Posted on Wednesday, May 11, 2016

David Oyelowo, Lupita Nyong’o & Newcomer Madina Nalwanga Star in New Disney Film Set in Africa!

Hello World,

One of my favorite actors Golden Globe nominee David Oyelowo of “Selma” (check out my interview with him HERE) and the beautiful Academy Award-winning actress Lupita Nyong’o will share the silver screen in the new movie “Queen of Katwe,” which will debut on September 23!

For 10-year-old Phiona Mutesi (Madina Nalwanga) and her family, life in the impoverished slum of Katwe in Kampala, Uganda, is a constant struggle. Her mother, Harriet (Nyong’o), is fiercely determined to take care of her family and works tirelessly selling vegetables in the market to make sure her children are fed and have a roof over their heads. When Phiona meets Robert Katende (Oyelowo), a soccer player turned missionary who teaches local children chess, she is captivated. Chess requires a good deal of concentration, strategic thinking and risk taking, all skills which are applicable in everyday life, and Katende hopes to empower youth with the game. Phiona is impressed by the intelligence and wit the game requires and immediately shows potential. Recognizing Phiona’s natural aptitude for chess and the fighting spirit she’s inherited from her mother, Katende begins to mentor her, but Harriet is reluctant to provide any encouragement, not wanting to see her daughter disappointed. As Phiona begins to succeed in local chess competitions, Katende teaches her to read and write in order to pursue schooling. She quickly advances through the ranks in tournaments, but breaks away from her family to focus on her own life. Her mother eventually realizes that Phiona has a chance to excel and teams up with Katende to help her fulfill her extraordinary potential, escape a life of poverty and save her family.

Oscar (TM) winner Lupita Nyong’o and newcomer Madina Nalwanga in Disney’s QUEEN OF KATWE, the vibrant true story of a young girl from the streets of rural Uganda whose world rapidly changes when she is introduced to the game of chess. The powerful film, which also stars David Oyelowo and is directed by Mira Nair, will be released in U.S. theaters in September.

Directed by Mira Nair (“Monsoon Wedding”) from a screenplay by William Wheeler (“The Hoax”) based on the book by Tim Crothers, “Queen of Katwe” is produced by Lydia Dean Pilcher (“The Darjeeling Limited”) and John Carls (“Where the Wild Things Are”) with Will Weiske and Troy Buder serving as executive producers.

Below is the trailer for “Queen of Katwe!”

Follow “Queen of Katwe” on social media!

Facebook: www.fb.com/queenofkatwe

Twitter: @QueenOfKatwe

#QueenOfKatwe

Any thoughts?

Posted on Sunday, March 27, 2016

The Tankards’ ‘Thicker Than Water’ Season 3 Returns on Bravo TONIGHT: My Interview With Ben & Jewel Tankard…

Hello World,

After you’ve celebrated the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ with your family this Easter Sunday today, settle in tonight at 10 p.m. with some reality TV! Bravo Media’s larger-than-life Tankard family returns bolder than ever when Season 3 of “Thicker Than Water” premieres. Leading the charge are Ben and Jewel Tankard with their self-proclaimed “Black Brady Bunch” which includes Brooklyn, Britney, Benji, Cyrene, Marcus, with his wife, Tish, and their newborn son Micah.

This season, preacher and patriarch, Ben faces the stark reality that the Tankard household has become an empty nest and also realizes there are deep emotional wounds that need to be healed within the family, mainly between him and his eldest daughter Brooklyn. Embracing a new chapter in her life, Jewel prepares to welcome her grandchild and launch her very own nationally syndicated television talk show while trying to reconnect with Cyrene, who went to her freshman year of college meek and mild, but reemerged as a certified wild child. Meanwhile, Britney, healthier than ever, is unable to shake the notion that a baby is what’s missing most in her life and embarks on a journey to make her dreams of motherhood come true while Benji and Shanira eagerly await the arrival of their first child. Marcus plans to expand his ministry into Nashville but can’t hide his frustration with his family’s adamant criticism of his wife’s parenting skills.

