[Ale]

Happy Birthday Willow!

Hope she has a great day! :wiggle: :jazzy:

[Ale]

ACTRESS PINKETT SMITH GIVES UP ON GYM

Fighting fit actress JADA PINKETT SMITH has put a halt to her rigorous exercise regime - because her extreme workouts are taking a toll on her ageing joints.
The Matrix star, 37, admits she's had to stop pumping iron and take a more relaxing approach to ease her aches and pains.
She says, "Right now I just do yoga maybe three times a week. As I've gotten older the gym's just not good on my joints anymore. I do a lot of activities outside. I do a lot of hiking, I love to run a little bit, I'm surfing now...
I've got to keep up with my kids." But the actress, who is married to actor Will Smith, insists her action-star husband keeps her fit as well.
She adds, "At home, with my husband - we like to wrestle a little bit."

Source: http://www.pr-inside.com/achy-actress-pink...-up-r892522.htm

[MissAshley]

'Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa' star Jada Pinkett Smith's animal magnetism
BY. J.R. GRIFFIN
Saturday, November 1st 2008, 4:00 AM

At last weekend's AIDS Foundation Dream Halloween Benefit in Santa Monica, Calif., Jada Pinkett Smith dressed as Supergirl.

The costume was the perfect fit for the ultimate Hollywood multihyphenate. The 37-year-old mother of three (Willow, 8, and Jaden, 10, with her husband, Will Smith, and stepmom to Trey, 15, from Will's previous marriage) was most recently seen in "The Women" and "Reign Over Me"; has directed her first film, "The Human Contract"; is executive producing a TV series pilot for TNT ("Time Heals"); records and tours with her rock band, Wicked Wisdom, and has one of the strongest marriages in Tinseltown.

"I like doing it all, juggling all of that right now," she says the morning after screening "The Human Contract" at the Chicago Film Festival. "But I can see in the future directing being my main focus."

This Friday, she'll co-star in "Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa" as the voice of hefty hippo Gloria, who embarks on another adventure with her on-the-lam zoo pals (voiced by Ben Stiller, Chris Rock and David Schwimmer). So what better time to unleash a bunch of animal questions her way? She took them on like the queen of the jungle.

What's the weirdest thing you learned about hippos working on the "Madagascar" movies?

I learned that hippos are the most dangerous animals on safari. They create the most fatalities because people think they're slow and when they're in water, people try to get close. They tend to crush people with their jaws very quickly.

They're bad-ass.

They are. I was like, "Whoa, okay!"

Do you have any hippo traits?

I don't think so. But I do like long baths.

What was your favorite pet as a kid? Or now?

I love pets. I had dogs and hamsters as a kid. We have quite a few pets now: three cats, two dogs and a red-tail boa constrictor named Beauty.

How do people react to her when they come over?

People are pretty fascinated. She's gorgeous and we just love her.

Can you feel a connection with a snake, like a dog or cat?

Yes, she's very calm. She likes to sit on your neck and give you massages. And she just really likes to chill out. She'll sit on my lap while I'm watching TV.

How does one get a snake massage exactly and know you're about to get strangled?

She kind of rolls her body across your neck. And she'll just move her muscles in her body. It's her way to show affection. They have a lot of affinity. She only goes to a few people right away. She really loves Rosario Dawson. She's the only other person that she went straight to.

I'm assuming you watched a lot of animal movies growing up or with the kids now. Any favorites that stand out?

You know what, I don't watch animal movies because they end up being so sad. That's one of the things I love about "Madagascar" - it's an animal movie, nobody dies. It's a good time. But "Bambi," "Dumbo," "White Fang," ugh, they're depressing.

Central Park Zoo or Bronx Zoo?

Um, Central Park, just because it's close to where we stay. I don't really like zoos. I was so glad in "Madagascar" when they escaped and got away from the zoo. Even in my own house, I think I'll never get an animal like a snake again where I have to keep her in an aquarium. We have this whole thing for Beauty outside for her to be in a natural habitat. But at the end of the day, she knows she's caged into her aquarium. We can't set her into the wild now, but I told Willow we won't do this again and won't have any animals that need to stay like that.

