How’s it going? The week has come and the week has gone. From Bank of America  eliminating their overdraft fees on debit cards to University of Chicago researchers declaring that men who stay in good shape are more prone to enjoy more years of good sex to former track star Marion Jones signing with the WNBA’s Tulsa Shock, it was another five days in paradise once again.

Thoughts and prayers go out to Jada Pinkett-Smith, who recently lost her father, and fans, family and friends of former ‘80s child star Corey Haim, who died Wednesday (March 10). Shout out to Mo’Nique and Sandra Bullock for taking home their first Oscars, NBC for finally booking Betty White to host Saturday Night Live on May 8 and the sounding boards, who always seem to find a way back to reality after being lost in fantasy.

And now we have…the Last Word for the week ending March 12, 2010.

1.       Marlon Wayons Embraces Upcoming Portrayal of Richard Pryor; Talks Dramatic Expansion

It may be strange, but I believe that comedians make the best dramatic actors. If you don’t believe me then look at Mo’Nique, who collected an Oscar for her work in Precious, Eddie Murphy, who landed an Oscar nomination for what he did in Dreamgirls and of course, Jamie Foxx, who more than earned his Academy Award-winning actor title with his memorable turn as Ray Charles in Ray.

So with all that history, could the future include an Oscar speech from Marlon Wayans? The possibility could be there as the funnyman gears up to portray comedy icon Richard Pryor in Richard Pryor: Is It Something I Said.

And while he has some out of comedy experience in 2000’s Requiem for a Dream,  Wayans is best known for his unique brand humor that was present in the Scary movie films as well as Little Man and White Chicks. Still, playing Pryor went to Marlon and not the most likely person to play the comedy legend, Mr. Murphy.

Murphy’s publicist told the LA Times that his client was in talks regarding the project but that “differences on the creative front” led to the star and the filmmakers going in different directions.

Nevertheless, the publicist says that “Eddie thinks Marlon will be wonderful in the role and he’s given his blessing for Marlon to do it. He’s looking forward to seeing Marlon in the role.”

So the question is can the Wayans brother do justice to Richard Pryor and not totally f-it up and prove his critics right?

If Mr. Wayans’ plans of expanding his craft are any indication and the buzz surrounding his screen test for the film, then the answer is yes.

‘I think I’ve proven to some people — the ones paying attention — that I can do more. Everybody else, well, they can wait and see and make up their mind,” he shared with the Times.”…This is like an invitation to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro for me, and I’ve never been more excited in my life than when I got the role,” continued Wayans, who grew up listening to Pryor on vinyl records. “ I want to be in dramas, I want to produce, I want to write and I want to prove I can handle a role such as this one…Richard Pryor meant so much to black people. Bill Cosby was like Martin Luther King but Pryor, he was like Malcolm X.”

 2. Jennifer Hudson Joins All-Star Tribute to Quincy Jones; Joins March Madness With One Shining Moment

Quincy Jones’ influence in  the music world is rivaled by only a select few. So it goes without saying that if you’re selected to be one of the people paying tribute to the producer, it would behoove you to be like Jennifer Hudson and heed the call.

 The songstress is one of more than 15 artists and producers lined up for Q: Soul Bossa Nostra, a project featuring new interpretations of some of Jones’ best-known works. In addition to Hudson, the Bossa Nostra album will include contributions from  Akon, Usher,  John Legend, Robin Thicke, Warryn Campbell, Scott Storch, Three 6 Mafia, Snoop Dogg, T-Pain, Wyclef Jean, Jermaine Dupri, David Banner, Bebe Winans and DJ Paul.

Hudson will put her stamp on “You Put A Move on My Heart,” a hit originally sung by Tamia on Jones’ 1996 album, Q’s Jook Joint, while Akon takes on “Strawberry Letter 23.”

Q: Soul Bossa Nostra is slated to be released in May or June.    

In Other J-Hud news, look for the Oscar winner to provide vocals for “One Shining Moment,” the song that plays each year at the end of CBS’ broadcast of the NCAA men’s basketball championship game.

Hudson will be the first woman to sing the song , which plays over highlights of the NCAA tournament. Previous  “One Shining Moment” performers included Teddy Pendergrass and Luther Vandross.

 3. Nate Parker Won’t Follow Hollywood Road of Negative Black Male Roles

 Anybody looking for Nate Parker to play a less than stellar African American male on the big screen can hang it up right now.

