Category Archives: entertainment

Apollo Theater in Harlem elects new board

Posted on July 5, 2011 | Leave a comment

Dec 8, 2010 @ 14:52
By HarlemGal
If you were wondering who sits on the Board for the famous Apollo Theater in Harlem, wonder no more. Around noon today, the Apollo notified several constituents that last night, (I guess after the holiday lighting event?) they elected seven new board members for its 2010-2011 Winter/Spring Season.
The new directors are Marcus Samuelsson, Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds, Leslie Uggams, Luis A. Miranda Jr., Maya Harris, Marcella A. Jones, and Ingrid Saunders Jones.
Congrats to the new board members and good to know for us Harlemites!

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Posted in business, Community, entertainment, Harlem, New York, New York City, NYC

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Quick encounter with Harlem’s Marcus Samuelsson

Posted on July 5, 2011 | Leave a comment

Dec 1, 2010 @ 23:23

By HarlemGal
We finally crossed in a direct path with fellow Harlemite, Red Rooster owner and celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson. The quick exchange happened on the evening of November 30. Samuelsson and his stunning wife Maya were at the annual 2010 UNICEF Snowflake Ball. Samuelsson was, once again, overseeing the menu for the Ball, along with Wolfgang Puck, and was part of the live auction.

Our quick encounter was just that. We introduced ourselves to him and his wife and discussed proximity of where we live in Harlem. He then introduced us to his partner in Red Rooster and then we told him how excited we were for Red Rooster to open in Harlem. That was it! I guess I was a bit speechless because it felt like there were a gazillion people around him and his wife. Given that setting, I can confirm that the business partner, Marcus and Maya were absolutely nice and gracious. And of course, we have to comment on the appearance. Oh…what a sharp couple the Samuelsson’s make. They looked fabulous!

We also were able to sample the Red Rooster crab cake that was served to all the guests during the Ball. It was divine as well as the lamb chops. You will want to try the crab cake at Red Rooster once it opens along with the spicy chutney.

If you’ve ever wondered what the financial value is in hiring Marcus Samuelsson to cook you a private dinner, this story will give you some insight. During the live auction at the Ball, they offered a private dinner with Samuelsson, who would come to your home in New York City and cook for you and up to 12 guests. The bidding started at $15,000. The lucky person ended up purchasing two private dinners at $35k  each.  Good for them, but even much better for UNICEF. All the proceeds from the live auction go to charity.

After witnessing several individuals bidding high for our fellow neighbor, chef and Harlemite, all we could think about was how fortunate we are because we will have a short walk to 310 Lenox Avenue when Red Rooster opens! And hopefully, no bidding required to get a table!

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Posted in entertainment, fashion, Harlem, New York, New York City, NYC, real estate, restaurants

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Paul McCartney to perform soon in Harlem at The Apollo

Posted on July 5, 2011 | Leave a comment

Nov 16, 2010 @ 14:09
By HarlemGal
One of the Fab Five will step foot in Harlem and perform at Harlem’s famed Apollo Theater. The Associated Press reports today that Paul McCartney will perform for the very first time at The Apollo on December 13!
Read the complete story here!

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Posted in entertainment, Events, Harlem, music

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Harlem through the eyes of Marcus Samuelsson

Posted on July 5, 2011 | Leave a comment

Nov 1, 2010 @ 7:27
By HarlemGal
The countdown begins for the opening of Red Rooster, which is suppose to have its preview night November 2 in Harlem with an official opening expected about three weeks later according to a reader and its owner, Marcus Samuelsson is wasting no time in plugging Harlem, the location of his new restaurant. In this video for Black Atlas.com, a social networking site for “sophisticated African-American travelers,” Samuelsson visits several Harlem businesses and asks them what makes Harlem so special. In addition, he asks business owners for some advice on running a business in Harlem. Hear what Harlem business owners had to say…

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Posted in business, entertainment, Harlem, New York, New York City, NYC, restaurants

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Taylor Swift was in Harlem…get out of here!

Posted on July 5, 2011 | Leave a comment

Oct 26, 2010 @ 22:53
By HarlemGal
I really thought all the publicity around our Target in East Harlem was sort of over. Wrong. It seems that this store will now be the pit stop for celebrities who have to push their product while they are attending to their press junkets in the Big Apple. Taylor Swift made an appearance at our Target in East Harlem on Monday, October 25. Shocker! This had to be her first time in Harlem. I was very surprised to see this news fall into my inbox! What do you think? Were you surprised Taylor Swift came to our Target in Harlem? Click here to see the video!

