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Greenleaf Season1 Review

Author: Amy Nicole

When I first saw the preview for Greenleaf I wasn’t sure what to expect but I was certainly intrigued by the storyline. A mega church in the south becomes disrupted by family scandal, secrets and lies. You hear about church scandals all the time so I was excited to see how a script would play out on television. Religion is such a sensitive topic for most people so I think it’s good to have a show that doesn’t sugarcoat the topic.

The show centers around the Greenleaf family; a prestigious, wealthy, black family in Memphis Tennessee. Bishop James Greenleaf(Keith David) is the patriarch of the family and Lady Mae (Lynn Whitfield) is his devoted wife. They are the pastor and first lady of Calvary Church. The show also follows the lives of their three adult children: Jacob, Charity, and Grace. Oprah Winfrey has a recurring role on the show as Lady Mae’s sister but they have an estranged relationship which can at times get volatile.

Each family member has their own unique story which unravels more secrets and scandals.

Just to give you an idea Charity discovers that her husband is struggling with his sexuality and Jacob is having an affair with an employee of the church. (Yasss honey it gets real LOL!)

Grace is the central character in the show. She returns home to Memphis with her teenage daughter Sophia after being gone for over 20 years to attend the funeral of her sister Faith. After coming back home she makes the decision to stay and return to the ministry. Grace no longer considers herself a very religious person but she does have a relationship with God. I can relate a lot to Grace in this aspect because I don’t consider myself to be religious anymore. I definitely have a strong relationship with God, but I don’t feel like I need a title to define that relationship. As the show progresses you learn what turned Grace away from the church and her family.

I grew up in Mississippi which is a huge Bible belt state, and I think the depiction of the southern church and congregation is very accurate! From the women wearing the big church hats to the overzealous pastors it was very on point .

I think the biggest issue with the the church is the fixation with church leaders. Most people that attend church look up to church leaders as if they are perfect when in fact they are far from it. They make mistakes just like everyone else which the show depicts. The biggest scandal on the show this season is when the family discovers that Lady Mae’s brother, Mac McCready had been sexually assaulting young girls in the church for years including Bishop Greenleaf and Lady Mae’s deceased daughter Faith.

The season concludes with Mac arriving at the Greenleaf mansion escorted by police officers. Mac kisses Lady Mae on the cheek before entering the house to confront the bishop which in my opinion signified an act of betrayal like when Judas kissed Jesus on the cheek before he betrayed him in the Bible.

Some people might get offended by the series and say that it is disrespectful to the Christian religion but I would definitely disagree. The show is real and it highlights relatable issues. Growing up I was taught to just pray about my problems and everything would be okay but as I became an adult I realized that life was not that simple. Greenleaf exposes the reality of the church. Going to church doesn’t erase your problems and it doesn’t make you any better than anyone else. The show focuses on flawed human beings who are all trying to figure out and navigate through life the best way they can by having faith.

I really enjoyed Greenleaf and I’m very excited to see what type of drama season two will bring!

Photo Credit: Variety

Photo Credit: GreenLeafOwnTV

The Definition Of

Author: Amy Nicole

It’s hard to believe that Fantasia has been in the music industry for over 12 years now. She was introduced to the world at the age of 19 when she became the Season 3 American Idol winner. Over the last decade of her career she has been through a lot of ups and downs. A few years ago she was involved in an extra-marital affair that went public and in 2010 she attempted to commit suicide. Fantasia has also admitted to being involved in abusive relationships with men.

Her new album “The Definition Of” represents healing from her past and it shows her growth and maturity. On this album she has definitely come into her own skin. The album is very diverse; it combines elements of gospel, soul, r&b, jazz and even country.

In the song No Time For It Fantasia declares that she has no time for petty drama anymore and that she is focused on her career and happiness.

When I Met You is a beautiful love ballad which I assume is dedicated to her husband Kendall Taylor whom she secretly wed last summer. In the song Fantasia describes how previous bad relationships helped her to appreciate the love that she has now.

