By Quassan Castro
Guest Entertainment Editor
Crazy week ahead, as I clamor to prepare for the holiday season ahead. I know I should be anticipating more of the healthy dishes, but I’m looking forward to all of my mother’s soul food dishes on Turkey Day. Where did all the time go?
Luckily for the fashion world, Mary J. Blige recently introduced her new eyewear titled, “Melodies,” by MJB. MJ’s tortoise eyewear runs close to $190, also available in black, dark tortoise, and eggplant. The eyewear can be purchased at Nordstrom stores or nordstrom.com.
A few months back, Mary J. Blige debuted her fragrance My Life through Carol’s Daughter; the fragrance sold a record-breaking 50,000 on HSN on the first day. Blige is an extremely intelligent businesswoman and a leading lady of R&B/Soul. Her ingenuity should be studied by the next generation of stars.
On another note, Blige’s sister, Latonya Blige-Dacosta, has been making a name for herself as a gospel singer, appearing at Madison Square Garden for an ovarian and breast cancer benefit. The concert was nothing less than perfect. Latonya co-managed Mary for a number of years and made a name as a successful songwriter as well. The gospel singer has partnered to form her own label, featuring only inspirational music. Latonya is gearing for the release of her debut gospel CD. Cora Blige is happy to see her talented children doing great things.
According to FoxNews.Com, Mariah Carey is expecting her first child with Nick Cannon. A source claims, “They’re both very excited and very happy.” Congratulations to the couple.
Mr. Tyler Perry’s film, For Colored Girls is in theaters. The film is adapted from Ntozake Shange’s acclaimed 1974 theater piece, For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When The Rainbow Is Enuf. Some stars appearing in the film are: Whoopi Goldberg, Phylicia Rashad, Janet Jackson, Anika Noni Rose, Loretta Devine, Kimberly Elise, Thandie Newton, Hill Harper and Kerry Washington. Some of the topics prevalent in the film are: abuse, relationships, identity, depression and friendship.
Legendary producer Nick Wiz, launched an amazing site earlier this month:
www.beatzrus.com, The producer, who has produced for legendary rapper Rakim, created the site to showcase up and coming artists, and also allows for purchasing of beats created by new and established producers. The site marks a new path in how music is obtained and showcased.
Famed Children’s author, Walter Dean Myers has been nominated as a National Book Award finalist for his latest literary masterpiece, “Lockdown.” I’ve been quite fortunate to have him as my mentor for the past year and the man is nothing short of a phenomenal writer. Myers has written over seventy books, some of the classics are: Monster, Sunrise Over Fallujah, Scorpions, Bad Boy and the list goes on.
Celebrity make-up artist, Oslyn Holder joins the divine Ms. Bette Midler in London. Holder has worked with Bette Midler in the past. A talented gal that has a keen, creative eye. Oslyn has worked with everyone from singer Kelly Clarkson to actress Alfre Woodard.
Enjoy your Thanksgiving holiday, it is a great time to begin journaling and reviewing all the awesome things we have to be grateful for. Look for the positive in the world, speak it, and watch it manifest in your life.
Quassan Castro is Entertainment Editor. He frequently writes for Essence Magazine On-line and Heart and Soul Magazine On-line. Quassan also authored, a classic literary piece that appeared in several English Composition textbooks. Quassan is gearing to publish his first, realistic edgy novel geared toward teens.
This was originally printed in the November 21, 2010 – December 4, 2010 edition
