R. KELLY TEAM WANTS REPORTER ON THE STAND: Plus, defense wants criminal charges filed against prosecution witness; Sparkle testified Thursday.
*Jurors in the child pornography trial of R. Kelly had Friday off, but business was still being handled inside of the Chicago court room.
Defense attorneys filed a motion seeking testimony from Chicago Sun-Times reporter Jim DeRogatis, who in 2002 was sent the sex tape that allegedly shows Kelly having intercourse with an underage girl. Kelly's lawyers want to ask DeRogatis how he came in possession of the tape and if he made copies.
An attorney for the Chicago Sun-Times says DeRogatis' actions should be privileged under the First Amendment. The judge says a ruling on the matter will be made on May 30.
Also on Friday, Cook County State's Atty. Shauna Boliker said her office prepared a response to a defense motion asking that prosecutors file criminal charges against one of the state's witnesses.
Last month, the judge allowed a series of secret hearings concerning a witness who is set to testify that she had a three-way sexual encounter with Kelly and the alleged underage girl in the tape. The woman could take the stand as early as today and is expected to identify Kelly and the girl on the video.
On Thursday, Kelly's former protégé and backup singer, Stephanie "Sparkle" Edwards, testified that the girl in the tape is her relative. Edwards said she introduced Kelly to the girl, who was 12 or 13 at the time.
"He liked her spirit. She was a very jolly person," said Edwards, who also leaned forward and identified the Grammy winner as the man she saw on the sex tape.
Kelly, 41, faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted on all 14 counts. He has pleaded not guilty.
BOW WOW TO JOIN HBO'S 'ENTOURAGE': Move part of rapper's decision to step up Hollywood game.
*Bow Wow will become a regular on HBO's "Entourage" when the show returns for its fifth season this fall, according to reports.
The rapper takes on the role of Charlie, a stand-up comic who becomes the latest client of Eric, played by Kevin Connolly.
"After 16 years in the music industry and six successful albums, I've decided to shift my energy to something else I'm passionate about, acting," said the artist, according to E! Online. "I'm going to try to be the next Will Smith."
The 21-year-old rapper, whose real name is Shad Moss, is currently filming the New Orleans-based sports drama "Patriots" opposite Forest Whitaker and Isaiah Washington. His movie resume also includes "Roll Bounce" and "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift."
SLICK RICK PARDONED BY NY GOV.: David Paterson noted rapper's commitment to helping kids.
*Slick Rick moved one step closer to putting constant threats of deportation behind him with his full and unconditional pardon Friday by New York Gov. David Paterson.
The rapper, born Ricky Walters, was convicted of attempted murder in 1991 and spent over five years in prison. The 43-year-old faced numerous attempts to deport him, even though he has lived in the U.S. since he was a child.
Rick spent over five years in prison after his 1991 conviction of attempted murder. Although he finished all of his probation requirements, he kept facing threats of deportation by INS officials.
He was arrested again in June 2002 by Immigration agents who stopped him after he returned to Miami from a weeklong Caribbean cruise, where he was a featured performer. The arrest stemmed from a 1997 Immigration and Naturalization Service warrant that had not been pursued earlier, and he spent 17 months in jail.
In announcing the decision to pardon the artist, Paterson noted that Walters is now a rap artist and landlord in the Bronx who has not had any other criminal problems since his release from prison and has volunteered at youth outreach programs to counsel against violence.
"Mr. Walters has fully served the sentence imposed upon him for his convictions, had an exemplary disciplinary record while in prison and on parole, and has been living without incident in the community for more than 10 years," Paterson said. "I urge federal immigration officials to once again grant Mr. Walters relief from deportation, so that he is not separated from his many family members who are United States citizens, including his two teenage children."
Slick Rick responded in a statement: "This has been a long and difficult road and I am happy for this to be settled once and for all. I look forward to enjoying this time with my family and friends and to continue leading an honest and productive life."
BEY-JAY LAYING DOWN ROOTS IN SCARSDALE?: Plus, is Beyonce recording the new James Bond theme in place of Amy Winehouse?
*Word has it that Beyonce and Jay-Z are looking to settle down in Scarsdale, New York, the town where the couple secured a marriage license before their April 4 nuptials in Manhattan.
According to TMZ.com, the newlyweds are about to buy a huge mansion in the area. The rumored colonial-style house has about 15,000 square feet on approximately two acres of land. It has been under construction for about six months.
In other Beyonce news, WENN is reporting that she has been approached by producers of the next James Bond film to record the theme song in place of Amy Winehouse. The British Grammy winner was rumored to have been dropped after her producer DJ Mark Ronson told reporters that she wasn't "ready" to work on music after a recent return to her erratic ways.
But on Saturday (May 24), Winehouse confirmed that she has, in fact, completed the Bond song - although she is unsure whether studio execs will green-light the track for use in the film.
KANYE, COMMON, METH&RED SUED OVER JAZZ SAMPLE: Daughter of musician Joe Farrell trying to collect for 'Upon This Rock.'
*Kanye West, Common, Method Man and Redman are being sued, along with their respective Universal Music Group record companies, by a woman who claims their music unlawfully sampled a song by her father, late jazz musician Joe Farrell.
In her copyright infringement filing, Kathleen Firantello claims her dad's 1974 song "Upon This Rock" was sampled by West in his 2005 track "Gone" from the album "Late Registration"; as well as by rapper Common in "Chi-City," a bonus track on his 2005 album "Be." She also claims that Method Man and Redman sampled the jazz loop in their 1999 duet, "Run 4 Cover."
Firantello is seeking punitive damages of at least $1 million and an order that no more copies of the offending songs be made, sold or performed, reports E! Online.
DIDDY AND TRACEY EDMONDS A COUPLE?: Mogul says Cannes photos reflect business relationship, nothing more.
