OUTSTAGN/SPOT BITZ

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

OS SIXTY TWO--STAGE BITZ (FEB. 21-27)

HEY OUTSTAGRS!

ITS THAT TIME AGAIN!!

TIME TO GET ON STAGE!!!

BLACK HISTORY MONTH BITZ

Jay Mayo "Ink" Williams (September 25, 1894 – January 2, 1980) was a pioneering African-American producer of recorded blues music.

Williams grew up in Monmouth, Illinois, After graduating from Brown University in 1921, he moved to Chicago. Although he continued to play football until 1926, his first love was music and in 1924 he joined Paramount Records, which had recently begun to produce and market "race" records. Williams became a talent scout and supervisor of recording sessions in the Chicago area, becoming the most successful blues producer of his time

. Two of his biggest discoveries as recording artists were singer Ma Rainey – already a popular live performer – and Papa Charlie Jackson, the first commercially successful self-accompanied blues singer. He recorded Blind Lemon Jefferson, Tampa Red, Thomas A. Dorsey, Ida Cox, Jimmy Blythe, Jelly Roll Morton, King Oliver, and Freddy Keppard. He also managed a crew of songwriters including Tiny Parham.

In 1927, he left Paramount and started The Chicago Record Company, releasing jazz, blues and gospel records on the "Black Patti" label. One of these releases was The Down Home Boys' "Original Stack O' Lee Blues", believed to be the first recorded version of the song better known as "Stagger Lee", and of which only one copy is now known to exist. Black Patti soon failed, and Williams moved to Brunswick Records and its subsidiary label Vocalion. However, after the Wall Street Crash of 1929, record sales plummeted, and Williams found new work as a football coach at Morehouse College in Atlanta.

In 1934, Williams was hired as head of the "race records" department at Decca, where he recorded such musicians as Mahalia Jackson, Alberta Hunter, and Blind Boy Fuller. He acted as manager of many of the artists he recorded, and assumed at least some of the ownership of many of their songs.

Williams set up the Chicago Music Publishing Company (CMPC) as publisher for all the titles he recorded.

After leaving Decca in 1945, Williams worked freelance and ran several small, independent labels. From 1945 through 1949, he ran the Harlem label (based in New York City), and the Chicago, Southern, and Ebony label (based in Chicago); one of the artists he recorded was the young Muddy Waters. After a period of freelance producing, he reopened the Ebony label in 1952 and kept it going through the early 1970s.

Williams was a member of the National Football Hall of Fame Association. In 2004, he was posthumously inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame.

Info by Wikipedia

MAAT BITZ

THE 2013 OBSDN MEN OF COLOR CALENDAR IS OUT! TO PURCHASE YOUR COPY EMAIL SNAPHONEY2011@GMAIL.COM FOR MORE INFO!

BELOW ARE THE FEATURED CALENDAR MODELS (NOTE: PICS ARE PROMOTIONAL ONLY AND NOT PART OF THE ACTUAL CALENDAR)

BRANDON INGRAM (MR JANUARY)

KOURI FLYE (MR FEBRUARY)

BRANDEN CARTWRIGHT (MR MARCH)

SESAMIR YEARBY (MR APRIL)

PJ MOTON (MR MAY)

ADAM FLOWERS (MR JUNE)

JOHN NEEDEM II (MR JULY)

ABRAM PRUITT, JR (MR AUGUST)

RA'DRIC (MR SEPTEMBER)

JARRED MOORE (MR OCTOBER)

GQ (MR NOVEMBER)

BRANDON CHISOM (MR DECEMBER)

UPCOMING WILL BE A MEET AND GREET OF THE CALENDAR MODELS AND BOOK (LOCATION TBA SOON!)

