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08-29-07 EUR ALL ON ONE PAGE(August 29, 2007)
FOXY BROWN LOSES PETITION TO BE RELEASED: Rapper sued Corrections Dept claiming she is ‘suffering’ on Rikers Island. *Foxy Brown wants off the Island. The rapper, currently on lockdown at Rikers Island for alleged parole violations, has lost her petition to leave jail on claims that she is suffering. The artist, who recently announced she is three months pregnant and engaged, was ordered behind bars pending her next hearing on Sept. 7. But Foxy filed a lawsuit against the Correction Department to wait for the court date at home, alleging she has been suffering since being tossed in the pokey last Wednesday (Aug. 21). Brown’s attempt to be released was shot down Monday by a Manhattan Supreme Court judge, reports Allhiphop.com. A rep for the rapper, born Inga Marchand, said her camp will appeal the judge’s ruling. The Ill Na Na was on probation when she was arrested on Aug. 14 for allegedly throwing her Blackberry cell phone at her 25-year-old neighbor during an altercation. The next day, Brown was arrested for allegedly giving officers a false name during a traffic stop, driving with a suspended license and driving with a suspended registration.
*Famed percussionist Sheila E. will serve as one of the judges on Fox’s new reality music competition series "The Next Great American Band," a sister show to “American Idol” that gives unsigned and undiscovered groups a chance to compete for a record deal. Sheila E joins fellow judges John Rzeznik of the Goo Goo Dolls and “Australian Idol” judge Ian Dickson. "New Zealand Idol" star Dominic Bowden will host the series, which is scheduled to premiere Oct. 19 and will air Fridays at 8 p.m. on Fox. Following nationwide auditions, the three judges will whittle down the hopefuls to 10 semifinalist bands, who will perform each week before a live studio audience. The judges will have the chance to offer their critiques after each performance, but, as with “Idol,” viewer voting will ultimately determine which acts are kicked off each week. In addition to her time with Prince, Sheila E.’s resume includes performances with Herbie Hancock, Marvin Gaye and Diana Ross before launching her solo career with such hits as "The Glamorous Life" and "Love Bizarre."
*The Virginian-Pilot newspaper is reporting that the stepfather of NBA star Allen Iverson has been indicted on federal drug charges stemming from an arrest in April. Newport News police had taken 51-year-old Michael Andre Freeman into custody after finding crack cocaine in his car during a traffic stop, according to court records. But those charges were dropped this week in favor of the federal prosecution. The federal indictment charged Freeman with possession of crack cocaine with the intent to distribute. He is in jail pending a bond hearing scheduled for next week. Iverson has referred to Freeman as his mentor while growing up in Newport News and Hampton. The Denver Nuggets guard calls Freeman his “dad”
*Chris “Ludacris” Bridges will be among the guest lecturers subbing for a real university professor in the MTV series “Stand In,” which invites artists to take command of a college course. Meanwhile, Ludacris premieres a new season of his XM satellite radio show "Disturbing Tha Peace Presents: Ludacris' Open Mic" on Sept. 8 on channel 66. The rapper-turned-actor says of the new season: "My show on XM is the most entertaining hour of radio, period. And it only gets better with time."
*Robert Downey Jr. has signed on to star opposite Jamie Foxx in “The Soloist,” a fact-based drama about a world class violinist who ended up homeless on L.A.’s Skid Row. As previously reported, Foxx will play Nathaniel Ayers, the homeless man whose music career was derailed when he developed schizophrenia and could not continue. Downey has been cast as Steve Lopez, the Los Angeles Times columnist who discovered Ayers. Through his columns written about the musician, Lopez developed a close relationship with Ayers that changed both their lives. The DreamWorks film is based on Lopez's columns, as well as a book he wrote that will be published by Putnam next spring.
