HHR Music Video of the Week: Melanie Fiona - It Kills Me

Sup HHR readers “Melanie Fiona” is out yet again with a new hit hers is a Video entitled “It Kills Me. The girl has such raw emotions in this video and the lyrics are freaking amazing!!

“It Kills Me” - The Bridge
SRC / Title 9 / Universal Motown
Director: Armen Djerrahian
Guest star: Adam Rodriguez (CSI Miami)



Purchase now on iTunes: - Download The Bridge - Melanie Fiona

A BLACK REPUBLICAN “AMBASSADOR OF LOVE”: PEARL BAILEY

By: Cleo Brown

Pearl Bailey was considered The Ambassador of Love by many people with-in The Republican Party as well as around the world. Pearl Bailey was born in the same home town, of Newport News, Virginia, and in the same birth year as the legendary jazz singer, named Ella Fitzgerald, on March 29th, 1918. Bailey eventually served as a United Nations’ Goodwill Ambassador under several Republican Presidential Administrations. (Wikipedia,”Pearl Bailey Biography”, p.2)

Pearl’s given name at birth was Pearl Mae Bailey. Her father, who was named Joseph James, was an Evangelical Minister with his own church in Newport News, Virginia. It was through the members of the congregation of Joseph James’ Church that Pearl learned how to sing and to dance although she was a toddler. Pearl’s mother, named Ella Mae Bailey, divorced Joseph James when Pearl was four years old, however, moving Pearl and her siblings- first to Washington, D.C., and later to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Pearl had two older sisters and an older brother named Willie. It was Willie, who was to introduce Pearl to show business, when Pearl entered her teen-age years.

Willie, himself, was a tap-dancer having been heavily influenced by Bill “Bojangles” Robinson.( Answers.com , Pearl Bailey Biography, “Life’s Work”, p.2) It is Bill Bailey who is credited with being the first to do the moon walk in the all black film entitled Cabin In The Sky in 1943. (Mike Mckinley, Pearl Bailey Biography,p.2)Pearl, consequently, at the age of fifteen, entered a talent contest in Philadelphia where her brother was a performer. She won the talent competition also securing work at the theater as a performer until the theater’s closing two weeks later. This first experience with show business was enough for Pearl to exchange her former dream of being a school teacher with that of being a performer.

Pearl next tackled The Apollo Theater in New York where, once again, she won first prize in an amateur night contest. (Answers.com, p.2) Eventually, she ended up playing The Vaudeville Circuit in places like Pennsylvania, Ohio, Washington, D.C., and Maryland. According to The American Theater Guild, Bailey’s “unique style was marked by an informal, broken delivery and sometimes slurred pronunciation.”(p.1) Pearl Bailey, subsequently, performed in the theaters, the night clubs, and with the jazz bands of The East Coast including performing with The Count Basie Band. (Answers.com, Britannica Concise Encyclopedia: “Pearl Mae Bailey “, p. 1) Like Josephine Baker before her, however, Pearl Bailey felt that it was imperative that she perform overseas. With this in mind, she toured with The U.S.O. from 1941-1943. (Black Biography, “Pearl Bailey Biography” p.2) Pearl Bailey “‘honed’ he skills while entertaining the troops” overseas. (Black Biography, p.2) When she returned to the States she began performing solo in New York City nightclubs. In 1944 she joined Cab Calloway’s Band as a stand-in. She and Cab Calloway, despite Bailey’s four marriages, became very good friends in a relationship which was to last throughout Bailey’s lifetime.

Pearl Bailey made her Broadway stage debut in 1946 in the All Black Musical entitled St. Louis Woman. With-in the Musical she sang two songs entitled “A Woman’s Perogative” and “Legalize My Name” which, according to Black Biography, were the “highlights” of the show. (p.3) For her performance Pearl Bailey won The Donaldson Award as the best “newcomer” on Broadway in 1946. She made her film debut for Paramount Films in 1947 in Variety Girl in which, once again, Pearl sang a show-stopping song called “Tired.” “Tired” became one of her “signature” tunes. (Black Biography,p. 3) Bailey made one more film for Paramount called Isn’t it Romantic before returning to Broadway in 1954.

