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TONI BRAXTON, BARRY HANKERSON SETTLE: Agreement reportedly requires singer to return $375,000 advance.
*Barry Hankerson and his Blackground Records LLC has announced that a settlement has been reached with Toni Braxton in her lawsuit against them.
According to the statement released by a rep for Blackground, the settlement "requires Braxton to return to Blackground Records a $375,000 advance she received on December 27, 2006, and further provides for compensating Blackground Records by paying to it a percentage of the net sales of Braxton's next album."
Blackground's statement also details its side of the dispute that triggered Braxton's lawsuit.
"Blackground Records released Toni Braxton from her recording contract on January 10 of this year," the release states. "Braxton immediately retaliated with a lawsuit filed in federal court. Braxton dismissed the federal lawsuit in response to an order of the Court advising her of its intention to dismiss the case unless she provided further justification of its basis. Braxton filed another lawsuit in New York State the same day, which attorneys for Blackground Records deemed to be absolutely devoid of any merit.
"When Barry Hankerson began working with Toni Braxton in 1997, he loaned her a substantial amount of money to assist her in dealing with a much publicized bankruptcy. As her manager, he negotiated a contract on her behalf with Arista Records that paid her an advance of $23,000,000.
However, after only two albums, Arista released her from her contract. At Braxton's behest, Hankerson signed Braxton to Blackground Records, where she released only one of the three albums she committed to."
TONI BRAXTON, BARRY HANKERSON SETTLE: Agreement reportedly requires singer to return $375,000 advance.
*Barry Hankerson and his Blackground Records LLC has announced that a settlement has been reached with Toni Braxton in her lawsuit against them.
According to the statement released by a rep for Blackground, the settlement "requires Braxton to return to Blackground Records a $375,000 advance she received on December 27, 2006, and further provides for compensating Blackground Records by paying to it a percentage of the net sales of Braxton's next album."
Blackground's statement also details its side of the dispute that triggered Braxton's lawsuit.
"Blackground Records released Toni Braxton from her recording contract on January 10 of this year," the release states. "Braxton immediately retaliated with a lawsuit filed in federal court. Braxton dismissed the federal lawsuit in response to an order of the Court advising her of its intention to dismiss the case unless she provided further justification of its basis. Braxton filed another lawsuit in New York State the same day, which attorneys for Blackground Records deemed to be absolutely devoid of any merit.
"When Barry Hankerson began working with Toni Braxton in 1997, he loaned her a substantial amount of money to assist her in dealing with a much publicized bankruptcy. As her manager, he negotiated a contract on her behalf with Arista Records that paid her an advance of $23,000,000.
However, after only two albums, Arista released her from her contract. At Braxton's behest, Hankerson signed Braxton to Blackground Records, where she released only one of the three albums she committed to."
BLIGE, BRAXTON, AGUILERA TO WORK NBA ALL-STAR GAME: Aguilera and Braxton will handle halftime; Blige booked for ‘Saturday Night.’
*The NBA has tapped Toni Braxton and Christina Aguilera to entertain folks during halftime of Sunday’s NBA All-Star game in Las Vegas, while Mary J. Blige has been booked to perform at the league’s NBA Cares event to be held the day prior.
Braxton, currently starring in her hit production show, "Toni
Braxton: Revealed" at the Flamingo in Las Vegas, will open Sunday's halftime extravaganza by performing "Making Me High" from her “Secrets” album and "Take This Ring" from her “Libra” album.
To culminate the show, Aguilera will perform "Ain't No Other Man" and "Candyman" from her platinum-selling album, “Back to Basics.”
On Saturday, triple Grammy-winner Blige will pay tribute to NBA Cares, the league's social responsibility initiative, with a performance of her rendition of the U2 original hit "One" during NBA All-Star Saturday Night, airing live on TNT at 5 p.m. PT, 8 p.m. ET.
In addition to the musical acts during Sunday's All-Star Game, to be held Sunday (Feb. 18) at 5 p.m. PT, 8 p.m. ET at the Thomas & Mack Center, Cirque du Soleil artists will perform a dynamic display of acrobatic martial arts from the opening act of KA, the gravity-defying production presented at MGM Grand.
In a special performance, "Mr. Las Vegas" Wayne Newton will take part in the NBA All-Star player introductions.
OPRAH TO ADAPT ANOTHER MITCH ALBOM BOOK: "For One More Day" will be the next "Oprah Winfrey Presents" telepic.
