A DAY IN "THE LIFE OF RILEY"

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FRED HAMMOND

I love me some FRED HAMMOND! And guess what? HE IS IN TOWN THIS WEEK…as in THIS FRIDAY (12-21-12) at NJPAC! For tickets and more information, please click here: http://bit.ly/njpacLOR.  And tell them “…LIFE OF RILEY…” sent you!

Meanwhile, this WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR has us quite socially busy:

HOLIDAY PARTIES

Got to enjoy bowling and all of the deep-fried accoutrements at a holiday party – hosted by my recurring client BET Creative Services. GREAT TIME! Went to many holiday parties – including one hosted by one of my HARPO BFFs Ray Dotch – now a New Yorker! WELCOME, RAY! From there, Ant’s Denver peeps called us to Williamsburgh, Brooklyn for cocktails and dancing – holiday style! Great to see Manivone, Vilay, Dustin, and Paul. And the Claytons were in the house: Taha, Mustafa, and their sister Sameeya. WONDERFUL NIGHT! Another busy night had us toasting  two friends John Castro and Merrell Hollis for their birthdays (Harlem pad and Club 7/Mission respectively)! Also, got to squeeze in some BBQ-time with buddy Tony – in town from L.A. Lemuel Adams and my Carl Nelson were also in the mix. But the cream of the party crop was Mara Schiavocampo and Tommie Porter’s NINA who turns ONE.          Of course, Ant and I couldn't miss it! NINA insisted we be there! As we all gathered to celebrate her, we also got a toast in for Nina’s mom, NBC News correspondent/now-named anchor of the early-morning NBC program 'Early Today,' which airs at 4 AM ET and MSNBC's early news show 'First Look,' which airs at 5 AM ET. This, plus she will continue in her role as a correspondent, contributing to all of the NBC News platforms and programs. CONGRATS, NINA'S MOM!).

FRIENDS

On the evening of Nina’s bash, we made our way to 230 Fifth Ave to celebrate the life of our dear friend, Ross Burton. Gone too soon, but what a WONDERFUL LIFE! He touched many lives…and it was GREAT for all of us who knew him to get together – in fellowship and comfort during a difficult time.

KIMBERLA LAWSON ROBY

My publicist friend Shandra Hill Smith reached out recently regarding NAACP Award Nominee and New York Times bestselling author Kimberla Lawson Roby (www.kimroby.com). Her newest work, “THE PERFECT MARRIAGE”, Roby’s 18th title, releases on Tuesday, January 8, 2013. The Illinois native/resident is a nominee in the Outstanding Literary Work of Fiction category for the 44th Annual NAACP Image Awards (February 1, 2013). Starting with THE PERFECT MARRIAGE, Roby will have three titles published in 2013 by Grand Central Publishing, a division of Hachette Book Group. It’s a topic that grabs headlines on an almost daily basis — prescription drug abuse— the nation’s fastest-growing drug problem, according to the Office of National Drug Control Policy. In THE PERFECT MARRIAGE, she weaves a tale of a husband and wife — both functioning addicts balancing family and career — and their 12-year-old daughter caught in the middle. With more than two million copies in print, and known for tackling real-life social issues such as corruption within the church, sexual abuse, gambling addiction, domestic violence and racial and gender discrimination in the workplace, Roby was moved to bring attention to the issues of drug abuse and addicts who manage to mask their addictions. Again, THE PERFECT MARRIAGE releases on January 8, 2013. Roby also appears in the January 2013 issue of ESSENCE magazine and recently was featured in USA Today: http://books.usatoday.com/happyeverafter/post/2012-09-02/recommended-last-bride-in-ballymuir-the-booby-trap/837287/1.

BUT ONE MORE TIME TO MY GOSPEL LOVERS OUT THERE: FRED HAMMOND IS IN TOWN THIS WEEK…as in THIS FRIDAY (12-21-12) at NJPAC! For tickets and more information, please click here: http://bit.ly/njpacLOR.  And tell them “…LIFE OF RILEY…” sent you!