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Multi-talented teen star Nick Cannon was born in San Diego, CA, in 1980. He was introduced to the entertainment industry as a dancer on Soul Train and as a standup comedian in Los Angeles. Like many of his teen-star brethren, Cannon quickly found a home on the Nickelodeon cable channel. During the 1998 season, he joined the cast of the teen sketch comedy show All That. During this time, he could be seen all over the channel, from Snick show host to series writer on Cousin Skeeter and Kenan & Kel. Also a songwriter and rapper, Cannon's cover of "Parents Just Don't Understand" (originally recorded by DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince) appeared on the soundtrack to the Nickelodeon animated feature Jimmy Neutron: Boy Geniu. After a few bit parts in the feature films Whatever It Takes and Men in Black II, he got ready to make his media breakthrough in film, television, and music.
Cannon's first starring role came in the 2002 musical drama Drumline. He played Devon, a percussionist from Harlem who joins the competitive show-style marching band at Atlanta A & T University. His song "I'm Scared of You" appeared on the soundtrack. The same year, he created The Nick Cannon Show (along the same lines as The Amanda Show for his All That co-star Amanda Bynes). He then gained a lot of exposure with the romantic comedy Love Don't Cost a Thing (with a story borrowed from the '80s romantic comedy Can't Buy Me Love). On the soundtrack, he performs with Busta Rhymes, Fat Joe, and Chingy for the song "Shorty (Put It on the Floor)." In December of 2003, he released his self-titled debut album on Jive Records. He collaborated with several big names, including R. Kelly on the hit single "Gigolo." Film projects for 2004 include the feature films Shall We Dance? and The Underclassman. In 2006 Cannon would strap on his rollerskates for the retro-minded comedy drama Roll Bounce, and after appearing alongside an impressive cast of players that included Forest Whitaker, Kelsey Grammer, and Danny DeVito in the gambling drama Even Money, the fast-maturing actor would earn his first voice credit as the titular hopper in The Adventures of Brer Rabbit. His voice well-suited to the world of animation, Cannon would step back into the recording booth to provide the voice for trigger-happy Office Lister in the computer animated family comedy Monster House.
Nick married Mariah Carey on April 30, 2008. Sorry ladies....he is taken !
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Solange Knowles was born in Houston, Texas, to Mathew and Tina Knowles. Her father is African-American and her mother is a african american and Louisiana Creole. She is also sister to singer Beyonce Knowles, who was a member of former R&B group Destiny's Child. She is the cousin to Angela Beyincé (song co-writer) and her maternal grandparents are Lumis Beyincé and Agnéz Deréon, (a seamstress).
Music career
2002-2006: Solo Star
Knowles' music career is managed by her father, Mathew Knowles. In 2000, Knowles appeared in " true love" with Lil'Romeo. In 2002, Knowles released her debut single, "Feelin' You", from her debut album, Solo Star, which was released on 21 January, 2003. Solo Star debuted at #49 on the Billboard 200 and #23 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. Solo Star was re-released on 14 November 2006.
Knowles was also featured on the Destiny's Child holiday album 8 Days of Christmas (released on 29 October 2001) along with her cousin Tré Gordon, on the tracks "The Little Drummer Boy" and "Proud Family" (included on the special edition and later on the The Proud Family soundtrack album). She is also featured on the Disney Party Mix of "Jumpin' Jumpin'" , and has duetted with Kelly Rowland on the title track of her album, Simply Deep.
She has recently appeared in Beyoncé's video for "Get Me Bodied", which featured Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams. Solange also appeared in Destiny's Child's "Soldier" music video when she was pregnant with her son Daniel.
Solange Knowles has written and co-written songs for Destiny's Child , Kelly Rowland, Michelle Williams, Trin-I-Tee 5:7, and Beyoncé. Her most recent lyrical hits include Beyoncé's "Get Me Bodied," "Upgrade U," and "Flaws and All" from the multi-platinum selling album, B'Dayand "We Break the Dawn" from Michelle Williams upcoming album Unexpected. Additionally, she wrote "Home For The Holidays" for Wal-Mart's national holiday commercial campaign.Solange is currently in the studio recording her forthcoming album.
2007-Present:2nd album Sol-Angel And The Hadley St. Dreams
Knowles recently confirmed on her MySpace page that she will be releasing a second album, August 26,2008. No details of producers, release dates, titles except the first single "I Decided" to be released from Sol-Angel And The Hadley St. Dreams, have been confirmed at present. Four of Solange's new songs: "ChampagneChronicNightcap", "White Picket Dreams", "God Given Name", and more recently "Sandcastle Disco" have been leaked to the internet and she also co wrote on Teairra Maris second album.[5] It is unknown if these songs will be included on Sol-Angel And The Hadley St. Dreams. From Columbia Records, Solange moved to Geffen Records Solange's first single, the Neptunes-produced "I Decided", was posted on her Myspace page recently.
Soundtracks
She appears alongside Murphy Lee on the soundtrack to Scooby-Doo with the song, "Thinking About You," which was recycled and put on Solo Star. "Dance With You", featuring B2K, also appeared on the Like Mike soundtrack. She also appears on the Proud Family soundtrack The Proud Family, featuring Destiny's Child. A remix to "Crush" titled "Don't Fight Feeling," featuring Papa Reu, appears on The Fighting Temptations soundtrack. "Freedom" appears on Johnson Family Vacation. On Bring It On: All or Nothing, she sang "Bring it On Home."
Modeling career
She models for her mother's clothing line, House of Deréon, named after her grandmother, Agnéz Deréon. Knowles also helped to launch a sister line to House of Deréon, named Deréon, for younger customers. She and Beyoncé model for Deréon, and feature in most of its marketing campaigns. Solange and Beyoncé were featured in a "Got Milk?" campaign ad, while still wearing House of Deréon.
Entrepreneur
Knowles has been promoting Baby Jamz, a hip-hop/rhythm inspired toy line for preschoolers. She is executive producer of the CD, updated hip-hop inspired nursery rhymes, and the music featured in all of the toys. Knowles' son, Julez, is the face of Baby Jamz.[2]
She is currently working with a Private Equity firm to help finance special projects in distribution, promotions and marketing music with Music World Entertainment and Interscope. The Private Eqiuty firm is focusing on buying and selling music licensing rights to the movie industry and consumer products like Coca-Cola, Alcohol beverages and Proctor & Gamble Company products. The music for commercials will be the first deal of its kind for a female R&B singer.
Personal life
Knowles was married to football player Daniel Smith in February 2004 and by October 2004, the couple had their first son, Daniel Julez Smith Jr. who was born on October 18, 2004 in Los Angeles, California weighing 9lbs 4oz.
In October 2007, Solange confirmed in an interview with Essence magazine that she and husband Daniel Smith had divorced. She has been featured on Queen Latifah, Rosie O'Donnell and MTV's Mandy Moore Show and has graced the pages of Teen People, Seventeen, YM, Honey, and J-14.
She is currently rumored to be in a relationship with Carolina Panthers defensive end Julius Peppers.
Acting career
Knowles appeared in Johnson Family Vacation. She also appeared on the TV show One on One, as well as in The Brothers Garcia, in a special guest role. She then starred in Bring It On: All or Nothing alongside Heroes star Hayden Panettiere, which was released on August 8, 2006.
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The most dynamic female soul singer in the history of the music, Tina Turner oozed sexuality from every pore in a performing career that began the moment she stepped onstage as lead singer of the Ike & Tina Turner Revue in the late '50s. Her gritty and growling performances beat down doors everywhere, looking back to the double-barreled attack of gospel fervor and sexual abandon that had originally formed soul in the early '50s. Divorced from Ike in the mid-'70s, she recorded only occasionally later in the decade but resurfaced in the mid-'80s with a series of hit singles and movie appearances; her high-profile status was assured well into the '90s.
Born Annie Mae Bullock near Brownsville, TN, she began singing as a teen, and joined Ike Turner's touring show as an 18-year-old backup vocalist. Just two years later, Tina was the star of the show, the attention-grabbing focal point for an incredibly smooth-running soul revue headed by Ike and his Kings of Rhythm. The couple began hitting the charts in 1960 with "A Fool in Love," and notched charting singles throughout the '60s, though the disappointing position of "River Deep-Mountain High" -- cited by Phil Spector as one of his best productions -- was very hard to take. All expectations were filled in 1971 with "Proud Mary," a number four hit which became the capstone of Ike & Tina's Revue. Frustrated by Ike's increasingly irrational behavior, though, Tina walked out just three years later.
She celebrated her new-found freedom in 1975 with a role in the film version of The Who's Tommy. Playing the Acid Queen, she delivered an outrageous, all-too-brief performance in an otherwise forgettable mistake of a movie. Several albums were recorded for United Artists during the late '70s, but she appeared to be washed up by the turn of the decade. Surprisingly, Tina returned in 1983, first teaming with a Heaven 17 project named BEF on a remake of the Temptations' "Ball of Confusion." Tina's vocal offering was understandably apocalyptic, and she gained a solo deal with Capitol that same year. Her first single, a cover of Al Green's "Let's Stay Together," hit the Top 30 early in 1984. Second single "What's Love Got to Do With It" became one of the year's biggest hits, spending three weeks at number one. Her album Private Dancer included two more Top Ten singles, the title track and "Better Be Good to Me." With another movie role in 1985 (Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome), she found a number two hit with its theme, "We Don't Need Another Hero." Her next big hit followed in 1986 ("Typical Male"), after which Tina began to decline, still charting occasionally and selling respectably with albums including 1989's Foreign Affair, 1996's Wildest Dreams, and 2000's Twenty Four Seven.
Tina Announced she is coming out of retirement for a new tour.
Eight years after quitting life on the road, the 68-year-old revealed she will kick off a new series of dates in Kansas City, Missouri on 1 October (08).
The announcement came during a special taping of Oprah Winfrey's talk show in Las Vegas on Saturday (26Apr08).
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Jada Koren Pinkett Smith (born September 18, 1971) is an American actress and singer. She is married to actor/rapper Will Smith.
Early life
Pinkett Smith was born Jada Koren Pinkett in Baltimore, Maryland, the daughter of Adrienne Banfield, the head nurse of an inner-city clinic in Baltimore, and Robsol Pinkett, Jr., who runs a construction company. Her parents divorced after only a few months of marriage and her mother has since re-married twice; Her mother became pregnant with her while still in high school. Pinkett Smith majored in theatre at the Baltimore School for the Arts, where she met classmate Tupac Shakur with whom she developed a close friendship. In the documentary Tupac: Resurrection, Shakur says, "Jada is my heart. She will be my friend for my whole life." Also in this documentary, Pinkett Smith calls Shakur "one of my best friends. He was like a brother. It was beyond friendship for us. The type of relationship we had, you only get that once in a lifetime." The two remained close friends until Shakur's death in 1996. After graduating from the Baltimore School for the Arts, Pinkett Smith then spent a year at the North Carolina School of the Arts before dropping out to pursue her career in acting. Pinkett Smith is an honorary member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc.
Career
Pinkett Smith's big break came in 1991 when she was cast in the part of college freshman Lena James on the NBC television sitcom A Different World, a spin-off of The Cosby Show. She made her feature film debut two years later in Menace II Societ (1993). She did not gain widespread recognition, however, until her role opposite Eddie Murphy in the remake of The Nutty Professor (1996). In 2001 she co-starred with her husband Will in the Academy Award nominated film Ali as the first wife of Cassius Clay. In 2003, she starred as Niobe in the Matrix series (Will Smith was originally considered for the role of Neo). In addition to being in front of the camera, she has spent time behind it, directing music videos. She has also created "Maja," a line of women's T-shirts and dresses that are mostly sold through small catalogs. In 2007, she starred in the Mike Binder film, Reign Over Me, also starring Adam Sandler and Don Cheadle.
Pinkett Smith is the vocalist for the metal band Wicked Wisdom, which released a self-titled debut album on February 21, 2006. The band also toured Ozzfest in the summer of 2005 as part of the second stage lineup. In 2006 the band played the Download Festival in Castle Donington, UK as one of the first bands on the Friday.
Personal life
Pinkett Smith married rapper/actor Will Smith on December 31, 1997, and together they had a son, Jaden Christopher Syre Smith (b. July 8, 1998); and a daughter, Willow Camille Reign Smith (b. October 31, 2000). She is also a stepmother to Smith's son from a former marriage with Sheree Zampino, named Willard Christopher Smith III. Jada Pinkett Smith co-founded the Will and Jada Foundation with her husband Will Smith. The foundation gives money towards youth educational projects and helps deprived children from inner cities and their families. In December 2006, Jada donated $1 million to the Baltimore School for the Arts, in memory of her friend and late rapper Tupac Shakur.
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Crystle Stewart (born September 20, 1981) is a beauty queen from Houston, Texas who is Miss USA 2008.
Stewart won the Miss Texas USA 2008 title in a state pageant held in Laredo, Texas on July 1, 2007, after competing against 121 other contestants. She represented Texas in the Miss USA 2008 pageant held in April 2008.
This was Stewart's fifth attempt at the Miss Texas USA title, as she had placed first runner-up in both the 2006 and 2007 events, third runner-up in 2005 and made the semi-finals in 2003. Her first appearance in the state pageant was in 2002, when she made the semi-finals of the Miss Texas USA 2003 pageant competing as Miss Fort Bend County. In 2004 she again competed as Miss Fort Bend County and placed third runner-up to Tyler Willis at Miss Texas USA 2005.[4] The following year she competed in the Miss Houston local pageant and placed first runner-up to Lauren Lanning. She competed at Miss Texas USA 2006 as Miss Harris County, and placed first runner-up to Lanning for the second time.[5] In 2006 she placed first runner-up to Miss Houston for a second time, and in a double repetition placed first runner-up to Miss Houston, Magen Ellis, in the 2007 state pageant (competing as Miss Southeast Texas).
In 2007 she did not compete for a local title, and instead entered as an at large delegate for Miss Texas USA 2008, again holding the Miss Fort Bend County title. She made the final two in the state-televised pageant, alongside Miss Houston Brooke Daniels, who was also a runner-up at Miss Texas USA 2007. This time Stewart won the title, and was crowned Miss Texas USA 2008. She also won the Everything but Water Swimsuit award, announced during the preliminary competition. Stewart is the second African American to win the crown at Miss Texas USA; Chelsi Smith was crowned Miss Texas USA 1995 (and later Miss USA and Miss Universe).
On April 11, 2008 Stewart represented Texas in the Miss USA 2008 pageant where she became the ninth Texan to win the Miss USA title.
Stewart holds a degree in consumer science and merchandising from the University of Houston.Stewart is represented as a model by Neal Hamil Agency in Houston.
She will represent the USA at the Miss Universe pageant set to be held on July 14, 2008 in Nha Trang, Vietnam.
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BiographyMya Marie Harrison was born October 10, 1979, in Washington, D.C, and is the daughter of an African-American father and Italian mother. Her father performed in R&B bands, and must have passed his musical tendency to young Mya. Although she always knew that she would work in the music industry, she started out as a dancer.
