Category Archives: Pop Culture

Posted on

NEW TRAILER: Jill Scott Stars in ‘Highway to Heaven’ Movie Reboot on Lifetime Nov. 6th With Barry Watson…

Hello World,

As someone who watched Highway to Heaven when I was growing up, I was particularly excited when I heard about this reboot (although I’m a bit perplexed about the whole reboot craze in general…aren’t there new ideas to explore?)! See the details below!

The Lifetime original movie Highway to Heaven, starring Grammy® Award winner Jill Scott and Barry Watson, is set to premiere on Saturday, November 6 at 8/7c. A “first look” trailer for the film has been released by the network in anticipation of the upcoming premiere.

A contemporary take on Michael Landon’s iconic 80s television series Highway to Heaven, the new movie follows Angela Stewart (Jill Scott), an angel who is sent back to earth to help others in need.  In the premiere movie, Angela takes on the role of a temporary school counselor and finds herself working alongside junior high school principal Bruce Banks (Barry Watson) as she intervenes in the lives of a troubled student Cody (Ben Daon), his father Jeff (Robert Moloney) and his aunt Vanessa (Victoria Bidewell), who are grieving the tragic loss of Cody’s mother, Melissa (Ashley Ross). As Angela seemingly works miracles with Cody, Bruce is stunned when he learns of the divine nature of Angela’s work. Just like the original series, Lifetime wishes to retain the same messages of hope and encouragement for its audience, while exploring social and emotional issues with sensitivity, joy, and humor.

The first movie installment of the Highway to Heaven series is produced by Rain Productions and Propagate for Lifetime.  Jonathan Baruch and Rob Wolken executive produce for Rain Productions; Ben Silverman, Howard T. Owens, Gregory Lipstone and Rodney Ferrell executive produce from Propagate; Howard Braunstein is executive producer; Jill Scott and Shawn Gee also executive produce. Stacey K. Black directs from an original script by executive producer/writer Cathryn Humphris and award-winning playwright Angelica Chéri. Cindy Landon and Wayne Lepff are executive producing on behalf of Michael Landon’s estate.

See the trailer below!

What do you think? Will you be watching? How do you feel about reboots?

Any thoughts?

Posted on

DeVon Franklin & Amazon Studios to Develop Romantic Comedy Based on Pastor Michael Todd’s New York Times Bestselling Book ‘Relationship Goals’

Hello World,

So far, I’ve enjoyed every film that movie producer DeVon Franklin has been associated with so I was truly excited when he announced that he along with Amazon Studios will be developing a romantic comedy based on Pastor Michael  Todd’s New York Times bestselling book Relationship Goals: How to Win at Dating, Marriage, and Sex. Below is the description of the book if you haven’t heard of it before today:

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A candid, inspiring guide to finding lasting love and sustaining a healthy relationship by getting real about your goals—based on the viral, multi-million-view sermon series about dating, marriage, and sex

“No matter where you are and no matter what stage of life you are in, Relationship Goals will be a game changer.”—Levi Lusko

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY COSMOPOLITAN

Realer than the most real conversation you’ve ever heard on the topic, Michael Todd’s honest, heartfelt, and powerful teaching on relationships has already impacted millions of people in all seasons of life around the world. Now, in Relationship Goals, Michael tells his own story of heartache and healing, unpacks explosive truths from God’s Word, and tells it to you straight to help you win at relationships in every part of your life.

Where did the idea for relationships come from in the first place? Does God really care who I hang out with? Is it even possible to avoid relational train wrecks? From his plan for intentional dating in the age of social media to handling break-ups well to doing family instead of just being in a family, Michael tackles the questions we all have about relational success.

As he candidly examines our most common pitfalls in relationships and the start-today ways to get past them, Michael helps you align your longings with God’s awesome desires for your life. Now, that’s a good relationship goal.

Michael Todd is the lead pastor of Transformation Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma. His driving passion is representing God to the lost and found for transformation in Christ. Michael speaks at a variety of influential churches, events, and conferences each year, including Elevation Church, C3 Conference, Lakewood Church, VOUS Conference, Relentless Church, XO Conference, and many others. Michael and his wife, Natalie, have been married since 2010 and live in Tulsa with their three children.

Below is DeVon’s announcement about the upcoming movie!

And click HERE to read the Deadline story!

Any thoughts?

Posted on

Deborah Joy Winans aka Charity Greenleaf from OWN’s ‘Greenleaf’ is Pregnant in Real Life!

Hello World,

While Charity Greenleaf’s pregnancy and motherhood was a major source of drama on OWN’s Greenleaf, Deborah Joy Winans, the actress who portrayed her, had yet to experience pregnancy and motherhood. In fact, I asked her about this when I interviewed back in 2016. See the excerpt below:

And now you’re pregnant on the show, do you have any children in real life?

I do not. I’ve got two nieces and three nephews so that’s about all of the kids I have right now. I spoil them rotten and send them back home. Hopefully, in the future if the Lord blesses us to have kids of our own, that would be awesome.

To listen or read the entire interview, click HERE.

Well, Deborah Joy Winans and her husband have been blessed by the Lord in due time! Pun intended! See an excerpt of the ESSENCE article in which Deborah Joy shared about her pregnancy below:

Although a pregnancy can last up to 40 weeks, sometimes longer, actress and singer Deborah Joy Winans, best known for playing Charity on the OWN hit series Greenleaf, is prayerful that she will make it to 28. For the 37-year-old, that will be the end of a nerve-wracking process, but also a beautiful beginning.

“As long as I can get to 28, we should be okay,” Winans tells ESSENCE, 26 weeks at the time of our conversation and expecting a son. “Once we get to 28 weeks, [my doctor] knows that he’ll be good and healthy if he came that early. So, 28 is the goal.”

Winans and her husband of eight years, Terrence Williams, knew from the very beginning that their unborn son would possibly come early. Before she found out she was pregnant, as she consulted her doctor about how to begin the process to conceive last December and stopped taking birth control, she found out, by her own inquiry, that she had fibroids. Not just one fibroid, but eight, and one in particular that is the size of a watermelon, having grown for what’s estimated at eight years. Surgery, a procedure similar to a Cesarean section, was recommended to remove them all.

Read the rest HERE. 

And see her jubilant IG announcement below:

I wish Deborah Joy Winans and her husband the absolute best in their pregnancy and delivery, and I looking forward to the news that their son (I wonder what what his name will be) has arrived! And I hope he inherits the Winans’ gift of music as well!

Any thoughts?