(June 21, 2009) - One of the hottest young African-American entertainers has had a first-hand view of the superstar life.

Evan Ross, the son of singing legend Diana Ross, is making a name for himself as an actor and drawing praise for his talent and passion in his roles.

The 20-year-old is turning heads in Hollywood with noted performances in 2007’s “Life Support” and last year’s “Gardens in the Night.” In his newest project, Ross plays the part of "Romeo" in the addiction movie drama, "Life is Hot in Cracktown,” showing in selected cities starting June 26.

Ross said knows this is his big break and is looking forward to seeing how the movie is received by the public. Ross said playing the character of Romeo was an eye-opening experience.

“When I read the script, I was taken aback by it generally,” Ross told BET.com. “It's hard to get films made that are that dark. I thought it would be exciting to have the opportunity to play somebody I've never met.”

“I didn't go into the role with anybody specific in mind,” he said. “I could create somebody that had these vulnerabilities and wasn't the stereotypical gangster.”

Ross said actress Kerry Washington’s character, a individual who is a transgender, drug-addicted prostitute, particularly resonated with him.

“I was so taken aback by her mannerisms and the different things she was doing,” he said. “You can tell she wasn't thinking about it at all, it was so precise and amazing.”

Ross said that he respects the work that his mother has done in her career and said it has had an effect on how he wants to do his own work.

“I look at her in such a high respect that I got to take a great deal of responsibility in whatever I do,” he said. “What's she done is amazing and the more I get older, the more I see that. I've had an amazing mother and I got to respect what she's given me and do the best I can. I'm creative, that's just what I do and that's all I can really focus on.”

Born in 1988 to Diana Ross and shipping magnate Arne Naess Jr., Ross has three sisters who are entertainers, Tracee Ellis Ross and Rhonda Ross Kendrick, and another sibling from his father, pop singer Leona Naess.

Ross began his acting career in high school. His first major role was in the film, “ATL,” which was released in March 2006, in which he co-starred with rappers T.I. and Big Boi.

In “Life Support” he received rave reviews for his portrait as a troubled teenager, along with Queen Latifah and his sister Tracee. He was also praised for his role in “Pride” as a teen with a speech impediment.

In addition to acting, Ross hopes that his mother's tremendous musical talent has passed into his gene pool. He said he is working with artist Dallas Austin on a CD but said that he has been singing all of his life.

“I grew up where I wanted to sing and perform,” said Ross. “It's not my focus right now. I think the music industry is tough because it's a lot of business more than anything else. It's not something I am trying to rush. I want it to be done the way I want it to be done and I don't want everybody messing with it.”

Ross is working on a movie project with Cuba Gooding Jr. and he is being sought for other shows, he said. On “Life is Hot in Cracktown,” he wants people to remember that life is tough, no matter where you are from.

“I think people can gain understanding of a reality out there [from the movie],” he said. “There are these things going on and a lot of young people are trying to figure out who they are. No matter where they are in life, no matter how much money they have and where they come from.”


source : http://www.afro.com

TUALATIN -- The Trail Blazers have finally decided to abandon the build-through-the-draft mentality that has transformed the franchise into a winner and trade their first-round pick to pursue an NBA veteran.

A team selecting in the top five is looking to flee what experts consider a weak draft, and the Blazers have decided to move up and steal their most coveted draft target. The move will add yet another talented young player to a ... whoops ... check that.

Turns out the Blazers, roughly a day-and-a-half before the draft, say they don't know exactly what they're going to do Thursday to help the team continue its upward momentum.

"We know who we like, and we've narrowed that down," general manager Kevin Pritchard said. "But how (the draft) plays out? You have no idea. Lots of things can happen between now and draft time."

Here's what is known. Pritchard analyzed one final batch of NBA draft prospects Tuesday at the team's practice facility, participated in a harried interview session with reporters by answering six questions over the course of 1 minute, 46 seconds and then disappeared into his office to hunker down until the draft.

Pritchard and the Blazers' management will spend the bulk of their time deliberating draft possibilities, fielding phone calls involving potential trades and crafting a final draft plan. The end result, even at this late stage in the game, remains up in the air.

"Who knows what's going to happen in the next two days?" said Chad Buchanan, the Blazers' director of college scouting. "Kevin's great at thinking outside the box and looking at every possible scenario that could happen come draft night. So you have to make a snap decision, but it's something that you're prepared to make."

Although it might seem as if the time is right for the Blazers to trade their first-round pick (No. 24 overall) and focus on adding veteran experience, we've come to expect the unexpected from Pritchard, who has engineered 15 draft-day trades the past three years. A quick refresher:

Three years ago -- when the city was begging for the Blazers to "Draft the Stache," -- Pritchard passed on Adam Morrison and orchestrated a record six draft-day trades, cementing the foundation of the franchise by adding cornerstones Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge in addition to reserve point guard Sergio Rodriguez.

A year later, while adding Greg Oden with the No. 1 overall pick, Pritchard jettisoned leading scorer Zach Randolph and acquired the draft rights to Spaniard Rudy Fernandez.

And then last year, while the names Russell Westbrook and D.J. Augustin were on the tips of Blazermaniacs' tongues, Pritchard and the Blazers again did the unforeseen, trading up for the draft rights to Jerryd Bayless before stealing away Frenchman Nicolas Batum in another trade late in the first round.

Who knows what gem the Blazers could discover this time?

One possibility surfaced Tuesday in the Blazers' final predraft workout, adding another layer of intrigue to draft speculation. North Carolina point guard Ty Lawson, projected to be a first-round selection, took part in a five-player workout, offering one last tease to Blazers brass.

The ACC Player of the Year and second team All-American, who averaged 16.6 points and 6.6 assists and shot 47.2 percent from three-point range as a junior last year, thought he was done with predraft workouts after he visited Milwaukee on Monday. That is, until he glanced at his cell phone and saw that his agent had forwarded a travel itinerary to come to Portland.

So why the last-second visit?

"Nate McMillan said he had interest in me and they're talking about trading up (in the draft) ..." Lawson said.

It wouldn't be the first trade this offseason. The San Antonio Spurs pulled off the first major transaction Tuesday, acquiring forward Richard Jefferson from the Milwaukee Bucks for Bruce Bowen, Kurt Thomas and Fabricio Oberto. The move, which was one of multiple deals struck Tuesday, adds another offensive weapon to the Spurs' experienced roster and transplants another talented player to the Western Conference.

"The West is an arms race," Pritchard said. "It feels like it gets better every summer. The Spurs are a great team and they're going to be a team to contend with. No doubt about it."

Might this deal start a flood of activity?

"Could be, could be," Pritchard said. "You just never know. It could be the first and then it slows down again up until the draft. I feel like this draft is like an audible. You have to be prepared for everything and you have to be thinking on your feet and ready for anything."

The Blazers have evaluated more than 50 players during nine predraft workouts at their practice facility. A handful of projected first-round prospects -- including Lawson, Tyler Hansbrough, Darren Collison, Wayne Ellington, Omri Casspi, Derrick Brown and Jonas Jerebko -- visited. The Blazers also traveled to the Chicago predraft camp and at least four other multiplayer "superworkouts" that took place in two countries.

Now they have less than 48 hours to organize their notes and finalize a plan.

"Lot of debating," Pritchard said, when asked what will happen today. "A lot of looking out there to see what's truly real and what's just playing around. And so we'll try to ferret through that. You find out if a trade is available to move up, move down or move out. You get squeezing down to the exact things. Now it's not about fluff. It's down to deal points."



source : http://blog.oregonlive.com