The Jadafan

Jada to Direct film.

2007-09-25T14:23:00.000-07:00

Jada Pinkett-Smith, who was last seen in "Reign Over Me," will make her directorial debut with "The Human Contract." Will Smith and his producing partner James Lassiter will produce through their Overbrook Entertainment. Casting is still ongoing. Shooting is expected to start on Nov. 5 in Los Angeles.

Watch and listen to a special reading of The Great Tomato Adventure by Jada Pinkett Smith.

2007-05-29T05:28:00.001-07:00

Click Here for Power Of Parents, A Child Safety And Awareness Program
Watch and listen to a special reading of The Great Tomato Adventure by Jada Pinkett Smith.

Click Here To Watch A Special reading of The Great Tomato Adventure, by Jada Pinkett Smith, this may take a moment to download, so please be patient.
For more info on Jada Koren Pinkett Smith, visit www.thejadapages.com

Jada on Upscale Magazine

2007-05-05T15:33:00.000-07:00

JADA ON THE COVER OF UPSCALE MAGAZINE
Simply Jada, Her Style, Her Beauty, Her Passion, Her Success
APR 2007!

AT NEWS STANDS KNOW! GET YOUR COPY TODAY
For more info on Jada Koren Pinkett Smith, visit www.thejadapages.com

Is this it?

2007-04-21T04:18:00.001-07:00

Is this it?

She's plays in a band, stars in new film Reign Over Me and is Will Smith's other half. But what is Jada Pinkett Smith doing for the rest of her life?
Saturday April 21, 2007, The Guardian

Stay-at-home mum... Jada Pinkett Smith in Reign Over Me
Who's that girl?
I guess it would be Janeane, the girl in Reign Over Me. Janeane is Don Cheadle's wife and she's a stay-at-home wife and mother having a difficult time with the resurgence of the friendship between the characters of Adam Sandler's character and Don's [after Sandler's family dies on 9/11].

How can I be sad?

Well 9/11 brought up a lot of questions and helped me redefine and really look at life and look how I was really seeing things. It helped me understand the necessity to have understanding. It got me back into the idea of making sure my children had an understanding of all religions before they decide what they want to practice.

Deal or no deal?
Deal! We're filming the pilot for my TV show MILF and Cookies and it's coming along. For our show MILF means "mother I'd like to figure out". It has many different meanings actually. It just depends how crude you want to go with it. It just so happens ours is not so crude.

Do you know the way to San Jose?

Actually I don't. But I've been there. I've flown there.

Who do you love?

I love my husband. I love my family [children Jaden and Willow, with Will Smith]. I love my friends. And I love myself very much. I would say that last bit has been a journey. I think that's just part of growing up. You're constantly transforming and constantly trying to keep up with yourself. As long as we stay on top of ourselves and we are responsible for ourselves I think it's not that hard.

How deep is your love?

Very deep. I love people very deeply and very hard.

Who are you fighting for?

No one really at this point in time to be honest. Not even myself. I'm pretty much done with the fighting.

Who needs guitars anyway?

Oh absolutely. We definitely need guitars. My band Wicked Wisdom is about to go into the studio to do a second album so we're excited about that. We're going to tour but we don't want to go back out until we have our new material.

Who killed the electric car?

Well shame on them for killing the electric car but that's a good question. We have a Lexus hybrid SUV at home though. We enjoy it very much.

What are you doing for the rest of your life?

Good question. Isn't that quite the mystery? I don't know how much I will be acting. I have to be really tempted by something. I get offered a lot of things but they're not necessarily good which is one of the reasons I'm moving a little behind the scenes. I decided to do this film because I was really intrigued not necessarily by the role of Janeane but the idea of the movie. I like what it's saying.

Who let the dogs out?

I have lots of dogs and usually we let the dogs out to protect the perimeter. We've got five and they're all mutts. Sometimes we walk the dogs but they need to be walked about three times a day so we have people who come and walk them if we can't. But usually at weekends we take our dogs for hikes up into the hills.

Is this it?

No. I wouldn't say "this is it". It's never "this is it" for me.

· Reign Over Me is out now

For more info on Jada Koren Pinkett Smith, visit www.thejadapages.com

I won't let my career break my marriage

2007-04-20T20:00:00.001-07:00

I won't let my career break my marriage

Though her husband Will Smith and she are both successful film stars, Jada Pinkett said she would willingly give up acting if it ever came down to a choice between career and marriage.

'I'm aware how busy careers can quickly lead to divorce, but I'm not going to let that happen to us,' she said.

'I'll give up my career before I let it break up our marriage. I made it clear to Will that I'd throw it away completely, which is what I'm doing to a certain extent.'

Married for 10 years, Jada and Will have two children - their son Jaden Christopher, 8, who recently starred with his father in 'The Pursuit Of Happyness', and daughter Willow, 6, reports www.hollywood.tv

In her latest film 'Reign Over Me', Jada plays a wife who's trapped in an unhappy marriage, a role that conversely taught her even more what it takes to make a marriage work.

'Even though you have this union as husband and wife, you can never forget who you are, just simply as yourself.

'If you lose yourself then everything else will fall out. There is no relationship to be had if you don't have a relationship with yourself first,' she said.

