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12-21-07 EUR ALL ON ONE PAGE
R. KELLY IN COURT EARLY: Singer avoids arrest after bench warrant issued Wednesday following no-show.
*The judge presiding over R. Kelly's child pornography case Thursday was not trying to hear any excuses from the singer as to why he failed to appear the previous day for his scheduled court hearing.
A bench warrant was issued Wednesday when Kelly missed his 9 a.m.
court date. He avoided arrest yesterday by showing up to the Chicago courtroom, with 20 minutes to spare, even. The crooner's lawyer, Ed Genson, explained again Thursday that Kelly's absence was due to his tour bus being stopped by Utah police after a log showed the driver hadn't had enough rest.
But Judge Vincent Gaughan had no sympathy for the R&B superstar, saying he was "very disappointed" that Kelly, in the midst of a concert tour, failed to show up on Wednesday.
The Cook County judge said he'll decide today whether Kelly's bond should be revoked because of the missed court date. Gaughan also said he would set a trial date today.
Earlier this week, Kelly canceled a scheduled Thursday night show in Minneapolis. He's next scheduled to perform tonight in Chicago.
KEYS, LATIFAH, J-HUD, OKONEDO HAVE A 'SECRET': Quartet joins Dakota Fanning in new coming-of-age film.
*Queen Latifah, Jennifer Hudson and Sophie Okonedo will share the same screen in "The Secret Life of Bees," a female-oriented coming-of-age story for Fox Searchlight.
Alicia Keys and Dakota Fanning are in final negotiations to join the ensemble cast, to be directed by "Love & Basketball" helmer Gina Prince-Bythewood.
Based on the best-selling novel by Sue Monk Kidd and set in the 1960s South, "Bees" follows teenager Lily Owens (Fanning) and her friend Rosaleen (Hudson) who run away from home to escape their harsh upbringing and seek to uncover the mysteries of Lily's late mother. Along the way, they encounter three beekeeping sisters (Latifah, Okonedo, Keys) who take the pair into their South Carolina home.
The film is scheduled to begin shooting next month in North Carolina for a planned release date in late 2008.
FANTASIA SAYS SHE'S NOT PREGNANT: Plus, her 'Color Purple' successor has been announced.
*A rep for Fantasia Barrino has come forward to shut down reports that "The Color Purple" star is expecting a child with rapper Young Dro.
"Fantasia is not pregnant and the Internet rumors are entirely untrue," Barrino's publicist told Us magazine.com.
Meanwhile, her Broadway run as Miss Celie in "The Color Purple" is scheduled to end on Jan. 6. Actress Zonya Love was announced Thursday as her replacement beginning on Jan. 9.
As previously reported, Jan. 9 will also mark the arrival of Chaka Khan and Bebe Winans in the roles of, respectively, Sofia and Harpo.
Additionally, LaKisha Jones, who joined the cast Dec. 19 in the role of the Church Soloist, will play Sofia at matinee performances beginning Jan. 9.
For tickets call (212) 239-6200, visit the Broadway Theatre box office at 1681 Broadway or visit the Web site at www.colorpurple.com.
T.O. BACKTRACKS FROM JESSICA SIMPSON REMARKS: Cowboys receiver says his comments were just jokes.
*Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Terrell Owens says he was only kidding when stating earlier this week that Jessica Simpson, the girlfriend of his quarterback Tony Romo, may have been the reason for her man's poor performance against the Eagles on Sunday.
"I tried to get [Romo] to call her so I can explain to her that she doesn't really know me and that I can be funny," Owens told the Dallas Morning News. "And that everything I say, the media will take it and run with it. It's not a big deal. I will try to rectify the situation between her and I."
The drama started Sunday night after the Cowboys' 10-6 loss at Texas Stadium. Throughout the game, Simpson was shown wearing Romo's No. 9 jersey while cheering him on in a private skybox.
Romo's worst statistical performance before Sunday was at a home game against Philly last December, when his then-girlfriend Carrie Underwood was in attendance. Cowboys fans and bloggers began putting two and two together, believing the presence of Romo's girlfriends at Texas stadium may put a jinx on the quarterback.
Following Sunday's loss, Owens told the Morning News that Simpson was "not a fan favorite" in Dallas and that "I think a lot of people feel like she's probably taking [Romo's] focus away."
On Thursday, after his comments were picked up by the media, Owens called Romo, who had already discussed the issue with Simpson, to explain that he was joking.
"I guess she was kind of upset about it," Owens said, according to the Associated Press. "(I) just told him I would do whatever I can to rectify the situation. That's about it."
