During a visit to “The Talk” last week, Angela Bassett says she has signed on to re-team with Whitney Houston, Loretta Devine and Lela Rochon for a sequel to “Waiting to Exhale.”

The movie, adapted from Terry McMillan’s 1992 novel of the same name, was directed by Forest Whitaker.

Bassett responded to recent speculation that the original cast are ready to reunite for the sequel, saying, “It’s preliminary, but it’s going to happen, Waiting to Exhale 2. McMillan wrote ‘Getting to Happy’ and she’s written the screenplay. … Loretta, Lela, Whitney, Forest. Forest is working on the script now.”

The 1995 film was a financial success, opening at No. 1 at the North American box-office and grossing $14.1 million in its first weekend of release. In total the movie made $67 million in the U.S. and a further $14.4 million internationally.

Bassett is in theaters now with “Jumping the Broom,” and recently finished work on the forthcoming superhero movie “Green Lantern” with Ryan Reynolds.

Things are still smoking over at Black Smoke Music Worldwide where the Houston-based label’s music continues to fire up gospel music playlists everywhere. The label has placed a dozen songs on the Billboard ‘s national gospel charts over the last year such as the #1 smashes “I Believe” by James Fortune & FIYA and Earnest Pugh’s “Rain On Us.” Pugh is destined for another #1 with his new radio single “I Need Your Glory” (now available for digital download at online stores) that was written and originally recorded by James Fortune. “The song has a lyric that says less of me and more of you is what I need,” says Pugh. “The book of John says it like this: He must increase and I must decrease. That song made me take an inventory of where I was in my walk and was I really decreasing and allowing God to increase in me as an artist?

“In my quest to get clarity,” Pugh continues. “One morning while in prayer I asked the Lord to show me His glory. His response to me was, If you really want to see my glory you will have to put away your airs and pretense and come to me honestly about your struggles, challenges and your shortcomings.’ He would no longer allow me to sing, dance and shout over them. It was at that point that I yielded to Him and He revealed his presence to me in a mighty way.”

A Memphis native who got his start singing with O’Landa Draper & the Associates, Pugh released his first solo CD in 2006 and showed off his five-octave vocals on the radio hit “Wrapped Up, Tied Up, Tangled Up.” After years of making respectable forays into gospel, Pugh finally hit it big in 2009 with his #1 smash “Rain On Us” which led to TV appearances on BET’s “Celebration of Gospel” and TBN’s “Praise The Lord.” The new CD “Earnestly Yours” hits stores June 28th. Visit www.earnestpugh.com or www.mrkerrydouglas.com for more information.

Stellar Award winning recording artist Troy Sneed is following up his recent Top Ten smashes “Work it Out,” “The Struggle is Over” (#1 for 12 weeks) and ”Hallelujah” with a brilliant new track destined to eclipse them all. The new single “My Heart Says Yes” is #5 on Billboard’s Hot Gospel Songs chart and headed towards the #1 position. A departure for Sneed and the gospel field, the soothing acoustic ballad can easily play between tracks by Robin Thicke or Maxwell on adult R&B stations where its also gaining airplay. ‘”Yeah, I get a lot of that,” Sneed laughs. “A lot of people didn’t think that was me singing at first because of the overall sound and feel of the song and the falsetto.”

“Supporting Sneed is a simple, delicate ostinato melody with a Brazilian beat led by acoustic guitar and muted percussion,” Bob Marovich writes in The Black Gospel Blog. “Understated and hushed, ideal for that moment in a worship service when easy does it.” Sneed’s first album in almost two years was scheduled for a late summer release but the single’s early and stratospheric success has led him to release the ten-song CD “My Heart Says Yes” (Emtro Gospel/ MSRP $13.98) on May 10, 2011.

The title-song isn’t a stand-alone track. The set includes an unplugged version of “My Heart Says Yes” and other soulfully stripped down performances of “Holy is the Lamb,” “Glorify The Lord” and the “Ole School Worship Medley” that features refrains from the hymns “In The Garden” and “Walk in the Light.” The inspirational tracks “Sunshine” and “Hold On” boast old school R&B grooves. “Tell The Lord You Love Him” is a quartet track, “Great & Marvelous” is an anthem of praise and “Great Jehovah” is a Contemporary Christian music styled worship tune. “Praise and worship is a big part of my ministry,” Sneed explains. “Those kinds of songs minister to me first. This record is real praise and worship but it’s got that contemporary edge that makes it accessible to people of all ages, races, in church or out of church.”

