WELCOME to "The Life of Riley" which will include periodic chronicles of pop culture and possibilities that flow out of Patrick L. Riley's day. That's me!!! Through blogging (and soon some other technological features on which I'll keep you posted as they launch), I will pull experiences from my busy life to entertain and inspire all of you. Through this site, I will share my observations and insights. Some features to look forward to:
1.) "PATRICK'S POP UP(DATES)" will feature stories from pop culture, music, theater, fashion, and the entertainment industry at large.
2.) "The Life of Riley" will also introduce a "take-a-look-at-your-life" section (READ: sort of an advice column), where I will help readers come up with their own questions and answers around what "ways of being" are working (or not working) to have them acheive their respective goals and live their best lives. This section is called "WHO YOU BE?".
3.) Additonally, there will be a free-flowing, organic section called "TESTIFY" from which I will pull from my own life's journey to share and hopefully inspire. Some of the fare may be new musings and experiences. Other times, I may pull from my journals and past sharings to shed light on some uncomfortable truths that I've experienced and that may perhaps play a role in healing someone else's wounds as the real-life experience did for me. From my experience of covering 9/11 as a freelance journalist to courageously coming out (as gay) to my family, "TESTIFY" promises to move those who choose to read it.
4.) And a section titled "PR" (like my initials, but also like "public relations") will include press clips from any coverage I get.
Entries in PATRICK'S POP(UP)DATES/TESTIFY/PR (324)
black history 2014
ARISE ENTERTAINMENT 360 - MORE BROADWAY
WE’RE TALKING MORE BROADWAY 2014!!! A LOT OF GREAT SHOWS ALREADY OUT and/or COMING OUT! Prior appearances on ARISE ENTERTAINMENT 360 had me predicting winners from the TONY AWARDS nominations:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTd5S1wKUs0. 
ARISE ENTERTAINMENT 360 has been one of my recurring outlets to talk BROADWAY:http://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=RDxfe-hG_aY. In the aforementioned ARISE 360 Broadway segment, I predicted the iconic Cicely Tyson would be nominated for her role in Broadway'sThe Trip to Bountiful Broadway. 
And she was!! YAY! So, they played that clip and referenced my prediction the following day:http://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=uuJEs6ruin0. I was again on ARISE recently to talk GATSBY: the book, the film(s), the blueprint on hip hop! HERE'S THE LINK: http://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=mBT9mSmfmCo. 
A friend took these snapshots from their smart phone. As always, THANKS for your support. #NEWS4AT7Prior to this panel, I did an EMMY RE-CAP panel with TV Guide Magazine's Matt Roush:http://youtu.be/ lKDDhF_6qy4 and that was a call-back that came from the EMMY NOMINATIONSROUND-UP we did in July:http://www.nbcnewyork.com/ video/#!/on-air/as-seen-on/ Emmy-Nominations-for-2013/ 216162211. And 
I'd originally done a BROADWAY segment with them a few months ago:http://www.nbcnewyork.com/ on-air/as-seen-on/Pop-Culture-Expert-Patrick-Riley-on-Black-Broadway_New-York.html. I am inside a lot of bookings from NBC-related entities - one from MSNBC's "First Look" to weigh in on Beyonce's Inauguration performance (a phoner). NBC's other platforms have come a calling: NBC News/The Grio has been calling on me - recently to weigh-in on the NAACP's endorsement of gay marriage:http://www.thegrio.com/politics/will-naacp-gay-marriage-resolution-change-black-hearts-and-minds.php;
On New Year's Eve to 2011, I made my "debut" on THE TODAY SHOW (as on-cam 'pop culture analyst') inside a piece that Mara did on the ball drop in New York's Times Square (http://216.117.188.141/PRiley/PatrickDemoSept2011.mov). #NEWS4AT7
Yolanda Adams and Jordin Sparks were in the house. Well, TWO YEARSLATER, Wendy discovers her Disney Side on a recent family vacation to Walt Disney World ® Resort when she tasted food and drinks from around the world at Epcot - Walt Disney World Center! http://youtu.be/76FBGNfZ7vQ. Wendy discovered her Disney Side when she became a Princess for a Day: VIDEO: http://youtu.be/n0nWYUq_3KQ. I had the privilege of producing her down there and working with her show’s team to put these special pieces together. A JOY! Thanks ALL for your support! XO
Beyonce's Grammy dress designer Michael Costello Fashion Week show 2014. 
