DID U KNOW? 2-17-18 Entertainment News

Did U Know? 2-17-18 Entertainment News Updates … Alfre Woodard, Solange Knowles, Morris Chestnut, Janelle Monae, LeBron James, Mary J. Blige, Regina Hall, Sheryl Lee Ralph and others are trending this week. Did U Know? is trending entertainment news about the latest movies, music, TV shows and your favorite celebrities that happened during week ending Feb. 17, 2018.

Alfre Woodard Will Play Cookie Lyon’s Mother On ‘Empire’

Alfre Woodard is headed to the Lyons den! When Empire returns March 28, she’ll be a recurring cast member as Cookie (Taraji P. Henson)’s estranger mother, Renee. TVLine broke the news. No other details are available as of yet, including her storyline. Woodard is currently a series regular in Marvel’s Luke Cage, which returns this summer on Netflix. This role reunited Woodard and Henson, who starred together in Tyler Perry’s 2009 film, The Family That Preys. 

Solange Knowles Named Harvard Foundation Artist Of The Year

Solange Knowles is getting another honor — this one from the Harvard Foundation. The singer, songwriter and artist has been named the foundation’s artist of the year, and is set to accept the accolade on March 3. The Harvard Foundation is dedicated to exploring intercultural and race relations, and it’s certainly been a major theme in Knowles’ work. Her Grammy-winning 2016 album, “A Seat at the Table,” touched on racial politics and empowerment issues, and featured hits like “Don’t Touch My Hair.” Knowles also had an exhibit on black womanhood at London’s Tate Modern last year. Knowles was a Glamour Woman of the Year honoree last year. Previous Harvard Foundation artists of the year include Denzel Washington, Matt Damon, Shakira, Viola Davis and Salma Hayek.

Morris Chestnut Joining ‘Being Mary Jane’ Finale

A source working on the set of “Being Mary Jane” has revealed to lovebscott.com that Morris Chestnut has joined the cast for the show’s epic series finale. The celebrity news site reports that there’s no word on his character just yet, but fans can only imagine the chemistry between him and Gabrielle Union. The series 2-hour finale film was written by Patrik-Ian Polk “who served as a producer on the 4th season of the show and is currently serving as the co-executive producer & show runner.” Union recently revealed that filming for “Being Mary Jane” is underway in Atlanta.

Janelle Monae’s Album Trailer To Air Before ‘Black Panther’

Janelle Monae’s trailer for her new album and film will get a boost when it airs in theaters ahead of “Black Panther”. The teaser for “Dirty Computer,” the Grammy-nominated singer’s third solo album, will play in select theaters nationwide moments before the highly anticipated Marvel film plays. Monae is calling the visual part of the project an “emotion picture” and “narrative film.” The trailer will also be available on YouTube. Monae attended the “Black Panther” première in Los Angeles last month, though she doesn’t appear in the film. She earned praise for her roles in the 2016 movies “Hidden Figures” and “Moonlight,” which won the best-picture Oscar. A release date for “Dirty Computer” will be announced at a later date.

LeBron James Teams With ‘Atlanta’ Writers For ‘House Party’ Remake

LeBron James is bringing a 90s party back, but with a new twist. The NBA legend continues his entertainment moves by reviving the celebrated House Party franchise. Atlanta writers Stephen Glover and Jamal Olori are penning the screenplay, while LeBron is teaming with his SpringHill Entertainment partner, Maverick Carter, to produce the flick. Though House Party is loved by many, don’t expect the same movie from 1990. “This is definitely not a reboot. It’s an entirely new look for a classic movie,” LeBron told The Hollywood Reporter. “Everyone I grew up with loved House Party. To partner with this creative team to bring a new House Party to a new generation is unbelievable.” LeBron and his team are still deciding how the cast will look, and maybe even more importantly, who will handle the soundtrack. We’ll keep you updated as more info surfaces!

Mary J. Blige To Star As A Sadistic, Time-Traveling Assassin In New Netflix Series, ‘The Umbrella Academy’

Mary J. Blige continues to plant some roots at Netflix. After starring in the streaming giant’s Mudbound (in an Oscar-nominated role), she’s now been tapped for a role in the upcoming Netflix TV series adaptation of The Umbrella Academy, according to multiple industry publications. Blige will be a series regular in the adaptation of Gerard Way’s comics. The live action series follows the estranged members of a dysfunctional family of superheroes (The Umbrella Academy) – Luther, Diego, Allison, Vanya, Klaus and Number Five – as they work together to solve their father Reginald Hardgraves’ mysterious death, while coming apart at the seams due to their divergent personalities and abilities. It takes place in an alternate universe where the assassination of JFK did not happen. Blige’s role, set at a one-year deal for now, is described as the following: Cha-Cha is a ruthless and unorthodox hitwoman who travels through time to kill assigned targets. Even though she has a few gripes about the bureaucracy of her employers, this job is her life. She is sadistic, sociopathic, and her reputation precedes her. Her true love is torture, and she thinks of herself as a “pain artist.” She really doesn’t care for people—except for her partner Hazel. This is Blige’s biggest TV role to-date.

Regina Hall Joins The Don Cheadle-Led Cast For Showtime Comedy Pilot, ‘Ball Street’

Regina Hall is the latest to join the cast for the upcoming Showtime pilot, Ball Street, which star Don Cheadle and Andrew Rannels. Ball Street takes us back to October 19, 1987 – aka Black Monday – one of the worst stock market crashes in the history of Wall Street. To this day, no one knows who or what caused it. It is the story of how a bunch of fearless underdogs took on the blue-blood, old-boys club of Wall Street. Among the intrepid traders who make up the group led by Cheadle’s character are Dawn (Hall), the no-nonsense head of trading and the only woman on the team, along with Keith (Scheer) and Ronnie (Cordero). Braunohler appears as Ty Daverman, a vice president at Morgan Stanley. Hall, who starred in last year’s Girls Trip can be seen next in The Hate U Give. 

Sheryl Lee Ralph Joins ‘Claws’ Season 2

Sheryl Lee Ralph has joined the cast of Claws Season 2. At the center of Claws is salon owner Desna (played by Niecy Nash), who lives with and cares for her mentally ill twin brother, Dean (played by Harold Perrineau). Desna’s staff includes best friend Jennifer (Jenn Lyon), a tenuously sober ex-party girl raising two children from previous relationships; Quiet Ann (Judy Reyes), Desna’s enigmatic driver who also provides security for the salon; Polly (Carrie Preston), a mild-mannered preppy who recently served time in prison for identity theft; and Virginia (Karrueche Tran), who makes no effort to hide her boredom and impatience with her job. Adding chaos to the Nail Artisan mix is Roller (Jack Kesy), a gangstered-out redneck who runs a barely legal pain clinic and uses Desna’s nail salon to launder their obscene profits; Bryce (Kevin Rankin), Jennifer’s husband who is also newly sober and trying to stay legit by working as an abundance coach; and Dr. Ken Brickman (Jason Antoon), a bona fide doctor at a decidedly un-bona fide and illegal drug clinic. Ralph will play Matilde Ruval,  mother of Desna’s love interest, Gregory Ruval (Jimmy Jean-Louis)

The actress also has recurring roles on MacGyver and The Quad right now. She also just appeared in Netflix’s comedy film Step Sisters. She also starred with Tia Mowry from 2013-2015 on Nick-at-Nite’s Instant Mom.  Deadline first reported Ralph’s casting.