Arts & Lifestyle
I
Of Interest ...
Broadcasters make final
push to announce DTV switch .
m ? ? *.'*?**" ?' ? ? - I
With just a few weeks until the tuuoow KJe transi
tion to all-digita] television America'* lucked off a
ma>ur on-air campaign signaling to viewers the
impending June 1 2 deadline
. FuU -power television stations that have vet to
switch to digital will a ir a new series of television
spots counting down the final three weeks unul the
, transition date Prtjduced by the National Association
of Broadcasters 'NAB;, each spot is 15 seconds in
duration and designed to mark the remaining three
weeks, two weeks. seven days, six days, five days,
four days , three days, two days and less than 24 hours
from the deadline
The senes is aimed at alerting viewers to the Hear
ing deadline and urging them to upgrade their TV sets
m advance Additionally, broadcast television stations
will continue airing a rotation of spots thai- -highlight
the importance of'antennas rescanning for channels
and tips for installing converter boxes
As part of the final push, NAB has distributed to
stations an updated half-hour educational program
covering the basics of the transition to digital televi
sion fDTV ), which stations are required to air at least
once before June 12
By law, full-power television stations must broad
cast exclusively in digital after June 12, 2009 Over
the-air television households risk losing reception
after that date unless they upgrade their TV sets to
DTV
'View' co-host gets series
Lifetime Television, the nation 'stop women's net
work. has picked up 12 episodes of the all-new, multi
camera comedy senes "Shem." starring comedienne
and "The View" co-host Shem Shepherd
"Shem" centers around a newly single mom, para
legal and part-time comedi
enne/actress who tries to get
back into the dating scene and
move on with her life after
divorcing her cheating hus
band Shern finds solace and
support among her girlfriends
at the office while juggling her
hectic life Also starring in the
series are Tammy Townsend
(Lincoln Heights), Kali Rocha
(Grey's Anatomy), Elizabeth
Regen (The Black Donnellys)
and Kate Reinders (Ugly Betty)
Shepherd
Shepherd, who will continue to co-host the hit
ABC daytime talk show "The View," will serve as a
co-executive producer The comedy reunites
Shepherd, Minsky, Wass and Stein, who last worked
together on the ABC sitcom "Less Than Perfect."
"Shern" will join Lifetime's family comedy "Rita
Rocks," starring Nicole Sullivan as Rita Clements.
Other comedies that currently air on Lifetime include
reruns of "Mow I Met Your Mother," "Reba," "Will &
Grace" and "Frasier " The networks summer shows
will begin airing May 30.
Townsend launches online series
One Economy Corporation and award-winning
actor, director and producer Robert Townsend, the
man behind "Holly wood Shuffle," "Meteor Man" and
"The Five Heartbeats," has launched "Diary of a
Single Mom," a ground-breaking online series that
chronicles the lives of three single mothers trying to
get ahead despite obstacles that all single mothers
face, such as childcare, health, education and finances
It will be aired exclusively on One Economy's
Public Internet Channel The series centers around 27
year-old Ocean, played by Monica Calhoun ("Sister
Act II," "Love and Basketball"), who juggles raising
her v>n , daughter and teenage niece with earning her
GEL), finding a new job, and coping with an illness
during the show's first season.
The show spotlights One Economy's innovative
efforts to connect low-income families with online
revHirces to help them improve their lives
Townsend 's experiences growing up in a single-parent
household in Chicago inspired the seasoned director
to create this Web series in partnership with One
Economy.
f-'ir example, as viewers watch a character work to
'//aw her GEL) or struggle to find a job, they can
..Timed lately click on the Web site's "Make It Easy
Tooth ox" to access resources in their own communi
Ue* addressing those very issues. The episodes can be
freer* at www pic tv
I Tony winner to speak to grads
Tony winner Kristin Chenoweth will speak at the
University of N<?rih Carolina School of the Arts
(UNCSA) commencement ceremony for college grad
uates on May 30
Chenowrth
i i nosers, an award win
ning playwright and UNCSA
alumnus, will speak to high
sch<x>l grads The ceremonies,
slated to take place at the
Stevens Center, arc not open
to the public.
Chenoweth won a Tony
for her performance as Sally
Brown in "You're A Good
Man, Charlie Brown " She
was nominated for her role of
Glinda the Good Witch in
Wicked"
Rogers, who graduated from the UNCSA School
of Drama with a B.F.A. in Acting in 1990, is the
author of "The Overwhelming," "Madagascar."
"White People," "Murmuring in a Dead Tongue" and
other plays.
