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BRANDY’S REP RESPONDS TO CHURCH BRAWL STORY: A ruckus took place, but Brandy was not involved.

      *A spokesperson for Brandy called EUR’s Lee Bailey to set the record straight about entertainment journalist Jawn Murray’s report regarding Brandy and a Bible study brawl.

      As previously reported, Murray told the Tom Joyner Morning Show that the R&B singer had just left a Scientology meeting before attending the class at First A.M.E. church in Los Angeles. According to Murray, Brandy was challenging some of the principles of Christianity, and a fight suddenly broke out after one question too many. And after chairs and curse words were thrown, Brandy and her crew were escorted out of the church.

      According to Brandy’s rep Courtney Barnes, “the whole middle portion
of the story is bullsh*t.” He says that the ruckus Murray referred to in his
story involved a mentally-ill person at the church who had tried to cause
trouble with “a person who had come in with Brandy.”

      Here is Barnes’ account, verbatim, to Lee Bailey.

BARNES: Brandy did not come to the church from a Scientology meeting. She
was invited to the church by a member of the church to attend a Bible study.
She did so because she’s very interested in religion.

     There was not a fight that broke out between Brandy and her friends. The
Bible study went on as normal and there were questions being asked back and
forth. The Bible study ended, and the person who was conducting the Bible
study asked the congregation to bow their heads and pray.

      There was a mentally ill person who was in the back of the room where the
Bible study was taking place. That person was seated next to a person who
came to the Bible study with Brandy, but was not seated next to [Brandy].
That person was clearly – by all accounts, by the person who was seated
there and all the people in the church – a mentally-ill person. And that
person had an episode and he tried to basically cause a fight with the
person who had come in with Brandy.

     The person who had come in with Brandy, recognizing that the person was
mentally-ill, called upon the elders of the church to come and get this
person under control. In the course of them doing so, a ruckus was caused.
They ended up escorting that person out of the church.

     After that was over, they continued to pray. At that point, the session was
over and everyone involved with the session left.

BAILEY: SO BRANDY WASN’T ESCORTED OUT AND ASKED TO LEAVE?

     No she wasn’t even personally involved with the ruckus that occurred. It was
a person who came in with her who was not seated near her. …I guess that’s
where Jawn is getting this whole thing where a fight broke out between her
friends.

HOW HAS THIS WHOLE THING AFFECTED BRANDY?

     She’s not happy that this is the way the story is being reported. But over
and above that, she wants the truth out there.

DOES BRANDY STUDY SCIENTOLOGY?

     No. She’s taken some classes, but she has no formal relationship with
Scientology. She was at First AME for a Bible study and she was invited by a
member of the church.

FELONY WARRANT ISSUED FOR SNOOP DOGG: Rapper charged with possession of a
deadly weapon.

      *Snoop Dogg couldn’t shake off his latest run-in with the police in
the O.C. The Long Beach rapper has been charged with one felony count of
possession of a deadly weapon after he allegedly tried to walk through
airport security with a baton in his laptop computer case.

      A warrant for Snoop’s arrest was issued Thursday after the Orange
County, Calif. District Attorney handed down the charges, reports TMZ. If
convicted, the rapper faces a maximum sentence of 3 years in a state prison.
Bail has been set at $150,000.

      "He either turns himself in or he gets picked up by law
enforcement," said D.A. spokeswoman Susan Schroeder, adding that prosecutors
had contacted his reps and asked that he surrender.

       Snoop, whose real name is Calvin Broadus, was with two bodyguards on
Sept. 27 when he attempted to walk through an X-ray machine at John Wayne
Airport. Security spotted a long metal object in his laptop case and
conducted a search. Inside the case, security found the 20" collapsible
baton and called in deputies, who detained the rapper and confiscated the
weapon. 

      The rapper also was arrested last week at the Burbank airport, outside
Los Angeles, after police said they found a gun and marijuana in his car. He
was booked and released on $35,000 bail in that case.

      In other Snoop news, the video for his new single “That’s That” feat.
R. Kelly makes its television debut on Nov. 7.
     
