Our faith in VH1′s upcoming TLC biopic keeps growing stronger and stronger with every new photo we see of the cast. The network just released a few new promo photos of  Drew Sidora, Keke Palmer, and Lil Mama as T-Boz, Chilli, and Left-Eye and you can’t say they don’t at least look the part of the hottest girl group of the ’90s.

People who questioned Keke Palmer, and any of the girl’s abilities, to pull off these roles should feel silly now looking at how well they’ve been able to physically transform into the parts. Of course we have yet to see what acting skills they’re bringing to the table, but Drew and Keke have already proven themselves in other major movies, so we have no reason to expect less from them this time around.

Despite all the promo shots we’ve seen lately, we still have about six months until the final project. VH1 is expected to air the biopic this November and I’m personally anxious to see how well Evan Ross transforms into Dallas Austin. Donny Boaz will also play TLC’s manager Bill Diggins, Carl Anthony Payne II is playing Antonio ’L.A.’ Reid, and Rochelle Aytes has been cast as Perri ’Pebbles’ Reid.

Check out another pick of the girls in character below. Are you getting excited about the movie?

Via her Instagram today, T-Boz put shared the above photo of Lil Mama, Keke Palmer, and Drew Sidora while all on the set of the TLC biopic as they were decked out for a scene where they recreate the “No Scrubs” video. Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins captioned the pic, “Ta-Dow how ya like me now… #DemTLCguls next 2 the girls playing #TLC @kekepalmer @drewsidora @lilmama #CrazyHotCool #TheTLCStory”

Below that photo you can obviously see a shot of the real ladies on set, and when you compare the two, we can finally say that the casting makes sense. They look A LOT like the original members when they’re all decked out in replicas of the group’s old costumes. This is an old pic by the way, because they’ve wrapped up filming on the VH1 movie.

There was, for a while, a lot of side-eye action going on about the casting choices made for Crazy Hot Cool: The TLC Story, from Keke playing Chilli to Lil Mama as Left Eye, folks had a lot to say throughout the filming of the TV movie (which was done in about a month). However, people underestimate the power of some good makeup and a few decent wigs. But it’s all starting to come together, and I for one will be tuning in when the movie premieres soon. What about you?

Do you think the women look like the members of TLC in the picture?

Source: WENN

As pre-production of VH1′s highly anticipated TLC biopic wraps up and producers get ready to begin filming, more exciting details about the biographical film are released. We’ve just learned that the crucial role of the executive credited for discovering the mega-group has been filled. Mistresses actress Rochelle Aytes has been cast as Perri “Pebbles” Reid, reports Hip Hollywood.

Pebbles is a former R&B singing sensation and the ex-wife of music mogul L.A. Reid. She is also credited for discovering and developing the R&B group that we’d eventually know as TLC. She signed the group to her Atlanta-based production company Pebbitone. The business relationship between Pebbles and the ladies of TLC came to an abrupt halt when the group filed bankruptcy and accused her of mismanaging their funds. Pebbles later went on to become an ordained minister and years later released an album, Prophetic Flows Vol. I and II, which found its way to the #12 spot on the Billboard Gospel Album chart.

Aytes will be joining rapper Lil Mama, who has been cast as Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes and actresses Keke Palmer and Drew Sidora, who have been cast as Rozanda “Chilli” Thomas and Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins. According to Deadline, Evan Ross has been cast to play Dallas Austin, the producer responsible for many of TLC’s hits. Austin was also romantically involved with Chilli.

Director Charles Stone III say the film will focus on the group’s “humble” beginnings and their rise to fame, reports the Huffington Post.

“With this cast, we are thrilled with the talent assembled both in front of and behind the cameras. TLC are truly music pioneers and this movie is a fantastic way to expand our scripted push by combining our audience’s passion for music with their love of story. We know our viewers will be eager to go beyond the headlines and into the surprisingly personal, never before told stories of these groundbreaking women,”VH1′s Jeff Olde said in a press release.

We hear production is scheduled to begin in Atlanta in coming weeks.

What do you think of Rochelle being cast as Pebbles?

You would think this Vh1 biopic about TLC was a major motion picture with all the hype surrounding it!

Adding to a cast that includes singer Drew Sidora as T-Boz (ya’ll remember her from her time on That’s So Raven?), Lil Mama as Left Eye and Keke Palmer as Chilli will be Evan Ross, playing TLC’s super-producer, Dallas Austin. Of course, this will require Ross to get a bit up close and personal with Palmer, as in real life, Chilli and Austin had a romantic relationship that resulted in her son, Tron (and another child before that she wasn’t able to keep at the time). According to Deadline, the person who represents Ross as his management is actually good friends with the producer, so I’m sure he’s happy with the choice of Ross.

We wonder if Ross will be doing any singing in the movie since he can actually sing in real life, but either way, being cast in the made-for-TV biopic is a good look for the eccentric actor, who we first really got to see in front of the camera in 2006′s ATL.

So now that the cast is almost fully complete, are you feeling it? Will the final product actually be worth all the hype? Well, we’ll just have to wait and see now won’t we…

Source: AP Images

I don’t know how to feel about this bio-pic on TLC, which is currently in production.

