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12-07-06 EUR ALL ON ONE PAGE
JAMIE FOXX TO TOUR AFTER ‘DREAMGIRLS’ OPENS: Actor-singer to play arenas in 11 cities through mid Feb.
*The day after his new film “Dreamgirls” arrives in theaters on Dec.
25, Jamie Foxx will launch a 12-date tour in San Diego, Calif. that is expected to eventually expand to include 30 dates across the country, his promoters have announced.
“American Idol" winner Fantasia Barrino will serve as the opening act on several outings, including a Dec. 29 performance in Sacramento, and a New Year's Eve show in Oakland, CA. The first leg will span 11 dates through early February. (See schedule below.)
According to organizers, Foxx's performances will be a combination of songs and standup comedy. All shows on the itinerary are currently on sale.
Foxx's fan-club members can receive priority seating through the tour's
website: (http://tour.jamiefoxx.com).
Here is the itinerary for the first leg of Jamie Foxx’s tour:
December 2006
26 - San Diego, CA - San Diego Civic Center
29 - Sacramento, CA - Arco Arena
31 - Oakland, CA - Oakland Arena
January 2007
4 - Cincinnati, OH - Music Hall
5 - Milwaukee, WI - Riverside Theater
6 - Chicago, IL - AllState Arena
10 - St. Louis, MO - The Fabulous Fox Theater
14 - Atlantic City, NJ - Borgata Resort Spa & Casino
19 - Uncasville, CT - Mohegan Sun Arena
22 - New York, NY - Madison Square Garden
February 2007
16 - Las Vegas, NV - Aladdin Theater
NAS ADDRESSES BABY MAMA DRAMA ON RADIO SHOW: Rapper comments on Carmen Bryan’s new tell-all; MC also featured in Complex mag.
*Nas and his baby’s mother Carmen Bryan have aired out their dirty laundry over the radio airwaves of Chicago.
The rapper, who is promoting his upcoming Def Jam album “Hip Hop Is Dead,” visited the "Trey the Chocolate Jock Morning Jump-off" show on Chicago’s Power 92 and was asked about various allegations Bryan has made in her new tell-all book, “It’s No Secret.”
Co-host Kendra G. asked Nas if it was true that he once punched Carmen in the face with a closed fist. According to Kendra, Nas quickly said that he wasn't going to defend himself against the book “because this is the type of person who is after only God knows what,” Kendra recounted. Nas also told the audience that he had no plans to read the book.
The Def Jam artist added that he doesn’t speak to Bryan, even when it’s concerning his daughter. On those occasions, “everything goes through an assistant” Kendra quotes him as saying. He also said that he never sees Bryan, even when he comes to pick up his child from her house.
Later, Bryan called into the show to refute Nas’ remarks. According to Carmen, she and speaks often with Nas, and had last talked to him the day before the radio show. She also said that Nas not only read the book, but helped her to outline the chapters.
As for the part in the book about Nas not wanting to date Beyonce because of her breath, Carmen says it was Nas who told her it should be added to the book.
Listen to the mess here:
• Nas refuses to defend allegations in the book:
http://www.eurweb.com/media/soundbytes/nas1n.mp3
• Nas does not speak to Carmen:
http://www.eurweb.com/media/soundbytes/nas2n.mp3
• Carmen says Nas is a liar:
http://www.eurweb.com/media/soundbytes/carmen.mp3
*Meanwhile, Nas is interviewed in the new December/January issue of Complex magazine, which hits newsstands on Dec. 12.
Before signing to Def Jam, the rapper was offered a president’s job at Atlantic Records which would have made him Jim Jones’ boss. When asked about this, he responds: “I’m still his boss [laughs]. I am above him.
Who’s not above Jim Jones? I don’t know any of his records and I’m not even being funny. Like I know he’s got a record called Ballin. I hope it sells some records, but I swear to you I’ve never heard it.”
When asked why he decided not to accept the president’s position, he says, “Artists are fu***** crazy and they’d want to blame me for s***. I can’t deal with that right now.”
Following are more highlights from the Nas interview in the December/January issue of Complex:
• On Def Jam artists complaining about lack of label support… The music should be enough, and sometimes things slip through the cracks.
But people getting mad at Jay is corny. Especially someone like LL Cool J.
He’s too old of an O.G. to be mad at Jay. He’s been at Def Jam since we were kids dreaming about being on Def Jam. We gotta get off this bull**** ‘cause I never remember those artists talking about any white executives.
That’s some slavery s***. If my record comes out and goes wood, I can’t blame Jay because it’s my doing.”
• On why he has not been as business savvy as some of this counterparts… “You gotta realize that all rappers complain about their careers, but you ain’t heard Nas complain about his career [laughs]. You don’t get here just
fu***** around. If Snoop Dogg makes a Snoop hot-dog then Nas gotta make one?
If I decide I want to do movies or clothes I’ll do them. None of this s*** is rocket science.”
• When asked of other’s success, he responds, “I want to see 50 own the Empire State Building and Jay own fu***** 12 basketball teams. I don’t have an issue with anybody that’s in a position of growth. It’s only when they’re cooning that I get embarrassed. Some of these niggas are buffoons..
Muthaf****** are buying You Tube and we’re renting yachts that they own, talking about, ‘That ni**a’s shining, and I’m not.’ We’ve got to really think about the big picture, dude.”
