New York, U.S.A. – The 2012 ESSENCE Music Festival is excited to announce the addition of Grammy-Award winning singer D’Angelo as he makes his first US appearance in a decade at the 18th annual event taking place July 6-8 in New Orleans. R&B heartthrob Trey Songz will return to the main stage joining previously announced performers Aretha Franklin, Mary J. Blige, Charlie Wilson, Fantasia, Ledisi and more.

The official host each night will be Nephew Tommy, comedian and co-host of the long running Steve Harvey Morning Show. Tank, Mary Mary, Marsha Ambrosious, The Pointer Sisters, Q. Parker & Super Jay, Teedra Moses, Melanie Fiona, Carl Thomas and Rebirth Brass Band are also scheduled to perform.  Additional performances will be announced soon.

ESSENCE is also proud to announce the night-by-night line-up for the 2012 ESSENCE MUSIC FESTIVAL with performances and appearances by the top names in entertainment.

The 2012 ESSENCE MUSIC FESTIVAL night-by-night line-up is as follows:

Friday, July 6 : Charlie Wilson, D’Angelo, Trey Songz, Keyshia Cole, The Pointer Sisters, Marsha Ambrosious, Q. Parker & Super Jay, Khris Royal, Kindred The Family Soul, Vivian Green,Stephanie Mills, Gary Clark Jr., Rebirth Brass Band, SWV, Goapele

Saturday, July 7 :  Mary J. Blige, Kevin Hart, Ledisi, Tank, Eric Roberson, Teedra Moses, The Stylistics, Robert Glasper, Dru Hill, The Original Pinettes Brass Band, Stephanie Mills, Big Sam’s Funky Nation

Sunday, July 8 :  Aretha Franklin, Fantasia, Kirk Franklin, Mary Mary, Melanie Fiona, Carl Thomas, Alex Boyd, Eve, The Stooges Brass Band, Estelle, Luke James, Raheem DeVaughn,Bridget Kelly

Single day tickets go on sale today for the 2012 ESSENCE MUSIC FESTIVAL and are priced from $50 to $300 per person per night.   Meanwhile, weekend packages ranging from $150 to $900 per person continue to offer music fans the best way to enjoy a full three days of entertainment, empowerment, community and special offers.

Now in its 18th year, the ultimate destination for entertainment and inspiration hosted over 422,000 attendees last year. What began in 1995 as a one-time event to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of ESSENCE magazine has now grown into one of the country’s “Top 10 Leading Brand Events” by Advertising Age.

The ESSENCE Music Festival is the nation’s largest annual gathering of African-American music and culture. Throughout its history, the Festival has featured an array of performers including Aretha Franklin, Alicia Keys, Al Green, Beyonce, Chaka Khan, Destiny’s Child, Earth, Wind & Fire, Gladys Knight, LL Cool J, Jamie Foxx, John Legend, The Isley Brothers, Lionel Richie, Luther Vandross, Maxwell, The O’Jays, Prince, Rihanna, Stevie Wonder, Toni Braxton, Patti LaBelle andYolanda Adams, among others.

For information about ticket sales, accommodations and the latest news about the ESSENCE MUSIC FESTIVAL, visit ESSENCE Music Festival www.essencemusicfestival.com Join the Festival community: follow  on Twitter @essencemusic #EssenceFest and become a fan of 2012 ESSENCE Music Festival on Facebook.

The 2012 ESSENCE Music Festival, in partnership with QuintEvents, has created “ESSENCE VIP Events” to offer fans the ultimate in “insider access”, with exclusive VIP ticket, travel and hospitality party venue packages. The Official packages are available now at www.QuintEvents.com and will be featured on the Official website, www.ESSENCEVIPEVENTS.com in early 2012.

Image Courtesy of   D’Angelo
Photo Credit: jesper skouboelling (denmark)

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The “TV Land Awards 2012,” honoring classic television, film and music icons, will return to New York City and be hosted by Kelly Ripa (nationally syndicated talk show “LIVE! With Kelly”), it was announced on March 5 by Larry W. Jones, president, TV Land. Ripa previously hosted the show in 2007.

Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, the awards show will honor powerhouse songstress Aretha Franklin with the Music Icon Award and will be held at the Lexington Avenue Armory at Gramercy Park on Saturday, April 14th. The “TV Land Awards 2012″ will air on Sunday, April 29th at 9:00pm ET/PT. More honorees will be announced in coming weeks.

“We are ecstatic to welcome back Kelly as she reprises her role as host of the ‘TV Land Awards’ this year for our 10th annual celebration,” said Jones.  “Her energy, enthusiasm and love of television make her the perfect person to lead the evening on the occasion of our 10th Anniversary.”

