I had the pleasure of chatting with award winning actress/singer Loretta Devine who will be appearing at The Rrazz Room in the Hotel Nikko in San Francisco November 27-29. Her shows will be at 8pm on Friday and Saturday and 7pm on Sunday. Tickets are available at www.therrazzroom.com.

We talked her upcoming shows this weekend, her current film projects, and her beginnings in acting and theater. It was a very fun and Loretta was gracious and lovely. I definitely look forward to seeing Loretta in concert this weekend. See you there!

Please listen to my interview with Loretta Devine.

A Conversation with Loretta Devine [15:50m]: Hide Player | Play in Popup | Download

LORETTA DEVINE-Biography

Equally at home on stage or on screen, award-winning actress Loretta Devine has created some of the most memorable roles in theatre, film and television. Devine first captured national attention in the role of Lorrell, one of the three original “Dreamgirls” in Michael Bennett’s classic award-winning Broadway musical of the same name. She followed that performance with a fiery portrayal of Lillian in Bob Fosse’s critically acclaimed stage production“Big Deal.” Subsequent work in George C. Wolfe’s “Colored Museum” and “Lady Day at Emerson Bar and Grill,” cemented Devine’s status as one of the most talented and versatile stage actresses.

Film roles soon followed including a poignant turn as a single mother opposite Whitney Houston, Angela Bassett and Gregory Hines in “Waiting to Exhale” which earned her a NAACP Image Award for Best Supporting Actress. Devine also won an NAACP Image Award for Best Supporting Actress for her work in Penny Marshall’s “The Preacher’s Wife.” Devine also received an IFP “Spirit” Award nomination for Best Actress for her work in “Women Thou Art Loosed.” Devine was featured in the Academy Award-winning film “Crash” and the hit movie of “Dreamgirls.” Additional film credits include appearances in the successful “Urban Legend” franchise, “I Am Sam” opposite Michelle Pfeiffer and Sean Pean, “Kingdom Come,” “What Women Want,” “Punks,” “Hoodlums,” “Down in the Delta” and “Stanley and Iris.” Devine also appeared in “Sticky Fingers,” “Amos and Andrew,” “The Breaks,” “The Price of Kissing,” “Lover Girl,” “Class Act,” “Living Large,” “Caged Fear” and “Little Nikita” and “Dirty Laundry” Most recently Devine co-starred in “This Christmas” and “First Sunday” both of which opened Number 1 at the box office. Ms. Devine voiced the character of Delta the chocolate brown toy poodle in “Beverly Hills Chihuahua” for Disney starring Drew Barrymore. Look for the upcoming 2010 release of Sony Screen Gems remake of “Death At A Funeral” with Chris Rock, Martin Lawrence and Danny Glover.

On television, Devine most recently was seen on the ABC series “Eli Stone” as well as her recurring role as Adele on the hit medical drama series “Grey’s Anatomy.” She received three NAACP Image Awards for her role on David E. Kelly’s Fox series “Boston Public.” Additional credits include series roles in “A Different World” and Lifetime Television’s “Wild Card.” Devine also provided the voice of Muriel Stubbs on the beloved animated series, “The PJ’s.”

Devine graduated from the University of Houston and later received a Master of Fine Arts in Theatre Arts from Brandeis University. She currently resides in Los Angeles.

Singer/Actress Nell Carter died on Thursday, January 23 in her Beverly Hills home. Long before she was ruling the household on “Gimme A Break“, I fell in love with Nell when I was in high school. I saw her in the Fat’s Waller musical “Ain’t Misbehavin” at the Shubert Theatre in Chicago. She was fantabulous and I was in total awe of her. It was one of the first musicals I saw as a teenager. As I am writing this entry, I am listening to the “Ain’t Misbehavin” soundtrack. It was one of the first albums that I owned and believe me, I tried to wear the grooves off of it. No one could ever sing “Honeysuckle Rose“, “Mean To Me“, “It’s A Sin To Tell A Lie” or “Get Some Cash For Your Trash” like Nell. She won a Tony for her role in the Broadway musical and an Emmy for television broadcast of the show. One of my favorite episodes of “Gimme A Break” was when she sang “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow” after her heart had been broken. Call me sentimental! I am sure by now Nell is singing with the angels.