Category: entertainment/pulse-of-entertainment

BALTIMORE — “Dr. Thomas Dorothy had a vision in 1932, where lay people had a place to get organized,” said Dr. Marabeth E. Gentry, the current president of the National Convention of Gospel Choirs & Choruses (NCGCC), about its humble beginnings. “It’s the camaraderie; it’s the spirituality; it’s the beautiful music [and] the family atmosphere. We’re a large family reunion.”

Dr. Gentry took over as president of the NCGCC in 2010 after then president Bishop Kenneth Moales, Sr. passed away. He succeeded founder Dr. Thomas Dorothy who served from 1932 to 1993.

NCGCC offers up-and-coming Gospel singers and songwriters a stage to perform. During the convention, participants have the opportunity to hear inspirational guest speakers and to attend sessions and workshops for both youth and adults who want to enhance their skills as singers, instrumentalists, educators and leaders.

The goal of the convention is to foster and promote an appreciation and a high standard of excellence of Gospel music and Gospel music performances.

The NCGCC is celebrating its 84th Anniversary in my hometown, Baltimore between August 5 and 11, 2017 at the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront Hotel.

Hosted by Elder Shawn L. Bell and Reverend Dr. Derrick E. Roberts, chairman of the NCGCC Board, the guest speakers include: Rev. Dr. Lester W. Taylor, Bishop Walter Scott Thomas, Dr. Jamal Bryant, Archbishop Alfred A. Owens, Bishop Millicent Hunter and Dr. Donte L. Hickman, Sr. and guest performers: Rickey Dillard, Charles Butler and Trinity, Jonathan Nelson, Maurette Brown-Clark, JJ Hairston, the Baltimore Mass Choir and many others.

“Some of our great artists, such as Hezekiah Walker…years ago came [and] look at them now— Donald Lawrencce; you can go back to the Cleveland Singers; Aretha Franklin in Detroit; Della Reese are a part of us; and Dinah Washington,” Dr. Gentry said about the many aspiring artists the convention help put a spotlight on. “Dr. Dorothy saw a vision, a place where songwriters and performers can come and do their music, and listen to others do their music.”

Dr. Gentry says before Bishop Moales, Sr. passed away in 2010, he told her in 2008 that he was going to hand the mantle over to her— to which she initially said no. Today against her wishes but heeding God’s will, she now serves as president of the 84-year-old event that has provided a free stage to those in Gospel looking to develop their skills.

“A spiritual thing came into my room,” Dr. Gentry explained when asked why she changed her mind. “It said, ‘I will give you everything; I will not forsake you, just do what I tell you,’ and I did a walk of faith.”

It too inspires and educates participating artists who have gone on to do great things.

Dr. Thomas Dorothy Sr. is considered by many to be the “father of Gospel music.” He wrote over 400 songs, including: “Take My Hand, Precious Lord.”

To find out more about the National Convention of Gospel Choirs and Choruses, visit: www.NCGCC.com.

Eunice Moseley is also a public relations strategist and business management consultant at Freelance Associates and is Promotions Director (at-large) for The Baltimore Times. For more entertainment news, visit: www.ThePulseofEntertainment.com.

BALTIMORE — I must admit this is the first time that I’ve ever seen one of the Pirates of the Caribbean installments and it was fun, thanks to Johnny Depp’s superb comedic timing in his portrayal of Jack Sparrow.

The Walt Disney Studios motion picture presentation of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales is the fifth installment of the movie franchise. Johnny Depp, who has been nominated three times for an Academy Award, owns the role of Captain Jack Sparrow again making the film bigger than life. It is clear to see why Depp has been asked to return to the leading role time and time again. He was also involved in the writing process announcing to the public that Pirates 5 will be the last.

In Pirates 5, Captain Jack Sparrow is down on his luck but there are many who still need and believe in him. They want his help to steal the Trident of Poseidon, an artifact that gives the owner the ability to control the seas. Sparrow wants to control the seas in order to free his ship, the Black Pearl.

