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Legendaryscreen and television actor, Louis Gossett,Jr. has always delivered solid and memorable per-formances. With a career that spans five decades, thisacademy award winning actor easily transitions from

supporting roles to leading man and is always on point. I hadthe distinct honor and privilege of talking with Mr. Gossett forour magazine. Perhaps best known for his powerful portrayalas the tough Marine Gunnery Sergeant, Emil Foley, in An Offi-cer and a Gentleman, in 1982, where he won the academyaward for best supporting actor in addition to the Golden globeand NAACP Image award that same year. For those of us whowere old enough to remember the winter of 1977 when Rootswas indelibly planted in our nation's television viewing history,Louis Gossett delivered a pivoting performance as Fiddler, afriend and ally to America's newest slave arrival, Kunta Kinte.I remember one of my favorite lines a life-saving piece of ad-vice that Fiddler imparted to a rebellious and angry Kunta,"You in America now!" This was a warning that things werenot as they were in Africa.

Most recently, Mr. Gossett appeared in Tyler Perry's WhyDid 1Get Married, Too? I remember being thrilled when I sawhim and Cecily Tyson portraying a long-time married couplewho shared their love story and offered their pearls of wisdomto the younger married couples in the movie. I felt like I hadgotten an extra bonus when Louis Gossett, Jr. showed up on thebeach in the scene. For me, he simply added authenticity andquality to an already solid cast. Mr. Gossett and I shared alaugh when I mentioned to him that J'd read about his trendset-ting style that he fashioned long ago before it was popular; histrademark bald head. "I started out with a receding hairlinevery early in my career, at around 17. They had a hard timecasting me as a young man. So I always played the bad guys.They made me wear hair pieces and that didn't work Finally Idid a movie called The Deep. When I shaved my head, myagent said' now I can cast you in anything!' " He continued, "InRoots, since I had the receding hairline, they could use three orfour tvnes of hairnieces to aze me. The make un neonle liked it

and then the public did so I kept it that way." He laughs andsays, "So In grow my hair now, I'd be out ofajob."

This Brooklyn native, in conjunction with Phyllis Karis,has told his story to date in a book entitled, An Actor and aGentleman. "This is my first book I used to just write poetryand music. I'm so full of stuff after all of these years. Somethings I need to get out of my system and put new stuffin. It'salmost like my personal roots. I wrote the book and, Phyllis, abrilliant woman, put it on paper for me." In his book, Mr.Gossett explains his definition of an exemplary black man: asurvivor. "We had to learn how to survive. Kunta Kinte inRoots had to survive. The element of Afro centric strength inUS as a people will never go away. Slavery is a flattering thingeven though it was slavery. They did research on who wouldbuild this country properly and they picked us because we'rethe most resilient of tribes. They didn't know that we wouldcome to the surface in less than 600 years to have a black presi-dent."

Mr. Gossett believes that it is important to know our cul-ture, who we are and where we come from and what our job onthe planet is. He said that it has nothing to do with violence orrevenge. "It's about what we do best: to excel, be of service andhave our best as our leaders. Today we have a place whereeverybody lives everywhere. We have to teach our children thesame. We are not here for separation, but to join. We are fullblooded, three dimensional Americans. That's what an exem-plary black man is, like our president"

In his book, Mr. Gossett shares his experiences on beingblack in Hollywood in his early years. He references to SammyDavis, Jr. and despite the fact of his fame and association withthe Ratpack, he was still a black man first and had to face thesame challenges as he did. "He was exemplary and he shouldstill be here. I miss him terribly. Michael Jackson was also likeSammy. He was the single most important entertainer in thehistory of entertainment. Sammy was second and maybe Elvis.That is how great Michael and Sammy were. Sammy would besecond because of all the thinzs he could do. He could dance.

...In Our Lifetimesing, act, play instruments and was funny and could be the bestat all of them. Michael Jackson and Sammy Davis, Jr. werelarger than life."

Mr. Gossett says that in his mind, it was intentional to pavethe way for others. This was not done without his own endur-ance of challenges. "I was stopped so many times by the policewhile driving in Hollywood and even handcuffed to trees." Hesays he had to kick the doors of inequality down. "I was taughtin Brooklyn and on Broadway that that wasn't the way life wassupposed to be, everybody was equal. Although it hurt, at times1 had to grit my teeth and sacrifice a part of myself that wasright and righteous to act like a second class citizen just to getthe job or hold my breath when something was wrong." Now74 years old, he states that it doesn't matter what he says andthat it's his hope that it's God's words that come out of hismouth. He also shared that the movie industry has not nour-ished the African American child properly." It's better now, butit's not the movie industry job really. It's our job to educate ourchildren on how to behave in this 2pt century by giving theminformation to grow and learn self respect." He references todays gone by, before integration. "Large families used to dothat. If a child was misbehaving, we'd have the rigbt to tellthem to stop. If any child was hungry, we'd feed them, if theywere dirty, we'd bathe them As long as there was a child inthat neighborhood, they were taken care of. We don't do thatanymore. There's no education to replace that. The screen tellsthem that they are not important because they don't see them-selves. We need to take that gauntlet out and be responsible forour own children." He continues, "They need to have respectfor their elders, for the opposite sex, dress code, physical fit-ness, social behavior and proper grammar so by the time theyget to school, they're ready to learn,"

He is intelligent and socially aware of the deficits in oursociety when it comes to our youth. More importantly, he istaking a stand and making a difference in a conscious effort tonot only leave a positive legacy to the next generation, but im-nrove and shane their futures now. Mr. Gossett is the founder of

the Eracism Foundation, an organization whose mission is toeradicate the systematic impacts of all forms of racism by pro-viding programs that foster cultural diversity, historical enrich-ment, education, and antiviolence initiatives. "We want toteach children those things that will make life better for them. "He stated that the foundation was established over five years ()ago, but before then, he struggled to establish a point that such 0an initiative was even necessary. He says he ran into a great ;;;;ii'deal of opposition, "Most of it was subtle. They would smile ~and applaud you, but they wouldn't support or give credence to mit. But now 1have people to help." He says they are at the point AJnow where they will be creating another chapter of his founda-tion, possibly in Washington, D.C or Savannah, Ga.

Although Louis Gossett, Jr. currently lives in Los Angeles,he proudly stated that he will always be a New Yorker. 1couldcertainly relate to that sentiment! "I go back as often as 1can.They'd have to tear me away from New York!," he laughed.Earlier this year, Mr. Gossett announced that he was diagnosedwith prostate cancer. 1asked him how he was doing. "I am mi-raculously free of cancer. It takes place in the philosophy, thediet, medicine is changed into herbs and now I have no stress.I'm about being of service rather than being selfish. I eathealthy with no chemicals, my weight is coming off and forsome reason, God said that it wasn't my turn. I've survived and1belong to Him I'm inspired by His thoughts and actions and 1let Him go first and I follow suit." He offered advice to ourreaders. "Catch it early; Get a full examination twice a yearstarting between 40-50 years old. We have to have knowledgeof our bodies and we have to have almost the equivalent of afirst year of medical school about our bodies to take care ofourselves. We have to go back to the basics:' _

To find out more about Louis Gossett, Jr., his book and hisEracism Foundation, visit www.louisgossett.com

SEPTEMBER / oeTOBE

EMAL 'PO ERHOUSE

'NAMERICA ,

trying to shift the paradigm and create a new consciousnessamong able, stable black people of every class. We have amoral and spiritual responsibility that we are not fulfilling.When the call goes out for mentors, the first respondents arewhite women, then white men, then black women and thenblack men. If you look at the youth supporting organizationsin our communities, you will see a long list of young blackpeople waiting for mentors. Our white sisters and brothersare showing up in greater numbers and they always have inthis area. We have a history of taking care of eachother. When black people couldn't count on anyone else, wealways knew we could count on each other. It should be sonatural to us. We're not doing that anymore. There's a tre-mendous gulf between poor black people and middle classand affluent black people. That gap is widening. We are notcollaborating well. We're working in silence, each of usdoing our own thing. We should be linking arms and aimsand presenting a united front making sure that the commu-nity survives.

Not On Our Watch:A Conversation with Susan L. Taylor

By: Ava Simone Collier

n the magazine publishing world, Susan L. Taylor islegendary. Ms. Taylor began her career with EssenceMagazine as its fashion and beauty editor. She eventu-ally became editor-in-chief and editorial director. Dur-

ing her tenure at Essence, Ms. Taylor authored the wonder-fully inspirational and empowering column, "In The Spirit'.While she is now Editor-in-chief Emeritus of EssenceMagazine, Ms. Taylor has moved on to a new endeavor. Sheis the CEO and Founder of National CARES MentoringMovement (NCMM). I recently had the privilege of meet-ing Ms. Susan Taylor. We sat and talked about NCMM.She is gracious, warm and genuine. All of that and she'sstunningly beautiful also! Ms. Taylor embodies the essenceand spirit of a God-led black woman with a vision and di-rection. She is truly inspiring.

T2T Magazine: Ms. Taylor, will you please tell us whatyour National CARES Mentoring Movement is andwhat inspired you to create such a movement?

SLT: It's a call to action to the African American com-munity through mentoring relationships to help save a gen-eration. It's something that I started at Essence as EssenceCares. After Hurricane Katrina, I asked myself what could Iask our community and the tens of thousands of peoplegathering at the Essence Music Festival to do that wouldchange the landscape of our community and really make adifference in the lives of our children. Mentoring is a lowcost, high-result, easily-executed protocol. The celebritiescame, the faith community came, the grassroots and politicalactivists communities came and we launched. NCMM is nota mentoring organization. What we do is recruit mentors byconnecting with them and directing them to local mentoringand youth support organizations. We are in 55 marketsthroughout the nation. In Little Rock, Arkansas 91% ofblack children are reading below grade level. Fifty eightpercent of black forth graders across the board are function-ally illiterate. Today as we sit here, one million black menare on lockdown or incarcerated - that has sapped thewealth and strength out of our community to lose so manymen. We don't have an answer for that...we talk about itand I've certainly written about it for years. Finally, I justsaid, no, let me get up and do something. J asked, "What thenational plan for the recovery of our children and our com-munity was." We don't have one.

T2T Magazine: Why is this a "Movement" as opposed to a"program"?

SLT: What we are creating is a "movement," like thecivil rights "movement," the black power "movement," thewomen's "movement," the gay rights "movement." We're

T2T Magazine: What is your vision and ultimate goal forNational CARES Mentoring Movement?

SLT: It is our responsibility to really step into the livesof our young people who are losing ground and those whohave slipped into peril and do for them what the generationbefore ours did for us. We're not doing a good job yet. Weneed to prevent another lost generation. What we are tryingto do at NCMM, through mentoring relationships, is becomerole models. Ideally we'd like to have one million able andcapable adults to mentor one child or group, even if it's foran hour per week. We are no where near our goal. It's hardbut nourishing work yet we shouldn't have to do this work.All the crime that we see on the nightly news and read aboutin the daily paper is a cry for help ... a cry for our attention.What we're saying at NCMM is that we love you, we carefor you and we're not going to let you fall on our watch!

