Source: WENN

The Milano Market located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan falsely accused Oscar Award-winning actor, Forest Whitaker of shoplifting last week, reports Essence.com. The way the story is being told by Whitaker’s publicist, one of the deli’s employees approached the actor as he was leaving the store and accused him of stealing. When Forest denied having stolen anything from the store, the employee prohibited him from leaving the deli and even frisked him in front of the store’s other patrons.

“This was an upsetting incident given the fact that Forest did nothing more than walk into a deli,”the actor’s publicist told the New York Daily News.

The deli employee eventually apologized to Forest when he realized he’d made a mistake and Forest was a pretty good sport about it. He declined to file a complaint because the deli employee feared he would be fired over the incident. Instead, he took advantage of the opportunity to demonstrate to the business’s owner, the horrible manner in which they treat their customers.

“Forest asked that, in the future, the store change their behavior and treat the public in a fair and just manner,” revealed his publicist.

Since the embarrassing incident, owners of the Milano Market have come forth, issuing a public statement through TMZ regarding the false accusations.

“The management of Milano Market deeply regrets the wrongful actions of our employee in stopping and frisking Forest Whitaker… While we can not delve into the employee’s mindset, we do not believe that he was racially motivated in his actions, simply misguided.”

Representatives from the deli have also promised to make a donation to the charity of Forest’s choice, in an effort to make amends for the horrible offense.

Forest is a cool guy for not making a fuss over the incident and instead using it to bring attention to the flawed behavior that many business owners exhibit towards the public, especially those who are of color.

What do you think of Forest’s reaction?

Jazmine Denise is a news writer for Madame Noire. Follow her on Twitter @jazminedenise.

From The Grio

Fruitvale, a narrative film that depicts the last 24-hours of Oscar Grant’s life, ending with his shooting death by a transit officer, is one of the most buzzed-out films premiered at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival.

The new film marks Ryan Coogler’s directorial debut.  The 26-year-old filmmaker and USC graduate is also the film’s writer.

Based on a true story, Fruitvale stars Michael B. Jordan (Chronicle) as 22-year-old Oscar Grant.

Read more at TheGrio.com.

From a former slave fighting for his freedom to a boy shipwrecked in the middle of Pacific Ocean with only a tiger as company, this season’s upcoming movies are a range of comedy, action and fantasy with something for any and everyone. Many of these upcoming movies are book and musical adaptations or original features, bringing out some of the biggest stars in film, from Hugh Jackson to Marlon Wayans.

With a slew of movies opening and coming in the next six to eight weeks, Hollywood is expecting a record-breaking $11 billion year in ticket sales. Waiting for the next big movie in theaters this Fall and Winter? Here are a few good movies MN is looking forward to this season:

Django Unchained

If you were wondering where Jamie Foxx has been since his 2011 co-starring role in Horrible Bosses and his 2010 album “Best Night Of My Life,” the entertainer has been working on his starring role as Django in the anticipated movie, Django Unchained.

The latest Quentin Tarantino film seems to be a promising hit in theaters December 25th, with cast members Leonardo DiCaprio, Samuel L. Jackson, Kerry Washington and more. Set in the U.S. South right before the Civil War, formerly freed slave Django (Jamie Foxx) travels across America with bounty hunter Dr. Schultz (Chrisoph Waltz) after he is freed by Schultz from his vicious former owners. In return, Django must hunt down and kill a band of killers, the Brittle Brothers, and Schultz will free him from slavery and help rescue Django’s wife, Broomhilda (Kerry Washington) from her slave owner, played by Leonardo DiCaprio.

Source: www.beyondhollywood.com

From eurweb.com

As a person perceives a thing is how that thing is in a person’s mind. This phenomenon is personified in the instance of Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson.

He is a multi-million dollar corporation unto himself with wide ranging interests and revenue streams as numerous as the battle scars that adorn his frame. But he is a gangster rapper in the eyes the multitude. A mere talking head broadcasting street tales to the general public. But a lie doesn’t magically become the truth just because everyone believes it.

Recently I had the chance to talk with 50 regarding his upcoming film “Freelancers” (opening in select cities, including NYC and LA this weekend). With a supporting cast that features Robert De Niro, Forest Whitaker and Dana Delaney, this is one action-packed ride is yet another worthy offering in Jackson’s fast growing catalog of films.

Read more at eurweb.com

More on Madame Noire!

• Are They Related? 10 Sets of Celebrities Who Look Way Too Much Alike
• Woo Woo Woo: 8 Celebs Who Really Need A Hug
• Ask a Very Smart Brotha Live: When Should I Introduce Him to My Son?
• Yeezy and His “Perfect B****” Are a Perfect Match: The Importance of Dating Someone With The Same Values
• LOL! The Funniest “Love & Hip Hop Atlanta” Parody Ever In Life
• Somebody Lied to You And Your Lacefront: 9 Celebs Who Need a Lacefront Wig Intervention
• Lolo Jones and Her Pretty Girl Problem

Source: muhsadam.wordpress.com

When Terry McMillan’s novel Waiting to Exhale sat on the New York Times’ bestseller list for 38 straight weeks in 1992, it was only natural that the studios would want to capitalize on some of those potential earnings. So, just three years later, in 1995, Fox Studios brought us Waiting to Exhale a star-studded, female-led film. As expected, the film was a huge box office success, eventually raking in $67.5 million. Though some critics claimed these women’s problems weren’t that drastic, it was an instant hit and an eventual classic among the black community.