• On his remaining time in hip-hop…
“If you look at these ni**as that love hip-hop, they’re broke or they’re frustrated artists. I’m trying to learn from B.B. King. I’m going to be rapping when I’m 80.”
RUSSELL SIMMONS ANNOUNCES PLAN TO AID AFRICA: Mogul’s jewelry company launches ‘Green Initiative.’
*Russell Simmons is using a portion of sales from his diamond company to help improve the lives of Africans.
Under the “Green Initiative,” 25 percent of proceeds from his Simmons Jewelry Co. will go toward the Diamond Empowerment Fund, which will support such institutions as schools and colleges in South Africa and Botswana and help boost the economy.
Simmons’ announcement follows his recent tour of diamond mines and
factories in South Africa and Botswana to research the diamond trade.
"Our purpose was to see how we could have an affect on the diamond industry," he told a news conference Tuesday. "Africans need this industry,"
Simmons added, citing such economic benefits to the region as the funding of HIV/AIDS clinics.
Human rights groups are attempting to shine a light on conflict diamonds, or jewels that have fueled and funded wars in Africa. Armed gunman sell the gems to raise funds for weapons. Millions have been killed in Angola, Sierra Leone, Liberia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Simmons Jewelry Co. President Scott Rauch said the company's diamonds are conflict-free.
BOW WOW TO SERVE AS PRINCIPAL OF L.A. HIGH SCHOOL: Schurr High wins services of rapper for one day; tour begins tonight in Anaheim
*Thanks to Los Angeles radio station Power 106, students and faculty at Schurr High School in Montebello, Calif. will answer today to 19-year-old rapper Bow Wow as their “Principal for a Day.”
Under his new title, Bow will give a pep talk to Schurr's football team, meet with pageantry students, visit the school blood drive, attend a student of the month breakfast, read announcements over the intercom and visit some classrooms.
He’ll end today in a broadcast with Power 106's Big Boy in the Morning and a live performance for the student body.
Power 106's “Principal for a Day” online contest invited all Los Angeles schools to register online and place their votes on www.power106.fm to win the private event with Bow Wow. The contest drew over 2 million votes on www.power106.fm within four weeks.
Later today, Bow Wow will kick off a month-long U.S. tour behind his new album “The Price of Fame,” due for release on Dec. 19. The disc was produced by long-time Bow Wow collaborator Jermaine Dupri and features Chris Brown, R. Kelly, Lil Wayne, Pimp C, Lil Scrappy, T Pain and more, according to the Bow Wow's MySpace page.
Here is his tour schedule:
December 2006
7 - Anaheim, CA - Honda Center
9 - Atlanta, GA - DeKalb Event Center
10 - Chattanooga, TN - Mckenzie Arena
17 - Newark, NJ - Newark Symphony Hall
22 - Memphis, TN - Cannon Center for the Performing Arts
23 - Portsmouth, VA - Willett Hall
26 - Florence, SC - Florence Civic Center
27 - Charlotte, NC - Ovens Auditorium
28 - Columbus, OH - Veterans Memorial Auditorium
29 - Upper Marlboro, MD - Show Place Arena 30 - Columbia, SC - Township Auditorium
January 2007
1 - Atlanta, GA - DeKalb Event Center
WILLIAMS SISTERS AND DAD ACCUSED OF LYING: New motion is filed in breach of contract case with ‘Battle of the Sexes’ promoters.
*Lawyers for the two promoters suing tennis players Venus and Serena Williams and their father over a tennis match filed a motion Tuesday accusing the trio of perjury.
Promoters Carol Clarke and Keith Rhodes, owners of a company called CCKR, says the sisters' father, Richard Williams, signed a contract on their behalf for the siblings to play in a 2001 "Battle of the Sexes" match. The promoters claim they lost millions of dollars after the sisters pulled out of the deal.
Despite tax returns that show Richard Williams was paid for management fees, Venus and Serena Williams have both testified that their father has never been their manager and had no authority to commit them to a deal. Attorneys for the sisters and their father claim the payments were mischaracterized for tax-deduction purposes and that Richard Williams was paid strictly for his role as their coach.
After both sides presented their arguments in court, Judge Jeffrey Winikoff ordered Venus and Serena Williams' attorneys to turn over to him more than two dozen sponsorship and endorsement agreements by Friday.
Richard Williams admits to drawing up terms of a potential contract for the 2001 event, but he insists he told promoters they would have to go through the IMG sports agency, which represents Venus and Serena, to complete any agreement. The promoters say he made no such disclaimer.
BEYONCE TO PAY FOR OWN MUSIC VIDEOS?: Fox411 columnist says singer is financing two more clips from ‘B’Day.’
*Sony may be finished with Beyonce’s “B’Day” album once it releases the bonus track “Listen” from her movie “Dreamgirls,” but the singer isn’t quite ready to throw in the towel.
“I’m spending my own money to make two more videos from my album,”
Beyonce told Fox 411 columnist Roger Friedman at the “Dreamgirls” premiere in New York, Monday.
According to Friedman, the former Destiny’s Child will reach into her own pocket to foot the bill for two dance-oriented songs from the album.
“Neither of the titles she mentioned though was ‘Green Light,’ the track that should be a single,” Friedman wrote in his Wednesday column.
