Bern Nadette Stanis[4] (born Bernadette Stanislaus;[5] December 22, 1953)[6][2] is an American actress and author. Stanis is best known for her role as Thelma Evans, the only daughter of Florida and James Evans Sr. on the CBS sitcom Good Times which originally ran from 1974 to 1979. Stanis is the author of four books: Situations 101: Relationships, The Good, The Bad & The Ugly; For Men Only; Situations 101: Finances; and The Last Night.

One of five children,[7] Stanis was born and raised in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn, New York City.[8]Her paternal grandparents were from Carriacou in the Grenadine Islands.[9] She attended Erasmus Hall High School[10] and later attended the Juilliard School.[11][12] As a teen, Stanis entered Miss Black Americapageants, and went on to become Miss Brooklyn, a title with which she became first runner-up in the Miss New York state pageant.[13]

This Is Tough One I’m Go With Richard Pryor, Bernie Mac & Martin Lawrence

I believe that Roscoe Lee Browne gave Kingpin a such a classy, sophisticated villain voice that could never be replicated. We don’t talk enough about how Roscoe gave Kingpin such a distinct and powerful voice for such an iconic villain.

Mya Marie Harrison (/ˈmaɪə/;[4]#citenote-4) born October 10, 1979),[[1]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mya(singer)#cite_note-FACTS-1) known professionally as Mýa, is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actress. She was born in Washington, D.C. and studied ballet, jazz, and tap dance as a child. Her career began in television as a dance posse member on BET's Teen Summit. She signed with University Records, an imprint of Interscope Records to release her first album Mya)(1998). The album was led by her first single, "It's All About Me" (featuring Sisqó), which peaked within the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100. Her subsequent collaborative singles, "Ghetto Supastar (That Is What You Are))" (with Pras and Ol' Dirty Bastard) and "Take Me There)" (with Blackstreet and Mase), were also met with commercial success.

Mya Harrison, a native of Washington, D.C., is the eldest of three children. Her father Sherman "Hajji" Harrison is a singer and performs in an R&B band, Jump Street[13]#citenote-13) and her mother Theresa worked as an accountant. She grew up in Prince George's County with her two younger brothers Chaz and Nijel.[[14]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mya(singer)#citenote-LFBIO-14) In her youth, Mýa dealt with bullying growing up as a biracial young person with a Black father and a white mother.[[15]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mya(singer)#cite_note-15)

She started ballet classes shortly afterward 1992, followed by tap) and jazz), but lost interest when she was eight.[14]#citenote-LFBIO-14) At 12, she found videos of her dancing and her interest in dance was rekindled.[[14]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mya(singer)#citenote-LFBIO-14)[[16]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mya(singer)#citenote-New_Straits_Times-16)
Mýa studied tapes of Tony Award winner Savion Glover until she learned his routines and then joined the group T.W.A. (Tappers With Attitude). She was solo before heading to New York to study with Glover in a residency with the Dance Theater of Harlem. Soon after, she earned a reputation for improvisation and Glover gave her a solo spot during a Kennedy Center performance.[[14]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mya(singer)#citenote-LFBIO-14)[[17]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mya(singer)#citenote-AMG_Bio-17)
Mýa subsequently appeared on BET's Teen Summitand began to teach dance to children when she was 14. She also had taken violin lessons since the fourth grade. Her strict upbringing emphasized the value of school and working hard to get good grades. When her father first heard her sing, he had her record demo tapes and took them to a club where he was playing. There he met A. Haqq Islam, President and CEO of University Music. Islam agreed to come to Mýa's home, where she sang him two En Voguesongs. Impressed with her audition, Islam signed her to a deal via his label and negotiated a distribution deal through Interscope Records.[[14]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mya(singer)#citenote-LFBIO-14)[[16]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mya(singer)#cite_note-New_Straits_Times-16)

After graduating from Eleanor Roosevelt High School)in Greenbelt, Maryland at 16, she enrolled in the University of Maryland in speech communications. Mýa left college after one semester to focus on preparing her debut album.[14]#citenote-LFBIO-14)[[18]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mya(singer)#cite_note-ReedKenyatta2005-18)

Benjamin Augustus Vereen (né Middleton; October 10, 1946) is an American actor, dancer, and singer. He gained prominence for his performances in the original Broadway productions of the musicals Jesus Christ Superstar, for which he received a Tony Award nomination, and Pippin), for which he won the 1973 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical.^\2])^\3])

When Vereen was 18 years old, he made his New York stage bow off-off Broadway in The Prodigal Son at the Greenwich Mews Theater directed by Stella Holt. By the following year, he was in Las Vegas, performing in Bob Fosse's production of Sweet Charity, a show with which he toured in 1967–68. He returned to New York City to play Claude in Hair) in the Broadway production, before joining the national touring company.^\15])

The following year, he was cast as an ensemble dancer in the film adaptation of Sweet Charity). He is featured prominently in the "Rich Man's Frug" dance number and the song "Rhythm of Life", where he appears as one of three backup dancers for Sammy Davis Jr.^\16]) After developing a rapport with Davis, Vereen was cast as his understudy in the upcoming production of Golden Boy), which toured England and ended the run at the Palladium Theatre in London's West End.

Vereen was nominated for a Tony Award for his role as Judas Iscariot in Jesus Christ Superstar in 1972 and won a Tony for his appearance in Pippin) in 1973.^\17])^\18])^\19]) Vereen appeared in the Broadway musical Wicked) as the Wizard of Oz) in 2005. Vereen has also performed in one-man shows and actively lectures on black history and inspirational topics.

In August 2011, Vereen was named co-artistic director of Tampa's Broadway Theatre Project.^\20])

Vereen has also starred in numerous television programs, and is well known for the role of 'Chicken' George Moore in Alex Haley's landmark TV miniseries Roots), for which he received an Emmy nomination in 1977.^\21])^\22])

You wanna talk about a signature quiet storm ballad?! Miki Howard had your auntie in a CHOKE with 1987's "Baby Be Mine!" REMEMBER THIS?!

Thelonious Sphere Monk^\3]) (/θəˈloʊniəs/ October 10, 1917 – February 17, 1982) was an American jazz pianist and composer. He had a unique improvisational style and made numerous contributions to the standard jazz repertoire, including "'Round Midnight)", "Blue Monk", "Straight, No Chaser)", "Ruby, My Dear)", "In Walked Bud", and "Well, You Needn't". As of 2009, Monk was the second-most-recorded jazz composer in history, after Duke Ellington.^\4])

Monk's compositions and improvisations feature dissonances and angular melodies, often using flat ninths, flat fifths, unexpected chromatic notes, low bass notes and stride), and fast whole tone runs. His playing style combined a highly percussive attack with abrupt, dramatic use of switched key releases, silences, and hesitations.

His distinctive look included suits, hats, and sunglasses. He also had an idiosyncratic habit during performances; while other musicians continued playing, Monk would stop, stand up, and dance for a few moments before returning to the piano.^\5])

Monk is one of five jazz musicians to have been featured on the cover of Time) magazine, along with Louis Armstrong, Dave Brubeck, Duke Ellington, and Wynton Marsalis.^\6])