Source: tvspielfilm.de

Set in 1950′s segregated Alabama, Polly was the all black remake of the original Pollyanna. With the Cosby connection and Debbie Allen directing, people were anxious to see it. You know the story, you’ve watched the VHS over and over again but we bet you don’t know these behind the scenes secrets.

Source: Blackfilm.com

Lifetime just might be on to something. On Sunday night when the network aired the world premiere of the all-black “Steel Magnolias” remake, the film made history, becoming Lifetime’s third most-watched original telecast ever.

The flick, starring Jill Scott, Queen Latifah, Alfre Woodard, Phylicia Rashad, Condola Rashad, and Adepero Oduye brought in a record 6.5 million viewers. Interestingly, this is the best film debut since Lifetime aired the Fantasia Barino Story “Life is Not a Fairy Tale” in 2006. “Steel Magnolias” also became the number one cable movie among total viewers since 2007. In other words, this movie was a big deal.

This weekend, Lifetime aired another African American interest movie, the “Abducted: The Carlina White Story,” featuring Keke Palmer and Sherri Shepherd which also brought in high numbers, averaging 4.1 million total viewers. Rob Sharenow, Executive Vice President of Programming for Lifetime Networks said in a statement:

“We couldn’t be happier with the great response Steel Magnolias and Abducted: The Carlina White Story received from viewers this weekend. These incredible numbers speak to the powerful stories and performances delivered by amazing casts and the strong production teams behind each movie. We are very proud to have partnered with them on these very special films.”

The Lifetime junkie in me definitely hopes this means the network will start showing more African American stories. Did you catch “Steel Magnolias” or “The Carlina White Story” this weekend? What did you think?

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Anybody else excited about the Steel Magnolias remake? Initially, I wasn’t, being that I’m not a fan of remakes, especially ones of really, really good movies. But I’m always down to support the sistahs! Especially Queen La. Latifah, who is a producer for the Lifetime remake, has released promotional pictures of all the ladies dolled up. The movie is set to debut on the Lifetime Network on October 7, and stars not only Queen Latifah (as M’Lynn), but Alfre Woodard (as Ouiser), Phylicia Rashad (as Clairee), Jill Scott (as Truvy), Condola Rashad, Phylicia’s daughter (as Shelby) and Adepero Oduye, of Pariah fame (as Annelle). Check them out:

That hair on Queen = FRESH. She looks like she stepped straight out of a CoverGirl ad.

As pretty as that blue dress is on Alfre, she looks stunning in this gold gown.

Work Adepero! And the hair is looking wonderful as well. Can a sistah get some product recommendations please?

Both Phylicia and Condola look beautiful. And Condola is her father’s twin (Ahmad Rashad)!

Heeeeeey Jilly, girl! Looking good!

So are you excited about the remake? Will you be tuning in?

*Photos courtesy of Gossipwelove.com and Mylifetime.com.

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If you’ve been living under a rock for like…forever, Howard University is the historical black college in Washington, D.C. that has been one of the leaders for turning students into future leaders of tomorrow. The school also been the alma mater to many high profile black celebrities. Here are 10 ladies who enrolled at HU and either graduated (some with honors) or made a big impact during their time there.

http://www.starscolor.com

Taraji P. Henson
The Academy Award nominated actress hustled to make her way through college and support herself. She was first enrolled at North Carolina University Agricultural and Technical. She then transferred to Howard and majored in theater. Henson had a job as a secretary at the Pentagon and was a singer and dancer on a cruise ship to help cover the costs of her education. She graduated in 1995 with a degree in theater arts.

Source: studentorgs.unc.edu

The “first and finest” Greek sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha, was founded January 15th, 1908 on the campus of Howard University by 9 female students. With over 170,000 members in Undergrad and Grad chapters nationwide, there are some members in particular that we have grown to know and love. The following are celebrity women who are members of this illustrious sorority.

