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Click Here(December 11, 2006)
WESLEY SNIPES PLEADS NOT GUILTY IN TAX DRAMA: Actor dips back to U.S. for arrest then returns to Namibia for film shoot. *Wesley Snipes is free on $1 million bond after pleading not guilty to federal charges of tax fraud. The actor, who has been in Namibia shooting a film, returned to the U.S. Friday via private jet to face charges that he failed to file tax returns and falsely claimed millions of dollars in refunds. Appearing with his three attorneys before U.S. Magistrate Gary Jones, Snipes entered his not guilty plea and was given a deadline of Jan. "I look forward to clearing my name and resolving this issue post haste," Snipes told reporters upon landing at Orlando International Airport. He also said the case against him does not sour his feelings about the United States. "I'm proud to be an American. I'm proud to be an African American in America," he said. "I've had some interesting experiences: some great, some not so great, but I love it here." (See the video from CNN.) Snipes, star of such films as "Jungle Fever," "White Men Can't Jump" The film star, who remained silent during his appearance in court, is now back in Namibia finishing work on "Gallow Walker." Described as a supernatural western, the movie will be completed next week and is due in theaters sometime next fall, according to Ian Thompson, spokesman for Sheer Films, which is producing the movie. Snipes, 44, was charged in October with fraudulently claiming refunds totaling nearly $12 million in 1996 and 1997 on income taxes already paid. Two men were indicted along with Snipes - Eddie Ray Kahn and Douglas P. Rosile Sr. - on conspiracy-to-defraud charges. Meanwhile, a man linked to the Snipes case has been convicted of tax evasion. Arthur Farnsworth, 44, contended that he was not required to pay income tax because he believed the system was voluntary. Farnsworth's case became newsworthy during testimony last week that linked documents found in his home in 2002 to Snipes. The papers led to a nationwide investigation into fraudulent trust funds. One of the funds was designed to hide money and assets to avoid payment of federal income taxes. Farnsworth, 44, remains free on bail and is scheduled to be sentenced March 7. 'DREAMGIRLS,' 'THE WIRE' LAUDED BY AFI: Institute's top 10 films also include 'Half Nelson' and 'Inside Man.' *The American Film Institute has announced its top film and television programs of 2006. The movie list includes "Dreamgirls," Spike Lee's "Inside Man" and "Half Nelson," starring critically-acclaimed newcomer Shareeka Epps. The organization's top ten television programs include HBO's "The Wire," Fox's "24" and NBC's "The West Wing," which saw a Latino candidate played by Jimmy Smits elected to the nation's highest office in its final season. Here is the full list of AFI's top ten films and television programs of 2006. Films in alphabetical order: "Babel" Television programs in alphabetical order: "Battlestar Galactica" MARIAH CAREY VS. MARY CAREY: Mimi threatens porn star with legal action if Mariah's legal crew was dispatched to deal with the porn star after she made moves recently to trademark her similar-sounding stage name. "I'm ready to battle Mariah over this because I've been Mary Carey for a long time," the XXX actress told Reuters. "It's kind of funny because I'm a porn star and I've been being myself for a long time. I think she's being silly." In October, a lawyer for Mariah Carey sent a letter to Mary Carey's reps threatening legal action if she did not withdraw her trademark application. According to Reuters, the letter from Mimi's attorney Robert Becker said Mary Carey and Mariah Carey share the identical surname and have first names that are very similar. And in part because the porn star was seeking the trademark for audio and video recordings, he said, "Confusion between your client and her 'Mary Carey' trademark and our client and its 'Mariah Carey' trademark is therefore likely." *Andre Benjamin will head to the basketball court with actor Will Ferrell for the film "Semi-Pro," a comedy set in the world of 1970s professional basketball. The rapper-turned-actor will star as a playboy and star baller of the Flint Michigan Tropics, a fictional squad in the now defunct American Basketball Association. The team's owner and coach, Jackie Moon (Ferrell), is on a desperate quest to get his organization into the big leagues. Woody Harrelson has also signed on to the New Line Cinema project, to be directed by former New Line exec, Kent Alterman. Benjamin, a Grammy winner with his rap duo Outkast, is co-creator of the Cartoon Network's "Class of 3000" and voices a character in the upcoming family movie "Charlotte's Web." FANTASIA: SINGER GOES OLD SCHOOL FOR NEW DISC *Season 3 of “American Idol” introduced music fans to soul-stirring songstress Fantasia. The young singer’s music career launched