*Both Sean "Diddy" Combs and Tracey Edmonds are denying reports in a UK newspaper that they have been secretly dating.
U.K.'s Daily Mail even quoted Edmonds as saying: "Diddy is the funniest man I ever met" and that she's "so lucky to find someone so soon after Eddie." She was also quoted as saying that Diddy is more of a man than Murphy, whom she broke up with in January.
"Tracey Edmonds never uttered the words quoted in the [tabloid]," her rep tells People magazine in a statement calling the Daily Mail story "a complete fabrication.”
A rep for Diddy tells E! News: "Sean is very single. He and Tracey have known each other for over 10 years."
PACMAN JONES PAYS OFF CASINO MARKERS: Suspended NFL player settles debt after Barkley-style threat of criminal charges.
*Suspended Dallas Cowboys cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones finally made good on the money he owes a Las Vegas casino. On Friday, he forked over $20,000 to cover three casino markers he received Sept. 3 at Caesars Palace, reports the Associated Press.
Jones also paid $1,675 in fees and penalties, according to Bernie Zadrowski, chief of the district attorney's bad check unit. In Nevada, unpaid casino markers, or loans to gamblers, are treated as bad checks and are turned over to the district attorney for prosecution.
"We filed a criminal complaint. Within 24 hours, Mr. Jones found a way to make restitution," said Clark County District Attorney David Roger. "Case closed."
A similar complaint was filed against TNT analyst and former NBA star Charles Barkley earlier this month before he paid the $400,000 he owed the Wynn Hotel and Casino, as well as an additional $40,000 in late fees.
Jones' lawyer, Manny Arora accused Roger of filing the criminal complaint against Jones after Barkley's case made headlines. Roger denied Arora's claim.
"In Mr. Jones' case, we were working with him since February to obtain restitution," Roger said. "We determined he was not acting in good faith, and we filed a criminal complaint."
LAS VEGAS SAYS IT'S ABOUT 'TIME': Morris, Jerome, Jesse, Jimmy, Terry and other original members reunite for shows at the Flamingo.
*Inspired by their reunion during the 50th Grammy awards in February, all seven original members of The Time will share the same stage again for a summer residency at the Flamingo Las Vegas.
Morris Day, Jerome Benton, Jellybean Johnson, Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis, Monte Moir and Jesse Johnson will perform 15 shows at the venue from June 24 through Aug. 2, with ticket prices ranging between $65 and $125 via Harrahs.com.
The band's Grammy gig marked their first performance with all original members since 1993. In April, Day joined Time founder Prince onstage at the ninth annual Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival in Indio, Calif., for a collaboration on "Jungle Love."
FIRST MLK GRANDCHILD IS BORN: Martin Luther King III and wife welcomed Yolanda Reneé King early Sunday.
*The first grandchild of late civil rights pioneer Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King arrived early Sunday at Northside Hospital in Atlanta.
Yolanda Reneé King, the daughter of Martin Luther King III and wife Arndrea Waters King, was born at 6:47 a.m. and weighed in at 7 pounds 5 ounces, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The baby is named after her father's older sister, Yolanda Denise King, who died in 2007.
Martin Luther King III described his new baby girl as a "precious gift from God." "It is truly the happiest day of our lives," he said in a statement released Sunday. "I know my parents are smiling down from heaven."
King III and his wife were married two years ago in Santa Barbara, Calif. The couple lives in Atlanta and had kept news of their marriage private until last winter, when they announced both their union and the pregnancy at the annual Salute to Greatness awards dinner put on by the Martin Luther King Jr. Center.
OPRAH'S DWINDLING APPEAL EXAMINED: New York Times outlines reasons for TV mogul's drop in popularity.
*An article in Monday's New York Times points out various signs that Oprah Winfrey's pop culture dominance is beginning to weaken.
Writer Edward Wyatt notes: The average audience for “The Oprah Winfrey Show” has fallen nearly 7 percent this year, according to Nielsen Media Research — its third straight year of decline.
“Oprah’s Big Give,” an ABC philanthropic reality show, beat every program on television except “American Idol” in its premiere week this winter, but steadily lost nearly one-third of its audience during the rest of its eight-week run, according to Nielsen.
The circulation of O, The Oprah Magazine, has fallen by more than 10 percent in the last three years, according to the Audit Bureau of Circulations, and the magazine is now seeking a new editor in chief after the announced retirement of its longtime steward, Amy Gross.
And while Ms. Winfrey still displays a Midas touch when it comes to the endorsement of books and products, some of her latest picks have attracted criticism from longtime fans as she has strayed into new-age spiritualism and, perhaps more dangerously, politics. Her endorsement of the presidential bid of Senator Barack Obama appears to have alienated some of the middle-aged white women who make up the bulk of her television audience, many of whom support Senator Hillary Clinton.
Read the entire NY Times article "A Few Tremors In Oprahland" here.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/26/business/media/26oprah.html?_r=3&ei=5065&oref=slogin&partner=MYWAY&pagewanted=print&oref=slogin&oref=slogin
MIJAC'S BABY MAMA WANNABE LOSES IN COURT: Nona Paris Lola Jackson again denied restraining order against Debbie Rowe.
*The woman who swears she's the mother of Michael Jackson's three kids has lost yet another court battle – this time, her motion for a restraining order against Deborah Rowe, the singer's ex-wife and real mother of his two eldest children.
Nona Paris Lola Jackson filed a 58-page document last month claiming she has "over 15 biological children with Michael Jackson," that her own father is Satan and that she was born with white skin that later turned black, reports the New York Daily News.
Insisting she is legally married to Michael Jackson, Nona asked the court for a restraining order against Rowe, whom she refers to in the filing as a "busybody" who makes it hard for her to "concentrate" when she attends awards shows with Michael Jackson.