 The 30-year-old entertainer may not be a household name, but he’s creating his own buzz by giving the typical Hollywood roles for black actors the cold shoulder.

 “I will not do roles that emasculate black men, and the film must give me a platform to speak on,” Parker recently told the Chicago Sun-Times while promoting his new film, Blood Done Sign My Name.  The cause is such a priority that Robinson goes out of his way to show those who are and aren’t as fortunate that his range of roles go beyond what they usually see in the movies.

 “…that’s why it’s important that I only do roles that show strong black men. If I emasculate myself, I lose credibility. I can’t walk across that street then and inspire those brothers,” said Parker, whose film work includes The Great Debaters and The Secret Life of Bees. So it should come as no surprise that the actor makes a point of mingling with youth who aren’t in school as well as those who are.

 Although the thought of doing other types of movies is appealing, Parker believes his talents are better served in a deeper capacity. “I’m part of a community that leads every negative statistical category in America.,” he said. “Like President Obama and Martin Luther King Jr., I have an obligation to show young people a better way.”

 Look for Parker to continue making waves in the name of positivity in his next film, Red Tails. The movie, which also stars Cuba Gooding Jr. and Terrence Howard, centers on the Tuskegee Airmen, the first African-American pilots to fly in combat during World War II.

4. Zoe Saldana Talks Sex, Little Criminals and the Joy of Aging

 In life, it’s automatic to want love and want to be loved. And if you’re having the success that Zoe Saldana is having, then love is just the icing on the cake.

 So why not let folks know exactly how you feel about the ultimate form of affection between you and the apple of your eye? From the looks of it, being blue Avatar hasn’t done anything to lessen Zoe’s desire for 24/7 seven sex.

“Love it, love it, love it — can’t live without it! I love sex,” the actress shared in the April issue of Essence. “I love skin. I don’t believe the body is something to hide.”

 I’m sure life is good for Zoe and her boyfriend Keith Britton, whom she’s been dating for 10 years. Sex is just one of a couple of things the entertainer is seeking more of as Saldana continued her I Love Sex and Proud Of It magazine tour in Glamour magazine’s April issue.

“I want to have more sex, travel more, drink more wine and love life,” she said, while expressing the joy of getting older. “I love aging. Why would I want to be 21 for the rest of my life? Glamour is about feeling good in your own skin.”

 With sex being the topic of choice, it’s only natural to want everybody to feel the same way she does, right? But America being the way it is, open discussions about sex just aren’t that mainstream yet. At least when it comes to bringing up the topic with kids.

 “I think in American society, we’re messing up our kids by taking away the education on awareness of sexuality and replacing it with violence, guns and video games,” Saldana explains to Essence. “We’re breeding little criminals.”

 In Other Words…Shakira’s work on behalf of children has earned her a medal from the U.N. labor agency. The songstress , who has worked as a UNICEF goodwill ambassador, was honored for her efforts to help impoverished children. Shakira ‘s work with children can be traced to a variety of sources that include her Barefoot foundation, which provides nutrition to more than 6,000 children in Colombia, and her membership in the ALAS foundation, an organization that advocates for children across Latin America.

 She may not have scored an Oscar for her performance in Precious, but Gabourey Sidibe has moved on to the small screen as she officially joins the cast of upcoming Showtime series The Big C. According to The Hollywood reporter, the actress will featured in a recurring role as a smart-alecky student.

The Big C stars stars Laura Linney as a repressed suburban wife and mother who reclaims her life after a terminal cancer diagnosis.

 Marlon Wayans may have a lock on playing Richard Pryor on the big screen, but Don Cheadle is getting the green light to portray another influential entertainer, Miles Davis.

The jazz legend’s family gave the go ahead for Cheadle to portray Davis in a film he’ll star in and direct. Grammy-winning musician Herbie Hancock will provide the score for the movie. In addition, Davis’ son Erin and nephew Vince Wilburn Jr. will be on hand to help Cheadle with the film, which has no release date at this time.

Now that he’s made enough money to retire after signing Lady Gaga, what is next for Akon to do. Go Bollywood, of course. The hitmaking singer/producer is breaking into the Indian film market via a song for the soundtrack to the movie RA.One.  

 According to film’s star, Shah Rukh Khan, Akon will record the song in Hindi for free and be featured in the accompanying video to the track. “India is my next focus area,” Akon said regarding plans to invade Bollywood. “I want to try different things, want to explore… want to enjoy my work. We have the same kind of entertainment, the only difference is of tradition and language.”

