The nineteenth episode of BACKSTAGE PASS with Lia Chang, executive produced and hosted by Lia, airs on January 15, 2023 at 6:30 pm (EST) on FIOS 34, RCN 83, and Spectrum 56/1996, and streams on MNN2. If you miss the episode, it is archived on my youtube channel.
On this edition of Backstage Pass with Lia Chang, Morgan James was in concert at The Glade on Little Island on July 31, 2022, and was joined by four cast members from her all-female JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR studio cast recording: Tamika Lawrence, Ellyn Marie Marsh, Orfeh and Pearl Sun for her EVERYBODY SAYS DON’T Concert, interpreting lyrics assigned to other male characters in musicals, and makes a compelling case for nontraditional casting as it relates to gender. Watch below:
Helmed by Richard Amelius, the concert features musical direction by Geraldine Anello on keys, Paul Adamy on bass, and Sarah Gooch on drums.
The episode includes:
“Lily’s Eyes” (from The Secret Garden) – Pearl Sun, Morgan James
“Lost in the Wilderness” (from Children of Eden) – Tamika Lawrence
Tamika Lawrence. Photo by Lia ChangTamika Lawrence. Photo by Lia Chang
“Being Alive” (from Company) – Morgan James
Morgan James. Photo by Lia Chang
“Mister Cellophane” (from Chicago) – Pearl Sun
Geraldine Anello, Paul Adamy, Pearl Sun, Sarah Gooch. Photo by Lia ChangGeraldine Anello, Paul Adamy, Pearl Sun, Sarah Gooch. Photo by Lia ChangGeraldine Anello, Paul Adamy, Pearl Sun, Sarah Gooch. Photo by Lia Chang
“I Who Have Nothing” (from Smokey Joe’s Café) – Tamika Lawrence
Tamika Lawrence. Photo by Lia Chang
“I Believe” (from The Book of Mormon) – Ellyn Marie Marsh
Geraldine Anello, Paul Adamy, Ellyn Marie Marsh, Sarah Gooch. Photo by Lia ChangEllyn Marie Marsh. Photo by Lia ChangEllyn Marie Marsh. Photo by Lia Chang
“Pilate’s Dream” (from Jesus Christ Superstar) – Orfeh
Orfeh. Photo by Lia Chang
“Gethsemane” (from Jesus Christ Superstar) – Morgan James
Geraldine Anello, Paul Adamy, Morgan James, Sarah Gooch. Photo by Lia Chang
“Beautiful City” (from Godspell) – Morgan James
Morgan James. Photo by Lia ChangOrfeh and Pearl Sun. Photo by Lia Chang
TALKBACK
Ellyn Marie Marsh, Morgan James, Pearl Sun, Richard Amelius, Torya Beard. Photo by Lia ChangOrfeh, Ellyn Marie Marsh, Morgan James, Pearl Sun. Photo by Lia ChangTamika Lawrence, Orfeh, Ellyn Marie Marsh, Morgan James, Pearl Sun, Richard Amelius, Torya Beard. Photo by Lia ChangTamika Lawrence, Orfeh, Ellyn Marie Marsh, Morgan James, Pearl Sun, Richard Amelius. Photo by Lia ChangOrfeh, Ellyn Marie Marsh, Morgan James, Pearl Sun, Richard Amelius, Torya Beard. Photo by Lia ChangTamika Lawrence, Orfeh, Ellyn Marie Marsh, Morgan James, Pearl Sun, Richard Amelius. Photo by Lia ChangTamika Lawrence, Orfeh. Photo by Lia ChangOrfeh, Ellyn Marie Marsh, Morgan James, Pearl Sun, Richard Amelius. Photo by Lia ChangTamika Lawrence, Orfeh, Ellyn Marie Marsh, Morgan James, Pearl Sun, Richard Amelius. Photo by Lia ChangMorgan James, Pearl Sun, Richard Amelius. Photo by Lia ChangTamika Lawrence, Orfeh, Ellyn Marie Marsh, Morgan James and Pearl Sun. Photo by Lia Chang
The concert also included “Everybody Says Don’t” (from Anyone Can Whistle) sung by Morgan James; “Something’s Coming” from West Side Story) sung by Pearl Sun; “Fight From the Heart” from Rocky sung by Orfeh; and “Hold Me in Your Heart” from Kinky Boots sung by Ellyn Marie Marsh.
Lia Chang at the Museum of Broadway with the display of Winter Wonderland Gingerbread Houses currently on view through December 31, 2022. Photo by Erich McMillan-McCall.
Lia Chang is an actor, a multi-media content producer, activist, documentarian, corporate photographer and an Award winning filmmaker and co-founder of Bev’s Girl Films, making films that foster inclusion and diversity on both sides of the camera. Lia is also the host and Executive Producer of BACKSTAGE PASS WITH LIA CHANG, an Arts and Entertainment and Lifestyle program that airs on Sundays at 6:30pm on FIOS 34, RCN 83, Spectrum 56/1996, and streams on MNN2.
Bev’s Girl Films’ debut short film, Hide and Seek was a top ten film in the Asian American Film Lab’s 2015 72 Hour Shootout Filmmaking Competition, and she received a Best Actress nomination. Her short film, When the World Was Young garnered a 2021 DisOrient Film Audience Choice Award for Best Short Narrative. Lia has appeared in the films Wolf, New Jack City, A Kiss Before Dying, King of New York, Big Trouble in Little China, The Last Dragon, Taxman. She stars in and served as Executive Producer for the short independent films Hide and Seek, Balancing Act, Rom-Com Gone Wrong, Belongingness and When the World was Young. She is also the Executive Producer for The Cactus, The Language Lesson, The Writer and Cream and 2 Shugahs. BGF collaborates with and produces multi-media content for artists, actors, designers, theatrical productions, composers, musicians and corporations.
Lia is the recipient of the 2022 Prospect Muse Award, 2000 OCA Chinese American Journalist Award, the 2001 AAJA National Award for New Media. Lia is an AAJA Executive Leadership Graduate (2000), a Western Knight Fellow at USC’s Annenberg College of Communications for Specialized Journalism on Entertainment Journalism in the Digital Age (2000), a National Press Photographers Association Visual Edge/Visual Journalism Fellow at the Poynter Institute for New Media (2001), a Scripps Howard New Media Fellow at the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism (2002), and a National Tropical Botanical Garden Environmental Journalism Fellow (2003).
The Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment (MOME) and the New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) have just announced that applications are open for the fourth round of grants for the NYC Women’s Fund for Media, Music and Theatre. Qualified applicants can apply for $2 million in finishing grants through November 1, 2022 at http://www.nyfa.org/nycwomensfund.
Since its launch in 2018, the NYC Women’s Fund grant program has awarded $5.5 million to 246 film, theatre, and music projects, with NYFA acting as the grant administrator. The NYC Women’s Fund is a signature initiative launched to address the underrepresentation of women in the entertainment industry.
“Women’s perspectives in the arts, media, and entertainment industries are crucial to telling the rich and diverse stories of our city,” said New York City Mayor Eric Adams. “This additional $2 million in city funding to the NYC Women’s Fund will provide a tremendous leap toward leveling the playing field and ensuring all creatives, regardless of their gender, are given the platform they deserve. I look forward to seeing the incredible work this fourth round of applications brings to audiences throughout the city and around the world.”
“We are proud to extend our commitment to the NYC Women’s Fund to offer a fourth cycle of grants, ensuring that more women-led creative projects are given the support needed to reach wide audiences,” said Commissioner of the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment, Anne del Castillo. “Now, more than ever, it is critical that we continue to elevate women’s voices and perspectives in order to advance gender equity and women leadership in the creative industries and beyond.”
