www.freddiebell.com
Morning Show Update
December 11, 2006
Welcome to the Update
Freddie Bell, velvet morning voice talent and General Manager of Z 1470 Totally Gospel (KZTG – 1470) is a mellifluous voice actor, broadcast-journalist and speaker who is also a National Voice Actor. His vast voice over credits, include hosting several radio programs including the Tom Joyner Morning Show, The Love Train, It’s The Gospel in Tampa, The Freddie Bell Morning Show in radio on KSGS – 950AM, Solid Gold Soul in Minneapolis, plus This is Music, The Freddie Bell Countdown Show and The Minneapolis NAACP Community Affairs television Programs in Minneapolis.
Invite Freddie to your next event or seminar as a Keynote Speaker, covering topics including You Gotta Have H.E.A.R.T., Tuning In to R.A.D.I.O, Maximizing Your Potential, Imagination, The Secret Key To Success, Winning Through Community Service, Dreaming Your Way to Success and a variety of topics related to sales and sales management. Freddie shares ideas and techniques he used to propel Solid Gold Soul Radio into a household name and the launch of Totally Gospel radio in the Twin Cities. Call today for booking details. 888-639-9738.
Listen to the Freddie Bell Show, 4 to 7pm, weekdays on Z 1470 KZTG, Totally Gospel, or on the web at www.totallygospel.com.
Totally Gospel On the Internet
To enhance your gospel listening experience, you can now hear Z 1470 Totally Gospel on the new www.totallygospel.com website. Click on the web stream and then click on the link for KZTG.
No matter where you are, lock it in and write it down. The dedicated Minnesota stream for Twin Cities listeners is up and running. Tell a friend that Z 1470 Totally Gospel is now on the radio and on the internet. Churches, Pastors, Ministers and Evangelists in the Twin Cities and from around the country looking to expand their electronic ministries are invited to partner with Totally Gospel. Call 888-639-9738 today for rates and availabilities.
COMEDIAN BARRED
Comedian Damon Wayans is the latest to pay the price for using the “N” word while performing at a Los Angeles comedy club. The My Wife And Kids and The Underground star was fined $320 and banned from the Laugh Factory for three months for using the derogatory term 16 times this past Sunday (December 3rd).
Wayans appeared as part of the club’s “Chocolate Sundaes” showcase for black comics, and according to the Los Angeles Times, he started his 20-minute set by telling audience members to give themselves a “big round of applause for coming down and supporting N****** Night.”
Producers warned Wayans not to use the “N” word during his routine but he ignored the advice and threw some fine money on the stage as soon as he started talking. The Laugh Factory starting fining performers $20 for every time they used the “N” word following Michael Richards’ profanity-laced tirade on November 17th.
RZA HOOKS UP WITH Q-TIP, TALIB KWELI, GZA, & OTHERS FOR ‘AFRO SAMURAI’ SOUNDTRACK
The Wu-Tang Clan’s RZA has been tapped to produce the soundtrack for Spike TV’s new animated series, Afro Samurai, which will premiere on January 4th. SOHH.com reports that the soundtrack will hit stores on January 16th on Koch Records.
Talib Kweli, Big Daddy Kane, Q-Tip and GZA are some of the artists featured on the show’s soundtrack. The RZA said in a released statement, “As a fan of martial art and old Japanese Samurai movies, I have always wanted to be a part of such creativity and to have my own spice added is even better. Many hip hop artists and musicians from the late ’80s to now have been inspired by this form of entertainment, and today’s animators have been stimulated by hip-hop. But, usually these two forms of expression never meet in the same realm of artistry.”
The producer added, “Afro Samurai offers me the opportunity to mix the innovational world of hip-hop with the visual imagination of Japanese animation. The vibe of Afro Samurai is so soulful and cool, that when I was asked to compose the series my creative juices immediately reacted. I felt it was something meant for me to do; in many ways Afro and myself share the same spirit.”
Afro Samurai will feature the voice of Samuel L. Jackson as the lead character, Afro, a black samurai searching for the gunman who killed his father. The series is based on a Talashi Okazaki novel of the same name.
