Fred Hammond’s upcoming release Love Unstoppable is on its way to becoming another hit for the celebrated architect of urban praise and worship before it’s official Sept. 29th release. This week, "They That Wait" officially becomes a Top-10 radio hit, reaching the #9 spot with a bullet. Additionally, the CD is #10 on iTunes’ Christian/Gospel album chart.

Due out this week on the Verity Gospel Music label, Hammond’s latest CD is lyrically rich and sonically brilliant with musical textures that incorporate driving bass lines, R&B rhythms and jazz stylings. The first single, "They That Wait" featuring John P. Kee, has been a radio favorite all summer and shows no signs of slowing down. The CD also includes the gems "Find No Fault", "Lord How I Love You" and, what Hammond calls his personal testimony, "Lost in You Again." Having gained critical acclaim in the early 80’s as a founding member of Gospel’s famed ensemble Commissioned, Fred Hammond created a new sound in the genre that distinguished him as the "Architect of Urban Praise and Worship." Now nearly thirty years later, he continues to be the leader of the pack.

Some parents and politicians say television commercials during professional sports games focus too much on drugs, sex and alcohol.

So a California media monitoring group wants pro sports to police themselves for the sake of the children.

According to the Associated Press, San Francisco based Common Sense Media found the number of TV ads selling erectile dysfunction drugs and beer led commercials touting junk food during pro football and baseball telecasts.

And it’s got parents and politicians worried about harm to young viewers.

One lawmaker concerned about the issue even introduced a bill that would limit ED ads to nighttime.

Mike Steyer, who taught law at Stanford University said "Parents should be able to watch a football game with their kids without having to either mute the television or explain the side effects of a life enhancement drug."

"We follow the lead of our broadcasters as it relates to ads, yet we are always sensitive to the opinions of our fans," said MLB spokesman Matt Bourne.

NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy, in an e-mail after the league’s opening week, wrote that "we are comfortable with our policies and those of our network partners."

First Ballot Available Online Tuesday September 22, 2009
The first Stellar Awards ballot will be available for online voting from

Tuesday, September 22, 2009 – October 3, 2009 at http://www.thestellarawards.com

The first 25th Stellar Awards ballot is open to the public for voting.

You will only be allowed to vote once.

"Life is short. Have an affair … with your spouse," exclaimed megachurch pastor Ed Young after emerging from a taped debate with AshleyMadison.com founder Noel Biderman.

Young and Biderman, whose website caters to people who are "attached" and looking for an affair, met up Thursday night with two other panelists for the debate at Fellowship Church in Grapevine, Texas – part of ABC Nightline’s latest "Face-Off" series, which is tackling the Ten Commandments and how they apply to modern life.

The news program decided to kick off the series with the seventh commandment, "Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery."

"I agree with Noel," Young said during the debate, referring to Ashley Madison’s tagline, "Life is short. Have an affair."

"[But] I would add three words: with, your, spouse," continued Young.

According to reports, adultery is the second leading cause of divorce. And Biderman’s notorious website, which claims over 2.5 million subscribers, is a way of "cannibalizing an existing human behavior and condition," as the Ashley Madison founder previously explained.

Although Biderman, who is happily married, believes adultery is wrong, he argued that extramarital affairs could be a marriage saver.

"[P]eople don’t have affairs because of my website," he said, according to the local Pegasus News. "Infidelity can save your marriage."

It’s better to have an affair than to get divorced, he maintained.

Young, meanwhile, argued that married couples having more sex with each other is the answer. By doing so, he said, communication opens.

The Texas pastor had thousands of supporters behind him as Thursday’s taping of the debate took place at his church. His congregants were not likely surprised to find their pastor talking about sex especially after Young made headlines last year for issuing a seven-day sex challenge to married couples.

"God is for sex," he said last year. "It was His idea. The Church has allowed the culture to hijack sex from the Church and it’s time that we move the bed back in Church and put God back in the bed.

"We are the real sexperts. After all, we’re made in God’s image and He’s the one who wants us to do it His way."

Young made similar statements during Thursday’s Nightline debate.

But Biderman and fellow pro-infidelity debater Jenny Block, who is married with kids and in an open relationship with a woman, believe the Ten Commandments and the institution of the heterosexual, monogamous marriage may be archaic.

It’s not a part of human nature to be monogamous, Biderman argued.

