Check out this week's edition of UPFRONT Inside the Entertainment Industry. It features Broadway diva Terry Burrell, multi-talented actor Jay Reeves plus Elisa Gambino and Wendy Eley Jackson from the documentary Welcome to Pine Lake.
Original "Dreamgirl" Terry Burrell is back at the Alliance Theatre for the all new one-woman holiday extravaganza titled A Very Terry Christmas. The virtual experience features Ms. Burrell performing classic holiday music at various attractions and venues around the city like the Zoo Atlanta, Fernbank Museum and Georgia Aquarium. She also opens up about the 40th anniversary of Dreamgirls and her friendship with the "Mother of Black Hollywood" Jenifer Lewis.
Singer, actor and athlete Jay Reeves is taking his career to higher heights in the new Disney+ film, Safety. It follows the inspiring real-life story of former Clemson University football safety Ray “RayRay” McElrathbey, who is faced with a number of challenging circumstances while simultaneously raising and caring for his 11-year-old brother Fahmarr. Jay talks about the film, working with director Reginald Hudlin and his hope for this holiday season. Watch the full interview below:
Closing out the show is my exclusive with the creative team behind the new documentary Welcome to Pine Lake. Director and writer Elisa Gambino and executive producer Wendy Eley Jackson are here to chat about the controversial film project which has everyone talking. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aw8OiPqg4B8">Welcome to Pine Lakedelves beneath the surface of the tranquil Georgia town just 12 miles from Atlanta, where the mayor, the city council, the police chief and one judge all are female. However, the film exposes that historically, much of the city’s funding depended on traffic tickets and other fines levied against predominately black residents surrounding communities who regularly travel through the edge of the city. Gambino and Jackson talk about the challenges they faced and the timeliness of the project.