I was seated next to ATL Housewife cast Nene, Greg, and Cynthia (Kenya was there too along with Anthony Harper, Derrick Hemphill, Arise Entertainment 360’s Lola Ogunnaike, E! News Alicia Quarles, 
“The Real” co-host/3LW/Cheetah Girl Adrienne Bailon, Baskteball Wives LA Laura Govan, my friend/model Christopher Kadima, Beyonce’sstylist (who brought her Costello’s dress) Ty Hunter, 
several cast members from “Shahs of Sunset” and many more! Fun night that capped off in Harlem at Park 112 with Ant’s Denver sister friend Sabrina Coleman (in town for business – casting curvy models for the Fashionlinkvi Fashion Weekend); 
“Fashion Queen” Bevy Smith; entertainment attorney and legal analyst of note Lisa Bonner; designer Priya Scoggins; and a host of our other friends!
Big shout out to Morehouse brother Mario Ephriam for the ‘family reunion’!#MBFW #NYFW 
#MBFW #NYFW AND Shout out to Mindy Cohn – Natalie from The Facts of Life! THANK YOU, BOO! She invited me to attend her friends Mark and Estel’s fashion show as Mercedes-Benzs NEW YORK FASHION WEEK kicks off at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts! The SALON TENT was the backdrop.https://www.facebook.com/markandestel.malibuand/or http://markandestel.us.com/ is how you can learn more. But let me tell a little bit about Mark and Estel FW14 RUNWAY from their bio: Mark Tango and Estel Day launched their fashion brand “Mark and Estel” in Los Angeles in 2005. Made in the USA, the Mark and Estel fashion line boasts signature fashion tees, flowing dresses and iconic cutout leggings alongside ready to wear jackets and separates. The duo’s rocker style and love of music signaled the simultaneous launch of their band “Mark and Estel,” and their fashion/music hybrid quickly became their brand signature. Their fashion line emerged in the press early on, when Mary Kate Olsen (the fashion designer of “The Row”) began wearing their designs. 
In 2009, Mark and Estel garnered further recognition when they custommade their ‘Ripped & Holey Leggings’ for Lady Gaga on her Fame Ball Tour. Mark and Estel’s rockerchic yet incredibly comfortable silhouettes continue to count fashionistas and sporty girls as their customers, alongside music and fashion celebrities including Jessica Simpson and Mischa Barton. Over 13 seasons, the line has steadily grown, selling in over 300 retail locations in the USA and internationally, including in Japan, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, France, Spain, Norway, Canada, Singapore, China, Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Guatemala, Mexico, and Egypt. Mark and Estel are proud to present their 14th collection on the runway at New York Fashion Week. - See more at: http://www.mbfashionweek.com/designers/mark_and_estel#sthash.yUKHevXv.dpuf BY THE WAY: Did you see Mindy on OPRAH WHERE ARE THEY NOW? from an interview I conducted a couple of months ago: http://www.oprah.com/own-where-are-they-now/How-Mindy-Cohn-Tackled-the-Sex-Talk-on-The-Facts-of-Life-Video The popular '80s sitcom The Facts of Life was known for tackling controversial topics like eating disorders, drug use and peer pressure. Mindy Cohn, the actress who played Natalie Green, told me that when it came time to talk about sex, she thought it was important for one of the characters to lose her virginity on television. Watch as she explains why she volunteered for that role. Tune in Friday night at 9/8c. Read more: http://www.oprah.com/own-where-are-they-now/How-Mindy-Cohn-Tackled-the-Sex-Talk-on-The-Facts-of-Life-Video#ixzz2qNNi64BK HERE’S A LOOK at what was in that whole episode!http://www.oprah.com/own-where-are-they-now/First-Look-Debbie-Allen-Lisa-Whelchel--William-Shatner-Video My ANDRE LEON TALLEY and JILL ZARIN run tomorrow night at 9p! #MBFW#NYFW #OLDWORLDCOLLECTION#MARKANDESTEL #WhereAreTheyNow
Frenchie was wonderful! Still-beautiful voice! She did a mix of the standards - in general and that she's performed before like "Ain't Misbehavin'". But she also did some cool "Gospelizing" (I call it) interpretations of "non-singing pop diva" fare (as she calls it): "We Found Love" - Rihanna and a Britney Spears medley: BRILLIANT re-interps. NO "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" but she closed with "Home" - giving proper homage to Diana Ross and Stephanie Mills' distinctively iconic versions while making "Somewhere Over The Rainbow for Black people" her own (Frenchie joked). This is the first show she's produced on herself - to simply do material she wants and to use her 'head voice' sometimes vs. always belting. Talented woman!!!! And super sweet! The banter was cute - including lots of references to her being a Lesbian inside a committed relationship with a woman named Diana who she affectionately calls "Daddy". 
