Tag Archives: 2011

Janet Jackson to be featured in “What Becomes a Legend Most?” Campaign

Blackglama announced that Janet Jackson will be the first legend to be featured for the second year consecutively in the brand’s iconic “What Becomes a Legend Most?” advertising campaign.

Unquestionably a legend in the world of entertainment, Janet Jackson’s albums, including Control, janet, All For You and Number Ones, have sold over 100 million copies worldwide and her most recent “JANET JACKSON Number Ones; Up Close And Personal” World Tour broke box office records making her one of the best-selling female artists of all time.  

She is the only recording artist to have Grammy™ nominations spanning the categories Dance, Pop, Rap, Rock and R&B. Janet is also an accomplished actress, with starring roles in television and film including Poetic Justice, Nutty Professor, Why Did I Get Married?, Why Did I Get Married Too? and For Colored Girls.

Last year’s campaign thrust Janet Jackson amongst some of the world’s most legendary entertainers who have starred in the popular Blackglama “What Becomes a Legend Most?” campaign. The initiative was revived by noted advertising agency Laspata DeCaro, and ads were photographed by Rocco Laspata.

The first ad debuts in the September issue of W Magazine.

Will He?…Will She?

By Wendy Simmons

Adultery is a headlining story in almost every gossip magazine and has always been a steamy subject to display on film. Well, here’s yet another movie about the temptation of the opposite sex and wonderment of whether the faithful will give in to that temptation.

‘Last Night’, starring Eva Mendes, focuses on a married couple that appears to be happy however when both are confronted with the option to indulge in affairs we are taken on a ride to witness if he will or will she.

Sounds tantalizing, right? Wrong!  This movie was a bore.  It teases you, heightens your expectations only to bring you back down.

The performances were worthy however, I expected so much more because cheating is usually a hot button issue but this didn’t push my buttons at all.

If you’re not fully alert you’ll snooze on this snoozer.

I give it $$

Femme Fatale Tour Showcases Rejuvenated Spears

By Anthony Kuzminski

I’m not sure if any celebrity has had more written about them in the last decade besides Britney Spears; some good-some bad all of it fascinating in some fashion. However, as a result, many have had a hard time separating the performer from the celebrity. People look at her and see tabloid headlines and lip-synching and often have a hard time looking beyond. That in itself is a shame because while she doesn’t have the same grasp on the music media as she did with her first few albums, her recorded output in recent years shows growth. I was ready to write her off a few years ago, but with each album she has continued to penetrate the pop landscape and as her Femme Fatale tour rolled into Chicago, both Spears and the Chicago crowd was ready for lift-off.

Spears last toured in 2009 and while the staging was in-the-round with a series of extraordinary staging, it felt bitter and icy. Spears looked disengaged from the proceedings and it felt as if they had taken her out of a box right before show time. Despite what some reviewers have posted about her current tour, it features a rejuvenated Spears in a show that provoked the crowd in all the right spots.

 As a screen split in two on the main stage, Britney Spears appeared on a platform with her lead single from Femme Fatale “Hold It Against Me”. Dressed in a silver outfit that continued to reveal more and more with every chorus, Spears was in her element. “Up N’ Down”, dressed in white private investigator dance of “3” and “Piece of Me”, which found Spears flying on a platform from the front of the stage towards the back before she disappeared into a trap door on the main stage. The whole show featured gimmicks galore yet the crowd never seemed let down from it as it never left room for hesitation. Last tour, the stage was a exceptional in-the-round creation whereas this time, it was a 180-degree stage with a large extensive platform that went more than halfway onto the floor. While not providing as many stunning viewpoints as the 360-stage did, she had enough props and commitment to make it meaningful and never losing the crowd’s interest.

Dispersed with several noir-like video segments, they proved to be time for Spears and her dancers to change outfits. The second portion of the show proved to be among the evenings most entertaining with the thumping “Big Fat Bass” which found Spears in a red skirt almost rapping the one-dimensional, but gripping beat further escalating the tension between her performance the crowd. A car pulled up to the front of the stage, as the ten background dancers were in dazzling colors (looking like extras in a live action Aladdin remake).