Her love of dance shone through when a 2-year-old Mya danced in the pool between the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial. She began to take dance lessons soon after, specializing mostly in ballet, jazz and tap. While she lost interest in dance at the age of 8, she still showed passion for music with violin lessons in the fourth grade.
Mya took a brief hiatus from dance, but she returned to her hobby in 1992, piqued by her watching videos of herself dancing. She them studied tapes of Savion Glover, known for his work in the Broadway sensation Bring In Da Noise, Bring In Da Funk. With the help of Glover's tapes and practice on Mya's part, she eventually joined the group T.W.A. (Tappers With Attitude).
Mya then headed for New York to study with Glover himself, at the legendary Dance Theater of Harlem. Thanks to her fantastic ability to improvise, not to mention the fact that Glover was impressed with her tapping talent, Glover gave Mya a solo spot at a Kennedy Center performance. Almost giving back what she learned from the incomparable Savion Glover, Mya has been teaching children dance ever since the age of 14.
But it was when Mya's father heard her sing that he became dedicated to helping her pursue a career as a singer. Under his guidance, Mya recorded some demo tapes and perfected her vocals. He brought her demo tapes to a club where he was performing, where as luck would have it, the President and CEO of University Music, Haqq Islam was present.
Islam came to the Harrison residence to see if Mya's voice was as good in person as it was in her demos, and after a living room audition, where Mya performed songs from En Vogue, she was signed to a record deal. Thanks to a strict upbringing emphasizing the importance of education, Mya had already finished high school by the time she had a record contract.
The budding starlet intended on studying speech communications at the University of Maryland, but the intense schedule associated with working on a debut album were too stringent and Mya opted to focus on her true passions. So, she ventured into communication of another sort; singing to millions of fans.
Mya's self-entitled debut album was released in 1998, and featured collaborations with such R&B hard hitters as Babyface, Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott and Dru Hill. The critically acclaimed album went platinum and spawned hits such as "It's All About Me" (a duet with Sisqo) and "Movin' On".
While her album was becoming a commercial success, Mya's collaboration with Pras and Ol' Dirty *** for "Ghetto Supastar" (off the Bulworth soundtrack) and her work with Blackstreet for "Take Me There" (off the Rugrats soundtrack) only spread her fame and success even thicker. Mya also contributed a track to the Life soundtrack.
Mya's latest release, Fear of Flying, includes the producing efforts of Wyclef Jean and Jerry Duplessis, and features the collaborations of She'kspere & Kandi and Soulshock & Karlin. The album, which also highlights Mya's songwriting abilities, emphasizes her professional and personal growth, but still may not differentiate her from fellow R&B young divas such as Aaliyah, Brandy or Monica.
Known for her moves, voice and presence while performing on her popular tours, Mya also lent her vocals on the Lilith Fair, sharing the bill with artists such as Jewel, Lisa Loeb, and Sarah McLachlan. With her eye on producing, Mya also designs clothes, is a former spokesperson for Bongo jeans, and is involved in the Secret to Self Esteem program, focusing on teen issues.
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Martin Fitzgerald Lawrence (born April 16, 1965) is an American actor, comedian, director and producer. He came to fame during the 1990s, establishing a Hollywood career as a leading actor.
Early life
Lawrence was given his first name after Martin Luther King Jr. and his middle name after that of John F. Kennedy. He was born in Frankfurt-am-Main, Germany, where his father, John Lawrence, served in the US military.He has three siblings, Robert, Rae and Ursula. When Lawrence was seven, his father left the military and the family moved from Germany back to the United States, settling in Landover, Maryland, in the Washington, D.C. area. After his parents divorced in 1973, Lawrence rarely saw his father, who worked as a police officer. His mother, Chlora, worked several jobs, including as a sales representative and cashier at various department stores, to support her family. During his teen years, Lawrence excelled at boxing. While living in Maryland, he attended Thomas G. Pullen School of Creative and Performing Arts (Landover, Maryland),Eleanor Roosevelt High School and also Friendly High School in Fort Washington, Maryland, becoming a Mid-Atlantic Golden Gloves boxing contender.
Career
Lawrence moved to California and found his way to the legendary Kings Wood comedy club. Shortly after appearing at the Wood, he won a performance spot on Star Search, a popular show in the United States. He did well on the show and made it to the final round before ultimately losing. However, executives at Columbia TriStar Television saw Martin's performance and offered him an appearance on the television sitcom What's Happening Now!!; this was his first acting job.[1] Following What's Happening Now!!, Lawrence had bit parts in various films and television roles before entertainment mogul Russell Simmons personally selected him to host the groundbreaking series Def Comedy Jam on HBO. Def Comedy Jam gave many comedians (including Chris Tucker, Steve Harvey and Cedric The Entertainer) mainstream exposure.
Around the same time he was cast in the Def Comedy Jam role, Lawrence appeared in his own hit series, Martin, which aired on Fox. The show ran from 1992 to 1997 and was considered a success. He also hosted Saturday Night Live on February 19, 1994, where he made crude remarks on women's genitalia and personal hygiene. The monologue was later completely edited out of reruns and syndicated versions. As a result, Lawrence was banned from the show for life. After Martin ended its run, Lawrence worked on many film projects. He has starred or co-starred in many movies alongside Eddie Murphy, Will Smith, and Tim Robbins.Many of his films were blockbusters, including Bad Boys (1995) and Bad Boys 2 (2003), Martin Lawrence Live Runteldat (2002), Boomerang, and Big Momma's House (2000). His salary increased dramatically to over $10 million per role. He continues to work in film, with his recent films including Big Momma's House 2, which opened #1 at the North American box office and grossed almost $28 million its first weekend, and Wild Hogs (2007), where he played a bored suburbanite looking for adventure on the open road in a biker comedy alongside John Travolta, Tim Allen and William H. Macy.
In 2006, Lawrence appeared on Inside the Actors Studio where he was requested by the studio audience to act out his famous characters he played on his Martin television show. To a great deal of excitement and cheering from the studio audience, Lawrence performed most of his characters again, out of wardrobe and with no lines. The audience became particularly excited when Lawrence acted out his Momma Payne, Sheneneh Jenkins, and Jerome characters. During the interview, when yet another character was named off for him to act out, Lawrence mentioned how he was surprised at how many characters he used to perform on the show. There were a couple more funny characters of Lawrence's that he didn't act out, such as the abrasive security guard, Otis. Once his Martin show ended, Lawrence never brought back any of his characters for another TV series or movie.
Personal life
He married Patricia Southall, a former Miss Virginia winner in January of 1995. They divorced in September 1997. Lawrence has a daughter with Patricia named Jasmine Page, born on January 15, 1996. Lawrence also has two other daughters, Iyanna and Amara, born in 2001 and 2003. Lawrence also has 2 nieces Sadie and Diaviahn Bowden who now live in Voorheeseville, New York.
While filming A Thin Line Between Love and Hate, Lawrence had a violent outburst on the set and began taking drugs. He became increasingly erratic and was arrested after he reportedly brandished a pistol and screamed at tourists on Ventura Boulevard in Los Angeles. He was also arrested at Burbank Airport for carrying a loaded gun in his suitcase. In March 1997, Lawrence was arrested again after allegedly assaulting a man in a Hollywood nightclub.[1] After several other arrests, he checked into drug rehab and divorced his wife.
In late 1996, Lawrence's Martin co-star Tisha Campbell filed a lawsuit against Lawrence and the show's producers, claiming that Lawrence sexually harassed her to the point where she feared for her life. HBO Studios eventually settled the case with Campbell so they could complete what would be the show's final season.
