Rantings About Hollywood From a Southern Perspective

MAMA, I’M ON TV!

January 5, 2020 by Wyllisa Bennett Leave a Comment

Spilling the Tea With Claudia Jordan & Co. on Fox Soul

I had the wonderful opportunity to appear as a guest on Fox Soul’s tv show, “Out Loud With Claudia Jordan,” who is one of my favorite tv personalities because she exemplifies both beauty and brains. Plus, she has a wicked sense of humor. The show’s topic addressed gossip, Internet trolls and the rumor mill. All in front of a live studio audience! Lawd, somebody gave me a mic, and I put my 15 minutes of fame to good use! Check out the clip below.

We dished on a lot of things, especially how some careers and made and slayed by the blogs and social media. Now, I subscribe to the school of thought that “all publicity is good publicity!” Of course, there are exceptions to the rule! Joining me in the conversation was entrepreneur J.C. Jones, — who was caught on camera making out with reality star Black China, and lived to tell about it – along with blogger Kyle Anfernee, formerly of The Shade Room, who now runs his own blog, The Neighborhood Talk.

Claudia spilled the tea about her own anguish of being a target in the blogs, and how it almost ruined her career! Oh, and I found out that the rumor about her having an affair with legendary radio jock Tom Joyner and breaking up his marriage was totally untrue! That was a rumor that been around for years! I asked her about it on the air, and glad she came clean about it.

A few tidbits from the show:

Not only was J.C. caught on camera kissing Black China, which caused quite a scandal, but it also outed him as a bisexual man before he had a chance to tell his family and kids in Louisiana! Ouch! Google him!
Just to repeat: Claudia Jordan never had an affair with radio jock Tom Joyner of the Tom Joyner Morning Show. She doesn’t even have his personal phone number!
Blogger Kyle Anfernee admits that Grammy-winner Cardi B hates his guts! Perhaps, it’s because of his friendship with Nicki Minaj. Oh, the shade of it all!
When asked which celebrity I WANTED TO REPRESENT DURING A PR CRISIS – hands down, Nicole Murphy, and the scandalous pictures of her kissing director Antoine Fuqua. Nicole, call me!
When asked which celebrity I WOULD NOT REPRESENT DURING A PR CRISIS – that’s easy — embattled Grammy-winning R & B artist R. Kelly.

To see the full show, click here. Check out my Instagram for more pictures. Thank God for good lighting and a good hair day. Hair and makeup by me. My LBD by Morph Clothing. One dress, so many ways to wear it! The beautiful photos by David Laffe.

OUT LOUD WITH CLAUDIA JORDAN https://vods3-prod.franklyinc.com/foxsoul/foxsoul_1406_90_0_0_24216385_14967168_2.mp4

OUT LOUD WITH CLAUDIA JORDAN https://vods3-prod.franklyinc.com/foxsoul/foxsoul_1406_90_0_0_24216385_14967168_2.mp4

#BOSSLADY

May 17, 2019 by Wyllisa Bennett 6 Comments

State of the Business Address: 18 Years, and I’m Still Standing

On the heels of National Small Business Week (May 5-11, 2019), which highlights the importance of entrepreneurs and small business owners across the country, it’s only fitting that I celebrate 18 years in business as a celebrity publicist, an entrepreneur and a woman-owned minority, micro-business owner! Just like the lyrics of the Elton John song: I’m still standing! (Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!)

It’s been 18 years of sweat and tears! I remember one of my mentors – that is, the late Pat Tobin — a giant figure in public relations — telling me: “If it was easy, everyone would do it!” And she was absolutely right about that. There’s been times of feast, and times of famine; but somehow I’ve managed to keep my head above water and stay afloat. I’m so lucky to do what I love, and get paid for it! I’ll admit it, I have a dream job. But as a celebrity publicist … with the benefits, come the burdens. I’ll tell you all about that in my book one day.

The month of May is particularly special to me because in May 2001, I landed in Los Angeles in pursuit of a more creative lifestyle – both personally and professionally. Gone are the corporate trappings — those golden handcuffs, linked to benefits like healthcare, a 401 (k) retirement plan and four weeks of vacation time as well as other incentives.

Oh how I miss those days! Yes, I gave it all up to be my own boss – i.e. “the boss of me” – and work in my pajamas! Now, my goal for 2019 is “leveling up” my business, so I can wear silk pajamas! I’ll keep you abreast of the strides I’m making! 🙂

Tomorrow, I’ll join a sisterhood of public relations professions like myself for a “Relax and Recharge Beauty Brunch” in Hollywood, hosted by Women In PR — i.e. @WomenInPR1 on Instagram. During the event, I’ve been tapped to serve as a panelist to discuss various topics about the pr industry. My soror and stylist, Kassha Brown has advised me to wear power red; so, I’m selecting and styling my outfit as we speak. (UPDATE: You can see pictures of me in #PowerRed on Instagram.)

Also, as a part of my state of the business address, I wanted to share with you a column I wrote for Reel Urban News, titled “A Snapshot of Public Relations in the Digital Age,” offering commentary on how things have change in the industry over the years. It also includes a gallery of photos with me and other celebrities, whose presence has been so impactful to me and my career.

Welp! That’s that for now. That’s my short, but sweet state of the business address. xo

#BossLady #GirlBoss making #MoneyMoves! #PublicistduJour 🙂

PSA: FOR WELLNESS WEDNESDAY

October 31, 2018 by Wyllisa Bennett Leave a Comment

There’s A Pill For That!

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Consider this a public service announcement!

In Los Angeles County, women living with HIV are predominantly African American (35.4%) or Latina/Hispanic (44.8%), along with an estimated 30 % of transgender women, living with the virus. Today, there’s a pill for that! It’s called PrEP.

Heath professionals, dignitaries, and special guests gathered at the California African American Museum (CAAM) on Wednesday, October 24, 2018 for the launch of the “Sister Friends” video series for HIV awareness, informing women about a pill that can help stop the spread of the virus.

Me and Dr. Leo Moore, a clinical scholar and “Morehouse Man,” who spearheaded the “Sister Friends: Get PrEP’d” video campaign series for LA County Public Health.

The campaign is titled “Sister Friends: Get PrEP’d.” It hopes to increase the awareness and use of the Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (or PrEP) pill among women who are at-risk for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The campaign is spearheaded by Dr. Leo Moore, who is a “Morehouse Man,” a clinical scholar and acting medical director of the Division of HIV and STD Programs at the LA County Department of Public Health.

Like a birth control pill, PrEP is a daily medicine that can prevent HIV infection for HIV-negative individuals who are at risk of being exposed to the virus. Although it is not a vaccine or a cure for HIV, PrEP can reduce the risk of HIV transmission by as much as 99 percent if taken daily as prescribed.

For the “Sister Friends” video series, LA County tapped Daytime Emmy winner and co-host of “The Real,” Loni Love as well as Alicia Machado (Miss Universe 1996) and actress Alexandra Grey (“Transparent” and “Glee”).

For many women, PrEP can be invaluable in staying healthy and HIV-negative when they have a partner who is HIV-positive. The PrEP pill has been shown to be safe for women to use while attempting to get pregnant and during pregnancy, as well as breastfeeding. Most insurance plans, including Medi-Cal, cover the cost of PrEP.

Do you know what this is? A female condom.

In 1991, I remember when basketball great Earvin “Magic” Johnson announced to the world that he had contracted HIV, which forced an early retirement of his basketball career. I was a news assistant at WCNC-TV in Charlotte, and all the tv monitors were tuned in to the “Breaking News.” I remember that my heart stopped and I cried. “This ‘shit’” is real,” I remember saying to myself. And since that day, I’ve gotten tested at every doctor’s appointment to know my status.

Believe it or not, some doctors thought it was unnecessary because I didn’t fall into any “at-risk groups.” Yet, here we are today with Black women disproportionately affected by HIV, and 87 % of woman diagnosed with HIV is through heterosexual contact, according to the CDC.

Kudos to medical advancement! If you want to know if the PrEP pill is right for you, visit www.getPrEPLA.com/women. Plus, a full directory of PrEP providers is available at www.GetPrEPLA.com.

LET’S TALK ABOUT SEX!

Check out the “Sister Friends: Get PrEP’d,” video series, featuring Daytime Emmy winner Loni Love of “The Real.” Press Play!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Religious Leaders Band Together for Auntie Maxine

July 1, 2018 by Wyllisa Bennett Leave a Comment

For Immediate Release

July 1, 2018

MEDIA RELEASE!

LOS ANGELES RELIGIOUS LEADERS BAND TOGETHER
TO SUPPORT CONGRESSWOMAN MAXINE WATERS
IN RESPONSE TO HARSH RHETORIC, DEATH THREATS

Pastors Release Statement, Press Conference Scheduled for Monday, July 2nd

LOS ANGELES – A coalition of religious leaders and black pastors in Los Angeles will hold a press conference at 3 p.m. on Monday, July 2, 2018 in front of the office of Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), located at 10124 South Broadway in Los Angeles. The coalition is being organized by Pastor Shane B. Scott, who is a senior pastor at the Macedonia Baptist Church.

At the press conference, the pastors will show support for Congresswoman Waters, who has received criticism from the White House as well as death threats for her call to publically confront White House staffers for the way the Trump Administration is treating and separating immigrant families.

The pastors feel the words and intensions of the congresswoman have been mischaracterized and taken out of context because she is a black woman who is passionately imploring people with a conscience to confront Trump supporters about the administration’s anti-immigrant agenda. The harsh rhetoric from the White House and the double standard of Congresswoman Waters are seen as racist, and a weapon of words used to energize Trump supporters for the mid-term elections.

“Auntie Maxine”

STATEMENT BY PASTOR SHANE B. SCOTT ON BEHALF OF RELIGIOUS LEADERS:

“As we prepare to celebrate the Fourth of July, our democracy is under attack and we’re on the verge of a constitutional crisis under the Trump Administration. This administration has created an atmosphere of divisiveness to satisfy the base, and not represent all people in the United States of America. Immigrant children have been separated from their families at the borders. Trump’s travel ban is rooted in anti-Muslim prejudices, which discriminates against religious freedoms and lawmakers ignore implementing reasonable gun laws to stop mass shootings in our most sacred public places. This is not who America is suppose to be. We are better than this. Congresswoman Maxine Waters is courageously raising her voice and leading the fight in the Democratic Party to maintain the moral fiber of this country. She is a true patriot, and she should be celebrated as such. She has been an exemplary public servant for all the people, and any attempts to disrespect, discredit or assassinate her character are unwelcomed and unwarranted.” – Pastor Shane B. Scott

“Please resign. … So that I won’t have to keep up this fight of having you impeached because I don’t think you deserve to be there. Just get out.” — Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA) about Donald Trump

BLACK, BY POPULAR DEMAND!

May 24, 2018 by Wyllisa Bennett Leave a Comment

The Duke and Duchess of Sussez

SPOILER ALERT: I am going to use the word “black” a lot in this post and my latest column for the California Crusader News. Because spring is in the air, and it seems like everyone is catching spring fever even more so … for the love of black culture. The month of April sprung forth many blossoms of Black Pride by popular demand!

In April, Beyonce’ slayed so hard at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, it was dubbed #Beychella. She was the first black woman to headline the show. Secondly, Compton’s very own critically-acclaimed rapper Kendrick Lamar wins the Pulitzer Prize for his 2017 album, “DAMN.” It’s the first for a hip hop artist. Who needs a Grammy Award when you can have a Pulitzer? His album lost out to Bruno Mars’s “24K Magic” for Album of the Year; but the Pulitzer Prize is certainly more prestigious, and more importantly, a huge milestone for the music genre that was initially dissed by the mainstream.

And finally, there’s the historic run of “Black Panther,” the crown jewel of Black Pride. Directed by Ryan Cooglar, it features a predominantly black cast as well as a bunch of empowered, kick-ass beautiful black women, wearing natural hair! Breaking box office records, the Marvel superhero movie has raked in more than a $1.33 billion globally, and last month, knocked off “Titanic” to become the third, highest grossing movie of all time in the United States, behind “Star Wars: the Force Awakens” and “Avatar,” respectively.

But May brought forth even more blooms. I love it when black culture pops up in unexpected places like say: a royal wedding. I mean was I alone, getting up in the middle of the night to make sure a Black girl from Crenshaw Boulevard walk down the aisle at Windsor Castle to marry Prince Harry! Side note: I’ve traveled to London, and visited Windsor Castle. It’s pretty ritzy!

A black mother, wearing dreads and a nose ring. A black preacher, preaching over his allotted time limit. A black choir, singing “Stand by Me.” A black cellist, playing oh so beautifully, and he’s the first black performer to be named to Britain’s Young Musician of the Year. And of course, Black Twitter had its fun with the hashtag: #BlackRoyal Wedding! Only one thing was missing, and that was the sound of tambourines, accompanying the choir! Oh well, we can’t have everything.

And then there’s news of Stacey Abrams, a state legislator in Georgia, who won her gubernatorial primary, becoming the first black woman to be a major party nominee for governor in the U-S of A!

Beyonce: She Did It for the Culture

It’s been an incredible season of celebrating black culture for sure. But, back to Beyonce! All hail Queen Bey! She did it for the culture! To borrow a line from her husband – a lyric in Jay-Z’s “Izzo” (H.O.V.A.). Because nothing exemplifies black culture like a good, old-fashioned homecoming, which takes place during the fall on the campuses of historically black colleges and universities (HBCU).

