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05-09-07 EUR ALL ON ONE PAGE
PRINCE PREPARES FOR LONDON TAKEOVER: Artist to perform 21 shows in the city beginning this fall.
*Prince appeared at a news conference in London Tuesday to announce plans to play 21 concerts in the city this fall before taking time off to study the prophets of the Bible.
Sporting dark sunglasses, and purple shirt under a cream suit, Prince explained the reason why he decided to do 21 shows in the same city.
"I love London. I've had some of my favorite shows here," he said, adding that he’ll charge 31.21 pounds per ticket ($62), in honor of his latest album, "3121." He explained: "Last time I was here, a lot of people didn't get to see me, so we're trying to make it affordable for everybody."
Prince also said he will switch up the style of his show each night, which means die-hard fans who show up at to multiple performances will have 21 completely different experiences.
"We play so many different styles of music, it's really hard to get a full dose of what we do unless you come to several shows,” he said. “I also have a wide fan base that comes to multiple shows all the time."
The artist formerly known as The Artist said he had learned about 150 songs from which to choose for the gigs, and hinted that he may perform up-and-coming British singer Amy Winehouse's "Love is a Losing Game." Asked if he would ask her on stage to perform with him, he replied: "Absolutely."
He also commented on one of his favorite targets, the music industry, referring to it as “the speculation business.” Prince says he plans to give away copies of his new album to anyone attending the concerts.
"It's direct marketing and I don't have to be in the speculation business of the record industry, which is going through a lot of tumultuous times right now," he explained.
At 48, Prince says his inspiration these days is rooted in “prophets from the Bible," and added that he did not expect to be back in London performing for some time after the 2007 visit.
"That's another reason why we're trying to stay so long. I just need to take some time off for study and travel." When asked what he was studying, he replied: "The Bible."
Outside Organization, a PR company helping to bring attention to the shows, said in a statement that Prince would be performing his greatest hits "for the very last time." However, Prince did not confirm the claim during the press conference.
CANNON AND EBANKS ENGAGED: Actor proposed to Victoria’s Secret model Monday via MTV jumbotron.
*Folks in New York who happened to be within eyesight of MTV’s jumbotron in Times Square Monday night were able to witness firsthand the engagement of Nick Cannon and his girlfriend, Selita Ebanks.
According to People.com, they were chauffeured to Times Square via Rolls Royce after attending the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Gala. Upon arrival, the giant MTV jumbotron flashed the words, “Selita will you marry me?” The actor dropped down on bended knee and busted out a 12-carat diamond ring to place on her finger.
After Ebanks smiled and said yes, the couple took off to Butter nightclub, where Cannon surprised his new fiancée, 24, by flying in his mother, both of her parents and her best friends, his rep told the magazine.
The couple didn’t leave the spot until 3 a.m. Cannon, 26, caught a private plane back to Los Angeles, where he is working on his new film, “American Son,” the rep said.
BUSTA RHYMES REJECTS PLEA DEAL: Rapper would have served one year in jail in exchange for guilty plea.
*Rapper Busta Rhymes turned down a plea deal in New York that would’ve required him to spend one year behind bars on the four charges he has collected within the last 10 months.
The 34-year-old artist, whose real name is Trevor Smith, was most recently arrested on May 3 for suspicion of drunken driving. He also faces two charges for assault and one for driving with a suspended license.
In exchange for a guilty plea, the D.A. offered Busta a deal that would keep him in jail for a year on the two assault charges. He would also have to pay a $1,500 fine and participate in an anti-drunken driving program, said Edison Alban, a spokesman for the DA's office.
"Busta does have a defense to the assaults and today, we submitted a sealed affirmation to the court detailing Busta's defense to these cases and asking the court to try the courses separately," Rhymes' lawyer, Scott Leemon, told AllHipHop.com.
Leemon has said previously that his client’s arrests were "payback" for his refusal to cooperate in the investigation into the fatal 2006 shooting of Rhymes' former bodyguard, Israel Ramirez. The case remains unsolved.
Prosecutors had also tried to have Rhymes' license suspended, but the judge ruled in favor of keeping the artist’s license valid, for now. Busta’s next court date was set for July 10, when a judge will decide on the defense's motion to have the two assault cases tried separately.
BUSTA’S CHARGES
• In Aug. 2006, Rhymes is accused of beating a fan who allegedly spit on his Maybach in Manhattan after a performance on Randall's Island.
• In Dec. 2006, Rhymes is accused of assaulting his former driver during a dispute over back pay.
