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Praise Party:  Religious readers of this column know that twice yearly I make the trek to wherever the legendary Dr. Bobby Jones holds his International Gospel Industry Retreat.  I’m on the board of directors for the retreat and help moderate a media symposium for two days during the three-day conference.  Most recall that I adored heading to Las Vegas for the conference—and I still not-so-secretly desire for the retreat to return to Sin City—and was very grim about the move to Fort Lauderdale, Fla.  Well, I have to admit that I’m finally warming up to Fort Lauderdale.  Don’t get it twisted, I still miss Vegas.  But the manner in which Fort Lauderdale goes above and beyond to court and accommodate Dr. Jones and his staff is impressive to say the least.  The city also has great respect for gospel music and there are several significant projects coming from their partnership with Dr. Jones.  For that, stay tuned! 

Funniest Moment:  Singer Duranice Pace of the Anointed Pace Sisters was singing a duet of “Amazing Grace” with Angela Spivey for the Nashville Super Choir.  After crawling out on stage and attempting to stand up mid-verse, Pace had a “We Fall Down” moment and fell flat on her bottom.  I looked like Fred Sanford having a heart attack on Sanford & Son when I fell in my seat with chest-grabbing laughter.  Like a pro, Pace included the line, “Sometimes we stumble and sometimes we fall,” into the song, making some—but not me—think it was part of the performance all along.  

Breakout Star:  Expect big things from Atlanta-based gospel newcomer Canton Jones.  The singer—gospel’s answer to R. Kelly—is a phenomenally talented songwriter who crafts reality records with spiritual foundation.  His songs such as “Stay Saved,” “Love Song” and “Everybody Dancin’” are hits with both contemporary and traditional gospel audiences alike.  He wrecked a late-night reception during the retreat, and I believe this kid is one of the industry’s rising stars.  For more information on him, visit www.arrow-records.com.   

Most Inspiring Moment:  If I ever get sick, somebody call Kim Burrell.  The Ella Fitzgerald of gospel music is not only anointed musically, but she’s anointed to heal!  I won’t rehash the entire story (for details see my BV Buzz column for AOL’s Black Voices at www.blackvoices.aol.com/black_entertainment), but what happened to Kathleen Goodin and the miraculous way the story ended, it was such a testament to the power of God!

Musical Highlights:  Burrell’s powerful performance of "Have Faith in Me" at the Tuesday night taping…Lexi’s room-shaking performance of “He Got Up” at the Word Network reception (her album A Praise in the Valley is still one of my favorites!  Cop that.)…Tramaine Hawkins’ show-stopping performance of “He’s Just That Kind of Friend”… Everything the Nashville Super Choir sung …Vickie Winans lip-synced her performance of her new single.  We know Vickie can sang, but the song wasn’t even mastered, and she hadn’t learned all of the words yet, so she decided to lip-sync it.  It was so good; Britney Spears and Janet Jackson should beware!

Hot Topic:  Everyone and their mother had an opinion on Kirk Franklin’s appearance on Oprah recently.  You’ve heard by now that he disclosed his addiction to pornography and so forth.  Well, I don’t know what folks were saying to Franklin, but I do know that when he wasn’t around they were saying a whole lot; and much of the feedback wasn’t good.  Both Franklin and Oprah Winfrey made several generalizations during the show which resulted in the church as a whole looking bad.

Among the others in attendance for the International Gospel Industry Retreat were Dottie Peoples, John P. Kee, Albertina “The Queen of Gospel Music” Walker, Donald Lawrence, Virtue, Andre Crouch, comedienne Chocolate, Lonnie Hunter, Sandra Crouch, Tonex, B. Chase Williams, R&B singer Tony Terry, K&K Mime Ministry, Revelation S.E.E.D., Patrick Lundy & The Ministers of Music, Byron Cage, Zach Williams & One Accord, Professor Craig Hayes, Leanne Faine, Luther Barnes, Ann McCrary, Florence LaRue of the 5^th Dimension, Al “The Bishop” Hobbs, Fred Jerkins, Lashaun Daniels, Merdean Gales, Jerry Mannery (Malaco), Sister Cantaloupe, Tara Griggs McGee (Sony Gospel), Krys Copeland (Arrow Records), Bro Steve, Max Siegel (Zomba Group), Veda Brown (BlackGospelPromo.com), Debbie May, Carol Bell, Chief Sandrell Rivers, Lydia Gooden, Bishop Sam Williams, Professor James Roberson (JDI Records) and Vickie Winans’ new artists Presence and Datisha Pickett.  Those are just the ones I can remember!   

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Juicy Bits:  If soap stud Shemar Moore wasn’t wowing woman daily on the hit CBS daytime drama The Young and the Restless, he’d probably be a baseball star.  “That was my dream before acting.  My uncle, his name is Stephen Wilson, played semi-pro for the Red Soxs, and I watched him play.  I was just so awe-inspired by what he did on the baseball field,” shared Moore.  The star of Diary of a Mad Black Woman was drafted by Baltimore and Boston right out of high school because he could throw at 93 miles per hour.  “Because I could throw so hard when I got to college, they made me a pitcher.  But if I had it to do all over again, I would have played in the outfield,” he admitted.  However, Moore’s mother was adamant that he complete his college education before launching a career in professional sports.  Moore graduated with a degree in communications from Santa Clara University. 

R&B singer Tevin Campbell is headed to the Great White Way and is making his Broadway debut in the eight-time Tony Award winning musical, Hairspray.  The former Quincy Jones protégé, who took an unplanned hiatus from the music industry after a sex scandal tarnished his image, will follow singer Chester Gregory.  Gregory vacated the character of Seaweed J. Stubbs on Dec. 11 and will join the Broadway cast of Disney's Tarzan. 

America’s Next Top Model Eva “The Diva” Pigford was apparently an actress before auditioning and winning Tyra Banks’ hit UPN reality series.  Pigford starred in the Pyramid Pictures release The Walk, a Christian-themed film about a girl who turned her back on her faith and all things associated with it.  After getting in trouble with the law, she is forced to do community service which leads her back to the church.  Pigford stars in the film with former Real World: Hawaii housemate turned actor Teck Holmes and Grammy-winning R&B diva Regina Belle… 

Evidence Gospel/Artemis Records presented the live DVD recording of Youthful Praise on Nov. 26 in Washington, D.C.  The church-based choir from Connecticut has released three recordings over the last four years—2002’s Awesome God; 2004’s Thank You for the Change; and 2005’s Live the Worship, The Praise.  Under the direction of the talented J.J. Hairston, the choir has been innovative in capturing the Sunday morning experience on wax for its listeners.  More groundbreaking is their fusion of the über-popular Praise & Worship genre with their contemporary choral styling for their latest CD.  Youthful Praise combined all of those elements for their DVD recording, which featured appearances by Kervy Brown (“He Rose”), Jonathan Nelson (“Shift This Place”), Anaysha Figueroa (“Thank You for the Change”), Pastor Susie Wright (“I Am Your Help”) and the always show-stopping Loraine Stancil (“He Lives”).  A bevy of gospel personalities flooded the jam-packed New Samaritan Baptist Church including Stephen Hurd, Bobby Burwell (Heaven 1580am), Andrea Williams (NARAS/Tehillah Entertainment), John Hart, Eric Vinson (Metro Gospel Beat), actress Edwina Finley, Carla Bowens and Evidence/Artemis executives Melanie Clark, James Roberson and Benita Bellamy.

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Juicy Picks:  Whoopi: Back on Broadway—The 20th Anniversary-  The accomplished Whoopi Goldberg—she’s won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy, Tony and two Golden Globe Awards—returned to the Great White Way earlier this year with a modern adaptation of the production that started it all for her.  Her limited engagement stint of Whoopi: Back To Broadway played to sold-out audiences and earned much praise, despite some resistance from the New York critics.  It was 20 years ago when HBO introduced her to a national audience with the solo special Whoopi Goldberg Direct from Broadway.  For her big comeback, the incomparable Goldberg reunited with legendary director Mike Nichols, who originally presented the comedienne on stage in 1985.  Both Broadway specials are featured on the recently released DVD project.

Myron Butler & Levi/Set Me Free (EMI Gospel) - Prolific songwriter and former Kirk Franklin backup singer, Myron Butler has finally unveiled his anticipated debut Set Me Free. The Grammy-winning talent has penned and/or produced tunes for Kim Burrell, God's Property, Smokie Norful and Ted & Sheri, among others.  The disc’s first single is the fiery title track, a hip-hop, drum-heavy, hand-clapping, yet, church friendly choral number sung by vocal powerhouse Candy West.  “That Place” is a modern adaptation of a traditional concept channeling vibes of Andre Crouch and Richard Smallwood.  The encouraging “I Can” is a self-explanatory number coated with the jazzy offerings of singer Andrea Wallace.  Venturing into the blossoming Praise & Worship genre, Butler delivers on “That’s Who You Are” and “Redeemed.”  With his impressive debut, and a talented group made up of former God’s Property members, Set Me Free will easily take Butler from the background and thrust him into leading man contingency.

