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03-06-08 EUR ALL ON ONE PAGE
JANET JACKSON DEBUTS ATOP BILLBOARD: Badu's 'Amerykah', Webbie's 'Savage' enter in top 10.
*Janet Jackson is back in familiar territory with a number one album to her name for the first time in almost seven years.
Titled "Feedback," the CD is Janet's sixth Billboard 200 chart topper and her first No. 1 since 2001's "All For You." "Feedback" is also the first project under her new contract with Island Def Jam.
According to Nielsen Soundscan, it sold 181,000 copies in the U.S. this week, which is less than her last two albums - "Damita Jo" in 2004 (381,000), and "20 Y.O. in 2006 (296,000). However, neither of those CDs was able to rise past No. 2 on the charts.
"4th World War," part one of Erykah Badu's double album "New Amerykah," debuts at No. 2 this week, selling 124,000 copies. The second, as-yet-untitled portion of "New Amerykah" is due some time this summer via Universal Motown.
Webbie's "Savage Life 2" (Asylum/Trill Entertainment) enters at No. 4 this week on the strength of his hit single "Independent," performed with Lil' Phat and Boosie, which is steadily rising on the Hot 100.
Elsewhere on the Billboard 200, Alicia Keys' "As I Am" (J) slips 2-5 despite an 8% sales increase, with 57,000, Amy Winehouse's Universal Republic set "Back to Black" slips 3-10, also with 37,000, and D4L member Shawty Lo's solo debut, "Units in the City" (Asylum), debuts at No. 13 with 31,000.
SHARPTON, JACKSON COMMENT ON 'SNL'S' OBAMA SKIT: Clip had senator sending them on wild goose chases to avoid his campaign.
*Revs. Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson were asked what they thought of last weekend's "Saturday Night Live" cartoon in which Presidential hopeful Barack Obama tries to distance himself from their offers of help.
In the clip, Jackson and Sharpton show up separately to participate in the historic campaign, only for Obama to send them far away on bogus campaign business so that they won't tarnish his reputation.
"I laughed," Sharpton told columnists Rush & Malloy from the New York Daily News. "In fact, Barack has repeatedly asked for my support. I haven't endorsed either Barack or Hillary [Clinton]. As long as things are still up for grabs, I intend to remain neutral."
Jackson responded: "Why should I have to comment on some comedy writer's opinion?" He adds that he's happy to be part of the "supporting cast" of Obama's real-life campaign. "Given how the cynics operate, the best optics are his wife, his children and his supporters."
View "SNL's" animated clip here:
http://www.nbc.com/Saturday_Night_Live/video/#mea=224714
TAYE DIGGS' 'DAY BREAK' JUST WON'T DIE: TV One to air never-before-seen episodes as part of actor's own themed weekend.
*TV One will broadcast all 13 episodes of the former Taye Diggs series "Day Break," including the seven that never aired during its initial ABC run because it was cancelled midseason.
Diggs stars as an L.A. police detective framed for murder and forced to live the same day over in each episode. TV One will premiere "Day Break"
on Sunday March 16th at 10 p.m. during its special "Taye Diggs Weekend."
Before the premiere, his breakthrough film "How Stella Got Her Groove Back" will air from 8 to 10 p.m.
In conjunction with the launch of "Day Break," TV One Online
(www.tvoneonline.com) is launching an interactive destination for fans of the show. Through blogs, games, and video, users are invited to join a force of detectives to solve the murder mystery.
• In "Deja View," users are encouraged to watch surveillance video to find clues. • In "On This Day," a game requires users to put the events of each episode into the correct order.
• In "Hoppers Blog," the show's main character provides a first hand view of events as they unfold.
• Under "Suspects," users are encouraged to watch "Day Break" on TV One and then return to the web to analyze each suspect's actions and offer theories about their motivations.
MIJAC'S ENCINO HOME SIDESTEPS FORECLOSURE?: Word has it that a last minute payment came through.
*Michael Jackson's Encino home is no longer under threat of foreclosure, according to gossip columnist Janet Charlton.
As previously reported, E! Online got its hands on newly disclosed public records that showed the singer owed $153,000 to mortgage lender Indymac Bancorp as part of a $4 million loan he took out on the property.
The Web site further stated that the Pasadena-based company originally issued a notice of default to Jackson, but then vacated it.
According to Charlton, "the family compound has narrowly avoided foreclosure several times before," and mortgage payments were made "at the LAST minute" this time as well.
Meanwhile, Jackson's Neverland Ranch in Santa Barbara is still on the verge of being auctioned off on March 19 if he fails to come up with $24.5 million owed to San Francisco-based lender Financial Title Co.
MTV SAYS GNARLS BARKLEY VIDEO IS HAZARDOUS: Network bans clip for single 'Run' because it may cause seizures.
*Gnarls Barkley fans can forget about watching the video for their new single "Run" on MTV. The music channel said yesterday that it will not air the clip because it may cause viewers to suffer a serious medical condition.
According to Billboard.com, the music channel said it will not air the clip because its strobe effects caused it to fail the Harding Test – which are guidelines established to prevent TV images from triggering epileptic seizures. [View the video here at your own risk:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GA3a15xF0c&feature=related]
"I don't know exactly what's going on, but we're having issues," said Danger Mouse, one half of Gnarls Barkley. "I think (the video) is cool. It works for me. But I'm not necessarily that easily seasick. We can't predict how people are going to interpret it."
"Run" centers around the fictional public access TV show "City Vibin"' and is set in the early '90s. Justin Timberlake appears as the host of the program, on which Danger Mouse and fellow Gnarls Barkley principal Cee-Lo then perform the track.
The pair's new album, "The Odd Couple," is set to be released on April 8. A video for the second single, "Who's Gonna Save My Soul," is scheduled to be shot in the coming days.
IDRIS ELBA, MEAGAN GOOD IN NEW THRILLER: Film follows girl haunted by the ghost of a Holocaust victim.
*Meagan Good and Idris Elba are among the ensemble cast of Rogue Pictures' supernatural thriller "Unborn."
