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SINBAD, STILL NOT DEAD, CHATS WITH LEE BAILEY: Comedian jokes about yesterday’s crazy rumor that he had died of a heart-attack.

      *An e-mail proclaiming that comedian Sinbad had died of a heart attack Wednesday morning spread like wildfire across the Internet Thursday and had folks as famous as Lionel Richie calling the actor to find out if it was true.

      Well, it most certainly was not.

      As reported yesterday, Sinbad, born David Atkins, is very much alive and had nothing but jokes about his untimely demise while speaking via phone with EUR’s Lee Bailey Thursday afternoon.

     “So what did you tell Lionel Richie?” asked Bailey.

      “I told him you’re talking to a ghost,” Sinbad joked. “I’m trying to get a track from him, so I said I’m real sick. I need some music for my daughter.”

      Sinbad’s brother and manager, Mark Adkins, told us yesterday afternoon that he began receiving calls about the death rumor on Saturday.

      “I started getting a lot of comedians calling me saying that they heard Sinbad had passed away,” said Adkins. “Then it had died down for a couple of days, and we thought it was just a little local rumor, but then it went across the country. I got calls from Detroit and New York; radio stations calling. I guess there’s some sort of obituary or something on the e-mail blast that people had that made it seem real.”

 Moved by the widespread concern, Sinbad told us: “I wish that people would’ve called me back like this when I was alive. I gotta die more often.”

 He also joked that people were taking his death so hard because he owes those people money.

 “Seriously, folks are worried that they ain’t gonna get their cash back,” he said.

 “I’m writing a movie about this now,” he continued, noting that he hasn’t made a film in 10 years. “Seriously, my death is gonna be my comeback.”

 The rumor seemed to have come from a hacked-into page on Wikipedia, a widely used Internet encyclopedia that allows anyone to contribute information. The page, seen here (http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/n_sinbad_hoax.htm), said Sinbad “succumbed to a fatal heart attack on the morning of March 14, 2007.”  The page also lists a biography and filmography for Sinbad, which seemed to offend him even more than the fake death.

 “They had some jacked up stuff there, man,” he said. “Like come on, man. Give me a good sendoff. …They had me in Maxim magazine interviewed, they said [I was] the worst comedian of all time.  I was like, don’t put that on the obituary. You supposed to like a man in death.”

      Considering even more benefits of his fake passing, he said: “I’m hoping the IRS don’t know. Hopefully, I can keep this death thing going a little while longer.”
     
      Getting serious for a brief moment, Sinbad admitted that this was actually the second time he has been the subject of a death rumor, and the news is always hardest on family members, close friends and the people who aren’t aware of the truth.
     
      Sinbad said of the person who started the rumor: “If somebody has nothing better to do today, then I’m happy that it gave you something to do. Because if that’s all you have to do in your life, you have a sad life. If the best you could do is create a page that said somebody is dead, then your life is already dead.”
     
      “Think about the energy it takes to do something like that,” he continued. “You have to have so much negative energy in your system, that you’re the walking dead.”
       

TERRENCE HOWARD TURNED DOWN BY BERRY AND UNION: Actor admits all in new Essence; also, J.Lo responds to infamous Essence interview with Kim Porter.

      *In the new April issue of Essence magazine, on stands now, actor Terrence Howard admits that he tried to talk to two Hollywood beauties, and was ultimately shot down both times.
     
      "I tried to talk to Halle [Berry] for a bit. Didn’t call me back," the married man says in the cover story. "Tried to talk to Gabrielle Union. Didn't call me back, either."
     
      Regarding his estranged wife Lori, the star of new film “Pride” said: "The only woman I really love is my wife. The hardest thing to do is to let go of somebody you really care about."

 In other “Essence” news, Jennifer Lopez was recently asked to comment about the October 2006 interview with Kim Porter, the on- and off- and currently on-again girlfriend of her ex-flame, Sean “Diddy” Combs.

 Porter, who began her relationship with Diddy in 1994, has a 10-year-old son with the mogul, as well as a new set of twin girls who were born to the couple in December.  During one of Diddy and Porter’s breaks in 1999, the Bad Boy founder hooked up with Lopez.

      In the Essence article, Porter wrote off Diddy’s J.Lo fling, stating: "He fell for a booty and a smile." Porter also admitted to telling Combs that he would return to her after he left “his little Puerto Rican girlfriend."

 Porter also said she stayed in contact with Diddy every day throughout his relationship with the famous singer-actress and forbid him from letting their son Christian associate with Lopez.

      "Does she look like the type that would want to play house and family with two little black kids? No," Porter told the magazine, referring also to Diddy’s other son Justin.

      When asked by the New York Post what she thought about Porter's comments in Essence, Lopez said: "I am not going to go there.”

