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Study on Women of Color Entrepreneurs Seeks Participants

On Wednesday, February 21, the Center for Women’s Business Research and Babson College will launch Accelerating the Growth and Success of Businesses Owned by Women-of-Color, the first of four national research forums to bring together women of color entrepreneurs to identify barriers to business growth and to develop action plans to overcome them.

The first session will be held at the Courtyard Marriott in Philadelphia on February 21st from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., followed by a reception attended by participants and executives from the corporations and organizations sponsoring the initiative.

Forums scheduled to take place in 2007 following Philadelphia will be held in Atlanta, GA; San Francisco, CA; and Dallas, TX. The project will culminate with a national conference to present the results in 2008. Women of color entrepreneurs are invited to apply to participate in this groundbreaking study. Selection criteria include owning a business that is at least 50% women-owned with annual revenues between $250,000 and $5 million in any industry. Women of color entrepreneurs who meet the criteria and want to participate may contact the Center for Women’s Business Research, by calling 202-638-3060, ext. 710, or on-line at http://www.womensbusinessresearch.org/womenofcolor.

Participants will learn from women like themselves who are focused on business growth, as well as from nationally recognized experts and highly successful women of color entrepreneurs. Participants’ companies will be recognized in all research reports and publications resulting from this effort. And all participants will be invited to attend the national conference in 2008.

Accelerating the Growth and Success of Businesses Owned by Women-of-Color is funded by corporate and association sponsors. The lead 2006 corporate sponsor is Sam’s Club/Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. They are joined by a prestigious consortium of other 2006 corporate sponsors, including UPS Capital; Wells Fargo & Company; American Airlines; Avaya; Best Buy; IBM; MasterCard; Principal Financial Group; Verizon; and Wachovia.

“We are very pleased to participate in this research which will culminate in sharing the experiences and insight of women-of-color entrepreneurs with national policy makers,” said Babson College associate professor and lead researcher Donna Stoddard. “We expect this research to create community and national agendas to foster the success of allwomen-of-color entrepreneurs.”

Multiple Grammy Nominees Top the Roster of an Evening of Stars(R) Performers

Timing is everything. And the timing couldn’t be better for the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) this year. That’s because the producers of UNCF’s 28th annual An Evening of Stars(R) (AEOS) Tribute to Aretha Franklin, had the foresight months ago to bring seven 2007 Grammy nominees and Golden Globe winning actress-singer Jennifer Hudson, ALL under one roof for the annual all-star telecast celebrating The Queen of Soul that airs nationally on Jan. 27 and 28.

Chaka Khan, Stevie Wonder, Joss Stone, Al Jarreau, Kiki Sheard, Smokey Robinson and Natalie Cole have all received 2007 Grammy nominations. Hudson, recent Golden Globe winner for Best Supporting Actress for her outstanding performance in the hit film Dreamgirls, performs two of Franklin’s best-known hits, “Think” and “I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)” at AEOS.

“We are very proud of all the Grammy nominees,” said Michael L. Lomax, Ph.D., president and CEO of UNCF. “And especially pleased for Ms. Hudson and her Golden Globe Award. There was no doubt in our minds when we invited her to appear on AEOS that we had a superstar in our midst,” he continued. “The entire lineup is a group full of talent who share UNCF’s commitment to providing educational opportunities to young men and women who are longer on potential than on resources.”

The historic event will air nationally, including in the top ten media markets such as KNBC in Los Angeles and Chicago Superstation WGN on Jan. 27 and on WWOR MY9 in New York and BET on Jan. 28. A complete station lineup, background information and media contacts can be found online at http://www.uncf.org/AEOS.

Jamie Foxx to Launch Exclusive Urban Comedy, Entertainment and Lifestyle Channel on SIRIUS

SIRIUS Satellite Radio (Nasdaq: SIRI) today announced that it will launch The Foxxhole, an exclusive urban comedy, entertainment and lifestyle channel with Academy Award-winning actor, American Music Award-winning and GRAMMY(R) nominated artist, and comedian Jamie Foxx. Foxx won the 2005 Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in Ray and is currently starring in the award-winning smash hit movie Dreamgirls.

