rest of the advice Grier had for the Houston native. “She’s really good. She went to college,” the older woman further praised her young friend.

Megan Thee Stallion attends the 2022 Forbes 30 Under 30 Summit at Detroit Opera House on October 04, 2022 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Taylor Hill/Getty Images for ABA)

Afterward, the North Carolina-born entertainer spoke candidly about how women in the industry are criticized. “You got to have your goals. You’re gonna have haters, you’re gonna have jealousy. Just do your art, do your passion from your heart,” she told Rolling Stone.

“[Megan] and Lizzo and Nicki Minaj and some of the others, they know — you gotta make your own style. You get to hire people later. But you come up with your own stuff, then you just draw people like a magnet. Collaborators make you greater and greater. I want them to find that.”

Actress Pam Grier poses for a portrait in 1985 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry Langdon/Getty Images)

Read Pam Grier’s full interview with Rolling Stone here, and tell us if you’d watch her alongside Cardi B on the big screen in the comments.

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Pam Grier Says She’s Writing A Movie Role For Cardi B And Has Some Advice For Megan Thee Stallion

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A ’70s blaxploitation film icon from classics like Foxy Brown and Coffy, Pam Grier found new life in Quentin Tarantino’s 1997 Jackie Brown. Since then, it’s much more than just boomers who understand what an important figure Grier was for Black women in film.

She’s now the focus of the fourth season of TCM’s The Plot Thickens podcast and Grier settled in with Rolling Stone’s Rob Sheffield to talk about her legacy and ongoing ambitions. Among them, Grier revealed that she’s scheming to be on the big screen with Cardi B and expressed her reverence for other Black women who are crossing over from music to the silver screen.

“I’m writing something for me and Cardi B,” Grier said when asked about being a touchstone for today’s cross-generational icons. “I love Cardi and ‘WAP.’ I love Megan Thee Stallion. I told her, ‘You and your artistry are beautiful. People are gonna punk you because a stallion is a male horse, but there’s some really foxy mares!’

“She’s really good. She went to college,” she said about Megan, before expanding into her thoughts on other stars. “You got to have your goals. You’re gonna have haters, you’re gonna have jealousy, but just do your art, do your passion from your heart. She [Megan] and Lizzo and Nicki Minaj and some of the others, they know — you gotta make your own style. You get to hire people later. But you come up with your own stuff, then you just draw people like a magnet, so collaborators make you greater and greater. I want them to find that.”

Grier, who also played music with Sly Stone and Jimi Hendrix, also cited working with Tarantino and Samuel L. Jackson as moments that shaped her into a well-rounded artist and added one last bit of advice for Cardi, Meg, Nicki, Lizzo, and others: “But any kind of artist, you’re like a musician, and you don’t know if you’re gonna be heard 40, 50 years later. This music may not be passed on by other artisans. But it’s nice if your music is still played generations later.”

Some of the artists mentioned here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Edward Norton Says He Wants Denzel Washington To Star In His Prison Drama

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Edward Norton says that he’s got an idea for a “prison escape drama” that he wants Denzel Washington to star in. Norton discussed the potential film during an interview with Dax Shepard on the Armchair Expert podcast.

“It’s much more related to your first question, which is, what would you tell your younger self? ‘If I knew the time that things take,’” Norton said. “I’ve got a lot of stories in my head that I want to make into films. I’ve got a really good prison escape drama that I’ve literally written in my head. I know it, I want to get to it, I want to write it, direct it, I want Denzel to play one of the main parts in it.”

LOS ANGELES, CA – JANUARY 25: Actor Edward Norton arrives at the 21st Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at The Shrine Auditorium on January 25, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)

He also revealed that he’s written a miniseries about the Lewis & Clark expedition.

“I’ve got stuff that is shaped,” he continued. “I’ve got a miniseries about the Lewis & Clark expedition I wrote. I want to direct it. It’s not like my brain isn’t occupied constantly, almost compulsively, by stories. And I’m not even talking about the really great filmmaker that just sent me an adaptation of a Pulitzer-Prize-winning autobiography that I thought was one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever read that he wants to make. I’m like, ‘If you can make that, I’m in.’”

Norton added that he’s got other projects in the works as well, including two he’s ready to go on.

Norton’s appearance on Armchair Expert comes after the release of his latest film, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.

