Motown Launches Casting Call for Actors to Play Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye and Smokey Robinson

By Adam Hetrick

Producers of the upcoming Broadway musical Motown are launching a nationwide casting search for African-American actors to portray young versions of Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder as well as such music legends as Marvin Gaye and Smokey Robinson.

In addition to a previously launched online casting campaign, the creative team has announced open auditions in Detroit, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Chicago and New York City in advance of Motown's Broadway debut this spring at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre. The musical is based on the life of record mogul Berry Gordy.

The casting breakdown is seeking one actor between the ages of 8 and 11 with a "phenomenal high tenor" voice who can sing and move like Jackson at 10-years-old, during his Jackson 5 days and also portray 11-year-old Stevie Wonder and a pre-teen Gordy himself, described as a "bit of a hustler and bit of a dreamer."

In addition, adult actors are being sought to portray the physical and vocal likenesses of Marvin Gaye and Smokey Robinson. An additional African-American actor with a low bass range (solid low C) and female African-American singers who can cover the songs of Diana Ross are also being sought during these calls.

Auditions will take place in Detroit and New York City on Nov. 3; followed by Los Angeles on Nov. 10; Chicago on Nov. 18; and Atlanta on Dec. 1.
Click here for more information on the auditions. Online submissions are also being accepted.

Gordy, who also authored the book to Motown, is producing the musical along with Tony winner Kevin McCollum (Rent, In the Heights, Avenue Q) and Sony Music CEO Doug Morris. The jukebox musical will begin Broadway previews March 11, 2013, towards an April 14, 2013, opening.

Charles Randolph-Wright will direct Motown, which will be studded with songs made famous by Smokey Robinson and The Miracles, Diana Ross and The Supremes, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, The Temptations, Michael Jackson and The Jackson Five.

Tony nominee Brandon Victor Dixon (The Color Purple, The Scottsboro Boys) and Valisia LeKae (Ragtime, The Book of Mormon) will co-star as Gordy and Diana Ross, respectively.

The musical promises "a gripping story about the protégés and stars of a uniquely talented musical family who, under Berry Gordy's guidance, began as 'the Sound of Young America' and went on to become some of the greatest superstars of all time."

Romelda Teron Benjamin LIVE @ The Triad

Romelda Teron Benjamin

MY WAY 

LIVE @ The Triad

Tonight - 7/30 @ 9:30PM

158 W. 72 ST - NYC

NEW YORK, NY – July 24, 2012- The Triad Theatre Presents Broadway’s Romelda Teron Benjamin making her cabaret debut in her new solo show, “My Way!” on Monday, July 30th at 9:30pm. “My Way” features Musical Director Michael Mitchell on Piano, Lonnie Christian on Drums, David Rosenthal on Guitar and on Bass, Chelton Grey. Together, they create Romelda Teron Benjamin’s “My Way” – “a powerful evening of fun, laughter and a whole lot of sangin'!” says Benjamin.

Featured in Broadway's Brooklyn and Pre-Broadway's Catch Me If You Can, critics have hailed Benjamin:

"...a vocal knockout!" Talkinbroadway.com, 

Matthew Murray, "...a hallelujah gospel solo voice..." 

David Cameron, "...A powerhouse... irresistible!" 

Barbara Adams, 

"Romelda Teron Benjamin hitting her mark with some big notes 

and impressing the audience in doing so." 

Steve Clare, Examiner.com.

Tickets are $15 + 2 drink minimum at: www.brownpapertickets.com The Triad is cash only. The Triad Theatre is located at 158 West 72nd Street (between Broadway & Columbus) www.triadnyc.com -

XIX INTERNATIONAL AIDS Conference presents Cornelius Jones Jr.

Making his return to the nation’s capital

Broadway’s Cornelius Jones Jr.

in his new solo-show/poetic memoir

SHADOWS & LIGHTS 

“Cornelius Jones’s life is a profile in courage.”

-Washington City Paper

“...highly reflective, purposeful, and raw oral history..”

-Ramon Johnson, gaylife.about.com

“...the creation of a new form of myth among gay black men, a kind

of “Everyman” of the modern age and this community."

-Philip Fletcher, dctheatrescene.com

"impressive is Jones’ ability to transform that self-awareness into a frank,

funny, and revealing one-man show."