As executive producer, on-air host and contributor for the channel, Foxx will draw from his wide array of artistic experience and success from music, comedy, film and television. Marcus King, who has produced such Foxx projects as The Jamie Foxx Show, Jamie Foxx: Unpredictable, Genius: A Night for Ray Charles, and other television series and specials, will also serve as executive producer. The 24/7 channel will feature urban comedy bits from a large number of comedians, and will create groundbreaking approaches to presenting comedy to radio listeners, as well as showcase music, skits, radio theater and more. The Foxxhole will launch this spring on SIRIUS channel 106.

“The Foxxhole will break new ground in comedy, blurring the lines between stand-up, sketch, and music,” said Foxx. “SIRIUS Satellite Radio gives me the opportunity to create urban entertainment and programming like you have never heard on the radio.”

Foxx will be heard on the channel daily with a segment featuring dispatches from Jamie no matter where he is in the world. Also, Foxx and his team of contributors will host a weekly show on the channel. The show will feature original comedy bits and a new approach to radio theater.

“Jamie Foxx is a triple threat in the world of entertainment and we are thrilled to have him make his radio home at SIRIUS,” said Scott Greenstein, President, Entertainment and Sports, SIRIUS Satellite Radio. “SIRIUS has established itself as a leader in groundbreaking exclusive programming. The Foxxhole adds yet another compelling element to our channel lineup.”

Superstar Rapper Snoop Dogg Reaches Out to Troubled Youth

Music icon Snoop Dogg has joined up with documentary director Gabriel London, Oscar nominated filmmaker Jonathan Stack and Spike TV to make a candid show on youth crime and prison entitled “Bigg Snoop Dogg’s Youth Authority: California.” The idea for the revealing special was created by Snoop Dogg in an effort to help troubled kids and offer a way out of gang life.

Snoop himself spent time inside California’s notorious “Youth Authority,” which in recent years has come under court order for abusing and failing to rehabilitate youth. In “Bigg Snoop Dogg’s Youth Authority:
California,” Snoop Dogg tells of his own life experiences with gang life and selling drugs. The stories serve as a reminder as to why his voice is so important for the kids to hear. By telling what he has learned, and encouraging them to make different choices, Snoop serves as a credible voice to a serious subject matter that is too often times ignored. The show interweaves Snoop’s past stories and experiences from over a decade ago, with trials and tribulations of youth today, who remain caught in the streets-to-prison cycle.

Snoop’s reasons for creating the show are explained while the rapper is driving through his old Long Beach neighborhood. “Can we have peace? That’s what I am feeling like as I get older. I feel like I gotta go back and do it because there’s a youngster out there — and I can help him,” says Snoop.

To drive the point home, Snoop gathered some of his old friends from Long Beach to participate in what director Gabriel London calls “the story swapping shoot.” London says “after spending six months filming on and off with Snoop, this was our moment to connect and for us to hear first hand where it all began.” What was to be a two hour conversation turned into a lively four hour session that became the basis of the film, taking the
viewer on Snoop’s path from childhood days to the dark evolution towards drug dealing and eventually prison before turning his life around.

This show is Snoop’s attempt to break the cycle that leads to over 10,000 youth being locked up in California alone. During one touching moment in the program Snoop meets a 12 year old who they call “Lil’ Tookie,” named after famous crip founder, Stanley “Tookie” Williams. Lil’ Tookie who has a talent for dancing (or “krumping”) is shown getting embraced by Snoop, who encourages him to stay on the right path. He asks Lil’ Tookie if he has ever been to jail. Once the youngster shakes his head no, Snoop says, “You’re too cool for jail. Jail ain’t for cool people, I
went to jail, it ain’t for me. Since you’ve never been, don’t go. That’s my advice to you.”

Verizon Encourages African-Americans to Make History

Verizon has launched a new community-support advertising campaign featuring J. Ivy, the New Age “spoken-word” poet, who encourages African-Americans to make history every day because “history is more than a memory; it’s a movement, an act by certain individuals, who have found the ability to make time stand still.” The campaign — utilizing print, radio and online media — began Monday
(Jan. 15), the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, and will continue through February, Black History Month.

The campaign — utilizing print, radio and online media — began Monday (Jan. 15), the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, and will continue through February, Black History Month.