Owens said the call "wasn't necessarily an apology."
"I was just kind of explaining to him what kind of happened during the course of the (interview) session," Owens said. "I kind of told him what was said, and he kind of expressed what Jessica had told him. I was like, 'Look, dude, it wasn't meant like that. Everybody was having fun, and I was saying what I had to say. There it is, it's a big story.'"
TONY PARKER FILES LAWSUIT OVER AFFAIR RUMOR: Spur sues Web site that claimed he was dating a French model.
*After repeated denials of an affair with French model Alexandra Paressant, San Antonio Spurs guard Tony Parker hopes to clear his name once and for all by suing the Web site that first reported the story.
The husband of TV star Eva Longoria is seeking $40 million in damages from X17online.com, alleging it posted a series of "false and defamatory" stories claiming Parker cheated on his wife.
"This is false. It never happened. And X17 had to know that the story was false, or, at the very least, it had to have entertained serious doubts about the credibility of its supposed source," stated the lawsuit filed Wednesday in Los Angeles Superior Court.
The filing also alleged that X17 never contacted Parker, Longoria or their representatives before running the stories, and refused to retract them after being told the claims were false.
In the X17article, Paressant says French soccer star Thierry Henry introduced her to Parker while both were at his wedding last summer.
"No one from X17 attempted to contact Mr. Henry, who ... would have told them in no uncertain terms that this woman was not at the wedding," the lawsuit said, adding that Parker has never met anyone named Alexandra Paressant."If this woman exists, he has no way of knowing whether she is one of the many fans who have, from time to time, managed to obtain his cell phone number and called or left messages or who may have engaged him in conversation."
Parker is seeking damages for defamation and invasion of privacy. The lawsuit seeks a court injunction ordering X17 to stop publishing the stories.
WILL SMITH'S 'PURSUIT' PAYS OFF IN CHINA: Film's scheduled release in Jan. breaks country's ban on Hollywood movies.
*Film import officials in China have lifted their ban on Hollywood films by announcing that Will Smith's 2006 drama "The Pursuit of Happyness"
will be allowed in local theaters beginning next month.
The unofficial ban of imported films, earlier denied by China Film Group executives, was thought to have come down from high in the Communist government, which long has moved to prevent what it calls "pollution" of local culture and to protect the struggling Chinese film industry, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Smith, in Hong Kong earlier this month to promote his new film, "I Am Legend," publicly expressed disappointment that few of his films had managed to gain entry to China, and unofficially lobbied officials to soften the ban.
Talk of a reported three-month embargo on American films was dispelled this week by China Film Group Import Export Co deputy manager Yuan Wenqiang, who said of the re-titled Columbia Pictures release: "'Happiness Knocks at the Door' is coming in January. We are planning what day to release it."
Chinese movie theater owners and operators who make the bulk of their money in China from imported films expressed hope that the release of "Happyness" in January would signal that other imports also would soon be allowed.
"I am happy about it, but so far it's the only one," said Wayne Zhang, general manager of the Xinyinglian cinema, to the Hollywood Reporter.
"Hollywood films have done really well this year, so a lot of theater owners will be happy. Chinese or foreign, we're happy if the movies are good,"
Zhang said.
"Happyness" was submitted for import approval in the spring and at first was granted a Dec. 30 release date, said a Hollywood studio executive who declined to be named. The film now has been granted a Jan. 17, 2008, release date and will be screened on 350-380 screens in digital projection theaters.
'LEGEND'; LATIFAH, RUBY DEE NAB SAG NODS: 'Betty's' Vanessa also scores nomination from 14th annual Screen Actors Guild awards.
*Box office behemoth "I Am Legend" and actresses Ruby Dee, Queen Latifah and Vanessa Williams all scored nominations from the 14th annual Screen Actors Guild awards, to be presented Jan. 27 in a ceremony televised on TNT and TBS.
On the film side, "Legend" is among the first movies to receive a nomination in the SAG awards' inaugural stunt ensemble category, which honors the year's best stunt teams. Veteran actress Ruby Dee was nominated for her work as the mother of Harlem drug lord Frank Lucas in "American Gangster."
In the television category, Latifah's performance in HBO's "Life Support" received a nod for best actress in a movie or miniseries, and Vanessa L. Williams was nominated best actress in a comedy series for her role as Wilhelmina Slater in ABC's "Ugly Betty."
Also, the cast of CBS' drama "The Unit," starring Dennis Haysbert as the leader of a top-secret military unit, was nominated in the stunt ensemble category for television.
