Willow...chile I know you can whip your hair back and forth (though truth be told Leyomi Mizrahi taught you the tricks of the trade) and belt out a cute pop ditty...but Annie?
"In an interview with Good Morning America’s Robin Roberts, on Wednesday, Will Smith confirmed that the youngest of the Smith clan, Willow, 11, would be following in her parents and older brother Jayden’s (The Karate Kid) footsteps, with a starring role in the modernized film version of the 1982 musical Annie.
The film will be set in modern-day New York and will feature a host of new updated songs. Hip-hop, mogul, and hit maker Jay-Z is in charge of the music and is expected to write new musical tracks for the soundtrack. Jay-z is not new to re-imagining Annie tracks. His 1998 hit single “Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)” featured samples from the Broadway musical version.
Willow told People magazine in 2011 that she wanted Brad Pitt to star as her adoptive father, Oliver “Daddy” Warbucks. The rest of the cast has yet to be announced and they are still looking for a production team as Annie is set to begin filming in 2013."
Hmmm...I don't know about you, but all of this just screams side eye to me. I'm no Broadway baby by any means, but I hope Jay-Z and Will's idea of updated doesn't equal Autotune or Lil' Mama style "Lip Gloss" chants. I mean, incorporating new sounds is cool and can introduce Annie to a new audience, but there still needs to be good, structured songs with strong melodies and real singing...this is a musical. Hopefully this turns out to be a good re-imagining and not a silver version of MTV's Carmen: A Hip Hopera (no shade no tea! It was cute for TV, but not exactly Oscar-worthy material). Of course the silver lining, along with Brad Pitt as Daddy Warbucks, could be a cameo by Will. Let me stop before I get slapped.
Read the rest HERE.
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