Posted on Friday, March 27, 2015

Mary Mary: The Reunion…: Season 4, Episode 4 Recap…

Hello World, (Since recaps are so popular, and I’m a writer, I decided to try to recap a show…Lemme know how I did too!)

Now that Empire and How to Get Away With Murder have been removed from my weekly TV watching schedule, I have some brain space available to take in more drama and high jinks. I had said that I wasn’t going to watch Mary Mary’s reality show after their personal and professional lives nearly imploded last season (read my open letter), but I changed my mind. I’m a sucker for love plus I’m nosy. Tina, like the forgiving Lord that we serve, opted to forgive Teddy for his philandering ways and renewed their vows in beautiful outdoor garden ceremony in front of their family and friends…

Bridal Bliss?

But as you know, there is always going to be a snake in paradise. Touch your neighbor and say, “Paradise doesn’t come without a snake.” (Unless, you’re in Heaven, of course.) This is where this week’s episode begins. Tina, who has been hypnotized by love and forgiveness, invited Mary Mary’s former manager Mitch Solarek, who Mary Mary fired on their show last season and responded by suing them, to her wedding ceremony. But instead of playing nice, he takes the opportunity to slither up to Erica and basically ask her if she is going to get jealous when Tina, who has always had the most dynamic stage presence he adds, gets her solo career going and gets bigger than her. Once Erica tells her husband Warryn and her sister Goo, Mary Mary’s stylist, about his shenanigans, Goo confronts Mitch, saying his actions were “ugly and foul” and that it “was very Mitch of you.” Gone Goo! ( Y’all know what she really wanted to say, right?! We haven’t been saved foreva!) Rather than being Christian about it (or maybe he isn’t) and recognize that he was flat out wrong, he demeans her, saying she is not Mary Mary’s mediator nor attorney, just a stylist. I guess being their sister doesn’t count. She should have shown him the door wedding or not. Then he turns to the camera and says, “This not over. Let the games begin.”

Cut. Freeze Frame. And this is why I’m a double- minded reality television viewer especially since scripted shows are back on top again! One the one hand, I love the drama. On the other hand, I hate the drama. Was Mary Mary’s former manager who sued them invited to Tina’s wedding because she truly forgave him or was he invited to create some drama that I can write about? Don’t know. What do you think? Goo, Erica & Warryn, however, don’t tell what happened to Tina and Teddy, allowing them to continue on to their honeymoon in Maui, Hawaii blissfully unaware of any trouble on the horizon.

Meanwhile back at the ranch…

Warryn Campbell, one of the partners of My Block Records in L.A., is trying to launch the career of his younger sister Joi Starr. He is coaching her in the studio because she has an upcoming performance in Central Park in NYC. She asks him to come with her although he has promised Erica that the two of them will vacation in Cabo San Lucas. Joi claims he is “throwing her to the wolves” and convinces him to forego his vacation. He wonders if he can convince Erica that a vacay in NYC is just as relaxing as a vacay in Cabo. Ummm hmmm….

Don’t Go Chasing Waterfalls…

With THREE waterfalls backing them up, Tina and Teddy, who are perched atop rocks, literally sing to one another like they are a tropical and modern-day version of Lionel Richie and Diana Ross singing “Endless Love.” Somebody, choke me with a lei…Just kidding! I do believe in endless love…Apparently, they wrote and performed much of the music at their wedding and decide they should make an album of their wedding music…Okay, Lionel & Diana…

Vacaying/Working in NYC…

During Joi Starr’s (love her name by the way) rehearsal, Warryn’s business partner mentions that 7,000 people will be in Central Park for her performance and that it would be a perfect opportunity for Erica to perform in front of a new crowd, the R&B crowd. At first Warryn doesn’t agree, but then he gets on board and wanders if he can romance Erica enough to agree to work during their “vacation.” Not only has he booked a beautiful hotel room with a swanky outdoor terrace in the middle of the city, he hires a helicopter to whisk them over the city before they come back to a beautiful dinner on the terrace. (See if y’all would have let Pastor Dollar’s partners buy him that jet, Warryn could have borrowed the jet for all that! Just jokes World Changers 🙂 Church hugs 🙂 ) Feeling that Erica has been properly romanced, he asks her if she will be at the sound check for her sister-in-law. Like Warryn, she puts up a bit of fuss, but her ambition wins out and she performs at her sister-in-law’s concert…Wonder how Joi felt…stirring my tea…

I’s Mauiid Now…

This is from Teddy & Tina’s Instagram page…Apparently, folk had problems with Tina showing her stomach…If you can’t show your stomach on your honeymoon with your hubby, when can you show it?

