The casting has been announced for The Color Purple Movie Musical. Oprah Winfrey, Steven Spielberg and Quincy Jones will be producing. Fantasia is playing the role made famous by Whoopi Goldberg Ms Celie. Taiji P Henson is play Shug the role made famous by Margaret Avery. Actress Danielle Brooks (Orange is the new Black,Mahalia Jackson Movie) is playing Sophia the role that Oprah Winfrey played. Philadelphia native Colman Domingo (Zola, If Beale Street could Talk, Ephoria, The Walkng Dead, Ma Raineys Black Bottom) is playing the role made famous by Actor Danny Glover. Singer H.E.R. is playing Squeak the role made famous by Rae Dawn Chong.and Actor Corey Hawkins is also in the movie Playing the Role of Harpo. Singer Halle Bailey (The Little Mermaid) is playing young Nettie. Bazawule who is best known for his work on Beyonces ‘Black is king’ is directing. The Movie musical is coming out December 2023. Now speaking of H.E.R she has been named the new global Ambassador for L’oreal Paris cosmetics
This weekend is the thriller Single Black Female on Lifetime starring Raven Goodwin, Amber Riley, K Michelle ,Janet Hubert and Philly Native Kevin Savage. Now speaking of K Michelle check out her series on Lifetime. My Killer Body airs on Thursday Nights at 10PM. The show discusses the dangers of plastic surgery when it goes wrong.
Congratulations to Singer Rihanna she and her boyfriend Rapper A$AP Rocky are expecting their first child later this Spring.
Get ready for the return of The Real Husbands of Hollywood. Kevin Hart and Crew are Back after six Years. JB Smoove, Nelly, Nick Cannon, Boris Kodje, Duane Martin and Singer Robin Thicke. The Real Husbands of Hollywood More Kevin, More Problems kicks off Thursday February 10th on BET PLUS.
Power Book 4 the Story of Tommy Egan launches on Sunday on Starz. Actor Joseph Sikora plays Tommy.
Odunde the world famous African Festival is returning Sunday June 12th at 23rd and South.
Thursday February 10th It’s Kevin Hart in the return of The Real Husbands of Hollywood. After five years the guys are back this time on BET Plus. All of your favorites are returning including Nick Cannon, JB Smoove, Nelly, Robin Thicke, Duane Martin and Boris Kodjoe.
Here’s the scoop you need for Superbowl Sunday February 13th. The Los Angeles Rams VS The Cincinatti Bengals. Country Music Mickey Guyton is performing the National Anthem. The Gospel Duo of Mary Mary is performing Lift Every Voice and Sing. Singer Jhene Aiko is singing America The Beautiful. The Halftime show has DR. DRE, Eminem, Snoop Dog, Kendrick Lamar and Mary J Blige.
All the Queens men the male stripper show starring Eva Marcille has been renewed on BET Plus.
The game has been renewed for season 2 on Paramount Plus a new reboot of Flashdance based on the 80’s movie is coming to Paramount Plus.
Actor Jason Mamoa will be playing the new villain in Fast and Furious 10. The movie produced by Vin Diesel is coming out May 23rd with the crew of Tyrese , Ludacris and Michelle Rodriquez all returning. A documentary based on the Philly Sound is in the works focusing on Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff and Thom Bell.
Whose going into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame class of 2022. This years nominees include Lionel Richie, Dionne Warwick, Dolly Parton, Rapper Eminem, A Tribe called Quest, Pat Benatar, Carly Simon, and Kate Bush to name a few. You can vote now at rockhalloffameawards.com
Rapper Ice T has been named the new face of Honey Nut Cheerios.
Congrats to Singers Vanessa Williams and Lauryn Hill. They are now grandmothers with their children giving birth.
Over 16 million viewers tuned in to Lifetime and the A&E network to hear Janet Jackson tell her story in her recent documentary.
Director Ava Duvernay is gracing the color of InStyle magazine.
The Documentary ‘Race’ based on NASCAR Driver Bubba Wallace starts streaming on Netflix February 22.