During August 1999, Lawrence went into a three-day coma after collapsing from heat exhaustion while jogging in 100-degree heat with several layers of heavy clothing.[1] He recovered in the hospital from near death and running a body temperature of a seemingly impossible 107 °F (41.7 °C), his breathing assisted by a respirator.
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Eva Pigford
Background:
Winner of the third cycle of “America's Next Top Model,” Eva Pigford, dubbed “Eva the Diva,” has landed a string of lucrative modeling deals, including one for CoverGirl cosmetics and Nelly's "Apple Bottoms" clothing line. The 5' 7" hazel/green-eyed, brown-haired African-American beauty, who sports 32-23-32 measurements, also branched out into acting and has appeared in the films Premium (2006; with Dorian Missick and Zoe Saldana), Crossover (2006; starring Anthony Mackie) and I Think I Love My Wife (2007; opposite Chris Rock). Additionally, she hosted BET's reality/game show "My Model Looks Better Than Your Model" (2006). She is reportedly engaged to “NYPD Blue” star Henry Simmons (born July 1, 1970).
Marcille
Childhood and Family:
Eva Pigford was born on October 30, 1985, in Los Angeles, California. She attended Washington Preparatory High School in South Los Angeles, California (class of 2002), and then relocated to the East Coast to study at Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta, Georgia.
In 2006, when she dropped her managers Benny Medina and Tyra Banks, Eva officially dropped “Pigford” from her name and has since been using “Marcille,” a modification of her middle name.
My Model Looks Better Than Your Model
Career:
Initially working at Dillinger's department store in Atlanta selling men's suits, Eva Pigford joined the casting call for the third cycle of “America's Next Top Model,” a competitive model search hosted by former Victoria's Secret model Tyra Banks. Although she was considered the shortest of all the contestants, the 5'7" tall wannabe model managed to stay on the show until the final moment, in which she beat out finalist rival Camara "Yaya" Da Costa Johnson.
As the new “America's Next Top Model,” Eva received a modeling deal with Ford Models, a $100,000 contract with CoverGirl cosmetics and a fashion spread in Elle magazine. Since her victory, Eva has graced the cover of Brides Noir, Women's Health and Fitness (May 2005), King magazine (June 2005), IONA (November 2005) and Essence magazine. She also added to her modeling resume by working for DKNY, Samsung, Red by Marc Ecko, Jewel magazine, In Touch Weekly magazine (June 2005), UNleashed magazine, Star Magazine, ELLEgirl, Nelly's Apple Bottoms line of clothing, and Lerner Catalog.
Additionally, Eva has strutted down the runways for such shows as the Marc Bouwer Fall 2005, ELLEgirl presents Dare To Be You: Wal-Mart Meets America's Next Top Models 2005, Gharani Strok Fall 2005, Deborah Lindquist Spring 2006, Naqada Spring 2006, and 8th Annual “Models of Perfection” Show 2006. TV viewers could catch her guest starring in a couple of episodes of UPN’s law drama series starring Taye Diggs, “Kevin Hill,” and in an episode of MTV’s comedy show "Nick Cannon Presents: Wild 'N Out" (both in 2005).
Also in 2005, Eva, who has hosted BET's Rip the Runway, landed her first movie role in the straight-to-video released family drama The Walk. She followed it up with Crossover, a basketball film by writer-director Preston A. Whitmore II that stars Anthony Mackie, Wesley Jonathan, Wayne Brady, and Philip Champion. That same year, she could be seen in the music video of Jamie Foxx’s single “DJ Play A Love Song” (featuring Twista) and hosted BET’s new reality/game show "My Model Looks Better Than Your Model." Additionally, she appeared in the pilot episode of Fox’s midseason replacement series “The Wedding Album,” playing Gretchen, the roommate of Tara Summers' Milla.
As for her modeling work, Eva dropped her managers Benny Medina and Tyra Banks in November 2006 and posed with long time friend Frenchie Davis for a promotional flyer for Atlanta's Black Gay Pride festivities held that same year.
February 2007 saw the limited release of Eva’s film, Premium, a romantic comedy by writer-director Pete Chatmon. In the film that stars Dorian Missick and Zoe Saldana, Eva plays the fetching, fair-haired Farrah, Missick’s love interest. More recently, on March 16, 2007, Eva’s latest big screen project, I Think I Love My Wife, hit theaters. The romantic comedy directed by and starring Chris Rock, is a remake of the 1972 French film Love in the Afternoon
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Idris And Gabrielle Union In "Daddy's Little Girls"
As the child of a Syrian father and a Ghanian mother, the Afro-British cinema and television actor Idris Elba built his reputation as a performer in sitcoms and cable dramas during the 1990s and early 2000s before segueing into Hollywood movies in 2005. Born in London on September 6, 1972, and raised in the Hackney borough of that city (in the northeast quadrant), Elba pursued acting as a high-school student, at the behest of a drama teacher. Although his film, television, and stage work officially commenced around 1992, Elba's premier credited role arrived in 1995, with a supporting role on the episode of the farcical British series Absolutely Fabulous, entitled "Sex." Many supporting roles on British television followed, including such series as Bramwell, The Bill, Degrees of Error, The Ruth Rendell Mysteries, and The Governor. Elba grew deeply frustrated, however, over the seemingly irrepressible tendency of British casting directors to peg him in supporting roles. "Back in London," he later recalled, "I was always just going to be the best friend, or the crook or the detective on the side." When Elba could take no more of this, he immigrated to the United States. A couple of years of inactivity ensued, but after a supporting turn on a 2001 episode of Law & Order, Elba landed a starring role on a 2002 HBO cop drama, The Wire.
In that part -- Elba's best-known and highest-profiled to date -- he plays pusher "Stringer" Bell, the second in command to drug-dealing kingpin Avon Barksdale (Wood Harris). Elba immediately became notorious for daring to impart a pronounced level of affability to Stringer (despite the character's profession); as a result, the role attained widespread popularity with viewers and helped put the series on the map. Elba stayed on the series through its first three seasons. Elba then transitioned into big-screen roles; his most prominent turns included that of Rev. Frank, a Southern Baptist minister and gospel music hopeful threatened by the arrival of an old friend who challenges his pastoral position, in Rob Hardy's powerful spiritual drama The Gospel (2005); Augustin Muganza, a Hutu captain grappling with the 1994 Rwandan genocide, in the mind-blowing HBO historical drama Sometimes in April (2005); and a scientist and partner of Hilary Swank's professional debunker of religious myths in Stephen Hopkins' gothic, biblically themed horror picture The Reaping (2007).
In 2006, Elba also signed on as the lead of the seriocomedy Tyler Perry's Daddy's Little Girls (2007), playing Monty, a blue-collar mechanic who falls in love with a six-figure attorney (Gabrielle Union) and finds the relationship threatened by the re-arrival of his ex-wife. He also joined the supporting cast of Juan Carlos Fresnadillo's 28 Weeks Later, the horror-themed sequel to Danny Boyle's 2002 zombie picture 28 Days Later.
Elba has a large female fan base following an appearance on the cover of Essence magazine's "Hot Hollywood Men" issue in April 2004 and again in Essence's November 2005 "10 Hottest Men on the Planet" issue.
He recorded the four-song EP Big Man for Hevlar Records in 2006.
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Born in Houston in September 1981, Beyonc? Giselle Knowles began performing at age seven, winning upwards of 30 local competitions for her dancing and vocal abilities. She also joined her cousin Kelly Rowland and classmates LaTavia Roberson and LeToya Luckett in forming an adolescent vocal group. Mathew Knowles, Beyonc?'s father and Rowland's legal guardian, signed on to be the girls' manager, eventually quitting his full-time job to focus on their efforts. This situation would ultimately lead to the creation of one of the most popular female R&B groups of all time -- Destiny's Child.
