Halle Berry works to transform Jenesse Center's Children Playroom at one of its Transitional Sites.
Saturday, 19 February 2011
Gabriel Aubry tries a new tactic in bitter battle with Halle Berry
Gabriel Aubry tries a new tactic in bitter battle with Halle Berry
Halle Berry may have won the first round of her custody battle with her ex boyfriend, but now Gabriel Aubry is fighting back on a different front. The French-Canadian model made a very public appearance with his daughter Nahla today at the Los Angeles Zoo.
In what appeared to be a message of defiance to the actress and perhaps a bid for public sympathy, the 32-year-old put on a show of fatherly affection in front of a paparazzi camera. The two-year-old nestled into her father as the pair strolled around the park together. The tender display was in stark contrast to previous claims by a Berry source that Nahla had returned home from several visits with Aubry in a 'traumatised' state.
The public outing is the latest move in a increasingly bitter fight that has played out in the media. And it came just hours after Berry received permission from the courts to take Nahla to New York to fulfil a work obligation. Aubry is understood to have been blocking Berry's plan to take the child across the country later this month. Sources allege he refused Berry's offer to put him up in a hotel during a week-long shoot so he could spend time with the child.
Berry, who has publicly said she has 'serious concerns' about Aubry's parenting, is understood to have been unwilling to leave the toddler alone in Los Angeles with her father. TMZ reports Aubry, who is not currently working, said: 'Why do I have to follow her? She can leave [Nahla] here.'
Berry was present at a Los Angeles Court yesterday as a judge considered the case. After hearing from both sides, he gave her permission to travel with the child. Emerging from court, Berry's lawyer told U.S. website TMZ that the actress was happy with the decision.
Meanwhile Aubry has withdrawn his custody petition, but will continue with his paternity action. If accepted by the courts the petition will protect the fatherly rights of the Canadian model. Aubry filed a bid back in December for partial custody of Nahla.
Following a fall-out between the former couple he was said to be concerned that his access to Nahla would be blocked by Berry, as nothing was agreed in writing. But his move to protect his rights sparked a bitter war of words.
Accusations were made that Aubry used a racial slur against Berry and then, in a particularly nasty turn, a source claimed the model 'went nuts' when his daughter was referred to as 'black'.
In an interview which took place prior to the public feud, Berry clearly stated she regarded her daughter - who has both white and African-American heritage - to be 'black'. She said she subscribes to the 'one-drop theory', which refers to the controversial racial classification of African-Americans that determined who was black in the US.
In what appeared to be a message of defiance to the actress and perhaps a bid for public sympathy, the 32-year-old put on a show of fatherly affection in front of a paparazzi camera. The two-year-old nestled into her father as the pair strolled around the park together. The tender display was in stark contrast to previous claims by a Berry source that Nahla had returned home from several visits with Aubry in a 'traumatised' state.
The public outing is the latest move in a increasingly bitter fight that has played out in the media. And it came just hours after Berry received permission from the courts to take Nahla to New York to fulfil a work obligation. Aubry is understood to have been blocking Berry's plan to take the child across the country later this month. Sources allege he refused Berry's offer to put him up in a hotel during a week-long shoot so he could spend time with the child.
Berry, who has publicly said she has 'serious concerns' about Aubry's parenting, is understood to have been unwilling to leave the toddler alone in Los Angeles with her father. TMZ reports Aubry, who is not currently working, said: 'Why do I have to follow her? She can leave [Nahla] here.'
Berry was present at a Los Angeles Court yesterday as a judge considered the case. After hearing from both sides, he gave her permission to travel with the child. Emerging from court, Berry's lawyer told U.S. website TMZ that the actress was happy with the decision.
Meanwhile Aubry has withdrawn his custody petition, but will continue with his paternity action. If accepted by the courts the petition will protect the fatherly rights of the Canadian model. Aubry filed a bid back in December for partial custody of Nahla.
Following a fall-out between the former couple he was said to be concerned that his access to Nahla would be blocked by Berry, as nothing was agreed in writing. But his move to protect his rights sparked a bitter war of words.
Accusations were made that Aubry used a racial slur against Berry and then, in a particularly nasty turn, a source claimed the model 'went nuts' when his daughter was referred to as 'black'.
In an interview which took place prior to the public feud, Berry clearly stated she regarded her daughter - who has both white and African-American heritage - to be 'black'. She said she subscribes to the 'one-drop theory', which refers to the controversial racial classification of African-Americans that determined who was black in the US.
Article in Daily Mirror about Halle and her estranged family
Hollywood star Halle Berry has turned her back on her family, reveals sister
by Graeme Culliford and Ryan Parry, Daily Mirror 19/02/2011
Halle Berry’s fight with model Gabriel Aubry over their daughter Nahla has reached fever pitch.
X-Men star Berry has been forced to withdraw from her latest movie amid allegations of child endangerment, unfit parenting and racism.