Congrats to Gayle King of CBS Morning she has just signed a new deal to stay with the network.
We Remember Actor Howard Hesseman who died last weekend at the age of 81. Hesseman is best known for his role on the 80’s show WKRP in Cincinatti. He played the rebellious DJ Dr. Johnny Fever.
We need to talk about Cosby is a new documentary airing on Showtime . The docuseries by Kamu Bell takes a very candid look at Cosby from Americas Dad to accused sexual Predator. The series airs during the month of February on the 6th,13th and 20th all at 10pm.
Phat Tuesday The Era of Hip Hop and Comedy is coming to Prime Video starting February 4th. The 3 part documentary is directed by Reginald Hudlin. Comedian Guy Torrie takes a look back at African American Comedians during the time of the late 80’s and 90’s .How did the comics of the era get started during that time. Steve Harvey, Cedric The Entertainer, Dave Chappelle, JB Smoove, Tiffany Haddish and Chris Rock to name a few.
The Extended Leave of absence for Wendy Williams will now stretch into mid march. Williams has been dealing with health issues for the past few months. A slew of guests hosts will be filling in including Michael Rappaport, Sherri Shepherd, Rappers Fat Joe and Remy Ma, Bevy Smith and Terrance J.
Todd Bridges (Different Strokes) Cynthia Bailey (Real Housewives of Atlanta) and former Basketball star Lamar make up a part the new cast of Celebrity Big Brother airing on CBS.
Power Book 4-Force The Story of Tommy Egan debuts on Starz this weekend Sunday night February 6th. Actor Joseph Sikora is back as Tommy Egan.
Superbowl Sunday is February 13th. The halftime show produced by Jay-Z’s Roc Nation features rappers Dr.Dre, Eminem, Singers Mary J Blige, Snoop Dogg and Kendrick Lamar. Check out Mary on the latest edition of Elle magazine.
Dancing in the streets the music of Motown is coming to the Academy of Music with The Philly Pops February 18-20
The revival of The Fresh Prince of Bel Air is scheduled to launch on The Peacock Network February 13th. The show is coming back as a drama. 10 one hour episodes with Actor Jabari Banks playing the role made famous by Will Smith.
The Proud Family is Back! Penny Proud and Family will be featured in the Disney Plus series ‘Louder and Prouder’ streaming starts on Disney Plus February 23rd. Actress Kyla Pratt is back voicing Penny Proud and Actor/Comedian Tommy Davidson is back voicing the dad.
Get ready for the return of Madea. Tyler Perry is bringing the popular character back. February 25th get ready for Madea Homecoming on Netflix. David and Tamela Mann and Cassie Davis will be back in their roles.
The 53rd Annual NAACP Image Awards is happening Saturday Feb 26th on BET. You’ll be hearing the names Jennifer Hudson and Will Smith come up a lot. Anthony Anderson is back as host of the show. Samuel L Jackson is getting the big honor of the night with the Chairmans award. The show will not have a Live Audience.
The FX Show Snowfall is returning to the lineup on February 23rd starring Damson Idris.
Tamar Braxton wants the E Network to show her and her family the money. Tamar along with her Sisters starred in the Reality series Braxton Family Values. In a recent interview Braxton said they underpaid.
Singer Anita Baker is planning on returning to the live stage. She is scheduled to do some shows This coming May in Las Vegas. The 64 year old entertainer is promising new music , she has regained the Masters to her music and a box set of her classics is coming out.
The 9th Annual IHeart Music Awards is happening March 22nd.
Get ready for the Bobby Brown Documentary May 30th and May 31st. the two night 4 hour documentary will air on the A&E Network. Followed by a new 12 part docuseries ‘Being Bobby Brown’. The documentary will feature Usher, Jermaine Dupri, Keith Sweat,Babyface, members of New Edition family and friends. Despite an amazing career, Brown has suffered great losses with the death of Whitney Houston and the losing two children Bobbi Kris and Bobby Brown Jr,
Peabo Bryson and Oleta Adams are coming to Atlantic City. Doing a show at the Tropicana Casino Saturday February 5th
Boys to Men will be in concert at the Met Broad and Poplar Saturday February 12th.
