EURweb |
07-06-07 EUR ALL ON ONE PAGE
-- by Kenya M Yarbrough
*If anyone has made the act of begging into a melodic sound, it’s R&B singer Keith Sweat. However, Sweat’s career has hardly been wanting.
After honing his skills in his hometown of New York, he was discovered in the mid-80s and released his debut album, “Make It Last Forever,’ in the fall of 1987, which featured the hits “I Want Her’ and the title track that catapulted him to R&B fame.
More than just a crooner, the singer has also been marked as one of the shapers of the early ‘90s New Jack Era.
Sweat’s career sparked in the early ‘90s, but the singer has constantly and consistently stayed on the charts ever since and he is hard at work promoting his new project “Sweat Hotel.”
He is also finishing up a new untitled album, of which the early first single “How Deep Is Your Love” has had major radio spins. And, as though staying in the music curve isn’t enough, Sweat hosts his own syndicated radio show and continues to tour regularly.
“Basically I’ve got a radio show, I’ve got a new DVD (which was released June 12), and a new CD coming out in September 17th, so I’m just doing a whole lot of different things at the moment,” Sweat told EUR’s Lee Bailey. “The DVD is my live stuff; basically a live concert of the stuff I’ve done through the course of my career. The CD is basically new material I’ve got coming out.”
The DVD project is called “Sweat Hotel [Live],” which has an accompanying CD. It’s a concept the singer came up with in relation to his full-service musical career. Taped before live, sold-out audiences in Atlanta and Dallas, the project also includes special guest appearances by Monica, Akon, Da Brat and Athena Cage, plus music from some of Sweat's most memorable songs.
Believing in his inventiveness, the “Sweat Hotel” concept went beyond the music world and had some fans expecting an actual posh and stylish hotel from the singer. Reports circulated that Sweat had a deal for a property called Hotel Sweat in Atlanta. However, the singer said the reports were false.
“Marketing is great, right? That was a good thing,” he said with his patented sly grin and explained that while he did not currently have plans to open a hotel, “you never know what’s in the making.”
In the meantime, between his new disc and contemplating the hotel business, Sweat is staying on the airwaves with his slow jams radio show.
“On radio, I’m giving people what I’ve always given them,” he explained. “Radio is a form of entertainment. It allows me to talk to my listeners. What radio does for me is allow people to touch me where they can’t touch me on CD – they can touch me on the air, they can call me, they can question me, we can have conversations, we can have confessions. Radio opens up a lot of doors for a lot of dialog.”
“Keith Sweat Hotel” the radio show airs from 7pm – midnight in major markets like Miami and Detroit, broadcasting live from his Premiere Radio Networks studio in Atlanta. He keeps happily busy working on radio Sunday through Friday and doing shows and touring on the weekend. When EUR caught up with him last month, he was performing a show in Los Angeles as a tribute to Gerald Levert, who died in November 2006, and LSG – the group he formed with Levert and Johnny Gill ten years ago.
“It’s a tribute to Gerald, [and the promoters] thought it would be a good package if me and Johnny Gill were on the show,” he said. “So, in part, it’s a tribute to Gerald; we were like brothers.”
The concert featured the two remaining LSG members with Gerald’s father, Eddie Levert, filling in. The singers were also scheduled to perform the tribute last night, opening night at the Essence Music Festival in New Orleans.
Incidentally, another trio made up of solo R&B stars is coming on the horizon. In the tradition of LSG, the group is called TGT for Tyrese, Ginuwine, and Tank.
“I commend them on that,” Sweat said, flattered that another group of crooners have teamed up. “I think more artist should do things like that. There will never be another LSG. People might try to imitate that. I hope TGT builds their own format. I don’t want people to call them another LSG. I wish them luck. They’re great vocalists.”
Not only will there never be another LSG, but there'll never be another vocalist like Gerald Levert, says Sweat.
“I miss him,” Sweat said of Levert. “Gerald is a legend. He’s given a whole lot to the industry. His music won’t be forgotten. The good thing about radio, music, movies, and TVs is that you can play those things back and the person will still seem like they’re here. Gerald’s memory will always lie within me, but anytime I really want to see him, I just push rewind and he’s right there.”
MIJAC’S REP RAYMONE BAIN IS UPSET: Letter to Lee Bailey addresses yesterday’s story regarding BET and Md/Va house hunting.
*Although EUR is just the messenger, Raymone K. Bain is too through with our passing along what she has described as “misinformation” from Fox.com columnist Roger Friedman regarding her client, Michael Jackson.
On Wednesday, we mentioned Friedman’s column about Jackson’s invitation to attend the recent BET Award ceremony for a special “Thriller”
album tribute and to present his mentor Diana Ross with her Lifetime Achievement Award. Friedman said plans fell through because Jackson was “too incapacitated to appear.”
In a letter to EUR’s Lee Bailey, Bain says Jackson had conversations with the network about attending the ceremony, but the information “being disseminated in the media with regards to Mr. Jackson's invitation …is false. We cannot understand why anyone affiliated with the program would deliberately misrepresent the facts or attempt to defame Mr. Jackson.”
“Mr. Jackson spoke personally to BET CEO Debra Lee regarding his invitation to attend the ceremony,” Bain tells EUR. “Mr. Jackson respects BET and was one of the first recording artists to DEMAND that his record company cooperate with, at the time, a newly established network.”
