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02-25-08 EUR ALL ON ONE PAGE
JOHNNY GILL ADDRESSES ALL THE RUMORS: Plus, singer confirms argument between mothers of Eddie and Tracey at 'spiritual wedding.'
*Johnny Gill has finally addressed persistent rumors that he is gay and was the driving force behind his roommate Eddie Murphy breaking off his engagement to Tracey Edmonds.
The singer, who also says he was not the best man at Murphy's "spiritual wedding" as had been reported (it was Eddie's brother Charlie Murphy), was interviewed Friday by Doug Banks of Chicago's V103 radio station. He denied both rumors and faulted the media for failing to check the facts.
Commenting on reports that Murphy's mother Lillian had bickered constantly with Edmonds' mother throughout the weekend, Gill said Mrs.
Murphy was just expressing her belief that the actor was rushing into marriage so soon after the debacle with Scary Spice and amid ongoing issues with his first wife, Nicole.
"Eddie has a great level of respect for his mother and his family, just like anybody," Gill told Banks. "And when Mommy finally decided to speak on it, she spoke on it after the ceremony – simply that she felt everything was moving too fast and it didn't feel right. She's not an actress and she was being honest with him."
Gill also shed some light on what initially set off Lillian's tirade.
"One of Tracey's guests said some things that were inappropriate that triggered everything with the mom, and that's how it all started," he said.
Gill also attempted to explain what Murphy was thinking when he famously picked up a transvestite prostitute in West Hollywood. He said:
"Somebody walks up that you assume is a fine girl that spots you and approaches you, you're thinkin' 'Hey shoot, it's my lucky night.' He had no other choice but to bite the bullet and say 'Hey, I was just helping her out and giving her a ride.'"
Listen to the entire interview here:
SNOOP DOGG CAUGHT WITH WEED AGAIN: Rapper ticketed for possession outside Manhattan nightclub.
*Snoop Dogg's attorney wants to make it clear that the rapper was not handcuffed and taken into custody for marijuana possession Wednesday night in Manhattan.
"He did not get arrested. He received a ticket for possession of marijuana," explained the artist's lawyer, Donald Etra. "We are contesting the ticket."
According to the New York Post, Snoop was reportedly given a desk-appearance ticket Wednesday night after cops caught him with the illegal herb outside a nightclub.
It's Snoop's latest dust-up in a long line of legal brushes over weed. He is currently on probation for five years following a no-contest plea in April 2007 to marijuana- and gun-possession charges after being arrested at Bob Hope Airport in Burbank, Calif., in October 2006.
J. HOLIDAY ARRESTED FOR DRUG POSSESSION: Singer nabbed Thursday after cops pull him over in Maryland.
*Less than 24 hours after Snoop Dogg was "ticketed" for weed possession in Manhattan, singer J. Holiday was actually arrested for the same deal after being pulled over in Salisbury, Maryland.
According to local news channel WMDT 47, the singer was arrested Thursday night after being pulled over on Route 50 for "driving in tandem"
with another "at a high rate of speed."
Sgt. Frank Russo said officers picked up a strong marijuana odor coming from his car, which led to a search of his vehicle. According to WMDT, a small amount of marijuana was found in the center console of Holiday's vehicle.
Holiday and his passenger, George Jackson, both face charges of drug possession charges. The driver of the other car, Rolland Wesley, faces traffic-related charges.
AKON FANS RIOT IN DENMARK: Free concert at the mall goes horribly wrong.
*Akon's free concert at a mall in Copenhagen Wednesday got violent and ugly after some latecomers were turned away at the door.
According to Reuters, some 2,000 to 3,000 people were packed inside of Fields Shopping Mall for the gig. Mall direct Jens Geppel said they weren't anticipating such a large crowd.
"It was a free concert and we knew that many people would come, but there were a lot of people there, more than we had expected," Geppel told Reuters.
About three songs into the set, someone pulled a fire alarm, sending the crowd into a frenzy. The alarm was falsely set, but police were still required to evacuate fans. Several dozen disappointed concert-goers began throwing bottles and rocks at police after the evacuation.
Eight people were arrested in the melee. Witnesses said emergency services arrived at the scene to treat a number of injuries, but none were serious.
