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Oprah Winfrey Donates $12 Million To Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture

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Oprah WinfreyMedia mogul Oprah Winfrey is reaching deep into her pockets to donate $12 million to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, reports The Washington Post.

On Tuesday, officials announced that her most recent gift— combined with a $1 million contribution in 2007— has been recorded as the museum’s largest donation to date. Winfrey, who’s been a member of the advisory council since 2004, will have her name placed on a 350-seat theater in recognition.

“I am so proud of African American history and its contributions to our nation as a whole,” she said in a statement. “I am deeply appreciative of those who paved the path for me and all who follow in their footsteps. By investing in this museum, I want to help ensure that we both honor and preserve our culture and history, so that the stories of who we are will live on for generations to come.”

Related: International Success: Oprah Expands OWN To The UK

The museum’s founding director Lonnie G. Bunch said that while any donation is important, Winfrey’s stamp of approval has been invaluable.

“In essence, she’s put her imprimatur on it. Part of getting a museum built is tied to visibility helping all people see how important it is,” Bunch said. “Oprah Winfrey is someone so many people in America admire, and I think this is an important moment to the museum.”

The Museum of African American History and Culture is scheduled to open in 2015.

The post Oprah Winfrey Donates $12 Million To Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture appeared first on UPTOWN Magazine.


Cheerio’s ‘Interracial Ad’ Star And Her Family Weigh In On Controversy

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Courtesy of The Grio

Cheerios

Six-year-old Grace Colbert, the young girl who stars in the controversial Cheerios commercial featuring a biracial family, joined Thomas Roberts on MSNBC this morning with her real-life parents.

The young actress said the General Mills commercial was “very fun to make.”

“My reaction to it was very excit[ed],” the girl’s father, Christopher Colbert, said about some of the negative comments that followed the release of the ad. “Being a biracial family is just a reality. We’re also apart of the face of America, and so America just needs to see that this is just a way of life and that this is just the way life is today.”

Grace’s mother, Janet Colbert said no sensitive conversations were necessary between her and the kids about the negative backlash.

“Our kids are very open,” she said. “I inquired to my daughter about it and she thought all the attention was because she had a great smile.”

Catch the video over at The Grio…

The post Cheerio’s ‘Interracial Ad’ Star And Her Family Weigh In On Controversy appeared first on UPTOWN Magazine.

South Africa: Mandela ‘Responding Better To Treatment’

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Courtesy of The Associated Press

Nelson Mandela

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Former President Nelson Mandela began responding better to treatment Wednesday morning for a recurring lung infection following “a difficult last few days,” South Africa’s president said.

President Jacob Zuma told parliament that he is happy with the progress that the 94-year-old international icon is making following his hospitalization on Saturday.

Mandela spent a fifth straight day Wednesday in a Pretoria hospital, where he was visited by one of his daughters and two granddaughters.

Zuma noted that Wednesday marked the 49th anniversary of the sentencing of Mandela to life in prison in 1964. He said “our thoughts” are with Mandela and his family “on this crucial historical anniversary.”

“We are very happy with the progress that he is now making following a difficult last few days,” Zuma said. “We appreciate the messages of support from all over the world.”

Zuma on Wednesday applauded the legacy of Mandela and other anti-apartheid activists. South Africa’s government disbanded its official policy of apartheid — racial segregation and discrimination — in 1994.

“Our country is a much better place to live in now than it was before 1994, even though we still have so much work to do,” Zuma said.

Mandela, the leader of South Africa’s anti-apartheid movement, spent 27 years in prison during white racist rule. He was freed in 1990, and then embarked on peacemaking efforts during the tense transition that saw the demise of the apartheid system and his own election as South Africa’s first black president in 1994.

President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama wished Mandela a “speedy recovery” on Tuesday.

His admission to a hospital in Pretoria, the capital, is Mandela’s fourth time being admitted to a hospital for treatment since December.

The post South Africa: Mandela ‘Responding Better To Treatment’ appeared first on UPTOWN Magazine.

Grab A Tissue: The Most Touching Father/Son Moment You’ll See All Day [VIDEO]

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Father-Son

Admit it: you’re a sucker for cutesy father/son moments. In real life, and on the web.

In an interview with NBC’s Today ShowRasan Portlock discussed his pride in being a father to ten-year-old son Ryheim Tucker and the joys of watching him flourish through education after his school’s overhaul.

