From the incomparable Emmy, Grammy, and Tony Award winner, a powerful and revealing autobiography about race, sexuality, art, and healing—now in paperback It’s easy to be yourself when who and what you are is in vogue. But growing up Black and gay in America has never been easy. Before Billy Porter was slaying red carpets and giving an iconic Emmy-winning performance in the celebrated TV show Pose; before he was the groundbreaking Tony and Grammy Award–winning star of Broadway’s Kinky Boots; and before he was an acclaimed recording artist, actor, playwright, director, and all-around legend, Porter was a young boy in Pittsburgh who was seen as different, who didn’t fit in. At five years old, Porter was sent to therapy to “fix” his effeminacy. He was endlessly bullied at school, sexually abused by his stepfather, and criticized at his church. Porter came of age in a world where simply being himself was a constant struggle. Billy Porter’s Unprotected is the life story of a singular artist and survivor in his own words. It is the story of a boy whose talent and courage opened doors for him, but only a crack. It is the story of a teenager discovering himself, learning his voice and his craft amid deep trauma. And it is the story of a young man whose unbreakable determination led him through countless hard times to where he is now; a proud icon who refuses to back down or hide. Porter is a multitalented, multifaceted treasure at the top of his game, and Unprotected is a resonant, inspirational story of trauma and healing, shot through with his singular voice.

The Italians were so busy creating and performing superb music that they neglected to tell the great epic story of their wondrous achievement. With BRAVO! we hope to tell that story. The 1,000-year-old story begins, basically, with the work of a humble monk from the city of Arezzo. And this story has no ending. If, on one hand, we will never know the music of the Egyptians, of the Greeks, and of the Romans, on the other, we have come to know and to enjoy the music of every composer from the 12th Century to the Present day thanks to Guido's invention of the musical scale. As the story unfolds, we are rewarded with the many convincing superlatives forever tied to Italian musical endeavors. The first ten chapters deal with the Italian musical geniuses who theorized, made superb instruments, composed, performed, orchestrated, conducted and sang for the enjoyment of listeners worldwide, and the closing chapter gives a comprehensive look at the beautiful things that have happened in the Italian and American world of music. While each page of BRAVO! is full of surprising and fascinating details, the title reminds us that the term, BRAVO! is reserved only for topnotch performances. Book jacket.

Enjoyable and informative examination of how Japanese video game developers raised the medium to an art form. Includes interviews, anecdotes, and accounts of industry giants behind Donkey Kong, Mario, Pokémon, and other games.

The weekly source of African American political and entertainment news.

Talkin' 'Bout A Revolution Is The Most Comprehensive Guide Yet to the fascinating relationship between American music, culture, and politics. Music expert Dick Weissman dares to take on this massive topic and presents it with ease. From the early days of the U. S. to the twenty-first century, Weissman draws upon and explains a vast amount of music, including songs by and about Native Americans, African Americans, women, and Latinos and spanning pop, punk, folk, "music of hate," music of war, and beyond. Unprecedented in its approach, this book offers a multidisciplinary discussion that is broad and diverse, and illuminates how social events impact music as well as how music impacts social events.

The weekly source of African American political and entertainment news.

With the election of Barack Obama, the idea that American society had become postracial—that is, race was no longer a main factor in influencing and structuring people's lives—took hold in public consciousness, increasingly accepted by many. The contributors to Racism Postrace examine the concept of postrace and its powerful history and allure, showing how proclamations of a postracial society further normalize racism and obscure structural antiblackness. They trace expressions of postrace over and through a wide variety of cultural texts, events, and people, from sports (LeBron James's move to Miami), music (Pharrell Williams's “Happy”), and television (The Voice and HGTV) to public policy debates, academic disputes, and technology industries. Outlining how postrace ideologies confound struggles for racial justice and equality, the contributors open up new critical avenues for understanding the powerful cultural, discursive, and material conditions that render postrace the racial project of our time. Contributors. Inna Arzumanova, Sarah Banet-Weiser, Aymer Jean Christian, Kevin Fellezs, Roderick A. Ferguson, Herman Gray, Eva C. Hageman, Daniel Martinez HoSang, Victoria E. Johnson, Joseph Lowndes, Roopali Mukherjee, Safiya Umoja Noble, Radhika Parameswaran, Sarah T. Roberts, Catherine R. Squires, Brandi Thompson Summers, Karen Tongson, Cynthia A. Young

Top opera stars discuss their careers and the technical aspects of singing, including breath control, posture, and placement

Ernesto "Tito" Puente born in 1923 in Spanish Harlem is a tale about an impoverished Puerto Rican boy who grew up with the advent of radio and American swing bands. At age ten he aspired to be a dancer: another Fred Astaire. An ankle injury gave him the opportunity to explore his talent as a musician. At fourteen he won the coveted Benny Goodman, Gene Krupa drum contest.

(Vocal Selections). Fantastic songs from this stage favorite: Everything's Alright * Heaven on Their Minds * Hosanna * I Don't Know How to Love Him * I Only Want to Say (Gethsemane) * King Herod's Song * Superstar. Includes great photos!