Netflix’sA Different World, a reboot of the 1987 NBC original, is what I thought Bel-Air would be. It remains true to the original show’s characters: Whitley (Jasmine Guy) is still an entitled snob, Dwayne (Kadeem Hardison) remains as thoughtful as he is brilliant.
And Dwayne and Whitley’s daughter, Deborah (Maleah Joi Moon), is a delightful blend of her mom’s sense of bougieness and her dad’s altruism. It’s a stone-cold gas that her favorite accessory are flip glasses just like Dwayne Wayne. (It made me want to dig mine out.)
The obvious Philly connection is North Philly’s own Bill Cosby, who created the show in 1987 as spinoff to the immensely popular The Cosby Show. Cosby starred as Huxtable patriarch Cliff Huxtable and father to Denise Huxtable (Lisa Bonet). In the original A Different World, Denise attended her parents’ alma mater, the storied fictional Virginia-based historically Black school Hillman College.
Alijah Kai Haggins as Rashida Duvall in “A Different World.”Netflix
But there is another more subtle Philly association in Netflix’s version in actress Alijah Kai Haggins, who plays Rashida Duvall, Deborah’s roommate. Rashida’s mother (on the show and in real life) is Tichina Arnold (Martin and The Neighborhood) and, though Haggins grew up in Los Angeles, her dad is Carvin Haggins, the Grammy-award-winning Philly-area producer who has worked with Jill Scott, Jazmine Sullivan, Chris Brown, and Justin Timberlake. Haggins also happens to be Scott’s cousin.
See? Without Philadelphia, we wouldn’t have A Different World — the original or its highly anticipated reboot.
I blew through all 10 episodes of the Different World reboot this weekend and cheered at the return of familiar faces: Whitley, Dwayne, Freddie Brooks (Cree Summer), Jaleesa (Dawnn Lewis), Ron (Darryl M. Bell), and Col. Taylor (Glynn Turman).
I swooned at a few new characters, like Coach Bryce Coles (Cliff “Method Man” Smith), a total shout-out to Gen Xers who came of age with the show. It cracks me up to think that during the original show’s run, Smith was in the New York City streets rapping about how dope it was to be M-E-T-H-O-D Man as a star member of the Wu-Tang Clan.
(From left) Dawnn Lewis as Jaleesa Vinson-Taylor, Glynn Turman as Col. Bradford Taylor, Kadeem Hardison as Dwayne in “A Different World.”Netflix
For a few hours, I was back in my New York bedroom as a teenager inspired by my television role models to go to college.
Where did all the time go?
Much like the original A Different World, produced by Debbie Allen— who reprises her role as the school psychologist and like her character of yesteryear, urges students to “relax, relate, and release” — Netflix’s version deals with timely issues.
Allen and showrunner Felicia Pride (Bel-Air and Gray’s Anatomy) deftly handle the current presidential administration’s attack on Black history, rampant mismanagement of funding by university administrators, and what it’s like for this generation of college students to engage with professors and each other after almost two years of COVID-19 lockdown.
This image released by Netflix shows Debbie Allen in a scene from “A Different World.” Uncredited
The three male leads — Cornel Young IV (Shaquille Johnson), Amir Rodale (Jordan Aaron Hall), and Chibuikem Uche (Kojo Achebe) — are much more open about their emotions and sexuality than my peers ever were.
Men who were young in the ’90s — now in their late 40s and 50s — might learn a thing or two from them. For example, Amir is a gay man who is open and honest about his sexuality. If we had such nuanced queer characters in the ’90s, perhaps men wouldn’t have felt the need to hide their sexuality and be on the “down low” and risk their partner’s lives by exposing them to HIV.
Today’s A Different World even addresses Gen Z church girls who are firm in their faith without judging friends who may have different relationships with God. Hazel Henry (Kennedi Reece) is as empathetic as she is passionate about religion.
This image released by Netflix shows Chibuikem Uche, from left, Cornell Young IV, and Jordan Aaron Hall in a scene from “A Different World.” Quantrell Colbert
It’s a great reboot. Despite the rude internet chitchat on how Guy and Summer look older — Duh, they are nearly 60 now — the Philly associations stand out the most to me.
Among others:
Hillman is based off an historically Black college of which Cheyney University is the first in the nation. Again, no Philly, no Hillman, no A Different World.
Jada Pinkett Smith, back in her breakthrough role as the rambunctious Lena James from Baltimore, is a much more sophisticated version of her militant younger self. (No spoilers here.) Smith starred in A Different World years before she made the ultimate West Philly partnership, her marriage to Will Smith.
Maleah Joi Moon as Deborah and Vincent Jamal Hooper as Ellington in “A Different World,” the Netflix reboot.Netflix
My greatest wish is that at some point in Season 2, Patti LaBelle returns as Adele Wayne, Dwayne Wayne’s mother and Deborah’s grandmother. I wonder if Deborah will have replaced Dwayne as her favorite little “chipmunk.”
A 1970s baby, I saw my mother (and all of the mother figures in my life) rocking big hair, glossy lips, sequins, and acrylic nails into the early 1990s.
As did the celebrities who have been a part of my pop-culture consciousness as long as I’ve been alive.
Women like Gladys Knight, Carol Burnett, Betty White, Patti LaBelle, and yes, Dolly Parton. These formidable women taught me my ABCs on Sesame Street, how to count on Electric Company, and random trivia on Password. These aunties in my head were just like my aunties, teaching me, guiding me, laughing with me, smiling with me, leaving powdery perfume trails of Jean Naté and White Shoulders in their wake.
That’s why a video of Parton and LaBelle circulating on social media Tuesday afternoon made me pause and shed a tear.
In the hours after Parton’s nephew Bryan Seaver announced on Instagram the beloved, buxom country music singer had died, a 46-second clip emerged from Parton’s 1987 short-lived ABC variety show,Dolly.
Itis pure, unadulterated ’80s joy.
LaBelle in her crimped “On My Own” hair — the ‘do she debuted when she released the chart-topping hit with Doobie Brother Michael McDonald — is sitting across from Parton, whose trademark curly blond hair is piled high in a massive bouffant.
The divas are dressed in elaborate black gowns drenched in sparkles. Parton’s features a sweetheart neckline and poofy shoulders ending in a lace sleeve that would give Madonna’s wardrobe a run for its money.
The two look like they could be attending a prom, or a tacky wedding. (A Parton classic: ”It costs a lot of money to look this cheap.“) Wherever they are going, we know the vibe is going to be ’80s extravagant.
Singer Patti LaBelle is photographed at Mother Bethel AME Church in Philadelphia, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026, during a shooting campaign for Visit Philadelphia’s Indivisible initiative, part of an effort to celebrate the city’s communities of color during the nation’s 250th anniversary. LaBelle is starring in the campaign’s Black History Month promotion.Jose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer
Parton, in her sweet melodic lilt, asks LaBelle if she would join her in using her acrylic nails as an instrument. The two women look like they are filing their nails as they strike up a rhythm.
Parton, who was born in a log cabin in Tennessee, and LaBelle, a Southwest Philadelphian whose dad was born in Macon, Ga. and moved to the city during the Great Migration, bond over acrylic nails and sing the chorus of the countriest of country songs, “Short’nin’ Bread.”
“Momma’s little baby loves short’nin’, short’nin’ / Momma’s little baby loves short’nin’ bread.”
Nails clicking. Powerful voices crooning. Parton and LaBelle sing the hook of the folk song written by James Whitcomb in 1900 in perfect harmony, their voices blending so beautifully that it’s easy to forget historians’ assertions that Whitcomb “borrowed” the song from Black sharecroppers. Allegedly, he retooled and performed it in a minstrel show.
The video speaks to Parton and LaBelle’s easy friendship and sisterhood.
“I’m deeply saddened by the loss of my dear friend who was loved by all,” LaBelle said in a statement Tuesday. “Dolly’s artistry, brilliance, and extraordinary life inspired so many people including me. Her light will forever shine!”
Dolly Parton (left), Lily Tomlin (center), and Jane Fonda arrive for the premiere of their film “9 To 5” in New York on Dec. 14, 1980. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)Richard Drew
When this performance was recorded almost 40 years ago, LaBelle and Parton had already been celebrities the better part of two decades. Both were already in their 40s. They’d reached auntie status.
