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FILM TRACKS TRANSFORMATION OF

BALTIMORE BOYS: EUR's Lee Bailey

talks to teen featured in acclaimed

documentary 'Boys of Baraka.'

*EUR's Lee Bailey caught up

with one of the young brothers featured
in the award-winning documentary "The

Boys of Baraka," the gripping story of
a group of 12-year-old boys from the

roughest ghettos of Baltimore who
attend an experimental boarding

school in Kenya.
"The whole point of this thing was

to change these boys to men,"
says 17-year-old Richard Keyser, who

along with his brother, Romesh Vance,
were among the 20 at-risk black boys

chosen to participate in the program.
Keyser describes the hopeless

conditions surrounding his peers in
Baltimore's inner city, where 76

percent of African-American boys

do not graduate from high school,

and 50 percent end up in jail.
"They was over in school acting

fools," Keyser says, referring to the
group of kids who traveled to Africa.

"They done went through trouble at
home, in school and everything, and

the whole point is bringing the boys
over to Africa so they won't have to

worry about girls, getting in trouble
and all that crazy stuff."
At the beginning of the

documentary, the crazy stuff was

put into sharp perspective by Mavis

Jackson, a recruiter who visits the

school and tells the students they have

three options when they turn 18: "An

orange jumpsuit and bracelets, a black

suit in a brown box or a black cap and
gown."
Both Keyser and his brother apply

for the program, but the school was
leaning towards taking only one. When

their mother was asked her opinion of
only one son being allowed to participate,

she said, "Don't make one a king and
the other a killer."
Both of the boys were given

scholarships, and followed by filmmakers
Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady to the

Baraka School in the bush country of
Nairobi, Kenya, along with the other

selected classmates. Cameras trail
Romesh as he visits his father in jail.

Explaining his upcoming trip, he
tells him, "I'm going there so when

I grow up I gonna be somebody."
Once in the Motherland, all of the

boys quickly notice the dramatic
difference between the region's wide

open fields, wild animals and lack of
gunfire. Suddenly, the group is plucked

down in a world empty of TVs,
Playstations and other common

indulgences.
While their transition is far from

smooth - many are homesick, some
get into fights - the boys began to

thrive like nobody's business. Grades
improve, and more importantly, the boys

began to see themselves differently.
"Pretty much we was happy

because we done climbed mountains,

we done seen animals, we done ate

different foods, not American food, but

African foods," said Keyser, visibly excited

at the memory. "We done killed animals,
just so much experience. For boys that

don't go to church, we went to church.

Boys that played basketball, they

came back to Baltimore playing
soccer with a basketball!"
The Baraka school is an American-

run program with white volunteer teachers.

Kenya was chosen for the program because,

among other reasons, the cost of living

is low, and the "boys can live the lives

of boys," in thefreedom to run around

and play without anticipating gunfire

or worrying about their next meal.
The documentary takes a

heartbreaking turn when terrorist attacks
and the closure of the American embassy

in Nairobi forced the school to shut
down at the end of the first of the boys'

two years. During their summer in
Baltimore that year, they're given the

bad news.
"All our lives gonna be bad now,"

one boy says in tears when learning

he won't return. Disheartened

parents said the terrorist threats
don't make Kenya any more dangerous

than the streets outside her door.
"They're more likely to be killed

right here in Baltimore," said one
parent of the kids. Another added:

"If you send them to Baltimore, you're
sending them to jail."
While some of the students

picked up their bad behavior from before
the trip, others were noticeably

transformed by the experience. One child,
Devon, is elected president of his ninth

grade class and shows early signs
of his journey toward becoming a

preacher.
Another boy, Montrey, could be the

poster child for the message behind the

documentary. Once the worst-behaved

kid, Montrey, after just oneyear at Baraka,

earns the highest math test score for

the entire state ofMaryland, and is

admitted to the most competitive high

school in Baltimore.His eye-popping

turnaround underscores how a simple

change of environment -where worries

of unruly classrooms, cash-strapped

households and unsettlingviolence

melt away - can make all the

difference in a population mostly
written off by politicians as lost causes.
Toward the end of the film, Montrey

says: "People think we ain't got
a future. I'm gonna make a difference.

I'm gonna be on the map."
Keyser, the oldest of several

siblings, is currently working on his
GED through the federally-funded

program Job Corps. Before his nine

months at Baraka, the youngster said

he recognized that his path was

headed in the wrong direction.
"Instead of me hanging around

the positive crowd, I was hanging
around the negative crowd," he tells

Bailey at the recent NAACP Image
Awards, where the movie won for

Outstanding Independent Film.
"I had to notice through myself,

'Why is you around these people?
It's time for you to hop back on the

map, do what you're supposed to do, and
help my mother, because my father never

was there," he says. "There's things
that I done bad, you know, and there's

things I done good. But everybody not
perfect," he says. "People make mistakes,

and they get over it and turn the
bad mistakes into good [things]."
"The Boys of Baraka" had a limited

release in New York and Los Angeles

last month, and is scheduled

to be shown on PBS later

this year.