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Posted in entertainment, Harlem

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Experience: Harlem hosts bar and restaurant crawl

Posted on July 5, 2011 | 1 comment

Oct 18, 2010 @ 13:52

By HarlemGal
Have you ever wanted to check out several drinking and eating establishments in Harlem in one night but never had the time? You’ve read about Harlem’s booming restaurant row on Frederick Douglass Boulevard in various publications and wondered what’s it like? Well, now you have the opportunity to see and experience several fine dining establishments all in one night at Experience: Harlem Bar & Restaurant Crawl taking place the evening of October 28 from 6 PM to 10 PM. Experience: Harlem, one of the early pioneers in promoting all things positive about Harlem, has rounded up some of Harlem’s best restaurant and drinking places for this event. They are: Mojo, 5 & Diamond, Melba’s, Questan’s, 67 Orange, and more! Tickets are $15 in advance or $20 at the door. Click here to purchase tickets.

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Posted in Bars, Community, entertainment, Events, Harlem, restaurants

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Prince holds surprise news conference in Harlem to launch Welcome 2 America tour

Posted on July 5, 2011 | Leave a comment

Oct 15, 2010 @ 0:41
By HarlemGal
Early evening Thursday (October 14), the Harlem online community on Twitter were all abuzz informing all interested parties that Prince was in Harlem holding a surprise news conference at the Apollo Theater, and if you wanted to attend the conference held by the Minnesota rock star to get there by 5 PM. Apparently someone or entity made it on time to the Apollo to hear Prince launch his Welcome 2 America tour starting in December and captured the entire announcement on video. Kudos to them! Now all I want to know is will Harlem be on the tour schedule for Welcome 2 America? I sure hope so! My fingers are crossed!

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Posted in entertainment, Harlem, music

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Harlem student and well-known educator featured in ‘Waiting for Superman’

Posted on July 5, 2011 | Leave a comment

Sep 21, 2010 @ 6:55

By HarlemGal
There are plenty of films that open every weekend in New York City. There are so many that it is hard to decide what to see in the movie theaters at times. However, this weekend is different. There is only one film to see and that’s “Waiting for Superman,” which opens in the Big Apple on September 24. “Waiting for Superman” is a new documentary by Davis Guggenheim, Academy Award-winning director of “An Inconvenient Truth,” that covers our public education system and it features individuals  from or connected to Harlem.

In the film, Guggenheim’s cameras follow Bianca, who is now a second grader, lives in Harlem with her mother Nakia and is trying to get into a charter school. Geoffrey Canada, CEO of the Harlem’s Children Zone, is also featured in the film as well as the charter school he founded right here in Central Harlem. And last, the film’s title came from Canada. “The title refers to a Harlem educator’s childhood belief that a superhero would fix the problems of the ghetto.”

According to some reviews, the film is expected to rattle some boots, i.e. charter vs. no charter schools, and potentially start a revolution about public education. For me, anything that provokes some rattle and a little bit of revolution about a topic and situation that affects us all, I am so there. I can’t wait to see “Waiting for Superman” in theaters this weekend. Join me?

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Posted in entertainment, film, Harlem

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Rev. Al Sharpton joins Sunday morning programming with own show

Posted on July 5, 2011 | Leave a comment

Sep 16, 2010 @ 13:20
By HarlemGal
The choices for Sunday morning TV programming is expanding by one show starting September 26 and you might recognize the person involved in this expansion! The Rev. Al Sharpton, who founded the National Action Network that is based on 145th Street in Harlem, has created his own media company and now in turn will compete in the Sunday morning programming with his own syndicated TV show called “Education Superhighway!” This was all announced to The Hollywood Reporter earlier this week and today Sharpton is introducing “Education Superhighway,” the 30 minute show, to the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation. I wonder what Christiane Amanpour from ABC and David Gregory NBC think?

Apparently the Sharpton show has been picked up in 150 markets according to THR. I’ve seen no signs of it airing in New York City yet. Guess I will have to flip through the channels on the tube the morning of September 26 to see if Sharpton is on!

Sharpton with executive producer Ruth Robinson

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Posted in Community, entertainment, Harlem

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Listen to ‘Harlem River Blues,’ Picked as Fall favorite in Time Magazine

Posted on July 5, 2011 | Leave a comment

Sep 15, 2010 @ 7:00

By HarlemGal
Back in April, I blogged about the top reasons to live in Harlem. One of the reasons I mentioned was Harlem has several famous songs about or that mention it. Well…there is another song out there to add to the list that has Harlem in the title.  It’s called “Harlem River Blues” by Justin Townes Earle and it has been recently picked a Fall favorite for 2010 by Time Magazine. Listen to “Harlem River Blues” below and tell us what you think by taking our poll?

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Posted in art and culture, entertainment, Harlem, music

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