Forbes 100 Most Powerful Celebrities

Jennifer Lopez tops Forbes annual ”100 Most Powerful Celebrities” list. She’s from the Bronx and she’s in good company. Quite a few native New Yorkers made the power list. Just a few are listed below. Check the source link for the full list.

New Yorker Power Players

. Jennifer Lopez
. Lady GaGa
. Donald Trump
. Howard Stern
. Jay Z
. Sean “Diddy” Combs
. Alex Rodriguez

Source

Christine Quinn Ties the Knot on Saturday

NYC Council Speaker Christine Quinn and Kim Catullo will tie the knot tomorrow in the Meatpacking District. Three hundred of their closest friends are invited to the reception. That includes Mayor Bloomberg and Governor Cuomo who are staunch supporters of same-sex marriage. Source

Dougie Fresh at Bronx Week Parade on Sunday

The 41st Annual Bronx Week Parade marches along Mosholu Parkway this Sunday at Noon. Rapper Dougie Fresh, Olivia and Los Hermanos Morenos are slated to provide musical entertainment. Check the source link for additional information. Source

Bronx Puerto Rican Day Parade June 3

The Bronx Puerto Rican Day Parade takes place on June 3rd this year from 11 AM until 2 PM. Not much information is available but the source link maps to the Facebook Page. Source

National Puerto Rican Day Parade June 10

The National Puerto Rican Day Parade takes place on June 10 this year. It starts on 44th Street at 11 AM and heads north along Fifth Avenue. The parade will be broadcast live on Fox 5 / My 9. Source

Ashley Dupree Opens NJ Boutique

She gained celebrity as the call girl who referred to former NYS Governor Eliot Spitzer as Client No. 9. Since then NY Post brought Ashley Dupree on board as an advice columnist. Apparently that didn’t pan out.

This week Ashley Dupree opened a lingerie and bathing suit boutique. Femme by Ashley is located in Red Bank, New Jersey. The mayor said the community welcomes the new business. The source link maps to her website. Source

Godfather of Go-Go Chuck Brown Dies at 75

Musician Chuck Brown died at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore yesterday at the age of 75. He was admitted to the hospital with pneumonia last month.

In Washington, DC and its surrounding suburbs Chuck Brown was recognized as the Godfather of Go-Go, a unique blend of music characterized by heavy percussion. Run Joe and Go-Go Swing were huge hits for him. “Swing” segued into his very soulful version of Moody’s Mood for Love.

Outside the DC-Metro area Go-Go music never caught on in spite of artists like Jill Scott and Salt n’ Pepa who successfully dabbled in the genre. Rapper Nelly won a Grammy award for Hot In Here when he sampled Bustin’ Loose. Chuck Brown and the Soul Searchers did have crossover success with We Need Some Money in 1978. Source

Wife of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Commits Suicide

The estranged wife of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. committed suicide by hanging herself yesterday. She was 52 years old. Mary Richardson Kennedy became increasingly despondent after her husband filed for divorce in 2010.

The Kennedys had four children between the ages of eleven and seventeen. They were not at home when their mother took her life in their Bedford, NY mansion. Robert Kennedy, Jr. is the son of Senator Robert F. Kennedy who was assassinated in 1968.  Source

NBC FREE Summer Concerts in NYC

NBC kicks off the 2012 Toyota Concert Series on Today this Friday. R&B king Usher is first in the free concerts lineup. We posted a link to the NBC website for additional information including the full schedule and instructions if you want to be in the audience. Just a few featured artists are listed below.

Free Concerts (Partial List)

. May 18: Usher
. May 25: Pitbull
. June 8: Chris Brown
. June 15: Justin Bieber
. June 29: Maroon 5
. July 6: Flo Rida 

Source

Harry Warnecke Celebrity Photos

Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery pays homage to one of New York’s own with “In Vibrant Color: Vintage Celebrity Portraits From the Harry Warnecke Studio.” The photographer was a Daily News cameraman during the 1930′s when he raised the bar and began to produce color photos of celebrities.

Twenty-four of Warnecke’s celebrity portraits are on display in Washington, DC until September 9. If you still have this Sunday’s Daily News check the Now section for really colorful photos of Louis Armstrong, Lena Horne and a photo of the original cast of A Streetcar Named Desire.

One source link below maps to the National Portrait Gallery website where you can find additional information. The other maps to  just a few of Harry Warnecke’s celebrity photos.

Source
Slide Show (NY Times)
NPG.si.edu (National Portrait Gallery)