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03-23-07 EUR ALL ON ONE PAGE
WARRANT OUT FOR ARREST OF FOXY BROWN: Here we go again; rapper wanted for failure to appear in court.
*As of press time, a warrant was still out for the arrest of rapper Foxy Brown after she failed to show up for a court date in Broward County, Fla.
According to TMZ.com, Judge Joel T. Lazurus issued the bench warrant after it became apparent that Brown was not coming.
The Brooklyn MC was supposed to attend a hearing regarding her incident at a beauty supply store. She received battery charges for allegedly tossing hair glue at the store owner and spitting on him after he asked her to leave the bathroom so he could close up shop.
MCMILLAN WANTS 40 MILLION FROM GAY EX-HUSBAND: Author files lawsuit alleging defamation of character.
*Author Terry McMillan, the woman who famously went on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” with her ex-husband to discuss their divorce in the wake of his revealed homosexuality, has just sued him for $40 million claiming he tried to ruin her reputation.
McMillan, 55, filed the papers Wednesday in Contra Costa County Superior Court against Jonathan Plummer, the 32-year-old whom she met while vacationing in Jamaica. He inspired her best-selling 1996 novel, "How Stella Got Her Groove Back."
The lawsuit claims Plummer, a Jamaica native, married McMillan in 1998 only to get U.S. citizenship. After admitting to McMillan that he is gay, the couple went through a nasty divorce and settled for an undisclosed amount. Plummer's lawyer, Dolores Sargent, is also named in the lawsuit.
"The defendants conspired and formed a plan to threaten to humiliate and embarrass Terry McMillan," the lawsuit said, "and violate her privacy and place her in harm's way, and threatened to damage her professional and personal standing in an attempt to extort monies from her."
McMillan, author of “Waiting to Exhale,” is also suing for emotional distress, invasion of privacy and placing her in a "false light" to harm her professionally and personally. She also claimed that Plummer violated a restraining order by calling her to speak with her son.
50 CENT TO STAR IN NEW DRAG-RACING FILM: G-Unit Films producing project with Mexican filmmaking team.
*Rapper 50 Cent will follow up his acting debut in Universal’s “Get Rich or Die Trying” with a heist film set in the world of underground clubs and illegal car racing.
“Live Bet,” also from Universal Pictures, will be directed by filmmaker Alejandro Lozano and produced by two of Mexico's up-and-coming producers, Billy and Fernando Rovzar, founders of Lemon Films.
"It was important to bring together the whole team," Billy Rovzar said. "It's amazing that a studio like Universal is betting on Mexican talent. We were blown away and flattered, but we know we will deliver.”
Lozano is currently rewriting the script “to give the characters more soul," Lozano told Daily Variety. "I didn't want to make a film that just stayed an action film."
The original script was set in New York. The rewrite adds several locations, including Las Vegas and Philadelphia. Universal hopes to begin shooting by late summer.
GABRIELLE UNION BOARDS MURPHY’S ‘STARSHIP’: Film to begin shooting in next few weeks.
*Gabrielle Union, Elizabeth Banks and Ed Helms have signed on to ride with Eddie Murphy on the 20th Century Fox comedy “Starship Dave.”
The script centers on a spaceship that takes the form of a human, played by Oscar nominee Murphy. It's manned by 100 human-looking, quarter-inch-tall aliens in search of a way to save their planet. But trouble arises when their captain, also played by Murphy, falls in love with an Earth woman who always picks losers to date.
Union, who next appears in the television series "Football Wives" for ABC, will play the chief cultural officer of the miniature crew. Banks (Dr. Kim Briggs on “Scrubs”) has been cast as Murphy’s love interest Gina, a hip, downtown artist who befriends Murphy's character Dave during his time on Earth. Helms, most recently seen as the obnoxious Andy on NBC’s “The Office,” will play the diminutive crew's uptight second-in-command.
Director Brian Robbins will begin shooting in the next few weeks, Variety reports.
OPENING THIS WEEK: Kam's Kapsules: Weekly Previews That Make Choosing a Film Fun For movies opening March 23, 2007
by Kam Williams
BIG BUDGET FILMS
The Hills Have Eyes 2 (R for horror fare) High attrition-rate scream sequel, set in the desert, revolves around a squad of National Guard trainees that finds itself battling a horde of hungry, mutant cannibals.
The Last Mimzy (PG for peril, mature themes, and some salty language) Sci-fi fantasy about a couple of young siblings (Chris O'Neil and Rhiannon Leigh Wryn) who discover a magical box containing mysterious toys with the power to turn the two into geniuses. Cast includes Michael Clarke Duncan, Timothy Hutton and Joely Richardson.
Pride (PG for mature themes, racial epithets, mild profanity, and violence) Terrence Howard stars in this inspirational bio-pic based on the exploits of Jim Ellis, a real-life role model who founded Philly's first African-American swim team in a disadvantaged neighborhood back in the Seventies. Cast includes Bernie Mac, Kimberly Elise, Tom Arnold and Evan Ross, Diana's son.
Reign over Me (R for profanity and sexual references) Adam Sandler and Don Cheadle co-star in this bittersweet buddy drama about former college roommates who rekindle their friendship after one of them loses his family in the 9-11 attacks. With Jada Pinkett Smith, Liv Tyler, Donald Sutherland and Robert Klein.
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.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (PG for animated action violence, scary images, and mild epithets) The swashbuckling, shelled samurai and their wise sensei return for another animated kiddie adventure, this revolving around the diabolical plot of a madman (Patrick Stewart) to unleash an army of ancient monsters.
INDEPENDENT & FOREIGN FILMS
Air Guitar Nation (R for profanity and brief nudity) It's fun to pretend documentary set at the first annual US Air Guitar National Championships where wannabe icons compete on invisible instruments for the title as the best virtual guitar virtuoso in all the land.
Boy Culture (Unrated) Homoerotic dramedy, based on the critically-acclaimed novel by Matthew Rettenmund, chronicles the candid confessions of a 26 year-old callboy (Derek Magyar) who after ten years as a male escort finds himself embroiled in a love fourple with his two roommates (Darryl Stephens and Jonathon Trent) and an aging queen (Patrick Bauchau).
Color Me Kubrick (Unrated) John Malkovich stars in this truthy tale about an impostor who posed as the legendary Stanley Kubrick in London during the late director's shooting of his last movie there, Eyes Wide Shut.
Offside (PG for mature themes and off-color language) Female empowerment flick from Iran about a half-dozen Iranian girls who decide to disguise themselves as boys in order to be able to watch a soccer game because women aren't allowed to enter stadiums under the country's Islamic fundamentalist regime (In Persian with subtitles)
The Page Turner (Unrated) Music morphs into murder in this murky melodrama about a vengeful, former child prodigy (Melanie Francois) who has to settle for a career as a the page turner for the woman (Catherine Frot) who put the kibosh on her career. (In French with subtitles)
The Prisoner (PG-13 for profanity and mature themes) Postwar occupation documentary details the travails of Yunnis Abbas, a pro-American, Iraqi journalist who was unfairly accused of plotting to assassinate British Prime minister Tony Blair and ended up incarcerated at the infamous Abu Ghraib prison.
RICK JAMES ESTATE SUES FORMER MUSIC PUBLISHER: Company deals with European firms after estate cancelled contract.
*The estate of funk legend Rick James is suing his former music publisher for allegedly entering into contracts with European firms despite being told its contract was not being renewed.
The complaint, filed last week in Los Angeles Superior Court, claims Brooklyn Music Publishing continues to receive commission from the European publishers and refuses to turn over all the documents and information to the trust and its new publisher, Wixen Music Publishing.
According to the family’s attorney, Brooklyn Music once had authority over the publishing of James’ catalog, which did not include his biggest hit, “Super Freak.” After James’ death in 2004, the trust became unhappy with Brooklyn’s administration of his publishing rights, claiming its expenses were too high. Before their contract was due to expire, the trust says it sent Brooklyn notice that their agreement would not be renewed.
The estate claims Brooklyn retaliated by withholding key copyright authorship information regarding James' works and refusing to turn over master recordings as well as the money received from foreign sub-publishers.
"These intentional acts of misconduct and conversion, wholly unauthorized by the trust, have greatly interfered with the contractual relationship between the trust and Wixen, and have made it difficult, impractical and, in certain instances, impossible for Wixen to administer the compositions and to collect revenue derived therefrom," the lawsuit states, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
The estate seeks unspecified damages, including exemplary and punitive damages, as well as a permanent injunction ordering Brooklyn from interfering with its business.
T.I. TAPS NELLY, KELLY, AKON FOR NEW ALBUM: First single due to radio in early April.
*A cavalcade of talent has been recruited to guest star on “T.I. vs. T.I.P.,” the forthcoming T.I. album due July 3 from Grand Hustle/Atlantic.
The Atlanta rapper will appear alongside such artists as Eminem, Justin Timberlake, R. Kelly, Nelly, Akon and Lil' Wayne. Producers on the set include Timbaland, Scott Storch, Mannie Fresh, Wyclef Jean and Just Blaze, among others.
A single should ship to radio by early April, reports Billboard. The magazine recently previewed 14 songs in contention to make the final album out of the more than 60 that have been recorded. Among them, a Mannie Fresh-produced track called "Big Things Poppin'," where T.I. proclaims, "I made it from the bottom to the top / where I oughta be"; and "Show It to Me," a club track that will feature Nelly. "When you barely had flow, I had crack for the hoes," T.I. raps.
T.I. and Wyclef wrote eight songs together during three days of collaboration, Billboard reports. Among the three in final contention are "You Know What It Is," which features “a dubby thump behind the sound of a gun being cocked, with T.I. boasting, ‘Had the album of the year, n***a / Grammy or not.’”
The other Wyclef-produced songs are "Shorty Got a Gun," described by Billboard as having “an almost Latin melody and a lot going on production wise”; and "Pass the Dutchie," which samples the chorus of Musical Youth's hit of the same name, “with a melody not unlike Wyclef's own ‘Gone Till November,’” writes Billboard.
R. Kelly pops up in "Life of the Party," while Lil' Wayne spits in "Yeah." The album is also tipped to feature the Runners-produced club track "Don't You Wanna Get High," Scott Storch's "It's OK" and "Tell 'Em I Said That," marked by a spiraling synth line and production by Danja Handz.
Billboard writes: “Arguably the most interesting track is the Grand Hustle-trumpeting ‘Hip-Hop,’ a Just Blaze production marked by a chopped-up rock guitar riff and loud, '80s drums. It is not yet clear if the song will appear on ‘T.I. vs. T.I.P.’”
EUR FILM REVIEW: Boy Culture
Jungle Fever Fuels the Fires of Homoerotic Adventure
Film Review by Kam Williams
*X (Derek Magyar) has been a male escort since he was a 16. As a consequence, it's been ten years since he's been involved in a romantic relationship. Currently, the high-priced callboy has been building up a sizable bank account by selling his body to a dozen reliable clients.
But when X decides to share his Seattle apartment with a couple of other gay guys, he is surprised to find himself suddenly interested in more than momentary sexual satisfaction. Turns out he's attracted to one roommate, Andrew (Darryl Stephens), a black man who had been on the down-low, but now admits to having stayed with his girlfriend, Jill (Peyton Hinson), for three years just to be able to date her brother, Matthew (Laprell Nelson) secretly.
While X waits for Andrew to decide whether he's really straight, gay or bi, their other roommate, 18 year-old Joey (Jonathon Trent) starts to put the moves on X. And as if this love triangle isn't complicated enough, along comes Gregory (Patrick Bauchau), an aging queen who pays X for his company, but refuses to consummate carnally until the hunky hooker has the hots for him, too.
How will this situation resolve itself? That is the burning issue at the bottom of Boy Culture, a refreshingly realistic, homoerotic adventure based on the novel of the same name by Matthew Rettenmund. What makes this movie appealing is that it features gay characters actually acting gay, not behaving in some sanitized fashion intended to appeal to straight audiences.
This picture ought to be of particular interest to African-American audiences, given the fact that the black community is the only one where the HIV infection rate is skyrocketing. And you can be sure that's due more to brothers being on the down-low than sharing hypodermic needles.
Boy Culture features a fascinating scene where X accompanies Andrew to Portland to attend his ex's wedding. On the drive there, Andrew asks X whether he'll be able to handle being the only white person at an all-black function. But the critical question is whether Andrew will keep his sexual preferences under wraps or come out of the closet at long last.