Film and TV nominees were chosen by two groups of 2,100 people randomly chosen from the guild's 120,000 members. The guild's full membership is eligible to vote for winners.
Unlike the Academy Awards and the Golden Globes, which are currently in disarray due to the writers strike, the guild awards look as though they can go off as planned, the Associated Press reports. With actors showing strong solidarity on strike issues, SAG has reached an agreement with the Writers Guild of America for one of its members to write the ceremony.
B.I.G.'S SECONDARY WRONGFUL DEATH CASE DISMISSED: Judge says family didn't file claim in required timeframe.
*The family of slain rapper Notorious B.I.G. suffered yet another setback in its battle to receive justice in his March 1997 unsolved murder.
A judge on Tuesday dismissed a secondary wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family against the city of Los Angeles and former LAPD officer Rafael Pérez.
U.S. District Judge Florence-Marie Cooper ruled that the family had not filed a claim within the designated timeframe, according to LA's Fox 11.
She then granted a request made by the city and jailed former cop Rafael Perez to dismiss the case.
Perez had been accused by the family of conspiring with his ex-partner David Mack to carry out a murder hit on Biggie. In 2005 Judge Cooper declared a mistrial in the original suit filed by the rapper's family.
According to Fox 11, the parties involved in the still-pending primary suit agreed last week to enter into mediation. As a result, the trial, scheduled for February, will be postponed indefinitely.
BOOTSY TO HOST JAMES BROWN TRIBUTE SHOW: Chuck D, Lil' Boosie, the JBs to perform at benefit concert.
*Funk icon Bootsy Collins, a bass player for James Brown during the late sixties and early seventies, is hosting a tribute concert in honor of his mentor outside of Cincinnati in Covington, Ky, reports Billboard.
The event, to take place tomorrow (Dec. 22) at the Madison Theater, will include performances by Chuck D, rapper Lil' Boosie, guitarist Buckethead, bassist Freekbass and Brown's most recent band, The Soul Generals. Also scheduled to appear are members of the JB's, Brown's original backing unit, as well as his longtime MC Danny Ray.
"We didn't want a rock star hoopla kind of thing," said Collins, who started working at King Records when he was 15 and was touring the world with Brown by the time he was 17. "I want to keep the focus on Mr. Brown; I don't want people to forget what he's done. To me, he's like the Martin Luther King Jr. of music."
Proceeds from the concert will go toward the rebuilding of Brown's early recording home, Cincinnati-based King Records, and the eventual launch of a museum.
Collins said his hometown city of Cincinnati is also in support of the museum, which the funk bassist hopes will include an interactive experience whereby young people can learn about music and instruments, participate in workshops and perform live.
ADEWALE PLAYS WITH 'G.I. JOE': Actor grabs role in live adaptation of popular cartoon series.
*Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, last seen as Mr. Eko on the ABC series "Lost," has been cast in a forthcoming live action movie based on the military doll, comic book and cartoon series, "G.I. Joe."
The original cartoon featured military soldiers fighting a terrorist group called Cobra, with characters like the mute ninja Snake Eyes (Park) among the good guys.
In the upcoming Paramount production, "G.I. Joe" stands for Global Integrated Joint Operating Entity, an international force of operatives set in Brussels. Akinnuoye-Agbaje, a British born actor of Nigerian descent, will play an ordnance expert in the Stephen Sommers-directed project.
Rachel Nichols will play a skilled martial artist who specializes in hand-to-hand combat and counterintelligence. Said Taghmaoui ("The Kite
Runner") has signed on to portray the team's communications specialist, while Diddy's one-time rumored flame Sienna Miller will play the Baroness, known for her espionage skills.
"G.I. Joe" is slated for release in August 2009.
ALICIA HAS KEY TO BILLBOARD'S CHRISTMAS CHART: Artist remains at No. 1 on Hot 100 and R&B/Hip-Hop lists.
*Alicia Keys is the hottest thing in music this Christmas, with her single "No One" remaining atop the Billboard Hot 100 for a fifth consecutive week and the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart for a 10th straight frame.
Meanwhile, Keys just may dethrone herself atop Billboard with "Like You'll Never See Me Again," her second single from new album "As I Am." That cut moves up 3-2 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and 19-13 on the Hot 100.
Flo-Rida's "Low" featuring T-Pain is the Hot 100's fastest-growing track at radio, and trades places 3-2 with Timbaland's "Apologize" featuring OneRepublic. Chris Brown's "Kiss Kiss" featuring T-Pain holds at No. 4, as does Fergie's "Clumsy" at No. 5 and Colbie Caillat's "Bubbly" at No. 6.
