The Urban Daily » television

5 Reasons To Watch Time Warner Cable’s Born To Shine

Jonathan Hailey — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 14:10:58 +0000

For the longest time, the African-American community has expressed disappointment in the programming on television. It seems every time we turn on the television, there aren’t many faces that look like ours. If there are faces that we can relate to, it’s in the role of the hired help or a criminal. Seeing as though the community has been talking about this for a while, Time Warner Cable is stepping up and doing its part to change the climate on television with their new talk show, Born To Shine. Born To Shine is one of the few programs on TV that sheds a positive light on African-Americans in the entertainment industry. Recently, The Urban Daily scored a behind the scenes tour of the set. We were introduced to two out of the four hosts and spoke with the crew. Here’s what we came up with as the five reasons to watch Time Warner Cable’s Born To Shine when it arrives in Time Warner Cable’s On Demand section October 18th.

It’s a program that will inspire viewers.

This show is a talk show. While most talk shows consist of celebrities coming on and telling a funny anecdote, this show is a space where stars come and share their stories of overcoming adversity. Robert Townsend related the story of how he got Hollywood Shuffle made all by using credit cards. Even if you can’t relate to their exact situation, there is a little fragment of something in every interview for a viewer to catch and in turn, become inspired to achieve their goals.

The hosts are cool.

The four hosts, Kornelius Bascombe, Isis McKenzie, Carmela King and Ashlei Stevens, were selected from open casting calls and video tapes being sent in. While at the set, I had a chance to meet Carmella King and Kornelius Bascombe. Those two were warm and personable. The sheer excitement of being there was enough for them and that kind of energy is something lots of us need when it comes to our jobs. All the hosts share a bond that takes most years to form. They did it in just a few short weeks.

The guests keep it real.

I happened to be on set as Robert Townsend and Rockmond Dunbar taped their segments. The actors talked about their struggles from before they got into the business. Stories of how close family members made them doubt their own potential and talent because said family members weren’t happy themselves. No story told on the show is sugar coated. Viewers get the unabashed truth from the guests. Part of the fun in the show is watching how the host and audience react to the guests’ statements.

The vibe is fun.

How many times have you watched a talk show and got bored because the interview is corny. You will find none of that on Born To Shine. The hosts interact with the guests as if they are long lost friends. Also, the show emphasizes the fact educating yourself is fun. Viewers will find themselves learning about different ways to pursue their dreams by listening to a hilarious conversation between two people. One of those people just happens to be famous.

The show features nothing but exclusive content.

There will be plenty of people trying to watch Born To Shine. Unfortunately, if you aren’t a Time Warner Cable customer, you won’t be able to see the exclusive programming. There is no show like this on any type of cable network. Stop frontin’. You know you want to get Time Warner Cable just for when your friends come over, you can turn this show on and say, “Man, you aint up on this?!?!?” Who doesn’t like to do that once in a while?

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Shaunie O’Neal Says “Basketball Wives” Doesn’t Portray Black Women Negatively

jazzyf — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 22:50:18 +0000

Shaunie O’Neal executive producer of VH1′s “Basketball Wives,” wrote a commentary for CNN about the negative portrayal of black women on reality TV. Despite the drama that unfolds on her own show, Shaunie doesn’t feel “Basketball Wives” portrays black women in a negative light. Shaunie says watching reality television is a guilty pleasure of hers and fun to watch. However, she feels the new generation of reality TV has become more about drama than the story line.

If you ask me, “Basketball Wives” fits into that category of the new generation. The show is supposed to be based on the life of a woman married to an NBA player, but we have not seen the full view of that lifestyle. The women on the show are ex-girlfriends or baby mommas. The majority of what we see are women insulting one another and fighting over petty issues. In the show’s defense Shaunie says, “I believe that if you look closely and beyond the arguing and the fighting, you’ll see a group of women trying to get their lives back on track and figure out who they really are.” This may be so but it’s really hard to see that when the drama starts before the intro credits. I Love Shaunie O’Neal and her money making skills but I think she is being a bit delusional here.

