OPEN erotica

The coolest new erotica blog and journal is OPEN
edited by Fayemi Shakur and Michael A. Gonzales
photo edited by Akintola Hanif
http://openerotica.com

Absolute Funk: An Interstellar Trip to Honor the “Godfather of Funk,” George Clinton

Absolute Funk: An Interstellar Tribute to George Clinton, The Godfather of Funk

Oct 25, 2011 7:30 pm | Tuesday

Industry veteran and all-around cool person Vivian Scott Chew
is one of the producers of this tribute to wild man and musical genius
George Clinton, which looks like it's going to be one of funky night. Having
first seen the P-Funk crew on stage of the Apollo back in the day when funk
was a baby and grown men wore diapers, I couldn't think of a better place for
this stellar line-up to bring the noise.

Below is a press release that explains everything, but any jam
featuring Bootsy Collins, Bernie Worrell and Nona Hendryx, three
of my favorite '70s artists, is where I'm going to be. As a fan of the funk,
it sounds like the roof will be on fire at the Apollo come Tuesday night,
where there will also be a tribute video conceived and produced
by Reginald Hudlin and Vivian Scott Chew.

For more info, please read the press release below. For 30% ticket discount, please go to: www.thewordpr.co/AbsoluteFunk.html

STAT! For New York City’s Public Hospitals! and KISS FM present

Absolute Funk: An Interstellar Trip to Honor the “Godfather of Funk,” George Clinton

Tuesday, October 25, Apollo Theater, 7:30 P.M.

Original P-Funkers Bootsy Collins and Bernie Worrell join

Musical Director Ray Chew (“American Idol,” Showtime at the Apollo”) and an All-Star Line-Up including Sheila E., Paul Shaffer, Nona Hendryx, Questlove, Tye Tribbett, Fab 5 Freddy, Full Force, Vernon Reid, Dallas Austin, Doug E. Fresh, & Kim Burrell

(New York, NY) – The second annual STAT! For New York City’s Public Hospitals! (www.stathhc.org) is being presented by New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC) and The Fund for HHC from October 23 – 30, with one concert in each borough. On Tuesday, October 25, STAT! For New York City’s Public Hospitals! and KISS FM will host a tribute to legendary musician George Clinton, the “Godfather of Funk,” at the Apollo Theater.

The STAT! 2011 centerpiece concert directed by Ray Chew, musical director of American Idol will celebrate George Clinton’s fifty years in entertainment. Original Parliament Funkadelic members Bootsy Collins and Bernie Worrell will reunite for the evening and will be joined with a great assortment of musical artists that have been influenced by George Clinton’s illustrious career. Sheila E., Paul Shaffer, Nona Hendryx, Questlove, Tye Tribbett, Fab 5 Freddy, Full Force, Vernon Reid, Dallas Austin, Doug E. Fresh, & Kim Burrell will all perform as part of the homage.

The event is co-created and produced by Reginald Hudlin (Director of movies "House Party," "Boomerang," "BeBe Kids" and TV shows "Modern Family," "The Middle," and "Psyche") along with Chew Entertainment co-founder, Vivian Scott Chew who was responsible for the 1996 landing of The Mothership in Central Park.

Tickets to STAT! 2011 are available at www.stathhc.org or by calling 646-458-2815.

STAT! For New York City's Public Hospitals! is in part possible thanks to the support of the following sponsors: Jet Blue, American Airlines, TD Bank, Office Max, Aloft Harlem Hotel, Emblem Health, Greater New York Healthcare Association, Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP, Cardinal Health, MetroPlus, Sodexo, Dallas BBQ, Verizon Wireless, Au Bon Pain, and more. Media partners include: KISS FM, Hot 97, Metro New York, Amsterdam News, Village Voice, El Diario, WLIB, and Telemundo T-47.

STAT! 2011 will benefit New York City's public healthcare facilities, celebrate HHC’s 37,000 employees, and help raise awareness about the important role that our public hospitals and healthcare facilities play in the city of New York. A portion of the proceeds from this year’s series of events will also help launch Guns Down, Life Up, an initiative to combat gun violence.

STAT! For New York City's Public Hospitals! is in part possible thanks to the support of the following sponsors: Jet Blue, American Airlines, TD Bank, Office Max, Aloft Harlem Hotel, Emblem Health, Greater New York Healthcare Association, Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP, Cardinal Health, MetroPlus, Sodexo, Dallas BBQ, Verizon Wireless, and more. Media partners include: KISS FM, Hot 97, Metro New York, Amsterdam News, Village Voice, El Diario, WLIB, and Telemundo T-47.

About STAT!

STAT! For New York City’s Public Hospitals! was conceived by longtime philanthropic supporters of HHC and by The Fund for HHC, which works to raise community awareness and promote equal access to healthcare.

About HHC

The New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC) is a $6.7 billion integrated health care delivery system with its own 480,000 member health plan, MetroPlus, and is the largest municipal healthcare organization in the country. HHC serves 1.3 million New Yorkers every year and more than 475,000 are uninsured. HHC provides medical, mental health, and substance abuse services through its 11 acute care hospitals, four skilled nursing facilities, six large diagnostic and treatment centers and more than 80 community based clinics. HHC Health and Home Care also provides in-home services for New Yorkers. HHC was the 2008 recipient of the National Quality Forum John M. Eisenberg Award for Innovation in Patient Safety and Quality. For more information, visit www.nyc.gov/hhc.

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July 13, 1977 (a poem)

by michael a. gonzales

living uptown, the night of blackout '77
i remember a bunch of hollering boys on our block
playing stickball in the street
as miss josephine sat on the stoop
eating a greasy fish sandwich, her radio tuned to wwrl
while screaming girls twirled, playing jacks behind her back
sweat dripping from their brown skinned faces
"it's hot as hell," grandma used to say
"hot as fish grease," somebody screamed

of course, most folks on my block didn't own air-conditioners
just wack-ass fans that blew hot air, stale air, dusty air
while that girl robin across the street, fine as red-bone wine
sat braiding her sister's wild hair, tangled from playing in the
open hydrant...

little sister sat still until the ice cream truck
came creeping down the street
playing the same song over and over and over
had to wonder how the driver didn't go crazy
between the repeating music and screaming kids
others would've flipped their lid, but dude was always calm
as he made banana boats and coke floats and chocolate cones
overflowing with sprinkles

as the sun settled down to sleep
somewhere in the distance lightning struck
and twice, the street lights flickered