Raven Symone is now slim and trim but clearly that’s not enough to keep your show on the air! It has been announced that ABC Family has decided to cut Raven Symone’s new show “State of Georgia” short. Apparently, the show was not bringing in the numbers the network projected. The last time Raven was a big hit on TV was when she was on the Disney Channel, which is a totally demographic than any channel except Nickeloden? Nevertheless, Raven’s been doing this Hollywood thing for a while and we’re pretty sure we won’t hear about her tanking – Those Cosby and Disney checks are probably still rolling in StronG!
The 21st Annual NAACP Theatre Awards went down last night in Los Angeles where Raven-Symone received the Spirit Award for bringing energy, tenacity, innovation, commitment and talent to the local theater scene. (She starred in “Father’s Day” with Rosie Perez earlier this year). The “Salute To Black Theatre” event also brought out Diahann Carroll, who received the Lifetime Achievement Award. The veteran actress is a Tony Award Winner, Emmy and Grammy Nominee, Golden Globe Winner, and Best Actress Oscar Nominee. Host Niecy Nash and Wendy Raquel Robinson looked glamourous in white, while Jurnee Smollett and Jill Marie Jones wore brighter-hued frocks. Romeo, one of the few male attendees, of course, showed off his muscles on the red carpet. Raven-Symone: “My Perfect Man Would Be A Mannequin” Raven-Symone Shows Off Amazing New Body For Shoot [PHOTOS] Are Romeo & Jordin Sparks Dating? [PHOTO & VIDEO]
Raven Symone returns to the small screen tonight in the premiere of her new sitcom “State of Georgia” on the ABC Family Channel. Raven stars as Georgia Chamberlain, an aspiring southern actress out to make it big in New York City. The series also stars Majandra Delfino as Jo, her trusted best friend and Loretta Devine as Aunt Honey who shares with them her wit and Southern wisdom. Raven, co-star Majandra Delfino and “State of Georgia” author/show creator/executive producer Jennifer Weiner will be tweeting live during the show’s broadcast. Join in the conversation by tweeting questions to Raven (@MissRavenSymone), Majandra (@MajandraD), or @ABCFGeorgia with the hashtag #GeorgiaChat “State of Georgia” premieres tonight on the ABC Family 8:30 PM EST/7:30c Check out sneak peek below: RELATED POSTS: Raven Symone Unleashes Her Inner Sexy For Vibe Magazine Raven Symone Lands New ABC Family Sitcom “The Great State of Georgia” Raven Symone Discusses Weight Loss [PHOTOS]
Raven-Symone covers the latest issue of Rolling Out magazine where, inside, she talks about her new show “The Great State Of Georgia,” what she finds sexy in a man and the difference between Raven “the brand” and Raven “the person.” Wearing sequin shorts, a hooded dress, a cropped leather jacket and striped tube top, Raven-Symone’s styling finally matches her age. She’s grown up now! See some behind-the-scenes pics here: Raven-Symone Shows Off Amazing New Body For Shoot [PHOTOS] “The Great State of Georgia” appears to be your first mature role as a television actress. What can viewers expect from the show? The show focuses on the problems you can go through when auditioning and being rejected and, sometimes, accepted. It’s a good journey that my character, Georgia, goes through with a friend and her aunt, which is played by Loretta Devine. I find it interesting that I’m doing a role that mirrored my younger life when I moved from Georgia to New York. This is more of a sophisticated comedy, but we don’t take away from the fun aspect of it. When did you realize that you were not just an actress, but that “Raven-Symoné” had become a brand? I knew that there was a business of Raven-Symoné when my father told me to “make sure that the public knows your real name and not just your character’s name.” The Disney Channel also helped to package what I wanted to do. But I know that there is more out there. Hopefully, the business aspect will be set up where I can back away and give opportunities to young men and women [to] showcase their talent when others may overlook them. What do you find attractive in a man, and what is your ideal first date? The things I find attractive are ambition, talent, teeth and a car. I don’t like to drive. It doesn’t have to be a Bentley. You can drive a Pinto, and I’ll pay for gas. But I won’t pay your insurance [laughs]. My ideal first date is no weave, no eyebrows, no makeup. I need to be in sweats, and I need him to be in sweats. We can drive around and see different houses. That’s my favorite date ever. I