944

Known for his impressive appearance on Project Runway and becoming the fan favorite, Mychael Knight has been working as a successful clothing, jewelry and accessories designer in Atlanta since his departure from reality television. Join him tonight in Atlanta for his Pop Up Store Sample Sale!

Valentine's 101 Pop-Up Shop
Tonight
6pm-9pm
RSVP: mkeventrsvp@gmail.com
291 Peters Street , Suite 2
Atlanta, GA



Have fun! Written by: Isoul Harris

For Colored Girls: When The Director Is Just Not Enough
An Opinion By Isoul H. Harris

I have been wrestling over my opinion of Tyler Perry's adaptation of Ntozake Shange's iconic stage play/choreopoem For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide /When the Rainbow is Enuf for the past few days. I attended a screening with anticipation and anxiety. I read Shange's host of poems earlier in the day for the first time.

Thank God I did.

If I had not familiarized myself with her often eloquent and frequently volatile verses, I would have thought For Colored Girls was simply a Tyler Perry Production, albeit a better one, but a Perry production nonetheless. The director has amassed unfathomable wealth and power with his catalogue of stage plays and movies. His traveling slapstick was his vehicle to Hollywood and now his influence enables him to have his pick of the Afro and Anglo talent litter. From Cicely Tyson to Phylicia Rashad, Jill Scott to Sanaa Lathan, Whoopi Goldberg to Kathy Bates, he's gone from hiring no-name players on the chitlin circuit to directing Oscar and Tony winning actresses. His ascension is nothing short of miraculous, however the work severely is.

"Tyler's a very profound writer, and I think he's done a wonderful job", Janet Jackson has said of Perry's film version.

Oh, Janet.

To his credit, Perry did an incredible job of constructing back-stories and sub-plots for the female characters that were nameless and only identifiable by their assigned color in the poems. Janet, the Lady in Red, plays an extremely cold and detached magazine editor, a la The Devil Wears Prada's Miranda Priestly, sans the sardonic wit and impeccable sartorial flair. Jackson (full disclosure: one of my favorite performers since childhood and still my most fun interview to date) is a multi-layered woman, she has been acting, singing and dancing since her adolescence, but her performance in For Colored Girls is just as disconnected as her film character is from life. Even her pivotal monologue, where you learn her fate, leaves you feeling just as empty as the cold and uninviting New York penthouse she inhabits with her husband, whom we are to be believe is the source of her problems. However, it seems to me, her character is just as much to blame, but in Perry's frequently one-dimensional, Black female empowered world, men--while all the time beautiful (and shirtless)--are often regarded as sexual and abusive artillery incessantly targeting the bullet-proof souls of their embattled feminine counterparts. Jackson's lackluster performance has less to do with her skill than it has to do with Tyler's lack of writing and directing prowess.

Case in point: Whoopi Goldberg. A phenomenal, articulate and highly talented, Oscar-winning actress. As the Lady in White (a new character interjected by Perry's inevitable creative license) she plays the mother of the Lady in Orange and Lady in Purple, played by Thandie Newton and newcomer Tessa Thompson, respectively. She is a religious fanatic, entangled in a cult that has separated her from not only her family, but also reality as a whole.

Goldberg, who displays her thoughtful and careful choice of words daily on The View, is surely capable of transferring that quiet, solicitous energy to a character. However, her performance is parody. She delivers the typical view of a religious zealot: ineffectively evangelizing with erratic and compulsive behavior (she is also a hoarder--I was secretly wishing Neicy Nash would pull a Kanye and pop on screen). I cannot help but think someone else, like a Sophie Okonedo, would have brought a calm and understanding to the role, consequently earning a needed sympathy from the audience for the character. Instead, Goldberg lampoons and lavishes on stereotype.

Ntozake Shange's poetry embodies desperation, insecurity, love and power all at once. Perry's biggest feat was to interject these now legendary monologues into a film--a medium dependent on dialogue. These monologues are based in figurative language, yet Perry delivers it as literal dialogue. At times, he succeeds. The majority of the time, he doesn't.