-Aaron Weiner, WashingtonCityPaper.com

"His minimalist writing, recalling in some ways e.e. cummings, carves out finely designed pictographs for the mind to explore."

--Pandora Scooter, CEO Fushicho Entertainment & Spoken Word Artist

“Jones' prose pops and percolates, possessing an immediacy and energy so electric… you will be on the edge of your seat, captured by the rapture of Jones' "a-to-the-men" testimonies on love and lust, hurt and healing, sadness and celebration."

- James Earl Hardy, author of the bestselling B-Boy Blues series

“Cornelius is simply masterful with the poetic word in Shadows and Lights; he writes with a fire in his soul that burns in the rhythm of his prose.  He teaches us not only how to live, but how to love - especially ourselves!”

- Lee Hayes, author of The Bad Seed, Passion Marks, and the forthcoming The First Male

What: Shadows & Lights

Who: Cornelius Jones Jr./SHADOWS & LIGHTS presented by

XIX International AIDS Conference

Where: GLOBAL VILLAGE MAINSTAGE – Washington Convention Center

801 Mount Vernon Place NW, Washington, DC 20001

When: Tuesday July 24 @ 7:00PM

FREE & OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

Info: www.aids2012.org - www.corneliusjonesjr.com

Press Contact: info@corneliusjonesjr.com, 917-334-7526

About Shadows & Lights

Broadway Actor Cornelius Jones Jr. brings together an intimate program of spoken word, movement, and song. Crowd favorites such as: Pump, Plié, Jump, Vulnerability, House Music and Still Swimming are performed to illustrate socially charged topics rooted in love, hope, and solidarity. In this original solo-performance Cornelius courageously shares how it is to live and survive with HIV; as a gay man and as a performing artist. Paying homage to leaders who have helped shaped him; and all the young men and women with dreams, who have grown up gay, who have become positive, and who have not had the chance to express their experiences, the performance aims to be beacon of hope in which we accept our circumstances and move on to become better for ourselves and for our community.

2010 Lorraine Hansberry Nia Award Recipient

2009 Capital Fringe Festival “Best of Fest” awarded by DCTheaterscene.com

2008 Midtown International Theater Festival Nominee:

    Outstanding Performance in a Solo-Show

Cornelius Jones Jr. 

Actor-Author-Playwright-Performance Artist-Educator

Featured in Broadway’s The Lion King &

in the LOGO and Gilead sponsored PSA:

“I AM LIVING MY TRUTH”,

which aired on MTV's LOGO Network.

Artist Information:

www.corneliusjonesjr.com

About the XIX International AIDS Conference

AIDS 2012 will bring together leading scientists, public health experts, policy makers and the HIV-affected community to translate recent momentous scientific advances into action that will address means to end the epidemic within the current context of significant global economic challenges.

The conference will have a positive impact on the HIV and AIDS response globally, and in the United States and Washington, D.C. in particular. The theme, Turning the Tide Together, captures the uniqueness of the moment, with the AIDS epidemic reaching a defining point. By acting decisively on recent scientific advances in HIV treatment and biomedical prevention, the momentum for a cure and vaccine, and the continuing evidence of the ability to scale up key interventions in the most-needed settings, we now have the potential to change the course of HIV and AIDS.  Turning the Tide Together captures the current sense of hope and the renewed optimism that a change of course in the HIV epidemic is possible. it also serves as an urgent call to action. It acknowledges that seizing this potential and actually turning the tide on HIV will require commitment and action on many levels: that each and every stakeholder in the AIDS response must play their roles.

Blair Underwood & Nicole Ari Parker in A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE on Broadway