The soon-to-be-finally-Howard-U-graduate sprinkled references to that crowning achievement throughout the show (including reference to the mentorship of Debbie Allen's dance school in L.A. providing the course-load for Frenchie to fulfill her dancing credits to get her musical theater degree from Howard. Allen - and her sister Phylicia Rashad - also referenced - are Howard U alums)! This is the first show she's produced on herself - to simply do material she wants and to use her 'head voice' sometimes vs. always belting. This, en route to a desired return to Broadway - including a call-back on the table now for "Book of Mormon" and she says Carol Channing has endorsed her reprising "Hello Dolly".
THE LIFE OF RILEY
in A Raising in the Sun, Arise Entertainment 360, Broadway, Denzel Washington, Frenchie Davis, KENYA MOORE, Nene Leakes, PATRICK'S POP(UP)DATES/TESTIFY/PR, Real Housewives of Atlanta
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hallelujah amen
Shout out to friend Amanda Johnson for getting me involved in this “IT GETS BETTER” project! 
Check out the link here: http://www.advocate.com/youth/no-more-bullying/2014/01/24/healing-one-truth-time She brought me to the attention of Wells Fargo which is producing a video campaign titled “It Gets Better”. 
The purpose of the “IT GETS BETTER” video is to inspire teenagers who may have been bullied and offer them inspiration – perhaps that may have been lacking when I was coming up. To borrow a phrase my late, great mom often used: ONE DAY AT A TIME, SWEET JESUS! This comes on the heels of a recent profile that UPTOWN UNPLUGGED did on me - including references to the same MILESTONES in my LIFE!
http://uptownmagazine.com/2013/12/h-list-patrick-riley-video/
- The commercial for this year: http://youtu.be/nXxBjm9rZqU
- Our Recap Reel: http://youtu.be/I4gxs_uegCk
- Please check out the NFL Players Choir Recap Reel: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nbvi-blpJ-I
- The site:http://superbowlgospel.com
- Social Media: https://www.facebook.com/SuperBowlGospel / https://twitter.com/SuperBowlGospel
- SBGC has implemented several community relations/grassroots campaign that includes strategic advocacy and relationship building to successfully saturate core audience. Activities include:
- Ticket donation to in-market charities and community organizations. To date more than 5,000 tickets have been donated.
- Participation in local market activities including parades, community events, luncheons, church events, etc. Fundraiser for in-market churches (Monies have been used to purchase instruments, choir robes, fund trips, etc.).
- Cross promotions with select host committee activities
THE LIFE OF RILEY
in Donnie McClurkin, Gospel, MARY MARY, NFL, PATRICK'S POP(UP)DATES/TESTIFY/PR, Patti LaBelle, Stellar Awards, Superbowl, Tamala Mann
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Romeo and Juliet from Broadway in MOVIE THEATERS Feb 13 thru 19
Hi folks,
And from COZI-TV on NBC: http://www.nbcnewyork.com/on-air/as-seen-on/Pop-Culture-Expert-Patrick-Riley-on-Black-Broadway_New-York.html to ARISE ENTERTAINMENT 360: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDxfe-hG_aY and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AijZZeZgFkQ, it's been a HALLELUJAH CHOIR for all things Condola and "Romeo & Juliet". 
Even for those who saw the stage production, there is certainly an interesting perspective seeing it in a different medium. 