“We are thrilled to continue our partnership with the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment and to support the work of women-identifying creatives through the NYC Women’s Fund,” said Michael Royce, Executive Director, New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA). “We are proud to help media, music, and theatre-makers realize projects that add new depth to New York City’s vibrant media and entertainment landscape,” he added.
Recent success for NYC Women’s Fund program participants is a testament to the quality of applications received and the appetite for their entertainment projects. Film projects from previous grant recipients have been collectively seen by over 339,000 viewers, while film, theatre, and music releases have been featured at 99 premieres. Highlights of past award recipients include:
My Love Affair with Marriage: This animated Fiction Feature by Cycle 2 recipient and Brooklyn resident Signe Baumane tells a coming-of-age story about love and rebellion. The film premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival this year and will go on to screen at Annecy International Film Festival in France and Guadalajara International Film Festival in Mexico.
Hidden Kingdom: Cycle 2 recipients, Sunny Facer and Jacqueline Davis, who both call Brooklyn home, created this Documentary Web Series to showcase five diverse dancers in NYC and their surreal and personal stories. The series has screened at SXSW, Slamdance Film Festival, Falcon Film Festival-UK, & Big Apple Film Festival.
Intimate Strangers: Cycle 2 Classical/Experimental/Jazz/New Music recipient Sara Serpa Santos’ album on the history of Portuguese colonialism in Africa, was featured in the NY Times’ list of Best Jazz Albums of 2021 and The Nation’s list of Best Albums of 2021. Santos resides in Manhattan.
The Nosebleed: Brooklyn’s Cycle 1 recipient Aya Ogawa co-presented with the Chocolate Factory Theater, with staged performances at The Japan Society in 2021 and currently at Lincoln Center.
Specially Processed American Me: In 2022, Cycle 2 recipient and Brooklyn resident Jaime Sunwoo staged her piece at Dixon Place.
English: Manhattan’s Roundabout Theatre Company partnered with the Atlantic Theater Company in 2022 to stage this play written by Cycle 2 Theatre recipient Sanaz Toossi from Brooklyn.
The Workers’ Studio: This Documentary Webseries from Queens resident Sol Aramendi, detailing how immigrant women cooperate to lead change in their communities, was exhibited at the Queens Museum and the BRIC House Stoop.
Looking at You: A techno music theater work, from the Bronx’s Kamala Sankaram, mixes electronic dance music, crime jazz and lyric operatic arias to explore the impact of modern technology on privacy.
A series of online informational sessions will be available to all those interested in applying at http://www.nyfa.org/nycwomensfund:
-August 3 – Pre-recorded overview video of NYC Women’s Fund
-August 17, 2:00pm – LIVE online info session for Music category
-September 7, 2:00pm – LIVE online info session for Media category
-September 28, 2:00pm – LIVE online info session for Theatre category
-October 12, 5:00pm – LIVE online info session for application budgets and timeline
Film, theatre, music, and web productions are eligible for finishing funds in the following categories (amounts listed are the maximum potential grant):
-Fiction Feature (running time of 60 minutes or more) – $50,000
-Fiction Short (running time of 59 minutes or less) – $25,000
-Fiction Webisode/Webseries (all forms) – $20,000
-Documentary Feature (running time of 60 minutes or more) – $50,000
-Documentary Short (running time of 59 minutes or less) – $25,000
-Documentary Webisodes/Webseries (all lengths and forms) – $20,000
-Music – $20,000
-Theatre Production – grant amounts up to $50,000
GRANT TIMELINE
Applications open: Tuesday July 26, 2022 at 10:00 AM EDT
Applications close: November 1, 2022 at 5:00 PM EDT
Recipients notified: March, 2023
Funded Project completion: March 31, 2024
Film, theatre, and webisode/webseries projects are eligible if they feature a woman’s perspective prominently, and/or include a woman director, and/or include a meaningful woman producer credit, and/or prominently include a woman’s perspective or writing credit, and/or include a woman protagonist(s).
Eligible projects for music grants will include new EPs, albums, and videos for yet-to-be released works from all genres. Projects must significantly include a woman as a writing credit, producer credit, engineering credit, and/or musical lead. NYC-based producers, composers, engineers, solo musicians, ensemble bands, and orchestras that are not currently signed to a major label can apply. Applicants must also show evidence of a growing fan base and have played multiple live shows.
All recipients must be residents of NYC. Anyone can apply and be awarded a grant regardless of actual or perceived sex, gender, gender identity or gender expression, sexual orientation, age, religion, creed, partnership status, marital status, disability, race, color, national origin, alienage, citizenship status, military status, or any other class protected by City, State, or Federal law.
Applications and eligibility requirements are available at http://www.nyfa.org/nycwomensfund. To sign up for updates on the Fund, please visit MOME’s website. You can use hashtag #NYCWomensFund to participate in the conversation.
About New York Foundation for the Arts
The New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) was established in 1971 to empower artists at critical stages in their creative lives. Today, the nonprofit organization’s programs and services are far-reaching and are rooted in a wealth of physical and online resources. Each year, NYFA awards more than $3 million in cash grants to individual visual, performing, and literary artists throughout the United States. NYFA’s Fiscal Sponsorship program, one of the oldest and most reputable in the country, helps national artists and arts organizations raise and manage an average of $4 million annually. NYFA’s Learning programs, including its Artist as Entrepreneur and Immigrant Artist Mentoring Program, provide thousands of artists, creatives, and arts administrators with professional development training and support. NYFA’s website, NYFA.org, is used by more than 1 million people and features more than 20,000 opportunities and resources available to artists in all disciplines.
About the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment
The Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment’s mission is to support and strengthen New York City’s creative economy and make it accessible to all. In 2019, the creative industries accounted for more than 500,000 local jobs and have an economic impact of $150 billion annually. MOME comprises five divisions: The Film Office, which coordinates on location production throughout the five boroughs; NYC Media, the City’s official broadcast network and production group; the Office of Nightlife, which supports the city’s nighttime economy; the Press Credentials Office, which issues press cards; and Programs and Initiatives to advance industry and workforce development across NYC’s creative sectors.
Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational organization behind Sesame Street, released new bilingual videos and resources today as part of an ongoing initiative to help families have open and honest conversations with young children around race, provide strategies to cope with racial trauma, and engage allies and advocates to become upstanders against racism as part of its Sesame Street in Communities initiative. The new “ABCs of Racial Literacy” Resources, which are free and available in English and Spanish, can be found at SesameWorkshop.org/ComingTogether.
Alan Muraoka, Wes and Analyn. Photo: Sesame Street Workshop
“Children begin to observe and internalize messages of race at a young age, during a critical time for building one’s identity and sense of self,” said Dr. Jeanette Betancourt, Senior Vice President of US Social Impact, Sesame Workshop. “That’s why it’s important for families to feel equipped to have conversations about race and racism with their children. The new “ABCs of Racial Literacy” resources are designed to give children and caregivers additional tools to cope with the impact of racism and navigate difficult situations together as a family.”
The resources feature 5-year-old Wes and his father Elijah, two Sesame Street Muppets first introduced in March to discuss skin (and fur!) color with Elmo. Wes and Elijah are back to help kids continue to talk about race and provide families of color with strategies to discuss the impact of racism. The new resources, which are part of Sesame Workshop’s Coming Together commitment to racial justice, include:
Alan Muraoka and Wes support Analyn to feel strong and proud of who she is. They sing “Proud of Your Eyes” to help comfort Analyn after someone said something hurtful about her eyes/how she looks. Watch and sing along as we celebrate how our eyes and other features tell the story of ourselves and our families. Find out more about developing children’s positive racial, ethnic, and cultural identities at: https://www.SesameWorkshop.org/Coming…
– Breathe, Feel, Share: Wes, Abby, and Elijah discuss an incident that happened at school – Wes was teased about his lunch, curry chicken. Together, they practice a simple coping strategy.