Panelist Jonathan Daughtery, a recovered sex addict, has been on both sides of the equation. And in the end, he says, "Faithfulness and fidelity to one spouse wins."

Young, meanwhile, added: "Adultery has its kicks but it has wicked, Chuck Norris-like kickbacks."

Thursday’s debate is scheduled to air on ABC Nightline next week, on Sept. 24.

Writing Credit: Christian Post.com

ATLANTA, Sept. 17 / Path MEGAzine / — Popular artists CeCe and BeBe Winans were at the Gospel Music Channel television network’s Atlanta studio Sept. 9-10 to shoot an episode of the new GMC Original series "Revealed" while also appearing on the network’s weekday morning show "Joyful Noise Café" and sitting for an exclusive interview on gospelmusicchannel.com. "BeBe & CeCe Winans: Revealed" will world premiere on GMC Oct. 18 @ 8pm ET/PT.

Seen here, from left, are Charles Humbard, founder and president, GMC; CeCe Winans; Brad Siegel, vice chairman, GMC; and BeBe Winans.

Gospel Music Channel (www.gospelmusicchannel.com) is the fastest-growing network in television and can be seen in 45 million homes on various cable systems around the country, on DIRECTV on channel 338 and on Verizon FiOS on channel 224.

MEDIA CONTACT:

JIM WEISS
(770) 692-4579

Gospel Artist/Pastor Tonex talks about everything on the Lexi Show, which aired recently on the Word Network.  In it, Tonex speaks openly about the year 2004 when several people close to him passed away one after another.  In the exclusive interview Tonex sets the record straight, stating that him and his wife did not break up because he was gay.  Stunningly, Tonex admits that he is attracted to men.  When pressed, Tonex expresses that homosexuality is not a struggle for him.  [Tonex Quote] "I want kids and I very much love women."  "But at the same time we have to be honest with ourselves as to what it is we have affinity for at the time."

If you missed the Tonex interview on the Lexi Show, you can watch it in its entirety on Path MEGAzine.com

Viewers to Select Best Gospel/Christian Music Videos in Rock, Pop, Country, Soul, Hip Hop, Contemporary and New Praise & Worship Categories;

Michael W. Smith, Jars of Clay, Billy Ray Cyrus, Israel Houghton, Jeremy Camp, Mary Mary, tobyMac, Smokie Norful, Skillet and Bishop Paul S. Morton Among Artists Up for Nomination
Contact: Jim Weiss, Gospel Music Channel, 770-692-4579, jim@gospelmusicchannel.com

ATLANTA, Sept. 8 /Christian Newswire/ — Gospel Music Channel (GMC) will once again honor the most popular music videos of the year across all genres of Gospel/Christian music in its annual Gospel Music Channel Video Awards (GMCVAs).

The first phase/ nominee selection for the 2009 GMCVAs begins today and continues through Thursday, October 8. Viewers can go to GMC’s web site www.gospelmusicchannel.com/gmcva and select their top six videos per category from a list of eligible videos. The six videos which receive the most votes in each category will then become the 2009 GMCVA nominees. Nominated videos will be seen on GMC’s new weekday morning series Joyful Noise Café (M-F, 8am-12noon ET) and other GMC video programming blocks (Soulful Voices, Rock Block, Hype & Glory, One Voice Worship) beginning Monday, October 19.

GMCVA phase two voting, where viewers choose the winning videos in each of seven genre categories, will begin Monday, October 19 and will continue through Friday, November 13.

Among the GMCVA artist videos eligible for nomination are: Jars of Clay, Francesca Battistelli, Jeremy Camp, The Fray, Mandisa, Billy Ray Cyrus, Tracy Lawrence, Lecrae, Grits (featuring Pigeon John), Trin-i-tee 5:7, The Afters, Mary Mary, tobyMac, Group 1 Crew, David Crowder Band, Bishop Paul Morton, John Tesh, Skillet, Damita, Ann Nesby, Smokie Norful and Marvin Winans, Jr.

The Gospel Music Channel Video Awards give GMC viewers the opportunity to cast votes for their favorite videos in seven categories: Rock, Pop, Country, Soul, Hip Hop, Contemporary and Praise & Worship (a new category in 2009). The winning videos in each of the seven categories become eligible to win "GMC Video of the Year," which will be selected by a GMC Blue Ribbon Committee. The 2009 GMCVA winners will be announced in a one-hour television special to premiere on GMC on Saturday, January 2, 2010.

