Are You Listening?

Kirk Franklin is the biggest selling Contemporary Gospel artist in the history of SoundScan. He has sold over 14 million albums to date and over 20 #1 singles at Gospel radio. Franklin has won 7 GRAMMY Awards, an American Music Award, 35 Stellar Awards (gospel), 12 Dove Awards, 4 NAACP Awards, 2 BET Music Awards, a Soul Train Award along with numerous others. Kirk Franklin also hosts and co-executive produces the BET original series, Sunday Best, the channel's nationwide search for the next best gospel artist. Kirk Franklin took his outstanding skills and put them to good use after the earthquake in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Franklin assembled a large group of award-winning gospel music artists in Nashville's Quad Studios to perform Are You Listening? The whole group of artists hopes that the song will inspire those affected as well as inspire others to donate and help in any way they can. The record is available online, on iTunes, at Walmart, and at other major retailers, and all proceeds are being donated to different charities involved in relief efforts.

"All the artists associated with the project donated their talent and gifts for this project," says Kirk Franklin, the song and project producer. "This initiative is so important because while we are asking America to give we know that many are giving sacrificially. The people of Haiti are very spiritual people with an unwavering faith and belief in God and still count The Lord as the main source and provider. We will continue to pray and stand with them. We hope this song will bring much needed support and awareness in an effort to raise funds in the near and long-term future."

Although this song was produced and released in January, I still wanted to mention it on this blog. I heard it a few months ago and recently remembered listening to it and how much I really loved it. This song is so much more personal then many of the songs that have been labeled as support songs for the victims in Haiti. The artists' voices are absolutely amazing and give so much to the song, it is definitely worth listening to. Kirk Franklin's words, "The people of Haiti are very spiritual people with an unwavering faith and belief in God and still count The Lord as the main source and provider," are so touching. The fact that these are all famed Gospel artists performing the song makes it all the more powerful. It's incredible to be reminded that these people still have such strong faiths after all that has happened to them.

Watch the video and listen to the words, it really is moving.



You can purchase the song here.

Cyndi Lauper Fights for LGBT Rights

Throughout her career, Cyndi Lauper has supported lesbian and gay rights. When Lauper's sister, Ellen, came out as a lesbian, Cyndi considered her to be a true role model. Ellen worked with several charities for the gay community and also worked in a clinic helping people suffering from AIDS. Inspired by her sister's work, Cyndi Lauper began doing some of her own. Lauper began performing at gay pride events as a featured artist in places around the world. In 1994 she even performed in New York City at the closing ceremonies for the fourth annual Gay Games, the world's largest sporting and cultural event organized by and specifically for LGBT athletes, artists, and musicians.

In June of 2007, Lauper headlined the True Colors Tour for Human Rights through the United States and Canada. Logo, the MTV Networks channel targeting gay audiences, sponsored the tour. Information concerning gay rights was provided to fans who attended, as well as purple wristbands with the slogan "Erase Hate" from The Matthew Shepard Foundation. A dollar from every ticket sold was given to the Human Rights Campaign, a national civil rights organization which advocates equal rights for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people.

Recently Cyndi Lauper launched the Give a Damn campaign through her True Colors Fund. The new campaign is meant to encourage everyone of ANY sexuality to get informed about and involved with LGBT issues and causes. The Give a Damn website provides lots of useful information intended to engage, surprise, and move any reader. There is also information on a bunch of ways to get involved and show your support.

Now, Lauper is taking the next step in her fight for equality. In 2011, Lauper is planning to open a shelter for homeless LGBT youths in Harlem. The shelter, which will be called the True Colors Residence, will be a safe place for LGBT youths between the ages of 18 to 24 who need a place to stay while they get back on their feet. The $11 million worth of funding for the six-story building that will contain 30 studio apartments, communal space, a library and a computer room, will come from Lauper's True Colors Fund, the city's Department of Housing Preservation and Development and some additional sources. In mainstream shelters already available to the homeless, many LGBT youth face violence. The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force reports that there are between 15,000 and 20,000 homeless youths in New York City, and, of that number, roughly 3,000 to 8,000 of them identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender. Lauper has said that this is one of the reasons she feels a LGBT shelter is necessary.