*Oprah Winfrey loves her some Mitch Albom. The talk show billionaire has already turned one of his books into an Emmy winning film for ABC, and has just signed on to adapt a second book from the popular author.
In July, Harpo Films will begin production on Albom’s New York Times bestseller "For One More Day," about a former baseball player who has hit hard times and plans to end his life. At the last moment he is given one more day to spend with his late mother, who brings him to his redemption.
Oprah Winfrey and Kate Forte will executive produce the project, which is tentatively scheduled to air in December. Albom is also on board to write the teleplay and executive produce.
"For One More Day" will be directed by Lloyd Kramer, who helmed a 2004 telepic for ABC based on Albom’s book "Five People You Meet in Heaven."
Albom said it was "an honor" to once again work with Winfrey and Forte on a film adaptation of one of his books. "They tell beautiful stories with their films," he added. "And I've witnessed Lloyd's excellent work up close -- so I know 'For One More Day' is in very good hands."
In 1999, “Oprah Winfrey Presents” adapted Albom’s book “Tuesday’s With Morrie,” which scored four Emmys, including made-for TV movie and lead actor in a miniseries or movie (for Hank Azaria).
TIKI BARBER’S GIANT LEAP TO NBC: Retired running-back to work for network’s sports and news divisions.
*It’s now official – retired New York Giants running back Tiki Barber has been swooped up by NBC Universal and will work for both its sports division as an analyst and its news division as a contributor to "Today."
With the end of his football career at Sunday’s Pro Bowl, the 31-year-old former University of Virginia standout appeared at a news conference Tuesday to announce his new employment status.
Barber’s addition to the peacock family comes after a 10-year career with the Giants. After declaring in October 2006 that he would be retiring at the end of the season, he was immediately hounded by three major media companies, News Corp., Walt Disney Co. and NBC Universal.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Disney was an early frontrunner, offering Barber work at its Connecticut-based ESPN during football season as well as a prominent role on ABC News' "Good Morning America."
But Barber was not trying to be in Connecticut on the weekends during football season. Under NBC’s offer, both "Football Night in America" and “Today” are based in the same building – 30 Rockefeller Center (a.k.a. 30 Rock).
MARIAH CAREY DOESN’T DO ECONOMY CLASS: Shoestring budget of new film ruled out First Class ticket to location.
*Producers of the upcoming low-budget film “Tennessee” had the nerve to ask its star Mariah Carey to give up a first class ticket and fly coach. Needless to say, Mimi found a way around the inconvenience.
The independent project is about two brothers on a road trip in search of their estranged father. Carey’s role, originally intended for Janet Jackson, required her to master a Southern dialect. She was willing to put in work for that, but giving up a first class ticket so that the film will stay within budget is another story.
With co-stars Bernie Mac, James D’Arcy, Bill Sage and Gregory Peck’s grandson Ethan, “Tennessee” can’t afford to spend money on any expense beyond the bare necessities – as is the case with any independent film.
According to columnist Liz Smith, Carey took one for the team and accepted her economy class ticket to fly down to location. She then bought out every seat in the cabin so that she could fly in privacy.
BLACK ENTERPRISE’S TOP 50 HOLLYWOOD PLAYERS: List features usual suspects, including Oprah, Will and Magic.
*It’s no surprise that Oprah Winfrey has topped Black Enterprise magazine’s 2007 list of the Top 50 Power Brokers in Hollywood.
In the March cover feature, BE spotlights the growing number of African Americans who have achieved record influence in show business. The roster not only includes household names such as cover subject Will Smith, who together with partner James Lassiter produced the recent Oscar-nominated smash “The Pursuit of Happyness,” but also African American corporate executives, agents, lawyers, and entrepreneurs who broker some of the industry's biggest deals.
Also gracing the top 10 this year are Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Tyler Perry, Denzel Washington, Eddie Murphy and Tyra Banks.
To identify the Top 50 Hollywood Power Brokers, BE News Editor Nicole M. Richardson and an editorial team contacted industry insiders, movie studios, and television networks, and reviewed box office sales and television ratings reports.
In addition, BE consulted national organizations, including the Screen Actors Guild, the Film Life and HBO American Black Film Festival, the Black Filmmakers Association, the Black Filmmakers Forum, the Black Entertainment and Sports Lawyers Association, and the NAACP, which hosts the annually televised Image Awards honoring the best African American actors, movies, and television programs.
