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06-26-07 EUR ALL ON ONE PAGE
FRENCHIE ALLEGES RACISM ON ALASKA AIRLINES FLIGHT: It all started when boy says he doesn’t want to be near “big black person.”
*Frenchie Davis says she was a victim of racism by a passenger and flight attendants on Alaska Air, and plans to discuss her ordeal in a press conference scheduled for this week in Los Angeles. Her rep, however, has already told EUR what went down. Her account is as follows:
The “American Idol” vet was seated by the window at 1:30 p.m. for a scheduled 1:55 p.m. take off on Friday. A man and his son had the seats next to Frenchie, but the boy complained that he didn’t want to sit next to the “big black person,” Davis’ rep says.
The man asked Frenchie to put her armrest down between her and the boy, but Frenchie had already fallen asleep as the plane began to taxi down the runway.
According to her rep, the man “stands up and shakes Frenchie violently saying wake up and put the armrest down right now. She tells him to take his hands off her.”
The man allegedly asked flight attendants to call security because this “big black woman is harassing him,” the rep recounts. She says two flight attendants respond, but don't bother to ask Frenchie to tell her side of the story. They just demand that she move.
Frenchie tells the attendants that she was attacked, the rep says.
But the pilot somehow gets involved, turns the plane around and heads back to the gate, where Frenchie “winds up off the plane and misses her flight to her next professional singing performance,” the rep says. “A few witnesses give her their information and tell her if she needs a witness to call them.”
Los Angeles community activist Najee Ali is involved and will give remarks at the press conference, scheduled for Thursday morning at the Lucy Florence Coffeehouse in L.A.
DIDDY AND SUGE SHARE SAME COUCH AT PRINCE GIG?: LA Times review of concert mentions it in passing.
*If we are to believe a report in Monday’s Los Angeles Times, Prince was able to facilitate the impossible during opening night of his seven-week gig at the Hollywood Roosevelt hotel: he had the most infamous of rap rivals actually seated together on one sofa.
A review of the show by Times writer Ann Powers describes a couch in the room that included Bad Boy Records founder Sean “Diddy” Combs and Death Row Records founder Marion “Suge” Knight.
Could this be one of the “surprises” in store for tonight’s BET Awards? After all, their East Coast/West Coast rap rivalry allegedly led to the still-unsolved murders of Bad Boy artist Notorious B.I.G. and Death Row star Tupac Shakur.
No word if Diddy and Suge actually spoke to each other, but at one point in the evening, Prince approached the sofa – which also included Erykah Badu, Nas and others (must’ve been a huge couch) – and tried to have some of them sing (or rap).
Powers said Prince handed the mic to Nas, but “the rapper declined to ad-lib, simply muttering, ‘I love Prince,’ and handing back the hot potato. Prince then tried to work his charm on Badu; she gave up a half-hearted rhyme about sisterhood, but it fizzled out. About half of those seated on the couch then abruptly departed (although Nas and Badu both stayed).”
Power’s lengthy review of Prince’s opening night is available here:
http://www.calendarlive.com/music/la-et-prince25jun25,0,7200710.story?coll=cl-home-more-channels
FOXY BROWN’S ALLEGED ATTACKER HAS A STORY: Roshawn Anthony’s mama says she’s a hooker who was always ‘on the wild side.’
*Roshawn Anthony, the 23-year-old woman charged with Saturday morning’s Foxy Brown beatdown, is a Belize-born prostitute who has a history of raising hell wherever she goes, her mother tells the New York Daily News.
Anthony was one of four women who police say assaulted the Ill Na Na and took off with her Louis Vuitton purse, credit cards, $500 in cash, hearing aid and chunks of her weave.
As of press time, Anthony was still locked up in Rikers Island in lieu of $50,000 bail. She is described by her mother, Laverne Reyes, as a hooker who nearly died this year after a boyfriend beat her with a pipe.
"He forced her to do things and beat her up if she didn't," Reyes, 48, told the Daily News. "[She was] selling herself, her body."
Foxy, whose real name is Inga Marchand, is still claiming that she was never attacked, even though police tell the Daily News that she came in shortly after the alleged incident and pointed out Anthony as her attacker.
Anthony has denied the charges against her and is “getting squeezed by the police," her Legal Aid lawyer, Clinton Hughes, told the newspaper. He
added: "[Brown] is a colorful character. She's bringing out a colorful story. But something much more realistic will come out at the grand jury."
The alleged assault took place about 5:30 a.m. Saturday outside the Louis H. Pink Houses in the East New York section of Brooklyn, authorities say. The women are said to be “friends” of Brown’s ex-boyfriend, who orchestrated the attack after he was dumped by the rapper moments earlier. Foxy tried to break things off after finding out that he was a pimp with a criminal record, police noted.
Anthony, who stands 5-feet-2 and weighs 125 pounds, “was a little on the wild side" and began skipping class at Brooklyn's Tilden High School at age 14, her mother tells the Daily News. Reyes says her daughter promised she would leave her abusive boyfriend when she was hospitalized this year after being beaten with a metal pole.
Meanwhile, Fox Boogie reportedly cursed out the press that had gathered outside of her Brooklyn brownstone Sunday, “with her thick black weave - and attitude - apparently intact,” the Daily News noted. She is said to have jumped into her car and backed the wrong way down a one-way street before peeling off.
FLAV ORDERED TO PAY 1.8 MIL FOR DECADE-OLD CASE: Reality star allegedly shot a man in Bronx apartment building.
*Lawyers for Flavor Flav have said they will appeal a judge’s decision ordering the rapper to pay $1.8 million to a neighbor he allegedly shot at 10 years ago in their Bronx apartment building.
According to the New York Post, the appeal is based on allegations that the judge in the case, Dianne Renwick, has a conflict of interest because she’s married to Bronx DA Robert Johnson, who tried and failed to convict Flav of the shooting in the early 90s.
