The List: Reason #7 to be excited about Fall TV. Married to Medicine Season 5.

When Married to Medicine premiered some 5 years back right after an episode of Real Housewives of Atlanta, I watched just because it was on. What caught my attention was the gay lingo that these ladies were throwing around left and right. The cast of Married to Medicine was more animated, more entertaining, and more interesting than any housewife. These were women who were educated, well-off, and authentically shady. There was no production here as seen on your other housewife-esque reality shows. The cast of Married to Medicine went way back and the underlying issues were proof of that.

Some of the women are doctors and the others are married to doctors, creating an interesting dynamic. Now in it's fifth season, the women of Married to Medicine have been so messy that their friendships seem to go in and out without resolving the deeper issues, just like real friendships. What makes this show entertaining is that all of the women on this show bring something to the table. Each one is equipped with their own one-liners and signature style of shade. There are many stars of this show.

The show was created by and stars Mariah Huq (pictured), who was made a recurring character two seasons ago for reasons that have never been made crystal clear. Last season was heralded as the return of the self-proclaimed "Queen Bee" of the group but again Mariah was not seen on the opening sequence, even though she appeared just as regular as the other women and was the center of multiple storylines. Mariah has some sort of issue with the production company that seems to be ongoing.

This season, Lisa Nicole Cloud departs the show after the gossip about her marriage seemed to be too much. She's a smart woman to put her family first because her marriage seemed to be an ongoing storyline for the show with no end in sight. Dr. Jackie Walters, Dr. Simone Whitfield, Dr. Heavenly Kimes, Toya Bush-Harris, and Quad Webb-Lunceford will also be returning for another season to dig up old wounds and manufacture drama once again.

Last season, saw Toya and her husband work through financial struggles, Simone lost her father, and Dr. Jackie struggled in her marriage, eventually attending a couples trip on her own. Dr. Heavenly was anything but and threw more shade than all of the other women combined at every one of the other women. She held no punches. Quad was put on blast for not wanting to have a baby, while practicing being maternal taking care of her live-in nephew. Quad can also be seen on TV One's upcoming talk show Sister Circle Live premiering this fall.

Married to Medicine premieres this Fall. For more information visit bravotv.com

The Daily Dose: Maya Angelou Stop Complaining

Imaging what would happen if just 1% of us stopped complaining. If just 1% of us laughed more. Be encouraged. Be Empowered. Be a part of that 1%

The List: Reason #8 to be excited about TV this fall. Big Freedia bounces back!

So, one of the best guilty pleasures on TV is Big Freedia's reality show, Queen of Bounce. The show has chronicled Freedia's ascension in the music business as the "Queen of Bounce" music, the New Orleans based hip hop subgenre that frequently finds itself in the mainstream thanks to New Orleans rappers. The show has all the ingredients for a good reality show. Freedia, a gender fluid rapper has so many storylines in just himself that without the music, we'd be watching. Add in Freedia's music career, which more recently included being featured on Beyonce's hit single "Formation" amidst the backdrop of the always interesting city of New Orleans, and you have TV which is binge-worthy.

The cherry on the top is Freedia's real life personal drama which was magnified last season after Freedia faced charges for Section 8 fraud. Luckily, Freedia is still free and able to make music and great TV. This season, the show is an hour long as opposed the 30 minutes it was before. As most of our posts have highlighted, shows with people of color are more important now than ever before. With the state of affairs in our country, a show with a an LGBT person of color is even more significant. I cannot wait to watch this season and DVR each episode.

Big Freedia: Queen of Bounce Season 6 premieres Tuesday, Sept. 12 at 10pm on Fuse. For more on
Big Freedia visit bigfreedia.com

The Daily Dose: Dr. Maya Angelou. Love Is Freedom

Dr. Maya Angelou was a truly anointed woman. Listening to her is to hear the soul of someone who has been touched by GOD. She speaks of the human experience in a way that is unparalleled. In this video, she speaks on the liberating power of love. With the current situation in Houston, many of us may be away from those we love and this video reminds us that love frees us!

For more on Maya Angelou, visit mayangelou.com

The List: Reason #9 to be excited about TV this Fall- Tyra returns to Top Model!

Reason #9 to be excited about TV this fall!

America’s Next Top Model has been a reality competition staple since the UPN was a network. Yes, ANTM has been on three networks, most recently VH1. Originally appearing on the long defunct UPN, it was the networks highest rated show and survived the transition to the CW, where it was the most lucrative show for the CW. After the show was cancelled in 2015, Tyra began hosting a show called FABLife, which was also cancelled shortly thereafter. Top Model was rebooted last year and season 23 premiered on VH1 with new host Rita Ora. Tyra Banks remained the executive producer and made appearances but this year she is returning full-time to the series after replacing Nick Cannon on America’s Got Talent. Work Tyra! WE WERE ALL ROOTING FOR YOU! With America's unity pretty much in shambles, at least we can look forward to America's TV shows to bring us together again! 

