Today's Out Spotlight is known as "Hip-Hop’s First Lady," she is an acclaimed entertainer in music, film and television. She has received a Grammy, a Golden Globe and two Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards. Today's Out Spotlight is Queen Latifah.
Born Dana Elaine Owens in Newark, New Jersey, she was raised in the Baptist faith and attended Catholic school. At age 8, a Muslim cousin gave her the nickname Latifah, an Arabic word meaning “delicate and sensitive.” In high school, Latifah was a star basketball player and with friends formed a rap group called Ladies Fresh.
At 18, a demo recording of Latifah’s rap song “Princess of the Posse” landed her a recording contract with Tommy Boy Music. In 1989, her debut album, “All Hail to the Queen,” was released and went platinum. She has recorded seven albums, including a collection of soul music and jazz standards titled “The Dana Owens Album.” In 1991, she founded and became CEO of Flavor Unit Records. Three years later, she earned a Grammy Award for Best Solo Rap Performance for “U.N.I.T.Y.”
Her acting career launched on television in the 1990s with a starring role on the sitcom “Living Single.” She then appeared in a series of successful films, including “Set it Off” (1996), “Living Out Loud (1998) and “The Bone Collector” (1999).
Her breakout role came in the Oscar-winning film version of the musical “Chicago” (2002), playing the part of Matron “Mama” Morton. For her performance, Latifah received a SAG Award for Best Supporting Actress and was nominated for an Academy Award, making her the first female hip-hop artist to receive an Oscar nod.
Latifah’s subsequent film appearances include the box office hits “Bringing Down the House” (2003) and “Hairspray” (2006). For her portrayal of an HIV-positive woman in the HBO film “Life Support” (2007), she won a Golden Globe and her second SAG Award.
Queen Latifah received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
On September 16, 2013, Latifah premiered her own syndicated daytime television show titled The Queen Latifah Show. On January 26, 2014, Latifah officiated the weddings of 33 same-sex and opposite-sex couples during a performance of "Same Love" by Macklemore at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards.
42 comments:
The Queen has had an interesting and successful career. I wonder why she waited so long to come out. My guess it was because she was making movies. Big taboo it seems.
I was very happy for Queen Latifah when she made her decision to go for it. Good for her.
That article which is linked in the tweet above is all about the Jake/Maggie fanfic and he posts an excerpt from a fanfic story which was tweeted last night. And now her story is referenced in this article! I bet she never dreamed her story would get a plug like this. Imagine some of the hits she's going to get. Hey, I had to check it out.
To the surprise of the same number of people who paid to see Bubble Boy in the theater (no one), Jake and Maggie G incest, or “Gyllencest,” is a very real thing, at least in the minds of countless fan fiction writers. The block quote above comes from LiveJournal, of course, and is rated “R” for “language (just an f word!) and incest.” Here’s more, when “their feelings are more intense.”
Warning ahead if you don't want to read. This is a summary from the story entry:
Pairing: Maggie/Jake Incest YAY!!!
Summary: Maggie and Jake are both in love with each other but they don't know it. They go on vacations and their feelings are more intense.
I know, pretty ICK, but this is something that's made more than a casual splash on twitter. It is very real, more real than I ever thought. That family has become so clueless, it isn't funny. Well, this whole fanfic thing is funny, but their cluelessness isn't, lol.
And now I think Jake has a problem. Now every time he and Sissy are together, everyone is going to be watching them. You've got people writing fanfic about them! They need inspiration, so they're going to go digging into pictures and articles from the past. Heaven knows, both Jake and Maggie have provided lots of material. Those pictures from the Met Ball last year should provide lots of visual inspiration, lol. And then there's those Hawaii pictures. Maybe Angelina and her brother have a new rival pairing.
But seriously, what will they do now? Maybe they don't care?
Had Maggie gone with her husband Peter and had Jake come through and put his money where his mouth was and sat with Ruthie, this wouldn't have happened.
Interesting, wasn't it? Maggie's thank you speech? She thanked her mom first and foremost, then her two daughters, and then...Jake. She left out Peter. She didn't mention Peter untl I guess the end of her speech. I didn't hear it but someone told me she did mention him at the end of her speech, almost like an afterthought. Wouldn't you think Peter would have automatically fallen in her first list of thank you's along with her daughters and mom?
Very, very strange.
I don't think Weinstein is going to be too happy about this unexpected turn of events. In fact, I wonder what those global markets think about actors with incest rumors? Oh, that's right. They only care about a man being with another man. As long as Jake is with a woman, who cares if it's his sister. Or, as our Lothario Jake would say, "T & A is T & A". ;-)
And boy, Austin has had the clamps put on him just like Ted Casablanca had his lip buttoned. Funny that Jake should hold up a sign for the cameras last night about freedom of journalistic speech when he and Austin have totally given up their freedoms - freedom of expression, freedom of speech, freedom of behaviors.
