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Archive through August 20, 2006

Reality TVClubHouse Discussions: Talent Shows ARCHIVES: American Idol III: Fantasia Fan Club: ARCHIVES: Archive through August 20, 2006 users admin

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Tishala
Member

08-01-2000

Friday, September 30, 2005 - 8:23 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Tishala a private message Print Post    
Fantasia's Memoirs Reveal Experiences With Illiteracy and Rape ABC News

Fantasia Barrino's debut, platinum-selling album included the song, "Truth Is," and that sentiment is the overriding theme in her memoirs.

Two years after winning "American Idol" as a high school dropout and struggling single mother, the 21-year-old is riding high with her success. She's about to go on tour, is embarking on an acting career, and is publishing her memoirs which reveal dark secrets from her past.

The singer, known to her fans as simply Fantasia, admits that while charming American television viewers and wooing the judges to become a pop star, she was hiding the fact that she was barely able to read or write. "You're illiterate to just about everything. You don't want to misspell," Fantasia told "20/20." "So that, for me, kept me … in a box and I didn't, wouldn't come out."

Her illiteracy kept her from even trying to get a job before her stint on television. "I was so ashamed and I was like, 'What will people say about me?' I can't get a job," she said.

The singer describes herself as functionally illiterate, and is brutally honest about her challenges in her new memoir, "Life is Not a Fairy Tale," which she dictated to a freelance writer.

Reading even simple things, she acknowledges, is difficult. She can barely make out or pronounce unfamiliar words. So how was she able to perform on the scripted portions of "American Idol"? Fantasia said she would fake it and apologize if she pronounced something incorrectly. "Somebody would say, 'You know, it's pronounced this way' and I'd be like, 'Oh, I'm sorry, you know, I'm country, you know."

Since most of the songs were familiar to her it worked, until show producers handed her a song she did not know: Gershwin's hit "Summertime" from "Porgy and Bess." Afraid the vocal coach would discover she couldn't read the lyrics, Fantasia listened to the words, memorized them and did such a good job the sultry tune became her theme song. [...more at link...]

Mocha
Member

08-12-2001

Friday, September 30, 2005 - 8:34 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Mocha a private message Print Post    
Great article, thanks for posting it Tish.

Texannie
Member

07-16-2001

Saturday, October 01, 2005 - 6:07 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Texannie a private message Print Post    
I saw the interview last night. I sort of broke my heart and made me skeptical all at the same time. She did a different arrangement of Summertime than Lena did, so what record was she listening to? Also, she seemed to stress that she wasn't able to read and understand her contract. I know I am sounding b*tchy but my first thought was she is looking to get out of her contract.
I admire all the personal roadblocks she overcame, it's just something about this 'functional illiteracy' that doesn't ring right with me.

Mocha
Member

08-12-2001

Saturday, October 01, 2005 - 6:16 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Mocha a private message Print Post    
Well there are alot of people who are functionaly illiterate. And if she memorized the words then it's easy to change up the flow. Rappers do it all the time.

Ketchuplover
Member

08-30-2000

Saturday, October 01, 2005 - 6:26 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Ketchuplover a private message Print Post    
I'm dysfunctionally literate.

Mocha
Member

08-12-2001

Saturday, October 01, 2005 - 7:33 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Mocha a private message Print Post    
We know.

Texannie
Member

07-16-2001

Sunday, October 02, 2005 - 5:00 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Texannie a private message Print Post    
Oh, I believe that there are many adults who can't read. I have taught them. I just can't shake the feeling that part of this new revalation is to get out of her contract. (kind of like Robin Givens going on tv and telling everyone Mike Tyson was insane right before she filed for divorce.)
I really do hate being such a skeptic! I hope she is learning to read.

Mocha
Member

08-12-2001

Sunday, October 02, 2005 - 6:43 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Mocha a private message Print Post    
Well if she is she has a legitimate concern then, if she couldn't read it...

Tishala
Member

08-01-2000

Sunday, October 02, 2005 - 1:26 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Tishala a private message Print Post    
I really don't think Tasia is trying to get out of her contract....from what I know, unlike certain former runner-ups who kvetched and moaned about 19E, Fantasia really likes her representation and they have worked hard on her behalf. Besides, I don't know that she could get out of her contract just because she couldn't understand it, but I might be wrong. She probably had her lawyer read it and approve it and it is up to him or her to work in her best interests. If she made a mistake by hiring a bad lawyer who didn't adequately care for her interests, that's her problem (as it has been for many artists in the past) more than it is 19E's.

BTW, 19also arranged for the ghost-writer of her book....so this revelation wouldn't appear in print if they didn't want it to, I think.

To me, the interview made her seem even more brave than I thought she was before I saw it. She really did overcome a lot. [Her arrangement of Summertime sounds most like Ella's arrangement, I think. That might be why it sounds different from Ms. Horne's.]