The gay version of Jungle Fever.
Excellent (4 stars)
Unrated
Running time: 88 minutes
Studi TLA Releasing
NICOLE RICHIE DIAGNOSED WITH HYPOGLYCEMIA: “Simple Life” star now taking steps to manage condition.
*A medical reason has been announced to explain a recent spate of fainting spells suffered by Nicole Richie.
"In her ongoing effort to focus on her well-being, Nicole has recently been diagnosed with hypoglycemia" or low blood sugar, her rep tells People magazine in its new issue.
Hypoglycemia occurs when blood glucose (blood sugar) level drops too low to provide enough energy for the body's activities.
As previously reported, Richie has had several health issues since she began filming the fifth season of E! reality show “The Simple Life,” where she and Paris Hilton work as counselors at a health camp.
She was hospitalized for “dehydration” earlier this month, and reportedly collapsed on the set several days later. Since receiving her hypoglycemia diagnosis, "[She] is taking steps to manage it," her rep tells People.
Next for Lionel Richie’s daughter is a court date on April 2 to face misdemeanor drunk-driving charges stemming from her infamous wrong-way freeway jaunt last December in Los Angeles. She pleaded not guilty on Feb. 20.
TENN. LAWMAKERS DROP EFFORT TO HONOR TIMBERLAKE: Plus, singer now regrets participation in ‘My Grammy Moment’ contest.
*Bottom line, the Tennessee Legislature is not trying to give a state honor to a singer whose album is called "FutureSex/LoveSounds," not to mention tracks with such names as "SexyBack" and "Rock Your Body."
"It's not something I want my name on," Sen. Raymond Finney, R-Maryville, told AP about the removal of singer Justin Timberlake’s name from a list of resolutions sent to the Senate.
State Sen. Ophelia Ford had introduced a resolution to honor the hometown artist "for his highly successful music career and for his meritorious service to the State of Tennessee."
But the Senate shot it down, also citing an unwillingness to get behind an artist who famously flashed Janet Jackson’s breast in the 2007 Super Bowl “wardrobe malfunction” mishap.
Meanwhile, Timberlake reveals in Details magazine that he regrets ever agreeing to participate in “My Grammy Moment,” a contest sponsored by the Grammy organizers that allowed America to vote for a singer to perform with J.T. during the annual ceremony.
"I'm the nice guy who follows through on the things he commits to, but I don't know if I'll be going through that sort of thing again,” he told the magazine. “I feel like the Grammys used me for ratings."
Timberlake also said he tried to back out of the performance with contest winner Robyn Troup, but feared it was too late.
NAOMI CAMPBELL IN MORE CELL PHONE DRAMA: Sanitation staffer caught trying to sneak photo of model with cell phone.
*The picture may have been worth thousands of dollars as the lone existing image of supermodel Naomi Campbell in the midst of her community service in New York.
But a staffer at the Sanitation Department building who reportedly attempted to snap the photo with her cell phone camera was caught red-handed and now faces possible suspension.
According to TMZ.com, the worker was reprimanded and asked to avoid contact with Campbell, who today completes her five-day janitorial sentence for assaulting her maid with a cell phone.
Without access to Naomi on the inside, the press has instead made daily news of her entry and exit to work. New York Daily News veterans Rush & Malloy keep tabs in their daily column.
Naomi, they wrote, wore “a pencil skirt, leather trench coat and cloche hat” for her third day on the job. “On Monday, she opted for Christian Louboutin boots, an Azzedine Alaia coat and Chanel cap, while on Tuesday she rocked a chinchilla bomber and fedora. Fashion fans are surely waiting avidly for what the catwalker will step out in next.”
MTV PREMIERES CANNON’S ‘CIRCUITZ’, MAFIA’S ‘HOLLYHOOD’: Shows part of network’s Thursday night comedy lineup.
*MTV has chosen Thursdays to present a trio of freshman comedies this season. On April 5, MTV premieres Nick Cannon’s new MTV sketch comedy series “Short Circuitz,” the new Three 6 Mafia’s reality show “Adventures in Hollyhood” and the short film comedy series, “Human Giant.”