High Point community wins grant
CHfcONlCLE STAFF fe?fC?T _
The High Point Historic
Preservation Commission is '
rme of the agency thai ha*
received funding fro'm the;
North Carolina Department of
Cultural Resources
The st*te ?gcnc>
announced last week grants*
totaling S&4.164 to support 10
histonc preservation projects
in eight counties around the
state
The High Point Historic
Preservation Commission will
get $6,000 to go toward its
efforts in the Washington Dnve
Historic District The District
wis the heart of the African
American business community
in High Point during the first
half of the 20th century
The High Point Historic
Preservation Commission will
use the grant funds to hire a
historical consultant to com
plete a National Register nom
ination for the District Listing
the district in the Register will
provide financial incentives for
the rehabilitation of the his
torip buildings, and raise
awareness about the historic
importance of this area
Other projects that received
funding include GIS mapping
Hj?? Frm tttaonc Prwcrv*ioet
A view of the heart of the Washington Drive community. - .
of historical areas in the Pitt
County city of Greenville and
redevelopment work in a his
toric African -American neigh
borhood in Durham
"May is National
Preservation Month," said
Cultural Resources Deputy
Secretary Dr Jeffrey Crow.
who also serves as the stale's
Chief Preservation Officer
"This year's theme is 'This
Place Matters,' and these
grants will help these commu
nities assure that their vital
-heritage is cared for and
shared."
To further mark National
Preservation Month. Grow and
Cultural Resources Secretary
Linda A. Carlisle were slated
to- be in Wilmington on
Tuesday to announce the
Historic Wilmington
Foundation's 2009 Most
Threatened Historic Places list
Jamie Foxx
bringing tour
to Greensboro
Tickets now on sale for July 19 show
CHRONICLE STAFF REPORT '
Greensboro is a stop on actor/singer Jamie Foxx's
50-city Intuition Tour, which will officially kick off
July 3 in Las Vegas.
The show at the Greensboro Coliseum will be
Sunday, July 19 at 7:30 p.m.
Still best known as an actor, Foxx won an Oscar
for his role as Ray Charles in "Ray." He starred
alongside Tom Cruise jn "Collateral" earning Oscar,
Golden Globe and SAG nominations for his perform
ance. Some of his other films include, "Dreamgirls,"
"Miami Vice," "Jarhead" and "The Kingdom."
On the music front, Foxx just set the all-time
record for 12 consecutive weeks at #1 on the Urban
Mainstream chart with his hit single "Blame It." The
song is from his platinum album "Intuition," which
was released last December. On the disc, he collabo
rates with artists such as T.I, Lil Wayne, Kanye West
and Ne-Yo.
Foxx was just named as host of the 9th annual
BET Awards, which will air live on June 28 from the
Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. He is up for three
BET Awards, including "Best Male R&B Artist'" and
"Best Collaboration" with T-Pain for "Blame It."
Tickets to the Greensboro show are available
online at www.ticketmaster.com, at the Greensboro
Coliseum Box Office. Charge by phone at 1-800-745
3000. For event information call 336-373-7474.
Tickets are $49.75 - $59.75. I
PR Photo
Singer / actor Jaimie Foxx.
Simmons to help effort
to erect slavery memorial
CHRONICLE STAFF REPORT
Hip hop entrepreneur Russell Simmons has been appointed
"Goodwill Ambassador For The Permanent Memorial To Honor The
Victims Of Slavery And The Trans- Atlantic Slave Trade."
It happened last week at the United
Simmon t
Nations Headquarters in New York.
Nations of the Caribbean are leading
the effort to erect such a memorial and to
re-engage the attention of the international
community on the horrific nature of slav
ery, the Trans- Atlantic slave trade and its
legacy of discrimination.
"It's humbling to be invited to join the
UN Community in this role as Goodwill
Ambassador," Simmons said. "In recog
nizing the past, we understand the stakes
in ensuring that something as devastating
to the human condition as the Trans
Atlantic Slave Trade will never happen
again."
Best known as a leading entrepreneur
and hip-hop pioneer, Simmons' ground
breaking visum ha* influenced music and the recording industry, fash
ion, jewelry, finance, television and film, as well as the face of modern
philanthropy. As chairman and CEO of Rush Communications, he has
consistently leveraged his influence in the media and popular culture to
benefit and acknowledge disadvantaged communities
The permanent memorial honoring the memory of the victims of
slavery, will be administered through the Permanent Memorial Fund by
the U.N. Office for Partnerships (UNOP). The completion date is set for
2012. So far, the project has received $250j000 of the projected $3.5
million cost from 25 of the 122 UN Member States.
UNCSA student wins
award for composing
SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE
Leo Hurley, a music student at the University of North Carolina
School of the Arts (UNCSA), has been named one of the recipients
of the 2009 American Society
UNCSA Photo
Leo Hurley
of Composers, Authors and
Publishers (ASCAP)
Foundation Morton Gould
Young Composers Award.
He is the first UNCSA
student to receive this award.
He won for his saxophone
quartet composition
"Zydeco," written as part of
the PRISM Quartet 21st
Century Residency, held in
the UNCSA School of Music
in January 2009.
Hurley, 19, is a native of
Rollinsford, NJf He is a col
lege sophomore studying
composition in the School of
Music at UNCSA, where he
is a student of Lawrence
Dillon.
it ? a .L ^ ?
nuriey ana uic omer win
ners were recognized at the 10th Annual ASCAP Concert Music
Awards at The Times Center in New York on Thursday, May 21.
Hurley has gained international recognition with commissions and
performances in California at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
and in Venice at the La Biennale Festival, with Alonzo King's LINES
Ballet; at Maya Angelou's 80th Birthday Celebration, and at the
opening of the North Carolina Legislature.