The complete list of 50 appears in the March issue of Black Enterprise, which hits newsstands on Feb. 21. Until then, here are the top
10:
No. 1: Oprah Winfrey
No. 2: Richard D. Parsons, Chairman & CEO, Time Warner Inc.
No. 3: Will Smith, Actor-Producer
No. 4: Earvin "Magic" Johnson, Chairman & CEO, Johnson Development
Corp.
and Magic Johnson Enterprises
No. 5: Robert L. Johnson, Founder, Our Stories Films
No. 6: Tyler Perry, President & CEO, The Tyler Perry Co.
No. 7: Douglas V. Holloway, President, Cable Investments, NBC
Universal
Cable
No. 8: Denzel Washington, Actor-Director-Producer
No. 9: Eddie Murphy, Actor-Producer
No. 10: Tyra Banks, Founder & CEO, Bankable Productions
THE MELVIN VAN PEEBLES How to Eat Your Watermelon in White Company Interview with Kam Williams
Restless Rabble-Rouser Reflects on Career as Renaissance Man
*Born in Chicago on August 21, 1932, Melvin Van Peebles is best known as the incendiary iconoclast who financed, wrote, produced, scored, edited, distributed and starred in Sweet Sweetback's Badass Song, (1971) the politically-progressive picture which single-handedly inspired the rise of the blaxploitation genre. What few folks realize, however, is that moviemaking was only a fraction of this Renaissance man's many talents.
Premiering Thursday, Feb 15 at 9pm Est. on IFC, How to Eat Your Watermelon in White Company (And Enjoy It), a retrospective on the versatile maverick's entire career, reveals a man who also spent time as a novelist (in French), playwright, composer, painter, astronomer, enlisted man in the Air Force, and as a stock trader with a seat on the American Exchange on Wall Street.
Here, Melvin shares his thoughts with me on just about everything.
KW: Hey, Melvin, thanks for the time.
MVP: No problemo.
KW: Congrats on your new movie, and recent lifetime achievement awards, even if, in my opinion, the recognition is a bit overdue.
MVP: Thanks, I'm really a happy camper, as they say.
KW: Do you still have your seat on the American Stock Exchange?
MVP: No longer. Unless you're going to be there continually, you don't want to keep your seat because, first of all, it costs, but also, doing stocks is not something you can phone in. You got to do it right, otherwise.
KW: Were you one of those guys you see on the floor gesturing frantically?
MVP: No, I was a trader for a company. That's different from the brokers who we sort of disdain as sort of just errand boys.
KW: So, how did you spend your time on Wall Street?
MVP: I had to do the mathematical calculations to arrive at whether I was going to buy or sell.
KW: and you were successful enough at it to write about the market.
MVP: I wrote a technical book about how to trade options.
KW: Of which of your achievements are you most proud?
MVP: I like 'em all. What the heck!
KW: How to Eat Your Watermelon in White Company shows you to be so much more than simply the actor who played Sweetback. To me, you're contributions as a trailblazing director and producer is of equal importance.
MVP: Normally, if I'm being acknowledged it is for something in front of the camera. This puts the spotlight on the fact that there are opportunities other than just being an actor. That's what I think our kids sorely need to know.
KW: In my opinion, Sweet Sweetback was a groundbreaking film, not only because it was filled with black characters, but because of the picture's progressive political point-of-view.
MVP: But not just the film itself was groundbreaking, also the fact that it was made by an African-American without the help of Hollywood. This was before the rise of the independent era. The studios didn't really take independent films seriously, till Sweetback was such a financial success. At that juncture, what came from that was not only what they call blaxploitation, but also the independent film. That's all very important. Just as you said, you think of me mostly from that early era. And that's what I really find so touching, because nothing happens outside of a historical context. No film is made without the people behind the lens. Of course, most people, even I, tend to look at films in the most simplistic way, and say, "Wow, so-and-so is in this film." We talk about who's in it, as opposed to who got it made. But there are financial and technical aspects which go along with it, that should be addressed and acknowledged, including those minorities who are doing excellent work as well.
KW: When I was majoring in Black Studies at Cornell, I remember a professor praising Sweet Sweetback's positive political perspective, which was so different from all the blaxploitation flicks which followed which were just new versions of Stepin' Fetchit coon shows.
MVP: That was why the Black Panthers made it mandatory viewing for all of their members, for its political content. While that's an immense aspect, you have to remember that if I didn't have control of what was going on BEHIND the lens, I could never have gotten what you saw IN FRONT OF the lens.
