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ITTY BITTY BITS: Mario booted; Usher & Bebo; Blige, Scott, Keys cover Essence; Globetrotters finish strong; Rollins at Newport
*Mario's run on ABC's "Dancing With the Stars" came to a shocking end this week. The 22-year-old R&B singer and his partner Karina Smirnoff were in the bottom two with NFL star Jason Taylor and his professional partner Edyta Sliwinska before the axe dropped. After telling the crowd, “I’ve had a great time, a great partner and great competition,” Mario said: “Len, thank you for all the comments you made. Ultimately, you helped me become a better ballroom dancer. The comment about me being an inspiration to young people, I want to say that the real great ones are the young men and women fighting for our country…I had a ball. Thank you guys.”
*In anticipation of the May 27th release of his album "Here I Stand," Usher will sit down with global social media network Bebo for his first ever live, streamed, interactive interview at 8 p.m. tonight and talk directly to his fans. The interview will feature tracks from the album, and folks are invited to ask him questions by becoming a fan of his Bebo profile at www.bebo.com/usher.
*Essence's annual “Black Music Month” June issue features a special triple-cover tribute to the Queens of R&B--Mary J. Blige, Jill Scott and Alicia Keys. In the article Ladies First, they talk about how they’re still holding it down and dominating the charts. This month's issue also features the Essence Summer Music Hot List, a guide to summer releases, gadgets and concerts, including the 2008 Essence Music Festival.
*The Harlem Globetrotters’ 2008 “Magic As Ever” North American Tour broke records with a nearly five percent increase in gross tour revenue, set all-time levels for merchandise sales, hit television ratings highs, and exponentially increased online traffic. The 241-game tour attracted close to 2 million people and traveled through 203 cities in 45 U.S. states; Washington, D.C.; and four Canadian provinces.
*Saxophonist Sonny Rollins will headline this year's jazz festival in Newport, Rhode Island, to be held Aug 8 through 10 at Fort Adams State Park and at the International Tennis Hall of Fame. More than two dozen acts are scheduled to perform, including pianist-composer Herbie Hancock and trumpeter Chris Botti. Tickets go on sale this morning.
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