Is there a more perfect Lifetime movie property than Steel Magnolias? This tragicomic celebration of female bonding through gossipy good times and bad, all while getting their hair done at Truvy's Beauty Spot in suburban Louisiana, has been a crowd-pleaser since its first incarnation as an off-Broadway stage play (my preferred version, where the men are kept entirely offstage). The epitome of a leave-'em-laughing-while-weeping heart-warmer, Magnolias reached its pop-cultural apex in the all-star 1989 film version, but its can't-miss universality is underscored in Lifetime's oddly genteel but ultimately affecting new TV-movie (Sunday, 9/8c), whose big twist is in the casting of an all African-American ensemble.
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No-nonsense mother of three M'Lynn Eatenton (Queen Latifah) is hosting a joyful Christmas bash in her Louisiana home when she gets some hard-to-hear news: Her diabetic, newlywed daughter Shelby (Condola Rashad) is pregnant, a condition that she might not survive. Thankfully, M'Lynn is not alone: Her friends wrap her in a cocoon of love and support. Sound familiar?
Yep, the loving, lippy ladies of...
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A producer on the original Steel Magnolias has sued Lifetime over its upcoming remake of the 1989 film, The Hollywood Reporter reports.
Victoria White, an executive producer on the Julia Roberts film, filed the suit Monday, charging that Sony Pictures Television, Lifetime Entertainment and A&E Television Networks made the new TV movie without her permission or an agreement to the underlying rights.
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Alfre Woodard has been tapped to play Sam's mom on Private Practice, Entertainment Weekly reports.
The actress will guest-star in an episode slated to air this November. Maybe Sam (Taye Diggs) will have some happy engagement news to share?
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Steel Magnolias is back with a brand new look.
Lifetime's remake of the 1989 film stars an all-black cast, including Queen Latifah, also an executive producer, Alfre Woodard and Phylicia Rashad, among others.
Queen Latifah, Alfre Woodard, Phylicia Rashad to star in Lifetime's Steel Magnolias remake
Latifah will portray M'Lynn, who was played by Sally Field in the original film. Woodard will play Ouiser (Shirley MacLaine), and Rashad will play Clairee (Olympia Dukakis). Additionally, the movie co-stars Jill Scott as Truvy (Dolly Parton), Adepero Oduye as Annelle (Darryl Hannah) and Rashad's daughter, Condola Rashad, as Shelby (Julia Roberts).
Check out a sneak peek at the TV movie, expected to air later this year:
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