"Her actions were retaliatory because her husband lost a series of cases to Flav," said attorney Charles Johnson, who happens to be godfather to two of Flav's kids and is not related to the current Bronx DA, the Post reports.
Flav, whose real name is William Drayton, allegedly fired shots at Thelouizs English at Executive Towers, the Bronx apartment building where both lived in 1993. The Public Enemy rapper faced attempted-murder and other charges. He was convicted in 1995 of criminal possession of a weapon and sentenced to two months in jail and three years of probation, court documents show.
English, a social worker, filed an assault-and-battery civil suit against Flav. A process server dropped the papers off with a doorman of their building. Flav never responded, later claiming he hadn't received the papers. A default judgment of $850,000 was issued against him in 1997 for civil assault and battery - $350,000 in compensatory damages and $500,000 in punitive damages.
With interest accumulating over 10 years, lawyers for English say the amount has risen to $1.8 million. Flav's lawyer estimates the sum to be $1.4 million.
TANK JOHNSON DROPPED BY ‘DA BEARS’: Latest legal drama just too much for the NFC champs.
*It’s all over for Tank Johnson in Chicago. The suspended defensive tackle was released Monday by the Chicago Bears, who are "embarrassed" by his numerous legal troubles and say he "compromised the credibility" of the team.
As previously reported, Johnson was pulled over Friday by Arizona police for driving 40 mph in a 25 mph zone at 3:30 a.m. The officer made observations that led him to believe the athlete was impaired.
Johnson was arrested for "DUI Impaired to the Slightest Degree" but was released without being booked or charged. He was taken to the Gilbert police station, where officials drew blood for a blood-alcohol content test before his release. Test results aren't expected for up to two weeks, and they would be sent to Gilbert town prosecutors for consideration of any charges.
"We are upset and embarrassed by Tank's actions last week," general manager Jerry Angelo said in a statement. "He compromised the credibility of our organization. We made it clear to him that he had no room for error. Our goal was to help someone through a difficult period in his life, but the effort needs to come from both sides. It didn't, and we have decided to move on."
The NFL had suspended Johnson for the first eight games of the 2007 season for violating probation on a gun charge. He spent two months in jail and was released in May.
Last December, police raided the 300-pound player’s suburban Chicago home and found six unregistered firearms which violated his probation on an earlier gun charge. That earlier charge stemmed from Johnson's 2005 arrest after a Chicago nightclub valet reported seeing him with a handgun in his SUV. He subsequently pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge.
SURVIVOR’S DREAMZ SUED BY BABY MAMA: Woman says their seven-month-old is owed child support, medical expenses and insurance.
*He swore on his son’s life not to break a promise during a critical moment of last season’s CBS reality show, “Survivor.”
Fans of the series already know that the gesture from contestant Andria “Dreamz” Herd turned out to be worthless, as he went back on a promise to the eventual fourth place winner, Yaoman.
The mother of another baby fathered by Dreamz may not be so surprised by his decision to betray his son-linked word, judging from her lawsuit filed against him nine days after the season finale.
Amanda S. Young says Dreamz owes her child support, medical expenses and insurance for their seven-month-old baby Luca Finley. (Herd has another son, the 2-year-old he mentioned on “Survivor,” by another mother.)
But Wilmington Star-News reports that Herd wasn't listed as the father on the birth certificate filed by Young, and no other documents supporting her paternity claims were filed.
During the course of “Survivor,” Dreamz pocketed $100,000 for placing second and scored a $60,000 truck, thanks to the deal made with Yaoman that he did not honor. Ironically, the betrayal and the bad taste it left among members of the jury may have contributed to his loss of the million dollar prize to Earl Cole.
KEYSHIA COLE, FABOLOUS IN NEW ‘HOOD’ FILM: Executive producer is fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld. Yes, you read right.
*Blackfilm.com is reporting that Keyshia Cole and Fabolous will star in a new feature film to be executive produced by Karl Lagerfeld, the iconic fashion designer best known for his dark shades and constant toting of an Oriental fan.
Titled “Only the Hood Dies Young,” the story follows a young brother, Jeffrey Green (Fabolous), who gets caught up in the drug game. His love interest will be portrayed by Cole.
”It's a cautionary tale and depicts a generation that's lost,”
director Robert Yasim Wright tells Blackfilm.com. “We'll start shooting in the middle of October in South Jamaica, Queens.”
Wright also says it was a “blessing” to get Lagerfeld on board.
“He loved the story. He said the drug problem is global, and that it's not limited,” says Wright. “In writing the story, I created a situation that explains the behavior as opposed to just the behavior itself. I wanted to explain the behavior of disadvantaged youth.”
ANIKA NONI ROSE JOINS JILL SCOTT IN ‘AGENCY’: Dreamgirl added to film based on Alexander McCall Smith’s popular novel.
*The cast of "The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency" continues to fill out with the latest addition, Anika Noni Rose, as Precious Ramotswe’s secretary/assistant, Grace Makutsi.
As previously reported, Jill Scott won the role of Ramotswe, the proud, heavyset owner of a Botswana-based detective agency run by women. Lucian Msamati was also newly-cast as Ramotswe's fiancée in the film.
The Anthony Minghella-directed film is based on the popular Alexander McCall Smith novel of the same name. The movie is being produced by the Weinstein Co. and Mirage Prods., the production company run by Minghella and Sydney Pollack. Minghella also co-wrote the script with Richard Curtis.
The film may launch a television series based on the book, but no deals are in place, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Rose currently stars in USA Network's limited series "The Starter Wife" and next appears in the film "One Part Sugar" opposite Danny DeVito. The 2004 Tony winner for the Broadway musical “Caroline or Change” also recently signed on to voice Princess Tiana in the Walt Disney Co.'s musical animated feature "The Princess and the Frog."
SELITA EBANKS IN MIDST OF WEDDING PLANS: Model says big day won’t be for another year and a half – at least.
*Selita Ebanks says she and her fiancée Nick Cannon have different ideas about their upcoming nuptials, which she says will go down in either late 2008 or mid-2009.
