A New Life Premiers at the Landmark Theater in Los Angeles

 On Thursday August 28th the independent film directed by the famous Los Angeles acting coach Choice Skinner premiered at the Landmark Theater in Westwood. This long anticipated film has a special message for people after a year of change and uncertainty according to director and creator Skinner. The premier was a celebratory event where cast and crew from all around the country reunited to see the film finally come together. Red carpet attendees included the cast of the film: Daffany McGaray, Clark Chris Rouse, Kailah Ami, Danny Royce, Daniel Joo, Joan Moten, Ambyr McWilliams, Josh Butler, Kyndra Mack, Janessa A. Morgan, Jessica Cymone. Additional Celebrities who came out to support the event were: Torrei Hart, McKinley Freeman , Geno Brooks, Thai Edwards, Michael Cory Davis, Stephanie Charles, Dylan Flashner, Mezou, Erica Dasher, Hiram Murray, Mike Strong, Reid Ewing, Freckles (Jason Greene), Bree Winslow, Marcus Dupree , David Hillenbran, Antonio Ramsey, and Derek Dominique. 

I spoke to several cast members about what they were most looking forward to as well as their red carpet looks.  

Actress Sophia Perez who played Amy Johnston in the film told me about her look by Auntie Funky's closet. She said, "Her name is Michelle she's a designer here out of LA and she's amazing. She can make an outfit out of anything!"

Actress Kyndra Mack who played Brenda in the film explained her custom look telling me, "I am wearing LaVogue it's by one of my childhood friends and she actually designed it and wanted me to wear it on the red carpet."

I spoke to Director and Creator Choice Skinner about the story of this film as well as what went into creating it during such a challenging year. His story of persevering to finish this film is incredibly powerful and such an inspiration for anyone who has felt like their Hollywood career was put on hold due to Covid. After writing the film and directing it through multiple setbacks during over a year of filming he edited the film himself and was finally able to see it all come together at the premier. 

I also spoke to the producer of the film who showed up for the red carpet in a custom tailored suit and hat giving serious Boss vibes. She also had a great message to share about working on this film and what made this project so unique. She told me, "Having a majority African-American cast that was a strong cast, that's what I think makes it superbly unique" 

Finally we all headed inside to watch the movie for the first time on the big screen. There was a Q and A with the audience and then the film began. This film was truly an all hands on deck project and most cast and crew contributed multiple talents during the filming and post production of the movie. It truly came out looking professional and had an amazing soundtrack as well. The story was captivating and had twists and turns that made me want to watch all the way through to the end. I would highly recommend checking this movie out if you get the chance. There were some great funny moments, as well as some heavy moments that felt incredibly relatable.

Shiseido Hosts Malibu Beach CleanUp with Celebrities Katharine McPhee and Adrien Grenier

This Friday July 23rd Shiseido kicked off the weekend with a great event giving us a fun way to give back! I attended the Shiseido Blue Project Malibu beach clean up where local influencers and celebs showed up to help spread awareness about keeping our oceans clean. The project was organized with Shiseido Blue grantee, Wild Coast, a non profit that is helping to clean up our beaches and oceans as well as spread awareness about the importance of caring for our Ocean and coastal environments. 

We started the morning off with some snacks and juices provided by Shiseido all in reusable containers. And of course we couldn't forget sun care! Shiseido provided their signature sunscreen and roll on sun gel for guests who came to the event. 

Wild Coast provided clean up gear as well as taught us how to catalog the trash we found for reporting and analyzing. We all got ready to go and then headed across the beach to begin our clean up. Celebrity guest Adrien Grenier, star of Entourage, got right to work and shared how important this cause was for him. 

Katharine McPhee Foster, the singer and actress known for her role in the TV show Scorpion, took time out of her busy schedule as a new mom to attend the event as well. Both stars dug right in collecting tons of trash with the group. 

I spoke with Ann Wycoff, the director of development for the Wild Coast project and she shared with me some of the shocking facts about the trash in our oceans. Over 1.8trillion pieces of plastic can be found in the pacific garbage patch located between CA and Hawaii. By cleaning up trash along the coast of Mexico and California WildCoast is helping to prevent more plastic from ending up in the already giant garbage patch in our ocean. 

The event shed light on the very important work that needs to be done to preserve our Oceans and coastal environments. Many times when talking about preserving the environment the Ocean is left off or forgotten about but thankfully organizations like WildCoast and the Shiseido Blue project are continuing the efforts to clean up the beach and bring awareness to this important cause! 

