With the political statement made by Mo’Nique at the Oscars during her acceptance speech, the story below about Gabourey Sidibe is not a huge surprise to me. We’re not saying the two ladies are the same, we’re saying there seems to be an attitude attached to certain stars of the film ‘Precious’.

Washington Post writer Jonathan Capehart Article is below. Read on…(and thank you for writing it)

‘Precious’ little time — or grace — for fans

It’s always a let-down when folks you’ve admired or respected from afar turn out to be jerks in person. Case in point: Gabourey Sidibe, the Oscar-nominated actress in the title role of “Precious.”

Y’all know how much I loved the powerful film from director Lee Daniels about an obese New York City teenager enduring unspeakable abuse at the hands of her parents. After Oscar night, I wrote, “I was rooting for Gabourey Sidibe for best actress. But the moment edgy comedienne Mo’Nique won the Oscar for supporting actress, I knew that the divine Sidibe was toast.” But after meeting Sidibe at the White House Correspondents dinner and hearing about others’ negative encounters with her, I’m putting down my pompoms.

I was thrilled to spot her at a table laughing uproariously with the man sitting to her right. “I know you’re having a good time and I’m sorry to interrupt,” I began. My next sentence didn’t come out because Sidibe shouted over the din, “Yeah, come back in five minutes!” Thinking she was joking, I laughed and pretended to walk away. When I noticed that the look in her eyes meant she was serious, I walked back to her and said, “I just wanted to congratulate you on your nomination. I thought your performance was spectacular. I even wrote a column about it.” After wishing her good luck, I rejoined my friends.

Back at the table, I sheepishly related the incident to my colleague Jo-Ann Armao. “Oh! She’s horrible,” Armao said in her wonderfully blunt way. She told me that she saw Sidibe at the pre-cocktails and told her that she’d seen “Precious” three times (an amazing emotional feat that only adds to my awe of Armao) and that she thought Sidibe’s performance was “incandescent.” What was Sidibe’s response? “I guess I should say, ‘Thank you.’”

At the MSNBC after party, the partner of a “Countdown with Keith Olbermann” producer said to me, “Look! There’s Gabby Sidibe. I’m going to ask her to take a picture with me.” I warned him, “She’s mean.” To which he said, “I don’t care. I just want a picture.” I didn’t see what went down, but the dejected fan came back and said incredulously, “She said no.” No doubt the constant interruptions and jostling are bothersome. Her ever-shrinking zone of privacy must be irksome, too. And there’s no law that says Sidibe has to show grace to her fans or appreciation for their kind words. But a true star would.

At a dinner for the BET Honors back in January here in Washington, I had the pleasure of sitting next to Oscar-nominated actress and singer Queen Latifah. To be honest, I expected to get the Sidibe treatment. Instead, Latifah was as interesting as she was interested. She greeted fans who came over with a smile and warmth that made people happy they worked up the courage just to say hello. Latifah knows that without fans she has no career. Sidibe’s behavior shows she has yet to learn that.

Much to the delight of every female from 15-105, Johnny Depp will indeed star in the 4th installment of ‘Pirates’, this time titled ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.‘

“I had a very good conversation with Dick Cook who is someone I admire greatly and that helped,” Depp said. “And also we’re going to come at it with a different angle at it. And director, Rob Marshall has a completely different take on it.”

In September 2009, Dick Cook, Chairman of Walt Disney Studio Entertainment, resigned after working for Disney for over 38 years. Cook was one of the few that accepted Depp’s portrayal of Captain Jack Sparrow on the first Pirates movie.

On October 7, 2009, author Tim Powers confirmed that Disney bought the rights of his novel On Stranger Tides. As detailed in The Art of the Pirates of the Caribbean, the proposed story for the fourth film is for Jack Sparrow and Barbossa to meet up in the newly founded New Orleans, before they sail to find the Fountain of Youth together.

According to Gregory Ellwood of HitFlix.com

He may be the “Mad Hatter” in the upcoming blockbuster “Alice in Wonderland,” but this summer Johnny Depp will be heading to Hawaii to shoot the fourth installment in the popular “Pirates” franchise. For awhile, Depp openly questioned whether a fourth installment would ever occur.

After Depp’s longtime friend Dick Cook was essentially fired as Chairman of Walt Disney Studios early last Fall, the superstar raised some doubt over whether he still wanted to return for another go around as Captain Jack Sparrow. Depp revealed today that it was actually the dismissed Cook who helped convince him to still do the picture

What that “take” is remains to be seen, but so far changes include the addition of Penelope Cruz in a mysterious, but prominent role.