The successful “TV Land Awards” has scored a decade of success including the record-breaking numbers from the “TV Land Awards 2011,” which attracted over 2 million viewers for its premiere telecast. The star-studded special, which was held last year in New York City for the very first time, was the highest rated “TV Land Awards” show since 2004 across all key demos and posted double-digit gains in rating and delivery over preceding shows.

The “TV Land Awards” pays tribute to classic and contemporary luminaries of television, music and movies. The 90-minute telecast will feature exhilarating musical performances and will reunite some of the most iconic celebrity TV casts.

Previous honorees include Regis Philbin, Michael J. Fox, John Travolta, Bill Cosby, Mike Myers, Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner, Garry Marshall, the cast of “Glee,” “Desperate Housewives” and the hilarious sitcoms “Cheers,” “The Cosby Show,” “Family Ties,” “The Facts of Life,” “Everybody Loves Raymond,” “Bosom Buddies,” “Welcome Back, Kotter,” “The Dick Van Dyke Show” and “M*A*S*H*.”

Past presenters include Academy Award-winner Halle Berry, Barbara Walters, Justin Timberlake, Ray Romano, Steve Carell, Billy Crystal, Sharon Stone, Robin Williams and Academy Award-nomineeRobert Downey, Jr., to name a few. Past musical performers include Liza Minnelli, Stevie Wonder, Blondie, Diana Ross, Willie Nelson and Lionel Richie.

Michael Levitt (“Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D List,” “Billboard Music Awards,” “Scream Awards”) is executive producer; Five-time Emmy Award-winning Glenn Weiss is director (“Primetime Emmy Awards,” “BET Awards,” “The Tony Awards”); Greg Sills serves as supervising producer (“VH1 Rock Honors,” “The Teen Choice Awards,” “Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards”) and TV Land’s Larry W. Jonesand Casey Patterson are executive producers. Tim Bruno is executive in charge of production for TV Land.

TV Land and all related logos and titles are trademarks of Viacom International.

Image Courtesy of    http://www.flickr.com/photos/cupcakestacie/

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He’s never worn a baseball uniform, but for Brian Evans, it’s been a busy off-season for a guy who wrote a song about a baseball park. Add to it multiple Grammy winning mega-producer Narada Michael Walden’s touch, the famed producer of such superstars as Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, Mariah Carey, Elton John, and George Michael, and it’s a song being taken seriously.

Evans, originally from Haverhill, left Massachusetts at 16 and began an acting career on such shows as “Full House” and “Beverly Hills, 90210.” Focusing on a singing career, he’s been opening for the likes of Jay Leno, Joan Rivers, Social Distortion, David Spade, Roseanne Barr, and Mick Fleetwood. His shows with William Shatner have become legendary. His major label debut is currently being produced by Walden. The new CD will be distributed in 60 countries.

But it’s “At Fenway,” that is garnering the most attention. Debuting at #3 on Amazon.com, unprecedented given it was released during football season, the song has already received accolades from the Governor of Massachusetts, Deval Patrick, and United States Senator John Kerry. The Baseball Hall of Fame is adding the song to its library.

“From talk shows who know the 100th anniversary is forthcoming, to T-shirt companies, to corporations who are lining up corporate events, we’ve never had so many requests for Brian Evans to perform than we have in the past couple of months. Numerous companies associated with The Boston Red Sox have been clamoring to get the guy who sings the song about Fenway to appear at their event or to figure out a way to incorporate the song into their own advertising campaigns,” says Mark Biltz, creative director for Brian Evans Music.

“We’ve received a lot of support,” he adds.Support is putting it lightly, as Boston Red Sox Hall of Famer and current post-show commentator Jim Rice is now starring in a TV commercial with Evans in a Best Buy commercial promoting the new CD single.

“It’s obviously our hope that the organization (Boston Red Sox) itself gets behind the song,” says Biltz. “That’s a decision that they will have to make. Our mission has been to promote Brian’s song about the most beautiful baseball park in the world, in our opinion,” says Biltz. “The fans obviously love the song, and that’s all we can ask for. Thousands of downloads are occurring every day of the song. The closer we get to the season, the more the song is selling.”

“Our goal is to do a series of commercials promoting the song throughout the entire season, with different Red Sox players co-starring with Brian,” says Biltz. “It’s been a lot of fun so far, and everyone has been very helpful in helping implement the song into Red Sox Nation. Every player we have approached has said yes to appearing in a spot with Brian after hearing the song. From Donald Trump to Bud Selig to Red Sox owner Larry Lucchino, we’ve received some very nice responses to the song.”

Evans appeared in January at the Jimmy Fund sponsored event, “New Stars For Young Stars,” signing more than 500 donated CD’s for fans.

