With its U.S. limited release closing in by days, “Precious: Based on the Novel PUSH by Sapphire” has got a red carpet treatment in Los Angeles. The premiere, held on Sunday, November 1 at Grauman’s Chinese Theater, was a part of the drama movie’s participation at AFI Fest 2009, which runs from October 30 to November 7. Many of the cast members were present for the special screening event. Leading actress Gabourey Sidibe was present along with several of her co-stars, including Mo’Nique who stars as Precious’ mother Mary, Paula Patton who portrays Ms. Rain and Mariah Carey who takes on Mrs. Weiss. All of the last three mentioned actresses came to the premiere in the arms of their husbands. Mo’Nique was accompanied by Sidney Hicks, Paula by her singer/songwriter husband Robin Thicke, and Mariah by her actor/comedian/rapper hubby Nick Cannon. Joining them at the red carpet were director Lee Daniels as well as executive producer Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry. The festivity also managed to draw in a handful of celebrity guests. Mary J. Blige was spotted arriving with husband Kendu Isaacs, while actor Sidney Poitier tagged along his daughter Sydney Poitier. Other celebrities attending the premiere included Paula Abdul, Will Smith and Olivia Wilde. “Precious” is set in Harlem in 1987 and revolves around Claireece “Precious” Jones, an overweight, illiterate sixteen-year-old African-American girl born into a life no one would want. Abused by her mother and raped by her father, she is pregnant for the second time and reaches the ninth grade without being able to read or write. Instead of being swallowed by depression, she tries to break from the chains of ignorance by digging deep into her own resources. November 6 will be the date the movie originally titled “Push: Based on the Novel by Sapphire” opens in limited theaters across the country.

I’ve started reading Push, the book this movie is based on, and I’ve already been gutted by the tale. I can already tell that when I see this movie, and I will be seeing this movie as soon as I possibly can, I will bawl my eyes out. I’m so curious to see how this group of actors — Mo’Nique, Paula Patton, Mariah Carey — bring this story to life. I’ve only read amazing things about the film’s star, Gabby Sidibe, so … I think we are in for a revelation when this film opens. Have any of y’all read the book? Are you looking forward to this film’s release? If you are totally unfamiliar with this film, check out the movie trailer HERE. It look amazing. I can’t wait to see it.

[Photo credit: Bauer-Griffin; Source]

I understand that NYC mayor Bloomberg, Regis Philbin, Kelly Ripa, Daniel Craig and Hugh Jackman are also scheduled to appear on today’s show but Mimi brought along a special guest of her own. After the jump, see who tagged along to appear on The Oprah Winfrey Show with Mariah Carey earlier today …

The happily marrieds are still goin’ strong … as is evident in these photos. Mariah even performed a song off her new album Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel (due out later this month) complete with a full gospel choir — which means this show is must see!!

Now, I’m not a regular Oprah watcher so I’m not sure if the ep will actually air today or if it will air on Monday … but I’ll deffo be on the look-out for the You Tube clips that are sure to come. I’m not sure I’m diggin’ this Mariah 2009 lookin’ like Mariah 1993 thing she’s got goin’ on. It was cute for promo pics but I dunno that it’s a good idea to recycle one’s own look in the flesh.

[Photo credit: Wireimage]

In this Aug. 31, 2009 photo provided Monday, Sept. 7, 2009 by Harpo Productions, television talk-show host Oprah Winfrey, right, and Whitney Houston are seen during an interview at the Town Hall in New York. Houston, who’s new album “I Look To You” was released on Aug. 31, was interviewed by Winfrey for a two-part season premiere of The Oprah Winfrey Show, airing Sept. 14 and 15.

Oprah has also made available a preview video clip from her 2-part interview which features Whitney’s revelation that her mother, Cissy Houston, showed up at home with the police to extricate her from her dangerous living situation with ex-husband Bobby Brown. After the jump, check out the minute-long preview clip in full …

