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Stephen Hunt, Calgary Herald Published: Wednesday, February 20, 2008 The Fresh Prince of Bel Air didn't exactly teach black history, but thanks to Karyn Parsons, who played Hilary on that show, it's spawning a whole new generation of stories that do. Parsons, the pretty mother of a four-year-old girl and a nine-month-old boy, who is married to director Alexander Rockwell (In the Soup), has sure taken a road less travelled for someone who grew up in Santa Monica, and had a long-running hit series under her belt by age 30. Rather than remain in L.A., Parsons got married, moved to a farm in western Massachusetts and had a child. She also had an idea percolating in her brain about creating a series of children's stories based on African-American history. Now, as Black History Month continues, Parsons has enlisted the support of such Hollywood talent as four-time Emmy winner Alfre Woodard, Queen Latifah and Will Smith to write, direct and produce two short children's films, The Journey of Henry Box Brown and Garrett's Gift. Both are being screened this month in the U.S. on HBO Family channel. The shorts provide a welcome nod of acceptance from Hollywood, where traditionally, positive African-American characters haven't been received quite so enthusiastically as images of African-Americans as gangbangers and thugs (DVDs are for sale online at www.sweetblackberry.com). "Teachers keep saying, 'Thank you, thank you, we don't have anything like this out there,' " Parsons says. "This gives them an opportunity, bringing stories about lesser-known African-Americans (into the classroom). This gives them something to work with." The Journey of Henry Box Brown tells the true story of a slave in 1850 who mailed himself in a box from Virginia to Philadelphia, where he opened it up a free man. The film is based on a true story Parsons learned about from her mom, who worked at the Black Resource Centre at the Santa Monica Library and would call Parsons up on the set of Fresh Prince to tell her the best ones. "I'd never heard that story before, and it was such a natural story for kids," Parsons says over the phone from New York's East Village, where she lives with her two children, husband and black lab. "I started taking notes but I was also working on Fresh Prince at the time, so I'd put it aside, go back to work, and forget about it." It wasn't until years later, after Fresh Prince ended its run and she'd relocated to that farm in Massachusetts, that Parsons decided the time was right to tell the story of Henry Box Brown. "I thought it would be great to have a line of books for kids," she says. The problem, as it frequently is, was knowing where to begin. Her mother-in-law, it turns out, is an artist (who lived in another farmhouse on the same property), who happened to be close friends with Gina Kamentsky, an award-winning animator. Over coffee, Parsons so impressed Kamentsky with her vision that Kamentsky signed onto the project herself. The Journey of Henry Box Brown was a successful launch, landing spots in various film festivals and becoming an important teaching tool for teachers. It managed to tell a story about slavery, a dark period of American history, in a way that's entertaining, educational and inspirational. After several years of being off the media radar, Parsons found herself being profiled in Essence, the L.A. Times, the Boston Globe and shows such as Tavis Smiley's nationally-broadcast radio program on National Public Radio. For her second project, Parsons chose to tell the story of Garrett Morgan, a young dreamer who invented the traffic signal. "It's a story that's empowering for kids, but in this case, it's just really to reinforce with our kids how we're all good at something," she says. "Even if you're looking at your sister and her friends and thinking how great they are -- we all have something that's all ours and to value that, and hopefully those around us, our parents and friends and siblings will help nurture those gifts." To help finish Garrett's Gift, Parsons turned to an old friend, the Fresh Prince himself. "I met with Will Smith and was talking about all of this stuff, because he's been really helpful financially, getting it started," she says. "He's very smart about this stuff. He said, 'You need to get Latifah to do this.' He called her and said, you need to do this thing for Karyn, and she did." With a little help from a few African-American Hollywood A-listers, Parsons is creating positive media images of black people that appeal to children and families from all races. "I've received testimonials from white parents who were really enthusiastic about getting it for their kids, and wanting to educate their kids," Parsons, whose dad Ken is a white guy from Montana, says. "I think it helps them, because I think it's difficult for white parents to talk about some of these subjects. "This is a way of saying it's OK, and it eases them into doing it. This is the point of view I wanted to give them so that reinforces their confidence or feelings about what they can tell their kids. That probably ends up helping them and will hopefully open them up to sharing more and more (about race) naturally." Not bad for an actress who shot to fame playing a pretty airhead named Hilary. Was Parsons scared, she is asked, about launching such an ambitious project from scratch? "Fortunately, I didn't think too far ahead at all," she says, "because if I had, I probably just would have shrivelled up and thought, forget it, I'm not doing it. It would have been too daunting, if I'd known what it would take -- but I was just excited about getting these stories out, to kids. Starting with Henry Box Brown, and going a step at a time, it wasn't frightening at all." http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/e...42fa633&p=1