The Hot 100's top tier is rounded out by Finger Eleven's "Paralyzer,"
up to a new high with an 8-7 move, Jordin Sparks' "Tattoo" (10-8), Rihanna's "Hate That I Love You" featuring Ne-Yo (7-9) and Kanye West's "Good Life"
featuring T-Pain (9-10).
LATIFAH SURVIVES STRIKE-ALTERED 'PEOPLE'S CHOICE': Artist will remain as host of revamped awards show, which now has no live audience.
*The writers strike has caused its first awards show casualty. The People's Choice Awards will still be hosted by Queen Latifah, but the ceremony will not have its traditional red carpet, live audience or acceptance speeches.
Producers have instead opted for a "magazine-style format," where winners will give their acceptance remarks via video rather than from a stage in an auditorium, reports People magazine. Winners will also answer questions emailed by fans.
"Obviously, we realized there are pressing issues facing the entertainment industry," says show spokeswoman Jeannie Tharrington. "Out of respect for all the people involved, we decided we would use this opportunity to use a new format."
The Latifah-hosted People's Choice Awards is scheduled to air Jan. 8 on CBS.
DMX SIGNS NEW RECORD DEAL: Artist joins Bodog Music to release two new albums.
*Rapper DMX has signed a worldwide recording deal with the music division of Canadian online gaming company Bodog Entertainment to release two new albums next year, "Walk With Me Now" and "You’ll Fly With Me Later."
"I'm thankful for the fact that Bodog believes in me, that we share the same vision and the fact that they see in me the same thing I see,” said the rapper, who was last signed to Sony. “I'll show Bodog Music how it's supposed to be done, and we'll get to where we're supposed to be. You got a dog for life."
The rapper's new album will include producers Swizz Beatz as well as guest appearances from members of his Ruff Ryders crew.
DMX, born Earl Simmons, joins a Bodog roster that features Wu-Tang Clan, Warren G., My American Heart, Bif Naked, Neurosonic and others.
Bodog, which also distributes Warcon Records and several film soundtracks in Europe, including "Little Miss Sunshine" and "Nacho Libre,"
produces the mixed-martial arts TV show "Bodog Fight," as well as the worldwide "Bodog Battle of the Bands" competition, which awards the winning unsigned band with a $1 million dollar recording deal.
UNDERWOOD AMONG ESSENCE LITERARY AWARD NOMS: Magazine announces list in categories ranging from Fiction to Photography.
*Blair Underwood, Victoria Rowell and Edwidge Danticat are among the authors announced as finalists for the first-annual 2008 Essence Literary Awards, to be held Feb. 7 at Le Parker Meridien in Los Angeles.
As previously reported, Terry McMillan has been selected to receive a lifetime achievement award during the invitation-only event, which is designed to celebrate established and emerging African-American authors.
Each of the finalists—in the categories of Fiction; Non-Fiction; Children's Books; Poetry; Memoir; Inspiration; Current Affairs; and Photography—will be judged by a blue ribbon panel of influential publishing experts. All winners will be announced during the event.
2008 ESSENCE LITERARY AWARDS FINALISTS
FICTION:
Red River by Lalita Tademy/Grand Central Publishing Casanegra by Blair Underwood, Steven Barnes and Tananarive Due/Atria The Pirate¹s Daughter by Margaret Cezair-Thompson/Unbridled Books New England White by Stephen L. Carter/Knopf Knots by Nuruddin Farah/Riverhead
MEMOIR:
Brother, I’m Dying by Edwidge Danticat/Knopf The Women Who Raised Me by Victoria Rowell/William Morrow Alek by Alek Wek/Amistad One Drop by Bliss Broyard/Little, Brown and Co.
A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah/Farrar, Straus and Giroux
INSPIRATION:
Reposition Yourself by TD Jakes/Atria
>From the Heart by Robin Roberts/Hyperion
Quiet Strength by Tony Dungy/Tyndale
Do You! by Russell Simmons/Penguin
How Strong Women Pray by Bonnie St. John/Faith Words
NON-FICTION:
The Bond by Sampson Davis, George Jenkins and Rameck Hunt/Riverhead
Friends: A Love Story by Angela Bassett and Courtney B. Vance/Harlequin I Got Your Back by Eddie and Gerald Levert/Harlem Moon Foreigners by Caryl Phillips/Knopf Supreme Discomfort by Michael Fletcher and Kevin Merida/Doubleday
CURRENT AFFAIRS:
Come on People by Bill Cosby/Thomas Nelson The Covenant in Action by Tavis Smiley/Smiley Books An Unbroken Agony by Randall Robinson/Basic Civitas Know What I Mean? By Michael Eric Dyson/Perseus Books Group Twice As Good by Marcus Mabry/Modern Times
PHOTOGRAPHY:
Daufuskie Island by Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe/University of South Carolina Press Pop by Carol Ross/Stewart, Tabori & Chang Jimi Hendrix by Janie Hendrix/Atria Let Your Motto Be Resistance edited by Deborah Willis/Smithsonian Press Jewels by Michael Cunningham and Connie Briscoe/Little, Brown and Co.