For more info on Jada Koren Pinkett Smith, visit www.thejadapages.com

Analyse this: Jada Pinkett Smith

2007-04-08T17:57:00.000-07:00

Analyse this: Jada Pinkett Smith

by TIFFANY ROSE
8th April 2007

At a mere 5ft, Jada Pinkett Smith may be petite, but the 35-year-old actress/singer and TV producer lives life large with her husband of ten years, movie star Will Smith. They have two children - a son Jaden, eight (who co-starred alongside his dad in The Pursuit Of Happyness) and daughter Willow, five. Jada is best known for her roles in The Nutty Professor, The Matrix and Collateral. Her new film, Reign Over Me, explores the effect on a man of losing his family on 9/11.

WHAT WERE YOUR DREAMS AS A CHILD?

To be a star! (Laughs) Oh yes, since I was three I wanted to be a star. I’ve achieved my dream. Once I got that first movie, I was like: ‘Done!’ Finished!’

IS THERE ANYTHING YOU ARE TRYING TO QUIT BUT CAN’T?

I'm one of those people who likes to do 100 things at once. There’s my heavy metal band Wicked Wisdom, as well as acting and producing television shows and movies - so I’m trying to focus on one. It’s a hard thing, because I’m a creative person and I’m constantly coming up with new ideas and find it hard to put anything on the backburner.

WHO WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE STUCK IN AN ELEVATOR WITH?

Will. That could be so sexy...no windows. We could have some fun.

YOU AND WILL HAVE A LOT IN COMMON. WHAT’S THE BIGGEST DIFFERENCE AT HOME?

You can’t have two superstars in the family. I will never have Will’s career, and I can’t do that because my kids wouldn’t have parents.

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST EXTRAVAGANCE?

I’M a jewellery whore! I’m not wearing much today but it’s only the morning...

WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST REGRET?

I have a few, but I’ve realised that without those regrets I wouldn’t even be close to the person I am today. I always say that pain is a blessing, because pain is the biggest motivator for change.

ARE YOU AN OPEN BOOK WHEN IT COMES TO EMOTIONS?

Who me? Ah no! I’ve learned that you cannot let emotions run you, but that you have to be in tune and connected to how you feel.

WHAT’S THE MOST ROMANTIC THING WILL’S DONE FOR YOU?

He's always doing really romantic things for me. If I’m going to a city to do a Press call, he’ll call the hotel and tell them to lay rose petals from the door to the bedroom and then he’ll have them arrange a heart in rose petals on the bed with a note inside saying: ‘I miss you already - love, Me.’

DO YOU THINK YOU ARE MORE LIKE YOUR MOTHER OR YOUR FATHER?

Both. All of my creativity and my wild mental journeys come from my father and I would say that my attitude, and my go-get-them kind of spirit would be from my mother.

WAS THERE A DEFINING MOMENT WHEN YOU REALISED YOU WERE FAMOUS?

I still haven’t realised that yet. It’s crazy because I’ve never looked at myself in that way. I’m still waiting for that defining moment.

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR WEIRDEST EXPERIENCE WITH A FAN?

You'd think Will would get the crazies, but no -it’s my little 5ft-nothing ass! I had a weird experience in London once. A maid got into my hotel room and left notes for me in a Bible telling me how God had made a calling to her that I was going to save her. She got my mobile number and she was leaving me messages. It was a scary one.

WHAT’S YOUR GUILTY PLEASURE?

Haagen Dazs Egg Nog ice cream. Once I have a taste of that, consider it an empty carton.

YOUR NEW FILM IS ABOUT 9/11. WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO STAR IN IT?

I play the wife of a man (Don Cheadle) whose best friend (Adam Sandler) loses his family on 9/11. The story was interesting in that it explored the people who’ve been left behind, and who’ve lost loved ones. It makes you appreciate what you have.

by TIFFANY ROSE
8th April 2007

For more info on Jada Koren Pinkett Smith, visit www.thejadapages.com

Jada's On Redbook, April 2007

2007-04-06T13:53:00.000-07:00

JADA ON COVER OF REDBOOK MAGAZINE
The Dark Secrets She Tells No One-not even Will
APR 2007!

AT NEWS STANDS KNOW! GET YOUR COPY TODAY
For more info on Jada Koren Pinkett Smith, visit www.thejadapages.com

A Woman Of Power

2007-03-22T03:34:00.001-07:00

A Woman Of Power

JADA Pinkett-Smith, the wife of Hollywood star Will Smith, knows that some people find her too hot-blooded to handle.
By Vicky Roach

The Matrix producer Joel Silver experienced the actor-producer-singer's fury first hand just two days before the premiere of his blockbusting sci-fi sequel.

After a falling out over a promotional appearance on MTV that would have included a shopping tour (Pinkett Smith thought the idea cheesy), she and her famous spouse refused to appear at the star-studded after party.

The 35-year-old mother of two says strong women, such as the character she plays in her latest film, the post-September 11 buddy movie Reign Over Me, get a bad rap.

"Feminine energy, even at its most subtle, can be overwhelming. So you start to understand why very extroverted feminine energy can be offensive and misunderstood.

"At the same time, you have to be who you are. You can't conform to the pleasures of others, so you have to surround yourself with people who can handle that strength."

People such as Smith, who Pinkett Smith describes as a human dynamo.

"He couldn't be the megastar - mega man - that he is without being incredibly powerful," says his wife of 10 years. "You can understand why he would need a woman of intense power to be by his side."