New & Noteworthy: The Oprah Winfrey Show: 20th Anniversary DVD Collection - A six-disc DVD set features never-before-seen footage, candid recaps, her all-time favorite guests, surprises, celebrities and the people that have touched her heart throughout the years.  The DVD also features personal revelations from Oprah Winfrey…I'm Just a DJ But...It Makes Sense to Me (Warner Books, $22.95) - The new “King of All Media” Tom Joyner offers an entertaining memoir of his life as he recalls his childhood in Tuskegee, Ala., his days at a historically black college, and ultimately, becoming the “Fly Jock” and the most powerful man in urban radio… LaToya London/Love & Life (Peak Records)-  The petite singer with the enormous voice offers a collection of mature R&B, pop and slightly-hip-hop tracks.  The release is one of the most underrated of the fall, but is certainly worth a listen…Project Runway/Bravo (Wed. 10pm EST)-  The Heidi Klum hosted reality series is in its second season and is the designer’s answer to America’s Next Top Model.  Do yourself a favor and watch this show.       

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Farewell Friend:  An amazing writer named Brenda You died on Nov. 13 in Los Angeles in what looks to be an apparent suicide—though some speculate an accidental one.  You is a former West Coast bureau chief for Star magazine, where we broke many stories together.  It was during this time that I began appearing on the E! Entertainment network because You called a producer she knew there and told them they had to put me on television.  The first time we met in person several years ago was over dinner at Ashton Kutcher’s then-brand spanking new restaurant Dolce.  During dinner, our waiter came over and said that Kelsey Grammar, who was dining nearby, wanted us to stop by his booth.  Of course we did.  He only wanted to know who we were because he swore the beautiful red-headed white woman and the hip-looking black guy were people he’d met before.  It was You who championed for Bonnie Fuller and her underlings at Star to diversify the coverage in the celebrity weekly.  “I’m tired of the white, blond and under 40 crap Bonnie keeps pushing,” she’d gripe to me.  When she left, You connected me to Life & Style, Radar, Inside TV and any publication for which she was contributing.  She loved me and never minded sharing her resources.  We joked about her having posed for Playboy, and we teased celebrities who acted as though they hated the press and loved to say, “I told you so,” when editors would pass on stories that would later turn out to be true.  I just wish You was around to hear that Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson finally split.  It was her cover stories on In Touch, Inside TV and Life & Style that had been saying they were months before they fessed up.  I miss you, Brenda You!    

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End of an Era:  Just about everybody knows that I love The Ru Report.  The column, carried many years by the EUR and in other outlets, was penned by the witty, sharp-tongue, tell-it-like-it-is entertainment report Karu F. Daniels.  I was disappointed to learn that Daniels was putting his popular column on indefinite hiatus, but I knew his latest professional endeavor was too good—translation: very lucrative—to turn down.  He’s always been one that’s quick to remind you that “it’s all about the mortgage, baby!”  So to send off my colleague (see his goodbye here: www.eurweb.com/story.cfm?id=23489), here’s some of my favorite Ru moments from The Ru Report.  (He always said I was nothing but an archivist!)

Daniels on Lynn Whitfield:  Lynn Whitfield, looking immaculate during the Dee Dee Bridgewater show, last Saturday evening, at the swank Le Jazz Au Bar east side nightclub.  In the throws having an "alcoholic outburst," the 52-year-old blactress shooed away a friendly photo-journalist yelling some rubbish about not wanting her photo taken. Only question is: Who would buy it?  Adorned in a leopard print wrap coat, the Baton Rouge beauty acted not so beautiful, making so much noise throughout the elegant set, that paying customers kept throwing visual daggers in her direction.

