 PRAISE GOD!!! I WAS NOMINATED FOR 5 EXCELLENCE IN REPORTING AWARDS BY THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF BLACK JOURNALIST!! I AM TRULY HUMBLED AND CAN REMEMBER MY FIRST TIME ENTERING TWO YEARS AGO, THEN I DIDN'T GET ANY NOMINATIONS. LAST YEAR I HAD ONE ENTRY, AND ONE NOMINATION BUT I DIDN'T WIN. THIS YEAR I DIDN'T THROW IN THE TOWEL, I KNEW THE STORIES I REPORTED ON THE BLACK COMMUNITY WOULD GET RECOGNIZED BY SOMEONE! NOW I HAVE 5 NOMINATIONS TO SHOW!!! THE LESSON HERE, IF YOU HAVE PERSEVERANCE, PATIENCE AND FAITH GOD WILL GIVE YOU THE DESIRES OF YOUR HEART. I WANT TO ENCOURAGE ANYONE OUT THERE WITH A DREAM..ACT AND BELIEVE, IT WILL COME TO PASS. Check out the videos nominated below:
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  It was a great run! Nightcap was an awesome experience, "A Different Kind of News" that engaged viewers and changed the landscape of how other stations in the market produced their newscasts. It began November 2012 and within a year garnered more than a dozen EMMY nominations and several wins! We really pushed the envelope, using templates to tell stories in a different kind of way. Nightcap always had a staff of talented photographers, reporters, hosts, writers and editors. All working to put together pieces that would capture emotion and invoke a response from our audience. I especially enjoyed my station allowing me to tell stories directly impacting the Dallas community and social issues effecting the DFW area. While there I reported stories reflecting issues in the black community. For example, I did a series during Black history month on key leaders and historical figures in the DFW area. I also did a report on why homicide is the leading killer of Black Men, and many others. Nightcap gave me a platform no other station would, and also changed the way the other stations presented their news. More stations starting doing pieces without reporter track and stand-ups. They also copies our cool jib camera shots, having their talent stand in the studio instead of the usual sit-down anchor desk. We also started the showing of monitors with video and sound trend, most of the concepts originating from our National morning show EyeOpener. I decided to write this farewell because so many viewers and fans of the show have been flooding my inbox on social media to find out what happened to the show? Where am I?? What am I doing now?? The show was cancelled because they wanted to launch an Anchor-less newscast. The show will feature all reports narrated by a "voice" and they will not be any TV Hosts, Anchors or Reporters. The new show is set to launch May 20th. As for me, I have already began co-hosting a new weekly on-line web show called "The Chase" for PartyChaser Inc. out of studios in Dallas. I am also writing for "Elite News" & Dallas Weekly newspapers. My last day on air was April 23, 2014. Since officially leaving in May, I have been extremely busy!!! In addition to the new gigs mentioned above, I have also worked the Red Carpet for the Wade Smith Foundation celebrity casino night, Kenny Smith NCAA party, hosted a few party's and more. I can truly say I am blessed, if you read my testimony here, you will see that I have experienced many ups n downs in this business. I especially know that whenever a door closes God will open up a window and pour out new blessings! I am truly excited about what awaits me in the future and can't wait to see what's next. In the meantime, I will keep updating social media and this blog with any new gigs or assignments! Thanks again to all the supporters and fans, may God bless ya!!!  Me & my Publicist Nina Zavala The Byron Nelson golf classic in Las Colinas, TX was awesome!! I got a chance to watch amazing golfers, including Brendon Todd who won the Byron Nelson Championship on Sunday for his first PGA Tour title. But the biggest purpose for the Byron, is charity. The tournament has raised millions to help young people and countless organizations. In addition to a kids zone, and mansions along the course hosting private parties, many hang out in private villas, and then many spend time in the pavilion. The pavilion is the place to be! They have a deejay food, drinks and many spend the day dancing on the dance floor. Had a good time at Buttons restaurant in Addison, TX with friends and colleagues. Thanks to everyone who came out to celebrate my leaving Nightcap, and embrace the future of what's to come! xoxo With my date Gary Saunders K104fm Producer DeDe McGuire in the morning! Emmitt & Pat Smith Charity for a Cause On May 9th Emmitt and Pat Smith turned the Omni Dallas Hotel into a beautiful star-studded venue filled with the “Who’s Who” of Dallas and Hollywood. The event began with a VIP red carpet, followed by a celebrity reception and live auction, dinner, and musical performance by Darius Rucker. The evening highlight was the presentation of the inaugural Roger Staubach Award to Cookie and Magic Johnson. The Johnsons spoke about the importance of charity and helping others. The “Friday Night Party” was not a disappointment! I had the opportunity to walk the red carpet (actually it was blue) and strut my new Gianni Binni Dress that I just bought that day!!!!! When I found out last minute about the Charity Gala, it was a situation where I had to pay $500 to get a seat at the table or come as media. But thank God for favor!! K104FM DeDe McGuire was one of the lovely host, and once I reached out to her about going, she allowed me to be a guest at her table. McGuire wore a fabulous Black dress and her husband Chris sported a nice suit. She paired me with her show’s producer Gary Saunders and he was an absolute hoot!!!! I also got to meet their Program Director Geo Cook and his mother. There were so many celebrities at the Gala. I was able to take photos with Former Major League Baseball Player David Justice, Alfonso Ribeiro, aka "Carlton" from the Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Emmitt Smith, NewsOne TV host Rowland Martin and many others!! The Pat and Emmitt Smith Charities (PESC) creates experiences and distributes grants to high-quality non-profits providing historically underserved children with arts, education, health and wellness programming. They raised 1 MILLION Some of the kids from the charity were also on hand, to talk about the difference it has made in their life. I also couldn't believe just how much money they were able to raise! People were bidding thousands at a time, and not stopping. The live auction would continue throughout the night. It was a great venue, the Omni transformed into a classy wonderful wonderland, with amazing centerpieces and white linen draped chairs and white draped tablecloths. The food was also amazing. They had a wonderfully presented salad with fruit and teak, shrimp and grits for the main course. Oh and the Butterscotch desert in a martini glass was too cute! After the VIP reception, Gala dinner, and dancing there was an after party inside the Omni Owners box restaurant in a private section. They even closed off the bathroom for only us! I got to see Rowland Martin and others, what an amazing time~ I just want to say God is soooo good because this event motivates me to look forward to having a similar charity that helps young people and benefits so many- kudos to the Smiths for setting a wonderful example of a power couple and being such great role models!   Today I had a chance to speak to the students at J.W. Ray Elementary school in Dallas on their annual career day! It was awesome talking to the first graders and fifth graders at the school. I spent most of my time encouraging students to dream big, overcome obstacles and get good grades! The funniest moment of the day, one of the students asked me if I had a house. I said no, so all of the students began saying "what you live in an apartment? you don't have a house??" I explained, that I didn't have a husband, or kids and lived alone, they said "What no kids, or husband, what about pets???" One girl asked me if I had a dog or cat, I said no, I don't. The students went crazy, the same girl then said---You don't have anyone--aren't you LONELY!!!! OMG I was so shocked but it was hilarious. I explained to the kids that I was happy and single. That I had the best life ever!! I get to go where I want, Spend my own money on what I want, travel, eat out, dance with my girls and just have a good time! Oh well, I guess I need to start working on the other things too because apparently I'm too old to not have a house, husband, kid and dog :)  While the Bloggers were buzzing about my departure from "Nightcap" ( two weeks late) I decided to celebrate Cinco De Mayo! It was awesome!!!! A last minute bar-b-cue and cook-out by the pool at my apartments covered pool patio. Everyone got a chance to taste my specialty, yes I can cook Mexican food really good. Quesadillas, refried and black beans and Spanish rice. We watched the NBA finals (bye-bye Mavs-they were eliminated Sunday) and we played games while enjoying the great Texas weather and pool view. Great day and night, after the bar-b-cue we decided to head over to a nightclub called Plush to celebrate my friend Cadillac's birthday. That turned out to be awesome! We even got a chance to watch the guys knock down a piñata and I took the prized burro home. When life hands you lemons, make lemonade! I know I do! xoxo Bishop TD Jakes opens up about his latest book, entitled "Instinct" on the red carpet at The Potter's House in Dallas. But this wasn't the first time I got to sit down or have a moment to talk to Bishop. Since coming to Dallas the wonderful PR team at Potters house have made sure whether I was working in Dallas or Atlanta, I get first dibs on all things great! The book is about using your instinct to determine diving purpose. He even shares a story about a trip to Africa, they were looking for elephants and when the zoologist tried to use technology to locate one, it didn't happen. But the ZULU man used his instinct, shouted and there was the elephant. The point of the book it to teach you to reach into your instinct for decision-making and purpose in life. The funniest moment though, was when I got a chance to take a photo with Bishop, one church member yelled, "Looking good and sharp in that suit Bishop!" he laughed and said, "I have to keep up with Amanda, standing next to her I have to lok good" everyone laughed and I especially felt so honored, because that is in fact a compliment coming from someone I respect. To Check out the latest book click here!   