Pearl Bailey married her fourth husband, named Louis Bellson, in 1952. Before her marriage to Bellson, she had been married to John Randolph Pinkett. (Wikipedia, p. 1) Louis Bellson was a Caucasion jazz drummer. The couple had two adopted children together named Tony and DeeDee. With her marriage to Bellson came a period of enormous growth and productivity in Pearl Bailey’s film career although she continued to perform on Broadway. In 1954 she was a supporting performer playing Frankie in Carmen Jones. In 1959, she portrayed Maria in Porgy and Bess. She also had roles in That Certain Feeling, St. Louis Blues, and All The Fine Young Cannibals. Bailey had become so popular that she was invited to perform at President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s Inauguration in 1957.

In 1967, Pearl Bailey and Cab Calloway starred in an all black version of Hello Dolly! The tour as well as The Broadway run-of-the play was highly successful. Bailey won a special Tony Award for her role as Dolly Levi. (Wikipedia, p.2) According to Wikipedia, “Bailey {also} sang The National Anthem at Shea Stadium prior to game 5 of the 1969 World Series. She also {appeared} in the Series highlight film showing her support for the team.” (p. 2)

Pearl Bailey, in addition to singing at President Eisenhower’s Inauguration in 1957, and at The World Series in 1969 was a favorite not only of Democratic Presidents such as Lyndon Johnson, but also of Republican Presidents such as Richard M. Nixon, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, and George H. W. Bush Sr. Richard Nixon named Bailey to a United Nations Goodwill Ambassador’s position, which she worked, throughout his Presidential Administration. According to The National University Library League’s Graduate Research Paper Division, “Nixon used Pearl Bailey as a Goodwill Ambassador to defuse International political situations. If Brezhnev was getting testy, Nixon sent in Pearl Bailey to calm Brezhnev down.” (NULL, Woman of Honor, Woman of Truth: Pearl Bailey and Her Lullaby-like Effect on the American Electorate, 1967-1982, Kamplebahn; Adrian Morraine; 2007, University of Virginia) Although Democratic Presidents seemed to manifest little need for Bailey’s services throughout their Presidential Administrations, Bailey also fulfilled this useful function for other Republican Presidents until her death in 1990 at the age of seventy-two.

In 1985, Pearl Bailey was awarded a B.A. Degree in Theology from Georgetown University. In addition to her almost forty year marriage to Bellson and her long and successful career in Theater, Film, and Television, Pearl Bailey was also the subject of a sociological study which found that internationally, tensions eased after every appearance which Pearl Bailey made at The United Nations. (NULL) In addition to her political impact upon the world, when Pearl Bailey’s image was displayed on television in connection with any product “consumer confidence increased in that product: for months both before and after her appearance on television. (NULL) In her later years, she was a frequent guest on The Muppet Show and on Captain Kangaroo.

Her best friends in real life were Mahalia Jackson and Eartha Kitt. Even after the deflection of the majority of African-Americans from The Republican Party to The Democratic Party in 1964, Pearl Bailey remained with The Republican Party because The Republican Party was where she and Louis Bellson found the greatest acceptance for their interracial marriage. As a couple, under Republican Presidential Administrations, Bailey and Bellson were frequently invited to The White House. (New York Times, Wednesday, February 18th, 2009, “Louis Bellson Dies”)

Pearl Bailey, who died from a heart attack on August 17th, 1990 in her hotel room in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is credited with having said “What the world really needs is more love and less paperwork.” (Pearl Bailey Biography at IMDb , p.2) Pearl Bailey hated paperwork. She was also eulogized by The Washington Post’s Joseph McLellan who called Bailey “America’s ambassador of love” adding: “She used her voice-and her heart- to become an eloquent advocate for the poor, oppresse3d and suffering, working to promote interracial harmony and more recently to help those worldwide suffering from AIDS.” (Pearl Bailey Biography at IMDb , p. 1) Pearl Bailey was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Recording at 7080 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California.

