DALLAS AUSTIN SENTENCED, THEN PARDONED: Dubai court gives him 4-year bid; hours later they reportedly let him go.
*A Dubai court on Tuesday sentenced producer Dallas Austin to four years in prison for cocaine possession, then hours later decided to issue him a pardon and deport him back to the United States.
"Dallas Austin has been pardoned," the Gulf News publication quoted judicial sources as saying.
Austin had pleaded guilty to a charge of carrying 1.26 grams of
cocaine into Dubai last May. He told the court on Sunday that his actions
were unintentional and he did not mean to break any laws of the United Arab
Emirates.
As previously reported, Austin was on his way to Naomi Campbell’s
three-day birthday party at the Burj al-Arab Hotel when he was arrested May
19 at Dubai's airport. Austin's lawyer disputed the reported nature of his
visit, saying the producer was in Dubai to attend concerts.
Austin, who has produced hits for such artists as Brandy, Boys II
Men, Janet Jackson and TLC, had been held without bail since his arrest.
JILL SCOTT BLASTS PORTRAYAL OF BLACK WOMEN IN MUSIC: Singer: ‘It is dirty, inappropriate, inadequate, unhealthy and polluted.’
*Jill Scott unleashed her frustration over the portrayal of black
women in popular music and videos during a panel Monday at the Essence Music
Festival’s empowerment seminar, held as part of the magazine’s Take Back the
Music campaign.
"It is dirty, inappropriate, inadequate, unhealthy and polluted,"
Scott told the audience. "We can demand more."
Actor Shemar Moore, rapper Common and former video dancer, Karrine
Steffans, who penned the tell-all "Confessions of a Video Vixen," were also
part of the panel that discussed the negative impact such images have on
young black girls.
Education and the fostering of self-esteem were among the possible
solutions discussed to address the problem. Scott also suggested that folks
who are offended by the images stop buying the music and encourage
like-minded individuals to do the same.
"This is about choosing what we will allow in our lives," she said.
"We can force things. We can change things. Challenge the music industry
with your purchasing power."
Steffans said a lack of self-esteem allowed her to degrade herself in
videos for virtually all the big names in hip hop.
"I was always told I was ugly," she said. "I didn't realize my own
power and my own worth."
EMINEM’S LOVE FOR BUSTA BROUGHT HIM TO BET: Rapper supports friend with a new verse for “Touch It.”
*Reps for reclusive rapper Eminem tell MTV that his decision to
write a new verse for Busta Rhymes’ “Touch It” remix and actually perform it
with Busta at the BET Awards came from Slim Shady’s love for the Brooklyn
MC.
Busta, meanwhile, says the feeling is mutual.
"Eminem is one of my favorite artists," he told MTV. "To be able to
have him on the same stage with Mary J. Blige, Missy Elliott, Rah Digga,
Papoose, Lloyd Banks, Will.I.Am, Kelis and Spliff Star for my performance
was one of the biggest highlights of my career."
Before the BET Awards, Eminem’s last performance was on 2005’s Anger
Management Tour, just before he cancelled the European leg to undergo
treatment for a “sleeping pill addiction.” His camp tells MTV that he has no
plans to record any time soon and is currently in the studio working on the
new Obie Trice album “Second Round's on Me,” due Aug. 15.
DJ Whoo Kid, however, told MTV News recently that Em and the rest of
the Shady Records family have been in the studio recording freestyles and
will have a new mixtape out in a matter of weeks.
CELEBS AUCTION OFF BET AWARD GIFT BAGS: Chaka Khan, Thandie Newton, Lil John donate goodies to benefit AIDS org.
*Several stars at the recent BET Awards helped out an AIDS charity by
donating goodies from the show’s gift bag to an online auction.
Chaka Khan, Harry Belafonte, Marlon Wayans, Lil John, Three Six
Mafia, Chamillionaire and Will.i.am from the Black-Eyed Peas were among the
celebrities who gave up such expensive freebies as sunglasses, gold jewelry,
watches and designer clothing for an ebay auction to benefit AIDS Healthcare
Foundation (AHF), the nation's largest AIDS organization which operates free
AIDS treatment clinics in the U.S., Africa, Asia, and Latin
America/Caribbean as well as the largest free alternative HIV testing
program in the State of California.
The auction, opened on July 3rd at 5 p.m. and will close on Monday,
July 10th at 5 p.m. at http://stores.ebay.com/otcstores.
