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12-28-07 EUR ALL ON ONE PAGE
RAZ B'S BROTHER STANDS BY ALLEGATIONS AGAINST STOKES: Ricardo skeptical of singer's apology video.
*Although former B2K member DeMario "Raz B" Thornton recanted his earlier allegation that he was sexually molested by the group's former manager Chris Stokes, Raz B's brother Ricardo Thornton, who leveled the same accusation against Stokes, continues to stand firmly by his statement.
Ricardo told MTV News that he will not recant his claims made on a videotape posted to YouTube earlier this week. He said he and his younger brother hadn't spoken in more than a day, which is not normal for them.
Ricardo also predicted that Raz will "come back around," suggesting that the apology might not have been his brother's idea.
As previously reported, Raz B released a 27-second video Wednesday apologizing for the accusations of molestation he and Ricardo made against
Stokes.
"This is DeMario Thornton, publicly known as Raz-B of B2K," he says in the video, titled 'The Truth About Chris Stokes B2K Part 3.' "I would like to send a public apology for some tapes that were leaked without my authority. I just want to say that those allegations are not true ... with Chris Stokes and Marques Houston, and I apologize for any hurt this may have caused publicly [or] financially."
Stokes responded to the apology in a statement released Thursday morning, stating: "I'm happy that DeMario 'Raz-B' Thornton and Ricardo Thornton realized their mistakes and admitted to lying," he said. "I have always supported my family and have always been a stand-up person. I knew that the truth would eventually come to light."
In an interview with MTV before Raz B's apology video, Stokes again denied the singer's allegations and had even threatened legal action.
"I'm not gay. And I'm married. And I have four kids. I been with my wife for 16 years," Stokes said early Wednesday. "And I'm not a child molester. So those are all false allegations. I'm gonna sue them. And I owe that to my wife and kids, period. It's ridiculous."
TREY SONGZ GOES AFTER FAN WHO THREW ICE: Singer and bodyguard jump into crowd during concert.
*Trey Songz found himself the topic of blog chatter yesterday after a concert clip surfaced showing him attacking a fan for throwing ice on the stage. [View video here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofxPPgryUnU&feature=related]
In several videos posted at YouTube, the singer is shown telling his soundman to cut the music as he asks the perpetrators to "own the f*** up." He also asks audience members to point out the guilty party.
After spotting the alleged culprit, Songz and his bodyguard jump into the crowd and attack a member of the audience. One witness told
Allhiphop.com: "They beat the dude down. Took his jewels, chains, and grills. The dude's mouth got bloodied up. Then Trey comes back in and finished the night."
REV. RUN AND WIFE ADOPT BABY GIRL: Miley Justine Simmons to make her 'Run's House' debut in January.
*Reverend Run and his wife Justine Simmons adopted a one-month-old American-born girl in September, according to Us magazine, and have named her Miley Justine Simmons.
The newest addition to the Simmons clan will make her debut on the family’s MTV reality series, "Run’s House," when the show returns in January.
The couple decided to adopt Miley – now 4 months – soon after the death of their newborn baby Victoria Anne omphalocele, a birth defect in which the infant's intestine or other abdominal organs stick out of the belly button. The baby died one hour after her birth on Sept. 26th of last year.
Justine said: "People say, 'You need to mourn,' and you do, but only a little because the more you mourn, the more you want to mourn. I would have landed in depression. I wanted a girl really bad, and I knew I wasn't going to try again. That could have really messed me up."
Miley joins biological siblings Russy, Diggy; and half siblings Jo-Jo, Angela and Vanessa, the children of Rev. Run and his ex-wife Valerie Vaughn.
VH1'S NEW YORK AND TAILOR MADE ENGAGED: Spy at Jan. 6 reunion show says Tiffany finally accepts his proposal.
*In what has to be a set-up for a spinoff series, VH1's "I Love New York 2" star Tiffany "New York" Pollard has accepted the marriage proposal of Queens retail planner George Weisgerber, better known to viewers as Tailor Made.
On the Dec. 17 season finale, New York turned down his offer of marriage, stating she would like to wait 24 months before making her decision.
On season 2’s reunion show that airs Jan. 6, he proposes to her again and, this time, “she says yes,” a source told People. “They are madly in love. They are a great couple.”
Tailor Made was the last man standing from the original 20 who attempted to woo New York throughout the season.
Meanwhile, this supposed engagement appears to be starting on shaky ground. The New York Daily News is reporting that Tailor Made was at a club last week "making a triple play for the ladies at his company holiday party."
A witness at Sol nightclub last Thursday described how he hit on a blond, a brunette and an African-American woman during and after the bash thrown by Marc Ecko.
"He was a hot mess," the witness told the Daily News. "He was dancing, and kissing a blond with curly hair, then holding hands with a girl with short straight brown hair." And when the third girl tried to help him up after he "fell on the floor of the bathroom," he hit on her.
MEL B. AND EX-HUSBAND IN CUSTODY FIGHT: Dad doesn't want Scary Spice dragging 9-year-old daughter around on Spice Girl tour.
*TMZ.com is reporting that Spice Girl Melanie Brown and her ex-husband Jimmy Gulzar were in a little custody tug-of-war over their almost 9-year-old daughter, Phoenix.
At issue was the singer's insistence on taking the girl on the road during her current Spice Girl tour. According to the Web site, Gulzar refused to alter his visitation schedule with Brown - the custodial parent – while she travels from city to city.
But Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Robert Schnider has denied Gulzar's bid to keep Phoenix at home, TMZ reports.
Scary Spice, who is represented by powerhouse attorney Goldie Schon, retains sole legal and physical custody of Phoenix, and Gulzar will have scheduled visitation over the next few months and on the child's birthday.
SEAN 'DIDDY' COMBS TO GET HOLLYWOOD STAR: Ceremony scheduled to take place next month.
*Sean "Diddy" Combs, who got his first taste of the entertainment business nearly two decades ago while throwing parties at Howard University, will be honored next month with a star on the world famous Hollywood Walk of Fame.
SixShot.com reports that Diddy broke the news on Friday, Dec. 21 during a call in on Jamie Foxx's Sirius radio show, The Foxxhole. According to the Bad Boy mogul, his ceremony will take place on Jan. 11th.
"I'm from Harlem New York, so to get a star in Hollywood is just mind-blowing," Diddy said. "You can get a lot of things but when you see those stars on the ground...that's something I can't even say I dreamed of and to be getting recognized for it is definitely something I'm gonna have my whole family out there for,"
Diddy's star dedication will precede his Feb. 25 debut as Walter Lee Younger in the ABC telefilm, "A Raisin in the Sun." The artist previously played the role in the stage version that ran on Broadway in 2004.
WESLEY SNIPES LOSES BID TO MOVE TRIAL: Actor to face federal tax-evasion charges in Ocala, Fla. as planned.
*A judge wasn't buying Wesley Snipes' claim that racism would prevent him from getting a fair trial in Ocala, Fla. on federal tax-evasion charges.
Despite arguments by the actor's legal team, U.S. District Judge William T. Hodges ruled Monday that the trial will move forward in the central Florida city next month as planned.
Snipes previously filed two motions to dismiss or transfer the trial out of Ocala because of racial prejudices he claimed were in the town, which sits about 80 miles north of Orlando.
The "Blade" star's lawyers argued Snipes had the right to a trial in New York, where he lived between October 2000 and April 2005 when the offenses allegedly occurred, or in Orlando, where he also has a home.
Federal prosecutors had previously argued there is "no basis in reality" for Snipes' claims of racism.
An October 2006 federal indictment charges Snipes with fraudulently claiming refunds totaling almost $12 million in 1996 and 1997 for income taxes already paid. He was charged with failure to file returns from 1999 through 2004.
MIJAC INCLUDED IN USHER'S 2008 PLANS: Singers to team with T-Pain for a track on Ursh's new album – so he says.
*Usher tells the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that a single in the works for his new album will feature superstar Michael Jackson and urban music's current "it" guy, T-Pain.
“It’s been created, but it’s not recorded," Usher explained to the newspaper. "And as long as Michael is open to it, hey, anything goes.”
The track would be featured on Usher's upcoming album, which he says will be out early next year.
