Entertainment
Motown Museum gets $10M in federal funds to hit symbolic milestone as expansion goal grows
Brian McCollum, Detroit Free Press For years, Michigan native and avid music fan U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow vowed to secure federal funding for the Motown Museum as it marched toward a $55 million expansion goal. The senator made good on her promise in December, locking in $10 million for the Detroit institution as part of a…
Read MoreHow Gangsta Boo Helped To Lay A Foundation For Southern Women In Hip-Hop
by A.R. Shaw, Atlanta Daily News – On Jan. 1, Gangsta Boo, Lola Mitchell, was found dead while at her home in Memphis. She was 43-years-old. Gangsta Boo began her rap career at 14 and joined the Three 6 Mafia at 15, becoming the second female emcee in the rap group next to K-9. However,…
Read MoreAnita Pointer of The Pointer Sisters dies at age 74
By Tina Burnside and Nouran Salahieh, CNN Anita Pointer, one of the founding members of the R&B group The Pointer Sisters, has died at age 74, according to her publicist Roger Neal. Pointer passed away Saturday at her home in Los Angeles where she was surrounded by her family, Neal said in a statement to CNN. The cause…
Read MoreThom Bell, an architect of 1970s Philadelphia soul, dies
by HILLEL ITALIE | AP National Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Thom Bell, the Grammy-winning producer, writer and arranger who helped perfect the “Sound of Philadelphia” of the 1970s with the inventive, orchestral settings of such hits as the Spinners’ “I’ll Be Around” and the Stylistics’ “Betcha by Golly, Wow,” has died at age 79.…
Read MoreSonya Eddy, longtime ‘General Hospital’ actress, dies at 55: ‘She left an indelible imprint’
Story by Jenna Ryu, USA TODAY – Soap opera star Sonya Eddy, best known for playing Epiphany Johnson on “General Hospital,” has died at 55, her business partner Tyler Ford confirmed in a statement to USA TODAY. “It with the heaviest heart that I have to announce the sudden passing of my business partner, creative soulmate, and best friend…
Read MoreR&B Singer Al B. Sure! Gives First Interview After Waking from 2-Month Long Coma
The 54-year-old radio host revealed he is a recipient of a new liver following the health scare By Shafiq Najib, people.com PHOTO: RON ADAR/SHUTTERSTOCK Radio Host Al B. Sure! Is opening up about his recent health scare. The 54-year-old radio host gave his first interview this week, speaking to FOX New York after waking up from a 2-month…
Read MoreBertha McNeal, co-founder of Motown’s Velvelettes, dies at 82
Susan Whitall Special to The Detroit News Bertha Barbee McNeal, who co-founded Motown’s Velvelettes, known for their songs “Needle in a Haystack” and “(He Was) Really Saying Something,” died Thursday, in hospice, in Kalamazoo. She was 82. McNeal and the Velvelettes were that rarity, an intact Motown group comprised of all original members when they…
Read MoreThe Last Temptation: Otis Williams talks Motown and the Temptations musical ‘Ain’t Too Proud’
Annual Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall on June 9, 2019, in New York. (Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions/TNS)Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images North America/TNS by Peter Larsen, the Orange County Register – ANAHEIM, Calif. — Otis Williams, the last of the original Temptations, says each time he sees “Ain’t Too Proud,” the Broadway…
Read MoreJanet Jackson Announces 2023 ‘Together Again’ Tour With Ludacris, Promises ‘New Music’ Soon
Gil Kaufman • Billboard – Janet Jackson took to Instagram on Monday morning (Dec. 12) to make a live announcement about her 2023 North American arena/amphitheater tour. “I’m going back on tour and, yes, we will be together again,” said the singer with a smile, noting that the name of the outing is Together Again.…
Read MoreMissy Elliott Gives Commencement Speech, Donates $20K to Norfolk State University: ‘You Already Won’
Story by Gil Kaufman • Billboard – You really can go home again. And, sometimes when you do they give you an honorary degree for your impressive accomplishments. Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliott was celebrated in her hometown of Norfolk, Virginia on Saturday (Dec. 10) during the fall 2022 commencement ceremony at Norfolk State University. The Virginia Pilot reported that…
Read More