MissAshley

I've not seen it on purpose lol. Its funny you made the Vanilla Ice comparison, Marlon Wayans said the same thing. I was flipping channels and saw a clip on ET or something and one of the lyrics was "I'm a superstar" and all I could think was "well you look like a jackass" ......is that mean? Hehe

only by about 21 hrs.

Fresh Princes of Mumbai, Building a Global Audience By LAURA M. HOLSON Published: August 21, 2006 LOS ANGELES, Aug. 20 — When you are Will Smith, there are few places you can’t get in. Last year, one of those places was China. Government censors allowed only 20 foreign movie imports in 2005, leaving out Mr. Smith’s romantic comedy “Hitch.” The rejection rankled the actor; China is one of the fastest-growing movie markets. So at a gathering of the Sony Corporation’s top management in January, Mr. Smith appealed to the chief executive, Sir Howard Stringer, and a studio executive, Michael Lynton, to introduce him to Chinese producing partners. “We can be more helpful in India,” Mr. Lynton told Mr. Smith at their afternoon meeting at the Kahala Resort in Honolulu. India has a robust movie industry with none of China’s political constraints. Mr. Lynton offered to introduce the actor to Indian producers, actors and directors. And the next month Mr. Smith took his first trip to India. Now he has a deal — to make movies there instead. Overbrook Entertainment, the company created by Mr. Smith and his business partner, James Lassiter, announced it was working with UTV, a television and film concern run by the entrepreneur Ronnie Screwvala. The two have agreed to produce two movies, neither of which will star the popular Mr. Smith. UTV will pay the films’ costs up to a specified sum (after that amount, Overbrook has to raise the money) but the burden is on Mr. Smith and Mr. Lassiter to develop a script and hire the cast. The deal says a lot about Hollywood’s desire to court foreign audiences. After years of declining movie attendance at home, studios and movie stars are looking for new opportunities. Last week, for instance, Hugh Jackman made an arrangement with 20th Century Fox to produce as many as five films a year in his native Australia. Quentin Tarantino, a fan of Chinese martial arts movies, has marketed Asian-language films in the United States under the banner “presented by Quentin Tarantino.” But it says even more about Mr. Smith’s ambition to become an international player. “It’s been said, ‘Why sell something to 10 people when you can sell it to 10 million people?’ ” said Mr. Smith late one afternoon in an interview in Overbrook’s offices in Beverly Hills. “You have to have a global perspective.” Early on, Mr. Smith, 37, sought an international career. Born and reared in Philadelphia, he got his start in the mid-1980’s rapping in local clubs as half of the rap duo DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince. Then the teenage rapper met Mr. Lassiter, who was attending Temple University and was a friend of Jazzy Jeff, whose real name is Jeffrey Townes. One day Mr. Smith asked Mr. Lassiter, now 41, if he would allow a record company in New York to send a contract to Mr. Lassiter’s fax machine at his home. (This is how Mr. Lassiter got into show business: he owned the only fax machine among his neighborhood friends.) Mr. Lassiter reviewed the contract, and within weeks he was Mr. Smith’s road manager. “We saw beyond Philadelphia and had the opportunity to travel the world and have someone else pay for it,” said Mr. Lassiter. “At first it was selfish, but it turned into a business.” While the two friends have guided Mr. Smith’s career together for nearly two decades, they are a study in contrasts. At an interview, Mr. Lassiter wore a plain white shirt and tan pants, while Mr. Smith was dapper in a lime-green corduroy jacket. Mr. Lassiter is reserved, where Mr. Smith greeted a stranger with a hug. And Mr. Lassiter balked at sitting on a pomegranate-colored couch for a photograph, saying it was too flashy. “Come on,” countered Mr. Smith, smiling. “I like it. What do you guys think?” he said, addressing onlookers standing at the back of Overbrook’s conference room. Indeed the two interact with an ease rare in Hollywood. “We have a very interesting yin and yang balance where I don’t have to burden myself,” Mr. Smith earnestly said. “I can let my mind go a thousand miles an hour, where it should be. It’s up to him to align our energy and make sure that the ideas will work.” Mr. Lassiter, who had just arrived from New York, offered a blunt response to Mr. Smith’s remarks. “I can’t believe I got up at 4:30 a.m. for this,” he said, rolling his eyes at Mr. Smith and laughing. In 1986 the two traveled to London to make an album. It was their first time in Europe together, and the trip made a deep impression on Mr. Smith. “We met a group of girls who went to Syracuse University who were going to school there,” said Mr. Smith. “That was bizarre to me. To see how free they were. They met there. That world perspective opened me up to the idea. I realized how secluded Americans are.” Four years later Mr. Smith joined the television sitcom “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” in which he starred from 1990 to 1996. Mr. Smith endeared himself to “Fresh Prince” fans in Spain by conducting interviews in Spanish. But he still remained in awe of the impact rap music had on foreign cultures. He recalled a visit to Tokyo in 1988 by the group Run DMC who were greeted by 5,000 fans at the airport wearing gold chains and track suits. More recently, in 2000, Mr. Smith and Mr. Lassiter were in Mozambique where Mr. Smith was making the movie “Ali.” “One guy we hired for the movie, all he wanted to talk about was Tupac and Redman,” said Mr. Lassiter, referring to the slain rapper Tupac Shakur and the rapper and actor Reggie Noble, who performs under the name Redman. On the same trip, Mr. Smith said he saw a woman in a village one afternoon washing her clothes in a river. She spoke no English. But as Mr. Smith walked by, she pointed and shouted, “Gettin’ jiggy wit it!” a popular line from one Mr. Smith’s songs. “I was cracking up,” said Mr. Smith, his body shaking with laughter at the memory. “If she would have said, ‘You’re Will Smith,’ that would have been one thing. But she knew the song. She had to have seen the video to recognize me. And she probably didn’t have a TV.” Even now the two are perplexed at actors who complain about traveling overseas. “They say they hate the food in London,” said Mr. Lassiter, sounding annoyed. “How can you hate the food?” said Mr. Smith, laughing. “I mean, they could go to Nobu or Mr. Chow,” added Mr. Lassiter. In 1998, after brief stints at other companies, Mr. Lassiter became Mr. Smith’s business partner and the two formed Overbrook, which produced a hit in “Hitch,” but missed with this year’s “ATL.” Originally, Overbrook had a deal with Universal Pictures to produce movies. But after three years and no movies, Mr. Smith took his company to Sony. “There was a learning curve” at Universal, conceded Mr. Lassiter. “The management changed. We were a little arrogant. It takes time to read the scripts and get to know the directors. We weren’t ready.” “I was ready,” countered Mr. Smith, but he did acknowledge being impatient. If there was a turning point in Mr. Smith’s foreign appeal, it was in 1995 with the movie “Bad Boys.” Mr. Smith said the producers expected the film would make only about $5 million overseas. Mr. Smith and Mr. Lassiter said they persuaded its producer, Jerry Bruckheimer, to let Mr. Smith go to the Cannes Film Festival to promote it; holding a news conference, throwing an MTV party attended by 1,000 people and conducting scores of one-on-one interviews with journalists. “It started out as two days and it ended up being two weeks,” said Mr. Lassiter. The movie brought in 15 times as much at the international box office as was predicted. Since then, Mr. Smith and Mr. Lassiter pick out a new foreign market to concentrate on with the release of each movie. For “I, Robot” it was Russia; in South Africa it was “Ali.” India now is the country they most want to explore. Already the two have met with Indian directors and actors. And they hope to announce their first movie soon, which Sony has the right to distribute worldwide. “We don’t want to plaster Mumbai with pictures of Will Smith,” said Mr. Lassiter. “We want to make an exchange. We want to do films there as well as introduce Indian actors and directors to the United States. We have to show people we are willing to adapt to their world.” But they acknowledge that this endeavor is risky. India’s close-knit film community is already well established. And the most popular movies are Bollywood musicals, a genre in which neither Mr. Smith nor Mr. Lassiter has any experience. As a result, their live-action movie produced with UTV could be filmed outside of India. The other film will be made in India where UTV has animation operations. “A lot of the people in India don’t know what they have,” said Mr. Smith. Neither do Americans, he said. A case in point, he said, is the story of the Taj Mahal. It was built as a tomb in 1631 for Mumtaz Mahal, the beloved wife of Emperor Shah Jahan who died after having the couple’s 14th child. “But there is a second part of the story you don’t know,” said Mr. Smith, recounting the history. Shah Jahan, who was said to have killed his brothers, was later overthrown by his son. The emperor was imprisoned in a tower where the view from his window was of the tomb he had built to honor his wife. “No one hears that part,” said Mr. Smith. “What are the other stories we don’t know?” source via google http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/21/business...artner=homepage

