ATLANTA HOUSEWIVES REUNION: Season 16 of Real Housewives of Atlanta produced more than a few 'new peach holders,' but none outshone "50 Cent" aka Cynthia Bailey. Here's to the "Ol Gees" who will save the day every time. Tune in to the three-part Real Housewives of Atlanta reunion on July 13th. #RealityTV#PipingHotTea#RHOASeason16#VisionVoiceVarion
(Huntsville, Alabama) There are a number of podcasts out on the World Wide Web, but only one can claim an intimate, candid conversation with our very own Varion Walton.
After more than 20 years in the game, this award-winning anchor and investigative reporter talks about current trending topics, plus what's truly been the "secret behind the sauce" since 1994.
Check out the full episode of "Mere Motivation" hosted by newcomer J.L. Orr, an accomplished scholar and author in her own right.
VisionVoiceVarion and Mere Motivation...."stronger together!"
It isn’t everyday Varion Walton finds herself on the other side of the camera. In a crucial, candidate conversations with new podcast host, JL. Orr, this 20-year news veteran talks candidly about the future of the news industry, artificial technology, bloggers vs journalists and much more. Check out the trailer to this week’s “Mere Motivation” with JL Orr, exclusively on YouTube.
(Huntsville, Alabama)----Don't miss the premiere of Mere Motivation with host JL Orr, Wednesday, February 5th at 12noon. JL kicks off an informative fireside chat with Rodney Gordon, a social and civic leader based in North Alabama. Other guests include, Chattanooga's own Comedian Tresha Rutledge, followed by "VisionVoiceVarion" creator Varion Vee Walton later in the month. February is the month for "Love," and soon you'll have more of what you love, 24/7! Mere Motivation, exclusively on YouTube.
42 IS BACK IN THEATERS LABOR DAY WEEKEND: Actor Chadwick Boseman's death shocked moviegoers, and left "Black Panther" fans all over the world heartbroken. Boseman who had been waging a private battle against colon cancer died at the age of 43. The beloved actors' star and popularity transcends the silver screen. In addition to some of his most iconic movies being back in theaters, Varion Walton shows us one of Chadwick's authentic connections to the Tennessee Valley. She also fills us in on a new "call to action" for self care, plus open and honest dialogue about raising the awareness of this silent killer.
(Hollywood, CA.)--It's been a minute since we've seen Eddie Murphy on the silver screen. September 16th Eddie Murphy returns in an independent film that generated rave reviews at The Tribeca Film Festival.
I'm intrigued by this new film because I know a real life scenario of a Mr. Church taking place in Texas. A very dear man, a very close friend in fact who is looking beyond race, ethnicity, and even sexual orientation. He's stepped in playing surrogate to two children whose mother is critically ill with no income.
Life has a way of moving forward in Hollywood and in every home in America. In the fictional movie "Mr. Church," Eddie Murphy's character develops a unique friendship with a little girl and her dying mother. His services are retained as a silver-tongued cook, Henry Joseph Church. What begins as a six-month arrangement instead spans some fifteen years, and creates a family bond that lasts forever.
A family doesn't always come in the shape of blood relatives. Sometimes God puts total strangers together so that they can rescue each other. Mr. Church opens in theaters nationwide September 16th.
(New Orleans, LA.)--It's this week's VISION/VOICE/VARION EXCLUSIVE! Ahead of this week's big premiere on The Own Network, Varion Walton has the scoop on the brand new drama series that is intelligent, rare and intriguing.
"Queen Sugar," the new drama series inspired by a novel by Natalie Baszile. Created by famed writer/director Ava DuVernay, Queen Sugar is a warm, beautifully written family drama about The Louisiana Bordelon family. DeVernay and media mogul Oprah Winfrey are teaming up again following their success with the movie Selma, hoping to get viewers to "reimagine" television when it comes to a scripted drama series.
Queen Sugar on OWN TV
Queen Sugar on OWN TV
The 2-day premiere is leaving audiences on the edge of their seats as the Bordelon siblings, Nova (True Blood's Rutina Wesley), Ralph Angel (Kofi Siriboe), and Charley (Dawn-Lyen Gardner), all children of Ernest (Veteran Actor Glynn Turman) - a sugar cane farmer and black landowner in St. Josephine Parish falls on hard times and failing health.
The new television drama series slowly, methodically takes the viewer through three generations of Bordelons, their plight, their fury and weaknesses when it comes to being a dysfunctional family.
In the novel written by Natalie Baszile, the character "Micah" is female. In The OWN NETWORK drama series, Micha is male and played by newcomer Nick Ashe. Varion Walton got an opportunity to talk with Ashe and other cast members this summer during her coverage of The Essence Music Festival in New Orleans.
