SHARPTON, MARCHERS PROTEST BELL ACQUITTALS IN NY: Rev. Al promised to 'close this city down' after cops go free.
*Al Sharpton fired up a group of protesters in Harlem Saturday with promises to "close this city down" following the acquittals of three police detectives who shot and killed an unarmed groom on his wedding day.
"We strategically know how to stop the city so people stand still and realize that you do not have the right to shoot down unarmed, innocent civilians," Sharpton told an overflow crowd of several hundred people at his National Action Network office. "This city is going to deal with the blood of Sean Bell."
According to the AP, Sharpton's rally at his office was followed by a 20-block march down Malcolm X Boulevard and then across 125th Street, where some bystanders yelled out "Kill the police!" Fifty of the marchers carried white placards bearing big black numbers for each of the 50 bullets police fired at Bell and his friends.
Also taking part in the rally was a friend of Bell who was wounded in the 2006 shooting outside a Queens strip club.
"They never accused Sean Bell of doing anything. Then why is he dead?" Sharpton asked, his voice roaring with anger. Authorities "have shown now that they will not hold police accountable. Well, guess what? If you won't, we will!"
"Shut it down! Shut it down!" the crowd chanted, standing up and applauding wildly.
Sitting behind Sharpton as he spoke were Bell's parents, his sister and Nicole Paultre Bell, who took her fiance's name after his death.
"The justice system let me down," Paultre Bell told the crowd in a soft voice. "April 25, 2008: They killed Sean all over again. That's what it felt like to us."
FOXY BROWN AVOIDS JAILTIME IN FLORIDA: Rapper given probation in assault case regarding weave glue.
*Fresh from Rikers Island prison, Foxy Brown appeared in a Florida court room Friday and got herself a plea deal in yet another assault case.
The rapper pleaded no contest to misdemeanor charges stemming from a February 2007 incident at Queen Beauty Supply store, where Foxy was accused of throwing hair glue at the store's owner.
In exchange for her no contest plea, the Brooklyn Don Diva was sentenced to six months probation, 15 hours of community service and ordered to pay court fees and fines. She must also take an anger management class and write a letter of apology to the employee she assaulted. Meanwhile, Brown is still facing a civil suit from the store’s manager.
Born Inga Marchand, Foxy was released from New York’s Rikers Island prison on April 18 after serving eight months for a parole violation.
PRINCE PUTS HIS STAMP ON COACHELLA: Performance Saturday night with Morris Day and Sheila E. described as one for the ages.
*Wearing white pants and a loose white shirt with glittery fringes, Prince took the stage at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival just after 11 p.m. Saturday and gave fans something to remember for years to come.
"You are the coolest place on earth right now!" Prince declared to the thousands attending the three-day festival in Indio, Calif. Organizers had been trying to book the performer since its inaugural outing nine years ago. It didn't take long for the singer to prove that patience pays off.
Prince and his band — complete with a horn section and background singers — set things off with The Time's "Jungle Love." Morris Day came out to sing his song, while Prince strolled around the stage with his guitar, according to the Associated Press.
He also welcomed the singer and drummer Sheila E, who took the lead for a song and then joined Prince in an extended jam. The set list also included a performance of "1999" and "Little Red Corvette."
Perhaps the evening's biggest surprise was Prince's cover of Radiohead's "Creep." With some lyrics adjusted, a ripping guitar solo and extended falsetto crooning for a finale, Prince's version "had the crowd slack-jawed," wrote the AP in its review of the performance.
To close the set, Prince put his own spin on the Beatles' "Come Together," urging the audience — whom he called his "choir" — to sing "Come together, yeah" over and over.
In classic Prince tradition, he said goodnight and bounced without playing his signature hit "Purple Rain," leaving fans perplexed and on the verge of disappointment. But moments later, he returned and gave the crowd what they wanted.
"They're telling me that we got to go, but I can't leave!" Prince shouted after rocking "Purple Rain." He then flew through a "torrid" version of "Let's Go Crazy," the AP wrote.
Prince had widely been considered the one act most all concertgoers — a diverse 60,000 of indie rockers, electronica dancers and pop fans — were certain to see. When it was all said and done, he left the stage with these
words: "From now on, this is Prince's house."
