June 11, 2007

Everybody Loves Tichina

Tichina Arnold and her best friend Tisha Campbell Martin ('My Wife & Kids') got their big breaks in Hollywood in the film 'Little Shop of Horrors.' While the two actress/singers have been as tight as The Olsen Twins ever since, they've both gone from being child actors to adult, working actresses without the troubles that child entertainers such as Gary Coleman, Brandy, Danny Bonaduce and Dana Plato faced.

"Tisha and I had each other. In being in the industry, you've got to have a good support system and a support group. If you have a good solid background and a good support system that can keep you from straying too much, it definitely helps," began Arnold, who phoned me from her home in Los Angeles. "Tisha and I, we were in the industry because we were in it for the love of it. We didn't wake up one day and decide, oh okay, I want to be a big star. That's just not what it was about. We were just naturally entertainers. To book a job wasn't to make the money, you know of course you want to feed yourself, but we did gigs for free. I can't tell you how many gigs I did for free because that's what I loved doing. In doing all of those things it allowed me to enhance my craft and because we were in the love of it because the love of it, it brought about different things. There are things we wouldn't do. We weren't getting naked. Being in show business is a wonderful thing, but it's a business and you have to handle it that way."

Arnold, who started in show business when she was eight-years-old, is clear that the road to stardom has not been an easy one. "It's been a scary, bumpy ride. But I had enough faith in myself and enough faith in God that I would go down the roads that I needed to go down and veer off too far," she said. "Thank God I've been able to stand the test of time!""

Time has allowed the Queens, New York-bred actress to become one of Hollywood's most consistent talents, having earned legions of fanatical followers for her character "Pam" on the Martin Lawrence sitcom 'Martin.' Though Arnold will enter her third season as "Rochelle," the character based on Chris Rock's real-life mom on The CW series 'Everybody Hates Chris,' fans still won't let her live down those classic 'Martin' episodes.

"Oh God, they say, 'I know you on that show. You're the mother on that show.' They usually say, 'Everybody Loves Chris.' Then they say, 'You still Pam to me. I'm going to call you Pam.' Even if I tell them my real name, they like, 'You'll always be Pam,'" she laughed. And while there are stories of actresses who frown at being referenced by character names and only identified by previous works, Arnold is just glad viewers appreciate her. "I think because TV One plays our show probably 50 times a day, it's wonderful that people can still watch 'Martin' and just crack-up and laugh because that's what we wanted to do. We wanted to do just good work, but we didn't know we were going to make an impact the way we did. We were having a lot of fun. To still have people enjoy that show just shows us that all of that hard work has paid off," she added.

Arnold was recently nominated for a 2007 BET Award for Best Actress. On June 26, she'll face off against Jennifer Hudson ('Dreamgirls'), Angela Bassett ('Akeelah and the Bee'), Kerry Washington ('The Last King of Scotland') and Chandra Wilson ('Grey's Anatomy'). "You know it always feels good, it feels like I'm doing my job right. I enjoy what I do so to be recognized for that it is always a plus," Arnold said about the nomination.

The 35-year-old mother of one-she has a daughter, Alijah Kai, with music producer Carvin Haggins-would like to see members of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences who vote for The Emmy Awards begin to recognize more talented African-American actresses and their work in Hollywood.

"It's been a situation like this for a very long time. We as African-Americans have come a very long way, but we don't get the same recognition as our white counterparts because of the way the industry is set up. That's something that always makes me work even harder at what I do. With this whole Emmy campaign, I sat down with my publicist and we realized that the last two black women that was even nominated for my specific category, which is Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, the last person that won one was Isabel Sanford [for 'The Jefferson's'] in 1981. The last person nominated was Phylicia Rashad [for 'The Cosby Show'] in 1986. It's crazy! So it makes me want to be nominated even more not for just the recognition, it makes me want to be nominated to set a new standard for something we having seen in a really long time," she shared.

With biopics and musicals like 'Dreamgirls' and 'Hairspray' being all the rage in Hollywood now, Arnold has someone she'd like to depict on the big screen as well. "You know I'd love to play Ethel Waters. I hate to talk about it too much, but I'm reading her autobiography and she's an incredible woman. She was back in the days of Dizzy Gillespie and all of those great jazz artists. They say she was a trip! She had a lot of fire to her. She was right before that Billie Holliday era. She went against the grain and I think that story needs to be told," she offered.

