AMBERMAG.COM PRESENTS SURVIVAL SECRETS OF GAME CHANGERS on TUESDAY, APRIL 3, 2012 at 7PM

AMBERMAG.COM PRESENTS

SURVIVAL SECRETS OF GAME CHANGERS
WITH KIERNA MAYO, EDITORIAL DIRECTOR OF EBONY.COM

& LOLA OGUNNAIKE, CONTRIBUTOR FOR THE TODAY SHOW
TUESDAY, APRIL 3, 2012 @ 7 P.M.

WHO: As an editor, Kierna Mayo is known for her creative as well as intellectual vision, and the former co-founder of Honey magazine will share her true editorial story--from her early days at The Source magazine to launching Honey, the first ever magazine for young, fly multicultural females, and life afterward, which includes becoming a Senior Editor at Cosmo Girl, founding Editorial Director of Tyra Banks' TypeF.com to now, steering Ebony.com into the next century.

Lola Ogunnaike has interviewed some of today's most notable personalities while serving as a culture reporter for The New York Times, CNN and BET. She is the go-to gal for what's haute in popular culture and an award-winning writer who has profiled luminaries from Jay-Z to Sting to Oprah and First Lady Michelle Obama. She shifts effortlessly between the worlds of print and broadcast, offering her unique entertainment-based commentary on programs such as Larry King Live, The Today Show, The View and most recently for BET's special coverage of Whitney Houston's funeral. Her articles and cover stories have appeared in Harper's Bazaar, New York Magazine, Vibe, Rolling Stone, The New York Times, Glamour, InStyle, and Essence to name a few, and her work was featured in the Best Music Writing of 2010 anthology. Currently, she is a Contributing Reporter for The Today Show, BET News, and a Contributing Writer for Essence and Vibe magazines.

During this series both will offer insights about turning their passions into dream careers; the biggest lessons they learned along the way, being fearless about blazing new trails, and telling the truth about what it takes to make it to the top of today's media world.

WHAT: Survival Secrets of Game Changers is AMBERmag.com’s Empowerment Speaker Series designed to highlight prominent women and men from the African-American and Latino communities, who have changed the game for themselves and created a niche where there was none. Presented as either a one-on-one or panel discussion, the series provides an intimate and candid conversation between our esteemed Game Changer(s) and the audience, where sharing the lessons they’ve learned as an entrepreneur, trailblazer or C-level executive, inspires, excites and uplifts. Survival Secrets is co-sponsored by UniWorld Group, The Beautiful Experience and Abba-Cole Catering. Promotional sponsors include NV Magazine, Michelle O Brunch & the FAB Network.

WHEN: Tuesday, April 3, 2012
7 p.m. VIP & Press interviews with speakers
7 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.: Doors open to the public
7:35 p.m. to 8:35 p.m.: Discussion
8:35 p.m. to 9 p.m.: Networking

WHERE: UNIWORLD GROUP
1 Metrotech North, 11^th Floor (Corner of Jay Street and Myrtle)
Brooklyn, New York 11201

Click here to RSVP: http://events.ambermag.com/rsvpmaker/survival-secrets-of-media-game-changers/

For Media Inquiries, Contact: Marcia Cole: Mcole@ambermag.com

Sneak Preview: Nelson George and Diane Paragas' Brooklyn Boheme

Join us for a preview screening of Brooklyn Boheme, a new documentary from award-winning Nelson George, director of the HBO feature film, Life Support (2007), which won Queen Latifah a Golden Globe for Best Actress.

Brooklyn Boheme takes a look back at the close-knit African American/Latino neighborhood in Fort Greene, prior to gentrification, when the community nurtured a new wave of original and uniquely talented artists, among them, Spike Lee, Chris Rock, Rosie Perez, Branford Marsalis, and many other creative innovators featured in this film.

Nelson George, Co-Director/Writer/Producer, Brooklyn Boheme; director, Life Support; author, City Kid, Hip Hop America, The Plot Against Hip Hop

Diane Paragas, co-director, Brooklyn Boheme; television writer/producer/director (BET, MTV and CBS News)

Presented with Kumble Theater for the Performing Arts, Media Arts Dept., Long Island University, Brooklyn Campus

Sponsored by BET

Book signing of The Plot Against Hip Hop follows.

WHEN: Tuesday, February 7, 6:30 to 9:00 pm

WHERE: Kumble Theater, Long Island University, Brooklyn Campus, Flatbush Ave.

(DeKalb & Willoughby)

Don't miss next month's preview screening with Nelson George and Diane Paragas. Space is limited, so be sure to RSVP at www.cencom.org. You can also e-mail info@cencom.org or call (212) 686-5005.

Rihanna's 'Man Down' Video: Experts Weigh In On Controversy

By Gil Kaufman

Like any good piece of art, Rihanna's controversial "Man Down" video has elicited a wide variety of opinions, running the gamut from condemnation for its bloodshed to praise for its attempt to grapple with the complex issue of violence against women

"It strikes me first and foremost that she is working out personal issues through her art," said Terry O'Neill, national president of the National Organization for Women, who lauded the singer's talent and stressed that she did not find the video exploitive at all.