The stunningly modern stage production has received acclaimed-reviews, including this from the New York Times: “Mr Bloom in a first-rate Broadway debut and the gifted Rashad exude a too fine for this world purity that makes their characters’ love feel sacred.” In addition to Bloom and Rashad, the cast includes Christian Camargo (The Hurt Locker, Dexter), Justin Guarini (American Idol, American Idiot), Tony Award winners Brent Carver (Kiss of the Spider Woman, Sleepy Hollow), Chuck Cooper (Law & Order, American Gangster), and two-time nominee Jayne Houdyshell (Follies). Romeo and Juliet was captured for cinema on November 27 at New York’s Richard Rodgers Theatre by the multiple, Emmy award-winning Don Roy King (Saturday Night Live).
While ROMEO AND JULIET is the most famous love story of all time, this production marked the first time in 36 years that the play was produced on Broadway.
TICKETS
For movie times and tickets, visit http://broadwayhd.com/
ONLINE & SOCIAL NETWORKS
Website: www.RomeoAndJulietBroadway.com
Facebook: www.Facebook.com/RomeoJulietBway
Twitter: www.Twitter.com/RomeoJulietBway
Instagram: www.Instagram.com/RomeoJulietBway
Google+: Plus.google.com/+RomeoJulietBway
Film Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4ZvduhMstA
THE LIFE OF RILEY
in Broadway, Condola Rashad, Lifetime, Orlando Bloom, PATRICK'S POP(UP)DATES/TESTIFY/PR, Romeo & Juliet, Shakespeare, Steel Magnolias, The Trip to Bountiful
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uptown h list a la nyc and savannah
If you have time, scroll through the year while on your break, please feel free: http://thelifeofriley.squarespace.com/rilys-blog/.
I'd mentioned taping this a couple of months ago: http://thelifeofriley.squarespace.com/rilys-blog/2013/11/21/it-gets-better.html.
THE LIFE OF RILEY
in H List, Harlem, New York City, PATRICK'S POP(UP)DATES/TESTIFY/PR, Porsha Williams Stewart, Real Housewives of Atlanta, Red Rooster, Savannah, Uptown Magazine
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it gets better
bday
Okay! So, since Anthony Harper and I hooked up December 1, 2005, he's thrown me some awesome BIRTHDAY parties!
In 2006, he was still in Denver, but flew in as my birthday gift: http://thelifeofriley.squarespace.com/rilys-blog/2006/11/21/a-birthday-in-the-life-of-riley.html. 
In 2007, he outdid himself! He came into a windfall and spent it all on me: a romantic trip for two to Manila where we saw - in concert - Beyonce who we met and who - at the end of the show - serenaded me "Happy Birthday". A TRUE HIGHLIGHT! http://thelifeofriley.squarespace.com/rilys-blog/2007/11/12/manifest-destiny-destination-manila.html. 
And that year, he further outdid himself stateside:
http://thelifeofriley.squarespace.com/rilys-blog/2007/11/20/keeping-the-music-playing-on-my-p-day.html. 
In 2008, it was a karaoke set! What a blast: http://thelifeofriley.squarespace.com/rilys-blog/2008/11/26/accept-me-flaws-and-all-and-thats-why-i-love-all-of-you.html.
In 2009, I'd just returned from a year away in L.A. and Atlanta - producing "Monica: Still Standing" and "Frankie & Neffe" - 
so this party was a WELCOME HOME party after a rough year away from home and apart from the one I love: http://thelifeofriley.squarespace.com/rilys-blog/2009/11/17/la-proved-too-much-for-the-man.html.
2010 was quite the extravaganza.
Many beats to this year.
All great onces - including a set at the tony Griffin in the meatpacking district: http://thelifeofriley.squarespace.com/rilys-blog/2010/12/1/i-recall-the-scenes-that-never-die.html. 
In 2011, it was karaoke.
But there were also other locales for celebrating - including New Rochelle.
Also, Sid's Harlem pad served as the backdrop for one of the nights: http://thelifeofriley.squarespace.com/rilys-blog/2011/12/14/get-into-it.html. 
In 2012, there was more karaoke: http://thelifeofriley.squarespace.com/rilys-blog/2012/11/19/golden-hearts.html. 
