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02-01-08 EUR ALL ON ONE PAGE
KELLY SUED AFTER MISSING CONCERT FOR COURT: Minneapolis promoter says singer 'never intended' to perform Target Center gig anyway.
*A Minneapolis concert promoter is suing R. Kelly for missing a scheduled performance at the Target Center, even though his absence occurred because he was ordered to appear in court that day under threat of arrest.
TMZ.com is reporting that Nevada-based promoter Royalty Records has filed the lawsuit in Atlanta District Court seeking the return of their $120,000 payment to Kelly, plus unspecified damages.
Royalty claims that Kelly took the payment, but "never intended" to perform at the Dec. 20, 2007 show, which had been pushed back from its original scheduled date of Dec. 6.
The concert was part of his Double Up tour with former opening act Ne-Yo and Keyshia Cole, among others.
ROMEO HAS SEASON-ENDING KNEE INJURY: Master P's son hurt during first high school basketball game of the year.
*Master P's son Romeo Miller, a senior at Beverly Hills High School, suffered a serious knee injury during the opening game that has sidelined him for the entire season, reports Allhiphop.com.
The injury occurred during a game last month against Valencia, Calif.'s West Ranch High School. The six-foot-tall point guard was advised by doctors not to engage in strenuous activity until he makes a full recovery, according to Master P.
“His doctor told him not to play on it for two weeks and give it a chance to heal,” Master P. told AllHipHop.com. “After two weeks, he got back in the game and his knee began to hurt again. He stayed out of the game another three weeks, but the knee still kept giving him trouble.”
As previously reported, Romeo has earned a full basketball scholarship to the University of Southern California, where he will enter as a freshman in the fall of 2008. Unable to play this year, Romeo will focus on getting his knee back to 100 percent.
“Now, he'll stay out [this season] and make sure it heals totally,”
Master P. said. “Staying off it will keep him from having further problems, like tearing something which would cause him to need to be operated on. So, we want to make sure it heals.”
During his 2006 season at Beverly Hills High, Romeo averaged 13.9 and
5.6 assists per-game.
MONTEL WILLIAMS CALLS IT QUITS: Syndicated talk show to end run after 17 years on the air.
*Montel Williams says 17 years is enough. The talk show host has announced that his syndicated "Montel Williams Show" will take its final bow at the end of this season.
“I can’t say thank you enough to those who’ve welcomed me into their homes for the past seventeen years,” Williams says in a statement. “It has been both an honor and a joy.”
Williams says the show has taken him around the world, including visits to the Middle East, a post-Katrina New Orleans and Ground Zero in New York City. He says: “[I] talked with over 30,000 guests and over a half million studio audience members."
CBS Television Distribution, the syndicated show's producer and distributor, is offering the compilation series "Best of Montel" for fall, which includes 52 weeks of highlight episodes from the show.
"We have been honored to have Montel as a part of our family for the past 17 years, and we're very excited that Montel will live on through these 'best of' episodes," said John Nogawski, president and COO of CBS TV Distribution.
MIKE TYSON CANCELS RADIO VISIT IN S.A.: Station's switchboard flooded with complaints about his rape conviction.
*Mike Tyson's visit to South Africa took another hit Wednesday after his scheduled appearance at a radio station was met with so many complaints that his camp opted to scrap the visit.
Talk Radio 702 station manager Pheladi Gwangwa said Tyson, in town to help promote a boxing match this weekend in Johannesburg, had agreed to be interviewed by morning host John Robbie, but pulled out at the eleventh hour.
"The request (for an interview) was received favorably but with the proviso that John should not ask any questions relating to his rape trial,"
Gwangwa told AFP.
But when Robbie told listeners about the interview restrictions, the station was flooded with angry calls.
"There was a huge reaction from listeners, some of them SMS-ing, others calling and agreeing with the first woman (who said Tyson had shown no remorse over his 1992 rape conviction), while others disagreed and said Mike Tyson has paid his dues to society," said Gwangwa. "Most of them however said that John should not conduct the interview if he would be prevented from asking questions about the rape trial."
