B13 Peer Review

Jamie Foxx has responded to Spike Lee's criticism of "Django Unchained," calling the director "shady" and "irresponsible." Here is Foxx at the U.K. premiere of "Django." B-13 PEER REVIEW  WHERE YOU HEAR IT FIRST Jaime Foxx isn't taking Spike Lee's criticism of "Django Unchained" lying down. In a sharp response to Lee's diss, Foxx calls the director "shady" and "irresponsible." Although "Django Unchained" has been widely  praised by critics , won the  Golden Globe for Best Screenplay  and  broke Quentin Tarantino's box office  record,  Lee spoke out against the film's portrayal of slavery  without having seen the flick. @SpikeLee   Spike Lee American Slavery Was Not A Sergio Leone Spaghetti Western.It Was A Holocaust.My Ancestors Are Slaves.Stolen From Africa.I Will Honor Them. December 22, 2012 10:18 pm  via  Twitter for BlackBerry®   Reply   Re...

LOS ANGELES — Robert Wagner has declined to be interviewed by detectives in a renewed inquiry into the drowning death of his wife Natalie Wood three decades ago, an investigator said Thursday. Wagner was interviewed by authorities soon after Wood's drowning in 1981, but the actor is the only person who was on the yacht the night Wood died who has not spoken to detectives as part of the latest inquiry, despite repeated requests and attempts, sheriff's Lt. John Corina said. Blair Berk, an attorney for Wagner and his family, said the actor had cooperated with authorities since his wife died. Detectives began re-investigating the case in November 2011. Since then investigators have interviewed more than 100 people, but Wagner has refused and Corina said the actor's representatives have not given any reason for his silence. The detective's remarks provided new insight into the case that has remained one of Hollywood's enduring mysteries. Earlier this week, c...

Getty Images Outkast  never officially broke up. But it's looking more and more like they'll never be getting back together either. Well, officially, that is. Big Boi  recently added a verse to  Frank Ocean 's "Pink Matter," a track that originally featured a guest verse by  Andre 3000 . There's also a planned remix of  TI's  "Sorry," which will feature Big. This has all lead to speculation that the pair were due to reunite. Welp. No dice. 3-Stacks says these unofficial remixes are just sending the wrong impression. In a  statement  released today, he admitted as much. "It's important for me to be clear about the origins of my contributions to 'Pink Matter' and 'Sorry,'" he explained. "I was approached as a solo artist by both  Frank Ocean  & Tip . I discussed musical direction with each artist and completed my verses. It was after that when Big Boi's name came up." The collaboration...

B-13 PEER REVIEW  WHERE YOU HEAR IT FIRST First Elmo brings a sex scandal to Sesame Street, now Writer and Producer extraordinaire Tyler Perry is being sued for stealing another woman’s idea. While it’s hard for me to believe that a man of such Financial and Business prowess would make such an impudent move, Philadelphia author Terri V. Donald has taken off the gloves! Atlanta-based actor/writer Tyler Perry has been hit with a lawsuit accusing him of stealing the concept of his latest movie ‘Good Deeds,’ which starred Thandie Newton, Gabrielle Union and Perry himself. Terri V. Donald filed the lawsuit earlier today (November 28), in United States District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania. According to the lawsuit, Terri V. Donald’s book “Bad Apples Can Be Good Fruit,” was sent to Tyler Perry. Lawyers for Terri V. Donald claim ‘Good Deeds,’ was so similar to “Bad Apples Can Be Good Fruit,” that the movie immediately triggered the lawsuit. “Terri V. Donald never ...

B-13 PEER REVIEW  WHERE YOU HEAR IT FIRST The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete , premiering next week at the Sundance Film Festival, is the kind of heart-wrenching, emotional, and funny coming-of-age drama that isn’t afraid to be rough around the edges. It also boasts big names, from Alicia Keys as co-executive producer and composer, to  American Idol  alums Jennifer Hudson and Jordin Sparks as stars. The movie, directed by George Tillman, Jr. ( Soul Food ), follows two boys — sad-eyed, feisty, and ambitious 14-year-old Mister (breakout Skylan Brooks) and small, innocent 9-year-old Pete (Ethan Dizon) — abandoned by their moms and surviving within the gritty world of the Brooklyn projects. They fend for themselves, searching for food and avoiding the police. Check out an exclusive clip from the movie, below, with an intro by Hudson, Keys, Brooks, and Tillman, Jr. in our very own  Sundance EW video suite . Future Oscar buzz may kick in swiftly for Brooks ...

B-13 PEER REVIEW  WHERE YOU HEAR IT FIRST Big Boi on his relationship with fellow Outkast member Andre 3000 and if we will ever see another Outkast album. The hip hop duo known as Outkast hasn't released an official album since 2003, but that doesn't mean André 3000 and Big Boi aren't interested in collaborating again in the future. On HuffPost Live Friday , rapper Big Boi noted that he and André 3000 are still best friends and hang out with each other regularly. "We talk and communicate and we still come to each other's homes, our kids play together," Big Boi  told HuffPost Live's Alyona Minkovski . "When you've been doing music for so long together, you don't have to be joined hip to hip. I know that's what the world wants to see right now, but we're just trying to do our own thing right now." Last year marked the 20th anniversary of Outkast, whose members got their start together at an Atlanta-...

B-13 PEER REVIEW  WHERE YOU HEAR IT FIRST The Latest British Import outsold Adele in 2012  Jay-Z has been quoted as saying Sande has the talent to conquer America  From  NPR 'Tell Me More'  - After huge critical and commercial success last year, breakthrough British sensation Emeli Sande has her sights set on America. It's a long way from her roots. Born to a Zambian father and English mother, the singer-songwriter was raised in Scotland. She tells NPR's Michel Martin that being the only mixed-race family in a small village had a big impact on her. "I've always felt very different, and when I was young it made me more of an introvert," she says, "but then as I grew older I kind of began to embrace that feeling of being different." She says the experience has inspired her music: "I really wanted to speak for people who feel different."  [AUDIO] Sharing this message influenced Sande's dream of being a musician more t...

Philadelphia rapper Eve is partnering with Big Brothers Big Sisters, in honor of National Mentoring Month.  Later this month, Eve will debut her new single “Make it Out this Town,” during a press conference that will detail her partnership with the organization. The Hip Hop single “Make it Out this Town” is being incorporated into Eve’s fundraising and recruitment work for Big Brothers Big Sisters, which is the largest mentoring organization in the country. Big Brothers Big Sisters provides children in single-parent homes with one-on-one mentoring relationships. Eve will appear at the event with Miss America 2012 Laura Kaeppeler, two-time Super Bowl champion Darrin Smith, and Big Brothers Big Sisters of America president/CEO Charles Pierson. The Big Brothers Big Sisters VIP reception will take place on Tuesday, January 22 at the Marriott Mayflower Renaissance from 6 to 8 PM.

Every since I was a little boy I clearly understood the element of story and its importance to the filmmaking process. That is what prompted me to go to film school as a man. In high school I used to write poetry, draw, and I had an amazing imagination that has not escaped me as a man. My favorite authors were, Charles Dickens , Hans Christian Anderson , Edgar Allan Poe , and Ernest M. Hemingway . My favorite film directors of all times were and is  Cecil B. Demille , Darren Aronofky  and Oscar Micheaux  until now. Personal Point of Reference When I was in film school all of my peers raved about this young new director named, Quentin Tarantino I was familiar but not convinced that he was a great filmmaker. His approach to story seemed to be very basic and simplistic and probative in nature. However, I appreciated his love and passion for the black exploitation era in film. It happened to be one of my favorite eras in black film history. So I can say that...