FayesVision/Wenn.com

I could say, “I know what you’re thinking, we’re still talking about Django??” But then again, you clicked so you’re probably interested. Though the movie was cast, filmed, put on DVD and Blu-Ray, won a few Academy Awards (including for Best Original Screenplay for Quentin Tarantino), the question was most recently posed by Entertainment Weekly as to why Will Smith, who was one of the first actors Tarantino allegedly met with for the film, passed on the opportunity to play the title character. His decline made room for Academy-Award winner Jamie Foxx to come through and embody (and kill) the role.

According to Shadow And Act, while Smith was a big fan of the screenplay, he once told media that he couldn’t do the film because he was working on Men in Black III, and didn’t have the time to sit with Tarantino to discuss and hash out different issues he had with the movie. However, he went in depth with EW and basically said that Django, despite the title of the movie, wasn’t the lead character. Therefore, Smith wasn’t trying to play second fiddle to anybody, including Christoph Waltz, who of course won an Academy Award for his role as Dr. King Schultz, the Best Supporting Actor role actually:

“Django wasn’t the lead, so it was like, I need to be the lead. The other character was the lead!”

“Smith says that before he left the project, he even pleaded with Tarantino to let Django have a more central role in the story. “I was like, ‘No, Quentin, please, I need to kill the bad guy!’”

“But no hard feelings: Smith was a big fan of the final product. “I thought it was brilliant,” he says. “Just not for me.”

While some would definitely say that Django was the lead, Smith might have a point. And did anybody else notice that come awards time, there really wasn’t much conversation or talk surrounding Foxx (who didn’t pick up any of the big nominations from the Golden Globes, Bafta, Screen Actors Guild or Academy Awards), but rather, just Waltz and Leonardo DiCaprio? But either way, as Smith said, the role of Django just wasn’t working for him, and in the end, the role ended up in the right hands, so clearly there’s no love lost for anybody. But what we can learn from all this is that when it comes to Will Smith, he’s earned leading man status (see those box office numbers) and he’s not taking anything less than that. Not mad at him!

What do you think of Smith’s reasoning behind passing on the movie? Does he make a good point?

Source: WENN

We’ve known for a while now that Terrence Howard is an interesting individual. But in a recent interview with several media outlets, promoting his new film, Dead Man Down, Howard revealed just how interesting he really is. The green-eyed thespian talked to Hello Beautiful about everything from bashing Jamie Foxx’ album back in the day, why he’s looking forward to The Best Man sequel and how he plans to–prepare yourself–cure cancer.

Here are some of the highlights:

On bashing Jamie Foxx’ music

HB: What made you take on the role in this film and what it is about a film that will make you do it?

“I’ve been on this planet as Terrence for 44 years. Since everything behaves according to octaves, nothing ever really dies. There’s a life and death and rebirth process continually. At the end of this, whatever it may be, I’m hoping I can leave something behind in the body of my work or in the legacy of the shadows that cool the ground behind me. Revenge is one of those things that’s killing our community, especially the urban community. I made a mistake many years ago and I made a comment about my brother’s album (Jamie Foxx) and I was completely in the wrong. I deserved to have my A$$ whooped that day because I had no business speaking against my brother. We do it everyday when we blog against someone. When the urban community comes together and begins lifting up one another instead of tearing each other down, especially you guys—you control it, then we’ll have a brand new society. Until then, we’re little dogs, biting at each other’s ankles and that’s deplorable. I’m ashamed at times how we speak against each other.”

On curing cancer

HB: It’s interesting that you have a Doctorate in Physics…

“Well, I have a Doctorate in Chemical Engineering, but its an honorary Doctorate. I went to school for Chemical Engineering but because I took a part of my company–SCIO–we grow diamonds. You think a diamond has to grow from the ground, no. We have a process called Chemical Vapor Deposition and another thing I’ve come up with called Harmonic Wave Sequencing, which will put an end, within the next five years to cancer or any genetic ailments.”

That’s a lot. Honestly though, I can definitely understand and respect where he’s coming from with the Jamie Foxx comment. I’ve often said cruel things I later regretted. As far at the creation of diamonds and curing cancer… well, anything’s possible.

What do you think about Terrence’s opinions

Read the rest of Terrence’s interview where he talks about seeking revenge and The Best Man over at Hello Beautiful.