As callers were expressing their opinions on the air, Tyson's promoter Rodney Berman called the show's producer to say that the interview was cancelled, Gwangwa added.
Tyson's radio station drama follows a similar protest of his presence at a charity banquet earlier this week by One-in-Nine, a group which campaigns for tougher laws against rape.
As previously reported, the group released a statement expressing outrage over Tyson's involvement, and that he would share a table at a pre-fight charity dinner with newly-elected ANC leader Jacob Zuma, who went on trial for rape in 2006 before being ultimately acquitted.
TIGER WOODS COMMENTS ON OBAMA: Plus, presidential hopeful endorsed by conservative NY Post.
*Speaking to reporters at the Dubai Desert Classic Wednesday, Tiger Woods expressed how impressed he is with Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.
"I've seen him speak. He's extremely articulate, very thoughtful,"
Woods said. "I'm just impressed at how well, basically all politicians really do, how well they think on their feet. Especially those debates. It's pretty phenomenal to see them get their point across. But I just think that he's really inspired a bunch of people in our country and we'll see what happens down the road."
In other Obama news, the conservative-leaning New York Post has endorsed Obama instead of his Democratic opponent, and home state senator, Hillary Rodham Clinton.
The newspaper referred to Obama as an "untried candidate," but a favorable alternative to Clinton, who along with her husband, former President Bill Clinton, "stand for deja vu all over again — a return to the opportunistic, scandal-scarred, morally muddled years of the almost infinitely self-indulgent Clinton co-presidency," the paper wrote. "Does America really want to go through all that once again? It will — if Senator Clinton becomes president."
The Post endorsed Sen. Clinton's re-election bid in 2006, calling her a "pretty good senator." But as a presidential candidate, the newspaper had a decidedly different opinion of the former First Lady.
"A return to Senator Clinton's cattle-futures deal, Travelgate, Whitewater, Filegate, the Lincoln Bedroom Fire Sale, Pardongate — and the inevitable replay of the Monica Mess? No, thank you," the paper wrote.
Obama "has the ability to inspire," the paper added, noting "We don't agree much with Obama on substantive issues. But many Democrats will."
And for what it's worth, the online audience of AtomFilms'
kungfuelection.com has also endorsed Obama as the Democratic nominee for president.
Kung-Fu Election invites players to choose their favorite candidate among the top eight options across both parties and take them into battle against a political enemy. Options include Democratic frontrunners Obama and Clinton as well as their Republican counterparts John McCain, Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee. The would-be presidents duke it out with an array of special weapons and Kung-Fu moves that will leave only one candidate standing.
After 1.4 million total plays since Jan. 3, more of the game's players have chosen Obama than any other candidate to take into battle against the other presidential contenders. Obama was selected as the candidate/fighter-of-choice by 25% of all players, with his Democratic opponent Clinton selected only 13% of the time.
D.B. WOODSIDE TAKES THE STAGE: Actor will play MLK in production about civil rights leader's objection to Vietnam War.
*D.B. Woodside, last seen on Fox's "24" as the President of the United States, will star as Martin Luther King Jr. in the Keen Company's "The Conscientious Objector," reports Playbill News.
The story tracks King's controversial role in the antiwar movement during Vietnam. Woodside joins two-time Tony winner John Cullum, who will portray President Lyndon B. Johnson.
The play, to be directed by Carl Forsman, will run from March 4 through April 19 at the Clurman Theatre. It opens officially on March 18.
DID ADVERTISER PULLOUT CAUSE BET TO DROP 'B-GIRLS?': McDonalds complained about section on Web site and poof, it's gone.
*MediaPost.com is reporting that McDonalds asked BET to remove its ads from a section of their Web site titled "B-Girls," which encouraged women to send in appealing photos of themselves, with many featuring risqué clothing and suggestive poses.