Son Jaden is obviously drawing from the same high-voltage power grid as his A-list parents.
Last year the assured eight-year-old turned in a critically acclaimed performance opposite his Oscar-nominated father in The Pursuit Of Happyness.

"You wish you could take credit for your kids," says Pinkett Smith, "but the truth is, Jaden was born that way."

Far from discouraging her children from joining what she describes as the "family business", the actress actively embraces the idea.

"I hope to God my kids decide the entertainment business is something they want to do, because that's an area where Will and I could give great advice."

Pinkett Smith doesn't believe the celebrity life is any tougher to survive,intact, than any other.

"Life is tough. If you try to protect your kids ... well, that's a fallacy. It's not going to happen. You have to give your kids the tools they need to cope with life."

She acknowledges the challenges involved in living a life under the media microscope, but says, "My kids have grown up with that. For them, it wouldn't be as much of an adjustment as it was for Will and I. They were born into it, they don't know any different. They're ahead of the game, if you know what I mean."

On the other hand, it's quite possible that Jaden, daughter Willow, 6, and Will's son Trey, 14, from his previous marriage to actress Sheree Zampino, may well decide they want nothing to do with the crazy world of showbusiness. And that would be all right with her too.

"Doctor, nurse, trash man ... it's all the same to me."

Pinkett Smith, who gained widespread attention for her role opposite Eddie Murphy in The Nutty Professor (1996), plays an underappreciated dentist's wife in Reign Over Me, the latest film from director Mike Binder (The Upside Of Anger).

Don Cheadle plays her husband, Alan, a decent man in the grip of a mid-life crisis. He finds an unlikely lifeline in a chance encounter with his college room mate (a serious Adam Sandler), a man who has been traumatised by the death of his wife and two daughters. Alan finds Charlie's untethered lifestyle strangely liberating.

Their relationship - forged around late-night movies, pub gigs and jam sessions - puts him back in touch with his inner adolescent.

Pinkett Smith, who moon-lights as the frontwoman for a "progressive/aggressive" metal band, understands the attraction.

"I look at the Don Cheadle character and see a guy who has lost his identity in being a husband and father," says Pinkett Smith. "There's an imbalance there because he doesn't have a life other than his family life. He doesn't get to be himself.

"For me music gives me an outlet that is separate from my identity as a mother, wife, and even a movie star."

The name of her band is Wicked Wisdom.

"Wicked is a West Indian term - bad meaning good, wisdom meaning woman. So it's one bad woman."
For more info on Jada Koren Pinkett Smith, visit www.thejadapages.com

Jada, Will and Jaden where at the 79th Annual Academy Awards.

2007-03-05T03:27:00.000-08:00

The best-dressed family was Jada Pinkett Smith, Jaden Christopher Syre Smith and Will Smith. While the guys chose tuxedos by David August, Jada wore a golden yellow Carolina Herrera with a mermaid hem. She looked Smoking Hot! Bosslady say, "Jaden Is Handsome, He's Cute!"

Jaden Smith

Jaden was one of the presenters at the Oscars, and his Mother and Father sat in the front row.

Will and Jaden stareed in, "The Pursuit Of Happyness" together.The Pursuit Of Happyness

For more info on Jada Koren Pinkett Smith, visit www.thejadapages.com

Jada Pinkett Smith gives $1 million to school

2007-01-16T05:33:00.000-08:00

Jada Pinkett Smith gives $1 million to school

Associated Press
BALTIMORE -- Jada Pinkett Smith donated $1 million to the high school from which she graduated and asked that a theater there be dedicated to one of her classmates, Tupac Shakur.

The Baltimore School for the Arts announced the donation for a renovation and expansion on Monday, and said it will name its new theater for her.

The donation comes from the Will and Jada Smith Family Foundation, which is based in Baltimore. They had previously given $112,500 to the school.

When a $30 million expansion program is finished in the fall of 2007, the school will increase its enrollment from 316 to 375 students.

"It means a lot when you're a teacher and your most famous alumnus comes back to give a donation," said Donald Hicken, head of the school's theater department since its founding in 1980 and Pinkett Smith's former theater teacher. "It really says a lot to the community that the school matters in people's lives."

Karen Banfield Evans, executive director of the Smith Family Foundation, and Pinkett Smith's aunt, said the actress was moved by the school's advances since she graduated in 1989.

Pinkett Smith wanted the theater named for Shakur because of the friendship they developed at the school. Shakur died in 1996 after a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas.

Pinkett Smith has appeared in such movies as "Ali," "Collateral" and the Matrix series. Most recently, she was the voice of the hippo Gloria in the animated film "Madagascar."
Click Here For More Information

For more info on Jada Koren Pinkett Smith, visit www.thejadapages.com

Jada Pinkett Smith Will Be On The Tyra Banks Show, Nov 10th

2006-11-06T06:02:00.000-08:00

JADA PINKETT SMITH Will Be On The Tyra Banks Show, Nov 10th

Check Your Local Listings For Time and Station.
Tyra Banks Show

For more info on Jada Koren Pinkett Smith, visit www.thejadapages.com

JADA PINKETT SMITH Says Band Is Not A Gimmick

2006-09-21T17:13:00.000-07:00

JADA PINKETT SMITH Says Band Is Not A Gimmick

Click Below To Watch The Video Interview Of Jada
Taking a break from her acting career, Jada Pinkett Smith heads up nu-metal rock band, Wicked Wisdom.