Oscar winners Three 6 Mafia donated a pair of gold earrings and a
signed RocaWear jacket to the cause, while T.I. literally donated the Chanel
sunglasses off of his face. But it was rapper Chamillionaire who donated the
single most expensive gift – a Rapstor watch valued at a minimum of $3,900.
T.I. EXPANDS HIS KINDGOM: Rapper to appear on albums from Beyonce and
Timberlake; already planning his own next LP.
*Atlanta rapper T.I. has contributed verses to the upcoming Beyonce
album, “B-Day” as well as the forthcoming disc from Justin Timberlake. The
latter, produced by Timbaland, is a tune dedicated to T.I.’s female fans.
"It's sayin' we really put it down for the young ladies," T.I.
explained backstage at the BET Awards. "I think we gonna do good from
Bankhead [Court, the housing project where T.I. was raised,] to Berlin. I
think it's gonna go down."
Meanwhile, the rapper just shot a video for his next single, "Live in
the Sky," with the song’s guest star Jamie Foxx.
"It's about the trials and tribulations that I've been through from
the life I used to live to the life I'm now fortunate enough to live," T.I.
said. "And just paying respect to my cousin and some of my homeboys that
didn't make it to see the day and one of my friends who is doing life right
now."
The artist and owner of Grand Hustle Records is thick into the
promotion of his current album, “King,” but is already making plans for his
next album, which he has named “T.I. vs. Tip.” He’s also in the process of
selecting his big-screen follow-up to "ATL."
"We don't know exactly what I'm doing next, man, but I have a lot of
opportunities to stand alongside some very heavy hitters in the film
industry, and I plan to take full advantage," he said.
JAMES BROWN REALLY BELIEVES IT’S A MAN’S WORLD: Singer says women ‘should know their limitations.’
*Godfather of Soul James Brown tells Contact Music that his previous
problems with women – which include accusations of being abusive and
controlling – stem from incidents in which they did not know “their
limitations.”
According to the Web site, Soul Brother No. 1 says he adopts an old
school way of handling the fairer sex.
"I got back to how it was years ago, when men controlled women,” he
said. "A woman should know her limitations, as a man should know his
obligations. I'm going to stay into that philosophy, unless I quit reading
the Bible.
"You can't give a woman limitations if you don't find your
obligations. But once I've taken care of her like a queen, I'm not going to
go along with so much.”
Brown’s rap sheet is rife with domestic violence charges. In Feb.
2004, he was arrested and charged with criminal domestic violence for
allegedly shoving his wife, Tomi Rae Brown, to the ground and threatening
her with a chair.
In November 2003, some advocates for victims of violence spoke out
against a decision by leaders at the John F. Kennedy Center for the
Performing Arts to give Brown a lifetime achievement award.
In 1988, Brown was charged with assaulting his then-wife Adrienne,
but the charges were dropped when she refused to testify against him. He
also has settled several lawsuits filed against him that alleged sexual
harassment.
Kay Mixon, President of the Comby Center for Battered Women, a
shelter that served Adrienne Brown, told the New York Post: “He is a
batterer. He didn’t batter her just once, but over and over again.”
When asked to comment about his past abuse, James Brown told Contact
Music: "I did do some of the things reported and admittedly, they weren't so
great."
NE-YO, CHRIS BROWN MAP OUT SUMMER TOUR: Crooners ready to heat up the U.S. with Lil’ Wayne, Juelz Santana and DFB.
*A whole bunch of testosterone is headed to an arena near you this
summer via the Up Close & Personal Tour, featuring co-headliners Ne-Yo and
Chris Brown, and supporting acts Lil’ Wayne, Juelz Santana and Dem Franchize
Boyz.
The tour kicks off in Cincinnati on Aug. 17 and winds through such
cities as D.C., Miami, Detroit, Chicago, New York, Atlanta and Phoenix
before wrapping in Sacramento on Oct. 8.
Brown brought his co-headliner on stage at the BET Awards after
beating him in the BET Viewer’s Choice category. During his acceptance
speech, Brown said: “Ne-Yo is like my big brother. We bringing R&B back.”
Here is the complete tour itinerary:
Thurs. 8/17 Cincinnati, OH Riverbend Music Center
Fri. 8/18 Indianapolis, IN Verizon Wireless Music Centre
Sat. 8/19 Washington D.C. Nissan Pavilion
Thurs. 8/24 Cleveland, OH Tower City Amp.
Fri. 8/25 Holmdel, NJ PNC Bank Arts Center
Sat. 8/26 New York City, NY Jones Beach
Sun. 8/27 Philadelphia, PA Tweeter Center
Fri. 9/1 Virginia Beach, VA Verizon Wireless Amp.
