I almost forgot how good looking the entire cast of The Best Man was, which is just another reason why I’m beyond excited about this sequel, The Best Man Holiday. Set 15 years after all the drama happened in the midst of Lance (Morris Chestnut) and Mia (Monica Calhoun) getting married and Harper (Taye Diggs) almost getting in the middle of that, the gang has come together once again to celebrate some major milestones in life. And of course, you know there will be even more drama. Here’s what we can expect from the sequel according to the short synopsis. “When the college friends finally reunite over the Christmas holidays, they will discover just how easy it is for long-forgotten rivalries and romances to be ignited.”

Aww sookie, sookie. In the trailer alone, we get a montage of the original film’s most notable moments, but we also get a glimpse into what we can expect from the new film (backed by the Common track, “Celebrate”), including a possible birth, a wedding, and Nia Long’s character of Jordan finding love with a white man named Brian McDonald, played by Eddie Cibrian. Don’t act surprised, we all knew the writers for this movie were going to go there the minute his name was associated with it…

So far, we’re actually excited about the possibility of this being a very awesome sequel, especially since Malcolm D. Lee is back behind the camera for the franchise, once again. Could it revive the black rom-com? We’ll have to wait and see. Check out the trailer above and hit the theaters when the movie is released on November 15.

Do you like what you see so far?

via Instagram

Are you excited about the upcoming The Best Man sequel?! Followers of Sanaa Lathan on Instagram are getting even more psyched for the film starring Harold Perrineau, Melissa De Sousa, Monica Calhoun, Nia Long, Sanaa Lathan, Taye Diggs, and Terrence Howard. Lathan has been teasing people with photos of her fellow cast mates and posting them on Instagram for the last couple weeks, according to The Huffington Post. The Best Man Holiday  features the entire original cast reprising their roles in the film, which is set 15 years after the original.

“It’s going to be a movie to where I think people are going to experience the whole gamut of emotions,” Chestnut told the site. “I think they’re going to laugh, and I think they’re going to cry. There’s a lot of stuff going on in this movie. It’s a fun movie, don’t get me wrong, but there’s a lot of heartwarming moments, some realization with some characters. There’s a lot in this movie.”

When the original came out it was an instant hit. The movie, which cost just $9 million to make, pulled in more than $34 million. For anyone who saw the movie back then or has grown to love it on DVD or television broadcasts would, no doubt, love to learn what happened after the closing credits. Lathan’s pictures serve as a great promotion for the film, perhaps even driving some excitement from new potential viewers.

Are you planning on seeing the movie? Check out photos from her Instagram on the next page!

Source: IMDB

A couple months ago we found out that a sequel to “The Best Man” was finally happening, and though details were sketchy at the time, we now know a little bit more about the cast and the plot, and for starters, the entire cast is coming back!

Shadow and Act released details of a Universal Press Release that tells us a bit about what’s to come when the follow-up flick hits theaters this November:

After nearly 15 years apart, Taye Diggs (television’s Private Practice), Nia Long (Big Momma’s House), Morris Chestnut (Kick-A$$ 2), Harold Perrineau (Zero Dark Thirty), Terrence Howard (Hustle & Flow), Sanaa Lathan (Contagion), Monica Calhoun (Love & Basketball), Melissa De Sousa (Miss Congeniality) and Regina Hall (Scary Movie franchise) reprise their career-launching roles in the next chapter to the film that ushered in a new era of comedy. When the college friends finally reunite over the Christmas holidays, they will discover just how easy it is for long-forgotten rivalries and romances to be ignited.

Uh oh, sounds like Jordan and Harper might try to sneak in one last rendezvous before he marries Robin, because I know Murch can’t be crazy enough to get back with Shelby, can he? Either way I’m super excited about seeing this sequel — as I just bought the original on DVD last weekend — I just hope they don’t turn it into a Holiday drama because of the time of year. But with Malcolm D. Lee around to write and direct again, we should hopefully be treated to a sequel as good as the first.

Can’t wait til November 15, 2013 when it debuts!

Source: Universal Studios

It’s not often that you get a good romantic comedy, featuring an all black cast. But just because it doesn’t happen that often, doesn’t mean fans aren’t thirsty for it. That’s exactly why The Best Man went on to become the highest grossing movie the weekend it came out. Almost quadrupling the $9 million dollars it cost to make it. You know the shady story, the lines, and the music; but we bet you don’t know these behind the scenes secrets. Check it out.

Source: imisstheoldschool.com

I can barely stop cheesing long enough to type this news so I’m just going to blurt it out. The Best Man Sequel 2 is happening! Like for real, for real.

There have been rumors, questions, proposals, chitter chatter, teases and all that good stuff for years, but today there is finally official news that the sequel is happening and it will be in theaters next year. Shadow and Act just posted the news after receiving an email from Universal Pictures which announced the flick will hit theaters Friday, November 15, 2013.

Even though this is the only concrete information there is to go on so far, it’s expected that everyone from the original cast will be back for part 2 which could mean the greatest black romantic comedy ensemble cast since, well, the first “Best Man.” Not that I’m biased or anything.

It’s hard to imagine where the film will pick up, trying to cover 14 years of life since the original movie hit theaters in 1999. Maybe Jordan (Nia Long) will have a man or Robin (Sanaa Lathan) will have finally gotten Harper (Taye Diggs) down the aisle. Something tells me Quentin (Terrence Howard) will still be the same old womanizing fool though. Still it’s hard to imagine there being a twist in this movie that’s as salacious as the drama between Lance, Mia, and Harper in part one.

