Petitioners may not have succeeded in stopping TLC from airing a new reality show about preachers’ wives this past January, but they will be happy to know the channel has cancelled the show “The Sisterhood” and it will not be returning for a second season.

The news comes from The Jasmine Brand, which recently chatted with members of the cast about the cancellation. If you recall, the show centered on the lives of Tara Lewis, Domonique Scott, Christina Murray, DeLana Rutherford, and Ivy Couch — five Atlanta women who were married to current or former pastors. The backlash to the mere idea of the show was almost instant and a change.org petition urging TLC to cancel the series went viral within a week of the first episode. With AlwaysAList.com’s report that the “The Sisterhood” won’t be returning for season 2, the natural question is whether ratings or controversy is the culprit. In an interview with The Jasmine Brand, Dr. Brian Lewis, husband of Pastor Tara Lewis, said, ultimately, the women are the ones who got the show cancelled.

“There are so many factors that contributed to the cancellation of the show, but ultimately it was the cast members themselves that caused our core viewers, Christians, to be grieved by their conduct and turned-off and disinterested in the show. The premiere episode one was so way off base for those professing to be Christians and the sensationalized sexual content so blatant, the arguments so tense and the doctrinal differences so outlandish that it made people feel so uncomfortable that the show immediately lost 300,000 viewers and it undermined this phenomenal opportunity we had to witness His light in darkness. The bickering, pettiness, gossiping, backbiting, insolence and cliquiness of three of the ladies violated the one law that identifies true Christians.”

Although the couple is disappointed that “The Sisterhood” has gone by the wayside, along with the opportunity to minister to viewers, the Lewis’s are actually hoping to get their own show where they can continue to be the positive, uplifting examples they set out to be from the beginning. Tara said:

“So many people want to see us have our own show. So the answer to your question is “Yes!” We have developed a pitch for our own reality docuseries featuring Tara and I, as well as, daily talk show pitch. We plan to pitch the docuseries to the production companies and the top reality based networks and are confident that this will not be the last that you see of Brian and Tara Lewis in reality. We also have our weekly television broadcast Phenomenal Life Today, which airs locally here in Atlanta and is featured on Magic Johnson’s Aspire TV Network and we are in discussions to go on The Impact Network, the first and only African American owned global Christian television network. Tara and I still be in the call on our lives to use television to impact the world for Christ.”

I wouldn’t be surprised if TLC hopped on that.

What do you think about “The Sisterhood” being cancelled? Would you watch a spin-off show with Brian and Tara?

There’s not too many people in music who can put out the caliber of music Prince has since he debuted in the late ’70s. And maybe it’s for that reason so many artists, young and old, new and veterans, have tried to cover his joints and make them their own. Even Janelle Monáe and Tina Turner have done his work live and in concert. But it’s hard to outdo or really “cover” the Purple One.  However, these people gave it a try and released their attempts as singles. Some to great success, others to some “what-the-hot-hell??” results. But hey, it never hurts to try, right? Check out these cover attempts and let us know which ones were good, and which one’s you thought missed the mark.

*The original Prince tracks (which were hard to find) have been hyperlinked in the descriptions if you’d like to take a walk down memory lane…

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: Stephen Knight

From EurWeb

Tashera Simmons is totally crushed that new reality show, “Starter Wives” was canceled after just a few weeks on air. And some say she could be pinning the cancellation on 50 Cent.

Shortly after TLC announced its decision to only air the show online, 50 took to Twitter to take the credit for the move.

Last week he called the show “trash” and jokingly bid good luck to the cast members, hoping everyone would eventually find work.

He then followed up by saying the ladies on the show are just “angry ex girls.”

Tashera then responded to the announcement, expressing her disappointment that the show has ended so soon.

Read her statement on EurWeb.com.

Source: TLC

If you’ve never seen TLC’s “My Strange Addiction,” then you’ve been missing out. We all have our vices and obsessions but these people, mostly women, take their behaviors to a level that is more about psychology than it is about their strange behavior. While the show profiles individuals from various backgrounds, we’ve noticed that there have been quite a few black women who’ve appeared throughout the show’s four seasons. Check out some of their outrageous addictions.

Source: WENN

When news broke last week that rapper Lil Mama would be playing the late Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes in TLC’s upcoming biopic, almost everyone knew that there would be some naysayers in opposition of the 23-year-old New York native playing Hip Hop’s beloved Left Eye. But, the latest source of controversy surrounding the casting of the VH1 film is a bit surprising. Over the weekend, we reported that 19-year-old actress and singer, Keke Palmer was cast to play the role of Rozanda “Chilli” Thomas. This seemed like great news, considering how talented of an actress the True Jackson, VP star is. Everyone doesn’t appear to have shared the same sentiments though. TLC fans utilized their Twitter pages to sound-off about their disapproval of Palmer playing the role of Chilli because they felt she didn’t look like the Atlanta singer. Clearly fed up with the nitpicking, Keke posted a statement to her Twitter page, defending her role in the biopic and slamming any talk that would imply that she is a poor choice for the role because she isn’t identical to Chilli.

