Queen Latifah

Queen Latifah, Dolly Parton To Make 'Joyful Noise'

21 Aug 2010 14:35:36 EDT

The movie star and country queen attempt to save a gospel choir in their new flick.
By Mawuse Ziegbe

Country music and hip-hop royalty Dolly Parton and Queen Latifah are slated to rule things on the big screen as co-stars in the upcoming flick "Joyful Noise."

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the musicians/actors will play a pair of ladies who work to stop the closure of a scrappy gospel choir. Latifah will portray the mother of a couple of teenagers who takes the reins of the Pacashau Gospel Choir after the choir leader dies. Parton will play the late choir director's wife who is gunning for the chance to helm the singing group.

The country diva and jazz/pop/hip-hop mogul may also bust out a few tunes together in the film. "Noise" reportedly has a musical angle and director Todd Graff, the writer/director behind the 2003 coming-of-age flick "Camp," is working on the script.

"Noise" marks a return to the silver screen for Parton, who followed up her successful crossover from country to pop with Hollywood hits in the '80s like "Steel Magnolias" and "Nine to Five."

Latifah will stick up for a choir that has fallen on hard times in "Noise" but the multimedia mogul has said she wants to help out promising actors in Hollywood as well. The hip-hop pioneer and big-screen A-lister broke down her reasoning for bringing rapper Common onboard for her last project, "Just Wright." "Every time that I do a movie, when I get into a position of power and my voice actually meant something, I realized that I could no longer walk out onto a set and look at a bunch of white males," Latifah, who was a producer on "Wright," told MTV News earlier this year. "That was just no longer acceptable. I need to see dynamics. I needed to see what I just came out of from walking off the street when I came in here. Where are the women? Where are the people of color? I need to see that in front of me, 'cause I just don't feel like it's right."

What do you think about Queen Latifah and Dolly Parton joining forces onscreen? Let us know in the comments below!

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

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Drake, Queen Latifah And Jennie Finch Recall When They Were 17

16 May 2010 09:33:17 EDT

'It was a very exciting time for me,' Latifah says on MTV's 'When I Was 17.'
By Eric Ditzian

You can notch a #1 Billboard single, score an Olympic gold medal or win a Golden Globe — it still won't erase those awkward moments from your teenage years. That's what we learned on this week's episode of "When I Was 17," when Drake, Jennie Finch and Queen Latifah shared memories of their lives back in the day.

"When I was 17, I used to have this terrible afro," Drake laughed. "You know, an afro is supposed to be big. It's supposed to be a nice sphere and then it's supposed to end. My joint never really ended. It was like a neck afro. It made me look like I had the biggest head in the world."

It got so bad that Drake's friend pretty much demanded he find a new barber. The "Best I Ever Had" MC followed that advice, got a new 'do, and his life has never been the same. "I was a whole new person," he said. "I was, like, reborn."

His wardrobe, however, was an entirely different problem. Drake confessed he used to be an eBay addict. He'd spend hours online picking out jerseys and velour track suits. "I look back now and it's all hideous," he said.

Two-time Olympic medal winner Jennie Finch, meanwhile, was 6'1" when she was 17, and she admits that getting a date was anything but easy. But she had a tight group of friends called the Bomb Squad — "Because we thought we were the bomb," a friend recalled — and some serious athletic ability.

"I was that super softball chick," Finch said. "I was all about athletics."

During her senior year, she ended up pitching a perfect game — no hits, no walks, no errors, a truly amazing feat. "I remember driving home and being like, 'Mom, can I get that Guess watch if I pitch another perfect game?' It was a mix of gold and silver, so it would go with anything I wore."

Her mom told her if she could pitch another perfect game — and do it during her very next start — the watch would be hers. Sure enough, she went out and threw another perfect game. "You better believe I rocked that Guess watch," Finch laughed.

When Queen Latifah was 17, she had her eye on a record contract. Her mom introduced her to a local DJ named Mark James, otherwise known as the 45 King. Together they laid down a demo.

"I did, like, two songs," she explained. "I was just spittin' my rhymes. 'Wrath of My Madness' was the A side. 'Princess of the Posse' was the B side. Mark gave the tape to this guy named Fab 5 Freddy, who was known around. I knew he was circulating this music around, but I was kind of on pins and needles. You never know, it's a one-in-a-million shot. And Mark calls me one day. He's like, 'Yo, I think we got a record deal!'

"It was a very exciting time for me," she added. "I was 17 years old and I was off to the races."

"When I Was 17" airs Saturdays at 11 a.m. on MTV.

