Jazz singer/flautist Kaylene Peoples put on an unforgettable show on Easter Evening at Los Angeles’s legendary Catalina Jazz Club on April 8, 2012, along with opening act Jaman Laws, and actor/singer and Mistress of Ceremony Chase Masterson.

Los Angeles, CA, April 14, 2012 --(PR.com)-- “I went to church, ate a turkey dinner with my wife and kids; then after the tryptophan wore off, I put on my suit, sipped brandy and headed to Catalina’s. This day started out spiritual but ended with pure jazz decadence—something I would not have traded for anything. What a performer Ms. Peoples is; I felt guilty just watching her. I will never be able to get that song, 'Nature Boy,' out of my head again!” Quotes a fan at the show.

April 8, 2012, at Catalina Jazz Club in Hollywood, headliner Kaylene Peoples had a full house on probably one of the most difficult nights of the year—Easter and Passover. The guests arrived, got seated and were entertained for a jam-packed two hours. Opening the show was Star Trek actor and Mistress of Ceremony Chase Masterson, who talked about the USTA Men’s Tennis Team and their victory in 2011. Their win and all the teams involved was the reason for the celebratory concert.

“This was the first time in USTA history that an inner city team won the Nationals,” said Chase Masterson.

Following the sports achievements, tenor saxophonist and opening act Jaman Laws performed smooth jazz infused with funk. His song selection consisted of hard driving grooves and superb soloing by the band. His last song was a tune made popular by his father Ronnie Laws. At the end of his set, Laws talked about his new CD entitled, Imagery.

Following Jaman Laws, singer/flautist Kaylene Peoples made her entrance after a glowing introduction by Chase Masterson. Peoples walked onto the empty stage and opened with a story about it being prom season, and how she had to fight off crazed teenagers and their moms at the mall for her gown the day before the concert—“If I hadn’t had my south central outfit on at the time, I might not be wearing this dress tonight!” Quoted Kaylene Peoples. “There’s something to be said for off-the-rack! Yay Macy’s”—and Peoples playfully teased her musicians for not being on stage when she got there. “We were on a break,” exclaimed bassist Del Atkins. The band scurried on stage and got into position. As soon as Peoples opened her mouth to scat the introduction to a high-energy version of “Cheek to Cheek,” the attentive audience was smitten.

“I literally could not take my eyes off of her. She is a dynamic performer. I am truly blown away,” said a guest about Kaylene Peoples.

The song selection included the bossa nova tunes by Antonio Carlos Jobim’s “How Insensitive,” “Girl from Ipanema,” and “Once I loved.” Peoples soloed on the flute and even sang in Portuguese. In the middle of her set, she invited Chase Masterson to come up on stage to sing a sexy rendition of “Fever,” followed by a blues instrumental featuring the musicians Del Atkins on acoustic bass, Cory Mason on drums, Kevin Flournoy on piano, and Mark Hammond on guitar. Other songs Peoples performed included “Lush Life” and “My funny Valentine.” But the highlight of the evening was the song “Nature Boy,” a high-energy version with outstanding musicianship and scatting. It was a spectacular performance put on by Ms. Peoples and her band, earning her a standing ovation from a speechless and extremely satisfied audience.

“After watching her perform, it’s safe to say that Kaylene Peoples is a force to be reckoned with,” quotes Chase Masterson.

Special guests in attendance that evening were actors Marla Gibbs and Pooja Batra. Sponsors for the evening were Agenda Magazine and Spacefather.com.