KW: I remember seeing your play, Ain't Supposed to Die a Natural Death and being so moved by Minnie Gentry's [Terrence Howard's grandmother] closing soliloquy, where she said, "May all your children end up junkies, too!"
MVP: That was called, "Put a Curse on You!" That curse has actually come to pass. At one time, the general consensus was that only the African community was considered to be plagued by drug problems. People thought, "Well, it's just a problem among those porch monkeys. It couldn't happen in our community." Yeah, right. It has since spread out and become huge all over the country.
KW: Movies, Broadway plays, you did it all and on your own terms.
MVP: Yes, but once again, remember that the hard part was the business and technical side. People really, really, really need to understand that, and that it can be done. You can take your own destiny. I want people to say, "Hmmm, I never thought of that. Gee, I guess so."
KW: What inspired you to try to make your first movie?
MVP: One day, I was sitting in a movie theater, and I said, "What the hell, I can do better than that."
KW: Are you still running? I met you back in 1979 when I came over and introduced myself at the starting line of the Boston Marathon. How'd you do that day?
MVP: I broke three hours. That day I was 2:57.
KW: That's incredible. I finished in 4 hours and 18 minutes that day. Are you still running?
MVP: I did seven miles this morning. I ran all the way across Manhattan and the 59th Street Bridge. It was pretty steep going and the wind was blowing hard in my face. I thought at least I'll have the wind when I need it on my way back. Don't you know that after I ran around Queens, and got back to the bridge, the wind had shifted and was blowing in my face again. I said, "Man, this racist wind out here."
KW: Have you run the New York Marathon, too? My wife ran it a couple of years ago.
MVP: Oh, yeah, but I don't like New York anymore because I hate all that waiting at the Verrazano Bridge. I just get too cold.
KW: You should be in that contingent of world-class and celebrity runners, like Diddy, that they give special treatment to and place at the front.
MVP: No, you don't want special treatment when you're very serious about it, though I guess for my age-bracket, I'm pretty good. Still, Boston is the one, brother. That's the great one. I also enjoy the Buffalo to Niagara Falls Marathon. And Philly's nice. But if you asked me my favorite, I suppose I'd have to say Boston.
KW: You must eat very healthily to keep up this demanding regimen at your age. Do you have a special health food diet?
MVP: That depends on whether you consider neck bones health food. Me, I'm into Uncle Ben's and fat.
KW: How did you like "How to Get the Man's Foot Outta Your Ass," the biopic your son, Mario, made about you?
MVP: I was bowled over by it. I thought it was just terrific. And the interesting thing was, it was all true. It brought back some very tense memories there, boy.
KW: You had already made Watermelon Man with Columbia Pictures when you made Sweet Sweetback. So, wasn't making a militant film a risky move for you?
MVP: Very. I had a three picture deal with Columbia that I lost. And nobody's offered me a job since.
KW: So, it really set back your career.
MVP: Oh well, what the heck. It doesn't particularly bother me.
KW: But didn't it have an effect on your life?
MVP: Oh, it had a major effect. For a long time, there were assassination attempts and all that good stuff. Okay, if you can't stand the heat in the oven, what are you supposed to do? I mean, I was born and bred in the briar patch. I'm from the Southside of Chicago. So, it was no big deal. [laughs]
KW: Isn't it ironic though, as someone who was so targeted by the mainstream and the government as a threat to be embraced by the Establishment?
MVP: Hey, look at how we have Martin Luther King Day now, and how did he go?
KW: Even as feared a figure as Malcolm X eventually got his own stamp.
MVP: It's all very classic. I'm not so surprised. They say possession is 9/10ths of the law. I say survival is 10/10ths of the law. And I always felt that one day my contributions would come to the forefront.
KW: Yeah, sooner or later, and you're getting the last laugh now.
MVP: It may seem soon to you, but when you're waiting, brother, it doesn't seem all that rapid, if you know what I mean. [laughs heartily, sighs]
KW: What question would you love for someone to ask you that nobody ever asks? Is there any question I haven't asked that you would like for me to ask?
MVP: No, I really like to talk to people and to get their take on things. This has been very instructive. While we've been talking, you've shared your impressions and I find that fascinating, because you mustn't forget that essentially, I'm, most of all, a writer. So, what makes people tick interests me, and I appreciate your questions.
KW: Well, I appreciate your sharing your time, your wisdom, your reminiscences, and your sage insights about the industry. And in case I haven't already, I want to express my gratitude for all your seminal contributions which changed the course of cinema history for black folks, opening doors and creating opportunities for many who have come behind you. And though I feel that many owe you a debt of gratitude, I don't mean to suggest that Sweet Sweetback is in the same genre as the blaxploitation era it inspired.
