Angela on Set of "Meet the Browns"

*Thanks to LadyGlen for providing these pictures to the BassettHounds. She visited the "Meet the Browns" set in Chicago looking to hear from Jennifer Hudson until a member of the crew told her, "Shes not here. Thats just a rumor." Instead Lady Glen got to eat lunch with the crew and see Angela Bassett and Irma P. Hall who were "very friendly and sweet." Heres what Glen said about our Angela:

Angela was very nice. She was very professional...sort of in a zone...serious. After she filmed her scenes, she relaxed, waved to us all and let us snap a few pictures. She jumped in a white van and pulled off during the lunch break.

That sounds like Angie alright. No-nonsense when shes working and in character, but when the cameras are off shes her laid back self!! Thanks again to Glen for the exclusive. :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Today is a very special day for our Head Bassetthound. To the creator of Angie B News!, the person who scouted us out to join her in making such a wonderful tribute site, the Bassetthounds want to wish Simonique a very happy and blessed 19th birthday!




Love,

Natacia and Amanda
Co-Head Bassetthounds

Angela and Courtney are Movin' Out!

Do any of you BassettHounds have $6 million extra dollars in your pocket and looking to move? Guess what? The Power Couple is selling their lovely house in Hancock Park!

SELLERS: Courtney Vance and Angela Bassett
LOCATION: Fremont Place, Los Angeles, CA
PRICE: $5,999,000
SIZE: 4,828 square feet, 5 bedrooms, 6 bathrooms
DESCRIPTION: Spectacular Celebrity estate in Fremont Place. This home has the perfect blend of traditional elegance & sophistication! 5 Bds, 6 Bas on a 26,595 corner lot replete w/ 2,500 sq. ft. separate 2 room office/guest + bath & full gym w/ hair salon complete this extraordinary compound. Rich w/ orig details, this fabulous home has a gourmet kitchen that opens to family room, formal liv & din room, elegant foyer, master ste w/ incredible bath & closets & park-like grounds. Included is 24/7 security of Fremont Pl.

Read the full story at [RealEstalker]

Filming News: Meet the Browns

Fox & Hound
by Stella Foster


CHICAGO SUN-TIMES: Fabulous actress/ author Angela Bassett and handsome former L.A. Lakers star Rick Fox, ex-hubby of singer/actress Vanessa Williams, will be hitting town this weekend to start filming scenes for the new Tyler Perry movie "Meet the Browns." Bassett portrays a single mom raising three kids in the projects with a son who is a high school basketball star. Fox plays a high school basketball coach who becomes her love interest. Perry will also be in town next week, and filming will be done near Clybourn, Diversey and near 63rd & Cottage Grove. The cast and crew will be in Chicago one week and resume production in Atlanta.

*Only Angela could pull off filming two movies at the same time!

Photos: Gospel Hill Filming

Angela Bassett, Danny Glover, Julia Stiles, Nia Long, and Giancarlo Esposito all on the set of "Gospel Hill"
Filming for "Gospel Hill" is more than half way completed. They'll continue filming in various locations including South Carolina until the end of July and release is set for April 2008.

Blogging about "Gospel Hill"

• Ms. Rhonda blogs about her experience as an extra at [Myspace]


• Andrew blogs on his role as a featured extra at [Media Mensch]


• Fort Mills Times reports on how "Gospel Hill" shook up their town [source]

Celebrate Your Freedom!

Happy Birthday America!

Have a Firecracker of an Independence Day, BassettHounds!

We hope Ms. Angela Bassett is enjoying the fireworks in South Carolina. Shes out of town, filming "Gospel Hill", which makes it a good thing we can celebrate July 4th in any of the 50 United States of America!

"Celebrate your Freedom and Stay BassettHounds"

Black Issues Interview

IF YOU WERE TO ASK ANGELA BASSETT AND COURTNEY B. VANCE "What's love got to do with it?" they'd answer, with heartfelt enthusiasm, "Everything." In Friends: A Love Story (Kimani Press, February 2007), the celebrities describe their first date and their courtship, which laid the foundations of their marriage of almost a decade.

During the 1980s and later, when the two actors were navigating their individual careers, they first met at Yale Drama School and bumped into each other at house parties and social events in Los Angeles. Neither had an idea they'd ever develop a unique bond. And suddenly, their hearts met, so to speak. Each separately endured romantic missteps, family tragedies and personal insights before coming together as a couple and committed life partners.

