By Gwen DeRu

BIRMINGHAM….A WORLD DESIGNATION?  CONGRATULATIONS to all of those that are doing things that gets Birmingham the recognition… keeping the world checking us out!!
 

 
WE ARE SO PROUD OF BIRMINGHAM AND ITS CITIZENS!!!
A WOMAN TO BE RECOGNIZED – State Representative JUANDALYNN GIVAN has done some great things prior to and since her position as an elected official.  She was given the honor of LEGISLATOR OF THE YEAR recently. She was elected in 2010 to the Alabama House of Representative, is the owner of Givan & Associates Law Firm, a mentor, public speaker, graduate of Miles College School of Law and has received many honors and recognition from many organizations.  The NAACP named her the 2014 Woman of the Year.
CONGRATULATIONS STATE REPRESENTATIVE JUANDALYNN GIVAN!!
JAZZ ON THE HILLTOP – The second annual community concert and festival, Sunday, 4-7 p.m., at the Birmingham-Southern College Lake will feature soul-jazz flutist ALTHEA RENE of Detroit and the ROMAN STREET band from Mobile.  Bring your chairs and blankets to enjoy the music on the lawn.  There will be an inflatable play area for kids and plenty of food vendors.
UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE – The City of Birmingham Civil Rights sites were recently confirmed on the short list for the Department of Interior’s possible submission for UNESCO’s World Heritage Site Designation.  The City is preparing its full admission package and is expanding it to include Civil Rights sites from around the state.  A team of experts are being assembled to present the most cohesive and historic group under the one admission.  The goal is to be ready to present to the full World Heritage Committee in 2016.  CONGRATULATIONS BIRMINGHAM!!
SANDESTIN WINE FESTIVAL – WINE, FOOD & FUN IN THE SUN this weekend at the Sandestin Wine Festival.  Call 877-783-3312 for more.
B-METRO MAGAZINE – FOR MORE OF WHAT IS GOING ON IN OUR CITY… Check Out B-METRO!!  It is another ‘Must Read!’  (Tell them Gwen told you.)  Don’t miss the Fashion Issue.
AND, DON’T MISS…BIRMINGHAM FASHION WEEK, APRIL 21- 26 at Pepper Place!
FOR ART LOVERS…
COLORING THE CAHABA ART FEST – Students from kindergarten to college age are showcasing their artwork.  Artwork will be available for purchase with proceeds benefitting the Cahaba River Society.
FREE WALKING TOURS OF HISTORIC CIVIL RIGHTS DISTRICT – Birmingham Civil Rights Institute’s (BCRI) free Saturday Milestones Walking Tours will be offered each Saturday in April, starting April 5, at 10 a.m.  The hour-long tour begins at the main entrance to BCRI and led by Barry McNealy, former BCRI Education Consultant and “Master Tour Guide.” McNealy is a social studies teacher at A.H. Parker High School.  Birmingham is one of over 30 cities and towns involved in this April’s Saturday Walking Tours organized statewide by the Alabama Bureau of Tourism and Travel (ABTT).
Here are a few things going on this weekend and soon.  (Look around for other things that you may want to enjoy and share with others.  See you around.  Say Hi!)
**LAUGHTER at the STARDOME COMEDY CLUB with this weekend.

