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[b7]

Producers were considering Jewel as Cinderella because they nervous about having a black Cinderella who wasn't Whitney. 

Craig Zadan: Though I?ll tell you what was going on behind the scenes: There was an executive at Disney ? who will remain nameless ? and he was very nervous about a black Cinderella. He loved the idea of Whitney being the black fairy godmother, but he came up to us and said, "Well, if you?re coming up with someone like Brandy as Cinderella, why can?t you go get Jewel instead, and have a white Cinderella and a black Fairy Godmother. It?ll still be multicultural." I think he was saying to himself, "Who?s a white version of Brandy?" We said absolutely not. The whole point of this whole thing was to have a black Cinderella. We didn?t want to make it with a white Cinderella. We weren?t interested in a white Cinderella. Still aren?t! We never approached anyone other than Brandy for the role, and Jewel was never approached.

"And we STILL aren't"  has me in TEARS

[b7]

Whitney CHOSE Brandy so they couldn't approach anyone else if they wanted to. I mean ...  who else is there?
lmao!

[Sovereign.]

It was just ONE producer. The rest of them were gung ho about Brandy. This is an incredible read. Brandy's work ethic even back then >

She proved herself to be a legend in the making.

Travis Payne: Brandy was very concerned about coming into rehearsals prepared. She wanted to be good at this; she was concerned about the art. I think it was very obvious to her how critical this opportunity in this role was for her, and for all black girls coming up behind her.

[Harlem]

It was just ONE producer. The rest of them were gung ho about Brandy. This is an incredible read. Brandy's work ethic even back then >

She proved herself to be a legend in the making.

Travis Payne: Brandy was very concerned about coming into rehearsals prepared. She wanted to be good at this; she was concerned about the art. I think it was very obvious to her how critical this opportunity in this role was for her, and for all black girls coming up behind her.

[Sovereign.]

Music directors on Brandy adopting a more classical/Broadway sound:

Robert Iscove: Getting to blend Brandy?s pop voice with Paolo?s theatre voice was interesting. She had to get a little more diction, make it a little more theatrical. He had to loosen up to make it a little more poppy, because it was too Broadway.

Paolo Montalban: They told me to sing like George Michael; do my diction more like George Michael?s. They told Brandy to think of opera singers and almost make fun of what she thought opera singers would sound like. And the brilliant thing is that both of us really did that, and it didn?t end up sounding crazy. I thought that was a brilliant bit of musical direction that many people don?t know about.

Neil Meron: One of my favorite moments as Brandy was going through the score, was when she said to me, "I can?t believe I?m singing opera!" [laughs] To her, this was kind of foreign, old-fashioned music!

Kwee' wasn't sure about giving a Julie Andrews mess out!

[Purple Moon]

So they might release the soundtrack in the near future!

QUOTE: Neil Meron: "Ted Chapin from Rodgers and Hammerstein Organization called me last week and he?s been talking to people about trying to get the album out, finally. It would have to be looked at to be remixed and mastered for 2017, but it?s basically done."

[Sovereign.]

Brandy was working so hard. Times like this made me empathize   

Debra Martin Chase: We had promised Brandy that she could shoot "The Prince is Giving a Ball" in the morning and she?d have the rest of the day off. She?d made plans to go to the mall with her friends. Between "Moesha" and the recording career and "Cinderella" and album promo, she was working non-stop. So that day we went over our time, and we needed her to work that afternoon. A lot of my job was working with the actors. Brandy was in her trailer and she wouldn?t come out. I went in there, it broke my heart. She was curled up in a little ball in her bed, and she was like, "I just for once want to have a normal afternoon and do what other teenagers get to do." And I had to have that conversation with her. I was like, "This is what you signed up for. There are hundreds of extras and crew, out there waiting on you, and this is the job." But it broke my heart because she?d worked so hard, and I empathized. To her credit, she got up, went out, and did it, and it doesn?t show up on screen.

[Rxxf]

Producers were considering Jewel as Cinderella because they nervous about having a black Cinderella who wasn't Whitney. 

