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Our History Makers: Will Smith

Elev8 — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 17:47:02 +0000

Willard Christopher “Will” Smith, Jr. (born September 25, 1968), also known by his stage name The Fresh Prince, is an American actor, producer, and rapper. He has enjoyed success in television, film and music. In April 2007, Newsweek called him the most powerful actor in Hollywood.[2] Smith has been nominated for four Golden Globe Awards, two Academy Awards, and has won multiple Grammy Awards. Source

MUSIC

Will got his first taste of showbiz when he debuted in a rap duo “DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince” with a chart-topping and record-breaking single, “Parents Just Don’t Understand” which garnered the first Grammy awarded in the Rap category in 1988.

Who could forget the critically acclaimed “Summertime” performed by the duo? This song still gets heavily played during the summer season during family reunions, in your local barber and beauty shops, and on radio stations nationwide.

TELEVISION AND FILM

After nearly being bankrupt in 1990, NBC networks created a show around Will called ‘The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” which seen huge success and launched a thriving acting career for the rapper.

He then set a goal to be the “biggest movie star in the world” and began studying hit movies trends and successes.

His first movie was in 1993 titled, Six Degrees of Separation later starring alongside Martin Lawrence in Bad Boys two years later.

Check out more of Will Smith’s top 10 films below courtesy of IMDB.

Independence Day (1996)

In the beginning of July, a strange spaceship is heading towards Earth. Humans received a strange signal, and this has turned into a global phenomenon. It was aliens. smaller spaceships began to cover entire cities around the world. Suddenly, the wonder turns into horror as the spaceships destroy the cities. Then, when the world counterattacked, the alien ships are invincible to normal weapon systems, then The President of the United States, decides to head to area 51, to formulate a plan to defeat the aliens. Now, the fate of the world rests on a handful of surviving humans. Written by John Wiggins

Men In Black (1997)

Men in Black follows the exploits of agents Kay (Jones) and Jay (Smith), members of a top-secret organization established to monitor and police alien activity on Earth. The two Men in Black find themselves in the middle of the deadly plot by an intergalactic terrorist who has arrived on Earth to assassinate two ambassadors from opposing galaxies. In order to prevent worlds from colliding, the MiB must track down the terrorist and prevent the destruction of Earth. Source

Enemy of the State (1998)

A successful lawyer (Smith) finds himself the target of a treacherous NSA official and his goons after receiving evidence to a politically motivated murder, the only man that can help him is a former government operative turned surveillance expert (Hackman). Written by mystic80

Ali (2001)

Muhammad Ali from 1964 to 1974, told in three braided threads. The boxer: from becoming champion to regaining the championship. Religion and politics: Cassius Clay becomes a Black Muslim, truncates a friendship with Malcolm X, perhaps is Elijah Muhammad’s pawn, refuses induction into the US military, and faces a five year prison sentence while his case goes to the Supreme Court. Family: he marries twice and by 1974 marriage two is strained, defends his white trainer, has a brother in Bundini Brown, and is wily with Howard Cosell. Throughout, Ali keeps his own counsel: in the ring, at the induction center when he won’t step forward, and in friendship, love, and victory. Written by

Men In Black II (2002)

For Agent J, it is another day at the office, monitoring, licensing and policing all alien activity on Earth. One day, J receives a report of an unauthorized landing of an alien spacecraft near New York. It is an old enemy of MIB, a Kylothian named Surleena. Who is searching for a powerful artifact called The Light of Zartha. J investigates and quickly realizes he is going to need help. Unfortunately, the other MIB agents do not work up to par like J can. So, J decides to bring back K. J must bring back K’s memory as an MIB agent and try to stop Surleena, before she can succeed. Written by John Wiggins

I, Robot (2004)

This is the year 2035. Everybody in the world relies on a huge system of robots, which are programmed specifically to help humans and not harm them in any way. But one person does not think that robots are helpful. Chicago homicide detective Del Spooner. but one day, he received a call from the United States Robotics (USR) about a recent death of renowned robot scientist Dr. Alfred J. Laning. Spooner immediately blamed this incident on robots without justifiable reason or proof. Then, he begins his investigation on Lanning’s death, only to discover Sonny, a “unique” robot. What Spooner does not realize, is that something is about to happen. Something that is beyond even spooner’s wildest dreams. Written by John Wiggins