• On May 3, Rhymes is stopped for having dark tint on his $275,000 bullet proof SUV and arrested after cops smell alcohol on his breath. He was charged with misdemeanor DWI.
COMMON IS ANYTHING BUT IN HOLLYWOOD: Rapper books two new films opposite high-caliber Oscar talent.
*Casting directors must’ve really liked what they saw of Common in his recent film “Smokin’ Aces,” because the Chicago rapper has scored two new movie roles that feature such Academy Award-winning actors as Forest Whitaker, Morgan Freeman and Angelina Jolie.
Common will play a supervillain who secretly controls the planet with Jolie and Freeman in Universal’s “Wanted,” and he’ll portray a heroin dealer from Belize posing as an undercover police officer in Fox Searchlight's upcoming cop drama, "Night Watchman."
"Wanted" follows a white-collar worker (James McAvoy) who discovers he is the son of the most evil villain on Earth. When his father is assassinated, he inherits the dead man's powers and begins life among the other supervillains (Freeman, Jolie and Common) who secretly run the entire world.
Common will play the Gunsmith, an assassin with an unparalleled knowledge of firearms who is enlisted to help train and transform McAvoy's character into the world's most feared and powerful hit man.
"Night Watchman," based on an original idea by James Ellroy, centers on a disgraced LAPD cop (Keanu Reeves) who discovers corruption inside the police department and sets out on a mission to redeem himself. Whitaker will play the captain of Reeves’ elite police unit, called Ad/Vice.
Born Lonnie Rashid Lynn, Jr., Common made his big-screen debut in the ensemble action flick "Smokin' Aces." He next appears in the Denzel Washington-Russell Crowe saga "American Gangster." His new album, "Finding Forever," is due for release in July.
RAY PARKER JR. AND ALL THAT JAZZ: R&B fave is also a jazz great.
-- by Kenya M Yarbrough
*The summer jazz festival season is fast approaching with the famed Hollywood-hosted Playboy Jazz Festival coming June 16-17 at the Hollywood Bowl.
The fest will feature some of the hottest stars including Etta James, Dianne Reeves, Arturo Sandoval, Terence Blanchard, Buddy Guy, Chris Botti, and Malcolm-Jamal Warner's Miles Long just to name a few. Another artist, not directly on the line-up is singer/songwriter Ray Parker Jr.
Ray Parker Jr. is best known to most for his hits with Raydio such as "You Can't Change That" and "A Woman Needs Love [Just Like You Do]" and for his solo mega hit "Ghostbusters," which lead some to categorize him as an '80s R&B trivia answer. With the majority of music fans familiar with these hits when they think of Ray Parker Jr., they might wonder what he's doing on the Playboy Jazz Festival stage.
However, true fans of Parker know that he's much more than his R&B resume. In addition to his pop song influences, he is an acclaimed guitarist, an accomplished studio musician, and a highly regarded jazz musician.
"Actually, I was in that idiom first," Parker clarified. "I did all the Herbie Hancock records, the Blackbirds. you name it, I did it. So I've done a lot of that stuff. Back when they first started smooth jazz, I had a hit in '87 with a tune called 'After Midnight' and last year I had the longest running song ["Mismaloya Beach"] on the Top 10 on jazz radio. It stayed in the Top 10 for about 20 weeks. And every album that I've ever done has an instrumental on it somewhere."
It's true. Parker's name and licks are on the record notes of several famed jazz artists and he's performed and jammed with major artists such as George Benson and The Crusaders. He's also played behind the Temptations, Stevie Wonder, the Spinners, Gladys Knight and the Pips, and other Motown acts and wrote songs for Bobby Brown ("Mr. Telephone Man"), New Edition and Chaka Khan.
"Surprise, surprise; I do a lot of things. Actually everybody was shocked when I got some Top 40 hits, to be honest. That was the biggest surprise. That was my other stuff; I'd always been a player and studio musician," the Detroit native said about his industry-ite's reaction to his big hits.
In addition to the musicians he's played with over the years, Parker has been a long-time friend to jazz aficionado Bill Cosby, the Playboy Fest Master of Ceremonies. Parker played in Cosby's band in the '70s and even had a bit part in the 1974 classic Cosby/Sidney Poitier comedy "Uptown Saturday Night."
"We go way back. He gave my band some money when I was 15 years old. I met him at Twenty Grand [theater] in Detroit then he took us to the Fisher Theater to Play with him. If you look at the records he made in the '70s, I'm on all of them," he said.
