Derrick Salters/WENN.com

Sure, she’s in the midst of filming Think Like A Man Too and is the star of BET’s new scripted show, Being Mary Jane, but Gabrielle Union isn’t stopping there.

According to BlackFilm.com, the actress just signed on to play in comedian/actor Chris Rock’s new film.  In the film Finally Famous, Union will play a reality show television star who is engaged to Chris Rock’s character.

For his part, Rock will play a comedian-turned-actor who is trying to be taken seriously as an actor – while being a recovering alcoholic. Union, dying to become a bigger star, tries to convince him that the best way for both of their stars to shine is if they get married on the reality show.

Actress Rosario Dawson will also be in the film and plays a journalist who has a little “personal” chemistry with Rock.

Gabrielle Union is super busy these days, which is great considering we hadn’t seen her in any roles for a while prior to her 2012 appearance in Think Like A Man.  You often hear that celebrity women get fewer roles as they get older but for Union, who turned 40 in October, she seems to have hit a great stride.

Finally Famous, directed by Chris Rock and produced by Scott Rudin, will begin filming this summer in New York City.

Source(s): ABC, WENN

It’s always interesting to find out which actors and actresses auditioned for popular television and film roles. Last month we told you that Lance Gross was up for the coveted role as Harrison on ABC’s popular series Scandal, but did you know that Gabrielle Union also auditioned for a role in the Shonda Rhimes-produced tele-drama? During a recent interview with CocoaFab, the 40-year-old Being Mary Jane star revealed that she was also up for a leading role in the series.

“There’s the whole group of us who auditioned for ‘Scandal’ that, not just fell in love with that project and Shonda (Rhimes), but the process, the level of respect that we were given even in the audition process and the world that Shonda created even for us trying. It was like, is there ever gonna be another situation for you like that?” Union revealed.

Although she didn’t get the part, Gabby went on to say that it’s all love and gushed about how successful her fellow “sister actresses” have been within the past couple of years.

“Luckily they’re my friends so thank God if I ever needed a loan I’d be like, ‘Well, I saw you last night on ‘Deception,’ Megan, and I know you have money!’ ‘Person of Interest’ is one of the top rated shows internationally, so my girl Taraji (P. Henson) is doing so well. And then all of the films that have come from the great work that she’s done, and Kerry (Washington) with ‘Scandal’ and ‘Django’ and the whole world is like, Gladiator! And Thandie (Newton)’s show. I’ve big got shoes to fill, but it’s dope.”

She also expressed that she hopes Black men in Hollywood will have their time to shine as well.

“Now you hope that the time of the black man is coming. You want them to have their ‘Scandal’ and their ‘Deception’ and their ‘Being Mary Jane’ and you can see black love and black dysfunction.”

Well it appears that their time may be coming sooner than later. Earlier today we reported that NBC has added a new series titled Crisis, starring Lance Gross to their 2013 fall lineup.

Love it!

Could you see Gabby playing Olivia Pope on Scandal?

Since the beginning of film-making, directors have cast actors and actresses into roles based significantly on talent, often letting factors like age fall by the wayside. Age ain’t nothing but a number in Hollywood, and that’s evident when a 41-year-old Barber Streisand was cast to play a 17-year-old in Yentl, or a 34-year-old Stockard Channing was cast to play an 18-year-old girl in Grease. Let’s see what other actresses and actors are old enough to father or give birth to some of the characters they’ve played–or at least be a young aunt or uncle to them.

DONALD GLOVER

Image Source: WENN.com

Donald Glover, who currently stars as 24-year-old college student Troy Barnes on Community, is just marginally older than his character by 5 years, making Glover 29 years old.

It’s no secret how professional athletes attract A-list celebrities. The million dollar paychecks, fame, and power an NBA or NFL superstar can hold is a magnet for some women more than others. Here’s a look at 15 celebrity women who just can’t get enough of athletes.

WENN

Gabrielle Union has dated athletes for over a decade. The 40-year-old actress was married to former NFL running back Chris Howard for five years. Union moved on to safety Darren Sharper for a year before setting her sights on a new sport and new man. The Think Like A Man actress has been romantically linked to NBA superstar Dwayne Wade since 2008 and has stuck by the Miami Heat player’s side through a public and narsty divorce and custody case with his former wife Siovaughn.

Source (s): WENN, YouTube

Earlier this week we reported on Siovaughn Wade’s appearance on Dr. Phil. During the interview she discussed the highly publicized child custody trial between she and her Miami Heats-playing ex-husband , Dwyane Wade. Siovaughn revealed that she strongly believed her ex-husband was granted primary custody of their two sons because he was a celebrity and the judge presiding over the case was a fan. Siovaughn certainly would not be the first woman who shares children with a rich and famous man to make this kind of  claim. Both Pilar Sanders and Tameka Raymond have also hinted that their ex’s celebrity status played roles in custodial disputes. It appears Dwyane’s current girlfriend, actress Gabrielle Union may be calling BS on Siovaughn’s claims. The Think Like a Man actress recently sent out a series of tweets about why people should take responsibility for their own lives, which are believed to have been directed at Siovaughn.

