Academy Award® Nominated: Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire

Posted by: Audiegrl, Geot, Bluedog89, and BuellBoy


Lee Daniels’ Precious is a vibrant, honest and resoundingly hopeful film about the human capacity to grow and overcome.

Set in Harlem in 1987, it is the story of Claireece “Precious” Jones (Gabourey Sidibe), a sixteen-year-old African-American girl born into a life no one would want. She’s pregnant for the second time by her absent father; at home, she must wait hand and foot on her mother (Mo’Nique), a poisonously angry woman who abuses her emotionally and physically. School is a place of chaos, and Precious has reached the ninth grade with good marks and an awful secret: she can neither read nor write.

Precious may sometimes be down, but she is never out. Beneath her impassive expression is a watchful, curious young woman with an inchoate but unshakeable sense that other possibilities exist for her. Threatened with expulsion, Precious is offered the chance to transfer to an alternative school, Each One/Teach One. Precious doesn’t know the meaning of “alternative,” but her instincts tell her this is the chance she has been waiting for. In the literacy workshop taught by the patient yet firm Ms. Rain (Paula Patton), Precious begins a journey that will lead her from darkness, pain and powerlessness to light, love and self-determination.

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Credits

Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lee Daniels
Screenwriter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Geoffrey Fletcher
Producers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sarah Siegel-Magness and Gary Magness
Co-Producer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mark G. Mathis
Executive Producers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry
Executive Producers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Lisa Cortés and Tom Heller
Co-Executive Producer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Simone Sheffield
Associate Producer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Andrew Sforzini
Associate Producer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Asger Hussain
Director of Photography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Andrew Dunn, BSC
Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . John Klotz
Costume Designer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Marina Draghici
Music . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mario Grigorov
Music Supervisor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lynn Fainchtein
Production Designer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Roshelle Berliner

The cast includes: Mo’Nique, Gabourey Sidibe, Paula Patton, Mariah Carey, Sherri Shepherd, and Lenny Kravitz, Stephanie Andujar, Chyna Lane, Amina Robinson, Xosha Roquemore, Angelic Zambrana, Aunt Dot, Nealla Gordon, Grace Hightower, Barret Isaiah Mindell, Kimberly Russell, Bill Sage, and Susan Taylor

44D’s Reviews

Audiegrl
“First let me say, this was not an easy movie to watch. It’s a very intense film that deals with poverty, child abuse (mental, physical and sexual), and a broken education system. It hits you at a gut level and it becomes painfully obvious that the system has failed Claireece Precious Jones. From that point on, you can’t stop watching it, and rooting for her to overcome all of these obstacles. The performance by Gabourey Sidibe was incredibly powerful for a virtual unknown, and it’s easy to understand why she has decided to pursue a acting career. As for Mo’Nique’s performance as the abusive mother, lets just say she kept it so real…she scared me. In my book, both of these ladies deserve the awards they’ve been given so far, and the nominations for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress from the Academy.“

Did You Know?

Over 400 girls were interviewed from across the country for the part of Precious. Gabourey Sidibe was cast a mere six weeks before the start of shooting after being forced to the audition by friends.

Helen Mirren was originally cast as Mrs. Weiss, but dropped out. Mariah Carey was chosen as a replacement by director Lee Daniels only two days before the film went into production. Daniels has stated that he chose Carey based on her performance in Tennessee (2008), which he produced.

Oprah Winfrey said that when she saw the movie, it “split [her] open“, and that she immediately called Tyler Perry who gave her Lee Daniels’ number, so that she could call him and tell him she would do anything to promote the film. When she called him, he was onstage getting an award at the Sundance Film Festival. Oprah later stated that this film was why “we make movies“, and that she thought people might not “enjoy“, but would “appreciate this experience“.

This movie holds the record for averaging US$100,000 per screen in fewer than 50 US theaters.

Six Nominations

Best Motion Picture
Best Director
Best Actress~Gabourey Sidibe
Best Supporting Actress~Mo’Nique
Best in Adapted Screenplay
Best in Film Editing

Back to 44-D’s Virtual Red Carpet to the Oscars®

‘Madea’ actor-director Tyler Perry reveals history of childhood abuse, molestation

Posted by Audiegrl

Writer, producer, and film director Tyler Perry (AP Photo/Shiho Fukada)

New York Daily News/Chrisena Coleman—Filmmaker Tyler Perry, who is promoting a new movie about an abused teenager, has gone public with brutal memories of his own childhood beatings and molestation.

In an email to fans that has Perry’s admirers buzzing, he recounts various examples of terrible childhood mistreatment – from his father beating him senseless to a neighbor woman molesting him at age 10.

Even his grandmother, the mother of his hated father, became a threat when she objected to his weekly allergy shot, he recalls.

“Ain’t nothing wrong with that damn boy – he just got germs on him. Stop wasting all that money,” she said, he recalled.

“She came and got me out of the living room leaving my Matchbox cars on the floor. She said she was going to kill these germs on me once and for all. She gave me a bath in ammonia.”

Perry, 38, fled his abusive home in New Orleans and, after a period of homelessness and struggle, became a writer, director, actor and producer.

He is now a mega-millionaire and one of the world’s most influential black filmmakers. He is the producer of “Tyler Perry’s House of Payne” on TV and his movies, including “Diary of a Mad Black Woman,” “Madea’s Family Reunion” and “I Can Do Bad All By Myself” have grossed $400 million.

Along with Oprah Winfrey, he executive produced “Precious,” the story of an illiterate obese teen mom struggling to rise above horrible sexual and mental abuse. The movie opens nationally Nov. 6.

More @

The movie Precious: Based On The Novel ‘Push‘ By Sapphire, is executive produced by Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Parry. Starring Mo’Nique, Paula Patton, Mariah Carey, Lenny Kravitz, Sherri Shepherd, and introducing Gabourey ‘Gabby’ Sidibe. The film is the Winner of the Grand Jury Award, Audience Award, and the Special Jury Prize at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival.

(Video NSFW)

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