The story of Vandross is largely told in his own words through archival footage, while interviews with music icons like Mariah Carey, Dionne Warwick, Valerie Simpson, and Roberta Flack offer unique perspectives on his legacy. Vandross’ smooth, soulful voice and romantic hits left an indelible mark on music before his passing in 2005, and this film seeks to preserve that legacy.
Dawn Porter highlighted the extensive work behind the project, stating, “We combed through hundreds of hours of interviews, concert footage, and images to develop this one-of-a-kind portrait.” CNN’s Amy Entelis, executive vice president of talent and creative development, noted the network’s tradition of premiering music documentaries on New Year’s Day, with previous features spotlighting legends like Dionne Warwick, Carole King, James Taylor, and Linda Ronstadt.
Luther: Never Too Much premiered at last year’s Sundance Film Festival and was later released in theaters by Giant Pictures. Fans will also have the opportunity to watch it on Max and OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network in 2025. Additionally, Vandross’ rendition of The Beatles’ “Michelle” will be featured on the upcoming Never Too Much: Greatest Hits compilation, set for release on December 13.
The documentary is produced by Trish D Chetty and Ged Doherty for Raindog Films, Jamie Foxx and Datari Turner for Foxxhole Productions, and Leah Smith for Trilogy Films. Executive producers include Eli Holzman and Aaron Saidman for Sony Pictures Television Nonfiction; Tom Mackay and Richard Story for Sony Music Entertainment; Jon Platt and Brian Monaco for Sony Music Publishing; Colin Firth for Raindog Films; and Phil Thornton for Foxxhole Productions, with Sony Music Vision as the distributor. Porter also serves as an executive producer.
The post CNN to Premiere ‘Luther: Never Too Much’ Documentary. Find Out When: appeared first on Baller Alert.]]>A Lifetime Honorary Trustee, Lloyd leaves an outsized and indelible legacy among generations of children the world over, with Sesame Street only the most visible tribute to a lifetime of good work and lasting impact.
— Sesame Workshop (@SesameWorkshop) January 23, 2023
“A Lifetime Honorary Trustee, Lloyd leaves an outsized and indelible legacy among generations of children the world over, with Sesame Street only the most visible tribute to a lifetime of good work and lasting impact.”
Sesame Street’s first episode premiered on November 10, 1969, and was created by Morrisett and Joan Ganz Cooney. The children’s series combines live action with sketch comedy and puppetry. The show originally premiered on HBO and is now available on HBO Max.
Morrisett co-founded Children’s Television Shop, now recognized as Sesame Workshop since June 2000.
Co-founder Cooney wrote in a statement about the passing of a dear friend and co-founder.
“Without Lloyd Morrisett, there would be no Sesame Street. It was he who first came up with the notion of using television to teach preschoolers basic skills, such as letters and numbers. He was a trusted partner and loyal friend to me for over fifty years, and he will be sorely missed.”
The post ‘Sesame Street’ Co-Creator Lloyd Morrisett Dies at 93 appeared first on Baller Alert.]]>The actor’s family announced his passing in a post on McGrath’s official Facebook page on Sunday evening.
“Hello Facebook friends, the McGrath family has some sad news to share,” the post read. “Our father, Bob McGrath, passed away today. He died peacefully at home, surrounded by his family.”
McGrath first appeared on the beloved children’s show in the pilot episode of “Sesame Street” back in 1969. He continued acting on the show for 47 seasons before stepping away in 2017.
He made a significant impact on the show musically, contributing to the show’s theme song and originals like “If You’re Happy And You Know It,” “People In Your Neighborhood,” and “Sing A Song.”
After leaving the show, McGrath continued working with the franchise through the Sesame Workshop, where he served as an advocate and appeared at public events.
The Workshop paid tribute to the actor with a thread on Twitter Sunday night.
“Sesame Workshop mourns the passing of Bob McGrath, a beloved member of the Sesame Street family for over 50 years,” Sesame Workshop wrote. “A founding cast member, Bob embodied the melodies of Sesame Street like no one else, and his performances brought joy and wonder to generations of children around the world.”