Colorful costumes aside, the beattastic song is a sure fire hit and should be a future single. The incessant percussion beat and its catching chorus found every single soul on their feet cheering along. Spears, who has taken career cues from Madonna, leaned the set heavily on material from Femme Fatale. While on paper this would appear to be imprudent, it showcased the album vividly and featured its strengths. “How I Roll” I had overlooked on my initial listens of the record but the performance will be etched in my mind for a while to come. Lace and Leather” (from 2008’s Circus) found Spears pulling a male fan from the crowd who she danced and teased with a leg wrap around the back of his head for and the car drove back to the main stage. “If U Seek Amy” had a 1950’s swing style to it compared to the poppish quality on the studio cut. It was another pleasant surprise of the evening as the arrangements were not cut and paste renditions from the records.

 “Gimme More” rippled throughout the arena with Britney’s spoken declaration (“It’s Britney…bitch”). Vintage hits “I’m A Slave For You”, “Baby, One More Time” (in biker gear) and “Boys” (with the dancers mimicking snakes) all filled the nostalgia crave. A pair of perfectly chosen covers worked beautifully within the set; Rhianna’s “S&M” and Madonna’s “Burning Up”. On the Madonna cover (all the way back from 1982) found spears riding a larger-than-life guitar like it was a bull. However, it was the newer material that resonated strongest and evoked the largest roars of the audience. “I Wanna Go” along with the evening’s finale of “Till the World Ends” found the crowd in a manic state or nirvana. Amidst pyrotechnics and 15,000 dancing fans (mostly female) Spears disappeared beneath the stage as a shower of pyrotechnics draped the stage.

Is the show well produced and executed? You bet. It may be too rehearsed for some, but it’s perfectly suited for troubled time and for those who want to dance their worries away. The Femme Fatale tour is a step up from her Circus jaunt two years ago. It features Britney Spears much more animated and invigorated on the stage. The 90-minute show may not go down as a epic tour de force live performance; it serves its purpose perfectly. More than anything, the crowd ate it up and danced like a clock was counting down to the apocalypse without a worry in the world and ultimately, that’s the greatest gift pop music can ever give us.

Anthony Kuzminski is a Chicagobased writer. His daily writings can be read at http:/the-screen-door.blogspot.com. He can be contacted at thescreendoor AT gmail DOT com (thescreendoor@gmail.com) and can be followed on twitter at http://twitter.com/thescreendoor

Photos by Dan Locke

Clear Channel Stations Present the Largest Concert Event in Radio

Clear Channel Radio announced the iHeartRadio Music Festival, a two-day music event hosted by Ryan Seacrest that will mark the biggest live concert festival in radio history.  

The extraordinary line-up will include: Lady Gaga, Coldplay, Alicia Keys, Steven Tyler, The Black Eyed Peas, Kenny Chesney, Jennifer Lopez, Carrie Underwood, Jane’s Addiction, Nicki Minaj, John Mayer, David Guetta, Rascal Flatts, Bruno Mars, Kelly Clarkson, Sublime with Rome and special performances from Usher and Sting, with more to be announced.

This diverse array of the greatest names in music will appear on one stage at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on two consecutive nights, September 23 and 24, to celebrate the official launch of the New iHeartRadio, Clear Channel’s free, industry-leading digital radio product that will combine its more than 750 broadcast radio and digital-only stations from 150 cities with the ability to create custom stations, delivering listeners everything they want all in one fully integrated service.    

Live audio and video streams of the iHeartRadio Music Festival will be available online, via mobile devices at www.iHeartRadio.com and across all of Clear Channel’s radio station websites. Throughout the summer-long promotion hundreds of listeners will win a dream trip to Vegas to converge with thousands of fans across the country and experience this one-of-a-kind, two-day festival at the legendary MGM Grand inLas Vegas.  Promotion of the event kicked off with a simultaneous roadblock announcement by all 850 Clear Channel Radio stations nationwide, their websites and iHeartRadio, providing instant awareness and showcasing a new vehicle for announcing news and products to an unprecedented number ofU.S. consumers.  

The New iHeartRadio will deliver to users the nation’s most popular broadcast radio stations as well as the ability to create custom stations with even more songs, more control than the leading custom radio station services and with no commercials through the end of the year, offering listeners everything they want digitally in one fully integrated service – free.