The first episode of “Nick Cannon Presents: Short Circuitz,”
premiering at 9:30 p.m., will include guest stars Ice-T, Nas, Snoop Dogg and Lil Jon. A press release states: “Viewers will enjoy topical sketches, dead-on impersonations of beloved celebrities, notables and laugh-out-loud hi-jinx as only Nick and MTV can bring it.”
Meanwhile, “Adventures in Hollyhood,” at 10 p.m., follows the Oscar-winning rap group as they pack their bags in their hometown of Memphis and head west to Hollywood. Along with maintaining their success as multi-platinum hip-hop artists, finishing a new album, and keeping true to themselves and their southern ways, the group tries to make the most of their fame by pursuing everything that Hollywood has to offer.
Ghostface Killah is among the bevy of guest stars on “Human Giant,” described by MTV as a fast-paced, hard-hitting comedy consisting of four members -- Aziz Ansari, Rob Huebel, Paul Scheer, and Jason Woliner -- delivering a unique brand of comedy in short film-style. “Staying true to that user-gen and viral video feel, ‘Human Giant’ is intensified by a rebellious rock n' roll attitude.”
“Short Circuitz,” “Hollyhood” and “Human Giant” join returning series “Pimp My Ride” to fill MTV’s new Thursday night comedy line-up.
O.G. CRIP MONSTER KODY TO NARRATE BIOPIC: Rapper Saafir to star as infamous gangster; Lady of Rage to play his mother.
*Sanyika Shakur, born 43 years ago as Kody Scott, will tell the story of his life as an Eight Trey Gangster Crip in a new biopic entitled, “Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop.”
Shakur, also known as Monster, will be portrayed in the film by Bay Area rapper Saafir, while former Death Row artist Lady of Rage will play his mother. Audio clips of Shakur interviews throughout the years will serve as the film’s narration.
Gang member-turned-filmmaker Billy Wright will direct the picture, which began production on March 20 in Los Angeles.
"In the realm of hip hop culture, Kody is an iconic figure," says Wright. "He is the ‘American Gangster’ of our generation. As a personal friend of Kody's, this is a project we envisioned years ago. I owe it to him to not only complete it but to continue to give him a voice.
Earlier this month, Shakur was arrested in Los Angeles after appearing on the LAPD’s and FBI’s list of "Top 10 Most Wanted Gang Members." After an anonymous tip, police caught up with him on March 7 and took him into custody for allegedly breaking into a man's home in December and beating him in order to steal his car.
The former gangster is also the best-selling author of “Monster: The Autobiography of an L.A. Gang Member,” which was written while he was serving time in prison.
EUR BOOK REVIEW: Broken Utterances
A Selected Anthology of 19th Century Black Women's Social Thought
by Kam Williams
*"This book endeavors to piece together the broken utterances of 20 women into a seamless painting of understanding which is representative of Black women of the 19th Century ...
It is an examination of how the unique position of the African-American woman provides her with the ability to dissect the ills of society, and also offers her distinctive insight for positive transformation ...
The broken utterances of each of these 20 women serve to make their personal journeys a universal expression of the tripartite and egalitarian nature of gender, race, and class concerns for all Black women in the past and present.
They began the erasure of the blue-lined boundaries that society imposed upon them, and boldly opened an exhibition space in which their collective offspring would continue to create." -- excerpt from Broken Utterances
For too long, the unique perspective of the African-American female has languished in the shadows of intellectual thought. During the Civil Rights Era, sisters tended to be relegated to support rather than lead roles. Thus the Movement was marked by both machismo and an unchallenged patriarchy, as exhibited by revered icons like Student Non Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) Chairman Stokely Carmichael and Black Panther Spokesperson Eldridge Cleaver.
When Carmichael was confronted during a SNCC conference by black women concerned about their roles and what they saw as sexism, he abruptly ended the discussion by stating, "The only position for women in the movement is prone." Cleaver, a convicted rapist, was worse, for he implemented a philosophy termed "Pussy Power" whereby the Panthers pimped out their women for the cause.
In her autobiography, ex-Panther Elaine Brown admits to selling her body to wealthy white men to help support the Party financially. And she has come to regret that a woman asserting herself in the organization was ostracized as a pariah.
