http://www.blackamericaweb.com/entertainment/music/royal-engagement
When a queen is in residence, it’s a significant occasion. When it’s Aretha Franklin, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The Queen of Soul heads to the nation’s capital this weekend for a concert at DAR Constitution Hall this Saturday, November 17 at 7:30 p.m.
Franklin sang most recently at boxing trainer and Detroit native Emanuel Steward’s funeral. Steward died October 25 at age 68. He trained boxers at Detroit’s legendary Kronk Gym and was behind the careers of champions like Thomas Hearns, Mark Breland and Lennox Lewis.
Franklin recently announced that her biopic was moving ahead. She told Glamour.com that director Taylor Hackford, best known for “An Officer and a Gentleman,” “Against All Odds” and “White Nights” was attached to the project as director. Hackford has a script that is being completed, with notes from Franklin herself. Franklin says that she and Hackford have discussed Denzel Washington playing her father, famed Detroit pastor Cecil Franklin, but no confirmation has come from Washington just yet.
Franklin once said she wanted Halle Berry to star, but Berry has been noncommittal thus far, saying that her singing chops weren’t up to par to portray the legendary singer. Still, Franklin says that Berry is still in the running along with Jennifer Hudson and four-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald. Ironically, Franklin announced recently that she’d found out that Berry may be a distant relative. According to family lore, Franklin’ s grandmother and Berry’s grandmother could be first cousins.
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