According to the Hollywood Reporter, the film follows a young woman (Odette Yustman) who is tormented by the soul of a boy who died in the Holocaust.
Good will play the girl's best friend, while Elba will play a priest who helps a Rabbi perform exorcisms. The Rabbi will be played by Gary Oldman, Carla Gugino signed on to portray the haunted girl's mother and Rhys Coiro of HBO's "Entourage" will play the girl's college professor.
Principal photography begins March 5 in Chicago under the film's writer/director David Goyer. Platinum Dunes' Michael Bay, Andrew Form and Brad Fuller are producing.
WARREN SAPP OFFICIALLY HANGS UP CLEATS: Retirement news posted on Raiders Web site.
*On the heels of Brett Favre's announcement Tuesday that he is retiring from football after 17 seasons, his "nemesis" (in good fun), 35-year-old Warren Sapp, finally confirmed a two-word statement that he posted on his Web site back in January: "I'M DONE!"
The 13-year NFL veteran said immediately after last season that he wanted out of football, but he failed to file the paper work. The posting on the team's Web site was the first official word that the star defensive tackle will not return in the fall.
Sapp made seven Pro Bowls, won the 1999 Associated Press Defensive Player of the Year award, and led Tampa Bay's dominant defense that won the Super Bowl after the 2002 season.
He spent nine seasons in Tampa before joining the Raiders in 2004 as a free agent. Sapp finished his career with 96 1/2 sacks, 28th overall since the NFL began keeping track of the statistic in 1982, but extra impressive because he played tackle.
Known as a trash talker, Sapp had a running "feud" with Packers quarterback Favre, who never backed down and often returned fire with a smile when both the Bucs and Packers were in the same division and played twice a season.
NO 'HOT TIN' FOR BARACK AND MICHELLE: Plans to attend tonight's all-black staging of Tennessee Williams play are scrapped.
*A rep for Sen. Barack Obama's campaign is denying reports that he will attend tonight's scheduled opening of Broadway's "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," directed by Debbie Allen and staring an all-black cast.
As previously reported, the show's producers told the New York Daily News that the presidential candidate and his wife, Michelle, were expected to show up along with Oprah Winfrey. But it appears those plans fell through on Tuesday, the Daily News reported yesterday.
A rep for the show's producers said that Secret Service agents swept the Broadhurst Theatre last Thursday in preparation for Obama's visit.
Other invited celebs for the "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" opening include Denzel and Pauletta Washington, Spike Lee, Bill and Camille Cosby and Will and Jada Smith.
KOBE BRYANT ASSISTS IN DARFUR PSA: Los Angeles Lakers star calls for united action to stop the genocide.
*In a public service announcement issued through Los Angeles-based non-profit Aid Still Required (www.AidStillRequired.org) and aired yesterday on ESPN, NBA star Kobe Bryant calls for united action to stop the conflict in Sudan's Darfur region.
"In Darfur, hundreds of thousands have been murdered, mutilated -- families torn apart," says Bryant. "We have the power to save lives, to restore lives, to change the world."
Bryant joins NBA notables Steve Nash, Tracy McGrady, Luol Deng, Derek Fisher, Baron Davis, Grant Hill, Emeka Okafor, Andrew Bynum and many more in speaking out about the atrocities.
The Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard is calling on people of the world to come together and help. "If we can unite people who are willing to take a stand, miracles can happen," says Bryant, asking, "What do you stand for?"
Bryant is backing Aid Still Required's two-pronged mission urging the international community to provide an adequate peace-keeping force in Darfur and to revitalize the region through sustainable processes.
• Aid Still Required (ASR) is a non-profit, humanitarian movement focused on rebuilding communities through sustainable solutions in the aftermath of natural disasters and human crises. (www.aidstillrequired.org)
R. KELLY GETS BEASTIAL ON DIS TRACK: Singer appears to go after Ne-Yo, Young Jeezy and Jay-Z on new track.
*R. Kelly's new dis track "I'm a Beast" hit the Internet Monday and immediately had fans trying to figure out who he is targeting with his salty lyrics, reports MTV.com.
Young Jeezy, who had a hit single with Kelly called "Go Getta," appears to be the subject of at least one verse, with Kelly singing: "Say you's a 'go getta'/ Go get your own sh**, boy."
There's also a verse directed at someone who accused Kelly of hating. This could be a verbal attack on Ne-Yo, who was famously booted off of Kelly's tour last year and accused the singer of being jealous that his stage show was not as well received or critically acclaimed as Ne-Yo's set.
Kelly sings: "Why I gotta hate on you?/ Look at me, I'm rich, boy/ You need a steering wheel the way you riding my di**, boy,"
Another line, "Never been a snitch boy, never been a bi**h boy,"
could be reserved for Jay-Z, who kicked him off of their Best of Both Worlds Tour. Kells was possibly answering one of Jay-Z's line from his "Kingdom Come" album, which stated: "Now the singer Rob calls the police on me/ Y'all n***as ran out and copped the CD/ See what I discovered, is y'all snitch lovers?"
Kelly doesn't name names on "I'm a Beast," but joked at the end of the song that he may start calling out folks on a remix.
ITTY BITTY BITS: Ursh's 'Love' song; new 'Game' episodes; Serena in India; Kimora and Kanye demands; Bomb Squad's new CD.
*Usher's new single "Love In This Club" featuring Young Jeezy jumped from No. 51 to No. 1 on Billboard's "Hot 100 Singles" chart this week, and also took over the top spot on SoundScan's digital tracks and iTunes charts during its first week on the streets. Co-written by Usher and produced by Polow Da Don, "Love" marks Ursh's eighth No. 1 single in the U.S. It's the first release from his upcoming fifth studio album "Here I Stand," slated for worldwide release this June.