MIJAC AGREES TO PAY NEVERLAND

EMPLOYEES: Money was to be transferred
Thursday to avoid potential lawsuit.

*Dozens of employees at Michael

Jackson’s Neverland ranch will
finally receive paychecks after the

singer agreed to make good on hundreds
of thousands of dollars owed in back wages.
"Jackson's representatives will distribute

payroll directly to the employees," read

a statement from the California

Department of Industrial Relations.
The pop star had been given a 5 p.m.

Wednesday (March 15th) deadline
to pay the $306,000 in wages to the

workers to avoid a lawsuit by the state.
The department said it had received

complaints from at least 30 employees
that they had not seen a penny in

payments since Dec. 19.
"There is no need to take legal

action in this matter at this time,
as our main concern that all employees

receive wages owed to them is being
addressed,” Robert Jones, acting

California labor commissioner,

said in a statement.
Jackson is also expected to pay

$100,000 in fines for failing to pay
workers. Jackson's representatives

also said they were in the process of
obtaining workers compensation insurance

for 69 employees of the ranch. The
state ordered Neverland employees to

stop working at the 2,600-acre Santa
Barbara County estate after learning the

mandatory insurance coverage for
work-related injuries had lapsed in

January.
Jackson also faces a fine for

allowing the coverage to run out. The
amount was originally estimated at

$69,000. According to Jones, Jackson's
payroll records are still being verified,

and the combined figure for back
wages and penalties may change

upon the final tally due next week.

TYLER PERRY PLAYS ‘DADDY’ WITH

LIONSGATE: ‘Madea’ millionaire to follow up
‘Family Reunion’ with reverse Cinderella tale.

*Still riding high on the box office

success of “Madea’s Family Reunion,”

the movie’s director and star, Tyler Perry,

has inked a deal withLionsgate for his

third film, “Daddy’s Little Girl.”
Perry will write, produce and

direct the Cinderella twist about a
young, beautiful, successful female

attorney who falls in love with a janitor

and single father of three daughters.

Despite strong objections from
the attorney's father, love

triumphs in the end.
Perry’s first two previous

outings with Lionsgate were the box
office topper “Diary of a Mad Black

Woman” in 2005 and this year’s “Madea’s
Family Reunion,” which earned $30

million in its opening weekend and held
its No. 1 box office position for two

consecutive weeks.
"I am so pleased to be working

with Lionsgate once again," Perry
said. "They have continuously proven

their commitment to my film projects as
well as their expertise at innovative

marketing and distribution campaigns
time and time again."
Reuben Cannon, who produced

both "Reunion" and "Diary," will join
Perry again as producer of "Daddy's

Little Girl," which has been fast-tracked

for a June start and, like both previous
films, is set for a February release.
Meanwhile, Perry’s first book,

"Don't Make a Black Woman Take

Off Her Earrings: Madea's Uninhibited

Commentaries on Life and Love," is due

next month via Riverdale/Penguin. He also

recently inked a deal to distribute his
TV series "House of Payne" in first-run

syndication.

BOWL PAINTED BY RICHARD PRYOR

TO BE AUCTIONED: Money will go toward

animal welfare organization.

*A ceramic bowl featuring a self-

portrait from one of the greatest
comedians of our time will be

auctioned on the Internet to

benefit anOhio-based

animal charity.
The late Richard Pryor sent his

bowl, titled “Little Black Man in
Big White World,” to the Geauga

Humane Society weeks before his death

on Dec. 10. The side of the bowl bears

his signature and drawings of a martini
glass, lips and a cigarette. Inside of the

bowl, Pryor drew his face on one
side, and wrote the title along the other.
The humane society offered to

return the bowl to Pryor’s widow,
Jennifer, but she told the group to use

it to raise as much money as
possible. The bowl is currently up for

bid on eBay. As of press time, it had
received a top bid of $3,511.00.
"[Jennifer] said that's what Richard

would have wanted," said Sharon
Harvey, executive director

of the agency.

BOND SET FOR C MURDER: Rapper

minutes away from tasting freedom after

murder conviction overturned.

*"It’s been a long road but the

truth finally came out,” begins
C-Murder in a statement Thursday

accompanying his impending

release from prison.
The rapper, born Corey Miller, was

awaiting release from theConcordia Parish

Jail in Ferriday, Louisiana early Thursday

(March 16) afterState District Judge

Martha Sassone set bail at $500,000.

