Sunday, December 25, 2011
Friday, December 23, 2011
THE TOP 10 ILLI MO A&E NEWZ STORIES OF 2011
From the debut of talk show guru Oprah Winfrey's network, OWN to the pending drug possession trial of Chicago Bears' Sam Hurd, there were many arts and entertainment newz stories that made headlines in 2011 not just in the bi state area but also nation and internation-wide. Below are the Top 10 BIG A&E STORIEZ of 2011 according to OUTTOWN from #10 to #1
10. Kanye West in 2011. This Chicago bred superstar made headlines all of 2011. Starting off the year with his 13 minute mini movie, "Runaway" from his #1 CD, "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy," West made newz for debuting his own clothing line KW during Paris Fashion Week, getting sued by two artists on copyright infringement (Chicago soul bluesman Syl Johnson and upcoming rapper Vince P )releasing the successful CD, "Watch The Throne" and subsequent concert tour with mentee Jay Z, visiting Occupy Wall Street protesters in the summer in NYC and in November, receiving the most nods for the upcoming 54th Annual Grammy Awards (with seven).
9.Bob Costas Lands Interview With Former Penn State Coach Jerry Sandusky. Emmy Award winning sports journalist Bob Costas, who began his career in St. Louis, made news when he landed an interview with former Penn State coach Jerry Sandusky after charges were filed against the coach on molesting young boys during his tenure at the university. It was a bizarre affair seen on NBC's "Rock Center" where Sandusky answered questions with his attorney present that made him look even more like a pedophile.
8. Eminem is Crowned King of Hip-Hop . The St Joseph native and Missouri semi raised rapper was quiet on the charts in 2011, but he made noise for his body of work when Rolling Stone Magazine ranked him the King of Hip Hop in August in front of contenders Jay Z (5th place)and Chitown bred Kanye West (4th place).
7.Lupe Fiasco Calls President Barack Obama a Terrorist. In June, Chicago native rapper Lupe Fiasco was on CBS News talking about politics in his music and quipped that President Obama was the biggest terrorist and doesnt vote. The controversial comment even had steep Republican conservatist talk show Bill O'Reilly to have the rapper on his show soon after to talk about the comment.
10. Kanye West in 2011. This Chicago bred superstar made headlines all of 2011. Starting off the year with his 13 minute mini movie, "Runaway" from his #1 CD, "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy," West made newz for debuting his own clothing line KW during Paris Fashion Week, getting sued by two artists on copyright infringement (Chicago soul bluesman Syl Johnson and upcoming rapper Vince P )releasing the successful CD, "Watch The Throne" and subsequent concert tour with mentee Jay Z, visiting Occupy Wall Street protesters in the summer in NYC and in November, receiving the most nods for the upcoming 54th Annual Grammy Awards (with seven).
9.Bob Costas Lands Interview With Former Penn State Coach Jerry Sandusky. Emmy Award winning sports journalist Bob Costas, who began his career in St. Louis, made news when he landed an interview with former Penn State coach Jerry Sandusky after charges were filed against the coach on molesting young boys during his tenure at the university. It was a bizarre affair seen on NBC's "Rock Center" where Sandusky answered questions with his attorney present that made him look even more like a pedophile.
8. Eminem is Crowned King of Hip-Hop . The St Joseph native and Missouri semi raised rapper was quiet on the charts in 2011, but he made noise for his body of work when Rolling Stone Magazine ranked him the King of Hip Hop in August in front of contenders Jay Z (5th place)and Chitown bred Kanye West (4th place).
7.Lupe Fiasco Calls President Barack Obama a Terrorist. In June, Chicago native rapper Lupe Fiasco was on CBS News talking about politics in his music and quipped that President Obama was the biggest terrorist and doesnt vote. The controversial comment even had steep Republican conservatist talk show Bill O'Reilly to have the rapper on his show soon after to talk about the comment.
6.Melissa McCarthy Becomes a Breakout Star . The Plainfield, Illinois actress became a breakout star in 2011. Riding off the debut season of the CBS hit, Mike and Molly," and scene stealing in the crude hit film, "Bridesmaids," the fluffy actress copped an Emmy Award for Best Actress in A Comedy this fall in a coronation themed segment in the show. She also got raves hosting "Saturday Night Live" in October yielding the shows biggest ratings in years. Later in the year she landed the cover of EW where it dubbed her The New Queen of Comedy.
5.Derrick Rose Makes History Winning the MVP Award. Chicago Bulls star Derrick Rose made history in May when he became the youngest player, at age 22, to win the MVP Award in May for his outstanding 2010-11 Season, a feat even former Bullster Michael Jordan, who won it five times, never done. 
4.Former Illinois Governor/Reality Show Star Rod Blagojaveich Gets Retried/Sentenced on Bribery Charges. The looming Blago Trial of 2010 (which was OUTTOWN's No 1 Story of 2010) lingered into 2011 with the retrial in June where his 20 counts of bribery and corruption charges, including trying to sell the Senate seat of now President Obama, was going to be decided in October but was delayed in December when one of Blago' s associates trial was going to be held. Then in December, the jury found the former Illinois Governor guilty on all counts and was given 14 years in prison and a fine of $25K and to begin his sentence in February. 
