Category Archives: Pop Culture

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OWN’s ‘Greenleaf’ to RETURN in JUNE, Zora Greenleaf (Really Lovie Simone) Stars in ‘Selah and The Spades’

Lovie Simone stars in SELAH AND THE SPADES
Photo: Courtesy of Amazon Studios

Hello World,

Y’all, at long last, I saw THIS on Facebook:

The return of our favorite show was announced with one word!!! Yes!!! I mean, we have been waiting since November 2019 to find out what’s going on. If you need to refresh yourself about what happened on the last episode in November, click HERE.

However, members of the cast continue to branch out in other productions so we have something to occupy us until June.  Lovie Simone is starring in a new movie “Selah and The Spades.” The Amazon original movie “Selah and The Spades” is coming to Amazon Prime Video this Friday on April 17.

Selah And The Spades

Below is a synopsis:

In the closed world of an elite Pennsylvania boarding school, Haldwell, the student body is run by five factions. Seventeen-year-old Selah Summers (Lovie Simone) runs the most dominant group, the Spades, with unshakable poise, as they cater to the most classic of vices and supply students with coveted, illegal alcohol and pills.

Tensions between the factions escalate, and when Selah’s best friend/right hand Maxxie (MOONLIGHT’s Jharrel Jerome) becomes distracted by a new love, Selah takes on a protégée, enamored sophomore Paloma (Celeste O’Connor), to whom she imparts her wisdom on ruling the school. But with graduation looming and Paloma proving an impressively quick study, Selah’s fears turn sinister as she grapples with losing the control by which she defines herself.

In her feature debut, writer/director Tayarisha Poe immerses us in a heightened depiction of
teenage politics. This searing character study encapsulates just how intoxicating power can be for a teenage girl who acutely feels the threat of being denied it. Exciting newcomer Lovie Simone’s performance beautifully embodies both Selah’s publicly impeccable command and the internal fears and uncertainty that drive it.

Below is a brief interview with Lovie Simone:

How did you become involved with this project?

I read the script and was interested so I sent a few self-tapes and then met with Tayarisha over a FaceTime call — she had family members who watched my show Greenleaf. We talked about the movie and I wound up auditioning for both Selah and Paloma.

What interested you in the character of Selah?

I wanted to play Selah because you see how power is handled in her hands. Whoever handles power in a story changes the whole story. The fact that she is a young black teenage girl changes the entire game — you see the extremes Selah goes through to hold onto her power, it’s very eye opening.

What interested you in Haldwell in terms of the setting?

With boarding school comes a lot of freedom. We don’t see teenagers who aren’t in college having that much freedom, so I thought it was cool to experience that through these characters. I also liked the fact there were so many black kids in this very prestigious boarding school — it was different from my own high school experience, where I was the only black female in my class. I also really liked that Selah was the top dog of this underdog faction within Haldwell.

Below is a trailer:

Any thoughts?

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Bishop T.D. Jakes Teases Season 2 of ‘The Gospel!”

Hello World,

Last year, Bishop T.D. Jakes and Marquis Boone launched  a platform for up-and-coming gospel artists while inspiring viewers through their faith-filled musical performances.  “The Gospel” chronicled 10 days with eight episodes as contestants competed for a national management contract with Bishop T.D. Jakes’ Dexterity Sounds and Marquis Boone Music Group.

Contestants were discovered via recordings submitted on social media and through the Bishop’s Village platform. Mentors, including Micah Stampley, Jekalyn Carr, Q Parker, Devyne Stephens and more helped mold them into polished performers. Each week, viewers subscribed to Bishop’s Village had the chance to vote and select the winner of the artists’ weekly challenge. At the end, Bishop T.D. Jakes and Marquis Boone selected Yolanda DeBerry (stage name “Yoli”) as the winner of the competition gospel show.

But this year, will the competition be focused on pastors? I’m just asking because of Bishop’s teaser. Check it out below and let me know what you think.

Any thoughts?

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2.7 Million Total Viewers Watch Lifetime’s ‘The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel!’

Hello World,

Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! The Lifetime Original Movie The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel hit a high note on Saturday night, delivering 2.7 million Total Viewers in L+SD, according to Nielsen Media Research, making it Lifetime’s highest-rated movie since 2016 and the strongest original movie on all of television for 2020 across key demos, including both broadcast and cable! Additionally, The Clark Sisters was the best ad-supported cable original movie since 2018 in key demos, with 1.1 million Adults 25-54, 905,000 Adults 18-49 and 813,000 Women 25-54. With the success of The Clark Sisters, Lifetime now claims the top three original movies on ad-supported cable in 2020 in key demos, along with “Stolen By My Mother: The Kamiyah Mobley Story” and “Chris Watts: Confessions of a Killer.”

On social media, #TheClarkSisters ranked #1 across all TV on April 11 with over 700,000 interactions, according to Nielsen Social. #TheClarkSisters was the top social Lifetime movie over the last year.

None of these metrics surprise me because I LOVED the movie! In fact, I loved the character of Dr. Mattie Moss Clark so much, I wrote this Facebook post:

Attention “This Is Us” writers room, I want a Dr. Mattie Moss Clark – like character to be friends with older Rebecca. I need her to wear the same glasses and be just as ornery (although hilarious at the same time) as she was in “The Clark Sisters” movie. Also, I want her to be portrayed by Aunjanue Ellis because clearly her acting skills have been underestimated until now…

Below is one of my favorite scenes from the movie:

Did you have a favorite scene? What was it?

Hailing from executive producers Queen Latifah, Mary J. Blige and Missy Elliott, The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel recounts the story of the legendary pioneers of contemporary gospel music and their trailblazing mother, Mattie Moss Clark (Aunjanue Ellis). Credited with bringing Gospel music to the mainstream, the five Clark sisters (Christina Bell as “Twinkie,” Kierra Sheard as “Karen,” Raven Goodwin as “Denise,” Sheléa Frazier as “Dorinda,” Angela Birchett as “Jacky”) overcame humble beginnings in Detroit, enduring abuse, loss, rejection, betrayal, and sibling rivalries to achieve international fame as icons of the Gospel music industry.

Grammy-winner, songwriter and gospel record producer and artist Donald Lawrence produced all the re-recorded Clark Sister hits for the movie. Christine Swanson (Chicago P.D.) directed, based on a script written by Sylvia L. Jones and Camille Tucker. In addition to Latifah, Blige, and Elliott, executive producers also include Holly Carter who also executive produces for Relevé Entertainment and Shakim Compere executive produces for Flavor Unit. Loretha Jones also executive produced.

Any thoughts?