Updated: Feb 9, 2022
Stephanie Spruill
Los Angeles, California, USA. 8th February, 2022. Stephanie Spruill is a multi-talented and award-winning entertainer who has won several Grammy Awards with many Gold and Platinum albums to her credits. She has completed over 1,400 recordings, and has an impressive list of skills and accomplishments including singer/songwriter, percussionist, producer, motivational speaker, mistress of ceremony, keynote speaker, educator, international vocal/dialect coach, philanthropist & the author of a book titled “17 Points to Longevity in Show Business.” She is a native of Los Angeles and the founder of Spruill House Music, Inc. School of Voice & Artists Development where she enjoys teaching and mentoring new artists and upcoming talent.
Stephanie Spruill
A dynamic and effervescent entertainer, Stephanie Spruill has toured and recorded with many of the top names in the industry including Michael Jackson, Julio Iglesias, Donna Summer, Whitney Houston, Barbra Streisand, Mariah Carey, Glen Campbell, Aretha Franklin, Elton John, Juan Gabriel, Ricky Martin, and Quincy Jones. She has been the recipient of many awards including the “Living Legend Award” from the City of Los Angeles, the Global Peace Song Award for her original song “Shine”, and cast member of the NAACP Image Award-winning show “Welcome to Sweetie Pie’s” that appeared on Oprah Winfrey’s Network.
Stephanie has performed to sold out concerts and before royalty and government leaders around the globe including the Emperor of Japan, the King and Queen of Spain, the Queen of England at Royal Albert Hall, and at the White House for three different U.S. Presidents. She has graced the stage many times, including singing “Mighty River” with Mary J. Blige in 2018 at the 90th Academy Awards, and at the 87th Oscars with John Legend and Common singing the Oscar winning song, "Glory."
Stephanie Spruill
Stephanie, whose path is her purpose, sums it up best:
"It is my mission to reach the world over and touch everyone with all the artistry in me. I have discovered that God and art are the links that bring us closer to our divine purpose."
Website: www.SpruillHouseMusic.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/stephanie.spruill
Twitter: www.twitter.com/stephaniespruill
Media Kit: https://www.stephaniespruill.net
Yue-Sai Kan
Los Angeles, California, USA. February 7th, 2022. Yue-Sai Kan is an Emmy-winning television host/producer, entrepreneur, fashion icon, best-selling author, and humanitarian who is nominated for a LABA Icon Lifetime Achievement Award. The awards ceremony will take place on March 17th, 2022 in Beverly Hills, California. In addition to her many accomplishments during her career, Yue-Sai Kan has been deeply committed to charity and was among the first to introduce the concept of philanthropy to China. Her contributions and initiatives have been recognized worldwide, with People Magazine calling her "the most famous woman in China” and Time magazine proclaiming her, "The Queen of the Middle Kingdom."
Over the years, Yue-Sai has built many schools and libraries in underprivileged regions of China. Her philanthropic initiatives have included donating nearly $200,000 to the United Nations World Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995, and setting up a scholarship program in 1997 at the prestigious Peking University for outstanding female students. In 2002, UNICEF named her, alongside other international leaders and celebrities, as its first and only Global Chinese, “Say Yes for Children,” Ambassador. When chairing one of China’s largest charitable events, the Shanghai Soong Ching Ling Foundation’s 2010 Annual Gala, Yue-Sai helped raise over $1.5 million to support 12 hospitals in the remote regions of China. To acknowledge her tremendous contribution, the Shanghai Soong Qing Ling Foundation sanctioned the establishment of the China Beauty Charity Fund (CBCF) and appointed Yue-Sai as Ambassador and Chairman. The CBCF has a sister entity in the United States, and is dedicated to the betterment and advancement of women and children through education, health, and cultural programs worldwide.
Currently, Yue-Sai is a member of the Committee of 100 which is composed of outstanding Chinese-Americans. She sits on the Board of Directors of the Ellis Island Honors Society, and Prince Albert of Monaco's Philanthropy Round Table. In early 2018, Yue-Sai became co-chairman of the China Institute in America, a century-old nonprofit organization that is dedicated to fostering a deeper understanding of China through programs in education, culture, art, and business.
