By Bill Vaughan
Entertainment Writer
Three-time Grammy Award-winning, multi-platinum superstar Lizzo’s highly anticipated second studio album “Special” will be released July 15 with a couple of high-profile appearances.
Up first is a performance that morning on the landmark plaza of NBC’s “Today” as a part of the show’s 2022 Citi Concert Series.
Later in the day, the album will be reimagined into an immersive planetarium-esque lightshow experience featuring Lizzo herself and the Big Grrrls produced by Superfly.
“Lizzoverse – A ‘Special’ Album Release Event” will be livestreamed globally via the Amazon Music channel on Twitch at 3 p.m.; tune in at http://lizzo.lnk.to/lizzoverse.
Following the immersive experience, on July 18, fans can visit store.lizzomusic.com to shop an exclusive five-piece, size inclusive collection, with playful graphic hoodies and tees that truly brings “Special” to life.
The album has already spawned the worldwide smash “About Damn Time,” which is on track to become Lizzo’s highest streaming song (with a video that has amassed over 55 million YouTube views).
It marks the singer-songwriter’s fourth top 10 “Hot 100” hit, following “Truth Hurts” (which spent seven weeks at No. 1), “Good As Hell,” and “Rumors” (featuring Cardi B).
FESTIVAL FILE: The Robey Theatre Company, in association with The L.A. Theatre Center, presents the 2022 Paul Robeson Theatre Festival July 15-17. The biannual event celebrating the power of Black storytelling has a theme this year of “Words & Wine” featuring five plays developed in The Robey Theatre Company’s Commissioned Play Project.
Among the works are Nui Brown’s “Looking For The Hustle,” Julio Hanson’s “Negra,” Kwik Jones’ “Man’s Favor Devil’s Plan,” Lorinda Hawkins Smith’s “Vaccination Elevation” and Pauletta James’ “Buffalo Meets The Thunder.”
Visit therobeytheatrecompany.org for the schedule and to register for free tickets.
CLIPPETTES: The beloved Jenifer Lewis (“black-ish,” “Think Like a Man” franchise) will be getting her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (6284 Hollywood Blvd., west of Vine) at 11:30 a.m. July 15. She most recently lent voice again to the character of Mama Odie from “The Princess and The Frog” for “Tiana’s Bayou Adventure,” a new attraction to be featured at Disneyland Park in California and Magic Kingdom Park in Florida in late 2024 …
Later that evening, Dub Club presents the legendary Wailing Souls with their full 10-piece band at Echoplex; as Kool & The Gang celebrates good times at the Pacific Amphitheatre in Costa Mesa …
The fourth film in Marvel’s Captain America franchise, in which Anthony Mackie takes over the role, will be directed by Nigerian American Julius Onah (“Luce”) …
Funk ‘N Soul Fest with Zapp, Cameo, SOS Band, Midnight Starr, Con Funk Shun, Steve Arrington, Club Nouveau and DJ Cazel will be held July 16 at Microsoft Theater; while Mark de Clive-Lowe launches the release of his 20th album, “Freedom: Celebrating the Music of Pharoah Sanders” with a live show at 2220 Arts + Archives …
Among the week’s new music releases are “Hip Hop 50: Vol 1,” a new EP from DJ Premier with guests Nas, Run the Jewels, Joey Bada$$, Remy Ma, Rapsody, Lil Wayne and Slick Rick; and “Promised Land,” smooth jazz guitarist Paul Brown’s sophomore Shanachie recording with Marion Meadows, Euge Groove and others …
Reggae artist Sister Nancy will be bringing a full live band July 17 for her first ever Jazz Is Dead performance at Lodge Room with opening DJ sets by Jay Z engineer Young Guru and Danny Holloway …
Meanwhile, Catch One is hosting two separate events: one with rapper Devin The Dude as well as a Platinum Alchemy Party with Big Freedia and others …
Popular Brazilian artists Bebel Gilberto and Céu team for a performance at the Lodge Room July 21, as Thunder Cat + Ginger Root play a sold-out show at The Broad on July 21.
