Category Archives: entertainment

Harlem Arts Festival Annual Gala May 29, HAF forms new partnership with MIST Harlem

Building on the momentum from their inaugural year, the Harlem Arts Festival will hold their second annual fundraising gala on Wednesday, May 29 at MIST Harlem, a local cultural entertainment center located near 116th Street and Lenox Avenue. The fundraising event is an opportunity for the organization to raise money and awareness about the talent that will hit the festival stage in June through preview performances.

The Harlem Arts Festival has also formed a new partnership with MIST Harlem that will create opportunities and provide an ongoing platform for local artists. While both organizations are fairly new to the Harlem community, they share a vision of creating a central hub for artists to create, experiment and interact with new and existing forms of art in their own backyard.

In addition to hosting this year’s fundraising gala, MIST Harlem will serve as the backdrop for a new open-mic jam session event series hosted by the executive committee of the Harlem Arts Festival.

Tickets for the May 29 gala range from $75 for Young Patrons (under 30) to $150 for VIP guests and are on sale now at www.harlemartsfestival.com/gala.

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Attend World Premier Of ‘American Beatboxer’ at Harlem’s Schomburg Center May 15

Harlem, we are all cordially invited to attend the V.I.P. reception of the world premier screening of the film, “American Beatboxer” The documentary hits the stage at the Schomburg Research Center on May 15th in Harlem, NYC.

“American Beatboxer” tells the story of the first ever, American Beatboxing Championship, shot during the summer of 2010, at Littlefield Performance and Art Space in Brooklyn. Contestants of all races from the United States competed, down to eight finalists. This documentary honors the evolution of Beatboxing juxtaposed against the final day of competition to crown the first American beat boxing champion.

The event is free by RSVPing in advance to AmericanBeatboxerRSVP@gmail.com. Below are all the details to attend:

DATE: Wednesday, May 15th
TIME: Reception–5:30-6:30 pm; Screening–7-8:30 pm; Q&A–8:30-9:30pm
LOCATION: The Schomburg Center, 515 Lenox Avenue & 135th St.

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Harlem Arts Festival hosts Open Mic Jam Session March 27

Listen up Harlem! There is a fun event happening tomorrow! The Harlem Arts Festival (HAF) is hosting an open mic jam session at My Image Studios Harlem (MIST Harlem) tomorrow (March 27) starting at 10 pm. HAF is hosting this event to raise money for this year’s 2013 festival.

According to Neal Ludevig, the executive director of the Harlem Arts Festival, organizing a festival is no small task. “The Harlem Arts Festival presented 33 artistic acts on two stages to more than 1,000 people over the course of two days last year and we’re excited to do this again in 2013,” said Ludevig. “The money we raise tomorrow night at the open mic jam goes directly toward providing our artists with the best equipment, promotion, and resources.”

Ludevig also explained that HAF is holding their event at a venue that was specifically designed for events such as an open mic jam. “The late Roland Laird envisioned MIST Harlem as an opportunity to aggregate culture and create a destination to present theater, music, poetry slams, and more, said Ludevig. “In that way, MIST Harlem is a fantastic new space in Harlem that represents what the HAF is all about. We’re both new organizations, trying to embrace and build on the wonderful neighborhoods and communities that are already here.”

Tickets for the Harlem Arts Festival’s open mic jam, costs $10. Interested in attending? Go here for tickets.
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Mark your calendar: Harlem Earth Day activities begin April 3

Harlem Park to Park (HP2P) released information yesterday (March 19) about their second annual Harlem Earth Day initiative, which begins April 3rd until April 21st. HP2P has lined up free, fun filled activities for the whole family in Morningside Park (April 7th) and Marcus Garvey Park (April 21st); and panel discussions including celebrity chefs, authors and activists every Wednesday evening at MIST Harlem on April 3rd, 10th and 17th! The initiative is sponsored by Con Edison, Land Yoga, MIST Harlem, Friends of Morningside Park, and Marcus Garvey Park Alliance.

Below is an outline of the program and participants. See you at Harlem Earth Day activities!
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Harlem loses one of its celebrities for now, The View’s Sherri Shepherd moves across the Hudson

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A HarlemGal reader recently left a comment saying Sherri Shepherd, comedienne, actress, and television personality of ABC’s The View, is not residing in Harlem anymore. My reaction was WHAT! I just saw her online mentioning she’s hanging at the Corner Social in Harlem. So I followed up with the lovely and funny Mrs. Shepherd-Sally to see what’s up.

Shepherd confirmed via direct message on Twitter that she and her family (Lamar and Jeffrey) moved to New Jersey three months ago. But before I explain why Shepherd had to move plan-d-book-mockup400from Harlem, let me quickly point out that Shepherd unequivocally stated that she and her husband Lamar love Harlem and find it to be “a great community and plan to return in a couple of years.” They had an unexpected situation arise and had to react.

