Latest news with #YMU
Yahoo
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Big Shaq' Comedian Michael Dapaah Launches YouTube Chat Show ‘Comfortably Speaking' With Singer Mabel As First Guest
EXCLUSIVE: Brit actor, rapper and YouTuber Michael Dapaah is launching conversational show Comfortably Speaking with UK pop singer Mabel as his first guest. Launching Wednesday 23 July on YouTube, future weekly episodes will be feature names from the worlds of entertainment, sport and business. More from Deadline YMU Signs Writer & 'Big Shaq' Comedian Michael Dapaah 'My Favorite Murder' Network Teams With Blanchard House On Multi-Project Podcast Deal 'Legend Of Zelda' Movie Casts Bo Bragason As Zelda & Benjamin Evan Ainsworth As Link Episodes will include 'tongue-in-cheek chat with in-depth conversation designed to bring out the real personality behind each guest…with Dapaah surprising guests with photos and video clips from their past, prompting them to explain the moments behind the memories.' The show will include its host going head to head with guests in a quick fire quiz game called Pitstop before the 'Be Comfortable' element of the show will delve deeper into pivotal moments in his guest's careers. Comfortably Speaking's original one-off special featured Rio Ferdinand, Mo Gilligan, Headie One, Julie Adenuga and Eva Apio and gained more than 10 million impressions. Dapaah's viral characters have included Dapaah Dad and Big Shaq, his comedic rap alter ego. He went on to create mockumentary Somewhere In London and starred in BBC's Noughts + Crosses series. Dapaah said:'This series has been too long coming! When we did the pilot a while back, the response was so inspiring and I've been hyped for the day I finally get to put this series out to the world. Anyone that knows me knows I love a good chat so speaking to the people that inspire me has been pretty special. I wanted Comfortably Speaking to be something different, to see incredible people in a different light and in ways we've not seen them before in conversations – you're the most authentic, honest version of yourself when you're at your most comfortable. I wanted to create a place where audiences can be entertained, gain insight and be inspired, and hopefully we achieved that. So, whether you're watching on YouTube, or just clips on my socials, I really hope you enjoy it.' Best of Deadline Everything We Know About Amazon's 'Verity' Movie So Far 'Street Fighter' Cast: Who's Who In The Live-Action Arcade Film Adaption 2025-26 Awards Season Calendar: Dates For Emmys, Oscars, Grammys & More
Miami Herald
02-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
Student musicians at festival celebrate the power of music to inspire and uplift everyone
It was a joyous event when more than 600 students took to the stage to perform at the fourth annual Miami Gardens Youth Music Festival. Celebrating with them were 2,000 attendees including city officials, music education leaders and industry professionals. Held at the Betty T. Ferguson Recreational Complex, the festival showed how music can transform lives and open doors to careers in performance, sound engineering and the music business. 'Music shaped my journey — from my first piano notes to a lifelong appreciation for the arts,' Councilwoman Linda Julien said in her opening speech. 'The Miami Gardens Youth Music Festival is more than an event; it's a stage for young artists to find their voice and build their future. I'm honored to support this celebration of talent and opportunity.' While the festival showcased the immense talent of Miami's youth, it also spotlighted key challenges in music education. Many schools and communities here still lack funding, resources and the infrastructure needed to provide high-quality music education, especially in underserved communities. 'The Miami Gardens Youth Music Festival shows the power of music and the arts to inspire, connect and uplift everyone. It is a celebration of creativity and community, proving what is possible when we invest in our youth,' said Alan Valladares, Arts Access Miami Manager. The event was organized by Arts Access Miami and Young Musicians Unite in a partnership with Julien. YMU is a key program within Arts Access and plays a vital role in expanding students' musical horizons beyond traditional classroom settings. As Miami-Dade County continues to grow as a hub for arts and culture, Arts Access and YMU are committed to ensuring that music education is not a privilege, but a right for all students. Arts Access Miami is 'powered by philanthropist Daniel R. Lewis, managed by Young Musicians Unite, and incubated at the Miami Foundation in cooperation with the Miami-Dade County Public School System., Valladares said. You can help by becoming a mentor, or donating to the Arts Access Fund at LOCUST PROJECTS CELEBRATES BOWIE Get ready to channel your favorite David Bowie look at the upcoming Spring Fling Space Oddity fundraiser hosted by Locust Projects. The annual benefit dinner is 7-10 p.m. April 26, at 297 NE 67th St., Miami. The event also serves as a celebration of the premiere of Tomas Vu's 'Blackstar' exhibition, an immersive installation focused on Bowie's contributions to contemporary culture. Central to the exhibit is a geodesic dome inspired by the work of futurist architect Buckminster Fuller. The dome is a recurrent motif in Vu's practice and serves as a platform for projection mapping and a site for continuous immersive visitor engagement. This fun-filled evening will feature a silent art auction, live music and lip sync performances. Tickets start at $200 at JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT SEEKS VOLUNTEERS Something that has always been extremely important is teaching school kids early on about money: how to earn it; save it; spend it; share it. Young professionals who want to mentor Miami-Dade and Monroe County public school students in developing financial literacy are invited to join the nonprofit Junior Achievement of Greater Miami's Young Professionals Network. The group also provides work, career and college prep as well as hands-on programs in high schools in which students start their own small businesses. Programs are free, interactive and organized through the school systems. To better position the organization for greater outcomes in graduation rates and decreasing absenteeism, the nonprofit recently added new team members and expanded to new offices in Coral Gables. Learn more and get involved at MERRICK HOUSE TALK APRIL 6 The next gathering at the historic Merrick House in Coral Gables will feature Miami native June Thomson Morris speaking about 'Fortunes Gained and Lost: Miami's Visionaries and Their Fatal Passion to Create.' The event is part of the '100 Voices: Yesteryear Stories of Coral Gables' to celebrate the city's centennial. The Merrick House is at 907 Coral Way, and tickets for the April 6 event are $5 at Thomson Morris will also tell the story of her grandparents that inspired her play 'Greetings from Paradise,' which premieres at Actors' Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre April 29 and runs through May 3. Write to ChristinaMMayo@ with news for this column.