Sat. 9/2 Orlando, FL Walt Disney World
Sun. 9/3 Raleigh, NC AllTel Pavilion
Thurs. 9/7 Miami, FL American Airlines Arena
Fri. 9/8 Tampa, FL Ford Amphitheatre
Sat. 9/9 Atlanta, GA Chastain Park
Sun. 9/10 Charlotte, NC Verizon Wireless Amp.
Wed. 9/13 Columbus, OH Germain Amphitheater
Thurs. 9/14 Memphis, TN Fed Ex Forum
Fri. 9/15 St. Louis, MO UMB Pavilion Amp
Sat. 9/16 Detroit, MI DTE
Sun. 9/17 Chicago, IL Charter Pavilion
Thurs. 9/21 San Antonio, TX Verizon Wireless Amp.
Fri. 9/22 Houston, TX Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
Sat. 9/23 Dallas, TX Smirnoff Music Centre
Sun. 9/24 Kansas City, KS Verizon Wireless Amp.
Thurs. 9/28 Los Angeles, CA Gibson Amphitheatre
Fri. 9/29 Irvine, CA Verizon Wireless Amp.
Sat. 9/30 Phoenix, AZ Cricket Pavilion
Sun. 10/1 Albuquerque, NM Journal Pavilion
Thurs. 10/5 TBA
Fri. 10/6 Oakland, CA Chronicle Pavilion
Sat. 10/7 TBA
Sun. 10/8 Sacramento, CA Sleep Train Amp.
B.B. PLAYS MONTREAUX FOR THE LAST TIME: Blues legend and Lucille bid
farewell to fans during final tour of Europe.
*It was an emotional farewell for B.B. King Monday at the Montreux
Jazz Festival in Switzerland, as the blues pioneer performed on the historic
stage for the final time.
The 80-year-old, currently on his last tour of Europe, was joined on
stage by a bevy of music greats for a grand musical sendoff. Singers Gladys
Knight, Barbara Hendricks, Randy Crawford and Leela James, jazz guitarists
John McLaughlin and Stanley Clarke, keyboard players Joe Sample and George
Duke, and saxophonist David Sanborn paid tribute to the star.
"Maybe I should quit every night," quipped King, who wore a black and
gold dinner jacket and strummed on his guitar Lucille while seated
throughout the two-and-half hour concert. "I'm going to cry again. This is
the icing on the cake -- I could never be sent off better."
King and his seven-man band performed his Grammy-winning hit "The
Thrill is Gone" and "Ain't That Just Like a Woman" as part of the set, which
stretched into the wee hours of Tuesday.
HIGGINS KIDS WILL HAVE THEIR DAY IN COURT: Cali appeals court rules ‘Extreme Makeover’ victims can have a jury trial.
*The five Higgins children who are suing ABC and “Extreme Makeover
Home Edition” will have their case heard before a jury, thanks to a ruling
from a California appeals court.
The five kids - ranging in age from 14 to 21 years old – were
featured in a tear-jerker episode that ran on Easter Sunday 2005.
They were taken in by the Leomitis family, who had three children of
their own. But the Leomitises evicted the kids soon after the renovations,
which expanded the little house to nine bedrooms. Because the Higgins family
did not own the house, they had no legal claim.
According to the Higgins lawsuit filed in August, ABC declined to
help them and a 24-page contract the orphans signed required them to go to
arbitration, which usually ends with the two parties splitting the
difference. The court in California ruled the arbitration clause is
"unconscionable" and "unenforceable" and that the case can go to trial.
MUSIC BITS: Foxx loves Terrell; Jellybean hogs Pun; Kiki’s ‘Me’; Arie’s
‘Testimony’; Jurassic 5 in UK; Willie Denson dies.
*Terrell, Texas native Jamie Foxx says he’s planning something huge
to honor his hometown, but he’s keeping the detail under wraps for now.
"We're going to do something real special in Terrell - for the whole city,"
the singer-actor told the Associated Press Sunday at the Essence Music
Festival. Foxx said he has “snuck back” into Terrell several times since
winning the Academy Award for his starring role in “Ray,” and was
particularly excited to perform at the Essence event because it is being
held for the first time in his home state. "When you're in Texas it's that
great southern feeling and it's just great to be able to do it in front of
my folks," he said.
*Producer Jellybean Benitez is reportedly the holdup behind Sony’s
new album of unreleased music from late rapper Big Pun. Sources tell the New
York Daily News that he is refusing to allow Pun’s songs to be used for the
project "because he didn't think of it himself,” a source told the paper.