Tina is back from Maui and feels like she is a superwoman. (Hawaii will do that to ya. That’s where I went on my honeymoon too.) Not only does she want to record an R&B love and wedding album with her hubby, she also wants to get back to Mary Mary and volunteers to be their manager since they are Mitch-less. Not to mention the fact that she is writing a book. The only problem is the other Mary. Erica is not trying to hear it after Tina was the one who put the group on hold in the first place when her marriage hit the rocks. (And now they singing on rocks…lol…)Erica also brings up the fact that Tina has been messing with Mary Mary’s money since before her marriage was in trouble being late and flaky about performances… “You’ve been kicking me to the curb for a lot of years.” Erica discusses the dilemma with Goo, and Goo says she is being selfish but she should “pray and fast” for direction.

Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary?

Prayer must have worked fast because while driving in L.A., Erica calls her sister to tell about her decision. When she gets Tina’s voice mail, she says, “It’s on. Let’s get Mary Mary back together.” Warryn doesn’t think Mary Mary should get back together right now and gives Erica the gas face when she tells him she that is what she is going to do before they go to bed one night. When that doesn’t work, he tells her throat is going to break down being singing for herself and for Mary Mary. Erica shuts him down. “My God is a healer. My throat aine going to break down.” Foreshadowing perhaps? I don’t know…Guess we will have to see what happens during the next episode….

Sidebar: Warryn & Erica’s art deco home though…I don’t know too many Christians living like that…somebody pass the offering plate one mo gain for me please 🙂

So how did I do?

Any thoughts?

Posted on Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Why Mary Mary May Need To Get Off Reality TV…My Open Letter to Erica & Tina Campbell

Dear Mary Mary,

I’m a big fan of reality TV…In fact, earlier this year, I interviewed Real Housewives of Atlanta’s Mama Joyce about her increasingly volatile relationship with her daughter Kandi Burruss over her her fiance’ Todd Tucker, a production manager, whom Kandi met on the show…

I’m a big fan of Mary Mary, I interviewed the two of you at the Atlanta premiere of your reality show when the show debuted in March 2012. After watching the first show at the premiere, I was excited to see what was going to unfold…During that first episode, the two of you questioned aloud if y’all could balance two husbands, six (now seven children as Tina was pregnant then) a thriving career in the spotlight and capture it all on your new reality show…

Two years later, we all know the answer to that question is a straight up “No!” In the beginning of the show, the drama was rather benign for a reality show – drama with your manager Mitchell Solarek and your sister (their stylist Goo-Goo Atkins) over a wardrobe choice and mommy guilt over opting to perform at Macy’s Great Christmas Tree Lighting concert on Thanksgiving Day in Atlanta rather than spend the holiday with your families…But now in this season, we have learned that your husband (Tina Campbell’s husband Teddy) cheated on you. However, you take some of the responsibility for his transgression and are committed to making you marriage work…

In an interview with CNikky.com, you said, “I Tina assume full responsibility for the issues that I contributed to the relationship. I was controlling, talked too much. And you can never be heard over me because when I wanna talk I got the floor and ain’t nobody gonna get it from me until I give it up. Real talk. That was the way it was and I have to work on myself. You know what I mean? I was selfish. When we started having children it’s like, I forget that I have a responsibility as a wife.”

