Guess Who is coming to Patti's Dinner...

I love how creative individuals can be and how talented they are in creating their work. Imagine if Patti Labelle, Aretha Franklin, Beyonce', Rihanna, Diana Ross, Maya Angelou, and Chaka Khan all got together for a "private" dinner. Well HERE IS YOUR CHANCE!!! And trust the DRAMA explodes!!!

A Boy & His Soul Off-Broadway

By Joe Dziemianowicz
NYDailyNews.com

Colman Domingo, who appeared in the hit 'Passing Strange,' in 'A Boy and His Soul,' which he wrote and directed. The sense of smell is the strongest memory trigger.
But the ears are nothing to sniff at. Hearing tunes from vintage records rockets Colman Domingo back to the '70s and '80s, and he takes us with him in his vibrant memoir, "A Boy and His Soul." Domingo who also appeared as a regular on the second season of Logo TV's The Big Gay Sketch Show, produced by Rosie O'Donnell was best known character is his impression of Maya Angelou.

Over the one-man play's 85 minutes, he celebrates a gawky gay kid from not-always-sunny Philadelphia who comes of age, comes out of the closet and comes to see things "with adult eyes." The story is set in motion when Domingo returns to his childhood home, which his folks are selling. A big event for anyone. Flipping through old LPs by the likes of Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin and Earth, Wind & Fire in the cluttered basement — neatly realized by designers Rachel Hauck (set) and Marcus Doshi (lights) — memories bubble up faster than you can say betcha by golly, wow.

Domingo's experiences, whether it's his struggles with homosexuality or his mother Edie's mortality, aren't all that extraordinary. What gives the show its unique groove is the star himself and his contagious enthusiasm for the soul, R&B and disco tunes that became the soundtrack to his life. Domingo, who was impressive in "Passing Strange," is commanding and endearing, whether he's acting, singing along to the music (he asks you to, as well) or shaking what his mama (and choreographer Ken Roberson) gave him.

Scheduled now until October 18, performances of A BOY AND HIS SOUL run Tuesdays at 7:00pm; Wednesdays through Fridays at 8:00pm; Saturdays at 3:00pm & 8:00pm and Sundays at 3:00pm at the Vineyard Theatre (108 East 15th Street, NYC). Tickets are $55, and can be purchased either by calling 212-353-0303, or by visiting the Vineyard Theatre website - http://www.vineyardtheatre.org/. Read more: 'Passing Strange,' in 'A Boy and His Soul' by Joe Dziemianowicz

What's That on your Head? A WIG!!!

When Chris Rock’s daughter, Lola, came up to him crying and asked, “Daddy, how come I don’t have good hair?” the bewildered comic committed himself to search the ends of the earth and the depths of black culture to find out who had put that question into his little girl’s head! Director Jeff Stilson’s camera followed the funnyman, and the result is Good Hair, a wonderfully insightful and entertaining, yet remarkably serious, documentary about African American hair culture. An exposé of comic proportions that only Chris Rock could pull off, Good Hair visits hair salons and styling battles, scientific laboratories, and Indian temples to explore the way black hairstyles impact the activities, pocketbooks, sexual relationships, and self-esteem of black people. Celebrities such as Ice-T, Kerry Washington, Nia Long, Paul Mooney, Raven Symoné, Maya Angelou, and Reverend Al Sharpton all candidly offer their stories and observations to Rock while he struggles with the task of figuring out how to respond to his daughter’s question. What he discovers is that black hair is a BIG BUSINESS that doesn’t always benefit the black community and little Lola’s question might well be bigger than his ability to convince her that the stuff on top of her head is nowhere near as important as what is inside.

In Selected Cities on October 9th

Remember the Time

Go and hug your "Michael"

Yesterday I cried watching the Michael Jackson memorial. I cried for a little black boy who felt the world didn't understand him.

I cried for a little black boy who spent his adulthood chasing his childhood.

And I thought about all the young black boys out there who may feel that the world doesn't understand them.

The ones who feel that the world does not understand their baggy jeans, their swagger, their music, their anger, their struggles, their fears or the chip on their shoulder.

I worry that my son, may too, one day feel lonely in a wide, wide world.

I cried for young children of all colors who may live their life feeling like a misfit, feeling like no one understands their perspective, or their soul. What a burden to carry.

As a mother, I cried for Katherine Jackson because no mother should ever bury a child. Period. And I think about all the pain, tears and sleepless nights that she must have endured seeing her baby boy in
inner pain, seeing him struggle with his self- esteem, and his insecurities and to know that he often felt unloved. Even while the world loved him deeply.

How does it feel to think that the unconditional love we give as mothers just isn't enough to make our children feel whole?

I wonder if she still suffers thinking, "What more could I have done?"

Even Moms of music legends aren't immune to Mommy guilt, I suppose.

When Rev. Al Sharpton (who always delivers one "Awesome" funeral speech), said to Michael's children " Your Daddy was not Strange . . . . It was strange what your daddy had to deal with" I thought of all of the strange things of the world that my children would have to deal with.

Better yet, the things I hope they won't ever have to deal with anymore.

And as a mother raising a young black boy, I feel recommitted and yet a little confused as to how to make sure my son is sure enough within himself to take on the world. Especially a "strange" one. To love himself enough to now that even when the world doesn't understand you, tries to force you into it's mold or treats you unkindly, you are still beautiful, strong, and Black. How do I do that?

Today, I'm taking back "childhood" as an inalienable right for every brown little one. In a world that makes children into "booty-Shakin", mini-adults long before their time, I'm reclaiming the playful, the innocent, run-around outside, childhood as the key ingredient in raising confident adults.

Second, I will not rest until my little black boy, My Michael, knows that his broad nose is beautiful, his chocolately brown skin is beautiful, and his thick hair is beautiful.

And nothing or no one, can take that away from him. Now, ain't we Bad, ain't we Black, and ain't we Beautiful!
Maya Angelou