by Fred Willis | Oct 6, 2017 | Theatre
Singer and songwriter Ramona White is R&B, Gospel and Retro-Soul’s rising star. Though, White has already had success performing with artists such as Kirk Franklin and the Family, Dalon Collins and more, she is ready to reveal herself to the world as a solo artist. Ramona has had major success singing and acting in many productions. Her anticipated EP will be released in early 2018 featuring her new hit single “If Only“, which debuts October, 2017 and will be featured in her upcoming dynamic new one-woman musical stage-play “Nell, Her story and My story Too“.
Buy tickets here.
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-H7xud0KuI[/embedyt]
Many people live the same archetypal stories. We are human beings and we have more in common than we can imagine with each other. We often think, “Oh I have such an original story” – and some people do. However, some people have lived an experience that is really rare, and really unique.
Nell Carter, born September 13, 1948 in Birmingham, Alabama was an American Singer and Actress. She won a Tony Award for her performance in the Broadway Musical, Ain’t Misbehavin’, as well as an Emmy Award for her reprisal of the role on the television show, Gimme a Break.
Ramona White, born May 5, 1971 in Fort Worth, Texas is an American Singer and Actress. She won rave reviews for her role as Lola Rose in Murder in Motown and in the movie Deception of Love, directed by Snoop Robinson.
Both actresses have trademark sass complimented by a distinctively adenoidal voice. They each developed an early interest in singing that led to performances in various youth groups, the church choir and even the gospel circuit.
This was positive distraction from the major traumas suffered during their early life which included the tragic death of both their fathers, and rape as a child; Nell, at gun point as a teenager while walking home from church and Ramona, once as a child by a relative and again as a teenager by her mother’s boyfriend.
Nell Carter passed away January 23, 2003 of a heart attack brought on by complications from diabetes. There’s so much in this kind of process that Ramona has cut away, cut out and that she has let go of. Her heroine journey struggles are elements of her great one women show with transformation.
Ramona White is a very brilliant, very great improviser and actress. Her show spans her lifetime and thematically is very strong. It focuses around her dysfunctional experiences then it flashes back to childhood where there were some red flags around that, her putting the pieces together and then her own spiritual and healing journey of how she chose to deal with that.
This one woman show Nell staring Ramona White, “Her story and My story too”, intertwines both Nell and Ramona’s theatrical and singing similarities with favorite songs from Nell Carter and a few of Ramona’s favorite songs and concludes with an original song written by Ramona that inspires anyone that hears it. This show has humor, characters, direct spiritual insight and wisdom, and music. It’s not just your typical show, but a spectacular production that will leave you in awe. For show times and tickets, click here.
About Ramona White:
A captivating singer/songwriter, Ramona White is a passionate, soulful performer who takes listeners on a journey through a musical world where Contemporary R&B meets Retro-Soul balanced with the Quiet Storm and Gospel. Her lyrics, reflective of her southern Lone Star roots, embrace the essence of a spiritual and fullness for life from an urban perspective. She hails from Fort Worth, Texas and was a member of Kirk Franklin & the Family. Ramona took a hiatus from “The Family” to begin her own family, giving birth to two beautiful daughters.
After some time, Ramona rejoined the music circuit, singing lead in several bands including Soaring Higher, Common Ground, and The Inspiration Band. Getting back to her gospel roots, she joined the award-winning gospel choir Inspired Voices having one of their most memorable performances at the Verizon Theatre How Sweet the Sound Dallas that included some of the nation’s greatest choirs. Soon after, Ramona became the Praise and Worship Leader at Greater Friendship Church.
Ramona tapped into her thespian talent co-staring in the stage play Seven Women, One Man alongside leading man, R&B singer, songwriter, and stage play actor with Tyler Perry Productions, Tony Grant. She also scored the leading role as Lola Rose in Buttons Murder Mysteries including Murder in Motown.
From stage to screen, Ramona landed the role of Gertie in the movie Deceptions of Love, produced and directed by Snoop Robinson. In 2017, she performed with Communion during the Stellar Awards weekend on The Rite Marketing’s Radio Showcase. Ramona has also modeled for the phenomenal Dallas designer Tawny Hanes’ Jewel in His Crown Fashion Extravaganza and posed for an Epic Photo Spread by Designer Tyra Robinson, Photographed by the dynamic Roderick Conner. To hone in on her bilingual gift, Ramona speaks Spanish fluently and performs songs in Spanish such as Como La Flor from her favorite Latino artist, Selina.
