Angelina Jolie Addresses United Nations to Praise Nigerian Lawyer Who Has Helped Educate and Feed Orphans
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- Published on Thursday, 05 October 2017 05:24
- Written by People
Just weeks after the New York City premiere of her Netflix war movie First They Killed My Father, Angelina Jolie donned her humanitarian hat to send a taped message to Nigerian mediator Zannah Mustapha, who she praised as an “inspiration.” Appearing on camera Monday to address the United Nation’s prestigious Nansen Refugee Award in Geneva, Switzerland, Jolie added that Mustupha – who has provided free schools for children in an area blighted by Islamic fundamentalists, Boko Haram – possessed “extraordinary” courage.“Zannah Mustapha runs his school in the midst of the Boko Harem insurgency in Nigeria,” said Jolie in the video. “In the teeth of brutal conflict in which schools and school children are deliberately targeted, the courage it takes to defend children’s rights to education in the face of Boko Haram is extraordinary.“Mustapha has brought light to a region that has been terrorized for years. He has made his community stronger. Girls and boys, who might otherwise have been lost, now feel that they have a future.”Earlier in her speech, Jolie, 42, provided a glimpse of the sights she has seen through her own eyes while working as a Special Rapporteur for the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), which has seen the Oscar winner highlight the causes of refugees in Africa, Europe, the Middle East and Southeast Asia.“There is nothing more important in the life of any person than the chance to have an education, yet millions of children have their education disrupted by war,” added Jolie. “I have seen the impact this has on young refugees: denying them a safe place to study and play; taking their dreams away from them; limiting their possibilities to work and making them even more vulnerable.” In Zannah Mustapha’s case this has seen him create two school in Maiduguri, Nigeria – the heartland of a Boko Haram insurgency that has killed 20,000 and displaced millions more. Along with free education, free meals, uniforms and health care, Mustapha welcomes orphaned children from both sides of the conflict into his classrooms in the hope that it will encourage the warring parties to reconcile.Mustapha also previously brokered a deal between Boko Haram and the Nigerian government that resulted in the release of more than 100 kidnapped Chibok girls. Most recently, he rehoused 800 displaced families on his own land, providing them a water source to grow crops and become self-sustainable.“This school promotes peace. It is a place where every child matters,” Mustapha said upon receiving the award on Monday. “These children shall be empowered, empowered in such a way that they can stand on their own.” Jolie, added, “Mr. Mustapha, you are an inspiration. I hope this award will encourage you and others to continue this vital work.”
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Why Angelina Jolie needs to step down from Cleopatra
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- Published on Thursday, 05 October 2017 05:21
- Written by Yahoo ! Movies
This year, British actor Ed Skrein set a new precedent in the film industry by quitting a role in the ‘Hellboy’ reboot because his character, Ben Daimio, is Japanese-American in the source comics. His replacement, ‘Lost’ star Daniel Dae Kim, applauded the move for “championing the notion that Asian characters should be played by Asian or Asian American actors”.Now, with the news that Denis Villeneuve is in talks to direct Sony’s new ‘Cleopatra’ movie, it’s time for Angelina Jolie to follow Ed Skrein’s example by doing the right thing and recusing herself from the role.The actress has long been linked to Sony’s biopic, based on Stacy Schiff’s bestselling biography ‘Cleopatra: Queen of the Nile’, and while there’s no denying she is a great actress and would do a good job in bringing the infamous Egyptian queen to life, she’d be playing a far bigger role in continuing the terrible trend of whitewashing in Hollywood.Cleopatra’s ethnicity has long been debated by scholars. She was part of the Ptolemaic dynasty, a Greek Macedonian family that ruled Ancient Egypt for 275 years, between 305 to 30 BC, but because of the intermingling with the Persian aristocracy at the time, she was considered to have both Greek and Persian heritage.However, historians don’t know for certain who her mother or paternal grandmother were. It’s assumed that Cleopatra’s mother was the sister or cousin of Ptolemy XII Auletes, Cleopatra V, because of the family’s trend of marrying relatives to maintain the bloodline, but the Pharaoh was known for having several wives and some have suggested he took an Egyptian noblewoman as one.It’s because Cleopatra could speak Egyptian that historians have suggested her mother was native to the North African country because no other ruler in her family could speak their tongue, and, as the historian Duane W. Roller points out, her own daughter “honoured the Egyptian religious elite” in Mauretania (Algeria) – after becoming their queen – which suggests they were her ancestors too.
