We all know what an awesomely successful — and talented — actor Denzel Washington is. But as it turns out, the top grossing actor of all time —Black, White or otherwise — is Samuel L. Jackson. Movies he has starred in, or was featured in, have taken in an amazing $7.2 billion at the box office.
This information is from a very reliable source, the Guinness Book of World Records.
Jackson has made over 100 movies since 1972, including such box office champs as “Star Wars 1: The Phantom Menace,” “Eve’s Bayou,” “Shaft,” “Jurassic Park,” “Mo’ Better Blues,” “The Great White Hope,” “Iron Man,” “Django Unchained,” “Losing Isaiah,” “Captain America: The First Avenger” and “S.W.A.T.”
At age 66, Jackson is as busy as ever, with movies, TV commercials, etc. Are you ready for this? He has five movies coming out in 2015. You read that right!
BOYZ II MEN, now a trio consisting of Wanya Morris, Shawn Stockman and Nathan Morris, recently returned to their high school in the City of Brotherly Love for a special concert. They enjoyed walking the hallways of Philadelphia High School for the Creative & Performing Arts.
The trio’s new album, “Collide,” should be out by the time you read this. And on a recent appearance on Jimmy Kimmel’s show, the group, primarily known for ballads, showed a different side of themselves when performing uptempo, edgier, even slightly rock-tinged material. They will be at Sound Board at MotorCity Casino on Nov. 21.
Though no match for Detroit, plenty of music makers were born in Philadelphia, among them Jill Scott, Kevin Eubanks, Billie Holliday, Will Smith, Jazzy Jeff, Eve, Daryl Hall and Questlove.
SEEMS every time you turn around, there is a new honor or a new achievement for Beyoncé Knowles Carter. A radio station in her Houston hometown recent changed to an “all Beyoncé” format. No matter how much a person might love a certain artist, hearing them 24/7 is more than excessive. Maybe the station owners/managers actually meant, or will evolve to, is “mostly Beyoncé.”
There is talk of the beautiful — and sometimes risqué — Rihanna being the “Bond girl” in the next James Bond movie. That would probably be a good choice, assuming that her acting skills would be sufficient for the occasion. Halle Berry was a Bond girl in 2002, opposite Pierce Brosnan.
Did you know that Rihanna’s full name is Robyn Rihanna Fenty?
Eddie Levert, co-lead singer of the iconic O’Jays, said that when the group and their fans were younger, women would sometimes throw panties onto the stage. But now he said they throw “big ’ol draws.”
Amazingly, the O’Jays have been making hits since 1963.
NE-YO evidently wanted to do something different — and the expense of it was not an issue. The talented and versatile artist recently purchased a farmhouse, in Alpharetta, Georgia, at a cost of $520,000.
Speaking of Ne-Yo, wonder how he feels about that graphic sex-act picture on the Internet, or is he the one who put it there?
Jada Pinkett-Smith says her role on the new Batman-connected TV series “Gotham” is perfect because as she put it, she is “a comic book geek.” She was also given the opportunity to create her own character, and that’s something actresses and actors are seldom able to do.
There was a time when Detroit’s own Yolanda McCullough was one of the most in-demand and highest paid session singers in the recording industry. She was always in the studio, plus she was a contractor, meaning McCullough was the one the record companies and producers called and she would in turn recruit the needed singers.
But at one point McCullough had a religious awakening of some sort and gave it all up, even selling her expensive clothes, luxury car, etc.
Her two albums, “Ullanda” and “Watching You, Watching Me,” recorded before the transformation, have been reissued on one disc, plus there is a bonus track. The CD is available via Amazon.com.
BETCHA DIDN’T KNOW…that Dennis Edwards is the only man who was in the Temptations on three separate occasions, 1968-1976, 1980-1984, 1987-1989.
MEMORIES: “Everlasting Love” (Carl Carlton), “You Are” (Lionel Richie), “You Brought the Sunshine (Into My Life)” (the Clark Sisters), “Live it Up” (the Isley Brothers), “Very Special” (Debra Laws), “You Are Everything” (the Stylistics), “Deja Vu” (Dionne Warwick), “Caribbean Queen (No More Love on the Run)” (Billy Ocean), “River Deep – Mountain High” (the Supremes and the Four Tops), “All Night Long” (the Mary Jane Girls).
WORDS OF THE WEEK, from Maxine Powell: “If you’re aware that you’re making a mistake, half the battle is won.”
Let the music play!
Steve Holsey can be reached at Svh517@aol.com and PO Box 02843, Detroit, MI 48202.
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