Tyra Banks Channels Josephine Baker

[flat-top]

Actually, on an upcoming episode of Gossip Girl, Tyra Banks portrays an actress who is playing Josephine Baker.

 

[dhermann1]

Interesting contrast. Tyra has such angular features, whereas Josephine Baker was all curves. Tyra has an aloof arched eyebrow expression, Josephine always had a great glowing smile. Tyra's cool, Josephine was warm. But still, pretty neat pic.

 

[Lady Day]

Is she wearing a Halloween costume, that I can buy. Is she *playing* Miss Baker, that is a laugh. She just looks like shes in a flapper costume, and not a very good one.

Lynn Whitfield looked more like Baker (not by much) playing her in the film.

LD

 

[flat-top]

Here's the plot:
http://tvwatch.people.com/2009/10/0...anks-channels-josephine-baker-on-gossip-girl/

 

[Lady Day]

Oh, so shes playing an actress who is in a sense *channeling* Miss Baker in a lame TV show.

You have a misleading thread title, flat-top.

LD

 

[Miss Neecerie]

You have a misleading thread title, flat-top.

Because -that- never happens around here. :whistling

 

[texasgirl]

The headband is cool, that's about it. She gets on my nerves.

 

[Lady Day]

She gets on my nerves.

Mine too.

LD

 

[C-dot]

If you watch interviews with Tyra - heck, even her own show - It's easy to deduce her level of intelligence.

Not that she isn't probably a nice lady; just not the sharpest tool in the drawer.

Take her recent Larry King interview about going back to her natural "kinky black girl hair." Like, it's great that she wants to be a natural role model for a demographic that spends so much on unnatural hair... But the way she expresses it doesn't scream "Mensa International."

 

[flat-top]

Title changed to avoid confusion! :eusa_doh:

 

[noonblueapples]

The headband is cool, that's about it. She gets on my nerves.

Headband looks like it was photoshopped on.


I remember when she was a victorias model and didn't seems so angular, or aloof

 

[Viola]

If you watch interviews with Tyra - heck, even her own show - It's easy to deduce her level of intelligence.

Not that she isn't probably a nice lady; just not the sharpest tool in the drawer.

Take her recent Larry King interview about going back to her natural "kinky black girl hair." Like, it's great that she wants to be a natural role model for a demographic that spends so much on unnatural hair... But the way she expresses it doesn't scream "Mensa International."

I don't think she's unintelligent. I think there's a point of diminishing returns for her being seen as intellectual. I'm thinking of Marilyn Monroe and so many others here; not dumb women, marketable women.

As far as "angular" goes, she took mad crap about her quote-unquote fatness of her appearance on Next Top Model and at least the 1st season of her show and was compared unfavourably to Heidi Klum re: body-wise, with the added caveat of the entirely un-charming "and HEIDI has had BABIES" so in her career-slot I don't blame her an iota for losing the weight.

She doesn't look diddly like Josephine to me, but she is a very striking looking woman in her own right and if she were rocking a flapper look just-'coz, the way Christina Aguilera loves her retro look, I'd be all for it.

 

[Lady Day]

If you watch interviews with Tyra - heck, even her own show - It's easy to deduce her level of intelligence.

I think she is of very average intelligence. Its her celebrity (and incredible beauty) that makes her marketable to others who in return think her average opinion is more valuable than anyone elses, which its not. But that has always been the case with the beautiful people.

LD

 

[ThesFlishThngs]

While it may not be precisely applicable in this instance, if she's simply portraying another, modern woman doing Josephine, the photo offered made me think of the main reason so many current actors/performers can't quite make biographical pieces work - someone, whether it's the performer or their 'handlers', seems afraid to let the actor truly lose their own identity. Comparing the pic of Tyra to the one of Josephine, Tyra appears too busy channeling the modern attitude of a model - harsh, cold, distant. Unless one can truly let go of their marketable image and fully embrace a character (so many classic actors were stellar at it, particularly Bette Davis), the illusion will never be complete.
The viewer will always ultimately be watching person X doing a fair, modern interpretation of character Y.

 

[Blondie]

While it may not be precisely applicable in this instance, if she's simply portraying another, modern woman doing Josephine, the photo offered made me think of the main reason so many current actors/performers can't quite make biographical pieces work - someone, whether it's the performer or their 'handlers', seems afraid to let the actor truly lose their own identity. Comparing the pic of Tyra to the one of Josephine, Tyra appears too busy channeling the modern attitude of a model - harsh, cold, distant. Unless one can truly let go of their marketable image and fully embrace a character (so many classic actors were stellar at it, particularly Bette Davis), the illusion will never be complete.
The viewer will always ultimately be watching person X doing a fair, modern interpretation of character Y.

Couldn't have said it better myself !!!!! :eusa_clap