TV News: Zendaya Coleman Explains Why She Quit Lifetime’s Aaliyah Movie

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Lifetime's Aaliyah Biopic Finds Its Missy Elliott and Timbaland


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http://www.thewrap.com/lifetimes-aaliyah-biopic-finds-its-missy-elliott-and-timbaland/

You can't have a movie about Aaliyah without her musical mentors.

A network representative told TheWrap that Lifetime's Aaliyah biopic has cast Chattrisse Dolabaille and Izaak Smith as producer-rappers Missy Elliott and Timbaland, respectively.

Dolabaille is a newcomer to Hollywood. She's a Canadian actress, singer and dancer. Watch her video resume below.

Izaak Smith, on the other hand, was a contender on “So You Think You Can Dance Canada.” He has appeared in “Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief” and “Mirror Mirror” as a dancer. He also played Cal Rice on popular Canadian series, “Tower Prep,” and Danny on digital series “Totally Amp'd.”

Aaliyah worked with Timbaland and Missy Elliott on her second album, “One In A Million,” which sold 3.7 million copies in the United States and more than eight million copies worldwide.

In addition to Dolabaille and Smith, the production has cast Rachael Crawford and Sterling Jarvis as Aaliyah's parents Diane and Michael Haughton; Lyriq Bent as her uncle and president of her label, Barry Hankerson; Anthony Grant as Damon Dash; and A.J. Saudin and Jesse Sukunda will play the older and younger version of Aaliyah's brother Rashad, respectively.

The working title for the television movie is “Aaliyah: Princess of R&B” and is based on the bestselling book “Aaliyah: More Than a Woman” by former Time music editor Christopher Farley.

The film will be produced by Aaliyah Productions, Inc., with Wendy Williams, Howard Braunstein (“The Informant!”) and Debra Martin Chase (“Sparkle”) executive producing. Bradley Walsh (“Turn the Beat Around”) is directing, working from a script by Michael Elliot (“Brown Sugar”). It is filming this summer for a fall premiere.

The proposed television movie about the singer, who died in a plane crash in 2001 at age 22, had been mired in controversy with Aaliyah fans and her family expressing disapproval of the project. There was even a fan petition seeking to shut the production down.


Fans believed that Disney Channel star Zendaya Coleman wasn't the right choice to play Aaliyah. She would later leave the project. Also, Aaliyah's family expressed to TheWrap that it was against the movie because they felt it was more suited to the big screen.

Blackfilm.com was the first to break these castings.

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Who's casting the women for this project? Lighter Than A Paper Bag Productions? :smh::hmm:



:hmm:
 

Simply Sickenin'

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Two things.

1. You can't have an Aaliyah movie without mention R. Kelly. Sad but true. The dude is lurking on the background on the damn album cover.

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Quick Aside: How wasn't that album cover exhibit # 1? We should have known what was up with Kellz way before that sextape.


2.
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:hmm:

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Who's casting the women for this project? Lighter Than A Paper Bag Productions? :smh::hmm:



:hmm:



Wait. What?

Are they really that clueless on this little LIFETIME CHANNEL TV movie or what?

This chick gives a decent lil breakdown:

Aaliyah Biopic Casts "It's version" of Missy Elliott and Timbaland:

 

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Zendaya and the current actress playing the part... very pretty.... Zendaya had me watching Dancing with the Stars as much as that pussycat dolls chick did :yes:. More power to both.


:lol::lol: @ the Missy casting. Much respect to Missy for talent and success, but damn, they are gonna have to do some Charlize Theron/monster type make-up on the actress, or just ignore what she was looking like in the 90's.
 

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It'll be a disaster no matter who plays her.

And they have the dude from How She Move to play R Kelly
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At one point Williams even sent out a tweet that gave the wrong title of one of Aaliyah’s most popular songs. She wrote, “’Let Me Know’ is my favorite Aaliyah song! What’s yours? #AaliyahMovie,” referring to the Detroit native’s remake of The Isley Brothers’ “At Your Best (You Are Love).” The error led to even more backlash aimed at Wendy.

