LL Cool J News

The Hit Men, starring musicians and singers who performed and recorded with Elton John, Cat Stevens, Journey, Jim Croce, Three Dog Night, The Rascals, The Turtles, Carly Simon and more, perform music from the 60s and 70s at Mayo Performing Arts Center on Saturday, April 20, 2019 at 8 pm. Tickets are $39-$59. 

Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, the nonprofit cultural center located at the site of the 1969 Woodstock festival in Bethel, N.Y., will welcome Woodstock alumni The Family Stone featuring Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee and original founding member of Sly & The Family Stone, Jerry Martini featuring Phunne Stone on Friday, May 24th and Sha Na Na on Saturday, June 1st.  Both shows will take place in the intimate, indoor Event Gallery.  Reserved seating tickets will go on-sale to the general public on Friday, March 22nd at 10:00 AM at www.BethelWoodsCenter.org, www.Ticketmaster.com, Ticketmaster outlets, or by phone at 1.800.745.3000.

The "I Have A Dream" Foundation - Los Angeles (IHADLA) is holding their 6th Annual Dreamer Dinner on Sunday, March 31, 2019 at The Skirball Cultural Center. This event honors those who inspire hopes and dreams for Los Angeles underserved youth and their families, showcasing the work being done by IHADLA to break the cycle of intergenerational poverty through education, empowerment and opportunity. The host for the evening will once again be actress & comedian Melissa Peterman ("Baby Daddy," "Reba") in her sixth turn as emcee for the event. Oscar-winning actress Regina King ("If Beale Street Could Talk") will be in attendance to introduce Pamela Miller, CEO and Executive Director of IHADLA since January 2018 and devoted IHADLA board member since 2016.  

Steppenwolf Theatre Company welcomes Leelai Demoz as the new Associate Artistic Director. Leelai Demoz has had a varied career in the arts, on stage, in front and behind the camera.

It was announced today (Friday 15 March 2019) that renowned stage, film and TV performer Peter Polycarpou will play Don Quixote's squire, Sancho Panza in Man of the Mancha at the London Coliseum; the first West End production of this multi-Tony award-winning Broadway musical for 50 years.

DCINY (Distinguished Concerts International New York), presents Deke Sharon and his fifth annual Total Vocal concert at Carnegie Hall.  Hosted and conducted by Sharon the program highlights DCappella, Disney's new a cappella group and Vintage Mix, the award-winning barbershop a cappella quartet of 18-year old quadruplets. Distinguished Concerts Singers International's record number of choirs and individual singers from all over the globe will perform with Sharon.  Total Vocal will take place Sunday, March 24, 2019, at 2:00 PM at Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage, Carnegie Hall. For tickets and information, visit DCINY. Tickets start at $20. This performance will be streamed live via the DCINY Facebook Page.

The nominees for the 50th NAACP Image Awards were exclusively announced today at the Television Critics Association's (TCA) TV One's joint press conference with Derrick Johnson, President and CEO of the NAACP and Alfred Liggins, Chairman and CEO of TV One. The winners will be revealed during the Two-Hour LIVE TV special airing on TV One on Saturday, March 30, 2019.

Voting opens today for the 50TH NAACP IMAGE AWARDS a?" NAACP ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR Award, the winner to be revealed during the two-hour special airing live on TV One, Saturday, March 30, 2019 from the Dolby Theatre.  The five nominees are: Beyoncé, Chadwick Boseman, Ryan Coogler, Regina King, and LeBron James.

Check out a preview clip of Andy Grammer performing "Pump Up the Jam' on Paramount Network's Lip Sync Battle. The highly anticipated Andy Grammer vs. Vanessa Morgan lip sync battle premieres Thursday, February 7 at 9pm ET/PT on Paramount Network.

It was announced today that the BAFTA award-winning actor Nicholas Lyndhurst and West End star Cassidy Janson have joined Kelsey Grammer and Danielle de Niese in the acclaimed musical Man of La Mancha which opens at the London Coliseum on 26 April 2019.

