(NNPA)—Dear Gwendolyn: My husband is really acting strange. My daughter is 17 and he refuses to allow her to date. She graduates from high school this spring and he thinks she should not date until she has finished. He says, “She needs to get her education first.” I don’t know where he got that ridiculous theory. My grandmother used to talk with my husband at length when my daughter was growing up. I can remember when I was young, my mother and grandma had that same harsh conversation about me. Grandma wanted me to date at 17 and my mother said I could date at 16. My husband constantly claims he is not going to raise grandchildren.
With the sale of WAMO, there definitely has been a void when it comes to having a station that plays the R&B hits that everyone loves, but the void is no longer. Last week, Pittsburgh’s WLTJ-Q92.9 FM launched a new nightly radio show, “Q in the City” with host Tracey Lee. TRACEY LEE From 9 p.m.-12 a.m., Sundays through Fridays, 92.9 features nothing but R&B from artists such as Tina Turner, Luther Vandross, the O’Jays, Earth Wind and Fire and more.
Yes, the movie “I Can Do Bad All By Myself” is of typical Tyler Perry melodramatic style, and you may be tired of that, but “Tyler Perry has a special way of speaking to his audience, and it’s unbelievable,” David Spitz, Lionsgate executive vice president and general sales manager, said. SCENE FROM THE MOVIE “I CAN DO BAD ALL BY MYSELF” That said, Perry’s latest effort takes us into the world of April (played by Oscar nominee Taraji P. Henson) whose life is a bit hazardous. She’s an alcoholic nightclub singer who is dating a married man. But after three little gifts arrive on her doorstep, her life would never be the same.
Many viewers expected to see changes in the sixth season of ABC’s hit drama “Grey’s Anatomy,” but the biggest surprises in this year’s two-hour season premier didn’t come until the last few minutes of the episode. HARD TIMES—Dr. Miranda Bailey (Chandra Wilson) and Chief Richard Webber (James Pickens Jr.) are no longer a shoulder for Seattle Grace staff to lean on. With many Americans still suffering from the recession, several television shows have been incorporating the dire economic conditions into their storylines. This season, “Grey’s Anatomy” will be no exception as Chief of Surgery Richard Webber (James Pickens Jr.) announced that Seattle Grace Hospital will be merging with rival hospital Mercy West.
This week I visited the Greater Pittsburgh Coliseum in Homewood, The Grey Box Theatre in Lawrenceville, The Kelly Strayhorn Theatre in East Liberty, The Shadow Lounge in East Liberty and CJ’s in the Strip District. My first stop was at the Greater Pittsburgh Coliseum in Homewood where the Whiteside Side Road reunion took place. This event happens every year. One year it’s located at Ammon’s Recreation center in the Hill District and the following year it’s held at the Greater Pittsburgh Coliseum in Homewood. I have to shout out the whole Whiteside Road Reunion Committee including my girl Connie and my boy Clarence. The Whiteside Road Crew representin’ for the H.I.L.L. at the Greater Pittsburgh Coliseum
Pittsburgh resident Marlene Davis chose to spend her Tuesday night seeing the production, “Distorted Love” because “it spoke to a lot of women’s situation and how you try to escape realism in those situations,” she said. “Distorted Love,” a Charlayne Henry Production in Association with A Sistas Thang Productions, centered around the all-female Cantrell family of attorneys at Whitmore, Lacey and Ditmon. Delores is a retired partner at the firm while Debora is poised to make partner at the firm.
NNPA—Dear Gwendolyn: I have been dating my boyfriend for five years. Each time I mention getting married, he changes the conversation. I must admit that I am growing tired of his seemingly “no interest” in marrying me. Last year at his family’s reunion gathering, his father told me that for the past two years he has been in love with me. He said, “I thought by now you would have married my son or the two of you would have broken the relationship.” I was rude with him at first, but now I am having second thoughts.
Thursday 8 Season opener The University of Pittsburgh Kuntu Repertory Theatre presents “Dutchman” and “The Slave” at 8 p.m. at Alumni Hall, 7th Floor Auditorium, 4227 Fifth Ave., Oakland. The two one-act plays launch the 2009-2010 season, which is dedicated to the late Rob Penny. He was the Kuntu’s playwright-in-residence for many years and a Pitt associate professor of Africana studies. Dutchman examines the possibilities of interracial relationships through an encounter on a New York subway. The flirtation between the young man and woman evolves into a serious discussion of perceptions and stereotypes that ends in tragedy. “The Slave” is a fable that looks at the revolution to overthrow the Euro-centered culture of the United States through the relationships of a divorced interracial couple and a new spouse, the ex-husband’s former mentor. The performance will run through Oct. 10. Admission is $20 for adults, $13 for senior citizens, students and children ages 4-18. For more information, call 412-624-7298.
Pittsburgh has a rich history in jazz, dance and the arts in general. This legacy was celebrated in a spectacular showcase earlier this month. The much anticipated beautiful newly opened August Wilson Center for African American Culture hosted the Multicultural Arts Initiative’s third annual celebration of diversity in the arts with “Legacy: Celebrating the Fabric of Our Culture,” a program celebrating diversity and richness of the arts and fashion. ARTIST OF THE YEAR—Sean Jones performing one of his many hits.
Aisha Kahlil is happy that fans are inspired by and enjoy Sweet Honey in the Rock’s music. “The force of healing is something that we want in our music. There’s nothing more powerful than that and hopefully we can get that in the hearts and minds of the people,” said Kahlil, who lives in Maryland. She has been a member of the group for more than 10 years. SWEET HONEY IN THE ROCK