Hitch (2005)

Alex Hitchens is “The Date Doctor.” He helps men to land dates. Sara is a gossip columnist for a New York City tabloid. Both are very guarded around the opposite sex. Despite their natures, Alex and Sara begin a relationship. Complications ensue when Sara’s latest scoop happens to be one of Alex’s clients. Written by Ken Miller

The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)

Chris Gardner has big dreams for him and his family but it doesn’t seem to come together for him. Chris has an opportunity to be a stock broker but first he has to go through a grueling internship which means no pay. Chris decides to do it but when his wife leaves and he is evicted, he has to take care of his son on his own. So they find themselves sometimes living on the street and struggling to get by. But Chris is determined to make it. Written by rcs0411@yahoo.com

I Am Legend (2007)

It is the year 2012. In the ruins of New York city. Robert Neville who is a military scientist who is the lone survivor of a biochemical disease which was supposed to cure cancer 3 years previous. With only blood thirsty zombies as his neighbors and his trusty dog, Samantha, Robert is trying to discover a cure for this disease and to find out any other people who might have also survived. Written by John Wiggins

FUN FACTS ABOUT WILL SMITH:

He was originally casted as Neo in The Matrix movie, but turned it down to do the film, Wild Wild West.
He enjoys playing chess.
He was a millionaire by age 20.
Will Smith speaks fluent Spanish.
Will Smith is also an author, penning a children’s book called “Just The Two of Us”.

SOURCE

Will And Jaden Smith To Release New Sci-Fi Flick

People's Connection — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 20:56:26 +0000

The father and son combo of Will and Jaden Smith warmed hearts with their first feature film together, Pursuit Of Happyness, back in 2006. The Smiths are once again joining together to shoot the new sci-fi blockbuster “1000 A.E.” in Costa Rica, according to a tweet from the film’s director this week.

“Crew leaving for Costa Rica already. A year and half of writing and prep is coming to an end. #AfterEarth will begin shooting on Feb. 6th,” tweeted M. Night Shyamalan on Monday.

In “1000 A.E.,” an injured father and son crash land on a ravaged planet Earth after an apocalyptic event. Although the son doesn’t possess the heroic nature of his father, he must do his best to find help. The film is set for a July 2013 release.

While not much else has been revealed of the script, savvy movie buffs have been hearing rumblings that Zoe Kravitz and Sophie Okonedo will also star in the film. Teen actress Isabelle Fuhrman is also confirmed for the film.

Will Smith will hit the big screen again in a third film for the popular “Men In Black” series alongside Tommy Lee Jones. “Men In Black 3″ hits theaters this coming May.

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Are Jada And Will Still Together?

People's Connection — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 19:12:12 +0000

Just a few weeks ago, Jada Pinkett Smith, wife of blockbuster actor Will Smith, made headlines for reportedly shopping for a divorce lawyer in the Los Angeles area. On Wednesday, Jada put those splitsville rumors on its head when she told TMZ who her Valentine will be this year.

TMZ caught up with the actress as she appeared to be walking to her car. After TMZ asked Jada if hubby Will would be her Valentine, with a large smile, Jada responded, “Of course.” Check it out below:

The Smiths have been married for 15 years and have two children, Jaden and Willow, who have already made a name for themselves with successful acting and singing careers.

Over the years, it had been reported that the couple has an open marriage. In an interview, Will said:

Our perspective is, you don’t avoid what’s natural,” Will said. “You’re going to be attracted to people. In our marriage vows, we didn’t say ‘forsaking all others.’ The vow that we made was that you will never hear that I did something after the fact.

Afterward, Jada went on the record, saying:

We always have people that we’re attracted to that we talk about. That don’t stop just because your married. Somebody’s always gonna catch your eye. That’s real. Somebody’s gonna always be prettier than me, somebody’s always gonna be more in awe of him than me.

