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‘Sparkle’ Coming to DVD and Blu-ray and DVD November 30th

October 08th, 2012

Synopsis: Musical prodigy, Sparkle (Jordin Sparks) struggles to become a star while overcoming issues that are tearing her family apart. From an affluent Detroit area and daughter to a single mother (Whitney Houston), she tries to balance a new romance with music manager, Stix (Derek Luke) while dealing with the unexpected challenges her new life will bring as she and her two sisters (Carmen Ejogo and Tika Sumpter) strive to become a dynamic singing group during the Motown-era.

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Jake Gyllenhaal Talks Close Calls on ‘End of Watch’ Set and Becoming ‘Brothers’ with Co-Star

September 21st, 2012

24Wired TV: Your rapport with Michael Pena feels extremely natural in the movie. How did you develop that relationship for the screen?

Jake Gyllenhaal: We spent five months on the streets of southeast L.A. doing ride-alongs with police officers two or three times a week, from 4 PM to 4 AM. And then we did tactical training with live ammunition. We learned how to communicate with each other, and shoot at moving targets, move and shoot at moving targets. And also, every morning we would go to this dojo over in Echo Park with one of David Ayer’s best friends [and learn from master] Richard Mesquita. And we’d fight with these 14 to 20-year-old boys–like MMA-style fighting every morning. And then rehearsals all the time, just me and Mike, just spending basically five months of our lives together, almost every day. Spending time with each other’s families. And eventually, probably like three months in, we started getting to that sort of openly annoyed phase. [laughs] And I think at that point we sort of knew. We broke down a lot of walls in that time, actually. I think a certain truth comes out, where you’re no longer “professionals” doing your job and trying to do it right; you start to become friends. All of a sudden that just breaks stuff down, and then you get to a much more honest place. And our friendship started from there. I think that’s really where the movie started, and that’s the heart of the movie.
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Michael Pena Talks His Cesar Chavez Biopic and How ‘End of Watch’ Changed His View of Cops

September 21st, 2012

24WiredTV: When you first read the script for End of Watch, how did you feel about how Latino culture was represented?

Michael Pena: I’m actually really cool with it. There’s not too many times where you have a Latin part in a movie that’s written strictly for a Latino. [My character] is a good man. He’s fighting all the fights for the right reasons. He’s depicted as somebody who actually really loves his wife, who thinks real virtues and life are sacred. Little things like that made me want to do this movie so badly. And then the way the gangsters were portrayed, it’s pretty real. I know some people may argue, but sometimes that stuff isn’t necessarily a choice. Where I grew up, that’s the way they grew up, and that’s what they know. I had a really good brother, and I got into a little bit of trouble when I was a kid. And he definitely, definitely helped me out, into not falling into that kind of life. It could have went either way. I played football instead. Also, [to play] someone who’s actually proud of their heritage? Oh my god, it was an amazing experience. I think that‘s why I really wanted to do it. Number one, the script was awesome, but the celebration of letting people know what Mexican culture is like? The quinceanera part–I’m sure if it was a huge studio movie, that probably the first thing that they would cut.

24WiredTV: What was the most challenging part of playing Mike in this film?

Pena: Actually, it as the dialogue. The dialogue was written really, really specifically. I wouldn’t normally speak like that, but I have to do it in a way that seems really natural. Which is every actor’s job. But that was a tough one. “This fool’s got more bling than the old lady’s wedding ring.” I don’t speak like that. It wasn’t even like “ghetto talk.” It was like Mike Zavala: Ghetto Cop. It definitely made it more challenging.

24WiredTV: How did you get involved in End of Watch in the first place?

Pena: Well, it was a basic thing, where I had to audition for it. You know, Jake [Gyllenhaal] was involved, and even Jake read for it. We auditioned, and it was like 20 pages of dialogue. I did an okay job, but this is the kind of role that you really need to do your research on.

