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PEOPLE & ARTSThursday 21 January 2016
Looking ahead with John Legend: Grammys, Gosling and a baby
MESFIN FEKADU
AP Music Writer
NEW YORK (AP) — John
Legend is his own worst en-
emy at next month’s Gram-
my Awards.
The singer is nominated
twice for best rap/sung col-
laboration for his Oscar-win-
ning hit “Glory” alongside
Common and “One Man
Can Change the World,”
a collaboration with Kanye
West and Big Sean.
“It’s kind of hard ... I don’t
know how to even think
about it,” Legend said.
In a recent interview with
The Associated Press, the
37-year-old performer talk-
ed about his new film with
Ryan Gosling, writing new
music, fatherhood and the
Grammys, to be held Feb.
15 in Los Angeles.
GRAMMY FAMILY
Legend, who has won nine
Grammys, is grateful for
the four nominations he re-
ceived this year.
“You can’t bank on the
Grammys because every
year is different, there’s a
lot of people voting (and)
there’s a lot of great com-
petition,” he said.
In addition to best rap/
sung collaboration, Leg-
end is nominated for best
rap song and song written
for visual media for “Glory,”
from the film “Selma.”
As for picking which of his
songs should win the Gram-
my, he says, “hopefully
people vote for the song
they think is the best and
we’ll see who wins.”
A win for the collaboration
with West and Big Sean
would give West, who has
Oscar winner Jamie Foxx helps rescue driver from vehicle
THOUSAND OAKS, Calif.
(AP) — Oscar-winning ac-
tor Jamie Foxx has played
super villains and antihe-
roes on screen. The role of
super hero he apparently
saved for real life.
Foxx and the victim’s fa-
ther, who met and talked
Tuesday, said that Foxx and
one other person pulled a
man from his burning truck
moments before it be-
came engulfed in flames
near Foxx’s Southern Cali-
fornia home.
The California Highway Pa-
four nominations this year,
his 22nd gramophone.
SPEAKING OF KANYE
Like other music fans, Leg-
end is anticipating West’s
upcoming album, “Swish.”
“I was in the studio with him
about a year ago, but he’s
John Legend appears at a photo call for “Underground” during the WGN America 2016 Winter TCA
in Pasadena, Calif. Legend already owns nine Grammys, but he’s still grateful for the four nomina-
tions he received this year.
done so much probably
since then that I have no
idea where it is now,” he
said of his longtime men-
tor and collaborator. “I’m
like another fan. I’m just ex- by a larger audience and
cited to hear how it comes
out!”
SPEAKING OF MENTORS
Legend, who worked as a
mentor with the AXE Col-
lective at the South by
Southwest music festival
last year, is partnering with
trol said the pickup went off
the road in unincorporated
Ventura County then went
into a ditch, rolling over
multiple times and becom-
ing engulfed in flames with
a male driver trapped in-
side.
Foxx said he heard the
crash from his house, called
911, and ran to the scene.
He said another man, an
off-duty paramedic who
was driving by, had large
EMT scissors that the two
used to break the truck’s
window, cut the man’s
the company for its new
campaign, “Find Your
Magic.” It will give young
musicians and filmmakers a
chance to collaborate with
the singer by submitting
video of a film or music per-
formance to AXE’s website.
“It’s all about ... expressing
who you are as an individu-
al creatively, showing your
unique voice and hope-
fully we’ll give the best folks More acting and produc-
the opportunity to be seen
heard,” Legend said.
SPEAKING OF FILMS
Legend, who had a non-
speaking role in 2008’s
“Soul Men,” will finally get
to speak — and sing — in
the upcoming Hollywood
musical film “La La Land,”
seatbelt and pull him out.
Foxx said “within five sec-
onds” the truck went up in
flames.
Foxx said he told the man,
“You’ve got to help me get
you out, because I don’t
want to have to leave you.
You’ve got angels around
you.”
“I don’t look at it as he-
roic,” Foxx told a group
of reporters after meeting
with Brad Kyle, the father of
the 32-year-old victim Brett
Kyle. “I just look at it like,
you know, you just had to
starring Gosling and Emma called ‘Southern Rites,’” he
Stone. said.
“It was comfortable be-
cause most of my scenes TAKING A BACKSEAT
were in settings I’m used to Though he’s between al-
being in as a musician, but bums, Legend is still burn-
having to learn dialogue ing up the charts, thanks
and improvise and play off to Meghan Trainor. (They
of Ryan a lot, it was really share the same manager.)
Their duet, “Like I’m Gon-
na Lose You,” released in
June, is still in the Top 10 on
the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
And Legend didn’t write
(Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP) the song — a rarity for the
respected songwriter.
an education for me,” said “I tend to sing my own
Legend, who learned to songs because I love to
play the guitar for the role. write songs and I feel like I
know how to write for myself
tion is on the horizon for more than other people,
Legend with his production but when Meghan sent it
house, Get Lifted Film Co. to me, I was like, ‘Wow, this
“We have a new TV series song is beautiful. I’d love to
coming out in March called do it.’ And that’s really all it
‘Underground’ (on WGN took,” Legend said.
America). We were part “I really respect her as a
of the production team songwriter and an artist,”
for ‘La La Land.’ We’ve he said of the “All About
also executive-produced That Bass” performer.
a documentary on HBO
ALL ABOUT THAT BABY
Despite his projects — from
music to film — Legend has
a bigger priority coming
soon: fatherhood.
His wife, model Chrissy Tei-
gen, is pregnant with their
first child, a girl, due later
this year.
“It’s never going to be
completely easy, but I
think she’s taken it in stride
and we’re enjoying it, and
we’re excited to welcome
our new little girl to the
world,” Legend said.
He said fatherhood and
marriage is spilling over to
the music he’s writing for his
upcoming album.
“Just trying to make an al-
bum that encompasses all
that I am,” he said.q
do something. And it all just not.”
worked out.” Brett Kyle has broken bones
Brad Kyle said he had been and a punctured lung, but
shown surveillance video he is expected to survive.
of the crash scene, and he The CHP couldn’t confirm
saw several cars passing by Foxx’s involvement, but the
without helping. agency did say two wit-
“I just kept watching it and nesses helped extricate the
going ‘My god, my god, he driver, giving similar details
didn’t have to do a thing,’ to Foxx’s account. His role
“ Kyle said, breaking into in the rescue was first re-
tears as he spoke. “I think ported by celebrity website
we all hope that we can TMZ.
do something when the The name of the para-
time is there. But the ques- medic who stopped and
tion is, do we act or do we helped was not immedi-
fear for our own life? He did ately available.q