James Gavin Discusses Lena Horne on "Weekend Today" 8/2/09

[envymeforgood]

Alicia keys would be perfect for the role just need to loose weight!

[envymeforgood]

What the heck does beyonce has to do with Lena horn seriously there's no comparison in beauty, music ,class alone come on now beyonce finger nail could never add up to Lena horn!

[ccaammiiittoo1]

There's the beauty and also the uppercrust "Southerness" to Beyonce's personality that would quality her to play Horne. Both women have that charisma that causes people to stop and stare. Also Beyonce has a certain aloofness in common with Horne (don't get too close to me, please).  If she were younger, the only other person eligible would be Leslie Uggams.

[meboneme1]

@ccaammiiittoo1 NOT! NOT IN THE SAME LEAGUE AS LENA HORNE! ONLY Alicia keys is pretty and talented enough to TRY to play Ms. Horne!

[ccaammiiittoo1]

@meboneme1 You do have a point on Keys! The Lena Horne "sultriness" is there. But let's remember it'll be a hard act to pull off. It'll just not be acting alone that'll carry the day. Oh, no. The package will have to be holistic. Quite frankly, meboneme, Horne is so unique I don't think anyone will be able to pull it off. Truly. Leslie Uggams would've been my choice were she younger. I personally will not see any characterization of Horne, meboneme. She was Mona Lisa in sepia!

[tweetie35]

ALthough lived in france and teus It was Josephine Baker & Lena Horne who where the first in many thing to open the door for other Black Women.....

[chsn09]

@tweetie35 Lena Horne is NOT black!

[tweetie35]

@chsn09 Okay, well can you please tell me what Ms Horne Ethnicity or race was?

[meboneme1]

@chsn09 If LENA HORNE is not black,then i'm not black! Whether she had a mixture of black/white,I bet white people did NOT consider her WHITE. If you have a DROP of black in you,you are black according to society.All of us are mixed with something,but "black" is what you are if you're not caucasian! GO FIGURE!! LENA HORNE WAS/IS BLACK!!

[tanio12]

First of all Lena Horne was not accepted in Hwood. take for example, she was the first black woman to buy a home in beverly hills, unfortunately her beauty could not stop the redlining or hostility to her being in beverly hills and the so called community did everything in their power to make sure left. Nevertheless had it not been for Humphrey bogart stepping in for Lena, Beverly Hills would've been just a foot note in a painful life.

[chsn09]

@tanio12 LENA HORNE IS NOT BLACK. She was mixed/white/other

[ccaammiiittoo1]

@tanio12 Excellent insight, tanio12. But let's not "personalize" racism as a property of Lena Horne. Racism would've applied to any person of color, meaning Beverly Hills would've been equally hostile to Billy Eckstine, Billy Daniels Arthur Prysock, Herb Jeffries, Nat Cole, Dorothy Dandridge, Dr. Ralph Bunche, etc. Get my point. Historians tend to attach racism as a personal property of Lena Horne's when, in fact, she was victim owing to her "color."

[ladycat629]

She was a beautiful beautiful woman.

[jcextra]

she rose from the ashes of adversity to go on and become an inspiration for beautiful professional black women everywhere

[QWERTYUIPMNJKIP]

@jcextra, She's not dead yet (:

[jcextra]

@jcextra and we are so thankful for that. The world needs her grace and courage to continue on in it

[busterxx1033]

Absolutely one of the most beautiful women alive. I used to see her quite often, as mother lived across the street from her in D.C., Incidentally, if they make a bio-pic of her, the role should go to Alicia Keyes

[carmenjones411]

@busterxx1033

Alicia cannot act and does not have the looks or class to play Lena, I say Salli Richardson should play her.

[ccaammiiittoo1]

@busterxx1033 I would certainly hope that you had a camera to capture what you've just described. The Schomburg Library there in Harlem would just love such a photographic contribution.

[weh63]

Amazing! I see why Ms. Horne wants Whitney Houston to portray her if their is a biopic done on her life!

[ccaammiiittoo1]

@weh63 Thank you for opening my eyes to a possibility that slipped past me in my enthusiasm for a candidate to play Horne.  In "The Bodyguard," Houston proved herself one of the foremost dramatic actresses in the history of Hollywood, a black Greta Garbo, if you will. Yes, I would go to see such a biography brought to screen if Houston were to play Horne.

[maverick2900]

Thanks for posting this!

[BobbyRiversTV]

You've got "the write stuff" for TV interviews and this segment proves it! Great work, Mr. Gavin.