Sleeping With The One I love is a soulful, bluesy song that shows off Fantasia’s unique, soulful and raspy vocals.

Other faves on the album are, So Blue, Wait For You, and Stay Up. Stay Up is a very positive song that encourages people to stay strong despite going through hardships.

“The Definition Of” reflects on the singer’s ability to overcome adversity and reveals a new found confidence and strength that she has acquired over the years. In my opinion this is her best album to date.

Photo Credits: Sophisticates; Just Jared; JonAli

It’s Beauty In The Struggle

Author: Amy Nicole

Two years ago I wrote a blog post called “Pursuit of Happiness” regarding my decision to quit my decent salary paying job with benefits to set out on a journey to find my purpose in life. I didn’t expect my journey to be easy but I also didn’t expect the struggle to be so real. Initially when I left my job I didn’t have a plan in place; I just left on a limb. Shortly after I found myself living in South Carolina with my older brother working at a call center barely making enough to pay my bills.

While living in South Carolina I managed to get a film internship and I also created a joint blog and business with my twin sister called “The Double Scoop”. I was happy that I was beginning to follow my true passions but at the same time I was also very depressed because I wasn’t happy with my financial situation or where I was in life. Although I was enjoying my internship opportunity, it wasn’t paid and I was struggling financially. I was starting to see other people my age making progress in their careers and starting families and I felt like I was getting farther behind in where I was supposed to be in life. To make matters worse over the course of a year I had been on over 15 job interviews but wasn’t selected for any of the positions. I was starting to feel completely broken and questioned if I made the wrong decision by quitting my job. Although I wasn’t doing well financially my blog was starting to do great and I was beginning to make amazing connections with artists and filmmakers. At the time I couldn’t appreciate the opportunity that was given to me because I was too busy comparing my success to where other people were in their life.

After living with my brother for a year I ended up having to move back home with my parents in Mississippi. While at home I went on several more interviews and I still couldn’t get a job in my field. I was at my lowest point and I questioned if I was being punished by God for taking my career for granted. But then I thought why would I be punished for trying to pursue what I love and what makes me happy. I disappeared from social media for a while and I became more reclusive. I felt like my confidence was gone.

Four months ago I got a job offer in Charlotte, North Carolina at a small university similar to the school that I worked for two years ago. If I could describe the extreme feeling of appreciation that I had it would be the scene in the movie “Pursuit of Happiness” when Will Smith’s character was offered a job after completing his internship. It’s surreal how much things have changed over these last two years. I went from being broke, jobless, and living at home with my parents to now living in a new state with a new job, having a new place, and having my own media business.

office in Charlotte — In my office at my new job in Charlotte.

Although I’m not at the point where I can live completely off of the income that I make from my business I am proud of all the things that I have accomplished since starting it. I have been able to interview artist and filmmakers, attend entertainment events, help co-write a script, and host a music podcast. If I wouldn’t have left my job two years ago I probably would not have accomplished any of these things.

Sometimes when we go through struggles in life it’s not necessarily that we’re getting punished but I believe God and the universe is shaping us into being better versions of ourselves. My struggle has definitely changed me for the better. I’ve matured a lot, I’ve developed a stronger work ethic, and I have definitely been humbled. I realize how much your circumstances in life can change and how quickly you can lose everything that you’ve worked for. I don’t take anything for granted anymore and I try to live each day like it’s my last. My goal within the next 2-3 years is to be able to work for myself and I believe I’m well on the way to accomplishing just that.

Photo Credit: Free E-Consultation

THE 2016 BET AWARDS RECEIVES RAVE REVIEWS

Author: Amy Nicole

Over the last few years the BET Awards has been pretty mediocre in my opinion but this year the show was the best that it has ever been in years!