      "Look, she knows what went on, I know what went on,” J.Lo said. “And that is where we have to leave it. I am not going to discuss any of the details of that intimate relationship that I had with the public. It's just not that necessary.”

STEVIE WONDER NAMED IN LAWSUIT: Former employee of his L.A. radio station sues for wrongful termination.

 *Stevie Wonder is among the defendants named in a wrongful termination and retaliation lawsuit filed Wednesday by a former employee of his Los Angeles radio station, KJLH. 

      According to the lawsuit, Reginald Thomas Jr. claims he was fired as sales manager after he went to management with news of several colleagues allegedly engaging in "plugola," which is similar in concept to the illegal pay-for-play practice of payola, but involves DJs receiving under-the-table gifts or cash from advertisers to name drop their products.
     
      In his lawsuit, Thomas says he was fired after raising concerns about the practice to general manager Karen Slade. He said that one of their regular advertisers, LAX Department Store, had expressed concern that it had been the victim of a "shakedown." The company said it didn't feel it was getting all the on-air plugs it had paid for and was being bullied into shelling out extra to on-air personalities.  
     
      Following Thomas’ meeting with the advertiser in mid-February, the suit states, he noticed that attitudes of the station's disc jockeys and other employees "changed dramatically," and that they became "negative, cold and hostile" toward him.
     
      Several days later, Slade, who is also named as a defendant, called Thomas into his office and asked, "Do you think Stevie Wonder is going to fire any of his people" provided there's plugola or other illegal activity occurring at the station? "No! He's going to do whatever he has to, in order to protect them," Slade said, per court documents.
     
      According to the suit, Thomas also asked Slade to offer her opinion about a late-night phone call Wonder made to a female sales associate and expressed concern that it could constitute sexual harassment. Slade allegedly responded, "You never know who he is f***ing around here. It's a lawsuit waiting to happen."
     
      On Feb. 28, Slade fired Thomas under the "at-will" provision in his contract. "He would not, and could not, have been terminated without the knowledge, consent and approval of Stevie Wonder," who had actively recruited Thomas for the position last summer, the lawsuit alleges. 

      Thomas, who was promised a yearly salary of $175,000 under his contract signed in August, is seeking unspecified damages and more than $3.5 million in unpaid wages and benefits, including money he says he would have earned had he not been fired.

DON CHEADLE TO PRODUCE AND STAR IN FIVE NEW FILMS: Actor on his Hollywood grind. 

 *As Don Cheadle prepares to arrive in theaters next Friday via the film “Reign Over Me,” the Oscar nominated actor has been busy lining up a bunch of film work in which he will both produce and star.

 The most prominent of the crop is a biopic of jazz icon Miles Davis, which will also serve as his feature directing debut, reports Variety. Other projects include the films “Traitor, “Quest to Ref,” “Broken Adonis” and “Marching Powder.”

 "Traitor" is described by Variety as “a politically charged drama that was written and will be directed by Jeff Nachmanoff ("The Day After Tomorrow"). Cheadle will star as an operative embedded in a terrorist organization who becomes the target of federal agents; they fear he's crossed the line and actually become a terrorist himself.

      The comedy "Quest to Ref" will star Cheadle as a disenchanted lawyer who follows his life dream to become a pro basketball referee.
     
      "Broken Adonis" to be directed by Michael Apted, will star Cheadle as an ex-con who forms an unlikely relationship with a border patrol officer and her young informant.

 In “Marching Powder,” Cheadle stars in the fact-based story as a drug dealer who spent five years as a tour guide in the notorious San Pedro Prison in Bolivia. 

 The actor, who was honored Thursday as ShoWest male star of the year, is producing all five projects under Crescendo Prods., his company with longtime managers Kay Liberman and Lenore Zerman.

      In addition, Cheadle is co-producing "An Indifferent World," a documentary for Participant/Warner Independent in which the actor is one of five subjects who are attempting to address genocide in Darfur. The film is already in production in Sudan under director Ted Braun.

      In still more Cheadle news, the actor’s upcoming film “Ocean’s Thirteen” is scheduled to have its international premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in France. A date has yet to be announced for the screening, and the official lineup of films to be shown at the annual event will be announced on April 19.

VANESSA WILLIAMS: The My Brother Interview with Kam Williams
Va-Va-Vanessa!

      *Born in the Bronx on March 18, 1963, Vanessa Lynn Williams and her brother, Chris (the actor), were raised in Millwood, a suburb of New York City located in Westchester.

      Her parents, Milton and Helen, both music teachers, are also each half-white and half-black. And they must have had a premonition, because Vanessa's birth announcement read: "Here she is: Miss America!"