Oprah Winfrey’s upcoming interview with Whitney Houston is said to be a, “jaw-dropping, open, honest and candid” conversation that the daytime talk show queen is calling, “the best interview I’ve ever done.” Winfrey sits down with Houston for a two-day interview starting on Monday, Sept. 14, where Houston discusses her marriage with Bobby Brown, drugs, rehab and how her family saved her. “I think it’s the best interview I’ve ever done. But I guess you’re supposed to let other people say that about yourself. I can’t think of a moment, ever, when I had a stronger connection to the person I was interviewing,” Winfrey said in a statement to Access Hollywood. “My approach to this interview was to not be judgmental in any way, and not to go in trying to get her to say things to make a ‘moment.’ I just wanted to be able to have an honest conversation with her. One woman to another woman. And the day of the interview I literally prayed about that all day long. I just wanted a connection between the two of us. And that is what happened.” With friends and family looking on, including Clive Davis and her daughter Bobbi Kristina, Houston brings down the house with an emotional performance of “I Didn’t Know My Own Strength” from her new album “I Look To You,” which is expected to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard charts. “I think whether you liked or loved Whitney Houston before you will certainly have a deeper appreciation for what she has been through as a human being,” Winfrey continued. “And I mean, the fans are just going to love her even more.” “The Oprah Winfrey Show: Season Premiere: Oprah And Whitney Houston – The First Interview” airs Monday, Sept. 14. “The Oprah Winfrey Show: Season Premiere Part II: Whitney Houston’s Show-Stopping Surprise” airs Tuesday, Sept. 15.

On the one hand, I am having a hard time believing that this interview with Whitney Houston is really Winfrey’s “best interview ever” and on the other hand, having seen many of Oprah’s softball interviews, I can see how it really wouldn’t be difficult for any particular interview to be the best ever. While I expect that Whitney will open up and bare her soul, I don’t expect that we’ll learn any stunning revelations. I think Diane Sawyer’s “Crack is whack” interview will remain THE interview that enlightened Whitney Houston the most to audiences. Best or not, I am very anxious to see this interview in full … the fact that it will air over 2-days is an excellent way to ensure that Oprah’s 24th season of her talk show kicks off with a bang. Will you be tuning in?

[Source via Source]

Oprah launches her 24th season of “The Oprah Winfrey Show” with what she calls “the most anticipated music interview of the decade,” a must-see television event with singing icon Whitney Houston. This marks Houston’s first interview in nearly seven years and follows the release of her highly touted new album, “I Look To You” on August 31, 2009. For more information about the album check www.oprah.com/whitney or www.whitneyhouston.com. “The Oprah Winfrey Show: Exclusive: Whitney Houston’s First Interview” airs Monday, September 14, 2009 (check local listings). Since her 1985 self-titled debut, Whitney Houston has built an illustrious career that has generated over 170 million combined worldwide sales of albums, singles and videos. Cited by the Guinness Book of World Records as music’s “most awarded female artist of all time,” with an unsurpassed tally of 411 awards, inclusive of 6 Grammy Awards, 2 Emmy Awards, 23 American Music Awards and 16 Billboard Music Awards. Houston remains a singular force in music today. “The Oprah Winfrey Show” has remained the number one talk show for 22 consecutive seasons, winning every sweep since its debut in 1986.** It is produced in Chicago by Harpo Productions, Inc. and syndicated to 214 domestic stations by CBS Television Distribution Group and to 143 countries by CBS Paramount International Television.

Damn! Has it really been almost 7 years since Whitney Houston sat down for a televised interview? I’m not sure if her infamous “Crack is Whack” interview with Diane Sawyer is her most recent interview but a lot has gone down since those days back when she was happily married to Bobby Brown. As much as I am really looking forward to the release of her new album, I can’t help but be EXTREMELY interested in hearing her answer all the questions that we’ve been dying to know from the past few years. Oprah is by no means a tough interviewer but she does have the ability to draw her interviewees out. I hope this will be a good one … I can’t wait to see it!

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Heidi was most recently seen all glammed up for the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Gala earlier this week but she had nothing to say about the sex of her incubating baby. This is great news … the couple already have a girl and two boys. This will round out their family perfectly. Perhaps she was yet unaware or perhaps the couple decided to save the news for Oprah but now we know. Oprah doesn’t air here in LA until later this afternoon … but I may just have to tune in to hear the announcement for myself. Congrats to the happy couple!!!