Not that I am not a fan. The Grammy award-winning group, whose repertoire features a certified diamond plaque and the title to the most successful female groups of all times, pretty much had the 90s – as well as my tape deck – on lock. However when VH1 last week, announced that it had begun production on a full-length scripted film about the group’s rise to fame, a part of me couldn’t help to scrunch my face and say: it’s just too soon.

Irrespective of all the backlash on Twitter, my reservations have nothing to do with the current cast, which includes Lil Mama as Lisa “Left Eye” Lopez (so glad to see her working again and getting some respect), Drew Sidora (best known from “The Game”) as Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins and KeKe Palmer as Rozonda Chili Thomas. While none of them would be considered my first choices, I think that they are all capable of rising up to the challenge of the roles they have been chosen to play. And although this film is being produced and will air on a network, whose only other scripted production is a melodramatic and badly acted series called “Single Ladies,” I am hopeful that director Charles Stone III, most known for Drumline and Paid in Full and screenwriter Kate Lanier, best known for What’s Love Got to Do With It and Glitter, will add some credibility to the project. Then again, considering how much I loved What’s Love Got to Do With It and wanted to Ike Turner the crap out of Glitter, it could go either way.

But what troubles me most about this production is how much of the real story are we going to get? According to VH1′s press release about the film, T-Boz and Chill have both signed on as consultants for the film. That might inspire confidence in some but we also have to remember that, besides the outside lawsuits and conflict with group manager Perri Pebblez Reid, there was a lot of conflict between group members, particularly Lopez strained relationship with Thomas and Watkins, which resulted in her publicly disassociating herself with not only the group’s third album, Fan Mail but threatening to leave the group all together. In response, Thomas and Watkins issued their own statements in the press calling Lopez, among other things, “selfish” and “evil.” And this resulted in a bizarre statement from Lopez, challenging Thomas and Watkins to some sort of album duel-off.

According to MTV News Lopez once said:

“I challenge Tionne ‘Player’ Watkins (T-Boz) and Rozonda ‘Hater’ Thomas (Chilli) to an album entitled The Challenge,” writes Lopes, “a 3-CD set that contains three solo albums. Each (album) … will be due to the record label by October 1, 2000.”

Now I’m not saying that Watkins and Thomas will try to pad the drama in hopes of making themselves look better. It should be noted that all the women of the group have always contended mutual love and respect for one another. What I am saying though is that the likelihood that we will get see a real behind-the-scenes view of TLC will be slim, considering one of the most vocal (and oppositional) members of the group is sadly not here to contribute her insight into how not only offer up her thoughts on how she should be played but be an objective lens into the Watkins and Thomas characters too.

Making it in the music industry as a solo artist is hard enough but when there are two or more people in a group, tensions are bound to arise because mo’ money plus mo’ people equal mo’ problems. Although they made beautiful music together, these 15 popular rap and R&B groups just couldn’t set aside their differences in the long run.

Arrested Development

Afrocentric alternative hip-hop group Arrested Development became very popular in the early 90′s. Founded by Speech and his former best friend, DJ Headliner, along with Dionne Farris and spiritual leader Baba Oje, they are best known for their song “Everyday People.” In 1993 the group won Grammys for Best New Artist and Best Rap Performance. They were also tapped by Spike Lee to record a song for his “Malcolm X” biopic that same year. However, Arrested Development never eclipsed the success they had with their debut album. Their sophomore album was panned by critics and shortly after that the group broke up due to “creative differences.” The band patched things up four years later but things were never the same as they struggled to reclaim their popularity in the U.S. Today, the group continues to tour internationally and released their 10th album in 2012.

You can always tell when someone enjoys an interview. And T-Boz certainly developed a nice rapport with British journalist, Max. The two talked about everything from Rihanna’s “Birthday” song to whether or not they’d ever do a Left Eye hologram to what she thinks about public opinion, specifically when it comes to female celebrities gaining weight. The two even told a couple of Yo Momma jokes. Check out the interview below. You’ll be happy you watched.

Source: Lia Toby/WENN.com

The remaining members of TLC are trying to make a serious come-up right now with T-Boz landing a reality show on TLC and VH1 putting together a biopic on the girl group. Now Chilli and T-Boz are getting serious about going on tour again and they’re playing with the idea of using a hologram of Left-Eye for the show.

‘The hologram is something we talked about and thought about years ago, Chilli told the U.K.’s metro newspaper. “Obviously timing is everything but we’re definitely talking about it.”

Since Tupac appeared as a hologram during Coachella this year, everyone has been playing with the idea of digitally resurrecting artists for performances. Even though it was amazing to see an image of Pac rock the stage with Snoop and Dr. Dre for a song or two, an entire two-hour concert tour performance is a whole other beast. Chilli insists it’s what TLC fans want to see though.

“It will be hard on us but I certainly think our fans would love to see it. We would definitely be the first group to ever do it,” she said.

“I think we would probably pass out and all of our fans would break down but it’s amazing how real the hologram looks, it’s almost like you can touch the person. It’s great but spooky  at the same time but we’re definitely thinking about it.”