THIS WEEKEND….Don’t Miss…ERIK GRIFFIN, a first generation, American born comedian/actor, is hardworking, ambitious, talented, and most importantly, “funny,” according to his mother. Griffin made the decision in 2003 to quit his job and plunge headlong into making comedy his full-time occupation. This challenge paid off, and Griffin will next be seen as a recurring character on the new Comedy Central series, Workaholics, as Montez Walker.  Call (205) 444-0008 for more.  Tell them Gwen sent you.  See you there.
FOR LAUGHTER…… The STARDOME COMEDY CLUB…, JUNIOR (April 18-19), ARNEZ J (April 25-27), SINBAD (May 2-4), JAMES GREGORY (May 9-10 and 16-17) and LUENELL (May 23-25) all at the StarDome Comedy Club.  See you around.
NOW… through Sunday…
**TAPAS & TAPS at the J. Clyde celebrating the Seventh Anniversary.  Check it out with a different themed menu and beer nightly.
**BIRMINGHAM BARONS vs. JACKSONVILLE SUNS at the Regions Field.
**JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR at Birmingham-Southern College.
**REGION 8 MEN’S GYMNSASTICS CHAMPIONSHIP at the Samford University’s Pete Hanna Center.  Call for more.
**ALICE IN WONDERLAND at the Virginia Samford Theatre performed by the STARS, an arts education program showcasing the talents of Birmingham’s young performers.
TODAY….

**JACKIE JOYNER-KERSEE, 11:30 a.m. at The Club for the A.G. Gaston 47th Anniversary Celebration Luncheon, honoring the club’s years of service to Birmingham children.
**GUS MAYER GIRLS’ NIGHT OUT, 5-8 p.m. at Gus Mayer. Check out the Birmingham Fashion Week special guest.
**BUSINESS LAUNCH PARTY, 6:30 – 9:30 p.m. at the World Financial Group
Office, 2129 12th Avenue North.  Call (205) 701-1802 for more.
**SUN RA, 5:30 p.m. at the Vulcan Park and Museum with a film and more with the Birmingham Seven and the unveiling of artist LONNIE HOLLEY’S (3) three commissioned pieces.
**AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS at the Leeds Theatre and Arts Center.  Performances will be Friday and Saturday, 7 p.m., Sunday, 2 p.m., next Friday, 7 p.m. and next Saturday at 2 and 7p.m.  Call (205) 699-1892 for more.
**MODEL CALL, 6- 8 p.m. at the Aloft in Homewood.  Send a head shot and full body photo to: irockposh@gmail.com.

FRIDAY…
** CLASSICAL MYSTERY TOUR, 8 – 10 p.m. at the Alabama Theatre.
FRIDAY through Sunday…
**OVATION by the Alabama Ballet at the Alabama School of Fine Arts.
**SPRING PLANT SALE by the Birmingham Botanical Gardens at the former J.C. Penney at Century Plaza.
**BONUS ROUND, 9:30 p.m. a blend of contemporary pop, R&B and Funk at Ona’s Music Room.
SATURDAY…
**PEPPER PLACE MARKET, 7 a.m. – Noon at Pepper Place.
**SPRING BAZAAR MARKETPLACE, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. at Railroad Park.
**CAJUN COOK-OFF, 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. at Linn Park by Girls, Inc.  Taste Cajun favorites including gumbo, etouffe, jambalaya and red beans and rice.  Then vote for the winner.
**READING, WRITING & RHYTHMS, Noon – 8 p.m. at the Avondale Brewing Co.  with lots of local bands. Supporting the Better Basics, an organization providing literacy, educational and enrichment opportunities for Alabama students.
**Book Signing & Discussion, 6 p.m. “Behind The Mic” by Roe Bonner at ONA’s Music Room.
**CHRIS MOORE PROJECT, 8:30 p.m. with special guests Chris Fryar of the Zac Brown Band and Kenny Williams Classic Jazz.  Call (205) 320-7006 for more.  Tell them Gwen sent you.
**JOANNA BARBERA/SHANE COOLEY/ POST WAR at the Nick, 2514 10th Avenue South.  Call (205) 252-3831 for more.
**ONA WATSON AND CHAMPAGNE, contemporary jazz & smooth R&B
10 p.m. at Ona’s Music room.
SUNDAY…
**WORD UP 2014 – TOP TEEN POETS COMPETE – Students from high school in Jefferson County will compete in a poetry slam on Sunday, 3 p.m. at the Birmingham Public Library’s Arrington Auditorium.  Free event.  Call (205) 225-3670.
ENJOY THE WEEKEND!!
COMING….SOON….Don’t miss…
APRIL 22- 26 – FASHION WEEK – Birmingham Fashion Week 2014 Runway shows start with local, regional and nationally recognized designers showcasing their latest fashions and hottest trends.  (Look for more right here.)
NOW…. a BIRTHDAY SHOUT OUT FOR APRIL! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU DORIAN KENDRICK, DESTINY BELL, KENDRA FINLEY, TERRY BROWN, EMMETT PRESTON with a special Happy Birthday to DEBBIE ‘STAR’ PERRYMAN…AND TO ALL CELEBRATING!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ALL YOU BIRTHDAY BALLERS…MANY, MANY MORE HAPPY BIRTHDAYS!!  ENJOY!!
Well, that’s it.  Tell you more ‘next’ time.
(People, Places and Things by Gwen DeRu is a weekly column. Send comments to my emails: thelewisgroup@birminghamtimes.com or gwenderu@yahoo.com)