a bit of a review from the NY Giants Let's All Go to the Movies! Players screen Giants Chairman Steve Tisch's new film, "The Pursuit of Happyness" By Emily Ryan and Aron Angel, Giants.com August 15, 2006 Albany, N.Y. - The pursuit of happiness. Thomas Jefferson believed that the pursuit and eventual achievement of happiness was important enough to include in the opening lines of the Declaration of Independence. For Christopher Gardner, such a pursuit was a seemingly endless battle, filled with harsh circumstances and constant stress. His story is one of unimaginable despair, determination, and finally success. On Saturday night team members and staff of the New York Giants were given the opportunity to view a private screening of “The Pursuit of Happyness,” a major motion picture starring Will Smith based on Gardner’s amazing true story. Columbia Pictures’ movie, co-starring Smith’s son, Jaden, and produced by Giants Chairman and Executive Vice President Steve Tisch, Jason Blumenthal, Todd Black and Marc Clayman, focuses on Gardner (Smith), a bright and talented, but marginally employed salesman. Struggling to make ends meet, Gardner finds himself and his five year-old son evicted from their San Francisco apartment with nowhere to go. When Gardner lands an internship at a prestigious stock brokerage firm, he and his son endure many hardships in pursuit of Gardner’s dream of a better life for the two of them. The players and staff were awed by Gardner’s ability to persevere throughout the film. “I thought that was one of the most phenomenal stories of triumph that I’ve ever seen,” said linebacker LaVar Arrington. “I think that whatever their formula is for how they do movies—I know (Tisch) was part of “Forrest Gump”—I tell you, it was a pretty powerful movie.” You know a movie is powerful when it almost moves a 268-pound defensive lineman to tears. “Great movie, man,” said defensive end Justin Tuck. “Just a great movie. Real heartfelt. Honestly, it almost made me cry at times. Will Smith did another great job and I look forward to him winning some awards off this movie.” Wide receiver Tim Carter was impressed with Smith’s performance, as well as that of his son, Jaden. “Will Smith is a great actor, and that was his son, I heard,” said Carter. “I was wondering how in the world they could find a kid that can act, that looks like Will Smith. What’s the probability that you could find somebody like that? So that ended up being his son. Will Smith does a good job. It was a dramatic role and I think he did a great job with it. He was definitely in character and he looked aged. The movie was two hours and it didn’t seem like it. I wanted more. That’s what I really like about the movie; that I wanted more. It didn’t even seem as long as it was.” Wide receiver Michael Jennings said Smith’s story was one that he could relate to. “It was real inspiring, especially for me,” he said. “Just what I’m going through, just trying to work hard and make this team, it’s real inspirational.” “The Pursuit of Happyness” will be released in theaters on Dec. 15. source via google: http://www.giants.com/news/special_feature...?story_id=17080