The request from McDonalds appears to have prompted the removal of the "B-Girls" section entirely, which took place around Jan. 16, according to MediaPost. However, BET released a statement saying the removal had always been planned and was "unrelated" to "any advertiser feedback, of which there was none."
Contrary to BET's statement, McDonald's said in a release that it "reached out to BET to express our concerns and to ensure that this placement does not happen in the future." McDonald's, which contacted BET via its media agency, also said that the content "in no way represents the values of our brand."
McDonald's appears to have been first alerted to "B-Girls" after it was pointed out in a blog written by Gina McCauley, whose mission is to combat negative images of African-American women. On Jan. 10, she launched a campaign targeting "B-Girls" advertisers, which also included General Mills and the U.S. Army. It is not clear whether those entities also called BET to complain.
McCauley, an attorney who runs WhatAboutOurDaughters.org, said that McDonald's protesting "B-Girls" "reaffirms the fact that advertisers are the only ones that can keep BET in line. It only takes one."
JADAKISS, SOULJAH BOY TO GET 'MAYWEATHER EXPERIENCE': Rappers take part in boxer's charity weekend in Michigan.
*Jadakiss, Souljah Boy, Styles P. and Swizz Beatz are among the bevy of artists, actors and comics headed to Grand Rapids, MI next weekend as part of boxer Floyd Mayweather’s “Mayweather Experience.”
The three-day event, which benefits the Floyd Mayweather Foundation and The American Cancer Society, will take place from Feb. 8-10 at various locations in downtown Grand Rapids.
The weekend starts with “The King of the Ring Freestyle Battle” rap contest on Feb. 8 at The DeltaPlex Arena. Jadakiss, Kid Capri, Styles P, Swizz Beatz and Shauna will serve as judges. The winner pockets $10,000 dollars and a potential recording deal.
On Feb. 9 at 4 p.m., Mayweather will host the “Money Mayweather Celebrity Basketball Game at the Van Andel Arena. Bow Wow, Lloyd, Jadakiss, Souljah Boy, Christina Milian, Keyshia Cole, B2K and Chili of TLC are expected to participate in the event.
The following day, Mayweather Promotions Presents the Cedric “The Entertainer” Comedy Show will take place Feb. 10 at Van Andel Arena.
Tickets to "The Mayweather Experience" are available at tickemaster.com.
FISHBURNE BEGINS BROADWAY RUN IN APRIL: Actor to play title role of Thurgood at the Booth Theatre.
*Laurence Fishburne, who won a Tony Award for his performance in Two Trains Running, will star as Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall in a new one-man show based on his life.
Thurgood, to begin previews on April 12 at New York's Booth Theatre, "is the remarkable and triumphant story of Thurgood Marshall, who rose from a childhood in the backstreets of Baltimore to the Supreme Court of the United States," according to press notes. "Along the way, Mr. Marshall overcame many adversities but through them all, remained focused and positive to maintain the great country he wanted to serve. And did."
Thurgood will officially open on April 30, reports Playbill News. The play premiered in 2006 at the Westport Country Playhouse. That production starred James Earl Jones as Marshall.
The Booth Theatre is located at 222 West 45th St.. Ticket information will be announced shortly.
ZOE SALDANA TALKS STAR TREK: Actress discusses Uhura role and meeting Nichelle Nichols for the first time.
*Blackfilm.com has a lengthy Q&A with Zoe Saldana about her role as the iconic Uhura on the forthcoming Star Trek film.
The actress was asked about meeting with Nichelle Nichols, who starred as Uhura in the original "Star Trek" television series from 1966-69, as well as several of the "Star Trek" films.
"I was able to sit down with her and she told me the whole story of how Uhura came to be and where they were going with her character, but it all fell into place the moment she walked into the door and auditioned for the part," Saldana said. "She named the character herself and it was a special thing and she felt as an artist, she was going to make the part big."