I would think the hologram wouldn’t be the only concern with TLC hitting the road again. Chilli and T-Boz are now 41 and 42, not exactly the barely legal ladies who were singing about not being too proud to beg. T-Boz also has several health issues she’s dealing with, not the least of which is sickle-cell anemia. Creating a Left-Eye hologram would be an amazing idea for a big performance at the Grammys or something but I don’t know if they could pull off a whole concert series with that.

Even if that doesn’t work, the girls are still planning their first new album in 10 years, telling reporters at the Mobo Awards in Liverpool:

“We’re going to still sound like TLC, evolving to whatever level we need to be at this time.”

What do you think about a new TLC album? Would you buy a ticket to see TLC on tour with a Left-Eye hologram?

**UPDATE AS OF 10/27/12 at 5pm: Gwinnett County police have confirmed that Natina was killed in a car accident. However, they state she was NOT killed by a hit-and-run driver. While some details remain sketchy and will emerge later, police say the driver actually called them and waited until they arrived. At this time, they also do not expect to file any charges. **

Source

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Although no official police or news reports have been released, the sad news out of Georgia is that Natina Reed was killed Friday night in a car accident. While details are unclear, we are hearing that she was hit while crossing the street in Lawrenceville, GA, on her way back to her house from the store at the gas station.  She was 32 years old.

Former group member Brandi tweeted, “Last night the world was changed forever, life will never be the same…she was my sister.”

Natina was often compared to Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes for formed the group years before she passed, also in a car accident.  Natina’s spunk and wild clothing choices often resembled that of Left Eye.

She is survived by her 10 year old son, Tren Brown, who she shared with rapper, Kurupt (they were also engaged at one point). Natina would have been 33 years old on Sunday.

Our thoughts, prayers and condolences are with the family and friends of Natina as they go through this difficult and unexpected time.

We will update as we receive further information.

Today marks the 10th anniversary of Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes’ death. On April 25, 2002, the singer/rapper died in a car crash in Honduras. A rep for her former group members, Chilli and T-Boz, of TLC, talked to TooFab about their loss.

“When a family member dies no one is expected to celebrate the day of their death,” the rep adds. “Lisa was a sister to both Chilli and T-Boz and she will forever be missed. Lisa’s legacy lives on through TLC.”

This year also marks the group’s 20th anniversary and they have new projects in store. They’re working on another album,  a biopic with VH1 and a tour. The two mentioned that they plan on using a hologram of Left Eye when they perform some of their songs.

The group also spoke with Essence.com recently about Left Eye’s passing.

On the day she passed…

T-BOZ: She died a day before my birthday. I remember everything. I was with security in my Porsche and I said to them, ‘I feel like I’m going to get in a wreck and I want to go home.’ The driver said: ‘Well that’s on the other side of town.’ I didn’t care; I wanted to go home. I just felt something was going to happen to me, but it wasn’t me it was Lisa. I was sitting in a rocking chair in my daughter’s room after putting her down when I got a call from Chilli. She was screaming. I had just gotten out the hospital from fighting sickle cell so I had to be careful about getting upset. Everybody was trying to keep me calm.

I remember staying up all night and Patti Labelle and Missy Elliot calling me. Whitney Houston was at Lisa’s Funeral. She sat behind me and rubbed my shoulders for two hours, while telling me ‘it’s going to be okay, it’s going to be alright.’ Right before that, I remember Lisa played a trick where she went missing and nobody knew where she was. This was the one time I wish she was joking and doing one of her stunts, but she wasn’t.

On the biggest misconception people had about her…

T-BOZ: That’s the part that sucked. The fire could’ve even been stopped if they stopped acting like little girls and put the fire out. That really could’ve been settled differently. I just really wish people would’ve known her for the sweet passionate person she really was. She was very creative too, I remember I was in the hospital for four months and she sent me a clock that she made and the clock read: “Take all the time you need.” She really put thought into things.

CHILLI: People didn’t understand how much of a heart she really had and how passionate and giving she was. She might have come across as someone who wanted to start trouble all the time but that wasn’t it; she just had a lot to say. Sometimes when you speak what’s on your mind—I’m talking everything on your mind, people can get a misconception of you. So because she spoke her mind, all of the time, it caused people to misjudge her.
On TLC’s legacy…

T-BOZ: You know how now, it’s easy for Black people to make it on pop radio, back then it was hard. Michael Jackson was probably one of the first Black people to get on MTV and VH1 and then TLC “Waterfalls” was probably the second, it was so hard. I remember getting flowers for making it on MTV and then a special gift for making it on VH1—that was like a big deal! We had to bust our butts to get on a show. When I say we broke records and I worked for mines, I worked for mine! We had to work for every last single thing.

CHILLI: From the beginning to the middle and we’re not at the end yet but I loved that we never compromised our values when it came to the subject matter and what we talked about in our songs and how we represented ourselves as women. Starting out as young women, we didn’t care that people thought that we were a fad or if people thought we didn’t dress girly enough, we were just like “whatever.” We were able to accomplish that with three totally different girls, in a group.

You can read the rest of the interview at Essence.com. 

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