SAM MOORE SAYS 'HOLD ON' OBAMA: Singer sends cease and desist letter to campaign over use of Sam & Dave song.
*R&B veteran Sam Moore does not appreciate the fact that Barack Obama is using his Sam and Dave classic "Hold On I'm Comin'" in his campaign for the White House.
Moore, who sings lead on the track, has written a cease and desist letter to the senator's camp requesting that he stop using the song immediately. The letter states:
I am Sam Moore the lead voice of the duo Sam and Dave whose recording of “Hold On I’m Comin” your campaign has been using at your rallies.
Unfortunately, I have been contacted by various media outlets because of a story on yesterday’s Newsweek blog about how my signature song as part of Sam & Dave was blasting for 18,000 adoring admirers of yours at a rally in Dallas and how the crowd was singing along and even spontaneously changed the words to “Hold On Obama’s Comin”. Questions have included: Why do I want you to be President? Have we met yet? Am I honored that my song was selected to be so important to the Obama for President Campaign?
I have had no choice but to set the record straight and I have begun explaining that the song was being performed at your rallies without my permission or my endorsement of you as my choice as a candidate for President and that I was writing this to you asking you to not continue
including my material at your events.
I must request that you instruct your team to cease and desist from playing the song as I was not asked if I minded that my performance, as well as my name and the little bit of fame I enjoy, was associated to your bid to win the nomination of your party as their candidate for President of The United States of America, our wonderful country.
I have not agreed to endorse you for the highest office in our land.
I reserve my right to determine who I will support when and if I choose to do so.
My vote is a very private matter between myself and the ballot box.
My endorsement and support of a candidate, because I do carry some celebrity, makes is quite a different matter changing a private act to a public statement, something I wouldn’t do without considerable thought.
I therefore must stand firm on being given the respect and courtesy of being asked if I mind having my talent, name and fame associated to you or any other candidate running for office, for that matter.
I do wish you well in your quest for the nomination. Having been hit with rocks and water hoses in the streets, in the day with Dr. King as part of his artist appearance and fund raising team, it is thrilling, in my lifetime, to see that our country has matured to the place where it is no longer an impossibility for a man of color to really be considered as a legitimate candidate for the highest office in our land.
EDDIE MURPHY WINS RAZZIES FOR 'NOBRIT': Actor earns worst performance honors in three categories at Saturday ceremony.
*Eddie Murphy was a top "winner" at Saturday's Golden Raspberry (a.k.a. Razzie) Awards, which are given annually to the year's worst performances in film.
The actor received Razzies for worst actor, supporting actor and supporting actress for the comedy "Norbit," where he used, ironically, Oscar-nominated makeup to play multiple roles.
His worst actor performance is for the nerdy title role, while the supporting actress win was for the character of Norbit's morbidly obese wife. The supporting actor trophy recognized Murphy's performance as an Asian man. Murphy is the first person ever to win three acting Razzies in one year.
Many pundits thought Murphy's performance in "Norbit," which was released in the months leading up to the 2007 Academy Awards, may have hindered his chances at winning best supporting actor that year for his role in "Dreamgirls." Razzies founder John Wilson certainly believes so.
"If you had tried to make something certain to offend the average 90-year-old academy voter, I don't think you could have done a better job than the foul-mouthed, physically ugly, emotionally-ugly movie he unleashed on the world," Wilson said.
Lindsay Lohan, who played dual roles in the thriller "I Know Who Killed Me," won two Razzies for worst actress. The film itself took home a trophy for worst film. The worst prequel or sequel prize went to Cuba Gooding Jr.'s "Daddy Day Camp," a follow-up to Murphy's "Daddy Day Care."
NE-YO ARRESTED IN ATLANTA FOR SPEEDING: Singer's mug shot hits the Internet over the weekend.
*Ne-Yo was finally photographed without wearing a hat.
Unfortunately, the photographer was affiliated with the Atlanta police department and the picture is a mug shot.
The neo-soul singer, born Shaffer Smith, was booked on charges of reckless driving and driving without a license after he was arrested early Tuesday in the ATL. The 28-year-old was clocked in his Range Rover going more than 100 mph, according to E! Online.
He was released later Tuesday on $1,300 bond, says police spokeswoman Cassie Reece. He's due back in court on March 25 to answer to the charges.
