RED CARPET INTERVIEWS: Music & Charity Collide At Salvation Army's "Rock The Red Kettle" Concert In Los Angeles

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Headliner-Becky G performing at Salvation Army's "Rock The Red Kettle" Concert in Los Angeles on December 6th, 2014 (Paul DeBaun/Roman's Rap-Up).

On December 6th at L.A. Live, The Salvation Army hosted a concert event to raise money and awareness for homeless families. Up-and-coming acts like Becky G, Shawn Mendes, R5, and Bea Miller headlined the show with openers Exist Elsewhere and Josh Levi. On the red carpet, we were able to speak with Bea Miller, R5, and Becky G to catch up with them about new projects and and their reasons for giving back. 

R5 performing at Salvation Army's "Rock The Red Kettle" Concert in Los Angeles on December 6th, 2014 (Paul DeBaun/Roman's Rap-Up).

The first major performance of the night was the family band R5.  Their performance electrified the crowd with their raw energy and enthusiasm, especially when they closed their set with their new hit “Smile.”  When asked about their new single “Smile” on the red carpet, Riker and Ross Lynch replied that this was their favorite song they have recorded so far.  They love the song’s message, and it was a blast to record. Additionally, they talked about how honored they were to be performing for such as noble cause and spoke about the importance of giving back to their community.

Next up was the 15 year old former X-Factor contestant Bea Miller.  Miller rocked the house with her powerful voice, performing hits like “Young Blood” and “Enemy Fire.” When asked about her upcoming debut album—set to be released in 2015—Bea eagerly expressed her pride over one of her new songs off the new album, “Paper Doll.”  She spoke about how the song’s message is to not let other people control your decisions and to be your own person.

Shawn Mendes performing at Salvation Army's "Rock The Red Kettle" Concert in Los Angeles on December 6th, 2014 (Paul DeBaun/Roman's Rap-Up).

After Bea Miller, Shawn Mendes was warmly greeted with a multitude of screaming fans armed with many colorful of posters.  Mendes’ performance was different than the other acts in the sense that he performed an acoustic set: just him and his guitar.  Mendes performed new songs such as “Strings Attached” from his upcoming album, mash ups of different songs that made him famous on Vine, and his hit singles “Life of the Party” and “Something Big.”  With just the power of his crystal-clear voice and guitar, Mendes seemed to hypnotize the audience.  So much so that he was even able to ask the audience to become completely silent so that he could he heard without a microphone; they happily obliged. 

After Shawn Mendes’ compelling performance, Becky G hit the stage to end this concert with a bang.  Performing hits like “Shower” and “Built For This,” Becky G wowed the crowd with her awesome dance moves and effortless stage presence.  When asked about her song “Built For This” being included on the new version of Just Dance, Becky G replied how surreal it was and how she looked forward to actually playing the game.  Additionally, Rock the Red Kettle was a special performance for this young singer.  When asked what her Red Kettle Reason was she remarked about her humble upbringing and the importance of organizations like The Salvation Army in the lives of the homeless.  

Rock the Red Kettle was truly a unique event.  Not only was it an exciting concert, but a powerful call to do good this holiday season.  The Salvation Army channeled the power of these new, talented performers into encouraging young people to give back to their communities and help those in need.  Undeniably, this event illustrates the huge capacity music has to inspire people to help one another.

Check out our interviews with R5, Bea Miller & Becky G from the red carpet below:

Concert Review: Us The Duo Show They Are The 'Next Big Thing' At House Of Blues Anaheim

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Us The Duo perform at the House Of Blues in Anaheim, CA on August 13th, 2014 (Paul DeBaun/Roman's Rap-Up).

This past Wednesday (August 13th), pop-folk group Us the Duo continued their debut tour with a stop at the House of Blues in Anaheim, CA.  Starting out on Vine with their famous six-second covers of pop songs and recently signing with Republic Records, Us the Duo is quickly rising to the top of the charts with their second album, No Matter Where You Are.  This duo is a duo in more ways than one; they are actually a husband and wife pair, Michael and Carissa Rae Alvarado.  Skilled in a large array of instruments (percussion, guitar, piano, and a melodica, just to name a few), these singer-songwriter musicians have a show like no other. 

Us The Duo perform at the House Of Blues in Anaheim, CA on August 13th, 2014 (Paul DeBaun/Roman's Rap-Up).

Us The Duo perform at the House Of Blues in Anaheim, CA on August 13th, 2014 (Paul DeBaun/Roman's Rap-Up).

Us the Duo fully took advantage of the House of Blues’ small setting by decorating the stage with their own living room furniture to make the show more intimate. Michael Alvarado even went as far to say that “we want to invite you into our lives and tell you the story of how we fell in love.”  And they did just that.  The couple narrated their story throughout the entire show, using their songs to express the emotions they felt at different stages of their relationship.  

The couple’s chemistry was infectious as they sang songs like “Make You Mine” and “Falling in Love” to each other.  However, Us the Duo never let the show get too heavy by constantly cracking jokes and even singing a song about Michael’s favorite fruit, bananas (complete with a banana-shaped shaker).