Below, Vance and Bassett discuss the collaboration on their first book, their 18-month-old twins, Slater Josiah and Bronwyn Golden, and the strength of their relationship.

Black Issues Book Review: Congratulations on the book and the additions to your family. How do you describe your new book?

Angela Bassett: Well, it's an autobiographical love story. A story that discusses love of self, love of each other and love of the craft of acting ... (And the love of God, Courtney adds.) It's told in a "he says, she says" way.

BIBR: You've had a successful marriage for quite a few years now. Can you describe the process that you and Angela developed for negotiating projects you're both involved in. Which of you gets the last word when you can't decide?

Courtney B. Vance: Our relationship, first and foremost, is based in faith, therefore our goal is to respect and support each other. Now with children in our lives, they are our first priority when reviewing potential projects, and how it will affect them. Then we weigh each project on its own merit; and finally we both try never to be working on projects at the same time, projects that would keep us apart and out of town.

Angela has a Disney animated project she's working on, and after five years of flying back and forth between Los Angeles and New York doing Law & Order: Criminal Intent, I am very content, right now, managing these changes in our household, preparing for our book tour and enjoying my time home being "Daddy" Our marriage is strong because we negotiate with each other and make decisions jointly; this creates a nurturing environment where we can both flourish.

With this project, Angela and I remained strong and united in the telling of our story; in fact, the process actually brought us closer together.

BIBR: You both have busy schedules, do you have any time for reading?

C.B.V.: More than anything right now, we are focusing on preparing the household for these children to grow up in. Because we began our family late in life, our house is not geared toward "little feet" running around. So we have begun the process of re-orienting our house to accommodate these precious jewels! It is a wonderful but time-consuming process, and one that takes complete concentration.

But our years together have prepared us for the task! And oh, yes, what books are we reading right now? What else--children's and parenting books! Angela is reading the books, and I am surfing the Web, looking for good schools. You know the old adage, "Preparation precedes blessings!"

BIBR: Are there any plans to write another book, perhaps a children's book:

A.B.: We've have been asked about writing a children's book. And we've given it some thought. So yes, there's quite a possibility. I've actually thought that one could be based on a little ditty I sing to the kids. "We're sitting in a chair, sitting in a chair, looking out of the window, what's over there, where are we going.... ?" [Angela laughs]. It [the book project] definitely has to be about something that excites children's imaginations and stimulates their curiosities.

Also check out this video interview: [Coffee with Angela and Courtney]

Chicago Exclusives!!

These Chicago newspaper articles were provided to AB News! by a BassettHound by the name of Zachary Smith He was able to attend Angela and Courtney's Chicago book tour/signings last April. Heres what he told Angie B News!:

I'm elated to inform you that I was able to see my favorite actress in the world Ms. Angela Bassett as well as her husband superstar actor Mr. Courtney B. Vance this past weekend in Chicago.

At the book signing Saturday they peformed an excellent skit and took questions from those who attended. They both are very classy and down to earth individuals. Also I'm glad their Christians and that they just don't take any roles offered to them.

I was able to a picture with them which was a blessing because the owner prevented everyone after me to pose and take pictures with them. I'm glad I was able to because having a picture taken with Ms. Bassett is a chance of a lifetime.

Thanks for all of your help.

Sincerely,

Zachary Smith

Casting News: Meet the Browns

Blackfilm.com has revealed exclusive casting news:

NBA player Rick Fox and Actress Jenifer Lewis have joined Angela Bassett and Tyler Perry in the cast of Perry's newest film, "Meet the Browns." Lewis will reprise her role in "Madea's Family Reunion" as the snobby wedding planner, Milay Jenay Lori. Rumors are still circulating that Jennifer Hudson will also co-star in "Meet the Browns." Although Fox and Hudson's roles in the film havent been disclosed yet, my educated guess is Fox will play Angela's love interest and Hudson will play one of Angela's 3 children. And if Lewis' character is reprising her role then a wedding/marriage is most likely underway.

