Announcement, Television

Viacom Reaches Settlement On TLC Movie Defamation Case

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TLC fans will have noticed the return of the hit TLC biopic CrazySexyCool The TLC Story back on their TV listings this week on VH1.

This is partly because Viacom have come to an out of court settlement with Perri ‘Pebbles’ Reid, throwing out her defamation claim and avoiding the need to go to trial.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, a trial was set to begin on September 24 but the case was administratively closed on Friday after the judge was informed of the deal.

Reid filed a $40 million defamation lawsuit in 2014 after VH-1 aired CrazySexyCool. In a complaint, she objected to being portrayed in the TLC biopic as a “conniving and dishonest business woman who hoodwinked three innocent girls and exploited their talent for her own personal gain.”

Viacom attempted to get the case dismissed by presenting its film as a story told from the perspective of the two surviving members of TLC, who cooperated fully in its development.  The media company urged the judge to recognize there was no actual malice in what had been broadcast and with nods to such films as SelmaThe Social Networkand Ray, that creative liberties were often taken by those who make docudramas.

In a summary judgment opinion, U.S. District Judge Mark Cohen concluded that not everything Reid was upset about in CrazySexyCool was capable of defamatory meaning but some scenes were indeed capable of supporting a defamation claim.

Specifically, the judge allowed Reid to take Viacom to trial over scenes where she was shown pressuring the group’s members to sign contracts without sufficient time, for scenes showing Reid exerting control over lawyers for the group’s members, for scenes that conveyed the idea that Reid improperly deducted expenses and only paid TLC $25 a week, and for a scene conveying it was Reid’s decision to remove Chilli from TLC.

The fact that Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins and Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas cooperated with filmmakers ended up hurting Viacom as the judge accepted Reid’s word there may have been bias.

Viacom urged reconsideration by telling the judge he got the analysis of the actual malice standard wrong. Viacom contended there wasn’t any evidence how it had any reason to believe the information obtained was unreliable.

The judge responded that subjective doubt wasn’t the rule and that in any event, a conclusion about the filmmakers’ state of mind was something for a jury.

There won’t be a trial now thanks to the settlement.

Lin Wood, attorney for Reid, says terms of the resolution are confidential.

Viacom was represented by Elizabeth McNamara.

New airdates for CrazySexyCool: The TLC Story:

Tuesday 8/27 at 8pm
Saturday 9/1 at 9pm
Sunday 9/2 at 10:30am

You can also grab the DVD on Amazon.com

Announcement, Television

TLC ‘Once In A Lifetime Sessions’ now on Netflix!

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ABOUT THE SHOW

Once In A Lifetime Sessions is an original and unique music documentary series giving viewers the chance to get up close and personal with a specially chosen selection of today’s most celebrated music icons – including MobyTLCNile Rodgers and Noel Gallagher.

Filmed on location at some of the greatest studios around the world, the Sessions highlight the craftsmanship, artistic depth, incredible skill and talent of the artists whilst also showcasing their catalogue.

Each episode is dedicated to a single artist or group and features both an intimate live performance and a vinyl recording session. These are woven together with exclusive interview footage and a masterclass exploring the stories behind some of the most memorable songs of all time.

Announcement, Television

TLC Appearance on Beat Shazam set to air in August!

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TLC fans have been eagerly awaiting to see the episode of Beat Shazam featuring the iconic ladies!

We previously gave you the exclusive news that TLC were in attendance at the taping of the show in late December 2017.

According to TV Guide, the episode with TLC is scheduled to air on Tuesday August 7th at 8PM on FOX.

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Cousins, co-workers and best friends compete; and R&B group TLC makes a guest appearance“, the guide wrote about the upcoming episode.

So be sure to tune in to see our girls on TV, and to take part in the show to test your music trivia knowledge to Beat Shazam!

Announcement, Interview, Television

T-Boz Opens Up About TLC Reality Shows, BET Awards, Weight Loss, Solo Music, DAYS and her ‘No Scrubs’ Inclusion

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T-Boz is officially reprising the role of Sheila on the hit TV soap Days of our Lives for the third time this summer!

She is currently in the process of shooting her scenes in between her prior commitments, touring with TLC and carrying out charity work and events like T-Boz Unplugged.

T-Boz took some time out her hectic schedule on the set of Days to jump on her Instagram to connect with the fans!

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Days of our Lives schedule

They are working me, because in between the TV show I am still doing tours and then I have a day off to travel and then come back on set. But I think I’m off set for a while because when they needed me I’m touring already so I think I’ll have to come back later. So I’m gonna miss doing DOOL for the rest of the next month. 

TLC Reality show

We’re thinking about it. I might. That kinda TV stuff depends on what it is, I’m not feeling reality right now. These [soap] shows that I’m doing now are way easier, and the pay is nice. And I’m done early enough to do dinner for my kids, and that matters a lot. Those kind of [reality] shows can take all day, a lot of waiting around.   

Ballads

I am not a ballad person. Chilli is more of a ballad person than me.

No Scrubs background vocals

Yeah, I sang background vocals, maybe they left me out? But yeah, I sang on it. I don’t sweat the small stuff, y’all know my voice. I ain’t gotta trip. They should add me to the background vocals because I was on the background vocals.

TLC’s absence at BET Awards

Why wasn’t we at the BET Awards? You should ask them. For some reason I could have sworn that we were black. And for us to be the biggest selling American girl group of all time and we’re black, and you don’t have us on there? That’s wack. But it’s all good, I’m not tripping, I’m not begging nobody for nothing. 

T-Boz Unplugged 2018

October 14 is when I plan on doing T-Boz Unplugged this year. Don’t know who the hell is going to perform yet, because I have been tired and I’ve been working. But Brian [Amlani] has been on my ass about sitting down and picking who we can have perform this year. Summer time is tour time for a lot of artists so sometimes it’s hard to book people because of the scheduling not because they don’t want to.

Weight loss

It looks like I lost weight? A little bit. Sometimes food be good, sometimes it’s not. Sometimes you bloat up, other stuff going on, I might have to take steroids for my sickle cell. And then you go down! But I’m not a shallow person, so I don’t be tripping. If my ass got big it got big, and if I got small I got small, ok? But thank you, though. 

Totally T-Boz

That show was wack as fuck. I did not like Totally T-Boz at all! I’m glad it was only 4 episodes because they didn’t let me be me and do me. That was just a depressing time in my life, I was going through a lot. I had just lost my spleen and almost died. Long story short, if you’re not gonna let me be me, there’s no need for me to be doing the show. 

Solo song on movie soundtrack and being allowed to work outside TLC

I’m going in the studio tomorrow. I’m doing a song for a soundtrack, so you’ll be hearing that come out for the movie, and it’s solo. And don’t nobody ask if it features Chilli because that would be a TLC song, and everything we do we don’t do together, because I’m tired of y’all acting like we’re joined to the hip! When Lisa was alive, ‘is it..’ no! If they’re involved, it’s TLC, if not, whatever! I guess we could have solo stuff and feature each other but it’s still to me like TLC a little bit, except for it’s not on a TLC album, but no it’s not Chilli being featured on the song, OK? We are not tied at the hip, y’all.