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03-27-08 EUR ALL ON ONE PAGE
LA TIMES TO PROBE FBI DOCUMENTS IN TUPAC STORY: Newspaper takes steps after Smoking Gun casts doubt on validity.
*An editor for the Los Angeles Times is launching an internal investigation into the authenticity of documents used in a March 19th article that links Sean "Diddy" Combs to a 1994 assault on Tupac Shakur at a New York recording studio.
Times editor Russ Stanton said an editor of the Web site Smoking Gun called him to express doubts about the validity of the FBI records that were supposed to back up the story.
"We're taking this very seriously and we have begun our own investigation," Nancy Sullivan, a spokeswoman for the newspaper, told The Associated Press.
The Times has said its story was based on FBI records, interviews with people at the scene of the 1994 shooting, and statements to the FBI by an informant. None of the sources was named.
Smoking Gun claims the FBI records were created by a convicted con man and music fan with a history of exaggerating his place in the rap music world. The documents looked suspect, Smoking Gun noted, because they appeared to be written on a typewriter instead of a computer, included blacked-out sections not typically found in such documents, and other reasons.
The story, written by Chuck Phillips, said associates hoping to curry favor with Combs — who was overseeing B.I.G.'s career at the time — lured Shakur to the studio because of his disrespect toward them. The ensuing assault set off the infamous East Coast/West Coast feud that led to the still-unsolved murders of Shakur and Notorious B.I.G.
Diddy denies that he had any prior knowledge of or involvement in the shooting of Tupac. The rap mogul's attorney, Howard Weitzman, has requested a retraction from the Times.
NEW 'OBAMA GIRL' VIDEO BEGS HILLARY TO QUIT: Amber Lee Ettinger is at it again.
*Sen. Hillary Clinton is targeted by "Obama Girl" Amber Lee Ettinger in a new song that insists she step out of the Democratic race for the White House so that the party can unite and focus on presumptive Republican nominee John McCain.
Titled "Hillary, Stop the Attacks!" the video – created by the Web site barelypolitical.com and posted Tuesday to YouTube – opens with a spoof of Clinton's "3 a.m." ad and quickly shifts to Ettinger addressing the New York senator directly. [Watch the video here:
http://youtube.com/user/barelypolitical?ob=1]
"I know Obama's gonna win it/but you're sorta kind of stayin' in it.
I think sometimes in this campaign/You've got a crush on John McCain," she sings. "Can't you see its hopeless? It's become an Obama-nation. Is their any chance you'll back off? So he'll get that nomination," she also says.
The first "Obama Girl" video debuted last June and quickly became an Internet sensation. To date, it has been viewed well over 7 million times, according to You Tube.
CHRIS BROWN TO RE-PACKAGE 'EXCLUSIVE': Expanded reissue to include new tracks and possible DVD.
*Chris Brown fans who've already purchased his multi-platinum album "Exclusive" must now shell out more money for its forthcoming Deluxe Edition featuring extra tracks and a possible DVD, reports MTV.
Among the new songs is the Polow Da Don-produced next single, "Forever," one of several Brown recorded recently. It replaces his track "Down," featuring Kanye West, which was originally intended to follow his current release "With You."
"It's very fortunate, my label wants me to repackage the album and release some new records," he explained to MTV Base while on his European tour last week. "I've been recording a lot of new records as well as having some songs that haven't been released yet that I can put on my repackaging.
I might put my tour that I did in the States on my repackaging. I did a big tour in the States. I want to put that in the DVD part, add some of my videos on it."
Meanwhile, MTV Base was the latest media outlet to ask Brown about his relationship with pop superstar Rihanna – which appears to be more romantic than both are letting on.
"Me, personally, from a relationship standpoint, I am a single guy,"
he insisted. "I am definitely single. And I've been on my Web site and seeing how girls have been threatening me and saying I'm a liar, and I'm like, 'It's not even that.' The thing is, I have a close friend, but it's not like a relationship. I'm not trying to settle down. I'm only 18, so I'm just trying to live my life and have fun."
