Thursday, January 17, 2013

OS 56--STAGE BITZ (JAN 17-23)

HEY OUTSTAGRS!

IT'S THAT TIME AGAIN!!

TIME TO GET ON STAGE!!!






This Monday, Jan 21 we will celebrate the 84th birthday of the late civil rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.




                                           

On  the same day, Jan 21, President Barack Obama will be sworn in again as President in Washington DC during his second Inauguration.

                                               
Today (Thursday), First Lady Michelle Obama celebrates her 49th birthday.



    •                                    MAAT BITZ
HEY ALL the moment you been waiting for! Here is the link to the video documentary to the 2013 OBSDN MEN OF COLOR CALENDAR featuring the men who modeled for it and info on the caklendar  itself. Go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMqITMzhDSg&feature=youtu.be


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)


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JARRED MOORE (MR OCTOBER)



GQ (MR NOVEMBER)
BRANDON CHISOM (MR DECEMBER)





FEATURE BITZ

Congrats are in store for Kansas City, Mo native actor Don Cheadle who won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor In A Comedy Series for the Showtime cable series House Of Lies last Sunday at The  Golden Globe Awards that as televised on NBC.




More congrats goes to East St Louis native filmmaker/producer Reginald Hudlin who was nominated as a producer  for the film, "Django Unchained"  that was nominated for Best Picture announced last week at this year's Academy Awards Nominations ceremony. Hudlin was one of several producers from the film.



St. Louis bred rap mogul Nelly can now put reality show star in his many accolades co-starring in the mock reality show, The Real Husbands of Hollywood" produced by actor/comedian Kevin Hart and co-stars  other male celebrities including Boris Kodjoe and Nick Cannon  The debut episode debuted this past  Tuesday on BET  and reportedly brought in 6.5 million viewer  making  The Real Husbands the highest rated premiere on cable this season. 



Chicago native and Grammy Award winning singer Chaka Khan is on the cover of the recent Jet magazine. The 60-year old superstar talks about losing weight on a liquid diet and celebrating 40 years in the music business. Khan also will be honored  among others at the 2013 BET Honors. Chaka Khan, Aretha Franklin, Patti LaBelle and Bishop TD Jakes are going to be honored at the 2013 BET. The show will air on BET February 11.





In STL entertainment news, SL based dance team Rian Dugar and Tabethia Jones  of Team 2.0. will be  making their way to the Big Apple to perform at New York Fashion Week and host/teach workshops and other events, then going on tour with Teen Choice on Feb1. The couple was seen recently on Fox 2 News with Tim Ezell to talk about their project. To see it go to 
http://fox2now.com/2013/01/08/team-2-0-dancers-headed-heir to-new-york/




Also, St Louis based duo Da'Brand featuring Omar Shabazz (PICTURED)  and Buford McClendon, two local artist from St. Louis made  a  video was officially entered into the SafeAuto Insurance "Do The Jingle" music contest. They have the opportunity to win $5,000 plus a role in a SafeAuto commercial! Here is the link to the video that nominated them into the contest. http://youtu.be/73IRlXModkQ 





This week we feature two STL movers and shakers and their styles as featured on Facebook. The first is Ashia Bell.an afrocentric sista who had a photo shoot with photographer Carl Hellenkamp. In this pic, Bell rocks stylish locks along with a black ruffled blouse and purple sweater with stylish bracelets. The other is event promoter and host Young Dip who posted this pic on Instagram of one of his recent photo shoots. In the pic he is sporting biker gear with hip hop flair.


BLIND DISHZ
Which STL news personality almost posed for the OBSDN Men of Color Calendar but couldnt clear their schedule to do the project? This person is a male (of course) who can be seen on KMOV TV and heard on a popular urban radio station daily? He shares the same name as a popular rap artist who was part of a Grammy Award winning duo who went off to become an actor. Who is he?

                                                                          WORDZ


                                                                             TO


                                                                             THE
'                                                                                 Z



Why did Lance Armstrong wait til now to do an interview about his doping? And why did he go to Oprah to do the interview? Why did it take a school shooting of 20 children for The Congress to try and rally a bill of gun control?   Whyare the American Idol editors trying to create the love-hate riff between Mariah Carey amd Nikki Minaj? And why does it seem all staged? And why does Keith Urban seem a bit lost in the headlights as a judge? Why was actor Tommy Lee Jones mean mugging at Kristiin Wiig and Will Ferrell while they ere doing a comedy skit while presenting at The Golden Globes? And why was Taylor Swift mean mugging Adele when she accepted her  award for Best Song at The Golden Globes?


(Pictured are Sharissa Watley and Ron Conner photo by Stewart Goldstein)
THE PIANO LESSON
PULITZER PRIZE-WINNING, AUGUST WILSON PLAY
THRU FEBRUARY 2nd, OPENS THE BLACK REP’S 36TH SEASON; NEW TICKET SPECIALS AVAILABLE!
REVIVAL OF THE PIANO LESSON HELPS CELEBRATE THE BLACK REP’S 20TH ANNIVERSARY AT THE GRANDEL THEATRE
WHO/WHAT: THE PIANO LESSON by August Wilson
WHEN: Jan. 9-Feb. 2; Thursdays at 7 p.m., Fridays-Sundays at 8 p.m.; 2 p.m. weekend matinees
WHERE: Grandel Theatre, 3610 Grandel Square, 63108
TICKETS: $20-$41, special student matinee, group prices, http://theblackrep.org


***New Ticket Specials: Student Rush Tickets are only $10 and are available one hour prior to the performance with a valid student ID.  If purchased 24 hours in advance of performance, Section I and II tickets are $36 and Section III tickets are $20.  (Normally these seats would be $47 and $29.)  All group tickets (12 or more) are only $30, with every 13th ticket free!***
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++




Join us for our annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Sunrise Freedom Celebration.
Saint Louis Art Museum Grigg Gallery 236
Saturday, January 19, 2013; 8:30 am to 10:00 am

Doors will open and beverage and danish will be served from 7:30 to 8:15 am.
Keynote Address: Dr. John Wright, “We Got What We Wanted, but Lost What We Had”

Performances by: 
• 40 Corners: Claiming Corners for Peace Youth Theater
• Saint Peter Inspirational Choir, St. Peter African Methodist Episcopal Church

Free. No tickets required. Seating is limited. First come, first served.

Community & Public Programs Director
Saint Louis Art Museum
One Fine Arts Drive, Forest Park
St. Louis, MO 63110

renee.franklin@slam.org
314 655 5437 Fax: 314 721 4911
www.slam.org
 ++++++++++++++++++++++


  • Inauguration Ball In Celebration of the 2nd Inauguration of President Barack Obama!

    Downtown Washington / Federal Center Plaza - Holiday Inn Washington Capitol / 550 C Street Southwest Washington, DC 20024 { Entrance via Holiday Inn Capitol / Metro Accessible via; L'Enfant Plaza}

      • 9:00pm until 3:00am

    Hosted by DJ ENVY / THEODORE PALMER / HAMPTON UNIVERSITY

    2 Ballrooms / 2 DJs / 1 Live Band / & Elaborate Buffet

    It's a Black Tie Affair!

    Purchase tickets online / LAWCFINAUGURALBALL.EVENTBRITE.COM

    Proceeds to benefit undeprivileged youth via Lifting As We Climb & Powell Foundations.

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






Motivation speaker Maurice Dunlap (PICTURED) seeks sponsors for youth for his Successful Minds classes and form an organization in St Louis.  For more info call 314-496-9101 or you can email us at thesucessfulminds@yahoo.com




 


\
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

-30-






Thursday, January 10, 2013

OS 55--STAGE BITZ (JAN 10-16)

HEY OUTSTAGRS!

HAPPY NEW 13!!

TIME TO GET BACK ON STAGE!!!



MAAT BITZ





HEY ALL if you want to pre order your purchase of the upcoming men of color 2013 OBSDN Calendar, send us an email at snaphoney2011@gmail.com (STREET DATE JAN 20) We also have the updated teaser up on YOUTUBE. Go to 









HEY COUTURIANS...All four parts of the 4th Annual Mista Couture Charity Style Contest are up hosted by YOURS TRULY and "Welcome To Sweetie Pies" star JR Dot.
 

PART ONE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6GnFCDkuWw




PART TWO http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIpmJoG9Wjk



PART THREE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8Yn3itiw8g



PART FOUR http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzEmNTgTDwQ



FEATURE BITZ




Kansas City, Mo native actor and 2013 Golden Globe nominee (for Best Actor in a Comedy) Don Cheadle is back in the 2nd season of the hot Showtime comedy, “House of Lies” which will air Sunday  Jan 13 on Showtime.







Other ILLI MOians nominated for this years 70th Annual Golden Globes are STL native Jon Hamm for Best Actor for “Mad Men: and Kansas City, Kansasian Eric Stonestreet for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy or Drama for “Modern Family” The festivities will air Jan 13 on NBC.





St. Louis bred comedian/actor Cedric The Entertainer (CENTER)can be seen in the horror spoof A Haunted House which will arrive in theaters on January 11.  It was written and stars Marlon Wayans.





At last month's 7th Annual Black and White Ball, there were several couples who stood out at the annual gala that was held at the Exploradome in the Science Center in St Louis. One of them was Makeda Crane and photographer/event promoter Teddy Blackett.