Zooey Deschanel, Lindsay Lohan, Bruce Willis and Scarlett Johansson… want to know what they all have in common? They all attempted that rocky transition from actor to singer, some conquering this territory with success, but many failing spectacularly. The urge for actors to test their talents in other realms is an understandable one. It makes sense that if you’re celebrated for talents in one area, you surmise that you have what it takes to flourish in other arenas. The aforementioned actors are just a shortlist of individuals who’ve attempted the crossover, read on to find out which African American singers have dabbled into singing.

Terrence Howard

Source: WENN

Howard’s performance as an actor and rapper in the acclaimed film Hustle & Flow earned him an Academy Award nomination and recognition for his…well, flow. He followed the film with the release of his first studio album, Shine Through It –which presents music that is far different than what’s featured in the film. Most often described as experimental, the album features soft-rock, R&B and soul sounds.

In general, people expect the Oscars to be a bore, but if you can hang throughout the entire three-and-a-half hour movie spectacle, you might just see some cool things. We imagine you might have tapped out a few times during last night’s 2013 Academy Awards, and if that’s the case, you probably missed more than a few of  the highlights from the 85th annual celebration of cinema excellence. But don’t worry, we captured all the parts that really mattered all in one place, so go ahead and check out the best moments from last night’s Oscar ceremony.

Before 2004, Jamie Foxx was a comedian, known for his standup and his role as “Wanda” on “In Living Color.” Sure, he’d been in a couple of movies; but he’d only really flexed his acting chops in Any Given Sunday. Booty Call won’t necessarily go down in history as a classic. But all of that changed in 2004, when Jamie Foxx landed the role of a lifetime, portraying legendary musician Ray Charles. From that moment on Jamie was an actor, a true thespian. You saw the movie, you were amazed by the performances but we bet you don’t know these behind the scenes secrets. Check them out.

Wenn

One thing we know for sure, or hope to be true: It’s never too late to learn a lesson. In this case, Miss “Queen of the Runway” has come to realize that liquor has been the root of almost all of her problems.

Well, that’s what she wants us to believe.  Naomi Campbell told Life & Style magazine that she’s convinced that alcohol is the reason she’s been so miserable for so long and has acted out, according to SF Gate. In the interview, she says:

“If people think they know me, they can think again. Most people think they know me because they say, ‘We’ve seen your pictures here and there for years,’ but when I’m not working or anything, I try to live a private, quiet life…

“I gave up drinking alcohol. Not drinking makes me a lot happier.”

Now, if any of you have had the unfortunate circumstance of dealing with someone who suffers from alcohol abuse, then you know that it does make you do things you may not ordinarily do if your head was a bit clearer. Campbell, however, isn’t admitting to any alcohol abuse – she’s just saying that she stopped because it wasn’t helping her at all.

I wonder if any of the people who were victims of her tirades, 10 documented cases between 1998 and 2008, can find it in their hearts to forgive her for her actions since the blame should be placed on “the Goose” or “the Henny.”  Let’s be honest: she settled most of those cases out of court so all was probably “forgiven” when the checks cleared.

These days, Naomi is spending her days traveling the world. Her billionaire boyfriend, Vladisdav Doronin, has bought her multiple homes around the world and they’re often photographed aboard his yacht.

Ah yes, life must be good.

The world of fame guarantees that all of your personal business will be aired out; it’s the simple downside to a life that’s decorated with the finer things. Even so, many celebrities, for years, have managed to keep small nuggets of knowledge about their past and personal lives from the public for long stints of time before that info is unearthed. We learned as much from Janet Jackson’s secret marriage.

So, in the interest of discovery, here’s a list of little known, but more fun facts about some of your favorite celebrities.

PNP/ WENN.com

Jamie Foxx

As a 2nd grader, Django Unchained star, Jamie Foxx was so talented at telling jokes, his teacher used him as a reward for the hard work and cooperation of her students. If the class behaved, Jamie would entertain them.

Jamie Foxx (Featureflash / Shutterstock.com)

Django Unchained continues its roll. First the Quentin Tarantino film proved to be a box office hit in the States, now it is controlling the movie theaters overseas. The flick starring Jamie Foxx came in at number one at foreign box office this weekend, raking in $48 million. Even heavy snow in Europe couldn’t keep folks away from seeing the movie.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Django made its overseas debut in 54 markets. The Best Picture Oscar contender also topped Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds on the foreign theatrical circuit. Sony, which handled Tarantino’s movie overseas, estimated that Django opened 30 percent ahead of Inglourious Basterds.

