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DON IMUS REACTION SNOWBALLS: Sharpton, NABJ, Essence, Rutgers, NCAA, Najee Ali come down hard over jock’s ‘nappy headed hoes’ comment.
*A torrent of outrage is threatening to sink syndicated radio jock Don Imus and his producer Bernard McGuirk ever since they collectively called the black members of the Rutgers University basketball team “jigaboos” and “nappy-headed hoes.”
The Rev. Al Sharpton, Essence Magazine, Rutgers University, the NCAA and the National Association of Black Journalists (whose president, Bryan Monroe, is also the vice president and editorial director for Ebony and Jet magazines in Chicago) are among the parties calling for Imus to suffer some kind of retaliatory action – ranging from a boycott of his show, to his immediate firing.
"Has he lost his mind?" asked Monroe in a statement released Friday. "Those comments were beyond offensive. Imus needs to be fired. Today. …What he has said has deeply hurt too many people — black and white, male and female. His so-called apology comes two days after the fact, and it is too little, too late."
As previously reported, Imus issued an on-air apology Friday for the comments directed at the Rutgers Scarlet Knights, which consists of eight black players and two white players. Imus' New York radio home WFAN-AM and cable station MSNBC, which brings the video simulcast to millions of viewers, have issued separate statements condemning his remarks. But it’s not enough, say critics.
“Imus’ disparaging comments about African-American women are unacceptable,” said the editor-in-chief of Essence magazine, Angela Burt-Murray. “MSNBC and WFAN must take a stronger stance. It needs to be made clear that this type of behavior is offensive and will not be tolerated without severe consequences.”
Columnist Filip Bondy of the New York Daily News titled his column, "Imus spews hate, should be fired," and said the broadcaster "should be axed for one of the most despicable comments ever uttered on the air."
NABJ vice president Barbara Ciara says Imus, as a broadcaster, has an obligation to “speak with a responsible” voice. "As NABJ strives to dispel stereotypes and promote accurate portrayals of minorities in the media, we find this characterization of these young black women offensive and hateful," added Ciara, broadcast and managing editor at WTKR in Norfolk.
The harshest reaction so far has come from perhaps black America’s most visible activist, Rev. Sharpton. He has promised to picket WFAN unless the radio personality is fired by the end of this week.
"I accept his apology, just as I want his bosses to accept his resignation," said Sharpton, who added that he’s writing to the Federal Communications Commission about Imus' remarks. "This is not some unemployed comic like Michael Richards," Sharpton said, referring to the "Seinfeld" actor who used the N-word and referred to lynching in a rant last year.
"This is an established figure, allowed to use the airwaves for sexist and racist remarks."
Imus’ April 4th comments, carried by syndicator CBS Radio on the anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination, is not the first incident in which the host or a member of his morning crew has said something offensive toward African Americans.
Sid Rosenberg, a former member of Imus’ morning team who was fired in May 2005 after poking fun of singer Kylie Minogue’s cancer (he said it “ain't gonna be so beautiful when the b*tch got a bald head and one titty"), has made derogatory remarks about tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams, stating they would be better suited for National Geographic magazine than for Playboy.
According to NABJ, Imus himself insulted two black journalists. He called PBS' Gwen Ifill a "cleaning lady" and described William Rhoden of The New York Times as "a quota hire," the group said.
As previously reported, Imus’ comments were made during an exchange with producer McGuirk regarding Rutgers’ loss to Tennessee in the NCAA women's championship game the previous night.
"That's some rough girls from Rutgers," Imus said. "Man, they got tattoos ..."
"Some hardcore hos," said McGuirk. Imus responded: "That's some nappy headed hoes there, I'm going to tell you that."
McGuirk compared the team to the NBA's Toronto Raptors. A voice in the background added: “The [Memphis] Grizzlies would be more appropriate.”
Imus and McGuirk discussed how the Tennessee team was pretty, using the jigaboo/wannabe terms from Spike Lee’s 1988 film, “School Daze.”
“The girls from Tennessee, they all look cute,” said Imus. “Kinda like a Spike Lee thing – the jigaboos vs. the wannabes.” McGuirk then said erroneously, “From ‘Do The Right Thing.’”
Rutgers coach C. Vivian Stringer said she was “deeply saddened and angered” by Imus’ comments about her team.
"To serve as a joke of Mr. Imus in such an insensitive manner creates a wedge and makes light of these classy individuals, both as women and as women of color," she said.