3.The St Louis Cardinals Win The World Series. The St Louis Cardinals had a whirlwind of drama its entire 2011 season from slugger Albert Pujols not being re-signed before the start of the 2011 Season, pitcher Adam Wainwright's season ending arm surgery, pitcher Ryan Franklin losing his closer job after a series of boos and the Cards making barely making the playoffs. But things started to turn around in September after being 101/2 games out of first place and eventually winning the NL Conference Title and playing the Texas Rangers in the World Series. In one of the greatest World Series games in MLB history in Game 6, third baseman David Freese became a hero with his 11th inning homerun (even making guest appearances on The Tonight show and the Country Music Awards)at Busch Stadium keeping the team's chances alive and eventually winning in Game 7 also there. The Fox ratings for the series was the highest rankings since the 2004 World series (SEE TOP STL STORIES FOR MORE INFO)
2.Actor Charlie Sheen's My Violent Torpedo of Truth Tour Makes a Stop in Chicago. Actor Charlie Sheen had a big year in 2011 for his antics regarding his feud with CBS and the show, "Two and Half Men," leading to his firing in February. As a result, Sheen went on several interviews blasting CBS and said that he was the one "winning" (the catchphrase of 2011) and drinking Tigerblood for stamina. All this lead to a media frenzy sold out tour, titled, "My Violent Torpedo of Truth Tour/Defeat is Not An Option Tour that started off rocky in Detroit in April with fans booing him and eventually walking out. But, the next stop in Chicago at the Chicago Theatre after some retooling, got the crowd applauding him even giving him a standing ovation.AND THE NO. 1 A&E STORY of 2011 IS:
1. Oprah Winfrey Says Farewell to Her Daytime Talk Show/Debuts OWN. 2011 was a topsy-turvy year for the talk show queen who began the year debuting her much hyped multi million dollar network OWN on Jan. 1 replacing the Discovery Channel. But even the Big O had a troubling start as the ratings were far from spectacular yielding Winfrey to fire the director of OWN and doing the job herself.In the meantime, the newz was on Oprah leaving her long running Emmy Award winning daytime talk show in May. During the final week, there was a big star studded taping of a farewell concerts that aired May 23 and 24 in two parts for Oprah at the United Center in Chicago. Those who bid her farewell (and were a surprise for the talk show host ) were Will Smith, Tom Hanks, Dr Maya Angelou, Beyonce, Usher, and Aretha Franklin among many.
Then on May 25, Oprah did her final show, with no guests or fan fare, just her and the audience as she talked about her 25 years on air and ended by saying, " I wont say goodbye. I'll just say, until we meet again. God be the glory," as she fought back tears, kissed her longtime boyfriend Stedman Graham and hugged members of the audience.
Oprah, who moved permanently to Los Angeles to run OWN after her daytime show duties ended, followed trying to save her fledgling network by debuting two shows "The Rosie Show" starring Rosie O'Donell (that filmed inside Harpo Studios on her old talk show set) and the reality documentary series "Welcome To Sweetie Pies" Ironically, the much hyped O'Donell' s show was not the saving grace meanwhile the unknown, St Louis based "Sweetie Pies' became a runaway hit .
She ended the year reporting that she would return doing a show on her network, "The Next Chapter" in January, renewing "Sweetie Pies" to a second season, quelling rumors that she was angry at BFF Gayle King for leaving OWN for CBS from a letter from OWN read by talk show host Wendy Williams on her show and focusing on shows geared toward African Americans.
In unrelated newz, Oprah received an honorary Oscar in November for her humanitarian work.
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THE TOP 10 STL A&E NEWZ STORIES of 2011
From the announcement in January that St. Louis born educator/poet Dr Maya Angelou and st. Louis Cardinals legend Stan Musial were two of several who would receive the National Freedoms Award from President Obama at The White House to St Louis Rams' wide receiver rookie Austin Pettis receiving a four game suspension in December for taking performance enhancement drugs this season, St Louis had many arts and entertainment based events and notable stories that not only made an impact in the city, but also across the country.
Eight of the 10 stories chosen were sports related.
Below are the BIG STL A&E STORIEZ of 2011 from #10 to #1
6.St Louis Cardinals veteran Stan Musial Receives the National Freedoms Award. After a lengthy campaign in 2010 by stalwart St Louis Cardinals fans to persuade President Obama to give Stan the Man the National Freedoms Award, it became reality late last year that he along with several other noted people (including St Louis born poet/educator Dr Maya Angelou) would receive his award in February. It was an important moment for Cards fans, even slugger Albert Pujols delayed his contract negotiations that week with the organization in respects to Musial's day.
5.The Cardinals Rally Squirrel Becomes a Phenomenon During The Playoffs and World Series. During the Oct 5 Game between the Cardinals and the Phillies in Busch Stadium a weird happening occurred when a random squirrel appeared on the field and ran across home plate. As a result, the furry animal became a national phenom and a celebrity mascot for the Cardinals winning a spot in the World Series yielding a Twitter page, Rally towels and tee-shirts for Cards fans throughout the playoffs and the Cards eventual World Series achievement.
4.St. Louis Cardinals Manager Tony LaRussa Retires From Baseball. The past few months of this year for the St. Louis Cardinals has seen its share of swooping highs (winning the World Series) and swooping lows (Albert Pujols leaving the Cards for the Angels). In between both extremes was the shocking newz that its Skipper, Tony LaRussa, not only was departing as the manager of the Cards after 11 years, but he was retiring from baseball (some were not who listened to JC Cochran's show on KTRS where he hinted at LaRussa's intentions a month prior) --and he announced it during a press conference a couple days after St. Louis' win of the World Series in October. It made national newz, even getting him landed in the chair talking about it with David Letterman on his talk show. LaRussa became the first manager to retire in the same season after a World Series.
3.St. Louis Holds a World Series Pep Rally for the St Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium/MVP David Freese Receives The Key to the City. For a few weeks in October, St Louis was the talk of the country after the Cardinals' historic 11th World Series victory. What followed was an insanely populated rally that took place the Sunday after the victory in downtown St. Louis where hundreds of thousands of fans dressed in the team's red and white colors caught a glimpse of its heroes being heralded in a mini parade that ended at Busch Stadium. There, a quickly sold out rally had taken place where the team and its organization were celebrated. The highlight of the event was when St Louis Mayor Francis Slay had given the hero of Game 6 of the Series, MVPer and third baseman David Freese the Key to the City.