Django opened atop the box office in at least 23 markets including the U.K., Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Belgium, and Poland, reports the magazine. In Germany, it earned an impressive  $9.6 million at 620 sites; the take in France was $7.3 million from 612 theaters; in Russia it had a box office worth $5.4 million from 936 movie houses;  $4.8 million at 580 U.K. sites; $4.3 million at 517 venues in Italy; and $3.3 million at 470 theaters in Spain. It would be interesting to hear what these different international audiences have to say about the movie.

Have you seen it yet?

WENN

Well, when you’ve filmed three movies back to back to back, it’s no wonder Leonardo DiCaprio is about to take some time off.

Now, before you start screaming at your computer screen with the “Why is this news” question, let me just put it on the table: in the month that Django Unchained has been in theaters, I’ve noticed that black women – many being part of our Madame readership – have been very vocal about their love for Leo. Seriously, he’s apparently one of the actors we (collectively so it’s okay if this doesn’t apply to your directly) love – for his looks and his talent – so that’s the long and short of why we’re sharing.

Cool? Cool, let’s carry on!

According to Celebuzz, the critically acclaimed actor told Germany’s Daily Bild that he is desperate need of a break saying, ““I am a bit drained. I’m now going to take a long, long break. I’ve done three films in two years and I’m just worn out.” We can see why: after wrapping up Django Unchained, he went on to film The Great Gatsby  and The Wolf of Wall Street.

DiCaprio says he hasn’t really seen his home or any of his friends in that time.

So what’s he going to do with this time off? Well, apparently he’s a semi-environmentalist:

“I would like to improve the world a bit. I will fly around the world doing good for the environment. My roof is covered with solar panels. My car is electric. A normal person does not drive more than 50 kilometers (31 miles) a day. That can be done with a plug.”

Well, who knew Leo was all about going green! Of course, flying around the world probably doesn’t help the environment but we certainly get his point.

It’s always good to be able to work hard and be rewarded for it by taking some time off.  But we’ve got to wonder if part of the break comes from the fact that neither the Academy members, who are responsible for choosing Oscar winners, nor the Screen Actors Guild, responsible for choosing SAG winners, have ever rewarded DiCaprio for his immense talent. He’s also only won one Golden Globe award for his role in The Aviator.

It looks like 2013 may be the last time we see DiCaprio on the big screen for some time. It’s cool, Leo, take your break.

Source: WENN

Feelings were mixed when Do The Right Thing director, Spike Lee spoke out against Quentin Tarantino’s latest blockbuster Django Unchained. No one was in complete shock that Lee openly admitted that he couldn’t get with the slavery revenge flick, as he is known for being quite outspoken and opinionated. But, his reasoning behind not supporting the film shocked many. Lee claimed that he refused to even see the Quentin Tarantino directed film because it would be “disrespectful” to his “ancestors” in an interview with Vibe. Most people simply wrote the comments off as Spike being Spike and some even publicly defended Tarantino against the Red Hook Summer director. The most interesting rebuttal came from Luther Campbell of the infamous 2 Live Crew. The Florida native went completely off on Spike, giving him a complete mouthful for his Django comments in an opinion piece for the Miami NewTimes and let’s just say he was not above name calling.

First, he implied that Spike’s sole reason for disliking the film was because he didn’t direct it and that  he is envious because Tarantino is a better director:

“Lee needs to get over himself. He’s upset because Tarantino makes better movies. The man who put Malcolm X on the big screen is Hollywood’s resident house negro; a bougie activist who wants to tell his fellow white auteurs how they can and can’t depict African Americans.”

“Lee could never pull off a movie like this. When he’s not being an A$$ from his court side seats during New York Knicks games, he’s making bull crap films that most African Americans cannot relate to.”

He then defended Tarantino’s heavy n-word usage in the film, stating that it was somewhat necessary to make the movie realistic:

“He complains that Tarantino uses “n*****” too much (100 times) in Django Unchained, but show me a white man in the 1800s who wasn’t dropping n-bombs left and right.”

And finally, he called Lee out as a “Uncle Tom” and compared him Sam Jackson’s character in Django Unchained:

“Spike is upset because Samuel L. Jackson’s character in the movie is just like him: a conniving and scheming Uncle Tom.”

If you’ve had the privilege of seeing the movie or even a preview of it, you know how much of an insult this is.

Do you agree with Luke? Is Spike Lee being a hater?

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