Faith Evans has been picked to play Florence Ballard in a new biopic about the tragic life of the fallen singer. Ballard, who died abruptly at the age of 32, was once the lead vocalist of the iconic group The Supremes before being forced out in favour of diva Diana Ross. No further details about the film are available yet but one thing is certain: Evans has haunting resemblance to Ballard. {Source}
Faith Evans To Play Florence Ballard (Of The Supremes) In New Biopic
Published: Friday 8th Oct 2010 by Trent
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Perfect Choice!
VERY PERFECT CHOICE.
No other word to describe, but Perfect!
There’s something about FAITH hence watch out for it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
yes!! They said flo had to stand back FAR from the mic when recording because she would blow the other hos OUT. Let’s go FAITH!
this is a good look for faith
Perfect Choice!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
As soon as I seen the title of this post I immediately knew it was a perfect choice because she looks so much like her.
However, I think Florence’s voice is a lot stronger and better than Faith’s. But it still an awesome choice!
On another note, I thought the chick that played Faith in ‘Notorious’also had a better voice than her. It may have not been as unorthodox as Faith’s but still a step better.
Never realized they looked so much alike…WOW!!!! Go Faith!!!
girl u crazy if you think that girl who played faith in “Notorious” was even CLOSE to the real thing. Faith GOES.
Wow, Faith is a great choice! I’m thrilled to pieces! Flo had a big voice & Faith can deliver the vocals. God, I hope they make this happen.
The makers of this film have bought the rights to use my book, “The Lost Supreme: The Life of Dreamgirl Florence Ballard,” as the basis of the film. The book was published by Chicago Review Press in 2008 and came out in paperback in 2009. Parts of it were serialized in the Detroit Free Press. Anyone interested in instant updates about the progress of the film is welcome to visit the book’s website, http://www.thelostsupreme.com. You can also order paperback copies of the book at that site, at a discount. Thanks very much for your interest. Peter Benjaminson.
great choice!! Faith has some strong resemblance with Flo..and btw i saw someone on twitter saying Janet should play Diana.. i think Janet would do justice..!
Great choice! So happy for her!
In fact Florence Ballard’s daughter chose her.
Thanks for posting Peter!
HOW IS FAITH’S ACTING? THIS IS A ROLE THAT *COULD* BE AN ACADEMY CONTENDER IF DONE RIGHT. SOMEHOW I DONT THINK FAITH CAN PULL OFF AN OSCAR PERFORMANCE BUT HER SINGING WILL BE SPOT ON.
PERFECT. We all owe it to Florence Ballard to support this effort. She is/was one of our most valued treasures in the Entertainment world.
finally florance ballard is getting some recognition. i hope faith studies and practices and blows everyone’s socks off. i think letoya luckett looks like her too
is anyone elses comment being held for moderation?
@ Weezy Florence maybe but not the girl that played her(NAH) I’m not sure if faith can act though!! But i’d support her
How old are some of you people on here…….
Faith Evans voice is a disrespect to Florence Ballard voice……..
yep,
she look like her. I think Faith sound better.
check out florence ‘s voice youtube
Berry Gordy knew what he was doing w the lead vocalist.
things happened they way the was suppose to happen.
I am so thrilled about this!
Flo finally getting the REAL DEAL. Dreamgirls came close but didn’t tell her story in its entirety! I’m so pleased about this! Faith is the PERFECT choice! I love them both! This is amazing 😀
http://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/JONATHANGARDNERTV
This is going to be a very bias picture and yet another attack on Diana Ross. Florence was NEVER the Lead singer the Supremes. She appointed Herself lead of the Primettes. They shared Leads. Florence started the group but was Never the Lead. Berry Gordy knew exactly what he was doing. Its not about being LOUD and Strong it was about style. Also Berry was NOt sleeping with diane when they came to Motown and were just hanging around. They were Teenagers..16yrs old.. If anyone Listened to any of the Leads by Florence including her solo work they were Not good. This Peter Benjiaminson person is very one sided and bias against Ross and Gordy. It was Diana Ross voice that really made the Supremes stand out. Also…the name Supremes was Picked from a list that was handed to Florence. she did not make up the name. it was handed to her from and aid at motown. A little history on the name ..the Supremes originally were a Male group who later changed their name to the Romantics the male backup for Ruby and the Romantics. Get your facts together. I suspect this will be another story that Lacks the facts. They act like Florence just this angel and was constantly picked on..Like Mary FLo did NOT have a Unique voice. It was good. it was Loud. but so were a lot of singers. Loud but not distinct
I could not agree more with blkshepherd and to add to it i can not think of any record of the Supremes with Florence or Mary on the lead vocal that became a number 1 it was only Diana’s voice that made the Supremes, the other two were just merely back up singers sorry this is just my opinion.