NABJ’s Monroe said: "These were nothing but hard working student athletes - young women, just trying to do their best. After 40 years on the air, it is clear that he has lost touch with all that is decent and honorable in America. It is time for him to go."
The statement from NABJ also questioned whether “Imus in the Morning” sponsors -- which include the New York Stock Exchange, The New York Times, Simon & Schuster, Random House and Newsday -- should continue to be associated with the program.
In a joint release responding to the Imus remarks, NCAA President Myles Brand and Rutgers President Richard McCormick also expressed outrage.
"It is unconscionable that anyone would use the airways to utter such disregard for the dignity of human beings who have accomplished much and deserve great credit," their statement read.
THE APOLOGIES
• Near the start of Friday's show at 6 a.m., Imus read the following
statement: "Want to take a moment to apologize for an insensitive and ill-conceived remark we made the other morning regarding the Rutgers women's basketball team. It was completely inappropriate, and we can understand why people were offended. Our characterization was thoughtless and stupid, and we are sorry."
• WFAN-AM released the following statement Friday: "We are disappointed by Imus' actions earlier this week which we find completely inappropriate. We fully agree that a sincere apology was called for and will continue to monitor the program's content going forward."
• MSNBC attempted to distance itself from Imus in their statement, also released Friday: “While simulcast by MSNBC, 'Imus in the Morning' is not a production of the cable network and is produced by WFAN Radio. As Imus makes clear every day, his views are not those of MSNBC. We regret that his remarks were aired on MSNBC and apologize for these offensive comments."
“NABJ appreciates the swift action from NBC and its cable channel MSNBC in condemning his remarks, and now hopes the network will continue to do the right thing and separate itself permanently from the incendiary host,” the group responded in a statement. "As journalists, we firmly believe in the First Amendment and free speech. But free speech comes with responsibility, and sometimes with consequences. His removal must be that consequence."
A coalition of Los Angeles Community leaders will hold a press conference this morning at 10 in Leimert Park (3415 W.43rd Place) to reject Imus’ apology and demand that he be fired by CBS Radio.
"An apology is not enough,” stated Najee Ali, Director of Project Islamic HOPE. “We have heard several examples of racist rhetoric from public figures who, when caught, think that an apology will make everything better. African Americans can not allow this to blow over without expressing our collective outrage and demanding that Imus be fired."
HE’S BAAAACK, RICKY WILLIAMS SEEKS RETURN TO NFL: Agent said running back wrote Dolphins a letter requesting reinstatement.
*Former NFL running back Ricky Williams is counting down the days until April 27, the date his year-long suspension from the league for substance abuse will finally be complete.
The athlete, who played in Canada last season, has officially applied for reinstatement and has sent a letter to his former team, the Miami Dolphins, seeking employment.
Williams’ agent, Leigh Steinberg, said the 29-year-old has been teaching yoga in California since returning from Canada last December.
"He's told me that his interest in eastern philosophy has overcome his desire for mind-altering substances and has given him another outlet," Steinberg told the Associated Press. "He's in outstanding shape and he hasn't taken a lot of hits for a running back. I think he's still at the top of his game."
Williams, a former Heisman Trophy winner at Texas, abruptly retired shortly before training camp in 2004, then, returned in 2005 to back up rookie Ronnie Brown. Williams rushed for 743 yards and a 4.4 yard average that year.
Last year, he tested positive for drugs and was suspended a fourth time by former commissioner Paul Tagliabue. His previous positive tests were for marijuana, which he has famously acknowledged using.
Last season with Toronto in the CFL, he ran for 526 yards on 109 carries and caught 19 passes for 127 yards. He missed two months because of a broken arm.
The Dolphins said they will have no comment on Williams’ possible return until he officially becomes eligible for reinstatement on the 27th.
LIL KIM SPONSORS ONLINE CELEB AUCTION: Also, rapper reportedly signs book deal for prison memoirs.
*On April 12, rapper Lil Kim and her Lil’ Kim Cares Foundation will team with the National Alliance to End Abuse, known as, "The Alliance," to co-host a celebrity online auction that will raise money for initiatives benefiting youth and families.
The auction is scheduled to run through Sunday, April 15, at the Web site www.nationalalliances.com. The foundations of LeBron James and rapper Ludacris, as well as the FOX television network, have signed on to offer support. They’ll also contribute to the auction, along with celebrities Mo'Nique, Dr. Phil, Mary J. Blige and Kimora Lee Simmons.
