Joy Bryant Parenthood Interview Across The Board

Joy Bryant brings tears to our eyes every week on Parenthood, but with her new webseries, Across The Board, she aims to turn that frown upside down!

Across the Board features interviews with celebrity guests who not only share Bryant's joie de vivre, but also her passion for board sports like surfing, skateboarding and snowboarding. ETonline caught up with the actress (who straps in under the name The Shreddy Negress) to find out how Across The Board came to be, which sport is on her "no-no" list and what's coming up for Jasmine on Parenthood!

ETonline: Where did the idea for this show stem from?

Joy Bryant: This was an idea that I had been thinking about for a few years. I figured it would be cool to do a show where it was me and a pro – snowboarder, surfer – and they'd be coaching me. Basically, it was me trying to get free lessons [laughs]. That was really my original point, but when I met Kevin Law [network co-chairman] and told him the idea, he liked it but wanted to open it up to more than just professionals. That's how it started.

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ETonline: How did you get involved with boarding to start?

Bryant: It started with snowboarding ... but I don't know why I stuck with it as much as I did because I was busting my ass left and right when I was first learning, as you will. It felt like I got run over by two trucks, then someone kicked me in the stomach and spit on me, but I was ready to go again the next day. I just loved it. When I learned how to snowboard, that year, my instructor told me that in the off-season I should take up skateboarding so I could be a better snowboarder, so I got a longboard skateboard. Then, I met a hot surfer in Mexico and he asked me if I wanted to learn how to surf, and I was in. There's nothing like a hot person asking to make you want to learn how to do something. "Wanna jump out of a plane?" Sure!

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ETonline: Would you jump out of a plane?

Bryant: I would not do that. I almost got talked into skydiving once and I just booked it left. I have no desire to jump out of a plane, at all. Same with bungee jumping. I won't be space diving any time soon.

ETonline: Well, I'm sure that's a relief to NBC's insurance teams since having one of their stars actively space diving probably isn't high on the list of approved activies. Personally, I've been loving this season. What's your take?

Bryant: It's just been so intense. I love what they've given me to do this year. Especially The Talk episode with Jabbar. That was one of my favorite episodes ever. I love where they're about to take the storyline. Hopefully we come back for a fourth season so we can continue down the path they're taking us on.

ETonline: What can you tease about Jasmine and Crosby's future?

Bryant: There's some really good drama coming up this season. I don't want to spoil anything, but just because you're married, that doesn't mean the drama stops. One type of drama stopped for them, but there's a whole other host of issues that occur which you'll never experience as a single person. It's not like you get a fairytale once you're married; marriage and family is work. Plus, now that you're together and bonded, you gotta ride through the storm. You can't walk away. The drama definitely doesn't end, it only gets richer and deeper.

For more information on Across the Board, click here and Parenthood airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m. on NBC.

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Elmo voice actor Kevin Clash resigns as second man files underage sex lawsuit against him

Getty Images

Actor/Puppeteer Kevin Clash poses with Elmo.

The voice of Elmo, Kevin Clash, resigned today amid new allegations of sexual misconduct with underages boys, “Sesame Street” producers announced.

“Unfortunately, the controversy surrounding Kevin’s personal life has become a distraction that none of us wants, and he has concluded that he can no longer be effective in his job and has resigned from `Sesame Street,’ “ according a statement by Sesame Workshop, the education nonprofit that produces the venerable children’s show.

“This is a sad day for `Sesame Street.’ ”

Sesame Workshop thanked Clash, who has been the voice of Elmo since 1984, for all his years of service.

“Sesame Workshop’s mission is to harness the educational power of media to help all children the world over reach their highest potential,” according to Sesame Workshop.

“Kevin Clash has helped us achieve that mission for 28 years, and none of us, especially Kevin, want anything to divert our attention from our focus on serving as a leading educational organization. “

Clash’s sudden downfall came hours after published reports emerged that a man in his mid-30s filed a lawsuit against Clash, accusing the beloved puppeteer of having underaged sex with him when he was just 15.

The federal civil complaint, filed in New York by Cecil Singleton, alleged that Clash -- now 52 -- picked him up in 1993 on a gay phone chat line.

Singleton said he was 15 at the time, while Clash was 32.

"[Clash] trolled gay telephone chat line rooms to meet and have sex with underage boys,” Singleton claimed in his explosive lawsuit.

"[Clash] groomed [the accuser] to gain his trust by, among other things, taking him to nice dinners and giving him money."

Even though the alleged sex happened nearly 20 years ago, Singleton said he remained silent all this time, because he didn’t know the psychological and emotional damage the intimate, underaged contact did.

The lawsuit said Singleton "did not become aware that he had suffered adverse psychological and emotional effects from Kevin Clash's sexual acts and conduct until 2012."