don’t want to go anywhere special. I just want to go for a ride. Is there a way to balance a relationship with your schedule? I was raised to be about my business. I love the people who are around, but if I get a [business] call, I have to get up and go. I’m on a path for myself. When I’m done, I’ll start that other side of life. I can’t have distractions. If you’re a distraction, you gotta go. What will be Raven-Symoné’s legacy? I want people to say, “She made me laugh and brightened my day. As a brand, she kept in mind the different flavors in the world.” And I want people to know that I was always honest and told the truth. Raven-Symone Shows Off Natural Curly ‘Fro At Vegas Soiree [PHOTOS] Raven-Symone: “My Perfect Man Would Be A Mannequin”
Tomorrow will see the nationwide release of one of this summer’s most anticipated movies – J.J. Abrams’ alleged homage to Steven Spielberg of old, Super 8 . The film centers on a group of white kids in a small Ohio town in the 1970s whose adventures into film-making with their Super 8mm camera are interrupted by a train crash carrying an alien life form. Naturally, chaos reigns in the aftermath. But there’s another “alien attacks” movie also centered on a group of kids coming soon to a theater near you (hopefully) that you may not yet be aware of, but really should be. And this one is of special importance because its story features that rare onscreen occurrence in which the alien, or aliens in this case, invade a predominantly urban (read: black) neighborhood. The film’s tag line, which you can read on the poster above, says it all: “ INNER CITY VS OUTER SPACE. ” Or, as I like to refer to it: the “ Aliens attack da hood ” project. For once, right? They almost never do! And the often vilified, bureaucratically-victimized young black boys and girls who live in “da hood” actually save the day for a change! It all sounds quite revolutionary, doesn’t it? Sarcasm aside, the film I’m talking about is a British-produced horror movie titled Attack The Block , brought to you by the producers of the hilarious zombie spoof Shaun Of The Dead , and the not-so hilarious graphic novel adaption of Scott Pilgrim Vs The World . The movie, in brief, pits a group of mostly black kids against an invasion of alien monsters, turning a an inner city London tower block into a fortress under siege, and a ragtag group of armed teenagers into heroes. Since its North American debut at the South by Southwest Film Festival this past March in Austin, Texas the critical and commercial buzz around the movie has been near-deafening. It was released in the UK last month and although it has a North American distributor, an official release date for those of us on this side of the Atlantic has yet to be announced. Given all that I’ve heard and read about the movie (from film critics and general audiences) it sounds like perfect summer fare – an exceptional combination of spectacle and story. You’ll get the thrills and chills, but also plenty of heart. Here’s a small sample: From Variety : “… enormously appealing debut feature, “Attack the Block”… Pitched as “inner city vs. outer space,” pic sees a quintet of teen street hoodlums defend their tower-block home in the projects from an invasion of shaggy-haired aliens with Day-Glo teeth. Set over one wild night in South London, this zero-to-hero tale will play gangbusters in its native Blighty before a rich ancillary career.” From Cinemablend : “Attack The Block Could Be The Best Action Movie Of The Year… finds a balance in scope to keep the action moving while showcasing the brilliant, hilarious and realistic teen actors. There’s a surprising amount of smaller-scale, alien attack action in Attack the Block and Cornish’s crack team of make-up and visual effects artists pull out all the stops. The film is quickly paced and never lets up… The result: an alien invasion where you actually give a damn about the folks being invaded.” And from IndieWire : “The violence is frenetic and visceral, but Cornish shoots these sequences with clarity and intensity, suggesting he’s an action director ready to bloom. And if you live by the adage that 90% of directing is casting, then Cornish’s job was fairly easy, as a group of total unknowns completely carry this picture. Credit must be given to the young John Boyega, a possible future star, who plays Moses, the de-facto leader of the pack. Boyega has a face that reveals both anger and strength in regular doses, the type of attitude that just cannot be taught in acting classes. As such, our