Yue-Sai was born in Guilin, China and grew up in Hong Kong. Her father, Wing-Lin Kan was a renowned traditional Chinese painter and calligrapher. In 1968, while she was studying as a piano major at Brigham Young University in Hawaii, Yue-Sai entered the Narcissus Flower Beauty Pageant sponsored by the local Chinese Chamber of Commerce. She became the second runner-up, and as part of her duties, traveled around the world. This life-changing experience marked the beginning of her career in fashion, beauty, communication, and cultural exchange.
In 1972, Yue-Sai Kan moved to New York City. Soon after, she formed Yue-Sai Kan Productions and created her first major TV production, a weekly series called "Looking East". The program was the first of its kind to introduce Asian cultures and customs to a growing and receptive American audience. It garnered critical acclaim and won dozens of awards. As described by the New York Times, "Few people are able to bridge the East and West, but Yue-Sai Kan can, and does it with beauty, intelligence and grace." The series stayed on the air for 12 years, with the last two years airing on the Discovery Channel. Based on this and other work, Yue-Sai is credited as the first television journalist to connect the East and West.
In 1984, PBS invited Yue-Sai to host the first live broadcast from China on the occasion of the 35th Anniversary of the People's Republic of China. The inaugural U.S.-China joint telecast opened the door for many collaborations between the American and Chinese television industries. Two years later the bilingual television series, "One World" produced and hosted by Yue-Sai, aired on China’s national television network CCTV, with a weekly viewership of 300 million, giving many Chinese people their first glimpse of the outside world. Her broadcast captivated the entire nation and made her a household name in China, inspiring millions of young people to learn English and travel abroad. At that time, with broadcasts in both China and the US, Yue-Sai was the most-watched woman in the world. The bilingual scripts and videos of “One World” were used as teaching materials in schools across China, and her easy hosting style influenced a generation of TV journalists in China.
Yue-Sai's other US TV credits include the ABC documentary "China: Walls and Bridges", which earned her an Emmy Award. "Journey through a Changing China" was syndicated across the country and was so powerful that it was publicly lauded in the U.S. Congressional Record, and Yue-Sai a “citizen ambassador”. The popular series "Mini Dragons" and "Doing Business in Asia", which Yue-Sai produced and hosted, were broadcast on PBS, and fed the West's growing hunger for information of the East. A corporate version of the series was created and thousands of copies were sold to corporations and university business schools throughout the world for many years.
Yue-Sai has continued to produce a variety of television shows aimed at raising the Chinese consciousness about the latest international lifestyle trends, including segments for the popular CCTV program "Half of the Sky" and more recently "Yue-Sai's World" and “Yue-Sai’s Expo”. Yue-Sai Kan has filmed in more than 25 countries, created thousands of programs, and been viewed all over the globe.
Yue-Sai Kan
In 1992, Yue-Sai Kan successfully transformed herself from a TV personality to an entrepreneur by creating the Yue Sai cosmetics brand which became China’s leading cosmetics company, eventually selling products in more than 800 outlets through 23 regional companies in China's major markets. The company started a revolution by encouraging Chinese women to be proud of their image, and truly began the cosmetics industry in China. More than 90% of the Chinese population today recognizes the brand, which was purchased by L'Oreal in 2004. Forbes reported that Yue-Sai “is changing the face of the Middle Kingdom, one lipstick at a time". Yue-Sai stayed on as the Honorary Vice Chairman of L'Oreal China.
In 2008, Yue-Sai Kan created a new East-meets-West lifestyle retail brand, the House of Yue-Sai, to bring style, elegance and inspiration to Chinese consumers, selling a variety of fine home furnishings, bedding, tableware, lighting, decorative accessories and unique gifts, and jewelry. Yue-Sai has also designed and produced a line of Asian female dolls, known as the Yue-Sai WaWa (“doll” in Chinese). Seeing that dolls sold in China had blue eyes and blond hair, Yue-Sai created dolls with distinctive Asian features, accessories, and educational facts to help Asian children develop confidence, knowledge, and pride in their heritage as well as educate children about Asian cultures.