KANYE WEST ADDS MORE TOUR DATES: 'Glow in the Dark' trek tacks on more than a dozen states.
*Kanye West's Glow in the Dark Tour, supporting his record-setting September release, "Graduation," has added 13 more dates to the schedule ahead of its launch April 16 in Seattle.
The trek – featuring supporting acts Rihanna, N.E.R.D. and Lupe Fiasco – has added two more shows in Los Angeles, as well as dates in Miami; Cincinnati; Winnipeg; Vancouver; Fargo, ND; Portland, OR; Reno, NV; San Jose, CA; Glendale, AZ; West Valley City, UT; and Moline, IL.
A previously announced concert in Minneapolis and West's performance at Manchester, TN's Bonnaroo festival were moved to June 11 and June 14, respectively.
Below is the revised Glow in the Dark Tour itinerary:
April 2008
16 - Seattle, WA - KeyArena
18 - Sacramento, CA - ARCO Arena
19 - San Jose, CA - HP Pavilion at San Jose 20 - San Diego, CA - Sports Arena
21-22 - Los Angeles, CA - Nokia Theatre LA Live
24 - Tuscon, AZ - McKale Memorial Auditorium/U of AZ
25 - Las Vegas, NV - Red Rocks Casino Resort
26 - Albuquerque, NM - Journal Pavilion
27 - Denver, CO - Pepsi Center
29 - Oklahoma City, OK - Ford Center
30 - Austin, TX - Frank Irwin Center
May 2008
1 - Dallas, TX - Superpages.com Center
2 - Woodlands, TX - Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
4 - Duluth, GA - Arena at Gwinnett Center
5 - Tampa, FL - Ford Amphitheatre
6 - Miami, FL - American Airlines Arena
8 - Charlotte, NC - Charlotte Bobcats Arena
9 - Raleigh, NC - Walnut Creek Amphitheatre 10 - Bristow, VA - Nissan Pavilion
11 - Virginia Beach, VA - Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
13 - New York, NY - Madison Square Garden
15 - Mansfield, MA - Tweeter Center
16 - Hartford, CT - New England Dodge Music Center
17 - Camden, NJ - Susquehanna Bank Center
18 - Scranton, PA - Toyota Pavilion
20 - Montreal, Quebec - Bell Centre
21 - Toronto, Ontario - Molson Amphitheatre
22 - Auburn Hills, MI - Palace of Auburn Hills
23-24 - Chicago, IL - United Center
25 - Fargo, ND - Fargodome
26 - Winnipeg, Manitoba - MTS Centre
27 - Saskatoon, Saskatchewan - Credit Union Centre
29 - Edmonton, Alberta - Rexall Place
30 - Calgary, Alberta - Pengrowth Saddledome
June 2008
2 - Vancouver, British Columbia - GM Place
3 - Portland, OR - Rose Garden
5 - Reno, NV - Reno Events Center
6 - San Jose, CA - HP Pavilion
7 - Los Angeles, CA - Staples Center
8 - Glendale, AZ - Jobing.com Arena
9 - West Valley City, UT - E Center
11 - Minneapolis, MN - Target Center
12 - Moline, IL - i wireless Center
13 - Cincinnati, OH - US Bank Arena
14 - Manchester, TN – Bonnaroo
WHOOPI BRINGS 'BRICKTOP' TO BROADWAY: 'View' co-host teams with producers for new musical about 1920s performer.
*Whoopi Goldberg has joined forces with producers Paul Lambert and Jonas Neilson to bring a new musical about 1920s performer Ada "Bricktop"
Smith to Broadway.
Lambert and Nielsen, who also serve as producers for the Broadway-bound musical First Wives Club, as well as Goldberg, were on hand at the March 24 Musical Mondays Actors Fund Benefit Concert at Los Angeles'
Pantages Theater, where Goldberg's involvement in the project was announced, reports Playbill News.
