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 hailedBenjamin:
"...avocalknockout!" 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 -
Presented as a mockumentary, Jackie's Back chronicles the life and career of Jackie Washington (Jenifer Lewis), a 1960s/1970s R&Bdiva.
After several years of toiling in obscurity, Washington decides to
organize her own comeback concert with filmmaker Edward Whatsett St.
John (Tim Curry) filming the event. The film also features numerous cameo appearances by celebrities.
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.
If yo have not heard this new song by OutMusic Award winning singer/songwriter Nhojj, listen now. Also get your feet, knees, hips, booty...your FULL body ready to move because this tune has a dance groove that'll drive you bananas!
Follow the link or CLICK HERE to hear via NhojjCafe:
Ocean presents himself as a troubled guy in his early 20s who does cocaine for breakfast (as he sings over an aestheticized shuffle supplied by superstar producer Tricky Stewart on “Novacane”) and can’t decide whether to rue or revel in his conflicted feelings about women (the hit-single-in-waiting “Songs For Women”). Sampling world-class sulkers likeColdplayandRadiohead, as well as Stanley Kubrick’s queasy dissection of marriage,Eyes Wide Shut,Ocean saves his boldest move for the 7-minute epic “American Wedding,” fantasizing about his nuptials as the ultimate hymn of coke-addled self-absorption, The Eagles’ “Hotel California,” plays out in its entirety. Like the rest ofNostalgia,it’s dark, playful, a little tasteless, and absolutely riveting.
Watch as the free spirit discusses her new album, Miley Cyrus, Lil Wayne and a 97 year old green man.
You won't hear any Auto-Tune on Macy Gray's new album, 'The Sellout.' During a recent video interview with PopEater in our LA offices, the singer-songwriter told us she's fine with her trademark flat vocals. "Well, I'm generally flat. As much as I've worked on it, I just sing flat a lot. Instead of being all upset about it, I like my flatness a little bit," she says. "And some people I actually think I'm doing it on purpose. Some people think it's style, so that's pretty cool."
For Gray, it's more important to be in the song than being technically proficient. "The cool thing is when I sing I really try to be in it, I really try to get lost in what I'm singing about, and the story that I'm in," she says. "When I'm on the mic, it doesn't work unless you're there. If you're singing about a tree, then it doesn't work unless you're at that tree, in your head at least. When you go off of that, there's a lot of things that your voices will do that aren't technically right, [but] that's always cool when it's rough and when it's honest.
And who are the other vocalists she looks to for honesty? "Well I remember I heard Axl Rose and he was just so raw. The great thing about his voice was that he was really technically right most of the time and he just had this amazing emotion," she says. "And then there's always the obvious ones, Aretha Franklin and Stevie Wonder. Although I'm naming people that I don't remember them having any imperfection. Kurt Cobain, he was pretty like raw or flawed, but it was awesome. There's a lot of rappers. I think that's what cool about Jay-Z, is he's really raw and he raps, but if you ever listen to one of his a cappellas, it's so funny because his voice cracks all the time, and it gets really high-pitched, but it works on his records."
'The Sellout' is a record where Gray gets to put all of her emotional and honest influences to use, as she delivers some of the most revealing songwriting of her career on standout tracks like the title cut and the finale, 'The Comeback.' As she tells it, the bluntness of the record comes from where she was in her life. "There are really a lot [of] me pouring my heart out, all at a time when I didn't have much going on expect my little music [and] what I was doing with that," she says. "Everything I felt and everything I had went into that."
The former Destiny’s Child member on her upcoming album, nude beaches and being a nerd.
By Alex Catarinella
If anyone is allowed to be a diva it’s Kelly Rowland, one third of what many consider the most successful all-female groups of all time, Destiny’s Child. But Rowland, now a solo artist with an eponymous, dance-heavy forthcoming album boasting production by David Guetta and Dr. Luke, is an unassuming, poised woman who isn’t fazed by the “bullshit that comes with the territory.” The video for first single “Commander,” which features Rowland rocking superhero-esque looks as she belts out soaring vocals, is further proof that she’s no longer the cute teenage girl sharing a chorus. But this isn’t the new-and-improved Kelly Rowland. Over the phone in Paris, the 29-year-old told PAPERMAG that this is simply Kelly Rowland being Kelly Rowland — a self-professed Intervention-watching nerd with dreams of frolicking on the beach naked, and who considers moments on the tour bus with “the girls” to be more special than winning a Grammy.
Now that’s our kind of superstar.
A lot of artists are moving toward a futuristic, dance-heavy sound. Why were you influenced to go this direction?