Check out a trailer for the film below.

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Margot Robbie & Brad Pitt’s “Babylon” Bombs At Box Office

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Babylon, the newest film from Damien Chazelle bombed at the box office with $3.5 million across 3,343 venues over the weekend. The movie stars Margot Robbie, Brad Pitt, and more of Hollywood’s biggest stars.

Babylon, which clocks in at 3 hours and 9 minutes, follows various characters working in the 1920s entertainment industry as the era of the silent film comes to an end. Robbie has previously described it as being crazier than The Wolf of Wall Street.

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – DECEMBER 15: Margot Robbie attends the “Babylon” Global Premiere Screening at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on December 15, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/Getty Images)

“There’s a dizzying amount of debauchery,” she told Empire in a recent interview. “One of the most disturbing, chaotic scenes I’ve ever witnessed is in this film. It involves a fight with a snake. I won’t tell you who wins or loses that fight, but trust me, it’s insane.”

Robbie’s next opportunity for a box office smash will come with Greta Gerwig’s Barbie in 2023.

The impressive cast for Babylon also includes Tobey Maguire, Olivia Wilde, Chloe Fineman, Flea, and more. The film had a budget of $80 million.

Damien Chazelle is best known for his films Whiplash (2014), and La La Land (2016). The latter of which earned him six Academy Awards, including Best Director. He became the youngest to earn the honor at the age of 32.

As for box-office successes, Avatar: The Way of Water, continued to dominate over the weekend. Despite extreme weather conditions hitting the United States, the film tallied another $56 million. The movie has now grossed $855.4 million globally. Only Top Gun: Maverick and Jurassic World: Dominion have reached the $1 billion mark in 2022.

Check out a trailer for Babylon below.

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TikTok Users Spent Christmas Pranking Stunned Relatives With Fake Death Reports About Cher, Bon Jovi, And Other Celebrities

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Cher 2022 CFDA Awards at Casa Cipriani
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TikTok users love to be a part of the latest trends, and one of the newest ones is a bit dark but also funny for the right audience. As people visited home and otherwise spent time with their families over the holiday weekend, they read fake headlines about the death of a relative’s favorite celebrity, filming all the while to capture their reactions.

A video from TikTok user @stevescooche compiles some of these clips and has racked up about 10 million views since yesterday. The first clip is focused on an older couple as the person behind the camera fraudulently announces, “Oh my god: ‘Cher Dead At 81.’” Some in the room look up and offer a shocked, “No!” A man then yells, “My Cher?!”

@stevescooche

This is all over my fyp and I can’t stop laughing 😂 #fakecelebrityprank #fakecelebritydeath #fyp #oprahwinfrey

♬ original sound – .

Another user said in their video, “Oh my god: ‘Bon Jovi Dead At 60.’” Their shocked relative looked up before quickly summoning further research, saying as the video cuts off, “Alexa, did Bon Jovi…” Somebody else used Jon Bon Jovi for their video, too, and in that clip, after hearing the fake news, a woman urgently puts down her drink, gets up, and exclaims, “F*ck! Sorry, excuse me.” Of that video, a commenter cracked, “The Bon Jovi lady at the end got up like she is the executor of the will or something.”

Check out the compilation above.

Boosie Badazz Wants To Direct A YSL RICO Case Movie

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YSL’s ongoing RICO case took the world by storm this year, with Gunna free but Young Thug still behind bars. Moreover, there have been so many twists and turns that it gets difficult to keep up with what happened and what’s speculated. Still, some within the rap game want to take that chance. Boosie Badazz expressed interest in directing a movie about Young Thug, YSL, and their legal battle.

ATLANTA, GEORGIA – DECEMBER 18: Boosie Badazz attends the Atlanta red carpet premiere of “Where’s MJ?” at Clark Atlanta University on December 18, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images)

Still, it’s unclear whether this hypothetical movie would be fiction, although it can be assumed to refer more to a documentary. While Boosie is often the subject of much media controversy, he’s found success on big and small screens through his team at Boosie BadAzz Productions. He wrote, directed, and produced Where’s MJ, which hit this Christmas. To elaborate, it’s a Black take on Home Alone starring Desi Banks, Grove Hero, his son Tootie Raww, Boosie himself, and many others. Moreover, special guests Flavor Flav and the late Atlanta rapper Trouble also make appearances.