I believe Sherri Shepherd and her family will return in the near future to live full-time in Harlem. Why? As an influential celebrity, she could have easily avoided my request.  Shepherd responded in a timely manner and took the time to explain what happened. She was crystal clear in her communication. In my view, this is an example of a Harlemite who deeply cares about the community she lived in and still loves by personally taking the time to communicate what happened. Why even bother explaining to a Harlem blogger? But Sherri did.

As to what happened that caused Sherri, her son and her husband to depart Harlem, it’s a typical New York situation. Shepherd had been renting a beautiful Sherri_Shepherd_Lamar_Sally_s_Wedding_Pics_Harlem brownstone for almost three years. Her landlord gave notice that they planned to move back into the property and gave Shepherd 30 days notice. Shepherd and her husband looked at other places in Harlem because they wanted to stay, but given the time constraints they did not find a place they wanted within their budget so they moved to New Jersey for the time being. That’s it folks! That’s what happened and it happens to most New Yorker’s at one time or another.

Shepherd maybe living in NJ for now, but she has been taking the time to return to Harlem weekly. She visits the Corner Social on Lenox Avenue and 126th Street once a week and she visits Elsie’s Caribbean Cafe twice a month. Her heart is still in Harlem.

Let’s wish Sherri Shepherd and her family all the best with this change and pray for a speedy return back to Harlem. Amen!

Whitney Houston tribute tonight at MIST Harlem

Tonight, there is a Whitney Houston tribute concert at 7:00 pm at MIST Harlem (My Image Studios) at 46 West 116th Street, between Fifth and Lenox Avenue.

Several singers are going to be singing Whitney’s greatest hits! See list of artists performing below.

Interested in attending, go here to purchase tickets.

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Yatenga owners confirm opening of another restaurant in Harlem, Silvana to serve Israeli food

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The owners of Yatenga French Bistro at 2269 Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd and Shrine Bar located next door will be expanding their presence in Harlem. Sivan Baron Ouedraogo tells HarlemGal Inc that they will be opening a new restaurant in Harlem at 300 West 116th Street, right across the street from Harlem Tavern. The new dining establishment will be called Silvana and hopes to open this April.

The first floor of Silvana will be a cafe and boutique. Silvana will sell local, domestic and international home decor, accessories gifts and more. Wine and beer will be served as well. The restaurant and bar will actually be located in the lower level and will have acoustic live music. Silvana will serve Israeli food, such as shawarma, falafel and other vegetarian dishes.

If Silvana food and service will be anything like Yatenga French Bistro, this place will be good and a nice diverse addition to Harlem’s restaurant row.

To read my review on Yatenga, click here.

Pulitzer Prize-nominated Eisa Davis performs today at the Harlem School of the Arts

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Pulitzer Prize-nominated Eisa Davis will take to the stage in Harlem today for an intimate workshop setting, performing excerpts from her latest musical theater piece,Flowers Are Sleeping. The musical piece is a rare insight into the actor-writer-singer’s artistic process; a culmination of years of script development as well as more recent rehearsals in the Harlem School of the Arts’ studios and its ongoing Family Enrichment series.

Eisa Davis will also be performing at the Apollo Music Cafe in May as well. But today’s event is free

WHERE: Harlem School of the Arts: Gathering Space, 645 St. Nicholas Avenue

When: Saturday February 23, 2013 at noon (FREE)

Who: Harlem School of the Arts, Eisa Davis, Symphony Space,

WHY: Exclusive performance part of HSA’s Family Enrichment series, in promotion of performing arts center, Symphony Space’s world premiere of the full piece during Harlem Resonance Festival in April, 2013.

Alicia Keys Stuns At Exclusive HelloBeautiful InterludesLIVE Concert In Harlem [PHOTOS]

Reblogged from Celebrity News & Style for Black Women:

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Multi-Grammy winning songstress Alicia Keys joined HelloBeautiful for an intimate performance at Ginny's Supper Club in Marcus Samuelson's Red Rooster Restaurant in Harlem. Keys placed a 60 minute set for about 100 guests that will be debuted on HelloBeautiful as Interludes: LIVE. Keys enchanted the audience with her singing and storytelling, joking and confessing about the sentiments behind some of her favorite new songs.

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Alicia Keys recently played at Ginny's Supper Club in Harlem. Read a full review of how the night unfolded by HelloBeautiful, who were there for the entire evening.

This weeks HGTV Selling NY to feature Harlem again

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A real estate broker has given us the heads up that Harlem real estate and Harlem’s restaurant row will be featured in this weeks edition of HGTV Selling NY. The broker and two of her clients, who are looking to purchase their first home together, venture into Harlem to look at apartments in the neighborhood. In the course of the episode, the clients receive a tour of Harlem restaurants and shops to show them that everything they have become used to downtown can be found right here in Harlem, specifically along Frederick Douglass Blvd.

Check out the TV show this Thursday, Feb. 7 at 6:30 pm.