As for Friedman’s reports that Jackson is moving to a rental home in Virginia, Bain says: “Mr. Jackson is not "relocating" to the East Coast, he is merely looking for a vacation home; and, as I have indicated, his search is not limited to a particular region at this time.”
The Washington Post reported Wednesday that the King of Pop and his three kids spent about “24 hours” on Maryland’s Eastern Shore last week scouting rental properties.
"He's always admired the properties on the East Coast because they have a lot of land," Bain explained to the Post. "Neverland has 3,000 acres—he likes privacy. You can't find as many properties like that on the West Coast."
Bain also confirmed to the Post Friedman’s notion that Jackson was headed east to be closer to the majority of his advisers and attorneys. But she also said what she later reaffirmed to EUR – that any new home in the area would be strictly a vacation spot for Jackson.
TRACEY EDMONDS SAYS SHE’S STILL WITH EDDIE: Rumors had them breaking up over drama with his ex, Mel B.
*Tracey Edmonds, whose divorce from Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds became final last week, is denying new rumors that she has ended things with new flame Eddie Murphy over stress related to his ex-girlfriend, Melanie Brown.
"I did hear about the false rumor. That is absolutely not true,"
Edmonds told People magazine.
Gossip columnist Janet Charlton had reported that the couple “quietly split up almost three weeks ago. It happened before DNA proved that Melanie Brown's baby was Eddie's. … Their biggest problem, besides the fact that Eddie is very controlling, was that they have separate social lives. Eddie likes to socialize with his friends and Tracey wanted to socialize with hers. In order to keep both sets of friends happy, they started going out separately sometimes. But when Eddie goes out, everybody notices and Tracey would hear or read things that made her wonder. And Eddie didn't trust Tracey out by herself. Suspicions arose and arguments ensued. Tracey feared Eddie wanted to run her life. …She'd been staying at his house, so Tracey packed up her things and moved. For now, it's over.”
But Edmonds says none of that is true. She says Murphy is still her boyfriend and they are actually “very happy,” and “the paternity test had no impact on our relationship.”
Meanwhile, an article in British newspaper The Sun paints a rather “scary” portrait of Mel “Scary Spice” B, who recently announced a reunion with her group the Spice Girls and a planned world tour. The article describes her as sex-crazed, manipulative and frivolous with her money.
“I’ve been covering the Spice Girls since they burst on to the scene with ‘Wannabe’ in 1996 and during that entire time I can’t remember Melanie NOT having a boyfriend,” wrote Victoria Newton, editor of the newspaper’s Showbiz section. “She is a real maneater — it is as if she is addicted to men and sex and she always had to have a boyfriend. … Mel is still the same today. As soon as she had been dumped by Hollywood superstar Eddie Murphy she was in the arms of Hollywood producer Stephen Belafonte.
“Whether it was jumping into bed with different men or buying daft, extravagant gifts — usually for herself — Mel was always a spur-of-the-moment girl. When she got together with Murphy she tattooed his name on her body — and she’d only been with him a few weeks.”
Read Victoria Newton’s entire article here: http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,4-2007300893,4.html
KARRINE STEFFANS PREPARES SECOND TELL-ALL: ‘Vixen Diaries’ to pick up where ‘Confessions’ left off.
*Karrine “Superhead” Steffans has written another tell-all book that promises to be more juicy and salacious than her first outing, “Confessions of a Video Vixen,” which recounted her sexual encounters with such celebrities as Jay-Z, Dr. Dre, DMX, Diddy and Shaq.
“The Vixen Diaries,” due Sept. 25 according to her official Web site, will follow her activity from the moment the first book hit store shelves until last month.
In an interview with King magazine, Steffans says “Diaries” includes tales of her recent encounters with rapper Lil Wayne and R&B singer-songwriter, Ne-Yo. Steffans said she hooked up with Ne-Yo after meeting for the first time on the set of Fabolous' "Make Me Better."
She told King magazine: "We're driving down the street, a car pulls up to my car. My boy Chris is like, 'What's up?' They rolled down the back window and it's Ne-Yo, and he was like, 'Is Karrine in there?' Chris was like, 'Yeah, yeah, she's here.' He got out the car and he came by and was like, 'I'm heading back to my room, meet me at the hotel.'
“We all went to the hotel after that. We hung out all night with Ras Kass and some other girls in the room. The whole time he was just rubbing my feet. Just biting on my feet, rubbing on them. But we were comfortable ever since. Then we spent the next couple of days together. Ne-Yo looked at me right in my face and said, 'I don't care what happened before, but your life didn't start until the day you met me, and no matter what happens if we just stay friends, we end up together it doesn't matter.' I just felt like I'd known him all my life. When that got out, I actually panicked. I was nervous. Because I didn't want him to think that I did that. That's not my style."
Ne-Yo, meanwhile, denies that he is anything more than a friend to Steffans. He claims they’ve only met twice and exchanged small talk in passing.
DIDDY DENIES SPLIT FROM KIM PORTER: Rumor has it that she packed up and moved out of the crib, never to return.
*A rep for Sean “Diddy” Combs is denying reports that Kim Porter, his client’s longtime girlfriend and mother of three of his children, has ended their relationship and moved out of his New York apartment.
The New York Post’s Page Six had quoted a source saying: "Kim is in Louisiana filming a movie right now, and when it's done she's moving to L.A.