A young thief, Henry Turner played by Brenton Thwaites, frees Sparrow from the guillotine so he can join the journey to find the Trident of Poseidon. His motive, however, is to see his father Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) again. Turner, a blacksmith and captain of the Flying Dutchmen, which was lost at sea. To make the journey, the two are in need of a map, which is in the possession of Carina Smyth (Kaya Scodelario), an astronomer, about to be put to death for witchcraft. Turner rescues her and Sparrow. She reluctantly joins them only because the map leads the orphaned girl to her father. Who her father turns out to be along with the adventures that occur while on their quest with the mind-blowing special effects make this fantasy film directed by Joachim Ronning and Espen Sandberg a winner.

The Bruckheimer project also stars Geoffrey Rush as Captain Hector Barbossa a pirate and former captain of the Black Pearl; Javier Bardem as Spanish Captain Armando Salazar, who travels the seas killing all pirates in his path— even after death; Stephen Graham, Golshifteh Farahani, David Wenham, Jessica Green, Goran D. Kleut, Kevin McNally, Martin Klebba, Keira Knightly, Paul McCartney, and Anthony De La Torre who plays a younger Jack Sparrow.

Pirates 5, a Jerry Bruckheimer production, is Rated PG-13 and is in theaters nationwide.

Eunice Moseley is a public relations strategist and business management consultant for Freelance Associates and is promotions director (at-large) for The Baltimore Times. For more entertainment news, visit: www.ThePulseofEntertainment.com.

BALTIMORE — NAACP Image Award winning keyboardist Marcus Johnson has been added to the list of entertainment business panelists for the Baltimore Uplifting Minds II (ULMII) entertainment conference at Security Square Mall on Saturday, April 22, 2017 to speak on the business of owning a successful label (Marimelj Entertainment Group), a production company (Three Keys Music) and recording facility (Studio 8121), which was launched with BET Network founder Bob Johnson. Johnson, CEO and founder of FLO Brands and FLO Wines, will also discuss his entrepreneurial venture in publishing and collecting wine.

Johnson’s most popular jazz numbers include “88 Ways to Love,” “Summertime Flo,” and “Danny’s Song.” Marcus Johnson has released 17 albums. His first album Lessons in Love sold 40,000 copies independently. The album was released while he was a student at Georgetown University via his label Marimelj.

Marcus Johnson will be joined on the entertainment business panel discussion by entertainment lawyer Paul Gardner, II, president and founder of The Gardner Law Group; syndicated entertainment columnist, author, philanthropist and former singer/musician Rosa Pryor-Trusty; multi-award winning actor and filmmaker Anthony Michael Hobbs; artist manager and acting/vocal coach Nadiyah Kareem of Superstar Entertainment; and stylist and make-up artist Jeneanne Collins (Rebellious Beauty). ULMII founder Eunice Moseley is the panel’s moderator. Moseley is a syndicated entertainment columnist and public relations strategist. A national talent showcase highlighting ten acts (vocals, songwriters, dancers or actors) starts at 3 p.m. hosted by Heaven 600’s Doresa Harvey with DJ GWUAP Squad on the turntable.

Radio host Giovanni joins the list of media sponsors of the one day “ULMII” entertainment conference via BESOS Radio for her “Giovanni Live Stream Radio Show.”Giovanni is a new age radio jock as host of the “Giovanni Live Stream Radio Show” on BESOS Radio syndicated via the Crown Media App and the Fleet DJ Radio App www.FleetDJRadio.com (as of April 10, 2017). Both free apps are available at the Google Play App Stores. Giovanni airs live daily from 12 to 2 p.m.

Other media sponsors of Uplifiting Minds II, include: www.EURweb.com (over 85,000 visitors a week), Praise 98 FM’s “Lady Charmaine Live” Show at www.Praise98F.com and www.ThePulseofEntertainment.com (over 60,000 hits a week). To see if you qualify to be one of the top ten acts to perform, visit: www.UpliftingMinds2.com or email: Info@ThePulseofEntertainment.com. You can also call 562-424-3836 and ask for “Uplifting Minds II” coordinator. www.UpliftingMinds2.com

BALTIMORE — “Sometimes it’s not the thing— but the thing that leads to the thing,” said Arian Simone about her career choices thus far. “It was not my intention to build a brand and inspire…I have a fearless attitude.”