“I’ve been diligently working on creating a masterpiece," he said of the project. "It’s going to be out first or maybe the second quarter. I see the second quarter of next year. And there will be a video and single out at the top of the year. … I think [Atlanta producer] Polow Da Don is going to have the first one. I think that’s going to be the single 'Love In The Club.'”
Meanwhile, the home front has changed drastically for the Broadway performer, who is spending his first holiday season as both a husband and father.
“I’m really like super dad. Really. I really cook for the family," he said. "Now I basically do chicken and broccoli and steamed vegetables, because I’m on this diet. But believe me, I can fry some chicken too … I really clean up. I walk the dog, myself. I burp the baby. I change the diapers. I trim the tree. I’m about to get the things for the tree after this because it’s bare. … I’m super dad. And it’s only begun.”
The artist says he and wife Tameka are still figuring out how to go about releasing the first baby picture of little Usher V. In the meantime, Usher IV says he'll continue to snap his own photos of the baby.
“I’ve become an instant photographer, developing them and everything,” he says.
BILLBOARD GETS 'LOW' WITH FLO RIDA: Rapper ends five-week reign of Alicia Keys on Hot 100. Plus, Mary J. album debuts at No. 2.
*Flo Rida's hit single "Low" featuring T-Pain has dethroned Alicia Keys' "No One" to take over the top spot on Billboard's Hot 100 chart. The track's 2-1 rise follows increased airplay and digital sales of 178,000 units.
Keys, meanwhile, falls to No. 2 after five weeks atop the chart. Timbaland's "Apologize" featuring OneRepublic follows at No. 3, Chris Brown's "Kiss Kiss" featuring T-Pain remains at No. 4 and Fergie's "Clumsy"
sticks at No. 5.
On Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, Keys becomes only the second artist since this chart began using Nielsen Music data in 1992 to succeed herself at No. 1, as "Like You'll Never See Me Again" jumps 2-1 and trades places with "No One," which had ruled for 10 weeks. Nelly was the first to make it happen in 2002 with "Hot in Herre" and "Dilemma."
On the Billboard 200 album chart, Mary J. Blige's "Growing Pains" enters at No. 2 behind Josh Groban's "Noel," which becomes the first Christmas album to top The Billboard 200 for five straight weeks.
JOE BUDDEN PUMPS NEW DEAL: Rapper inks with Amalgam Digital for release of new album.
*"Mood Muzik 3: The Album," the long-delayed new studio effort from Joe Budden, will finally be released on Feb. 26 as part of his new deal with Amalgram Digital.
Budden says the independent record/digital label offers him a whole new host of opportunities to connect with hip hop fans.
"With the Mood Muzik series gaining mass attention, this is just our effort to maximize on awareness," Budden said in a statement. "Amalgam understands our vision, as we do theirs, so this will be first of many ventures to come. We have a full length album entitled 'Padded Room' coming second quarter 2008. We're prepping for a big year…are you in the mood yet?"
"Mood Muzik 3" is comprised of various Budden songs that were released on mixtapes, as well as unreleased material.
MARION JONES' DOPING REGIMEN REVEALED: Ledge details use of several different drugs over a period of time.
*Former track star Marion Jones took a number of performance-enhancing drugs over a substantial period of time, according to a detailed doping calendar that was part of several pages of court documents released late last week, reports the Associated Press.
Jones' alleged doping regimen came from a Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative ledger that listed the names of athletes along with the performance-enhancing drugs they were using and results of urine tests. The other names on the list are redacted.
After years of denying she ever had used performance-enhancing drugs, Jones admitted in October that she'd taken the designer steroid "the clear" from September 2000 to July 2001. "The clear" has been linked to BALCO, the lab at the center of the steroids scandal in professional sports.
The International Olympic Committee formally stripped her of five Olympic medals on Dec. 12, and banned the athlete from attending next year's Beijing Olympics in any capacity.
According to the court documents that show use in 2000 and 2001, Jones took EPO, human growth hormone and THG using drops and injections.
"The context of the defendant's use of performance-enhancing substances, as detailed in the documents seized from BALCO, shows a concentrated, organized, long-term effort to use these substances for her personal gain," the government's sentencing memo reads, "a scenario wholly inconsistent with anything other than her denials being calculated lies to agents who were investigating that same conduct."