10 Epic Fails From The 2011 BET Awards

jazzyf — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 18:59:41 +0000

The 2011 BET awards went down last night, Sunday June 26 at the Shrine auditorium in LA. Lets just say the greatest show on earth is still at the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus. Funny man Kevin Hart did his thing but even he could not save the BET Awards from becoming the EBT Awards. There were too many awkward and funny moments that it was hard for me to chose just a few. There were too many fashion fails and some serious epic fails that went down during the show. I decided to narrow it down to the fails that literally made people either uncomfortable or just with blank stares on their faces. Check out the photos and list below of the EPIC FAILS from the 2011 BET Awards.

Cherrelle & Alexander O’Neal performing “Saturday Love”- Why would BET pull Alexander O’Neal on stage to perform straight from Dr. Drew’s Rehab center. This performance was very crack-ish. Where are his teeth?

Rocsi Diaz all purpose dress- Is it just me, or was Rocsi dressed like she was the star of Lion King on ice. I don’t know but everyone on twitter said she got the fit from Wet Seal. Maybe they gave her some free wears for the promo.

Busta Rhymes brain vest- Now Busta is known for wearing some weird fits and last night was not unusual. Busta went rap Lady Gaga on us yesterday wearing a brain vest in the audience and becoming a human accordion during his performance with Chris Brown. Look at him now.

Chris Brown Onesie Tuxedo- Yeah Chris Brown made the list again. Breezy played himself two times over when he joined Big Sean on stage wearing a onesie tuxedo. Chris Brown’s BET Awards fits were just awful. And what was he doing on that damn bike??

Lil Wayne American Flag boxers and One Sock- Weezy F. clearly does whatever he wants to do and during his “I’m On One” performance with DJ Khaled, Drake and Rick Ross Weezy skipped around the stage wearing American flag boxers and one black and white checker sock.

Cee-Lo Green dressed as Patti LaBelle and cussing- Cee-Lo Green literally came out dressed like Patti Labelle. I mean even down to her permed out spike hair. You can tell Patti was loving it! Things went a bit south when The Dungeon Family member started cussing up a storm. BET didn’t catch any of the cuss words and I don’t think they intended on it.

Viewers Choice Award- Tiffany Greene, a big Nicki Minaj fan, was chosen to give out the BET Viewers Choice Award. Things went left when the tablet said Chris Brown but the teleprompter said Rihanna. Then Drake ended up winning the award. However, at the end of the show Kevin Hart revealed that the winner really was Chris Brown. Once again the EBT awards know how to start some mess to keep their ratings up.

Trey Songz drooling and slurping on Kelly Rowland’s neck- Trey Songz and Kelly Rowland just may have had one of the hottest performances of the night. I know I am not the only one who caught how Trey Songz had become a perverted old man at the end of the performance, trying to nibble on Kelly Rowland’s neck as they went down.

Diggy Simmons dance number- I did not know Diggy Simmons had big plans to become the rapping Chris Brown. We were all hype about Diggy coming into the rap game because he could actually flow. Now he just totally put himself into the category of being a popcorn bubble gum artist.

Nicki Minaj pretending she had competition- Nicki Minaj accepted her award and tried to deliver a speech pretending there was competition in the female rap category. The audience did not buy it one bit. They broke out into laughter after Nicki started her speech off with “Wow, I can’t believe I won.”

Michelle Obama To Appear On Nickelodeon’s iCarly [VIDEO]

jazzyf — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 21:32:17 +0000

The First Lady, Michelle Obama will appear as a special guest on Nickelodeon’s hit TV show, iCarly. Accordiong to E! Online Michelle Obama was on set to record on Monday. She hopes the guest spot will help put some attention on Joining Forces, a program dedicated to helping and honoring U.S. military families. On the upcoming episode Carly breaks a few rules to set up a video chat with her dad, who is serving overseas. Michelle Obama plays herself and drops by to talk about how important it is for families and soldiers to stay in touch with one another.

Spotted @PopEater

Check out the preview below!