"[Michael Jackson] has had no sexual intercourse with any other person but me," she said in the filing.
Judge Robert Schneider of Los Angeles County Superior Court denied Nona's motion Wednesday, just as he denied her previous attempts to gain joint physical custody of 11-year-old Prince and 9-year-old Paris - the children Michael Jackson had with Rowe. Nona also maintains she is the mother of 6-year-old Blanket.
OBAMA/CLINTON BITS: Hillary in trouble with NY blacks; Obama wins picnic vote; Carrie's Mr. Big says 'Yes We Can.'
*A Los Angeles Times article from Peter Nicolas outlines the political rift Hillary Clinton faces with black leaders in New York due to racially charged comments by her and her husband during the campaign. An excerpt from the article is featured below:
State Sen. Bill Perkins, who represents Harlem, said constituents recently phoned him because they wanted to demonstrate outside Bill Clinton's Harlem office against comments by the former president. Michael Benjamin, a state assemblyman who represents parts of the Bronx, said his wife removed a photograph of Bill Clinton from her office wall -- an expression of the misgivings that some black New Yorkers feel.
"The Clintons have their die-hard fans who would never abandon them," said Eric Adams, a state senator who represents Brooklyn. "But there are those New Yorkers who feel there was a lot of insult, slight and disrespect toward an African American candidate, and it translated as a slight to the African American community."
As the campaign unfolded, both Clintons made comments that some black leaders deemed dismissive of Obama. There was Bill Clinton's suggestion that Obama's victory in South Carolina carried no more weight than Jesse Jackson's success there in the 1980s. Other sore points were Hillary Clinton's claim that she enjoys the support of "hard-working Americans, white Americans" and the credit she gave to President Lyndon Johnson -- rather than the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. -- on civil rights legislation.
African American leaders said she could repair frayed ties by visiting black churches, backing legislation that shows she is sensitive to conditions in black neighborhoods, and apologizing for comments she and her husband made that seemed to polarize voters and marginalize Obama.
"She has a problem," said the Rev. Al Sharpton, a New York-based civil rights activist. "If she doesn't aggressively deal with the problem -- rather than sit in denial -- it will haunt her at home in her Senate race."
Some Democrats have mentioned that she could run for governor of New York if she isn't nominated for president. That prospect unnerves some black leaders. They said they didn't want to see her challenge current African American governor David Paterson, who plans to run in 2010. With Paterson in the job, some black leaders want a definitive statement from Clinton that she would not subject him to a primary challenge -- and say they haven't gotten it yet.
In other Obama news:
*More American voters would enjoy a picnic with Democratic White House hopeful Barack Obama than his rival Hillary Clinton, or Republican presidential contender John McCain, a poll said Friday. Asked by Quinnipiac University which candidate they would prefer to picnic with during Memorial Day weekend, 35 percent chose Obama, 32 percent picked McCain and 27 percent said Clinton.
*"Sex and the City's" Chris "Mr. Big" Noth is on Team Obama and is questioning the motives of Sen. Clinton's decision to stay in the race despite mathematical odds against her ability to win the nomination. Before her "assassination" remark erupted Friday afternoon, Noth was approached by the New York Daily News at a party in Manhattan for Gotham magazine. When asked about Obama's campaign, he said: "Do you think he's going to make it? I'm pulling for him. I just think Hillary's in it for her ego now."
COMEDIAN BITS: Chris Rock pulls largest crowd in UK history; Katt Williams not related to man arrested at his home.
*Chris Rock entered history books recently for performing before the largest comedy audience in UK history.
The 43-year-old told jokes to a crowd of 15,900 fans at London's O2 arena in the first of two shows back in January. Guinness World Records officials were on hand to ensure their rules were met, and the promoters announced the attempt had been successful after the show.
The record was measured by the number of ticket stubs taken at the venue's box office. Those who arrived late were not counted in the total.
The previous record of 10,108 was set by British comic Lee Evans at Manchester's MEN Arena in 2005.
*Katt Williams has denied that he has family ties to a man arrested recently at his Los Angeles home for a drug-related shooting in Ohio.
Robert McGhee was nabbed by Federal Marshals on Tuesday (May 20) after agents followed him to the comedian's Woodlawn Hills mansion. Williams was not at home when the man arrived.
McGhee fled Dayton, Ohio, where he was wanted for allegedly shooting another man in the chest during a failed drug deal, according to allhiphop.com.
A relative of the fugitive told Federal Marshals that Williams, who was raised in Dayton, was a distant cousin of McGhee’s and that the two men had been on the road for the comedian’s 100-city “It’s Pimpin’ Pimpin” tour.
"Katt is not a brother or distant cousin or any relative of Robert McGhee," Williams Publicist Yvette Shearer told The Dayton Daily News. “Katt did not even know this man was at his house."
McGhee is being held in the Los Angeles County jail. He is expected to be extradited to Dayton, where he faces numerous assault and weapons charges.
ITTY BITTY BITS: Nas' video; Hancock nods; Common's 'U.M.C.'; Todd in '24'; WNBC's Simmons promoted; Sony Pics eyes 'Tyson.'
*A video poster for Nas' new single "Be A N**ger Too" hit the Internet over the weekend with its depiction of feet bound by rope and hanging over a lawn. The video, from director Rik Cordero, was shot recently in both Los Angeles and New York and features several celebrity cameos. The video's plot is reportedly drawn from a popular film dealing with race relations in America. As previously reported, Nas changed the name of his upcoming Def Jam album from "N**ger" to an untitled LP on May 19.
*Tied at three nominations each, Herbie Hancock and Michael Bublé top the list of nominees for the first annual International Jazz Awards, to be held Sunday, June 29, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills. Comedian D.L. Hughley will host a ceremony that includes musical tributes to Lena Horne, Count Basie, Clint Eastwood, George and Ira Gershwin and Antonio Carlos Jobim. Nicknamed “The Louie,” the award statuette will be presented to honorees in 24 categories encompassing contemporary/smooth jazz, traditional, swing, Latin, Brazilian/Afro-Cuban, fusion and Dixieland.