Regardless, viewers are thirsty for some well thought out black films right now so hopefully director Malcolm D. Lee gets this right. Meanwhile I’ll be adding this release date to my calendar. Are you excited?

Amazon.com

My college friendships were like a tapestry of personal connections. Each person who comprised my inner circle was like a thread woven into the fold mostly by happenstance, but our relationships were held together by a wealth of opportunities to cultivate them in the years leading to our early and mid-twenties.

During undergrad, we all lived within ten minutes of one another (if not in the same apartment complex) and most nights, no one in our group could afford to do more than pass a $3.00 bottle of Boone’s Farm around and talk about our lives. Our group discussions on relationships and the state of black America became fodder for late-night legend, but even more than that, we nursed each other through flus, flat tires, middle-of-the-night moves, robberies, crazy roommates, and through “do-you-think-he’ll-call?” one night stands. We had each other to lean on for broken hearts and empty pockets. Our parents didn’t worry because my friends and I were never too far away to look out for one another.

And then one person graduated, then another and another. One moved to a new city, then another, then another. One got engaged, then got married, then another and another. Soon, our close-knit companionship was no longer close in proximity, and the simple idea of bringing over a bottle of Moscato required advance planning and declaring to a Southwest Airlines rep that an alcoholic beverage was in our checked baggage. The makings of my college friendships were the stuff of Hollywood trope; our gatherings could have easily doubled as a scene from “The Best Man,” complete with a Kendall, a Harper, a Lance, a Mia and the requisite electric slide to Cameo’s “Candy” at every in-circle wedding. But as we grew, our priorities shifted to our careers, our burgeoning families, and our personal goals.

“You mean, I gotta make friends again?” I asked during a recent cross-country call with one of the threads in my co-ed tapestry. We’d both moved to big cities alone, seeking new adventures and strong connections.

“At this point in our lives, I think we just gotta get used to making acquaintances.”

In an essay for The New York Times, writer Alex Williams discusses the difficulties of making friends as an adult. While the piece mainly addresses those in their 30s and 40s, much of Williams’ assertions apply to those seeking connections at any time of their adult lives, when life situations can shift with the swift appearance of a degree, divorce papers, a baby, a marriage, a time-consuming career, or a move to a new city. Williams writes:

[P]lenty of new people enter your life, through work, children’s play dates and, of course,  Facebook. But actual close friends — the kind you make in college, the kind you call in a  crisis — those are in shorter supply.

No matter how many friends you make, a sense of fatalism can creep in: the period for  making B.F.F.’s, the way you did in your teens or early twenties is pretty much over. It’s time to resign yourself to situational friends: K.O.F.’s (kind of friends) — for now.

It appears that the nature of my close friendships (and others like it) is substantiated by sociological research. Per the New York Times article:

As external conditions change, it becomes tougher to meet the three conditions that sociologists since the 1950s have considered crucial to making close friends: proximity;  repeated, unplanned interactions; and a setting that encourages people to let their guard down and confide in each other…This is what so many people meet their lifelong friends in college.

Upon a recent move to a new city, I’ve become more acutely aware of the effort required to create and maintain meaningful connections with those I meet while I’m out and about. Different than in college, where I lived, worked and played with like-minded peers, the concept of turning K.O.F.’s into B.F.F.’s (or even somewhere in between, because I realize that every friendship doesn’t have to be ride-or-die) is hampered by work and family schedules and even more rigorous standards for choosing the company I keep. The essay touts that as we get older, we’re more selective about those with whom we choose to spend our time. The level of self-awareness that comes with getting grown impedes on our tolerance levels for, as the piece states, “manipulators, drama queens [and] egomaniacs.”

I realize that my sentiments on the subject don’t vary too much for others in this situation. Like those who are seeking new connections after severing old ties, those who need friends who understand the nuances of parenthood, and those seeking a venting partner for drinks after work, preferably someone who is not a colleague. (Of work relationships, the article notes that workplace competition often leads to folks hiding their vulnerabilities and quirks from co-workers. “Work friendships often take on a transactional feel; it is difficult to say where networking ends and real friendship begins.”)

There are those who simply need someone to call if they’re stuck on the side of the highway with the hood of their car propped up or if they need someone with whom to spend six hours waiting in the emergency room. Even across the distance, all I want is a bottle of Boone’s and a good laugh with fun company.

Despite the factors that encumber the physical and emotional closeness of friendships, research has determined that friendship is necessary for a person’s overall sense of well-being and can even contribute to having a longer life. So more than wanting these connections, we need these connections. But why is it so difficult to make them as adults?

How do we create and maintain close-knit friendships across a variety of life’s phases? Should we ever have to settle for K.O.F.’s?

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Hollywood sure knows how to resurrect any and everything. If you were still watching your copy of The Best Man on DVD (or VHS for those old-school fans) or catching it everytime it popped up on BET (every other day), you’ll be happy–I’m assuming–to know that Malcolm D. Lee has signed on to bring you a sequel to 1999′s The Best Man. We’re hoping all the original stars will be back on board for the sequel, and according to Deadline, the idea for the sequel came after a cast reunion recently. Who knows, maybe this time Lance will confront Mia about her romp in the sack with Harper??? That would be extremely entertaining! This is one of my favorite black romantic comedies ever, so I’ll be positive and will most likely check out and support the sequel. NO BOOTLEG’S PLEASE!

What about you?

Malcolm Lee, director of The Best Man, Undercover Brother, and Roll Bounce sat down with actors, writers, producers and fellow directors at the National Comedy Theater to impart words of wisdom, give advice and share his opinions on the ever-popular Tyler Perry.