The one question Arnold gets from fans all of the time is: "When are you going to record an album?" Though the actress has started a band called No Pressure, she's still reluctant about the whole recording process. "I know, I suck. The music industry just turns me off. I don't like the business of music. I started the band No Pressure, but we haven't performed yet because of my schedule on the show. I'm going to go out with the band eventually and we're going to do spot dates. I am just getting back into the studio as well and I'm working with a guy named Rufus Black," she closed.

Praise Principles

The who's who of the gospel music industry reconvened Memorial Day Weekend in Greater Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., for the two-day International Gospel Industry Retreat hosted by longtime BET personality Dr. Bobby Jones. The conference is an informational and educational forum for gospel recording artists, teaching the fundamentals of artistry and offering a spiritual nutriment to help artists regroup.

Among the performers in attendance were Dottie Peoples, Richard Smallwood, Maurette Brown Clark, Vanessa Bell Armstrong, 7 Sons of Soul, Kim Burrell, VaShawn Mitchell, Irocc, The Nashville Super Choir, Daniel Austin, Ami Rushes, A7, The Rance Allen Group, Douglas Miller, Ty Tribbett, Lexi, Canton Jones, V. Michael McKay, Joanne Rosario, Marvin Sapp and many more. Even R&B; singer Regina Belle and Florence LaRue of The 5th Dimension were on hand. Best moment by far was the 25th Anniversary Tribute to Smallwood that included performances by Bell Armstong, Burrell, Sapp and Brown Clark.

The International Gospel Industry Retreat convenes in the Greater Ft. Lauderdale area twice a year because that community will be the future home to The Gospel Complex for Education & Preservation. I serve on the board of directors for the complex. For details on the forthcoming museum and learning facility check out www.GospelComplex.org.

Buzzworthy

Former '106 & Park' host turned 'Extra' correspondent, A.J. Calloway, is about to be a bachelor again. Calloway is divorcing his wife, Dr. Lao Sealey, whom he wed on April 23, 2005.

Former Bad Boy rapper Loon surprised Tiana Parker, one of the 40-plus victims of the horrendous freak accident during the Washington, DC festival Unifest. A woman named Tonya Belle, reportedly high on crack, drove her car into the crowd of thousands after breaking through a police road block. Loon learned that Parker, a longtime fan of his, had suffered severe injuries to her leg and upper body scaring and called her in the hospital to wish her well.

R&B; bad girl Adina Howard is readying new music. The "T-Shirt and My Panties On" singer will unveil her latest CD, 'Private Show,' on Arsenal Records on June 26. The disk will be lead by the first single "Picture This." "It is not the end, there's more coming, I am ready to give my fans an incredible show," said Howard.

Angie Stone was the first artist signed to the newly re-launched Stax Records and now the label has announced the signing of Lalah Hathaway, daughter of soul icon Donny Hathaway. Hathaway's Stax debut is slated for later this year. In the meantime, Hathaway's rendition of Earth Wind & Fire's "Love's Holiday" from the all-star project, 'Interpretations: Celebrating the Music of Earth, Wind & Fire,' is the second single from the must-hear compilation that also features hot remakes by Ledisi ("Devotion"), Musiq Soulchild ("Reasons"), Kirk Franklin ("September"), Mint Condition ("After The Love Is Gone") and others.

Buzz Picks

Since summer has arrived, check out the things that have me buzzing!

Hot Jeans - Robin's Jeans are the hippest denim you can find this summer. Cut better than most high-end denim, the bedazzled and heavily accessorized jeans are like walking show pieces. They'll make you retire your True Religions! Available at most denim boutiques.

Hot Ride - Nissan 350Z Roadster is fast, fun and fly! The sexy convertible is the perfect summertime toy, cool for long rides to the beach, downtown shopping or romantic rides through the park. It's pint-sized but powerful and this stunning coupe is way more affordable their either the Audi TT convertible or an old Porsche 356 convertible.

Hot Sounds - Gospel great Richard Smallwood just released, 'Journey: Live in New York.' The star-studded recording with his choir Vision features knockout numbers by Kelly Price ("Morning's Breaking"), Chaka Khan ("Precious Is Your Name"), Kim Burrell ("Journey") and The Hawkins Family ("We've Come Too Far"). The dynamite double-disc is some of "The Maestro of Gospel's" finest work!

Can't Say Names…

I hear that a listening party for a sexy R&B; starlet's forthcoming album became a pity party after media guests began sharing with the label staff "how bad they thought the music was." A source tells me that by the time the last song was played, journalists had the same sentiment: "The album sucks!" Could that be the delay in its release?