*The CW announced it will air original episodes of "The Game" in a new time period beginning Sunday, March 23. The sitcom was not announced as an early pickup for fall, and matters became worse when the network announced it had deleted its entire comedy department. New episodes of "Everybody Hates Chris" and "Aliens in America" will air on Sundays in the 8 p.m. hour, followed by "The Game" and a wrap-up of "Girlfriends'" eight-season run at 9 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. respectively.
*Serena Williams made the quarter-finals of the $600,000 WTA Bangalore Open Wednesday with a win over Tzipora Obziler of Israel. The eight-time Grand Slam champion, seeded third and given a bye in the first round, beat Obziler 7-5, 6-0 in her first singles appearance on Indian soil."I am happy to be in India and playing because, to be frank, I am not feeling 100 percent fit," said Serena, who last month missed the Paris Open and the Antwerp event to undergo dental surgery.
*Apparently, someone has come across Kimora Lee Simmons's list of demands that accompany her every public appearance, reports the New York Post's Page Six. "She demands that someone stand by and refill her champagne glass whenever it gets below one inch, that the water is Fiji only and that the place provide fans that blow on her in case it gets hot," said an insider. Simmons' rep said, "She does only drink Fiji water but these reports are completely false and inaccurate."
*Speaking of demands, TMZ.com got hold of Kanye West's concert rider, which demands a Connect Four setup in his dressing room at every show, even though he travels with a set. His love for the Milton Bradley game was first revealed when pictures of his match against Beyonce surfaced earlier this year. Also among his dressing room demands are lots of grilled chicken, steamed vegetables, and lowfat chips."
*Famed production duo The Bomb Squad, best known for their work on early Public Enemy albums, will release their own album for the first time in their career. Brothers Hank and Keith Shocklee have yet to title the project, but they say it'll mix live electronics, visuals and vocals, according to Allhiphop.com. "I want to be a hybrid of man and machine as opposed to being a performer that uses machines," Hank Shocklee stated. The Bomb Squad is scheduled to perform March 29 in Miami Beach during the Winter Music Conference.
THEATRE BITS: Roxanne Reese presents 'Me and my Shadow,' Sticky Fingaz gets 'Caught' up.
*Actress/singer Roxanne Reese and her inseparable companion Ms.
Shirley Dupree present an evening of laughter and song in the one-act production "Me and My Shadow," which features Reese capturing the essence of such entertainers as Tina Turner, Judy Garland, Lena Horne, Billie Holiday, Elvis Presley and Diana Ross. "I felt a spiritual connection with these great artists who overcame adversity and showed vulnerability," said Reese."I feel their inner strength and as a result, was encouraged by their courage." The production will be held for two nights only – Friday, March 14 and Saturday, March 15 at 8 p.m. – in Los Angeles at The Renberg Theatre (The Village of Ed Gould Plaza) 1125 N. McCadden Place in Hollywood Partial proceeds benefit the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased by calling 323-860-7300 or online at
www.lagaycenter.org/boxoffice.
*Rapper/Actor Sticky Fingaz ("Kirk Jones") founding member of the hardcore rap group "Onyx," teams with advisor/playwright Don B. Welch for "Caught On Tape," a hip hop-tinged play about five young men who, for various reasons, plot a heist in hopes of financial gain. Yet all of their actions are caught on tape. "'Caught On Tape' is all Sticky," Welch says. "I want to make it clear that I am only on board as executive consultant. He wanted to do all the writing himself, and I encouraged it because he is a good writer. His ideas and vision for the project is very clear and precise.
"The play will make its theatrical debut in Los Angeles later this year.
JOSEPH C. PHILLIPS: No Country for Old Men
“Honey you should read this book.” My wife passed me her copy of Cormac McCarthy’s “No country for Old Men.” As I turned the pages devouring McCarthy’s prose I thought, “There is clearly a side to my wife that I do not know.” The novel was dark, brooding, and exceptionally violent and at the time I thought extremely cynical. “There is no hope here,” I thought. “Life and death are both merciless and mysterious sometimes determined by no more than a flip of a coin.” Needless to say, I couldn’t put the book down.
And I couldn’t wait to see the film. Hollywood often takes good novels and turns them into bad movies. Last Sunday the Motion Picture Academy awarded “No Country for Old Men” the Oscar for Best Film of the year.
Josh Brolin plays Lew Moss, a Viet Nam veteran who while out hunting stumbles upon a drug deal gone bad. The desert floor is littered with dead bodies. It is a place good men do not belong. Moss eventually discovers 2 million dollars in drug money and takes it putting in motion a chain of violence that is uncontained and unconcerned with whom it touches.
He is pursued my Mexican mobsters and an assassin named Anton Chigurh, played with chilling dispassion by Javier Bardem. Chigurh views himself as the hand of providence, but he is in reality evil personified. Perhaps he is Satan himself, a disinterested prosecutor “Roaming the earth and going back and forth in it” visiting destruction on the guilty and innocent alike. He kills deliberately and without mercy. He is, as a friend so eloquently put it, “the bringer of the ultimate, unforgiving pain. Everyone in the film keeps trying to figure him out - to find him, to thwart him, to survive him. Nobody does.” You can’t outrun the devil.
The entire bloody mess is dumped in the lap of small town Sheriff Ed Bell played by Tommy Lee Jones. He is wise, patient and brave. At the end of the day, however, he is simply not up to the task. Battling evil is a job for younger men so he chooses to hang up his guns, to sit on the sidelines playing checkers with other old men. It is part of what is brilliant about the film. We want to root for Bell, but can’t. He is no hero. He is a cynic. He is everyman. He is each and every one of us that out of fear, exhaustion or just plain apathy fails to act; fails to do what we know to be right; leaves the job unfinished for those that will come after us. Bell complains that times have changed. But we realize that the bad that is currently walking the earth is the same evil that has always been and will always be. Chigurh cannot die because he is eternal.
