By: Janice Malone
Tennessee Tribune
Originally posted 2/16/2006

Movie fans first fell in love with the beauty and talent of actress LisaRaye from the time she made her major motion picture debut in the independent hit film ''Players Club,'' which marked the directorial debut of rapper turned actor Ice Cube. More than ten years later the sultry actress continues to turn heads, as one of the entertainment industry's alluring talents. LisaRaye's career star and personal life is shining brighter than ever these. She's seen every week as the star of the hit sitcom ''All of Us'' created by Will and Jada Smith. The show focuses on juggling ex-spousal relationships while maintaining a nurturing environment for their child.

Away from the glitz, glamour and sometimes goriness of show business, LisaRaye is a mom (one daughter); businesswoman; and now a newlywed.

She recently wed the Honorable Michael Misick Chief Minister of the Turks and Caicos islands. An upcoming formal, festive and star-studded wedding celebration for the royal couple will take place early this spring. Insiders are now comparing the happy couple to The tropical paradise chain of islands has become one of the new hot spots for the rich and famous. Notably Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner chose the Turks and Caicos Islands as the destination for their recent wedding. Many celebrities like Bruce Willis and Donna Karan own luxurious homes in the exotic paradise escape.

Born from a lineage of enterprising minds, Chicago-born LisaRaye is quite a businesswoman.

Her father Daniel Ray was a prominent Chicago business owner in hospitality, real estate and banking industries. Following in her father's footsteps LisaRaye began her multi-faceted career in the hotel industry. Before long a hobby became her calling as she discovered her flair for modeling, leading her to become one of the top runway and print models in the Chicago area, as well as the queen of the pageant circuit. One of her many goals is to give back to the community. As a child, her family had often offered their time to help those in need. This positive role modeling from her family has given her the drive to take time to interact with at-risk youth and help them to realize that they can achieve their goals through hard work and perseverance. She has stated that ''I never understood what it was all about, how rewarding it is, until I got older.'' Now, she is in the position to do even more as she will be breaking ground on a teenage group home and foundation in Chicago called ''Raye of Sunshine''. Her foundation will present beauty pageants and other programs to enhance self-esteem and self-worth for disadvantaged teens. LisaRaye recently sat down to chat exclusively with the Tribune about Valentine's Day, career, business and being a new First Lady.

THE TRIBUNE: HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT WOMEN GIVING MEN FLOWERS FOR VALENTINE'S DAY?

LISARAYE: ''I say to each his own, so to speak. Personally, I think it's a bit taboo for a woman to receive flowers and a man can't. I think flowers are good for a man to brighten up his office; maybe lighten up his cubicle work area or to just make his house or apartment. Sometimes it's good to send a man just a nice full healthy plant. To me flowers and plants represent growth. And that growth can be in the relationship.''

THE TRIBUNE: WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE FLOWER?

LISARAYE: ''The Casablanca lily is my favorite. I personally don't really like roses.''

THE TRIBUNE: I KNOW THAT YOU'RE A NEWLYWED. DID YOU HAVE BIG SPECIAL PLANS FOR VALENTINE'S DAY 2006?

LISARAYE: ''I was actually working. We’re taping the last two shows of the season for All Of Us, which will be a one hour-long episode. I know Michael flew in so that we could be together for a special evening,which was. a surprise. He told me not to ask too many questions.''

THE TRIBUNE: WHAT IS IT LIKE TO ACTUALLY LIVE PART TIME ON THE BEAUTIFUL TURKS & CAICOS ISLAND?

LISARAYE: ''I tell you it is like paradise! It's like any place that I've been to. Living in the Turks and Caicos islands gives me a place to run to relax. It's my home away from home. It's so different from the monotony of Hollywood. There's no hurrying and rushing to do everything. It's a very beautiful and serene environment.''

THE TRIBUNE: ''I'VE READ THAT YOU GUYS HAVE QUITE A MANSION THERE.