And this year's "chicken and champagne" set was a low-key hang of just a few buddies on the block - all of whom came out to play on a school night. Shout out to childhood BFF Ernest Maynor; Derrick Hemphill; Isoul Harris; Kevin Freeman; Monique Taylor; Nathan Hale Williams; Jamar Dunn; Mr. Eric (One of the glam squad for the Fashion Queens); 
and - GASP! - is that "internet wifey" and "Amazing Grace", BFF Mara Schiavocampo in the house? YAZZZZZZZ! LOL! The intimate set was hosted by my buddy Merrell, celebrity makeup artist to Wendy Williams, Diddy, Usher, and many more. His fried chicken is the best! And how GRATEFUL am I for Ant and everybody who LIFTED ME UP on my birthday this year! THANKS TO EVERYBODY! 
And a special shout out for my nephew who put his special touch on my birthday extravaganza: a great meal at our favorite Hillstone. 
And I got to hang with my buddy Bobby Roache before that meal. Always good to chill with my brother from another mother. 
Though my birthday was Tuesday, November 19th, I want to SHOUT OUT ALL who came out to KARAOKE with me at Karaoke Duet 53 last night! 
WHAT A BLAST! So many of my friends from my many walks of life were in the house: Friends from Savannah Ernest Maynor and Maurice Marable were in the house;
Maurice brought our friend, sometimes-boss, and fellow “creative” in common: 
Kendrick Reid, Senior Vice President and Executive Creative Director, Brand Strategy for BET Networks 
(who is my fellow Scorpio along with my fellow “karaoke” BFF Dante Higgins and our girlfriend Ashley Fettig – 
both of whom attended with extended fam in tow. Thanks Brandon, Mike, et al!).
Was great to see my young NABJ buddy and my former Harpo colleagues (now-fellow-freelance-writer/producers here in NYC): Blair Youngerr and Suzanne. Of course, my usual suspects were in the house: 
Jamar Dunn, Derrick Hemphill,
Dayne Brett, etc. And I was UBER-EXCITED to have in the house: Mr.Justiin A Davis of HBO’s Boardwalk Empire fame:https://www.facebook.com/JustiinDavis. TOTAL HONOR! BIGGEST SHOUT OUT to my partner Ant for ensuring I felt the LOVE from the night and my birthday overall! 
THANKS, BABE!
GREAT NIGHT!
It gets better
Shout out to Amanda Johnson with Here Media (www.heremedia.com). She brought me to the attention of Wells Fargo which is producing a video campaign titled “It Gets Better” in conjunction with Out Magazine 
(in which I was once featured as a, ahem, model: Was my MAHOGANY MOMENT! LOL! http://thelifeofriley.squarespace.com/rilys-blog/2009/7/28/im-so-glad-we-had-this-time-together.html 
And some more intel on it: http://thelifeofriley.squarespace.com/rilys-blog/2009/2/2/we-will-find-a-way.html.
And a piece on when I stumbled into the opportunity before the issue came out.
Thanks Sandra Lee and OUT!: http://thelifeofriley.squarespace.com/rilys-blog/2008/8/15/butterflies-begin-from-having-been-another.html)!
The OUT 100 gala took place recently…and what a BLAST it was! Was great to hang out with my buddies – including Morehouse brother and UPTOWN Magazine Editor-in-Chief Isoul Harris and my dear friend DeMarco Majors.
DeMarco introduced me to Gerald McCullouch (Best known for playing Bobby Dawson on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation...
but currently DIRECTOR on a new film project DADDY: A Film Written By Dan Via (www.daddythemovie.com and www.facebook.com/daddythemovie and TWITTER: @daddythemovie). ALSO IN THE HOUSE: 
My boy Derrick; 
American actress, reality star, and transgender activist Laverne Cox; 
and RUPAUL DRAG RACE winner Sharon Needles.
I also considered it a total honor to chat with Gail Marquis and the legendary Audrey Smaltz – a married couple that is featured inside the sixth installment of a series of short films by Antony Osso: “THE DEVOTION PROJECT”: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBjdokpUQpM. This series of films documenting LGBTQ couples and the love they share. It premiered online on February 14, 2013. The first five films, "More Than Ever", "Say Only Yes", "Listen from the Heart", "My Person" and "Build Your Wings" are also available on the channel.