*Common's new single, "Universal Mind Control (U.M.C.)," is setting a distinctive tone for the mid-July release of his upcoming album, "Invincible Summer." The Pharrell Williams-produced track, in the vein of Afrika Bambaataa & Soul Sonic Force's "Planet Rock," is a dramatic departure for the Chicago rapper. Common told Billboard.com last month: "I created this music for the summertime. It's about feeling good. This is the type of music I felt was missing from my body of work." Listen to the track here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfcocvYgO9Y
*Tony Todd has been cast in the two-hour prequel to the Fox television drama "24." The actor, who will also appear during the show's Season 7, will play cruel African dictator Gen. Juma, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Todd has been recurring on NBC's "Chuck" as CIA director Graham.
*WNBC's Sue Simmons, the NY anchorwoman who blurted out the F-word during a live tease for the station's 11 p.m. newscast, was promoted to the coveted 6 p.m. newscast with co-anchor Chuck Scarborough despite the controversy. The changes became effective Monday, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Simmons, who hadn't co-anchored the 6 p.m. slot in years, will continue to anchor the 5 p.m. show (with David Ushery) and the 11 p.m. show, with Scarborough.
*Sony Pictures Classics is in final negotiations for James Toback's boxing documentary "Tyson," which chronicles the illustrious but often troubled life of former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson. According to the Hollywood Reporter, the buy would be one of the most high-profile domestic pickups among the Festival de Cannes premieres. The director was determined to leave Cannes with a deal, he said, in order to showcase the film in the early fall festival circuit before a release timed around the November elections.
SPORTS BITS: French Open update; Tiger ditches Memorial; Joakim Noah arrested; Kobe lawyers handle Laker Girl rumors.
*Serena Williams, Venus Williams and James Blake have all advanced to the second round of the French Open. The tournament at Roland Garros began over the Memorial Day weekend with Serena beating fellow American Ashley Harkleroad 6-2, 6-1; and Blake topping Germany's Rainer Schuettler 6-4, 6-1, 7-6. On Monday, Venus took care of Israel's Tzipora Obziler 6-3, 4-6, 6-2.
*Tiger Woods said he'll take a pass on this year's Memorial golf tournament in Ohio as he recovers from knee surgery, meaning he will likely enter the U.S. Open next month without having played a tournament in two months. Woods, who had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee April 15, was hopeful of playing before the U.S. Open. But his office notified the PGA Tour that he would not enter the Memorial, which takes place from May 29 through June 1 at Muirfield Village GC in Dublin, OH. The U.S. Open at Torrey Pines in San Diego runs from June 9-15.
*Chicago Bulls forward Joakim Noah was arrested in Gainesville, Fla. early Sunday on charges of possession of marijuana and having an open container of alcohol. The former Florida basketball star was stopped about 1:50 a.m. for carrying a clear plastic cup with an "iced, amber-colored beverage" inside. A source told the Chicago Tribune that Noah was sipping on cognac. During a search at the police station, cops found a marijuana cigarette inside a cigarette package that Noah had in his pants pocket. He bonded himself out and is due back in court next month. He could face up to six months in jail and a $500 fine for the marijuana charge. The 23-year-old is the son of former tennis star Yannick Noah.
*TMZ says it has a cease and desist letter that Kobe Bryant's attorney sent to the owners of Web site TheDirty.com, which published a post last week claiming the Los Angeles Lakers star is having an affair with a Lakers cheerleader, who has since resigned. The girl is reportedly pursuing a "hosting" career and all references to her on the team's official site have been removed. The letter from Bryant's lawyer demands the site remove Kobe's "name, image, and likeness, and any information that relates in any way to him"
EUR FILM REVIEW: I'm Through with White Girls (The Inevitable Undoing of Jay Brooks)
Film Review by Kam Williams
Brother Cured of Jungle Fever Decides to Settle Down with a Sister
*Although he himself is African-American, Jay Brooks (Anthony Montgomery) doesn't date black girls, basically because every one he's met has been more interested in the athletic, alpha-male, Talented Tenth type of guy.
And this thirty-something, nerdy underachiever not only wears glasses, but can't dance, chain smokes through a cigarette holder and isn't exactly good in bed.
Worse, his pay as an illustrator of graphic novels isn't enough for him to own a car, which makes it almost impossible to wine and dine women in a city like Los Angeles.
Still, these failings haven't prevented the roaming Romeo from finding one white girl after another eager to sleep with him. The only problem is that none of those serially monogamous liaisons ever lasts because Jay always sabotages them at the first sign that a partner wants to get serious.
He's recently dumped his latest conquest in his usual fashion, namely, by leaving behind a note as he went out the door, because the Rubenesque redhead (Jennifer Hogan) said he reminded her of the actor Gary Coleman. Reflecting upon his series of failed relationships with Caucasians, Jay decides it's time to try to see if he can find a suitable match from among his own people afterall. So, he puts into motion Operation Brown Sugar, running a personal ad seeking a sister.
He proceeds to audition a string of losers without any luck, until by chance he is introduced by a mutual friend (Kellee Stewart) to Catherine Williamson (Lia Johnson), a best-selling author with a new book on the market prophetically-entitled, "The Inevitable Was Bound to Happen." Catherine is a free-spirit sporting colorful hair extensions, which prompts Jay to remark, "I didn't know black girls grew blue hair."
Not one to be intimidated, the feisty fiction writer snaps back, "I didn't know you could smoke through a straw." There's an instant attraction which Jay has a hard time trusting because his thoroughly enjoying the company of a black woman feels utterly unfamiliar. But once these soul mates start dating, the only question is whether fear of commitment will cause him to ruin the best thing he's ever had.
