Imperfect High

Release Date:  9/18/21; Lifetime
Genre:  Drama
Rating:   TV-14
Director:  Siobhan Devine
Studio(s):  Sepia Films, Just Singer Entertainment, Lifetime Television
Cast Nia Sioux (Hanna Brooks), Sherri Shepherd (Deborah), Ali Skovbye (Rose).

Story:  Hanna Brooks (Sioux) is the new girl in town who is looking to find her place and fit in at Lakewood High School, which was rocked a couple of years earlier by the shocking drug overdose of a popular student. Hanna suffers from an anxiety disorder and the move to a new school is especially stressful for her. While trying to fit in with the “it” crowd, she finds herself pulled between two boys – a bad boy with a heart of gold, and an alluring, popular rich kid who is not as straight of an arrow as he seems. Her relationship with them sweeps her into a dangerous situation that her mother Deborah (Shepherd) must fight to save her from.  Source:  justjaredjr.com.  Photo Sources:  IMDB.

Trailer:

Black Don’t Crack

Status:  Pre-Production
Genre:  Comedy
Director:  Kelly Park
Studio(s):  JuVee Production, ABC Signature
Cast:  Tisha Campbell, Essence Atkins, Sherri Shepherd, Tahj Mowry, Beth Grant, Isaiah Mustafa

Details:  Essence Atkins and Tisha Campbell are set as the two remaining leads opposite Sherri Shepherd, Tahj Mowry, Beth Grant and Isaiah Mustafa as series regulars in the pilot from writer/executive producer Regina Hicks and executive producers Viola Davis, Julius Tennon and Larry Wilmore.

Story:   Black Don’t Crack follows three former sorority sisters, played by Shepherd, Atkins and Campbell, who lost touch after college and reunite during a pivotal point in their lives. They realize sometimes it’s okay to crack and when you do, no one will be there for you like your friends.

Shepherd plays Angela Wright: A native New Yorker somewhere between 45 and death, but it’s hard to tell because “black don’t crack.” She’s a single mom who put aside her musical dreams to raise her son after her husband died. She’s been holding it down alone for years, taking care of her family instead of herself. When she is confronted with a personal crisis, she reunites with her sorority sisters to recapture the passion, ambition and sisterhood of their college glory days.

Atkins stars as Nia Hillis Davis:  A bougie, conservative politician’s wife who has lost touch with her more fun-loving college self. Though she may have many cracks in her perfect facade that she goes to great pains to cover up. While she may be perceived as uptight and snobbish, she’s ultimately a lovable neurotic who is our voice of positivity, even if a lot of the times, she’s not sure what’s going on.

Campbell is playing Tasha Marks: A hip and fabulous Atlanta restaurateur who starts trends instead of following them. She holds nothing back and is brutally honest (sometimes to a fault) with her friends, but has been avoiding a truth in her own life. She’s achieved the perfect professional life and insists that she needs no man in her life to interfere with the career she’s worked so hard to create.

Mowry is Khalil Grant Angela’s (Shepard) 20 something son: He is a recent college grad who is full of big ideas and big dreams, but has yet to get any of his start-up companies off the ground. A bit of slow starter at life, he lives in his mother’s basement and still relies on her to do his laundry and front him rent money. He is fiercely protective of his family and is gradually growing into a responsible adult.

Grant is Nancy, Angela’s (Shepard) sharp-tongued mother-in-law: She adores her grandson but is tougher on her daughter-in-law – she can be abrasive, demanding, and unaware of her prejudices. While Nancy can be a thorn in Angela’s side, the truth is they need each other. At the end of the day, the things they share — the loss of a husband, their love for Khalil – keep them from killing each other.

Mustafa is Charles Daniels, co-owner with Tasha of a restaurant and bar in Atlanta: Charles is a former pro-football player who is handsome and oozes charm and swagger. He’s full of stories from back in his glory days and is comfortable being the center of attention. He could be perceived as cocky, but he’s ultimately the kind of dependable, good guy you want in your corner.  Sources:  msn.com, thesource.com.  Photo source:  thesource.com.

T’was The Chaos Before Christmas

Release Date:  12/7/19; BET & BET Her
Genre:   Holiday/Family
Rating:  NR
Director:  Terri J. Vaughn
Studio(s):   May 3rd Films, Octet Productions
Running Time:  83 mins
Cast:   Cynthia Kaye McWilliams (Jayla Mitchell), Sherri Shepherd (Valerie Russell), Affion Crockett (Ed Russell), Victoria Rowell (Hazel Mitchell), Malachi Malik (Morgan Mitchell).

Story:   When polar opposite families book the same vacation home for the Christmas holiday, chaos and confusion ensue as they both attempt to celebrate the holiday in their own way under the same roof.  Morgan and Jayla Mitchell are an affluent family from New York City. In an effort to keep the family together over the Christmas holidays, they decide to rent a luxurious home in Washington, DC. Morgan’s mother can easily join the Mitchells and their teenaged daughter, Raven to celebrate Christmas there. Val and Ed Russell are a working-class family and parents to teenagers Deshawn and Destiny Russell from Walkertown, North Carolina.

When Val hits the lottery, she chooses to spend her winnings on a luxurious rental in Washington, DC over the Christmas holidays. That way, they can spend time doing free tourist activities and celebrate Christmas with Ed’s sister Shanice, a Howard University student who can’t afford to go home for the holidays. In the perfect storm, Jayla and Val, one unbeknownst to the other, book the same holiday rental on different websites, but over the same period of time. When the families all arrive at the same property, chaos erupts. The two families cannot be more different. With the holidays in full swing, the families are stuck trying to figure out how to celebrate their Christmas holidays in their respective manners without losing it.  Source:  Blackfilm.com.

Trailer:

Jean Of The Joneses

jean-of-the-joneses

Release Date:  10/23/16; TVOne
Genre:  Comedy
Rating:  NR
Running Time:  86 mins.
Director:  Stella Meghie
Studio(s):   Search Engine Films, Circle Blue Films, Pokeprod, GPA Films

Cast:  Taylour Paige, Sherri Shepherd, Erica Ash, Michelle Hurst, Mamoudou Athie, Francois Arnaud, Demore Barnes, Anna Hopkins, Gloria Reuben.

Story:  A comedy about a dysfunctional family of women who have happily sent all the men in their lives running and a daughter who’s desperate to break the tradition.  To say that twenty-something writer Jean is at a crossroads would be putting it kindly — she really doesn’t know which way she’s headed. A vista of unenticing career prospects opens before her, and her latest relationship has just unceremoniously ended. Chronically self-analyzing, she often hangs out with her two aunts, mother, and grandmother Daphne. The women constantly bicker and judge each other’s life choices, a routine that’s interrupted when the estranged patriarch of the family literally dies on their doorstep.  Ray, the paramedic who takes their 911 call, falls fast for the acerbic Jean. The feeling is more or less mutual, but their potential romance will have to take a back seat to the chaos leading up to the funeral. In a series of sometimes harsh, always-spirited discussions — fueled by a complex family history, a few drinks, and the occasional toke — the women will do their best to figure themselves out, and to understand each other.  Source:  Tribeca Film Institute; Tiff.net.

Trailer: