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01-08-07 EUR ALL ON ONE PAGE
OPRAH ALL OVER THE NEWS: TV host victim of blackmail attempt; woman sues after fall at Harpo; 2005 donations revealed; mogul takes AIDS test with students.
*Oprah Winfrey could publish a thick issue of “O” magazine based solely on her involvement in news events over the past weekend – excluding her fulfilled dream of opening a school for girls in South Africa.
One of the most personally-gratifying weeks of her career ended up with news of a 36-year-old Georgia man being charged with tying to blackmail her for $1.5 million, and a woman suing her Harpo Studios claiming she was pushed down as people clamored for good seats during a taping.
Today, Keifer Bonvillain of Atlanta is scheduled for a preliminary hearing in Chicago on charges that he threatened Winfrey with the release of recorded telephone conversations he claimed would hurt her reputation, according to the FBI and published reports.
The criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court named Bonvillain’s target as “a public figure and the owner of a Chicago-based company." The Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Sun-Times, citing unnamed sources, reported Saturday that Bonvillain's target was Winfrey.
He is currently out on $20,000 bail following his arrest on Dec. 15 in the parking lot of an Atlanta hotel.
The alleged blackmailing has roots in a first-time encounter between Bonvillain and a California-based employee of the “Chicago company” at a party more than two years ago. According to the complaint, Bonvillain recorded conversations with the employee about the owner and her business, then sent the owner an e-mail claiming to have tapes of the employee bad-mouthing her.
A month later, Bonvillain followed up with a letter explaining that he had tapes of the conversations, according to the complaint. In response, another associate of the Chicago company called Bonvillain and learned he had taped 12 hours of those discussions.
In the following weeks, Bonvillain told the associate that he was fielding offers of $500,000 to $3 million from tabloids and book publishers to write a book based on the tapes.
"There are a lot of people who would want these," Bonvillain said, according to the complaint.
The associate, who was in cahoots with the FBI, agreed to pay Bonvillain $1.5 million, and wired Bonvillain $3,000 in earnest money. They arranged to meet in the parking lot, the complaint said. Bonvillain was arrested the following day.
Bonvillain told the Sun-Times the charges were a misunderstanding.
"There is nothing to it," he said. "It's nothing. It was a big mix-up."
Meanwhile, Tayna Milner filed a lawsuit against Harpo Thursday in Cook County Circuit Court for failing to properly control its crowd, which she says caused her to be pushed down the stairs between a waiting area and audience seating in a mad rush for seats during an April 11th taping.
According to the Chicago Tribune, Milner suffered unspecified injuries and is seeking more than $50,000 in damages.
In other Oprah news, GuideStar.org and federal tax filings have revealed just how much money is being donated from Winfrey’s three charities
- The Oprah Winfrey Foundation, Oprah Winfrey’s Angel Network and The Oprah Winfrey Operating Foundation.
The Angel Network, mostly a means for fans to help raise money for worthy causes, distributed more than $4 million to 40 organizations in 2005, the majority of which related to Africa, reports Fox411’s Roger Friedman.
They also sent $2 million to disaster relief for victims of Hurricane Katrina and the Indian Ocean tsunami. The Angel Network claimed $15 million in net assets in 2004-2005.
Oprah’s Operating Foundation has $19 million in assets and will go toward its sole beneficiary, her recently opened Leadership Academy in South Africa.
The Oprah Winfrey Foundation, according to its most recent filing, has total assets of $172 million. Just last year, Winfrey donated $36 million of her own money to the Foundation, which in turn distributed $8 million to numerous educational, arts and medical groups.
Historically Black Colleges Jackson State University in Mississippi and Morehouse College in Atlanta are among her largest recipients, reports Friedman. But she also has contributed a significant amount of cash to the exclusive Miss Porter’s, a finishing school in Farmington, Conn. where she sent her nieces in the early '90s, Friedman reports.
He continues: “When you compare her charitable activity to Donald Trump, of which I wrote about last week ($750,000 a year), or to the empty promises of ‘charity singles’ that come from Michael Jackson, Winfrey’s work is unparalleled and unprecedented. She’s put about $5 million into a Boys and Girls club in her Mississippi hometown, for example, and last year another $500,000 went to the Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation.”
*In still more Oprah news, she joined the students of her newly-opened South African school in taking an AIDS test to promote HIV awareness in the country, where the epidemic infects one out of nine people and kills nearly 1,000 per day.
"To be a great leader you must be of sound mind, body and spirit. Part of leadership is having the courage to demonstrate true action. Today I have taken the test to demonstrate why it's so important," Winfrey said.
Winfrey also promised to provide free anti-retroviral treatment to all parents and relatives living in the students' homes.
SNOOP FACES LAWSUIT OVER FOOTBALL REALITY SHOW: Rapper allegedly set up TV deal based on film project developed at 20th Century Fox.
*Looks like Snoop Dogg is beginning the new year in the same way he ended the old one – in legal trouble.
The rapper’s Snoop Youth Football League Foundation has been sued by New York-based Natural Resources Media & Technology Group over claims that it made a deal for a reality television show in violation of a pre-existing deal with 20th Century Fox to develop a similar feature film, reports Billboard.
Filed last week in New York Supreme Court, the June agreement gave Natural Resources exclusive pay-per-view, cable, home video and other video footage rights for the league in exchange for raising and donating more than $100,000 for the production and splitting revenue with the foundation.
20th Century Fox heard about the deal and promptly fired off a letter to the parties involved - which include TV One, Beverly Hills- based Strange Fruit Film and TV, and Jacksonville, Fla.-based Axcess Sports & Entertainment - informing them of Fox's "exclusive rights to portray Snoop in any motion picture or television project or other production based on Snoop's involvement with his sons' football teams and leagues."
Fox is in the midst of developing a feature entitled "Coach Snoop"
with screenwriters Mark Gibson and Philip Halprin.
"Fox already has made a huge investment in our project and if you continue to move forward with your television project in violation of Fox's rights, it will severely impact the viability of our theatrical motion picture," Michael Ross, Fox's senior vp legal affairs, wrote in a letter dated Oct. 13.
Natural Resources alleges production on the show, which was to feature the on- and off-the-field activities of Snoop and his 9- to 12-year-old players leading up to the "Snooperbowl," a championship game planned to coincide with Super Bowl XLI, was halted immediately and the "parties with whom plaintiff had contracted for the recording and broadcasting of the event withdrew from their agreements and ceased recording the events,"
according to the complaint.
Meanwhile Natural Resources, run by Corey Simmons, says it informed Snoop after receiving Fox's letter that he was in breach of the contract by failing to own the rights the foundation had licensed.
"They did not respond to our request that they cure the breach," said the plaintiff's attorney, Bradley Rosen. The complaint alleges a single cause of action for breach of contract and seeks $250,000 in damages plus attorney's fees.
CHRIS ROCK VISITS SLUM IN KENYA: Actor vows to develop ideas for helping the country’s poor.
*Some of Oprah Winfrey’s goodwill in Africa has rubbed off on comedian Chris Rock, who was among the celebrities invited to the grand opening of the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa last week.
While in town, Rock and his wife traveled north to spend some time in the Eastern country of Kenya, reports AFP. En route to an exotic game reserve, the Rocks took time out to visit one of the country’s largest slums in Kibera. An estimated 800,000 people are housed there. Rock promised he would search for ways in which he can help the country’s poor.
"I have come to Kibera to see for myself the blight of this people
(and) see what we can do," he said in the Kibera slums, south of Nairobi, full of leaking sewage and cardboard houses.
Rock – who was reported to have begun divorce proceedings from his wife Malaak Compton-Rock on Nov. 3 but now appears to be reconciling – said of his decision to visit Kibera: "I go where ever my wife tells me to go."
"I will be spending quite a few days in Maasai Mara," Rock added.
Maasai Mara is world-renowned for its abundant wildlife, rolling savannah and luxury safari camps.
NAACP TAPS VANESSA, ISAIAH TO ANNOUNCE NODS: The 38th annual Image Awards will go live this year on FOX.
*An “Ugly” bully, two doctors from Seattle Grace and a U.S.
President will join other celebs and NAACP Executives at a press conference tomorrow to announce nominees for The 38th NAACP Image Awards.
Vanessa Williams, star of the ABC comedy “Ugly Betty,” joins “Grey’s Anatomy” standouts Chandra Wilson and Isaiah Washington as well as “Access Hollywood’s” Shaun Robinson and “24’s” new U.S. president DB Woodside among the announcers at The Peninsula Hotel in Beverly Hills.
The 38th NAACP Image Awards ceremony – celebrating the outstanding achievements and performances of people of color in literature, television, motion pictures and recording arts – will air live on Friday, March 2 (8 to 10 p.m. ET/PT) on FOX.
JAMES BROWN STREET PROPOSED IN HARLEM: Rev. Sharpton assists effort to rename stretch of Lenox Ave. for music legend.
*Fresh from officiating the public funeral of his mentor James Brown in Augusta, GA, Rev. Al Sharpton has turned his attention toward honoring the music icon in Harlem with a street bearing his name.
According to Newsday, Rev. Sharpton says he has met with officials from Community Board 10 about renaming a stretch of street from Lenox Avenue to Broadway "James Brown Way."