As for wearing the Uhura costume for the first time, Saldana said:
"It was very interesting. The moment everything came together from the hair, the costume, being on the set, and then you start to feel, 'Okay, this is real. This is amazing and fun.'"
Saldana currently stars in the BET film "Blackout," which arrives on DVD Feb. 5. To read her entire interview regarding Uhura, click here:
http://www.blackfilm.com/20080125/features/startrekupdate.shtml.
TENN JUDGE DISMISSES CHARGES AGAINST PACMAN JONES: Judge, prosecutor say the man has been "punished enough."
*A Tennessee judge dismissed misdemeanor charges against suspended Titans player Adam "Pacman" Jones Thursday, agreeing with prosecutors that the trouble-prone cornerback has been "punished enough" with his legal trouble over the past year.
Jones was arrested outside a Murfreesboro nightclub in August 2006 and charged with public intoxication and disorderly conduct after cops said he argued with a woman, refused to leave the club and cursed out arresting officers. He could have faced a $100 fine for both charges.
"It's cost him a lot more money than what the court would fine him,"
District Attorney General William Whitesell said of Jones' yearlong suspension from the NFL, following a series of arrests. "Mr. Jones hopefully has learned something and been punished enough."
Thursday's hearing was held to reconsider a previous plea deal on the charges. General Sessions Judge David Loughry ordered Jones on Thursday to apologize to the court. He has already written a letter of apology to the arresting officer.
The judge approved a deal in January 2007 that would have dismissed the charges if Jones stayed trouble free for six months. But he was charged in Las Vegas with instigating a fight inside a strip club on Feb. 19, 2007, that led to a triple shooting that left one man paralyzed.
Tennessee prosecutors argued in July that Jones being charged in Nevada was enough to show that the cornerback did not follow his plea agreement here for "good and lawful" behavior. The athlete pleaded no contest Dec. 6 in Las Vegas to conspiracy to commit disorderly conduct in a plea deal reducing two felony charges.
CELEBS AND THEIR SUPER BOWL QUOTES: Ice T, Gabrielle Union weigh in on Sunday's big showdown.
*Gabrielle Union, the former wife of an NFL player, was asked at a recent Super Bowl event to predict who would win the match up between the New England Patriots and the New York Giants this weekend in Phoenix.
She chose the undefeated Pats.
"The fact that they won (their last playoff game) with wide receivers who nobody heard of says volumes," the 34-year-old actress said Wednesday at the Audi Hole-in-One Challenge, which took place at a private home in neighboring Scottsdale.
Meanwhile, Ice T is rooting for the Giants to hoist the championship trophy. The veteran rapper and "Law & Order: SVU" star even had some advice for the team during a Super Bowl party Wednesday night at Jay-Z's 40/40 club.
"Don't choke," he said. "I hope they just beat everybody down. New York will be a better place after it."
JADA PINKETT SMITH'S 'CONTRACT' PICKED UP: Santa Monica-based company will handle international sales on actress' directorial debut.
*Jada Pinkett Smith, who just wrapped production on her directorial debut, "The Human Contract," has had the project picked up by Santa Monica-based sales and distribution company Lightning Entertainment.
The film is Lightning Entertainment's first investment using the company's $20 million acquisitions and production fund announced in November, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Written by Pinkett Smith, "The Human Contract" follows a successful corporate man harboring a secret. He befriends a free-spirited stranger who encourages him to ditch his stuffy lifestyle and live life freely.
Pinkett Smith also stars in the film, alongside Idris Elba, Jason Clarke, Paz Vega, Ted Danson and Joanna Cassidy.
SNOOP DOGG'S UK BAN STILL IN EFFECT: Rapper loses bid to have order overturned.
*Snoop Dogg's attempt to get back on the U.K.'s good side has failed. The rapper wrote a letter to officials hoping they would lift a ban that prohibits him from entering the country, but if fell on deaf ears.
Snoop was banned from the country after an April 2006 brawl at London's Heathrow Airport landed him in jail for disorderly conduct.