when she was named the 2004 American Idol, but this songbird was in store for more than just a record deal and a glimpse at fame. Her debut album, “Free Yourself” dropped in December of that year and her book “Life Is Not a Fairytale” climbed onto the New York Bestseller’s List and was subsequently made into a Lifetime Network movie, starring her. It’s now that the singer is really coming into her own, having shared her past and shed her past, her new self-titled disc hits stores tomorrow, December 12. While hitting the big apple promoting the new disc, the 22-year-old artist with the old soul sound chatted with EUR’s Lee Bailey and talked about her new project and her new outlook. “After doing my book and doing the movie and talking about a lot of situations that I’d gone through, I let all of that go and I just feel like a brand new person,” she said of her new attitude working on the new project. “I feel like what’s ahead now is a brand new start. That was my past and I gave my testimony and a lot of people know a lot of things that Fantasia went through. I’m just not there anymore.” Though the singer says she’s moving toward the future, the new disc has her glancing at the past – at least as far as music is concerned. With a little more input on this sophomore album than her first release, Fantasia took charge in working with her producers to make sure the old school sound she and her fans love was impressed on “Fantasia.” “From going on tours and doing different shows and seeing the fans, you begin to see what they like and what they want. When I do my old school melody – I do ‘Rock Steady,’ ‘Tell Me Something Good,’ and ‘Purple Rain’ – their faces light up! Everybody gets to groovin’. So I said, ‘I wanna bring that back.’ When you listen to music from back in the day – it was real good music,” she continued. “Nowadays, you can do music on the computer and make it sound like this or sound like that. Nobody goes in the studio anymore and does live music. I said I wanted to bring that back. All the producers that I worked with were able to give me that.” Fantasia said she sat down with every producer on the album to explain the sound that she wanted; playing classics and brainstorming. To that end, even super producer Missy Elliott brought in a whole band to help create Fantasia’s concept. “I like to call it Aretha Franklin meets Tina Turner. It’s urban rock,” she described. “It’s one of those albums that when you put it on you have no other choice but to move, which is totally different than the ‘Free Yourself’ album. On that one I had a lot of slow ballads talking about situations that I was going through and like I said, I’m not there anymore. So these are feel-good records. It’s still soulful; I’m still singing, but these are up-tempo.” This album has more Fantasia style than story, which is a bit of a switch for her established fans – though they’ll hardly be disappointed. Still, the singer is considered the voice for a number of young people and women. Just as her career launched, her story of struggle of teen pregnancy did too. “I got [criticism] on ‘American Idol’ for being honest. I don’t understand why people would try to make it seem like you have to be this perfect person. They were saying, ‘How can she be an idol when she’s a mother? How can she be an idol when she didn’t finish school?’ They were taking all the things that I failed at and my mistakes and trying to hold that against me.” However, it was that candidness that touched thousands of people. “My reason for doing it was for the people I did help,” Fantasia said. “[The] movie got over 19 million viewers and the book was a best seller. So obviously, the good outweighed the bad. At the end of the day, my mission was accomplished.” Though “Fantasia” the CD is banging a bit harder than the first disc from the songstress, there are tender moments, including the song “Beautiful” that Fantasia said she did for her mother. “Me and mother are so alike and we went through some of the same things,” Fantasia explained. “She’s getting married and she’s very happy right now. Me and my mom are at a point right now where we’re the same. I feel beautiful. I had to learn to love and respect myself.” “Fantasia” hits stores tomorrow. For more on what she had to say about life, love, and the new disc, check out EUR’s podcast _____________. N-WORD WELCOMED AT L.A. COMEDY CLUB: Black-owned Comedy Union makes a stand for 'free speech.' *The decision of L.A. comedy club Laugh Factory to ban the N-word following the racist rant of Michael Richards has prompted the black owner of another L.A. venue to welcome use of the term in a stand for free speech. Enss Mitchell, owner of Comedy Union, held a special show on Friday that encouraged comics to exercise their First Amendment right. "Someone had to stand up for comics and freedom of speech has to rule the day," said Mitchell, according to AP. "No matter if you agree or