24WiredTV: Speaking of research, Jake said that you guys did a lot of ride-alongs to get hands-on experience. Did your time spent with cops change your perspective of officers?

Pena: Totally. You see cops, and they have to have a certain amount of control over people. They have to be able to control people. I think whenever that happens, sometimes, you get a resentment. Then you realize what their motives are. They really want to protect the neighborhood, from all the guys who aren’t necessarily the nicest people, or want to make a quick buck selling this or stealing that. If you’re stealing something, you’re getting it for nothing. You’re getting it for free. Somebody else worked really hard for this, you know? I grew up in the ghetto; that’s something that, when you’re a kid, you don’t really understand. There were a lot of friendly cops out there, but I didn’t quite understand that. That they understood that 80% percent of the people, maybe even more, were actually really good people.

24WiredTV: Would you mind talking a bit about your upcoming role as Cesar Chavez?

Pena: I went to Comic-Con a year ago. I forgot who asked me, but somebody said, “What’s your dream role?” And I was like, “I don’t really have any dream roles, because in actually there’s writers that come up with characters that are even better than my dreams.” But there’s one character I’d like, and that’s Cesar Chavez. And the reason is, my parents were farmers. They weren’t getting compensated fairly. Four months [after Comic-Con] Diego Luna gives me a call and says, “Hey man, do you want to have a meeting about this movie?” I was like, “I’m in.” Diego has a really interesting view of the character. That’s another one that was really close to my heart.

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Isaiah Washington Talks Playing the D.C. Sniper, His New Book, and Blending Different Styles of Acting

September 20th, 2012

In light of one of his recent film projects, Suddenly Single, Isaiah Washington spoke exclusively with 24WiredTV about playing the antagonist of the movie, as well as more of his acting accomplishments–such as accepting the part of the notorious D.C. sniper, John Allen Muhammad, in the upcoming Blue Caprice. Washington also touched upon the meaning and message of his memoir, A Man from Another Land: How Finding My Roots Changed My Life. Plus, find out the surprising reason Washington became an actor in the first place. (more…)

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Dania Ramirez Talks ‘Premium Rush,’ Her Early Departure from ‘Entourage,’ and Her Upcoming TV Series

August 21st, 2012

Dania Ramirez spoke exclusively with 24WiredTV about her latest film, Premium Rush, due in theaters August 24, 2012. Aside from describing the difficult stunt work and exciting story that make her proud of the project, Ramirez also touched upon her past and future television endeavors, such as Entourage and her upcoming series, Devious Maids. Additionally, Ramirez spoke on her love of superheroes after her roles in Heroes and X-Men: The Last Stand. (more…)

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Traci Braxton Talks the New Season of ‘Braxton Family Values,’ Her Weight, and Her Salon

August 15th, 2012

24WireTV: During the infamous therapy session toward the end of this past season, we got the feeling you had a lot on your mind that you didn’t get to say. What was going through your head?

Traci Braxton: When my sisters told me I need to lose some weight, I was pretty pissed off. I was like, “How dare you say I need to lose some weight?”–like I’m really obese, or something like that. But I don’t think they really showed during the taping that Toni came to me and was like, “Traci, we’re just really concerned about you, because you’ve never been this big before.” And then they found that I was diabetic, and there were some health issues. [My sisters] were like, “Wait a minute, Traci. Come on, now. Something is going on. You’re gonna need to lose some weight. You have a son. You’ve gotta think about yourself.” And when I sat back and had to think about it, I was like, “They are totally right.” Diabetes is a silent killer. You have to start living a healthy life. Your diet has to be right. And plus, I didn’t want to be on pills the rest of my life.

24WiredTV: Why was it necessary to continue season two, even after you had a season finale?

Traci Braxton: Two-point-five, you know? The viewers wanted more of us. And we were like, “Okay, let’s do this. Let’s give them a little bit extra.” They’ve been so loyal to us.

24WiredTV: What do the next six episode have to offer in terms of your personal journey?

