I suspect a lot of sisters will be making their way to Broadway next spring. That’s because The New York Post is reporting that one of our favorite brothers, Denzel Washington, is set to star in a revival of the late August Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize winning play,  ”Fences”. Can you say WOO-HOO? Washington will step into some weighty shoes too, the role was originated by none other than James Earl Jones (for which he won a Tony award). The Oscar winner will play Troy Maxson, a former baseball player with a record. (Yes Wilson’s character often carry lots of baggage). Read the full story

Okay Hollywood, it seems like some of you are starting to get it when it comes to seeing sisters in roles beyond caretaker (i.e, maid), prostitute or cop or lately, coroner. The Hollywood Reporter says that the producers/director associated with the adaption of Elizabeth Gilbert’s widely popular memoir “Eat, Pray, Love” want Viola Davis as part of the cast. Now, don’t get it twisted they haven’t revamped Gilbert’s memoir to tell it from a black woman’s point of view—Julia Roberts is the star. But they do want Viola to play opposite Julia as her best friend. Read the full story

It comes as no surprise that black actresses in Hollywood don’t have it easy. So it becomes imperative that sisters of screens both big and small get strategic about landing work (or get in good with dare I say it….Tyler Perry—whether we like his movies or not, he certainly has managed to snag some marquee names). This strategy of course explains why Jada Pinkett Smith is coming back to television tonight with the debut of “HawthoRNe” on TNT. (Come on if Holly Hunter and Kyra Sedgwick can headlines successful series on basic cable Jada is smart to follow suit). Read the full story

The odds were against Taraji P. Henson and Viola Davis going into the 81st Academy Awards, but still I couldn’t help hoping that there would be some kind of fluke that would result in one of these sisters winning the award for Best Supporting Actress. And we found out rather quickly that Penelope Cruz would take the prize. But in this new show configuration, it was a pretty cool way to lose (if that makes sense). I think being introduced and saluted being by such luminaries as Eva Marie Saint, Goldie Hawn, Anjelica Houston, Tilda Swinson and Whoopi Goldberg (more or her later) had each of these sisters trying to fend off the waterworks. But throughout the rest of extra-long telecast there was several opportunities for sister sightings (besides that clip of Hattie McDaniel during the same segment) Read the full story

This has been some week. The celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King’s birth, the Inauguration of our 44th President, Barack Obama, and today Taraji P. Henson and Viola Davis get nominated for Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actress. Critics have been buzzing about their work in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Doubt being worthy or recognition but after seeing who won The Golden Globes, I was starting to get skeptical. But the Academy nominations come from peers so other actors recognized how fierce their performances were too. I couldn’t be happier. Read the full story

Sorry Beyoncé, although you showed some acting chops in your turn as blues singer Etta James in “Cadillac Records,” it wasn’t enough for the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the folks who do the nominations for the first important award show of the season, The Golden Globes. More disappointing is that Taraji P. Henson’s role in the Christmas release “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” was also overlooked (although the film was not). But one sister did live up to the pre-nomination and that is no other than Viola Davis who has a brief but pivotal role in “Doubt”, which will have a limited release tomorrow. Read the full story

Tuesday night, when I caught the tail end of Law & Order SVU, I saw the very talented and often underutilized actress, Viola Davis, doing one of her many guest stints on the show as defense attorney Donna Emmett. And I was immediately struck that we should be seeing more of her in something. She is that good (and not that many people know about her). Read the full story