TO SEE THE VIDEO DOCUMENTARY OF THE MAKING OF THE CALENDAR GO TO

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMqITMzhDSg

AND

COMING IN MAY IS THE MUSICAL STAGEPLAY "LIPS UNSTUCK" CHRONICLING THE HISTORY OF THE BLACK EXPERIENCE. STAYED EYED FOR MORE DETAILS. IF YOU WOULD LIKE AN AUDITION, SEND A HEADSHOT AND RESUME TO SNAPHONEY2011@GMAIL.COM

AND

HEY DAPPER DANS-do you think you have style? Do you have a winning personality? Do you think you have that perfect suit and tie in your closet? Starting March 1, OUTSTAGN Blogspot will have an online poll set up for gents who want to compete in the 5th ANNUAL MISTA COUTURE CHARITY STYLE CONTEST that will take place in AUGUST 2013 (City and Location TBA). Send your best head or body shot in your best style and your stats (Age, Height, Weight and city) to snaphoney2011@gmail.com and we will put your pic and info on the poll for your fans to vote for your entry as a finalist in the competition! Timeline is March 1 to May 1. Serious replies only!

ILLI MO BITZ

According to ABC Otus News, President Obama and Tiger Woods played golf over Presidents' Day weekend, and Woods divulged that they teamed up to beat the other players in their foursome, U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk and Houston Astros owner Jim Crane.

"He was my partner, and as I said, we won," Woods told reporters at a press conference after a practice round at the WGC-Accenture Matchplay Championship in Arizona.

"He hit the ball well, and he's got an amazing touch. He can certainly chip and putt," Woods said of Obama. "If he ... spends more time playing the game of golf, I'm sure he can get to where he's got pretty good stick" -- golf-aficionados' terminology for a talented game.

Asked how one gets an invitation to play with the president, Woods joked, "He calls up and says, 'Hey Tiger you wanna play?' Obviously there is a process that's involved, and I was invited to play, and it was an invitation that certainly you don't turn down, especially [since] he's an avid golfer, and so am I. So we went out there and we had just a great round of golf with Ron and Jim, and it was a good day."

The First Lady Michelle Obama did a Skype interview with "Rachel Ray" that aired Wednesday. Obamadiscussed what the president called the "most significant event" of inauguration weekend--her bangs.

The 49-year-old first lady joked that a looming mid-life crisis inspired her much-discussed fringe.

"This is my midlife crisis, the bangs," Obama explained. "I couldn't get a sports car. They won't let me bungee-jump. So instead, I cut my bangs."

FLOTUS debuted the bangs on her birthday in January, just days ahead of the inauguration, in a photo posted to her new twitter account.

Network owner Oprah Winfrey interviewed singer Beyonce just before her documentary Life Is But A Dream premiered on HBO last weekend. The singer and Oprah had a chat about why she made the documentary, how her life has changed since giving birth to Blue Ivy and what she hopes to achieve from sharing her intimate moments with fans.

Actress and Robbins, Ill. native Keke Palmer (LEFT) was cast this week in the VH1 biopic, "Crazy Sexy Cool:The TLC Story". She will portray band member Chilli (RIGHT)

"I would sing 'No Scrubs' over and over again to the point my parents would have to tell me to stop, but I never did, I had my little hairbrush as my mic and nobody could tell me I wasn't the fourth member of TLC," Palmer said in a statement announcing her casting.

Also cast were rapper Lil Mama, and actress-singer Drew Sidora who will portray Left Eye and T Boz respectively. "Crazy, Sexy, Cool: The TLC Story" will begin shooting in Atlanta in March. Charles Stone III ("Deadline") will direct.

In related newz, many folks have criticized the producers choices of who's playing TLC. While the other ladies seem to have fallen silent, Palmer reportedly took to her Twitter to bite back at those who had something negative to say about her upcoming role.

It seemed as though most of the complaints came from people who felt as though Keke didn’t look like Chilli, so KeKe began naming off actors that have portrayed people that they had little to no similarities to in real life but ended up winning awards for their roles.

“People kill me, I don’t remember Angela Bassett looking ANYTHING like Tina Turner. And she RIPPED that role, ✌ People need to realize that movies aren’t casted by people looking like who they’re playing. They’re casted by who can do the role.

