Will Smith was walking the red carpet in Moscow when a male reporter asked him for a hug. He obliged him, but the reporter took it to another level when he tried to kiss him. I wasn’t going to post on this until I saw the TMZ story which is linked at the bottom of the post. First, the headline says that Smith “attacked” the reporter. No one has a right to kiss you on the lips without your consent and if you object and lash out that is not an attack. Secondly, the article says “for the record, Will just came out in support of gay marriage.” What does gay marriage have to do with this incident? Nothing. Smith had a right to do what he did and the reporter is lucky that is all he did.
I was sad to hear that Will and Jada Pinkett Smith have seperated after 13 years of marriage and two children. They always came across as being so much in love, but you never know what goes on behind closed doors. What is disheartening is to read the stories that seem almost gleeful at the revelation. Rumors abound and I won’t dignify them by publishing here. I will just say that it is sad to see a family divide, and Will and Jada for 13 years helped us believe that love could survive the hype.
UPDATE: From Will and Jada Smith: “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.”
Earlier this week I read that Will Smith and Jay Z were developing the musical Annie for Smith’s daughter Willow. Willow has achieved fame in the music world with her hit “I Whip My Hair”. When I read it I felt proud that two black men had the power and the finances necessary to broker such a project. I also felt it was great that Smith could help pave the way for his heirs. He could provide that push up that his parents were not in the position to give him. This is a proud black family and they should be celebrated. So I was surprised when I read the tweet that Terry McMillan released. “She tweeted that Willow and brother Jaden, 12, “are being pimped and exploited” by parents Will and Jada Smith. She went on to say “The Smith children already act like child stars. There’s an arrogance in their demeanor and behavior,” she wrote. “I find it incredibly sad. It feels like the Smith children are being pimped and exploited. Or, they’re already hungry for fame. What about 4th grade?” My question first is why would she write this? The next question is why would a grown woman release this kind of tirade against the children? It sounds like a case of sour grapes or crabs in the barrel, take your choice. McMillan has since apologized for the tweet, but the damage is done. I say it all the time…140 characters can kill you. Tweeting is a quick means of communication and it can get you in trouble very quickly.
A couple of weeks ago Sesame Street released the video I Love My Hair which featured a puppet with several African American hairstyles. It was a wonderful sweet song created to increase self esteem among African American girls. Well now that sweet song has been remixed and it features Willow Smith singing her new hit I Whip My Hair. Smith the daughter of Will and Jada Smith has been the subject of a lot of controversy. Some have criticized her hair choices and said that she is too young to be a fashion icon or for that matter to be in show business. Willow Smith is a blessed young lady who has talent and influential parents who have the power to make her a star. So she can whip her hair any way she likes.
Will Smith’s last few movies have been in a word—Downers. Pursuit of Happyness, I am Legend, Hancock and now Seven Pounds. Every one has Smith as some kind of depressed loner. In Pursuit of Happyness I kept wondering doesn’t this man have a sister, a cousin or a Big Mama he could leave the kid with? I am Legend he is the last man standing and talking to mutants, Hancock features him as the saddest super hero on earth and now Seven Pounds I won’t spoil the secret but he continues his march into the depths of depression. I know most actors want to be viewed as serious thespians and melodramas solidify their reputations, but I miss the old Will and I long to see him in something hopeful. So when they start casting the Barack Obama story I hope Smith gets the role because I know I will finally leave the movie hopeful not depressed.