We're not going to see you on the news freeing animals any time soon, are we?

Maybe when I get older, that'll become one of my activist endeavors.

What animal is Will most like?

A lion. He's quite the leader and right now, he's the king of the jungle.

Same question - but in bed?

In bed? Still a lion!
http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/m...r_jada_pin.html
--------------------------------------------------------

lol @ the lion. I was wondering what Willow named her snake. They're missing like five dogs though, all the Rotties?

This post has been edited by MissAshley: 02 November 2008 - 10:30 AM
Reason for edit: citing source

[Jazzy Julie]

i imagine most of the Rotties are dead now, they only live about 10 years, that picture of Will and the dogs was taken around the 96 era i think. I think one is still alive, Will said during IAL he had a Rottie, a cross Labrador with a German Shepard and a cross Husky an German Shepard.

[MissAshley]

aww, damn. thanks a lot Julie! lol. nah, kidding.
I didn't know they didn't live that long. I know they had Rocco, who died from a snake bite, she must be talking about the two dogs she had on the Dog Whisperer 100th episode special, Luigi the Lhasa Apso that Cesar always keeps and another that was with her, couldn't tell you the breed if I tried.
* apparently they had: – shepherd Zeus, Alaskan malamute Rocco and Lhasa apso Luigi.

This post has been edited by MissAshley: 02 November 2008 - 11:45 AM

[mara]

hey can anyone upload jada on late night with conan o'brien plz xxx

[Ale]

Actress Jada Pinkett-Smith, wife of Will Smith, is surrounded by autograph seekers and fans who want to take photos with the star as she leaves NBC Studios in New York City following her guest appearance on Late Night with Conan O'Brien.

http://www.youtube.c...h?v=Wpbr4ZHcudo

[Ale]

Will Smith Wears His Serious Game Face

Mon, 11/03/2008

Will Smith put on his cheering hat to hit the stands for his son Trey's high school football game in Agoura Hills on Friday. Looks like he wasn't feeling festive enough to don a costume, but maybe he took his kids out trick-or-treating after the game. Lately Will has been putting in plenty of doting dad time before he starts promoting Seven Pounds, but we all know that tomorrow he'll take time out from being an actor and family man to hit the voting booth with the rest of us.

Pics!

http://popsugar.com/2463327

[MissAshley]

Pinkett Smith is a happy hippo in 'Madagascar,' as mom and wife
By Donna Freydkin, USA TODAY

NEW YORK — If Jada Pinkett Smith could be reincarnated as an animal, she'd go the feline route.

"I'd probably be a black panther, because they're very mysterious and absolutely the most breathtaking animals I've ever seen. I saw two in Africa. We were in a wild park, and they were in their natural habitat," she says. "It was just lying there, saying: 'Don't come too close. If you get out of the car, I've got something for all that.' "

The Los Angeles home she shares with her husband, Will Smith, and their children, Jaden, 10, and Willow, 8, is filled with creatures great and small. "We've got two dogs, three cats and a snake. Willow has a boa constrictor. She loves snakes."

Pinkett Smith got to indulge her wild side while voicing lovable hippo Gloria in Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa. In the sequel to the 2005 animated hit, opening today, Ben Stiller, David Schwimmer, Pinkett Smith and Chris Rock play four-legged creatures who have left their Central Park Zoo cages for the wilds of Africa.

"I've always wanted more body, so it was really fantastic that I got the opportunity to play such a gloriously hefty lady," Pinkett Smith, 37, says during a visit to the American Museum of Natural History's Hall of African Mammals. "It's always fun to crawl back into Gloria's skin. It's really rare that you get to play a character twice."

It's even rarer that you get to do it with your daughter. Willow is an actress and voiced baby Gloria in the movie's opening scenes. Pinkett Smith calls the experience "fantastic. She'd been so interested in the process, and it was great that she could learn the process by participating. It took her a minute to get used to the microphone and the fact that there wouldn't be any other actors."

