Category: ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

On May 30, the District lost a leading musician in the homegrown go-go music genre. According to reports, Anthony “Little Benny” Harley died in his sleep after an animated performance with Chuck Brown the night before at the Capitol Heights Ballroom in Capitol Heights, Md. He was 46. Harley became a member of the popular […]

Grammy Award-winning R&B Singer Alicia Keys is expecting her first child, according to the Associated Press. Keys is dating producer Swizz Beats, who has worked with Beyonce, Jay-Z and many others. They are reportedly engaged to be married later this year. Spokespersons for the couple confirmed Keys’ pregnancy on May 27. In 2009, Keys’ album “Element of […]

Oscar-nominated producer and director Lee Daniels will be honored at the 14th annual American Black Film Festival in June, according to Blackvoices.com. At the festival’s closing event on June 26 in Miami, Daniels will be given the Career Achievement Award in recognition of his talent and success. Daniels’ recognition will be the highlight of the […]

While many entertainment industry hopefuls are hitchhiking cross country for “American Idol” auditions or dreaming of stardom on reality TV shows, a group of young Latino and African-American musicians are taking a decidedly different route to fame. Desmond Neysmith, Juan-Miguel Hernandez, Ilmar Gavilan and Melissa White, members of classical music ensemble Harlem Quartet, look the […]

BALTIMORE — “Whose cuisine will reign supreme?” Thirty-two area chefs will vie to answer that question over the next few months in the Mason Dixon Master Chef Tournament, a unique addition to the area’s summer entertainment lineup. “Good friendly competition is very important whether in small-town USA, where you’re competing for the cherry pie recipe […]

Common was born Lonnie Rashid Lynn, Jr. in Chicago on March 13, 1972 to Lonnie, Sr. a former pro basketball player, and Dr. Mahila Ann Hines, an educator. He started rapping while still in high school, forming a trio called C.D.R. which opened for acts like N.W.A. and Big Daddy Kane. He adopted the alias […]

Washington, D.C.’s own Wale, a rapper popular for his hits “Pretty Girl” and “Diary,” has been nominated for a BET Award in the “Best New Artist” category. The entertainer, born Olubowale Victor Akintimehin to Nigerian parents in the District, released his first album, Attention Deficit, in 2009. Other artists nominated in the category include female […]

New York-born singer Mary J. Blige is delving further into the acting arena. The star has appeared in Tyler Perry’s I Can Do Bad All By Myself and is preparing to capture the idiosyncrasies of celebrated jazz and soul singer Nina Simone in a biopic. According to reports, Blige will play Simone in Cynthia Mort’s […]

Viewers of A Love Supreme, a stage play written by Hope Lynne Price-Lindsay, will relate and gain insight on love’s emotional ups and downs. The play features an all-female cast and explores the inner thoughts of four women and their encounters with love. “I think that every so often, we hide our feelings and we […]

Audiences will be forced to question their own preconceived notions about other backgrounds after watching Color Blind, a new play that examines the politics of race, discrimination and fear. The production explores the lives of several families from different races, and while each clan means well, their strong views on race have the potential to […]

Gospel singer Marvin Sapp has made history with his new album “Here I Am,” which debuted at second on the Billboard magazine chart of the 200 top-selling albums, the highest-ever debut for a gospel album in the chart’s 54 year history. Released on March 16, the album sold 76,000 copies in its first week to […]

Queen Latifah, born Dana Elaine Owens on March 18, 1970, in Newark, N.J., is a versatile entertainer, who first found fame in the world of hip hop as a teen when she released her debut album All Hail the Queen. She has since enjoyed an enviable recording and concert career featuring seven solo CDs plus […]