KRS-ONE, NAS, RAKIM, AND KANYE WEST RECORD SONG DEDICATED TO AIR FORCE ONES
KRS-One, Nas, Rakim, and Kanye West recently recorded song to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Nike Air Force 1 sneaker. Allhiphop.com reports that the rappers will perform the Rick Rubin-produced song on Sunday, December 10th, at a special ‘One Night Only’ celebration at Gotham Hall in New York City.
Dave Chappelle, Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing, Rihanna, Queen Latifah, Spike Lee, Moses Malone, Usher, Snoop Dogg, and LL Cool J are some of the celebrities scheduled to attend the event.
The Air Force 1 was released by Nike in 1982 and became one of Nike’s top selling shoes over the past 20 years.
THE GAME SAYS G-UNIT IS DEAD
The Game’s sophomore album, The Doctor’s Advocate, is currently Number 23 on the Billboard 200 albums chart and has sold more than 554,000 copies since its release three weeks ago. The album has eclipsed the sales of recent G- Unit releases Blood Money, by Mobb Deep, and Rotten Apple, by Lloyd Banks, which has sold a disappointing 279,000 copies since its release eight weeks ago.
The Game believes the G-Unit’s reign over hip hop is done. He told me: “Um G Unit is dead man. Nobody really gives a f**k about them anymore. And I think that has to do with, you know, none other than The Game. And yeah ‘200 Bars’ is what killed them and the whole G-Unot movement which is totally out of my hands at this point.”
The rapper added: “And I’m more focused on you know putting my album out and getting back to the grassroots of what I started out to do which is make music and you know make my mark on hip hop man. And stamp the game and place myself among hip hop’s elite. Not really worried about what’s happening in the rap game, you know, outside of my Black Wall Street movement or what I’m trying to accomplish.”
ANITA BAKER TARDY IN MINNEAPOLIS!
After getting to the stage late following a comedian so average I can only remember her last name, (Cashion), Baker made short work of connecting with her Minneapolis audience arriving 40 minutes after Cashion finished her 25 minute set.
With each performance, Baker is getting to the stage a bit more rapidly after being an hour late in Los Angeles and 90 minutes behind in Oakland earlier in the month.
Looking beautiful in a black cocktail dress, Baker opened singing her hits allowing little time for patter throughout the 90-minute performance.
Like the pro she is, Baker overcame sound issues which literally muzzled her terrific background singers for the first several selections. Baker deftly balanced stage, lighting and sound directions as the audience applauded between songs until the issues were corrected. The only sour notes, based on audience reaction , were the pair of Christmas tunes at the shows’ midpoint.
Baker’s work garnered one encore and dozens of roses before she dashed off to Chicago last night and a return the west coast in January.
COOL & DRE SET TO UNLEASH PROTEGE
Super-producers Cool & Dre recently signed a new artist to their Jive Records-distributed Epidemic label. The duo will be releasing the debut album from Miami-based rapper Joe Hound next year. The deal was brokered in conjunction with indie label, Skeleton Key Entertainment, which had been guiding Hound’s career.
Cool said in a released statement, “Joe Hound captures the Miami sound that we’ve worked hard to develop. He has the potential to be at the forefront of a musical movement for Miami.”
Dre added, “We believe that the industry is changing and that the best way to introduce Joe to the masses is through an independent company like Skeleton Key that understands our vision and supports what we are trying to achieve.”
Cool & Dre have crafted hits for Fat Joe, 50 Cent, The Game, Nas, Young Jeezy, Chamillionaire, Christina Milian, and others.
BEYONCE SAYS RUMORS OF FEUD WITH JENNIFER HUDSON UNTRUE
Beyonce is waving away rumors of a feud with cast mate Jennifer Hudson, who has the showier role of Effie in the big-screen musical. At a recent New York press junket for the upcoming film Dreamgirls, the B’Day girl responded to a story posted recently on MediaTakeOut.com, which quoted a source claiming that Beyonce’s parents were cold to Hudson after an early screening of the movie, and later complained to director Bill Condon that Beyonce was overshadowed by the onetime American Idol contestant.
Beyonce said there’s no beef between herself and Hudson, and added that she knew going into the film how big the role of Deena actually was. “I knew that the character that I played wasn’t the star,” said Beyonce, according to EURweb.com. “She wasn’t the underdog. She didn’t have the struggle and the pain and the dramatic scenes that Effie had, and I was fine with that.”
Which is why the rumors ruffle her feathers, she continued at the press conference. “It’s really unfortunate that everyone is saying I’m jealous of Jennifer. It hurts my heart because it’s so cliched,” she insisted. “They’re saying that I’m mad when I knew going into this that I was playing Deena. Because I’m a star they just automatically assume that I’m not humble enough to sit down and take a back seat, which I am.”
Beyonce went on to heap praise upon her co-star’s shoulders. “Jennifer Hudson had such a pressure, first of all, never being in a film and never have done an album and still having to live up to those expectations,” Beyonce continued. “She did incredible.”
Dreamgirls opens nationally on December 25th.
CIARA WANTED TO EVOLVE ON ‘THE EVOLUTION’
Multi-platinum Atlanta singer Ciara titled her just- released new album The Evolution for a reason. Ciara told me that she wanted the The Evolution to show fans that she has indeed evolved as an artist since her 2004 debut, Goodies: “You know I just really wanted for people to feel the growth in me, as an artist as a whole, you know. And I’ve grown, you know. My last album I was 18 years old and now I’m 21, so there’s that evolution in me.”
Ciara co-wrote all 13 songs on The Evolution, plus four spoken interludes.
Guests on the album include rappers 50 Cent, Lil Jon, and Chamillionaire.
Goodies sold more than three million copies, launched the hits “Goodies” and “1, 2 Step,” and snared four Grammy Award nominations.
USHER WORKING ON NEW ALBUM WITH JERMAINE DUPRI AND OTHERS
Grammy Award winner Usher is ready to go back into the studio. The singer hopes to have a single and album out by the middle of next year. Usher told MTV.com, “It’s about time for me to get back in and put my 10 cents in it!….I feel it’s about time for me to come out with an album. I’m not extremely enthused about where music has gone. I say that coming from listening to artists like Stevie Wonder, Prince, Michael Jackson — those great artists and iconic musicians. I feel music is at a standstill.”
So far, Usher plans to work with Jermaine Dupri, Dre & Vidal, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, Jay-Z and his new friend Robin Thicke. The singer explained that he and Thicke have a great working relationship. He said, “His album is banging, but also as a producer and writer, he’s amazing. We’ve been able to get to a point where we can work very easily together. I’ll give him an idea and he’ll understand exactly what wavelength I’m on.”
JOHN LEGEND ENJOYS COLLABORATIONS WITH KANYE WEST
John Legend is busy supporting his second full-length album, Once Again. The singer and songwriter’s latest set follows up his Grammy-winning debut, Get Lifted. Both projects feature collaborations with hip-hop star Kanye West, who signed Legend to his G.O.O.D. Music imprint at Sony Music.
Legend says that he really enjoys working with West, with whom he’s built up a strong creative rapport, as well as a friendship. He told me: “We’ve worked together for years now, we know each other well. And we work really well together. We also are both really opinionated, so we’re like, we argue about stuff, too (laughs). Not in a malicious way, more like intellectual arguments about music, about the direction the album should go, the direction a particular song should go. We go back and forth about it. What’s exciting is by the time we’re done, we’re usually both really happy with whatever we do.”
Legend’s single “Save Room” has reached Number 11 on the national urban AC radio chart.
JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE SAYS TO TURN HIS MUSIC UP
Justin Timberlake had so much fun recording his second album, FutureSex/LoveSounds, that he thinks you can hear it in the individual songs – - especially on “SexyBack.” The 25-year-old singer said that the tracks sound even better when turned up loud:
“To me the main thing was we had so much fun in the studio making the music that’s what I feel translates. And so if that’s what bringing sexy back is, then so be it. But I know that we had so much fun making the record it’s kind of hard to not feel that when you listen to it. It’s one of those records that the louder you turn it up, the better it gets.”