*A biography on famed R&B vocalist Phyllis Hyman – who rose to fame in the 80s with such hits as “Old Friend” and “You Know How To Love Me” Titled “Strength of a Woman: The Phyllis Hyman Story,” the biography “explores the tormented soul that existed beneath Hyman’s statuesque beauty and captivating stage presence.” Author Jason A. Michael founded JAM Books to release the project after a number of major publishers turned him down, stating no one remembered Hyman and there would be no market for the book.
*Authorities in Los Angeles have officially cleared John Singleton of any wrongdoing after he struck and killed a pedestrian with his vehicle Thursday night in Los Angeles. LAPD spokesman Jason Lee says: "This is being treated as an unfortunate accident. There will be no criminal charges. Mr. Singleton stopped and identified himself as required by law and was not under the influence of drugs and alcohol. He was questioned and released." According to reports, 57-year-old Constance Russell of Los Angeles was jaywalking across an unspecified street at approximately 8 p.m. in L.A.’s Jefferson Park neighborhood when she stepped into the path of Singleton’s Lexus SUV. The film director waited at the scene until police and paramedics arrived and transported Russell to a nearby hospital. She was pronounced dead early Friday morning.
*Jennifer Lopez is developing a new television series set in the world of Quinceaneras, a cultural event in the Latin community that celebrates a girl’s 15th birthday. Each episode would focus on a different girl and on how her family and cultural background play into planning the event. The project from Lopez’s Nuyorican Prods. banner is based on an original idea by Jane Startz, who produced the film and TV series based on the popular "The Baby-Sitters Club" books. There are also plans to develop a series of young adult books, Latin music-inspired CDs and potentially other franchise properties based on the project that would target female tweens.
*If the cast of “Dancing With the Stars” announced today on “Good Morning America” differs from the group of celebrities leaked Monday to TMZ.com, then ABC was successful in its attempt to circumvent possible moles within its ranks. According to the Web site, executives at the network feared the cast would be leaked before this morning’s official announcement, so they gave the show’s staff and crew a list of names that “may or may not be 100% accurate,” says TMZ.
*Lil Kim has been tapped to co-host a celebrity basketball game this winter to call attention toward health issues facing the African American community. The event, sponsored by the New Jersey Stem Cell Research and Education Foundation (NJSCREF), will take place on December 1, from 5 to 9 p.m. at Essex County College in Newark, New Jersey. “There is a serious health crisis in minority communities. Lil’ Kim has joined forces with Preserve Our Legacy and NJSCREF to focus on enhancing awareness and supplying the resources that will save lives, today,” said Tafia L. Allah-Pringle, publicist for the rapper's Lil’ Kim Cares Foundation.
*Bo Diddley, 78, was in stable condition at a hospital in Gainesville, Fla. after suffering a heart attack, his publicist said Tuesday. HENDRIX EXPERIENCE TOUR TAPS GUY, RANDOLPH: Musicians to appear on five-city trek through East coast. *Buddy Guy, Robert Randolph, Jonny Lang and Kenny Wayne Shepherd are among the guitarists joining the five-city Experience Hendrix tour, which begins Oct. 16 in Washington, D.C., and wraps Oct. 20 in Waterbury, Conn. According to Billboard.com, The Jimi Hendrix Experience rhythm section of bassist Billy Cox and drummer Mitch Mitchell will also appear on the dates. Here are the Experience Hendrix Tour dates: Oct. 16: Washington, D.C. (Constitution Hall) Oct. 17: New York (Beacon Theatre) Oct. 18: Hampton Beach, N.H. (Casino Ballroom) Oct. 19: Atlantic City, N.J. (Trump Casino) Oct. 20: Waterbury, Conn. (Palace Theatre)
