This blog will give a spotlight and platform to this author's P.O.V. on entertainment news and personalities. It also will cover and review entertainment events such as concerts, live theater, fashion shows and red carpet.
In this country, Black music has been influential for creating the soundtrack to life and its many paths. From the rivers of slavery, the hand claps of gospel, the cotton fields of blues, the cool of jazz, the jukeboxes of rhythm and blues, the fervor of soul, the grit of funk music and the swag of hip-hop. Within this cornucopia of sound have been black male artists who have either used their voices, production mastery, fashion style, instrumental flair, raw gestures and/or dance rhythms to create image defining personas that have been studied, copied and, dare we say it.... envied.
Below are OUTSTAGN'S Top 40 artists who are pioneers in Black music who have stood the test of time and have laid the groundwork for the art and music they defined and shaped. Some are well known, some are unsung, but what they definitely have in common is their phenomenal talent.
Before we get to the Top 40, here are ranks of No.50 to No. 41
50.LIONEL RICHIE
49.R KELLY
48.HARRY BELAFONTE 47.LUTHER VANDROSS 46.JOHNNIE TAYLOR 45.LOU RAWLS 44.BILL WITHERS
43..IKE TURNER
42.RICK JAMES
41.JOHNNY MATHIS
HERE ARE OUR TOP 40
40.BARRY WHITE
39.WILSON PICKETT
38.BOBBY WOMACK
37.GEORGE BENSON
36.2 PAC
35.ALBERT KING
34.BILLY PRESTON
33.QUINCY JONES
32.AL GREEN
31.TEDDY PENDERGRASS
30.HERBIE HANCOCK
29.SMOKEY ROBINSON
28.ISAAC HAYES
27.LOUIS JORDAN
26.THELONIUS MONK
25.CURTIS MAYFIELD
24.MUDDY WATERS
23.JOHN COLTRANE
22.OTIS REDDING
21.FATS DOMINO
20.JACKIE WILSON
19.SLY STONE
18.GEORGE CLINTON
17.LOUIS ARMSTRONG
16.BO DIDDLEY
15.ROBERT JOHNSON
14.DONNY HATHAWAY
13.LITTLE RICHARD
12.SAM COOKE
11.MARVIN GAYE
HERE ARE OUR TOP 10
10.PRINCE
9.MILES DAVIS
8.BOB MARLEY
7.BB KING
6.RAY CHARLES
5.JIMI HENDRIX
4.STEVIE WONDER
3.CHUCK BERRY
2.MICHAEL JACKSON
AND THE NO. 1 BLACK MALE MUSIC ARTIST OF ALL TIME IS...........................
1.JAMES BROWN
So that's our Top 40. Please comment below and tell us what you think of our list!
HEY THEATERATI WE ARE NOW CASTING FOR THE NEXT STAGING OF THE SNAP HONEY STAGEPLAY SET FOR MARCH 2017.
HERE ARE THE BREAKDOWNS OF THE ROLES:
MAVIS--AN AFRICAN AMERICAN FEMALE, 30S TO 40S WHO CAN PLAY CARING AND NURTURING
ALVIN KENWAY--AN AFRICAN AMERICAN MALE IN EARLY 20S TO 30 TO PLAT A COCKY FOOTBALL JOCK WHO CAN PLAY A HIGH SCHOOL TEENAGER, MUST BE TALL AND FIT AND COMFORTABLE WEARING A TOWEL ON STAGE AND EXPOSING BUTTOCKS
LORRAINE- AFRICAN AMERICAN FEMALE AGE 10 TO 13 YEARS OF AGE TO PLAY A TOMBOY WHO BULLIES HER LITTLE BROTHER
IKEY--AFRICAN AMERICAN MALE AGE 8 TO 13 TO PLAY AN EFFEMINATE BOY WHO LOVES MUSIC
MISS FANTA SEE SAW--CAUCASIAN MALE AGE 40 TO 50 TO PLAY A DRAG QUEEN. MUST BE A BIT PORTLY.
ROBERT SMITH--CAUCASIAN MALE 30S TO 40S TO PLAY A SUAVE AND DEBONAIR TYCOON WITH A DEEP VOICE. MUST BE TALL WITH DASHING GOOD LOOKS.
