Month: October 2019

Cynthia Erivo & Leslie Odom Jr. Know the Difference in a Career Being Low-Key or Off-Key is in ‘Positive Tracking’

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Is it the Christmas season already? All signs seem to suggest that rush is about to come. A visit to any major box-store these days will have you passing trees and decorations. There’re also the Christmas shows getting ramped up on cable. Even the Rockefeller tree has been picked to travel from upstate NY.

But a story that’s sure to catch some eyes before then is the movie release of Harriet, about famed abolitionist Harriet Tubman. Her network of ‘safe spaces’ made it possible for blacks to travel the ‘underground railroad’ from slavery to freedom. It was a low-key enterprise that changed the social game.

The movie features two reasonably known actors who some might say have had low-key careers. Cynthia Erivo and Leslie Odom Jr cut their chops on Broadway. Erivo starred in The Color Purple while Odom might be remembered from Hamilton. Now they’re set to raise their profiles even more primetime.

They’re busy on the PR tour for the movie. Erivo on a recent sitdown with Oprah talked about her showbiz journey as a British singer/actress. When asked whether the Harriet role found her or she found it, her response wasn’t off-key at all. She felt the role found her even though her dream brought her to this point.

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She said, “To dream, to be specific about the things you want in life, and to see them clearly, actually helps to bring them into fruition.” That may be another way of saying the difference in a career, business or social campaign being low-key or off-key is in positive tracking. This has elements of a:

  1. Vessel

Erivo saw herself as a vessel in this Harriet role. In one sense a vessel holds some content. You can pour into it and pour out of it. When a vessel sits in place it appears low-key. Erivo knows that whether this role looks low-key or not, the trick to being at her best was in what she could pour into it and pour out of it.

  1. Vehicle

The ‘underground railroad’ was like a “hometown network.” It wasn’t an actual railroad even though it served as a way for folks to travel from the south to places north. For Odom and Erivo, the vehicle that got their careers to this point is the Broadway stage. That was a ‘network’ to expose their gifts and riffs.

  1. Voice

Their musical background and singing skills come through in their work. Both have used music to blow the roof off with their voice. Finding your voice isn’t simply about having a hip sound. So they’ve used ‘positive tracking’ to keep their voice, goals and dreams hitting the right notes in the key of life.

  1. Vision

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Odom feels the Harriet story is one of vision. It’s where people saw something that seemed impossible and made it real. Erivo feels humbled by the chance to play this role. It’s one where the vision of the movie’s storytellers reflects the reality that the ‘underground railroad’ made possible.

These days Halloween’s getting competition from Christmas. You forget that Thanksgiving is somewhere in between. Whether their career is between being low-key or off-key isn’t something Erivo or Odom are worried about. They’re happy to be a part of a project of turning dreams into reality. Look at them now!

Tip: Dreams get turned into reality as you let it pour into you like a vessel and flow out of you like a vision.

Talkback: What’s going on: late Thanksgiving, early Christmas, Halloween in-Between?

Tracks: Selena Gomez – Look At Her Now – https://youtu.be/8u-_64S7plI

Lizzo – Good as Hell – https://youtu.be/SmbmeOgWsqE

Denzel Washington & Michelle Obama Take Us to a Place Where Having that ‘It-Factor’ Showcases Their Hit-Factor

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Sports and showbiz fans a buzzing with excitement. For some it’s the baseball World Series and their fav team. There’re also those who’re pleased that Nicki Minaj says she’s found love and happiness. Then there’re NBA fans who’re glad to get past some of the recent drama now that the season is underway.

We even heard from Michael Jordan in a rare TV interview. He’s getting high praise for his philanthropic work in the community. He’s also tried to explain how his career has shifted from scoring points on the court to producing slam dunk gains in biz. Plus, he’s grown on the socially conscious side of things.

Then there’s Denzel Washington and Michelle Obama, among the all-time favorites in pop culture. He was recently honored in NJ as a ‘living legend.’ Obama’s getting mad love on social media after posting a clip from her workout routine, with encouragement to women and folks in general on self-care.