Katt Williams is bringing his World Two Comedy Tour to Atlantic City Saturday February 12th at the The Boardwalk Hall. Actress/Comedian Luenell is also on the bill.
Musiq Souldchild is in concert at The Met Broad and Poplar on Monday February 14th Valentines Day. The next day February 15th he’s doing a Verzuz with Singer Anthony Hamilton.
Kool and The Gang are coming to Atlantic City Saturday Feb 19th they are performing at The Oceans Casino.
Stephanie Mills, The Whispers, The Stylistics and Howard Hewitt are doing the love show Sunday February 20th at the Hard Rock Casino.
Kirk Franklin is also coming to Atlantic City Saturday February 26th at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino
The Culture tour is coming to Philly! Thursday February 24th It’s New Edition (Ralph, Bobby, Johnny, Mike, Ronnie, and Ricky) all six members. Charlie Wilson and Jodeci. The concert is happening at The Wells Fargo Center and Tickets are on sale now Wellsfargophilly.com
American Idol is returning to ABC Sunday February 27th. Luke Bryan, Katy Perry, and Lionel Richie are back as Judges and Ryan Seacrest as host. This year the show will be bringing in alum and past winners as guest mentors to the contestants. Now speaking of Lionel Richie he’s going to be honored in May with The Gershwin Prize for Popular song. The ceremony will air on May 17th on PBS. Past winners include Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson and Sir Paul McCartney.
Tickets are on sale now for the Full Circle Tour with Singers Kem and Babyface and Comedian Sherri Shepherd. The show is happening Saturday April 2nd at the Liacouras Center Broad and Montgomery.
Saturday May 7th The Mothers Day Music Festival with Keith Sweat, After 7, Tank, Brownstone, Tamia and Destinee Marie at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.
Producer Will Packer who is producing this years Academy awards says there will be a Girls Trip 2. Yes a sequel to the 2017 hit Movie. Packer says all the ladies will return Queen Latifah, Regina Hall, Jada Pinket Smith and Tiffany Haddish.
Will Actor Idris Elba be the next James Bond? According to Producers Idris is still being considered for the role even though he’s older than the Actor they are looking for to take the lead.
Producer/Director Lee Daniels is gearing up for his first horror movie. In a new 65 million dollar Netflix deal Daniels is putting together a movie he is calling Exorcism Thriller. The movie will star Singer Andra Day, Glenn Close, Octavia Spencer, Anjanue Ellis and Caleb McLaughlin from the Netflix series ‘Stranger Things’. Filming starts late this Spring. The movie is about a woman who discovers all of her children are posessed. This is based on a true story.
When Acting Legend Sidney Poitier died at the age of 94 he was battling Alzheimers/Dementia, heart disease and prostate Cancer at the time of his death.
The Grammy Awards have been scheduled for Sunday April 3rd in Las Vegas. Trevor Noah will be back at host.
Congrats to Director Spike Lee. Lee is getting a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Directors guild of America. Lee is the first Black Director to receive this honor. Previous winners of this award include Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorcese. The ceremony is happening Saturday March 12th.
Filming has started in Atlanta on Creed 3. Michael B Jordan is starring and directing the movie which is due in theaters around Thanksgiving . Tessa Thompson and Phylicia Rashad will be back in their roles and Actor Johnathan Majors will play the villain boxer going up against Adonis played by Jordan.
Kandi Burris is launching her new Bravo Show Kandi and the gang March 6th on Bravo. The show will feature her husband Todd, her mom and Aunts at their restaurant in Atlanta ‘The Old Lady Gang.
The Latest Batman movie starring Robert Pattinson and Zoe Kravitz hits theatres March 3rd. the movie is close to three hours long.
Singers Bruno Mars and Anderson Paak make up Silk Sonic and they getting ready for their Las Vegas residency ‘An Evening of Silk Sonic’ will be happening February, March and Early April.