Gospel Music Channel (www.gospelmusicchannel.com) is the fastest-growing network in television and can be seen in 45 million homes on various cable systems around the country, on DIRECTV on channel 338 and on Verizon FiOS on channel 224.

Tyler Perry knows he doesn’t need the often mystified reviews of predominantly white critics to sell his movies to his predominantly black audience. That’s why I Can Do Bad All By Myself was released, as Perry’s movies usually are, without a press preview. I bought a ticket for the show in my neighborhood last Friday, and I wasn’t the only one: I Can Do Bad fulfilled industry expectations, coming in first at the box office with some $24 million in revenue. My own expectations were surpassed, though, when I found myself weeping during scenes of worship at the church that plays such an important part in the story. As fictional Pastor Brian, real-life minister and gospel star Marvin Winans preached messages of strength, support, and praise while a choir raised the roof. And if that wasn’t enough to make the hairs stand up on the back of my neck, Gladys Knight, resplendent in pink suit and grand black church hat, joined Winans in a duet.

I’ve been thinking of my intense, unfiltered reaction to the movie-particularly its warm, inclusive, unself-conscious spiritual component, as accessible to this white Jewish critic as to the black Christian women sitting beside me in the movie theater. I’ve been thinking of Tyler Perry’s church scenes because-well, because as pollsters often remind us, we Americans like to think of ourselves as a religious nation. Yet we almost never see religion taken seriously and without jokiness in a mainstream movie aimed at a white audience. We certainly almost never see the unique, specific, authentic ritual that distinguishes one sect from another, something beyond a non-denominational minister waiting for a bride to walk down the aisle. (I’m still reeling from the who knew? authenticity and profound attention to detail Joel and Ethan Coen bring to their depiction of 1960s suburban Hebrew school in their new movie A Serious Man-more about that another time.)

I don’t want to bait politicians or partisan media pundits or anyone who brandishes faith like a mallet in service to a political agenda but I do want to ask you: Do you agree with me that white-oriented, mainstream American movies are generally squeamish, sugary, bland, embarrassed, apologetic, or ironic when it comes to depicting modern religious observance?

Or am I wrong? Are there a whole bunch of titles I can’t think of?

Reviewed By: Lisa Schwarzbaum – Entertainment Weekly

The Hardest Working Woman in Gospel – Vickie Winans – has been working overtime for the last month preparing for the release of her new CD "How I Got Over" that is in stores now. The title song is spinning heavy on gospel radio stations where it just hit #20 on the Billboard Hot Gospel Songs chart after only four weeks in release. The CD of the same name has just debuted at #3 on the Billboard gospel album sales chart.

The song is based on a hymn Mahalia Jackson used to sing. Winans added new verses and segues from a traditional gospel tune to a jazzy funk number featuring her nephew Tim Bowman Jr. scatting. This past Sunday, she debuted the song and concept music video at the Motor City’s posh Seldom Blues club where Winans treated her fans to a free dinner and concert. "We had to turn almost 250 people away," Winans says. "The fire marshal kept threatening to close us down because we had wall to wall people but everything worked out. We had a great time and I was able to say thank you to some of my most loyal fans."

Tickets were given away on a first come first serve basis at Winans’ Accents By Vickie Winans gift shop in Lathrup Village, MI. "The tickets were gone in an hour and a half," Winans says in disbelief. In fact, fans were lined up and sitting in lawn chairs wrapped around the block three hours before the store opened on the day the tickets were first made available. The Detroit News reporter Kimberly Hayes Taylor recently wrote a glowing article on Winans’ enduring appeal and notes that "She’s a personable shopkeeper who greets visitors with hugs, kisses and her big warm smile."

Behind that smile, Winans has shed plenty of tears. In the last three years, Winans beloved mother Mattie Bowman passed away. She also left Verity Records and went through the trials and tribulations of launching her Destiny Joy record label that was named for the baby girl she miscarried 28 years ago. Her triumphs led her to name the CD "How I Got Over." She says, "God has been good to me. I give Him all the praise. He’s stayed with me and held me up when I couldn’t hold up myself. There are so many great things happening that I just have to say that it’s because of God that I made it over."

Media Contact: Bill Carpenter at (202) 506-5051 or carpenterbill@mac.com

Bookings: www.VickieWinans.com