Justin Bieber Performs at the New Sofi Stadium in LA

This summer I attended the One Day LA "Freedom Experience" concert held at the brand new Sofi Stadium in LA. Headliners included Justin Bieber, Jaden Smith, Chance the Rapper, Tori Kelly and more. I covered the concert put on by the charity organization One Day LA which held the concert in celebration of a successful campaign around the city of Los Angeles. They had been working on initiatives such as delivering food, providing assistance to the homeless, and much more to help LA recover from the economic devastation of Covid-19. Volunteers who had participated in one of the campaigns were invited to the concert for free in honor of all their hard work. I covered the event from the media section and had a great time experiencing the brand new SoFi stadium. There were several other notable guests in attendance including the mayor of Inglewood and the co-founder of the OneDay LA movement. 

The event started off with a performance by Jaden Smith who warmed up the crowd with several new songs as well as his hit single "ICON". 

He told the crowd, "I seriously connect with what OneDay LA is doing and its an honor for me to be on this stage performing for all of you!" 

Chance the Rapper also gave an inspiring performance and shared some of his personal background with the crowd. He celebrated the great volunteer work accomplished through the OneDay LA movement. 

Tori Kelly came out next and performed several of her popular songs and got the crowd singing along. In between songs she said, "The work that you guys are doing is so inspiring. Thank you to OneDay LA!" 

Finally, it was time for the performance that everyone had been waiting for. Justin Bieber took the stage with several brand new songs. He gave a heartfelt performance to the crowd and shared about his personal faith journey with the audience. He told the crowd, "The pandemic has caused all if us to struggle and many of us have struggled with mental health issues. I know I have. I'm here to say you are loved and you don't have to be ashamed." This was a timely message that really resonated with the crowd as well as all of the listeners streaming the concert. One of the biggest silent effects of Covid-19 has been the epidemic of mental health issues that young people have faced while being away from their peers for so long. 

The night ended with some of Justin Bieber's classic songs like HOLY and the crowd went wild. It was a great way to celebrate the charity work that OneDay LA accomplished. 

Skating in Style at OC Fashion Week 2021

This year, I headed to OC fashion week which took place in Orange County the second week of July. I attended a very unique fashion show which was the perfect way to get back out and celebrate the return of fashion events after the pandemic. On July 6th I headed over to the fountain valley skating rink for a fashion show that was literally on wheels! Models for the Delyx Swimwear collection skated down the runway at the Studio54 show. The brightly colored collection fit right in with the colorful lights and retro vibes of the skating rink. The Fountain Valley Skating team also gave an amazing roller skating performance for guests of the show. 

The swimsuits were perfect for summer and featured several different accessories as well including oversized hats and straw bags. The collection included one pieces as well as two piece sets in vibrant prints and neon colors. 

There were also several sponsors at the show and guests could discover beauty and health services offered throughout the OC such as EM Sculpt which was giving guests a free sample of their exclusive treatments during the event. There were also eyelash extensions, and the Dana Point Infrared Sauna... Guests received exclusive discounts for future services as well. 

The best part of the night was after the fashion show ended the event turned into a skate party! Guests were allowed to rent skates and skate on the roller rink. Whether an expert skater or just trying it out for the first time everyone had a great time listening to music and skating! It really felt like we went back in time and was the perfect way to de-stress after all the craziness of fashion week! 

Day One at the Old Town Music Festival In Temecula

   

The Old Town Music Festival kicked off summer concert season in SoCal in a big way last weekend featuring acts like The Band Perry and Billy Ray Cyrus. The brand new event celebrated the return of country music concerts for tons of fans who came from LA, San Diego, and even out of state to see the stellar lineup. The festival was presented by the Stampede known as Southern California's largest country music dance venue. The festival was held at the Stampede in Temecula with two stages and tons of fun events throughout the day. The day opened with local singer Daniel Bonte who got the crowd pumped up with some original hits as well as some 90s classics. The main stage outside was surrounded by food trucks and fun photo op stations for guests to enjoy throughout the day. Inside, there were more local bands playing live music throughout the day on the smaller stage. There were also line dancing lessons offered on the dancefloor and drinks and bull riding. For fans of Billy Ray Cyrus's song "Old Town Road" the line dancing lesson to the song was a highlight. After learning the steps guests danced to the song while it was being performed live later in the evening. 

