All Black Cast Stars in Remake of Steel Magnolias on Lifetime
Stop the presses! Hold up, wait a minute *in my Sheneneh voice*
Queen Latifah is the executive producer and star of Lifetime TV’s remake of Steel Magnolias. Yes, Steel Magnolias. You know…. that movie from the ’80s that starred Shirley McClaine, Julia Roberts, Dolly Parton, Sally Fields, Olympia Dukakis, and Daryl Hannah. I can’t help but think about the heart-breaking scene when Julia Roberts (Shelby) tells her mother Sally Fields (M’Lynn) that “I would rather have thirty minutes of wonderful than a lifetime of nothing special”. *sigh* Can you say classic?
Source: Lifetime
Did I say the remake stars an all-black cast? And this cast is one full of heavy hitters: Queen Latifah (M’Lynn), Alfre Woodard (Ouiser), Phylicia Rashad (Clairee), Jill Scott (Truvy), Adepero Oduye (Annelle) and Rashad’s daughter, Condola Rashad (Shelby). The movie is debuting on Lifetime TV on October 7, and the executive producers include Queen Latifah, Smash executive producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, Shakim Compere and Shelby Stone. According to the Huffington Post, president and general manager of Lifetime Entertainment, Nancy Dubuc said that “The caliber of talent associated with this film is astounding and falls in line with our strategy to make Lifetime a first stop for the industry’s best both in front of and behind the camera. Queen Latifah, Phylicia, Alfre, Jill, Adepero and Condola are some of the most celebrated women in music, film, television and stage – and we could not be more thrilled and honored for them to bring Robert Harling’s poignant story about the strength of women to a whole new generation.” (Source: The Huffington Post 2012).
But some Internet gangstas seem to question the need for a remake and why the cast is all-black. I made the mistake of reading comments written by readers on Abc.com, Huffington Post, Broadway.com and had to end that quickly. Several people were claiming, “I’m not a racist, but…..” Oh, well. I’ll be watching it.
I was first hipped to this remake in the October 2012 issue of Glamour Magazine. In it, Pariah star Adepero Oduye and Condola Rashad are featured. And I just fell in love with Oduye’s beautiful natural hair.
Source: Glamour
What do you think, readers? Will you be checking the show out?
