AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
JOHANNESBURG --
Winnie Madikizela-Mandela was never consulted about a new movie on her turbulent life and marriage to Nelson Mandela, her lawyers told the film-makers in a letter leaked Tuesday to South African media.
Jennifer Hudson, who scooped a best supporting actress Oscar in 2007 for her performance in the musical "Dreamgirls", said in November that she would be starring in the film that would bring a "powerful part of history" to cinema screens.
Titled "Winnie", the film is directed by South African film-maker Darrell J. Roodt, whose work includes "Cry, The Beloved Country" and "Sarafina."
But a letter from her attorney Bowman Gilfillan said Madikizela-Mandela was "extremely concerned" to hear about the film, saying "she has never been approached for consent or at all," according to The Star newspaper.
"It is difficult to understand how a production bearing the name of an individual who has not been consulted at all could ever be appropriate or tell the full story of that individual's life as media reports suggest this production is intended to," the letter said, according to the paper.
"This is certainly the case here, where our client has not responded to allegations and comment which have been made about her, precisely because she has sought to protect her sphere of personal privacy as best she can in extremely difficult and turbulent times," it added.
Gilfillan's office decline to comment on the report, citing lawyer-client confidentiality.
Madikizela-Mandela campaigned tirelessly for her husband's release during his 27-year imprisonment in the apartheid era.
However her image was tarnished by a series of scandals including her links to the kidnap and murder of a young activist and a 2003 conviction for fraud.
She separated from Nelson Mandela in 1992, two years after his release, but she remains a leading South African figure in own her own right.
The ruling African National Congress placed her fifth on its party list in last year's elections, a sign of prestige that guaranteed her a seat in parliament.
The film had already stoked controversy in South Africa when Hudson was tapped to play the role, sparking outrage among local actors who complained that South African talent had again been overlooked by Hollywood.
The Clint Eastwood film "Invictus", about South Africa's 1995 Rugby World Cup victory, stars Morgan Freeman playing Mandela and has been a hit on local screens.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Monday, January 25, 2010
'AMC's' Palmer Cortland dead at 89
ASSOCIATED PRESS
LOS ANGELES – James Mitchell, who for nearly three decades played gruff patriarch Palmer Cortland on the ABC soap opera "All My Children," has died, his longtime partner said Sunday night.
Mitchell died Friday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, his partner, Albert Wolsky, said. Mitchell had suffered from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease for years, complicated by a recent bout of pneumonia.
He appeared in more than 300 episodes of the popular soap from 1979 until a 40th anniversary episode this month. He was a regular on the show until 2008.
Mitchell enjoyed playing the icy, wealthy Palmer, who wielded power over his children and the show's fictional town of Pine Valley.
Born in Sacramento on Feb. 29, 1920 and trained as a dancer, Mitchell had leading roles in the Broadway musicals "Brigadoon" and "Paint Your Wagon." He also danced on stage with the American Ballet Theater.
His film credits include 1953's "The Band Wagon" with Fred Astaire, 1954's "Deep in My Heart" and 1955's "Oklahoma."
Mitchell also taught movement for actors at Yale University and Drake University, where he was awarded an honorary doctorate.
Funeral plans were pending.
More ‘Idol’ drama
A moment of pride has turned to sorrow as an “American Idol” contestant has been cut from the competition after violating a confidentiality agreement, according to a report.
Michael Lynche (a.k.a. Big Mike) was reportedly told to pack his bags after his father revealed to his local Florida paper, The St. Petersburg Times, that Michael had made the top 24 — a violation of Idol rules requiring the singers and their families to keep the Hollywood week results quiet until they’re broadcast.
According to People.com and the New York Post, citing” Idol 's" spoiler site Joe’s Place, says Michael was replaced in the top 24 over the weekend. FOX has declined to comment on the report.
Ooops!
Did the Black Eyed Peas jinx itself Saturday night when the group opened France's NRJ awards with its No. 1 anthem, "I Gotta Feeling?"
Even though the song predicts that "tonight's gonna be a good night," it actually turned out to be embarrassing for the hip-hop pop act that was mistakenly announced as the winner of the best international group honor, the New York Daily News reports.
Fortunately, the Peas did not take the stage when presenters Ke$ha and French choreographer Kamel Ouali accidentally called the group's name.
The German rock band Tokio Hotel was the actual winner.
After realizing the error, Ouali apologized. He said that the information card was confusing because it listed the winner and the other nominees. The crowd booed.
T.M. I.
