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In 2010, I was tasked with writing a salutatory biography on Prince for the program book that was distributed only to attendees of the 2010 BET Awards in Los Angeles. There was only one problem: no current bio on Prince existed. Because the world knew who Prince was. He had long surpassed the point of needing one. But the award show booklet did. So I opened my journalistic toolbox, and researched 40 years of Prince in all his permutations. Fortunately, I was a rabid Prince fan. This was borne out of being strictly forbidden to adore him as a young girl...

22 April, 2016 /

I am humbled and extremely excited to announce the world premiere of my first film to receive festival love: The Divorce Counselor! I want to acknowledge my gifted co-writer Tmor of Comic Diversity, my amazing co-producer Jamaal C. Lewis, my crew, and the incredibly talented cast, without whom the film could not have happened. If you are in Los Angeles for the Grammys, my first screening is the night before so do consider joining me! From my e-blast:Thembisa Mshaka can now add filmmaker to her impressive entertainment resume: her short film "The Divorce Counselor", which she wrote, produced and directed will...

07 February, 2013 /

Burger King is touting its new menu with celebrity ads featuring late night host Jay Leno, actor and director Salma Hayek, soccer icon David Beckham, and Mary J. Blige, the Grammy(r) winning Queen of Hip Hop Soul. The campaign centers around several new items including: a strawberry-banana smoothie, a garden fresh chicken salad, fried chicken strips, and a 3-cheese (again fried) chicken wrap with lettuce. I'm posting all three spots here so you can watch them and then, I will break down 5 ways Mary got played, and how Burger King missed the mark. Here's Mary's (it was blocked on YouTube): http://www.directlyrics.com/mary-j-blige-sings-heart-out-for-buger-king-news.html Leno...

03 April, 2012 /

Etta James January 25, 1938 - January 20, 2012 Just five days before her 74th birthday, music icon Etta James has passed on. After battling multiple illnesses and the demons of addiction, leukemia and its complications took her body. But her spirit, her voice, will be with us forever through a catalog that spans 5 decades and every genre of music: blues, jazz, pop, soul, R&B, even hip-hop. Jamesetta Hawkins was born in Los Angeles, but discovered in San Francisco, becoming a star on the Chess records roster in the '50s. Her Bay Area roots intersected with mine in 1989, when a green,...

20 January, 2012 /

[caption id="attachment_970" align="aligncenter" width="251" caption="BET Awards '06: Partners At Every Stage"][/caption] This post is really a quick congratulations to King B and Young Hov on expecting their first child. I tend not to swerve into gossip blog lanes but I couldn't help notice how fast the attention came away from Kim Humphries' recent wedding! When it comes to big news, the biggest entertainer since the incomparable Michael Jackson (yeah, I said it long before her husband did-click here) runs the celebrity media world! With one embrace of her bump in her gorgeous red gown on their black carpet, Beyoncé turned the VMAs into...

30 August, 2011 /

Nickolas 'Nick' Ashford 1941-2011 Anger bubbled inside me upon learning that one of the world's seminal soul and pop music voices was silenced by throat cancer at the age of 70 on August 22, 2011. Nickolas 'Nick' Ashford truly wrote the words that made the whole world fall in love. And I was literally pissed off that the same disease who claimed the earthly life of my mother had taken also taken his. And then, I had to take a moment and rethink my reaction. Nick Ashford spent his life providing everyone within the reach of his pen, the sound of his voice--with...

25 August, 2011 /

Rest In Power, Master Teacher Gil Scott-Heron Artist * Poet * Activist * Musician * Author 1949-2011 Gil Scott-Heron was called home Friday, May 27, 2011. An iconic creative spirit who left an indelible mark on Black music and indeed the entire world, you'll read obits about his public accomplishments and contributions. He is indeed a revolutionary. He is the Godfather of Spoken Word. But this piece is about what this amazing Master Teacher taught me during the three years I worked on his behalf. Gil's music used to pump at full volume in my home. My parents and he went to Lincoln University, and his...

29 May, 2011 /

Willow Smith has been in the game for a minute. She's appeared in a couple films and is now taking the music world by storm. Willow has captured the imagination of music listeners of all ages with her certified smash hit "Whip My Hair". The video debuts this week on BET during 106 & Park. Check it out here: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymKLymvwD2U&ob=av2e] No shots Rih Rih, but a nine year-old has managed to steal your thunder without baring so much as a midriff. As tweeted by poet Bassey Ikpi (my edits on the f -bomb): @BasseyworldLive: Somewhere Rhianna is poking the f*** out of a 9...

20 October, 2010 /

  Anna Marie Wooldrige, PKA Abbey Lincoln 1930-2010 [caption id="attachment_768" align="aligncenter" width="132" caption="Natural Beauty: Abbey Lincoln"][/caption] I met my Abbey Lincoln through my parents. Well, not literally. My father introduced me to her heady mix of soaring and sobering vocal style by playing "Bird Alone" for me many years ago. I've loved her voice ever since. My mother introduced me to Abbey as an actress in the seminal film, Nothing But A Man, in which she starred as Josie. If you don't know this film, Netflix it and IMDB it. It is a classic story of race and relationships. Abbey Lincoln delivers a tour-de-force performance. But then,...

16 August, 2010 /

I am on record as being one who advocated for the forgiveness of the multi-talented, multi-platinum Chris Brown as far back as February 2009, when the most media and much of the public wanted to banish and boycott him forever. His missteps with the media in the aftermath turned the fury way up, as he looked far from remorseful—especially in contrast to Rihanna’s composed, deliberate testimony on 20/20. I understand the fury; I was furious about his assault of Rihanna on Grammy Night 2009 too. But this rigid, visceral approach to such a layered issue is neither humane nor realistic. Endless castigation does not...

29 June, 2010 /