REVIEW: The Wiz Live!

The Wiz Live!, a live remake of the Broadway version of The Wiz, aired on just hours ago on NBC, and EVERYONE is talking about it!

The cast was jam-packed with great talent including Elijah Kelley (Scarecrow), Ne-Yo (Tin Man), David Alan Grier (Cowardly Lion), Queen Latifah (The Wiz), Mary J. Blige (Evillene, the Wicked Witch of the West), Uzo Aduba (Glinda, the Good Witch of the South), Amber Riley (Addaperle, the Good Witch of the North), Stephanie Mills (Aunt Em), Common (The Bouncer) and introducing Shanice Williams (Dorothy). Of course, we all know the story. It follows Dorothy who, after getting swept in a tornado, attempts to find the Wiz with new friends to make it back home. She, Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Cowardly Lion learn a lot about themselves during the journey. Of course, The Wiz has a lot more flavor than the original, and this live version stays true to that.

Of course, we know there were great expectations with this musical, seeing as The Wiz is considered a classic, especially in the black community. However, I watched it as if I was watching it for the very first time, because trying to compare would have sucked the fun out of it. With a star-studded cast, special effects, great choreography and music, vibrant costumes, and the fabulous Cirque du Soleil, The Wiz Live! truly shined. It was an incredible musical to watch at home, perfect for the family, and it left me so moved and inspired!

MOVIE REVIEW: Steel Magnolias 2012

Steel Magnolias is a classic in the film industry! The 1989 original, starring acting veterans Sally Field, Shirley MacLaine, and Julia Roberts, along with Dolly Parton, Olympia Dukakis, and Darryl Hannah. I'm not going to give a whole recap of the movie, but for those of you who have never seen the original or the remake, it's about six women who are all close friends who share in the ups and downs of each other's lives down in Louisiana. The film is filled with laughter and love, and well as tears and pain. With all of the great reviews about the film, t honestly only made sense that one day, someone would want to make a remake.

And here we are, 23 years later, with a remake from director Kenny Leon. When the news of the remake came out about a year ago, and I heard that it was with an all African-American cast (starring some of my favorite black actresses like Queen Latifah, Phylicia Rashad, and Alfre Woodard, along with Jill Scott, Adepero Oduye, and Phylicia's daughter, Condola Rashad), I was beyond excited!

Some spoilers may be ahead.

REVIEW: BET Awards 2010 Review

SPOILER ALERT!!!!!!

I had to do it. I had to write a review for the BET Awards 2010 for a number of reasons. One, it was the 10th year anniversary of the show. Two, the show was so much of a mess last year, I had give my opinion on whether this year's was better or not (cuz there's always the chance of it getting worse, sad to say). Three, the show had some great (and somewhat iffy) nominations that I had to give my two cents on. So this post goes into detail about performances, awards won, outfits, and everything. I literally had my laptop open the whole time typing on all of this (and tweeting lol Twitter was crazy last night yall). It's a real long post, but worth the read...