*Electronic Arts has announced that Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08, featuring the breakthrough new GamerNet and Photo Game Face features, is now available in retail stores. GamerNet, an interactive gaming hub that hosts user-created gameplay online, records every shot on every hole of a player's game. With an on-line connection, gamers can then upload their most amazing performances on GamerNet and then earn points and bragging rights by posting video clips for other gamers to play against and by matching challenges set by others. With Photo Game Face, players will now be able to replicate themselves in the game, down to the finest detail. By simply uploading real-life photographs, players can create in-game characters that look exactly like the real thing with no artistic skill required. *In other video game news, NBA Live 08 cover athlete Gilbert Arenas (Washington Wizards) will host the NBA Live Summer Camp taking place today (Aug. 29) at EA Canada in Vancouver, B.C. Along with Arenas, NBA stars Paul Pierce (Boston Celtics), Josh Howard (Dallas Mavericks), Monta Ellis (Golden State Warriors), Shawn Marion (Phoenix Suns) and Randy Foye (Minnesota
*Verizon Wireless and Universal Music Group (UMG) are teaming to allow Verizon Wireless customers to personalize their wireless phones with Ringtones by music icon Bob Marley. Featured tones will include music off of the Island Records / Tuff Gong / UMe 1984 Bob Marley & The Wailers greatest hits collection, "Legend," the best-selling reggae album of all-time. *Keyshia Cole becomes the first female in the history of the 14-year old Nielsen BDS-based Urban chart to land three consecutive No. 1s as a lead artist – as her hit single "Let It Go" climbs 3-1. "Let It Go," which features Missy Elliott and Lil Kim, follows "I Should Have Cheated," which topped the list in December 2005, and "Love," from April 2006. In between "Love" and "Let It Go." As previously reported, Cole will perform the National Anthem on Sept. 6 before the Indianapolis Colts square off with the New Orleans Saints. The game starts at 8 p.m. on NBC. Her new album, “Just Like You,” is set for release on Sept. 25. *Rihanna says she had a memorable meeting with Def Jam executives, including president Jay-Z, during negotiations for her record deal. She tells FemaleFirst.com: "The audition definitely went well. They (Def Jam) locked me into the office - till 3a.m. And Jay Z said, 'There's only two ways out. Out the door after you sign this deal. Or through this window...' *“American Idol” winner Jordin Sparks, 17, said she promised her parents at age 13 that she would refrain from sex until the night of her wedding. She explains to WENN: "My parents gave me a purity ring and talked to me about waiting until I'm married to have sex. It wasn't forced; it just made perfect sense. It's going to be awesome to say to my husband that I waited my whole life for him." *The Recording Academy has announced the launch of Grammy Brand, its high-end fashion and merchandising collection for men and women celebrating the intersection of fashion and music and inspired by the Grammy Awards.
*Russell Simmons, Ziggy Marley and Christy Turlington are participating in the Global Mala Project, an international effort that aims to use yoga-centered events to raise awareness and funds for global causes on the United Nations' International Day of Peace. Dozens of events – to benefit charitable groups dedicated to fighting global warming and AIDS – will be held in 30 countries, including Israel, Africa, India, Australia and the United States, beginning Sept. 21. *Jennifer Holliday will perform in concert at the Herbst Theatre in San Francisco (401 Van Ness Ave.) on Nov. 24 at 8 p.m. Backed by an 11-piece band, the singer is expected to perform her songs from Dreamgirls and other Broadway musicals as well as jazz standards, gospel tunes and a tribute to Ella Fitzgerald. Tickets, priced $37.50-$77.50, are available by calling *Wu Tang Clan members RZA and GZA are participating in the Hip-Hop Chess Foundation's first-ever Chess Kings Invitational, scheduled to take place Oct. 13 at the San Francisco Design Center. The rappers will participate on the tournament's Life Strategies panel about how music, martial arts and chess — activities the organization uses to promote nonviolence — have affected their lives.