CHILDREN’S BOOKS:
Henry’s Freedom Box by Ellen Levine illustrated by Kadir Nelson/Scholastic Sugar Cane: A Caribbean Rapunzel by Patricia Storace and Raul Colon/Jump at the Sun Marvelous World by Troy Cle/Simon & Schuster¹s Children¹s Publishing The Shadow Speaker by Nnedi Okorafor-mbachu/Jump at the Sun Salli Gal and the Wall-a-Kee Man by Sheila P. Moses/Scholastic
POETRY:
Duende by Tracy K. Smith/Graywolf Press
Acolytes by Nikki Giovanni/William Morrow Totem by Gregory Pardlo/American Poetry Review
STORYTELLER OF THE YEAR:
Eric Jerome Dickey
Lori Bryant-Woolridge
Trisha R. Thomas
L.A. Banks
Tananarive Due
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD:
*Terry McMillan (*previously announced)
ITTY BITTY BITS: 'Thriller,' '1999' in Grammy Hall; GQ nabs Naomi; AT&T's top ringtones; H&M nabs Rihanna; Snoop in AZ; 'Raw' Cube; Katt's 'Hustle'.
*Michael Jackson's "Thriller," on the verge of celebrating its 25th anniversary, has been selected among the 70 announced entries into the Grammy Hall of Fame. Also making the list is Jackson's 1979 album "Off the Wall," Prince's 1982 double album "1999," Dionne Warwick's 1967 single "Alfie," George Benson's 1973 album "Breezin'," Jimmy Cliff's 1973 album "The Harder They Come," Sister Sledge's 1979 anthem "We Are Family" and Marian Anderson's 1963 gospel single, "He's Got The Whole World In Hi Hands."
*Look out Woodward and Bernstein, here comes Naomi Campbell. The British model will extend her stint as a journalist by following up her gig as a political reporter for a British publication with an assignment to interview high-profile political figures for GQ magazine, reports the San Francisco Chronicle. Campbell's first subject has been listed as Hugo Chavez, President of Venezuela, whom she met earlier this year. She is also rumored to be lining up questions for a possible meeting with reclusive Cuban dictator Fidel Castro.
*AT&T on Thursday announced its top 10 most downloaded ringtones of
2007:
1. Shop Boyz - "Party Like a Rockstar"; 2. Mims - "This Is Why I'm Hot"; 3.
Soulja Boy - "Crank That (Soulja Boy)"; 4. Nickelback - "Rockstar"; 5. Akon
- "Don't Matter";6. T-Pain - "Buy You A Drank (Shawty Snappin)"; 7.
Hurricane Chris -"A Bay Bay"; 8. Sean Kingston - "Beautiful Girls"; 9. Huey
- "Pop, Lock & Drop It"; 10. Fergie - "Big Girls Don't Cry."
*Rihanna, Timbaland and Ziggy Marley are supporters of Swedish fashion chain Hennes & Mauritz (H&M) AB's new clothing collection aimed at spreading awareness of HIV and AIDS among young people and raising money for projects to battle the disease. The collection, dubbed "Fashion Against AIDS," features T-shirts, tank tops and hooded sweaters featuring specially designed prints that will be available in stores in February. Twenty-five percent of the proceeds will be donated to HIV and AIDS prevention projects around the world.
*Rappers Snoop Dogg and Kid Rock have booked performances gigs scheduled to coincide with Superbowl weekend in Scottsdale, Arizona. Snoop is set to take the stage on Friday, Feb. 1, as part of the Anheuser Busch Bud Bowl at Axis/Radius. Kid Rock is due to perform the following night during the Valley for the Bud Bowl show. Tickets to the events are being given away through local radio promotions.
*Ice Cube has decided to name his upcoming studio album "Raw Footage," according to MTV News. "It'll be out next year," he said. "It's better than anything you've ever heard before."