      As a child, she studied both piano and French horn, though she showed the most interest in developing her sultry singing voice. Vanessa settled theater arts as her major at Syracuse University, but she was too impatient to enter show business to stay there very long.

      On September 17, 1983, she made history and proved her parents to be clairvoyant when she won the Miss America Pageant, becoming the first black woman to hold the title in the process. Regrettably, Vanessa decided to surrender her crown after some nude photos of her surfaced in Penthouse Magazine.

     But that temporary setback couldn't prevent such a multi-talented performer from continuing to pursue her dream, and she went on to flourish not only as a recording artist, but also on TV and the stage, and on film, winning a trio of NAACP Image Awards, while landing 14 Grammy nominations (winning once), a Screen Actors Guild nomination and a Tony nomination.

      Currently, Vanessa is enjoying a recurring role on Ugly Betty, not as the title character, obviously, but as Wilhemina Slater. The bi-coastal beauty commutes back and forth between L.A. and her hometown where she is raising her four kids, Melanie, Jillian, Devin and Sasha.

      Here, she talks about her life and her latest outing as L'Tisha Morton in My Brother, where she exhibits an emotional range unseen in any of her previous work as the mother of two adolescent boys, one of whom has Down Syndrome.

Kam Williams: Hey, Vanessa, thanks so much for the time. I really appreciate it, since I've enjoyed your career from the beginning.

Vanessa Williams: Thank you, no problem.

KW: In fact, since my last name was Williams and I was also from New York, I have to admit that when you won Miss America, I used to claim that you were my cousin.

VW: [Chuckles] Oh, where in New York are you from?

KW: Saint Albans. I know you were born in The Bronx, but then where were you raised?

VW: I grew up in Millwood, which is in northern Westchester. My Dad's from Oyster Bay, and my Mom's from Buffalo.

KW: Gee, my family used to go out to places like Oyster Bay and Sag Harbor during the summer. Congratulations on recently winning another NAACP Image Award. I'm on the nominating committee

VW: Oh, okay, thank you! It was my third. The first one I got was for a recording, my album The Right Stuff back in 1988. The second one was ten years later for Soul Food, which was film. So this is great, because it's my first one for television.

KW: So, how are you enjoying having a hit show and playing Wilhemina Slater on Ugly Betty?

VW: [Laughs] I love it! I love our cast. I love our writers. I love the producers. I love our set. It's just a really enjoyable experience. I'm just so happy that I have the opportunity to play such a fun role.

KW: Are you at all like Wilhemina in real life?

VW: Playing a diva like Wilhemina, most people assume that things are usually taken care of for you, and that you don't have a lot of domestic skills. And many actresses don't, because of the nature of the business that we're in. But the greatest thing about being a mother so young, I had my first child at 24, is that I cook, I clean, I love to be independent and kind of hate to be waited on and hate to be taken care of. So, I guess that demonstrates my fiercely independent nature which is kind of anti what I portray on a weekly basis.

KW: Well, you certainly come across as surprisingly grounded and real. I guess part of that's from being a mother, and part of that is from not living in Hollywood.

VW: [Chuckles] Yeah.

KW: And I'd guess that you're not the type to travel with a big entourage either?

VW: I don't draw attention to myself or have security pushing people away.

KW: That's admirable. How do your children like being able to see you on TV every week like that?

VW: My kids are so busy that they don't even get a chance to catch it every Thursday night. Given they're schedules, they're not even home. My six year-old manages to see it, but all the other kids have class or some other extracurricular activity, so thank God for TiVo.

KW: In this age of the Soccer mom, where you're constantly shuttling children around, how is for you balancing your career and your kids? I know how long the days are and what grueling work it is shooting a TV series.
It's totally time-consuming.

VW: It is extremely time-consuming. And we shoot film, so it's not a half-hour comedy. We're doing an hour comedy every week, so it's like doing a film every eight days. Luckily, my days per episode are usually three to four. So, I'm, not shooting every day of the week, which allows me to fly home to be with my kids for the weekends. That's how I keep it moving.

KW: I didn't realize that. So, where's Ugly Betty shot? And where do you live?

VW: I live in New York, and it's shot in L.A.

KW: Whoa! So, do you live in Manhattan?

VW: No, I live in my hometown in Westchester. My kids go to the same schools

I went to.

KW: That's very interesting. Why did you choose to do that?

VW: Boy, I moved back to New York in '92, when my oldest was 5, and about to start kindergarten. I wanted her to go to start school back East. When we were looking for a home, we found one in my hometown that was perfect. So, we didn't intentionally move back there, but that's how it happened. My eldest is already in college at F.I.T [The Fashion Institute of Technology] in the City. My 17 year-old is a senior at the high school that I went to, and my son is in eighth grade at the junior high where I was class president in the same grade. And my little one is in first grade at Montessori.