Destiny's Child gained momentum throughout the 1990s, appearing on Star Search in 1992 (under the name Girl's Tyme) and weathering several lineup changes before signing to Columbia Records in 1997. Four studio albums later, the group has officially become the best-selling female group of all time, with such smash hits as "Jumpin' Jumpin'," "Bills, Bills, Bills," "Say My Name," and "Survivor" bolstering the girls' momentum despite a continued string of lawsuits from former members Roberson and Luckett (who contested Mathew Knowles' management, claiming he withheld profits and unjustly favored his daughter and niece). In 2001, Beyonc?, Rowland, and replacement member Michelle Williams allowed themselves a break from the group to pursue individual solo careers. Before landing several movie roles, Beyonc? became the first African-American female artist and second woman ever to win the annual ASCAP Pop Songwriter of the Year Award. An appearance in the MTV drama Carmen: A Hip Hopera quickly followed, but it was her role as Foxxy Cleopatra in 2002's Austin Powers in Goldmember that established Beyonc? as a true Hollywood star.
While her inclusion on the movie's soundtrack failed to chart nationally, Beyonc?'s full-length solo debut, 2003's Dangerously in Love, reached multi-platinum status. Featuring collaborations with Sean Paul, Missy Elliott, OutKast's Big Boi, and romantic interest Jay-Z, the album spawned a total of four Top Ten singles and garnered the singer five Grammys. Destiny's Child reconvened the following year to release Destiny Fulfilled; upon completing the resulting tour, the group issued one final album, a greatest-hits compilation entitled 1's, and subsequently disbanded. Beyonc? turned her full attention to her burgeoning solo career, releasing the sophomore effort B'day in September 2006 and, three months later, turning in an award-winning performance for the movie musical Dreamgirls. The singer then embarked on the "Beyonc? Experience" concert tour, releasing a live DVD in November 2007 and citing plans to work with producer Timbaland on an impending third studio effort (slated for release in 2008).
Starpulse.com
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On Service: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
A Pictorial History Of A Great People
1619: Slaves First Arrive In The Colonies
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Frederick Douglas
Frederick Douglass was one of the foremost leaders of the abolitionist movement, which fought to end slavery within the United States in the decades prior to the Civil War.
A brilliant speaker, Douglass was asked by the American Anti-Slavery Society to engage in a tour of lectures, and so became recognized as one of America's first great black speakers. He won world fame when his autobiography was publicized in 1845. Two years later he bagan publishing an antislavery paper called the North Star.
Douglass served as an adviser to President Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War and fought for the adoption of constitutional amendments that guaranteed voting rights and other civil liberties for blacks. Douglass provided a powerful voice for human rights during this period of American history and is still revered today for his contributions against racial injustice.
The Underground Railroad
Quakers were one of many groups who had come to believe that it was wrong to hold people in bondage, whatever their ethnicity. Early concerned Quakers gave eloquent testimony on the anti-slavery issue and were instrumental in action taken by various Yearly Meetings, which urged from 1758 that members free their slaves. In 1776 Philadelphia Yearly Meeting disowned members who persisted in owning slaves. As early as 1786, some Quakers joined the movement to help runaway slaves reach freedom. This was the real beginning of the Underground Railroad, the secret organization that helped escaping slaves before the Civil War. It was a railroad that ran without tracks, cars, or written records. The abolitionists, for the most part anti-slavery Northerners, were aided by some Southerners who were sympathetic to the cause of freedom. These abolitionists were called "conductors." Their homes were the "stations."
In the very first issue of his anti-slavery newspaper, the Liberator, William Lloyd Garrison stated, "I do not wish to think, or speak, or write, with moderation. . . . I am in earnest -- I will not equivocate -- I will not excuse -- I will not retreat a single inch -- AND I WILL BE HEARD." And Garrison was heard. For more than three decades, from the first issue of his weekly paper in 1831, until after the end of the Civil War in 1865 when the last issue was published, Garrison spoke out eloquently and passionately against slavery and for the rights of America's black inhabitants.
Soujourner Truth
Sojourner Truth (c. 1797–November 26, 1883) was the self-given name, from 1843, of Isabella Baumfree, an American abolitionist and women's rights activist. Truth was born into slavery in Swartekill, New York. Her best-known speech, which became known as Ain't I a Woman?, was delivered in 1851 at the Ohio Women's Rights Convention in Akron, Ohio.
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Booker T. Washington
Born a slave and deprived of any early education, Booker Taliaferro Washington nonetheless became America's foremost black educator of the early 20th century. He was the first teacher and principal of the Tuskegee Institute in Tuskegee, Alabama, a school for African-Americans where he championed vocational training as a means for black self-reliance. A well-known orator, Washington also wrote a best-selling autobiography (Up From Slavery, 1901) and advised Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and William Taft on race relations. His rather flaccid nickname of "The Great Accommodator" provides a clue as to why he was later criticized by W. E. B. Du Bois and the N.A.A.C.P. Washington was principal of Tuskegee Institute from 1881 until his death in 1915; it was originally called the Normal School for Colored Teachers and is now known as Tuskegee University.
W. E. B. Du Bois
 Children learn more from what you are than what you teach.
Du Bois
Du Bois was born and raised in Massachusetts, and graduated in 1888 from Fisk University, a black liberal arts college in Nashville, Tennessee. During the summer, he taught in a rural school and later wrote about his experiences in his book THE SOULS OF BLACK FOLK.
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In 1895, Du Bois became the first African American to receive a Ph.D. in the subject of history from Harvard University. He then studied in Germany but ran out of funds before he could earn a post-doctoral degree. With the publication of THE PHILADELPHIA NEGRO: A SOCIAL STUDY in 1899, the first case study of a black community in the United States, as well as papers on black farmers, businessmen, and black life in Southern communities, Du Bois established himself as the first great scholar of black life in America.
 He taught sociology at Atlanta University between 1898 and 1910. Du Bois had hoped that social science could help eliminate segregation, but he eventually came to the conclusion that the only effective strategy against racism was agitation. He challenged the dominant ideology of black accommodation as preached and practiced by Booker T. Washington, then the most influential black man in America. Washington urged blacks to accept discrimination for the time being and elevate themselves through hard work and economic gain to win the respect of whites.
In 1903, in his famous book THE SOULS OF BLACK FOLK, Du Bois charged that Washington's strategy kept the black man down rather than freed him. This attack crystallized the opposition to Booker T. Washington among many black intellectuals, polarizing the leaders of the black community into two wings -- the "conservative" supporters of Washington and his "radical" critics. In 1905, Du Bois took the lead in founding the short-lived Niagara Movement, intended to be an organization advocating civil rights for blacks. Although the Niagara Movement faltered, it was the forerunner of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), which was founded in 1909. Du Bois played a prominent role in the organization's creation and became its director of research and the editor of its magazine, THE CRISIS.
For many young African Americans in the period from 1910 through the 1930s, Du Bois was the voice of the black community. He attacked Woodrow Wilson when the president allowed his cabinet members to segregate the federal government. He continued to fight against the demand by many whites that black education be primarily industrial and that black students in the South learn to accept white supremacy. Du Bois emphasized the necessity for higher education in order to develop the leadership capacity among the most able 10 percent of black Americans, whom he dubbed "The Talented Tenth."
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A. Phillip Randolph
Asa Philip Randolph (April 15, 1889 – May 16, 1979) was a prominent twentieth century African-American civil rights leader and founder of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, which was a huge victory for labor and especially for African-American labor organizing.