Related: Must-See: ‘From Fatherless To Fatherhood’ [VIDEO]

“He accepts a challenge. He don’t give up [or] quit. He’s very outspoken when it comes to what he likes and what he don’t like. That’s my boy, [he's alright].”

Portlock continuted, “I’m just proud of him. [...] I got his back as far it goes though. Whatever he needs, I’m gonna try to give it to him.”

Tucker’s reaction to his father’s kind words is sure to bring a smile to your face. Check it out below…

The post Grab A Tissue: The Most Touching Father/Son Moment You’ll See All Day [VIDEO] appeared first on UPTOWN Magazine.

Inside The World’s Most Expensive…Motorhome [PHOTOS]

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Palazzo

If the open road is calling your name and you have a standard of riding in style, this luxury caravan might be for you.

Priced at $3.1 million, the gold-covered eleMMent Palazzo motorhome boasts features that include a gigantic master bedroom, fire place, lounge (at the press of a button) and rooftop terrace.

A. Rooftop. Terrace.

“The eleMMent series from Marchi Mobile is a new class within the premium segment of vehicles, targeted to enthuse lovers of the extraordinary,” said a spokesman for the pricey vehicle. “Our goal has not only been to introduce a new line of luxury vehicles— but usher in a new era. This is done by a perfect masterpiece that sets itself apart at first sight.”

Well, mission accomplished. Check out more photos inside the motorhome after the jump!

Photos courtesy of Caters News Agency

Related: Got $190 Million? A Look At America’s Most Expensive Home For Sale [PHOTOS]

Master Bedroom

Master Bedroom

Driver’s Seat

Driver's Seat

Seating Area

Seating Area

“Pop-Up” Lounge

Night Time Lounge

Rooftop Terrace

Rooftop Terrace

The post Inside The World’s Most Expensive…Motorhome [PHOTOS] appeared first on UPTOWN Magazine.

Bria Murphy Reveals That Some Models Eat Cotton Balls With Orange Juice To Stay Skinny

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Courtesy of BlackVoices

Let The Kids Grow Foundation Holiday Gala - ArrivalsCelebrity offspring are the cutest and some of them even grow up to be the hottest!

Case in point, Bria Murphy.

The 23-year-old model is the eldest child of Hollywood funnyman Eddie Murphy and his ex-wife, model-turned-reality star Nicole Murphy. Blessed with good genes and the determination to become a top model in the fashion industry, Bria has already worked the runway for several designers and is an official spokeswoman for Dark And Lovely. But the road to supermodel stardom isn’t all catwalks and covers.

“There’s a lot of pressure to be perfect,” Bria said in a recent interview with ABC News.

Bria opened up about the drastic measures that some models take in order to achieve and maintain their tiny figures. Beyond turning to drugs and eating disorders, the model/actress reveals one of the most extreme dieting tactics she’s witnessed:

“I’ve heard of people eating the cotton balls with the orange juice … they dip it in the orange juice and then they eat the cotton balls to help them feel full, because the cotton’s not doing anything. It’s just dissolving. And it makes you think you’re full, but you’re not.”

Continue at BlackVoices…

The post Bria Murphy Reveals That Some Models Eat Cotton Balls With Orange Juice To Stay Skinny appeared first on UPTOWN Magazine.

First Look: Tamera Mowry-Housley, Tamar Braxton & More Host Daily Talk Show ‘The Real’ [VIDEO]

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The Real

Yet another network has decided to cash in on The View blueprint for an all-women panel discussing today’s hottest topics.

FOX has tapped Tamera Mowry-HousleyTamar Braxton, Adrienne Bailon, Loni Love and Jeannie Mai for The Real, a talk show delivering their unique perspectives on topics ranging from their own personal lives to hot topics, as well as beauty, fashion and relationships.

“Tamar, Loni, Adrienne, Jeannie and Tamera are five amazing women of different ages and races, all at different places in their lives who reflect the experiences the audience is going through at the same time as they are,” said Hilary Estey McLoughlin, Telepcitures’ president. “They have great chemistry, are fearless and so entertaining and they will bring a much needed younger point of view and sensibility to daytime this summer.”

SallyAnn Salsano (Jersey Shore, The Bachelor) will serve as executive producer.

With the forthcoming departures of Barbara Walters and Joy Behar over at The View, as well as a similar concept coming to Magic Johnson‘s ASPIRE, there certainly seems to be a market for female-driven content.

