It has been 10 years since the untimely death of TLC member, Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes. In celebration of her life and legacy, The Lisa Lopes Foundation will be hosting the 1^st Annual Left Eye Music Fest at the Porter Sanford III Performing Arts Center in Decatur, GA from 2pm – 10pm. The event will include an all kids concert hosted by the OMG Girlz, an all female talent showcase including music executive panelists Ian Burke, Sheri Riley, Kawan “KP” Prather and Shanti Das and finally a celebrity tribute concert featuring Blaque, the Rude Boys and Reigndrop Lopes, Left Eye’s sister. Special guests will include Chilli from TLC, Da Brat and more. For more information, please go to www.LeftEyeMusicFest.com.

Chaka Khan at Cobb Energy Center in Atlanta, GA

The Apollo Theater, one of the nation’s greatest cultural treasures, announced the lineup for its seventh annual Spring Gala Benefit Concert, at which they will induct Lionel Richie and the late Etta James into the Apollo Legends Hall of Fame. Proceeds from the gala benefit, to be held on Monday, June 4, 2012, will go toward the non-profit Theater’s education and community engagement programs.

In addition to performances honoring Richie and James, this year’s program will include tributes to three musical icons that have passed this year. Ten-time GRAMMY^® Winner Chaka Khan will perform a tribute to the late superstar Whitney Houston; Eddie Levert, in honor of Soul Train creator Don Cornelius; and Valerie Simpson for her husband and legendary songwriting partner Nick Ashford. The evening will be hosted by celebrated comedian and former host of Showtime at the Apollo, Sinbad, with American Idol’s Ray Chew serving as musical director.

Tickets for the 2012 Spring Gala and after-party are now on sale. To purchase benefit tickets to the event or to make a donation to the Apollo Theater, call 212-531-5347. To purchase show-only tickets, visit www.apollotheater.org.

After talks of Halle Berry as the leading actress for the highly anticipated bio-pic and swirling whispers of Fantasia or possibly Jennifer Hudson, multiple GRAMMY^® Award-winner Aretha Franklin sees Audra McDonald as a strong contender to play the Queen of Soul in an upcoming film. During a recent visit to New York City, Franklin attended Broadway’s Porgy and Bess. It was Franklin’s first time seeing McDonald’s on the Great White Way. She was very impressed with her performance and expressed an interest in her for the role.

Audra McDonald is an award-winning television and stage actor who has won four Tony^® awards and two Emmy awards. McDonald has starred in ABC’s Private Practice, and in Broadway musicals such as A Raisin in the Sun, Ragtime, Carousel and Master Class.  A classical trained singer, she has performed in concerts with the New York Philharmonic and many others.

Franklin is continuing discussions with Hollywood executives and hopes to wrap up negotiations on the film in the coming months.  She is not currently in negotiations with McDonald for the starring role in a bio-pic about Franklin.  Last month, Franklin celebrated her 70^th birthday at a dinner party in New York. She recently received TV Land’s Music Icon Award.

GFM Fave Teri Tobin has just dropped a fantastic video directed by Barton Robison for the lead single “Free” from her debut Love Infinity.

Also, we wanted to send our congrats to Teri on being nominated for an Independent Music Award for R&B Album. You can read more about Teri’s nomination and the 11th annual Independent Music Awards ceremony here.

Some new audio goodness from Robert Glasper with Erykah Badu doing it on that vocals… a take on the Mongo Santamaria composition Afro Blue this will be included on Robert’s next project Black Radio. Also, make sure you head over to robertglasper.com to pre-order Black Radio as well as to sign up for a free download.

Robert Glasper x Erykah Badu – Afro Blue by BamaLoveSoul

Technology has greatly impacted many facets of our life. Whether you’ve switched from books to Nooks or CDs to MP3, new innovations have revolutionized how we do business, how we communicate and even how we think. But with such rapid change in the scope of this industry, how has it changed the entertaining games known through our summertime barbecues and holiday get togethers? Well, recently I was invited to the launch of The Real Housewives of Atlanta star, Kandi Burruss, with her new iPhone/iPad app Kandi Koated Spades (KKS) to find out. Created by the technological skills of Konsole Kingz, an urban gaming company headed by CJ Peters and Marcus Matthews, the Kandi Koated Spades app recreates the card game experience through multiple online players, reneg calls, trash talking chats and “bragging right” broadcasts to your Twitter followers. For a  glimpse of the highlights along with special appearances from Tiny and Toya’s  Toya Wright and RHOA star, Phaedra Parks, here are a few pics for your viewing.

Also, be sure to visit http://kkspad.es/qWsdfR  to purchase this high spirited game and for more information, visit www.KandiKoatedSpades.com.

Photo credits: James Pray
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Eric Benet talked to EgyptSaidSo.com about his new marriage and becoming a dad again after 19 years.

Check the article out here

Earlier this week, I  had the pleasure of being among an iconic figure within the civil rights movement. A pioneer, a fighter and a beloved person in the fight for freedom, Rev. Joseph Lowery celebrated  his 90th birthday in grand style with a musical and theatrical experience highlighting his life work. Presented by the  Joseph E. Lowery Institute for Justice and Human Rights, Delta Air Lines, Coca Cola Company and Kia Motors, Inc., the evening was hosted by CNN anchor Soledad O’Brien and included performances by Stevie Wonder, Jennifer Holliday, Peabo Bryson, Lady Tremaine Hawkins, the Blind Boys of Alabama, Cicely Tyson, Dawnn Lewis, Cassi Davis, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Morehouse and Spelman College Glee Clubs as well as other special guests.  Check out the video and pictures from this wonderful event! (more…)