Oni Lasana

“Putting ARTS in Hearts!” from…Philadelphia 2 Virginia…Mississippi Delta 2 Germany…Rhode Island 2 Maryland…North Carolina 2 Delaware…Los Angeles 2 Ohio…New Jersey 2 Louisiana…New York 2 Trinidad & Tobago!

Oni Lasana means “Desired Poet of the People”. She is a cultural chameleon and a creative muse to many. Ms. Lasana shares her gifts as a dynamic, vivacious, spirit driven Performing ARTress, Performance poet, Creative Theatre Director, Storyteller, Musician, Vocalist, Mentor, Jewelry Maker and an enthusiastic advocate of Arts-in-Education. Her life journey is in offering positive cultural awareness programs on African, American and Caribbean cultures, to communities worldwide.

Lasana’s unique performances & workshops lift the spirits of young and old. Featuring American History, Literature, Theatre & Music fused with a flair for poetic storytelling. Her dramatic and humorous, one woman productions and interpretations shines off the page, and onto the stage in interactive, educational entertainment performances, school assemblies, theater productions, festivals, corporate, social gatherings & community events.

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Date: Monday, April 23, 2012, 5:46 am
By: Tonya Pendleton, BlackAmericaWeb.com

They’re your favorite girl group’s favorite girl group. Sisters With Voices, the 90’s trio noted for their hits “Weak” “Right Here (Human Nature)” and “Anything” are headed back to the spotlight with the upcoming release of their new CD “I Missed Us.”

Now signed to indie label Mass Appeal/E1 Records, the group released their comeback single “Co-Sign” a few weeks ago. Leanne “LeLe” Lyons, Tamara “Taj” Gamble-George and Cheryl “Coko” Clemmons got their start in New York City in the early 90’s eventually recording their “It’s About Time” CD for RCA in 1992. They were part of the early blend of hip-hop and R&B getting their biggest hits on the strength of their harmonizing over rap-influenced tracks.

As part of a group of 90’s hitmakers that included Shai, Blackstreet, Silk, Jodeci, Total and Xscape and rap acts like Missy Elliot and The Notorious B.I.G., SWV became as well known for their on and offstage antics and love lives as they did for their music. After 7 years and together, the group broke up in 1998. Taj and Coko married, while LeLe continued to raise the children she’d had before the group blew up. Coko began a solo career, recording two albums – one secular, one gospel, while Taj appeared on both “Survivor” and “I Married A Baller” her own reality show about her life with George for TV One.

By 2005, the group reunited and started recording and touring. Although an initial album project didn’t happen, it attracted the attention of Mass Appeal Entertainment/E1 Records who signed them up for a new album project. Not only is their album out now available via download and in stores, they’ll be on tour this spring and summer as well. You can also catch up with them on Centric on Sunday, May 13 at 11 p.m.  in their episode of “As Written” which includes behind the scenes footage, interviews and a live performance of some of their new material.

Here are SWV’s upcoming tour dates on the Fresh Music Festival with Doug E. Fresh, Keith Sweat and Guy:

May 18
ATLANTA, GA
Funk Fest
Wolf Creek Amphitheatre

May 25
LAFAYETTE, LA
Cajun Dome

May 26
HOUSTON, TX
Reliant Arena
8 p.m.

May 27
GREENSBORO, NC
Greensboro Coliseum

LAS VEGAS, NV
Orleans Arena
7:30 p.m.

Find the rest of the SWV tour dates at www.therealswv.com.

By LYNN ELBER 04/21/12 01:47 PM ET

LOS ANGELES — Television networks are masters of self-promotion, so it’s no surprise that Fox is carving out two prime-time hours Sunday to celebrate its 25th year.

But why quibble over the hoopla planned for the 8-10 p.m. EDT showcase? With Ryan Seacrest as ringmaster, let’s give a shout-out to the stars of “Married … With Children,” “The X Files,” “In Living Color,” “Ally McBeal,” “Beverly Hills, 90210,” “House” and “24.”

And, in center stage, the enduring “The Simpsons” and TV’s great game-changer, “American Idol,” are taking a bow.

