Entertainment – Page 64 – The Mississippi Link

Rep. John Lewis, Gabrielle Union unveil 1963 March on Washington stamp

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Equality now has a stamp of its own as the U.S. Postal Service introduced the 1963 March on Washington limited-edition Forever stamp to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the historic milestone. For the first time, the Postal Service unveiled the stamp artwork with the help of people across the country.

Throughout this month, individuals added their photo to the March on Washington stamp on the U.S. Postal Service’s Stamps Facebook page to help reveal a small piece of the stamp.

During Friday’s First-Day-of-Issuance ceremony at the Newseum in Washington, DC, actress Gabrielle Union added her Twitter profile photo to the mosaic to reveal the final piece of the 1963 March on Washington stamp. […]

Tourism leaders seek higher funding

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Tourism leaders are asking for an increase in funding from officials of the city of Corinth and Alcorn County.

The Daily Corinthian reported the Corinth Board of Mayor and Aldermen and Alcorn County Board of Supervisors will complete their budgets in September for the coming fiscal year.

The Corinth Area Convention and Visitors Bureau wants an increase in its monthly allotment of tourism tax funding from $42,000 to $45,000. Crossroads Arena is poised to receive $200,000 from the tourism budget, down from $250,000 in the current fiscal year. […]

Songwriter Johnny Russell gets country music marker in Moorhead

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Country music singer-songwriter Johnny Russell was the latest recipient honored with a marker on the Mississippi Country Music Trail. The marker unveiling was at 101 East Delta Avenue in Moorhead.

Governor Phil Bryant, who was born in Moorhead, offered remarks during the ceremony.

John Bright “Johnny” Russell (1940-2001) was born and raised in Moorhead and went on to become a star of the Grand Ole Opry and a popular country recording artist, with such hits as “Catfish John” and “Rednecks, White Socks and Blue Ribbon Beer.” […]

Elvis birthplace opens Elvis Week

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For the 13th year in a row, Les Horne of Oxford, England, began Elvis Week in Tupelo at the birthplace of Elvis Presley.

“Every year we come, it has gotten a little better,” Horne said.

Hundreds of fans from around the world were in Tupelo on Saturday for the 36th Fan Appreciation Day at the Elvis Presley Birthplace Park, The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal reported.

This year, for the first time, entertainment and food were in an amphitheater and theater opened on the grounds last August. An evening concert by an Elvis impersonator was moved to the Civic Auditorium because rain threatened. […]

Rep: Jazz keyboardist George Duke dies at 67

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George Duke, the Grammy-winning jazz keyboardist and producer whose sound infused acoustic jazz, electronic jazz, funk, R&B and soul in a 40-year-plus career, has died. He was 67.

A representative for Duke said the performer died Monday night, Aug. 5, in Los Angeles. Duke was being treated for chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Duke’s son, Rashid, thanked his father’s fans in a statement Tuesday. […]

OVER 540,000 ATTENDEES DESCEND UPON NEW ORLEANS OVER FOURTH OF JULY WEEKEND

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By Ben Minnifield

Over 540,000 attendees from around the globe descended upon New Orleans this Fourth of July weekend for the 19th annual ESSENCE Festival, making 2013 the largest in the event’s 19 year history.
With an expanded cultural focus and renewed emphasis on family, the 2013 ESSENCE Festival celebrated its community of ESSENCE readers with an exciting array of entertainment and empowerment events; featuring more than 50 world renowned and up-and-coming performing acts and over 120 of the world’s top artists, speakers, authors, leaders, innovators and celebrities…. […]

Food Network to feature ‘The Shed’ of Ocean Springs in new reality show

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When Starkville-native Robbie Montgomery launched her “Welcome to Sweetie Pies” on the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN), it quickly became one of their most successful shows to date. And now with the Food Network premiering The Shed this Sunday night, television viewers will get another look at how good old-fashioned Mississippi country cooking is done.

Based in Ocean Springs, The Shed, is the dreamchild of founders Brad Orrison and his sister, Brooke Lewis.

For the Orrison family, barbecuing isn’t simply a habit; it’s a way of life, the Food Network said in a release. This loveably quirky and offbeat bunch is known for their over-the-top personalities and offers food to match, specializing in finger-lickin’-good ribs and from-scratch barbecue sauce. […]

Hattiesburg Zoo gets grant for discovery center

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The Ashbury Foundation has given $277,000 to the Hattiesburg Zoo to help complete work on the zoo’s highly anticipated education building.

The money will be used primarily to finish the interior of the 2,200 square-foot facility. It will open in April of 2014 as part of the zoo’s annual Birthday Bash celebrations and will be known as the Asbury Discovery Center.

The new state-of-the-art facility will feature viewable housing for the zoo’s education animals, as well as viewable offices and labs. It will also serve as the new home and play yard for the Zoo’s Galapagos Tortoises, and a venue for zoo classes, camps, special events and corporate meetings. […]

NAACP names Opera Singer Jessye Norman as 98th Spingarn Medalist

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The NAACP Board of Directors awarded opera singer and honorary UN Ambassador Jessye Norman the 98th Spingarn Medal, the Association’s highest honor. Norman became the 98th recipient of the award, and she was honored during the NAACP National Convention in Orlando July 17 at the annual Spingarn Dinner.

“Jessye Norman is a true inspiration,” stated Chairman Roslyn M. Brock. “Her work embodies the power of music and its ability to serve as the soundtrack to our movement for social justice.”

The Spingarn Medal, first instituted in 1914 by then NAACP Chairman Joel E. Spingarn, is awarded to an American of African descent who has demonstrated outstanding and noble achievement during the preceding years. […]

Jazz legend Jones to be honored with concert

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One of Vicksburg’s music legends will be honored Aug. 4 with a concert, discussion panel and art exhibit.

The Vicksburg Blues Society and Vicksburg Heritage League are hosting the Fourth Annual Hank Jones Memorial Concert and Festival from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Aug. 4 at Vicksburg City Auditorium, said event organizer Shirley Waring.

Jones was a jazz pianist and composer whose 70-year career included a stint as Ella Fitzgerald’s pianist and Marilyn Monroe’s accompanist when she sang “Happy Birthday” to President John F. Kennedy. […]