Remember actress, Lisa Nicole Carson? She’s had a successful acting career. She’s best known for her as “Josie,” who was “Nina’s” (Nia Long) best friend in the ’90s classic, Love Jones, and also for her roles on hit TV shows, including ER, Ally McBeal , as well as in films like Eve’s Bayou, Jason’s Lyric and more. On of her most recent roles was in BET’s N.E. biopic, The New Edition Story, but Lisa’s most challenging role to date has probably been her real life role of becoming an overcomer and a survivor.

After years of the public hearing rumors about Lisa being very temperamental and difficult to work with at times, it wasn’t until 2015 that she finally decided to speak out about a mental condition she eventually learned was the root to her behavioral outbursts in Hollywood.

Lisa (53) learned that she is bipolar and that’s why her career has suffered over the past decade. She was fired from the hit show, Ally McBeal, as a result of her extreme mood swings, which devastated her. She also was admitted to a psychiatric ward in 2000 after having a multiple number of bipolar breakdowns on and off set.

A bipolar diagnosis was the last thing she was expecting to hear from her doc, so it kind of slapped her across the head like a sack of bricks when she found out. However, Lisa is very grateful that she was able to get answers about behaviors that she simply could not understand at that time.

Here’s what Lisa Nicole Carson revealed to People Magazine:

Via People Magazine: “From the time I stepped away from show business [in 2001] until now, I’ve been on a long, very complicated and challenging journey,” says Carson. “I didn’t know if I was going to make it out.”

“I don’t really have an option to be silent about my illness, although I wanted to be for many years,” Carson reveals. “But since I had a public breakdown, it’s something I felt I had to address.” … “When you lose your mind it’s as traumatic as it sounds. It’s not anything you can imagine happening to you.” […] Carson had her first psychotic breakdown in 1997. For the next seven years, she says, there were “too many breakdowns to count.”

Carson on how she felt after first being diagnosed:

“It didn’t make any sense to me, at all. I had never heard of it. I was in denial and would not take my medicine.” In the years that followed, she experienced more mania than depression. “Sometimes it can be beautiful,” she says. “And sometimes it can be horrifying.”

Lisa revealed that she has been stable for over a decade now, due to years of consulting with doctors and trying experimental medications to control her mood:

“Just being at a place where I am healthy, excited about life and auditioning is a joy. I feel very blessed,” [said Lisa].

Hopes her story can help others:

“It’s a risk for me to be open,” she admits. “I never wanted to breathe a world about what happened to me. But I’ve had a change of heart. It’s rare for someone who has something as severe as I’ve had to come out the other side, but I’d like to let people know that you can. You can get to the other side.”

She is now living quietly in Hollywood, where she is now successfully relaunching her acting career. The New Edition Story was hopefully just the tip of the iceberg for Carson.

We salute Ms. Carson for being so honest about her condition that silently affects millions of people. Bipolar disorder is not something to be ashamed of and if more people, like Lisa, continue to bring awareness to it, more people afflicted by the condition will learn to seek the proper help and medical attention that they deserve. So we’re giving an Old School high-five and fist bump to Lisa Nicole Carson!

Source

The post “Love Jones” Revealed Serious Diagnosis That ‘Devastated’ Her Life And Career appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

ILOSM fam’ can y’all believe it’s been 24 years since the cult classic film, Love Jones, hit theaters? Seems like just yesterday that we were waiting for the release of the film that introduced us to “Darius Lovehall” and “Nina Moseley’s” relationship.

Years later, on the 20th anniversary of the film in 2017, cast members- Nia Long, Bill Bellamy, Larenz Tate, Isaiah Washington, and Lisa Nicole Carson- along with the film’s writer-director, Ted Witcher (pictured above, 2nd from left), dished some previously unknown behind-the-scenes facts about the Love Jones.

Director Tells Why Jada Pinkett-Smith Declined “Love Jones” Movie Role:

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Witcher revealed that Nia Long was nowhere on his radar when he was trying to cast the film. He instead wanted Jada Pinkett-Smith:

Witcher- “Believe it or not, I had Jada Pinkett [Smith] in mind. I had seen her on “A Different World” and thought she had a very different sensibility from other black actresses of her generation. I tried to get her and she passed.”