Ramona White’s much anticipated CD self-titled Ramona is expected to be released in the Spring of 2018. Her hit single If Only will be release in the Fall of 2017. The CD Ramona is a compilation of songs written by Ramona that reflect the pieces of her life and how they have come together. It also expresses her desire to use her experiences to encourage and edify others. To learn more about Ramona White visit her website at www.ramonamusic.net.
SOURCE:
by Fred Willis | Mar 6, 2017 | Television
Show is a Spin-Off of the Hit Series, For My Man
Premiere episode features the Fort Worth Funeral Home Scandal
TV One will add a new true crime series to the Monday night line-up when For My Woman premieres on Monday, March 20 at 10 p.m. ET. The show is a spin-off of the network’s hit series, For My Man, which premiered in 2015 and has become a staple on Monday nights alongside Fatal Attraction.
Read more about TV One’s True Crime Mondays
For My Woman is a true crime series that features the outrageous and shocking stories of men who have been arrested for a crime they committed in the name of loyalty and love for their woman. From a three-state killing spree to the mortuary turned house of horrors, these blinded-by-love love culprits have no limit as to how far they’ll go for the women in their lives.
The series premiere of For My Woman features the Fort Worth, Texas funeral home scandal that rocked news headlines nationwide in 2014. When Minister Dondre Johnson married his wife Rachel, he vowed to do anything to make her happy. The profit from their family-run mortuary business allowed Rachel to live lavishly while keeping a tight hold on the bank accounts. However, when she became pregnant and put Dondre in charge, he soon discovered he was in over his head. The business income slowly dried up while the bills continued to mount and Rachel continued to shop as if everything was fine.
Desperate to make ends meet, Dondre decided to stop cremating the bodies as requested by their grieving families. Instead, he stored the corpses in the garage and pocketed the money. Months later, as the stench began to rise, police discovered the decaying bodies of six adults, one child and one infant, lying in unrefrigerated rooms.
For more information about TV One’s For My Woman, visit the network’s companion website at www.tvone.tv. TV Oneviewers can also join the conversation by connecting via social media on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook (@tvonetv) using the hash tag #ForMyWoman and catch clips and promos on TV One’s YouTube Channel.
For My Woman is produced by Sirens Media for TV One. Valerie Haselton and Rebecca Toth Dienfenbach serve as Executive Producer and Anne S. Rothwell is Show Runner for the series. Jubba Seyyid is Executive in Charge of Production for TV One. D’Angela Proctor is Head of Original Programming and Production for the network.
About Sirens Media:
Sirens Media, part of Leftfield Entertainment Group, an ITV Studios company, was founded in 2005 by co-presidents Rebecca Toth Diefenbach and Valerie Haselton. Sirens Media is best known for producing powerhouse reality series Real Housewives of New Jersey for Bravo. The series has repeatedly broken ratings records for Bravo and remains in the forefront of the cultural zeitgeist. As one of the industry leaders and trendsetters in crime & investigation television, Sirens Media has produced close to 500 hours of crime and justice programming for channels including ID: Investigation Discovery, A&E, MSNBC, LMN, TV One and truTV. Sirens Media prides itself on its reputation for quality and integrity, not only in the shows they produce, but also in their stellar reputation among law enforcement agencies, criminal justice officials, and the victims of crime.
About TV One:
Launched in January 2004, TV One (www.tvone.tv) serves more than 60 million households, offering a broad range of real-life and entertainment-focused original programming, classic series, movies and music designed to entertain and inform a diverse audience of adult Black viewers. The network is the exclusive home of NewsOne Now, the only live daily news program targeting Black viewers. In December 2008, the company launched TV One High Def, which now serves 14 million households. TV One is owned by Radio One [NASDAQ: ROIA and ROIAK, www.radio-one.com], the largest radio company that primarily targets Black and urban listeners.
by Fred Willis | Sep 17, 2016 | Celebrity, Lifestyle, Parenting & Kids
Latoyia Dennis, mommy advocate and founder of A Chance to Learn has joined forces with Prudential, seven-time GRAMMY® nominated singer and songwriter, Kelly Price and a host of other influencers announce the 2016 Motivated Moms Tour.
The half day event concluded with a panel featuring these awesome panelists.
- Kelly Price,
seven-time GRAMMY® nominated singer/songwriter and founder of
Look2Live Foundation
- Rock T,
on-air radio personality and founder of the Rock T Youth Foundation
- Michele Thornton,
senior vice president at BET, Centric and author of Stratechic: Life and Career
Winning Strategies for Women
- Elayna Fernandez, www.ThePositiveMom.com
- Mena Freeman,
Prudential Financial Planner
- Sherilyn Smith,
vision board presenter and
marketing expert, Enigma, LLC
- Tiffany Fulcher,
business architect who helps women entrepreneurs build profitable businesses; CEO & founder of Momspace
Vision Boards Galore & More
If the moms weren’t motivated when they came, they certainly were upon leaving. The morning began with a rousing session of inspiration by Latoyia Dennis, Tiffany Fulcher and Sherilyn Smith who presented Cheryl Roseborough who is a vision board genius.