FLORENCE BALLARD YOU ARE SUPREME by Graham Read
FLORENCE BALLARD YOU ARE SUPREME,
YOUR APART OF EVERY AMERICAN DREAM
WITH MARY AND DIANE , YOU WERE THE TOPS
YES YOU WERE THE SUPREMES
THE CREAM OF THE CROP,
IN THE 60’S YOU SANG, WITH VIGOUR ANS ZEST
NO ONE COULD BEAT YOU, YOU WERE THE BEST
BUT SADLY YOU LEFT THE SUPREMES AND THE FAME, AND NO ONE KNOWS WHO WAS REALLY TO BLAME.
YOUR LIFE WAS SO SAD, IT ALL FELL APART,
SOME SAY YOU DIED OF A BROKEN HEART,
YOU’LL ALWAYS BE REMEMBERED, YOU DIDN’T DIED IN VAIN,
YOUR FANS STILL ADORE YOU, AND WORSHIP YOUR NAME,
FLORENCE BALLARD YOU ARE SUPREME,
YOU’RE APART OF EVERY AMERICIAN DREAM,
IF YOU’D HAVE LIVED, YOU’D HAVE GONE SO FAR,
TO THE MILLIONS WHO LOVE YOU, YOUR A SUPERSTAR,
ABOVE THE CLOUDS YOU WERE TAKEN ONE FEBRUARY,
BUT HERE ON EARTH YOUR STILL LEGENDARY.
copyright GRAHAM READ
52 HARVEL AVE
ME2-3JU
GREAT BRITAIN
THESE 3 LADIES by Graham Read
THERE WERE 3 LADIES KNOWN AS THE SUPREMES,
WHO BECAME APART OF THE AMERICAN DREAM
THEY SANG AND THEY SANG TO THE TOP OF THE CHARTS,
WE ALL LET THESE LADIES INTO OUT HEARTS,
NOW MANY YEARS LATER THE GROUP IS NO MORE,
BUT THEIR MUSIC LIVES ON, AND WE ALL STILL ADORE,
THESE 3 LADIES WHO SANG THEIR WAY INTO FAME,
YES WE LOVE THE SUPREMES AND WORSHIP THEIR NAME
COPYRIGHT
Graham Read
52 Harvel Ave
ME2-3JU
GREAT BRITAIN
gr52ha@yahoo.co.uk
ODE TO THE SUPREMES by Graham Read
GOD SENT DOWN THREE ANGELS
THEIR DUTIES TO PERFORM
THIS WAS DONE WITH DIGNITY
AS THEY TOOK THE WORLD BY STORM,
DIANA, MARY AND FLO,
WERE SUCH A PERFECT TEAM
THAT THEY BECAME SO FAMOUS,
THESE LAADIES WERE SUPREME
COPYRIGHT Graham Read
52 Harvel Ave
ME2-3JU
GREAT BRITIAN
gr52ha@yahoo.co.uk
faith sure does look like blondie
Finally, THe Story of FLORENCE BALLARD WILL BE TOLD TO THE WORLD~!! She WAS SO BEAUTIFULLL~!! AND WHOOO THE VOICE ~~OOOOH SHE CUDVE SANG WHHOOO THEM PIPES~~ I think Faith and BEYONCE looks like FLORENCE BALLARD but I dont think Beyonce should be casted as Flo. Faith was a GOOD CHOICE~!! I wasnt pleased with BEyonce’s acting on the biopic Cadallac Records.\
R.I.P Florence Ballard You were one of the BEST~ its SHAMEFUL how she was ousted from the group SHE STARTED THE GROUP, SHE NAMED THE GROUP and SHE HAD THE BEST VOICE IN THE GROUP EVERYONE KNOWS THAT AND EVEN MARY WILSON SAID IT~~~ luv FLO~~
Same old victimization. Different day.
