Angela Bassett gets Hollywood star
Thu Mar 20, 11:15 PM ET
Angela Bassett has had good days — becoming a mother to twins, winning a Golden Globe, being nominated for an Academy Award. Then there was Thursday.
"Do you ever have one of those days? I woke up and the sun wasn't really shining but then it burst through the clouds and it was glorious. Hallelujah!" Bassett exclaimed to the crowd at the ceremony for the 2,358th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Bassett, 49, was joined by husband Courtney B. Vance, their children and guests Forest Whitaker, Laurence Fishburne and Rick Fox, her co-star in the new film "Meet the Browns," out Friday.
Fishburne, who starred alongside Bassett in 1993's "What's Love Got to Do With It," highlighted Bassett's resilience in the industry. She landed an Oscar nomination for the role portraying Turner triumphing over abuse.
"You get a lot of no's in this business and you have to have that desire and determination which is what Angela has," Fishburne said.
Whitaker gushed that Bassett was "a powerful artist, a beautiful person, a mother, a wife, a friend who illuminates my life."
Born in New York City and raised in Florida, Bassett snagged bachelor's and master's degrees from Yale before starting her career in theater and then moving on to film.
Her film credits include 1998's "How Stella Got Her Groove Back."
At the ceremony, she recalled moving to Los Angeles from New York in 1988.
"I meant to stay six months but I stayed. Today my cup runneth over!" Bassett said. "I am crying now, I cried yesterday and the day before. ... This day is so, so special to me."
...And now you're asking yourself... "Self, what other stars have ummm... stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame?"
List of Stars on The Hollywood Walk of Fame
Notable names that pop out at ME at first glance...
Paula Abdul
Tony Danza
Big Bird
Tyne Daly (Cagney of Cagney and Lacey)
Ann B. Davis (Alice from The Brady Bunch)
Emilio Estefan, Jr. (Gloria's Husband... I think.)
Sharon Gless (Lacey of Cagney and Lacey)
Pat Sajak
Vanna White
Dennis Quaid
Randy Quaid
Nichelle Nichols
Magic Johnson (Under the heading of MOTION PICTURES???)
Arsenio Hall
My favorite Angela Bassett story is about how she turned down the role in Monster's Ball that ultimately won Halle Berry the Oscar, because apparently she thought the story of a black woman who's husband is executed on death row and then falls in love with one of the prison guards was undignified. My favorite part about this story is that she said this AFTER Halle won the Oscar.
YouTube Clip of Halle Berry at The Oscars
P.S. Did you know that you actually have to pay $25,000 for your star. (Well, at least your people do. Anybody could pay for you... even your fans or friends... not that I'm suggesting anything.)
P.P.S. Denzel Washington DOES NOT have a star. Racism.
2 comments:
Before claiming that it's racist that Denzel doesn't have a star you should ask if he's ever applied. Even though an organization can apply on behalf of an individual, the actor still have to agree that they will be there to receive it. If Denzel has never applied, or has been unable to commit to being at the ceremony, that would be why he does not yet have a star. Also, as you pointed out, there is a price tag and someone has to pay for it. I'm sure that he can easily afford it, but perhaps he feels that his money can be used in more worthwhile ways.
I have no personal knowledge of any of this, but I always believe that there's more than one answer to almost any question.
Kett,
I guess my tongue wasn't planted firmly enough in my cheek. I was kidding. While I am curious of the reason why Denzel doesn't have a star, I'm pretty sure it's not racism.
Post a Comment