…She is focusing on her career as a model and actress and raising her children. They are the best of friends, but they just can't be together right now."
Page Six also says Porter has already purchased a spot in Beverly Hills for her and her four children, including 10-year-old Christian and 7-month-old twins D'Lila and Jessie fathered by the rap mogul.
A spokesperson for Combs would only say: "There is no truth to this."
Rumors of trouble in paradise were sparked last December when Diddy was spotted partying in the wee hours with British actress Sienna Miller. The two met up with each other again while he was in London last weekend to perform in the Princess Diana Memorial Concert.
According to Britain's Daily Mirror, Diddy went to the concert after-party at a club called Paper, but "didn't look too happy to be there .. . until [Miller] arrived . . . For seemingly the first time all night, he started to enjoy himself . . . he ordered six burly bouncers to form a ring around the couple. And one unlucky reveler who accidentally strayed too close to the pair at Paper . . . was manhandled out of the way by their heavies."
Photos of Diddy cuddled up with Claudia Jordan of BET’s “Ballers”
and NBC’s “Deal or No Deal” didn’t help matters when they surfaced last week. Jordan has already spoken out to explain that the pictures were innocent and took place after she requested they pose together for her MySpace page.
SNOOP DOGG TEAMS WITH MTV TO WOO AUSTRALIA: Rapper launches effort to become a citizen Down Under.
*Poking fun at his ban from entering Australia, Snoop Dogg and MTV have joined forces in a new marketing campaign that promotes the rapper’s efforts to become a citizen of the country.
MTV announced Wednesday it has released a series of shorts to run on all of the pay channels that carry MTV in Australia, featuring footage of the Long Beach lyricist filmed during a trip in February, two months before Australia banned him from its shores because of his criminal record.
"Journey with me as I become a citizen of the land Down Under," Snoop said in a press release for the ads, which began airing yesterday (July 5).
Nineteen ads were edited from the 11-minute comedy short that features Snoop on various beaches, purchasing a home in Sydney's exclusive Vaucluse residential area and urging everyone to "get the girls ready ... and put on the barbecue."
The clips will also be shown to MTV's mobile and Internet subscribers. Fans can sign a petition to grant the rapper citizenship into Australia at http://www.mtv.com.au/snoop/.
50 CENT HALTS G-UNIT MONEY TREE: Plus, rapper links with Timberlake and Timbaland for porn song and video.
*Rapper 50 Cent says he’s been too generous with members of his G-Unit entourage and has decided to dial it back a bit to teach his artists the value of a dollar.
The Queens MC recently took $8.5 million out of his own pocket to pay travel expenses for not only his G-Unit artists, but their individual crews as well, he tells XXL magazine.
"Whether I got to give them $500,000 or $300,000 ... Just 'cause they want $300,000 more to make what they [are] doing at the time comfortable,” 50 explains. “Like, 'yo, I want to get this new place over here.'"
50 said he grew tired of being the G-Unit ATM machine and called a meeting among the artists of his label to finally put his foot down.
"Laze was there as representation of M.O.P., Havoc and Prodigy," he told XXL. "Banks, Buck. Spider was on the phone. Olivia was there. Sha Money was there. I broke it down. I told them I wouldn't be assisting them financially anymore. Pretty much I was telling them I wouldn't be there. [In the past] they'd make a lot of money and spend a lot of money and have me there to fix it."
Additionally, 50 noticed that his artists were not living up to their end of a deal to promote G-Unit gear.
"I looked around the room, and I was the only person with G-Unit sneakers on. But they were being paid," he adds. "It had become the norm for the check to come, but they were no longer wearing the clothes."
In other 50 news, the rapper says a Justin Timberlake-laced track on his upcoming album “Curtis” is all about their love of pornography.
According to NME, the track was originally titled “Ayo Technology,” but is expected to be changed to “She Wants It.”
A lewd video for the track is due to be shot by Joseph Kahn sometime this week featuring both artists along with Timbaland, who is also one of the producers on “Curtis.”
The clip will feature all three dressed up as spies, complete with hi-tech goggles which allow them to see through models' clothes, reports NME.
JAY-Z, NAS TEAM FOR MICHAEL ERIC DYSON BOOK: Plus, professor joins faculty of Georgetown University.
*Jay-Z and Nas have contributed to a new book by outspoken black culture critic Dr. Michael Eric Dyson, who was hired this summer as a professor at Georgetown University in Washington D.C.
Dyson’s book, titled “Know What I Mean? Reflections On Hip Hop,” examines the use of politics and gender in rap. Rapper-turned-label exec Jay-Z writes the introduction, while Nas handles the afterward.
“He has shown those doubters and critics that hip hop is a vital arts movement created by young working-class men and women of color,” wrote Jigga in the introduction. “Yes, our rhymes can contain violence and hatred. Yes, our songs can detail the drug business and our choruses can bounce with lustful intent. However, those things did not spring from inferior imaginations or deficient morals; these things came from our lives. They came from America."
Before joining Georgetown this summer, Dyson taught at the University of Pennsylvania and has previously held teaching positions at the University of North Carolina, Brown and Columbia.
At Georgetown, he’ll be a "university professor," reports the Washington Post, which gives him freedom to traverse across academic departments. He expects to work in English, theology, sociology, philosophy and African American studies.