TASTY QUIP: “I cried today. Because I know so many people wanted this nomination for me. I am not a jaded person, but I do know not to ‘want’ for awards. It can leave you heartbroken. But I wanted this nomination. I wanted this for ‘Euphoria,’ a show that is trying to save lives. I wanted this acknowledgment for the Ali’s in the world. The ordinary brothers who are trying to overcome many hurdles and do some good in the world.” – COLMAN DOMINGO, nominated for outstanding guest actor in a drama series for his portrayal of drug counselor Ali Muhammed, to People
TV NEWS: The seventh and final season of OWN’s “Queen Sugar” is about to film in New Orleans and we’ve learned that Lamman Rucker (“Greenleaf”), Kaci Walfall (“Naomi”) and Traci Thoms (“9-1-1”) will appear with returning guest stars Glynn Turman, Ann Nesby, Amirah Vann, Regan Gomez and Greg Vaughan. Series producer Ava DuVernay will also come back to direct the final episode.
TC ON TV: July 15 – “Don’t Make Me Go” (Prime Video): John Cho (“Harold & Kumar” and “Star Trek” movie franchises) stars as a terminal single father who takes his teenage daughter (Mia Isaac) on a road trip to find the mother who abandoned her years before. “Paris, 13th District” (AMC+): Four young people fall in and out of love (and sex) with each other while figuring out their lives in Paris. “Country Queen” (Netflix): A Nairobi event planner returns to her village after 10 years, where she confronts her past and a mining company that threatens to destroy her home. “The View” (ABC): Wanda Sykes, Mike Epps “Keeping Up With The Joneses” (LMN): “The Wrong Murder”
July 17 – “Celebrity Family Feud” (ABC): Salt-N-Pepa vs. “The Proud Family” and “Bel-Air” vs. “Saved By The Bell” “Interludes” (TV1): Ashanti (whose first-ever picture book “My Name Is A Story” is now available from HarperCollins Children’s Books). “The $100,000 Pyramid” (ABC): Wiz Khalifa vs. Ty Dolla $ign “United Shades of America” (CNN): Nikki Giovanni is featured in this episode on being “Black in Appalachia.”
July 18 – “The Captain” (ESPN): Spike Lee is an executive producer of this seven-episode docuseries on the life and career, on and off the baseball field, of five-time World Series champion and New York Yankee Hall of Famer Derek Jeter. “Caught In The Act” (VH1): Tami Roman {“Basketball Wives,” “The Ms. Pat Show”) hosts this new series aping the old “Cheaters” series.
July 19 – “Aftershock” (Hulu): Following the deaths of two young women due to childbirth complications, two bereaved families galvanize activists, birth-workers and physicians to reckon with the U.S. maternal health crisis. Directed and produced by Paula Eiselt and Tonya Lewis Lee. “David A. Arnold: It Ain’t For The Weak” (Netflix): Performing in his Cleveland hometown, the comic/writer jokes about marital spats and entitled kids as he shares a behind-the-scenes look at his family. “America Outdoors with Barantunde Thurston” (PBS): “Los Angeles: It’s A Vibe” “Dark Side of The 90s” (Vice): “Black Sitcoms’ Last Laugh” “The Great Muslim American Road Trip” (PBS): “Back On The Road Again: Arizona, Nevada, California” “Origins of Hip-Hop” (A&E): Uncle Luke
July 20 – “The 2022 ESPYs” (ABC): Hosted by NBA Championship MVP Stephen Curry (who also happens to be nominated for Best Athlete, Men’s Sports). “MasterChef” (Fox): Southern Fusion is on the table with guest chef Tiffany Derry. “Grown-ish” (Freeform): In the fifth season premiere, Zoey (Yara Shahidi) returns to Cal U to support the first day on campus for Junior (Marcus Scribner), but soon realizes that she may be missing her days there more than she let on. Exiting the cast are blowing up singing sisters Chloe x Halle [Bailey].
July 21 – “Rap Sh!t” (HBO Max): A new series from Emmy and Golden Globe nominee Issa Rae (“Insecure”), the eight-episodes follows two estranged high school friends from Miami, Shawna (Aida Osman) and Mia (KaMillion), who reunite to form a rap group. “Ghost In The House of Truth” (BET+): An African film by Akin Omotoso about a counselor whose belief in forgiveness is tested. “The Last Movie Stars” (HBO Max): Executive Produced by Martin Scorsese and directed by Ethan Hawke, this six-part documentary looks at the love story of actors Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman. In addition to archival interviews with the principals, Hawke enlisted actors George Clooney, Oscar Isaac, LaTanya Richardson Jackson, and others to voice segments of the original transcribed interviews.
END QUOTE: “Don’t try to lessen yourself for the world; let the world catch up to you.” – BEYONCE
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.