McCarthy says that our choices reverberate through time – that we are all pieces of a great cosmic puzzle attached through blood or through time. Bad decisions put into motion events that ripple outward affecting not just you, but everyone in your life and even people you don’t know. Like the coin the killer flips to decide whether or not to kill an old store owner evil travels sometimes miles at a time before landing in the hip pocket of some unsuspecting and innocent person. There is no such thing as fate. We are all simply standing in the pathway of a million and one bad decisions often made by people we don’t’ even know. Early in the film Josh Brolin says to his wife, “I’m fixin’ to do somethin’ dummer ‘n’ Hell.” He does. And hell follows.
The Cohen Brothers eschew a neat and tidy “Hollywood” ending. But the film ultimately offers us hope. For if the former is true then it must also follow that when we make good decisions we unleash good into the world. So perhaps the real cynics are those that hold the only way to battle evil is by lesser evil.
Yes, clearly there may be a dark side to my wife that I have somehow missed in the 20 years I have known her. That is certainly a possibility. But she certainly knows a good book when she reads one. “No country for Old Men” is a great book. It is also a great film.
Joseph C. Phillips is the author of “He Talk Like A White Boy” available wherever books are sold.
JASMYNE CANNICK: I Don't Do Ignorance
By Jasmyne A. Cannick
*The global image of the Black woman continues to be under attack, the latest of which being with Charles Knipp and his character Shirley Q. Liquor.
'Liquor' is described by Charles Knipp as being "the Queen of Ignunce," who is based on his experiences with and interpretations of Black southern women.
Knipp, who is white and gay, performs the character --- an illiterate, welfare collecting, mother of 19 children, who drives a Caddy, and attends Mount Holy Olive Second Baptist Zion Church of God in Christ of Resurrected Latter-Days AME CME --- in blackface.
Men who take on roles as female characters for the purposes of entertainment are nothing new and they've been handsomely rewarded for their efforts with our dollars.
Starting with Flip Wilson's the devil made me do it "Geraldine" and in recent years Martin Lawrence's "Big Mama's House," Shawn and Marlon Wayans' "White Chicks," Eddie Murphy's "Norbit," and Tyler Perry's popular character "Madea."
With the exception of "White Chicks," all are Black men dressed in drag as Black women. The exception is the Wayans brothers, who flipped the script and took on the roles of two white women.
What's the difference between a Black man in drag and a white man in blackface when both are depicting a Black woman?
Some have argued that Black Americans should not complain about Knipp's character Shirley Q. Liquor because we turn a blind eye towards Black actors who also perform in questionable roles.
You'll get no argument from me regarding Eddie Murphy as Rasputia Latimore in "Norbit." In fact, long before the film was in theaters, the billboards promoting it were enough to make me wanna holla and throw up both my hands. And while I definitely didn't appreciate Murphy taking on the role of a fat Black mean woman for the rest of the world to sit around and laugh at, I can't overlook the fact he did it as a Black man.
Hattie Mae Pierce, Martin Lawrence's character Big Mama, is a Black religious woman living in the South. While Big Mama is definitely a big mama, she isn't mean. Unlike Shirley Q. Liquor, she also isn't on welfare, we never saw her guzzling down 40 ounces of beer, and to the best of my knowledge she doesn't have 19 kids, one of which being named Kmartina. Oh, and like Murphy, Lawrence is a Black man.
This brings me to Tyler Perry and Mabel "Madea" R. Simmons, best known for the way she says, "Heluur! This is Madea-ur!"
Madea probably comes the closet to Knipp's Shirley Q. Liquor character, being that she didn't find out that Deacon Leroy Brown was her daughter Cora's father until her class reunion in 2003 and she's known to drive a Caddy. She will argue with anyone, has a penchant for her unique pronunciation and enunciation of words, and is part of a large family with many children and grandchildren.
"Madea" or "Madear" is a typical Black Southern name for a grandmother. The term is a shortened form of "Mother Dear."
Again, criticism withstanding, Perry is a Black man taking on this role. A favorite defense of whites against anyone Black who takes issue with Shirley Q. Liquor is the Wayans brothers as Brittany and Tiffany Wilson in "White Chicks."
As if somehow, two Black men taking on the characters of white blonde-haired and blue eyed cruise line heiresses is even remotely the same as a white man in blackface taking on the role of an overweight Black woman. Mind you, this woman sings in his parody The 12 Days of Kwanzaa, "On the fifth day of Kwanzaa, my check came in the mail. AFDC! Thank you, Lawd! Come on kids; let's go to the store for some collard greens, ham hocks, and cheese!" I wish that when men, white or Black, decided to go in drag as Black women we were always portrayed as beautiful wealthy yet dim socialites.
The difference between a Black man in the role of a Black woman and a white man putting on blackface and attempting to do the same is that whites don't have the same history of slavery and racial discrimination that Blacks do. Since Black women were brought to America, as slaves, we have been forced to endure every form of racism and sexism there is at the hands of whites. Let me recap it for you.
First, it was the Massuh we had to contend with and his penchant for darker skin that is primarily responsible for the various shades of brown that represent our people today. Janie Crawford, Leafy, Nanny, and Zora Neale Hurston. Ashay!
Then for many years, we were forced to take on the role of raising whites children, cleaning their houses, washing their laundry, and cooking their meals. In keeping in line with America's approved racial etiquette, we did all of this while being referred to as "girl" or "nigger" and remembering to never look whites directly in the face. Mrs. Thomas, Lena Younger, Sofie, and Florida Evans. Ashay!
We dealt with Jim Crow and with the racist police officers, teachers, landlords, bosses, and bus drivers. Rosa Parks. Ashay!
For many years, we were denied roles in major motion pictures. When they couldn't get away with that anymore, we were denied the same wages as our female white counterparts and the accolades bestowed upon them. Hattie McDaniel and Dorothy Dandridge. Ashay!
Now it's 2008 and we're nappy-headed hoes and being found in shacks, raped, beaten and urinated on. In addition, just to remind us that we're still Black, our asses are being analyzed during tennis matches on live television for the world to see.
Misogynistic lyrics recited by Black men and financed by white, continue to portray us as sexual objects to the point where some of us are so confused that we've gladly taken on the roll.