"Kim has always welcomed any opportunity to give back and starting her own foundation is a way to ensure that she always has that opportunity," said Gleshia Givens, director Lil' Kim Cares Foundation.
Jean Chouteau, Senior Vice President of Strategic Planning for The Alliance, said of her organization: "We've sort of become the place where celebrities come to have their passion meet their purpose. As a non-profit we are happy to facilitate that collaboration. Like minded partnerships are critical to solidify when it means reaching those in need, and it helps to have FOX as a partner. Our programs are always unique and inspired and result oriented...we don't see limitations."
Both Lil' Kim and Jean Chouteau are scheduled to appear on FOX’s “Good Day New York” on April 12th.
Meanwhile, New York Daily News columnists Rush and Malloy are reporting that Lil’ Kim has inked a deal with St. Martin's Press to write a book about her prison experience.
The rapper, born Kimberly Jones, would pen her memoirs about the “personal life lessons” she learned regarding loyalty, law, prison, friendship, humanity and perseverance during her stint at the Philadelphia Detention Center. She was convicted of perjury in 2005.
50 CENT READY TO UNLEASH THE ‘JE-JE-JE-JEW UNIT’: Rapper makes offensive remark while commenting on Yayo situation.
*Addressing the alleged child abuse perpetrated by his G-Unit member Tony Yayo, 50 Cent called into “Miss Jones in the Morning" on Hot 97 last week to say, in effect, that his Jewish lawyers will handle the situation.
The rapper said Yayo’s alleged attack on the 14-year-old son of his music industry rival Jimmy (Henchmen) Rosemond last month won’t affect his crew in a negative way.
He then warned: “Worry about the Je-Je-Je-Jew unit. They're the real goon squad. When the lawyers come out, you'll see what it is. I don't pay nobody. I only pay the lawyers."
Despite reports to the contrary, 50 said he was not present during the incident in which Yayo, born Marvin Bernard, was said to have smacked and pushed the boy as he walked down a Manhattan street.
Listen to audio here:
http://media.hot97.com/_SHARED/podcasts/missjones_50cent_040407_1.mp3
PHYLICIA RASHAD MAKES DIRECTORIAL DEBUT: Tony winner directs ‘Girlfriends’ star Khalil Kane in Seattle’s Gem of the Ocean.
*Phylicia Rashad, the Tony award nominee for her role in the Broadway production of Gem of the Ocean, will make her directorial debut with a staging of the August Wilson play at Seattle Repertory Theatre, which officially opens April 11 at the Washington state company's Bagley Wright Theatre for a run through May 6.
The play is set in 1904 on the eve of Aunt Esther's 287th birthday. When Citizen Barlow comes to her home in Pittsburgh's Hill District seeking asylum, she sets him off on a spiritual journey to find a city in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.
Barlow is played by actor Khalil Kain, best known as Maya’s husband Darnell on the CW sitcom “Girlfriends.” The Seattle cast also includes Crystal Fox (as Black Mary), William Hall, Jr. (Solly Two Kings), Stanley Wayne Mathis (Caesar), Todd Jefferson Moore (Rutherford Selig), Michele Shay (Aunt Ester) and Allie Woods (Eli).
Rashad won a Tony for her turn in the Broadway revival of A Raisin in the Sun – which she will reprise for the forthcoming ABC television adaptation opposite her stage cast members Sean “Diddy” Combs, Sanaa Lathan, Bill Nunn and fellow Tony winner Audra McDonald.
The actress, first known to television audiences as Claire Huxtable on "The Cosby Show," has also appeared onstage in Jelly's Last Jam, Into the Woods, Dreamgirls, The Wiz, Blue, Helen, The Story and Ain't Supposed to Die a Natural Death.
Tickets to Gem of the Ocean at Seattle Repertory Theatre, at 155 Mercer Street in Seattle, WA, are on sale by calling (206) 443-2222, toll free at (877) 900-9285 or online at www.seattlerep.org.
COLTS COACH TONY DUNGY TO PUBLISH MEMOIR: ‘Quiet Strength’ to outline lessons learned in both victory and disappointments.
*Tony Dungy, head coach of the Super Bowl champion Indianapolis Colts, has signed a deal with Tyndale House Publishers to publish his memoir, “Quiet Strength: The Principles, Practices and Priorities of a Winning Life.”
