Sheryl Lee Ralph made her way to the Village of Harlem and the legendary Apollo Theater last night for the opening for the newest production of “Dreamgirls” (aka “Dreamgirls 3.0″). Ralph was the original Deena Jones in the 1981 Broadway stage play before we got to know her as both a television and movie actress (as well as hard-working AIDS activist). She was there to cheer on the new cast,—which includes Syesha Mercado who plays Deena this time around—before they embark on a national tour of the production.

When I think of “The First Wives Club” I picture the last scene: Diane Keaton, Goldie Hawn and Bette Midler dressed in white singing “You Don’t Own Me” as they strut down the cobblestone streets of SoHo. But come this Friday, when the musical version of the hit book and film premieres at San Diego’s Old Globe Theater, Elyse, the self-absorbed blonde actress, will be transformed into a glamorous black woman. Yes, our girl, Sheryl Lee Ralph (the original Deena Jones in “Dreamgirls” aka “Moesha’s” stepmother Dee) will be a sister in mid-life crisis after her husband leaves her for a younger woman.  Read the full story

This is the time of year that black radio pulls out that old classic “I’ll Always Love My Mama” and all the other odes that celebrate black motherhood. If I were in television programming I’d do a marathon block of some of our favorite mamas, moms and stepmothers from the archives. Here’s what I’d include: