See what we’re chatting about over warm chai tea:
Ruby Dee is set to honored in a public memorial celebration this fall in New York. The service will be held at the Riverside Church in Manhattan and will include songs, tributes and reflections from the family and peers of the late actress who passed away last month. The service will be open to the public and will take place September 20. [Reuters]
Think Like a Man Too producer Will Packer has closed the doors to his production house, Rainforest Films. Co-founded by Rob Hardy, the production company will be dissolved in light of the establishment of Will Packer Films. The co-founders say that they are on good terms and simply going in different directions. However, not everyone was amicable about the split. Rainforest shareholder Bernard Bronner has filed a lawsuit claiming that despite his owning of a third of the company, Packer and Hardy voted to shutter it without consulting him. He seeks damages as well as restoration of Rainforest shareholders. [HollywoodReporter]
Nick Cannon has dropped a few hints that he is aiming to play Richard Pryor in a biopic about the comedic legend. After an announcement that Lee Daniels was in talks to direct the film earlier this year, Marlon Wayans, Michael B. Jordan and Eddie Murphy have been mentioned as potential stars of the film. During a recent appearance on TMZ however, Cannon eluded to the fact that he and Daniels have spoken about the role and even posted a split-image of the two men captioning it “Now y’all get it.” Pryor’s kids have spoken out saying that they believe Marlon Wayans is the perfect fit for the role. [TheRoot]
Nicki Minaj took to her Twitter page to clear up rumors about her BET awards speech being directed at rapper Iggy Azalea. Minaj mentioned in her speech that she writes all of her material, suggesting that there are others who don’t do the same. She insisted that it wasn’t a dig at Azalea saying, “The media puts words in my mouth all the time and this is no different. I will always take a stance on women writing b/c I believe in us!” [ThatGrapeJuice]