Now the above tweets could’ve very well been about something or someone else, but considering the nature of Siovaughn’s appearance on Dr. Phil, there’s a big chance that they were not.

If in fact Union was referring to Siovaughn, she could be picking up a horrible habit that has the potential to damage the way in which she is viewed in the public eye, as many still view her as a class act who is above subtweets and Twitter beef.  Just last month Gabby went off on a woman who claimed to be Dwyane Wade’s mistress.

Do you think Gabby had Siovaughn in mind when she sent those tweets?

When the ex-wife of Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade is mentioned, negativity almost always follows. She’s been accused of everything from attacking her ex-husband to slashing his tires, all of which she denies. At one point, she even attempted to bring a lawsuit against Dwyane’s current girlfriend Gabrielle Union, claiming that Union is a homewrecker and a negative influence on her children. The case was eventually dismissed. After a grueling custody battle with her ex-husband,  Siovaughn Funches-Wade lost custody of her children and was only granted alternate weekend visits by the courts. In a recent interview with Dr. Phil, Funches-Wade opened up about the battle and discussed why she believes her ex-husband was given preferential treatment by the courts. Here’s some of what she had to say.

On losing the custody battle:

“Well a lot of it had to do with Mr. Wade’s celebrity and a lot of it had to do with his money. But I’ve seen the court system in a way that I’ve never seen it before. I went into that place hoping to get help for my children and I, but I found judges in the courtroom quoting statistics for Mr. Wade. They would speak about him as if they were introducing the starting lineup for a basketball game. “

“One time we were doing scheduling and we were asking when would Mr. Wade come in and testify. And she was saying, ‘Oh, I know when he’ll be in Chicago. They play the Bulls and right now they’re in Philadelphia.’ She knew all of these things and she’d say all of the time, ‘I’m a huge basketball fan.’ I was sort of hoping she’d be a fan of justice, but I found otherwise.”

On having a “volatile” and “over the top” reputation:

“Well, my ex-husband had a publicist. And as far as the records reveal, it [Wade's publicist's retainer fee] may have been approximately $20,000 per month. When you’re able to pay someone that amount of money a month to plant your stories… “

 On mistakes she’s made:

“I’ll say this: I’m not perfect. There’s no perfect parent. As far as being intentionally absent or intentionally harmful to my children, I won’t take that because that would be incorrect.”

Thoughts?

Click here for footage of Siovaughn’s interview with Dr. Phil.

Follow Jazmine on Twitter @jazminedenise.

Source: WENN

When most people look at beautiful Black women in Hollywood, they don’t always see flawed individuals who sometimes feel scared and even a little self-concious like we do. It sometimes becomes difficult to fathom that someone so talented, so exquisite, so fierce could possibly be battling with self-esteem issues or feeling a little less than adequate. During Essence’s Black Women In Hollywood Luncheon at the Beverly Hills Hotel, actress Gabrielle Union delivered a captivatingly powerful speech that served as a reminder that behind those images are real people. She fearlessly tackled common issues that still plague the entertainment industry today and spoke boldly against them. Check out an excerpt of her speech below:

“We live in a town that rewards pretending. I had been pretending to be fierce and fearless for a very long time. I was a victim masquerading as a survivor. I stayed when I should have run. I was quiet when I should have spoken up. I turned a blind eye to injustice instead of having the courage to stand up for what’s right. I used to shrink in the presence of other dope beautiful women. I used to revel in gossip and rumors, and I lived for the negativity inflicted upon my sister actresses or anyone who I felt whose shine diminished my own.

I took joy in people’s pain and I tap-danced on their misery. I chased and accepted a love and a marriage that wasn’t worthy of a date. I lived to hear ‘Hey, if we’ll go Black, it’ll totally be you,’ as if the routine exclusion of women of color  in the casting process is okay, as long as I’m considered.

It’s easy to pretend ‘to be fierce and fearless because living your truth takes real courage. Real fearless and fierce women admit mistakes and they work to correct them. We stand up and we use our voices for things other than self promotion. We don’t stand by and let racism and sexism and homophobia run rapid on our watch. Real fearless and fierce women complement other women and we recognize and embrace that their shine in no way diminishes our light and that it actually makes our light shine brighter.

So many of us in this room are sisters. We don’t always get to see each other and its good to see you here today. Women who we’ve laughed with, cried with, and struggled with, thank you for not turning your back on me, thank you for not tap dancing on my misery, even when I wasn’t always returning the favor.”

Beautiful.

Check out footage of Gabby’s speech here.

Source: Johnny Louis/WENN.com

Dwyane Wade may appear to always be cool and calm despite the rumors and drama surrounding his personal life, but I imagine this week he’s having a pretty tough time trying to walk around without a frown on his face. Ever since Sunday, D Wade has been fighting off one rumor or another, essentially making what started off as an all-star week, a hot a** mess. Let’s break down the real heat this NBA player has been dealing with.