By EURWeb.com

ABC’s “Scandal,” Comedy Central’s “Key & Peele” and Dr. Henry Louis Gates’ PBS series “The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross” are among a record 46 programs to receive a Peabody Award this year.
The annual honor, named for businessman and philanthropist George Peabody, recognizes distinguished and meritorious public service by radio and television stations, networks, producing organizations, and individuals.
Peabodys also went to PBS specials “180 Days: A Year Inside An American High School,” a yearlong look at the challenges facing an inner city high school in D.C.; “The Central Park Five,” reexamining the historic 1990 case of Black and Latino teenagers wrongly imprisoned for rape, and the racial climate surrounding their trial; and “The Race Card Project,” NPR’s Morning Edition’s look at the term’s political, pejorative meaning.
The Netflix originals “House Of Cards” and “Orange is the New Black,” and the BBC America dramas “Orphan Black” and “Broadchurch” were also recognized, as were FX’s “The Bridge,” AMC’s “Breaking Bad” (awarded a second Peabody for its final season) and CNN’s travel docu-series “Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown.”
Additionally, former NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw, who recently announced that he is battling cancer, will receive an individual Peabody Award.

By Eurweb.com

Phaedra Parks may be a part of the Real Housewives of Atlanta franchise, but don’t expect her to get caught up in all of the show’s drama. To hear her tell it, Parks is focused on her business and things that matter most to her. “
“Textgate” happened in 2012; it’s 2014 and they are still trying to run that storyline,” the reality TV star told Good Day Atlanta about the situation between her husband, Apollo Nida and RHOA co-star Kenya Moore.
“Unlike some of the other ladies, my life is very full. So I don’t have to talk about something from two years ago and obsess with foolery. At the end of the day, I’m a mom first. I love my two sons; they’re just my angels.”
In typical Parks fashion, rather than directly address the drama on RHOA or the reality of her husband’s arrest, she deflected the questions with her standard Southern Belle BS answer that doesn’t really tell you anything.
“A lot of times we’re divulging too much information about everything. You go somewhere and people are telling you about their very intimate surgical procedures,” she said. “I don’t want to know that you’ve had things removed, you’ve had things added. It’s just certain things that should be a secret. I just don’t want to hear about all that stuff.
“A true Southern Belle can do everything: She’s smart. She’s witty. She’s very creative and she’s very resourceful,” continued Parks, who hasn’t been involved in any physical altercations on the show. “I think being a lady is definitely a lost art, but of course being on my show we see very bad behavior with social media and all of the Twitter trolls and being mean. It seems to be more fashionable for ladies to be mean more so than nice. I just thought it would be refreshing to talk about being a lady and going back to some of the core values we used to really admire, we used to aspire to.”

Score’s New Solo Album, ‘Zeebratta’ Has Been 30 Years in the Making

LOS ANGELES, Calif.  – Despite losing all his musical equipment and the recorded tracks from an upcoming album, Mike Score, the veteran musician and lead singer of the legendary 80s band A Flock of Seagulls, has launched his new album, “Zeebratta” this month.
“It’s rough road, but I’m very proud to say that this album is coming out with some new and very exciting music for the fans,” said Score, who has also launched his Web site www.MikeScore.com.