GARY COLEMAN AND NEW BRIDE HIT 'DIVORCE COURT': Couple exposes dirty laundry on episodes to air May 1 and 2.
*They got married eight months ago and already Gary Coleman and his new bride, Shannon Price, are in TV's "Divorce Court."
In episodes to air May 1 and 2, Judge Lynn Toler will try to sort through the couple's myriad of problems since tying the knot last August. Coleman, 40 will discuss his anger and intimacy issues. Price, 22, tells Toler that they fight on a monthly basis and arguments can get real "ugly."
"If he doesn't get his way, he throws a temper tantrum like a five-year-old does," Price says, according to a transcript of the show provided to The Associated Press. "He like stomps the floor and yells, 'Meehhhh,' and starts throwing stuff around. He bashes his head in the wall, too."
Coleman, who met Price on the set of the 2006 comedy "Church Ball," says he can't ever win because "the male is always the bad guy."
"When I try to state my case or explain things to her or try to get her to understand my point of view," Coleman says, "my point of view doesn't matter."
Price also complains that Coleman has no friends and inexplicably disappears from home in the middle of the night.
"I don't have any friends and don't have any intention of making any," he says to Toler. "People will stab you in the back, mistreat you, talk about me behind your back, steal from you. And they're not really your friends. (They're) only there because you're a celebrity or because they want to get something from you."
Later, Coleman refers to his private life with Price as "mediocre."
"It's not her fault," he says. "I always feel like I have the weight of the world on my shoulders every day I get up. ... There are days I don't even want to get up."
TOM CRUISE JUMPS BACK ON OPRAH'S COUCH: Actor returns for the first time since May 2005's sofa-jumping embarrassment.
*Tom Cruise will return to "The Oprah Winfrey Show" next month for the first time since he famously jumped on the host's couch in May 2005 to profess his love for new girlfriend Katie Holmes.
The actor will promote the 25th anniversary of his classic film "Risky Business" during a two-part episode scheduled to air May 2 and May 5, during which colleagues will surprise him with taped messages honoring his work in movies.
Part one will feature an interview with Cruise from his home in Telluride, Colo. He'll talk about his "family, his life and the future,"
according to a statement Thursday from Harpo Productions.
In the second episode, Cruise will appear in Winfrey's Chicago studio. No word if Oprah will haul out the same couch that withstood all of Cruise's shenanigans three years ago.
JOHN LEGEND TRIES NEW PROMOTIONAL STRATEGY: Singer looking for advertisers for new album; plus artist plugs set with Parlourmagazine.com
*John Legend is taking a different approach to promote his upcoming as-yet-untitled album, slated for September. According to Billboard.biz, the singer is seeking non-traditional advertisers to discuss new promotional strategies.
“I want to go beyond what the label machine always does and think of some cool ideas,” said Legend, who declined to name the ad agencies he's meeting with. “Labels get into a creative rut. I want an ad firm that launches other products to use their knowledge to launch my music. It'd be cool to get ideas from a firm that can still reach my marketplace. We're taking proposals now so as soon as we decide on one, we can decide the launch date and direction.”
Legend's new album is said to be more mainstream and radio friendly than his previous outing, 2006's "Once Again," and his 2004 debut, "Get Lifted." This time around, the Grammy-winner has replaced his usual live instruments with 808 drums and futuristic synthesizers.
“The last record was mellower,” says Legend. “The production this time is a little more up-tempo and more pop sounding than the last one.”
Legend is putting the finishing touches on the set's first single, “Green Light,” featuring Outkast’s Andre 3000, and expects to shoot the video in May. “It’s Over” featuring Kanye West and produced by Pharrell Williams may be the second single but Legend isn’t sure.
Meanwhile, Parlourmagazine.com recently sat down with Legend for an interview that covered such topics as strip clubs and his five favorite artists. Excerpts are listed below:
On his sexually driven song "Good Morning"...
• "I was writing with India Arie's music director, Drew Ramsey, in Atlanta and he played a song called "Let's Make Good Morning Love." So I said, let's change it around to say "Good Morning" so it wouldn't be so obvious. It's a good song for couples because anybody that sleeps with somebody knows that sometimes you wake up and you want to do it. 'Good morning' is a slow stripper song, so it might have to be the lap dance song. It's not for the stage, but it could be sexy for the lap dance."
On strip clubs....
• "I've outgrown strip clubs, I'm 29. I just feel like it's a disappointment because you just leave. I'd rather grab something for real and not just get teased."
On his top five artists...
• "Nina Simone, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, The Beatles. I'm tempted to say other people but they don't have enough material because they've only had like one record. Like Jeff Buckley only released one, 'Grace,' and I love it. Lauryn Hill only released one, 'The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill,' and I love it, I can listen to those anytime. But their body of work doesn't compare to the likes of the great. I'll say Lauryn with some emptiness in my heart because I want to hear more. But Aretha Franklin would probably out rank her anyway. I loved Aretha's early 70's songs like 'Day Dreaming' and the whole 'Amazing Grace' album."
SNIPES SAYS HE WAS FOOLED BY CROOKED ADVISERS: Actor apologizes in court; hands over $15 million in checks before Thursday's sentencing.
*Hours before he was to be sentenced Thursday for failing to file income taxes, Wesley Snipes cut the federal government three checks for $5 million and delivered them in court, according to reports.
The actor and the IRS still must determine how much he owes - plus interest and penalties – after he was found guilty on three counts of willfully failing to file tax returns. He was sentenced Thursday to three years in prison.
Snipes' $15 million payment took prosecutors by surprise. They initially declined to accept the cash, then had changed their mind by day's end.
Reading from a prepared apology, Snipes told the court that he made "costly mistakes" and was the victim of crooked advisers, a liability of wealth and celebrity that attracts "wolves and jackals like flies are attracted to meat."
"I am an idealistic, naive, passionate, truth-seeking, spiritually motivated artist, unschooled in the science of law and finance," Snipes said.
He remains free for the time being and will be notified when it's time to surrender to authorities. Defense attorney Carmen Hernandez signaled in court that Snipes would pursue an appeal.
'ER'S' MEKHI PHIFER 'MOON'LIGHTS: Actor to star in live-action version of James L. White's graphic novel.
*Mekhi Phifer will put down his stethoscope and pick up a rifle for the upcoming film "Hunter's Moon," a live action drama based on a graphic novel by James L. White.
The actor, who currently stars as Dr. Pratt on NBC's "ER," will play a stockbroker who takes his son on a weekend hunting trip in the woods. The teen is kidnapped, forcing the father to do the criminals' bidding to save the boy's life, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
"Hunter's Moon" was published as a five-part comic series last year, and released in novel form this month via Boom Entertainment, which will produce the film. White is in final negotiations to adapt "Moon" as his first feature screenplay since the biopic "Ray."
Phifer most recently produced and starred in Facilitator's $13 million drama "This Christmas."
WOMAN STABBED FOR TALKING OVER TYRA: Victim nearly killed for yakking away while folks were trying to watch "Top Model."
*A 42-year-old Seattle woman was nearly stabbed to death Wednesday because she wouldn't stop talking during "America's Next Top Model."
According to SeattlePI.com, the victim and her friends were in a Columbia City apartment drinking beer and watching the Tyra Banks reality show when another woman in the group told her to stop talking.
When she refused, police say the woman then opened the apartment door and ordered the talker to leave. Police said things got heated and became physical, with one woman having a clump of her hair snatched out.
The attacker then pulled a paring knife from a nearby apple and began stabbing the 42-year-old, according to a police report. Witnesses pulled the knife away and the perpetrator ran off.
Medics and police were called about 9:30 p.m. to the apartment in the 5000 block of 37th Avenue South. A police officer found the victim lying on a neighbor's couch with a blood-soaked towel covering a chest wound roughly
1/2 to 3/4 of an inch wide, the report said. The woman had gone upstairs and knocked on the neighbor's door for help, saying she had been stabbed and her money was taken.
Medics who rushed her to Harborview Medical Center had to call for donor blood because her stab wounds were so severe, said police spokesman Jeff Kappel.