T2T Magazine: How can T2T readers get more informa-tion about NCMM and how can we help?

SLT: You can log onto our website atwww.caresmentoring.com and connect with our nationaloffice and leaders in your communities who have createdCARES Mentoring Movement circles. In those 55 markets,there is a presence and we need support. We need for peopleto come in and volunteer. Most youth support and mentoringorganizations are only asking for an hour a week. We lookat television for 4-5 hours a night. We're asking black peo-ple to do this for our children. As black people we have ahistory of taking care of one another. We are our brother'skeepers. D

TRENDSETTERSTO TRENDSETTERSI SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2009 7

By AvaSimone

Collier

In Rhythm with Lamman Rucker

I'm a bit nervous and excited. After all, I'm only hu-man. Lamman Rucker is what dreams are made of. At6 feet 4, he is bathed in skin the color of a creamyGodiva milk chocolate, an irresistible smile with outra-

geously deep dimples that refuse to behave. He is physicallyflawless and, quite simply, breathtaking. Lamman is unhur-ried and relaxed. I, on the other hand, have to remember tobreathe! He is telling me about his journey to the big screen."A lot of people expect things to happen within two to threeyears. For most people, they've only had a clue of who I amfor the last five years, if that. They would think that's howlong it's taken. They don't realize that it's been 10-15 yearsprior to that... building the skills and training ...making afew mistakes-that kind of thing. It's all relative."

Lamman said that 20 years is even pretty fast in this in-dustry to really make it. "I'm really among the privilegedfew because I'm fortunate to be a working actor. There are alot of people in L.A , NY or even Atlanta who've been inthis business a lot longer than I have and aren't working asconsistently as I do." He says that it takes a long time andthat you definitely have to crawl before you walk and payyour dues.

Who among us couldn't relate to Jill Scott in "Why Did 1Get Married" as she visually caressed SheriffTroy's chis-eled body while Marvin Gaye's sensual tune, "I Want You, "shouted out what we all wanted to say. Without questIon"this Pittsburg born, Washington D.C. raised native has thetalent, sex appeal and uncompromising good looks to simul-taneously catapult him to leading man status and Hollywoodheartthrob. His multitude of women fans would certainlyagree. "It's exciting to see what will happen," he said when Iasked him about being hailed as one of Hollywood's nextleading men. Lamman Rucker admits that it's nice to knowthat there is some buzz or public perception of this. "That's aprivilege and a compliment. It's one of my goals and whatI've been working for and trying to position myself for quitesome time."

Despite his rising star and ever increasing popularity,Lamman possesses an unmistakable quiet confidence withoutarrogance or ego. It is not the type of confidence that wasmade in Hollywood. It is the self assuredness of a man whoknows who he is on and off the screen. He stated that he isglad that he was able to develop his own identity before tran-sitioning to L.A. and N.Y. "1 think sometimes people forgetthat your personal growth and character development and

personal evolution are more important than your accomplish-ments." He says that he knows of people who do not havemoney and are some of the happiest people in the world. Headded that many times, it is these people who always live betterand are more successful in the real definition of success."Ideally, you'd like to have the best of both worlds. No onewants to be just one way or the other. When you remove all theother stuff, all that really matters is who you are and what youhave inside... the intangible things." Lamman says that he isglad that he had the opportunity to accomplish and developother things that were outside of the industry, such as his educa-tion, and family and romantic relationships. "Life skills aremore important. I was glad that I had those skills before jump-ing into this industry with both feet. By that time, I felt I had agood enough relationship with myself" He says he didn't wantto be shaped or influenced in ways he didn't like.

"Being off your frequency is not good," he said. "You haveto know what's aligned with your purpose." Lamman addedthat it's important to have a relationship with yourself and Godso that you know how to direct yourself and the informationyou receive from forces inside, above and beyond us. He be-lieves that when we're out of touch with who we are, we do allsorts of things that don't serve God and truly don't serve our-selves. "If you're not mature and astute enough to know what'swhat, you'd be running some weird path that is completely outof alignment with what you should be running."

This interview was only getting better. This is a man who isnot only wonderful to look at, but is grounded, centered andwell educated. Somebody pinch me, please! Lamman Rucker isa graduate of the prestigious Duke Ellington School of the Artsin Washington, DC. He has an undergraduate degree in Infor-mation Technology and Business and holds a Masters of Sci-ence in Education and Curriculum Development.

In addition to his acting career, Lamman is an activist andsupports many community initiatives. He lends his celebrity tosuch platforms as BET's Rap-It-Up Campaign, the Black AIDSInstitute, Project Readfor Hope, the National Coalition AgainstDomestic Violence, and is a spokesperson for A.HE.A.D, Inc,just to name a few. He's now speaking about his motivation tobe involved. "I was always told since I was a child that it's partof my responsibility as a human being and a child of God. Weare reaping the benefits and sacrifices of other people in ourcommunity and our ancestors. As an artist, I've seen that muchof the change in the world comes from young people, the artistsand educators, from people in the world who aren't afraid to

www.TRENDTOTRENDMAG.com24 TRENDSETTERSTO TRENDSETTERSI NOV / DEe 2009

challenge and change." He continues, "You have to not beafraid to take the initiative, especially if you're aware." Lam-man says that when you figure out what your talents and giftsare, then you can share them and give them away to other peo-ple who need them just as much or more than you do.

The oldest of three children, Lamman says that giving backis rewarding and positively impacts other people. He says itmotivates him and keeps him accountable. "It's how I stay intouch with the world ... what the world needs and what's goingon with our young people. Sometimes we have to be availableto fill the gaps and if you can do it, why not?" Lamman be-lieves in the concept of It takes a village to raise a child."There's no way I'd be here myself without that same concept."He says that there were people in his life when he was a childwho took care of him - people in his community to love andsupport him. As a founding member of The Black Gents in Hol-lywood, an L.A. based all Black male theatre ensemble, Lam-man Rucker continues to connect with the community. "Weconsider ourselves a service organization." He says that TheBlack Gents in Hollywood consists of a group of young renais-sance men who not only perform in live theatre presentations,but educate and motivate as well. The Gents are trying to re-claim an old standard of what a young, strong, positive blackman is supposed to be. They aspire to send a message to womenas well: "We're here, we've got a voice, don't lose faith in us.Here's the standard to expect and demand of other men." Hesays that all of the work the Black Gents does has a strong edu-cational, informative and emotionally powerful dynamic.

There is also a sense of responsibility to uphold what itmeans to be a true gentleman. "Being ourselves ... having classand sophistication ... being gentlemen. We believe a lot of thathas been lost in the way men dress and conduct themselves ...the way they treat each other and their women." These younggentlemen have professions that range from actors, writers, andhealth and fitness professionals to motivational speakers andteachers. They take their show on the road and perform at vari-ous venues such as art festivals, special events, conferences,and museums. They have been nominated and won severalawards in their three year existence. "We're doing some bigthings and still have a lot to do." Lamman explained that theyalso conduct Q&A sessions after many of the performances, away to directly connect and interact with the audience. "We'rejust giving it back," he says.

Lamman reflects on a lesson taught to him by a teacher,which he says he continues to apply in his life and career:Learn to listen to the silence and hear the rhythm in-between."It's an abstract concept," he said. He shared that it was whileattending college that one of his teachers introduced this con-cept to her students. "J finally figured out what she was reallyteaching us. It didn't have anything to do with what we defmeas rhythm. What she meant was before you start trying to figuresomething out, stop! Before you start thinking you alreadyknow the answer or before you start thinking about what's nextor what you did already, stop!. It was about being present in themoment - just organically getting back to where we naturallyand fundamentally are." He says this lesson continues to servehim well as he tries to listen and be aware and engaged in themoment. "Don't worry about the past, just be present now."

The Meet the Browns star says that he's having a great timeon the show. "We have a lot of wonderful co-stars. It's hardwork but we cut up and have a lot of fun on the set." When Iasked him about reprising his role as the caring and chivalrous

Sheriff Troy Jackson in Tyler Perry's upcoming "Why Did IGet Married Too, " he states, "I'm excited but I've been play-fully telling everyone that I hope they will still like Troy's char-acter after this one." Lamman told me he wasn't going give me

. any other hints. My charm and feminine wiles had no affect onhim - he remained closed lipped. But, hey, I tried! He sayswe'll all have to wait to see the movie, which is scheduled forrelease in 2010. He is aware of how his character was receivedas a super hero - a knight in shining armor - the audience didn'tsee any flaws. He agreed that Sheriff Troy is sincere, compas-sionate and real. He said that Troy wasn't just a yes man,though. Troy Jackson has an opinion and he reminds us that thesheriff is human. "You'll see more of his personality layersrevealed this time around." He says that if we really understandthat people and situations change, they'll still like him. "Troy isa multi-layered, complex human being just like anybody else,with feelings, fears, challenges and insecurities."

Lamman's voice relaxes me. It feels like I'm talking to anold friend. I cannot tell a lie, he just has that effect on me. Lam-man says he's "officially not married." My heart starts beatingfast again - my pulse begins to race. Do I have a chance, I se-cretly wondered? No, probably not, but a woman can hope,can't she? When 1 asked him how important intelligence, com-passion, affection, ambition and a sense of humor are in awoman, he stated, "Highly important. Those are the samethings 1 try to be and I want someone who is equivalent. .. apeer. There might be a woman who is beautiful and attractive,but has no sense of humor - she wouldn't be very likable." Hespeaks about having relationship skills. "Some women are su-per spoiled or maybe a wounded bird or beautiful but never hadto work for anything." He says that a woman who takes ac-countability for herself is much more attractive. Lamman feelsthat a woman who knows what her own issues are and is tryingto work on them is far more appealing to him. ''None of us hasall our stuff together. A work-in- progress is more real to me.When trying times really present themselves, you'll really seewhat they're made of Will she still be around willing to hang inand do the work or will she jump ship at rough waters?"

Lamman's own sense of humor was evident as he sharedthat he is a practical joker. He says he gets to be a bit mischie-vous and obnoxious at work. He laughs, "I can be prettygoofy," he admits. "People tell me I'm like the annoying littlebrother. Yeah, 1 am. I'm a prankster, especially at work. Thereare certain people who I'll pick with everyday. I'll bump intothem or do something silly. They'll find a way to get back atme, though. You can do those things with people who you'recool with and not get on each other's nerves." He states thatwhen you spend a lot of time with people, you start to be likebrothers and sisters. We can see Lamman in his newest DVDproject, "The Greatest Song," which he stars as well as co- pro-duced. The DVD can be found at Wal-Mart, Target and Net-flix. To find out more about The Black Gents in Hollywood,visit www.theblackgents.com.