You can read more of my thoughts about Beyonce’s historic Coachella performance and how she created an incredible opus, celebrating blackness – black art, black beauty and black culture in my latest column for the California Crusader News. CCN#20_May_10_2018

Illustration of Beyonce at Coachella by Nigerian artist Morenike Olusanya.

SPECIAL SHOUT OUT 2 ARTIST MORENIKE OLUSANYA

I’m excited to spotlight the illustration of Beyonce by Morenike Olusanya, a 23-year-old visual artist, illustrator and graphic designer from Lagos, Nigeria. To view her work, visit her website at IamRenike.carbonmade.com or follow her on Twitter and Instagram at @IamRenike

FOR WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH: Girl Crushes, Vision Boards and Virtual Mentors

March 31, 2018 by Wyllisa Bennett 1 Comment

Excited to bump into a “virtual mentor.” Lena Waithe became the first African American woman to win an Emmy for writing on Netflix’s “Master of None.”

Today is the last day of Women’s History Month. What a glorious idea to spend a whole month celebrating feminism, female empowerment and girl crushes.

I think it’s no coincidence that “Wonder Woman,” directed by a woman, made over $1 billion at the box office worldwide, cementing its place in history as one of the top-selling superhero movies of all time because I feel like women are really coming into their own.

Already, it’s been an incredible year of celebrating African American women in front of and behind the camera, especially with the release of “Black Panther,” empowering actresses Letitia Wright, Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, and of course, Angela Bassett (a girl crush) to portray such strong, powerful Black women on the big screen. (And their natural hairstyles were giving me so much life!)

For the past two months – i.e. Black History Month and Women’s History Month — I’ve been offering commentary about the accomplishments of African Americans and women on several radio shows where I serve as an entertainment correspondent.

The dynamic women of “Black Panther.”

Still, all year long, I’ve been bursting with joy on the inside because I’ve had these random, yet special moments with some of the very women who I’ve admired from afar. Some may call these chance meetings a coincidence, but I don’t. I like to think of them as breadcrumbs that God is leaving behind to let me know my life is moving in the right direction. Almost, like he’s giving me clues to the next chapter of my story. This is how I “listen to my life,” if you know what I mean.

In the book, “The Hollywood Commandments: the Spiritual Guide to Secular Success,” New York Times bestselling author DeVon Franklin offers life lessons and advice for success by combining “spiritual teachings with secular strategies.” In one of the chapters, he talks about having “virtual mentors” – that is, leaders in your field who you know, but may not know you — who can serve as mentors by studying their career path, projects, social media posts, interviews, etc. (Don’t be a stalker, though.)

This is great advice because it helps you think about your career in a different way, setting new goals and aspirations to make your dreams come true. It’s like living vicariously through someone else until your dream pops off, and then hopefully, you become a virtual mentor to someone else.

I have a list of virtual mentors. One of them is my former colleague Ava DuVernay, who I know from working in PR together. As the publicist of record for the Pan African Film Festival (PAFF), I supported her early movies, “I Will Follow” and “Middle of Nowhere,” and promoted her projects within my professional circles. And look at her now! She went from being an entertainment publicist to making history as the first Black woman to be nominated for a Golden Globe as director of “Selma;” she’s the first African American woman to direct a live-action film with a budget of more than $100 million with “A Wrinkle in Time,” AND she’ll be the first African American woman to direct a superhero film, “New Gods” from DC Comics. (She’s the second woman to helm a superhero film, behind Patty Jenkins’ “Wonder Woman.”)

I’m excited about the doors she’s opening for other women, too. Along with Oprah Winfrey, she’s the executive producer of OWN’s “Queen Sugar,” and for all three seasons, she’s hired only female directors like Julie Dash (“Daughters of the Dust”), Tanya Hamilton (“Night Catches Us”), Victoria Mahoney (“Yelling to the Sky”) and actress Salli Richardson-Whitfield (“A Low Down Dirty Shame,” “Eureka” and “Pastor Brown”).

“If Game of Thrones can have three seasons of all male directors, why can’t we have three seasons of all women directors?” 🤷🏾‍♀️ https://t.co/e2xTDy8fXw

— Ava DuVernay (@ava) March 21, 2018

MAMA, I’M ON TV!

Spilling the Tea With Claudia Jordan & Co. on Fox Soul

#BOSSLADY

State of the Business Address: 18 Years, and I’m Still Standing