Escada and Young

The stars stepped out on the red carpet for the opening of the newly renovated Escada store in Beverly Hills Thursday, May 3rd, including our very own escada Veteran!

Sunday, May 6th, Former UN Ambassador Andrew Young celebrated his 75th birthday at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta. The "who's who" on hand for the Mardi Gras-style celebration included Angela Bassett and husband Courtney B Vance, Jane Fonda, Chris Tucker, Maya Angelou, and Evander Holyfield. Proceeds from the dinner will benefit the former Atlanta Mayor's nonprofit foundation. (ajc.com)

Click the link below for more pictures of the Marti Gra style Birthday Bash!

http://http://lpe.ajc.com/gallery/view/metro/0507/0506ayoung/

Vances Continue Book Tour in Chicago

Angela and Courtney have reportedly taken a break from promoting their book, Friends: A Love Story to do other work. But they're continuing their booksignings in Chicago this weekend (April 28th & 29th)!

They'll be at Desiree Sanders' Afrocentric Bookstore Saturday and Sunday at 6pm with 'a love story' on their mind. If you happen to live anywhere close to the Windy City heres the address:

4655 S. King Drive
Be there with a copy of Friends this weekend!
If you need anymore information call the bookstore at: (773) 924-3966

Gospel Hill: New Angela Bassett Film!

Angie will be playing Ava Malcom in the upcoming film, Gospel Hill. Ava is a married woman fighting for local civil rights while her husband has turned his back on the movement. The film is going into pre-production next month and is still casting main characters. Gospel Hill plans to start shooting in So. Carolina in early June 2007.

Gospel Hill Synopsis from DangStoryCo.com:

Gospel Hill takes place in a small southern town where years ago a local civil rights leader, Peter Malcom, was assassinated. In the years since then his brother, John Malcom (Danny Glover), has drifted into seclusion, turning his back on the movement. Meanwhile, his wife (Angela Bassett) has continued to fight for what is right. Battling the local doctor (Giancarlo Esposito), who is spearheading a movement to displace much of the town's African American community to make way for a large development.

The man who was sheriff at the time of the assassination, Jack Herrod (Tom Bower), has remained in town although not as sheriff. He has fallen onto hard times and ill health. His two sons have stayed as well trying to eke out livings. The younger as a landscaper, Joel (Terrence Howard), working primarily for the doctor and the older, Carl, as an iconoclastic lawyer, who is having an affair with the doctors' wife (Vanessa Williams).

When a young school teacher, Rosie, moves to town she not only begins dating the Joel, but also joins John Malcoms wife in fighting the development. This sets in motion events that will draw all the parties together. Forcing them to make a choice about what is right and wrong and come face to face with the ghosts of their past.

The Cast So Far...

The Actors in Talks...

Copying the Queen's Style...

Catherine Bell in Rome or Angela Bassett in Hollywood?

Who Rocked it Better?

The dress' designer, Tracy Reece or the Queen, Angela Bassett?
Go and vote on who rocked this black & white dress better at [Urban-Hoopla]



When did She Wear it Better?

Angela with DL Hughley at The Brass Awards last night.

Forest Gets Star on the Walk of Fame

(from L-R) Victoria Rowell, Keisha Whitaker, Angela Bassett, Kerry Washington, and in the center, Forest Whitaker (star of The Last King of Scotland)

Angela and Courtney at Fertility Gala

Angela Bassett and Courtney B. Vance attended the American Fertility Association's Illuminations Gala and presented an award to Dr. David Smotrich.

Everything Great comes in Twos

Angela Bassett's got two kids, two spouses (Angie and I got married last August 25th...okkk thats a joke!), two decades of movies on her resume, and two movies filming this summer:

Shakespeare's Henry IV
The first feature film adaptation of Shakespeare's most political play. Directed by Shawn Tolleson
Co-produced by Drew Brody
Starring Martin Sheen as King Henry IV, Angela Bassett, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Alexander Siddig.
Begins filming summer 2007.