Lamman Rucker - tall, handsome, articulate, intelligent, smart,funny and socially engaged. Was it any wonder that I floatedoff to bed that night filled with fantasy: Lamman whisperingsweet nothings in my ear, holding me, telling me he loves meand can't live without me. Okay, okay, T know it was just adream ... but what a dream! •

TRENDSETTERSTO TRENDSETTERS I NOV / DEe 2009 25

One On One with Cathy HughesBy Ava Simone Collier

Recognized as a pioneering leader in the broadcastingindustry, Cathy Hughes exemplifies the AmericanDream. Although Ms. Hughes' beginnings werehumble, she was destined for success. Her father

was an accountant and her mother was a musician.Cathy Hughes is the owner and CEO of Radio One, Inc., the

largest African American-own radio broadcasting company inthe USA. Ms. Hughes states that she wanted to own her ownradio station since she was a child. "I've wanted to own myown radio station since I was eight years old. I used to stand inthe mirror and pretend I was doing commercials, using mytoothbrush as a microphone. I used to listen to my transistorradio at night. That's when I fell in love with radio. I wanted tobe the first black woman with a syndicated radio show." Ms.Hughes states that she did not realize until much later thatHattie McDaniel had already paved the way.

With more than 1500 black broadcasters on staff, Ms.Hughes is talking about why Radio One has been named as oneof the best companies to work for. "I think it's because wereally operate the way the Japanese corporations do, as a fam-ily. I see my employees not just as employees, but as extendedfamily members. They have a lot of input into our decisionmaking." She continues, "We don't have senior managementdeciding what's good for everybody, including the rank andfile. We have the older members looking out for the youngermembers, the rookies are paired up with veterans." Ms. Hughesalso stated that at Radio One, they recognize that employeesspend more time at work then any place else in their adult life."We try to create an atmosphere that has a lot of enjoyment andfulfillment. Radio is a lot of hard work, there's no gettingaround that so we try to offset that with things that are veryfamily oriented." Ms. Hughes' goal to incorporate a family-like atmosphere and equal balance is further evidenced by Ra-dio One's in-house newsletter, The Frequency. "It's an incredi-ble morale builder for our staff," she says. "It is a formalmagazine that our staff throughout the country absolutely love!Instead of just a regular newsletter for our company, we do aformal magazine so that all of our employees have an opportu-nity to see themselves in glorious pictures in their work envi-ronments" The magazines become a keepsake for the staff andeach issue is eagerly anticipated.

Ms. Hughes discussed why it so important to keep blackbroadcast ownership alive and why The Washington Post hascalled her the voice of the black community. "I have tried tomake certain that all of my radio fa-cilities are, in fact, vehicles for theAfrican American community to telltheir story from their prospective. To

be able to identify that which is important to them and not haveto rely on someone's interpretation of whom we are and what isimportant to and for us." She went on to say that "It continuesto be such a struggle for African Americans to own their ownbroadcasting facilities" Ms. Hughes said that she thinks that it'simportant that African Americans maintain the few blackowned radio stations that they have. There are more than11,000 commercial radio stations in the U.S. Out of that, only240 are owned by blacks and out of that number, 52 of thembelong to Radio One. "This is amazing because radio is still themost effective vehicle to reach African Americans. It's not justabout the music, it's all your genres; talk and sports radio 'arealso important and popular with African Americans ... not justmusic radio". Ms. Hughes believes that it's our history, cultureand tradition that connects us with storytelling. "Our history inAfrica was passed from generation to generation by Griots -African storytellers. Radio is an electronic Griot ... the storiesthat we want to hear. The stories that entertain and inform us."

Undoubtedly, Ms. Hughes' indomitable spirit remains aforce to be reckoned with as she continues to maintain andbuild her broadcasting empire. She admits, though, that thiseconomic climate has been challenging. "I'm prayerful thatAmerica, particularly my radio industry, will survive this eco-nomic depression. I don't think it's a recession. Radio has beenso hard hit. It's been one of the hardest hit industries by thiseconomic downturn". Among countless awards and recogni-tions over the years, Ms. Hughes is the first woman to receivethe Lifetime Achievement Award from the Achievement inRadio Awards. She is also responsible for the widely recog-nized omnipresent "Quiet Storm" format. The "Quiet Storm"consists of silky-voiced deejays playing hours of romantic andsexy love songs.

For renewal and relaxation, Ms. Hughes says she loves toread fiction and novels. "I also love the classics;" she states.She also admits that she's an avid fisherman. "I fish constantly.Fishing is almost an obsession with me. During the season I canfish twice a day easily without batting an eye." We talked abouther energy, tenacity and her vision of success. "To me, successis judged on your last day. If you have helped more people thanyou have hurt, I think you have been successful. If the answer isyes, then I would deem us successful, including in my own per-sonallife." Her unassuming spirit was obvious as she revealedthat she views herself as a work in progress. "I shy away fromany notions that myself or my company are both successful.

We're still evolving into that whichGod intends for us to be." _RADIO

ONE- ------

THE URBAN MEOlA SPECIALIST

TRENDSETTERSTO TRENDSETTERS I NOV / DEe 2009 7

In Rhythm with Ava Collier. ..

Formerly headed by Founder and CEO, Robert L. John-son, Black Entertainment Television (BET), is an in-stantly recognizable icon in urban communities. In2005, Debra Lee was appointed as the new CEO and

Chairman of BET. Ms. Lee is a Greensboro, NC native and aHarvard educated attorney. She began her illustrious career atBET as Executive Vice President and General Counsel ofBET's Legal Affairs Department and eventually becarre Presi-dent and Chief Operating Officer. Since taking the reign asCEO, Ms. Lee bas made significant changes in the format di-rection for the network I recently had the distinct pleasure ofspeaking with Ms. Lee.Ava: Did you ever imagine that you would be the CEO ofBET!Ms. Lee: When I was a college student, I was more focused onbecoming an attorney. Cable didn't exist at that time and I alsowas passionate about working in Washington in the political

grow the audience. In TV it's all about ratings, it's not an exactscience and you take a chance when you spend a lot of moneyon programming and you have to pray that it works and theaudience is excited about it and comes back to watch the showsweek after week Our ratings are terrific, double digit growth.In 2009 we had our best year in our 29 year history. That isvery rewarding. We've just launched the Centric Network,which targets at a little older audience demographic. Centric isdoing really well. We have the Soul Train Awards with overfour million viewers. We're able to do a lot more for the moremature African American audience on Centric. We haveBET.com, which has a lot of bandwidth and the ability to getmore news and information. With those platforms, and with ourinternational BET service launched in the u.K., Africa andMiddle East, we are able to provide programming to differentcultures and we're very excited about that. Our audience doesset the trends.

Debra Lee on BETarena. That's where I thought I'd end up. After moving toWashington, Ronald Regan won as president and I didn't wantto go into a Republican administration. I went to a law firm andhid out until the democrats came back. In the meantime, BETwas a client. About 24 years ago, Bob Johnson asked me tocome over and become the first in-house general counsel. Evenat that time, I didn't think about being CEO .. .it was Bob'scompany and he was the founder. We had a good group ofyoung executives and working really hard to build the companyand focus on our independent departments. As general counsel,I was involved with most of the deals with the company. At acertain point, Bob asked me to take over as COO. That was thefirst time that I knew it was a possibility. Many people assumedthat I would be his successor even before it was clear whenhe'd leave. I realized that I enjoyed doing the business side ofthings and managing people, which is the major component ofmy business now.Ava: What types of challenges have you had to face since be-coming CEO and what are some of your goals and visions forBET's future?Ms. Lee: I guess the first challenge was making the transitionfrom general council to COO and focusing more on manage-ment skills and learning the different areas that I had not beeninvolved in, such as programming and advertising. There are alot of areas of the company that I hadn't focused on and therewas a learning curve. After Bob left, my goal and challengewas to change BET into a company known for great content.BET had always been known as a great company and business.I was fortunate to take over a very successful business. But as Ilooked at the future of media and saw new platforms and inter-national markets and internet growth, I knew BET would haveto create more original content to be a success. We were doingmostly syndicated programming and music videos. The cost ofprogramming increased and the challenge bas been how to in-vest more in programming and, at the same time, keep and

6 TRENDSETTERSTO TRENDSETTERSA MAY/JUNE 2010

Ava: BET is a source of entertainment and news for many Afri-can Americans and urbanites. Are our needs and interests dif-ferent from other communities?Ms. Lee: I think as African Americans our needs are very im-portant and I think that's a lot of the reason BET has been suc-cessful over the years because we bring a different prospectiveto news, programming and information I'm not saying that theAfrican American prospective is the same in every community.We surveyed over 80,000 African Americans and consumers.This study shows that it is really important for BET to do re-search and understand our community fully. This will allow usto program to our audience. BET is lucky to have the platformand resources to understand the cultural nuances and character-istics of the African American community. We are a leader ineducating advertisers on how to reach our audiences. We dofocus groups and research.before we put programming on theair. We try to stay in touch with our audience. It's really satisfy-ing to me when things like Katrina or Haiti happen and we canbring that information to our audience in a special way, whetherit's 9/11 or President Obama's campaign and victory, our audi-ence turns to BET first and we're proud to serve that role forour audience. It is a community that the mass media doesn'talways focus onAva: How do you recharge your energy with such a demandingjob and what would you recommend to young people who as-pire to be successful?Ms. Lee: I spend time with my children My daughter is aboutto start college and we'll be going on a college tour. I love spasand reading. I playa little bit of tennis, but probably not enoughto mention I like bike riding and I love to collect glass art Youhave to find something that you're passionate about. Get a greateducation I think our President and First Lady are such greatexamples of that. Once you find it, work hard and do your bestIt's important to find something that you really love. I waslucky because I felt that way about BET from day one. _

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be confused at who's looking back at me. I don't want to say'Who are you?' " We talked about the universal message inPrecious and how it relates to everyone. Mo'Nique feels thatthis was only a story about one woman and her family. How-ever, she states that abuse is pervasive and has no color or gen-der. "You can go to any point on the face of this earth wherehuman beings are and this goes on. It almost makes you say'wow are we still caught up in that?' We get caught up in twoblack women who live in the projects that are on food stamps.Well you know what? There ARE black women who live in theprojects on food stamps who treat their children poorly. Thereare also white women with millions of dollars living in themidst of Beverly Hills who treat their children poorly." Shecontinued, "Watching this movie, you could relate to eitherMary or Precious. If not yourself, then you know someone whowas. We aren't that far removed from that"

At the Academy Awards, Mo'Nique wore a beautiful bluegown with a gardenia in her hair. She stated that it was in honorof Hattie McDaniel, who played "Mammy" in Gone with theWind in 1939. She was the first African American to ever winan Academy Award. At the awards that year, Ms. McDanielwore a blue dress with a gardenia in her hair. I asked Mo'Niquewhat she thought about the controversy that African Americanshave won awards for portraying negative, stereotypical roles,such as Denzel Washington in Training Day, Halle Berry inMonster's Ball and even Hattie McDaniel for playing a slave.Mo'Nique stated, "For people who say 'Oh my goodness! Youwon this award for playing a project mother,' I say do yourresearch. Most times when we win those awards it's becauseyou've played the "grit" - the opposite of whom you really are.I wish the day would come when we don't get so caught up inthose things. At what point do we just say, 'Wow! We got thetrophy!' "

Mo'Nique is speaking about how she remains remarkablyhumble by her notoriety. "If we become selfish and think that

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In Rhythm with Ava Simone Collier,'F irst and foremost, baby, I am a stand upcomic!" declares Mo'Nique. It was like talkingwith a girlfriend over a cup of coffee or hmch.Mo'Nique just has a way of making you feel

comfortable and relaxed. There were no signs of a diva, al-though she's has certainly earned the right to be one if shechose. Instead, this is a woman who, despite her many suc-cesses and accomplishments, remains uniquely REAL. Wetalked about her Academy Award winning performance in Pre-cious. Mo'Nique portrayed the highly dysfunctional, abusivemother of Clarice "Precious" Jones, played by newcomer Ga-bourey Sidibe. This role was a dramatic departure fromMo'Nique's more familiar comedic roles. When I asked herwhat went into preparation as Mary Jones, she explained. "Inreading the book and then the script, Iwas very excited aboutthat role and the message. The moment we knew what it was,we knew that it was going to change lives. When director LeeDaniels would say 'Action', we knew we couldn't sugar coatMary Jones. She's very real." Mo'Nique spoke about her per-sonal painful experience of being molested by her brother."Coming from being molested by my oldest brother, I knewwho that 'monster' was. It was that 'monster' coming to life.We knew people would look on that screen and see them-selves."

This Academy Award, Golden Globe and NAACP ImageAward winning actress is a no-nonsense, keep-it-real sista'. Shedoesn't seek the approval or accolades that often come withsuch accomplishments. She is also the host of The Mo 'NiqueShow, a nightly talk show on BET. Although Mo'Nique'sphysical appearance has changed by her successful weight loss,her vivacious, confident and effervescent personality has not"I don't know who else to be. It would be too much energy tobe someone different. When I look in the mirror I don't want to

26 TRENDSETTERSTOTRENDSETTERSI MAY/ JUNE 2010

it's just about you in the moment, I feel sad for you. It's so notabout me. I think the universe says I'm glad you got it"Mo'Nique credits her husband, Sidney Hicks, with helping herto stay grounded. "I have an amazing husband who is my bestfriend. He will tell me what I really need to hear, not what Iwant to hear. I don't want to disappoint my family, my hus-band, my children or grandchildren that I have not met yet.When they write the story a hundred years from now, I thinkabout that. I don't want anyone to say that she was a diva, rudeor inconsiderate. I don't want those words being used behindmy name. I do have my moments, baby! I have those momentsin that closet by myselfl God has to take me to my knees some-times! God will say 'Let me introduce you to me again!' I don'tknow why I'm funny or why I was able to pull that role off. It' snot a special formula. There's nothing about me that's special.I'm appreciative that the universe says that we're going to useher to do this. I'm going to do all I can to make sure that I am ingood graces."

In case there has been any doubt about Mo'Nique's authen-ticity in her desire to never forget where she came from andwho was there on her way up, it was evident during the postAcademy Awards press conference. Mo'Nique, looking radiantwhile holding her well deserved Oscar, stood in front of thecamera while hundreds of reporters asked questions. The view-ing audience could not see the reporters, only Mo'Nique's smil-ing face. The television audience could hear a voice calling outnumbers indicating the order in which the reporters had thechance to ask Mo'Nique a question. Shortly into the questionand answer session, Mo'Nique's happy expression changed andwas replaced by a look of dissatisfaction. She then boldly, andwithout hesitation, interjected and redirected the order of thereporters and their questions.

I asked her what was going on that the viewing audiencecouldn't see. "In that press room there were about 300 report-ers. Only five of them were black that I could see. None of

them (black press) had been called on to ask any questions. Isaid wait a minute, baby! How could I not talk to them whenthey've been talking to me all along! Now all of a sudden I'mgonna ignore them? No, I don't play like that. They've beengood to me my entire career. Now I come here and now theycan't ask me any questions? No way. I think the universe wouldslap me in the mouth ifI acted as though I didn't see that!"

Mo'Nique says that she has often been asked about now be-ing "mainstream" She says, "I ask them what does that mean?Which stream am I in right now? The stream I'm in right now ismy mainstream because it's the stream I visit frequently. If youwant to come over and play in my stream, baby, you're wel-come to come." When I asked her about the energy that shebrings to The Mo 'Nique Show, she stated, "When that elevatordoor opens up, y'all are looking at a little girl because I alwaysdreamed of being what I am right now. We can actually playand love up on each other and do this every night? I am sur-prised every night by the sheer beauty of what the universe hasgiven me. In the beginning they said I was too loud and I triedto calm it down. Then me and God had a conversation. He saidI made you who you are. I get to scream and holla and it'sokay. This is the way that you get rewarded if you stay obedi-ent. The Mo 'Nique Show hasn't been on a year and we've al-ready won an award. This show is nothing but love and wewon't waiver. People say you gotta throw some dirt in there,but listen, baby, we ain't showing nothin' but love! Whenyou're obedient, the universe has a way of saying 'We got youcovered, baby!' "

When asked what's next, she simply said "If Ijust get tomor-row, baby, because I ain't greedy. I don't know what's up nextyear because tomorrow might be gone for me. If I enjoy it to-day, then I won't be mad at God if He brings me home tomor-row. I can't say, 'God, I told you in five years I wanted to dosomething with Don Cheadle. God, you trippin'!".

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TRENDSETTERSTOTRENDSElTERS I MAY/JUNE 2010 27

24 TRENDSE

UP CLOSE WITH THE"FLYJOCK"By: Ava Simone Collier

Ohhh, Ohhh, Ohhh .. .it's the Tom Joy-ner Morning Show! How familiar isthat! We all know the jingle and weall know the "Fly Jock." I recently

had the great pleasure of interviewing "The Hard-est Working Man in Radio," Tom Joyner! Everwonder how he got that name and why he's calledthe "Fly Jock?" Well keep reading and see whatTom shared with me during our interview.

T2T: Tom, you still carry the title of the "FlyJock." For those who don't know, tell us how yougot that name. No doubt it also led to your other

ERHOUSEname, "The Hardest Working Man in Radio.

"My show, myfoundation, ourwebsite, our.cruise, our newsis un-ashamedlypro black andalways will be."

TJ: I was the morning man in Dallas and theafternoon man in Chicago for eight years ... beforesyndication and satellite deals like we have todaythat could have made it a lot easier. But instead, Ifinished my morning gig, rushed to the airport,boarded a flight, landed in Chicago, rushed to thestudio in time to do my afternoon radio show, didit, and flew home to Dallas, five days a week.

T2T: We love what you do. Please tell us if do-ing it still makes you happy and glad to get up inthe morning and why? And how terrific are thepeople you work with?

TJ: What I do makes me very happy. I get tohave fun and make a difference. I can't think of abetter combination. From the top to the bottom, Iwork with people I love, respect and trust. AsI've gone from Tom Joyner the man to Tom Joy-ner the brand, I have had to depend on more andmore people to make sure everything my name isassociated with really represents me the way Iwant it to. So, the people who work for me, areme, in a sense. As far as the on air crew goes,I've worked with my core group, 1., Sybil, andsome of the behind the scenes people for many

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years, plus some newer people and we're a tight team. Itmakes it much easier to enjoy what you do when you careabout and can depend on the people you work with to bringtheir A-games each morning.

T2T: You know that you are a trusted and respected voice inour black communities throughout the country. People, in-cluding myself, will tune into your program many times be-fore we go to CNN because we want to know how Tom andthe crew feel about what's going on in any given major situa-tion. What kind of responsibility does that put on you andhow do you keep ideas and opinions balanced, unbiased andaccurate?

TJ: First of all, my ideas are accurate in my mind but I willnever claim to be balanced and unbiased. My show, myfoundation, our website, our cruise, our news is un-ashamedlypro black and always will be. I think there are enough mediaoutlets dedicated to mainstream media and I'm not mad atthem. I watch and support them, too. But when people wantto know what's important to Black America, they tune in ortalk to me and I'm very proud of that. I don't expect main-stream media to do what we do, that's why we exist.

IN AMERICAT2T: We know how important The Tom Joyner Foundationis to you and so many students who are the recipients of yourfoundation. Please tell me what inspired you to form thisfoundation? How can our T2T readers help and find out moreabout it?

TJ: The Tom Joyner Foundation is important to me becauseit was inspired by my mom. She was the one who instilled in

me how vital it is to give back in your own way. Havingcome from a small town, Tuskegee, Alabama, where Histori-cally Black Tuskegee University was the heart of our commu-nity, I developed a passion for HBCUs. It's in my DNA. Mygrandparents, parents, brother, sons and nieces are all gradu-ates of HBCUs. I know first hand what they've contributedto this country and the world and I'm committed to doingwhat I can to keep them vital. This means helping kids stayin school, raising money for the schools and also finding newand innovative ways to make sure HBCUs remain competi-tive. We are launching HBCUs Online to help even morestudents get an education by providing a space online forthem to get all the information they need to pick the bestschool and program for them. It's going to be great wheneveryone can have easier access to getting a degree from anHBCU.

T2T: Tom, my ultimate dream cruise is to go on the Fantas-tic Voyage! I'm working on it! In the meantime, who've yougot on the Voyage this year?

TJ: We come with it every year and this cruise will be nodifferent. It isn't just the musical and comedy acts, it's the

com bination of great music, great comedy, great seminars,parties, theme nights and great food. If I were you, I wouldstop working on it and just go ahead and book the cruise!Shameless plug: It really is the ultimate party with a pur-pose!

Okay, enough procrastinating for me ... I've got to get mypassport for sure now! Thanks, Tom! _

FROM THETOM JOYNERMORNING SHOW:

J. Anthony Brown, TomJoyner and Sybil Wilkes

Sybil Wilkes has been amember of the TomJoyner Morning Showfor years. Each week-

day morning, she joins Tomand 1. Anthony Brown as theyentertain and educate us aboutthe topics that matter to BlackAmerica. Ihad the good fortuneto speak with her and find outmore about how things workfor her on the TJMS. Here'swhat she had to say.

T2T: Sybil, you always ap-pear calm, collected and confi-dent How much pressure areyou under to be the "voice ofreason" many times on theshow and to have to explain allthose "big" words to Tom andJ?

SW: I thank you for thecompliment I really try to bemyself each morning so there isnever any pressure to be any-thing other than what I am Ilove "doing" the news andbringing topics to the table.But I also love to laugh andhave fun, which is where Tomand J come in. There is nothinglike a fun, lively workplace!

T2T: You're not just smartand beautiful, but you holdyour own with the crew of men.You are easy for most blackwomen to relate to and identify

with. Why do you think that is?

SW: Thank you again. I hope that I dorepresent for Black women. I love being ablack woman and we are a diverse and won-derful group, but I know that we are notalways represented fairly. So while I can'tspeak for every black woman, I do try tospeak my mind. My sista-circle keeps megrounded and in touch as well. There'smany a day or night spending time with mygirls over a glass (or bottle) of White Zin-fande1 and talking, laughing and crying overour lives and coming up with solutions tosave the world! But no matter how manyanswers we think we have, 1. AnthonyBrown doesn't always make it easy on asista!

T2T: Sybil, what did you do before theTJMS? Were you previously in broadcast-ing?

TRENDSETTERS TO TRENDSETTERS I MAR / APR 201026

SW: Was there life before the Tom Joy-ner Morning Show? I did work in radiobefore moving to the TJMS. My first radiojob was in Southwest Florida at a smallstation in Ft. Myers. It was a great time oflearning the radio business in a very hands-on setting. From Ft. Myers-Cape Coral, Imoved to Charlotte, NC. I did an overnightshift and news on the morning show. I re-turned to my hometown of Chicago andeventually met and started working with thelegendary Fly Jock, Tom Joyner. I was thetraffic reporter on his afternoon show whenhe was "Fly Jocking" between his morningshow in Dallas and Chicago. He invited meto be a part of his history-making syndi-cated radio show and here Iam!

T2T: I was reading a few of your blogs.I especially liked the one about "Are WeThere Yet?" How's Team Sybil and theState Farm 50 Million Pound Challengegoing for you? Overall, what kind of feed-back are you getting from others?

SW: Weight will always be a challengefor me and I will have to watch my weightevery day of my life ... so the 50 MillionPound Challenge was a perfect fit for me.Whether Team Sybil is with State Farm,another company or stands on its own, Iwill also be a part of a group working to get"My Sexy Back." With my schedule, it's astruggle for me to maintain a healthy life-style by eating and exercising properly. ButI don't think I'm alone. Admittedly, I felloff the wagon during the holidays and nowI'm trying to get back into the healthyswing of things. I love hearing from othersabout how they are doing and making use ofthe tips they share. I have yet to meet any-one who says he or she has completed aweight-loss program alone. It truly is ateam effort

T2T: Does the Fantastic Voyage ever get"routine" for you or does it keep gettingbetter and better each year? How muchreally stays on the ship?

SW: There is no way in the world thatthe Tom Joyner Fantastic Voyage couldever be routine. One year is different fromthe other just as the first day of the cruise isas different from the third day as it is fromthe last day on board. Just like the songsays, "It just gets better with time." Butthanks to new and improved communica-tion devices, not much that happens on theship can actually stay on the ship! •

INININ.TRENDTOTRENDMAG.com

LOVE IN THE LIMELIGHTBy Ava Simone Collier

Tom Joyner, the celebrated and hugely popular syndi-cated radio morning personality, is married to DonnaRichardson-Joyner, health and fitness expert. Tom isalso the Founder of The Tom Joyner Foundation,

which helps to provide students with scholarships for educationat Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs.) Tomis also a major advocate of voter registration and promotes thison air throughout the year. He also encourages his radio audi-ence to seek regular medical care by promoting "Take a LovedOne to the Doctor Day." His purpose is to have a family orfriend to accompany another family member or friend to the

doctor for preventative checkups or treatment of already exist-ing health conditions.

Donna Richardson-Joyner is dedicated to educating andempowering women, children and families about healthier life-styles. Currently, her fitness video, Sweating in the Spirit, isthe #1 fitness video in the country. In 2006 former PresidentGeorge Bush appointed Donna to serve on the President'sCouncil for Physical Fitness and Sports. Donna was also in-ducted into the Fitness Hall of Fame and Essence Magazinenamed her as one of America's most inspiring women.

"Our official wedding anniversary is on Valentine's Day sothat makes it doubly special for us every year," says Tom. Heand Donna met in 1997 when she appeared as a guest on hisradio program. The couple later married in a wonderfully fes-tive, party-like atmosphere in Montego Bay, Jamaica. It was acelebration which included musical guests Gladys Knight, TheO'jays, Charlie Wilson and Bootsy Collins. Former AtlantaMayor, Bill Campbell, Earl Graves, publisher of Black Enter-prise, comedians George Wallace and Michael Colyar werealso among the 300 guests. The happy couple honeymooned inbeautiful Venice, Italy.

When I asked Tom about romance and keeping the lovealive, he shared "I've always tried to surprise her by doingthings that are out of the ordinary. One year Patti Labellecooked us dinner and another year I reunited her favorite group,

fter 7, and got them to perform." He and Donna also believe. t to spend quality time together to balance

dules. "We enjoy just hanging out ine than anything," Tom said. "It

at." There was no doubt in mys their quality time together,"ideal" circumstances. "Our

VEl •ew years ago," ex-

ere on an air mat-Since Donna is as

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arrived at Gold's Gym that morning for my dailyworkout. It was Monday, November 3, 2008, the daybefore the Presidential Election. Barack Obama was inJacksonville that day for a final campaign rally. 1couldnot attend because of other obligations. However, 1 didwear my bright yellow and white "Barack Obama for

President" T-shirt to the gym that morning in support. As 1approached my gym, 1 noticed a flurry of activity. Helicoptersoverhead, several police cars and uniformed officers standingaround. My first thought was that one of the two nearby bankshad been robbed. I continued walking towards my gym and sawa police officer talking with a tall man in a suit. They were di-rectly in front of my gym. Being naturally inquisitive, I walkedup to them and asked what was going on. The tall man in thesuit asked me where 1 was headed and 1 told. He said he wouldescort me inside. Puzzled, 1 followed him into the building.Why was I being given an escort?

Once inside, 1 noticed several other men in suits standingaround. The tall man asked the young woman behind thecounter if 1 was a member. She stated that 1 was and shescanned my membership card. Once the "beep" confirmed mymembership, the tall man looked down at me and smiled andtold me to have a good workout and turned to leave. 1 askedhim what was going on. He walked back over to me and bentdown just a bit and said "I can tell you this .... you're wearinghis t-shirt" and he smiled again and left. 1 realized what washappening. I asked the young woman if Barack Obama was inthe gym. She said yes. My heart began to race with excitement.At that moment she pointed in the direction of the stair caseleading up to the cardio level. There was Senator BarackObama vigorously sprinting up the stairs. What did 1 do?What any good Obama supporter would do ... 1 sprinted up rightbehind him! There were two other suited men at the top of thestairs and the cleaning lady on the other side of the floor. Therewere no other gym members in sight. Barack Obama stood at aweight machine diligently working on his biceps. 1 acknowl-edged the two secret service agents and walked in the direction

By AVA COLLIER

of the senator. "GoodMorning Senator,how are you today?"Mr. Obama cheer-fully responded,"Good Morning!" 1extended my handand he did as well.He then said "I likeyour T-shirt". 1smiled and said that 1liked it, too. 1 intro-duced myself and hesaid "I'm Barack".Yes, Senator, 1 know who you are!

We chatted for just a minute. 1 was nervous and excited at thesame time. 1 could not believe that thousands of people weregathering at the arena for a rally for Mr. Obama and 1 had himall to myself for a few minutes in the gym. I told him that 1wasconfident that he would win the election the next day and whatan honor it was to meet him. I wished him and his family bless-ings in the white house and in his new job as our President. Hethanked me sincerely. Out of respect for his time and space, 1moved on toward the treadmill in an attempt to workout. Look-ing back now, there were lots of things that 1could have said tohim. However, 1was lucky to just be able to remember my ownname.

President Obama stayed for about 10 minutes longer before heand his entourage left the gym. Needless to say I did not burnone calorie that day on the treadmill. 1 do not know why out ofall the people in Jacksonville, God had chosen me to be in theright place at that particular time. No doubt it was orchestratedby God and I will never forget that wonderful experience. Thenext day, Senator Obama became President Elect Obama. 1willcherish that meeting with him for a life time. What a blessing!o

Call (678) 691-8323TRENDSEnERS TO TRENDSETIERS I MARCHI APRIL 2009 25

interjects, "We don't just tolerate each other, we enjoy eachother. When she sees me coming, 1 hope she doesn't say 'ohhere he comes!' When she goes to the store, we'll talk to eachabout ten times before she gets back to the house." Tamelasays that it's the small talk that people sometimes lose. "Wewake up sometimes in the middle of the night and just starttalking to each other."

This isn't the first time that David and Tamela haveworked together. Both hailing from Texas, Tamela and Davidmet as teenagers and sang together with their childhood friend,gospel recording great, Kirk Franklin and later became a partof Kirk Franklin and The Family. He and Tamela agreed thatsinging with The Family was a wonderful experience. How-ever, when it was over, they admit that they were unpreparedand even afraid of what was next for them. David says they gottheir singing start with Kirk and The Family for nine to tenyears. "It was a wonderful season for us and we hated for thatseason to come to an end. God had an elevation for us." Tam-

David and Tamela Mann are the stars of TylerPerry's sitcom, Meet the Browns. David plays theoutrageous and outspoken, Mr. Brown and Tamelaportrays his beautiful no-nonsense daughter, Cora.

Married to each other in real life for 24 years with five adultchildren, this talented and devoted team is not only in love, butthey really like each other! This was apparent to me as I lis-tened to them speak about their relationship. 1 asked them bothhow and why it works for them. "Honestly, it was somethingthat 1 prayed for in a spouse," says Tamela. "I wanted some-body who was in the business with me so I wouldn't have toexplain spending so many hours away." She continues, "We'veenjoyed traveling the world together and it's been a trip hon-estly, like a high." Tamela says they have visited so many partsof the world together and met so many people. David jokingly

ela shares that although she knew it was God's purpose forthem to move on, she was still afraid. "I was fearful of thechange, but God had something bigger and greater for us. "David added, "However uncomfortable it was, God was makingthe situation better for us. It was a very uncomfortable time, butGod turned it around and it worked out for our good."

David credits the accountability factor in helping to sustainand strengthen their marriage throughout the years. "The rea-son a lot of people get caught up in this business is because theydon't have someone to hold them accountable. We hold eachother accountable and push each other to be better and to wantmore. That's how we've accomplished every major thing in ourlives together." Tamela wanted to emphasize that they're notperfect. "I do get mad at him, I'm not trying to paint a perfectpicture and that our lives are always together. We get rattledand disagree with each, but we've learned toagree to disagree." David, always beinghumorous, adds, "The big thing is not onlydo we love each other, I have a poodle butI'm not in love with the poodle! Tamela and 1are in love with each other. We're alwaystrying to figure out what we can do to makethat love fresh and to spice some things up."Tamela agrees that after 24 years of mar-riage, you have to use your imagination tokeep things interesting. "I try little thingslike wearing a new nighty..." Before Tamelacould even finish the sentence, David eagerlyinterjected "Oh Yeah!! See, I wasn't going togo there but since she bought it up!" Tamelaand I are now laughing and then she says"See what I have to put up with!" She finallygets to finish her thought, "You want that fireto keep burning. 1 tell people often that myprayer to God is that He will keep the candleburning and the love for only David Mann. Keep the love in myheart and the spark in my eye for David only. 1 made my vowsuntil death do us part." She and David agreed that so many peo-ple do not hold true to their vows anymore. Tamela says somany have a spirit of "I quit" or "I give up!" David adds, "Alot of times, we don't take our vows literally. We put stipula-tions on it, 'death do us part 'til the money runs short or untilI'm upset with you.' For us, the death due us part means we'llgo through anything and work through anything; during anyand every thing." Tamela is now speaking about the healingpower of love. "Love will cover a multitude of faults. Youdon't go out to do anything to hurt your spouse. Do unto others

as you want them to do to you. David and I are best friends,"she says.

