In the gut wrenching Excuses For Jeff, Allen tackles the controversial and taboo topic of homophobia in Jamaica. With his portrayal of multiple characters, the talented New Yorker creates a story reminiscent of The Laramie Project, only it hits closer to home as a group of friends explain their reasons for not attending their best friends funeral.

But let’s start from the beginning—how did Allen actually get into acting? The Jamaican born actor explains that he traveled back and forth between the island and the states and had originally wanted to fly planes, until a childhood friend influenced his career choice. “ When I was really young the teacher asked us what we wanted to do. A friend stood up and said he wanted to be an actor, and I thought it was fascinating that you could portray different characters.”

Gibrey Allen/Filmaker - Photo: Shanda Pierce

Despite not having any formal training, Allen is a firm advocate of the Meisner technique—as he believes that the imagination is infinite.  Because the method encourages emotional recollection and creation, it was natural for Allen to adapt to the acting style. Idolizing Jeffrey Wright, Denzel Washington and Morgan Freeman, Allen found inspiration in their abilities to fully embody the characters they portrayed.

As Allen delved further into acting, he thrived in creating multiple characters and his interest in film development skyrocketed, Allen smiles, “It’s so much more fulfilling when you create it yourself.” He wanted to see more stories that he could relate to on film and the big screen, and thus, Excuses For Jeff  was constructed.  The fictional movie was sparked after Allen had a conversation with his brother regarding homophobia in Jamaica. Although these vicious hate crimes are not covered often in America, it is still an issue that affects the collective social problems of the world. It took all of six months for the film to be completed and Allen even went on location to Jamaica to fully capture the essence of the culture, story and characters.

Excuses For Jeff does not accept homophobia in Jamaica, but rather asks, why haven’t we done anything to stop it? Allen’s various answers are clear in the dialogue between Jeff’s best friends and brother, as the characters Ryan, Travis, Miles, Shawn and Mike tearfully justify their actions.

Although each character is an extension of Allen, he found that he related closest to the character Mike, Jeff’s brother. Allen, being enraged by the callous attitudes on hate crimes in Jamaica, strongly connects with Mike as they share similar views on the way Jeff died. Allen passionately clarifies, “I found myself going off and it was hard sticking to script, because I would ramble about what I really felt.”

Allen suggests that in part with cultural and traditional opinions, in reality—the force spearheading homophobia in Jamaica is the music. From dancehall DJ’s to popular musicians, these artists are extreme about their hate filled principles and when these lyrics are combined with a good beat, the youth embrace the violent lifestyle and put the words to action.

With hostile opinions still occurring in Jamaica, Allen won’t screen the movie there yet for safety reasons but he hopes that by screening it in the states, enough awareness will motivate people to ignite a change. While in the development stages of Excuses For Jeff, Allen’s perspective on the story was further enhanced, and he strongly believes that love is love, and that everyone should be treated equally with respect and compassion, despite their orientation.

We at The Chocolate Voice were honored to be able to watch the heartrending film at the San Diego Black Film Festival, and we fully encourage everyone to view it, as we are certain that anyone can sympathize with the characters rationales as they remember a lost friend.

Gibrey Allen/Photo: Shanda Pierce

As for the talented Allen, we look forward to seeing his next project soon and we’re keeping our fingers crossed that he wins an Oscar in the near future.

For more information on Allen and Excuses For Jeff, please visit imdb.com and FACEBOOK/COM/EXCUSESFORJEFF

Photo: Peache Photo Memories

As part of her campaign to battle childhood obesity, First Lady Michelle Obama joined Robert K. Ross, M.D. And CEO of California Endowment and, other local leaders who visited the site of a future grocery store in Inglewood on Wednesday and spoke about the importance of bringing fresh food to disadvantaged communities.

The California Freshworks fund, a 264 million public-private fund partnership loan fund led by California Endowment partners, is a part of a statewide push to will bring affordable healthy food access to underserved communities across the state.

The market Northgate Gonzales which will open in April in an empty warehouse on South Prairie Avenue, in the Inglewood section of Los Angeles.

Photo credit; Rochelle Porter/Peache Photo Memories

Don Cornelius, the deep voiced creator of the iconic “Soul Train” has died.  Police found the body of Cornelius, at his house in the area of Los Angeles called Sherman Oaks at around 4 a.m on Wednesday. He was later pronounced dead at a local hospital.

“The death was reported as an apparent suicide, a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head,” Los Angeles coroner’s Assistant Chief Ed Winter said. Police said there was no evidence of foulplay.