The award show opened with a performance by Beyonce which I was very surprised by because she usually doesn’t attend the BET Awards. Her set started with dancers walking towards the stage wearing African attire while an audio speech from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. played from the speakers. Beyonce appeared onstage standing in water and the dancers joined her in place on the stage. She performed the song “Freedom” from her album Lemonade which is more of a revolutionary song. She joined the dancers performing a traditional African dance and Kendrick Lamar joined her onstage for what became an epic collaboration! Their tribute to African culture and the black lives matter movement was amazing. After the performance was over the camera zoomed in to the audience and you could see the proud faces of celebrities like Spike Lee and Samuel L. Jackson nodding and smiling with satisfaction. I was definitely proud to see my generation use their platform to help evoke positive change!

Tracee Ellis Ross and Anthony Anderson hosted the show again this year. They started off the show with a parody skit of Hamilton, singing current rap songs from artists Desiigner, OT Genasis, and The Weeknd. Personally I found the skit to be very corny but I’m a huge fan of Tracee so she could really do no wrong in my eyes LOL!

I thought production did a great job of blending new and older artists for the music performance line-up. Some of the performers included Fat Joe, Alicia Keys, Future, Usher and Byson Tiller. I think it was a good blend of artist to target various age groups. Most of the performances were pretty good. Alicia Keys’ performance was my favorite.

One of the top and most talked about award categories of the night was the humanitarian award which was awarded to actor Jesse Williams. If you don’t watch the show Grey’s Anatomy you probably weren’t too familiar with who he was, but aside from being an actor he is also a well known activist who is known for speaking out about controversial issues regarding the oppression of black people. When Jesse accepted his award many people were expecting him to give a brief thank you but surprisingly he turned his acceptance speech into a full out church sermon addressing the injustices of black people and calling out our flawed and bias judicial system. When Jesse left the stage just about the entire audience was standing on their feet applauding him. I was even on my feet watching his speech from my television screaming “Yassss Jesse”! One of the most memorable quotes from his speech was, “Just because we’re magic does not mean we’re not real”.

The highlight of the 2016 BET Awards which I think most viewers would agree was the Prince tribute. I can’t say that I am a die-hard Prince fan but I do enjoy some of his music and I realize how much his music has impacted and influenced many of the artist that our out today. Instead of doing one long tribute all at once the performances were blended into different sections throughout the award show. Some of the performers from the tribute included: Erykah Badu, Bilal, Jennifer Hudson, Maxwell, Sheila E. and Janelle Monae. Each artist performed a different Prince classic and added their personal touch to the song. My favorite tributes were from Janelle Monae and Bilal.

Although the show was pretty lengthy (3 hours) it was definitely worth watching. This year the BET Awards took on more of a polished and sophisticated tone which I really liked. I’m hoping they will keep this new format up in the years to come.

Photo Credits: Billboard, Rolling Stone– Kevin Winter/Getty

MEET THE DOUBLE SCOOP

Get to know more about Ashley E. and Amy Nicole of The Double Scoop by checking out the Vlog below.

Meet The Double Scoop!

Get to know more about Ashley E. and Amy Nicole of The Double Scoop by checking out the Vlog below.

Chadwick Boseman To Portray Thurgood Marshall In Upcoming Film

In the course of only three years actor Chadwick Boseman has starred in 2 biopics. He portrayed James Brown last year in the film Get On Up and in 2013 he portrayed legendary baseball player Jackie Robinson in the movie 42. Soon Boseman will add another biopic to his resume as he has been casted to play Thurgood Marshall, the first African American Supreme Court Justice. Thurgood Marshall was an active member of the NAACP and he was also a civil rights activist. The film is being directed by Reginald Hudlin and will focus on an early case in Marshalls’ career.

Although I’m excited about Boseman being selected for the film some critics believe that his casting in a third biopic shows the lack of support by Hollywood to seek out and employ qualified black actors. Initially after filming Get On Up, Boseman stated that he had no interest in starring in another biopic. We’re not sure what changed his mind but none the less I’m definitely looking forward to the film.

Source: Atlanta Black Star