From HelloBeautiful

Reunited and it feels so good!

One of our favorite on-screen couples from the ’90s have found themselves back in each other’s arms. Well, almost.

Clueless stars Stacey Dash and Donald Faison — better known as dysfunctional couple Dionne and Murray — will be starring side-by-side again on an episode of the TV Land comedy, “The Exes.”

According to reports, Dash will play Dana, a recommitted virgin who is currently dating Faison’s character, Phil.

The episode is slated to air in July, but until then, lets take a look at 10 other couples from television and the big screen that we’d love to see work together again.

Read more at HelloBeautiful.com

We all know there’s Hollywood and then there’s black Hollywood. African American stars don’t get the same notoriety as their white counterparts despite their good looks, amazing acting chops and undeniable star power. Sad,right? From heartthrobs to veterans, these 15 thespians deserve the awards and accolades more than any other. Check out this list of black actors and actresses that should be leading in Hollywood.

WENN

Nia Long

Nia Long is beautiful. She is also the girl next door with a great deal of sass and sophistication. She lit our fire playing Nina in “Love Jones” and Bird in “Soul Food.” She’s been acting for quite some time and her staying power is phenomenal. Hollywood should take a deeper look.

As you know, Melanie Fiona is one of our favorites here at Madame Noire, so we were delighted when she recently decided to release the visuals to her track, “Wrong Side of a Love Song,” which is our JAM! Directed by the multi-talented and fine Larenz Tate, Fiona does split-screen storytelling, with one side showing the happier times of her for-camera relationship with the very delicious Omari Hardwick. On the good side, which is the left, the two dance together, he cooks for her, and they even have an intimate moment (damn her, she’s lucky!), while on the other side, we see more rocky times, with the two arguing, him texting other women, and eventually walking out on her, leaving Fiona alone in the apartment to sing sadly (but she looks fabulous in the process).

I think the visuals for this song are a perfect match. Every good and bad moment occurs inside of the four walls of their apartment, and while it’s a simple video, it gets the point across without too much extra drama or unnecessary plot points. But I must admit that I bust out laughing at the random advertisement opportunity for Motions hair products during the song’s big breakdown. But hey, get that money Mel. Check out the video for yourself below and let us know if it’s a pass or play for you and if you’re loving the song as well. Even if you’re not, wouldn’t these two make a fab couple? Just saying…

Let’s admit it ladies. While we love our tall, handsome men, short brothers can be fine, too. A suave man with a great personality, a gorgeous smile and smoldering eyes doesn’t have to be six-foot-something. In this case, size doesn’t matter. Check out our list of short and fine brothers and let us know what you think.

Source: themoviedb.org

It’s not everyday that you come across a good musical biopic. When you have an adored musical figure, it’s so easy for things to go left. But in my opinion, Why Do Fools Fall in Love, is one of the classics. Larenz Tate, who is far too underrated in Hollywood, was a force to be reckoned with. (There were times when I swore he and Frankie were one and he, Tate, was the one singing those songs.) And the leading ladies held their own as well. They brought the drama, the comedy and the emotion to make this a great film. Check out the behind the scenes secrets of how it all came together.

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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!

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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: Shadow and Act

OK, so the good news is Larenz Tate is back. The potentially bad news is he’s back in a BET original move titled “Gun Hill.”

The film is one of BET’s many new original programs and features Larenz as twin brothers—Trane and Bird—on opposite sides of the law. The full synopsis says:

For the adults who go to the movies mostly on premiere weekends, this original film with beloved leading man Larenz Tate is sure to satisfy their fresh tastes. From the executive producers of New York Undercover [another plus], this high-powered cop drama is about identical twins on opposite sides of life: Trane, a cop, and Bird, a con. On one fateful night, Trane is killed. Bird assumes his identity and begins his own search for redemption. Set in the mean streets of New York, this smart, gritty two-hour movie event features an ensemble cast of characters operating on all sides of the law, where no one is quite what they seem.

The film also stars Michael Aronov, Phyllis Yvonne Stickney (“How Stella Got Her Groove Back,” “Haitian Nights”), Tawny Cypress (“Heroes,” “Rescue Me”) and Aisha Hinds (“True Blood,” “Hawthorne”); and is directed by Reggie “Rock” Bythewood of Biker Boyz.

Most of us could probably care less about the focus of the movie we’re just happy to see if Larenz still has that “Love Jones” swexiness we’ve been missing, but the plot doesn’t sound half bad either. Production has reportedly already begun but there’s no word on when this film will hit our small screens. You can be sure we’ll keep you posted.

Are you excited to see Larenz Tate in this new movie?

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

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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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by Marissa Ellis

Can you believe it’s been 15 years since Love Jones was released and raised the bar for Black filmmaking? The romantic drama starring Larenz Tate and Nia Long raised the bar so high that very few Black films have managed to get close to the superb storytelling quality and on-screen chemistry delivered by the Chicago-based film. In other words, that’s why Love Jones lives on as an iconic film in the Black cannon.

Part of the reason why Love Jones continues to mark such a rarity is the fact the screenwriter and director of the film, Theodore Witcher, virtually disappeared afterwards. He was only 24 at the time of making the movie, marking his first job directing a feature film.

Based on the explosive success of Love Jones, it was easily assumed and expected that Witcher would continue to infuse Hollywood with authentic and beautiful Black narratives. This was the man who should’ve been just as prolific as Tyler Perry (before Tyler Perry) if you will. Unfortunately, the young director departed just as fast as he arrived.

In an interview with The Root, Witcher explained why he disappeared:

I intended to have a long list of credits, but I couldn’t get another movie. There has to be something that you want to do that a studio wants to pay for. I was never able to sync that up. I wanted to do ambitious films with more black people. You don’t get to do that.

Witcher’s reasoning is deep and speaks volumes about the discord between Hollywood economics and the push for quality filmmaking; however, I wonder about the nature of support within the African-American artistic community. It’s hard to believe that Witcher didn’t have enough of a strong fan base in the Black Hollywood community to leverage power or, at least, raise funds for another film. This is Love Jones we’re talking about – not a small critically acclaimed movie which was only lauded on the film festival circuit. Did Oprah, Denzel Washington, Spike Lee and John Singleton not offer producing partnership?

These days, when we see a small film cross over like Pariah, it often has the support of other Black Hollywood producers. In this case, Pariah had the public support of Spike Lee. Hollywood is a small eco-system and the survival and prosperity of new filmmakers is interdependent on the endorsements and support of the more established guards.

It’s difficult not to wonder about Witcher and his career. As someone who appreciates films about the African-American experience and who appreciates quality filmmaking period, I can’t understand why the Witchers of the world are not fostered. Watching Love Jones occasionally, I marvel at its authenticity and wish that half of the films that come out each year could even muster half of that authenticity and flair. And obviously, when I see Tyler Perry’s films, it creates the opposite effect on me. I don’t want to go on and on about the Perry factor, but the fact that we can have him bust out two consistently sub-par films a year while a proven filmmaker is sitting on the sidelines, waiting for a chance to wow us again with quality…there’s just something wrong with that.

But who knows what the more detailed story is behind Witcher’s struggles in Hollywood. I can only hope that he can further share his experience to inspire a more cooperative spirit in Black Hollywood, because at the end of the day, we are the ones responsible for getting our stories told.

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