*The television premiere of "Katt Williams: American Hustle" airs on Comedy Central Sunday, Jan. 13 at 10 p.m. Joined by comics Luenell, Red Grant and Melanie Comarcho, Williams takes his unique brand of stand-up comedy on the road – encountering such stars as Snoop Dogg, Jeremy Piven and Ludacris. Once he reaches Chicago, Williams gives viewers the low-down on sex, drugs, celebrities and the N-word. The comedian currently stars in the films "The Perfect Holiday" and the upcoming "First Sunday."
EVENT CALENDAR: Luda-Crismas in Atlanta; Mos Def's 'Sneakers' in San Francisco.
*Tomorrow afternoon (Dec. 22) in Atlanta, Ludacris and Disturbing the Peace will host the Luda-Crismas in Winter Wonderland, a special Christmas party for a group of approximately 150 Atlanta-area children between the ages of 6 and 12, as part of the Ludacris Foundation’s Luda Cares initiative. The event will be held at the Woodruff Arts Center in Midtown Atlanta. The children, chosen from various communities in the Atlanta area, will attend a special screening of "Fred Claus." They will also be treated to games, entertainment, great food, an opportunity to take pictures with Santa Claus and their own "Build-A-Bear Workshop."
*Rapper Mos Def will host the "Sneakers Required: New Years Eve Ball 2008" in San Francisco at Terra SF (511 Howard St.). Neo-soul artist Goapele is scheduled to perform. "Sneakers Required" guests are only granted admittance when they don their best sneakers to bring in the new year, and all are urged to bring a pair of old sneakers for charity. Women can obtain a "pump pass." For more info or to buy tickets see more info visit www.going.com/terraNYE08.
DOZENS IN NOLA PEPPER-SPRAYED OVER HUD PROTEST: Police also use stun guns to stop group from forcing their way into City Council chamber.
*Police in New Orleans used chemical spray and stun guns Thursday as dozens of protesters tried to force their way into a packed City Council chamber during a debate on the planned demolition of some 4,500 public housing units, reports the Associated Press.
One woman was sprayed with chemicals and dragged from the gates. She was taken away on a stretcher by emergency officials. Before that, the woman was seen pouring water from a bottle into her eyes and weeping.
Another woman said she was stunned by officers, and still had what appeared to be a Taser wire hanging from her shirt.
"I was just standing, trying to get into my City Council meeting,"
said the woman, Kim Ellis, who was taken away in an ambulance.
"Is this what democracy looks like?" said Bill Quigley, a Loyola University law professor who opposes demolition, as he held a strand of Taser wire he said had been shot into another of the protesters. Quigley said he would explore legal action over the incident, which he believed violated public meetings laws.
Protesters said they pushed against the iron gates that kept them out of the building because the Housing Authority of New Orleans had disproportionately allowed supporters of the demolition to pack the chambers. After roughly 30 minutes of on-again-off-again struggle to get into the meeting, protesters fell back, continuously chanting with bullhorns. An afternoon storm thinned the protesters, some of whom had been waiting since 7 a.m. to enter.
At the peak of the confusion, some 70 protesters were facing about a dozen mounted police and 40 more law enforcement officers on foot. One sheriff's deputy wept on the city hall side of the gate and was comforted by his comrades.
A vote on the demolitions, required by the city charter before the work can begin, was expected in the late afternoon.
The demolition debate has at times exposed class and race divisions in the city — most public housing residents are black, as were many of the protesters, while the City Council is majority white. However, support for demolition among those who spoke at the meeting crossed racial lines.
"It's about being able to walk into a house and say this is a house, not a project," said Donna Johnigan, a black public housing resident who supports redevelopment and who has clashed with residents from other housing complexes. "What we're going to demand is better housing, better schools."
HUD wants to demolish the buildings, most of them damaged by Hurricane Katrina, so developers can take advantage of tax credits and build new mixed-income neighborhoods. HUD says the redevelopment, which was in the works before Katrina hit on Aug. 29, 2005, will mark an end to the city's failed public housing experiment that lumped the poor into crime-ridden complexes and marooned them outside the life of the rest of the city.
Critics say the plan will shrink the stock of cheap housing at a time when housing is scarce and drive poor blacks out of the city. They also say the buildings are, contrary to popular opinion, mostly handsome brick structures that will outlast anything HUD builds in their place.
"It is beyond callous, and can only be seen as malicious discrimination. It is an unabashed attempt to eliminate the black population of New Orleans," said Kali Akuno, an organizer with the Coalition to Stop the Demolition.
WILL SMITH: The I Am Legend Interview with Kam Williams
Will Is Legend
*Will Smith's stratospheric stature in showbiz has only been further enhanced by I Am Legend's record-setting $76.5 million weekend debut for a December release.
