Stellar Awards Founder Don Jackson has Wed Dr. Teresa Hairston
Don Jackson, founder and CEO of Central City Productions, is known for bringing music to the masses and has directed the flagship brand for the Stellar Gospel Music Awards for the last 38 years. On Saturday, August 5th, Mr. Jackson wed the founder of the Gospel Heritage Foundation, Dr. Teresa Hairston. Dr. Hairston is also the founder and publisher emeritus of Gospel Today Magazine. The two, who publicly announced their engagement and upcoming nuptials in Las Vegas last month during Stellar Awards weekend, got married in a private ceremony in Atlanta, officially making them the newest powerful couple in the Gospel music industry today.
TruPlay is Changing the Game for Children’s Entertainment
Multimedia entertainment Christian company TruPlay recently launched a digitized biblically based content platform that offers mobile games, cartoons, and comics specifically for children. TruPlay founder Brent Dusing was inspired to create a safe space that was fun and entertaining to directly counter the current negative and toxic online culture. According to Psychology Today, the average child is exposed to online pornography by the age of 11. Anxiety, suicide, and depression rates are also at all-time highs for children, who on average spend 52.5 hours a week on screen. 95% of all children have also been found to play video games in some capacity. TruPlay offers families a viable alternative that parents would not need to worry about that also focuses on strengthening their child’s faith.
Actor Jamie Foxx Walks Back Jesus Post
After more than a month of unexplained public absence following rumors of a life-threatening illness that had hospitalized actor Jamie Foxx, he is back on the social media scene. This past weekend, he made some comments that some have found offensive concerning the death of Jesus Christ. The Oscar-winning actor, who once served as a minister of music at his church prior to finding fame, said in a now deleted Instagram post: “They killed this dude named Jesus … What do you think they’ll do to you???!” The Oscar winner also added the hashtags “#fakefriends” and “#fakelove” in the caption. Foxx later explained that the “They” in his post was not directed at the Jewish community and was not intended as an anti-Semitic response to something he said personally happened to him.
Deitrick Haddon & the Voices of Unity Reunite for “Back to Life”
Grammy-nominated gospel artist and pastor Deitrick Haddon has reunited with his group the Voices of Unity for a new release that evokes nostalgic elements of funk and soul in a song simply titled “Back to Life.” This is Haddon’s first production with the Voices of Unity since 2012 and it’s a feel-good message of faith and affirmation. “The world is dying because we’ve left the one key to keeping it alive,” Haddon says. “The key to life is love. Love is bringing us back to life.!” A phrase taken directly from the lyrics of his latest song.
Last Words…
Tamela Mann to Headline “Faith, Family & Football Gospel Concert”
Grammy award-winning gospel artist Tamela Mann is slated to headline the “Faith, Family & Football Gospel Concert” in Canton, OH on Saturday, Sept. 2. The concert is one of many highlights planned during the Black College Football Hall of Fame Classic Labor Day weekend festivities. Mann’s performance will be part of the multi-event HBCU Family Block Party kicking off at 11 a.m. at Centennial Plaza in downtown Canton. The concert will begin at 5:30 p.m. The Block Party and Gospel Concert are free and open to the public and will be filled with nonstop entertainment, food trucks from the area’s best vendors and appearances from the Morehouse College and Virginia Union University marching bands.
