VH1 is known for music programming and reality television; however, that will soon change as the network makes its bold, first attempt at a scripted film,”Crazy Sexy Cool: The TLC Story.” The long awaited film will take viewers on a ride from the group members’ beginnings, to their meteoric rise to the top of the music charts in the 1990s and beyond.

Hip-hop artist and television personality Lil Mama will have the honor of portraying the late Lisa “Left Eye” Lopez. Lil Mama emerged onto the scene in 2007 with her infectious hit single “Lip Gloss” from her “VYP: Voice of the Young People” album. The song attained a Gold certification from the RIAA in 2008, while the album went on to sell 19, 000 copies in its first week and 66,000 copies thereafter. Lil Mama then began serving as a judge on MTV’s “America’s Best Dance Crew“ in 2008 at the age of 19. This will be her first film.

Keke Palmer has been chosen to portray Rozunda “Chili” Thomas. Unlike Lil Mama, Palmer is not new to the film industry. The 19-year-old has appeared in films alongside Laurence Fishburne (‘Akeelah and the Bee’), Tyler Perry (‘Madea’s Family Reunion’), Ice Cube (‘The Longshots’) and Dolly Parton (‘Joyful Noise’), among others. Of her new role, Palmer tells the Daily News, “I’m excited to be a part of this amazing project portraying one of the members of such an iconic group that inspired my passion for music.”

Drew Sidora will round out the cast as Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins. Sidora’s most notable roles are as Lucy Avila in ‘Step Up’, alongside Channing Tatum, and as herself on “The Game”, a television series. When the news first broke of her involvement in the biopic, Sidora took to her twitter account to thank her fans and share a few encouraging words. “Be sure to always believe in yourself. Never give up! Stay optimistic and persistent and amazing things will come into play!”

Though some TLC fans have expressed doubts that the ladies will be able to pull off their portrayals, VH1’s Executive Vice President of Original Programming and Production is confident that the project will be a success. “With this cast, we are thrilled with the talent assembled both in front of and behind the cameras,” he said. “TLC are truly music pioneers and this movie is a fantastic way to expand our scripted push by combining our audience’s passion for music with their love of story. We know our viewers will be eager to go beyond the headlines and into the surprisingly personal, never before told stories of these groundbreaking women.”

TLC’s surviving members, Thomas and Watkins, will serve as the film’s executive producers.

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Kelly Rowland and Diggy Simmons will be joining the BET family. According to online sources, Rowland, a former member of the multi-platinum selling girl group Destiny’s Child, has been selected to star in a comedy pilot titled, “What Would Dylan Do?” Rowland’s character, Dylan, is a relationship blogger who lives with a group of friends in Los Angeles.

This will be Rowland’s first leading role in an original series; however, it is not the entertainer’s first time acting. Her television and film credits include ‘The Hughley’s,’ ‘Girlfriends,’ ‘The Game,’ ‘Freddie vs. Jason’ and ‘The Seat Filler.’ Rounding out the cast are Gabrielle Dennis (Cherise), Melanie Liburd (Brooke) and Brandon Scott (Ryan).

Warren Hutcherson will serve as executive producer for “Dylan”. He is an accomplished scriptwriter (“Saturday Night Live” and “Living Single”) and producer (“The Parenthood,” “Moesha,” “The Bernie Mac Show,” “Just Jordan” and “Everybody Hates Chris”). Julian Breece of BET’s online series, Buppies, will write and co-executive produce the show.

Diggy Simmons will star in a yet-to-be-titled project helmed by husband/wife duo Salim Akil and Mara Brock Akil. Deadline reports that the two-hour pilot will be “a fresh and edgy look at Diggy, his life as a blogger, and the close group of loyal friends who hold him down on his rise to the top.” Simmons will play the lead, Blake, and will be joined by Allan Maldonado (Manny), Teyana Taylor (Tae), Chris Brew (Dot), Bria Murphy (Nia) and Stephanie Charles (Sheri).

Salim Akil and Mara Brock Akil will executive produce the pilot, while Salim will also take on the role of director. The twosome has a long and successful history in the television and film industry. Akil began working on the successful Showtime series ”Soulfood” as a writer and worked his way up to Executive Producer. He has also written and produced independent films as well as feature films, such as ‘Sparkle’ starring Whitney Houston and Jordin Sparks, which he also directed.

Brock Akil was a writer for “Moesha,” starring Brandy, for four seasons before taking on duties as supervising producer and writer on The Jamie Foxx Show in 1999. She went on to create and executive produce, alongside Kelsey Grammer, the hit series “Girlfriends” in 2000. ”The Game,” a spinoff of “Girlfriends,” was also created and executive produced by Brock Akil.

BET networks, who has long been criticized for displaying ‘shallow content’, has steeped its game up in recent years. Many feel that the transformation began when the network picked up “The Game,” which had been cancelled by UPN. Whatever the case may be, the network is showing no signs of deterring from the new direction.

“Dylan” and the Diggy Simmons project have the potential to join a line-up that includes “The Game” starring Hosea Chanchez, “Reed Between the Lines” starring Malcolm-Jamal Warner, and the “Real Husbands of Hollywood” starring Kevin Hart.

Image Courtesy of  Featureflash / Shutterstock.com

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