Loretta Devine News

On Monday, February 4 at 7pm, BAM presents the east coast premiere of Xavier Burgin's Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror (2019), a new documentary exploring a century of genre films that by turns utilized, caricatured, exploited, sidelined, and finally embraced Black Americans in Hollywood, tracing a secret history through their connection to the horror genre. The documentary will be followed by a panel discussion with author, educator, and Horror Noire executive producer Tananarive Due, filmmaker R. Shanea Williams, comics author Greg Anderson Elysee, and Horror Noire co-writer/producer and Graveyard Shift Sisters founder Ashlee Blackwell, as well as a screening of Rusty Cundieff's classic urban horror anthology, Tales from the Hood (1995).

The 50th NAACP Image Awards will air LIVE on TV One, a division of Urban One, Inc., on March 30, 2019. For the first time ever, the telecast will take place from the Dolby Theater in Hollywood, California. The announcement was made today by NAACP National Board of Directors Chairman Leon W. Russell, NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson, Chief Executive Officer, Urban One, Inc. & Chairman/CEO, TV One Alfred Liggins and TV One General Manager Michelle Rice.

American actress Johnetta Eula'Mae Ackles makes her professional stage debut in Martin McDonagh's A Very Very Very Dark Matter at the Bridge Theatre, playing the captive Congolese woman who supplies writer Hans Christian Andersen with all his stories. 

Ntozake Shange, Tony nominated writer of the play, for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf, has died at age 70.

Netflix gave a straight-to-series order for multigenerational comedy series Family Reunion, with Tia Mowry and Loretta Devine set to star, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Last year, Tituss Burgess revealed that he is working on a musical adaptation of The Preacher's Wife, based on the blockbuster film of the same name, starring Whitney Houston. The musical held a reading shortly thereafter.

Lifetime has announced the network's It's a Wonderful Lifetime lineup, which features 14 all-new original movies and nine acquired films. Starring in these films includes a slew of Broadway stars such as Megan Hilty, Marrisa Jaret Winokur, and Jane Alexander.

Christmas is coming early this year! Lifetime sleighs the 2018 holiday season this year with the network's It's a Wonderful Lifetime lineup, featuring 14 all-new original movies and nine acquired films. Kicking off on November 21 with a special week featuring five nights of premieres, each week of the holiday season will feature new movies every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, it was announced today by Tanya Lopez, EVP, Movies, Limited Series and Original Movie Acquisitions, Lifetime and LMN.

Elizabeth Mitchell will play the daughter of Ellen Burstyn's character in the romantic comedy “Welcome to Pine Grove!” according to Variety.

Two-time Academy Award Nominee & Emmy Winner Ann-Margret (Grumpy old Men, Bye, Bye Birdie), Emmy Award-winner Jane Curtin (The Spy Who Dumped Me, “Saturday Night Live”), Emmy Award-winner Christopher Lloyd (Going in Style, Back To The Future) and Emmy Award-winner Loretta Devine (“Grey's Anatomy”, Waiting to Exhale) will join the upcoming Welcome to Pine Grove! directed by Michael Lembeck from a screenplay by Donald Martin. The actors join Academy Award-winner Ellen Burstyn and Academy Award-nominee James Caan in this Mean Girls meets “Golden Girls” romantic comedy. The Astute Films production is currently filming in Atlanta.

OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network announced today it has renewed for a second season its hit romantic drama series “Love Is___” from award-winning producers Mara Brock Akil (“Being Mary Jane,” “The Game,” “Girlfriends”) and Salim Akil (“Black Lightning”). The Akils created and executive produced the series through their company Akil Productions, in association with Warner Horizon Scripted Television. Brock Akil serves as the series' showrunner, as well as director for the pilot and upcoming season finale episode (Tuesday, August 21 at 10 p.m. ET/PT).

CBS to Burn Off Comedies 'Me, Myself & I,' 'Living Biblically' today Nights Beginning 7/7

Reed Birney and Jayne Houdyshell reprise their Tony Award®-winning performances in 'The Humans' for the last stop of the national tour at the Center Theatre Group / Ahmanson Theatre. Performances began this week in Los Angeles, check out the opening night arrivals below!

