Author Archives: Sonya's Spotlight
← Older posts Newer posts →THE EQUALIZER 2 Los Angeles Premiere
August 1, 2018The Los Angeles premiere of Columbia Pictures’ THE EQUALIZER 2 at TCL Chinese Theatre, supported in part by Lyft. https://youtu.be/WajLubtniEA https://youtu.be/HyNJ3UrGk_I The Equalizer 2(Sony Pictures) Denzel Washington returns to one of his signature roles in the first sequel of his career. Robert McCall serves an unflinching justice for the exploited and oppressed – but how far will he go when that is someone he loves? Photo Credit: Eric Charbonneau; © 2018 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Posted in Streaming, MOTIVATION, In The Spotlight | Leave a commentNight School in theaters September 28 – Photos & Trailer
July 27, 2018Star Kevin Hart and producer Will Packer, who partnered for the hit Ride Along and Think Like a Man series, bring their signature style to Night School. The comedy from director Malcolm D. Lee (Girls Trip) follows a group of misfits who are forced to attend adult classes in the longshot chance they’ll pass the GED exam. Co-stars Tiffany Haddish, Rob Riggle, Taran Killam and Romany Malco join Hart on-screen for the film that Hart produces for his Hartbeat Productions, and Packer via his Will Packer Productions. www.nightschoolmovie.com. Photos courtesy of Universal Pictures #NightSchool
Posted in Movie News | Leave a commentSonya Jenkins Showcases Novel, SHAYLA’S CATCH, in Essence Bookstore for 4th Year
July 12, 2018What a pleasure it was to be a part of the Essence Bookstore, once again, for the fourth year. Check out a few pics from my incredible time in the Essence Bookstore, meeting new readers and mingling with Essence Fest attendees! Thanks, Essence, Garden Distric Book Shop and all my new readers for the continued support!! Sonya Jenkins Pictorial of Author Sonya Jenkins in ESSENCE BOOKSTORE.
Posted in JAZZ IN THE GARDENS 2026, Fitness | Leave a commentMy Black Is Beautiful joined the slay-fest at Essence Fest 2018
July 12, 2018My Black Is Beautiful joined the slay-fest with multiple activations celebrating black women Essence Fest Weekend 2018. My Black is Beautiful #BlackGirlsDo Dinner: hosted by Lisa Nichols with a performance by Gallant. Queen Latifah graced guests with her presence and spoke about the power of empowering one announced her new initiative with P&G- Queen Collective. My Black Is Beautiful Booth– a fan favorite at the convention center, MBIB kept the crowd going with a life DJ, mini-makeovers, giveaways, product preview from our new collection (Head & Shoulders Royal Oils) with celebrities such as Erica Campbell, Naturi Naughton, Raheem Devaughn, Mona-Scott Young and more stopping by. Naturi Naughton served as MBIB celebrity ambassador and was joined by Necole Kane and Kela Walker for an empowering stage moment on self-love. Brunch With Bae Podcast- e sat down with the ladies of Essence and MBIB to discuss his love of black women and more! MORE PHOTOS TO COME!! About My Black is Beautiful My Black is Beautiful is a community-building program consisting of over 3 million online community members, created to help positively change the conversation around black beauty by addressing the societal and cultural stigmas associated with self-image. Formed at Procter & Gamble in 2006 by a group of visionary women, MBIB was designed to spark a broader dialogue about black beauty. Their mission
Posted in On the Scene | Leave a commentWhitney – In Theaters Now
July 12, 2018Whitney(Roadside Attractions) Whitney Houston broke more music industry records than any other female singer in history. With over 200 million album sales worldwide, she was the only artist to chart seven consecutive U.S. No. 1 singles. She also starred in several blockbuster movies before her brilliant career gave way to erratic behavior, scandals and death at age 48. The documentary feature Whitney is an intimate, unflinching portrait of Houston and her family that probes beyond familiar tabloid headlines and sheds new light on the spellbinding trajectory of Houston’s life. Using never-before-seen archival footage, exclusive demo recordings, rare performances, audio archives and original interviews with the people who knew her best, Oscar®-winning filmmaker Kevin Macdonald unravels the mystery behind “The Voice,” who thrilled millions even as she struggled to make peace with her own troubled past. Directed By Kevin Macdonald Produced By Simon Chinn, Jonathan Chinn, and Lisa Erspamer Executive Produced By Nicole David, Pat Houston,Will Clarke, Andy Mayson, Mike Runagall, Zanne Devine, Rosanne Korenberg and Joe Patrick For more info: Official Site | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram #Whitney #ILoveYouWhitney