The Real‘s four-week test run will begin Monday, July 15. Check out when and where the show will air on its official website.

The post First Look: Tamera Mowry-Housley, Tamar Braxton & More Host Daily Talk Show ‘The Real’ [VIDEO] appeared first on UPTOWN Magazine.

Kanye West Denies Cheating On Kim Kardashian

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Courtesy of Sister2Sister

Kanye West, Kim Kardashian

Kanye West and his camp are shutting down rumors that he cheated on Kim Kardashian while she was pregnant.

Star magazine reported this week that a Canadian model named Leylah Ghobadi alleges that she slept with Kanye within the last few months and that he even wanted to hook up as recently as last weekend. For those checking their calendar, this would be the same weekend that he made an appearance at Kim’s baby shower in Beverly Hills.

According to Leylah, she met Yeezy on July 6, 2012, when he performed at Revel in Atlantic City. Supposedly, he spotted her shaking her booty in the crowd and he had on of his people bring her backstage for some drinks after the show. Coincidently, Kim was at the Revel show in a VIP box the same night that Leylah said she hooked up with Kanye.

Continue at Sister2Sister…

Kanye West, Kim Kardashian

Soledad O’Brien Inks Deal With HBO, Joins ‘Real Sports’

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Soledad O'BrienSoledad O’Brien has officially locked down a new deal and gig over at HBO following her departure from CNN earlier this year.

The network announced Wednesday that she will join her former Today Show colleague Bryant Gumbel on the award-winning sports journalism program Real Sports. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the job comes with an overall content development deal with HBO that will allow the premium cable company to have first look at scripted projects and long-form programming concepts developed by O’Brien’s Starfish Media Group.

Related: Soledad O’Brien To Develop ‘White In America’

Her first story, due later this month, will focus on a San Diego fight club that helps war veterans combat post-traumatic stress disorder and mental illness through martial arts. The episode is expected to air June 25.

“Soledad’s a respected journalist with a proven track record. Her credibility, broad interests and passion make her a wonderful addition to our program,” Gumbel said in a statement. “I’m thrilled to have her on our Real Sports team.”

O’Brien signed off from CNN’s morning show Starting Point in March, but continues to work on documentaries (Black in America, Latina in America) for the network on a nonexclusive basis. She is expected to host at least one documentary this year and three next year with the help of her production company.

 

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Myrlie Evers-Williams: ‘Jim Crow Is Alive…In A Brooks Brothers Suit’ [VIDEO]

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Courtesy of The Grio

Politics Nation

On the 50th anniversary of the assassination of civil rights hero Medgar Evers, his widow Myrlie Evers-Williams says segregation has not disappeared.

“Jim Crow is alive, and it’s dressed in a Brooks Brothers suit, my friend, instead of a white robe,” she said on PoliticsNation Wednesday.

She talked about the progress she’s seen in the last half-century–and current threats to that progress, like voter suppression.

“Look at some of the racist things that are still happening in America,” she said. “For instance when President Obama was reelected there was rioting at the University of Mississippi because of that. There are still deaths that take place. We look at those things that have happened to keep people from voting.”

“These negatives are not as pronounced as they were in the 50′s and 60′s because we don’t have people in the streets marching today,” she said. “But that’s serious.”

Catch the video over at The Grio…

The post Myrlie Evers-Williams: ‘Jim Crow Is Alive…In A Brooks Brothers Suit’ [VIDEO] appeared first on UPTOWN Magazine.

Device By Design

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beats pill wireless speaker   By Terrance Gaines

1 Jagged Little Pill

The compact but powerful Beats Pill wireless speaker gives you the choice of a portable conferencing speaker and mic to get work done or a premium sound system that lets you see just how deep your phone’s playlist goes.