*The nation's poverty rate dropped last year, the first significant decline since President Bush took office, reports the Associated Press. The Census Bureau reported Tuesday that 36.5 million Americans, or The last significant decline in the poverty rate came in 2000, during the Clinton administration. In 2005, the poverty rate dipped from The poverty numbers are good economic news at a time when financial markets have been rattled by a slumping housing market. However, the numbers released Tuesday represent economic conditions from a year ago. The poverty level is the official measure used to decide eligibility for federal health, housing, nutrition and child care benefits. It differs by family size and makeup. For a family of four with two children, for example, the poverty level is $20,444. The poverty rate — the percentage of people living below poverty — helps shape the debate on the health of the nation's economy. The figures were released at a news conference by David Johnson, chief of the Census Bureau's Housing and Household Economic Statistics Division.
DVD Review by Kam Williams *House of Games just might be the best multi-layered mystery ever made. Originally released in 1987, this intriguing whodunit marked the directorial debut of Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright David Mamet (for Glengarry Glen Ross), who had already made quite a name for himself in theater before turning his attention to film. Set in Seattle, the movie stars Joe Mantegna as Mike, the brains behind an elaborate scheme to fleece Dr. Margaret Ford (Lindsay Crouse) of a small fortune. Ford, a public intellectual, is a famous psychiatrist with a self help book entitled "Driven" currently sitting atop the best seller list. She becomes ensnared in the trap of his gang of con men when she decides to help Billy (Steven Goldstein), a patient who informs her during a session that his life is being threatened by mobsters he owes money to. Margaret takes a personal interest in the compulsive gambler's predicament feeling he shouldn't die over a few thousand dollars. So, she makes her way to a bar on the seedy side of town to confront Mike. However, when she finds him in the midst of a high-stakes poker game, he takes her aside and offers to forgive Billy's debt provided she first poses as his girlfriend to help him win a big pot by cheating. Her adrenaline flowing, she agrees, obviously intrigued by the idea of participating in a scam. But what Margaret doesn't know is that everyone there is in on it, and that, in fact, she's the only person sitting around the card table being duped. This cleverly-concealed trick is only the first of many mind-bending twists which ensue, as the well-meaning doctor gradually ends up hopelessly ensnared with a criminal element intent on taking her for all she's worth. Since it would be unfair to spoil even a moment more of this perfectly-plotted masterpiece, all you need to know is that it landed on this critic's Best Movies of the Millennium List in 2000. Excellent (4 stars) EUR DVD REVIEW: Blades of Glory DVD Review by Kam Williams
Chazz is macho with a lot of bravado, while effeminate Jimmy is generally given to displays of flamboyance. The two detest each other so much that one day they come to blows on the podium while receiving co-gold medals, an infraction which leaves them both banned from the sport seemingly for life. But due to a loophole in the rules, they learn a few years later that they can resume their careers, provided they're willing to bury the hatchet and perform as partners in the pairs' competition. Coaxed back to the ice by Jimmy's coach (Craig T. Nelson), they grudgingly agree to the novel arrangement and start training to take on the reigning champs, the brother-sister team of Stranz (Will Arnett) and Fairchild (Amy For, the carefully-coordinated stunts in their new routine call for fairly explicit crotch cupping, crotch smelling, crotch rubbing and crotch raising opportunities, sight gags likely to elicit cheap laughs from heterosexuals who feel uneasy about the continuous close proximity of the boys' bodies. The movie might have been deemed homophobic were it not for the fact that flaming Jimmy turns out not to be gay, a surprising development designed to put the audience at ease when he takes a romantic interest in the Van Waldenberg's younger sister, Katie (Jenna Fischer). So, after enjoying a boatload of genderbending jokes, everybody gets an 11th hour dispensation since Jimmy was really straight all along. A no harm-no foul feelgood flick featuring cameo appearances by Olympic skating greats Scott Hamilton, Brian Boitano, Peggy Fleming, Dorothy Hamill, Nancy Kerrigan, and Sasha Cohen, but not Tonya Harding. Very good (3 stars)
"Without self-confidence we are as babes in the cradle. And how can we generate this imponderable quality, which is yet so invaluable, most quickly? By thinking that other people are inferior to oneself." — Virginia Woolf
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