Police found the clump of hair in a garbage can, but did not find a weapon. As of press time, the suspect was still at large.
DNA TEST ORDERED FOR TOMI RAE'S SON: Judge says it should be completed within the next 30 days.
*The judge handling James Brown's messy estate has ordered a DNA test for James Brown II. His mother, Tomi Rae Hynie, claims the late Godfather of Soul is the boy's biological father.
Trustees handling the singer's estate are questioning Brown's paternity. Judge Jack Early said Friday that the testing should be completed within the next 30 days, according to the New York Daily News.
"Clearly, James Brown has held up this child to be his son," said Peter Shahid, a court-appointed attorney for James Brown II, adding that the child has received Social Security and insurance benefits since the entertainer's death. "We have writings that he has signed indicating that this is his son. He talks lovingly of his child. So all indications are this is the son of James Brown."
Hynie's attorney Robert Rosen said his client has never objected to a paternity test. But she would only take one if his other children did so as well. "She didn't feel like her son should be singled out." Rosen said.
50 SAYS EMINEM IS FIT DESPITE RUMORS: 'He's gonna look real good when you see him return,' says Curtis.
*50 Cent wants everyone to know that Eminem has not ballooned in size, nor is his health in decline, as recent rumors have suggested.
"Em is in shape right now," 50 tells MTV News. "He looks good. I seen him in Detroit. He's gonna look real good when you see him return."
"The last time I seen him we played basketball together," he added. "He had a knee injury, so we chilled for a little bit."
Eminem has been off the music scene for the past year. In his absence, rumors surfaced that he had gained weight and now weighs well over 200 pounds. In January, the Detroit rapper was hospitalized with pneumonia.
COS WITH JUDGE WHO TOSSED WHITES FROM COURTROOM: Bill Cosby joined Judge Marvin Arrington for speech at Atlanta high school.
*Bill Cosby spoke at a high school in Atlanta Thursday night accompanied by the African American judge who made headlines when he kicked whites out of his courtroom so that he could give young black defendants a stern lecture.
Superior Court Judge Marvin Arrington joined Cosby at Benjamin Mays High School for an invitation-only forum attended by some 600 Atlanta-area students identified as "at-risk" by juvenile authorities.
According to the Associated Press, Arrington said Cosby called him two weeks earlier and said, "I want to come to Atlanta and help you with your fight to try to turn these young people around."
During his address, the judge said he should not have tossed white people from his courtroom during the March 27 session, but he was hoping to get the defendants' attention without dressing them down in front of whites.
He spoke of numerous black criminal defendants who come before him in court, including young men who kill during drug deals and a father who slept with his daughters.
"Somewhere, you can cannot tolerate this uncivilized conduct," Arrington said.
Cosby, meanwhile, said apathy among some black Americans about violence, drugs, profanity and teenage sex has sunk to a level of asking someone to "pass the salt."
"Our children are trying to tell us something," Cosby said to the predominantly black audience as he talked about the importance of education and family. "Well, the mother's on crack cocaine. Pass the salt. That girl's baby has no father. Pass the salt. Oh, he shot him in the head? Pass the salt. We look at failure and we're like, pass the salt."
He dismissed critics of his approach who have said that he is airing dirty laundry in the black community.
"That's crazy," he said. "There are black people who have to walk around this dirty laundry."
Actor-comedian Chris Tucker also attended at the event. He urged audience members to find something they're passionate about, otherwise it's too easy to get into trouble.
JMJ SUSPECT SENTENCED FOR OTHER CRIMES: Ronald "Tinard" Washington gets 17-year bid for series of robberies.
*A man thought to be responsible for the murder of Jam Master Jay was sentenced to 17 years in prison and three years' supervised release in New York Wednesday for unrelated crimes, reports MTV News.
Ronald "Tinard" Washington, who has been implicated by two unnamed witnesses in Jay's murder, was sentenced in connection with his conviction last year on a series of robbery charges dating back to 2002.
Prosecutor Sean Haran argued for a stronger sentence for Washington "due to the defendant's involvement in two separate murders," presumably referring to the murders of Jay and Tupac Shakur's bodyguard Randy "Stretch" Walker, but Federal Judge Nina Gershon declined to consider the murders in her decision.