It’s an impressive showing for a network that’s less than half the age of competitors NBC, CBS and ABC. As analyst Brad Adgate of Horizon Media sees it, Fox hasn’t just met expectations, “it’s exceeded them.”

“Of the major networks, it’s the only one that can bring in younger audiences on a regular basis,” Adgate said. “They have brought out some breakthrough shows … They’ve really done things that the other three networks wouldn’t have done with their programming.”

From a modest October 1986 debut with “The Late Show Starring Joan Rivers” and its first night of prime-time programming in April 1987, Fox weathered industry skepticism and midlife crisis (“Who Wants to Marry a Multi-Millionaire?” and other groaners) to make its case for survival and success.

Fox proved that, yes, there was room for a fourth U.S. broadcast network, three decades after Dumont dissolved in 1955 and left the Big Three networks to slice up an increasingly rich pie.

Yes, a broadcast network could shrink its prime-time lineup to the hours between 8-10 p.m. ET, allowing lucrative local newscasts control of the 10 o’clock hour, and prosper.

Yes, airing outrageously cheeky fare – ranging from clever (“Tracey Ullman”) to exploitive (“Temptation Island”) – would lure the 18-to-49-year-old audience that make advertisers swoon. Fox became profitable after just three years of operation, according to “Outfoxed,” the 1990 book by Alex Ben Block detailing the network’s birth.

That success turned competitors into copycats, extending Fox’s influence across the medium.

The network’s creation was “a real trial by fire for all of us,” said Garth Ancier, Fox’s inaugural programming chief. “My mentor at NBC, Brandon Tartikoff, thought I was crazy, and he was probably right.”

The challenge: “How do we carve the audience in a different way from NBC, ABC and CBS? How do you grab people by their shirt collars and drag them over to an alternative?” Ancier said.

A key answer was development of a stable of reality shows including “America’s Most Wanted” and “Cops,” the latter using portable video cameras to reimagine the scripted police drama.

Rupert Murdoch, the News Corp. media mogul behind Fox, also urged his executives to look outside the U.S. market for ideas, Ancier recalled.

“He’s always been an internationally focused guy and knows what’s working in other countries,” he said.

That global focus helped bring “American Idol” to Fox from the U.K. in June 2002, but not before Fox found itself on shaky ground, said Gail Berman, its programming head from 2000-05.

“When I came in, the network was not in particularly good shape,” she recalled, with then-News Corp. President Peter Chernin cautioning her that she had to boost company morale along with ratings (although Fox had reached No. 1 with teenagers and adults 18 to 34).

“Having been the fourth network, there was a sense that being at the bottom of the barrel was an OK place to be,” Berman said. “We built a great team of people that could really change the culture of `When Animals Attack’ to the culture of `American Idol.'”

In her tenure at Fox, the network also found a new measure of scripted success, with “24” and “The O.C.” among the hits, and new peer respect. In 2005, Fox earned 49 Emmy Award nominations, the most in its history, including 11 nods each for “24” and the critically acclaimed “Arrested Development,” which the year before won the Emmy for best comedy series.

But it was the next wave of reality – “American Idol” and the talent contest genre – that put the ratings into orbit.

Mike Darnell is a key part of Fox’s culture, past and present. Among Fox’s longest-serving executives and currently president of alternative entertainment, with “Idol” part of his portfolio, his network bio proudly lists “previous hits” including “World’s Wildest Police Chases” and “World’s Most Amazing Medical Oddities.”

He hasn’t, and won’t, apologize for that brand of shows. With apparent glee, he recalls how they were routinely branded by critics as “the end of Western civilization, sleazy and low-brow.”

But such programming helped bolster the network in the 1990s, he said, and proved widely influential. After Fox blazed the trail, NBC aired “Fear Factor” and “Dog Eat Dog,” ABC fell into the arms of “The Bachelor” and “Wife Swap,” and CBS turned to “Big Brother.” The progeny of “American Idol” include NBC’s “The Voice” and “America’s Got Talent,” and ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars.”

So far, nobody has done it quite like Fox. While relatively staid CBS is the most-watched network, Fox ended last season with its seventh ratings victory in a row among young adults and with “American “Idol” the most-watched series for the eighth straight year.