“OK, Well F**k you!”

D Wade’s problems started Sunday night with Lil Wayne’s highly publicized rant during the All-Star game. Now it could easily be said that Chris Bosh got the shortest end of Weezy’s verbal stick, but Dwyane Wade was ished on a bit too.

Though Wayne apologized for some of the things he said — like eff Lebron — he made it clear that he’s still very much eff the Miami Heat, and Dwyane Wade in particular, going off about an altercation they had the previous week:

“I was at the game, rooting for the Lakers, saying ‘Chris Bosh you can’t hit a shot; D-Wade stop crying,’ I’m saying whatever I wanna say, I’m a fan of who I’m a fan of,” he explained. “Then Dwyane Wade comes over and he looks at me. I said, ‘Y’all don’t f**k with me, so I don’t f**k with ya’ll. Yall don’t f**k with me.’ [Wade] looked me dead in my eye and his exact words were, ‘We don’t.’ He didn’t say, ‘I don’t,’ he said, ‘We don’t.’ So I said ‘OK, well f**k you’ then. He said ‘well f**k you.’”

The Jump-off

Someone who sent a more subliminal eff you to Dwayne Wade this week was his alleged groupie who sent a very (non) convincing open letter to MediaTakeOut about their relationship. What started out as somewhat of a thank you to Dwyane quickly turned ugly when the woman referenced his girl Gabrielle, saying “Ohh yea, hi Ms. Union. Good too see you stuck around and have a few more pieces of clothing inside of his house.” Wonder how he explained that one.

Anbody have an inhaler?

Perhaps the award for shade throwing goes to the woman who has been a thorn in Wade’s side for like a decade now — his ex-wife Siohvaughn Wade. The Wades just can’t seem to stay out of court for one reason or another and this time around they’ll be facing a judge because Siohvaugh filed documents claiming Dwyande is putting their children, of which he has full custody, in danger. Specifically, she said:

“[Dwyane] recklessly failed to provide the five and ten-year-old children with any medication for a life-threatening illness.”

The life-saying medication is an inhaler for their sons’ asthma, but by the lack of response from Dwyane’s camp, I’m going to assume they aren’t even bothering to dignify this claim with a defense.

Likewise, he hasn’t bothered to respond to the groupie jump-off rumors either, but Gabby did, defending her relationship and calling the ish starter a “loon” so maybe Dwyane’s week hasn’t been so bad after all.

Source: WENN

From Hello Beautiful

If you’ve been keeping up with your daily HelloBeautiful dish then you know that Gabrielle Union recently made headlines for her response to an open letter written by an alleged jumpoff. It was cold, I had to layer up after reading the tweets I really did. I can’t lie I was secretly having a “yes girl tell em” moment in my head but then I snapped back to reality. If the open letter was from a “crazy batShyte loon” who tried this stunt a year before then why not let crazy be crazy and continue living good?

Whether you are Chocolate Hollywood fabulous like Gabrielle Union or the best braider on your block, the moment you announce the word relationship there will be folks who will try your patience and put your love to the test.  Unfortunately it’s what you sign up for. Jealously and folks who live in the past are like cancers and they thrive in all neighborhoods across the world. There will always be someone who doesn’t like the way you walk or dress. There will be someone who has a problem with the type of man you choose to be with or the career path you take. I don’t want to use the word hater because in my universe those who work against me are invisible.

Whether or not the open letter is legit I feel that Gabby (in my mind we are friends) should’ve used the best weapon possible…silence.

Read more on HelloBeautiful.com.

Oprah on the red carpet for the “Life Is But a Dream” premiere. Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP

Every year Essence magazine honors some of Hollywood’s most influential African-American women in television and film. The sixth annual Black Women in Hollywood Luncheon will take place today as part of Oscar Week.

According to Essence,  Oprah Winfrey will be honored  with the Power Award; Alfre Woodard will be given the Vanguard Award; Gabrielle Union will receive the Fierce and Fearless Award; and Mara Brock-Akil will be celebrated with the Visionary Award. Newcomer and 2013 Oscar nominee Quvenzhané Wallis will also be honored with the Breakthrough Performance Award during the star-studded lunheon.

This year, Essence has partnered with Lincoln, making the 2013 MKZ the official vehicle for the event. Writer, producer and creator Mara Brock Akil and James Bond ‘s latest “Bond Girl,” Naomie Harris, will arrive to the event in the MKZ.

Akil’s company, Happy Camper Productions, partnered with Kelsey Grammer ‘s Gramnet Productions and CBS Paramount to create the groundbreaking series Girlfriends. In 2012, she produced Sparkle and is now preparing to debut her new show Being Mary Jane starring Gabrielle Union.

Lincoln will present Harris, who starred in the last Bond installment, Skyfall, with the Lincoln Shining Star Award. Harris will star in the upcoming Nelson Mandela biopic, Long Walk to Freedom opposite Idris Elba .