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 Singer Teairra Mari appears in the Warner Bros. film The Lottery Ticket, in theaters August 20, 2010
The music industry was introduced to Teairra Mari at the age
of 16 when she signed to Roc-A-Fella Records. They released her self-titled CD, which debuted at #2. Now she is all grown
up, literally, and will be acting alongside Bow Wow in the Warner Bros film The Lottery Ticket, as the sultry Nikki Swasey,
the neighbor trying to get some of the "lottery money." Mari is also releasing a five song EP and mix-tape with
DJ Drama around the same time.
"My goal is to be the busiest
woman in the world!" Teairra said about her career in entertainment. "The busier you are the better."
After being released from Roc-A-Fella Mari moved to Los Angeles at the age of 19. After
sleeping in her car for a couple of months she met Cudda Love (Mase, Nelly). I guess you can say he was her angel and now
she is currently signed to his label Fo' Reel Records.
So far they
have released singles such as "Home 4 U," featuring Pleasure P and "Cause a Scene," featuring Flo Rida.
Not only is she no longer sleeping in her car, but the girl got it going on landing such a role. Also starring in the movie
with Teairra and Bow Wow are Ice Cube, Brandon T. Jackson, Loretta Devine, Mike Epps, Michael Ealy, Terry Crews, Keith David,
Bill Bellamy, Jason Weaver and Naturi Naughton.
"I was at
home in bed and a friend (stylist) kept calling me. Then Cudda started calling me," Mari explained about how she heard
about the role. "He said a friend was doing a movie you should read for. I had five minutes...but it was around the corner.
I got called back...four auditions later...I went to a table read. Everyone was there. I said, ‘Oh my God I am going
to be in a movie!'"
Teairra goes on to explain to me that she
didn't get the part, which sent her into a depression, but later received a call that the person they picked wasn't working
out and she was asked when she could get there. She got there, ASAP, and as they say "the rest is history."
Mari is still doing her music thing she has been busy releasing mix-tapes, singles and
appearing on mix-tapes. She is preparing for the launch of a new mix-tape with DJ Drama.
"We're going back (in August) to record a remix with DJ Drama,"
Teairra said. "It will be half remix and half originals."
Speaking
on originals Mari has been trying to release an album for a while and she points to leaks as what is holding her back. This
month she will be releasing five of the songs on the album as an EP release.
"I'm working on an album, most the songs got leaked somehow," she pointed out. "So I had to get
it on EP."
Legendary Florence
LaRue of the 5th Dimension celebrates 44 years with the group
 Looking as young and beautiful as the day she joined the group, singer and original member of the 5th Dimension, Florence
LaRue, is celebrating 44 years with the legendary group with a string of performances and public appearances. The 5th Dimension
garnered through the years six Platinum records and six Grammy Awards. "The
so-called celebrity has a job," Florence said about the life of a legend. "I love what I do and try to show the
love of God (when she meets her fans)...God said, ‘there is only one star - Jesus.'" LaRue went on to explain,
"Without people I have no job. The 5th Dimension never stops performing. Some don't know that we're still together. The
original 5th Dimension was together for 10 years before Marilyn and Billy left and Ron passed away." Florence said of all the members that replaced the originals 99% of them remain friendly
and that she is very proud that they are doing well with what they learned room the group. "We're looking forward to recording a record," LaRue
informed me. "Hits with the same arrangements...People don't want to hear a rap version of ‘Up Up and Away.' We
want music that is positive." Still Florence admits that they
put a little current day twist to their hit "Stone Soul Picnic." They tend to have a mixed audience for their shows.
"We bridge the gap between age and race," she said. Florence
LaRue, who also has a one woman show which she would like to take to historically black colleges, credits her late husband
Marc Gordon for the groups success. Marc was head of Motown's Los Angeles office at the time Motown had turned down the group
for a recording contract. He decided he saw potential and signed on as their manager and brought them to Johnny Rivers who
signed them to his Soul City Records. The group was formed by Marilyn
McCoo - a former beauty pageant winner- and Lamonte McLemore and they enlisted LaRue - who at the time was a winner of a pageant
herself - in the talent division, Ron Townson - who had just toured with Dorothy Dandridge and Nat King Cole, and Lamonte's
cousin Billy Davis, Jr. - who owned a cocktail lounge and later on married McCoo. In 1968 they released "Stone Soul Picnic" written by Laura Nyro - which went Gold and also included the
hit single "Cali Soul,' written by Ashford and Simpson. That year they had three other singles reach number one, "Aquarius/Let
the Sunshine In," "Hair" for the musical and "Wedding Bell Blues," written by Nyro. In 1970 they
released "One Less Bell." In 1971 the 5th Dimension released "Last Night/I Didn't Get to Sleep at All"
and in 1972 "If I Could Reach You." By 1975 McCoo and Davis - who married in 1969 - left the group to form a duo
and LaRue took over as lead female singer and they released "Long Hangover" in 1976, but Motown immediately released
Diana Ross's version soon after. Ironically Motown signed the group shortly after, along with two new members, in 1978 where
they released two albums. While performing on the legends' circuit
Townson passes away of complication to diabetes and McLemore retires. The 5th Dimension now tours as Florence LaRue and the
5th Dimension (with members Willie Williams, Leonard Tucker, Patrice Morris and Floyd Smith). The group will be performing August 20th and 30th at the Classic Gold Music Awards in Hollywood,
Florida, October 3rd in Huffton, South Caroline and November 12th at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts. For more information on Florence LaRue or the 5th Dimension log onto their websites
at www.FlorenceLaRue.com and www.TheFifthDimension.org.
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