Traci Braxton: Well, you’ll see me continue to look for my salon. I will be opening up my salon very very soon. Me and my sisters [will be] bumping heads a lot. But we’re still loving each other even harder. You see the bickering. [laughs] And setting boundaries with each other.

24WiredTV: Toni is looking for background singers. How do you feel about that?

Traci Braxton: Her and her new background singers, they’re not gonna last long. It’s nothing like her loving sisters.

24WiredTV: Will you be appearing at all on Tamar and Vince’s spin-off show?

Traci Braxton: Not right now. People need to see that side of Tamar. That’s Tamar and Vince’s life, so I think they just need to show everyone their family side. Because all of us have different family sides.

24WiredTV: Where do you see yourself once the third season starts?

Traci Braxton: I have a surprise for everybody. I cannot let that out the bag yet. [This season] I’m doing a lot of giving back to my community. [I'm involved with the] Boys and Girls Club, I’m doing a walk for cancer. A lot of people don’t know that I used to work with emotionally disturbed adolescents for 15 years, as a senior counselor. A lot of people don’t know that I was in the social work family. I get a chance to show that side of me.

New episodes of Braxton Family Values air on WEtv starting Thursday, August 16, 2012 at 9 PM EST.

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Bokeem Woodbine Talks His Role in ‘Total Recall,’ Hints What to Expect from ‘Chronicles of Riddick’ Sequel

August 03rd, 2012

24WiredTV: How did you get involved with Total Recall?

Bokeem Woodbine: I got a call from my agent telling me that they wanted me to come read for something called Total Recall. So I got excited right away because I was a really huge fan of the first one. I went over to the reading, and it went pretty good I guess, and two weekends later, my agent calls–which he never does–and he was like, “Basically I need you to do [another] reading for Total Recall on Monday.” I said ,”okay great, that’s fantastic.” He said, “Do you want to read with Colin [Farrell], who’s playing the lead? If you guys vibe, then it gets you that much closer to the part.” I said okay.

So I read on Monday, and the reading went well, me and Colin clicked and then I didn’t hear anything for almost two months. So I put it out of my mind. I tried not to think about it, even though after two months, just to show you how excited I was about the project, I was still thinking about it. I’m the type of person who thinks that if I don’t hear back in a week or so, then I just assume that it’s not happening, because normally they’ll let you know within like five days, if there’s some heat or if you have a chance, or if it’s looking good or whatever.

So when the call came up later, it was just a huge thrill. I still had some lingering hope in my mind that maybe it might happen; like I said, normally I forget about it after like five days. When they called it was like Christmas, to tell you the truth. So that was really cool. The whole process probably took about three months or so. I was just happy to have the job.

24WiredTV: Would you tell us about your role in the movie?

Woodbine: I’ll tell you what I can. I think the best way to put it from my perspective is that my character Harry is a great character. He’s a friend. A type of big brother figure. He’s someone who wants to be there for his friend, who’s obviously having a challenging time.

24WiredTV: Can you hint at anything you feel makes this film exciting?

Woodbine: It’s not so much a hint as it is a statement. In fact, from my point of view, the movie respects the audience’s intelligence. There’s an element of mystery to it, so it’s not just a sci-fi action genre. It’s filled with suspense and mystery and all of these aspects to it. It’s a very cerebral, well-thought out picture. We created an environment where we could create these unexpected surprises for people, and have fun doing it.

24WiredTV: What can we expect from you in the Chronicles of Riddick sequel?

Woodbine: That’s going to be a lot of fun. It borrows from elements of the first two, but it has its own thing. It has its own energy, its own momentum.

24WiredTV: And how did you get involved in that project?

Woodbine: I auditioned for [Riddick director] David Twohy for a completely different role, didn’t get it, and I just kind of put it out of my mind. I got the call and they were like, “We want you to take a look at this other character.” It was actually a better character, so it worked out. I was very fortunate to be in that situation.