Singleton is asking more than $5 million.

Clash faced a similar accusation of underage sex last week, in a complaint that just won’t go away.

Sheldon Stephens, 24, accused Clash of sexual misconduct this summer before the allegations went public last week.

Stephens then withdrew his complaint but now wants to recant his recantation.

He’s interviewing lawyers in hopes of ripping up the $125,000 deal he reached last week with Clash, TMZ said.

Stephens’s Pennsylvania lawyers last week released this statement: 'He [Stephens] wants it to be known that his sexual relationship with Mr. Clash was an adult consensual relationship.”

Now Stephens wants to go back to his previous position: That he and Clash had sex when he was just 16, according to the celebrity-gossip Web site.

Clash, a divorced Upper West Side dad, has been on a leave of absence from “Sesame Street” since the sordid story broke last week.

He’s conceded to having a fling with Stephens, but vehemently insists the sex didn’t happen until his boy toy became legal.

Additional reporting by David K. Li and Rebecca Rosenberg

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Startups take the stage at South Florida events

NewME brought its first Popup Accelerator to Miami last week, and together with the Knight Foundation and LAB Miami, gave 65 South Florida participants a two-night pitch workshop, a one-on-one mentoring session with a Silicon Valley venture capitalist or NewME expert and the opportunity to present their ventures at Demo Night.

On Wednesday evening, 38 startup teams pitched to a crowd filling the risers of The Light Box Theater in Wynwood, and competed for tens of thousands of dollars in prizes. On the intimate stage, the teams made their two-minute pitches, each one accompanied by a pitch deck of 8 to 10 slides.

“Can’t you feel the energy? This is super exciting,” said Matt Haggman, program director of the Knight Foundation’s Miami office, which has been supporting and funding projects to help the startup community. “What’s going on here clearly shows there is something special happening and we look forward to contributing to it further.”

After the pitches, which were judged by two investors and Angela Benton, founder of NewME, Benton announced the winners:

•  First place: Sew Love, pitched by Sabrina Scandar. Sewlove.co, founded by sisters Sabrina and Silvia Scandar, is a platform for crowdsourcing fashion design. The Scandars want to raise $300,000 to help them continue developing their platform, make some key hires and fire up a marketing strategy. They won a prize package worth $45,000 in goods and services to help them build their startup, plus they were accepted into NewME’s 2013 Accelerator class.

•  Second place: Gozump, pitched by Charleston Malkemus. Gozump is a platform to help people buy homes, which will begin by targeting the military market. “We are Marines on a mission to change the way real estate works forever,” Malkemus pitched. Gozump won $23,000 in goods and services.

•  Third place, Indira, pitched by Carrie Ann Mantha: Indira is a fashion tech platform that creates personalized fashion and decor for weddings. It has a factory running in Little Haiti and is launching next month. Indira won $7,000 in goods and services.

Honorable mentions: ToddlerTV, SkillU, GoGeekster and NightPro. “We thought the judging process would be a lot easier. There was a lot of great technology,” said Benton, speaking Friday by phone after returning to San Francisco, where the NewME Accelerator is based.

All winners received co-working space at LAB Miami, which is soon moving to a larger space in the Wynwood neighborhood. All participants received a one-month “connect” membership to LAB Miami. Read more about the NewME PopUp here.

Many of the PopUp participants said getting the opportunity to mingle with other startups in South Florida was also valuable.

“We were really excited to meet more of the startup tech community,” said Mantha, who moved Indira from New York City to Little Haiti about six months ago. “It is much more dynamic than we realized.”

Last week was also big for other entrepreneurs taking the stage. Several hundred women attended the two-day Women’s Success Summit, where summit founder Michelle Villalobos and her business partner Jessica Kizorek laid out a system for work/life balance (hint: It starts with scheduling in your playtime, involves firing your least-profitable clients and includes developing strong systems for efficiency.)

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Pembroke Pines hosts winter camp for special needs kids

The City of Pembroke Pines is accepting registration for its two-week Winter Camp for special needs children ages 6 through 14.

Participants will engage in indoor and outdoor activities, games, arts and crafts, and other activities.

Participants must be independent in toileting skills and be able to administer, with supervision, their own medications.

The camp will be held at Rose G. Price Park, 901 NW 208th Ave., Pembroke Pines.

The camps will be 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Dec. 24 and 26 -28; and Dec. 31 and Jan. 2-4.

One week will cost $100; two weeks will cost $175. The fee does not include snacks, lunch or drinks, but it does include camp supplies. Payment is due at time of registration.

For additional information, contact Mary Wilson Palacios, Special Population Coordinator, at 954-450-3663 or mpalacios@ppines.com.