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When you think about the major acting roles that Washington has in his body of work, and the ‘ab-licious’ physique that Obama showed in the video, it might remind us of why they’re so loved, admired and respected. They take us to a place where having that ‘it-factor’ showcases their ‘hit-factor.’

Whether it’s delivering powerful drama or being ‘no drama Obama’ their work drips with passion and oozes with mojo. That’s made possible when work connects with inner genius, the way a person might connect with their soul-mate. Moreover, personally and professionally it’s how their story connects with:

  1. Wellness

Obama posted that video of her workout to remind us that good health is important for wellness. It’s not so much about looking like a supermodel as much as it is about knowing that ‘we get out what we put in.’ That’s true for our human parts and for our inner genius in how we grow doing things that make us tick.

  1. Wokeness

Washington and Obama are mindful of how their example affects and inspires others. For them it’s not just about cashing-in (although both have done well in ‘Benjamins’). Beyond that they bring a certain wokeness about giving back, paying forward, lifting up, and standing down on issues of the day.

  1. Boldness

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In accepting his recent award Washington wasn’t shy about his faith or apologetic about his roles. Similarly, Obama isn’t shame about her past struggles around marriage counseling or about her road to ‘becoming.’ Their boldness is in knowing good things happen by working on their craft and their cause.

  1. Greatness

Washington will go down as one of the greatest modern actors. Obama is certainly seen as one of the greatest (maybe even finest) First Lady’s in modern time. In the same ways that a soul-mate might bring out the best in a spouse, it’s our inner genius that will bring out the greatness inside of us all.

So the World Series is known for having its ‘October surprise’ in playoff performance. Seeing Michael Jordan in an interview surprised many. A sure thing about Washington and Obama is their work isn’t much about trying to impress. But about doing things with style, grace & finesse to make new memories.

Tip: The thing about putting your inner genius to work is it turns your it-factor into a hit-factor with style, grace and finesse.

Talkback: Did it surprise you to hear Jordan say college athletes should get paid?

Tracks: Bruno Mars ft. Cardi B – Finesse – https://youtu.be/LsoLEjrDogU

Anderson.Paak – Make it Better – https://youtu.be/7Jj83FOlBF8

Tiffany Haddish Says Tyler Perry Adds a Secret Sauce to Light a Fire Under His Biz Dreams and Project Teams

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Remember when Tyler Perry appeared on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon? He was promoting his then new movie Nobody’s Fool which featured Tiffany Haddish. He talked about how he gave Haddish a new Tesla as a gift for her emerging talent. He was offering encouragement on her dream journey.

Well, fast forward to recent events and you see how thing have played out. This time it’s Haddish explaining how the car was a material gift, but the best gift that Perry gives today is for us to dream bigger. That’s what he wanted guests at his recent studio grand opening to take away from the event.

Here are two showbiz players who’ll tell you they started out on what might seem like the wrong side of the tracks. Haddish went through a period of bouncing around foster homes and later living in her car. Perry went through a period of homelessness and disappointments before selling out his plays.

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Now he’s 100% owner of the largest movie production studio in America, supposedly bigger than the three main Hollywood studios combined. Haddish is the newest host of the re-booted Kids Say the Darndest Things. Their stories remind us that it’s possible to turn lemons into lemonade.

Folks are still raving about the ‘glory to glory’ theme of the event. Some say it had a Met Gala feel. Others think it was like Emmys, Grammys and Oscars combined. Those events usually have guests leaving with a swag bag. But Perry’s guests might have left with a dream bag that had success tools like a:

  1. Compass

We know the many artistic sides of Perry. His work has traveled the world over. A compass is good for going in the right direction not just on the road but also the highway of life. It’s in going north, east, south and west in the direction of one’s purpose, calling, passion and dream guiding you to fulfill your destiny.

  1. Clock

They say it feels like time stops when passion is in play. You forget about time as in the clock edition and operate with time as in the divine edition. This way you’re not getting upset when things don’t work out on a rigid schedule. Perry’s seen both clock time and divine time at work that’s brought things to pass.

  1. Calculator

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Haddish will tell you she wasn’t the best student in school. She writes in her book of how a certain teacher helped her with reading. With all the success coming her way now, she’s probably happy for a calculator to add-up the checks. It’s also a success tool to correctly calculate risks for the next-level rise.