Ashe, who is more of theater major talks exclusively with VARION WALTON about being given a shot to cut his acting chops on the small screen, all with two powerhouse females like Winfrey and DuVernay at the helm.
PRESS PLAY and check out what Nick had to say when asked about his schoolboy looks and being part of something he clearly defines as "something revolutionary" when it comes to seeing stories about black love and black families on the small screen.
VISION/VOICE/VARION kicks off 7th SEASON an EXCLUSIVE from Singer Kelly Price and More!
(New Orleans-LA.)-- So far, it's shaping up to be a "September to Remember!" Varion Walton and The VISION/VOICE/VARION crew are kicking off our 7th season with an EXCLUSIVE, a preview to this week's McDonald 2016 "365 Black Awards." Varion talks with EXCLUSIVELY with R&B sensations Anthony Hamilton and Kelly Price as they serenade "Breathe Again," singer and actress Toni Braxton and Wendy Raquel Robinson for their lifetime achievements.
Singer Kelly Price on the red carpet before her showstopping performance.
Toni Braxton honored with Lifetime Achievement Award
Grammy Award Singer Anthony Hamilton Scheduled to Perform
September 5th & 6th Varion goes in-depth and fills you in on all of those amazing trailers you've seen promoting Oprah and the OWN Networks new drama series, "Queen Sugar!" Varion chats candidly with one of the most acclaimed female directors behind this new series that's generation a lot of buzz, Ava DuVernay.
For nearly 10 years Varion has given you the "lowdown on the low scores," when it comes to the sanitary conditions of many restaurants. September 14th, our award-winning Restaurant
Scorecard reporter will school you on something we all love, Soul Food. Varion literally breaks bread with Adrian Miller, a published author who will give you the scoop on the origin on all of the "soul food" Big Mama prepared for those fabulous Sunday Dinners. This known "food scholar" also tackles another scandalous subject, why there are so many hungry people desperate for food in such the rich food mecca we call America.
Spread the word, tell a friend...the 7th season of VisionVoiceVarion is going to go beyond "scandalous", this FALL is going to be epic! Stay connected!
Toni Braxton and Wendy Raquel Robinson Honored for Life-Time Achievements
(New Orleans, LA.) September is Sizzling! The VW Network is your EXCLUSIVE “backstage,” ALL ACCESS pass to the televised, star-studded 13th Annual 365 Black Awards, September 1st on BET! This year's awards is hosted by actress/singer Amber Riley and actor Lance Gross.
PHOTO CREDIT: Soul Brother
PHOTO CREDIT: Soul Brother
First, be sure to check out Varion’s BIG PREVIEW as she meets and greets the stars as they hit the red carpet before the show honoring Grammy Award-winning artist Toni Braxton, NFL cornerback Charles Tillman and award-winning actress Wendy Raquel Robinson and several other "unsung" community heroes around the country.
PHOTO CREDIT: Soul Brother
PHOTO CREDIT: Kendal Elam
PHOTO CREDIT: Kendal Elam
You are in for a treat as Varion talks exclusively to R&B sensational Anthony Hamilton and songbird Kelly Price and The Braxtons before their stellar performances. Mark your calendar, that's August 31st, only on THE VWNETWORK and www.varionwalton.com
WATCH TASHA COBB ON CENTRIC SATURDAY, APRIL 2nd -10p/9p cst
(NASHVILLE, TN.)--Brandy, Lisa Raye, Terri Vaughn have all sat in the "hot seat!" Now it's Motown Gospel Recording Artist Tasha Cobb's turn to "sweat it out" under the glare of Centric TV's reality show cameras in "Being" Tasha Cobb. It's the latest edition in the long-running series of biopics for Centric.
In the episode, Tasha discusses her road to stardom, being a powerful voice in Gospel music, living with depression, and how she continues to encourage her fans.
Additionally, Tasha released her new DVD One Place Live on April 8. The DVD is an accompaniment to her #1 Billboard chart-topping album that released last summer. Recorded live in Greensboro NC, the live performance DVD, spliced with interview footage, captures the singer in the purest form of her being – in true worship.
Tasha’s current single “Put A Praise On It,” continues to hold strong on the Gospel charts, currently in the Top 20 and climbing. Cobbs has been captivating audiences across the country since debuting the hit song on Centric’s Soul Train Awards. The soul-stirring performance had the crowd singing and celebs like musical legend and honoree Babyface mesmerized while singer/actress LaToya Luckett, “Apprentice” alum Omarosa and Empire’s Ta’Rhonda Jones on their feet.