So, it seems more than likely that Cleopatra was not as white as the women who have brought her to life on screen. She was probably mixed race, of Greek Macedonian, Persian and Egyptian descent, with an olive to light brown skin tone not unlike my own. I am a mix of Caucasian and North African heritage and one thing’s for sure, my skin colour is nothing like Angelina Jolie’s.But, it doesn’t surprise me that the actress has been in talks for the role. Back in 2007 she donned a curly wig and fake tan in ‘A Mighty Heart’ to play Mariane Pearl, a woman of Afro-Cuban and Dutch heritage. She got away with it then but nowadays that sort of whitewashing won’t be accepted. Just look at the backlash over ‘The Great Wall’, ‘Ghost in the Shell’, and ‘Aloha’ which all arguably suffered at the box office in the wake of their negative press.One would think that Jolie would want to be a part of changing this aspect of the industry as the mother of children of varying ethnic backgrounds. Wouldn’t she like to have her kids see more faces that looked like them on screen and telling their stories? It certainly seemed the case with her latest film, ‘First They Killed My Father’, which she was inspired to make because of her Cambodian-born son.It tells the true story of a child soldier serving under the Khmer Rouge during the Cambodian genocide and the entire cast, as well as some 3,500 background performers and 500 crew members, were made up of Cambodian natives. Surely she can understand that as a pale-skinned white woman, the idea of her getting to play the role of a mixed race Egyptian queen is pretty frustrating for both ethnic actresses and audiences alike.
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Joachim Rønning to direct Angelina Jolie in Maleficent 2
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- Published on Saturday, 05 May 2018 16:19
- Written by Coming soon
Deadline is reporting that Walt Disney Pictures‘ Maleficent sequel has finally scored a director in Joachim Rønning, one half of the Norwegian directing duo (alongside Espen Sandberg) that made this past summer’s blockbuster Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, which earned nearly $800 million worldwide. He is also being eyed to helm a potential sixth Pirates movie.Despite rumors that she will star in Universal’s Bride of Frankenstein, Angeline Jolie is committed to make the Maleficent sequel the next film on her dance card, with filming expected to start in the first quarter of 2018. “I am now the breadwinner for the family, so it’s time,” she said previously. “We have been working on the script and this is going to be a really strong sequel.” Released in May of 2014, Maleficent earned an impressive $758.5 million worldwide on a budget of $180 million. The film was directed by Robert Stromberg and tells the previously-untold story of the iconic villain from Disney’s 1959 animated classic, Sleeping Beauty. A beautiful, pure-hearted young woman, Maleficent has an idyllic life growing up in a peaceable forest kingdom, until one day when an invading army threatens the harmony of the land. Maleficent rises to be the land’s fiercest protector, but she ultimately suffers a ruthless betrayal, an act that begins to turn her pure heart to stone. Bent on revenge, Maleficent faces an epic battle with the invading king’s successor and, as a result, places a curse upon his newborn infant Aurora. As the child grows, Maleficent realizes that Aurora holds the key to peace in the kingdom, and perhaps to Maleficent’s true happiness as well.The original action adventure also stars Sharlto Copley, Elle Fanning, Sam Riley, Imelda Staunton, Juno Temple and Lesley Manville.