A number of groups slammed the clip after its premiere, taking issue with the opening scene, in which a hidden Rihanna is shown shooting an unarmed man in the back of the head in the middle of a crowded train station. Viewers later learn that the act was in retaliation for a previous sexual assault.

" 'Man Down' is an inexcusable, shock-only, shoot-and-kill theme song," said Industry Ears co-founder Paul Porter, a former programming director at BET, where the video debuted earlier this week and remains in rotation.

But O'Neill said that like Rihanna's collaboration with Eminem on the "Love the Way You Lie" video — which also tackled issues of domestic abuse — "Man Down" is another example of Rihanna "trying to grapple with the multifaceted nature of violence against women as an artist. Obviously violence is not the way to solve anything and both videos depict violence. In one, it's a man who feels justified in committing violence against a woman and in the other a woman who feels instantly very remorseful in her killing." For O'Neill, "Man Down" does not cross the line into portraying violence in an effort to titillate.

"One of the main messages it leaves you with is violence breeds more violence and everyone can see that and also detect some problems with that," said Stephanie Nilva, Executive Director of Day One, New York's leading teen relationship abuse-focused organization. "I respect the fact that Rihanna is trying to draw attention to these issues, but I don't think viewers are necessarily getting healthy messages from it."

Another concern for Nilva, given the implied sexual abuse in the clip, is the underlying impression that young women who dress a certain way or go dancing in clubs are naive or should feel at risk. That too, she said, sends a muddled message about sexual assault. "What it doesn't do is open up a discussion about how men's violence is frequently about controlling women and not about violence they've experienced at that person's hands," she said.

After posting a defense of the clip, Rihanna got plenty of support from her fans on Twitter, where the comments included such sentiments as "it's really ironic how women r always exploited n videos ... we watch women be raped & murdered. Now a woman flips the coin & look!"

Another fan wrote, "You opened the eyes of all women living under a dark cloud that needed a voice. 'Man Down' is the voice. I love you." Others called it "inspiring" and praised Rihanna for tackling the issue of sexual abuse, writing, " 'Man Down' video portrays REAL situations that can happen to ANYONE! Do yoo thing ri!" Rihanna also pleaded with her fans to stop making threats against members of the PTC, writing, "We love it, they don't ... that is all, and the world keeps turning."

Given the message of empowerment some of Rihanna's fans appear to have taken from the video, Nilva noted that one of the messages Day One imparts to young people is that violence is never appropriate. "I wouldn't say that perpetrating violence against someone is a form of empowerment, just like you wouldn't say a man raping a woman is a form of empowerment," she said. "It's a complicated message to get young people to absorb that — what it means to be an empowered person — and it would be nice to see more images of strength that are not about exercising violence or power over other people."

As a survivor of relationship violence at the hands of her ex, Chris Brown, Nilva said the singer is clearly under the microscope when it comes to this topic. But given that people are likely to pay more attention to what she has to say about it because of her fame and the notoriety surrounding Brown's 2009 assault, Nilva said it would be preferable to see a more positive message from Rihanna on the topic.

O'Neill said she's confident that Rihanna's fans will understand the message of the clip because any woman who has experienced violence from a partner or acquaintance knows that among the emotions you feel in addition to anger and rage are humiliation and fear and a desire for revenge.

"Many women who have experienced violence, of course, have those feelings and this video seems to be a fictional portrayal of those feelings and is not intended to be instructional," O'Neill said, calling it a kind of catharsis for viewers. "The other aspect that is part of the message is the fact that if you act on your desire to kill this rapist, you will then throw yourself down the rabbit hole of remorse and criminal accountability and be sent to prison. There are repercussions and the video clearly says that."

At press time, MTV's Facebook poll asking whether the video goes too far had the "no" votes leading the "yes" votes by a margin of three-to-one.

Do you think Rihanna's "Man Down" video goes too far? Cast your vote in our Facebook poll and share your thoughts in the comments below.

Huffington Deal Raises Question: What Site Will Be Sold Next?

By EVELYN M. RUSLI

In agreeing to buy The Huffington Post for $315 million, AOL is putting what appears to be a significant premium on the ability to attract and build a community of readers.

Yet as more and more advertising dollars flow to the Web and to mobile devices, demand for popular and prolific online content producers like The Huffington Post, is rising. The market for online advertising is expected to increase 14 percent, to $51.9 billion, this year, according to the research firm Borrell Associates.

With that kind of growth, the deal for The Huffington Post is expected to raise the bar for other independent online media companies whose audiences have surged with the help of social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook.

Speculation is now turning to what prices others could fetch should they ever go on the block. Among the biggest is Gawker Media, home to a collection of popular sites, such as its flagship property and technology blog, Gizmodo, which attracts about 19 million users a month, according to comScore. Glam Media, a group of beauty and fashion sites geared toward women, boasts 87.8 million visitors a month.