So I find it ridiculous when anyone, white or Black, defends a white man who puts on blackface and an afro wig, calls himself the Queen of Dixie, and says things like "I'm gonna burn me up some chitlins and put some ketchup on there and aks Jesus to forgive my sins."
Is Knipp even capable of understanding that back in the day after pigs were slaughtered, their intestines, the chitterlings Knipp mocks, along with hog maws, pigs' feet, and neck bones were given to slaves by their Massuh to eat because it was he who controlled their food choices?
And unlike with Tyler Perry's films, there is no feel good lesson of morality at the end of Knipp's performance. Just a bunch of white gay men and women, probably drunk, applauding the performance of one of their own for being able bring to life their own racist stereotypes of how they see Black women.
This isn't an argument in defense of characters like Murphy's Rasputia Latimore. Rather it's an argument that these characters, while demeaning to Black women, are not racist.
The same can't be said of Charles Knipp's Shirley Q. Liquor character that is demeaning, disrespectful, and racist by virtue of the fact that he is a white man in blackface that is using the most negative stereotypes of Blacks to entertain other whites. Stereotypes that are based on traits that can be directly traced back to the history of racial discrimination faced by Blacks from whites in this country.
For example, there are generations of Black women and men who in their youth weren't allowed to attend school with white children and were forced to go to work to help support their families. Because of America's sanctioning of segregation and racial discrimination, they never learned how to speak and write English properly; therefore creating the dialect that Knipp so often makes fun of.
Somehow, I find it hard to believe that if the heel was on the other foot, and some Black comedian was traveling the country selling himself as "a piece of poor white trailer park trash" in whiteface, that he'd be welcomed with open arms by whites. I'll take it a step further to add, that if that same Black comedian were in whiteface and impersonating a white gay man, it'd be off with his head, literally.
So while I know it's easy to try and point the finger of blame back on Blacks in defense of Charles Knipp for our poor excuses of comedy in the form of Black men up in drag, unfortunately it's just not the same. One is just ignorant, while the other, Knipp, is the expression of years of covert racism towards Blacks from whites. I expected whites to defend Knipp; after all, they make up his core audience to the tune of tens of thousands of dollars annually. However, for Blacks to do it is a slap in the face of our ancestors and all that they sacrificed for us to have the opportunities we have today.
I don't do ignorance.
-THE END-
About the Author
Jasmyne A. Cannick
At 30, Jasmyne Cannick is a critic and commentator based in Los Angeles who writes about the worlds of pop culture, race, class, sexuality, and politics as it relates to the African-American community. A regular contributor to NPR's News and Notes, she was chosen as one Essence Magazine's 25 Women Shaping the World. She can be reached at jasmynecannick.com or myspace.com/jasmynecannick.
THE PULSE OF ENTERTAINMENT: ‘Supreme Court of Comedy’ premier; Ernie Singleton takes business of music to college
By Eunice Moseley
DIRECT TV premiers, “Supreme Court of Comedy”
*The owner of the Laugh Factory, Jamie Masada, brought his idea of a court television series with a cast of comedians as judge and attorneys to Direct TV. The cast he chose from some 3,000 comedians that have performed on a regular bases at his legendary comedy club.
“He came to us with the idea and we laughed at the thought,” Direct TV executive producer Ronit Larome states about how Jamie Masada sold his idea to them. “It has a lot of potential. He got all these comedians together and shot it right here (in the Laugh Factory).”
The 10 episode series is, “Supreme Court of Comedy.” It’s a spin-off of the current court TV reality shows only with a twist; the judge is comedian Dom Irrera. Comedians represent the shows’ real people who are bringing their small claims to court.
“I had 3,000 comedians in my head,” Jamie Masada said about casting.
When talking about his comedy club Jamie practically brags, “It has been some crazy stuff going on here. Just a couple weeks ago Katt Williams gave everyone in the audience $100!”
The Laugh Factory is also the place where Michael Richards was caught using the “N” word and where Dave Cappelle broke Dane Cooks record f or the longest comedic performance (before Dane recaptured the title back again).
The “Supreme Court of Comedy” show premiered March 3rd on Direct TV’s entertainment channel 101. Some shows you need to see is on March 10th when comedic/lawyers Jamie Kennedy and Paul Rodriguez go toe-to-toe on the “cross-dressing crossed-lover” case; March 24th Joe Piscopo and Elon Gold battles on the “I think you wet my pants” case; March 31st Tom Arnold verses Sinbad on “the Beemer that got away” case; April 21st Paul Rodriguez verses Tommy Davidson on the “roller derby duke out” case, and on April 28th Thea Vidale verses Gerry Bednob on the “shattered windows, shattered hearts” case.
“I’ve been a stand-up comedian for 25 years playing at the Laugh Factory,” said Thea Vidale, who starred in her own Castle Rock television series years ago when Brandy played her young daughter. “Jamie called me and ask if I would do it, be a lawyer.”
Bunim/MurrayProductions produced the show, with Jamie Masada as executive producer. Direct TV currently has 16.6 million customers in the United States. The Laugh Factory has launched the careers of such comedians as Richard Pryor, Jim Carrey, Eddie Murphy, Robin Williams and Chris Tucker, just to name a few. Bunim/Murray Productions also produces “The Real World,” “The Simple Life,” and “Keeping up with the Kadashians.”
Ernie Singleton, former head of MCA Records takes the business of music to colleges
“To assist people in the entertainment industry and try to help them better focus…and maximize the money they spend,” former president of MCA Records Urban Music division said about the goal of his consulting company, Singleton Entertainment Consulting firm, and his Te Business of the Music Business panel series. “People spend a lot of money and make a lot of mistakes. People say, ‘its who you know,’ but I say its what you know.”
It was what he knew that helped him take Eazy E’s Ruthless Records label, after his death, from having 50,000 in the bank when he was asked to come on board to a company with 16,000,000 in their account. Ernie also took Warner Brothers from ranking number seven to being number one in three years.
“I had to redefine the company,” Ernie says of that assignment. “It was a lot of work. I don’t embrace any of my companies to hire me for life, they were a client, you always have to factor an exit so there is no bad blood.”
