Danny Glover with Hugo Chavez during a visit to Mount Olive Baptist Church in Harlem in 2006. AP Photo/Shiho Fukada

After a long and lingering fight against cancer, Hugo Chavez’s death this week was not a surprise to many. And while many in Venezuela are mourning the demise of the leader, Americans have mixed sentiments about him.

Mr. Chavez maintained his position of prominence for over 14 years and was praised by the impoverished people of Venezuela since he devoted a substantial share of the country’s oil income to building public housing, creating health clinics, and making affordable food available to the poorest citizens. However, with corruption and neglect of the investments needed to maintain and increase oil production, the social programs he was highly regarded for are facing erosion.

He was also criticized for supporting malevolent foreign leaders like Bashar al-Assad of Syria and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran, which for many appeared to be a slap in the face to the United States government.

However, even with a blemished political career Chavez was able to gain some support from Hollywood actors like Danny Glover and Harry Belafonte. After his passing Danny Glover told TheGrio, “In sadness and in tribute to my friend, Hugo Chavez, I join with millions of Venezuelans, Latin Americans, Caribbeans, fellow U.S. citizens and millions of freedom-loving people around the world, in hope for a rewarding future for the democratic and social development charter of the Bolivarian Revolution. We all embraced Hugo Chavez as a social-champion of democracy, material development, and spiritual well-being.”

Others in Hollywood, like Sean Penn, Naomi Campbell, and Oliver Stone, also had kind words for the leader.

TheGrio proposes that the admiration from Hollywood celebrities — and specifically liberal black celebs — has to do with Chavez’s populist stance, one that’s shared by his supporters. Moreover, he made strong statements against President George W. Bush, who had few fans among African Americans and Hollywood.

The Venezuelan people are now in a long period of mourning. Then the world will wait and see what the future of Venezuela holds.

Follow CAP on Twitter: @in_allcaps

Credit: DJDM / WENN

From EurWeb

John Legend, Russell Simmons, Danny Glover, Brad Pitt and filmaker Eugene Jarecki released joint statements in praise of President Barack Obama’s evolution on the enforcement of marijuana legislation on Wednesday, agreeing with Obama’s assertion that “we’ve got bigger fish to fry.”

The president was discussing recreational marijuana use in Colorado and Washington, two states that legalized recreational pot use by adults.

Pitt and company — executive producers of the Jarecki-directed film “The House I Live In” — released the following statement:

Read more at EurWeb.com.

Source: WENN

If you’ve had the privilege of watching one of the trailers for rapper-turned-actor Common’s new film LUV, you’ve probably already had a peek into the touching storyline, which shows the loving, yet challenging relationship between an ex-con, Vincent, and his nephew as he tries to show him the love that he himself was never afforded. In a recent interview with The Urban Daily, he discussed his latest project, which he produced and starred in, as well as how relatable this film is to the everyday Black men of today. Check out some of the highlights.

On his character, Vincent trying to show his nephew loved he never received:

“That is the core of what Vincent is doing because he didn’t receive that proper love and you can see that through his relationship with Dennis Haysbert’s character, Fish. Looking at the way him and Fish interact that it’s like that wasn’t the proper love. So he is definitely trying to give love to Woody and he wants to, but teaching Woody how to shoot a gun isn’t teaching him about reading this book or helping him with this or that. Even in certain instances, you see Vincent say, “Yo, you finish your homework?” or you see Vincent tell Woody about Frederick Douglass. So he does want to teach Woody some things, but the other things he is teaching him isn’t the type of stuff kids need.”

On what he would like people to learn from the movie:

“For me, I would like to see viewers to start a dialogue. I would like for this film to start a conversation about why this cycle is going on. Well, not even why the cycle continues because the movie shows you why. You see negativity being passed onto kids who don’t have parents when they look for a father in somebody else or the neighborhood. I would like for people to say, “That cycle is going on and we have to stop it.” People should start thinking about ways we can break that cycle of little Woody who had the potential to become something great, but wound up going to prison because they went looking for love in the wrong places.”

This movie looks very interesting and I look forward to its January 18th release. Broken Black men is certainly an issue that continues to plague our communities. Hopefully this film will assist in drawing attention to such a common, yet overlooked problem; however, identifying the problem is only half of the battle. Finding a realistic solution  and putting it into practice is the other.

Will you be checking out LUV when it is released early next year?