Cornelius was born in 1936 in Chicago and as an adult, became a journalist who was active in the civil rights movement. For a time, he worked at local radio station WVON, and by the late 1960s he had dreamed up the idea of a TV show dedicated to the soulful sounds of African-American music.

“Soul Train” branded urban culture of the ’70s giving what “American Bandstand” creator Dick Clark offered mainstream TV viewers in the early days of rock ‘n’ roll — a show mixing youth, music, fashion and pop culture.

As “Soul Train” gained popularity, it crossed over into mainstream TV and allowed R&B artists the ability to broaden their fan base.

Viewers tuned in every Saturday  to check out their favorite soul artists perform.  Soul train was the show to watch for the hottest styles in clothing and hair, which at that time is was the Afro.  And let’s not forget the Soul Train line!

Still to this day, dance parties aren’t complete without the staple soul train line and who can forget that famous catch phrase–”Love Peace and Soooooooul”

Don Cornelius was 75 years old.

Soul Train Line

Broadcast airs February 17^th on NBC

Cathy Hughes

 (Los Angeles, CA) – TV One Founder and President Cathy Hughes will receive the NAACP Chairman’s Award during the 43^rd NAACP Image Awards, broadcast live on Friday, February 17^th (8:00-10:00 PM EST) on NBC.

The Chairman’s Award, chosen by NAACP Chairman Roslyn M. Brock, is bestowed in recognition of special achievement and distinguished public service. Past honorees include U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Regina Benjamin, Tyler Perry, Former Vice President Al Gore and Dr. Wangari Muta Maathai, Aretha Franklin, Bono, then-Senator Barack Obama, The Dave Matthews Band, Danny Glover, and Aaron McGruder.

“I am thrilled to offer Cathy Hughes the NAACP Chairman’s Award,” stated Chairman Brock. “This recognition is long overdue for her accomplishments as a trailblazer in the media industry.  As the founder of Radio One and TV One, an advocate for small business entrepreneurship, and philanthropist, Cathy Hughes reminds us that collectively and as individuals, we can make a difference.  Her presence at the Image Awards continues the NAACP’s quest to celebrate and uplift individuals who model principles of hard work, perseverance and community empowerment.”

“This is the most humbling honor to ever be bestowed on me,” stated Ms. Hughes. “Those who have received the Chairman’s Award in the past are counted among the very best that America has ever produced, and I am honored and very humbled to be included in their ranks.”

In 1979, Hughes founded the communications company Radio One and built it into a major media institution with over 70 stations in 16 major markets. When the company went public in 1998, Hughes became the first and only African-American female to head a publicly traded corporation. Today, Radio One is the largest black-owned media corporation in the nation with a platform that includes TV One, Interactive One, Music One and Reach Media, the home of the Tom Joyner Morning show.

In January 2004, Radio One launched TV One, a national cable and satellite television network which is the “lifestyle and entertainment network for African-American adults.” TV One is currently available in over 58 million homes.

Before founding Radio One, Hughes served as President and General Manager of WHUR-FM in Washington, DC, where she rejuvenated the station’s struggling sales revenue and created the, still immensely popular, Quiet Storm format, which has become the most successful format in urban radio history.  After that, she served as Vice President and General Manager of DC’s WYCB Radio.

The NAACP Image Awards is the premiere multicultural awards show. It celebrates the accomplishments of people of color in the fields of television, music, literature and film and also honors individuals or groups who promote social justice through creative endeavors. Event sponsors include UAW/Chrysler, AARP, FedEx, Hyundai , Wells Fargo, Ford Motor Company, Walgreens, Bank of America, AT&T, American Airlines, and General Motors.

Founded in 1909, the NAACP is the nation’s oldest and largest civil rights organization. Its members throughout the United States and the world are the premier advocates for civil rights in their communities, conducting voter mobilization and monitoring equal opportunity in the public and private sectors. For more information on the NAACP Image Awards, please visit www.naacpimageawards.net.

Although her business is only 9 months old, she’s already focused on  opening 2 other locations, has been approached for a reality TV show,and has already knocked out her competitors in a short amount of time.

Her business, The Cupcake Place, mixes bedazzled glam with wholesome simplicity that gives each customer a delicious treat and a wonderful memory each time they visit. As colorful cupcakes are painted on the walls and art deco tables line the middle of the shop, the ambiance of The Cupcake Place is much like a dessert lovers dream, and it is evident that Ferguson has put her all into it.