"As you can tell by the ring, he's all about the bling and having a big wedding. Me? I'm all about the courthouse," she tells People magazine.
If you recall, Cannon made a production out of the proposal last May by popping the question on MTV’s Times Square jumbotron while placing a 12-carat diamond ring on her finger.
The 24-year-old Victoria’s Secret model says they plan to have their respective families play a huge role in the wedding celebration. In fact, her future in-laws have already given her nicknames.
"His grandfather calls me Toledo,” Ebanks said. “I don't know where he got it from. I think he heard wrong when Nick told him my name. But I love him to death, he's so sweet."
REV RUN TO BE CROWNED BMI ICON: 7th Annual Urban Awards honors rap legend during Sept. 7 ceremony in Vegas.
*Rev. Run from the groundbreaking rap group Run-DMC and MTV’s “Run’s House” will be honored as a BMI Icon at the performing right organization’s 7th Annual Urban Awards, to be held Sept. 7 at The New York New York hotel in Las Vegas.
The Icon designation is given to BMI songwriters and artists who have had “a unique and indelible influence on generations of music makers.” Rev Run will be saluted with an all-star musical tribute during the ceremony. He joins past Icon honorees James Brown, Isaac Hayes, Al Green, Charlie Wilson and The Gap Band, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, and last year’s honorees, Antonio “L.A.” Reid and Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds.
The invitation-only gala, which will also recognize the past year’s most-performed BMI urban songs, will be held in tandem with the MTV Video Music Awards on Sept. 9.
Hosted by BMI President/CEO Del Bryant and Atlanta Writer/Publisher VP Catherine Brewton, the 7th Annual BMI Urban Awards will recognize the songwriters, publishers and producers of the top BMI urban songs played on American radio and television. An Urban Song of the Year, Songwriter of the Year, Publisher of the Year and Producer of the Year will be named during the ceremony. In addition, the writers of the songs that reached the No. 1 spots on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop and Hot Rap Tracks charts will also be honored.
CW’S ‘CHRIS’ IN A RACE AGAINST PUBERTY: Series forced to shoot next season now before star’s voice gets too deep for his TV age.
*You can’t help but think of the “Brady Bunch” episode when Peter’s puberty issues conflicted with an important family concert, forcing Greg to write a song that embraced his brother’s deepening voice, “When It’s Time To Change (You’ve Got to Rearrange).”
Such is the dilemma facing producers of the CW comedy “Everybody Hates Chris,” which stars 14-year-old actor, Tyler James Williams, who’s getting taller by the second and whose voice continues to fill with bass. Because of his rapidly emerging adolescence, the entire cast and crew had to cut their summer hiatus short and begin work on their third season right now.
"I know ... This is all my fault. All my fault," Williams tells the Associated Press during a recent break in filming.
But that’s not quite true. Williams’ co-stars Vincent Martella (who plays Chris's best friend, Greg) and Tequan Richmond (Chris's younger brother, Drew), both 14, are also going through changes.
"We knew if we kept feeding them, they would keep growing and the hormonal changes would kick in," said series co-creator and co-executive producer Ali LeRoi.
In fact, the series based on Chris Rock’s teen years received an early pickup from the network “so we could get more of them young as opposed to old," LeRoi explains. "There's a cute factor that people kind of like to hold on to. So being able to shoot a bit early, I think, helps us."
DAMON DASH, WIFE IN ‘SCREAMING MATCH’: Public spat went down at NY hotspot Socialista.
*Rap mogul Damon Dash and his fashion designer wife, Rachel Roy, reportedly got loud with each other in public.
According to the New York Post’s Page Six, the couple was spotted Wednesday night arguing at NY club Socialista, which the former Roc-A-Fella impresario co-owns.
"They got into a screaming match," a witness told the column. Dash was seen at Cipriani Downtown before attending an after-party at Socialista around midnight for jeweler-to-the-stars, Lorraine Schwartz.
"He was in an altered state," a witness told the Post of Dash. "Rachel was curled up on a couch with another guy, and when he saw her he flipped and stormed out."
Roy reportedly stayed at Socialista for the afterparty of Schwartz’s Diamond Monkey collection launch, while Dash headed back to Cipriani. A rep for Dash, however, insists, "There's no trouble."
SPIKE LEE TO EXEC PRODUCE FILM FROM ONLINE GROUP: Director to oversee making of ‘LiveMansion: The Movie.’
*Spike Lee will executive produce Ckrush Entertainment's groundbreaking "LiveMansion: The Movie," the first feature film to be produced by an online community (Ckrush's LiveMansion.com).
As an executive producer, Lee will help guide the key creative and production elements of the film. He previously served as a judge in the selection process for the film's director and hosted a screening of the director finalists' shorts at Tribeca Cinemas in New York City.
"Having Spike Lee contribute to the making of 'LiveMansion: The Movie’
is phenomenal on many levels" said Ckrush, Inc. President Jeremy Dallow.
"Firstly, Spike's involvement in any film is an incredible asset to that film. For Spike to lend his expertise to such a groundbreaking project is both a strong endorsement for the vision Ckrush has and a tremendous plus to the making of what we hope will be a great film.”
“LiveMansion.com continues to give filmmakers, actors and people who love film incredible opportunities. The chance to work with Spike Lee is the opportunity of a lifetime. We are very grateful to be working with Spike and think the thousands of people who have participated in the making of film through LiveMansion.com will be very excited that Spike Lee is on their team.”
FILM/TV/MUSIC BITS: Ne-Yo’s baby mama?; Lil Fizz’s ‘PayDay’; OK! nabs Parker/Longoria wedding pics; Gotti kid to drop rap CD.
*A woman claiming to have birthed a child by singer Ne-Yo has written a song about her experience and posted it on her myspace page. Model Jessica White (not the famous one of Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition fame) gets her vent on in the track “Not Anymore.” Listen to the song here: http://www.myspace.com/jessecawhite.