 

plantronic2 Phone It In
The Plantronics Voyager Legend Bluetooth headset has superior call quality and voice commands perfect for the effortless managing of a full schedule of conference calls.

nike fuel band3 I’m With The Band
The Nike+ FuelBand and smartphone app is functional enough to monitor, record and report your fitness/health activity by day, while cool enough to wear to the club to “monitor your activity” at night.

taktik strike case4 Black Don’t Crack
If you want to preserve the sexy that is the iPhone 5, the rugged but stylish TakTik Strike case by LunaTik will guarantee your phone avoids blemishes and ages gracefully.

beats pill wireless speaker

‘Steve Harvey’ Renewed Through 2016

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Steve HarveyAs the stand-out hit in a crop of new talkers, Steve Harvey‘s daytime show has been extended through 2016 in 65 percent of the country, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The 56-year-old personality has steadily gained a loyal following over the course of his inaugural season, particularly in recent months among key female demographics. Despite the cancelations of fellow hosts Ricki Lake, Jeff Probst and Anderson Cooper (as well as a rumored Katie Couric), Harvey has found a comfortable seat in daytime television.

“Steve is one of the best entertainers in the country, and his first season has been a tremendous success because of the personal connection he makes with the daytime audience,” said Ted Harbert, chairman of NBC Broadcasting. “It’s so great to see Steve’s very funny and substantive show being rewarded with long-term commitments from our station partners.”

Chairman and CEO of Endemol North America David Goldberg added, ”The sale of the show through 2016 is a testimony to its popularity, the immense talent of Steve Harvey and his ability to resonate with a broad and diverse daytime audience. I am grateful to Steve, his dedicated and creative producers as well as NBCUniversal Domestic TV Distribution and our station partners around the country.”

In May, Harvey took the No. 1 spot among women 18-49 and 25-54 and drastically improved its lead-in over the last year.

 

 

Steve Harvey

Danielle Powell, Grace University Student Kicked Out For Being Lesbian, Must Repay Thousands

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Courtesy BlackVoices

Kick Out

 Danielle Powell was close to getting her bachelor’s degree when she was kicked out of her university for being gay in 2012, and now says the only way the school will transfer her credits to another school is if she agrees to pay $6,300. In response, Powell has launched an online petition to pressure the school to forgive the debt.

Powell was a student at Grace University in early 2011 when she began her first same-sex relationship. Up until that point, neither she nor her then-girlfriend identified as lesbian. When Grace, a religious university in Omaha, Neb., found out about the relationship through a spiritual adviser at the school, they brought Powell before a judiciary board to decide whether she should be allowed to stay enrolled.

“At that time, my family had no idea, so I had to come out to my family sooner than I would’ve wanted,” Powell told The Huffington Post.

Michael James, executive vice president at Grace, told The Huffington Post that the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act prevents them from discussing any student’s particular case. But he did confirm the student handbook states that “Any student involved in sexually immoral behavior, including premarital sex, adultery, and homosexual acts, is at minimum placed on University probation and may be subject to a Judiciary Hearing.”

Powell said the board asked her why she did what she did and whether she was remorseful, treating her, in her words, “like a sexual predator.” The university ultimately decided in March 2011 to suspend her and not allow her to finish the semester. Powell said she was also told she now owed Grace just over $6,000 after an academic scholarship she’d been awarded was revoked.

Continue at BlackVoices…

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[VIDEO] Men At….Twerk: Classical Edition

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By Colby Carrington

These twerktastic days, everyone’s doing it. By the lightbulbs, in onesies….and to classical music.

You read that correctly.

This compilation video is set to the very lively – and appropriate – William Tell Overture by Gioachino Rossini.

The butt twirling, cheek isolations and spine undulations are set perfection to the score.  It would be a disservice to describe this wonder.

Just watch.  And break out the opera glasses.

uptown twerking to classical v2

The post [VIDEO] Men At….Twerk: Classical Edition appeared first on UPTOWN Magazine.

How A Photo of Trayvon Martin’s Dead Body Disturbs Our Comfortable Ignorance

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uptown trayvon martin photoA much larger, clearer version of the picture to the left, showing Trayvon Martin ‘s dead body in the grass after being shot by George Zimmerman, was shown today on MSNBC and posted on Gawker, a move which was met with mixed reactions. On one hand, many were outraged by this image being released to the public figuring it was completely in bad taste and should be only consumed by people essential to solving the case. On the other hand, many other people were saddened and disgusted at the fact that they even saw it in the first place. Of course there are many people who did NOT need to see this picture to be saddened, angered or frustrated by the true nature of Trayvon’s death – but can we definitively state that there aren’t people out there who have lost sight of the true human tragedy of Trayvon’s death – and ANY murder for that matter? See, what really disturbs many of those people more than anything else is being rocked out of their comfortable ignorance.