      The song follows the street single, "Vato," produced by Pharrell and
featuring B-Real, and both tracks are found on his upcoming album “Tha Blue
Carpet Treatment,” due Nov. 21 through Doggystyle/Geffen. The Nottz-produced
“That’s That” was the most added song last week at Rhythmic and Urban
formats.
     
      Snoop says of the single: "'That's That' is theme music for a classy
gangsta party -- that's when you ladies pull out the high heels and the
playas pull out the three-piece suits. You'll see in the video. Me and R.
Kelly had a lot of fun shooting this one."

WESLEY SNIPES WORKS OUT IRS PAYMENT PLAN: Actor agrees to put money on debt
and surrender upon return from Namibia.

      *While shooting a film in Namibia, actor Wesley Snipes has
apparently been busy on his down time working out a settlement with the U.S.
government that will keep him out of prison on tax fraud charges.

      According to Variety, the actor will surrender to federal
authorities when he returns to the U.S. next month. In return, he will
receive no jail time and will be allowed to pay off his debt with a payment
plan. The agreement also allows for Snipes both to continue working and to
travel abroad.

      The feds had issued a warrant for Snipes’ arrest after the actor was
indicted on eight counts of tax fraud. According to the Oct. 17 indictment,
Snipes used the tax packages of two men he was indicted with to
unsuccessfully claim nearly $12 million in refunds for taxes he paid in 1996
and 1997. Snipes had his taxes prepared by accountants with a history of
filing false returns to reap payments for their clients, reports said.

      Snipes, meanwhile, remains on the Namibia set of "Gallowwalker," a
horror film from director Andrew Goth.

      "We are happy that he continues to turn up on set each day. If his
indictment creates this amount of press it shows he is a star," said Gary
Smith, CEO of the film’s financier.
     
      Production is slated to begin in Thailand in mid-January on his next
film, "Chasing the Dragon," in which Snipes plays an FBI agent in Asia on
the tail of a drug lord.
     
      "We are thrilled that he may have settled. If he owes money it makes
no sense to lock him up," said a source close to "Dragon."

50 CENT, DENIRO TO STAR IN KATRINA THRILLER: Duo in final negotiations to
star in “New Orleans.”

      *Rapper 50 Cent and acting legend Robert DeNiro will star as cops
investigating a murder in the film “New Orleans,” a police thriller set
against the backdrop of Hurricane Katrina.

      According to the Hollywood Reporter, the indie film (previously
titled “Microwave Park”) follows a cop (DeNiro) who thinks his partner was
killed by the storm, only to discover that he was shot to death. His new
partner, (50 Cent) helps him to investigate the murder, and the two soon
uncover a world of police corruption.

      The project was originally set in Los Angeles but changed to New
Orleans after the Katrina disaster. Production is tentatively scheduled to
begin in the city in February. Tim Hunter is directing for Millennium Films.

      De Niro directs and stars in his next film, "The Good Shepherd," a spy
thriller co-starring Angelina Jolie and due for release in December. 50 Cent
starred last year in the autobiographical feature "Get Rich Or Die Tryin'."

PRINCE OFFICIALLY A VEGAS ACT: Artist to perform every weekend at his new
3121 club on the strip.

      *Move over Toni Braxton and Celine Dion…Prince has officially set up
shop as a concert destination on the Las Vegas strip. Beginning Nov. 10, His
Royal Badness will perform every weekend at his new nightclub 3121, located
inside of the Rio hotel.

      Prince will play Friday and Saturday nights for the grown and sexy
(21-and-over) crowd. Tickets are $125 and went on sale Thursday (Nov. 2).
For table reservations, call 702-777-7776.

      Prince will also host Wednesday-night concerts at the club by other
artists. According to a rep from P R Plus, a Vegas firm representing the
club, Prince’s performance run at 3121 has no end date attached.

      His arrival in Vegas as a marquee performer follows similar moves by
Dion, Braxton, Elton John and Barry Manilow.

     Here are the details of Prince’s 3121 nightclub schedule:

WEDNESDAYS: Prince Presents (Various Artists TBA)
Doors open at 10 pm
Ticket prices start at $31.21 (21 and over)

FRIDAYS AND SATURDAYS: Live performance by Prince
Doors open at 10 pm
Ticket prices are $125.00* (21 and over)

      Also, 3121 Jazz Cuisine will open daily at 5 p.m. featuring a brand
new menu created by Executive Chef Lena Morgan. For dinner reservations,
please call 702-777-7702.