The Manns both agreed that separate time and individualinterests help to keep them better for each other. "I like going tothe beauty salon and getting a massage or my nails and feetdone. 1 love arts and crafts and 1 love to cook!" Tamela admitsthat she is a big Lifetime Television fan, "I have to have myown TV to watch Lifetime and Hallmark movies." David ismaking booing noises when she mentioned Lifetime, no doubtat the thought of "chick flicks." I laugh and Tamela ignores himand continues, "I like to prop up on the couch with my throwcover and watch TV all day. I've realized over the years that Ihave to take care of me in order to take care of my family. 1won't have anybody outdoing me by doing for my family."David, in full comical mode says with a wink, "Oh yeah! She

makes herself better for me!" After westopped laughing, David admitted that Tam-ela had to make him get a hobby. "I'm awayfrom home so much until it's hard getting meout of the house. I'm a homebody and I likebeing with my family. Tamela told me to geta hobby so I started collecting guns andlearning how to shoot!" He says he alsostarted learning how to fly remote controlplanes. Tamela interjected that he's jumpedinto that with a gusto and has quite a collec-tion. "Tyler Perry is also into flying remoteplanes and when he found out that Daveliked flying also, Tyler started sending himplanes."

Tamela is also an amazing gospelsongstress with powerful vocals that exudepassion and belief This is a woman whoeffortlessly sings from her heart and soul.Her latest CD, The Master Plan, is nomi-

nated for BET's Best Gospel 2010. Tamela is excited and saysshe was unaware that she'd even been nominated at first. "Yes!I'm so excited about it. I was shocked. Before we even gotword, someone called to congratulate me. I feel like my truepassion is singing; it's what I love to do. It lifts me up to knowI'm uplifting others in song. It's an honor for people to pur-chase it and support us with the CD. It's doing well and r reallyhave fun doing it. It's a blessing for me!"

To find out more about David and TameIa,visit www.TilIymannmusic.comli

TRENDSETTERSTO TRENDSETTERS I JULYjAUGUST2010 27

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liTO WHOM MUCH ISGIVEN

By Ava Simone Collier

Dr.Steve Perry is the Founder of The Capital PreparatoryMagnet School in Hartford, Connecticut. He is also theprincipal of this innovative and highly successfulschool, which proudly sends 100% oftheir graduates on

to attend four year colleges. Dr. Perry and his school were featuredon a segment from last year's Black in America 2 on CNN. I recentlyspoke with Dr. Perry and asked him what makes Capital Preparatoryso successful. "We work really hard to design a school that is capableof sending children to college. We go to school longer, 12 months; weattend school for almost 8 hours a day for 6 days a week. I have ateam of very talented professionals whose entire purpose is to fulfillour goal: to send children to college. We let the students know thatno one or nothing can stand in the way of their success."

Principal Perry shared that at one time he wanted to be the mayor ofhis hometown in Hartford, Connecticut. However, he says that it's hismission in life to educate our youth. "It needs to be done. I'm calledto do what I do. Mine is a life that is as typical as many people. I'vehad the opportunity to go to college and graduate school and live avery wonderful life. I'm compelled to extend the same that I havebeen given to others who don't have it. Also, I'm inspired because it'sthe right thing to do." Dr. Perry admits that he's not perfect by anystretch of the imagination just because he is doing something good."It's just that I have committed my life to improving the lives of oth-ers."

As with many schools, parent participation is not always evident. Inhis dedication to providing the best opportunities for students to excel,Dr. Perry often picks students up from their homes and drives them to

Capital Prep. Although the lack of parental involvement is a disap-pointment, Dr. Perry reflects on the bigger picture. "All that reallymeans in the end is that those of us who have degrees and certifica-tions to educate just have to be better at our jobs. You don't need adegree to be a parent, but you do need one to be a teacher and many tobe a principal. Our students have an academic family who is unwillingto accept anything less than their best. We have to be expected to pullthe heavy weight. To whom much is given, much is expected."

This husband, father and author of five books stated that he doesnot feel that what he is doing is so different from what many otherfront-line people do everyday. He explained that there are socialworkers, church leaders and other concerned citizens who are stead-fast in helping our children. He humbly continued, "I want people tounderstand that whatever time I have left in my '15 minutes,' thatthere are many others who do what 1 do. There's nothing amazingabout it. I'm just like so many of us who believe so deeply in ourchildren that they're willing to do whatever they have to do to make it right. Where you begin inlife does not determine where you end. You can determine where you end when you do what youneed to do to have the best life for yourself"

To find out more about Dr. Steve Perry and The Capital Preparatory Magnet School, visitwww.capitalprep.org. He is also the Education Contributor on CNN. If you missed his segmenton Black in America 2, please go to Youtube and type in Black in America 2--Principal StevePerry. _

12 TRENDSETTERSTO TRENDSETTERSI MAR / APR 2010 www.TRENDTOTRENDMAG.com

Darrin Henson may be best known for his roles in Stomp the Yard asGrant, the lead "stepper" at a fictional historically black college andLem in the Showtime hit series, Soul Food. If you've ever seen Stompthe Yard, then you know that Darrin is an incomparable dancer. It's no

wonder that he is also a much sought after choreographer who has worked withsuch artists as Jennifer Lopez, Britney Spears and Nsync. Darrin also taught TomCruise all his booty shaking, "dropping it like it was hot" moves from the 2010MTV Movie awards' opening. For five seasons, Darrin portrayed former streethustler, Lem Van Adams. A now reformed Lem often struggled to leave his pastbehind as he assumed the unfamiliar role as husband and father with a real 9-5 job.Joined by a cast of talented actors, Darrin says that he was doing what he loves. "Iloved being on that showed. I loved acting and going to work everyday. The bestthing about that show is that it was truthful." He spoke about his character Lem inregards to the challenges that Lem faced and the questionable background that he

came from. "I loved my character on the show. He was realand was a person who believed that you can come as you arebut don't stay as you are. We have to grow. I really lovedthat about Lem's character. The character evolved."

Darrin states that he was very blessed to be involvedwith the show and says he gives all thanks to God for allow-ing Executive Producer, Felicia D. Henderson for castinghim in the role. Darrin also shared that his mentor and bestfriend, legendary football great, Jim Brown, appeared as aguest on Soul Food. "He did five episodes. It was one of hismost loved shows. For me, to be on the show with JimBrown, who is also a great humanitarian and then to laterportray Jim Brown in the movie The Express ... It was ablessing." Although Soul Food was cancelled after five sea-sons, Darrin said that he would love to see people lobby to

have Soul Food back as a series again. "They did it for theGame so I think they could do it for Soul Food. Whether ornot they do, remains to be seen. In order for that to happen,there has to be an awareness, talking about it, making it aconversation on the internet and a general interest."

Darrin was here in Atlanta attending the Gospel Festwhen I caught up with him He shared with me the reason hewas here and what other projects he's working on. "I'm hereatthe 2010 Gospel Fest to teach a Praise and Worship danceclass. The dance class is done to praise and worship music.The hip hop dance style is still used but more with praiseand worship movement involved." Darrin was also doingmeet and greets, signing autographs and taking lots of pic-tures! I was very pleased to know that Darrin has a numberof films in the works. He is just as good looking in personas he is on the screen. His spirit is humble yet confident and

his smile is absolutely l! all. okay,back to the interview! Sorry, I justhad a moment...

He shared some information about his upcoming films."I have a number of things coming out. I have a film calledTekken, another film called After and another one called TheInheritance, all feature films that will be in theatres. Thetrailers can be seen on my website atwww.darrinhenson.com," When I asked him about wherehe is in his life right now, he shared this, "Life is good. It'swhat you make it and what you think of it to be. I'm havinga great time doing what I'm doing. For inspiring actors, Iwould offer to you to study your craft. It's about intention.It's important to know your characters." _

attendance will be Judge Mablean and media personality, RickJoyner among others. .

Dr. Riki shared that in addition to lots of prayers, she saysthat loving her work helps to keep her life in balance. "I lovewhat I do. When you love what you do and believe in it, itmakes a difference. 1 still go to the gym, walk around the lakewith my dog and I'm up every morning at 5 a.m. 1have a hus-band and two kids. I'm very active in my church." Dr. Rikioffered some words of inspiration to others searching for theirpurpose in life. "Follow and believe in your dreams. A lot oftimes with artists, they're following someone else's dream. Nodream is better than the other. My dream is right here and it's

worth millions of dollars to me in my spirit and in my heart.The Atlanta GospelFest began in a small little hotel room andnow it's at the Georgia World Congress Center and next yearwe're going to the Georgia Dome... that's God! He alreadygives us dreams and they are always right here for us and wehave to find them. When you find it, believe it!"

To find out more about The Leading Women's RepertoryTheatre, email to: LWRT@aol.com For more informationabout the Atlanta GospelFest conference, visit:www.atlantagospelfest.com

judge Mablean Ephraim was thepresiding judge over the popularcourtroom series, Divorce Court.She recently spoke with me and

shared that she was often surprised bythe antics and behavior of the litigants inher courtroom. "The people brought thehumor to the show. It was in the waythey told their stories about the relation-ships and the things that happened.Sometimes it was very sad and othertimes it was humorous." She says thather time in Divorce Court opened hereyes to what was really going on andabout the human psyche. She admits thatshe didn't know the extents that peoplewill go to just to be in a relationship.She shared an instance of a husband whowas determined to find out if his wifewas cheating by following her arounddressed as James Brown with a wig andsunglasses. "He was intent on catching

her," she says. "While hiding in theattic and looking down onto the bed, hefell through the ceiling!" She laughsand says, "That was funny!"

Judge Mablean says that not onlydid she enjoy her time on DivorceCourt, but says she realized that shewas not the 'norm. ' She states that al-though she considers herself a veryintelligent and well-read person, andhaving friends in all economic strata oflife, she realized that she and many ofher peers are not average. "I did notrealize that I am above the 'norm ', Shecontinued by explaining, "I never con-sidered myself to be that until I realizedthat there are so many Americans whoseem to have no hope. They don't have

a life where they were taught principles,values and morals. There are so many ofus out there who are not taught thosethings." Judge Mablean says that theaverage person is living right at the pov-erty line or a little above it and she saysit hurts her to realize this. "As rich as weare in this country in resources, we arenot sharing that wealth. It's only sharedamong a few. The average American isonly a high school graduate and manyare not even that and we have to domore! This country is too great for that."