Composer Ron Abel and Chuck Steffan have written the score for the new musical, which follows the life of the dancer, singer, vaudevillian, and self-described saloon-keeper who owned the nightclub Chez Bricktop in Paris from 1924 to 1961, as well as clubs in Mexico City and Rome. Abel will incorporate standards and original songs into the score.
Earlier reports stated that the show's producers had approached "American Idol" winner and Broadway's The Color Purple star Fantasia Barrino about starring as the late Bricktop.
Described as one of the most legendary and enduring figures of twentieth-century American cultural history, "Bricktop" was noted for her red hair, freckles and signature cigars. Cole Porter was so taken with her talent, he wrote "Miss Otis Regrets" for her to perform.
Meanwhile, Goldberg's Broadway background includes the shows Whoopi, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (which she co-produced). She was also a producer of Broadway's Thoroughly Modern Millie.
REV. JEREMIAH WRIGHT CANCELS HOUSTON SERMONS: Security concerns cause preacher to miss appearance for first time in 20 years.
*The Rev. Jeremiah Wright was forced to cancel his annual appearance at Houston's Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church for the first time in two decades due to concerns for his safety.
Wright, who until February was minister of Sen. Barack Obama's church, Chicago's Trinity United Church of Christ, was scheduled to preach three guest sermons in Houston on Sunday. Clips from his past sermons, dubbed racist and anti-American by critics and members of the media, have plagued Obama's presidential campaign.
Wheeler's pastor, the Rev. Marcus Cosby, said Wright cited three reasons for his cancellation — "the safety of the institution to which he has been invited; ... the safety of his family, which has been placed in harm's way; and for his own safety," reports the San Francisco Chronicle.
The church arranged for beefed up security to accompany Wright's visit, he said, including contacting the Houston Police Department and coordinating a security detail in conjunction with Wright's Chicago church.
The Rev. Myron Cloyd of the Pilgrim Congregational United Church of Christ in Houston has known Wright for more than 20 years.
"As much as I hate for him not to come I think it's probably prudent," said Cloyd, noting that Wright does not normally travel with bodyguards or assistants. "There have been threats against his life and the last thing he would ever want is the potential for someone to be hurt."
A confidant of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Lawson started the tradition of bringing Wright to Wheeler to reinvigorate the congregation during winter revivals with topical sermons that espoused black liberation theology.
"Part of what we do traditionally as African-American preachers is combine current affairs with religious affairs," Cosby said. "We put the Bible in one hand and the newspaper in the other."
Meanwhile, Wright is scheduled on Saturday to attend a luncheon at Paul Quinn College in southeast Oak Cliff, where he's to be honored that night at Friendship-West Baptist Church in the Red Bird area. Both events were moved from Texas Christian University because of security concerns by TCU officials, the News reported.
MARY J, CHRIS BROWN, RIHANNA TO HIT 'TODAY' STAGE: Paula Abdul also booked for morning show's summer concert series.
*Mary J. Blige, Chris Brown, Rihanna and Donna Summer are among the performers set for the "Today" show's 13th annual concert series to take place this summer.
Paula Abdul will kick off the weekly performances on the plaza on April 25, NBC announced Wednesday. She recently debuted her first new song in a decade, "Dance Like There's No Tomorrow," produced by fellow "American Idol" judge Randy Jackson.
Other headliners include Miley Cyrus, Ashlee Simpson, Rascal Flatts, Natasha Bedingfield, Neil Diamond, Alanis Morissette, the B-52s, Kenny Chesney, Coldplay and Sheryl Crow.
ROD SERLING SCRIPT ABOUT EMMETT TILL GETS READING: Ithaca College will present twice-censored work during conference.
*Rod Serling, the award-winning writer-creator of "The Twilight Zone," had already started his career in television when the lynching of Emmett Till took place in Mississippi and helped to galvanize the civil rights movement.
Moved by the story of Till – a black 14-year-old from Chicago brutally murdered by whites for whistling at a white woman – Serling dramatized the events and acquittal of Till's killer in a stage script titled "Noon on Doomsday," but it was twice censored by network television.
