LGBTQ news and entertainment
Getting ready for the big event tonight, I was listening to Oscar winning songs past.
What a great song by Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz sung by superstar Vanessa Williams.
Schwartz has said he did much research with many American-Indian tribes for the imagery in the lyrics.
And of course, Vanessa nailed it on the Oscars that year.
The 45th NAACP Image Awards nominations were announced yesterday, and the fab Vanessa Williams (favorite of The Randy Report) nabbed yet another nomination acknowledging her talent.
Vanessa was nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her work on “666 Park Avenue.”
For forty-five years, the NAACP Image Awards has celebrated the accomplishments of people of color in the fields of television, music, literature and film.
Watch the show LIVE – Saturday, February 22, 2014 on TV One
Red Carpet – 8/7c
Image Awards 9/8c
More info can be found here.
The luminous Vanessa Williams sings “Do You Hear What I Hear?” on her “Star Bright” holiday CD.
This video is from Christmas Concert in Vienna with Placido Domingo, Vanessa Williams, Tony Bennett and Charlotte Church.
For over thirty years, Brian Edwards has enjoyed an enormously successful career in the entertainment industry as a celebrity talent executive, producer and writer. He has worked closely with such celebrities as Donna Summer, Vanessa Williams, Susan Sarandon, Shirley Jones and Whoopi Goldberg.
In addition to client relations, Edwards served as a talent executive and talent producer for three Emmy Award-winning shows.
Now, you can add the title of “author” to Edwards long list of accomplishments.
In Enter Miss Thang, his new memoir tracing his amazing road to success, Edwards shares in his very unique voice the “how, why and what” that led to taking on and succeeding at just about every challenge possible in the world of entertainment. And it’s a star-studded road, to be sure.
The foreword of the book is by none other than Joan Rivers herself. Of Edwards, she writes “Despite various obstacles, minor setbacks, and challenges, as you will read in this book, Brian’s thirty-year career in the field of entertainment has afforded him many opportunities as a client relations rep, producer, writer, and even a surprisingly good occasional performer and along with that a host of accolades and industry awards to boot. But to those of us who know him well, his loyalty as a friend is perhaps the most rewarding achievement of all.”
And in the introduction – penned by the one and only Cindy Crawford – Miss Cindy writes, “Let’s start off by saying he’s a well-respected veteran in the field of celebrity client relations, a multi-award winning talent executive / producer, a writer and recently a Social Media Maven. That begins to sum up the business side of Brian Edwards. On a personal level, add to that someone whose Southern charm, incomparable kindness, loyalty and unwavering support of the enter- tainment industry and those in it, is what places him notches above the rest.”
The book is a fabulous romp through the career – highs and lows – of a man who has literally done it all in the world of show business. His career has led to campaigning for honors on the Hollywood Walk of Fame or the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; serving as manager of celebrity talent to television networks American Movie Classics (AMC) and WE: Women’s Entertainment; and working side by side with some of the biggest names in Hollywood – Joan Rivers, Cindy Crawford, Vanessa Williams and legendary talent agent Sam Haskell — all of whom Edwards considers close, personal friends and confidantes.
In 2012, the International Press Academy honored Edwards with the Satellite Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Field of Entertainment, making him only the third recipient of this honor in the academy’s history.
Along the way, his work with major stars has earned their respect and, more so, their friendship. Award-winning actress and recording star Vanessa Williams writes of Edwards, “With a heart of gold laced with profound generosity, Brian is the perfect example of a true friend — and to so many. Enter Miss Thang is his story, filled with humor and passion for his work and the people he loves the most. A diva indeed, but it’s a title he’s definitely earned by managing to survive almost thirty years in Hollywood, cushioned by intelligence, flamboyance, gut instinct, loyalty, and, most of all, his sense of humor.”
I expected Enter Miss Thang to be fun and funny. And it is – a true reflection of it’s author. What I didn’t expect was the inspiration Edwards provides throughout his journey. In a world of “but I can’t” and “but how do I,” Edwards chronicles a spirit of determination and courage that gets things done one way or another. If he didn’t know how to approach an obstacle, he made his own way. If he made a misstep, he self-corrected. Over and over, with a lot of humor, he shows an original “can-do” attitude that “does.”
I highly recommend this book. You’ll laugh, you’ll be impressed, and you’ll be inspired by a guy who continues to make his own way through the rocky world of show biz.
WITH a “2 piece and a biscuit” at his side.
“666 Park Avenue” may still be canceled, but ABC is not done airing the series yet.
ABC has decided to air the remaining episodes of the series starring Terry O’Quinn and Vanessa Williams with another cancelled drama, “Zero Hour,” on Saturdays this summer for a two-hour block of supernatural TV.
The “Zero Hour” return was previously announced and begins June 15 with a two-hour premiere. “666” returns the following week, on June 22, when “Zero” airs in its regular 8 p.m. ET time slot leading into the remaining episodes of “666” at 9 p.m. ET.
(via Zap2It)
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| Michael and I with Vanessa Williams after her glowing performance in A TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL on Broadway |
Michael and I saw the beautiful new production of A TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL last night starring Cicely Tyson, Cuba Gooding Jr. and the FAB Vanessa Williams.
The nominations for awards are pouring in for the production, and the box office is doing hefty business as the theater community welcomes Cicely Tyson back to Broadway for the first time in 30 years. The production also marks Cuba Gooding Jr’s Broadway debut and Vanessa’s return to the Broadway stage since her gorgeous performance in SONDHEIM ON SONDHEIM three years ago.