Yue-Sai Kan has written nine best-selling books in China, making her the first to dispense valuable tips about television production, beauty, and etiquette to the modern Chinese. Her first publication “Yue-Sai’s Guide to Asian Beauty” which teaches basic makeup and personal styling techniques, instantly became a must-have handbook for Chinese women. Encouraged by the Chinese Ministry of Culture, Yue-Sai introduced international social standards to China with her book “Etiquette for the Modern Chinese”. The subsequent rewrites “The Chinese Gentleman” and “The Complete Chinese Woman” served as virtual training manuals for volunteers at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 2010 Shanghai World Expo. In 2009, Yue-Sai published "Exquisite Spaces, 25 Top Interior Designers of the World", a coffee table book featuring design philosophies and tips from world-class designers, and their works. It was the first time that an interior design book of such magnitude was made available in China. “Life is a Competition” and “99 Ways to Live a Charmed Life” were published in 2013 and 2014 respectively, targeting young Chinese looking for advice in career, relationships and all-around development. Currently, Yue-Sai is working on her 10th book.
In 2006, Yue-Sai Kan started serving as Chairman of the Invitation Committee of the Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF), the largest film festival in Asia. Her title changed to SIFF International Ambassador in 2015. Yue-Sai successfully secured the attendance of nearly 50 international A-list filmmakers, including Oliver Stone, Daniel Boyle, Tom Hooper, Jean-Jacques Annaud, Quincy Jones, Halle Berry, Catherine Deneuve, Susan Sarandon, Adrien Brody, Claire Danes, Hugh Grant, Meg Ryan, Sophie Marceau just to name a few. Her tireless efforts have helped uplift the status of SIFF to a true international level.
Since 2011, Yue-Sai Kan has been serving as the National Director of Miss Universe China. Yue-Sai stated that the three aims of the pageant during her administration are supporting education and charity, and creating a positive image of Chinese women. She has mentored seven Miss China pageant winners, with all going on to represent China at the Miss Universe Final Pageant. Additionally, Yue-Sai turned the Miss Universe China Final Pageant into one of the most glamorous charity gatherings of all times, with an impressive list of who’s who attending in Shanghai each year. Proceeds are used to support orphanages, sponsor cleft lip and palate correction surgeries, and fund scholarships for students in China's finest music, TV and film schools. Yue-Sai also champions Chinese creativity via her annual China Fashion Gala in New York. The gala has boosted the international standing of Chinese photographers Chen Man and Sun Jun, as well as designers Lan Yu and Grace Chen. Renowned Chinese couture designer Guo Pei is most thankful to Yue-Sai, who was instrumental in getting her creations picked up by the Metropolitan Museum of Art following her debut at the China Fashion Gala.
Yue-Sai Kan was chosen to appear on a government-issued Chinese postage stamp that was issued in 2002, and is the first and only living American to be featured. In 2005, a new version was published to keep up with her new hair style. Her long list of awards and accolades include: the Magnolia Award from the Shanghai Municipal Government for her contribution to the economic and social development of Shanghai, “20 Most Influential Women Around the Globe” by Xinhua News Agency and the permanent establishment of a “Yue-Sai Day” in Hawaii which falls on October 6th every year. Most recently, Yue-Sai received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor for being an outstanding Chinese American immigrant, the Women’s Entrepreneurship Day Award at the United Nations, and the Ban Ki-moon Award from Asia Initiatives.
Yue-Sai’s website: www.yuesaikan.com.
Biography video: https://youtu.be/Na3HrRjLvZQ
Blog: https://weibo.com/jinyuxi
WeChat: Jin_yu_xi
- The Beverly Arts
The display at the entrance to the Royal of Society St. George Humanitarian Awards.
