Club 90s presents Guts Night: Olivia Rodrigo’s Official Album Dance Party was held at the Gramercy Theatre in New York!
Eustacde Montgomery Hicks, Kyle Stefanski
Katie Cassidy
Young Paris
Guest
Peter Tuchman, Guests
Guest, Kyle Stefanski, Marc Stefanski
Last night, Katie Cassidy continued to Raise the Bar, at Rhonda’s Kiss Charity Helping Cancer Patients in Need with the Second Annual Legacy of Love Gala in New York City at TAO Downtown.
Guests included Zach Braff, Danny A. Abeckaser, Katie Cassidy, Rhonda’s Kiss Executive Director Kyle Stefanski, Richie Akiva, Michael Cayre, Adriam Grenier, John Powers Middleton, Foodgod, Bo Dietl, Diana Madison, Darren Weiss, Fatima Cuellar, Kailyn Shepherd, Sergio Farias, Mike Young, Eytan Rockaway, Jamar Hart, Eustace Montgomery Hicks, chef Jonah Johnson, Rhonda’s Kiss Chairman Marc Stefanski, and many more industry notables, influencers and supporters, with performers such as the legendary Slick Rick featuring DJ Kaos, and R&B Sensation Young Paris, plus DJ Pookie.
The fundraising event held at TAO Downtown was held to benefit the Maimonides Cancer Center Patient Care Program in partnership with Rhonda’s Kiss .
Rhonda’s Kiss (RhondasKiss.org) is a national non-profit created to help cancer patients in need by donating to the non-medical expenses associated with cancer. The organization is passionate about giving patients and their families a fighting chance to recover. Through fundraising and annual events, the organization has worked to help raise awareness and funding towards cancer programs that are led by forward-thinking doctors at hospitals that support the charity’s overall mission.
Guests sipped on El Cristiano Tequila, Casa Luigi Prosecco, Mercer+Prince Whisky, and Maison No, 9 Rose.
ON THE SCENE: A limited-edition, guacamole-inspired ice cream with TikTok-famous, Catch N’ Ice Cream
TABASCO® and Catch’N Ice Cream are teaming up to give away free scoops of “Guac Serve” – an avocado ice cream spiced with TABASCO® Green Sauce, coated in white chocolate, and topped with tortilla chip pieces – in celebration of National Guacamole Day. Each serving also comes with a TABASCO® Green Sauce mini bottle.
There’s no party like a Bacardi party! Last night at 45Grand in Soho, New York was a celebration for Hip-Hop, fashion, and cocktail lovers.
Leading pop culture lifestyle brand, Funko, Inc., is rewriting the rules of engagement with the introduction of “Pop! Yourself” – a captivating evolution of its iconic Pops! line.
This innovative offering empowers enthusiasts to transcend the boundaries of fandom by creating personalized Pops of themselves and their loved ones. Today marks the official online launch of Pop! Yourself on Funko.com, allowing fans to dive into a world of creative self-expression for $30.
Pop! Yourself represents a groundbreaking leap forward in the iconic Pops! line, enabling aficionados to curate a bespoke Pop!pleganger that resonates with their individuality. From friends and family to co-workers, the canvas for creativity is limitless.
As Funko fans worldwide revel in the excitement of Pop! Yourself, the company is poised to elevate the experience even further in 2024. Anticipating riveting collaborations with luminaries from the realms of entertainment, sports, and music, Funko is set to unfurl a captivating tapestry of customization possibilities. This intersection of personalization and popular culture promises to redefine the fan experience in ways previously unimagined.
In an era where individuality is celebrated, Pop! Yourself stands as a beacon of self-expression, seamlessly intertwining the worlds of collectibles and creativity. Funko’s unyielding commitment to innovation is on full display, offering enthusiasts a journey that transcends the ordinary and ushers in a new era of personalized pop culture connections.
We got a chance to preview this at San Diego Comic Con this past July. Read more about it here.
The Knockturnal attended the world premiere of #OwnTimeOfEssence A 5 part docu-series about the story behind Essence magazine before it aired.
This new docu-series peels back the curtain and I learned multiple things that I never knew about this brand. An example of the things I never knew about Essence Magazine is that it was founded by four black men Edward Lewis, Clarence O. Smith, Cecil Hollingsworth, and Jonathan Blount founded Hollingsworth Group.
This would later be named Essence Communications, Inc. The four businessmen decided to start a magazine at a time when there was no representation of black women in American print media at the time.
The images that were seen on the television and in the new stands didn’t reflect the audience that the men envisioned. To me this was an audacious act, showcasing black women in this light was not only groundbreaking it had never been done before.
This is just 1 of the nuggets you’ll walk away with from just episode 1 that I as a black man can appreciate.
Originally before the name of the Magazine was not Essence as we now know, ideas were floating around amongst the 4 founders and the name of a popular black actress who was on television at that time came up. However, if a black woman was referred to by this character’s name it represented being loud uncouth etc., and was somewhat of a dig.
The name Essence was given by a black woman who worked with the 4 founders and she later took the helm of the creative direction of the magazine. Without giving too much away it serves as an open book of how Black creatives & business owners were able to navigate gain and build financial infrastructure and in return give its culture the same consideration and appeal of a then, sports illustrated or a Playboy magazine which dominated the newsstands but with our stories and in our voice.
Essence Magazine believed in Black Women from day 1 in a time when they were not viewed nor regarded As marketable, beautiful, or interesting. Iconic founder/photographer Jonathan Blount whose iconic eye has contributed to the aesthetic blueprint not only for Black culture and community loosely but for Home community and community full-stop specifically.
This Docu-series is produced by 51 Minds in partnership with Own & along with Executives from Essence. In attendance at the preview, were some of the original alumni staff, production partners, and the Essence Ventures team.
At the world premiere of #TimeOfEssence , There was a discussion on the legacy and an obligation to be the sixth episode of this brand’s story moderated by Essence Ventures CEO Caroline Wagna.
I spoke with dynamic Caroline @wangawoman one-on-one after the Q&A, and I had an epiphany of what she was referring to as the sixth episode.
5 documented episodes, however, the sixth She mentioned was a foreshadowing prophetically that as a community the influencers, writers, storytellers, songwriters, or the people need to share and tell our stories as it becomes a part of the tapestry of the 53-year legacy Essence essentially laid as a foundation for us to stand on and push forward. With a mission statement like this, it’s evident that Essence as a global home brand, shows no sign of stopping or slowing down. Leaving room open for the new as we celebrate the origins.
Episode 1 is binge-worthy leaving many gems, Set your DVRs & grab a nice snack and beverage. Make sure to watch #TimeOfEssence tomorrow ET/PT on OWN and streaming on Max!
JàMir
For The Knockturnal
Cadillac is the iconic and elegant car that’s a go-to for celebs and car lovers. Now the notorious brand is making another statement with its new Escalade IQ car!
Slate’s new go-to outside spot features many table games such as Uno and Jengo to bring the fun to your next summer outing as well as celebratory drinks to kick off the good vibes!
The 90s-style icon makes a comeback! With a performance by Jadakiss and DJ Funk Flex and creative directive launch by former NFL Giants star, Carl Banks.