R&B singer Ne-Yo made headlines recently when he revealed that he turned down the chance to play Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. because he didn’t want to gain 30 pounds. He may have passed on a career defining opportunity, but after his role in Red Tails, maybe not…

In the acting world, getting the chance to play someone famous in a biopic is sure to take a career to the next level, and these days, everybody is doing it. Usher has already spoken out about the high expectations he has for his upcoming role as Sugar Ray Leonard. He wants an Oscar. He’d be following in the footsteps of fellow entertainers and actors who have stepped into the shoes of iconic public figures and created a path towards podiums in doing so.

Source: totallytop10.com

Denzel Washington
Denzel was robbed of an Oscar for his portrayal of slain civil rights activist Malcolm X in 1993. Denzel assumed the identity of the complex man with ease and grace. He spoke the way Malcolm spoke. He carried himself the way Malcolm did and he made people feel as passionately about the Nation of Islam as the leader did with his nuanced performance. Denzel thoroughly inhabited the role of Malcolm through his cadence, posture and every inflection to the point where it felt he was no longer acting. He became Malcolm Little turned unconventional hero. Denzel may not have won the Oscar for the biopic, but the universal praise for his performance should be a fitting consolation.

Source: neorepublica.com

By Mary Worrell

You may not recognize her name, but if you’ve enjoyed films like “Cadillac Records” and “For Colored Girls”, you’ve certainly seen her vision and work come to life on the big screen. Johnetta Boone, a 48-year-old married mother of two and Washington, D.C. native, has made a name for herself over the last 30 years in Hollywood as a costume designer.

Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Boone attended the Duke Ellington School for Performing Arts high school and later the New York Fashion Institute of Technology.

“I went there not really thinking as a teenager that Hollywood be something accessible to me. It was just a fantasy – a feeling moment in thought,” Boone said.

But that fleeting fantasy became a reality soon after arriving in New York, where she lived for 18 years while her career flourished and before returning to D.C. to raise her children. Her foot in the exclusive door to Hollywood came with her first job in college as an assistant to a stylist – a friend’s aunt and former fashion editor who left the magazine industry for life as a freelance stylist. In 1983, only two years after coming to the big apple for college, Boone and her friend started their fashion careers together.

“From there I just never did anything else,” Boone said. “We found our niche and it was wonderful. Back in those days, the industry was very posh. We worked with some amazing photographers and icons of the fashion industry.”

It was through those interactions that Boone learned the ins and outs of the fashion industry, styling and Hollywood. She gleaned all she could from the industry in preparation for what has become a long and diverse career spanning genres–from period fashion to sports uniforms, print photography and commercials, to television and major motion pictures.

“I always wanted to do something behind the scenes, but [I] didn’t know what that was,” she said. “I kept going and chipping away until the moment presented itself.”

Boone worked as an assistant for a number of years while attending college, but eventually the time came for Boone to move on.

“Once we built out careers, like a mother bird she let us fly,” Boone said. “She said I had more than enough experience and gave me my next project.”

Boone struck out on her own and began styling for advertising and magazine editorials, but a unique opportunity arose when she was asked to design for “Showtime at the Apollo” and later the “Apollo Comedy Hour.” Having worked with still photography up until that point, Boone suddenly found inspiration in the moving pictures.