Jazmine Denise is a news writer for madamenoire.com. Follow her on Twitter @jazminedenise

If it’s one thing we know about you, our Madame Noire readers, it’s that you love you some Common. And we cannot blame you. Now that the rapper is venturing slowly but surely into the acting arena, we’re sure some of you will be down to support. Some of you might have liked him in Just Wright, some of you might make it a point to check him out on AMC’s “Hell On Wheels,” either way many of us have carefully watched the transition, trying to determine if he will have success in this new venture. Well, for those of you who have been paying attention, we have a little treat for you.

LUV, a coming of age story about a young boy and the uncle he admires was released recently. The film which was an official selection at the Sundance Film Festival is coming to theaters soon. Take a look and let us know what you think.

Whew! Something–maybe the all-star cast, the compelling trailer, or the fact that the movie did so well at Sundance– makes me believe that this film is going to be a good one. It’s supposed to hit theaters early next year on January 13, 2013, will you check it out?

We love each of these actors and singers for their talent, but no role in film, TV or stage is more perfect than the roles they have together, reliving some of the most classic movie roles and songs as a duet. Here are 15 Black celebrity couples, primarily from the 90′s and beyond, we love to see together on the big screen, the main stage or in our headphones, and the many projects they’ve starred in together.

Source: Goldstar

Angela Bassett & Laurence Fishburne

This perfect cinematic couple have been featured in multiple projects together, from the big screen to the small stage. This couple most famously played Ike and Tina Turner for “What’s Love Got To Do With It,” were mother and father to Tre Styles (Cuba Gooding Jr.), performed on the stage together in “Fences,” and appeared together again in the 2006 film, “Akeelah and the Bee.”

Source: Ouch Press

I’m pretty sure we all figured that line Stacey Dash gave about leaving “Single Ladies” to spend more time with her family was bs, and the rumors of set fights with LisaRaye were what really sent her packing. Well, it seems Stacey still hasn’t learned her lesson because according to reports, her nasty ways have gotten her fired from a new movie.

Stacey was supposed to star in the upcoming film, “Supremacy,” alongside Danny Glover, Evan Ross, Derek Luke, and Joe Anderson, but because of her “disrespectful attitude” toward the cast and crew, this Bronx diva has reportedly been given the boot. And since Stacey was too hard to get along with, Lela Rochon is said to be taking over her part in the drama based on the true story of a paroled white supremacist who killed a cop and took an African American family hostage.

All I know is I hope this woman has some great investments. I mean, she may not look 46 but she’s only going to be able to rely on her looks to pay the bills for so much longer, especially if a nasty attitude keeps people from working with her.

Do you think Stacey’s attitude is the real reason she left “Single Ladies”?

Brande Victorian is a blogger and culture writer in New York City. Follower her on Twitter at @be_vic.

More on Madame Noire!

• Harry, George, and Other Random White Boys Who Can Bust A Move
• Listen Up Ladies: 7 Things We’d Like to Say to Our Facebook Followers
• Ask a Very Smart Brotha Live: Sleepy Tummys and Office Romances
• Ruben Studdard – Life After “American Idol”
• Editor’s Picks: Toni Morrison’s Top 5 Books That You Should Read ASAP
• Teeny Weeny Afros & More: Celebrity Women Who Have Done the Big Chop
• Former Friend of Phaedra Parks Exposes Her Criminal Past
• What Happened To These Child Stars?

Look at Diana’s baby all grown up! Evan Ross, made a trip to Clark Atlanta University to promote his new film, “Moozlum”after he swung by The Mo’Nique Show and Hot 107. 9. Check out the pictures.

Nearly 200 students stood in line to meet Ross and receive an autographed poster.

Ross poses with a student as he signs an autograph. In the film, Ross plays “Tariq” a young man grappling with his identity and religion in the wake of the 9/11 attacks.

Students attended a screening of the film that will be released to theaters on February 11th. The film also stars Nia Long and Danny Glover. Go here for more information about the movie.

Actress Nia Long, producer Dana Offenbach, and writer/director Qasim Basir were in New York this week promoting their latest film ‘Mooz Lum.’ The indie film, also starring Evan Ross, Roger Guenveur Smith and Danny Glover, addresses Muslim acceptance and self identity. It is expected to hit theaters February 11, 2011. Check out pictures from the event on the following pages.