Source: TV One

Just in time for Easter Sunday, TV One is slated to debut original film, The Undershepherd, which tells the story of two brothers in Christ turned frenemies when confronted with the fame, power and money that can come along with being the pastor of a church. The film’s starring lineup includes Isaiah Washington, Lamman Rucker, Malinda Williams, Elise Neal, Lou Gossett Jr., Clifton Powell and Vanessa Bell Calloway. A description of the movie found on TV One’s website reads:

“The Undershepherd  tells the controversial tale of two ministers, who, although originally best friends and brothers  in Christ, find their relationship tested by access to power, money and greed.  Isaiah Washington stars in the role of Lawrence “LC” Case, an ambitious and charismatic minister overcome by greed and ego who uses the pulpit to further his own agenda and ultimately lead his congregation astray.  LC’s best friend, Roland, starring Lamman Rucker, struggles to get his grassroots ministry off the ground and doesn’t enjoy the same level of success which generates controversy and conflict between the two men.”

Russ Parr, who wrote, directed and executive produced the film, revealed that it was actually inspired by his real-life experiences.

“I was really invested into the church and the church I was going to. Then I started seeing things that didn’t make sense. My mom, who was a very religious woman, pulled me out of the church. She thought I was losing myself,” Parr told Elev8.

Temptations faced by pastors in any church are a big deal and it will be interesting to see some of those issues being addressed. It appears that one can easily get caught up in the fanfare of it all.

The Undershepherd is schedule to premiere Saturday, March 30 at 8/7c

Turn the page for a sneak peek. Will you be tuning in?

When black folks abuse the race card, it makes it harder on all of us. The next time someone questions whether race affected their job, their treatment at the club or even their grades in school, remember to thank people like these 15 celebrities. They’ve been using their celebrity to cry wolf and giving fuel to the white folks who doubt whether racism exists at all.

Image Source: Judy Eddy/WENN.com

Nicki Minaj

Nicki Minaj has single-handedly set the race card back several years. First she called Steven Tyler racist for saying she would have sent Bob Dylan “to the cornfield” if he was contestant. Then, when she allegedly threatened to shoot Mariah Carey, Nicki Minaj pulled the race card again and accused Barbara Walters of racism when she took Mariah’s side of the story without getting hers:

“Am I not good enough for you [Walters] to get my side, because I’m a little black girl that raps?”

Maybe Barbara was just afraid she’d get shot. At this point, Nicki’s more famous for being crazy than for being a black rapper.

It’s been a while since we’ve seen a couple of our favorite black actors, Garcelle Beauvais and Isaiah Washington. Well, you’ll get a chance to see both of them this weekend as they star in David Talbert’s latest play, “Suddenly Single.” The play, which will air on BET this Sunday, is about Samantha Stone (Garcelle Beauvais), a smart and beautiful wife and mother, has been happily married to her high school sweetheart Sylvester Stone (Isaiah Washington) for seventeen years. On the day they’re set to move into their dream home, Sylvester confesses that he is leaving her for another woman. What do you do when the only man you’ve ever loved falls in love with another woman and leaves you suddenly single?

Check out this clip from the play below.

Suddenly Single- 4-5 MINUTE CLIP-small from Linda Schortz on Vimeo.

Does this sound interesting to you? If so, catch it on Sunday on BET and buy the DVD, which will be in stores September 4th.

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Howard University has groomed some of the best female talent in acting, literature and for the world stage, and the school has also had the same success when it comes to their male students. These 10 prominent men have studied in the school’s classrooms (and cut a rug at the Homecoming festivities…) and have gone on to do amazing things.

thehairpin.com

Sean “P. Diddy” Combs
Diddy has called himself many names over the years, but each version of himself has always been proud to hype up the time he spent at the famed HBCU. He was majoring in Business when he dropped out in 1989, but has given back to the school in various ways. He was part of the Howard Homecoming in 1995 alongside the Notorious B.I.G., he keeps close ties with current students and even offered support as students protested over housing and financial aid packages in 2009.

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With gas prices continuing to soar, traveling for this Summer may be at an all time low. Planning some quality time with you and your boo at home for these upcoming hot summer months may not be such a bad idea.  Therefore  we’ve compiled 7 steamy and romantic movies we recommend for those hot summer nights that are sure to raise the heat while you both cuddle on the couch.  Here we go!