This season, desire is taking on a whole new rhythm as the greatest play  from America’s most celebrated playwright sizzles onto the stage at The Broadhurst Theatre. From the producers of the trailblazing 2008 Broadway production of Cat On A Hot Tin Roof, starring James Earl Jones and Terrence Howard, comes a hot new take on Tennessee Williams’ Pulitzer Prize-winning masterpiece, A Streetcar Named Desire. Leading this sizzling new cast is Blair Underwood (L.A. Law) in his Broadway debut as Stanley Kowalski, Nicole Ari Parker (Soul Food) as Blanche DuBois, Daphne Rubin-Vega (Rent) as Stella Kowalski and Wood Harris (The Wire) as Mitch. Directed by Emily Mann (Artistic Director of Princeton’s esteemed McCarter Theatre) and featuring an original score by five-time Grammy Award® winner Terence Blanchard, this scintillating Streetcar brings a whole new rhythm to Williams’ enduring portrait of sex, class and secrets in one of America’s most fascinating and diverse cities. Come and feel the heat.  Broadhurst Theatre, 235 West 44th Street, NYC. Performance ScheduleTues 7pm, Wed 2 & 8pm, Thurs 7pm, Fri 8pm, Sat 2 & 8pm, Sun 3pm Week ending July 8: Mon 7pm, Tues 7pm, Wed-Dark-July 4th, Thurs 7pm, Fri 8pm, Sat 2 & 8pm Sun 2 & 8pm BUY NOW and SAVE OVER 35%* Front Orchestra & Front Mezzanine $79.50 to $89.50* Rear Orchestra & Middle Mezzanine $69.50* Rear Mezzanine $49.50* *Offer valid on select performances and seat locations. Restrictions may apply. Visit BroadwayOffers.com mention code: ASFLY79 or call 212 947-8844 For groups pf 10 or more, call Toni, 718 703-2260

Thelma Hill Performing Arts Center Presents 35th Annual Showcase in Brooklyn

By Walter Rutledge

The Thelma Hill Performing Arts Center (THPAC) will present their annual choreographers showcase entitled Souls of Our Feet: People of Color Dance Festival at the Kumble Theater located on the downtown Brooklyn campus of Long Island University. The three-day event will take on Sunday June 17, Tuesday June 19 and Wednesday June 20. The Sunday June 17 opening performance is at 7pm, the June 19 and 20 performances begin at 7:30 pm.

The showcase will highlight the work of seven new, emerging and established choreographers and dance companies. The artists/companies to be presented are Germaul Barnes/Viewsic Expressions Dance, Sidra Bell Dance, DANCE IQUAIL, Danse4Nia, Francesca Harper Project, Jamal Jackson Malcolm Low, and Tony and Emmy Award winner George Faison. This varied and diverse group will offer a program ranging from dance/theatre to abstract narratives.

In Photo: Rachel Neville and Iquail Shaheed Photo Credit: Joseph “Nana” Sargent

This season marks the thirty-six year of arts presenting by THPAC. Larry Phillips founded the organization in 1976 to offer performance opportunities for underserved artists of color. The organization has provided a nurturing environment and much need visibility to many emerging and established artists and companies. Alvin Aley American Dance Theater, Ailey II, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Philadanco, Ronald K. Brown and Evidence, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, George Faison, Louis Johnson, Rod Rogers, and Forces of Nature are but a few of the many artists presented by the Thelma Hill Performing Arts Center.

Under the direction of Executive Director Alex Smith, Jr. the organization continues its commitment to showcase the next generation of artist and companies. THPAC also prides itself on preserving and educating the public by presenting important/ timeless masterworks by established choreographers. In additions to this series THPAC will present three more events including two PEEKS performances, which presents works in progress and a restaging of the 2010 production Ramp To Paradise. What Is, the work being presented by the Francesca Harper Project in the Souls of Our Feet series was presented as a work in progress at last year at PEEKS.

The organization accomplishes this on an ever-increasingly meager budget; literally taking the financial equivalent of three fish and five loaves and somehow each year feeds the “multitude” of dance enthusiasts. “This is the season of our discontent. It is at both the best of times and worst of times. The arts, and dance in particular find themselves under great financial strains due to scarce and dwindling funding outlets. But THPAC, which has weathered many a storm, has mined the dance community for the best of the best once again to bring to the stage and to our audiences. We just keep going!” says Alex Smith, Jr.

Tickets are now on sale of the Thelma Hill Performing Arts Center’s Souls Of Our Feet. Tickets can be purchased Tickets at the Kumble Theater box office, 718-488-1624, and online at www.kumbletheater.org. Special ticket sale price of $10 before June 17.

The FUTURE's Cornelius Jones Jr. - &Now Festival 2012: New Writingin PARIS!

Cornelius Jones Jr. selected for 

"&Now Festival 2012: New Writing in PARIS!"

