Page 14 - Florida Sentinel 2-25-20

Entertainment
BET+ And Tyler Perry Studios Set March 19th Premiere Date For New Original Drama, ‘Tyler Perry’s Ruthless’
Nipsey Hussle’s Alleged Murderer Could Go On Trial By Early April
Oprah Winfrey Donates $5 Million To After School Program
BET+ announced the new original drama from Tyler Perry, “Tyler Perry’s Ruth- less,” will premiere Thursday, March 19, 2020, exclusively across all platforms the serv- ice is available. The first four episodes, of the 24-episode one-hour drama, will be available to stream with new episodes launching every Thursday.
“Tyler Perry’s Ruthless” is the first new original series from Tyler Perry to stream on BET+, a joint venture be- tween BET Networks and Tyler Perry Studios. The se- ries continues BET+’s mis- sion to deliver a spectrum of original and compelling sto-
“TYLER PERRY’S RUTHLESS”
ries.
“Tyler Perry’s Ruthless,” a
spin-off of the hit television series “Tyler Perry’s The Oval,” tells the riveting story of a woman named Ruth who kidnaps her young
daughter to join her in the dark underworld of a fanati- cal religious cult. “Tyler Perry’s Ruthless” stars Melissa L. Williams, Matt Cedeño, Lenny D. Thomas, Yvonne Senat Jones, Baadja-Lyne Odums, Jaime Callica, Nirine S. Brown, Blue Kimble, Stephanie Charles, Hervé Cler- mont, Anthony Bless, and Bobbi Baker.
“Tyler Perry’s Ruthless” is executive produced, written, and directed by Tyler Perry. Michelle Sneed will also serve as Executive Producer of the series for Tyler Perry Studios.
Oprah Winfrey is known for generously supporting projects she believes in, and the latest beneficiary of her attention and dollars is a New Jersey after school program. The media mogul was so im- pressed with Pathways To College that she decided to donate $5 million to the or- ganization.
Pathways to College is a nationwide after-school pro- gram established in 2003 by Judith Griffin. The pro- gram is designed to serve “potential and developing leaders in under-represented populations” and expand “the pipeline to college in selected under-served communities,” according to their site.
NJ.com reports that Grif- fin found out about the game-changing donation via a phone call she received last September from Rebecca Sykes, then president of the Oprah Winfrey Charitable Foundation. She said she was
OPRAH WINFREY
“speechless” when she heard the news.
Griffin finally broke the news to her students today by showing them a video from Oprah Winfrey. “I cele- brate and honor the work Pathways to College does in securing futures for young people who want to go to col- lege,” Winfrey said. “I am proud to sponsor and support all of these young people and their dreams for a better life through education.”
Wendy Williams Documents Date Night With Rumored Boyfriend William Selby
Eric Holder, the accused killer of Nipsey Hussle, may face trial as soon as April.
During a pretrial hearing, Judge Robert Perry in- formed Holder that he wanted to get the trial done by April 14 as he believes the case will only take two weeks.
“Mr. Holder, as you know, this is an important case and a serious case. These cases take time to get ready for trial. You have the right to a speedy trial,” Perry said.
The judge continued, ask- ing Holder: “Are you OK that
NIPSEY HUSSLE
we continue this case, and you come back on March 18 and we do our best to start your
ERIC HOLDER
trial within 30 days. Are you OK with that?”
“Yeah,” Holder replied.
Aretha Franklin’s Niece Resigns As Executor Amid Family Turmoil Over Singer’s Estate
Aretha Franklin’s niece has decided to step down as personal representative of the late singer’s estate.
After the singer’s death in August 2018, Sabrina Gar- rett Owens was named the personal representative for Franklin’s children. Seek- ing to “calm the rift in my family,” Owens filed a peti- tion Thursday in Oakland County Probate Court giving two weeks’ notice of her res- ignation, the Detroit Free Press reports.
Her resignation comes amid tense family drama over Franklin’s estate. In Thurs- day’s letter, Owens indi- cated that the “relationships began to deteriorate with the heirs” with the May 2019 dis-
ARETHA FRANKLIN
covery of three handwritten wills in Franklin’s home. The most recent one was dated March 2014, and ap- peared to give the singer’s as- sets to family members.
These documents report-
edly contain conflicting in- structions from the singer, and there has been multiple legal battles within the family about who has control over Franklin’s estate.
According to Owens, the discovery of the wills is the main reason she’s stepping down from her position.
“My primary goal was to honor my aunt by handling her business professionally, fairly and within the law,” Owens wrote. “In spite of my best efforts, my role with the estate has become more contentious with the heirs. Given my aunt’s deep love of family and desire for privacy, this is not what she would have wanted for us, nor is it what I want.”
WILLIAM SHELBY AND WENDY WILLIAMS
Now that Wendy Williams is legally a single woman, the talk show host has no problem sharing a glimpse of her dating life with fans, posting a pic of rumored new boyfriend — jeweler William Selby — picking her up for a Friday night date. “He sent his car for me..din- ner in pursuit. Happy Fri- day!,” she captioned the photo. She later added a photo of their meal, and fi- nally, a picture of the two get- ting close and cozy while in the studio with artist Black Papi.
Selby — also known as
“Big Will” — is a New York City-based jeweler who has created pieces for artists such as Drake, 50 Cent and ASAP Ferg. He and Williams recently attended the Spotify x Cash Money pre- miere of new mini-documen- tary, “New Cash Order” together and according to Selby’s Instagram page, the pair spent the Super Bowl and Valentine’s Day in each other’s company. Williams has previously referred to Selby on her show as a “friend,” but fans are now convinced they’re much more.
PAGE 14 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2020