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Interview With Romeo
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Look To The Stars Asks Romeo
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Romeo (formerly “Lil’ Romeo”) is not only a well known rapper/actor but also the eighteen year old son of producer and entertainment mogul Master P. His father was a featured competitor on the television hit, “Dancing with the Stars”. Moreover, with the wonderful things the dynamic duo of father and son are doing in several communities in the USA, they may dance a place right into your heart.
LTTS: The last time we talked to you was at the Diversity Awards and you touched on the subject of a project you and your father are doing in New Orleans. Please expand on your project.
Romeo: With my Dad (Master P) and I being from New Orleans and what happened with Hurricane Katrina, we just wanted to do something to give back to the kids and the people and let them feel a part of New Orleans. A lot of people feel isolated.
My Dad and I are really big with education. As you know, I am going to college, next year I am going to USC. I got a full basketball scholarship there. We are building up this huge center. It is going to have a basketball court, library, studio, dance studio for the kids who want to dance, and a lot of other activities. We wanted to do something very different. And the thing with this is you don’t pay to get in, you have to read two books a month at least to get in. You have to drop off a report. We wanted to do something positive for the kids and show them that the world is not over…we can build this back.
LTTS: Was this the brainchild of your father or was it your idea?
Romeo: Actually, it was kind of both of ours. We went to Houston after Hurricane Katrina looking for some of our people who were lost in the Hurricane. It was something we were thinking about just looking at everybody. I’m a kid so I know what kids like. We just like to be kids, play basketball and football. My dad thought about the things adults would like. We added our ideas together and came up with this great idea.
LTTS: Tell me about your basketball camp.
Romeo: The camp is called the “Best of the Best”. This will be its first year. With me loving basketball and it being a passion of mine, I just wanted to give back to the kids. I know a lot of kids do not have fathers or mothers. I want to be the person in their lives that they can look up to.
We are going to have session with 500 kids. We are going to have a big basketball camp. Santa Claus will come over to talk to kids and give presents.
LTTS: So this basketball camp is taking place in Louisiana as well?
Romeo: We are doing it in three places. We will be doing in LA, Louisiana,and then Houston.
LTTS: When are these basketball camps going to take place?
Romeo: The one is LA will be the week before Christmas. The one in Houston will be the week after Christmas and the one in Louisiana will be the day before Christmas.
LTTS: So is there still a way for people to become involved?
Romeo: They can contact certain local radio stations.
LTTS: Charity sounds like a passion of you and your father. It sounds like you’ve got a full plate but do you have any other charity work that you are involved in?
Romeo: Building the youth center in New Orleans and the basketball camps are the main things but we are also tied to a lot of other things. I speak at schools and orphanages. We are not the kind of people to always have the television cameras on what we do. We just do our part… I feel like God put you here for a reason and I want to give back any way I can.
LTTS: Well, thanks for your time, and good luck with all of your projects. And we wish you a very merry Christmas.
Supporting A Colorful Vision Of Hollywood by Crystal A. Johnson
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See more charity articles at Looktothestars.org
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The 15th annual Diversity Awards, a night when Hollywood celebrates diversity in the fields of film and television, took place at Universal Studios on November 17. The event is a benefit for the Multicultural Motion Picture Association’s (MMPA) Educational and Development Scholarship Fund, which helps talented and dedicated students seeking entry into the film and television professions.
The black tie event was open to the public at a ticket price of $300.00, and included a live auction conducted during the dinner in an effort to raise funds for the scholarship fund. A signed guitar by the members of R&B group Outkast was among the items for bid. A basketball signed by the original members of the Olympic Dream Team, including Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, and Magic Johnson, was also up for sale, and from the newer regime of basketball fame, there was a sneaker autographed by Kobe Bryant.
Celebrities of varied cultural backgrounds, including those of British, Haitian, Indian, Latino, Italian, and American descent, came to present awards and support the event. Antonio Sabato Jr, Tatayana Ali, Sharon Leal, Kel Mitchell, Kal Penn, Sally Richardson, Michael DeLorenzo, and Lil Romeo were just a few of the stars of the film, television and music worlds to attend.
Oscar Torre, of the CBS hit “Cane”, expressed his excitement about presenting an award to “The Bronx is Burning”, a miniseries that represents multiple cultures. In a red carpet interview, Torre shared his sentiments about working on “Cane”: “I grew up watching very few Latinos on TV and when I would see them… they would be playing criminals, delinquents, and maids. It is great to do a show about Latinos, and Latinos doing well.”