Co-written with Nathan Whitaker, the book will be released on July 10 amidst a comprehensive national marketing and publicity campaign, Tyndale said in a statement.
"Writing a book is something that I never intended to do," said Dungy. "However, after winning the Super Bowl, I heard from so many people who were excited about our victory. I wanted to tell each one of them that it wasn't the victory, but the journey, and the lessons learned along that journey that really matter.
“The biggest lesson I learned was that God's hand is not only in the victories, but in the disappointments as well. It is my prayer that reading my story will cause people to stop and examine what's really important in life."
Dungy became the first African-American to coach a winning Super Bowl team when the Colts defeated the Chicago Bears, 29-17, in Super Bowl XLI (41) in Miami on Feb. 4, 2007. He is entering his sixth season as the head coach of the Colts, and will mark his 12th season as an NFL head coach in 2007.
Tony and his wife, Lauren, are the parents of six children, daughters Tiara and Jade, and sons Eric, Jordan, Justin, and the late James Dungy.
WHITE ACTRESS WANTS LATIFAH’S BOOBS: Kate Beckinsale tells ‘Glamour’ she would love to trade bodies with full-figured entertainer.
*For decades, white women have selectively sought out darker-skinned attributes in the name of beauty – from frequenting tanning salons, to enduring lip injections to purchasing butt enhancements. In what may be a first, one famously-thin Caucasian woman wouldn’t mind trading entire bodies with a famous African American woman who proudly embraces every inch of her extra curves.
Addressing Hollywood’s unrealistic ideals of beauty in the new May issue of Glamour magazine (on stands tomorrow 4/10), “Underworld” star Kate Beckinsale said she’d love to walk around in the body of Queen Latifah for one day, because she has “gigantic real breasts.”
"I am so fascinated by breasts because my mother didn't have them, either,” she said. “If I had them, I'd run up and down flights of stairs!"
The 33-year-old British actress said Hollywood’s standard of beauty is completely different than anywhere else in the world.
"I don't think you can aspire to it, nor can I," she says. "Everybody is retouched, stretched, lengthened, slimmed and trimmed. I could look at a picture of myself from the past and think, `Why don't I look like that now?' It's because I never have!"
AKON GUNNING FOR LIL JON’S BLING TITLE: Singer hopes his diamond-studded Africa medallion will eclipse crunk king’s record holder.
*Akon, whose latest single “Don’t Matter” just clocked its second week at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100, has announced that he’s attempting to break the Guinness World Record for diamond pendants set earlier this year by Lil’ Jon.
The Atlanta producer made history with a 12-pound, 73 carat “Crunk Ain’t Dead” piece. But Akon, who owns a diamond mine in his native Senegal, says he has a lil’ something for the crunk king.
“I got this one piece that definitely will tear the whole game up; it covers my whole stomach,” he told Rolling Stone "It's the continent of Africa and the diamonds actually light up... It's crazy.”
“And the country where I'm from has a little lightbulb that constantly flashes,” he added. “Mine weighs about 10-to-15 (pounds)... Once I show it off, I'm gonna auction it off and all the proceeds are going to go to my foundation."
Once he is officially in the record books, Akon said he plans to put away all of his sparkly neck and wrist wear and move on.
"I'm kinda retiring from the jewelry thing, the whole bling-bling thing,” he said. “By next year you're gonna see me with a simple watch, a simple necklace."
Meanwhile, Akon also shares the No. 2 slot on the Hot 100 with Gwen Stefani on "The Sweet Escape," which climbs from No. 6 in the wake of the duo's performance of the song two weeks ago on "American Idol."
JAY-Z RESPONDS TO LOVE CHILD RUMORS: Mogul’s rep calls talk ‘ridiculous.’
*Rap mogul Jay-Z is finally speaking out against rumors that he is the father of a 5-year-old boy by 26-year-old Trinidadian model Shenelle Scott, whom he met on the set of his 1998 video for “Big Pimpin.”
As the story goes, Jigga paid Scott $1 million to keep her silenced and to keep his name off of the child’s birth certificate.
But, a spokesperson for Jay-Z told AllHipHop.com: "There is no truth to these ridiculous rumors. People should be ashamed of using this kind of story and exploiting a child for publicity and ratings.”