Details on how to purchase the exclusive pre-sale tickets for the iHeartRadio Music Festival are available at facebook.com/iHeartRadio beginning July 11 at 8:15 a.m. ET.  Tickets will also be available to the general public for purchase beginning July 16 at 1:00 p.m. ET by visiting iHeartRadio.com and entering keyword “Vegas.” The iHeartRadio Music Festival is a Clear Channel Entertainment Production.  For more information visit iHeartRadio.com.

 

Fantabuloso Dos

Chicago’s 103.5 KISS FM brought out music heavyweights for it’s Fantabuloso Dos concert May 18th at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, IL.

A sequel to its 2010 Fantabuloso concert that featured Ludacris, Ke$ha, Trey Songz, Jay Sean, B.O.B., Jason Derulo, Kevin Rudolf and Orianthi, this year’s event boasted artists that included Lupe Fiasco, PITTBULL, T-Pain, David Guetta, Jessie J, Far East Movement, Taio Cruz, Mike Posner and Tinie Tempah.

 

Photos of Lupe Fiasco, David Guetta & T-Pain. Photos by Adam Bielawski

2011 BET Awards

BET Networks announced that actor/comedian Kevin Hart has been tapped to host this year’s BET Awards that will broadcast live  from the  Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on Sunday, June 26, 2011 at 8:00 p.m. (eastern) on BET.

The brightest stars in music, acting and sports will appear and perform at this year’s BET Awards which recognizes the achievements of artists, entertainers and athletes in 20 categories.  Leading the pack this year is Chris Brown with an impressive 6 nominations across multiple categories: Best Male R&B Artist, Best Collaboration (for which he holds two nominations), Video of the Year, Best Actor and Coca-Cola Viewers’ Choice.  Closely behind him is Lil Wayne with 5 nominations:  Best Male Hip Hop Artist, Best Collaboration (with fellow nominee Chris Brown), Video of the Year and Coca-Cola Viewers’ Choice for his collaborations with Chris Brown and Cory Gunz.  Rounding out the list and tied with 4 nominations each are Kanye West, Rihanna and Drake.  

Kevin Hart burst onto the scene as one of the most versatile comedy actors in film and television.  Hart is currently touring the nation on his “Laugh at My Pain” tour. Hart will spend the summer of 2011 filming lead roles in two new movies.   In July, he will start working on Screen Gem’s “Think Like A Man,” the comedy is based on Steve Harvey’s bestselling 2009 book Act Like A Lady, Think Like A Man.  Hart will then start work on the Nick Stoller comedy “Five Year Engagement” with producer Judd Apatow and Universal.

For continuous BET AWARDS updates, please visit: http://www.bet.com/betawards, www.twitter.com/BETAWARDS (hash tag: #BETAWARDS) and Facebook fan page at www.facebook.com/TheBETAwards.

The nominees for the 2011 BET Awards are:

Best Female R&B Artist

Marsha Ambrosius
Beyonce
Keri Hilson
Jennifer Hudson
Rihanna

Best Male R&B Artist

Chris Brown
Cee Lo Green
Bruno Mars
Trey Songz
Usher

Best Group

Diddy-Dirty Money
Cali Swag District
N.E.R.D.
New Boyz
Travis Porter

Best Collaboration

B.o.B. f/ Haley Williams of Paramore – “Airplanes”
Chris Brown f/ Lil Wayne & Busta Rhymes – “Look at Me Now”
Chris Brown f/ Tyga & Kevin McCall – “Deuces”
Waka Flocka Flame f/ Roscoe Dash & Wale – “No Hands”
Rihanna f/ Drake – “What’s My Name”
Kanye West f/ Rihanna – “All of The Lights”

Best Male Hip Hop Artist

B.o.B.
Drake
Lil Wayne
Rick Ross
Kanye West

Best Female Hip Hop Artist

Diamond
Cymphonique
Lola Monroe
Nicki Minaj

Video of the Year

Marsha Ambrosius – “Far Away”
B.o.B. f/ Hayley Williams of Paramore – “Airplanes”
Chris Brown f/ Lil Wayne & Busta Rhymes – “Look at Me Now”
Keri Hilson – “Pretty Girl Rock”
Willow Smith – “Whip My Hair”
Kanye West f/ Pusha T – “Runaway”