He recently wrote a letter to the Home Office hoping officials would change their mind and allow him to do promotional work for U.K. cell phone company Orange. But, attempts by both the company and the rapper himself to get a visa have failed.
The artist, born Calvin Broadus, was jailed briefly following the Heathrow incident, which left seven police officers injured and led to the Long Beach star being cited for affray and banned from the country.
NEW RUMORS SURROUND EDDIE AND MEL B: Source claims to know why actor had vehemently denied that Angel Iris was his.
*Gossip writer Janet Charlton is quoting a source who "volunteered some info" as to why Eddie Murphy has been so cold toward his ex-girlfriend Melanie Brown and their baby, Angel Iris.
Charlton writes:
According to the source, Eddie and Melanie never lived together and in fact, only slept together three times. She assured Eddie that she had a coil implanted for contraception. That's why, when Mel told Eddie she was pregnant, he couldn't believe he was the father.
Eddie had already decided that Melanie wasn't up to his standards quality-wise. On one of their first dates she hinted that she'd like to have a three-way. And she was a bit loud and flashy at times.
Supposedly, their relationship was already over when Melanie told Eddie she was pregnant. When he reacted badly she offered him a deal: she'd leave him alone if he'd give her nine million dollars, a Malibu house, and living expenses for 18 years.
Eddie feels like he was conned and never wants to lay eyes on her again so he won't be visiting their daughter Angel. Eddie figures that when Angel gets older she might try to contact HIM.
IS BILL COSBY TRYING TO BE A RAPPER? Entertainer will reportedly spit rhymes about proper parenting, teen pregnancy and black-on-black crime.
*The world's most famous rap critic has apparently decided, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em.
Allhiphop.com is reporting that veteran actor/comedian Bill Cosby will release a hip hop album titled "State of Emergency" to address the same issues outlined in his recent speeches directed toward inner city parents and children.
The project is said to include lyrics about proper parenting, teen pregnancy, drug abuse, black-on-black crime and the high school dropout rate.
"State of Emergency" will also be free of profanity and misogyny, according to the Web site.
JESSE ANGRY OVER UMPIRE BACKGROUND CHECKS: Rev. Jackson puts MLB on blast for its KKK questions.
*Major League Baseball has become the latest target of civil rights leader Jesse Jackson, who lashed out against the organization for sending investigators to the hometowns of umpires to ask neighbors questions that include whether the ump belongs to the Ku Klux Klan, reports the AP.
"Major League Baseball has done a disservice to its progressive social history by equating southern whites with white supremacists," Jackson said in a statement. "I am surprised the professional league which helped change social attitudes in all sports leagues about segregation, by championing Jackie Robinson, would make such a destructive move."
Baseball started cracking down on umpires last August, after it became public that the FBI was investigating NBA referee Tim Donaghy for betting on games. Donaghy pleaded guilty to felony charges of conspiracy to engage in wire fraud and transmitting betting information through interstate commerce, and he awaits sentencing.
World Umpires Association president John Hirschbeck and union spokesman Lamell McMorris said Wednesday that Tom Christopher, the Milwaukee-based supervisor of security and investigations in the commissioner's office, had asked questions about Klan membership to neighbors of umpires Greg Gibson and Sam Holbrook, who reside in Kentucky.
In addition, Hirschbeck said similar questions had been asked to neighbors of umpire Ron Kulpa, who lives in suburban St. Louis.
"In a year with the injustice of Jena Six, nooses hung around the country and the Tiger Woods-Golfweek scandal, Major League Baseball's false impersonations of friendships and ill-contrived questions further press sensitive racial stereotypes, with no basis for suspicion," Jackson said.
"They have essentially defamed their people in their own neighborhoods."
COMCAST CELEBRATES BLACK HISTORY MONTH: Cable company to feature special On-Demand programming.
*Comcast Corporation will offer special On Demand services throughout February in honor of Black History Month.
