HBO ACQUIRES ED NORTON'S OBAMA FILM: Documentary to air in spring; follows candidate before, during and after presidential run.
*After months of courtship, HBO has closed a reported seven-figure deal for the U.S. rights to an untitled Barack Obama documentary produced by actor Edward Norton, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
In early 2006, Norton and his Class 5 Films received permission from the Obama camp to produce a documentary about his history in politics.
Directors Amy Rice and Alicia Sams were granted extensive access to film the then-Illinois senator before he launched his presidential run in 2007 and have continued their shoot through his historic victory last week.
Over 2 1/2 years, the filmmakers had "unprecedented" access to the candidate, his family, friends and campaign volunteers, the network said. Sam Pollard, editor of HBO's Spike Lee documentary "When the Levees Broke," has been hired to edit the Obama film. The documentary is scheduled to air sometime in the spring.
"Senator Obama's history-making race for the White House has given our film a perfect framework to explore the pulse of the country at this vital moment in our history," said Norton, who produced the project with Stuart Blumberg and Bill Migliore.
KATT WILLIAMS JAILED BEFORE CARNEGIE HALL GIG: Comedian collared on weapons charges; released in time for appearance.
*Comedian Katt Williams nearly missed his scheduled Carnegie Hall concert on Thursday after he was arrested on weapons charges just hours before show time.
According to the Associated Press, police pulled him over early Thursday in midtown Manhattan for driving a car without license plates. He was hauled off to jail after a search of the vehicle turned up a handgun, authorities said.
The 35-year-old comic, best known for his role in the movie "Friday After Next" and for the underground “Pimp Chronicles" film series, was released on bail just in time to make his show as part of the annual New York Comedy Festival.
“I’m not moving at my usual pace, I just got out of jail 35 minutes ago,” he told the sold-out crowd, which included fellow comedian Chris Rock. Williams said President-elect Barack Obama kept his spirits up while behind bars.
"I'm in jail with every emotion that I possess. I'm hurting 'cause I said I wouldn't go back to jail," the permed funnyman lamented. "Every time I see a white person, it reminds me of something. 'Oh, we got a black president!'"
Williams later gave the adoring crowd his coat, tie and shoes, and took pictures with fans while wearing only his undershirt, jeans and socks.
'OPRAH' RATINGS SOAR 'THE DAY AFTER': Ratings for Wed. broadcast celebrating Obama win is season high; plus, will O really leave show in 2011?
*"The Oprah Winfrey Show” scored its best ratings of the season on Wednesday, when the TV host was finally able to celebrate her support for Barack Obama and his historic election victory the night before.
The live broadcast – featuring political figures John Lewis, Gloria Steinem, David Gergen, Peggy Noonan and Henry Louis Gates – averaged a 6.5 household rating, according to Nielsen metered markets, her best rating in some nine months. Among women 25-54, the show averaged a 3.6 rating, its best since February.
Although Winfrey's support of Obama was well known, she has made a point not to use her show to promote any candidate during the long presidential campaign. "Today, though, the election is over, and I'm unleashed!" Winfrey said to her Wednesday audience.
Meanwhile, there is talk that Winfrey has already decided not to renew her contract to extend "The Oprah Winfrey Show" beyond 2011.
During a morning conference call on Friday, Discovery CEO David Zaslav said Winfrey will shutter the talk show in 2011 to focus on OWN, the eponymous cable network that Winfrey and Discovery will launch as partners next year.
By early afternoon, however, Winfrey's Harpo Prods.' spokeswoman Lisa Halliday, clarified that no formal decision has been made about the show's long-term future.
"While David Zaslav's comments are true that Oprah's current contract to produce 'The Oprah Winfrey Show' will expire in 2011, she has not made a final decision as to whether she will continue her show in syndication beyond that," Halliday told Variety.
A spokesperson for CBS Television Distribution, which distributes "Oprah Winfrey," was also quick to weigh in.
"We are thrilled that 'The Oprah Winfrey Show' will continue production through the 2010 - 2011 season, its 25th year on the air....We would certainly welcome and hope that 'The Oprah Winfrey Show' would continue in syndication beyond that, but that is a decision only Ms. Winfrey will be making."
WILL SMITH IN TALKS WITH SPIELBERG: Pair would team for director's remake of Korean drama 'Oldboy.'
*After years of searching for the right opportunity to work with Will Smith, director Steven Spielberg thinks he may have found the perfect project – an update of the 2003 Korean drama "Oldboy."
Smith and Spielberg are in early discussions to remake the project, reports Variety. In Chan Wook-park's Korean-language original, a man gets kidnapped and held in a shabby cell for 15 years without explanation.
Suddenly, he's released and given money, a cell phone and clothes and is set on a path to discover who destroyed his life so he can take revenge.
DreamWorks is in the process of securing the remake rights, and the new film will be distributed by Universal, reports Variety. Smith would play the kidnapped man if a deal between all parties can be hammered out.