HALLE BERRY, BEAUVAIS-NILON ‘FAB’ AT 40: Actresses make new In Touch list; plus Beauvais-Nilon announces sex of twins.
*Halle Berry has topped a new In Touch magazine poll of the world’s most fabulous 40-something celebrities. Editors selected the actress because she has "evolved into this woman that feels very confident in who she is."
Berry beats Daisy Fuentes, Salma Hayek, Pamela Anderson and Martina McBride in slots 2 through 5 respectively.
Ranking No. 8 on the list is Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon, who reveals to TV’s “Entertainment Tonight” that her twins expected in the fall are both boys. On finding out the gender, the former “NYPD Blue” star says of her husband's reaction: "When he found out it was two boys I said, 'How do you feel?', and he goes, 'I'm scared.' ... I think that's probably appropriate."
Beauvais-Nilon, who already has a teenaged son from a previous marriage, has also announced that she will grace the August cover of Playboy magazine.
"I did it strictly for me," she says. "I knew we were trying to have a baby, so let's document it ... who knows what I'll look like afterwards." She also notes, "I didn't feel like I had to show everything. ... You can be sensual and sexual without revealing everything."
The actress next appears opposite Lindsay Lohan in the forthcoming thriller, “I Know Who Killed Me.” In the meantime, her homegirl, actress Angie Harmon, is planning to throw her a baby shower.
KEITH DAVID TO VOICE BAD GUY IN DISNEY’S ‘FROG’: Actor cast as nemesis of studio’s first black princess.
*The distinctive and unmistakable pipes of actor Keith David will give life to the villain of Dr. Facilier in Walt Disney Pictures' animated musical, "The Princess and the Frog."
Set in New Orleans, the original story follows Princess Tiana, a young girl living in the French Quarter voiced by “Dreamgirls” star Anika Noni Rose. The character is Disney’s first ever African American princess.
The Dr. Facilier character was originally named Dr. Duvalier, and described by Disney as a Creole Voodoo magician in his mid-30s with a smooth charisma and sinister personality.
Disney had received a flurry of complaints about the name Duvalier perhaps referencing Hatian dictators Francois “Papa Doc” Duvalier and his son, Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier. Folks were also offended Princess Tiana’s original name of Maddy, which many felt sounded too similar to the popular slave name Mammy.
Keith David's voice will also be heard in Ken Burns’ upcoming documentary series, “The War.”
WE REMEMBER BILL PINKNEY: Last original member of the Drifters dies at 81.
*Bill Pinkney, the sole remaining original member of the musical group The Drifters, was found dead Wednesday at the Hilton Daytona Beach Oceanfront Resort, in Florida. He was 81.
The singer’s manager, Maxine Porter, would not disclose the cause of death, but said Pinkney had a number of health issues. The death was not considered suspicious, said Daytona Beach Police spokesman Jimmie Flynt.
Pinkney was due to perform at Fourth of July events at the resort. The rest of the Drifters, whose hits include "Under the Boardwalk," "Up on the Roof," and "Save the Last Dance For Me," went on to perform Wednesday night.
An announcement about Pinkney's death was made after the show, said the group's publicist, Donnie Lowery.
Pinkney, born in Dalzell, S.C., was a World War II veteran and pitched for the New York Blue Sox of the Negro Baseball League in the late 1940s and early '50s. He wasn't with The Drifters when they recorded their biggest hits. He quit the group in 1958 due to a disagreement over money. His distinctive bass voice can be heard on the group's version of the holiday classic "White Christmas."
In recent years, Pinkney joined the battle to enact laws forbidding performers or bands from claiming an affiliation with a classic group like The Drifters or The Coasters unless at least one member recorded with the original group.
Porter said funeral arrangements were pending but that he would be buried in South Carolina.
VICTORY FOR VENUS AGAIN AT WIMBLEDON: Sole remaining Williams sister takes out Kuznetsova to reach semifinals.
*One day after Serena Williams’ quest for a fresh Wimbledon title was stopped Wednesday by No. 1 ranked Justin Henin, her sister Venus was able to take out No. 5 Svetlana Kuznetsova in straight sets (6-3, 6-4) to reach the semifinals.
On Wednesday, she also took just two sets to remove 2004 champion Maria Sharapova in a 6-1, 6-3 match that started Tuesday but was delayed by rain for the night after only three points were played.
Williams’ next opponent will be French Open runner-up Ana Ivanovic. Barring any rain delays, their match will take place today on Centre Court following gentleman’s singles quarterfinal battles between Rafael Nadal and Tomas Berdych, and Roger Federer and Juan Carlos Ferrero.
Serena, meanwhile, took Henin to three sets before losing 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 on Wednesday. Following an historic playing-through-pain performance Monday against Daniela Hantuchova, the athlete hobbled into her match with Henin hampered by a strained left calf and sprained left thumb – both suffered during the Hantuchova match.
"Definitely not 100 percent," Serena told reporters of her performance against Henin. "It was probably at 40 or 50, max."
Her father and coach, Richard, said he and a doctor advised her against continuing on after the Hantuchova match because she was risking further injury.
"It was really a last-minute decision to go out," Serena said. "I would have felt bad if I didn't at least try. I mean this is the quarterfinals of Wimbledon. You can't give up."
TIGER EXPLAINS MEANING OF DAUGHTER’S NAME: Plus, golfer reveals wife had complications during first day of U.S. Open.