On March 10, the Louisiana Supreme

Court overturned his murder conviction

and ordered a newtrial. Prosecutors

must now decide if they want to retry

Miller for theshooting death of

16-year-old Steven Thomas.
“I can't wait to go home, see

my people and be up in the studio to
finish up my album and focus on my

label," Miller said in the statement
released by his reps.
Thomas was shot in the chest

after an argument inside of the
Platinum Club in Jefferson Parish,

Louisiana in January 2002. Miller was
convicted of second-degree murder

in Sept. 2003 and sentenced to a

mandatory life sentence.
The following year, he appealed

the case after learning prosecutors
had removed the criminal records of

some witnesses and withheld evidence. As
a result, Sassone ordered a new trial,

which prosecutors later appealed. The
5th Circuit Court of Appeal struck down

Sassone's order and upheld Miller's
second-degree murder conviction. Miller

appealed that ruling in Feb. 2006
and got his conviction overturned

earlier this month.
During a hearing on Wednesday,

prosecutor Roger Jordan argued
unsuccessfully against setting bail for

the rapper, telling Judge Sassone:
"I still think Mr. Miller is an imminent

danger to the community. Witnesses
fear this defendant. They were afraid

to come to court in the last trial."
Freedom may be a quick mistress

for Miller, who faces two counts of
attempted second-degree murder in Baton

Rouge in a separate case due for
trial on May 30. The charges stem from

an incident shortly before Miller was
charged with killing Thomas, in which he

fired a gun at a nightclub owner
and security guard, after he was told he

would be searched entering a New
Orleans nightclub.

BOB MARLEY ESTATE SUED BY

HIS FORMER BASSIST: Musician

says he and his drummer brother

never got fair share of royalties.

*Bob Marley's bass player has

filed a lawsuit against the late reggae
legend's family and record label,

claiming he and his drummer brother were
the "bedrock" of Marley's music, yet

never received promised shares of his
song royalties.
Aston Barrett (known as

"Family Man" for fathering at least 52
children) and his late brother Carlton

Barrett were longtime members of
Marley's band, The Wailers. Aston’s

lawsuit, filed Thursday in London's High
Court, seeks to recover their share of

royalties from such hit albums as
"Natty Dread," "Rastaman Vibration"

and "Babylon by Bus."
"Aston Barrett and his brother

literally created the sound of the
Wailers, though not for a minute to

detract from the extraordinary
songwriting ability of Mr. Marley,"

lawyer Stephen Bate told the court.

"It was the Barretts' unique sound which

brought the Wailers international
success. The Barretts were the

bedrock of the music."
Universal-Island Records Ltd.

and the Marley family say Barrett gave
up his right to further royalties in a

1994 agreement, which surrendered all
claims in exchange for a payment

of several hundred thousand dollars.
The hearing, attended by Bob

Marley's widow Rita, is scheduled

to last three weeks.

TUPAC’S WAX FIGURE PREPARING

TO SHINE: Madame Tussauds’ ‘Tupac

Eternal’ exhibit will mark 10th anniversary

of rapper’s death.

*The story is in the details when

it comes to the new wax figure of
Tupac Shakur, to be unveiled in a

special ceremony April 5 at Madame
Tussauds in Las Vegas.
Sculpted by Jeni Fairey of The

Tussauds Studio London, who has
previously worked on Beyonce for the

museum, Tupac will be featured
shirtless, sporting a bandana and

proudly displaying his tattoos – each of
which have been redrawn and individually

hand-painted onto the sculpture.
The rapper’s likeness has been created

from hundreds of photographs and
measurements provided to Madame

Tussauds by Pac’s mother, Afeni Shakur.
The piece involved over 330

pounds of clay and took more than 700
hours to complete. It weighs approximately

55 pounds and will be featured as
part of the "Tupac Eternal" exhibit, the

newest contemporary addition to the
gallery.
To complete the "Tupac Eternal"

experience, Madame Tussauds is
attempting to obtain the rights to use

some of the late rapper’s music
through Interscope Records and

Universal Music Publishing.
To commemorate the 10th

Anniversary of Tupac's passing, Madame
Tussauds is considering sending the

new wax figure on its own world tour
later this year. Once it has been viewed

at the Las Vegas museum, the
sculpture is destined to travel to the

galleries in New York, Hong Kong,
Shanghai and London before it will be

exhibited at the Tupac Amaru Shakur
Center for the Arts (TASCA) in Atlanta

for a full month. The figure is scheduled

to arrive at the Center by the end

of this memorial year.
Tupac Shakur has consistently

been the celebrity most requested to
receive a wax tribute from Madame

Tussauds Las Vegas museum in the

Venetian Hotel. The sculpture's

unveiling arrives nearly ten years

after Tupac's death in Las Vegas

and it will be exhibited for 300 years

to come.

KEKE PALMER GETS HER CLOSEUP

AT SHOWEST: Twelve-year-old praised during
screening of ‘Akeelah and the Bee.’

*It was all about 12-year-old actress

Keke Palmer Tuesday (March 14)
at the annual ShoWest convention

in Las Vegas.

