Read About It: Former 'Bad Girls Club' Star Kendra James Is Turning to God

Kendra James, whom some of you might remember from the Bad Girls Club reality TV show (or you may have partied with her in clubs), is attempting to make some major changes in her life. She wants to shed her bad girl image for good and start making better decisions, and she feels that building a relationship with God and surrounding herself with positive people is how she'll get there. This Sunday, she's getting baptized at Elevation Church. She told me all about her emotional and spiritual journey, during my interview with her for Creative Loafing, which you can read about: "Kendra James: From ‘Bad Girl’ to baptism."

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Dale Earnhardt Jr. Shows How He Really Does In 'This Is How We Dew' Commercial

I'm going to tell you something you already know: Dale Earnhardt Jr. is a rock star in NASCAR.

But despite being the most popular and most endorsed/highly paid driver in the sport, Dale Jr. doesn't seem to publicly embrace his rock star status much. He's usually mild-mannered and soft spoken in pre- and post-race interviews. He doesn't do social media or go out of his way to get attention--you never read about him in tabloids or gossip websites. And even when I've seen him out and about around Charlotte, he's usually low-key and not rolling with a large entourage. Yet, he's always in your face because he doesn't shy away from lucrative product and brand endorsements, and launching his own ventures like potato chips, nightclubs (Whisky River is opening a location soon at Charlotte-Douglas International Airport), and Earnhardt Outdoors with his siblings (which is currently asking for your ideas for new outdoor products, like for hunting, fishing, camping, etc.).

Finally, of all the television commercials Dale Jr. has appeared in, his new one for Mountain Dew showcases his rock star lifestyle.

The "Living Portrait of Dale Earnhardt Jr." commercial started airing on TV at the beginning of the month, and I saw it repeatedly over the weekend. It's the latest promotion in Mountain Dew's "This Is How We Dew" campaign, which this installment features moving "portraits" of three of the soda brand's celebrity endorsers. The other two guys featured are snowboarder Danny Davis and skateboarder Paul Rodriguez. You can see all three commercials at mountaindew.com/portraits.

Dale Jr.'s living portrait shows him sitting in victory lane on a throne made of engine parts, surrounded by members of his pit crew (not sure if those are the actual pit guys) who are spraying Mountain Dew in the air in celebration, along with hot chicks waving checkered flags and country music star Brantley Gilbert jamming away on his guitar (though that's not his music you hear playing). In the background, you'll also notice his No. 88 car, the Whisky River logo, lights and seating from a racetrack, and two people doing stunts on four-wheelers (not sure of the tie-in with that part).

It's an all-around cool, 30-second ad, including the use of the song "Hot Fire" by Crash Kings. But as several commenters on the YouTube video have pointed out, and I certainly agree with, the concept of the commercial looks a lot like the visual techniques used in Kanye West's 2010 video for "Power" (See, another reason why Ye is the greatest of all-time. #KanyeVoice).

Unfortunately, the commercial strays a little from Dale Jr.'s reputation, by virtue of facts. The visual is set in victory lane at a racetrack, as I pointed out. But if you follow NASCAR, then you know that Junior has won only one NASCAR Sprint Cup series race in the last five years, and that victory came more than a year ago in June 2012 (that's one win in about 200 races). By comparison, his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson has won four races this season alone. In terms of the standings, Dale Jr.'s had a pretty good season, currently ranked seventh and with five top-five finishes. With only two races remaining in the regular season schedule, he's almost a shoe-in to make the Chase, NASCAR's playoffs.

Win or lose, he's still a rock star.

In other Dale Jr. news, he'll appear on the next episode of Fast N' Loud on Discovery. The show is about a couple of car experts who go around the country searching for rare classic cars to restore. Dale Jr. is a known car buff, so I assume in the episode, which airs on Monday, September 2, at 9 p.m., that we'll see the show's crew coming to Dale Jr.'s Mooresville home and/or race shop to get one of his cars.

1 week until an all new #FastNLoud with #DaleJr. Don't miss it! @JRMotorsports #NASCAR @GasMonkeyGarage pic.twitter.com/t8gCOmIWvm
— Discovery US (@Discovery) August 26, 2013

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K-Ci and JoJo Need (To) 'Knock It Off'

If you're fans of K-Ci & JoJo, you'll be delighted to see that the brothers are making new music again. They released a new single, titled "Knock It Off," about three weeks ago, and on Thursday they dropped the music video for the song.