The reaction from Jay-Z’s camp comes after alleged photos of the rapper and the boy have made their rounds on blog sites and in tabloids. According to reports, the boy was born Jan. 30, 2002 in Los Angeles.
SHAR JACKSON GETS BREAST LIFT AND TUMMY TUCK: Actress says surgery was done in part to get rid of stretch marks.
*For years, actress Shar Jackson has attempted to get rid of stretch marks formed by the birth of her four kids, two of whom were fathered by backup-dancer-turned-Britney-Spears-ex, Kevin Federline.
"For a long time, my figure was like my badge of honor,” she says in the new issue of In Touch Weekly. “I tried everything, but nothing got rid of the stretch marks."
Until now.
According to the magazine, the former “Moesha” star paid $15,000 for a tummy tuck and breast lift, which she underwent in late January in Hollywood.
Nearly three months later, Jackson says: "I feel sexy and amazing. I'm looking forward to wearing two-piece swimsuits this year. The last time I wore a bikini was when I was 16."
A VIDEO HISTORY OF THE SNOOP DOGG/BILL O’REILLY CIRCUS: With a dish of O’Reilly/Geraldo Rivera on the side.
*The explosive blow-up between Fox News Channel’s Bill O’Reilly and journalist Geraldo Rivera over illegal immigration is currently in heavy rotation on the Internet and has all but eclipsed the back-and-forth exchange that O’Reilly has had with rapper Snoop Dogg.
Earlier this month, O’Reilly’s “Most Ridiculous Item of the Day”
segment showed a clip of Snoop bashing him for supporting Britain in its decision to deny the artist a visa during his recent European tour with Diddy. In the interview on Dutch TV, Snoop said, “F*** Bill O’Reilly,” called him a “mother f***in’ prick” and told the Fox commentator, ‘Suck my ‘d**k,” among other things.
O’Reilly’s clip, however, showed only the ‘F*** Bill O’Reilly’ comment of the three mentioned above. It also included Snoop’s statement that he would meet face to face with O’Reilly, but only in his neighborhood (which the Dutch host called “the ghetto”) so that he could “kick his mother f***in ass when the show’s over with.”
After running that clip, O’Reilly said: “Yeah, like Calvin lives in the ghetto. What, is the pool boy gonna beat me up there, Snoopy? And of course he’s welcome to come in here to the No Spin Zone, but we do have drug testing. To not have it would be ridiculous.”
Bill O’Reilly Responds to Snoop’s Comments on Dutch TV:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXWFLMlyBtQ&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Feurweb%2Ecom%2Fstory%2Feur32652%2Ecfm
Snoop’s Full Unedited Comments on Dutch TV:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWDVpSUXHeM&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Feurweb%2Ecom%2Fstory%2Feur32652%2Ecfm
In more recent news, Billy O attempted to blame illegal immigration for the killing of two white teenage girls in Virginia by a drunk driver, who was in this country illegally from Mexico and had three previous alcohol-related convictions. O’Reilly’s guest, Geraldo Rivera, argued that the practice of drunk driving should be condemned, and not pulled into a political discussion about immigration just because this driver happened to be illegal. Both O’Reilly and Rivera got heated – even for them – during the debate. [See footage below.]
Bill O’Reilly and Geraldo Rivera Get Loud Over Immigration:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhwwbNA3hjg&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Feurweb%2Ecom%2Fstory%2Feur32652%2Ecfm
BOW WOW TAKES ‘FAME’ ON THE ROAD: Rapper’s tour kicks off with supporting acts Mims, Lloyd, Sammie, Huey and Crime Mob.
*Friday night in Cincinnati marked the first date of Bow Wow’s U.S. tour in support of his fifth studio album, “Price of Fame.”
The 20-year-old rapper will work through the end of May with opening acts Mims, Huey and Crime Mob, and R&B singers Lloyd and Sammie.
Later this year, Bow Wow is expected to debut an MTV cartoon series, "Homeboyz." He has also kept a busy acting schedule as of late, including a part in the motion picture "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift" and a guest spot on the TV show "Smallville."
