Jay-Z and Will Smith hope the sun comes out tomorrow
At Monday's Art Museum announcement for the Labor Day weekend "Made in America" concert, rapper Jay-Z makes passing reference to Will Smith and one of the projects they're cooking up together: a remake of "Annie."
Jay-Z and Will Smith hope the sun comes out tomorrow
Steven Rea, Inquirer Movie Columnist and Critic
Jay-Z thinks he's gonna like it here. And he thinks the sun will come out tomorrow. Even if he thinks it's a hard knock life.
At the Jay-Z/Michael Nutter press conference Monday announcing plans for a two-day Labor Day weekend mega concert, “Made in America,” somebody asked the New York-based Jay-Z Why Philly? And Jay-Z replied (to paraphrase), because he’s good pals with Philadelphia’s own Will Smith, and that the two of them – along with James Lassiter, Smith’s producing partner at Overbrook Entertainment -- have been working on a bunch of projects together.
One of those projects is Annie, a planned remake of the Broadway smash (and 1982, John Huston-directed screen version), with Willow Smith to star as the upstart orphan. Jay-Z has already shown his affinity for the Martin Charnin/Charles Strouse musical, having sampled “It’s a Hard Knock Life” in his hit “Hard Knock Live (Ghetto Anthem).”
Jay-Z ‘s record label, Roc Nation, also released Willow’s smasheroo “Whip My Hair.”
And Jada Pinkett Smith, Jay-Z, Smith and Lassiter are partners in a number of other film, stage and commercial prospects, too.
Steven Rea's previous blog posts can be found here. Read his most recent columns and reviews, here. He also curates the movie stars and bicycling photo blog, Rides A Bike. Reach Steven at srea@phillynews.com.