While attending the film’s premiere at Clark Atlanta University, the rapper elaborated on his next move. After Where’s MJ, he told AllHipHop that he wanted to document what’s happening between YSL and the City of Atlanta.

“I’ll document it. I’ll shoot the film,” he said. “Free all them boys. I don’t want nobody in there.”

Also, the 40-year-old advocated for YFN Lucci’s release, who is also in jail due to RICO charges including murder. In fact, Lucci alleged that some of Thugger’s YSL crew tried to kill him while jailed in Fulton County.

Before the evening closed out, the Baton Rouge artist thanked everyone for their support and attendance. However, with the holiday season in mind, he gave a $15,000 check to Clark Atlanta University to thank them for their support of his film endeavors.

What do you think of Boosie Badazz’s plans to document the YSL story and put it on the big screen? Have you seen Where’s MJ yet and what did you think? Whatever the case, let us know in the comments down below. Also, as always, stay tuned to HNHH for the latest in hip-hop-movie crossovers and more rap on the big screen.

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Ryan Coogler Reveals Original Plans For “Black Panther” Sequel

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Ryan Coogler says that the original plan for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever was to make a “father-son” story, prior to the death of Chadwick Boseman. Speaking with The New York Times, Coogler detailed how the plans changed following Boseman’s passing.

“That was the challenge. It was absolutely nothing like what we made,” Coogler said. “It was going to be a father-son story from the perspective of a father, because the first movie had been a father-son story from the perspective of the sons.”

LOS ANGELES, CA – JANUARY 04: Director Ryan Coogler attends the 19th Annual AFI Awards at Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills on January 4, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for AFI)

Originally, T’Challa’s son, Toussaint, was going to play a much bigger role in the film. In the final version, fans only learn of his existence during an end credits scene. He also wanted to explore the impact of the “blip” event from Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame.

“The first scene was an animated sequence. You hear Nakia talking to Toussaint. She says, ‘Tell me what you know about your father.’ You realize that he doesn’t know his dad was the Black Panther. He’s never met him, and Nakia is remarried to a Haitian dude,” Coogler explained. “Then, we cut to reality and it’s the night that everybody comes back from the Blip. You see T’Challa meet the kid for the first time.”

He further reflected: “We had some crazy scenes in there for Chad, man. Our code name for the movie was ‘Summer Break,’ and the movie was about a summer that the kid spends with his dad. For his eighth birthday, they do a ritual where they go out into the bush and have to live off the land. But something happens and T’Challa has to go save the world with his son on his hip. That was the movie.”

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever ended up hitting theaters on November 11, 2022

Boseman passed away in 2020 following a private battle with colon cancer. He was 43 years old.

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Orlando Brown Arrest: Actor Loses Movie Role In Wake Of DV Incident

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What appears to have been a brief return to the entertainment industry for Orlando Brown has quickly crumbled before him. According to a new report from TMZ, the That’s So Raven alum has been fired from an upcoming film after being arrested for domestic violence earlier this week.

The incident took place on Thursday (December 22). At the time, Ohio police came to help resolve a fight between two men. Since the actor’s arrest, his victim, Matthew Sanders, has spoken out about the situation.

Brown was due to star in a film called Up The Score, which Sanders is directing and producing. He tells the outlet that he wanted the former Disney star to be a part of the project not only due to their friendship but also because the latter believes the former to be “extremely talented.”

The 35-year-old entertainer moved to his director’s home in Lima in November. The film project is currently in preproduction, and won’t begin shooting until the new year. Before this week’s fight, there were apparently no major issues between the two.

Sanders recounting states that Brown “came at him with a broken-off knife blade and a hammer.” Additionally, he notes that he believes his friend is struggling with mental illness. At times, he thinks the California native comes off as “out of touch with reality.” Ultimately, he’s most upset by not helping the child star with his comeback.

Actor Orlando Brown attends the 1st annual Cynthia Stafford’s “Gifted Day at the Geffen” held at the Geffen Playhouse on June 15, 2011 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Tommaso Boddi/WireImage)

In Up The Score, he was due to appear in a secondary role. The film is a dramedy about a military man who, after meeting someone on social media, leaves his family only to fall victim to some serious catfishing.