Video Director of the Year

Benny Boom
Mr. Boomtown
Chris Robinson
Kanye West
Hype Williams

Best New Artist

J. Cole
Bruno Mars
Miguel
Willow Smith
Wiz Khalifa

Best Gospel

Byron Cage
Deitrick Haddon
Mary Mary
Karen Clark Sheard
BeBe & CeCe Winans

Best Actress

Halle Berry
Taraji P. Henson
Regina King
Zoe Saldana
Kerry Washington

Best Actor

Laz Alonso
Chris Brown
Don Cheadle
Idris Elba
Jamie Foxx

YoungStars Award

Shenell Edmonds
Keke Palmer
Diggy Simmons
Jaden Smith
Willow Smith

Best Movie

“Death at a Funeral”
“For Colored Girls”
“Takers”
“The Book of Eli”
“Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married Too?”

Subway Sportswoman of the Year

Tamika Catchings
Candice Dupree
Maya Moore
Serena Williams
Venus Williams

Subway Sportsman of the Year

Carmelo Anthony
Kobe Bryant
LeBron James
Derrick Rose
Michael Vick

Coca-Cola Viewers’ Choice Nominees

Chris Brown f/ Lil Wayne & Busta Rhymes – “Look at Me Now”
Lil Wayne f/ Cory Gunz – “6 Foot 7 Foot”
Mindless Behavior – “My Girl”
Nicki Minaj f/ Drake – “Moment 4 Life”
Rihanna f/ Drake – “What’s My Name”
Trey Songz f/ Nicki Minaj – “Bottoms Up”

Centric Award

Marsha Ambrosius
Eric Benet
Cee Lo Green
R. Kelly
Kem

Best International Act: Africa

2Face Idibia (Nigeria)
D’Banj (Nigeria)
D-Black (Ghana)
Angelique Kidjo (Benin)
Fally Ipupa (Congo DR)
Teargas (South Africa)

Best International Act: UK

VV Brown
Chipmunk
Laura Izibor
Skepta
Tinchy Stryder
Tinie Tempah

 

The Crown Life Hosted by Big Boi

Royal Black invites you to be apart of The Crown Life on Wednesday, June 8th in Chicago. The event is a private celebration of music and fashion and will be hosted by Big Boi (OutKast). To join the celebration, text Big Boi to 313131.

Writer & Director Carmen Marron

By Tamara Jenkins
Once the guider of young minds, Carmen Marron is now guiding herself through the world of film making as the writer, producer and director of her first feature film GO FOR IT!.

The winner of  the Audience Award and an Official Selection of the 2010 Chicago International Film Festival, GO FOR IT! is the story of a young women struggling to overcome her fears and follow her dream of becoming a dancer.

Now, on the heels of its nationwide debut, the Logan Square native is returning to her hometown to officially premiere the film and took time to talk to UnRated Urban about her journey into film making.

You have an interesting story of how you got started?

Carmen Marron:I actually have no film making background. I use to be a guidance counselor. I grew up in Logan Square. I chose to be a guidance counselor in Phoenix, South Phoenix, which is where I lived. I wanted to work with at risk kids and inner city kids as well because I felt like I could really relate to them and after working with them for two years I realized the kids really did not look up to their parents or people in their community, they looked up to people in television and film for role models, unfortunately. And people in film and television that weren’t real or they were looking up to people like Brittney Spears, people that did not have anything in common with their lives and their struggles.  And so I decided to write a script.

I wanted to write a script about a family and about young kids, especially women, because I felt like these young girls were throwing their lives away and getting pregnant and they were making so many mistakes, so I decided to write this script about them and mirror their lives so they can see and learn about themselves by watching this movie and hopefully be inspired.

Is it true the film took 6 years to finish?

Carmen Marron: Yes, it did take 6 years to finish.

Did you ever want to give up during that time?

Carmen Marron: Always. Always, because it took us five years just to save the money. So during the time when we were just saving the money, I was like why are we completely changing our lives to save money for this movie; I’m not even sure what I’m doing, I don’t even know if its going to go anywhere.

The main character in the film, Carmen-is she based on any of your students or a family member?