designated hero, Boyega, with an expressive upper brow that reflects the character’s intelligence beyond these circumstances, is believable as both a defiant tough guy and as a teen who theorizes that the aliens are a government program meant to eliminate lower-class citizens. He’s compellingly watchable.” As the last snippet notes, the cast of Attack The Block comprises of mostly unknown actors who bring a realism to the film, ensuring that, despite its fantastical tale, remains fairly grounded. And the last line about the aliens being government inventions meant to wipe out the working class, indicates some political and allegorical subtext, speaking to a universal and warranted paranoia amongst black people that’s rooted in a mistrust of government, and people in positions of power in general. History is littered with incidents that instruct those fears. Taking all of the above into consideration, Attack The Block is a film we should all be watching for down the road. There has even been excited talk of an American studio purchasing the film’s remake rights and producing a Hollywood version of it! Let’s hope Sony Pictures does release the original first, and soon, rather than shelve it in favor of an Americanized version of the movie. So, after you’re done devouring popcorn and smoothies at the theater this weekend, watching a group of white kids take on a nasty extraterrestrial in Super 8 , get ready to “Attack The Block” sometime later this year… we hope. The film’s trailer follows below for those who’ve yet to see it: Tambay Obenson is editor of Shadow And Act on the indieWIRE Network , which can be found at http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact . FACT OF THE DAY: Ashanti Was Once A Bad Girl Remember Snoop’s Perm & Curls? THEN & NOW: 1990s Music Icons CLASS OF 2001: Was G-Dep The Last Bad “Boy” Standing?
Tomorrow will see the nationwide release of one of this summer’s most anticipated movies – J.J. Abrams’ alleged homage to Steven Spielberg of old, Super 8 . The film centers on a group of white kids in a small Ohio town in the 1970s whose adventures into film-making with their Super 8mm camera are interrupted by a train crash carrying an alien life form. Naturally, chaos reigns in the aftermath. But there’s another “alien attacks” movie also centered on a group of kids coming soon to a theater near you (hopefully) that you may not yet be aware of, but really should be. And this one is of special importance because its story features that rare onscreen occurrence in which the alien, or aliens in this case, invade a predominantly urban (read: black) neighborhood. The film’s tag line, which you can read on the poster above, says it all: “ INNER CITY VS OUTER SPACE. ” Or, as I like to refer to it: the “ Aliens attack da hood ” project. For once, right? They almost never do! And the often vilified, bureaucratically-victimized young black boys and girls who live in “da hood” actually save the day for a change! It all sounds quite revolutionary, doesn’t it? Sarcasm aside, the film I’m talking about is a British-produced horror movie titled Attack The Block , brought to you by the producers of the hilarious zombie spoof Shaun Of The Dead , and the not-so hilarious graphic novel adaption of Scott Pilgrim Vs The World . The movie, in brief, pits a group of mostly black kids against an invasion of alien monsters, turning a an inner city London tower block into a fortress under siege, and a ragtag group of armed teenagers into heroes. Since its North American debut at the South by Southwest Film Festival this past March in Austin, Texas the critical and commercial buzz around the movie has been near-deafening. It was released in the UK last month and although it has a North American distributor, an official release date for those of us on this side of the Atlantic has yet to be announced. Given all that I’ve heard and read about the movie (from film critics and general audiences) it sounds like perfect summer fare – an exceptional combination of spectacle and story. You’ll get the thrills and chills, but also plenty of heart. Here’s a small sample: From Variety : “… enormously appealing debut feature, “Attack the Block”… Pitched as “inner city vs. outer space,” pic sees a quintet of teen street hoodlums defend their tower-block home in the projects from an invasion of shaggy-haired aliens with Day-Glo teeth. Set over one wild night in South London, this zero-to-hero tale will play gangbusters in its native Blighty before a rich ancillary career.” From Cinemablend : “Attack The Block Could Be The Best Action Movie Of The Year… finds a balance in scope to keep the action moving while showcasing the brilliant, hilarious and realistic teen actors. There’s a surprising amount of smaller-scale, alien attack action in Attack the Block and Cornish’s crack team of make-up and visual effects artists pull out all the stops. The film is quickly paced and never lets up… The result: an alien invasion where you actually give a damn about the folks being invaded.” And from IndieWire : “The violence is frenetic and visceral, but Cornish shoots these sequences with clarity and intensity, suggesting he’s an action director ready to bloom. And if you live by the adage that 90% of directing is casting, then Cornish’s job was fairly easy, as a group of total unknowns completely carry this picture. Credit must be given to the young John Boyega, a possible future star, who plays Moses, the de-facto leader of the pack. Boyega has a face that reveals both anger and strength in regular doses, the type of attitude that just cannot be taught in acting classes. As such, our designated hero, Boyega, with an expressive upper brow that reflects the character’s intelligence beyond these circumstances, is believable as both a defiant tough guy and as a teen who theorizes that the aliens are a government program meant to eliminate lower-class citizens. He’s compellingly watchable.” As the last snippet notes, the cast of Attack The Block comprises of mostly unknown actors who bring a realism to the film, ensuring that, despite its fantastical tale, remains fairly grounded. And the last line about the aliens being government inventions meant to wipe out the working class, indicates some political and allegorical subtext, speaking to a universal and warranted paranoia amongst black people that’s rooted in a mistrust of government, and people in positions of power in general. History is littered with incidents that instruct those fears. Taking all of the above into consideration, Attack The Block is a film we should all be watching for down the road. There has even been excited talk of an American studio purchasing the film’s remake rights and producing a Hollywood version of it! Let’s hope Sony Pictures does release the original first, and soon, rather than shelve it in favor of an Americanized version of the movie. So, after you’re done devouring popcorn and smoothies at the theater this weekend, watching a group of white kids take on a nasty extraterrestrial in Super 8 , get ready to “Attack The Block” sometime later this year… we hope. The film’s trailer follows below for those who’ve yet to see it: Tambay Obenson is editor of Shadow And Act on the indieWIRE Network , which can be found at http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact . FACT OF THE DAY: Ashanti Was Once A Bad Girl Remember Snoop’s Perm & Curls? THEN & NOW: 1990s Music Icons CLASS OF 2001: Was G-Dep The Last Bad “Boy” Standing?
Raven-Symoné showed off her natural curls while attending the Simon G. Jewelry Annual “Summer Soiree” at The Palazzo Resort and Casino in Las Vegas recently. Looking pretty in pink, she rocked a ruffled one-shoulder dress, nude pumps and a playful bow. Raven-Symone: “My Perfect Man Would Be A Mannequin” Raven-Symone Shows Off Amazing New Body For Shoot [PHOTOS] 30 Under 30: Raven Symone FACT OF THE DAY: Ashanti Was Once A Bad Girl Remember Snoop’s Perm & Curls? THEN & NOW: 1990s Music Icons CLASS OF 2001: Was G-Dep The Last Bad “Boy” Standing?
Raven-Symoné showed off her natural curls while attending the Simon G. Jewelry Annual “Summer Soiree” at The Palazzo Resort and Casino in Las Vegas recently. Looking pretty in pink, she rocked a ruffled one-shoulder dress, nude pumps and a playful bow. Raven-Symone: “My Perfect Man Would Be A Mannequin” Raven-Symone Shows Off Amazing New Body For Shoot [PHOTOS] 30 Under 30: Raven Symone FACT OF THE DAY: Ashanti Was Once A Bad Girl Remember Snoop’s Perm & Curls? THEN & NOW: 1990s Music Icons CLASS OF 2001: Was G-Dep The Last Bad “Boy” Standing?
Rick Fox and Eliza Dushku were seen at Perez Hilton’s blue birthday bash in Hollyweird this weekend. Nice to see that he’s still smashing those lil cakes to smithereens! Raven Symone was in the building as well…peep more pics below:
Raven-Symoné debuted a new and natural hair cut the other day, but apparently that was just temporary because here she is last night at the ABC Upfront Presentation all weaved up and slimmed down. What do you think of Raven’s faux-tresses and slender frame???