Singer Alyson Williams who is best known for the song ‘ Just call my Name’ is doing much better after her battle with Covid. The songstress was in a coma for several days.
Denzel Washington says he’s ready to return to action the next Equalizer movie. He says he will be back as Robert McCall in Equalizer three.
The Critics choice awards are happening March 13th on TBS and the TNT Network. Taye Diggs and Comedian Nicole Byers are hosting.
Maxwell is coming to Atlantic City Friday April 1st at the Boardwalk Hall. It’s the night tour Anthony Hamilton and Joe are also on the bill.
Philly Native Jazmine Sullivan is returning to Philly Friday March 18th at The Met Broad and Poplar. Tickets are on sale now.
The FX Show The Godfather of Harlem starring Forest Whitaker has been renewed for a 3rd Season.
Jada Pinkett Smith is set to star in the Netflix movie ‘Redd Zone’. The movie is about a single mom who helps her sons deal with the murder of their friend. She later takes in their friends and at one time she had 17 young men living under her roof. All of the men ended up in college and for made it into the NFL. The movie is being directed by Oscar Winner Matthew Cherry who directed the animated short ‘Hair Story’.
This years Academy Awards is set to air March 27th will have a host. The 94th annual academy awards will air on ABC and the show is being produced by Will Packer.
Congrats to Symone Sanders former advisor to the Biden Administration who is now hosting a weekend show on MSNBC.
The Screen Actors Guild Awards is happening February 27th on TNT and TBS.
The popular Netflix movie ‘Red Notice’ will be back with two sequels being filmed back to back with stars Dwayne The Rock Johnson , Ryan Reynolds and Gal Gadot returning in their roles.
Actress Yvonne Oriji best known for her role as Molly on the HBO Show Insecure, is back with a new dating Reality Show on HBO MAX ‘My Mom Your Dad’. The show streaming now on HBO Max shows older Single Parents dating, but their kids are pulling the strings.
The 8th and final season of Blackish has kicked off on ABC. You are going to see many big named celebrities this year including Olympic Gold Medalist Simone Biles, Singer/Producer Babyface, Basketball Legend Magic Johnson, Actress Vivica Fox, and Sports Analyst Stephen A. Smith. Anthony Anderson the star of Blackish has already landed a new gig. Anderson is returning to Law and Order when the show starts its revival next year.
Congratulations to Star Jones. For many years Jones was a host on The View. Jones is returning to TV in September as the new Host of Divorce Court on Fox. Judge Faith Jenkins is leaving Divorce court to focus on her new show ‘Killer Relationships’ airing Sunday Nights on The Oxygen Channel.Judge Jenkins who is married to singer Kenny Lattimore says she is very excited about her venture.
Congrats to Philly Native Egypt Sherrod and her husband Mike. The brand new show ‘Married to Real Estate’ has launched on HGTV.
The breakout hit show ‘Abbott Elementary features Philly Native Quinta Brunson The creator and Star of The Show. Sheryl Lee Ralph (State Senator Vincent Hughs wife) Tyler James Williams (Everybody hates Chris) Actress/Comedian Lisa Ann Walter and Actress/Janelle James. This show is so funny it airs Tuesday night at 9pm.
The Kanye west Documentary’JEEN YUHS’ will be show in theaters and on Netflix launching February 16th. The Kanye trilogy will show never before seen footage, going back 20 years in his life and career the highs and the lows.
Rihanna is launching a Savage X Fenty Store in Philly. In a statement Rihanna noted how Philly is one of five cities on boardlaunching stores. Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Houston and DC are the other stores.
Rapper Saweetie is joining forces with the Legendary Cher for a new AD campaign for MAC Cosmetics.
After 4 years get ready for a 3rd season of the FX Show Atlanta with Donald Glover, Brian Tyree Henry and Lakeith Stansfield. When the relaunches on March 24th the guys will show life on the road.
The Netflix series Bridgerton is returning March 25th. The second season of the Shonda Rhimes drama will focus on Lord Anthony Bridgerton and his search for a wife.