Shooting Dates for I Am Legend Source: Production Weekly August 16, 2006 According to Production Weekly, Warner Bros. Pictures has planned a shoot longer than six months for the Francis Lawrence-directed sci-fi actioner I Am Legend, starring Will Smith. The movie, based on the Richard Matheson book, starts filming on September 23 and will continue until March 31 in New York. Smith plays Robert Neville, the last living man on Earth... but he is not alone. Every other man, woman, and child has become a vampire, and they are all hungry for Neville's blood. By day, he is the hunter, stalking the sleeping undead through the abandoned ruins of civilization. By night, he barricades himself in his home and prays for the dawn. The studio has already scheduled a November 21, 2007 release date for the film. source via google: http://comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=16042

the "Pursuit of Happyness" AOL page has added an audio interview feature with Chris Gardner http://movies.aol.com/movie/the-pursuit-of...ness/23572/main the whole interview is interesting(it was to me), but he talks a little about the film and Will and Jaden in the second part

I sincerely hope not Tim, lol...really. did anybody else spy the real Chris Gardner in the trailer? I was watching it for the gazillionth time and I just noticed him walking by at the end...I didn't realize that was him until I viewed the trailer on at a larger screen size

thnx Jonny, I'm a photoshop-aholic so I make tons of icons, I'll probably have a different one in a few days...yesterday I checked my email (something I don't do enough) and my auntie had forwarded me the link to the Pursuit site/trailer with a message saying "we MUST support this film" I thought that was cool considering I hadn't had a chance to tell her about it yet lol. But my fam knows I'm a huge fan of Will so she's always telling when he's on tv or in a mag or something...I hope more people spread the word about the movie, it could be bigger than expected...just thought I'd mention that with all the "Pursuit" hype going on in this thread lol

Happy, Happy Birthday to my fave writing buddy! do something fun!