Spielberg is currently looking for a writer to begin the development process.
PAROLE HEARING TODAY FOR HUDSON SUSPECT: 'Person of interest' William Balfour could be released this afternoon.
*The 27-year-old man questioned in the killings of Jennifer Hudson's mother, brother and nephew could be released from jail today following a 9 a.m. parole hearing if an administrative officer finds no reason to hold him.
William Balfour, the estranged husband of Jennifer's sister Julia Hudson, is in custody on a parole violation but is also a "person of interest" in the triple murder investigation. No one has been charged in the shootings.
The chairman of the Illinois Prisoner Review Board, Jorge Montes, says that if an administrative officer finds cause to continue holding Balfour, the case then would go to a review board for a hearing. However, Montes says "conceivably" Balfour could be released, reports the Associated Press.
Police spokeswoman Monique Bond said the investigation of the killings is continuing and is independent of the prisoner review board's decisions.
Meanwhile, the Chicago Tribune is reporting that Balfour acknowledged being at the Hudson's Englewood home on the morning that the actress' mother, Darnell Donerson, and her brother, Jason Hudson, were gunned down inside the house. Julia Hudson's son, Julian King, was abducted from the home and his body discovered three days later, shot twice in the head and slumped in the back of Jason Hudson's Chevy Suburban on a West Side street.
Balfour's current girlfriend also told police that he told her he had been involved in the killings of Donerson and Hudson, sources told the Tribune.
CHRIS ROCK COURTS 'DEATH': Actor set to star and co-write update of 2007 comedy for Screen Gems.
*Chris Rock is putting his weight behind a re-imagining of the 2007 comedy "Death at a Funeral" from Screen Gems and Sidney Kimmel Entertainment (SKE) reports Variety.
The comedian will team with co-writer Aeysha Carr to write the script, which is based on the SKE-produced original penned by Dean Craig and directed by Frank Oz.
The story follows a funeral ceremony that leads to the digging up of shocking family secrets, as well as misplaced cadavers and indecent exposure. While the original was set in Britain, the new film will take place in an urban American setting.
Screen Gems and SKE are currently seeking directors and plan to begin production next spring.
R. KELLY'S NEPHEWS ARRESTED: One of two were shot during armed robbery attempt at Chicago-area barbershop.
*One nephew of R&B star R. Kelly is in intensive care and another is in custody after both were arrested as suspects in an armed-robbery attempt at a Chicago-area barber shop, reports MTV News.
Calumet City police told the Web site that either Brayel Kelly, 15, or his older brother Brandon Kelly went into a barbershop and requested a haircut. After receiving his haircut, he allegedly tried to rob the shop owner by flashing a weapon and demanding that the owner place his money and jewelry in a plastic bag.
The man complied but also drew his own weapon. Police say the suspect fired, and the victim returned fire. The owner later told police that he believed he hit the robber.
Brayel Kelly, one of six children (along with Brandon) belonging to R's estranged brother Carey Kelley, was shot in the abdomen/chest area and is hospitalized at Advocate Christ Medical Center. Carey told a local Fox reporter outside the hospital that his son was shot twice and that one bullet collapsed his lung on the right side, while the other pierced his liver.
Before addressing to the armed-robbery call, police responded to a call two blocks away, where they found a juvenile who had been shot in the back. Brayel's older brother, Brandon, was arrested and police are investigating whether he acted as a lookout.
The Cook County state's attorney's office, which had previously tried R. Kelly on charges of child pornography earlier this year, would be the prosecutor in the case if the brothers are charged with attempted robbery.
The office told MTV News that they are currently looking at "all the facts being compiled by the police."
NO SEX FOR NICK & MARIAH UNTIL MARRIAGE: Intercourse was put off for two months until wedding night, the singer claims.
*Mariah Carey has revealed that she and her husband Nick Cannon did not engage in sexual activity until their wedding night.
"It's not that we had no intimacy. It's just me, and my feelings," the singer told WENN. "I definitely don't want to push it on anybody else. But we both have similar beliefs, and I just thought that it would be so much more special if we waited until after we were married. And it was, and it still is."
Carey and Cannon traveled to the Bahamas for their wedding in April following a two month romance.
JUDGE ORDERS PRINCE TO PAY EDITOR: Man claimed musician never returned equipment and failed to pay bill.
*Prince has been ordered by a judge to shell out nearly $58,000 to a man who says the superstar never paid him for editing services and unreturned equipment.
Video editor Ian C. Lewis was originally seeking $1 million in exemplary damages in his October 2007 lawsuit against Prince and his company, Paisley Park Enterprises.
But Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Gregory Alarcon lowered the amount to $58,000 in his ruling Wednesday after conducting a brief trial last month that included testimony from Lewis himself, reports the Associated Press.
Documents show Alarcon also denied Lewis' claim that Prince and his company broke a $25,000 computer because no receipts were provided.