Jones' pleaded guilty in October to lying to federal investigators in the BALCO case about using steroids. She will be sentenced on Jan. 11, and prosecutors had suggested to Jones the prison term would be a maximum of six months.
'JUDGE HATCHETT'S' FINAL SEASON WILL BE FAMILIAR: Show to air reruns following Atlanta jurist's retirement.
*Judge Glenda Hatchet has left her syndicated "Judge Hatchett" show after eight an eight-year run, but that hasn't stopped producers from moving forward with a new season.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, the popular court show will return for an additional season under the title "Best of Judge Hatchett,"
which will feature repeat broadcasts grouped by themes – such as "celebrity interventions" or "creative sentencing."
A rep for Sony Pictures Television said the show produced its last original episode in September. An industry consultant says fans would probably fail to notice any changes.
"I don't think any viewer will initially know the difference between a program that was produced two weeks ago and one that was produced two years ago," Bill Carroll, vp and director of programming at consulting firm Katz Television Group, told the trade paper.
OSCAR PETERSON MOURNED BY CANADIAN LEADERS: Jazz pianist remembered for his contributions.
*French and Canadian leaders on Tuesday released statements praising the life and contributions of legendary jazz musician Oscar Peterson, who died Sunday from kidney failure.
"Oscar Peterson rose from humble roots in Montreal's Little Burgundy to storm the very heights of the music world," said Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, describing the pianist as a "technical and creative master.
"Peterson was not simply a giant in Canadian music, but a giant in music period," Harper said, offering condolences to Peterson's family.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy lamented the loss of Peterson and said he had been loved by the French people.
"He was a regular on the French stage, where the public adored his luminous style," Sarkozy said according to CTV. "It is a great loss for us."
Duke Ellington once called Peterson "Maharaja of the keyboard." He released over 200 recordings, won seven Grammy Awards, and received other numerous awards and honors over the course of his career.
SERENA WILLIAMS TO MISS HOPMAN CUP: Her troublesome left knee is still not 100 percent.
*Serena Williams will sit out the upcoming Hopman Cup match in Perth, Australia due to a lingering injury to her left knee, organizers announced yesterday.
She had been scheduled to take on India's Sania Mirza on Saturday in the first match of the team event, but will be replaced by Meghan Shaughnessy.
Williams first injured her left knee in 2000 and had surgery in 2003, forcing her to pull out of all events after Wimbledon that year. After an injury-filled 2006, Williams had a surprising win at the 2007 Australian Open — unseeded, ranked No. 81 and beating six seeded players en route to the title. By the end of the season, she was ranked No. 7.
The bad knee also kept her out of the WTA Tour's season-ending championships in Madrid in November.
The Hopman Cup for Williams would've been a tune-up for her run as returning champion of January's Australian Open, the year's first Grand Slam event.
Tournament officials said Williams will not arrive in the Western Australia state capital until the weekend, and plans to play for the Americans in Monday's match against the Czech Republic.
FARRAKHAN ORDERED TO APPEAR BEFORE JUDGE: NOI leader to explain why money given to son involved in car accident is not considered 'income.'
*A federal judge has ordered Nation of Islam Minister Louis Farrakhan to appear in court to explain why payments to his son are not considered income, reports the Associated Press.
A Gary couple seeks to collect $350,000 from Farrakhan's 48-year-old son, who lost a lawsuit after crashing his father's Hummer into their car in 2003 and leaving the scene.
Nasir Farrakhan has yet to pay any of the punitive damages awarded to Charles and Gladys Peterson, though they received $464,000 for their medical expenses from his insurance company.
The younger Farrakhan has said he cannot pay because he's completely broke - with no income, no checking account and no savings. He also said he has never been employed and argues the $1,400 in cash he receives from his father each month is legally considered charity, even though Nasir Farrakhan has acted as head of the minister's 20-man security force for many years.
U.S. District Magistrate Andrew Rodovich on Dec. 11 ordered Louis Farrakhan and a financial representative of the Nation of Islam to appear in court in Hammond on Jan. 24 to answer questions from the Petersons' lawyers.
The couple's attorney, Michael Back, said the money Nasir Farrakhan is receiving from the Nation of Islam is income and can be garnished.
