By Karu F. Daniels, AOL Black Voices
The Bravo network is celebrating Black History Month in a special way -- paying tribute to the careers of African American artists on 'Inside The Actors Studio.'
As first reported by The BV Newswire, legendary diva Diana Ross joins host James Lipton for a special two-hour episode of the legendary chatfest.
A centerpiece of the month's programming, the show will premiere Feb. 19 at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
While not as celebrated as she should be for her filmed work, the former Supremes frontwoman left an indelible impact on film and television paving the way for the likes of Whitney Houston and Beyonce Knowles and other African Americans favored by the mainstream.
One of the biggest stars to shine during the past 50 years, the Detroit native hosted countless television shows (including 'The Tonight Show' and a number of her very own variety shows), performed concerts for cable telecast ('Live At Caesar's Palace' and 'Live In Central Park') and starred in telepics (the harrowing drama 'Out of Darkness' and the cliché-riddled 'Double Platinum').
On celluloid, her breakout role as Billie Holliday (as a teenager and as a woman) in 'Lady Sings the Blues' proved that she was a force to be reckoned with. As Tracey Chambers, the ambitious Chicago fashion designer turned supermodel, the ambitious 'Mahogany' garnered a cult following. Lastly, the larger than life filmed adaptation of the legendary Broadway musical 'The Wiz' didn't live up to the movie studio's expectations, but remains a favorite to many.
Looking back on her varied career accomplishments (including an Academy Award nod for her acting debut in 'Lady Sings The Blues' and a Tony Award win for her limited Broadway engagement in 1976), Ross -- who is promoting her latest opus years 'I Love You' -- made the rounds to 'Inside.'
Like Liza Mninelli (who appeared on the program last year to celebrate the re-release of her landmark 'Liza with a Z' TV special), Ross will also take the stage with song. To the delight of the over crowded studio audience, she will perform a medley of her hit songs including 'Baby Love' and 'Do You Know Where You're Going To (Theme From Mahogany).'
Encore presentations of episodes of the 12-time Emmy Award nominated show featuring Eddie Murphy, Will Smith, Dave Chappelle, Jamie Foxx, Forest Whitaker and Queen Latifah will continue throughout the month of February.
No comments:
Post a Comment