The public probably first noticed Sneed as an actor in the film “The Preacher’s Wife.” He also coached the Georgia Mass Choir for the Whitney Houston soundtrack. He later recorded solo albums for Savoy Records before launching his own Emtro Gospel Records label in 2005. Ever since, the label has placed 18 songs by various artists on the Billboard Hot Gospel Songs chart, including a half dozen by Sneed.

This was too funny!  I just hope they get paid by McDonalds for this one.  Watch the video below.

A recent crime inside a local Detroit church is raising plenty of eyebrows and questions.  My Fox Detroit reports that a man walked in a church and robbed the church offering plate at gunpoint.  

“To walk up in a church and rob a church … you’re doing something that’s pretty bad for you,” said Pastor Booker T. Williams.

He has presided over his faithful congregation at the Hicks Memorial Church of God in Christ on Mack Avenue for almost 29 years and has never seen anything similar happen.

“God says revenge belongs to me, and God will take care of him,” Pastor Williams said.

The suspect is a 20 to 25-year-old man who got in line at Sunday service to leave an offering on the table. Instead, he is alleged to have stolen all the money, probably about $200.

“He just took the money and just showed them the gun,” said Sherry Williams, the pastor’s daughter. “Said, ‘Don’t make this any harder’ and pretty much walked off.”

The suspect sat in the very back corner of the church through the entire service. Parishioners now say they may have seen him at the church before about a month ago with another man, and they think they were casing the place.

“You feel secure in a church. You feel safe in a church. It’s God’s house. You never expect that to happen,” said Detroit Police Commander Steve Dolunt.

He told us the suspect had a black backpack with blue trim. He wore a black hood and gloves and left the church on foot.

“I guess it’s a cry for help, but to go to a church? You feel safe there, and we need the public’s help on this one,” Dolunt said.

The pastor is just grateful nobody was hurt and hopeful the suspect will be caught.

“I guess I have to pray for him. That (is) about the best I can do,” Pastor Williams told us.

Anyone with information can contact Detroit Police at (313) 596-5940.

There is an old adage that says you never really miss somebody until they’re gone. This is true of Nate Dogg. Most of us have come to know him as the hip-hop partner to Warren G and for the hit song “Regulate” in the 90’s.

His untimely death sent fans of the G-Funk era spinning. In an interview with hip hop dx, Warren G says that Nate Dogg was turning over a new leaf in his career at the time he passed.

Warren G: “He was trying to get better and get out of there. He was a child of God and he was raised in the church.” He had just started work with Gospel groups. He was getting into Gospel music and there wasn’t going to be no more “I got hoes…” He was going to the church side of music.  He brought people from the church to my studio and had them singing on one of my tracks. We didn’t finish it.

Video of Nate Dogg’s choir can be seen performing below. For the full interview with Warren G click here.

The man who played Jesus Christ in Mel Gibson’s much criticized “Passion of the Christ,” says the role has been his “cross to bear,” and that Hollywood has shunned him ever since making the film.

Jim Caviezel, who, before taking the role of Jesus, was a rising Hollywood star with strong reviews for his work in “Frequency,” and “The Thin Red Line,” told an audience at First Baptist Church of Orlando on Saturday that Gibson begged him to reconsider taking the gig.

“He said, ‘You’ll never work in this town again,'” Caviezel remembered. “I told him, ‘We all have to embrace our crosses.'”

Caviezel recounted a similar story in 2004, when he spoke of the encounter in an interview with the 700 Club.

“The next day, he said, ‘I want you to be aware of what you are going to go through. You may never work again.’ He said that several times publicly. I told him, ‘Mel, this is what I believe. We all have a cross to carry. I have to carry my own cross. If we don’t carry our crosses, we are going to be crushed under the weight of it. So let’s go and do it.’ And we began with the film.

The filmmaker proved prophetic; the film was slammed for perceived anti-semitism, and roles have been hard to come by, as Caviezel says he was “rejected by [his] own industry.”

Following “Passion,” he starred in the small thriller “Unknown,” had a supporting role in the Denzel Washington film “Deja Vu,” and headlined absolute bombs “Outlander,” and “The Stoning of Soraya M.”

Still, he seems to have no regrets. “We have to give up our names, our reputations, our lives to speak the truth,” Caviezel reasoned to the audience.

In the 700 Club interview, Caviezel gave more insight into his reasons for doing the film.

“I felt like a great presence came within me at times when we were filming,” he said. “This prayer that came from me was, ‘I don’t want people to see me. I just want them to see Jesus. And through that conversions will happen.’ That’s what I wanted more than anything, that people would have a visceral effect to finally make a decision whether to follow Him or not.”