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Angelina Jolie: Why Her Next Love Will Have To Be ‘Approved’ By All 6 Kids After Brad Pitt Split
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- Published on Tuesday, 03 October 2017 06:41
- Written by Hollywood Life
Her kids come first! HollywoodLife.com has EXCLUSIVELY learned that Angelina Jolie is insisting that any new man who comes into her life must gain approval from all six of her children.Angelina Jolie, 42, may finally be ready to date again after her split from Brad Pitt, 53 , but she wants to make sure her six kids approve of anyone new in her life. “Angelina is finally getting back into her groove after all the drama and upset of the past year,” a source close to the gorgeous actress EXCLUSIVELY told HollywoodLife.com. “The children are settled into the new home and routine — they’re thriving, and that’s been Angelina’s whole focus since the split from Brad. She’s begun acting again, on Maleficent 2, and she’s started really looking forward to the future once again.” Since the Girl Interrupted star has clearly been busy spending her time readjusting to single life, it’s not surprising that she has also started to think about her future in dating. “Angelina is even getting to the point where she thinks she may be ready to start dating, although she’s being very passive about it and not actively looking for someone,” the source continued. “For Angelina, the children come first, and anyone she dates will have to meet the approval of all six kids, and that’s no mean feat!” During their tough split, Angelina and Brad’s brood have not only turned to their parents for support, they’ve also turned to themselves. Maddox, 16, Pax, 13, Zahara, 12, Shiloh, 11, and twins Vivienne and Knox, 9, have been there for each other every step of the way and with Angelina’s new healthy approval rule, we have a feeling their already tight-knit bond will get even tighter. Although the activist had a strong relationship with her former husband for many years, she hasn’t given up hope that it could happen again with someone else. “Angelina would like to believe that she will fall in love again one day, and meet her soul mate to grow old with,” the source revealed. Aw! When Angelina’s not working on her new film, she’s always out and about on thrilling adventures with her family of six. Whether it’s celebrating one of their birthdays or traveling to other countries to stand up for what she believes in, they always seem to be enjoying themselves. We can’t wait to see what the sweet bunch will do next!
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Angelina Jolie Nervous About What Her Kids Will Read Online About Her?
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- Published on Monday, 02 October 2017 06:16
- Written by Gossip Cop
Angelina Jolie is not terrified about her kids doing online searches about her, despite a new report. Gossip Cop can correct this manufactured claim. We’re told she’s not concerned and has always been honest with her kids.According to the National Enquirer, which mocked up photos of Jolie and Brad Pitt’s children Shiloh, Paxton, and Maddox in front of laptops, the actress is allegedly nervous about what her kids will “read on the internet about a troubled years.” The repeatedly debunked supermarket tabloid quotes a so-called “mole” as saying, “When the kids were younger, Angie and Brad implemented an internet band.” “For the most part, it succeeded in restricting negativity from their lives.” The supposed insider contends since “everyone in the world needs to log onto the internet for pretty much everything,” Jolie’s new “fear is her brood will discover dirt about her split from Brad, as well as her pass romances with actor Billy Bob Thornton and lesbian love, mmodel-actress Jenny Shimizu.” The purported source further claims in unnatural language, “The older kids are logging in and reading the nitty-gritty details about their parents’ troubled marriage, plus the dark secrets about their mom and dad’s pasts.” “Angie winces when she imagines what the kids are seeing about her during those online searches,” adds the misguided “mole.” While all very juicy, the story is untrue. Gossip Cop hears Jolie is not concerned about what the kids may find one day while online, because she feels she lives her life out in the open. An impeccable insider tells us the tabloid’s premise is off-base. Should her children find out, somehow or another, about parts of her past that she hasn’t already told them, we hear she’ll be forthright with them.Of course, the Enquirer’s record with Jolie has been pretty dismal. Just a couple of months ago, Gossip Cop called out the tabloid falsely claimed Jolie weighted 87 pounds and was sick. In reality, the magazine used a photo from 2014 and digitally altered it to make her arms appear much thinner. That story was a total fabrication, as was an article last week that wrongly maintained Jolie was wasting away after Brad Pitt rejected her. And the current report is equally unfounded. A Jolie insider assures Gossip Cop that the actress is unfazed by what her children one day may find online about her.
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