So, unfolds I'm Through with White Girls, a battle-of-the-sexes comedy marking the delightful directorial debut of Jennifer Sharp. Equally-impressive is the gifted young cast employed to execute Courtney Lilly's endlessly inventive script, especially co-stars Lia Johnson and Anthony Montgomery, as well as Lamman Rucker, Marcus Patrick, Kellee Stewart, Ryan Alosio and veteran Johnny Brown (who you may remember as Bookman the Janitor on the classic TV series "Good Times.) Alternately entertaining and enlightening, this hilariously funny flick is proof positive that it's possible to shoot a sophisticated romantic romp on a shoe-string budget.
Excellent (4 stars)
Rated R for profanity, an ethnic slur and sexual references.
Running time: 94 minutes
Studi Turn Soul Films/Image Entertainment To see a trailer of the film, visit:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyMyjLUiu7o
EUR FILM REVIEW: Then She Found Me
Helen Hunt Makes Decent Directorial Debut with Bittersweet Romantic Comedy
Film Review by Kam Williams
*Ten years after she won an Academy Award for As Good As It Gets, Helen Hunt has now decided to take a shot at directing. Her debut offering, Then She Found Me, is based on the best seller of the same name by Elinor Lipman.
Hunt also wrote the screen adaptation and co-stars opposite Colin Firth and Bette Midler in this bittersweet romantic comedy exploring a litany of themes, including love, loss, rebirth and redemption.
The story is set in Brooklyn where we find newlywed April Epner (Hunt) hearing her biological clock ticking and eager to start a family.
Unfortunately the 39 year-old schoolteacher's immature husband and colleague Ben (Matthew Broderick) doesn't share her feelings. In fact, he's been having second thoughts about even having tied the knot, and is about to break the news that he's decided to leave her after only 12 months of marriage.
The morning after being dumped, a Prince Charming fortuitously comes waltzing into her life in the person of Frank (Firth), the father of one of her students. He's recently separated from his wife and can barely hide his attraction to April. But before their love has a chance to blossoms a few flies land in the ointment.
First, April's adoptive mother (Lynn Cohen) dies. Second, she finds out she's pregnant by her ex. Third, her birth mother (Bette Midler), a flamboyant talk show host, shows up out of nowhere, in need of quality time and wanting to bond. So, as April practically simultaneously sets about grieving, divorcing, getting acquainted with her long-lost mom, and preparing for the arrival of a baby, she also starts dating the man of her dreams.
No need to spoil any of the picture's array of surprising developments, suffice to say that the plot is anything but predictable. As for grading Hunt's overall effort, other than perhaps being a little long in the tooth to have Colin Firth's character convincingly going gaga over her ("You're gorgeous!"), she did a decent job of directing a chick flick which ought to be a hit with the distaff demographic.
Just remember to pack the hankies.
Very Good (3 stars)
Rated R for profanity and sexuality.
Running time: 100 minutes
Studi THINKfilm Company
STEVEN IVORY: Fast Car to Self
*The powerful, purring engine of the gleaming black '69 GTO pierced West Hollywood's wee morning tranquility as it shifted into park, idled for a second and then revved one last time before shutting down.
Devin's here.
It was the late 1980s. We met six months earlier at an L.A. bakery/cafe, where, during conversation, we agreed that a dessert shop not using sugar or flour was pure sacrilege.
You could only casually care for the emotionally elusive, cocoa-skinned, 28 year-old Hawaiian-born Canadian Devin. She wouldn't allow anything heavier.
For instance, I dare not broach with Devin the idea of her visiting me more often or at hours that wouldn't make me feel like the stray, desperate prey of coyote or a random neck for Dracula; that would only push her away.
The next morning, lying in bed and watching her get dressed, I'd routinely gripe about the rambunctious SOUND of her midnight-hour arrivals.
Devin's answer was always the same: "You ain't complaining' when that big engine gets me here."
We'd chuckle at our impasse on the subject--again--and then, with a quick kiss, Devin would be gone until the next time she wanted to roll up from Long Beach and climb into my bed.
Covertly, though, I worried about Devin. Worried that she lived alone with no family in the States; worried that her naiveté kept her just arm's length from trouble.
And, I worried that Devin drove entirely too fast.
During the one occasion she allowed us a real "date," I pretended that my heart wasn't in my throat as she drove like a bat out of hell through Ventura Blvd. traffic.
However, once, when she complained about getting two speeding tickets in a month, I gave her a piece of my mind. "Where," I asked, rhetorically, "are you going that you have to drive so fast to get there?" She went solemn.
I figured my reprimand had sealed my fate. But a month later Saturday night we were in my bed with Hawaiian take-out watching David Mamet's "House of Games." Slowly and quietly, Devin did something she'd never really done with me before: she actually talked to me about herself.
She'd been into fast cars, she said, never looking away from the TV screen, since age nine, when her uncle gave her a ride in his souped-up Camaro on an empty Toronto race track as her father looked on.
Water welled up in Devin's eyes.
It wasn't merely the horsepower and speed that she found exciting; as the Camaro zoomed away, through the mirror on the passenger door, the youngster viewed her father's image getting smaller and smaller. The sensation of escaping his clutches, even only as long as it took to get around that race track, felt liberating.
"The first penis I ever had in my mouth was my father's,” Devin said phlegmatically, the weight of the statement hanging in the air like a foul odor. “He took me into the bathroom, closed the door, undid his pants and made me. I was four years old.”
The abuse continued until Devin was 20 and "escaped" to college. She'd have left sooner but for two younger sisters whom she protected from her father's sinister wrath. When their mother, deep in denial, finally divorced him, Devin felt her siblings safe.