you never know with the "Academy"(they've been known to snub some good performances) but if his performance in this film is as good as people have been saying I wouldn't be surprised if he did get nominated,it's hard to tell seeing as how the movie hasn't come out yet lol, so I'll reserve judgement until I've seen it for myself,if the trailer is anything to go by this will be a good drama..it's also a matter of who he's up against if he does get nominated and this fall/winter season is supposed to be a good one for Oscar contenders....a lot of these movies haven't come out yet but to get an idea you could out this list from hollywood elsewhere The idea for now is not to list the likeliest 2006 Oscar nominees but every possible contender in every major category, and then remove the less worthy as they are seen and evaluated as the year moves along http://hollywood-elsewhere.com/archives/20...land_to_tel.php

cool find, I was glad they kept going to the end even though it rained on them

another link, there's a pic with this article http://www.voice-online.co.uk/content.php?show=9773

Jaden's one of the Faces of Tomorrow: Ones to Watch 2006 over at blackfilm Faces of Tomorrow: Ones to Watch 2006 July 31, 2006 There’s always a new crop of individuals who are ready for stardom and this year is no exception. Following in the path of previous blackfilm.com's faces of tomorrow honorees like Terrence Howard, Tyler Perry, Anthony Mackie, and Kerry Washington, this year's list represents a talent pool whose body of work in this year alone we think has the potential for greatness in the future. In no particular order, we present to you the ones to watch for in 2006: Jaden Smith The youngest member of this year’s list has found a smooth way to get into the film business. Having a lead role opposite your father, Will Smith, is the best way to learn the game. Sources say Jaden steals your heart away in “The Pursuit of Happyness”. Prior to his film career, Jaden played “Reggie” in a couple of TV episodes of “All of Us”. source: http://www.blackfilm.com/20060728/features...watch2006.shtml

A compressed thread, just so it's easier to find info on the film, hope this is helpful, full credit given to those who found links, articles, pics, etc. http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/thepursuitofhappyness/ SYNOPSIS In The Pursuit of Happyness, Chris Gardner (Will Smith) is a family man struggling to make ends meet. Despite his valiant attempts to help keep the family afloat, the mother (Thandie Newton) of his five-year-old son Christopher (Jaden Christopher Syre Smith) is buckling under the constant strain of financial pressure. No longer able to cope, she reluctantly decides to leave. Chris, now a single father, continues to doggedly pursue a better-paying job using every sales skill he knows. He lands an internship at a prestigious stock brokerage firm, and although there is no salary, he accepts, hopeful he will end the program with a job and a promising future. Without a financial cushion, Chris and his son are soon evicted from their apartment and forced to sleep in shelters, bus stations, bathrooms or wherever they can find refuge for the night. Despite his troubles, Chris continues to honor his commitment as a loving and caring father, using the affection and trust his son has placed in him as an impetus to overcome the obstacles he faces. Columbia Pictures presents in association with Relativity Media an Overbrook Entertainment/Escape Artists Production The Pursuit of Happyness starring Will Smith, Thandie Newton and introducing Jaden Christopher Syre Smith. The film is directed by Gabriele Muccino and written by Steven Conrad. The producers are Todd Black, Jason Blumenthal, Steve Tisch, James Lassiter and Will Smith. The executive producers are Louis D’Esposito, Mark Clayman, David Alper and Teddy Zee. The director of photography is Phedon Papamichael ASC. The production designer is J. Michael Riva. The film editor is Hughes Winborne, A.C.E. The costume designer is Sharen Davis. The music is by Andrea Guerra. The Pursuit of Happyness has been rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association of America for Some Language. The Pursuit of Happyness will be released by Columbia Pictures on December 15, 2006. Radewart I came across this guy's journal. He was an extra in the movie. The guys a little different. http://journals.aol.com/lamove04/AlbertsWorldofArtsyFun Jonny 5 smileet147 has updated her blog on POH, there's a few bits about Will and Jaden... http://www.xanga.com/profile.aspx?user=smileet147 Radewart here's some pictures of filming: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jpdefillippo/sets/994117/ Here's links to alot of pics of Will filming: http://www.flickr.com/photos/telesle17/sets/991887/ and: http://www.flickr.com/photos/68148885@N00/sets/893743/ Miss Ashley will and the film's Rubik's Cube consultant <----- that cracks me up lol, small article and pic: http://www.csus.com/page.cfm?p=876 Radewart Here's a link to a guy's website who's a rubik's cube technition on "Happyness". http://www.xanga.com/FiddleTFM?nextdate=9%...017&direction=n Radewart & Miss Ashley New pics with Jaden and Thandie Newton! Not the best but it's something.. link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/leef_smith/sets/1118004/ a video link to that last batch of pics with Thandie and Jaden: http://www.vimeo.com/clip=13370 Miss Ashley there's a book coming out in a couple mths. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/006074486...glance&n=283155 Mr. K two early reviews about the film http://www.joblo.com/index.php?id=10696 http://www.aintitcool.com/display.cgi?id=22766 Radewart Foreign Dates for "Happyness" http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0454921/releaseinfo Miss Ashley Various Chris Gardner articles & interviews http://www.kentucky.com/mld/heraldleader/l...ty/14526611.htm http://www.usatoday.com/money/books/2006-0...dner-book_x.htm http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/business/14676634.htm http://abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=2003733&page=1 dkny2kx http://www.chrisgardnermedia.com Miss Ashley an article with Gabriele, a bit about Jaden's casting as well http://ansa.it/main/notizie/awnplus/englis...02_1026309.html Chris Gardner interview by Tavis Smiley (talks of Will and Jaden) http://www.pbs.org/kcet/tavissmiley/archiv...transcript.html Miss Ashley more release dates via imdb Release dates for The Pursuit of Happyness (2006) Country Date USA 15 December 2006 Italy 7 January 2007 Germany 18 January 2007 Belgium 31 January 2007 Argentina 1 February 2007 Netherlands 1 February 2007 Sweden 2 February 2007 Brazil 16 February 2007 Miss Ashley,Radewart, JamesUK, Big Ben, Viber 91 AOL Movie Page, first peek at the poster/trailer, Will Smith commentary...alternate sites to view tralier http://movies.aol.com/movie/the-pursuit-of...ness/23572/main http://www.themoviebox.net/movies/2006/NOP...The/trailer.php http://www.trailerdownload.net/remote/1596 http://pdl.stream.aol.com/aol/us/moviefone..._trlr_01_dl.mov viber_91 official site for the film includes video and production notes http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/thepursuitofhappyness/ Miss Ashley larger version of the movie poster http://www.moviesonline.ca/movienews_9498.html Jonny5 Chris Gardner & Will Smith on 20/20 http://www.youtube.com/results?search=purs...s&search=Search Miss Ashley site with movie stills (so far just one pic) http://www.movieweb.com/movies/film/27/3427/summary.php Jaden on the Faces of Tomorrow: Ones to Watch 2006 list @ blackfilm.com http://www.blackfilm.com/20060728/features...watch2006.shtml the "Pursuit of Happyness" AOL page has added an audio interview feature with Chris Gardner *he talks a little about the film and Will and Jaden in the second part http://movies.aol.com/movie/the-pursuit-of...ness/23572/main a bit of feedback from a screening for the NY Giants http://www.giants.com/news/special_feature...?story_id=17080 new image from the film, High Quality downloadable versions of the trailer source: http://filmforce.ign.com/objects/845/845871.html another article w/ chris Gardner http://www.btimes.com/News/article/article...sID=72205&sID=4 Radewart link to international tralier (another version of the trailer) http://www.comingsoon.net/films.php?id=11056