The Joyful Noise actress expressed to Vibe.com that her love for TLC dates back to when she was six years old and the single “No Scrubs” dropped.

“I would sing ‘No Scrubs’ over and over again to the point my parents would have to tell me to stop, but I never did, I had my little hairbrush as my mic and nobody could tell me I wasn’t the fourth member of TLC. I am a true fan. I love these ladies and I always want to be proud of my work in any role that I do”.

In case you were wondering, Drew Sidora has been cast to play Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins. I actually think Keke is going to do an outstanding job as Chilli.

What do you think?

Jazmine Denise is a news writer for Madame Noire. Follow her on Twitter @jazminedenise.

Source: TLC

If you were a fan of TLC’s latest reality show, Starter Wives Confidential, you’ll be saddened to know that the network has decided to pull the plug on the rest of the season. While the exact reason why the show has been canceled hasn’t been revealed, it’s quite obvious that the exes of some of the ladies who appear on the show weren’t exactly thrilled about their dirty laundry being aired out once a week on national television. Not to fret though, the remaining episodes will be available on TLC’s website. The announcement was made by Funkmaster Flex’s ex-wife, Monica Joseph-Taylor via her blog, Mommy’s Dirty Little Secret. Check out her full statement below.

If you want to watch the remainder of episodes of Starter Wives Confidential you will have to go online to TLC.com.

Ask me why? ::Long pause::

Is it ratings? Is it a change in network direction…or all the outside drama?!

It’s no secret Starter Wives Confidential was plagued by legal inquiries and possible lawsuits from the beginning. Starting with Shanequa Tompkins being missing from all the episodes, her ex 50 cent allegedly had an agreement or contract with her of some sort that either prevented or made it difficult for her to partake in the show. I know before taping even began I was questioned about my posts relating to anyone connected with Lamar Odom. Luckily TLC had no control over what I do or can post so it became a non-issue. I never did find out who was putting pressure on them. Cut to the Lil Kim situation, one which I’m still confused about and can’t even confirm if there is a law suit.

Bringing a show with women of color to TLC we always knew was a challenge and I love that they believed in our stories and gave us a voice. A voice, honesty, love, a lot of drama, and a bit of ratchetness. (Usually required for any good reality show.)
I can only imagine there were a lot of people who were afraid what would come out on Starter Wives Confidential and as you saw from the first few episodes, the ladies were NOT holding back! Trust me it gets better and much juicier. But I digress. (I always wanted to say that in a post.)

I want to say that from the very bottom of my soul the support and love from viewers was more amazing then I imagined. Even the haters felt our show was genuine. I love that personally I got to not only bond with 5 amazing women but was allowed to show that not all celebrity wives sit home, model, or are simpletons. For the first time people got to know who I really am, if even just a little bit.

So it SUCKS that you have to watch episodes online but it beeeez like that sometimes. But make sure you still log onto http://www.mommysdirtylittlesecret.com everyday for the latest news, gossip, and info (c’mon y’all know me by now, why pretend anymore #endlesspromotion #bossb**ch #keepitmovin #letmefinish)

P.S. I realize I didn’t answer why we are not being aired anymore…you will just have to judge for yourself. ::Closes the shades carefully as she writes and presses send::
- Monica Taylor

While many will probably be relieved to hear the news that another ratchet reality show has been booted off of the air, I can’t help but feel a bit sad for a cast member  like Tashera Simmons, who avoided drama and was just utilizing the show as a means of supporting her children.

What do you think of the show being pulled off of the air?

Jazmine Denise is a news writer for Madame Noire. Follow her on Twitter @jazminedenise.

Brian To/WENN.com

Well, it looks like the TLC movie is definitely ready to go.

It was announced a couple of weeks ago that Lil Mama would play the role of Left Eye in VH1′s TLC biopic. They’d already cast former The Game cast member Drew Sidora as T-Boz, so the only thing left was to find Miss Chilli.

The search is over as VH1 revealed that Chilli would be played by actress and singer KeKe Palmer, according to Necole Bitchie.

Production will begin in Atlanta, where it all began for TLC, next month.

T-Boz and Chilli expressed concerns about having big names play them in a movie and preferring virtual unknowns to play the role; however, when it comes down to it, you need names that at least a few people know to create some interest in the movie.  Besides, all three of these actresses are on three very different levels of success so we can’t imagine that they’re totally disappointed in the choices.

According to the press release, the film should be out in time to celebrate TLC’s 20th anniversary. Wow, time flies, doesn’t it?

Will you be watching?