Prince's attorneys withdrew from the case and he was not represented during the trial.
MIJAC OFFERED O2 ARENA STAND?: King of Pop rumored to be considering London concert run; plus, 'Thriller' CD back at No. 1.
*First there were reports that Michael Jackson would join his brothers in a reunion tour. Then, the singer, himself, released a statement denying the rumors, which his brother Jermaine had confirmed as true the previous day.
Now, Billboard.com is hearing talk that Jackson may follow in the footsteps of Prince and perform a long engagement at London's 02 Arena.
"A source confirms that there is a 'standing offer with no expiration' from AEG Live for Jackson to play at the O2," Billboard reported Friday. "The 02 is operated by Anschutz Entertainment Group, and any Jackson stand at the 02 would almost certainly be promoted by AEG Live, the live entertainment arm of AEG."
Sources tell Billboard that Michael's decision not to participate in the reported Jackson 5 reunion tour may stem from his desire to do his own touring next year.
In related news, Jackson's groundbreaking 1982 album "Thriller" jumped 41-1 on Billboard's Top Pop Catalog Albums chart last week after selling 31,000 copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan (a 1,000% increase).
The move was fueled by the album's various anniversary celebrations that took place around the world last week. The set is now 2008's top-selling catalog album, having shifted 688,000 copies.
ROY JONES LOSES DESPITE OBAMA INSPIRATION: Boxer felt extra pumped for Calzaghe bout after Tuesday's election, but loses anyway.
*Four days before Roy Jones Jr. stepped into the ring to face Welsh fighter Joe Calzaghe Saturday night, he was in tears as Barack Obama's election night victory was being celebrated outside of his window and around the world.
"I'm so happy we have a black president. No one can tell us anymore that we're not equal," Jones said Tuesday night as he looked out onto Times Square from his hotel room. The moment was captured on camera and aired on HBO's "24-7."
"Now I can't help but to knock out Joe Calzaghe," Jones continued. "He'll have to kill me to beat me now!"
Well, it wasn't a killing Saturday night, but Calzaghe overcame a first-round knockdown to beat Jones in a one-sided unanimous decision, reports the AP.
All three judges scored the light heavyweight fight 118-109 for Calzaghe, as did The Associated Press, every round going to him after the first.
"The pitter-pats were harder than I thought," said Jones, who couldn't see out of his left eye in the later rounds. "I don't know. He won the fight. He definitely won the fight."
Jorge Posada, LL Cool J, Paul Rudd, Ricky Gervais, Brooke Shields, and ex-champs Evander Holyfield and Lennox Lewis were among the celebs on hand for the fight in Madison Square Garden.
CHAPPELLE TO TURN TABLES ON JAMES LIPTON: Comedian to interview 'Actor's Studio' host for 200th episode.
*Dave Chappelle, one of the more memorable guests to ever appear on Bravo's "Inside the Actor's Studio," will take over the show for one day as host James Lipton's takes a turn in the hotseat.
According to E! Online, the reclusive comic will interview Lipton as part of the show's 200th anniversary episode, which will feature highlights from its past 14 seasons.
Chappelle famously discussed his abrupt departure from Comedy Central's "Chappelle Show" and subsequent retreat to Africa during a Dec. 2005 taping of "Actor's Studio" that aired in Feb 2006.
The two-hour Chappelle-hosted special will air Nov. 10 with a look back at Lipton's interviews with Julia Roberts, Tom Hanks, Will Smith and Angelina Jolie and others.
SYLVAIN WHITE COMMANDS 'LOSERS': 'Stomp the Yard' director in final talks to helm comic book story.
*Director Sylvain White is in final negotiations to take over the long-gestating film adaptation of DC-Vertigo comic book "The Losers," reports Reuters.
The script had been in the hands of such directors as Peter Berg and Tim Story before landing with White, who helmed "Stomp the Yard."
"Losers" follows a highly trained and eclectic Special Ops team that is set up, betrayed and left for dead. They go on a quest to find who sold them out and why, righting wrongs they encounter along the way.
The tales of "Losers" ran in the pages DC Comics' "G.I. Combat" and "Our Fighting Forces" in the 1970s and revolved around the adventures of a misfit group of U.S. troops during World War II.
The book was relaunched about six years ago under the company's Vertigo imprint by writer Andy Diggle and artist Jock, who turned the title into a modern action-espionage adventure book.
OBAMA INSPIRES COMMON TO LEAK 'CHANGES': Rapper anxious for folks to hear ode to president-elect from his forthcoming album.
*Barack Obama's Presidential victory Tuesday night inspired fellow Chicagoan Common to leak the song "Changes" from his upcoming album "Universal Mind Control," due Dec. 9.
"I wrote this song to inspire the young world to believe that change can happen. To be honest, I also envisioned it as a great inaugural song for Barack Obama," said Common of the track, which features singer Muhsinah Abdul-Karim as well as a spoken word appearance by his daughter Omoye.