Despite people’s theories that open marriages don’t work, the couple always maintained a blissful veneer.

Consequently, much of the public was caught off guard when it was reported that the couple’s relationship was on the rocks last August due to a power struggle over their kids’ careers. Adding fuel to the fire, Jada was allegedly seen with celebrity divorce lawyer Laura Wasser, who has also represented Kim Kardashian, Maria Schriver, and Britney Spears.

Time will tell whether Jada’s latest quote proves that their marriage is indeed intact.

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“Aunt Viv” From Fresh Prince Calls Will Smith An “Egomaniac”

People's Connection — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 17:27:07 +0000

Janet Hubert, the actress who played the original Aunt Vivian on “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” called Will Smith an “egomaniac,” after she was questioned about her absence from a recent reunion dinner for the show.
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Hubert told TMZ.com that she is still blames Smith for her departure from the show, and that she wouldn’t do a reunion show with him unless he apologized to her.

“There will never be a reunion … as I will never do anything with an a—— like Will Smith,” Hubert told TMZ.

“He is still an egomaniac and has not grown up. This constant reunion thing will never ever happen in my lifetime unless there is an apology, which he doesn’t know the word.”

Will & Jada Smith Fought Over Kids’ Careers, Not An Affair

People's Connection — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 16:37:09 +0000

Will and Jada Smith’s rumored divorce this past summer was reportedly over disagreements about their children’s careers, not an affair.
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Sources told TMZ.com that the power couple could not agree on how to manage Jaden and Willow’s burgeoning careers.

Sources close to the couple tell TMZ they are doing “wonderful” now — but earlier this year, sources tell TMZ there was tension between the two over how best to manage the careers of Jaden and Willow.

We’re told each had their own ideas for how things should be handled — with Will pushing more for full-blown stardom and Jada leaning towards easing them in to things.

Mr.& Mrs. Will & Jada Smith Would Like To Announce They Are Still Married

Angelo Henderson — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 13:45:45 +0000

Yesterday, Will and Smith’s marriage was headline talk. Marc Anthony was the reason. All because InTouch magazine, citing an unnamed “insider,” reported the alleged separation online Tuesday and teased to its print edition for more information. It sent shock-waves as people screamed, “Oh no, not Will & Jada”. All morning the tongues wagged. All night the nightly news tabloids triumphed with some sickly glee about the end of their marriage.

Will & Jada announced through their reps: “Although we are reluctant to respond to these types of press reports, the rumors circulating about our relationship are completely false,” the Smiths said Tuesday in a joint statement. “We are still together, and our marriage is intact.”

Us Weekly cited an “insider” alleging word of the split between Will, 42, and Jada, 39, to be “total” bull. Radar Online had an unidentified family member describing the couple as “totally together” and another source from Will’s production company saying, “All is good in their relationship.”

While the Ministry had queries out to the Smiths’ reps, who by midday Tuesday had not commented on the reports, TMZ appeared to have woken up Jada’s rep Karynne Tencer, getting the reply, “What? In Touch said that? I know nothing about this … Lord. I’m going back to bed.”

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A rep for Marc Anthony, recently separated from Jennifer Lopez and also Jada’s “HawthoRNe” costar, “unequivocally” denied to People any rumors linking Anthony and Smith — yes, those are out there too — adding, “Enough is enough. There are families involved, children involved, friendships involved. This is NOT true.”

Tencer also denied the Anthony-Smith rumors to People.

Rumors are certainly nothing new around Smith Central, which of course is home to famous kids Willow and Jaden Smith, she with the much-whipped hair and he of “Karate Kid” and Friend of Bieber fame.

“I’ve heard all the things — their marriage is not real, he’s gay, she’s gay, they swing,” Jada Pinkett Smith said on an Atlanta radio show in 2009.

“But at the end of the day, people have to believe what they have to believe. I’ll tell you what, it’s too hard to be in a pretend marriage. Life’s too short for that one.”