Jada Pinkett-Smith as ‘Nina Moseley’?!! Nah. Don’t me wrong, I love me some Jada and one of my favorite Jada roles is “Stony” in Set It Off, but after seeing Nia as “Nina,” there is just no other “Nina” in my eyes.

That’s not all that was revealed though, turns out, Witcher almost got Lauryn Hill to star in the film too. Interestingly, he initially did NOT want Larenz Tate in Love Jones, but he had his reasons…

WHY THE DIRECTOR DIDN’T WANT LARENZ IN THE MOVIE & WHY LAURYN HILL TURNED IT DOWN

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Love Jones writer-director, Ted Witcher explains why he was not feelin’ Larenz as ‘Darius’ in the beginning:

Then the studio came in — and this is how Hollywood works — and had had a lot of success with Larenz [Tate]. They had made “Menace II Society” and, from a marketing [and] numbers standpoint, said, “Look, if you can get Larenz, we’ll make the movie.” His participation became integral to getting a green light at New Line.

He was obviously quite dynamic in “Menace II Society,” but I thought [his character, O-Dog] was him [in real life] — that’s how compelling he was. I was a little bit wary going in to meet him, even though I knew that I had to have him because I wanted to get the movie made.

Tate Wasn’t Thrilled About Witcher Directing Him:

Witcher said that when he first met Larenz to discuss the movie, Larenz was “stand-offish” with him, because although he liked the script, he wasn’t happy about working with a first time director (referring to Witcher).

Tate: We had our meeting of the minds and there were some things that I saw differently than he, as far as the character. But ultimately what I gathered from him was that we would have a work relationship that was open and that we would be able to do it in a collective way. It wasn’t my way or the highway, and neither was that for him.

Isaiah Washington Had To Check The Film’s Producer:

Embed from Getty Images

On the very first day of filming, Isaiah Washington (who played Darius’ homeboy, ‘Savon Garrison’) had to give one of the Love Jones producers a very Isaiah Washington response regarding his hair. In case y’all didn’t know, Isaiah never bites his tongue for nobody, even it it costs him his job:

Washington: I remember one of the producers walked into my trailer with clippers in his hand demanding that I shave my head because he wasn’t aware of any teacher that would look like me, with a goatee and locs and wearing a field jacket. This was my first day on set. My reason for doing this character looking this way is because we had a huge problem with African American hair in the workplace and, unfortunately, 20 years later we still have people losing their jobs because of locs.

Now, I don’t think the producer was being racist or biased. I think he was trying to protect the money that was given to us by a system that didn’t care what we thought or how we felt about empowering ourselves. I don’t hold a grudge to that producer, but I do recall saying, “I’m not making that change, so you can send me back to L.A. if you want to, but right now I need to be on the set to shoot this scene in five minutes.” There was really no debate or battle because money was being lost and a decision had to be made on his part and obviously it was the right one to be made.

Why Lauryn Hill Didn’t Make The Movie, According To Witcher:

Embed from Getty Images

The director said he met with Lauryn about being in the film, but her schedule conflicted with the shoot, so she instead created that dope song, “Sweetest Thing,” to the soundtrack and we’re not mad at her at all for that one. That song still hits hard to this day!

Wow…just, wow!

The post Director Detailed The Time Jada Pinkett & Lauryn Hill Turned Down “Love Jones” Role appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

Remember actress, Lisa Nicole Carson? She’s had a successful acting career. She’s best known for her as “Josie,” who was “Nina’s” (Nia Long) best friend in the 90’s classic, Love Jones, and also for her roles on hit TV shows, including ER, Ally McBeal , as well as in films like Eve’s Bayou, Jason’s Lyric and more. On of her most recent roles was in BET’s N.E. biopic, The New Edition Story, but Lisa’s most challenging role to date has probably been her real life role of becoming an overcomer and a survivor.

After years of the public hearing rumors about Lisa being very temperamental and difficult to work with at times, it wasn’t until 2015, that she finally decided to speak out about a mental condition she eventually learned was the root to her behavioral outbursts in Hollywood.

Lisa (51) learned that she is bipolar and that’s why her career has suffered over the past decade. She was fired from the hit show, Ally McBeal, as a result of her extreme mood swings, which devastated her. She also was admitted to a psychiatric ward in 2000 after having a multiple number of bipolar breakdowns on and off set.

