Get ready, Whitney Houston lovers! Lifetime’s biopic of the late singer will premiere January 17. Starring Yaya DaCosta Alafia as Houston, the film follows the beloved singer’s rise to fame and her high profile relationship with Bobby Brown (played by Arlen Escapeta). Deborah Cox will provide Houston’s vocals. The biopic marks the directorial debut of Angela Bassett, who developed a friendship with Houston during their roles on Waiting To Exhale.
Also happening in January, WeTV’s hit reality show “SWV Reunited” will return with new episodes. The show follows the ladies from the hit 90’s R&B group SWV as they try to recapture their fame after getting married, having kids, and pursuing other endeavors. This season, they try to reach out to writers and producers who were part of their earlier success, but find themselves bringing up old drama they aren’t ready to face. The new season premieres January 7. [WeTV]
Kerry Washington is taking on a big screen scandal in the upcoming thriller, Unforgettable. Washington will star as the wife of a man who’s menacing ex-wife is threatening her. Unforgettable is being directed by Belle director Amma Asante and is in the early stages of development. [Variety]
Representative Hakeem Jeffries brought the Ferguson protests to Capitol Hill when he took the floor at the House of Representatives in the “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot” pose. “This is a problem Congress can’t run from,” Rep. Jeffries (D-NY) said Monday night. “People are fed up all across America because of the injustice involved in continuing to see young, unarmed African-American men killed as a result of a gunshot fired by a law enforcement officer.” [Clutch]
Nobel laureate and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Toni Morrison will release her 11th novel, a mother-daughter story called God Help the Child. “[It’s] a searing tale about the way childhood trauma shapes and misshapes the life of the adult,” the 83-year-old author said. God Help the Child is scheduled for release in April 2015. [Buzzfeed]
Will Smith is also taking on a new role as he joins the cast of Suicide Squad, a new film based on characters from DC Comics. Smith will play Deadshot, a machine gun-wielding super villain with impeccable aim. [Deadline]