"We will continue to pursue this through every avenue possible to ensure the Petersons are paid every penny they are owed," Back said.
OPENING THIS WEEK: Kam's Kapsules: Weekly Previews That Make Choosing a Film Fun by Kam Williams
For movies opening December 25, 2007
BIG BUDGET FILMS
Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (R for violence, gore and profanity) There is no peace on Earth this Christmas for the unsuspecting folks in the quiet Colorado town where this sci-fi sequel unfolds pitting the last surviving predator against an army of aliens in a bloody, bestial showdown. With John Ortiz, Steven Pasquale, Shareeka Epps and Reiko Aylesworth.
The Great Debaters (PG-13 for profanity, mature themes, brief sexuality, and the depiction of violence and disturbing images) Denzel Washington directs and stars opposite Forest Whitaker and Kimberly Elise in this fact-based drama, set in 1935, about a professor at a small black college who inspired students to form the school's first debate team and to challenge Harvard for
the national championship.
The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep (PG for action/peril, mild epithets and brief smoking) Fanciful fable, set during WWII and based on the children's book by Dick King-Smith, about a lonely Scottish boy (Alex Etel) who finds a magical egg which hatches a curious sea creature he raises till it grows into a towering monster he must release into the Loch Ness where it becomes the subject of an enduring Scottish legend. Cast includes Emily Watson, Brian Cox and Ben Chaplin.
INDEPENDENT & FOREIGN FILMS
The Bucket List (PG-13 for profanity and a sexual reference) Oscar-winners Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman co-star in this bittersweet end-of-life saga as terminally-ill cancer patients who make a break from the hospital after compiling a checklist of everything they want to do before kicking the bucket. With Sean Hayes, Beverly Todd and Rowena King.
Honeydripper (PG-13 for ethnic slurs, brief violence and suggestive
material) Danny Glover stars in this historical drama, set in rural Alabama in the Fifties, as the owner of a nightclub struggling to keep his place afloat by catering to the changing musical tastes of his clientele. Ensemble cast includes Charles S. Dutton, Stacy Keach, Sean Patrick Thomas, Lisa Gay Hamilton, Vondie Curtis-Hall, Yaya DaCosta, and the film's director, John Sayles.
Imaginary Witness: Hollywood and the Holocaust (Unrated) Expose' revisits how Hollywood has handled the Holocaust over the past 60 years, from the industry's initial reluctance to cover the tragedy to its gradually depicting the tragedy's unspeakable horrors in increasingly explicit fashion. Narrated by Gen Hackman, and with archival footage and commentary by Steven Spielberg, Liam Neeson, Sidney Lumet and Ben Kingsley.
The Orphanage (R for disturbing content) Supernatural suspense flick about a woman (Belen Rueda) who moves with her family into the abandoned, seaside orphanage where she was raised 30 years ago only to discover that the house is haunted when her young son (Roger Princep) is befriended by a ghost. (In Spanish with subtitles)
Persepolis (PG-13 for sexual references, profanity, mature themes, violent images and brief drug use) Feminist animated adventure, set at the dawn of the Iranian revolution in the late seventies, chronicles the resistance to the oppressive, fundamentalist Islamic regime displayed by a defiant young girl (Chiara Mastroianni) followed from the age of 9 to 24. (In French, Persian, German and English with subtitles)
Smiley Face (R for profanity, sexuality and drug use) Anna Faris stars in this comic misadventure about a day in the life of an aspiring, NYC actress who mistakenly eats a batch of her stoner roommate's (Danny Masterson) Marijuana-laced brownies before setting out for an audition.
There Will Be Blood (R for violence) Daniel Day-Lewis stars in this adaptation of Oil!, Upton Sinclair's classic, 1927 novel, a turn of the 20th Century epic chronicling the life of a self-made, California oil tycoon. With Paul Dano, Kevin J. O'Connor and Ciaran Hinds.
EUR FILM REVIEW: The Great Debaters
Inspirational Bio-pic Beset by Baffling Historical Inaccuracies
Film Review by Kam Williams
*When a movie bills itself as "Inspired by a True Story," to what extent should it be allowed to take liberties with the truth to spin a heartwarming tale which tugs on the heartstrings?