ANTHONY HAMILTON TOUR WITH FANTASIA STARTS APRIL 21ST!
"GOOD FOOD/GOOD MUSIC AT CRACKER BARREL"
(ATLANTA, GA.)-What goes better with a bowl of collard greens and fried chicken than soulful singer Anthony Hamilton? The Grammy Award winner's new CD "What I'm Feelin," come featuring his new single "AMEN" is serving up a "delicious bonus" for fans at Cracker Barrel Old Country Stores nationally.
Varion Walton has the "scoop" on the bonus track available at the "home-style cooking" restaurant, plus details on his upcoming tour with American Idol Fantasia.
Anthony Hamilton's "new groove sound" on his 9th studio album is the focus of this week's VISION/VOICE/VARION EXCLUSIVE!
(Atlanta, GA.) Atlanta Dream's Angel McCoughtry is a VISION/VOICE/VARION fan, what about you? Angel McCoughtry is “fiercely feminine,” skilled and a great example of
NEVER giving up on your dreams! #35
Angel McCoughtry is a star athlete with the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream. Angel will
always be our best example that "you can make any DREAM come true, if you
are willing to work hard enough to get it!"
KING OF LOVE WORKING OVERTIME AGAINST "DOMESTIC VIOLENCE"
(Chattanooga, TN.)--October is Domestic Violence
Month and no one is working harder to be "THE VOICE" of victims and
survivors than R&B Singer Raheem DeVaughn. PRESS PLAY and Check out Varion's candid talk
with the singer minutes from the stage about why he's a "Single man on a Single Mission" to raise the awareness against Domestic Violence! Spread the word, tell a
friend VISION/VOICE/VARION..."always on, always connected!"
(Chattanooga, TN.)-Jazzanooga 2015 is almost in the history books, but now before one of the biggest headliners in the music festival's 4 year history takes center stage. Take 6 is the 10 time Grammy Award winning; multi-platinum selling, ensemble celebrating 25 years in the industry with a stop in Chattanooga. Jazz and gospel lovers like VISION/VOICE/VARION applaud Jazzanooga organizers for truly "presenting their Sunday Best" with climax of the music festival. The "smooth and sultry sounds" of Gretchen Parlato and Alan Hampton are also apart of the 2015 line-up.
Photo Credit: Jazzanooga.org
Jazzanooga started in 2010 as a one day community festival and has grown to a month-long celebration that honors and promotes Chattanooga as "the destination for arts and culture" during Jazz Appreciation Month in April. Ticket sales support local youth Jazz education activities and music scholarships.
Gretchen Parlato PHOTO CREDIT: Jazzanooga.org
The April 26th performance will be held at The Robert Kirk Walker Community Theater, a smaller more intimate venue at the famed Memorial Auditorium. Organizers tell VISION/VOICE/VARION they are committed to making certain every single note of Jazzanooga 2015 is "savored" until the last performance. Tickets are still available at the theater box office. For more information on this incredible event that rivals New Orleans and Memphis in May visit: www.jazzanooga.org.
(Chattanooga, TN.)--April is Jazz Appreciation Month and it has never sounded better! For years music lovers have trekked to "Jazz Meccas" like New Orleans and Memphis. Surprisingly, Chattanooga, Tennessee is making headlines as one of the top arts and culture destinations in the South.
Since 2011 the final weekend of April has lured national and international recording headliners to The Scenic City. Performances by Grammy winners Gregory Porter and Lalah Hathaway, American Idol Favorite Ruben Studdard and Independent Spirit Award Winner Avery Sunshine, just to name a few.
Photo Credit: Eric Roberson Music
JAZZANOOGA 2015 promises to be bigger and better! Several world reknowned recording artists like Take 6, Eric Roberson and Gretchen Parlato are helping to solidify "The Choo Choo City" as one of the best spots for jazz enthusiasts looking to kick off the music festival season.
VISION/VOICE/VARION had the pleasure of an intimate chat with Eric Roberson only minutes from the stage at The Camp House in Downtown Chattanooga. PRESS PLAY and find out why Varion says "Mister Nice Guy" shouldn't just be limited to the title of the Grammy-Nominated singer, songwriter's latest project.
By Nicole Brown, MPA and Dr. Felicia McGhee, Ph.D (February 2015)--The media has a constant flow of stories about young African-American males, but
they rarely depict positive images of our black youth. For some, the Millennial
generation has been defined by saggy pants and tattoos. However, one Tennessee
college student is an example of all things right with this generation. The University
of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC) student Robert Fisher, was recently named a
Rhodes Scholar (32 scholars were chosen out of 877 applicants). He is also one of
five African-American college students who received this honor. Fisher is the third
student from The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga to earn this distinction,
and the first African-American student from the university.
