It was recently announced that Mary J. Blige, Ludacris, and Maxwell were the latest artists to be added to VH1's list of stars to honor their mothers in “Dear Mama: An Event To Honor Moms” whichpremieres on Monday, May 8th at 10 PM ET/PT. Emmy® and Golden Globe® nominee Anthony Anderson will return as host along with VH1 fan favorite, actress, and New York Times best-selling author La La Anthony. “Dear Mama: An Event To Honor Moms” honors mothers with celebrity guests paying tribute to the women who have shaped their success.
Yesterday, VH1 will also premiered a new documentary from Blige titled STRENGTH OF A WOMAN: AN ALBUM DOCUMENTARY. The film gave fans a close and intimate look at the making of the just released album, with studio footage and exclusive interviews with Blige, as well as the inspiration behind the writing and direction.
Mary J. Blige is an iconic singer, songwriter, actress and philanthropist. She has sold over 50 million albums and 25 million singles worldwide, garnered nine GRAMMY® Awards (plus a staggering 32 nominations), a Gold Globe nomination and five American Music Awards. She holds the distinction of being the only artist to have won GRAMMYs® in the R&B, hip-hop, pop, and gospel categories. She is amongst a handful of entertainers to release eight or more multiplatinum albums, with Billboard naming her “the most successful female R&B artist of the past 25 years”.
The career of the multitalented CHRIS “LUDACRIS” BRIDGES can best be described as remarkable. As a recording artist, he has sold more than 15 million albums domestically, thanks to the blockbuster success of such singles as “Stand Up,” “Get Back,” “Southern Hospitality,” “Number One Spot,” “Money Maker” and “My Chick Bad.” All of these records were accompanied by ingenious videos that demonstrated Bridges’ far-reaching imagination, and his willingness to stretch the boundaries of what rap videos should look and feel like.
Most recently, Bridges starred in the highly anticipated The Fate of the Furious, which broke records at the box office, becoming the highest grossing film opening worldwide.
Bridge’s philanthropic efforts rival his entertainment accomplishments. He started The Ludacris Foundation in 2001 which focuses on helping the youth in his hometown of Atlanta. In addition, he has recently partnered with No Kid Hungry and Feeding America.
Currently, Bridges is in Los Angeles shooting MTV’s revived Fear Factor, which will premiere on May 30, 2017. He is both a host and executive producer on the show. This is the first project from the new overall deal between Bridges and MTV.
Maxwell has artfully managed to transfix music lovers for more than two decades, releasing four studio albums, all in his own time – all duly anointed as classics. Maxwell has had a busy past 12 months. In July, he released his much-anticipated ‘blackSUMMERS’night,’ the second installment of his musical trilogy encompassing his 20+ year career. The album garnered praise from Rolling Stone, SPIN, Complex, NPR and more, and the album earned him his third-Grammy (Best R&B Song for “Lake By The Ocean”), an NAACP Image Award (Outstanding Male Artist), and a Soul Train Award (Best R&B/Soul Male Artist).
Blige, Ludacris, & Kelly Rowland will appear alongside previously announced artists Robin Thicke, Maxwell and DJ Khaled.
“Dear Mama: An Event To Honor Moms” will take place at the famed Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens in Pasadena, California.
Official sponsors of “Dear Mama: An Event To Honor Moms” include America’s Best Contacts & Eyeglasses®, DOVE® I Chocolate, Honey Bunches of Oats®, Strongbow Hard Apple Ciders, Tide PODS®, T.J.Maxx, and Unilever.
“Dear Mama: An Event To Honor Moms” is being produced by Flavor Unit and Jesse Collins Entertainment. Shakim Compere, Queen Latifah, Jesse Collins, and Jeannae Rouzan-Clay are Executive Producers. For VH1, Amy Doyle, Ryan Kroft, and Elena Diaz are Executive Producers, Paige Miller is Coordinating Producer, and Joe Buoye is Executive in Charge of Production.
For more updates go to DearMama.vh1.com and follow @VH1 on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram using #DearMamaVH1 to join the conversation.