Q-Tip's Return to Grace Oct 30, 2009
With the Soulaquarian movement of the early 2000s, other kindred spirits such as DAngelo, Roy Hargrove, Raphael Saadiq, Jill Scott and Bilal pushed intelligent hip-hop and R&B into the new century. Kamaal/The Abstract should have been a no-brainer. (Slate)
Music: the week ahead Oct 29, 2009
LAURA IZIBOR This burgeoning R&B sensation hails from Ireland and is making noise with the lush, sassy sound of her debut album, Let the Truth Be Told, which shows off a sparkly pop soul sound evoking forebears ranging from Joan Armatrading to Jill Scott. 8 p.m. Nov. 4. (Boston Globe)
The New Black TV Guide Oct 16, 2009
Granted, there have been a few recent bright lights, with Jill Scott (), Sherri Shepherd (Sherri) , Jada Pinkett-Smith (HawthoRNe) andTyler Perry (House of Payne) all producing and starring in prominent shows, and The Cleveland Show has given Fox a bona-fide hit this fall. But we are still a long way away from the late 1980s and early 1990s when networks were going after black audiences with the same vigor they now do men 18 to 24. (Slate)
* MUSIC: Mainstream magnetism Oct 9, 2009
She credits her parents musical tastes for her aptitude for jazz singing, but nowadays she draws inspiration from American R n B and soul singers like Jill Scott and Erykah Badu. She chose her stage name, which is the Japanese pronunciation of Judy Garland, as a tribute to one of her favorite singers (she covers Over the Rainbow on Lovers Jazz). (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
On Demand picks Sep 24, 2009
But Perry makes it easy on us mostly by letting the cast, which includes Janet Jackson, Sharon Leal, Malik Yoba, Tyler Perry, Richard T. Jones, Tasha Smith, and Jill Scott, do what it wants. (PG-13; runs through Oct. 8) WESLEY MORRIS. (Boston Globe)
TV critic Matthew Gilbert predicts this year’s Emmy awards Sep 19, 2009
But it is Jill Scott, as the humane sleuth on The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, whose absence is most conspicuous here. She was a force of nature, as well as funny and endearing. (Boston Globe)
Musicians flex creative muscles on iPhones Sep 9, 2009
Similarly, Jay-J, a San Jose native who has produced remixes for Alicia Keys, Lil' Kim and Jill Scott, used the DigiDrummer app to create the shuffling high hats on the second track of his solo album, "Love Alive," which was released last month. Powerful tool. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Technology)
DVD Report: This week's new releases Sep 6, 2009
Plucky Botswana sleuth Precious Ramotswe (Jill Scott) bustles off the page and onto the screen in the TV adaptation of Alexander McCall Smith s feel-good mystery novels. Extras: featurettes spotlighting the series location filming and the contributions of the late producer Anthony Minghella ( The English Patient ), who directed the pilot. (Boston Globe)
BLACKsummers' Night Sep 2, 2009
So if you're not on board with that you're not going to get why some of us have been impatient for nearly a decade, waiting for the return of Maxwell, who along with D'Angelo, Erykah Badu, Jill Scott and Angie Stone revived the art of soul in the '90s. After Maxwell's eight years away, we have the first part of what is intended to be a trilogy. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Entertainment)
'Mad Men' style Aug 18, 2009
Full-figured Precious, played by singer Jill Scott, wears dangly, bold earrings and bell-sleeved dresses with fitted waists in vibrant mixtures of blue, green and other shades. "People tend to put big women in stuff that's not fitted, and I think it's sexy, it's beautiful, to show off those curves," said Katsaras, born in Cypress and raised in South Africa. (AZCentral -- Style)
Hawkapalooza Set To Kick Off Fall Season Aug 12, 2009
Lupe landed a remarkable three Grammy nominations, including Best Rap Album, Best Rap Solo Performance and Best Rap Song for "Kick Push." He also won the Grammy for Best Urban/Alternative Performance with Jill Scott for their song, "Daydreamin". Lupe returned with a second album Lupe Fiasco's The Cool including the hits "Superstar" and "Paris, Tokyo", and received another four Grammy nominations. (Hawkeyesports.com)