America’s Next Top Model returns this fall. Tyra will also be seen this fall  on NBC’s new show Funded, a reality show about entrepreneurs. Stay tuned to The DD List for more on this fall's best reasons to be excited about TV! 

For more on America's Next Top Model visit vh1.com/shows/Americas-next-top-model

The List: Top 5 Moments from the 2017 MTV VMAs

Kendrick Lamar was the big winner at last nights politically-charged show, taking home Video of the Year and opening the show with a performance tackling police brutality. However, our favorite moments were not Kendrick related. Check out The List! 

Top 5 Favorite moments from the 2017 MTV VMAS

Cardi B. arrives

A few years back, I recall watching Cardi B on Instagram as she prepared backstage at a strip club. She was unhinged, free, and raw. There was a realness about her that made her endearing. I followed her as her following increased into the millions. I would check her numbers everyday and eventually they made it into the millions in no time. When I heard she was joining Love & Hip Hop: New York, I was honestly astounded at the power of social media in creating a new generation of stars. Now as Cardi watches her single reach the top 10 of the Billboard 200, it’s obvious that she has arrived. Cardi looked stunning last night in all of at least three of her wardrobe changes and still managed to be as real and as unhinged as she has always been. She was so unhinged, she almost had a "wardrobe malfunction." 

“Nicki What’s Good?”

Remy Ma is winning these days after delivering the scathing Nicki Minaj diss track “Shether.” At the VMA’s she continued the feud by addressing Nicki with “Nicki, what’s good?” before cutting to a commercial break. Nicki famously addressed Miley Cirus at the VMAs a few years ago with “Miley, what’s good?” Nicki’s fans took to twitter to bash Remy and I must admit it was an awkward experience. Nevertheless, Nicki has had so many run ins with various artists over the years, that I can’t feel too bad for her.

Fifth Harmony shades fifth member

I’ve never paid attention to Fifth Harmony but they threw some major shade at their recent band member who went solo. The girls appeared with 5 members before the fifth member fell off the stage, revealing the group as a quartet. After further research, I could see that the group has not been as successful since the group member Camilla Cabello’s departure. Cabello has been featured on a top 5 single, which could possibly explain the shade from the former group members. Fifth Harmony did take home a VMA for best pop video for their single “Down” featuring Gucci Mane. Rumor has it that all the members of the group will be going solo after the release of their third album, which came out August 25^th. Girl groups never stick together for too long.

Katy Perry acknowledges losses!

Katy Perry wasn’t the right pick for hosting the show in my opinion. The only moment that I enjoyed watching of her was when she appeared to acknowledge Hilary Clinton’s election loss as well as the flopping of her latest album. In the segment, Perry read tweets that she claimed she saved as draft and never tweeted. One tweet she says she saved as draft said she congratulated Hillary on her win and that she was putting out a timeless album that everyone loved, apparently acknowledging the performance of her latest album Witness.

1.     Gucci Mane takes home a VMA for Best Pop Video

The favorite moment of the night was Gucci Mane’s win for Best Pop Video as a featured artist on Fifth Harmony’s single “Down.’ It wasn’t anything too special about the moment, it is just the evolution of the rapper that made me happy. Gucci went from a trap rapper to having run-ins with the law and being incarcerated. Now, we see Gucci in a loving relationship, traveling the world, and broadening his horizons. It’s good to see someone doing good and overcoming life’s obstacles. Keep shining!

For full VMA coverage visit mtv.com/vma 

The Daily Dose: The Offer vs. The Promise Pt. 2

I've been listening to this series on repeat lately as I continue to work toward my goals. This is a really important and powerful message for anyone looking to go the next level in anything in life. Do not give up. Remain steadfast and go through your valley! Please watch, listen, Be Encouraged, Be Empowered.

For more from Dr. Bynum, visit her at www.juanitabynum.com

The Daily Dose: The Offer vs. The Promise

NEVER SETTLE. You've heard it plenty of times before but this time it comes from GOD. Settling is not what HE wants for us. He has promised us so much, why would we settle? In today's daily dose, Dr. Juanita Bynum speaks on sticking true to what GOD has promised for you and not accepting an offer from the enemy, which is not for you. This one is powerful and speaks to so many of us! Be Encouraged. Be Empowered!