Randolph had some experience in labor organization, having organized a union of elevator operators in New York City in 1917. In 1925, Randolph organized the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters. This was the first serious effort to form a labor union for the employees of the Pullman Company, which was a major employer of African-Americans. With amendments to the Railway Labor Act in 1934, porters were granted rights under federal law, and membership in the Brotherhood jumped to more than 7,000. After years of bitter struggle, the Pullman Company finally began to negotiate with the Brotherhood in 1935, and agreed to a contract with them in 1937, winning $2,000,000 in pay increases for employees, a shorter workweek, and overtime pay. [2] The Brotherhood was associated with the American Federation of Labor.
Civil rights leader
Randolph emerged as one of the most visible spokespersons for African-American civil rights. In 1941, he, Bayard Rustin, and A. J. Muste proposed a march on Washington to protest racial discrimination in war industries. The marchwas canceled after President of the United States Franklin D. Roosevelt issued the Fair Employment Act. Some militants felt betrayed by the cancellation because Roosevelt's pronouncement only pertained to defense industries and not the armed forces themselves. In 1947, Randolph formed the Committee Against Jim Crow in Military Service, later renamed the League for Non-Violent Civil Disobedience. President Harry S. Truman abolished racial segregation in the armed forces through Executive Order 9981 on July 26, 1948.
Randolph was also notable in his support for restrictions on immigration.
In 1950, along with Roy Wilkins, Executive Secretary of the NAACP, and Arnold Aronson, a leader of the National Jewish Community Relations Advisory Council, Randolph founded the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights (LCCR). LCCR has since become the nation's premier civil rights coalition, and has coordinated the national legislative campaign on behalf of every major civil rights law since 1957.
Randolph also helped Rustin and Martin Luther King Jr. to organize the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom on August 28, 1963. As the U.S. civil rights movement gained momentum in the early 1960s and came to the forefront of the nation's consciousness, his rich baritone voice was often heard on television news programs addressing the nation on behalf of African-Americans engaged in the struggle for voting rights and an end to discrimination in public accommodations.
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During World War II, civil rights groups and black professional organizations pressed the government to provide training for black pilots on an equal basis with whites. Their efforts were partially successful. African American fighter pilots were trained as a part of the Army Air Force, but only at a segregated base in Tuskegee, Ala. Hundreds of airmen were trained and many saw action.
In March 1945, Toni Frissell took more than 280 photographs of the "Tuskegee Airmen," the elite, all-African American 332nd Fighter Group at Ramitelli, Italy. The group was commanded by Col. Benjamin O. Davis Jr, who later became the first three-star general in the Air Corps. They earned more than 744 Air Medals and Clusters, more than 100 Flying Crosses, 14 Bronze Stars, eight Purple Hearts, a Silver Star and a Legion of Merit. Frissell was the first professional photographer permitted to capture the Tuskegee Airmen in a combat situation. She traveled to their air base in southern Italy, from where the "Tuskegee Airmen" flew sorties into southern Europe and north Africa.
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Martin Luther King, Jr., and other civil rights leaders of a municipal bus boycott in Montgomery, Alabama, riding an integrated bus, December 1956.
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The Meaning of the
Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday
By Coretta Scott King
The Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday celebrates the life and legacy of a man who brought hope and healing to America. We commemorate as well the timeless values he taught us through his example -- the values of courage, truth, justice, compassion, dignity, humility and service that so radiantly defined Dr. King’s character and empowered his leadership. On this holiday, we commemorate the universal, unconditional love, forgiveness and nonviolence that empowered his revolutionary spirit.
We commemorate Dr. King’s inspiring words, because his voice and his vision filled a great void in our nation, and answered our collective longing to become a country that truly lived by its noblest principles. Yet, Dr. King knew that it wasn’t enough just to talk the talk, that he had to walk the walk for his words to be credible. And so we commemorate on this holiday the man of action, who put his life on the line for freedom and justice every day, the man who braved threats and jail and beatings and who ultimately paid the highest price to make democracy a reality for all Americans.
The King Holiday honors the life and contributions of America’s greatest champion of racial justice and equality, the leader who not only dreamed of a color-blind society, but who also lead a movement that achieved historic reforms to help make it a reality.
On this day we commemorate Dr. King’s great dream of a vibrant, multiracial nation united in justice, peace and reconciliation; a nation that has a place at the table for children of every race and room at the inn for every needy child. We are called on this holiday, not merely to honor, but to celebrate the values of equality, tolerance and interracial sister and brotherhood he so compellingly expressed in his great dream for America.
It is a day of interracial and intercultural cooperation and sharing. No other day of the year brings so many peoples from different cultural backgrounds together in such a vibrant spirit of brother and sisterhood. Whether you are African-American, Hispanic or Native American, whether you are Caucasian or Asian-American, you are part of the great dream Martin Luther King, Jr. had for America. This is not a black holiday; it is a peoples' holiday. And it is the young people of all races and religions who hold the keys to the fulfillment of his dream.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is not only for celebration and remembrance, education and tribute, but above all a day of service. All across America on the Holiday, his followers perform service in hospitals and shelters and prisons and wherever people need some help. It is a day of volunteering to feed the hungry, rehabilitate housing, tutoring those who can't read, mentoring at-risk youngsters, consoling the broken-hearted and a thousand other projects for building the beloved community of his dream.
Dr. King once said that we all have to decide whether we "will walk in the light of creative altruism or the darkness of destructive selfishness. Life's most persistent and nagging question, he said, is `what are you doing for others?'" he would quote Mark 9:35, the scripture in which Jesus of Nazareth tells James and John "...whosoever will be great among you shall be your servant; and whosoever among you will be the first shall be the servant of all." And when Martin talked about the end of his mortal life in one of his last sermons, on February 4, 1968 in the pulpit of Ebenezer Baptist Church, even then he lifted up the value of service as the hallmark of a full life. "I'd like somebody to mention on that day Martin Luther King, Jr. tried to give his life serving others," he said. "I want you to say on that day, that I did try in my life...to love and serve humanity.
We call you to commemorate this Holiday by making your personal commitment to serve humanity with the vibrant spirit of unconditional love that was his greatest strength, and which empowered all of the great victories of his leadership. And with our hearts open to this spirit of unconditional love, we can indeed achieve the Beloved Community of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s dream.
May we who follow Martin now pledge to serve humanity, promote his teachings and carry forward his legacy into the 21st Century.
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Rosa Parks
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Seattle Washington
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Thurgood Marshall
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Oklahoma
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Parrish Kelley
August 5, 2004 (Old Main 203)
At the age of 18, Parrish Kelley (center) became a foot-soldier in a pivotal event of the civil rights movement--Freedom Summer of 1964. He will speak about his Quaker forebears, growing up in Buffalo, New York, and Dallas, Texas, and registering African Americans to vote in Ruleville, Mississippi, where he worked with Fannie Lou Hamer, one of the legendary figures of the movement. His recollection will focus on the dangers of fighting segregation on the frontlines, the friendships forged in such trying circumstances, and the stigma of being white as civil rights organizations began ousting nonblacks. His presentation will conclude with remarks on how the movement changed his life and others.
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Morris Dees
Morris Dees, founder of the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), cited his grade school teacher’s straightforward interpretation of the last line of the Pledge of Allegiance—one nation, with liberty and justice for all—as the earliest starting point in his battle against hatred, poverty and injustice.
