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News The Fly-By

MEMernet: Steve Harvey at Mahogany and Ja Morant Meets Ja Raffe

Harvey & Mahogany

Comedian/game show host/radio show host Steve Harvey hyped a Memphis restaurant Monday on his radio show, The Steve Harvey Morning Show. According to those on the Where Black Memphis Eats Facebook group, Harvey and his wife were seen this weekend eating at Mahogany Memphis, the upscale Southern restaurant in Chickasaw Oaks Village. He bragged on the restaurant on the show and mentioned it was Black-owned.

Ja Meets Ja

A Grizzly met a giraffe last week when Ja Morant met Ja Raffe, the Memphis Zoo’s new baby giraffe named for Morant. The two met Friday and made some MEMernet gold.

Posted to Twitter by @memgrizz

In his own Twitter video of the meet-up, Morant said, “If I ever did a dunk contest, I’m taking my son [Ja Raffe] with me. I’m going to jump over him.”

Morant’s zoo visit also included visits to other animals. He fed Rhatu, the Sumatran tiger, by flinging a Flintstones-sized drumstick into the enclosure. He had to clear the moat, though. He did. He shot. He scored.

Posted to Twitter by the Memphis Zoo

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News The Fly-By

Memphis Family To Appear on Family Feud

Steve Harvey isn’t terrifying, says Cassie Smith Ellis. In fact, he’s pretty easygoing. Ellis and four of her Tennessee relatives (two of whom — Natalie and Ryan Jeans — are from Memphis) recently competed on the long-running televised game show Family Feud. The episode airs on February 19th at 2 p.m. on WHBQ, and Ellis was barred from giving away too many details. Ellis did, however, tell the Flyer that despite the pressure of having to think on her feet, the show was a rewarding experience. And she said Harvey, the broad-grinning comedian and host of the show, offered an array of “teachable” moments.

Joshua Cannon

Cassie Ellis (far left) with the Ellis family

Flyer: How did the opportunity to be on the show come about?

Cassie Smith: [My cousin] heard there was an audition in Nashville. We were the first contestants of the day [at the audition]. Immediately after we got off of the stage from the mock Family Feud, they called us right back to meet the producers. They just wanted to know about our personalities and a little more about us.

How did you prepare for the auditions?

We watched a lot of Family Feud. We downloaded apps on our phones and played the games together. We just kept our minds wrapped around the whole concept of the show and thinking out of the box.

Did you guys talk about how you would use the prize money if you won?

We would all just split it up among the family and do what we need to do for our own families. If I were to win, depending on how much I win, I would probably pay off my house and put a little back for my son. He’s 7 years old, and his name is Jordan William.

What was your favorite aspect of being on the show?

We got to be a part of the studio audience as well. There is a guy who comes on before Steve Harvey to get everyone warmed up. Throughout the whole show, even while we were in the audience before it started, there was always singing and dancing. We were clapping or we were yelling and chanting something. It was a lot of fun. But meeting Steve Harvey was what topped it off.

Do you have a memorable experience from meeting Steve Harvey?

He’s very easygoing actually. He’s comedic and liked to joke with the audience a lot. It was like he was part of the family. He would give advice to the audience as a whole. He would have a teachable moment where he would tell about his life and things he had gone through.

What was the most challenging aspect of the show?

Thinking on your feet — if you have so many answers on the board and your family has gone through them, if you’re here, and all of your answers have been called out. It’s hard to think on the spot to get something a little different from what [was already] said.

Are there any other game shows you’d like to be on now that you’ve got Family Feud on your resume?

I’ve always wanted to be on Whammy. I’ve watched it since I was little.

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Film Features Film/TV

Film Review: Think Like a Man Too

They say movie sequels are never better than the original, but Think Like a Man Too undeniably surpasses its predecessor. The sequel picks up where the $90-million-plus-grossing film, Think Like a Man (2012), left off — but in a more entertaining fashion.

Still embodying the witty romance of the first film — inspired by Steve Harvey’s book Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man Think Like a Man Too incorporates high-energy action and teaches a few moral lessons along the way.

The film centers on Michael (Terrence Jenkins) and Candace (Regina Hall), who were introduced in the previous film as “the Mama’s Boy” and “the Single Mom.” After falling for each other the first go-around, Think Like a Man Too highlights their decision to tie the knot.

The couple selects Las Vegas as their location to get hitched, and they invite their friends along for the ceremony. This turns into an unforgettable weekend.

The gang in Think Like a Man Too

All couples introduced in Think Like a Man, including characters played by the likes of Jerry Ferrara, Gabrielle Union, Michael Ealy, Taraji P. Henson, Meagan Good, and Romany Malco, return for this film.

The guys serve as Michael’s groomsmen, and the ladies are Candace’s bridesmaids. However, before any wedding takes place, there are the inevitable pre-wedding festivities the night before. But these festivities don’t go as planned.

On the guys’ end, Cedric (Kevin Hart), identified as the “Happier Divorced Guy” in Think Like a Man, plays the role of Michael’s best man. He’s unquestionably the most entertaining character in the movie, and his story arc is also the most disastrous.

Cedric plans an extravagant weekend for himself and the groomsmen. He rents a bright-colored Lamborghini, reserves a high-priced suite that comes equipped with a swimming pool among other luxuries, and goes on a gambling frenzy.

Things take a turn for the worse once Cedric realizes that he’s maxed out his credit cards. And what he planned to be an unforgettable weekend for Michael transitions into a quest for him to satisfy the hefty tab he’s acquired.

The ladies experience their own whirlwind of escapades as well. Different from their mild performances in Think Like a Man, they’re collectively funny and vibrant in the sequel.

Candace’s arch-nemesis, her husband-to-be’s mother, Loretta (Jenifer Lewis), attempts to make the ladies’ stay in Sin City as sinless as possible. But her plans are derailed when she comes across a smooth-talking gentleman (Dennis Haysbert) and reheats her love life.

After breaking free from their elderly tag-along, the ladies set out on a night that encompasses heavy drinking, partying, edible marijuana, and performing a rendition of Bell Biv DeVoe’s “Poison” at a strip club.

In the end, an unexpected occurrence reconnects the ladies with the guys, threatening all of their freedom and jeopardizing the big day in the process.

Relatively similar in structure to The Hangover, only with romance and a lot more self-censorship, Think Like a Man Too turns out to have a bigger impact than its predecessor and is an overall solid film. Rated PG-13 for some partial nudity, explicit language, and drug usage, it’s obviously not appropriate for the entire family. But, it’s definitely worth checking out if you’re of age and a fan of romanticism meshed with non-stop amusement.