As we remembered the legacy and music of the Notorious B.I.G. there comes news that former Bad Boy Records group 112 are reuniting for a new album. The reunion was confirmed earlier this week via Twitter by group member Quiness  “Q “Parker.

 “In the studio wit my boys mike and daron! New 112 album comin soon!,” Q tweeted.

The upcoming 112 album will be the follow up to the group’s 2005 gold certified album Pleasure & Pain.  

  Looks like Amy Winehouse is working on a new clothing collection as well as her highly anticipated third album. WWD reports the singer is aligning with British label Fred Perry, for a 17-piece fashion line that includes a girlish twinset; slim, thigh-skimming pencil skirts; capri pants, a mini bowling dress, and Fred Perry’s signature polo shirts.The mostly black collection, which will be priced between about $32 and $150, will continue over four seasons and be sold in Fred Perry Authentic boutiques as well as through select wholesalers around the world.

From the windy city of Chicago’s and its blues, to the muddy banks of the Mississippi Delta in New Orleans and it’s jazz, to the concrete streets of Bedstuy, Brooklyn and it’s Hip-Hop, those in the know will tell you that Maurice “Mobetta” Brown is one of the best horn players on the planet. “Mobetta”, as they call him, has thoroughly been putting it down for music heads for years and now he’s back with a follow up to his 2004’s crossover release “Hip to Bop.”

A top ten release on the jazz charts at its time, the album is widely regarded as a contemporary jazz classic and an unbelievably sophisticated debut album for such a young musician.

Now Maurice Brown is giving listeners “The Cycle of Love.” The concept album takes listeners on a jazzy yet be-bop and Hip-Hop infused journey through the emotions and stages of love.

While the average Hip-Hop listener has likely heard the sounds of “Mobetta” unknowingly, in the jazz and soul world, Maurice Brown is considered a pioneer with respect to the melodic sounds he has been able to create and currently he is what many regard as the “first call” horn player in New York for Hip-Hop and R&B songs.

Jazz, soul, or Hip-Hop, Maurice “Mobetta” Brown has been nailing studio sessions in all three genres, collaborating with likes of artists such as Aretha Franklin, The Roots, Wyclef Jean, John Legend, De La Soul, Cee-Lo and Musiq Soulchild to name a few, guiding the listeners with what he calls “hornificaiton”.

Leaving New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, the Bedstuy, Brooklyn resident is a member of the Brooklyn Jazz Hall of Fame and he continues to gain accolades across the industry for his arranging and songwriting capabilities. AllHipHop.com sat down to talk with Maurice about his success in the industry and his upcoming releases on his own label, Brown Records. Take a look at this Q and A with one of the industry’s most talented trumpet players.

AllHipHop.com: What good man? Where you at right now?

Mobetta: I’m in Bedstuy, Brooklyn. I’m over here in the heart of it all you could say.

AllHipHop.com: I appreciate you taking the time to link up with me. So getting into things here, you have your own label, right?

Mobetta: Yea, right now I am really focused on this project right now. It is definitely my plan to take on more artists later but I got to put this project out and I have another project after this one that I am putting out called “Mobetta & Soul’d U Out.” It is definitely my plan to come out with more music later, but I am focused on the “Cycle of Love” album right now. It’s a lot of work that goes into having your own label, but you definitely reap the benefits later.

AllHipHop.com: Right, so you’re originally from Chicago, you moved to New Orleans, essentially a “Jazz Mecca”, now you’re in Brooklyn, New York. What has the journey been like man? Can you describe the music in each city and how that’s shaped your style?

Mobetta: Yea man, it’s been an incredible journey. You know Chicago is the home of the blues, so there’s a lot of blues going on in Chicago, that’s a big part of my foundation. Then when I moved to New Orleans and that’s when I got to really soak up the culture and start getting a lot of the soulfulness, like the melodies, and getting the party going. That’s what New Orleans is all about. Every time I played there it was like I was the hypeman. I played and I got the party going. In New York, its like the best of the best are here so its like I was really able to refine my style here in New York. I was able to take all the element of each city and now here you have Maurice “Mobetta” Brown.

AllHipHop.com: You left New Orleans after Katrina was devastated right?

Mobetta: Yea I had to leave. I left all my stuff behind. I had nothing to come back to. So I said I might as well go to New York. I was planning on making the journey up here anyways but that definitely gave me a good kick to get me going.