Meanwhile, Beyonce is off to St. Barts this weekend for her boyfriend Jay-Z’s birthday (and their rumored wedding), but she’ll be back in the States for next weekend’s big West coast premiere of “Dreamgirls” in Hollywood.
According to Friedman, the syndicated entertainment news program “Extra” is sending as a correspondent former Supreme Mary Wilson, whose life inspired the “Dreamgirls” movie. Wilson will also go to the premiere and party as a VIP guest of Paramount Pictures, Friedman reports.
PHYLICIA RASHAD TO DIRECT SEATTLE ‘GEM’: Broadway actress will make directorial debut with production of Wilson’s last play.
*Tony-winning actress Phylicia Rashad will make her directorial debut at Seattle Repertory Theatre next spring with the company's production of August Wilson's “Gem of the Ocean.”
Rashad received a Tony nomination for her role in the Broadway run of “Gem,” which is the first, chronologically, of Wilson's decade plays.
Set in 1904, the production begins on the eve of Aunt Esther's 287th birthday. When Citizen Barlow comes to her Pittsburgh's Hill District home seeking asylum, she sets him off on a spiritual journey to find a city in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.
According to Playbill.com, the previews will begin at the Repertory Theatre’s Bagley Wright Theatre on April 5, 2007, towards an April 11 opening. The show will run though May 6.
Tickets to the season at Seattle Repertory Theatre, at 155 Mercer Street in Seattle, WA, are on sale by calling (206) 443-2222, toll free at
(877) 900-9285 or online at www.seattlerep.org.
Meanwhile, Rashad earned a Tony for her turn in the Broadway revival of “A Raisin in the Sun” – which she will reprise for the upcoming ABC television adaptation opposite her cast members Sean Combs, Sanaa Lathan, Bill Nunn and fellow Tony winner Audra McDonald.
STALLONE’S TUPAC/BIGGIE MOVIE A NO GO: Actor was to play LAPD detective who found dirty cops at root of murders.
*Sylvester Stallone tells Aint it Cool News that his plans for “Notorious,” a movie he was developing about the murders of rappers Tupac Shakur and the Notorious B.I.G., has stalled and may never make its planned debut on HBO.
“I became involved in the Tupac/Biggie project about 4 years ago”, says Stallone of the film, which he intended to direct. “Gathering all the data, these two giant rap stars were murdered in front of numerous witnesses and no arrests have ever been made. This, on the surface, said to me some very important people had to be involved. Police Chiefs?”
Stallone continues: “The story was like a modern-day noir written from the point of view of a Detective [Russell] Poole, who basically was railroaded out of the police department because the more he investigated, the dirtier the high rollers in city hall and police commissions and DA offices all appeared to be part of a conspiracy to squash this case. I don’t think it’ll ever be done because of the amount of lawsuits that would be filed.”
Stallone was to have portrayed Detective Poole in the project. The actor’s next film, “Rocky Balboa,” is due in theaters on Dec. 22.
ANDY DICK IS THE NEW MICHAEL RICHARDS: Actor uses N-word at LA’s Improv comedy club, apologizes the next day.
*Andy Dick says he was trying to make fun of Michael Richards when his heckling of a comedian at LA’s Improv comedy club ended with him shouting to the audience, “You’re all a bunch of ni**ers!”
"I chose to make a joke about a subject that is not funny,"
Dick said in an apology statement, which was provided to the Los Angeles Times.
As previously reported, Dick was in the audience Saturday night during a set from Ian Bagg. During his performance, Dick jumped onstage, grabbed the mic and shouted the offensive line.
"In an attempt to make light of a serious subject, I have offended a lot of people, and I am sorry for my insensitivity,” Dick continued in his mea culpa. “I wish to apologize to Ian, to the club and its patrons and to anyone who was hurt or offended by my remark."
CELEBS AUCTION ‘DREAMS’ TO AID MLK III CHARITY: Lunches with Andrew Young, Rev. Run, Rakim; meetings with Beyonce, Tiki Barber included.
*Celebrities from the worlds of sports, entertainment and public service will offer unique personal experiences or memorabilia in an auction to benefit Realizing the Dream, Inc., the charity overseen by Martin Luther King III, eldest son of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and co-founded by former United Nations Ambassador Andrew Young.
Fans may bid on lunch with legendary actress Diahann Carroll in Los Angeles, being the personal guest of running back Tiki Barber at a New York Giants game, or lunch, tickets and passes to a concert featuring hip hop icon Rakim.
The auction, which began Wednesday, will roll out in waves on http://www.authmem.com. Each successive Friday, additional dreams will be added to the auction roster.
On Dec. 21, the first ten lots will culminate live at Morphy Auctions'
gallery in Denver, Pa. (60 miles northwest of Philadelphia). Bidders also may participate during the live auction by phone (call 516-393-4795 to reserve a line) or live via the Internet through http://www.ebayliveauctions.com in association with http://www.liveauctioneers.com.
"I am truly overwhelmed by the enormous response from celebrities all over the country," said King III. "With their help, the torch for justice, equality and community that my parents once held is uplifted. More important, their generous commitments in support of my quest to continue the work toward the elimination of poverty and suffering are a testament to my father's belief in the beloved community."