Its still a mystery if Rick Fox aka Vanessa Williams' ex-hubby has any acting chops although he does have a recurring role on the FX show 'Dirt' with Courtney Cox. I hope he can act -- act real well too because Angela will make him look like a fish way far out of water if he cant bring it. I'm just happy to see Angela and Jenifer Lewis working together again since 1993's "Whats Love Got to Do With It." For those of you who read Angie's book, Friends: A Love Story, you know that Ang and Jenifer were roomates in the early 90s when Angela was just starting her career in Hollywood. They were actually roomates when they both got roles in "Whats Love" (Angela as Tina Turner, Jenifer as Tina's mama).

"Meet the Browns" starts filming next month in Atlanta and will be in theaters Feb. 2008!

Angela Bassett will face-off with the all-mighty Madea in "Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns," an upcoming feature film adaptation of his popular stage play.

The actress will play the role of Brenda, a single mother who travels with her family from their home in inner-city Chicago to Georgia for the funeral of her father, whom she never met. There, she is introduced to her crazy relatives, the Browns, and also manages to find romance along the way.

Perry will again suit up as the characters of Madea and Uncle Joe in the film, which is due in theaters early next year via Lionsgate. He has played big screen versions of the characters in the films “Diary of a Mad Black Woman” and “Madea’s Family Reunion.”

Bassett, an Oscar nominee for her role as Tina Turner in the 1993 biopic “What’s Love Got to Do With It,” was last seen in Lionsgate's "Akeelah and the Bee" and the Walt Disney Co.'s "Meet the Robinsons."

Perry’s latest directorial outing, “Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married?" is due in theaters Nov. 16 with stars Jill Scott, Janet Jackson, Sharon Leal, Malik Yoba, Michael Jai White and Richard T. Jones.

In other "Meet The Browns" news, Wilson Morales' Blackfilm.com is reporting that former LA Lakers forward Rick Fox and Jenifer Lewis will be joining the cast. There's no word yet on what role Fox will play.

Lewis will reprise the role that she played in "Madea's Family Reunion" as Milay Jenay Lori.

Whats That Got to Do With It?

Random Angela Bassett News!

Its long over-due but better late than never right? Ms. Angela is one of the 19 celebrities set to recieve their Star on the Walk of Fame in 2008. Next year is definitely going to be Angie's year, with 4 films coming out and her very own star. If you need more on this, heres the story.


Tyler Perry confirms Angela Bassett will star in 'Meet the Browns'!!
The first day of filming for 'Gospel Hill' went off without a hitch earlier this week. First-time director and co-star, Giancarlo Esposito got right into the rythm of being a director on Monday's shoot. Even with the South Carolina heat and residents looking on, reporters observing every detail, and Julia Stiles having difficulty with one scene. Heres the story!

Unfortunately I have some more to report: This whole 'Angela Bassett turned down Monster's Ball' thing will NOT go away. Its been 5 years since that whole controversy was formed from one little old Newsweek article and today silly folks are still talking about it as if Angela was hating on Halle. I usually let them do their ill-informed jabbing without any words in response from me, but Invisible Woman over at Invisible Cinema pushed ALL my buttons in one of her posts yesterday:

Casting Trivia...

-That Angela Bassett turned down Halle Berry's Oscar winning role in "Monster's Ball" and then had the audacity to be pissed that Halle won (she probably thought that legacy should have been hers) and talked greasy about Halle , saying that "it's amazing what happens when someone decides to show their body?" Sour grapes, girl. By the way, has anyone seen Angela lately?

Now of course I couldnt let that go:

Simonique- Its sad that you can report such falsities freely as you're doing. Angela Bassett did turn down the lead role in Monsters Ball but that was the only correct statement you posted about her.
She was nothing but happy when Halle won the Oscar, they were even at the ceremony hugging and saying "I love you, girl." I personally think Angela should've been the first black woman to win the Best Actress Oscar since she has more talent in her pinky finger than half of Hollywood. Angela never 'talked greasy' about Halle, she only said that Monsters Ball wasnt the role for her and that she is in total support of Halle.

Sour grapes are for people who have no talent or potential in their field. In Angela's case, shes just wading her time until something of substance comes her way. People with her talent can do that, people with none can only strip.

Simonique
a pissed off BassettHound

I think I made my point well enough yesterday because Ms. Invisible Woman herself created a post in response. Continue the debate here: Angela Bassett Stans Stand Up!