Craig Zadan: Though I?ll tell you what was going on behind the scenes: There was an executive at Disney ? who will remain nameless ? and he was very nervous about a black Cinderella. He loved the idea of Whitney being the black fairy godmother, but he came up to us and said, "Well, if you?re coming up with someone like Brandy as Cinderella, why can?t you go get Jewel instead, and have a white Cinderella and a black Fairy Godmother. It?ll still be multicultural." I think he was saying to himself, "Who?s a white version of Brandy?" We said absolutely not. The whole point of this whole thing was to have a black Cinderella. We didn?t want to make it with a white Cinderella. We weren?t interested in a white Cinderella. Still aren?t! We never approached anyone other than Brandy for the role, and Jewel was never approached.

"And we STILL aren't"  has me in TEARS

I AM THE FUCK SCREAMING.


OMF at Brandy being the ONE and ONLY.
That is legendary.  I'm sorry.
There wasn't an audition mess.
SIS was chosen.

[Sinpool]

This iconic ass movie

[Rxxf]

It was just ONE producer. The rest of them were gung ho about Brandy. This is an incredible read. Brandy's work ethic even back then >

She proved herself to be a legend in the making.

Travis Payne: Brandy was very concerned about coming into rehearsals prepared. She wanted to be good at this; she was concerned about the art. I think it was very obvious to her how critical this opportunity in this role was for her, and for all black girls coming up behind her.

THIS HISTORY.

[Rxxf]

THIS ICONIC WOMAN...

[Sinpool]

It's a kii though cause there are some little kids who mistake her for Tiana.

I remember my friend telling me about his little Niece arguing him down that this was Tiana. 

[Rxxf]

It's a kii though cause there are some little kids who mistake her for Tiana.

I remember my friend telling me about his little Niece arguing him down that this was Tiana. 

[Sovereign.]

Producers cried seeing Brandy in the blue dress:

Debra Martin Chase: I?m sure I cried when I saw Brandy in the blue dress for the first time. Ellen did such an amazing job.

Robert Freedman: I remember being on the set, and all the sudden Brandy appeared at the top of the stairs of the palace in that gown, and I got so choked up. I?m sure I wasn?t the only one ? I?m choked up now just thinking about it.

Ellen Mirojnick: We did the sketch for that blue dress first. I knew that I wanted a peplum. I knew I wanted the shape of the shoulder and the bodice to be particular, and I knew I wanted the shape of the big, beautiful skirt. Those were the musts when I started draping it. I remember when she came in and tried it on for the first time, and it was heaven before me. I remember her swirling around, like you?d imagine Cinderella would. It was just a magic moment.

[Sovereign.]

Atlantic was the reason for their not being a soundtrack released:

Neil Meron: We all wanted to release an album. There is an album just about done and ready.

Paolo Montalban: Ah, the elusive soundtrack. The thing is gorgeous. I?ve heard it.

Craig Zadan: About a year before Whitney passed, I visited her in Atlanta. She confided in me that her favorite project in her career was "Cinderella," and that the heartbreak of her career was "Cinderella." It didn?t make sense to her that there was no album, she just couldn?t understand.

Neil Meron: There was a pissing match between Brandy?s label, Atlantic, and Whitney?s label, Arista.

Debra Martin Chase: It was Atlantic that didn?t want to do it. Clive Davis at Arista was like, "We should do it just because it?s so great. It just deserves to be released." He really tried to convince Atlantic, but Atlantic thought that it would hurt Brandy?s recording career. Because it was so poppy and mainstream, and they were really focused on selling her as an Urban artist.

Craig Zadan: We were so naive in the beginning, we thought it would work itself out. We couldn?t believe they dug their heels in like that.

Neil Meron: The two labels were never able to come to terms.

Craig Zadan: Whitney knew how important it was to everyone, and to her, especially. She was so proud of it. But no one would compromise, they were willing to stop an album from coming out just because they were playing this game of chicken with one another. It was tragic.

Neil Meron: Ted Chapin from Rodgers and Hammerstein Organization called me last week and he?s been talking to people about trying to get the album out, finally. It would have to be looked at to be remixed and mastered for 2017, but it?s basically done.