Andrea Fant-Hobbs, vice president of brand management for Verizon, said, “This campaign was created on the premise that black history is not confined to one month, because every day in communities across this country, there are people who are effecting change in the lives of others, making a difference and making history.” In alignment with Verizon’s mission to promote education and literacy, the ad campaign centers around the powerful poem entitled “History in the Making,” written by Ivy. Ivy has appeared on the HBO Def Poetry Series and is featured on the albums of platinum- and Grammy-winning artists, such as Jay-Z and Kanye West. Ivy’s performance of “History in the Making” can be experienced at http://www.verizon.com/makeyourhistory. The site also encourages people of all races to tell Verizon how they or someone they know is making a difference, making a statement or doing something memorable.

Bob Giraldi, the world-renowned independent director, directed a special cinema spot, which will air in movie theaters in select cities across the country.

The campaign is the latest extension in a series of community-support initiatives sponsored by Verizon. Since 2003, the Verizon Foundation has donated more than $55 million to nonprofit and charitable organizations that benefited the African-American community.

Coca-Cola Kicks Off 2007 With New Advertising Campaign Honoring Black History

As AMERICAN IDOL — television’s most popular show — begins its sixth season, Coca-Cola will again be in the spotlight, debuting new commercials, including one celebrating black history. The new ad, entitled “Timeline,” features a series of milestones
in black history complemented by images which illustrate the progression of the Coca-Cola contour bottle over time.

“‘Timeline’ pays respect to the many incredible contributions that African Americans have made to culture, science and community,” said Anne Sempowski Ward, assistant vice president, African American Marketing,
Coca-Cola North America. “This special salute honors the past and inspires optimism for the future, and reminds people that Coca-Cola was there to celebrate these landmark achievements.”

“Timeline” first aired on Tuesday, January 16 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT during the season’s first episode of AMERICAN IDOL. The commercial is just one element in a comprehensive 2007 African-American marketing program which includes sponsorship integration and television, print, cinema and digital advertising.

BLING KING CALLS STARS FOR TRIAL

Soft & Beautiful Taps Fitness Guru A.J. Johnson & Valorie Burton as Spokespersons for Healthy Resolutions Campaign

Soft & Beautiful(TM) hair care products, a part of the Pro Line International family of brands, has recruited actress and fitness expert A.J. Johnson and life coach and best selling author Valorie Burton as spokespersons for their Soft & Beautiful with Curves Healthy Resolutions campaign with national fitness chain Curves. The two experts will join forces with Pro-Line Beauty and Hair Care Consultant Roslyn Baker to form the Soft & Beautiful BEAUTY EXPERTS. The team will offer advice on wellness “from hair to toe” and from the inside out, in by-line articles, on the Soft & Beautiful(TM) website, in interviews across the country and finally at a world-record-setting fitness and beauty event for women in the Chicago, Illinois area on January 20, 2007.

The BEAUTY EXPERTS are part of an awareness campaign that highlights the Soft & Beautiful with Curves Healthy Resolutions promotion. When shoppers purchase specially marked packages of Soft & Beautiful(TM) and Soft & Beautiful Botanicals(TM) relaxer kits, they will receive a free two-week membership to any participating Curves fitness center and a Soft and Beautiful branded fitness headband.

“Soft & Beautiful with Curves Healthy Resolution is about encouraging your girlfriends, sisters, mothers and daughters to make a new commitment to total wellness and beauty, but that takes courage,” said Tiffanie Jones, Pro-Line International. “Soft & Beautiful realizes that soft, silky, healthier hair and a healthier lifestyle begin with a mindset change, and that can be a challenge. We hope to connect the dots between healthy hair and healthy bodies with a healthy outlook on total wellness.”

Often, African-American women express concern about how to maintain or manage their hair during and after a workout. Soft & Beautiful’s BEAUTY EXPERTS have developed tips to address this concern as well as other advice on how to manage a healthy body and a healthy head of hair throughout the year.

Omarion Celebrates 2007 With the Year’s First #1 Album

The chart-topping R&B superstar Omarion is ringing in 2007 with the year’s first #1 album, 21. The performer’s second solo album (and first on Columbia Records) is entering the Billboard Top 200 best-selling albums chart at #1, with release-to-date sales of 120,463, according to SoundScan. 21 also debuts at #1 this week on Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.

With 21, Omarion’s second solo album, entering both the Top 200 and the R&B sales charts at #1 simultaneously, the contemporary R&B powerhouse becomes one of a select group of artists to have achieved back-to-back #1 debuts on both charts with two consecutive albums.

