It's fitting, in a sense, that on Mother's Day Lena Horne left this world. She gave us so much, from that winning smile to that grand sense of beauty and style. She gave birth to a whole new ideal of Black female sophistication and most importantly, she did it on her terms so that future generations could do the same. Ms.Horne, thank you...and rest in power.
Lena Horne on 'The Flip Wilson Show'
Lena Horne for The Gap(Classic!!!)
Lena Horne's iconic performance of 'Stormy Weather'(1943)
You probably know her for being the daughter of one half of the the legendary stoner comedy duo Cheech and Chong but the actress has done a slew of movies dating back to the early 1980's. Some of them were memorable (Beat Street, The Color Purple) and others...not so much. But she's kept right on acting and has recently turned 49. Yeah, 49 and still fine!!
What can be said about this gorgeous Dominicana that hasn't been said before? How about the fact that Ms.Acosta is a highly trained classical ballet dancer? She began her studies at the age of 4 at the Centro De La Cultura and moved on to the Instituro de Cultura y Arte where she graduated with honors. After numerous accolades, she began modeling in 2004 and the rest is history.
Yet another reason why the world loves women from Brooklyn, N'Bushe Wright is a distinct beauty. With her mother being a psychologist working with the New York Board of Ed and her father being jazzman Suleiman-Marim Wright, N'Bushe has excellence in her blood. Only a year out of the Stella Adler Acting School, she wound up playing Nikki in the critically acclaimed 'Zebrahead', following it up with a key role in the NBC drama I'll Fly Away. And if that wasn't enough, in 1994 she starred in Boaz Yakin's 'Fresh' and in the Hughes Brothers' 'Dead Presidents'. From then on she's had numerous roles in film and TV although one thing still escapes us...why was she never considered for the role of Storm in the X-Men Movies?!!
We at Manifesto admit that Grace Park is the main reason we could getr ourselves to watch 'Battlestar Galactica' on the Sci-Fi Network. This Korean-Canadian bombshell broke onto the scene playing Sharon 'Boomer'Valerii aka Cylon Number Eight after getting her first role in Romeo Must Die. After that series ended, Park snagged a key role in 'The Cleaner' starring Benjamin Bratt on the A&E Network which ended last September. She now plays Liz Carver on the CBC drama 'The Border'. Ms.Park also has a psychology degree from the University of British Columbia. She can read our minds anytime!
There is nothing on earth like a woman with bountiful curves and the heart and smile to match. Teiko Dornor has it all and then some. Not only is the Ghananian- British beauty a plus-sized model, she's also a television presenter with OBE-TV and a law student. And another accomplishment she owns is being the chief organizer of the Miss Plus Africa pageant. I'm sure Ms.Dornor will be gracing us with her charm for a long time.
To be real, Jessica Lucas is the only memorable part of the sci-fi stinkbomb that was Cloverfield. It's beginning to feel as if Canada is fast becoming the hotbed of talented and gorgeous actresses, since Ms.Lucas is a native of Vancouver, British Columbia. The multi-racial actress(white, Pakistani and black)has recently been seen on the CW network's 'Melrose Place' in addition to roles on CSI and a short lived ABC family channel pilot. Something tells me we'll be enjoying that stare for quite some time.
Jessica Lucas talks about her role on 'Melrose Place'
Avid fans of the martial arts movie genre will recognize the steely beauty of Angela Mao Ying from the picture above. But not many have a clue of just how prominent of an actress she was in her heyday in 1970's Hong Kong.
The most widely known movie role she played was that of Su Lin, the sister to Bruce Lee's character in the 1973 instant classic, 'Enter The Dragon'. The role displays Mao Ying at her sharpest, single-handedly taking on a gang of villains intent on raping her. The scene ends however, when faced with defeat she takes her own life rather than be taken advantage of. In some respects, this shows the fiery personality of Mao Ying and a strong sense of female self-empowerment that she expressed in some of her roles. She was a star with the Golden Harvest studios, and this placed her alongside notable legends Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung Kam-Bo. In 1982, Mao Ying retired to devote her time to her husband and family.
Unfortunately, a good deal of Angela Mao Ying films aren't widely available which in light of some of the roles she was given may have been best. Mao Ying possessed a magnetic cinematic personality; her soft but striking features were the framework for her adept martial arts skills, learned in the Peking Opera. Some of her scenes are truly remarkable; in The Tournament(1974), she even demolishes male opponents in a Muay Thai arena!!! Even though her time in the spotlight was short, Angela Mao Ying helped paved the way for future female martial artists worldwide and demonstrated her own memorable combination of beauty and strength.
Zoe Saldana is a star you should get to know. As soon as possible.
The New Jersey born, Queens native has made a name for herself in Hollywood by forging her own path and making her presence felt in every role. She stood out in 'Center Stage', dazzled Nick Cannon in 'Drumline' and even made Ashton Kutcher look smart by being his fiancee in 'Guess Who?'Her most recent role is a testament to that staying power, where she played Lt. Uhura in JJ Abrams' smash remake of 'Star Trek'. Saldana has made sure that she's not just appreciated for her looks as evidenced with her work on Barack Obama's presidential campaign and other activist efforts. With another key role in James Cameron's 'Avatar' wrapped up, Zoe Saldana is poised for the heights of superstardom.
Zoe Saldana speaking on the importance of women voters in 2008:
Zoe Saldana Latina Magazine Behind The Scenes cover shoot June/July '09
Before 'Yes We Can' became the hallmark phrase in America's recent history, 'People Power' was the motto for the movement that not only removed a dictatorship, but antiquated notions of what a woman's role was in the Phillipines. Corazon Aquino made that possible. She took her last breath this past Saturday after a year long fight against colon cancer. Aquino (or Tita Cory to many) was at first a reluctant politician, inheriting that role along with the role of widow after the assasination of Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino Jr., her husband in 1983. Over the next three years, she spearheaded a nationwide movement against the corrupt dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos that was characterized by the sign for laban, or 'fight' and the color yellow. Marcos was ousted in 1986 after a failed attempt to steal the election from Aquino. She only served six years as the first female president of the Phillipines but her impact changed a nation and captured the attention of the world.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010 at 8:49PM 
