When Billy Porter makes an entrance, the look is never an afterthought, so it is only fitting that, as he steps into the world of The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, he takes on the role of a Capitol stylist.
On Thursday, February 1st, celebrities assembled at the 8th annual Blue Jacket Fashion Show, sponsored by Zero Prostate Cancer, Johnson & Johnson, and the Fashion Group Foundation. Models for the night included actors, news hosts, current and former athletes, reporters and journalists—even two Tony winners.
(Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Blue Jacket Fashion Show)
The Blue Carpet Fashion show was founded by fashion designer Frederick Anderson as a platform to openly discuss prostate cancer. Throughout the day on Thursday, the Blue Jacket Initiative took to the streets to set up free testing and provide educational materials on prostate cancer across New York City. The organization is also raising funds for future prostate cancer testing resources and to support patients in need.
The event’s festivities began with a “blue carpet,” where the models of the night gave previews of what they would be wearing for the evening. Tony, Grammy, and Emmy Award winning actor and singer Billy Porter was only on the blue carpet for mere seconds before rushing backstage to fetch his favorite piece of the outfit. He returned a moment later, accessorized with a Thom Brown bag.
Other special guests for the evening also assembled on the blue carpet, including journalist and talk show host Tamron Hall and actress Holly Robinson Peete.
All of the models for the evening soon took to the runway to strut their stuff in their blue ensembles. Every model who participated, and the designers who dressed them, were as followed:
Billy Porter, dressed by Thom Browne
J. Harrison Ghee, dressed by Terry Singh
Rodney Peete, dressed by The Privilege
Marcus Samuelsson, dressed by The Privilege
Wilson Cruz, dressed by Arjona Collection
Luis Miranda, Jr., dressed by Talya Bendel x HAAS
Don Lemon, dressed by The Privilege
Nigel Barker, dressed by Ben Sherman
Alex Lundqvist, dressed by Stephen F
Young Paris, dressed by Arjona Collection
Eric West, dressed by AARC55
Les Trent (Inside Edition), dressed by Don Morphy
James Aguiar (Modern Luxury), dressed by jameAstyle X Fleur’d
Carlos Greer (Page Six & Extra TV), dressed by AKNVAS
Frank DiLella (NY1), dressed by Bruno Magli
Louis Finley (NY1), dressed by Levi’s
Jeremy Helligar (People Magazine), dressed by Elie Balleh
John Dias (WCBS-TV), dressed by Gustavo Moscoso
John Hill (Sirius XM), dressed by Don Morphy
Ty Hunter, dressed by Tommy Hilfiger
Brian Ceballo, dressed by POTRO
Don Hood, dressed by Magpies & Peacocks
Ty-Ron Mayes, dressed by BARABAS
Omar Hernandez, dressed by Gustavo Moscoso
Kris Bennett, dressed by Burkindy x Jahnkoy
Erik Bottcher (NYC Council Member), dressed by Carlos Campos
Dr. Brad Schaeffer, dressed by Elie Balleh
Phillip Bloch, dressed by AKNVAS
Mike Woods (Fox5 New York), dressed by SOU KUU (by THE NORTH FACE)
Richard Thomas (TAO Hospitality Group), dressed by Gustavo Moscoso
Dr. Ash Tewari (Johnson & Johnson spokesperson), dressed by Elie Balleh
Tyrone Brewer (President, U.S. Oncology, Johnson & Johnson), dressed by J.Mclaughlin
Robert Ginyard (Prostate Cancer Survivor and Zero Prostate Cancer spokesperson), dressed by J.Mclaughlin
To learn more about the Blue Jacket Fashion Show, and to place a donation to help their patient support and awareness efforts, you can visit their website here.
A night of thrilling music and fashion became the epicenter for positive change during the luminous 17th annual DKMS Gala.