During a ceremony marking her

title as ShoWest Rising Star of the
Year, the youngster was lauded by the

suits at Lionsgate for bringing her
A-game to its upcoming film “Akeelah

and the Bee,” where she plays a
middle-school student in South Central

Los Angeles who dreams of entering
the Scripps Howard Spelling Bee.
Fresh from their Oscar best

picture win for "Crash" a week earlier,
Lionsgate’s Releasing president Steve

Rothenberg and Theatrical Films
president Tom Ortenberg were on

hand at ShoWest to welcome exhibitors

to a screening of “Akeelah” at the Le

Theatre Des Arts in the Paris Hotel.
“Akeelah” producer Sid Ganis

described the 10-year journey of the
project, which sprung forth from an

original screenplay by its director,
Doug Atchison. Even after the film's

producers had scored powerhouse actors
Laurence Fishburne and Angela Bassett

to play the adult leads, the project
still depended on finding a young

actress with the chops to pull of the
title role. During a nationwide search,

a tape of Palmer landed on the desks
of the filmmakers, and the rest was

history.
Palmer’s budding film

experience includes roles in the TNT

original movie "The Wool Cap," a bit

part in "Barbershop 2: Back in Business"

and a plum role as Madea’s foster child in

“Madea’s Family Reunion.”
“Akeelah,” due in theaters April 28,

was produced in association with 2929

Prods. and Starbucks Entertainment,

becoming the first feature that the
coffee chain will promote in its outlets

in exchange for a financial stake
in the picture.

KATRINA BITS: Spike looking for lady

who called out Leezzy; Domino’s pianos
recovered; Kem donates to Katrina

charity; Discovery preps documentary.

*Spike Lee used his recent

interview with the New York Observer to
try and track down a shopper who

confronted Secretary of State Condoleezza
Rice in New York as she was shoe

shopping during Hurricane Katrina.
The filmmaker, currently working

on his documentary “When the Levees
Broke,” picked up the Observer reporter’s

tape recorder and said: “To the
lady that got in Ms. Rice’s face in the

store before you got pulled off by
Secret Service, if you read this article,

please contact the New York
Observer because we’re trying to find

you for the documentary we’re doing on
Hurricane Katrina. If you are still alive,

that is.”
Lee also said he was looking for

the person who said to the Vice
President, “Go f*** yourself, Mr.

Cheney.”
“If you are still alive, we’d like

to contact you, too,” Lee said.
“If you are still on our planet, if you

are still walking amongst us, if you
get this down in Guantánamo with

the other jailed peace activists and
suspected Al Qaeda agents who have

been jailed for five years and not
charged with anything, please get a

message to me. We want to know what
prompted you to tell Mr. Cheney to

go f*** himself. Thank you.”

*The remains of three pianos

belonging to Fats Domino were recovered
this week from the singing legend’s

Ninth Ward home in New Orleans.
The house was submerged under

almost 10 feet of water when Hurricane
Katrina’s winds broke the levees near

his neighborhood. A recovery crew with
the Louisiana State Museum pulled out

a black Steinway baby grand used by
Domino for writing and practicing. They

also recovered a white Steinway
grand and electric Wurlitzer keyboard.
Museum officials hope the Domino

family will donate the black
Steinway baby grand for a planned

traveling exhibit about hurricanes Katrina
and Rita. The exhibit will include remnants

from the storms as well as
rescue signs, pictures and oral histories,

said Kacey Hill, the museum's
spokeswoman.
"We feel that it's so important that

whether this is six months from
now or four years from now, people need

to be reminded of what happened here
so they don't forget," she said.

*R&B singer/songwriter Kem,

currently performing a three night stand
in New Orleans on his “Into You Tour,”

was to make a donation Thursday night
to the local YMCA to help out with

continued recovery efforts from Hurricane
Katrina.
The artist said his performances

at the House of Blues New Orleans
“is less about me and more about this

beautiful city's commitment to move
forward in the aftermath of Hurricane

Katrina. I'm grateful to be a part of
the rebirth of New Orleans, a city I love."
The singer had to add tonight’s

third show in the city by popular
demand. The performance begins

at 12:30 a.m.
Remaining tour dates include:

Grand Prairie, TX (March 19); San
Diego, CA (March 23); Anaheim,

CA (March 24); Los Angeles, CA

(March 25); Oakland, CA (March 26);

and Seattle, WA (March 28).

*The Discovery Channel is

preparing to air "The Hurricane That
Changed America," a Hurricane

Katrina docudrama from the team

behind the network’s 9/11 movie

event "The Flight That Fought Back."
Like "Flight," the Katrina project

will mix dramatic reenactments
with survivor interviews, as well as

footage shot from inside the Superdome,
where tens of thousands of displaced

people were trapped after the disaster.
Discovery General Manager Jane

Root said production crews began
filming footage one week after the

hurricane hit New Orleans last summer.
"We knew immediately that there

were amazing testimonies and heroic
stories to be told," she told Variety.