Single Ladies Not So Single, April Is Cheating On Her Husband With The Mayor

jazzyf — Sun, 29 May 2011 16:00:38 +0000

Yup! Everyone on VH1′s Single Ladies is not single. In the scene below April is caught off guard by the Mayor, played by Common, who she is having an affair with. The Mayor doesn’t want to share April anymore and tells her to stop sleeping with her husband. The thing is, the Mayor is also married and tells April he has stopped sleeping with his wife. April seem to be flattered that the Mayor is so into her. Lets just hope the Mayor is telling the truth. Check out the booty grabbing and kissing in the video below.

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“Single Ladies” Trailer Starring Stacey Dash & LisaRaye

Boyz II Men Help Jimmy Kimmel Sing”Its So Hard To Say Goodbye To Oprah Winfrey” [VIDEO]

jazzyf — Thu, 26 May 2011 13:51:48 +0000

Oprah Winfrey’s last show was yesterday Wednesday May 25, and many other talk show host was paying homage to the Big O. Jimmy Kimmel called in Boyz II Men to help him sing “Its So Hard To Say Goodbye To Oprah Winfrey” a remix to their 1991 hit “Its So Hard To Say Goodbye To Yesterday.”

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Beyonce, Lady Gaga, Jennifer Lopez & TLC Perform on American Idol Season Finale [VIDEO]

jazzyf — Thu, 26 May 2011 12:46:41 +0000

American Idol ended their 10th season with performances from Beyonce, Lady Gaga, TLC, American Idol’s judge Jennifer Lopez and husband Marc Anthony. The show was filled with surprises like Lil Jon representing for the A as he introduced TLC. Jennifer Lopez performed a sexy dance for husband Marc Anthony. Legendary drummer Sheila E. was also in the house. American Idol contestants also performed with Beyonce and TLC. Check out the videos below!

Beyonce “1+1″ & “Crazy In Love”

Lady Gaga “Edge Of Glory”

Mark Anthony & Jennifer Lopez “Aguanile”

TLC “Waterfalls” & Scrubs”

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Basketball Wives Season 3 Sneak Peek [VIDEO]

jazzyf — Thu, 19 May 2011 03:37:07 +0000

VH1′s Basketball Wives season 3 is set to air on VH1 May 30th at 8pm est. As usual they waste no time getting to the drama. Tami and Evelyn are fighting over “You Are Non muthaf*cking factor T-Shirts.” Evelyn is also trying to have kids with OchoCino, twins to be exact. Jennifer is looking for love on the internet. Royce has a new boyfriend and Shaunie is just boss bi*ch as usual. Tami is looking better than ever this time around so season 2 must have been real nice to her. Lets see what drama the new girl Meeka Claxton wife of retired NBA player Speedy Claxton can cause. She owns her own realty company and is an actual wife so I am sure she will cause some problems among the other girls.

Spotted @TheSocietyOnline.biz

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Jamie Foxx Brings “Showtime At The Apollo” To BET

jazzyf — Tue, 17 May 2011 17:09:33 +0000

Jamie Foxx Brings “Showtime At The Apollo” to BET. The Oscar Award wining actor is set to produce the pilot for the network. Jamie is currently wrapping the deal up and plans on bring the original director of the legendary show, Don Weiner. No date has been announced when the show will air to stay tuned for more info coming soon.

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The Cosby Show Reigns as the Greatest Black Sitcom of All-Time

The Urban Daily — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 17:02:06 +0000

Your votes are in and we’re happy to declare the victor of the Greatest Black Sitcom of All Time Competition: The Cosby Show!

Bill Cosby’s television depiction of an upper-middle class African-American family living in Brooklyn, NY was eyed as an early favorite in the competition. The Cosby Show steadily made its way through the bracket with relative ease – dominating each round and challenger. The real challenge presented itself in the last round when it was time to go head to head with Martin – which dominated its own league throughout the competition as well. With 78% of voters choosing The Cosby Show, the final round became a piece of cake for the Huxtable clan.

Check out how the voting went down in each round.

WBW Honors: Oprah Winfrey

The Urban Daily — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 17:00:02 +0000

A woman who believes “luck is preparation meeting opportunity,” Oprah Gail Winfrey has continuously shattered gender and racial barriers in America. Winfrey is the most successful talk show host in American TV history — male or female, Black or white — and the first female African-American billionaire. As one of the most influential women in the world, Winfrey continues to be a beacon that transcends racial and social barriers, much like Barack Obama. In 2006, Winfrey endorsed Obama for president, her first public political stance ever. She accompanied the Obamas on the campaign trail. But perhaps her greatest contribution to the ascendance of Barack Obama is how she prepared America for him through her show, as an African-American who won the hearts of women from all walks of life.

