A DAY IN "THE LIFE OF RILEY"

mo’ better arise

I guest co-hosted this week on Arise Entertainment 360 – filling in for my friend Shannon Lanier and rejoining Sharon Carpenter who is filling in for our beloved Lola Ogunnaike. YOU can watch them (and me from time to time) - now on Time Warner, Verizon Fios, and On Demand... www.YouTube.com/AriseENT360. As always, THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT! Here are a few of the segments we did this week:

Author of "The Work" Wes Moore!

- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghEXbewLspY

The Authors of "Single Man Married Man!"

- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hbvDBYlCJs

Author of "MelloYello" Walker Smith!

- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHd0HBPTpQ4

T.S. MONK (Thelonious Monk III)

- http://youtu.be/1EMJPYRQSW4

BRIAN WATKINS (jeweler)

- http://youtu.be/T4dNgHuqxa4. 

 #arise360 #ariseTV360 #allstarkaraoke #billiesblack #wesmoore #thework #singlemanmarriedman #pervistaylor #melloyello #jacktherapper #walkersmith

cindy crawford

Shout out to my dear friend Kiwan Michael Anderson, Special Events Manager at Ω OMEGA Watches (Division of The Swatch Group (U.S.), Inc.): www.omegawatches.com/corbis. He made sure Anthony Harper and I were in the house at The NY Historical Society to celebrate the screening of a special documentary OMEGA produced with iconic Supermodel and businesswoman Cindy Crawford and Orbis (the flying eye hospital). Crawford narrates the compelling doc. Nice to pop by my friends Mario and Randall’s Thursday night set in HARLEM: NABE. FUN TIMES! #omegaorbisteddy

beyond the lights

Shout out to Tagan Lee and Anna Fuson for getting me out to the Parker Meridian Hotel-Bar to see Director SUPREME Gina Prince-Bythewood whose Beyond the Lights is now available on Digital HD via iTunes and Amazon digital – just in time for Valentine’s Day! It will release on Blu-ray™ & DVD Feb 24. The PG-13 film – called by some a modern-day The Bodyguard – stars Gugu Mbatha-Raw (also from Belle – the premiere of which I got to attend and meet Gugu); my buddy Nate Parker (who I recently saw in L.A. while out there Executive Producing NBCUniversal’s The More You Know campaign for 2015-16); Minnie Driver; Richard Colson Baker (MGK); and Danny Glover. I got to interview Gina Prince-Bythewood and Nate Parker in Chicago in 2008 at the National Association of Black Journalists' annual convention where they were promoting The Secret Life of Bees (film) - also directed by Gina: http://thelifeofriley.squarespace.com/rilys-blog/2008/7/29/like-i-never-left.html.#beyondthelightsfilm #nateparker#belle #BeyondTheLights 

between riverside and crazy

ALSO: Shouting out my friend Marcia Pendelton for getting Anthony Harper, Marlynn Snyder, Derrick Hemphill, and more out to see one of several off-Broadway productions she’s marketing where the lives of African-Americans unfold in front of the audience in bold, diverse strokes. Our latest treat from her repository of HOT SHOWS was Between Riverside and Crazy by Stephen Adly Guirgis starring Stephen McKinley Henderson and Ron Cephas Jones, now playing at Second Stage Theatre, through March 22…and inside its very NYC-centric narrative, the two-act play is nothing short of spectacular! MUST-CHECK-OUT

#SecondStageTheatre#BetweenRiversideandCrazy 

loud 100

Shout out to David Bridgeforth for including me on your Loud 100 LGBT PEOPLE OF COLOR OF 2014 LIST http://dbqmag.com/loud100.html. Go see who else made the list! CONGRATS to all of my brethren and sisters! #dbq #loud100 #lgbt

blackbird

A few months ago, I shared with all of your that I attended Film Life Presents the 18th annual American Black Film Festival in NYC: www.abff.com - at which my friend Patrik-Ian Polk PREMIERED his NEW FILM “BLACKBIRD – Executive Produced by and Starring Academy Award winner Mo’Nique. Well,  the distribution deal is done and the theatrical release date is April 24th: http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/exclusive-umc-sets-theatrical-date-for-patrik-ian-polks-blackbird-new-release-poster-trailer-20150210. Here is the trailer:

https://vimeo.com/86641697  #blkbirdthefilm #abff

lesbe real radio talk

 Shout out to Jazz Gray-Sadler, Producer and Host of LesBe Real Radio Talk! She popped into New York City for her birthday and squeezed me in for a FAB TALK that she'll be sharing via her airwaves very soon. Stay tuned for those details.  Meanwhile, please take a few minutes to check out this video & article to learn more about her journey:  http://www.newsworks.org/index.php/speak-easy/speak-easy-feature/item/75910-a-live-mic-for-lgbt-philadelphias-most-disenfranchised. ALSO: Check out What's New @ LesBe Real on Pinterest! Adventure, Lovers, Travel, Wellness & more...www.pinterest.com/lesbereal1/ THANKS JAZZ! Looking forward to seeing/hearing our CHAT! #lesberealradiotalk