Chilli took time out to talk to Ray Cornelius about her delight in playing the role of Zora Neal Hurston in the Thurgood Marshall biopic, ‘Marshall‘, which is out now in theaters.

She also touched on the importance of Black History Month, the upcoming TLC World Tour next year and her hopes to secure a Vegas residency!

TLC World Tour 2018

“At the end of January we go to Australia to kick off the overseas tour, promoting the album there. Then New Zealand, and then Japan and Europe in the Summer. So it’s gonna be crazy from the end of January all the way through to the Summer.”

Vegas Residency

“We just recently switched agencies, we’re with ICM now. We’re really excited to be there. Our goal is to secure a residency in Las Vegas, so that’s what we really want. It’s a dream of ours to be there. We’re in talks and the feedback has been really great, so we just have to make sure that we’re in the right place.”

Playing Zora Neale Hurston in ‘Marshall‘

“It was so much fun on set that day. Getting to put those clothes on. Time period pieces are so much fun anyway, because they dress so much better than we dress today. I was so excited, but I think my mom was more excited than I was! That was her girl. Anytime Reginald Hudlin calls you to do whatever, you just say yes. He is so amazing.”

A Diva’s Christmas Carol

“The director told me when we shot that, he was like ‘I’m telling you, this is going to be on for the next 30 plus years’, and he was not lying! Every Christmas holiday it comes on.”

Black History Month

“I don’t think it should just be one month. I think you should learn about your history, period. It shouldn’t be just one particular month carved out, and the shortest month of the year to find out about all these greats that paved the way for all of us.”

Thurgood Marshall

“Thurgood really kicked down doors in our justice department. To be that smart at such a time when a black man having an education, talking about changing laws, defending innocent people and having the knowledge to stand up in a court room opposite white lawyers, he knew the system. It teaches people you have to know your history. It’s such an important piece that I hope everybody goes and watches. Not just people of color, everybody needs to see it and learn from it.”

Viewers of DAYS OF OUR LIVES can be forgiven for thinking that the actress playing ex-con Sheila looks familiar. That’s because she’s Tionne Watkins, better known as T-Boz, one-third of the popular R&B girl group TLC who had multiple hits in the ‘90s like “Waterfalls” and “No Scrubs.”

Watkins made her debut in November of 2016 as hardened prison inmate Sheila, who made life difficult for Hope when she was sentenced for the murder of Stefano DiMera. Hope had some support from fellow inmate Hattie Adams, who was imprisoned after being framed by her boyfriend for embezzlement.

After fellow inmate Chille was murdered, Hope tried to get the upper hand on Sheila and her partner, Coco, but they ambushed and stabbed her! Luckily, Hope recovered and was eventually freed.

The Grammy winner returned to DAYS beginning in September of 2017 when Sheila was seen once more, still behind bars but celebrating her imminent release.

Bonnie asked her to take a message to Justin Kiriakis after she got out, but when Sheila arrived at the mansion, she quickly put two and two together and realized that Bonnie had switched places with her double and was comfortably residing in the lap of luxury while Adrienne was the one who was really stuck in prison!

Bonnie covered for Sheila’s appearance by claiming she was there to interview to be the new maid, and Sheila agreed to take the job but demanded money to keep her silence about Bonnie’s scheme.

Sheila wasn’t really interested in doing any work, and Bonnie was struggling to put the cash together for her. So the con returned to the prison to visit Adrienne and tell her she never shared the message.

Adrienne warned her she couldn’t trust Bonnie, but Sheila wasn’t bothered. Things took an interesting turn when Sheila ran into Eli in Horton Square and Gabi was surprised to learn that the two were old friends from back in the day.

Sheila’s cushy job as a maid that doesn’t really do much work at the Kiriakis mansion will come to a swift end when Bonnie’s scheme is eventually uncovered, but this connection to Eli could keep her in Salem for a bit longer.

How long will T-Boz be on DAYS? Stay tuned as the story unfolds to find out!

Chris Eades at CBS Soaps In Depth

Sheila (T-Boz) is tired of playing the maid in the Kiriakis mansion and confronts Bonnie (Judie Evans) with her ultimatum – pay her the money or the secret will be revealed, which will land Bonnie back in prison!

Find out what kind of arrangement they come up with next!

T-Boz returns to Dr Oz to discuss her book, “A Sick Life”, and explain to the world what life living with sickle cell is like.

She also discusses her brain tumor, what the issues were with Left Eye before she passed, and how her children gave her the strength to keep living!

TLC got upto some mischievous antics last night (October 11), as they invited fans to join them at their hotel for a good old fashioned slumber party!

Fans who donated to the Kickstarter campaign back in 2015 for the slumber party rewards were all eligible for this once in a lifetime opportunity to hang out with T-Boz and Chilli overnight for some fun and unforgettable memories – which would be incomplete without some cheeky pranks along the way!

“Get ready to stay up late with CHILLI.” states the website. “We’ll put on our jammies, order some late night snacks, and have some #TLCPillowTalk. Mom and Dad won’t be there, so there’s no need to keep the volume down.”

Jena Green was in the house, so hopefully she caught all the action on film to unleash to the world at some point, we’d all love to see!

T-Boz reunites with Da Brat as she stopped by at the Rickey Smiley Morning Show during her recent trip to Atlanta to promote her new book, “A Sick Life“.

T-Boz on her role as Sheila on Days of our Lives

“I have a reoccurring role [on Days of our Lives]. I’m a prisoner named Sheila, and I’m out of prison now. I have shenanigans going on in Salem. It’s hilarious though, because my mom was like, ‘you can play that part good’ because I’m hood. So, I have on my flip flops in my maid uniform!”

T-Boz on how touring has delayed the next TLC music videos 

“That’s why I be telling fans who say ‘you ain’t done a second video yet’. Heffa, I am on stage, every night! And, when you’re headlining, that’s like being a parent to 75 adults, it’s not easy.”

T-Boz on why she had to beat her cousin who tried to fight her

“I gave her the cousin beat down 3 years ago. Not Tae Tae! I ain’t fighting Tae Tae, she got them knucks! [What drives you to that point?] She tried me in my house, you ain’t about to do that. I had on a leg brace, so she thought she could try me. That’s nothing worse than somebody you know can’t fight, you gon’ try me because I’m sick? I will break both my legs to break your neck, and that’s what I did. I gave her the cousin pap pap and not the street pap pap!”

T-Boz on how she can tell she’s getting sick

“Sometimes you can tell [a crisis is coming]. Like, my mom and my brother can just look at me and I get pale. I don’t have the physical characteristics that a natural ‘sickler’ would. Like, my cousin he had the bloated stomach and the jaundiced, yellow eyes. Some people have buck teeth, it’s a certain look that they have.”

T-Boz on who makes her starstruck

“Janet [Jackson], I’ve had lots of conversations with, which is awesome. She is amazing. But, Michael [Jackson]. When he held my hand and says you are his favorite group, and says ‘thank you’, that’s all I needed! When he holds your hand you go child like, my insides were like mush! I almost lost it too for Prince at Madison Square Garden. I heard the twang of his guitar, and I was like, Lord, if I turn around and that’s Prince on stage playing MY song! I forgot I was T-Boz, I forgot the words. I totally lost all my composure!”

T-Boz’s new single “Dreams” is out right now, as a single and on the “A Sick Life” audiobook.