From an eye-opening girls trip to Jewel’s hometown of Detroit to a traumatizing secret haunting Cyrene, it’s a season of breakthrough and transformation that forces the family to embrace each other and move forward to a place of joy and love. See my interview with Ben & Jewel Tankard about Season 3 of “Thicker Than Water” below:

1. How do you like being empty nesters?

Ben: I love my kids, and now that they’re pretty much all out it’s a challenge trying to keep everybody engaged and connected with each other so we won’t be like ships passing in the night so we know a little bit more about each other than what we see about each other on social media.

Are there any things that you’re looking forward to doing now that you are empty nesters that maybe you couldn’t quite pursue when you had the hustle and bustle of everyone around you?

Ben: Me and mama we gettin’ a whole lot more sexy on. (Laughter) C’mon tell ‘em about it Jewel.

Jewel: (Laughter) Yes, it’s definitely a whole lot more freedom there. It’s a whole other level of playfulness and creativity that I’m really enjoying in our marriage. And for Ben and I both, we are able to spread our wings and really do things we weren’t able to do before. I had my own talk show (The Jewel Tankard Show) on Impact last year. It was the first season, and I got signed for a second season. It was a lot of fun. I got the chance to interview some people that we really love and admire like David and Tamela Mann, Phaedra Parks, Tameka Raymond and the list goes on. We also covered some real heartfelt issues like overcoming molestation. We had some really great topics and great people. I wouldn’t have been able to do all of that before because we didn’t want to be gone from the home so much.

Is there a talk show host example that you want to emulate?

Jewel: I’m sure a lot of people feel this way, but I would have to say I definitely love Oprah. I think Oprah has done a phenomenal job at starting as talk show host but then continuing to evolve. She started the Oprah show, then behind the scenes with Oprah, then Lifeclass and now she owns a network. And she continues to improve herself personally, emotionally and then do the same thing for her viewership, and it’s been a whole journey. She is so much more than a talk show host. And I can really relate to that. I have a passion for women being financially educated. I have a Millionairess Club, and what we have done is insert some of my core values where finances are concerned in the talk show. And that has been very powerful because it fits my brand and what I believe perfectly.

2. Also, during this season, Benji is getting ready to be a father for the first time. Do you feel that Benji is ready to be a father?

Jewel: Ben has grown tremendously. I definitely had a lot of concerns, but I think you guys are really going to have the opportunity to see his process. He is very vulnerable and transparent, and I think it will be relatable for a lot of men.

3. And what are y’all concerned about as it relates to Tish’s s parenting skills?

Ben: (Laughter) This is her first time around, and I’m just having a ball just watching how engaged she is. I’ve said to her, ‘You’re going to break the boy in half. Let him have some breathing room!’ It became a competition between her and Shanira because Shanira is a couch quarterback. She hasn’t had the baby yet, but she’s making all of these assessments and saying how much better she is going to be than Tish. And we try to referee this debate between these two first-time moms. It is hilarious. I cannot wait until you guys see it!

4. Now, tell me about this girls trip to Detroit and what was so eye-opening about it.

Jewel: I think the fact that I opened up to my girls about my past in areas that I had not. And I think I was concerned for many years, probably like a lot of parents are, ‘I don’t walk to talk about that,’ or ‘That’s not good.’ But you know what? It was my truth. And I think I had to do it in order for us to go to the next level in our relationship. And I think it gave them a lot of insight into me like, ‘So that’s what was going on with you back in the day,’ and ‘that’s why you are so passionate about certain things.’ We had conversations that I had never had with them before.

I guess you can’t give a preview of what you hadn’t told them before?

Jewel: (Laughter) You have to watch.

Ben: It’s so funny watching the kids challenge Jewel on her behavior when that’s the same thing she’s challenging them on right now. So they’re like,‘Mom, how can you tell us not to smoke weed when you used to smoke weed? Or what about this, you did it?’ It is so hilarious to watch Jewel squirm this season.