UPDATE: Here is a screencap of Oprah sharing Heidi and Seal’s happy news on her show today:

[Photo credit: Splash News; thanks Tammy]

Impeachment proceedings against Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich are scheduled to begin Monday in the state Senate, but the embattled governor is expected to skip the trial and instead appear on several television programs. Blagojevich is facing federal corruption allegations, including trying to trade or sell the Senate seat that became vacant after Barack Obama was elected president. The second-term Democratic governor has denied wrongdoing. In his first live prime-time interview, Blagojevich will appear Monday on CNN’s “Larry King Live.” He spoke with ABC’s “Good Morning America” on Monday morning and was scheduled to appear with his wife later Monday on ABC’s “The View.” On “Good Morning America,” Blagojevich said he considered appointing Oprah Winfrey as Obama’s Senate replacement. “She seemed to be someone who had helped Barack Obama in a significant way become president,” he said. “She was obviously someone with a much broader bully pulpit than other senators.” The governor said Winfrey was one of several candidates he had considered for the position. Blagojevich eventually picked former Illinois Attorney General Roland Burris to replace Obama. Senate Democrats initially disputed seating Burris due to the cloud over Blagojevich, and Illinois’ secretary of state refused to sign off on the appointment. But Illinois’ highest court validated Burris’ appointment earlier this month, and Senate Democratic leaders recognized it. Blagojevich on Monday restated his complaints about what he called the “unconstitutional” impeachment trial, which he said “denies me the right to call witnesses to defend myself and prove my innocence.” He said he is certain the Illinois Senate will vote to remove him from office and said he expects they will demand he step down “relatively soon.” Earlier this month, the Illinois House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly to impeach him. Blagojevich has said the vote was politically motivated. Under the Illinois Constitution, the House can vote to impeach an executive or judicial officer, but it is the Senate that conducts the trial. A two-thirds majority vote in the Senate is required to convict an officer of an impeachable offense. According to a federal complaint issued in December, Blagojevich and his chief of staff, John Harris — who also was arrested on federal corruption charges — were “conspiring to obtain personal financial benefits” for the governor by leveraging his sole authority to appoint a U.S. senator to replace Obama. “I’ve got this thing and it’s [expletive] golden,” Blagojevich allegedly said in one recorded phone conversation, referring to his authority to appoint, according to the complaint. “I’m just not giving it up for [expletive] nothing.” When asked about those alleged quotes, Blagojevich told ABC that federal prosecutors “took snippets of conversations completely out of context.” “When the whole story comes out, you’ll see that the effort was to work to have a senator who can best represent Illinois,” he said. In an interview over the weekend with NBC’s “Today,” Blagojevich said his December 9 arrest took him by surprise, but he is drawing inspiration from people such as Nelson Mandela, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi. “I thought it was actually a friend of mine who was playing a practical joke,” he said of his arrest. “Unfortunately it wasn’t. And then the day unfolded and I had a whole bunch of thoughts — of course my children and my wife — and then I thought about Mandela, Dr. King, Gandhi and tried to put some perspective in all of this, and that’s what I’m doing now.” Blagojevich has said his basic rights are being violated because he cannot challenge assertions in the House impeachment report. Blagojevich also is asking for a change in a Senate trial rule that he said is preventing him from calling witnesses such as Valerie Jarrett, a confidant of President Obama; Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.; and White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel. Emanuel, claimed Blagojevich, agrees that he did not break any laws. State Sen. Matt Murphy, part of the nine-member committee that put the Senate trial rules together, called Blagojevich’s complaints “the theater of the absurd.” “What you’ve seen here … is a cynical effort on the part of this governor that’s perfectly consistent with his actions over the last six years, to try and further undermine the faith in this process that the people already have,” Murphy said. Blagojevich missed deadlines this month for answering the impeachment charge and for filing a motion to dismiss, a spokesman for Illinois Senate President John Cullerton has said.

Clearly, Blagojevich (who should be considered innocent until proven guilty … despite the evidence that has been collected against him) is pulling out all the stops in this last, desperate bid to not only salvage his political career but avoid being incarcerated. It really sounds like this Oprah news is meant to draw the focus away from the charges of corruption that are being leveled at him in his upcoming impeachment trial and move them toward something more positive .. and who don’t love Oprah? I, for one, am disgusted at the charges that have been brought against him and if they are proven true, I hope he gets stripped of everything his time in office afforded him (pensions, etc.) and he gets thrown in jail like any common criminal. If he is innocent, then I hope he will be able to return to his duty of governance for the good of the people of Illinois. In either instance, I don’t know that pandering to every TV program that will have him will help out his cause. My gut tells me that his actions today are a desperate ploy to curry whatever favor he can from the public in the last hours before he goes on trial … kinda like he knows what’s coming. The whole matter is just sad. Oprah or not, I’m really grossed out by the folly of this whole incident.