All these lessons and more Singleton has learned in his 30 years in the business is shared during his, The Business of Music Business college tour, that will commence on March 29th when the tour travels to Spelman, then on to Morehouse and then Clark Atlanta Colleges.
“It’s about empowering young people, educating,” Ernie Singleton says about the panel series. “The panel series help young people bridge the gap.”
For more on The Business of Music Business Panel Series log onto www.myspace.com/bizofmusicbiz.
VERONICA’S VIEW: Give a Man his Flowers While He's Alive
Veronica Hendrix
*I recently had a conversation with a friend of mine about how much more meaningful it is to give flowers to those whom we love in life rather than waiting until they have crossed over into eternity. After all, the bible says that after death comes the judgment, and not a moment of sweet repose filled with the fragrance of Stargazers and Jade Roses swirling in the air.
Feeling stumped about what to give my oldest brother Montie for his birthday, I decided to give him a bouquet of the most exquisite, rare and priceless flowers imaginable as an emblem of my love and affection for him.
I thought it would be a novel gift, something old yet some something new.
Flowers?
Indeed, a fragrant bouquet of the coveted sort to honor a man that has been there for me as I've traversed the peaks and valleys of my fluid life.
And despite the tangents and turns I have taken in recent years, my brother has always - and I mean always - given me unquestioned support and a decidedly male perspective I have sorely needed as a single woman and mom.
So a bouquet of fragrant flowers for such a manly, yet inspirited man?
Absolutely.
If your mind is as vivid as mine, you might imagine an artistic arrangement of exotic cymbidium orchids, ecru hydrangea, green carnations, pink Asiatic lilies, yellow alstroemeria, green berry mums, orange sweetheart roses, and white calla lilies in an elegant Waterford vase - all my personal favorites just in cause you are taking notes.
But the arrangement of flowers most likely to leave an everlasting fragrance my brother would remember for a lifetime couldn't be ordered from 1 800 Flowers, Teleflora neither FTD. The kind of bouquet I needed could only be assembled by hand selecting those in his life who felt about him as I do.
And that is exactly what I did with the help of his loving wife, my sister and younger brother.
We assembled an array of folks -- who love, value and treasure my brother -- to be our honored guests at his birthday party given at my home. More than fifty family members and cherished friends jumped at the opportunity to pay homage to a man who consistently lives his life as the scriptures urge us to d let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
Well it was harvest time for my brother, his moment to hear what was on our hearts in a moment of recognition. And one by one, we went around the room and laid at his feet a bouquet of fragrant words of praise, thanksgiving and adoration, not to mention an avalanche of presents and gift cards.
My mom was among the first to speak. She said Montie has been very attentive, loving and generous to her. Dad called him loyal and forgiving. His wife said he was her muse and amusement. My sister spoke about how you can count on him when you need him. I talked about his patience and heart of gold. My two sons said their uncle was "the Man." And the host of relatives and friends retold stories about how my brother has enlightened and enriched their lives in words and deed.
But the most poignant and by far the most memorable comment made about Montie that evening came from my youngest brother Rick. He said, "Montie has been the mortar in family. He's the one who has kept us all together and united."
Well said bro and on the money.
Montie is the glue that keeps us all together. I often wonder why he does it, the time and energy he expends in keeping in touch, gathering us together at his home for crab boils and blackened fish - for no particular reason other than he loves and cares about us. And the one thing about my brother is this: he is relentless in his pursuit of unity. Amazing.
I joked during my speech about my brother that he calls me five times a day and doesn't want anything in particular. I once asked him "why do you call me and my sister so much," he said "it's because I love you and am concerned about both of you, ok?"
It really is ok. In fact, it's pretty damn awesome.
As you can well imagine, my brother was visibly moved by the words that were said at his party. He dropped his head and a tear. He didn't fully realize how many people appreciate the love and care he has tried to pour into their lives until that moment. That's why it was long over due to give him his flowers now, while he can appreciate their sweet fragrance.
Veronica Hendrix is a syndicated journalist and columnist whose work has covered the span of the human continuum - from clinical trials of male contraceptives, to the gang violence. She is the producer of the highly acclaimed half hour talk show called "LA Woman," which airs on L.A. City View Channel 35, and is a Los Angeles Emmy nominated producer. Veronica's career as a journalist has included being a reporter for USA Today and a producer for a radio talk show in Los Angeles, which focused on issues impacting the African American Family. Veronica is a proud native of Southern California where she lives with her two sons.
Reggae Updates from Jamaica: New album for Grace Jones; Reggae Gold 2008; Reggae E-news.
By Kevin Jackson
• Grace Jones working on new album
*Jamaican born singer/actress and model Grace Jones is reportedly working on new material for release later this year. Jones who spoke to this writer backstage at the recently held Reggae Academy Awards, has employed a stellar lineup of musicians and producers to jump start the project.
‘I worked with a lot of Jamaicans on the album. I have people like Mikey Chung, Sly and Robbie and Uzziah 'Sticky' Thompson’, Jones revealed. The still untitled album is expected to be released on an international imprint.
Jones also revealed that she will be moving back to Jamaica.
Born Grace Mendoza Jones in Spanish Town in 1948, she is the daughter of Marjorie and Robert W. Jones, who was a politician and Apostolic clergyman. Her parents took Grace and her brother Christian (now Bishop Noel Jones), to relocate to Syracuse, New York in 1965. Before becoming a successful model in New York City and Paris, Jones studied theatre at Syracuse University.
She signed with Island Records in the 1970’s and released a number of albums and club hits. Among her more popular hits are Pull Up to the Bumper, My Jamaican Guy, Demolition Man and Slave to the Rhythm. Most of her songs scored well on the Billboard Dance and Club Play charts in the US. Over in the UK, she had a handful of hits charting on the UK Singles chart.
