Danielle Brooks’ Astonishing Role in Robin Roberts Presents: MAHALIA
Robin Roberts Presents: Mahalia is a monumental, heart-warming film starring Danielle Brooks which tells the life story of the iconic Gospel legend Mahalia Jackson. This film is a beautiful replay of Mahalia’s music journey leading up to her significant involvement in the civil rights movement alongside Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Premiering on Lifetime Saturday, April 3, 8/7C, Danielle Brooks takes on the spirit of Mahalia Jackson in a way that brings her story back to life again! Born in New Orleans, we get to see Mahalia from her youth captivating hearts with her anointed, passionate Gospel voice. Having sold millions of copies from her hit song “Move On Up A Little Higher” including a performance at Carnegie Hall and other notable venues, we witness on screen how Mahalia’s voice inspires her audience and motivates racial equity everywhere it is heard.
There are moments throughout the film that will absolutely leave you smitten with adoration for Mahalia and respect the impact she left on this world. Each character surrounding her life and the way they take on their individual roles is impeccably done. I especially appreciate how candid the film shows both Mahalia’s frail humanity as well as her noble spirit and heart for all people.
For more on Robin Roberts Presents: Mahalia, please visit https://www.mylifetime.com/movies/robin-roberts-presents-mahalia. This film is executive produced by Robin Roberts & Linda Berman.
*Photos Courtesy of Lifetime TV
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Black Menswear Presents FlashMob ATL Edition
Anyone who has frequented IG over the years has probably come across the iconic images of black men suited in crowds and organized by color showing their unity, brotherhood and celebratory differences. In particular, the one I have in mind is Founder NeAndre Broussard’s Black Menswear FlashMob! First, the goal behind Black Menswear is to reconstruct a more positive image and reputation for black men. Thus, creatively rewriting the narrative and providing the next generation with a living example of greatness and self-worth.
FlashMob is one of these strategically genius initiatives used to help build a sense of community and to round up black men collectively to network, suit up and to "create culture-shifting" viral content. And the real cool part is, FlashMob is a traveling initiative — Similar to that of a revival! From city to city, these dapper brothers meet up at an undisclosed location for a great photo event and fellowship. Originating in Dallas Texas, FlashMob has managed to bring together thousands of black men globally to tell the story and successfully rewrite history!
Atlanta welcomes its edition of Flash Mob this Saturday, March 6th, 2021. And we already know it’s gonna be a forever memorable one! For more, please visit www.weareblackmenswear.com.
Standby for the recap...
+Photos Courtesy of Black Menswear
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Interview with Thomas Cadrot on His Role in NBC’s New, DEBRIS
Just 3 days until the Pilot Premiere of NBC’s Debris! This captivating series is sort of a sci-fi drama/ thriller by Joel Howard “J.H.” Wyman who also is producer of the 2008 Fox sci-fi hit series, Fringe. I recently got the opportunity to speak to Actor Thomas Cadrot about his role in Debris and the overall nature of this show! Thomas shares that the storyline is about alien debris that comes in contact with the earth’s atmosphere and causes a phenomenon around the places its found. Actors Riann Steele who plays “Finola Jones” (MI6) and Jonathan Tucker who plays “Bryan Beneventi” (CIA) team up together to track these phenomenon and unveil its purpose.
So I asked Thomas if he’s a sci-fi guy and he admits that he is. He says that even if he wasn’t a part of this film, he would still be a total fan. He goes on to say, that being in the series is a dream come true especially that it’s one involving the creative mastery of Joel Wyman! Thomas plays “Agent Tom Gordon” who works for an umbrella company called Orbital. Orbital oversees MI6 + The CIA, while Tom Gordon is useful in providing necessary intel to both throughout their research and connecting the dots. When asked about memorable moments in filming, he shares that the memorable moments are pretty much ongoing. Shooting the show out in Vancouver, BC (although harshly cold at times), Thomas articulates how beautifully things turned out setting the proper tone for the show.
