Category Archives: Celebrity Interviews

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Meagan Good’s new hubby DeVon Franklin reveals he was celibate for over 10 years…

Hello World,

The more I discover about DeVon Franklin, vice president of production for Columbia Pictures, author “Produced By Faith: Enjoy Real Success Without Losing Your True Self and most recently and actress Meagan Good’s new hubby, the more I admire him. I was introduced to him first through his awesome book which is actually his testimony and then I interviewed him for MOVIEGUIDE. If you have not read my interview, please check out my story “Faith is This Movie Executive’s ‘Competitive Edge.'”

In a recent interview with GlobalGrind.com, Franklin, 33, who is also a preacher, revealed that prior to marrying Good in June, he was celibate for over 10 years…Below is the video and a quote from the video…

“The thing I couldn’t do which was eating me apart, going back to this idea of being whoever God created you to be. Sometimes we want to be this person at home, this person in the office, this person at church and then we get our lines mixed up. And trying to be different people to different situations, it tears you apart. So what was happening with me is that I would go and preach one thing but then I was living another, and I could not do it. I could not look at myself in the mirror. I’m like, no, I can’t live like this, so I had to stop and say, ‘You know what, until I get married, [sex is] off the table.'”

What a testimony! And I’m so glad he was willing to share that “intimate detail.” It seems that most men believe it is impossible to be celibate for any length of time…Obviously, Franklin, who was and is likely surrounded by some of the most beautiful women in the world in Hollywood, is an example that long-term celibacy is possible. And now he is married to Good, who is considered one of the most beautiful actresses in Hollywood…Take note fellas…

In other Black Christian in Hollywood news, it is no secret that Tamera Mowry-Housley of “Tia & Tamera,” the reality show on the Style Network, and her new hubby Adam Housley were celibate before getting married last year. In fact, I blogged about in “Re-Virgins Get No Love…”   However, in a recent interview with Ebony.com, Tamera, who is now pregnant with their first child, shared about why she had to say no to “missionary dating.”

 I tried the ‘missionary dating’ [in the past] where you have a person with a great heart who you think is perfect and wonderful except for this one important area that you try to change. That’s unfair to that person. That person needs to be who they are 100%. And it’s unfair to you. You don’t want to drag somebody to church with you. My husband wakes up on Sundays and says ‘Hey, are we going to church today?’ It just makes [waiting] all worthwhile. I dated guys who did not share those same beliefs and it was hard. There were many nights of heartbreak and crying, and that’s not what God wants for us.

Amen sister! I have firsthand knowledge of “missionary dating.” It is no fun to try to convince your guy, who may be a great guy in every other way, to get his behind in church on a Sunday morning….And I too have experienced a lot of heartbreak and crying over this…To read the entire interview, go to [INTERVIEW] Tia and Tamera on Marriage and Motherhood on Ebony.com.

And DeVon Franklin and Tamera Mowry-Housley are not the only black Christians in Hollywood that share openly about their Christian faith. Cee Cee Michael Floyd, who was once a staron the UPN hit comedy “Girlfriends” and is now a minister, was celibate for 10 years and 9 months before marrying to Rev. Wilbert Floyd last year. If you would like to read her entire testimony, which is awesome, you have to get a copy of my book After the Altar Call: The Sisters’ Guide to Developing a Personal Relationship With God, which is now available on Amazon Kindle! You can also read an excerpt there!  (Y’all know I had to plug my book too 🙂 )

Any thoughts?

 

 

 

 

 


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Black Christians Making an Impact in Hollywood…

Hello World,

As you can probably tell by this blog, I’m a big entertainment and overall media junkie! My love for the entertainment world started as a child and although I am almost 40 years old (GASP), I still read my celebrity gossip magazines, try to see all of the hottest films and stay abreast of all pop culture trends…At times, my interest in entertainment and all media has conflicted with my faith as Christians are charged to focus on “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things.” (Philippians 4:8) People who get to know me are surprised that I can quote popular rap songs as easily as I can quote Scripture…

However, in recent years, I have noticed that more and more Black Christians are committed to creating compelling and actually good entertainment outside of Gospel music and nowhere is this more apparent than in Hollywood…I’m loving how Bishop T.D. Jakes is making an impact in Hollywood from producing “Jumping the Broom” (the main character Sabrina Watson decides to forego premarital sex after one too many failed relationships with the wrong men) to writing the story for the recently released “Woman, Thou Art Loosed: On the Seventh Day” to producing the upcoming “Sparkle,” which features Whitney Houston’s final screen performance…

DeVon Franklin, vice president of production for Columbia Pictures, shared his faith in Christ through his awesome book/testimony “Produced By Faith: Enjoy Real Success Without Losing Your True Self.” And I actually got the chance to interview him about his book and life as a Black Christian in Hollywood. Check out my interview here! Also, I wasn’t aware that Meagan Good is a Christian until recently, but I have come across quite a few articles in which she only expresses her faith. And she is currently starring in “Think Like A Man,” which reportedly grossed over $33 million on its opening weekend (last weekend) and is no. 1 at the U.S. box office! I saw the movie last weekend, and I really enjoyed it! (Sidebar: I adored Good in “Eve’s Bayou!”, and I watched it again last weekend.) And incidentally, DeVon Franklin and Meagan Good recently announced their engagement! Congrats to them!

Good recently ministered to some girls in the FEARLESS Girls Club (a youth empowerment program for high school girls) and told them how her faith has sustained her, particularly as she has been taking care of her family financially since she was 14 years old. Apparently, some of the girls have seriously considered suicide and Good as well as Bre’ly Evans, an actress who appears in “Sparkle” shared their testimonies with the girls. Check out the video below.

I’m sooo excited that Black Christians in Hollywood are opening up about their faith and making a real impact as well…And I’m not even mentioning Tyler Perry, Kim Fields and others…This is sooo right on time…

Any thoughts?

 

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Too Soon? Oprah interviews Bobbi Kristina & Family…

Hello World,

I plan to have a box of Kleenex at my side as I watch “Oprah’s Next Chapter” on OWN this Sunday…a month to the day that beloved music icon Whitney Houston passed away, Oprah will air her interview with Bobbi Kristina, Whitney Houston’s daughter; Gary Houston, Whitney Houston’s older brother; and his wife Patricia Houston, who was Whitney Houston’s manager….The family “addresses the rumors and speculation surrounding Houston’s death” according to Oprah.com  The interview will air at 9 p.m. /8 p.m. CST. (According to the AJC, Oprah flew to Atlanta to interview them…)

While I am eager to hear their thoughts on Whitney’s untimely death, I wonder is it too soon for them to be speaking publicly about it all…Have they even had the time to process it all much less speak to the masses about it…

What say you? Will you be watching? It is too soon?

Any thoughts?