Winfrey was born on January 29, 1954 in Kosciusko, Mississippi to unwed teenage parents, Vernita Lee and Vernon Winfrey. Her parents sent her to live with her grandmother, where she learned to read by the age of three. Despite living in poverty, she excelled in school, later receiving a full-scholarship to Tennessee State University.

Winfrey’s career blossomed when she moved to Chicago in 1984 to host “AM Chicago,” a morning talk show at WLS-TV’s. It soon became the number one ranked talk show and was renamed “The Oprah Winfrey Show.” In 1988, she became the first African-American woman in the American entertainment industry to own her production company, Harpo Productions.

In addition to being a daytime TV pioneer, Winfrey is a generous philanthropist, often making significant contributions to those in need. She donated $10 million to help re-build the lives of Hurricane Katrina victims. Winfrey spent $40 million building the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa. She personally selected all of the girls from low-income families to attend the boarding school.

Throughout her success, Winfrey has used her influence to bring about change on various platforms. In 2007, Winfrey held a fundraiser for Obama at her estate, and went on to rally in the early primary states: South Carolina, New Hampshire and Iowa.

Her show continues to attract an estimated 14 million viewers daily in the U.S. and millions more in 141 other countries throughout the world. Winfrey’s resilience continues to shine as she sets an example of excellence and perseverance. But most of all, she has become daily staple for women across America, women who saw in Oprah someone they trusted, someone who was in many ways just like them. In so doing, she lifted Obama to the presidency, both directly and symbolically.

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Round 1 Results for the Greatest Black Sitcom Competition!

Leigh Davenport, Editorial Director — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 16:59:02 +0000

Last week we opened the voting for our Greatest Black Sitcom of All-Time Competition. Yesterday voting closed for round 1 and we’re down from 64 shows to 32.

Based on the seeding of the editorial team we didn’t see any upset loses although we were surprised to see the short-lived 90′s sitcom “Thea” beat out the super-popular Disney darling “That’s So Raven.”

This week we have our eye out for several close races that could result in upset wins. In the Cosby Show division we have are eye out on number three seeded The Bernie Mac Show against six seed, The Roc.

We’re also predicting an upset in the Fresh Prince division between The Game and Diff’rent Strokes who are ranked four and five respectively.

To see all of the Round 1 results click here. Voting for round two is open now!

LL Cool J’s “NCIS” Shoot Menaced By Man With Lightsaber

Casey Gane-McCalla, Lead Blogger — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 20:11:52 +0000

From TMZ

LL Cool J’s “NCIS: Los Angeles” shoot almost turned into a crime scene yesterday — when a random dude carrying a lightsaber started making trouble on the set … and wound up in handcuffs.

It all went down in Venice, CA — where the troublemaker kept barging onto the set and yelling at the cast … while LL Cool J gave him a steady dose of the stink eye.

Click Here For More

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Henry Simmons In Lifetime Original Film

The Urban Daily — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 18:10:50 +0000

Henry Simmons (Madea’s Family Reunion) has been cast opposite Ed Begley Jr., Tyne Daly, Linda Emond, Joan Allen and Jeremy Irons in the Lifetime original biopic, Georgia O’Keeffe.

The film from Sony Pictures TV follows the 20-year love affair between the American artist (Allen) and photographer Alfred Stieglitz (Irons). Simmons portrays writer Jean Toomer, with whom she has an affair later in her life.

Begley plays Alfred’s brother, Lee, a doctor who examines Georgia after she faints and years later when she suffers a breakdown. Daly is set as artist Mabel Dodge Stern, a friend of Georgia’s who lives in New Mexico. Emond plays Georgia’s friend Beck, with whom she travels on her life-changing trip to New Mexico.

Bob Balaban is directing the movie, set to premiere in third-quarter 2009.

SOURCE: EURWeb.com