The street runs in front of the new headquarters of Sharpton's activist group, the National Action Network. To the south, 125th Street is named for the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. The block of 125th Street between Seventh and Eighth avenues, which runs in front of the Apollo Theater, is named "Nat King Cole Way."
Sharpton said he was approached about the street renaming by Yasmin Cornelius, district manager of Community Board 10. Any street renaming must be approved by the City Council and the mayor.
Other Harlem streets named to honor famous African-Americans include Malcolm X Boulevard, Frederick Douglass Boulevard and Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard.
WHO LOVES NEW YORK?: Flavor of Love Drama Queen Gets Own Show by Lynda Lane-Labrador
*Now that's she's wiped away her tears from getting dumped twice by Flavor Flav, New York's got a show all her own to kick guys to the curb in a search for her true love.
On "I Love New York" (premiering tonight on VH1) the high-maintenance drama queen will sift through 20 guys in 10 episodes to find her true soulmate.
"What’s really important for me is that everybody knows that this is really me looking for love and it's not just me looking for camera time," New York says.
The show borrows all the themes from "Flavor of Love." The guys are given nicknames, dog tags (instead of clocks) and New York gets a flamboyant assistant, Chamo. Her mother, Sister Patterson, is thrown in for good measure as she serves as the fire-breathing dragon the guys have to get around to get to her heart.
Will it be as crazy and shocking as Flavor of Love was?
"Each episode is a little different from the next," New York explains.
"Competition gets heavy; there’s guys that don't want to leave. So much drama and chaos!"
Has she met her counterpart?
"Oh of course. There's a couple. Some guy's mouths are too big and their egos are too big. I'm like that's me in a jersey and a baseball cap," New York jokes.
Since Flav isn't in her heart anymore, what kind of guy is she looking for?
"I am looking for a guy with a great sense of humor, someone that is really confident and able to support me and lift me up when I am down and just be around me and be able to put up with my stuff and when I stuff you know I mean."
That may sound good in the personals, but from the previews, New York immediately is smitten by a loud-mouth, drunken rapper-type nicknamed, Chance. Her mother of course, gives him thumbs down and seeks to get him kicked off the first night.
New York, whose real name is Tiffany Patterson, shot to household-name fame after appearing on the first season of Flavor of Love, featuring old school rap legend Flavor Flav. She was one of the two women standing last to claim him, but her demanding ways and overbearing mother didn't sit well with Flav. She lost out to contestant Hoopz. The series became a suprise hit for
VH1 thanks to the arguing, name-calling and near-brawls on the show.
The show-stopper was when New York had cat fight with contestant Pumpkin who had spit in New York's face after she got the boot. New York commenced to whooping Pumpkin's butt -- getting in a good head yank and shoving her hard, sending her into the production cameras.
Then New York and mom were invited back midway into season two. They wound up souring the stomachs of new contestants and in the end New York was beat out again, this time by contestant Deelishis.
She says the producers thought she was a great chick who deserves love and decided to create a show around her. But she said she took stock of her situation first before she agreed.
"My heart was with Flav, but that's over. Now before I said yes to the show, I told them the love has got to be real and it is a real show. I had to do some soul searching and purge these evil thoughts (for Flav) because you know you I had some evil thoughts when he left me a second time. I just wanted to make sure I could find true love on my half of the deal and not be bitter towards Flav."
She says nowadays she's enjoying her fame, getting recognized wherever she goes. She hints that she wants to continue her showbiz career and may have some love on the horizon.
"I can say I am very happy with the outcome (of the show). So what's next for me is that I am really trying to build a foundation with the wonderful young man that I picked and then I can look at the work possibilities."
As for her and Flav, she says they are "cordial" when they run into each other.
"I Love New York" premieres tonight, Monday, Jan 8 at 9 pm Eastern &
Pacific/8 pm Central on VH1.
Lynda Lane-Labrador (Igotthestory@aol.com) is a New York-based, veteran entertainment journalist and has written for Associated Press, ALL MUSIC GUIDE and The Philadelphia Tribune.
‘BEYON-JAY’ UPDATE: Dance auditions held for Beyonce’s upcoming tour; Jay-Z teams with GM for Denali SUV.
*Beyonce held yet another audition to find dancers for her upcoming tour. With the ultimate goal of fulfilling 40 open slots, the latest round was held in her Houston hometown Saturday following auditions in Atlanta and Los Angeles.
After two more stops, in New York and Chicago, Beyonce and choreographer Frank Gaston (Toni Braxton, En Vogue) will review the tapes and make their decision.
Thirty finalists will be chosen from each city and travel either to New York or Los Angeles, where the final 40 will be selected. The chosen ones will get a paycheck of $1,500 to $3,000 per week.