The three-year-old Business Insider, something akin to a business version of The Huffington Post, with its mix of breaking original content and aggregation, attracts 3.5 million visitors a month, comScore says. And companies like AOL and Yahoo have been on the prowl for content providers.

“Right now, the macroeconomic turnaround and the explosive growth in mobile, is causing Internet companies to accelerate their investments and there’s a question of what is content,” said Ben Schachter, an analyst with Macquarie Securities. “Companies like AOL and Yahoo are in a battle to make themselves relevant.”

For that reason, analysts barely blinked at a valuation for The Huffington Post that by most measures was a lofty one. The price is 6.3 times The Huffington Post’s projected revenue of more than $50 million for this year. That’s more expensive than the $25 million AOL paid last September to acquire TechCrunch, which claims to generate about $10 million in annual revenues.

If one uses AOL’s projections for revenue growth and costs savings in 2012, the price for The Huffington Post comes to 10 times earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization or Ebitda, wrote Mark S. Mahaney, an analyst with Citigroup. “Not cheap, but not outrageous for a relatively high quality asset with strong top-line growth, current profitability and margin expansion potential,” he wrote.

Read the entire issue here: www.NYTimes.com

HuffPost to Team Up with BET Cofounder Sheila Johnson on HuffPost GlobalBlack

By David Cohen

The Huffington Post will team up with BET cofounder Sheila Johnson to launch HuffPost GlobalBlack, an online platform that will examine news, politics, culture, opinion, and video through an African-American perspective.

HuffPost GlobalBlack will also feature a group blog with “leading thinkers, newsmakers, personalities, and provocateurs.”

HuffPost co-founder and editor-in-chief Arianna Huffington said:

We couldn’t be more excited to be partnering with Sheila Johnson, a true media visionary, on creating what we hope will become a go-to destination for both the African-American community and everyone who cares about these deeply important issues — in America and across the world. HuffPost GlobalBlack will synthesize Sheila’s insights and perspectives on culture and media, and HuffPost’s unique blend of real-time social news and engagement. This a two-way partnership, with HuffPost GlobalBlack content and vision informing all of HuffPost’s coverage, and HuffPost’s editorial and reporting team covering stories shaping the black community.

Johnson added:

The Huffington Post is at the center of social news: the idea that people want to engage in the news and opinion of the day and not just consume them. The Huffington Post is the ideal partner for us to create a thriving online black community of scale, a forum for ideas and discussion meant to inform, engage, surprise, and entertain.

BET Honors Beauty IMAN for It's 4th Annual Event

On Saturday the 4th Annual BET Honors was hosted by Gabrielle Union. Celebration of special contributions of the six honorees in the arts and culture, the award show was a 2 hour event. Before the big show, the celebrities were on the red carpet of the BET Honors 2011 showing off their threads.

This inspirational award show which highlights distinguished African Americans performing at exceptional levels in their fields will premiere during Black History Month. The 2011 award ceremony were Cicely Tyson (Theatrical Arts), Jamie Foxx (Entertainer), Iman (Service), Linda Johnson Rice (Media), Herbie Hancock (Musical Arts), and historian Lonnie G. Bunch (Education).

Take a look at the red carpet of the 4th Annual BET Honors. The celebrities appear to be delighted to be part of the evening. The BET Honors will be on BET Channel on Monday, February 21 at 9:00 pm. Red Carpet Photos - Here

Iman's hair courtesy of Celebrity Hairstylist Oscar James at www.OscarJames.com

DEL HARRISON IS ON THE MOVE!!!!

It’s rare you get to meet greatness, a person that you share a moment in time together or work with in life or even if lucky get to know them before they become famous. When I started my career in the entertainment business, I met a number of people who I knew instantly, this person is going places, Tyra Banks, Boris Kodjoe and Cameron Diaz. Last week, I add comedian Del Harrison to that list. She is a very talented, funny and beautiful person. I am the Vice President of her new fan club, Cute Chicks Unite. To prove my point, Mo’Nique asked Del on to her BET talk show as a special guest this season.

Check out Del Harrison…

And she also a talking head on GLO TV Network.

Remember that name! I told you FIRST PEOPLE!!!

Lil Mogul

Ruby Dee Honored at BET's "Black Girls Rock!" Ceremony

By Joyce Lee

Ruby Dee, the actress who co-starred in the 1961 film adaption of "A Raisin in the Sun," was one of the many women honored at the 5th Annual "Black Girls Rock!" event, which aired Sunday on BET.

Dee, who is also known for being a political activist, journalist and poet, as well as an award-winning actress, was the receipt of this year's Living Legend Award.

"It's times like these that I come to understand and appreciate profoundly the empowerment and promise, the responsibility in being deemed a legend," Dee said in her acceptance speech, according to the press release.

The award show, which celebrated the power and influence of black women, also honored producer and rap artist Missy Elliot, who was the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award, and Teresa Clarke, the founder of Africa.com, who was given the Trailblazer Award.

Sunday's event, hosted by actress Nia Long, also featured musical performances by Keri Hilson, Ciara and Shontelle, but the show stopper was from Kelly Price, Marsha Ambrosius, Jill Scott & Ledisi.