Hopeful about Obama's chances of a victory, Common was inspired to pen "Changes" during the campaign, but when hope became a reality, he was moved to leak the song ahead of schedule, according to a statement from thinkcommon.com.
Common has always been vocal about his support of Barack Obama and was even the first hip-hop artist to name check him in a song almost four years ago.
Click here to listen to "Changes":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuielNVV2W4
T.I. PASSES HOT 100 BATON TO HIMSELF: Rapper's 'Life' replaces 'Like' at No. 1; duet with Jamie Foxx is top debut.
*T.I. again succeeds himself at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 as "Live Your Life" featuring Rihanna, trades places 2-1 with "Whatever You Like."
"Life" also replaced "Like" on Oct. 9, making T.I. the ninth artist in the rock era to accomplish such a feat, Billboard reports.
"Live Your Life" also returns to No. 1 on Hot Digital Songs with 184,000 downloads, while "Whatever You Like" maintains the top spot for an eighth week on Hot 100 Airplay, with 162 million impressions.
Elsewhere on the Hot 100, Beyonce's "If I Were a Boy" slides 3-5.
Britney Spears' "Womanizer" is down 5-6, with Kevin Rudolf's "Let It Rock"
featuring Lil Wayne and Ne-Yo's "Miss Independent" holding at Nos. 7 and 8, respectively. Akon's "Right Now (Na Na Na)" jumps 14-9 and is the top digital gainer after selling 117,000 downloads.
"Miss Independent" is No. 1 for a second week on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, where Jamie Foxx's "Just Like Me" featuring
T.I. is the top debut at No. 48. Foxx's next album, "Intuition," is due Dec. 16 via J.
JAMIE FOXX PREPARES 'INTUITION' FOR DEC: Actor's new album features input from Timbaland, Ne-Yo and the-Dream.
*Jamie Foxx's new film "The Soloist" will arrive in March on the heels of his third album, "Intuition," due Dec. 16 from J Records, reports Billboard.com.
The CD, Foxx's third, is led by the single "Just Like Me" featuring T.I., which is the top debut this week at No. 48 on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The track was co-written and produced by the hitmaking team of the-Dream and Christopher "Tricky" Stewart. It becomes available via digital retailers on Tuesday.
"Intuition" will also include contributions from Timbaland, Ne-Yo, Sean Garrett, Salaam Remi and Carlos McKinney, among others. It's the follow-up to 2005's "Unpredictable," which has sold 1.98 million copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
"The Soloist," co-starring Robert Downey Jr., opens in U.S. theaters on March 13.
MAYA ANGELOU TO PEN POEM ABOUT OBAMA: Poet and former Hillary supporter says she 'wept,' and 'shook' Tuesday night.
*Avid Hillary Clinton supporter Maya Angelou says she has been inspired to write a poem in honor of president-elect Barack Obama, who will be the first African American to hold the nation's highest office when he is sworn in on Jan. 20.
But Angelou doesn't expect to be commissioned to recite her piece on Inauguration Day, as she did for the incoming president 16 years ago.
"I'm sure Mr. Obama, president-elect, will have them bring his own poet," the 80-year-old writer told the Associated Press Friday from her home in Winston-Salem, where she holds a professorship at Wake Forest University.
"I was somebody else's poet."
Angelou was famously commissioned by Bill Clinton to compose a poem and read it at his inauguration in 1992. Sixteen years after delivering "On the Pulse of Morning" on the steps of the U.S. Capitol, Angelou continued to support the Clintons by endorsing Sen. Hillary Clinton's run against Obama during the primary season.
But when Sen. Clinton withdrew, the writer immediately began "thumping the drum" for Obama and even introduced his wife, Michelle, at an event in Greensboro in September. (View here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LgI0YGrKGMY&feature=related)
The poet and author of such books as "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" said she had a visceral, physical reaction when Obama was declared the winner late Tuesday.
"First I laughed," she told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. "Before I could finish laughing, I wept. Then I shook. I mean, I trembled. You know, the old meaning of the word 'thrill' has a physical aspect. It's like, `Brrrrr!' My body started shaking."
"I thought of my people, African-Americans," she continued. "I thought of white Americans. I thought of Asians and Spanish people. And I thought, 'My God! What a country. What a country.' I believe that in the secret heart of every American there's a desire to live in a great country. And look at us now."
"On the Pulse of Morning," the poem she composed for Clinton, talked of war and divisiveness, but also of hope for a new beginning of peace. Angelou said Obama is "a clear and clean wind, a breeze. ... There is some poetry in him, yes."
She has not been approached by Obama about the inauguration, nor does she expect to be. She plans to write a poem about the election of the nation's true first black president in the coming months, but she cannot yet say what form it will take. She only knows that, like this milestone, it will not come easy.
"I will approach it as the work it is," she said. "Try to put all my energies and my talents and my prayers and hopes and all that, my nervousness — all of those things will go into it."
