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Currently Reading The United States vs. Billie Holiday Review: Scattered but Scorching, and a Must-See for Andra Day s Performance
Lee Daniels biopic showcases Billie Holiday as a searing political artist, persecuted for singing Strange Fruit.
Owen Gleiberman, provided by
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Director: Lee Daniels
With: Andra Day, Trevante Rhodes, Garrett Hedlund, Leslie Jordan, Miss Lawrence, Adriane Lenox, Rob Morgan, Natasha Lyonne, Da’vine Joy Randolph, Tone Bell, Evan Ross, Tyler James Williams, Blake DeLong, Dana Gourrier, Melvin Gregg.
The gifted and mercurial Lee Daniels, director of “Precious,” is one of the only filmmakers I can think of who would dare to drop a badass-diva moment of Billie Holiday violently slapping her spouse into the middle of an otherwise giddy celebrity-singer-on-tour montage. In Daniels’ “The United States vs. Billie Holiday,” Billie, played with glamorous, blowsy, dagger-eyed force by Andra Day, has had
How Andra Day Transformed Herself Into Billie Holiday for Lee Daniels Film
Jazz Tangcay, provided by
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Singer-turned-actor Andra Day brought versatility to Lee Daniels’ biopic “The United States vs. Billie Holiday.” She performs the Golden Globes-nominated song “Tigress & Tweed,” which she co-wrote with soul and R&B singer Raphael Saadiq, and she sizzles in the title role as the jazz legend, portraying her as a significant civil rights activist.
Below, she shares what it was like playing Holiday, preserving her legacy and her process for stepping into iconic shoes.
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What did Lee Daniels say to make you say yes to this role?
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Billie Holiday s God Bless the Child Gave Blacks Their Own Mournful But Hopeful Over the Rainbow
Billie Holiday s God Bless the Child Gave Blacks Their Own Mournful But Hopeful Over the Rainbow
A columnist writes that God Bless the Child is at least as historically important as Strange Fruit to the Black community, with its bracing mixture of hard-scrabble practicality and hope.
Jeremy Helligar, provided by
Renè has a total of 10 solo albums and in all of them she has her heart in the right place and grooving all the way February 11th 2021 at 18:33:24 GMT +0300
Singers, just like instrumentalists, are creative performers. Gone are the days when jazz singers were not accorded meaningful appreciation by the genre’s enthusiasts, although tastes have changed. The art of jazz singing has evolved into a highly appreciated one and bandstands are getting more and more familiar with vocalists.
Renè Marie is one such a singer. The former American banker has evolved in the past 20 years with successive steps into becoming an experienced and a more admirable performer. She has a total of 10 solo albums and in all of them she has her heart in the right place and grooving all the way.
BAZ BAMIGBOYE: Lee Daniels capitulated and gifted Andra Day the role of a lifetime, portraying the legend in a new film, The United States vs. Billie Holiday.