Byron Lars Beauty Mark 2011 Fall Fashion Presentation at Lincoln Center

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On the evening of Friday, February 11, 2011 Byron Lars Beauty Mark once again reinvent the perception of classic Americana by presenting the fall 2011 fashion collection in a luxe Stanley H. Kaplan penthouse turned lush forest overlooking Lincoln Center. The celebration of “Native Americana”, set in a surreal recreation of the great outdoors (indoors) as featured in a collection's photo-essay. A slide show projection of these images was prominently featured on one wall of the space. One image captured the wilds of the 120th floor of an office building where Buffalo run free on its' expansive square footage against a backdrop of big sky framed in pane glass.

Guests were transported to a forest in the sky brimming with trees and all manner of greenery. While standing on brown leaves, 20 models showcased feminine and chic outerwear like silver glazed cocoon coats, tweed jackets and even belted trenches.

Refined and feminine, the daytime separates ranged from peplum sheaths to mock turtlenecks and brocade mix panel skirts. Lace was used creatively as a print livening up the front of flared dresses and trench coats the entire collection was graceful presented all at once. Dramatic makeup and accessories juxtaposed the wearable ready-to-wear pieces. Headpieces with brightly hued feathers and elaborate beaded necklaces added personality to each look.

The makeup look, created by L’Oreal, resembled traditional tribal paint with a white line across the face and colorful lips. Hair by Mizani USA was soft in loose undos and braided ponytails.

At the southern end of this wood land oasis facing a wall of glass was a flood of natural light, offering sanctuary from the darkness of the tents below as well as a beautiful setting for (show weary) guests to have a relaxed and interactive experience with the clothes and each other while milling about and viewing it at there own pace. Photo: Anika Noni Rose & Byron Lars

The event took place over a span of three hours, so guests could come and go as they please within that window of time and enjoyed the bar that served mineral water and featured Moet & Chandon Champagne. The event was produced by MEGA Management Inc.

Inspired musical hybrids of native ceremonial chants and electronica rhythms charged the room with melodic verve, only to be heightened by the primal beats of a live Native Drummer. To review the entire fall 2011 collection got to www.ByronLarsBeautyMark.com and follow us on Facebook at Byron Lars Beauty Mark.

Leading Black Pastor Eulogizes Slain Ugandan Gay Rights Advocate David Kato

One of the leading African American ministers in the country stood in his pulpit to eulogize Ugandan gay advocate, David Kato, who was murdered after having a death threat against him published on the front page of a local newspaper. The Reverend Dr. Calvin O. Butts, III, head pastor of the historic Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem, announced to the 150 people gathered at the memorial service on Monday, February 7, 2011, that he was “beginning the conversation” to engage Black church leaders to save the lives of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender leaders such as David Kato.

"Tonight we make an important first step in bridging the chasm that separates gay & straight people in the church," Butts proclaimed. "This discussion on human sexuality should have happened a long time ago and if it had maybe Kato's and many many other's lives would have been saved."

Frank Mugisha, Executive Director of Sexual Minorities of Uganda, who worked closely with David, said, "Being here tonight inspires me and gives me strength to carry on David's work advocating for gays and lesbians, bailing them out of jail, providing financial support and protection. Before coming here I did not know that a religious leader could stand up freely and support gays and lesbians. In Uganda when a pastor did that he was excommunicated."

Uganda has been under international scrutiny as it continues to consider a law that would included the death penalty for gay people. Conservative Evangelicals have been documented spreading anti-gay sentiment to Uganda so that Ugandan LGBT people are now having to flee their homes due to threats and persecution.

"So long as these laws remain in force millions of people will continue to live their lives under the threat of arrest and in some cases even execution. These laws legitimize homophobia by giving it a government sanctioned seal of approval,” said Charles Radcliffe. "Our first challenge has to be the decriminalization of homosexuality." Mr. Radcliffe is the chief of global issues for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

New York City Speaker Christine C. Quinn, in a written statement read by a representative, called Kato's death "a reminder that every single individual has the power to promote equality and stand up against injustices both near and far.”

Pastor Joseph A. Tolton, Pastor of Rehoboth Temple and organizer of the service, praised Dr. Butts for his leadership in this critical moment. “The gay and lesbian African American community had a historic homecoming in this memorial service for David Kato. We found ourselves welcomed home to the cradle of the Black Church. We are clear that we all walk under the banner of love where our community will work together and not allow ourselves to be divided because of sexual orientation or gender identity. This is our first step in a long journey.”

The service, reminiscent of those held for the many martyrs who paid the ultimate price for freedom in the US, included a solitary portrait of Kato bearing the words "Demand Justice" positioned in the front of the church. Local church choirs and a featured solo from violinist Juliette Jones brought the gathered community to their feet with tears in their eyes. The memorial was one of two memorials held in New York City just two weeks after Kato was murdered in his home in Uganda. His death captured international attention and yesterday's memorial will certainly carry forward the discussion of homophobia in Uganda, the United States and the 70 countries that still imprison or execute gay and transgender people.

PRINCE DONATES $1.5 MILLION TO THREE LOCAL HARLEM CHARITIES

Bleu Magazine Reports

Prince is continuing his mission to pay it forward and pave the way for the next generation to attain greatness. The seven-time Grammy award winner gave a $1 million line of credit to the Harlem Children's Zone and $250,000 each to the Uptown Dance Academy and the American Ballet Theatre .The lines of credit allow Prince to remain involved in and know the needs of the organizations as they draw on the funds to grow and accomplish their missions.

The announcement came yesterday during a press conference that Bleu attended at Madison Square Garden in NYC featuring Harlem Children's Zone's President and CEO Geoffrey Canada and 30 students from the community-based educational organization. The same night Prince concluded the first leg of his phenomenally successful "Welcome 2 America" tour, one of the highest grossing recent tours in the country.