"Knock It Off" is a good re-introduction for K-Ci & JoJo onto the music scene. The song has an uptempo, two-step-worthy beat, and sounds like the kind of tune that will get played often on adult contemporary/R&B stations. The video is in black-and-white, set in a 1920s era (or some period close to it), seemingly to convey that K-Ci & JoJo make timeless music. It's the first single from their forthcoming album, My Brother's Keeper, which is scheduled to be released on September 24. It will be their first new studio album since 2002.

Yes, it's hard to be that it's been more than a decade since the brothers from Monroe, who at times have lived in Charlotte, have released a new album. During their absence from the new-releases shelves, their record labels have put out several greatest hits and compilations of their work, taking advantage of the fact that many people love their ballads, such as "Crazy" and the undeniable wedding anthems "All My Life" and "This Very Moment." And I'm not even going to get into the legacy they created as one-half of the 1990s chart-topping R&B group Jodeci.

While K-Ci & JoJo have continued to tour here and there over the years, the reason you haven't gotten much new music from them during the past decade (in case you didn't know) is because of the well-documented substance abuse issues they've had. I thought things were finally about to turn around for them in 2010 when I interviewed them for a Creative Loafing article published that October, a week before the premiere of their reality TV show, K-Ci & JoJo...Come Clean. In addition to talking about their new show, they told me about where they were in their lives and careers. After the show debuted on TV One, I was one of the fans who watched each week as they showcased their struggles with alcohol and drugs, addressed problems with their families and within their personal lives, and tried to convince music executives that they were getting their act together.

But no new, officially released music came for nearly three years, until now. K-Ci & JoJo seem to still have their great voices; let's just hope they have their health and sobriety. As with many legendary musicians that have taken a lot of time away from what made them adored by millions of fans, they're going to have to work hard to recapture the audiences who grew up with them--fans will always want to hear K-Ci & JoJo's classics, but will they want to hear the new stuff? And they'll need to capture the attention of the younger audience who probably have danced to one of their songs at a wedding, but don't actually know much about them. 

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'Who Wants To Be A Millionaire' Charlotte Auditions This Wednesday

Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, the popular television game show, hit the road earlier this month to hold auditions for potential contestants in select cities around the country. The show's producers are holding auditions in Charlotte this Wednesday, July 24, beginning at 7 a.m. at Victory Lane Karting (2330 Tipton Dr.). There's no signup or pre-registration for the audition. It's on a first-come, first-served basis, and you can get in line beginning at 6 a.m.

Fans pose with a Cedric The Entertainer cutout during recent auditions in Las Vegas. Credit: facebook.com/millionairetv

Cedric The Entertainer is the new host of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, when the new season begins this fall. He replaced Meredith Vieira, who hosted the game show for the past 11 seasons.

Visit millionairetv.com for more details.

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Ric Flair and Roddy Piper (Charlotte and Portland) Appearing On 'Celebrity Wife Swap' June 30

When Celebrity Wife Swap airs this Sunday, it'll feature "the girlfriend and the wife of two of the biggest former stars of the WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) swapping lives and homes for one week," as the show describes the upcoming episode. Those legendary wrestlers are Ric "Nature Boy" Flair and "Rowdy" Roddy Piper.

Celebrity Wife Swap is now in its second season on ABC, a spinoff that was created last year from the long-running Wife Swap series. I happened to catch the show, coincidentally, for the first time last Sunday, which featured mother-daughter duo Joan and Melissa Rivers trading lives for a week with sisters Bristol and Willow Palin. I found it to be a little entertaining. I think people are drawn to this show, like they are to many other celebrity reality TV shows, because they're interested in seeing how these popular figures live.

Credit: ABC

As for this Sunday's episode with the wrestling stars, the synopsis describes Ric Flair as living in Charlotte with his girlfriend Wendy Barlow and her four children. "Ric and Wendy live a very lavish and fast-paced lifestyle and enjoy the finer things in life, spending most evenings out on the town where Ric revels in his celebrity and the attention of fans." I can attest: if you live in Charlotte, you will almost certainly eventually run into The Nature Boy at a restaurant, bar, or event, so the show is absolutely right about Ric spending a lot of time out on the town.

