This summer, OWN and Will Packer are teaming up to bring a new scandal to television with their series Ambitions. Sexy, scandalous, and over the top dramatic, Ambitions, has a storyline to quench every TV lover's thirst. With an ensemble cast including Robin Givens, Brian J. White, Essence Atkins, Brely Evans, Kendrick Cross, and Erica Page, you'll love to hate them and hate to love them. "Delicious is the only way to describe it," says Robin Givens.
On Monday night (June 17), Atlanta's socialites amassed at the Gathering Spot in Downtown Atlanta to celebrate the premiere of this summer's sexiest show. Will Packer, Robin Givens, Essence Atkins, Brian White, Kendrick Cross, Brely Evans, Mara Hall, and Erica Page graced the carpet excited for the audience to witness what felt like television's best kept secret. Joining them in attendance were Marlo Hampton, Tameka (Tiny) Harris, Cynthia Bailey, former Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, Green Leaf's Merle Dandridge, Real Housewives of Atlanta castmate Tanya Sam, actress Terri J. Vaughn, and If Loving You is Wrong actor Joel Rush.
Created by Jamey Giddens and produced by Will Packer, Ambitions follows the lives of sorority sisters turned frenemies Stephanie Carlisle (Robin Givens) and Amara Huges (Essence Atkins). As the old saying goes, one woman's ex is another woman's husband, and Stephanie can't abide by that code. Raised by wolves and fueled by ambition, Stephanie is on a mission to reclaim everything that rightfully belongs to her. Even if that means stepping over those closest to her. "This is a soap about politics but it's a fun, juicy; oh my God I can live vicariously through these rich people behaving badly,'' says Jamey.
Ambitions takes behaving badly to another level. Aside from politics and scandals, the sex scenes will have your eyes glued to the screen and jaw on the floor. Let Brely Evans tell it, "Everybody on Ambitions is getting some."
This is the type of show you can't stand to look away from. One turn of the neck and you could miss one of the steamiest, seductive sex scenes in soap opera history. "If you've read any of the reviews about Ambitions, there's a whole lot of sex going on in this show. So, just society today responds to that. So, there are a lot of good looking people having sex with one another. So, I'm going to tune in, I know that," says Joel Rush.
Unfortunately, we can't give all the juicy details away, but you might notice a very familiar face in the first episode. xoNecole's editor-in-chief Necole Kane makes her acting debut in her first-ever role. We see you boss lady!
For more behind the scenes footage from the Ambitions premiere, watch the video below. Be sure to catch Ambitions on OWN every Tuesday at 10pm.
INSIDE THE ATLANTA PREMIERE OF AMBITIONSwww.youtube.com
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While speaking to xoNecole, Eva shares that she’s a lot like the beloved 1994 character in many ways. “Lyric is so me. She's the odd flower. A flower nonetheless, but definitely not a peony,” she tells us.
“She's not the average flower you see presented, and so she reminds me of myself. I'm a sunflower, beautiful, but different. And what I loved about her character then, and even more so now, is that she was very sure of herself.
"Sure of what she wanted in life and okay to sacrifice her moments right now, to get what she knew she deserved later. And that is me. I'm not an instant gratification kind of a person. I am a long game. I'm not a sprinter, I'm a marathon.
America first fell in love with Eva when she graced our screens on cycle 3 of America’s Next Top Model in 2004, which she emerged as the winner. Since then, she's ventured into different avenues, from acting on various TV series like House of Payne to starring on Real Housewives of Atlanta.
Je-Caryous Johnson Entertainment
Eva praises her castmates and the play’s producer, Je’Caryous for her positive experience. “You know what? Je’Caryous fuels my audacity car daily, ‘cause I consider myself an extremely audacious woman, and I believe in what I know, even if no one else knows it, because God gave it to me. So I know what I know. That is who Je’Caryous is.”
But the mom of three isn’t the only one in the family who enjoys acting. Eva reveals her daughter Marley has also caught the acting bug.
“It is the most adorable thing you can ever see. She’s got a part in her school play. She's in her chorus, and she loves it,” she says. “I don't know if she loves it, because it's like, mommy does it, so maybe I should do it, but there is something about her.”
Overall, Eva hopes that her contribution to the role and the play as a whole serves as motivation for others to reach for the stars.
“I want them to walk out with hope. I want them to re-vision their dreams. Whatever they were. Whatever they are. To re-see them and then have that thing inside of them say, ‘You know what? I'm going to do that. Whatever dream you put on the back burner, go pick it up.
"Whatever dream you've accomplished, make a new dream, but continue to reach for the stars. Continue to reach for what is beyond what people say we can do, especially as [a] Black collective but especially as Black women. When it comes to us and who we are and what we accept and what we're worth, it's not about having seen it before. It's about knowing that I deserve it.”
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
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Motherhood is one thing, but Black motherhood is its own unique institution. From fears that only Black mothers can understand to the unspoken language that connects them, our series delve into the vulnerable conversations that are often not highlighted in mainstream media.
Laurencia Bright
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“They are products of their environment, of your parenting, of your personality, things like that. So check yourself,” Laurencia reminds us. Motherhood may come with a whole set of challenges and having to face yourself can be one of them. Laurencia opens up about how motherhood taught her to break generational cycles.
Joy Ferrell
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Joy, like most mothers, put their kids first. However, the mom of two is now learning that it's okay to put herself first. "It's okay to not fill your life up with your kids," she says. "It's okay to still be an individual and to actually actively and aggressively pursue being an individual versus a mom."
Michelle Ganey
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When it comes to Black mama rules, Michelle Ganey reflects on a classic one, "Do not embarrass me in public," she says. "I think one of my hardest struggles with kids is not caring about how they look when they leave the house and it feeling like its a direct reflection on me as a mother."
Watch the full The Mother Load series below:
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