Speaking of the Black Eyed Peas, as rumors fly that Fergie's husband cheated on her, the singer-actress, 34, is releasing juicy details about her own sex life.
She tells the Advocate that her hubby, Josh Duhamel, is "well-endowed" and confirms that she's bisexual.
In the interview, which was conducted before the recent rumors that Duhamel had sex with a stripper, Fergie says she's been honest with her famous husband about her bisexuality from the beginning.
"I think women are beautiful," she says. "I've had a lot of fun with women, and I'm not ashamed of it. The problem is that I also love a well-endowed man.
"But just because I enjoy women doesn't mean I'm allowed to have affairs in my relationship," Fergie adds. "I learned through talking with my therapist that it is still cheating even if it's with girls, so there is a rule there."
The same rules don't seem to apply for Duhamel though.
The "Transformers" star allegedly cheated with a blonde stripper on Oct. 9, just nine months after he married the singer, according to The National Enquirer.
The stripper, Nicole Forrester, told the Enquirer that she met Duhamel in an all-nude club in Atlanta, while was in Georgia filming "Life As We Know It."
LOS ANGELES – James Mitchell, who for nearly three decades played gruff patriarch Palmer Cortland on the ABC soap opera "All My Children," has died, his longtime partner said Sunday night.
Mitchell died Friday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, his partner, Albert Wolsky, said. Mitchell had suffered from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease for years, complicated by a recent bout of pneumonia.
He appeared in more than 300 episodes of the popular soap from 1979 until a 40th anniversary episode this month. He was a regular on the show until 2008.
Mitchell enjoyed playing the icy, wealthy Palmer, who wielded power over his children and the show's fictional town of Pine Valley.
Born in Sacramento on Feb. 29, 1920 and trained as a dancer, Mitchell had leading roles in the Broadway musicals "Brigadoon" and "Paint Your Wagon." He also danced on stage with the American Ballet Theater.
His film credits include 1953's "The Band Wagon" with Fred Astaire, 1954's "Deep in My Heart" and 1955's "Oklahoma."
Mitchell also taught movement for actors at Yale University and Drake University, where he was awarded an honorary doctorate.
Funeral plans were pending.
More ‘Idol’ drama
A moment of pride has turned to sorrow as an “American Idol” contestant has been cut from the competition after violating a confidentiality agreement, according to a report.
Michael Lynche (a.k.a. Big Mike) was reportedly told to pack his bags after his father revealed to his local Florida paper, The St. Petersburg Times, that Michael had made the top 24 — a violation of Idol rules requiring the singers and their families to keep the Hollywood week results quiet until they’re broadcast.
According to People.com and the New York Post, citing” Idol 's" spoiler site Joe’s Place, says Michael was replaced in the top 24 over the weekend. FOX has declined to comment on the report.
Ooops!
Did the Black Eyed Peas jinx itself Saturday night when the group opened France's NRJ awards with its No. 1 anthem, "I Gotta Feeling?"
Even though the song predicts that "tonight's gonna be a good night," it actually turned out to be embarrassing for the hip-hop pop act that was mistakenly announced as the winner of the best international group honor, the New York Daily News reports.
Fortunately, the Peas did not take the stage when presenters Ke$ha and French choreographer Kamel Ouali accidentally called the group's name.
The German rock band Tokio Hotel was the actual winner.
After realizing the error, Ouali apologized. He said that the information card was confusing because it listed the winner and the other nominees. The crowd booed.
T.M. I.
Speaking of the Black Eyed Peas, as rumors fly that Fergie's husband cheated on her, the singer-actress, 34, is releasing juicy details about her own sex life.
She tells the Advocate that her hubby, Josh Duhamel, is "well-endowed" and confirms that she's bisexual.
In the interview, which was conducted before the recent rumors that Duhamel had sex with a stripper, Fergie says she's been honest with her famous husband about her bisexuality from the beginning.
"I think women are beautiful," she says. "I've had a lot of fun with women, and I'm not ashamed of it. The problem is that I also love a well-endowed man.
"But just because I enjoy women doesn't mean I'm allowed to have affairs in my relationship," Fergie adds. "I learned through talking with my therapist that it is still cheating even if it's with girls, so there is a rule there."
The same rules don't seem to apply for Duhamel though.
The "Transformers" star allegedly cheated with a blonde stripper on Oct. 9, just nine months after he married the singer, according to The National Enquirer.
The stripper, Nicole Forrester, told the Enquirer that she met Duhamel in an all-nude club in Atlanta, while was in Georgia filming "Life As We Know It."
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