Pearl Bailey was also an author having written the following books:

The Raw Pearl (1968) (Autobiography)

Talking to Myself (1971) (Autobiography)

Pearl’s Kitchen: An Extraordinary Cookbook (1973)

Duey’s Tale (1975)

Hurry Up America and Spit (1976)

Between You and Me: A Heartfelt Memoir on Learning, Loving, and Living (1989)

Pearl Bailey’s nickname was Dickie. (Pearl Bailey Biography at IMDb, p.1)

About The Author: Cleo E. Brown has a Master’s Degree in Contemporary African-American History from The University of California at Davis in Davis, California. She also has a B.A. Minor Degree in Political-Science and has completed course work towards a Ph.D. in Education from The University of San Francisco in San Francisco, California. She is a Free Lance Writer and a Senior Editor at HHR.

HHR NOTE: NEW SITE - http://hiphoprepublican.com/general/2009/11/25/a-black-republican-%e2%80%9cambassador-of-love%e2%80%9d-pearl-bailey/

Going Rogue: A “Palin”tologist’s Review

By: Leette Eaton-White

Sarah Palin the ever controversial political super star released her best seller auto-biography Going Rogue last week. Already a selling success the book details her life, and the failed 2008 Vice Presidential Campaign. Though the campaign to make John McCain POTUS failed, Sarah has been a wild success amongst conservatives and fair minded politicos.

Her down to earth demeanor and straight forward speaking style captivated the core of the GOP and infuriated the Left Wing and its Hollywood babysitters. Striking fear into the hearts of her critics Palin’s book comes out swinging at those who unfairly criticized her, but unlike most politicians she takes plenty of time to acknowledge her own, and many mistakes.

Detailing life and Alaska the book begins with a gorgeous rich description. As a matter fact some of the description was so exact I thought The Joy of Painting’s Bob Ross hijacked Sarah’s book and I could swear I began to hear “Wonderful, Wonderful Day” playing in my head followed by “The Sound of Music”, and I swear to you that is not an exaggeration… I had a very goofy smile on my face while reading such descriptions… as if people on the NYC subway didn’t already think I was crazy by actually reading Going Rogue in the first place.

Sarah discusses her average family and average life growing up in Wasilla and her unique love of sports and her dedication to teamwork. She talks about her children, and labor, fishing and even lets us in on her relationship with Todd. Then she starts in on politics. There is no denying Sarah on what she is politically. She is everything she ever presented herself as. She is a passionate social and fiscal conservative. No surprises there. She recounts in great detail her early days at City Hall fighting the status quo and former allies.

She repeats her political views throughout her story with relevant consistency. She also talks McCain, the Campaign and the staffers who went from helpful to her to hurting the campaign within a matter of weeks. The book has a surprising free flowing and natural eloquence that most would not expect of Sarah and clarity that makes you feel as though you were watching the events described unfold. Bottom line: It’s worth the read no matter what, if you like Sarah even a little bit, it’s worth the buy.

About the Author: Leette Eaton- White is a native New Yorker and a full time student studying Forensic Psychology. She has been a Conservative Republican since 2002, finding her Republican roots at the age of 15. HipHopRepublican opened the gateway for her to start her political activism in urban areas and across the net.Contact - Leette4hhr@gmail.com

Crime Isn’t A Civil Right!

by Nadra Enzi

Crime isn’t a civil right! is an upcoming presentation which evolved from recent comments I shared with the local Kiwanis Club on putting the public back into public safety. This topic is my 2010 public theme and has been a private one for a lifetime. Its’ message is simple and timely: no one has a God-given right to violate life and property, regardless of passionate arguments to the contrary. Giving in to crime as a civil right means, among other things, destroying the inner city, all cities, public safety and homeland security in one greedy gulp! Anyone who wants a serving is asked to raise his hand.