However, “Stranger Tides” is a long way off for Depp at this point. He’ll soon head to London for the Royal World Premiere of “Alice” and still has endless questions ahead of him about his seventh, yes, seventh collaboration with director Tim Burton. The biggest surprise? It turns out Burton didn’t have to approach his old friend with a hard sell to make the movie.

“To be honest he could have said Alice and I would have said [yes],” Depp tries to get out as the assembled press irrupt in laughter. “I would have done whatever character Tim wanted. Certainly the fact it was the Mad Hatter was a bonus and a great challenge. And to try and find this guy and not just to be a rubber ball that you heave into an empty room and bounce all over the place, But also to bring a little bit more of history or gravity to the guy.”

Depp embraced the role by doing research not just into Lewis Carroll’s books, but where the origin of the term “mad as a hatter.” It turns out the glue hat makers used to use had high levels of mercury in them which had severely adverse side effects.

“So, [I looked at him] as damaged goods — physically damaged and a little obtuse — instead of this hyper nutty guy,” Depp recalls. “He could go from one second high fluting and a lot of levity and then into some dangerous, potential rage and some tragedy.”

Burton adds, however, “Being that it was a Disney movie, we tried to not focus so much on the Mercury poisoning aspect. ”

One of Depp’s other major concerns was the fact he’s used an English accent a number of times already in films such as “Finding Neverland,” “Chocolat” and “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.” Depp notes,

“You’ve got to really pay attention to where you have been. That’s the great challenge. You may get it wrong. There is a very good possibility you could fall flat on your face. I think that’s a healthy thing for an actor.”

With Burton by his side, Depp was asked if his kids had a favorite movie in the now growing Burton/Depp library. Without a beat Depp says “Edward Scissorhands.”

“They connect with the character and I think they see their dad feeling that isolation — that loneliness and he’s a tragic character,” Depp says. “They ball everytime they see it.”

Starting on Tuesday Johnny Depp will be starring opposite Angelina Jolie in the new thriller “The Tourist.” As the session ended, Depp was asked to comment on what should turn out to be one of his increasingly rare contemporary roles.

“I think it will be swell. I like the French film I liked it a lot and my friend played the part in that and I liked it and I thought it might be interesting to explore this character,” Depp says. “You never know what’s going to happen. I suspect there might be a few paparazzi in Venice.”

Continuing with award season, four-time Actor® Nominee John Slattery (Mad Men) will open the 16th Annual SAG Awards® with a ‘Red Carpet Toast’ courtesy of their sponsor Taittinger Champagne. The SAG Awards will broadcast tonight, Saturday January 22, on TBT and TNT at 8PM, EST.

Two randomly selected panels-one for television and one for film-each comprised of 2,100 Guild members from across the United States, chose this year’s Actor and Stunt ensemble honors nominees. Integrity Voting Systems, the Awards’ official teller, mailed the nominations secret ballots November 25, 2009 and Voting was completed by 5:00 PM, Monday, December 14, 2009.

Two categories with heated nominations toward the road to Oscar include:

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
MERYL STREEP for “Julie & Julia” (7 previous category noms)
SANDRA BULLOCK for “The Blind Side” (1st category nom) *Already Won Golden Globe
HELEN MIRREN for “The Last Station” (2 previous category noms)
CAREY MULLIGAN for An Education” (1st category nom)
GABOUREY SIDIBE / “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” (1st category nom)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
JEFF BRIDGES for “Crazy Heart” (2 previous category noms)
GEORGE CLOONEY / “Up in the Air” (4 previous category noms)
COLIN FIRTH / “A Single Man” (3 previous category noms)
MORGAN FREEMAN for “Invictus” (4 previous category noms)
JEREMY RENNER / “The Hurt Locker” (1st category nom)

For a complete downloadable and long list of the nominees, please click here.

Sadly, it’s reported that a funeral for Brittany Murphy will take place Christmas eve at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in the Hollywood Hills, five days after her untimely death. Murphy was 32.

The funeral and burial service will be “strictly private.” Rumors are that there may be a public memorial after the holiday season.

A will prepared by Murphy before she was married to British screenwriter Simon Monjack, leaves her entire estate to her mother, Sharon Murphy, reports New York Daily News.

There were a multitude of drugs found at the scene and seem to solidify rumors linking Brittany Murphy’s frail frame to her death.

But according to Chief Coroner Investigator Craig Harvey told the Daily News that Murphy weighed 115 pounds and that’s within medical recommendations for her height of 5 feet 5 inches.

Media reports said 10 different types of medication were found on her bedside table by an officer from Los Angeles County Coroner’s department.

The medications were in several different names, including those of Murphy, her mother, Sharon, and her husband, Simon Monjack.

