I've been Team Jurnee Smollett for a long time so it's good to see her emerge in a starring role. I can only hope this is the first of many intriguing characters she'll get to showcase. She was great in Friday Night Lights (one of the best dramatic ensemble casts to ever grace the small screen. "Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose.") Here's the synopsis for Tyler Perry's Temptation:
"It’s about a woman who starts to get restless in her relationship and her choice to be with another man has a huge effect on the rest of her life. She goes on a journey – in her career and in her marriage – and she ends up in a very different place than she expected."
In theaters March 29th.
Naima Mora, ANTM cycle 4 winner, stops by Reel Artsy to share what she's up to these days (she just released a digital book called Model Behavior) and she chats a bit about how her quirkiness influences her outlook and artistry.
1. How would you describe your
style? In fashion, music, overall.
Wow! That’s a really big question
for me. Hhhmm… in fashion I like to have fun! I definitely think my sense of
style is more refined as the years progress and I get a little older. But I
love colors and I like to dress up thematically. Today I am going to be
ethereal hippie or today I am feeling really punk rock or today I really don’t
care what I have on as long as it’s comfortable.
My musical style is a bit more
defined. I like dark music, I like writing dark music. Dark and ethereal
sounding music has always been my thing.
2. What does authenticity mean to
you and how does it influence your art?
First thought that comes to mind for
me when I think of authenticity is “be yourself.” I think as an artist you have
to become very aware of who you are, what you stand for (or where you find
importance in life) and how you feel, how you react to life. A person has to
really dig deep within their persona to identify with this and be able to
translate it into whatever their art may be. So whether in writing or music, I
always find it my personal mission to dig deep inside my soul and express the
most authentic version of what I find there. Being authentic is the bases of
creation for me.
3. Growing up, did you ever feel quirky, awkward or offbeat? If so, explain.
Of course! Who doesn’t?!? I always
felt very quirky and like I didn’t really fit in. I never tried to “fit in”
anywhere. When I was growing up, I just kind of fell in where people liked me-
not really caring to change who I was to fit in with other circles of people.
Naturally, I fell right in with the performing arts crowd where everyone is
quirky, crazy and has a flare for the dramatic!
I never really liked popular fashion
or things like that. When all the kids were listening to top 40 radio songs, I
was playing my father’s LP collection including, but not limited to Jimi
Hendricks, Santana, Mongo Santamaria, and Kiss.
4. You grew up in the Detroit area, how did your time in the Motor City
shape you?
I can say positively that Detroit
engrained a deep love for music in my heart. Whether it R&B, Techno or
Mexican Cumbias I love music. My parents are both musicians and it was such a
gift to grow up in a musical family and to witness how my parents’ art help
to shape their lives and mine.
Detroit also made me tough! I think
that I am a survivor and I have been fighting the good fight for a long time.
Detroit has had some of the highest crime rates in the US over the past 30
years and I had to prevail over certain circumstances to really stand up and
fight for my happiness and the dignity of human life.
5. Before ANTM, what core beliefs did you promise to stay true to, whether
or not fame came into play?
To follow my one dream of inspiring
people regardless of where I landed. I think when that is your goal you stay
motivated forever and it has kept me very grounded in light of politics within
any professional industry I find myself in. That and to love courageously.
6. What do you do to cheer yourself up on days when you don't get the gig or
the deal doesn't go through?
I have actually made a physical list
of things to do to pull me out of a rut! Some of the list including: listening
to my favorite songs, writing music, writing anything, drinking tea, watching
movies, talking to friends, doing creative things like taking pictures or
watching documentaries on outer space. The documentaries especially help me to
think about the bigger picture in life… that regardless of hardship, it’s a
rare thing that I am alive in this enormously huge universe and that regardless
of how small my life may be, I am a live!
7. What music do you listen to when
you're in an introspective mood?
All my favorite dark female artists…
like Bjork or PJ Harvey. My friend Christian (Christian Eric Beaulieu) did an
album called “ANYWHERE” with some great players and one of them was a vocalist
named Rachel Fannan. The tracks she sung on are so beautiful and that’s been in
my rotation a lot lately.
8. What was the recording process like for Galaxy of Tar? How would you
describe your bond when it comes to crafting tracks?
I have had the pleasure and fortune
to work with Elias Diaz V., my musical counterpart in Galaxy Of Tar and the
whole process is one of the most rewarding things in life for me. I love
writing, I hate tracking and recording though… because of the demand for clean
digital music esthetic now days, you have to use equipment that catches
EVERYTHING! And as a technician you have to listen back to really rough cuts
and determine whether your technical and artistic performance is up to your own
standard. As a perfectionist, it never is… but I have learned to catch the good
tracks. It really pushes you to grow when you have to dissect your work like
that.
But I have learned to really
appreciate the process and immerse myself in it. I like the growth, and it’s a
vulnerable place to be recording. Much more vulnerable than live shows, because
its permanent and it is only the music. No lights and laughs and costumes to
distract from the truest form of a song.
Elias really works with me and he
really knows how to bring out the best in my voice, but I have learned that I
have to be willing to work hard to get to that place.
Elias and I work great together
because we are always honest with each other’s performance and ideas. It always
comes back to how the music sounds, ego aside. We just want to write beautiful
music.
Also our new album should be available by December 2012 of this year!
9. What epitomizes a great live performance? And what's your approach to
performing on stage? How do you prepare yourself, does it all come natural, or
is it a little bit of both?
I have been training to be a
performer since I was a little girl. And I have been pondering on that question
a lot. But it’s different for each artist depending on their own respective
style. Lana Del Ray is going to give a complete difference performance than the
Yeah Yeah Yeahs. If Karen O came out and stood in one spot, very lethargic and
slow moving, her audience might consider it a fail. But that type of show works
well with performers like Lana because it reflects her music.