TO AUDITION FOR ONE OF THE ROLES EMAIL TO SNAPHONEY2011@GMAIL.COM . DEADLINE IS DEC 1 2016.
UPDATE:Here is the link to the extended teaser with booking info. Go to
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HERE'STHIS WEEK'S SPOT BITZ ....
Last week's Saturday Night Live was epic to the tenth power with host David Chapelle's provocative monologue, cast member Kristin McKennon's somber cold opening as Hilary Clinton singing "Hallelujah" while playing piano and music act Tribe Called Quest debuting songs from their latest CD, "We Got it From Here" and giving a tribute to the late Phife Dawg in a painted banner. The episode according to Nielsen ratingsdelivered the highest ratings since 2013. It averaged a 3.15 rating/15 share
in adults 18-49 and 8.691 total viewers. That tops the previous marks
set by the October 22 edition hosted by Tom Hanks with musical guest
Lady Gaga (2.41 rating in 18-49 and 8.653 viewers). After seeing the episode, SNL producer Lorne Michaels would be foolish not to offer Chapelle a sitcom or some sort of kickback for making SNL must see TV.
And speaking of ratings, President elect Donald Trump's interview with Leslie Stahl on 60 Minutes last Sunday was a season high for the CBS news magazine show and the best
non-sports numbers of the week according to reports.President-elect Donald Trump’s “60 Minutes” interview scored 20 Millions viewers causing CBS news
magazine program’s viewership up 34 percent on a Sunday dominated by
NFL football. Now is it us or did Trump seem a bit somber during the interview? Guess reality has sunk in that he's about to become President.
People Magazine just released its most popular issue this week of the Sexiest Men Alive and the man who ranked No. 1 was wrestler turned actor Dwayne The Rock Johnson. The actor was ranked in the top spot because of his looks (obviously) but also because he is currently the highest paid actor in Hollywood with $65 million according to Forbes.
"I said, 'That's awesome," Johnson told the magazine, about finding out he'd been named SMA.
"And then what went through my mind was just how cool and exciting it
is. And then I thought, 'Wow, we've pretty much reached the pinnacle.'
I'm not quite too sure where we go from here. I've done it all, this is
it."
Looks like Jay Z next problem will be solved in the courtroom. Attorneys for the estate of the late music superstar Prince's label NPG filed suit against the rap mogul for allegedly
illegally streaming the late singer's music, according to reports. The lawsuit claims
that Prince, via NPG Records, reportedly made a deal with Jay Z's Roc Nation to
allow Tidal to stream the "Hit N Run: Phase 1, " the last album the
"Purple Rain" singer released before his death in April. But on June 7, 2016,
Roc Nation, Jay Z's company, subsequently decided to stream nearly all of Prince's
back-catalog. NPG claims that there was no reportedly deal in place
for this and is suing Roc Nation for copyright infringement and is
hoping to block streaming of Prince's songs, except his last album.Now, if this is true, Jay Z should stop streaming his catalog. Which now makes sense as for why Jay Z offered Prince's sister, Tyka Nelson $40 million for his catalog but as they say, you cant unring a bell, a Jay Z apparently rung it without asking to do so.
Oh, and American Music Awards will air this Sunday on ABC.......
BET aired its salute to America’s First Family, The Obamas called Love
& Happiness: An Obama Celebration. The concert featured Yolanda Adams, Common,
Bell-Biv-DeVoe, Michelle Williams, De LA Soul, Usher (PICTURED), Janelle Monae and Jill Scott, The Roots and Leslie Odom, Jr. The program is currently streaming on bet.com and will be re-airing on
BET later in the month.
Bill Cosby will be returning to Tv in reruns when BOUNCE TV will broadcast the hot sitcom The Cosby Show on Dec. 19. Atlanta-based Bounce,
programmed for black audiences, says it takes the allegations against
Cosby “seriously,” but says its research shows African-Americans “see a
distinction between Bill Cosby, the man, and the iconic TV character
Cliff Huxtable.”
In
July 2015, Bounce pulled reruns of the comedian's CBS sitcom "Cosby."
Other networks — including TV Land and Centric — dropped "The Cosby
Show" after the sexual assault allegations began in 2014. We dont understand why the show was pulled off the air in the first place. Last time we checked there were no rape allegations or any accounts of such on the actual sitcom.