Presently, Sanders has decided that Brown is no longer allowed to live with him. If he seeks mental health help, a decision to recast him in the movie might be made. However, seeing as filming begins in the near future, it’s highly unlikely we’ll see him appear.

Read our initial report on Orlando Brown’s Ohio arrest here. Additionally, check back in later for more pop culture updates on all your favourite celebrities.

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Lizzo And Austin Butler Sang ‘We Wish You A Merry Christmas’ And They’re A Perfect Caroling Pair

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Lizzo Austin Butler Saturday Night Live December 2022
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Lizzo seems to really love Christmas. She’s already declared herself “100 percent that Grinch,” day-drank with Seth Meyers amidst holiday decorations, and delivered a powerful cover of “Someday At Christmas” on Saturday Night Live this month. Lizzo served as the SNL musical guest for the Austin Butler-hosted December 17 episode, and now, Butler and Lizzo are continuing to spread holiday cheer on TikTok.

Lizzo, TikTok’s top artist in 2022, posted a delightful 15-second snippet of her and Butler singing “We Wish You A Merry Christmas.” The caption teased, “If we show up as Christmas carolers at your house wyd?”

@lizzo

If we show up as Christmas carolers at your house wyd?

♬ original sound – lizzo

Both stars have plenty to celebrate from this year. Butler became a bona fide leading man as Elvis Presley in Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis biopic, while Lizzo dropped Special. Her first album in three years housed “About Damn Time,” a No. 1 hit, and sparked The Special Tour, which will continue into 2023. Lizzo also won an Emmy for her Lizzo’s Watch Out For The Big Grrrls competition series, earned the People’s Champion Award at this month’s 2022 People’s Choice Awards, and released an HBO Max documentary.

Special is nominated for Album Of The Year and Best Pop Vocal Album — while “About Damn Time” is up for Song Of The Year, Record Of The Year, Best Pop Solo Performance, and Best Remixed Recording — at the 2023 Grammys. In January, we’ll find out if Butler nets his first Oscar nomination like most are expecting.

Ice Cube’s Son O’Shea Jackson Jr. Has Some Thoughts About Being Called A ‘Nepotism Baby’

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The debate about so-called “nepotism babies” is all the rage this week after a New York magazine feature detailing the current crop of kids in showbiz with famous parents. Of course, this is nothing new; most of “New Hollywood” when I was a kid in the ’90s consisted of the children of actors my parents grew up watching. But since this is the internet, and nobody remembers anything that happened more than 18 months ago — this holds up, feel free to test it — here we are, talking about a new generation of stars entering their families’ business.

One of the stars who was named in the article weighed in on the debate, offering a nuanced perspective a far cry from his observations about his favorite NBA team and taking “both sides” into consideration. O’Shea Jackson Jr., who is not only named after his father Ice Cube but also actually played him in Straight Outta Compton, noted on Twitter how it was a combination of his father’s advice and his own hard work that got him to where he is in his career as a respected and prolific actor (not a rapper, as his dad started out).

“My dad told me in a perfect world, I would play him in Straight Outta Compton,” he wrote. “I was already in college for screenwriting at USC. I accepted the challenge. And auditioned for two years before getting the role. After that it was up to me, he couldn’t hold my hand through my career. I had to get my ass up and make it work. From the roles I chose. The work ethic I put into them. My professionalism on sets and promo tours. Even leaving HIS agency and goin to find a team of my own. Once the door was opened it was up to me to walk through it and thrive.”

However, he admitted his dad did give him the support system he needed to be able to make those moves. “But none of that. NONE. OF. THAT. Happens that way without the love of my father. The work he put in to get us to a place of opportunity. And for me to ignore that or not accept and use as a guide would be foolish and disrespectful. I am grateful and I use his teachings daily.”

The 31-year-old Ice Cube doppelganger has appeared in a number of buzzy films and TV shows over the course of his career including Ingrid Goes West with Aubrey Plaza, Godzilla: King Of The Monsters, and Obi-Wan Kenobi, and he’ll be appearing in next year’s internet-anticipated action comedy Cocaine Bear. Meanwhile, Ice Cube just put out his second studio album as part of the California supercrew Mount Westmore with Snoop Dogg, E-40, and Too Short.