The ladies learned about not only creating vision boards, but crafting follow through plans. One alarming statistic raised in the early session was the percentage of follow through. It remains very low and the ladies were encouraged to find accountability partners to help guide them through the process of accomplishing their vision board.
At lunch, inspiration was the main course! With a panel of winning women and Dish Nation’s Rock-T the panel tackled a number of difficult issues from varying perspectives. From Kelly Price’s new normal, Elayna Fernandez’ journey from Central America to the West Coast and Rock-T’s male perspective as a single parent, nothing was off the table in conversation.
Mena Freeman helped the ladies understand the importance of financial awareness and Michelle Thornton, the ultimate BOSS chic schooled the ladies on the importance of achieving balance at home and at work.
That’s a Tough Question!
Kelly Price offered sage wisdom to the ladies in the room encouraging them to eliminate the phrase: “almost doesn’t count”. She intimated to the crowd that she as an artist and business woman on the go, she regularly battled guilt. That was until she came to this realization: “where I fall short, God gives the increase, when I didn’t have all the answers, I had to depend on God…I learned that God is never blindsided even when we are. “He already has the answer to the question, the solution to the problem and already made the way of escape. That’s what happens when you allow your life to be orchestrated by Him”.
The room was charged as the panel spoke life into the atmosphere using their real world experience and wisdom! There’s no doubt these moms weren’t motivated as they returned home that day.
by Fred Willis | Aug 15, 2016 | Dining, Family
Being back on the east side of town has kept me in a nostalgic mood. I re-visit old places and even lament the absence of some of my favorite places as a young child. The neighborhood looks a lot different than it did the last time I was an actual resident here.
Some good changes have finally come to the area while like Walmart and 7-11. This is huge because growing up we never really had national named stores here, mainly regional names. While taking in the newness, I stumbled upon a small family restaurant in the area: “Oh Taste And See Soul Food” (Psalm 34:8)
I have tasted and I see clearly, this food is DELICIOUS!! It’s like Sunday afternoon in each bite! They can cook in there…my Lord! I will be back, for sure! In 1 Peter 2:2 the bible says: “Like newborn babes desire the sincere milk of the word that ye may grow thereby. Verse three says: “If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is good!”
Well…let me begin my testimony…”giving honor to God and the kitchen staff…” I ate there and made a solemn vow that I shall return! The Lord is in his holy temple, you know the one right there, off Vaughn…let the dining room keep silent! Once our plates hit the table we had to say grace twice, one more time to tell the Lord thank ya-We didn’t know it was gonna be this good! Hallelujah, can I have another?!?
We indulged and imbibed to our hearts content and then it was time to say farewell. You’ll be glad you stopped by, the Dowell’s would be glad to have you.
Quick facts:
The restaurant is owned by Pastor Robert Dowell and his wife Yolanda who serves as the chef.
Yolanda Dowell has an extensive career in food service, 30+ years.
The kitchen specialty is fried chicken
There are daily specials, for each day Tuesday-Saturday.
Hours of operation are: 10 am-7pm
Singer and songwriter Ramona White is R&B, Gospel and Retro-Soul’s rising star. Though, White has already had success performing with artists such as Kirk Franklin and the Family, Dalon Collins and more, she is ready to reveal herself to the world as a solo artist. Ramona has had major success singing and acting in many productions. Her anticipated EP will be released in early 2018 featuring her new hit single “If Only“, which debuts October, 2017 and will be featured in her upcoming dynamic new one-woman musical stage-play “Nell, Her story and My story Too“.
Many people live the same archetypal stories. We are human beings and we have more in common than we can imagine with each other. We often think, “Oh I have such an original story” – and some people do. However, some people have lived an experience that is really rare, and really unique.
A captivating singer/songwriter, Ramona White is a passionate, soulful performer who takes listeners on a journey through a musical world where Contemporary R&B meets Retro-Soul balanced with the Quiet Storm and Gospel. Her lyrics, reflective of her southern Lone Star roots, embrace the essence of a spiritual and fullness for life from an urban perspective. She hails from Fort Worth, Texas and was a member of Kirk Franklin & the Family. Ramona took a hiatus from “The Family” to begin her own family, giving birth to two beautiful daughters.