Contrary to what most would assume, baking wasn’t the first career choice for this Orange County native—in fact, she didn’t even have a culinary background.  For 25 years she’s been a care provider for a residential facility for the developmentally disabled, and it was baking for clients that helped her discover her untapped talent.

She jokes that over time, her kitchen started to look like a cupcake shop, and one day she told her husband, “I should open up a cupcake store!”  She laughed that he supported her partially because she was making such a mess in the kitchen—but mainly because he believed in her talent.

Owner Terrie Ferguson

Her supportive family has been with her every step of the way, and she credits her belief in self-employment to them. In fact, Ferguson mentioned that even in elementary school, her family recognized her entrepreneurial spirit because she always had various odd jobs to make money.

With an encouraging family, an already flourishing business and a flair for baking, Ferguson set out on a journey to open The Cupcake Place.

Financing everything on her own, she found a plain square building and brought it to life with her vivacious eye for design. It started through word of mouth advertising and catering parties, and pretty soon the concept was complete. With cupcake names like Tall Dark and Handsome and Mint Condition, Ferguson steered clear of the typical cupcake flavors, giving her an edge above her competitors. She then brought on her dream team—Shirley, Tina and the rest of her lovely staff of 7. Although each member has a specialty, the group is collective and shares the responsibilities of the entire shop.

Her team and extremely delicious cupcakes place her in a league of her own and Ferguson doesn’t need to worry about the competition, because she has a special ingredient—her personality.  Although she admits to being shy, her warming and bubbly presence makes each cupcake taste that much better. She is adamant that her special ingredient is the moisture of her cupcakes, but we at The Chocolate Voice know that she must have something else hidden under her sleeves to make her cupcakes taste like heaven.

The future is already shining for Ferguson as she will open up another shop by the University of Riverside in the summer of 2012. She also plans on expanding to Corona and hopefully to San Diego, if we at The Chocolate Voice can convince her to open one more location near us. If she is offered another reality TV show, she plans on accepting it since her confidence has soared with the successful opening of her shop.

As for advice for other entrepreneurs, Ferguson replied simply, “Do the best you can.  Whatever happens, happens.”  If doing the best you can, can result in the huge achievements that Terrie Ferguson has had, then we strongly suggest following ones passion—well, that and visiting The Cupcake Place to taste her incredible cupcakes.

Putting her heart and soul into this business has brought her dreams to life and it is clear that Terrie Ferguson has found her true calling—but don’t take our word for it, check out her mouth-watering cupcakes for yourself.

Photo credit: Shanda Pierce

For special orders visit thecupcakeplaceonline.com

The Cupcake Place is located at 10580 Magnolia Ave. Riverside, CA 92505  phone no. (951) 358-1201

Since creating his first film, D. Jus Riley’s filmmaking career has moved at a much faster pace than the thirty something year old expected. Riley’s short film, 5: Thirty-One was accepted into this years 10th annual San Diego Black Film Festival, he’s in talks to produce a documentary for Big Daddy Kane, produced a music video for Mr. Cheeks and he’s just finished writing a suspense script in which he will film and star in. So how does he do it all? The Chocolate Voice sat down to talk to the New Yorker to figure out how passion and a dream brought him success.

Raised in South Jamaica Queens, Riley admits that growing up in his close-knit neighborhood brought everyone with similar goals together. His street bred future hip-hop artists, filmmakers and other people now involved in the entertainment industry. Riley mentioned that it’s also always helpful when someone knows someone, who is willing to help make a connection in pursuit of their dreams.

Although Riley’s neighborhood had some entertainment connections, a career as a filmmaker wasn’t a viable option in his family. He recalls, “During my senior year in high school, I remember finding an Army pamphlet that my mother placed under my pillow.” Despite having many talented family members, and Riley being enrolled in acting school, it was clearly understood that in his family, one was to either join the military or get a steady job.

As his family didn’t necessarily understand his passion for art, he explained that fulfilling his dreams were more important, “It helps to get validation from others and it hurts when you don’t but, it’s you that has to live with yourself.  I don’t want to live my life saying what if?”

After graduating from high school and abiding by the wishes of his family, Riley respectfully entered the Army starting out in infantry by flying spy planes. It wasn’t a bad job to have because along with being grateful for the opportunity to serve the country, Riley says that having that constant paycheck helped with financing his film projects, and to pursue his dream.