Absolving inner city residents from sane behavior isn’t the same as promoting civil rights. Telling us somebody else is to blame for personal killing sprees, etc. in the Black community grants green lights for much more of the same. Add the current financial version of suspended animation afflicting the inner city and this behavioral brew approaches a historic boiling point. One private solution is drawing national lines in the concrete and culturally ousting those who think crime is their personal civil right. Giving them the boot in thought, word, on flim, in song and by our deeds is what is sorely needed. Otherwise, the Black community and America lose together on an unimaginable scale.

We’re losing too many lives to continue embracing open enemies among us. Rehabilitation only works if the person being rehabilitated agrees to it. Removal ( by ostracism or arrest ) becomes the last realistic community choice for increasing safety and civility. The effect of a culture shift where doors are slammed shut and relationships suspended until better behavior happens is worth exploring.

Criminals continue victimizing society because they still welcomed with open arms by family and friends. You can’t complain about snake bite while pulling the viper closer for round two. Unofficial excommunication from Black social networks alongside official incarceration are a one-two combination we need to put into play before it’s too late. Only we can decide if our lives are worth the effort. Crooks are working overtime to tear us down, Isn’t it time we punched the clock to build ourselves up?

Crime isn’t a civil right! will be my main message for Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Black History Month 2010. It’s also a way of life. Crime isn’t a civil right, it’s absolutely the worst possible civil wrong.

NADRA ENZI AKA CAPT. BLACK promotes crime prevention and self-development. nadracaptblack@ymail.com

Change: A Review of Dreamgirls

By: Cleo Brown

On Friday Evening, November 20th, 2009 I attended a performance of Dreamgirls at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, New York with my publisher and the founder of HipHopRepublican.com, named Richard Ivory. Richard, who had said that there would be only a handful of people in the audience, made all of the arrangements for the event from securing the tickets to the play to arranging the transportation. I was, therefore, startled to see throngs of people at the Apollo Theater all waiting to see the performance. Richard has very good taste for Dreamgirls was amazing.

From the very first moments after the show began, with the Master of Ceremonies announcing “The Step Sisters”, who were dressed in long, blue, formal gowns, the costumes by William Ivey Long( A five time Tony Award winning costume designer who currently has two shows running on Broadway: PAL JOEY and CHICAGO. ) were lavish and beautiful. I was, throughout the remainder of the musical equally impressed by almost every other aspect of this first-class work of art.

Dreamgirls, which is the story of the rise to fame of “The Dreamettes”, and particularly the rise of Deena Jones , is based upon the rise of Diana Ross and The Supremes to superstar status. For those of you who are not up on your Motown gossip: Barry Gordy who founded and once owned Motown Records, discovered, promoted, and made a star out of Diana Ross. Legend has it that he was in love with her. In Dreamgirls, Chaz Lamar Shephard convincingly portrays Curtis Taylor, Jr. who, although already heavily involved with Diva Effie White, falls in love with a little known back-up singer, named Deena Jones, whom he makes a star out of.

Like Diana Ross, however, Deena Jones at the height of her fame, wants out of her personal and professional relationship with Curtis Taylor so that she can pursue fame and fortune on her own. As the darker-skinned and heavy set Effie White, Moya Angela is superb. Not only can she act, but she can also belt a song out of the ball park for a home run. Her descension into drug abuse and her rehabilitation, although not sufficiently explored enough to suit me, was compellingly- to the extent of breaking my heart - portrayed by Angela.

In contrast to Effie White’s character is that of Deena Jones portrayed by Syesha Mercado. Although she sings well, her voice is not as powerful as Angela’s voice. Her voice, however, to Taylor, as well as her face and her figure are more Eurocentric than Effie’s. Jones is consequently promoted as a star in mainstream American Pop Culture by Taylor who, eventually, replaces White with another “Deena Jones” type. Mercado, as Deena Jones, is so remarkably like Diana Ross (whom I adore) that one can almost hear her voice quiver as she dazzles in one brilliant costume after another -especially once she attains superstar status.