Jones' work as an actress in mainstream film began with the role of Zula, the amazon in the 1984 film Conan the Destroyer alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger and NBA legend Wilt Chamberlain. Before this she appeared in low-budget films, often with sexually explicit content. She next landed the role of May Day, in the 1985 James Bond movie A View to a Kill. She appeared in a number of other motion pictures including the 1986 vampire film, Vamp. She also played the role of Helen Strange in the Eddie Murphy film Boomerang - for which she recorded the title song, 7 Day Weekend in 1992.
• Reggae Gold 2008 coming with the hits
The various artistes compilation Reggae Gold has consistently been the biggest selling compilation for VP Records. The compilation is usually laden with some of the hottest joints as well as song that have the potential to make it into the US mainstream.
The 2008 edition which is due for release in June, will be no different from the previous editions. The photo shoot for the forthcoming edition was recently done in Runaway Bay, St. Ann.
According to James Goring, Senior Product Manager at VP Records, Reggae Gold 2008 will be guided by the James Bond theme. ‘We went real hard with the gold theme. We took the concept from the James Bond series, so we have a sexy Bond girl and she looks amazing’, said Goring.
Reggae Gold 2008 will contain between 16 to 18 tracks. The final number will be narrowed down from the current thirty tracks which are under review. ‘I just saw a kind of a hint of 30 tracks, but it might be cut down to 16 or 18. We have some fire on the compilation, including the current stuff. Die hard dancehall fans will not be disappointed’, Goring added.
The Reggae Gold series which sells an average 100,000 copies each year, was first released in 1996. Asked what has kept consumers consistently supporting the product, Goring explained, ‘I think it’s the fact that it doesn’t disappoint people. They know they are going to get the best. We always try to keep it current. Its like the reggae version of the pop/R&B compilation NOW’.
To further promote the Reggae Gold series this year, VP Records has entered into a marketing partnership with Smooth Magazine. ‘We are partnering with Smooth magazine this year. One of their calendar girls is our reggae gold girl for the 2008 edition and she will be featured in a 6 page spread in the magazine. We will be having a big party in New York to promote the release of the compilation’, Goring concluded.
• Reggae E-news in brief
Newcomer I Octane, who once recorded under the moniker Richie Rich (while at the Penthouse label), promises to deliver more positive messages to the music loving public. He recently won an award for Best Reggae Video for Stab Vampire at the EME Awards. He was also nominated in the Reggae Academy Awards. Fans can look out for his debut album later this year.
I’m Waiting topped the charts last year for singer Ce’Cile. Now a remix featuring Shaggy has surfaced. Based on what we heard, the remix looks hit bound. By the way, belated happy birthday wishes are in order for Ce’Cile. She marked another milestone last Sunday.
Music video director Jason Williams more popularly known as Jay Will recently snagged the award for Best Dancehall Music video for his work on Shaggy’s Church Heathen (remix). Williams who is currently in Austria working on a video for Shaggy’s theme song for the UFA Cup, says he has a movie coming out later this year.
Mr. Vegas is in the studios working on a flood of songs for the summer. Fans can look out for the video for the remix of Tek Weh Yuself which features Lil Kim and Kat Deluna.
Soul singer Cezar has released a hot new video for the track Will You Be, which is featured on the Legal rhythm from Renaissance. The video was shot in New York and directed by Sampson and Naylor.
We haven’t heard much from singer Aisha Davis of late. She told this column that she has some new singles getting rotation at radio. A video is expected soon, and she also wrapped up recording collaborations with Alborosie, Tony Curtis (Set it Off); and I Octane.
We are still puzzled as to why Queen Ifrica and gospel newcomer Omari went home empty handed at the recently held Reggae Academy Awards. Ifrica’s Below the Waist and Daddy Don’t Touch Me There were smash hits last year, while Omari ruled the gospel airwaves and video channels with his autobiographic recording Help.
Jah Cure says his new album Jah The Universal Cure is coming out later this year. ‘The album has a whole heap of crossover material and collaborations. Fans can look for the best’, said Jah Cure. The album features collaborations with Sean Paul and Junior Reid. He recently completed recordings with rapper Lil Wayne and hip hop star Akon.
Gospel artiste Stitchie is heading to Canada in May to launch his latest album Real Life Story. A video for the title track was recently released.
Bajan soca star Biggie Irie’s father is Jamaican. Biggie whose popular single Nah Going Home recently snapped up a trailer load of awards, has released a new single called Barn of Fire.
MARIANN’S MIDLIFE MAYHEM & MISCELLANY: Catching Up With Cast-mate Lela Ivey (aka “Mitzi Martin”)
Dear Mariann:
*It has been great reading your posts on the P&G Soap Blog over the last few months. I was a big fan of "Edge" during the time you were on the show and was very sad when it ended. It is so hard to believe that next year will be 25 years since the cancellation!
At least, however, we've had the chance to see you in a variety of other parts since the show ended. Too many of your talented co-stars have either passed away, retired or weren’t quite so lucky in their post-Edge acting careers. I particularly enjoyed the work of Joel Crothers and Dennis Parker and both passed away way, way, way too soon, as did the wonderful Irving Allen Lee (whom I remember turning up all too briefly on As The World Turns post-Edge).
I hope that sometime soon you can give us some updates on the actors that are still around and that we haven't seen on our TV or movie screens in awhile; e.g. Ernie Townsend, Ann Flood, Mark Arnold (amongst my other faves on the show). Soap fans have l-o-n-g memories and it would be great to hear more about these actors we fondly remember.
Continued good luck in your acting pursuits. I am a lawyer by trade and by day, and singer on the side, so I know how tough it can be to keep pursuing one's "art" while satisfying all of life's other demands.
Robert W.
Los Angeles, CA
* * *
Well Robert, as much as I can, I aim to please, so here’s an update on the wonderfully talented Lela Ivey, who played my roommate, “Mitzi Martin,” during my residency in Edge of Night’s fictional town of Monticello -- and with whom I enjoyed playing many fun, comedy scenes. While she was in LA, we also participated in the sketch comedy troupe, Small-Breasted Women, together. Unfortunately, the troupe went…uhh, bust. Ba-dum-bump!