WILL SMITH WINS APOLOGY IN 'HITLER' CLAIM: Plus, Military Academy cadets honor his performance in 'I Am Legend.'
*Will Smith won an apology from the London-based World Entertainment News Network (WENN) for a story that misquoted him as saying Nazi leader Adolf Hitler was a "good person."
WENN picked up the story from an interview the actor did with the newspaper Scottish Daily Record.
"The article alleged (Smith) had declared in an interview that Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler was a good person," Smith's lawyer Rachel Atkins told the court. "It wholly misrepresents (his) actual words."
The one-time Oscar-nominee actually thought Hitler was "vile and heinous," Judge David Eady of London's High Court heard.
"The allegations that he could think otherwise is deeply distressing...and has caused him acute embarrassment," said Atkins.
WENN's article, titled "Smith: Hitler was a good person," ran on its Web site, which is accessed by more than 1,000 media outlets in 25 countries. WENN retracted the story and issued a correction and an apology, but no media published it, leaving the libel "at large," Atkins explained.
John Melville Smith, defending WENN, said his client has apologized for the story, which they now admitted was wrong.
"(WENN) offers its apologies to (Smith) for any distress and embarrassment caused by this article," he told the court. "(It) accepts that the allegations concerning (him) were misleading and published in error."
Meanwhile, cadets at the U.S. Military Academy have chosen Smith to receive its first Cadet Choice Movie Award, which honors a fictional character that best personifies West Point leadership qualities on the silver screen.
Smith was chosen for his role as Army virologist Dr. Robert Neville in "I Am Legend." Nominated for his "value-based leadership," Neville received 27 percent of the cadets' 2,200 online votes.
Runners-up included King Leonidas of "300," portrayed by Gerard Butler, and John McClane of "Live Free or Die Hard," portrayed by Bruce Willis.
RIHANNA HELPS LEUKEMIA PATIENT: Also, singer named Honorary Cultural Ambassador in native Barbados.
*Pop star Rihanna is assisting a New York City leukemia patient in her desperate search to find a bone marrow donor, reports People magazine.
Lisa Gershowitz Flynn, a 41-year-old mother of two young children, was diagnosed in November with acute myelogenous leukemia, a fast-growing cancer of the blood and bone marrow. Doctors have told her she has four to six weeks to find a suitable donor, according to People.
"When I heard about Lisa's plight, my heart broke," Rihanna told the magazine. "I said, 'I need to get the word out about Lisa right away.'"
The 20-year-old singer is working with DKMS, an international donor network based in Tubingen, Germany. Flynn says she can't believe the performer has gotten involved in her case.
"For Rihanna to even be thinking about helping others and putting herself out there when she is so busy with her career is tremendous," Flynn said.
Meanwhile, Rihanna has been appointed honorary cultural ambassador for her native Caribbean island, Prime Minister David Thompson announced Thursday night in a ceremony honoring the singer in the capital of Bridgetown.
Thompson said the government also was recognizing her contributions by giving her a "piece of the rock" — a plot of real estate in the exclusive Apes Hill area of St. James parish.
Born Robyn Rihanna Fenty, the entertainer arrived on the island Thursday afternoon accompanied by her rumored boyfriend Chris Brown.
Other honorary ambassadors for Barbados include Obadele Thompson, an island-born sprinter who won the bronze medal in the 100 meters at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia.
ERYKAH BADU POKES FUN AT PAST RELATIONSHIPS: Singer also defends Eric Benet's Halle Berry drama.
*Erykah Badu hit the stage in Brooklyn Tuesday night for VH1 Soul and did more than just sing songs from her latest album, "New Amerykah."
The singer, sporting a huge afro wig, got her clown on regarding two high-profile rappers she has dated in the past, Andre 3000 from OutKast and Chicago M.C. Common.
After warning the crowd not to believe stories about her in the tabloids, she made the exception: "It is true what they say about me and men — (I) make them wear crocheted pants and shin guards!" She broke out into laughter, then added: "But they soldiers, though."
Badu, 36, has a child with the one-time shin guard wearing Andre 3000; and who can forget photos of Common in crocheted pants when he and Badu were a couple.
The Texas-born entertainer also stuck up for R&B singer Eric Benet, whose reputation took a serious hit after then ex-wife Halle Berry accused him of cheating.