Fearless indeed is how one should describe this lady. Straight out of college (Florida A&M University) as a business graduate, she relocated to Los Angeles for a job opportunity. Once she arrived, the job was not what she thought it would be but instead of going back home to Detroit, the fearless college graduate decided to stay.

Life was hard and at one point she was living out of her car. Then one day, she was asked to work on a public relations assignment— the BET Awards. Through connections she made there and referrals she ended up with over five projects in a two-week span.

“I do believe in walking [through] opportunity’s door,” Simone said. “But [opportunity] has to align with my goals and values.”

Those assignments afforded her the chance to open an office where she secretly lived for a while— the same building where the “Steve Harvey Morning Show” airs. This allowed her more opportunities to find work. She became a “celebrity publicist” working for clients, including Sony Pictures for projects such as— “Stomp the Yard,” “Takers,” “Limitless” and “Sparkle.”

“By default, I started building a brand,” Simone pointed out about her “Fearless” ventures. “[It’s] only in extreme hardships do you step out of the comfort of employment— I was hired and fired in 30-days. I thought it was a stable job with purpose.”

Simone started her Fearless brand by first publishing a “Fearless” book hoping to inspire and motivate and recently, she launched the “Fearless Discussion Podcast with Arian Simone” airing Wednesdays at 7 p.m. and “Arian Simone Fearless TV” airing Mondays at 10 a.m. on the Youtube channel.

“It’s a show that will inspire,” she said about her talk show. “Video is the most embraced vehicle reference to technology and social media. People like to see.”

To learn more about Arian Simone and her “Fearless” movement, visit: www.ArianSimone.com.

Eunice Moseley is a Public Relations Strategist and Business Management Consultant at Freelance Associates. She is Promotions Director (at-large) for The Baltimore Times. For more entertainment news, visit: www.ThePulseofEntertainment.com.

BALTIMORE — It’s rare for music concert venues to feature the headliner on stage, as well as on the menu, but that’s just what jazz lovers will experience when they attend the FLO of Jazz with award-winning keyboardist Marcus Johnson at Rams Head on Stage on Thursday, January 19, 2017.

Since launching a new wine brand called FLO, the NAACP Image Award winning musician, entrepreneur and author introduces his signature drink on the menus of the places where he performs.

Johnson is not new to venturing outside of his amazing skills on the keyboards. Almost immediately after starting his music career, he ventured into business by partnering with BET Network founder Bob Johnson to form his label Marimelj Entertainment Group, the production company Three Keys Music, recording facility Studio 8121, and two publishing companies Marimelj and Three Keys. He is CEO and President of them all. Marcus Johnson is also CEO and Founder of FLO Brands, LLC and FLO Wines, LLC.

Last year Johnson released an album entitled, Live and Direct and in February, he will release his first book, For the Love.

Johnson has released 17 albums in addition to Live and Direct. The Ohio native’s family moved to the District of Columbia when he was 12. The next year, his father won the Maryland Pick 3 Lottery and brought him his first keyboard. He went on to study traditional Jazz with Joe Thomas and Thelonious Monk. All through high school at Montgomery Blair High, he played in the Jazz band. After graduation, he attended Howard University and went on to graduate studies at Georgetown University where he received an M.B.A. and J.D. in Law. While at Georgetown in 1997, he released his first independent album Lessons in Love, which sold 40,000 copies.

As if he doesn’t do enough already, Johnson mentors young artists. Whten it comes to his new venture FLO, Johnson is ready to push all limits.

“I will never stop unless I stop selling wine. Everything is to compliment the other. We are in— the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia— 300 stores,” Johnson said.