Meanwhile, the Piper family live "on a large piece of land on a mountain in Portland, Oregon" and the wife and mother "Kitty is solely responsible for the running of the home, including cooking, cleaning and caring for the family's animals." With this contrast in lifestyles and the big personalities of Ric and Roddy, this episode should be quite entertaining. It airs this Sunday, June 30 at 8 p.m. on ABC.

Woooooooooooooooo!

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Fantasia Debuts 'Without Me' Featuring Kelly Rowland and Missy Elliott; Performs on 'American Idol' April 18

I can't tell if Fantasia has heeded my advice, but things are looking good for the Charlotte-based singer as she approaches the April 23 release date of her new album, Side Effects Of You. Since the tracklist was revealed several weeks ago, there's been one song in particular I've been looking forward to hearing. Now, Fantasia has debuted "Without Me," her collaboration with Kelly Rowland and Missy Elliott.

I like the new track, and I think it'll get radio airplay and spins in the club. The beat sounds a little too much like Nicki Minaj's "Beez In The Trap" though, but Fantasia and crew bring a good combo of slowed-down hip hop (even some chopped and screwed elements) and finger-snapping R&B, with some braggadocio lyrics/smack talk aimed at the male species.

Fantasia and Missy. Credit: Facebook

In more Fantasia news, you can watch as she makes her return to American Idol this Thursday, April 18, 8 p.m. on FOX. She's scheduled to perform her new album's first single, "Lose To Win" (fellow Idol alum and North Carolinian Clay Aiken will also perform on the show). An appearance on Idol should bolster record sales for her album, particularly pre-orders (Amazon and iTunes).

Also, you can listen to snippets of all 13 songs from Side Effects Of You, by clicking here. Better yet, she's hosting a listening party for the album on Google Hangout on Tuesday, April 16, 10 p.m. at youtube.com/fantasia.

Keep up with Fantasia at www.fantasiaofficial.com, Facebook.com/Fantasia, Twitter @TasiasWord, and Instagram @TasiasWord.

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'American Idol' Charlotte Auditions a.k.a. Nicki Minaj-Mariah Carey Feud-Caught-On-Camera Air Tonight

American Idol producers along with host Ryan Seacrest came to Charlotte last June, when thousands of hopefuls auditioned at Time Warner Cable Arena for a chance to compete during the 2013 season of the reality singing competition television show. As far as I know, it was business as usual. But when American Idol returned in October for the second round of Charlotte auditions, during which the celebrity judges panel of Randy Jackson, Keith Urban, Mariah Carey, and Nicki Minaj set up shop at Charlotte Motor Speedway, all hell broke loose. And that isn't just a figure of speech in this case.

American Idol Charlotte and Baton Rouge auditions promo. Credit: americanidol.com

TMZ obtained cell phone video footage (about a minute long) back then of Nicki and Mariah engaging in a brutal shouting match, led by Nicki's repeated profanity. The bickering between the two divas that TV audiences saw last week during the season premiere, pales in comparison to what took place during the Charlotte auditions. After months of speculation and media and tabloid buildup of the Nicki-Mariah feud, the question now is, how much will American Idol reveal when the Charlotte auditions air tonight at 8 p.m. on FOX? Guess you'll have to tune in to see.

Nicki Minaj Cusses Out Mariah Carey During 'American Idol' Audition

You might also want to check out Nicki and Mariah's tweets to see if they have any comments during and after tonight's episode.

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Sweet Tea's in Pineville Is a 'Restaurant Impossible', but the Food Is Good

Last week, I saw a headline on The Charlotte Observer's homepage about “Restaurant Impossible coming to Pineville." For some reason, I didn't click on the article's link at the time, and then it slipped my mind. Until this morning I saw a friend on Facebook write on her wall that she was going to the taping of Restaurant Impossible this evening.

