Like Diana Ross, Whitney Houston made a successful leap from singing to acting. While Ross earned an Oscar nomination for her portrayal of Billie Holiday in 1972’s “Lady Sings the Blues,” Houston starred in one of the most successful love stories of all time, “The Bodyguard,” co-starring Kevin Costner. Reportedly, the script had originally been written for Diana Ross and Ryan O’Neal.

Monae is one of the most unique talents to arrive on the music scene in the past five years. Born Janelle Monae Robinson in Kansas City, Kan., the 25-year-old moved to New York as a teen to study theater at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy.

The African Cup and Unity Festival will feature African music, dancing and a soccer tournament over Labor Day Weekend in the Columbus area. Rip the Runway Ohio will be held on Saturday, Sept. 3, at the Croft Entertainment Complex. The Upper Arlington Labor Day Arts Festival will be held on Monday, Sept. 5. COSI Columbus will host the final weekend of its exhibit “DINOSAURS: Explore. Escape. Survive,” which ends on Labor Day.

Known for her many excellent performances in various Cleveland stage ptoductions, Nina Domingue takes her talent to New York City performing in “YA MAMA!” FringeNYC is the largest multi-arts festival in North America, with more than 200 companies from all over the world performing for 16 days in more than 20 venues.

Coach Jim Tressel will give his account of Coach Ginn’s road to making history as FOX 8’s Allie LaForce serves as the Mistress of Ceremony. “This is a very special event for Clevelanders” says Richard “Zoom” Scott, event producer. “This will be Coach Tressel’s first public appearance since he stepped down as the head coach of The Ohio State University.

“Hair Addict,” the brainchild of stylist/proprietor Demetria “Meechie” Francis and her Headlines by DeFranco styling team, debuted in 2009 in her salon located on Wilson Mills Road in Richmond Heights.

In Tracy Morgan you will get the total package of a sharp mind highlighting relevant issues to your life. His hilarious jokes are brought to life in such a seemingly effortless way that it’s easy to not see all the layers.

COLUMBUS OHIO -- The Original Superstars of Hip Hop featuring Slick Rick, Raekown and 8Ball & MJG will perform at the Icon nightclub, 231 N. 5th St., on Saturday, July 16, at 8 p.m.