"Stories of frustration and despair,
but also stories of hope. …We'll be

told what it was like waiting for the
storm from several perspectives, and

go through what happened between then
and the Friday after the hurricane hit."
Discovery is hoping to premiere

the special in late August, around
the anniversary of the tragedy.

FILM/TV BITS: HBO’s ‘Thug’; Brown’s

‘One on One’; Ace takes ‘Half’; Harvey
‘Straight Up’; Sherman gets ‘Surreal’;

Mandela’s stolen pigs.

*HBO has given a greenlight for

the comedy pilot “The Unsuccessful
Thug,” starring Mike Epps. The show

is based on the comedian’s life in
Indiana as a low-rent criminal who

eventually makes it big as a stand up
comic. Executive producers on the

project will be Epps, the pilot’s writer,
Brad Kaaya, as well as Russell Simmons

and Stan Lathan, who plucked Epps
from obscurity and recruited him to

perform on their HBO show "Def

ComedyJam."

*Singer Chris Brown will make

his acting debut in a cameo appearance
on UPN’s “One on One.” During the

March 27 episode, titled “Recipe for
Disaster,” the teen performs his latest

hit single “Yo (Excuse Me Miss)” at a
Hollywood party. He flirts with Breanna

(Kyla Pratt), only to have his game shot

down because he is too young. “One

on One” airs Mondays at 8 p.m.

*UPN is also cashing in on the

“American Idol” monster by rerunning
its “Half & Half” episode featuring

heartthrob finalist, Ace Young. The
beanie-toting singer stars as Ace

Blackwell, Dee Dee’s first potential
client who wants to quit baseball to

sing. When the pro-athlete turns out
to be musically gifted, an all out

bidding war breaks out between the
half-sisters who both want to sign

him. The episode, titled “The Big Off
Pitch Episode," will be rebroadcast

on Monday, April 3 at 9:30 p.m.

*This week, Steve Harvey was

the subject on the Black Family Channel
program "Straight Up," a series of

candid interviews with celebrities. The
episode featured the radio titan taking

viewers on a journey from his humble
beginnings to his unimaginable paydays

and commitment to God. Check your
local cable guide for channel listings,

show times and encore viewings.
Harvey's new standup film, "Don’t Trip…

He Ain’t Through With Me Yet,” hits
select theaters today.

*Sherman “George Jefferson”

Hemsley will appear in the new season

of VH1’s “Surreal Life,” which debuts

Sunday (March 19) at 9 p.m. The star

of “The Jeffersons” will share the same

living space as fellow TV icon Florence
“Carol Brady” Henderson, Steve Harwell

of Smashmouth, Whitesnake video vamp
Tawny Kitaen, C.C. Deville from Poison,

Playboy TV’s Andrea Lowell and
gender-bending actor/actress Alexis

Arquette. The group's first task is
choosing an extra cast member from

a pool of reality stars, including ousted
"American Idol" bad boy Corey Clark.

*Speaking to the cast of the

Oscar-winning South African film
“Tsotsi,” former South African president

Nelson Mandela joked about his days
as a young knucklehead, echoing the

film’s story of a violent young
gangster’s journey of redemption. "All

of us were very mischievous in our
younger days," Mandela said after

meeting with the cast in Cape Town.

"You know, we had a method as young

chaps of about 16 or 17, of stealing pigs."
Mandela, 87, proceeded to tell folks how

he used to roast swine stolen from
the villages. “Once we are far away we

will get behind the pigs and drive
them to a valley especially on the banks

of the river, and then stab it ...
the owners will not hear its sounds and

then we would roast it and eat it,"
he said to loud laughter from the cast

and journalists. "Some of the leaders
of this country and elsewhere in the

world started with misdemeanors of all
kinds, but as they grew up, they became

responsible people who have served
our country very well."

MUSIC BITS: Billboard stays ‘Sick’;

Kanye, Common in Lollapalooza; Fat Joe
still on Atlantic; Bubba’s ‘Booty’ causes

outrage.

*Ne-Yo keeps his No. 1 spot on

Billboard’s Hot 100 singles chart for
a second week with “So Sick,” the first

single from his new album “In My Own
Words.” The song also remains No. 1

on the Pop 100 and Hot Digital Songs
charts. Sean Paul's "Temperature" and

James Blunt's "You're Beautiful" are
at No. 2 and No. 3, respectively. Mary

J. Blige's "Be Without You" holds at
No. 4, followed by Daniel Powter's "Bad

Day," the unofficial “American Idol”
farewell song, at No. 5. T-Pain's "I'm N

Luv (Wit A Stripper)" featuring
Mike Jones stays at No. 6, Natasha

Bedingfield's "Unwritten" climbs to No.
7, Beyonce's "Check on It" featuring

Slim Thug falls 5-8, Dem Franchize
Boyz' "Lean Wit It, Rock Wit It" featuring

Lil Peanut & Charlay holds at No.
9 and Chris Brown's "Yo (Excuse Me

Miss)" drops 8-10.