They contained anti-depressants, anti-convulsants, anti-inflammatories and antibiotics. The list included Carbamazepine, an anti-convulsant, Methylprednisolone, an anti-inflammatory treatment, Propranolol, a heart drug (apparently Murphy did have a heart murmur), Klonopin and Ativan, both anti-anxiety drugs, Topamax, an anti-seizure medication, the antibiotic Biaxin, pain reliever Vicoprofen, anti-deressant Fluoxetine and Hydrocodone, a pain killer.

The exact cause of Murphy’s death has not been determined pending toxicology and tissue tests that could take four to six weeks. Investigators have ruled out foul play but booked a number of prescriptions in Murphy’s name into evidence.

‘Clueless‘ director Amy Heckerling has said that she believes Hollywood played a large role in transforming the actress from a round-faced teen to a rail-thin adult. Heckerling told Usmagazine.com that she is upset with Hollywood for transforming Murphy’s image.

“It just seemed like she was blowing up, being on every magazine and being treated as though she had suddenly become beautiful,” the New York Daily News quoted Heckerling as telling the mag. “And I think she was feeling very good about that. I’m just not happy with Hollywood,” she added.

Heckerling said Murphy’s size wasn’t the only thing that was worrisome. She said that in recent years, the 32-year old actress ’seemed a little too energetic’. “I just feel like I can’t say, ‘Oh, she was on drugs’. I can’t say that I noticed anything that led me to believe, ‘Oh my god, this person is messed up’. But one hears rumblings. It’s a small town, and you hear from other people on other crews, but that’s all rumors and stuff,” Heckerling said.

“I was feeling — maybe not just then at that particular time, but over time — that she was maybe being pressured to be a certain body type and a certain kind of actress as far as playing the sexy, blonde, thin girl,” Heckerling says. “And that she was buying into what she was supposed to be, rather than just being a wonderful, innocent young girl,” she added.

If you want to remember Brittany Murphy to view a photo gallery, Please click here.

I specifically went to the office late today, because the first of the major TV and film awards for 2010 announced its nominees this morning, the Golden Globes.

I mentioned on Facebook how I felt about Sandra Bullock’s performance in ‘The Blind Side’ and she has received a nomination for it as well as for her turn in “The Proposal”. The critics talked about her on-screen chemistry in “The Proposal” with Ryan Reynolds, but they raved about her acting in ‘The Blind Side’.

Meryl Streep has received two nominations in the same category as Bullock – Best Leading Actress in a Musical or Comedy for her roles in ‘Julie and Julia’ and ‘It’s Complicated’.  Streep will win for ‘Julie and Julia’. Hands down or I go to cooking school…

Below is the list of all nominees for the 67th Annual Golden Globe Awards.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

Winners will be announced on Sunday, January 17, 2010 on CBS, 8PM, EST.

Italian-American singer and actor Al Martino, born Alfred Cini, died yesterday at his childhood home in Springfield, PA. He was 82.

A former bricklayer, to most film buffs he’s known better as wedding singer Johnny Fontane, a role inspired by Frank Sinatra, in the 1972 film The Godfather. Martino sings the film’s title theme song, “Speak Softly Love“.

His character in the Francis Ford Coppola classic, which starred Marlon Brando and Al Pacino, is a singer and occasional actor and the godson of Brando’s mafia boss character, Don Vito Corleone.

Despite his brush with the acting profession, Martino was best known as a jazz crooner. His hits included Spanish Eyes, Can’t Help Falling in Love, I Love You Because and Volare.

Here in My Heart took the top spot in the UK when the New Musical Express introduced its chart in November 1952, and stayed there for nine weeks.

Though 50 years have passed, only six singles have stayed at No 1 for longer, most notably Everything I Do (I Do It for You) by Canadian soft-rocker Bryan Adams, which topped the charts for 16 weeks. Here in My Heart remained his only UK No 1 hit.

Martino’s chart career in the US was stalled by the growth of rock’n'roll in the late 1950s, but he returned during the 1960s with a run of Billboard hits.

In the U.S., Martino had eleven Top 40 hits in the Billboard pop singles chart in the 1960s and 1970s, with 1963’s I Love You Because (#3) and 1964’s I Love You More and More Every Day (#9) both reaching the Top Ten. He also sang the title song for the film, Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964).

The last time Martino was on the music charts came in 1973, with a re-release of Spanish Eyes. In the 1980s he left his record company and continued to perform on the club circuit. His most recent album, Style, was made nine years ago.

Martino was one of a number of south Philadelphia area-born singers of that era, that included Bobby Rydell, Fabian and Frankie Avalon.