Halle issued a statement last month saying she had “serious concerns for her daughter’s well-being while in the care of her father” and planned to take him to court to sue for full custody.
Since then, Canadian Aubry, 35, has been accused of calling his ex the “N” word and insisting his child is white.
Sources close to him say the 44-year-old Oscar winner is “controlling” and intent on destroying him.
And in an exclusive interview, Halle’s older sister Renee Berry tells how her famous sibling, whose grandmother emigrated to the US from England, has a long history of claiming she is a victim of abusive men – and white racists. The 51-year-old, who lives in Montgomery, Alabama, also says Halle has cut herself off from the majority of her own African-American family.
Renee says: “I’m sad to say it seems like she does not want anything to do with us. I have not spoken to her in about five years. I tried to contact her through her website, to congratulate her on her Oscar, but no one got back to me. She used to be very close to my brother Anthony, but she’s cut herself off from him now too. It makes us very upset – none of us understand why she feels the way she does.”
On Wednesday, Halle attended a hearing in LA to see if she could take Nahla, three next month, to New York so she could film comedy New Year’s Eve. Aubry opposed the plan.
Mother-of-two Renee says: “We would love to meet Nahla. We are desperate to understand why Halle is so upset, why she feels she cannot be with us.
“Halle will always be my baby sister. She is the youngest of the five siblings and I met her when she was just a baby. I remember when we were little we’d always play on weekends over at our grandmother Cora Berry’s house.
“I’ve known Halle all her life: through high school, prom, everything.
“We were very close. When she first started making it in showbusiness, we would travel to Atlanta to see her and she would buy my daughter concert tickets. It was only when Halle moved to California that we started to lose touch. Then, around 10 years ago, she began cutting us off completely.”
Renee says Halle became angry with her when she publicly begged her to visit their father, Jerome Berry, who was dying of Parkinson’s disease, at his home in Cleveland, Ohio. Halle had been estranged from her hospital attendant dad since he divorced her mum, Judith, when she was just four years old.
Judith, a former psychiatric nurse whose mother Nellie Dicken moved to the US from Sawley, Derbyshire, is one of the few family members to remain close to her famous daughter.
Advertisement - article continues below »
The actress stated in interviews she believes this was the trauma which later pushed her into making a number of bad choices about men.
Her first short-lived marriage to baseball star David Justice ended in 1996 amid rumours of physical abuse after she took out a restraining order against him.
Her second marriage to musician Eric Benet ended after three years despite him seeking help for an alleged sex addiction, a claim he later denied.
At the moment Halle is dating French actor Olivier Martinez, Kylie Minogue’s former lover, who she met in August when they co-starred in the not-yet-released thriller Dark Tide.
Renee, a US Food Service worker, says that while her mother Edwina Taylor also broke up with Jerome (a short time before he got together with Halle’s mother) her recollections about their childhood are different from her famous sister’s.
She says: “My father never beat any of us. He would spank us from time to time, but he never abused us. He liked a drink or two, like anyone else does, but he was not an alcoholic. My father was a good man who loved all his children – and it makes me upset when anyone says anything different.”
Halle has also claimed she was bullied by racists at her school in Ohio – something Renee cannot understand.
She claims: “I never saw any of that. Halle and her sister Heidi had lots of friends at school.
“I don’t remember racism being a problem.”
Renee, whose 31-year-old daughter Shonda is also now estranged from Halle, adds: “I think that she feels we want something from her. But all we want is to see her again. We love her and we’re proud of her. Shonda looks up to her.”
Renee says Halle still talks to her sister Heidi, but she has cut herself off from most of the rest of the family. And she revealed that the Berry clan had a reunion party in Alabama last year – but Halle didn’t show.
Renee says: “I don’t think she even thought about attending. It is sad because our grandmother Cora, who died in 2003, did not raise us to be apart like this. She raised us to be a family.
“I would love to meet my little niece. And one day that girl is going to want to know who her people are. Halle needs to realise that at some point, you have to let bygones be bygones. You need to learn how to forgive. I hate that she is going through what she is going through with this child custody battle.
“I am sure it is difficult for both her and Aubry, but they should remember that the child comes first – and they should spare the child from being subjected to any of this.”
Read more: http://www.mirror.co.uk/celebs/news/2011/02/19/hollywood-star-halle-berry-has-turned-her-back-on-her-family-reveals-sister-115875-22933289/#ixzz1EOl4L0UH
Friday, 18 February 2011
Halle Berry avoids losing 2-year-old daughter Nahla
Halle Berry avoids losing 2-year-old daughter Nahla
WITH BILL ZWECKER Feb 18, 2011 02:10AM
Gabriel Aubry and Halle Berry, pictured in 2009, have called a truce to agree on custody rights for their 2-yearold daughter. | Stephen Lovekin~Getty Images
It’s peace at last — or at least a truce — between Halle Berry and her very estranged ex-beau Gabriel Aubry in the nasty custody battle over their 2-year-old daughter Nahla.