Of course Mary Wilson says that Flo had the best voice. It helps her get more press for her 40-year long “oh, poor me” act, without which, she’d never get any press attention. She also lied about Florence having to stand away from the mic. There are too many videos posted on YouTube showing them in Studio A, known as The Snake Pit, showing Flo singing as close to the mic as the other ladies. Besides, how could Flo have to stand 17 feet away from the mic(only a buffoon would believe such a story)when all of the studio footage shows the mic LESS THAN FIVE FEET AWAY FROM THE WALL?
I guess common sense isn’t required when you need to blame others for your failures.
At any rate:
Any interest in Florence Ballard’s story is dependent upon how it relates to Diana Ross.
-Florence’s children won’t see any of the film’s revenue.
-Anyone who’s ever existed in history will be blamed for Florence’s SELF-destructive behavior, yet again, infantilizing her.
-All references to the financial aid that Diana Ross has provided to Florence Ballard & her children will be removed.
-Mary Wilson will pretend to be Florence’s “savior” & seize each opportunity for shameless self-promotion, at the expense of Florence’s memory…and the truth.
Those(Mary Wilson, et al.)who portray Florence Ballard as a “victim” victimize her by gaining temporary D-list “fame & fortune” for themselves, literally, over her corpse, again, none of which is given to her children.
Irony, eh?lol
However, it will force honest people to step forward & blame Florence’s downfall on Florence, & reveal Wilson & her ilk to be Florence’s USERS, not her “saviors”.
Unfortunately, for Benjamin, real Supremes fans know that his book is nonsense, which is why it’s gone into paperback so quickly. There are too many inaccuracies:
-Benjamin states that Diana, Mary & Cindy recorded “S,WBT”. Diana recorded it as her first solo release with Johnny Bristol & the Waters sisters.
-He writes about an event in Flo’s life in the early 70’s, he states that as this was happening, “Reflections” had just been released, a song Flo had sang on.
-Benjamin repeatedly talks about how the Supremes had sunk deeper and deeper after Flo left the group and refers to them as the “no hit Supremes” between 1967 and 1970. This is not accurate. I guess he’d forgotten about the Top40, Top20, #2 & #1 hits like “Love Child” & “SWBT”, but, historical inaccuracies are unimportant when making money off a dead woman’s corpse & feeding the remains to a group still bitter because the people with whom they identify are always the ones who seem to fail.
Regarding the complaints about “favoritism”, what I find absolutely FASCINATING is that NOT ONE of them EVER talks about how, when they discovered it, they resolved to work even harder, be more reliable, more polished, more professional, more glamorous, develop better phrasing and tone, train harder, record more and/or better, etc., etc., etc., to show Berry that his faith in Diana was misplaced.
NO, NOT ONE.
Instead, they complained, gossiped, shopped, skipped interviews, rehearsals, recordings and performances, threw themselves into drug, alcohol, gambling and s** addictions, bad relationships with abusive partners who mismanaged their careers into oblivion, stole their money, drove themselves into financial ruin by squandering the earnings, etc., etc., etc., and showed Berry that his faith in Diana was rightly placed, the his best business decision.
Contrast this with Diana’s behavior.
When the other Motown artists were calling her “ugly”, “bony”, “square-hipped”, “bug-eyed”, “fake”, “puttin’ on ‘airs'(God forbid a Black woman carries herself with self-respect)”, no talent, couldn’t sing, etc., her response was, “Really…? Watch this.:)”
She worked harder in the rehearsal & recording studios than anyone else, becoming Artist Development’s best student, smoothed her phrasing, became more glamorous, lowered her recording keys(which were, initially, very high), endlessly studied the choreography, arrived earlier & stayed later, showing Berry exactly who had what it takes to take the world by storm, his company into the stratosphere & open the door for SCORES of other African-American artists, at Motown & beyond, who may have never gotten their chance at fame had she not opened the door for them, just as Lena, Sarah, Ella, Billie, Ethel & Etta opened the door for her, for which she’s very appreciative, portraying them & otherwise paying tribute to them, unlike the ungrateful artists who breeze through the door she opened for them, all the while, grousing about how she did it.