Aaliyah: I Am Legend

I had just turned 18, two weeks before, and I had just finished my first day of school during my freshman year of college. It was a rough summer for me, after finishing high school. I could write a book about, and I did, but thats not what this post is about. It was evening, and I flipped through the channels on one of those box TVs from back in the day. As I flipped past MTV, I saw a clip of Aaliyah in an animal print dress flash followed by the MTV News title card. Then, The Real World returned, but I wanted to know why Aaliyah was on MTV News. Aaliyah was not a household name at the time, and while it wouldn't have been surprising to see her on BET, an MTV news clip about her just didn't make sense. She was a star, but not a big enough star that MTV would be reporting on her during primetime television, unless something terrible had happened. I immediately got a sinking feeling in my gut that something terrible had happened.

Long before the days of immediate cell phone news, you had to wait to get your news updates. Of course, you could listen to the radio, or get online to search for news but I didn't have a computer at the time and I didn't have a radio either. I was watching TV in the kitchen, so I waited to find out why Aaliyah was on MTV News. Moments later, during an episode of The Real World, the words scrolled down the bottom of the screen. Aaliyah had died in a plane crash in The Bahamas. It rocked my entire world.

I had never met Aaliyah but I was obsessed with her since I was a little boy and she came out of nowhere with her soft and beautiful voice. I followed every moment of her career and wallpapered my bedroom wall with any picture or poster I could find. I sat alone in the movie theater and watched Romeo Must Die, bought the soundtrack, and then rushed to Best Buy to get the DVD. People knew I loved her too, and sometimes people made fun of me for it, but I didn't care. When Aaliyah died, I was heartbroken, confused, and too young to make sense of what had happened. It was devastating to me and so many of her fans. My tough summer had just gotten tougher.

The aftermath of her death was predictable, her album assumed the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200 and we awaited the video footage of her last video "Rock the Boat." Her death was different though than most music industry deaths. She was very young and this wasn't a celebrity who was in the public eye for her personal life. After her controversial marriage to R. Kelly at age 14, Aaliyah kept quite about her personal life during her career. Her death was the most publicity she had ever gotten.

As the reality that Aaliyah was dead sunk in, I was bothered by many of the details that followed. Aaliyah died because her plane was over weight with equipment, and her pilot tested positive for drugs. What had happened here? The whole thing was crazy. Everyone felt some sort of way. I remember watching Mary J. Blige on 106 & Park and she referred to her death as "spiritual murder"(fast forward to 4:03 in video). Enter Damon Dash to make things even weirder. Dash professed his love for Aaliyah and got a lot of publicity for claiming that he and Aaliyah were going to get married. Funny thing is, as big of a fan as I was, I never knew about this relationship between Aaliyah and Dash.

Fast Forward some years and the internet explodes with the introduction of smartphones. Everyone can get on YouTube, read news, and google any and everything imaginable right from the palm of their hands. I found myself intrigued with the conspiracy theories about The Illuminati sacrifices and the evil music industry. That was when I became obsessed with Aaliyah all over again. This time, not because of her art but because of her legend. I enjoy conspiracy theories as much as anyone but I put my investigation on the back burner out of respect for Aaliyah. Some years later though, I was puzzled by an interview that Dame Dash gave, in which he didn't make eye contact with the camera and kept his head down as he talked about Aaliyah. That struck me as strange and reignited my curiosity. Regardless, it won't bring her back and her death will continue to be a major loss. As time goes on, I'm pretty sure that we can expect to see an Aaliyah Renaissance and she will become even more iconic and appreciated. Visit aaliyah.com for videos, pictures, and all things Aaliyah!

The List: MAC announces Aaliyah cosmetic line

16 years after passing away tragically in a plane crash, Aaliyah is still as relevant as ever. Today, on the 16th anniversary of her death, MAC announced that Aaliyah for MAC would be released next summer. Two years after being petitioned by fans online, the beauty brand has committed to releasing a line in honor of the iconic R&B singer. We could be on the verge of a full out Aaliyah Renaissance in the next couple years.

Do a google image search and you will see just why MAC is past due in honoring the late singer. Somehow, her images still seem as fresh and fashion forward as anything out today. Aaliyah is truly timeless and her beauty is as timeless as her music. Stay tuned today as we honor Aaliyah and her contributions to music, film, and fashion. Visit maccosmetics.com for more information and other celebrity inspired lines.

The List: 10 Reasons to be excited about TV this Fall!

The List: 10 Reasons to watch TV this fall! Reason #10-The Real is going live!