The purpose of the “IT GETS BETTER” video is to inspire teenagers who may have been bullied and offer them inspiration – perhaps that may have been lacking when I was coming up. We worked the red carpet and enjoyed the VIP benefit of this event and soon, a nice video package will be readied for global viewing. And I’ll be sure to blast it your way, once it’s done. For more information, please go to www.Out.com/Out100 #OUT100
ebony
Thanks to Linda Johnson Rice, Desiree Rogers, and Amy Dubois Barnett for inviting Ant and me to EBONY's POWER 100!
What an awesome evening inside of which we honored the 100 most influential African Americans in the country
- including Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Berry Gordy - Motown Founder and Music Impresario.
You know I got the chance to work as the Opening Night host of Broadway's "Motown: The Musical": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KK1yncqPlOQ. Shout out to Director Charles Randolph Wright for reminding Mr. Gordy. 
Also honored: President Barack Obama; Kerry Washington; Earvin "Magic" Johnson; Nick Cannon; and Marian Wright Edelman. 
The gala celebration took place in New York City at Jazz at Lincoln Center's Frederick P. Rose Hall in the Time Warner Center. The EBONY editorial team selected the 100 most influential African Americans in the country. The 2013 Power 100 list will appear in the December/January issue of EBONY on newsstands. 
AND P.S. ALWAYS GOOD TO SEE MY FRIENDS! XOXOXOXOXOX 
Uptown Unplugged
ALL ON A LUNCH BREAK! LOL! Hi folks! I’ll have more to say on this when it actually launches VERY SOON this month! 
But let me now SHOUT OUT my Morehouse brother Isoul Harris for introducing me to the awesome team behind UPTOWN Unplugged, which UPTOWN is launching as an extension to its brand. 
As I’ve been featured in the FAB mag’s H List a time or few (http://thelifeofriley.squarespace.com/rilys-blog/tag/uptown-magazine), the H List (and a little of my story) come to LIFE via this segment which focuses on individuals the editors and producers feel are tastemakers and scene stealers! SCENE STEALERS???????! LOL!
I guess that’s me! LOL! As an independent producer/personality/writer and veteran pop culture expert (their words! LOL! AM I THAT OLD? LOL!), the amazing team of Executive Producer Lynne McDaniel and talent booker extraordinaire Tyese Carmichael –Styles invited me to chat and be one of their first short-form episodes (3-5 minutes) on UPTOWN Unplugged, which will live on YouTube among other platforms. My friend, Co-Founder and Group Publisher of Uptown Magazine, Len Burnett, says the new channel will offer a mix of original and curated content. 
Marriott International is the presenting sponsor for “The H List” and two other original series: “Uptown Studio” (for which the AMAZING HOST WITH THE MOST, MISS ASHLEI, interviewed me on its comfy, intimate, lounge-type set inside one of Ren 57 Hotel’s midtown suites) and “Uptown ProFiles” – all of which are interview-style series (primarily being shot at the Uptown Studio located in the Renaissance New York Hotel). Uptown Unplugged will also look to produce and distribute original and curated branded content. 
UPTOWN Magazine celebrates the luxury lifestyle of professional and influential urban consumers across the country with city-specific editions in New York, Philadelphia, Charlotte, Atlanta, Detroit, Chicago, and Washington, D.C. 
Its editorial content, promotion, and brand extensions communicate the appeal of a luxury lifestyle with an authoritative voice and sophisticated design. Editorial content highlights the best in home décor, automotive, technology, fashion and jewelry, fitness, health and beauty, travel and leisure, food and wine, sports and entertainment, and arts and culture. 
It also includes provocative profiles of the tastemakers who represent this audience. AND TO RECAP: “UPTOWN Unplugged” creates and distributes celebrity and lifestyle video programming for that young and happening demo that aspires and inspires (my words). As a premier digital entertainment destination, UPTOWN Unplugged is a fully-integrated channel extension of the Uptown Magazine brand. All shows featured on the Uptown Unplugged Channel are distributed across all relevant media platform extensions and through our exclusive partnerships. 