*Kanye West and Common have

joined the lineup scheduled to rock this
summer’s Lollapalooza concert, to be

held Aug. 4-6 in Chicago's Grant Park.
The event will also feature The Red Hot

Chili Peppers, Manu Chao, Queens Of
The Stone Age, the Shins, Death Cab

For Cutie, Matisyahu, Ween and Jack
White's new band, the Raconteurs.

Tickets for the show are available now.

*Rumors of Fat Joe being dropped

form his record label Atlantic were
put to rest Wednesday by company

head Craig Kallman. The false chatter was
sparked by a New York Post article

that suggested the rapper was kicked off
the label for poor album sales. According

to Kallman, Joey Crack has
renegotiated his deal with the label,

which is preparing to distribute his
Terror Squad Records imprint. Kallman

wrote: "Fat Joe is an icon in the
hip-hop community - an artist, producer,

writer, tastemaker, and
entrepreneur with tremendous vision,

influence, and creativity. We are
proud to have had Fat Joe as a member

of the Atlantic family for the past
eight years, and we are looking forward

to continuing our great relationship
with Joe and his Terror Squad label."

*Bubba Sparxxx is catching heat

from watchdog groups over the
promotion of his new song and video

“Ms. New Booty,” featuring the Ying Yang
Twins. Virgin records set up a promotional

Web site that calls for women
18-and-over to upload pictures of their

backsides to a “Booty Gallery” for
viewers, who are asked to vote for “Ms.

New Booty” as part of a seven-week
contest. The song and Web site are

also plugged on radio between 6 to 10
p.m., a shift that draws the most 12 to

17-year-olds. Sparxxx has responded
to harsh criticism of the promotion

from radio watchdog group
IndustryEars.com in their statement,

“Radi The New Child Predator by Paul
Porter and Lisa Fagers.” Sparxxx tells

Allhiphop.com: "[The song is] for the
clubs. It's for females to feel good

about. It's for men to feel good about.
There's nothing negative going on

about it. I'm a little hurt that anyone
could take offense to this song. It's all

about that new chick that's been
hurt and making her the best she can

be. You put the word 'booty' on there
and every body says it's disrespect."

THEATER BITS: James Earl Jones in

‘Thurgood’; Sheryl Lee Ralph in
‘Sometimes I Cry’; 3 Blacque Chix

headline Women’s Theatre Festival.

*James Earl Jones will star as

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood
Marshall in the play “Thurgood,” running

April 30-May 14 at Connecticut’s
Westport Country Playhouse. Written

by Emmy and Peabody Award winner George
Stevens Jr., the solo play follows the

life of the first African-American to
sit on the Supreme Court. “Thurgood’s”

director, Leonard Foglia, previously
collaborated with Jones on the actor's

most recent Broadway outing, last
year's revival of "On Golden Pond."

Tickets for the production are
available now only to those who

subscribe to the 2006 season, beginning

in June; tickets will be released to the

general public starting April 19.

*Highways, Space at Fountains

End and The Diva Foundation present
Sheryl Lee Ralph's HIV/AIDS theater

piece "Sometimes I Cry," about the
loves, lives and losses of women infected

and affected by HIV/AIDS. Written
and conceived by Ralph, the one-woman

show was inspired by the real stories
of six women from very different

backgrounds, all portrayed by the actress.

Remaining shows run tonight through

Sunday (March 17-19) at Highways (1651
18th Street, Santa Monica). Tickets

are $20. For reservations call (310)
315-1459.

*3 Blacque Chix, a self-described

“saucy trio of sexy tale-tattlers”
based in Los Angeles, will be celebrity

hosts for the March 25 evening of
solo performances for the 2006 Los

Angeles Women’s Theatre Festival. The
annual event, which presents more than

300 works by women throughout the
country, kicks off March 23 at 7 p.m. at

Highways Performance Space (1651
18th St., Santa Monica) and continues

through March 26 with four nights of
diverse performance, dance, comedy,

storytelling, and singing from
superlative artists. Opening Night is

$30 per individual ticket, $50 a
pair. Tickets for all other programs

are $20. Student and seniors are $18.
For reservations call (310) 315-1459.

For more information, visit:
www.lawtf.com.

EVENT CALENDAR: Brown, Bow Wow,

Whoopi at Kids Choice; Chuck D wants troops
‘Home Now’; BlackNLA.com’s Choice Awards.

*Nickelodeon's 19th annual Kids'

Choice Awards will include
performances by Chris Brown and Bow

Wow, and presenters Whoopi Goldberg,
Eve, Ludacris, Nick Cannon and Romeo,

among others. The ceremony will be
held April 1 at UCLA's Pauley Pavilion.