Both of her children are actors: Willow appeared in this year's Kit Kittredge: An American Girl, and Jaden stars in the upcoming The Day the Earth Stood Still. Pinkett Smith isn't worried about the children entering the family business. "If that's what they want to do, who knows? Whatever they want, as long as they're happy. That's what matters."

Pinkett Smith, who just wrapped her directorial debut, The Human Contract, will happily share the screen with the kids but has no plans to direct them. "Not anytime soon. I'm Mommy. That's all I need to be to them."

In Madagascar, giraffe Melman (Schwimmer) has the hots for Pinkett Smith's Gloria. It's an odd pairing, to be sure, but Pinkett Smith knows a little about love. The key to her decade-long marriage to her famous spouse?

"I don't think there's a secret. Communication and friendship and being in sync with your priorities. Love and family are first," she says. "No relationship is easy, but when everyone has the same priorities, anything can be worked out.

"We spend a lot of time together. We come home, and our date is spending time together at home. The kids go to bed, and it's just us. We live a really normal life."

http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2...ett-smith_N.htm

[MissAshley]

Momspirations - Jada Pinkett Smith
The actress dishes on movies, mommyhood, Will--and doing it all her way.

By: Jada Pinkett Smith as told to Ilisa Cohen, Photo: Julian Broad/Contour by Getty Images

She got her big break on the TV sitcom A Different World and made headlines when she married movie star Will Smith. But no experience has been more enlightening for Jada Pinkett Smith than being a mom to her three kids.

I’ve learned so many things since I became a mother, but one of the most important is that there’s no formula for how to raise a child and have a career. Anyone can give you ideas about how to balance the two, but you have to do it your own way. And I do everything my way.

Being the best mom you can be isn’t about economic status, it’s about philosophy. I know I need help raising my kids. That’s why my mother travels with us when I’m on tour with my band, Wicked Wisdom, or if I’m on location for a movie. If she can’t make it, a friend comes along, or I bring Will. (But if Will’s with me, I still usually have my mother or Will’s mother there. I need someone who will make sure the kids aren’t eating chocolate cake!)

When I travel to third world countries—certain places in India or Africa—I meet mothers who know they can’t do it by themselves. You see groups of women raising their kids together in a village, helping one another relieve stress. But in this country, people tend to say, “Mind your business!” I think part of the problem is that most women think they don’t deserve time for themselves. We’re constantly told that as women we have to do, do, do. But we need each other for support. We need to develop relationships with people so that we have help. Everyone needs to figure out a way to create a support system—no one should do it alone.

One of the toughest parenting experiences I’ve had was becoming a stepmother to Will’s son, Trey, 16. As a kid, I’d been through such excruciating experiences with my parents’ divorce and having our family split up that I wanted to do anything in my power to make sure Trey didn’t go through that. I had to learn to get out of my ego. It wasn’t about me.

I had to understand that Will was going to have a relationship with Trey’s mom because they share a child. I had to support him in doing what was right even though it wasn’t easy. But greatness doesn’t come from ease. You want to do great things and you want it to be easy? These don’t go hand in hand. But the fact that now we enjoy holidays all together with Trey’s mom and her new husband makes the tough part worth it. Trey knows we all get along, and that creates stability for him.

When I got pregnant with Jaden, I was terrified because I knew my life was going to change. I took almost three years off from work. Once again, I had to leave my ego out of it. I had people saying I should really audition for this or that, but there was nothing more important than the baby I held in my arms. When I eventually went back to acting, it was because Spike Lee called me to do his movie Bamboozled. He promised it would be quick. I had Jaden with me and had a great time.

I always have my kids on the set with me. They’ve grown up on movie backlots, so it didn’t surprise me at all when they wanted to get into acting. It’s in their blood. It started when we were sitting at the table one day and Will said he was having trouble finding a kid to play his son in The Pursuit of Happyness. Jaden shot back, “I’ll audition!” I had to tell Will, “Listen. Don’t have him go in that room if you’re not seriously thinking of considering him.” I knew the chemistry they’d have would be undeniable.

Our daughter, Willow, has a very small part in Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, and that just happened because they called and said they’d love her to play little Gloria. I asked her if she wanted to, and she had so many questions about how the process works. It was like a school field trip for her. She loved it.