MVP: It's not. It's a revolutionary film. What happened when Sweetback made all that money, the studios were in a very difficult position. They wanted the money, but they didn't the message. This marked the advent of the caricatures which became known as blaxploitation. Hollywood realized that they were totally unfamiliar with black vernacular, so they had to hire some black people which meant the beginning of some job opportunities to do the costumes, the sets, etcetera. And now we're slowly beginning to see some of the fruits of that.
KW: Thanks again, bro, I guess we've got everything covered.
MVP: Yeah, see you in Boston!
How to Eat Your Watermelon in White Company premieres on the IFC Thursday, February 15th @ 9PM EST with rebroadcasts beginning February 16th @ 5:30 AM EST. (Check local listings)
BILL COSBY’S POOCH ADVANCES AT DOG SHOW: Little four-legged Harry won terrier group at annual Madison Square Garden event.
*The terrier competition is reportedly the toughest event at New York’s annual Westminster Kennel Club dog show, but no one told a 6-year-old Dandie Dinmont named Harry.
The dog, co-owned by entertainer Bill Cosby, was crowned champion of the terrier group Monday night at Madison Square Garden after entering the event as the country’s No. 1-ranked dog.
Cosby was not on hand at the competition, but his daughter Erinn accompanied the little fella and reacted to his victory by running onto the green carpet where the dogs are shown and kissing it on the mouth.
"They were all beautiful dogs out there," said Erinn, 40, "but there was only one."
Harry’s win in the terrier group automatically put him in the final Best In Show competition against canine winners from all categories. The award’s silver bowl was to be announced shortly before 11 p.m. on Tuesday.
GOLDMAN STILL TRYING TO GET IN O.J.’S POCKET: Father of murder victim goes after residual checks from old movies.
*Fred Goldman will stop at nothing to get whatever money he can from O.J. Simpson, who was acquitted of the 1994 murders of his son, Ron Goldman, and his friend, Nicole Brown Simpson, yet found liable of the crimes in a 1997 civil trial that resulted in a $33.5 million judgment.
Goldman’s attorneys subpoenaed several Hollywood industry groups on Monday, seeking money Simpson was paid for TV appearances and work in such movies as "Naked Gun 33 and 1/3" and "The Towering Inferno." Goldman’s team believes Simpson diverted the residual payments to avoid paying any of the judgment.
"We're going to burrow to the center of the earth to find Simpson's assets," Goldman lawyer David Cook told Reuters. "These subpoenas today seek to uncover and unearth Simpson's catalog or portfolio of movie residuals."
The subpoenas demand records kept by the Screen Actors Guild (SAG), the Producers Guild of America and the American Federation of Television Radio Artists (AFTRA), which Goldman's lawyers believe will show how much Simpson has been paid and where the money has gone.
JENNIFER HOLLIDAY TO SPEAK ABOUT HER DEPRESSION: Broadway star battled condition throughout her career.
*Jennifer Holliday will share with over 1,200 participants of Thursday’s (Feb. 15) Los Angeles County Dept. of Mental Health’s Annual African American Mental Health Conference, how even at the height of her success in the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical “Dreamgirls,” she quietly suffered from depression.
Now a volunteer advocate for the National Mental Health Association, Holliday will keynote the event, discussing how therapy led her through depression and on the road to recovery.
Supervisor Yvonne B. Burke will help kick off the conference, paying tribute to the thousands of mental health professionals and advocates in attendance, who provide much-needed clinical and other service to clients with multiple issues and societal challenges.
The conference’s theme is “Resilience, Recovery & Reconciliation: Best practices in providing culturally competent mental health services to persons of African heritage.” The event will be held at the Los Angeles Convention Center’s West Hall Concourse Room (1201 S. Figueroa St., Los Angeles).
‘MEDIUM’ FITS NICELY FOR CORINNE BAILEY RAE: Singer’s ‘Like A Star’ to be featured throughout tonight’s episode.
*Grammy nominated Best New Artist Corinne Bailey Rae’s hit song “Like A Star” will be featured throughout tonight’s special Valentines Day-themed “Medium” on NBC.
In the episode, titled “The One Behind The Wheel,” Allison awakes from a dream and is convinced she's a completely different person named Sandra. When she doesn't snap out of it, her husband Joe turns to Allison’s co-worker Detective Scanlon for help, while struggling to reach his wife.