Bow Wow will perform "Fresh Azimiz,"
and Chris Brown will do a medley of

"Run It" and "Yo (Excuse Me Miss)."
Comedian Chris Rock will be presented

with the Wannabe Award, given annually
to a role model.

*Chuck D, Michael Stipe, Rufus

Wainwright will appear with peace
activist Cindy Sheehan at a benefit

concert dubbed “Bring ‘Em Home Now,” to
be held Monday (March 20) at New

York’s Hammerstein Ballroom. The concert's
goal is "giving voice to the majority of

Americans who now support the
withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq."

Other performers on the bill include
Fischerspooner, Steve Earle, Bright

Eyes and Peaches. Janeane Garofalo will
broadcast her "Majority Report" live

from the concert on Air America.

*BlackNLA.com will mark its 6th

Anniversary with the 1st Annual
Choice Awards, honoring local

businesses and individuals based on

votes from an online consumer poll.

“There are so many businesses and

individuals within our community, and we

thought this would be a great time to

recognize them,” says Cherice

Calhoun, Founder and President

of BlackNLA.com, an online

resource center for African Americans

living, working and/or visiting
Los Angeles and the surrounding

areas of Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino
and Ventura Counties. The event,

to be held in Hollywood on April 14, will
also feature a reception and afterparty

at the Green light Lounge, sponsored
by Tanqueray.

SPORTS BITS: Rose to host Black

Enterprise radio program; Magic

Johnson buys Houston mall; Daunte

Culpepper apologizes for boat drama.

*Throughout the month of March,

New York Knicks guard-forward Jalen
Rose will voice Black Enterprise

magazine's “Keys to a Better Life” brief
business reports that air twice daily

on 29 Clear Channel radio stations.
The Detroit native, 33, will cover a

broad range of topics in the reports,
including personal finance,

homeownership, credit, and health.

"There are millions of young African

Americans around the country who

want to get an education, raise a

family, and be successful in the

business world, but they need some

guidance on critical issues such as

how to pay for student loans, manage

their finances, or buy a home," says

Rose. "We as a community must
communicate with young adults so

they can be armed with the information
they'll need to make solid decisions

that will allow them to get a good
education, save money, and raise a

family in the complicated world we live
in today."

*Hoops legend Earvin “Magic”

Johnson and his business partners have
acquired the Marq*E Entertainment

Center in Houston, TX for an undisclosed
sum. The 360,000-square-foot outdoor

mall on Interstate 10 at Silbert St.
contains an Edwards movie theater

and will later this year pick up a police
storefront and a new LA Fitness center,

which will move into space formerly
occupied by Vans Skate Park. Beverly

Hills, Calif.-based Canyon-Johnson
Urban Fund LP (CJUF), a joint venture

between Magic and Canyon Capital
Realty Advisors, will join Houston-

based Fidelis Realty Partners in
ownership of the property. CJUF,

committed to developing urban properties

in underserved communities, has

undertaken projects in markets such

as Atlanta; Brooklyn, N.Y.; Chicago;

Hollywood, Calif.; Las Vegas; Miami;

and San Diego.

*New Miami Dolphins quarterback

Daunte Culpepper, traded Tuesday
(March 14) from Minnesota, offered an

apology for the embarrassment caused
by the Lake Minnetonka boat party,

yet still maintains he did nothing wrong.
"Without admitting to the ridiculous

allegations, I do apologize for any
embarrassment that this situation has

caused the community, the organization
and especially my family," wrote

Culpepper, in an e-mail to the media
Thursday. "I can handle the personal

accusations because I know the truth. I
expect the legal process to clear my

name so that I can move on." Culpepper
and three of his ex-Viking teammates

are charged with misdemeanor lewd
conduct on board a tour boat on the

Twin Cities lake. Culpepper, a Florida
native, also said he feels comfortable

being a Dolphin. "It felt like a
dream come true when I walked into

the Dolphins facility and met the coaches
and administration," he wrote.

NY GIRL DRAWS SUPPORT FOLLOWING

WHITE NATIONALISM POEM: Seven-

year-old draws heat comparing

Christopher Columbus to a pirate.

*Seven-year-old Autum Ashante has

a bunch of white folks up in arms
and a number of black leaders defending

her right to free speech after
reciting a poem that compares

Christopher Columbus and Charles Darwin to
pirates and vampires.