In advance of the 2011-12 TV season, Fox brought in $2.2 billion in sponsor commitments which, for all the networks, totaled $9.25 billion, according to AdWeek. Leader CBS, by comparison, had $2.65 billion in early ad buys.

Fox’s future is clouded by the same issues confronting the rest of cable and broadcast TV: an aging audience and a crowded media environment in which the Internet and other options compete for attention.

Even standard-bearer “American Idol,” although still a top-rated show, has seen its eroding viewership drop by 25 percent this year and its median audience age climb to 50, analyst Adgate said. Fox newcomer “The X Factor” is scrambling to revamp its casting after a disappointing first season, while the Jennifer Lopez-Marc Anthony talent show “Q’Viva!” drew paltry ratings and was bumped from prime-time to late-night Saturday.

(Parent News Corp. has its own serious burdens, stemming from the phone hacking scandal involving Murdoch’s U.K. newspaper company News International. More than 100 lawsuits have been filed against the subsidiary and an official British investigation is continuing.)

But Fox isn’t ceding ground. “Glee” and “New Girl” are young viewer draws And this month, in collaboration with Fox Sports, the network launched a new tactic for long-ignored Saturday night, a mix of sports programming that’s set to include NASCAR races, college football and Major League Baseball games and Ultimate Fighting Championship bouts.

“Of course, all networks mature,” Darnell said. “But it’s not about the network, it’s about new programming. It’s our nature to try to reinvent … We usually start it, and someone else imitates us.”

Huffington Post  |  By Julee Wilson

That’s one smokin’ hot DJ!

Solange Knowles hit the ones-and-twos last night at the Splendid store opening in New York City showing some serious leg. Her black lace trimmed skirt by Maki Oh–though super cute and ultra sexy–was two inches away from a wardrobe malfunction.

But if anyone can pull off such a risque item, it’s Solange. Pairing the sultry skirt with a cool white Splendid t-shirt was genius.

Actresses Brooklyn Decker, Kate Mara and Gretchen Mol–along with fashion insiders, editors and bloggers–were also on hand to fete the event that was co-sponsored by Dylan’s Candy Bar.

Between jamming to Solange’s beats and munching on bottomless dishes of sweets partygoers had the opportunity to shop Splendid’s capsule collection, which 100% of the proceeds benefit the SPCA of Monmouth County.

We love when fashion meets philanthropy!

Check out Solange’s sassy ensemble below–do you love it?

The Huffington Post  |  By Christopher Rosen Posted: 04/21/2012 9:54 am Updated: 04/21/2012 3:48 pm

“Think Like A Man,” the new adaptation of Steve Harvey’s best-selling book, earned a muscular $9 million at the box office on Friday, reports THR. That puts the little-discussed film on track to knock “The Hunger Games” out of the top position when final numbers are tabulated on Monday. (Deadline.com’s Nikki Finke was even more bullish on “Think Like a Man,” reporting Friday grosses of $12 million.)

UPDATE: Finke’s estimates were dead-on: “Think Like a Man” earned $12.2 million on Friday, which could push it over $30 million for the weekend.

Directed by Tim Story, “Think Like A Man” has been tracking very well despite little mainstream press acknowledgement. (The film was projected to gross around $17 million this weekend.) Earlier this month, Vutlure reported that “Man” was the “best-testing film in Hollywood,” with screening audiences giving it almost unanimous praise and approval. The romantic comedy stars Romany Malco, Meagan Good, Taraji P. Henson, Michael Ealy and Kevin Hart, who could be “Man’s” not-so-secret weapon. Last year, the comedian’s stand-up film, “Laugh at My Pain,” earned a surprising $7.7 million at the box office.

“Think Like a Man” wasn’t the only film to over-perform on Friday night. Despite negative reviews, “The Lucky One” earned roughly $9 million on its first day of release, which could give it a final tally near $25 million for the weekend.

If those numbers hold, both films will top “The Hunger Games.” The blockbuster is predicted to earn near $14 million after grossing just over $3 million on Friday night. The adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ best-selling book has topped the box office for four straight weeks, the first film to do so since “Avatar.”

