::THE SLICE REPORT WITH MONA AUSTIN

Tramaine Hawkins photo by Mona Austin Koryn Hawthorne, Deborah Joy Winans, Erica Campbell, Keith David, and Merle Dandridge Join Tramaine Hawkins On "Goin' Up Yonder" - All-Star Virtual Choir Video Releases Today On YouTube! Los Angeles, CA  -  Lionsgate's hit megachurch drama  Greenleaf  will premiere its fifth and final season on Tuesday, June 23 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on  OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network .  Since 2016, the hit series has followed the Memphis, TN based Greenleaf family through their spiritual highs and scandalous lows.    Greenleaf  has become one of the most popular scripted shows among Black viewers who have become enthralled with the family challenges and ongoing church business dilemmas that plague the characters.  The  Greenleaf  soundtracks have also captured the attention of fans as each episode is filled with a brilliant flow of Urban Inspirational and Gospel music that crea...

Michelle Obama's surprise appearance during the opening of the 2019 Grammys has landed her a place in music history.  The metallic two-piece pant suit she wore when joining the girl power moment with Alicia Keys, J Lo, Jada Pinkett Smith and Lady Gaga on stage  is now on display in the Grammy Museum at LA Live.   on Feb. 10. Together, they opened the show and spoke about the power of music. On Feb. 10 she wore the Sachin & Babi outfit making her unforgettable  appearance more outstanding as it glistened and sparkles on stage. “As I said onstage at the GRAMMYs, music helps us find our voices. Whether it’s the power of a rap verse, the croon of a country song, the crescendo of a concerto, or the muscle of a rock anthem, music helps us hear each other, to share ourselves with one another. That’s why, as First Lady, I was so proud to partner with the GRAMMY Museum to bring young people to the White House for workshops with some of music’s bigg...

Clarence Fountain An original member of the Blind Boys of Alabama, Clarence Fountain, 88 has passed away.   Fountain branched off from the group for a while. In 1969 he ventured into a solo career. Initially managed by the late  Ray Charles, the Blind Boys of Alabama are credited with influencing early R&B.   Never wanting to completely abandon his roots, Fountain later rejoined the group and toured with them until diabetes prevented him.   Working with fellow Blind Boys' alumnus and mentee Sam Butler ,  they released the album Stepping Up & Stepping Out, combining both gospel and secular on Tyscot Records in 2009.  According to his manager, Charles Driebe Fountain died  in Baton Rouge, LA hospital on Sunday, June 3.

buzzz worthy. . . FILM AND SOUNDTRACK PRODUCED BY PHARRELL WILLIAMS HIDDEN FIGURES: THE ALBUM ARRIVES EVERYWHERE IN DECEMBER THE FILM HIDDEN FIGURES HITS SELECT THEATRES BEGINNING CHRISTMAS DAY Pharrell Williams, alongside Columbia Records and 20th Century Fox, has released three brand new tracks featured in the new forthcoming film, Hidden Figures. Listen to “I See A Victory” featuring Kim Burrell and Pharrell Williams, “Surrender” featuring Lalah Hathaway and Pharrell Williams, and “Runnin’” featuring Pharrell Williams today. Both “I See A Victory” and “Runnin’” are original songs written and produced by Williams for the film. Embed/Post: “I See A Victory” | “Surrender” | “Runnin’” Hidden Figures is the incredible untold story of Katherine Johnson (Taraji P. Henson), Dorothy Vaughn (Octavia Spencer) and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monae)—brilliant African-American women working at NASA, who served as the brains behind one of the greatest operations in history: the launch of a...

buzzz worthy. . . Los Angeles, Calif.  (July 20, 2016)  —   Award winning  Centricity Music  artist  Lauren Daigle ,   will perform live on  NBC’s “TODAY”  show  August 2   during the 10:00 a.m. EDT/PDT hour.  Following her “ TODAY”  show airing, Daigle will hold a special instore appearance at  The Shop at NBC Studios  at New York’s 30 Rockefeller Plaza.  Lauren will meet fans, sign autographs and take photos with attendees, in support of the recent release of the deluxe edition of her debut album,  HOW CAN IT BE . Daigle, who is currently opening on the  Hillsong UNITED Empires  tour, will embark on her first headline tour, titled  “A Night with Lauren Daigle,”  with special guest  Chris McClarney,  sponsored by  CURE International , from October 12-29.  Check out  www.laurendaigle.com  for tour dates (performances in Jackson, Missi...

buzzz worthy. . . Kanye West  has been named the best dressed man in fashion by GQ for the second year in a row. The ‘Monster’ rapper came out at the top of the audience-voted poll to find the most stylish male celebrity of the past twelve months. West dominated the poll by finishing with 54% of the vote on December 29 ahead of his closest competitor, model Lucky Blue Smith. Kanye’s wife Kim Kardashian-West encouraged fans to vote for her husband in the GQ poll by telling her 38.4 million Twitter followers: “You can vote unlimited times so keep voting!” Upon finding out that Kanye had indeed won the Stylish Man title, Kim tweeted: “YOU DID IT GUYS!!!!! KANYE WON!!! THANK YOU FOR VOTING!” Kanye West  is  currently working on the follow-up to 2013’s ‘Yeezus’ LP.

buzzz worthy. . . MIAMI, May 15, 2015  -- The Internet, which, many claim, has all but destroyed the music industry, has enabled music of countless independent artists to flourish. Online-based music production studio, GoranGrooves , has seized the opportunity to break physical borders by helping music makers from around the globe record, produce and mix their craft. Founded by session drummer / producer / audio engineer Goran Rista, they have been bringing world-class sound quality to singers/ songwriters, musicians and producers alike for the last 7 years. What started as a modest personal recording setup in Rista's bedroom in order to work on his own musical ideas, grew into a whole range of music production services aimed at independent music community around the world. Rista recalls: "When computers, software and recording equipment finally become capable and affordable, it was the beginning of a renaissance period for me. I soon realized that there had...

buzzz worthy. . . Deborah Cox will allegedly act as a vocal stand in for the Whitney Houston biopic.  Why?  Because Houston's family did not want Lifetime to use Houston's voice, so  YaYa DeCosta the film's lead actress belts those notes we will actually be hearing the voice of R&B singer Deborah Cox.  TMZ has acquired an alleged leaked first listen of Cox singing Houston's "I'll Always Love You."  Check it out.