The first ten dreams may be viewed online at http://morphyauctions.com, and starting this Friday, absentee bids may be phoned in to Morphy Auctions or lodged via the Internet through eBay Live Auctions. The eight initial dreams also include:
• Lunch with Run DMC's Joey Simmons
• A portrait of Dr. King painted by the artist Peter Max, along with a tour of his studio • Meet and Greet with Willie Randolph, plus personal items • Meet Beyoncé & Destiny's Child and receive autographed materials* • Meet Walt Frazier at a Knicks Game. Two game tickets included plus meet and greet with some team players
Realizing the Dream, Inc., with headquarters in Atlanta, Ga., is a nonprofit organization dedicated to making Dr. King's dream a reality by helping make the American dream possible for all. Realizing the Dream seeks to continue the legacy and work of Dr. and Mrs. King in wiping out poverty and injustice through programs that foster peace and nonviolent social change, empowering poverty-stricken communities and developing strong leaders among the nation's youth.
DAZ SAYS POLICE ARE HARASSING COUSIN SNOOP: Rapper releases statement suggesting ‘slavery is back’; vows to stop using N-word.
*As far as rapper Daz Dillinger is concerned, police all over the world are treating his cousin Snoop like a Dogg.
In recent weeks, Snoop Dogg has been arrested for carrying a collapsible baton to an airport and two separate cases of illegal drug and gun possession.
Daz, who also raps with Kurrupt as Tha Dogg Pound, is so frustrated with the recent rash of Snoop arrests that he released a statement calling out the court system.
"Snoop Dogg is another black man that is getting harassed,” Daz said, according to Allhiphop.com. “If you take the title Snoop Dogg away, there wouldn't be any media attention. He'd silently be harassed every day until they created some type of scenario to lock him up. Luckily and hopefully the media can shine its light on this ridiculous double standard of the legal system."
The rapper, whose real name is Delmar Arnaud, also used his press release to take pot shots at the music industry and its role as a perceived plantation.
"I am beginning to believe that slavery is back,” said Daz.
“Everything is a plantation, rather you work downtown or you work at a factory, we are still in a plantation. And just because someone receives money doesn't mean they are free. Especially if they are threatened to lose the money if they don't do what they are told. This is slavery in 2006 and in 2007, and it is my goal to make sure we escape and get free."
Daz hopes to build community centers in urban areas to help young blacks and Latinos learn about the music industry as a way of keeping them off the streets. The Long Beach rapper is also speaking out against the death of Sean Bell, the late 23-year-old groom-to-be who was shot and killed by New York authorities the night before his wedding. A protest rally in regards to the Bell shooting is scheduled for tonight in New York.
"This has got to stop,” stated Daz, who called for black people to “raise our voice and if necessary our fists against this continued and blatant murder against black people."
Disgruntled with the treatment of Snoop, as well as the music industry and his former label So So Def, Daz is preparing to release a single called, “Slavery is Back.”
"Hanging around Tupac, his political mind state definitely rubbed off on me,” Daz explained. “I have been political. However this industry doesn't want anything now that doesn't have you killing yourself or dancing."
“Slavery is Back” will be the first release from his new album “Dogg Chit.” The disc will also be the last place Daz will ever utter the N-word on a recording. He says the term possesses a “self hatred mind frame.”
“I speak to those black men who are out there barely trying to survive. But there are different levels of being a gangster," Daz said. "The president of the United States is a gangster and I want to address those issues and the many levels and sophistication that is attached with that word...black people are operating on a lower level, gang banging. Real power is owning a country not a block. Especially not a block that has no resources on it. The streets we are fighting for doesn't have oil in it, diamonds in it. So what are we killing each other for? It's time for black men and black women to realize that yes you maybe a gangster for killing someone. But if you are killing someone and have the fear of going to jail over your head, that isn't a gangster. A real gangster like President Bush doesn't even have to fear that. I want to expose that. And in my upcoming album ‘Slavery is Back’ I will."
ITTY BITTY BITS: Jay-Z on Cingular; Tyrese drops three singles; ‘Death’
becomes Anderson; Wyclef doesn’t recognize Haitian prez; Diesel dispels rumors.
*Cingular Wireless is offering exclusive mobile content from the recent "Jay-Z Hangar Tour," which saw the rapper perform seven 30- minute shows in seven cities in less than 24 hours to promote his new album, “Kingdome Come.” For Cingular customers who reside in a 3G market and have a compatible handset, they can now watch exclusive live performances from some of the shows during the tour, as well as backstage and behind-the-scenes footage of Jay-Z as part of Cingular Video. Cingular is also sponsoring a "Show Me What You Got" Lip Sync Battle. Fans can win $5000 by doing their best lip sync of two new Jay-Z songs - "Show Me What You Got" and "Kingdom Come." For more details, visit www.myvideobattle.com.
*Tyrese has simultaneously released three tracks from his upcoming double CD “Alter Ego,” due Dec. 12 on J Records The songs are the melodic ballad "One," produced by The Underdogs, the sensual "Turn Ya Out" featuring Lil' Jon and the rap track "Get It In." Tyrese will be the first artist to release a double CD with one disc of R&B songs and the other hip-hop (under his rap name, Black Ty). To promote this unprecedented release, Tyrese will make several television appearances including The Tavis Smiley Show (12/7), Craig Ferguson (12/8), BET's 106th & Park (12/11), The Megan Mullally Show (12/12), Spike TV Video Games Awards (12/13) and MTV's Sucker Free (12/20).
