It's Showbiz All Around

Femi Kuti plays Hollywood Bowl and Central Park, NY, in his summer engagements while on top Herbie Hancock, Pascal Atuma and Sam Onwuka; Ernie Watts, Atuma on presentation of NEA for Best Album and bottom is Gregory Isaacs, Roy Hargrove who plays alongside Hancock for the Hollywood Bowl events and Queen Latifah who hosts BET's My Black is Beautiful Post Show June 28.



I have been working out lately on the Westside and boy, how does it feel to dabble into affluent old folks trying to stay in shape to keep up with their long life and prosperity mission. Sounds good and we all are trying to push it further, now that "life," they say "begins at 60;" and with the summer jams all around town, nobody wants to be confined to a position of not being able to hang on to all that summer blasts which smells all around the place, especially the Hollywood way.

There is no business like showbiz and living around Hollywood, it is a 24/7 thing and nothing one can do about it but just hang on and make the best out of it. It's too much stuff going on in Los Angeles -- the summer concerts, the 4th Annual Los Angeles We The People Festival, the Los Angeles Film Festival at the complex of UCLA Westwood Village kicking off on June 18, the Jewish Festival and Israelwood, and the crazy-dubby all night pub-crawling. Yes, Israelwood, you heard me. And there is Kenyawood, Ugandawood and all that wood. It's a whole bunch of woods line-ups and I might be just chilling limiting myself to not that many concerts and other outdoor events.

But the dates on the central courtyard of Hollywood & Highland Center, the home of the Academy Awards -- I would not miss the ones I had highlighted. It's a free live jazz sessions produced by Long Beach State's KJAZZ 88.1 FM. The line-ups are incredible -- Barbara Morrison, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, Gonzalo Bergara, Carl Saunders Sextet, Bobby Matos Latin Jazz Ensemble, Ernie Watts Quartet, Karl Benson Trio, Theo Saunders Sextet, Francisco Aquabella Latin Jazz Band and John Daverga Big Band which runs through August 25.

And the Hollywood Bowl jams, I have already picked. Yes, on 6/21, I will be seeing Femi Kuti & The Positive Force alongside Santigold and Raphael Saadiq. Then follows Grace Jones, Herbie Hancock, Toots & The Maytals, Michael Rose, Gregory Isaacs, Buddy Guy, Dr. John, Pearbo Bryson, George Duke, Dizzie Gillepsie All Star Big Band, James Moody, Roy Hargrove Big Band, Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band, Natalie Cole with the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra and the Beasty Boys to close-up the summer jams on 9/24. You see, I'm old-school and hanging out with me is just fun.

For the LA Film Fest, my schedule is limited, also. I will for sure be seeing "Facing Ali," a documentary portrait of 10 men who stormed the boxing ring to face the greatest, "Black Dynamite," a remake of 70s blaxploitation comedies and maybe "Sacred Places" about tracing a lineage from the West African traditional djembe drum in Ouagadougou.

Well, filmmaker and actor Pascal Atuma had called during the week telling me it was all jamming and brothers made some noise inside Cramton Auditorium of Howard University in Washington, DC, last week when the Nigerian Entertainment Awards had its gala night with presentation of awards. Atuma presented an award for the best album of the year which went to D'Banj. Seriously, I'm not familiar with Naija hip-hoppers as every name he mentioned sounded Greek to my ears. That's right, I'm old-school.

Elsewhere, the queen of hip-hop, Queen Latifah who said she was sexually abused as a child will be hosting the BET Awards 2009 My Black is Beautiful Post Show in Los Angeles on June 28. According to BET press release, "My Black is Beautiful celebrates the diverse collective beauty of African American women and encourages black women to define and promote their own beauty standard. The campaign brings to life an authentic reflection of African-American women's beauty by embracing Quen Latifah as the host of the My Black is Beautiful Post Show. The special will capture and recap the atmosphere, style and sexy of the night's festivities."

Whew! It's going to jam and for sure no business like showbiz.

Pascal Atuma and Nollywood film producer Sam Onwuka images courtesy of Trendy Africa

Red Carpet Shots @ The Oscars

Last night, while hanging out at The Standard Hotel with some of my colleagues over some drinks in the grilling Downtown Los Angeles, the Oscar moments popped up and the entire gist happened to be who was wearing what and how the show came out. For sure, I don't like the Whoopi attire. I have no favorite but I like Alicia Keyes and Taraji P. Henson.

We even talked about how the Jews conquered Hollywood with the kind of movies they make which is inspiring. Movies like "Defiance," "The Unborn," "The Reader," "Valkyrie," "Blessed Is The Match," and many others -- all about the Holocaust. Now my folks see where I'm coming from.

Associated Press photographer Chris Pizzello captures Taraji P. Henson as she arrives for the 81st Academy Awards

Actress and singer Alicia Keyes arrives at the 81st Academy Awards. Those Armani Prive with a Zufi Alexander clutch and that Fred Leighton jewels speaks volumes. I like that style. Simply georgeous. Photo by Matt Sayles, AP

Halle Berry arrives at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party which grooved all night. She is captured here by AP's Evan Agostini.

Actress/humanitarian/philanthropist Angelina Jolie is all glamour as she arrives at the 81st Academy Awards and the flashing lights never stopped snapping. Photo by Matt Sayles, AP

I'm not sure what Whoopi Goldberg was doing here in that dress. She was all smiles though. AP's Chris Carlson captured her here as she arrives at the 81st Academy Awards.

Actress Marion Cotillard pops up on the red carpet while AP's Chris Pizzello takes the shot.

Here you go Dubmaster. Kate Winslet here wears Yves Saint Laurent Atelier along with Yvette Saint Laurent shoes and Chopard jewelry as she arrives the Academy Awards.


I'm not sure if I like this outfit. Anyway, Queen Latifah here wears Georges Chakra gown with William Goldberg diamonds and Gucci shoes. She is captured here by AP's Matt Sayles.

Anne Hathaway is so excited for having a job and you bet she is going to get all that Hollywood wants. Here she wears white Armani Prive gown with Casadel shoes and Roger Vivier bag topping it off with Cartier jewels

The prediction was that white was going to be the flashing point this year on the red carpet and Henson did just that. She captured my eyes.

The All Star Cast Of "The Secret Life Of Bees"

Much has been said and reviewed about this all star cast "Bees" based on Sue Monk Kidd's novel (I did not read the novel)in a story that is centered on Lily Owens (Dakota Fanning) who had been troubled and not getting along with her father played by Paul Bettany. Lily Owens runs away with her caregiver and only friend Rasaleen Daise (Jennifer Hudson) to a South Carolina town that has the secret of her mother's past.

The film is set in 1964 South Carolina and Owen curious about her mother's mystery while in the company of her nanny Daise, the duo ended up in a little town on a move to discover the mystery which never occured, rather they found a giant pink house, a honey company and three sisters. The three sisters were May Boatwright (Sophie Okonedo), June Boatwright (Alicia Keys) and August Boatwright (Queen Latifah).

The movie opens tomorrow at all theaters and was produced byLauren Shuler Doner, James Lassiter, Joe Pichirallo and Will Smith. A Fox Seachlight release and directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood.