Chenese Lewis Productions, LLC is a proud sponsor of “Fat Bitch!”, a one woman show by Erica Watson!

- Presented by Columbia College Chicago And Producer/Director Steve Pink (Hot Tub Time Machine, Entourage, Accepted) – Proceeds benefit the Columbia College Chicago Alumni Scholarship Fund

Watch your skinny backs Sandra Bernhard, Margaret Cho and John Leguizamo –ERICA WATSON is coming to claim her crown as Queen of the theater/standup hybrid show with the Los Angeles Premiere of FAT BITCH!After workshops in NYC and Chicago, this new solo show written and performed by Watson will run April 29- May 1, 2011 at Greenway Court Theater.

“Fat Bitch!” offers a humorous and honest glimpse at the American “fat and sassy” black woman stereotypes that continue to influence modern day images of black women. Written and performed by Watson as a hybrid of theater and stand-up comedy, “Fat Bitch!” responds to how black women and their bodies have always been subjected to sexualized admiration and ridicule. Through personal vignettes, anecdotes and video clips, as well as drawing upon iconic images including “Mammy” and “Hottentot Venus,” Watson illustrates how media images have impacted herself-esteem as she touches on PETA’s “Save the Whales” campaign aimed at overweight women, the “war on obesity,” and the controversy surrounding President Obama’s nomination of a plus-sized black woman for Surgeon General.

Watson who is a commentator for the TV Guide Network, Oxygen and BET graduated from Columbia College Chicago with a BA in Film and TV (1998), and a MA in Media Management (2005).

Influenced by the quick wit of Whoopi Goldberg, the blunt comedic observations of Wanda Sykes, and the larger-than-life confidence of Mo’Nique, Watson (who is in the film “Precious” with Mo’Nique, as well as 2006’s “Dirty Laundry” with Loretta Devine) creates a universal point of view yet offers a new voice in comedy. “Fat Bitch!” has been work-shopped at New York’s “The Tank;” first during the Black Comedy Experiment in March 2008, then in May 2009, October 2009 and The Laurie Beechman Theater in February 2010 and at The Chicago Center for the Performing Arts in November 2009 and curated at The Brooklyn Museum October 2010 for Target First Saturdays.

“Fat Bitch!” is being presented by Columbia College Chicago and Producer/Director Steve Pink. Proceeds will benefit the Columbia College Chicago Alumni Scholarship Fund.

WHERE: Greenway Court Theater 544 North Fairfax Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90036
FREE parking in the lot just north of the theater!

WHEN: Opens Friday, April 29, 2011, 8 p.m.
Closes on Sunday, May 1, 2011
Three shows only – 8 p.m. on April 29, 20, May 1.

TICKETS:http://www.colum.edu/erica
$15 for all regular performances

For more information about Erica Watson and her one woman show “Fat Bitch!” visit: www.fatbitchtour.com
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I’m giving away free tickets to see Fat Bitch to my faithful blog readers! I have more than one pair of tickets to give away, so there will be more than one winner! To enter leave a comment on this post about why you deserve to win the tickets and best comment wins! What am I looking for in the best post? I don’t know, but I’ll know when I see it! Make me laugh, make me cry, just make it good, be creative! Remember there will be more than one winner!

The winners will be announced Wednesday April 27th, 2011. Good Luck!
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Also since Chenese Lewis Productions, LLC is an official sponsor of “Fat Bitch!” I have my own VIP list, if you are a Los Angeles blogger or key industry person, make sure you are on my list!

XOXO

2010 began with Chenese as the newly elected President of the Hollywood Chapter of the National Organization for Women (Hollywood NOW) and she participated as a panelist at the Social Justice Summit at California State University, Fullerton.