2.St Louis Cardinals Slugger Albert Pujols Leaves The Organization/Signs a $250 Million Deal with the Anaheim Angels. Throughout slugger Albert Pujols career, he has been dubbed "The Next..."Well, when December arrived, he became , "The Pariah." Pujols' final season with the St Cardinals was a bit aloof after the organization didnt re-sign Pujols before his deadline in February and the beginning of the 2011 Season clenching the fact he would be a Free Agent soon to be.
1. The St. Louis Cardinals Win The World Series at Busch Stadium.We wouldn’t be surprised if Oct 29 will become a holiday in St Louis when that was the day that The St Louis Cardinals won its 11th World Series Title in 2011 (dubbed “11 in 11”) by defeating the Texas Rangers. Yet the road to the Series was not easy. A frantic rush from 10½ games out in late August to reach the postseason on the final day of qualification was succeeded. Then, when they clenched the World Series slot in the Playoffs against the Phillies in early October, to play against the Rangers.
Below are the BIG STL A&E STORIEZ of 2011 from #10 to #1
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10. Mizzou Tigers Splits with Big 12 Conference. There have been rumors and rumblings about the Mizzou football team ciphering their ties from the iron clad Big 12 Conference to The Big 10 Southeastern Conference in mid 2010. It came into reality in November and it will be official in July.
9.St Louis Based Production Team Foxx Starstuckk Sues Saturday Night Live's Andy Samberg and Lonely Island for Royalties. In November, the Emmy award nominated St. Louis production duo Foxx Starstrukk (Monique Hines and Aleric Banks) filed suit in NYC claiming Saturday Night Live based group Lonely Island and NBC did not pay them production royalties when NBC used their beats for the Emmy Award nominated song, "Shy Ronnie" that was featured in a SNL Digisode featuring Rihanna and Lonely Island. The case is still pending.
8. St. Louis Filmed Reality Documentary Series "Welcome To Sweetie Pies" Becomes a Big Hit on OWN. Who knew that a documentary about a former backup singer for Ike and Tina Turner turned soul food proprietor in St. Louis (Robbie Montgomery) and her family and work brood would become the saving grace of megamillion TV goddess Oprah Winfrey's ratings waned OWN? The series, which filmed this spring in St Louis, aired this Fall and became a smash hit. So much, that The Big O greenlit a second season that began filming in December and will air next Spring.
7.Former St Louis Rams Player Marshall Faulk is Inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame.
10. Mizzou Tigers Splits with Big 12 Conference. There have been rumors and rumblings about the Mizzou football team ciphering their ties from the iron clad Big 12 Conference to The Big 10 Southeastern Conference in mid 2010. It came into reality in November and it will be official in July.
9.St Louis Based Production Team Foxx Starstuckk Sues Saturday Night Live's Andy Samberg and Lonely Island for Royalties. In November, the Emmy award nominated St. Louis production duo Foxx Starstrukk (Monique Hines and Aleric Banks) filed suit in NYC claiming Saturday Night Live based group Lonely Island and NBC did not pay them production royalties when NBC used their beats for the Emmy Award nominated song, "Shy Ronnie" that was featured in a SNL Digisode featuring Rihanna and Lonely Island. The case is still pending.
8. St. Louis Filmed Reality Documentary Series "Welcome To Sweetie Pies" Becomes a Big Hit on OWN. Who knew that a documentary about a former backup singer for Ike and Tina Turner turned soul food proprietor in St. Louis (Robbie Montgomery) and her family and work brood would become the saving grace of megamillion TV goddess Oprah Winfrey's ratings waned OWN? The series, which filmed this spring in St Louis, aired this Fall and became a smash hit. So much, that The Big O greenlit a second season that began filming in December and will air next Spring.
7.Former St Louis Rams Player Marshall Faulk is Inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame. Despite the NFL Lockout that was going on during the summer days of August, the NFL Hall of Fame festivities remained intact as former St. Louis Rams running back Marshall Faulk, who was part of the 1999 Greatest Team on Turf Super Bowl Champs, was inducted into the Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.
The remaining six stories are all associated with each other directly and indirectly.
6.St Louis Cardinals veteran Stan Musial Receives the National Freedoms Award. After a lengthy campaign in 2010 by stalwart St Louis Cardinals fans to persuade President Obama to give Stan the Man the National Freedoms Award, it became reality late last year that he along with several other noted people (including St Louis born poet/educator Dr Maya Angelou) would receive his award in February. It was an important moment for Cards fans, even slugger Albert Pujols delayed his contract negotiations that week with the organization in respects to Musial's day. 
5.The Cardinals Rally Squirrel Becomes a Phenomenon During The Playoffs and World Series. During the Oct 5 Game between the Cardinals and the Phillies in Busch Stadium a weird happening occurred when a random squirrel appeared on the field and ran across home plate. As a result, the furry animal became a national phenom and a celebrity mascot for the Cardinals winning a spot in the World Series yielding a Twitter page, Rally towels and tee-shirts for Cards fans throughout the playoffs and the Cards eventual World Series achievement.
4.St. Louis Cardinals Manager Tony LaRussa Retires From Baseball. The past few months of this year for the St. Louis Cardinals has seen its share of swooping highs (winning the World Series) and swooping lows (Albert Pujols leaving the Cards for the Angels). In between both extremes was the shocking newz that its Skipper, Tony LaRussa, not only was departing as the manager of the Cards after 11 years, but he was retiring from baseball (some were not who listened to JC Cochran's show on KTRS where he hinted at LaRussa's intentions a month prior) --and he announced it during a press conference a couple days after St. Louis' win of the World Series in October. It made national newz, even getting him landed in the chair talking about it with David Letterman on his talk show. LaRussa became the first manager to retire in the same season after a World Series. 