Meanwhile, Jay-Z was in Detroit Saturday to unveil the new “Jay-Z Blue” color for the GMC Yukon Denali SUV at the North American International Auto Show.
The rap mogul, born Shawn Carter, stepped out of the vehicle on stage during a celebrity-filled party thrown by General Motors Corp. on the eve of media previews. Jay-Z teamed with the car company’s global color studio to create the reflective blue hue for the SUV.
"Hopefully I'll be able to drive one of them out of here tonight," he said.
Jennifer Hudson, Vivica A. Fox, Rosie Perez were also on hand to escort new vehicles down a catwalk at the event along the Detroit River.
SISTER OF FLORENCE BALLARD SETS RECORD STRAIGHT: Maxine Ballard Jenkins to release book on the ‘real’ Effie White.
*The attention lavished upon Jennifer Hudson for her role as Effie White in the film adaptation of “Dreamgirls” has renewed interest in Florence Ballard of the Supremes, whose story loosely inspired the character originated on Broadway by Jennifer Holliday.
But “Dreamgirls” was just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to revealing all of the drama surrounding Ballard. Her closest sibling, Maxine Ballard Jenkins, is hoping to set the record straight in her new self-published book titled, “"The True Story of Florence (Blondie) Ballard."
For example, Ballard was reared in a family of 15 children in Detroit's Brewster-Douglass projects and had even more attitude than the character played by Hudson.
"Jennifer Hudson did a really good job; she was sassy and all that.
But with the real Florence, there would have been a few harsh words exchanged in there, and maybe somebody would have gotten a slap or two in between," Ballard’s sister tells Susan Whitall of the Detroit News.
“While the character is not entirely based on Ballard -- Effie triumphs at the end, while Ballard died in poverty in 1976, at age 32 -- the movie closely follows the former Supreme's life story. Both Effie and Ballard started a girl group, were forced out of the group at its peak, and ended up on welfare,” Whitall writes.
Read details of Florence Ballard’s upbringing in Detroit, her discovery by the manager of The Primes (later The Temptations), the formation of the Primetttes with best friend Mary Wilson and later Diana Ross and much more in Whitall’s full story here:
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070104/ENT01/701040383.
Jenkins, a retired kindergarten teacher, will release the book in the following months through her Web site, www.maxineballard.com.
SLY STONE ALBUMS UPGRADED FOR REISSUE: Epic/Legacy to remaster group’s first seven studio albums.
*Sly & the Family Stone diehards can circle March 20th on the calendar. The date marks the release of the group’s first seven studio albums – all remastered and bolstered with bonus tracks and new liner notes, reports Billboard.
Included is the group's 1967 debut, "A Whole New Thing," which introduced its signature blend of R&B, soul and rock via such tracks as "Trip to Your Heart" and "Run, Run, Run." The reissue includes five rarities, including the previously unreleased instrumental version of "You Better Help Yourself" and the single edits of "Underdog" and "Let Me Hear It
From You."
In May 1968, the band released "Dance to the Music." Bonus tracks on the reissue include "Higher," which was intended to be the group's first single but was never released, a cover of Otis Redding's "I Can't Turn You Loose" and the previously unreleased original "We Love All."
Seven months later, their album "Life" underscored the Family Stone's genre-bending sound on tracks like "Dynamite!" and the biting "Jane Is a Groupee." The new edition includes the previously unreleased songs "Seven More Days" and "Pressure," an instrumental take of "Sorrow" and the single edit of "Dynamite!"
The group's first commercial breakthrough came with 1969's "Stand!,"
which hit No. 13 on The Billboard 200 and spawned the hits "Everyday People," "I Want To Take You Higher," "Sing a Simple Song" and the title song. The reissue includes previously unreleased "Soul Clappin II," the instrumental "My Brain (Zig-Zag)" and the mono single version of "You Can Make It if You Try."
The group’s next album, "There's a Riot Goin' On," spent two weeks at No. 1 on The Billboard 200 thanks in part to "Family Affair," the group's third No. 1 hit. The expanded edition will boast three previously unreleased instrumentals and the mono single version of "Runnin' Away."
"Fresh," released in 1973, included the single "If You Want Me To Stay." The new version adds alternate mixes of "Let Me Have It All" and "Frisky" plus a previously unreleased alternate version of "Babies Makin'
Babies."
July 1974 brought the release of "Small Talk," which failed to generate any charting singles. Still, it reached No. 15 on The Billboard 200. Bonus tracks include the previously unreleased "Crossword Puzzle," the instrumental "Positive" and alternate takes of "Time for Livin'" and "Loose Booty."
