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← Older posts Newer posts →STEVIE WONDER TO ACCEPT INAUGURAL “KEY OF LIFE” AWARD AND WILL BE FEATURED KEYNOTE AT 2017 ASCAP “I CREATE MUSIC” EXPO APRIL 13 – 15 IN LOS ANGELES
April 4, 2017ASCAP, the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, announces that it will honor legendary musician Stevie Wonder with its inaugural “Key of Life” Award at this year’s ASCAP “I Create Music” EXPO in Los Angeles, April 13 – 15, where he will also appear in a keynote “I Create Music” session. The “Key of Life” Award celebrates Wonder’s incomparable, peerless contributions to the world through his music. In the future, the honor will be presented to songwriters and composers who best exemplify his legacy through their commitment to the art form he elevated through his talent, dedication and unparalleled heart. “Stevie has deservedly been given every award imaginable,” said ASCAP President Paul Williams. “Yet he continues to innovate and elevate the art of songwriting to the point where no honor can truly capture what he means to his creative kin at ASCAP, and to songwriters and music lovers worldwide. This award has been created as a way to honor his singularly inspirational songwriting career and to recognize his spirit in generations to come.” The 25-time Grammy winner has been an ASCAP member for the better part of five decades, amassing more than 60 Billboard Hot 100 hits during his time with the performing rights organization, including immortal anthems like “Superstition,” “My Cherie Amour,” “Signed, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours,” “You Are the Sunshine of My Life” and “I Just Called to Say I Love You.” He received ASCAP’s highest individual prize, the Founders Award, in 1984 and was honored during the organization’s 100th birthday celebrations with a once-in-a-lifetime Centennial Award. Wonder has maintained a lifelong appreciation for songwriting, penning his first hit at 11 years old and working in Motown’s songwriting department while establishing himself as a performer in the mid-1960s. In recent years, Wonder has mentored a new generation …
Posted in Streaming, In The Spotlight | Leave a commentESSENCE® Presents Keynotes, Conversations and Celebrations on Festival’s Daytime Empowerment Experience Stage
April 3, 2017Featuring Iyanla Vanzant, Ava DuVernay, Congresswoman Maxine Waters, Rev. Al Sharpton, Dr. Michael Eric Dyson, Dr. Cissy Houston & More Time Inc.’s (NYSE:TIME) ESSENCE Festival® presented by Coca-Cola® announces its star-studded daytime lineup of speakers and panelists for the event’s signature ESSENCE® Empowerment Experience Stage, taking place June 30–July 2, 2017, at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, LA. Free and open to the public, the ESSENCE® Empowerment Experience Stage will serve as the intersection of passion and purpose, bridging the gap between this generation’s most prominent voices in leadership–from social media activists to community organizers–and those who have laid the groundwork for them. Conversations and keynote addresses will put the invaluable, intersectional voices of Black women at the forefront and will feature influencers such as Iyanla Vanzant, Congresswoman Maxine Waters, Ava DuVernay, Rev. Al Sharpton, Phaedra Parks, Dr. Michael Eric Dyson, Luvvie Ajayi, activist April Reign, National Women’s March Co-Founder Tamika D. Mallory and Bishop Lester Love, with music provided by DJ Charles “Bam Bam” Belonge and house band Church Friends. Empowerment Experience newcomers Mary Pat Hector and poet Cleo Wade will shed light on a new wave of social and artistic activism anchored by next generation’s leaders. Plus, Cheryl Wills will host an all-star gospel tribute to Grammy-award winning, soul and gospel music icon Dr. Cissy Houston sponsored by Wal-Mart. Additional speakers and talent to be announced soon. “This year’s ESSENCE Festival® will be the largest gathering of African Americans following the presidential election, as activists and policymakers come together to discuss the challenges and opportunities facing our communities across America,” said ESSENCE Editor-in-Chief Vanessa K. De Luca. “Intergenerational programming spanning love, health, money, politics and religion will provide the tools to facilitate healing and growth through the sharing of expertise and experiences.” The ESSENCE® Empowerment Experience Stage offers curated content from ESSENCE’s editorial team, extending conversations that have moved from the page to the screen to the stage. For a full lineup of this year’s daytime speakers and artists, visit www.essencefestival.com. …
Posted in In The Spotlight | Leave a commentVanessa Bell Calloway Star-Studded 60th Birthday
March 24, 2017On Monday (March 20), actress Vanessa Bell Calloway turned 60, which she celebrated with a star-studded birthday gala, and a comedy show hosted by Sherri Shepard and headlined by none other than Calloway. Star Jones, Debbie Allen, Kym Whitley, Vivica Fox, Tika Sumpter, Cedric The Entertainer, Magic Johnson, Tina Knowles Lawson, Glynn Turman, and many more attended the birthday gala held on Saturday at Cicada in downtown Los Angeles. Calloway kicked off her birthday celebration with with a comedy show hosted by Sherri Shepherd and headlined by comedians Chris Spencer, GThang, Kym Whitley and Scruncho. Crossing off her bucket list, Calloway performed a stand-up comedy set that brought the house down after she executed a full split to close her show. The comedy event included dinner and was held at the family owned Regency West in the Leimert Park, CA. PHOTOS BY Gina Walker, Courtesy of DSD Publicity Consulting About Vanessa Bell Calloway Vanessa Bell Calloway most recently joined the cast of the SATRZ hit Survivor’s Remorse in a recurring role after completing a five season run on Showtime’s Emmy nominated series Shameless. Currently Vanessa is in the starring role on the Bounce TV series Saints & Sinners while maintaining a recurring role on Kevin Hart’s reality spoof The Real Husbands of Hollywood (BET). Recently, Calloway starred in Southside With You, the story of President Barack and fMichelle Obama’s first date, but she is best known for her iconic roles in Coming to America, What’s Love Got To Do With It and The Temptations.