A founding cast member, Bob embodied the melodies of Sesame Street like no one else, and his performances brought joy and wonder to generations of children around the world…
2/4
— Sesame Workshop (@SesameWorkshop) December 5, 2022
McGrath is survived by his wife, Anne Logan Sperry, and his children and grandchildren.
The post Bob McGrath, Original Cast Member Of ‘Sesame Street,’ Dead At 90 appeared first on Baller Alert.]]>Whether located in the U.S or overseas, each theme park has its own unique wow factor that inspires patrons of all ages to travel near and far to experience a day or days of fun.
Check out the list below.
The Disney franchise can be found all over the world. Disneyland’s first theme park opened in 1955 in California, and the second west coast park, Disney Adventureland, opened in 2001. Today, visitors can explore the park and still experience some of the original attractions while exploring Frontierland, Fantasyland, and Tomorrow Land. Worlds like Start Wars Galaxy Edge and New Orleans square have been added since.
In 1965, Walt Disney announced and created Walt Disney World in Orlando, FL. Many know the first park today as Magic Kingdom. Eventually, four more parks were created: Epcot in 1982, Disney’s Hollywood Studios in 1989, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom in 1998. Two water parks (Disney’s Blizzard Beach and Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon) were later opened as part of the Florida entertainment resort complex. As far as theme parks, Magic Kingdon caters to the younger crowd. With Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, and many other characters, its dedication to its long line of princesses is a massive part of its popularity, including the most notable park landmark, the Cinderella Castle. Disney’s reign didn’t stop in the U.S. In 1983, Tokyo Disneyland was created, and in 2016, Shanghai Disneyland opened.
Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure hold the cake for rollercoasters in Florida. With over 40 attractions and five major high-octane roller coasters, the park sees approximately 4 million visitors annually. Universal Studios’ attractions are dedicated to TV and film, perfect for the classic movie enthusiasts. Transformers, Shrek, Despicable Me and even Harry Potter are movies featured in experiences throughout the park. Islands of Adventures is definitely for thrill seekers and features some of the fastest rollercoasters. The Incredible Hulk Coaster, Jurrasic Park River Adventure, and Doctor Doom’s Fear Fall are just a few rides that get your adrenaline pumping. This particular park is the perfect place where adults and teens can escape.
The first Six Flags location was created in the 1960s — Six Flags Over Texas– located in Arlington. Today, Six Flags has 27 theme and water parks across the United States, Mexico and Canada, including Six Flags Over Georgia, Six Flags Over Mid – America, Six Flags St. Louis, Six Flags New England, Six Flags México, Six Flags Magic Mountain, Six Flags Great Escape and Hurricane Harbor, Six Flags Great Ameria and Six Flags Great Adventure.
Owned by SeaWorld Parks, Bush Gardens has been open since 1959 in Tampa, Florida. The African-themed amusement park features Morocco, Egypt, Nairobi, Pantopiam Jungala Congo, Stanleyville and Sesame Street Safari of Fun. It has numerous rollercoasters and attractions. Its most famous rides are the Sheikra, the Tigris, the Iron Gwazi and Falcon’s Fury.
SeaWorld is known for its one-of-a-kind zoological collection with locations in San Diego, Orlando, San Antonio and soon to be Abu Dhabi. The theme parks feature a diverse array of attractions and animal shows featuring dolphins, orcas, and many other sea life. But the shows aren’t the only thing offered. Theme park goers definitely come for the rides. What sets SeaWorld apart from other theme parks is that most of their rides are kid-friendly, meaning the entire family can participate. It’s the perfect family vacation attraction for fun and education.
Europa Park opened in Germany in July 1975. It is known as “the greatest theme park in the world.” With 15 European-themed areas, including Germany, England, France, Greece, Ice Land, Ireland, Netherlands, Italy and so many more. It is home to more than 100 attractions and 13 roller coasters.
Cedar Pointe has earned the title “The Roller Coaster Capital.” Located in Sandusky, Ohio, Cedar Pointe has the number 1 roller coaster in the world and it also has the second largest roller coaster in the world. It offers 72 rides on 364 acres of land.