Alumni of U City and Mercy High Schools appeared on Family Feud this week. (Pic courtesy of Tammie's Insider http://t.co/0ZM8y0bB via @1003KMJM)

STL BITZ

Former St Louis Cardinals Ozzie Smith and Willie McGee (PICTURED) arrived in training camp in Jupiter , Fla. this week as guest instructors for The Cards as they gear toward their upcoming season. tMcGee and Smith are joined by Hall of Fame second baseman Red Schoendienst and fomer Cardinals outfielder Jim Edmonds and. Hall of Famers Lou Brock, Bruce Sutter and Whitey Herzog.

(PIC courtesy of WCF Courier)

St Louis based fashion designer Ola is set to travel to Hollywood to style the female hosts of Hollywood Access with designs from her Ola Style dresses at the Oscars on Sunday.

This week we feature two movers in shakers in the St Louis area. The first is event producer Lorena Riley (LEFT) who is sporting a funky chic black and white dress with a lingerie styled bra top with black jacket and black knee boots. Riley is producer of the ladies only discussion events Meeting In the Ladies Room.The other is St. Louis Board of Alderman and 2013 mayoral candidate Lewis Reed who is sporting a spiffy black suit with a crisp white shirt and purple tie with blue squares.

BLIND DISH

Which STL event promoter renigged on working with a club venue on promoting the venue hen they opened in 2010?

This promoter is a male, who oversees a monthly zine and last name is the same as an actor who died last year and had a sitcom that had a very popular theme song that used only whistles and fingersnaps. The venue is located in the"center" of the STL whos name starts with an F.

WORDZ

THE

Why didnt the director have a full shot of Beyonce while pregenant in her documentary to squash the rumors that she had a surrogate for Blu Ivy? Why did Jessie Jackson Jr claiming he used campaign funds for his livlihood? And why does his mental sickness seem like a ploy of his now forseen jail time for using campaign funds? And why did his wife fake her income taxes? Why has the murder of the girlfirend of Oscar Peltrais charge seem to change to an accident? Why did a fan in London throw a can at Rihanna? And Why did music mogul Cilive Davis wait until know to come out as bisexual?

A ST. LOUIS PREMIERE PLAY PRESENTED BY THE BLACK REP

The Mountaintop

JUST BACK FROM BROADWAY, THE MOUNTAINTOP IS A SURREAL, FICTIONALIZED ACCOUNT OF DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING’S LAST NIGHT ON EARTH

BY KATORI HALL

THRU– MARCH 9^TH THE MOUNTAINTOP CONTINUES THE BLACK REP’S 36^THSEASON, NEW TICKET SPECIALS AVAILABLE!

WHO/WHAT: THE MOUNTAINTOP by Katori Hall

WHEN: Feb. 13^th-March 9th; Thursdays at 7 p.m., Fridays-Saturdays at 8 p.m.; Sundays at 2 p.m. Saturday Matinee March 9^th at 2pm.

WHERE: Grandel Theatre, 3610 Grandel Square, 63108

TICKETS: $20-$47, special student matinee, group prices, http://theblackrep.org

New African Paradigm Study Group Lecture Series Presents...

2 Mega Lectures

Michael Imhotep & Dr. Llaila O. Afrika

Meet and Greet 4:30pm -6:00pm @ Afroworld( 7276 Natural Bridge Road Saint Louis Missouri 63121)

For Advanced Tickets Call James Steward at 618-977-8191 or call Greg Harris at 314-877-9252

Lectures will takes Place at
Pamoja Preparatory Academy (Cole Middle School)
3935 Enright Ave St.Louis, Mo. 63108

Doors open at 1:30pm
Program starts at 2:00pm

VENDORS
$40 for advanced vendors
$50 for at the door vendors
AT DOOR VENDORS MUST BRING TABLE

For more info on vendors call
Brother James Matthews at 618-977-8191 or call e-mail Greg Harris at Newafricanparadigm@gmail.com

Rucka Puffs Sixth Annual Charity B Ball Game Sunday Feb 24 at St Vincents Gym St Charles Rock Rock Road

ONGOING BITZ

LooseCannon presents BIKINI BOXING every Wednesday at The City, 1917 Washington in Midtown St Louis. Doors at 10p.m. For free RSVP call 314-4-9917

Check out the web series UNDER THE CHERRY TREEproduced by Kobalt Books. Go to http://www.youtube.com/user/kobaltbooks

Check out Paris Caldwell's weekly podcast GOIN BACK TO INDIANA playing all Jacksons music every Thursday at TEN PM CST at http://www.mixlr.com/mytalknation

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If you would like to featured on OUTSTAGN email us at maatspear@yahoo.com

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Thursday, February 14, 2013

OS SIXTY-ONE---STAGE BITZ (FEB 14-20)

HEY OUTSTAGRS!