EUR FILM REVIEW: Freedom Writers
Teacher Uses Holocaust to Inspire Inner-City Kids to Overcome the Odds by Kam Williams
*When 23 year-old Erin Gruwell started teaching English at Wilson High in Long Beach, California in the fall of 1994, none of her freshman students expected her to last very long. Afterall, the rope of pearls around her neck
was a sign that the fresh-faced newcomer was from the other side of the tracks, and not very likely to stick it out once the going got tough.
For what Erin soon discovered was that her class was comprised of troubled cast-offs: gang members, substance abusers, juvenile delinquents, the homeless, molestation victims, and other underprivileged kids with special needs. Because they had already been labeled losers by an educational system which expected to fail, it immediately became apparent that her job was simply to baby sit them till they tired of the charade, abandoned academics entirely, and dropped out.
But instead of capitulating to that crippling mindset which allowed for low expectations, Gruwell decided that she would challenge the prevailing attitude about the prospects for her ethnically-diverse group of ghetto kids. She began by having them read The Diary of a Young Girl, 13 year-old Holocaust victim Anne Frank's heartbreaking autobiography about the her family's ill-fated ordeal as they tried to hide from the Nazis.
Erin ostensibly settled on this moving memoir because Anne was about her class' age when she started writing, and because she had managed to maintain an admirable optimism and sense of perseverance in far more dire circumstances than theirs. Lo and behold, the approach ultimately paid off, as the students were able to recognize parallels between Anne's and their
Next, Erin had the class start keeping individual journals in which they recorded thoughts and feelings about their own challenging circumstances.
Inspired by Anne's bravery, they eventually embarked on life-changing odysseys which led each to productive college careers. And this real-life over the odds saga is the subject of Freedom Writers, a bio-pic based on the best-seller by both Gruwell and her success stories.
Directed by Richard LaGraenese, the film features Hilary Swank delivering as impressive a performance as her Oscar-winning outings in Boys Don't Cry and Million Dollar Baby. The capable ensemble cast asked to execute the inspiring adaptation includes Imelda Staunton (for Vera Drake) and Patrick Dempsey, along with a coterie of talented adolescent actors.
A fitting testimonial to the human potential to triumph over any obstacle with a combination of courage and perseverance.
Excellent (4 stars)
Rated PG-13 for violence, profanity, ethnic slurs, and mature themes.
Running time: 123 minutes
Studi Paramount Pictures
PEOPLE EN ESPANOL SAYS VIVA LA J.LO: Actress-singer honored as ‘Most Influential Hispanic.’
*With a return to the spotlight in 2007 sparked by the January premiere of her MTV reality show “DanceLife,” Jennifer Lopez adds the distinction of topping People en Espanol’s list of "100 Most Influential Hispanics."
The annual tally, appearing in the magazine’s February issue, honors those who have made an impact in the Hispanic community. Inside, cover girl J.Lo says “being an example to others is a big part of my work."
The magazine also pressed her about public reports that she is trying desperately to have a baby with husband, Marc Anthony.
"I come from a strong family, so of course I want to have one,"
Lopez tells the magazine. "But I do have my own family: my immediate family, my husband and his children. I get to share in all of that. I am very lucky to have that."
Also on People en Espanol’s list of "100 Most Influential Hispanics"
are Antonio Banderas, Carlos Santana, Eva Longoria, George Lopez, Gloria Estefan, Ricky Martin, Salma Hayek and Shakira, among others.
The magazine also honors filmmaker Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (culture/the arts), Attorney General Alberto Gonzales (politics/public affairs), businessman Carlos Slim Helu (business), MTV President Christina Norman (media), Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim owner Arturo Arte Moreno (sports), sociologist Aida Giachello (science and technology/health) and teacher Bertha Flores (education).
“DanceLife,” which follows aspiring dancers trying to make it big, is scheduled to premiere Jan. 15 at 10:30 on MTV.
LOUIS FARRAKHAN RECOVERING AFTER SURGERY: Nation says he completed 12-hour operation, no other details given.
*The Nation of Islam announced Saturday that Minister Louis Farrakhan, who recently gave up his leadership to an executive board due to poor health, has recently undergone a 12-hour operation.
No further details were given as to the nature or location of the surgery, reports The Associated Press.
According to the Nation, doctors told Farrakhan's family they were pleased with the operation's outcome but will monitor him closely for the next 24 to 48 hours.
As previously reported, Farrakhan wrote in a Sept. 11 letter to followers that he had anemia and lost 20 pounds due to complications from an ulcer in the anal area. Six years earlier, Farrakhan underwent surgery for prostate cancer.
TV ONE REVEALS JANUARY PROGRAMMING: Specials and original series mark network’s third year.