5. Ben, I understand that you recently lost 40 pounds. How did you lose this weight?

Ben: I had to make a decision to let the doughnuts go. (Laughter) The devil is a liar! I had to stop the bread and the sweets, the late night eating out. I’ve always been an athlete and into working out. I would get up and go to the gym and play ball with my buddies, but then I’d leave there and go eat hamburgers and hot dogs and a lot of bread so I had to let the bread go and the sweets. I’d like to be as healthy as long as possible so I can enjoy these grandchildren.

6. Do you talk about your weight loss in your new book The Full Tank Life: Fuel Your Dreams, Ignite Your Destiny?

Ben: Absolutely. The Full Tank Life is all about being the best that you can be in every area. There is a section on inspiration, spiritual maturity. It’s an all-around self-help book including health.

7. During Season 1, you were criticized for being all about bling bling or being a prosperity gospel teacher. Do people still respond to you and the show that way now that you are in Season 3?

Ben: Oftentimes, if people don’t know you, they will make an assessment about you. And there were some parts of my testimony that got exposed in Season 1 when I said, ‘I’ve been poor. Now I’m rich. Rich is better.’ What people did not hear is that I used to be poor, but God has blessed me through my career to become successful and now I can be a blessing to other people therefore rich is better for me. What they heard was rich people are better than poor people. And so it went viral. But after people kept watching us and seeing that I don’t make my money from my ministry, I make my money from my music and my career and my talent, they fell in love with us. I have to say from the first season although we had a lot of negativity, it still worked out for our best because people were so mad they wanted to tune in to see who the heck are these Tankards. And then they fell in love with the family.

Below is a video snippet of Season 3:

Season 3 of “Thicker Than Water” premieres TONIGHT, March 27th at 10pm ET/PT on Bravo.

Any thoughts?

Posted on Thursday, March 3, 2016

WE TV’S Original Reality Series Mary Mary Returns For the Fifth Season TONIGHT! (See Exclusive Pics!)

Will You Be Watching?

Hello World,

Last season left audiences in limbo with Erica and Tina Campbell focusing on their individual careers…forcing Mary Mary into an indefinite hiatus. The sisters, now in direct competition with each other, are also feeling pressure to keep Mary Mary in the game…even if that means replacing a Mary! Tune in to season 5 of WE tv’s MARY MARY reality show, premiering Thursday, March 3 at 9PM ET/PT.

This season, Erica Campbell is at the top of her game having won a Grammy, Dove and Soul Train Award; meanwhile Tina’s solo career is on the rise. These, now, solo sisters have become accustomed to being at the top as part of the dynamic duo that is Mary Mary; however for the first time ever, they are competing for the same spot on the charts.

In the premiere episode, Warryn Campbell begins to feel pressure from Sony Records to deliver the next, long awaited, Mary Mary album. He immediately enlists Erica to help convince Tina that this is the right time to resurrect Mary Mary. Erica believes she has the perfect plan to get Tina on board; however, it may not be foolproof as Tina is solely focused on her solo effort and is finally seeing her hard work pay off. With success come countless responsibilities, leaving Tina feeling a bit overwhelmed. Her husband Teddy’s task of keeping her from breaking under the pressure proves to be more challenging than expected.

Former Mary Mary manager, Mitchell Solarek, has finally moved on from his tumultuous relationship with the Mary’s (If you missed my interview with Tina Campbell earlier this year, check out “Mitchell Solarek is NOT Tina Campbell’s Manager & More: My Interview With Mary Mary’s Tina Campbell”; and just when he thinks he made a clean break, his new client will only work with one producer…Warryn Campbell. With Warryn on the hook for a Mary Mary album will do everything he can to stay in Sony’s good graces; even if the result is making a deal with the devil and possibly recasting Mary Mary.

Can Mary Mary survive the pressures of Erica and Tina’s individual ventures and personal lives, or will their success be the demise of Mary Mary? Tune in to season 5 of WE tv’s MARY MARY, premiering TONIGHT at 9PM ET/PT.

WATCH A SNEAK PEEK OF SEASON 5!