The performances save this adaptation. Rashad is the nosey, but caring and wise neighbor. She has shown she can play strong matriarchs since erupting on the small screen as the vibrant, smart and irrepressible Clair Huxtable. Now, with her award winning work with August Wilson's canon and Kenny Leon's productions, she has added another dimension to what it means to be a Black woman and especially a wife and mother to black men. Luckily for Perry, she continues her journey in For Colored Girls.

Anika Noni Rose (Dreamgirls,) is spectacular as The Lady in Yellow. She brings a beauty and unrelenting humanity to her character and is even more spectacular when an unfortunate occurrence strips her of it. Of course, Kimberly Elise is excellent. She is tortured soul like no other (maybe one day we will learn why). Michael Ealy, playing a mentally ill war vet, is amazing. There is lots of darkness behind those light eyes.

In the same way that Tyler Perry went to the extreme of admitting to the world about his father's physical abuse on Oprah, yet stopping at a real admission as to the origins of it, he fails to go all the way with this film.

Shange told thegrio.com recently that she finds few flaws in Perry's film version. "I think he did as well as to be expected. To him who is given much, much is expected. I think all the actresses performed remarkably well. I think Tyler directed them well, because there were very few flaws I could find in the acting, so that's his work and their work."

Shange's words are as diplomatic as they are probably sincere. She has admitted before that she let the women in her most famous piece years ago. They are no longer hers and are for the world to dissect and explore now. Not her. "I haven't seen those [women] in 20 years. I don't know who those people are, they don't know me."

But, what I indeed know for sure: while Shange may not know those women any longer, I would dare say, after all these years of helping females (and men--even President Obama references For Colored Girls in his first book Dreams of My Father) they deserved someone who could have better delivered their voices and stories to the masses. If you have not read the original, please do. This is not Shange's play. It's Perry's vision. And, while oftentimes laudable, it's also laughable (even among the heart-wrenching drama).

Isoul H. Harris



Written by: Isoul Harris

Lyfe Jennings's fourth studio album, I Still Believe, out today, will be his last. His fans have come to love his distinctive, raspy, soul-stirring voice laced with real life lyrics. I'm inspired by people going through the everyday average problems, he says. However, fans will now have to love the fact that he is parting ways with music to be a father to his kids. 944 caught up with him in Atlanta and talked about music, kids and his future.

944: What's been going on with you since your last album?

Lyfe: I took two and half years off to spend time with my kids. I've been writing on the album and being a father.

944: Describe I Still Believe.

Lyfe: Musically it's better than any other album I've ever put out.

944: How is that sound different from your previous albums?

Lyfe: I think it's a lot of growth, I think I've finally figured out how to put the two together as far as the lyrical content and the music. I think in the past I've had a great song but it could have been produced a little bit different.

944: What did you notice with your kids that made your decision for this to be your last album?

Lyfe: They don t like my job. They understand what I do now and they don't like it, they want me there. They are used to certain stuff with me, they used to me waking up at 6:45 am and making them breakfast, taking them to school, and afterwards working on their words and just having a father that's there. They deserve that.

944: What are your future plans after this last album?

Lyfe: Well, I have my label. I'm definitely going to doing some acting; some scripts that I wrote. Children books that I wrote and a lot of philanthropy stuff. I will have more time to do stuff like that and do that with my kids so that they can learn the value of [things].

Reporting by Kisha Henderson
Written by: Isoul Harris

This weekend, the first annual ONE MusicFest jumps off in Atlanta with some very notable talent and potentially fun events.

Internationally-acclaimed DJ Mick Boogie, known for spinning in New York City, Barcelona, Chicago, Beijing, Paris, Tokyo and Dubai will keep the crowds hype and dancing, while R&B singer Goapele soothes the over 5000 expected participants at the King Plow Arts Center campus with her soulful sounds.

Hip-hop legends De La Soul will also headline (THREE FEET HIGH AND RISING is one of the best hip-hop albums EVER) along with the man of the hour, Common, who never disappoints with his modern, b-boy blend.


The first TWO people to Tweet me (@isoulharris) the name of 944 Atlanta's June Issue cover subject will each win two tickets to tomorrow's all-day festival.

Good Luck!