A bipolar diagnosis was the last thing she was expecting to hear from her doc, so it kind of slapped her across the head like a sack of bricks when she found out. However, Lisa is very grateful that she was able to get answers about behaviors that she simply could not understand at that time.

Here’s what Lisa Nicole Carson revealed to People Magazine:

Via People Magazine: “From the time I stepped away from show business [in 2001] until now, I’ve been on a long, very complicated and challenging journey,” says Carson. “I didn’t know if I was going to make it out.”

“I don’t really have an option to be silent about my illness, although I wanted to be for many years,” Carson reveals. “But since I had a public breakdown, it’s something I felt I had to address.” … “When you lose your mind it’s as traumatic as it sounds. It’s not anything you can imagine happening to you.” […] Carson had her first psychotic breakdown in 1997. For the next seven years, she says, there were “too many breakdowns to count.”

Carson on how she felt after first being diagnosed:

“It didn’t make any sense to me, at all. I had never heard of it. I was in denial and would not take my medicine.” In the years that followed, she experienced more mania than depression. “Sometimes it can be beautiful,” she says. “And sometimes it can be horrifying.”

Lisa revealed that she has been stable for over a decade now, due to years of consulting with doctors and trying experimental medications to control her mood:

“Just being at a place where I am healthy, excited about life and auditioning is a joy. I feel very blessed,” [said Lisa].

Hopes her story can help others:

“It’s a risk for me to be open,” she admits. “I never wanted to breathe a world about what happened to me. But I’ve had a change of heart. It’s rare for someone who has something as severe as I’ve had to come out the other side, but I’d like to let people know that you can. You can get to the other side.”

She is now living quietly in Hollywood, where she is now successfully relaunching her acting career. The New Edition Story was hopefully just the tip of the iceberg for Carson.

We salute Ms. Carson for being so honest about her condition that silently affects millions of people. Bipolar disorder is not something to be ashamed of and if more people, like Lisa, continue to bring awareness to it, more people afflicted by the condition will learn to seek the proper help and medical attention that they deserve. So we’re giving an Old School high-five and fist bump to our girl, Lisa Nicole Carson!

Source

The post “Love Jones” Actress Disclosed Her Serious Condition That Devastated Her Life & Career appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

ILOSM fam’ can y’all believe it’s been 22 years since the cult classic film, Love Jones, hit theaters? Seems like just yesterday that we were waiting for the release of the film that introduced us to “Darius Lovehall” and “Nina Moseley’s” relationship.

Years later, on the 20th anniversary of the film in 2017, cast members- Nia Long, Bill Bellamy, Larenz Tate, Isaiah Washington, and Lisa Nicole Carson- along with the film’s writer-director, Ted Witcher (pictured above, 2nd from left), dished some previously unknown behind-the-scenes facts about the Love Jones.

Director Tells Why Jada Pinkett-Smith Declined “Love Jones” Movie Role:

Embed from Getty Images

Witcher revealed that Nia Long was nowhere on his radar when he was trying to cast the film. He instead wanted Jada Pinkett-Smith:

Witcher- “Believe it or not, I had Jada Pinkett [Smith] in mind. I had seen her on “A Different World” and thought she had a very different sensibility from other black actresses of her generation. I tried to get her and she passed.”

Jada Pinkett-Smith as ‘Nina Moseley’?!! Nah. Don’t me wrong, I love me some Jada and one of my favorite Jada roles is “Stony” in Set It Off, but after seeing Nia as “Nina,” there is just no other “Nina” in my eyes.

That’s not all that was revealed though, turns out, Witcher almost got Lauryn Hill to star in the film too. Interestingly, he initially did NOT want Larenz Tate in Love Jones, but he had his reasons…

SEE WHY THE DIRECTOR DIDN’T WANT LARENZ IN THE MOVIE & WHY LAURYN HILL TURNED IT DOWN>>>

The post Director Discusses The Time Jada Pinkett & Lauryn Hill Turned Down “Love Jones” Role appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

Good friends/actors, Larenz Tate and Bill Bellamy, were all smiles this weekend as the cast and crew of the cult classic romantic film, Love Jones, reunited to celebrate its release 20 years ago. Hol’ up…can y’all believe it’s been 20 years already? Every last one of the cast members look like they haven’t aged one bit. The anniversary party turned into a double date night for Tate and Bellamy, who brought along their spouses and family for the epic celebration.