Posted in Movie News | Leave a commentOVER HALF A MILLION ATTENDEES CONVENE FOR THE 2018 ESSENCE FESTIVAL SPONSORED BY COCA-COLA
July 12, 2018OVER HALF A MILLION ATTENDEES CONVENE FOR THE 2018 ESSENCE FESTIVAL SPONSORED BY COCA-COLA ESSENCE Festival Concert Series Sells Out All Three Nights for the First Time Ever Extraordinary Turnout Underscores ESSENCE’s Engagement of Black Women around Community, Culture and Content Photos/Coverage Compiled by Sonya Jenkins July 9, 2018 (New York, NY) – The 2018 ESSENCE Festival® presented by Coca-Cola® attracted more than 510,0000 attendees to New Orleans this Fourth of July weekend, marking one of the largest gatherings in the event’s 24-year history. For the first time ever, all three nights of the ESSENCE Festival concert series at the Louisiana Superdome sold out. The extraordinary turnout underscores ESSENCE’s engagement of Black women around community, culture and content – which was brought to life in innovative ways at the annual celebration. “This extraordinary gathering of nearly half a million attendees–on the eve of the ESSENCE Festival’s 25th anniversary–speaks to the unmatched convening power of our culture,” said Michelle Ebanks, President, Essence Communications. “As one of the country’s largest curated live experiences, the ESSENCE Festival engages Black women globally—through a truly unique celebration of culture, connection to community and access to content that inspires and empowers.” The annual 4-day Festival, which took place July 5-8, features entertainment, empowerment, and cultural experiences during the day and a state-of-the-art concert series with the world’s best performers each night to comprise a one-of-a-kind curated content experience: Over 100 performing artists across the Superdome and the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. Many of the biggest names in the entertainment industry including Janet Jackson, Mary J. Blige, Queen Latifah, Snoop Dogg, The Roots, Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, Miguel and others performed at the event’s nighttime concerts and dozens of others across ESSENCE’s Center Stage and 10thAnniversary All-Star …
Posted in Music, In The Spotlight | Leave a commentMICHAEL B. JORDAN ON ESSENCE’S JUNE MEN’S ISSUE COVER
May 21, 2018ESSENCE gets up close and personal with our favorite “bae”—smokin’ hot actor Michael B. Jordan—for its June Men’s Issue. The cover story, The Fire Next Time, features the 31-year-old Newark, NJ, native sharing with ESSENCE why he’s secure in his career (he has three films in production), legacy (“I want people to say, ‘He made an impact’”) and heart. In the HBO film “Fahrenheit 451” airing this Saturday, the star plays a young man compelled to save the written word at all costs. In real life, he’s just as focused on creating his own stories and making every moment count. If you choose to share the up-close interview with Michael B. Jordan, please link back to https://www.essence.com/celebrity/michael-b-jordan-ally-strong-women-cover. ESSENCE’s June issue hits newsstands on 5/25. For photos, quotes and more on this month’s issue, visit ESSENCE.com. MICHAEL ROWE / ESSENCE SYDNEY SCOTT May, 18, 2018 Michael B. Jordan covers the June issue of ESSENCE, where the Fahrenheit 451 actor speaks out about using his platform to further diversity in Hollywood and empower women. Speaking with Matthew Cherry, filmmaker and creative executive at Jordan Peele’s Monkeypaw Productions, the actor shared that being raised by strong women inspired him to support others. And, he’s doing that through his company, Outlier Society Productions. Back in March, Jordan was one of the first celebrities to announce he was adopting an inclusion rider, which ensures a certain level of diversity among a project’s cast and crew. MICHAEL ROWE / ESSENCE “Actions speak louder than words. I want to lead by example,” Jordan told ESSENCE. “I know I had an opportunity with the shows and projects I had coming up, to put it to work. It’s important to have diversity both in front of and behind the camera, and inclusion riders make sure that anyone who does business with my company knows that we expect there to be people …
Posted in MOTIVATION | Leave a commentClaws Returns June 10 on TNT
May 21, 2018ABOUT Claws is a midnight-dark, wickedly funny meditation on female badness set in a South Florida nail salon. It follows the rise of five diverse and treacherous manicurists working at the Nail Artisan of Manatee County salon, where there is a lot more going on than silk wraps and pedicures. Claws is about good women caught in bad places with worse men. It’s the story of hardworking women trying to get by in this economy, set against the surreal, bright, gritty landscape of Florida and the luscious, absurd, extreme excesses of the crime world. #ClawsTNT