"He's a very responsible person," she told the crowd of Benet.
Airing on VH1 Soul tomorrow (Feb. 26), Badu's 30-minute episode of "Soulstage" includes performances of "Honey" and "Soldier" from her album, "New Amerykah: Part 1 (4th World War)," in stores tomorrow. She also shares her inspiration behind such hits as "Otherside of the Game" and "On & On."
The full show, plus additional exclusive performances not seen in the broadcast will be available online at VH1Soul.com beginning tomorrow as well.
BARRY BONDS SAYS GOV'T TYPOS WILL FACTOR IN COURT: Slugger believes mistakes could jeopardize fair trial.
*Barry Bonds is pointing out two typographical errors in a recent filing by prosecutors that he believes could compromise his chances for a fair trial in his perjury case.
According to the Associated Press, the typos wrongly accuse Bonds of flunking a drug test in 2001. Prosecutors later admitted they instead meant 2000.
The former San Francisco Giants star has pleaded not guilty to perjury and obstruction of justice charges alleging he lied when he told a federal grand jury he never knowingly used performance-enhancing drugs. He is asking a judge to dismiss the case, arguing the questions posed to him while under oath were ambiguous and confusing.
In a filing last week opposing Bonds' motion for dismissal, prosecutors twice referred to a drug test he failed in November 2001. They later said they meant to reference a November 2000 drug test that had previously been mentioned in the indictment.
Still, several media outlets reported that the government got hold of new evidence that proves Bonds had lied. The mistakes were corrected the next day, but Bonds' lawyers argue in their response to the government's filing that the damage to the case was already done.
JAY-Z'S NEW ROCAWEAR ADS UNDER FIRE: Models are the family of Sean Bell. Company accused of trying to influence jury.
*A new ad for Jay-Z's Rocawear clothing line featuring the family of an unarmed man allegedly shot and killed by three police officers has been accused by a law enforcement group of attempting to influence the jury in an upcoming trial.
The photos show the somber family of groom Sean Bell, who was shot to death by undercover NYPD detectives in November 2006 outside the New York club where his bachelor party had just been held. The wedding was scheduled for a few hours later.
Bell's widow Nicole Paultre-Bell - who wed him posthumously - is seen in the ad holding the couple’s two daughters Jada, 5, and Jordan, 1, with her wedding ring clearly showing. Above the photo are her words: “We are going to be here to the end, ’til justice is served.”
“This was a planned publicity stunt timed to influence the jury,” said Michael Palladino, president of the Detectives Endowment Association, according to Showbizspy.com.
Paultre-Bell’s lawyer, Sanford Rubenstein, denies that her client intended to influence the trial. “You can easily go negative with anything.
She sees it as something uplifting,” Rubenstein said.
Jameel Spencer, chief marketing officer for Rocawear, said the goal of their advertising is to tell stories of people who overcome adversity. “It embodies the spirit of how Rocawear was born - how hip-hop was born,”
said Spencer. “We’re trying to highlight different stories. Nicole, she really embodies the overall spirit of that. She’s someone who’s suffered a great loss. When that happens, you want to curl up in a ball and die. That’s a tough thing. The day you’re supposed to get married and something horrible happens.”
Detectives Michael Oliver and Gescard Isnora are charged with manslaughter and could face up to 25 years in prison. Detective Marc Cooper is charged with reckless endangerment. Their trial is scheduled to begin today.
SCOTT STORCH FORCED TO MAKE GOOD ON LOAN: Producer was sued for failing to pay back over $500K.
*Hit-making producer Scott Storch took a hit to his pockets last week in a lawsuit over a $100,000 loan, reports Allhiphop.com.
David Menefield, owner of the LA Confidential label and former manager of rapper Nocturnal, says he has yet to be repaid on the $100,000 he lent Storch's Tuff Jew Productions in 2003 to prevent the foreclosure of his home.
The May 2007 lawsuit also claims Storch never repaid other portions of the loan agreement, including four promised tracks for Menefield's artist, which were valued at $100,000 dollars a piece.
A judge ruled in Menefield's favor on Feb. 13, ordering Storch to pay $509,717, which includes the $100,000 principal amount plus a total of $400,000 for the four tracks and attorney fees.
