Arts & Lifestyle
Of Interest ...
Local magazine has new owners
'Winston-Salem Li\ ing" magazine has new own
ers.
Charlotte- based Arundel Capital Holdings, owned
b> Greg Girard and Kyle Gcarhart, purchased the pub
McMillan
heat ton trom Kenee and Anuy
Honey, the couple who founded
it in 2003.
Leigh SomerviUe
McMillan, a local author and
frequent contributor to the mag
azine and other area publica
tions. has been named the edi
tor. The magazine's offices
have relocated to the Chatham
Building on Fourth Street.
The new owners say they
look forward to re-launching
the magazine with the October issue and to building
on. the community relationships the Honeys worked
hard to establish. "Winston-Salem -Living" will be
, distributed free of'-charge. in both print and digital v er
sions, will target a general readership and focus On
stones 'that illustrate Ifce many facets pf life iti
Winston-Salem. A graphic artist has been hired to
work on minor changes to the design of the magazine.
"We want the magazine to be a reflection of the
community and all that's going on in Winston-Salem
and the lives of the people who live and work here."
Gearhart says. "Every rine is a participant. in the culture
of Winston-Salem, and we hope to- reflect that in the
rrtiigazine'." . V v -'
Popular reality show seeking
homes to redo in North Carolina
The producers of ABC's "Extreme Makeover:
Home Edition" are looking for homes in North
Carolina to feature on upcoming episodes. Host Ty
Pennington and his crew wjll soon drive their famous
bus to the Tar Heel State.
"We are looking for the deserving people and
inspiring families that America can really root for."
says Casting Supervisor Morgan Fahey.
What does it take to be picked for an Extreme
Makeover?
HOME EDITION
"We're looking
for those spe
"tj- cial people
who have
amazing
strength of
character and
never give up.
Whether it's
keeping their
chin up in real
ly tough cir
cumstances or
going out of
their way to help others. We want
to help people whose stories have really affected their
community or made a big difference in other people's
lives." Fahey said.
The "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" produc
ers are looking for families whose homes desperately
need to be rebuilt.
"We really want to help families whose homes
present major problems for the family, those big issues
that affect the family's quality of life on a daily basis.'"
said Fahey. "We want to find deserving people who
just don't have the resources, ability, or time to fix
those serious issues without our help."
TO be eligible, a family must own their own single
family home and be able to show producers how a
makeover will make a huge difference in their lives.
Interested families should e-mail a short description
of their family story to:
CastingNorthCarolina@gmail.com. Nominations may
be submitted by the family or by a member of their
community. Each nomination must include the names
and ages of every member of the household along
with a description of the major challenges within the
home. Anyone submitting a nomination should be
sure to explain why the nominated family is deserv
ing, heroic. and/or a great role model for their commu
nity. If possible, include a recent photo of the family.
All nominations must include a contact phone num
ber. The deadline for nominations is Aug. 7.
Arts Council says
farewell to Chris Koenig
The Arts Council of Winston-Salem and Forsyth
County is looking for a new director of grants after
/"??I . i/_ ...l r i.
v_nns nocnig, wno formerly
served in that role, accepted a
position as development offi
cer/corporate relations with
the Wcxner Center for the Arts
at Ohio State University. The
Center was conceived as a
research laboratory for all the
arts and has emphasized com
missions for new work and
artist residencies
"We congratulate Chris on
his association with an arts
institution with the vision and
K netting
creativity of the Wexner Center," said Arts Council
President/CIiO Milton Rhodes. "He started with us as
an intern only four years ago and is leaving as a key
member of our staff. We wish him well and will con
tinue to follow his career and accomplishments in the
arts management world."
Koenig. who received a bachelor's degree in inter
disciplinary studies from Miami of Ohio, was bid
farewell at a recent Arts Council board meeting. He
began working for the Arts Council in 2(X)5 as a part
time intern while attending the graduate Performing
Arts Management program at UNCSA
Something New
PtnHo b\ I.kU I'lill/Piclurctiroup
Singer Chrisette Michele performs Monday on the debut
installment of the new "Rising Icon" series on BET. The net
work will run a series of 30-minute specials in the weeks to
come featuring live performances and profiles of some of
music's stars of tomorrow. Hal Linton, Keri Hilson, Kid
Cudi, Melanie Fiona, Ryan Leslie, The Dream and Wale will
he featured on future shows.
Area woman crowned
Ms. N.C. Senior America
CHRONIC! I STAFF REPORT
Rebecca "Becky" Buckner Ross has been crowned Ms. North Carolina
Senior America 2009. The former Kernersville resident wilj represent the
state this October in the Ms. Senior America Pageant in Atlantic City. N.J.
Ross - who recently moved away from the Triad to relocate to
Rockingham with her husband. Marty - also walked away with the Miss
Submitted Photo
Ms. Senior North Carolina
Becky Buckner Ross.
Congeniality award. The 70-year-old cred
its her glowing personality and stage pres
ence to the years she's worked in the cus
tomer service industry.