Speed, if only metaphorically, said Devin, had the power to take her from her ever-haunting pain and deliver her to the place of her true self. "Every time I get behind that wheel, I'm racing to my joy," she mused. "Problem is, it always seems just up the road." She said my posing the question about her driving made her connect her desire for speed to her abuse.
That night, Devin held on so tightly, I literally had to pry her arms from around me. Amazingly, she slept until noon.
Standing on the curb out in the sun, our parting kiss was perfunctory. The hug, however, was as mighty as our tears bitter.
When the engine of Devin's funky chariot finally revved up, I waved good-bye, knowing it would be the last time the neighborhood would endure it.
If she hasn't already, I hope dear Devin reaches her special destination--a painless place in her soul where she feels loved and safe and free.
Steven Ivory's book, FOOL IN LOVE (Touchstone/Simon & Schuster) is in stores now or at Amazon.com (www.Amazon.com) Respond to him via STEVRIVORY@AOL.COM or MYfeedback@eurweb
ASK ADVICE CHICK: Answers to YOUR Dating, Sex, Life, & Love Questions!
By - AdviceChick@ameritech.net
Send YOUR questions to AdviceChick@ameritech.net!
Dear Advice Chick,
*I am seeing this guy. We started out as friends and got a little friendlier. He asked me to go on a trip to visit him because he was out of town on business. Now he has suddenly disappeared and his cell phone has been disconnected. He is supposed to come back in town in a few weeks. If I see him, how should I approach him? Or should I just leave it alone?
Advice Chick replies,
Leave it alone just like he left you alone. Miss girl, some men have multiple cell phones because the numbers are disposable just like the flings they have with their chicks-on-the-side. If your so-called friend wanted to be in touch with you, he could. He has YOUR number.
Dear Advice Chick,
I am a Gay African-American male, and I have been with my Lover for about 8 months. For the first 6 months, we were cool - and then I found out that he was still chatting with people on the gay sex site we met on. After about a month, I finally asked him about it - and of course he denied that anything was going on. But ever since then, every little thing seems to make him upset - he says that we are not communicating like we use to; and this may be true due to the fact that I had stop because I was trying to figure out what he was doing with his "free time". But I feel that we are communicating, so I think he 's just looking for a way out of the relationship... It has been about 2 weeks since we had sex, and now we only meet up to go to the Gym (and an occasional Dinner); and that's about it. Whenever we are suppose to hook up, he ends up hanging with his friends - and leaves me at home waiting for him to call me back... So what should I do, I'm in my mid-thirties - and I'm tired of hunting for a good man; he was a good man before this confrontation;; but now he is tripping and saying he "Loves Me."
Advice Chick replies,
You met dude on a gay SEX site. Not a gay dating site, a gay SEX site. I double checked with three gay guys that I know, and the results are the same - gay men meet on gay sex sites to find sex partners. Not life partners, SEX partners. I’m guessing for the first 6 months he was careful enough to keep his other liaisons to himself. After a while, he relaxed a bit, and you now know something is up. Deny, deny, deny - this applies to MEN, straight or gay. He ain’t gonna admit jack, but you already know the business.
Stop waiting on him to call you back. You know he doesn’t love you because love doesn’t hurt. Love doesn’t leave you wondering, questioning, crying (don’t front on me) or sad.
Focus your attention else where. I suggest letting all of your (true) friends know that you’re on the market again. Ask them if they know someone that may be compatible with you. Desperate? No. Determined? Yep.
Send YOUR questions and comments to Advice Chick right NOW! Please put “Dear Advice Chick” in the subject line so your email isn’t deleted as spam. Thanks! Send your emails t advicechick @ ameritech.net
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Ask Advice Chick about ANYTHING and EVERYTHING related to dating, sex, love, and life! She is THE resident dating expert at EURweb.com, and calls on over 11 years of dating and relationship industry experience.
THE BRIDGE: Who Stole The Soul, Part 3
Divided Soul
By Darryl James
*Part of our Soul as a people can be found in what we can create when we come together. But with marriage on the decline and the genders nearly at war with public propaganda, our proverbial Soul is now divided.
For example, men once lead the Black community. Now, women have ostensibly displaced them, but not really.
And there is no way for anyone to lead when all bets are off and many paradigms have been turned on their heads.
For the first time in our history, more Black men are claiming that there is no racism and therefore, no need to deal with the problem of race or racial issues. To them, anyone who can not get ahead is “choosing” to be left behind.
For the first time in our history, more Black women are now asserting their status as women above their status as Black people as though that will get them above racism, when really, it just leaves fewer of us focused on Black issues.
And it leaves more of us divided.
You can say anything negative about Black men and many people will readily agree. Even if it is false.
We are blamed for interracial marriage (even amongst Black women), the infection of Black women with everything, anti-intellectualism, the decreasing marriage rate of Black women, poverty, wild children on the street and global warming.
People claim that there are more of us in prison than college and that most of us are deadbeat dads.
But say anything about Black women and dead-brained assholes will come out of the woodwork to claim that you hate all women. Even if what you say is true.
With no accountability, we’ve seen many Black women become over-sexualized yet undereducated about sex. We’ve seen more of them prepared for life alone and fewer prepared for marriage, while many of them think that being single mothers automatically makes them Strong Black Women. We’ve seen many of those single mothers prepare their daughters to work hard and live independently, while preparing their sons for nothing.
And in the midst of fewer marriages, many Black mothers and fathers have either adopted a false permissive parenting style or no parenting style at all while selfishly pursuing a hedonistic lifestyle foisted above the children they made because they thought parenting would make them look good, not because they really wanted to be parents.
We’ve seen such soulless parents produce a generation of Soul dead children who are now adults with no idea what is good and so pursue nothing and get awarded anyway.