Sometimes people are surprised my kids got into acting at such a young age.
They say, “Hollywood is so hard.” And it is. But guess what—so is life. So you prepare your kids for challenges. You don’t teach them to back down because things are hard. You give them the tools necessary to deal. I teach my kids to keep their integrity, to remember that being a good person comes first and to stay true to who they are. If they know that, I can put them in any circumstance without worrying.

I’ve had to overcome a lot of challenges professionally, especially as an African-American woman. A long time ago, I auditioned for a role and they said, “Someone as pretty as you wouldn’t be going through abuse.” I’ll never forget that. Another time, I went in for a role and they had a stereotypical approach to portraying a black woman addicted to drugs. Some people only know what they see on the news. I can’t fight every battle. Sometimes you just do your job and hope people have their own epiphanies. But with someone I interact with on a regular basis or care about, I feel a responsibility to pull that person aside and say, “I just want to tell you that I got kind of offended.” Most of the time, people don’t even realize they’re saying something offensive.

It’s also tough to be a woman at work with a group of men. They sometimes talk over you. But as soon as you get loud and assertive, somebody wants to call you that b-word. I say, “No, that’s just the energy I have to take on to be heard in here.” You have to make your presence known.

I’ve tried to get myself into a position where I can pick the projects I want to do when I want to do them. My kids will say, “Mommy, you never do anything we can watch!” And I say, “That’s what your dad does. Mommy’s an R-rated kind of girl!” I’m going to keep doing my own thing, but, of course, when I did the Madagascar movies I was proud to make films my children could see.

Our kids want so much time with us. Willow still sleeps in our bed. Sometimes it’s hard for Will and me to go on a date or have time alone. I keep reminding him, “Eventually Jaden and Willow will be doing their own thing. So let’s enjoy this time.” We give them all we have right now, knowing there’ll be a day when it’ll be just the two of us again.

GUEST COLUMNIST: Jada Pinkett Smith, 37, stars in the animated film Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, out in theaters this month. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, Will Smith, and their three children.

http://www.workingmother.com/

[Sandy]

Thanks Ash!!

[MissAshley]

(you're welcome)

15 Questions with Jada Pinkett Smith

1. Sequels are usually not as well received as the original, but 'Escape 2 Africa' is even cuter than the first one ...

You know, I'm hearing that a lot! It's a lot of fun, and I think when you can make a sequel and people can enjoy it even more than the first one, that's quite a success.

2. What is it about Gloria the Hippo that you love so much?

I love that she's large. I've always wanted more body, and I got it with Gloria. [Laughs] She is full-figured and is throwing it around with all types of confidence and I just think that's fantastic. I think for every girl and every woman, one of the major lessons we must learn is just to accept ourselves for who we are, because that's what we got. That's it! And part of it is accepting our physicality. I just love that Gloria loves herself.

3. There were some new additions to the voice cast this time around -- did you get to hang out or record with Bernie Mac or Alec Baldwin or Will.i.Am during production?

No, it's too bad, but we never get to record together -- it's all separated. I actually just met Will.i.Am today ... I didn't get to hang out with him at all.

4. There's already been talk of a third 'Madagascar' -- would you be on board? And what would your dream destination for that one be?

Absolutely. If Jeffrey [Katzenberg] wanted me to do it, I'd be there with bells and whistles. What is that island? Mauritius! [Laughs] I'd be like, "Jeffrey, we need to go there -- I need to feel it. See, I've been to Africa so I know what that is, but we gotta figure this out. I need to know this." [Laughs]

5. What role in your career are you most proud of? And do you have a dream role?

I don't think I've done it yet! I think I have yet to achieve that one. I did have a dream role ... I think it's changed quite a bit. I really just eventually want to become a really fantastic writer-director. That's my dream right now. I think in between there, I'll find a character that I can go off and do real quick that can bring me some joy and pride. I'll never give up acting ... ever.

6. So you're looking for more projects like 'The Human Contract,' your recent feature-film writing and directorial debut?

Oh, yeah! That would be a piece I'm really proud of. Just the idea that it's an erotic drama and something that I directed and wrote -- we're doing the [festival] circuit right now. So I would say that 'Human Contract' is probably what I'm most proud of up to this point.