As for challenges, he says the real challenge was Covid. In the middle of finalizing the pilot when Covid hit, they had to shut down the filming so that the LA crew could fly back home before the airports shut down. It was not until late November when they were able to finish the pilot. Otherwise, Thomas says that they are still shooting the tail end of the season and thing are going pretty smoothly. He has also managed to really bond with both Riann and Jonathan pretty organically. He commends them for being such great leads, but more importantly, great people to work alongside.
I asked Thomas if he is usually typecast since it seems that he has played various kinds of roles throughout his career. He told me that in the beginning, he definitely was! He would usually land roles as a cop or doctor, etc. because of his height, skin and body frame. Ultimately, his goal is “to tell stories through acting that are worth being told and to display the different dimensions of human interaction”. Thomas hopes that fans will stay engaged throughout the series because the show is very fresh, un-repetitive and nail-biting! He says that they are proud of it and believe that the public will be intrigued from start to finish.
NBC’s Debris airs Monday, March 1 at 10/9C. For more, please visit, https://www.nbc.com/debris.
Graphic Asset: iRONix Design Suite
Photos of Thomas: Emily Ellen
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The Salt-N-Pepa Biopic | Lifetime
Lifetime’s highly anticipated Salt N Pepa biopic airs this Saturday, January 23rd at 8/7 CT, just two days away! This miniseries tells the story of the first legendary all-female rap group and their impact on hip hop culture with popular trailblazing jams such as Let’s Talk About Sex, What a Man, Shoop and Push It, among many other famed hits. Starring Laila Odom as "Pepa" and GG Townsend as “Salt”, this miniseries takes an in-depth look into the spicy duo’s humble beginnings and their turbulent rise to fame. What I most appreciate about this film is how honestly it walks us through personal challenges, but capitalizes on their unwavering determination pave the way for other women to follow. The film peers into the heart of hip hop culture and remarkably highlights other legendary musical geniuses that we’ve come to love like Run-D.M.C., Heavy D, Queen Latifah and more. Salt N Pepa is written by Abdul Williams and executive produced by Sandra Denton, Jesse Collins, Cheryl James, Queen Latifiah and Shakim Compere along with other notable co-executive producers. This is undoubtedly one you don’t wanna miss! For more, please visit https://www.mylifetime.com/.
Images Courtesy of Lifetime TV
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Atlanta Hosts Satellite Screenings for the 2021 Sundance Film Festival!
January 28 – February 3, 2021, the Atlanta Film Society (TAFS) + Plaza Theatre, partner up with Sundance Institute to to share 11 world premiere screenings for the 2021 Sundance Film Festival! To be clear, Atlanta was the city selected by Sundance to be the first ever Satellite Initiative location whereby these highly-anticipated screenings will be viewable both Indoors and Drive-In at Plaza Theatre and at Dad’s Garage Drive-In. Digital Festival attendees will have opportunities to convene in virtual waiting rooms, participate in live Q&A’s, as well as other new environments to interact. For more information on films for Sundance, including the ones that will be hosted here in Atlanta, please visit http://festival.sundance.org.
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Dress Like A Gent Speaks to Brooks Darnell on his Role as “Rob” in Lifetime’s Let’s Meet Again on Christmas Eve
Just two days away, Lifetime’s annual “It’s A Wonderful Lifetime” will air a beautiful and romantically charming film called Let’s Meet Again on Christmas Eve. The film premieres on Lifetime December 5th at 8PM ET/PT and is one not to be missed! Today I got a chance to interview the very brilliant Brooks Darnell on his lead role as “Rob” in the film. Brooks plays “Rob” alongside lead actress Kyla Pratt, who plays his college sweetheart, “Corrine”. Brooks tells us about his experience in filming this movie and what that was like.