When asked what inspired her to open the True Colors Residence, Lauper responded that, "Kids are coming out in greater numbers as they see themselves accepted and represented on TV and in movies, but they’re still being kicked out of their homes or running away and living on the streets. We need to make sure we’re taking care of them. This is the next generation of the LGBT community."


Visit Cyndi Lauper's websites to learn more about her cause.

Give a Damn

True Colors Fund






EDIT:

Immediately after finishing this post, my mom called me into her room because Cyndi Lauper was on The Apprentice. The whole episode was the men versus the women giving makeovers to new artists Emily West and Luke Bryan. I only caught the end when everyone was going over the work that had been done, and Donald Trump decided which team did better and who would be fired. What I thought was cool was that at the end when they announced the women won, Trump also announced that all proceeds from Luke Bryan's song "Rain is a Good Thing," and Emily West's song "Blue Sky," would benefit Cyndi's True Colors fund for the next month. I just thought it was a funny coincidence that right after I posted this I happened to catch the new episode and Cyndi's True Colors fund was mentioned, and that music was going to benefit it.

Let's do our part to forever preserve this work of art

Diana and I worked with a member of the LA Greencorps to produce a song that would raise awareness about the environment and how it is every person's job to take care of it. Although there were difficulties meeting as a group, we did decide together how we wanted to approach the issue.

-We wanted to write something that people could connect with on a personal level.
-We wanted to present a good reason as to why everyone should help out.
-And finally, we wanted to present a solution to the problem that was small and manageable so that it was something any person could easily do.

So to connect with people on a personal level, we decided to talk about New Orleans in our song. The idea of a song or anything you write is to grab the listener/ reader's attention, right? So we planned on starting our song with something about New Orleans, and hinting at reasons why New Orleanians love their city so much. In the final song we made a reference to the ways that other people in the country think that everyone in this city is too crazy and does nothing but party, and how we don't let any of the negative comments stop us from being who we are. We wanted to be sure to remind the listeners that they loved this city, and WHY they loved this city.

So with the sentimental "We Love New Orleans" aspect of the song, we expanded by saying how it is our job to take care of the city. We wanted to emphasize that our city isn't going to be here forever, and that every individual is responsible for doing anything they can to preserve this historic beauty. Several times in the song is the line "This is YOUR city, so do YOUR part..." We wanted to make a point of stressing that this is OUR city, and so therefore we must not expect everyone else to take care of it for us.

We presented the problem of too many greenhouse gases as our environmental issue. We again, gave people a reason to care about the problem by saying how the problem would effect New Orleans by taking away from the city's beauty and polluting our air.

Last but not least, the solution. Providing a solution to the problem is what would make our song a magnetic song according to Denisoff. As a group we wanted to not only state the problem, but also inform people of something they can do to help make sure the city stays around for a very, very long time. The idea of greenhouse gases and pollution is huge, and we wanted to approach it in a way that wasn't overwhelming. So, to do this, we wanted to present simple solutions to the problem that any individual would easily be capable of doing. In the end, that solution was to install energy efficient light bulbs in your community. We added facts/statistics in the song to give people the sense that we were a reliable "source," and that maybe what we were suggesting wasn't such a bad idea.

In the end, the final product was definitely, as would be expected, nothing like what we had originally planned. But, we feel that we did succeed in meeting our main goals for our song: Present the problem, recruit individuals by reinforcing their value structures, and present a solution to the problem that is easily manageable by any person.