For this year's Playboy Jazz Fest, Parker joins his old friend Cosby on stage on opening day, Saturday, June 16.
"[I'm] playing guitar with Bill Cosby. I'm not singing anything. It's Bill's show. He gets on stage with a band."
You can catch Ray Parker Jr. singing, too. He's also touring and will be performing at the Capital Jazz Festival in Washington, DC on Sat., June 2. Click for more inf http://www.capitaljazz.com/.
For more on the 2007 Playboy Jazz Fest, go to http://www.playboy.com/arts-entertainment/features/jazzfest2007/.
To track down his latest projects, check out his website at www.rayparkerjr.com.
ANANDA LEWIS FINDS ANOTHER HOSTING JOB: Howard grad signs with TV Guide Network for new reality series.
*Ananda Lewis, first known to television viewers as the host of BET’s “Teen Summit” during the early 90s, has been tapped by the TV Guide Network to host its upcoming reality series that seeks to find the next big TV mogul.
Titled "America's Next Producer," the 10-episode run features contestants competing for a cash prize, a production office in Hollywood and first-look deal with TV Guide Network.
Judges will include David Hill, chairman and CEO of the Fox Sports Television Group, and TV Guide magazine's Matt Roush. They will be joined each week by a celebrity guest judge.
Lewis, a San Diego native, will next appear in Donald Welch's stage play "The Divorce" from May 17 through June 10 at the Cast Theater in Los Angeles.
The Howard University grad has been the host of her own talk show, "The Ananda Lewis Show," and served as an on-air personality on MTV.
NAOMI ENLIGHTENED BY TRASH DUTY: Model says experience will keep her away from drugs and alcohol.
*Apparently, five days carrying a mop, broom and dust rag was enough to turn notorious maid-beater Naomi Campbell away from the temptations of drugs and alcohol, reports Reuters.
During the punishment, "I have no other responsibility. I have no phone. I have the time to think. Just have, you know, peace," the London-born supermodel wrote in a diary, excerpts of which are featured in W Magazine and were published Monday by the New York Post.
Campbell was sentenced to cleaning duty at a Sanitation Dept.
warehouse in Manhattan after she pleaded guilty to reckless assault for throwing a cell phone at her maid.
The 36-year-old wrote of forging bonds with her fellow workers, including a man who told her that alcohol abuse had messed up his life.
"I bond with him and I tell him I'm in recovery," wrote Campbell, who laments that she started taking drugs when she was just 23-years-old.
"I first sought treatment for my addictions in 1999 and then went in and out of recovery. I'd be OK for a couple years and think I had things under control but then I would relapse,” she said. "Some people can handle a drink or a line of cocaine but I've finally come to realize that, for me, it's all or nothing -- and it has to be nothing. And my life has changed since."
By the final day of her community service, Campbell says she has taken pride in her work and felt "like I've paid my debt to society."
"I'm not proud of what I did, but it's something I definitely learned from. Now I have to get on with my life, keep working on my problems and go to meetings every day," wrote Campbell.
THREE 6 MAFIA ALBUM TAKES ‘WALK’ TO JULY: Set was supposed to drop in April, then late May. Now it’s July 3.
*“Last 2 Walk,” the upcoming album from Oscar winning rap outfit Three 6 Mafia, has yet another release date after its original April unveiling was pushed back to late May.
Their label, Hypnotize Minds/Columbia, says it will release the new CD on July 3 to better complement the rap group’s current MTV reality show, "Adventures in Hollyhood."
"You see us in meetings, recording, trying to come up with songs, trying to do movie deals, even trying to pick up women," group member DJ Paul recently told Billboard.com of the show. "Our lives are like a circus," added Juicy J. "You wouldn't believe the crap we go through everyday."
Meanwhile, "Last 2 Walk" features guest appearances by Lyfe Jennings, Paul Wall, 8Ball & MJG, Akon, the Game, Lil' Jon and Lil' Wayne. Its lead-off single, "Doe Boy Fresh" featuring Chamillionaire, peaked at No. 54 last month on the Billboard Hot 100 and has since fallen off the chart.
In related news, former Three 6 Mafia member Crunchy Black will drop his solo debut, "From Me to You," on June 12 via Hypnotize Minds/Asylum. The album includes 11 new songs and five "chopped and screwed" selections.
EUR FILM REVIEW: Duck
Suicidal Senior Citizen Saved by Duck in Unlikely-Buddy Drama
By Kam Williams
*It’s 2009, Jeb Bush is president and the U.S. has become no place for those societal castoffs unfortunate enough to have to subsist on fixed incomes or insufficient government subsidies.