Timberlake kicks off a tour with Pink on January 8th in San Diego, California
TYRESE AND HIS ‘ALTER EGO’ BLACK TY BOTH RELEASING SINGLES
Singer, actor, and now rapper Tyrese is preparing for the December 12th release of his groundbreaking double-CD set, Alter Ego, with the simultaneous release of three singles. Available at radio are the vocal ballad “One,” produced by The Underdogs; the vocal track “Turn Ya Out” featuring Lil’ Jon; and the club- ready rap track “Get It In,” performed by the artist as his rapping alter ego, Black Ty.
The new J Records release is the first to showcase one CD of vocals and another CD of rap tracks by the same artist. In addition to the Underdogs and Lil’ Jon, some of the producers and writers supporting Tyrese/Black Ty on the set are Brian Michael Cox, R. Kelly, Trick Stewart, and Eric Dawkins & Tony Dixon.
Tyrese is making the rounds of the media to help promote the new release. Fans can catch him tonight, Monday (December 11th) on BET’s 106th & Park (12/11), and Tuesday (December 12th) on The Megan Mullally Show.
The singer and rapper will also appear on the Spike TV Video Games Awards on December 13th, and on MTV’s Sucker Free show on December 20th.
FOREST WHITAKER, DJIMON HOUNSOU EARN ACTING HONORS AS AWARDS SEASON KICKS OFF
Awards season kicked off yesterday (December 6th) with the National Board Of Review handing out its film awards. Among the honorees were Forest Whitaker, who picked up the Best Actor Prize for The Last King Of Scotland, and Djimon Hounsou, who was named Best Supporting Actor for Blood Diamond.
The National Board of Review got Oscar handicapping rolling with its other major awards as well — Clint Eastwood’s Letters From Iwo Jima capturing the National Board of Review’s Best Picture prize. Letters From Iwo Jima depicts the famous World War II battle from the Japanese point of view and is spoken entirely in Japanese. The film is the companion piece to Eastwood’s Flags Of Our Fathers and comes out December 20th.
Other acting honors included Best Actress to Helen Mirren for The Queen, and Best Supporting Actress to Catherine O’Hara for the awards season spoof, For Your Consideration. Martin Scorsese was named Best Director for The Departed, and that film was also singled out for having the Best Ensemble Cast.
Along with its prize picks, the National Board of Review named its Top 10 movies of the year. They were: Letters From Iwo Jima, Babel, Blood Diamond, The Departed, The Devil Wears Prada, Flags Of Our Fathers, The History Boys, Little Miss Sunshine, Notes On A Scandal, and The Painted Veil.
JOHN LEGUIZAMO SPILLS THE BEANS ON FAMOUS FACES
Ice Age voice John Leguizamo spills the beans on a bunch of Hollywood types in his new book Pimps, Hos, Players, Haters, And All The Rest Of My Hollywood Friends. Leonardo DiCaprio, Kevin Costner, and Steven Seagal are among the famous faces whose actions and attitudes get unedited reviews.
On Leonardo DiCaprio and the making Romeo & Juliet in Mexico: “We would have parties, just the guys playing poker while strippers danced on a table. And there were some adventures with the hookers that were videotaped, two on one, voyeurism, all that. Thank God for certain people’s careers those tapes have been erased.”
On what Kevin Costner told him during the filming of Revenge: “‘I’m gonna teach you about lighting. Get out of my light. Now if you can manage that we might have a good movie here.’ Leguizamo added, “I’ll never forget that. Never block a star’s light. Got it. C***sucker.”
On Steven Seagal’s ego on Executive Decision: “His head was supposed to blow up from the sudden change of air pressure. But Steven wouldn’t let his character die like that. He wouldn’t leave his trailer until they changed it for him. The big fat sissy.”
On Arnold Schwarzenegger’s sexist ways on the Collateral Damage set: “I don’t want to blow up his spot, but it’s true he talked some wild **** to the ladies. I heard him tell one woman in the costuming department, ‘Your fingernail polish is pink. Are your nipples the same color?’ If I said something like that, I’d get slapped.”