Tyrese has also launched the online campaign, "How Do You Wear Your Black Ty.” Users can upload pictures of themselves wearing a black tie however they choose. Ten winners will receive $50 gift certificates to Victoria's Secret. The contest runs now through January 2007 via http://www.myspace.com/tyrese or http://www.tyrese.com.
*Anthony Anderson will play the husband of Margaret Cho on an upcoming episode of Fox’s Thursday comedy, “Til Death.” The actor has already appeared on the show as Cofeld, one of Eddie's (Brad Garrett) best friends. This week, Cho begins shooting her appearance as Nicole Cofeld, who happens to be a friend of Joy's (Joely Fisher). The episode will air in early 2007.
*According to the New York Daily News, Wyclef Jean didn’t recognize the president of his own Haiti homeland when visiting the country’s National Palace. The rapper, an international ambassador for Haiti, says he came upon “this humble guy with a beard who was just chillin'.” Clef reportedly didn’t believe the man when he introduced himself as President Rene Preval.
“You're the president?" Jean responded, before the two had a good laugh about it, according to the Daily News.
*Vin Diesel says don’t believe the rumors that he has been dropped from the upcoming film “Hitman” and replaced by Timothy Olyphant The actor tells TMZ.com that he chose to leave the project, which is based on a popular videogame. TMZ also learned that Diesel flew to Prague Wednesday to star in the Mathieu Kassovitz-directed FOX feature, "Babylon A.D.," based on the best-selling French novel "Babylon Babies." The film is set to be a major 2007 holiday release for the studio.
JOSEPH C. PHILLIPS: Playing to the Back of the House
*Certainly it is a sign of the cynicism of our times that after a faux paux such as that committed by actor Michael Richards at the Laugh Factory a few weeks ago, he has hired a public relations expert to do damage control.
Alas, he is being led down the garden path under the misguided notion that there is a science to apology; an art to sincerity; that genuine contrition requires choreography. His fortune is paying for expertise (and I use the term loosely) that will soon have Richards tap dancing on every street corner. "I'm not a racist. Watch me dance." It is the same tired two step performed by Trent Lott when he appeared on Black Entertainment Television and announced that he was a champion of affirmative action. It didn't work for Lott and it will not work for Richards. It is theatre of the insincere, a modern dance that seeks only to entertain constituencies rather than make amends to the aggrieved party.
Richard's tap dance tour moved into full swing with phone calls placed to the Reverends Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson. Richards adds insult to injury when he seeks absolution not by making overtures to the audience that paid good money for bad comedy, but by kissing the rings of these two grand
pooh-bahs of race.
Truthfully, Richards might be forgiven this latest gaff. After all, if these media appointed leaders have the power to pronounce major corporations free from racism (for a price), certainly they must have the power to
absolve Richards. Isn't that what preachers do? "I say, I can heeeeaal ya
tonight!"
What is truly ironic is that in addition to wearing $1500 suits with no visible means of support, both these gentlemen have been embroiled in their own racially tinged scandals. In 1984, during the Democratic presidential primary, Jackson referred to New York as "Hymietown" and Sharpton's anti-Jewish rhetoric once earned him the title of the David Duke of the Democratic Party. All things considered, there remains some doubt as to the actual height of the horses they ride. Both Sharpton and Jackson are merely players in the theatre of mistrust and pessimism. They represent no one but themselves, and without folk like Richards willing to tap dance they would be thankfully out of business.
Richards would do better to realize that his transgression was not solely an insult to the black community. Racism and bigotry -- whether spit in a drunken stupor ala Mel Gibson, delivered in a painfully unfunny rant ala Richards or recorded onto platinum selling albums like any number of new minstrels -- is an affront to all of the American people. It is cynicism pure and simple that would lead anyone to conclude that mea culpas need only be made to "leaders" of the particular ethnic group insulted. Such cynicism ignores the American motto E Pluribus Unum. Americans are many ethnic groups and an attack on any of them is an attack on all of them. Our love affair with diversity is driven in part by our desire - our need -- to realize this ambition and finally wash the stain of racism from our American hands.
But, alas, the world is filled with idiots like Richards, who compound their mistakes by misreading the tenor of the public and hiring directors to help them play to the cheap seats. Heart felt apologies should suffice. He can donate money to every school in South Central Los Angeles and at the end of the day it will only mean he has learned nothing. Doing the Texas two step with the likes of Sharpton and Jackson reeks of contempt. It is this very same derisive sentiment that put Richards in hot water in the first place.
The days of white men screaming racial epithets are over in America because all Americans -- not just Black Americans, but ALL Americans won't stand for it. Until Richards understands this all his actions will read as so much play acting. Thus he shouldn't be surprised at the steady stream of voices
from the back of the theatre: "Sit down!"
ASK ADVICE CHICK: Answers to YOUR Dating, Sex, Life, & Love Questions!
© Kimberly Williams - AdviceChick@ameritech.net
Dear Advice Chick,
*I am writing this in light of the brutal killings that happened in NY City. I am outraged that police officers feel they are above the law. I have an example of that, that I would like to share.