<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-version="4" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAAGFBMVEUiIiI9PT0eHh4gIB4hIBkcHBwcHBwcHBydr+JQAAAACHRSTlMABA4YHyQsM5jtaMwAAADfSURBVDjL7ZVBEgMhCAQBAf//42xcNbpAqakcM0ftUmFAAIBE81IqBJdS3lS6zs3bIpB9WED3YYXFPmHRfT8sgyrCP1x8uEUxLMzNWElFOYCV6mHWWwMzdPEKHlhLw7NWJqkHc4uIZphavDzA2JPzUDsBZziNae2S6owH8xPmX8G7zzgKEOPUoYHvGz1TBCxMkd3kwNVbU0gKHkx+iZILf77IofhrY1nYFnB/lQPb79drWOyJVa/DAvg9B/rLB4cC+Nqgdz/TvBbBnr6GBReqn/nRmDgaQEej7WhonozjF+Y2I/fZou/qAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://instagram.com/p/vcq5khmvCf/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_top">A photo posted by Timbo the King (@timbaland)</a> on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2014-11-16T04:56:08+00:00">Nov 11, 2014 at 8:56pm PST</time></p></div></blockquote><script async defer src="//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js"></script>

<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-version="4" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAAGFBMVEUiIiI9PT0eHh4gIB4hIBkcHBwcHBwcHBydr+JQAAAACHRSTlMABA4YHyQsM5jtaMwAAADfSURBVDjL7ZVBEgMhCAQBAf//42xcNbpAqakcM0ftUmFAAIBE81IqBJdS3lS6zs3bIpB9WED3YYXFPmHRfT8sgyrCP1x8uEUxLMzNWElFOYCV6mHWWwMzdPEKHlhLw7NWJqkHc4uIZphavDzA2JPzUDsBZziNae2S6owH8xPmX8G7zzgKEOPUoYHvGz1TBCxMkd3kwNVbU0gKHkx+iZILf77IofhrY1nYFnB/lQPb79drWOyJVa/DAvg9B/rLB4cC+Nqgdz/TvBbBnr6GBReqn/nRmDgaQEej7WhonozjF+Y2I/fZou/qAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://instagram.com/p/vcvoIXmvG1/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_top">A video posted by Timbo the King (@timbaland)</a> on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2014-11-16T05:37:27+00:00">Nov 11, 2014 at 9:37pm PST</time></p></div></blockquote><script async defer src="//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js"></script>


<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-version="4" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAAGFBMVEUiIiI9PT0eHh4gIB4hIBkcHBwcHBwcHBydr+JQAAAACHRSTlMABA4YHyQsM5jtaMwAAADfSURBVDjL7ZVBEgMhCAQBAf//42xcNbpAqakcM0ftUmFAAIBE81IqBJdS3lS6zs3bIpB9WED3YYXFPmHRfT8sgyrCP1x8uEUxLMzNWElFOYCV6mHWWwMzdPEKHlhLw7NWJqkHc4uIZphavDzA2JPzUDsBZziNae2S6owH8xPmX8G7zzgKEOPUoYHvGz1TBCxMkd3kwNVbU0gKHkx+iZILf77IofhrY1nYFnB/lQPb79drWOyJVa/DAvg9B/rLB4cC+Nqgdz/TvBbBnr6GBReqn/nRmDgaQEej7WhonozjF+Y2I/fZou/qAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://instagram.com/p/vc1bnomvKW/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_top">A video posted by Timbo the King (@timbaland)</a> on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2014-11-16T06:28:10+00:00">Nov 11, 2014 at 10:28pm PST</time></p></div></blockquote><script async defer src="//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js"></script>

<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-version="4" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAAGFBMVEUiIiI9PT0eHh4gIB4hIBkcHBwcHBwcHBydr+JQAAAACHRSTlMABA4YHyQsM5jtaMwAAADfSURBVDjL7ZVBEgMhCAQBAf//42xcNbpAqakcM0ftUmFAAIBE81IqBJdS3lS6zs3bIpB9WED3YYXFPmHRfT8sgyrCP1x8uEUxLMzNWElFOYCV6mHWWwMzdPEKHlhLw7NWJqkHc4uIZphavDzA2JPzUDsBZziNae2S6owH8xPmX8G7zzgKEOPUoYHvGz1TBCxMkd3kwNVbU0gKHkx+iZILf77IofhrY1nYFnB/lQPb79drWOyJVa/DAvg9B/rLB4cC+Nqgdz/TvBbBnr6GBReqn/nRmDgaQEej7WhonozjF+Y2I/fZou/qAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://instagram.com/p/vc5-oCGvMW/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_top">A photo posted by Timbo the King (@timbaland)</a> on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2014-11-16T07:07:54+00:00">Nov 11, 2014 at 11:07pm PST</time></p></div></blockquote><script async defer src="//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js"></script>