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Queen Latifah Recalls Being The Teacher's Kid, On 'When I Was 17'

14 May 2010 07:14:01 EDT

'This may sound like a bad thing to a lot of people, but thank God my mother was the cool teacher,' she says.
By Jayson Rodriguez

Before she was Queen Latifah, she was Dana Owens, a burgeoning female MC. Back then, everyone's favorite hip-hop multi-hyphenate found herself in a position that would have made most students curl up and cry.

"When I was 17, I attended the same high school my mother taught at," Queen Latifah reveals during the next episode of MTV's new show "When I Was 17," which airs Saturday at 11 a.m. and also features Drake and Olympic softball player Jennie Finch. "Now this may sound like a bad thing to a lot of people, but thank God my mother was the cool teacher that everyone liked."

The rapper-turned-Oscar-nominated actress isn't telling a tall tale, according to manager Sha-Kim Compere, who was a fellow classmate.

"You would gravitate to her because of her free spirit," he said of Latifah's mother, an Irvington High School teacher in New Jersey. "She was one of the friendliest people."

Well, apparently, like mother like daughter, because Latifah explains that in high school, she was voted most comical and most popular by her peers.

"I was that girl," she says. "That's how the people voted, and I have to honor the request of the people."

Long live the Queen.

"When I Was 17" — this week featuring Drake, Queen Latifah and Jennie Finch — airs Saturday at 11 a.m. on MTV.

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Sneak Peek: 'When I Was 17' Episode 3

13 May 2010 17:50:12 EDT

Check out preview clips of Queen Latifah, Drake and Jennie Finch from upcoming episode of "When I was 17," airing Saturday (May 15) at 11 a.m. on MTV.
By

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'SOS: Help For Haiti' Telethon Unites Chris Brown, Mary J. Blige, Justin Bieber

05 Feb 2010 23:14:00 EST

Wyclef Jean, Keri Hilson, Robin Thicke and Nas also perform at the BET telethon.
By Shaheem Reid

Queen Latifah, Pharrell and Diddy spearheaded BET's "SOS Save Ourselves: Help for Haiti" telethon Friday night (February 5) at Miami's American Airlines Arena, encouraging viewers to donate to the quake-ravaged island.

From the onset, the mood was upbeat, thanks to Wyclef Jean's opening performance of "Hold On" with Mavado. 'Clef — who told the audience he wanted to teach them "Creole 101" — also brought out Haitian MCs to rap along. Later, he celebrated his homeland's culture in an energetic mini-set that started off with him and Akon performing "Sweetest Girl." 'Clef then said since he was in Miami, he wanted to do a remix. Haitian singer Black Dada came out and started singing the hook to his single "I'mma Zoe." Then, Wyclef's artist Haitian Fresh came out. The performance ended with everyone waving Haitian flags.

The tone of the night's performances ranged from inspirational, with powerhouse vocalists Mary J. Blige and Jazmine Sullivan singing "We Gonna Make It," to fun, with Justin Bieber and Ludacris uniting for "Baby" (the Biebs gave a gracious salute to Haiti by singing parts of "One Less Lonely Girl" in French). Robin Thicke did a pitch-perfect rendition of Marvin Gaye's "Mercy Mercy Me," and Keri Hilson performed her Billboard smash "Knock You Down."

Hilson delivered a message to the crowd after her song: "No one is paid to be here. We're all here from the bottoms of our hearts. We're all brothers and sisters in Christ. No one is exempt. We can all do something."

Busta Rhymes brought a brand-new, Haiti-themed song to the telethon. Although the rap vet did not announce the title, he rapped with clarity and conviction. "While my heart is racing and I address the topic," Rhymes rapped. "What's the reason they facing something so catastrophic/ While I search for answers and balance my thoughts equal/ All I can come up with is God is testing the people/ It's so incredible to witness the strength of the righteous/ And the clearest example of how we come together in crisis."

Another powerful lyricist, Nas, also took to the stage. He performed "The Strong Will Continue" with Damian Marley, from their upcoming Distant Relatives LP. "This is for the strong," Nas yelled. "This is for Haiti!"

Chris Brown was in top form, breaking out "Crawl" and "With You." Kirk Franklin brought an all-star triumvirate of India.Arie, Jazmine Sullivan and Chrisette Michele to sing a special version of his Haiti relief song "Are You Listening." The powerful songbirds brought an even more spiritual vibe to the song, breaking into "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands" in the middle of the song.

The show ended with Diddy, Queen Latifah and Pharrell saying good night before starting a "Lean on Me" sing-along. Almost all the night's other performers — which also included Monica, Robin Thicke and Pitbull — came out, as did stars such as Brian McKnight, Sean Kingston and Gloria Estefan.

Former President Bill Clinton also spoke during the event, driving home the message that our help for Haiti will have to be a sustained effort. "We've still got a lot to do to get the people of Haiti back so they don't have to worry about day-to-day," Clinton said. "Those people deserve our help. They can have a better future, and you can give it to them."