That is the question which begs to be answered in the course of appraising The Great Debaters, an inspirational bio-pic about a professor who, in 1935, allegedly forged the fledgling debate team at a tiny black college into a nationally-ranked powerhouse that took on Harvard University in a big showdown aired on radio live all across the country.
The film's most glaring, factual faux pas is that while Wiley College did, in fact, participate in the championships finals that year, its opponent was not Harvard at all, but USC. This fabrication naturally makes one wonder about other aspects of this recreation.
Was the original contest really broadcast live on radio? (Unlikely) Was it even the first time, as implied, that a black college competed against a white school in the debate tournament? (No) Etcetera. etcetera.
Furthermore, the picture propagated plenty of other tall tales. For instance, there's a scene where Professor Tolson (Denzel Washington) attempts instill some self respect in his pupils by quoting from Willie Lynch's 1712 speech supposedly delivered to fellow slave owners about how to mold and control the minds of their slaves.
Well, the problem is that the infamous lecture never took place, and has long been dismissed by academics and experts, some African-American, as an urban legend which first surfaced circa 1993. There isn't any reference to the speech in any literature prior to then. So, how could a professor have lectured about it way back when? Since I've criticized references made to Willie Lynch by other flicks, it would be hypocritical for me to give The Great Debaters a pass just because it's such a well-meaning message movie.
There are considerable additional conceptual obstacles in the way of enjoying this consciousness-raising costume drama. For instance, whenever the Wiley team debates, it invariably is conveniently assigned to argue the politically-correct side of the issue, whether that be about welfare, lynching, integration, child labor, civil disobedience or elsewhat. Isn't the mark of a skilled debater the ability to make a convincing case for either side, especially unpopular causes you don't believe in?
All of the above fibs and fabrications aside, there is still much to recommend here. Denzel certainly delivers as the film's plucky protagonist, as does Forest Whitaker in his co-star capacity as his less-confrontational colleague, James Farmer, Sr. Gina Rivera and Kimberly Elise capably play their wives, respectively, in support roles which aren't all that demanding.
The cast is rounded out by the quartet of gifted young actors who comprise the Wiley debate team. Only one of these four characters, lovesick 14 year-old James Farmer, Jr. (Denzel Whitaker), is based on a real person. The precocious Farmer would later found the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), and go on to become a leader of the Civil Rights Movement.
So, the other three debaters, feisty Samantha Booke (Jurnee Smollett), her womanizing boyfriend Henry Lowe (Nate Parker), and hefty Hamilton Burgess (Jermaine Williams) are fictional. This makes the closing credits a tad misleading, since it relates Tolson's and Farmers' subsequent actual exploits along with alleged later achievements of the others, even though they never existed.
One can only conclude that this movie was designed for youngsters, not adults. If that's the case, do we want impressionable young minds understanding of history to be misshaped in this fashion? Well-Intentioned and well-executed, and recommended with reservations only because there's still something terribly troubling even about a feel good flick packed with so many misrepresentations.
Does the truth matter, or is reality retroactively up for grabs? Let the debating begin.
Good (2 stars)
Rated PG-13 for profanity, ethnic slurs, mature themes, brief sexuality, violence and disturbing images.
Running time: 123 minutes
Studi MGM
EUR MOTIVATIONAL NOTE
"Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishments." —Jim
Rohn: Author and motivational speaker
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Dec. 28: Saxophonist Charles Neville of the Neville Brothers is 69.
Actor Denzel Washington is 53. Singer John Legend is 29
Dec. 29: Actor Mekhi Phifer ("ER") is 33.
Dec. 30: Musician Bo Diddley is 79. Golfer Tiger Woods is 32. Boxer Laila Ali is 30; NBA star LeBron James is 23.
WEBSITE OF THE WEEK
Each day www.DayInBlackHistory.com highlights black icons, events and more that have shaped the world on that day in history.
Submit your favorite Web site to us along with a 15-20 word (or less) description to info@eurweb.com.
BLACK HISTORY
Dec. 28, 1897: C.V. Richey patents Fire Escape bracket.
Dec. 29, 1845: Texas became a slave state.
Dec. 30, 1892: Physician, Dr Miles V Lynk, publishes the first Black medical journal. (Source: www.BlackFacts.com)
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