3.St. Louis Holds a World Series Pep Rally for the St Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium/MVP David Freese Receives The Key to the City. For a few weeks in October, St Louis was the talk of the country after the Cardinals' historic 11th World Series victory. What followed was an insanely populated rally that took place the Sunday after the victory in downtown St. Louis where hundreds of thousands of fans dressed in the team's red and white colors caught a glimpse of its heroes being heralded in a mini parade that ended at Busch Stadium. There, a quickly sold out rally had taken place where the team and its organization were celebrated. The highlight of the event was when St Louis Mayor Francis Slay had given the hero of Game 6 of the Series, MVPer and third baseman David Freese the Key to the City.
2.St Louis Cardinals Slugger Albert Pujols Leaves The Organization/Signs a $250 Million Deal with the Anaheim Angels. Throughout slugger Albert Pujols career, he has been dubbed "The Next..."Well, when December arrived, he became , "The Pariah." Pujols' final season with the St Cardinals was a bit aloof after the organization didnt re-sign Pujols before his deadline in February and the beginning of the 2011 Season clenching the fact he would be a Free Agent soon to be. Despite the contractual drama, and a near season ending arm injury, Pujols still delivered on the mound breaking and making records during regular and post season including becoming the third player in history to hit three homeruns in a World Series game. Soon after the World Series victory, he became a free agent and received a long planned 10 foot statue in front of his eatery Pujols 5 at West port Plaza.
The negotiations of his return with the Cards swiftly became headline news again. Rumors were flying that Pujols was interested in signing with The Cubs (after the hugging "incident" with GM Jim Hendry during a game at Wrigley Field game in May) and the newly named Miami Marlins. St Louis talk host HJC Cochran put a bug on his KTRS radio ears in mid November that Pujols was set to sign again with The Cardinals through a reliable source, which was true up until the final hours when the Cards offered him $200 million for five years which brought a snag in Pujols' hopes for a 10 year deal. Then during the final hours in mid December , out of left field, the Anaheim Angels gave him what he wanted and more--$250 million for 10 years with no restrictions.
After the announcement of Pujols' departure to a new team, St Louis fans began "Judas--ing" the slugger even having security guards to guard the newly erected statue in his honor he received a month prior.
AND THE NO. 1 STL A&E STORY OF 2011 IS:
NO DOUBT
1. The St. Louis Cardinals Win The World Series at Busch Stadium.We wouldn’t be surprised if Oct 29 will become a holiday in St Louis when that was the day that The St Louis Cardinals won its 11th World Series Title in 2011 (dubbed “11 in 11”) by defeating the Texas Rangers. Yet the road to the Series was not easy. A frantic rush from 10½ games out in late August to reach the postseason on the final day of qualification was succeeded. Then, when they clenched the World Series slot in the Playoffs against the Phillies in early October, to play against the Rangers. The Series began on October 19, and The Cardinals enjoyed home-field advantage for the series. As the Series progressed, the series turned into an epic movie when Game 6 came into play. The game was originally scheduled for Wednesday, October 26, but was postponed due to heavy rain in the forecast but was played the next day. The Cards were a game behind the rangers leading into Game 6 (2-3) and had to win both game 6 to tie and Game 7 to win.
And then, the unbelievable happened. When it looked as though the Rangers were about to clench a victory in Game 6 at Busch Stadium, the Cards kept coming back even going into the 11th inning resulting in the game tied 9-9 and third baseman David Freese, who became the MVOP of the Series, hitting a homerun at the bottom of the 11th and adding an extra run making it 10-9 and tying the Series 3-3. After boosted hope that the Cards had a chance of winning the Series, it all was decided in Game 7 , which appeared anti-climatic after Game 6, and the Cards was able to hold out to win at the top of the 9th 6-2.
Critics and sports pundits have agreed that the comeback season of the Cardinals was one of the historic moments ever in MLB history. The overall average national Nielsen rating for the seven games was 10.0, with Fox's 14.7 rating for Game 7 being the network's highest for a World Series telecast since Game 4 of the 2004 World Series.
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THE TOP 20 STL PROMOCIALITES,TOP 10 STL FEMALES,AND TOP 10 STL MALES OF 2011
From veteran promotions group 13 Black Katz to newbie promotions group rappers MCG and Vega, St. Louis has seen a major jump in the number of promoters who bring various networking and music events to the city for the social life stars to be seen and photographed. BELOW, OUTTOWN lists the Top 10 Promocialites (Promoters and Socialites) of 2011 as calculated by the number of times each listed person was named Promocialicious each week on OUTTOWN.
HERE ARE THE TOP 10 MALES FROM #10 to# 1.
10. Fred Finley and Harry Michel. Exo owners, promoters of the monthly networking event 1st Fridays
9.Terrence Reynolds Promoter of the monthly exotic male dancer events Magnum XL at Escalades, weekly comedy night at Cotton Club
8.MoSpoon of MPAC Winner of Promoter of the Year at this years Notice Me Awards;Promoter of the monthly Eye Candy party; promoted events at Club Envy and with various STL promoters on weekly $2 Tuesdays with Hella Fly Promotions at BSV Lounge)
7.Teddy Bfree Blackett of BFree Paparazzi. Winner of Photographer of the Year at this year's Notice Me Awards, owner of popular photography site B Free Paparazzi, promoter of various events including the brief networking event Recess at Ginger Bistro and Neo Soul Listening Party with VAE at Inspot Lounge.