disagree with what someone says, you have to allow them the opportunity to say it." BEYONCE SPENDS RUMORED 2 TO 3 MILLION ON JAY-Z'S B'DAY: Three-day bash included two private helicopters and 270-foot long yacht. *After working the red carpet of the "Dreamgirls" premiere in New York last week, Beyonce and her boyfriend Jay-Z took off for the Caribbean to celebrate the rap mogul's 37th birthday. According to the New York Daily News, two chartered 757s carried the couple and 20 of their closest friends to the island of St. Martin, where they partied aboard a 270-foot long yacht. Guests reportedly included former Destiny's Child colleague Kelly Rowland. The menu was said to include lobster and champagne. Two helicopters were also at the couple's disposal for a weekend that cost Beyonce between EUR FILM REVIEW: Apocalypto
Given that his previous movie grossed a half a billion at the box-office, Mel must have decided that it would be okay to ask his audience to endure another flick filled with dialogue in a dead language. But The Passion of the Christ's combination of Latin and Aramaic was tolerable because his built-in target audience didn't really need the subtitles to follow his nearly literal interpretation of familiar Biblical passages from the Gospels. Unfortunately, Apocalypto amounts to more of a test of patience, since you're definitely dependent on reading the translation of its obscure Mayan dialect to comprehend the play-by-play. As the film unfolds, we're introduced to its protagonist, Jaguar Paw (Rudy Youngblood), a noble brave who lives with his family in a community of peace-loving natives in the jungle on the Yucatan Peninsula. During the get acquainted portion of the picture, it is established that this primitive, scantily-clad tribe of hunter-gatherers likes to tease and play practical jokes on each other. For example, they are endlessly entertained by embarrassing a flaccid, butt-flapped fatso mercilessly about his erectile dysfunction issues to the point of absurdity. And everybody joins in: his buddies, his mother-in-law, even a mischievous village elder who feigns sympathy only to trick him into applying an herbal remedy which scalds his loins and his wife's mouth. Hah-hah. Segueing abruptly from laughter to slaughter, Apocalypto interrupts their innocence irreversibly with the arrival of an army of plundering marauders looking for females to rape and for males to offer-up as human sacrifices to the gods. Just before he's dragged off in a forced march to a Mayan metropolis, the quick-thinking Jaguar Paw lowers his young son and his very pregnant wife (Dalia Hernandez) into a Saddam-like rabbit hole hidden nearby, vowing to return to rescue them. Upon the captives' arrival in the ancient city, Jaguar and his comrades are body-painted in preparation for decapitation on a sky-high altar before the court of the king. Of course, our dashing hero somehow escapes, miraculously, and the chase is on. Thus, begins his Ulysses-quality return trip home, a harrowing ordeal, where he must survive by his wits if he is ever to be reunited with his family. Fortunately, Jaquar not only has nine lives, but knows the forest intimately. So, nothing, neither poisonous snakes, quicksand, killer bees, blow guns, spears, knives, traps, arrows, nor a plunge over a waterfall, can deter him from his destiny. More like an unapologetically violent video game than a history lesson, the bloodletting in Apocalypto pauses only briefly, sprinkling the screen with silly, off-color asides, and distracting allusions to other screen classics. But you have to wonder what Mel was thinking when he decided to have scenes such as a macho Mayan making his way through a busy thoroughfare, barking "I'm walking here!" ala Ratso Rizzo in Midnight Cowboy (1969). Not a good sign when the most memorable moment of a fable set in the 16th Century has you reminiscing about Dustin Hoffman pounding on a cab in the middle of Broadway. (1 star) LIL' WAYNE CLARIFIES JAY-Z COMMENTS: Weezy goes on radio show to address controversial interview in Complex magazine. *Lil' Wayne says he's offended by Jay-Z's belief that his comeback was necessary to resuscitate a current lethargic state of hip hop. The New Orleans rapper shared his sentiments about Young Hov in the December/January issue of Complex. He states in the interview: "I don't like what he's saying about how he had to come back because hip hop's dead and we need him. It's not your house anymore, and I'm better than you." "I want people to just look at it like that dude who came out of college that was supposed to get drafted by the No. 1 team, which was Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam," stated Wayne, according to Allhiphop.com. "They passed on me and now I'm with a good team and a good coach and of course on every interview I'm gonna cut down the team that didn't pick me." Wayne also took the opportunity to reaffirm his comment in Complex