Retiree Arthur Pratt (Philip Baker Hall) is just one such poor soul, having landed homeless and alone on the streets of Los Angeles after using up all his savings.
Broke and despondent, the grieving widower is contemplating suicide in the park where his wife’s and son’s remains lay, when he encounters a duckling who mistakes him for its mother. Instead of following through, Arthur’s paternal instincts kick in, and he adopts the waddling orphan and names him Joe.
The two soon bond and become inseparable, wandering all around the city, trying to survive and find their place in a world which considers them extraneous.
Ala Amelie (2001), the naïve waif who won everyone’s hearts in the Oscar-nominated French film, they magically enrich the lives of similarly-situated strangers they encounter on their peripatetic sojourn.
For instance, they befriend a blind man (Bill Cobbs) with a seeing-eye dog, an Asian manicurist (Amy Hill) whose clients never speak to or look in the eye, and a little girl separated from her nanny (Annie Burgstede)
Some, are hostile, however, such as the callous construction workers, bus driver, mental health workers and members of a hobo support group. The movie works only because Philip Baker Hall throws himself into the role ever so convincingly opposite his anthropomorphized companion in a manner reminiscent of Jimmy Stewart with his imaginary 6-foot tall rabbit in Harvey (1950), and Tom Hanks talking to a volleyball he called Wilson in Cast Away (2000).
A geezer and his pet pal performing random acts of kindness till they find salvation at the ocean shore.
See the 'Duck' movie trailer here: http://eurweb.com/story/eur33417.cfm
Very good (3 stars)
Rated PG-13 for brief profanity.
Running time: 98 minutes
Studi Right Brained Releasing
KEITH DAVID: The Delta Farce Interview with Kam Williams
Accelerating His Life
*Keith David Williams was born in Harlem on June 4, 1956. His thirst for the stage was whetted at an early age when he played the Cowardly Lion in a school production of The Wizard of Oz.
This inspired him to attend New York City’s prestigious High School for the Performing Arts, where he showed enough promise to be admitted to Juilliard.
After graduating, he dropped his surname and honed his skills performing Shakespeare while touring the country with The Acting Company, John Houseman’s famed acting troupe.
The Tony-nominee (for Jelly’s Last Jam) found national fame as Keith the Carpenter, a recurring role he enjoyed on the children’s TV show Mr. Rogers Neighborhood.
He would soon become a peripatetic character actor whose familiar face has now graced over 100 movies and television shows, including Crash, Barbershop, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, ATL, Armageddon, Bird, Platoon, Always, Clockers, Dead Presidents, The Transporter 2 and Pitch Black, to name a few.
The stentorian-throated thespian’s services has been just as much in demand off-camera, evidenced by his profusion of voiceover work in cartoons, on commercials, narrating PBS series such as Jazz, Nature, Nova and Mark Twain.
In 2005, Mr. David delivered an Emmy-winning performance as the narrator of Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson. His distinctive, commanding sound can currently be found anywhere in the country in the Navy’s new “Accelerate Your Life” recruitment campaign.
Here, he talks about his latest role as Sergeant Kilgore in Delta Farce, a comedy about three drinking buddies (Larry the Cable Guy, DJ Qualls and Bill Engvall) who are mistakenly herded onto a National Guard plane headed for Iraq only to end up in Mexico and believing that they’ve actually landed in the Middle East.
Kam Williams: Tell me a little about the character you play in Delta Farce.
Keith David: I play Sergeant Kilgore who’s a “don’t take no mess” kinda guy. He gets involved in a whole battery of stuff, because once you go on a ride with these guys, it’s a rough and tumble ride. [Laughs]
KW: What was it like acting opposite a couple of stand-up comics like Larry the Cable Guy and Bill Engvall?
KD: The great thing is, I love a good joke, and I love to tell good jokes myself. And when you’re working with comedians, the best thing about being there is that, for most of the day, I hear some great jokes, most of which I can’t repeat to you. [Laughs] But I got some pretty funny stuff for my material box.
KW: Is it hard, as a Juilliard-trained Shakespearean actor to dumb yourself down to do a zany spoof?
KD: No, it’s fun for me, because I just get to do what I do, and just react and play off of them. It’s a great blend, a wonderful mix, because I get to be the straight man, and sometimes be a little funny, and like I said, hang around a bunch of great guys.
KW: What’s the basic premise of Delta Farce?