More than a half-century later, the original work will be read Saturday in its entirety during a conference on Serling's life and legacy at Ithaca College, where he taught from 1967 until his death in 1975.
"Serling was one of the first people to write about current events.
He was taking a major front-page issue and showing the universal appeal of it and showing our own implications. Today that's a dime a dozen. But when Serling was doing it, that was shocking," said Amy E. Boyle Johnston, one of the researchers.
In both attempts to get "Noon on Doomsday" on television, Serling met with sponsor censorship and network interference that diluted his final work, according to Johnston and co-researcher Tony Albarella.
"Serling seemed to struggle with network and sponsor censorship all his career but I believe his trying to tell the story of the Emmett Till case was the pinnacle of this battle," said Andrew Polak, the board president of the Rod Serling Memorial Foundation, a Binghamton-based nonprofit group that works to further Serling's legacy. "This will be the first time the story will be told as Rod intended."
Serling's Till story was initially accepted and approved by the producers of ABC's "The United States Steel Hour," for which he'd already written several well-received scripts. But when word initially got out that Serling was writing about the Till case, thousands of protests poured in, mostly from members of the White Citizens Council, a Southern white supremacist organization, said Johnston.
Serling produced three "Doomsday" scripts. The first two were for the stage, said Johnston. In the original, the victim was a college-aged black man. Serling's language and descriptions also were more coarse and idiomatic in the original version, she said.
When it ran on television in April 1956, "Noon on Doomsday" was so watered down as to be meaningless, Johnston said.
The location was changed to New England. The word "lynch" was excised from the script, as was anything deemed "too Southern" in connotation. The villain was softened to "just a good decent, American boy momentarily gone wrong," Johnston said.
Two years later, Serling tried again to examine the extreme consequences of prejudice embedded in Till's tragedy. His new effort was titled "A Town Has Turned to Dust," and he offered it to CBS for "Playhouse 90." But CBS executives again picked apart the script — changing the central character to a Mexican boy who falls in love from afar with a white shopkeeper's wife, said Albarella,
Although it received critical acclaim, a dismayed Serling later said, "By the time 'A Town Has Turned to Dust' went before the cameras, my script had turned to dust."
One year later, in 1959, Serling decided the only recourse for avoiding such artistic interference was to create his own show, titled "The Twilight Zone."
BARACK OBAMA AND BRAD PITT ARE COUSINS: New England Historic Genealogical Society poked around in his family tree.
*Turns out the Democratic Party isn't the only house divided. Folks woke up yesterday to news that presidential candidate Barack Obama is related to Brad Pitt, while his rival Hilary Clinton has family ties to Pitt's girlfriend Angelina Jolie.
The New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS) in Boston on Wednesday released a study in which it traced the family trees of all three presidential candidates to find they all had famous relatives, both dead and alive.
Pitt was found to be a ninth cousin linked back to Edwin Hickman, who died in Virginia in 1769.
In addition to Pitt, the Chicago senator also has in his family tree six U.S. presidents as distant cousins, including George W. Bush and his father, Gerald R. Ford, Lyndon B. Johnson, Harry S. Truman, and James Madison.
Obama, whose mother was white and from Kansas, is also linked to British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill. It was previously reported that he is also a distant cousin of Vice President Dick Cheney.
"Obama's maternal ancestry includes the mid-Atlantic States and the South," said Christopher Child, a genealogist with NEHGC that dates back to
1845 and describes itself as the United States' oldest and largest non-profit genealogical organization.
Meanwhile Senator Clinton and Jolie are ninth cousins twice removed linked by Jean Cusson of St. Sulpice, Quebec, who died in 1718.
Child said Clinton is also a cousin of a number of famous people with French Canadian ancestry, including Madonna (ninth cousins linked by Pierre Gagne of Quebec who died in 1656) Celine Dion, and Alanis Morissette, as well as author Jack Kerouac. Another cousin is Camilla Parker-Bowles, wife of Prince Charles.