“Medium” creator Glenn Gordon Caron stated: “I am a great fan of and a great believer in the idea of using a single popular song almost the way you usea score. It is almost impossible to think of ‘The Graduate’ without thinking of Simon and Garfunkle's ‘Sounds of Silence,’ or ‘Breakfast at Tiffany's’ without Mancini's ‘Moon River’ or ‘Titanic’ without ‘My Heart Will Go On.’ Wednesday's episode of "Medium" was conceived as a kind of Romantic Odyssey for Valentine's Day and I was hoping we'd find a piece of contemporary music with just the right sense of bittersweet longing and melancholy to complement it.”
Caron continued: “From the first listen, Corinne Bailey Rae's ‘Like A Star’ mesmerized me. The lyrics speak to the transforming power that love has when it walks into your life and her voice imbues it all with a simultaneous sense of wonder and sadness and joy that created a perfect blend for our show."
“Medium” airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m.
HSAN HIRES FREE FOR ANNUAL FINANCIAL TOUR: Former ‘106 & Park’ host to help lead panel discussions during 2007 outing.
*Hip-hop television personality Free has booked a gig on the 2007 "Get Your Money Right" financial empowerment national tour as a co-moderator.
The former co-host of BET’s "106 & Park" joins forces with the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network to motivate and encourage young people to become financially literate. Joining moderator and HSAN co-chairman Dr. Benjamin Chavis, Free will help to lead the panel discussion at each Hip-Hop Summit this year.
"I am extremely excited and honored to be a part of this year's HSAN movement," Free says in a statement. "I applaud Russell Simmons, Dr.
Benjamin Chavis and HSAN for historically and consistently focusing their energies on the pulse of our social issues.
“I know what some of you are thinking...' What exactly is financial literacy? How and where do you get it?' More important, 'How do you keep it?' Well, in our communities across the nation, the misunderstanding of what exactly Financial Empowerment can and should mean, continues. We shall set out to inform our audiences at these Summits about becoming 'financially literate' and remaining 'financially sound'.
“P.S.: Real talk y'all...I'm coming to learn, too, so let's get empowered TOGETHER! See you there!"
The 2007 tour will stop in seven cities, including Houston, Texas., March 3; Detroit, Mich., April 14; Toronto, Ontario., August; Greensboro, N.C., September 8; Washington, D.C., September 29; Miami, Fla., October 20 and Atlanta, Ga., November 3.
DIDDY VS. NAOMI CAMPBELL? Witnesses at Grammy party say mogul went off on former supermodel – and no one knows why.
*New York Daily News columnist Ben Widdicombe received word that Sean “Diddy” Combs had a volatile run-in with troubled former model Naomi Campbell during a Grammy after-party.
A witness told the writer: "Diddy just started screaming at her when he saw her. No one could believe it. He was screaming obscenities at her" and at actor Terrence Howard, who was with her.
The spy said Naomi “played it totally cool,” but the eavesdropper was not able to overhear a reason for the spat, “except that Diddy's baby mama hates her,” Widdicombe writes.
NBA ALL-STAR WEEKEND CALENDAR: Air Jordan XX2 launch; Alize’s Player’s Party.
*In celebration of the All-Star game and the global release of the highly anticipated Air Jordan XX2, special invited celebrities, influencers and friends will be granted access to an exclusive facility dubbed Air Jordan Area XX2 on Friday (Feb. 16) from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. in Las Vegas. Included on the guest list are Michael Jordan, Anthony Anderson, Nick Cannon, Chamillionaire, Ice Cube, Derek Fischer, Hill Harper, Star Jones, Regina King, Monica, Rodney Peete, James Pickens, Jr., Jalen Rose, John Salley, Gabrielle Union, D.B Woodside and more. D-Nice will serve as the event’s DJ.
On Saturday, Alizé presents The Player’s Party at Studio 54 inside the MGM Grand Hotel. The event will be the official place to be following the
2007 NBA Rookie Game, 3-Point Challenge & Dunk Contest. The Red Carpet Affair will be hosted by NBA legend Magic Johnson and All-Star Allen “The Answer” Iverson. Music will be provided by DJs Kid Capri and Biz Markie.
MUSIC BITS: J Dilla honored; Bow Wow’s V-Day and LB Dub Gang; Latifah wants to adopt; Vanilla Ice’s bad tax rap.