Provocative are Chester Gregory as James “Thunder ” Early and Adrienne Warren as Lorrell Robinson. The has been singer( Early makes a comeback in this saga only to decline once again as the times change) and the ingénue( as a Dreamette she ascends to super star status) are involved with each other in an adulterous affair. Gregory and Warren, as supporting cast members, are so strong in their performances that they do, at times, almost steal the show from Angela and Mercado. Directed and choreographed by Robert Longbottom and Michael Bennett, Dreamgirls is brilliantly staged. At times, the use of trick photography to create a 3- dimensional effect on the stage does tend to engulf the performance and the performers overwhelming the audience with its glitz and its glamour. On the other hand, however, more often than not the 3-D device works exceptionally well.

Although the plot of the Musical involves the meteroic rise to stardom of Deana Jones and the Dreamettes, the theme of the play is that of “Change.” The play is about the change which needed to occur in the United States during the sixties before African-Americans and other minority groups could be accepted as integral parts of the society.

Was there, however, real change in the thinking of Americans to the extent that they would be able to accept an African-American Musical Star as well as African-American Music in mainstream America? Dreamgirls would suggest through its depiction of Deena, who conforms to the status quo and to Eurocentric standards of beauty , that there was no real change. In its depiction of Effie, however, we do see change as she drops her Diva act, her wigs, and her beautiful clothes to become the mother of Curtis Taylor’s child out of wedlock. Noteworthy songs in Dreamgirls include “Stepping into the Bad Side”, “Family”, “I am telling you”, and “The Rap”.

Alas, just as Barry Gordy and Motown were reluctant to change with the advent of Rap Music so to was Curtis Taylor Jr. This reluctance to change seemed to be Taylor’s undoing.

This revival of Dreamgirls is a perfect way for The Apollo Theater to celebrate its 75th Anniversary. Dreamgirls will be at The Apollo Theater until December 6th, 2009 after which the phenomenal cast, crew, and play will tour the United States playing in cities from The East Coast to the West Coast beginning with Baltimore, Maryland from December 16th- December 27th, 2009. The play will end its tour in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on June 22nd-June 27th, 2010 at the Kimmel Center. If you are able to see this wonderfully entertaining though thouroughly exhausting Musical, don’t miss Dreamgirls. On a scale of from one to twelve roses I give Dreamgirls a thirteen.

About The Author: Cleo E. Brown has a Master’s Degree in Contemporary African-American History from The University of California at Davis in Davis, California. She also has a B.A. Minor Degree in Political-Science and has completed course work towards a Ph.D. in Education from The University of San Francisco in San Francisco, California. She is a Free Lance Writer and a Senior Editor at HHR.

We Have a New Site Folks - http://hiphoprepublican.com/ - We Have a New Site Folks!

DREAM GIRLS: THE BROADWAY SENSATION GOES TO HARLEM

by Richard Ivory

Dream Girls, the inspiring story of the soullful girl group , directed by Bill Condon is making its way to Harlem’s, famed Apollo Theatre. Hip-HopRepublican.com will be there to review the film with members of the press on Nov 22. If you have not seen it please take some time and read the press release entry below to get familiar before going. HHR is encouraging all of our NJ & NYC friends to come and see this great film.

From Press Release: “Dreamgirls tells the story of an up-and-coming 1960’s girl group from Chicago, and the triumphs and tribulations that come with fame and fortune. The original Broadway production of Dreamgirls opened December 20, 1981 at the Imperial Theatre and won six 1982 Tony Awards. Dreamgirls closed on Broadway August 11, 1985, after 1,522 performances. Dreamgirls features music by Academy Award nominee Henry Krieger and book and lyrics by Tony and Grammy-Award winner Tom Eyen. The original Broadway production was directed by Michael Bennett and choreographed by Bennett and Michael Peters. Dreamgirls was adapted into a motion picture by DreamWorks Pictures and Paramount Pictures, and opened in December 2006″.