Posted in Sports & Inspiration | Leave a commentTV Ratings: 22.4 Million U.S. Viewers RSVP to Royal Wedding
May 21, 2018_________________________________________________________________________________ The royal wedding was a very big deal on Saturday, despite its very early start time. Several weeks of unchecked hype by the American and British media culminated in the May 19 nuptials between Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. The stateside audience for the ceremony was a whopping 22.4 million viewers across the six major networks carrying it. Royal ratings are expected to grow even more when Nielsen Media reports cable tallies, but none will likely approach NBC. The network’s coverage, under the Today umbrella, led with 6.42 million viewers. ABC was right on its tail, averaging 6.38 million, while CBS tallied 4.79 million. Those numbers are for average viewership between 6 and 9 a.m. PT, when the majority of the procession and event took place. Another 4.8 million viewers watched on the big three cable news networks; Fox News led with 2 million, followed by CNN with 1.8 million and just under 1 million for MSNBC. U.S. viewership is on track to beat that in the U.K., where early multi-channel returns give a reported audience of 18 million. Markle’s status as an American and a former actress may have further helped her big day. It is now expected to be slightly bigger than the last royal wedding, as tallies for the 2011 nuptials of Prince William and Kate Middleton, Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, averaged nearly 23 million viewers across all U.S. networks airing the event. Source URL: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/tv-ratings-royal-wedding-brings-18-million-viewers-us-broadcast-1113498 12:41 PM PDT 5/20/2018 by Michael O’Connell _____________________________________________Royal Wedding: So Many Hats! 7:55 AM PDT 5/19/2018 by Laurie Brookins Gareth Fuller – WPA Pool/Getty Images Which royals and stars worked with Philip Treacy, Stephen Jones – and L.A.-based milliner Louise Green? Hats and fascinators did not disappoint at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle: An abundance of couture …
Posted in Celebrity Profile, In The Spotlight | Leave a commentENTERTAINMENT POWERHOUSE QUEEN LATIFAH ADDED TO 2018 ESSENCE FESTIVAL CONCERT SERIES
May 19, 2018First-Ever ESSENCE Fest Performance Rounds Out All-Star Roster of Iconic Women including Janet Jackson, Mary J. Blige, Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, Xscape and More April 26, 2018 (NEW YORK, NY) — For the first time in the event’s history, a special performance by multi-talented rapper, singer, actress and producer, Queen Latifah, has been added to the all-star line up for this summer’s ESSENCE Festival® presented by Coca-Cola concert series, taking place July 6-8 in New Orleans, LA. Commemorating three decades in the entertainment business, the Golden Globe, Emmy, Grammy and SAG Award recipient will be performing alongside Mary J. Blige and Xscape during the Festival’s second evening on Saturday, July 7 in the Louisiana Superdome. Queen Latifah rounds out a stellar performance roster spotlighting women, including Janet Jackson, Erykah Badu, Jill Scott and more. The full night-by-night lineup is available here. Single-night tickets are on sale now. Since the debut release of her classic album All Hail the Queen, Latifah has consistently promoted a message of positivity, empowerment, leadership, fearlessness and unity among women–specifically, young women of color. Fans will be treated to a slew of the Queen’s most popular records including U.N.I.T.Y, Ladies First and Bananas [Who You Gonna Call?], along with a few thrilling surprises. Join the Festival community by following us on Twitter, @essencefest #EssenceFest and become a fan of 2018 ESSENCE Festival® on Facebook. For more information about ticket sales and accommodations and for the latest news about the ESSENCE Festival®, visit www.essencefestival.com, The ESSENCE Festival® is executive produced by ESSENCE Festivals LLC, a division of ESSENCE Communications Inc., and is produced by Solomon Group. Sponsors of the 2018 ESSENCE Festival® in New Orleans include presenting sponsor Coca-Cola and major sponsors AT&T,Ford, McDonald’s, State Farm and Walmart. About Essence Communications Inc. Essence Communications is the number one media company dedicated to Black women and inspires a global audience of more than 15 …
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