<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-version="4" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAAGFBMVEUiIiI9PT0eHh4gIB4hIBkcHBwcHBwcHBydr+JQAAAACHRSTlMABA4YHyQsM5jtaMwAAADfSURBVDjL7ZVBEgMhCAQBAf//42xcNbpAqakcM0ftUmFAAIBE81IqBJdS3lS6zs3bIpB9WED3YYXFPmHRfT8sgyrCP1x8uEUxLMzNWElFOYCV6mHWWwMzdPEKHlhLw7NWJqkHc4uIZphavDzA2JPzUDsBZziNae2S6owH8xPmX8G7zzgKEOPUoYHvGz1TBCxMkd3kwNVbU0gKHkx+iZILf77IofhrY1nYFnB/lQPb79drWOyJVa/DAvg9B/rLB4cC+Nqgdz/TvBbBnr6GBReqn/nRmDgaQEej7WhonozjF+Y2I/fZou/qAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://instagram.com/p/vdJtSjGvFm/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_top">A video posted by Timbo the King (@timbaland)</a> on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2014-11-16T09:25:21+00:00">Nov 11, 2014 at 1:25am PST</time></p></div></blockquote><script async defer src="//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js"></script>
 

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Aaliyah Biopic Earns 3.2 Million Viewers, Wendy Williams Speaks Out

Love it or hate it, Lifetime’s Aaliyah biopic has successfully grabbed the attention of audiences across the nation. According to Deadline.com, Aaliyah: Princess of R&B drew over 3.2 million viewers on the night it premiered.

While the Internet has been buzzing with disdain for the unauthorized biopic, executive producer Wendy Williams has stood by the project and is proud of its success.

“I see my Aaliyah movie broke the Internet this weekend,” she said on her talk show this morning. “Everybody’s got an opinion. Whether you loved it or hated it, you watched it. It was the second highest rated movie on cable this year.”

Radio host Charlamagne Tha God, who used to work with Williams during her radio days, doesn’t think there’s anything to be proud of. On his radio show this morning, he expressed his disappointment in the biopic in a way only he could.

“The Aaliyah movie was dead serious. I felt like I was being catfished and they were going to play the real movie around 11. But no. That was it,” he said on his morning show. “Someone needs to get stabbed in the head and choked out with a dog chain.”

He was particularly infuriated with his former radio co-host for signing off on the movie.

“The streets want to know: Why would Wendy attach herself to this wack a-- movie especially when the family and all of Aaliyah’s real team was against it?” Charlamagne asked. “Out of all the producers of this film, we’d expect Wendy Williams to stand up and say ‘This is some BS’ but clearly nothing was said because this garbage was still released to the general public.”

“I believe everyone involved in the making of this film should be suspended from filmmaking indefinitely,” he went on to say. “You clearly didn’t even care about the legacy of Aaliyah and it shows because y’all didn’t even care enough to make a good film.”

http://theybf.com/2014/11/17/more-b...liyah-biopic-charlamagne-tha-god-shades-wendy
 

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Timbaland Slams Lifetime’s Aaliyah Biopic: It’s ‘A Mockery’

Lifetime’s controversial biopic, “Aaliyah: The Princess of R&B,” finally aired on Saturday, and to say that the late singer’s fans disliked the film would be an extreme understatement.

Timbaland, who collaborated closely with her for years, was especially frank about his distaste for the TV movie on Instagram, and in a radio interview on Monday morning (November 17), he outright called it “a mockery.”

During a phone call to Hot 97′s “Ebro in the Morning” radio show, he admitted to feeling conflicted. One on hand, the superproducer felt that it was important to voice his outrage — especially on behalf of fans — but he also regretted giving more attention to the project.

“I always thought it was a rumor,” Timb said of the biopic. “I thought it was a joke, but evidently it wasn’t. I’m very upset about it.”

“You’re showing a mockery on TV,” he added.

Timbaland explained that he hasn’t spoken to Aaliyah’s family members since the film debuted, but he’s certain that they shared his views on the entire production. “For the first time, I think everybody was all in agreeance on everything when it came to Baby Girl with this bio — it wasn’t done right,” he said. “It was just done wrong.”

“[With] her dying, and people, the way they’re supporting her even after death, I don’t even know if they even rave over Michael Jackson, the way they rave over Aaliyah.”

Hot 97 hosts pointed out that Wendy Williams, one of the film’s producers, wasn’t on great terms with Aaliyah when she was alive. But Williams doesn’t seem to be worried about any of the negative feedback she’s received, addressing it on her talk show Monday morning.

“We all have opinions but the #AaliyahMovie was the second highest cable movie on cable this year,” Williams said.

http://www.mtv.com/news/2000106/timbaland-slams-aaliyah-biopic-mockery/
 

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Where Lifetime Went Wrong With the Aaliyah Movie (and What It Could Learn Going Forward)

No one expects much from a Lifetime movie. But as the cable network continues to air biopics about celebrities who have experienced tragedy, death, or tragic deaths — Brittany Murphy, Anna Nicole Smith, Elizabeth Taylor, and, next year, Whitney Houston — it's hard not to experience the same sine curve of interest and massive disappointment every time. This weekend's Lifetime movie about the life of Aaliyah was the latest example. It was messy from the get-go: The movie’s original star, singer and Disney star Zendaya, dropped out because she was uncomfortable not having the approval of Aaliyah’s family, which was not happy that the film wasn’t getting “a movie-studio release,” according to Jomo Hankerson, Aaliyah's cousin and president of her label, Blackground Records.


