Aretha Franklin Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

Queen of Soul’s biopic, “Respect” wasn’t originally Aretha Franklin’s own song.Another soul great — Otis Redding — wrote the tune and released it before Franklin had even made her breakthrough with 1967’s “I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You).”But who did it better? Here, we face off 10 classic covers against their originals — and share which song comes out on top.Otis Redding (1965) vs.

Carol Fran was a Louisiana blues singer and pianist known for singles including “Emmitt Lee” and “The Great Pretender.”Fran began performing and recording in Louisiana in the 1950s, debuting with the single “Emmitt Lee.” Mixing her blues music with soul and swamp pop, she became a popular Bourbon Street musician, as well as touring abroad.

Mónica Marie Zorrilla Emmy nominee Cynthia Erivo will star in and executive produce “Steel,” a 1970s drama set in London about a fiercely ambitious arms dealer.Per the logline, Erivo (“Genius: Aretha Franklin,” “The Outsider”), will play protagonist Madeline Crowe, a self-made woman who seizes control of her own destiny in a high-octane and dangerous profession dominated by her male colleagues.

EXCLUSIVE: All pieces have fallen into place for Steel, a thriller drama set in 1970s London, starring and executive produced by Cynthia Erivo (Genius: Aretha Franklin, The Outsider). The project, teased by MRC Television President Elise Henderson in her Deadline interview in June, will be directed by Francis Lawrence (The Hunger Games franchise) and executive produced by Matt Charman (The Mothership, Bridge of Spies).

Jennifer Hudson looks amazing in a bright yellow dress while arriving for her appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers in New York City on Tuesday night (August 17).

Total Film to discuss her latest project, the Aretha Franklin biopic “Respect.” She was pleasantly surprised when the interviewer also asked her about the world’s less-than-positive reaction to her last music-filled film. “I loved that you asked about ‘Cats!’” Hudson exclaimed. “You know what? I think it was a bit overwhelming,” she told the outlet about the movie’s reception. “It’s unfortunate that it was misunderstood.

Hey Disney, Jennifer Hudson has a message for you!

(CNN)Jennifer Hudson has Aretha Franklin to thank, in part, for her career.Hudson first came to fame in 2004 as a finalist on "American Idol." She auditioned for the reality singing competition with Franklin's song, "Share Your Love With Me."Fast forward to 2021 and Hudson is now a Grammy winning singer and an Academy Award winning actress whom Franklin handpicked to portray her in the biopic "Respect" prior to her death in 2018.

As a Tony, Emmy and Grammy winner and Oscar nominee who just recorded her first solo album of original music, Cynthia Erivo is well-acquainted with artistic challenges. But the prospect of portraying Aretha Franklin in National Geographic’s third season of its Genius anthology series was unlike anything she had previously faced.

(The following post contains SPOILERS for the Aretha Franklin biopic “Respect”)The new Aretha Franklin biopic “Respect” shows the Queen of Soul grappling with fame, fortune, finding the right note at the start of her career and everything that followed.

Glamour ahead of the film’s nationwide release, Respect was not setting out to “hit the Wikipedia entry of her life,” but it does cover a quintessential stage. From a teen mom at 12 to a solidified songstress, Wilson writes Franklin as a woman, not a character, who grapples with death, abuse, motherhood, and love.

singing live as Aretha Franklin in the new biopic “Respect” was a daunting prospect.“It’s tricky,” Hudson, 39, told In Style. “You don’t want to come off as if you’re mimicking somebody, especially somebody like Aretha.”But Hudson got some help from vocal coach Tom Jones — her former fellow judge on “The Voice UK” — in finding Franklin’s voice while not losing her own.

There isn’t a better way to remember Aretha Franklin‘s legacy than to have her granddaughter Grace Franklin, 15, singing one of her songs! Jennifer Hudson, 39, introduced the teen at the premiere of the Aretha biopic Respect on Sunday August 8. Grace’s tribute to her grandmother consisted of her offering a jaw-dropping rendition of the singer’s 1968 song “Ain’t No Way.”

Jersey Boys.”There are the early scenes of little “Re” wailing gospel music in church in 1952, just like those of “Tina — The Tina Turner Musical” on Broadway.There’s the lightbulb moment in which the soon-to-be Queen of Soul discovers the hook to the hit 1967 song “Respect” while improvising around a piano with her sisters.

The movie Respect is now playing in theaters and you can listen to the full soundtrack right here!

(Spoiler alert: Do not read on if you have not seen “Respect.”)Did Dinah Washington really lose it when she attended one of Aretha Franklin’s shows and heard Franklin sing one of Washington’s songs — as depicted in the new movie “Respect”? Not quite — but it did happen at someone else’s show.

