Angie B's Upcoming Appearances

Angie is making plenty of appearances in the coming months before beginning production in Chicago on her directorial debut with "United States," the independent film shes co-producing with husband, Courtney B. Vance. The Court Court man is also keeping busy with film and TV projects including the new ABC pilot, FlashForward, and the Harrison Ford vehicle, Crowley, shooting this month in Oregon.

Important AB Dates:

• April 21 [Amazon.com]
  Notorious DVD Release
  
  
• April 26 (Hollywood)
  Mother's Day WordTheatre
  
  
• April 26 TV Land Awards
  TV Land Prime 8pm
  
  
• April 28 [Amazon.com]
  Nothing But the Truth DVD Release
  
  
• April 28 (Chicago)
  Depaul University honors Angela Bassett
  
  
• May 30 (Chicago)
  My Black is Beautiful Tour
  
  
• Summer 2009 (Chicago)
  Directing "United States"

Celebrating Series Finale of ER!

The final episode of ER is airing this Thursday, April 2nd. With a 1 hour retrospective starting at 8pm and a 2 hour series finale at 9m on NBC. I'm looking forward to a happy ending for Cate and Russell Banfield. They deserve it and the abandoned baby boy is too adorable.

Angela yesterday in Los Angeles at the ER Wrap Party! Check out more photos from the celebration at Social night club here.

Sight Seeing:
Angela and Courtney were in Chicago last weekend lunching and laughing at a local restaurant. They were in town scouting for locations to film the Percival Everett adaptation of Erasure this summer. The film, titled "United States", will be their first film under Bassett/Vance Productions and marks Angela's directorial debut.

Cookie Johnson introduces her brand of jeans, CJ Denim, with friends Pauletta Washington and Angela Bassett.







What should Angela's next move be? Check out the new AB poll to the right and let us know! -->

The BassettHounds: Our Hair Inspiration

Simonique's Inspiration: "The Short Cut"


Whether its spiky, curly, or pixie cut; a short hairstyle does wonders for defining the face. This style is fun, flirty, and fiesty. When we see Angela with a fresh cut we cant help but notice her high cheekbones, almond eyes, and plump lips. The short hairstyle perfectly flaunts Angela's distinct facial features and all while giving new meaning to the word, "fierce."







Natacia's Inspiration: "The Long Mane"


Whether its bone straight, big and curly, or pulled back in a formal updo; a long hairstyle provides plenty of options. A lengthy hairdo (plus lots of volume) makes a bold statement and still gives Angela the freedom to change her look when playing a character. The fuller, longer style also complements Angela's intense persona onscreen, making her even more intriguing to watch, and who isn't inspired by that?







Amanda's Inspiration: "The Natural Look"


Whether its in twisties, pressed out, or curled under; a natural hairstyle brings out the genuine, no-frills side of us. This do is classic and effortless. A natural style gives Angela an understated simplicity to her look and makes her seem all the more relatable. When we see her sporting her natural locks, we know we're getting "the real Angela Bassett."

Angie Promotes Notorious in London and Berlin!

Angela Bassett gets righteous in England:

In an interview with Guardian Daily's Hannah Pool, Ang tells it like it is, takes us to church, and reminds us why we love her so.

"Even though we're free on paper and in laws, I'm not going to allow you to enslave me on film for the world to see. It becomes a bigger thing than me just being a movie star. Its about educating minds."

Listen and download the entire interview here! The interview starts 22:37 minutes in...

Jawn Murray of BlackVoices.com talks to Angie about Movies, Motherhood & Making New Moves:

You are directing your first film. Tell me about that.

The film is based on a book by Percival Everett called 'Erasure.' I always thought that I had a third eye, but it's frightening and I always wonder if I can pull it off. That's what's exciting; you don't want to get too comfortable. It's still a challenge. That's what this movie was starting out. You don't know how it's gonna turn out, you just know that it's gonna pan out. This is something that keeps you alive, wakes you up and keeps you guessing. It's a good story. I've had opportunities in the past to direct smaller, independent movies and television shows. I never want to do it just for the heck of it. As much time and attention as I play a character, imagine doing that for all of the characters, all the sets, all the lighting, all the music and all of the executives who are not creative. I cannot go through all of that if I'm not passionate about it and don't mind talking about it all the time and don't mind having that conversation over and over again. I hadn't found that script.

You are working on 'E.R.' now, which is your return to TV. Why did you decide to take on a TV acting part?

Times have changed. There used to be such a separation between TV and film acting. Now you have people moving back and forth between the two. It's no longer like film actors are better that television actors or stage actors are better than television actors. I'm glad that 'ER' is an ensemble show because with a one hour episode in drama seems to never end and it's three, four or six months before it finally comes to an end. I can't imagine doing a two hander or a show that really stars one person because your life is not your own all year long except for maybe five weeks and if it's a drama it's so emotional because you're doing that 16 hours a day nonstop. It's like trying to hold on to a moving train; it never slows down. Even on the weekends, you work on Friday night until four in the morning, you have Sunday and then Monday morning you hit it again. You're doing one scene and trying to memorize the next scene and it'Angela Bassetts like the only thing you know for sure is your name. I would think that it could get to be too much where you fake it unless you have a photographic memory. That ain't me.

How do you and your husband balance both being working actors and having children?