"If it was such an overwhelming case, someone would have prosecuted him, instead of hanging a murder on a string of robberies with a BB gun," she said in her ruling.
ANTHONY MACKIE IN PUBLIC LAB'S 'GOOD NEGRO': Theatre production begins May 20 in NY.
*Anthony Mackie joins stage actors Joniece Abbott-Pratt ("Why Did I Get Married?"), J. Bernard Calloway ("Rescue Me") and Francois Battiste (Prelude to a Kiss) in the Public LAB production of Tracey Scott Wilson's racially charged drama The Good Negro in New York.
Beginning performances May 20, the stage work follows "a trio of emerging black leaders who try to conquer their individual demons as the local KKK fights for its old way of life and everyday black men and women must overcome their fears – all under the ever-watchful eye of the FBI," according to press notes.
"In this extraordinary and brave new play, Tracey takes a close look at the lives and events around the Civil Rights movement," says Public associate artistic director Mandy Hackett. "In looking at what it means to fight for change and social progress, Tracey brings history vibrantly alive with vigor, intellect and intensity."
Other members of the cast include Lizzy Cooper Davis, LeRoy McClain, Brian Wallace, Myk Watford and an actor yet to be named.
The Good Negro will run through June 1. Tickets, priced $10, are available by calling (212) 967-7555 or by visiting www.publictheater.org. The Public Theater is located at 425 Lafayette Street in Manhattan.
SPORTS BITS: Indy 500 taps Mayweather; Star and D. Wade?; Tyson on ESPN; Merriweather sues; Bobcats fire Vincent; Stanford hires Dawkins; Tiger's knee.
*Boxing champ Floyd Mayweather will be the honorary starter of the 92nd Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, May 25. “To be asked to wave the green flag at the Indianapolis 500 is an incredible honor,” Mayweather said in a statement. “I’m extremely excited to be a part of this event and to see the best drivers in the world perform on the biggest stage in all of sports.”
The race will feature 33 drivers competing on the 2.5 mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway track. The event will be broadcast live at 1 p.m. ET on ABC Sports, the IMS Radio Network and XM Satellite Radio.
*Star Jones and Dwyane Wade? That's the new rumor after paps caught the two attending a Miami-area tennis tournament together one day after the former TV host announced she had filed for divorce from her husband Al Reynolds. Reps for both Jones and the Miami Heat star tell TMZ.com that the rumors are not true.
*ESPN’s primetime newsmagazine "E:60" will feature a profile of former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson tomorrow (April 29) at 7 p.m. ET. Currently living under court-mandated sobriety with monthly drug and alcohol testing, the 41-year-old talks to correspondent Jeremy Schaap about this latest dramatic turning point, including his decision to appear in a documentary about himself.
*Michael Merriweather, a former Pro Bowl linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers, has sued New York Life Insurance Co. claiming that managers there were racist and called him "Kobe" and "Tyson" whenever those athletes got in legal trouble. Merriweather accuses the company of blocking him from leads, bonuses, an office, and even a telephone line, all because he is black. He says a manager once made fun of his linebacker career by "lower[ing] his shoulder" and almost knocking him over, causing him stomach sickness and headaches. A New York Life spokesman called the allegations "surprising," reports TMZ.com.
*It's one and done for Charlotte Bobcats coach Sam Vincent. After one tumultuous, non-playoff season, he was fired Saturday by his boss Michael Jordan. Within minutes of his dismissal, rumors began flying that Larry Brown may take over as head coach. Brown resignedThursday as executive vice president of the Philadelphia 76ers. His agent Joe Glass said the 67-year-old is eager to coach again in either the pros or college.
*Johnny Dawkins, a longtime assistant coach at Duke, has been hired as Stanford's new basketball coach, replacing Pac-10 Coach of the Year Trent Johnson. "We are thrilled to welcome Johnny and his family to Stanford," athletic director Bob Bowlsby said in a statement. "His credentials as a player, combined with his coaching experience gained mentoring under a Hall of Fame coach at a university such as Duke, made him a perfect fit for Stanford. The philosophies of the two programs both on the court and in the classroom are very similar. I am confident Johnny's leadership skills, coaching ability and commitment to attract top-flight student-athletes will be a driving force in continuing Stanford's tradition of basketball excellence."
