A Day In "The Life Of Riley"

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.

5.) And anytime pictures or video can support an entry (in the blog, and perhaps in the subsequent podcasts, my space, and website), those visuals will keep things aesthetically enrolling. That section will be called "MY TUBE".

PLAYING TO THE POP IN POSSIBILITIES!

Patrick L. Riley

Entries in Michael Strahand (1)

soul out loud

KEKE WYATT

WEEK 4 of Billie's Black presents ALL STAR KARAOKE with Patrick L. Riley did that!

It featured the announcement of our #motownmay

And Keke Wyatt was our SUPREMELY SPECIAL GUEST!

She SANG - including a LOVELY BDAY serenade for my partner Anthony Harper! It was to the tune of "If Only You Knew" - a song Keke Wyatt covered some years ago of the Patti LaBelle classic: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10202471111313827&set=vb.1075882270&type=2&theater.

First things first, THANKS to everybody for coming out! We had record numbers on the strength of our little night that could... and IS DOING - only because of our ALL STAR KARAOKE regulars who support us week-after-week at Billie's Black Gourmet Soul whether we have surprises, giveaways, or not.

This time, however, our cup runneth over with surprises and giveaways.

Our weekly sponsor is Joseph Riley Land ( Riley/Land Gourmet Pantry) - www.riley-land.com. He is popping up all over Harlem. Tonight's gift: A Taste of the South including handmade toffee from NC, drenched in dark chocolate and topped with finel-ground pecans, award-winning stone-ground grits from SC, Virginia peanuts dusted with wasabi; and an Uber car credit.

And all the singers brought their A game!

I couldn't name all the fabulous talent (Some clips, however, I must share - like this one with my boo boo Darius Booker! Can't he sang?

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10202590938709284).

Still, I must name my "internet wife" Mara Schiavocampo, who is a BFF, popped by. And you know we had so much fun! And we didn't take it for granted given she had just completed a busy day as ABC News Correspondent - often filing on "Good Morning America". I LOVE YOU, MY MARA!

And certainly she is standing on Whitney's shoulders! So much so that after KeKe did "If Only You Knew" for Ant, I offered him a song. He asked for "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" (also by Whitney) and half-way into the song, KeKe came back from her seat to join me on stage:

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10202587840755200&set=vb.1172177040&type=2&theater

& https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10152166354908737&set=vb.662073736&type=3&theater.

This, after we discovered the song Ant loves for me to sing wasn't available: Des'Ree's "Kissing You"). WHAT A BLAST! And may I say that KEKE was FUN, GRACIOUS, GENEROUS of her time and talent, and even said some SWEET THINGS about her enjoyment of my VOICE! HEY! She also said she would LOVE to come back some time! We'll keep the door open and your mic hot, KeKe! CONGRATS ON EVERYTHING!

THANKS TO ALL FOR YOUR SUPPORT! I feel each and every one of your well wishes! And I am eternally grateful. #ENDLESSLOVE

MOTOWN MAY

And all of this went down before I made the BIG ANNOUNCEMENT: MOTOWN: THE MUSICAL and BILLIE’S BLACK PRESENTS ALL STAR KARAOKE are partnering for MOTOWN MAY – an opportunity for one of our ALL STAR KARAOKE REGULARS to – get this:

1. WIN A PAIR OF TICKETS TO SEE ONLY THE HOTTEST SHOW ON BROADWAY RIGHT NOW: “MOTOWN: THE MUSICAL” IN JUNE, which is BLAC MUSIC MONTH

2. THIS PERSON WILL ALSO WIN A “WALK ON ROLE” IN THAT VERY PRODUCTION OF “MOTOWN: THE MUSICAL”

3. AND DINNER FOR TWO AT “BILLIE’S BLACK”!

BACKGROUND:

* THAT’S RIGHT! "Motown: The Musical" will be a month-long sponsor of "Billie's Black Presents All Star Karaoke hosted by Patrick L. Riley".

* In addition to our standard hash-tags: #billiesblack and #allstarkaraoke, we'll additionally be using #motownmay for all correspondence and social media messages.

* Soon, we'll have an e-flyer for sharing on all platforms that we’ll ask all of your help in GETTING THE WORD OUT!