When the kids came along, he finished 'Law & Order' so he was home. Our lives are blessed, but it's not to the point where I know my next projects for the next five years. It's still very much like the life of most actors. You're doing this one; it comes to an end, what's the next one? It's worked out that we've both been there and he's been there. It was great that I did 'E.R.' and he was asked to come on as my husband. It was supposed to be for three episodes and then it got stretched to maybe five because it's working so it's been extended. So far it's working out. At the end of this, he just got a new pilot so he'll start with that. The ebb and flow of this life has worked out. I think the hardest part for me is that I work 15 minutes from home, but if you're on location for a film, you go away and it's so tough. I was talking to another actress who came back to the show, Alex Kingston, and she went to to do a TV show for five months and her child stayed in . She came home every six weeks or once a month for a couple of days. I was like, 'Let's not even talk about it because I can't imagine.' I'm 15 minutes from work, but their schedule is their schedule. On Monday, I have to be there at 6:00 am which means I have to get up at five, but they're not up at 5:00 am. They're not up until 7:00 am. I have to do a 12 to a 16 hour day and when I get home at 8:00 pm, they're sleep because they go to bed at 7:30. Then, on Fridays we might work until 3:00 in the morning so that's the hard part. I'm in the house with them- the husband and the children- and I haven't seen you all day or I haven't seen you for two days.

Read the full interview at [BlackVoices.com]

For Your Information:

• Make sure to catch the NAACP Image Awards tonight at 8PM on FOX! Ang is nominated for two awards and you know shes walking away with at least one.

• Plus Gospel Hill is now available on DVD! Both Amazon.com and Walmart have the award winning film starring Angela, Danny Glover, Nia Long, Samuel L. Jackson, and Giancarlo Esposito in stock.

• The release date for Nothing But the Truth is postponed since the distribution company for the film went bankrupt in January but, the political thriller is available for free download here!

Alonzo Bodden: He's Got Jokes!

Check out this comedy clip 0:27 seconds in!

Quick AB News: TV Dates!

Be on the look out for Angie B on TV next month!

Gospel Hill Feb. 10
Available on DVD [Amazon.com]

The BET Honors Awards Feb. 9 BET 9PM
Angela will be presenting an award to Judith Jamison

The 40th Annual NAACP Image Awards Feb. 12 FOX 8PM
Angela is nominated for two awards

ER Thursdays NBC 10pm
Angela Bassett stars every week! Series finale is April 2nd.

Angela Bassett Brought Sister Along to See Obama Sworn In!

YES WE CAN!!!

YES WE DID!!!

Angela and Sister D'Nette in attendance at Tuesday's HISTORICAL inauguration of our 44th President- Barack Obama!!




Tickets: Pricey. Expression on their faces: Priceless ! Only ones missing--The Bassetthounds lol. Words can't even come close to describing what it means to have such an honor bestowed on a more worthy man in OUR lifetime!

Along with her little sis, Angie attended Barack Obama's inauguration with friends Samuel L. Jackson and Denzel Washington, while Oprah snapped pictures of the three leading black actors in D.C. Angela B also was witness to the "We Are One" concert at the Lincoln center with fellow actors Marisa Tomei and Forest Whitaker backstage.

Angie B: Carnivore or Vegan?

Its been a long and arduous debate for us BassettHounds on the true identity of Angela Bassett's eating habits. Some of us say she is a vegetarian who likes raw food over meat. Where did we get this idea? In every one of the many interviews we read while BassettHounding, she is always quoted as snacking on items like grapes, broccoli sticks, and tofu. Does that sound like a carnivore to you? No, I thought not, but then some of us BassettHounds refer to Angela's upbringing in the fried bacon and meat lovin' south and her previous films when attempting to prove her meat eating habits. In the film Mr. 3000 starring the late Bernie Mac, Angela no less than devours a nice big slab of steak. Now unless they started making vegan steaks, Angela is a carnivore, right? No. We finally decided to look at the facts of the matter:

• Fact 1: Angela Bassett's skin says it all. Glowing, flawless, not one hint of greasy meat stains in sight.

• Fact 2: Much like fact 1, Angela takes real good care of herself. Poisoning her body with yummy Big Mac's doesnt fit well with the queen's desire to keep her shape.

• Fact 3: And this is a good one...Angela Bassett herself said in one informative interview this week that she "loves vegan choices, raw food choices" and she'll eat whatever shes has to in order to get in shape "for any one particular role."

If I sound saddened by this newly found Angie B News, its because I am. My money was on her being a meat eating carnivore seeing as shes from the deep south and well...Angela was getting down on that steak in Mr. 3000. But looking back, it was probably because she hadnt eaten meat in so long. :) The only good news on this front is that Angie wont judge us if we get in to some good ol' bacon and eggs now and again. She says, "I try to eat healthy, but I won't get on other people's nerves about it. If you want to eat bacon, I'm OK with that."

So for those of you who were still wondering, our queen Angela Bassett is in fact a vegan. A raw food, celery stick munching, vegan.

Read more on Angie's favorite LA hotspots for facials, spas, outings with the twins, and restaurants where she frequently doesnt eat meat. [LATimes.com]

Angela Attends Notorious Premiere

With one week to go before “Notorious” opens in movie theaters, the premiere was held at the AMC Lincoln Square in New York.

Angela, working the polka dots, attends the premiere with fellow cast mates and the who's who in the music industry, showing their love and

support for the late Notorious B.I.G. As the film release approaches, we are sure Angela will be doing more press, so stay tuned! For now, here are various interviews of Angela talking about her role in the film.

• What attracted her to the role? Watch rollingoutTELEVISION
• Want more insight on her use of Ms. Wallace’s Accent? Watch Access Hollywood
• Who does Angela think Christopher Wallace was? Watch BlackFilm.Com
• Why does Angela think rap music is so important to today’s youth? Watch ArtisanNewsService