For more information about Johnson’s upcoming performances, his wines, his book and his latest album release Livane d Direct visit www.RamsHeadonStage.com, www.ThreeKeys.com or www.FLOBrands.com.

Eunice Moseley is a Public Relations Strategist and Business Management Consultant at Freelance Associates, as well as Promotions Director (at-large) for The Baltimore Times. For more information, visit: www.ThePulseofEntertainment.com.

BALTIMORE — Hello my dear friends, this is the season of giving— not that giving isn’t the right thing to do all year around, but from Thanksgiving through Christmas, we are charged to give in abundance.

It’s the time of the year when we should be thankful for being above ground. So many of our family members and friends didn’t make it. This is the time of the year that we should be grateful for what we have. There are so many people who don’t even have a roof over their heads or know where their next meal will come from.

There are so many people lying in hospitals and nursing homes sick with diseases and illness unable to feed or dress themselves or have the strength to pray. So, if you are one of those people always crying and complaining “woe is me” because you have a headache or your arthritis is flaring up or are upset because you don’t have the money to get a new kitchen set— just get over it. Honestly, you have nothing to complain about.

Just remember there are so many people out there so much worse off than you! Thank God for what you have!

This is why I appreciate people, organizations and foundations such as the Bea Gaddy Foundation who feed the less fortunate at holiday time; Carlos Hutchins of CH Productions, who raises funds for children; Charm City Jazz, fundraises for the homeless; and Lou Fields, Bilal Ali, Trinity Chapter No. 5 of the Eastern Stars give to the needy. I know of many other organizations and individuals that give back to the community during this time of the year. “Rambling Rose” sees and hears about you, and I thank you for your service to others.

Hopefully, all who read my column will contribute by going out and supporting the events and the people you read about and in my column every week. It is not always about jumping up and down and having fun. Sometimes all it’s about is helping others by purchasing a ticket.

Well folks, I am out of space, enjoy your week and remember if you need me, call me at 410-833-9474 or email me at rosapryor@aol.com. UNTIL THE NEXT TIME, I’M MUSICALLY YOURS.

Being born in the Philippines and raised in the Bahamas and the United States makes jazz guitarist Vernon Neilly a man of the world. From one listen to his latest project “Outta Time,” (Boosweet Records) it’s evident that the “chill” of hip-hop music has influenced his approach to the epic sounds of jazz. This eight-song project, featuring 15 musicians and vocalists, leaves fans full.

Neilly’s extensive career in music, includes playing for— and with— legendary artists Etta James, George Clinton, The Temptations, The Dramatics, Warren G, Howard Hewitt, and Teena Marie. The award-winning jazz musician calls them “the vehicles”— those who helped him make it in the business by giving his skills and talent a platform.

Neilly doesn’t get his just due here in the U.S. However, his musicianship has catapulted him to celebrity status overseas. The crowds there claw at him as if he was Jimi Hendrix back from paradise. In fact, one of my favorite selections is a Jimi Hendrix hit song titled “Fire,” featuring Vernon and lead guitarist Greg Howe (Michael Jackson, Rihanna, Justin Timberlake). The vocals on this track are reminiscent of Prince.

The single ‘Outta Time,’ featuring Neilly’s 20-year-old son Khalif, debuted on Billboard Charts in August at No. 6 on Hot Singles. “He is my youngest son. He help me write the lyrics to the first two songs,” said Neilly. “He’s got an artist he is producing coming out before the end of the year.” Khalif, a hip-hop lyricist, also appears on “They Don’t Care.”

Like his award-winning projects G-Fire I and II, Outta Time was released from, Boosweet Records, the label he launched 15 years ago in Los Angeles.

“I do it this way [independently] because that’s my only option,” he admitted. “This is my fifth project. I have been working on it for a few years.

Because the people I wanted to record on the project have busy schedules, it took a little while.”