When his debut album, O, debuted at #1 on both charts in February 2005, Omarion (who’d risen to stardom while still in his teens as a frontman for the groundbreaking urban “boy band” B2K) became recognized as an important new voice in contemporary R&B and hip-hop. The music on 21 was created by Omarion to celebrate, and reflect on, turning 21 late last year.

Born and raised in Inglewood, California, Omarion rose to fame while still a teen as a member of the groundbreaking urban “boy band” B2K. His soulful vocals, riveting stage presence, and undeniable charisma helped B2K score a hit with the group’s very first single, “Uh Huh,” in 2001; achieve gold status with the group’s self-titled debut album in 2002; and go RIAA platinum with the group’s best selling sophomore outing, Pandemonium! in 2003.

Omarion’s undeniable mediageniality has led to numerous television guest appearances including “Punk’d,” “The Sharon Osbourne Show,” “Regis & Kelly” and “Soul Train.” In addition to his musical performances, Omarion has acted on the big screen with key roles in “You Got Served” and “Fat Albert.” Omarion stars in “Somebody Help Me,” an innovative horror film directed by Chris Stokes and may be seen in the upcoming films “Reggaeton” and Tyger Williams’ (“Menace II Society”) “Street Soldier.”

ONLINE…
http://www.omariononline.com

Sprite Launches Search for LeBron James’ Theme Song at LeBron23-23.com

Think you’ve got what it takes to mix the winning music and beats to match LeBron James’ distinct take on Sprite’s subLYMONal ad campaign? Starting this week at http://www.LeBron23-23.com, one musically astute Sprite drinker will win the chance to do just that as part of Sprite’s nationwide search for LeBron’s theme song.

The subLYMONal campaign has given Sprite an arresting, direct way to speak to people and cut through the monotony of ordinary advertising,” said Scott Hargrove, Brand Director, Sprite, Coca-Cola North America. “In 2007, we are taking it to the next level with new advertising and a one-of-a-kind promotion. In his latest Sprite ad, ‘subLYMONal at Home,’ LeBron shows us his unique take on subLYMONal. Sprite drinkers will be able to put their own musical stamp on the campaign and help create an exclusive theme song for LeBron by taking part in the new LeBron23-23 promotion.”

The LeBron23-23 promotion will unfold over several phases. From January 1 through 22, consumers can enter codes found under the caps of specially marked 20-oz bottles of Sprite and Sprite Zero at LeBron23-23.com for the opportunity to create their own mix, which could become the score for LeBron’s theme song.

“To have a theme song created by the fans of Sprite and the NBA is a real honor. The online world offers so many new and exciting ways for all of us to communicate and express ourselves,” said LeBron James. “LeBron 23-23.com will produce some great tracks and I am really looking forward to listening to and judging the best songs.”

During NBA All Star 2007 in Las Vegas, LeBron and Sprite will host an exclusive event at the Bellagio Hotel to unveil the new ad, announce the three finalists and debut their soundtracks for the ad. On February 17, three different versions of LeBron’s new ad, “subLYMONal at Home,” each showcasing one of the finalist tracks, will debut on All-Star 2007 television programming. Viewers will be prompted to vote on their favorite track via text message or online at LeBron23-23.com between February 17 and March 2.

via prnewswire

Nordstrom Celebrates Black History Month With Kamoinge Photo Exhibit

In celebration of Black History Month, Nordstrom will showcase a photography exhibit by Kamoinge, a talented group of African American photographers. These images illustrate life and culture as expressed through music over the past 40 years. The exhibit will be displayed in select Nordstrom stores and at http://www.nordstrom.com throughout the month of February.

Appearing for the second year at the Nordstrom exhibit, Kamoinge is a group of New York City-based photographers whose work has been featured in books, museums, newspapers and magazines throughout the United States. Kamoinge (a Swahili word meaning “a group of people acting together”) was established in 1963 in Harlem to alleviate the sense of photographic isolation generally felt by black photographers. Today their mission has evolved to produce visual images of time that reflect human relationships, political and social interactions and the spiritual world of imagery. Nordstrom has recognized Black History Month over the past five years with in-store exhibits.