      Special dinner and show package available for $312.10 per person:
minimum of two guests; includes dinner at 3121 Jazz Cuisine, VIP tickets to
the performance, and one bottle with table service per two guests. For
dinner and show packages call 702-777-7776.

      Tickets can be ordered at the Rio Box Office at 702-777-7776, at any
Ticketmaster outlet or by visiting www.vegas.com.

BORIS AND NICOLE WELCOME SECOND CHILD: ‘Soul Food’ couple births a brother
for 1-year-old Sophie.

      *The Kodjoes have a new addition to the family.  Nicole Parker and
her husband Boris Kodjoe have announced that they are the proud parents of a
second child.

      The actors, who met while co-starring on the Showtime series “Soul
Food,” welcomed son Nicolas Neruda Kodjoe at 11:13 a.m. Tuesday in Atlanta,
reports People magazine.

      Parker, 36, and Kodjoe, 33, already have a 1-year-old daughter,
Sophie. They were married in Gundelfingen, Kodjoe's hometown in Germany's
Black Forest, in May 2005.
     
      Kodjoe has completed production on the upcoming film “If You Lived
Here, You’d Be Home Now,” about a group of people living in temporary
housing in Los Angeles. He’s also credited with a role in the upcoming films
“Clarksdale” and “The Trunk.”
     
      As previously reported, “The Trunk” stars Djimon Hounsou as a talented
pianist who looks to leave the ghetto behind, though his friends conspire to
hold him back.
     

MARY J. BLIGE GATHERS GREATEST HITS: Retrospective of singer’s classics to
include one new song.

      *Geffen Records has collected a number of classic hits from Mary J.
Blige for a new retrospective, "Reflections: The Journey," due Dec. 12.

      The track list has yet to be announced, but Billboard reports the
set will be preceded by a new song “We Ride,” which is scheduled to arrive
at U.S. radio outlets this week.

      Another new MJB song, "Never Gonna Break My Faith," features Aretha
Franklin and appears on the soundtrack to the upcoming film “Bobby,” due in
theaters Nov. 23. It is unclear if the Bryan Adams-penned track will also
appear on "Reflections: The Journey."
 
      Blige will promote the album in yet-to-be announced holiday
performances, Billboard reports.

HUGHES BROS. ARE ‘KUNG FU’ FIGHTING: Directors to end four-year film hiatus with adaptation of classic 70s TV series.

      *Twin directors Allen and Albert Hughes, who last stepped behind a
camera for the 2002 Johnny Depp drama "From Hell," have signed on to helm a
film adaptation of the classic television series “Kung Fu” for Warner
Bros.-based Legendary Pictures.

      According to Variety, the brothers have been trying to land this
project for the past two years, and were among several directors who were
vying for the property.  Warner Bros. production president Jeff Robinov, who
ultimately gave them the job, was the twins’ agent before becoming a studio
executive.

      The producers have already reached out to the Shaolin Temple outside
Beijing, where nonviolent monks train in martial arts and were the
inspiration for the series protagonist, Caine. The studio hopes to release
the film in 2008, which will wrap nicely into promotion at the Beijing
Olympics. Production is slated to begin next year.
     
      During their break from the big screen, the Hughes brothers have been
busy directing commercials with the likes of Kobe Bryant and Vince Carter
for such brands as Pepsi, Coke, Reebok, Heineken, Adidas, Nike and Sprite.
They also directed videos for such bands as Korn.
     
      The siblings burst onto the scene in 1993 as directors of “Menace II
Society.”
     

SPIKE LEE EYES ‘INSIDE MAN’ SEQUEL: Director in talks to helm second heist
film; no word if Denzel will return.

      *Spike Lee is said to be in negotiations to direct a sequel to his
spring hit “Inside Man,” a heist film starring Denzel Washington, Jodie
Foster and Clive Owen.

      According to Variety, Universal Pictures and Imagine Entertainment
are developing the sequel, but it is unknown whether the characters played
by Washington, Foster and Owen will be returning.