NATE DOGG PLEADS GUILTY IN DOMESTIC VIOLENCE RAP: Singer gets probation for battery against ex-girlfriend.
*Thug crooner Nate Dogg, who continues to recover from a stroke suffered in December, pleaded guilty Tuesday to aggravated trespass and battery stemming from a 2006 domestic violence complaint brought by an ex-girlfriend.
The artist, best known as the go-to singer during Death Row's heyday in the 90s, received three years' informal probation and must also complete a batterers' treatment program. He is also forbidden from owning a weapon for the next 10 years, according to TMZ, which first reported the plea deal.
Nate, whose real name is Nathaniel Hale, was charged with misdemeanor aggravated trespass, battery, telephone harassment, dissuading a witness from reporting a crime and violating a restraining order from a previous domestic incident after breaking into the Newport Beach home occupied by his ex-girlfriend, her new boyfriend and the boyfriend's mother.
According to police, he forced his way inside and punched the other guy in the face before fleeing the scene. Both the unidentified boyfriend and Nate's ex filed for additional orders of protection to keep him away.
Meanwhile, the 38-year-old singer is paralyzed on the left side of his body after suffering a stroke over the Christmas holidays.
'ELLEN' TOPS 'OPRAH' IN POPULARITY POLL: AOL asks folks to rate talk show hosts; Larry King and Elisabeth Hasselbeck take hits.
*Ellen DeGeneres has beaten Oprah Winfrey in a new poll by AOL Television that asked readers which daytime TV host "makes their day."
Ellen, who opens "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" by dancing with her audience, earned 46 percent of the vote to Oprah's 19 percent. When asked which daytime host made the ideal dinner guest, Ellen won again with 47 percent to Oprah's14 percent.
Among hosts of the network morning programs, ABC's Diane Sawyer on "Good Morning America" beat her main rivals, Matt Lauer and Meredith Vieira, on NBC's "Today' as the morning show host whom most people would want to wake to - winning 30 percent of the vote, versus 26 percent for Lauer and 25 percent for Vieira.
Kelly Ripa of ABC's "Live with Regis and Kelly" was named the sexiest talk show host and the one with the best hair, while Larry King of CNN's "Larry King Live" was named least sexy.
Elisabeth Hasselbeck of "The View" was voted worst interviewer, and her co-star Whoopi Goldberg was picked to win in an "all-out 'View'
smackdown" among the program's panel that includes Joy Behar, Sherri Shepherd and Barbara Walters.
JILL SCOTT'S 'NO. 1 LADIES' DRAWS HUGE RATINGS: Sunday premiere in U.K.
watched by 27 percent of the British TV audience.
*Some 6.3 million viewers in the U.K. tuned in Sunday night to see director Anthony Minghella's last film, "The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency," starring R&B artist-turned-actress Jill Scott and Broadway vet Anika Noni Rose.
Britain's Guardian newspaper cited unofficial overnight ratings in declaring that the movie, which will premiere on HBO in the U.S. later this year, was watched by 27 percent of the British television audience.
The movie aired on BBC less than a week after the director's death following cancer surgery.
HBO, which has yet to set a premiere date, has announced that the film will double as a pilot for a television series based on the popular Alexander McCall Smith novels.
CHRIS WEBBER CALLS IT QUITS: NBA star retires after 15 seasons in the pros.
*Chris Webber said Wednesday that his days of playing professional basketball are officially over.
The former Michigan star announced his retirement at a press conference yesterday, stating his decision was prompted by a knee injury that cut short his comeback attempt with the Golden State Warriors.
"I really didn't want to rehab and come back this season because I don't think that was possible," Webber said. "Plus, because the way the team is playing, the chemistry is great with these guys, they're on a roll. I feel like they're going to win, they have a great chance to go very far in the playoffs. I just felt it was time to let the game go and be able to be happy about what I accomplished without trying to keep coming back."
Webber was a member of the infamous Fab Five at Michigan and played for Golden State, Washington, Sacramento, Philadelphia and Detroit in his NBA career. He suited up for only nine games with the Warriors before being sidelined by a bum left knee that's hampered him in recent years. He has not played since March 2 and had not been around the team of late.
