Jill Scott is coming to The Voice. She is going to serve as a mentor for Team Usher. The Voice returns to NBC Monday, February 24th with Blake Shelton, Adam Levine, Shakira and Usher. This is going to be a busy year for Scott. She is also appearing the new James Brown bio-pic Get On Up.
Bobbi Kris, the 20-year old daughter of the late Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown wants to be a pop star like her mom. Bobbi Kris is being mentored by Mariah Carey and American Idol’s Randy Jackson. Does she have the chops to carry on her mother’s tradition? Houston remains one of the greatest singers of our time, and she was following in the footsteps of her mother, Cissy Houston.
Diahann Carroll has dropped out of the Broadway revival of A Raisin In The Sun. Carroll, 78, was supposed to star opposite Denzel Washington in the legendary production, but she pulled out citing the heavy work load was too much. Carroll is being replaced by Actress LaTanya Richardson, who is married to Samuel L. Jackson. There was a lot of excitement about Carroll returning to Broadway particularly after 80-year old Cicely Tyson won a Tony when she returned to the Great White Way in A Trip To Bountiful. Previews for A Raisin In The Sun with Denzel Washington and LaTanya Richardson start March 8th.
Actress Angela Bassett graces the cover of the latest edition of Ebony magazine.
In more Broadway news, Oprah Winfrey may be headed to the stage in a production of Night Mother with Tony Award Winner Audra McDonald (TV’s Private Practice). If all goes well, the show would open in 2015.
Speaking of Get On Up, Singer Ralph Tresvant has joined the cast, and will play another music legend in the film, the late Singer Sam Cooke. The movie opens in theatres this August. Tresvant Also in the cast are Jill Scott, Octavia Spencer, Viola Davis, Craig Robinson and Dan Aykroyd. Rolling Stones' Legend Mick Jagger is producing.
Wayne Brady will be hosting this year’s BET Honors. Scheduled honorees include The Queen Of Soul Aretha Franklin, Motown Founder and Broadway Impresario Berry Gordy and Rapper/Actor Ice Cube. There will be performances by Mariah Carey, Tamar Braxton, Smokey Robinson, Janelle Monae and Jennifer Hudson. The show airs February 24th on BET.
Meanwhile, Forest Whitaker & Oprah Winfrey (The Butler), Michael B. Jordan and Chiwetel Ejiofor are sharing the cover of the March issue of Essence magazine.
Anthony Anderson will be hosting The 45th Annual NAACP Image Awards airing February 22nd on its new home, TV ONE. Forest Whitaker will be one of the night’s biggest honorees. Some of the presenters include Lupita Nyong, Tyler Perry, Michael Ealy, Arsenio Hall and Gabrielle Union. The Image Awards honor achievement in TV, film, literature and music, to name a few. Some of the nominees include Tasha Smith (For Better Or Worse) up for Best Actress In A Comedy Series, and her twin sister Sidra Smith is up for Outstanding Documentary as producer of Free Angela And All Political Prisoners. The Real Husbands Of Hollywood and For Better Or Worse lead in nominations for TV, and 12 Years A Slave, Lee Daniels' The Butler, Fruitvale Station and The Best Man Holiday are all multi-nominees in film. Alicia Keys, “Uncle” Charlie Wilson, John Legend and Janelle Monae are multiple nominees in the music categories.
Dancing With The Stars is getting a new bandleader. Ray Chew, formerly of American Idol, will be there when season 18 kicks off March 17th. Chew is known for his work with Idol, Showtime At The Apollo and The BET Awards.
The Michael Jackson Estate is in trouble with the government. Did they cheat the I.R.S. by lying about the amount of money the estate has generated since The King Of Pop’s death in 2009? I hear the estate could be getting hit with a $702 million tax bill.
On Vanity Fair’s 20th annual Hollywood issue, it’s Julia Roberts, Idris Elba, Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years A Slave), Naomie Harris (Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom), Michael B. Jordan (Fruitvale Station), Chadwick Boseman (42 & Get On Up) and Lupita Nyong (12 Years A Slave), to name a few. Vanity Fair has come under fire in recent years for the lack of diversity in their previous Hollywood issue covers.
Will Smith will not be returning to the movie franchises Independence Day and Men In Black. New up and comer Michael B. Jordan (Fruitvale Station) is reported to be replacing Smith in the Independence Day sequel.
No more reality TV for Ice T and his wife CoCo. The husband and wife duo are teaming up with Ryan Seacrest to host a talk show.
Former NFL Player Terrell Owens is making headlines again. This time for a short lived marriage. Owens, now known more for his babymommas and financial struggles than his football career, is being accused by his soon to be former wife of using her for her good credit. He married Rachel Snider, a postal worker/waitress a couple of weeks ago. After two weeks, she filed for divorce. Apparently, Snider and Owens had been friends for years. But, when she realized there would be no sex with their marriage, she filed for divorce claiming he betrayed her and she was heartbroken. Friends of Snider claim Owens married her to secure a two million dollar loan for a new home he wanted. I wonder if he still making those child support payments to his four babymommas.
Writer/Director David E. Talbert's latest movie, Baggage Claim with Paula Patton, Derek Luke and Jill Scott, is now available on DVD. Check out these other DVD and Blu-Ray releases: Lee Daniels' The Butler, starring Forest Whitaker and Oprah Winfrey; Ryan Coogler's Fruitvale Station starring Michael B. Jordan; and 20 Feet From Stardom featuring famed lead and background singers Lisa Fischer and Darlene Love.
Scandal returns to ABC on February 27th.
Congrats to basketball superstar Michael Jordan and his wife Yvette Prieto. They are the proud parents of twin identical girls. The couple married in April. Jordan has three grown children from his first marriage to Juanita Jordan.
The life story of Darlene Love is coming to the OWN cable station. Love is the famed background singer and actress who got her due later in life. Love's book, My Name Is Love, details her life as a background singer for the stars including Bruce Springsteen, Elvis Presley, Tom Jones, Aretha Franklin and others. She was tied contractually to Music Legend Phil Spector, which delayed her career for many years. Love ventured into acting becoming famous for her role Danny Glover's wife in the Lethal Weapon movies. The book also discuses her love affair with Bill Medley of The Righteous Brothers. Love's story is also chronicled in the Academy Award nominated Documentary 20 Feet From Stardom. The Darlene Love movie will air on OWN later this year.
First Lady Michelle Obama will be joining Jimmy Fallon for his first week taking the late night reigns permanently from Jay Leno. The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon kicks off February 17th with Will Smith and U2.
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They always want to come back. This TV Personality divorced her hubby and took up with The Help. Well, it didn’t work out, and now she wants ex-hubby back. He said no cause he’s living it up right now, but can she change his mind?
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