Courtesy photo
By Bill Vaughan
Entertainment Writer
The entertainment world was stunned with the news that Grammy-nominated singer, songwriter and actress Angie Stone was killed in a car accident March 1 at the age of 63 after a show in Montgomery, Alabama.
The pioneer from Columbia, South Carolina was a member of the first female rap group The Sequence before launching a solo career beset with soulful hits “Wish I Didn’t Miss You,” “No More Rain (In This Cloud),” “Brotha,” “Everyday,” “More Than A Woman,” and the theme from the CW sitcom “Girlfriends.”
“I’m always ahead of the game,” she once told me. “I have music in my back pocket.”
Stone found the transition to acting to be more daunting. Despite earning roles in movies “The Hot Chick,” The Fighting Temptations,” “Scary Movie V,” and “Ride Along,” she once opened up in the first viral Tasty Clips interview about the pitfalls of trying to enter an industry with a “fairy tale guideline of looking a certain way.”
“Not to discredit beautiful people,” she began, “but God didn’t make us all look the same way. We all look the way we look. People need to recognize that in this world beauty is only skin deep. The industry is caught up in looks because that’s the way Satan has designed the game to control the mentality of the weaker species.
“It goes back to the very beginning. If you were light skinned you were in, if you were dark skinned you were out. It very well works that way in the industry. I have lost almost every single opportunity to star in a film to Macy Gray or Jill Scott because they’re light and I’m dark.
“I’ve been told so many times that it’s a certain look that they’re looking for,” continued Stone, who added that they can’t even use weight or age anymore. “It comes down to what is more appealing. I’m only good for the pro political stuff that will afford all of my people from the hood to vote for the right president — or to support whatever because I’m more on their level, so to speak. So to me it hasn’t changed much. Slavery has just taken on a whole new different direction but it’s the same process.”
After those quotes were picked up globally, Stone didn’t back down as expected and owned them.
She was the real deal and will be solely missed by her fans, friends and family. Check in this space for further details on Angie Stone’s memorial as they are released.
MAKING MOVES: “Stepping onto the Broadway stage is a dream come true. Music and acting have always been a part of my journey, and now I get to bring them together in a whole new way. The energy of live theater is unmatched, and I’m honored to join this incredible cast and be part of telling this powerful story through Alicia Keys’ music. This transition is both thrilling and humbling, and I can’t wait to give audiences everything I’ve got!” – DURRELL “TANK” BABBS on making his Broadway debut March 11 in “Hell’s Kitchen”
CLIPPETTES: Discovered in the private vault of Verve Records founder Norman Granz, the label has released “The Moment of Truth: Ella at the Coliseum,” a live concert album of Ella Fitzgerald with members of The Duke Ellington Orchestra recorded in 1967 in Oakland. It features her set list of songs including “Alfie,” “Bye Bye Blackbird,” and “Mack The Knife” …
Maxayn Lewis, the funk-rock vocalist who was once a member of The Ikettes, is in concert at The World Stage on March 7 …
Eric Bellinger: The Around the World Tour with special guest Dom Belli, stops at The Wiltern on March 8 as Dang! the monthly comedy show hosted by Avery Brooks, returns to The Stowaway …
Mike Epps on “The Breakfast Club” said he received a call from Ice Cube letting him know a long-awaited next installment in the “Friday” movie franchise is now a go. No word yet on whether Chris Tucker will reprise his iconic role of Smokey though …
The 29th annual Sisters Awards, benefiting incoming students attending Spelman College from Los Angeles, will be held March 9 at the Loews Hollywood Hotel. This year’s honorees are corporate captain Rosalind Brewer, TV personality and family advocate Judge Mablean Ephriam, actress and entertainment activist Ashley Jackson and education champion Carliss Richardson-McGhee …
Also that afternoon, Red Bull Dance Your Style teams up with celebrated choreographer Storm DeBarge and Black on The Block to host a kick-off party at Los Angeles Center Studios from 1 to 7 p.m. that celebrates the annual return of the world’s largest street dance competition …