The campaign will flow as follows:

1. On Tuesday, May 6th; Tuesday, May 13; and Tuesday, May 20th, BILLIE'S BLACK PRESENTS ALL STAR KARAOKE will dedicate the 9PM hour for MOTOWN-RETURNS-TO-THE-APOLLO-style SINGING COMPETITION.

2. On each of those respective nights, there will be UP TO 10 PARTICIPANTS who can sign our list that we’ll make available at 7p SHARP. On that list, you’ll note: your name; (from the book, what song and song number you’ll perform on that night in the 9p hour); and your cell phone and email address – so we can stay in touch with you. FEEL FREE TO TRY AGAIN, IF YOU DON'T GET 1ST OR 2ND THE FIRST OR SECOND TIME.

3. TO REITERATE, if you participate, you will sing ONE MOTOWN SONG (of your choosing from the karaoke catalog - classic or modern).

4. On the respective TUESDAY in May, anybody can sign up --- up to 10 people --- before the MOTOWN-RETURNS-TO-THE-APOLLO-HOUR (9p-10p) wraps.

5. As the clock nears 10p on each of the first three Tuesdays of MAY, we’ll determine who wins our MOTOWN-RETURNS-TO-THE-APOLLO-style competition by round-of-applause. NO BOOS!

6. Weekly prizes for each 1ST and 2ND PLACE WINNER will be the MOTOWN: THE MUSICAL SOUNDTRACK and some especially SUPREME MOTOWN merchandise.

7. BUT THERE’S MORE: Those SIX PEOPLE who win the top two prizes for the first three weeks of MAY are eligible to come back the FOURTH TUESDAY of May for: "Billie's Black Presents All Star Karaoke: MOTOWN MAY’s GRAND FINALE".

8. Remember, the GRAND FINALE at which the TOP TWO from each of the THREE WEEKS gets to compete THEIR SAME MOTOWN SONGS against each other and be judged by a panel of MOTOWN: THE MUSICAL cast-members and special MOTOWN FAM!

9. WINNERS WILL BE ANNOUNCED:

GRAND PRIZE:

1. WIN A PAIR OF TICKETS TO SEE ONLY THE HOTTEST SHOW ON BROADWAY RIGHT NOW: “MOTOWN: THE MUSICAL” IN JUNE, which is BLAC MUSIC MONTH

2. THIS PERSON WILL ALSO WIN A “WALK ON ROLE” IN THAT VERY PRODUCTION OF “MOTOWN: THE MUSICAL”

3. AND DINNER FOR TWO AT “BILLIE’S BLACK”!

RUNNER UP:

1. WINS SUPREME BAG OF MOTOWN MERCH

2. DINNER FOR TWO AT “BILLIE’S BLACK”

On Tuesday, May 27th's GRAND FINALE of MOTOWN MAY, we'll EXTEND the night beyond 7p – 10p and have a FULL NIGHT OF MOTOWN - including:

(1) a sprinkling of Motown throughout the ALL STAR KARAOKE PROGRAM - starting at 7p;

(2) our ALL STAR KARAOKE regulars will perform MOTOWN

(3) we'll do a little Q&A trivia throughout the night and give away MERCH to ALL STAR KARAOKE attendees

(4) ALL STAR KARAOKE NIGHT extends from 10p to MIDNIGHT - so at 11p, we:

THROUGHOUT MOTOWN MAY at ALL STAR KARAOKE and inside all blog references and the varied e-blasts, we will provide information for DISCOUNT TICKETS to see Motown the Musical - a discount code that's been extended to July 6, 2014: ABC123 (see flyer below along with our flyer for BILLIE'S BLACK PRESENTS ALL STAR KARAOKE)

Special shout out to my friend Marcia Pendelton, Marketing Outreach for “Motown: The Musical”, who brought this synergy to us. She first introduced me to the “Motown: The Musical” folks when they were in search of a host for their Opening Night video – a career highlight for me: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KK1yncqPlOQ.

