Happy Friday, friends!
How has your week been? I know the week ended on a sad note with the passing of Aretha Franklin. Our hearts are heavy with the late singer’s death. She is truly a legend and she was such a beautiful soul. We are praying for her family and loved ones during this time.
“Being the Queen is not all about singing, and being a diva is not all about singing. It has much to do with your service to people. And your social contributions to your community and your civic contributions as well.” — Aretha Franklin
Here are today’s weekly top five:
- Public Viewing for Aretha Franklin Scheduled for Last Week of August
- Rolling Stone Shares the 50 Greatest Aretha Franklin Songs
- Detroit’s African World Festival is This Weekend
- My Interview with Actor Will Catlett from Love Is __
- A Retro-Modern Bowling Shoe Design Is Revealed in NYC
1. Aretha Franklin’s Funeral Will Be Held in Detroit on August 31, 2018
Aretha’s publicist Gwendolyn Quinn announced the late singer’s funeral is scheduled for August 31st. The funeral will be held at Greater Grace Temple in Detroit and it is limited to Ms. Franklin’s family and friends.
There will be a public viewing on August 28 – 29 at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. You can get more information about the public viewing by contacting the museum.
2. The 50 Greatest Aretha Franklin Songs
Rolling Stone magazine shared “The 50 Greatest Aretha Franklin Songs” on their official website. From “Jump To It” to “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” and one of my favorites “Until You Come Back To Me (That’s What I’m Gonna Do)”, you just may find a few of your favorites on the list.
Rolling Stone also includes a brief synopsis and videos to go with each song selection. You can read the article here.
3. The 36th Annual African World Festival is This Weekend!
I’ve been waiting for this big event all summer! The 36th Annual African World Festival (AWF) is this weekend, August 17 – 19. We plan on attending Saturday or Sunday. The first time I went to the AWF was in August 2016. We ended up going to the event all three days and we had so much fun!
The African World Festival features live music, clothing vendors, food vendors, arts and crafts African dancing and drumming, and even a place where you can learn how to style headwraps. It’s a big, family-friendly event that’s FREE so I hope you get the chance to go this weekend! Get all of the details about the African World Festival here.
4. Check Out My Interview with Actor Will Catlett from OWN’s Love Is __
I’m so excited to share with you guys my interview with actor Will Catlett! Will plays the main character Yasir in OWN’s new romantic drama Love Is __. The show is loosely based on the real-life love story of Mara Brock Akil and Salim Akil. The two are also the creators and executive producers of the show.
On working with Mara Brock Akil and Salim Akil, Will said this:
“It’s like walking into a museum or looking at a Picasso painting or a Basquiat painting. There’s so many different layers to them. Salim always, every time I see him he looks at me: Are you having fun? And it’s like a code into the Matrix. It just grounds you right away to know okay, Yeah, you doing this. Yeah, your show is coming out. All this is going on but are you having fun? Let’s bring it back down to the reason you started doing this in the first place.”
Talking to Will was like getting great life advice from a friend. I think you’ll really enjoy reading the interview. You can read the interview here. Let me know what you think!
5. Celebrity Judges Christian Siriano and Sarah Pribis Help Officially Reveal the Next Generation of the Bowling Shoe
Fashion designer Christian Siriano and actress Sara Pribis were the celebrity judges at the Unveiling Event at Bowlmor Times Square in New York City. The two celebrities helped officially reveal the next generation of the bowling shoe.
FIT and NYC-based student Samuel Riley was crowned the winner with his bowling shoe design “Illusion Shoe”, inspired by Bowlero Corp.’s retro-modern vibe along with the sense of nostalgia bowling evokes for him. Samuel won the prize of $2,500 and a chance to see his shoe design professionally manufactured and distributed to Bowlero and Bowlmor Lanes locations nationwide in 2019.
Hope you have a blessed weekend!
xoxo
Also, check out: Catching Up with Singers Sebastian Olzanski and Wesley Stromberg and interview with actress Regina King.
Feature image photo credit Tiago Felipe Ferreria