– Ongoing Video Seriesfor families with new content featuring The Clutes, a Native family, exploring the different ways families can talk to their kids about race, culture, and allyship.
– Professional development webinar and resources for community providers, such as educators, healthcare providers, and social workers (coming soon).
– New materials and music to help families continue the conversation, including Let’s Stand Up for What is Right (Random House), a new book featuring Sesame Street Muppet friends uniting against racism, and a streaming Power of We (Warner Music Group’s Arts Music division) playlist of uplifting and inclusive Sesame songs. Coming Together, Change the World: A Sesame Street Guide to Standing Up for Racial Justice (Lerner Publishing Group) will publish in September.
The “ABCs of Racial Literacy” resources are part of Sesame Workshop’s new Racial Justice educational framework and curriculum for young children. The new resources were developed in close consultation with expert advisors and will be implemented with committed partners, including Abriendo Puertas/Open Doors, the American Psychological Association, the Coalition for Asian American Children and Families, and the National Black Child Development Institute. In addition to being freely available to families online, the resources will be distributed through national and community providers as part of Sesame Street in Communities.
Sesame Workshop believes that talking to young children about race and racism is crucial. According to a recent study conducted by Sesame Workshop with children ages 6-11, children themselves have witnessed unfair treatment, and parents report close to half of these children (42%) have personally experienced discrimination of some kind, including nearly two-thirds (62%) of Black children.
“Having open conversations with children about race and racism is critical, not only for building understanding and empathy, but also for beginning the healing process for children who experience racism,” say Anita Gundanna and Vanessa Leung, Co-Executive Directors of Coalition for Asian American Children and Families (CACF), who served as advisors on the new resources launching today. “The reality is that many children grow up experiencing racism, including Asian American children who for years have reported high levels of racial harassment—a number exacerbated by heightened xenophobia and scapegoating during the COVID-19 pandemic. With a long history of building trust with families, Sesame Workshop is the ideal organization to engage parents and caregivers in critical conversations with their little ones, help families cope with the harms of racism, and help build solidarity among communities.”
The “ABCs of Racial Literacy” is part of Coming Together, Sesame Workshop’s ongoing commitment to racial justice. Content is released on a rolling basis and available to parents and caregivers at SesameWorkshop.org/ComingTogether.
About Sesame Workshop
Sesame Workshop is the nonprofit educational organization behind Sesame Street, the pioneering television show that has been reaching and teaching children since 1969. Today, Sesame Workshop is an innovative force for change, with a mission to help kids everywhere grow smarter, stronger, and kinder. We’re present in more than 150 countries, serving vulnerable children through a wide range of media, formal education, and philanthropically funded social impact programs, each grounded in rigorous research and tailored to the needs and cultures of the communities we serve. For more information, please visit www.sesameworkshop.org.
The Tribeca Film Festival is streaming “Like A Rolling Stone: The Life & Times of Ben Fong-Torres” through June 23. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased here.
Last Sunday, my first film experience post-pandemic took place on a large scale, complete with temperature checks, oversized plastic lawn chairs set up in pods to adhere to social distancing rules, and a jumbo concert sized screen at The Battery in New York, where I watched the Tribeca Film Festival’s World Premiere of “Like A Rolling Stone: The Life & Times of Ben Fong-Torres”.
Swag in the hospitality tent at The Tribeca Film Festival at The Battery in New York. Photo by Lia ChangThe hospitality tent at The Tribeca Film Festival at The Battery in New York. Photo by Lia Chang
It was great to catch up with my friend, Ben Fong-Torres, the subject of the documentary directed, produced and written by Suzanne Joe Kai. The film features exclusive interviews with Elton John, Carlos Santana, Steve Martin, Quincy Jones, Bob Weir, Cameron Crowe, Annie Leibovitz, Pulitzer-prize winning journalist David Felton, Holly George-Warren, Sarah Lazin, Laurel Gonsalves, and so many more.
Ben Fong-Torres and Publicist David Magdael at The Tribeca Film Festival at The Battery in New York on June 13, 2021. Photo by Lia Chang
The idea for the documentary was birthed over 10 years ago. Suzanne and Ben were having dinner one night when Suzanne mused, “You’re in everybody else’s documentary. Why isn’t there one about you?”
Kai shared, “I approached it as a rock and roll documentary, which it still is. Being a journalist myself, I blocked myself away from the world of books and movies. I didn’t want to get influenced. I went straight to the sources like the great Rolling Stone‘s people here- Pulitzer Prize winning journalist David Felton. He gave me incredible insight as did so many others. I was very lucky.”
Dian-Aziza Ooka, Laurel Gonsalves, Ben Fong-Torres, and David Felton at the World Premiere screening of Suzanne Joe Kai’s documentary, LIKE A ROLLING STONE: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF BEN FONG-TORRES at The Tribeca Film Festival atThe Battery in New York on June 13, 2021. Photo by Lia Chang
“I started this 10-12 years ago, so I could get the early sources that worked alongside Ben. I blocked out all of that, and I focused in on the sources. Then I started to look at books, film and everywhere else. To my shock, Ben’s story was really missing. There’s a lot about Ben out there, but in terms of Ben’s real true life story, I felt it was missing. Then, that became a mission of mine to tell the true story of Ben.”
Rolling Stone music editor and journalist Ben Fong-Torres. Photo: Fred Morales, Jr.
Cara Cusumano, Festival Director and Vice President for Programming for The Tribeca Film Festival writes, “Soon after graduating from San Francisco State College, Ben Fong-Torres started writing for Rolling Stone in 1968. The next year, he was hired as an editor and writer. Fong-Torres’s cover stories on Bob Dylan, Marvin Gaye, and Jefferson Airplane helped to shape the way a country understood its counterculture, while Rolling Stone, under Fong-Torres’s guidance as a senior editor, became Rolling Stone.
Suzanne Joe Kai’s documentary is much more than a time capsule of an era: it’s a portrait of someone who can’t be reduced to a profession. Fong-Torres walks us through his upbringing as the child of Chinese immigrants in the 1950s, his earliest interest in rock and soul as a way of belonging, and the remarkable career that followed. Through conversations with colleagues and friends like Annie Leibovitz, Cameron Crowe, and Steve Martin, as well as authentic recordings from Fong-Torres’s archives—including Elton John—we understand why Fong-Torres was the interviewer that most bands actually requested: he treated each musician with a deep admiration for their craft, and saw them as people rather than icons.”
Ben Fong-Torres at The Tribeca Film Festival at The Battery in New York on June 13, 2021. Photo by Lia Chang
The Playlist’s Andrew Bundy writes, “Ben Fong-Torres is one of the essential music journalists in history. The man behind key cover stories on seminal counterculture figures at the height of a creative revolution (i.e., Bob Dylan, Jefferson Airplane, and Marvin Gaye), Fong-Torres, was the writer whom musical icons sought out. Growing up a Chinese immigrant in the 50s, rock ‘n roll and soul represented the sound of being heard for the future Rolling Stones editor, and, in the hands of director Suzanne Joe Kai, “Like A Rolling Stone: The Life & Times of Ben Fong-Torres,” looks to be one of the most impassioned docs of the fest. Talking to contemporaries such as Cameron Crowe and Steve Martin, ‘Like A Rolling Stone’ explores art as an expression of everyday values, not simply a means to a stack of greenbacks.”
