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 Phantom of the Opera (1)

curtain

curtain

HERE'S THE CLIP OF THE SEGMENT:

http://youtu.be/BKwfoTKRwJ8

HERE'S THE CLIP OF THE FULL SHOW (21 MINUTES IN):http://www.arise.tv/entertainment/arise-360-18-12-9893--- LOTS GOING IN THE LIFE OF RILEY! Looking forward to some downtime down South with my FAM -http://thelifeofriley.squarespace.com/rilys-blog/! But just did a MUST-SEE HOLIDAY SHOWS segment on Arise Entertainment 360 today with my friends Shannon Lanier and - in for Lola Ogunnaike whose maternity leave has begun – Jina Johnson, stand-up comic and multi-media talent. We spoke ABT Nutcracker At Bam with Misty Copeland; Ain't Misbehavin’ at George Faison's Faison Firehouse Theater; Radio City Christmas Spectacular; Motown the Musical; andStanley Bennett Clay’s "RITUAL". I’LL SEND LINK LATER (As always, THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT! Watch Daily On Time Warner, Verizon Fios, Centric and On Demand... www.YouTube.com/AriseENT360 + you can watch it streaming live on www.arise.tv at 3p/eastern everyday – whether I’m there or not.). Was also great to see cast of DISGRACED as I highly recommended that Broadway show in my last segment:http://youtu.be/zDGZvIY6klY.

I’ve been GUEST CO-HOSTING and doing POP CULTURE/BROADWAY SEGMENTS on ARISE ENTERTAINMENT 360 for a couple of years now - including recent interviews with:
* "Annie" Executive Producer Devon Franklin, whose book "Produced by Faith" is one of my favorites:http://youtu.be/KANSZen0nac;
* Chef Gabe Thompson presented "Downtown Italian" -http://youtu.be/yESAGSc3yDc;
* DJ D NICE:http://youtu.be/veNhcCNA1Lg;
* BRAVO’s Fashion Queens– including my friend Bevy Smith and Miss Lawrence and Derek J: http://youtu.be/hb6gUFK3vsc;
* “THE DUKES OF HAZZARD” themselves: John Schneider (now on Tyler Perry’s The Haves and the Have Nots) and Tom Wopat (who I mostrecently saw in “The Trip to Bountiful” on Broadway): http://youtu.be/22GqEbrF1OU;
* mega-producer Sean Garrett brought Avery Wilson (former The Voice contestant) to hip us to his upcoming album and to sing Donny Hathaway’s “This Christmas”:http://youtu.be/TUfq35qKJV4;
* interview with actor Tony Denison (http://youtu.be/iIkAm7XmEgc);
* interview with actor Christian Kale (http://youtu.be/NFY4gpMivxw);
Plus, my highlight: Alan Light whose “Let’s Go Crazy: Prince and the Making of Purple Rain” made for blissful chat and inspired Prince’s publicist to send the reclusive singer the link to this interview (http://youtu.be/TKDXudN2yC0);
* Ben Vereen! (http://youtu.be/a12El8-zU_k);
* ALSO: Faith Evans (http://youtu.be/LfpHpiQd2pg); etc. #billiesblack #allstarkaraoke #motownmay

counting down

After pushing a deadline on a project for BET and doing another ARISE ENTERTAINMENT 360 segment on the MUST-SEE HOLIDAY SHOWS (21 MINUTES IN): http://www.arise.tv/entertainment/arise-360-18-12-9893, I had to high-tail it to the Dempsey Auditorium in Harlem for a SAGE Harlem holiday talent show for which my friend, Program Manager Christopher Jones, invited me to perform to the awesome group. I sang “Reasons” -

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10152666057313737&set=vb.662073736&type=3&theater, “This Woman’s Work”, and “Endless Love”. GREAT NIGHT!

SAGE Harlem provides a safe space for LGBT older adults in Harlem and The Bronx. SAGE Harlem is a program of SAGE (Services and Advocacy for GLBT Elders). Learn more at: http://www.sageusa.org/sageharlem. After, with a dozen roses in tow for my performance, I stopped by my Morehouse brother Mario’s holiday set at NABE – also the destination for his weekly Thursday party. He served wonderful bites and wine from a Charlayne Hunter-Gault-owned, South Africa wine label called Passages.

boom kack

We never know who will pop by “Billie’s Black PRESENTS ALL STAR KARAOKE with Patrick L. Riley”.

And this past Tuesday was no exception.

ALL STAR KARAOKE faithful Carla Bone – celebrity hairstylist for Kerry Washington, Jada Pinkett Smith, and many more – brought star choreographer (from Lady Gaga to Diddy to Nicki Minaj) and performance artist her own right: Laurie Ann Gibson.

She brought such a welcomed zest to the night.

We were also able to extend condolences to Miko Branch and the family and friends of Titi Branch of Miss Jessie's, who died last week at the age of 45.http://bit.ly/1yTYVNv In song and silence, we sent good vibrations for healing inside this difficult time. Plus, as our FALL 2014 series of Billie’s Black PRESENTS ALL STAR KARAOKE with Patrick L Riley comes to a near-close, our amazing partners – including Miss Jessie’s; Riley Land Gourmet Pantry;

and a return for the night: MOTOWN THE MUSICAL – a special gift from marketing consultant Marcia Pendelton who brought#MOTOWNMAY IN DECEMBER to #BILLIESBLACKand #ALLSTARKARAOKE. This is another full circle moment as Marcia made it possible for me to be the Opening Night HOST of MOTOWN: THE MUSICAL's video which allowed me TWO interviews with Miss Ross and Berry Gordy that night:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KK1yncqPlOQ; and since our #MOTOWNMAY was such a SUCCESS; and since MOTOWN: THE MUSICAL is playing its final performance at Broadway's Lunt Fontanne Theatre on January 18, 2015 (though poised to return to the Nederlander theater July 2016). Use PROMO CODE ABC123 for Discount Tickets.

BUT WAIT! THERE'S MORE: In additon to its US THEATER TOUR, a UK production is planned for the summer of 2015. MOTOWN: THE MUSICAL has broken the weekly gross box office record at the Lunt Fontanne with million-dollar grossing weeks. Recoup? Check! This spring, the first National Tour of MOTOWN: THE MUSICAL opened to critical acclaim, grossing an impressive $20 Million dollars during a packet, sixteen-week run.

UPDATES: My ALL STAR KARAOKE producer Bernice Wooden will keep the party going during the two holiday TUESDAYS left in 2014. And if I get back in time for Tuesday, December 30th… I may pop by to WATCH (and wait in line to sing)! LOL!#getready #motownthemusical #allstarkaraoke #billiesblack #motownmay