(P.S. If you don't win, go here to buy tickets: http://www.xorbia.com/tickets/onemusicfest)

Need more info? onemusicfest.com


Isoul H. Harris
Managing Editor
944 Magazine Atlanta



Written by: Isoul Harris

So, I am getting some "Sex" tonight.

Well, some "Sex & The City" that is. I have been invited to a few other previous screenings of the highly-anticipated sequel (the first one made over $400 million worldwide) but it seems like tonight will be the big night. And guess who's sponsoring? MOET Chandon, so it will definitely be a great time.

Four of my favorite stylish Atlantans are hosting: Suchita Valderami (FOX 5's Good Day Atlanta), Cynthia Bailey (International Model and new Real Housewives of Atlanta cast member), Christine White (Collective Renaissance Group), and Corinna Allen (CBS's Better Mornings Atlanta). And actor Lance Gross will appear as well (is he serving as the "Big" of the evening?)

Moet will premier their "Sex and the City 2" inspired champagne cocktails: The Fashionista, The Socialite, The Player and The Bombshell. AND a one of a kind "Sex and The City 2" inspired, rare custom pair of Louboutins have been flown in specifically for the night.

Unfortunately, the reception and screening are invite-only, but I will tell you about it tomorrow....

Until then,

Carrie On.

Written by: Isoul Harris

For all of you Teedra Moses fans who have loved her since the debut of her street classic "Complex Simplicity," tonight is a chance to catch the self-proclaimed "Young Lioness" in concert at The Havana Club. Singersroom Live! headlines the Atlanta market with Moses and other R&B leading artists Dondria (Jermaine Dupri's latest protege) D. Woods (formerly of Danity Kane) and crooner Jaiden.

Singersroom Live! (SR Live!), an extension of Singersroom.com, has created a signature "interactive R&B experience" utilizing an intimate concert platform to deliver the next crop of stars to music lovers, celebrities and various media outlets.

SR Live! past performers include - Chrisette Michele, Emily King , Hal Linton, K. Michelle, Johnta Austin , Megan Rochell and more.

Doors at 7pm.
The Havana Club
3112 Piedmont Road Northeast
Atlanta, GA 30305-2508 - (404) 869-8484

RSVP: rsvp@thegarnercircle.com

If you see me, make sure you come and say hello...

Isoul H. Harris
Managing Editor
944 Magazine Atlanta Written by: Isoul Harris

The first person to tweet me the correct answer to the following question will win a pair of tickets to tomorrow's 2pm performance of The Atlanta Ballet's "Sheer Exhilaration."

QUESTION: What powerful PR girl is featured in this month's 944 Picks Issue as a trailblazer?

Hint: You can go to www.944.com/magazine, click on Atlanta and find out...

Tweet the answer to: @isoulharris


Sheer Exhilaration
May 6-9, 2010

Join Atlanta Ballet for our 80th Season finale, an eclectic mixed repertoire experience of beloved classics and inventive originals. Sheer Exhilaration reflects Atlanta Ballet's history while showcasing the astonishing abilities of our dancers, who continue to take Atlanta Ballet to new heights. This production is the perfect summation of the past 80 years of excellence and the gateway to many more exemplary years to come! (via atlantaballet.com). Written by: Isoul Harris

So, even though we all love to live fabulously, its always better with less $ spent, right? So, here is an awesome deal for you that's DEBUTING TONIGHT.

LOBBY @ Twelve is featuring the ALL YOU CAN EAT and DRINK PIZZA NIGHT. Every Thursday from 6-9pm they will offer all you can eat pizza (up to 6 toppings!) from 6-9pm for only $10.00. You can enjoy all the complimentary beer and wine you want for an extra $5.00!

ALSO, (as if that's not enough to kick off the weekend- Thursday is the new Friday, if you did not know) every Thursday, Atlantic Station screens FREE movies in the park next to Lobby so you can do dinner and movie for $10.00 and then walk a few steps to a free movie.

Not bad. So, before you come to the 944 Party tonight at The GOLD ROOM, hit Lobby (see yesterday's post).

Stay tuned for more amazing deals & special events in Atlanta and exclusive stories & interviews with your favorite celebs on "PopCart".