World Premiere screening of Suzanne Joe Kai’s documentary, LIKE A ROLLING STONE: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF BEN FONG-TORRES at The Tribeca Film Festival at The Battery in New York on June 13, 2021. Photo by Lia Chang
It was a lovefest for Ben on the jumbo screen, and at the afterparty at The Diageo Cocktail Garden held at The View in Battery Park, sponsored by Don Julio Tequila. Below are highlights of the Q & A from Ben.
Ben Fong-Torres attends the afterparty for the World Premiere screening of Suzanne Joe Kai’s documentary, LIKE A ROLLING STONE: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF BEN FONG-TORRES at The Tribeca Film Festival at The View at Battery Park in New York on June 13, 2021. Photo by Lia ChangQ: Anything in particular really stand out for you?
Ben: I’m exhausted from all the hugging. That was a setup from Suzanne. She wanted a lot of hugging friendship. It was pre-pandemic so it was okay.
Surprises, yes. My associates and some of the musicians with whom I dealt, I really did not know. Cynthia Bowman said, “He probably doesn’t know about his power.” I did not. It was probably better that way. Just do your job and not worry about anything else.
Q: What advice do you have for budding music journalists for in conducting a great interview?
Ben: #1- find another field of work. I’m being your parent now. This will pay you nothing. But if you want to pursue it, in both music journalism and journalism in general, in conducting an interview, the first thing of course to do is research. There are so many more ways to do research now. Go out and find out about your subject. In that way, you’re showing her or him respect. That really breaks down some barriers that might exist between you, as a journalist, and them, as a story subject. Of course, preplan your questions, and then ignore them if the conversation takes you in a new and more interesting direction. Don’t be beholden to your research even though you are well equipped with it. Make it as much of a conversation as possible. Get all the details. What they are wearing. How they look. Look around the room, or the field or backstage area and take copious notes. There you are. You’ve begun a good interview situation.
Q: What do you think about the power of music right now in terms of critical politics?
Ben: Music has always been powerful, since before Rock and Roll. Even before the Folk movement. I think it goes back to church and other forms of music. In the 60’s, it became synonymous with protests and social activism. That has not changed. It is cyclical. it dips. it comes back. it dips. and now it’s actually more fierce than ever combining Rock and Roll, Hip Hop and other forms of music. Those early protest singers are still there and they still have a message for you. That will never die.
Q: People who read Rolling Stone back in the 60’s and 70’s, maybe their heart still remains in the music of that era. How difficult is it for you to stay up to date or current? You mentioned Hip Hop.
Ben: I’m basically retired from that gig. It’s not important for me to stay current except when I was writing a radio column, I’d flip up and down the dial and encounter all the contemporary as well as classic music. That reminded me of how vital the music stays. You don’t have to be a big fan of all forms of music but you can still appreciate the importance of music among all people of all ages.
Q: Who was your favorite person to mentor? Was it Cameron Crowe or another writer?
Ben: Wow. Favorite person to mentor. I never thought of myself as a mentor, first of all. I was his first editor and we have maintained our friendship obviously. No, he didn’t need me to teach him more than what any editor would have done, probably. He’s such a bright…, he’s still a kid really. He’s such a bright young man.
I’m always happy to talk to groups of journalism students and impart some of the lessons I’ve accumulated over several decades. No, I don’t have a single mentee and I never had a mentor of my own. Just role models and inspirations.
Check out my photo coverage of the afterparty below:
The View at Battery Park in New York. Photo by Lia Chang
Diageo tequila brand Don Julio celebrated Cinco de Mayo with a campaign supporting bar and restaurant workers that includes giveaways of vouchers and charitable donations.
Don Julio Tequila was a sponsor of the afterparty for LIKE A ROLLING STONE: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF BEN FONG-TORRES at The View at Battery Park in New York on June 13, 2021. Photo by Lia Chang
I collected a few “Don Julio Cincos,” from the “Automated Tequila Machine” at the afterparty.
Don Julio Tequila was a sponsor of the afterparty for LIKE A ROLLING STONE: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF BEN FONG-TORRES in The Diageo Cocktail Garden at The View at Battery Park in New York on June 13, 2021. Photo by Lia Chang
Valued at $5, the vouchers have a QR code and PIN to redeem with payment app Venmo and the brand is urging people to spend at a bar or restaurant.
Lia Chang and the Automated Tequila Machine provided by Don Julio Tequila, a sponsor of the afterparty for LIKE A ROLLING STONE: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF BEN FONG-TORRES in The Diageo Cocktail Garden at The View at Battery Park in New York on June 13, 2021.
And noshed on fish tacos, chicken sliders, beef sliders, flan and macarons.
Fish Tacos. Photo by Lia Chang
Chicken Sliders. Photo by Lia Chang
Beef Sliders. Photo by Lia Chang
Flan. Photo by Lia Chang
David Felton, Laurel Gonsalves, Dian-Aziza Ooka, Ben Fong-Torres, Suzanne Joe Kai and Sarah Lazin attend the afterparty for the World Premiere screening of Suzanne Joe Kai’s documentary, LIKE A ROLLING STONE: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF BEN FONG-TORRES at The Tribeca Film Festival in The Diageo Cocktail Garden at The View at Battery Park in New York on June 13, 2021. Photo by Lia ChangDavid Felton, Ben Fong-Torres and Joshua Feigenbaum attend the afterparty for the World Premiere screening of Suzanne Joe Kai’s documentary, LIKE A ROLLING STONE: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF BEN FONG-TORRES at The Tribeca Film Festival in The Diageo Cocktail Garden at The View at Battery Park in New York on June 13, 2021. Photo by Lia ChangSarah Lazin, Ben Fong-Torres and Holly George-Warren. Photo by Lia ChangKaren Thorsen, Ben Fong-Torres and Douglas K. Dempsey attend the afterparty for the World Premiere screening of Suzanne Joe Kai’s documentary, LIKE A ROLLING STONE: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF BEN FONG-TORRES at The Tribeca Film Festival in The Diageo Cocktail Garden at The View at Battery Park in New York on June 13, 2021. Photo by Lia ChangYayoi Sakurai, Ben Fong-Torres and Joshua Feigenbaum attend the afterparty for the World Premiere screening of Kai’s documentary, LIKE A ROLLING STONE: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF BEN FONG-TORRES at The Tribeca Film Festival in The Diageo Cocktail Garden at The View at Battery Park in New York on June 13, 2021. Photo by Lia ChangLia Chang and Ben Fong-Torres attend the afterparty for the World Premiere screening of Suzanne Joe Kai’s documentary, LIKE A ROLLING STONE: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF BEN FONG-TORRES at The Tribeca Film Festival in The Diageo Cocktail Garden at The View at Battery Park in New York on June 13, 2021.Marilynn K. Yee, Ben Fong-Torres and David Magdael.Suzanne Joe Kai. Photo by Steven Khan
Suzanne Joe Kai received two Emmy® Award nominations and was named Best Woman News Reporter while a broadcast journalist at San Francisco’s NBC affiliate KRON-TV. She worked at KCBS Radio (CBS) and television stations KTVU (FOX), KGO (ABC), KGUN (ABC), and RottenTomatoes.com. Kai holds a master’s in documentary film from Stanford University.
Ben Fong-Torres attends the afterparty for the World Premiere screening of Suzanne Joe Kai’s documentary, LIKE A ROLLING STONE: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF BEN FONG-TORRES at The Tribeca Film Festival at The View at Battery Park in New York on June 13, 2021. Photo by Lia Chang
Ben Fong-Torres was born in Alameda, California, in 1945, and raised in Oakland’s Chinatown, where his parents owned a restaurant. He attended San Francisco State College from 1962 through 1966, majored in Radio-TV-Film and served as a reporter and editor of the campus daily.
He began writing for Rolling Stone magazine in 1968, in its eighth issue. He had a full-time job at another publication: Pacific Telephone’s employee magazine. By night, he was a volunteer editor at East West, a bilingual Chinatown newspaper. In May, 1969, Ben joined Rolling Stone as news editor. His interview subjects included Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones, Ray Charles, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Elton John, Stevie Wonder, Bonnie Raitt, the Jackson 5, Linda Ronstadt, Neil Diamond, Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye, the Grateful Dead, Ike & Tina Turner, Santana, Diane Keaton, and Steve Martin. The Ray Charles interview won the Deems Taylor Award for Magazine Writing in 1974.
Ben Fong-Torres attends the afterparty for the World Premiere screening of Suzanne Joe Kai’s documentary, LIKE A ROLLING STONE: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF BEN FONG-TORRES at The Tribeca Film Festival at The View at Battery Park in New York on June 13, 2021. Photo by Lia Chang
Ben was also a weekend DJ on KSAN, a pioneer FM rock station, from 1970 to 1980. He wrote and narrated a syndicated radio special, San Francisco: What a Long, Strange Trip It’s Been, which won a Billboard Award for Broadcast Excellence. He was the host of KQED-FM’s live, weekly arts show, Fog City Radio, and in 2016 created Moonalice Radio, an online station for the jam band. He programs the music and does a DJ show, 9 to 12 am and pm.
Dianne Fong-Torres and her husband, Ben Fong-Torres in a clip from the World Premiere screening of Suzanne Joe Kai’s documentary, LIKE A ROLLING STONE: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF BEN FONG-TORRES at The Tribeca Film Festival at The Battery in New York on June 13, 2021. Photo by Lia Chang
Ben has co-anchored KTVU-TV’s coverage of the Chinese New Year parades since the Year of the Ox – or 1997. He and co-anchor Julie Haener have won five Emmys.
Also on television, Ben did profiles on Evening Magazine in 1977, and, in 1982, went to China as scriptwriter for a special, Cycling Through China. His most unique TV credit was his 1993 appearance on “Wheel of Fortune”. Over three nights, he won some $99,000 in cash and fabulous prizes. He also appeared on the nationally syndicated “Your Big Break” in spring of 2000, doing an impersonation of Bob Dylan.
Ben left Rolling Stone in 1981 and has since written for dozens of magazines, including Esquire, GQ (where he was pop music columnist for three years), Parade, Playboy, Sports Illustrated, Travel & Leisure, American Film, TV Guide, Harper’s Bazaar, Billboard and The Hollywood Reporter. He wrote the main biographies for People magazine’s tributes to Jerry Garcia and Frank Sinatra.
In 1983, Fong-Torres joined the San Francisco Chronicle, where he was a feature writer and radio columnist until 1992, when he left to write his memoirs, The Rice Room: From Number Two Son to Rock and Roll, published in 1994 by Hyperion (and in softcover by Plume/Dutton), which reached the San Francisco Chronicle’s best-sellers list.
Ben wrote the main text for The Motown Album: The Sound of Young America (St. Martin’s Press). In 1991, he published Hickory Wind: The Life and Times of Gram Parsons (Pocket/Simon & Schuster). The book was nominated for the Ralph J. Gleason Book Award, and St. Martin’s Press published an updated version of it in fall of 1998.
In 1993, on completion of The Rice Room, Ben joined Gavin, the San Francisco-based trade weekly for the radio and recording industries, as managing editor. He vacated that post in late 1997 to work on The Hits Just Keep On Coming: The History of Top 40 Radio, which was published by Miller Freeman Books in fall of 1998.
In 1999, Ben published Not Fade Away: A Backstage Pass to 20 Years of Rock & Roll, which was followed by a second collection, Becoming Almost Famous, in 2006. He wrote The Doors by the Doors (2007) and the Grateful Dead Scrapbook (2009). A book about the Eagles has been published in two editions. His 2013 book, Willin’: The Story of Little Feat, was released in an Audible version early in 2021, along with The Rice Room. Ben narrated both books.
Fong-Torres is frequently called on to emcee community and fund-raising events, and to conduct on-stage interviews at events like South by Southwest in Austin, Texas, and at the Mill Valley Film Festival. He is also known for his impressions of, among others, Elvis Presley and Bob Dylan. Both are featured in one song, “Rainy Day Bookstores,” on a CD entitled Stranger Than Fiction, featuring best-selling authors performing music.
He is a real-life character in Almost Famous, the 2000 film by Cameron Crowe. www.benfongtorres.com
Lia Chang attends the afterparty for the World Premiere screening of Kai’s documentary, LIKE A ROLLING STONE: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF BEN FONG-TORRES at The Tribeca Film Festival at The View at Battery Park in New York on June 13, 2021.
Lia Chang is an actor, a multi-media content producer and co-founder of Bev’s Girl Films, making films that foster inclusion and diversity on both sides of the camera. Bev’s Girl Films’ debut short film, Hide and Seek was a top ten film in the Asian American Film Lab’s 2015 72 Hour Shootout Filmmaking Competition, and she received a Best Actress nomination. BGF collaborates with and produces multi-media content for artists, actors, designers, theatrical productions, composers, musicians and corporations. Lia has appeared in the films Wolf, New Jack City, A Kiss Before Dying, King of New York, Big Trouble in Little China, The Last Dragon, Taxman. She stars in and served as Executive Producer for the short independent films Hide and Seek, Balancing Act, Rom-Com Gone Wrong, Belongingness and When the World was Young (2021 DisOrient Film Audience Choice Award for Best Short Narrative). She is also the Executive Producer for The Cactus, The Language Lesson, The Writer and Cream and 2 Shugahs.
HOLLYWOOD, CA. June 17, 2021 —A new group of entertainment professionals in the categories of Motion Pictures, Television, Live Theatre/Live Performance, Radio, Recording and the newest category Sports Entertainment have been selected to receive stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame by the Walk of Fame Selection Panel of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. These honorees were chosen from among hundreds of nominations to the committee at a meeting held on June 14, 2021 and ratified by the Hollywood Chamber’s Board of Directors on June 16, 2021. Ellen K, Chair of the Walk of Fame Selection Panel and Radio personality, announced the new honorees on www.walkoffame.com The Hollywood Walk of Fame Class of 2022 are:
In the category of MOTION PICTURES: Francis Ford Coppola, Macaulay Culkin, Willem Dafoe, Salma Hayek, James Hong, Helen Hunt, Michael B. Jordan, Regina King, Ray Liotta, Ewan McGregor, Adam McKay, Jason Momoa, Tessa Thompson and Carrie Fisher (posthumous).
In the category of TELEVISION: Byron Allen, Greg Berlanti, Ricky Gervais, Peter Krause, Bob Odenkirk, Holly Robinson-Peete, Norman Reedus, Tracee Ellis Ross, Jean Smart, Ming-Na Wen and Kenan Thompson. In the category of RECORDING: Black Eyed Peas, George E. Clinton Jr., Ashanti Douglas, DJ Khaled, Avril Lavigne, Los Huracanes Del Norte, Martha Reeves and Ermias “Nipsey Hussle” Asghedom (posthumous). In the category of LIVE THEATRE/LIVE PERFORMANCE:Patti Lupone, Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis, Jr. and Angelica Vale In the category of RADIO: Richard Blade In the category or Sports Entertainment: Michael Strahan
The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce and its Walk of Fame Selection Panel congratulate all the honorees. Dates have not been scheduled for these star ceremonies. Recipients have two years to schedule star ceremonies from the date of selection before they expire. Upcoming star ceremonies are usually announced ten days prior to dedication on the official website www.walkoffame.com.