The sci-fi adventure marked his seventh straight flick that has opened in the #1 slot at the box office, a run which started with Ali and has also included The Pursuit of Happyness, Hitch, Bad Boys II, Men in Black II and I, Robot.
I Am Legend is the third big-screen adaptation (one, starring Vincent Price, the other, Charlton Heston) of Richard Matheson's post-apocalyptic best seller from 1954 about the desperate struggle of the last man on Earth to survive a scourge that has turned the rest of humanity in a cannibalistic race of zombies.
Here, Will shares his thoughts about the demands of playing virologist Robert Neville, a challenging role which placed him alone on screen for very long stretches at a time.
Kam Williams: Did you have any hesitation about approving a script that would have you carrying so much of the picture alone?
Will Smith: That was the terrifying part about even taking on this film, the idea that there were probably 80 pages of just me and a dog. I thought that although people had enjoyed me in a movie theater before, this might be a little too much Will for anybody. So, I looked at it, and worked with Akiva Goldsman and Mark Protosevich, the writers of the script. We studied POWs and a guy who had been in isolation in prison, and we found the things that could really create the texture of what that truly means to be by yourself.
And the one thing we found that was across the board was schedule. The only way to maintain sanity is that you had to have a regimented schedule. That was the basis of how we tried to create my character in the movie, and then also the idea of his internal monologue. When you have no external stimulus, you lose the stimulus-response concept with your thoughts and feelings. A guy told us you that you forget the names of simple things, when you no
longer have the stimulus and response.
KW: Did you think this film might be scary enough to warrant an R rating instead of the PG-13 it got?
WS: Fortunately, the MPAA gets to make that decision. So, you just show them the movie, and they decide what the rating is.
KW: Why did you decide to release a summer blockbuster-type action film during the holiday season?
WS: That involved a difficult decision-making process for me creatively. Akiva Goldsman and I posed some questions to one another. Why do the big movies come out in the summer, and the good movies come out in the Fall? Why are they separated? Is there any possibility that you could take both and marry those ideas? Take a big concept, yet put a person at the center of it, and follow a character through the reality of whatever that situation is.
So, it was difficult, because we tried to commit to the small, artistic version that stayed true to the feeling and energy of the source material, and yet have that blockbuster package. We knew that people were going to be a little shocked by it in the theater, but hoped that that'd turn out to be a good thing.
KW: Did you feel that it was financially risky to release a big-budgeted, CGI creature feature at Christmastime?
WS: I'm a student of the patterns of the universe. If I can figure out how something is seemingly risky, but I have the numbers on my side, I get really comfortable taking a leap. When I first came to Hollywood, I said to my manager, James Lassiter, "I want to be the biggest movie star in the world!" He said, "Okay, we should probably figure out what they do, and plot a course." So, he went and got the top ten movies of all time. We watched them to try to figure out what were the patterns. And ten out of ten of them were special effects movies. Nine out of ten were special effects movies with creatures. And eight out of ten were special effects movies with creatures and a love story. So, Independence Day was not really a hard call to make when you look at the numbers. Therefore, I Am Legend, in concept, is not a hard call to make.
KW: If you really were the last man on Earth like your character, what would be the one item you'd want to have?
WS: A pistol, because I'm out of here [Laughs].
KW: Did you read the book or watch either of the earlier screen adaptations of I Am Legend?
WS: Yeah, I looked at both of them. And there are a couple versions of the book, also. The idea of being alone and the fear of the dark is such a primal concept. Every four year-old has thought about being separated from their family, and being alone, and it being dark, and what comes out of the dark. So, to me, the idea, in general, is in the collective unconscious.
We're all keyed into these fears. As far as the other film versions, I felt we would be able to bring something new with this film because in the past there's never been this level of technology available to support the weight of this story.
KW: Who inspired you to believe in yourself as a child?
WS: My grandmother thought that I was just the greatest. She always had us playing the piano and kept us in the shows at church. And there was a look of pride that my grandmother would have in her eyes that became the fuel
that I need for life.
KW: Would you describe yourself as a spiritual person?
WS: I believe absolutely, unquestionably that there are forces at work in the universe that science can't explain. And I think that there is an end to human knowledge. And at that end of human knowledge, beyond that into the unknown, we have to call it something in order for us to be able to talk about it. And if people didn't have to attach specific names to it, and want to argue and fight about it, I think that all across the board we could agree to call the unknown beyond what we know, say, The Higher Power. the X-Factor. God. Allah.. Let's just agree that there's something beyond what we know. Things happen that we can't control. There are things like Karma. Not to anthropomorphize, but there are mysteries that seem to have human qualities beyond what we understand. So, I absolutely believe, and I try to tap in and to become a surfer of the dial, to find that energy, whether it's prayer, or other things people do to try to connect to an energy that we all know is out there. So, yes, I believe there's an energy, yes, I try to connect to it, and yes, I try to use it and be in the good graces of that energy to have things in my life go the way I would like them to go.