Harlem is Nowhere

A Journey to the Mecca of Black America

by Sharifa Rhodes-Pitts

For a century Harlem has been celebrated as the capital of black America, a thriving center of cultural achievement and political action. At a crucial moment in Harlem's history, as gentrification encroaches, Sharifa Rhodes-Pitts untangles the myth and meaning of Harlem's legacy. Examining the epic Harlem of official history and the personal Harlem that begins at her front door, Rhodes-Pitts introduces us to a wide variety of characters, past and present. At the heart of their stories, and her own, is the hope carried over many generations, hope that Harlem would be the ground from which blacks fully entered America's democracy.


Rhodes-Pitts is a brilliant new voice who, like other significant chroniclers of places-Joan Didion on California, or Jamaica Kincaid on Antigua-captures the very essence of her subject.

Alyson Williams sings The Blues at world famous Sugar Bar

Check out the new show Every Tuesday with Alyson Williams' "Nuttin but the Blues" at Ashford & Simpson's Sugar Bar on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The show is amazing!!! Alyson is introduced by owner Nick Ashford who stops by each table to greet the guests and then he introduced the Back Alley Players.

This is my first time hearing Alyson singing a cabaret of all blues numbers. It was a wonderful evening with the bonus contributions of Ms. Valerie Simpson if you are lucky and she is in town. Great place for out of town friends and family. A wonderful holiday treat that you will really enjoy!

Video courtesy of Zenbiz Travel

DIE FREE A Heroic Family History by Cheryl Wills

In January, Bascom Hill Publishing Group is thrilled to publish Cheryl Wills’ first book, DIE FREE: A Heroic Family History (Bascom Hill Publishing Group, January 3, 2011), a true-story of the television journalist’s remarkable family journey from slavery to freedom in America.

As the nation marks the sesquicentennial of the American Civil War in 2011, Cheryl is hopeful that her great-great-great grandfather Sandy Wills’ courageous stint in that Great will be remembered along with the other 200,000 members of the United States Colored Troops. In Civil War anniversaries past, black soldiers have been largely ignored.

DIE FREE is packed with powerful personal stories, many of which are obtained from the National Archives in Washington, D.C. Cheryl’s exhaustive research, with the help a genealogist and the popular website ancestry.com, unearths a history that defies common stereotypes about the antebellum and reconstruction periods in the United States. For example, Cheryl’s great-great-great grandparents, Sandy and Emma Wills, remained friendly with their former slave owners and even married in their house. In DIE FREE Cheryl also uncovers how the federal government routinely discriminated against black Civil War veterans and their widows when they applied for pensions. Documents reveal a disturbing pattern of injustice as veterans were required to answer humiliating questions about their skin color and forced to hire legal representation.

This fascinating thread of American history is set against a backdrop of Cheryl’s father, a courageous army paratrooper who served during the Vietnam era and later joined the ranks of the New York City Fire Department. As the first African-American who integrated the oldest firehouse in the city, Engine 1, the author digs deep and shares how her father died at the age of 38 – without ever knowing his family’s distinguished Civil War legacy.

DIE FREE is a call to action for all Americans to ‘uncover your past to empower your future.’ Cheryl Wills demonstrates that you can be emboldened by the courage of your ancestors and walk confidently in the direction of your dreams. After reading the pages of this uplifting book, you’ll learn that the debt for your freedom and prosperity has already been paid.

“Die Free is a compelling American story. As Cheryl Wills traces the life of her forefathers and foremothers, she traces a critical part of American history that puts in perspective where we have come from to get to where we are.”

-Rev. Al Sharpton

“Ancestry.com is proud the Cheryl Wills used our comprehensive website to make such a fascinating discovery. Die Free is a perfect example of why we do what we do!”

-Loretto “Lou” Dennis Szucs, V.P., Ancestry.com

“The stories are so deeply engaging that readers will quickly realize that in telling her personal story, Cheryl Wills is also telling ours”

-Warrington Hudlin, Pres., Black Filmmaker Foundation

“Die Free is a significant contribution to the body of literature that traces the experiences and family heritage of Africans in the diaspora, a journey that is all too familiar.”

-Sidique Abou-Bakarr Wai, President and National

Spokesperson, United African Congress

“The discovery of Cheryl’s great-great-great grandfather has been a fortuitous and unexpected find---tracking down slavery ancestry is never easy as slaves were treated as property, brought and sold, and rarely referred to by name.”

-Craig Rice, Association of Professional Genealogists

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Cheryl Wills, longtime news anchor for Time Warner Cable’s New York 1 News featured regularly on the Huffington Post, holds a degree in Broadcast Journalism from the renowned S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. She was awarded in 2005 with an honorary doctorate from New York College of Health Professions and honored in 2010 as a broadcast legend in a regional campaign for McDonalds. Wills has moderated events broadcast on C-SPAN, is a nationally known public speaker, and has played herself in several big-screen movies.

DIE FREE

A Heroic Family History

By Cheryl Wills

978-1-935098-40-9*24.95*207 pages

On Sale January 3, 2011

Ernie & Bert Can... Can You?

As apart of remix Tuesday in December, we ask the question… Click here to read that post - Bert and Ernie arent gay are they?

On Friday, January 29, 2010 The Future wanted to know the inside scoop. For the past 40 years Sesame Street kept us entertained.

Sesame Street the American children’s television program known for its combination of Jim Henson's Muppets, animation, short films, humor, and cultural references premiered on public broadcasting television stations on November 10, 1969, to positive reviews, some controversy, and high ratings. It was the first preschool educational television program to base its contents and production values on laboratory and formative research, and the first to include a curriculum "detailed or stated in terms of measurable outcomes". Does size really matter?