KD: We need a few more guys over in Fallujah, and they happen to be in a unit that deployed most of their people, but there were these three guys that didn’t get deployed. So, I get the assignment to whip them into shape so they can get out there.
KW: And how does the plot thicken?
KD: Instead of being sent to Iraq, we wind up in Mexico. But on the flip side, we get to do what we had set out to do in Fallujah, which is save the day. We find a Mexican village that’s in trouble with some banditos, so we have to come to the rescue.
FREEMAN’S REVELATIONS GOES ‘GLOBAL’: Film company signs deal to produce movies with international appeal.
*Revelations Entertainment partners Morgan Freeman and Lori McCreary have formed an international arm with plans to produce films through partners such as studios, financiers and key international players in Europe, Asia and Latin America.
Dubbed Global Revelations, the shingle will be headed by indie exec Ann Dubinet, who will spearhead the development of the company's equity and hedge fund portfolios as well as seek international co-productions and banking relationships.
Revelations recently wrapped production on Lakeshore-financed "The Feast of Love," which will be released by MGM later this year with Freeman and Greg Kinnear in lead roles. Revelations' "10 Items or Less" was released theatrically by ThinkFilm last December and was the first movie broadband premiere through online film distribution venture ClickStar.
Global Revelations is expected to introduce titles from its slate at the Cannes Film Festival, to be held in the French city May 16 through 27.
MALCOLM-JAMAL WARNER TACKLES ‘SOCIAL ISSUES’: ‘Cosby’ vet behind stage production opening June 2 in Los Angeles.
*Actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner has written and will star in a new play titled “Love & Other Social Issues,” which “gives a bird's-eye view on inner-city life, self-esteem, matters of the heart, drug culture and the ever-constant changes in life," according to show notes.
Kianga Entertainment and Pamela Warner present the West Coast premiere of the production on June 2 at the Assistance League Playhouse
(1367 N. St. Andrews Place in Los Angeles) for a run through July 8.
Warner – a veteran of TV’s “The Cosby Show” who has previously appeared onstage in Three Ways Home, Cryin' Shame, Freefall and A Midsummer Night's Dream – will be accompanied on the “Social Issues” stage by a jazz-funk ensemble.
The play is under the direction of Denise Dowse, an actress best known for her role as Vice Principal Tensley on "Beverly Hills 90210."
“Social Issues” debuted in 2003 at The National Black Theater Festival in Winston-Salem. For tickets, call (323) 960-7784.
SNOOP DOGG WANTED IN THE WWE RING: Stone Cold Steve Austin is begging the rapper to become a pro wrestler.
*Considering how many hits Snoop Dogg has taken in recent months – what with his various arrests, visa bans and staunch defense of misogynistic hip hop lyrics and video vixens – maybe a wrestling alter-ego is just what the rapper needs to let off some steam.
According to MTV, pro wrestler “Stone Cold” Steve Austin wants Snoop to take a break from the microphone and join him as a tag-team partner in the ring. Although the Long Beach icon has much love for wrestling and has filmed promo spots for “WWE Monday Night Raw,” he says joining the sport is another level that he’s not trying to reach.
"I don't know. I mean, 'cause I ain't really with getting hit on. I'm with being one of them cool managers that's like, 'Y'all slap me, I'm calling in all of my goons and we gonna tear this muthaf**ker up,’” Snoop told MTV.
"I like it though, and my kids, they keep the spirit alive,” he continued. “Wrestling is something that you either love or hate. Ain't no in-betweens. And when you love it, you love everything about it. I love the way that they have big intros now - when the guy comes out he's got a big song playing and he's coming down the ramp. It's exciting now, it's not like it used to be. It used to just be 'ding-ding-ding' and they get in there and get crackin."
JADAKISS EVENT NIXED AFTER CHURCH FOLK PROTEST: Community feared violence had rapper performed at fundraiser.
*The folks behind a celebrity basketball fundraiser went on the offensive after hearing that rapper Jadakiss was scheduled to appear at the May 19 event.
Believing the hip hop star’s presence would provoke violence at the gathering in Stamford, CT, black church leaders and community activists joined forces to protest his appearance on the bill. The effort eventually led to the entire event being cancelled.
The protest was sparked by Jere Eaton, a former board member for the Yerwood Center and potential presidential candidate for the NAACP's Stamford Branch. According to the Stamford Advocate, she found out about Jadakiss’ involvement and immediately fired off e-mails to local church and community leaders that contained Web site links, lyrics and articles related to the rapper – fearing his performance at the function would attract violence.