I and my daughter were on our way home from the store and we were traveling behind a police officer. Now I can admit that I was a little frustrated at how slow this officer was going in front of me and being out all day I just wanted to get home. The officer made a right onto my street, of course I followed, there was another officer parked on the street the wrong way, right before my driveway. The officer whom I was traveling behind just stopped dead in the middle of the street as if I had no right to be driving as he has, so I tooted my horn at him. The next thing I know I have three officers jumping out of there vehicles yelling at me "DID YOU JUST BEEP AT US" as if this was a crime. I told them that I was trying to get to my drive way which was about maybe 2 feet in front of me. The female officer approached my child's window and said “well we are handling business right now," so I proceeded to ask "so that gives you the right to block the whole street".
Now remember I was following one and the other was just parked on the street talking to my neighbor not out of the vehicle no lights were on anything. The TWO male officers came to my window and were like "you can't be beeping at us" I did have an attitude by this time because all this time, all they had to do was move over a bit and let me by. Instead they continued to harass me and my child and ask for my license and everything. I believe that they were kind of peed when I whipped out my license at them. Then I was sitting in my car talking to my daughter saying "see how they just gonna jump out at us like that". One of the male officers was standing there listening to our conversation and was like "we didn't jump out on you at all". I asked "if not then why are all of you standing around my car then".
Needless to say they ran my license then got in there car and moved out of the way so I can pull into my driveway, My point is after all that just because I tooted my horn they had to just move there car and let me by which they could have done in the first place but because they feel they are above the law, god forbid a common person toot at them. It was pretty unbelievable how angry they were just to have to move anyway. I can't help but wonder if I had acted more angry then what I was or said something or if that witness was not standing right there what they would have done to me or my child for that matter. I was afraid but also angry that they made a big thing out of nothing. The officers not only of my community but also in the US. wonder why people don't trust them or help them to solve cases and give witness accounts but when they treat us as if we are beneath them what so they expect.
Advice Chick replies,
I agree nobody is above the law. In your case, you could have gotten yourself and your daughter killed. You and most of us already know that police officers are overworked and underpaid. They are under extreme stress, and oftentimes act out of emotion, not common sense. Beeping your horn at anyone is considered an aggressive move. It’s like TYPING IN ALL CAPS – not very nice. Police officers are just people doing a job. They make mistakes just like the rest of us. There are some dirty officers; and there are some really great officers. Exercise common courtesy to every person you come in contact with, even police officers. You admitted having an attitude, and that is personal. Girl, you were dealing with people with pistols. Are you crazy?!
The officers that shot that poor man on his wedding day were probably wrong. I say probably because I was not there and I do not have the facts. They look guilty to me, but they are assumed innocent until proven guilty.
We have to do everything we can to stay calm. We need to learn how to diffuse potentially volatile situations. Your daughter was in that car. That situation impacted her negatively. Think about her the next time you have an “attitude.” The next time a car cuts you off, sit tight until they move, or back up and take another route.
Send YOUR questions to Advice Chick right NOW! advicechick@ameritech.net .
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Media inquiries? Call 312-893-0538.
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THE NEGRO-CONS DEAL WITH THE DEVIL: Honorary White Status in Return for Abandoning Fellow Blacks by Lloyd Williams
*"Let me tell you something about niggers, the oppressed minority within our minority. Always down. Always out. Always complaining that they can't catch a break. Notoriously poor about doing for themselves. Constantly in need of a leader but unable to follow in any direction that's navigated by hard work, self-reliance. And though they spliff and drink and procreate their way onto welfare doles and WIC lines, niggers will tell you their state of being is no fault of their own.
It's time for ascended blacks to wish niggers good luck. Just as whites may be concerned with the good of all citizens but don't travel their days worrying specifically about the well-being of hillbillies from Appalachia, we need to send niggers on their way."
- John Ridley in December's Esquire Magazine
There is a disturbing new trend in the mainstream media lately, namely, the emergence of African-American conservatives willing to do the bidding of right-wing whites by blaming poor black folks for the host of social ills visited upon those still stuck in the slums.
Rabidly racist, these Negro-cons are not above referring to ghetto dwellers by the N-word, as if those who've escaped have achieved some sort of honorary white status.
More shocking than their self-hating disdain for the average African-American, is the unchecked access these Uncle Toms have to major communications outlets, provided they are prepared to condemn their own kind in a manner which on ordinarily associates with the Ku Klux Klan.
Take for example, John Ridley, who just this month was granted space in both
Time and Esquire Magazines. In the former, he makes a shocking case for the word "Nigger" in a piece entitled "Why I'm Good with the N-word." He argues that comedians like Richard Pryor, Dave Chappelle, Eddie Murphy and Chris Rock "have advanced the racial debate" somehow by working this slur into their acts, concluding "We need this word."
We get a good idea of exactly why the untalented Mr. Ridley, a failed stand-up comic, is an advocate for the epithet in his Esquire article where he makes liberal use of the patently-offensive term. Repeatedly referring to impoverished blacks as "niggers," because of the high unemployment, incarceration and out-of-wedlock birth rates in the 'hood, he never once pauses to reflect on the exploitative and marginalizing societal forces which have consciously collaborated to strand the bulk of the black community in a virtually-inescapable cycle of inhumane living conditions for generation after generation.
Instead, he vents about his own people's shortcomings for a full four pages, before extolling the virtues of Republicans like Condoleeza Rice and Colin Powell, as if skin color no longer matters in America because of the accomplishments of a couple of sell-outs on behalf of oil companies and war profiteers? How come Condi could fly instantly to the Middle East to intervene when Kaytusha rockets started raining down on Israel, but was too busy shopping for shoes to show any concern for the (so-called) refugees stranded on rooftops right after Katrina?