Lee Daniels has another attention-grabbing project on his hands. The “Precious” Director is currently working on bringing the story of Eugene Allen, a black man who worked as a butler in the White House, serving eight presidents from 1952 to 1986, to the big screen in “The Butler,” and he’s got an all-star cast lined up.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Forest Whitaker is currently in talks to play the film’s title character, while Oprah mulls over the possibility of playing the butler’s wife. As for the presidents, John Cusack has been offered the role of Richard Nixon, and Liam Neeson and Hugh Jackman’s names are also in the mix, although it hasn’t been said who they may portray. Mila Kunis has also reportedly been offered the part of Jackie Kennedy. David Oyelowo, who was initially thought to be wanted for the title role, is said to possibly play the butler’s son now.

The film will be based on a series of articles written on Eugene by Wil Haygood. Eugene started at the White House as a “pantry man” in 1952, when blacks weren’t even allowed to use public restrooms in his native of Virginia. Still, he ended up serving eight presidents and observed a number of monumental political and racial moments in history from a unique position inside the home from the Vietnam War and the civil rights movement to the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr., John F. Kennedy, and Robert Kennedy.

Independent financing for the film hasn’t even been fully secured yet but the big names surrounding the cast and the story itself already have people talking about the potential for “The Butler” to become an award-winning film. For some though, the attention feels like deja vu with “The Help” all over again.

What do you think about this project? Is this a story that needs to be told?

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

More on Madame Noire!

• Celebs Who Rode Their Famous Sibling’s Coattails to Success
• I Get it Now: Parental Wisdom That Took a Minute To Grasp
• No Child Left Behind: Can Having a Big Family Harm Your Children?
• Why I Question The Release of A Posthumous Aaliyah Album
• Getting To Happy: 7 Habits That Can Change Your Life
• Let Sleeping Dogs Lie: 6 Reasons Not to Go Back to Your Ex
• True Life: If I Could Say Anything to My First Love, I’d Say…
• Is The Black Standard of Beauty Giving You Low Self-Esteem?

“Sparkle” wasn’t the only movie project Whitney Houston had lined up before her passing. The sequel to the 1995 classic “Waiting to Exhale” was also slated to be in the works, and Fox’s president says the movie will still go on without her.

Fox 2000 Pictures purchased the rights to the movie sequel from Terry McMillan after she published Getting to Happy in 2010, and President Elizabeth Gabler said there are no plans to cancel production in light of news of Whitney’s death.

“I don’t think she would want it to,” Elizabeth said in an interview with Vulture Monday afternoon. “It’s almost in her honor that we think to soldier on.”

Once the shock over Whitney’s sudden death passes, Elizabeth says discussions will begin about who would be an appropriate replacement for her character, and she mentioned that since Oprah Winfrey has done her share of acting and worked over time to promote the film, “it isn’t inconceivable” that she might have an interest in playing the part, although Elizabeth adds:

“We literally have not talked about anybody for that part. Forest [Whitaker], I know, is just … grieving. He’d been the one who was speaking with her, updating [Houston] on its progress.”

It’s hard for me to envision Oprah taking on that part for a number of reasons and it seems as though it may be best to try to cut Savannah out of the script as much as possible. But since it’s nearly 20 years after the original film debuted, maybe no one will mind the character change.

What do you think Fox should do about Whitney Houston’s character? If they replace her, who would be a good choice?

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

More on Madame Noire!

• More than Foxy Brown: Queens of Blaxploitation Films
• What’s Your Secret? 40-Something Women Who Look 30-Something
• NFL Player Loses Wife and Mother of Two to Suspected Brain Aneurysm
• Madonna, Chelsea Handler and White Woman Privilege
• Does Beyoncé’s Loreal Campaign Offend You?
• Ray J Discusses Relationships with ‘KK’ and Whitney in New Tell-All Book
• Who Deserves The Blame For Whitney Houston’s Demise?
• 10 Common Natural Hair Habits You Should Stop…Now

(BV on Money) — Hollywood superstar Forest Whitaker was recently hit with a large tax bill after failing to pay $185,000 he owed to the IRS. The tax collectors in California have cited Whitaker and filed a lien for the balance. Both he and his wife Keisha are named in the complaint, which was filed in the Los Angeles County Recorder of Deeds. It was reported in 2009 that Whitaker owed $1.29 million in state and federal taxes. Whitaker is not the only Hollywood megastar to have tax problems. Actor Wesley Snipes is in prison until 2013 after being charged with failing to file tax returns for three years.

Read More…

From the time we could speak we’ve heard about the benefits of vegetables. If you eat spinach you’ll be strong like Popeye and if you stock up on carrots you’ll have great eyesight. While most of us try to squeeze in some veggies on the side, many in the African American community haven’t gone green when it comes to our plates. But with obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease plaguing our community, the vegetarian/vegan lifestyle deserves some serious consideration. Here are some celebrities who’ve said no more meat. Even if you don’t completely change your meat eating ways, after reading this list you can’t deny those greens have done their bodies good!