"Under the leadership of Dr. Robert Perry (pastor of Union Baptist Church) and other clergy in Stamford, we are demanding that the Celebrity Basketball Fundraiser is canceled or 'clean' entertainment is provided by artists with 'clean' reputations," Eaton wrote in the email.
The Yerwood Center's president and CEO, Deborah Sewell, was suddenly flooded with over 60 phone calls about Jadakiss' appearance, she said, and decided to cancel the event.
"I'm disappointed, because I really felt this would have been a great opportunity for the community to band together and show up in force," Sewell told the Advocate. "It doesn't matter who you bring in. There's a potential for an issue of violence."
Sewell had the rapper’s back, saying she has worked with him previously at other events without incident. She said that rappers had even attended a Stamford rally that resulted in a gang truce.
"They've always been supportive of the community and they love to play basketball," Sewell said.
However, Eaton has zero patience for any rapper, no matter the circumstances.
"All of these artists are the worst of the worst. They're criminals, their favorite word is the N-word, and they demean women by calling them b***hes and hoes," Eaton said.
MUSIC BITS: Des’ree’s bad lyrics; Jill Scott contest; Harper’s ‘Lifeline’; Batiste and Bell die; Foreman sons in music.
*Des’ree has made headlines once again – but it has nothing to do with Beyonce and allegations of a stolen track. The singer was announced Tuesday as the top vote-getter on BBC 6 Music’s poll of the “worst lyrics of all time” for her song “Life.” Among the song’s offending lines: “I don't want to see a ghost/It's the sight that I fear most/I'd rather have a piece of toast." In second place was Snap’s “Rhythm is a Dancer,” with the line: “I’m as serious as cancer when I say rhythm is a dancer.” See BBC 6 Music’s full “worst lyrics of all time” list here: http://www.nme.com/news/razorlight/28162.
*Fans of singer/songwriter Jill Scott can enter a music video contest and win the opportunity to meet with Scott and attend one of her two concert performances next month at Radio City Music Hall, featuring special guests Musiq Soulchild, Chaka Khan and Robin Thicke, courtesy of Verizon. To enter the VerizonSurround "Love Rain" music video contest, visit http://verizon.net/jillscott. Contestants must submit a one-to-two-minute video file that gives an original interpretation performance inspired by Scott's song "Love Rain." Entry videos must include the lyrics of the song or a rework of the lyrics. (See official rules online.)
*Ben Harper’s new album, “Lifeline,” is due Aug. 28 via Virgin and features 11 songs that were completed in just seven days in a Paris studio using only analog equipment. The follow-up to last year's "Both Sides of the Gun" begins with the soulful "Fight Outta You" and continues in a loose, expressive style throughout, reports Billboard.com. Other highlights include the happy-go-lucky "Say You Will" and "Put It on Me," the regretful ballad "Fool for a Lonesome Train" and the piano-tinged "Having Wings."
*Jazz clarinetist Alvin Batiste -- who toured with Ray Charles and recorded with Branford Marsalis -- died Sunday of an apparent heart attack, according to published reports. He was 69. Also on Sunday, Chicago blues harmonica icon Cary Bell died of heart failure at age 70, according to a press release. Bell played in the bands of such musicians as Muddy Waters and Willie Dixon.
*George Foreman's sons George Jr. and George Foreman III have entered the music distribution business. The boxing legend’s eldest son, George Jr., has invested in Brilliant Entertainment Inc., which provides major distribution and promotion for independent artists, reports Allhiphop.com. Under the new deal, George Jr. and George III will launch their own labels, with George Jr. focusing on classic R&B, while George III’s endeavor will cover hip hop. The pair also owns an investment company, JR3, which invests in real estate, apparel, exercise equipment, sporting goods, financial services, open-wheel racing and music.
FILM/TV BITS: Anti-Obama racism; Sanjaya has love for ‘New York?’; Longoria clamps down; Story longs for ‘Panther’; Imus lawyer furious.
*The Web site for CBS News has removed its section allowing comments from the public concerning presidential candidate Barack Obama because many of them to date have been racist in nature, the CBS blog Public Eye reported Friday. It quoted Mike Sims, director of news and operations for CBSNews.com, as saying that the site has often deleted racist comments about Obama; however, "the volume and the persistence" of them made them difficult to handle.
*Is one of the contestants for the second season of VH1’s "I Love New York" really Sanjaya Malakar of “American Idol?” According to TMZ.com, either Sanjaya or someone who looks exactly like him sent in a video audition tape. In the meantime, "I Love New York 2 -- You Cast It!" premieres Thursday at 10 p.m. on VH1. The show features New York and several other "Flavor of Love" girls talking their usual smack.
