Professional Motion Picture Production and Distribution NEWS

Tatyana Ali on The Dedan Tolbert Show

By Staff
posted Nov 28, 2009, 08:34

(Philadelphia, PA) The TB&D Radio Network. Tune in to The Dedan Tolbert Show on Thursday December 17th at 9:00pm est with special guest, Tatyana Ali.

Tatyana Ali is an actress, singer and graduate of Harvard University.

Made famous by playing Will Smith�s cousin, Ashley Banks, on the hit sitcom, �The Fresh Prince of Bel Air�, Tatyana Ali has been a household name the world over for more than 15 years. Now in worldwide syndication, �The Fresh Prince of Bel Air� secured Tatyana Ali�s place in American pop culture history.

In November 2009, Tatyana returns to households in digital form with the premiere of the web seriest �Buppies� on BET.com. In �Buppies,� Tatyana plays Quinci, the socialite daughter of a Hollywood celebrity, who after losing her father and being dumped by her fianc�, realizes that her friends are her only real family left. This provocative and ironic series chronicles the relationship dramas of Quinci's dysfunctional but virtually inseparable friends as they navigate the perks and pratfalls faced by LA's young black power elite.

Since her tenure on �The Fresh Prince� ended, Tatyana has appeared in multiple films, including: Paramount Pictures�s �Kiss the Girls�, starring Morgan Freeman and Ashley Judd; Sony Pictures�s �The Brothers�, with D.L. Hughley and Gabrielle Union; famed Japanese director Takeshi Kitano�s English-language gangster film, �Brother�, a Sony Pictures Classics film; and Jerry Bruckheimer�s �Glory Road�, which won the 2006 Espy award for �Best Sports Film�.

Tatyana Ali�s voice hit the airwaves in 1998 when she recorded her debut album, �Kiss the Sky�. The hit single, �Daydreamin��, earned Tatyana a gold record and secured her the coveted opening act spot for both *NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys on their world tours. In 1999, Tatyana paid homage to �Sesame Street,� the kids show that began her television career, by recording �Precious Wings� for �The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland� soundtrack. The recording won the Grammy for �Best Musical Album for Children�.

Additional honors awarded Tatyana include: an NAACP Image Award for �Outstanding Youth Actor�, two Hollywood Reporter Young Star Awards for �Best Actress in a Comedy Series�, and the Educating Young Minds �Youth Inspiration Award�.

In 2007, Tatyana appeared in Steven Spielberg and Jerry Bruckheimer�s reality show, �On the Lot�. Tatyana also appeared in �Nora�s Hair Salon 2�, which she co-produced and starred in alongside Mekhi Phifer and Stacey Dash.

In 2008, she appeared in two independent projects, �Privileged� and the highly anticipated, �Hotel California�, with Erik Palladino and Tyson Beckford, both due out later this year. Besides hitting the big screen, Tatyana remained true to her roots and appeared on the small screen in the recurring role of Roxanne on CBS�s �The Young and the Restless.�

2008 also saw the follow-up album to 1998�s �Kiss the Sky.� Tatyana teamed with legendary producer Johnny J. (recorded Tupac, over 60 million records sold), in recording Pop/R&B album �The Light.� She also joined will.i.am (Black Eyed Peas) in a song called �Yes We Can� to promote Barack Obama�s campaign. Other celebrities who collaborated with them included Scarlett Johansson, John Legend, Kate Walsh, Herbie Hancock, Common, Nick Cannon and Aisha Tyler.

A native New Yorker and the eldest of three sisters, Tatyana Ali credits her culturally diverse upbringing (her mother is from Panama, her father from Trinidad) with instilling in her some of the qualities necessary to succeed as an actress and singer. �Being exposed to the different customs from both my parents allowed me to see things in many different ways,� she says, �which I think is an important aspect of being a performer.�

Listen to The Dedan Tolbert Show by logging onto DedansPlace.net or calling 646-200-0366.

Resources:

The Dedan Tolbert Show: www.dedantolbert.com