Jada/Fam/Misc

[MissAshley]

thread for posts relating to Jada, the kids, or misc stuff that doesn't really fit anywhere...compressing them b/c they usually don't get lots of responses, just lots of views so in an effort to keep it a little neater around here and not have a million threads with little or no responses.....

Edited October 21, 2008 by MissAshley

[MissAshley]

Jada & Willow/ Cookie magazine

Jada Pinkett Smith

Five members of the family. Four separate Hollywood careers. Not to worry: Superstar mom always has a plan.

By Pilar Guzmán

Jada Pinkett Smith and her 8-year-old daughter, Willow.

Jada Pinkett Smith and her husband, Will Smith, recently sat down together and plotted out their life and partnership goals on a piece of paper. "I'm doing what you might call a business plan in my marriage right now," says the 37-year-old mother of Willow, 8; Jaden, 10; and stepson Trey, 16. "I don't know why, but we all think these things are supposed to be in sync. You know, when you're in business, you figure out what your goals are, and how you're going to get all that achieved, right?" asks Pinkett Smith, who on a sweltering L.A. day makes a pair of skinny jeans and a white V-neck tee look perfectly polished. "Why don't we do that with our life partners?"

Equal parts realistic and optimistic, this state-of-the-union exercise seems a perfect microcosm of her worldview: "The point is to clear out a lot of unnecessary stuff so we can find ways of being better together," Pinkett Smith says matter-of-factly, "because your relationship is either moving forward or it's dying."

First on their list of priorities: Get back to nature, which includes learning how to surf as well as camping and hiking as a family. The process? Lots of research and a little delegation. "When the going gets rough, instead of just going 'Argh,' we sit down and say, 'We're going to find a way to do this.'" she says. "In this case, I say, 'Will, you find out exactly where we should go in Yellowstone with the kids, and I'll do Big Sur.'"

Pinkett Smith doesn't slow down long enough to let things not work out. This year alone, the actress and philanthropist, who starred most recently in The Women, also made her directorial debut with The Human Contract, finished executive-producing The Secret Life of Bees, opened a church, and founded a school with her husband in Westlake Village, California. Though she's best known for her role as the acrobatic Niobe in the Matrix series and as the voice of Gloria, the sassy hippo in Madagascar and Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (which opens this month), Pinkett Smith has also toured as the lead singer of her heavy-metal band, Wicked Wisdom, with her young kids in tow. That was, however, before two of them had legitimate film careers of their own. (Willow most recently appeared in Kit Kittredge: An American Girl, while Jaden will show up alongside Keanu Reeves and Jennifer Connelly in next month's The Day the Earth Stood Still.)

"I've found that I'm at my best when I [engage] everything—the mind, the spirit, my body," she says. And as a mother of a girl, she is very conscious of emphasizing what she calls "the importance of wholeness in being a woman." In addition to her film career, Willow is a serious gymnast, and her mother is okay with however many activities she wants to take on. "I say to her, 'Always focus on your own personal strength,'" says the tiny and fit Pinkett Smith, who looks like she could do a backflip herself. "As long as you compete with you and stay on the track that you want to be on, you're going to be okay."

Child-rearing is one area that doesn't really require that much plotting out between Pinkett Smith and her husband. "We're kind of innately in tune with what we both want for the kids," she says—in large part because they had some similar experiences in childhood that they don't want to replicate in their own family. "We knew that part of our partnership would be creating the exact opposite of what we had." Pinkett Smith's parents were both in high school when she was born, and though they were married briefly, she was brought up primarily by her mom, a nurse, and her maternal grandmother, who died when she was 12. Failure to preserve the family unit is not even a possibility. "We find solutions because that's what we both want," she says. "There is no other option."

Also not an option: raising Hollywood brats. When it comes to manners and discipline, Pinkett Smith's philosophy sounds a lot like her marital plan—that is to say, considered and rigorous. "It's not 'please' and 'thank you' just 'because I told you so,' she explains. "I tell them, 'Every time you go out into the world, you are leaving an impression of yourself and this family with other people. What impression do you want to leave? Do you want people to think you are spoiled [rotten]?'" For Pinkett Smith, it's not just about etiquette—it's about a healthy self-esteem: "I want them to feel good; I want them to smile. Once children feel great about being who they are, you don't really have to worry about manners."

Pinkett Smith's Golden Rules of Parenting

1. Eat as a family. "There's flexibility about when they eat breakfast and lunch, but dinner together is sacred."

2. Enlist help. "I'm lucky to have a lot of people in my world who help me," says Pinkett Smith. That includes her mother: "She travels with me all the time, and when I travel and the kids aren't with me, she stays with them."