Kel Mitchell is back! In the 90’s Mitchell was a part of the Nickelodeon show ‘All That’ and teaming up with Keenan Thompson in the show Keenan and Kel and the movie Good Burger. Mitchell the father of four is now a Pastor and he has just released his first book. The book is a daily devotional ‘Blessed Mode 90 days to develop your Faith.
Darryl McDaniels DMC of Run DMC has released his first childrens book ‘Darryl’s Dream’ about a shy 3rd grader trying to find his voice.
Jimmy Fallon of Tonight show fame also has a new show on NBC. The show called ‘That’s My Jam’ features celebrities competing in musical and dance inspired games. The variety show will also feature Philly Natives Musician Adam Blackstone and DJ Aktive.
Get ready for Judge Steve Harvey. Steve Harvey is playing the Judge and Jury is his new show Tuesday nights on ABC. Also on ABC It’s Abbott Elementary. The comedy stars West Philly Native Quinta Brunson, Sheryl Lee Ralph and Tyler James Williams.
Spiderman No Way Home broke starring Tom Holland, Zendaya, Jamie Foxx and Willem Dafoe broke all kinds of box office numbers to be become the second highest grossing film off all time. This all but assures there will be a fourth installment in the franchise. The movie will be available for streaming and demand on February 28th. Now Speaking of Zendaya her HBO Show ‘Euphoria season two is streaming now.
Rapper Big Daddy Kane is putting together a documentary for Netflix Paragraghs Manifest. Kane is going to be joined by fellow Rappers Snoop Dog, J Cole, Eminem, and Jay Z
Devon Franklin and gospel sensation Kirk Franklin are joining forces for a new gospel drama on BET plus called ‘Kingdom Business’ . The 8 episode series will focus on the Gospel Music Industry thru the lenses of Faith, Love and Music. Gospel Legend Yolanda Adams is set to Star.
Next year HBO will be unveiling a new drama series ‘Winning Time Showtime’. The show is based on the rise of the LA Lakers dynasty in the 80’s. the show debuts in March and will focus on the Superstars of that era Magic Johnson,Norm Nixon and Kareem Abdul Jabbar.
Power Book 2 ‘Ghost’ Has been renewed for a third season on Starz.
Poet and Activist Amanda Gorman is back with a new book of Poetry ‘Call us what we bring’
Alicia Keys is back with a new double CD entitled ‘Keys’
Season 14 of Rupauls Drag show will feature a slew of guests judges including Tariji P Henson, Lizzo, Alicia Keys, Actress Andra Day, Talk show host Loni Love and Comedian Nicole Byers.
Congratulations to Quest Love of the Roots his documentary ‘Summer of Soul’ won big at the Critics Choice Awards. Summer of Soul which many say was the Black Woodstock won awards for Best Documentary, Best Archived Documentary and Best Music Documentary. Summer of Soul features musical performances from Stevie Wonder, Sly and the Family Stone , The Staple Singers, The Temptations and many more. Summer of Soul is now streaming on HULU.
Actors Danny Glover and Samuel L Jackson will be given Honorary Oscars at this years Academy Awards in March. Will Packer (Think like a Man, Girls Trip) is producing the show.
Iyanla van Zandt is joining the podcast world. The R spot is coming out this year.
Eddie Murphy will be teaming up with Actor Jonah Hill in a new movie by Kenya Barris. The comedy is about Clashing culturesand generational differences.
Director Jordan Peele who brought us the movies ‘Us’ and ‘Get Out’ is back to scare us again in his new movie ‘Nope’ starring Oscar Winner Daniel Kaluua and Keke Palmer. The movie is coming out July 22nd 2022.
Oscar Winner Viola Davis is set to all about her life. Her book ‘Finding Me’ will talk about her career, marriage and motherhood. The book is out now.
If you would like more info please email me at PattyJackson@iHeartMedia.com or check me out with my midday reports at 10:30am, 12:30pm and 2:30pm during the day on 105.3 Wdasfm. Or join me on Social Media Twitter:Mspattyjackson Instagram Wdaspatty and Facebook Patty