So the more I define who I am as a
musician, the more I learn what makes a great live show for me. It always comes
down to the way you connect with people in the audience, but performing is an
art in itself just like writing a song. It takes time and courage to show all
that you are and be able to finesse that. I always try to be honest as to what
I am feeling at the moment, become present and draw from that. Sing my songs
and in that tell the stories that are written in the lyrics.
I think I am one of the most shy
people on earth. But because I am so shy, I love performing! It’s weird, but I
don’t think it comes naturally to me.
10. On a scale of 1 to 10, how awesome is it to have your book Model
Behavior all finished and out for the world to read?
HAHAHA!!! IT GOES TO 11! (10 being
the most awesome, 1 not being very awesome at all). I have been working on the
book for a while. I wanted to translate my experiences in life and the fashion
industry into something positive for people to be inspired by. I didn’t want to
perpetuate the negative stereotypes of fashion and modeling. I wanted to create
something for the new age of readers. The book is based on its color and
graphic lay out, each chapter full of color and photographs giving to the
visual experience we come to expect more and more in things we find
entertaining. Each chapter has an audio option where I can read the book as the
reader actually listens along. And the book has a video from my band Galaxy Of
Tar. It caters to the new audience of readers, what they want and at the same
time sharing my heart with them to follow their dreams and never give up! It’s pretty awesome!
Fans of the book can also submit
their own stories of victory and courage and passion at our interactive blog.
At the blog you can subscribe and become a Model Citizen. The idea is to
become a world of people who inspire each other by sharing their triumphs,
making the world a more compassionate place to live in filled with hope based
on humanism and the human experience.
11. What do you hope people get from your music, your book, your fashion?
From sharing your unique life experience through your various artistic
endeavors?
Love, courage, faith , beauty,
tears, joy.
12. Any plans to use your creativity in the filmmaking industry? Perhaps, a
short film?
Well we have some ideas floating
around for the visuals of Galaxy Of Tar… I guess we’ll see where that goes, but
I am not saying no to it.
13: Anything else you'd like to add?
Thanks so much for having me a part
of ReelArtsy.com! Can’t tell you how much I appreciate the opportunity. Also
for more info on my book “Model Behavior” please visit http://naimamoraonline.com And for more info on my band Galaxy
Of Tar please visit www.GalaxyOfTar.com
Diana Rowland's My Life As A White Trash Zombie is a fresh take on the pop culture zombie craze. Her series introduces us to a compelling and well-rounded female perspective:
Angel Crawford is a loser. Living with her alcoholic deadbeat dad in the swamps of
southern Louisiana, she's a high school dropout with a pill habit and a
criminal record who's been fired from more crap jobs than she can count.
Now on probation for a felony, it seems that Angel will never pull
herself out of the downward spiral her life has taken.
Before she knows it she's dealing with a huge crush on a certain hunky
deputy and a brand new addiction: an overpowering craving for brains.
White Trash Zombie would make a great TV series, imagine a hybrid between the comedic moments of Raising Hope mixed with a CW type procedural drama. Kinda intriguing, right? But back to the novels, the can stand on their own... the writing, the characters, the page-turning flow. Once you get a glimpse inside Angel's mind, you're hooked.
So here are my picks for the possible TV adaptation of White Trash Zombie:
1. Imogen Poots - She was born in Britain, but she can fake an American accent quite well. I first noticed her in the action adventure Centurion where she wooed a pre-fame Michael Fassbender. You probably remember her from the Fright Night remake with Colin Ferrell. She's had a bunch of supporting roles and the lead of TV show could take her career to the next level.
2. Kayla Ewell - A long, long time ago Kayla played "the new girl" on Freaks and Geeks. You know, that short-lived, but amazing show that starred James Franco, Seth Rogen and Jason Segel. More recently she had a reoccurring role on The Vampire Diaries and her character was borderline "white trashy." This could give her the opportunity to bring more depth to a somewhat similar character.
3. Brit Robertson - Brit has been the star of two, yes, two CW shows that never really took flight (Life Unexpected and The Secret Circle). The CW seems invested in her talent, so why not give her another try with White Trash Zombie? What's the old saying: "Third time's the charm." Let's hope so.
Rowland currently has two novels from the White Trash Zombie series available on the market. Book one, My Life As White Trash Zombie and book two, Even White Trash Zombies Get the Blues. I spoke to Rowland via Twitter and she said there are more to come:
In fact I have contracts through book six. The next one, White Trash Zombie Apocalypse, will be out July 2013.
Lucy Liu (Charlie's Angels) and Jonny Lee Miller (Hackers) star in Elementary, "a modern take on the cases of Sherlock Holmes with the detective now living in New York City." The commercials spotlight his quirky traits, and the dynamic between this version of Holmes and Watson looks like it could be continually entertaining in a slightly outlandish way. So yeah, I'll give it a try.
It's official, Zooey Deschanel and Mindy Kaling have made Tuesday nights "Fempire Tuesdays." Witty writing, quirky storylines... the fall TV season is skipping down a refreshingly offbeat path with its female leads.
Longtime Reel Artsy fans should be familiar with all things "Fempire" related, but if you're new to the term check out its origins as you connect the dots between Zooey and Mindy to Liz Meriwether and her gang: Diablo Cody, Lorene Scafaria and Ben & Kate creator Dana Fox. Read up on Fempire 101 and 102. And if you haven't seen The Mindy Project yet, what are you waiting for? It's the best new comedy show and you get weekly doses of Chris Messina. Win, win.
Most quoted film descriptions are from IMDb.com, official sites, and press releases. ALL NAMES, TRADEMARKS AND IMAGES ARE COPYRIGHT THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS.
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