Yesterday was just proof that people are often happier to talk about good marriages gone bad than great marriages staying strong.

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Make sure to follow @Elev8official on twitter for stories like this and more. So what do you think? To much concern about nothing?

Shocker! Will Smith And Jada Pinkett Decide To Separate?

People's Connection — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 13:38:35 +0000

Update:

Son of Will and Jada denies split on Twitter

According to In Touch , actor Will Smith and his wife of 13 years Jada Pinkett Smith have decided to separate.

Will and Jada have two children together, Jaden Smith who starred in “The Karate Kid” and “Willow Smith” who had a hit with “Whip My Hair.”

Can I Live? Will Smith Dies In Online Spoof

People's Connection — Tue, 31 May 2011 16:58:44 +0000

NEW YORK—Actor Will Smith is the latest black celebrity victim killed by the Internet after a story posted on FakeAWish.com gained traction around the Web and among fans on Twitter.

According to reports, Smith fell from a cliff in New Zealand; a location that’s been named in several other spoof celebrity deaths.

The “cliff” in question is Kauri Cliffs, which seems to actually be the name of a five-star resort and golf club in New Zealand that is beloved by Conde Nast Traveler. Although that hasn’t stopped it from e-killing famous people like George Clooney, Tom Cruise, and Jeff Goldblum in recent years!”

Reports of Smith’s death come at a time when another faked story claiming deceased rapper Tupac Shakur is alive and well in New Zealand recently made waves when hackers posted it on a PBS website.

Oprah’s Final Guests To Include Will And Jada Pinkett Smith

People's Connection — Fri, 13 May 2011 15:43:47 +0000

It has been confirmed that Will Smith and wife Jada Pinkett Smith are scheduled to appear on Oprah’s grand finale on May 25.

The Daily reports:

Speculation about who will appear on the mystery-shrouded last episode has been building as Oprah ends her 25-year run of “The Oprah Show.” Fans’ and journalists’ guesses have included Oprah’s longtime love Stedman Graham, Tom Cruise, Dr. Phil McGraw, Jennifer Aniston and Gabrielle Giffords. It’s not clear how many guests will appear on the final show. And there’s no word on whether the Smiths’ famous kids — “Karate Kid” star Jaden Smith and “Whip My Hair” singer Willow Smith — will join their parents on the couch.

The last week of the show will also feature an appearance from James Frey, the controversial writer whose book was praised by Oprah before it was found to be a complete fabrication.

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Will Smith Takes New Role From Old Testament As Job

Angelo Henderson — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 14:11:00 +0000

Will Smith will step into the Old Testament for his next movie role. He plays the ever suffering servant Job.

Generally, tales of the testament don’t sit right with contemporary audiences, or at least mainstream contemporary audiences. But what if a legitimate superstar, a mainstream movie maven, were to topline a motion picture based on the terrible story of Job? Is that something that you’d be interested in seeing?

Sony seems to think you might be and so the studio has attached its prized stallion, Will Smith, to a new project that would re-tell the horrific story. The film comes from Oscar-nominated screenwriters Paul Tamasy and Eric Johnson (The Fighter), who aim to make this untitled a dramedy. In their own words (from the Movie B.S. podcast of Eric Snider and Jeff Bayer) this is how they’ve described their take on the material:

“It’s about a man [living] the American dream. He’s got the nice house, white picket fence, great kids, great wife, nice cars. God and the Devil get together every thousand years to bet on a man’s life, and the fate of the world is at stake. What all of us get hit with in a lifetime, this man gets hit with in a week, and it’s about whether or not he can still pick himself up from that and survive it. It’s a dramedy. At its heart, it’s a comedy, but it’s got, obviously, a real dramatic core to it.”

Will Smith is known as an avid humanitarian. I think it is a great idea for him to step into a role that might actually make a difference. Job is an ever suffering man that no matter hat happens refuses to give up on God.

Make sure to follow me on Twitter @Elev8_Oretha.

Make sure to check out our film section on the URBAN DAILY’S by visiting “Pass The Popcorn”.