AllHipHop.com: Now prior to that, you released the critically acclaimed “Hip to Bop” in 2004. How did that change your career? Looking back how did that album impact your career.

Mobetta: That album was definitely my start in the music business. A lot of people are putting their own albums out in jazz now, but I was doing it in 2004. I was one of the pioneers of putting out your own albums out in the Jazz game. If you looked up there on jazz charts; I was in the top ten next to Virgin and Blue Note.

AllHipHop.com: How did you do that? How did you compete with such heavy hitters like that as a smaller independent label?

Mobetta: The main piece to my success is that I do a lot of collaborations and I also do a lot of production. So I am really well connected in the industry with a lot of people. I am one of the first call horn guy in New York City right now.

“Daydreams” – Maurice Brown LIVE at the Harlem Gatehouse from Adam Barton on Vimeo.

I do all the horns for Wyclef Jean, Atlantic Records, so I’m on like Talib’s “Eardrum”, Aretha Franklin’s stuff, De La Soul’s new album, I did a project Nike put out, just got done with Cee-Lo, Musiq Soulchild, so I am all over the place. I did VH1 Honors, The Roots, Questlove.

AllHipHop.com: The Roots always cover different songs. What do you play when you play with The Roots? Do you jam out or do you have songs that you cover?

Mobetta: Oh man, it’s totally a big jam every time with The Roots. You never know where we are going to go. We always have a plan, but the band is such a vibe band, we go wherever the music takes us when I play with them.

AllHipHop.com: Who would you say that influences you or what Hip-Hop groups do you like that are out now.

Mobetta: I definitely like older Hip-Hop with more content and quality, but I definitely like what’s out now. I’m in to whatever catches my ear at the moment. Sometimes I will go with the more commercial stuff that everyone likes. I love Jay, Kanye and Talib, but I also look at production. I really like a lot of what DangerMouse is doing and a lot of his collaborations and what he does with Gnarles Barkley. Broken Bell the new group he has going on. There is just so much.

AllHipHop.com: What’s in your iPod?

Mobetta: [Laughs] I have so much music man, being a producer, I have music dating back man. If you saw my iPod you would trip out! I have a lot of soul, a lot of funk, and a lot of Hip-Hop.

AllHipHop.com: Yea so I saw you got the chance to work with Aretha.

Mobetta: Yea man I went in and arranged all the horns for her song in collaboration with John Legend. Produced by Gable Springsteen, he’s the Grammy nominated producer who did the song “Diamonds are Forever” for Kanye West. I basically went in there wrote some horn lines and arranged the horns section for the song and went in there and nailed it. They were really happy with it.

The key thing for me is that my melodies are really catchy. So that’s one of the things in the industry that people really like. Sometimes the horn line in a song is the only thing that you remember.

AllHipHop.com: So speaking of horns, you coined the term “hornification”, can you tell me about that term?

Mobetta: Yea “hornification” is basically what I do man. I come in to a session. They ask for horns and most of the time its just me by myself, they don’t have a whole horn section. So I come in and end up doing a lot of overdubs. I do the high horns, the middle horns, the lower horns, I bust out the flugelhorn which is a deeper sounding trumpet kind of like a cross between the trombone and trumpet, so I lay that down. Then it just allows the producer to master thick sounds like Earth, Wind and Fire horns, kind of, but with definitely a more Hip-Hop swag on it.

AllHipHop.com: You mentioned that you worked with Wyclef Jean. He is known to be in the studio for long hours and to be a great producer. Can you tell me about that?

Mobetta: Working with Wyclef and Jerry Wonder, that’s his main man, the bassist and producer. It has been incredible, I have picked up so many production tips from them. They are very musical people. They put music first before anything else.

The one interesting thing about Wyclef and his production that I find different from a lot of people is that he likes to record more from an old school approach as far as a live band. They start off as a live band and jam and then find the best moments and then they put it all together that way. Then they track it out so that’s why all of their music has such an organic feel to it.

AllHipHop.com: Right, that’s cool man. So you have been elected into the Brooklyn Jazz Hall of Fame and you have only lived in New York since Katrina, about 5 years. That’s unbelievable considering you haven’t even been in the city that long.

Mobetta: What is cool is when I was in New Orleans I got the Big Easy Contemporary Jazz Award, so that means I was representing contemporary jazz in New Orleans. I had the biggest club out there selling out, two shows every Tuesday. For 2 or 3 years I was doing that, I was selling out and that was really cool. I also got the New Orleans All Star Award.