I applaud you Tina for making that poignant statement because as I am learning as a new wife (seven months to be exact), you have to take care of your man and you can’t be loud-talking your man all of the time and expect him to stay around…I know some of my liberated lonely ladies are gonna show out when they read this…And if in fact, you were criticized for taking some of the responsibility for her husband’s cheating…But any woman who has been married for any length of time knows the truth I’m speaking or writing in this case…

But based on what is going to unfold in this week’s episode of “Mary Mary,” it seems that Teddy may be owning up to “countless affairs!” SCREECH…Hold up cuz I need to get off the bus…There is a difference between cheating and being a downright philanderer…And we’re supposed to watch the televised unraveling of your marriage all in the name of entertainment? Not to mention the fact that we learn in this season that you fire your manager on the show…And now he is actually suing you, claiming he is owed wages and commission…You (Erica) is recording on your own…And most grievous of all is the passing of the your father Eddie Atkins from cancer…Yes, this all makes for riveting reality television but reality TV is a ravenous beast eager to devour all in its path…sound familiar Christians? For my non-believers, check out 1 Peter 5:8…

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

Yes, reality TV is a kind of devil…In the fascinating and illuminating article, “Scott’s suicide reveals tragic side of city’s glitzy scene” in the New York Post, Maureen Callahan writes about the recent suicide of Mick Jaggers’s girlfriend L’Wren Scott who was also a stylist to the stars but seemingly had no one to turn to in her despair despite the glamorous life she seemed to lead…Callahan blamed reality TV for glorifying wealth when many reality TV stars are actually struggling financially and destroying the personal lives of its stars…

“Over the franchise’s eight-year lifespan, 12 Real Housewives have filed for bankruptcy, one has been evicted on camera, several have battled substance-abuse issues, one couple has pleaded guilty to fraud in federal court, one husband has been indicted for fraud and identity theft, and one husband has committed suicide.”

Those numbers speak for themselves…As I watched the most recent episode of “The Real Housewives of Atlanta,” it was nearly painful to watch the strained relationship between Attorney Phaedra Parks and her husband Apollo Nida…She seemed to be tolerating him just for the sake of the cameras and his passive-aggressive behavior was embarrassing…Since this show was filmed before it was revealed that he was indicted for fraud and identity theft, that may have been the reason for their obvious disdain for one another… Yes, I know that reality television can provide an awesome platform…Kandi Burruss has reportedly said RHOA has enabled her to broaden her financial empire…But at what cost? Bottom line: As Christians, we cannot do things like the world and expect different results…That principle is made clear in Romans 12:2…

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but be a new and different person with a fresh newness in all you do and think. Then you will learn from your own experience how his ways will really satisfy you.

I’m sure you have your personal relationship with God so I’m sure that God is leading you where you should go in your lives, but as a fellow Christian on the journey to heaven, I’m just sayin’….Right now, you have something to save, but only God knows what will happen in another season…In fact, Tia and Tamara ended their reality show after three seasons…

And if you were wondering, I will always be a fan because God has obviously given you a beautiful music minstry…But I would prefer to only see Mary Mary, the gospel duo, rather than “Mary Mary,” the reality television casualty….

In Christian Love With Church Hugs 🙂 ,

Jackie

Posted on Wednesday, September 4, 2013

ReShonda Tate Billingsley’s ‘Let the Church Say Amen’ Premieres at MegaFest 2013!!!

Hello World,

ReShonda Tate Billingsley, Regina King, Hosea Sanchez & Brely Evans at the premiere…

Bishop T.D. Jakes’ MegaFest 2013 in Dallas is making headlines from Tyler Perry laying hands on the bishop AND donating $1 million to help build a youth center to mega artists Jennifer Hudson, Erica Campbell, Joe and more performing at the Women of Purpose concert!

Aside from these fantastic events, it was also the premiere of “Let the Church Say Amen,” a movie based on the best-selling novel by ReShonda Tate Billingsley, which was featured as a part of the First Annual International Faith & Family Film Festival at MegaFest 2013 ! As a fellow author, I am truly inspired by ReShonda’s success, and I wanted to highlight her achievement here. Below is a summary of the movie.

The audience watching “Let the Church Say Amen.”

Twenty-one-year-old Rachel Jackson (Naturi Naughton) is a wayward preacher’s kid who is struggling to pull her life together. With a six-year-old son out of wedlock and a high school diploma, Rachel’s mission in life is to marry her son’s father in order to forge a traditional and respectable family and regain her father’s respect.

LET THE CHURCH SAY AMEN is a powerful journey through one family’s trials and tribulations and a remarkable story of reconciliation and love. This two-hour movie of the week will be a BET Premiere Cinema event starring Steve Harris, Naturi Naughton, Lela Rochon, Hosea Sanchez and Collins Curtis Pennie. The film is Executive produced by Reina King and co-produced by Queen Latifah, Shakim Compere, Shelby Stone, Roger Bobb and Regina King who is also making her directorial debut. LET THE CHURCH SAY AMEN is a BET Networks, Royal Ties and Flavor Unit Production.