3. Drink water. "I tell them, 'You have three bottles of water a day, then drink what you want,'" she explains. "I'm always like, 'Listen, we've got to keep our bodies strong—we got too much stuff to do!'"

4. Respect their boundaries. Staying out of kids' space can teach them to be responsible for their own decisions and mistakes, she says: "Is it their room, or are they borrowing the space while they're living in your house? If it's theirs, then they should be able to do whatever they want with it. If it's their clothes, they have the right to do whatever they want with those clothes. We have to give them some freedom to be who they are."

5. Choose your battles. For instance, she doesn't prescribe what the kids are going to wear—even for the paparazzi. "Who is it going to hurt, really, if she has orange balloon pants on the red carpet?" she says. "I try to stay outside my ego and what I want and to respect them as I expect them to respect me."

6. Expose and educate. "We go to church as a family on Sunday, but we study world religion during the week as well. We read excerpts from the Bible, from Hindu texts, Kabbalah, Judaism...."

http://www.cookiemag.com/entertainment/200...a_pinkett_smith

[Ale]

Thanks for that! :thumbsup:

[Ale]

Jada Pinkett Smith to be at festival

The 44th Chicago International Film Festival has confirmed that actress Jada Pinkett Smith will present the world premiere of her directorial debut, The Human Contract, at AMC River East 21, 322 E. Illinois, Tuesday, Oct. 28 at 7:30 p.m.

The Human Contract details the provocative psychological journey of a successful but repressed advertising executive. The cast includes Jason Clarke, Paz Vega, Idris Elba, T.J. Thyne, Steven Brand, Tessa Thompson, Ted Danson and Pinkett Smith.

http://www.windycitymediagroup.com/gay/les...E.php?AID=19630

[Sandy]

That's a good idea Ashley. Thanks for the article, I love the pictures!

Thanks Ale for the info too ;.) Jada and the cast of Madagasca 2 will be in Madrid next month. She's a busy woman right now!

Edited October 22, 2008 by Sandy

[MissAshley]

Madagascar 2- Meet the Cast (Jada & Willow voice Gloria)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Nrb_jRUOhA

[Ale]

MADAGASCAR: ESCAPE 2 AFRICA Clip and Featurettes!

http://www.iesb.net/index.php?option=com_c...9&Itemid=99

Edited November 5, 2013 by Ale

[MissAshley]

Actress Jada Pinkett Smith and daughter Willow Smith arrive at the Dream Halloween annual fundraiser for the Children Affected by AIDS Foundation, Saturday, Oct. 25, 2008, in Santa Monica, Calif.

The Children Affected by AIDS Foundation, Host Jamie Lee Curtis and Honorary Event Chairs Jada Pinkett Smith and Willow Smith welcome families and friends to celebrate all the fun and excitement that Halloween has to offer at this annual fundraising event. Each October, the Foundation opens its doors to hundreds of families to attend Dream Halloween® in-costume and trick-or-treat for toys, meet their favorite costume characters, play games, watch the live stage show, create arts and crafts and enjoy delicious food. Other celebrities joining in the excitement include Wilmer Valderrama, Jason Priestley, Melina Kanakaredes, Marlee Matlin and Doris Roberts.

This year’s Dream Halloween® Los Angeles takes place at the Barker Hangar in the Santa Monica Air Center from 5:00 pm – 8:30 pm on Saturday, October 25, 2008. One-of-a-kind dolls created in the likeness of Jada Pinkett Smith and Willow Smith will be presented to them by Bob Eckert, Chairman and CEO, Mattel, Inc. and Jerry Storch, Chairman and CEO, Toys“R”Us, Inc.

Edited October 26, 2008 by MissAshley

[Ale]

More pictures here:

http://www.wireimage.com/ItemListings.aspx...0243&nbc1=1

http://www.filmmagic.com/ItemListing.aspx?...911&evntI=0

[MissAshley]

Madagascar 2 premiere

http://www.gettyimages.com/Search/Search.a...ventId=83261948

http://www.filmmagic.com/ItemListing.aspx?...983&evntI=0

http://www.wireimage.com/itemlistings.aspx...338720&cl=1

Edited October 26, 2008 by MissAshley

[Jazzy Julie]

Theres lots of rumours about at the moment that Will is gay, this picture does not help at all lmao. I love the fact that Will is wearing the silly hat, yet on all the other pictures no one else is, not even the children.