If you aren't familiar with the TV show, it's a top-rated series on Food Network, in which Chef Robert Irvine tries to save struggling restaurants around the country. The chosen restaurant is usually on the verge of financial failure to the point that it would have to soon permanently close its doors. Irvine comes in with a crew, shuts down the restaurant for two days, and spends that time and $10,000 trying to revive the business, doing everything from remodeling the place, re-training the staff, updating the menu, helping management work on maintaining budgets, etc. And again, he does all of this in two days, with camera crews taping, so you get to see all of the chaos, drama, and then the final product.

Robert Irvine consults with an owner during a past episode of Restaurant Impossible.
Credit: facebook.com/RestaurantImpossible

So back to how it had slipped my mind to read that Observer article. I pulled it up this morning, read it, and found out that the Pineville restaurant is Sweet Tea's Restaurant and Catering. I actually attended a wedding last month that Sweet Tea catered. The wedding was at a beautiful, historic mansion, and was well-planned from start to finish, including the delicious food that was served at the reception--it was a Southern-style menu. The wedding reception also had an open bar, staffed by Sweet Tea's. That's how I learned of the restaurant, after I saw the name on the bartender's shirt. I thought Sweet Tea's was an interesting name, so I asked her about it and she told me a little about the restaurant in Pineville and that they cater throughout the Charlotte area.

Today is day two of Restaurant Impossible's work at Sweet Tea's, with the grand re-opening scheduled for this evening at 7 p.m. According to an associate producer for the show who talked to the Observer, this particular episode will air in late February or early March. The series airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. on Food Network.

I hope the restaurant is able to make a successful recovery, and I hope to visit there soon. There have been a couple of people on Yelp who've said they ate at Sweet Tea's over the last few days simply because they learned it was going to be the focus of Restaurant Impossible, including one reviewer who said he and his wife "wanted to see what the place was all about before it got fixed."

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Dating, Reality Show Opportunities for Singles this Week in Charlotte

If you've been watching the new season of The Bachelorette, which was filmed largely in Charlotte, perhaps you've caught the reality show dating bug. If so, you could be in luck with one of two casting/recruiting events this week.

Thursday, June 7
The Bachelor Casting Call at Suite
This Thursday during the popular Alive After Five event, producers from The Bachelor will hold an open casting call for single women, taking place 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Suite, 210 E. Trade St., at the EpiCentre. Think the odds won't be in your favor to make the cut for the ABC reality show? Keep in mind that Emily Maynard from Charlotte, who's currently starring in The Bachelorette, not only was a contestant on The Bachelor in 2011 but was the eventual winner (though her and Bachelor Brad Womack soon broke up).

Saturday, June 9
Celebrity Matchmaker Seeking Single Black Men
Celebrity matchmaker Jasmine Diaz is coming to Charlotte to recruit the city’s most eligible, single, successful African-American men. If you’re single and looking, and between the ages of 35 and 45, this will be your opportunity to connect with the matchmaker for free. The Shawn Mackenzi Agency, a Los Angeles-based matchmaking company that specializes in matching affluent African-Americans and Latinos, is hosting a special recruiting session that will be taped for a new reality series being produced by Comcast Entertainment Studios / NBCUniversal. The event takes place this Saturday, 1 p.m., at Aloft Charlotte Uptown Hotel. 210 E. Trade St., at the EpiCentre. Click here to RSVP.

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Emily Maynard—and Charlotte—Premiere on 'The Bachelorette' Tonight

Millions of people will tune into the premiere of The Bachelorette at 9:30 p.m. tonight on ABC to see 25 single men begin the ritual of competing for the heart of Emily Maynard of Charlotte. The hour-and-a-half long premiere follows Dancing With the Stars, which should bring in high ratings for The Bachelorette, now in its eighth season. I've never seen more than a few minutes of the show, but I have my DVR set to record the series, which will play out over the summer, because the city of Charlotte is getting a lot of face time.

A scene showing Emily being courted on season eight of The Bachelorette. Credit: ABC 

As you probably know by now, the producers agreed to bring a large portion of production of The Bachelorette to Charlotte to accommodate Emily's life as a single mother. It's the first time the series has ventured outside of its traditional home base of filming from a mansion in California. Instead they filmed from a large house in south Charlotte. Viewers can expect to see Emily and some of her suitors as they go on dates throughout Uptown, such as at NC Music Factory, and other parts of the city. They will also travel around the country for dates, as is customary for the series.