[Source]

Joseph Biden’s wife Jill on Monday appeared to let slip a piece of choice political gossip, suggesting her husband was given a choice by Barack Obama to be vice president or secretary of state. Biden will be sworn into office on Tuesday as Obama’s second-in-command, and appeared to try to hush his wife as she made the comment on Oprah Winfrey’s talk show. His office later put out a statement denying he had a choice of job. “Joe had a choice to be secretary of state or vice president,” Jill Biden said, prompting her husband to whisper “shhh” before her words were drowned out by cheers and applause. She went on to explain that she had worried about the impact of her husband being secretary of state on their family life. “I said, Joe, if you’re secretary of state, you’ll be away. (I’ll) see you at a state dinner once in a while. I said if you’re vice president, the entire family, because they worked so hard for the election, can be involved. They can come to our home. They can go to events. They can be with us all the time. And that’s what’s important to us.” Joseph Biden, trying to smooth over the awkward moment, then said he told Obama he would serve as vice president only if he was being selected for his judgement. “I know it’s going to sound corny. I could best serve there. The bottom line, Barack’s my friend. This is a partnership,” he said … Biden spokeswoman Elizabeth Alexander put out a statement trying to play down Jill Biden’s comments. “To be clear, president-elect Obama offered vice President-elect Biden one job only — to be his running mate and the vice president-elect was thrilled to accept the offer,” she said. “Like anyone who followed the presidential campaign this summer, Dr Jill Biden knew there was a chance that president-elect Obama might ask her husband to serve in some capacity and that, given his background, the positions of vice president and secretary of state were possibilities,” Alexander said. “Dr Biden’s point to Oprah today was that being vice president would be a better fit for their family because they would get to see him more and get to participate in serving more.”

LOL! I love Jill Biden! And I love that in the excitement of being in the presence of the great Oprah Winfrey the poor dear got flustered enough to let this bit of previously unsubstantiated information get out. No matter what the press release says about the incident, you know what Jill spilled was the way it went down ;)

In any event, Joe Biden is just about to take his oath of office … and then, soon after, it’s Barack Obama’s turn!

[Source]

Thousands of spectators cheered Olympic medalists Michael Phelps, Dara Torres and Kobe Bryant on Wednesday as the city of Chicago got a high-profile boost to its bid to host the 2016 Summer Olympics. Oprah Winfrey was taping the season premiere for “The Oprah Winfrey Show” at a downtown park, and she invited 150 U.S. Olympic athletes to join her. The athletes were introduced under a shower of red, white and blue confetti. Winfrey intends the show to be both a welcome home for athletes who competed in Beijing and also a chance to showcase Chicago as the city bids for the 2016 Games, said Harpo Productions … The 23rd season premiere of Winfrey’s talk show will air Monday. Chicago is a finalist for the 2016 Games along with Tokyo; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; and Madrid, Spain. The International Olympic Committee will choose the 2016 host next year.

People.com has some scoop on what will transpire in next Monday’s season premiere ep:

Even face-to-face with Oprah Winfrey, Michael Phelps remains mum on the topic of his private life. But in terms of Olympic-sized revelations, Nastasia Liukin admits she gained inspiration from The Secret, while Kobe Bryant confessed to his surprise at finding he has so many fans in China … “It’s good to be back on American soil,” said Phelps, 23, grinning shyly and wearing only one of the eight gold medals he took home for swimming. Asking the most pressing question, “Are you single?,” Winfrey was told by Phelps, “I try to keep my private life private.” Bryant, joined by others on the winning men’s basketball team, said the players made a conscious effort to bring back gold and remedy what had become the sullied reputation of American players. “We made it a personal challenge. It was a priority” to take arrogance out of the game, he told Winfrey. In response to all the attention he received from adoring Chinese fans, Bryant, 30, admitted, “It caught me off guard” … Liukin, 18, cited the inspiration she received from The Secret, a self-help book popularized on Winfrey’s show. Recalling her pre-China prep, “I said, ‘I guess I should read it, Oprah read it,’ ” said the winning athlete. As for Torres – at 41, the winner of three silver medals in Beijing – the swimmer and mother of a 2-year-old said age shouldn’t limit one’s dreams. “All the mothers out there are my role models,” she said.

Oprah always does things in a big way, none of this surprises me at all. I do think it’s brilliant that she is using the fame of her show to help Chicago’s Olympic bid. I would love it if Chi-town won the the 2016 Olympics … if so, I’d make sure to attend some portion of the games, Chicago is so close to Detroit. I don’t make it a habit to watch The Oprah Winfrey Show (like my BFF Sarah does) but I’ll be watching this one. It looks too good to miss.

[Source, Source]