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Amazon’s larger Kindle Fire HD ships early

NEW YORK (AP) — Amazon has started shipping the larger version of its Kindle Fire HD tablet computer on Thursday, five days ahead of schedule.

Amazon is short on stock, though, so new orders won’t ship until Dec. 3. Amazon.com Inc. had been taking orders for shipment on Nov. 20.

The Kindle Fire is one of several tablets challenging Apple’s iPad.

The tablet, which has an 8.9-inch screen measured diagonally, is available on Amazon’s website for $ 299. The tablet will be available at Best Buy stores beginning Friday and at more retailers in the coming weeks.

A version with cellular access is available for $ 499 and will start shipping next week as planned, though new orders won’t ship until Dec. 3.

The smaller version, which has a 7-inch screen, has been available since September.

Gadgets News Headlines – Yahoo! News

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Lindsay Lohan Faces A Lot of Hate in 'Liz and Dick'

Though there are obvious parallels between the lives of Lindsay Lohan and Elizabeth Taylor, for example their start as child stars, nowhere is this more apparent than in this scene from Liz & Dick, where Lindsay playing Elizabeth gets hounded by vicious paparazzi.

"Repent your ungodly ways, that's a new one," she says, clearly upset by the harsh treatment she's receiving because of her relationship with Richard Burton (played by Grant Bowler).

Video: The 'Intense Situation' of Filming 'Liz & Dick'

And it's not hard to imagine that Lindsay, a tabloid favorite, has heard worse in real-life.

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Liz & Dick premieres Sunday, November 25, at 9 p.m. on Lifetime.

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Former president Bill Clinton sees Sandy's devastation first-hand in Rockaways visit

Former president Bill Clinton hugs a woman in the Rockaways

He feels their pain.

Former president Bill Clinton visited the Rockaways this weekend, and got a first-hand look at Hurricane Sandy devastation that rocked the normally tranquil Queens neighborhood.

Clinton Global Initiative volunteers and the 42nd president hit the streets for their Day of Action efforts to pick up the pieces left behind by Sandy.

"We were glad to make a small but meaningful difference in the community and were moved by the perseverance and kindness of those living through such hardship in the storm's wake," Clinton wrote on his Facebook page late last night.

Clinton was warmly greeted by neighborhood residents and his volunteers, who snapped pictures and shook hands with the popular former president.

Daughter Chelsea Clinton also pitched in over the weekend and tweeted to all the volunteers: “Thanks for coming out!”

The former first daughter said she spent a day ripping down dry wall at one storm victim’s house.

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Growing middle class feeds spirits business in Latin America

Diageo executive Randy Millian is proud of the fact that eight out of every 12 times someone pours a standard or premium whiskey in the Latin American and Caribbean region, they’re drinking one of his company’s brands.

That kind of dominance is why the spirits giant is bullish on its future in Latin America, which recently has been the fastest growing region for Diageo worldwide. In 2012, the Latin America and Caribbean region represented 12 percent of Diageo’s net worldwide sales and 11 percent of the company’s operating profit. Diageo hopes Brazil will become one of its top three markets by 2017, behind the U.S. and the United Kingdom.

But getting there hasn’t been easy. During periods of economic and political unrest in the region over the last decade, there were times when it would have been more profitable for Diageo to pull back, said Millian, president of Diageo Latin America and the Caribbean. Yet, the company focused on growing its scotch business across the region and it paid off. Over the last eight years, Diageo has increased sales more than two and a half times and almost tripled its operating profit.

“I believed it would get good,” said Millian, who supervises more than 3,000 employees across the region and 119 in Miami. “But I’m not sure I realized it would get this good.”

Millian has been running the region out of Diageo’s Miami office for more than a decade. But he’s also no stranger to this part of the world. He first lived in Argentina as a child and during his career has done stints in Venezuela, Brazil, Mexico and Costa Rica.

The Miami Herald sat down with Millian during a media day, which was part of a Diageo investor conference in Miami spotlighting the success in the Latin American and Caribbean region. Here is some of what Millian had to say:

Q. Has your growth over the last decade been comparable to Diageo’s growth around the world?

We would definitely be in the top positions in the league within Diageo. That’s one of the reasons they’re focusing on us. Like many corporations, the emerging markets have a huge potential for growth. I’m including Asia-Pacific, Africa and Latin America. We are seeing higher growth rates than we are seeing in the developed world, especially Europe. Although the U.S. is starting to come back, the growth rates in the emerging markets are significantly higher.

Q. What is driving the growth Diageo is experiencing in Latin America?

The improved demographics. You now have over 50 percent of the population who is middle class. You have had an increase in spending. Not only are there more people in the middle class, but you have more people in the (upper) class. We expect over the next year to have 60 million more people in the (upper) class. They’re also learning to spend money in different ways.