Of all nights w/ample opportunity, nothing comes from Ted. So a man who worked & lived HW gossip, has hard practically nil to whisper about since he got canned from E.
Pretty telling.
Speaking of Weinstein, Ruthie's next movie project is a Weinstein production and Maggie made sure to make an appearance at the Weinstein Netflix after party. Looks like its all in the family with this group.
#AustieCanBabySitForEveryone
I'm so thrilled that Matt won a Golden Globe. Also happy to see Boyhood win so many awards, it is such an amazing film. So is Birdman, so happy to see Michael Keaton pick up an award.
Maggie did thank Peter, although even my girlfriend thought it was strange that he wasn't there at the awards show with her. The one person she did not thank was her father.
Yeah she did thank Peter at the end but I didn't take it as an after thought. It seemed pretty emotional. Nope she sure did not thank her Dad. If Maggie is separated from her husband and Jake is married with multiple kids then these are some really messed up people. I also noticed that Jake was sitting close to Harvey. Jake knows where the power lies.
Yeah, I missed her Peter shoutout and you're right, Destiny, she didn't mention her dad. It still strikes me as pretty odd that he came at the end of her speech after she had mentioned everyone else.
Reading that stuff about the Gyllencest the "morning after" was not easy on the stomach. It really was not cool. You would not believe the number of tweets out there with all kinds of side-eye comments and winky-winks and innuendos. It's hard to tell who was being tongue in cheek and who really might not have known Jake and Maggie are brother & sister. It really is a twilight zone moment in all the stuff that has happened since I came to this blog.
And I was really happy for Matt. What an incredible moment for him to win - huge kudos to that guy. I know you must be really proud of him, Destiny. And he looked fantastic.
Well, well, well, I think I see Mr. Jimmy Fallon has found himself a way to get his rocks off during his show. What a sly little dog.
;-)
Chris Hemsworth's Shirt Becomes Totally See Through During Jimmy Fallon's Water War!
Jimmy Likes His Guys Alllll Wet
Boom. One look at that picture and remembering his little water war with Jake and it's plain as day now to me. Thanks for confirming your marriage is a sham, Fallon. Who does he think he's kidding? M&M? Take a look at that, lol.
wow. smh. It's just unbelievable.
Oscar noms tomorrow. I think Jake is in for sure.
"Most of all I would like to thank my nieces and nephews for all their love and support" JG :-)
I cannot believe that Kevin Spacey has not come out yet. What a joke that one is.
I think Harvey wants Jake to get a nom this year to set up that boxing movie for next year. Harvey gets what he wants. Tons of folks credit him for Halle Berry's win. Sissy Spacek should have won that year.
Yep. That Hemsworth-Fallon waterworks foreplay looked all kinds of homoerotic to me too. What sealed the deal for me, with Fallon, was that ridiculous "dialogue" between him and Nicole Kidman from last week. PR teams are utilizing more indirect mechanisms to persuade the public that their closeted clients are straight. The plausibility of this stroll down memory lane simply did not pass the smell test.
Jimmy Fallon Blew a Chance to Date Nicole Kidman
Wow I am really surprised no Oscar nom for Jake. He cannot be too happy. Bradley in though. That role in American Sniper looks like something that would catch voters eyes. I think not many people have seen it yet but the voters did. I am glad Nightcrawler did not get in for best pic. It was not that good. It did get a screenplay nom though ????
Well, I have to say I'm surprised Jake didn't figure out a way to get that nomination. Or, should I refer to Weinstein. Power players like Leo and George Clooney actively campaigned for Bradley, which in the end probably made the difference.
Weinstein go what he wanted though. Jake being made a plausible nominee to set the stage for Southpaw. The fact Nightcrawler was even being nominated for a SAG revealed that Jake was being rewarded. It just stopped short of the Oscar. No way did Jake deserve a Best Actor nomination at all this year.
I finally saw Nightcrawler and I thought Jake was amazing in it. He is so believable as the character, so unlikeable, slimy, etc. He really made me dislike him, and that is hard to do for a movie star.
I thought the movie was good, but a bit long. It was also over the top, but then again I think that was what they were going for, a modern Network. It also looked terrific, something that is hard to do when there are so many night scenes, the colors were so vivid. You can tell the director used to be a cinematographer.
Did you actually see the movie Surprised, just curious, as it seems like hardly anyone here saw it.
I think it is very surprising that Jake didn't make the Oscar cut, usually the SAGs are a pretty good indicator. I'm also surprised at how many nods Sniper got.
There are a lot of other snubs, especially for Selma, in the best song category, and I think Birdman should have gotten more nods in the technical categories because it is amazing to watch, the movie feels like one long shot, without any cuts, even for the passage of time.
