Irene Cara Has Died: Oscar & Grammy Award-winning Singer-Actress for "Fame" & "Flashdance... What a Feeling"

 

Fame and Flashdance singer Irene Cara has died at the age of 63.

The American singer and actress was best known for her title track in the 1980 film Fame, as well as co-writing and singing the smash hit "Flashdance... What a Feeling" for which she won an Oscar and a Grammy.

She later starred in films opposite Clint Eastwood and Tatum O'Neal.

Cara's publicist, who announced her death, said she died at home in Florida but the cause is "currently unknown".

Born in 1959 in the Bronx, New York City, Cara was the youngest of five children and started her career on Spanish-language TV. Her father was Puerto Rican and her mother, Cuban-American.

Having recorded music as a child, both in Spanish and English, she went on to appear in a number of on-and-off Broadway musicals.

But it was in 1980 that Cara shot to fame when she bagged the role of Coco Hernandez - and sung Fame's title track.

Her performance earned her a Best Actress nomination at the 1981 Golden Globe Awards.

Cara later co-wrote and sang the vocals for "Flashdance… What A Feeling" from the 1983 blockbuster Flashdance, and won a Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance as well as an Academy Award for Best Original Song.

Flashdance went on to become the third-highest-grossing film of 1983.

Judith A Moose, Cara's publicist, praised her as a "beautifully gifted soul whose legacy will live forever through her music and films".

She also said Cara had been working on forthcoming projects when she died, which she and the singer's manager now plan to finish.

"She'd want that," Ms Moose said of her client via her official Twitter page.

Vivian Green Releases New Holiday EP "Spread the Love" (from the BET Networks Film "Holiday Hideaway")

Multi-award winning singer-songwriter Vivian Green has released a new 5-track holiday EP Spread the Love to all streaming platforms via Make Noise Recordings in partnership with The SRG/ILS Group.

"While I didn't grow up celebrating Christmas, I've always loved the euphoric melodies and freedoms in the song structure of holiday music. I am a songwriter and that means I essentially should be able to write about anything. When writing 'Spread the Love' I was intentional about including the three cultural holidays of the season because it hasn't been done enough. There’s something beautiful about acknowledging different cultures in one space. I truly enjoyed assisting in helping to energize someone else's story in the film 'Holiday Hideaway', and as bonus, I'm excited to release this EP." -Vivian Green

Inspired by the BET Networks film Holiday Hideaway which aired on BET+ and other BET properties on Thursday, November 24th.

Holiday Hideaway, was written, directed and produced by African-American Women and all songs were written and co-produced by Vivian Green and scored by renown songwriter-producer Kwame'. The film stars Camilla Winbush (The Bernie Mac Show), Vivica A. Fox (Independence Day, Kill Bill), Ella Joyce (Roc), Reggie C. Hayes (Girlfriends) and centers around Carly Stewart (Winbush). She is the queen of holiday celebrations, but her mistletoe misstep sends her running to a Holiday Hideaway that teaches her the importance of family, forgiveness and fighting for love.

Vivian Green's Spread the Love EP follows after her 2020 full-length studio album Love Absolute.

New Music: Glenn Jones ft. Y'Anna Crawley - "Family Time" (Produced by Chuckii Booker)

Grammy nominated R&B legend Glenn Jones returns with the ultimate family reunion steppers anthem "Family Time" available on streaming platforms featuring his his niece BET's Sunday Best Season 2 winner Y'Anna Crawley.

Written by Glenn Jones, Y'Anna Crawley, James Day and produced by the legendary Chuckii Booker, the feel-good track follows after Jones' previous singles "The First Noel", "Trust In Me", "You & Me" and "Love By Design" ft. Regina Belle.

'Kirk Franklin's The Night Before Christmas' Starring Naturi Naughton, Luke James & Lorea Turner [Trailer]

Kirk Franklin’s The Night Before Christmas which stars Naturi Naughton, Luke James & Lorea Turner is set to premiere Saturday, December 10th on Lifetime at 8PM ET.

While driving on Christmas Eve, estranged mother and daughter, Journee (Naturi Naughton) and Nia (Lorea Turner) are caught in a snowstorm that forces them to take refuge inside a church where parishioners are reeling from the cancellation of their annual holiday concert.

The spirit of the season takes hold as Journee and Nia weather the wintry storm together with the other churchgoers, including Adam (Luke James) a handsome youth pastor and a heavenly music teacher (Kirk Franklin), who motivate the mother and daughter to reconcile their differences through music, faith, and love. With the help from this unlikely yet spirited group of strangers, Journee and Nia then band together in the hope of helping the church salvage not only their holiday traditions, but also their show-stopping Christmas day performance despite the raging storm outside.

See the official trailer below:

RIAA: Jennifer Lopez's "All I Have" & "Jenny from the Block" Singles Certified Platinum

Global iconic singer, songwriter, dancer, actress and fashion designer Jennifer Lopez has received two new Platinum singles (1 million units sold) certifications from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for "All I Have" ft. LL Cool J and "Jenny from the Block" ft. Styles P & Jadakiss.

Both singles are included on her 2002 multi-platinum third album This Is Me... Then.