Posts Tagged Vanessa Williams
Lifetime TV movie review: The Trip to Bountiful
Posted by Amy Steele in Film, TV on March 7, 2014
Carrie [Mother] Watts [Cicely Tyson] lives with her diligent, over-protective son Ludie [Blair Underwood] and conceited daughter-in-law Jessie Mae [Vanessa Williams]. Under Jessie Mae’s rules and clutches, unable to drive, Mother Watts feels suffocated and merely wants to visit her hometown of Bountiful. She tries repeatedly to escape infuriating Jessie Mae and frustrating Ludie. Finally Mother Watts manages to escape to the local bus station where she befriends Thelma [Keke Palmer] who’s on her way home to her parents while her husband’s off fighting the war. The pair proceeds to share endearing moments. This time around Mother Watts may have outsmarted Ludie and Jessie Mae and may make it home to Bountiful one last time.
“People ask me why I don’t have children and I say I have Ludie and Mother Watts and that’s all I need.”
Why watch?
–Based on Oscar, Pulitzer Prize, and Emmy Award-winning author Horton Foote’s Tony-award-nominated play.
–Now you get a chance to see it on Lifetime what Cecily Tyson won a Tony for on Broadway.
–Cecily Tyson brings depth, humor and sensitivity to her character. She’s at times a riot and at times truly moving. Tyson’s a legend and wonderful to watch.
–Lovely Vanessa Williams is flawless as uptight and stingy daughter-in-law Jessie Mae.
–Gorgeous Blair Underwood plays the subdued Ludie, stuck between his overbearing, demanding wife and his elderly mom. He wants both women to get along and be content which proves a near impossible task.
–Keke Palmer’s always a delight onscreen.
–First Lady Michelle Obama recently screened The Trip to Bountiful at The White House.
—The Trip to Bountiful isn’t about an old woman’s hopeless, wanderlust obsession. It’s about persistence. It’s about home. It’s about a sense of place. It’s about belonging.
–Beautifully acted and scripted, The Trip to Bountiful must not be missed.
The Trip to Bountiful premieres Saturday, March 8 ET/PT on Lifetime.
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Who Do You Think You Are? S2: DVD review
Posted by Amy Steele in DVD on April 20, 2012
This enthralling series co-produced by Lisa Kudrow and writer/director Don Roos and originating in the UK, follows celebrities as they work with genealogists, historians and researchers to investigate their family histories. It’s heartfelt and uplifting. In finding out about their familial background, the stars inevitably uncover aspects about themselves in the process. Who Do You Think You Are? captivates and educates.
Vanessa Williams [Ugly Betty, Desperate Housewives], Gwyneth Paltrow [Iron Man, Shakespeare in Love], country singer Tim McGraw, actress/ talk show host Rosie O’Donnell, Kim Cattrall [Sex and the City], Steve Buscemi [Boardwalk Empire, Reservoir Dogs], Ashley Judd [Missing, Come Every Morning] and Grammy-winning singer/songwriter Lionel Richie all take fascinating journeys to trace their roots.
Tracing her ancestors prior to the Civil War, Vanessa Williams, the first black woman crowned Miss America, discovers trailblazers. Born a free man in 1845, her great-great grandfather married a white woman in 1861 and served in the Civil War. Her great-grandfather served in public office in Tennessee. Tim McGraw researches his pre-Revolutionary War American relatives and finds connections to George Washington and Elvis Presley. An activist herself, Ashley Judd learns about a female relative who labored for women’s votes as part of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union. Lionel Richie’s great-grandfather served as editor of the Knights of Wise Men, an organization that provided insurance to black men and women in the late 1870s. Gwyneth Paltrow gathers information about her truly disparate ancestors. Rosie O’Donnell travels to Ireland to learn about relatives who escaped the Irish Potato Famine. Her episode proves especially moving.
Rated: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Acorn Media
DVD Release Date: May 1, 2012
Run Time: 335 minutes
–review by Amy Steele
purchase at Amazon: Who Do You Think You Are: Season 2
purchase at Acorn Media
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About Me
covering mostly music and books. focus on alternative/indie and women in music, literature and the arts. feminist. vegan. mostly alternative, a bit bohemian. Masters in journalism from Boston University. BA from Simmons College.
Entertainment Realm by Amy Steele is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
Based on a work at entertainmentrealm.comCopyright © 2009. All writing, unless otherwise noted, by Amy Steele.
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