ITS THAT TIME AGAIN!!

TIME TO GET ON STAGE!!!

BLACK HISTORY BITZ

This week we feature the song, "Saint Louis Blues" by WC Handy.

"Saint Louis Blues" is a popular American song composed by W. C. Handy in the blues style. It remains a fundamental part of jazz musicians' repertoire. It was also one of the first blues songs to succeed as a pop song. It has been performed by numerous musicians of all styles from Louis Armstrong and Bessie Smith to Count Basie, Glenn Miller, Guy Lombardo, and the Boston Pops Orchestra. It has been called "the jazzman'sHamlet".^[1] Published in September 1914 by Handy's own company, it later gained such popularity that it inspired the dance step the "Foxtrot".

Handy said he had been inspired by a chance meeting with a woman on the streets of St. Louis distraught over her husband's absence, who lamented, "Ma man's got a heart like a rock cast in de sea", a key line of the song.[2][3] Details of the story vary. Robert Palmer states that Handy encountered the melody in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1892, when he was out of work. It had numerous one-line verses "and they would sing it all night."[4]

Writing about the first time "St Louis Blues" was played (1914), Handy said,

"The one-step and other dances had been done to the tempo of Memphis Blues ... When St Louis Blues was written the tango was in vogue. I tricked the dancers by arranging a tango introduction, breaking abruptly into a low-down blues. My eyes swept the floor anxiously, then suddenly I saw lightning strike. The dancers seemed electrified. Something within them came suddenly to life. An instinct that wanted so much to live, to fling its arms to spread joy, took them by the heels."^[16]

Bessie Smith's January 14, 1925, Columbia Records recording of "Saint Louis Blues" with Louis Armstrong is considered by many to be one of the finest recordings of the 1920s. So successful was Handy's "Saint Louis Blues" that in 1929, he and director Kenneth W. Adams collaborated on a RCA motion picture project of the same name, which was to be shown before the main attraction. Handy suggested blues singer Bessie Smith have the starring role, since she had gained widespread popularity with that tune. The picture was shot in June and was shown in movie houses throughout the United States from 1929 to 1932.

The version with Bessie Smith and Louis Armstrong on cornet was inducted in the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1993. The 1929 version by Louis Armstrong & His Orchestra (with Henry "Red" Allen) was inducted there in 2008.

At the time of his death in 1958, Handy was earning royalties upwards of US$25,000 annually for the song. The original published sheet music is available online at the United States Library of Congress in a searchable database of African-American music from Brown University.[5]

In 1958, a movie about his life - appropriately entitled St. Louis Blues - was released starring legendary African-American musicians Nat "King" Cole (in the main role), Pearl Bailey, Mahalia Jackson, Cab Calloway, Ella Fitzgerald, and Eartha Kitt. It was released the year of Handy's death.

The St. Louis Blues NHL team is named after the W.C. Handy song, and their theme song is Miller's version of the Handy composition.

Info by Wikipedia/

MAAT BITZ

THE 2013 OBSDN MEN OF COLOR CALENDAR IS OUT! TO PURCHASE YOUR COPY EMAIL SNAPHONEY2011@GMAIL.COM FOR MORE INFO!