Given that prevailing attitude of the previous generation, it should come as no surprise that African-American culture might have devolved into the miasma of misogyny reflected in the explosion of thugs and gangstas in evidence today. However, this sorry state of affairs doesn't reflect the fact that there are now and have always been many intelligent African-American females inclined to weigh-in on the issues of the day without compromising their dignity.
I have digressed by way of introduction only in order to emphasize the significance of Broken Utterances: A Selected Anthology of 19th Century Black Women's Social Thought. For this groundbreaking book, edited and illustrated by Michelle Diane Wright, lays the groundwork for an appreciation of a score of visionary sisters who were ready to lead their people over a hundred years ago.
Although a combination of racism, sexism and classism might have meant that most of these brilliant thinkers went unrecognized by mainstream history books, fortunately they left behind speeches, articles and journals which the author has unearthed and culled through to distill into an informative text of considerable significance.
For in discussions of prominent black women of the 19th Century, generally, only Harriet Tubman and Sojourner Truth come to mind. And while those two icons were certainly among the leading activists of the era, they were by no means the only ones speaking out eloquently and forcefully on the culture and political climate.
There was also, for example, Maria W. Stewart (1803-1879), a contemporary of insurrectionist David Walker, earnestly advocating the abolition of slavery.
She informs whites that "Our souls are fired with the same love of liberty and independence with which your souls are fired," adding that she is not out for revenge because, "too much of your blood flows in our veins, and too much of your color is in our skins, for us not to possess your spirits." In another chapter, Sarah Mapps Douglass (1805-1882) complains about the use of the insulting term "Negro" in reference to African-Americans. Though born free in Philadelphia, she relates how she came to care about the plight of fellow blacks yet enslaved after someone tried to kidnap her in order to sell her as chattel.
Ann Plato (born 1824) emphasizes education in her essays, saying, "This appears to be the great source from which nations have become civilized, industrious, respectable and happy." Sojourner Truth (1797-1883), observing the privileged position enjoyed by white women in society insists, "Look at me! Ain't I a woman?"
Sara Parker Remond (1826-1894) focuses on the wholesale rape of black women and the implicit simultaneous psychosis of the white male in an 1859 speech where she observes that, "there are 800,000 mulattoes. and these are constantly sold by their parents." And we learn that the fiercely independent Harriet Tubman (1820-1913) left her Uncle Tom of a husband's black ass behind, even though he threatened to inform massa of her plans to escape.
These and so many other searing narratives combine to make Broken Utterances not merely a fascinating read, but a seminal contribution to the field of black feminist intellectual thinking. As such, all of African-Americana owes a debt of gratitude to Michelle Diane Wright for her admirable, exhaustive, encyclopedic efforts to elevate these brave, sisters, even if belatedly, to their rightful place as very important voices in the black struggle for freedom.
Broken Utterances: A Selected Anthology of 19th Century Black Women's Social Thought Edited and Illustrated by Michelle Diane Wright Three Sistahs Press Paperback, $24.95
328 pages, illustrated
ISBN: 0-9769-3651-8
FILM/TV BITS: Orlando on ABC; Howard butt of joke; ‘Jump In!’ DVD; ‘Having Our Say’ play in Long Beach.
*Actor Orlando Jones has been cast in ABC’s untitled cops project from CBS Par TV. The script focuses on eccentric characters in a police precinct. Jones will play a charming and naive rookie detective assigned to the team.
*Actor Terrence Howard was reportedly walking around the set of his new film “The Brave One” unaware that some prankster had taped a sign on his back that read “Fun hole,” with an arrow pointing south, reports the New York Post’s Page Six. "And he had it on for 30 minutes before he realized it was there," a source told the column. "He then put it on the back of the person he thought did it."
*”Jump In!,” Disney Channel’s highest rated original movie starring Corbin Bleu (“High School Musical”) and Keke Palmer (“Akeelah and the Bee”), will debut on Disney DVD April 3 under the title, “Jump In! Freestyle Edition.” The film is set in the world of competitive double dutch. DVD bonus features include: “Learning the Moves,” in which Bleu hosts an instructional Double Dutch jump rope video; an exclusive pop-hop music video, “Jumpin,’” from the movie’s soundtrack performed by Keke Palmer; a music video from rising pop stars T-Squad performing their song “Vertical” and a making-of featurette titled, “Inside the Ropes.”
*“Having Our Say,” Emily Mann's Tony-nominated stage adaptation of the best-selling memoir by Sadie and Bessie Delaney, comes to the International City Theatre in Long Beach, Calif. with performances scheduled from April 27-May 20. The play stars Amentha Dymally as Sadie at age 103, and Carlease Burke as the younger, spunkier, 101 year-old Bessie. The lives of the two centenarians were first brought into the spotlight when reporter Amy Hill Hearth wrote an article for The New York Times; that article led to the best-selling book and appearances on national television. Both graduates of Columbia University, Bessie was the second African-American licensed to practice dentistry in New York State, and Sadie was the first African-American ever to teach home economics in a New York City public high school. For ticket information, visit www.ictlongbeach.org or call (562) 436-4610.
MUSIC BITS: McKnight on BET J; Ice Cube Scholarship; Chopper gets probation; Rush Philanthropic raises funds.
*R&B crooner Brian McKnight hooks up with BET J on Monday (March 26) to exclusively premiere his new music video "What's My Name" in a special sneak peak during the digital channel’s “Soul Sessions” program. An interview with McKnight will be featured tonight on http://www.BETJ.com. Also, BET J will broadcast “Brian McKnight – Ten,” a half-hour special featuring the Warner Brothers recording artist and his music, on Friday, March 30 at 7:30 p.m.
*Ice Cube has founded The Ice Cube Scholarship that will assist a student who successfully masters The Ice Cube Challenge, a test that assesses the creativity, talent, and skill of students as they develop a song. The scholarship will be awarded for the 2007-2008 school year at the McNally Smith College of Music in St. Paul, Minn. The deadline to enter is May 1. Visit www.mcnallysmith.edu for more information. Meanwhile, the rapper’s new film, “Are We Done Yet,” is due in theaters on April 4.
*Young City, a.k.a. Chopper from MTV’s “Making the Band,” was sentenced to two years of probation and 100 hours of community service in Baltimore last week in connection with a 2001 robbery attempt. "No jail time," Barnes' attorney Paul Gardner told AllHipHop.com. "We arrived at a mutually satisfactory disposition that allows Chopper to immediately continue the execution of a multi-million dollar record deal."
*Russell Simmons has announced that his Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation raised more than $600,000 during a recent benefit that raises funds to bring the arts to disadvantaged youth in New York City and Palm Beach County, Fla. During the March 17th event in Palm Beach, NBA All-Star Alonzo Mourning, his wife Tracy, Grammy winning rapper Ludacris and Jones New York founder and philanthropist Rena Rowan Damone were honored for their efforts in helping support the arts. More than 500 guests attended the evening, hosted by Joseph "Rev. Run" and Justine Simmons of MTV's "Run's House," Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and his wife Dany, NBA All-Star Shaquille O'Neal with his wife, Shaunie, Grammy nominated songwriter Denise Rich, Peter and Stephanie Brant, Make-A-Wish Foundation's Al and Nancy Malnik.
SPORTS BITS: Blake on Davis Cup team; Don King meets pope; Tiger Jam X date announced.
*James Blake and Andy Roddick were selected Wednesday for the U.S. Davis Cup team that will face Rafael Nadal and Spain in next month's quarterfinal. The match will take place on an indoor hardcourt in Winston-Salem, N.C. Blake, ranked No. 8 in the world, is 14-6 this year with one title and has beaten Nadal three times since 2005. But Blake has struggled of late and has lost four of his past five Davis Cup matches. "I think he's been getting a little negative when he's been on the court, arguing with umpires and getting a little angry," said Captain Patrick McEnroe. "He doesn't play well when he's angry."
*Boxing promoter Don King was given front row seats at Pope Benedict XVI's general audience Wednesday. As previously reported, King’s Vatican visit was arranged through a boxer King represents — Italian super welterweight champion Luca Messi, whose brother Alessandro is a Catholic priest. "I was thrilled to be there. It was a deep spiritual experience," King told The Associated Press after the two-hour open-air audience in St. Peter's Square. King even slicked down his hair for the event, during which he handed the pope a green-and-gold boxing belt and a handwritten letter asking for prayers for people ranging from President Bush to the world's sick and elderly.
