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    Ananda Lewis, Former MTV V.J., Says She Has Stage 4 Breast Cancer

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    Lewis, the host of the 1990s MTV show “Hot Zone,” tried to fight her illness without undergoing a double mastectomy. She says she is responding well after resuming treatment.The former MTV V.J. Ananda Lewis said in a CNN round-table discussion that was posted online on Tuesday that her breast cancer, which she first learned she had in 2019, metastasized last year and had reached Stage 4.In a phone interview with The New York Times on Wednesday, Lewis, 51, said that she had since resumed treatment and was feeling much better. “I’ve turned it around really beautifully,” she said.Lewis first became recognizable in the 1990s as a host of “Teen Summit,” a long-running weekly live show on BET that aimed to speak to Black teenagers about current issues (Lewis interviewed Hillary Clinton, who was then the first lady, on the program in 1996). She went on to host “Hot Zone,” an MTV show in which she interviewed stars and gave style advice. The Times, in a 1999 profile, described her as one of MTV’s most popular stars and “the hip-hop generation’s reigning It Girl.”Stage 4 breast cancer means that the cancer cells have spread beyond the breast, often traveling to the bones, the lungs and the liver. It can be treated with tools like chemotherapy and hormone therapy, but it is considered incurable. Breast cancer is the second most common cancer among women in the United States and a leading cause of death from cancer among women globally.In the round-table — with the CNN correspondent Stephanie Elam, Lewis’s best friend since they met at Howard University in the 1990s, and the CNN anchor Sara Sidner, who had a double mastectomy this year after learning that she had Stage 3 breast cancer — Lewis said that she had decided not to get a double mastectomy despite her doctors’ recommendation in early 2019, when she first discovered the lump and learned she had Stage 3 breast cancer.She sought conventional care after receiving the initial diagnosis, speaking to “the right and best oncologists, the breast surgeons,” she said on Wednesday. As she told Elam, “I decided to keep my tumor and try to work it out of my body a different way.”We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      in Television

      Erica Ash of ‘Mad TV’ and ‘Survivor’s Remorse’ Dies at 46

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      Erica Ash started out on sketch comedy shows in the 2000s before appearing in movies like “Scary Movie V” and the satirical reality show “Real Husbands of Hollywood.”Erica Ash, an actress and comedian known for her roles in the satirical reality show “Real Husbands of Hollywood” and on the sketch comedy show “Mad TV,” died on Sunday in Los Angeles. She was 46.The cause was cancer, her mother, Diann Ash, said in a statement on Monday.Ms. Ash began her career in the 2000s as a cast member on the sketch comedy shows “The Big Gay Sketch Show” and “Mad TV,” where she impersonated celebrities like Michelle Obama and Condoleezza Rice.She went on to appear in several dozen TV shows and films, including “Scary Movie V.” She landed a recurring role on BET’s “The Real Husbands of Hollywood,” a parody of reality TV shows that starred Kevin Hart.On Starz’s “Survivor’s Remorse,” a drama-comedy about a young basketball star’s rise to fame, she played the main character’s sister. Among her last projects, Ms. Ash appeared in the Netflix horror-comedy film, “We Have a Ghost.”Erica Chantal Ash was born on Sept. 19, 1977, in Florida, according to IMDb. She attended Emory University as a pre-medicine student, but pivoted to comedy and entertainment. In an interview in 2018 with Steve Harvey, she talked about taking a year off from studying medicine and becoming a backup singer for a Japanese band.She was popular on social media, where she spoke out on politics and posted videos of herself portraying funny characters.A list of survivors was not immediately available. More

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      in Movies

      ‘The First Noelle’ Review: All I Want for Christmas Is My Ex

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      A young Black editor is set on winning back her ex-boyfriend this Christmas — even if it means breaking up his relationship.One of the mainstays of Mariah season, as devotees of Mariah Carey’s Christmas music have christened the holidays, is Christmas movies, from classic comedies to the contrived romances created by the Hallmark Channel. As many of these films teach us, part of leaning into the holiday spirit is suspending cynicism and embracing cheerfulness and cheesiness. By this measure, “The First Noelle,” directed by Patricia Cuffie-Jones for BET+, certainly fits the bill.This romantic comedy follows an ambitious young book editor named Noelle (Novi Brown) who attempts to win back her ex, Terrance (Todd Anthony), after he returns home for Christmas with a new girlfriend, coincidentally also named Noelle (LaLa Milan). (The former goes by Noe, while the latter goes by Elle.) When Noe’s boss at Ryse Publishing expresses interest in signing Elle as an author, Noe struggles to balance her plan for romance with her aspirations at work.In the world of “First Noelle,” all the authors are Black and have written best-selling work, and Noe’s boss, a Black woman, is a titan in the publishing industry. Sadly, this dynamic does not reflect the industry’s real-life demographics: According to a survey by the children’s book publisher Lee & Low Books, only 5 percent of the work force is Black.But it’s hard to become immersed in this aspirational alternate reality because of the movie’s pun-filled and often unbelievable dialogue, as well as lackluster performances delivered by the lead actors. At one point Noe decides whether she wants to look like “chestnuts roasting on an open fire or mistletoe” when choosing an outfit, and several grown adults talk earnestly about writing letters to the North Pole. And some of the tropes in the film — the woman trying to steal another woman’s man, questions about whether it’s possible to “have it all” — feel outdated.Still, for those who love (or love to hate-watch) Hallmark’s Countdown to Christmas movie marathon, “First Noelle” could be worth viewing.The First NoelleNot rated. Running time: 1 hour 29 minutes. Watch on BET+. More