[Ale]

Jada: "Paz Vega is brilliant and a very special woman"

VIDEO

http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2008/10/27/g...1225102960.html

[Sandy]

Theres lots of rumours about at the moment that Will is gay, this picture does not help at all lmao. I love the fact that Will is wearing the silly hat, yet on all the other pictures no one else is, not even the children.

And I love the fact that no one of us has posted the stupid news about the gay thing.The picture is funny, Will is being himself, acting like that shows he has nothin' to hide.

I really want to see this movie, I liked the 1st one but for the trailers it seems that this one could be better.

thanks for the pics!

[MissAshley]

Dan Gross: Will Smith's princely donation

By Dan Gross

Philadelphia Daily News

WILL SMITH made a generous

donation to the fund set up for the family of Police Officer Isabel Nazario, who was killed last month when a teenager rammed a stolen SUV into the patrol car in which Nazario was riding.

Smith taped a brief video tribute to Nazario that was aired at a recent fundraiser memorial at the National Guard Armory (Southampton Road & Roosevelt Blvd.).

The Overbrook-native superstar grew up with Sgt. Mike Young, who worked with Nazario on the Narcotics Strike Force.

Young, who formerly toured with Smith and DJ Jazzy Jeff, spoke with Smith and his Overbrook Entertainment partner, James Lassister, and Smith agreed to match the dollar figure raised at the benefit for Nazario, who is survived by family including 15-year-old daughter, Jazmin.

The event raised $62,000, which Smith is poised to match.

Donations can be made to the Isabel Nazario Family Memorial Fund, at the Police and Fire Federal Credit Union 900 Arch Street, Phila., PA 19107.

http://www.philly.com/philly/entertainment...y_donation.html

[MissAshley]

Jada Pinkett Smith walks the red carpet at the directorial debut of her new film

Balancing a husband and kids can be exhausting, let alone trying to manage a career as well. But for Jada Pinkett Smith, working is her time to get away. “That’s how I do it, I make sure I get jobs so that I can go away and have promotional tours and have an excuse to be alone,” said Pinkett Smith Tuesday evening at her directorial debut of her film “Human Contract” at the Chicago International Film Festival in Chicago. “Usually this is the time when I do have alone time, when I’m out on the road promoting. But this time my daughter is with me – I love her to death but I joke that it’s just messing up my whole flow,” she said.

But being with her family – both on the job and off – is something she is quite used to. In “Human Contract,” husband Will Smith took on the role of executive producer. Since this was her first time directing, Pinkett Smith said husband Will was always there to offer support, but she did want to figure a few things out for herself. “Will is really respectful, its sometimes a challenge for us to work at this capacity because when you have a husband who know a lot – and he really does know so much; he has a lot of information - but sometimes you have to say ‘you’ve got to let me do this so I can figure it out’ and its hard.” She said. But on set, there were no discrepancies as to who was in charge. “Oh no, this was my set,” she joked. “He definitely would come in and try [to take charge], and sometimes I would ask him.”

Pinkett Smith enjoys feel of director's chair

October 29, 2008

BY BILL ZWECKER Sun-Times Columnist

Jada Pinkett Smith, like her superstar husband Will Smith, has found major fame thanks to an acting career, but the diminutive entertainer said Tuesday, ''For me, I always considered acting a steppingstone to doing other things -- like directing.''

Inspired by ''my mentor, Debbie Allen, who can do everything -- act, sing, dance, direct, choreograph,'' Pinkett Smith tackled writing and acting in the first feature film she has directed, ''The Human Contract.''

Prior to the Tuesday screening of the film at the Chicago International Film Festival, Pinkett Smith talked about her movie and career with film students at Columbia College.

Without giving too much away, the actress and filmmaker says her picture is a complicated tale about a successful businessman (played by Jason Clarke) ''who has long hidden a deep secret about himself and has built his life on being a person he thinks he should be, rather than the person her really is.''

The film focuses on Clarke's character meeting a woman who leads him to reveal his secret -- a process that has many ramifications and ''also involves a lot of loss,'' said Pinkett Smith.

That topic led to thoughts about the unimaginable loss experienced this week by Jennifer Hudson, whose current film, ''The Secret Life of Bees,'' was executive produced by Pinkett Smith.

The filmmaker agreed that knowing Hudson personally made the horror of the murders of the actress' mother, brother and nephew so much more intense -- compared to hearing crime statistics on TV or reading them in the newspaper, when they're about someone you don't know.

With tears welling up in her eyes, Pinkett Smith quietly said, ''There really is nothing that can be said, as far as this tragedy is concerned ... only prayer.''

http://pa.photoshelter.com/c/pixintl/searc...amp;_ACT=search