Dees knew all too well that becoming a civil rights lawyer in Montgomery, Alabama wasn’t going to win him any popularity contests. He wrote in his autobiography, A Season for Justice, "All the things in my life that had brought me to this point, all the pulls and tugs of my conscience, found a singular peace. It did not matter what my neighbors would think, or the judges, the bankers, or even my relatives." Dees, the soft-spoken and gentle-natured white farmer’s son from Shorter, Alabama, faced the struggles placed before him, and in doing so demonstrated a resolve that is as tenacious about delivering justice as it is sophisticated and creative in its approach to legal theory.
Burt Neuborne, Inez Milholland Professor of Civil Liberties, introduced Dees when he visited the NYU School of Law on March 7, 2006, to deliver his candid lecture, “With Justice for All,” and to answer law students’ questions about pursuing a profession in civil rights advocacy.
Neuborne began the discussion by asking a question that he as a civil rights activist and former National Legal Director of the ACLU often asks himself: Are we relevant? Judging by Dees’ victories in stripping assets from hate merchants and defending the indigent working population, the answer is a resounding yes. “Morris Dees,” said Neuborne, “is Exhibit One that I put in front of me to keep me going.”
When approaching any case, Dees takes his cue from his personal hero Clarence Darrow who, in Dees’ opinion, was the master of framing legal arguments. Darrow, like Dees, often found himself up against seemingly insurmountable odds in the cases he chose. Dees recounted Darrow’s ostensibly pointless defense of an Appleton, Wisconsin union leader against an airtight felony conspiracy charge. In his closing arguments, Darrow simply and subtly painted a picture of the wealthy local factory owner as an unjust foe out to prevent his very workers from rising above their lower class status. Seeing the obvious need for unions to protect the rights of workers in Wisconsin, the jury acquitted the labor leader.
Some of the cases that Dees and the SPLC have undertaken over the past few months echo the injustices that Darrow confronted during his legal career. Dees and his dedicated staffers in Montgomery (three of whom are Law School students) are currently working to protect the rights of both documented and undocumented laborers. The SPLC’s Immigrant Justice Project is currently taking on rights violations in post-Hurricane Katrina New Orleans. Migrant workers there claim that they have not been paid for the gruesome jobs they performed (removing debris that had been soaked by standing water and raw sewage) while working for corporations who secured government billion-dollar contracts to clean up and restore the Crescent City.
“The United States would have a hard time existing without these people,” Dees said of laborers who come to the U.S. from such far-off places as Mexico, El Salvador and Guatemala to find low-wage work planting trees on pine farms and cleaning fowl at poultry plants. These immigrant workers are typically forced to earn far less than the $12-20 per hour that is dictated by federal employment laws, receive no health benefits and are fired if any complaint is lodged against the employer.
Dees concluded his personal journey through four-plus decades of civil rights advocacy with a quotation by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Don’t be satisfied, Dees said, “until justice runs down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
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Dr. Mae Jemison, dancer and physician, was the first black woman to travel in space, as an astronaut on the space shuttle Endeavour in 1992,
According to Webster's Dictionary, a dream is a "series of thoughts, images or emotions occurring during sleep." Nowadays, when we speak of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream of equality, it seems like one of those gauzy images that have little to do with our waking life.
But King's dream wasn't an illusive fantasy to Dr. Mae Jemison. It was a call to action.
"Too often people paint him like Santa -- smiley and inoffensive," said the African-American woman who broke the racial barrier on the space shuttle Endeavour in 1992.
"But when I think of Martin Luther King, I think of attitude and audacity."
Jemison said King's action on his dream made her life possible.
As a little girl growing up in Chicago, she'd gaze at the stars. "I could see myself in space when others couldn't," she said. "I had to learn not to limit myself because of others' limited imagination."
People were puzzled by her shared interest in the sciences, arts and community service. As a free and equal human being, she felt she shouldn't have to choose between them.
At 16, she entered Stanford and majored in both chemical engineering and African-American studies, all the while cultivating her talents in dance. After earning her medical degree at Cornell University, she became a doctor in Los Angeles, but also spent more than two years as a Peace Corps physician in Sierra Leone and Liberia.
She joined NASA in 1987, and became the first woman of color into space. But she never let that achievement overshadow the other dimensions of her personality. Among the things she carried into space were a poster from the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and a Bundu statue from Sierra Leone.
"For me, they were symbols of human creativity," the Houston resident said recently during a standing-room only celebration of the slain civil rights leader sponsored by Northwest Airlines in Minneapolis. "The same kind of human creativity that launched the space shuttle."
Since she retired from the space program in 1993, Jemison's career has continued to defy categorization. She runs two medical technology companies dedicated to applying science to improve human life. She tirelessly promotes science literacy for children.
Her autobiography, "Find Where the Wind Goes," is aimed at young adults to inspire them to honor their God-given creativity.
I asked Jemison what she'd say to that little Chicago girl who once imagined herself floating in space. She answered: "I'm still trying to catch up with who she intended me to be."
That's what the civil rights struggle is all about: Breaking down the barriers to human potential. Too often these days, King's vision seems to be stuck in the realm of dreams. How do we make it reality?
Jemison's answer was simple: "The best way to make dreams come true is to wake up."
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Dreams Can Be Powerful Things
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Jordin Brianna Sparks (born December 22, 1989) is an American pop singer. On May 23, 2007, she was declared the winner of the sixth season of the reality television show American Idol. Sparks won at the age of 17, making her the youngest winner in American Idol history.
Early life
Sparks was born in Phoenix, Arizona, to a White mother Jodi Wiedmann, and Phillippi Sparks, a former African-American NFL football player for the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys who at the time was playing in college for the Arizona State Sun Devils. She has a younger brother PJ (Phillippi Sparks, Jr). She lived briefly in the town of Ridgewood, NJ on Orchard Place, and attended Orchard school. Sparks attended Sandra Day O'Connor High School until 2006, then she was homeschooled to better concentrate on her singing.[4]
American Idol
Audition
Sparks first auditioned in Los Angeles, California. She was not invited to Hollywood. She returned home to compete in the Fox affiliate-sponsored Arizona Idol, which she won. The winner of Arizona Idol was guaranteed an audition with the producers of American Idol at the Seattle, Washington auditions. Sparks was featured in the audition episode that aired on January 17, 2007. She sang "Because You Loved Me" by Celine Dion. The judges were overall impressed with her vocals, though Simon criticized her for "being too cute", but Sparks was sent on to the Hollywood rounds of the show.
Semi-finals/Finals notes
Sparks was never in danger of elimination. Sparks is the fourth contestant to have won without ever being in the bottom 2 or 3, joining Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, and Taylor Hicks. (Season 2 winner Ruben Studdard was in the bottom 2 once, and season 3 winner Fantasia Barrino landed in there twice).
On August 17, 2007, it was announced Sparks had signed to 19 Recordings/Jive Records/Zomba Label Group, becoming the first Idol winner to join the label group — all past Idol winners and runners-up have signed with the RCA Label Group’s J (Fantasia, Ruben Studdard), Arista (Carrie Underwood, Taylor Hicks) or RCA (Kelly Clarkson, Chris Daughtry, Clay Aiken, Katharine McPhee) labels. Sparks has stated that she recorded some songs for the album but the bulk of the recording would be done in Los Angeles after the tour is over. She said the album would be "Top 40, radio-friendly, uplifting stuff" hopefully mixing "the pop rock sound of inaugural Idol Kelly Clarkson with the R&B edge of Beyonce". Her debut album came out on November 20 and November 27, 2007. On The Morning Show with Mike and Juliet, it was mentioned that the album had gone gold.
The album came out to generally favorable reviews. Some critics felt Sparks' vocals were not suited for modern pop music while others thought the album's atypical American Idol material helped Jordin to find a secure future in today's ever-changing music landscape.
