Thursday, April 4, 2013, founder and creative director of FunkJazz Kafé, Jason Orr, will present a new version of his award-winning film, “FunkJazz Kafé: Diary of a Decade (The Story Of A Movement)” for a special Atlanta screening. Recently returning from a sold-out New York City screening, Orr will present the music documentary about the [...]
Merton D. Simpson Left Fortune in Art, Yet Family Has No Money to Bury Him
March 26, 2013 | Posted by
Family and friends gathered in Charleston, S.C., on Friday for the funeral of the New York-based artist Merton D. Simpson, a painter and pioneering champion of African art who accumulated a collection said to be worth millions of dollars. Gathering in the city of his birth, eulogists celebrated Mr. Simpson’s expertise on the saxophone, his [...]
Darien Long, Atlanta’s Internet Sensation Mall Cop, Arrested
March 25, 2013 | Posted by
Darien Long, the security guard who became an Internet sensation after posting videos of himself fighting crime at downtown’s Metro Mall, was arrested late Thursday afternoon and charged with battery. Atlanta police officers were called to the mall near the Five Points MARTA station after Long, 45, allegedly tackled a patron to the ground unprovoked. [...]
Michael Clarke Duncan Fondly Recalled by Last Film Co-Stars
March 21, 2013 | Posted by
Michael Clarke Duncan’s co-stars remembered the late actor as “lovely,” “sweet” and a “legend” at the Hollywood premiere of his final film, A Resurrection. “He was a big-hearted, sweet man,” Jamie Kennedy told The Hollywood Reporter at the event Tuesday night at ArcLight Cinemas. Added Mischa Barton: “The nicest guy. . . His energy on [...]
Merton D. Simpson, African Art Expert, Owner Dead at 84
March 17, 2013 | Posted by
Merton D. Simpson, an artist who became a trailblazing collector and gallery owner specializing in African art, died on Saturday in Manhattan. He was 84. Mr. Simpson had had several strokes and suffered from a number of prolonged illnesses, including diabetes and dementia, said his son Merton Jr. and Alaina Simone, director of the Merton [...]
9 Often Overlooked, Underrated Beaches
March 16, 2013 | Posted by
Some destinations always come to mind when people think of beach getaways: Waikiki Beach in Hawaii, Miami’s South Beach, and the crowded sands in Cancun. Some spots, however, are often overlooked and it makes them that much better. Fewer people, untouched nature, you name it; underrated beach destinations are hidden gems that can be just [...]
The Relationship Dynamics of Male vs. Female Friendships
March 16, 2013 | Posted by
Female friendships are notoriously intense. They can be as passionate as the most all-consuming love affair, as close as a family bond, as supportive as the best therapist, but as toxic as the worst poison. Katie Couric’s talk show this week featured an episode on the life-sustaining power of female friendship. Ask a woman, including [...]
SXSW’s Corporate Sponsorships Overpowering Indie Music, Artists
March 16, 2013 | Posted by
The South by Southwest music festival and conference, now in its 27th year, was once a meeting ground for industry debates and indie artist showcases. Today the festival is a vehicle for promotion for the likes of Justin Timberlake, Prince and Green Day, and afternoon chats with artists are less about realities and more about [...]
Atlanta Teens Arrested, Linked to String of Violent Carjackings
March 16, 2013 | Posted by
Three teens arrested after a high-speed chase through rush hour traffic have been linked to violent carjackings across the metro Atlanta area. Police said the chase began on Thursday after the suspects allegedly pointed a gun at a woman at a Fayetteville store. The car, with two 16-year-olds and a 14-year-old inside, then led police [...]
Pan African Film Festival Gets Underway Tonight in LA
February 7, 2013 | Posted by
The 21st annual Pan African Film & Arts Festival opens tonight with Vipaka (its LA premiere) – the Southern, gothic, psychological thriller that stars Forest Whitaker, Anthony Mackie, Sanaa Lathan, Nicole Ari Parker and Mike Epps. Directed by French/Lebanese Philippe Caland, the film centers on an earnest life-coach and author who is mysteriously abducted by a deranged client, who then uses the author’s spiritual messages of karma [...]