The wait was worth it! Nods go the tracks: “Get Yo’ Lyfe Rite,” featuring Victor Johnson because of the Hendrix/Prince flavor; “Nassau Nights,”

featuring Frank Gambale and Cacau Santos, because that Latin feel keeps thing moving; and it’s nearly impossible to make out if there’s a guitar or keyboard or both playing in “Metta Funk Trip,” featuring futuristic sounds with Neilly and Kiko Lourirro.

“Outta Time” is executive produced by Neilly and Rosalie Mayers and also features such artists as Mattias Eklundh, Bill Hudson, Jennifer Batten, Juan Belson, and Charles Glen.

For more information about Vernon Neilly’s latest project rclease and performance dates, visit: www.vernonNeilly.com.

Eunice Moseley is a public relations strategist and business management consultant at Freelance Associates and promotions director for The Baltimore Times. For more entertainment news, visit: www.ThePulseofEntertainment.com

BALTIMORE — Academy Award nominated Mark Wahlberg (Planet of the Apes) stars in the Summit Entertainment presentation of Deepwater Horizon, a film based on the 2010 BP oilrig explosion. “Deepwater Horizon” shows what happens in a crisis when courage takes over.

Directed by Peter Berg, Deepwater Horizon also stars Emmy nominated Kurt Russell (Furious 7); Academy Award nominated John Malkovich (Transformers: Dark Side of the Moon); Academy Award nominated Kate Hudson (Kung Fu Panda 3); Golden Globe winner Gina Rodriguez (Jane the Virgin), and MTV Movie Award winner Dylan O’Brien (The Maze Runner).

The dramatic disaster thriller tells of the final hours of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill as worker Mike Williams (Wahlberg) says goodbye to his wife Felicia Williams (Hudson). His job is to build or repair the rig. When Mike finds out that the executive boss, Donald Vidrine, played by Malovich (Conair), missed inspections to save a hundred thousand dollars for a multi-billion dollar company, he enlists his immediate supervisor Jimmy Harrell (Russell) who decides to test the rig. The test indicates that the numbers are not matching – not a good sign. While the tests continue Mike goes to his room to call his wife and Jimmy takes a shower. Vidrine pressures worker Jason Anderson played by Ethan Suplee (“Boy Meets World”) to note that the rig was in good condition so they could continue because they were behind schedule. Just as they start to drill disaster strikes and heroes are made.

Deepwater Horizon also brings in the human side to the disaster showing the personal lives of some of the 120-plus men and women like Andrea Fleytas played by Rodriguez (“The Bold and the Beautiful”) who navigates the rig; Caleb Holloway played by O’Brien (The Hunger Games) who was working on the first rig that brokel Shane Roshto played by Henry Frost (Roots), and Adam Weise played by Jeremy Sande (Universal Soldier) that works on the rig for three weeks at a time. It also tells the event in a way anyone can understand how oil rigs work and as a result walk away with respect for the job and its workers.

Written by Matthew Sand and Matthew Michael Carnahan, Deepwater Horizon, rated – PG, in theatres now. Visit: www.DeepWaterHorizon.Movie.com to see the trailer.

“Live Life & Win!” is a half-hour syndicated young adult news and information program hosted by actor Eric I. Keyes. The show has received a 2014 NAACP Image Awards nomination for “Outstanding Performance in a Youth/Children’s Program.”

The educational program highlights some very interesting and positive actions in the communities of Los Angeles by young adults.

In one episode Keyes learns to ride a horse. In another episode, he interviews Hill Harper, a New York Times Best Selling author of several books, targeting young adult males.

“It’s a beautiful beginning,” Keys said about receiving the NAACP Image Awards nomination, in the same category as other Disney projects and Golden Globe winner Keke Palmer. “I hope I can advance myself as an actor and show host. I never want to stop learning. I want people to say I watched his performance and loved it.”

“Live Life & Win!” is produced and distributed by Connection III Entertainment Corp. Cleveland O’Neal, is the creator and executive producer of the show, which airs in syndication on the Fox Network— reaching 91 million homes.

“The original concept was to bring to light young adults doing positive things we are not seeing,” Keyes pointed out. “It has grown from there. Hill is very active with young adults. His