Customers with On Demand service will have access to special programs and music videos via the “Top Picks,” “History Channel,” “TV One”
and “Music Choice” folders in the On Demand menu.
“Comcast is proud to honor the rich history of African Americans during Black History Month through our On Demand programming,” said Executive Vice President David L. Cohen. “The African American community has played a vital role in our nation’s history, and we are delighted to bring this special programming to the thousands of communities we serve.”
Black History Month programming highlights include:
• “MLK: Dream Deferred,” a provocative look at the impact of Dr. Martin Luther King’s dream forty years after his death (“Top Picks” folder).
• “Build the Dream” showcases celebrities talking about the Martin Luther King dream. Viewers can watch Presidential hopeful Barack Obama, former President Bill Clinton and Oprah Winfrey speak at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Martin Luther King National Memorial (“TV One” folder).
• “Dogfights: Tuskegee Airmen” takes a look at the all-black fighter squadron who shattered racist stereotypes and prevailed (“History Channel”
folder).
• In “With All Deliberate Speed,” the Discovery Channel examines the landmark case of 1954, Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, which found school segregation to be unconstitutional (“Top Picks” folder).
ITTY BITTY BITS: Ellen does gospel; Tyra's Alba shower; double Diddy; 'Black to the Future'; UrSession.com; MLK memorial; Coach Beyonce.
*Ellen DeGeneres performed the opening monologue of her talk show Thursday backed by the rousing Tribe of Judah gospel choir. The comedian first saw them perform at a recent charity benefit and was so blown away that "I had to have them on the show," she told yesterday's audience. After the monologue, the choir followed Ellen into the crowd as she did her daily dance to Kirk Franklin's "Stomp."
*The Tyra Banks Show threw a surprise baby shower for "The Eye"
actress Jessica Alba, who is expecting her first child with boyfriend Cash Warren. The film star received over $6,000 in gifts, according to MomLogic, which helped pull together the items. The bounty included a Valco baby stroller, Cariboo bassinet and Bel Bambini toys and clothes, reports People.com. The episode is scheduled to air today.
*New Yorkers are now getting twice as much Diddy in Times Square after the rap mogul placed yet another huge billboard of himself in the tourist-heavy area. His Sean Jean clothing ad has towered over the W Hotel at Broadway and 47th St. for the past six years. Late Tuesday night, a second billboard - this one promoting his new Ciroc Vodka - was placed at 42nd and Seventh, reports Page Six.
*Multi-platform video and music network Music Choice celebrates Black History Month by offering a wide variety of Music Choice Originals under the theme "Black to the Future," which explores how yesterday’s music superstars and industry moguls are "Passing It Forward." Wyclef Jean, Russell Simmons, Kevin Liles, Alicia Keys, Lil’ Wayne, and Chris Brown are among the artists featured throughout February on Music Choice’s free On Demand network and its free online music site.
*Unreleased freestyle and video footage from Eminem, Notorious B.I.G., Wu-Tang Clan and other rappers are featured on UrSession.com, a newly-launhced social-networking site that allows users to upload audition videos for voting among site members. The venture was created by System of a Down bassist Shavo Odadjian, along with King Tech and MTV News' Sway. The unreleased hip-hop footage is coming courtesy Sway and Tech's "Wake Up Show," reports MTV.com.
*The W.K. Kellogg Foundation is giving $3 million to help build the long-delayed memorial to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. on the National Mall, reports the AP. The gift brings fundraising to $90 million of the $100 million needed to complete the four-acre structure, which will sit along the edge of the Tidal Basin, between the Jefferson Memorial and Lincoln Memorial. With fundraising and help from lenders and banks, the memorial has enough money to begin construction this spring.
*Kelly Rowland spoke to Page Six about a time when she had to call on Beyonce to help her sing a high note. Rowland said she recently recorded a song in New York with Gym Class Heroes front man Travis McCoy, but couldn't quite hit one particular note. So she called her best friend, who arrived within the hour accompanied by six armed bodyguards, the column reported. Bey coached Rowland until the high note was reached.