“It was the military that inspired me to creatively change my name to D Jus Riley,” he adds,  “In the military, a person is referred to by their last name and when someone would ask me my name, I’d answer, just Riley.  So I added my own twist, D for Donnell— my birth name, Jus for Just, and last name Riley.”

Filmmaker D Jus Riley

While his creativity was sparked, and as fate would have it, he returned home from Afghanistan as a result of an injury—sending him to Ft. Bragg for a year of rehabilitation. It was in rehab that he and a friend were inspired to create and produce thought provoking television and film projects.

He acknowledges that being in the military helped to shape his film career in a sense that he learned how to be direct, carry out a mission and apply that experience to film making. Completely self-taught, Riley received his film education through youtube, or as he coins it, “The University of YouTube”.

Ironically, youtube is where he met another fellow New Yorker, established actor, producer, filmmaker, writer and web series developer, Al Thompson.

Thompson is best known for co-starring roles in films A Walk to Remember, Love Don’t Cost a Thing and The Royal Tennenbaums, a film Riley admits as being one of his favorites.

“Al is there for me every step of the way. He encourages me to call him for anything and if I don’t, he calls me and says, ‘Why didn’t you call me?’ He’s like a big brother.”’ Riley says.

Another director that Riley has admiration and respect for is Spike Lee, mainly because he believes strongly in following ones passion. Although Lee teaches film at NYU, he also advocates that a person doesn’t necessarily need college because of more access to technology. “Spike fights everyday to be apart of mainstream Hollywood, yet he still wants people of color to fight for our own.” Riley says.

Living by Lee’s motto to fight for our own, Riley has sought out to bring interesting stories to the big screen. His most recent film 5ive: Thirty one, 5:31 being a biblical verse, is a script that he wrote in just two weeks. The film is based on a serial killer who strongly believes that people need to take responsibility for their actions and not put them off on God.  Riley that says he became fascinated with getting into the mind of serial killers like Charles Manson, whom he argues are very intelligent people who have extremely thought out reasoning. He studied many, and became intrigued with the psychology behind insanity.

The suspenseful and thought provoking film also questions the morality of a serial killer, and the logic behind their actions. So far, the film has been accepted into four festivals including the International Film Festival Manhattan, the San Diego Black Film Festival, the Short Channel Film Festival and the Queens World Film Festival.

With a career already destined for longevity and success, Riley makes it known that his plans for the future are simple—he proudly declares, “I’m going for the EGOT—the Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony.”

We at The Chocolate Voice are more than confident that Riley can in fact receive all four awards in no time, and we’re simply proud to say that we know the filmmaker, actor, future superstar, and all-around good guy.

D Jus Riley at the San Diego Black Film Festival

After our interview D Jus Riley’s Film 5IVE:THIRY ONE was nominated for for Best Short Film at the 2012 San Diego Black Film Festival.  www.FaceBook.Com/531Movie

It’s the constant question that’s on everybody mind.  Unemployment claims have been decreasing for the last three months. The homebuilding sector is in the middle of what seems to be a fairly robust rally. Auto sales have picked up and are now near their highest point of the recovery. Real retail sales are still increasing and in an upward trajectory. Industrial demand is showing signs of increasing.

The data is showing many positive signs that the United States may be turning things around.  But are these false indicators of an actual recovery? With Asia and Europe continuing to bounce along the bottom, perhaps the economy in the US is floating to the top of the heap only because things are more negative elsewhere.

Assuming the employment market continues to improve, that should have a ripple effect into the housing market, where record low interest rates and lower prices should bring in buyers. The continued strength in car sales tells me that consumers are becoming comfortable with making long-term purchases, so a new home isn’t too far a stretch from that position. Assuming the preceding thought process is accurate, we see that the economy is on the way to solving its two big problems: employment and housing.

Have we turned the corner? Only time will tell us concerning our economic worries, rather bluntly, if there is momentum building for an eventually swing to the positive or it will issue the smack down and provide a disappointing reality, especially considering all the advance hoopla as I’ve listed above.

The U.S. economy has been growing for the last nine quarters. Granted, the growth has been weak, but it has been moving forward. This tells us that there is a foundation for growth and the pieces are aligning to sustain it.

So what’s the Bottom line? The momentum is carrying the market upward and the upward volumes have been getting stronger rather than weaker. That’s seriously bullish. Nonetheless, I won’t be throwing caution into the wind. A market correction at these levels is highly and statistically probable, and I think that it should happen sooner rather than later. Just be ready.

