Lynn Whitfield News

The NAACP hosted its 50th NAACP Image Awards Nominees Luncheon today at the Loews Hollywood Hotel in Los Angeles celebrating the achievements of the 50th NAACP Image Awards nominees.

The nominees for the 50th NAACP Image Awards were exclusively announced today at the Television Critics Association's (TCA) TV One's joint press conference with Derrick Johnson, President and CEO of the NAACP and Alfred Liggins, Chairman and CEO of TV One. The winners will be revealed during the Two-Hour LIVE TV special airing on TV One on Saturday, March 30, 2019.

The LA Film Festival, produced by Film Independent, announced the winners of the 2018 Festival at the Awards Reception at the W Hotel in Hollywood presided over by Festival Director Jennifer Cochis and Film Independent President Josh Welsh. Cochis and Welsh also took the opportunity to thank the more than 50 generous sponsors, funders and media partners without whom the Festival would not be possible.

OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network shared today the promo for episode 306 “She Changes Everything,” of its hit megachurch drama series “Greenleaf,” airing this Wednesday, October 3 at 10/9c and featuring multiple Grammy award-winning recording artist Patti LaBelle and spiritual life coach and best-selling author Dr. Iyanla Vanzant,” from Lionsgate, award-winning writer/executive producer Craig Wright (“Lost,” “Six Feet Under”), and executive producers Clement Virgo (“The Book of Negros”), Kriss Turner Towner (“The Romanoffs,” “The Soul Man”), and Oprah Winfrey.

Indie Memphis Film Festival is pleased to announce the full slate of films for its 2018 incarnation, spanning from November 1st - 5th, 2018. This year's festival promises to be a very exciting and wildly varied one, featuring five World Premiere screenings and one U.S. Premiere screening, as well as Special Presentations such as CABIN BOY with Chris Elliott in attendance and Barbara Loden's feminist masterpiece WANDA presented by Amy Seimetz (Showtime's “The Girlfriend Experience”), as well as a retrospective of the recent films of filmmaker Hong Sangsoo.

Following the announcement of their Opening Night Film, Yen Tan's award-winning AIDS drama 1985, NewFest today announced the full lineup of their 30th annual celebration of the year's best LGBT films from around the world. The program of more than 140 narrative features, documentaries, episodic series and shorts runs from October 24-30 at the SVA Theatre, Cinépolis Chelsea, and The LGBT Community Center in New York City.

OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network announced today it has renewed for a fourth season its hit megachurch drama series “Greenleaf” from Lionsgate, award-winning writer/executive producer Craig Wright, and executive producers Clement Virgo, Kriss Turner Towner, and Oprah Winfrey. The series stars Merle Dandridge as Grace Greenleaf, Lynn Whitfield as Lady Mae Greenleaf, and Keith David as Bishop Greenleaf. Season three guest stars include the legendary Patti LaBelle as Maxine Patterson, Iyanla Vanzant appearing as herself, and Beau Bridges as Bob Whitmore.

Chart-topping young star and two-time 2018 Dove Awards nominee Koryn Hawthorne makes a return appearance in Lionsgate's hit drama series, Greenleaf tonight, Wednesday September 5th at 10 pm/9c on OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network.  Her song “Speak the Name” will be featured in the episode.

Stars of OWN's hit megachurch drama “Greenleaf,” including Merle Dandridge, Keith David, Lamman Rucker, and Deborah Joy Winans visited with members of the military and their families at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport USO facility on Monday, August 27, in advance of the highly anticipated third season premiere on Tuesday, August 28 and Wednesday, August 29 (10-11 p.m. ET/PT).  The “Greenleaf” cast sang to visiting military, served lunch to military members and their families, toured the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta facility, and met with key members of the USO.

In Nappily Ever After, Violet Jones (Sanaa Lathan) has a seemingly perfect life - a high-powered job, an eligible doctor boyfriend and a meticulously maintained, flawless coiffure. But after a life-changing event doesn't go according to her plan, and a hair-raising incident at the hairdresser, her life begins to unravel. Eventually, Violet realizes that she was living the life she thought she was supposed to live, not the one she really wanted.

Violet Jones (Sanaa Lathan) has a seemingly perfect life - a high-powered job, an eligible doctor boyfriend and a meticulously maintained, flawless coiffure. But after a life-changing event doesn't go according to her plan, and a hair-raising incident at the hairdresser, her life begins to unravel. Eventually, Violet realizes that she was living the life she thought she was supposed to live, not the one she really wanted.

