By Bill Vaughan
Entertainment Writer
Recognizing an amazing career which has run the gamut from Broadway to television to movies and several chart-topping records, the Hollywood Walk of Fame will welcome Melba Moore as its 2,760th star on Aug. 10 at 11:30 a.m. at 1645 Vine St., just south of Hollywood Boulevard.
Guest speakers at the induction ceremony will include Emmy winner Sheryl Lee Ralph (“Abbott Elementary”), comedian Katt Williams and veteran R&B hit maker Freda Payne.
Moore, born in Harlem and raised in Newark, started her Broadway career in the original cast of “Hair,” where she replaced Diane Keaton, becoming the first African-American woman to replace a white actress in a lead role.
She would later win the Tony for “Purlie,” with the show-stopping “I Got Love,” before roles in “Timbuktu!” (alongside Eartha Kitt and directed by Geoffrey Holder), “Inacent Black,” and “Ain’t Misbehavin,” among others.
A pioneering CBS summer series with then partner Clifton Davis followed along with a recording career that birthed the hits “Read My Lips,” “This Is It,” “Lean On Me,” a successful cover of the Bee Gees’ “You Stepped Into My Life,” “Love’s Comin At Ya,” and a 1990 version of “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”
That recording with Bebe & Cece Winans, Stevie Wonder, Dionne Warwick, Anita Baker, Bobby Brown, Gerald Albright, Freddie Jackson, Howard Hewitt, Jeffrey Osborne, The Clark Sisters, Terri Lyne Carrington, Stephanie Mills, and Take 6; with a video directed by Debbie Allen featuring contributions from Jasmine Guy, Rev. Jesse Jackson and Lou Gossett Jr., was entered into the Congressional Record as the official Black National Anthem.
“We are very proud to honor Melba Moore who has lent her beautiful five-octave voice to various genres of music. Not only is she an entertainer, she is an activist, a trailblazer and so much more,” said Walk of Fame Producer Ana Martinez. “We know that many of her long-time fans will be lining up the day of her ceremony to see this musical gem as she is honored with her well-deserved Walk of Fame star.”
LANDO CALRISSIAN LIVES: The great Billy Dee Williams, who has been guest-starring as the father of Nicole Ari Parker’s character on Max’s “And Just Like That,” teased a revisit to the Star Wars universe last week.
Many are guessing it will be in Disney’s “Lando,” starring Donald Glover as the young pirate as he did in the 2018 prequel “Solo.” Stephen Glover (“Atlanta”) will be co-writing the series with his brother.
CLIPPETTES: In celebration of 50 years of hip-hop, the popular “Call of Duty” is adding avatars for Snoop Dogg, Nikki Minaj and 21 Savage to the game for players to emulate on “Modern Warfare II” and “War Zone” …
The celebration of rap continues with Lord Finesse at High Tide, as Ginuwine sings at The Novo; Ramy Youssef jokes at City National Grove of Anaheim; and Trombone Shorty & Orleans Ave. with Ziggy Marley, Mavis Staples and Robert Randolph play the Santa Barbara Bowl on Aug. 4 (coming to The Greek the next evening) …
Orlando Jones, currently featured on Apple TV+’s hoops drama “Swagger,” is coming to the big screens nationwide this weekend in “Til Death Do Us Part,” an action drama from the creator of the “Final Destination” franchise described as “John Wick” meets “Kill Bill.” In other words, it kicks ass (which we can vouch for)! …
The Ladies Night Out Comedy Tour with host Nene Leakes, Loni Love, Melanie Comarcho, Jess Hilarious and B Simone hits the Microsoft Theater on Aug. 5; while Jhene Aiko, Queen Naija, and Coco Jones are at Toyota Arena …
Also that evening, Chief Adjuah is at the Jerry Moss Plaza at The Music Center; Lil Baby’s It’s Only Us Tour stops at Crypto.Com Arena; Frank McComb & Friends play Catalina Bar & Grill; Danny Elfman is at FivePoint Amphitheatre; Missing Persons, Gene Loves Jezebel, Bow Wow Wow, and The Motels are at Anaheim’s House of Blues; and the kick-off of the two-day Hard Summer Music Fest at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum begins with Diplo, Fat Joe, Ludacris, Black Coffee, 21 Savage, Skrillex, Kid Cudi, and many more …
Boogie Nights Festival with Sugar Hill Gang, Rose Royce, Mary Jane Girls and One Way is free (with RSVP at OldiesConcert.com) on Aug. 6 at Pershing Square. In addition, Gypsy Kings featuring Nicolas Reyes play City National Grove of Anaheim; The Wilshire Ebell hosts An Evening with Richard E. Grant; and Black Coffee leads the Hard Summer Afterparty at Exchange LA …
Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Live featuring Metro Boomin with Armani White and Coi Leray is presented Aug. 8 at The Novo; while Santigold is at The Bellwether; and Jazz Is Dead with keyboard legend Ronnie Foster livens the Lodge Room.