BELOW ARE THE FEATURED CALENDAR MODELS (NOTE: PICS ARE PROMOTIONAL ONLY AND NOT PART OF THE ACTUAL CALENDAR)

BRANDON INGRAM (MR JANUARY)

KOURI FLYE (MR FEBRUARY)

BRANDEN CARTWRIGHT (MR MARCH)

SESAMIR YEARBY (MR APRIL)

PJ MOTON (MR MAY)

ADAM FLOWERS (MR JUNE)

JOHN NEEDEM II (MR JULY)

ABRAM PRUITT, JR (MR AUGUST)

RA'DRIC (MR SEPTEMBER)

JARRED MOORE (MR OCTOBER)

GQ (MR NOVEMBER)

BRANDON CHISOM (MR DECEMBER)

Plainfield, Illinois native and Emmy Award winning actress Melissa McCarthy had the No.1 movie at the Box Office with the comedy, “Identity Theif” which raked in close to $40 million. With that success, longtime critic Rex Reed not only honed in on the film (in which he panned) but he also criticized McCarthy’s weight.

In Reed's review in The New York Observer of Melissa's latest comedy (which topped the box office over the weekend), he referred to the actress as "tractor-sized," "a humongous creep" and a "female hippo."

Her cousin, Chicago native talk show host Jenny McCarthy spoke out after her cousin Melissa McCarthy was insulted by film critic Reed.

"When you have talent, you have talent. People shouldn't personally attack anyone who's in front of the camera," Jenny said on Tuesday's Access Hollywood Live. "Judge the work, but not the way someone looks," Jenny said of the scathing comments.

She went on to say, "That's obnoxious in itself," McCarthy told us. "For anyone to attack like that, it's just wrong and hurtful, and it doesn't do anyone any good—not even Rex Reed, you know?"

After getting slammed for his nasty remarks from various corners—includingBridesmaids director Paul Feig, who tweeted, "For his catty and school bully name-calling of the supremely talented Melissa McCarthy, I cordially invite Mr. Rex Reed to go f--k himself"— “Identity” co star Modern Family's Eric Stonestreet, tweeted, "Turns out Rex Reed didn't die sad and alone 10 years ago"

Reed responded, "Don't make me a villain."

Chicago native rapper Kanye West one of the big winners at this year Grammy Awards winning three, Rap Song and Rap Performance (“Niggaz IN Paris”) with Jay Z, Rap/Sung Collaboration (“No Church In the Wild”) with Jay Z, Frank Ocean and The Dream. West did not attend the Grammy Awards for he was vacationing with girlfriend Kim Kardashian in Brazil (PICTURED is WEST AT THE 2006 GRAMMY AWARDS)

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Chicago native Chaka Khan is coming out with a line of chocolates and candles. All proceeds reportedly will benefit The Chaka Khan Foundation which supports women and children in crisis. The Grammy Award winner is also celebrating 40 years in the music business.

STL BITZ

The Lumiere Light Up the Night Fat Tuesday Parade took place Tuesday in downtown St Louis on Washington Avenue where hundreds flocked to see dozens of floats and thousands of beads as people from all over the St. Louis area converge to celebrate.

Mardi Gras, Last weekend, the Mardis Gras celebration in Soulard drew thousands but was more reckless. St. Louis police reported that 80 people were arrested during Mardi Gras celebrations in Soulard by about 8 p.m. Saturday.

Authorities said 76 juveniles were arrested for consumption of alcohol by a minor. One person was arrested for a controlled substance violation.

Another person was arrested for "interfering with an arrest," and two others for resisting arrest. Police officers working secondary security shot and killed an armed man near the Mardi Gras celebration. Authorities say the man was ordered to drop his gun, but instead turned and pointed the weapon at the officers.

Both officers then fired several shots, according to police, and Roberson was struck by gunfire.The man was transported to SLU hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

In the ongoing arbitration battle in who will flip the bill to upgrade the Edward Jones Dome. The St Louis Convention and Visistors Commission(who owns the Dome) has pulled its trump card by bringing in a financier after the layers favored in St Lousi Rams oner propsoal to upgrade the stadium for close to $700 million as required by the lease agreement with the Rams or the team can leave the city after 2014 Season.

In comes investment banking firm Goldman Sachs to the CVC;s rescue. According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Goldman Sachs will be paid $20,000 per month, and up to $5,000 more for expense reimbursement, to help. Some sources speculate that the stadium may move to the Festus area and rebuild.

