HUSL Today Salutes

Salute to Black Hollywood week continues with....

Nicholas Scott "Nick" Cannon

Nick Cannon was born on October 8, 1980, in San Diego, California. As a teenager, Cannon formed the rap duo "Da Bomb Squad" with his best friend Steve Groves; they opened for the likes of Will Smith, LFO, 98 Degrees, and Montell Jordan.


After signing with Jive Records in 2001, he was featured alongside Lil' Romeo and 3LW on the Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius soundtrack with a cover of the 1988 hit song "Parents Just Don't Understand".[13] His debut self titled album was released in 2003 and included the single "Your Pops Don't Like Me".

I remember when this vid premiered on Nickelodeon. My favorite line was "Its Nick the cat you aint used to. The rapper actor comedian slash producer."

He is an actor, comedian, rapper, and television personality. On television, Cannon began as a teenage sketch comedian on All That before going on to host The Nick Cannon Show, Wild 'N Out, and America's Got Talent. He acted in the films Drumline, Love Don't Cost a Thing, and Roll Bounce. As a rapper, he released a self-titled debut album in 2003 with the hit single "Gigolo", a collaboration with singer R. Kelly. In 2006, Cannon recorded singles "Dime Piece" and "My Wife" but the album was never released.

In 2005, Cannon produced and hosted the MTV improv comedy series Wild 'N Out. In 2009, He hosted the fourth season of America's Got Talent and is currently hosting the fifth season. Check out a few clips from Wild'n out. There's a little something for everyone.

Cannon married singer Mariah Carey in 2008. The former Nickelodeon star and MTV Networks personality is now the Chairman of TeenNick and the development and creative consultant on the network. Cannon started hosting a morning show from 6-10AM at 92.3 NOW FM in New York on January 19, 2010. You can keep up with Nick on his blog called "Rolling with Nick" here.

HUSL Today Salutes Nick Cannon!!! 

HUSL Today Salutes

James A. Emanuel

James A. Emanuel was born on June 15, 1921 in Alliance, Nebraska.  Emanuel is a published poet, scholar, and critic. As a poet, Emanuel has published more than 300 poems and 13 individual books. Emanuel has been called one of the best, and most overlooked, poets of his time. Critics have put forward several reasons for Emanuel's poetry being neglected by the larger literary world, including the fact that Emanuel writes more traditional poetic forms, that he no longer lives in the United States, and the fact that he refuses to take part in the politically correct world of Black academia. 

Emanuel is also credited with creating a new literary genre, jazz-and-blues haiku, which he has read to musical accompaniment throughout Europe and Africa. For this creation he was awarded the Sidney Bechet Creative Award in 1996. He was also awarded the Dean's Award for Distinguished Achievement in 2007 from Columbia University's Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and has also been honored with a John Hay Whitney Award, a Saxton Memorial Fellowship, and a Special Distinction Award from the Black American Literature Forum.


His books include Jazz from the Haiku King (1999), Whole Grain: Collected Poems, 1958–1989 (1990), The Broken Bowl: New and Uncollected Poems (1983), Black Man Abroad: The Toulouse Poems (1978), and At Bay (1969). He is also the author of Langston Hughes (1967) and the editor, with Theodore L. Gross, of Dark Symphony: Negro Literature in America (1968).

You can check out a few of Emanuel's works by clicking here. An expatriate African-American, Emanuel lives in Paris.

HUSL Today Salutes James Emanuel!!!

HUSL Today Salutes

Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong

Image source: http://cyberextazy.files.wordpress.com/2007/02/louis-armstrong.jpg


Daniel Louis Armstrong was born in New Orleans, Louisiana on August 4, 1901. At the age of 12, he was sentenced to a boys home for waifs because he fired a gun into the air. It was there that he learned to play his first instrument, the cornet, & under the tutelage of Peter Davis Armstrong began to play the cornet at picnics and parades.  Armstrong was the first vital jazz soloist to attain world wide influence as trumpeter, entertainer, and show business personality. He was a strong force in spreading the influence of jazz throughout his life. Through his trumpet solos and vocal interpretations alike, jazz fans immortalize him. His “Hot Five” and “Hot Seven” recordings done in the mid 1920’s had no parallel in jazz. He is also a well-recognized Pop music figure by his personable and throaty, charming and guttural jazz vocals. His first record under his own name was “My Heart” cut November 12th 1925.