JUDGE CALLS 3 BLACK WOMEN LAWYERS 'SUPREMES': Official reprimand says comment was ‘undignified and disparaging.’
*A county judge in Hagerstown, Md. has been reprimanded for calling three black female lawyers "the Supremes" in court and advising the defendant to get "an experienced male attorney."
The AP is reporting that Washington County Circuit Judge W. Kennedy Boone has acknowledged that his comments suggested racial and sexual bias. In his written response to a complaint, Boone said he was trying to protect the three public defenders from representing a difficult defendant.
The Maryland Commission on Judicial Disabilities concluded the comments Boone made during a court hearing last April were "undignified and disparaging." The notice of reprimand was published Jan. 18 in the Maryland Register.
A stipulation by Boone and the Commission said that in June the judge offered to recuse himself from other cases the three attorneys handled. Boone told the Herald-Mail of Hagerstown that he apologized to the three attorneys, and that even though he offered to recuse himself, each has appeared in his court since the April case.
"I appreciate their acceptance of my apology," he told the newspaper Tuesday. He also said he had never before had a sanctionable complaint filed against him.
The defendant in the case pleaded guilty in June to assault and cocaine possession and was sentenced to eight years in prison.
OPENING THIS WEEK: Kam's Kapsules: Weekly Previews That Make Choosing a Film
Fun
For movies opening February 1, 2008
by Kam Williams
BIG BUDGET FILMS
The Eye (PG-13 for violence, terror and disturbing content) Jessica Alba stars in this remake of the 2002 horror flick from Hong Kong about a blind violinist haunted by frightening visions after her sight is restored by a double corneal transplant operation. With Parker Posey, Francois Chau and Chloe Moretz.
Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus (G) 3-D concert flick features performances by the phenomenally-popular, 14 year-old, Disney singing sensation, shot in Utah during last year’s, 54-city, Best of Both Worlds Tour.
Over Her Dead Body (PG-13 for sexuality and profanity) Supernatural romantic comedy about a bride (Eva Longoria) who dies on her wedding day only to come back as a ghost to sabotage the budding relationship between her devastated fiancé (Paul Rudd) and the psychic (Lake Bell) he consults at the suggestion of his sister (Lindsay Sloane). Supporting cast includes Stephen Root, Sam Pancake and Jason Biggs.
Strange Wilderness (R for crude humor, sexuality, drug use and non-stop
profanity) Steve Zahn and Allen Covert co-star in this over-the-top comedy as the co-hosts of an animal wildlife TV-series who try to prop up the show‘s sagging ratings by mounting an ill-advised expedition to Ecuador in
search of the legendary Bigfoot.
INDEPENDENT & FOREIGN FILMS
Build a Ship, Sail to Sadness (Unrated) Musical mockumentary, shot in black and white, follows a young man (Magnus Aronson) on a moped around the rugged Scottish Highlands as he tries to sell his idea of bringing a mobile disco to the region as a means of eradicating loneliness.
Caramel (PG for mature themes involving sexuality, profanity and smoking) Female empowerment flick explores a variety of concerns of a quintet of Lebanese women employed at a Beirut beauty salon, including religion, infidelity, virginity and sexual orientation. (In Arabic and French with
subtitles)
Live and Become (Unrated) Historical drama, set in the Middle East in 1985, examines the adjustment to his new homeland made by a black Christian boy (Moshe Agazai) brought to Israel as part of Operation Moses, an airlift of about 8,000 Ethiopian Jews fleeing religious persecution. (In Amharic, Hebrew and French with subtitles)
Praying with Lior (Unrated) Documentary presents an uplifting portrait of the son of a rabbi about to be bar mitzvahed who was born with Down Syndrome yet has come to be considered a spiritual genius in his tight-knit community.