*Lil Fizz of the multi-platinum group B2K is set to release his debut album “PayDay” on July 17 via Fo' Reel Entertainment. The first single, “Beds,” features Ray J and is already in regular rotation on urban radio. Fizz also loves the track “Car Wash,” about L.A.’s car culture. “On Friday and Saturday, it's a ritual for everyone to go and get their car washed and make it look sharp,” he explains. “It's like a party; it's crazy. The music is bumping, the cars are all shiny and everybody's flossin' on Slauson.”
*British-based gossip rag OK! has landed exclusive rights to photos from Eva Longoria and Tony Parker's July 7 wedding, reports Page Six. Sources say OK! paid more than $2 million to win the opportunity over other bidders, including People magazine, reports the New York Post’s Page Six. "People editors broke the story of their wedding and were working hard with Eva's reps [to secure the picture rights]," said a source close to the talks. "They were upset about losing the photos."
*John Gotti’s kid Carmine is releasing a rap album under the moniker C. Gotti, reports gossip maven Janet Charlton. The star of reality show “Growing Up Gotti” has a record deal with Ruff Ryders.
ITTY BITTY BITS: June/July Heart & Soul; Lighty’s Brand Asset Group; Rep.
Lewis’ Lincoln Medal.
*The June/July issue of Heart & Soul magazine, on newsstands now, features articles written under the theme of “pleasure,” says editorial director Yanick Rice Lamb. "We believe that you can add more pleasure to your life by being healthy and fit, so we help our readers glide into a swimsuit body and tantalize their tastebuds with some tasty mango recipes," says Lamb. In addition, the issue also includes stories about coping with premature childbirth, how to be sizzling hot in bed and, as part of a special section on men, understanding black male depression.
*Warner Music Group Corp. and Chris Lighty, founder and CEO of the artist management company Violator Management, have created a joint venture known as Brand Asset Group. The Group is designed to increase revenue by more aggressively managing artist brands from all genres and capitalize on the value of those brands through corporate sponsorships, strategic and integrated marketing campaigns and comprehensive brand extensions. Lighty will serve as CEO, where he will develop product endorsement opportunities and implement strategic, integrated marketing campaigns with artists for the vast array of Fortune 500 companies.
*Congressman John Lewis and Dr. James M. McPherson have been named the
2007 recipients of Ford's Theatre Lincoln Medals, an annual award given to individuals who through their body of work, accomplishments or personal attributes exemplify the lasting legacy and mettle of character embodied by the most beloved president in our nation's history, President Abraham Lincoln. Ford's Theatre Chairman of the Board of Trustees Wayne R. Reynolds said: "Ford's Theatre is honored to award Congressman Lewis, an architect of the civil rights movement, and Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Dr. James M. McPherson, whose works on the Civil War continue to enlighten us and illuminate the era that shaped the future of our great nation under our greatest president." Ford’s Theatre in Washington D.C. is where Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth.
EUR DVD REVIEW: Best of Chappelle's Show (Uncensored)
DVD Features Dave Chappelle's Funniest Skits
DVD Review by Kam Williams
*Although Dave Chappelle obviously had some second thoughts about the brand of humor that left him branded a genius after just two seasons on Comedy Central, that hasn't prevented Viacom, the network's parent company, from repackaging his program to cash-in on the irreverent comic's conspicuous absence.
Dave disappeared for awhile, before resurfacing to announce that he was walking out on his new $50 million contract over artistic differences.
Basically, his complaint was that he didn't want to continue because he didn't know whether his audience was laughing at him or laughing with him.
Personally, I was laughing with him, and instead of new episodes, I've had to settle for DVDs of Season 1, then Season 2, then one of the Lost Episodes, and now The Best of.
This compilation disc includes such memorable skits as Clayton Bigsby, where Dave plays a blind white supremacist who doesn't know he's black, The Niggar Family, Reparations, Roots, and A Night with Wayne Brady.
In the wrong hands, this material could easily come off as anything but funny, since it tackles questions concerning color and ethnicity in a very politically-incorrect fashion.
But that's why the program was on cable instead of a broadcast channel in the first place. The endearing, disarming Chappelle has a knack for making you laugh out loud by making light of taboo subjects. All in all, these 25 sketches are so funny you'll forget that they might actually be reinforcing the same deep-seated intolerance in American culture they seek to satirize.
At least that's probably why Dave's doing his best to distance himself from his own hit show.
Excellent (4 stars)
Unrated
Running time: 138 minutes
Studi Paramount Home Entertainment
DVD Extras: Bloopers, Comedy Central Quickies, Charlie Murphy's True Hollywood Stories: Rick James, plus additional never-aired stories.
EUR FILM REVIEW: Black Sheep
Genetic Engineering Leads to Violence of the Lambs in Parody of Horror Genre
Film Review by Kam Williams
*I wonder whether the Wayan's Brothers knew when they made Scary Movie back
in 2000 that their parody would spawn a cottage industry of spoofs of horror flicks.
Besides Scary Movie 2, 3 and 4, we've also had such praiseworthy offerings as Shaun of the Dead (2004), Mad Cowgirl (2006), Planet Terror (2007) and Severance (2007).
Black Sheep, representing New Zealand's contribution to the popular genre, revolves around an experiment in genetic engineering gone horribly wrong.
The story is set on a picturesque farm owned by Angus (Peter Feeney) and Henry Oldfield (Nathan Meister), siblings whose herd morphs into a horde of bloodthirsty man-eating zombies after a couple of well-meaning environmental activists unwittingly release a mutant lamb into the midst of their flock.
Rather than hitting you over the head with obvious jokes, Black Sheep relies on a tongue-in-cheek brand of humor which calls for a little sophistication. But that doesn't mean it's always in good taste, especially when you have such sordid goings-on as a sheep raping a man, dining on "mountain oysters" (aka sheep gonads), and fairly graphic displays of gore when the voracious woolly beasts attack.