Random fact: He was known as Satchel Mouth as a young boy because he had a very wide mouth, and when he smiled, it was all the way across. So it was like a satchel. And that's where it came from Satchel Mouth turned into Satchmo.

In the late 1920s, while serving both as a band leader and actor in the broadway revue  “Hot Chocolates,” a team up with  Fats Waller would give Armstrong his first popular hit called “Ain’t Misbehavin’.”


As his career progressed, Armstrong's music was characterized by more of a "pop" sound . He spent most of the 1930s and 40s on tour so he didnt record as much as he had in the previous decades. 


More after the jump. 

Farwell Law & Order *tear*

You read it right, Law & Order has been cancelled after 20 seasons. Don't believe me? Click here. I've loved Law & Order since the first time I saw it roughly 7 years ago. I have been known to sit in my bed for hours with popcorn and chips by my bedside watching Law & Order marathons like nobody's business. No matter how many times I told myself I'd pull away, I was subsequently emotionally invested into another episode. I've also participated in debates where we tried to describe and mimic this sound with words. Further, my legal education thus far has allowed me to watch each episode with a newfound perspective.

"The full measure of the collective contributions made by Dick Wolf and his 'Law & Order' franchise over the last two decades to the success of NBC and Universal Media Studios cannot be overstated. The legacy of his original 'Law & Order' series will continue to make an impact like no other series before."

-Jeff Gaspin, Chairman of NBC Universal Television Entertainment.

Executive producer Dick Wolf had only this to say: "Never complain. Never explain."
Take a moment and reminsce with me.


I get a happy feeling when I hear:

"In the criminal justice system, the people are represented by two separate yet equally important groups. The police who investigate the crime and the district attorneys who prosecute the offenders. These are their stories."

'Law & Order' will have its series finale on Mon., May 24 at 10PM ET.

Farewell old friend.
Feel free to suggest another show to fill my void. Dont dare recommend CSI.
Bonus: Did you know NBC is owned by General Electric Co but it is expected to be folded into a $30 billion joint venture with No.1 U.S. cable operator Comcast Corp in a deal awaiting U.S. federal government approval?? Well you know now.

RIP Lena Horne

As you all may have heard, legendary singer and incredible actress Lena Horne passed away Sunday (I know I'm a day late & a dollar short). Since I was away all day Sunday & yesterday, I didn't get a chance to do this the right way. I cannot in good conscience go on without paying tribute to her. Consider this a two-fer: a salute & a tribute.

I know I normally salute people by telling you facts about their life (birthdate, college attended, major accomplishments, etc.) but I believe Horne deserves an unconventional salute. I believe you get to see a special part of people when they are doing what they love. Hence, this salute will feature footage of Horne doing what she loved-performing.

                    Fast facts
Born: June 30, 1917 in Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York
Joined the ancestors: May 9, 2010
Why we love her: She broke down barriers in Hollywood by earning roles outside of what black actresses were assigned (cooks, maids, etc.). She was our first black sex symbol as a pinup girl during WWII.




Lena Horne sings "Someday my Prince will come" in 1967:


Check out footage of Lena Horne on Sanford & Son (still one of my favs):



Lena Horne sings the alphabet on Sesame Street:


Lena Horne on Flip Wilson in 1973:


Lena Horne on the Tonight Show in 1982:



Lena Horne on Rosie O'Donnell in 1997:



Lena Horne's Gap commercial:


Click here to see her appearance on A Different World
HINT: If you can't see the videos click the title of this post and voila! problem solved.  

President & Michelle Obama's statement expressing their condolences when you read the rest. 

Music Monday: TV theme song edition (the top 10)

I could go on for hours about how people growing up before the 21st century had a much better selection of television programs than kids nowadays.  I won't go into details but I will say that cartoons today are way too oversexed and the subtle references to sex are NOT so subtle. Today we celebrate theme songs from the 80s & 90s. Please note these songs are in no particular order. The big kid in me truly misses Saturday mornings with Pinky & the Brain.Which leads me to....