PLUS Model Radio celebrated its second anniversary and continues to be the #1 podcast for plus size women! A few of the notable guests in 2010 included MTV’s Twitter Jockey Gabi Gregg, Kim Coles, and top plus models such as Ashley Graham, Julie Henderson, Lizzie Miller, and Joanne Borgella. Leading plus size retailers broke exclusive news first on PLUS Model Radio including Lane Bryant’s participation in “Fashion Night Out” by their Director of Business Management Kathleen Quickert, and Torrid’s Marketing Representative Becky Meza announced Torrid’s first model search in Puerto Rico! Chenese took PLUS Model Radio on the road for the first time to the Essence Music Festival in New Orleans where she interviewed some of the biggest names in entertainment including Gladys Knight, Sherri Shepard, MC Lyte, Kirk Franklin and many more!

Binge Eating Disorder Association (BEDA) announced Chenese the official spokesperson, joining the effort to increase awareness around unrealistic “body-perfect” ideals, binge eating disorder and several associated conditions, including compulsive and emotional eating, and food addiction. As BEDA’s spokesperson Chenese serves as a positive role model for the members, help to bring awareness to the organization, and help to educate the public about the disorder.

Chenese graced the covers of Daily Venus Diva Magazine who called her “a key individual in the plus community” and Gemini Magazine who referred to her as “A Positive Power House”. She broke plus industry size barriers with PLUS Model Magazine by modeling for a Valentine’s Day editorial featuring Cacique Intimates lingerie by Lane Bryant. Ms Lewis ripped the runway in a celebrity fashion show for charity, Celebrity Catwalk, which raises funds and awareness for the National Animal Rescue.

Along with Reah Norman and Marlene Hoffman, Chenese produced Curvy Network, a plus size industry networking event held in Los Angeles. This year Ms Lewis was sought out to be a celebrity host and consultant for numerous events for plus size women across the country, in cities including Hollywood, Las Vegas, Dallas, and New Orleans. She also moderated “The State of the Curvy Community” panel discussion at Full Figured Fashion Week(end)™ Los Angeles.

Chenese Lewis Productions, LLC was a recipient of the Vertical Response 500 Award for being one of the top 500 small businesses recognized for high customer engagement rates in email marketing. Chenese’s blog was recognized as one of the Top 40 Plus Size Fashion Blogs on the web in 2010 by HalloweenCostumes.net

This year marked the 5th anniversary of Hollywood NOW’s Love Your Body Day. America’s Next Top Model Whitney Thompson severed as the celebrity host of this year’s festivities and helped create a major media buzz surrounding the event due to the Love Your Body campaign, where she and Chenese posed nude together. The photographs were featured in top entertainment blogs including CBS News, People Magazine, AOL Stylelist, NY Daily News, Perez Hilton, iVillage, as well as internationally in numerous blogs around the world. In addition the ladies were featured on television shows such as E! News and EXTRA.

Following the buzz created by posing nude for the Hollywood NOW Love Your Body campaign, Chenese cross promoted the Love Your Body campaign with the NOH8 Campaign by posing for a NOH8 photo with celebrity photographer Adam Bouska. Chenese was interviewed about the photoshoot for the National Examiner, which made the front page!

The 2010 Love Your Body campaign gained international attention and magnified her role as a leading positive body image advocate, this year Chenese was a quoted expert in USA Today, The National Examiner, and Northwestern University’s Medill Reports. She was also asked to sit on the Celebrity Board of the non-profit organization Fed Up, Inc.

Chenese ended the year on a festive note by appearing in Mariah Carey’s “Oh Santa” music video and commercial for Mariah’s new fragrance Lollipop Bling!

Exciting things are already scheduled for 2011, make sure you visit www.cheneselewis.com to stay up to date!

Hello Everyone,

Last month I post a blog about a new project I was working on and needed help by asking plus size women to take a brief survey. The response was overwhelming and we got a lot of feedback: the good, the bad and the ugly which is GREAT and things are moving along nicely.

Now we are looking for feedback from the men!

Please click the link below to fill out the brief survey, your participation is greatly appreciated!

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/DFMPNTJ

XOXO

Chenese

Chenese Lewis Productions, LLC is One of the Top 500 Small Businesses Recognized for High Customer Engagement Rates in Email Marketing.