Directed by Mariem Pérez Riera, Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go For It follows the star’s rich, decades-long career using vérité footage of Moreno today, archival footage of her roles and appearances, reenactments of her childhood, animation and new interviews. Despite becoming the first Latina actress to win an Oscar, studios continued to offer Moreno only roles as stereotypical ethnic minorities, ignoring her proven talent. Throughout her career, Moreno paved the way for Hispanic American performers by refusing to be pigeonholed into one-dimensional stereotypes. Film interviewees include George Chakiris, Hector Elizondo, Gloria Estefan, Tom Fontana, Morgan Freeman, Mitzi Gaynor, Whoopi Goldberg, Norman Lear, Eva Longoria, Justina Machado, Terrence McNally, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Karen Olivo and Tony Taccone. Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go For It is produced by Brent Miller, p.g.a., and is a production of American Masters Pictures and Act III Productions in association with Artemis Rising and Maramara Films.
Subject and star Rita Moreno and director and producer Mariem Pérez Riera sat down with Atlantic Culture writer Shirley Li. Their conversation touched on diversity and representation, instructive shared experiences from an exceptional life, why you are never as helpless as you think, and more.
Lia Chang
Lia Chang is an actor, a multi-media content producer and co-founder of Bev’s Girl Films, making films that foster inclusion and diversity on both sides of the camera. Bev’s Girl Films’ debut short film, Hide and Seek was a top ten film in the Asian American Film Lab’s 2015 72 Hour Shootout Filmmaking Competition, and she received a Best Actress nomination. BGF collaborates with and produces multi-media content for artists, actors, designers, theatrical productions, composers, musicians and corporations. Lia has appeared in the films Wolf, New Jack City, A Kiss Before Dying, King of New York, Big Trouble in Little China, The Last Dragon, Taxman. She stars in and served as Executive Producer for the short independent films Hide and Seek, Balancing Act, Rom-Com Gone Wrong, Belongingness and When the World was Young. She is also the Executive Producer for The Cactus, The Language Lesson, The Writer and Cream and 2 Shugahs.
On the eve of this historic election, Bev’s Girl Films is presenting Yin & Yang, aka Tony, Grammy and Emmy winning Hadestown star André De Shields ( The Full Monty, Ain’t Misbehavin’, The Wiz and Play On!) and Garth Kravits (The Drowsy Chaperone, Gettin’ The Band Back Together) singing for the soul of America, putting their own spin on the Sam Cooke civil-rights anthem, ‘A Change is Gonna Come,’ accompanied by Steven Cuevas on piano.
De Shields and Kravits’ latest collaboration is a call to exercise your right to vote on November 3rd.
Their first cover was the Sam Cooke R & B classic, “Bring It On Home To Me,” accompanied by Andrew Gutauskas on saxophone which was featured in the 100 Black Men Initiative, “West Side Stories: Celebrating New York in the 1970’s,” and Raising the Curtain: A Tribute to EMF Heroes Featuring Broadway Stars.
When asked what inspired the pair to collaborate virtually on this song, De Shields shared, “my ambition for collaborating with Garth on what will ultimately be a series of duets is to restore joy and love to a world that has lost its way.” Kravits said,”André and I very quickly agreed that the essence of this cover and the others that will follow, would be fun, pure and simple. Just to enjoy singing with one another so that the viewing and listening audience might share in what we’re laying down.”
De Shields has participated in numerous political fundraisers including singing ‘Broadway Baby’ with Jayne Houdyshell, Myra Lucretia Taylor, Sheila Kay Davis, Larry Owens, Layla Capers, Fiona Morgan Quinn, Walter Russell III and Jayden Theopile in Broadway for Biden’s All-Star Virtual Fundraiser: IN OUR AMERICA: A Concert for the Soul of the Nation; and hosting Broadway for Biden: Songs of Pride and PFLAG National’s annual “Moving Equality Forward Virtual Event.
In tonight’s Sing Out For Freedom 2020: An Election Eve Concert in Support of the ACLU & #NYCLU, De Shields, accompanied by Gaelynn Lea on violin, read the final words of Congressman John Lewis as published by The New York Times – “Together, You Can Redeem the Soul of the Nation.”
André De Shields. Photo by Lia Chang
André De Shields is the triple-crown winner of the 2019 awards season, having won the Outer Critics Circle, Drama Desk, and Tony Awards for best featured actor in a musical for his critically acclaimed performance as Hermes in Hadestown. The Actors’ Equity Foundation followed suit with the Richard Seff Award, honoring veteran stage actors’ best supporting performances of the year. Mr. De Shields recently received the 2020 Grammy Award for Musical Theater Album for Hadestown, an honorary Doctor of Arts Degree from Boston Conservatory at Berklee, the 2019 Project1Voice Lifetime Achievement Award, the 2019 SAGE Joyce Warshow Lifetime Achievement Award, The York Theatre Company’s 2019 Oscar Hammerstein Award for Lifetime Achievement in Musical Theatre, and was inducted into the Theater Hall of Fame. He received the Key to the City of Baltimore from Mayor Bernard C. “Jack” Young in August, 2019. Prior to his Tony Award win, Mr. De Shields was best known for his show-stopping performances in four legendary Broadway productions: The Wiz, Ain’t Misbehavin’ (Emmy Award), Play On! (Tony Nomination), and The Full Monty (Tony Nomination). In a career spanning fifty-one years, he has distinguished himself as an unparalleled actor, director, and educator, receiving in 2018 the 8th Annual Off Broadway Alliance Legend Award, and the 33rd Annual Bob Harrington Life Achievement Bistro Award. Among his other accolades are the 2009 National Black Theatre Festival’s Living Legend Award and the 2007 Village Voice Obie Award for Sustained Excellence of Performance. De Shields can currently be seen on Netflix as the Algebra Tutor in “John Mulaney & The Sack Lunch Bunch” and on The CW as Chubby in “Katy Keene.” De Shields is a proud member of AEA, SAG-AFTRA, and SDC. andredeshields.com
Garth Kravits. Photo by Lia Chang
Garth Kravits is an actor, a singer, a composer, and an award winning filmmaker. He made his Broadway debut in the Tony Award winning musical The Drowsy Chaperone and appeared most recently on Broadway in the original musical Gettin’ the Band Back Together.
Kravits has guest starred on CBS’s ‘Tommy,’ HBO’s ‘Divorce,’ Amazon Prime’s ‘The Hunters’ and ‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,’ USA’s ‘Mr. Robot,’ SyFy’s ‘Happy’ over the last year, and has also appeared on NBC’s ’30 Rock,’ and ‘The Blacklist,’ The CW’s ‘Princess Diaries,’ Showtime’s ‘Nurse Jackie,’ and ‘Hostages.’