Here is the itinerary for “The Price of Fame Tour”:
April 2007
6 - Cincinnati, OH - Music Hall
7 - Indianapolis, IN - Murat Theatre
13 - Columbus, GA - Civic Center
14 - Augusta, GA - Bell Auditorium
19 - Birmingham, AL - Boutwell Auditorium 20 - Macon, GA - Macon Coliseum
21 - Pensacola, FL - Pensacola Civic Center
22 - Nashville, TN - Municipal Auditorium
26 - Savannah, GA - Tiger Arena
28 - Greenville, SC - Bi-Lo Center
29 - Jacksonville, FL - Jacksonville Arena
May 2007
5 - Richmond, VA - Richmond Coliseum
6 - Hampton, VA - Convocation Center at Hampton University
13 - Greensboro, NC - Greensboro Coliseum
17 - Pittsburgh, PA - Petersen Events Center
18 - Philadelphia, PA - Temple University
20 - Hartford, CT - KISS in Hartford
24 - Minneapolis, MN - Myth
25 - Kansas City, MO - Hale Arena
26 - Saint Louis, MO - Savvis Center
27 - Memphis, TN - venue to be announced
PHARRELL JOINS PEPSI GENERATION: Producer among celebrity designers to put own spin on can.
*Producer Pharrell Williams, country act Big & Rich and rock group All-American Rejects have been selected by Pepsi to come up with their own versions of its can, which changes its background graphics every few weeks.
The task is part of the soda company’s global re-branding efforts. Before the recent campaign, Pepsi’s can had only changed 10 times in its 109 year history. This year alone, the can will sport about 35 different looks, including the image designed by Pharrell.
"I was intrigued by this opportunity because it allowed me to be
creative and innovative, which is something that I try to infuse in all of my endeavors," said Williams.
Also for the first time in history, Pepsi is seeking the talent of consumers to design one of its cans in the "Design Our Pepsi Can" contest. The winner earns $10,000 in cash and the artwork will be featured on 500 million Pepsi cans across the country. To enter the contest visit: http://www.designourpepsican.com.
Pepsi’s celeb-related can design follows a similar move by rival
Coca-Cola, who enlisted rap mogul Jay-Z to redesign its can for Cherry Coke.
EUR DVD REVIEW: Bobby
DVD Drama Revisits RFK Assassination DVD Review by Kam Williams
*This period piece features 22 people whose lives partially overlap inside L.A.’s Ambassador Hotel on June 4, 1968.
The date and location are of considerable historical significance, since these events are unfolding at the site of the assassination of Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy by Palestinian terrorist Sirhan Sirhan (David Kobzantsev).
Written and directed by Emilio Estevez, Bobby features a cast filled with famous faces, including Estevez, his father, Martin Sheen, Helen Hunt, Anthony Hopkins, Laurence Fishburne, William H. Macy, Sharon Stone, Christian Slater, Lindsay Lohan, Harry Belafonte, Demi Moore, Heather Graham, Nick Cannon, Elijah Wood, Joy Bryant, Freddy Rodriguez and Shia LaBeouf.
Ala Forrest Gump, the movie takes considerable liberties with the truth, weaving in fictional characters, including all five of the bystanders hit by stray bullets. With names and professions changed, we now find each in the midst of some sort of personal crisis.
Curiously, because this quintet is comprised of morally-flawed individuals, the picture seems to suggest, albeit perversely, that maybe they’re getting what they deserve on some spiritual level. Too bad the picture doesn’t devote sufficient time to these characters’ controversies to enable the audience to make an emotional investment in their resolutions.
On the grand scale, Bobby is a nostalgic eulogy, bemoaning a naïve nation’s loss of its innocence and idealism in the aftermath of the late Sixties. Meanwhile, on a micro level, it’s a flawed flick about strangers oblivious to their imminent rendezvous with destiny.
Regrettably, it’s hard to recommend a docudrama very heartily, when its most memorable scenes are contained in archival montages culled from already familiar file footage.
Fair (1 star)
Rated R for profanity, ethnic slurs, violence, and drug use.
Running time: 119 minutes
Studi Genius Products
DVD Extras: “The Making of” featurette, eyewitness accounts, and a theatrical trailer.
EUR FILM REVIEW: Are We Done Yet?
Slapstick Sequel Actually an Improvement on the Original Formula
Film Review by Kam Williams
Are We There Yet? (2005) was less a road comedy than a shameless, ninety-minute car commercial. Fortunately, the sequel doesn't revolve around an automobile. In fact, nothing about this movie resembles the first, except for the presence of the same four principals in the cast.