"Scott Storch never had the courtesy even to call me and speak to me directly about this matter after I asked to be repaid," Menefield told AllHipHop.com. "I had to hire my tough Jewish lawyer Bret Lewis to beat the $509,717.50 from Scott Storch and Tuff Jew Productions in court.
ETTA JAMES WEIGHS IN ON BEYONCE ROLE: Blues singer approves; adds: 'I wasn't as bougie as she is.'
*Etta James, the legendary soul singer to be portrayed by Beyonce in the upcoming film "Cadillac Records," recently spoke about how pleased she is with the casting choice.
"It's a privilege and an honor to have somebody like that girl. I don't think she looks like me, but that's all right. They can fix that up,"
Etta told PageSix.com.
But moving beyond looks, James warns: "Oh my god, she's going to have a hill to climb, because Etta James ain't been no angel!"
For one, James says Beyonce will have to make some changes to her singing style.
"I have my own way of putting those songs over, and I was just wondering if Beyoncé could, and my son said, 'They're thinking about how she looks, but Mama, she can really sing.'"
"I kinda have a man's voice. It's a contralto, more bluesy, religious. I would really like to work with her on that," the 70-year-old songstress adds.
Etta, who battled heroin addiction for many years, says, "I can tell Beyoncé some things; some of the things I might not tell her.
"I wasn't as bougie as she is, she's bourgeois. She knows how to be a lady, she's like a model. I wasn't like that... I smoked in the bathroom in school, I was kinda arrogant, so those are some of the things I would want to tell her."
As previously reported, "Cadillac Records" will star Adrien Brody in the role of music exec Leonard Chess, as well as Cedric the Entertainer and Jeffrey Wright. Shooting is scheduled to start on March 10 in New Jersey, with two days on location in Mississippi.
DUKE LACROSSE PLAYERS SUE SCHOOL: Lawsuit cites emotional distress, abandonment by school.
*Thirty-eight current and former Duke lacrosse players filed a federal lawsuit Thursday against the university, saying the school "turned its back" on them in a case that falsely accused three team members of rape.
Lead attorney Chuck Cooper said Thursday the players are suffering emotional distress, and they received zero support from the private university in a bid to protect the school's image.
"They simply turned their back on these students," said Cooper.
"Players have made every effort to resolve these issues with Duke. There is no other course at this point."
Responding to the lawsuit Thursday, university vice president and general counsel Pamela Bernard issued a statement saying: "Their legal strategy — attacking Duke — is misdirected and without merit. We will vigorously defend the university against these claims."
Lawyers for the players accuse Duke University, the City of Durham and several school and police officials of fraud, abuse and breach of duty for supporting the prosecution of the case.
The lawsuit accuses Duke of ignoring, suppressing and discrediting evidence that proved the players innocent, of idly standing by while the players suffered abuse and harassment on campus, and of imposing discipline that implied the team was guilty.
Thursday's suit on behalf of 38 unindicted players and nine members of their families seeks unspecified damages for invasion of privacy, emotional distress and other injuries.
WE REMEMBER CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST JOHNNIE CARR: Childhood friend of Rosa Parks was 97.
*Johnnie Carr, whose activism in the civil rights movement began when her childhood friend Rosa Parks helped to launch the historic Montgomery bus boycott, has died at age 97.
Carr died Friday night at the Baptist Health hospital in Montgomery, Ala., where she had been resting since suffering a stroke on Feb. 11, reports the Associated Press.
Carr succeeded the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. as president of the Montgomery Improvement Association in 1967, a post she held at her death. It was the newly formed association that led the boycott of city buses in the Alabama capital in 1955 after Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat to whites on a crowded bus. A year later the U.S. Supreme Court struck down racial segregation on public transportation.
"Johnnie Carr is one of the three major icons of the Civil Rights
Movement: Dr. King, Rosa Parks and Johnnie Carr," said Morris Dees, co-founder of the Southern Poverty Law Center. "I think ultimately, when the final history books are written, she'll be one of the few people remembered for that terrific movement."
"She was always an encourager and not a divider," Mayor Bobby Bright told the Montgomery Advertiser. "She was just a loving person. She was truly the mother figure that we all so desperately needed in Montgomery during a very trying period of our history."