Those soulless parents have produced a generation of children who think that two dead rap stars are heroes, who think that sex is free and hard work is for suckers and who think that drug dealing and violence are the natural pursuits of Black men and that sexual objectification and avarice are the natural pursuits of Black women.
Where we previously would have had an ability to police our own and so make necessary community corrections, too many of us have adopted the majority’s standards and now rely on people outside of our community for ways and means to move our community. As though they really care.
That’s why many Black women supported Hilary Clinton because she is a woman, and many Black men supported her because her husband is a “friend” of Black people. Her husband, Bill Clinton, who presided during a time when Black college enrollment decreased while Black prison enrollment increased.
A president who joined his wife in making nearly slanderous racial remarks and making certain that the presidential campaign was focused on race.
And still we celebrate the denigration of our Soul by anyone who dares to do so, including ourselves.
This is why we can watch America’s new favorite Coon, Flavor Flav, clown, buckdance and embarrass the race in bright colors and then tune in to BET (The Bulls—t Egregiously damaging Television network) and watch such Soul killing shows as Hot Ghetto Mess (now called “We Can Do Better,” a clip show similar to Americas Home Videos, but with Buffoon behavior), Hell Date (with Negroes acting ignorant on fake dates, instead of dealing with the fact that fewer of us are actually dating) and College Hill (where young, ignorant Negroes are paraded on the world stage as violent and oversexual, instead of bright and gifted as the show promised initially).
We perform and then watch these things on television because, as many dead Soul Negroes claim, “We have the right to do so.”
We have the right, but it’s still wrong. And it is killing our Soul, even as the nation loses its own.
Yes, America is losing its own Soul, but African descendants in this land aren’t built for the selling of their Soul, because without our Soul, we are nothing. We will not become white with privilege and we will no longer be what we once strove to be—self-determining and self-sufficient proud Black people.
We will just be Souled out.
Darryl James is an award-winning author of the forthcoming powerful anthology “Notes From The Edge.” Discounted Autographed and Numbered Pre-Release copies can be ordered at www.darryljames.com. He released his first mini-movie, “Crack,” and this year, will release his first full-length documentary. View previous installments of this column at www.bridgecolumn.proboards36.com. Reach James at djames@theblackgendergap.com.
BETWEEN THE LINES: Criticism of The Integrity In The (Black) Press:
I Write For "The People," Not For "A Paper"
Anthony Asadullah Samad
"There is no place like home. There is no place like home. There is no place like home." -- Dorothy from the "Wizard of Oz"
This week, for the first time in 15 years, I called a new place "home." For the 17 years I've been writing my national weekly commentary, being based in Los Angeles, the local folk always had an outlet to read their hometown sage.
The last 15, in one place, thus I always represented the Los Angeles Sentinel as my home paper, though I have no exclusive agreement with any paper and my commentary has been syndicated from its inception.
The "parting of the ways" came in the aftermath of criticisms of the (not so) recent journalistic practices around the County Board of Supervisor's race in trying to trick the voters into making an uninformed choice. I said the reporting "lacked integrity" and the paper was beginning to lack integrity.
Freedom of speech and freedom of the press are centered in the freedom to criticize government, criticize social practices, criticize those responsible to the people, and yes, criticize the press when the press doesn't serve its constitutional purpose. The press is a "social check" in a nation of "checks and balances." The most important page in any paper is the editorial page, as it is the opportunity to check all segments in society, including the press when the press is wrong.
So when the "Executive Publisher" called to say the column wouldn't be picked up any more because he "couldn't have me writing for the paper and publicly criticizing it," he obviously forgot that I didn't write for his paper. I write for the people, and he was just one of many outlets who "purchased" my opinion.
The Black Press has served as an ultimate check against a constant "white-out" of issues in our community and the constant distortion of facts that continually misrepresent black communities and the people who live there. Today's news is tomorrow's history. He (she) who tells the story writes the ending. Historiography in America is constantly in revision as discovery of historicity (as it relates to actual history of Black America) is uncovered. Social criticism has uncovered most of these historical misrepresentations. Advocacy journalism attacks false history and covertness. Journalistic integrity, no matter who lacks it, should be called out at all costs. Black journalists and editorialists are constantly calling out media bias and misrepresenting of the mainstream media that we see, by any standard, as unfair. It's okay to call out the Los Angeles Times, or CNN or Fox News when they insult our sensibilities (and our intelligence) but when the black press does it, we're supposed to ignore it. I don't think so. Black press is fair game too.
In fact, when the L.A. Times was distorting the black community, who was threatening a boycott back in 1989, I wrote an editorial accusing them of "yellow journalism." The Times ran the critique, taking the criticism as the public right to check them when they are perceived as unfair and imbalanced. Geraldine Ferraro, the former Vice Presidential nominee recently stated that all black reporters were surrogates for Barack Obama, suggesting that we could not cover him without favoritism or bias. Well, Fox News has biases, the New York Times and other media have ideological biases. That's where the "liberal" or "conservative" monikers come from. If a publication has a bias or a leaning, it should be stated-not inferred-and there still should be balance to the story if it is a two-sided story. If it is an editorial, opinion still has to be factual and the opportunity for rebuttal (the other side of the story) extended. Don't give the appearance of neutrality but don't offer the facts or distort the facts. All press may be entitled to their own opinions, but not their own facts. Inaccuracy in the media is the greatest threat to the spirit of free thought, as an attempt to manipulate the truth is an effort to manipulate the democracy.
My former "home" was openly biased in their reporting and misstating facts to manipulate public sentiment for one candidate and casting false aspirations against another. When I called it out in last week (in my column and at the Urban Issues Forum), my services were "no longer needed." For the record, I was not "fired." I never worked for the Sentinel. My only job is for the Los Angeles Community College District. Everything else I do out of passion or entrepreneurial spirit. My column is a service, the same as, say-your cable. When you don't want cable any longer, you call them and tell them to discontinue. That doesn't mean the programming stops for others subscribers who want to continue purchasing.