The film begins with a great narration following these two in their younger college days being in love. An opportunity arises for Rob to go and pursue his passion in Italy as the two agree to meet back up in two years on Christmas Eve to determine if they are really destined for each other. When one shows up and the other is a no-show, it leaves unanswered questions and wild emotions to unravel. 7 years later, when the two ironically bump into each other while working a Christmas wedding project for a mutual client, the real adventure begins! Brooks says that shooting this film out of sequence due to the script’s time delay was interesting and somewhat daunting. The part of having to play a younger college-age Rob and then Rob 7 years later, was an exercise in itself; but not that big of a stretch.
In reference to working with Kyla, Brooks says that they actually met for the first time at the airport on the way to do this film and got a chance to really vibe during their layover. He says, the time they got to get to know one another in preparation for the movie was absolutely essential and helped to make things organic during filming. I shared with him how the film as a whole is surprisingly not one of those cheesy holiday films that you have to force yourself to get through. Au contraire, this movie and the chemistry on screen that you sense between Kyla and Brooks was absolutely impeccable. Frankly speaking, this particular film had me in my feelings - the way the characters displayed their unwavering love and willingness to fight for one another was pretty darn moving!
When asked how Brooks traditionally celebrates Christmas, he says that Christmas for him starts right after Thanksgiving. Living in L.A., although snow is rare during Christmas time, it’s never stopped Brooks whatsoever from getting in the Christmas spirit! Every other year, he puts up a large Christmas tree with a different theme and refined decorations. When not having to work, he loves to travel to a different place each year and shop up until the last minute. Brooks tells us that there is no greater joy than being able to give to someone else. In fact, he typically volunteers his time once or twice a year with L.A. Mission for this purpose.
I also asked Brooks if there was anything in particular that resonates with him about playing this role in the film. He says, “Yes, you never know where life will take you… And if you stay true to your heart, you never know where it will lead you.” In his own life, he’s learned the importance of following his heart and seen how staying true to that has opened up grand opportunities that may have been missed otherwise. We see in this film, a theme of old love being rekindled as one couple renews their wedding vows paralleled by new love (Corrine & Rob) also being rekindled all with the love magic that Christmas brings! I believe that this is the type of film that will inspire viewers to love unconditionally, be open to being loved and ultimately, to follow your heart even when it seems unconventional.
For more on this film and other films on the It’s A Wonderful Lifetime lineup, please visit, https://www.mylifetime.com/christmas-movies.
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Creative Director/Mogul Anita Safo Relaunches The Culture Shock Show —LIVE!
After a three year hiatus, Creative Director/ Influencer Anita Safo relaunches Atlanta’s celebrated Culture Shock Show LIVE tomorrow Sunday, November 22 at 5PM EST! For those of you perhaps uninformed about this spectacular modern African fashion event, let me give you the scoop... The Culture Shock Show is a high-energy infusion of non-stop entertainment, electrifying beats and most importantly, reimagined contemporary African fashion! Anita shares, that after taking a necessary break for self-care and finishing up school, she felt the need to come up with an innovative way to resurrect this annual show. After serious thought and planning, Anita has decided to team up with Haddy Sohna of Steezy Events and Liberian American Rap Artist Dope Zulu, to curate a digital documentary-style Culture Shock Show that will also have an in-person option.
This year, guests can look forward to seeing vibrant designer pieces on the runway by designer creatives such as Maison De Mawollie, Adu Clothing Co., Designs by Nem, Adedammy Designs and more! Personally, I’ve had the pleasure of providing media coverage for this event a few years and have absolutely enjoyed seeing the show come to life. It’s one several annual staple fashion events here in the city that I think deserves greater recognition. Not to mention, there is a definitive education to be gained from experiencing this event. Ultimately, people should leave with a greater sensitivity toward Multicultural Africa and its beautiful influences both locally and nation-wide.
For details on viewing the show LIVE and tix purchasing, please visit www.cultureshocklive.eventbrite.com.
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