Shot on verdant, rolling hills off the coast of Wellington, the most memorable aspect of this movie might be the cinematic capture of its bucolic setting. While a tad too understated to satiate the simplistic blood lust of the masses, Black Sheep still is clever enough to earn the appreciation of the egghead cult crowd.
Good (2 stars)
Unrated
Running time: 87 minutes
Studi IFC First Take
STEVEN IVORY: Death by Marriage
*Phillip, a successful litigation attorney, and Mira, a stay-at-home mom with a law degree of her own--both 40-something--have been married for almost 20 years.
They live in a beautiful two story Craftsman home in Santa Monica with two dogs, two cars and take two vacations a year. Anyone who desires marriage and sees this family in public could easily admire or envy them. They're the perfect nuclear unit.
I love Phillip and Mira (not their real names, by the way, and certain details have been altered). They are friends. But I don't admire or envy their marriage. They are miserable.
They don't have fun. They seldom have sex, and when they do, the experience, so they have both told me individually, ultimately leaves them yearning and empty. Most tragic, they don't communicate with one another. As a couple, they are dying a slow, grim death at the merciless hand of a toxic marriage.
You've seen Phillip and Mira: at a restaurant, they sit across from one another in disconnected silence, waiting for the meal to be served, glumly looking everywhere but at each other.
Out shopping with the kids, Mira is the woman who seems perpetually exhausted and frustrated. Meanwhile, Phillip, like his wife, emotionally shut himself down years ago. Sometimes he works long hours simply to make sure Mira is asleep when he gets home.
Their ilk often approach marriage as a sacrament of sufferance, defending their daily hell with such cliches as, "We all make our choices" and "Nothing is perfect." Their marital happiness, fake to begin with, faded fast, leaving them to stagger through life like extras from "Night of the Living Dead" or "The Stepford Wives."
Then again, while the "Stepford Wives" couldn't think for themselves, women like Mira consider their horrific predicament daily--that is, when she and Phillip aren't pushing the truth down with lies or medicating themselves with alcohol, drugs, food or reckless, covert extramarital sex.
Being HIV positive, no less than a potentially deadly affliction, offers by far a better survival rate than the corrupt marriage. Modern medicine can control the virus. However, the collateral damage of unholy matrimony--the stress, pain and the heartache--is an emotional cancer that devours the soul and manifests itself in real, physical ailments.
Right about here is where I am supposed to say that Phillip and Mira's union wasn't always like this. However, if you believe that bad marriages begin healthy and loving and just somehow derail, then you also believe in the tooth fairy and hold tight to the notion that whatever happens in Vegas, truly does stay in Vegas, instead of following you home like so much emotional excrement on the heel of your spirit.
No, the marriage of Phillip and Mira was all wrong from its very contemplation. Like the multitudes who feel that taking vows will magically repair a rotten relationship, both sought something--not from one another, but from marriage itself--that they never found, because neither quite knew what it was they themselves needed.
The trouble with marriage is not the institution; it's us. We are a culture that views marriage as remedy to nearly everything--loneliness, low self-esteem, personal insecurity, financial status. What's love got to do with it? We jump the broom for reasons as vapid as giving our parents grandbabbies (even when we don't want children); because the rest of our friends or siblings are married and we're not, or because we feel like we are at "that age."
Mira confided to me that she wanted to find someone who would "complete her"--as if first being whole and healthy on her own isn't a chief prerequisite to that particular mission. Moreover, aside from a serious lack of self-discovery, I believe there are so many pained marriages because no one sits us down when we are young and instills in us just how difficult it will be for even the healthiest person to find "the one."
If that significant detail were conveyed to us with the same fervor as the importance of, say, eating all our vegetables or getting an academic education, we wouldn't be so eager to marry just anyone; we'd respect and value The Search. We'd marry only after we'd found someone willing to give us the respect, relentlessly open and honest communication and compassion--the love--that we'd be dedicated to bestowing in return.
Single folk are easy targets for those suffocating in tumultuous marriages. We're fearful of taking the plunge, they say. Commitment phobic. To be sure, many of us are. However some of us, after all this time, have simply gone too many rounds to bow to another Love TKO. It's taken some soul searching, but we know what we deserve and we won't settle.
We also know too many couples like Phillip and Mira, and we look at their lives and wonder, with all due respect and sympathy, who in their right mind would commit to that? Marriage is compromise, not martyrdom.
Thus, at the risk of being told "It's not that easy" (yes, I know it isn't) and "You just don't understand" (oh, but I do), might I suggest that my friends on Death Row cease shivering at the sight your own shadow. Plan your escape and get the fuck out. Stop saying you're in it for the kids, because the kids have long known what is up and they are hurting, too.
Stop dreading splitting up the property and the Stuff, because owning it means nothing if you abhor the one with whom you share it. Stop worrying what friends and family will say, because they're already whispering. Stop saying you don't want to be another divorce stat, because you currently augment a sadder stat: people afraid to claim their joy.
Lord knows there are quicker, more dignified ways to die. Rat poisoning, a single gunshot to the temple, listening to that singer in Maroon 5 (ever heard this guy? Take the rat poisoning, it goes down easier)--be brave enough to choose any of them over emotional complacency.
The universe will look out for you--when hasn't it? You've got your kids, your family, your friends, your rekindled ambitions. And most intriguing, ahead of you lies the sheer adventure of getting reacquainted with someone you haven't seen in a long while, if ever: Your dear self.
Steven Ivory's book, FOOL IN LOVE (Touchstone/Simon & Schuster) is in stores now or at Amazon.com (www.Amazon.com) Respond to him via STEVRIVORY@AOL.COM or MYfeedback@eurweb.com
THE BRIDGE: TEN Commandments of Religion
By Darryl James
*I shocked the house when I wrote “Stupid Ass Christians” in this column, so I’m not really tripping that some religious zealots will be angry at me for this current installment of The Bridge.