The beautiful life and legacy of Roberta Flack will be celebrated March 10 at he Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem. The 1 p.m. memorial will be livestreamed at RobertaFlack.com …
Later that day, R&B singer Major. headlines at The Hotel Café while the Hollywood Improv hosts Monderays with DeRay Davis and kicks off a two-night engagement of Ali Wong: Work In Progress …
March 11 at the Improv, Gary “G-Thang” Johnson & Damon Williams bring the laughs, while Tony Award-winning star Lillias White begins the first of two dates at Catalina Bar & Grill …
Lizzo returns after three years to introduce her raucous and rollicking song “Love In Real Life” and new music from her fifth full-length LP of the same name March 12 at a “super intimate” fan show at The Wiltern. Meanwhile, Joy Oladokun begins a two-night run at the Troubadour …
That joke during the Oscars having Adam Sandler thrown out because of his overly casual attire reminded me of the time I caught a taxi in Hollywood and asked the driver if he ever saw any celebrities. “Just Adam Sandler,” he replied. “He dresses like he’s homeless though!” …
The Branford Marsalis Quartet comes to the Cerritos Center March 13 as violin icon Midori returns to the Walt Disney Concert Hall celebrating over 40 years of her visionary artistry with an emotive program titled “Spirituals” …
If you are among the many who have not seen the Oscar-winning Best Picture “Anora” in the theaters, hold on just a bit longer as it is headed to Hulu March 17.
PERHAPS: “You never know. This is what I would say, the most miserable people on Earth are people that can’t forgive. And not just people, you have to forgive yourself sometimes. So, hey, you never know. I live in forgiveness. True love starts at forgiveness.” – CHRIS ROCK upon being asked if he would consider hosting the Oscars again after being slapped by Will Smith on stage.
TC ON TV: March 7 – “Power Book III: Raising Kanan” (Starz): A fourth season of the Thomas family drama starring Mekai Curtis, Patina Miller, London Brown, Omar Epps and Joey Bada$$. “Today” (NBC): Craig Melvin shares new colon cancer research, Regé-Jean Page (“Black Bag”). “Jenna & Friends” (NBC): Regina Hall co-hosts. “Live with Kelly & Mark” (ABC): Brian Tyree Henry (“Dope Thief”), Gugu Mbatha-Raw (“Surface”) “The Jennifer Hudson Show” (Syn): Producer Nicole Avant (“The Six Triple Eight”) discusses her book “Think You’ll Be Happy.” “The Kelly Clarkson Show” (Syn): One-thousandth episode celebration with Kevin Hart. “Ready To Love” (OWN): Host “Nephew” Tommy Miles throws a Philly block party for the singles.
March 9 – “American Idol” (ABC): Lionel Richie and his fellow judges head to New York, L.A. and Nashville to jump-start auditions. “Naked & Afraid” (Discovery): The 18th season opens with the first contestant in the wilds with no legs! “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” (Bravo): Back for a 16yj season with Porsha Williams and Phaedra Parks returning. “Dark Winds” (AMC): More of the adventures of Joe Leaphorn (Zahn McClarnon) and Jim Chee (Kiowa Gordon) of the Navajo Tribal Police. “No Taste Like Home with Anton Porowski” (NGC): “Issa Rae’s Senegalese Royal Roots” “Crash Course Cuisine with Hudson Yang” (NGC): The Asian American child actor (“Fresh Off The Boat”) is now a budding chef. “The Equalizer” (CBS): Tasha Smith directs this episode.
March 12 – “Moana 2” (Disney+): Streaming premiere of the hit animated sequel with voices by Auli’i Cravalho, Dwayne Johnson and Nicole Scherzinger. “The View” (ABC): Natasha Rothwell (“The White Lotus”)
March 13 – “Ruthless” (BET+): Tyler Perry’s spinoff of “The Oval” reaches its fifth season spring premiere. “The Jennifer Hudson Show” (Syn): Egypt Sherrod and Mike Jackson “The Kelly Clarkson Show” (Syn): Uzo Aduba, Randall Park “Top Chef” (Bravo): The premier culinary competition moves to Canada this season.
END QUOTE: “There will always be forces — things like jealousy, greed, and anger — trying to push you away from the ideas you believe in and the causes you care most about. Life is an active, not a passive, journey.” — FOREST WHITAKER
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.