Daniels’ dinner with Judge Hatchett: A RATCHET FOR HATCHETT—Atlanta political mover and shaker cum top-rated TV judge Glenda Hatchett had a rude awakening last week at New York’s popular West side soul food restaurant, Jezebel.  While dining with Heart & Soul magazine’s executive editor Marcia Cole, the good Judge was interrupted by the eatery’s owner Alberta Wright, who proceeded to disrupt the two ladies’ conversation and question the Judge about her celebrity status and her popular TV show.  And to add insult to injury—already ready after a dapper waiter took it upon himself to put his bare hands inside Hatchett’s bread basket and pick out what he deemed pieces of cornbread that were not too burnt, saying ‘Well, this one is okay’—a little furry creature came running out of the kitchen to the dismay of many of the restaurant’s patrons.  Running behind the little pooch was none other than a disheveled-looking Michael Wright, the character actor who has gained popularity in his roles as drug addicts in such movies as “The Five Heartbeats,” “Sugar Hill” and “Pinero.”  Michael is Alberta’s son, and always takes up some sort of residence at the restaurant, during its celebrity-packed dinner hours.  Talk about too close for comfort.  And then there was a mix-up with the bill, causing Hatchett and Cole to become miffed even more.  The Judge did not become undone, however, and remained graceful throughout her culinary torture.

Daniels’ best blind item:  BARKING UP THE WRONG TREE—The most preposterous thing that I heard last week was the news that some featherweight flack from La La Land was so enraged about one of last week’s column items that (s)he threatened to file a lawsuit against one of the outlets that carry the column, if they don’t drop us immediately.  Silly rabbit, tricks are for kids. Only an idiot would think that just because you didn’t like something that was printed--especially when it is in fact factual, and didn’t make any mention of you—you would have grounds for a lawsuit. Pick up a book, stupid publicist!  This poor excuse for a publicist, who I will loosely refer to as Cute Brown Girl, had the audacity to even go through the motions of trying to maim my character, and give said media czar reasons why “I’m No Good.”  You silly girl, I don’t need any assistance “maiming” my character.  (Ha, Ha)  Just because you can prance around the red carpet at the Soul Train Awards with your cell phone headset and your designer suit (off the rack) with much ease, doesn’t mean that you have anything on me. You don’t, dumb-dumb. You’re nobody’s judge on character.  Of course one of your clients would want to defect your dwindling roster due to your shady business dealings and unsavory lifestyle.  After all this said client is supposedly deeply religious.  I know a lot more about you and your “b-list” clientele than you would like for me to.  So watch your back, and your front.  And the remark about me being considered a “pariah” in the business, is complimenting from everything that you truly are and/or have been called by many of your peers in the media relations field…you know, the ones that don’t have to throw you a bone –and a $3,000 monthly retainer—for your loyalty.  Let it be known, I ain’t no easy customer…and don’t nobody sell me no wolf tickets.  If you haven’t heard, the boys from Brooklyn don’t scare easy.  Therefore, I invite you to bring it on.  

Here’s to your future Karu F. Daniels!  You know the best is yet to come!

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Frankly Speaking:  "When you change your mind, you can change your life." – actress Della Reese.

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End Notes:

~ We’re done for 2005!  See you on Jan. 17, 2006!!!

~ Check out my Web site, www.JawnMurray.com.  With the theme “Me, Myself & Lifestyle,” the site captures the essence of me as a personality and, like the Jawn’s Juice column, it features a bevy of my favorite things.

~  Jawn’s Juice is now bi-weekly—that’s every other week for those who can’t count—so no need to e-mail during the down weeks and ask where we are.  If you need your fix of entertainment news from Jawn on a weekly basis, read my other column, BV Buzz, at http://blackvoices.aol.com/black_entertainment.

~  They have dressed Free (106 & Park), Ruff Ryder's deejay Swizz Beatz, Chingy, Jaheim, actor Lamman Rucker (All My Children), Kindred The Family Soul and they keep me looking good.  A special thanks to Aja Imani for keeping me “GQ.”  Aja Imani is located at 9244 East Hampton Drive, Suite #62, Capitol Heights, MD 20743.  Contact them at 301-324-8300 or ajaimani@aol.com.

Well I’m Jawn and that’s your Juice!  See you next week!

E-mail me directly at GarekNews@hotmail.com because I never read the message board!

© 2002-2006 Jawn’s Juice.  All rights reserved worldwide. All information provided by Jawn’s Juice on this Internet site is for personal use only.  No commercial exploitation of anything contained herein may take place without prior written permission from the column’s author, Jawn Murray. Material contained herein may not be re-sold, loaned, hired, exchanged, bartered, or in any other way re-distributed in any other manner whatsoever.