6.Big Tah. He is one of two promoters on this list who wasnt featured in the PROMOCIALICIOUS segments, but was a big socialite at major events in St Louis .He also co-promoted with several promoters in STL mainly bus trips to the CrownValley winery (Hella Fly) and his own during NYE 11; continued his weekly Summer in the City Contests at The Loft
5.The Men of Close to Famous (Triky Haley and KellyHall) They had several weekly networking events in 2011 including debut of The Professional co-promoted by Star Power(that dubbed as the after party for R Kelly's concert hosted by opener Marsha Ambrosius) held at Exo and they co-promoted with various promoters for memorable events including the State of Emergency Concert afterparty at Black Label (co-promoted with Loose Cannon), The Pink,Purple and Platinum Party at Black Label , The Cardinals 11 in11 party at Exo and their yearly Grace during T-giving at The City, whrere they had various parties on several occassions.
4. Slim of Loosecannon. Most of this veteran promotion machine was overshadowed this year with the now infamous Twitter beef with rapper Nelly last summer after Slim's memorable Celebrity BBall and Bday Weekend last May, but Slim continued to get his promotions on reviving Friday NightFixx at Posh bringing in various hip hop artists including Lil Wayne, Wocka Flaka and R Kelly(some he co-promoted with Liquid Assets as well as afterparties at Bottoms up . He also filmed a movie THE FIRST PICK in Atlanta and had a release party in for his debut mixtape FREE PROMO to close out the year.
3.Orlando Watson CEO of Rockhouse Entertainment. He is the second of the two promoters who wasn't featured in a section of PROMOCIALICIOUS, but most of his tallies come from co-promoting with mainstay promoters Hella Fly on the weekly Sexy As You Wanna Be Sundays that moved from The Label to the Loft and its final home,Lola (until it morphed into special themed Sunday events). He also had several events that were noted including I'm a Survivor, a benefit to raise awareness of cancer at Golfhouse this past spring;promotes STL artists Aloha, Bradd Young and Vega. He will close the year with a Las Vegas style NYE party with Hella Fly at Copia
2. The Men of Hella Fly Promotions (King Kerry and Dano Johnson). These two head guys had several mainstay events going on every week of 2011 including $4 and $5 Fridays at The Broadway and Sexy As You Wanna Be Sundays co-promoted with Rockhouse Entertainment first at The Label, then to the Loft and currently Lola (whose name has changed to specific themes). Kerry held the fort for a few weeks this summer when his partner in crime, Johnson, was stabbed at Club Envy and had to be hospitalized. During his recovery, there was a huge benefit for Johnson done by Kerry and other promoters (and hosted by Mocha Latte) at the Area Code.
They also co-promoted other events with MoSpoon at Club Envy and BSV Lounge (currently with Happy Hours)and 3 Way Promotions with sporadic trips to Crown Winery in St Genevieve. They also had several Coca Cola Bottle Model contests at Area Code-cum-BSV Lounge that Johnson hosted.
AND THE NUMBER ONE MALE PROMOCIALITE IS
1. PHIL ASSETS (LIQUID ASSETS) This gent had a trying time in 2011, but was able to prevail with the turmoil this promoter has gone through. Assets,who's the CEO of Liquid Assets, had at a time had about four themed events on four separate nights on a weekly basis at Club Amnesia (mainly Red Hott Thursdays-cum-Look at Me Now Thursdays and Best Damned Ladies Night Period (hosted and co-promoted by Mocha Latte)--cum Ladies Night. He also co-promoted various events with Slim of Loose Cannon including Slim's weekly Friday Night Fixx at Posh and the latter's afterparties for State of Emergency concert and B-Ball Celebrity Weekend.
He also is the spearhead of the annual Notice Me Awards that was held at Roberts Towers at Mayfair Hotel in March.
10. The Women of Cafe Soul (Nichol Stevenson, Tendai Morris and Angela Brown) Their monthly R&B showcase juggernaut Cafe Soul every third Friday at The Loft. This year they had special themed showcases (e.g. Lucas House reunion) and co-promoted this year's McDonald's R&B Soul Search held this summer at The Loft. Morris, who hosted the showcase, branched off to have a monthly music presentation fronting the A-1 Band with A1 Sundays at Quintessentials in St Charles.
9. Kym D. This charismatic comedienne hosted the brief weekly poetry showcase Raw Suger on Fridays earlier this year with Alice Prince at Club Amnesia. She also hosted comedy shows at Cigar Inn in Belleville and the Inspot Lounge and co-hosted with Mocha Latte this year's Notice Me Awards. She has been featured as a comedian at various venues including Nubia Cafe Jessie Taylors Funny Sundays at Lights on Broadway. And for those who follows her on Facebook, she does her own raunchy sex burbs, Facebook After Dark.
8.Coco Soul. This singer was doing duty in 2011 as a front woman for DJ Needles' B- Sides with Elements and Soul and singing with SoulAlliance doing monthly gigs with both groups at Lola. She returned to her hosting role hosting a concert for Bilal this summer at Lola . She and her former Cafe Soul promoters Nichol Stevenson and Angela Brown were reunited when Soul performed at Brown's bday party this February at The Jive N Wail. She also formed a glee team with the state ran Soul Academy of Music . As of this writing, she would had closed out 2011 with a jam session with various performers at Lola Dec 28.
7. Christia Parker, This young lady hosted her own show on STL TV called STL Live every Monday and she was featured in various fashion shows spotlighting her 80s inspired brand Moda Christia (recently at She Is Queen Charity Fashion Show at Lola). She also was a judge with YOURS TRULY's annual Mista Couture Style Contest. She also attended various fashion and music events with her boyfriend, musician Kenneth DeShields
6.Stacy Static. This veteran of radio is heard weekdays on WHHL FM. She also hosted live remote casts from The Loft on Saturdays for most of 2011 and at Junkyard Bar and Grill on Thursdays which returned Labor Day. She also was a presenter and nominee at this years Traffic Music Awards held at The Ambassador last March.