(Press Release) (New York,NY  American United Beer&   Sp i r i t s   ( w w w.americanubs. com),   the exclusive U.S. importer and distributor of India’s largest beverage alcohol company The United Breweries (UB) Group, introduced three spirit brands at the largest liquor convention in the world, the Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America ( W S W A )   C o n f e r e n c e , which took place in Las Vegas from April 2 to 5, 2012. Spirit connoisseurs got their first taste of Royal C h a l l e n g e   W h i s k y, Romanov Vodka, and Antiquity Whisky, which are currently available at select liquor stores in New York, New Jersey, and Chicago. Antiquity Whisky bagged American United Beer & Spirits Introduces three UP Group Liquor Brands Temporary Protected Status Designated for the Syrian Arab Republic New York  — In spite of a New York State Health Department order telling stores to stop selling synthetic marijuana, it is still available.
The product has been found in stores all around New York, from bodegas in the Bronx to gas stations on Long Island. Merchants who have complied with the order and stopped selling it told CBS 2's Carolyn Gusoff that the letter has no teeth. “I just picture people who throw it in the garbage and say I’ll keep selling this ’til someone comes and confiscates it,” said Mark Levine, the owner of Utopia. Synthetic marijuana looks like the real thing and is smoked in the same manner. It is given names like K2 and spice, and is laced with chemicals that produce a potentially dangerous high. Dr Jeffrey Reynolds, of the Long Island Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependency told CBS 2 that, “over the last few months we have seen new data about heart attacks and kidney damage i n   y o u n g   p e o p l e . ”  Un t i l March synthetic marijuana was sold legally, it has only recently become illegal in Suffolk County. 

Nassau County lawmakers are trying to make it illegal because the Health Department order does not carry any penalties. A gas station in Hicksville, Long Island sold synthetic marijuana to CBS 2 cameraman Joe Garufi. When confronted the store owner claimed that there was a two-week window for stores to sell their remaining stock, but the Health Department said that the ban is immediate. The continued sale of synthetic marijuana, despite the letter, is the reason that lawmakers and law-abiding merchants say the status quo is not working.  (Article as appeared on CBS New York) the SILVER AWARD in the Spirits Tasting Competition at the conference.  For the past 25 years, American UBS has been importing and distributing various beer brands of The UB Group, including Taj Mahal (the first Indian beer to be introduced i n   t h i s   c o u n t r y ) ,   F l y i n g H o r s e ,   a n  d   M a h a r a j a Beer, which are available in more than 40 states in the U.S.A.

“We are known to be an innovator in the l i q u o r   i n d u s t r y, ”   s a i d Tony Bedi, President of The UB Group, Americas. “Our brands enjoy 59% of the market share in India, and we’re proud to be introducing Indian whisky and vodka to the selective liquor consumers in America.” The UB Group is the second largest spirits company in the world, and it currently maintains 140 different liquor brands with exports to more than 50 countries. In 2011, the company sold 113 million cases, and the total worth of its spirits division brands is more than $5 billion. For more information, log on to www.theubgroup.com or www. ame r i c a n u b s . c om. Royal Challenge Whisky   a blend of rare Scotch and m a t u r e d   I n d i a n   m a l t s . Born in the early 80s, the brand found its way into the hearts of true whisky lovers across India. After becoming popular in the mid 80s, Royal Challenge has now grown to become one of the best selling premium whiskies in India. Romanov Vo d k a   –   a   w o r l d   c l a s s triple-distilled blend.

Created through a rigorous seven-step manufacturing process to attain a high level of clarity and purity, Romanov is  blended with extra pure demineralised water.  Antiquity Whisky – known for its smooth taste and soothing effects. This is a leading player in the super premium segment and is considered as the true blue of Indian Whiskies. Indian model and actress Pooja Batra is the U.S. brand ambassador for Royal Challenge Whisky. Batra won the Miss India Crown in 1993, and since then, she has acted in more than 20 Bollywood and Hollywood films, garnering major accolades for her cinematic performances.

Actress Pooja Batra arrives at the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles Opening Night Gala in Hollywood, California. (REUTERS)

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Vijay Mallya, the beleaguered chairman of The United Breweries (UB) Group and Kingfisher Airlines, has something to cheer about after a long time: One of his flagship brands in the liquor business, Antiquity Whisky, introduced recently at select stores in the United States, has bagged the silver award in the Spirits Tasting competition at the largest liquor convention in the world, the Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America Conference, which concluded in Las Vegas on Thursday.

American United Beer & Spirits (UBS), the exclusive U.S. importer and distributor of The UB Group, India's largest beverage alcohol company, introduced three spirit brands at the convention. Spirit connoisseurs got their first taste of Royal Challenge Whisky, Romanov Vodka, and Antiquity Whisky, which are currently available at select liquor stores in New York, New Jersey, and Chicago.