June 6-10, 2012

Cornelius Jones Jr., actor-author-advocate-playwright-spoken word/performance artist.  Former cast member of Broadway's The Lion King, featured in MTV's LOGO PSA: "I AM LIVING MY TRUTH," and author of the debut poetic memoir Shadows & Lights.  Appearing June 6-10, in Paris, FRANCE part of the 2012 & Now Festival" and he needs your help on indiegogo.com.  

CONTROVERSIAL STREETCAR/ Nicole and Blair on MSNBC

With regard to the "Nay Sayers," like the New Yorker theater critic, John Lahr, that asked Santa Clause, last Christmas, to bring him no more "Infernal all black cast productions of Tennessee Williams' plays, unless he can have his equal in 'FOLLY'; an all white production of an August Wilson play!" "FOLLY," really?!  

We have been having such an AMAZING run, playing to full houses, standing ovations EVERY night, since the very first preview. Our run on Broadway was just extended another month until August 19th and all systems are go for us to take the production to London in Oct. Though 90 % of the reviews have been positive...(we are, after all critiquing an art form and everyone is entitled to their own opinions), it is the commentaries from the likes of John Lahr (theater critic for The New Yorker magazine) and racist rants from NY Times critic Ben Brantley masquerading as a "review," where you realize that they are not even remotely interested in reviewing or critiquing the work and/or artistry upon the stage. The so-called guardian Elite of the New York theater world, would rather take a position of condescension and dismissal when  people of color have the "audacity" to take on the extraordinary, beautiful work of Tennessee Williams. Once you know your history and know that there was indeed a culture of people (in the 1700s), endemic to Louisiana called the "gens de colour libre," or "free people of color," and that these people owned plantations and some actually owned their own slaves, there is no basis to dismiss the backstory of our Dubois sisters who hail from their family owned plantation called Belle Reeve. Or to dismiss the part of the story where Blanche Dubois pines for an oil millionaire called Shep Huntleigh. If these dismissive Nay Sayers knew their history, they would know that there were a number of black people that owned oil wells in the 30s and 40s:

These are three actual black millionaires in the deep south of the 1930s and 40s that serve as prototypes for Shep Huntleigh.

William Madison McDonald 

Gooseneck Bill McDonald moved to Fort Worth in 1906.  He built the Fraternal Bank and Trust Company in 1912.  The bank was located at 401 E. Ninth Street. The bank was successful and survived the Great Depression. The bank provided loans to African American entrepreneurs during the segregated era.

According to a 1984 Fort Worth Star Telegram story, Mc Donald was “Ft. Worth’s first black millionaire”. He lived in a 12 room mansion on Terrell Avenue  His home “rivaled any in Fort Worth at the time.”

Joseph Jacob Simmons

Joseph Jacob Simmons, Jr. (January 17, 1901 – March 24, 1981) was a prominent African American oilman. He "rose above humble beginnings to become the most successful and most recognizable black entrepreneur in the history of the petroleum industry."

As an internationally known oil broker he partnered with Phillips Petroleum Company and Signal Oil and Gas Company to open up African oil fields in Liberia, Nigeria and Ghana. In 1969, he became the first black to be appointed to the National Petroleum Council

The headline from this conversation is: BLACK FOLKS, STAY IN YOUR PLACE!

As long as we stay in our place and do only the great "Black" classics, like "Fences," "Porgy and Bess," "A Raisin In The Son,"  etc. your artistry will be lauded and touted, (as it should be), but if you dare step into the deified realm of Tennessee Williams, expect profound resistance and resentment. This is evident not only in our production but in "Cat On A Hot Tin Roof," produced by the same producers; Stephen Byrd and Alia Jones in 2008 with an all-black cast. Incidentally, with the same dismissive climate, "Cat" prevailed and became the highest grossing "play" (not musical) of the year!

I saw the production and the work was stellar.

"Cat boasted three previous Tony Award "winners;" James Earl Jones, Phylicia Rashad and Anika Noni Rose, but the reviews were blistering and the entire company, cast and crew were completely ignored and shut out of a single Tony nomination, the highest honor in the world of Broadway. Ironically, so were we, save a deserved Tony nomination for Paul Tazewell's costumes. Though the costumes are terrific, are you telling me that when you come to see our play the ONLY thing you are left with is how amazing the costumes are? dismissal and condescension.