24WiredTV: So is that the next movie you’re filming?

Woodbine: That’s already shot. We shot that in January.

24WiredTV: Which would you say is your favorite role to date?

Woodbine: I want to go with Harry, man.

Photo courtesy of Columbia Pictures.

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Denzel Washington’s Top 3 Most Despicable Characters

July 19th, 2012

Washington’s rendition of Detective Alonso Harris got him the Oscar, and with good reason. Regardless of whether you feel his Best Actor triumph was borne from a role embracing black stereotypes (criminality, brutality, moral bankruptcy, etc.), it’s hard to deny that that Washington plays one hell of a compelling villain. Alonso not only commits flagrant crimes as an on-duty cop, but has the nerve to sow the seeds of corruption into his rookie partner, Jake (Ethan Hawke). Alonso’s crimes cover all the bad guy bases: theft, narcotics abuse, and murder, murder, murder. When Jake decides he’s built better for preventing homicides than committing them, Alonso tries to kill him twice–once with the assistance of three trigger-happy thugs, and another time with his own gun (despite the presence of a toddler in the apartment). Washington’s Harris is delectably irredeemable, and that’s just the way we like him.

“Tobin Frost” – Safe House (2012):

In this gritty action flick, Washington plays Tobin Frost, a former CIA agent gone rogue (and wrong) opposite Ryan Reynolds as the fresh-faced agency newbie trying to keep a leash on him. Washington’s Frost isn’t as evil as he is self-interested, but so much so that the difference is at times unclear. Frost’s efforts to free himself from Reynolds’ Matt Weston result in battering the latter senseless, and Frost’s end goal to sell the nation’s most sensitive secrets to the highest bidder doesn’t do the character any favors. Even after he and Weston come to a tentative understanding, he abandons Weston while he’s under siege from some dark and deadly people. Although Frost is ultimately more complicated than the first hour of the movie would have you believe, Washington keeps his sociopathic swagger top priority for most of it.

“Frank Lucas” – American Gangster (2007):

Washington’s portrayal of real-life gangster Frank Lucas is horrifying, and especially so if it’s at all authentic. The character’s capacity for both a regal air and ravenous violence is a sight to behold on screen, and Washington keeps both aspects of Lucas front-and-center. Perhaps most exemplary of Frank Lucas’s dual nature in the film is one in which he effortlessly switches from mentor to murderer–giving a somewhat moving declaration of his family-oriented M.O. to subordinates just before blasting out the brains of a man who owed him money. In another part of the film, Lucas smashes his cousin’s head under the lid of a grand piano more times than the man’s bones can handle. Although Washington’s charisma and likability as Lucas keep him from becoming an one-dimensional monster to the audience, there’s no question that he’s gone to the dark side and isn’t particularly uncomfortable with it.

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Keke Palmer Talks Being a Role Model, Co-Starring in ‘Ice Age,’ and Her Friendships with Drake and Queen Latifah

July 09th, 2012

24Wired: Ice Age: Continental Drift is your third movie with Queen latifah involved. Can you tell us a little bit about your relationship with her?

Keke Palmer: It’s very much a mother-daughter-y, aunty-type of relationship. She’s awesome. Any positive things that you would think about Queen Latifah are 100% on. She’s very lovable… just a cool personality. Kind. The first movie that I did with her, I had a very small part playing her niece, and she’s always remembered me ever since then. When I moved to California and I would be at award shows and all that type of stuff, she would always acknowledge me. We just have a really cool relationship and I was really excited when I knew I was going to be doing Ice Age with her.

24Wired: You’ve had some voice acting experience already with Winx Club cartoon show.

Palmer: Ice Age was actually before that. Winx just happened to come out before it because Ice Age took two years to make.

24Wired: So how did you get involved with Winx Club?

Palmer: I just had a relationship with Nickelodeon from the TV show I did with them, True Jackson. They had this Winx Club cartoon coming out and they thought that I’d be good for that for the little sassy character in that show. I thought that it’d be great, so I joined in.