OPRAH'S OFFICIAL STORE GOES ONLINE: Folks no longer have to visit Chicago boutique to purchase items.
*Ninety percent of the wares available at The Oprah Store in Chicago is now just a mouse click away.
Friday (Nov. 7) marked the launch of http://www.theoprahstore.com, an expansion of her small shopping Web site that previously carried keychains and T-shirts. The new version offers 800-plus items in more than a dozen categories, including apparel, home living, travel, African crafts and DVDs.
The 5,500-square-foot brick-and-mortar boutique opened in January across from Harpo Studios, where her "Oprah Winfrey Show" is tape. The earth-friendly store has hosted an average 250 post-Oprah show shoppers and curious Winfrey fans a day.
Other "O" apparel for sale includes umbrellas, coffee mugs, baby bibs and pet collars. Tote bags and note cards are printed with Winfrey quotes like "Live your own dreams." Non-branded clothing such as cashmere sweaters and lounge outfits are also available for purchase.
At Winfrey's store, the real draw for some die-hard fans is "Oprah's Closet," a dark wooden armoire filled with clothes and shoes that Winfrey herself once wore or kept in her own closet. Prices in that section range from $80 to $500, with proceeds going to Winfrey's Angel Network.
SERVICES SET FOR JHERYL BUSBY: Former Motown executive died on Election Day at age 59.
*Funeral services have been announced for Jheryl Busby, the longtime music industry veteran and former President/CEO Motown Records who died Nov. 4 at the age of 59.
A funeral will be held in Los Angeles on Thursday (Nov. 13) at 11 a.m. at "The Tabernacle" of Faithful Central Bible Church in Inglewood (321 N. Eucalyptus Ave.).
A repass will follow the services at a location and time to be determined at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, the family has asked that donations be sent t
Jheryl Busby Foundation, c/o New Beginnings; 6767 Regal Park Drive; Fontana, CA 92336. (909) 355-3533
DJIMON HOUSOU TO VOICE BET'S 'BLACK PANTHER': Animated series adapted from Marvel comic of the same name.
*BET Networks and Marvel Comics have recruited Oscar-nominated actor Djimon Hounsou to voice the lead character in their upcoming animated series "The Black Panther," reports Variety.
"'The Black Panther' is Marvel's entrée into prime-time animation, and Djimon raises the bar for all involved as we bring the best in the animation business together to execute that vision," said Marvel Animation president Eric Rollman.
The series will be adapted from six issues of the Marvel comic of the same name. Former BET president Reginald Hudlin wrote the scripts in 2005.
Considered to be the first modern black superhero, Black Panther was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and made its first appearance in July 1966 in Fantastic Four comic book #52. The character began headlining his own volumes in 1973.
"It's a blessing for African Americans and minorities to have a superhero they can identify with," said Hounsou of the character.
BEYONCE WANTS TO PLAY 'WONDER WOMAN': Singer-actress just putting it out there.
*If the nation has evolved enough to elect its first black president, surely it would accept an African American woman in the role of white superhero Wonder Woman. At least, that's what Beyonce is banking on.
"What would be better than Wonder Woman?" she tells the Los Angeles Times of her dream role. "It would be great. And it would be a very bold choice. A black Wonder Woman would be a powerful thing. It's time for that, right?"
The 27-year-old said she has already met with representatives at DC Comics and Warner Bros. to discuss donning the red, white and blue bathing suit on screen.
"After doing these roles that were so emotional I was thinking to myself, 'OK, I need to be a superhero,'" Beyoncé tells the Times. "Although, when you think about the psychology of the heroes in the films these days, they are still a lot of work, of course, and emotional. But there's also an action element that I would enjoy."
Her interest in the role got a boost earlier this year when she saw Lynda Carter's iconic costume on display at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art.
"I would definitely have to keep it right for that costume," she says. "But I love Wonder Woman and it'd be a dream come true to be that character. It sure would be handy to have that lasso."
NO NEW TRIAL FOR O.J. SIMPSON: Former NFL great denied request during Friday hearing.
*O.J. Simpson lost his bid for a new trial during a hearing Friday before the same judge who oversaw his recent conviction in the armed robbery of two sports memorabilia dealers in a Las Vegas hotel room.
Clark County District Court Judge Jackie Glass said the issues raised by lawyers for Simpson and co-defendant Clarence "C.J." Stewart did not rise to the level of granting another trial, reports the Associated Press.
Glass acknowledged during Friday's hearing that her ruling paves the way for Simpson and Stewart to appeal to the Nevada Supreme Court.
Simpson and Stewart are scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 5. They face up to life in state prison. The jury found them guilty on Oct. 3 of all 12 charges, including kidnapping, armed robbery and assault with a deadly weapon, in the Sept. 13, 2007, hotel room confrontation.