Ross spent 15 years in the insurance
industry, and then several more years
working in the retail industry. For the past
decade, she has been an independent beau
ty consultant for Avon, whicfi led to her
current position as district manager for
Arbonne International.
An accomplished singer, Ross has been
a member the Triad Chapter of Sweet
Adeline's International for the last 40
years. She used her voice to stand out in
the competition's talent portion.
Contestants also competed in evening
gown and interview competitions.
The Ms. Senior America Pageant is the
world's first and foremost pageant to
emphasize and give honor to women who
have reached the "Age of Elegance."
koss onen snares ner pnnosopny on me.
"Serve God first; live life to the fullest; find fun in everything you do;
dance and sing every chance you get; be kind to everyone you meet; and
live every day as if it were your last," she believes.
Even with such a full schedule, Ross still finds time for family. She is
the mother of two, a grandmother of three (with another on the way), and
the great-grandmother of two. As Ms. North Carolina Senior America, she
wants to set a good example for senior citizens and her family.
Becky Ross is available for appearances and performances . She can be
reached at 910-206-0182 or via e-mail at beckybross@yahoo.com.
[Urban League
File Photo
Larry Leon Hamlin performs a scene from "Popa C. W.
Brown and the Black Moravians" in 2005.
One-man play starring
Hamlin will be screened
next week at Old Salem
CHRONICLE STAFF REPORT
The late Larry Leon
Hamlin will star in one of
this year's National Black
Theatre Festival productions
via videotape.
Old Salem Museums &
Gardens will host a screening
of "Popa C. W. Brown and
the Black Moravians," a one
man show that Hamlin wrote
and starred in. The origins of
the play stretch back to 1996.
when Hamlin first staged
readings of it while it was
still a work in progress.
The play explores that
ricbjjeritage of blacks in his
toric local communities like
Salem and Bethania.
Enslaved black Moravians
worked side-by-side with
white Moravians to build
these communities.
The screening will be on
Wednesday, Aug. 5, at 10:30
a.m. at St. Philips Moravian
Church. 911 S. Church St., in
Old Salem. St. Philips is the
oldest black church in the
state. ?
The free screening will be
followed by a historical per
spective on Black Moravians
presented by Old Salem staff
members Michael O.
Hartley, an archaeologist,
and Martha B. Hartley, a
researcher.
Hamlin founded the
National ?J}lack Theatre
Festival 20 years and the
N.C. Black Repertory
Company 30 years ago. He
passed away in 2007.
For more information,
call the Old Salem Visitor
Center at 336-721-7350 or
visit www.oldsalem .org .
Hosts announced for ALMA Awards
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
LOS ANGELES - "Desperate Housewives" star Eva
Longoria Parker and comedian and actor George Lopez will host
September's ALMA Awards celebrating Latino achievement in
entertainment.
For the first time, the ALMA Awards
will air during National. Hispanic
Heritage Month. The ceremony honor
ing those who work in film, TV and
radio also will feature new categories,
including one for emerging young talent
and a sports award.
Longoria Parker is one of the cere
mony's executive producers as well as
its co-host.
"The ALMA Awards is a special
show because it represents the deter
mined spirit and soul of the Latino peo
Lopez
pie, and I cannot think of a better person to help celebrate and co
host with me than my good friend George Lopez," Longoria
Parker said in a statement Monday.
The American Latino Media Arts Awards were created in
1995 by the National Council of La Raza, a national Latino civil
rights and advocacy organization, as part of its effort to promote
diverse and fair portrayals of Latinos in the media.
Wendy Williams dumps radio for T.V.
FerenCoinm PR Photo
Wendy
Williams,
right, inter
views
singer/actres
s Vanessa
Williams on a
recent
episode of
her television
show.
CHRONICLE si \ll REPOK1
It seems that television has
killed the radio star.
Wendy Williams announced
last week that she wifl give up
her job as host of a highly-rated
New York City radio show to
devote morp time to "The Wendy
Williams Show," her nationally
syndicated talk show. She made
the announcement last week on
the talk show, which is broadcast
on BET and other stations
throughout the country.
"What I wanted to share with
you about me is that after twenty
three years in radio, I have elect
ed to leave, for now," she said. "I
elected to leave radio and focus
on the TV show. This is truly a
dream ."
Williams, who is also a New
York Times bestselling author,
has had several top-rated radio
shows in New York City over the
years, most recently at WBLS
107.5 FM. She also worked at
NYC s Kiss FM and Hot 97.
Infamous to many. Williams
was known for spreading celebri
ty gossip and for an heated on-air
exchange she had with singer
Whitney Houston in 2003, dur
ing which Houston threatened
Williams with bodily harm for
gossiping about Houston on her
show.
Williams has admitted to bat
tling drug problems in the past,
hut says those days are long over.
She credits her husband and child
(her "Kevins:" Little Kevin and
Big Kevin) with helping her to
stay clean and focused. She
hopes that letting go of the radio
gig will allow her more time to
be a wife and mother.
"I am a woman of a certain
age. I need time to get into my
groove here (on television)," she
said. "I was working 12-hour
days and having no time for them
and for myself."