Tishala
Member

08-01-2000

Tuesday, October 18, 2005 - 6:19 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Tishala a private message Print Post    
Foxx Endorses Fantasia for 'Dreamgirls' Role link

It isn't every day that you hear an Oscar winner get excited about doing a film with a reality television veteran.

Talking to reporters about his upcoming role in "Jarhead," Jamie Foxx threw his full support behind Fantasia Barrino, winner of the third season of FOX's "American Idol," for one of the final uncast roles in the upcoming DreamWorks adaptation of "Dreamgirls."

"I think if Fantasia does it, it's outta here," Foxx gushes. "If Fantasia does the movie it's completely in the stratosphere. It's nuts." [...]

Highlighter
Member

09-03-2003

Saturday, November 19, 2005 - 6:45 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Highlighter a private message Print Post    
(follow up) But she didn't get it...... (see Jennifer Hudson thread)

Tishala
Member

08-01-2000

Thursday, December 08, 2005 - 11:47 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Tishala a private message Print Post    
4 total Grammy Nominations for Fantasia's Debut CD

Best Female R&B Vocal Performance
Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance
Best R&B Song (A Songwriter(s) Award)
Best R&B Album

Tishala
Member

08-01-2000

Sunday, January 08, 2006 - 11:08 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Tishala a private message Print Post    
Fantasia tore shit UP at the United Negro College Fund's Tribute to Stevie Wonder. She did Superstition by Stevie and Summertime.

Mocha
Member

08-12-2001

Sunday, January 08, 2006 - 1:07 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Mocha a private message Print Post    
Ohhh I bet she did.

Ladytex
Member

09-27-2001

Sunday, January 08, 2006 - 2:07 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Ladytex a private message Print Post    
and she's touring with Kanye, too... she's doin' her thang ...

Mak1
Member

08-12-2002

Friday, January 13, 2006 - 5:21 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Mak1 a private message Print Post    
Thanks for the links, Tish. Her performance of Superstition was wonderful! You could see Stevie was loving it too.

My dd sent me a text message last night to tell me she and her friend were playing pool with Fantasia and that she is "really cool". Dd's friend has done some of Fantasia's tats. She asked for dd's phone number so they could all hang out again. I found myself hoping that dd was properly impressed to be meeting such a huge talent because she doesn't watch AI. Lol! It really sounds like that wouldn't make any difference to Fantasia at all.

Mocha
Member

08-12-2001

Friday, January 13, 2006 - 5:57 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Mocha a private message Print Post    
Oh how kool Mak!

Ladytex
Member

09-27-2001

Tuesday, May 09, 2006 - 2:50 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Ladytex a private message Print Post    
Fantasia Playing Fantasia in 'Fantasia Story'
Lifetime movie about 'Idol' winner scheduled for August

"American Idol" season three winner Fantasia Barrino will soon star in a Lifetime movie, playing a role that should be familiar: herself.

Shooting on "Life Is Not a Fairy Tale: The Fantasia Barrino Story" is scheduled to begin this month, with Emmy winner Debbie Allen ("Fame") directing. Barrino will be joined in the cast by Loretta Devine ("Boston Public," "Dreamgirls"), Tony winner Viola Davis ("King Hedley," CBS' "Stone Cold") and Kadeem Hardison ("A Different World," "White Men Can't Jump").

"Fantasia made America fall in love with her through her astounding voice, but few people knew the obstacles she overcame to get where she is now," says Trevor Walton, who oversees original movies at Lifetime. "She openly shares her inspirational story, and audiences will see that she is not only a phenomenal singer, but also an impressive actress."

The movie is based on Barrino's autobiography of the same name. It tells the story of her less-than-idyllic childhood -- Davis and Hardison play her parents -- and her dropping out of school as a young teenager (Jamia Simone Nash plays the younger Fantasia). She became pregnant at 16 while stuck in an abusive relationship with her boyfriend.

"American Idol" changed all that, propelling Barrino to stardom and a recording career that's so far produced the platinum-selling album "Free Yourself."

Keith Glover wrote the teleplay for "Life Is Not a Fairy Tale." The movie is scheduled to premiere on Lifetime in August.

http://www.zap2it.com/tv/news/zap-fantasiamovie-lifetime,0,5461684.story?coll=zap-tv-headlines

Ladytex
Member

09-27-2001

Wednesday, June 28, 2006 - 9:03 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Ladytex a private message Print Post    
fa

Jamie Foxx, right, and Fantasia perform during the 6th annual BET Awards on Tuesday, June 27, 2006, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060628/ap_en_mu/bet_awards_10

Tishala
Member

08-01-2000

Tuesday, August 15, 2006 - 11:13 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Tishala a private message Print Post    
Fantasia's Lifetime Story Wash Post

Pinning down "American Idol" Fantasia Barrino is like catching up with any actress in demand or a superstar athlete: It's tough. A flurry of requests, a lot of waiting around, and then -- finally -- an interview.