Second Cup Cafe: Chrisette Michele May 23, 2009
Often compared to music legends Billie Holiday and Jill Scott, the Long Island native's true favorite is Ella Fitzgerald. "Be OK" first appeared on her soul-tinged 2007 debut album, "I Am," for which she penned all her own lyrics. (CBS News -- Early Show)
VH1 Presents a Slate of All-New Series, Documentaries and Specials for Summer 2009 May 22, 2009
Launched in 1997, VH1 Soul is the 24-hour network that brings music lovers the hottest, soul, neo-soul an R&B hits from the 90s and today featuring core artists such as Alicia Keys, Jill Scott, Outkast, Mary J. Blige and Usher. VH1 Soul, the premier source for all R&B and soul music, is now seen in the Top 20 U.S. markets for African-Americans and is available in nearly 20 million U.S. households. (Yahoo! Wire -- Entertainment News)
Singer shocked at No. 1 standing May 21, 2009
This time around, Michele, whose voice has earned her comparisons to Billie Holiday and Jill Scott, relinquished some songwriting duties to R&B singer Ne-Yo. Michele talked to CNN about the experience of sharing pen and paper, the real-life epiphany behind "Epiphany" and why she likes making mischief. (CNN -- Showbiz)
Botswana travel contest: 'Who's Your No. 1 Lady' Apr 7, 2009
Seven additional weekly episodes are being shown new this season in both Britain and the U.S. The show stars Jill Scott, an American actress and Grammy Award-winning R&B singer, as Precious Ramotswe. "Africa experts are hoping this wonderful show will inspire viewers to experience on their own the riches that Alexander McCall Smith evokes, from Botswana's varied wildlife and landscapes to its rich tradition of music, culture and art," said Don George, editor in chief of the Adventure Collection,... (Yahoo News)
Precious moves to cable Apr 5, 2009
The novels made their U.S. television debut a week ago as an HBO series, with Jill Scott as Precious. The 10th "Ladies' Detective" novel -- "Tea Time for the Traditionally Built," another of his delightful titles -- arrives April 21. (Erie Times-News, PA)
Can 'Ladies' Detective Agency' solve HBO's Emmy mystery? Apr 3, 2009
For Gina Bellafante of the , "There is a slow-growth, artisanal quality to the franchise, and the series, which stars an excellent Jill Scott as Precious, remains true to it. Anyone impatient with languorous pacing on television is at orange-alert risk of feeling fidgety. Place is paramount in detective fiction and, in due respect, the series was filmed on location in Botswana, imagined in accordance with Mr. McCall Smiths detailed, exuberant vision.". As Robert Bianco of notes, "most of her... (Multichannel News)
Critic's corner Mar 30, 2009
This new crime-solving series, based on the book series by Alexander McCall Smith, is set in Botswana and stars Jill Scott. Tonight's premiere is a special two-hour presentation. (Boston Globe)
No. 1 lady detective series? Mar 29, 2009
The series' main character is Precious Ramotswe, the owner of Botswana's only, and thus No. 1, female-owned detective agency, played by Grammy winning Rer Jill Scott. According to McCall Smith, the television series, like the novels it is based on, is not really about sleuth work. (Yahoo News)
The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency? It Doesn't Even Belong in the Top 10. Mar 27, 2009
Jill Scott in The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency (Sundays at 8 p.m. ET)a beautifully shot, marvelously soporific, sporadically irksome miniseries that reads mostly as a pretense for a glamorous working vacationairs, as they say, not on TV but on HBO. Unlike or or even a befuddled effort like the short-lived John From Cincinnati, this show has no vivid artistic ambitions, only transparent status-seeking aspirations ... On-screen, R&B singer Jill Scott... (Slate)
'No. 1 Ladies' is a sunny diversion Mar 27, 2009
