This is a GOOD LOOK!

Congratulations are in order for powerhouse gospel vocalist/actress Tamela Mann, who has just been added to the cast of Sparkle, the upcoming remake of the 1976 film.

“I’m honored and excited to work with an incredible group of people,” said Mann. “It’s a touching story, and I’m happy to be a part of this film.”

Directed by Salim Akil (Jumping the Broom), Sparkle will feature a stellar cast, including Jordin Sparks, Whitney Houston, Mike Epps and Cee-Lo Green. Original music for the film is provided by R. Kelly.

For more info on Tamela Mann, visit http://www.tillymannmusic.com.

Hey folks– just a heads-up… the 41st Annual Dove Awards, which were taped live on Wednesday, will air on gmc this Sunday, April 25th, at 8pm ET/7pm CST.

The awards show will feature incredible performances from BeBe & CeCe Winans, Natalie Grant, Jordin Sparks, Donald Lawrence, Jason Crabb and a special Haiti relief song with Michael W. Smith.

Clearly, that conflicts with the broadcast of BET’s Sunday Best, and I wouldn’t dream of telling you which program is more worth your time…

But when you see me tweetin’ about Francesca Battistelli instead of Bootsey Jenkins, you’ll know what I’m doing.

The 41st annual Dove Awards were taped last night in Nashville, TN at the Grand Ole Opry House.  The show, hosted by Natalie Grant and Bart Millard (of MercyMe), featured a who’s-who of artists and execs in Christian music, along with great collaborative performances.

Among the winners in gospel categories were Fred Hammond (Contemporary Gospel Album – Love Unstoppable), Smokie Norful (Traditional Gospel Recorded Song – “Justified”), and Israel Houghton(Contemporary Gospel Recorded Song – “The Power Of One”).  There was also a tie between BeBe & CeCe Winans (“Grace”) and Israel Houghton (“I Just Wanna Say”) in the Urban Recorded Song category. 

The night was great, featuring key performances by Donald Lawrence & Jason Crabb (in a special tribute to Andraé Crouch), Natalie Grant & Jordin Sparks, TobyMac, BeBe & CeCe Winans, MercyMe, Francesca Battistelli and more.  As I mentioned yesterday, I was backstage for much of the preparation and the taping, itself, so I missed seeing a lot of the performances (I could hear ‘em though, and I loved it!).

I’ve also gotta say that I loved the vibe of the show.  Everyone seemed like one big family and I didn’t see too many of those “gotta-hold-it-together-for-the-camera, but-I’m-really-mad-that-I-didn’t-win” faces.

All in all, the evening was great fun.  Backstage, I got a chance to speak with Natalie Grant, Donald Lawrence & The Co., Wess Morgan, Brian Courtney Wilson, Calvin Nowell, B. Reith, Mandisa, Melinda Doolittle, TobyMac, Casting Crowns, Tony LeBron, Britt Nicole… I KNOW I’m forgetting folks. Sorrrrry…

If you don’t know who some of the above-noted folks are, tell me so I can feature them for you QUICKLY.  And I think I’m gonna write an editorial soon, cuz I’ve got something else to say… stay tuned.

For a full list of winners, head over to gmc’s official website.

The show will air this Sunday, April 25th, at 8pm ET/7 CST exclusively on gmc.

Watchin’???

Hey fam– I’m going to the 41st Annual Dove Awards tonight, so I’ll try to recap some of it for you here tomorow or Friday.

I’ve already been to some of the rehearsals and it’s gonna be a GREAT show.  Donald Lawrence is performing with Jason Crabb (awesome), Natalie Grant is performing with Jordin Sparks (incredible), BeBe & CeCe Winans (you already KNOW)… and there will be many more great performances.

I’ll fill you guys in later… gotta run!