Looking for a free Broadway show? Well, almost.
The cast and band of the acclaimed Broadway show, Fela!, will be making a free appearance on Monday at Brooklyn Bridge Park, presented by St. Anne’s Warehouse.
The show, entitled The Music of Fela Kuti, will showcase the music of the Afrobeat legend, as sung by Fela! star Sahr Ngaujah.
The show will take place on Monday, Oct. 4th, and the lawn will open at 6 PM.   Lawn capacity at Brooklyn Bridge Park is limited, so first come, first served.
Here is another reason why I miss NYC! Fela! is probably the best Broadway play I've seen.  Energy from beginning to end and the music is amazing. You can read more about Fela! here and here.

via
On Sunday, I had brunch with my girls at Rosebud in Morningside, just outside of Virginia-Highlands. I had no clue what to expect but good food. The ambiance was hype with loud music and chatter. Our server wasn't the best which made me ask him if he was having a bad day. He should have called in sick or taken a personal day. I'll only go back to have the Big Nasty, I'm curious.


I started off with a Mimosa with Chambord. My girls had the Orange Thing- vodka, grand marnier and orange pellegrino. We also had the sweet corn muffin as our morning starter.

I had the ultimate pancake (it's stuffed)- local sausage, smoke bacon and scrambled eggs. YUMMY!!!




Bumm and B. had the egg rolls - egg, shittakes, green onion, aged cheddar and Asian ketchup. I didn't try them but they must have been good since they both ate them all.


Bumm also had the eugene onlette - roasted zucchini, local mushrooms, local peppers, midnight moon cheese and grits. I've never really had grits...these were yummy.

B. had a lonely waffle with whip cream...



I've noticed that everyone has a temporary tattoo collection. Earlier this year Chanel accessorized their models with transfer tattoos which retailed at $78.00.  BeyoncĂ©'s House of DerĂ©on and Betsey Johnson has joined the trend. This is the way to go if you want the "look" without the commitment.


Beyoncé Knowles and Tina Knowles and their licensing arm, Beyond Productions LLC, are teaming up with airbrush makeup firm Temptu to create a limited edition collection of temporary tattoos under the Deréon label.

“With a Sixties-pinup-girl meets-futuristic-biker-chick theme, BeyoncĂ© and I really wanted to give our DerĂ©on fall 2010 campaign a tough edginess,” said Tina Knowles, DerĂ©on’s founder, creative director and designer. “We decided to invite Temptu to help us create custom body art for her to model with our fashions. The resulting images were so strong that we realized consumers might want to re-create the tattoos themselves.” The tattoos are due on Nov. 1, and are available in both deluxe and basic packages. Designs include DerĂ©on’s signature fleur icon, rocker bolts and chains, jewel baubles and spider designs. All are waterproof and designed to last for two to five days.

The basic kits contains:
  • eight temporary tattoo transfer sheets with two each of the four designs;
  • 10 tattoo application pads and one of three kit designs, each featuring a different image of BeyoncĂ©, shot for the fall/winter DerĂ©on ad campaign.
The deluxe edition includes everything in the basic kit, as well as a signed photo of Beyoncé and a chance to win a trip to New York for a photo shoot.
The basic kits retail for $16 and will be available at Sephora stores in the U.S. and Canada, sephora.com, temptu.com and dereon.com. The deluxe edition, $34 and limited to 500 pieces, will be available only on temptu.com and dereon.com. A waiting list is being taken at dereon.temptu.com. Industry sources estimate the line could do upward of $200,000 at wholesale.
Get on  the waiting list:





Betsey Johnson presented her temporary skin art collection called Iconic Charms Tattoos. This collection retails at $25 for 96 tattoos. Not a bad price if you likes. You can purchase them here.




Via: wwd.com and betseyjohnson.com

J Boog is originally from Compton, California, but lives in Hawaii where he began his music career in 2007. His vocal styling can be compared to Glen Washington, however he distinctly has his own style. After collaborating with Richie Spice (at Big Yard), Yami Bolo and Gramps Morgan and now Don Coreleon, we only expect big things. You will like this once you hear it. Another example of how Caribbean music is so universal.


'olu'olu - Nice!
  
Visit here for more info on J Boog.
 