Below is my interview with ReShonda! Check it out!

1. As a fellow author, when you wrote your book “Let the Church Say Amen,” did you ever dream that it could be made into a movie? When I first start writing, I don’t do it with a movie in mind, but of course, like many authors, I dream for all of them to be on the big screen. It just doesn’t play a role in my writing process.

2. And for my fellow authors and dreamers out there, how did this movie come to be? By being nice. I know that sounds like a cliché but I bought a book for a woman who didn’t have enough money for a book. She gave it to her sister who worked for an airport bookstore. One day, Juanita Bynum was in that store and the sister convinced Rev. Bynum to buy my book. Long story short, she did, loved it and got in touch with me to ask my permission to take it to Hollywood. The journey to where I am today was a long one, as we’ve had several delays over the years, funding issues, and normal “movie delays.” But Regina King, who was set to direct the movie and her sister/business partner Reina King, believed in the project and kept fighting for it. Eventually, they partnered with Queen Latifah’s Flava Unit and got a deal with BET, who was getting into original programming. They bought four of my other novels, including “Everybody Say Amen,” “Say Amen, Again,”and “I Know I’ve Been Changed.”

3. How is the movie different from your book or did the movie match what happened in your book? As with all novels that are made into movies, you will see a condensed version of my novel. Many people don’t know this, but they take a 300-400 page novel and shrink it to about 90 pages, so a lot of things have to go. Although there are a few key changes, they definitely captured the essence of the book.

4. What has been the most surprising experience you’ve had as you watched your words being turned into a movie? The most surprising experience I would have to say is that they let me be a part of it from beginning to end. When production companies buy your novel, you sign the contract and receive your check, which is normally where the communications stop. It is rare that they let an author be involved, so I am extremely blessed to be involved behind the scenes, and on camera. Yes, I also have a small part in the movie…yes, a speaking part. But perhaps the best feeling was watching the crowd reaction at the recent screening of the movie. I had seen the movie, but watching it with a crowd, that loved it, made me feel …. Full.

5. I know you probably can’t pick favorites, but what actor in the movie is your favorite and why? And if you don’t want to answer that, how have the actors brought your story to life in a way that you haven’t thought about before? What was it like to work with Regina King? Oh, my God, I can’t. For real, because they were all phenomenal. I couldn’t have asked for a better cast! Each actor brings their own flavor to make their character come to life. And to see the passion and commitment they brought to the roles meant the world. It’s like each person chosen was meant for that role. Casting director Robbie Reed did an AMAZING job. And Regina, I simply love her. Both her and her sister. They made sure that I was not only included, but happy with the direction of the story and the characters. I was a fan of Regina before. But just based on her on-screen work. Now, it’s how she is off-screen that has made me a fan for life.

6. How was your film chosen to be screened at MegaFest, and is this the first time the film has been shown to an audience? What did you think? What did the audience think? It was chosen to be screened at MegaFest because of T.D. Jake’s relationship with BET. BET believes in this project and worked with him to make it the official television entry at the festival. This was the first time it was shown to an audience. Seeing it for the first time on the big screen was priceless. I’ve never been so excited and proud. (I only wished my mom could have been sitting in the audience watching.) The audience, which was a seating capacity of 800 people, was full and we had to turn away hundreds of people. They loved it. They laughed, cried and gave a standing ovation when it was over. It was the highlight of my literary career. (That, and winning the NAACP Image Award in 2012)

7. What’s next for the movie? And also, besides this current movie, which book would you like to see made into a movie next and why? I don’t have an actual release date yet. They’re still working out the details because there is the possibility that it could go to the big screen (say a prayer, y’all). Once I know, I’ll make sure all my readers know as well. As I said earlier, I would love to see all my books made into a movie. But honestly, if I had to pick, my top three would be “The Secret She Kept,” “Holy Rollers,” and “I Know I’ve Been Changed.”

Also, please share anything else you would readers to know! I would like to thank all my readers for their continued support and I urge them to follow me on facebook at reshondatatebillingsley and on Twitter at Reshondat so we can keep them updated on the movie.

Any thoughts?