My Publicist Note Book

THE 47TH NAACP IMAGE AWARDS TO AIR LIVE ON FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2016 ON TV ONE LOS ANGELES, CA   – The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and TV One, a television network seen in more than 57 million homes, today announced that the 47th NAACP Image Awards will be nationally telecast live on Friday, February 5, 2016 exclusively on TV One. The telecast will also include a one-hour live pre-show from the star-studded red carpet. The NAACP Image Awards is the most respected event of its kind and is well attended by many of the top names in the entertainment industry.   The past telecast included host Anthony Anderson and stellar talent including Oprah Winfrey, Will Smith, Taraji P. Henson, Gabrielle Union, Kerry Washington, Tracee Ellis Ross, David Oyelowo, Spike Lee, Laverne Cox, Octavia Spencer, and more. Following are the key dates for the 47 th  NAACP Image Awards: Monday, August 24, 2015  – Submissions opens ...

Who took home their very own Moonman? The Moonman has officially landed but only a select few have been fortunate enough to bring one home. Which stars are the winners of the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards? Read on to find out — and we’ll be updating the list throughout the night as more winners are revealed! BEST ROCK VIDEO Winner *** Fall Out Boy – “Uma Thurman”  Hozier – “Take Me To Church” Florence + the Machine – “Ship To Wreck” Walk the Moon – “Shut Up and Dance” Arctic Monkeys – “Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High?” BEST POP VIDEO Winner *** Taylor Swift – “Blank Space”   Beyoncé – “7/11″ Ed Sheeran – “Thinking Out Loud” Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars – “Uptown Funk” Maroon 5 – “Sugar” SONG OF THE SUMMER Winner *** 5 Seconds of Summer – “She’s Kinda Hot” – #ShesKindaHotVMA Fifth Harmony – “Worth It” – #WorthItVMA Major Lazer – “Lean On” – #LeanOnVMA OMI – “Cheerleader” – #CheerleaderVMA Taylor Swift – “Bad Blood” – #BadBloodVMA David G...

Plans are underway to build the world's tallest -- and quite possibly most terrifying -- roller coaster at a theme park in the US. The rides’ track spirals up and down the side of a 535-foot-tall observation tower. "The unique design of the coaster means more incredible, heart-pounding inside and outside loops, dives, spirals and inversions in a vertical area than riders have ever before experienced," says Bill Kitchen, founder of Orlando-based  US Thrill Rides , which designed the Skyscraper. Plans are underway to build the world's tallest -- and quite possibly most terrifying -- roller coaster at an Orlando, Florida, theme park due to open in 2017. Suitably called "The Skyscraper," the coaster track spirals up and down the side of a 535-foot-tall observation tower. Judging by the looks of a simulation video (below) released by the developer, it's going to be one scary ride. "The unique design of the coaster means more incredible...

In honor of Peace Day, September 21st, Burger King is inviting McDonald's to team up to create the McWhopper — a burger built for world peace. If they say yes, we’ll mark this ‘burger wars” ceasefire with a one day pop-up McWhopper shop in Atlanta on Peace Day, halfway between our two headquarters. Visit mcwhopper.com to learn more about our proposal and about Peace One Day , an organization focused on campaigning to make Peace Day, an annual day of global unity. Get involved at peaceoneday.org. McDonald’s Corporation has not yet authorized this usage or accepted this proposal. All mentions of “McDonald’s” are references to McDonald’s Corporation. Whopper is a registered trademark of Burger King Corporation. Sorry, Burger King: McDonald's just said no to your joint 'McWhopper' burger idea Burger King took out a full-page, open-letter-style ad in The New York Times and Chicago Tribune this morning,  calling for a truce with McDonald's and sugg...

Motown the Musical is a timeless Broadway masterpiece. Home to over 50 classic and beloved hits from the Motown catalogue, the show is an up-beat, movin' and groovin' celebration of all the greats of the era. It  was one of the most  influential  and revered record companies of all time.  The musical, which serves as a nostalgic sort of homecoming for the legends who defined the Motown era, is taking the theatrical world by storm. The show is based off of Berry Gordy's autobiography, "To Be Loved: The Music, the Magic, the Memories of Motown". The show features more than 40 Motown hits and truly documents Gordy's story from featherweight boxer to a man who changed the music industry forever.  It is hard to imagine a world without Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, the Supremes, and all the other superstars that Gordy discovered and shared with the world. Many have never stopped to think about the man behind these legendary musicians, so t...

7-Year-Old Wins $16,000+ For Comic About A Little Black Girl w/ Magic Afro Puffs A major problem facing African Americans is the rampant self hate among our people. Subconsciously, we are breed via the educational system, media and history to look down on our people, ourselves and especially our hair, particularly little black girls. This is why the story of 7 year old Natalie McGriff is so inspiring and uplifting to me that I feel all of UI and the world should know about her. Not only did she suffer from this self hate and hated her hair, but she realized it with the help of her mom and took steps to do something about it to help others. Natalie is the author of “The Adventures of Maxie Girl”, a comic book series about a little black girl that hates her nature hair. Then one day, she uses some magic shampoo on her hair and her afro puffs take on super powers that give her the ability to save Jacksonville, Florida’s public libraries from being eaten by monsters. T...

Former La Jolla Playhouse  publicist takes stage in NYC Josh Ellis in "Call My Publicist!"  — Chris Johnson Tonight in New York, a onetime behind-the-scenes player in San Diego theater (and on Broadway before that) steps into the spotlight with his own show. And it's a piece that saw its earliest incarnation here in town. Josh Ellis, who was publicity director at La Jolla Playhouse for about a decade before leaving in 2004, is performing a one-night encore engagement of " Call My Publicist! The Starry Education of a Broadway Press Agent ." The solo show, which Ellis wrote and Gretchen Cryer is directing, is being staged by the York Theatre Co. at St. Peter's in midtown Manhattan. (The 7:30 p.m. reading is open to the public, with a suggested donation of $5, in case you happen to be in NYC this evening.) The York hosted a well-received reading of the piece earlier this year. But "Call My Publicist!" actually got its...

Banksy's 'Dismaland Bemusement Park' Officially Opens Friday; Features 47 International Artists Fans have had their first glimpse inside Banksy’s new pop-up show, his ‘ Dismaland Bemusement Park’ , a dark parody of Disneyland, which officially opens tomorrow at a derelict beach-front water park in the English seaside town of Weston-super-Mare. A new Dismaland  website  announces that the project will be a “festival of art, amusements and entry-level anarchism”, including the work of 46 other international artists. Other attractions include a cinema, mini golf, a circus tent and a ‘Guerilla Island’, a celebration of guerilla art, which will also give workshops ‘on how to hack billboards’. Live Friday night events include an evening with Kate Tempest, Pussy Riot and Massive Attack. It’s an extraordinary, shocking and funny experience from the moment you step through the gates of Dismaland. Dismaland will also include three large galleri...