Co-Head of HBO Documentary & Family Programming, Nancy Abraham, introduces the HBO Documentary Film “A Tree Of Life: The Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting” October 20, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for HBO)
There wasn’t a dry eye in the theater the night of October 20th, 2022; including mine. I can typically bypass the daunting task of processing tear jerking emotions altogether. My avoidance usually works best when I misplace an item of clothing or if something I wanted doesn’t come to fruition and I do my best to not get upset about it. I rationalize my way around minor, non-life threatening annoyances such as these once I find the logic behind it all. However, there is one annoying experience that I’ve encountered (and unfortunately, still do from time to time) that I’ve yet to find the logic behind. That major annoyance is Racism. It doesn’t make sense to me at all. It will never make sense to me that the fears and misconceptions about a group of people or persons could incite hate and premeditated acts of violence.
Rabbi Hazzan Jeffrey Myers attends a special screening for the HBO Documentary Film “A Tree Of Life: The Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting” (Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for HBO)
On October 20th, 2022, I attended the exclusive HBO screening in Manhattan, New York for “A Tree Of Life: The Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting” nationally phrased as, ‘The Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting’. The screening opened with remarks by director Trish Adelsic and producer Susan Margolin. Rabbi Hazzan Jeffrey Myers led the audience in a moment of silence and thoughtful prayer. On the cusps of the 4th anniversary, the screening was a beautiful event to remember the innocent men and women lost and celebrate their lives. The tragic events of the day unfolded, a little over 4 years ago, on the morning of October 27, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 22 defenseless Jewish worshippers became the targets of a anti-semitist terrorist attack. The lone suspect, Robert Gregory Bowers, armed himself with a Colt AR-15 SP1, semi-automatic assault rifle and 3-Glock .357 handguns, entered into the synagogue during their time of devotional prayer and open-fired on the unassuming congregation. In his wake of destruction, 11 victims of this mass shooting survived, many with injuries and lingering cases of PTSD from the incident; 11 of the victims did not survive the attack of the gunman.
Co-Head of HBO Documentary & Family Programming, Nancy Abraham, introduces the HBO Documentary Film “A Tree Of Life: The Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting” on October 20, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for HBO)
The documentary film was created by award-nominated and Emmy-winning director Trish Adlesic, a Pittsburgh native, and was Executively produced by Michael Keaton, Billy Porter, and Mark Cuban among others (which include, D.J. Gugenheim, Geeta Gandbhir, Elliott Joseph, Lloyd Myers, Lauran Bromley, Michele Fetting, and Charlie Friday). The documentary film delves into the aftermath of the Squirrel Hill community, a quaint town in Pittsburgh, whose foundation was shaken by this heinous act against humanity. The film highlights the resilience that helped the community band together across the divides of culture, religion and racial differences to mourn the innocent victims who lost their lives.
Special Guests Kate Diaz and Idina Menzel with Director Trish Adelsic
“A Tree Of Life: The Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting”, alarms the world to the prejudicial violence that threatens our sense of security; and the film takes an expansive look at the hate-based crisis in the United States, stemming from the political climate in our country and it stands up to the ideals that are presently causing the moral decay of humanity. Adlesic does a remarkable job balancing the focus on the impacts of Anti-Semitism in America being as problematic a concern nationally as it is on a global scale; she skillfully illustrates the impacts of Anti-Semetic views, propaganda and how these global issues change the lives of well-meaning people that we interact with day to day.
On a brighter note, the film sends the uplifting message that “love wins”. The documentary film interviews both survivors, their families and members of the community that rose to the occasion to serve as the balm for the healing of the Jewish community in Squirrel Hill. The story of the attack is told through voices from the community, including Carol Black, Dr. Joseph Charny, Anthony Fienberg, Audrey Glickman, Daniel Leger, Wasi Mohamed, Rabbi Jeffrey Myers, Brad Orsini, Rabbi Jonathan Perlman, Michele Rosenthal, Diane Rosenthal, Augie Siriano, Ellen Surloff, Andrea Wedner, Stephen Weiss and Barry Werber.