Once again, you realize that the "resistance" and "resentment" is not based on the work. We are not being judged based on the work. It is the "power of the idea," that seems to unnerve the "elite;" the idea that people of color could produce and perform Tennessee Williams and do it well. The beauty in all of this is that when an ideas time has come it cannot and will not be ignored!

Nicole and I decided to make a concerted effort to expose John Lahr and other's ignorance with regard to people of color doing Tennessee Williams. We did an interview on MSNBC on Thursday with the brilliant Michael Eric Dyson. The response and buzz has been phenomenal. Feel free to send the video viral if you like. Thanks much.

Blair

Check out the link below:
http://www.bing.com/videos/watch/video/a-streetcar-named-desire-reborn-with-blair-underwood/6smlw5d?from=

My Friend Cornelius Jones Jr is KING!!!

YES, it's true my friend Cornelius Jones Jr is KING!!! Did you know he was in the Broadway production for more than 10 years and the traveled on the road and was featured in the Las Vegas production?

"The Lion King" has dethroned "The Phantom of the Opera" as Broadway's all-time box-office champion. The Disney musical, based on the popular animated movie, has grossed a total of $853.8 million since opening on Broadway in 1997.

The gross figure, which represents Broadway box-office receipts only and not worldwide revenue, was confirmed by a spokeswoman at Disney Theatrical Productions. She said the figure has not been adjusted for inflation.

"Phantom" has grossed approximately $853.1 million since opening in 1988.

The crowning of "The Lion King" as Broadway's new box-office leader comes with a caveat, however. The Disney musical has benefited from higher ticket prices than "Phantom."

Figures provided by the Broadway League show that the average ticket price for "The Lion King" was recently $155.09, compared with a recent average ticket price for "Phantom" of $98.97.

Lil Mogul is so PROUD of him!!!

I was backstage and on stage in NEW YORK CITY!!!

LaChanze, Will Power, Kamilah Forbes and More live in performance April 30th

EVENT DETAILS: You are cordially invited to attend the Impact Broadway Spring Fundraiser Event Join us for an evening of performances, fun, food and celebration! Hosted By: Kamilah Forbes, Artistic Director Hip Hop Theater Festival Performances By: LaChanze, Tony Award Winner, The Color Purple Alexis Houston, Singer Alls Well Music Will Power, Playwright and Performer Monday, April 30, 2012 at Chocolat Restaurant and Lounge 2217-23 Frederick Douglass Boulevard corner of 120th Street New York 10026 5:00pm Doors Open 5:30pm-7:30pm Reception/Program Festive Attire RSVP to Nicole Judd by April, 23rd Email impactnicole@gmail.com or (718) 703-2260 Ticket: $50 Purchase Tickets online via Paypal link: http://www.impactbroadway.com/fundraising-benefit-reception/ WHAT IS IMPACT BROADWAY? Impact Broadway is a multifaceted youth, audience development program focused on empowering African American and Latino students to become active participants in the theater community. Impact Broadway Co-Founders Donna Walker Kuhne and Cherine Anderson For more information, visit www.impactbroadway.com

Arts.Advocacy+Wellness: "Thought for the day"

Thought for the Day

You must reward yourself with every little step, every little accomplishment - Well Done - Greatly Done! Approach each small accomplishment as if it is a major success...like a Heisman Award, an Oscar, a CNN Hero of the Year, McArthur Fellow, Pulitzer Prize, Guggenheim Fellow, Fullbright Fellow. You get the point. Don't diminish any of your accomplishments because the small ones are just as important as the huge ones. Embracing and praising the small accomplishments will allow you to appreciate and fully own the larger achievements even more.

Well Done! Greatly Done! Greatly Achieved!

AVAILABLE NOW

Shadows & Lights

by Cornelius Jones Jr.

CLICK HERE

To Purchase your Autographed Copy

at www.corneliusjonesjr.com/Books_Plays.html

Arts.Advocacy+Wellness: "Pump-Plie-Jump"

Pump-Plie-Jump

Hello good people. Two weeks ago, I traveled to DC to perform with Brave Soul Collective as we honored National Black HIV/AIDS awareness day through performance art and advocacy. I performed "Pump-Plie-Jump" from my book SHADOWS&LIGHTS and I must say, I had some magical moments sharing this piece. The entire performance touched, moved, and inspired many as there were stories from not only the gay male perspective, but the straight male and female, and the lesbian perspective. This night was so inclusive and so transforming.