For more info on Jada Koren Pinkett Smith, visit www.thejadapages.com

JADA ON COVER OF REDBOOK, AUG 2006

2006-07-26T16:25:00.000-07:00

JADA ON COVER OF REDBOOK MAGAZINE
How she's making her most secret dream come true
AUG 2006!

AT NEWS STANDS KNOW! GET YOUR COPY TODAY
For more info on Jada Koren Pinkett Smith, visit www.thejadapages.com

Jada's Band, "Wicked Wisdom" in Vibe Magazine, July 2006!

2006-06-19T03:27:00.000-07:00

JADA'S BAND, "WICKED WISDOM" in VIBE MAGAZINE
JADA'S WICKED WISDOM, PRECIOUS METAL
JULY 2006!

Pocket, Fish, Rio, Wirm, & Jada Koren
AT NEWS STANDS KNOW! GET YOUR COPY TODAY

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JADA'S BAND, "WICKED WISDOM" TO PERFORM AT DOWNLOAD 2006

2006-06-06T15:21:00.000-07:00

JADA'S BAND, "WICKED WISDOM"
WILL PERFORM AT DOWNLOAD 2006, UK
ON JUNE 9TH 2006!

Wirm

Mr. Fish

Rio

Jada & Pocket

DON'T MISS IT!
For more info on Jada Koren Pinkett Smith, visit www.thejadapages.com

Wicked Wisdom Tour Dates

2006-05-19T15:11:00.000-07:00

DON'T MISS JADA AND HER BAND WICKED WISDOM
WICKED WISDOM TOUR DATES BELOW
MAY 19TH THRU JUNE 17TH

City: Tempe, AZ 85282
Date: May 19, 2006
Venue: The Clubhouse

City: Farmington, NM 87401
Date: May 20, 2006
Venue: Gator's

City: Lubbock, TX 79401
Date: May 21, 2006
Venue: Southbeach

City: Houston, TX 77058
Date: May 23, 2006
Venue: Scoutbar

City: Dallas, TX 75226
Date: May 24, 2006
Venue: Curtain Club

City: Harker Heights, TX 76548
Date: May 25, 2006
Venue: Heroe's R&R Club

City: Odessa, TX
Date: May 26, 2006
Venue: Dos Amigos

City: Hutchinson, KS 67501
Date: May 27, 2006
Venue: McGraws

City: Baton Rouge, LA 70808
Date: May 30, 2006
Venue: Clicks

City: Little Rock, AR 72202
Date: May 31, 2006
Venue: Juanita's Cantina Ballroom

City: Springfield, MO 65807
Date: Jun 01, 2006
Venue: Remmingtons

City: Toledo, OH
Date: June 03, 2006
Venue: Headliners

City: Columbus, OH 43229
Date: June 04, 2006
Venue: Al Rosa

City: Cedar Rapids, IA 52405
Date: June 16, 2006
Venue: Emerald City

City: Omaha, NE 68108
Date: June 17, 2006
Venue: Sokol Auditorium

For more info on Jada Koren Pinkett Smith, visit www.thejadapages.com

JADA IS ON COVER OF ESSENCE MAGAZINE!

2006-04-20T05:15:00.000-07:00

JADA IS ON THE COVER OF ESSENCE MAGAZINE
ON HER PAINFUL STRUGGLE TO LOVE HERSELF AND HOW WILL SAVED HER LIFE
MAY 2006!

AT NEWS STANDS KNOW! GET YOUR COPY TODAY
For more info on Jada Koren Pinkett Smith, visit www.thejadapages.com

'Matrix' Actress Shows Her Metal Side.

2006-03-21T05:03:00.000-08:00

'Matrix' actress shows her metal side
Pinkett Smith's band brings rock

By Angie Fenton
afenton@courier-journal.com
The Courier-Journal

Jada Pinkett Smith and her band, Wicked Wisdom, rocked Jillian's last night — much to the surprise of some of her fans.

Best known for her role as "Niobe" in "The Matrix" sequels, Pinkett Smith commanded the microphone as part of the opening act of a four-band package that featured headliner Sevendust.

Her husband, actor Will Smith, slipped in a side door and remained in the shadows, where he stood — his ball cap tilted to one side — and head-banged to the heavy metal tunes.

Pinkett Smith — who goes by Jada Koren on stage — proved she's not playing at being a rocker. Backed by a superb lineup of musicians, she delivered powerful, honest lyrics and captured the audience's attention, keeping them in awe for the duration of a raucous 20-minute set.

"It's stunning and astonishing to see her up there," said Chad Polen, 27.

Polen, of Petersburg, Ind., first saw Wicked Wisdom in Cincinnati in early February.

"When people find out Jada's for real — she's doing what she loves, what she does best — Wicked Wisdom brings the people," he said.

The band also welcomes the people.

After the performance, Pinkett Smith — along with her lead guitarist Pocket; rhythm guitarist Cameron Graves; bass guitarist Rio; and founding member of the 1990s band Fishbone, Phillip Fisher, on drums — accepted hugs and handshakes, signed autographs and genuinely seemed to enjoy the interaction with fans.

Bosslady & Jada Pinkett Smith

"You're not supposed to separate yourself from your people," Fisher said.