*Tiger Woods revealed Tuesday that he played the first round of last month’s U.S. Open knowing that his wife, Elin, had been admitted to the hospital with complications preceding the birth of their daughter, Sam Alexis, the following Monday.
"It wasn't life-threatening or anything, but she just had a few problems and had to be admitted," Woods said. "It wasn't easy. It was not easy, because I wanted to be there. And the doctor and Elin said, 'There's nothing you can do. So go out there and just get a “W.”’ Well, came close. But that night was infinitely more rewarding than any 'W' ever could have been."
Speaking to reporters at his inaugural AT&T National tournament in Bethesda, Maryland, Tiger also explained that his daughter’s name, Sam, is what his father Earl Woods used to call him, even though Tiger's real name is Eldrick.
"We wanted to have a name that would be meaningful to either side of the family, my side or Elin's side, because she was born (the day after) Father's Day," Woods said. "It just happened to fit. My father had always called me Sam since the day I was born. He rarely ever called me Tiger. I would ask him, 'Why don't you ever call me Tiger?' He says, 'Well, you look more like a Sam.'"
TWISTA CALLS ANTI-RAP BILLBOARDS UNFAIR: Rapper speaks out against Chicago church labeling certain rappers “trash.”
*Rapper Twista has responded to church leaders in Chicago who launched a billboard campaign that announces a number of hip hop acts as “trash” and degrading to women.
The Faith Community of Saint Sabina church put up 20 billboards throughout Chicago urging people to "stop listening to trash" and listed Twista, 50 Cent, Snoop Dogg and other artists as rappers to avoid.
Twista, born and raised in Chicago, says rappers are being unfairly targeted for the ills of society.
"People need to stop blaming music for the things that go wrong because it's the people doing things that are doing them and not the music,” he said, according to WENN. "The money from those billboards could easily be going to help make the schools in Chicago better, which will help make the city better."
N’DOUR PROTESTS; KUTI CELEBRATED AT MUSIC FESTS: N’Dour to join Darfur march at Montreaux; Kuti’s sons pay tribute in Montreal.
*Senegalese singer Youssou N’Dour is scheduled to join a protest of the conflict in Sudan’s Darfur region today during the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland. The performer is calling on fellow artists Quincy Jones and others to join a planned march. "We get the impression that the conflict in Darfur has been put on the back-burner by those in power,” says N’Dour. "We have to show that people are outraged at how long it is taking to resolve this conflict that has killed 300,000 people."
*The music of legendary Afro beat pioneer Fela Kuti of Nigeria was celebrated by his sons performing at the Festival international de jazz de Montreal this week, a decade after his death. His youngest son Seun Kuti performed before some 100,000 fans late Tuesday, while Seun’s brother Femi took the stage before 2,000 people at a local hall. Seun Kuti unleashed some of Fela Kuti's classic tunes -- a hybrid of jazz, soul, and Nigerian "yoruba" music, spiced with political rants.
FILM/TV BITS: Chris Tucker’s Bill Clinton; casting call for Murphy film; Botswana nabs Jill Scott movie; James Earl Jones reads Declaration.
*Former president Bill Clinton is apparently one of Chris Tucker’s biggest fans. The “Rush Hour” star tells August’s Playboy: "I started imitating him on a trip to Africa. He liked it so much, he made me do it in every country we went to. He was like, 'Tucker! Tucker! Come over here, Tucker! Do that impression for President Olusegun Obasanjo!' So here is the president of Nigeria and his delegation - the heads of his army, everybody - watching me [impersonate Clinton], 'I'm absolutely honored to be here in your country.' The president of Nigeria is looking at me, and then he smiles. 'That's very funny! Very funny! What a funny guy!' "
*A casting call is being held in Los Angeles next weekend for the upcoming Eddie Murphy film “Nowhereland,” starring the actor as a financial exec who finds solutions to his downward spiral in his daughter’s imaginary world. Paramount Pictures seeks girls ages 4 to 7 to play Murphy’s daughter. No experience is required, according to a notice from Paramount’s casting dept. It reads: “We want to meet smart, outgoing girls with great personalities who would love to be in a Hollywood film.” Auditions will be held Saturday, July 14 and Sunday, July 15 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Lula Washington Dance Theater (3773 Crenshaw Blvd.). “Nowhereland” is due in theaters Sept. 26, 2008.
*The Jill Scott film based on the “No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency” series by Alexander McCall Smith will be shot in the southern African country of Botswana and has the full backing of its government. "Africa for the first time will be shown in its true warmth and welcoming spirit," Kitso Mokaila, Botswana's tourism minister, said at a Tuesday news conference. As previously reported, Scott will play lead character Precious Ramotswe, described in the books as "traditionally built," a reference to the more fuller figures of southern African women. Anika Noni Rose has been cast as Ramotswe’s secretary/assistant. The film will be directed by Anthony Minghella ("Cold Mountain," "The English Patient").
*Actor James Earl Jones used his booming baritone to read excerpts from the Declaration of Independence Tuesday at the National Constitution Center, located on Philadelphia’s Independence Mall. The event marked the unveiling of one of four surviving copies of the Magna Carta, known as the “Great Charter,” that helped inspire the Declaration. It will be displayed for the next three weeks. Besides the Magna Carta, the National Constitution Center also features a signed Emancipation Proclamation and an original printing of the U.S. Constitution.