Stewart's lawyer, Brent Bryson, alleged misconduct by the jury foreman, whom he quoted as saying he thought Simpson should have been given a life sentence in the Los Angeles case involving the 1994 slayings of Simpson's ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ronald Goldman. Simpson was acquitted in that case.
RIHANNA SUFFERS DIZZY SPELL DOWN UNDER: Singer ran off stage clutching stomach during Thursday concert.
*Rihanna scared fans at a Thursday night concert in Sydney, Australia after running off stage in apparent physical pain in the middle of her finale.
Her rep, Amanda Silverman, says the singer is doing fine now and was to resume her tour schedule on the continent.
According to reports, paramedics were rushed to Acer Arena to treat the pop star, who had just been lowered down to the stage by a harness and joined by her boyfriend Chris Brown for their remix of "Umbrella."
Rihanna periodically held her stomach during the song before suddenly doubling over and bolting off-stage, still clutching her abdomen. Brown was forced to complete the show's finale alone.
"It was very hot at the venue, so after Rihanna's set was over, she went off stage and needed to sit down, catch her breath and have some water," Silverman explained. "She is perfectly healthy and will be at her show tomorrow." View clip below:
Angle 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2PjfxhnVzQ
Angle 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrMkF0ZvkOs
VING RHAMES SELLING BRENTWOOD HOME: Actor puts house on the market for $2.7 million.
*Actor Ving Rhames is putting his two-story Tuscany-style home in Brentwood, Calif. on the market with an asking price of $2,699,000, reports the Los Angeles Times.
The house has five bedrooms and 6 1/2 bathrooms in 4,700 square feet. There is a chef's eat-in kitchen with Viking Professional appliances, granite counters and a direct entrance from the garage. One bedroom is on the ground floor. There are walnut floors, a formal dining room and a fireplace in the master bedroom suite.
In August 2007, a 40-year-old caretaker on the property died of a heart attack in a mauling incident involving the film star's dogs.
Rhames, 49, played the merciless drug dealer Marsellus Wallace in "Pulp Fiction" (1994). He received a Golden Globe award for his performance in HBO's "Don King: Only in America," then famously gave it to fellow nominee Jack Lemmon in 1998, saying: "I feel that being an artist is about giving, and I'd like to give this to you."
MCCARTNEY WANTS TO SERENADE MICHELLE OBAMA: Former Beatle extremely happy about outcome of election.
*Paul McCartney says he's so pleased with the America's Election Day voting results that he hopes to someday get a chance to serenade incoming First Lady Michelle Obama.
"I hope to get the opportunity to sing ... to his wife. I have a little song ready for her," the former Beatle told Britain's Sky News backstage at the MTV Europe Music Awards Thursday night.
Asked what tune he has in mind, McCartney sang the beginning of the Beatles '60s hit "Michelle," which was famously borrowed by Slick Rick in his 80s rap anthem "La-Di-Da-Di."
As for President-Elect Barack Obama, McCartney said, "I think sincerely he is the man for the job. I think it is a legendary occasion and I wish him the very best."
VENUS WINS SONY ERICSSON TOURNAMENT: Younger sister Serena withdrew last week with stomach muscle problem.
*Venus Williams won the WTA Tour's year-end event for the first time by beating Vera Zvonareva 6-7 (5/7), 6-0, 6-2 during Sunday's final of the Sony Ericsson championships.
Near the end of the match in Doha, the capital city of Qatar, she collapsed on the ground and began crying, apparently because of the exhaustion that was affecting her ground strokes, reports AFP.
"It was a hard fought match right down to the end," said Williams, who went into the match still drained from beating world number one Jelena Jankovic the previous day. "I am so excited. I wanted it so bad."
Meanwhile, Serena Williams withdrew from Sony Ericsson with a stomach muscle injury that may have occurred during her round robin loss to Venus 5-7, 6-1, 6-0 on Thursday.
"I had zero pain last night," Serena said of her post-match experience. "But I didn't serve well and I think that's why I was doing that. I might have been over-compensating.
"When I got home I didn't feel pain. But when I woke up I was in pain. I have had this before and so when I felt this it was like a red flag. I went to see how I felt in practice yesterday, and it was hard when I was hitting ground strokes. I didn't want to risk it."
Serena was challenged by a British journalist who suggested that sometimes in a major tournament such as this she should play through the pain for the sake of the event and for the sponsors.
"I think what I should do is make you work out, have a severe stomach strain and play for the sponsors," she chided. When the journalist suggested he would have, Serena responded with satirical laughter, adding: "You really should. You should go for it and live the dream!"
Later she explained: "I had this once in LA and played through it and I was out for six to eight weeks. So when I had these symptoms I thought I must start the New Year well. I can't afford to be out for so long."
ITTY BITTY BITS: Paris talks Obama; Obama dog; Taraji & Brad; Julia Hudson's MySpace; 'View' ratings; new Naomi drama; Palin bypasses Oprah.
*Paris Hilton was dragged unwittingly into the presidential election when John McCain's camp featured her image in a campaign ad mocking Barack Obama's perceived "celebrity" status. Although Hilton struck back with her own clip calling McCain a "wrinkly white-haired guy," she never revealed which candidate had her support. After Tuesday, she told People magazine:
"The best man won. I'm so thrilled. I love Barack and I think he's amazing.
The world is definitely a better place now. There's a lot of change and a lot of hope coming. That's a very good thing."
*"Dog Whisperer" Cesar Millan is weighing in with some advice for the new puppy coming to the White House with the Obamas. The entire family should "play pack leader roles and greet [the dog] in a calm assertive way,"
he tells People.com. And because they have such busy lives, Millan suggests a "medium energy level" dog for the family. "I teach my kids when you meet a dog, no touch, no talk no eye contact. Let the dog come to you. And keep a calm and stay-assertive energy," he adds. That calm assertive energy is something Millan sees "coming out of Barack during his speeches" and advises him to maintain it – not just with dogs but with world leaders as well.
"Animal leadership and human leadership goes together," he says.
*Actress Taraji P. Henson, who plays the mother of Brad Pitt's character in "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," has a glowing review of her on-screen son when it comes to his skills parenting six kids with girlfriend Angelina Jolie. "There are some parents who are meant to be parents of multiple [children]. They were chosen," Henson told People. The Jolie-Pitts "spend one-on-one time with each child everyday. He would bring a different child to the set every day and spend all day with that one child. I never saw a nanny. It was always him, Angelina, or his parents."
When Angelina first visited the set, "she had Shiloh, and [Brad] grabbed my hand and was like, 'Taraji Taraji, come over here and meet Angie. Come and meet Angie,'" she recounts. "He was dragging me and I [thought], 'These are the coolest, most real and most down-to-earth people.'" "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" hits theatres Christmas day.
*TMZ.com is reporting that Jennifer Hudson's sister Julia has made some changes to her MySpace page. She removed photos of William Balfour, her estranged husband and lone "person of interest" in the murders of her brother Jason Hudson, mother Darnell Donerson and son Julian King. But, she's causing a few raised eyebrows with a caption that she added under one photo, which reads: "Now that Jason's gone I'm the prettiest one." Other photos show her partying with friends.
*It should be no surprise that "The View" benefitted tremendously in the ratings during the long campaign season. Last week, the ABC talk show reached No. 1 in key female daytime demos for the first time in the show's 12-year history, averaging 963,000 viewers in women 18-49. "The View"
averaged 4.3 million total viewers for the week of Oct. 27, making it the show's second-highest frame ever, with Wednesday (4.5 million) as the peak day. In addition to appearances in the past months by Michelle Obama, John McCain and his wife Cindy McCain, there were also heated exchanges between the show's pro-Obama hosts and its lone Republican, Elisabeth Hasselbeck.
*Naomi Campbell was booed by passengers waiting in a customs line at New York's John F. Kennedy Airport Tuesday morning when her celebrity status allowed her to go directly to the front of the line. The model was arriving in the U.S. from London via American Airlines. A source tells the New York Daily News: "An older lady was about to have her passport checked, but she was told to wait so Naomi could go first. It pissed off a lot of people."
Campbell's lawyer Marty Singer has defended the star, insisting, "She was not treated any differently than any other high-profile individual. American Airlines offered to escort her. She did not ask for it. It's done for security reasons, so high-profile passengers aren't besieged by people."
*Fox News Channel's Greta Van Susteren has beaten out Oprah Winfrey, Barbara Walters, Larry King and others to land the first post-election interview with Sarah Palin. Van Susteren will be traveling to Alaska for an extensive interview with the state's governor, which is scheduled to air tonight at 10 ET on the Fox News Channel.
OBAMA WIN BOOSTS WEB TRAFFIC/BOOK SALES: Over 8 million flocked to news sites Tue. night; Obama books back at No. 1.
*Barack Obama's election victory Tuesday night sent visitors to Internet news sites in record numbers and caused a renewed interest in his two autobiographies, as well as other books about the president-elect.
An average of 8.5 million visitors per minute clicked onto news Web sites worldwide from 11 p.m. to midnight, according to the Internet distribution company Akamai. The company typically reports an average of about three million visitors.
Several online news sites, including those produced by MSNBC, CNN and ABC News, said that Tuesday ranked as their most-visited day ever, reports the New York Times.
“The traffic is getting bigger and bigger every election,” said Charles Tillinghast, the president of MSNBC.com. Nielsen Online said that MSNBC.com’s number of unique visitors rose 337 percent from the 2004 election.
Following a pattern set in 2000 and 2004, Web traffic to some major news sites also rose the day after the election. The New York Times’ Web site, nytimes.com, saw a record 61.6 million page views on Wednesday, compared with 55.1 million on Election Day, according to internal data. Washingtonpost.com also set a record on Wednesday, with 17.5 million page views compared with 13.2 million the day before.