*“Desperate Housewives” star Eva Longoria says she and her fiancé Tony Parker of the San Antonio Spurs have agreed to stop having sex while his team is in the NBA playoffs. She told talk show host Jimmy Kimmel that whoopee will resume on their wedding night, which has been set for July 7 in Paris. "Luckily, we're getting married after the playoffs and then we need to consummate the marriage,” she said. “I scheduled it that way."
*Filmmaker Tim Story says he hopes to include Marvel Comics superhero Black Panther into a future sequel to “Fantastic Four.” He tells the Los Angeles Times: "I’ve got to tell you, to get the ‘Fantastic Four’ and turn it into a franchise, the first thing I thought was, ‘Will I get the Silver Surfer? Or someone like Black Panther, who was introduced in their book; get Djimon Hounsou and go do it?’ But there are so many other great villains and stories - I feel like I hit the jackpot." Created in 1966, the Black Panther was the first modern African-American superhero. He uses a heart-shaped herb that grants the person who consumes it enhanced strength, agility, and perception.
*Don Imus’ lawyer Martin Garbus says the censors should’ve hit the delay button if they felt Imus’ comments regarding the Rutgers women’s basketball team were offensive. Appearing on ABC’s "Good Morning America," Garbus said both CBS Radio and MSNBC had delay buttons but didn't use them, which meant they saw his remarks as routine for his often-provocative show. An MSNBC spokeswoman contradicted Garbus' claim, saying the broadcast aired without a delay and that there was no opportunity to delete his comments. A CBS Radio spokeswoman, Karen Mateo, said Friday she would not respond to Garbus' remarks.
THEATER/BOOK BITS: ‘Having Our Say’ panel; ‘Black History for Dummies’; NY Drama Critics choose Radio Golf; Simmons’ ‘Do You’ does well.
*In conjunction with International City Theatre's production of Having Our Say: The Delaney Sisters' First 100 Years, a panel of community leaders in Long Beach, Calif. will share personal stories of overcoming obstacles on the road to success. The discussion, followed by an audience Q&A, begins at 2 p.m., immediately after the production's final performance on Sunday, May 20, and is included in the ticket price of $42. The event will take place at the Long Beach Performing Arts Center (300 East Ocean Blvd.) Having Our Say is Emily Mann's stage adaptation of Sadie and Bessie Delany's best selling memoir of the same title, in which the sisters look back on 100 years of their family life and black history in America. Tickets are available at (562) 436-4610 or www.ictlongbeach.org.
*Author Ronda Racha Penrice’s new book, “African American History for Dummies,” is now available in stores and online. A press release states: “It's a must have for all of us, especially those with little ones or big ones still in school...it's so necessary for school exams and reports. It's easy to read and jam packed with little unknown facts.”
*August Wilson's Radio Golf, which just opened on Broadway yesterday (5/08) was named Best American Play by the New York Drama Critics Circle Awards, it was announced Monday in Manhattan. The awards will be presented at a cocktail reception to be held on May 14, at the Algonquin Hotel, where the NYDCC was founded in 1935 by such legendary critics and journalists as Brooks Atkinson, Walter Winchell and Robert Benchley. The award for Best Play carries with it a cash prize of $2,500.
*Following a high profile book tour that took him to such places as “The Oprah Winfrey Show” and CNN’s “Anderson Cooper 360,” Russell Simmons saw his new book about career success land on the New York Times’ Bestsellers List. “Do You! 12 Laws to Access the Power in You to Achieve Happiness and Success” debuted at No. 4 on this week’s Hardcover Advice tally. "I am very grateful, humble and excited that so many people are reading and learning from the lessons of my life experiences," Simmons told AllHipHop.com about the book's success.
EVENT CALENDAR: Kanye and Mom in L.A.; ’50 Years of Stax’ in Memphis; Quincy, Aretha honored by Recording Academy.
*Kanye West and his mother Dr. Donda West will sign copies of her book "Raising Kanye: Life Lessons from the Mother of a Hip-Hop Superstar" in Los Angeles today (5/09) at Borders bookstore (1360 Westwood Blvd.). Their appearance is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m.
*Isaac Hayes, Booker T. & The MGs, Eddie Floyd, William Bell, Mavis Staples, Mable John, The Soul Children and Angie Stone are among the acts scheduled to perform June 22 in Memphis as part of "50 Years of Stax: A Concert to Benefit the Stax Museum of American Soul Music." Proceeds will benefit the museum, which is located at the site of the old Stax headquarters on Memphis' historic McLemore Ave. Tickets are on sale now via Ticketmaster.