For the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Fisher’s accomplishments are a
positive step in the university’s history. The desegregation of the university
(formerly known as the University of Chattanooga), was recently chronicled in a
documentary, “Reaching the Light: The Desegregation of the University of
Chattanooga.” In 1886, black applicants Louis Gibbs and William Wilson applied to
the University of Chattanooga (UC) but were denied based on race. The United
States Supreme Court’s 1954 decision of Brown vs. The Board of Education
recognized the struggles minorities have endured with equality and access to
education.
Photos: First black applicants to the University of Chattanooga Louis Gibbs and
William Wilson
Nine years after that decision, Horace Traylor, then president of Chattanooga City
College (a black community college),applied to UC but was denied admission based
on race. In 1963, after a second application attempt, UC admitted Traylor as the first
African American student in its graduate program.
Photo Chattanooga Times Free Press: First Black student admitted and graduated
from UC Horace Traylor
Generations before Fisher was born, local African American pioneers like Traylor
were creating a path for a young man whose grandparents graduated from
segregated schools. Now fifty years later, Robert Fisher stands on the shoulders of
those pioneers.
Fisher was raised by parents who served in the military in Clarksville, Tenn. He
enrolled at UTC as a Brock Scholar in Fall 2011, with a major in Political Science and
minors in History and Africana Studies. The faculty, staff and students instantly
recognized Fisher as the powerful representative of his generation. Fisher is
completing his second term as the Student Government Association president. He
has worked with three Chancellors, city and county mayors, the governor’s office
and is a Presidential Fellow at the Center for the Study of the Presidency and
Congress.
Photo from UTC: Fisher greets President Barack Obama
April 2014, Fisher was selected as a Truman scholar. He is the fourth student from
UTC to receive this honor. Truman scholars are recognized for their academic
success, outstanding student leadership and potential in public service leadership.
Fisher is aware of the new spotlight and has embraced the opportunity to reflect how he
sees America from the Millennial perspective. During his message at the Fall 2014
commencement, Fisher challenged his peers to “Think, Talk and Act.” He stated, “Think
about the systems and structures that inform--or misinform--your perspectives of other
people. Talk about race, gender, sexuality, ability--because yes, all these things still
matter. Act because thinking and talking without action, just leaves us with regurgitated
thoughts and repeated conversations.”
Fisher will enter Oxford University in October 2015 to pursue the Master of Philosophy
in Comparative Social Policy. Sixty years after the landmark Brown vs. Board of
Education verdict, and 51 years after UC admitted its first African-American student,
Robert Fisher, is the result of a promise fulfilled.
Authors Relevant Experience:
Nicole Brown is the Academic Advisor and Adjunct Faculty member in the Communication Department at The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. She is former radio personality “Khole Brown” where she worked for Brewer Media Group stations WJTT- FM and WMPZ-FM.
Brown created UTC’s first student run, web-based radio station The Perch in 2009. She is also the executive producer of the documentary 9 United for Equality: Reflections on the Struggle for Civil Rights in Chattanooga (2014). Before joining the Communication Department full time, Brown created several diversity workshops for the University while working in the Office of Equity and Diversity.
Dr. Felicia McGhee is an Assistant Professor in the Communication Department at The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. McGhee is a former reporter of WTVC- ABC affiliate, WTOK-ABC Affiliate and WHOA-ABC Affiliate. She is also the former host of Tennessee Insider, a public affairs show on WTCI- PBS affiliate.
McGhee is also the co-producer of the documentary Reaching the Light: The Story of the Desegregation of the University of Chattanooga (2012). Dr. McGhee’s research focuses on media framing of the Civil Rights Movement. She has currently published in The Alabama Review, Mobilization and Media Watch Journal.
(Atlanta, GA.)--The Observance of "The Dreamer's" Birthday is almost in the history books, but first Varion Walton gives us a look back at the week the nation called "King Holiday!"
(Chattanooga, TN.)--After 31 years in the
business, Johnny Gill is stronger than ever. Time has had little effect on the
vocals. Johnny Gill's sultry; smooth, unique sound is sure to satisfy. I
enjoyed our brief "meet and greet" during Johnny's exclusive
"listening party" at the Bessie Cultural Center in Chattanooga,
Tennessee recently. "I couldn't ask for a more intimate, beautiful venue
to bring my new music to the people." I love Tennessee and this museum is
a beautiful commitment in keeping R&B alive." I've been here before
and once again, the pleasure is all mine.
Check out Johnny Gill's new CD,
"GAME CHANGER” available NOW on I-Tunes.
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