Kravits has written, directed and edited over 50 film projects and his films have been shown in film festivals around the world. www.garthkravits.com
Steven Cuevas is a NYC-based music director, musician, singer, and actor. Broadway: Once On This Island, Anastasia, Kinky Boots. Off-Broadway: We Are The Tigers, Closer Than Ever, Trip of Love, Songs for a New World, Iron Curtain. Tours:Once On This Island, Kinky Boots, Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical, Spring Awakening, My Fair Lady (Marina Bay Sands, Singapore). Recordings: Once On This Island (2019 Grammy nominee, Best Musical Theater Album), How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, Monstersongs. Steven’s arrangements for Broadway Barkada have been performed at Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, and the White House. Steven is the Chair of Local 802 AFM’s Diversity Committee. BFA in Musical Theatre, Emerson College. @StevenMCuevas
Lia ChangLia Chang is an actor, a multi-media content producer and co-founder of Bev’s Girl Films, making films that foster inclusion and diversity on both sides of the camera. Bev’s Girl Films’ debut short film, Hide and Seek was a top ten film in the Asian American Film Lab’s 2015 72 Hour Shootout Filmmaking Competition, and she received a Best Actress nomination. BGF collaborates with and produces multi-media content for artists, actors, designers, theatrical productions, composers, musicians and corporations. Lia has appeared in the films Wolf, New Jack City, A Kiss Before Dying, King of New York, Big Trouble in Little China, The Last Dragon, Taxman. She stars in and served as Executive Producer for the short independent films Hide and Seek, Balancing Act, Rom-Com Gone Wrong, Belongingness and When the World was Young. She is also the Executive Producer for The Cactus, The Language Lesson, The Writer and Cream and 2 Shugahs.
Bev’s Girl Films is presenting Yin & Yang, aka André De Shields and Garth Kravits, putting their own spin on the Sam Cooke R & B classic, “Bring It On Home To Me,” accompanied by Andrew Gutauskas on saxophone.
When asked what inspired the pair to collaborate virtually on this song, De Shields shared, “my ambition for collaborating with Garth on what will ultimately be a series of duets is to restore joy and love to a world that has lost its way.” Kravits said, “André and I very quickly agreed that the essence of this cover and the others that will follow, would be fun, pure and simple. Just to enjoy singing with one another so that the viewing and listening audience might share in what we’re laying down.”
André De Shields. Photo by Lia Chang
André De Shields is the triple-crown winner of the 2019 awards season, having won the Outer Critics Circle, Drama Desk, and Tony Awards for best featured actor in a musical for his critically acclaimed performance as Hermes in Hadestown. The Actors’ Equity Foundation followed suit with the Richard Seff Award, honoring veteran stage actors’ best supporting performances of the year. Mr. De Shields recently received the 2020 Grammy Award for Musical Theater Album for Hadestown, an honorary Doctor of Arts Degree from Boston Conservatory at Berklee, the 2019 Project1Voice Lifetime Achievement Award, the 2019 SAGE Joyce Warshow Lifetime Achievement Award, The York Theatre Company’s 2019 Oscar Hammerstein Award for Lifetime Achievement in Musical Theatre, and was inducted into the Theater Hall of Fame. He received the Key to the City of Baltimore from Mayor Bernard C. “Jack” Young in August, 2019. Prior to his Tony Award win, Mr. De Shields was best known for his show-stopping performances in four legendary Broadway productions: The Wiz, Ain’t Misbehavin’ (Emmy Award), Play On! (Tony Nomination), and The Full Monty (Tony Nomination). In a career spanning fifty-one years, he has distinguished himself as an unparalleled actor, director, and educator, receiving in 2018 the 8th Annual Off Broadway Alliance Legend Award, and the 33rd Annual Bob Harrington Life Achievement Bistro Award. Among his other accolades are the 2009 National Black Theatre Festival’s Living Legend Award and the 2007 Village Voice Obie Award for Sustained Excellence of Performance. De Shields can currently be seen on Netflix as the Algebra Tutor in “John Mulaney & The Sack Lunch Bunch” and on The CW as Chubby in “Katy Keene.” De Shields is a proud member of AEA, SAG-AFTRA, and SDC. andredeshields.com
Garth Kravits. Photo by Lia Chang
Garth Kravits is an actor, a singer, a composer, and an award winning filmmaker. He made his Broadway debut in the Tony Award winning musical The Drowsy Chaperone and appeared most recently on Broadway in the original musical Gettin’ the Band Back Together.
Kravits has guest starred on CBS’s ‘Tommy,’ HBO’s ‘Divorce,’ Amazon Prime’s ‘The Hunters’ and ‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,’ USA’s ‘Mr. Robot,’ SyFy’s ‘Happy’ over the last year, and has also appeared on NBC’s ’30 Rock,’ and ‘The Blacklist,’ The CW’s ‘Princess Diaries,’ Showtime’s ‘Nurse Jackie,’ and ‘Hostages.’
Kravits has written, directed and edited over 50 film projects and his films have been shown in film festivals around the world.www.garthkravits.com
Andrew Gutauskas is a Grammy Award winning Baritone Saxophonist, Composer and Arranger. Andrew has recorded and performed on Broadway, television, movies and live around the world with a variety of artists ranging from rock to pop to jazz to Bollywood He is music director of Brass Againstand is a member of several projects in New York City including; Charlie Rosen’s Broadway Big Band & 8-Bit Big Bands and the Skivvies.
Lia Chang. Photo by Garth Kravits
Lia Chang is an actor, a multi-media content producer and co-founder of Bev’s Girl Films, making films that foster inclusion and diversity on both sides of the camera. Bev’s Girl Films’ debut short film, Hide and Seek was a top ten film in the Asian American Film Lab’s 2015 72 Hour Shootout Filmmaking Competition, and she received a Best Actress nomination. BGF collaborates with and produces multi-media content for artists, actors, designers, theatrical productions, composers, musicians and corporations. Lia has appeared in the films Wolf, New Jack City, A Kiss Before Dying, King of New York, Big Trouble in Little China, The Last Dragon, Taxman. She stars in and served as Executive Producer for the short independent films Hide and Seek, Balancing Act, Rom-Com Gone Wrong, Belongingness and When the World was Young. She is also the Executive Producer for The Cactus, The Language Lesson, The Writer and Cream and 2 Shugahs.
Filipina American writer and director Diane Paragas’ deeply personal narrative feature debut YELLOW ROSE won the Best Narrative Feature Award (U.S. Cinema) and the Audience Award for Best Feature at the 23rd Annual Urbanworld Film Festival on September 22, 2019.
Diane Paragas’ YELLOW ROSE won the Best Narrative Feature Award (U.S. Cinema) and the Audience Award for Best Feature at the 23rd Annual 2019 Urbanworld Film Festival.
Diane Paragas’ YELLOW ROSE won the Best Narrative Feature Award (U.S. Cinema) and the Audience Award for Best Feature at the 23rd Annual 2019 Urbanworld Film Festival.
Rose, played by Two-time Tony Nominee Eva Noblezada (Hadestown, Miss Saigon), an undocumented Filipina, dreams of one day leaving her small Texas town to pursue her country music dreams. Her world is shattered when her mom (Princess Punzalan) is suddenly detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Rose, facing this new realty, is forced to flee the scene, leaving behind the only life she knows, and embarks on a journey of self-discovery as she searches for a new home in the honky-tonk world of Austin, Texas.
The poster for Diane Paragas’ YELLOW ROSE starring Eva Noblezada, Lea Salonga, Princess Punzalan and Dale Watson.
Also featured in the film are Lea Salonga, country music star Dale Watson (“Friday Night Lights”), Gustavo Gomez (The Walking Dead), Libby Villari (Boyhood), and Liam Booth. Set to a poignant soundtrack featuring original songs by Paragas, Noblezada, Watson and the cast, this coming-of-age story brings forth the power of music and art to provide strength in the face of the harsh plight confronting countless immigrant families across the country.
Eva Noblezada and Dale Watson in YELLOW ROSE
Yellow Rose won the Special Jury Prize at the 2019 Asian American International Film Festival, the Grand Jury Prize for Best Narrative Feature at the 2019 Bentonville Film Festival, 2019 CAAMFest and the 2019 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, with Eva Noblezada taking Best Breakout Actor.
