An all-star team of top women in entertainment have teamed
to make “With This Ring,” a Lifetime Original Movie premiering Saturday, Jan. 24. Jill Scott, Regina Hall and Eve Jeffers
Cooper star as three single friends who make a pact to get married within a
year after attending their best friend’s wedding. The romantic comedy is based
on the best seller “The Vow” by Denene Millner, Angela Burt-Murray and Mitzi
Miller.
This Sony Pictures Television production, written and
directed by Nzingha Stewart (“Pretty Little Liars,” “The Fosters”), boasts a supporting cast of Brooklyn Sudano (“My
Wife and Kids”), NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, Stephen Bishop (“Being Mary
Jane”), Jason George (“Grey’s Anatomy”) and Brian White.
Executive producers Tracey Edmonds (“Jumping the Broom”), Gabrielle
Union (“Top Five”) in her first producing role and Sheila Ducksworth (“Soul
Food”) can deservedly take their bows.
OUT THE BOX: D’Angelo, riding the wave of his surprise
critically acclaimed album “Black Messiah,” will continue to go against the grain by heading overseas
with his first concert tour to support the release. However, it’s been learned that before he
hits the road, he’ll do an appearance on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” on Jan. 31
and one U.S. show at the Apollo Theatre on Feb. 7. That date will be notable as he was first
discovered during Amateur Night at the famed Harlem venue.
TASTY QUIP: "They still trying to get that script
right. I'm not doing a 'Beverly Hills Cop' unless they have a really incredible
script. I've read a couple things that look like they can make some paper. But
I'm not doing a shitty movie just to make some paper. The shit got to be
right." - EDDIE MURPHY to Rolling Stone
BE THERE: The Black Association of Documentary Filmmakers
West (BAD West) will present Michael Phillip Edwards’ “Haunted Jamaica” as part
of their monthly St. Clair Bourn free screening program on Mon, Jan. 26. It
kicks off at 7 p.m. at the Mayme Clayton Library & Museum in Culver City. Edwards will do a Q&A after the
screening. Refreshments, jerk chicken wings and salad will be served.
CLIPPETTES: With WGN’s Underground Railroad series already
in development, comes news that NBC plans to do a mini-series on the subject
with Stevie Wonder on board as an Executive Producer and hopefully composer of
a Broadway bound spin-off of the material…
Disney’s “Queen Of Katwe,” a film about young African chess
star Phiona Mutesi, is hoping to get Lupita Nyong’o and David Oyelowo on
board…
Keke Palmer is segueing from Broadway’s “Cinderella” to
Fox’s “Scream Queens,” a creep fest show coming this fall from Ryan Murphy
(“American Horror Story”). Lea Michele (“Glee”), Jamie Lee Curtis (“Halloween”),
Joe Manganiello (“True Blood”) and Ariana Grande will be joining her…
Meanwhile, almost everything old is new again at Fox as the
network is considering bringing back “The X Files,” “Prison Break,” and a Jack
Bauer lite “24”…
TLC (Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas & Tionne “T-Boz Watkins)
are turning to Kickstarter for funding of their next and “final” album, their
first without the late Lisa “Left-Eye” Lopes…
Mariah Carey announced on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” that
she’ll be the latest superstar to do a residency at Caesars Palace in Las
Vegas…
AOL has announced adding “That's Racist With Mike Epps,“ a 10-episode series, to their 2015 slate
beginning Jan. 26 for the first five installments and March 2 for the rest...
Miki Howard returns to the Catalina Bar & Grill (6725 W.
Sunset Blvd) on Jan. 23 & 24 to perform her hits and selections from her
new EP “Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blues,”
some of which was recorded live during her last visit to the venue…
B.J. Britt, whose Agent Triplett character was killed in the
mid-season finale of "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.," still has
BET's "Being Mary Jane" returning Feb. 3rd…
TASTY QUIP: “If I were accused of something I didn’t do, you
couldn’t shut me up about proclaiming my innocence. I’d be all over the place, lawyered up, trying
to sue people for slander. That’s defamation of character. I think his silence is speaking volumes. I also think we don’t know Bill Cosby. We
know Heathcliff Huxtable. I never
thought he would’ve cheated on Camille ever, yet he made a child and I was shocked
about that! It’s a trip because Bill Cosby is a good looking man. He didn’t
have to drug anybody. Like I’d have gave him some. It’s not about the sex, it’s about the
control. Unfortunately predators come in all packages.” – LUENELL to TASTY
CLIPS
TC ON TV: JAN 27 – “Real Husbands of Hollywood” (BET):
Season Finale!
JAN 28 – “Empire” (FOX): It’s already been renewed for a
second season. Look for both Snoop Dogg
and Foxy Brown to appear soon.
JAN 29 – “Scandal” (ABC): Exactly what happened when Jake
went to the bedroom? Who took Olivia and where did she go? The series returns
to show all from Olivia's point of view.
"How to Get Away with Murder" (ABC): The wait is over!
JAN 30 – “Wendy Williams Show
(SYN): Congrats for reaching her 1000th episode!
TASTY QUIP: “Will Smith plays globally. Denzel plays
globally. When studios do their formula for budgets a big part of that is what
it’s going to make internationally, so automatically when people believe in
this mantra that “black doesn’t sell overseas,” you’re going to get less money
for your budget. But if you go through the numbers, you’ll see plenty of
Caucasian-American actors that don’t travel well overseas, too. A lot of white
actors don’t pass Denzel, Will Smith, or Samuel L. Jackson overseas, so this
myth that we don’t travel? I don’t believe it.” - SPIKE LEE to The Daily Beast