*Tiger Woods, no longer on crutches since surgery last week on his left knee, said Friday in his monthly newsletter that he' unsure when he'll return to the links. "I knew a couple of months ago I was going to have the surgery," Woods said. "The knee has been bugging me for a while. The only decision was do you miss the Masters or play in the Masters? I decided to play. Even if I had won, I still would have had the surgery." He used crutches last week in Las Vegas at "Tiger Jam XI," a charity concert that raised more than $1.5 million for his foundation, and now is in a knee brace. He said he hopes to start rehabilitation soon.
FILM/TV/ARTS BITS: Rosario reacts to Connor Cruise; Aime Cesaire funeral; Becki likes John Legend; smoke can't stop Prince on 'Tonight Show.'
*Rosario Dawson spoke to E! News about the day she found out that one of her co-stars in "Seven Pounds" would be Tom Cruise's son Connor, who plays the younger version of lead actor Will Smith. "I think it's actually really funny. During rehearsals, Tom walks in, and I'm like, OK, I guess they're just having a visit," says Dawson. "And then his son was there, and he's like, 'No, he's actually playing the younger version of Will, and he was there to sign his contracts. It was hilarious. And Tom was just like, 'Yeah, make sure you read the fine print.'"
*France held a state funeral Sunday for poet Aime Cesaire, a pioneer of the black pride movement who along with Leopold Sedar Senghor of Senegal, invented the term "negritude," defined as an "affirmation that one is black and proud of it." French President Nicolas Sarkozy led thousands of mourners at a state funeral Sunday in Martinique. Revered on his native French Caribbean island and elsewhere in the French-speaking world, Cesaire died aged 94 in a Fort-de-France hospital on Thursday after being admitted for heart problems.
*Actress Becki Newton, who plays receptionist Amanda on ABC's "Ugly Betty," is hoping producers will some day cast her University of Pennsylvania classmate John Legend as a guest star on the show. "I used to see him playing the piano and singing on campus," she told E! News. When a friend suggested she duet with Legend, Newton beamed. "That's a great idea!
I should just call him up."
*Prince was about to perform on NBC's "The Tonight Show" Friday when the fire alarm sounded and security called for the studio to be evacuated, according to TMZ.com. The audience eventually returned and Prince went on to play three songs. What had happened was…Jay Leno's next door neighbor, "Access Hollywood," was taping a segment that involved smoke and didn't alert the proper people.
MUSIC BITS: MiJac's Neverland; T.I.'s official first single; paps shun Mariah; Lupe Fiasco goes gold.
*Fox411 columnist Roger Freidman ways "vultures are circling with cashier's checks" over the looming May 14th auction of Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch. "Among them: at least some form of the original loan holder, Fortress Investments," he writes.
*T.I. says he'll debut the official first single from his upcoming album tomorrow (April 29) on his Web site www.StreetCred.com. “I already know the demand is great, the anticipation is very high, and the wait is almost over man," the rapper said. “I promise you something special and I will deliver.” A release date has not yet been scheduled for the album, titled "Paper Trail."
*TMZ.com is reporting that the paparazzi have banded together to shun Mariah Carey as payback for her diva behavior while promoting her new CD, "E=MC2." At a recent event, the singer irked the paps by showing up two hours late, rushing down the red carpet without stopping for pics and wearing sunglasses (apparently a pap pet peeve). TMZ says: "We're hearing the photogs are planning to ignore the singer as long as it takes to prove their point" that such behavior will not be tolerated.
*"Lupe Fiasco's The Cool" has been certified gold by the RIAA for sales exceeding 500,000. The critically acclaimed album features the hit singles, "Superstar" feat. Matthew Santos and "Hip-Hop Saved My Life" feat. Nikki Jean." Lupe is currently opening for Kanye West on his "Glow in the Dark Tour." On June 13, Lupe will perform in Manchester, Tennessee at the Bonnaroo Music festival. Full details of all upcoming shows can be found at Lupe's official MySpace page, www.myspace.com/lupefiasco.
