Forest Whitaker knows a little something about playing jazz greats. He starred as Charlie Parker in the Clint Eastwood-directed biopic, Bird, back in 1988. Now the Oscar winner will direct and star in What a Wonderful World, a movie following Louis Armstrong's life from his early days in New Orleans until his 1971 death. The Armstrong estate must have a lot of faith in Whitaker; this is the first big screen project it has officially approved. [Variety]

Oscar-winner Forest Whitaker has had a long career in Hollywood, but some execs look at him and just see an ugly black guy who won't sell tickets. Australian director Rowan Woods said that he had to fight to keep Whitaker in his movie, Winged Creatures, after a film executive told him Whitaker was "ugly, black, and unbankable."

Speaking at the Australian Directors Guild conference in Sydney this weekend, Woods said the company, which he wouldn't name for legal reasons, eventually let go of the script because of their disagreement over Whitaker.

The budget on Winged Creatures dropped from $US11 million to $US4.5 million because Woods wouldn't consider a Michael Douglas or an Al Pacino for Whitaker's role.

"The unbankable part of it was nearly right," he said.

[LN]
*Thanks K

Entertainment Tonight last night sent its blackest reporter out to interview every African American celebrity he could find. Lucky for him, many of them had converged on Denver's football stadium to watch Obama's speech.

Did you know celebrities are all friends? They are! Oprah was hugging Mary J Blige! Kanye was answering questions for Oprah! And then Forest Whitaker came out of nowhere to use words like "pride," "humanity," "beautiful," "core" and "destiny."

Check out the video after the jump. My favorite part is when Kanye literally bum-rushes Oprah's interview, at first screaming from off-camera, then pushing through the crowd until he's also in the shot. His important message: Obama's inspired him to be a better, more selfless person, of course. Ha!

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• R. Kelly asks to delay his trial again because of all the publicity that news of an alleged threesome received over the weekend. Oh, please. [MTV]

• Forest Whitaker has been stabbed a few times. Who knew? [SP]

• Kobe Bryant is MVP of the NBA this year. This is a big deal to some people, just not to me. [NB]

• What do you know about the Muslim women of hip hop? [Racialicious]

• Nicole Scherzinger and Ne-Yo? Really? [Bossip]

An emotional Angela Bassett received her star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame yesterday, with her Waiting to Exhale director, Forest Whitaker, her Meet the Browns co-star, Rick Fox, her husband, Courtney B. Vance, and, of course, the Ike to her Tina, Laurence Fishburne, on hand to celebrate the occasion with her.
"Today my cup runneth over. I am crying now, I cried yesterday and the day before," she said during the reception. "Who would have thought that a little girl in pigtails from St. Petersburg, Florida, would grow up to find herself gazing at a star with her name on it, on the Hollywood Walk of Fame? This day is so, so special to me."

A kind, smart, good actress whose name is not Halle Berry gets some positive attention? It doesn't happen everyday.

• Forest Whitaker wants to play Louis Armstrong. And while that would be nice, we think it would be a shame if an Armstrong movie was released before a decent Miles Davis flick. [Guardian]

• Surprise: The New York Post employs ignorant wackos! [HuffPo]

• Please, people, don't vote for Ralph Nader. Please. Please. [XXL]

• "Barack Obama plans to challenge Hillary Rodham Clinton’s contention that she has been more thoroughly scrutinized." [NYT]

• Rita Marley wants Lauryn Hill to portray her in an upcoming biopic, which is kinda sorta weird considering the fact that Hill is married to one of Bob Marley's sons from another relationship. [C+D]

I always like to end the year on a high note. While 2007 definitely had its low points, it also had great moments, particularly in the realm of entertainment and politics. After the jump, let's celebrate the good things this year had to offer.

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Keisha Whitaker, my favorite wife of an Oscar winner (sorry Pauletta Washington), just launched her makeup line — Kissable Couture — in LA. Her daughters and famous hubby came out to support, of course, along with some famous (and semi-famous and not-so-famous) women of color. Pics after the jump.

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At least one scheduled event in the Hamptons went off without a hitch Saturday (ahem, Usher). The Simmons clan, Nia Long, Forest Whitaker, and others lent their celebrity and their dollars to the 8th Annual Art For Life "Not So Mellow Yellow" Auction in East Hampton.

Photographic evidence after the jump.

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You might not know who the guy in this picture is now, but you probably will soon. Elijah Kelley stars as Seaweed in the new film adaptation of the Broadway musical adaptation of the 1988 film Hairspray, about dancing, obesity, and segregation in 1960s Baltimore. Whew. According to critics, Kelley gives a standout performance. Check out more pics from yesterday's LA premiere, including a couple of Queen Latifah in an ill-advised platinum blond wig, after the jump.

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So I guess by the naming their indie movie Even Money, the producers were only expecting to make as much as they put in. That would explain why the movie, starring Forrest Whitaker and Nick Cannon, didn't break the box office top 12. Well, either that, or it was just plain bad. I'm inclined to go with the latter. In Even Money's defense, there was really no room for growth this weekend, when everyone and their mama went to see Shrek the Third, which made $122 million and broke a few records. It's sure to stay at the top until Pirates of the Caribbean comes along and ruins everything.

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How was your week — bright and sunshine-y or doom-and-gloom depressing? I'm asking because two movies opening this weekend ride each end of the spectrum, and your mood may have something to do with whether you choose either one.

For the down-in-the-dumps moviegoers, Even Money, a cautionary tale about gambling addiction starring Forest Whitaker, Nick Cannon, Ray Liotta and Kim Basinger, should do the trick to keep you totally depressed, if the reviews are any indication. The critics aren't sold on it, but the NY Times made sure to shout out Whitaker and Cannon's performance.

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