Washington Informer
Entertainment Archive (444)
Choreographer David Rousseau’s newest play, “Saudade,†will premiere at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center on Feb. 5 and 6. Courtesy PhotoCo-commissioned by the Center, the multimedia “Saudade†intertwines dancing by an acclaimed international cast of seven performers, monologues written and told by Roussève that illuminate the history of African Americans in the southern U.S., and a soundscore of traditional and contemporary fado music.
Praised by the Chicago Sun Times for his “inspired, ingenious work,†Roussève is the artistic director of the multiracial dance/theater ensemble, whose members hail from such countries as India, Burkina Faso and Indonesia. Rousseve describes Saudade, a Portuguese word, as meaning nostalgic, or longing in English.
“It is an ode to the idea of bittersweet, that single moment in which joy and sadness are experienced together,†said Rousseve, 49. “The piece became a metaphor for contemporary life and its bombardment of all these conflicting politics and emotions.â€
A native of Houston, Rousseve studied theater as a youngster. He attended Princeton for pre-law and studied experimental dance and theater while he was there.
In “Saudade,†Rousseve performs eight monologues, and many are stories from his own experience.
Reggae artist Bob Marley will be paid tribute to at the Washington, D.C. 12th Annual Reggae Music Awards on Fri., Feb. 27. Courtesy PhotoThis year’s event will, for the first time, feature a regular at the “Caribbean Comedy Festival,†Ity and Fancy Cat. Ity and Fancy Cat have been voted best comic duo in Jamaica for the past two years. There will also be entertainers from the Washington, D.C. area performing such as Gangsta Marvin, John Gotti, Kim Bey & Aiah, Andrea, Brother Rowe, Young Reses and Tweeta Bird.
The host of this year’s event, Tony Java, originally from Montego Bay, Jamaica, has been in the local D.C. area since 1980. Java, who has been involved in the music business for more than 40 years, decided in 1997 that it was time to do something different for the Reggae music-loving community.
“We started the D.C. Reggae Music Awards in 1997, and it was all about uplifting Reggae music in the Washington, D.C. area,†Java said. “We wanted to uplift and unite the people in the community, and to honor the people who are making a contribution to the music, and who are making an impact in the community.â€
This year’s awards will be given out in 27 categories and recipients were voted on and chosen by the Reggae community in the Washington Metropolitan area. In addition, there will be four special awards given, The One Love Bob Marley Award, The Dennis Brown Award, The Tony Java for Life Award, and the Reggae Lifetime Achiever Award. Winners of the special awards were personally chosen by Java.
“The Reggae Lifetime Achiever Award goes to someone who has been involved in Reggae music in the community for at least 20 years, and this year’s honoree is ‘The Englishman,’†Java said.
Actor Don Cheadle Courtesy PhotoHere, he talks about his production company, his humanitarian work in Darfur and his latest film, “Hotel for Dogs,†a family comedy co-starring Lisa Kudrow, Emma Roberts, Jake T. Austin and Kyla Pratt.
For music buffs who think there is little in common between the music of classical composer Ludwig van Beethoven and African American pianist Eubie Blake, Howard University professor Raymond Jackson can tell them a thing or two. According to Jackson, Beethoven’s Sonata No. 32, Opus 111, “has a rag rhythm that you hear in Blake’s ‘The Charleston Rag,’ written over 100 years later. There has been some speculation that Beethoven had a Moorish heritage. Could that driving rhythm that he used, that is so characteristically African, be proof?â€
Jackson has devoted his life to researching and reviving composers of color, especially music for the piano, and will perform as part of the Strathmore’s Music in the Mansion series, “A Celebration of the Piano: From Bach to Boogie-Woogie and Beyond,†Tues., Feb. 10, at 7:30 p.m., in the Mansion, 10701 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, Md.
Jackson has devoted his life to researching and reviving composers of color, especially music for the piano, and will perform as part of the Strathmore’s Music in the Mansion series, “A Celebration of the Piano: From Bach to Boogie-Woogie and Beyond,†Tues., Feb. 10, at 7:30 p.m., in the Mansion, 10701 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, Md.
“Duke Ellington: His Life in Jazz†by Stephanie Stein Crease c.2009, Chicago Review Press $16.95 / $18.95 Canada 148 pages Courtesy PhotoThe main entertainment for families is – are you ready for this? – based around a piano.
Now imagine becoming a famous musician in a world like this.
Sounds kind of impossible? Well, that was the world in which Edward “Duke†Ellington was born over 100 years ago but Duke loved to embrace new technology and that made him a star. Read more about the Duke’s life by grabbing “Duke Ellington: His Life in Jazz†by Stephanie Stein Crease.