Only the stupid become angry, because the spiritually grounded understand where I’m coming from and really, they share many of the same irritations.
Outside of the small minded morons who became angry, some people actually engaged in enlightened discussions based on that installment of my column.
However, there are still far too many religious zealots running around blindly pretending that everyone holds the same belief set that they do. These losers do more to chase people away from religion than the devil himself—in some cases, they actually chase some people away from God.
The sad part is that if you try to hold a discussion, all you will get is a defensive response, misquoting the Bible in order to justify their hypocritical actions.
So, since religious zealots feel far too comfortable sending out their messages, I have decided to compose my own guidelines.
In yet another Top Ten list, here are my Ten Commandments of Religion.
DARRYL’S TEN COMMANDMENTS OF RELIGION:
1. Thou shalt not trust false gods blindly. George W. Bush was ushered into a second term because of his religious posturing. Conservative Christians, Black, white and otherwise, began placing all of their trust in him simply because he said he was pro-life and anti-gay marriage, which does not mean that he is truly religious, righteous or good. It means that people have trouble thinking for themselves. He may have declared that he is pro-life, but he has caused too much unnecessary death and destruction by placing America in the middle of a non-winnable war.
2. Thou shalt not bear false witness to religious friction. The war in the Middle East is not about Christianity vs. Islam. There are Christians and Muslims who stand on both sides and you sound silly wanting God to take sides in the taking of human lives.
3. Religion can not unite everyone. No matter what your president tells you or what you believe, the nation is not united and a war can not bring about such a state. Some citizens have different religions and divergent opinions, and they held them before the war. That includes the people who don’t like Blacks, Jews and other minorities or your silly patriotic ass.
4. Thou shalt not covet useless protection. Installing the cross, a fish, WWJD or the flag on your vehicle will not stop the skinheads, The KKK, or other racist bastards from kicking your Black ass. It will not stop the police from racially profiling you, nor will it get you the promotion you deserve above the less intelligent white boy who is unqualified for the job, but is white.
5. Thou shalt not covet an elitist arrogance of God. Judging and shunning someone who does not accept Jesus as their savior and/or who does not accept the concept of the Trinity, but who lives a life as a good and decent person will not render them less beloved to God, nor assure their place in hell. It will also not endear you to God, nor assure you a place in heaven, especially if you are a mean-spirited bitch or sonofabitch.
6. Thou shalt not falsely represent God. Holding a solid belief in a particular religion does not change who or what God is. God is and will be for all people whether YOU believe it, accept it, like it or not.
7. Thou shalt not falsely represent God through email. If God wanted his messages spread through emails with threats of death and doom for not forwarding, he would get his own website and propagate his own emails, which would never be mistaken as spam and would not need to be forwarded, because God can reach everyone directly.
8. Thou shalt not be a hypocrite. Claiming to be “holier than thou” while dancing with the devil is hypocritical. Walk your walk and leave other people alone. Running around judging people you deem as less pious than yourself is ignorant and evil. Save your own wretched soul and mind your own damned business.
9. Thou shalt not affix God to false signs and symbols. God is within humans who embrace the concepts of love over hate and good over evil. God is not relegated to religious symbology, which means that even if the Bible’s Ten Commandments are removed from public places and even if prayer is removed from schools, God will still be there, stupid, because God is everywhere there is love.
10. So let it be written, and let it be so.
Darryl James is an award-winning author who is now a filmmaker. His first mini-movie, "Crack," was released in March of 2006. He is currently filming a full length documentary. James’ latest book, "Bridging The Black Gender Gap," is the basis of his lectures and seminars. Previous installments of this column can now be viewed at www.bridgecolumn.com. James can be reached at djames@theblackgendergap.com.
THE JOURNAL OF STEFFANIE RIVERS: The Plantation
*Every morning the indentured slaves rise at the crack of dawn to join millions of other slaves on their way to the plantation.
In the beginning the slaves were made to live on the plantation. Now they get to live in separate quarters and drive themselves to the plantation every day. They wear whatever uniform they choose. The slave master pays for the house, car and clothes, because the slave only can afford what his slave wages will buy
The slaves take their breaks when told to. They only get thirty minutes to an hour because the slave master doesn’t allow slaves to congregate for too long. In exchange for one year’s worth of service the slave master allows the slaves to vacate for two weeks to wherever his indentured pay will take him – which isn’t very far.
What is his pay? It’s just enough to keep the slave s from searching for another master.
Occasionally the slave master requires the slave to relocate his family to another slave state. But no matter where the slave resides, nearly half of every dollar he earns is taken from his slave wages in the form of income, property and social security tax. In exchange for twenty to thirty years of humble servitude the slave master agrees to pay each slave half of what wasn’t enough in the first place, called social security.
They call this the American Dream.
To everyone who celebrates July 4th, happy Independence Day. For those who don’t celebrate it, continue to fight the power.
Steffanie Rivers is a free-lance journalist living in the Washington, DC metro area. Send your comments and questions to teamtcbadvertising@hotmail.com.
ROBERT N. TAYLOR COMMENTARY: Bi-Racial, Mixed-Race and Multi-Racial Categories Are Diversionary and Potentially Dangerous
I have hesitated in coming to this position but I now believe the categories of "bi-racial," "mixed-race," and "multi-racial" adopted by the Census Bureau and appearing increasingly in the media hold great potential for being divisive, diversionary and possibly dangerous.
Initially, I was of the opinion that people should be able to label themselves pretty much in any way they desired. But then I began to read closely the comments of golfer Tiger Woods and a host of other "bi-racial" Americans.
What becomes clear when you read their statements is that they are not so much embracing the diversity of their parentage as they are denying (or at least downgrading) their Blackness.
For example, when once speaking of his Black father and Asian mother, Tiger Woods reportedly declared himself "90 percent Oriental." (Tiger, please look in a mirror.)