VerticalResponse, Inc. a leading provider of self-service email marketing, online survey and direct mail solutions for small businesses, today announced Chenese Lewis Productions, LLC as one of the winners in their new customer awards program, the Vertical Response 500. This awards program highlights the top 500 small business customers that have maintained very high email engagement rates—as demonstrated by their average email open rates and click through rates. To qualify for the awards, customers had to have sent at least four email campaigns in the first quarter of 2010, and mailed to a list size of between 100-500 opt-in subscribers.

“VerticalResponse 500 award honorees such as Chenese Lewis Productions, LLC are using email marketing successfully to grow their businesses, and like VerticalResponse they know the importance of creating engaging emails that provide true value to recipients,” said Janine Popick, CEO of VerticalResponse. “The open and click through rates of their email campaigns are a testament to their excellence in growing their small business.”

VerticalResponse 500 Awards: Criteria
The team of marketing experts at VerticalResponse identified the top 500 small businesses, based on email marketing performance and engagement in the first quarter of 2010. The following criteria was used to determine the VerticalResponse 500 winners:

- Open rates: average above 20%
- Click through rates: average above 4%
- Size of email send: average between 100-500 emails per email
- Number of emails sent: at least four email campaigns

Complete List of 2010 Q2 Winners: http://www.verticalresponse.com/vr500/winners-2010-q2/

Chenese Lewis Productions, LLC is a proud sponsor of Fat Bitch! A one woman show by Erica Watson!

In the tradition of Sandra Bernhard & Margaret Cho, comic Erica Watson premieres solo show.
February 11 – 25 at Laurie Beechman Theater

Buy tickets HERE.

Watch your skinny backs Sandra Bernhard, Margaret Cho and John Leguizamo –ERICA WATSON is coming to claim her crown as Queen of the theater/standup hybrid show with the New York Premiere of FAT BITCH! After workshops in NYC and Chicago, this new solo show written and performed by Watson runs February 11- 25, 2010 at The Laurie Beechman Theater.

FAT BITCH! is a funny, provocative glimpse at the American “fat and sassy” black woman stereotype. Plus-sized performer Erica Watson explores society’s obsession with weight, race and class and how black women’s bodies have always been subjected to both admiration and ridicule. Drawing upon iconic images including “Mammy” and “Hottentot Venus,” Watson illustrates how media images have impacted her self-esteem as she touches on PETA’s “Save the Whales” campaign aimed at overweight women, the “war on obesity,” and the controversy surrounding President Obama’s nomination of a plus-sized black woman for Surgeon General.

Born and raised in Chicago, Erica Watson is an actor, stand-up comedian, and film/television director. Currently, she can be seen in the Oprah Winfrey/Lee Daniels film Precious. She has also starred in the feature film Dirty Laundry. Watson is currently featured in two Gracie Award-winning commercials for the Oxygen Network called “Tresstify” and “Kiss & Tell,” as well as the March Madness Comedy special on MSG-TV. She has appeared on NBC’s “Last Comic Standing,” and was a commentator and pundit for five BET specials including “Top 12 BET Award Show Moments,” “Countdown to 2009: BET Year in Review,” “The Evolution of Mary J. Blige,” and “The Evolution of Jay-Z”. Additionally, Watson is a recurring politics and pop culture panelist on the BETJ talk show “My Two Cents,” director of the reality TV Series “My Model Looks Better Than Your Model” on the BETJ Network and a blogger for the Huffington Post.

FAT BITCH! runs February 11- 25, Thursdays at 7:00pm. The Laurie Beechman Theater is located inside West Bank Cafe at 407 West 47th Street — at Ninth Avenue, accessible from the A,C,E,N,R,V,F,1,2,3 trains at 42nd Street. Tickets are $15, plus $15 food/drink minimum, available at 212-352-3101 or www.SpinCycleNYC.com.

www.fatbitchtour.com