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5.JoAnn Smith (PIC NOT SEEN) of KeepLiving Entertainment. This sista spent the first half of 2011 doing a music showcase Tuesday Night Fusion every Tuesday at Club Viva. She also promoted several concerts at The Fubar. She also managed rapper Prince Ea during his YouTube explosion of his video, "Backwards Rappers." Also with the rapper, she appeared in his St Louis Cardinals music video,"Cardinals Nation.". Smith was also seen at nearly every social event that was going on promoted by STL promoters.
4. DJ Jewel. One of a few female turntablists in the STL,she got it in as a radio host with weekly with her radio show the Jewel Box every Monday on 89.5 FM, The Wave. She also co-hosted STLJams with former WHHL personalities Finsta and DJ Sno on Sundays on WHHL FM. As a promoter,she created two events in 2011,Cater To You Fridays , an event to pamper men held at former Aqua Bar and the summer series Sistah Girl Tuesdays hosted by Mocha Latte at The Loft.
3.Ola. This stylist and promoter of Ola Style was on all the local TV shows promoting her design line in 2011. She also was featured in many fashion shows in St Louis(Fashion in the City at City Museum, Missouri Black Expo and most recent She Is Queen Charity Show at Copia, a spot that she co-owns) In print, she has been featured in a monthly column in Alive Magazine and she was one of four who won Alive Mag's Mist Wanted Contest held T-giving Eve. Plus, she celebrated her three year anniversary of Ola Style that was held at Bar Louie this summer and coordinated a memorable Sweet 16 party at Harrys Bar in August. She was last seen at Nelly's Black and White Ball held recently at Chase Park Plaza.
2.G'Bassa D'Acosta. This lady is the creative mind behind the weekly entertainment show Sexy InThe STL where she is also a host that airs Wednesdays on Channel 3 Access channel and late Saturdays on Fox 2. She also hosted several fashion events including Steve Elle's Collection at the Glass Factory and her TV team helped promote the talent showcase Winning Wednesdays at Europe Nightclub. She also tied with Ashley Terry for Promotion Model of the Year at this year's Notice Me Awards. Plus, she was on the cover and featured in the June issue of the e-magazine, Elitism Magazine, a monthly online mag where she was one of the editors.
AND THE NO 1 FEMALE PROMOCIALITE IS:
1. Mocha Latte. Dubbed "The Queen of Promotions," Latte was a constant regular in the PROMOCILICIOUS section of OUTTOWN mainly with hosting weekly themed parties at the former Black Label with Open Bar Saturdays-cum-Saturday Night Live, then to Club Amnesia with her created Best Damned Ladies Night Period on Saturdays , and taking over Staci Static's hosting gig on Saturday nites at The Loft, Sistah Girl Tuesdays at The Loft, and bringing back her popular poetry showcase Got Lyrics that she hosted monthly at The Loft then to Inspot Lounge. She also hosted other promoters events including BigTah Bday bash at The Loft, Dano Johnson's Benefit at Area code and more recent Chingy For Change at Flamingo Bowl. She also continued her column Coffee Talk in the Evening Whirl and she won several awards at this year's Notice Me Awards that she also co-hosted.
She also was spotted at many social events given by most of the promoters listed here. One of her recent appearances was at Nelly's Black and White Ball held recently at Chase Park Plaza.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
OUTTOWNERS PICZ
We had our OUTTOWN readers to choose which five of the Top 40 STL promoters that were selected to be listed in the countdown were the promoters/socialites of 2011.
Vanita Applebum of VAE (monthly music showcase Suite Soul Spot;weekly Listening Party at InspotLonge )
Phil Assets of Liquid Assets
AND
Coco Soul
4.Mocha Latte
3.Teddy B Free Blackett of B Free Paparazzi
2.Orlando Watson of Rockhouse Entertainment
AND COMING IN AT No.1 VOTED BY OUTTOWNERS is
:
1.JoANN Smith of KeepLiving Entertainment '
HERE are the Top 20 PROMOCIALITES of 2011 FROM #20 to #1
20.Silky Sol
19.Ashley Salazaar
18.Joel P.E.King (JPEK)
17.Christia Parker
16.Kym D
15.Terrence Reynolds
14.Fred Finley and Harry Michel
13.Mo Spoon (MPAC)
12.Teddy B Free Blackett (B Free Paparazzi)
11.The Men of Close to Famous (Triky Haley and Kelly Hall)
10.Staci Static
9.JoAnn Smith of KeepLiving Entertainment
8.DJ Jewel
7.Slim of Loose Cannon
6.Ola of OlaStyle
5.GBassa D'Acosta of Sexy In STL
4.Orlando Watson of Rockhouse Entertainment
3.The Men of Hella Fly Promotions (King Kerry and DanoJohnson)
2.Mocha Latte
AND THE #1 PROMOCIALITE of 2011 is:
1.Phil Assets of Liquid Assets
-30-
10. Fred Finley and Harry Michel. Exo owners, promoters of the monthly networking event 1st Fridays
9.Terrence Reynolds Promoter of the monthly exotic male dancer events Magnum XL at Escalades, weekly comedy night at Cotton Club
8.MoSpoon of MPAC Winner of Promoter of the Year at this years Notice Me Awards;Promoter of the monthly Eye Candy party; promoted events at Club Envy and with various STL promoters on weekly $2 Tuesdays with Hella Fly Promotions at BSV Lounge)
7.Teddy Bfree Blackett of BFree Paparazzi. Winner of Photographer of the Year at this year's Notice Me Awards, owner of popular photography site B Free Paparazzi, promoter of various events including the brief networking event Recess at Ginger Bistro and Neo Soul Listening Party with VAE at Inspot Lounge.