EMPIRE BUILDING: Max launched the OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network hub on its platform in the U.S. this week, allowing subscribers to access their favorite content from the channel within a dedicated brand hub. Popular series like the “Love & Marriage” franchise, “Ready To Love,” “Belle Collective;” as well as previous seasons of “Iyanla: Fix My Life,” Super Soul Sunday,” “All Rise,” David Makes Man,” and more are now available to stream.
TC ON TV: Aug. 4 – “Lollapalooza” (Hulu): Tems, The 1975 and more from Chicago’s premier summer music festival.
Aug. 5 – “Lollapalooza” (Hulu): J.I.D, Pusha T, Meduza, Odesza and others. “The Final Say” (BET): A tearjerker starring Deborah Joy Winans (“Greenleaf”) and Timon Kyle Durrett (“Queen Sugar”) as a married couple on the rocks. “Boy In The Walls” (Lifetime): Ryan Michelle Bathe (“Sylvie’s Love”) portrays a stepmother who suspects something is amiss in the new family’s home.
Aug. 6 – “Lollapalooza” (Hulu): Afrojack, Rina Sawayama, A Boogie, and more. “Stellar Gospel Music Awards” (BET/BET Her): Co-hosted by Jonathan McReynolds and Tasha Cobbs Leonard, this year’s ceremony will honor CeCe Winans, Dr. Bobby Jones, and Rev. Dr. Milton Biggham. Performers include Kierra Sheard-Kelly, Pastor Mike Jr., and Dorothy Norwood, among others. “The Chi” (SHO): The Lena Waithe-created urban drama adds Lynn Whitfield to the cast for its sixth season. “See It Loud: The History of Black Television” (CNN): In the series finale, “Galaxies Beyond” looks at Black representation in genres like superheroes, science fiction, and horror. “Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty” (HBO): Continues to explore the professional and personal lives of the 1980s Los Angeles Lakers, focusing this season on the period just after the Finals in 1980-84, culminating in the first professional rematch of the era’s greatest stars: Magic Johnson and Larry Bird.
Aug. 8 – “Only Murders In The Building” (Hulu): Season three finds the podcasters (played by Steve Martin, Martin Short & Selena Gomez) investigating a murder behind the scenes of a Broadway show with Meryl Streep and Jesse Williams coming aboard. “Destination NBA: A G League Odyssey” (Prime Video): A character driven documentary on basketball prospects as they attempt to earn a spot on NBA rosters. With Seth Curry, Spencer Dinwiddie, Gary Payton Jr., and heralded 2023 No. 2 rookie draft selection Scoot Henderson. “Hard Knocks” (HBO): The New York Jets and their new QB Aaron Rodgers are featured in the 18th season.
Aug. 9 – “Superfan” (CBS): Five of LL Cool J‘s most devoted supporters battle it out to be crowned his biggest fan on the series premiere of the new one-hour unscripted musical series hosted by Nate Burleson and Keltie Knight.
Aug. 10 – “Average Joe” (BET+): This twisty dramedy starring Deon Cole, Malcolm Barrett, Tammy Townsend and a terrific Cynthia McWilliams ends its excellent season tonight. “Painkiller” (Netflix): A dramatic series about the origins of the opioid crisis starring Uzo Aduba, Matthew Broderick and Taylor Kitsch. “Rap Sh!t (MAX): Executive producer Issa Rae’s comedy series about a pair of estranged high school friends who form a rap group returns for a second season. “The Challenge: USA” (CBS): The network’s all-stars from “Survivor,” “Big Brother,” “The Amazing Race,” and “Love Island” compete with “The Real World/Road Rules” veterans.
END QUOTE: “You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.” – MAYA ANGELOU
As featured in the Los Angeles Wave and Independent, Tasty Clips is one of the leading entertainment columns in the nation, serving nearly one million weekly readers. Bill Vaughan may be reached at tastyclips@yahoo.com, via Twitter @tastyclips, or Instagram @tasty_clips.