24Wired: So what was it like doing voice work for the first time with Ice Age?

Palmer: Very different, but also exciting. I had to tap into a different part of myself as an actor because I usually do live action and this time all I had was my voice to express all of these different emotions. It was different for me, especially with all of the imagination stuff like falling down a cliff or doing a natural sigh or just a little voice step that happens with no lines. Because you don’t really realize that you do it in real life.

24Wired: How did you go about bridging the gap in your experience?

Palmer: The directors. They really helped me visualize things. Sometimes they would have little graphic bits of maybe what the scene would look like. A lot of times they didn’t, so they would have to go off their own imaginations and you know, kind of put me in that state of mind. I didn’t feel embarrassed. They always told me to relax and made me feel confident about it, and that always helps, when you feel like you’re not an idiot.

24Wired: With True Jackson, VP, you were in a unique position as a woman of color leading a kids’ show on a major channel. Do you ever feel the pressure of representing black girls instead of just yourself?

Palmer: I guess it is pressure, but for me, I always took on that pressure to make myself a better person. To try my best to set an example. Never saying that I’m perfect. I will make mistakes, but I always wanted to set the example that I learn from mistakes that I do make. A lot of times some people think that’s too much, but it works for me. I want to be somebody that young girls can look up to, and if I can set an example, and if I can help support my generation, then that’s what I want to do.

24Wired: You were in Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Family Reunion. Do you have a relationship with Tyler Perry at all now?

Palmer: Well, it’s not like I’m on the phone like, “What’s up, Tyler?” [laughs] Not like that, but we support one another. I go and see all of his movies, and whenever I see him, he’s happy to see me.

24Wired: Fair enough. Would you mind telling us about Virgin Mary?

Palmer: Virgin Mary is an independent film that I’m really excited to do. I’ll be with Abigail Breslin, and it’s pretty much a coming of age story about young teens approaching adulthood and all of the things that come with it. Thoughts about sex, thoughts about relationships, the future, all that type of stuff.

24Wired: This is the first movie in which you’re playing a principal role, and there’s the mention of sex at all. Has there been a stark transition for you into a little bit more of an adult genre here, or does it feel natural?

Palmer: Well, a lot of times when you do kids’ shows, even though you’re playing a teenager, it’s a more brighter side of a teenager. It’s not necessarily the most realistic version of a teenager. So when I did True Jackson, I made it as real as possible, but usually you don’t come across a fifteen year old that is a fashion designer, that has no problems, no worries [laughs]. I would say that this [movie] is a more realistic depiction of teenagers. Not every teenager, but a lot of different teenagers. This is actually a more real depiction–not because there’s a mention of sex, but just because kids aren’t stupid. Sixteen-, seventeen-year-olds, they’ve heard of it and they’re curious about it.

24Wired: What’s next for you after that project?

Palmer: I don’t know, I just go where the wind takes me. Whatever new roles come up and ideas that I have and things that I want to create, I just go for it. I don’t want to say I’d never make a timeline because I do have organized thoughts and things that I want to do but I feel that if I move too quickly, and say ‘this by this time,’ then you just set yourself up for a disappointment. I just work towards my goals, and get them done when I can, but I’m also excited about Ice Age.

24Wired: Would you mind saying a bit about your character in the movie?

Palmer: I play Peaches, who was born in the last Ice Age movie. She’s Manny’s and Queen Latifah’s character’s daughter. She’s 16 years old and just really just trying to find her way. She has a crush on this Ethan character who’s played by Drake, and it’s kind of just how she grows. Besides her being a mammoth, she’s your average 16-year old girl that’s just trying to find who she is, and make the right choices and be a good person.

24Wired: Were you able to meet Drake at all during voice recordings?