*TV One has released highlights of its programming this month to coincide with its third anniversary on the air on Jan. 15.
The network will air three hours of specials Jan. 14 beginning with the fourth season premiere of “The Gospel of Music with Jeff Majors” at 8 p.m. Gerald Levert makes one of his last television performances, in this special episode.
At 9, a new episode of “TV One on One” features host Cathy Hughes with guest Danny Glover, who currently stars as Marty Madison in the Golden Globe nominated film “Dreamgirls.”
At 10 p.m., TV One premieres its original series “Black Men Revealed,”
hosted by comedian David Arnold and featuring a series of conversations of African American men of all ages discussing their true feelings about a host of issues, but especially those involving male/female relationships.
Bill Bellamy, along with Tommy Ford and Rodney Perry, will crown the first-ever champion in TV One’s hit original comedy competition, “Bill Bellamy’s Who’s Got Jokes?” comedy competition on Saturday, Feb. 3 at 10 PM.
Two semi-final rounds of this hilarious but “clean” comedy competition will premiere on Saturday, Jan. 13 and Saturday, Jan. 20, and the finals will premiere Saturday, Jan. 27 (all at 10 PM). The viewing audience will then have a chance to vote for their top choice before the Feb. 3 finale.
TV One on One with Cathy Hughes features “Last King of Scotland” actor Forest Whitaker on Sunday, Jan. 28 at 9 p.m.
SPORTS BITS: Iverson fined; Williams mourned; NCAA’s Brand outraged over lack of black coaches.
*New Denver Nugget Allen Iverson was fined $25,000 by the NBA on Friday for criticizing a referee during Tuesday’s loss to his former team, the Philadelphia 76ers. The athlete’s remarks toward official Steve Javie came during his ejection from the game following a second technical foul.
"This was the perfect game for him to try to make me look bad," Iverson, who was traded to Denver on Dec. 19, told reporters after the game. "His (Javie's) fuse is real short. I should have known that I couldn't say anything to him. …I've felt that it's been personal between me and him ever since I got in the league."
*Family and friends gathered in Fort Worth, Texas last weekend for the funeral of slain Denver Broncos cornerback Darrent Williams. Mourners filed by his open casket at Great Commission Baptist Church Friday and made remarks about Williams at two microphones inside the church, which seats 2,500, plus another 800 in an overflow chapel. The 24-year-old was killed and two other passengers wounded when at least 14 shots were fired into his stretch Hummer that had just left a New Year's Eve party. Williams was struck once in the neck. Meanwhile, Denver police said Friday they arrested Willie Clark, 23, on a parole violation and will question him about Williams' slaying. "We're not calling him a suspect at this time," police spokesman Sonny Jackson said.
*At the opening of the NCAA’s annual convention, President Myles Brand asked member schools to offer more opportunities to minorities when hiring coaches and administrators and wants them to do a better job educating athletes about sportsmanship. Only seven of the 119 programs have black head coaches; not enough says Brand. “We’re not anywhere close to where we need to be in football,” he said. “I’m encouraged that coaches of color are appearing as finalists for positions, but seven out of 119, that’s just too darn low.” In light of the October “footbrawl” game between Miami and Florida International, Brand said: “By and large, the focus was on what we are doing to punish the students instead of what are we doing to educate them on sportsmanship. Their actions were wrong, but we’ve got to do a better job of educating them on what is expected from them with regard to sportsmanship.”
FILM/TV/THEATER BITS: ‘Chappelle’ syndicated; Ford gets Sirius; Howard is Golden; BAFTA’s ‘Dreamgirls’ nods; Hornsby is ‘King’; Mambo in ‘Blackout.’
*Comedy Central’s “Chappelle’s Show” and “Reno 911!” are heading into syndication in the fall, MGM Studios announced. The syndicator has been in talks with stations about the programs for the past several days and had "enthusiastic" response thus far. "Reno 911!" which co-stars Niecy Nash and Cedric Yarbrough, was recently picked up by Comedy Central for a fifth season. “Chappelle” ended its run during pre-production on Season 3 when host Dave Chappelle walked off the set. Season 2 was the No. 1 show in its slot in all of television among men 18-34, while the DVD set "Chappelle's Show Season One Uncensored!" is the best-selling DVD of a television show to date, selling more than 3 million copies.
*Former video vixen and BET personality Melyssa Ford begins a new gig today as a radio jock for Sirius Satellite Radio’s Hot Jamz (channel 50). Her shift is weekdays from 12 noon to 6 p.m. ET. Ford’s acting credits include recurring roles on Showtime’s “Soul Food” and the short-lived “Platinum” on UPN.