LISARAYE: (she laughs) ''We're actually building a new house as we speak. We have many different houses, actually. Our backyard is the beach at the house we're in now. I've never seen water that is so pure and blue it's just amazing.''

THE TRIBUNE: BEFORE MEETING YOUR HUSBAND HAD YOU PREVIOUSLY VISITED TURKS AND CAICOS?

LISARAYE: ''No I had not. I had heard of it before. I had several friends who had visited there. And I had also read various articles about it too. So I knew it was an elite island where the who's who of the world vacationed, lived and relaxed. But I was stuck on the thought of if you've been to one Caribbean island then you've been to them all. I had been to St. Maarten, St. Francis, Martinique, St. Croix, Hawaii. Michael would just speak about the beauty of the island so much. He would say, 'Come experience what a slice of paradise is really like.' But then after I visited the island I was just in awe of its beauty.''

THE TRIBUNE: ONCE THE BIG CEREMONY TAKES PLACE WILL YOU HAVE AN OFFICIAL TITLE?

LISARAYE: ''Yes, I will be known as the First Lady. It's a big title to have too. Michael is the Chief Minister of the Turks and Caicos and most people call him Chief. So he came up with the nickname 'Chiefette' for me. It's really cute.''

THE TRIBUNE: DO YOU HAVE ANY FRIENDS, PAST OR PRESENT, WHO REMIND YOU OF YOUR CHARACTER ''NEESEE'' ON THE SHOW ALL OF US?

LISARAYE: ''Oh yeah. There are several. I think
NeeSee is nearly every type of woman.''

THE TRIBUNE: I SEE WHERE YOU'VE BEEN DOING A LITTLE SINGING ON SOME RECENT PROJECTS.

LISARAYE: (she laughs) ''You know it was just something that I did because I could do it at the time. I did a song with Lil Kim but singing or rapping isn't really something that I'm all that into. It was just a side of me portraying a character. I won't have much time anymore for that because now I've got a real full time job of being First Lady, a wife and a mother. I've got a lot going on.''

THE TRIBUNE: DOES YOUR DAUGHTER WORK IN THE ENTERTAINMENT BUSINESS?

LISARAYE: ''No, my daughter is heavily into working with computers. She's very, very smart in math. She knows how to take computers apart and put them back together. She's extremely smart.''

THE TRIBUNE: TELL ME ABOUT YOUR VARIOUS CLOTHING LINES FOR WOMEN.

LISARAYE: ''I recently discontinued my lingerie line. Since I'm now the First Lady and the lingerie line being associated with the bedroom, I didn't think it would be the appropriate image. My line of ladies jeans is on hold until we get the details worked out about the brand name. But I have come up with a great idea for a line of swimwear. I have a reputation and image of being a sex symbol, there's a part of me that still needs to exert that so I thought doing a swimwear line would be ideal. Swimwear is still sexy-very body conscious. And especially with me being the first lady of an island, it will be ideal. I hope to have the designs ready for release by the end of this year.''

THE TRIBUNE: I HAVE MET SO MANY WOMEN WHO ARE FANS OF YOURS AND THEY SEEM TO REALLY ADMIRE AND LIKE YOU. MANY HAVE SAID THAT YOU'RE LIKE THE BEST FRIEND OR THE GIRL NEXT DOOR.

LISARAYE: ''Thank you. I'm so happy to hear that. I have tried to make sure that I project that image of being that 'home girl' who's down to earth. I want to show the side of show business that's the business side, which is what we really need to grab a hold of. We all see enough of the show side. There are some people who are now calling me the first black Grace Kelly. So I have to stay true to myself, my family, I am and who I want to become in the future. I now want to be even more careful of the image that I project. I will mistakes along the way but I welcome all of those challenges ahead of me. But I am very proud to hear that I have a lot of female fans out there. That makes me feel so good. Let me pat myself on the back for that!''
Visit LisaRaye at www.lisaraye.com