Deadly clashes between Muslims and Christians in the north of Nigeria following the re-election of President Goodluck Jonathan has brought the death toll to over 500, according to a local civic group.

At least 516 people have died with the violence being the worst in Kaduna state, according to Shehu Sani, executive director of the Kaduna-based Civil Rights Congress.

Muslim opposition supporters of Muhammadu Buhari, a Muslim and former military ruler, began rioting after the April 16 victory of Goodluck, a Christian from the south. Outraged over the 57 to 31 percent defeat, armed protesters took to the streets, chanting Buhari’s name and attacking Christian supporters of the president. The violence which took place at churches, homes, and police states, also triggered retaliatory attacks by Christians.

Buhari, candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change, alleged widespread fraud in the election outcome. International observers, however, have called the National Assembly election fair and the outcome credible.

Relief officials estimate that at least 65,000 people have been displaced as a result of the tensions.

President Goodluck Jonathan

Jonathan is beefing up security forces to some northern states where post-election violence was most severe.

“Sadly, some misguided elements do not share in the spirit of our democratic achievement,” said Jonathan last week. “They formed into groups of miscreants and struck with deadly and destructive force in some parts of the country. They killed and maimed innocent citizens. They set ablaze business premises, private homes, and even places of worship.”

Click Here to Read Full Report on ChristianPost.com

Hello Fear, the brand new release from Kirk Franklin, celebrates its sixth week atop the Billboard Top Gospel Charts. The album also sits at #4 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Charts and #19 on the Billboard Top 200 Charts. Mary Mary’s latest release Something Big holds to the #2 position this week. The album also sits at #12 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Charts and #49 on the Billboard Top 200 Charts. Keep Living, the brand new effort from Ricky Dillard & New G debuts at the #3 position and #58 on the Billboard Top 200 Charts, while newcomer Preashea Hilliard’s debut Live Out Loud enters at the #4 position and #68 on the Billboard Top 200 Charts. The WOW Gospel 2011 compilation rounds out the week’s top five albums. In other chart news, Make It Loud, the latest from Martha Munizzi debuts at #6, while Juanita Bynum’s More Passion re-enters the charts at #7.

In the world of radio, “I Smile” from Kirk Franklin celebrates its fourth week at the top of the radio charts. Vashawn Mitchell’s “Nobody Greater” holds to the #2 spot while “Walking” from Mary Mary moves to the #3 position. “Well Done” from Deitrick Haddon moves to the #4 spot while “My Heart Says Yes” from Troy Sneed rounds out the week’s top five songs. (May 8, 2011)

Bishop T.D. Jakes has expanded his brand tremendously, from being founder of TDJ Enterprises, to author of more than 30 books, to film producer of the box office feature, Jumping the Broom.  Spreading a message of faith and hope, Jakes, also head of his Dallas-based church, The Potter’s House, proves that one can take their vision into a diversity of ventures, cultivating an empire that speaks volumes.  Jake’s new movie Jumping the Broom finished 3rd at the box office opening week with 13.7 million in sales.  The movie Thor was first with 66 million in it’s opening week, and Fast Five finished second with 32.5 million. 

Bishop Jakes’ mega-church, The Potter’s House, had humble beginnings as a storefront house of worship with just 10 members, and transformed into a 191,000 square foot, 8,000-seat worship center, built for $45 million. It now has more than 30,000 members and has created jobs for hundreds in its more than 50 active not-for-profit ministries.

Under TDJ Enterprises, the spiritual powerhouse produces plays, TV shows, and mega conferences; develops real estate including the $150 million Capella Park; releases Grammy award-winning music via a record label, Dexterity Sounds; writes best-selling books; and manages a multi-million dollar deal with Sony Pictures to produce movies, one of which is the soon-to-be released Jumping the Broom. Also released were NAACP Image Award winner, Woman Thou Art Loosed, starring Loretta Divine and Kimberly Elise, and Not Easily Broken, starring Taraji P. Henson and Morris Chestnut.

Jakes ventured successfully into the literary world as a best-selling author, with books that infuse spiritual guidance and real-life issues. Two nonfiction reads reached No. 3 on The New York Times Best Sellers list, Before You Do: Making Great Decisions That You Won’t Regret, and Reposition Yourself. Reposition Yourself remained on the list for 23 weeks, and spent 20 weeks on USA Today’s best-sellers list. He’s also the author of fiction novels including Cover Girls.

May we keep our brother in prayer.