I spent about a year of my life in Europe really listening to a whole bunch of Europeans DJs and hearing dance music a lot on the radio and really loving it. But I didn’t really think that I would do a dance record until l went out in the South of France and David Guetta was spinning at a club. Listening to him was just crazy. I heard the track “When Love Takes Over” and I asked if I could take it to London to write lyrics to it. And so we wrote “When Love Takes Over” and it was my first introduction to dance music. Then I went to Europe to promote the record with David and it was a whole other monster. It’s really a culture and I love it….
The world famous Apollo Theater will hold open auditions for Amateur Night in both New York and Atlanta! The audition is open to singers, dancers, comedians and musicians of all ages and musical styles.
AMATEUR NIGHT OPEN AUDITIONS IN ATLANTADate: October 10, 2009 from 10am to 6pm Where: Rialto Center for the Arts - Georgia State University – 80 Forsyth Street, NW - Atlanta, GA 30303 Come Early!!! - Only the first 300 acts will be seen in Atlanta! AMATEUR NIGHT OPEN AUDITIONS IN NYDates: October 17th & 18th from 10am to 6pm each day Where: The World Famous Apollo Theater – 253 West 125th Street - New York City Apollo Theater Soundstage (3rd floor).
PLEASE NOTE: We will see the first 600 people over the span of two days (October 17th & 18th) at a maximum of 300 people each day. We will give out as many numbers as possible on the 1st day (October 17th). If we reach a total of 600 people on the first day, we will not give out any additional numbers on the 2nd day (October 18th).
Each contestant will have up to 90 seconds to audition.
Singers can bring a track or sing a cappella. We will NOT have a band in house.
Musicians should bring their own instruments.
Dancers should bring a cassette or CD for their performance.
All auditions should be in good taste and with no profanity.
Children under 18 must be accompanied by an adult
For more information, please call our Amateur Night Hotline (212) 531-5370.
APOLLO AMATEUR NIGHT ANNOUNCES A NEW GRAND PRIZE OF TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS FOR THE 2010 75th ANNIVERSARY SEASON!
Since 1934, aspiring artists and performers have graced the stage of the Apollo Theater hoping the approval of the infamous audience will launch their entertainment careers. Apollo Amateur Night has been home to an impressive, ever-expanding roster of world class talent including Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holiday, James Brown, Ben E. King, Jackie Wilson, The Isley Brothers, Luther Vandross, Michael Jackson and the Jackson 5, Fat Joe, Lauryn Hill, Dru Hill, Blu Cantrell and many others.
The Apollo Theater Foundation, Inc., is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation dedicated to preserving and developing the Apollo Theater and its initiatives for performing artists, educational programs, and community outreach efforts in New York City and beyond. Sponsored by the Coca-Cola Company
Who said that just because you are an out artist that you will never have a career in the entertainment world? Meak Productions is changing that false reality one client at a time. Meak Productions is built on a foundation of providing LGBT talent with work in the entertainment world and has already established a very successful roster of entertainers with their own reality shows, TV series, books, plays, successful hit music, and who are hosting events across the globe. Based in Atlanta, GA this production Mecca has talent from around the globe and are growing daily. I had the opportunity to pry within this company that also represents me and found out some great inside scoop about this talent agency and Production Company from the CEO himself.
1.So who is Miko Evans? And what do you do? I’m a 14 year Entrepreneur and Multi-Talented Artist born & raised in Atlanta, GA with a degree in Music/Entertainment Business Management from the Art Institute of Atlanta. I’m the founder of 2 businesses, one focuses on providing consulting solutions and services to Micro-Enterprises and the Small Business Community in the Atlanta area and abroad, the other is the World’s First LGBT EXCLUSIVE Talent Agency, Casting and Production Company, known as Meak Productions.
2. So tell The FUTURE about your company? How Long have you been around?Meak Productions has been around in its current state since Spring of 2003. The actual conception of the name was only going to be used as a parent company of an Adult Model website project intitled, Bussy2000.com, which was created Summer of 1999. After years of development and spiritual maturity, I was inspired to take Meak Productions to another level.The future of Meak Productions is to be internationally known and abroad. We want to become a symbol of Inspiration, Hope and Motivation for all LGBT Artists & Talent around the world who are looking for a company that excepts them for who they are without compromise, and who want to change the way the Media presents LGBT Culture and people in the community.We have a variety of projects IN HOUSE that we are working on to assist in the future development of our Vision. Many projects are listed in our Projects section of our website.