We know bad things happen in the world, but not actually seeing them explicitly helps many of us to refrain from becoming uncomfortably familiar with them. Unfortunately, avoiding that discomfort has directly resulted in many of us becoming desensitized.

As a dual citizen of Canada and Barbados, I was at home with my aunt in Warrens, St. Michaels on January 12th, 2010, when a catastrophic earthquake ripped through Haiti. The one thing people everywhere had in common was that we all had no real idea of the magnitude of the damage caused by the event but as the days slowly crawled by, early estimates were proven to be horribly wrong and the true extent of the horrific event began to unfold. I won’t claim to have been anymore emotionally invested than anyone else simply because of my island’s relative proximity to Haiti, but I do remember how much of the island was gripped in an underlying fear of ‘what if that happened here?’ especially when another, albeit much smaller, earthquake hit the Cayman Islands exactly one week later on January 19th. But, I began to notice something that truly disturbed me – and it was how quickly and easily most of my friends from North America had distanced themselves from the tragedy.

For a moment, it seemed like much of the world was interested – and then the next second we collectively returned to our comfortable ignorance. Before aide campaigns were over; Before final death tolls and estimates of the damage were complete; Before blood was washed off the streets; And before concepts around creating a solid new infrastructure were in place, we had MOVED on. It was back to posting pictures of Rihanna and wondering if she would ever forgive Chris Brown. It was back to wondering if the Celtics were deep enough to win an NBA championship. It was back to reality TV and wondering who was going to get voted off the island – and I LOST it.

I took to my Facebook and BLASTED everyone’s lack of an attention span for overlooking the tragedy and being passive internet-activists, who will dedicate a few Facebook statuses and tweets about it self-aggrandizingly lamenting over how THEY have been personally affected by WITNESSING the tragedy, and maybe even changing their profile pictures. I warned everyone that we need to be diligent in addressing this tragedy, because if we don’t do it NOW, we will FORGET this all happened weeks from now (something I’ve definitely been guilty of in MANY circumstances with issues around the world). My rant got little to no response.

So I posted the most heartbreaking photo I could find – the one that motivated me to not only care with all my heart but also to donate – which was a picture of six dead naked black Haitian boys lying dead in the back of a pickup truck, with the caption THIS IS WHAT’S REALLY HAPPENING OUT HERE! DON’T IGNORE US!”

Instantly the picture got almost 100 comments – mostly of people describing how SICK and DEMENTED I was for posting it. As reports came in that almost 200,000 men, women and children had been killed, people stopped playing Facebook Solitaire to complain that the picture took them mentally out of playing Facebook Solitaire. People who had STOPPED caring and devoting time and energy to helping with the tragedy were now upset that they had to bare witness to the REALITY of it. They were SHAKEN out of their comfortable ignorance.

But in my self-righteous rage, I missed one very real truism about what they were collectively experiencing: Compassion fatigue, which is defined as the inability to react sympathetically to a crisis, disaster, etc., because of overexposure to previous crises, disasters, etc. The nightly news is led with so much tales of death and horror, how can we truly survive without losing our damn minds if we DON’T learn coping mechanisms for bad news? But as much as our coping methods have HELPED us, can we truly say that seeing death as being “business as usual” is a good thing?

emmett till trayvon martin

When I see the picture of Trayvon lying dead with his eyes open, it takes me back to that picture of the boys being dead in Haiti, but even moreso to Emmett Till. After Till was beaten and shot for allegedly whistling at a white woman, his mother did something that changed the trajectory of race discussions in America forever: She decided Emmett’s funeral would be public – and she made sure to make it an OPEN casket. She wanted EVERYONE to view the carnage that was done to her 14 year old baby boy. She wanted them to WITNESS what a deceased boy looks like after he’s been pistol whipped, excessively beaten, had an eye gouged out (while he was still alive) and had his skull fractured by a bullet to the head. The image of Emmett’s mangled face is one that lives in infamy, especially in the Black community because it has been BURNED into our psyche’s.

Mamie Till made us NEVER forget.

Unfortunately, I’m not sure how Tracy Martin and Sybrina Fulton feel about his picture, but now that it is being openly shared around, to question its existence is pointless now. But what we need to do is ask ourselves ONE simple question: Now that we’ve ALL being shocked out of our comfort zone in seeing what TRULY happened to Trayvon, are we going to let the image MOTIVATE us to NEVER FORGET and NEVER stop fighting for justice (as the graphic images of Emmett Till did)? Or are we going to complain about seeing them and bitch about being shoved out of our comfortable ignorance, like when a starving African commercial comes on TV and we instinctively switch the channel as fast as we possibly can?