     The thriller earned nearly $90 million at the domestic box office
and even more overseas, making it Lee's highest grossing film.

      The director and returning screenwriter Russell Gewirtz are currently
discussing ideas for the sequel, reports Variety.

EUR BOOK REPORT: White Men Can't Hump (As Good As Black Men)
Race & Sex in America, Volumes I & II
by Kam Williams

      *"Why should black men continue to sit back and allow whites to negatively define black male sexuality, especially when you consider the fact that they privately covet what they say we already possess? One of the main reasons I decided to write this book is because I was tired of being defined by white men who are actually just envious.

      This WARNING is for my white readers. If you're a greedy white male or a racist white male, you're not going to like this book. If you're a white male who believes that your skin color makes you superior to people of color, you're not going to like this book.

      I truly believe that all men are created equal. A lot of people say they believe all men are created equal but their actions state otherwise. When you're facing someone who's bigger than you, the best way to bring them down to size is to kick them in the groin."  -- Excerpted from Volume I

      Not only can't white men jump, but they apparently can't hump either. And Todd Wooten has so much to say on the subject that it took him a couple of volumes totaling over 500 pages of painstakingly-researched analysis to make his case.

      Wooten, an ex-Marine, worked as a bouncer, a prison guard, a mall cop, a paramedic and a firefighter before embarking on a new career as a self-appointed expert on mating habits across the color line.

      To his credit, the sagacious, salacious sex historian makes up for his lack of credentials with an infectious enthusiasm for his material and a colorful ability to turn a phrase, even if he is prone to profanity. Overall, White Men Can't Hump happens to be quite an entertaining page-turner which rests on the thesis that the legacy of slavery has left black males both devalued and blamed for their collective lower station in life.

      Sisters, he says, fare far better than brothers, specifically because they have always been desired by the white male. As proof, he points to the 1860 U.S. census which classified 588,532 individuals as mulattos, virtually all fathered by whites.

      He further argues that liaisons between black males and white females are still taboo to this day, which he illustrates by looking at how romance has been portrayed in mainstream movies. Very rarely was Wooten able to find black actors in explicit embraces with white actresses.

      Yet, he encountered innumerable instances of the flip side, most notably, Halle Berry's Oscar-winning soft-porn performance opposite Billy Bob Thornton in Monster's Ball. The author even goes so far as to give a breakdown of all of Halle's onscreen love scenes, concluding that she has been far more intimate and shown more skin with her Caucasian leading men than with black ones.

      White Men Can't Hump delineates similar data for dozens of other thespians, and, assuming its statistics are legit, it becomes hard to disagree with the book's basic conclusion that American culture, with the help of Hollywood, is intent on neutering the black male. Why? Because of what Wooten calls WMD, White Man's Dread, namely, fear of a black penis.

      This timely tome devotes considerable space to some other concerns, such as African-American self-improvement. In this regard, he lambasts the BET network whose programming he describes as "atrocious" in an eloquent, if expletive-laced, tirade which reads as follows:

      "It consists of 20 hours of bllsh*t and 4 hours of infomercials. Learn to rap and say 'bllsh*t.'  That's quite an educational message to send to black youth. The network is a disgrace and I don't care who owns it or runs it. It's f*ckin' terrible, period."

      Mr. Wooten is just as blunt when assessing rap music, which he likens to a fad destined to fade away, ala the big bands, doo-wop and disco. "Hip-hop is not a culture," he states emphatically.

      "Hip-hop is not a way of life, hip-hop is enter-f*cking-tainment, period. To say that hip-hop is a way of life is like saying video games are a way of life. Video games are nothing more than a form of entertainment that leads to nowhere, just like hip-hop. The only value these forms of entertainment offer to the masses is a temporary escape from reality."

      Taking no prisoners, White Men Can't Hump is an equal-opportunity offender, and an admirable effort by Todd Wooten to close the human divide by addressing a litany of uncomfortable issues with the goal of eradicating both intolerance and low self-esteem because as stated in the catchphrase printed at the bottom of the book's every page, "Life is too short to hate."