As a celebrity who is often supposed to be inaccessible to the public, Pinkett Smith, 34, said Wicked Wisdom affords her the opportunity to inhabit an "accessible space. ... You have to find a way to connect with your audience. I can't create any other way."

The band is on the final leg of a tour to promote its debut album, which dropped late last month. Playing the River City was a good time, Pinkett Smith said, and she hopes to return.

"We won't be back for Derby — but we will be back."

Reporter Angie Fenton can be reached at (502) 582-7143.

For more info on Jada Pinkett Smith, visit www.thejadapages.com

Watch Wicked Wisdom's Performance On Carson Daly

2006-03-09T22:20:00.000-08:00

Watch Wicked Wisdom's Performance On Carson Daly

Jada Koren, AKA Jada Pinkett Smith
Click Here To View Wicked Wisdom Video
It's very large an may take a few minutes to load.
For more info on Jada Pinkett Smith, visit www.thejadapages.com

GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LOOKS!

2006-03-06T06:10:00.000-08:00

A palette of colors ruled the red carpet

Diana McKeon Charkalis, Staff Writer
The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Queen, Jada Pinkett Smith
Colors taken from nature - flowers, birds and the earth - ruled the red carpet this year, with fashion trends all over the rainbow.
And in most cases, it worked.

Canary yellow isn't an easy color, but Michelle Williams managed to carry it off in a gown decked with a flattering ruffled V-neckline, accented by a 19th-century diamond fringe necklace from Fred Leighton.

Salma Hayek electrified in a vibrant blue gown, and Jennifer Lopez glowed in green. Jada Pinkett Smith was toned and buff in a bright blue strapless column gown by Roberto Cavalli.

Jessica Alba sparkled like Oscar himself in gold Versace and cited her unique regimen for fitting into an Oscar dress. "I exercise, drink water and eat dessert."

Several stars chose to go light, opting for various shades of cream.

These included Reese Witherspoon in a V-necked, sweeping gown, featuring rows of silver beads; Nicole Kidman in a strapless sheath adorned with elaborate decorative braid across the front; and Uma Thurman in a cap-sleeved, chiffon-skirted affair.

Presenter Naomi Watts joined in the ruffled look, wearing a one-shoulder soft pink Givenchy. She was at the Oscars to introduce Dolly Parton, who jokingly deemed herself the "Southern belle of the ball" as she made her way to the door of the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood. Parton was also pretty in pink in a gown designed by Robert Behar of Paris. She wore $2 million in diamonds from Fred Leighton.

Black was also back. Rachel Weisz was demure in a that shade from Narciso Rodriguez, and cited pregnancy hormones as the reason for her unusual sense of calm.

"Otherwise, I wouldn't even be able to speak right now," she told one interviewer.

Felicity

Huffman was also decked out in black, in a sweeping gown with a plunging neckline. She teared up and smeared her makeup when she viewed a clip of her "Desperate" co-stars wishing her luck. Jennifer Aniston was in a black tank gown by Rochas with a long train and a vintage platinum-and-diamond Bulgari necklace from the 1930s.

For some attendees, there was no need to accessorize with a bag. Amy Adams wore a chocolate Carolina Herrera gown with pockets. Sandra Bullock's elegant strapless navy blue gown from Angel Sanchez also had them, so that her date, Keanu Reeves, "wouldn't have to hold anything for her."

Charlize Theron was wrapped in a forest-green, handpainted gown with an enormous bow on one shoulder designed by John Galliano for Christian Dior.

Keira Knightley looked sultry in an eggplant-color Vera Wang gown made of taffeta. It was complimented by a necklace of emeralds, rubies and diamonds from the Bulgari archives and gold sandals with multiple ankle straps by Jimmy Choo. The one-shoulder form-fitting dress gave even Knightley herself pause.

"I can't actually walk," she noted. "But I can stand rather well."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

ALSO:

Jada Pinkett Bans Will Smith From Dressing Room

Mr. Smith, Acting A Clown
Will Smith is banished from his actress wife Jada Pinkett's dressing room when she prepares for big awards shows because he's too much of a prankster. Jada reveals she can't risk her fun-loving husband ruining her look and insists he leaves her alone while she dresses.

Wearing Roberto Cavalli to the Oscars last night, Jada insisted Smith gave her a morning to herself.

Speaking on the red carpet last night, she said, "On days like this he has a separate dressing room because Will likes to clown and he likes to play too much and really this is a very serious situation, so we have to keep our rooms separate."

Starpulse News Blog

For more info on Jada Pinkett Smith, visit www.thejadapages.com

Wicked Wisdom To Perform On Last Call with Carson Daly, March 3rd

2006-03-02T04:21:00.000-08:00

WICKED WISDOM IS GOING TO PERFORM ON
"LAST CALL WITH CARSON DALY"
FRIDAY, MARCH, 3rd 2006!

GET YOUR CD

ALBUM IN STORES NOW!

For more info on Jada Koren Pinkett Smith, visit www.thejadapages.com

Wicked Wisdom's New CD Is Out Today!

2006-02-21T02:58:00.000-08:00

Wicked Wisdom's New CD Is Out Today!

Wicked Wisdom's New CD

GET YOURS!