KW: Does your 17 year-old know where she's going next year yet?

VW: She's been accepted by four schools and she's waiting to hear from four more. So we'll know in a matter of weeks.

KW: Good luck. My son's a senior, too, and was admitted to Princeton earlier

decision, which means he'll be close to home, which is great.

VW: Fantastic. My oldest went to a boarding school which was about a half-hour away from Princeton.

KW: Do you have a place in L.A? I don't mean to pry but a friend of mine out there, Jimmy Bayan, needs to know.

VW: I'm renting in Beverly Hills.

KW: So, what interested you in making this film, My Brother?

VW: Well, the script and the whole theme of the movie interested me. Anthony Lover, who wrote it, came after me and said he'd written this part particularly for me, because he knew that as a mother I would have the sensibility needed to bring it to life. And when I read the script, and saw the nature of it, I signed on and met the rest of the cast. And when we started rehearsals, I just knew that it was going to be a very special movie.

KW: I agree, I loved it, and I think that it also afforded you an opportunity to exhibit an emotional range and a certain gravitas that we haven't had a chance to see from you before.

VW: Yeah, well it's nice to have material like that. That's another reason why you do independent films, because it allows you to do roles that you don't have to worry about whether or not they're bankable, or if people are going to come see them, or with satisfying a committee that's funding it. Of course, independent films need distribution and money, but they also have a lot more freedom in terms of what the artist can truly do as the filmmaker.

KW: I also found it interesting that this is the first full-length film to feature an African-American with an actual developmental disability in a lead role. In fact, two, because both Donovan Jennings who plays James as a child and Christopher Scott who plays him as an adult have Down Syndrome.

VW: Yeah, I didn't think about it like that. They did a nationwide search for actors, and I think they did a fantastic job with Donovan and Christopher. For first-time out actors, in general, they've done a wonderful job. We rehearsed for maybe about two weeks before we started shooting. And Anthony, when he was directing, was very supportive and very paternal with everyone, particularly them. In working with them, his process was to kind of keep the camera rolling, and to talk us through the scene, so it was almost one constant take, as opposed to doing a series of takes, scene after

scene, sequentially. I think that allowed everyone to feel really comfortable, and to get some extremely good performances.

KW: What would you say is the movie's message?

VW: I think it's a story about the human condition, and love, whether it's between a mother and a son, or the love of two brothers. It's about responsibility and becoming men, and applying the lessons that were learned by their mother and bringing them to their adulthood. It's not a pity party, although there are some strong images and a lot of obstacles that you see in
the movie. It's a story about love, and it's uplifting. I don't want people to feel sorry for Donovan and Christopher and the condition that they're in.

It's definitely not that at all.

KW: What do you have on the horizon in your career?

VW: I have another independent film called And Then Came Love, which comes out in June. That's a story about a female journalist who has a child through artificial insemination which explores the theme of women raising kids by themselves.

KW: Isn't Eartha Kitt in that?

VW: Right, she plays my Mom.

KW: How do you feel about Donald Trump pardoning Miss USA, rather than stripping her of her title?

VW: I really don't have any feelings about it. I didn't do the Miss USA system which is way more big business and corporate-based than Miss America. And that was 23 years ago.

KW: What advice would you have for anyone wanting to follow in your footsteps?

VW: Number one, find out what you true desire and talent is. And get practical experience. The more you do, the more you'll be prepared when opportunities present themselves to you. So keep working at it, be professional, show up on time, be prepared, know your stuff, be pleasant, treat people kindly, and don't forget to take chances.

KW: Your being very gifted and blessed with beauty and a variety of talents has served you very well: singing. acting. dancing... And your being well-spoken also enabled you to be a successful spokesperson in commercials. But do you recommend that an aspiring entertainer focus on one skill rather than several at once?

VW: I think it's up to the individual. I was lucky to have two parents who were music teachers. They exposed me and my brother to so many things: the ballet. Broadway. marching bands.every kind of educational tool and entertainment. So, the fact that we're well-rounded and kind of multi-talented was definitely a function of what we were exposed to and what we got training in. I was lucky that I had parents who could provide me with dance classes. And I had a great acting teacher in my high school which is unusual. I grew up in a great environment.

KW: Well, thanks for the time and continued success in your assorted endeavors. And let me say again that I was extremely impressed by your performance in My Brother, and by the picture overall. So, I hope to see you in a lot more roles which call for such emotional depth.

VW: Thank you very much.

OPRAH’S ANGEL NETWORK FUNDS S. AFRICAN SCHOOL: TV host scheduled to attend today’s dedication.
     
