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Shavar Ross
Shavar Malik Ross (born March 4, 1971), is an American actor, film director, screenwriter, film producer, editor, photographer, author, online retail entrepreneur, and spiritual mentor and teacher. He is known for his recurring television role as Dudley Johnson, Gary Coleman's best friend in the NBC sitcom ''Diff'rent Strokes'', Alex "Weasel" Parks in the ABC sitcom ''Family Matters'', and as "Reggie the Reckless" in the fifth installment of the '' Friday the 13th'' movie series '' Friday the 13th: A New Beginning'' (1985). Biography Ross was born in New York City in the South Bronx. His parents separated when he was seven years old. His mother took Shavar and his sister to Macon, Georgia, while his father went to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career. In 1979, while visiting his father in California during his school's Christmas vacation, Shavar was discovered by top children's agent Evelyn Shultz. In 1980, Ross landed his first recurring television role, on NBC's ''Diff'r ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Bronx
The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New York City borough of Queens, across the East River. The Bronx has a land area of and a population of 1,472,654 in the 2020 census. If each borough were ranked as a city, the Bronx would rank as the ninth-most-populous in the U.S. Of the five boroughs, it has the fourth-largest area, fourth-highest population, and third-highest population density.New York State Department of Health''Population, Land Area, and Population Density by County, New York State – 2010'' retrieved on August 8, 2015. It is the only borough of New York City not primarily on an island. With a population that is 54.8% Hispanic as of 2020, it is the only majority-Hispanic county in the Northeastern United States and the fourth-most-populous nationwide. The Bronx ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Roger E
Roger is a given name, usually masculine, and a surname. The given name is derived from the Old French personal names ' and '. These names are of Germanic origin, derived from the elements ', ''χrōþi'' ("fame", "renown", "honour") and ', ' ("spear", "lance") (Hrōþigēraz). The name was introduced into England by the Normans. In Normandy, the Frankish name had been reinforced by the Old Norse cognate '. The name introduced into England replaced the Old English cognate '. ''Roger'' became a very common given name during the Middle Ages. A variant form of the given name ''Roger'' that is closer to the name's origin is ''Rodger''. Slang and other uses Roger is also a short version of the term "Jolly Roger", which refers to a black flag with a white skull and crossbones, formerly used by sea pirates since as early as 1723. From up to , Roger was slang for the word "penis". In ''Under Milk Wood'', Dylan Thomas writes "jolly, rodgered" suggesting both the sexual double entend ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Child Sexual Abuse
Child sexual abuse (CSA), also called child molestation, is a form of child abuse in which an adult or older adolescent uses a child for sexual stimulation. Forms of child sexual abuse include engaging in sexual activities with a child (whether by asking or pressuring, or by other means), indecent exposure (of the genitals, female nipples, etc.), child grooming, and child sexual exploitation, such as using a child to produce child pornography. Child sexual abuse can occur in a variety of settings, including home, school, or work (in places where child labor is common). Child marriage is one of the main forms of child sexual abuse; UNICEF has stated that child marriage "represents perhaps the most prevalent form of sexual abuse and exploitation of girls". The effects of child sexual abuse can include depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, complex post-traumatic stress disorder, propensity to further victimization in adulthood, and physical injury to the child ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Very Special Episode
"Very special episode" is an advertising term originally used in American television promos to refer to an episode of a sitcom or drama series which deals with a difficult or controversial social issue. The usage of the term peaked in the 1980s. Overview History Traditionally, very special episodes contained either a brief message from the cast or a title card reading either "Viewer Discretion Advised" or "Parental Discretion Advised", alerting viewers to the potentially graphic or disturbing nature of the episode and giving them time to decide if they wanted to watch it. Topics Popular topics covered in very special episodes include abortion, birth control, sex education, racism, sexism, death, narcotics, pregnancy (particularly teenage pregnancy and unintended pregnancy), asthma, hitchhiking, kidnapping, suicide, drunk driving, sexual abuse, child abuse, sexual assault, and HIV/AIDS. Portrayals How a topic is portrayed can vary drastically from show to show, and its portraya ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Al Jarreau
Alwin Lopez Jarreau (March 12, 1940 – February 12, 2017) was an American singer and musician. His 1981 album '' Breakin' Away'' spent two years on the ''Billboard'' 200 and is considered one of the finest examples of the Los Angeles pop and R&B sound. The album won Jarreau the 1982 Grammy for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. In all, he won seven Grammy Awards and was nominated for over a dozen more during his career. Jarreau also sang the theme song of the 1980s television series ''Moonlighting'', and was among the performers on the 1985 charity song "We Are the World." Early life and career Jarreau was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on March 12, 1940, the fifth of six children. His father Emile Alphonse Jarreau was a Seventh-day Adventist Church minister and singer, and his mother Pearl (Walker) Jarreau was a church pianist. Jarreau and his family sang together in church concerts and in benefits, and Jarreau and his mother performed at PTA meetings. Jarreau was student c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Black Entertainment Television
Black Entertainment Television (acronym BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting African-American audiences. It is owned by the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global via BET Networks and has offices in New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, and was formerly headquartered in Washington, D.C. As of February 2015, approximately 88,255,000 American households (75.8% of households with television) receive the channel. History After stepping down as a lobbyist for the cable industry, Freeport, Illinois native Robert L. Johnson decided to launch his own cable television network. Johnson would soon acquire a loan for $15,000 and a $500,000 investment from media executive John Malone to start the network. The network, which was named Black Entertainment Television (BET), launched on January 25, 1980. Cheryl D. Miller designed the logo that would represent the network, which featured a star to symbolize "Black Star Power". Initially, broadcasting for two hours ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Joe Clair