6.Big Tah. He is one of two promoters on this list who wasnt featured in the PROMOCIALICIOUS segments, but was a big socialite at major events in St Louis .He also co-promoted with several promoters in STL mainly bus trips to the CrownValley winery (Hella Fly) and his own during NYE 11; continued his weekly Summer in the City Contests at The Loft
5.The Men of Close to Famous (Triky Haley and KellyHall) They had several weekly networking events in 2011 including debut of The Professional co-promoted by Star Power(that dubbed as the after party for R Kelly's concert hosted by opener Marsha Ambrosius) held at Exo and they co-promoted with various promoters for memorable events including the State of Emergency Concert afterparty at Black Label (co-promoted with Loose Cannon), The Pink,Purple and Platinum Party at Black Label , The Cardinals 11 in11 party at Exo and their yearly Grace during T-giving at The City, whrere they had various parties on several occassions.
4. Slim of Loosecannon. Most of this veteran promotion machine was overshadowed this year with the now infamous Twitter beef with rapper Nelly last summer after Slim's memorable Celebrity BBall and Bday Weekend last May, but Slim continued to get his promotions on reviving Friday NightFixx at Posh bringing in various hip hop artists including Lil Wayne, Wocka Flaka and R Kelly(some he co-promoted with Liquid Assets as well as afterparties at Bottoms up . He also filmed a movie THE FIRST PICK in Atlanta and had a release party in for his debut mixtape FREE PROMO to close out the year.
3.Orlando Watson CEO of Rockhouse Entertainment. He is the second of the two promoters who wasn't featured in a section of PROMOCIALICIOUS, but most of his tallies come from co-promoting with mainstay promoters Hella Fly on the weekly Sexy As You Wanna Be Sundays that moved from The Label to the Loft and its final home,Lola (until it morphed into special themed Sunday events). He also had several events that were noted including I'm a Survivor, a benefit to raise awareness of cancer at Golfhouse this past spring;promotes STL artists Aloha, Bradd Young and Vega. He will close the year with a Las Vegas style NYE party with Hella Fly at Copia
2. The Men of Hella Fly Promotions (King Kerry and Dano Johnson). These two head guys had several mainstay events going on every week of 2011 including $4 and $5 Fridays at The Broadway and Sexy As You Wanna Be Sundays co-promoted with Rockhouse Entertainment first at The Label, then to the Loft and currently Lola (whose name has changed to specific themes). Kerry held the fort for a few weeks this summer when his partner in crime, Johnson, was stabbed at Club Envy and had to be hospitalized. During his recovery, there was a huge benefit for Johnson done by Kerry and other promoters (and hosted by Mocha Latte) at the Area Code.They also co-promoted other events with MoSpoon at Club Envy and BSV Lounge (currently with Happy Hours)and 3 Way Promotions with sporadic trips to Crown Winery in St Genevieve. They also had several Coca Cola Bottle Model contests at Area Code-cum-BSV Lounge that Johnson hosted.
AND THE NUMBER ONE MALE PROMOCIALITE IS
1. PHIL ASSETS (LIQUID ASSETS) This gent had a trying time in 2011, but was able to prevail with the turmoil this promoter has gone through. Assets,who's the CEO of Liquid Assets, had at a time had about four themed events on four separate nights on a weekly basis at Club Amnesia (mainly Red Hott Thursdays-cum-Look at Me Now Thursdays and Best Damned Ladies Night Period (hosted and co-promoted by Mocha Latte)--cum Ladies Night. He also co-promoted various events with Slim of Loose Cannon including Slim's weekly Friday Night Fixx at Posh and the latter's afterparties for State of Emergency concert and B-Ball Celebrity Weekend.He also is the spearhead of the annual Notice Me Awards that was held at Roberts Towers at Mayfair Hotel in March.
Earlier this year, the owners of Club Amnesia (The Trupino Family) had gone through a threat to close down by the city from well-reported incidents of supposed gun violence near the club (but the club still remains) thus Assets was able to have his themed parties.This summer, he bought Club Envy where various promoters,including himself,had special themed events,but a few months in, the venue mysteriously burned down with an investigated arson charge reported due to the club's looming hearing with the board on its liquor license. Yet, Assets continued on with his weekly parties at Club Amnesia.
He was last spotted at Nelly's Black and White Ball held at Chase Park Plaza in mid December and his promotion team will end the year with a 12-12 NYE party at Club Amnesia.
NEXT ARE THE FEMALES FROM #10 to #1
NEXT ARE THE FEMALES FROM #10 to #1
10. The Women of Cafe Soul (Nichol Stevenson, Tendai Morris and Angela Brown) Their monthly R&B showcase juggernaut Cafe Soul every third Friday at The Loft. This year they had special themed showcases (e.g. Lucas House reunion) and co-promoted this year's McDonald's R&B Soul Search held this summer at The Loft. Morris, who hosted the showcase, branched off to have a monthly music presentation fronting the A-1 Band with A1 Sundays at Quintessentials in St Charles.
9. Kym D. This charismatic comedienne hosted the brief weekly poetry showcase Raw Suger on Fridays earlier this year with Alice Prince at Club Amnesia. She also hosted comedy shows at Cigar Inn in Belleville and the Inspot Lounge and co-hosted with Mocha Latte this year's Notice Me Awards. She has been featured as a comedian at various venues including Nubia Cafe Jessie Taylors Funny Sundays at Lights on Broadway. And for those who follows her on Facebook, she does her own raunchy sex burbs, Facebook After Dark.
8.Coco Soul. This singer was doing duty in 2011 as a front woman for DJ Needles' B- Sides with Elements and Soul and singing with SoulAlliance doing monthly gigs with both groups at Lola. She returned to her hosting role hosting a concert for Bilal this summer at Lola . She and her former Cafe Soul promoters Nichol Stevenson and Angela Brown were reunited when Soul performed at Brown's bday party this February at The Jive N Wail. She also formed a glee team with the state ran Soul Academy of Music . As of this writing, she would had closed out 2011 with a jam session with various performers at Lola Dec 28.