In a statement, Gov. Bob Riley said Carr was a "remarkable woman and will be deeply missed." She was a true inspiration, Riley said, and "leaves behind a lasting legacy of pride, determination, and perseverance."
The family said funeral arrangements would be announced later.
TAVIS SMILEY STILL CAUGHT IN OBAMA BACKLASH: Journalist says he's been hit with angry e-mails and death threats.
*Sen. Hillary Clinton took a break from campaigning in primary states Ohio and Texas Saturday to appear at the annual State of the Black Union symposium in New Orleans. But her presence there was overshadowed by the drama surrounding the absence of her rival, Barack Obama, who chose instead to remain on the campaign trail.
Obama's decision was criticized harshly by event organizer Tavis Smiley, who expressed disappointment with the senator and called his choice "a missed opportunity." Smiley's sentiment unleashed a torrent of criticism and prompted many to come to Obama's defense. The talk show host told The Washington Post he has been inundated with angry e-mails and even death threats.
"I have family in Indianapolis. They are harassing my momma, harassing my brother. It's getting to be crazy," Smiley told the newspaper.
Several forum attendees interviewed by CNN.com seemed unfazed by Obama's absence Saturday.
"Personally, I don't think it's much of an issue," said Victor Reed.
"I'm standing behind him 100 percent." Clinton probably was at the event because "she needs it more than [Obama] right now," he added.
Another State of the Black Union attendee said many people at the forum wished Obama had come, but understood his reasons for declining the invitation.
"It's better for his campaign to be in Texas," said Tiffany Washington.
Meanwhile, Smiley asked Sen. Clinton about remarks her husband made during a campaign stop in South Carolina, including his reference to Jesse Jackson having won primaries in the state during the 1980s. Critics complained the remarks suggested that Obama's success in that state would largely be based on his race.
In her answer, Clinton said many of the forum attendees knew her husband personally and knew his heart.
"If anyone was offended by anything that was said, whether it was meant or not, whether it was misinterpreted or not, then obviously I regret that. But I believe our task is to go forward with the agenda that all of us agree upon. That is what I have done my entire life, on behalf of civil rights and women's rights and human rights," Clinton said.
"I believe strongly that there is a shared and common purpose that we all hold very dear, regardless of who you are supporting at this time for the Democratic nominee as president," she added.
"It goes way beyond Barack and me. It goes way beyond politics. And I don't think there is any doubt that I and Bill have been part of that common purpose and that struggle our entire adult lives."
MUSIC/FILM/TV BITS: Keys shows postponed; Givenchy nabs J.T.; Prince's hip; J.Lo's twins; Janet's 'Sweet 16'; BET's 'Runway';
*Alicia Keys was forced to postpone two concerts on her European tour after doctors put her on vocal rest, her rep Patti Webster said Saturday.
The singer was to perform tonight in Glasgow, Scotland, and Tuesday in Manchester England. But, the singer came down with a case of laryngitis and was advised to spend the next few days off the stage. The Glasgow and Manchester dates were to be rescheduled, Webster said.
*Justin Timberlake has signed on as the new face of Parfums Givenchy's latest men’s fragrance, reports People.com. “Beyond his huge celebrity appeal, we have chosen Justin Timberlake because he is a world recognized trendsetter who redefines modern elegance," says Alain Lorenzo, President and CEO of Parfums Givenchy. The new campaign will be unveiled in June 2008 and launched in two stages, beginning in the Fall of 2008, with a worldwide roll out across 2009.
*London tabloid News of the World claims Prince is in need of a hip replacement and has booked himself into a private hospital. According to the paper, "aides are keeping the singer's schedule clear for two months to recover—but they're not letting on why he cannot work in that time." The paper quotes a source as stating the ball and socket of his damaged hip will be taken out and replaced with titanium.
*Jennifer Lopez is basking in the afterglow of her newborn twins, which she delivered Friday with husband Marc Anthony. "She is so happy right now. Everything is wonderful. She is beyond thrilled to become a mom,"
a friend tells People magazine. "She is over the moon." And the same goes for Anthony: "Here he is – he got the girl of his dreams and now she's the mother of his children."
