In 2004, Oprah singled out Jamie Foxx as
"the next big thing," and she was right! A few months later, he had
scored two Oscar® nominations! Jamie followed his Best Actor win with a supporting role in the war drama
Jarhead and a leading role in
Miami Vice. The comedian-turned-actor is also a talented musician—he released first CD in more than 10 years,
Unpredictable!
"If I could just use one word to sum him up," Oprah says, "he is
hot." The rumors surrounding Oprah and Jamie are also scorching! According to the tabloids, the two have been swinging from the chandeliers! For the first time since all the gossip started, Jamie and Oprah are setting the record straight!
Jamie says he's been a longtime fan and couldn't be more pleased with the rumors, no matter how unfounded they are!
Jamie: When I was on In Living Color, I would always tell Keenan [Ivory-Wayans], "Oprah—that's my flavor!" ... You're on the top of the world, and we really do watch and listen for everything that you say to kind of get our lives together. At the same time, you have this earnest, humble thing about you. ... You're attractive, you're pretty, and at the same time, you're successful and I dig how you look, so—
Oprah: Let's set the record straight—tell the people the truth.
Jamie: The truth is, I'm just waiting for you and Stedman to clear everything up....
Oprah: No, the truth is—
Jamie: Well, we have got "a thing..."
Oprah: Yeah...I do think it's a thing! Part of it is this—we both come from the same humble [upbringing]. You were raised by your grandmother; I was raised by my grandmother. And the whole transition into dealing with [fame.] ... Everybody thinks it's all about the chandelier, but it really does go deeper than that.
Since bringing home the gold for his portrayal of music great Ray Charles, Jamie's life has changed dramatically.
"As far as work is concerned, it takes the pressure off," he says. The win has opened up new opportunities for him as an actor. "[My manager, agent and I] always wanted to do great things and different projects, but we couldn't because [I] didn't have that background of dramatic work."
After proving his abilities as a leading man, Jamie still welcomes the opportunity to play supporting roles if the part "speaks" to him. Oprah wants to know—why did Jamie take a supporting role as Staff Sergeant Sykes in Jarhead after his Best Actor Oscar® win? "It was Sam Mendes, who's a great director. The role had meat on its bones. ... The role speaks, and the role says, 'You should do it.'"
Jamie claims that winning the Oscar® was a group effort—he couldn't have done it without his family, friends, management and the African-American acting community. "We did it," he says.
"This is what I really admire about you," Oprah says. "You pull other people in, and you want them to be successful."
Camaraderie is so important to Jamie that he shares a home with family members and rarely goes anywhere without his friends. "I can't be alone," he says. "I think [it comes from] my childhood, growing up as the only child and not being able to kick it with [kids in the neighborhood]—my grandma was [strict]!"
Jamie says he's tried not to let the awards go to his head, but a few people in his camp did "lose their minds" over the win. "They thought they won the Oscar®," he jokes. In a more serious tone, Jamie adds, "These are the most important moments. I don't want any slipups."
Jamie is known for his Hollywood parties, but he says his get-togethers aren't quite what the crowd might be expecting. "Puffy throws a party, and it costs $2 million," Jamie says. "What I told Puff was, 'Puff, I throw great parties, too. They don't cost that much!'" According to Jamie, a great party takes less than $500!
One important part of any party is the food and refreshments. "We get fried chicken, but we put it in a nice bowl," Jamie says. "And we've got cola and everything like that." Also, make sure the guest list includes "pretty people from the opposite sex."
And, finally Jamie has just a word of advice. "Karaoke," he says. "We do karaoke marathons." At one of his L.A. karaoke parties, Jamie invited Bobby Brown and Whitney Houston. "As I'm going in the bathroom, I hear somebody going, 'I don't do this for everybody. I tell you I get paid $1 million to sing this song.' And then Whitney goes on stage and karaokes. She sings 'I Will Always Love You' better than she's ever sung it in the last 10 years, and people literally hold their cell phones up. They call their parents, their friends."
Having Jamie Foxx there doesn't hurt either. "You can let your hair down at my parties," Jamie says.
After winning his Oscar®, Jamie has certainly been feeling the attention of female fans. In fact, some women have taken to throwing their panties at him. How does he handle that?
"You just handle it," he jokes. When asked if all the extra attention gets old after awhile he answers without hesitation. "No, it doesn't."
To all the women Jamie actually goes on dates with, be prepared for something "fun and adventurous." Now that he has more money, Jamie says he might take a date to Vegas for a weekend—"You get your own room, I have my own room, it's no pressure"—or to Africa.
Do not, however, expect Jamie to be "romantic-corny. You know, coming in with the flowers and saying all the right things and all that." Instead, he prefers to play it cool.
"Do you think you'll ever settle down and get married?" Oprah asks Jamie.
"Do you?" Jamie responds. "Why don't we just run unsettled? Just me and you, unsettled."
At Oprah's Legends Ball, nearly everyone who had been invited was there...except Jamie. "Somebody really mucked around with my schedule," Jamie says. "I was supposed to attend, and I couldn't make it."
Jamie knew he was in trouble. "You made a statement on the red carpet for all of those who didn't show up, and I know you were talking about me," Jamie tells Oprah.
To make up for his absence, Jamie commissioned this portrait of Oprah by the renowned sculptor and painter Artis Lane.
"It's so vain to love a picture of yourself, but I love it," Oprah says. "How marvelous is that? First of all, that you would think to do it and that you would go to one of the premier artists in the United States of America. I love you, Jamie Foxx."
From his CD Unpredictable, Jamie Foxx performs two songs, "Unpredictable" and "Heaven," a song written for Jamie's daughter...and Oprah's favorite track on the CD.