*Terrence Howard has been named among the presenters tonight for "The 64th Annual Golden Globe Awards" to be telecast live on NBC from 8 - 11 p.m. EST from Beverly Hills. Howard, Drew Barrymore and Hugh Grant will join previously announced presenters George Clooney, Cameron Diaz, Jake Gyllenhaal, Salma Hayek, Felicity Huffman, Sarah Jessica Parker, John Stamos, Ben Stiller, Hilary Swank, Justin Timberlake, Rachel Weisz, Reese Witherspoon and James Woods. Queen Latifah hosts.
“Dreamgirls” continues its dominion over award season with 10 nominations on the long list of the British Academy of Film Television and Arts (BAFTA). Friday's initial BAFTA long list sees 15 nominations in each category. In the second round, to be announced next Friday, the selections in each category will be reduced to five nominees. Casino Royale" and "The Queen" lead the long list with 14 entries each. Other nominations for best film include: "Bobby" (eight nominations), "The Devil Wears Prada" (nine), "Notes on a Scandal" (nine), "Flags of Our Fathers" (eight), "United 93"
(seven) and "The History Boys" (five).
*Russell Hornsby, star of the upcoming Disney Channel series “Lincoln Heights,” will star in Signature Theatre's Revival of August Wilson’s “King Hedley II,” which begins previews on Feb. 20 and runs through Apr. 15 at the company's Peter Norton Space (555 West 42nd Street, New York). All tickets are $15, made possible by the lead sponsorship of Time Warner Inc.
*Emmy winners Kevin Mambo ("The Guiding Light") and Darnell Williams ("All My Children") are currently starring in the play “Blackout,” the inaugural production of New York’s Cell Theatre Company at the Kirk Theatre on Theatre Row. Based on an original story by Michael I. Walker and Kevin Quinn set against the 2003 NYC blackout, the play will run through Jan. 27 with an official opening Jan. 11. Tickets, priced $40, are available by calling (212) 279-4200 or by visiting www.ticketcentral.com.
MUSIC BITS: JB band performs; Busta’s escape; R&B’s demise; Nas & Cormega; Brandy campaigns; Stokes fashion; Rotem on Dre & 50; Rihanna rules Barbados.
*Members of James Brown's band The Soul Generals performed Saturday night before the heavyweight fight between James Toney and Samuel Peter in Florida. Boxing promoter Don King invited members of Brown's family to the bout at the Seminole Hard Rock Casino, then invited two of the late singer's daughters into the ring during prefight introductions.
*After appearing in court last week on his latest assault charge, Busta Rhymes was able to escape the media horde outside with the help of two courthouse workers who drove him away from the building in a prisoner transport bus and dropped him off down the block, reports TMZ.com. According to the Web site, the special treatment is in violation of the department’s policy. As previously reported, Busta was arrested and charged with assaulting a driver when he asked for his back pay.
*Billboard magazine reports of an R&B sales slide in 2006 that is causing the music business some concern. According to Nielsen SoundScan, R&B and rap suffered the biggest declines in 2006 of all styles of music. R&B’s sales of 117 million units dropped 18.4% from 2005, while the rap subgenre's 59.5 million scans were down 20.7%. Total U.S. album sales fell 4.9% to 588.2 million units. Retailers and executives point to CD burning as the culprit. "Downloading and Internet file sharing is a problem and the labels are really late in fixing it," Czar Entertainment CEO and manager of the Game Jimmy Rosemond says. "With an artist like Game, his album leaked before it came out, and I had 4 million people downloading it."
*Rappers Nas and Cormega reunited on a New York stage Dec. 22 before a sold out crowd at The Nokia Theater. The rapper, whose name first appeared in Nas’ track “One Love” from 1994’s “Illmatic,” had fallen out with Cormega during their stint as part of the group The Firm (with Foxy Brown and AZ). Cormega refused to sign a production deal offered by then manager, Steve Stout, and was consequentially replaced with Nature. Nature and Cormega reunited Dec. 20 onstage at BB Kings.' With Nas, Cormega performed their Firm classic “Affirmative Action.” Foxy Brown joined the two on stage just in time for her verse on the song.
*Entertainers and McComb, Mississippi natives Brandy and Ray J Norwood volunteered and campaigned door-to-door in support of Zachary Patterson for Mayor of McComb, Mississippi. Their hard work paid off, as Patterson won the Nov. 6 election and became the first African American Mayor-elect of McComb. His inauguration is scheduled for today. "He's definitely the man for the job," says Brandy. "He's passionate about the people of McComb and because of that, he'll always fight the battles needed in order to succeed." Brandy and Ray J are due to appear at the inauguration at McComb City Hall (115 3rd Street, McComb, MS) beginning at 12 noon.