White Men Can't Hump (As Good As Black Men): Race & Sex in America, Volumes I & II
by Todd Wooten
AuthorHouse
Paperback, $17.50 each volume
300 pages (Volume I), 210 pages (Volume 2)
ISBN: 1-4259-5743-9 (Volume I), 1-4259-5976-8 (Volume I)

TIMBERLAKE HAS ‘LOVE’ FOR BILLBOARD: Single ends two-week reign of Ludacris’
‘Money Maker’ on Hot 100.

      *Justin Timberlake is back for seconds at the top of Billboard’s Hot
100 chart. His current single, “My Love” featuring T.I., takes over the No.
1 spot this week, putting an end to the two-week run of Ludacris’ “Money
Maker” feat. Pharell.

      “My Love” is Timberlake’s second straight No. 1 single from his new
album “FutureSex/LoveSounds,” which also saw its first single, “SexyBack,”
reach No. 1 last month. With “My Love,” Timberlake becomes the first male
artist to earn back-to-back No. 1s since Usher earned four straight in 2004.

      “Money Maker,” meanwhile, falls to No. 3, behind Akon’s "Smack That"
featuring Eminem to No. 2.  Elsewhere on the chart, "SexyBack" dips 4-5,
Fergie's "Fergalicious" leaps 19-6, JoJo's "Too Little Too Late" drops 7-9
and Chris Brown's "Say Goodbye" rounds out the top tier, rising 12-10. The
Brown cut also leads Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs for a second week.

      New to the Hot 100 chart is John Legend's "Save Room," which debuts at
No. 61.

REDMAN, RAEKWON HEADLINE ROCK THE BELLS TOUR: Trek launches Nov. 21 in D.C.
with Keith Murray, Supernatural and DJ Kool in tow.

      *This year’s Rock the Bells festival will splinter off into a cross
country tour with rappers Redman, Raekwon, Keith Murray, Supernatural and DJ
Kool on the bill.

      The club dates are scheduled to begin Nov. 21 in Washington D.C. and
end Dec. 22 in Anaheim, Calif.

      Redman will perform tracks from his upcoming Def Jam album, "Red
Gone Wild," due in March with an as-yet-untitled first single produced by
Timbaland. Raekwon is still in the studio laying tracks for the long-awaited
sequel to his 1995 solo debut “Only Built 4 Cuban Linx.” No release date has
been announced for the project.

Here are the Rock the Bells tour dates:

Nov. 21: Washington, D.C. (9:30 Club)
Nov. 22: Myrtle Beach, S.C. (House of Blues)
Nov. 24: Greensboro, N.C. (the N Club)
Nov. 25: Hartford, Conn. (Webster Theatre)
Nov. 26: Allentown, Pa. (Crocodile Rock Cafe)
Nov. 28: New York (B.B. King's Blues Club)
Nov. 30: Boston (Avalon)
Dec. 1: Providence, R.I. (Lupo's)
Dec. 2: Buffalo, N.Y. (Buffalo Ballroom)
Dec. 3: Burlington, Vt. (Higher Ground)
Dec. 5: TBA
Dec. 6: Chicago (House of Blues)
Dec. 8: Park City, Utah (Harry O's)
Dec. 9: Denver (Ogden Theatre)
Dec. 10: TBA
Dec. 12: Vancouver (Plush)
Dec. 13: Seattle (Showbox)
Dec. 14: Portland, Ore. (Roseland Theatre)
Dec. 15: Sacramento, Calif. (Empire)
Dec. 16: San Francisco (Mezzanine)
Dec. 17: Oakland, Calif. (Sweets Ballroom)
Dec. 20: Los Angeles (House of Blues)
Dec. 21: San Diego (House of Blues)
Dec. 22: Anaheim, Calif. (House of Blues)

OPENING THIS WEEK: Kam's Kapsules -- Weekly Previews That Make Choosing a Film Fun For movies opening November 3, 2006

by Kam Williams

BIG BUDGET FILMS

Borat (R for pervasive profanity, crude sexuality, and graphic nudity) Sacha Baron Cohen stars in the title role of this zany comedy as a journalist dispatched to the U.S. from his native Kazakhstanto to make a documentary about America. Cast includes Pamela Anderson, Pat Haggerty and Ken Davitian.