      *Oprah Winfrey is scheduled to participate today in a dedication ceremony for a newly-constructed school in South Africa that was funded by her Angel Network.
     
 Seven Fountains Primary School, a public institution in South Africa's KwaZulu-Natal province, is open to both girls and boys and is run by the KwaZulu-Natal's Department of Education, reports the Chicago Sun-Times.

 In contrast, the $40 million Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls, which opened earlier this year, is run privately and features administrators, teachers and a curriculum chosen by Winfrey.

 Seven Fountains serves about 1,000 mostly black and poor students in grades K-7. Oprah and 40 employees of her Chicago-based Harpo Studios visited the school in Kokstad five years ago as part of an effort to donate food, clothing, school supplies and other gifts to 50,000 children in South African orphanages and rural schools, reports the newspaper. 

 Winfrey noticed the school’s dilapidated state and volunteered to build another one in its place. The new school, which opened in January, includes 25 classrooms, a community library, toilets, computer rooms and heaters to keep students warm in winter months, according to a report in The Mercury newspaper of Durban, South Africa.

      "Our intention is that Seven Fountains Primary School will serve as a model for other public schools in South Africa," said a rep for Angel Network.
     
      There is one aspect shared by both Seven Fountains and Winfrey’s school for girls. Parents at the primary school have said that the rules are very strict.
     
      "It's like one of those Roman Catholic schools," said Cynthia Madlebe, 33, who lives in Kokstad and has two nieces attending the new school, according to the Sun-Times. "The girls are not allowed to have long hair and they must wear uniforms."

 But the rules haven’t soured the kids’ experiences. 

      "They say they like it very much," Madlebe said.

ISAIAH WASHINGTON BACKS SLAVE TRADE TUTORIAL: ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ star donates $25,000 to animated venture detailing Middle Passage.

 *“Grey’s Anatomy” star Isaiah Washington has donated $25,000 to a computer animation project that aims to break down the components of the Atlantic slave trade.

 Through DNA testing, the actor discovered that his ancestral roots are located in the West African nation of Sierra Leone. Last year, Washington founded a nonprofit organization, Gondobay Manga Foundation, to improve the lives of people in the West African nation.

 "The stories of innumerable Sierra Leoneans that were forced into slavery have yet to be extensively told," Washington said in a statement. "I believe this project will begin to shed some much-needed light on the region, both past and present."

      According to AP, the computer project is being directed by James Madison University professors Joseph Opala and Gary Chatelain, and focuses on Bunce Island, an 18th-century slave-trading castle that sent African captives to North America.
     
      The animated footage will show the castle as it appeared in 1805 with hopes that students can get a sense of what Africans experienced 250 years ago.

      "Our computer animation project will allow us to go beyond the imagination, and actually see how the Atlantic slave trade was carried out," which is crucial because events then could not be documented by photography, Opala said in a statement.

      Washington's donation was made through his Gondobay Manga Foundation and the Friends of Sierra Leone, a spokesman said Wednesday.

‘FORRESTER’ STAR FINDS NEW LEAD ROLE: Rob Brown to play Heisman Trophy pioneer in ‘The Express.’

      *“Finding Forrester” star Rob Brown has been cast as the first African-American football player to win the Heisman Trophy in the new Universal film, “The Express.”
     
      The actor will suit up as Ernie Davis, an athlete who was raised in poverty in Pennsylvania coal-mining country. He never played one day in the NFL because he was diagnosed with leukemia shortly after his draft day.
     
      Davis’ hard-nosed coach and father figure, Ben Schwartzwalder, will be played by actor Dennis Quaid.
     
      In the meantime, Brown also stars in the upcoming Paramount film "Stop Loss," about a soldier who refuses to return to duty in Iraq, and will appear later this year in "Live!," an indie pic co-starring Eva Mendes and Jay Hernandez.

OPENING THIS WEEK: Kam's Kapsules: Weekly Previews That Make Choosing a Film Fun
For movies opening March 16, 2007

by Kam Williams

BIG BUDGET FILMS

Dead Silence (R for gruesome violence) Horror flick about a grieving widower (Ryan Kwanten) intent on unraveling the mystery surrounding the grisly murder of his newlywed wife (Laura Regan) who returns to his hometown where he discovers that the solution to the crime might lie with the ghastly ventriloquist dummies missing from the grave of a legendary local woman (Judith Roberts) reportedly lynched by vigilantes long ago for the killing of a young boy.

I Think I Love My Wife (R for sexuality and pervasive profanity) Chris Rock wrote, directed and stars in this romantic comedy as a businessman daydreaming about cheating on his wife (Gina Torres) who suddenly gets his chance when a stunning seductress (Kerry Washington) shows up at his office.