Then there are the comments of Charles Michael Byrd, editor of the online newsletter Interracial Voice. This "Black" man is quoted as saying he had "no particular love for the Black race or the white race." Instead, he said, he only "identifies with other individuals of mixed race."
In addition to being a bit confusing, both of the above statements suggest a hatred or shame of the person's Blackness (African ancestry).
Further, in societies in which they have been most extensively used (such as South Africa under apartheid and historically in Brazil) multi-racial categories have virtually always been employed chiefly for divide-and-rule purposes by the dominating white elite. As one of our readers said several issues ago, the bi-racial or multi-racial category is mainly employed to create a "buffer race" between dominant white society and the masses of Blacks.
If this is true, it helps one understand why bi-racial Blacks such as Tiger Woods and Barack Obama have become so popular, so quickly among large segments of white America.
Finally, the people most eagerly pushing use of the bi-racial category are overwhelmingly Blacks of mixed-race. You seldom, if ever, hear a person who is predominantly white, Asian, Arab or any other racial group claiming to be bi-racial.
Thus, as a matter of first impression, it is reasonable to assume that the vast majority of Blacks claiming to be bi-racial are actually trying to run away from their Blackness and establish themselves as some type of separate or in-between group. Such an attempt diverts attention from more substantive issues, divides people of color, can be exploited by whites with evil intent and is therefore dangerous.
[If you want to respond to a Robert N. Taylor commentary or express your views on any subject, email: TaylorMediaPrime@yahoo.com or leave a recorded comment at 804-451-1976.]
BETWEEN THE LINES: The 'Choose Black America' Anti-Immigration Ploy.
Is Ted Hayes The New Ward Connerly?
Anthony Asadullah Samad
*Illegal immigration reform is a salient issue in America today. Particularly among the Republicans who consider this issue "a border crisis." Congress' effort to legislate a solution was met with a last minute Republican filibuster that stalled a viable solution to addressing the 12 million resident aliens in the country, a measured naturalization process for those who qualified. It was said that it was too much like amnesty.
But now the Republicans have pulled out their latest secret weapon, former homeless advocate now black Republican, Ted Hayes. Hayes, who came to the nation's attention as a homeless advocate in the 1990s, has abandoned the homeless movement that has taken on a disproportionately African American hue (at a time when Los Angeles is the homeless capital of the nation) for a new "black movement." Illegal immigration.
Hayes, the only homeless advocate I ever knew to have Laker floor seats, and the only one to take homeless people on a field hockey trip to Europe, never engaged in anything "black" when he was a homeless advocate. But now he wants to be the African American voice standing arm and arm with the Minutemen movement, border patrol civilians who take it as their civil right to defend their property. Here's a man who claims to have no property, representing (or used to represent) property-less people, suddenly looking to protect the rights of property owners and national citizenship. What's wrong with this picture?
Or maybe the more relevant question is: what's behind it? Ted Hayes, coincidentally, has become a Republican and has interjected himself in a fight that has a racial element -white conservative "minuteman" protecting America from illegal invasion that assaults their "American values."
Though Mexican immigrants represent less than forty percent of all the illegal immigrants that enter the nation each year, they're the only ones being called out. And the Southern border is the only one being "walled off" while the Northern border remains open to the same terrorist threats. There's something openly racist about this. So what better way to hide the hypocrisy of this contradiction than to interject a counter-racial component, that Blacks are being hurt by illegal immigration. The same argument, and the same strategy was used a dozen years ago, when Affirmative Action came under attack. Being attacked by whites made it a race issue that would be perceived as "racial" so Republican conservatives came up with a black face to sell a bad bill of goods-that affirmative action was bad for everybody, including Blacks. Ward Connerly became the face of the anti-affirmative action movement and the "colorblind" politic has lead to the deconstruction of affirmative action.
Ted Hayes and his "Choose Black" politic is becoming to the anti-immigration movement what Ward Connerly's "Civil Rights" initiative was to the Anti-Affirmative Action movement. Connerly is paid, by conservative think tanks and Republican policy forums, over a million dollars a year to overturn affirmative action state by state. How much is a homeless man being paid to go around the nation to round (or rouse) up Blacks against immigration reform? Ted Hayes is on record stating that "illegal immigration is the biggest threat to Blacks since slavery." But we know the biggest threat to Blacks has been this colorblindness that Republican conservatives use these new Black Republicans to espouse policies that undermine the progress of the historical race disparities African Americans have spent 140 years trying to make up. And with GOP support, suddenly Ted Hayes is "black" again.
For the last year, as immigrants have pressed the citizenship question and others have tried to press African Americans into a position on this, I've insisted that this is not our issue. There is nothing to be lost, or gained, in African Americans coming out for, or against, immigration reform. There are more issues that impact African Americans nationally that we could be vocal about. Immigration reform is not one of them. It's an issue for conservatives concerned about illegal immigration's impact on national security. For social and fiscal moderates, it's the economy and immigrations impact on the suppression of wages. Both are legitimate issues. However, for poor people-the issue has been around the competition for jobs and the illusion that immigrants are taking jobs from good hardworking Americans. I say this position is illusionary because immigrations aren’t taking jobs from Blacks or anybody else. They make jobs where there are no jobs, and only take jobs for wages that nobody will work for, including Blacks. Moreover, Blacks and Latinos both are impacted by wage suppression that using illegal labor brings about. Attacking each other wouldn’t benefit either, and most Black and Latino groups recognize this. So far, every time Hayes has showed up somewhere with his "Choose Black" rhetoric, he is met with a great numbers of unified Black and Latino groups working together to improve economic injustice in poor communities. If choosing "Black America" is the advocation, why would it be choose illegal immigration over the economic exploitation that promotes the wage suppression and wealth disparities that exploit both races. If Hayes wants to advocate for justice, why would he side with the injustice that continues to blame the poor for the nation's problems when the top one percent of the population hold 40% of the wealth? Maybe it's because the pay is better to advocate against the poor and oppressed than it is to advocate with them. Hayes would have much more credibility advocating for the homeless.