From reports, arbitrators ruled in early February in favor of the team's plan for upgrading the dome to ''top-tier'' status as required by the lease agreement with the dome owner, the St. Louis Convention and Visitors Commission. The CVC had reportedly proposed $124 million in renovations.

The CVC has until March to decide if it will try to implement the Rams' plan.

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Journalist and drummer Terry Artis is making waves with his upcoming documentary "Bootlicker" that focuses on St Louis' politics of division. The documentary has Artis speaking about his film on all of the St Louis media outlets. The main focus has been the controversial flier that has been distributed throughout the city depicting Mayor Francis Slay holding the Arch like a slave whip and a black man on his knees with the words "Slayvery."

“It is meant to shock people into the reality of how St. Louis is run like a slave plantation,” Terry Artis said to Fox 2. “The black man on his knees represents the Slay Supporters.”

Artis is releasing “Bootlicker” at The Tivoli Theatre Feb. 20. for one showing at 7 p.m.

To see a teaser go to http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2141404240/the-screening-of-bootlicker-the-movie/posts

On this Valentine Day week, we feature STL based married couple Scott Emerson and Milele Lott. Pictured is the couple in regal African garb. Emerson is an advisor to Better Family Life and Lott is a Harris Stowe and Webster U grad.

BLIND DISH

Which STL media personalty had to go on Facebook to inform people they were not quitting the company that they were employed but just the TV show that they were co-hosting this week?The media personality is a female, who's first and last name start with a consonant and the media company she works for also owns the TV show she co-hosts. Who is this lady?

Which

WORDZ

THE

Why didn’t Chris Brown stand up with the rest of the audience when Frank Ocean won an award?Why did J Lo’s one leg out dress seem a bit desperate for attention? Why did Taylor Swift open up the show? And why was she in the audience acting like a groupie when people were performing? Why did they give Miguel two minutes to perform? And why didn’t Kelly Clarkson know who he was? Why was Ellen Degeneres looking lustfully at Beyonce when they introduced Justin Timberlake? And why was Beyonce throwing up gangsta signs in the audience when she was acknowledged by LL Cool J? Why weren’t any of the surviving Wailers perform on the Bob Marley tribute? Why was Johnny Depp dressed like a pirate? Why did Katy Perry throw shade during her presentation of the Best New Artist award? Why didn’t NAs win for Best Rap Album? And why was Kelly Rowland was acting shamefaced when she presented with Nas?

OTHER

Why did film critic Rex Reed call Melissa Mccarthy obese during his critique of her new film? Why did the Chris Dorner shoot those people in the first place? Why did Lil Wayne have a song comparing a womans female parts to slain teen Emmitt Till? And Why did a black guy who attended the State of the Union address say to President Obama after his speech, “You did better than LeBron?”

A ST. LOUIS PREMIERE PLAY PRESENTED BY THE BLACK REP

The Mountaintop

JUST BACK FROM BROADWAY, THE MOUNTAINTOP IS A SURREAL, FICTIONALIZED ACCOUNT OF DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING’S LAST NIGHT ON EARTH

BY KATORI HALL

FEBRUARY 13^TH – MARCH 9^TH THE MOUNTAINTOP CONTINUES THE BLACK REP’S 36^THSEASON, NEW TICKET SPECIALS AVAILABLE!

WHO/WHAT: THE MOUNTAINTOP by Katori Hall

WHEN: Feb. 13^th-March 9th; Thursdays at 7 p.m., Fridays-Saturdays at 8 p.m.; Sundays at 2 p.m. Saturday Matinee March 9^th at 2pm.

WHERE: Grandel Theatre, 3610 Grandel Square, 63108

TICKETS: $20-$47, special student matinee, group prices, http://theblackrep.org

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Afriky Lolo presents TAM TAM

Saturday Missouri History Museum Lindell & DeBaliviere Saint Louis, MO 63130

Diadie Bathily, director of Afriky Lolo, uses dance and drum to tell an inspiring story about African cultures throughout the diaspora. When: Saturday, February 16 • 8pm to 9:30pm

where: Lee Auditorium

Cost: Free