First, let me say that I am not so much a fan of The Real, as I am a supporter. This show is not for me but I am also not a young woman of color. With that being said, while I can't say that this is one of my favorite shows for content, I do find this show to be extremely important, especially in the America that we live in today. Young women of color deserve to be represented respectfully and their opinions valued. That is what The Real represents. The panel features two African-American women, formerly three before the ousting of R&B singer Tamar Braxton, who in my opinion put the real in The Real, one Asian-American woman, and a Latina on a daytime talk show.

Since its inception, The Real has brought in mediocre ratings but garnered the hosts two Emmy Award nominations for best daytime host. The show is entering its fourth and possibly final season as it was renewed for two seasons shortly before Braxton left at the conclusion of the second season. The ratings for the show grew over the first two seasons but slumped after Braxton left, possibly as a result of her fans boycotting or simply because the show just wasn't as interesting without Braxton's manufactured ratchetness for television and star power. The other women on the panel play it quite safely when it comes to their presentation of "real."

This season, the show will be broadcast live and allow the hosts to interact with viewers on social media, a nod to the ever growing power of social media. Perhaps, this is an effort to save the show which often suffers from prerecorded conversations the women have about broad and general topics. While Wendy Williams has built a powerhouse show focused on her and her opinion of current and relevant hot topics, viewers of The Real often watch the ladies talk about non-specific and mild topics during their bland girl chat segment. With the exception of guest hosts chiming in, notably Joseline Hernandez, the girl chat segment on the show is usually bland.

I am going to tune in to see if the new live format brings some life into the show and more viewers. I must reiterate how important this show is in our current climate and celebrating women of color on a daily basis. The Real Season 4 premieres live on September 18th and repeats nightly on BET. Check your local listings or visit thereal.com for more information.

Managing the Miracle Pt. 2.-Dr. Juanita Bynum

This entire series has set with me on a level that nothing has before. Especially as I continue to work on my faith and my goals, I found these words to be inspiring and awesome. This message is for those of us who are working on something we feel GOD has placed inside of us. My miracle is my writing, yours may be something else. This Daily Dose is sure to inspire you to manage your miracle. Dr. Bynum messages can be heard on her Facebook show @3withme and coming soon to Impact Television. Check your local listings.

Follow Dr. Bynum at https://www.facebook.com/iamdrjuanitabynum/ or visit www.juanitabynum.com for more.

FLIP OR FLOP: ATLANTA (ISSA FLOP)

So, I wasn’t really excited to watch the latest spin-off of one of my favorite HGTV shows, Flip or Flop but I decided that since it was based in Atlanta I would see if it had the typical Atlanta flavor. Slapping Atlanta onto the end of a reality show or using the Atlanta Market for a spinoff has proven successful for Bravo’s Real Housewives franchise, VH1’s Love and Hip Hop franchise, and countless other shows. I skipped Flip or Flop Vegas as it sounded to close to another Vegas-based home improvement show Flipping Vegas. I also didn’t think Flip or Flop was the kind of show that should be spun-off. The appeal of the show is not simply the rehabbing of houses but the dynamic between a couple that appears to have an authentic working relationship. While Tarek and Christina, the original flippers have had their share of negative press recently with regards to their marriage, their relationship on the show still maintained enough civility for it to keep viewers interested in how the homes turned out and not whether the two were still an item.

FLIP or FLOP Atlanta attempts to duplicate the same formula as the original but falls a bit flat. The new couple consists of a real estate agent and her contractor husband. Part of the appeal of the original Flip or Flop was that both husband and wife were agents who had ventured into business. As the seasons progressed, we watched them grow into the market savvy couple whose business is turning houses into homes. Each episode is formulaic but entertaining because you know the anticipated outcome will be an amazing house. They buy a house, underestimate how horrible it is, and pretend to tackle unforeseen issues and expenses. Then, the two worry whether they made a good decision before ultimately pocketing thousands of dollars in profit. Seldom, do they flop.

FLIP or FLOP Atlanta tries the same thing but falls very flat. The couple finds a house, complains about how bad it smells, and we seem them demolishing it. I haven’t seen their children yet, which is a big departure from the original series, which has aired specials about the El-Moussa children. The Atlanta edition also features a computer animated draft of what the improvements will look like, something we’ve seen on other HGTV design shows such as Property Brothers. The biggest difference here is the casting doesn’t deliver like the original.

The show is watchable but has nothing on the original. Perhaps, a better idea would’ve been to send Tarek and Christina to Atlanta to flip houses as opposed to using the same formula with different people. Unfortunately, that is not going to happen and HGTV has plans to replicate the formula in more cities in the near future Chicago, Nashville, and even Forth Worth, TX. Let’s see who they cast for these cities. Hopefully, the new spin-offs will feature a family better at implementing the formula than the Atlanta show.