Flushed Away (PG for crude humor and mild epithets) Class-conscious, claymation animated adventure about a pampered pet mouse (Hugh Jackman) living high on the hog in a posh, penthouse apartment who gets an instant lesson in how the other half lives when he's accidentally flushed down the toilet and ends up among the hoi polloi on the streets of London. With character voiceovers by Kate Winslet, Jean Reno, Bill Nighy, Ian McKellen and Andy Serkis.

The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause (G) Tim Allen reprises his role as Scott Calvin, aka Saint Nick, now a newlywed with a pregnant (Elizabeth Mitchell). This adventure has Santa matching wits with his nemesis Jack Frost (Martin Short) who is trying to appropriate the Christmas holiday.

INDEPENDENT & FOREIGN FILMS

As the Call, So the Echo (Unrated) House call documentary traces the trail of Dr. Alex Moreano from Albuquerque to Vietnam, where the eye, nose and throat specialist attends to poverty-stricken patients at an understaffed hospital in Hue. (In English and Vietnamese with subtitles)

Commune (Unrated) Free love documentary revisits Black Bear Ranch, a presumably utopian community founded by hippies in an abandoned gold mine in Siskiyou County, California in 1968. Featuring archival footage and present-day interviews with former commune members (including actor Peter Coyote), revealing reminiscence candidly examines conflicts which complicated life at the virtual nirvana.

The Great Warming (Unrated) Cautionary documentary, based on the best seller Storm Warning: Gambling with the Climate of Our Planet by science writer Lydia Dotto, explores how global warming trends are affecting the lives of people all around the planet.

Hood of Horror (R for sex, expletives, nudity, gore, and pervasive graphic
violence) A trio of hip-hop horror flicks narrated by Snoop Dogg involving depraved denizens of a haunted inner city neighborhood. Cast includes Snoop, Pooch Hall, Ernie Hudson, and Sydney Poitier, daughter of Sidney.

Romantico (Unrated) South of the border bio-pic about a middle-aged mariachi musician (Carmelo Muniz Sanchez) struggling to decide whether to stay with his family in Mexico or to migrate to San Francisco where he can make a lot more money. (In Spanish and English with subtitles)

Unknown (Unrated) Amnesia mystery about five men (Greg Kinnear, Joe Pantoliano, Barry Pepper, Jim Caviezel and Jeremy Sisto) who wake up locked inside an abandoned, chemical warehouse with no memory of who they are or how they got there. The puzzled quintet must figure out which among them is the kidnapped if they are to survive.

Volver (R for sex and expletives) Pedro Almodovar directs this surrealistic, skeletons-out-of-the-closet melodrama about a deceased matriarch (CarmenMaura) whose ghost returns home to help her daughters, one (Penelope Cruz), a hard-working mother married to a lazy bum, the other (Lola Duenas), an eccentric hairdresser, deal with the dysfunction in their lives.

Wondrous Oblivion (Unrated) Set in London in the Sixties, this cross-cultural drama revolves around an 11 year-old Jewish boy (Sam Smith) who befriends his new next-door neighbor (Delroy Lindo) from Jamaica in spite of the racist behavior of bigots on the block. (In English and Hebrew with subtitles)

MUSIC BITS: Billboard books Janet; Headley promotes healthy babies; Bad Boy
to plug Elephant Man.

      *Janet Jackson, Fergie and The Killers are among the first acts
confirmed to perform at the 2006 Billboard Music Awards, scheduled to air
live on Fox Dec. 4 from Las Vegas' MGM Grand Garden Arena.  Celine Dion,
Rihanna, Chris Brown and "American Idol" vets Katharine McPhee and Chris
Daughtry will also make appearances. The Billboard Music Awards honor the
most popular recordings and artists of the year as determined by actual
performance on the magazine's weekly charts.