Special Thanks to Iesha Guess!!! I had a great time at the "All white charity mixer" at Sisu in Uptown-Dallas Saturday! Great food, drinks and professionals networking for the Amadi Guess Foundation. Once I arrived at the event I was excited to run into two of my girlfriends who were hired to make the place sexy and classy! The two beautiful models wore Masquerade Masks and cute white dresses leaving quiet an impression on arriving guests. Once inside there was a live model dressed in full statue gear, yes the statue you see at the pool is a real person!!!! She did that!!!! But the food and free drinks sponsored by a new vodka company was also amazing. My favorite appetizer at Sisu, will always be there flatbread pizzas but the buffalo chicken sandwiches and other tapas were awesome too! Overall, I had a wonderful time networking with other socialites, professionals and mingling all for a good cause. I've seen the Amadi Guess Foundation in action, they really feed kids and have a positive impact on the community. I can't wait for their next event, I'm told they will have more to come~ Click here to contact the organization and donate!! Twitter @AmadiFoundation Background info: The Amadi Guess Foundation (AGF) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to provide children from underserved communities, access to nutritious meals. We weave together a net of community groups, activists and food programs to children facing hunger and surround them with nutritious food where they live, learn and play. Almost one in four children in America face hunger. These children will endure lifelong consequences as a result of having limited access to nutritious foods. In fact, they're more likely to suffer poorer health, fatigue, hospitalizations, behavioral difficulties and impaired performance at school.  The 2nd Annual Zydeco Meets the Blues Festival was a blast this Saturday, May3rd!! 8,000 people came out to participate in the fun, music and food~ I ate crawfish, roasted corn and cajun turkey leg from the array of Cajun traveling food trucks at Fair Park. Artist performed on stage and I had a great view from backstage!! It was an exciting day of live entertainment at the Fair Park Coliseum – Festival site in Dallas. Step Rideau & The Zydeco Outlaws, Brian Jack & The Zydeco Gamblers, Lil Brian Terry & The Zydeco Travelers and Jerome Batiste & The Zydeco Players will perform. The Blues artists will showcase: Mel Waiters, Sir Charles Jones, Shirley Brown and Theodis Ealey. I also had a chance to see my friends Cowboy Kirk, comedian D. Ellis, Radio Deejay Modave and VP of Radio One Dallas Gary Spurgeon. Zydeco Meets the Blues is an exciting, multicultural music festival that you don't want to miss next year~!! Picture above snapped a photo with DJ Modave behind the scenes  I had a wonderful time reading to the kids with the Wade Smith Foundation’s “Reading with the Pros” Literacy Tour (RWTP). The organization promotes and supports childhood literacy and education through in-person celebrity book readings and classroom visits. We visited three schools and the foundation treated all the celebs and volunteers to a great lunch. At least a dozen NFL players from the Houston Texans and Cowboys came out to read to the kiddos. I believe this was a great opportunity to mentor to hundreds of kids and show them that they can be whatever they set their minds to become in life!  The 2nd Annual Zydeco Meets the Blues Festival kicks off this Saturday, May3rd!! I will be there to blog about all the fun, music and food from backstage!! it's an exciting day of live entertainment at the Fair Park Coliseum – Festival Site (Gates 10 & 11). Step Rideau & The Zydeco Outlaws, Brian Jack & The Zydeco Gamblers, Lil Brian Terry & The Zydeco Travelers and Jerome Batiste & The Zydeco Players will perform. The Blues artists will showcase: Mel Waiters, Sir Charles Jones, Shirley Brown and Theodis Ealey. Zydeco Meets the Blues is an exciting, multicultural music festival. Tickets are $15 (during a special, online pre-sale), $20 in advance and $25 on event day. Parking is $5. Advance tickets are available for purchase at participating Levines locations. For ticket information details, visit ksoul945.com. See ya there! FASHION , COMEDY AND FUN IN THE SUN!Everyone knows Tiffany at Pink Lucy works hard to bring you the most fabulous outfits, so check out her patio fashion sale this Friday from 4-8pm, you can even get discounts on some items! @ShopPinkLucy
And, BDonnas sent me this flyer and I had to post. They are opening their new showroom and offering discounts on their fab designer shoes, from 12-7pm! @BDonnas For those looking for a good laugh, Mike Epps will be at the Verizon in Grand Prairie this Saturday night, show starts at 8pm tickets on sale click here. @TheRealMikeEpps Have a safe and fun week-end and check back on my blog for pics and videos from me & @PhotoFresh by DG |
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