LELA IVEY
Phot Lawrence Cosentino,
Lansing City Pulse
In addition to acting, Lela is now a filmmaker, director and faculty member in the Humanities & Performing Arts Department at Lansing Community College in Lansing Michigan, where she grew up. You can find out more in this online interview with Lela at LansingCityPulse.com http://archives.lansingcitypulse.com/050914/stories/workshop.asp
After a short introductory scene between “Jodi” (Kerry Emerson) and “Beth” (Sandy Faison) you can see Lela in a clip with a very recognizable, young “Desperate Housewife!”
http://video.aol.com/video-detail/edge-of-night-who-killed-logan-swift-pt-4/500074791
Enjoy!
Mariann
www.mariannaalda.com
FYI - The cover story of the current issue of FORBE’S Magazine is all about the condition that our hospitals are in, today. And AOL co-founder, Steve Case, has another interesting article on the magazine’s website about the current state of our healthcare industry. http://www.forbes.com/2007/08/26/solutions-healthcare-case-oped-healsolutions07-cx_sc_0904case.html Having spent the last month at my mom’s hospital bedside, I highly recommend this article. At some point, just about everyone will be in a position to benefit from its useful information.
A veteran of the P&G soap opera, Edge of Night, (“DiDi Bannister,” 1981-84), Mariann Aalda’s 25-year body of work as a television, film and stage actress includes co-starring with Redd Foxx and Della Reese as their daughter, on the CBS sitcom, The Royal Family; three seasons opposite OJ Simpson, playing his wife on the HBO series, First & 10, and recurring on CBS’ Designing Women as the yuppie-from-hell, “Lita Ford,” opposite Meschach Taylor, with whom she also co-starred in the teen cult film, Class Act. Also a stand-up comedienne, she, along with Iona Morris, is co-creator/writer/producer of MOIST! – a “sexistential” musical comedy celebration of women in the throes of midlife (www.moistonstage.com) – utilizing her training as a hypnotherapist to bring new insight to the joys of being a “seasoned” woman. This column chronicles her own journey.
This column also appears via PGP Classic Soaps: http://PGPclassicSoaps.blogspot.com/
THE FILM STRIP: Raven-Symone goes on 'College Road Trip.'
RAVEN-SYMONE TAKES AUDIENCES TO A PLACE SELDOM VISITED ON ‘COLLEGE ROAD TRIP’: This celebrated performer holds a ‘first’ position in the annals of ‘The Film Strip’ as she talks about family, music and her career.
By Marie Moore
*The most important thing Raven-Symone wants audiences to walk away with when they see “College Road Trip” is the essential role family plays in our lives. “Family is very important,” she reminds, “and, as pointed out in the film, everybody needs to be respectful of one another. Every parent must realize they need to help their children in the growing process so they can handle themselves in a respectful manner. They make a strong point to show this in the film.”
Symone knows a lot about respect. She grew up in one of the most respected TV shows, “The Cosby Show,” to ever air on television after landing in New York at the tender age of three. The Georgia born babe auditioned for Bill Cosby’s film “Ghost Dad” in 1990 but was too young for the part. Asked to come in and read for The Cosby Show, Symone nailed her audition and was cast as Olivia.
After The Cosby Show ended, Symone went on to star on the small and big screen. She headlined her own show, That’s So Raven, in 2003. Bouncing back and forth with movie roles as well as TV stints, Raven landed in the perfect picture that is now in theaters. Starring with Martin Lawrence in “College Road Trip,” Symone gave many props to Lawrence. Although very serious and professional, he was a lot of fun she admits.
The role of executive producer of “College Road Trip” is not a first for her. She has executive produced That’s So Raven. Always the taking advantage of a great opportunity, Symone did not sit back and rest on her laurels on the set of “College Road Trip.” I wasn’t on the set to call shots,” she affirms, “but there to just sit back and take notes and learn. I chatted with people and enjoyed myself. I learned a lot.”
In the role of Melanie, what Symone enjoyed most, it would be safe to say, is her performance of “Double Dutch Bus” which was one of the highlights of the film. In 1993, Symone became the youngest person ever to sign to MCA Records. She released her first single, “That’s What Little Girls Are Made Of,” at five-years-old. That same year, she debuted on Broadway with the Boys Choir of Harlem for their 25th anniversary celebration. She toured with N’Sync to support her second CD, “Undeniable.”
Simply called “Raven-Symone” is her fourth album she will be releasing in April on Hollywood Records. Deeply immersed in her acting career has left little room for her singing endeavors, but she is just as concerned with that aspect of her life as the acting.
“None of my albums really sold that much,” Symone laments, “but I just don’t want people to think I’m joking when I’m doing my music. I want people to realize that I’m not just doing this just to do it. I’m doing this because I really do love to sing. I love to write, I love to dance when I perform. I don’t perform just to lip sync tracks. I will go off because not everybody sings perfectly except for all the greats but I’m still working it out.”
Apparently, Symone seems to have it all worked out and it didn’t just happen that way. She had a long-term plan. “I think any business you go into you write down a plan, whether it’s in Hollywood or in corporate America,” she advises. I think even as a person you have goals to reach and you want to always refer back to what you want.
“I’ve been doing this since I was three to five years old. I’ve learned a lot, to be creative to be professional and at the same time enjoy yourself. But at the same time know that this is a job and take it seriously.”
Raven-Symone holds a title never before held in the pages of The Film Strip. She is the only performer written about in a column. Usually several actors/actresses share this space at one particular time. Symone not only appears in a film that stresses family and promotes intelligence, but there is no lowbrow humor, despicable and debasing bathroom jokes, stereotypes, or gratuitous sex and nudity. Even in the misnomer “The Perfect Holiday,” which was supposed to be a Christmas movie, there was the stereotypical Black, low-life dad too often portrayed on film.
In addition to Symone’s outstanding professional career, her philanthropic contributions are just as impressive. In 2006 she received the Spirit of Compassion Awa
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