BLIND DISHZ

Which STL socialite sent OUTSTAGN an inbox requesting that certain pics be omitted from our site because they want to change their image? The person is a female and she got some notoriety early last year when she was seen sitting next to Oprah Winfrey when the talk show queen had her Life Class event at the Peabody Opera House last March. Her first name rhymes with a very famous soul singer who was the first to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Who is she?



WORDZ

TO

THE
Z

Why is there so much controversy about the use of the N word in the movie Django Unchained and the movie is set during slavery? Why did they make Samuel L Jacksons character ever more darker than he already was?"  Why are some Mayan Calendar freaks surprised that the world did not end? Why are there so many baby mama drama talk shows on Daytime TV? Why are there many school shootings across the country lately? Why  did ESPN make such a big deal over commentator Brent Mustburgers comments about the attractiveness of an Alabamian College football players girlfriend on air during a football game? And Why does it seem as though Nicki Minaj is trying to downplay the feud between her and Mariah during recent press interviews? 

EVENT SPOTLIGHT
(Pictured are Sharissa Watley and Ron Conner photo by Stewart Goldstein)
THE PIANO LESSON
PULITZER PRIZE-WINNING, AUGUST WILSON PLAY
 JANUARY 9th-FEBRUARY 2nd, OPENS THE BLACK REP’S 36TH SEASON; NEW TICKET SPECIALS AVAILABLE!
REVIVAL OF THE PIANO LESSON HELPS CELEBRATE THE BLACK REP’S 20TH ANNIVERSARY AT THE GRANDEL THEATRE
WHO/WHAT: THE PIANO LESSON by August Wilson
WHEN: Jan. 9-Feb. 2; Thursdays at 7 p.m., Fridays-Sundays at 8 p.m.; 2 p.m. weekend matinees
WHERE: Grandel Theatre, 3610 Grandel Square, 63108
TICKETS: $20-$41, special student matinee, group prices, http://theblackrep.org
Press images available January 10th at blackrep.smugmug.com
***New Ticket Specials: Student Rush Tickets are only $10 and are available one hour prior to the performance with a valid student ID.  If purchased 24 hours in advance of performance, Section I and II tickets are $36 and Section III tickets are $20.  (Normally these seats would be $47 and $29.)  All group tickets (12 or more) are only $30, with every 13th ticket free!***




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




Motivation speaker Maurice Dunlap (PICTURED) seeks sponsors for youth for his Successful Minds classes and form an organization in St Louis.  For more info call 314-496-9101 or you can email us at thesucessfulminds@yahoo.com


\
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


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

-30-

Thursday, January 3, 2013

OS 54 --STAGE BITZ (THE TOP 10 MOST VIEWED POSTS ON OUTTOWN/OUTSTAGN 2012 JAN 3

HEY OUTSTAGRS!

HAPPY NEW YEAR AND WE ARE BACK ON STAGE!!

To start off the new year, we are counting down the TOP TEN most viewed blog posts from OUTTOWN and OUTSTAGN of 2012.  





10.OUT 1142--ILLI MO BITZ (JUNE 7-13)
On this post, the big national news story was that President Barack Obama (PICTURED) was on the cover of the July issue of Essence magazine. At the same time,First Lady Michelle Obama  (PICTURED)was on her Healthy Living tour speaking at various events. We also posted that media mogul Oprah Winfrey was getting fired from OWN was losing her power at her OWN cable network and Kennett, Mo native and Grammy award winning singer Sheryl Crow revealed that she had a benign brain tumor. In the STL, the big news story was the back and forth going on with the The St. Louis Convention and Visitors Commission and Rams owner Stan Kroenke on a mutual agreement on the future of The Rams pending on renovations on its home game facility Edward Jones Dome.










9.OS 11-STAGE BITZ (AUG 2-8) 

The most viewed post on the OUTSTAGN blog that debuted in July was our promotion of the 4th Annual Mista Couture Charity Style Contest in August. Featured was a mention that the judges of the event were playwright Chrys Yvette, photojournalist Wiley Price and fashion/entertainment consultant Tan Hollywood (PICTURED) To see the post go to http://outstagin.blogspot.com/2012/08/os-11-stage-bitz-aug-2-8.html







8.OUT 1115-ILLI MO BITZ (MARCH 29-APRIL 4)

One of the big news story on this post were that media mogul Oprah Winfrey debuted her Lifeclass Tour in St Louis at the Peabody Opera House for two live shows that aired on OWN March 26 with TD Jakes  and Iyanla Van Zandt business catalyst Tony Robbins, and spiritualist Deepak Chopra. It also was featured on the OWN reality show "Welcome To Sweetie Pies." Another big story was Grammy Award winning Chicago native singer Chaka Khan sat down with Piers Morgan to bring more attention to the Trayvon Martin case. Khan had strong feelings about the case and the way missing or murdered children are covered in the media.  The big STL story was Oprah Winfrey's Lifeclass Tour in St Louis. According to reports, crowds, largely female, jammed the streets around the Peabody Opera House to see the tapings. 