So basically I settled down for a little bit. I am not so much searching for some place to get known, I am actually bringing something. When I got here people knew who I was, people were like, “Oh Maurice Brown is here in New York now?” From there on, I really got deep into the scene, I hooked up with Craig Kallman, the Chairmam and CEO of Atlantic Records, and he asked me to be the musical director for Laura Izibor for a whole year. She is a new artist on Atlantic, that was cool, my band backed her up until the end of 2009 and I had to stop because I have my international tour that I have set up where we are going all over the place. I’m going to Jakarta for the Java Jazz Festival; John Legend will be there, Tony Braxton. I am going to New Delhi, India, France, Croatia and Spain twice this year.

The journey continues man.

Mobetta: Yea with my label I have international distribution so my record is going to be everywhere with that. I already started pre-orders on my website, and my fans have been going on there and buying the album in advance. I have had so many pre-orders that it has basically been paying for all of my distribution costs for my album to get everywhere. So the fans basically have been paying for me to take “Cycle of Love” and spread it everywhere.

AllHipHop.com: Got to be exciting going forward.

Mobetta: Yea it’s an incredible feeling. Just being able to represent music and jazz in general. A lot of times people take jazz and may feel its too heavy, but the music that I write is very accessible and based on a pop form. So when you hear the melodies they are so catchy that it sounds like you heard them before. It’s like its own thing. It’s bigger than me, the music itself so it is a very humbling experience.

I definitely am living my dream and I definitely feel blessed. I don’t take it for granted to be able to touch people’s souls. It’s definitely a responsibility.

AllHipHop.com: That is something that people in Hip-Hop definitely don’t always take into consideration. The ability to touch people’s soul is serious.

Mobetta: It’s a huge responsibility, and you know your ego can get in the way sometimes, but you know you have to check yourself and let yourself know that this is all bigger than me. I am just a vessel here to deliver this message at this moment. I am the chosen one at this moment. I am definitely on the road and its incredible bro.

I am also doing a music video, which is very different for jazz. I am doing the video for the single “Time Tick Tock”, that has been an awesome experience. I also have a documentary that is coming out soon with Adam Bartran. So I think that will reach people too.

AllHipHop.com: How did you pick “Time Tick Tock” as your first single for your new album “Cycle of Love”?

Mobetta: For me the reason that I picked it was because there were a lot of songs that I thought could have been a single but I didn’t want to give off a certain vibe. But “Time Tick Tock” was the most “stop you in your tracks” type song that I though would make listeners stop and want to check out the album completely. The whole thing behind “Time Tick Tock” and the album “The Cycle of Love“ that its my interpretation of the different stages that we go through on our journey and quest for true happiness as individuals. So each song is a different stage in the cycle of love. So it’s a concept album, and that’s one of the reasons that it took me so long to put another album out since the last one. Since the hurricane, Hurricane Katrina put me back a little bit, but I didn’t just want to put out an album with just two or three songs. I just wanted to make an album where you would be able to just put it on and let it play through. So I really feel like everyone is really going to feel this album.AllHipHop.com: Do you have any collaboration that you are excited about coming up?

Time Tick Tock Teaser from Adam Barton on Vimeo.Mobetta: I did the remix for Puffy’s “Angels” with Jerry Wonder, but I got a lot of stuff coming up man. The next album is going to be the “Mobetta & Soul’d U Out.” album where there are singers and I am rapping on it. I think you are def going to feel that. On my current album, Chris Rob in on the keys, he used to rock with John Legend and went out with Stevie Wonder for a second.

Each of the guys on my album are not so much jazz names but they are more popular in the R&B and Hip-Hop world. AllHipHop.com: Gives music and Hip-Hop fans a lot to look forward to. A nice little network of musicians in New York collaborating can only be a good thing. Makes for some excellent music. Mobetta: The mailing list I have is sick and my crew does too. So most likely if there is a show up here and we all blast it all over the place like, “This is where it is, this is where it’s going down, ” 9 times out of 10 it’s going to be sold out.

This album is not your normal jazz album at all. Its definitely a cross over album to connect the dots to get people prepared for the “Mobetta & Soul’d U Out.” album that I am going to do. I didn’t want to go straight to the “Soul’d U Out.” album because I felt it was important for people to understand where I am coming from. So if they look at “Hip to Bop”, to “To The Cycle of Love”, “Soul’d U Out.” is next in the progression.