"Sony owns Big Pun as an artist, but Jellybean owns the publishing rights to
many of the songs," says an industry insider. "Sony wants to do another
album, but [Benitez] hasn't returned calls. He's playing the game." Pun,
born Christopher Lee Rios, died of a heart attack in 2000 at the age of 29.
*Eighteen-year-old gospel star Kierra "Kiki" Sheard admits
nervousness surrounding last week’s release of her second album, “This Is
Me,” via EMI Gospel. She tells Billboard: "There's that thing called the
sophomore jinx and I was a little nervous about whether or not I would be
able to do what I did on 'I Owe You,"' her first outing which set a record
by becoming the first gospel album to debut at No. 1 on Billboard's Top
Gospel Albums chart. Since the historic feat, Kiki graduated from high
school, became a freshman at Detroit's Wayne State University and is
majoring in law. The daughter of gospel great Karen Clark Sheard says “This
Is Me’ is a “personal record” which “has songs that I sang from the bottom
of my heart in the studio. I cried on some of the songs. It ministered to my
soul, so I know it will minister to those out there that may need a little
encouragement or just the gospel word to help them get through the week."
*India.Arie’s new Universal Motown album “Testimony: Vol. 1, Life &
Relationship" has barely been out a week and already the singer is putting
the finishing touches on its follow-up, "Testimony: Vol. 2, Love &
Politics." The album, already written and partially recorded, will include
the track “Vagina’s Monologues,” which Arie has already performed live. She
tells Billboard: “People will assume 'Vol. 2' is about the war and American
politics. A little of that is in there. But as in 'Vagina's,' I'm also
talking about the way women view their bodies and how that affects our
health. …I talk about AIDS in Africa; the hip-hop generation that doesn't
prioritize its money. It's about the politics of human nature and humanity.”
*Rap group Jurassic 5 will hit the road in the UK this fall in
support of their new CD, “Feedback.” The dates are as follows: Bristol
Academy (September 26); Birmingham Academy (27); Southampton Guildhall (28);
London Brixton Academy (30); Manchester Academy (October 4); Newcastle
Academy (5); Glasgow Academy (6)
*Singer and songwriter Willie Denson, best known for co-writing the
hit "Mama Said," has died at his Columbus home of lung cancer at the age of
69. “Mama Said” was one of more than 250 songs published by Denson, some
recorded by such artists as Aretha Franklin, Gene Pitney and the Ronettes.
"He was the kind of man who kept everyone's spirits up," said Ann Denson,
his wife since 1960 and mother of his four children. "He loved to write
poetry. He played the keyboard by ear and banged on his bongo drums when
working on a song." Co-written by Luther Dixon and sung by the Shirelles,
“Mama Said” was written in memory of his deceased mother, Lillie. In 2001,
he won a $3 million Lotto Georgia jackpot, taking a $1.29 million cash
option.
SPORTS BITS: Carruth’s son injured; ‘Skins’ Taylor sued; Ben-Wa a Bull;
Arenas arraignment; Perry’s historic run ends.
*Chancellor Adams, the 6-year-old son of former Carolina Panthers
player Rae Carruth, suffered minor injuries in a car accident Friday night
when the van in which he was riding was struck by a motorist fleeing police.
The boy and his grandmother, Saundra Adams, were driving on West Boulevard
at Doctor Carver Road in North Carolina when the incident occurred. Each
suffered minor injuries and has been released from the hospital. Chancellor's mother, Cherica Adams, was shot while driving in her car in November 1999. She died a month later, after implicating her boyfriend, Carruth, in the shooting. Several men were convicted in the case, including Carruth, who received a 19-year prison term in 2001 for conspiring to have Cherica Adams killed.
*Washington Redskins safety Sean Taylor, 23, has been sued by a man
who said the NFL player brandished a gun and repeatedly hit him during a
fight in Miami last June. Taylor – who pleaded no contest last month to two
misdemeanors in the assault case and was sentenced to 18 months probation –
was sued on June 27 by Ryan Hill, who seeks $15,000 on claims he was
bruised, incurred medical expenses and lost wages because of the incident.
*Ben Wallace, a longtime fixture on the Detroit Pistons, is leaving
the team to join the Chicago Bulls, a person within the NBA said Monday. The
four-time Defensive Player of the Year was offered a four-year contact by
the Pistons worth about $50 million, which would’ve made him the
highest-paid player on the team next season with a salary of $11.5 million.