For the past 25 years, American UBS has been importing and distributing various beer brands of The UB Group, including Taj Mahal - the first Indian beer to be introduced in this country - Flying Horse, and Maharaja Beer, which are available in more than 40 states.

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Percept Talent - The celebrity management division of Percept Limited has recently signed talents from various genres ranging from Bollywood to Wrestling to Squash. The newly signed talents are Pooja Batra – renowned Bollywood actress & former Miss India Asia-Pacific, Sangram Singh - India’s only Professional Wrestler having represented India in multiple fights, Joshna Chinappa – India’s leading squash player and Payal Rohatgi of the latest reality show -  Survivor India fame. The tenure of the contact was signed.

Speaking about the newly signed talents, Joji George, CEO, Percept Sports & Entertainment said, “We are extremely pleased to have these names associated with us. We at Percept Talent will help provide assistance to our talents in flourishing in their respective career graphs. We welcome them on board and hope for a long fruitful association.”

Pooja Batra : At a young age, she started modeling as a part-time job. She was best known for her Liril soap commercial. She was the first Indian face to launch and be a spokesperson for Head and Shoulders in India. As a model she has participated in over 250 events and ad campaigns. She shot to fame when she was crowned Miss India Asia-Pacific in 1993. She has played the lead role in over 20 films. The first film she signed was Virasat in 1997. She worked in over 22 films including Haseena Maan Jayegi, Dil Ne Phir Yaad Kiya and Kahin Pyaar Na Ho Jaaye. After shifting her base to Los Angeles for over 5 years now, Pooja plans to re-initiate her presence in Indian entertainment market. After a series of discussions; Pooja has signed exclusively with Percept Talent to manage her endorsement, television content creation, appearances and performances in India.

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… Royal Challenge is made by the Bangalore-based United Breweries Group, which also owns Kingfisher Beer and, like flailing Kingfisher airlines, is controlled by Vijay Mallya. The whiskey has quietly been sold in more than 300 stores in New York, New Jersey and Chicago for the past four months.

Tony Bedi, president of the UB Group in the United States, says that the company wants to sell Royal Challenge in areas where there are large Indian communities, and he plans to expand sales to Houston and parts of California… “The biggest interest in the whiskey has come from the Caribbeans who love cricket and associate it with the sport,” said Mr. Bedi…

Mr. Bedi just signed the Indian actress Pooja Batra to be the U.S. brand ambassador for Royal Challenge, and plans to officially introduce the whiskey in the United States next month, with a party in New York City. He has also hired Raghu Ram, an MTV India senior producer, to shoot a commercial, which will start airing on Indian television channels in the United States over the next few months.

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Actor Pooja Batra, attended the Sundance Film Festival there was the only Bollywood actor to be present at the festival.

“I was the only Bollywood actress there and I was overwhelmed by how nice people were to me”. It was her first time at Sundance and she claims to have loved the experience.

Pooja quotes, “ The whole vibe of Park City is so festive, friendly and happy. I loved every bit of it. I saw a ton of screenings and sat through question and answer sessions — it was just awesome. The fact that I could see all these amazing movies and hear the directors and actors talk after was the best part. I loved Peter Jackson’s West of Memphis. The best part was that actor Damien Echols was there too. I also liked The Surrogate, Sleepwalk with Me, Spike Lee’s Red Lights and the Queen of Versailles”.

Besides getting to watch movies, the actor also met a couple of Hollywood actors “I met all my current favorite actors. I met Aaron Paul from Breaking Bad, Ryan Kwanten from True Blood, Octivia Spencer, Christina Hendricks (Mad Men) and John Krasinski” an excited Pooja quotes from Utah.

Though the actor is based out of LA, she has been quite clued in to Bollywood. She is  in touch with most of the people she has worked with. She has also recently finished work on the film The Spirit of Mumbai. “It’s a unique film as the entire team of the movie is American and they have made a Bollywood movie with Indian and American actors. I play the lead in the film,” she informs.