VIDEO: OWN Releases the Highly Anticipated Season Three Trailer for Hit Megachurch Drama GREENLEAF

In season three of “Greenleaf,” all the turbulent forces that Grace's (Merle Dandridge) return to Memphis unleashed threaten to destroy not just the church her family built, but the family itself. Fallout from last season's shocking revelation of Bishop's (Keith David) infidelities with Lady Mae's (Lynn Whitfield) sister, as well as reverberations from his current dalliance with that insidious Jezebel, Rochelle Cross (LeToya Luckett) lead to all-out war in the Greenleaf home, setting the Bishop and Lady Mae on a collision course that, unless God or Grace intervenes, can only end one way: divorce. In the wake of the marital mayhem, Lady Mae rushes to reconnect with Maxine Patterson (Patti LaBelle), an old friend and now a world-famous Christian motivational speaker, in an attempt to reclaim her forsaken call to preach and thus do what no First Lady has done before — survive as the sole head pastor of a megachurch after a major rift between its founding couple. Grace, meanwhile, works undercover in the company of Rochelle, hoping to discover Rochelle's motives and true identity before the Bishop is swept away on a raging river of vanity and desire. Across town at Triumph, Jacob (Lamman Rucker) and Kerissa (Kim Hawthorne) try not to make the same mistakes Bishop and Lady Mae made as they work to build their own evangelical empire and manage parenting their teenage daughter Zora (Lovie Simone), but the roots of sin delve deep and old habits die hard. Sophia's (Desiree Ross) faith is tested when an unforeseen medical issue arises; Charity (Deborah Joy Winans) struggles to make peace with Kevin (Tye White) and find her place in the world; and Grace works to keep an abused woman from death row for the crime of defending her own life. Meanwhile, Darius (Rick Fox) finds himself in conflict due to being entangled in an increasingly strained relationship with Grace.

OWN Expands the Network's Podcast Slate with OPRAH'S MASTER CLASS

Expanding on the popular podcast “Oprah's SuperSoul Conversations,” OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network announced today it will launch the podcast version of its Emmy-nominated series “Oprah's Master Class” on Apple Podcasts. A sneak preview of the podcast featuring actor and producer Dwayne Johnson is available today, July 17, and the podcast will officially debut on Thursday, July 19 with hip-hop innovator and entrepreneur Jay-Z. Each week, the podcast will feature previously aired content from the television series' most popular interviews with the most respected and renowned actors, musicians, public figures and athletes sharing their greatest life lessons in their own words.

Season Three of OWN's Hit Megachurch Drama GREENLEAF Set For Two-Night Premiere This August

OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network announced today that the third season of its hit megachurch drama “Greenleaf,” from global content leader Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF.A, LGF.B), award-winning writer/producer Craig Wright (“Lost,” “Six Feet Under”) and executive producers Clement Virgo (“The Book of Negros”), Kriss Turner Towner (“The Romanoffs,” “The Soul Man”) and Oprah Winfrey will premiere on Tuesday, August 28 and Wednesday, August 29 at 10 p.m. each night. Last season, “Greenleaf” was Wednesday night's #1 original cable series for African-American women and averaging over 2 million total viewers in Live+3.

According to Deadline, Patti LaBelle is set to star in a recurring role on the second season of OWN's GREENLEAF. She will play a motivational, Christian speaker named Maxine Patterson. Read more about from Deadline here!

TheAmerican Heart Association's (AHA) Go Red For Women Red Dress Collection, presented by Macy's, will return to the Hammerstein Ballroom on Thursday, February 8, 2018. The Red Dress Collection, is an exclusive event where celebrities and top designers show their commitment to women's heart health during New York Fashion Week and American Heart Month. Founded by the now federal convening partner The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute's The Heart Truth, the event reminds women of the need to protect their heart health and take action in the fight against heart disease and stroke in women.

The winners of the 49th NAACP Image Awards in the non-televised categories were announced during a gala dinner celebration that took Sunday, January 14, 2018, at the Pasadena Conference Center the event was hosted by The Real's Adrienne Houghton, Loni Love, Jeannie Mai and Tamera Mowry-Housley.