Lifetime sets three more music movies

The Lifetime network is returning to one of its specialties – movies that are by or about music stars.
That starts at 8 p.m. Jan. 25, with a sequel produced by Mary J. Blige. The next two Saturdays will profile the lives of Lisa Valez and Gloria Gaynor (shown here).
Lifetime has scored with movies about female singers (Whitney Houston, Mahalia Jackson, Keyshia Cole) or groups (TLC, Salt N Pepa). It has also had films produced by Blige; now it does both, with:
— Jan. 25: “Family Affair.” This follows Blige’s “Real Love” and “Strength of a Woman.” Again, Ajiona Alexus and Da’Vinchi star as Kendra and Ben. As they move out of the city, she tries to find her footing with his son. Tensions rise over fertility issues and Ben secretly helping his brother.
— Feb. 1: “Can You Feel the Beat? The Lisa Lisa Story.” Lisa Velez produced the movie and stars as her own mother. Jearnest Corchado plays the young Velez, starting as a 15-year-old Puerto Rican teen whose friend Cult Jam (played by Bre-Z of “All American”) backed her in Lisa Lisa.
— Feb. 8: “I Will Survive: The Gloria Gaynor Story.” Robin Roberts, who produced the Mahalia Jackson film, links with two powerful voices. Joquina Kalukango, who won a Tony in 2022 for “Paradise Square,” stars as Gaynor, whose “I Will Survive” became an anthem of the disco era; she won a Grammy and the single spent three weeks at No. 1.
That will be followed by a documentary about Gaynor’s long fight to change course and make a gospel album. In 2020, the album won a Grammy.