Premonition (PG-13 for mature themes, disturbing images, brief profanity, and violence) Psychological thriller about a housewife (Sandra Bullock) who comes to question reality when her husband (Julian McMahon) dies in a car accident only to reappear alive and well the next day. Cast includes Nia Long and Amber Valletta.

Shooter (R for profanity and graphic violence) Mark Wahlberg takes the title role in this political potboiler based on Point of Impact, the best seller by Stephen Hunter about an Army sniper who is coaxed out of retirement by his former superior (Danny Glover) to protect the President only to end up the subject of a nationwide manhunt as the prime suspect in an assassination attempt.

INDEPENDENT & FOREIGN FILMS

Adam's Apple (R for violence and profanity) Neo-Nazi comedy about the efforts of a priest (Mads Mikkelsen) to get a Hitler-loving, white supremacist (Ulrich Thomsen) sentenced to perform community at his church to see the error of his ways. (In Danish with subtitles)

Amateur Photographer (Unrated) WWII memoir, reconstructed from KGB archives, based on a Nazi soldier's diary entries and photos taken while he participated in an ill-fated Eastern Front assault on the Soviet Union.

American Cannibal (Unrated) Desperate-for-success documentary revisits the production of Darwinian American Cannibal, an ill-conceived reality show, set on a desert island, where the contestants were starved till they got hungry enough to eat each other.

Blockade (Unrated) Russian documentary revisits the bloody Battle of Stalingrad, a 900-day, WWII engagement which claimed over a million lives, via reams of recently-unearthed, silent archival footage now augmented with realistic sound effects.

My Brother (PG-13 for violence, profanity, and disturbing images) A touching melodrama, set in Brooklyn, about the desperate efforts of a young man (Nashawn Kearse) to care for his retarded brother (Christopher Scott) after they are both abandoned by their seriously-ill mother (Vanessa Williams).  Cast includes Tatum O'Neal and Fredro Starr.

Nomad (R for violence) Epic costume drama, set in 18th Century Kazakhstan, relates the efforts of a young warrior (Jay Hernandez) to unite a number of neighboring nomadic tribes into one country. (In Kazakh with subtitles)

The Wind That Shakes the Barley (Unrated) Historical epic, set in Ireland in 1920, sympathetically chronicles the rise of the IRA as seen through the eyes of a couple of Catholic brothers (Cillian Murphy and Padraic Delaney) who enlist in the outlawed group's bid for independence from Britain. (In Gaelic and English with subtitles)

‘HAPPYNESS’ SUBJECT GARDNER FIGHTS FOR HOMELESS: Motivational speaker says he’s upset over group’s treatment in the U.S.

 *You wouldn’t know that the United States is the richest nation in the world from the way it treats its poor. It’s a problem that former homeless man Chris Gardner has taken to heart.
 
 The father, who emerged from street living to become a successful Wall Street wizard and the subject of the Will Smith film “The Pursuit of Happyness,” says he wants to use his “15 minutes of fame” from the movie to shed light on the plight of America’s poor, homeless and war veterans.

      "These folks are just folks," he tells the Associated Press while in Honolulu for a working vacation. "Everybody that's poor or homeless are not all alcoholics or drug addicts. These are poor people, and in many cases, working people."

 During his stay in Honolulu, he met with Republican Gov. Linda Lingle, social workers, public housing officials and a few homeless people. He also addressed a national convention on homelessness in Washington by videoconference on Wednesday.

 “The Pursuit of Happyness” will be released on DVD March 27.

SPIKE LEE TO RECEIVE DIRECTING AWARD: San Francisco Film Society names director most ‘important of our generation.’

 *Filmmaker Spike Lee is to receive a directing award from the San Francisco Film Society at the 50th San Francisco Film Festival to be held this spring.

 "Spike Lee is a masterful director and one of the most important filmmakers of our generation," said Graham Leggat, the Film Society’s executive director. "No American director of the last 25 years has done more to lever open and examine the inner workings of American society than he has."

      The San Francisco Film Festival was one of the first to screen Lee’s short "Joe's Bed-Stuy Barbershop: We Cut Heads" in 1983 and hosted the world premiere of "She's Gotta Have It" in 1986.
      
      Awards night will be held on May 3 at the Westin St. Francis Hotel, reports Variety. The festival is also scheduled to screen the full four-hour version of Lee's HBO documentary "When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts" on May 4.

FILM/TV BITS: Cuba’s ‘Hero’; McBride/Rashida castings; Mo’Nique’s ‘Charm School’; Jermaine’s reality show.

 *Cuba Gooding Jr. has been cast opposite Ray Liotta in the new indie film, “Hero Wanted,” about a garbage collector who stages a bank robbery so he can be the hero and stop it in order to impress a girl who works at the bank. When the fake robbery goes wrong, Cuba’s character seeks revenge against the double-crossers. The Millennium Films project begins shooting next month in Bulgaria.