The channel will be promoted and leveraged via all forms of social media. #uptownunplugged #uptownstudio #uptownmag
Black nativity
So on my “birthday eve”, I attended the BLACK NATIVITY premiere at THE APOLLO! 
Shout out to my Spelman and NABJ sister Tosha Whitten Griggs with Front Page Media PR for the LOVE! Afterwards, the cast and guests gathered at Red Rooster for the after party. 
As the day grew long in the tooth from having had many juggling balls yesterday, I instead tried out the new “Red Lobster” (don’t judge! LOL!) and headed home.
But before, fellow BLACK NATIVITY attendees and my BFFs/MOREHOUSE brothers Michael K. Watts, Mario Ephriam, and Herman L. Riley III – also my “favorite” nephew joined Ant and me to wish me an EARLY HAPPY BIRTHDAY! LOVE MY BROTHERS, NEPHEW, MAN, FRIENDS, and FAM! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME! Black Nativity, starring Forest Whitaker, Angela Bassett, Jennifer Hudson, Jacob Latimore, Tyrese Gibson, Luke James, NAS and Mary J. Blige.
Flo Anthony
Special shout out to my friend/fellow LIFE AFTER pundit/Celebrity Gossip Reporter/NOVELIST Flo Anthony who has a new book out! “Deadly Stuff Players” is Flo's second novel and is filled with juicy tid-bits from Hollywood's hottest nightclubs; boardrooms, steamy bedrooms;
and behind ALL the scenes. A Howard University Graduate, Flo was the first Black woman in the nation to work on a gossip page: NY Post's highly-revered Page Six. LOVE YOU, FLO! CONGRATULATIONS on your GREAT READ! Perfect for the HOLIDAYS! http://www.amazon.com/Deadly-Stuff-Players-Flo-Anthony/dp/1593095074 #deadlystuffplayers
blood sweat heels
We are ALL celebrating the “platinum” success of my friend BEVY SMITH and her “FASHION QUEENS” – including Miss Lawrence Washington and Derek J – the latter of whom I had the chance to meet during my “reality” days in 2009
– producing “Monica: Still Standing” and “Frankie & Neffe” (in Atlanta while the 2nd season of “Real Housewives of Atlanta” was taping and the sequel of “Why Did I Get Married?” was filming): http://www.bravotv.com/fashion-queens. 
Meanwhile, another friend and a couple of associates I’ve had the chance to get to know inside New York’s elite circle of high-style media socialites and tastemakers have been announced as the stars of a NEW Bravo venture that is scheduled to launch at the top of 2014. 
Former video vixen turned realtor Melyssa Ford is starring alongside two women I know: 
modeling agency owner Mica Hughes (dear friend I met years ago through one of my BFFs Lisa Goodnight) and a style and pop culture journalist with whom I recently had the chance to work on a project with mutual client BET (under the supervision of Michaela angela Davis), Geneva S. Thomas – Detroit’s own. 
Affordable-style expert Daisy Lewellyn and “A Belle in Brooklyn” blogger and author Demetria Lucas round out the cast of “Blood, Sweat & Heels,” which premieres Sunday, Jan. 5 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. The premise: a group of up-and-coming movers and shakers in New York’s elite circles of real estate, fashion, and media are chronicled...and it the trailer demos lots of drama: http://www.bravotv.com/blood-sweat-and-heels. GO MICA! http://www.bravotv.com/people/mica-hughes/bio.
Where Are They Now?
I've been workin' overtime these days! And I'm grateful for work coming my way ---- on so many platforms and from an array of clients - old and new. I don't typically promote in my blog space assignments I do for recurring client OWN as so much of what I'm assigned is confidential. 
But I will ask you to tune into "Oprah: Where Are They Now?" as an interview I conducted with Mayor Rudy Giuliani has been excerpted and is ready for air this Sunday at 10/9c. 
As always, I appreciate your support! http://www.oprah.com/WhereAreTheyNow
Subscribe to OWN: http://bit.ly/18Lz0rV #WhereAreTheyNow
THE LIFE OF RILEY
in CSI, Deadly Stuff Players, Ebony 100, Flo Anthony, Gerald McCullouch, Out 100, PATRICK'S POP(UP)DATES/TESTIFY/PR, TV One, WENDY WILLIAMS
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