Ice Cube is back as Nick Persons, and he's now married to Nia Long's character, Suzanne, who is pregnant and expecting twins. He's also adopted her two kids, Lindsey (Aleisha Allen) and Kevin (Philip Bolden), the two misbehaving little monsters who'd previously made his life miserable.
This time, though, Suzanne and the children are given little to do besides dropping their jaws in wide-eyed reaction shots. For this flick features Nick's frustrations with their new country home and his strained relationship with Chuck (John C. McGinley), the slippery realtor who talked him into buying the fixer-upper secretly in need of wholesale renovations.
The reason the storyline has been totally overhauled is because it is actually a remake of Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House (1948), a romp starring Cary Grant, Myrna Loy, Melvyn Douglas and Louise Beavers. And while Ice Cube's acting has certainly improved with age, it is unfair to expect the affable gangsta' rapper to measure up favorably to the charismatic Grant in terms of charm and screen chemistry.
That being said, this picture is stolen by Mr. McGinley, a perennial second banana who makes the most of an opportunity to upstage his relatively-wooden co-stars. He plays a jack-of-all-trades who, soon after selling the property to the Persons, returns not only as a contractor, but as the city inspector, a Lamaze counselor, an herbalist, a baby whisperer and a midwife.
It comes off looking as though director Steve Carr (Next Friday) decided to employ McGinley in a variety of roles either to save his studio some money or because he was well aware of the rubber-faced funnyman's ability to make people laugh. Regardless, it proves to be a smart move, since the insufferable Chuck is the most entertaining aspect of the production.
As the film unfolds, we get a hint that these black folks might have a hard time adjusting to nature after living in the inner-city when Lindsey complains to her parents, "I can't believe you're making us move to the country. This is child abuse of the worst kind." However, Nick is the only one who ends up overwhelmed by the relocation.
He is never allowed a peaceful moment, being disturbed by the revengeful raccoon who calls him "Sucker" and by equally-rude encounters with deer, sturgeon and a hawk. Still, it's Chuck who most infuriates Nick, at least until he belatedly learns of the tragic loss which turned the once adoring husband into a crooked widower.
Stale and predictable, Are We Done Yet? is likely to be found hilarious only by tykes being exposed to plumber butt sight gags, fart jokes, anthropomorphic animal fare and construction site slapstick for the very first time. Otherwise, yeah, we're done.
Fair (1.5 stars)
Rated PG for sexual innuendo and mild epithets.
Running time: 92 minutes
Studi Columbia Pictures
RACIST WHITE FEMALES IN PALM SPRINGS: Gang stabs black man and woman last week during race-related brawl.
*An undercover hotbed of racist activity in Palm Springs, Calif. Has come to light with the recent arrest of 28-year-old Mandie Kearns, whom police say is responsible for the stabbing of a black man and woman during an apparent race-related brawl late Thursday.
Kearns was caught with a bloody knife in her pocket and has admitted to being a member of a white supremacist gang, said authorities, who have labeled the incident a hate crime.
The stabbings occurred during a street fight between white and black crowds ranging in number from 15 to 30 people behind the downtown Starbucks. A 20-year-old black man was stabbed in the back and the shoulder and a 20-year-old woman was stabbed in the back. She suffered two collapsed lungs and was also injured from being punched and kicked, said police Sgt. Mitch Spike.
Kearns was being held at Palm Springs Jail on $28,000 bail after she was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, hate crime and an unrelated misdemeanor warrant. Police are searching the area for additional suspects.
Riverside County authorities have been monitoring in recent years
white supremacist groups in the southwest part of the county and
unincorporated areas near Desert Hot Springs.
EUR MOTIVATIONAL NOTE
"The trouble for most people is they don’t decide to get wealthy, they just dream about it." — Michael Masterson
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
April 9: Actress Keshia Knight Pulliam ("The Cosby Show") is 28.
WEBSITE OF THE WEEK
*We've all heard of Hal Jackson's Talented Teens organization. Well their Web site (www.talentedteens.org) is now giving scholarships to young ladies between the ages of 13 and 17 with performing talents.
Submit your favorite Web site to us along with a 15-20 word (or less) description to info@eurweb.com.
BLACK HISTORY
Apr. 9, 1866: Civil Rights Bill passed over the president's veto. The bill conferred citizenship on blacks and gave them "the same right, in every State and Territory... as is enjoyed by white citizens." (Source:
www.BlackFacts.com)
Click for the latest Obama - Political headlines
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