Though meandering unedited, as if a stream-of-consciousness rant, the meanspirited monologue in Esquire does have a prevailing theme, that successful African-Americans owe nothing to the least of their brethren. "It's time for ascended blacks to wish niggers good luck," he summarizes in a most condescending and un-Christian manner.
Though he will now undoubtedly be the toast of the electronic town square as he makes the rounds of talk shows on cable-TV networks, this vile backstabber deserves to be shunned for the irreparable harm he is doing to the hopes and aspirations of millions by feeding bigots all the fuel they need to rationalize a color-coded agenda of continued intolerance.
Lloyd Williams is an attorney and a member of the bar in NJ, NY, CT, PA, MA & US Supreme Court bars.
THE FILM STRIP: Action Packed 'Blood Diamond' Delivers Power Mesasage Sub head >> Film makes blood brothers out of Djimon Honsou and Leonardo DiCaprio
By Marie Moore
"Blood Diamond" not only has diamond dealers quaking in their shoes, but it even prompted a cover story on a hip hop magazine. It will be interesting to see if bling is a popular as it was before this film is released.
Just as important as the information relayed in this film is the relationship between Djimon Hounsou and his son. With so much talk about absent Black fathers and onscreen negative images, this film is a welcomed addition to positive cinema.
Interviews with both Hounsou and Leonardo DiCaprio shed light on the dark side of diamonds, the plight of many Africans and the relationship that developed between Hounsou and DiCaprio.
QUESTION: AS AN AFRICAN PLAYING THIS CHARACTER WHAT DID YOU BRING TO IT OR LEARN ABOUT IT THAT PERHAPS WASN'T THERE BEFORE?
DJIMON HOUNSOU: [Laughs] Well, first of all, I must say that when I came across this story this was the most powerful human story that has come out of Africa and that I'd ever heard anyone be involved with and certainly not with a studio, a major Hollywood studio taking this on. It was a blessing for me personally. Secondly, it was probably the most challenging story ever and in so many areas. Reading 'Blood Diamond' I realized that it wasn't so much about the Blood Diamond. It was about so many other issues in Africa - issues of child soldiers, issues of refugees, the displacement of millions of people throughout the continent, the effects on the neighboring countries and so on and so forth. So it was a very powerful story for me. So, again, for being an African and being in Hollywood and making movies, these are the kinds of stories that I love to be a part of and be able to bring more awareness to the world. And the Oscar race, I'll have to leave that to the studio to decide what we're
Q: BEING FROM AFRICA DID YOU FEEL A RESPONSIBILITY TO BRING ATTENTION TO THESE ISSUES?
DH: I mean, yes, of course being African. But I think that we have a responsibility as citizens of this world to really do what is necessary to change the outcome of this trading issue. I think that to do nothing is intolerable and certainly to do something is just not enough. So as citizens of this world we must do everything that we can to bring awareness to the world so that everyone knows what the issues are about trading diamonds.
Also, being African, absolutely. Of course I feel a need and a strong desire to be involved in films that deal with important African issues because. Our lifestyle is so challenging that we're always running, running, running and chasing, chasing. So we really have very little time to get an education the way that we used to be educated through books and so on and so forth. A lot of the education we're getting today, I feel, personally, is through movies.
It's unfortunate, but it's also fortunate. The movie industry now also has a responsibility to tell compelling stories and stories that mean something, stories that change our lives and stories that make us reflect on our conduct and the way we treat one another and the way we treat neighboring countries and how we view other people from different continents. So, yes, we do.
Q: HOW WAS IT SHOOTING ON LOCATION?
DH: The physicality and the emotional content of the story were just overwhelming. So, day in and day out you were just in it. You couldn't necessarily get away from it because once you finished shooting the environment in which you were shooting and the people of that country and those places were just, you know they're so quite deprived. Obviously we shot in places that didn't have issues with conflict diamonds or elicit diamonds, but you could see that throughout the whole continent of Africa it's very difficult. People are living very challenging lives and you couldn't get away from that. I guess that we were in it day in and day out.
QUESTION: WITH THE DISTURBING ISSUE OF CHILDREN SOLDIERS, IS IT POSSIBLE TO GO BACK TO A NORMAL LIFE WITH CHILD KILLERS?
DH: That's the problem. That's one of the reasons we're telling this story, to bring the awareness that these kids cannot go back to their villages. The villages that they went to and completely ravaged killing mothers and fathers and sisters, raping - they cannot go back to those villages with any sort of assistance and reintegration into the system and give them a bit of education so that they hopefully won't fall into those situations. Those kids are susceptible of being the rebels of tomorrow.
Q: LEO SAID THAT YOU WOULD BE A LIFELONG FRIEND TO HIM SINCE WORKING ON THIS FILM. CAN YOU TALK ABOUT GOING FROM CO-WORKER TO LIFELONG FRIEND?
DH: I have to say that Leo will hopefully be a longtime, hopefully forever friend. Being African I can only embrace the guy who comes to try and bring awareness to my continent - I can only embrace him. Lets start from there.