Carowinds sits directly between North and South Carolina, just 20 minutes from the Charlotte airport. It’s a go-to theme park for those living on the east coast. Carowinds has been revamped and renewed over the years, allowing the theme park to consistently keep a fresh new look. With a super fast crew, the rides move swiftly, and the park has been known to have great food. Winter and Halloween also have their special moments throughout the year.
Kings Dominion is located in Virginia and is operated by the same company as Carowinds, Cedar Pointe, and Kings Island. It features 13 roller coasters, numerous attractions and a built-in water park. Built in 1975, Kings Dominion has seen lots of changes over the years as Paramount previously operated it. The food served at the park has also become one of its many bragging points.
King Island is located in Ohio and has 14 roller coasters. The theme park has many family-friendly rides and attractions. The setup and theme can be closely compared to its sister park, Kings Dominion, with the Eifel tower, gardening, landscaping, and overall feel of the rides and vibes. Kings Island was created in 1970.
The post Baller Alert’s Top 10 Amusement Parks Across the World [Video] appeared first on Baller Alert.]]>This week, the company announced new mandatory measures to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion that will be led by several outside experts, including a former member of the U.S. Commission for Civil Rights and other community leaders. Every employee must receive the training by the end of September. Cathy Valeriano, the president of Sesame Place Philadelphia, says the swift action is meant to ensure that all attendees are being treated fairly.
“The actions we are taking will help us deliver on our promise to provide an equitable and inclusive experience for all our guests every day,” Valeriano said in a statement.
These new initiatives come as two young Black girls were discriminated against while visiting Sesame Place. In a viral video, the young children are seen trying to interact with one of the Sesame Street characters, who rudely waves them off but joyfully interacts with white children. The clip was shared millions of times and attracted outrage from multiple celebrities, including Kelly Rowland. The race of the employee dressed as the character Rosita is unknown. However, the video set off a wave of others showing similar interactions with Black children and characters at Sesame Place. Shortly after, the park issued a statement apologizing to the family.
“What these children experienced is unacceptable,” the statement read.
A $25 million lawsuit was filed against the park’s parent company, SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, by another family claiming four costumed characters ignored their daughter and other Black guests. According to the complaint, Sesame Place employers were aware that the four employees dressed as the costumed characters held “racial bias towards Black people,” making their actions “foreseeable.”
That lawsuit demanded the company immediately put cultural sensitivity training in place to prevent future incidents.
The post Sesame Place Implementing Diversity Training Led By Civil Rights Activists Following Racism Claims appeared first on Baller Alert.]]>The complaint was brought about by a video that went viral on social media and appeared to show two other Black girls being ignored by a costumed employee during a parade at a park outside of Philadelphia in Langhorne. After the video went viral earlier this month, Sesame Place apologized and pledged to provide better training for its staff.
The lawsuit claims that during the meet-and-greet on June 18, four employees dressed as Sesame Street characters ignored Quinton Burns, his daughter Kennedi Burns, and other Black guests.
According to the lawsuit, “SeaWorld’s performers readily engaged with numerous similarly situated white customers.”
On Wednesday, during a press conference, Malcolm Ruff, one of the family’s attorneys, demanded transparency from SeaWorld and compensation for the Burns family.
B’Ivory LaMarr is the attorney representing the family who tried to interact with Rosita at the Philadelphia park, and they want to investigate the incident by interviewing other people who were in attendance.
They are also evaluating other Rosita videos that are popping up online, TMZ reports.
The other clips allegedly show similar situations of Rosita refusing to high-five or interact with kids of color.
LaMarr added that all options are on the table for them, which includes a lawsuit.
The video spread of Saturday’s incident and shows the character giving high fives to people in front of the two young black girls, then allegedly gesturing to them, before denying them the opportunity to interact with her as well.
The family says they’re “completely appalled” and feel the incident was intentional mistreatment of the young girls and also allege that they were verbally told “no” during the brief exchange.
They also aren’t accepting Sesame Place’s response, which was given soon after the clip circulated, saying they quickly addressed the behavior of the employee.