MUSIC BITS: Fall from Grace; Locke locks Jenny Craig; Marley manager convicted; Fantasia’s pierced privates; Kravitz’s hotel lounge; BeyonJay out and about.
*Grace Jones suffered a broken arm last month following an accident with her dance partner at the Meltdown festival at London's Royal Festival Hall. She explains to WENN: "Goran [dance partner] and I were dancing this fantastic tango to Japanese jazz when he sat on my arm." The singer was spotted with a pink plaster cast on her arm while watching matches at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships on Tuesday.
*Kimberley Locke has followed up her dramatic weight loss on VH1’s “Celebrity Fit Club” with a new gig as spokesperson for diet company Jenny Craig. The “American Idol” veteran has already lost 30 pounds on the plan and hopes to drop another 10 before her Jenny Craig reign is scheduled to begin.
*A former manager of reggae superstar Bob Marley has been convicted of drug dealing following a seven-day trial in Jamaica. Allan Cole, also a former soccer player for the country, was sentenced Monday (July 2) to 18 months behind bars and fined $15,150 after being found guilty of possession of marijuana, dealing in marijuana and attempting to export the drug in Kingston. Cole, who says he helped Marley write seven of his hit songs, was arrested in 2002 after cops raided his home and found 60 cartons of compressed marijuana. Throughout the trial, Cole insisted he had been “set up.”
*Philly.com reported that “The Color Purple” star Fantasia Barrino was spotted at New York's Unimax, a tattoo- and piercing-supply company, where she had the jewelry in her clitoral piercing changed. She reportedly left a $10 tip for the free service and “was very friendly to staff," a witness was quoted as saying.
*Lenny Kravitz is spearheading the design of a lounge at the Delano Hotel at Miami Beach in Florida, reports WENN. The singer’s New York-based Kravitz Design Inc. will team with Morgan's Hotel Group on the project intended to recall the golden days of Miami Beach's music past. He says, "We took cues to create the place I always wanted at the beach, but hasn't existed here in a long time. I love the musical history of Miami Beach. The Beatles, James Brown and Frank Sinatra all spent time here."
*In the latest BeyonJay sighting, Beyonce was spotted Sunday afternoon shopping barefoot at New York’s Bergdorf Goodman. "She was shopping for shorts with two guys," a witness tells the New York Post. "I don't know why she didn't have shoes on. She wasn't shopping for shoes." Meanwhile, Jay-Z was spotted by New York Daily News spies chatting up “a model-esque blond for an hour” at Butter Monday night. Elsewhere in the club, Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James was spotted receiving a “flirty lap dance from an attractive young lady,” the Daily News added.
ITTY BITTY HIP HOP: Sticky Fingaz brother dies; Q-Tip works it out; hip hop mamas unite; DJ Premier returns.
*Allhiphop.com is reporting that up and coming rapper X1, brother of former Onyx member Sticky Fingaz, died early Thursday morning in Las Vegas.
The Web site quotes a source who says the artist committed suicide. An official cause of death had yet to be confirmed by officials prior to press time. A native of Queens, X1 has been featured on every Onyx album since their 1998 release “Shut ‘Em Down.” He also appeared on 50 Cent’s song “React” during the early stages of both of their careers in the mid-90s. The rapper was signed to Mike Tyson's defunct Tyson Records in 2000. His most recent label home was with Vegas-based Ball 'R Records. His last solo album, “Young, Rich & Gangsta,” was released in 2006.
*Rapper Q-Tip is back with a new single, “WorkItOut,” available as a free download via his MySpace page http://www.myspace.com/qtipmusic. The former member of “A Tribe Called Quest” describes the track as emblematic of the new album's sound: "thought-provoking, dance-friendly, fun and last but not least, hip-hop." The song hails from his forthcoming album “The Renaissance,” due in the fall via Motown with guests Common, Outkast's Andre 3000 and D'Angelo and music from a live band.
*The mothers of artists The Game, Dr. Dre and Brandy were brought together by Sister 2 Sister magazine for a one-time closed-door summit in Hollywood to discuss rivalries in hip hop. The idea was sparked by Game’s mom Lynette Taylor, who approached the magazine’s publisher Jamie Foster Brown after spending time with the parents of her son’s peers and recognizing their similar hardships about having famous kids. The summit, reported in the magazine’s new issue, features the moms discussing business tactics and other topics.
*DJ Premier is behind a new album from New York rap group NYG'z titled “Welcome to G-Dom,” due in stores Sept. 12 via his newly-launched label, Year Round. "NYG'z is bringin' the definition of a duo back to the front line of Hip-Hop," DJ Premier said in a statement. "Not only is it street, but they represent the true meaning of what it is to make a real album. Be on the lookout for NYG’z street album, ‘Welcome To G-Dom,’ and my first all DJ Premier produced LP with the NYG’z, ‘Pros & Cons.’ You heard the first Jeru The Damaja LP and the Group Home LP; need I say more?"
CONCERT BITS: Bone cancels European tour; Brazil’s Live Earth back on; Zune MP3’s ‘BBQ’; T.I. hits the road.