The athlete said Wednesday he wanted to remain involved in basketball, first as a television commentator and then in perhaps a bigger role with a team. He is scheduled to be in the studio for TNT on Thursday night.
USHER'S WIFE JEALOUS OF KERI HILSON?: NY Post reports of turmoil on the set of Ursh's video shoot.
*Tameka Foster reportedly acted a fool at the video shoot for her husband Usher's new song, "Love in the Club" earlier this month in Los Angeles.
According to the New York Post, Foster – apparently a stylist on the shoot as well – appeared to be put off by Ursh's casting of singer/songwriter Keri Hilson as his love interest.
"It was supposed to be a sexy video shoot," a witness told the post's Page Six. "And Tameka was there the entire time guarding like a watchdog. It was ridiculous - she knows Keri and knows she's no video ho or Karrine Steffans."
"Tameka is very insecure," the source continued. "Even in rehearsals she was weird and clearly not happy that Keri is so gorgeous. Tameka threw a lot of attitude. The day of the shoot, Tameka dressed Keri very badly - she looked like an extra. Tameka wouldn't let Keri have her hairdresser there - she had to use the hairdresser who was doing the extras."
Page Six said Foster also wasn't happy with Usher's longtime choreographer, Jamaica, and banned her from the set.
The column also quoted a source who said that Foster and Usher were spotted at the Beverly Hills Hotel last week and "barely said one word to each other."
ARETHA CELEBRATES HER 66th BIRTHDAY IN NY: Singer takes over Ritz Carlton’s foyer lounge with family, friends and birthday cake.
*Fox411 columnist Roger Friedman wrote a column about Aretha Franklin's birthday party that took place Tuesday night at New York's Ritz Carlton hotel.
"Franklin, in a beautiful strawberry-pink Chanel-like suit, had just come from seeing a performance of 'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof' on Broadway with a group of about 10 people. She arrived at the Broadhurst Theater in a tank-like Rolls Royce Silver Cloud and remained in her seat during the two intermissions while fans came over to say hello. Other stars in the sold-out audience included Leslie Uggams and Wesley Snipes.
"After the show, Franklin alighted at the Ritz, where she was presented with a gorgeous homemade birthday cake and plenty of kudos from old friends like R&B greats Chuck Jackson ('I Keep Forgetting,' 'Any Day Now'), Freddie Jackson ('Rock Me Tonight' — no relation) and 'Cat' star Terrence Howard. She glowed while chatting with the 'Hustle and Flow' actor, who’s so good in 'Cat.' (He takes a three-week break beginning April 13 for 'Iron Man' promotion.)
"Also on the guest list was Luther Vandross’ favorite singer, Fonzie Thornton, off and on with Chic for 30 years, who’s been singing back-up for Aretha on tour. At last weekend’s sold-out show at Radio City, he was joined by the legendary Cissy Houston. Cissy, whose daughter Whitney, is a singer of some note, sang on all of Franklin’s classic hits recorded circa 1967-1968.
"It was the most convivial affair, with Aretha accepting gifts and doling out slices of cake. Franklin told the small crowd, "I could move here, it’s so nice!" But she remains a Detroit girl, and don’t believe those stories you heard last week that her house is in foreclosure.
"'What did they say? I owed like $400.' She laughed, thinking of the tabloid press. 'Some people…'"
ITTY BITTY BITS: Blige vs. counterfeiters; Timberlake to host ESPYs, Roos, Ziggy booked for Green Apple Fest; Jordan's dates; Williams' Maserati.
*Mary J. Blige has filed a lawsuit in a Central Islip court against counterfeiters trying to sell knockoff "Heart of the City" tour T-shirts and merchandise outside her concert tonight with Jay-Z at Nassau Coliseum. "She is suing John Does and Jane Does numbered 1 though 100, so law enforcement can confiscate the bogus stuff as they are selling it," a source told the New York Post. "Defendants will be selling and distributing unauthorized goods at [the] Coliseum bearing the marks of artist Mary J. Blige," the suit reads. "They are sued under fictitious names because their true names are unknown at this time."