3. What made you decide to focus on LGBT artists? During the development of the Vision, I was very concerned about how LGBT people in the media was being portrayed and presented in the Arts and abroad. As an Artist myself (Singer, Songwriter, Producer, Visual Artist) who happened to be Same Gender Loving, I noticed how a lot of barriers over the years were being broken in the Entertainment Industry concerning LGBT Culture and people. However, it was not enough.With the success of Ellen Degeneres, RuPaul, and some others before the start of LOGO, HereTV, and other LGBT Television Networks today, I felt that it was time for a Vision of this nature to be manifested. I felt that with all of the LGBT Talent that is in the Industry, and listening to the stories of others about how they had to suppress who they are in order to get that BIG BREAK, there should be something in place where Talent shouldn’t have to SELL OUT in order to FIT IN.I thought about how much of a blessing this Vision was going to be for other Out LGBT Artists, and how much of an impact it was going to make on our LGBT Youth.
4. What are some of the projects you are currently producing? Besides are Monthly & Quarterly marketing campaigns which features the latest Talent on our Roster, we also have launched our New Music Department and New Record Label, Meak Pro Music as a result of the marketing success of our 1st 2 CD single remix projects sponsored for 2 of our Music Artists.Our 3rd CD Single remix project for Dairon Skye (Our Music Talent of the Month-Fall Quarter 2008) is scheduled to debut on August 29, 2009 on the Exceptional Radio Network featuring R&B and House Remixes produced by yours truly.Our 4th & 5th CD Single remix projects are scheduled for Fall 09 and Winter 2010 featuring Marlowe Rainbow (Mr. January 2009) and Todd Vaughan (Our Newest Talent on the Roster)Our greatest accomplishment for this year will be our first Talent Workshop entitled, “I’m Gay, I’m Talented. Now What?” This workshop will be a part of the 13th Annual Atlanta Black Gay Pride Celebration this Labor Day Weekend in Atlanta, GA. It will feature in-depth discussions and education on how to successfully break into the Entertainment Business as an OUT Artist.Lastly, we are introducing our New Talents of the Month for August 2009, Jesse Braxton Hilton (Professional Model), and September 2009, Le’Son Ivory (Professional Actor, Model & Choreographer – Star of the hit Gay DVD Drama Series, The Closet).
5. Which artist is currently the most sought after? At this time, it’s hard to say. We are still a growing company and we are registering talents at least every quarter. One of the challenges were getting the public used to the fact that there is a company such as ours. Many are still amazed they we exist. We just recently started to book talent a few Talent for this year’s Atlanta Black Pride. We hope more opportunities will come as a result of this. We want the entertainment business public to realize who we are, why we exist and what we are here to offer.
6. Do you work based on submissions or do you seek after hot LGBT talent? Actually it is both. We do quarterly casting calls online via our MySpace, Twitter and Facebook outlets. All Talent interested in being a part of our Vision are required to visit our website and register online via our Online Talent Application, plus submit a Bio and Professional Photos and / or Headshots.Once that happens, we select the Talent based on their level of experience, quality of performance, and level of professionalism and integrity, which is VERY important in business. A wholesome attitude and approach to life is the ingredients to a healthy and successful career.
7. What is your Entertainment mantra? Our formula for success is PROFESSIONALISM, EQUALITY and INTEGRITY. We want to showcase quality and wholesome Talent in a diverse and equal way. When you see a lot of LGBT images in the Media, all you see is the Stereotype and mostly the European Gay Images. You don’t see enough of Black, Latino and Asian images, nor Transgender operating as everyday people in various walks of life.Our goal is to correct this so that those coming behind us can have an eclectic and wholesome spectrum of our community.
8. What do you require from your talent? I require that my Talent be SERIOUS and PASSIONATE about their Art, Talent and Career as a successful performing and visual artist. I require that they are wholesome, down to earth and professional. All Talent must realize that you must invest in your own careers. No one can do this for you. I also require that they be comfortable and confident in their own skin and sexuality. It is up to you if labeled as a Gay Artist, not the media or the entertainment industry. Also, realize that at the end of the day, THIS IS BUSINESS. We must learn to separate personal from professional.
Meak Productions will be LIVE and IN FULL EFFECT at the 13th Annual Atlanta Black Gay Pride Celebration. September 4 - 7, 2009 - Grand Hyatt Atlanta in Buckhead featuring a Talent Workshop: "I'm Gay, I'm Talented! Now What? Sunday September 6, from 1:30 PM - 2:45 PM If you are looking for talent management they are requesting that you come prepared with a headshot and resume, talent scouting will be taking place all weekend long.