THE TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL is Horton Foote’s masterpiece about memory, mortality and the undeniable, universal yearning for home.
The Wall Street Journal calls TRIP, “is unforgettably excellent. I’ve never been more deeply moved by a theatrical production of any kind.”
The Associated Press says “The casting here is splendid. Not only is Tyson feisty and funny and glowing with inner light; Vanessa Williams is politely savage as her preening daughter-in-law, icy without becoming a dragon. Cuba Gooding Jr. nails the kind man unfortunately caught in the middle of these two women. The care and love all the creators have for this play pours out from the stage.”
EW wrote about the show “Tyson gives an awe-inspiring performance. She sings, she dances, she does everything but cartwheels. She’s well matched by Vanessa Williams – wickedly funny as her bossy daughter-in-law.”
As regular readers of TRR know, I’ve known Vanessa for years; and I am very proud of Vanessa for her work in the play. Her role as “Jessie Mae Watts” is deceptively difficult as she sets the tone and environment that incites Cicely Tyson’s character to head home to Bountiful. Vanessa drives the entire beginning of the play with constant business and energy. And she brings the pitch perfect touch of humor to the role, as only Vanessa can.
Make sure you see A TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL at the Stephen Sondheim Theater on Broadway. I loved it, as did the sold-out audience I saw it with.
For more info, visit the show’s official website.
Ending a 30 year absence, celebrated actress Cecily Tyson, three-time Emmy® Award winner for “The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman” and “Oldest Confederate Widow Tells All” and Academy Award® nominee for Sounder, makes her triumphant return to Broadway in this eagerly anticipated new production, directed by Michael Wilson (Gore Vidal’s The Best Man, Dividing the Estate).
THE TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL follows Carrie Watts (Tyson), an active, highly motivated widow living in a cramped apartment in Houston in the Spring of 1953 with her son (Cuba Gooding Jr.) and daughter-in-law (Vanessa Williams) . Carrie escapes her relatives’ watchful eyes to realize her dearest dream: to return to her beloved hometown, Bountiful. What starts as an ordinary trip soon becomes an inspiring and life-changing journey of discovery.
With powerful themes regarding memory, mortality and the undeniable, universal yearning for home, you won’t want to miss this powerful show The Cleveland Plain Dealer calls, “A gorgeous, great play. American theater at its most engaging.”
Happy happy birthday to the fab and fantastic Vanessa Williams!
I’d love to somehow work in something clever about “saving the best for last” but clearly Vanessa is still busy doing so many great things, she’s not anywhere near “the last” of anything.
When I mention famous people on The Randy Report, it’s generally in reference to news items or people I’ve had the chance to meet. But when I mention Vanessa, it’s always with love. Love for a great friend of over 30 years now. We may not see each other for months, but when we do it’s always in “the comfort zone” if I may steal from one of her hit songs.
Vanessa is still the fun, smart person she was when we met as college freshman. She’s a great artist, a great LGBT ally, a GREAT mother and much more.
Here’s just a few more examples of her musical gifts. And then, of course, there are her acting gigs that have entertained us all for decades on Broadway, film and television.
Celebrate! More wine!
Currently in New Orleans for the Super Bowl, the fab Vanessa Williams spoke with Yahoo News’ OMG about singing the national anthem at the Super Bowl in 1996, explaining why artists pre-record the song then lip-sync live at the event:
“Whitney [Houston] had done hers before me and the network wants you to pre-record, so you pre-record with your orchestra,” the former “Desperate Housewives” star explained. “You lay down the track. Then when it’s time to perform you lip sync, because you’ve got flyovers with the jets, you’ve got pyrotechnics behind you and you want to make sure that the sound is consistent. And that’s what the network asks of you. So, there’s no ‘Can she sing it? Can she not? Is it live or is it not?’ There’s no way you’re gonna get a live orchestra on the field at the same time and that’s part of what they want as a network.”
Easily one of my favorite rendition’s of our anthem, Vanessa’s performance also honored the astronauts of the Challenger space shuttle, which had exploded 10 years earlier, killing all aboard. “It was one of the highlights of my life,” she says. “And when you walk out on that field, it’s a sea of color and people. It’s surreal and an honor too!”
Hit play to enjoy Vanessa’s 1996 Super Bowl performance:
Hollywood spotlight aside, Vanessa Williams is a mother, homework fact-checker, grocery shopper, carpool driver, gym-goer who – like many of us – never seems to have enough time in a day. And busy lifestyles often can take a toll on our skin, and Vanessa is no exception.
Vanessa launched her own skincare line on QVC in August with the debut of the Re-Start Skin Serum (QVC Item #A228178), which is exclusive to QVC through December 2012.
Since the launch ReVitalistic Skincare has become a Top Product on QVC with over 40 5-star reviews.
I’ve personally tried the Skin Serum and I have to say it really helps my 49 year old skin look better, feel smoother and just plain healthier.
I know a lot of people may think “But Vanessa has always been beautiful.” ReVitalistic Skincare is inspired by Williams’ personal battles with skin problems throughout her life. Today, her skin is in great shape and she wants to share her secrets. The line aims to provide real solutions for real women and includes products with the best-quality ingredients and the most user-friendly approach to beautiful skin.
Don’t miss Vanessa tonight, Friday, September 21, 2012 during QVC’s “Friday Night Beauty” at 11pmEST.