Dempster Cherry is a Investment Advisor Representative with Nelson Securities, Inc.  For more information on weekly picks email  dcherry@Nelson-Securities.com

What makes this book so poignant is that 70-year-old Doris Gerber, who barely finished the 8^th grade, wrote it.  In her debut novel Makin’ Do; she shares memories of her life with her friend Kay, who encourages her to write.

Once Kay convinces Doris that the world needs to hear her story, the two friends embark on a 10-day Carnival cruise traveling the Mexican Riviera from Long Beach to Cabo San Lucas to work on the autobiography without distraction.

In between laughter and tears the two women escape from writing to enjoy the festivities on the ship, which was cleverly weaved into the story.

The story centers on Gerber’s upbringing in northern California near Santa Cruz. The focal points are the women in her family who sacrifice the well being of their children for the sake of poor choices in men.  She quotes her reasons for writing the book as panic attacks and how her doctor suggests she write down what was bothering her as a source of healing.

She starts off writing with, “I loved my mother but I didn’t like her ways.”

Her mother’s poor judgment when it came to men resulted in the family living under railroad tracks surrounded by shady characters, being molested at an early age, and being forced to stay at home to baby sit her siblings while subsequently falling behind in school.

As an adult many of Doris’ choices mirrored her mother’s, especially when it came to relationships but ironically, her lack of education did not deter her from excelling as a savvy businesswoman, and now, writer.

The book mostly explores trust and relationship issues, how Doris was making do throughout her life to survive, and how to escape the generational curse.

To purchase a copy of the book  contact:  831-234-5771, or email: dorisjgerber@gmail.com

In the economic and financial environment that we currently have with news (economic, financial and policy actions), it is difficult to sort the noise from the facts. I have expressed my bullish views on all commodities for the long term; I consider 2012 to be a year for reinforcing my bullish long views with a cautious eye on the near and mid term possibilities.

Yes, I do have a taste for being bearish in the near term for commodities; the most discussed concern is the slowdown in China. There will be debates on the extent of the slowdown. Some sectors of the Chinese economy may experience a hard landing, while others might have relatively slower growth. In any case, there is no doubt that it will impact commodity demand and prices. Given the extent to which Chinese equity markets are discounting the slowdown, I am comparatively sure that commodities will decline significantly in 2012 as a reflection of the waning demand for industrial commodities (in the near term).

On our side of the world, the impact on commodity prices should come in the form of strengthening currency (specifically the dollar). A strong dollar is historically negative for asset classes such as equities and commodities. However, I won’t be shocked if the dollar gains in strength further in the foreseeable future. The euro zone crisis will keep the euro on a relatively negative downward trend. Therefore, the flight to the dollar will be significantly higher. With minimal growth, recession and continuous debt refinancing expected in the euro zone, I expect risk aversion to remain high.

The United States more than likely will need further policy action in 2012, in order to keep the economy going. I see this as a negative due to our government’s inability to even work through minor policy and governing needs.  Therefore, a relatively strong dollar for most of 2012 might keep commodity prices trending down.

With these factors in mind, I would certainly not consider 2012 to be exceptional for commodities. What might offset these concerns? Geopolitical tensions (read as the Middle East) and an amount of quantitative easing (both by the euro zone and the Fed). Nevertheless, I would assign a much higher probability of downside than any upside.

Now having said this, I do maintain my long-term bullish view on all commodities. Primarily, I would consider any meaningful correction in key commodities as a buying opportunity. So, now you’re impatiently asking…Which commodities will I be eyeballing in 2012?

Crude Oil – The long-term demand for crude isn’t going away.  In fact it will increase exponentially.  2012 should present a good opportunity to consider long-term holdings for crude and few exploration companies.

Copper –China has show the way in the recent term; however with the Chinese economy weakening a price decline in copper relative to demand is an excellent opportunity to add the commodity in a long-term portfolio. Yes, I do consider Copper to be better than Gold.

Coal –Coal consumption has shown vigorous growth in the past decade and that trend is expected to continue.

I sincerely expect volatility across all asset classes, as 2012 continues to move forward. 2011 was dictated by reactionary, short term trends and not fundamental facts. Those that rode the fluid, short-term trading mayhem of last year may realize damaging effects to their portfolios this time around. In my opinion, a long term view is critical this year even more so than the last two years.

Dempster Cherry is a Investment Advisor Representative with Nelson Securities, Inc.  For more information on weekly picks email  dcherry@Nelson-Securities.com