Growing up the daughter of versatile Trinidad and Tobago singer Keith “Designer” Prescott and Caribbean-rooted international photojournalist Margot Jordan, Markita Prescott was well-infused with artistic talent she’s taken to greater heights through acting and singing.
Presently, the actress is working on her part as “Brittany” in the upcoming “Chronicles of a BLEEP Year Old Woman” TV miniseries that’s in preproduction.
Prescott will appear in the premiere “Not the Mamaste” episode of the Palikari Pictures series.
She’s is thrilled about her role in “Chronicles of a BLEEP Year Old” and so is Sarah Donnelly, founder of New York-based Palikari Pictures.
“She’s fantastic in the show and great to work with,” said Donnelly of Prescott.
And the pilot episode won awards, Donnelly said of the BLEEP series, created by Tamra Paselk.
Prescott said her road to an acting career began very early — while she was still literally taking baby steps.
“I started out in show business at 3 years old,” she recalled. “By the time I was 6, I knew I was a pro after winning a role in a Hellman’s Mayonnaise commercial.”
Along her career path, she honed her skills with education and extracurricular activities at Manhattan’s Professional Performing Arts School and later at Nyack College.
And Prescott was continually supported by her famous Trinidad-born singer-father and her mother — who was the daughter of a Trinidad-born mother and a father with roots in Barbados.
One of the recent high-profile highlights of Prescott’s career was her role as “Martha” in six episodes of the acclaimed Amazon Prime Video comedy-drama series “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” in 2019.
And Prescott got to flex her vocal skills in her “Martha” role as a member of the show’s “The Silver Belles” singing trio.
“The group performed eight songs on the show and also recorded four original songs, which are all featured on the original music from ‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’ soundtrack available on all digital outlets,” wrote Deborah Walker last July in her “I Am Nyack” website article. “Markita Prescott (NC ’06) is Martha in ‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.’ ”
The actress also had parts in CBS-TV’s “The Good Fight,” the HBO TV series “The Knick,” CBS’ “Person of Interest” and other shows. Prescott has theater credits, too.
For information, visit markitaprescott.com to learn more about Markita Prescott and visit her YouTube page — bit.ly/markita_prescott_youtube — to see and hear the actress.
For “The Dead Are Arising: The Life of Malcolm X” author Tamara Payne, the news could not be better — the comprehensive book has won the 2021 Pulitzer Prize Winner in Biography.
The book is a more than 30-year-long project on the Caribbean-rooted Malcolm X started by Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist Les Payne and finished by daughter Tamara after his death in 2018.
Interviews with classmates and prison cellmates, Nation of Islam figures, law enforcement, family members and others were used to create a full picture of Malcolm X’s complex, influential and transformative life.
Published by Liveright/Norton, the biography has already been recognized with a number of prominent honors, including the 2020 National Book Award for Nonfiction.
“The Dead Are Arising” is available where book are sold.
Let’s eat! “Eat Caribbean NYC — Caribbean Restaurant Week” kicks off Monday and runs through next Sunday — with eateries offering prix fixe menus and specials during the week.
The restaurant week is presented by the West Indian American Day Carnival Association, sponsor of the annual New York Caribbean Carnival.
Commemorating national Caribbean American Heritage Month and the increased relaxation of COVID restrictions, the restaurants’ special offers will be an incentive to customers and provide a needed economic boost for businesses.
“Eat Caribbean NYC, post-COVID, presents the chance for the community to rebuild its own,” said Chairwoman Michelle Gibbs-Francis of the West Indian American Day Carnival Association.
For an updated full list of participating restaurants, or more information, visit eatcaribbean.nyc and follow “EatCaribbeanNYC” and “NewYorkCarnival” on Facebook and Instagram. And visit wiadcacarnival.org
Veteran journalist and author Audrey Edwards has a quite a story to tell in her recent book, “American Runaway: Black and Free in Paris in the Trump Years.”
And she’ll be sharing details of her life in Paris during the time of President Donald Trump on Wednesday from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m., in a free online discussion of the Summer 2021 Book Talks, presented by the NYU Institute of African American Affairs and Center for Black Visual Culture.
Like author James Baldwin, entertainer Josephine Baker and other Black Americans who fled U.S racism over the decades, Edwards went to Paris, seeking refuge from the rising tide of extreme conservatism during the Trump administration.
Serious reflection, humor and a love for travel are skillfully weaved together by Edwards in the book, a collection of essays published by August Press.
The author says her penchant for travel comes from her father — who hailed from St. Croix, fought for the U.S. military during World War II and traveled extensively.
Edwards is back in the U.S., but this summer she plans on returning to Paris, as France lifts its COVID restrictions for vaccinated Americans.
To register for the talk, visit bit.ly/Audrey_Edwards_Runaway_NYU. And visit nyuiaaa.org for information.
Hoodcelebrityy — the vibrant Jamaica-born, Bronx-based dancehall singer-songwriter — has reached another very visible pinnacle of success now that her larger-than-life image can be seen in the bright lights of Manhattan’s Times Square.
Huge images of Hoodcelebrityy, Trinidad and Tobago soca superstar Machel Montano and Jamaican singer-songwriter Skip Marley, Bob Marley’s grandson, graced the billboard, which was a high-profile kickoff for the Pandora music streaming service’s new One Caribbean station.
Displayed at the intersection of W. 45th St. and Broadway in the midst of national Caribbean American Heritage Month in the U.S., the billboard was up for seven days, ending last Thursday.
During that time, some pedestrians and motorists got a taste of Hoodcelebrityy and others a reinforcement of her fame.
Born, Tina Pinnock in Portmore, Jamaica, near Kingston, Hoodcelebrityy came to the America as age 12. She’s known for her mixtapes, including “Trap Vs. Reggae,” which rose to No. 9 on the Billboard Reggae Albums chart in 2017.
She’s currently signed to KSR Music, which is promoting her “Champagne,” “Ungrateful” and other music videos on the “Hoodcelebrityy” YouTube page.
Visit hoodcelebrityy.com for more information, merchandise and tour dates.
With COVID restrictions lifting, the Braata Folk Singers are celebrating with the “Rebirth: Songs of Reggae Hope and Folk” concert Sunday at the Jamaica Performing Arts Center, 153-10 Jamaica Ave. in Queens, at 6 p.m.
The Queens-based musical ensemble, under the direction of Joel Edwards and produced by Andrew Clarke, will perform inspirational and reggae songs in the show.
Clarke said the concert is also a rebirth for the group, which had pondered discontinuing performances due to lack of support.
A contribution of $20 per ticket is recommended. Unable to attend the concert? Donations to the Braata Folk Singers can be online.
Tickets can be reserved, and donations made, at braataproductions.org/bfs2021.
Gospel singer Lady Peachena has thrown her musical support behind Georgia political activist Stacey Abrams through a new song, “Don’t Mess With Stacey.”
Described as a bluesy gospel tune, the song — a tribute to the voting rights’ organizer who has gained international fame for her Fair Fight organization’s successful efforts in Georgia — debuted Friday.
A sample of the tune at ladypeachena.com and three solo inspirational albums are available on Amazon.com.