Posted in Photos | Leave a commentOprah Winfrey and Renée Elise Goldsberry Talk Henrietta Lacks For Essence April Cover
March 21, 2017“I feel within me and have always felt; from the time I was reciting Sojourner and Margaret Walker and Fannie Lou Hamer, I always felt the spirit of those women abiding in me. The same is true for Henrietta Lacks…”—Oprah Winfrey, Essence When Oprah Winfrey read how one Black woman’s countless contributions to science saved millions, she turned the best-selling book into her next movie. This month she, along with Broadway and TV phenom Renée Elise Goldsberry (who plays the film’s title character), star in the unheralded story of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, airing on HBO April 22nd. In Essence’s article, Into the Light, both stars talk about the incredible significance of Lacks; whose cells—called HeLa—have been used globally in the development of the polio vaccine as well as treatments for Parkinson’s, leukemia, hemophilia and the flu. While vials of the cells by the millions have been reproduced, sold and stored in research labs, most scientists who work with them knew nothing about the woman they’d come from. Until now… The April issue of Essence hits newsstands Friday, March 24. For more on this issue, visit here, and see below for quotes. Oprah’s Article Quotes: On Why Henrietta Lack’s Story is Important: “I’ve been intrigued by this idea of what hearing someone else’s story can do for you. It is through the stories of other African-American women that I felt my own sense of identity and came into my own power…” On How Everything is Connected: “I will tell you that I know that all things are connected…I know that the force that is God is also part of every living thing and everything that has also lived…I feel within me and have always felt; from the time I was reciting Sojourner and Margaret Walker and Fannie Lou Hamer, I always felt the spirit of those women …
Posted in Music | Leave a commentBaywatch In Theaters May 25
March 20, 2017BAYWATCH follows devoted lifeguard Mitch Buchannon (Johnson) as he butts heads with a brash new recruit (Efron). Together, they uncover a local criminal plot that threatens the future of the Bay. Director -Seth Gordon,Cast – Dwayne Johnson, Zac Efron, Priyanka Chopra, Alexandra Daddario, Jon Bass, Kelly Rohrbach, Ilfenesh Hadera. #BeBaywatch Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BaywatchMovie/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/baywatchmovie Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/baywatchmovie/ #Baywatch
Posted in Cinema | Leave a commentMANN & WIFE SEASON THREE PREMIERES TUES. MARCH 28 AT 9:00 PM (ET) WITH TWO ALL-NEW EPISODES BACK-TO-BACK ON BOUNCE
March 20, 2017David & Tamela Mann Star in Popular Comedy Series David Mann, Tamela Mann and company bring a new assortment of hysterical family situations and laughs in the third season of their hit Bounce comedy series Mann & Wife. Bounce will double the fun by kicking off season three with two new original episodes back-to-back 9:00-10:00 pm (ET) on Tuesday, March 28. All-new Mann & Wife episodes will continue to premiere Tuesday nights at 9:00 pm (ET) through the spring on Bounce. Real-life husband and wife team David and Tamela Mann star and serve as executive producers of Mann & Wife. The half-hour situation comedy follows their characters – newlyweds and second-chance sweethearts Daniel and Toni Mann – as they laugh and love their way through the ups and downs of life as a blended family, each with two children from previous marriages. In addition to the show’s popular stars, Tony Rock is back as Daniel’s partner on the police force with Steven Wash (Daniel, Jr.), Amir O’Neil(Darren), Lauryn Kennedy Hardy (Terri) and Jadah Marie (Tosha) playing the Mann children. Terri J. Vaughn joins the cast as Daniel’s new Lieutenant and also directs an episode this season. This season sees hilarious takes on visiting family, mistaken identity, school pressure, phony health scares, an embarrassing email leak and even a 1970’s cop show spoof. Guest stars include George Wallace, Antonio Fargas, Carl Payne, Victoria Rowell, Rod “Rod Man” Thompson, DC Youngfly, Blue Kimble, Vanessa Fraction and Brely Evans. Mann & Wife co-creator Roger Bobb (House of Payne The Rickey Smiley Show) serves as executive producer and director of the series. Mann & Wife has been a smash success, setting network records for viewership in both seasons. Bounce is the only emerging broadcast network producing original scripted series, which in addition to Mann & Wife includes the current mega-hit drama Saints & Sinners and the popular comedies In The Cut and Family Time. Bounce (@BounceTV) airs on the broadcast signals of local television stations and corresponding cable carriage and features a programming mix of original and off-network …