Follow me on Twitter: @isoulharris | Facebook: Isoul H. Harris

Cheers! Written by: Isoul Harris

944 MANAGING EDITOR

ISOUL H. HARRIS

REQUESTS YOUR PRESENCE

FOR THE 944 MAGAZINE MAY "944 PICKS" ISSUE RELEASE PARTY


::: PRESENTED BY GREY GOOSE VODKA :::

THURSDAY, MAY 6TH AT GOLD ROOM ::: 8PM-2AM

HOSTED BY THE FEATURED "944 TRAILBLAZERS"
::: KENNY BURNS
::: J. MONROE
::: CHRIS MERkLE

::: ELLE DUNCAN
::: SATCHEL B. JESTER
::: BILL KAELIN
::: CAREN WEST
::: GRACE LEE
::: BOWE O'BRIEN


SPECIAL GUEST DJ'S
::: VICKI POWELL
::: KID CEDEK
::: DJ WEAPONZ

If you see me tomorrow, come and say hello...

Isoul H. Harris
Managing Editor
944 Magazine Atlanta Written by: Isoul Harris

For those ATLiens in need of a fashion fix this weekend, Simon Fashion Now is here with FREE fashion shows tonight and throughout tomorrow afternoon.

Simon Fashion Now events begin at Lenox Square with Trends and Friends Night on Friday, April 30 from 6:30 �“ 8:30 p.m. in the Neiman Marcus Wing. A series of fashion shows begin at 7:00pm in front of Macy’s, including Simon Fashion Bow Wow at 7:30 p.m. Simon Fashion Bow Wow is a design competition where adoptable dogs from Atlanta Pet Rescue will take the stage with local celebrities, each modeling spring clothing designed by fashion design students from Bauder College. In addition, shoppers will be able to participate in a raffle benefitting Atlanta Pet Rescue.

Style expert Bobbie Thomas, who appears regularly on The Today Show, will offer Simon Fashion Now attendees inspiration and advice. Bobbie will be at Lenox Square on Saturday, May 1 to meet with fans and give her top tips for spring fashions. Bobbie’s national column “The Buzz,” featured in In Touch magazine, highlights Hollywood's hottest fashion and beauty must-haves.

The shows will introduce looks from BCBGMAXAZRIA, BeBe, Ed Hardy, French Connection, Metropark, Miss Sixty/Energie, 7 For All Mankind, Steve Madden and True Religion Brand Jeans.

Simon Fashion Now continues Saturday, May 1 with shows at 12 p.m., 1 p.m., 2 p.m., 3 p.m., 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. and will feature Style Stops throughout the mall.

Written by: Isoul Harris

Grammy-award nominated Janelle Monae invites Atlanta music lovers to discover her latest album “Arch Android” at the Renaissance Atlanta Waverly Hotel with a free intimate meet and greet and album release party, running from 7-8PM tonight (April 5th!)

The address for the event:
2450 Galleria Parkway, Atlanta, GA 30339

Have fun! Written by: Isoul Harris

Atlanta is one of the music capitals of America, so it makes sense for The Black Eyed Peas, one of the world’s biggest pop groups, to kick off their world tour in our fair city (please don't refer to it as “HOTLANTA" anymore. It’s now gone the way of “Bling”).

First, I must tell you that whether you ride or die for The Peas or are just radio-weather fans, their magnetism is undeniable in concert. Every seat at Phillips Arena was packed--from the floor to the rafters (what recession?)--and will.i.am. Fergie, apl.de.ap and Taboo did not disappoint.

Of course, setting off the party with "Let's Get It Started", the Peas stormed the stage, grabbed the audience by a chokehold and did not release until the last song. Going with the 3008 theme of their latest hit album "The E.N.D. (Energy Never Dies)", their sets were filled with stereo-outfitted robots and Taboo even flew out into the audience in a glow-in-the-dark motorcycle.