*Janet Jackson participated in a spoof of MTV's "My Super Sweet 16"
reality series, which follows the planning and execution of elaborate, over-the-top birthday, bat mitzvah and quinceañera parties. The clip was directed by Joel Schumacher and is featured as part of an MTV promotion that calls on music stars to tape clips, interviews and skits for broadcast during breaks between the network's regular programming. Jackson also taped a series of other skits, highlighting marquee moments in MTV history, reports People magazine.
*BET's annual "Rip the Runway" special was taped over the weekend in New York City and included performances by Missy Elliott, Snoop Dogg and N.E.R.D. Sean "Diddy" Combs served as the show's executive producer and also had his latest fashions from Sean John featured on the runway. Other collections featured included Apple Bottoms, BBC, and Zac Posen. Actress Lauren London and Apple Bottoms creator Nelly hosted the event, which is due to air March 4 at 9 p.m.
EVENT CALENDAR: Fishburne in 'Thurgood'; Steve Harvey at JMI Golf Tourney in Charlotte; Hip Hop Summit Action Awards in NY.
*Tickets went on sale Saturday for Thurgood — the one-man show at New York's Booth Theatre starring Lawrence Fishburne in the life story of Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall. Written by George Stevens Jr., Thurgood, according to press notes, tells how Marshall rose from a childhood in the backstreets of Baltimore to the Supreme Court of the United States, overcoming many adversities along the way. Previews begin April 12. The production will officially open April 30. Tickets, priced $70-$95, will be
available by calling (212) 239-6200 or by visiting www.telecharge.com.
*Steve Harvey and Nephew Tommy will be participants at the JMI Telecom CIAA Invitational Golf Tournament in Charlotte, NC on Feb. 29 at the Ballantyne Resort. JMI Telecom Corp provides a variety of telecommunication services to both commercial and residential customers. For more information regarding the full day of golf or sponsorship please call 866-516-5104, email jmiciaa@jmisp.com, or visit www.jmiciaa.com.
*The Hip-Hop Summit Action Network's Fifth Annual Action Awards event is scheduled to take place in New York this evening at Capitale, (130 Bowery (at Grand). Honorees include Snoop Dogg, Ciara, Doug E. Fresh, Chris Lighty, Jim Jones and Mellody Hobson. The exclusive fundraising dinner will help support HSAN's non-profit work to utilize the power of hip hop for positive social change. Each of the Action Award recipients has made an outstanding contribution to the empowerment of others and to their communities.
ITTY BITTY BITS: Radio One stock; Pacman Jones' suspension; Bounty Hunter's son arrested.
*Stock continues to slide for Radio One, Inc., the nation's largest black-owned radio broadcasting company. In earnings numbers released for the quarter ending Dec. 31, 2007, station operating income was approximately
$27.8 million, a decrease of 26% from the same period in 2006. Operating loss was approximately $387.6 million, a significant increase from the loss in the same period in 2006. Net revenue was approximately $78.1 million, a decrease of 5% from the same period in 2006.
*NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has ruled that suspended cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones is prohibited from working out at the Tennessee Titans' facility and may not be reinstated until at least the opening of training camps in July, reports The AP. Goodell suspended Jones last April for the 2007 season for his off-field conduct. The sixth pick in the 2005 draft has been arrested six times since being drafted. Jones had been allowed to work out there once a week during the season, a restriction that was dropped once the Titans' season ended. "He remains suspended and will be considered for reinstatement prior to the opening of training camps," said NFL spokesman Greg Aiello.
*Dog the Bounty Hunter's son, Tucker was arrested in Oahu Friday for violating multiple terms of his parole, reports TMZ.com. Tucker made headlines after selling the tape of a telephone conversation with his father, Duane "Dog" Chapman, to the National Enquirer. During the conversation, Chapman used the N-word multiple times. Among Tucker's alleged violations: associating with known felons, failing a drug test and walking away from a rehab facility.
*Global public relations firm Ketchum announced the addition of two new vice presidents: James Andrews, director, Atlanta, and Scott Kilroy, director, New York to its Ketchum Interactive Communications (KIC) division.
Andrews, a blogger for FastCompany.com, was the founder of BrandInfluence, a strategic marketing and cultural branding agency that specializes in the convergence of technology, culture and entertainment. With over 11 years of management experience in the online space, Kilroy has held director level positions for such companies as MTV.com, Vizy Interactive, publicly traded Alloy, Inc. and Burson-Marsteller. Prior to joining Ketchum, he served as Director of Technology at Innovation Ads, where he led the development of the company’s lead management software.