      *In other casting news, Chi McBride has been cast in ABC’s "Pushing Daisies" for ABC, while Rashida Jones moves from NBC’s "The Office" to playing a lawyer on "The Rules of Starting Over" at Fox.  As previously reported, Taye Diggs has been cast in the upcoming spinoff to “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Lost” actor Harold Perrineau is set to star in CBS' "Demons."
         
      *Thirteen participants from past seasons of VH1’s  “Flavor of Love” are back in the network’s newest “celebreality” show, “Charm School,” which will premiere on Sunday, April 15 at 10 p.m. Comedian Mo’Nique “will tear down and then rebuild these ladies using her team of experts and her Ten Commandments of Charm School,” according to a VH1press release. “Charm School” casting clips are available for viewing on the network’s broadband Web site, VSPOT.
 
      *Jermaine Jackson, recent runner up of Britain’s “Celebrity Big Brother,” will reportedly return to the reality show genre with his own project that will search for the cast of a new musical about the Jackson’s lives, reports Bang Media International. Titled “In Search Of The Legends Of The Jackson 5,” auditions will reportedly take place in the U.S. and in the UK. As for rumors of a Jackson 5 reunion, Jermaine told the outlet: "I miss performing as a group very much. Every day I look back and it seems like such a long time ago. But the Jackson 5 are in the studio recording - we're planning a tour in the next few years."
 

BLOGS & ‘BLOIDS: Gossip on Mike Tyson; Whitney & Ray J; Nick & Selita; Meagan Good and a NY Jet; Jay-Z and Cristal; Chaka Khan and Jesse Jackson.

      *Hollywood gossip Janet Charlton is reporting that producers of a new Mike Tyson reality show are currently scrambling to come up with a concept that would attract viewers. “They might do a show about finding him a wife or a show about him struggling with sobriety,” Charlton writes on her Web site. “One thing it won’t be about is boxing - viewers haven't embraced reality boxing shows. Mike is particularly happy about his new series because he had been hoping to appear on ‘Dancing with the Stars’ but was turned down because of his prison record.”
     
      Charlton also writes of another Whitney/Ray J sighting over the weekend. The “couple” was spotted having dinner at Lawry's The Prime Rib in Los Angeles. Charlton writes: “The crowd at Lawry's is mature and fans were thrilled to see Whitney and Ray enjoying their lobster and prime rib combo dinners. They had an expensive bottle of wine on the table but we don't know if Whitney drank any. One after another, people approached Whitney and wished her well - some said they prayed for her recovery. Whitney asked if they were ‘people of God’ and if they were, she shook their hands.”
     
      *New York Daily News columnists Rush & Malloy (R&M) got word that Nick Cannon and Selita Ebanks were at an event in the Big Apple Tuesday night “incessantly asking photographers to take their picture.” The column’s spy at the Tenjune Cointreau/Vogue event said: "They were dying to be photographed together.”
     
      *R&M also reported Thursday that actress Meagan Good was at 510 Ocean in Miami Saturday night with the NFL’s Thomas Jones, who just signed with the New York Jets.  Also, Jay-Z was spotted at New York hot spot PM with a bottle of Cristal at his table. The rap mogul spearheaded a boycott of the bubbly last year after the company made some disparaging remarks about hip hop. BeyonJay was at PM for the birthday party of "America's Next Top Model’s" plus-size veteran, Toccara Jones.

 *TMZ.com spies at a Washington D.C. event honoring Stevie Wonder on Wednesday spotted Chaka Khan missing a meet and greet with the singer and Tony Bennett so that she could step outside and smoke a cigarette. Before she performed “Tell Me Something good,” she was out sucking on a cancer stick when an assistant reportedly approached her with news of Rev. Jesse Jackson on his way out to meet her.  "Oh no!" shouted Chaka, according to the Web site. "I don't want to put this out." TMZ says: “Still, she dashed the ash and turned all smiles when Jackson emerged from a building just seconds after the warning. After exchanging pleasantries, she even entered her digits into his Blackberry. Jackson left after a couple of minutes, shouting with a grin, ‘I'll call you soon, sugar. ‘Jesus!’ Chaka yelled as soon as Jackson disappeared from earshot. ‘I just wanted to smoke!’ And then she lit up.”

EVENT CALENDAR: B.B. King Blues Fest; Beal Street Music Fest; Caldwell replaces Downing in Miami Gardens; ‘Emmett Till’ play in Chicago.