Nationwide Tour Dates - Following the Apollo Theater engagement, the national tour of Dreamgirls will play Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Chicago, Boston, Columbus, Los Angeles, Seattle, Portland, Costa Mesa, Cincinnati, Philadelphia, and more.

Location - The Apollo is located in the heart of Harlem at 253 West 125 Street, between Adam Clayton Powell Blvd (7th Ave.) and Frederick Douglass Blvd (8th Ave.), and is easily accessible by public transportation via the A, B, C, D, 2, and 3 trains.

For more information, please visit http://www.dreamgirlsonstage.com/

THE BROADWAY SENSATION GOES UPTOWN FOR 4 WEEKS ONLY


Celebrating its 75th anniversary season in 2009-2010, the legendary Apollo Theater has been a driving force in shaping America’s music and cultural landscape and has played a major role in the emergence of innovative musical genres including jazz, swing, bebop, R&B, gospel, blues, soul and hip-hop. Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holiday, Sammy Davis, Jr., James Brown, Bill Cosby, Gladys Knight, Luther Vandross, D’Angelo, Lauryn Hill, and countless others began their road to stardom on the Apollo’s stage.

A distinctly American landmark, it is the one of the only institutions in the nation equally devoted to showcasing both emerging talent and legendary performers on the same stage, thereby creating an exceptional community of musicians and artists. Based on its cultural significance and architecture, the Apollo Theater received state and city landmark designation in 1983 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Apollo Theater Foundation, a not-for-profit corporation founded in 1991, is dedicated to the preservation and development of the Apollo Theater. The Apollo’s mission is to honor the influence and advance the contributions of African-American artists and advance emerging creative voice s across cultures and artistic media through the Apollo Experience of world-class live performances and educational programs.

The Producers: Producer John Breglio and the Apollo Theater Foundation, Inc. will bring Broadway uptown for four weeks only with Dreamgirls at the Apollo Theater, prior to the national tour of the new production of the groundbreaking musical. The national tour of Dreamgirls will kick-off at Harlem’s legendary Apollo Theater (253 West 125 Street - just ten minutes from midtown) beginning previews Saturday, November 7, 2009, and opening Sunday, November 22, 2009, for 4 weeks only, through Sunday December, 6, 2009.

About the Staff: Dreamgirls is directed and choreographed by Robert Longbottom with co-choreography by Shane Sparks, scenic design by Robin Wagner, costume design by William Ivey Long, lighting design by Ken Billington, sound design by Acme Sound Partners, and media design by Howard Werner for Lightswitch. With music direction by Sam Davis, orchestrations by Harold Wheeler, and Vocal Arrangements by David Chase & Cleavant Derricks, Dreamgirls is produced by John Breglio for Vienna Waits Productions in association with Chunsoo Shin, Jake Productions & Broadway Across America/TBS.

The Production Team: This brand-new production will incorporate a duet version of the Academy Award-nominated song “Listen” which was written for the film Dreamgirls, as well as a new Act Two-opener, “What Love Can Do” written for this new stage production. Both musical numbers are composed by Henry Krieger with lyrics by Willy Reale.

Dreamgirls will introduce Moya Angela as Effie White and feature, as The Dreams, Syesha Mercado as Deena Jones, Adrienne Warren as Lorrell Robinson, and Margaret Hoffman as Michelle Morris with Chaz Lamar Shepherd as Curtis Taylor, Jr., Chester Gregory is James “Thunder” Early, Trevon Davis as C.C. White, Milton Craig Nealy as Marty Madison in a cast of 26 that also features Felicia Boswell, Tallia Brinson, Patrice Covington, Ronald Duncan, Talitha Farrow, Brittney Griffin, James Harkness, Robert Hartwell, Eric Jackson, Chauncey Jenkins, Jared Joseph, Nikki Kimbrough, Brittany Lewis, Douglas Lyons, Kimberly Marable, Jarran Muse, Amaker Smith and Marc Spaulding.

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