EVENT CALENDAR: Chicago's Ballad of Emmett Till; Lillias White in 'Pamela's First Musical'; Badu at Soul Beach in Aruba.
*Chicago playwright Ifa Bayeza's new dramatic work, The Ballad of Emmett Till, billed as "part history and part mystery," makes its world premiere April 26 at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago, reports Playbill News.
The production was written after interviews over the past decade with Till's family, teachers, classmates and eye-witnesses to the boy's brutal 1955 murder for allegedly whistling at a white woman. Joseph Anthony Byrd stars as Emmett "Bo" Till. Oz Scott, who directed for colored girls who have considered suicide when the rainbow is enuf by Bayeza's sister Ntozake Shange, directs the production at Goodman's Albert Theatre. Opening night is May 5. Performances continue to June 1. For more information, visit www.goodmantheatre.org.
*Tony Award winner Lillias White has joined an all-star cast in a benefit performance of Pamela's First Musical, adapted from the 1996 children's book by the late Wendy Wasserstein. The performance will be held at Town Hall on May 18 and will benefit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and Theatre Development Fund's Open Doors Program, which Wasserstein founded. The one-act musical follows a young girl from the suburbs who spends an unforgettable birthday with her eccentric, sophisticated Aunt Louise attending a lavish Broadway production and meeting all the glamorous, creative people who made it possible.
*Erykah Badu, Wyclef Jean and Sean Kingston are scheduled to perform at the Eighth Annual Soul Beach Music Festival in Aruba during Memorial Day weekend, May 21 – 26. Ledisi and Paige are also on the bill. The event includes a Comedy Concert series featuring Sinbad and rising star Brandon T. Jackson on Friday, May 23. For more information, call 1.800.TO.ARUBA or
visit www.ARUBA.com or www.soulbeach.net.
WHITE JENA TEEN PLEADS GUILTY TO HATE CRIME: Jeremiah Munsen, 18, drove past marchers with nooses hanging from his pickup.
*A white teen in Jena, Louisiana pleaded guilty Friday to a federal hate crime of threatening and intimidating civil rights marchers last year by displaying hangman’s nooses from the back of a pickup truck.
Federal authorities announced Friday that Jeremiah Munsen, 18, of Grant Parish admitted that he placed two large nooses on his truck Sept. 20 and drove back and forth past a group of marchers gathered at a bus depot in Alexandria — about 35 miles south of Jena, where the marches took place — as they awaited buses to return them to Tennessee.
"The defendant used a noose to threaten peaceful civil rights marchers who were in Louisiana to rally against racial intolerance," said Acting Assistant Attorney General Grace Chung Becker. Munsen, who faces up to a year in prison, will be sentenced at an August 15 hearing.
Marchers were in Jena to protest local authorities who were accused of racial prejudice in the handling of several cases, including the hanging of nooses in a tree after a group of black high school students sat in an area where traditionally only white students sat.
Months later, a white student was allegedly beaten by six black classmates in 2006. The protests that followed were in criticism of local authorities who initially charged the six students dubbed the "Jena 6," with second-degree attempted murder and conspiracy. The charges were later reduced against those involved in the incident.
EUR MOTIVATIONAL NOTE
“I dream my painting and then paint my dream.” – by Vincent Van Gogh
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
April 28: Rapper Too Short is 42. Rapper Big Gipp of Goodie Mob is 35. Actress Penelope Cruz is 34. Actress Jessica Alba ("Dark Angel") is 27.
WEBSITE OF THE WEEK
The new blog about the new book, "25 Things That Really Matter In Life" by Gary A. Johnson (http://25things.wordpress.com).
Submit your favorite Web site to us along with a 15-20 word (or less)
description to info@eurweb.com.
BLACK HISTORY
Apr. 28, 1967: World Boxing Association and New York State Athletic Commission withdrew recognition of Muhammad Ali as world heavyweight boxing champion because of his refusal to serve in the U.S. armed forces. (Source:
www.BlackFacts.com)