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Shamari DeVoe Star of ‘BET Presents The Encore’: “Blaque’s Career Ended When Our Mentor Left Eye Passed Away”

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Shamari DeVoe of the much loved girl group Blaque, founded by Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes, is currently starring in the cable television ratings winner, “BET Presents The Encore“, a reality show about nine former R&B artists coming together to form a super girl group!

Along with Shamari on the show are Pamela Long from Total, Kiely Williams from 3LW and the Cheetah Girls, Aubrey O’Day from Danity Kane, LeMisha and Irish Grinstead from 702, Felisha and Fallon King from Cherish and the only solo artist in the house, Nivea.

During the show, Shamari spoke about being thankful for Lisa’s mentorship and how the tragic 2002 passing of Lisa in a car accident in Honduras affected the career of her group, Blaque.

“The first album, ‘Blaque‘, was multi-platinum. And then, we were in the movie, ‘Bring It On‘. We were on top of the world!”, Shamari proudly tells the show’s producers about her career highs. “We had it all”.

Shamari shared the spotlight with her two Blaque group members, Brandi Williams and the late Natina Reed, who passed away in 2012. Blaque were discovered by Lisa’s brother, Ronald Lopes, who introduced them to Lisa and she had them signed up to Left Eye Productions company, eventually leading them to a recording contract with Columbia Records in 1996.

“Blaque are the protégé’s of Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes of TLC. She was our mentor — and then she passed away”, Shamari recalls. “That just stopped our whole career”. With the loss of Left Eye, Blaque also lost their biggest cheerleader.

“I definitely felt let down by the industry,” Shamari admits to The Guardian. “There was a point where I lost my passion to ever want to sing again.” Their second album, ‘Blaque Out‘ was scrapped by the label after online leaks, and the third album, ‘Torch‘, was also scrapped in 2003.

However, after heavy public demand in the form of fan petitions over the years, Blaque won back the rights to their recordings from one-time manager Mathew Knowles, and the album finally came out in 2019, 20 years since their debut.

“It feels really good to finally release it,” says Brandi. “And with us able to own these songs now, and our fans still wanting to hear them, I actually think this is perfect timing.”

“We’re doing this for Natina and Lisa”, Shamari adds.

Watch ‘BET Presents The Encore’ every Wednesday 10/9c on BET

Announcement, Appearance, Lifestyle, News, Television

Pandemic Movie ‘After Masks’ Starring T-Boz Scheduled For Release In May 2021

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The beautiful Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins is making her way back into the movies this year! Vision Films are proud to announce the upcoming release of their latest movie, ‘After Masks‘, scheduled for release in May.

As we previously revealed back in October, T-Boz will be playing the role of Cheryl in the film. ‘After Masks’ is a 5-part anthology film, each addressing a different theme, and are seamlessly woven together with interstitial artistic commentary by Narrator, Mitchell Hoog (Saved by The Bell 2020).

T-Boz will star in the chapter, ‘Hold On‘, with a Black Lives Matter theme, directed by Tayo Amos. Synopsis: A spirited black woman’s personal and professional relationships are strained when she confronts the trauma of racist police brutality.

Other stories in the movie include:

Isolation: Winners
Directed by Manaal Khan and featuring Alexandra Rodriguez
An over-zealous, aspiring writer loses herself in routine in order to endure months-long solitude.

Faith: Ushering The Light
Directed by Rebekah Wiggins and featuring Frances Lee McCain, Drea Berg
A conservative Jewish couple struggle to preserve their relationship after the loss of their two-year-old son.

Identity: Clownfish
Directed by Rebekah Wiggins and featuring Lindsay Sparks, Ruth Lieberman
At odds with society’s expectations, a grieving widow slowly supplants her own identity with that of her late husband.

Self: Quarantales
Directed by John Crockett and Brian McCulley and featuring Krista Allen (Baywatch), Eric Roberts (The Dark Knight), Eliza Roberts (Animal House), Debra Wilson (MadTV), Michael Welch (Twilight), Amber Lynn Ashley, Ted Maritz, Brian McCulley, Jason Potter, and John Crockett
During months-long isolation, six individuals confront their inner demons when they are no longer able to hide from themselves.

A bonus chapter, Past Cure, directed by Carmelo Chimera and featuring Robert Picardo (Star Trek: Voyager) will be available exclusively on the DVD.

The film will even feature one of TLC’s greatest tracks from recent years, the thought-provoking “American Gold“, lifted from their last album in 2017, which will serve as the perfect soundtrack to ‘After Masks’.

Despite the movie being filmed by the actors themselves during the stay-at-home order due to the global Covid-19 pandemic, this is not a recorded Zoom call. Co-Executive producer Andrew Burrill hopes that viewers enjoy the movie like a time capsule of the current times.

“We approached ‘After Masks’ with the utmost respect and aimed to create an authentic, living time capsule that reflects a multigenerational and diverse perspective of Covid-19″, he told PR Newswire. “I hope audiences find a moment of truth within After Masks and that our film inspires and provides an opportunity for others to reflect and ultimately follow hope above all else.”