The Silence before Bach (Unrated) Experimental musical collage, shot across Europe, comprised of a cornucopia of visual images designed to underscore the cultural significance of the music of Johann Sebastian Bach. (In German, Spanish and Italian with subtitles)
The Witnesses (Unrated) HIV+ drama, set at the dawn of the AIDS epidemic, examines the initial outbreak of a mysterious new disease among a motley crew of group of friends in Paris in the early Eighties. (In French with
subtitles)
EUR TV SERIES REVIEW: African American Lives 2
Black Luminaries Find Roots in 4-Part PBS Series
Review by Kam Williams
*A year ago, Harvard Professor Henry Louis “Skip” Gates hosted a groundbreaking series on which he and eight other African-American icons explored their roots via a combination of genealogical and DNA research. The show was so successful, that PBS has brought Skip back along with eleven new recruits curious about their roots.
This go-round, the group of luminaries includes actors Don Cheadle and Morgan Freeman, poet Maya Angelou, Olympian Jackie Joyner-Kersee, DJ Tom Joyner, singer Tina Turner. Ebony/Jet publisher Linda Johnson Rice, fellow Harvard Professor Reverend Peter Gomes, comedian Chris Rock and belatedly-black author Bliss Broyard.
Plus, there’s Kathleen Henderson, the contest winner picked from among over 2,000 entrants to have her history researched for the program.
If you remember the original show, then you are already well familiar with the format. Broken down into four episodes, the first focuses on each person’s 20th Century relatives.
Episode Two traces Civil War era ancestors, while the third goes all the way back to the Colonial Period. DNA testing is introduced during the final episode, which is when the participants learn what per cent African, Asian, European and Native American they are. Some then venture to their respective homelands.
Highlights include Tom Joyner’s learning of the legal lynching of two of his grandmother’s brothers for the murder of a white man, the reading from a slave ship’s log about captives’ deaths from sickness and suicide, and Ms.
Angelou’s heartfelt insights about her strong connection to the Motherland, even in absentia when she wistfully reflects, “I don’t think you can ever leave home.”
Ironically, the most compelling moments revolve around Ms. Broyard, daughter of the late New York Times literary critic, Anatole Broyard. For, her light-skinned father passed for white from the time he moved to New York City in 1938 at the age of 17 until his death in 1990. So, growing up, she never knew she was part African-American.
Here, she is clearly uncomfortable as she struggles to grasp the meaning of her new identity, while wondering whether her father ran from his out of self-hatred or self-preservation. There is nothing culturally black about Bliss, making her inclusion a bit strange, except that it reminds us that there are undoubtedly millions of others like her, the difference being they are either ashamed or unaware of their African ancestry.
The show’s only low moments come courtesy of host Gates who is given to drawing baffling and bizarre conclusions such as when he inappropriately sums up a situation with: “Being black in America has never been about one’s color or facial features. It’s more a state of mind.” What?
Or how about another occasion where he fliply suggests that the damage slavery has wreaked upon the black family can be easily undone, saying: “DNA can begin to reverse the Middle Passage. Ain’t that something?” Otherwise, African American Lives 2 is as moving, informative and fascinating four hours as you can hope to find anywhere on the TV dial.
Excellent (4 stars)
Unrated
Running time: 224 minutes
Studi PBS
African American Lives 2 premieres on PBS at 9 PM (EST) on Wednesdays
February 6 and 13. (check local listings)
EUR MOTIVATIONAL NOTE
"Take care of your body with steadfast fidelity. The soul must see through these eyes alone, and if they are dim, the whole world is clouded."
— Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, German author and philosopher
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Feb. 1: Actor-comedian Garrett Morris is 71. Actor Sherman Hemsley is 70. Jazz pianist Joe Sample is 69. Rapper Big Boi of Outkast is 33.
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
Feb. 1, 1865: John Sweat Rock (1825-1866), a noted Boston lawyer, became in 1865 the first African-American to practice before the U.S.
Supreme Court and the first black person to speak before the U.S. House of Representatives. (Source: www.BlackFacts.com)
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