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TV ONE’s Hit Series UNCENSORED Highlights Legendary Actress & Director Debbie Allen

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TV One’s edgy docu-series UNCENSORED, which explores the private lives of some of today’s most notable personalities, highlights legendary actress and director Debbie Allen this Sunday, October 4 at 10 P.M. ET/9C followed by an encore presentation at 11 P.M. ET/10C. The episode will re-air on Wednesday, October 7 at 10 PM/9C. On this episode of UNCENSORED, Debbie Allen talks about her first big break as a dancer, choreographer and director, her relationship with older sister, Phylicia Rashad, and the compelling reason why she has dedicated her life to teaching dance and the arts to youth from across the world.

Born in Houston, Texas to Vivan Ayers and Andrew Allen, Deborah Kaye Allen is the youngest of three kids. Her mom was a poet and art director, while her father was the towns best orthodontist. After her parents split, her mom moved her and her siblings to Mexico to escape the blatant racism they experienced in Texas. Even though they thrived in Mexico, they missed home and mostly their Dad. Upon returning to Texas, Debbie completed high school and attended Howard University, graduating cum laude. She then moved to New York to pursue acting and was cast in the musical Raisin. Branching into film and television, she landed the role of dance instructor in Fame, gaining three Emmy awards. Throughout her career, Debbie has held many leadership roles on many productions, such as A Different World, Amistad, All of Us, and Girlfriends. Currently, Debbie is still working various roles in entertainment, while running a very successful dance school, Debbie Allen Dance Academy. Inspired by her daughter, she started the school to motivate other kids and give them the opportunity she didn’t have as a child. 

The auto-biographical series delves into the lives of luminaries as they reveal secrets to their success, obstacles they faced and how they’ve navigated the perils of social media that helped – and sometimes haunted – their careers. This season continues with actor Omari Hardwick and actress/singer Jenifer Lewis. This season also includes five bonus episodes including UNCENSORED: Black Girl MagicUNCENSORED: ScandalsUNCENSORED: Hip-HopUNCENSORED: Black Hollywood and UNCENSORED: Big Break. Each week viewers get a glimpse into the lives of high-profile celebrities as they reveal their stories — in their own words.

 “We’re excited for the return and talent line-up for this season of Uncensored, which is one of the network’s top-rated series,” said Executive Producer in Charge of Production Jason Ryan. “Viewers will get to experience the intimate revelations of some of their favorite celebrities.” 

TV One will also launch a weekly digital series, Bossip Uncensored, featuring informative and humorous commentary from Danielle Canada and Janeé Bolden, two voices behind the popular Bossip.com headlines. Each Thursday, the hosts discuss the featured celebrity and provide sneak previews of the upcoming UNCENSORED episode. Each pre-show will be available on TV One’s YouTube channel.

Black Life Texas

Carver Annual Fundraiser Dec. 2

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The Carver Development Board presents the Cavalcade of the Stars on Saturday, Dec. 2, at the Henry B. Gonzalez Center. 

This annual fundraiser benefits the Carver’s School for Visual & Performing Arts’ Artist Residency/Master Class Program, summer camps, Youth Matinee Series, and supports the education programs of the Carver Community Cultural Center. The title fundraiser is Valero.

The night will start with a reception and silent auction at 5:30 pm. Dinner is served at 6:30 pm, and the show begins at 8 pm featuring Kiland Kyham, also known as Mr. Houston. Kyham is a gifted and powerful author, singer, and songwriter. He has performed and produced with such music legends as Al Green, Stevie Wonder, Johnathon Butler, and Smokey Robinson. He has written over 400 song jingles and has produced numerous projects. 

For over 75 years, The Carver Community Cultural Center (“The Carver”) has served as the San Antonio Eastside’s foremost gathering place of cultural exchange and performance arts. It was originally erected in 1918 as a community center for African-Americans. By the 1930s, the building was repurposed as the Colored Library and renamed the Carver Library and Auditorium in honor of Dr. George Washington Carver. From the 1940s through the Civil Rights Era, prominent African-American entertainers such as Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, and Louis Armstrong played at the Carver. 

Individual tickets for the Cavalcade of the Stars are $250 or $2,500 per table. For more information, visit (TheCarver.org).

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Kirk Brings Tour to San Antonio

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Kirk Franklin’s new album “Father’s Day” just released on Oct. 6, 2023. Franklin has written and produced “Father’s Day,” marking his first new solo album since the 2019 release of his Grammy-winning solo album “Long Live Love.”

Franklin says about Father’s Day and connecting with God’s love: “I hope this album is a stripped-down, honest conversation about the difficulty of the life journey and how life can be messy, nuanced, and a matter of trial and error even for those who subscribe to faith. But it’s all wrapped in a bow of love, and that love doesn’t always make sense, but is always constant.”

Legendary artist Kirk Franklin has etched a mark on the music industry with his soul-stirring melodies and powerful lyrics. With an astonishing 2 billion career streams, his music has touched the hearts of millions around the globe.

Highly decorated with an impressive collection of accolades, including 19 Grammy Awards, 42 Stellar Awards, 23 Dove Awards, and 8 Soul Train Awards, he stands as a true icon in the gospel genre.
Kirk Franklin’s unwavering passion for gospel music continues to shine as a beacon of inspiration, leaving an indelible legacy that will resonate for future generations.

Franklin will be featuring some of his new albums in The Reunion Tour at the Frost Bank Center (formerly AT&T Center) on Nov. 16 at 7 pm. Tickets are on sale now at Ticketmaster.com.
Joining Franklin on The Reunion Tour are Israel Houghton, David & Tamela Mann, Tye Tribbett, The Clark Sister with special guests of the New Breed, The Family, & God’s Property.

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Jada’s Entangled Memoir – Worthy

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By Ebony Huerta Wells

It must be nice! I don’t know if it’s just me, but when I heard actress Jada Pinkett Smith say she and her famous Oscar-slap husband, Will Smith, are separated but still married, I immediately thought that when I get upset with my husband, I have to sit in my car.

I don’t have another house to go to. I don’t even have another wing of the house to go to. And then I thought of the infamous Oscar slap in 2022 and the “Red Table Talk” discussion where she and Will Smith are in tears over her entanglement or affair. So, was all that necessary? Maybe to sell books, it may be necessary. Jada Pinket Smith’s new memoir, “Worthy,” has hit the shelves and she is making the talk show circuit. Like talk show host Sherri Shepherd said, the whole family should get Oscars for living a lie for seven years – supposedly the amount of time Mr. and Mrs. Smith have been separated.

Truthfully, I’m still trying to grapple with liking the couple – before her memoir. Unlike R. Kelly, Michael Jackson and Bill Cosby, Will Smith hasn’t been totally shunned yet, but he has paid a hefty price for his actions “defending” her honor. But it takes two to tangle, and I don’t think by any means we have heard of all his “entanglements,” and he has his own demons to work out.

. . . the whole family should get Oscars for living a lie for seven years . . .

In the Black community and especially in the entertainment industry, we don’t have a plethora of Black male actors. We are more accustomed to negative stories of Black men than good, so when Will Smith reprised his role as Muhammad Ali at the Oscars, we wanted so much to embrace him for his achievements. Instead, we had to defend Black men at work, hit rewind about a thousand times to make sure it wasn’t a skit, and then joke about it in our inner circles – what the hell was he thinkin’ fighting in front of white folks!

I haven’t read “Worthy,” but Jada Pinkett Smith does talk about Tupac, Chris Rock, and many more of our favorite celebrities. Maybe I will read it for that, or perhaps I will just wait for them to move back together again and stop all this actin’.

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