Meet the Browns
The newest Tyler Perry film about a family forced to come together after their grandfathers' death. Described by Angela as a "city mouse-country mouse story."
Directed by Tyler Perry
Starring Angela Bassett and possibly Deelishis as Angie's daughter

Scheduled to begin filming July 2007

I bring this post up because its going to be quite interesting to see how Angela balances the filming of both of these movies in the short 3 months of summer. I think she'll do it easily and with the grace shes always had. I'm just happy to finally see Angela onscreen like she needs to be and in the range of roles that will show off her talent. Yay, the Queen is back on her throne!


Toussaint
Historical action epic based on the life of Toussaint Louverture, who led a successful slave rebellion in the 18th century that sparked the Haitian Revolution
Directed by Danny Glover
Written by Joslyn Barnes and Vijay Balakrishnan
Starring Don Cheadle, Wesley Snipes, Angela Bassett, Mos Def, and Chiwetel Ejiofor
Begins filming October thru December 2007

Photo of Week

Angela was at the Distinctive Assets gift lounge during the 20th annual Kid's Choice Awards this past week. Angie was photographed checking out the latest from Baby Phat to Dippin' Dots, but here Angie takes a sip of her drink as the BassettHounds Photo of the Week.

Flashback: To shine a better light on the pics of the week from a couple weeks ago, we decided to show Angela in the same outfit but on a different scene.

Instead of getting off of what looked like a long flight, which caused a debate between the BassettHounds, here is Angela at work. Although she only got rid of the glasses, fixed up her hair and put on some makeup, it is still the same Angela ;-)

Angela is doing a interview at the V-studios with Ryan Cameron at V103 Atlanta. This is a look that all the BassettHounds can agree on.

Tyler Perry "Meet" Angela Bassett...

...Angela Bassett this is Tyler Perry.

We all know of the self-made millionare, Tyler Perry. I started going to his plays when I was 16 years old and I still cant get enough of his natural nitch for comedy. Perry started out as a playwright. Producing, directing and starring in his own plays, like I Can Do Bad All By Myself, Madea's Family Reunion, Diary of a Mad Black Woman, and more recently Madea Goes to Jail. After his success on stage he claimed the movie screen with three box office smashes. Diary of a Mad Black Woman, Madea's Family Reunion, and Daddy's Little Girls were Perry's first films to hit theaters with a bang. But with Angela Bassett's help they wont be the last.

Perry is writing another adaptation of one of his plays and Bassett has announced she'll be a star in the project. The newest film is called Meet the Browns and Perry plans to start filming this July. According to Bassett the story is "sort of a city mouse-country mouse story," she says. "I’m the city mouse. I’m the sympathetic one."
*If my hunch is right, then this is the movie Deelishis said she would be playing Angela's daughter in. Either way this is exciting and I am seriously looking forward to more news on this film!

Here is a summary of the stage play:
MEET THE BROWNS is a family comedy that, despite the absurdity and uproarious antics, provides familiar themes that many viewers should be able to identify with. When Ol' Pop Brown dies at 107 years old, the family is hard-pressed to to meet the expense of the funeral. Eldest son L.B. and his wife Sarah--Pop's caretakers for 11 years--just aren't able to swing it with the $400 Pop left behind. Luckily there's Mi-Lay, their uppity relative who nonetheless takes care of the bill. As the family arrives for the funeral, the audience gets to know their quirks and eccentricities, and through all the arguments, infidelities and scatological humor, love still prevails.

Our Favorite Bloggers

Whats That Got to Do With It?
(Random News!)
Check out our favorite Bloggers blogging about the Queen, Angela Bassett!

• A bachelor contemplates 'The Prison Advantage' at [The Bachelor Blog]
  
• Coco Larue tells us why a healthy obsession is always a good one at [Thursday Nite Fever]
  
• Ms. Chi Chi shares pictures of Angela and Courtney being silly at [Platform/Launch/Action]
  
• It happens to the best of us: Check out the Fashion Disaster of the Day at [A Socialite's Life]
  
• Cindy Rhodes interviews Ang and Court on [Sidewalks TV]
  
• Ted Dawson uses Angie as artistic inspiration at [Three Men in a Tub]

Just because randomness is a beautiful thing, heres some pictures of Angela out and about this year:

*Photos provided by Tacia