While the Oscar winner basically got everything she wanted, a source close to the negotiations says, “It definitely cost Halle, but after a while, she was willing to pay whatever it cost to make a deal with Gabriel.”
No word on what the male model was paid, but my source says, “What’s important is that Halle now totally controls her daughter’s destiny.”
That said, Aubry was granted certain custody rights by the judge in the case.
† The bottom line: The agreement means the allegedly lurid tales from both sides will be buried forever.
Said the source, “It’s important for Halle’s image to have examples of her hot temper quashed. ... It’s equally important for Gabriel’s own image to have those very racist and sexist views — far worse than those already leaked — kept from coming out.”
Thursday, 17 February 2011
Halle Berry rejoining New Year's Eve cast
Halle Berry rejoining New Year's Eve cast
By MusicRooms on 17/02/2011 Tag: Halle Berry Share A judge has ruled that Halle Berry can take her daughter with her when she shoots New Year's Eve, meaning the actress has rejoined the cast.
The movie star made her first appearance at the Los Angeles Superior Court yesterday in relation to her and ex-boyfriend Gabriel Aubry’s ongoing custody dispute over daughter Nahla, who turns three next month.
The hearing was closed door, with Halle attending but not testifying, and Gabriel being represented by his lawyers.
The main outcome of the hearing was that Halle can now take Nahla to New York with her to shoot scenes for new movie New Year's Eve, which Gabriel had reportedly been opposed to.
The actress had been due to begin filming scenes for the romantic comedy a few weeks ago, although it was then revealed she had pulled out due to the dispute with Gabriel. According to People, she will now take on a smaller role in the film, as her original part has been given to Katherine Heigl.
"We were very happy with the result today, but because this is a paternity case, I can't say anything about it," Halle’s attorney Neal Raymond Hersh told People.
In December Gabriel petitioned the court to formally recognise him as the father of Nahla and secure his custody rights.
According to TMZ, Gabriel has withdrawn his custody petition and will instead file a paternity action to legalise his relationship with Nahla. The paternity case will not be open to the public unlike the custody petition, and it is hoped to lead to a ruling on visitation and support.
By MusicRooms on 17/02/2011 Tag: Halle Berry Share A judge has ruled that Halle Berry can take her daughter with her when she shoots New Year's Eve, meaning the actress has rejoined the cast.
The movie star made her first appearance at the Los Angeles Superior Court yesterday in relation to her and ex-boyfriend Gabriel Aubry’s ongoing custody dispute over daughter Nahla, who turns three next month.
The hearing was closed door, with Halle attending but not testifying, and Gabriel being represented by his lawyers.
The main outcome of the hearing was that Halle can now take Nahla to New York with her to shoot scenes for new movie New Year's Eve, which Gabriel had reportedly been opposed to.
The actress had been due to begin filming scenes for the romantic comedy a few weeks ago, although it was then revealed she had pulled out due to the dispute with Gabriel. According to People, she will now take on a smaller role in the film, as her original part has been given to Katherine Heigl.
"We were very happy with the result today, but because this is a paternity case, I can't say anything about it," Halle’s attorney Neal Raymond Hersh told People.
In December Gabriel petitioned the court to formally recognise him as the father of Nahla and secure his custody rights.
According to TMZ, Gabriel has withdrawn his custody petition and will instead file a paternity action to legalise his relationship with Nahla. The paternity case will not be open to the public unlike the custody petition, and it is hoped to lead to a ruling on visitation and support.
Tuesday, 15 February 2011
Halle Berry won 1st Oscar for a black leading actress: Black History Month
Halle Berry won 1st Oscar for a black leading actress: Black History Month
Published: Monday, February 14, 2011, 6:45 AM
As part of Black History Month, we feature Halle Berry, the Cleveland-born actress whose beauty and acting skills have won her a place as one of Hollywood's leading ladies.
In 2001, she became the first and only black woman to win an Academy Award for best actress, for her role in "Monster's Ball."
She was born Maria Halle Berry on Aug. 14, 1966. Her parents legally dropped her first name in 1971 and she became Halle Berry, named after the legendary Cleveland department store.
Berry got her first taste of fame in 1985 when she won the Miss Teen All-American Pageant, representing Ohio. In 1986, she was first runner-up in the Miss USA Pageant, which led to her first job, in the 1989 television show "Living Dolls."
Her breakthrough role in movies came in 1991 in Spike Lee's "Jungle Fever."
Next to her Oscar-winning performance, perhaps her most acclaimed role was as actress Dorothy Dandridge in made-for-cable's "Introducing Dorothy Dandridge" in 1999. She won a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a TV Movie/Miniseries for the role.