Urban Movie Channel (UMC), the first subscription video on demand service (SVOD) created for African American and urban audiences, is now available to Comcast's Xfinity TV customers across the country. A subsidiary of RLJ Entertainment (RLJE), UMC's launch on Xfinity TV marks the first time the SVOD service has been made available on an MVPD set-top box. Featuring top programming in Black film and television, UMC is accessible in the home through Xfinity On Demand and on the go via the Xfinity Stream app and portal. Xfinity TV customers with X1 can use their voice remote and say 'Urban Movie Channel' to pull up the offering, or they'll be able to find it within the Black Film and TV section of Xfinity On Demand. UMC costs $4.99 per month.

OWN announced today its new original one-hour romantic drama from award-winning producers Mara Brock Akil ('Being Mary Jane,' 'The Game,' 'Girlfriends') and Salim Akil ('Black Lightning') will premiere today, June 19 at 10 p.m. ET/PT (after Tyler Perry's 'The Haves and the Have Nots at 9 p.m. ET/PT). Brock Akil serves as showrunner on the series, which she and Akil created and executive produce through their company Akil Productions, in association with Warner Horizon Scripted Television.

CBS to Burn Off Comedies 'Me, Myself & I,' 'Living Biblically' on Saturday Nights Beginning 7/7

OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network is the first and only network named for, and inspired by, a single iconic leader. Oprah Winfrey's heart and creative instincts inform the brand – and the magnetism of the channel. Winfrey provides leadership in original scripted and unscripted programming and attracts superstar talent to join her in primetime, building a global community of like-minded viewers and leading that community to connect on social media and beyond. OWN is a singular destination on cable. Depth with edge. Heart. Star power. Connection. And endless possibilities. OWN is a joint venture between Harpo, Inc. and Discovery Communications. The network debuted on January 1, 2011. The venture also includes the award-winning digital platform Oprah.com. Access OWN anytime, anywhere on WatchOWN.tv or across mobile devices and connected TVs.

Michele Weaver (“Illicit”) and Will Catlett (“Black Lightning”) star in OWN's new romantic drama “Love Is__,” from award-winning producers Mara Brock Akil (“Girlfriends,” Being Mary Jane,” “The Game”) and Salim Akil (“Black Lightning”). Set primarily in 1990's Los Angeles against the backdrop of Black Hollywood, “Love Is__” follows Nuri (Michele Weaver) and Yasir (Will Catlett), a couple from seemingly opposite worlds, as they chase their dreams and learn to follow their hearts. Told from the perspective of the couple's present-day selves, the romantic drama also revisits the social issues and vibrant black culture of that time reflecting on how it all aligned to shape the couple they have become nearly 20 years later -- a power couple navigating a complex set of social codes while also balancing successful careers and a beautiful family. Drawing inspiration from creators Mara Brock Akil and Salim Akil's own relationship journey, the series explores the highs, the lows, and the magic of falling (and staying) in love.

OWN announced today its new original one-hour romantic drama from award-winning producers Mara Brock Akil ('Being Mary Jane,' 'The Game,' 'Girlfriends') and Salim Akil ('Black Lightning') will premiere on Tuesday, June 19 at 10 p.m. ET/PT (after Tyler Perry's 'The Haves and the Have Nots at 9 p.m. ET/PT). Brock Akil serves as showrunner on the series, which she and Akil created and executive produce through their company Akil Productions, in association with Warner Horizon Scripted Television.

OWN announced today its new original one-hour romantic drama from award-winning producers Mara Brock Akil (“Being Mary Jane,” “The Game,” “Girlfriends”) and Salim Akil (“Black Lightning”) will premiere on Tuesday, June 19 at 10 p.m. ET/PT (after Tyler Perry's “The Haves and the Have Nots at 9 p.m. ET/PT). Brock Akil serves as showrunner on the series, which she and Akil created and executive produce through their company Akil Productions, in association with Warner Horizon Scripted Television.