But Wallace told the Detroit News that the Bulls won him over. "I appreciate
everything Detroit did for me and my family," he told the newspaper Monday
night. "They gave me an opportunity to make a name for myself and we had an
opportunity to win a championship together."
*A brief arrest warrant was issued for Washington Wizards star
Gilbert Arenas last Tuesday after he missed a court hearing on a charge of
resisting an officer without violence. Miami-Dade County Judge Samuel Slom
issued the bench warrant and set a $2,000 bond after Arenas and his attorney
failed to show up for the morning arraignment. According to Wizards
president of basketball operations Ernie Grunfeld, the club contacted the
judge on Arenas' behalf and told him the player didn't receive a written
notice regarding the court date. Slom then lifted the arrest warrant,
cancelled the $2,000 bond and rescheduled the arraignment. A date has not
been set.
*Shenay Perry, the lone American player left in Wimbledon, followed
her compatriots out of the tournament over the weekend with a fourth round
loss against Russia’s Elena Dementieva 6-2, 6-0. Her defeat means that it’s
the first time since before World War I that there has been no American left
when Wimbledon has reached its quarter-final stage. Perry, a 22-year-old
Washington D.C. native, made her first appearance in the last 16 of a Grand
Slam event. After the match, Perry told reporters how nervous she was to be
the last representative of the U.S. at the All England Club. "It's a
position I haven't been in before,” she said. “Being the last American, it
is a little nerve-wracking. I think it got to me a little bit.
BLACK TEEN PILOT SETS FLYING RECORDS: Jonathan Strickland rakes in a number of firsts after helicopter landing on July 1.
*Jonathan Strickland, a 14-year old African American helicopter and
airplane pilot at the Tomorrow’s Aeronautical Museum, successfully landed a
Robinson R44 helicopter at the Compton/Woodley Airport, making him the
youngest African-American pilot to fly a helicopter round trip
internationally and netting him the last in a total of four world records.
Jonathan’s final leg home from Canada meant battling heavy turbulence
along the coast of Oregon state, and flying a total of 15 hours and over
1,000 miles with stops in Portland and Medford, Oregon; and Monterey and
Paso Robles, California.
“I met a lot of people along the way who cheered me on to fulfill my
dream of flying a plane and a helicopter on the same day” said Strickland.
“Taking this trip gave me the opportunity to see a whole new world, and to
discover that there is so much more out there for me. Hopefully, other
children will see me and feel the same way about their future.”
Strickland’s flight through Canada brought with it three more world
records – among them, the youngest African-American to fly a helicopter
internationally and the youngest person to solo a plane and helicopter on
the same day.
Upon his landing on July 1, Strickland was given a hero’s welcome by
family and friends and was honored to be greeted by his mentors, the
Tuskegee Airmen, including original airmen Ted Lumpkin, Levi Thornhill,
Jerry Hodges, Andrew Wallace, and Western Region Vice President Ralph Smith
among others.
“Today the past represented by the Tuskegee Airmen greets the future
represented by young pilot Jonathan Strickland,” stated museum Director
Robin Petgrave. “These young kids are the Compton Experiment, children who
are supposed to fail, but like the men and women of the Tuskegee Experiment,
not only accomplish great feats, but excel above all others. The children
you see here will one day play a major role in America as the pilots,
astronauts and engineers of the future, proudly carrying forth the legacy of
the Tuskegee Airmen.”
Jonathan received his training as a member of the Aviation Explorer
Program at Tomorrow’s Aeronautical Museum, a Congressionally-recognized
non-profit that teaches disadvantaged children to fly planes and
helicopters, for free, in return for community service.
STIFF SENTENCES HANDED DOWN TO POST-KATRINA LOOTERS: Three get 15 years each for making off with liquor, wine, and beer.
A Louisiana judge sent a strong message against looting when he sentenced three
people to 15 years in prison -- the maximum sentence -- for attempting to haul away
27 bottles of liquor and wine, six cases of beer and one case of wine coolers from
a grocery store after Hurricane Katrina.
Coralnelle Little, 36, Rhonda McGowen, 42, and Paul C. Pearson, 36, all of Kenner, LA, were convicted by a jury on May 2 of looting during a declared state of emergency, a portion of the looting law that took effect just two weeks before the violent storm hit. The new law set the possibility of a three-year minimum and a 15-year maximum prison term if convicted.
Little, McGowen and Pearson each testified that they were not looting, but they
offered conflicting accounts of matters such as who drove to the store.
The defendants attorneys feel that the sentence is excessive and Pearson's attorney, Bruce Netterville, said there would be an appeal.