      *Tony Award winner Heather Headley has joined the March of Dimes to
educate women -- especially black women -- about reducing their chances of
having a premature baby. “I'm not pregnant, but I want my nine months
someday,” Headley says in a new campaign launched at Harlem Hospital to
kick-off Prematurity Awareness Month. The campaign urges women to take
action before pregnancy by talking to their health care providers about
their risk for having a premature baby. Premature birth affects one of every
eight babies, including one in six black babies in the U.S. For more
information, visit http://marchofdimes.com 

      *Sean “Diddy” Combs of Bad Boy Worldwide Entertainment announced a
landmark deal with reggae/dancehall music label VP Records to market and
distribute dancehall superstar, Elephant Man. “Elephant Man is one the
greatest entertainers in his genre of music. When I saw him at Madison
Square Garden ripping down the stage, I knew that he was the one. He will be
a great addition to our team,” said Diddy. Elephant Man’s first release
under the joint venture is slated for spring 2007 with a single and video
expected in early 2007.  

SPORTS BITS: Tiki’s wife behind retirement?; Deion’s hosts AT&T Home Turf;
we remember Silas Simmons; Rodman acts a fool again.

      *The New York Post’s Page Six is reporting that the wife of New York
Giants running back Tiki Barber is behind the athlete’s decision to retire
at the end of the season.   A longtime friend of Barber says Ginny Barber
made him afraid he'd suffer a catastrophic injury that would render him a
lousy dad. The 205-pound, 31-year-old NFL star is retiring because wifey has
been "nagging him for a long time - and with others present - that he'd
better retire before he has a crippling injury," Barber's friend tells Page
Six. If that happened, Ginny told him, "he couldn't participate in raising
his children."

      *AT&T is turning the spotlight on Deion Sanders in the latest edition
of its AT&T Home Turf streaming webisodes series. Sanders will play dual
roles as host and guest in the interactive series that gives fans up-close
and personal access to the impressive digs, quirky interests, and high-tech
lifestyles of some of the biggest draws in professional sports, along with
candid bonus interviews and trivia tidbits. Click here to watch:
http://attblueroom.com/sports

      *Negro League baseball legend Silas Simmons, said to be the oldest
living professional baseball player, died on Sunday, two weeks after his
111th birthday. The former left-handed pitcher and outfielder died in a
retirement nursing home, Zion Hill Mortuary said Wednesday. Simmons played
for several teams from 1912-29, including the New York Lincoln Giants of the
Eastern Colored League, the Cuban Stars and the Blue Ribbons of Germantown,
who later became the Homestead Grays. He was born in Middleton, Del., in
1895, the same year as Babe Ruth, and honored by the Center for Negro League
Baseball Research on his birthday Oct. 14.
     
      *Dennis Rodman seems to be on another downward spiral. The former NBA
star was spotted talking crazy to the paparazzi outside of the Ivy
restaurant in Beverly Hills Wednesday. En route to a car driven by his buxom
date, Rodman told photographers: "All the girls I've loved before, I'll f***
'em all. Every b**ch that's f***ed me, like this one [he points to his
date], I'm gonna give it f***'n hell brotha." TMZ has the video footage:
http://us.video.aol.com/video.index.adp?mode=1&pmmsid=1757405

FILM/TV BITS: Latifah honored; ‘Miami Vice’ DVD; Lindsay Lohan and Evan
Ross?; New York & Pumkin?

      *As previously reported, Queen Latifah was named one of Glamour
magazine’s Women of the Year and was feted Monday night in New York. The
rapper/actress’ Role Model award was presented by her “Chicago” co-star
Catherine Zeta-Jones. Latifah, whose real name is Dana Owens, told the
crowd: "The reason why I took the name Queen was that my mother told me that
all women were Queens and should be treated as such...So I dedicate this
award to my mother who is the first Queen in my life." 
     
      *The Jamie Foxx/Colin Farrell film “Miami Vice” arrives on DVD Dec. 5
from Universal Studios Home Entertainment. The package features the
theatrical R-rated version as well as an Unrated Director's Edition with
footage not shown in theaters. Extras include “Miami Vice Undercover,”
“Miami and Beyond: Shooting on Location,” “Visualizing Miami Vice,”
Behind-the-Scenes Featurettes and feature commentary with
writer-director-producer Michael Mann.
 
      *Actor Evan Ross, the son of Motown legend Diana Ross, is rumored to
be dating tabloid superstar Lindsay Lohan. A source tells the National
Enquirer: "Lindsay absolutely adores Evan. They're keeping the relationship
quiet and won't show up or leave a club or event together. Lindsay's loving
that, for the first time, she's the experienced one in this relationship."
Lohan ended her fling with restaurateur Harry Morton last month.
     