      *B.B. King, Al Green and Etta James will team for a 16-city tour under the name B.B. King Blues Festival. The trek kicks off July 24 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Miami and will visit such cities as Atlanta, Detroit, Chicago, Baltimore, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Dallas and Denver before wrapping Sept. 9 at the Kautz Ironstone Vineyards Theatre in Murphys, Calif.

      *The lineup has been announced for the 2007 Beale Street Music Festival, which will host more than 60 acts on four stages May 4-6 at Memphis' Tom Lee Park. The event, which is a musical tribute to the river city, features a diverse array of acts with Memphis roots. Included among the lineup are John Legend, Corinne Bailey Rae, The Bar-Kays, Ann Peebles, Three 6 Mafia, Koko Taylor, Bobby "Blue" Bland, The Ohio Players and Project Pat. Tickets are on sale now at Ticketmaster outlets. A three-day pass costs $59.50 through April and goes up to $75 thereafter. Daily tickets are $25 in advance and $30 at the door.

 *The City of Miami Gardens has added Bobby Caldwell to its "Jazz in the Gardens" line-up, replacing Will Downing, who was scheduled to perform. Earlier this week, the City was informed by Downing's management that he is ill due to an injury suffered earlier this year. Doctors have instructed Downing to postpone all tour engagements for an indefinite period of time. The final lineup features Caldwell, India.Arie, Sergio Mendes, Boney James, Paquito D' Rivera, Pieces of a Dream, Luciano with special guest Dean Fraser and the Jah Messenjah Band. General admission and preferred seating are available at www.ticketmaster.com, at all Ticketmaster outlets or at The Dolphin Stadium Box Office. For more information, visit:
www.jazzinthegardens.com or call the event hotline at 305-622-8043.
     
      *Chicago’s Goodman Theatre has announced the premiere of playwright Ifa Bayeza's The Ballad of Emmett Till during the company’s 2007-2008 season. Described as part documentary, part poetic elegy, the play is based on interviews with the survivors of teenager Till's 1955 murder, considered one of the flashpoints of the Civil Rights Movement. The play is scheduled to open at the Goodman in April 2008.

CNN TO AIR BLACK CAUCUS DEBATES: Plus, Fox News hires former Congressman Harold Ford, Jr. as political commentator.
 
      *The Congressional Black Caucus announced that it has given two of its four presidential debates to CNN, and is in talks with FOX News to carry the remaining two, reports Variety.

 The CBC will host two debates for 2008 Democratic hopefuls and two for the Republican 2008 candidates, and had been speaking with various networks to broadcast the events and cover production costs.  

      So far it said CNN will host one of the Democratic debates, to be held in South Carolina in January.
     
      Meanwhile, the CBC is being pressured not to associate with FOX News by Colorofchange.org, an online advocacy group with backing from MoveOn.org. As previously reported, MoveOn successfully pressured the Nevada Democrats into dropping Fox as co-sponsor of a debate in August. However, Fox has a history with the CBC, sponsoring a Democratic debate the group held in the 2004 election cycle.
     
 FOX has been pushing hard to carry a Democratic debate to counter its reputation of being a right-leaning news organization. Perhaps the sentiment was behind the cable channel’s latest hire, former Congressman Harold Ford, Jr. 

 The Tennessee Democrat will be under contract with FOX News to provide political commentary and analysis on international events and the 2008 election, announced network Chairman and CEO Roger Ailes on Thursday.

      Ford is currently serving as Professor of Public Policy at Vanderbilt, Chairman of the Democratic Leadership Council and Vice Chairman of Merrill Lynch.

EUR MOTIVATIONAL NOTE

      "When you develop yourself to the point where your belief in yourself is so strong that you know that you can accomplish anything you put your mind to, your future will be unlimited."  — Brian Tracy

CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS

 March 16: Rapper Flavor Flav of Public Enemy is 48.

      March 17: Percussionist Harold Brown of War is 61. Actor Mathew St.
Patrick ("Six Feet Under") is 39. Actor Yanic Truesdale ("Gilmore Girls") is 38. Rapper Swifty of D12 is 32.
     
      March 18: Country singer Charley Pride is 69. Singer Vanessa Williams is 44. Rapper-actress Queen Latifah is 37.

WEBSITE OF THE WEEK
       
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BLACK HISTORY

   Mar. 16, 1827: First black newspaper, Freedom's Journal, published in New York City.

      Mar. 17, 1946: Jackie Roosevelt Robinson made his professional debut as a member of the Montreal Royals in the Daytona Beach ballpark that now bears his name. One year later, Robinson would break Major League Baseball's color barrier and earn the inaugural Rookie of the Year Award as a member of the Brooklyn Dodgers.
     
      Mar. 18, 1877: President Hayes appointed Frederick Douglass marshal of
District of Columbia. (Source: www.BlackFacts.com)