When Edward Ellington was born in 1899, Washington, D.C. was an exciting place for African Americans. The neighborhood where Edward was born, the “Uptown District†was close-knit and residents were proud to live among Black-owned stores, restaurants, and the finest schools. Washington, D.C. was segregated then (as were many cities), but young Edward still had a typical childhood like most boys of his time.
Early in his life, Edward (nicknamed “Duke†by his best friend) was fascinated with baseball and he was an awesome artist. His parents were afraid he’d be hurt by the sport, and they encouraged his artistic talents. But everything changed when Duke was 14-years-old.
Mahama Bawa, owner of Kobos, a traditional and contemporary African clothing and accessories boutique in Adams Morgan in the District, hopes that the Obamas will be inclusive of their African heritage while in the White House. Photo by Valencia Mohammed First Lady Michelle Obama, a 5ft. 11in., medium brown complexioned African American woman, is being analyzed from head to toe. She’s appearing on magazine covers and the front pages of the Black Press from Black Hair to South Carolina Black News. Everytime Mrs. Obama appears at big functions her outfits are showcased and become instant news.
What clothes she wears is being scrutinized by women of African descent the world over. For many Black women, Mrs. Obama’s outer appearance has become a symbol of success.
Local Actress, Taraji Henson, Gets Oscar Nomination
Courtesy Photo
“I really paid attention to my mother in order to prepare for the role. My grandmother had a get together and invited women of every age that I had to portray,†Henson said. Henson made her singing debut in "Hustle & Flow", providing the vocals for the Three 6 Mafia track “It's Hard Out Here for a Pimpâ€.
R&B singer Raheem Devaughn is one of the local artists nominated for a Grammy award this year. Courtesy PhotoThis year, more than 17 Washington, D.C. GRAMMY Chapter members have been nominated for achievements by the recording academy, many of whom are African American.
The Washington, D.C. Chapter of the GRAMMY's started in 1998. Members consist of prominent artists and breakthrough musicians from the District, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia. This year’s 51st annual Grammy nominees, who represent the D.C. chapter, include singer Raheem DeVaughn (Best and R&B Song – Customer,) singer Wayna featuring D.C.-resident Kokayi in a first-time Grammy nomination for best urban alternative performance for “Loving You,†producer Timbaland (Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals - 4 Minutes with Madonna and Justin Timberlake,) Trey Songz (Best Male R&B Vocal Performance – “Can't Help But Wait,â€) J. Holiday (Best Contemporary R&B Song - “Back Of My Lac'â€,)
Playwright, director and producer Je’Caryous Johnson. Courtesy PhotoCharacterized by sell-out crowds, stimulating storylines and top-notch talent, his plays include “Men Cry in the Dark,†“The Maintenance Man,†“Whatever She Wants†and “3 Ways to Get a Husband.†The shows have starred such luminaries as Billy Dee Williams, Brian McKnight, Lou Gossett Jr., Vivica Fox and Robin Givens.
The recipient of the 2007 NAACP Trailblazer Award, Johnson was the first person to adapt an African American romance novel into a stage play, and he has been heralded by The New York Times, Jet Magazine and others as a force to be reckoned with. But the University of Houston graduate said it hasn’t always been easy. For his first stage play, more than 100 of Johnson’s family members pooled their resources to loan him $500,000. However, in one week, he lost all of the money due to poor ticket sales and attendance.
“It was a drama about Emmet Till, and it was told from the perspective of angels. It was a 4,000 seat venue, and we were projecting 4,000 a people a night times eight nights,†Johnson, 31, said.
At the end of the week, the show had only attracted 400 people. Johnson took two years to regroup and later repaid all of his relatives.
Jamal Woolard will make his acting debut in the bio-pic “Notorious†set to be released on Fri., Jan. 16. Courtesy PhotoLike the late rapper Christopher Wallace, also known as the Notorious B.I.G. or Biggie Smalls, Jamal Woolard was born and raised in Brooklyn. He also raps under an alias, Gravy. He’s the spitting image of Biggie, which gave him an edge when Fox conducted a nationwide search for someone to play him in its new movie “Notorious,†set to be released Fri., Jan. 16.
Jamal is now making his acting debut in the title role of “Notorious,†surrounded by a talented cast which includes Angela Bassett as Biggie’s mother, Naturi Naughton as Lil’ Kim, Derek Luke as Sean “Puffy†Combs, Anthony Mackie as Tupac Shakur, Antonique Smith as Faith Evans and Sean Ringgold as Suge Knight. Here, he talks about landing his big break and what was involved in portraying the hip-hop icon.Featured Poll
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