Joe Clair (born February 13, 1969), also known by the nickname "Joe Cleezy", is an American stand-up comedian, radio personality, VJ and actor. A native of the Seat Pleasant, Maryland suburb of Washington, D.C., Clair is best known as a former host of BET's ''Rap City'' from 1994 to 1999. He hosted his own morning drive time show on WPGC-FM in Washington, D.C. from 5:50am-10am. Clair earned a bachelor's degree in psychology from Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland. Aside from his work as host of ''Rap City'', Clair has also hosted several radio shows and appeared on the stand-up comedy shows ''Def Comedy Jam'' and ''ComicView''. Clair was named morning drive time host at WPGC-FM in his hometown of Washington, D.C. in February 2015 to July 2021. As an actor, Clair has appeared in several films, most notably the 1992 horror film ''Ax 'Em ''Ax 'Em'' (originally titled ''The Weekend It Lives'') is a 1992 American slasher film directed by and starring Michael Mfume, son o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Debra Wilson
Debra Wilson, also known as Debra Wilson Skelton or Debra Skelton, is an American actress and comedian. She is known for being the longest-serving original cast member on the sketch comedy series ''Mad TV'', having appeared on the show's first eight seasons from 1995 to 2003. As a voice actress, she has voiced various characters on television, including Ramaraffe on ''Mao Mao: Heroes of Pure Heart'' (2019–present), Grandma Shark on ''Baby Shark's Big Show!'' (2020–present), and Kira on ''Dogs in Space (TV series), Dogs in Space'' (2021–present). She has voiced multiple characters on series such as ''Black Dynamite (TV series), Black Dynamite'' (2012–2015), ''All Hail King Julien'' (2014–2016), and ''Spitting Image (2020 TV series), Spitting Image'' (2020–2022). She also starred in the films ''The Summerland Project'' (2016) and ''Bodied'' (2017). Wilson has had lead voice roles in video games such as Rebecca Thane in ''Mirror's Edge Catalyst'' (2016), Amanda Waller ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Margaret Avery
Margaret Avery (born April 15, 1944) is an American actress and singer. She began her career appearing on stage and later had starring roles in films including '' Cool Breeze'' (1972), ''Which Way Is Up?'' (1977), ''Scott Joplin'' (1977), and ''The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh'' (1979). Avery is best known for her performance as Shug Avery in the 1985 period drama film ''The Color Purple'' for which she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. She continued appearing in films including ''Blueberry Hill'' (1988), ''White Man's Burden'' (1995), ''Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins'' (2008), '' Meet the Browns'' (2008), and ''Proud Mary'' (2018). From 2013 to 2019, Avery starred as Helen Patterson, lead character's mother, in the BET drama series ''Being Mary Jane''. Early life Margaret Avery was born in Mangum, Oklahoma and raised in San Diego, California, where she attended Point Loma High School. She then attended San Francisco State University where, in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nadia Turner
Nadia Turner (born January 11, 1977) is an American singer, songwriter, actress and radio/television personality, best known as the eighth place finalist on the fourth season of ''American Idol.'' Career Pre-''American Idol'' Turner was a former Miami Dolphins cheerleader in 1996. In 2000, she sang at the 26th G8 summit to President Clinton and seven world leaders in Okinawa, Japan. 2005: ''American Idol'' 2006–present: Post-''American Idol'' Since exiting ''American Idol'', Turner has made guest appearances on ''The Ellen DeGeneres Show'', ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'', '' The Tony Danza Show'' and served as a guest host on '' The View'' in December, 2006. Turner has performed and hosted many charities such as Big Brothers Big Sisters "Big Event" at the American Airlines Arena, UM Sylvester Cancer Foundation, The Pet Project, and SOS Children Village. She was invited to Kuwait by a bloodline of Kuwait's royal family to perform at a private New Year's Eve par ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
TV One (US TV Network)
TV One is an American basic cable television channel owned by Urban One, having acquired Comcast's stake in the TV channel in 2015. Headquartered in Silver Spring, Maryland, TV One's programming targets African American adults with a broad mixture of original lifestyle and entertainment-oriented series, documentaries, films, music performances and reruns of sitcoms from the 1970s through the 2000s. As of February 2015, TV One is available to approximately 57 million pay television households (48.9% of households with at least one television set) in the United States. History TV One launched on January 19, 2004, on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, as a competitor to the longer-established BET.Felicia R. Lee"A Network for Blacks With Sense of Mission,"''The New York Times'', December 11, 2007. At the time of its launch, the channel was in approximately 2.2 million homes in 16 markets. On July 7, 2008, the channel's president and CEO Johnathan Rodgers announced that TV One would pr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Russell Simmons
Russell Wendell Simmons (born October 4, 1957) is an American entrepreneur, writer and record executive. He co-founded the hip-hop label Def Jam Recordings, and created the clothing fashion lines Phat Farm, Argyleculture, and Tantris. Simmons' net worth was estimated at $340 million in 2011. After producing or managing artists such as Kurtis Blow, Run DMC, Whodini, and Jimmy Spicer, Simmons joined forces with producer Rick Rubin to found Def Jam Recordings. Under Simmons' leadership as chairman, Def Jam signed acts including Beastie Boys, Public Enemy, LL Cool J, Jay Z, DMX, and Kanye West. From 1992 to 1997, he also produced the Def Comedy Jam television program. Simmons has promoted veganism and a yogic lifestyle. He also published books about healthy lifestyle and entrepreneurship. In 2017, Simmons was publicly accused of sexual assault by multiple women; he denied the allegations. Following these allegations, Simmons stepped down from his various business roles and chari ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