Carmen Marron: I named her Carmen because that’s my name and because when I was growing up, Carmen was the most common name for a Latina. There was always at least three Carmen’s in every classroom that I was in. I have cousins named Carmen; its like Maria, I was either going to name her Maria or Carmen. I thought everyone uses Maria already in films so I decided on Carmen because I wanted to use a name that is so frequently used that kids could relate to.

Do you keep up with any of your former students?

Carmen Marron: No, I worked at an elementary school and the kids were very young. I was really more influenced by the seventh and eighth graders and some of the girls in the community and the teenage girls that I knew growing up too. I have not kept in touch with any of them (former students).

Are all of the actors in the film from Chicago?

Carmen Marron:I would say out of the main actors, 7 or 8 are from Chicago-Aimee Garcia, Gina Rodriguez, David Hernandez, Louis Alegria. And it’s funny because there from Chicago but most of them live in L.A., only 2 I believe live in Chicago.

GO FOR IT! is being released by Pantelion Films, a new film studio, how did this happen?

Carmen Marron: GO FOR IT!, I believe, was there first acquisition. I was screening my film around the country at festivals and there was a buzz and someone who saw the movie ended up knowing someone at Lions Gate and called them and said hey you need to take a look at this movie and they ended up coming to one of my screenings in L.A. and after they saw it, they contacted me and asked me to screen it at the studio. That was rare, I mean it does not happen that way at all. I don’t even know anyone else that that’s happened to, that’s how rare it was.

Since this is your first time writing and directing a film, I hope you will continue with this

Carmen Marron: Well, yes I love this, I never wanted to do this, I never wanted thought about being a film maker but I realized that this is definitely, definitely part of my destiny.

Do you have any upcoming projects?

Carmen Marron: I’m working on two scripts and I’m hoping to get one into production before the end of summer and I’m hoping to do it in Chicago.

So Chicago will stay relevant with your projects?

Carmen Marron: Yes, Chicago will always be relevant with the scripts I write.

Would you be open to television, maybe writing a dramatic or comedic series or do you want to stay with films?

Carmen Marron: I am definitely open to that. If the situation arises where I think it would be something that I believe in and I create quality programming that will reach my demographic and also give them so type of message to walk away with that’s inspiring, then yes, I might do that as well.

Are there any actors or actresses that you would like to work with?

Carmen Marron: Definitely, one of them is John C. Reilly. I love him and I just found out he’s from Chicago. I would love to work with Julia Roberts. I just think she’s so refreshing.

What advice would you give to aspiring filmmakers?

Carmen Marron: Honesty, what I can seriously say is that being an independent filmmaker is one of the hardest things you can do. If you really want to be an independent filmmaker, work on films that you truly believe in and that you love with all your heart because its going to take years to get it made and also be very patient because its part of the journey. And I heard that from everybody and now I’ve gone through it myself.

Go For It! opens nationwide May 13th. For more information on the film, visit www.goforitmovie.com and www.facebook.com/GOFORITMOVIE

Red Bull Thre3Style Comes to Chicago for the Best Local DJ

Eight hand-selected DJs in Chicago, three music genres, and one unforgettable party sums up the Red Bull Thre3Style that will take place Thursday, April 28, 2011 at The Mid, 306 N. Halsted Street, Chicago, IL.

Red Bull Thre3Style is an innovative concept that gives highly skilled DJs a platform to battle, perform, gain notoriety and express themselves in a party atmosphere. Eight DJs fight for the crowd’s favor, each with a 15-minute set that MUST contain at least three different musical genres.

The participating DJs (Charlie Glitch, Zebo, Big Once, DJ Trentino, Matt Roan, Marco Morales, DJ Jem and Jay Illa) will be judged on their track-selection, technical skills, creativity and most importantly their ability to bring the house down. All participants are judged by a panel of industry professionals, DJs, and party starters. More than 20 US Qualifiers will take place this year.

The winner of the Chicago qualifier will be flown to Las Vegas in November for the Red Bull Thre3style National Championship. The national champ will then travel to Vancouver, Canada to represent the US in the global finals against the world’s best party-rock DJs: in hopes of being crowned the International Red Bull Thre3style champ.

Doors open for the event at 9:00 p.m. and the competition begins at 10:00 p.m. Cost is $5 in advance  (win.gs/3styleTIX) and $10 at the door. For more information, visit www.redbullusa.com/thre3style-chicago.