Wicked Wisdom Will Be Performing Live On Fuse Network's, "Daily Download"

2006-02-20T04:58:00.000-08:00

Wicked Wisdom will be performing live on Fuse Network's "daily download"
Date: February 21, 2006
Check your local listings for the time

For more info on Jada Koren Pinkett Smith, visit www.thejadapages.com

It's A Different World For Jada Pinkett Smith: Actress Turns Metalhead

2006-02-18T10:55:00.000-08:00

It's a different world for Jada Pinkett Smith: Actress turns metalhead

Kerry Gold, CanWest News Service

Published: February 17, 2006

VANCOUVER--Jada Pinkett Smith has left the comforts of Hollywood to become the front woman for a metal band called Wicked Wisdom.

Jada Koren, AKA Jada Pinkett Smith

Her hair is an explosion, her sinewy arm muscles are displayed in sleeveless T-shirts. And her usually smiling face is a rictus of pain, her voice a wail of frustration -- belting out, even spitting out, lyrics of songs with names like Bleed and You Can't Handle This.

This isn't the pretty Jada, in gowns that show off her diminutive coke-bottle figure and jewels that complement the fine planes of her face.

Introducing angry Jada, spawn of Satan.

"In this day and age when people are so afraid to feel, I like to create a space where if you want to cry, come cry. You want to bash somebody's head open in the pit? Go right ahead,'' says Pinkett Smith. "You know what I mean?''

She doesn't mean that literally, because she also admires the way metalheads look out for each other in the pit. But she's a woman who's discovered her aggressive side, and it feels good, very good.
"I do get a charge out of being aggressive. I like being in a forum where it's acceptable, and this is that forum.

"It's hard because in Hollywood I've had to shut down that aspect of myself, because people didn't like it. They couldn't connect to it. They're like, `Uh uh. She's a ball-breaker, she's trying to castrate us.'

"It's not that. I like to get my little growl on too once in a while. So it's nice to have this space, where I can be that, and then I can go back to Hollywood and I can play my little softer roles for them so that everybody's not all scared and intimidated, then the guys out here on the road are like, `Give it to us. We want it! We want it as hard as you can bring it chick!'

"It's nice to have the two worlds to go back and forth.''

The male-dominated world of metal doesn't intimidate her either, because she's used to that.
"Just the industry I come from, it's very male dominated,'' says Pinkett Smith, who is 34.
Groupies? She's got them, male and female. But that's nothing new, either.

"You get groupie guys and groupie girls -- this is rock 'n' roll baby, you know how it goes,'' she says, laughing.

(It should be noted that Pinkett Smith has a raunchy laugh to rival that of Billy Idol. It is a laugh filled with subtext.)

"The girls, yeah, they let you know. Even in Hollywood you get that. Definitely. Big time, it's the thing.

"The one great thing about doing this now is I'm straight edge. I don't drink, don't do drugs. When I was younger, I did all that stuff.

"I'm anchored, I have a family. I know what all that is `cause I've done it all. All that party shit, been there, done that. Not impressed with it at all. I'll go out and hang out for a little while, but I've been doing that since I was 12, so whatever.''

She may be accustomed to A-list treatment on the arm of her extremely famous husband, Will Smith, but as a newcomer to the metal scene, she's had to endure such indignities as the side-stage treatment at Ozzfest. In the humbling early morning time-slot, for a crowd of mildly curious metal fans who are already naturally intolerant to red-carpet celebrities, she's had to work hard to win them over. On good nights, she's had them moshing. On bad nights, she's been booed.

The question, of course, is why bother? It's a question she's had to answer repeatedly as she does interviews to promote the band's North American tour.

"Because of the persona that I've created -- and, also you know, us being women, people think that we don't get mad. It's ugly. And that's one of the reasons I love this genre, because I'm allowed to be as ugly as I want.

"People ask me, `Why are you doing this?' It's like, `Are you kidding me?' And I'm like, `I'm doing this because it's an aspect of myself that I tried to kill. That I tried to put away and put to sleep. And I realized it was killing the whole of Jada, stealing who Jada is. And because I had to be all of those things to be complete and to be whole.

"So for me, it's been a very spiritual experience that I don't talk about that often.''
Pinkett Smith admits that singing did not come naturally to her. As a child, she wanted to sing like Freddie Mercury of Queen, and she's still a fan of the late singer. She attended art schools in Baltimore and North Carolina, where she was told that she couldn't sing.

She doesn't recall a turning point when she decided to become a metal queen, but she does remember feeling restrained and alienated from her Hollywood colleagues. There is a song on her album called Something Inside of Me, about the murder of five-year-old Samantha Runyan. She'd heard about the girl's death minutes before a red-carpet event.

"I remembered crying my eyes out, and I remember having to pull it together because... and I remember being full of so much rage and pain while I was on this red carpet. But I couldn't talk about it. And I was amongst people who couldn't care less. And I don't know if they couldn't care less meaning them personally but their mission that night on the red carpet is to do the whole Hollywood thing, whatever that is. And I was so angry, even at myself ... `Just don't go.'''

Pinkett Smith may be tapping into her spiritual side, but for other members of the band who've experienced the grind, the newfound materialism doesn't hurt, either.

As guitarist Cameron Graves points out, Pinkett Smith may be new, but her fame and wealth take the band to a level unknown for most fledgling bands. Graves, who started playing classical music at age four, has been kicking around the music scene all his young life. But playing with Wicked Wisdom has changed the rules of the game for Graves.

"It's a chess game that we're playing right now, with what is going on right here. And Jada is our queen piece on the board, man.