*Bone Thugs-N-Harmony has announced the postponement of its 2007 European tour for "reasons beyond their control," a rep for the rap group said Tuesday. The band said they were "extremely disappointed by the events that have transpired" and "want to apologize" to their fans. "Bone Thug's-N-Harmony is going to reschedule the whole European tour in October, with many more dates to be announced," said the band's touring agent, Jamie Adler.
*A Brazilian judge has cleared the way for Saturday's Live Earth concert in Rio after being convinced by organizers that security would be sufficient for a crowd that could top 700,000, reports AP. The prosecutor who had sought to cancel the show confirmed Judge Maria Galhardo had reversed her earlier decision to scrap the free show at Rio's Copacabana Beach. Lenny Kravitz, Macy Gray and Pharrell Williams are among the scheduled performers. Meanwhile, the London leg of Live Earth may feature a guest appearance by Justin Timberlake during scheduled sets from Timbaland and Duran Duran. The Sun quotes a source who says all three have been rehearsing for the performance, but JT’s rep denies that he is to make an appearance.
*Microsoft will host three "Live at the BBQ" summer concert performances in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles, to promote its Zune MP3 player. Mos Def, Common, Lil' Jon, Clipse, David Banner, UGK, Collie Budz, Joel Ortiz, E-40, Cham, Common and others have been confirmed to perform at the concert. Old school rapper Large Professor from the Main Source will also be on hand, as the event is named after his group’s 1991 hit featuring Akinyele, Fatal and Nas. More information about the concerts will be available at Zune.net in the coming weeks.
*T.I. and his alter-ego TIP are “co-headlining” a slot on the Scream Tour next month with Ciara. The Atlanta rapper, whose fifth studio album “T.I. vs TIP” arrived in stores this week, will kick things off with an MTV live taping July 19 at New York City's Hard Rock Cafe before heading out on the tour, which is officially titled Screamfest '07. The dates are as follows:
August 2007
3 - New Orleans, LA - New Orleans Arena
4 - Houston, TX - Toyota Center
6 - Grand Prairie, TX - Nokia Theatre at Grand Prairie
9 - Cleveland, OH - CSU Wolstein Center 10 - Rosemont, IL - Allstate Arena
11 - St. Louis, MO - Scottrade Center
12 - Kansas City, MO - Kemper Arena
15 - Milwaukee, WI - Eagles Club/The Rave/Eagles Ballroom
16 - Detroit, MI - Joe Louis Arena
17 - Indianapolis, IN - Indiana State Fairgrounds
18 - Washington, DC - Verizon Center
19 - Hampton, VA - Hampton Coliseum
21 - Mansfield, MA - Tweeter Center
22 - New York, NY - Madison Square Garden
23 - Philadelphia, PA - Wachovia Spectrum
24 - Baltimore, MD - 1st Mariner Arena
25 - Greensboro, NC - Coliseum NC
26 - Atlanta, GA - Phillips Arena
29 - Englewood, CO - Coors Amphitheater
31 - San Jose, CA -HP Pavilion
September 2007
1-2 - Universal City, CA - Gibson Amphitheater
SPORTS BITS: Hill traded; Fisher’s daughter; Johnson’s DUI; Pacman’s Tenn.case; Rhodes suspended; Cox suspended; Pele to play for Mandela.
*NBA star Grant Hill ahs been traded from the Orlando Magic to the Phoenix Suns, his agent said Thursday. The 34-year-old husband of R&B star Tamia was considering retirement or returning to Orlando for another season following his recently completed seven-year, $93 million contract. Agent Lon Babby said the seven-time All-Star agreed to a two-year deal worth about $1.8 million for the first year, with a second-year player option for about $2 million.
*NBA guard Derek Fisher was granted a requested release from his contract with the Utah Jazz Monday so that he can devote full time attention to caring for his 11-month-old daughter, who has cancer in her left eye. He didn't rule out playing for another NBA team but emphasized that his daughter's health is his No. 1 priority. "Life for me outweighs the game of basketball," Fisher told reporters. "When it comes to decisions related to them," he said of his family, "I do what's best."
*Suspended NFL player Tank Johnson's blood alcohol level was below the legal limit when the former Chicago Bears tackle was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving June 22. His blood alcohol level was .072, under the presumptive limit in Arizona of .08 percent, police Sgt. Andrew Duncan said Monday. No charges have been filed pending results of a completed investigation. The athlete, born Terry Darnell Johnson, was pulled over at 3:30 a.m. for driving 40 mph in a 25 mph zone. Cops arrested Johnson after he showed signs of being under the influence of alcohol.
*Adam "Pacman" Jones must wait to see how felony charges filed against him in Las Vegas are handled before a Tennessee court rules on whether the suspended NFL player's plea bargain should be revoked. A new hearing was set for Jan. 3 to revisit the case. The charges prosecutors were trying to revive come from an incident last August at a nightclub in Murfreesboro. Police said Jones got into an argument with a woman, refused to leave the club and shouted profanities at officers. Loughry had agreed in January to dismiss the charges and expunge Jones' record if he behaved himself for six months. But District Attorney General William Whitesell filed a petition June 22 asking Loughry to reinstate the misdemeanor counts after Jones was named in felony coercion charges in connection with a Feb. 19 fight and triple-shooting at a Las Vegas strip club. Jones is scheduled to appear in court in Las Vegas on July 23.