Aaliyah: The Princess of R&B was a bland reenactment of the singer’s short life, a soulless retelling of familiar stories that lacked the ability to communicate why Aaliyah was so important and meant so much to fans. Are there lessons to be learned before next year’s Whitney Houston movie? Here are a few suggestions.


Get it right by getting the rights.


Aaliyah featured four full-length performances (covers of Bobby Brown’s “My Prerogative” and Marvin Gaye’s “Got to Get Up,” “The One I Gave My Heart To,” and her Academy Awards performance of the theme song from Anastasia, “Journey to the Past") with snippets of songs from her first album, including “Let Me Know (At Your Best).” So, a smattering of early Aaliyah tracks alongside a few covers. No “Are You That Somebody?”; no “4 Page Letter”; no “More Than a Woman.” If we're talking Aaliyah, we better see that iconic hawk:



What's your source material?


It's difficult to make a good biopic without the cooperation or blessing of the artist or her estate — and not just for those music rights. Aaliyah was based on journalist Christopher John Farley's unauthorized book Aaliyah: More Than a Woman, a best-seller published in 2001, not long after the singer's death. Contrast that with 2005's Walk the Line, which was based on Johnny Cash's own autobiographies; 2009's Notorious, which was co-produced by Notorious B.I.G.'s mother, Voletta Wallce; 2007's Control, which was based on Ian Curtis's widow Deborah's biography of the late Joy Division singer; and 1993's What's Love Got to Do With It, based on Tina Turner's autobiography, I, Tina. Lifetime's biopic was not only unauthorized, but the family actively spoke out against it. Hankerson, again:

Considering the magnitude of her fans’ affection alone, she deserves to have a tribute much more grand than a television network debut that won’t even consider the perspectives of those who were closest to Aaliyah. Disregarding the families and dishonoring the legacies of celebrated figures who have passed on, big networks want to exploit their stories for a buck.
And a key person in Aaliyah's career, Timbaland, also spent much of the film's premiere night publicly complaining about its treatment:



Casting.


A good biopic always straddles the line between uncanny impression and an actor who can somehow take his or her depiction to the next level. That second option is extraordinarily rare! Often, actors are asked to match the singer they're portraying. And they have to nail it: Val Kilmer encapsulated Jim Morrison's warbly affect in The Doors, and Joaquin Phoenix's Johnny Cash was magnetic in Walk the Line. Sissy Spacek's Loretta Lynn was indistinguishable from the real thing in Coal Miner's Daughter; Jennifer Lopez paved the path for her own singing career by starring in Selena. Lifetime's low-budget casting choices leave a lot to be desired: Its Brittany Murphy was far from the real thing, and after Lifetime's first choice for Aaliyah (the Disney star turned singer Zendaya) dropped out, it went with Alexandra Shipp, whose previous experience included Nickelodeon show House of Anubis and ... Chipmunks: The Squeakquel. No shade, no shade, as they say, but Shipp's Aaliyah was far from an impression and far from inspiring.



Address the bad head-on.


R. Kelly secretly married Aaliyah, who was then his 15-year-old protégé. This is a fact, yet Aaliyah tiptoes around it, going to lots of trouble to portray those effed-up circumstances as sweetly romantic: Kelly gives her the initial confidence to perform; he encourages her to "be herself" when she’s upset over pressure from her label to dress girly. Only after Aaliyah's parents learn about their quickie marriage and demand an annulment (pointing out that Aaliyah lied about her age on the marriage certificate, making it illegal) is there any sense of impropriety.

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<a href="http://www.mtv.com/artists/aaliyah/" style="color:#439CD8;" target="_blank">Aaliyah</a>, <a href="http://www.vh1.com/shows/" style="color:#439CD8;" target="_blank">TV Shows</a>, <a href="http://www.vh1.com/video/full_episodes.jhtml" style="color:#439CD8;" target="_blank">Full Episode Video</a>, <a href="http://www.vh1.com/shows/" style="color:#439CD8;" target="_blank">Reality TV Shows</a></p></div></div>​
 
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chilibrick

Rising Star
BGOL Investor
zendaya coleman dodged a bullet not doing this movie. now she can play the parts she was trained for....being the white man's love interest! :smh:
 
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