Via: Cutlass & Cane

New York - The New York International Festival (NYIFF) announced that “Mas Man Peter Minshall” has won the prestigious Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary.
Directed and produced by Dalton Narine, “Mas Man Peter Minshall” is a compelling 56 min. avant garde documentary about Caribbean carnival designer Peter Minshall. Mas Man, subtitled Peter Minshall, Trinidad Carnival Artist, is neither story nor biography, but a portrait of the Trinity Cross and Emmy Award-winning designer who compiled mas bands across three decades and served as an artistic director for Olympic Games in Barcelona, Atlanta and Salt Lake City.

Watch the trailer of Mas Man

In this award-winning documentary, mingling traditional elements with novel ideas and pushing his hybrid designs as upper-crust art, Minshall authors a controversial term ‘mas,’ distinguishing presentations at Trinidad’s annual Carnival with themes about the complexities of life and the incompleteness of man, eventually exalting his art at three Olympic games.

NYIFF Director Rich Rossi said, “There were a total of 65 documentaries screened at the NYIFF and Dalton Narine’s artistic merit, content and original avant garde style on ‘Mas Man’ was a favorite among the selection committee and Jury.”

NYIFF Founder Stuart Alson commented, ‘Mas Man Peter Minshall’ is simply brilliant in every way and it’s a festival highlight. Director Dalton Narine is talented and the movie is a hit with our NY audience as well as distributors and critics.”

Here's what the critics are saying:

“The Caribbean Lingo” series proudly salutes
Narine for celebrating Minshall and showcasing the significant Caribbean art form of ‘mas’ on film on the world stage via the New York International Film Festival." - Misani, New York Amsterdam News

"The film... looks at the miraculous career of Minshall - the multiple winner of the prestigious Trinidad Carnival Band of the Year honors whose visionary creations have been used in ceremonies at the 1987 Pan American Games, the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, the 1994 World Cup and the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics." -Jared McCallister, New York Daily News

"Minshall’s work is a superlative example of the richness and diversity of Trinidadian art and culture…”-Caribbean Life and Times, New York
“Producer/Director Dalton Narine and editor Benedict Joseph are to be congratulated by all who love the seven realms and beyond…”-Simon Lee, Trinidad Guardian

“Admirable”-Sheila Rampersad, Sunday Express
“I was ready to dissect the film, but it dissected me. It blew me off the planet.” Avotcja, Radio Host, KPOO-FM, San Francisco

NYIFF ran from July 22nd-29th in Manhattan and showcased a diverse range of 200 features, shorts, documentaries and animations from around the world. 33 countries and territories were represented including: Germany, Ireland, Spain, Portugal, Brazil, South Africa, Trinidad and Tobago, Russia, Chile, Turkey, Hungary, France, Italy, Croatia, Bulgaria, The Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Israel, Greece, Montenegro, Czech Republic, Poland, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Nepal, UK, Bahamas, Canada and all over the US.
The final cut is available for sale here. Visit masmanthemovie.com  for more info. I can't wait to see this entire documentary. I've always been a fan of his work!
Via: sflcn.com

A few months ago I told you about the Stalag riddim being re-invented. Cherine Anderson, actress/singer has also blessed the classic riddim with her version of  Tenor Saw's dancehall staple, "Ring the Alarm." Her socially conscious version should be on  heavy rotation. 
I remember Cherine from one of my favorite movies, One Love, with Ky-Mani Marley which came out back in 2003. I was obsessed with that movie. This Jamaican movie wasn't a masterpiece but it featured Ky-Mani and Idris Elba...how could you not watch it over and over...lol. She has a unique voice and her singing career has blossomed since One Love.

Cherine Anderson - Ring The Alarm

Via:dancehall.mobi
With my birthday quickly approaching, this deal is just on time.  Bliss and Gilt were reading my mind and the knots in my shoulder.

