Posts Tagged ‘quddus’
For more on the story click here, for the show trailer click here and check out Good Morning America‘s exclusive set visit just below. I’m having the best time with this so far…
When Chaka Khan heard about the tragic killing of Trayvon Martin she decided it was time to re-imagine her song Super Life from her 2007 album Funk This. I was honored to be invited to join the session happening at Jim Henson Studio, the same place where We Are The World was recorded. Angela Bassett, Luke James, Kelly Price, Eric Benet and Stacy Francis of X-Factor were among some of the others who lent some background vocals to the session.
We got to sing the line, “Fear kills and love heals.
Today my friends at I Am That Girl are launching “That Girl Rocks” which will inspire media that lifts girls up instead of breaking them down! Check out their page, see your favorite musicians and celebrities, win some cool prizes, and be part of the conversation!
The question was how to create sustainable change in Haiti. This was our answer. In February of 2012 I went on a life changing trip to Haiti with Soleil Global on their mission to distribute solar generated lights to those in needs. We connected with local politicians, business leaders, grassroots activists and more. The Shine A Light campaign was in full effect and I documented it in the video you can see above. Just below is a video captured on our flip cam with an inspiring young man who we met in a rural village around the Central Plateau of Hinche on the way to a waterfall. My father is from Haiti so it was powerful to revisit my roots and see how resilient and beautiful my people are.
After the fun we had doing the premiere for Justin Bieber Never Say Never earlier this year, Paramount asked me to host the red carpet premiere in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil for Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. Life really doesn’t suck sometimes. Former MTV Brazil VJ and current TV actress Carla Lamarca was chosen to co-host along with me and we did something kind of unique for a red carpet premiere by having Tiesto spin throughout our broadcast. The stars of the film Paula Patton and Tom Cruise definitely enjoyed. Have a look and see for yourself.
Since I came into NYC to host Arthur Ashe Kid’s Day the good folks at Hess and the USTA set up a chance for me to visit these kids at a Boys & Girls Club in Newark. I actually worked at a Boys & Girls Club before I got into showbiz so it was awesomely nostalgic for me. We talked about their career goals and how they could achieve them. One of them said he wants to be a vegetarian…without a hint of sarcasm. Hilarious and an extremely attainable goal. Another said he wants to be the President. Part of me wanted to ask him if he’s sure about that considering how many grey hairs have popped up on Barack recently but obviously I refrained from saying that since that’s really an incredible goal. The best part is: it’s possible too.
His name is Seraphin Philippe. A proud Haitian. Met my mom while she was down in Haiti building schools on a 3rd world aid project. My dad is one of the hardest working people you’ll ever meet. The term work-a-holic doesn’t even come close to what he is. He’s currently 68 years old and thinks retirement is the most absurd idea ever. I once suggested he retire and I thought he was going to smack me into my next lifetime.
My dad and I haven’t always seen eye to eye. Our debates on religion were heated. When I found too much hypocrisy in the church to attend it with him anymore it caused the type of dent in our relationship that made me wonder if we’d ever be close again. Thankfully we agreed to disagree and kept it moving.
This past weekend Seraphin decided to fly from Montreal to visit me in Los Angeles for my birthday (July 10th). I’d been up to visit him a handful of times but this was the first time he’d come to visit me since I moved to LA 5 years ago. Better late than never huh?
The picture just above in this post was taken on Venice Beach where we biked along the boardwalk. Seraphin hadn’t been on a bike in 40 years. Aside from his bike chain slipping off at one point he got right back in the groove. Good times. Definitely glad he came to visit.
Quddus answers questions he was asked on Twitter and Facebook. Subjects range from his most memorable interview to his first kiss.
I got a text from Chris literally 5 minutes after I booked my flight to New York. He was inviting me to see his play on Broadway if I happen to be in the city. His timing couldn’t have been better. Considering I hadn’t seen a Broadway production since Denzel Washington did the revival of Julius Caesar in 2005, I was definitely due for some theater. It’s also not every day you get to see a play entitled The Motherf*cker With The Hat that’s nominated for 4 Tony awards.
The cast is filled with some of my favorite actors like Bobby Cannavale, Annabella Sciorra and to see Rock on stage like that was awesome. The play is an incredible mixture of comedy and emotion. Within seconds it’ll go from something that’ll have you laughing out loud to something so intense you wonder if they’re acting.
The night I went there was a particularly suspenseful moment. In between scenes an announcement was made that the show would need to take a 10 minute break, although there wasn’t an intermission scheduled. 10 minutes later the announcer came on again asking if there was a doctor in the building. Turns out Bobby was so into what his character was going through that he banged his head into a wall backstage. After they patched him up, Bobby opted to continue with the show and gave one of the most passionate performances I’ve ever seen.
Getting to see something like The Motherf*cker With The Hat really raised the bar for what’s entertaining. It’s inspired me to get back to my roots in theater to put up a play of my own..
Besides all the red carpet fun, Quddus also got to talk with all the winners, fresh off the stage, to talk about their speeches and what actually went into their success.