BROADWAY 2014

Derrick Hemphill and I saw Cabaret the Musical Broadway recently (in preps for future analysis on Broadway and the forthcoming Tony Awards season). Was GREAT to see my Karu F. Daniels in the house! I LOVE THAT!). After, we stumbled into the cast of ROCKY Broadway, the musical we saw last week with Derrick's LSU buddy Katrina Pete Dunn: Rocky, Adrienne, and Apollo! Both shows are GREAT! It's been a wonderful season at the theater, hasn't it? Anyway! After that, Anthony Harper's BDAY fete started as Ant's Kappa brother Christopher Genwright has made it to town. So, Ant’s BDAY celebration had begun.

SOUL OUT LOUD

I interviewed many of the cast members and the icons they play on the opening night of “MOTOWN: THE MUSICAL”: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KK1yncqPlOQ. Was EXCITING to get further up-close-and-personal with a few of them last night. MOTOWN THE MUSICAL’s TRIPLE GRAMMY AWARD NOMINEE, who portrays Stevie Wonder: RYAN SHAW BROUGHT “SOUL OUT LOUD” BACK TO THE CUTTING ROOM LAST NIGHT! And I’m so glad Marcia Pendelton invited Anthony C Harper, Derrick Hemphill, Kevin Anthony, and me out to enjoy. Gordon Chambers was there too. And was that Debbye Mcintyre and Jamar Dunn? It was. But as happy as we were to see our NEW YORK CITY FAM, none of us could take our eyes and ears off of the stage – from MR. SHAW to his SPECIAL GUESTS MOTOWN THE MUSICAL CAST MEMBERS BRANDON VICTOR DIXON (“Berry Gordy”) and MORGAN JAMES (“Teena Marie”). Ryan’s bi-monthly “Soul Out Loud” show features special guests from the theatre and music worlds and is highly anticipated on the 2nd and 4th Monday of each month at The Cutting Room. Theatre enthusiasts and music fans can appreciate the Monday night Broadway “dark night” tradition of stars performing their own music on the “night off.” Ryan joins a list of Broadway talent to stop by the "musician's living room" for the warm, intimate feeling, incredible acoustics and sight lines and comfortable experience for performers and audiences.

AND THEY WERE SINGING! Here are clips:

CLIP 1 - "Shake You Down" by Brandon and Ryan

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10152164521878737&set=vb.662073736&type=3&theater

CLIP 2 – “Caravan of Love” and “Shake You Down” by Brandon, Ryan, and audience:

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10152164543738737&set=vb.662073736&type=3&theater

CLIP 3: Marvin Gaye’s “I Want You” by Brandon

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10152164552193737&set=vb.662073736&type=3&theater

CLIP 4: “Hallelujah” by Ryan

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10152164567928737&set=vb.662073736&type=3&theater

Shaw’s music can be described as a fusion of soul and rock. The musician’s singer, Shaw is also a brilliant songwriter and has been nominated for three Grammy Awards. In addition Shaw and/or his music have been featured in such movies as: “Bride Wars”, starring Kate Hudson and Anne Hathaway; “Soul Men”, starring Bernie Mac and Samuel Jackson; “My Blueberry Nights”, starring Jude Law, Norah Jones and Natalie Portman; and on soundtracks such as “Sex and the City”, and TV shows including “Dancing with the Stars”, “So You Think You Can Dance” and ABC’s “Brothers and Sisters”. The Cutting Room has been named one of the top five “Intimate Show Venues To Check Out” by NewYork.com and features performers, bands, events and entertainment ranging from rock icons to up and coming singer songwriters. A look at http://thecuttingroomnyc.com/ highlights entertainment for a wide variety of musical tastes, a delicious menu and a comfortable rock and roll atmosphere with great optics and extraordinary acoustics. After opening a decade ago, The Cutting Room continues to build upon its dynamic reputation of having launched and hosted top musicians like Ronnie Wood & Mick Taylor, Sting, Billy Joel, John Legend, John Oates’ stripped down solo CD release party, the night after being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame with Darryl Hall and Lady Gaga (who was signed after a showcase at the venue) and many more. FOLLOW RYAN SHAW: http://www.thisisryanshaw.com./ THANK YOU, MARCIA!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ANT!

Thanks to all of you who came out to DANCE to the sounds of DjStormin Norman of SUNDAE SERMON fame as we ALL lifted Anthony Harper up for his BIRTHDAY! HONEYCOMB PLAYHOUSE was our speak-easy backdrop this past weekend! And so many came by to TOAST ANT! THANK YOU ALL!