Entertainment

Reel-ality TV Talk

Published

9 years ago

July 6, 2015

By Marquesa LaDawn
NNPA Columnist

The crazy news never quits coming about Real Housewives of Atlanta (RHOA). Claudia was let go last month, Phaedra’s return is questionable and now Nene – the only original housewife left – has left the building.

Nene bid goodbye and says she’s ready for us to see her happy and doing new things. I think there’s more to it than that. During her last two seasons, the other cast members stood up to her and refused to let her win the war of words. Also, when she lost her BFF, Cynthia, she lost her support. Although we will miss her, in a way, she had already checked out.

I just hope she realizes that moving to another Bravo reality show still means facing her demons or moving away means showing some serious skills. I’m hearing the new RHOA cast will include one of my childhood favs – Kim Fields. I have mixed thoughts about that, although she played the feisty character, Regine, on her last long running TV project, “Living Single.” I’m not sure she can be interesting in real life. You see a Real Housewife has to be an interesting combination of boldness, uniqueness, vulnerability, shock value and a little bit of crazy rolled into one. Professional actors tend to come on the show thinking they can act their way through it, only to find themselves in unbelievable situations. We’ll see what happens with Kim.

There’s another show that I’ve been eyeing that has some of the high drama of RHOA. It’s also in Atlanta and called “Cutting it up in Atlanta.” It’s about salon owners and their personal dynamics with each other. I just heard one of the cast mates, was considered for RHOA but they passed on her and she’s now making waves on CIUA. On a scale of 1-10, I give it a 4 right now. It’s really heavy in the drama department, which makes for good TV for a short time before we are over it. Its like the ladies just arrived pissed off and ready to fight.

The Braxtons is catching fire. Granted, they had an advantage with a celebrity star, but if you’ve watched reality long enough, you know that all celebrities do not make great reality TV! Back to my girls, they are unpredictable as always. It’s interesting to see Toni Braxton on camera a lot this season. I’m thinking, when the reality show first started five years ago, Toni was in a bad place. She seems free after finally accepting the end of her marriage and not fearing becoming a has-been in the industry.

Now on to the good stuff…my girl Tracy is losing it. It’s so interesting that she will not tell her sisters what’s really wrong. For so long, she’s felt like a background sister, the least attractive and at times invisible. Starting last season she rebuilt her marriage and her career and now has a voice. She looks amazing! Yet, her sisters are hardly ever around to support her and that hurt. Add to the mix her 19 year old son getting married. Tracy, please say something! I think you will realize that your sisters will show up of you if you ask. So, ask!

On the Real Housewives of New York (RHONY), after arriving in Turks and Caicos and settling in last week into one heck of an island, the fireworks began. Ramona and Bethenny bonded like never before, over the pain of divorce. I’ve never seen Ramona so “real,” it was refreshing. Dorinda had a pep talk with Sonya about not standing up for herself and within minutes she became Hurricane Sonya.

Sonya confronted Ramona and Bethenny about being so mean. She yelled and screamed and told them to go somewhere. She then decided to just chill alone and not hang with them. Whoa! Now that Sonya is off the radar, they turn on one another. We see an argument start between Dorinda and Heather that will continue next week. Also, Bethenny decides to cook one of her amazing meals and mid way, some of the ladies decide to leave the house and go out to eat This continues next week… ooh it’s really good

Things also got interesting finally, for the Real Housewives of the OC (RHOOC), after a disagreement between Shannon and the newest housewife, Meghan. First of all, Shannon was rude twice toward newbie Meghan for no reason. But surprised when Meghan reacted by not inviting her to her party. Really? Shannon, you can’t be that delusional.

Marquesa LaDawn is a professional businesswoman who escapes the pressures of living in New York City by retreating into the real world of reality TV. Follow her on twitter @realityshowgirl and subscribe to her podcast at www.RealitytvGirl.com.

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Related Topics:Marquesa LaDawn Real Housewives reality tv shows Reel-ality TV Talk RHOA RHONY

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Arts and Culture

San Jose Jazz Fest ‘24: Fun, Food and an Unforgettable Frankie Beverly Farewell

SAN JOSE — The sounds of summer echoed through the heart of town during the 3-day-long San Jose Jazz Summer Fest 2024, held Aug. 9 – 11. Multiple stages hosted a variety of iconic performers such as Incognito; local favorites like Tia Carroll; and trailblazers such as Herbie Hancock. Guests enjoyed dozens of vendors featuring art, gifts, and clothing. Tasty bites included flame-grilled barbeque, seafood and a variety of desserts

Published

2 days ago

September 16, 2024

Oakland Post

Frankie Beverly performing at the San Jose Jazz Summer Fest 2024. Photo Courtesy of Frankie Beverly.

By Carla Thomas

SAN JOSE — The sounds of summer echoed through the heart of town during the 3-day-long San Jose Jazz Summer Fest 2024, held Aug. 9 – 11.

Multiple stages hosted a variety of iconic performers such as Incognito; local favorites like Tia Carroll; and trailblazers such as Herbie Hancock.

Guests enjoyed dozens of vendors featuring art, gifts, and clothing. Tasty bites included flame-grilled barbeque, seafood and a variety of desserts.

Oakland entrepreneur Ava Carrie and several friends said it was great to get out, enjoy the sun and hear great music. “This is a wonderful festival and just a great time with friends,” said Carrie.

