Ken Burns Honored at 2017 Voice Arts Awards

Ken Burns was presented the Muhammad Ali Voice of Humanity Honor at the 2017 Voice Arts Awards recently.

NEW YORK –  Critically acclaimed documentary film maker Ken Burns was in attendance to accept the prestigious Muhammad Ali Voice of Humanity Honor at the 2017 Voice Arts Awards presented by at The Society of Voice Arts & Sciences (SOVAS) at Lincoln Center's Fredrick P. Rose Hall on Nov. 5.

This special segment of the Awards featured a tribute to Ken Burns by three time Emmy winner Keith David, who is currently starring in Oprah Winfrey's hit show "Greenleaf" on OWN. Ken's attendance was a highly-anticipated highlight at this year's show, where a packed house stood to their feet to honor his achievements.

"What is so extraordinary about this evening is the name of this award for Muhammad Ali is one of the people who took this world and widened it so that everyone in the world could see, that he spoke his voice even when he no longer had one," Ken Burns said during his inspiring acceptance. "This award was created in collaboration with the Champ himself before his passing and has the full support of the Ali Center. We were truly honored to present this award to the Ken Burns this year," said Emmy® Award-winning producer and SOVAS™ CEO, Rudy Gaskins.

Award winning actress Lily Tomlin also took the stage at this year's event to accept the Voice Arts® Icon Award. Bob Bergen, also known as the voice of Porky Pig, introduced a video of Lily's lifetime achievement in film & television before she was presented with the Award by Society of Voice Arts & Sciences (SOVAS™) founders, Rudy Gaskins and Joan Baker. "I am floored by the caliber of talent and competition tonight," said Lily Tomlin when she took the stage to accept the award.

Music, and stage superstar Deborah Cox brought glamour to this year's red carpet. Deborah was on hand as a presenter as was Inside Edition's Senior Correspondent Les Trent, and legendary voiceover star Nancy Cartwright, best known as the voice of Bart Simpson on Fox's hit show "The Simpsons."

The 2017 Voice Arts® Awards featured more than 50 winners across multiple media genres. Previous award winners include Jon Hamm, Kate Winslet, James Earl Jones, Lena Dunham, and William Shatner.

Good Morning America called the Voice Arts® Awards, "The Oscars of voiceover acting."

The Dale Justice Band's Rohan Zachariah Helps Young Students Learn the Drums

Rohan Zachariah on stage as a member of the Dale Justice Band (publicity photo).

LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Rohan Zachariah isn't just the drummer for the Dale Justice Band. He's also a teacher for scores of young drummers who take his online classes to learn the drums.

“I love to play the drums whether I’m on stage, in the studio or by myself I love it!” Zachariah said. “Having these students, young and old, wanting to learn the drums is exciting to me and makes me want help them make their musical dreams come true.”

As a founding member of the acclaimed outlaw country music group The Dale Justice Band, Zachariah is preparing for the band’s tour in January and the release of its new album, but he remains devoted to his students who have made his online class a central part of their lives for the past year.

It was just a couple of years ago that Zachariah began his online class after young fans asked if he could teach them how to play the drums. Having taught the drums in his native India years earlier as a struggling musician, he had an affinity for teaching and encouraging students to work hard and learn the instrument.

He was particularly fond of teaching children with physical challenges who learned to overcome their limitations and learn to play the drums with skill and creativity. His patience and encouragement were the keys to his success.

“Had a student couldn’t control his limbs but he started moving them and soon he was able to move his hands and legs was able to coordinate them better,” he recalled. “So I missed that and when I decided to start the online classes, I found so many talented students that it’s become a passion of mine. I love watching them grow into truly talented musicians.”

Born in Chennai, India, Zachariah grew up listening to his father’s favorite rock bands like Queen, Deep Purple, Boston and others. He developed an affinity for the music and eventually gravitated to playing the guitar, keyboards and drums, before settling on drumming. He would go on to earn a film production degree at Madras University but all the while had the intention becoming a professional drummer. 

After earning his masters in electronic media, to appease his parents, Zachariah was already playing with a number of top rock bands in India such as The Misfits and The Bureaucrats, ultimately performing on national television in India. But he knew he had to come to America to find musical success.

Within a year of arriving, veteran musician Dale Justice tapped Zachariah to join him in the new band he was forming that would echo the musical legacy of such country music legends as Hank Williams, Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings.

Those interested in Rohan Zacharia’s online drumming course, may e-mail rohanzachariahdrumming@gmail.com. 

For more on Zachariah, visit www.facebook.com/rgz007/.

Scammers Target Netflix Users with Fake Suspension E-Mail

The fake Netflix e-mail by scammers targeting Netflix users.

LOS ANGELES – Scammers are targeting Netflix customers through an e-email scam that tells them that their account will be canceled unless they update their account information. The fake e-mail features a realistic Netflix logo along with convincing wording that warns that they update their payment information to avoid suspension.

The scam has resulted in stolen credit card information as well as personal data.

The e-mail’s subjet line is “Your Suspension Notification” along with a link that takes users to a fake Netflix website that requires a log in and the supposed updating of credit card information.

The fraudulent e-mail was revealed Sunday by Netflix which noted that an estimated 110 million subscribers were targeted.

Fox Renews Seth MacFarlane's 'The Orville' for a Second Season

Fox renews its hit sci-fi comedy/drama "The Orville" starring Seth MacFarlane (Photo by Fox).

LOS ANGELES – Fox has today renewed the Seth MacFarlane sci-fi comedy/drama “The Orville” for a second season. The number of episodes for the second season was not revealed.

The renewal comes after the series’ debut ranked as the most watched debut on the network since “Empire” rolled out in 2015. So far, the series is among the top three new dramas of the fall, averaging a 2. 5 rating among the 18-49 demographic.

"Once again Seth has struck a powerful chord with viewers," Fox Broadcasting Co. Entertainment President Michael Thorn said in a statement. "He has delivered a series full of optimism, drama and his trademark humor. We want to thank him and the rest of the talented cast, as well as the producers and crew, for an incredible first season. We can't wait to see where The Orville travels in the second."

The show marks MacFarlane’s live action television debut as an actor after producing the long-running animated comedy “Family Guy.”

“The Orville” follows the crew of the not-so-functional exploratory ship in the Earth's interstellar fleet, 400 years in the future in a take off on “Star Trek.” The cast includes Adrianne Palicki, Penny Johnson Jerald and Scott Grimes.