Whatever we choose to do, I HOPE we keep fighting for change regardless of how the picture OR the verdict makes us feel and maybe, just maybe, we can start to see the true tragedy in the loss of all young Black kids, including the hundreds who die at the hands of other Blacks every year too.

LAB

Lincoln Anthony Blades blogs daily on his site ThisIsYourConscience.com, he’s an author of the book “You’re Not A Victim, You’re A Volunteer” and a weekly contributor for UPTOWN Magazine. He can be reached via Twitter @lincolnablades and on Facebook at This Is Your Conscience.

uptown trayvon martin photo blurred

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Bastille Day Libations

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uptown bastille day cocktail recipesIndependence Day may have come and gone here but that doesn’t mean the party has to end. In the spirit of freedom, why not help the French celebrate? Bastille Day, one of the important events of the French Revolution, is officially July 14 but there’s nothing wrong with raising a glass throughout the weekend. And Lillet, a French aperitif founded by the Lillet brothers in 1872 in Podensac, France, has a few suggestions from its national brand ambassador Amanda Boccato. So lift a glass or three to Fraternité, Liberté and Égalité. And don’t forget to share it with @LadyLillet.

Bastille Day Cocktail Fraternite

Fraternité

Deepen the bonds of brotherhood with this French-ified riff on the “Dark and Stormy” made with Lillet Rouge and ginger beer.

2 parts Lillet Rouge

4 parts ginger beer (Baritts Ginger Beer is recommended)

lime wedge

Add spirit to Collins-style glass. Top with ice, then ginger beer. Garnish with lime wedge.

Bastille Day Cocktail Liberte

Liberté

Grab some Liber-tea with this simple Lillet Blanc and tea-blended cocktail. 

2 parts Lillet Blanc

1 part cooled fruit tea blend of your choice (recommended peach, raspberry, orange, etc.)

½ part honey syrup*

2 parts soda water

large wedge of fresh lemon

small mint spring

Build spirit and cooled tea in Collins-styled glass. Add ice and top with soda water. Garnish with lemon wedge and small mint sprig.

* = equal parts honey and water

Bastille Day Cocktail Egalite

Égalité

Named “Égalité” after the Champagne-style blend method in which Lillet Rosé, which uses both the varietals of Lillet Blanc and Lillet Rouge variations,  was created with, this cocktail is all equal-opportunity celebration.

2 parts Lillet Rosé

¾ part fresh squeezed grapefruit juice

½ part fresh squeeze lemon juice

¾ part simple syrup

2 dashes of Peychaud’s bitters

Soda water

Shake vigorously spirits, juices, and syrup in a cocktail shaker with ice

Strain into ice-filled Collins-style glass.Top with soda water. Add bitters. Garnish with grapefruit wedge.

Bastille Day Cocktail Egalite

The post Bastille Day Libations appeared first on UPTOWN Magazine.

Aretha Franklin Forced to Cancel Detriot Show a Second Time

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arethafranklin_uptown

Aretha Franklin has announced the cancellation of a performance scheduled for July 27th in her hometown of Detroit.

Originally scheduled to perform on June 22nd at the DTE Energy Music Theatre in Clarkston, Franklin assured fans the postponed performance would take place later this month.

However, the Queen of Soul made the second cancellation announcement on Friday in a letter distributed by her publicist, saying she was postponing the show “one last time.”

In May, the 71-year-old Grammy Award-winning artist was also forced to call off shows in Chicago and Connecticut, citing her doctor’s recommendation to undergo treatment for an undisclosed condition.

arethafranklin_uptown

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MSNBC’s Tamron Hall Apologizes for Photo of Trayvon Martin’s Dead Body

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After much uproar, MSNBC’s Tamron Hall apologized on Friday for showing a photo of Trayvon Martin’s dead body on her show.

The high-profile case has received nearly minute-to-minute coverage by news broadcast stations. During Zimmerman’s trial, the disturbing image was shown to the jury. It showed Martin lying on the ground shortly after being shot by George Zimmerman. Most networks quickly cut away from the crime scene photo. MSNBC says the network tried, but didn’t react quickly enough. As a result, viewers unexpectedly got an eye-full of the contentious photo.