On Wednesday, millions watched or rewatched Obama’s late-night victory speech on the Internet. As of Thursday evening, the speech had been streamed more than two million times on Obama’s YouTube channel. CNN.com said it had been watched 1.7 million times on its site, and MSNBC.com reported 1.1 million viewings.
In related news, books written by or about President-Elect Barack Obama have seen a large boost in sales following his election victory on Tuesday.
Obama's million-selling biographies, "The Audacity of Hope" and "Dreams from My Father," jumped back to No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, on Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.com.
Both hardcover and paperback editions of "Audacity of Hope" were out of stock Sunday on Amazon, the Associated Press reported.
Demand also has increased for "Change We Can Believe In," a collection of Obama's speeches and policy proposals that had been selling modestly; for "Barack Obama in His Own Words" and for such works about him as "Barack Obama: Son of Promise, Child of Hope," a children's book by Nikki Grimes, and Robert Kuttner's "Obama's Challenge," a call for a sweeping, progressive economic agenda.
EUR FILM REVIEW: Soul Men
Sam Jackson and Bernie Mac Co-Star in Rollicking Road Comedy Film Review by Kam Williams
*Directed by Malcolm Lee (Undercover Brother), Soul Men is an adult-oriented adventure which easily earns its R rating, as it relies heavily on salty language and a decidedly blue brand of humor.
The film’s formulaic premise is familiar enough, despite the overindulgence in profanity, the N-word, coarse humor and graphic sexuality.
Shamelessly borrowing elements from The Blues Brothers, Thelma & Louise and Trains, Planes and Automobiles and other buddy flicks, this rollicking road comedy makes up for its lack of originality with an earthy enthusiasm and infectious energy likely to endear it with any audience.
Another plus is the sense of nostalgia generated by the movie’s postscript affectionately acknowledging the passing of both Bernie Mac and Isaac Hayes, a couple of cultural icons who died after shooting was completed but prior to the picture’s release.
Floyd Henderson (Mac) and Louis Hinds (Samuel L. Jackson) are former R&B legends who sang backup in a trio which a generation ago enjoyed a string of chart-topping hits. However, the group disbanded after front man Marcus Hooks (John Legend) decided to pursue a solo career. Floyd and Louis then tried touring as a duo, but a love triangle with a woman named Odetta (Monyetta Shaw) led to their breakup and quick slide into obscurity.
Now, 20 years later, Marcus has just died and the music industry is planning a big tribute concert to him at the Apollo Theater in five days. Floyd sees this as an opportunity to mount a comeback. So, he shows up unannounced at Louis’ home to find that his estranged partner’s still wants nothing to do with him, at least until a promise of a 60-40 split of the $40,000 purse.
With Louis conveniently afraid of flying, the two agree to drive cross country from L.A. to New York in what else but a classic convertible, a staple of the road genre, in this case a vintage Cadillac Eldorado. Floyd has already booked warm-up gigs at nightclubs in several cities they’re planning to pass through en route, so that they’ll be ready to perform by the time they hit the stage at the Apollo.
Of course, judging from movies, the whole point of embarking on any road trip is the concatenation of calamities which invariably ensue, and Soul Men certainly has its share of such surprises, ranging from a flat tire to a heckler to a drunken fan to a stint in jail to a one-night stand with a toothless groupie (Jennifer Coolidge). The plot thickens when our heroes rendezvous with Cleo (Sharon Leal), an aspiring-singer who might be the long-lost daughter of one of them by way of Odetta. Cleo accepts the pair’s offer to join the group and the trio arrives at the Apollo with the paternity issue resolved and right on time to give dearly-departed Marcus a glorious sendoff.
Yeah, you’ll laugh here and there at the outrageous antics of Bernie and Sam (who even prove they can sing and dance here), given their screen chemistry and larger than life personas. Just don’t expect the flava of this cinematic equivalent of bubblegum to last past the closing credits and you won’t be disappointed.
Very Good (2.5 stars)
Rated R for nudity, sexuality, ethnic slurs and pervasive profanity.
Running time: 100 minutes
Studi The Weinstein Company
To see a trailer for Soul Men, visit:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYUhfEVGSL8
EUR MOTIVATIONAL NOTE
"You must have long range goals to keep you from being frustrated by short range failures." — Charles C. Noble
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Nov. 10: Actress Alaina Reed-Hall ("227") is 62. Actor-comedian Sinbad is 52. Actor Michael Jai White is 46. Rapper Warren G is 38. Rapper Eve is 30.
WEBSITE OF THE WEEK
D. Gulley's The Discount Trendsetter is designed to teach you how to save money in a trendy way (www.discounttrendsetter.com).
Submit your favorite Web site to us along with a 15-20 word (or less) description to info@eurweb.com.
BLACK HISTORY
Nov. 10, 1891: Granville T. Woods patents the electric railway.
(Source: www.BlackFacts.com)