      *Looks like “Flavor of Love” stars New York and Pumkin are swapping
spit again, but this time, in a way that doesn’t require a beatdown. TMZ.com
ran the photo below, taken by Pumkin’s aunt after winning Best Fight at the
Reality Remix “Really Awards.”  Sources tell the Web site that they may get
a little more risqué for a possible naughty pictorial in the near future.

OBAMA ON HILLARY CLINTON’S HEELS IN LATEST POLL: Senator from Illinois in
second place in poll of potential Democratic candidates in 08.

      *According to a new CNN poll released Wednesday, Sen. Barack Obama
of Illinois, who has recently said he is considering a bid for his party's
presidential nomination, now trails only Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton on a
list of potential Democratic candidates in 2008.

      Obama gets support from 17 percent of registered Democrats, which puts
him in second place, ahead of former Vice President Al Gore, Sen. John
Edwards of North Carolina and Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts, according to
the poll.
     
      After months of telling inquiring minds that he would not run for
president in 2008, Obama suddenly left the door open during an Oct. 22
interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press.
     
      "I would say I am still at the point where I have not made a decision
to pursue higher office, but it is true that I have thought about it over
the last several months," the 45-year-old Democratic senator told host Tim
Russert.
     
      "I don't want to be coy about this, given the responses that I've been
getting over the last several months," Obama added. "I have thought about
the possibility, but I have not thought about it with the seriousness and
depth that I think is required."

      Clinton's share of the Democratic voters has fallen from 38 percent in
September to 28 percent -- still enough to make her the front-runner.
     
     
EUR MOTIVATIONAL NOTE

An important word and mindset to achieve what you desire in life is
"consistency."

- By Jewel Diamond Taylor

Even if it is just a small step, it will get you closer to your goal each
day. If you have a savings goal, set aside even one dollar a day. If you're
seeking employment, get out there and/or make calls everyday. If you're in
sales, overcome your shyness, procrastination and distractions so you can
meet your sales goals. If you want to write a book, write each day, even if
it's just two paragraphs! Small, step-by-step actions will produce results.
You may feel lonely, exhausted, disappointed or even depressed right now
about some circumstances in your life. Don't isolate yourself. Never
underestimate the power of the people around you to either drag you down or
lift you up. Poisonous people can destroy your goal by systematically
draining you of your passion and desire and replacing it with total
pessimism! Passionate and positive people can invigorate you with renewed
energy and a mind set on the dream. Get around people who will energize you!
However, if you find yourself going for your goal alone, don't be
discouraged...be persistent anyway. This is your life baby and no one else
is going to be as concerned about the quality of your life more than you
should be right now...tomorrow...next week...next year...etc. ~ Jewel
Diamond Taylor
      
Nov 4 - Silver Spring, MD - Too Blessed to Be Stressed Prayer Breakfast
Nov 7 - Fullerton, CA - Summit Career College Graduation
Nov 11 - Dallas, TX - A Meeting in the Ladies Room
Nov 18 - Los Angeles, CA - Charles Bibbs Art Gallery

CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS

      Nov. 3: Actor Mike Evans ("The Jeffersons") is 57.

      Nov. 4: Rapper-producer Sean "Diddy" Combs is 37. Singer Shawn Rivera
(Az Yet) is 35. Gospel/R & B singer George Huff is 26.
      
      Nov. 5: Singer-songwriter Ike Turner is 75.

WEBSITE OF THE WEEK
                       
      RadioScope/EUR's LaRita Shelby is turning over a new leaf! Feel the
jazz and show your support. www.MySpace.com/RitaShelby  

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

BLACK HISTORY

Nov. 3, 1896: JH Hunter puts patents on the portable weighing
scales.

      Nov. 4, 1969: Howard N. Lee and Charles Evers are elected the first
African American mayors of Chapel Hill, N.C. and Fayette, Miss.,
respectively.

      Nov. 5, 1836: Theo Wright becomes the first black person to get a
Theology degree in the U.S. (Source: www.BlackFacts.com)