Instead of whining, Diana Ross worked hard & turned herself into THE icon, THE reference point, THE definition of female superstar, professional & DIVA.
According to “Secrets”, when Diana was having trouble finding screen roles in the 1980s, she said to herself, “I have two choices. I can complain that ‘there are no good roles for Blacks & women, or, I can create my own.”.
She founded Anaid Productions & produced all of her own television specials & movies.
That’s the difference between a STAR and the also-rans who fell by the wayside along the way.
Diana Ross never walked “over” anyone.
She walked PAST them.
Wilson and her ilk always whine that, given the same opportunities as Diana, she’d have been just as successful.
The problem with such a pseudo-argument is that she WAS given the same opportunities as Diana Ross & either tossed them aside or found the general public uninterested in her efforts.
-She recorded leads on early Supremes singles, but, no one bought them.
-She performed solo spots in their shows, but, no promoter, producer, composer, artist, etc., was ever impressed to want to work with her. In fact, even the haters can’t come up with a lie stating that Motown was approached for such.
-When Berry took Diana to see Sammy Davis, Jr. or Bobby Darin to improve her showmanship, Mary & Florence should have been at the very next table, if only to show Berry that they were interested in and up to the challenge of being leads, too.
They didn’t.
-Instead of having “a boyfriend in every port”, Mary should have made connections with jazz clubs, producers & artists in every major city The Supremes played, to prepare to parlay her fame in the group into a future jazz ballad career after Diana left the group. Either Mary didn’t or the jazz crowd wasn’t interested.
Time after time, it’s obvious, with very little digging, that Mary’s Wilson’s caused her own career failures. Instead of complaining about what Diana did (or didn’t do), she should have followed Diana’s lead, then, adapt the behavior to fit into Mary’s best musical genre, jazz/r&b ballad’s, but, she didn’t, because she didn’t have the work ethic &/or jazz musicians/artists, etc., weren’t interested.
Florence should have done the same, connecting with the Broadway theater & supper club crowd, as her voice was more of a bluesy Broadway type, much like Pearl Bailey and/or Dinah Washington, and would have done well in those kinds of shows. She could have toured & performed indefinitely, having created her own niche in the market.
She didn’t.
What haters will never understand, and why they will ALWAYS fail, is that a successful life is a pro-active life. Success is preparation meeting opportunity, many of which one must create for him or herself, as opposed to letting others do most of the work, but, demanding equal fame, etc.
Mary AND Florence(MSRIP)did the latter, to their detriment.
I’ve noticed that like Mary, the ONLY other people who have “issues” with Diana Ross are those who’ve failed in their chosen careers for various reasons & need to project their frustrations onto her to justify their failures.
Hard-working, over-achieving, successful people can’t get enough of Diana Ross. They flock to her concerts, pay her handsomely to perform at private events & pay her even more to open their lavish properties around the world. When groups want to bring in the high-rollers & press attention, they call Diana Ross.
Many of the newest A-listers rush to her side for pictures with her at events & name HER, not Mary or Florence, as one of, if not THE, primary influence on their styles, work ethic, etc. They reference & flat out copy HER in their videos & concert performances and use all of the same costume designers she’s used for the last 40 years, from Mackie(Pink)to Mugler(Beyonce).
Diana’s “irrelevance” is a figment of the haters’ collective, though ubiquitously mediocre, imaginations, but, again, even they don’t buy it.
As for Diana’s friends, most of them are also very private over-achievers who don’t need to broadcast who they know &/or who knows them, now or in the past, unlike Mary, who desperately trumpets every celebrity encounter for press attention she wouldn’t receive otherwise.
That’s a really sad way to live her life, nibbling at the edges of other peoples’ fame because Mary Wilson has none of her own, by her own design.
The following is adapted from a reader’s review of the book upon which this film will be based:
-Myth: Flo is the founding member of the Supremes
Fact:Florence did not start the Supremes. Her future brother-in-law, Milton Jenkins, did. He was a pimp and a fledgling manager and wanted to create a girl group as a counter part to a group he managed called the Primes. Flo approached him and said: “I’ll sing in your group, Mister!” She, then, recruited Mary Wilson. Paul Williams (of the Primes) recruited Diana Ross and the other singer in the group to be called the Primettes.
