::THE SLICE REPORT WITH MONA AUSTIN

buzzz worthy. . . President Obama Grants Commutations and Pardons   WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, President Barack Obama granted commutations of sentence to 95 individuals and pardons to two individuals.   The President granted commutations of sentence to the following 95 individuals :   ·          Donald Allen – Lynn Haven, FL Offense:  Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine base; possession with intent to distribute cocaine base; possession of a firearm during a felony drug offense (Northern District of Florida) Sentence:  Life plus five years’ imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release (Aug. 17, 1998) Commutation Grant:  Prison sentence commuted to expire on April 16, 2016.   ·          Royal Deandre Allen – Houston, TX Offense:  Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine base; possession with intent to distribu...

buzzz worthy. . .#piapd There are plenty of examples of how technology has changed the holiday experience over the years both positively and negatively.  One good thing technology ch has done is connect people through photo sharing on the Internet. Stars of the new You Tube based show "Model Behavior One Year Later" want to put social media technology to good use by presenting a photo contest that spreads cheer.   Participants must share photos using the #piapd (which stand for "pretty is as pretty does").  The top 3 people with the most likes will be announced as the winners.  An all new episode of "Model Behavior One Year Later" will be posted to the show's You Tube page in January of 2016.  Follow the stars of MBOYL on Facebook, You Tube and Instagram for family-friendly entertainment and more fun ways to make a difference with the #PIAPD campaigning.

buzzz worthy. . . Dallas, TX -- Award-winning artist, songwriter, producer and trailblazer Kirk Franklin , has announced the 20 Years in One Night Tour in conjunction with Live Nation . The 24-city concert tour will kick off on March 15, 2016 in Miami, FL and visit other major U.S. cities including Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, New York City, Philadelphia, Oakland and Washington, D.C. Tickets for 20 Years in One Night will go on sale on December 18 th and are available for pre-sale for Citi® card members on December 15 th and via Live Nation and the Kirk Franklin Fan Club beginning December 16 th .   This announcement comes on the heels of the release of Franklin’s eleventh studio album, LOSING MY RELIGION ( Fo Yo Soul Recordings / RCA Records ), on November 13, 2015. The album, which marked his eleventh consecutive #1 debut, premiered at #1 on Billboard’s Current Gospel, Top Christian/Gospel and R&B Albums charts and #10 on Billboard’s Top 2...

buzzz worthy. . . DIONNE WARWICK'S 75th BIRTHDAY PARTY BRINGS OUT THE STARS AND  LAUNCHES  HER  NONPROFIT One by one, they gathered. Stars of Broadway, film and TV, alongside music superstars and politicians alike to honor the 75 th  birthday of Dionne Warwick-mother, friend, humanitarian, and icon. Convened in secret, in the private dining room of Mr. Chow's restaurant in New York, they waited for a woman who has achieved more in her 75 years than one could with two lifetimes. Born into a talented clan of musicians on December 12, 1940, by 1962 she was one of the 40 biggest hit makers of the entire rock era. Her hits wooed not just America, but the world at large when she sang, "Don't Make Me Over," "Walk On By," as well as her trademark tune "Do You Know the Way to San Jose?," which was her first Grammy winner. Her class act even landed her a place in history as the first African-American woman to perform for Queen Elizabeth II in...

buzzz worthy. . . New York, NY --   JORDAN SMITH  was crowned the winner of the ninth season of NBC’s EMMY AWARD®-winning  The Voice .  With 1 million singles sold and over 57 million cumulative streams of his performances on YouTube, he has set his place in history as the highest-selling artist to ever emerge from  The Voice . This season, eight of his songs have reached the Top 10 of iTunes Overall Top Songs Chart. Among those, 6 hit the Top 3, and 3 took #1 on all of iTunes. Following Monday night’s broadcast,  he landed 4 songs in the Top 10 —a first for any artist from  The Voice ! In celebration of the success,  JORDAN  has released a full-length album,  Jordan Smith: The Complete Season 9 Collection  [ Republic Records ], out today on iTunes and exclusively on CD December 24,2015 at Wal-Mart locations. Overnight the album has skyrocketed to the Top 5 on iTunes Overall Album Chart! Get it  ...