Tru DIVA Productions Presents NoVA Men Calendar

Thursday, February 18th, the atmosphere in K2 Restaurant & Lounge is inviting and fun, yet alluring and cozy. Many patrons look like they are enjoying the company at the bar and feeling the DJ and others are loving the smells and tastes of the food that is being served at their tables. I am introduced to the manager DeQuan Gillespie, who is also the son of the owners of the establishment. Its my first time ever in a club in Woodbridge, VA, so DeQuan gives me a litlle history of K2 and tells me he is pretty sure that this is the only black-owned night spot in Prince William County, "probably in all of Northern, Virginia, but I haven't researched that to be sure," he states modestly.

DeQuan says he'd like to have more people from the Metropolitan area come out and party with K2 on "Old School Friday's" where you may see a Jazz Band, or on K2's hottest night, Saturday night, which features a radio DJ spinning today's top hits. Dequan says, "happy hour is popular here, too, for the 30 and older crowd, but the 21-30 year old crowd really know how pack the place".

By day, DeQuan is a mortgage loan specialist and by night he is here at the restaurant managing his pleasant staff and making promotional moves to bring more business to K2. I quickly let DeQuan know that I loved the feel of the place, the spaciousness and variety of things to do once inside and I look forward to spending many more nights working (and partying) with K2, now that I know it really isn't that far away and it doesn't take long to get to the front door from the city.

Walking into the back room which was exquisitely decorated with low light, tables sitting in diamond shapes, covered with red and white table cloths felt enchanting and sexy. Some tables had martini glasses with candy sitting on them and the other tables had red, white and pink carnations, silver and black markers on them, each with one of the models sitting there waiting. It was a classy set up and at the door stood Thomasina Perkins-Washington, owner of Tru DIVA Productions, (www.trudivaproductions.com) nervously awaiting the crowd of ladies that is sure to come to pick up their previously purchased calendars and have them signed by the models.

The NoVA (Northern Virginia) Men Calendar is the first project of Tru DIVA. The project started in September 2009, with Thomasina recruiting the handsome men that she was previously acquainted with. Thomasina lights up with pride when asked about the models, "I am so grateful to each of them for saying yes when asked to model, and they always show up for me when I need them. They are great men to have on the team."

I first sat down with Karamoko "Mo" Lopez, the model for the month of February. Upon introducing myself to him, Karamoko strikes me as a man who commands his being with honor, truth and respect. We instantly delve into the question and answer session.

A resident of Virginia, 36 year old Karamoko is a part of the security team at the K2 Restaurant & Lounge, which is also where he met Thomasina and he is a police officer. Karamoko aspires to be an actor and/or model in his future, however, his passion lies within the realm of the creative arts, writing non-fiction and poetry and creating artwork.

Karamoko impressed upon me his firm Christian beliefs and also that he has a tight grip on what is important in his life. He dreams of one-day renting a boat, sailing somewhere off the coast of Florida and relaxing with his two sons. Karamoko is currently single, and even in his singleness he knows his worth and will not settle for less in any relationship.

In the next two years Karamoko aspires be a Police Instructor or famous. He is currently working on a few non-fiction works, a poetry book and writes a blog "This Man's House" (www.thismanshouse.blogspot.com) where his words resonate within the spirit of man. Karamoko spoke to me of his desire to see the men in our communities fulfill their duty to raise up the young men by being a real example of what a man is by providing solid seen and proven methods for living a successful life.

While watching Karamoko sign the calendars of the fans, I listened to the women rave about his pictures with comments like "I love the facial hair", and "Yours is the best picture in the calendar". Karamoko is currently preparing to audition for a movie role. We are sure to see Karamoko on the big screen amongst other things one day soon for sure.

I was excited to sit with Raymell Smith because his December picture in the calendar had been my favorite since I saw the calendar and I also knew that he was in a band and I wanted to hear more about that, so I began our interview by asking how he become a model for the calendar. "I'd never done this before and I was very apprehensive about doing it, but I pushed forward and I am glad I did it. This opportunity has helped to give me and the band more exposure," Raymell said full of enthusiasm, with a big smile on his face.

Raymell has a day job that pays the bills, but his one true passion is music and since its inception in May 2008, he plays the bass with his band "Arteless". Raymell says, "music is not a matter of choice, it is my conviction," and describes the Arteless sound as a group with diverse backgrounds and diverse sounds that are a mixture of classic rock, R&B and hip-hop.

Raymell was eager to show love to his band members, the two female vocalists Syreeta and Myzrae, drummer Robo, rap artist Young Cratic and the guitar player that brings the classic rock sound named R&B. Raymell is proud of the fact that they are the original members of the band and that the unwavering commitment to the success of Arteless is shared by every one of them. Arteless has a 4 track EP, a prelude to their soon to be released cd that is playing on the band page www.myspace.com/artlesslive.