Or, should I refer to Weinstein. Power players like Leo and George Clooney actively campaigned for Bradley, which in the end probably made the difference.
I was surprised, too because I thought I could see a sure shot nomination coming.
But, but, but. What's interesting is when you realize that it is the other actors who vote for the Best Actor nominees. Once the 5 nominees are voted upon, the entire members of the Academy then vote on the winner.
So it is to be taken seriously when you saw Clooney, Affleck, Josh Brolin and DiCaprio suddenly and very publicly campaigning for Bradley Cooper. Why was that? That film does look like a heart wrencher and when you hear what it's about....tearjerk city. Is it possible that when those high-profile actors saw where things were headed, they decided to step up to bat for Bradley Cooper so he didn't get shut out?
I don't know, but I found it all very interesting to watch.
I think I can give my opinion on a movie even though I haven't seen it. Everyone gives opinions on things without having experienced them firsthand.
War
Drugs
S & M
Religion & spirituality
Sushi, tofu, red meat
When I read countless Tumblr posts on Nightcrawler, that means I've read spoilers. I've seen the mirror scene - it looked outrageous. It was also disturbing looking and I don't like stuff like that. I've read about what these kinds of paps do and I read what the Nightcrawler film guys did following that car accident which involved young girls - how they kept filming with total disregard for respect and dignity towards the girls and their families. I have no regard for it.
American Sniper is another story. I haven't seen it but I can tell from the trailer that it looks to be an emotional movie. I don't know how good it is and I never will because that movie as well I will never watch. I couldn't take it. But I can totally identify with it. Because who hasn't seen the pain that war causes? On the men/soldiers themselves, their families, their friends? Their pets? Their jobs? It's totally unfair.
Who can't identify with the pain of separation, the missing of home?
And while I didn't watch Nightcrawler, I would think that the likes of George Clooney, Ben Affleck, Leo D. et al did watch it. And they are the ones who actively campaigned on behalf of Bradley Cooper and the movie American Sniper.
It's Jake's fellow acting peers who did the nominee voting, not "us" the public nor a board of grey haired old men (as I thought the Academy was, lol). It was the likes of Clooney, Affleck and Josh Brolin.
They are the ones who cast enough votes to get Bradley in and did not cast enough for Jake.
Now here's a little gold nugget which occurred on Tuesday the 13th. How about this little gem?
NYRANGERS isRAEL @ohhhyeah178
@AUS10NICHOLS Julian baker wazzzup!
5:53 PM - 13 Jan 2015
That 5:53 pm is Central Time because it's from my twitter settings. So really that was 6:53pm ET. And what time was the Rangers game that night?
7:00pm and the game was where? At the Rangers.
This guy is alllll about the NY Rangers and has attended games.
Don't tell me he didn't spot Austin at the game.
In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if Austin wasn't acting out a bit this particular night.
And Austin's account rectified itself yesterday by trying to place him as flying out somewhere with an Austin TX ballcap on his knee, but I could give 2 licks about that. I don't buy anything his twitter account says because I don't think Austin himself is tweeting much anymore.
But this? Oh yeah, I think Austin was seen at the Rangers game. In NYC. On the same night as his husband was acting in his Broadway debut.
Yup - I call it an Austin in NYC sighting. In the Big Apple at the same time as Jake. This is as close as we're going to get, folks.
BOOM
The top three spots were a no brainer with Keaton at the top. Popularity may just have got Cooper and Carrell in. It could really hurt Jake's career if Harvey regrets he didn't give the Southpaw role to somebody like Bradley Cooper. I think Jake is disappointed but when he looks back it was not a bad year for him at all. Best since Brokeback and Jarhead.
Good pick up PG :-) The only problem I have is that do any guys really know who Julian Baker was :-)
For the life of me I still don't get the allure of this film. The movie essentially has no moral center. It tries to persuade the audience that there is a some kind of horrible social problem that needs to addressed. Something about different newsrooms competing for the worst kind of blood and guts footage from freelance "videographers". Last time I looked that is not a problem. I mean not at all. So its hard to get worked up about something that doesn't even exist.
I know early on, Jake's publicity campaign tried to persuade us that this was a modern Taxi Driver. When that didn't stick, then it was a satirical competitor to the brilliant Network. Let's be honest. Nightcrawler is none of these. For me it's a movie that allows Jake to go from one outrageous, unscrupulous scene to another. No substance, no logic for the movement of the plot.In reality, it's just a nasty little film.
I like what was said about A-Listers campaigning against Nightcrawler. I think that says a lot. I haven't seen American Sniper. But, it sounds emotionally challenging. And, most importantly, real. About a problem that we actually need to face and do something about. A film steeped in humanity. What a concept.