When he’s not telling all about fellow celebs, Leguizamo’s working. His latest gig is a guest spot on My Name Is Earl as a criminal Earl meets in Mexico. Leguizamo describes the character as an unabashed ’80s lover: “Well my character is kind of in love or trapped — I don’t know, however you see it — in the ’80s. Hence the gold parachute pants, the cut-offs, that weird Clash belt thing, and I wear like a Michael Jackson, like, ‘Beat It’ jacket. That’s why I did it, for the ’80s wardrobe.”br>
Leguizamo’s My Name Is Earl episode airs tonight (December 7th) at 8:30 on NBC.
His book is available in bookstores nationwide.
RUSSELL SIMMONS USING DIAMONDS FOR GOOD IN AFRICA
Media entrepreneur Russell Simmons said Tuesday (December 5th) that he will use part of the proceeds from his Simmons Jewelry Company to raise money for the development and empowerment of Africans.
Returning to the U.S. after a tour of several diamond mines on the continent, Simmons announced his “Green Initiative” jewelry line, which will donate 25 percent of proceeds from sales toward the Diamond Empowerment Fund. The fund will support institutions, like schools and colleges, in South Africa and Botswana and help boost economic development.
Simmons’ recent visit to South Africa and Botswana to visit mining facilities and factories coincides with efforts by human rights groups to raise awareness about so-called “conflict” diamonds, which have fueled and funded wars in Africa. Millions have been killed in Angola, Sierra Leone, Liberia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo by forces funded by rogue diamond sales.
Simmons Jewelry Co. President Scott Rauch said the company’s diamonds are conflict-free.
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Black History Fact
In 1961, the Platters album Encore – Golden Hits is certified gold.
In 1967, Otis Redding records “Sittin’ On The Dock Of The Bay.”
In 1968, the Diana Ross & the Supremes/Temptations collaboration “I’m Gonna Make You Love Me” is released.
In 1974, “Kung Fu Fighting” by Carl Douglas peaks at Number One on the pop singles chart.
In 1974, “You’re The First, My Last, My Everything” by Barry White peaks at Number One on the U.K. pop singles chart.
In 1978, “Le Freak” by Chic is certified platinum.
In 1978, the album The Best Of Earth, Wind & Fire – Vol. I is certified gold and platinum.
In 1986, Ray Charles receives the Kennedy Center Honor.
In 1987, the Janet Jackson video collection Control – The Videos is certified platinum.
In 1987, Jody Watley’s self-titled album is certified platinum.
In 1990, the “All The Man That I Need” single by Whitney Houston is released.
In 1991, “Black Or White” by Michael Jackson peaks at Number One on the pop singles chart and stays there for seven weeks.
In 1992, the “Mr. Wendal” single by Arrested Development is released.
In 1993, the “Breathe Again” single by Toni Braxton is certified gold.
In 1993, the “I Get Around” single by 2 Pac is certified gold.
In 1995, The Gold Experience album by Prince is certified gold.
In 1996, “Un-Break My Heart” by Toni Braxton peaks at Number One on the pop singles chart.
In 1998, the Phoenix Rising album by the Temptations is certified gold.
In 1999, the Mariah Carey video #1 is released.
In 1999, The Will Smith Music Video Collection video by Will Smith is released.
In 2003, Mary J. Blige marries record producer Kendu Isaacs at her home in New Jersey.
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Celebrity Birthdays
Kon Artis, member of D12, 28
Terrell Owens, former Super Bowl MVP, 33
Fernando Vargas, former junior middleweight boxing champ, 29
Jeffrey Wright, actor (Shaft, Boycott, Lackawanna Blues), 41
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Words To the Wise
You have the power to work it out
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Contact Information
Freddie Bell
PO Box 650961
Sterling,VA 20165
newsletter@voiceunique.com
888-639-9738
Filed under: Freddie's Morning Show Update, Motivation, Totally Gospel Minneapolis