*Oakland Raiders running back Dominic Rhodes was suspended Tuesday for the first four games of the season for violating the league's substance abuse policy. League rules do not allow for the disclosure of reasons for substance abuse suspensions, but Rhodes pleaded guilty in the offseason to reckless driving charges in Indiana after prosecutors agreed to drop drunken driving charges against him. Rhodes will be able to participate in training camp and in all preseason games. His suspension will begin Aug. 31, the day after Oakland's final exhibition game, and he will be eligible to return Oct. 1, following the fourth game of the season against Miami.
*Torrie Cox of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was also suspended for four games on Tuesday for violating the NFL's substance-abuse policy. As with Rhodes, Cox can participate in pre-season but will miss the first four games of the regular season. "We are hopeful Torrie Cox can overcome this personal setback," general manager Bruce Allen told the team's official Web site. Cox, a backup cornerback, appeared in all 16 games for Tampa Bay last season, making 30 tackles.
*Brazilian soccer legend Pele will come out of his 30-year retirement to play in an all-star charity match in honor of Nelson Mandela, organizers announced Thursday. The 67-year-old will join a host of other past and present international stars in the "90 minutes for Mandela" match between Africa XI and the Rest of the World XI in Cape Town. The event is to take place on July 18, Mandela's 89th birthday. This will be the second time FIFA honors the Nobel Peace Prize winner following the 1999 farewell match when he stepped down as South Africa's first black president. Proceeds of the game will go to football legacy projects in South Africa and to Mandela's 46664 HIV/Aids campaign project in sub-Sahara Africa.
SHARPTON LEADS RALLY FOR GENARLOW WILSON: Hundreds of supporters flood steps of Douglas County Courthouse.
*Rev. Al Sharpton joined the mother and sister of Genarlow Wilson at a Georgia rally Thursday that called for his immediate release from prison.
Hundreds of people gathered around the Douglas County Courthouse steps in support of Wilson, who is going into year three of his 10-year sentence for consensual oral sex with a 15-year-old when he was 17.
"This boy is not only her son, he's your son, he's my son," Sharpton told the crowd, according to the Associated Press. "We're here today because what affects you affects all of us."
State Rep. Alisha Thomas Morgan agreed Wilson's punishment was excessive and should be reduced, just like the prison sentence for former White House aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, which was commuted Monday by President Bush.
"Genarlow is the face of many other young black men who have received injustice," Thomas Morgan said. "Somebody's got to stand up for them."
Wilson, now 21, is serving the mandatory sentence for aggravated child molestation stemming from a 2003 New Year's Eve Party where he was captured on videotape receiving oral sex from a 15-year-old girl. The law has since been changed by Georgia lawmakers, but the state's top court said the new law could not be applied retroactively.
EUR FILM REVIEW: Flying: Confessions of a Free Woman Feminist Bares Soul and Explores State of Sisterhood in Self-Flagellating Bio-Pic
Movie Review by Kam Williams
*Jennifer Fox repeats the melancholy refrain "I never wanted to be a girl," throughout this soul-baring bio-pic, but she seems to be doing just fine as a female over the course of the three years that she made Flying: Confessions of a Free Woman.
Fox, a 45 year-old filmmaker and teacher, devotes the bulk of this flick to indulging her own Woody Allenesque ruminations about relationships, while wondering whether she'll ever procreate or marry.
Although suffering from low self-esteem in terms of her looks, and referring to herself as "ugly" and a "tomboy," endlessly-introspective Jennifer is pleasant enough to watch onscreen, a big factor, given that she's in virtually every scene of this six-hour gabfest.
More importantly, she is intelligent, insightful, likable and brutally honest about the intimate details of her unconventional lifestyle, all of which combine to make her a very worthy and compelling subject for cinematic examination.
Early on, the NYC-based feminist informs us of her ongoing passionate affair with Kye, a 36 year-old, former freedom fighter from South Africa. Since they're soulmates, she somehow doesn't let it bother her that the guy happens to have a spouse and kids. And when she later also falls for 43 year-old Patrick, she lets her new Swiss lover know that she can't commit to monogamy, but plans to enjoy them both.
Designed as a half-dozen hour-long episodes for release as a series on the Sundance Channel, each installment has been cleverly constructed to end on a bit of a cliffhanger. Will she dump her adulterous, absentee beau for patient, present Patrick? Will she opt to overcome her ambivalence about motherhood when she not only hears her biological clock ticking but finds herself unexpectedly pregnant? And who's the daddy? Will Kye's wife's learning of her existence put the kibosh on their lusty liaisons? All intriguing questions, and with some very surprising answers.
Betwixt and between Jennifer's juicy soap opera, the movie divides its time among interviews with her equally-frank girlfriends and tete-a-tetes with embattled women all over the world: in France, India, England, Somalia, Cambodia, England, Pakistan, Germany, Russia, Bosnia and elsewhere. For example, we learn that L'Dawn left New York for Wyoming after being reduced to living in a car with her two daughters. She had ended-up homeless after landing on the losing end of a seven-year battle over child support with a greedy creep of an ex-husband with a six-figure salary.
As awful as some of the predicaments of the American and European women we hear sound, they're still like a walk in the park compared to those of their Third World sisters who we find dealing with the fallout from a host of woes ranging from rape to prostitution to female genital mutilation to honor killing to near-absolute subjugation. The movie's general overall message, if there is one, is that women remain oppressed and at the mercy of the varyingly misogynistic cultures into which they are born.
Cur
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