1. Pinky and the Brain. Peep the footage. It will speak for itself.

How could we forget their classic convo??
Pinky: Gee Brain what are we gonna do tonight?
Brain: Same thing we do every day Pinky. TRY TO TAKE OVER THE WORLD!

2. Mr. Roger's Neighborhood. This guy was my neighbor for over a decade. I watched him change from a blazer to a cardigan every afternoon. He reminded me that there are always good days and a reason to smile. Better yet, he was on to something with his fashion sense. I've lost count of how many people I've seen rocking the "Mr. Roger's look" complete with an authentic crew neck cardigan and keds.




3. Fresh Prince of Bel Air. Back when rappers were still rappers, my father was amused at my ability to memorize the entire rap after only 2 episodes. I still know it. I still recite it...sometimes in crowded elevators. Check it.



4. Martin. Got my hands on the full DVD set and I laughed for hours. It had to make the list.

"You so crazy!"
5. In Living Color. Sing it with me "You can do what you wanna do. In living color!"

Click read the rest to see more.

Queen Latifah & Common are Champions

Check out footage from Common and Queen Latifa's surprise for the PS22 Youth Choir The two Just Wright stars performed Champion and delivered inspirational words as well.There are crazy screams around the :11 mark so prepare your ears as the kids were understandably excited. Kudos to Queen Latifah and Common for taking time out to surprise those amazing kiddies.



JustWright debuts in theatres May 14. Will you be watching?

Be a Champion Young Professional!

HUSL Today Salutes

Alvin Ailey

Image Source: http://blogs.courierpress.com/artsbeat/AlvinAiley2004-smallest.jpg

Alvin Ailey was born on January 5, 1931.  He spent most of his younger years in Los Angeles where he was exposed to a wide range of dance styles and techniques. In 1954, he and his friend Carmen De Lavallade were invited to New York to dance in the Broadway show, House of Flowers by Truman Capote starring Pearl Bailey and Diahann Carroll. He also appeared in Sing, Man, Sing (1956) starring Harry Belafonte and in Jamaica (1957) with Lena Horne and Ricardo Montalbán.

Ailey formed his own group, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, in 1958. The group presented its inaugural concert on March 30, 1958. Notable early work included Blues Suite, a piece deriving from blues songs. Ailey's choreography was a dynamic and vibrant mix growing out of his previous training in ballet, modern dance, jazz, and African dance techniques. Ailey insisted upon a complete theatrical experience, including costumes, lighting, and make-up. A work of intense emotional appeal expressing the pain and anger of African Americans, Blues Suite was an instant success and defined Ailey's style.

Revelations is considered to be Ailey's signature work. He originally intended the dance to be the second part of a larger, evening-length survey of African-American music which he began with Blues Suite.

The performers of the Alvin Ailey Dance Theatre are exquisite and breathtaking. Check out Alvin Ailey's masterpiece Revelations. It is believed to be the best-known and most often seen dance performance. I love this!

In 1962 the U.S. State Department sponsored the Alvin Ailey Dance Company's first overseas tour. 

Image source: http://gazette.unc.edu/archives/09apr01/4-01webpix/alvin-ailey.jpg

In 1970, Ailey was honored by a commission to create The River for American Ballet Theatre. Ailey viewed The River, which he based on the music of composer Duke Ellington, as a chance to work with some of the finest ballet dancers in the world, particularly with the great dramatic ballerina Sallie Wilson. ABT, however, insisted that the leading male role be danced by the only black man, despite misgivings by Ailey and others about the dancer's talent.

Though Ailey created 79 works for his dancers, he maintained that his company was not merely a showcase for his own work. Today, the company continues Ailey's vision by performing important works from the past and commissioning new additions to the repertoire. In all, more than 200 works by over 70 choreographers have been performed by the company.
 Image source: http://alt.coxnewsweb.com/cnishared/tools/shared/mediahub/05/83/07/slideshow_1078359_alvin-ailey-dance.jpg

Check out other videos of performances from his dance studio:









He passed away on December 1, 1989.  In 1992 Alvin Ailey was inducted into the National Museum of Dance and Hall of Fame.

HUSL Today Salutes Alvin Ailey!!!