Young Soul Rebels

War Child is an international charity that works to protect children living in the world's most dangerous war zones including Iraq, Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Uganda. There are over 300,000 children currently involved in wars around the world as soldiers, cooks, porters, spies and sex slaves. War Child aims to do something about this through its music projects and work around the world. War Child has a lot of support from a number of artists including Paul McCartney, Oasis, U2, David Bowie and the Killers. Such dedication has enabled War Child to carry out efforts around the world to help children who were robbed of their childhood and caught up in a war they had nothing to do with. War Child's work is truly amazing and has brought hope to effected children around the world.



War Child has an impressive history of music projects. The most recent of these projects was released in October of 2009. A team of some of Britain's most famous and talented artists came together last year on July 6th to record "I Got Soul", a new, re-written version of The Killers track "All These Things That I’ve Done," at Metropolis Studios in London. The artists are known collectively as The Young Soul Rebels, and is made up of the following people: N-Dubz, Pixie Lott, Tinchy Stryder, Frankmusik, V.V. Brown, Kid British, Chipmunk, Mpho, McLean, Ironik, Domino Go, Bashy, Egypt and the London Community Gospel Choir.

The track is based around the hook line "I Got Soul, But I’m Not A Soldier," and is aimed draw attention to the vital work War Child does with ex-child soldiers and those who suffer from the tragic effects of war around the world. One of the contributing artists, Frankmusik, says, "Warchild is a voice for those who didn't know they needed one."

The Young Soul Rebels project was ignited just hours after the close of the Brit Awards in February, at the War Child after-party. Coldplay, U2 and Take That joined The Killers on stage for a celebratory chorus, chanting ‘I got soul, but I’m not a solider’ to an audience of just 2,000. The next day, Bono told Radio One: “That chant, ‘I’ve got soul, but I’m not a soldier’, has a whole new meaning when there is a War Child banner behind your head...” From there, The Young Soul Rebels was formed. "I Got Soul," definitely sends a strong message and will hopefully help War Child in its efforts to protect the child victims of war.

Click here to view the official music video for "I Got Soul."



War Child Website

War Child UK

Ameriville

Ameriville was captivating, humorous, heartbreaking, and an overall great experience for me. Ameriville is a play written and performed by Steven Sapp, Mildred Ruiz, Gamal Chasten, and Ninja, that explores America's troubles through song, dance, and poetry. The actors create the music for the play by beat-boxing and using a feet stomping dance throughout the performance, and the only props included four chairs, two tables, and a video projection. The play highlights racism (past and present), exploitation of the poverty class, and problems with politics. The play intertwines diverse issues such as war, climate change, gentrification, and the economy, and transitions between topics in a quick paced and gripping style keeping you engaged and never giving you a chance to look away. Ameriville is made up of a series of stories told from the perspective of New Orleanians, soldiers, poor people on the streets, brainwashed children, struggling immigrants, and much more. "The play presents a warning of the “storms to come” and a call for change,"(universesonstage.com). The play was intended to bring attention to different problems in our country, and uses a rhetorical style.


I stayed after the play for the Talk Back with the actors. One of the first questions that was asked was how the group came up with the idea and content for the play. The actors together stressed that the play that we had all just seen was nothing like what they originally had in mind. "Our initial thought was to look at the state that the country was in, this fear about everything. We were interested in exploring the history of fear in America. And then Katrina happened.”