But he's given up the homeless gig for one that pays better, attacking immigrants and trying to interject Blacks in the conflict to deflect attention anyway from those who have issue with Mexican immigrants-but none of the other immigrants coming into the country. Hayes' anti-immigration advocacy is a ploy that most Blacks aren't buying into. But, like Ward Connerly before him, Hayes has been bought and sold to the anti-immigration forces as "the blackface" in the movement. It's worked before.
Anthony Asadullah Samad, Ph.D., is a national columnist, managing director of the Urban Issues Forum (www.urbanissuesforum.com) and author of the upcoming book,Saving The Race: Empowerment Through Wisdom. He can be reached at www.AnthonySamad.com
PEOPLE OF NOTE: Marlena Shaw: A Golden Voice in Jazz
By Deardra Shuler
*Marlena Shaw stepped out onto the stage of life as a singer. Innate to music, her God given talent enables her to sing any genre of music with a full lush harmonious voice that proves it was fashioned by the Divine to bring harmonic beauty to the world. She is versatile, melodic, and simply sensational. As an artiste extraordinaire, she is undisputed.
Raised on gospel and jazz, the musical chanteuse has sung with Frank Foster’s Loud Minority Band, The US Army Band, the Cologne Big Band and the Smithsonian and Seattle Repertory Orchestras. Born Marlina Burgess in 1942, in Valhalla, New York, Marlena was influenced by a musical family who enjoyed gospel music. Thus, it was no surprise when Marlena became involved with several gospel groups. Later her uncle, Jimmy Burgess, exposed her to jazz music. Shaw appeared on the Apollo stage with her uncle Burgess. They were so well received that they were booked for a return engagement, however Burgess had another gig so was unable to make the second appearance at the Apollo, leaving Marlena to make her first solo performance at the ripe old age of 10.
Although, Marlena attended State Teacher’s College in Potsdam, NY, she dropped out before graduating in order to continue her pursuit of music. She worked with Howard McGhee and his trio. Eventually she married and lived on an Air Force base in Springfield, MA with her husband. However, Marlena never forsaked her musical aspirations. She continued to audition and book gigs. Eventually, she cut a demo which landed her a job in the Catskill Mountains at the Concord Resort Hotel. She received several other bookings including some Playboy Club engagements.
It wasn’t until after she was became part of the Count Basie Orchestra that she truly got a taste of fame. Initially when she auditioned for the Count, she had no idea if she got the gig, it wasn’t until he gave her the nod and told her to save her voice for the evenings performance that she realized she had been hired. She learned a lot from Basie and enjoyed the camaraderie she experienced with the band members during the four years she sang with the Orchestra. One member in particular, guitarist Freddie Green, she occasionally honors with his song "Corner Pocket." She has also performed with the likes of Benny Carter, Joe Williams, and Ray Brown.
Known for her originality and versatile style, Marlena delivers a flexible, bluesy, and soulful rendition that gives credence to her personal appeal. Her vocal instrument can be as raw as the rarest steak and as smooth as Asian silk. She is often likened to Sarah Vaughn and Ella Fitzgerald due to her luscious timbre and suppleness of voice. Known for her humor, Marlena’s charm and wit continues to captivate her audience.
Marlena released her first recordings under Chess Records in 1966 via their subsidiary Cadet Records. Under their banner, she performed jazz vocals such as “Mercy Mercy Mercy” by Cannonball Adderley and the Ramsey Lewis Trio hit “Wade In The Water.” She left Chess Records in 1968 and signed with Blue Note Records in 1972, where she became the first female artist to be signed under that record label. She recorded five albums and several singles with Blue Note. She also had the opportunity to tour with Sammy Davis Junior.
The sassy Ms. Shaw wisely adapted her sound to the changing musical scene when disco caught on in the mid 1970’s. She released “It’s Better Than Walking Out” via Blue Note Records. By 1977, she had left Blue Note and proceeded to release her first album and club hit under Columbia Records entitled “Pictures and Memories.” Later she released “Sweet Beginnings,” and her smash hit “Yu-Ma/Go Away Little Boy,” as well as her own version of Diana Ross’s “Touch Me In The Morning,” which continued to inspire her musical fans and kept the disco crowd coming back. Her soul tunes “Love Dancin” (which won gold status) and “Haven’t We Been In Love Before” established her name in the Disco world. She also released the album "Acting Up" which contained the hit single "Don’t Ask To Stay Until Tomorrow,” a song which later became the theme song for the blockbuster movie "Looking For Mr. Goodbar."
Throughout her 40-year career, which includes appearances at Carnegie Hall and in Kennedy Center, Shaw has continued to bedazzle her fans and the world of music with her astounding range and diverse musical repertoire. Compared to songstresses like Billie Holliday, Marlena can be counted among the jazz greats of the world. Although, she puts love into all the different musical genres, jazz is Shaw’s first love. Since has demonstrated this in her releases “Go Away Little Boy: The Sass & Soul of Marlena and “Anthology” featuring samples from her Cadet and Columbia recordings.
Ms. Shaw has been named “Best Female Singer” by both Downbeat and Record World. The versatility of Shaw’s music is summed up in her popular release “Who Is This Bitch Anyway?” The album gives her fans a taste of her R&B side, her jazz side, her pop side, her disco side, and her enduring side. Marlena Shaw is a born singer whose music highlights the joy of her artistry and professionalism of her craft. She was born to make music and continues to appear at music festival and jazz concerts nationwide.
Recently, the consummate jazz artist celebrated the spirit of four outstanding female Jazz artists, Sarah Vaughn, Billie Holliday, Dinah Washington, and Ella Fitzgerald. Shaw and her Trio brought life to the music of these outstanding musical divas when she appeared at the Atrium of the Tourneau Time Machine, located at 57th Street and Madison Avenue as part of their Tuesday concert series that will feature Maurice Brown Quartet on June 19th and the talents of Miss Gloria Lynne and Trio on June 26th.
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