*The late J Dilla was honored as artist of the year at the PLUG 2007 Independent Music Awards Show, held Saturday at New York's Irving Plaza. The musician and producer, born James Yancey, was saluted via a video montage featuring his mother and rappers Common and Pharrell. Yancey passed away last February at the age of 32 due to complications from lupus.
*Rapper Bow Wow is asking female fans to send him Valentine’s Day messages via his MySpace page. The most creative entries will be shown on his Web site at a later date, according to MTV. He’s also starting a new record label and teen rap crew titled The LB Dub Gang, which includes 18-year-old rapper/actor Clee-O (""Roll Bounce" "Walking Tall") and Young Jinsu, a rapper who hails from Rhode Island.
*Queen Latifah told Ellen DeGeneres Monday that she would love to adopt some kids in the near future, and has already started paperwork on becoming a foster parent. "I want to adopt an American baby though, you know what I mean, no offense," she said. "Just because there are so many kids here that need our help. My sister is a social worker, and there are just so many kids that could use a good home. Nothing against going out the country. That's great and I get why a lot of people do it – because of the laws here. I just feel like if I do I would help a kid right [here] in the hood."
*Vanilla Ice has joined forces with TurboTax.com to host its "Tax Rap Contest," which bills itself as "providing fun-loving taxpayers nationwide a shot at their own Grammy-worthy performance and $25,000 in winnings." The “Ice Ice Baby” rapper kicked off the contest with the unveiling of his own original music video “inspired by his own personal tax-filing experiences" on YouTube (See video below, if you dare.). A rep for the tax company tells PageSix, "We want people to 'get their tax on.'"
EUR FILM REVIEW: How to Eat Your Watermelon in White Company (And Enjoy It)
Melvin Van Peebles Biography to Air Uncut on IFC Channel
by Kam Williams
*Melvin Van Peebles is truly a Renaissance Man, having not only acted in, but sang, produced, edited, and written scripts and scores for both movies (Sweet Sweetback's Badass Song) and Broadway plays (Ain't Supposed to Die a Natural Death). He probably first found fame in 1970 when he directed a comedy called Watermelon Man for Columbia Pictures.
But he really made his seminal contribution to cinema a year later with Sweet Sweetback's Badass Song, an independent flick he shot on a shoestring budget. What made this movie so remarkable was that it grossed over $10 million dollars at the box office without studio backing, thereby proving to Hollywood that there was a market for black oriented entertainment. However, where Sweetback presented African-Americans with dignity, intelligence and political awareness, the Blaxploitation Era which ensued was marked by pictures filled with pimps, hustlers, whores and all sorts of sorry stereotypes.
How to Eat Your Watermelon in White Company is a brash bio-pic which chronicles the life of Van Peebles, warts and all. It shows the feisty 73 year-old to be as irascible as ever as he explains how, frustrated by racism in America, he abandoned the U.S. for France at an early age. Overseas, his artistic endeavors were encouraged and developed before the expatriate eventually returned home with a determination to get his projects done, come hell or high water.
Among the many luminaries making appearances in the picture are Melvin's son, Mario, filmmaker Spike Lee, photographer Gordon Parks, and musician Gil Scott-Heron. But the irrepressible Van Peebles doesn't really need all the accolades, as this edgy documentary easily convinces the viewer of its subject's considerable genius, as a role model who managed to maintain his integrity, and to make a buck while thumbing his nose at a racist system designed to suppress his revolutionary ideas.
Excellent (4 stars)
Unrated
Running time: 85 minutes
Studi IFC
How to Eat Your Watermelon in White Company premieres on the IFC
Thursday, February 15th @ 9PM EST with rebroadcasts beginning February 16th
@ 5:30 AM EST. (Check local listings)
FILM/TV BITS: CBS serves up Steve Harris; ‘Idol’s’ Lythgoe edits Abdul carefully; Longoria’s wedding date leaked.
*Actor Steve Harris has been cast in the CBS drama pilot "Protect and Serve," which follows the lives of street cops in suburban Los Angeles. Best known for his role as attorney Eugene Young on ABC’s “The Practice," Harris will play a seasoned cop who is physically imposing but not that fit. He most recently co-starred on the short-lived NBC series "Heist."
*“American Idol” producer Nigel Lythgoe admits to taking extra care when it comes to editing footage of judge Paula Abdul. He tells
realitytvmagainze.com: "We look when we're editing the show nowadays and say, 'Hey are people going to think she's drunk for doing that?' We try and take that into account."