Below are some news links you can read to glean insight into the show:

Why 'Bachelorette' Emily Maynard came back: 'Dating's hard. Why not?' — The Charlotte Observer

New 'Bachelorette' season will be 'drastically different' — USA Today

The Bachelorette: Meet Emily Maynard's 25 Sexy Suitors — US Magazine

'The Bachelorette' starts tonight -- will you be ready? — Entertainment Weekly

Visit abc.go.com/shows/the-bachelorette to keep up with The Bachelorette over the next 10 weeks.

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'Nolimit' to His Reality

Many of you have listened to Nolimit Larry & The Morning Maddhouse on Power 98 (WPEG 97.9 FM) for years. The lead guy on the show, Nolimit Larry aka Noleezy, government name Larry Mims, is a well-recognized voice and face in Charlotte. You likely know his story, and if you've lived here for a decade or more, you've been along for the ride. He worked his way up from being a Johnson C. Smith University student interning at Power 98 in the late '90s to eventually hosting one of the top-rated radio shows in the Carolinas. And in this climate of more and more radio stations moving to syndicated programming, Nolimit is in rarefied air.

Last month, he launched a new website, nolimitlarry.com, where you can keep up with his many involvements, from hosting parties to lending a hand to charities. He's also working on a reality show, tentatively titled American DJ. In the three-minute video reel below, you get a look inside Nolimit's career. And in the process, it's a great look at Charlotte, with brief appearances by several celebrities and professional athletes that either live here or are from here. Plus, an ode to Charlotte's Anthony Hamilton with "Comin' From Where I'm From" playing.

You can follow him at facebook.com/NoLeezy and twitter.com/Noleezy.

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Charlotte Ad Agency BooneOakley to Appear on 'The Pitch' on AMC

UPDATE: Charlotte advertising agency BooneOakley makes its debut on episode four of The Pitch, Sunday, May 13, 11 p.m. on AMC, competing against New York agency Conversation.

I'm now hooked on Mad Men. The show premiered its fifth season on AMC last Sunday, and I'm ashamed to say that was the first time I've seen it. Now I'm racing to play catch up by watching past episodes--it would take too long to go all the way back to the beginning, so I'm starting with season three, which I should have completed by the end of the weekend. Then I'll watch season four, and hopefully in a couple of weeks I'll be able to start watching season five episodes as they air.

While Mad Men is AMC's hit, award-winning show about a fictional New York advertising agency in the 1960s, the network is now trying its hand with The Pitch, a new show based on real-life ad agencies. Here's how the network describes the show, which premieres April 30:

The Pitch offers viewers an intense, gripping, never-before-seen glimpse inside America’s top ad agencies. Each week watch two agencies as they compete to win a new client the only way they can: by going head-to-head in a cut-throat, winner-takes-all showdown, a presentation known as The Pitch. With only seven days to prepare, the pressure to perform is intense. The whining, the brainstorming, the blue-sky thinking: it’s all here as the teams work around the clock and pray for the moment of inspiration that will win them the job and keep their companies alive. The drama is real, the stakes are high, and the clock is ticking.

Reportedly, there are 15 ad agencies from all over the country competing on the show. Two are from North Carolina: BooneOakley from Charlotte and McKinney from Durham. From its office in South End,  BooneOakley  has garnered national acclaim for its advertising campaigns for Charlotte-based clients Bojangles' and Mint Museum, among other national brands.

Members of the BooneOakley team. Credit: twitter.com/booneoakley

Read these news articles for more details on the show: The New York Times and Ad Week. You can also watch the trailer below.

If your interest is piqued, you don't have to wait a month to see more. A sneak preview of episode one of The Pitch is scheduled to air Sunday, April 8 at 11 p.m., following a new episode of Mad Men.

Follow The Pitch on Twitter @ThePitch_AMC and like its Facebook page at facebook.com/ThePitchAMC.

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'Extreme Makeover: Home Edition' Returning to Charlotte Area, Volunteers Needed

Production for ABC's acclaimed Extreme Makeover: Home Edition is returning to the Charlotte area in December, with local builder Bellamy Homes selected to oversee the construction. The builder and the show are currently organizing the local efforts and you can get involved.