Erykah Badu’s steadfast pursuit of creativity and inspiration has been an ongoing challenge for the R&B songstress throughout the course of her career. The celebrated soul singer and mother of three recently extended her benevolent aspirations with Hennessy’s “Wild Rabbit” campaign.

During a recent interview with the Huffington Post, the Dallas native opened up on her second partnership with the luxury cognac brand, thoughts on a possible duet with Jay Electronica, and how she balances her career as a midwife.

What attracted you to become a brand ambassador for Hennessy’s “Wild Rabbit” campaign?

This is not my first time being involved in a Hennessy campaign. My first one was a couple of years ago, it was called “Hennessy Artistry: The Art Of Mixing.” It was where Hennessy had given artists [signed along with unsigned artists] a platform to express their art and music. And it was really cool. The Roots curated it and I thought that was a really good fit. Ahmir [Questlove] always does such a good job bringing in artists and doing a musical montage to keep a show going, and they asked me to do that this year. And I was more than pleased to do that. This year’s campaign is called “The Chase: Following Your Wild Rabbit.” It promotes never giving up, unshakably following the thing that guides you.

What would you consider to be your Wild Rabbit?

After they asked me to be a part of it they asked me what would my wild rabbit would be, and I didn’t have to think about it, I knew it would be my heart, making decisions in my life based on that. Including art and music, or love. And that’s why I’m involved, I get to put together some shows, speak to young people about their passion and their drives, never settling, and conquering their fears.

You also have a Hennessy cocktail that is inspired by you. Did you have any involvement in the creation?

That’s not my area. [Laughs] They are certain people who put those things together, because of course the object is to sell Hennessy. I wasn’t even aware that I had a drink until a couple of weeks ago. I don’t drink.

In terms of your performance sets, are you doing anything special or performing any new songs?

I’m doing a mixture. My shows are just going to be my shows; I didn’t do anything different or special for it. I think that’s one of the reasons why they choose me is because it’s going to be who I am in whatever venue that I’m in. Whether it’s new, or catalog, or impromptu.

Are you working on any new music projects or groups?

I just had a project come out called Rocket Juice and the Moon, with myself, Tony Allen [the drummer from Fela!], Flea [bass player from the Red Hot Chili Peppers], and Damon Albarn [from the Gorillaz]. I also have a group called The Cannabinoids, which consists of myself and eight other musicians on stage with me — actually, they’re not musicians they’re producers. And we create music live on the spot. I created the group so it could keep me creative, and it also keeps me connected to my roots. All of the producers in the group are a part of my history. We have an album coming out in the last quarter of this year. My solo album also comes out in the last quarter.

Do you have a working title for your solo project?

I don’t have a title yet. That always comes last after I put the body of work together and sequenced it, found the right photos and artwork. Then usually the title comes to life.

On the album, can fans expect a collaboration between yourself and Jay Electronica?

Perhaps. We’ve done a lot of songs together, but sometimes you don’t like it or it doesn’t feel quite cohesive yet , but we’ve been working on it. We don’t have any plans, that kind of stuff just happens … He’ll have an idea and then I come in and put something down. And sometimes something comes, sometimes nothing ever comes. But we have a collection of those songs that we didn’t quite love.

With you being a midwife how do you balance your career between being an artist and providing care for expecting mothers?

That keeps me really, really busy because I never know when a mom is going to go into labor. So that means if I’m at a show and I get a page then I got to go. [Laughs] Or if I’m at the studio and I get a call then I have to go.

How do you factor that scheduling into touring across the country or overseas?

If I know that I’m going overseas, I usually know that a year in advance. I wouldn’t take a mother as a client until I get back. And I usually take two moms at a time. And we start generally around four or five months, and work throughout the pregnancy. And then after the baby is here we work up until when they feel they have a good grasp on being a mom.

Are you working on any philanthropic events?

I have a DJ camp coming up. This season is going to include DJing, teaching the history of Hip Hop, learning how to scratch with records. Learning how to DJ without Serato, and then learning how to work Serato. I think it’s important in my community because it’s a means of supplementary income to young people who are really interested in music. And we just wanted to offer that through my non-profit organization, B.L.I.N.D.