The Pulse of Entertainment: BJ Rouse Releases New Film, First Fruit, Starring Darrin Dewitt Henson and Vijay Beasley
by Dr. Eunice Moseley
(August 4, 2026) - "I believe what's meant for you is for you,"
said film writer/producer/director Beverly "BJ" Rouse as we talked about the meaning behind her
news film project First Fruit starring MTV Video Award winning Darrin Dewitt Henson (NSYNC,
Blackstreet/The Family Business, Soul Food) and Vijay Beasley. "We take things for granted...like someone
listening to you. Darrin and Jay tapped into that."
First Fruit tells the story
of dealing with grief. It has one neighbor comforting another after a close death. Reminding that neighbor that life goes
on and how there will too.
"The only instruction I gave the crew was that they did not rehearse together," BJ pointed
out when I talk about her having such a legendary dancer/choreographer and actor like Henson in her film. "I did not
want them to be comfortable with each other."
ViJay plays the neighbor suffering from a loss and Brooklyn native Darrin
plays the neighbor who helps her "live" again by dealing with her grief in a healthy way.
"They
are both dancers. This is Jay's first film," Rouse pointed out. "They had to trust each other. We don't have a lot
of dialogs."
The cinematographers of First Fruit are Paul Morals and Mike Viney. Catherine Joy and Kevin Leusath,
II handled the editing and the score.
"I was particular about the musical score," BJ pointed out. "I wanted
viewers to feel how they felt."
Beverly Rouse is a very experienced filmmaker.
She has already garnered 12 awards for her projects. BJ has received the Panavision New Film Grant and the Kodak New Film
Grant to support her projects. Rouse said the First Fruit short film is inspired by a true story. It explains how we all one
day must face death and how we can deal with that overbearing emotional journey.
First Fruit was recently screened
at the LA Shorts International Film Festival in North Hollywood, California.
When I asked BJ what the most challenging thing
was about making the First Fruit film, she said, "The most challenging thing was getting the crew on board with
a live insect on set. The challenge was finding a grasshopper."
Beverly said someone on the crew said what about a
cricket and she said no crickets!
"We didn't get the grasshopper," she continued as I am laughing uncontrollably. "But
we had the bug whisper and he said, ‘How about a praying-mantis instead?' Then he talked to me about the praying-mantis.
It was a pet that got out...and it was a loss to the person who owned the insect."
She continued, "The crew said, ‘That's worse than having a child on set!'"
"We had the humane
society looking at us," she said as I am still laughing. "I even named her! She was waving and everything!!"
I am still
laughing hard as we end the interview, "The bug shows up a lot! It's making that connection about life..." https://www.filmindependent.org/sponsored-projects/first-fruit/
SYNDICATED
COLUMNIST: Dr. Eunice Moseley has
an estimated weekly readership of over one million for her column The Pulse of Entertainment. She
is the publisher of the digital magazine www.ThePulseofEntertainment.com, which has an estimated 160,000 visitors a month. An entrepreneur, Dr. Moseley’s company, Freelance Associates, is
a business management/public relations strategic planning and consulting firm that is celebrating 32 years in 2025. Dr. Eunice
also serves as professor for the School of Business at Stanton University in Anaheim, California and serves as promotions
director (at-large)/journalist and business consultant for The Baltimore Times. Dr. Moseley founded the Uplifting
Minds II Foundation (www.UpliftingMinds.com) in 2023, a 501 C3 with a mission to empower the underserved through three major programs – One Stop Business Shop,
the ULMII Professional Conference and the ULMII Academy (business management and public relations). EVENTS:
"Uplifting Minds II" Entertainment Conference (ULMII), was launched by Dr. Eunice in 1999, to educate aspiring
artists/musicians about the business of entertainment – www.UpliftingMinds2.com. Next ULMII Entertainment Conferences for Baltimore on Saturday April 18, 2026, presented by Security Square
Mall and The Baltimore Times, and for Los Angeles on Saturday, November 7, 2026, presented by The Pulse of Entertainment
and the ULMII Foundation. The ULMII conferences are free with virtual access via Zoom. ULMII entertainment conference offers
a Professional Panel Q&A Session, a Professional Talent Showcase and International Talent Competition where the top three scored acts receive the ULMII Best Act Award and
over $20,000 valued in prizes/product/services and cash!
