Coffee Talk: Angela Bassett Responds to Critics of Whitney Houston Biopic

There’s a lot to talk about over our tea this morning.

Angela Bassett is pressing on with her Whitney Houston biopic, despite pushback from critics. Whitney’s mother, Cissy Houston, has been outspoken about her decision not to support the television movie, but Bassett says she’s very capable of telling Whitney’s story even though she only knew Whitney while working on Waiting To Exhale. “I did spend a little time with her, but to know her intimately, intimately—I mean, who does but the person and the Lord they serve? Who knows a person?” Bassett told Huffington Post Live. “But I know a little about being in the spotlight, a little about celebrity and its demands.” The movie is set to air on Lifetime in 2015. [Huffington Post]

Some great news for Amber Vinson. The 29-year-old nurse who was diagnosed with Ebola will be released from isolation at Emory University Hospital. Vinson was diagnosed with the deadly disease after treating Thomas Eric Duncan, who passed away on Oct. 8. “We are overjoyed to announce that…officials at Emory University Hospital and the Centers for Disease Control are no longer able to detect the virus in her body,” read a statement from Vinson’s family. [ABC News]

Only Oprah could get away with running over someone’s foot with an SUV. Oprah Winfrey’s driver reportedly ran over the foot of Florida resident Lori Geller Bender over the weekend. “We were crossing the street to arrive at the restaurant, and there were a lot of cameras. I could see a big crowd of security guards, and as soon as Oprah got into the car, it pulled out from the curb and the wheel went over my foot,” Bender said. “The driver reversed off my foot and Oprah jumped out. She looked really shocked and asked me if I was OK, and took a good look at my foot. I said I was fine. Oprah said, ‘Well, that’s worth a picture,’ and she put her arm around me and we took some photos.” Bender says she’s always wanted to meet Oprah but never imagined it would be after her driver ran over her toe. “It’s a crazy story,” Bender said. [ET Online]

Grammy-nominated gospel artist James Fortune was arrested Friday for aggravated assault of a family member. He was later released on $20,000 bond. “I am truly sorry for the negative attention this situation has brought to my wife, family, friends, and business partners.” Fortune said in a statement to AlwaysAList.com. “The 34-year-old had a previous run-in with the law in 2012 when he was accused of abusing his then 4-year-old stepson by putting him in scolding hot water. [The Griot]

Prince always finds a way to stand out from the rest. While most musical guests on Saturday Night Live perform two separate sets, when Prince takes the SNL stage on Nov. 1, he’s going to play one long, eight-minute, uninterrupted performance. Accompanied by his band, 3rdeyegirl, Prince will play his set in the middle of the show hosted by Chris Rock, completely commercial free. It’s like a mini concert! [Billboard]

Raven-Symoné is still defending herself after she expressed that she doesn’t want to be labeled African-American. The former child star penned an open on Facebook letter asking people to stop attacking her because of her opinion. “What does irritate me is the bullying tone towards myself and the other opinions in the blog. Keep your disrespectful, mean, hurtful, words in a diary for yourself,” she said. “Personal attacking is not needed, and no matter what race, nationality, culture, or womb you came out of; strive for respect.” [Madame Noire]