Transcript
A (0:08)
This is all of it on wnyc. I'm Alison Stewart. Thank you for spending part of your day with us. I'm really grateful that you're here on today's show. It's Producer Picks Week, and today we're hearing favorites from our producer EL Malik Anderson. John Leguizamo will join us, talk about his role in the film. Bob Trevino likes it. Inspired by director Tracy Lehman's own life, singer songwriter Valerie June brings her blend of folk, blues, gospel and soul and shares music from her new album Owls, Omens and Oracles. Plus author Victoria Christopher Murray on Harlem Rhapsody, her novel about the woman who helped ignite the Harlem Renaissance and her relationship with W.E.B. du Bois. That's the plan. So let's get this started with Forever. A new series reimagines One of Judy Blume's most beloved and challenged novels, 1975's Forever, into a romantic drama about two black teenagers living in Los angeles. Set in 2018, the show follows Justin and Keisha, who were elementary school classmates. They reconnect at a party on New Year's Eve 2017. When Justin saw Keisha at the party, he doesn't remember her, but when he does, it's about as close to love at first sight as you can get. A review in Variety said it Forever the eight episode series shines because it refuses to mock teenagers and young love while showing the fullness and wholeness of the black community. I spoke to showrunner Mara Brock Akil back in June about Forever, which is streaming now on Netflix. But let's hear what our producer has to say about the series. Malik, what were your thoughts on Forever?
B (1:58)
I thought it was such a beautiful series. Allison like many black families, mine watched a lot of Mara Brock Akil's shows Girlfriends, the Game, Being Mary Jane. So in a way, I have been following her career my entire life. When I heard About Forever, my interest was already piqued. I didn't know much about Judy Blume's 1975 novel beyond its reputation, but I was surprised by how close to home this new series felt to me. I was a teenager in the 2010s, just like the main character characters, Justin and Keisha. I remember the feeling of those butterflies after meeting someone new for the first time, as well as the fears and anxieties of growing up in the age of social media while trying to figure out what kind of life you wanted for yourself outside of what your parents worked so hard to give you. And of course, what it was like to fawn over someone for the first time. Some of those things are universal, no matter what generation. And that's exactly what Mara Brock Akil talked about when you spoke to her back in June. So let's take a listen.
A (3:01)
But I want to point out I kept screwing up her name a little bit. It's Mara Brack Akil. That's right.
B (3:07)
Yes, that's correct.
