Suite 411

Jennifer Holliday remembers ‘Dreamgirls’

allison — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 05:04:41 +0000

Check out my interview in the Chicago Sun-Times newspaper with Tony- and Grammy Award-winning singer Jennifer Holliday as this year marks the 30th anniversary of the Broadway production of “Dreamgirls.”

Read interview

Rapper Heavy D dead at age 44

allison — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 23:04:52 +0000

Rapper Heavy D died Tuesday after being rushed to an area hospital from his Beverly Hills home.

Heavy D, born Dwight Arrington Myers, was conscious and speaking when he was taken Tuesday afternoon to a Los Angeles hospital, reports TMZ.com.

He died soon after. He was 44.

Jay-Z guest stars in cartoon series

allison — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 04:23:29 +0000

Jay-Z guest stars in the new animated series, “Secret Millionaires Club.” He plays a mogul promoting financial literacy to children on the special that premieres Sunday on Hub TV, E! online reports. Financial guru Warren Buffet is also featured in an episode giving financial advice to teenagers.

Kanye West and Jay-Z sued over ‘The Joy’

allison — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 04:41:02 +0000

A federal lawsuit was filed Friday by a Chicago producer claiming his 1967 song “Different Strokes” was illegally sampled on “The Joy,” a song by rappers Kanye West and Jay-Z that is featured on their album, “Watch the Throne.”

Veteran soul singer Syl Johnson, whose real name is Sylvester Thompson, produced, sang, and recorded the 1967 song, “Different Strokes,” which has been sampled by other artists including Michael Jackson, Kid Rock, Tupac Shakur and rap group NWA, according to a suit filed in U.S. District Court in Chicago.

The suit claims that Kanye West and Jay-Z did not obtain permission from Johnson’s Syl-Zel Music Company to use a composition excerpt in the “The Joy,” a song featured on their “Watch the Throne” album.

Johnson owns the copyrights of the song and claims that West initially attempted to obtain permission to use a “Different Strokes” sample in the release of his 2010 album, “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy,” but was unable to obtain permission in time for its release, the suit said.

The “Watch the Throne” album was released about August 2011 with a song entitled “The Joy,” which featured a sample of “Different Strokes” that was not authorized, the suit said.

The five-count suit claims copyright infringement, unfair competition, and fraud. It seeks a jury trial, permanently restraining the rappers from performing the song “The Joy” in concert or distributing the recording. The suit also requests an order to impound all recordings of the song, an accounting of the revenues and a judgment for the balance due Johnson. It also seeks punitive damages, attorney fees and court costs.

So does he have a case? Take a listen.

Idris Elba returns in ‘Luther’

allison — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 21:49:58 +0000

Idris Elba is back for a second season as a police detective in the BBC America series, “Luther.”

Elba, 39, plays Detective Chief Inspector John Luther, a brilliant police detective entering middle age, with erratic behavior, a broken marriage, and a nervous breakdown in his past, The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

In the psychological police thriller, Luther is an anguished soul who is too keenly aware of the evil that people can do because he recognizes the criminal impulse in himself.

The second season of Luther debuted on BBC America last Wednesday.

Episode two airs Wednesday night at 9 p.m.

Damian Marley becomes ‘Super Heavy’

allison — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 18:17:32 +0000

Reggae star Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley collaborates with Rolling Stones band member Mick Jagger to form all-star band, Super Heavy.

Super Heavy consists of British soul diva Joss Stone, Marley, Jagger, Eurythmics founder Dave Stewart and Oscar-winning Indian film composer A.R. Rahman.

Jagger and Stewart formed the band and decided to enlist Marley because they were fans of his 2005 Grammy-winning album, “Welcome to Jamrock,” USA Today reports.

The recently released 12-track, self-titled album, “Super Heavy,” was recorded in early 2009 in a Los Angeles music studio and is comprised of rock, soul, reggae, blues, pop and Indian music.

Kanye West to debut fashion line in Paris

allison — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 09:35:46 +0000

Kanye West visiting Paris last March.

Kanye West is expected to debut his fashion line Saturday during Paris Fashion Week.

The media has been invited to cover the Kanye West Spring/Summer 2012 fashion show on Oct. 1, the Boston Globe reports.

The debut of West’s fashion collection has been rumored for months and the rap star recently attended the Burberry runway show in London.

R&B singer Vesta William dead at age 53

allison — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 12:52:33 +0000

R&B singer Vesta Williams was found dead Thursday of a possible drug overdose in a Southern California hotel room. She was 53.

Best known for her hits “Sweet, Sweet Love” and “Congratulations,” the crooner was born Mary Vesta Williams on Dec. 1, 1957, to a disc jockey in Coshocton, Ohio, the AP reports.

Williams also acted, playing a saloon singer in the Mario Van Peebles movie “Posse” and having a recurring role on the television situation comedy “Sister, Sister,” playing actress Jackee Harry’s best friend Monica.

Harry tweeted her condolences: “…just received truly devastating news: R&B great, and my friend of many yrs, Vesta Williams (@vesta4u), has passed away. #RIPVesta”

Her initial success in the music industry came as a background singer for artists ranging from Chaka Khan, Anita Baker and Sting. But she would eventually establish her career with release of her first album, “Vesta,” in 1986.

Williams was scheduled to perform at the 21st annual “DIVAS Simply Singing!” in Los Angeles next month, put on by her friend and fellow entertainer Sheryl Lee Ralph. The Oct. 22 show will now pay tribute to her and another late soul singer, Teena Marie.

“She was really excited about doing divas,” Ralph said, adding Williams was also scheduled to be the subject of a TVOne “Unsung” episode.

An autopsy will determine the cause of death. A toxicology examination will take six weeks to be completed

Ralph said Williams is survived by an adult daughter.

‘Killer Elite’s’ versatile actor

allison — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 11:00:12 +0000

Check out my article in the Chicago Sun-Times newspaper about actor Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, who is starring in the action movie “Killer Elite,” alongside Jason Statham, Robert De Niro and Clive Owen, which opens Friday.

Akinnuoye-Agbaje is known for playing Simon Adebisi in the HBO series “Oz” and Mr. Eko in the ABC drama “Lost.” He has starred in movies such as “The Bourne Identity,” “The Mummy Returns” and “Congo.”

50 Cent to play pimp in Alaska serial killer movie

allison — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 07:45:40 +0000

Rapper 50 Cent will play a pimp in a movie about Alaska’s infamous serial killer, Robert Hansen.

The rapper, whose real name is Curtis Jackson, will spend two weeks in Anchorage filming his role in the movie, “Frozen Ground,” which begins filming in October, reports the Anchorage Daily News.

The movie is based on the true story of serial killer Robert Hansen, who preyed on prostitutes and strippers in the 1970s and early ’80s in Anchorage. Hansen confessed to killing 17 women; some he let loose in the Alaska wilderness and hunted.

The movie also stars Nicolas Cage as an Alaska State Trooper investigating the case. John Cusack plays Hansen while Vanessa Hudgens will portray an escaped victim.

50 Cent will appear in the drama “All Things Fall Apart” –- about a football player stricken with cancer — opening in January.