Jill Scott plays Botswanan detective Precious Ramotswe ... Indeed, this mystery series is kind of CBS-y, with some of the old-school crime-solving charm of "The Mentalist." About an astute woman who investigates cheating husbands and missing dogs, "The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency" - with an endearing lead performance by Jill Scott - is actually kind of heart-warming ... THE NO. 1 LADIES' DETECTIVE AGENCY Starring: Jill Scott, Anika Noni Rose, Lucian Msamati, Desmond Dube. (Boston Globe)
Jill Scott in two roles: Detective, mom Mar 27, 2009
Jill Scott stars as Precious Ramotswe, who starts up Botswana's first female-owned detective agency ... By Kelley L. Carter, USA TODAY LOS ANGELES Jill Scott is in the home stretch of one life-changing journey and just starting out on another. (USA Today -- Life)
Out of Africa, one for the ladies Mar 26, 2009
Lucian Msamati, left, is JLB Matekoni; singer Jill Scott, middle, stars as Precious Ramotswe and Desmond Dube plays BK in HBOs The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, based on the popular book series ... Minghella also handpicked Grammy-winning soul singer Jill Scott to play the plucky female heroine Precious Ramotswe, a smart and eternally upbeat woman who leaves her abusive husband and the Botswana countryside, sells her father's cows and moves to the big city, where she opens her own detective... (Globe and Mail -- Entertainment)
Best bets: Monsters vs. Aliens hits Earth Mar 23, 2009
Now HBO is taking "The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency" to the screen, with a 13-part series starring singer Jill Scott as Mma Ramotswe and Anika Noni Rose as her pal Mma Makutsi. (Premieres March 29, 8 p.m., HBO). (MSNBC -- News)
Jill Scott in HBO series debuting next week Mar 13, 2009
Who s in it of note: Rer and part-time Atlantan Jill Scott plays Mma Ramotswe. The competition: Same as that of Kings, which means dramas galore. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
'The Hip Hop Wars' author shares what's on her iPod Mar 13, 2009
Jill Scott, "Love Rain". Total songs: 1,946. (Boston Globe)
People Meter: The Mint karaoke lounge Mar 11, 2009
"The Way" by Jill Scott. What inspires you to karaoke. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Entertainment)
Carnival music reaches beyond New Orleans Feb 19, 2009
Bradshaw and Burton met about two years ago at a show in Charlotte, played tours with Jill Scott and Mary J. Blige and became friends. "I asked him if he would be interested in coming to Jackson and sharing some of that Philadelphia soul with us people downtown in Jackson. He agreed and he brought his brass band," Burton says. (Jackson Clarion Ledger)
National Gospel Recording Artist Tye Tribbett & G.A. Perform In Waco Feb 15, 2009
Following that success, Tye Tribbett went on to tour and perform with some of the biggest names in the secular pop music world including Faith Hill and Tim McGraw, Luther Vandross, Elton John, Don Henley and Jill Scott, among many others. A showcase with Philadelphia neo-soul performer Vivian Green propelled Tye to the forefront when his keyboard skills and buoyant showmanship were recognized by some key players in the music industry. (KWTX.com, TX)
MORE: Seven promising shows Feb 13, 2009
Set and shot in Botswana, this short-run series stars singer Jill Scott as Precious, a "traditionally built African woman" who investigates scams and crimes, some big, mostly small. The puzzles take second place to the eccentric bevy of characters and to McCall's affectionate portrait of Botswana and its people. (USA Today -- Life)
'I Second That Emotion': UNCF Wins Second Image Award for Its Tribute to Smokey Robinson Feb 13, 2009
In recent years, AEOS has featured a Who's Who of recognizable talent, including Stevie Wonder, John Legend, Chaka Khan, Ne-Yo, Nancy Wilson, Beyonce, Anita Baker, Jill Scott, Whoopi Goldberg, Fantasia, Joss Stone, Jennifer Hudson, Michael Bolton, Natalie Cole, Herbie Hancock, Al Jarreau, Hall and Oates, Ziggy Marley, Maroon 5, and scores of others. An Evening of Stars(R) received an NAACP Image Award for its 2006 tribute to Stevie Wonder. (PR Newswire)