Festival goer Cin-Dee said she flew in from Virginia to celebrate her birthday in the Bay Area. She was saddened that she missed Frankie Beverly’s farewell tour that kicked off in March when he performed in her area on the east coast, capping a 50-year career. When Cin-Dee noticed Maze would feature Beverly in the line up at the San Jose Jazz Festival, in a tribute to him, she made sure to cut short her touring of Santa Cruz to not miss the performance on Sunday evening. “I am so happy to be here and have this opportunity to see Frankie with Maze,” she said, dancing to the music. “This is really special and it’s great to see Frankie on stage and hear my favorite songs.”

Maze performed favorites in tribute to Beverly while introducing their new lead singer, Tony Lindsay. During the last stretch of the concert, Beverly performed, “Happy Feelings,” and “I Wanna Thank You.” The performance was emotional for Beverly as the audience stood up and danced during the entire performance, capturing the historic moment on their cell phones.

Maze was founded by Beverly in 1970 in Philadelphia and was recognized by Marvin Gaye when they relocated to the Bay Area in 1971. The group went on to earn nine gold albums between 1977 and 1993 with mega hits such as “Happy Feelin’s” and “Before I Let Go.” Beverly, known for his soulful baritone voice, wrote hit after hit during his five-decade career. Beverly said he was initially inspired by the pacesetting R&B doo-wop group Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers.

Performances at the San Jose Jazz Summer Fest also included the John Santos Sextet, the San Jose Jazz High School All Stars, Faye Carol, Delfaeyo Marsalis and the Uptown Jazz Orchestra, David Benoit Quartet, Andre Thierry Accordion Soul, Ayo Brame, The Family Stone, and the Spanish Harlem Orchestra.

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Activism

Oakland Post: Week of September 11 -17, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of September 11 – 17, 2024

Published

5 days ago

September 13, 2024

Oakland Post

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Activism

Jaylen Brown and Jason Kidd’s $5 Billion Plans

On Aug. 9, in downtown Oakland at Oakstop, a co-working and event space, dozens of journalists and broadcasters convened to hear an historic announcement from NBA icon Jason Kidd and NBA All Star and Finals MVP Jaylen Brown. The duo told the world that they have joined forces to raise an ambitious $5 billion dollars to empower underserved and marginalized communities. The week prior, Brown set the goal in motion by creating the Boston XChange in preparation to do the same in the Bay Area as the Oakland XChange.

Published

6 days ago

September 12, 2024

Oakland Post

NBA All Star and 2024 Finals MVP Jaylen Brown, Oakland XChange's founder Trevor Parham, Boston XChange board member Riz Shah, and NBA icon Jason Kidd at Oakstop in Oakland announcing the creation of XChange Oakland and a commitment to raise $5 billion dollars to empower marginalized communities across the nation. Courtesy of Oakland Xchange.

By Carla Thomas

The duo told the world that they have joined forces to raise an ambitious $5 billion dollars to empower underserved and marginalized communities. The week prior, Brown set the goal in motion by creating the Boston XChange in preparation to do the same in the Bay Area as the Oakland XChange.

“True systemic change requires collaboration, shared vision, and collective impact. By working with community partners, thought leaders, and cultural influencers, our goal is to cultivate a powerful network of support and innovation,” shared Brown.

Through the new nonprofit XChange enterprises in Boston and Oakland and his sphere of influence, Brown has set his intentions in motion jumpstarting a path toward generational wealth and cultivating cultural innovation in underserved and underrepresented communities. Designed to provide opportunities at the intersection of business and culture, Brown says the XChange will use a place-based strategy to drive solutions for better cities, integrating real estate development, business education, technology, and cultural competency to foster economic growth.

Chapters in Boston (BXC) and Oakland (OXC) will serve as organizing hubs, utilizing commercial real estate to empower underserved communities.

Kidd says he was inspired by Brown’s concept and the two have committed millions of dollars from their own fortunes to kick off the venture. Kidd and Brown, both Oakland natives, see a bright future for their hometown.

“We welcome anyone that is willing to make a commitment to the future and health of the community and put it on a path toward generational sustainability,” said Kidd, during the press conference.

“The racial wealth gap is not limited to Boston — It’s a national issue, affecting Oakland and cities throughout the country, revealing how some groups are better positioned to make critical investments in their futures that benefit their families and communities,” said Kidd.

Kidd has also made significant philanthropic contributions to his hometown, such as funding the Willie Keyes Recreation Center in West Oakland.

The XChange will create and showcase scalable and repeatable models for shared real estate ownership and impact investments to facilitate asset building for sidelined community members that can be adopted across the country. They will engage professional athletes, business leaders, philanthropists, and influencers who are passionate about solving wealth inequality in the cities they love, using a replicable model that maximizes impact while uplifting existing organizations working to bridge the wealth gap.

“Using this strategy, The XChange presents an opportunity for individual cities to tailor the model to the unique needs and strengths of their communities, replicating and refining it for optimal impact,” said the Oakland XChange’s founder Trevor Parham.

“Place based strategies are important for unifying and revitalizing underserved communities and our lived experiences inform market insights and social solutions that help foster sustainable economic development. I’m proud of Oakstop’s track record for community-led social impact and our synergy with the Boston XChange.”

Boston XChange board member Riz Shah was also on hand along with local politicians, Caroll Fife, Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA-12), and Lateefah Simon, candidate for U.S Congress. They all shared their excitement for the new venture.

For more information visit: www.oaklandxchange.org