Brooklyn Rapper Chosen to Play Notorious B.I.G. in Biopic

BuzzSugar — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 16:30:37 -0800

Last summer I posted about the interesting way filmmakers were casting the Notorious B.I.G. biopic: via Internet submissions. Apparently the folks behind the project felt that Hollywood lacked good choices for the role, and opened up auditions to the world wide web in the hopes of finding someone more authentic than a big-name star. At first I thought this might be more of a publicity stunt than a sincere search for the right fit to portray Biggie, but through this process they actually appear to have found their man.

The film's producers and Biggie's mother Voletta Wallace conducted an exhaustive search auditioning thousands of men before finally choosing Brooklyn rapper Jamal 'Gravy' Woolard for the role. Wallace is thrilled with the results, and recently stated:

Finding B.I.G. was a task in itself, and I'm honored that so many young men came out to audition for the role . . . However, it was Jamal's charming personality, warm spirit, wonderful sense of humor and beautiful smile that won my heart. He is a talented and charismatic actor, and I am excited that he will bring Christopher's character to the big screen.

Set for release in January 2009, the movie will also star Angela Bassett as Biggie's mother, Derek Luke as Sean Combs, and Anthony Mackie as Tupac Shakur. Though there seems to be a lot of care involved in doing justice to Biggie's life story, there have been early reports of weaknesses in the script. Let's hope some strong direction and a newcomer's fresh energy will make this a film to remember.

What do you think of this project?

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First Look: ABC's A Raisin in the Sun

BuzzSugar — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 11:29:57 -0800

Lorraine Hansberry's 1959 play A Raisin in the Sun is already a true theater classic: It was the first play written by an African American woman to be performed on Broadway, and the original cast - including Sidney Poitier and current Oscar nominee Ruby Dee - was recognized with four Tony Awards. More than 40 years later, a 2004 revival starring Sean Combs, Phylicia Rashad, and Audra McDonald took home two Tony awards of its own.

Now, the majority of the Broadway cast has reunited for a television adaptation for ABC, which will air next Monday, Feb. 25. The movie has already screened at Sundance to positive reviews, and I'm eager to check it out for myself.

The play focuses on a family struggling to make a life for themselves in Chicago in the 1950s. Matriarch Lena Younger (Rashad) starts the story in motion, using money from her late husband's life insurance check to purchase a house in an all-white neighborhood - a move that isn't received well by their new neighbors. Meanwhile, the rest of the money ends up in the hands of Lena's son Walter (Combs), but instead of protecting and saving it to send his sister to medical school, he ends up tied up in a scam that could destroy the family's ambitions. It's a powerful story, and I'm curious to see how it translates to the small screen. To check out a preview, just read more.