Eva Noblezada and Princess Punzalan in YELLOW ROSE
The film’s producers include Cecilia Mejia, Rey Cuerdo, Orian Williams, Diane Paragas, Co-Producer Jeremiah Abraham, and Executive Producers Olivia de Jesus, John D. Lazatin, Miguel Sevilla, and Karen Elizaga. www.yellowrosefilm.com
Karen Elizaga, Diane Paragas, Cecilia R. Mejia, Jeremiah Abraham and Annie Howell. Photo by Lia Chang
Cecilia R. Mejia, Karen Elizaga, Diane Paragas, Jeremiah Abraham and Lia Chang. Photo by Garth Kravits
Karen Elizaga, Diane Paragas, Annie Howell, Cecilia R. Mejia, Kat Evasco, Loida Nicolas Lewis and Jeremiah Abraham. Photo by Lia Chang
Urbanworld Film Festival at AMC Empire 25 in New York. Photo by Lia Chang
Moderator Kat Evasco and Director Diane Paragas. Photo by Lia Chang
Director Diane Paragas. Photo by Lia Chang
Director Diane Paragas, Cecilia R. Mejia and Kat Evasco. Photo by Lia Chang
Director/Writer Diane Paragas with her co-writer Annie Howell. photo by Lia Chang
Cecilia R. Mejia and Loida Nicolas Lewis. Photo by Lia Chang
Producer Karen Elizaga, Director/Writer Diane Paragas and Lia Chang. Photo by Garth Kravits
Publicist Jeremiah Abraham, Producer Karen Elizaga, Director/Writer Diane Paragas and Lia Chang. Photo by Garth Kravits
Eric Elizaga and Garth Kravits. Photo by Lia Chang
The 2019 slate of 78 official selections and 7 spotlight selections represent inclusion in the broadest sense, highlighting content from around the globe by creators of color and women. The annual showcase of diverse culture took place in Manhattan, September 18-22, 2019 at AMC Empire 25 on 234 West 42nd Street.
After the screening, the creative team headed to nosh on fried chicken at Jollibee.
YELLOW ROSE noshes on Jollibee after screening at Urbanworld Film Festival. Photo by Lia Chang
YELLOW ROSE noshes on Jollibee after screening at Urbanworld Film Festival. Photo by Lia Chang
ABOUT URBANWORLD FILM FESTIVAL
Urbanworld Film Festival was launched in August 1997 by founder Stacy Spikes, co-founder of MoviePass and a former executive at Miramax and October Films. With estimated attendance reaching over 15,000, the five-day festival anchored in film showcases narrative features, documentaries, short films, spotlight screenings and live staged screenplay readings; the Urbanworld Digital track focuses on digital panels and workshops; and the Urbanworld Music franchise highlights emerging talent in live performances during festival events. For over two decades, Hollywood studios and indie film distributors, as well as established and emerging filmmakers, have consistently chosen Urbanworld to premiere box office and award-winning hits. The Urbanworld Film Festival is an initiative of the Urbanworld Foundation Inc. Gabrielle Glore serves as Festival Director & Head of Programming.
Lia Chang. Photo by Garth Kravits. Photo by Lia Chang
Lia Chang is an actor, a multi-media content producer and co-founder of Bev’s Girl Films, making films that foster inclusion and diversity on both sides of the camera. Bev’s Girl Films’ debut short film, Hide and Seek was a top ten film in the Asian American Film Lab’s 2015 72 Hour Shootout Filmmaking Competition, and she received a Best Actress nomination. BGF collaborates with and produces multi-media content for artists, actors, designers, theatrical productions, composers, musicians and corporations. Lia has appeared in the filmsWolf, New Jack City, A Kiss Before Dying, King of New York, Big Trouble in Little China, The Last Dragon, Taxman and Hide and Seek. She is profiled in Jade Magazine and Playbill.com.
I’m thrilled to be featured in NoMBe’s stylish “Kemosabe” music video with Vincent Leong, directed by Matthew Dillon Cohen, with Anthony Carella as director of photography, edited by Andrew Litten.
NoMBe and Lia Chang on the set of Kemosabe in New York.
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NoMBe’s new single, Kemosabe will appear on his forthcoming sophomore EP Mood Indigo, along with Miss California and Miss Mirage.
lyrics
We may never lock eyes, cause it’s bad exposure anything but hard times seem to wash away, and we’re not walking, we fly a pair of hasty vultures as these laws apply our hearts decay
She made damn sure we Never gon’ be friends (4x)
I’m burning novels online modern Allan Poe, yea make confetti of times you made thoughts of trees ain’t it shockin love dies only skulls and bones left and these laws apply till the end of me
it’s wild if i think about it our lives are tied yet divided it might be fine, but I doubt it boo, you know you’re too sensitive
you’re right to despise surprises and why I might think you like it in spite of feeling uninvited no matter how I beg or plead you still made damn sure we
Never gon’ be friends She made damn sure we Never ton’ be friends (3x)
For someone managing to fuse IDM, Indie and Soul so seamlessly into danceable beats and catchy melodies, 23 year old Noah McBeth (alias NoMBe) has kept a low profile on the LA music radar. A native of Heidelberg, Germany, the classical pianist turned producer wears the many hats of composer, singer/songwriter & engineer effortlessly.
NoMBe continues to make use of a wide range of obscure samples while leaving his own signature with a unique vocal sound, ranging from a strong bluesy tone to a chilly sweet falsetto.
His lyrics touch on topics like shady women, drunk uncles and loose morals, sticking to only the most delightful things. Since moving to Los Angeles from NYC in 2013, NoMBe has produced a number of up and coming artists while finishing up his own releases, making it his mission to take today’s world of “genre-less” music by storm.
tv.booooooom.com:NoMBe – “Kemosabe”
“A gorgeously shot video for NoMBe’s track “Kemosabe”. Directed by filmmaker and photographer Matthew Dillon Cohen.”
Director of Photography Anthony Carella and filmmaker Matthew Dillon Cohen on location New York Chinatown for Kemosabe. Photo by Lia Chang
Matthew Dillon Cohen is a New York based producer/director. Matthew’s creative career began in photography, and moved more toward film when he started making music videos for his musician friends. Today Matthew focus’s on narrative, commercial and documentary work.
Lia Chang. Photo by Garth Kravits
Lia Chang is an actor, a multi-media content producer and co-founder of Bev’s Girl Films, making films that foster inclusion and diversity on both sides of the camera. Bev’s Girl Films’ debut short film, Hide and Seek was a top ten film in the Asian American Film Lab’s 2015 72 Hour Shootout Filmmaking Competition, and she received a Best Actress nomination. BGF produces multi-media content for artists, actors, designers, theatrical productions, composers and musicians. Lia is also an internationally published and exhibited photographer, a multi-platform journalist, and a publicist. Lia has appeared in the filmsWolf, New Jack City, A Kiss Before Dying, King of New York, Big Trouble in Little China, The Last Dragon, Taxman and Hide and Seek. She is profiled in Examiner.com, Jade Magazine and Playbill.com.
On this edition of Backstage Pass with Lia Chang, Morgan James was in concert at The Glade on Little Island on July 31, 2022, and was joined by four cast members from her all-female JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR studio cast recording: Tamika Lawrence, Ellyn Marie Marsh, Orfeh and Pearl Sun for her EVERYBODY SAYS DON’T Concert, interpreting lyrics assigned to other male characters in musicals, and makes a compelling case for nontraditional casting as it relates to gender. Watch below:
Bev's Girl Films 