The news blog, Gawker later posted a large screen-grab of the picture with the title “This, Courtesy of MSNBC, Is Trayvon Martin’s Dead Body. Get Angry.” The post sparked heated debates across the blogosphere as to whether or not the image is suitable for journalists to put on display.

As for Hall, she says MSNBC made an “awful mistake.” She posted her response to an outraged viewer via Twitter:

tamronhall_uptown

tamronhallmartin_uptown

The post MSNBC’s Tamron Hall Apologizes for Photo of Trayvon Martin’s Dead Body appeared first on UPTOWN Magazine.

The Verdict Is In: George Zimmerman Found Not Guilty, Celebs React

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uptown zimmerman not guiltyBy Colby Carrington

A jury of six women found George Zimmerman not guilty on charges of second degree murder.

After two weeks of proceedings, 56 witnesses, and almost 16 hours of deliberations, the verdict was announced in the courtroom, shortly before 10:20pm on Saturday evening. George Zimmerman’s stoic face relaxed slightly, and a he offered a small smile as he shook hands with his legal team.

Twitter timelines exploded swiftly, united in disbelief.  Amongst the most notable reactions were those from celebs, some of whom relayed particularly raw, uncensored musings:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

uptown zimmerman not guilty

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Rides: Nouveau Classics

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By Kimatni D. Rawlins

Maserati, Jaguar, Rolls-Royce and Ferrari set the 20th century on fire with innovative designs and outrageous performance. These legendary automakers continue pioneering with their latest offerings.

uptown nouveau classics

uptown ferrari 20132014 Ferrari LaFerrari

Positioned to become the core and future of Ferrari and a shining example of what the automaker is capable of in design, technology and aerodynamics, LaFerrari is the brand’s fastest road car in history and its first hybrid. Led by Flavio Manzoni, the design team instilled Ferrari F1 technology into the aerodynamic sculpting of the LaFerrari’s silhouette. The hybrid HY-KERS system combines the 800-horsepower Ferrari V12 engine with a 7-speed dual-clutch automated manual transmission and a 120 KW electric motor that enables a top speed of over 217 mph, while it accelerates from 0 to 62 mph in under 3 seconds. Only 499 LaFerraris are planned, with customers set to receive them by the end of 2013. Over $1.3 million.

uptown maserati ghibli 20142014 Maserati Ghibli

Now that Maserati has made great strides in raising mainstream awareness in today’s world of luxury sports cars, they are welcoming Ghibli, a four-door executive sports sedan challenging Mercedes Benz E-Class and the BMW 5 Series. A reprise of the popular late 1960s Maserati coupe, the Ghibli (an Arabic word for a hot and dusty wind) is smaller and sportier than Maserati’s Quattroporte. The vehicle will be available with two turbocharged 3-liter V6 engines, an 8-speed automatic transmission and both rear-wheel drive and an all-wheel drive platform dubbed “Q4.” Also, the introduction of a V6 turbodiesel version will mark a first in Maserati history. Approximately $65,000.


2014 jaguar f type 20142014 Jaguar F-Type

A replacement for the XK-E (E-Type) first introduced in the 1960s, Jaguar has high hopes for its all-new 2014 F-Type, which went on sale in the spring and comes in three choices: F-Type, F-Type S and the F-Type V8 S. Backed by a 5-liter supercharged V8 delivering 495 horsepower and going from 0 to 60 mph in 4.2 seconds plus a top speed of 186 mph, there’s a reason the F-Type V8 S tops the trio. To help attract the Porsche 911 and Boxster set, Jaguar has signed up San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who, similar to Jaguar’s mission, has put his team back on top. $69,000/$81,000/$92,000.

uptown 2014 rolls royce wraith2014 Rolls-Royce Wraith

Originally conceived in 1938, the rebirth of the new Wraith, distinguished by its perfectly engineered features and technical contour, freshens the Rolls-Royce brand. Wraith extends its level of luxury, refinement and handcraftsmanship, while also maintaining its unique positioning defined by its power and style, to younger buyers. Purely driver-oriented, the sleek and vigorous Wraith, with its Ghost-based 6.6-liter V12 engine helping it reach 0 to 60 mph in 4.4 seconds, is the most powerful Rolls-Royce in the company’s history. Deliveries are expected to begin fall 2013. Over $300,000.

uptown nouveau classics

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