Sometimes it takes time for a movie to get the respect it deserves and it seems that Love Jones is finally getting acknowledged. It was amazing night at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater filled with excitement and memories as the crowd drifted back in time to 1997 when Love Jones was first released. The classic love story stands out because there are just not many films that feature African-American characters falling in love. Many films today feature African-Americans that are slaves, impoverished, involved in drugs, or killed in the first scene. Movies like Love Jones are a dying breed.

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of Love Jones, The Academy showed a special screening of the event followed by a conversation. All the original cast and crew were there for the epic night! Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs explained why they decided to acknowledge the Theodore Witcher film.

We look back and realize this stereotype-breaking, genre-redefining cult classic delivered a powerful message—without a lecture

Not only was the night a great night because of the stars that were in the house, but it was refreshing to see Larenz Tate and his wife Tomasina Parrott and Bill and Kristen Bellamy. Fans of the movie, Love Jones, remember the tension between their on screen characters, but in real life, Bellamy and Tate are like brothers.

The post Bill Bellamy and Larenz Tate Celebrate Love Jones’ 20th Anniversary With Their Wives appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

Remember actress, Lisa Nicole Carson? She’s had a successful acting career. She’s best known for her as “Josie,” who was “Nina’s” (Nia Long) best friend in the 90’s classic, Love Jones, and also for her roles on hit TV shows, including ER, Ally McBeal , as well as in films like Eve’s Bayou, Jason’s Lyric and more. On her most recent roles was in BET’s N.E. biopic, The New Edition Story, but Lisa’s most challenging role to date has probably been her real life role of becoming an overcomer and a survivor.

After years of the public hearing rumors about Lisa being very temperamental and difficult to work with at times, it wasn’t until 2015, that she finally decided to speak out about a mental condition she eventually learned was the root to her behavioral outbursts in Hollywood.

Lisa (48) learned that she is bipolar and that’s why her career has suffered over the past decade. She was fired from the hit show, Ally McBeal, as a result of her extreme mood swings, which devastated her. She also was admitted to a psychiatric ward in 2000 after having a multiple number of bipolar breakdowns on and off set.

A bipolar diagnosis was the last thing she was expecting to hear from her doc, so it kind of slapped her across the head like a sack of bricks when she found out. However, Lisa is very grateful that she was able to get answers about behaviors that she simply could not understand at that time.

Embed from Getty Images

Here’s what Lisa Nicole Carson revealed to People Magazine:

Via People Magazine: Carson speaks in depth for the first time about the bipolar diagnosis that nearly shattered her life and career. “From the time I stepped away from show business [in 2001] until now, I’ve been on a long, very complicated and challenging journey,” says Carson. “I didn’t know if I was going to make it out.”

“I don’t really have an option to be silent about my illness, although I wanted to be for many years,” Carson reveals. “But since I had a public breakdown, it’s something I felt I had to address.” She tells PEOPLE, “When you lose your mind it’s as traumatic as it sounds. It’s not anything you can imagine happening to you.” […] Carson had her first psychotic breakdown in 1997. For the next seven years, she says, there were “too many breakdowns to count.”

Carson on how she felt like after first being diagnosed:

“It didn’t make any sense to me, at all. I had never heard of it. I was in denial and would not take my medicine.” In the years that followed, she experienced more mania than depression. “Sometimes it can be beautiful,” she says. “And sometimes it can be horrifying.”

Lisa revealed that she has been stable for over a decade now, due to years of consulting with doctors and trying experimental medications to control her mood:

“Just being at a place where I am healthy, excited about life and auditioning is a joy. I feel very blessed,” [said Lisa].

Hopes her story can help others:

“It’s a risk for me to be open,” she admits. “I never wanted to breathe a world about what happened to me. But I’ve had a change of heart. It’s rare for someone who has something as severe as I’ve had to come out the other side, but I’d like to let people know that you can. You can get to the other side.”

She is now living quietly in Hollywood, where she is now successfully relaunching her acting career. The New Edition Story was hopefully just the tip of the iceberg for Carson.

