Check out the video interview with Eugene Mitchell 

NV Magazine has established its 15-year history as a "new vision" of business publication for urban professionals around the country. Whether scaling the ladder within corporate America or creating a successful venture from scratch, NV has chosen to not only acknowledge, but honor, many of these ground-breakers with its annual Movers & Shakers Awards.

As the Presenting Sponsor for the event, New York Life's Corporate Vice President and Manager, African American Market, we posed to Eugene Mitchell, what an exciting night...

"Absolutely, it's always wonderful to be here to be inspired by the entrepreneurs, the folks making a difference here in New York City, the business owners, the entertainers, and what a beautiful event and beautiful venue," Eugene enthusiastically responded.

NY Life has a serious mission and goal to improve black wealth in the community, how many years has New York Life been working with NV and what's it look like for the future?

"We've been working about 7 or 8 years with NV Magazine trying to support the mission that they have, similar to ours, to change the financial future of black America and what we can do through our tools and products is to help build multi-generational wealth, so that's what we're looking to do," Eugene replied.

NV Magazine has established its 15-year history as a "new vision" of business publication for urban professionals around the country

Check out the video from the NV Movers and Shakers Awards:

Whether scaling the ladder within corporate America or creating a successful venture from scratch, NV has chosen to not only acknowledge, but honor, many of these ground-breakers with its annual Movers & Shakers Awards.

For the past five years, Founder, Kyle Donovan and Publisher, Christopher Chaney and their team have solicited recommendations for and researched their selections to identify honorees from the well established, even famous, to the less celebrated but ascending innovators, executives and business "hustlers" within the multicultural community. This isn't for the sake of taking nice pictures and having a cocktail, NV's mission is to empower communities of color through the recognition of these trendsetters and inspire collective collaboration to generate wealth and long term economic stability for the black and Latino market.

Ericka Pittman, Vice President, Brand Strategy at Blue Flame Agency, was honored to be on the cover of the Movers and Shakers issue.

Tren'Ness Woods Black, granddaughter of soul food restaurant icon Sylvia Woods, has been a fan and supporter of NV Magazine from day one.

Singer, Po Johnson, of La La Anthony's Full Court Life reality show fame, was also enjoying the excitement. Po found the NV Movers and Shakers event to be much more than she imagined.

As the Presenting Sponsor for the event, New York Life's Corporate VP & Manager, African American Market, Eugene Mitchell proudly proclaimed that, "we've partnered with NV Magazine for the past 7 or 8 years in an effort to change the financial future of black America and with our tools and products help build multi-generational wealth and that's what we're looking to do."

Here's the 2014 Class of NV Movers & Shakers:

• Caleb Denis, Director of Fiat Studio in Manhattan
• Gloria Alvarez, Project Manager at Ghetto Film School
• Yesi Morillo-Gual, Founder, Proud to Be Latina
• Ericka Pittman, VP Brand Strategy - Blue Flame Agency
• Ashley Mackel, Worldwide Marketing Manager at Ogilvy & Mather
• Modia Butler, State Director to U.S. Senator for New Jersey, Corey Booker
• Thomas Felder, 5LINX Enterprises, Inc., Senior VP
• Tren'ness Woods-Black, President and Chief Strategist of Tren'ness Woods- Black, LLC and third generation owner of Sylvia's Restaurant
• Kimberly Hogg, Associate Brand Mngr., Brisk Tea at PepsiCo
• Nicole Hall, VP Human Resources at Edelman
• Hassan Heyward, Field Representative at New York City Mayor's Office of Film
• Chantelle Fraser, CEO at Flawless Event Casting and Entertainment
• Mack Wilds, pop music artist and actor from HBO's "The Wire"
• Po Johnson, musician and personality on VH1's "La La's Full Court Life"
• Unique Zayas, musician
• Cole Cook and André Leon King, Co-Founders, Brother Bs Bag Collection
• Carla Gentry Osorio, celebrity hairstylist, and co-owner of STYLES NEW YORK SALON
• Ray Williams, President, Music Marketing Inc.
• Chef Kristopher Edelen
• Karen Dupiche, Emmy Award-winning makeup artist for "The View"
• Antrel Rolle, Pro Bowl strong safety of the New York Giants

NV always engages amazing entrepreneurs and professionals to share their obstacles, failures, and successes in the pages of its magazine and you can find it all at www.nvmagazine.com

The Network Journal (TNJ), an award-winning business publication, has done it again. Somehow it has identified the most influential black women executives and narrowed the field to a top 25 

As a quarterly magazine, TNJ speaks to a predominantly African American audience of almost 100,000 subscribers per issue and over their 20+ year history have chronicled the growth of black-owned businesses large and small and the continued advancement of African-American professionals throughout corporate America.