7. And you got to work with Paz Vega ... is she one of the most underrated actresses or what?

She is phenomenal! Working with her was a dream, it really was. And Jason Clarke, who's about to star in 'Public Enemies' with Johnny Depp that Michael Mann directed. It was a difficult project -- it's very emotional -- and they were both incredible. I love actors ... and I created a piece where they both had a lot of work to do. [Laughs]

8. You're also acting in and executive-producing an upcoming TNT drama series called 'Time Heals,' playing a nurse and single mother. Isn't it nice that all these cable networks are starting to have original programming?

Yes! And also giving women real voices. For me, this particular character just stood out. I'm excited being in front of a camera again with this character. I think I'm always gonna be in front of the camera in some capacity, but I also feel like I have a huge responsibility behind the camera. You know, [our company] Overbrook just got finished directing 'Secret Life of Bees' and that was a very, very important movie for me to be a part of. I'm trying to find projects that I can get some muscle behind and get made and get a home for. There's a lot of great projects out there for women with really strong voices, and there's an audience, you know?

9. You're a busy lady -- how do you balance work, family, music, having a life?

You know, I just put one foot in front of the other. First of all, I make sure to take care of myself spiritually, so I'm always happy. And not always happy in a sense of smiling, but like, to get the purpose of my life, my family, my marriage -- that's what motivates me. When I understand what my purpose is, it makes it very clear why I do what I do. I want to have a fulfilling marriage, I want to have happy kids, I also want to have a fulfilling career and I want to make change in the world -- and I'm not willing to compromise that. So if you're not willing to compromise, then you just gotta make sure you make it happen on every level. Let me tell you -- sometimes I feel like it's gonna kill me, you know? But at the end of the day when I survive and I look at what's been done, I go, "There you go, Jada. You can do it."

10. Your kids are acting now -- were you OK with that from the start?

You know, I was actually really OK with it because my kids were born into this. It's really something they see as a family business. Like, "You guys do it, so we feel like it's something we should be doing too. And we're pretty good at it, so I think we're gonna rock with this for a little while, Mom, until something changes." When Jaden told his father, "I can do that," I pulled Will aside and said, "Look. Don't have him audition if you're not really considering possibly having him do this. Because you're not gonna find anyone who's going to give you what he's going to give you. I'm just telling you that." Will was like, "Oh, OK ..." [Laughs] And he went in and blew everybody away and Will was like, "Oh my god, this is real." And I said, "I told you."

11. Do you think they really understand it all yet?

I've watched them really blossom, and I tell you what -- them working gives them more appreciation for what we do. They get it! When mommy and daddy are out on the set, they know what that means and what it is. And they're making their own money, so they're very like, "Uh-uh, I'm not gonna buy that!" [Laughs] They're very responsible how they spend their own money. They know what it means to work hard for something, which is fantastic. They have to utilize their own money for their special things, which is great for me.

12. Will and Jada don't give their kids allowances?

Heck, no! [Laughs] Guess what? They make their own money! They get a certain amount of money from their own money. How about that? Allowance from their own money. [Laughs] For me, this is not just about, "Ooh, you're doing movies!" While we're doing this, you're gonna be learning about life. When you work and you spend money, money goes away. So you better be really clear on what you're spending and why. And let me tell you, they don't spend. They are like, "OK, let me think on this. Do I really want that?" [Laughs] But if I'm buying it, it's like, "I have to have it!" [Laughs]

13. Do you ever feel like they're growing up too fast?

Well, my humble opinion -- and it's a very humble opinion because all kids are different and parents always have to be able to recognize what their kids need -- but if there's something that kids can do to work and actually feel like they're participating and providing for the family in some way, there is nothing better for a child's self-value. I've just watched it -- I think part of that is what keeps them on Earth. They feel like they're real participants, and contributing to their own lives and really doing things that they can be proud of, that they own.

14. What's the most ridiculous rumor you've ever heard about you and Will?

I would say the most ridiculous one is that our marriage is fake. You hear, like, it's a posed marriage ... are you serious? Really? It's too hard to fake it. It's hard! People who are saying that are not married.