To see the post go to http://maatology.blogspot.com/2012/03/hey-outtowners-its-that-time-again-time.html 






7.OUT 1137 (May 17-23)

The big news story was President Barack Obama made headlines when Newsweek published the controversial cover of POTUS under a rainbow halo with the tagline "The First Gay President." aka Galo. Another big story was Chicagonative singer/actress Jennifer Hudson wept in a Chicago courtroom after her former brother-in-law was found guilty of killing three members of the Oscar winner’s family in a Chicago courtroom. In the STL, the big story was The St Louis Rams contract to the St Louis Convention and Visitors Commission went public and the main portion of it were the renovations of the Edward Jones Dome.
According to reports, the Rams’ proposal would cost more than $700 million, compared to the CVC’s $124 million proposal

To see the post go to http://maatology.blogspot.com/2012/05/out-1137-illi-mo-bitz-may-17-23.html





'

6.OUT 1103--ILLI MO BITZ (FEB. 23-29)


The big story of this post was The Homegoing Celebration of pop icon Whitney Houston at New Hope Baptist Church in New Jersey, the church where she was raised. The Associated Press screened the funeral online and said it had nearly two million unique viewers. One of the featured guests was Chicago native singer R Kelly who performed, "I Look to you" a song he penned for the late singer.  Anither big story was the event The White House Blues All-Stars hosted by The Obamas who took the mic from invited entertainer Mick Jagger and sang a few bars of "Sweet HomeChicago". The event was televised on PBS  at the White House for the PBS in celebration of Black History Month. In the STL, the CVC and Rams









5.OUT 1121--ILLI MO BITZ (APRIL 12-18)


The big story this post from on a national level was the First Family hosting the 134th annual White House Easter Egg Roll where more than 35,000 people joined them on the South Lawn for games, stories, and the traditional egg roll on the Lawn. Another big story was the jury selection w for the trial of William Balfour, accused of murdering Oscar winner  and Chicagoan Jennifer Hudson's mother, brother and nephew. On a local level, the big news story was when the city of East St Louis got a shout out indirectly on the show, “Saturday Night Live” when it spoofed the mayor, Alvin Parks (played by Keenan Thompson at the city's city hall. In the opener, the mayor  labeled his city "a hellhole."











4.OUT 1119--ILLI MO BITZ (APRIL 5-11)


The big story we posted was about the Twitpic of President Obama posing with Robbins, Ill. native and Star Trek actress Nichelle Nichols in the Oval Office of the White House going viral. Another big story was that media mogul Oprah Winfrey  was a guest on CBS This Morning  in NYC where her BFF Gayle King was a co-anchor. There were also two big STL stories that were happening. One was former St. Louis Rams player Torry Holt signed a one-day contract so he could retire with the Rams, where he was a key part of a 1999 Super Bowl champion and the Greatest Show on Turf. The other was The Bank of America was suing St Louis based developers Michael and Steven Roberts for more than $34 million, alleging the brothers were in default on a loan connected to several hotels they own outside of Missouri. To see the post go to http://maatology.blogspot.com/2012/04/out-1119-illi-mo-bitz.html




3.OUT 1134--ILLI MO BITZ (MAY 10-16)


One of the big stories posted was about media mogul Oprah Winfrey’s network OWN's continued to struggle with ratings,  hindering its ability to attract advertisers and make money. Bloomberg Businessweek reports the network may have lost up to $330 million since its inception. Another big story was Grammy Award winning singer Chaka Khan throwing her hat in the ring to snag one of two vacant spots on Simon Cowell's hit talent show, “The Z Factor.” and her losing  pounds.Another story was a Utah judge has decided whether the late   Zion, Ill native child star Gary Coleman's ex-wife or an ex-girlfriend was entitled to his estate.  To see the post go to 





2.JULY 9, 2012

On this post many of our OUTTOWN readers inquired about our new blog OUTSTAGN and info about it. 



To see the post go to 






AND THE NUMBER ONE POST OF 2012 IS:















1.MEET THE FIRST ROUND CONTESTANTS:MEET THE FIRST ROUND CONTESTANTS FOR THE 4th ANNUAL MISTA COUTURE CHARITY STYLE CONTEST! JULY 2012


 This was our  most viewed post in the blog's history of over 7,000 hits where people when on the site to vote who they wanted to win the Popular Vote in the 4th Annual Mista Couture Charity Style Contest in August. Of the 20 or so who entered, the winner was Chicagoan TC Cantley (TOP LEFT). The final contestants were (TOP LEFT) Cantley, Branden Cartwright, Brandon Chisom (BOTTOM LEFT) Mr Couture winner Karras Jordan, Santana and Ricky Worley.

To see the post go to http://maatology.blogspot.com/2012/07/meet-first-round-contestants-for-4th.html