There was controversy in the decison UFC 205 fight between Ferguson native Tyron Woodley and Stephen Thompson at the Garden last weekend.
"It
is what it is," Thompson said after the initial confusion. "We will do
it again, back here at Madison Square Garden. Let's go." The final
result was somewhat fitting for the back-and-forth fight. It was only
the third time in UFC history that a title fight ended in a tie. The last time a title fight ended in a draw, between lightweights Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard in 2011, the UFC booked an immediate rematch. So the WORDZ TO THE WHYZ is why did the announcer err in saying Woodley won? He did a a Harvey pageant goof. So, if it was a draw, shouldnt Woodley give the belt back?
Soul food entrepreneur and matriarch Miss Robbie Montgomery, her son
Tim Norman and their vibrant family are returning to OWN: Oprah Winfrey
Networkon Saturday, November 19 with a new season of the award winning docudrama, 'Welcome to Sweetie Pies.". On an all-new season, the family experiences a devastating tragedy
when they learn of the senseless murder of Miss Robbie’s grandson,
Andre, Tim also revisits the prison where he was incarcerated for 10
years, and Miss Robbie joins him “behind the wall” to witness first-hand
the shocking reality her son experienced at the young age of 17. Meanwhile, as Miss Robbie and Tim continue to expand the Sweetie
Pie’s brand, they don’t always see eye-to-eye on the best approach. And
after 30 years, Miss Robbie revives her music career, this time doing it
her way with exciting opportunities on the horizon.
If you havent seen the movie, Moonlight, we suggest that you see it if its showing in your city, especially black men. Adapted from Miami based playwright Tarrell Alvin Mcraney's unproduced pkay In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue, it chronicles the life of a young black boy named Chiron in Miami and his struggles with a drug addict mother, his neighborhood and his sexuality. On the surface, one would think that this is a gay film, which it is not. Actually, the film's focus isnt on his sexuality or sex it is more implied (There;s only one scene with some sexuality but it isnt gratuitous) . Take away that element, and its a story of a young boy growing up in the hood. The film has riveting Oscar worthy performances by Mahershali Ali as a caring drug dealer who teaches to be a man, Naomie Harris as the mother , Jonelle Monae Teresa the caregiver, and the three performances of actor splaying as a child, teen and adult (Alex Hibbert, Ashton Sanders, and Trevante Rhodes). It also has great vivid cinematography, and the dialogue is theateresque and the direction of Barry Jenkins making each character breathe and tell each section of Chiron's life is quite refreshing. Come Oscar season, we are willing to bet it will get several nods, if not some wins. And on another interesting tidbit, one of the exec producers is Brad Pitt (who also exec produced Best Picture film 12 Years a Slave.)
RIP BITZ
This past week we lost Canadian poet and songwriter Leonard Cohen (of "Hallelujah" fame) at the age of 82 and renowned journalist Gwenn Ifill at the age of 61.
FIT BITZ
This week we feature actorDwayne Johnson who is currently featured on the coverof People Magazine as the Sexiestman Alive for 2016. One of the components that got him that title was his phenomenal 6 foot- five 260 pound physiqueue that he kept in shape from his wrestling days as The Rock to becoming one of the top paidactors in Hollywood.
This
week we feature singer now actress Janelle Monae who can be recently seen in the independent film Moonlight and next month in Hidden Figures with Taraji P Henson. This lady has been a trendsetter since she debuted a few years ago in a black tux and tie and a pompadour. Now she is a Cover girl and one of the most beautiful women in rock . Like her predecessors Prince and Grace Jones, Monae is in her own world when it comes to fashion. Here she wearing this straight off the runway outfit, a vionnet black and white striped ensemble with red stripe detail with beret and clutch to match.
WORDZ TO THE WHYZ
Why is there so much infighting in the Trump cabinet selection?s And why now is he telling people to stop doing hate crimes? Why did Oprah have to apologize on Twitter? Why did Von Miller allow that female to film them having sex in the first place? Why did Phil Jackson call Lebron James's friends and colleagues his "posse?" Why is Omarosa so disillusioned that people are not friendly to her? Why was Ginuwine's pic of his penis get leaked? And why does it seem as though its open season on Muslims, black people and brown people with all these hate crimes?
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