*Tickets will go on sale tomorrow (March 24) at 10 a.m. for the 10th annual Tiger Jam, an annual event that raises funds for the Tiger Woods Foundation. Woods and Bon Jovi will reunite for the occasion, to be presented by AT&T on Saturday, May 26, at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. A decade in the making, this celebration will begin with exclusive live and silent auctions and a gourmet dinner. Following the dinner and auctions, Woods will welcome Bon Jovi to the Mandalay Bay Events Center stage. Tickets will be available at the Mandalay Bay Events Center box office and at all Las Vegas Ticketmaster locations. Ticket sales are limited to eight (8) per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call the Mandalay Bay box office at (702) 632-7580 or Ticketmaster at (702) 474-4000. Tickets also are available for purchase at http://www.mandalaybay.com or http://www.ticketmaster.com. Individual ticket prices start at $100.
ANTI-HILLARY YOUTUBE VIDEO TRACED TO OBAMA: Ex-employee of firm linked to Illinois senator admits to creating clip.
*The creator of a video that places Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton into the memorable 1984 Apple ad for its Macintosh computer has been able to remain anonymous for weeks…that is until liberal pundit Arianna Huffington made it known she was about to reveal the filmmaker’s identity on her blog.
Philip de Vellis, a strategist with Blue State Digital consulting firm, has just announced that he is the person who created the video, which paints Sen. Clinton as a Big Brother figure whose presidency is similar to the world depicted in George Orwell’s “1984.” [See clip below.] The video's final image reads "BarackObama.com."
Once this video hit the Internet, Obama immediately went on record stating he had nothing to do with the clip. Little did he know that its creator, De Vellis, would turn out to be an employee of Blue State Digital, the firm that designed Obama's Web site. Also one of the company’s founding members, Joe Rospars, took a break from the company to work as Obama's director of new media.
In the wake of the video’s release, De Vellis has resigned from his post at Blue State, and has posted his explanation on Huffington’s Web site.
"I made the 'Vote Different' ad because I wanted to express my feelings about the Democratic primary, and because I wanted to show that an individual citizen can affect the process," de Vellis wrote. "Let me be clear: I am a proud Democrat, and I always have been. I support Senator Obama. I hope he wins the primary. (I recognize that this ad is not his style of politics.)"
According to the New York Post, De Vellis said he produced the ad on his home computer, uploaded it to YouTube and sent links out to various blogs. He said neither Blue State nor the Obama campaign was aware of his role in the ad.
Philip de Vellis’ “Vote Different” Vide
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6h3G-lMZxjo
EUR MOTIVATIONAL NOTE
"We are at our very best, and we are happiest, when we are fully engaged in work we enjoy on the journey toward the goal we've established for ourselves. It gives meaning to our time off and comfort to our sleep. It makes everything else in life so wonderful, so worthwhile." — Earl Nightingale
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
March 23: Singer Chaka Khan is 54.
March 24: TV personality Star Jones Reynolds is 45. Rapper Maceo of De La Soul is 37. Actress Keisha Castle-Hughes ("The Nativity Story," "Whale
Rider") is 17.
March 25: Singer Anita Bryant is 67. Singer Aretha Franklin is 65.
Actor James McDaniel ("NYPD Blue") is 49. Actress Lisa Gay Hamilton ("The
Practice") is 43. Singer Melanie Blatt of All Saints is 32.
WEBSITE OF THE WEEK
Fox Attacks (http://foxattacks.com/) uses a video presentation that highlights the Fox News Channel's "awful record of airing bigoted views and highly problematic framing around race issues." Definitely worth watching.
Submit your favorite Web site to us along with a 15-20 word (or less) description to info@eurweb.com.
BLACK HISTORY
Mar. 23, 1916: Marcus Mosiah Garvey arrives in America from Jamaica.
Mar. 24, 2002: Halle Berry becomes the first black woman to win an Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in the movie "Monster's Ball."
Mar. 25, 1931: The Scottsboro Boys, nine young African Americans, were falsely charged with rape and collectively served more than 100 years in
prison. (Source: www.BlackFacts.com)
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