Emmy Nods Are In

The 59th Primetime Emmy Awards were announced last Thursday in L.A. Among the list of Emmy nominees, were several beautiful black women who continue to blaze trails in the entertainment industry. Queen Latifah’s role in HBO’s “Life Support” has landed her a nod as Lead Actress in a Miniseries/Movie. Chandra Wilson of “Grey’s Anatomy” received her second nomination for Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. Vanessa Williams is a nominee for best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her role on “Ugly Betty” (I love that show.)

Ugly Betty actually received a whopping 11 nominations closely followed by “Grey’s Anatomy” with 10 nominees. The Emmy Awards will air Sept. 16th from the Shrine Auditorium.

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This weekend Dr. Ian Smith will be at Union Station from 12-4pm hosting a life-changing event, as he encourages the community to Get Fit for Life and Enjoy. The 50 million pound challenge hits St. Louis with special performances by Joe, Kelly Price, Biz Markie, and Comedian J. Anthony Brown.

The 50 Million Pound Challenge website reads: The 50 Million Pound Challenge is an historic opportunity for African Americans to come together against a growing health crisis. Our challenge is to collectively lose 50 million pounds and reduce the very real risks that being overweight poses to our community. Learn more (about the challenge by visiting their website).

St. Louis Fashion Week

Mark your calendars for the week of August 20-25. St. Louis’ first ever-fashion week will hit the city with a force to reckon with.

Fashion Week Highlights Include: MON 8/20: Exclusive Fashion Week Launch Event (open to ticket holders only).

TUES 8/21: New Amsterdam Gin Presents "The New Face of Fashion" hosted by St. Louis celebrity designer, Jimmy Jamieson at the Philip Slein Gallery. This show will feature a group exhibition of St. Louis' top fashion photographers with works selected by Paul Ha, Director of the Contemporary Art Museum and Allen Barber, General Manager of Neiman Marcus.

WED 8/22: Celebrity designer Jesse Kamm premieres her Spring 2008 collection before heading off to her first shows at New York and Paris Fashion Weeks. St. Louis area native Jesse Kamm launched to international acclaim at LA Fashion Week and is carried by some of the world's most exclusive boutiques including Caviar And Kind (LA) and Colette (Paris). Since launching, Jesse has been featured by Vogue, Elle and Bazaar and will be ALIVE's September cover model.

THURS 8/23: Nick Verreos of "Project Runway" hosts The Time Boutique's "Forbidden Fashion" show. Verreos will be joined by fellow "Project Runway" alum Kara Janx for an evening of fashion shows featuring 10 Spring 2008 collections plus the collection of St. Louis celeb designer Tiffany Alana and seven other emerging designers from around the world.

FRI 8/24: Jesse Kamm & Virginia Kerr host "Liquid Style." Staged on the beautiful pool deck of the Chase Park Plaza Hotel, this show will feature the hottest designer ready-to-wear from some of St. Louis' top boutiques. St. Louis celebs from KMOV-TV, MOViN Radio and the St. Louis Rams will join socialites and special designer guests Yoana Boraschi, Vivek K. Nagrani and Mark & Marvin Austin for a red carpet night of fashion like no other seen in St. Louis.

SAT 8/25: Anatomy of Style hosts St. Louis' first ever "Boutique Crawl." All participating St. Louis Fashion Week boutiques have secured national and local designers to host a one-day trunk show at their locations. Enjoy Ecco Domani wines and special discounts throughout the day. This event is open to all Fashion Week Pass holders.

SAT NIGHT 8/25: St. Louis' most fashion-forward crowd will converge on The Pepper Lounge for the first ever Prêt-à-Partie to celebrate the conclusion of Fashion Week. Prêt-à-Partie will feature special guest appearances by Fashion Week designers, models and celebrities. Present your ticket from any Fashion Week event for entry - space limited, arrive early.

According to early predictions, this show will sell out. So if you are a fashionista then you better get your tickets now. ORDER TICKETS NOW - CLICK HERE: www.ticketmaster.com

Musiq Live on the Levee

This weekend’s Live on the Levee series will feature one of my favorite’s, Musiq SoulChild (although, I think he has since dropped the SoulChild). It will be this Friday night from 6-8pm.

The concert is free, the entertainment is great and it all takes place on St. Louis’ historic riverfront. Live on the Levee is a weekend event that runs for six weeks and is located under the Gateway Arch. In addition to live music, there is also a family fun village and a fireworks display at the end of every night. If you are not a Musiq SoulChild fan (kill yourself…hahaha). No really if you are not into Musiq, maybe you would be interested in checking out Robert Randolph and the Family Band on August 3rd or John Michael Montgomery on August 4th.

Steve Harvey Morning Show

Steve Harvey and the gang are coming to town this Friday. I love listening to his morning show on the drive into work (aka the Matrix). This Friday St. Louisans will get the opportunity to see him live and in the flesh. The Steve Harvey Morning Show will broadcast live at the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Center in east St. Louis from 5-9 am, Friday July 27th. The event is sponsored by the US Army and Rent-n-Roll. (speaking of rent-n-roll, how in the world can you operate a business around the concept of rent to own rims for your vehicle. We have took keeping up with the Joneses to a whole new level, but that’s another blog post, isn’t it.)

Delicious? Not so much…

Season 2 Flavor of Love Winner, Delicious, will be in St. Louis tonight at Club Society. I am sure it will be a sausage fest in there as guys line up to peep out her 36-24-36 measurements. I’m assuming her and Flaaaaa-Vor-Flav did not stay together as a couple.

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Universoul Circus

My sister's birthday is July 25th, tomorrow.  I think we are going to go to the Universoul Circus.  It will be in St. Louis tomorrow through the weekend.  If you haven't seen it, it's a must attend evet.  It is a twelve year old single ring circus that consist of predominantly African-American performers.  Learn more at www.universoulcircus.com