No matter which coast you call home, find skin-fixing and tension-nixing services of Bliss at your beck and call. The renowned spa, with locations in New York, L.A. and several cities in between, offers high-tech beauty solutions in a sleek, refined-yet-relaxed environment. Choose from its popular Triple Oxygen Treatment, an all around complexion-reviving facial; the Blissage75, a heavenly full-body rubdown; and a trio of pain-minimizing Brazilian bikini wax sessions, to name a few. Or, bring home the spa-quality treatment with Zest to Thrill, a citrus-scented bath set; Peeling Groovy Facial Serum, a gentle exfoliating formula; Hot Salt Scrub, a luxurious DIY skin-smoother, and more.
I think I going to try and report back:
Blissage75: Bliss's signature full body massage is designed to loosen you up and target your most 'troubled' muscles. This service begins with an amazing warm wax foot wrap and then your technician uses a combination of techniques to work through every knot from your head to your toe. Duration: 75 minutes
FatGirlSlim Body Treatment: A savior before slipping into anything curve hugging, this detoxifying, circulation-stimulating, body-toning treatment includes dry brushing, application of firming grapefruit essential oil, a trouble-spot-targeting seaweed task mask, a heated wrap and a finishing touch of our famed FatGirlSlim. Duration: 75 minutes
This sale ends at midnight on 9/20/10 and you must redeem by 12/31/10.


via: Gilt

With Wake Up!'s release exactly two weeks away, more material from John Legend & The Roots hit the web today. First up is their rendition of Baby Huey & The Babysitters "Hard Times" which we got an in-studio performance video of back in June. "Hard Times" is one of the album cuts that features a verse from Black Thought, so you know you want to check that. Also leaking today is the only original tune on the album, "Shine." You might remember this song was initially recorded for Davis Guggenheim's documentary, Waiting For Superman. The track is probably my favorite song on the album. Hear them both below. Tomorrow morning we'll be posting the official Wake Up! EPK and it's looking sharp, so check back for that. Wake Up! drops September 21st. Via OKP


John Legend & The Roots featuring Black Thought - Hard Times by Hypetrak

John Legend & The Roots - Shine by Hypetrak
Since I will not be in NYC for Labor Day Carnival...I'm on the hunt for something to get into this weekend here in ATL. Here's a list that sparks my interest and has been nice vibes in the past:


Ladies Free & Guys $10 w/ RSVP b4 12 
 "REMINISCE 80s & 90s Party"
Friday September 3rd @ STEEL




 Here's some chunes to get you in the mood by DJ Crown Prince

"You Must RSVP to Get In  FREE!"

Ladies Free All Night & Guys Free b4 12 w/ RSVP




"Party Animalz Up on The Roof"
Sunday Sept 5th @ THE GLENN HOTEL
 
6PM - MIDNIGHT!



I'm sure there are plenty other happenings but I'm not in the mood to experiment. I always have a blast at TRENDS and Party Animalz events!

For more information, please contact the host (TRENDS, Party Animalz, Mosaic & Friends) via email at gotrendsgo@gmail.com

I ended my rough work week at Flip Burger Boutique last week Friday. It was yummy albeit I was sick. We had:

Philly Burger: Caramelized onions, green peppers, ketchup and American cheese foam (real)

Turkey Burger: Avocado, tomato, alfalfa sprouts, pomegranate ketchup

Rice Krispy Milk shake

Peach Sweet Tea: Firefly sweet tea, vodka, peach schnapps, sour, sprite


Everything was great. The decor was nice...very modern, the menu was delish...very eclectic and the cocktails did their job...put me to sleep. I momentarily forgot I was sick.
I've already promised the fashion Gods that for every item I buy I will give away an item in my closet...actually, this is the only way my new purchase will fit in my closet. I hate malls (all that exists in ATL). I miss NYC! I miss shopping in NYC!! So, I blame ATL for my obsession with online shopping. I-ELLA does not help my obsession and I've already signed up. No intervention needed here lol.

I-ELLA is an invitation only online market place where you can  BUY, BORROW, SWAP, and  SELL/LEND some of the top fashion brands. "I-ELLA is like Gilt Groupe-meets-E-Bay with a charity component." That's not all...at  I-ELLA you will get a chance to shop from celebrities closets. The site will team up with celebs and fashion icons each week to bring you the latest in fashion. 

 It is composed of four main features: 
  • Buy/sell ("I-ELLA suggests a 30-40 percent discount over retail, but the seller ultimately sets the price"); 
  • Borrow (items are lent out for one week or one month at a time, with the lender choosing the cost); 
  • Swap (pay $5 per item and user to swap);
  • Charity. Be it a sale or a borrowing fee, 10% of every transaction is donated to one of three charities chosen by the buyer.
The site will officially launch on  the first day of New York Fashion Week, September 9th. 


Visit their Facebook page, and follow them on Twitter.

www.facebook.com/likeIELLA

www.twitter.com/IELLAtweets