Have you noticed that black folk are quick to tell you who can and cannot sing? Many of us, who’ve never taken a vocal lesson, will swiftly let you know when someone can’t blow. We are an unauthorized authority on the subject. And any vocal connoisseur will tell you that there are people who are completely tone deaf, people who can hold a note, people who can sing and then there are people who can sang. For those who don’t know the word “sang” used in this context is not poor grammar; instead it’s a word used to emphasize the width and breadth of a person’s vocal ability. We all know who the sangers are, they’re the people with soul. The people who can take you from the Slore house to the church house and back again. You know them: Aretha Franklin, Patti Labelle & Luther Vandross of the old school and Jennifer Hudson and Fantasia of the new. (That’s just to name a few.) But just because a person can’t sang like some of the greats, doesn’t mean they don’t have talent and can’t make good music. Don’t believe me? Find out who I’m talking about.

From EurWeb

A remake of the 1975 Diana Ross film “Mahogany” is reportedly in the works from former Motown executive and producer Suzanne de Passe, reports BET.

Motown founder Berry Gordy directed the original, which starred Ross as Tracy, a Chicago native who dreams of becoming a fashion designer. Her rising international fame takes her to Rome, where she becomes torn between maintaining her relationship with hometown boyfriend Brian (Billy Dee Williams) or pursuing her burgeoning career.

Read more at EurWeb.com.

Well, isn’t this interesting.

According to an EURweb report, a high school in Syracuse, NY will be performing their version of The Wiz but the problem is all the lead characters are…white.

Parents spoke to the NBC and CBS affiliates in upstate New York and they are outraged that the musical will not be more diverse, mixing all races that embody the school.

One parent, Letice Titus, whose daughter was cast in an ensemble role rather than a lead, says that the school should recast the play or acknowledge the elephant in the room:

“They have black talented kids at the school, but they chose to put them at the ensemble because they’re not theater kids. They should have made a collaborative effort based on diversity, cultural awareness, [and] sensitivity. How are the black kids going to feel when they see a play?”

As just about everyone knows, The Wiz, which starred Michael Jackson and Diana Ross in the movie and Stephanie Mills in the actual Broadway musical, was created as a more “soulful” version of the original The Wizard of Oz.  Many have argued that it is the “better” version.

North Central Syracuse superintendent Kim Dyce Faucette says that while she can relate as an African-American woman, she is not willing to pull the card on the play just yet. Instead, she is going to do some further investigation and then she will make a more informed decision.

Hopefully, the school will come to their senses before the superintendent makes up her mind and diversifies the lead characters.

There was a time when Motown Records owned and ran the music scene. You couldn’t turn on a radio without hearing the collaborative harmonies of The Temptations or the fabulosity of Diana Ross. These artists made you shake your hips and groove before it was even acceptable. You’ll also be surprised that some of these artists weren’t even conceived when the famous record company was at its height. Check out the 15 best artists in Motown’s history!

WENN

Marvin Gaye

He had good looks, sex appeal and music that made you think and want to make love all at the same time. With hits like “What’s Going On?” and “Sexual Healing,” Mr. Gaye helped Motown remain at the top.

Making it in the music industry as a solo artist is hard enough but when there are two or more people in a group, tensions are bound to arise because mo’ money plus mo’ people equal mo’ problems. Although they made beautiful music together, these 15 popular rap and R&B groups just couldn’t set aside their differences in the long run.

Arrested Development

Afrocentric alternative hip-hop group Arrested Development became very popular in the early 90′s. Founded by Speech and his former best friend, DJ Headliner, along with Dionne Farris and spiritual leader Baba Oje, they are best known for their song “Everyday People.” In 1993 the group won Grammys for Best New Artist and Best Rap Performance. They were also tapped by Spike Lee to record a song for his “Malcolm X” biopic that same year. However, Arrested Development never eclipsed the success they had with their debut album. Their sophomore album was panned by critics and shortly after that the group broke up due to “creative differences.” The band patched things up four years later but things were never the same as they struggled to reclaim their popularity in the U.S. Today, the group continues to tour internationally and released their 10th album in 2012.

Source: WENN

From The Grio

Diana Ross, the legendary Supremes frontwoman, allegedly made a scene last Thursday at a Beverly Hills restaurant after refusing to wait to be seated.

According to the New York Post, upon arriving at Italian restaurant La Scala for lunch, Ross was told she would have to wait to be seated until her daughter arrived.

Ross reportedly refused, and walked to a booth and sat down.  Management informed the diva of their seating policy: Incomplete parties will not be seated unless a reservation has been made.  She was also told that if “she cut the line and sat before her daughter arrived, she would not be served.”

See what happened once Diana’s daughter arrived on The Grio.

WENN.com

We did the men, now it’s on to the women. We scoured the interwebs and our own treasure trove of celebrity knowledge to bring you 15 women who shocked us just a bit when they stepped out with white men.

Source: abagond.wordpress.com

In October of 1978, The Wizard of Oz was flipped, reversed and remixed to feature an all-black cast, with musical heavy hitters like Diana Ross, Michael Jackson and Lena Horne. The movie has become a cult classic but it wasn’t always that way. Check out the behind the scenes secrets of how this movie came together.

For this week’s installment of “Cute Kid Alert,” we’re keeping it short, and strictly baby. Of course, news spread last week that Diana Ross’s daughter, Chudney Ross, gave birth to her first child, Callaway Lane, on September 19. This is her first child, and diva Diana’s second grandbaby. Ross decided to share her little girl with her fans and friends via Facebook, saying, “We are so excited to welcome Callaway Lane to the world! She was born on September 19, 2012 at 6:40pm and weighs 7 lbs 8 oz!” Callaway is her little lady with husband Joshua Faulkner, and the alert baby and her ornate hat is just toooooo adorable!

Also in cute baby news, Kimbella shared more photos of her daughter, Bella Monroe, the little cutie she had with rapper Juelz Santana. She was born in July and is already getting big! Kimbella posted photos of her daughter playing around with her son, Juelz, and the darling baby being held by her uncle. Ca-ute!

And lastly, the Bosh family is using this downtime to spend as much time together as possible. The Miami Heat star snapped photos with his little girl, Trinity, and his son, Jackson. His wife, Adrienne, also shared photos of the ever-growing, always cute Jackson in his Hawaiian-Tropic ‘fit. What a happy baby!

I hope these cutie patooties brightened up your day, because they are absolutely adorable to us!

More on Madame Noire!

• Bet You Didn’t Know: Secrets Behind The Making of “Soul Food”
• Did You Know? 14 Black Celebrities Who Adopted or Were Adopted
• Just Another Thing That Gets Better With Age: Why It’s NOT Impossible To Make New Friends As You Get Older
• Is There A Right Way To Demand A Paternity Test?
• I Know You Didn’t Just Say Dutch: Why Women Should NOT Split The Tab On A First Date
• Where Are They Now? 8 Sassy And Silly Sidekicks From Some Of Our Favorite Black Sitcoms
• Did You Know They Dated (Part IV)? 14 Celeb Couples We Were VERY Surprised By

FayesVision/WENN.com

Hey loves! This weekend’s wrap-up has baby news, tv news, some words from Kimora Lee Simmons and more!  Is there anything better than words from Lady Kimora? Check it out!

Read the rest of this entry »