another "Pursuit" link this site has a movie stills section, too bad there's just one pic, but I thought it was a sweet one just the same, check it out I'm sure they'll add more pics sooner or later http://www.movieweb.com/movies/film/27/3427/summary.php

Happy Birthday to ya...happy birthday to ya...hap- well you get the picture lol have a great one!

that's the 20/20 interview from a while back, it was really interesting to see b/c I finally read the book also...I wish they'd talked more about the film but.......patience, patience, patience ash lol!

large version of the poster source via google: http://www.moviesonline.ca/movienews_9498.html

I think the one about his daughter was the one I saw him perform (or something like it), I'd love to hear what he has to say about Hurricane Katrina

just a little snippet from an article on google: Will Smith is going to be honored by the American Museum of the Moving Image on Dec. 3 at its annual Waldorf-Astoria roast. This should be one star-studded night, with Smith’s pals like Tommy Lee Jones and Martin Lawrence sure to be in attendance. One person I’d like to see: the original "fresh prince of Beverly Hills" himself, talent manager Benny Medina, upon whose experiences Smith’s hit TV series was based. … *yeah I know it's a long way off, but I figured I'd post now and bump the thread up later source via google: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,205867,00.html

I may have to check this one out, Black Ice is my favorite "def poet", I also got to see him live about two years ago when Def poetry Jam came to Chicago. As a writer and a "poet" it was one of the coolest things I've ever experienced, I just love his flow and his lyrical content, he kinda puts me in the mind of Tupac sometimes. Him and Jeff together? Yeah I might have to check this one out lol

Happy Birthday Girl!!!!!!! have a good one.

cool pics Tim! Australia is my dream vacation spot.

that's hilarious, they're screaming the entire time. I bet he just made their day lol

interesting little interviews, thnx for that link