The 16th Annual installment took place during a luncheon at the famed Marriott Marquis Hotel in Times Square, NYC and as always, the lineup of honorees and VIP invitees did not disappoint. To get the broadest feeling of why this tradition is so important What's The 411 spoke to the celebrity host for the event, one of the rising corporate executive awardees, and a long-time corporate sponsor of the publication and the luncheon.

The Mistress of Ceremonies was Michelle Miller, CBS News Correspondent, and wife of National Urban League President, Marc Morial. We caught up with Ms. Miller, a graduate of Howard University, just before she took the podium and asked her why it is so important to honor these leaders?

"Women are the backbone of this nation, certainly here in NYC we run everything from Fortune 500 insurance companies like Lori Dickerson Fouche (CEO Prudential Group Insurance), to leaders in marketing and communications in the non-profit world, like Rhonda Spears-Bell (SVP National Urban League), so you have such a range of women who are on the up and up, who continue to lead these extraordinary lives and what's so interesting about them, I know them from being mommies, so it's really wonderful to see the life balance that is going on here and being honored."

Honoree Traci Otey Blunt is the SVP Corporate Communications & Public Affairs for RLJ Companies, namesake of Robert L. Johnson, founder of BET Networks.

Mrs. Blunt, a Tennessee State alumna, expressed her gratitude in this statement, "I am absolutely excited and it is an honor to be recognized among 24 additional influential women, we range from I do corporate communications, to the small business owners, to financial services, to those in the military, so it is a true honor."

One of the many corporate sponsors is a longtime supporter, MACY's and its Project Manager & Community Relations Liaison for the Senior Vice President of External Affairs, Ty Stone-Adams, who received her degree from Southern University, explained why partnering with TNJ is so vital.

"Of course I am a woman of color and a lot of times women of color who are in very high-powered positions, don't get the recognition and the accolades they deserve, they work very very hard, in fact, they work harder than the average person, so it's very important and that's why we're very very proud to be a sponsor again for this wonderful event."

For a complete list of The Network Journal's 25 Influential Black Women of 2014, visit www.tnj.com.

Referees Missed Crucial Call Giving Game to New England

What can be said that hasn't already been said??!

Well I'll tell you, Patriots miracle play-making CB Malcolm Butler could be considered a cheater, just like the head Cheater in coach Bill Belichick and his supermodel QB Tom "Stop Playing with My Balls" Brady!!

Few people noticed it was Butler who committed a major penalty of pass interference during a critical Seattle possession in the fourth quarter. Butler, who coincidentally was covering Seattle WR Ricardo Lockette again, when he fell down and intentionally grabbed the wideout's foot and tripped him, opting to take the penalty instead of a huge gain and possibly a point scoring play for Seattle...but no flag!

Apparently everyone in the University of Phoenix Stadium saw it but the refs. The game announcers saw it, Chris Collingsworth wondered how it was missed and said Pats got away with one and Lockette, who still almost caught the pass got up signaling the foul and demonstrably looking for the flag...but none was coming.

As a lifelong JETS fan I can say this objectively, New England, for a team who cheats and plays dirty most of the time, has never been whistled for a penalty on a crucial play. The tuck rule for which Tom Brady is infamous for, BS! Time and time again there's no call or the wrong call and if you want to know how to get away with murder, play for "Witch-Kraft'" and his Patriots, sorry couldn't resist, hey Viola!

Seriously, the last impossible to understand play of the game, had former LOB now Pats CB Browner, with his hands full of WR Kearse's jersey, a holding call against anyone else!... And any talk of conspiracy that Coach Pete Carroll wanted his QB Russell Wilson to make the game-winning play as opposed to Marshawn "I'm just here so I won't get fined" Money Lynch, didn't see the previous play when Marshawn Lynch ran for four yards instead of five! Ridiculous!

As the loquacious and supremely brilliant former head coach of the Arizona Cardinals, Denny Green once decried, "they are who we thought they were and we let 'em off the hook!"...with a little help from the refs, just sayin'.