Posted in In The Spotlight | Leave a commentPresident Obama’s NCAA Tournament Bracket Is For The Culture
March 16, 2017Boasting a Final 4 Mens bracket which includes Duke defeating the 2016 Champions Villanova, and ACC powerhouse North Carolina winning it all, this sure does shape up to be a nice one. Now we can’t confirm if his picks were based off of strength of schedule, mascots, or if the teams sport some of his favorite colors, but…what we can tell you is that President Obama is riding with the ACC on the mens side and on the women’s side of the ball he has….. Read More: https://loudgenius.com/musiccomedysports/president-obamas-ncaa-tournament-bracket-culture/
Posted in TV News | Leave a commentLOGAN In theaters March 3
March 4, 2017LOGAN Synopsis: In the near future, a weary Logan cares for an ailing Professor X in a hide out on the Mexican border. But Logan’s attempts to hide from the world and his legacy are up-ended when a young mutant arrives, being pursued by dark forces. LOGAN is directed by James Mangold who wrote the screenplay alongside Michael Green and Scott Frank. The film stars Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Richard E. Grant, Boyd Holbrook, Stephen Merchant, Dafne Keen. The film is produced by Hutch Parker, Simon Kinberg, Lauren Shuler Donner. Make sure to check out the last installment of the Wolverine series!! Logan Official Channels Hashtag: #Logan Facebook: /TheWolverineMovie Twitter: @WolverineMovie Instagram: @wponx
Posted in Cinema, Movie News | Leave a commentOscars: ‘Moonlight’ Wins Best Picture in Stunning Upset After Warren Beatty, Faye Dunaway Flub Winner
March 3, 2017by Ashley Lee Photo – David Bornfriend The ‘Bonnie and Clyde’ actors had already announced that ‘La La Land’ had taken the top honor. Moonlight ultimately shined the brightest at the Oscars on Sunday, taking home the award for best picture. Barry Jenkins’ coming-of-age drama beat out the category’s frontrunner La La Land, as well as Hidden Figures, Arrival, Fences, Hacksaw Ridge, Hell or High Water, Lion and Manchester by the Sea. The award was given to Moonlight after presenters Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway initially announced that La La Land had won best picture. As the film’s producers were making their acceptance speeches, producer Jordan Horowitz informed viewers that the category’s winner was actually Moonlight, and showed the card announcing the winner to the camera. Beatty then informed the stunned audience of the mix-up, as he and Dunaway had mistakenly been given — and read — the card for best actress, which was presented to La La Land’s Emma Stone just minutes before. READ MORE Oscars Shocker: Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway Read Wrong Best Picture Winner “I hope that it’s inspiring to people, little black boys and brown girls and other folks watching at home who feel marginalized,” said producer Adele Romanski onstage, alongside fellow producers Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner. “Take some inspiration from seeing this beautiful group of artists helmed by this amazing talent [Jenkins].” “There was a time when I thought this movie was impossible because I couldn’t bring it fruition, I couldn’t bring myself to tell another’s story. Everybody behind me on the stage said, ‘No, that’s not acceptable,’ ” added Jenkins, thanking the cast. (Watch the cast and crew of Moonlight accept the award here.) READ MORE Oscars 2017: The Complete Winners List The A24 release earned eight Oscar nominations, tying it with …
Posted in In The Spotlight | Leave a commentThe Shack in theaters March 3rd
March 3, 2017The Shack takes us on a father’s uplifting spiritual journey. After suffering a family tragedy, Mack Phillips spirals into a deep depression causing him to question his innermost beliefs. Facing a crisis of faith, he receives a mysterious letter urging him to an abandoned shack deep in the Oregon wilderness. Despite his doubts, Mack journeys to the shack and encounters an enigmatic trio of strangers led by a woman named Papa. Through this meeting, Mack finds important truths that will transform his understanding of his tragedy and change his life forever. #TheShack
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