40 year-old bachelor, Raymell wants the single ladies to know that he, "Is real. No facade. I am a open book with nothing to hide. You don't have to be my friend on Facebook to see my pictures". I agree, because when speaking with Raymell, his countenance is light and he is very eager to talk about himself and his passion shows through in his delivery. He expressed this passion while speaking of his mentor and friend Jordan Ringo who helped him along when he was teaching himself to play the bass. Raymell says that Jordan has been an instrumental character in his life and he owes him a lot of credit for where he is now.

Arteless band currently performs monthly in the Northern Virginia area. They are looking to book more gigs in other areas like DC and Southern Maryland to further promote the band. Their next performance is on April 3rd, in Centreville at the Blue Water Grille. We'll be there to see the art of Arteless Band Live for ourselves.

The smile is what gets you when you first meet Cory Bell. The mild-mannered, easy going model tends to the ladies awaiting his signature with a calm assuredness. I sit down with the 28 year old, Raleigh, NC native to find that he became a model for the calendar through a casting call that he drove up to Virginia to participate in.

Cory has been modeling since 1999, mostly print modeling, but has been cast in some shows. He placed number 2 out of 500 models that entered the "Hottest Bod In the World" contest and is still holding that title today on www.hottestbodintheworld.com. After graduating college, Cory became a Qualified Professional in the mental health field in 2003, which to Cory is more of a joy than a job. Cory's passion is service, helping teens navigate their way through life and giving to others.

In two years, Cory sees himself as being rich and famous for modeling, and if not he is truly happy and content staying in his calling of helping others. For Cory, "its all about being happy in the environment you choose to work in," and he is doing what he loves to do.

Cory is single and says that the ladies should always know that, "Cory is passionate, hardworking, kind and caring, a perfectionist that likes to put his best foot forward, who is not conceited and very mild-mannered." Those sound like wonderful qualities amongst the ones that women look for in a man.

Cory's motto is "Live life to the fullest with no regrets. You only have one life, so ride it til the wheels fall off". And it looks as if that is exactly what Cory is doing every day, taking chances on what makes him happy and doing a great job of living his life to the fullest.

Last but certainly far from least is model Lawrence "Larry" Johnson, a model for 8 years, who is also Creative Director for Tru DIVA Productions. I asked Larry if he has a stage name, he replied simply "Sam". "How do you get Sam out of Larry?" I asked, clearly puzzled and he said with a sideways smile, "cause Sam stands for Sexy Ass Man". I burst into laughter at the fact that he got me good and also found some serious reality in the acronym.

41 year-old Larry has worked as a Motorcycle mechanic in Manassas, Virginia in his "2 the Limit Performance" motorcyle shop for the last two years. He says he has been successful in his business in the Virginia area. Although one of Larry's passions is motorcycles he says that if his modeling career scored him a good paying contract, "his passion would become a hobby". Which to me is a possibility for Larry and that would be a very smart move on his part. Larry says that modeling, "fills a void from a former profession and the attention [that he gets from modeling] is good for that".

Along with continuing to model and working with Tru DIVA, Larry is still very grounded and in his future he sees himself as a successful business owner in the Northern Virginia area. Larry seems to be a man that enjoys his privacy. He is playful and fun, yet maintains a very professional and serious demeanor. Some things Larry would like people to know about him are that he is "caring, very respectful and honest and that his other passion is raising his three children and being a good father". Much success to Larry as he continues to work hard at living his life as a man who is driven by his passions.

I left K2 that night impressed to find four classy, down to earth, grounded, and handsome brothers with their hearts in the right place. I was also warmed over by Thomasina's graciousness in allowing me to join in her first calendar signing with our interview. Thomasina is already planning the next calendar signing at K2 Restaurant & Lounge for March 17, at which time she will also begin scouting for the 2011 NoVA Men's Calendar, where the ladies will have a hand in choosing some of the models for the next calendar. The night is sure to be one to remember and we'll be there again to catch the highlights of the evening.

We also acknowledge the talented photographer of the calendar event, Tana Lopez Younger, owner of WovenEye Images (http://www.woveneye.com) for her patience while we interviewed and took pictures on her set. Tana worked magic from behind the camera as she took pictures of the ladies with the models that were made available for purchase after the event.

Unbreakable Entertainment will definitely be back for future collaborations and promotions with K2, all of the models and Woven Eye Images. We will work especially close with Tru DIVA Productions on some upcoming projects. Have an Unbreakable day!