Heroes star Jimmy-Jean Louis – commonly known as “The Haitian” – presented an award to his “Phat Girlz” co-star, Monique. Answering the question of how important it was to present drama that is diverse, Louis said “It is a shame that we have to make it a point, nowadays, when it should be normal to see all kinds of people on TV.” He also spoke proudly of the diversity on Heroes, “It has Japanese, Indians, Blacks, Haitians, Latinos and it is doing really well. The whole world is watching. Hopefully, in the next few years, there will be more shows like that which will bring people closer together to being able to accept each other.”
The awards gala opened with a spirited song and dance featuring moments from High School Musical 2, in homage to Kenny Ortega, winner of the award for Best Director of a Comedy or Musical for the blockbuster Disney sequel. Other distinguished award honorees included Leonardo DiCaprio and fellow producers of the eco-crisis documentary The 11th Hour, which received the award for Best Documentary.
Currently starring in American Gangster, Idris Elba took home the award for Best Actor in a Drama for Daddy’s Little Girls. When asked what it meant to him to receive the Diversity Award in this category, he replied “It‘s huge! The Diversity Award is a great award to get as a best actor…this is actually my first award ever. It’s also great to show there is diversity in our industry. The fact that a black man in a predominately black film can win this award is a huge step forward.”
Brittany Snow and Elijah Kelly won the Nova award for their artistic performance in the cult-classic turned hit summer film Hairspray. The Nova award is for rising young stars. Other Diversity Award winners included actor Jon Heder, and the casts of House, The Office, Shark, and Passions.
More information on winners can be found at www.thediversityawards.org.
Tags: Brittany Snow, Idris Elba, Jimmy Jean Louis, Jon Heder, Leornardo DiCaprio, Osar Torre
Artists Come Out To Shake the Blues by Crystal Johnson
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The charity Artists for a New South Africa (ANSA) held its annual concert and auctions on Thursday November, 15, 2007 at the Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles. The “Shaking the Blues” benefit supports ANSA’s work fighting HIV/AIDS in the U.S. and Africa, with a portion of the proceeds going to the Treatment Action Campaign, a grassroots organization at the forefront of South Africa’s fight against AIDS.
Among the celebrities in attendance were Blair Underwood, Eric Benet, Anthony Anderson, Alfre Woodard, Heroes star Jimmy Jean-Louis, and Grey’s Anatomy star James Pickens Jr. Event chairs include Jackson Browne, Morgan Freeman, Samuel L. Jackson, George Lopez, Carlos Santana’s wife Deborah, Alfre Woodard and Forest Whitaker.
Not only was a baseball signed by Hall of Famer Dave Winfield on hand at the silent auction, but Dave and his wife Tonya attended the event. Close friends with Samuel and Latonya Jackson, the Winfields hope to personally visit South Africa soon.
The musical line-up featured stirring performances by The Roots and friends, Erykah Badu with Edith Funker, Nikka Costa, Doyle Bramhall II, Keb Mo, and Taj Mahal. The Roots roused the crowd with a rendition of Bob Dylan’s Masters of War, and the audience rose for Erykah Badu’s performance of her classic On and On.
In keeping with many other recent celebrity events, acknowledgement was given to the writers’ strike; James Pickens Jr spoke of supporting the writers before he introduced the grand finale performance by Taj Mahal.
Movie and K-ville star Anthony Anderson served as auctioneer for the live auction. As Blair Underwood battled for a diamond earring lot, Anderson comically referred to him only as “the man with the orange leather jacket on”. Underwood’s counter-bidder upped the ante, requesting a date with her opponent be included along with the earrings, which she won at $9,000. Not only did Underwood accept, but he promised it would be a dinner at the world-famous restaurant Spagos.
To encourage higher bids on a private lunch with Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Anderson jokingly suggested that the winner could take a picture with Tutu and put it on Myspace.com to be the envy of their friends. The lunch went for $15,500.
Los Angeles-based non-profit organization ANSA was originally founded in 1989 by noted members of the entertainment community, with an initial goal of supporting the struggle against apartheid. Over time, the organization’s focus has shifted to the fight against the African AIDS pandemic, advancing democracy, and equality in South Africa.
The effort to raise money is not over. If you want help the cause their are several items available at the online auction. To bid on the online items: www.charityfolks.com/ansa.
Tags: Alfre Woodard, Anthony Anderson, Blair Underwood, Carlos Santanna, Erykah Badu, James Pickens Jr., Root
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