Learn more about what you can do to help with earthquake-relief efforts in Haiti, and for more information, see Think MTV. Visit HopeForHaitiNow.org or call (877) 99-HAITI to make a donation now.

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Diddy And Justin Bieber Sign On For BET's 'Help For Haiti' Telethon

27 Jan 2010 14:50:00 EST

Queen Latifah, Mary J. Blige, Ludacris and Robin Thicke have also signed on for February 5 concert/telethon.
By James Montgomery

On the heels of George Clooney's "Hope for Haiti Now" telethon — which was watched by some 83 million people and raised more than $61 million in donations — BET has announced plans for a benefit of their own, a star-studded event they're calling "SOS Saving Ourselves: Help for Haiti."

Hosted by Sean "Diddy" Combs and Queen Latifah, the show will air live from the American Airlines Arena in Miami on February 5 and will feature appearances and performances by Mary J. Blige, Ludacris, Justin Bieber, Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams. Additional talent will be announced in the coming days.

A three-hour concert/telethon, "SOS" will be broadcast on MTV, BET, VH1 and Centric at 8 p.m. ET. Money raised will go to organizations providing immediate relief in Haiti, including Wyclef Jean's Yele Haiti foundation, C.A.R.E. and Project MediShare. Tickets to the benefit will also be available on Ticketmaster.com and at the American Airlines Arena box office.

It's not known whether the performances from the event will be made available for download following the broadcast.

On Wednesday (January 27), Hope for Haiti Now, a digital album featuring all the performances from last week's telethon (a list that included songs by Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Justin Timberlake, Rihanna and Bruce Springsteen, to name just a few) made history by becoming the first all-digital release to debut atop the Billboard albums chart, selling more than 171,000 copies. The Hope for Haiti Now album also made it into the record books by becoming the biggest one-day album pre-order in iTunes history.

Learn more about what you can do to help with earthquake-relief efforts in Haiti, and for more information, see Think MTV. Visit HopeForHaitiNow.org or call (877) 99-HAITI to make a donation now.

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Mary J. Blige, Queen Latifah, More To Appear At Black Girls Rock! Awards

16 Oct 2009 18:39:00 EDT

'I'm a firm believer that if you save any woman, you save the world,' Blige says of the charity event.
By Shaheem Reid

NEW YORK — Mary J. Blige aims to inspire and empower women through her songs and charitable efforts, so it's fitting that the legendary singer is among several honorees — including actress Raven-Symoné, model Naomi Campbell and Queen Latifah — at the Black Girls Rock! Awards on Saturday. The fourth-annual fundraiser, hosted by Regina King and Tracee Ellis Ross, salutes those who are proud to be positive role models for at-risk girls of color, among other achievements.

"I am one of those women, so they're gonna call on me," Blige said. "Black Girls Rock! reached out to my people and asked that I be involved — I guess because of the foundation I created called FFawn [Foundation For the Advancement of Women Now].

"FFAWN is about empowering women — to educate them, encourage them," she continued. "Get your confidence and self-esteem up. I'm a firm believer that if you save any woman, you save the world, because women are the nurturers. We're the reason why things grow and are born. Why wouldn't you call me? My whole movement has been ... about 'OK, all right, I need some help out here.' But I had no idea everyone else needed help more than I did. That was my movement. That began my movement."

Blige's crusade to help out her sisters dates back to when she was a youngster.

"When I was a child, I never seen any women ever treated well: black, white, hispanic," she explained.

"I'm definitely gonna talk about a lot of what I'm telling about now," she said of her speech at the ceremony. "I always have to go into my childhood to explain to people why this is so important to me. It's really important because of what I grew up in. I never seen a black woman treated well, not ever. My grandparents, when I was a kid, I saw them [treated well], but they're old — we just know what we see when they're old. But as far as women in their 30s — when I'm a child and seeing my parents and my aunts, not one woman treated well, ever. My whole thing when I was a kid was to not see another woman suffer when I get older. [At the show] I'm going into detail and going in detail. Why? Why 'Black Girls Rock'? Black girls rock because we have it the hardest. We have it the hardest because our testimonies are stronger probably than anybody on the earth."

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Common, The Roots Turn Up The Volume With Queen Latifah, Q-Tip In NYC

08 Oct 2009 14:24:00 EDT

Eve, Ashanti, Robin Thicke and more celebs turn out for last stop of Hennessy Artistry 2009 Series.
By Jayson Rodriguez

NEW YORK — Common and the Roots may have shared top billing Wednesday night during their performance at Terminal 5 in Manhattan, but the under card — featuring Colin Monroe, Don Omar and Bilal — packed as big of a punch as the two musical heavyweights.