OPENING THIS WEEK: Kam's Kapsules -- Weekly Previews That Make Choosing a
Film Fun
For movies opening December 21, 2007
by Kam Williams
BIG BUDGET FILMS
Charlie Wilson's War (R for profanity, nudity, sexuality and drug use) Tom Hanks handles the title role in this bio-pic based on the George Crile best seller about a boozing, womanizing Congressman from Texas who, in the early Eighties, helped secretly fund the covert CIA operation in Afghanistan which led to the demise of the Soviet Union. With Philip Seymour Hoffman, Julia Roberts and Ned Beatty.
National Treasure: Book of Secrets (PG for mild violence) Nicolas Cage reprises his role as treasure hunter Ben Gates for another globe-trotting, action-oriented adventure. This go-round, his quest is to clear the name of an ancestor implicated in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln by finding the 18 pages missing from the diary of John Wilkes Booth's diary. Talented cast includes Oscar-winners Cage, Helen Mirren and Jon Voight, and nominees
Harvey Keitel and Ed Harris.
P.S. I Love You (PG-13 for sexual references and brief nudity) Bittersweet drama adapted from Cecilia Ahern's debut novel about a grieving widow (Hilary Swank) who deals with her loss with the help of ten monthly messages magically delivered to her posthumously by her late husband (Gerard Butler).
Cast includes Lisa Kudrow, Gina Gershon, Kathy Bates and Harry Connick, Jr.
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (R for graphic violence) Johnny Depp stars in this adaptation of the hit Broadway musical, set in 19th C. London, about a London barber bent on revenge after being imprisoned for 15 years for a crime he didn't commit. Directed by Tim Burton, and
featuring Helena Bonham Carter, Alan Rickman and Sacha Baron Cohen.
Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (R for profanity, nudity, sexuality and drug
use) Musical parody of the bio-pic genre stars John C. Reilly stars in the titular role as a rock & roll icon who finally settles down with his longtime backup singer (Jenna Fischer) after several failed marriages, sleeping around with over 400 women, fathering 22 children and beating an assortment of drug addictions. With Jonah Hill, Harold Ramis, Morgan Fairchild, Jack Black and Jason Schwartzmann.
INDEPENDENT & FOREIGN FILMS
The District (Unrated) Animated social satire set in Budapest about a gang of teen who travel back in time to alter evolution so that their turf turns out to be oil-rich when they return to the present. (In Hungarian, Romany and English with subtitles)
Flakes (Unrated) quirky comedy, set in New Orleans, about the laid back proprietor (Aaron Stanford) of a restaurant that only serves cereal who finds his surprising success suddenly threatened when a corporate competitor opens a bistro with a similar menu right across the street. With Zooey
Deschanel and Christopher Lloyd.
Steep (PG for sports action and brief profanity) Daredevil documentary chronicles the evolution of extreme skiing from its inception in France during the Seventies to its widespread acceptance today as a legitimate, if seemingly suicidal, sport.
EUR MOTIVATIONAL NOTE
"If you want to make good use of your time, you've got to know what's most important and then give it all you've got." Lee Iacocca:
Philanthropist, former Chrysler CEO, former Ford president
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Dec. 21: Singer Carla Thomas is 65. Actor Samuel L. Jackson is 59.
Singer Betty Wright is 54.
Dec. 22: Rapper Luther Campbell is 47. Singer Jordin Sparks ("American Idol") is 18.
Dec. 23: Quincy Jones III is 39.
WEBSITE OF THE WEEK
LostSeed Ministry's goal is to help today's misled youth find their purpose by discovering the amazing love God has for them. www.Lostseed.com.
Submit your favorite Web site to us along with a 15-20 word (or less) description to info@eurweb.com.
BLACK HISTORY
Dec. 21, 1865: South Carolina issues one of the first set of black codes "to regulate the relations of persons of color." Among the codes included those of illegal interracial marriages, master apprentice relations and service contracts.
Dec. 22, 1943: W.E.B. DuBois was the first African American elected to the National Institute of Arts and Letters.
Dec. 23, 1919: Alice H Parker patents the gas heating furnace.
(Source: www.BlackFacts.com)
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