Also, he has done things for me that only I on the receiving end know what he has done. I mean, I can say that he's given me his house to host my friends that came to visit. He's given me his chef to cook for me. He's fed me many times. He stood up for me. I didn't know about it, but a week later I found out that he stood up for me because someone threatened to shoot me at a place in South Africa. He said, 'You're going to have to go through me because I know this guy and I'm sure he didn't do anything wrong to you.'
The guy showed him his gun and that's where they got that line. The guy said to him, 'We don't do things here like you do in Hollywood. Bling, bling.
Here it's bling, bling pow!' That's where he got that line from because the guy told him blatantly that he was going to shoot me.
Q: WHY DID HE WANT TO SHOOT YOU?
DH: To this day we can't find out why. We don't know. So, those are the reasons why I like him.
QUESTION: SO, LEO, HOW WAS IT WORKING WITH DJIMON?
LEONARDO DICAPRIO: Well, you know, his character is really the heart and soul of the movie. It's the story of a man trying to find his son, and he embodied this character. Actually the word is electrifying that applies to the intensity that he gives in his performance. What can I say? He and I were kind of alone on set. It was me and him. There is no other actor that could've played this role and given this performance. I mean, he is astounding in this movie and the intensity and energy that you get from him as an actor is amazing, and we got to play off of each other everyday. He's quite a brilliant actor.
Q: DID YOU ANTICIPATE THE CONTROVERSY THAT WOULD SURROUND THIS FILM?
LD: I didn't anticipate it. No. But when you approach situations like this, these are things that are based on real events. We're depicting a specific time in recent history where these diamonds resulted in a lot of civil unrest in these countries. I had never anticipated that it would be this intense by any means.
Q: DID YOU KNOW ABOUT THE DIAMOND TRADE AND THE PROBLEMS IT'S CAUSED IN AFRICA BEFORE YOU DID THE FILM?
LD: I think that I was like anyone else. I had heard whispers of it, but until I got there and until I read the script and started to do the research I didn't really quite understand the immense impact that these diamonds had had on certainly Sierra Leone and other places in Africa. I certainly had heard the Kanye West song, for example. I had heard bits of all of this in conversations, but it really wasn't until I got to Africa and heard the first hand accounts and started to read the books and learned about it all that I really realized what was going on, what had happened.
Q: SO WHAT PROMPTED YOU TO DO THIS MOVIE?
LD: Well, first off, it was the script. It was such a powerful character. It was such a powerful storyline and that's what you look for first. I mean, I wasn't personally going out seeking films with social or political messages to them, or just doing it for the sake of doing it. It has to have some entertainment value. It has to be a good movie and it has to convey a message without the audience feeling like they're being preached to, and I really felt strongly that this script accomplished that. To me it was very representative of a huge issue in the world today of corporate responsibility and what these corporations do. Certainly Africa has been a prime target for it all the way from gold and rubber and all kinds of other natural resources. So, here was this character that really represented someone who was exploiting people less fortunate than him and dealing in the black market and not really being conscious of the world that he lived in.
Q: SPENDING SO MUCH TIME IN AFRICA DID YOU WALK AWAY WITH A SENSE OF THE COUNTRY'S CULTURE?
LD: Well, certainly from me playing a character like this, who was taking advantage of the poverty around him and taking advantage of the continent created a lot of - what's the word - uncomfortable situations as an actor and having to portray this man on set amongst an African crew. In locations like Mozambique where there was a tremendous amount of poverty, I mean, that's a country right now that's sort of having an economic resurgence, but still there is a serious situation with HIV or AIDS. There are astounding conditions there, but what I was left with after spending time in Africa, and this is not at all to sound trivial, but it really was the power of the human spirit there and the fact that these people have been through so much.
They've been through a civil war for thirty years. The poverty rate is astounding. Literally people were still dancing in the streets. I mean, the joy and the energy and the happiness that they exude to everyone that comes into contact with them was unbelievable and it made me come back home and not want to listen to anyone's problems. I don't want to hear about what we as Americans have to do that. When you're immersed in a place like that for six months and you see the extreme levels of what people have to deal with there and what their lives are like, it's amazing and yet they're able to keep a positive attitude. I just don't want to hear people's problems here anymore.
Q: DO YOU THINK THAT IT'S TOO MUCH TO HOPE FOR CHANGING PEOPLE'S MINDS WITH CINEMA?
LD: I don't think that it's too much to hope for at all. I think that there is tremendous capability there and certainly in the world of documentary.
Absolutely. I mean, look at films like 'Fahrenheit 9/11' or numerous other documentaries that have changed the political climate, but I think that there is a tremendous role to be played in that respect, but that's the key thing, and not to comment on this film or talk about how great this movie is, but I think that this movie is that rare combination wherein you're able to get people into the audience and able to get people to be involved with the compelling story and meanwhile they're getting this political message.
It's also not hitting them over the head. They're going to absorb this social message, I believe anyway. Traditionally it's kind of been one thing or the other. I think that this is one of those rare opportunities or combinations that is going to affect people like that, simultaneously, while entertaining them.
Q: THERE HAS BEEN A BIG SHIFT IN CONGRESS WITH THE RECENT ELECTIONS. DO YOU THINK THAT THERE IS CHANGE IN THE AIR?
LD: Let me just say, I'm happy. I think that it's taken a turn for the better and I think that a lot of things that have been sort of subdued politically and a lot of things that people have wanted to happen are hopefully going to happen now. It's really up to the democrats now to not say things anymore, but to take action now. I think that they will.
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