"`See, that's how we're trying to maneuver the situation, the project. Because of Jada's fame, I'm sorry, but it allows us to get what we need to quicker than all the rest of the bands. Yeah okay so we're not broke, and we're not riding in a van. You know what I'm saying? We're over that, we're free of that. A lot of these cats, right here, I'm working with, dude, they're not like 19- or 20-year-olds rolling around in a dirty van no more. It's serious.

"Jada has the money and the connections to get that going down, so that we're not playing around anymore with this stuff. We get right to the radio stations, right to the TV show people, right to the management.

So we can get out there faster, so we can get this project going. For real, it's a whole new level.''
"We are gonna do it our way,'' he says, busting into a raucous laugh.

"You know what I'm sayin'?''

Graves is also a member of a death metal band called Worm and plays with a jazz quartet every Tuesday night. He practises martial arts in his spare time, and is a hyper 24-year-old L.A. dude who was hired to play keyboards but learned guitar when Pinkett Smith wanted a bigger sound.

An earlier incarnation of the band, which included Wicked Wisdom's Louisiana guitarist Pocket Honore and then-Fishbone drummer Phillip Fisher, leaned toward R & B. When Graves joined, the band scrapped an album and started over again.

"Jada wanted something harder, she's a metalhead herself,'' says Graves. "She wants something powerful. She's a small woman, so she's got that whole power thing, you know? `I can't lose, I'm going to win. I need something powerful, that blows everybody out of the water, that kind of mentality.' It was kind of easy to create music to that, really.

"She's crazy man. She goes buck wild,'' he adds, giggling.

Graves knew Pinkett Smith's film career, but doesn't sound too impressed by her Hollywood connections.
"I knew a bunch of her movies. My first movie I saw of Jada's was Inkwell ... she had a cool role in there.
"But if I was to tell you the truth, me personally, I'm totally against Hollywood man. I don't like Hollywood at all. I created band-writing lyrics like, `F--- Hollywood.' I wrote a whole project off of that.

"So when I met Jada, I was still in that mentality. I would tell her, `Man, I love you Jada, but I don't like celebrities.' I played a song for her, that went, `I hate celebrities.' I told her that whole mentality is wrong, it's about commercialism and materialism. It's killing music artistically.

"And she was down with it. She was cool with it. She was cool to try to kind of represent that, a little bit.''

She's not so tomboyish that she shares a tour bus with the guys, mind you.
"She has her own bus, `cause Will already knows that on the guy bus the guys will get into guy shit, you know,'' says Graves, laughing.

"So Will is like, `We got to get Jada her own bus, so she can chill out with the candles, the vapourizer, do her own thing over there.' "But she comes over to our bus a lot and kicks it. Will's not out right now, but usually Will just kicks it on the other bus.''

Pinkett Smith is aware that her genre of choice is about authenticity, not fashion, and she's got to prove herself. Old-school metalheads don't traditionally tolerate imposters.

Says Pinkett Smith: "People need to know I'm real about it. They're like, `Uh uh, you ain't gonna come up here and do no J-Lo shit, or whatever. Not to dog Jennifer,'' she adds, quickly. "She's great at what she does. But they are, `Uh uh. We ain't doing that Hollywood shit here, chick.
" `So you better come with something or you got to go.' ''