Q. In what countries do you see the most growth or most opportunities for future growth? Is Brazil the main focus?

There has been broad growth in Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Chile and Peru. We have seen it all over, but those would be the ones we’re focusing on. It’s not just Brazil, it’s throughout the region.

Q. Why did you remain committed to this region over years when there was not a lot of growth and there was a lot of political and economic unrest in some countries?

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Interfaith Thanksgiving service planned for Wednesday night

Members of various faiths in Coral Gables will come together at 7 p.m. Wednesday in a spirit of unity for the annual Thanksgiving Eve Interfaith Worship Service hosted by Coral Gables Congregational United Church of Christ, 3010 De Soto Blvd., across the street from the Biltmore Hotel.

The Rev. Dr. Laurinda Hafner, senior pastor of the church said, "We invite everyone - no matter who you are or where you are on life’s journey — to a Spirit-filled service that celebrates with words and music the connections found through the awesome diversity, work and fellowship of our community."

The service will be followed by a time of friendship and refreshments that will include a variety of seasonal muffins and preserves and hot cider.

All are welcome.

Nurcracker jazz

The Henry Mancini Institute Orchestra at the University of Miami Frost School of Music, will present a dance-inspired program featuring Duke Ellington’s Nutcracker Suite, at 8 p.m. on Nov. 30, at the university's Gusman Concert Hall, 1314 Miller Dr.

According to Terence Blanchard, artistic director of the Henry Mancini Institute at the university, the work is an upbeat, multi-movement jazz interpretation of "The Nutcracker," by Tchaikovsky, created in 1960 by Duke Ellington and his musical collaborator Billy Strayhorn.

The concert is entitled "Terence Blanchard Presents: A Concert of American Music," and will feature Aaron Copland’s Appalachian Spring, a ballet suite for 13 instruments inspired by ballet music that Copland composed for famed dancer and choreographer Martha Graham in 1944, and two world premieres by Henry Mancini Composition Fellows David Pegel and Rafael da Lima de Piccolotto.

At 7:15 p.m. Blanchard will host a pre-concert talk for young people involved in the institute’s community outreach program, HMI Outbound.

Scott Flavin, resident conductor of the Henry Mancini Institute Orchestra and Stephen Guerra, managing director of the Henry Mancini Institute, will conduct the concert.

Tikets are $15 for adults, general admission and $10 for seniors and children and may be purchased via the Frost School’s website, www.music.miami.edu/concerts or by calling 305-284-2400.

‘A Taste of Dance’

The Karen Peterson Dance Company will present "A Taste of Dance," at 7 p.m. on Dec. 1, at Excello, 8700 SW 129th Terr. The event is a fundraiser for the 2013 KPD mixed- ability educational projects.

The cost is $35 per person online at www.karenpetersondance.org and $40 at the door. Call 305-298-5879 for more information.

LGBT seniors

The critically acclaimed documentary "Gen Silent," by filmmaker Stu Maddux, will be screened at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 27, at the Miami Theater Center, 9806 NE Second Ave. in Miami Shores.

The documentary addresses the question, "Do LGBT seniors need to go back in the closet?" because many LGBT seniors face the heart-wrenching decision of whether to enter a nursing home.

The program is presented by Creative Arts Enterprises, in association with Treece Financial Group, and is free and open to the public.

The screening will be followed by a panel of local experts who will address the issues discussed in the film. To view a trailer, go www.gensilent.com. For more information call Ellen Wedner at 305-573-6477 or email her at wednerfriend@hotmail.com. You may also call Michael Vita at 786-586-4286 or email him at michael@davidtreece.com.

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So, Here’s That ‘Big Bang Theory’ Flashmob You Wanted

We realize there’s only so much time one can spend in a day watching new trailers, viral video clips, and shaky cell phone footage of people arguing on live television. This is why every day The Atlantic Wire highlights the videos that truly earn your five minutes (or less) of attention. Today:

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Psychologist Richard Wiseman has an interactive game for you to let you know you’re just predictable. To be fair, a couple of us tried it out and were not as predictable as Wiseman thought we were going to be. But without further ado, here it is (have some screen cleaner ready):

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We too are very excited for the Disney installments of Star Wars. New movies, Ewoks, whatever count us in. We’re just not this excited: 

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If you don’t know, The Big Bang Theory is basically a show about a bunch of really smart, really nerdy dorks. Now when it comes to the actual cast of The Big Bang Theory, we’re only pretty sure (and happy to be proven wrong) only one of those things apply:

And finally, do you have $ 37? If so, would you mind donating it to The Atlantic Wire robot fish aquarium fund? We promise, it’s totally a great cause. Thanks in advance!

Wireless News Headlines – Yahoo! News

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