Source: poptower.com

Today is the 64th anniversary of Phylicia Rashad’s birth. Her 64th “born day” if you will. Of all the black women in the world, and of all the black celebrities we “know,” why are we taking the time to celebrate Phylicia Rashad? Well, because in all her years in the spotlight, and she’s been acting since 1978, Rashad has always managed to portray black women in the classy, dignified manner we often deserve, but rarely receive. For that we’re grateful. Even though we don’t see Rashad as much as we used to, we can hope that this Tony Award winning actress has passed on her sense of cultural responsibility (and her talent) to her daughter, who is also an actress, Condola Phyleia Rashād.

In honor of her birthday check out some of our favorite pictures of this starlet.

Photo: Brown Sista

Some say ‘black don’t crack’; and while this may or may not be true, it’s certainly evident that there is an abundance of black women who have managed to age beautifully and gracefully. These women, most of them without plastic surgery, have managed to sustain their youthful beauty. And besides the physical, they possess a glow that appears to shine from the inside and out.

These women are subtly fierce and demonstrate poise and grace. From the start of their careers as young girls to now seasoned women, these ladies, just like wine, seem to get better with time.

noelnewyork.com

With summer right around the corner, many women are trying to figure out how to have haute hair when it’s hot–and make it work on a budget.  Whether your tresses are long or short, hair pieces can help keep you maintain your current style with ease or rev up a funky new look. Check out our fab photo gallery that may inspire ideas without spending a million bucks.

Source: Broadway Stars

Back in October we found out that Lifetime was planning a remake of the classic movie “Steel Magnolias” but with an all-black cast and most of you were less than enthused. But now that we know who will actually be staring in this new project let’s see if that makes a difference.

According to Deadline.com, Queen Latifah will take the lead role in the new casting, and she’s surrounded by some pretty high-quality star power. In addition to the Queen’s role as M’Lynn Eatonton, originally played by Sally Field in the 1989 original, the remaining cast is as follows: Ouiser (Alfre Woodard), Clairee (Phylicia Rashad), Truvy (Jill Scott), Annelle (Adepero Oduye) and Shelby (Condola Rashad).

The Sony Pictures production will follow the six Louisiana women’s lives through their ups and downs as they gather at Truvy’s beauty shop to contemplate the mysteries of life, death, husbands, children, and all the other things women congregate together to talk about. And even if audiences aren’t so thrilled about the remake, Lifetime certainly is. President and general manager Nancy Dubuc had this to say:

“The caliber of talent associated with this film is astounding and falls in line with our strategy to make Lifetime a first stop for the industry’s best both in front of and behind the camera.

“Queen Latifah, Phylicia, Alfre, Jill, Adepero and Condola are some of the most celebrated women in music, film, television and stage — and we could not be more thrilled and honored for them to bring Robert Harling’s poignant story about the strength of women to a whole new generation.”

So, what do you think? Can this cast pull it off or were there other actresses you hoped to see in the remake?

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

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It can’t be easy being the daughter of Phylicia Rashad. She’s one of America’s favorite TV moms, not to mention a Tony Award winning actress, but her daughter, Condola, manages to hold her own, particularly as one of the most talked about cast members in the Broadway play “Stick Fly.”

The New York Times recently profiled the 25-year-old California Institute of the Arts graduate and noted her remarkable ability to command attention from the audience among seasoned veterans like Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Tracie Thoms, Dulé Hill, and Mekhi Phifer. Kenny Leon, Director of the play says he gave Condola the role of Cheryl in “Stick Fly” after she auditioned for the character Angela Bassett currently portrays in “The Mountaintop.”

“Condola was too young to play the part in “Mountaintop,” but she had a maturity that made me think she can do older and Hot.”  “Most actresses, they can do blue, red, green and that’s it, they do what they do. But if I say to Condola, ‘Do blue,’ she says, ‘What shade of blue do you want?’

Check out the rest of the profile on NYTimes.com

If you saw “Stick Fly,” what did you think of Condola’s performance?

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

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