The up and coming girl band Honey County performed next bringing some color and sparkle to the stage. TO learn more about what they've been up to you can read my pre-show interview with them here. They performed their TikTok famous hit "Got it From My Momma" as well as premiered a new song they had been working on. They also sang some of their songs that had been used on the TV show Yellowstone and the single they premiered last year "Cry Wolf". I caught up with the band backstage. I hadn't seen them in person since the Stagecoach festival before the pandemic. You can see our full interview in my Day 1 recap video on YouTube! 

Afterwards country singer Tyler Farr gave the crowd a rock and roll performance and got everyone pumped for the night ahead. Brandi Cyrus came out to open for her dad and got the crowd going with her DJ skills. 

Billy Ray Cyrus gave a great performance and sang his throwback hit "achy breaky heart" to the excited crowd. He also sang his new song "Old Town Road" and several other songs from his early career. 

Finally The Band Perry closed out the show giving the crowd a great performance. They sang their hit song "Comeback Kid" telling the audience "I know this year has been tough for a lot of you, but we are here tonight and we made it through so this song is for all of us because we are all Comeback Kids tonight!" 

After the show guests stuck around for more line dancing inside The Stampede and everyone enjoyed the chance to party and dance again! 

Honey County To Perform at the Old Town Music Festival in Temecula

This weekend an exciting country music festival is coming to Southern California. The two day Old Town music festival will be held at the Stampede in Temecula and feature 6 national acts as well as local SoCal bands. Headliners include Billy Ray Cyrus, Chris Janson and more! I spoke to the band Honey County about their upcoming performance and caught up with the latest news since our last interview at Stagecoach before the pandemic. 

The band was so excited for the return of large crowds and music festivals. They told me they can't wait to perform their latest hit "Got it from my momma" which they wrote during the pandemic. They have been working on some new music and plan to release an EP soon with the music they wrote last year. However "Got it from my momma" is one song they decided to share with the world and they have wasted no time getting back into performances and producing music. They have recently been traveling to Nashville and Alabama and were able to perform the song for some weddings. The girls told me that the song really resonates with brides and has been a big hit with all the postponed weddings finally taking place this summer. They are even planning to perform it at another wedding in New York in July. The group has also been working on filming a music video for the song which they plan to release soon and might even share some previews on social media. They told me what a blast they had filming it in Alabama and they can't wait to release it and share the song with fans. 

The girls are looking forward to their Saturday afternoon performance at the festival and they told me, "We just can't wait to get back out there and be around people again. We are going to see friends and fans we haven't seen in over a year. With the festival being right in our backyard in SoCal it will be like big a family reunion." 

We talked about how it would feel getting back onstage and having the chance to wear some fun looks for the show. The girls said, "It's going to be hot so we will probably ask our stylist for like a swimsuit. A sparkly swimsuit!" 

The duo is so excited for the festival and the chance to engage with fans again. You can also listen to their latest music here  The Old Town Festival is happening June 26th and 27th and will be a great way to kick off the summer.  It will no doubt be a wild time as country fans are looking forward to getting back out and seeing live music. You can find more information at their website here

Stay tuned for my coverage of the festival and the live Honey County performance on Saturday! 

The GuardaHeart Foundation Launches DiabetesPredict in Style At Newport Beach Gala

The GuardaHeart Foundation presented a sizzling summer event in Newport Beach on Saturday June 19th to celebrate the launch of their DiabetesPredict test. The event was held at a Newport Beach mansion with food, live music, and more. Both the Chariman and the Founder of GuardaHeart Dr. Douglas Harrington and Estrella Harrington attended the event and spoke to the crowd.

 Notable guests such as Dusty Lang of Rock Band Six Gun Sal, actor Tyrone DuBose, Simon Lunche music artist, and more stepped onto the red carpet to come out and support the event. 

The attendees enjoyed a beautiful buffet with delicious appetizers and a blue themed drink to match the GuardaHeart brand. 

The dessert was a delicious sugar free ice cream provided by BochaSweet an all natural sweetner company based in Orange County. Everyone had a great time and enjoyed the sunset views over the harbor. 

The GuardaHeart foundation members even put on a live music performance for the guests. We also got to hear from the doctors and founders about the progress the DiabetesPredict test has made. It was a great night and everyone enjoyed getting back out to celebrate together.