Wasi Mohamed attends a special screening for the HBO Documentary Film “A Tree Of Life: The Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting” (Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for HBO)
Special guests of the screening included HBO Executives, Nancy Abraham and Lisa Heller; Idina Menzel and Kate Diaz, who share a song featured in the film; film-featured American Classical Musician and Jazz Trumpeter, Hannibal Lokumbe; and film featured Senior Policy Officer and community advocate Wasi Mohamed, a life-long Pennsylvania resident and community advocate committed to changing systems and structures that perpetuate poverty and inequity.
For me, the most eye opening aspect of this film was the perspective that it afforded me. As a spectator, I was a witness to racism and not as the victim. Very rarely have I been a witness to racial crimes that weren’t targeted and directed towards BIPOC. Adlesic’s film offered me a unique and freeing insight about racism by educating me on the ongoing struggles of the Jewish communities in America. I was able to experience the vulnerability and helpless feeling of wanting to free a targeted group of people from the experience of being discriminated against, but found myself not knowing how to convince their attacker of the fault in their logic. This film taught me that prejudice and hate crimes all mimic the same behavioral pattern; an the unwillingness of a racist person to see life outside of their own perspective; the spread of misinformation, the continuance of indoctrinating fear-based rhetoric into the next generation; lack of gun-control laws, the lack of mental health and hygiene; and that hatred along with the crimes it inspires are not an exclusive struggle to one race, color or creed, as an experience. It is my hope that films such as, “A Tree Of life: The Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting” can be a major part of the catalyst that helps our country and the world to stop these attacks and heal us all from our fear-driven, limiting beliefs.
“A Tree Of Life: The Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting” aired on Wednesday, October 26th, 2022 on HBO and is available to stream on HBO Max.
From one’s mindset to the TV screen, Billy Porter has amazed us yet again with another film that has the fans astonished by the relatability, creativity and fashion displayed in his new movie “Anything’s Possible.” Held at the Brooklyn Academy of Music the highly anticipated screening was accompanied by cast members Eva Reign and Abubakar Ali along with press, viewers, family and friends.
The film which has been released to the public July 22, 2022 follows Kelsa, a fashionable transgender high school senior played by Eva Reign cruising her way through her last year of high school while finding more about herself and others around her. Reign’s character in the film uses her free time racking up YouTube subscribers as she shares her story being a young transgender teen in today’s society while also timidly falling for her classmate Khal (Abubaker Ali). Kelsa, whose name originates from the English language “Bravery” has a distinct connection with animals. In the film, she uses the animal names to reflect their eccentric traits. Given the names of each animal they all coincide with the headline “Anythings Possible!”
The film was supported by fans all over the world, many fans including the LGBTQIA+ community shouted out their love for the movie stating that it gave them a sense of familiarity seeing a character like them play as the center stage of the cinema. With wonderful feedback from spectators, one can say the film was a success! With films such as “Anything’s Possible” director Billy Porter certainly sticks to the headline and drives his viewers to live out their wildest dreams, accomplish set goals and stay true to one’s self while doing it fashionably and effortlessly!
Billy Porter directed the film Anything’s Possible, starring Eva Reign and Abubakar Ali, which premieres on Prime Video on July 22nd.
The Knockturnal was on the scene at the world premiere of “Like A Boss” starring Tiffany Haddish and Salma Hayek! The film comes out this Friday, January 10th. You do not want to miss it.
Tis the season for giving back and PayPal makes it that much easier to give on #GivingTuesday by extending it for the entire month of December.
The biggest night in television was this weekended and with any major award show comes great reason for celebration. Kicking off Emmy’s weekend was Entertainment Weekly who hosted a fabulous pre-Emmy’s bash Friday night at the Sunset Tower Hotel in West Hollywood.
GLSEN presented the 2019 Respect Awards at Cipriani 42nd Street this past Monday night. We caught up with Champion Award honoree and ‘POSE’ co-creator Steven Canals and several other stars at the red carpet.