Brave Soul Collective is gearing up for a reprise of the show during the International AIDS Conference, which takes place this summer in Washington, DC. Stay tuned as we update you with all details.

For now, please enjoy and share "Pump-Plie-Jump". I would love to hear your thoughts and I would love for you to share this with someone whom you feel will benefit from it.

HUGS,

Arts.Advocacy+Wellness: "Thought for the day"

Thought for the Day

This week: Explore something different.

Today: Take a different route to work

Tomorrow: Try a different food item on the menu

Friday: Speak to the co-worker or person, you may not speak to. Even if it is simply saying hello, or acknowledging something pleasing about the person.

For the Weekend: Notice the small shifts you made. Be open for newness to enter your life by releasing some of the old. And finally reward yourself by taking yourself on a private weekend lunch date, movie, walk, shopping, or live event (no matter how big or small be good to you).

Listen out for the increase and blessings in your life AND be open to let it flow. Let yourself be stretched and grow. The Universe has you, The Universe Loves YOU.

AVAILABLE NOW

Shadows & Lights

by Cornelius Jones Jr.

CLICK HERE

To Purchase your Autographed Copy

at www.corneliusjonesjr.com/Books_Plays.html

Arts.Advocacy+Wellness: "Shadows&Lights Available NOW"

Shadows & Lights

Scenes Through Verse and Soliloquies

NOW AVAILABLE

Finally it is here FUTURE Fam. I am so so full today and want to share in the joy with you. I hope that you find a piece of yourself, in it, while reading the poems, scenes, songs, and imagery that I express in this debut collection. Share it with yourself, share it with your friends, family, or touch a strangers life with this book.

Thank you.

CLICK HERE

Tune in next Wednesday for more

Arts.Advocacy+Wellness with Cornelius Jones Jr.

Stay connected with me:

www.corneliusjonesjr.com

FaceBook: Cornelius Jones Jr.

Twitter: CorneliusJonesJ

FaceBook Fan Page: FlagBoy Official Fan Page of the Actor

Arts.Advocacy+Wellness: "Shadows&Lights"

Coming this DECEMBER

the debut

poetry collection

by Cornelius Jones Jr.

.....only 2 weeks away!!!!

“Jones’ minimalist writing, recalling in some ways E. E. Cummings, carves out finely designed pictographs for the mind to explore. The depictions in his poems of the Momma figure are so endearing and heart-warming, I could almost smell the home cooked meal on the stove as I read the often monosyllabic lines on the page. What Jones can do with one syllable, takes many at least a dozen to get across.”

-Pandora Scooter, CEO Fushicho Entertainment & Spoken Word Artist

"Jones' prose pops and percolates, possessing an immediacy and energy so electric you'd swear you were at a poetry slam. And, as with any riveting performance, you will be on the edge of your seat, captured by the rapture of Jones' "a-to-the-men" testimonies on love and lust, hurt and healing, sadness and celebration. Long before you get to the very last stanza, you will be giving this intensely moving collection--and Jones--a standing ovation."

- James Earl Hardy, author of the bestselling B-Boy Blues series

"Cornelius is simply masterful with the poetic word in Shadows and Lights; he writes with a fire in his soul that burns in the rhythm of his prose. His testimonies are fearless and brilliantly unapologetic. Through his writing, we share the passion of his triumphs and feel the heartache of his pains. He teaches us not only how to live, but how to love - especially ourselves! Kudos to a remarkable man on his extraordinary work!"

- Lee Hayes, author of The Bad Seed and Passion Marks

Shadows and Lights is a moving, intimate portrayal of the life of poet and playwright Cornelius Jones Jr. In this heartbreakingly beautiful book, Cornelius fashions images both brave and delicate to describe growing up black and gay in Washington D.C., the decay of the body and the rage of living with HIV. But it is the writer's honesty that lifts these words off the page. This is experiential poetry at its finest. You must listen to the music of Cornelius Jones Jr.

-Paula Brancato, CEO, The Writers Place --

Professor, University of Southern California