Read the rest of this entry »

This is the moment some of you have been waiting for! When it comes to black movies, Love Jones is probably in everybody’s top five. To this day, fifteen years after the film’s initial release, people still talk about Darius Lovehall and Nina Mosley like they were real people instead of fictional characters. We own the DVD, know the lyrics to every song on the soundtrack and truth be told some of us are still out here looking for a Darius and Nina kind of love. You know the movie and the effect it had on you but do you know these behind the scenes facts?

Source: Verysmartbrothas.com

It Didn’t Make Much Money in the Theaters but the Critics Loved it about as much as We Did

Even though the film only grossed $12 million at the box office, the incredible story, slamming soundtrack–which earned the 16th spot on the Billboard top 200–and positive critical reception made it a classic. The people as well as the critics loved it. Roger Ebert, who gave the film 3 out of 4 stars, was particularly impressed with the acting: “It’s hard to believe that Tate–so smooth, literate and attractive here–played the savage killer O-Dog in Menace II Society. Nia Long was Brandi, one of the girl friends, in Boyz N the Hood. Love Jones extends their range, to put it mildly.”

Another critic, James Berardinelli, noted that the dialogue is what set this film apart from the rest. “And Love Jones’s dialogue is rarely trite. When the characters open their mouths, it usually is because they have something intelligent to say, not because they’re trying to fill up dead air with meaningless words.”

Source: Sister 2 Sister

Today marks the 15-year anniversary of the movie Love Jones and you could almost argue that there’s as much excitement about the film today as there was when it was released in ’97. Something about Nia Long ( Nina Moseley) and Larenz Tate’s (Darius Lovehall) chemistry on screen, that poetry, and the movie’s killer soundtrack made it one of those movies you had to see, most likely over, and over, and over again.

Essence.com caught up with Nia, Larenz, and Isaiah Washington (who played Savon Garrison, Darius’ married friend) on the film’s anniversary to talk about their favorite scenes, whether they knew the movie would be as big of a hit as it was with viewers, and the question we’ve all been dying to know: Will there be a sequel? Here’s what they said:

On the film’s impact

Nia: “I think Love Jones showed Black love in a way that we hadn’t seen on film in a very long time, specifically our generation of young people. It wasn’t the typical romantic comedy where it was about the jokes. I think the comedy was appreciated through the real-life situations. I also think it was pretty – the way it was shot, the lighting, the vibe of the movie was just very Hot and very cutting-edge. I think the film came out before its time, and I feel really lucky to be a part of something that has continued to resonate with people through all these years.”

Larenz: “I realized the impact when I would be walking somewhere and someone would be like, ‘Love Jones!’ I still meet women who say, ‘That’s in my DVD collection.’ I would talk to Nia, and she’d say, ‘That movie makes people go crazy.’ I also knew it was serious when brothers would come and say ‘Love Jones, man, that movie really helped me.’ It’s gotten so big that people do poetry Love Jones celebrations every single year, like Trekkies celebrate Star Trek.”

Isaiah: “I think, based on the soundtrack, everyone wanted to see this movie with us in it… There was no film like that. We hadn’t had Best Man yet or Jumping the Broom. Those films couldn’t have happened without Love Jones. I feel good about that. We opened the door to a film where African-Americans were on screen and they weren’t killing each other.”

Their favorite scenes

Nia: “The scene in the rain where Darius and Nina have their last kiss. It was so cold outside. I didn’t expect for the rain to be that cold, because it was movie rain. But then it really rained. So we had a combination of warm and cold rain. I went back into my trailer and I literally wrapped myself with plastic bags to try to stay warm. There was a big argument about that scene because everyone was like, ‘Black women don’t like to get their hair wet, and this is unrealistic.’ That’s not true. We can be in the moment. We’re not that concerned about our hair.”

Isaiah: “The scene when my wife (played by actress Cerall Duncan) comes home and Savon looks up to God, grabs his wife and holds his son, and realizes that there’s a 50/50 chance that this relationship probably wasn’t going to make it. And it was a gift from God that these two powerful personalities decided that, you know what, we choose to stay together.”

The possibility of a sequel

Nia: “There’s talk about it. Larenz and I, if we do it, we’re going to do it right, and we’re gonna do it together. It’s a classic film and it has to be handled as such. And if these two characters can grow in a realistic way and we can do the film in a way that still gives people the feeling of ‘Wow, there’s still movies about Black love.’”

What’s your favorite scene from Love Jones? Are you hoping for a sequel or should they leave it alone?

Brande Victorian is a blogger and culture writer in New York City. Follower her on Twitter at @be_vic.

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