Us The Duo perform at the House Of Blues in Anaheim, CA on August 13th, 2014 (Paul DeBaun/Roman's Rap-Up).

The Rae Alvarados excelled at make the audience feel as if they were close friends with the group.  Toward the end of the show, Us the Duo even made a Vine with the audience! Organizing the crowd into sections, Michael assigned a musical note to each section, the result being a stellar three-part harmony.  The couple recorded the Vine with Michael’s phone and announced they would post it the next day. 

Clearly, Us the Duo’s killer harmonies, unique story, and songwriting talent are going to turn this small band into superstars.  With a beautiful, mellow sound reminiscent of Lady Antebellum and Mumford and Sons, this band is already selling out their tour dates.  If the crowd’s wildly enthusiastic response is any indication, I would keep my eye on Us the Duo.  They might just be the 'next big thing'.

See more photos from Us The Duo's Anaheim show below:

"In Random News": Jennifer DeBaun Attends LA "Cosmos" Red Carpet Event

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The following is a special feature from our Los Angeles correspondent, Jennifer DeBaun, as part of our new "In Random News" segment.

Neil Degrasse Tyson with producers from Cosmos. (Paul DeBaun/Roman's Rap-Up)

Neil Degrasse Tyson with producers from Cosmos. (Paul DeBaun/Roman's Rap-Up)

Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey (a continuation of the 1980 Carl Sagan program Cosmos: A Personal Voyage)  is a show on Fox that explores the big questions of the universe and strives to make the even most complex scientific concepts accessible to the average viewer.  Meeting widespread success, Cosmos was honored with a celebration at the Paley Center for Media in Beverly Hills on Sunday, August 3rd.

Interviewing on the red carpet, the first person I spoke with was Ann Druyan, the executive producer, writer, and director of Cosmos.  She is also the widow of the late Carl Sagan.  When speaking with Druyan, it’s impossible not to notice how warm and caring this woman is.  She looked so touched and overjoyed that the continuation of her and her husband’s work had been so well received.  Her pride in the TV show’s success was evident as I asked her questions such as:

Q: What is it like to have Cosmos be so well-received?

A: “It’s like a dream that I can’t wrap my head around. I’ve spent seven years worrying that we wouldn't measure up to what we had done before in the first series. Or that it just wouldn't be as a good as I needed it to be to be worthy of the original series. The fact that it’s been so embraced is the greatest thrill for me, and I just can’t believe it’s done. But I’m just thrilled, so happy.”

Q: What are the future plans of Cosmos? A season two maybe?

A: “There are some plans for some other projects at this time. And, you know, I think Cosmos is an event. So I think we may need just a little bit of time, so we can do something as fully-realized and thought out as this new series.”

Q: What should the modern viewer take away from Cosmos?

A: “Two things: that the romance of life in this universe is something that is a birthright…and that pale blue dot is small and tiny in that context and fragile. And it’s the only home we have, so we better get our act together because there’s a great universe of wonders awaiting us.”

Next, I spoke with Neil DeGrasse Tyson, a world-renowned astrophysicist, science communicator, and author. He is also the host of Cosmos. Tyson comes across as a genial, comical man whose eyes sparkle with fierce intelligence. His passion for science and educating the public was captivating as I asked him the following questions (full interview is below):

Q: I’ve seen a few episodes of Cosmos, and I’ve absolutely loved it. What was it like filming the show? I know there were many special effects involved like the Spaceship of Imagination and the Cosmic Calendar.

A: “So it was like 7 or 8 countries and 70 locations, and that’s not even the in-studio green screen with all of the ship. The ship was one location in Santa Fe. We built a—not a working model of the ship—actually we built a working model! It’s in a warehouse in Area 51!” Tyson laughs sarcastically and continues, “That was for me the most fun part because the director would tell me, ‘the Sun is out that way, and the galaxy is out that way.’ Then I would get these images in my head because—you know—I studied them. It was fun creating the universe in my head and then talking about it even when it wasn’t there.”

Q: Are the visual effects completely accurate or more artistic for cinematic appeal?        

A: “The entire project is fully informed with real astronomical data, and so where the art comes in is, ok, here’s the solar system. What path do we want to take through that? This kind of thinking…is what the artist does. Now there were some scenes where we were inside a dewdrop and no one’s been inside of a spaceship inside of a dewdrop. But it was based on electron microscope photos that gets rendered into motion for the show. So it’s all scientifically informed.”

Cosmos’ story-driven format, captivating visual effects, and brilliant musical score are just a few of the numerous reasons for it’s incredible success. The quality of this show is more akin to a major motion picture than a television program. With a staggering 12 Emmy nominations, Cosmos is sure to rack in the accolades on August 25th. 

No one can deny that Cosmos has fulfilled its goal to educate the public. Druyan’s decision, with the help of executive producer Seth MacFarlane, to air Cosmos on Fox and National Geographic resulted in the creation of a huge audience in 181 countries. This massive exposure has spread Cosmos’ message that “science still matters” across the globe. There is no doubt that the late Carl Sagan would be proud of Cosmos’ achievements.

By combining science and entertainment, Cosmos has brought science back into the public’s attention, and who knows? Maybe Cosmos will facilitate the birth of a new, well-informed public.