A new paper has opted for the service, a new "subscriber" I now call home, Our Weekly. Those who read my column on-line and in print off-line will still be able to do so. The difference being, instead of being in a house with 15,000 "rooms", I'll be in one with 50,000 "rooms." Sometimes we outgrow our space and have to find a new place. But we still call "home" any place that brings peace. Peace in journalism is truth and credible information. Anything else is what America has historically been and historically done to us, give the inference of equality, and omit, or distort, the truth. I can't remain silent when others do it to us, much less allow some of us to do it to exploit us in that same manner. I write for "the people," not a paper. Counter cultural commentary is alive and well, and there's no place like home.
Until next week.
Anthony Asadullah Samad, Ph.D., is a national columnist, managing director of the Urban Issues Forum (www.urbanissuesforum.com) and author of the new book, Saving The Race: Empowerment Through Wisdom. He can be reached at www.AnthonySamad.com
TURNER’S TWO CENTS: Pathetic Hillary; R. Kelly’s CGI Defense; Computers “Crystal Skull” Stunts
by Cameron Turner
*Hillary Clinton is pathetic. She started this campaign as an admirable candidate (I voted for her in the California primary, way back when) but since the Pennsylvania primary she has deteriorated into a self-centered, self-pitying, race- and gender-bating fanatic. Her vile reference to Robert Kennedy’s assassination completes her transformation to a divisive and disgraceful Machiavellian who has no right to be President of the United States.
Fortunately, she has no chance of winning the nomination. Even more fortunate is that the presumptive Democratic nominee is a true man of the people – all of the people – who has consistently preached unity and who has remained honorable in the face of the most scurrilous of attacks. Sen. Clinton has divided our nation. Sen. Obama is bringing us together. That’s why, despite Hillary’s foul and petty attacks, the next President of the United States will be Barack Obama.
Whew. Thanks for letting me get that off of my chest.
Turning now to controversies in the world of entertainment… R. Kelly’s defense attorney, Sam Adam, Jr., actually stood up in court last week and suggested that someone might have used CGI (computer-generated imaging) to superimpose R’s face onto the body of the guy in that infamous sex video. Wow. That’s really taking the “wasn’t me” defense to ridiculous extremes. But then again, after several witnesses testified that Kelly is the man on the tape and that the female with him was 13 or 14, what else was Kelly’s lawyer going to say?
And since we’re on the subject of CGI, the critics are correct to dis the new “Indiana Jones” flick for relying so heavily on computer graphics. CGI is an incredible tool, but when it is used too much, or used at the wrong time, the results can be unrealistic, even cartoony. That can work in a superhero flick where characters aren’t supposed to move or respond like real human beings. But the power of the “Indiana Jones” movies is that Indy is a real guy facing real danger. He often escapes just barely and his body usually takes a real beating. That’s why the “big ball” in “Raiders of the Lost Ark” is one of the best action sequences ever put on film.
“Crystal Skull” rocks when it sticks to old fashioned, tactile stunts (like a motorcycle chase through a college campus, or an attack by Ninja-like warriors in a labyrinthian tomb) but things get shaky when the computers get involved. The coolest car chase in “Crystal Skull” stalls out when Shia LaBeouf sword fights Cate Blanchett while straddling two trucks barreling down a rugged dirt road in the Peruvian jungle. The stunt is lame because it isn’t a stunt at all. It’s computer animation of something that is completely unbelievable. There is no way a guy could do this. So, the scene feels like something from Xbox; it looks cool but it can’t make our hearts pound because it’s so phony.
This moment doesn’t come anywhere close to the famous scene in “Raiders of the Lost Ark” where Indy crawls under the speeding Nazi truck (a recreation of the classic stagecoach stunt originated in the 1930s by legendary cowboy stunt man Yakima Canutt). That moment still crackles with tension because it involves an actual guy under an actual moving vehicle.
CGI’s limitless possibilities must make the temptation to create spectacular visuals almost irresistible for today’s filmmakers. But speaking strictly as an audience member, I often long for the old days when making things look perfect was rarely possible. Back then, movies had to work harder to create visual excitement. Stunts had to be created in-camera and there was more emphasis on suspense and characters’ emotional reactions.
The growth of CGI makes me recall the hilarious bit that Joe Flaherty and the late John Candy did in the 1980s on the sketch comedy show “SCTV.” They played hillbilly movie reviewers who only got excited over explosions. Their punch line was, “That blowed up real good!” Forget plot, character, emotional connection, mental stimulation, etc. As long as it “blowed up real good” these guys thought the flick was great. Too much CGI can lead to movies like that.
Thanks for listening. I’m Cameron Turner and that’s my two cents.
THINK! IT AIN’T ILLEGAL…YET!
THE JOURNAL OF STEFFANIE RIVERS: Equal Opportunity
A white student has been named valedictorian at Morehouse College, one of the oldest and most respected historically Black college and universities (HBCU). This is the first time a non-Black student has earned that honor in the college’s 141-year history.
I wonder what Bill Cosby – or any notable Morehouse alum - would have to say about this monumental news. In their absence, here’s what I have to say:
If it’s acceptable for a Black man to be president of the United States, then it should be acceptable for a white student to be valedictorian at Morehouse College.
I didn’t start out so diplomatic about the issue, so hear me out. When I first heard the news I went through the stages of denial, then disappointment, then acceptance, because it is what it is.
Don’t hate – congratulate - Joshua Packwood. Evidently this Rhodes Scholar finalist did what he was supposed to. He went to class and endeavored to be the best. It’s every parent’s dream for her child to be class valedictorian. No, if there is blame to be placed, it is not with Packwood.
If the HBCU label isn’t indicative enough,