Beverly Hills, California, USA. 23rd January, 2022. The Royal Society of St. George, California Branch, Humanitarian Awards Ceremony was held at the Peninsula Hotel in Beverly Hills, California. The honorees were Malka Bas Reuven, Ralph Jarrells, Sybil Jarrells, and Robyn Shreiber who were honored for outstanding charity and humanitarian work. The Royal Society of St. George is a charity organization that was established in 1894 to encourage interest in the English way of life, English customs, and "Englishness."
The table setting at the Royal Society of St. George, California Branch Humanitarian Awards.
It was a Royal Tea and Caviar event with champagne, selection of teas, delectable tea sandwiches, savory and sweet delights. The event featured a presentation by etiquette expert Maryanne Parker, who talked about the history of etiquette and gave tips on what is appropriate in today's world of etiquette.
The event was hosted by Princess Karen Cantrell, Chairman of the Royal Society of St. George, California Branch, who received the Chairman's Award for her ongoing work and dedication to the organization.
Princess Karen Cantrell receives the Royal Society of St. George Chairman's Award from Sandro Monetti, Trustee of the Royal Society of St. George, California Branch.
Maryanne Parker, etiquette expert, gives a presentation on etiquette and where it all began.
TV host Joey Zhou enjoys his tea and shows his etiquette.
A champagne toast to the Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom.
Sandro Monetti gives a presentation to the audience and introduces the award ceremony.
Malka Bas Reuven is presented with Humanitarian Award from Christopher A. Chambers, Deputy Chairman, Royal Society of St. George, California Branch.
Ralph Jarrells is presented with Humanitarian Award from Sandro Monetti, Trustee of the Royal Society of St. George, California Branch.
Sybil Jarrells is presented with Humanitarian Award from Sandro Monetti, Trustee of the Royal Society of St. George, California Branch.
Robyn Shreiber is presented with Humanitarian Award from Christopher A. Chambers, Deputy Chairman, Royal Society of St. George, California Branch.
In addition to the awards ceremony, three members of the Society of St. George were confirmed as members of the Confrérie du Sabre d' Or. The Confrérie has promoted the wine of Champagne and the Art of Sabrage (the act of opening a bottle of Champagne with a sword) for more than 30 years. With more than 35,000 members in 36 countries, it is the most important brotherhood celebrating Champagne in the world.
Princess Karen Cantrell gets last minute instruction from Philippe Milgrom on using the sabre to open the champagne.
Philippe Milgrom is the US Ambassador for the Confrérie and provided certificates to Christopher A. Chambers, Princess Karen Cantrell, and Malka Bas Reuven. They each showed their skills by successfully opening a champagne bottle with the sabre.
Christopher A. Chambers, Malka Bas Reuven, and Princess Karen Cantrell with Dr. Jeanne Ruderman, Chevalier-Sabreur, Maître du Protocole for The Confrérie, and Philippe Milgrom, U.S. Ambassador for The Confrérie.
A champagne toast.
Artist Todd Williamson, Princess Karen Cantrell, Mrs. Asia USA Bichlien Nguyen.
Princess Karen Cantrell and husband Chevalier Peter Eckert.
LABA Blue-chip artist Jiannan Huang
Jiannan Huang was able to join the event by video conference with Joey Zhou. Jiannan Huang is one of the world's finest artists, specializing in Chinese ink and oil painting. He is ranked third on the 2020 Hurun China Art List and 19th on the Hurun Global List with art sales of $29 million. Huang ranked second on Artron.Net's 2020 Art Auction Market Ranking. Artron.Net is the world’s leading Chinese art website and China’s largest art service platform. He holds several positions, Director of the Chinese Traditional Culture Promotion Association, Overseas Art Adviser for the "Olympic Cheers" organizing committee for the Beijing Olympics, member of the French National Artists Committee, art consultant for the World Low Carbon Cities Alliance, and France's Jiny City Gold Medal Honorary Citizen. He was awarded the title of "Earl" by the Indonesian Royal Family, and the "Royal Sacred Knight of Constantine" from Italy. In 2020, Huang was invited by the LABA International Art Festival Organizing Committee to participate in the LABA International Art Festival as a Blue-chip artist. Last year, he was awarded an honorary membership into the Royal Society of St. George, California.