7. Christia Parker, This young lady hosted her own show on STL TV called STL Live every Monday and she was featured in various fashion shows spotlighting her 80s inspired brand Moda Christia (recently at She Is Queen Charity Fashion Show at Lola). She also was a judge with YOURS TRULY's annual Mista Couture Style Contest. She also attended various fashion and music events with her boyfriend, musician Kenneth DeShields
6.Stacy Static. This veteran of radio is heard weekdays on WHHL FM. She also hosted live remote casts from The Loft on Saturdays for most of 2011 and at Junkyard Bar and Grill on Thursdays which returned Labor Day. She also was a presenter and nominee at this years Traffic Music Awards held at The Ambassador last March.++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
5.JoAnn Smith (PIC NOT SEEN) of KeepLiving Entertainment. This sista spent the first half of 2011 doing a music showcase Tuesday Night Fusion every Tuesday at Club Viva. She also promoted several concerts at The Fubar. She also managed rapper Prince Ea during his YouTube explosion of his video, "Backwards Rappers." Also with the rapper, she appeared in his St Louis Cardinals music video,"Cardinals Nation.". Smith was also seen at nearly every social event that was going on promoted by STL promoters.
4. DJ Jewel. One of a few female turntablists in the STL,she got it in as a radio host with weekly with her radio show the Jewel Box every Monday on 89.5 FM, The Wave. She also co-hosted STLJams with former WHHL personalities Finsta and DJ Sno on Sundays on WHHL FM. As a promoter,she created two events in 2011,Cater To You Fridays , an event to pamper men held at former Aqua Bar and the summer series Sistah Girl Tuesdays hosted by Mocha Latte at The Loft. 
3.Ola. This stylist and promoter of Ola Style was on all the local TV shows promoting her design line in 2011. She also was featured in many fashion shows in St Louis(Fashion in the City at City Museum, Missouri Black Expo and most recent She Is Queen Charity Show at Copia, a spot that she co-owns) In print, she has been featured in a monthly column in Alive Magazine and she was one of four who won Alive Mag's Mist Wanted Contest held T-giving Eve. Plus, she celebrated her three year anniversary of Ola Style that was held at Bar Louie this summer and coordinated a memorable Sweet 16 party at Harrys Bar in August. She was last seen at Nelly's Black and White Ball held recently at Chase Park Plaza.
2.G'Bassa D'Acosta. This lady is the creative mind behind the weekly entertainment show Sexy InThe STL where she is also a host that airs Wednesdays on Channel 3 Access channel and late Saturdays on Fox 2. She also hosted several fashion events including Steve Elle's Collection at the Glass Factory and her TV team helped promote the talent showcase Winning Wednesdays at Europe Nightclub. She also tied with Ashley Terry for Promotion Model of the Year at this year's Notice Me Awards. Plus, she was on the cover and featured in the June issue of the e-magazine, Elitism Magazine, a monthly online mag where she was one of the editors. AND THE NO 1 FEMALE PROMOCIALITE IS:
1. Mocha Latte. Dubbed "The Queen of Promotions," Latte was a constant regular in the PROMOCILICIOUS section of OUTTOWN mainly with hosting weekly themed parties at the former Black Label with Open Bar Saturdays-cum-Saturday Night Live, then to Club Amnesia with her created Best Damned Ladies Night Period on Saturdays , and taking over Staci Static's hosting gig on Saturday nites at The Loft, Sistah Girl Tuesdays at The Loft, and bringing back her popular poetry showcase Got Lyrics that she hosted monthly at The Loft then to Inspot Lounge. She also hosted other promoters events including BigTah Bday bash at The Loft, Dano Johnson's Benefit at Area code and more recent Chingy For Change at Flamingo Bowl. She also continued her column Coffee Talk in the Evening Whirl and she won several awards at this year's Notice Me Awards that she also co-hosted. She also was spotted at many social events given by most of the promoters listed here. One of her recent appearances was at Nelly's Black and White Ball held recently at Chase Park Plaza.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
OUTTOWNERS PICZ
We had our OUTTOWN readers to choose which five of the Top 40 STL promoters that were selected to be listed in the countdown were the promoters/socialites of 2011.
Vanita Applebum of VAE (monthly music showcase Suite Soul Spot;weekly Listening Party at InspotLonge )
Phil Assets of Liquid AssetsAND
Coco Soul
4.Mocha Latte
3.Teddy B Free Blackett of B Free Paparazzi
2.Orlando Watson of Rockhouse EntertainmentAND COMING IN AT No.1 VOTED BY OUTTOWNERS is
:
1.JoANN Smith of KeepLiving Entertainment 'HERE are the Top 20 PROMOCIALITES of 2011 FROM #20 to #1
20.Silky Sol
19.Ashley Salazaar
18.Joel P.E.King (JPEK)
17.Christia Parker
16.Kym D
15.Terrence Reynolds
14.Fred Finley and Harry Michel
13.Mo Spoon (MPAC)
12.Teddy B Free Blackett (B Free Paparazzi)
11.The Men of Close to Famous (Triky Haley and Kelly Hall)
10.Staci Static
9.JoAnn Smith of KeepLiving Entertainment
8.DJ Jewel
7.Slim of Loose Cannon
6.Ola of OlaStyle
5.GBassa D'Acosta of Sexy In STL
4.Orlando Watson of Rockhouse Entertainment
3.The Men of Hella Fly Promotions (King Kerry and DanoJohnson)
2.Mocha Latte AND THE #1 PROMOCIALITE of 2011 is:
1.Phil Assets of Liquid Assets-30-
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