For more info on Jada Koren Pinkett Smith, visit www.thejadapages.com

Pinkett-Smith's Rocker Role

2006-02-17T06:02:00.000-08:00

The News Tribune. com
Pinkett-Smith's Rocker Role

Jada Koren, AKA Jada Pinkett Smith

Imagine my slack-jawed surprise last summer when I learned that Jada Pinkett Smith was scheduled to play Ozzfest. Yeah, that Jada Pinkett Smith; the woman best known for starring in “The Matrix” and “Collateral” and being married to rapper turned a-list actor Will Smith.
And imagine my confusion after I did a little more research and read that her band, Wicked Wisdom, played R&B. I had visions of thousands of agro 14-year-olds clad in black Iron Maiden concert tees hurling $4 bottles of water towards the second stage at White River Amphitheatre.
But Ms. Pinkett Smith was a no-show then for undisclosed reasons. Organizers did play a Wicked Wisdom video on the big screen behind the main stage. And, truth be told, “Something Inside of Me” sounded better than several of the second stage acts (faint as that praise may be.)
If you’re curious, you’ll finally get a chance to check out Wicked Wisdom – also Pocket Honore on lead guitar, Cameron “Wirm” Graves on rhythm guitar and keyboard, Rio Lawrence on bassand Phillip “Fish” Fisher (formerly of Fishbone) on drums – when the band opens for Sevendust Saturday at The Premier in Seattle.
The band’s self-titled debut also drops next Tuesday. And I caught up with Pinkett Smith on the phone as she and her band cruised through Nebraska recently. Here are excerpts from the conversation, with a longer version available on my Bring the Noise blog (www.thenewstribune.com/ae):
Q: I was looking forward to catching you (at Ozzfest.) What happened last year?
A: “I had to stay in San Francisco for some testing. I was getting tested for some lymph node cancer at the time. It was a pretty scary situation. Thank God everything came out negative. We found out what the problem was, but I was having some health issues, and that was the only reason I had to miss that Seattle show. I actually did the rest of the shows quite ill.” [Laughs.]
“It’s crazy, ‘cause people don’t understand. When you do this kind of stuff … it is a wear and tear on your body.”
Q: As an actor you put in those huge days, too.
A: “It’s different though because you’re in one place. … You go from your hotel or your house to your movie set. Then you sit around all day.
“The thing with music is that you’re traveling so much … and (there’s) the energy you exert on stage. And then afterwards we always go out and sign autographs for about two and a half hours for fans and stuff. It’s just a total different situation.”
Q: What about the outlet? How would you rate singing vs. acting?
A: “They both are just as pleasurable. It’s just different. I love having that exchange between the audience in that moment, you know what I mean. It’s just that immediate exchange. When you’re doing a film it’s just you and a bunch of cats on a set. …You don’t get to experience what you’re doing, really, with the audience.”
Q: There have been many other actors who have jumped from the big screen to the stage. Some have paved the way for you in a good way and some haven’t. There’s Juliette Lewis. Minnie Driver’s album was decent. Then you jump to the Corey Feldmanns. Because of that do you feel the deck is loaded in a way?
A: “It’s loaded in many different ways, you know. It’s always a harder for actors to make a musical transition than musicians to make an acting transition. But in my life I’ve gone up against so many obstacles. … I’m used to that. So whatever.” [Laughs]
Q: How did the band first come about? How do you go from having one established career to playing Ozzfest?
A: “About five years ago I decided I wanted to put a band together, actually when I came back from ‘the Matrix.’ It was something I always wanted to do … since I was a little girl. I’d see Axl Rose up there and I’d think, ‘Oh, god, why aren’t there any women doing that?’I just always wanted an opportunity to do it.
“I just decided I better do it now or never. I met Pocket, and he and I pretty much had the same ideas of where we wanted to go musically. And we went through many different transitions as far as the band was concerned. He and I are the only two original band members.
Q: I’ve only heard a little bit of your material. From what I understand you played R&B at some point.
A: “When we first started out we had this kind of R&B/rock kind of pop fusion thing happening. That didn’t really work for us. We kept playing with it and … finally got that launching pad that we wanted. And that is when we started playing around at different clubs to work the sound out. And that’s when (Ozzfest organizer) Sharon (Osbourne) saw us playing at the Viper Room.”
Q: Did she just come up to you at the show?
A: “No. I didn’t see her at the show. I just heard that she was there. … And then I get a call two days later from our office (saying) Sharon wants you to come on Ozzfest.’ You’ve gotta be … kidding me. [Laughs] I was just as shocked as anybody.”
Q: Did you think it was a joke at first?
A: “I was like I must be getting ‘Punk’d’ right now. Where is … Ashton (Kutcher)? I’m like this is not happening right now. But as I thought about it and it became obvious that this was a real invitation, I was like wow you can’t give up an opportunity like that. You just can’t. And so we went. [laughs]
Q: Given that people know you for your work as an actress, was there some hostility or cynicism on any of the dates?
A: “We only had that situation on one date, and that was probably my fault; something I really incited.
Q: What happened?
A: Oh, I’m not even gonna get into that. But the first couple of shows we had a huge learning curve. The great thing about Ozzfest is you will find out on Ozzfest that you will sink or you will swim. There’s no in between.
“The first couple of dates were really rough. Then we got to Chicago and had a great show. And from there Ozzfest really turned around for us. Word of mouth started getting better. The audiences started coming with a neutral attitude of let’s see for ourselves.. …
“The great thing about this particular genre and people that listen to this genre is they are a lot more open-minded than people would like to believe that they are. … There’s only a handful of people that are (jerks.)”
Q: I read that you actually opened for Britney Spears.
A: “Oh yeah, we actually went to Europe. We actually couldn’t have done that here in the United States, ‘cause we wouldn’t have fit with her at all. But in Europe it’s totally different, because you have all different types of musical genres mixed up.
“That trip was so wonderful for us because that’s when we did start to develop that heavier sound that we’d been looking for. … We actually wrote ‘You Can’t Handle This’ on the road in Europe.”
Q: Better tour mate: Britney or Ozzy?
A: “Umm. I have to honest, I had a great time on Ozzfest; just being able to be with those bands. I really learned so much having the opportunity to hang out with all those badass musicians. I got to go watch Mastodon play every day. It’s just like I’m running from FYE tent every day just so I can see those guys play.
“All the bands – bands on the main stage, bands on the second stage – were just so supportive of us, so nice. It was such a supportive family environment. It was nothin’ like people told me it was gonna be. I found more comradery at Ozzfest … than any other professional environment that I’ve been involved in, Hollywood included.”
Q: The past few years you haven’t been as active in film. Is that because of the music?
A: “Yeah, just being on the road. This is just a passion of mine. This is what I love to do. As far as creatively and just spiritually just what I’ve been able to learn about my country.
“Just being able to travel and reach my hands out to folks that I would never in a million years get to see and would never get to see me. … To kind of just expand the ideas and break down those preconceived notions of gender, race, you know, and the idea of ‘Hollywood is this, and people in Hollywood are that.’ You have to erase all those ideas.
Q: Do you have more films on the way?
A: Oh definitely. I’m working on a deal right now. … I’ll probably do one film this summer – might squeeze in two – then I’ll be back on the road. We’ll be working on another album, too.

For more info on Jada Koren Pinkett Smith, visit www.thejadapages.com