about being a better rapper than Jay-Z. "I'm better than this game," said Wayne. "We could be having this conversation about any other person in this game. It was who I was asked about at this time. Y'all trying to build a case on me. But I tell you what. Wayne's interview in Complex also fired shots at The Clipse, Young Buck and Pharrell. He said: "I don't see no f**king Clipse. How many years them ni**as been around? Who the f*** is Pharrell? Do you really respect him?" When word of his comments got back to The Clipse, the duo called into WWHV Hot 102.1 FM in their Virginia hometown to respond. EVA LONGORIA DETAILS TONY'S PROPOSAL: Actress said she was 'touched by how nervous he was.' *In the new issue of People magazine, actress Eva Longoria recounts every detail of her recent engagement to San Antonio Spurs point guard, Tony Parker. "I was heading home from a long day on the ('Desperate Housewives') set," she begins. "He had been playing in Utah, so I was just shocked to see him in L.A. I thought it was so weird, sort of, 'Why are you here? What's going on? Oh my God! It's happening!'" The TV star said there were rose petals and candles all around as Parker fell to one knee and popped the question. NEW YORK DJ CARL BLAZE SHOT 13 TIMES: Cops doubt early report of robbery as motive. *Police believe an old grudge may have been behind the multiple shooting of New York hip-hop DJ Carl Blaze early Thursday morning in Upper Manhattan. RUMORED SONY BMG LABEL CONSOLIDATION NOW A REALITY: Sony Urban folded into Columbia Records Group *Confirming weeks of industry speculation, AP reports Sony Urban Music, a record label that catered to R&B and hip-hop fans with artist such as Beyonce and Three 6 Mafia, has been integrated with Columbia Records Group in the latest reorganization this year at label parent Sony Music BMG Entertainment. Employees were notified last Thursday by Sony Music Label Group President Rob Stringer and by late Friday a wave of pink slips - upwards of 30 - went out. "With the integration of Sony Urban Music and Columbia Records it puts the artist roster in a position of strength under one umbrella," an email from Stringer to employees read. "We remain firmly committed to signing and breaking artists in the R&B, Hip Hop and Gospel genres." As part of the reorg, the memo also informed that the now defunct label's president, Lisa Ellis, was named executive vice president of Sony Music Label Group. This summer, the top two executives at Sony Music Label Group U.S. resigned. That followed a shake-up in senior management at Sony BMG. Sony BMG is a joint venture between Sony Corp.'s Sony Music and BMG, the music unit of German media giant Bertelsmann AG. ITTY BITTY BITS: Sweet Pea in Boxing Hall; 'Sam Cooke' musical in DE; Tootie's babydaddy; Grammys forget Ludacris. *Former boxer Pernell Whitaker, an Olympic gold medalist and world champion in four weight classes, was voted to the International Boxing Hall of Fame on Thursday. The southpaw won more than 200 amateur fights before capturing gold at the 1984 Olympics and turning pro. Nicknamed "Sweet Pea," *"Sam Cooke: Forever Mr. Soul," a new musical about the songs and short life of Sam Cooke, officially opened on Dec. 9 at the Delaware Theatre Company (DTC) in Wilmington. Actor-singer Lawrence Stallings makes his DTC debut playing Cooke in a musical that "brings to life the spirit and talent of the legendary musical genius, leading audiences through the soul of Sam Cooke's recordings, while recanting the tale of his tragically short life," *The father of Kim Fields' unborn child is reportedly her boyfriend, Broadway actor Christopher Morgan. According to the San Francisco Chronicle's Web site, the 37-year-old former star of "Facts of Life" is due to give birth in May. CYNTHIA MCKINNEY TRIES TO IMPEACH BUSH: Legislator introduces bill in Congress to get Dubya out early. *Outgoing Congresswoman Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-Ga) has orchestrated her swan song on Capitol Hill - the introduction of a bill that calls for the impeachment of President Bush. With no chance of ever passing, the legislation is rather a symbolic statement in protest of the president as well as Democratic leaders. Incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif) has already said that she would not consider proposals to sanction Bush and has warned members of her party against rallying for impeachment. McKinney, who famously struck a Capitol police officer in March, has long insisted that Bush was never legitimately elected. In introducing her legislation in the final hours of the current Congress, she said Bush had violated his oath of office to defend the Constitution and the nation's laws. In a speech Monday at George Washington University, she accused party leaders of bowing down to Republicans on the war in Iraq and on military mistreatment of prisoners.
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