Fergie and will.i.am are undoubtedly the stars of this outfit. Her solo set included all of the hits from her album "The Duchess" and she commanded the stage with equal parts hip-hop diva ("My Humps") as well as 'I-am-married-to-a movie-star" softness (“Big Girls Don’t Cry”). Her duality combined with her killer body, makes her a longtime problem for any future pop/hip-hop princess.

will.i.am is just supremely talented. Point blank. The audience (filled with all types from allowance-spending pre-teens to menopausal soccer moms) loved every bit of it.
His skill (and niche) as a producer of taking snippets of classic hip-hop songs and blending them with saccharine pop hooks may not bring him the highest of praise from hip-hop loyalists, but the only thing that matters here are the fans. And that's something this quartet is not short off.

Catch the Peas tonight in Pittsburgh at The Mellon Arena. Click here for the rest of their tour stops: http://www.blackeyedpeas.com/home/events

Isoul H. Harris
Managing Editor
Atlanta
Twitter: @isoulharris

Written by: Isoul Harris

I appeared on CBS Better Mornings Atlanta and not only talked about 944 and the new Havana Club, but I also showed off (or not) my (limited) salsa skills...

Check out the clip: http://www.cbsatlanta.com/video/22576810/index.html


Written by: Isoul Harris

So, we know its Fashion Week in New York...and who knew that celebs made major $$$ to sit in the front rows of the shows. Read this excerpt from the New York Times story "Muscling In on the Front Row" and following it is THE LIST OF CELEBS & THEIR SUPPOSED FEES:

“Their managers and agents realize fashion shows are a money-making opportunity,” said Roger Padilha, whose firm MAO Public Relations represents a number of fashion brands. “If you see an A-list star at a show, that’s because she’s making $100,000 on the deal.”

Yet this season, because of the economy and a general souring on celebrity, many designers are taking a budget approach to V.I.P.’s, paying only for a guest’s outfit for the show and maybe grooming and car-service expenses. A publicist for several New York designers said his clients had been approached by actresses in Los Angeles willing to grace their front rows �” provided travel expenses were covered. The designers said no thanks. “Nobody has the money,” the publicist said.

"Last season, Ms. Lively, a Gossip Girl, was considered a good get. This week, according to Mr. Padilha, “Sandra Bullock is the get. Even more so than Anne Hathaway.” (Ms. Hathaway, a clotheshorse, made her most recent front-row appearance in January at Giorgio Armani’s haute couture show in Paris. Ms. Bullock is a favorite to win an Oscar for her role in “The Blind Side.”)"

This following list is courtesy of Fashionista.com . While its unverified, its still fun to see what the pecking order would probably be:

A-List
Rihanna ($100,000 or more)
Beyonce ($80,000-$100,000)
Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen ($80,000 each)
Julianne Moore ($60,000)
Maggie Gyllanhal ($60,000)
Chloe Sevigny ($60,000 or more)
Jennifer Lopez (circa 2005: $80,000; circa 2010: $30,000)
Lindsay Lohan (circa 2006: $60,000; circa 2010; UNINVITED)
Colin Firth (pre-A Single Man: $5,000; post-A Single Man: $15,000)

B-List
Blake Lively ($50,000)
Leighton Meester ($40,000)
Hillary Duff ($40,000)
Other Gossip Girl cast members ($25,000 a piece)
Jared Leto ($25,000)
Cliven Owen ($10,000)
Kristen Bell (unpaid, but airfare, makeup and clothing are taken care of)

C-List
Kim Kardashian ($35,000-$50,000)
Amanda Bynes ($25,000-$30,000)
Eliza Dushku (unpaid, but airfare, makeup and clothing are taken care of)

D-List
Paris Hilton (free or UNINVITED)
Jersey Shore cast (UNINVITED)
America’s Next Top Model Winners (free)

Remember when Paris was everything...oh well.

Written by: Isoul Harris

Who knew that I had something in common with an Olympic Ice Skater?

Five -time medalist Apolo Anton Ohno recently confessed our shared obsession to People Magazine:

"I have a lot of shoes," Ohno says. "I have a weird, weird, obsessive amount of shoes. I just ordered three more pairs the other day. It's not only athletic shoes. I've got shoes I haven't worn, and I bought them three months ago, and they are just sitting in the box. It's bad. It's a problem. The first step is admitting it, and I just did!"

Well, I admitted it long ago and it still hasn't curbed my enthusiasm.







Written by: Isoul Harris