To get the community excited about this opportunity to build a new home for a family in need, there will be a pep rally on December 1, 7 p.m. at Belmont Abbey College in Belmont (only 20 minutes from Uptown Charlotte). The event will be hosted by KISS 95.1's Otis and Brittney of The O Show, and you'll meet the builders and members of the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition team. The Carolina Panthers' TopCats will also be on hand and there will be ticket and prize giveaways. Admission to the pep rally is free but seating is limited. Get more details at www.bellamyhomes.com/extreme-makeover-home-edition.

The actual location of the build will be announced on December 11. You can get involved as a volunteer--the project needs more than 3,000 volunteers for general labor, food servers, and clean-up workers, as well as skilled trade professionals. The reason so many people are needed is because the entire build will be completed in one week, and all products and labor will be donated by partnering trades and suppliers. The episode will air next year in a two-hour broadcast on ABC. Get more details at www.joinextreme.com/nc.

The most recent time I recall Extreme Makeover being in Charlotte is 2008, when the show built a new home for the King family in the Windsor Park neighborhood. As you can see in the before-and-after photo below, and as is usually the case, the new home was a drastic improvement.

[Source]

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Behind the Scenes of 'Master of the Mix' Season 2 Filming In Charlotte

Smirnoff brought its Master of the Mix crew to Charlotte last Monday for the filming of an episode of season two of the DJ competition/reality television show that airs on BET Centric.

UPDATE 8/17/11

I was happy to tell you a little about my experience from that night at RE:PUBLIC nightclub, and even shared some behind-the-scenes footage. But I've been contacted by an agency representing the show and have been asked to take down the blog post I'd written to ensure they "maintain the integrity of the show and an element of surprise before the November premiere." I certainly can respect that so I've obliged (and guess I should've actually read the confidentiality agreement I signed...doh!).

I think Master of the Mix season two will be worth your while to watch, especially if you love hip-hop, the art of DJing, and like watching competition. Perhaps I'll be able to share a little more insight closer to the show's premiere.

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Keisha Hughes Is 'Born To Dance'

Famed choreographer Laurieann Gibson's new show, Born To Dance, premiered on BET last night. Twenty female dancers have been selected from thousands who auditioned around the country, and over the next several weeks, in one-hour episodes, we'll see them compete while learning from Laurieann. In the end, one winner will be chosen and she'll receive $50,000 and become a professional dancer as part of Team BoomKack. One of the 20 young ladies competing on Born To Dance is Keisha "Sparkle" Hughes, a 21-year-old native of Queens, New York, who currently lives in Charlotte and is a student at UNC Charlotte.

According to her bio, Keisha is traditionally trained in ballet and Martha Graham Technique, and has also trained and studied in the styles of contemporary modern, pointe, jazz, African, salsa, and ballroom. She attended Frank Sinatra School of the Arts in Long Island City, New York and has received multiple scholarships to study at the Martha Graham Contemporary School of Dance. She says she has a passion for hip-hop dance, and she's a member of the Charlotte-based Elektrik Dance Crew.

If you missed last night's premiere of Born To Dance, you can watch it below.

Born To Dance airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m. on BET, where you can watch to see how far Keisha makes it. You can also keep up with her by liking her Facebook page, following her on Twitter @SparkleDaStar, or checking out her dance videos on YouTube.

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Read About It: K-Ci and JoJo Come Clean with Reality Show

You've probably been wondering what's been going on with K-Ci and JoJo--and even more importantly, what's up with Jodeci? I tried to get some answers for you when I interviewed the Hailey brothers for their new reality show, K-Ci & JoJo ... Come Clean, which premieres Tuesday, October 19 at 9 p.m. on TV One. You can read about it in my article for Creative Loafing: "Singers K-Ci and JoJo Come Clean with new reality show."

One particular question I asked them, that I hope we see some traction on, is what will it take for all of Charlotte's R&B stars to do a concert together. Imagine if K-Ci and JoJo, Anthony Hamilton, Fantasia, Calvin Richardson, Sunshine Anderson, and Horace Brown all put on a show in Charlotte. It would be hours of great soul music from artists who got their starts right here in North Carolina, who are either from Charlotte or currently call it home. I think fans would come out to support this momentous occasion.