I have to say I did not really like Nightcrawler.. It was a strange movie. It was Jake's movie though and he did own the screen. But it was just Jake 30 lbs lighter. He didn't create a character for me. It was Jake acting weird and looking weird :-)
I get that Nightcrawler might not be everyone's cup of tea, and that they might dislike Jake's behavior, how the movie was marketed, etc. There are things I don't see for the same reason.
However, personally I don't think the trailers or limited scenes out there can convey how good Jake is in this movie, and that NC shows how much Jake has grown as an actor and/or that he has a real talent for certain roles that he is has turned to playing at this stage in his career. I know plenty of people who thought he was amazing in it, people who have no stake in the game, so to speak, unlike me or anyone else who posts here. I've also seen my share of comments, articles, etc., praising his performance, and people who think he deserved an Oscar nomination.
But at the end of the day, the Oscars is still a popularity contest, it doesn't always have anything to do with talent or who a voter thinks did the best job. To me it still looks like older white men still make up the majority of voters, because it appears to me that Selma, black actors, and women directors and writers were snubbed, as were any truly edgy films.
Personally I also think the SAG awards are evidence that the Oscar voters are not representative of the general community. Jake got a SAG nomination for best actor, and that award is voted on by all actors in the union, and not just a select few.
I enjoyed Nightcrawler too and mostly forgot I was watching Jake, which is testament to any actor and especially one you follow as a fan. Non Jake fans' views are always interesting. He is very well liked for Prisoners, for instance.
As well as issues of representation I think this is something of a crowded year for Best Actor but I am sorry not to see an Oscar nomination for Jake.
I am enjoying Patricia Arquette's successes (as a fan) though I thought Boyhood was only two-thirds of a good movie.
I saw Constellations last night with Roma and another friend. Another really good performance from Jake in a very demanding role. Ruth Wilson is really good too, and the play is really unusual in how it stitches together snippets of dialogue, often the same thing said over and over again with slight variations that take the relationship of the two in completely different directions. Sometimes they just say a word or two before the scene changes, other times the scene runs a few minutes Very inventive staging too, just a black stage with balloons and globe shaped lights that look like balloons above and to the side of them. The lights flash and the stage goes dark for just a second to signal the change between scenes, with the actors often falling to the stage or jumping up into posed positions, e.g., sitting, laying down, etc. Like dancers, they have to be perfectly in tune with each other.
The play opened on Tuesday and has gotten good reviews. If anyone else is thinking of going you should get tickets sooner rather than later, because I think there is already pretty limited availability.
Some reviews.
Variety
New York Times review
I agree with Destiny. We both liked Nightcrawler and Jake's performance very much. And his performance in Broadway's Constellations is fantastic. We saw it last evening with a good friend of ours. Challenging play, beautifully acted. Jake is such a good actor. One can see what he brings to scenes: deep listening, total engagement with his eyes, surprising delivery of lines, an incredible rhythm. I am so happy we live in a place where we can see such great theater. And films. So sorry Jake was not recognized by The Academy but it is not the first time they have missed the boat. His time is coming. Perhaps a Tony? Hope so.
Agree totally with VARIETY's comment about Jake being an incredible character actor. That is what he is to me. I applaud him for not taking the easy road in his career, i.e. lame romantic comedies. His choice of Directors and films and theater shows real discrimination. Good for him.
I've been trying to convince my husband to make the trek to NYC to see Jake and one or two other plays on my must see list, but no success so far. He is not in the mood for cold weather. I have not given up yet.
It's disppointing that Jake got no Oscar nom, but it's a very strong year for male actors this year. Things like that happen. I'm surprised at the strong box office for American Sniper but even my husband can't wait to see it and I isually drag him to theaters. He is reading the book now.
I finally saw Constellations and I guess I don't get the buzz. It was alright. Nothing special, and I'm an avid theater goer.
I hope Special and anyone else on the east coast stays safe during the blizzard.
Tom, boy are you lucky to now be Florida Tom.
I am in DC hoping to get home tomorrow Destiny. Appreciating very much more I ama citizen of sunny Florida :-)
Back in sunny Florida :-) So does anybody know if Jake attended The SAG Awards.
Feel bad for you guys up North. Thank God DC only got a dusting and I got home today.
It wasn't too bad in New York, only about 8 inches and not the feared 2 feet.
Jake did not attend the SAG awards, he probably didn't get time off from the play, they're not as important as the GGs and the Oscars.
Plus he is no longer out there competing for an Oscar nom. No need to be as visible. I was thinking about how busy Jake has been this last year. Between the play and the PR for all the movies he has to promote this year. I doubt he will have the time to make as many movies this year. Curious to see the release dates of the films he does have coming out.
Looks like Southpaw will be released in July and Everest in September. No release date for Demolition yet. All the talk on Goldderby about Jake is about Demolition and Everest and not Southpaw.
Post a Comment