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      in Music

      BET Awards: Highlights and Reactions

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      Red-carpet stunners, a surprise make-out session, the reveal of Cardi B’s second pregnancy and so much more.Given everything that happened at Sunday’s BET Awards, one would be forgiven for needing some time to process.First up was the red carpet: a mind-boggling mix of stunners and head scratchers. Zendaya showed up sheathed in a sheer Versace dress worn by Beyoncé for a BET performance in — get ready to feel old — 2003. (We thank Zendaya and her stylist, Law Roach, for pulling the look, but we didn’t need to feel so aged.)Lil’ Kim, left, and Zendaya (whose dress might look familiar to anyone who saw the BET Awards in 2003).Bennett Raglin/Getty Images for BetLil Nas X impressed viewers with a quick on-the-carpet outfit change, from a floral-print suit into a ball gown by the designer Andrea Grossi that included a bolero jacket, suspenders and a full skirt. He tore up the red carpet up and trolled his critics online.Issa Rae, another standout, wore a white blazer dress with exaggerated shoulders; the look screamed Hollywood boss, and appropriately so.Many other attendees left those of us watching from home wondering if the celebrities were, as one writer put it, “social distancing from their stylists.”After the step-and-repeat, things really got started. The show, which had billed itself as a celebration of Black women and the biggest night in culture, was full of surprises — some planned and others clearly unintentional. (As usual, there were plenty of missed cues and technical difficulties.)During a performance by the Migos, Cardi B walked onto the stage in a bedazzled black Dolce & Gabbana jumpsuit that revealed her belly and announced, visually, that she was pregnant with her second child.H.E.R. performs at the BET Awards.Bennett Raglin/Getty Images for BetThe night’s host, Taraji P. Henson, gave us look after look, wig after wig. DaBaby’s locker room-themed performance had chaotic-good energy and a dancer moving around the stage in a giant baby costume, thrusting his hips to the beat.But the funniest part of the night was when the camera panned down to Representative Maxine Waters and her back was facing the stage. (She was probably watching a screen, but it’s funnier to imagine she was just ignoring the action.)There were other memorable moments, including when Megan Thee Stallion — the night’s biggest winner — took the stage in a waist-length blond wig, a patent leather bodysuit and killer shades. She delivered bars, looks, choreo and met all her cues. We stan a rehearsed queen!Megan Thee Stallion took home four trophies at Sunday’s BET Awards — the most of any artist this year.Bennett Raglin/Getty Images for BetTyler, the Creator performed “Lumberjack,” from his latest album, “Call Me if You Get Lost,” giving us Hollywood production to the point where some wondered whether Steven Spielberg was behind the setup; the rapper showed up onstage, seemingly in the middle of a twister, in a vintage blue-green car.R&B showed signs of life when Jazmine Sullivan and Ari Lennox performed “Sit on It,” from Ms. Sullivan’s album “Heaux Tales,” which felt like a strong warm hug, and after the last year and a half we all had, we could use a lot more of those.Jazmine Sullivan and Ari Lennox perform.Mario Anzuoni/ReutersLil Nas X hit the stage in a Michael-Jackson-in-“Remember the Time”-inspired ensemble. In a gold ancient-Egyptian-style costume, complete with a cobra headband, he writhed to his latest single, “Montero (Call Me By Your Name).”Toward the end of his performance, he climbed a set of stairs that resembled ruins while casually twerking. (Yes, he’s a hero.) As the song ended, he turned to the dancer on his right and, in true Madonna-and-Britney fashion, gave him a passionate kiss.On Twitter, viewers applauded Lil Nas X for his fearlessness. (Others were not as excited about the performance, but that was part of the point: to troll them.)At this point in the night, people were losing it on social media, but there were still several surprises to come: Ms. Henson giving an odd lesson on twerking; the cast of Tyler Perry’s “Sistas” presenting the best international award while dragging Monique’s latest take on Black women wearing bonnets in public; and a star-studded memorial for DMX, who died in April, which included Busta Rhymes doing his own rendition of “Up in Here” and a prerecorded prayer by the late rapper.By the time BET honored Queen Latifah with a Lifetime Achievement award, we were worn out.After being celebrated with covers of her music by Lil’ Kim, MC Lyte and Rhapsody, Queen Latifah shed a few tears during her acceptance speech. It ended with her saying “Happy pride!” with a peace sign and a wink. We hear you, girl. More