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'Changing Lanes' Premieres, Puts Spotlight on Race--Both Kinds

Changing Lanes premiered Wednesday night on BET in front of a national audience, placing NASCAR, Charlotte, and women and minority drivers on center stage. To celebrate the unprecedented convergence for this reality competition "docu-series," the show's producers held a premiere party in Charlotte at Mez/EpiCentre Theaters that I was fortunate to attend (there was also a premiere party in Daytona).

After an hour of red carpet photography, mingling, drinks, and passed trays in Mez's lounge, we all filled into the theater at 8 p.m. to watch the premiere at the same time it was airing on BET. This was the first of 10 one-hour episodes that will chronicle a group of women and minority drivers competing for a spot on a race team through NASCAR's Drive for Diversity program.

Driver Ryan Gifford and Max Siegel at the Changing Lanes premiere party at Mez.

The showing we were treated to was commercial-free, so the extra time allowed for an introduction by Jay Abraham, COO of NASCAR Media Group, which is a producer of the show. The other main principal behind Changing Lanes, aside from BET, is Max Siegel and his Revolution Racing team.

I'll sum up my thoughts of the first episode of Changing Lanes first by saying that it was interesting and I think it's certainly a concept that is to be applauded by all parties involved. In the history of NASCAR, only one black driver has won a race in its top series (today known as the Sprint Cup): Wendell Scott in 1963. It has baffled many as to why nearly 50 years have passed without seeing this feat repeated. Whatever the challenges and difficulties may be, I think we'll see it play out on Changing Lanes.

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Fantasia Needs 'Back To Me' to Turn Focus Back to Music

It's been a whirlwind past two weeks for Fantasia Barrio, since reports surfaced that she attempted suicide at her Charlotte home. You can read all the gossip and rumors just by Googling her name, but tomorrow (Tuesday, August 24) you can get the story as to what happened from Fantasia herself.

In the morning, Fantasia will appear on Good Morning America, where she's scheduled to perform. This is, after all, the time in which she should be focusing solely on promoting her new album, Back To Me, which also comes out Tuesday. Instead, you can expect the GMA crew to ask her tough questions about her suicide attempt and alleged affair with a married man, Antwaun Cook, also from Charlotte.

Then tomorrow night, you can see Fantasia on VH1's Behind The Music at 9 p.m. I mentioned on this blog a couple of months ago that she was slated to be chronicled on the iconic show. I would imagine that the taping for the one-hour episode had wrapped up before Fantasia's suicide attempt, but being the true storytelling show that it is, Behind The Music reportedly taped Fantasia again on Saturday so that this episode could address her recent headline-grabbing ordeal. You can see a brief clip of it in the video below.



From what I've heard of the music and the producers involved with the project, this could be Fantasia's best album yet. But it could also be overshadowed by the turmoil in her personal life. A similar thing happened with Britney Spears three years ago when she released Blackout, during a time when she was making news for her troubled personal life instead of her music. Many music critics rated the album highly, some calling it her best album ever, but it was largely ignored by fans, becoming her worst selling album and not even reaching platinum status.

Next week, when the Billboard charts are released for this week's album sales, we'll see if Fantasia's fans have come out to support her by buying her album. She really needs Back To Me to help turn the focus back to music.

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'America's Next Top Model' Charlotte Casting Call

Producers from America's Next Top Model are holding an open casting call for Cycle 16 this Saturday in Charlotte. The casting call will be held 2-5 p.m. at Tilted Kilt Pub and Eatery (13230 Carowinds Blvd.), and is open to females between the ages of 18 and 27 and who are at least 5'7" in height. Click here to download the application and for the list of eligibility requirements.

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'Real Housewives of Atlanta' Stars in Charlotte Tonight

Kandi Burruss, the singer-songwriter and former member of Xscape, will be performing in Charlotte tonight (Wednesday, July 14) at Tempo. Kandi is trying to build a buzz to set up her next solo album and, of course, she's now most known for her role on The Real Housewives of Atlanta. If you're a fan of RHOA, then you'll be in for another treat: Kim Zolciak will also be in the house and will be performing. Tempo is located at 4809 Wilkinson Blvd., the event is free, doors open at 8 p.m. and the show starts at 9 p.m. Don't be tardy for the party!

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