"Out West" Is Now Touring!

Great news! My one-woman show "Out West:Women of Plains" has been picked up by a couple of great theatres. First, I will be performing on January 30th at The Actor's Repetory Theatre in Burbank as part of their Solo Festival (Jan. 15 - Feb. 6). There are a lot of fantatic one-person shows in the festival and the audience gets to vote on the best ones. So if you haven't seen my show, please come out to vote for me! You can find ticket information at www.brownpapertickets.com/event/93945 or visit http://www.theactorsrepetory.com/

Then, on February 5th I will be traveling back East to Suffolk, Virginia to perform the show. I am very excited about this one, because my dad served as producer and lots of my family and friends will be there. The theatre holds over 300 people so I am moving up in the world folks! Ha! Ha! For information on this performance, you can go to http://www.suffolkcenter.org/

On February 7th I will be doing a special Black History Month performance of the show at Burns Middle School in Tampa, Florida. I am curious about the youth reaction to this material - racism, slavery, historical references. I hope they enjoy the performance, but I also hope it inspires them to learn more about lesser known heroes. Especially women.

So there you have it folks...I am literally taking the show on the road! :-)

Question: Who are your heroes?

New Feature Film Coming Soon!

The trailer for my upcoming movie "Out The Gate" is up!

The urban action feature film stars Paul Campbell, Oliver Samuels, Jamaican musical artist E-Dee, and of course, yours truly! The trailer is up on the internet at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehaOBGczdjs. The buzz and excitement over the movie is growing as Far I Films announced their plans to premiere the film Spring 2010 in Jamaica, with showings in New York and the east coast to follow the Jamaican premiere.The film also boasts appearances from Dancehall/Reggae artists Mr. Lexx, Lady G, and Ms. Triniti. The film, shot on location in Jamaica and Los Angeles, follows E-Dee as he leave a bad situation in Jamaica to come to America to pursue his dreams in music and finds out the music game is just as wicked as the streets he is trying to leave behind. I play his love interest.

I had a great time making this film - the producers and director were fantastic. It just goes to show that indie films can come out great and reach many audiences. This is a lesson to actors to never ignore niche audiences. There are so many countries out there that buy films that are in limited release in the US, or sometimes never released here at all. Musicians go overseas to build their fan base and so should we.

Hope I get to go to Jamaica for the premiere (wink wink)!

2010 - New Lives and Fresh Beginnings for All!

Happy New Year Everybody! I hope that everyone brought in the New Year in a positive and upbeat spirit like I did! My December was wonderful - took a 2 week trip to Europe and Africa - learned so much about the history of Egypt and the Pyramids, the Roman Empire, Barcelona nightlife - just had a blast! It made me realize how young America is and just how much we all need to explore our entire world, not just our little corner of the Earth. Definitely going to be doing more traveling! I will share pics from the trip in future entries...

...because I had to share these photos first! Isn't she just adorable? This is my girl Chantel's new baby, Lotus, born on Dec. 26th. Looks just like her mommy. My cousin John's girlfriend also had a New Year's baby - little Gina - born on the 1st! And I just found out that another close friend of mine is expecting!

All these visits from the stork got me thinking...looking at these little tiny things with their whole lives ahead of them. That was us once. The world was our oyster - anything was possible. As the years pass, we sometimes forget that. Life happens. Responsibilities, setbacks, obstacles, trials and tribulations make us forget that we can STILL have anything we want from this life. It's never too late to live our dreams!

So for my 2010, I'm not making any formal New Year's resolutions like losing 10 pounds or cleaning out the garage. Instead, I'm making a broad commitment to remain positive, to keep living my dream, and to never give up! The world is my oyster - whether I'm 25 or 75. I hope you are all empowered to manifest your destinies, too! Blessings!

Stay tuned to this blog for information on all things to do with performing - please pass on to young women especially, I want to hear from them - teens, pre-teens, all the ladies! We are in this together and we need to support each other...

"This Is It!"

Michael Jackson's legacy film "This Is It" opened today. Everyone from Oprah to Ryan Seacrest has been talking about it, and what an inspiration it is! It just got me thinking about what a great artist Michael was - not singer, or performer, or dancer per se, but an artist. Just like Van Gogh weilding his brush, Michael painted beautiful pictures on the stage, that touched our hearts and minds. He could make us shout out in happiness, jump for joy and bring us to tears. He was a perfectionist, rehearsing every move over and over until he literally passed out. Even the slightest pinky move or head nod had to be perfect! It was this relentless pursuit to be better that made him the greatest.

How many of us are like this is our own lives? How much attention to detail do we really pay? How much do we really prepare? How much do we really study? No matter what craft you practice, let the life of Michael Jackson inspire you to be the best at it. I know it definitely gives me the push I need to keep on grinding and growing, even when obstacles present themselves.

We all question why he died. It was definitely a case of "gone too soon". But at least his memory can serve to guide us, enlighten us, and refresh us when we feel like giving up. Love you Michael!

Guest Starring on New Webisode!

Over the weekend I had the opportunity to guest star on a hilarious new webisode called "Simply Simon". Check out all the pre-production news at http://www.watchsimplysimon.com/.

The series was executive produced by Maxwell Glick (from Lonelygirl15 fame) and stars Ben Ryan as Simon, a guy who finds himself in all types of crazy situations. It's a dark comedy that will have you laughing your ass off.

In the episode I shot, I played the host of a speed dating event. Lots of wacky characters! I truly enjoyed working with the director, Tom Ptasinski and the actor David Landry who play Lester.

The series launches in January so be on the lookout!

Upcoming Feature Film - "Where's Henry?"

Yo! You have to check out the trailer for an upcoming feature that I am starring in. It's called "Where's Henry?", directed by Bles Aaron. It started out as a short, but we got so much good footage that it turned into a feature. I can't wait for the screening, but here's the trailer. Stay tuned...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lUQPQrBbl0

Performing this Weekend as Dorothy Dandridge

This weekend the Playhouse Theatre Players is presenting a Sammy Davis Jr. review starring David Williams, who really shines as Sammy. I will be singing "Porgy and Bess" as Dorothy Dandridge - been rehearsing it all weekend. Should be fun so come out and support! October 9th and 10th at 8pm.

http://www.kslgplayhousetheatre.com/

(323) 227-5410