-Myth: Flo was the group’s lead singer when they came to Motown.
Fact: On the Lupine Label, as The Primettes, Diana sang lead on the A side of the record and Mary on the B side. If Flo was the lead singer, why wasn’t she on either side? Maxine Ballard wrote in her biography of Flo that Flo was not the lead singer. Flo was considered by Mary to have the best voice of the group. Diana has said Flo was regal, beautiful and a big voice. Ross never felt that Flo was the best. Many Motown artists preferred Flo’s voice and approach to a song(Perhaps they felt that if Flo sang lead, they may still have a chance for Berry’s attention.). Mary has written that they all sang lead on songs in the genre that fit their voices best.
Myth: Flo named the group: Florence was handed a group of names by Janie Bradford, a Motown employee, within which was the name, The Supremes. Flo chose the name from that list, only because Ross had taken Wilson to purchase fabric for the group’s next stage ensembles(Ross was the group’s early seamstress, costume designer, stylist, make-up artist & hair dresser.). Berry Gordy told them they’d have to change the name before they were signed. Flo chose “Supremes” because it was the only one that didn’t end in “ette”. Neither Mary or Diana liked the name initially. The myth is that Flo was the lead singer of a groups she started and came to Motown as the lead singer and was demoted to background, but, only people who know the Supreme’s story via Dreamgirls would buy it.
-Fact:Florence was an alcoholic. She blamed airplanes, stress, Gordy and Ross, etc. but she abused alcohol and so did her father. Florence’s r*** history and accompanying trauma were never dealt with in a clinically professional manner. This was very common amongst African Americans of that time.
Flo was taken advantage of by a crooked lawyer. She married her fiance, a limo driver, and subsequently made him her manager. A terribly bad decision. He did not help her career. Flo’s recordings for ABC records were unsuccessful, and she was dropped after her contract ended.
Myth: Florence Ballard was a phenomenal singer w/ an Aretha Franklin-esque voice(according to Mary Wilson). Her CD, which had circulated underground for many years, was released, and there is no real evidence of Flo’s great hidden talent. Her voice is strong and full, but, not uniquely distinct. Reportedly, Flo, Mary, Martha Reeves, amongst others, had their voices trained by Arthur Silvers. There’s no evidence that any of Mr. Silver’s students introduced him to Diana Ross(which would have made the group sound even better)or Gordy.
Florence was in a domestically violent marriage. Her family helped her spend her dwindling funds and she lived with depression and may have been bi-polar. Her story is tragic, sad and ended too early. Bejaminson’s book adds additional info to the growing lexicon of books on The Supremes. I wish he’d been a little more objective and done additional research into the entire saga. I wish it were he that was discerning lies from myths and giving us the truth.
Those who purport that Florence is the most endeared, the most beloved & the most popular Supreme are really just “bonding” (especially her Motown family) over their resentment of Diana Ross’ enormous success. That is not friendship. That is wallowing in collective despair over failures in your own lives.
It is pathetic.
It is a mirror into the dismal failures of one’s own life and the inability to embrace the unforgiving truth of one’s own painful mediocrity.
All of the animosity towards Diana Ross boils down to the “crabs in the barrel” syndrome. Black people become so jealous of each other so quickly, we keep each other down far more than we’ll ever acknowledge.
This blog post about the syndrome explains it perfectly.
Haters will, of course, hate it because they will see themselves…as the lower-rung crabs, of course.:)
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1077/is_9_57/ai_88581935/
Oh cut it out with the Diana Ross worship. We all know Berry Gordy made the right choice for Diana Ross to be the lead singer. This movie will not be a bash on Diana Ross ..Flo knew that part of it was her fault as well no matter how fair or unfair the circumstances were at Motown and she admitted it so stop with the Ross adoration and let Flo have her just due.
A MEN
Correction:
Mary & Flo’s high school voice teacher’s name was Abraham, not Arthur, Silvers.
There could not have been a better chose to play Florence, Faith is a dead ringer for this lady who was placed on the back burner. I hope this movie is one of her biggest box office draws.
Allwetterreifen
Faith Evans does not look anything like Florence Ballad ….
And how and the H3ll did Faith Evans get picked for such a dramamatic role !!! Faith Evans can’t sing let alone ACT!!!!
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