Along with the label announcement, the first single was revealed to be "Tattoo", which was released to U.S. radio on August 27, 2007. The song became the album's first top ten single. The next single is slated to be "No Air" a duet with Chris Brown, but Jordin's official website is polling fans to decided whether "No Air", "Freeze", "One Step at a Time," or "Shy Boy" should be the next single.
Wikipedia.org http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jordin_Sparks
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Aisha Tyler
Early life
Tyler was born in San Francisco, California, the daughter of Robin Gregory, a teacher, and Jim Tyler, a photographer. Her parents divorced when she was 10 and she was raised by her father. She pursued an early interest in comedy during high school, when she would skip her regular courses to attend local comedy improv classes. She also attended theater classes at San Francisco's School of the Arts High School. She attended Dartmouth College where she earned a degree in government with a minor in environmental policy and was a member of The Tabard, a co-ed fraternity. At Dartmouth, she co-founded and sang in the all-female a cappella group, The Dartmouth Rockapellas, a group devoted to spreading social awareness through song. After briefly working for a San Francisco advertising firm, she toured the country pursuing a comedy career before finally moving to Los Angeles, California in 1996.
Career
Her career in television took off in 2001 with jobs as the host of Talk Soup and the reality-dating series The Fifth Wheel, although Talk Soup was cancelled the following year and Tyler left The Fifth Wheel in 2002, to pursue other interests. Tyler has devoted a significant amount of her time to independent projects, including a role in the play Moose Mating, for which she received an NAACP Image Award. She also wrote, directed, and starred in the independent short film The Whipper.
Moving into acting, Tyler played the first and only African American recurring character on Friends. She took part in the ninth and tenth seasons. She followed this up with guest spots on CSI: Miami and Nip/Tuck, as well as balancing recurring roles on both CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and 24 during the 2004-2005 TV season. She also filmed her own sitcom pilot for CBS, which wasn't picked up.
Following her regular role on the CBS series Ghost Whisperer during its first season, Tyler appeared in several movies, including The Santa Clause 2, the sequel The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause, .45 and the comedy Balls of Fury alongside Christopher Walken. She recently wrapped the thriller Death Sentence and the crime drama Black Water Transit. She also remains a fixture on television, with appearances on Boston Legal, Reno 911!, The Boondocks and as a guest movie critic on At the Movies with Ebert & Roeper, filling in for the absent Roger Ebert, who was recuperating from surgery.
Tyler has moved into print media as a regular contributor to Glamour and Jane magazines; her first book, Swerve: A Guide to the Sweet Life for Postmodern Girls (ISBN 0-525-94806-6) was released in January 2004. She is often cited as one of the "rising stars to watch" in the entertainment industry. Tyler also plays on the World Poker Tour in the Hollywood Home games for the Childhelp USA charity. She also made a guest appearance on Twista's single "Slow Jamz" which also featured Kanye West and Jamie Foxx.
Tyler appeared in a nude story along with other celebrities in the May 2006 issue of Allure. Allure's annual "Nude Issue" raises money to combat skin cancer.
Personal life
Since 1992, Tyler has been married to an attorney, Jeff Tietjens. Tyler and her husband are avid fans of beer; both are home brewers. She discussed her love and passion for beer on The Sharon Osbourne Show.
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Tyson Beckford
Tyson Craig Beckford (born December 19, 1970 in Bronx, New York) is a Jamaican American male supermodel and actor, best known as a Ralph Lauren model.
Both of Beckford's parents are Jamaican. His paternal grandmother is ethnically Chinese. Growing up in Rochester, New York, he attended Bay Trail Middle School in the suburbs of Penfield, NY and then Pittsford Mendon High School in the affluent suburb of Pittsford as a participant in the Urban-Suburban Program, a busing program designed to give educational opportunities to urban youth in the city's surrounding suburban school districts. Tyson was a member of his high school football and track teams. In 1991, he was recruited to hip hop magazine The Source by a talent scout who had come across him by chance in a New York park. In 1993, Beckford was recruited by Ralph Lauren as the front model for the company's Polo line of male sportswear. Beckford was named "Man of the Year" in 1995 by the cable television music channel VH1, as well as one of the "50 Most Beautiful People in the World" by People magazine.
In June 2005, Beckford was injured in a car accident near his home. His vehicle caught fire, and Beckford was able to pull himself out before it became fully engulfed in flames.[1] The accident had a profound effect on his spirituality, which he later revealed on The Oprah Winfrey Show.
Beckford has been a resident of The New Jersey communities of Edgewater and West New York.
He is currently co-hosting the reality series "Make Me a Supermodel" on the television channel Bravo with fellow supermodel Niki Taylor.
Wikipedia.org
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tyson_Beckford
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Angela Bassett
A respected actress of the stage, screen, and television, Angela Bassett has been one of the few African-American actresses to break Hollywood's color boundary. She has specialized in playing strong women familiar with adversity and has worked in genres from "chick flick" (Waiting to Exhale) to sci-fi action (Strange Day) to biography (What's Love Got to Do with It?), the last of which featured her in a star-making performance as Tina Turner.
Born in New York City on August 16, 1958, Bassett was raised in St. Petersburg, Florida by her mother. Growing up in a household where money was tight, she was taught determination and independence. These values were called into service after an eleventh grade Upward Bound trip to Washington, D.C., when Bassett saw James Earl Jones in a Kennedy Center production of -Of Mice and Men. Deciding that acting was her calling, she became involved in a number of local productions in St. Petersburg. She continued to act at Yale University, where she earned a scholarship; after completing a B.A. in African-American studies, she also spent three years at the Yale School of Drama. One of Bassett's mentors at Yale was the drama school's dean, stage director Lloyd Richards, who was so impressed with her talent that he cast her in two of his productions, -Ma Rainey's Black Bottom and -Joe Turner's Come and Gone. Although she enjoyed relative success on the stage, Bassett, like other African-American actors, had a difficult time finding roles in television and film.
In 1986, Bassett made her screen debut in the cult favorite F/X. Following supporting roles in Kindergarten Cop (1990) and John Sayles' City of Hope (1991), she had her first significant screen role in John Singleton's acclaimed Boyz 'N the Hood, playing a struggling single mother. Two years later, after playing the wife of civil rights leader Malcolm X in Spike Lee's biopic and the Jackson Family matriarch in the made-for-TV The Jacksons: An American Dream, Bassett had her screen breakthrough as Tina Turner in What's Love Got to Do with It?, a performance that earned her a Best Actress Oscar nomination and a Golden Globe.
As her newfound status allowed her to expand her range of work, Bassett went on to star in a series of diverse films. In 1995, a foray into futuristic action in Strange Days was complemented by a lead in the successful women's ensemble drama Waiting to Exhale (based on the novel by Terry McMillan), in which Bassett starred alongside Whitney Houston, Lela Rochon, and Loretta Devine. In 1998, she starred as the title character in another McMillan adaptation, How Stella Got Her Groove Back, playing a divorcee whose discontent is ably assuaged by a hunky twenty-year-old (Taye Diggs). The following year, she had a supporting role in Music of the Heart and again tried her hand at action in Supernova, a sci-fi thriller. Starring in former Orson Welles collaborator and blacklisted director John Beery's critically panned swansong Boesman and Lena in 2001, Bassett (along with co-star Danny Glover) earned praise for their sensitive performances as a troubled South African couple striving to seek stability in the face of Apatheid.
Since 1997, Bassett has been married to actor Courtney B. Vance, whom she had known since their days at Yale.
StarPulse.com
http://www.starpulse.com/Actresses/Bassett,_Angela/Biography/
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