The actor has a company called Glowbellinc in L.A. and the company is getting into production, Glowbellinc also acquires Hollywood celebrities for Projects in India.

Comeback ideas?

Pooja Batra, who was part of movies such as “Virasat” and “Haseena Maan Jayegi”, is reportedly trying to come back to films after her eight-year-old marriage to L.A.-based doctor Sonu Ahluwalia has ended. The 35-year-old was recently spotted at the Sundance Festival. While their marriage was annulled last year, the actor's repeated appearances in B-town had the gossip mill working overtime. She has a company called Glowbellinc in L.A., and it is getting into production now. It also acquires Hollywood celebrities for projects in India. Apparently, Pooja will be soon seen in “Spirits of Mumbai”, a feature film directed by John Tillotson to be released soon.

Double celebrations were in order as Roopa Vohra and daughter Mitaali threw a bash not only for celebrating Lohri, but also to celebrate hubby Vivek Vohra's birthday.

Pooja Batra, Saapna Mukherjee, Aalim Hakim, Alexx O'Nell, Shama Sikandar, Karan Oberoi, Leena Mogre, Asha Sachdev and many others dropped in for the special do. We also spotted Aanchal Kumar, Poonam Dhillon and Sandhya Shetty among others. Beautiful Sufi music played in the background, while Bhangra dancers joined in the fun when they lit the Lohri fire. Hot jalebis, makki di roti, sarson da saag with fresh makkhan completed the chilly evening that was full of warmth as friends bonded and celebrated together.

Akshay Kumar was once Bollywood’s most successful Romeo, with reams of newsprint dedicated to chronicling his celebrity romances. He’s reportedly been involved with the country’s most desirable, not to mention inaccessible, women, from Raveena Tandon and Shilpa Shetty to Pooja Batra among others.

Now happily married to former actor Twinkle Khanna, Akshay wants to give back and help the average Indian schmuck get out of his own way and hopefully, win over the woman of his desire. You might want to take notes…

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Indian born, US based Rohit Gupta's globe trotting acclaimed feature, Life! Camera Action... has been invited as an official selection to screen at the Filums 2012 (Lums International Film Festival) in Lahore, Pakistan from February 10 to 12.

… Life! Camera Action...stars Washington based award winning actor, Noor Naghmi, who won the 'Best Supporting Actor' award for his true to life role in this internationally acclaimed film at the World Music & Independent Film Festival (WMIFF) 2011 in a star studded red carpet gala awards ceremony in August 2011.

When asked to comment on the upcoming screening in his home-town of Lahore, Naghmi responded emotionally, "I am pleased, thrilled and overwhelmed. For my award winning film to be shown in Lahore, where I come from, and where I started my career, is a humbling and gratifying feeling."

Naghmi, originally from Lahore, began his career in 1964, aged 7, as a child actor in the first ever children's play for PTV Lahore. Noor's many film credits include 'The Sentinel' starring Michael Douglas and Eva Langoria, 'Tarana' with Rani and Waheed Murad, and 'Khushboo' with Shahid and Mumtaz. His latest projects include 'Spirits of Mumbai' a feature directed by John Tillotson to be released soon which also features Bollywood actress Pooja Batra of 'Virasat' fame…

The movie has a talented cast led by Dipti Mehta, Shaheed Woods, Noor Naghmi, John Crann and a song sung by bollywood's favorite singer KK. LCA has won appreciation and numerous awards at international film festivals and has been tremendously praised by its audience, judges & Jury around the world.

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Several celebrities attending the Sundance Film Festival stopped by the David Noble & Company Jewelry Design booth in a celebrity lounge at the Sky Lodge to view the latest line.

Miss India Pooja Batra wearing the Lion Bracelet.

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Indian Bollywood actress Pooja Batra attends the DVD launch for the Hindi film 'I am Kalam' in Mumbai on
January 11, 2012.

Indian Bollywood personalities Shabana Azmi (C) with husband songwriter Javed Akhtar (R) and actress Pooja Batra pose during the DVD launch for the Hindi film 'I am Kalam' in Mumbai on January 11, 2012.