Living the Game with Rod Coffee goes one-on-one with Fresh Prince co-star. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmkw7Bs0S4Y

Classic! Ahh old times, good times... :signthankspin:

I just wanted to share this: :2thumbs: http://rapidshare.com/files/93202292/Will_...remix_.mp3.html

This can't be true... :shakehead:

This movie is gonna be awesome. 'Indy movies' are the best adventure movies ever. The soundtrack is unforgettable. Spielberg is a genius. i feel like this is going to be really good too, rambo didnt look good to me, i didnt see it but this sequal looks promising. You say that Rambo didn't look good to you without seeing it? How is that? Rambo was the greatest movie I've ever seen, next to Rocky Balboa. Sly is my man.

Cheers mate :thumbsup:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sa2obuzVBGM

This movie is gonna be awesome. 'Indy movies' are the best adventure movies ever. The soundtrack is unforgettable. Spielberg is a genius.

10. The Point High At a hand and footprint ceremony at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre (2007) 9. The Happy Point At the Venice film festival (2004) 8. The Foreign Point At the Tokyo premiere of The Pursuit Of Happyness (2007) 7. The Two Hand Point At the UK premiere of I, Robot (2004) 6. The Bent Arm Point At the Producers Guild Awards (2005) 5. The With Kid Point At the Rome premiere of The Pursuit Of Happyness (2007) 4. The Defer Point At the Hollywood premiere of Hustle and Flow (2005) 3. The Point at Wife At the Santa Barbara International Film Festival (2007) 2. The Point at Camera At the UK premiere of I Am Legend (2007) 1. The Standard Point At the Rome premiere of I Am Legend (2008) http://celebslam.buzznet.com/top-10-will-s...ed-carpet-poses :lolsign:

I had already seen this, but thanks :thumbsup:

:lolsign: :rofl: Happy Valentine's Day guys & girls! :thumbsup:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNvWOALp3Ds :wickedwisdom: :wickedwisdom: :wickedwisdom:

Nah, he lives in Spain, but ssshhh!!! it's a secret! :w00t:

I accept euros.

He said it in this interview: http://www.jazzyjefffreshprince.com/forum/...showtopic=11570

I agree with Kev. Will's voice in 'Summertime' doesn't sound as fresh as in other songs. He said he had a cold when he made it. Anyway it's a classic and nobody can deny that, and it's probably their best work, but for me it can't be compared with the 'Code Red' album.

It's a great song, but lyrically it's not as good as 'Parents', 'Girls' or 'Nightmare'. It has a better chorus though.

Young Levi was attending his first ever premiere with I Am Legend, despite not being old enough to see the film himself. The chirpy 9 year old was there with his mum Kerry, his aunty Leanne and his nan Sue. Having travelled for miles he was desperate for a glimpse of his hero Will Smith, but unfortunately with all the flashing cameras and screeching autograph hunters Will missed him on the way past. The crowd was pretty rowdy and poor Levi was getting a bit squashed. Luckily Will’s PA noticed Levi shouting his lungs out and brought the star over to say hi. Now with the big man approaching the fans went wild and started pushing like crazy. Levi was getting crushed. But guess who was there to help him out. That’s right Mr. Will Smith himself plucked him from the crowd, over the barrier and right into the photo opportunity Levi had dreamed of. Now don’t ask me what happened after that, Will couldn’t exactly carry the little guy via the press and into the film! But it all worked out fine because Levi got home safely and sent us Leicester Square Television folk a photo: http://lsq.tv/blog/25.html#comments :clap2: :emot-keke:

Another cool interview: :2thumbs: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMqmuF35Kcc

Happy Birthday man. Enjoy life. :7: :birthday:

Will Smith $31 million One of Hollywood's most reliable box office openers, Smith, 39, earns upward of $20 million per film, plus a coveted stake of the film's grosses. No small thing--his last three films have been among the years' top grossing worldwide. Next up: This summer's action comedy Hancock, about a down-and-out superhero. Lea Goldman 02.04.08, 4:00 PM ET Just 15 years old and already winner of six junior championships, a young Tiger Woods told a magazine reporter in 1991, "I'm not out just to be the best black player. I want to be the best golfer ever." Mission accomplished. Today Woods, 32, is ranked at the top of the sport, with 13 major championship wins under his belt. Between June 2006 and June 2007, Woods banked $100 million, more than any athlete in history. He is an endorsement darling, flashing that mega-watt smile for Gilette, General Motors (nyse: GM - news - people ) and, of course, Nike (nyse: NKE - news - people ). Presuming he continues to dominate the green, Forbes estimates that Woods will become the world's first sports billionaire within a decade. He ranks No. 2 on Forbes' list of the Top-Earning African-American Stars, behind media queen Oprah Winfrey. Between June 2006 and June 2007, Winfrey, 54, pocketed $260 million. That astonishing salary--it works out to some $712,000 a day--crowns her not just the nation's top-earning African-American, but also the highest-paid entertainer in Tinseltown, black or white. Worth $2.5 billion at last check, Winfrey enjoys revenues from a string of successful enterprises, including her long-running daytime talk show (and stakes in chat-fest protégées Dr. Phil and Rachael Ray), magazine, satellite radio channel and Broadway show ("The Color Purple"). In January she announced the creation of her own eponymous network, a partnership with Discovery Communications, a unit of Disovery Holding Co., slated to debut late next year. All the entertainers on the list are the best in their respective businesses. Will Smith, who collected $31 million, is arguably Hollywood's most reliable box office opener. His latest flick, the apocalyptic thriller I Am Legend, has to date grossed $542 million, making it the seventh-highest grossing film on the planet last year. Smith, 39, commands a hefty $20 million paycheck per film, plus a chunk of the box office grosses. With 10 Billboard-topping albums, rapper-turned-mogul Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter ranks second alongside Elvis Presley as having the most No. 1 albums in history. (The Beatles have the most.) And five years after he was the first overall NBA draft pick, Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James, 23, has already racked up an astonishing list of record titles: youngest player ever named Rookie of the Year; and youngest player to score 2,000 points in a season, among many other superlatives. This list is a snapshot of a 12-month period ending June 1, 2007. Following that date, once Forbes had closed the books on its valuations, Coca-Cola (nyse: KO - news - people ) acquired SmartWater for $4.2 billion. Rapper Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson smartly traded his endorsement services for a small stake in the niche beverage company. (There's even a 50 Cent-branded energy drink called Formula 50.) His take: $100 million. In July, Dwight Freeney, 27, became the highest-paid defensive player in football with a six-year, $72 million contract with the Indianapolis Colts, of which $30 million was paid upfront. Boxer Floyd Mayweather enjoyed his best year ever. He collected a total of $50 million for his May and December fights against Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton, respectively. http://www.forbes.com/business/2008/02/04/...blackstars.html

Sorry but I had to post this: :lolsign: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfdTSBBcZG8

Robert Tepper - Angel of the City

"'Cell" star Ealy tapped for Will Smith film Mon Feb 4, 2008 2:03am EST LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Will Smith has chosen Michael Ealy to play his brother in the drama "Seven Pounds." The story, by Grant Nieporte, follows a suicidal IRS agent (Smith) who assumes the identity of his younger brother. His plans are complicated when he falls in love. Rosario Dawson and Woody Harrelson are in the cast as well. Gabriele Muccino, who directed Smith in "The Pursuit of Happyness," is helming the Columbia feature. Ealy was nominated for a Golden Globe for his performance on Showtime's "Sleeper Cell." He recently wrapped a starring turn in Spike Lee's World War II feature "Miracle at St. Anna," based on the true story of four black soldiers who risk their lives to save an Italian boy while in enemy territory. Reuters/Hollywood Reporter http://www.reuters.com/article/filmNews/id...451791620080204