This mother and grandmother ad-mits that she learned about other ways oflife and how honest, hardworking peoplewho work in jobs that are not respectedare just trying to support themselves asbest as they know how. "We tend tothink of strippers as those bad littlewhorish women out there. That's notwho they are! They are everyday women

8 TRENDSETTERSTOTRENDSETTERS I JULY/AUGUST 2010

working on a job trying to earn enoughmoney to survive; trying to earn moneyto meet the basic needs of life. Thereare some places in our country wherethat industry pays more money than anyother industry for persons of limitededucation."

In addition to her non-profit founda-tion, The Judge Mablean EphraimFoundation and penning her first bookentitled Life Lesson's from JudgeMablean, 52 Lessons for Weekly Living,she is the founder of the H.UF Awards(Honoring Unsung Fathers), an annualevent celebrating fathers. "As a familylaw attorney who represented many menin their divorce cases, I decided I wastired of hearing all the negatives aboutAfrican American fathers and the stereo-types and images that black men are notgood fathers, don't pay child support ortake care of their children." She explainsthat many of these men were seekingcustody of their children and those whoweren't were still good fathers. "Iwanted to put a new spin on it and re-verse some of the negative hype aboutdead beat dads."

When I asked Judge Mablean abouther roles in two of Tyler Perry's movies,she excitedly admitted that the fun shehad was indescribable! "I had no actingskills, never taken an acting lesson inmy life nor read a script or been in amovie. It was so much fun working withTyler! The first movie I did was a littlescary trying to read the script. The sec-ond one, Tyler said to me,'Just followmy lead. I'll change the script in a min-ute! Just go with the flow!' I said, ok,it's on now! That was the green light forme because J can be me! I would love todo as much acting as I can. It would benice if I took some acting classes but Ithink it's better for me when it's natural.My kids think I'm pretty funny." _

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PEACHTREE VILLAGE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

Quinton Aaron?~ 7(7~ wah a-: ecttiu

Twenty five year old Quinton Aaron stands at an im-pressive 6'8" tall. He told me that he, like the charac-ter he portrayed in The Blind Side, Michael Oher, wasalways the biggest kid in school. Quinton is a soft

spoken and articulate young man with an endearingly humblepersonality. He is no doubt a rising star and told me that he isliving his dream of being an actor. Born and raised in theBronx in New York City, Quinton is talented and says he iswho he is because of his loving mother, who died in 2008. HereQuinton shared a part of his story with me.

Ava: Quinton, how did you get the role of Michael Oher inThe Blind Side?

Quinton: My mom actually got the role for me. She found it online on a website. At the time, I had no representation and shewas acting as my manager. She submitted my name and wrotea letter to the casting directors. They called me up and I audi-tioned for the role. I read for casting directors, Twinkie Byrdand Wendy McKenzie. They fell in love with me after the firstaudition and called the director and said, 'Oh my god! We haveMichael!" When I finished the audition, they were in tears. Ileft not knowing what to expect. I knew they wanted me but itwas up to the director, John Lee Hancock. The director saw theaudition and called me in a couple of days. The next thing I

know I was being flown out to L.A to meet him. It felt like I hitthe lottery and I've never actually played the lottery but I canimagine that is how it must feel when you win it. I felt like WillSmith in The Pursuit of Happyness when he finally got that job.No words could really express it. I'd lost my mom, I was al-most homeless, no food, no transportation, no job and I had totake care of my brother with no electricity in the house. All ofthat happened and then I get the call saying I got the part. Itturned everything around for me.

Ava: In The Blind Side, you starred along side Sandra Bullock,a wonderful actress. Also, you had a role with the awesome JillScott in one of my favorite TV shows, Law and Order SVU.What were those experiences like for you?

Quinton: It was amazing working with Sandra. Coming towork everyday, her face was the first one I'd see in the makeuptrailer. She's always real cheerful and very friendly, no matterwhat time of morning. I'm not a morning person and I don'tdrink coffee to wake me up. But when I saw Sandy, no matterhow tired she was in the morning, she'd always say hi and askme about my night and we'd talk. She's a woman that I alwaysloved and respected for years as an actress. I got to see herevery morning and work with her. .. it was real cool. Jill Scott ...wow! She's an awesome singer and performer. She was liter-ally one of my mom's favorite singers. My mom knew all ofher songs and she would play all of her music. It was crazybecause on the set of SVU, the way Jill wore her hair in thatepisode, it was so similar to one of the hairstyles my mom woreand even some of Jill's facial expressions were like my mom's.Jill reminded me so much of her and then she played my momin the show. It was awesome working with her. She was sonice, a real sweetheart.

Ava: Quinton, what's next for you and what do you do in yourspare time?

Quinton: I'm reading a couple of scripts right now and keepingbusy. I don't drink or club and have more fun at the bowlingalley or pool hall. When I should be sleeping, I'm at the bowl-ing alley. I've been singing since I was four or five; I thought Iwas a little Michael Jackson. I never really wanted to shop for arecord deal but would like to record if the opportunity evercame. _

16 TRENDSEnERSTO TRENDSEnERSI JULY/AUGUST 2010 www.TRENDTOTRENDMAG.com

Terri Vaughn'In- ~7~ w-tt4 a.; (}f)tti,~

Terri Vaughn laughed when I told her that I thoughtshe played the role of a "bourgy snob" very well."Well thank you very much," she said in between herlaughter. "I try my best and it was fun actually." I

was referring to Terri's role as Brenda in Tyler Perry's Daddy'sLittle Girls, where she portrayed the stuck up and snobby friendto Gabriel Union's character. We also remember Terri as LovitaJenkins from The Steve Harvey Show. Lovita was Cedric TheEntertainer's sassy and spirited love interest. Terri currently costars in Tyler Perry's Meet The Browns as Renee, a hard work-ing, fun loving sista' who says exactly what's on her mind. Iasked her if she's anything like Renee. "I'm not as rude asRenee but it's fun getting to play someone who gets to be rudeand says what she wants to anyone she wants. It's like an alterego. In real life I'm fun and silly and I can be loud and blunt attimes but not a party girl, so that part is pushed."

There was nothing rude, blunt or "bourgy" about Terriwhen we talked. She was gracious and very jovial when shespoke about her love for her work and her fellow cast memberson Meet the Browns. "It is so awesome. The temperament is setby the lead person on the show and David Mann is such a greatleader, no stress, laid back and so funny! Its such a blessing togo to work. It's a very loving, fun and powerfully spiritual set.We say a prayer before we start work every day as a family.The family that prays together stays together. It's a blessing tobe able to go to work and do that and I appreciate it." I askedTerri what it's like for her to work with the talented TylerPerry. "He's super creative and it seems like his brain is al-ways working and like it's never at rest! Because he's so busyhe isn't always on set but he's blessed to have someone hetrusts like Roger Bobb to oversee the production of the show.When he is onset, you can just look in his eyes and see his brainat work. He'll rewrite an entire scene on the spot." Terri contin-ued, "Tyler is so in touch and in tune with himself and God.He's so connected and so sure about who he is and his placeand purpose from God that he's willing to throw it all out thereand there's no such thing as a mistake. Even if people think it'snot right, it's not a mistake and he just keeps it moving and Ilove that about him."

This beautiful actress is also the wife of former NFLplayer, Koron Riley. She is the mother of two and is also thefounder of the Take Wings Foundation, which provides adoles-cent girls between 13-18 living in public housing and foster

PEACHTREE VILLAGE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

care in the greater San Francisco Bay area with the mentorship,life skills and leadership skills they need to succeed in life.Terri says these girls have been through some horrific situationsand it's so inspiring to see these girls thrive "I grew up in arough neighborhood in San Francisco. A lot of my friends wereinto gangs, drugs and violence when I was a teenager. I lostfriends to those things and a lot of girls were getting caught upwith being with the wrong friends. I never got caught up into iteven though I was friends with them. I always asked God why Ididn't. J always knew He had a purpose for me and I knew thatwhen I did whatever I was going to do in my life, I wanted togo back to help other girls growing up in that same situation."Terri offered some words of wisdom for aspiring actors. "Studyyour craft and take it seriously. If you're going to be an actor,get up on stage and do it. What we do is so much more than theglamour and celebrity part of it. The big picture is that we'resupposed to teach, inspire, engage and challenge through ourentertainment. If you're pursuing it with that type of passion,you'll be fulfilled." _

To learn more about Terri's foundation, visit www.takewings.org

TRENDSETIERS TO TRENDSETIERS I JULY/AUGUST 201 0 15

MalikYoba brought his New York Undercoverrole to life as the street savvy detective J.C.Williams. He, along with his on screen partner,Ed Torres, played by fellow actor, Michael

DeLorenzo, kept the streets of NYC safer each week bytracking down the bad guys. Their no-nonsense attitudeswere blended with a fresh, hip and youthful appeal. Morerecently, this New York City native played the role of Gavinin Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married and Why Did I GetMarried, Too. I had the chance to talk with Malik about hisrole and other things going on with him.

Ava: You know I've got to let you know that we were allshocked when Gavin's character died in Why Did I Get Mar-ried, Too. It was so unexpected. What are your thoughts onthat? What was your working relationship like with the othercast members?

Malik: I thought it was a good role to play. I said to Tylerthat any time you get to show that level of vulnerability, par-ticularly with black men, which you don't get to see on filmoften and I certainly haven't seen that kind of vulner-ability in a character, is a good thing. Working with Tylermakes it easy simply when he gives you a phone call askingif you'd like to do a movie. It doesn't get better than that. Itwas a good experience working with the cast members; mostcast members and I were friends long before this movie so itwas like being with your old friends, going to camp. Janetand Sharon Leal were the only two I didn't know prior. Itwas like going to work with your friends and it was a good

14 TRENDSETTERSTO TRENDSETTERSI JULY/AUGUST 2010

experience. It's inspiring.

Ava: You're a busy guy, Malik. I hear that you're also amusician, an author and you have your own theatre. Whatelse are you doing? AJso, talk about New York Undercoverand how popular it still is.

Malik: I play the guitar. I will be in Antigua soon hostingsomething called Romance Weekend with Ginuwine andFaith Evans. I'm hosting two concerts and also performing.I've been touring and doing music. The music at times in mylife has taken a back burner since my film career. New YorkUndercover has never been out of syndication and we stillhave fans around the world. My theatre company is located inNYC, a touring company. It's designed to tour the countryand the world. It's about taking what I do to the people. Wedo original productions and I write, direct, produce and teach.I'm always connecting dots. ln my spirit I'm really a businessman, putting the puzzle pieces together.

Ava: What pearls of wisdom do you live by and whatwould you share with others aspiring to navigate their wayinto acting or other pursuits?

Malik: My father always talked about building your owngenerator so when they turn off the power, you'll still havelight. I'm not one who sits around and says I hope to find ajob, instead I make it happen. While you're waiting, keepcreating! _

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Irecently spoke with Marc Gordon and Blaq Rose ofLevert II. Their newest CD entitled Dedication was re-leased on July 13,2009. Dedication is in honor of the lateGerald and Sean Levert. It's defmitely a must have in

your CD collection! Visit their website at www.levert2.com orwww.levertii.ning.com, Levert II is currently on a promotionaltour. Marc Gordon is the last original member and shared histhoughts with me on the new CD.