Then the politics of the whole thing was discussed. "How have people reacted to the content in this play?" "Do you do a lot of political performances?" "Does it seem like people understand the topics you address and the way you address them?" The actors said that overall they've received positive reactions from the audience. Gamal Chasten, however, made a point of saying that they really aren't sure how the whole audience feels about the play. He said that they only truly know how the people who stay for the Talk Back feel, and they aren't sure if the people who leave as soon as the play's over liked it, disliked it, or even understood what was going on. Mildred Ruiz said that they usually write about controversial issues. She said that art should have a purpose and a meaning, and she closed her statement by saying, "Let's just say we aren't fans of Art For Arts Sake." She also stressed that performing is a political act in itself, and as she put it, "Just standing on a stage and saying something, is political." One thing that really grabbed me was Steven Sapp's response to the question, "When you performed in other cities, how did people react to the parts about Katrina?" Sapp explained that for the most part, people took it with an open mind, but others seem like they don't get it right away. He recalls an incident during a performance in Denver, Colorado that really shocked him. There is a part after the introduction piece about Katrina where Sapp stands on stage and says something along the lines of, "So we get it, you lost your fancy uptown mansions and there's some water in the city, but it's time to get over it already." He said that with that line the whole crowd began to laugh. "As I continued with the piece, the laughter would grow with every line," Sapp said. "Yeah, yeah we get it...Fema, Floods, and Fuck Ups," Steven's character continues. Steven said that by the end of the piece the audience was laughing hysterically until Gamal's piece started after. Gamal comes in and begins to tear apart Steven's character for being so ignorant and such an ass and tells him how awful everything going on in New Orleans is for the people. With Gamal's piece, Steven said the the crowd went silent and it seemed as though everyone sunk in their seats ashamed that they had laughed at the previous act.

Katrina. She's a sensitive topic for any New Orleanian. Personally when I heard that this was going to be something about Katrina, I had my doubts. Many others felt the same way and some, during the Talk Back, even told the actors about their uncertainty in the beginning. "I thought, who do these people think they are coming in from out of town trying to act like they know about Katrina and the things we've been through?" one woman said. All of the people who stayed for the Talk Back told the cast that they were truly impressed and had found the parts about Katrina very emotional and realistic. I was not expecting for the play to affect me so deeply and bring back such vivid memories I hadn't thought about for quite some time. "No one has ever captured the way I truly felt during Katrina until now...," one woman told the actors. The group came to New Orleans a few years ago and went around the city talking to different people, trying to get a few perspectives on the storm and ideas for what to talk about in their play. They took some of their writing to a few clubs in New York where the four of them stood in a line on the stage and practiced the different bits, making improvements along the way. Their work paid off and I was extremely moved and would recommend Ameriville to anyone.




Here is a video of the cast performing part of the piece about Katrina. The four actors stand in a straight line and do not have a stage or props in this performance. Listen carefully and you can hear the beat-boxing and foot stomps that make the music. It was much clearer in person, and in the theater you could feel the music around you.

I'd Rather Go Naked

Today my boyfriend celebrated his 22nd birthday. Exactly a year ago, on his 21st birthday, he got to meet the man his mother named him after. Tommy Lee from Motley Crue walked into the club where my boyfriend, Tommy Lee Stevens, and his friend were celebrating the big night. Tommy Lee actually wound up taking my boyfriend’s seat in the V.I.P. section. After some trash talking from my Tommy toward Motley Crue’s Tommy Lee for taking his seat, Tommy Lee laughed and invited Tommy to sit with him and have some drinks. By the end of the night, Tommy Lee had given him two back stage passes to their concert the next night at the New Orleans Arena, where my boyfriend partied with Tommy Lee after the show. All-in-all, it made for a pretty awesome 21st birthday.

But, with it being February 28th again, I started thinking about the whole event and wondering what kinds of things Tommy Lee was up to when he wasn’t on stage. After a moment or two on Google, I came across this picture.



Tommy Lee, who learned about PETA through his ex-wife and longtime animal advocate Pamela Anderson, posed for PETA’s “I’d Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur” campaign. The advertisement was unveiled on August 15, 2005 at Home, a nightclub in New York that showed its support for PETA’s campaign by announcing a no fur door policy. Steve Lewis, the man who runs the nightclub, said that he would train his doormen to deny entrance to anyone wearing fur. “People come here to have fun,” says Lewis. “Fur is a buzz kill.”

Here is a video of Tommy Lee in an interview with PETA:



Other musical artists such as Mario, Danity Kane, Simple Plan, and Peaches have also posed to be in advertisements for this campaign. However, not all celebrities are against wearing fur. Celebrities who wear fur are often criticized and questioned by PETA.