15. Are there any rumors that ever really upset you? Rumors about you being Scientologists? Or the latest one that you're pregnant?

Aw, I wish I was pregnant, but I'm not. But no, when you know who you are and what you are ... I mean, we've been in this business a long time and that's just part of it. As long as you know you ain't doing nothing, that's all that matters. You only get upset when you see it and it's like "Uh-oh!" [Laughs] I mean, sometimes you get upset, especially when people are cruel, but there hasn't really been anything that could get Will and I really off our rockers.

moviefone

[Jazzy Julie]

Will Smith Impressed With Son's Generous Spirit

Will Smith's teenage son Trey has stunned his proud dad by insisting all the guests attending his upcoming 16th birthday party donate gifts to Los Angeles Children's Hospital.

The movie star's son was so affected by the recent death of his grandmother, he decided that presents he didn't need had no worth if he couldn't donate them to others.

Smith says, "About eight weeks ago his grandmother died of cancer and he said he just realised they're just gifts... what does that really mean, and he asked all of his friends that are coming to the party to donate gifts to kids at the Children's Hospital in Los Angeles.

"It was a really aggressive experience for him; he was there in the moment when she passed, so he got a real sense of that loss."

[Ale]

Trey’s mom/Will’s ex-wife Sheree was there (in the black on the left). And so was Jada’s mom/Trey’s grandma (in the blue top). Fine blended family fun.









http://theybf.com/index.php/2008/11/09/wee...will-smith-fam/

[Ale]

HAPPY B-DAY TREY! :7: :birthday:

[Ale]

Jada Pinkett Smith at The International Film Festival

Actress Jada Pinkett Smith to present her directorial debut, The Human Contract.

http://www.youtube.c...h?v=k4eBzkKH7r0

[Ale]

Will Smith makes kids pay for own toys

Will Smith and wife Jada Pinkett Smith have devised a ‘cool’ way to teach their kids the value of money — they ask them to pay for their own.

Smith’s kids, Jaden, 10 and Willow, eight, are already following their parents’ footsteps. While Jaden starred with his dad in The Pursuit of Happiness, Willow lends her voice to the new Madagascar sequel.

And now, both the I Am Legend star and wife Jada Pinkett are bent on disciplining their kids as far as money is considered.

"We make it clear to them, "This is your money and things you want, you'll be paying for". Kids have to be very responsible without you having to do it for them,” The Daily Express quoted Jada as saying.

She added, "I'm their bank. They have to come to me and write up a little slip when they want to make a withdrawal."

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Enterta...how/3716681.cms

[Ale]

Katie Holmes: Jada Pinkett Smith 'Inspires Me'



Katie Holmes knows a thing or two about juggling a movie career, motherhood, and marriage to a superstar. So who does she consider a role model?

"Jada is so strong," Holmes tells PEOPLE of her friend Jada Pinkett Smith, 37. "She is a rare woman – a phenomenal friend, mother, wife. She inspires me."

Adds her husband, Tom Cruise: "Jada tells it like it is. She creates art in her life ... She's effortless. She just has such class."

Pinkett Smith, who once described Holmes, 29, as a tigress who "runs the show" at home, says the two families are close because they "have a real understanding. In what we do and where we are, there aren't many people you meet who are living on a parallel line ... who can understand the pressures."

Cruise, 46, also admires the way Pinkett Smith attends to her busy career (she’s currently the voice of Gloria the hippo in Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, in which her daughter Willow, 8, plays the junior version of the sassy pachyderm) and still makes her husband of nearly 11 years, Will Smith, 40, and their children her No. 1 priority.

"She is an extraordinary woman and an amazing mother," he says. "She's constantly wanting to improve herself and her family." Agrees Holmes: "She's just a powerhouse."

http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20...ss-topheadlines

[Ale]

'The Women': Meet the Stars

Cool video:

http://www.joost.com/264e8ni/t/THE-WOMEN-M...TARS#id=264e8ni

This post has been edited by Ale: 16 November 2008 - 07:11 PM