My grandmother used to sing the chorus of “Short’nin’ Bread” while she dealt cards or when she rocked my sister and me in her wooden chair. Parton has been a part of my life in much the same way. Teaching me what it meant to work 9 to 5, performing on musical specials and childhood shows with other aunties and friends like Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris, Loretta Lynn, and the queen of Philadelphia aunties, Patti LaBelle.
Parton was my country music auntie. She was America’s country music auntie.
Major League Baseball is pulling out all the stops for next week’s All-Star Game — including employing some of Philadelphia’s own to get the party started.
On Tuesday, MLB announced the slate of entertainment for its midsummer classic at Citizens Bank Park (July 14, 8 p.m., Fox29). Philly native and “Godmother of Soul” Patti LaBelle will perform the national anthem, while EGOT winner Jennifer Hudson is slated to sing “America the Beautiful.” Philadelphia R&B group Boyz II Men and Top Gun: Maverick star Miles Teller, a Downingtown native, also headline the game’s entertainers.
“As we gather to celebrate America’s 250th birthday, Philadelphia is the perfect stage to bring this milestone to life,” MLB chief marketing officer Uzma Rawn Dowler said in a statement. “… This lineup captures the unique energy of the city while honoring how baseball has been a part of the American spirit for 250 years.”
The 2026 All-Star Game entertainment lineup has been announced 🔥
-Jennifer Hudson to perform "America the Beautiful" -Philadelphia's Patti LaBelle to sing national anthem -Pennsylvania natives Miles Teller and Boyz II Men to participate in All-Star presentation features pic.twitter.com/NMdIgBGFpc
LaBelle will be accompanied by the Military District of Washington Joint Chorus and West Point Band for her rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” LaBelle, 82, was born in Southwest Philadelphia, attended Bartram High School, and resides in Villanova. In 2019, the city honored the two-time Grammy winner by renaming a block of Broad Street between Spruce and Locust “Patti LaBelle Way.”
“I’m a Philadelphia girl,” LaBalle told The Inquirer in February. “It’s laid back, comfortable. … How I like it.”
Hudson also will have some backup and will perform “America the Beautiful” alongside the Philly Pops and the U.S. Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps. In 2022, Hudson, then 40, became the third-youngest person, and youngest woman, to have won each of entertainment’s biggest awards — an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony. The Chicago native is the only All-Star performer who does not boast direct Philadelphia ties, but she is no stranger to playing in the city — just last month, her tour with Josh Groban stopped at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Most notably, the “Spotlight” singer headlined the Wawa Welcome America Festival in 2019.
It is unclear if Boyz II Men will be diving into its extensive discography during its performance. After the fifth inning, the group will provide the soundtrack to the league’s Stand Up To Cancer placard moment — in which fans will hold up signs for their loved ones who have been affected by cancer. MLB first started the tradition in Philadelphia during the 2009 World Series.
Miles Teller, the only nonmusician on the list, will be lending his voice to a “stirring tribute of baseball’s impact on American life,” according to MLB. The task is fitting for the actor, who has made his Phillies fandom known over the years. During the 2022 World Series, in which the Phillies fell to the Houston Astros in six games, Teller was a mainstay at Citizens Bank Park. He told The Inquirer he had befriended Phillies pitcher Aaron Nola and then-first baseman Rhys Hoskins. The Whiplash actor even texts with play-by-play announcer Tom McCarthy.
“It’s a pretty big year,” Teller said in 2022. “Top Gun. Also, I turned 35, which feels like a number. [I] hosted Saturday Night Live for the first time. And the Phillies, man. I’ve always lived and died with the Phillies, dude. That’s always been the most important thing to me.”
Philadelphia now has three Rocky statues. That is three statues celebrating a fictional Philadelphian. And while many great Philadelphians already have statues, there are so many who don't.
Who do you think should be Philadelphia’s Next Top Statue?
To decide, we’ll present you with two random Philadelphians from our list of just 26. For each matchup, you choose who deserves to be honored more. The winner will move on to the next round to face another Philadelphian.
You’ll keep going until we end up with your definitive Philadelphia’s Next Top Statue.
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If you're happy with , you can skip the remaining challengers, and lock them in as your choice.
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You think Philadelphia should build a statue of winner and percentageWinner of Inquirer readers agree with you. The most popular winning statues, so far, are popularWinners.
You stuck with longest for the longest, picking them over longestLength other statues.
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