Palmer: Well, I actually knew him outside of Ice Age. So yeah, it was really cool to actually do a project with him because for a long time, we were trying to get him on True Jackson, and we could never find a way to get him on because of all of the touring he was doing, but he’s a really cool and good friend of mine. I remember when he was doing Degrassi, I was visiting [while I was] shooting a movie in Vancouver. And I would go and see him, and for my 16th birthday, he did this video for me like, “My girl Keke. You know me as Aubrey, but everybody else these days knows me as Drake,” and all the girls [around me] started screaming. I was like, ‘oh God.’ But yeah, I was happy that we got to do stuff together.

24Wired: Do you have any thoughts on the Chris Brown-Drake controversy?

Palmer: I was kind of like “wow, I don’t know what to think about that.” You never know the truth to any of that stuff. All intents and purposes, somebody could’ve made the whole thing up. I mean, I guess there’s truth to every story, but until I talk to either of them and ask them–which I wouldn’t do because it ain’t none of my business [laughs]–but if I did do that, then I would believe what they said, and not what I’ve read. All I know is that my name’s Bennett and I ain’t in it.

Photos courtesy of IMDB, Enterteenment News, and Nick.com.

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Derek Luke Talks Whitney Houston, ‘Seeking a Friend,’ and Whether He’ll Be in ‘Captain America 2′

June 27th, 2012

Derek Luke: You know what, that’s a good question. Actually, there’s a lot of components that make a film appetizing. I’ve been talking to a lot of actor friends, and so many of them have been unsatisfied, whether the role was huge or medium. A lot of them were just saying that it wasn’t anything interesting. And I felt like Seeking a Friend was just one of those movies that play on the rims of many characters. A film has moments like life has minutes, so that character to me was pivotal because first of all, he wasn’t the typical typecast guy. He had a relationship, whether brief or not, with Kiera [Knightley]‘s character, and I felt like it was more mainstream than limited. So moments like that just add on to your destination.

24Wired: Would you mind telling us about your role in Sparkle?

Luke: Yeah, I play a manager. It’s based on a remake. But one reason why I liked it was ’cause it kind of resembles my family life. It was like how my dad–he’s from South America–he came to the States, he had a dream, and he ended up making an album with my mom and her sisters. And so what was interesting was that I got a look at what it was like to have a dream back in those days. So it was more of like a tribute to my mom and dad when they first met, even though [the original] has a big cult following.

24Wired: Were you able to work much with Whitney Houston?

Luke: Yes. A lot of the time I spent with her, we were in the trailer, and she would always play gospel music. A lot of the times when you’re making a movie, it’s really quiet, every actor’s in the zone. You know, it’s different for everybody, but her and Jordin Sparks, every morning it was like the iPod was on shuffle, and it was Whitney and her singing. I was like “Man, I wish I could put this on YouTube.” [Laughs] I was like, “Mad people would kill to see what’s happening right now.” It was dope.

24Wired: Thrilled to see you in Captain America, especially as an actor of color. Do you know if there’s any room for you in a sequel?

Luke: That is definitely the direction. When I signed on, I kind of signed on open-ended. The contract was definitely for more than one project. Actually, Captain America was sort of a request from my late agent who passed away like a year and a half ago. And he never told me to do any project, but he was just very adamant about me doing Captain America because I was a little apprehensive at first, because there was no script. You didn’t get a script until you actually got on set. But I loved the experience, and I loved that world of adventure.

24Wired: Do you have any favorite superheroes?

Luke: I became more of a fan later on. It’s interesting. Like back in the days, I never thought about black characters. And sometimes the way you look at it as an actor, is not that it’s not black. You look at it as, “Oh, this fits me to be a part of this world.” And so what I love about [the Marvel character] Black Panther is that he’s strong, and a hero. Even though I like Spider-Man, and I’m excited to see the new one. And I like Thor, I like X- Men, the more current one.

24Wired: Thank you so much. This has been a really wonderful interview.

Luke: Oh man, thank you too.

Photo courtesy of Focus Features.

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