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T2T: Marc, on what level is Dedi-cation a personal endeavor to you?

Me: After Gerald passed, Sean and Iwere in contact and decided to putthis band back together. Some timeafter everything died down, that'swhat we set out to do. Sean and I metup with Rose and things clicked andwe started working on the project.Towards the end, Sean passed. Thatwas another blow. These were peo-ple I started my music career with,traveled the world with and all of asudden they're not here. It's beenvery emotional and personal. For meto express it I had to do it with keep-ing the music going. That's been thebest therapy for me.

T2T: Sean Jr., Eddie Levert and theOJays are also featured on Dedica-tion. Is this a part of the Levert leg-acy?

MG: Yes. Sean Jr. is singing on thetrack My Brotha. The song, Dedica-tion, was originally dedicated to Ge-rald. We couldn't believe that this iswhat it was but we were going tokeep it going. My Brotha was the

song that came after Sean passed. Things can happen in aninstant. If you had a chance to say something to someoneone more time, what would you say? This is how the songcame about. The Ojays are singing with us on What aWoman.

Blaq Rose is the other half of this very talented duo. Here'swhat he had to say:

T2T: Rose, what's it like being a part of such a legendarygroup?

BR: It's an honor to carry on this legacy. I grew up listen-ing to Levert and the Ojays. I never expected to be here butit's great. My former group sang for Gerald when I wasyounger. He loved us and thought we were very talented. Healready had another group at the time but encouraged us tokeep going. Later on Marc and I hooked up through a mu-

tual friend. We kept in touch andeventually connected. Seancame to meet me and our chem-istry worked.

LEVERT40 TRENDSETIERSTO TRENDSETIERS I SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2009

I 1

T2T: What do you bring that isuniquely yours to Levert II?

BR: I bring my own flava andblend it with the traditional.Marc didn't want another G e -rald..there was no replacing him.Still, Marc was looking for thechemistry to be right. This newperson would need to do morethan just sing. They would haveto be able to write and performas well. We would have to"click" in the studio. It's a bridgefrom old school to new school.

T2T: What is the significance ofthe name Levert II?

BR: Levert II represents the 2nd

round. Also it represents that twosoldiers have gone home and twoof us, Marc and I, are still carry-ing on the legacy. 0

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Dave Tolliver was one half of the famed 90's R&Bduo, Men At Large. Today the multi-faceted, tal-ented singer and songwriter is busier than ever. Tofind out more about Dave visit him at

www.myspace.com/davetolliver. The Cleveland native is nowliving in Atlanta where I recently caught up with him.

T2T: Dave, you're a very busy and versatile guy. Tell us whatyou're doing these days?

DT: My newest project is entitled Blaq Pavarotti. I didn't do alot of love ballads. I did some upbeat younger type of songsthat deal with the mature subject matters ... life, love and rela-tionships. That's what I write about. These are things that eve-ryone from every social comer can relate to. I believe that BlaqPavarotti may be my greatest work to date, especially the writ-ing. I think there's more to come but I think it's the way thealbum is put together. J think it's a great project and is the al-bum of 2009. I'm just working on putting it out there. You canput this album on and not skip one song .. .1 guarantee it!

T2T: Blaq Pavarotti is an interesting title. Is there a story be-hind that?

DT: Well, Pavarotti is obviously the greatest tenor of alltime. I became a fan of his by always seeing him on P B S .Then they brought him into the mainstream. I just feel likeI'm one of the greatest tenors around right now. I just put"Blaq" in front it and spelled it with a "q" to take any racialspin off of it. I'm a tenor, but I can sing soprano and altoalso. What I did was an independent online release, I releasedit through CDbaby.com/CD/davetolliver. You can buy theentire CD there and also through I-tunes, Napster and Ama-zon ... pretty much all the online legitimate musical websites.

T2T: Dave, you're a singer and songwriter. Tell me whatelse you've got going on.

DT: I've done 13 stage plays so far. I've been onstage witheveryone from Clifton Powell, Bern Nadette Stanis, DaveHollister and Melba Moore. I'm also in a film called Love'sTriangle where I play an attorney named "John Billamore".I'm also doing another movie called Five Days in the Awhere I playa construction worker. Five Days is a straight toDVD release but there have been some limited showings atsome Atlanta theatres. I also have my own artist developmentcompany, t.c.u.c.

T2T: Which do you like more, singing or acting?

DT: I really love it all. Stage is a combination of both. Forme I get to act and sing. I just love entertainment ... it's abeautiful life and I couldn't ask for a better situation. I loveit. I think that probably singing would have to be number onefor me. It's been my consistent bread winner. When I'm onstage, singing takes me away from what's uncomfortable andtakes me to another place. Some people get high to escapereality. I get high in my music. It helps me to relax. D

TRENDSETIERS TO TRENDSETIERS I SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2009 41

MIKE MINTER

On The SidelineBy Ava Simone Collier

Former NFL Carolina Panthers star, Mike Minter,knows the meaning of loyalty. Throughout his tenseason career, Mike remained with the Panthers. Hewas not only loyal but he was also a tenacious field

warrior. When the Panthers met the New England Patriots atthe Super bowl in 2003, Mike broke his left Dot in the thirdquarter but stayed in the game. Since his retirement in 2007,Mike continues to exhibit team work, a spirit of allegianceand community service. He lives in North Carolina with hiswife, Kim and their fOur children. Mike is an entrepreneur;the owner of several businesses and a philanthropist who ismaking a di:trerence. He has also penned a book entitled,"Driven by Purpose - The Power of a Dream." To find outabout Mike's businesses and philanthropic endeavors, youcan visit his website at www.mikeminter.com. Mike and Irecently talked.

T2T: Mike, how did you manage to remain with the Caro-lina Panthers Dr your entire NFL career and what was theadvantage of that?

MM: One of my goals when I get drafted in 1997 when Icame to the NFL was to stay with one team because it's notoffen done. In today's age of fee agents, people movingaround and contracts going fOrmore money, I wanted to showhow I could stay with one organization. The advantage is thatyou get roots in one place. We can't all play Dotball fOrever.One day you will have to give up the game. With one teamonly, you can develop relationships and ties in the commu-nity. People love loyalty, when people stick with somethingand not leave. That's a big advantage. Loyalty is stronger thananything. Also, my church home is here and I also have fOurkids. It has been good Dr them to grow up in one spot,

26 TRENDSETTERSTO TRENDSETTERSI JAN / FEB2010

T2T: You are abusinessman and aphilanthropist. Wheredid that spirit of givingback to the communitycome from?

MM: My mother passeddown to us to never fOrgetwhere you come fum.She instilled this in usat an early age, not by words, but in the waymy mom lived. I come fum 13 brothers and sisters. It was alot of us and when any family member needed something, mymom was always there to give and help. When I was growingup, I always befi ended the kid that no one liked. I always hadthe understanding that everyone had a special giff and I saw it.I think it's a gift from God to be able to see that. It connectsme to people and the excitement is bringing it out

T2T: You said God first, mmiJy second, job third. Is thathow you live your hie?

MM: It is. When you begin to understand that if you cankeep your life in balance like that, then everything else makessense. Sometimes it gets out of balance, but if you can try tokeep it, you'II be on the right path God is the orchestrator ofall thing; so you start at the beginning. God gives you :funily- the first place where you need to use your gifts. Then youhave to make a living and create opportunities fOryour fam-ily. It works Dr me. It keeps it simple. _

www.TRENDTOTRENDMAG.com

W e sat the in our seats like children eagerlywaiting to see what other gifts were yet to beopened. It was exciting and mesmerizing. Ihad seen Cirque Du SolieI's La Nouba sev-

eral years ago in Orlando. I remember being absolutely fas-cinated and thoroughly entertained by the show. I'd forgot-ten the thrill until now. Sitting there under the "big top" inAtlantic Station watching Cirque Du Soliel's Ovo brought arush of memories back to me. To say that this show isamazing is an understatement. It is truly a feast for all ofyour senses. Cirque Du Soleil Ovo is a spectacular array ofacrobatics and gymnastics. It is an explosion of luminouscolors, incredible costumes and make up and imaginativestage props. The music ranged from fantasy, to mystical toseductive with a Brazilian and French influence.

Ovo (Egg in Portuguese) is the story of the beautifulecosystem filled with colorful and lively bugs and insectssuch as grasshoppers, ants, dragonflies, butterflies andfrogs, caterpillars and more. It's also a love story between alovely lady bug and a mysterious egg-bearing unfamiliarbug that comes upon their "village. The egg disappears andhe's on amission toget it backThroughouthis journeyto recoverthe egg, weare intro-duced tothe vari-o u s"villagebugs andinsects"that entertain us and delight us. As I sat and watched thisbreathtaking performance, I occasionally looked around atother audience members. Like myself, they were enthralledas the stage transformed into a massive spider web or grav-ity defying wires were raised high above the stage whereperformers effortlessly spun, jumped, dangled, danced, tee-tered and leaped. Unbelieveable!

In addition to the phenomenal performances and beauti-ful costumes, the thing I noticed was the perpetual focus ofthe performers when the spotlight was NOT on them. Theywould be onstage while another act was in progress. How-ever, they always remained in character. For instance, wehad fantastic seats and I sat in the aisle very close to thestage. While a particular act was being performed and thegrasshoppers were hovering nearby, they would stay incharacter by making sounds and movements that a grass-

hopper would make. They made eye contact and "bug like"gestures and expressions to the audience. A funny momentfor me was as the show began, the lights were dimmed I satexpectantly in my seat. As I did, I kept hearing a strangenoise that seemed to be coming from nearby but I didn'tsee anything... until the lights came on and I looked to myleft and almost jumped out of my seat! There, right next tome.. .in the aisle on the step, was the biggest, greenestgrasshopper I'd ever seen just waiting for his queue to hoponto the stage in front of us. While he waited, he lookedover at me and made a "bug gesture." I couldn't help butlaugh! The interaction with the audience was a big part oftheir performance and it was so much fun!

This was a constant throughout the show and added toits authenticity and genuiness. I felt like I had stumbled intothis incredible bug village and was allowed to peek intotheir lives in their habitat. While there is no significant ver-bal dialogue between the characters, the story is quiet clearby body language and almost mime-like interpretation. Ofcourse there was the sweet incomprehensible but coquettishsounds of the lady bug that punctuated the stage whenever

she was near her new love such as "Ooooh.... cuckachew!"or "Ahhhhhh.... " Or something along those lines ... but wegot the message... she was in love! The not-to-be missedfinale is an adrenaline filled, gravity defying spectacularperformance by the "frogs" as they leaped, hopped andjumped off and onto a "Wall" that seemed to have appearedout of nowhere on the stage. Amazing! _

This is truly a treat for the entire family and a fantasy tripinto the lives of a very important part of our world ...bugs! Iguarantee you, though, you've never seen such beautifuland talented bugs and insects as you'll see at Cirque DuSoleil's Ovo!

www.cirquedusoleil.com