Adriyan Rae to Appear on Mara Brock Akil’s Netflix Series “Forever”

Adriyan Rae has found her Forever home… 

The part-Venezuelan actress has landed a recurring role on Netflix’s Forever.

Adriyan RaeCreated by Mara Brock Akil, Forever is a reimagining of the 1975 novel by Judy Blume and follows the epic love story of two Black teens exploring their identities through the awkward — and moving — journey of being each other’s firsts in 2018 Los Angeles.

Like its inspiration, the show will examine “the idea of your first love being with you forever,” said Brock Akil, who created acclaimed stories of Black love and growth like sitcom Girlfriends and drama Being Mary Jane. She was also a writer on the YA comedy Moesha.

Oscar winner Regina King will serve as executive producer and will direct the first episode.

Rae will portray Brittany, one of Keisha’s older cousins, and is described as a social climber who looks out for Keisha and her well-being like an older sister—even if she usually does it with a sarcastic sense of humor and blunt direct attitude. Brittany is a loyal support system for Keisha and her mom Shelly, and always brings a sense of fun to wherever she goes —including affectionately calling Keisha ‘Urkel’ due to her book smart nature.

Lovie Simone will star as Keisha Clarke and Michael Cooper Jr. will portray Justin Edwards. Karen Pittman, and Wood Harris round out the cast so far.

Within the television sphere, Rae currently stars as ‘Brittany Pitts’ in Paramount+’s reboot of The Game. Additionally, she recently led the cast of SYFY’s series Vagrant Queen, starred in NBC’s Chicago Fire and Hulu’s horror-thriller series Light As A Feather, and has guest starred on various shows including FX’s Atlanta, BET’s American Soul, and FOX’s musical drama Star, from the producers of Empire.

In film, she has had roles in Sony’s Superfly with Jennifer Morrison, Trevor Jackson and Michael Kenneth Williams, and Netflix’s Burning Sands alongside Alfre Woodard and Trevante Rhodes.

New Jersey Turnpike Authority to Name Rest Stop After the Late Celia Cruz

There’s a little rest (stop) for Celia Cruz’s biggest fans…

The late Cuban musician, who died in 2003 in her Fort Lee, New Jersey home at the age of 77, is one of several of New Jersey’s most iconic figures getting their names on a Garden State Parkway rest stops.

Celia Cruz

The New Jersey Turnpike Authority approved naming nine Parkway service areas after luminaries, including Cruz, one of the most popular Latin artists of the 20th century.

Others getting their name on a rest stop include groundbreaking baseball player Larry Doby, rocker Jon Bon Jovi and late actor James Gandolfini.

It’s being done in conjunction with the New Jersey Hall of Fame, which has inducted more than 180 people since 2008 in fields such as science, sports and the arts.

The service areas will contain Hard Rock Cafe-style exhibits and artifacts, and an interactive Wall of Fame featuring a life-sized video monitor showcasing Hall of Fame inductees and their acceptance speeches, according to Gov. Phil Murphy’s office.

Murphy said it’s part of a larger effort to showcase local heroes in a variety of fields at locations around the state, including Battleship New Jersey, the New Jersey Turnpike and Newark Penn Station.

In addition to Cruz, Gandolfini, Doby and Bon Jovi, service areas will be named after broadcast journalist Connie Chung; Grammy-winning singer Whitney Houston; Nobel Prize-winning author Toni Morrison; author Judy Blume; and perhaps New Jersey’s most famous native son, Frank Sinatra.