*The Grammy Foundation will honor Quincy Jones, the ambassador of The Recording Academy's 50th Celebration, at its annual signature gala Starry Night — an intimate benefit concert and dinner — on Saturday, July 28. Jones will be the recipient of the Foundation's Leadership Award, which salutes noteworthy humanitarians whose charitable work and contributions align with the mission of the Foundation. The award honors his lifetime of commitment and dedication to social, cultural, economic and educational issues spanning the globe. To purchase tables or tickets to the event, contact Dana Tomarken or Kelly Darr at 310.392.3777, dana@grammy.com, kellyd@grammy.com.
*Seventeen-time Grammy-winning recording artist Aretha Franklin will be honored at the 2008 MusiCares Person of the Year dinner and concert, to be held on Friday, Feb. 8, 2008, in Los Angeles two days prior to the 50th Annual Grammy Awards. Proceeds will provide essential support for MusiCares, which ensures that music people have a place to turn in times of financial, medical and personal need. Franklin is being honored for her extraordinary artistic achievements as well as her philanthropic efforts, which include Save the Children, Easter Seals and various churches and food banks in the Detroit metropolitan area. For information on purchasing tables and tickets to the event, please contact Dana Tomarken at MusiCares, 310.392.3777.
BLACKS RECEIVE HIGHER AUTO LOAN RATES THAN WHITES: But recent lawsuits could finally reverse the trend.
*It has been proven before that blacks are charged higher auto loan rates than car buyers of other ethnic backgrounds. But the racist practice, which was still thriving during the latest study in 2004, could finally be addressed and rectified following a string of recently-concluded lawsuits.
According to the study, blacks paid a typical auto loan rate of 7 percent for new cars, compared with a rate of 5 percent for whites in 2004, according to a consumer organization’s analysis of the Federal Reserve Survey of Consumer Finances.
Also, blacks were more likely than auto buyers in general to have auto loan rates higher than 15 percent. For used car loans, 27 percent of blacks who buy cars were charged interest rates of 15 percent or more. Blacks were three times as likely as whites — 27 percent to 9 percent — to have auto loan rates at least that high.
Hispanics were paying a typical rate of 5.5 percent for new car loans, while 19 percent of Hispanics had loans for used cars over 15 percent, the analysis found.
Lenders have tried to blame the racial disparity on the buyer’s credit history, but auto dealers often raise the rate higher than that risk-related rate without discussing the rate with the customer, consumer advocates said. And they question the causes of those rate differences.
“It’s hard to believe that any differences in creditworthiness explain all of these rate gaps,” said Stephen Brobeck, executive director of the Consumer Federation of America. “They size you up, the car salesmen and finance and interest guys. They must think African-Americans are more vulnerable to a markup.”
But a series of legal actions against auto finance firms seeking fair treatment for minorities could help solve that problem.
“We had 11 lawsuits, the last of the cases settled last month,” said Stuart Rossman of the National Consumer Law Center. “We reached a settlement with each of the finance firms. Our cases involved discrimination. We believe the terms of the settlements will eliminate discrimination.”
The first of the lawsuits was filed in 1998 in Nashville, Tenn.
against General Motors Acceptance Corporation and was settled in 2004. The last settlement became final in April.
The lawsuit settlements against auto finance companies call for caps on dealer markups, opportunities for blacks and Hispanics to get loans with no markups within the next few years, more information about interest rate terms and consumer education for minorities.
“The lower markup caps have leveled the playing field,” Rossman said.
EUR MOTIVATIONAL NOTE
"Those who think they have not time for bodily exercise will sooner or later have to find time for illness." — Edward Stanley: Former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
May 9: Rapper Ghostface Killah of Wu-Tang Clan is 37. Singer Tamia is 32. Actress Rosario Dawson ("Grindhouse," "Josie and the Pussycats") is 28.
WEBSITE OF THE WEEK
Jasmyne Cannick's blog addresses the issues others simply can't or won't. Gay, straight, entertainment, or political. Updated daily:
www.Jasmynecannick.com.
Submit your favorite Web site to us along with a 15-20 word (or less) description to info@eurweb.com.
BLACK HISTORY
May 9, 1867: Sojourner Truth delivers a speech to the First Annual Meeting of the American Equal Rights Association, championing the rights of
all people. (Source: www.BlackFacts.com)
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