But you can hardly blame her; Barrino's life is a whirlwind. She juggles a schedule crammed with all-night recording sessions and other projects, most recently starring in a Lifetime film about her rise from a hardscrabble existence in North Carolina to the top of the Billboard charts.


The third-season winner of "Idol" quickly discovered that portraying herself was more difficult than she originally thought.

"Going back all those years, remembering things that happened and reliving those times. . . it's definitely harder than it looks," she said.

Initially Barrino had expected to see someone else in the role. "I think Kimberly Elise would have been great," she said.

But she was picked to star in her own story, along with Loretta Devine, Viola Davis and Kadeem Hardison. The film follows Barrino's journey, much of which was told in her best-selling 2005 memoir, "Life Is Not a Fairy Tale." It recounts her early years in High Point, N.C., as the youngest of three children in a musical family. Barrino, who began singing in her grandmother's church at age 5, toured with her parents, JoJo and Diane, and brothers Rico and Tiny.

A high school dropout, Barrino gave birth at age 17 to daughter Zion. At 19, when she was an abuse victim and struggling to support her child, Barrino was intrigued when a friend suggested that she try out for "Idol," she said.

Her success on the Fox talent show led to a Grammy-nominated album, cameo roles on TV programs such as "American Dreams," and a tour with Kanye West.

Debbie Allen directed the Lifetime film, premiering Saturday night, and Barrino described Allen as patient and understanding with a novice actress.

"The hardest part is that you have to keep that same spot for 10 takes, for different angles, for whatever they want," Barrino said. "If you're in a crying scene, you gotta cry those same tears, the same way, every time."

Barrino said she would enjoy doing more TV projects, although right now, with the album in progress, "I have so much going on. But I'm having a lot of fun and I'm at that place where I can be myself -- 22, sexy, hot and nice."

THE FANTASIA BARRINO STORY: LIFE IS NOT A FAIRY TALE

Saturday

9 p.m. Lifetime

Tishala
Member

08-01-2000

Wednesday, August 16, 2006 - 2:39 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Tishala a private message Print Post    
Fantasia Collaborates With Her American Idol, Aretha Franklin link

She's won "American Idol," kissed Jamie Foxx and shared her life story with the world. Now Fantasia can check another dream off of her list: The singer has collaborated with her American idol, Aretha

"She's my idol, and I've always wanted to do something with her," Fantasia said last week. "Actually, she wanted to meet me when I was on the 'Idol' show and I was nervous and I didn't want to meet her, but I'm ready now. I'm better now, and it's an honor and a blessing to get to perform with such an awesome woman. She's a legend."

The title of the track is being kept under wraps, but the song's producers said it will likely be released on both Fantasia's and Aretha's upcoming albums.

"It's going to be an event record," said Harvey Mason Jr. of the production duo the Underdogs. "They're both going at it back and forth. It's great."

Franklin joins a list of stars contributing to Fantasia's Free Yourself follow-up, which also includes Kanye West, Missy Elliott and Ne-Yo.

"We're still in the studio, but it's gonna be a lot different from the first album," Fantasia said. "I'm not in love. I'm not trying to be in love. I'm not hurt. I'm bad now."

Fantasia — who showed off her new bad self by smooching Jamie Foxx at the BET Awards — has yet to settle on a title, but has an idea in mind.

"We're going with that old soul, young girl thing," she explained. "Everybody always tells me I have an old soul and I sing like somebody from back in the day, so Young Girl, Old Soul, something like that." [...]

Mocha
Member

08-12-2001

Saturday, August 19, 2006 - 6:08 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Mocha a private message Print Post    
This show is amazing so far. Tears ran down my face when she went back to the church and started singing. Reminded me of that scene in Color Purple when Shug(sp) went back to the church.

Retired
Member

07-11-2001

Sunday, August 20, 2006 - 9:03 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Retired a private message Print Post    
I watched and enjoyed it very much. I cried more than once. What a talented girl. I'm so glad for her that she won and turned her life around.

I haven't read the book but wondered if Rodney is in Zion's life?

Mak1
Member

08-12-2002

Sunday, August 20, 2006 - 9:34 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Mak1 a private message Print Post    
I had read a critic's bad review and am glad I watched anyway. I enjoyed it and cried more than once, too, especially at the scene Mocha mentioned. Now I want to read the book.

Legalboxer
Member

11-17-2003

Sunday, August 20, 2006 - 10:18 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Legalboxer a private message Print Post    
i saw it too yesterday night - she did a pretty good job acting - its not always easy playing yourself, regardless of what people might assume... and i think she held her own and the story was well written for a tv movie

still laugh every time i think of high point, except for being furniture central every year, its barely a town really - at least if you live in the area, its easy to just associate high point with greensboro since all you do is drive pass the K-mart, down 2 lights and you are in high point - but i know, that is a result of greensboro's expansion... but i am glad it has something else to claim besides the furtniture now :-)