‘After Masks’ will be available on major streaming and cable platforms in the US on May 18 including: iTunes, Microsoft Xbox, Amazon Instant, Google Play, Vudu, Vimeo, Hoopla, and across hundreds of cable providers including Comcast, Spectrum, Charter, Cox, Dish, DirecTV and more.

Canadian cable providers include Rogers and Shaw. The DVD will be available at online retailers including Amazon on June 8.

Everyone has a story. What’s yours?

Announcement, Appearance, History, Interview, News, Television, Tribute

A&E Producing ‘Biography: TLC’ Documentary In 2021

Leon@TLCArmy's avatarLeon@TLCArmy 1 Comment

Despite the entertainment industry being forced to be put on hold during the global pandemic, the ladies of TLC have been given some time to focus on other projects that they were previously negotiating but were always pushing back because of major touring opportunities that took priority.

TLC finally decided to reveal to Rolling Stone that they are producing an all-new documentary! The two-hour special, titled ‘Biography: TLC‘, will chronicle the journey of the top-selling girl group throughout their career in the Nineties and beyond, featuring interviews with surviving members T-Boz and Chilli. ‘Biography: TLC’ will be directed by Matt Kay, and executive-produced by Roger Ross Williams (The Apollo) and his production company with Geoff Martz, One Story Up.

In addition to the stories that we all know and love in previous documentaries such as VH1’s ‘Behind The Music’, MTV’s ‘BIO Rhythm’, ‘Life In 3D’, and the Netflix special, ‘Once In A Lifetime Sessions‘, there is going to be some exclusive stories in ‘Biography: TLC’ that the public have never heard before and it will feature insights to the girls lives that the public have never seen before.

“The Biography banner has always focused on telling the stories of remarkable people who have had a major impact on our collective culture,” A&E Network EVP and head of programming Elaine Frontain Bryant said. “As a revolutionary group that broke boundaries and influenced an entire generation, TLC falls directly into that category and we are honored to tell their incredible story as it has never been told before.”

“As someone who has long been in awe of TLC and their musical and cultural impact, I am thrilled to be a part of bringing the story of their music, their journey, and their continuing reverence to the screen,” Williams said in a press release. “I am grateful for the opportunity to work with A&E, as well as filmmaker Matthew Kay, to bring this film to life. We hope this film illuminates a side of this incredible group and Tionne ‘T-Boz’ Watkins, Lisa ‘Left Eye’ Lopes, and Rozonda ‘Chilli’ Thomas that long-time fans and viewers alike have not seen before.”

Are you excited about the new TLC documentary?

Announcement, Appearance, News, Television

T-Boz Set To Return To Acting In Upcoming Movies ‘After Masks’ and ‘Things Like This’

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There is nothing that the multi-platinum, Grammy award winning, singer/songwriter, Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins, can’t do. In addition to her long-term career as a member of TLC, the actress, producer, choreographer, mentor, entrepreneur, charity spokeswoman and mother is ready to add some more credentials to her acting resumé.

Fresh from her reoccurring role as Sheila Watkins in the hit daytime television soap ‘Days Of Our Lives‘ last year, Tionne will star in ‘After Masks‘, a 5-part anthology film written and directed by the actors themselves while under the stay at home order.

The stories will focus on many of the relatable issues we are all dealing with while on quarantine during the Covid-19 pandemic such as isolation, uncertainty, fear, substance abuse, and self-discovery. The segments, while standalone, will take place during the same time period, and share the same through-line.

Tionne will play the role of Cheryl in the film, and as filming is complete it can be expected to be released very soon, so stay tuned for more details. Other stars in the film include Mitchell Hoog (‘Saved By The Bell Reboot’), Debra Wilson (‘MadTV’), Eric Roberts (‘The Dark Knight’) and Robert Picardo (‘Star Trek: Voyager’).

The film will even feature one of TLC’s greatest tracks from recent years, the thought-provoking “American Gold“, lifted from their last album in 2017, which completely deserved to be a single, so it’s great that it will finally get some more attention, as it is the perfect soundtrack that serves as a reflection of these current times that we’re living in.

In addition to ‘After Masks’, Tionne will also be starring in the movie ‘Things Like This‘, a modern-day romantic comedy, written and directed by ‘Orange Is The New Black’ actor Max Talisman. The plot centers around two young gay men with the same name living in NYC that fall in love and it appears that the universe has brought them together.

Deadline states that other cast members include Eric Roberts, Michael D. Cohen (‘Henry Danger’), Jasmin Savoy Brown (‘For the People’) Charlie Tahan (‘Ozark’), Dyan Cannon (‘Kangaroo Jack’), Santwon McCray (MTV’s ‘Wild n’ Out’), Krista Allen (‘Significant Mother’), Miles Tagtmeyer (‘Broken’), and Jake Reiner, grandson of the late Carl Reiner.

Are you excited to be seeing Tionne in more acting roles? What’s your favorite role so far?