“We are honored to celebrate Black History Month with the Kamoinge photography exhibit,” said Amelia Ransom Letcher, vice president of Diversity Affairs. “Through this exhibit, our customers will see a wonderful mix of old and new photographs that reflect African American culture and spirit through music.”

The exhibit will feature 11 photographers: Salimah Ali, Anthony BarBoza, Mark Lee Blackshear, Adger Cowans, Gerald Cyrus, Colette Fournier, Herbert Randall, Herb Robinson, Radcliffe Roye, Jamel Shabazz, and Shawn Walker.

Exhibit Locations
The exhibit will be on display at select Nordstrom stores: San Francisco Centre, Arden Fair (Sacramento), Fashion Valley (San Diego), Galleria at South Bay (Redondo), Calif.; Park Meadows (Littleton), Colo.; King of Prussia, Pa.; Michigan Avenue (Chicago); Circle Center (Indianapolis); Southpoint (Durham), N.C.; Dallas Galleria; Houston Galleria; Perimeter (Atlanta); Pentagon City (Arlington), Va.; Lloyd Center (Portland), Ore.; Downtown (Seattle) and Southcenter (Tukwila), Wash.

Nickelodeon’s Just Jordan, Starring Lil’ JJ, to Kick-off New Year With Big Series Premiere

Nickelodeon will ring in the New Year with the TEENick series premiere of Just Jordan — Sunday, January 7 (7:30 8:30 p.m. ET/PT) — starring breakout teen comedian/actor Lil’ JJ (Beauty Shop, Yours, Mine & Ours) in a multi-generational, half-hour comedy based on his standup routine. Back-to-back episodes mark the special one-hour launch of the sitcom centering on outspoken, ultra-confident ninth grader Jordan Lewis, who pipes up about kid inequalities while navigating a new life in Los Angeles. Creator Alison Taylor (The Cheetah Girls, Lizzie McGuire) and Ralph Farquhar (Moesha, Proud Family) serve as executive producers of the Nickelodeon Television Production, which will air regularly, Sundays, 7:30-8 p.m. (ET/PT) during TEENick.

“Lil’ JJ is a star for Nick and a champion for kids,” said Tom Ascheim, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Nickelodeon Television, of the 16-year-old Arkansas native who segues from hosting “Friday Night Slimetime” and recurring on the sketch comedy series All That and now in Just Jordan. “His smart, unabashed sense of humor about everyday kid injustices is the perfect ingredient for Lil JJ’s very own show and poises him to become the Seinfeld of his generation.”

In the series, Jordan is a recent transplant from Little Rock to Los Angeles — mom Pam’s (Shania Accius) hometown. He’s just a regular teen trying to finding his footing in his new world, splitting his time between school and waiting tables at his curmudgeonly grandpa’s (Beau Billingslea, Cowboy Bebop) legendary diner, Papa Grant’s Fish ‘n Grill. What little time he has left over is spent trying to ingratiate his new friends including school heartthrob/jock Tony (Justin Chon, Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior), witty cousin Tangie (Raven Goodwin, Lovely and Amazing) and preppy, politically minded Joaquin (Eddy Martin, Rebound) — as well as his adoring, albeit style-cramping little sister Monica (Kristen Combs). And he has a huge crush on snooty, but beautiful Tamika (Chelsea Harris) — the un-gettable girl.

Deep in his heart, Jordan knows the truth: being a kid sometimes just isn’t fair! Each week he and his pals deal with some of the great kid injustices, such as “Why do girls say they like the nice guys but only want to date the roughnecks?” or “How come sometimes you do all the work but don’t get the credit?” And he periodically breaks the fourth wall to express his POV. Whatever happens, this take-charge teen isn’t going to take it lying down like all the other teenaged sheep out there.

Dubbed “The Prince of Comedy” in his hometown of Little Rock, Lil’ JJ excelled in school and grabbed attention as a class clown. His gym teacher, Ken Bright, who serves as consulting producer on Just Jordan, spotted something exceptional beyond the practical jokes and helped the fledgling talent get his start doing comic skits at an open mike program at a local restaurant. Lil’ JJ’s big break came when he entered BET’s stand-up comedy competition “Coming to the Stage” and defeated challengers two and three times his age. His win brought him to the attention of NBC’s The Tonight Show, where his performance impressed viewers of all ages.

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