“Respect” premiere Wednesday — where the duo stunned onlookers by singing their hearts out.The Oscar winner, 39, is playing the Queen of Soul in the biopic out Friday. Hudson shared a clip on Instagram of herself and Grace singing on the red carpet while both rocked gorgeous sequined gowns.“Grace Franklin sings ‘Ain’t No Way’ at ‘Respect’ premiere,” the Chicago native captioned the snap to her 3.2 million followers.

leading man of the new Aretha Franklin biopic “Respect” told Variety. “I think we’ve tightened up so much that we need to loosen our ties a bit and laugh a little bit.” “I don’t think Hollywood understands what a juggernaut ‘White Chicks 2’ would be,” Wayans continued.

Aretha Franklin.Hudson stars as Franklin in upcoming biopic, Respect, directed by Liesl Tommy, written by Tracey Scott Wilson and set for release next month.At Sunday’s (August 8) world premiere of the film at the Regency Village Theatre in the Los Angeles district of Westwood, Hudson recalled her last conversation with Franklin, who she became friends with in the late 2000s and spoke to on a weekly basis up until Franklin’s death in 2018.She told The Hollywood Reporter: “The last time I heard

Jazz Tangcay Artisans EditorTo re-create iconic looks for Aretha Franklin biopic “Respect,” which opens in theaters Aug. 13, Tony award-winning costume designer Clint Ramos immersed himself in books about the Queen of Soul.

 Jennifer Hudson is starring in the upcoming biopic about legendary singer Aretha Franklin titled ‘Respect.’ In an interview, the award-winning singer revealed details from a phone call that she had with Franklin before she started working on the film and right before Franklin passed away at age 76 in 2018.A post shared by Jennifer Hudson (@iamjhud)39-year-old Hudson said while on the call that Franklin sang to her, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Aretha Franklin in 2007. The two singers had technically met before, when Hudson, freshly cut from American Idol, opened for Franklin at a show in Indiana.

Cynthia Erivo is revealing how intently she studied Aretha Franklin before she portrayed the legend for the National Geographic mini-series about the singer’s life. The 34-year-old Brit – who has been nominated for an Emmy for her starring role in Genius: Aretha – says she researched everything from the Queen of Soul’s speech patterns to when she took a breath when singing her hits.

Jennifer Hudson plays her idol and mentor Aretha Franklin in the new movie Respect and she’s opening up about the weekly phone calls she used to have with the late singer.

Jennifer Hudson is getting ready for the world to see her as Aretha Franklin in the upcoming biopic, “Respect”. ET’s Kevin Frazier spoke with the Oscar-winning actress and singer on the black carpet at the film’s premiere, where Hudson talked about honouring Franklin’s life and the final song request the Queen of Soul had for her.

Jennifer Hudson is getting ready for the world to see her as Aretha Franklin in the upcoming biopic,.

Jennifer Hudson is opening up about playing the legendary Aretha Franklin on the big screen in Respect.

Aretha Franklin biopic “Respect,” it’s not clear what it means, wasting a lot of superb screen talent in the slapdash process.This time it's Jennifer Hudson portraying the Queen of Soul — a few months after Cynthia Erivo played Franklin in a National Geographic TV series — and you won't be able to leave the theater without a lot of respect — yes, R-E-S-P-E-C-T — for Hudson's abilities.But a meandering, unfocused look at the first three decades of Franklin’s life will also leave you saying a

Scott Huver The story goes that the legendary singer Aretha Franklin thought long and hard about exactly which multitalented performer had both the musical chops and the acting depth to play her in “Respect,” a big-screen biopic chronicling her rise.

Jennifer Hudson, 39, looked like an absolute queen on Sunday (Aug. 8) at the premiere of her new film, Respect.

A smarter person than I said that prestige music biopics are superhero movies for boomers, and it’s a fine point. Like the Marvel or DC franchises, they’re marketing a familiar brand to an enthusiastic audience, which eagerly laps up what is, in essence, the same movie countless times over, working from a tightly constructed and unwavering structure.

Peter Debruge Chief Film CriticFrom age 10 till 30, Aretha Franklin sure could sing, but she hadn’t yet found her voice. At least, that’s the take served up in “Respect,” a solid if somewhat conventional feature directing debut for Broadway helmer Liesl Tommy which flatters Franklin in practically every way, beginning with the casting of Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson as the First Lady of Soul’s younger self.

Respect,” starring Jennifer Hudson as Aretha and opening Friday.“Aretha channeled hardship into her singing,” he told The Post.The singing and the hardship both started young.Aretha’s mother abandoned the family — which had moved from Memphis to Detroit after the patriarch, pastor C.L.

Jennifer Hudson says she was just as shocked as the audience when she watched “Cats” for the first time.

Jennifer Hudson and Carole King each have a lot to celebrate this year. King will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a performer at the next ceremony in October, after previously qualifying as a songwriter.

Jennifer Hudson is continuing her press tour for her new movie Respect!