  1. Clip

She probably remembers days as a child having to wear certain hair clips. They were a staple back in the day. Today she’s excited about the video clip that came with the Perry invite. That’s another kind of memorable clip along with many others from the event that guests will cherish for years to come.

Perry says he remembers being invited by Oprah to one of her Legends Balls and thinking to himself, “why am I here?” Well it’s that personal reflection clip that inspired the past decade or more of his life. He’s grateful, mindful and fruitful. Maybe it’s a glimpse of life with unstoppable blessing on blessings.

Tip: A swag bag might come with treats for style & beauty. But a dream bag comes with success tools like a compass, clock, calculator and clip to fulfill your destiny.

Talkback: How crazy is it for Perry to now own what was once a Confederate military base?

Tracks: Koryn Hawthorne – Unstoppable ft Lecrae – https://youtu.be/us7hvF6lsoc

Anthony Brown & Group Therapy – Blessing on Blessings – https://youtu.be/p58HS6h3l10

Shakira & J-lo Bring a Wide Skill-Set as Two High Performing Stars in Music & Showbiz

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College athletes ‘bout to get paid! Well, it’s not happening tomorrow or this season. But it’s set to kick-in after a while in California with the new law signed by the Governor. Not everyone is happy with this new shift in sports marketing. Time will tell if fans think the players deserve to get a slice of the gametime pie.

While that works itself out, Shakira and Jennifer Lopez ‘bout to cash-in too. They’ll be the Superbowl’s halftime show headliners. It’s a first for both and a first for two Latin-infused artists to perform together. We can reasonably expect to see lots of shakes, rattles and rolls across the dance stage.

Some wonder if one really needed the other for this premier event. Both have similar backgrounds and achievements in the music biz, selling around 75 million records. They can sing in English, Spanish and Spanglish if it comes to that. They’ve both had their own world tours and soldout performances.

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What’s special here is that their musical medley could include a vast array of hits from hip hop, reggaeton, pop, R&B and Latin flava. What’s even more special is how they next-level their skillset as two high performing stars in music and showbiz. Their list of awards is too long to unpack right this minute.

Shakira with her belly dancing chops and Jlo with her Hustler movie role could bring a new level of sexy sizzle to the big show. Whether singing, dancing, acting or just sky-walking in the air, they’re ready to fulfill a dream that’s a long time coming. Their star power is an example of what it takes to be:

  1. Brand Conscious

Everybody knows sex sells in showbiz. But business savvy has taken them all the way to the bank. Jlo’s made her share of pop culture dollaz across music, movies, TV and consumer fragrance products. You get the sense that if they could find a way to be ‘brand conscious’ with dirt, they’d collect there too.

  1. Body Conscious

They’ve been known to use their bodies to tease male fans. Some people have a way to ‘fit it’ and others have a way to ‘flaunt it.’ It’s a case where fitness alone doesn’t make them hot in showbiz. These ladies are body conscious with it to the point where they know how to bring a swish and a swash.

  1. Socially Conscious

There’re two women Jlo admires, not so much for their ‘swish and swash’ but for their socially conscious dash. One is the notorious RBG – Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the other Michelle Obama. It’s the kind of socially conscious appeal she hopes to have, not as a duplicate but as a ‘Jenny from the block’ original.

  1. Style Conscious

It takes style conscious swag for folks to be so attracted to what they’re wearing. Imagine the number of outfit changes they’ll make during the performance? It only takes removing layer after layer right down to skin and more skin. We might even see a few magazine front cover spreads in time for the big event.

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Shakira is set to release the movie edition of her recent concert world tour. Jlo’s been getting Oscar buzz for her role in the Hustler movie. When these ladies bring it together it’s gonna be lots of hot momma ‘shaking and baking’ for the taking. If you know what I know, watchout for them wandering eyes. Hey ya!

Tip: Next-leveling your skillset is a good way for bringing high-performance hustle to the game and brand-conscious star power to your fame.

Talkback: Is college players getting paid a good thing and will it change the game?

Tracks: OutKast – Hey ya! – https://youtu.be/PWgvGjAhvIw

Mary J Blige – Know – https://youtu.be/hjCbGmVMcQI