---Dear J.Lo

---Dear Beyonce

---Kanye West was criticized by PETA for wearing fur at Men's Fashion Week in Paris. Vice President of PETA, Dan Matthews, said in a statement: “Kanye can't help making himself look like an idiot, whether at an awards show or a fashion show. He and his girlfriend look like pathetic creatures from a shabby roadside zoo." Kanye West responded by posting the following message in his blog: "When it's all said and done, remember the fearless, remember the dreamers, remember those who represent the ghetto ... The fairy tale of nothing to something," Kanye wrote. "I'm briefly saddened by negative comments, but I have to remember those people are scared, incapable or just plain idiots. We are the f***ing rock stars baby. No cocaine, just life my n****s!! No cocaine, just life! It's funny to me when fashion bloggers down our outfits and then super jock outlandish sh** on the runway, but they dress mad prude and don't live fashion."

---Lindsey Lohan was flour bombed by a member of PETA for wearing a fur coat in Paris. The member of PETA called Lohan a "Fur Hag" before running from security.


---The issue has even caused artists to lash out towards fellow artists for their clothing choices. For example, Pink bashes Beyonce for continuously wearing fur. Pink says, "Some of the practices are so cruel and as a celebrity you have a responsibility to think about the message you're sending out by wearing fur. People will think it's OK or cool, but it's not. I only hope she gets bit on the ass by whatever animal she wears."

Animal rights are an extremely controversial topic, and are even more so in the world of celebrities who are often "setting an example" for the men, women, teens, and children who adore them.

More Print Ads for "I'd Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur"
What celebrities have to say...

Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation

During his tour this year, Jon Bon Jovi is doing more than just promoting his band’s new release, “The Circle.” In between sleep, practices, and shows, Bon Jovi is visiting as many homeless shelters as he can. These visits are to help the artist with the work he is doing in his Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation. The foundation is based in Philadelphia and is a charity built to fight against homelessness. Efforts by the foundation include building homeless shelters and community kitchens as well as cleaning up vacant lots in rundown neighborhoods. Bon Jovi’s foundation has been working for the past six years building affordable housing, and since 2006, has built more than 150 units of affordable housing in seven different cities. Bon Jovi says of his visits to various homeless shelters and programs, “I will go to shelters and try to learn more about the issue and how to combat it." Visiting existing programs throughout his tour, will give him new ideas and perspectives that should be beneficial when he is working with the foundation. “Various problems of homelessness require different solutions,” he says.

Before beginning the tour, Bon Jovi toured a very well known homeless program in Seattle. The building is run by Downtown Emergency Service Center and provides a place for homeless alcoholics to live, and even drink alcohol. The program has saved taxpayers millions of dollars in social service and jail costs. The program is also considered a place where residents are more likely to recover and get sober in a safe environment.

Sometime in the next few days Jon Bon Jovi is supposed to stop by Skid Row in Los Angeles with Steve Lopez. Lopez is the Los Angeles Times columnist who wrote the book “The Soloist,” about a schizophrenic homeless man, Nathaniel Ayers, who is also a talented cellist. Lopez, who has witnessed the homeless population during some of their hardest times, says, “Skid Row is an eye-opener. I don't know Jon Bon Jovi, but I suspect he may come out of this with a keener sense of how many people are suffering in this economy, and of how many people on Skid Row are dealing with a combination of financial, physical and mental health issues, many of them veterans."
Skid Row is estimated to have approximately 7,000 to 8,000 homeless people within its official boundaries. In 2006, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals determined that there were an inadequate number of beds for the homeless. This led the court to suspend the city's anti-camping ordinance within the official boundaries of Skid Row, between the hours of 9 p.m. and 6:30 a.m. This meant that during the day, the homeless people must be roaming the city until about nine o’clock at night. From 9 p.m. to 6:30 a.m., people were allowed to sleep on the streets.


“Working for the Working Man,” is one of the songs on Bon Jovi’s new album that relates to the issues the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation faces.





Check out Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation for pictures, videos, and more information about the foundation!!!