A Hollywood Couple Sparkles

Fans of UPN’s Girlfriends and BET’s The Game should keep their eyes open for a new show from the unstoppable Mara Brooks Akil and Salim Akil. The dynamic duo are some the most popular and successful creators of black female comedy shows and have been given a pilot order for their newest project, an hour long series called Single Black Female. The show will follow an Atlanta talk-show host through the ups and downs of her personal and professional life.

If “Akil” isn’t a household name yet, it very well could be when their most recent film project, the remake of the 1976 movie Sparkle hits theaters this fall. Featuring many notable stars, the film is also Whitney Huston’s last movie project. Those who have seen the rough edit are already bestowing high praise on Huston’s performance. Written by Mara and directed by Salim, the film focuses on a 1950′s-era group of singers whose lives spiral out of control because of problems with addiction. Houston plays the main characters’ mother and although the story will involve multiple songs, it is not known if she gets an opportunity to sing in the movie.

While the power couple concedes that their professional and personal relationship is based on complimentary strengths – he’s big-picture, she’s small-details – it is clear that one important thing they have in common is the dislike of resigning to stereotypes. This is part of the reason their shows are so popular – they aren’t displaying two-dimensional caricatures.

While working on his directorial debut, Jumping The Broom, Salim was constantly making sure that his characters and their situations were being depicted as “smart, loving, sensitive, sexy, and funny.” He takes that mission with him wherever he goes. Whether writing, producing, or direction, on a television studio or a film set, his goal is to tell stories that reflect all aspects and realities of life.

Mara takes a similar stance. Her goal is to create characters who are grounded and relatable, something she did on all 8 seasons of Girlfriends and continues to do with The Game. Mara learned early on in her career that accurate representations are hard to come by. When she first began working in television after graduating from Northwestern University, she immediately began correcting her fellow writers, pointing out how a woman wouldn’t respond in the hollow way they had written. Soon she found herself writing for Fox’s short-lived South Central, The Jamie Foxx Show and Moesha. In 1999 she not only joined with Salim personally (the couple got married) but also professionally as they began producing her newest creation, Girlfriends.

Girlfriends looked at the lives of four different, yet close, friends, Joan, Lynn, Maya, and Toni. The show went on to run 8 seasons and won multiple awards for its cast and writers. In a 2006 episode, the stage was set for a spin-off when Tia Mowry guest-starred as Melanie Barnett, Joan’s cousin who wants to give up her aspiring medical career to be with her boyfriend, a professional athlete, who is moving to San Diego. The Game follows Melanie as she navigates life as a football girlfriend (and later wife) and a med student. The evidence of the success of Akil’s creation was displayed loud and clear when, after being cancelled on The CW, The Game‘s fourth season premier on its new network, BET, brought in almost 8 million viewers. The fans had spoken.

It’s an exciting time for the Akils. With more episodes of The Game on their way, the new show Single Black Female in development, Sparkle looking to come out in the fall, and raising their two children, they hardly have any downtime. Lucky for their fan base, watching the couple’s creations is exactly how they like to spend theirs.

- Jordan Lints

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February 16th, 2012 | Dan | Comments Off |