*Page Six is reporting that Eva Longoria will marry San Antonio Spurs point guard Tony Parker on July 7 in Paris, according to "save the date" notices sent out by the “Desperate Housewives” star, along with reminders for guests to have a valid passport.
EFFORT LAUNCHED TO BAN BLACKFACE PERFORMANCE: Activists in Los Angeles and Hartford protest New Orleans run of ‘Shirley Q. Liquor.’
*After the cancellation Shirley Q. Liquor, the racially offensive blackface show in both Los Angeles and Hartford, community activists have united to kick off "Ban Blackface In America," targeting this week's performance of Shirley Q. Liquor scheduled for New Orleans.
Charles Knipp, a Quaker minister, describes his character Shirley Q. Liquor as an inarticulate black woman on welfare with 19 kids. Through his character, he promotes the idea that black women are on welfare, living in the projects, illiterate, shoplifting, and are alcoholic, drug-addicted, sexually promiscuous mothers who don't know who their children's fathers are.
In addition, he mocks the African American holiday Kwanzaa and in a skit entitled "Who Is My Baby Daddy," Knipp likens sexually transmitted diseases to traditional African American names.
"It's very clear to me as a black woman that Knipp's act is racially offensive," says journalist and activist Jasmyne Cannick of Los Angeles. "Charles Knipp's character is an insult to African Americans everywhere. Aside from the content of the show, the fact that he uses blackface just takes it over the line. Clubs that book his act are being irresponsible in promoting an artist like Knipp, and especially during Black History Month."
Knipp is scheduled to perform on Saturday, February 17 at 4 p.m. at the popular gay nightclub the Bourbon Pub in New Orleans. Activists have released a list of ten things that people everywhere can do to help retire Knipp's character Shirley Q. Liquor for good including:
1. Sign the petition to retire Shirley Q. Liquor .
2. Send an email and call the Borbon Pub's management in New Orleans where Shirley Q. Liquor is scheduled to perform on Saturday, February 17 at 4 p.m.
The Bourbon Pub
801 Bourbon Street
New Orleans, LA
(504) 529-2107
Fax: (504) 524-2864
info@bourbonpub.com
3. Send an email and call the New Orleans City Council and Mayor's office urging them to pass a resolution condemning the racially offensive performance of Shirley Q. Liquor.
President
Phone: (504) 658-1070
Fax: (504) 658-1077
OMThomas@cityofno.com
EUR MOTIVATIONAL NOTE
Motivation123 Newsletter
by J. M. Gracia
www.motivation123.com
::How to Change Your Life in Five Seconds::
A young woman, barely thirty years old, stood alone in an alley just behind the building she worked in. She was on her break, a desperately needed break, and used the time to think about her life.
Up to that point her life wasn't exactly following a smooth and happy route.
No cushy office job downtown, no husband, and no grand hopes for the future.
All of her dreams were long ago nicely and neatly packaged, taking a place in the back of her mind where it couldn't make too much noise.
The most depressing part of her story was the realization that the next thirty years of her life would be no better than the previous thirty; she would only be older while living through it.
Did you ever think about it that way? That the next ten years of your life will most likely mirror the previous ten?
There is an exception to this rule, however.
_________________________________________________
The Sign that Changed Everything
_________________________________________________
As she stood slumped against the red brick building looking down the long stretch of litter and garbage, she noticed a small black sign with bold white letters.
It contained information about a night class that was being offered right next door. And it just so happened that the class was something she wanted to get involved with for years.
She walked down to the building, opened the door, and never looked back.
Her life is on track now. She's doing the things she always wanted to do, feeling the way she always wanted to feel.
She is happy with the present and excited about the future.
And it all happened because of the exception to the rule.
The same exception that you can use to guarantee the next ten years of your life far surpass the last decade.
If you're ready to take the first step and break the cycle, visit the address below:
http://www.motivation123.com/cmd.php?ad=211383
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Feb. 14: Jazz saxophonist Maceo Parker is 64. Singer Dwayne Wiggins of Tony! Toni! Tone! is 46.
WEBSITE OF THE WEEK
*With the Pan African Film Festival in effect all this week, you can get up to date info at the festival's site: www.PAFF.org.
Submit your favorite Web site to us along with a 15-20 word (or less) description to info@eurweb.com.
BLACK HISTORY
Feb. 14, 1867: Morehouse College organized in Augusta, Georgia. The
institution was later moved to Atlanta. (Source: www.BlackFacts.com)
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