The Philly POPS and the University of the Arts announced today a joint partnership to create The Philly POPS/UARTS High School All-Star Big Band. This band will be comprised of students selected for their demonstrated excellence in jazz performance. Applications are now being accepted and select students will be invited to audition. The HS All-Star Big Band will consider students in Philadelphia, the Philadelphia suburbs, New Jersey, and the Baltimore and Washington DC areas for membership.

Los Angeles-based company, Heidi Duckler Dance (HDD) is proud to present Ebb & Flow: Culver City 2019. After a successful one day event in 2018, HDD was asked to bring the festival back to the Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook for two days in 2019! The festival will take place at the Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook from 11 am - 7 pm on February 23 and 24, 2019.

Lip Sync Battle is set to air a special Mariah Carey tribute episode featuring Darren Criss vs. Jermaine Dupri and special guest Mariah Carey.  The highly anticipated Darren Criss vs. Jermaine Dupri lip sync battle premieres Thursday, January 24 at 9pm ET/PT on Paramount Network.

Showtime Documentary Films today announced the latest project from Academy Award® and Grammy® winner Morgan Neville (Won't You Be My Neighbor, 20 Feet From Stardom): SHANGRI-LA (wt), a docu-series about legendary music producer Rick Rubin that will air on SHOWTIME later this year. A work-in-progress will screen at SXSW in Austin in March. With Rubin's infamous studio in Malibu as the backdrop, SHANGRI-LA pulls back the veil on Rubin and his work with musicians across every genre. The series is an all-access pass into Rubin's creative process, giving viewers a taste of what it's like to be produced by the music world's most singular voice.

NAACP Image® Award-winning Actress Wendy Raquel Robinson and GRAMMY® Award-nominated R&B singer Tank will host the 2019 Bounce Trumpet Awards, an exciting night of inspiration, history and crowd-rousing performances celebrating African-American achievements and contributions. 

The premise for this performance of Lady Gaga's “Telephone” is that Jonathan Van Ness has been a bad boy and Karamo has to bust him out of jail. Queer Eye is magic, guys. LSB airs Thursday 9/8c on Paramount Network.

The Philly POPS will offer free tickets for furloughed government employees during the federal government shutdown. Government employees may present their IDs at the Kimmel Center Box Office to receive one free, complimentary pair of tickets to JAZZED! running January 18, 19 and 20 (One pair per Government-issued employee ID).

In this 80s-tastic music video, Lip Sync Battle host LL COOL J & colorful commentator Chrissy Teigen are taking their turn at lip-syncing, performing the Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock hit "It Takes Two."  Also featured in the music video is special guest star John Witherspoon and a peek at some of the upcoming Season 5 competitors, including Darren Criss, Andy Roddick, Big Bird, Queer Eye's Fab 5, (Tan France, Antoni Porowski, Bobby Berk, Karamo Brown and Jonathan Van Ness) and more! The new season of Lip Sync Battle returns January 17 at 9pm ET/PT on Paramount Network.

The Philly POPS presents Jazzed! The Philly POPS BIG Band with Terell Stafford, a swinging program honoring Philadelphia's unique contributions to the history of jazz, January 18 20 at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts. This performance is a part of The Philly POPS 40th Anniversary Season, which celebrates artists and music with connections to Philadelphia and the POPS.

Grammy Award-winner and two-time Emmy nominee Steve Tyrell returns to Cafe Carlyle, April 16-27. Steve Tyrell is currently celebrating his 14th anniversary performing in Cafe Carlyle's revered holiday slot, having taken over for Bobby Short in 2005 after the legend's passing. The New York Times has declared, "Mr. Tyrell is a terrific storyteller… his sizable voice filters Louis Armstrong through Ray Charles and Dr. John." Ten of his eleven albums have achieved Top 5 status on Billboard's Traditional Pop Charts, with his most recent, A Song For You, reaching #1 earlier this year. In October, Steve Tyrell released a 21-song extended edition of his 2008 chart-topper Back to Bacharach. The album, an homage to Tyrell's friend and mentor, Burt Bacharach, features seven additional Bacharach classics.