“While we hate to rush to judgment to consider ‘race’ as the motivating factor to explain the performer’s actions, such actions both before and after the young girl’s request only lead to one conclusion,” LaMarr added.
Now that more videos are going around which the family thinks shows this is a pattern and not an isolated incident.
“We will conduct training for our employees so they better understand, recognize and deliver an inclusive, equitable, and entertaining experience to our guests,” a spokesperson from Sesame Place Philadelphia said.
The post Parents Behind Viral Sesame Street Video Retain Attorney Out Of Fear Incident Was Racially Motivated appeared first on Baller Alert.]]>The girl’s mother posted the video showing the character walking the parade. As the performer walks down the parade waving, the two little black girls reach out to the character, then the character motions its finger no. Though the video cut off, the mother explained in the caption that after, the character went on to hug a white girl instead.
The mother labeled the character as “disgusting,” alleging the “person blatantly told our kids NO then proceeded to hug the little white girl next to us!”
She added that once, she complained that Sesame Place did not know who the character was and couldn’t do anything about it. In addition to the anger, the mother said she would not be stopping by Sesame Place again. Since the video circulated yesterday, Sesame Place has explained it with an Instagram post.
Sesame Place claims the Rosita character “no hand gesture” wasn’t directed towards anyone specific. “The Rosita performer did not intentionally ignore the girls and is devastated about the misunderstanding.”
However, the caption did not address if the Rosita character hugged the little white girl after telling the two black girls no.
Sesame Place reinforced to consumers that their employees stand for inclusivity and equality.
Meanwhile, more Black parents released videos of the characters ignoring their children.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/CgJvGvKDiU9/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet
The post Sesame Place Responds to Viral Video of Character Snubbing Two Little Black Girls, More Parents Share Similar Experiences appeared first on Baller Alert.]]>One of America’s favorite Muppets is the star of the new campaign aimed at getting young children vaccinated. In early June, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention extended vaccine eligibility for children five and under. Infants as young as six months old have been approved to receive the COVID-19 vaccination.
Elmo appeared in the PSA with his dad, Louie, who shared he had a lot of questions concerning the shot. Louie echoed the concerns of many parents who question whether or not the vaccine is the right decision for their child. However, the beloved puppet’s dad ensured viewers that he spoke with Elmo’s pediatrician before choosing to get Elmo immunized.
Sesame Workshop senior vice-president of US social impact Jeanette Betancourt hopes that families seeing the new messaging will ease concerns among both parents and children.
“We hope that Louie and Elmo will inspire parents and caregivers across the country to speak with their healthcare providers and seek out information to learn about how the Covid-19 vaccines can keep young children and their families healthy,” Betancourt said in a statement.
Elmo is just the latest Sesame Street star to get the vaccination. In November, Big Bird received the shot and tweeted that while his wings felt “a little sore,” he was happy to give his fluffy body “an extra protective boost that keeps me and others healthy.”
The post Elmo Gets Vaccinated for Covid-19 [Video] appeared first on Baller Alert.]]>Sesame Street is where all the kids come to learn, have fun and connect with friends. However, one of its earlier episodes was seen as too scary for kids watching at home. According to NBC News, the episode, which features Margaret Hamilton, who revives her role as the Wicked Witch of the West from The Wizard of Oz, was removed from television, but its since been posted on social media platforms including YouTube and Reddit.
The episode follows Hamilton as she embarks on a journey to find a “stolen broomstick” instead of the classic tale’s ruby slippers. By the end of the episode, she finally gets her broom.
“This is glorious!” she says. She then boasts, saying, “Look! No hands!” The broom then drops from below her and Big Bird, David and friends catch it.
The episode made its debut on Feb. 10, 1976, in Sesame Street’s seventh season. Afterward, there was some blowback from parents about the episode, which was apparently slated to teach children about overcoming their fears and “the value of planning by creating and implementing methods of retrieving the broom.” While the episode has yet to go live on television again, the “lost” episode has been posted to YouTube by a user named Mike Minnick.
The post ‘Lost’ Episode Of Sesame Street That Was Allegedly Removed For Being Too Frightening Is Reposted To Social Media appeared first on Baller Alert.]]>