Here’s the video of his single “All I Wanna Do”: http://youtu.be/4CJDeewSNIE.

It was just last July when the band’s van was stolen in Los Angeles along with $70,000 worth of music equipment and with the hard drives that contained the recorded music from the proposed album that became “Zeebratta.”

“I knew that I wasn’t going to give up on the album,” Score said. “I was committed to it and the music so if I had to re-record the whole album from scratch I was going to do it. But fortunately we had back up copies of the music.”

As a member of the popular British band, Score was there from the beginning as A Flock of Seagulls took the music world by storm in the 1980s with such hits as “I Ran,” “Space Age Love Song” and “Wishing (if I Had a Photograph of You),” among others.

Although A Flock of Seagulls is still going strong, Score always felt the need to record many of the songs that he had written over the years that were never recorded by the band.

“They were good songs, but I never thought they really fit the kind of music the Seagulls played, so I put them away, thinking someday I’d record a solo album,” he said.

More than 30 years after A Flock of Seagulls made their debut, Score’s new solo album is ready for release on March 1 and a new single, “Somebody Like You,” was released last month.

The new album features Score’s own musical sensibilities that mix New Wave, traditional and alternative rock and punk with a variety of sounds that include acoustic guitars, violins, synthesizers and even a set of bagpipes to provide their own unique moods.

The songs include the single “Somebody Like You,” which features Score channeling his New Wave roots with a catchy synthesizer riff reminiscent of his Seagull music.  His melodic “Angel” features bagpipes, giving it a military feel that is unlike anything Score has recorded.

“I was thinking of the Scottish Hills. I told guitarist Joe Rodriguez, ‘I want bagpipes on the middle 8 and military drums – it was kind of a joke to start with – but once done, they sounded fantastic,” Score said.

Music producer and A Flock of Seagulls guitarist Joe Rodriguez, who produced the album with fellow producer Mikal Read said he was pleased with the new album.

“Mike has put together a great set of music and it’s to his credit that he didn’t let losing all those tapes stop him from completing this album,” Rodriguez said.

The new album includes the tracks “All I Wanna Do,” “Somebody Like You,” “Angel,” “Xtacy,” “The Girl with the Black Eyes,” “Poor Boy,” “Take Your Time,” “I Call Your Name Out,” “Catsong,” “Home,” “Love In,” “Money,” “Valentine,” and “Wasteland.”

The album “Zeebratta” is available on iTunes, Amazon, CDBaby.com and elsewhere. To learn more, Mike Score is online at www.MikeScore.com.

By Myeisha Essex

Benzino’s admitted shooter, his 36-year-old nephew Gai Scott, is finally speaking out.
During a hearing hearing in Plymouth District Court, Scott told reporters and over a dozen of supporters that he shot his rapper and reality star uncle in self defense. “I shot at him; I was in fear for my wife and a baby,” he said. “He’s been threatening my life.”
He went on to say that Zino, real name Raymond E. Scott, sent him a series of threatening text messages the week prior to the shooting. During a funeral procession, where the gun play took place, Scott added that Benzino threatened him again and flashed a firearm.
In response, Scott said he purchased a firearm to protect himself and used it last Saturday.
How did the family feud start? Zino said, “In the past I felt like, yes, I felt like my sister and my nephew was taking advantage of my mother. Yes. I spoke up about it years ago. There had been loans taken out on her house.”
As we reported earlier, Gai Scott opened fire on the highway after the funeral for the “Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta” star’s mother. The incident took place just outside of Boston.
Benzino is currently at home recovering from the bullet wounds, which he showed off on Instagram. “The one on the left went through the MadeMen shield and broke my bone, and still in there; the one on the right luckily just grazed my back #blessed,” he shared with his 180,000 followers