Image Courtesy of   Christopher Penler / Shutterstock.com

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Tony Bennett made music history with the Grammy-nominated CD Duets II when it debuted at the top of the Billboard Album charts, making Bennett the oldest vocal artist ever to achieve the number one spot. Recently nominated for three Grammys, including Best Traditional Pop Vocal, Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, and Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s), the critically acclaimed album followed the 85-year-old singer’s Grammy-winning 2006 Duets CD, which had, in turn, been released in honor of his 80th birthday.

Tony Bennett: Duets II, a presentation of THIRTEEN’s Great Performances, features the singer’s greatest hits, performed by Bennett and today’s biggest stars, including John Mayer, Michael Buble, k.d. lang, Sheryl Crow, Willie Nelson, Queen Latifah, Norah Jones, Josh Groban, Faith Hill, Alejandro Sanz, Carrie Underwood and more.

The sessions, filmed to capture the magic of these performers singing with the master of the Great American Songbook, airs on Friday, January 27, 2012, at 9 p.m. on PBS (check local listings).

Great Performances is a production of THIRTEEN for WNET, one of America’s most prolific and respected public media providers. For nearly 50 years, WNET has been producing and broadcasting national and local arts programming to the New York community.

The album took more than six months to record, with each track recorded face-to-face with his singer partners in studios around the world, from LA to Nashville to London.  Among the many highlights is Amy Winehouse’s last recorded track (“Body and Soul”), which was produced in London’s famous Abbey Road Studios in March. Other tracks were recorded in New York in late July: the Richard Rodgers-Lorenz Hart classic, “The Lady Is a Tramp,” with Lady Gaga, and the Alan and Marilyn Bergman classic, “How Do You Keep the Music Playing,” with Aretha Franklin , and “Stranger in Paradise,” with Andrea Bocelli , recorded at the singer’s Italian home (see full track listing below).

The CD received kudos from all quarters. The Wall Street Journal noted that the singer was “…constantly reaffirming his position as pop music’s greatest living patriarch,” and Associated Press observed, “Tony Bennett is as timeless as the songs he sings on ‘Duets II.’”

The musical segments are highlighted by insights on the process from the performers, making for an up-close look at one of the year’s most celebrated recordings. The sessions were filmed by Oscar-winning cinematographer Dion Beebe (“Chicago,” “Memoirs of a Geisha,” “Collateral”), providing a personal, behind-the-scenes look at Bennett’s latest collaborations and his artistic approach with each song.

Entering his seventh decade as a recording artist with more than 100 albums and 15 Grammy Awards including the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, Bennett has earned his legendary status many times over. He remains the Columbia recording artist with the greatest longevity at the label. His 2007 primetime special, “Tony Bennett:  An American Classic,” won seven Emmy Awards and was directed by Academy Award winner Rob Marshall.

He has performed for Presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Carter, Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Clinton, George W. Bush and Obama. He also worked with and marched alongside Martin Luther King in his 1965 civil rights march and was honored with the Martin Luther King’s Salute to Greatness Award.

In addition to performing, he is a visual artist as well, with three of his original paintings featured in the permanent collection at the Smithsonian, including his portraits of Ella Fitzgerald and Duke Ellington. His humanitarian efforts are renowned, and the United Nations honored him with their Humanitarian Award in 2007.

He has published three books — his autobiography, The Good Life, and two collections of his paintings,Tony Bennett: What My Heart Has Seen and Tony Bennett in the Studio: A Life of Art and Music. Bennett founded, in association with the Department of Education in New York City, the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts — a public arts high school in his hometown of Astoria, Queens. With his wife, Susan, he established Exploring the Arts, a charitable organization that supports arts education in NYC public high schools. Exploring the Arts supports 14 public high schools throughout New York City.

In the fall of 2007, a documentary of Bennett’s life and career, produced by Clint Eastwood, “Tony Bennett: The Music Never Ends,” aired on THIRTEEN’s American Masters on PBS.

The full song program follows:

“The Lady Is a Tramp” (Lady Gaga)
“One for My Baby (And One More for the Road)” (John Mayer)
“Body and Soul” (Amy Winehouse)
“Don’t Get Around Much Anymore” (Michael Buble)
“Blue Velvet” (k.d. lang)
“How Do You Keep the Music Playing” (Aretha Franklin)
“The Girl I Love” (Sheryl Crow)
“On the Sunny Side of the Street” (Willie Nelson)
“Who Can I Turn To (When Nobody Needs Me)” (Queen Latifah)
“Speak Low” (Norah Jones)
“This Is All I Ask” (Josh Groban)
“Watch What Happens” (Natalie Cole)
“Stranger in Paradise” (Andrea Bocelli)
“The Way You Look Tonight” (Faith Hill)
“Yesterday I Heard the Rain” (Alejandro Sanz)
“It Had to Be You” (Carrie Underwood)

Image Courtesy of  Tony Bennett

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