We salute Ms. Carson for being so honest about her condition that silently affects millions of people. Bipolar disorder is not something to be ashamed of and if more people, like Lisa, continue to bring awareness to it, more people afflicted by the condition will learn to seek the proper help and medical attention that they deserve. So we’re giving an Old School high-five and fist bump to our girl, Lisa Nicole Carson!

Source

The post “Love Jones” Actress Revealed Her Serious Condition That Ruined Her Life & Career appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

That was then and this is now, and some of the cast- Nia Long, Bill Bellamy, Larenz Tate, Bill Bellamy, Isaiah Washington, and Lisa Nicole Carson, and the writer-director, Ted Witcher- chopped it up with The L.A. Times to dish some previously unknown behind the scenes facts about the film.

In the interview, Witcher revealed for the first time (at least it’s our first time hearing about it) that Nia Long was no where on his radar when he was trying to cast the film. So who did he have in mind? Here’s his answer:

Witcher: Believe it or not, I had Jada Pinkett [Smith] in mind. I had seen her on “A Different World” and thought she had a very different sensibility from other black actresses of her generation. I tried to get her and she passed.

Jada Pinkett-Smith as ‘Nina Moseley’?!! Nah. Don’t me wrong, I love me some Jada and one of my favorite Jada roles is “Stony” in Set It Off, however, after seeing Nia as “Nina” there is just no other “Nina” in my eyes.

That’s not all that was revealed though, turns out, the director didn’t want Larenz Tate at first either, but he had his legitimate reasons.

SEE WHY THE DIRECTOR DID NOT WANT LARENZ TO BE IN LOVE JONES & WHY ISAIAH WASHINGTON HAD TO PUT THE FILM”S PRODUCER IN CHECK

Love Jones writer-director explains why he was not feelin’ Larenz as ‘Darius’ in the beginning:

Then the studio came in — and this is how Hollywood works — and had had a lot of success with Larenz [Tate]. They had made “Menace II Society” and, from a marketing [and] numbers standpoint, said, “Look, if you can get Larenz, we’ll make the movie.” His participation became integral to getting a green light at New Line.

He was obviously quite dynamic in “Menace II Society,” but I thought [his character, O-Dog] was him [in real life] — that’s how compelling he was. I was a little bit wary going in to meet him, even though I knew that I had to have him because I wanted to get the movie made.

Tate Wasn’t Thrilled About Witcher Directing Him Either:

Witcher said that when he first met Larenz to discuss the movie, Larenz was “stand-offish” with him, because although he liked the script, he wasn’t happy about working with a first time director (referring to Witcher).

Tate: We had our meeting of the minds and there were some things that I saw differently than he, as far as the character. But ultimately what I gathered from him was that we would have a work relationship that was open and that we would be able to do it in a collective way. It wasn’t my way or the highway, and neither was that for him.

Isaiah Washington Had To Check The Film’s Producer:

On the very first day of filming, Isaiah Washington (who played Darius’ homeboy, ‘Savon Garrison’) had to give one of the Love Jones producers a very Isaiah Washington response regarding his hair. In case y’all didn’t know, Isaiah never bites his tongue for nobody, even it it costs him his job:

Washington: I remember one of the producers walked into my trailer with clippers in his hand demanding that I shave my head because he wasn’t aware of any teacher that would look like me, with a goatee and locs and wearing a field jacket. This was my first day on set. My reason for doing this character looking this way is because we had a huge problem with African American hair in the workplace and, unfortunately, 20 years later we still have people losing their jobs because of locs.

Now, I don’t think the producer was being racist or biased. I think he was trying to protect the money that was given to us by a system that didn’t care what we thought or how we felt about empowering ourselves. I don’t hold a grudge to that producer, but I do recall saying, “I’m not making that change, so you can send me back to L.A. if you want to, but right now I need to be on the set to shoot this scene in five minutes.” There was really no debate or battle because money was being lost and a decision had to be made on his part and obviously it was the right one to be made.

Lauryn Hill Was Supposed To Be In Love Jones:

The director said he met with Lauryn about being in the film, but her schedule conflicted with the shoot, so she instead created that dope song, “Sweetest Thing,” to the soundtrack and we’re not mad at her at all for that one. That song still hits hard to this day!

Wow…just, wow!

The post The POPULAR Actress Who TURNED DOWN Nia’s ‘Love Jones’ Role Will Surprise U! appeared first on I Love Old School Music.