NAACP INNER CIRCLE IN TURMOIL: Baltimore Sun exposes 'internal struggles' that may threaten group's direction.
*There is reported infighting among high-ranking members of the nation's oldest civil rights organization and it's threatening to affect the process of selecting a new president and CEO, reports the Baltimore Sun.
The NAACP's national base in Baltimore has been mired in disagreements over CEO selection, the group's direction, and local chapters'
funds, the newspaper reports.
Calling itself the "Leadership of Conscience," a group of about a dozen NAACP board members made their objections known last weekend at the board's annual meeting in New York. During board elections, the group waged an unsuccessful effort to unseat Chairman Julian Bond, the Sun reports.
"There is a significant coalition of opposition formed to push the NAACP forward and to reject the status quo," said J. Whyatt Mondesire of Philadelphia, who was elected to the board last year. "People want to change the agenda and be in the forefront of the civil rights struggle."
Bond contends that board members approved the very selection process to which some now object.
"Of course it worries me if a single member of the board feels that way, but I don't think it is a common feeling," said Bond, 68, the veteran civil rights activist and former Georgia state senator who has been chairman since 1998.
The NAACP continues to reel from the sudden resignation last March of President Bruce S. Gordon after 19 months at the helm. Board members selected the former Verizon executive hoping for a fresh approach and that his corporate connections would boost fundraising. But Gordon and the 64-member board that hired him clashed over philosophy and civil rights strategy.
EUR DVD REVIEW: American Gangster
Harlem Heroin Kingpin Bio-Pic Starring Denzel Due on DVD
DVD Review by Kam Williams
*At the height of his reign as New York's heroin kingpin, Frank Lucas (Denzel Washington) was raking in over a million dollars a day. This was no mean feat for a former sharecropper who had arrived from rural North Carolina penniless and with no formal education.
He built his drug empire as a family-run business, restricting membership in the gang to relatives and friends from his hometown. However, what really made his operation so successful was the fact that he figured out a way to cut out the middleman.
With the help of soldiers stationed overseas, he smuggled uncut drugs into the country in the caskets of deceased Vietnam vets. Before he and his confederates were finally caught and carted off to prison, Lucas would amass a personal fortune in the hundreds of millions.
While some might be tempted to admire Frank, never forget that this was a cold-blooded killer who never gave a second thought about exploiting the human condition or assassinating any cop or competitor who stood in his way.
Yet, since nothing is more meta-typically American than a graphic gangster saga, it comes as no surprise that the story would find its way to the big screen.
Co-starring Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe, this elaborate epoch of Shakespearean proportions explores an array of universal themes, ranging from loyalty and betrayal, to love and hate, to ambition and corruption, to sin and redemption. Regrettably, despite these classical pretensions and a stellar cast, the picture still somehow adds up to less than the sum of its parts.
For the film feels like an R-rated rap video, laced with graphic displays of gratuitous violence and topless women. Overall, an irresistibly seductive celebration of a monster likely to deliver the wrong message to many an impressionable young mind.
Fair (1.5 stars)
Rated R for female frontal nudity, sexuality, profanity, ethnic slurs, gratuitous violence and pervasive drug content Running time: 158 minutes
Studi Universal Studios Home Entertainment 2-Disc DVD Extras: 18 minutes of never-before-seen footage, an alternate ending, deleted scenes, alternate opening, three "Behind-the-Scenes"
segments, "The Making of" and five other featurettes.
THE EURweb FREE-4-ALL PAGE/BOARD: Talk about the stories we didn't cover in this issue.
EUR MOTIVATIONAL NOTE
“Success is never final and failure never fatal. It's courage that counts. ” by George F. Tiltonood
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Feb. 25: Actress Rashida Jones ("Boston Public") is 32.
WEBSITE OF THE WEEK
Jamati Online is a place to get all information about African music, film, style, sports. It is also the place to see what African celebrities are up to (http://www.jamati.com).
Submit your favorite Web site to us along with a 15-20 word (or less) description to info@eurweb.com.
BLACK HISTORY
Feb. 25, 1948: Martin Luther King ordained as a Baptist minister. (Source: www.BlackFacts.com)
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