It was the surprise guest, though, that stole the show from them all.

"We got the Queen in the house," Common told the crowd that gathered for the last stop of the Hennessy Artistry 2009 Series. "I don't know if you know who I'm talking about."

Moments later, Queen Latifah came onstage to a thunderous applause. The legendary MC sang some jazz standards before kicking into rhyme mode. "Who you calling a bi---?" she asked, as ?uestlove led the Roots into "U.N.I.T.Y."

Once the Roots hit the stage, the production took on a round-robin feel, as Common darted on and off the stage and other acts took turns onstage in between.

The Chicago MC performed "The People" one moment, and then the Roots went into "The Next Moment." Common returned for "The Light," and the Roots smoothly segued into A Tribe Called Quest's "Bonita Applebum."

Tribe frontman Q-Tip ran onstage and took the mic. The Queens rapper spit some of his classic lines before turning things up a notch with Tribe's "Electric Relaxation."

Eve, Ashanti, Robin Thicke and wife Paula Patton, Tyrese, "Gossip Girl" actor Penn Badgley, Lucy Liu and Anthony Mackie were among those in attendance for the set. The performance was the finale in a four-city tour that included stops in Atlanta, Houston and Washington, D.C.

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Queen Latifah, The Virgins, Liza Minnelli Celebrate Paper's 25th Anniversary

09 Sep 2009 10:57:00 EDT

Kanye West, Kid Cudi, Mark Ronson and Janelle Monae party for the New York magazine.
By Steven Roberts

NEW YORK — Paper magazine celebrated its 25th anniversary Tuesday evening with a party at the New York Public Library. Kanye West, Kid Cudi and Janelle Monae were all in attendance as Queen Latifah, the Virgins, DJ Mark Ronson and Liza Minnelli performed.

The Virgins opened the loosely enforced black-tie affair, which mixed a crowd of fashionistas, musicians and socialites. Lead singer Donald Cummings hit the stage with his face covered in what looked like black ink that had dripped from his scalp. He asked the crowd to forgive the band for not sound-checking as they proceeded to jump straight into their set.

The downtown dance-rock outfit performed a variety of songs — some of which have appeared on "Gossip Girl" — from their self-titled debut album.

Queen Latifah hit the stage next, dressed in all black with yellow Reebok Classics. The legendary MC began listing off various fellow famous New Jersey artists, including the Jonas Brothers and Bruce Springsteen, before she performed "The Light" off of her new hip-hop album, Persona.

Latifah raised the tempo with the album's first single, "Fast Car," and continued with mostly new material, though she did perform her classic "U.N.I.T.Y," much to the crowd's liking.

Broadway legend Liza Minnelli closed the show, but not before Andrew W.K. could invite Paper founders Kim Hastreiter and David Hershkovits onstage. The pair thanked everyone for their support, as they brought out a cake and asked the crowd to sing "Happy Birthday" to their magazine.

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Common, Robin Thicke Hit The Racetrack For New Queen Latifah Video

25 Aug 2009 07:21:00 EDT

'Fast Car' is from Latifah's new LP, Persona.
By Steven Roberts

Over the years, Queen Latifah has rubbed shoulders with countless people in music and film industry. So it's no surprise that on Sunday, on the set of the video for her new single, "Fast Car," Missy Elliott (also featured on the record), Common, Robin Thicke and his wife, actress Paula Patton, shot their cameos for the video.

"I just asked them," Latifah said, "and I really appreciate all of them showing up, because they all have really busy schedules. They got to drive these Mustangs around this track a little, put the pedal to the metal, which is always fun."

The video was shot at Wall Township Speedway in South Belmar, New Jersey. Latifah, Common and Thicke all got a chance to drive around the racetrack in their own individual Ford Mustangs before the rain came down.

Latifah stars along side both Common and Paula Patton in the upcoming romantic comedy, "Just Wright." Latifah stars as a physical therapist Lesile Wright who falls for a pro basketball player played by Mehcad Brooks. She said they've built a rapport, while on set.

"I know how hard they've been working, and they know how hard I've been working, but we cool like that."

The song is from Latifah's new LP, Persona, out today (August 25), which combines hip-hop and pop was was executive-produced by the hitmaking team of Cool and Dre.

Common said he really respects Latifah as not only a great talent in everything from music to modeling to business, but a friend.

"I think she's an incredible person and we've been working together ['Just Wright'], so it's a camaraderie, so she invited me to come through for the video and I was like, 'Yeah, for sure.' "

Robin Thicke said he and Latifah had been friends for 10 years, so he jumped at the opportunity when asked. However, he did seem most excited to drive around the racetrack ...

"I was getting my Ricky Bobby on!" he said. "If you're not first you're last."

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