On Feb. 28, the youngster read her

poem, “White Nationalism Put U In
Bondage,” at two high schools in New

York City. She caps each perforamnce by
asking students to stand and recite the

"Black Child's Pledge," an oath of
responsibility and black pride.
During the “Pledge” portion read

at a Peekskill High School
assembly, white students standing with

black students were told by Autum to
sit down, prompting the school

district's superintendent to send recorded
messages to parents of its 3,000

students apologizing to anyone who was
offended.
"Someone decided to call parents

and apologize," barked Councilman
Charles Barron, a former Black Panther

who stood on the City Hall steps with
Ashante Tuesday (March 14) to speak

out in her defense. "Some are talking
about banning her from speaking in the

school system. You don't have to
agree with everything we say, but we

have a right to say it. We are very,
very proud of you, Autum."
Judith Johnson, the Peekskill

superintendent, said Ashante has not
been banned from speaking in the

district again, stating, "Never, ever would
we do something like that. But telling

white kids you can't recite the
pledge and to sit down - in a

multicultural district you can't do that."
Ashante is homeschooled with

a curriculum by the Black Homeschoolers
Association, said her father, Batin

Ashante, of Mount Vernon. The aspiring
actress and poet recited her poem

before the small crowd of well-wishers,
Barron staff members and reporters

at City Hall, drawing responses of "Tell
it!" and "Hallelujah!" reports AP.
Barron said the girl’s 162-word

poem was all about "peace, power and
pride about her heritage." He praised

her for being "brave" and "outspoken
in telling the truth,"
During a question and answer

session, Ashante told one reporter to
use the term "African" instead of

"African-American." She also said she
wrote the poem herself, receiving help

from her dad only with “spelling and
pronunciation.”
When asked how she felt

about some white students and parents

being upset, she replied: "I feel bad, but

I know it was the right thing to do."
Later Tuesday, Ashante was scheduled

to appear at an event with Al
Sharpton.

EUR MOTIVATIONAL NOTE
-- by Jewel Diamond Taylor

Procrastinators are lost in indecision

and fear scattering their efforts and
energy. Have you noticed how

procrastination drains you of energy?

This habit grows whenever you feel

afraid or want to avoid what's next.
Procrastination is a thief stealing

your money, time and peace of mind.
Avoiding tasks, tardiness and

disorganization make you ineffective,

creates stress and blocks success.
What is keeping you paralyzed? Are

you seeking perfection and guarantees? Do
you suffer from paralysis of analysis? Is

your faith decreasing and your
fears increasing? Are you afraid to leave

your comfort zone? How much time
and money are you losing? Are you

focusing your energy on minor things to
avoid dealing with your major responsibilities?
Don't wait until you hurt enough that

you are forced to change. Learn enough
so that you want to change your habits.

Be motivated enough by what you read
so you begin to change. ~ Jewel Diamond

Taylor

"So watch your step. Use your head. Make

the most of every chance you get."
Ephesians 5:15

EAST COAST - WOMEN ON THE GROW
Saturday, March 25, 2006
Location: Crowne Plaza Hotel, 8777

Georgia Ave, N. W. Silver Spring, MD
20910 -(301) 589-0800 (same location as

last year's event - formerly named
the Holiday Inn)
Theme: "Walking By Faith"
Speaker: Jewel Diamond Taylor
$59 per person -- $99 for two (morning

refreshments and lunch included)

CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
March 17: Percussionist Harold

Brown of War is 60. Actor Yanic
Truesdale ("Gilmore Girls") is 37.

Rapper Swifty of D12 is 29.

March 18: Country singer Charley

Pride is 68. Singer Vanessa Williams
is 43. Rapper-actress Queen Latifah is

36. Singer Adam Levine of Maroon 5 is
27.

March 19: Singer Ruth Pointer of

the Pointer Sisters is 60.

WEBSITE OF THE WEEK
Got CDs you don't want anymore?

Want CDs you don't have? Then TRADE
for them at a new site called Lala.com

(www.Lala.com).
Submit your favorite Web site to

us along with a 15-20 word (or less)
description to info@eurweb.com.

BLACK HISTORY
Mar. 17, 1946: Jackie Roosevelt

Robinson made his professional debut
as a member of the Montreal Royals in

the Daytona Beach ballpark that now
bears his name. One year later, Robinson

would break Major League Baseball's
color barrier and earn the inaugural Rookie

of the Year Award as a member of
the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Mar. 18, 1877: President Hayes

appointed Frederick Douglass marshal
of District of Columbia.

Mar. 19, 1619: William Tucker

became the first African child born in
the colonies. Tucker was baptized in

Jamestown, Virginia. There are
unconfirmed reports that he lived to be

108 yrs. old. (Source:
www.BlackFacts.com)

======================================

EUR FEEDBACK (MYfeedback@eurweb.com)

*Noble Davis, Bowie MD:

"Kudos to the Feminists of Color United

at the University of Texas in their planned

protest of R. Kelly's scheduled concert

there this weekend. As a father of two

daughters (a college sophomore and

a high school senior), I applaud their

stand against this alleged child

pornographer.

I do subscribe to the innocent until

proven guilty tenet but in this case where

there's smoke (or in this case videos) there's

fire. Admittedly R. Kelly is a very talented artist

and it is so easy to try to separate an artist's

private life from his art, but do we really want

to financially enrich a human being that has

so little respect for our women (especially

underage girls)?

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