N.O. COPS IN KATRINA SHOOTING CASE ALLOWED BAIL: Judge’s decision is rare for those charged with first-degree murder.
*The seven New Orleans police officers charged with killing two men on the Danziger Bridge while shooting at residents fleeing Hurricane Katrina will be allowed to post bail, a judge said Friday.
All seven officers entered not guilty pleas in court Friday to murder or attempted murder charges. Four of the officers face counts of first-degree murder that carry a possible death sentence. Bail is rarely given in Louisiana for a first-degree murder charge. The ruling was protested by outraged activists gathered outside the courthouse prior to the hearing.
Six of the officers, who remain on the New Orleans Police force, can return to limited duty, Judge Raymond Bigelow added. However, some of the indicted men will be required to wear monitoring devices if they post bail and will be confined to home, work, attorney visits and court appearances.
Events on the Danziger Bridge that day remain sketchy. Police say they were responding to reports of fellow officers being attacked by looters in the floodwaters following Katrina’s arrival days earlier. According to police, one of the shooting victims, 40-year-old Ronald Madison, was reaching for a gun.
However, Madison’s brother Lance has said that his mentally retarded brother wasn't armed and that the two were running from a group of teens who had opened fire when seven men jumped out of a rental truck and also shot at them without warning.
EUR MOTIVATIONAL NOTE
10 Steps to Healthy Self-esteem
- by Jewel Diamond Taylor
Daily dosages of positive words and thoughts can empower you. The following are "stress antibiotics" which can heal the dis-ease of low self-esteem.
#10 - As you consistently keep promises you make to yourself to be resourceful in taking care of your needs and following your dreams - your confidence will increase. As you learn to responsibly take care of yourself without blame, shame or procrastination - your confidence and self-esteem will be boosted.
#9 - If you are not happy with your body image, education or income --- love and lift yourself up and in the meantime, commit to taking steps to improve those areas in your life where you are discontent.
#8 - Get involved in work and activities you love. It's hard to feel good about yourself if your days are spent in work you despise. Self-esteem flourishes when you are engaged in a purpose and activities that you enjoy and make you feel valuable. Even if you can't explore alternative career options at the present time, you can still devote leisure time to hobbies and activities, which you find stimulating and enjoyable.
#7 - Make a list of your positive qualities. Are you honest - loyal - unselfish - helpful - punctual - talented - athletic - a people person - intuitive - reliable - a good parent? Be generous with yourself and write down at least 20 positive qualities. Again, it's important to review this list often. Most people dwell on their inadequacies and then wonder why their life isn't working out. Start focusing on your positive traits and you'll stand a much better chance of achieving what you wish to achieve.
#6 - Make a list of your past successes. It can include your "minor or major victories," like learning to salsa, graduating from school, receiving an award or promotion, speaking up when someone disrespects or abuses you, making a sale, following through on a project or idea, going on that audition, losing 10 lbs, finishing a book, getting to work on time, etc.
Numbers 5 through 1 are forthcoming.
Read this list often. While reviewing it, close your eyes and recreate the feelings of satisfaction and joy you experienced when you first attained each success.
SAVE THE DATES to hear Jewel Diamond Taylor speak:
Jan 11 - Corona, CA - Women's Business Seminar "Mission Driven in 2007"
Jan 13 - Sherman, TX - Too Blessed to Be Stressed Seminar, St. John C.M.E.
Church, 9 A.M.
Jan 14 - Los Angeles, CA - City of Angels Church Jan 20 - Los Angeles, CA - Super GOAL Saturday Seminar, Maranatha Church, 2 PM Jan 21 - Los Angeles, CA
- L. A. Third Church Jan 27 - Virginia - Super GOAL Saturday Seminar Tickets are now available for Jewel Diamond Taylor's WOMEN On The GROW Luncheon at the Greenbelt Marriott, Greenbelt, MD - March 3, 2007 March 21 - Columbia, MD - Celebration Church, Women's Conference March 24 - Whole Woman Conference, Turf Valley Resort (near Baltimore, MD)
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Jan. 8: Singer Anthony Gourdine of Little Anthony and the Imperials is 66. Singer R. Kelly is 40. Reggae singer Sean Paul is 34.
WEBSITE OF THE WEEK
The Africana Heritage project's mission is to rediscover precious records that document the names and lives of former slaves, freed persons and their descendants. (http://www.africanaheritage.com/)
Submit your favorite website to us along with a 15-20 word (or less)
description to info@eurweb.com.
BLACK HISTORY
Jan. 8, 1867: Legislation giving the suffrage to Blacks in the District of Columbia was passed over President Andrew Johnson's veto.
(Source: www.BlackFacts.com)
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