*The 16th annual ESPYs will be hosted by Justin Timberlake, who will be joined by an all-star lineup of top athletes and entertainers to celebrate the best sports stories of the year. The two-hour event will move to the new Nokia Theatre L.A. Live, a 7,100-seat venue located across the street from Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles. The 2008 ESPYs will be televised July 20 at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN/ESPN HD.
*The Roots, the Neville Brothers, Ziggy Marley and Taj Mahal are among the acts set for this year's eight-city Green Apple Festival, a free concert event to take place at several outdoor parks and destinations on the same date, April 20. The Roots and special guests, Gov't Mule and Toots and the Maytals will take over Washington D.C.'s National Mall. City Park in Denver plays host to the Neville Brothers, while Taj Mahal and a solo acoustic set from Ziggy Marley are confirmed for Los Angeles' Santa Monica Pier line-up.
*The New York Post's Page Six reported that NBA legend Michael Jordan showed up with two girls on his arm at the recent Oakley sunglasses women's event in Miami. "They were both acting like his girlfriends, like it was a menage a trois. They both had their hands on his thighs," said a spy. "The girls even looked alike, tan with dark hair."
*"Ugly Betty" star Vanessa Williams apparently has a love affair with Maseratis. "I get big props from the guys on the ["Ugly Betty"] set because I can handle [my coupe]," she tells More magazine The Italian supercar company just launched its GranTurismo S coupe, which Williams took for a spin last weekend in Los Angeles, repots the New York Daily News.
EUR DVD REVIEW: Enchanted
Fairy Tale Comes to Life in Instant Disney Classic
DVD Review by Kam Williams
*Giselle (Amy Adams) is a budding young beauty who lives in Andalusia, a magical, animated kingdom where humans and the rest of God's creatures sing and dance together in a perfectly peaceful coexistence.
Her simple dream that one day her prince will come is all but realized when she and handsome, if half-witted Edward (James Marsden) cross paths in the forest and fall in love at first sight.
However, after the heir apparent asks for her hand in marriage, his evil stepmother, Queen Narissa (Susan Sarandon), intervenes and throws a monkey wrench into the works. She's reluctant to relinquish the throne, so she casts a spell which teleports Giselle to a parallel universe known as New York City.
Not only does the fresh-faced idealist suddenly find herself in an unfamiliar world where everybody is made of flesh and blood and no longer cartoons, but she also has to adjust to an unforgiving environment where people are likely to exploit her innocence. Thus, Giselle, lost and like a fish out of water on the streets of Manhattan, is very lucky to make friends with Robert Philip (Patrick Dempsey), a hard-nosed divorce attorney who is jaded about relationships.
The sympathetic, single-dad offers the doe-eyed stranger a place to stay, and brings her home to meet his daughter, Morgan (Rachel Covey), a development which doesn't sit well with his girlfriend, Nancy (Idina Menzel). Meanwhile, the plot soon thickens since Prince Edward has made his way from Andalusia to America in search of his banished bride.
The pivotal question eventually arises whether, when found, Giselle will opt to marry him and return to her idyllic homeland, or if she might now be inclined to stay, provided she can convince the cynical lawyer to give happily ever after a chance. Chock full of intriguing twists and turns, plus many memorable musical numbers, Enchanted is a pleasant escape that's fun for young and old.
All the fixins for an instant Disney family classic!
Excellent (4 stars)
Rated PG for scary images and mild sexual innuendo.
Running time: 107 minutes
Studi Walt Disney Home Entertainment
DVD Extras: Deleted scenes, bloopers, plus a couple of featurettes.
JOSEPH C. PHILLIPS: On the Question of Race are we Coming or Going?
*I am still trying to wrap my brain around Black Liberation Theology. I write of course about the religious doctrine practiced at the Trinity United Church of Christ, where Barak Obama is a member and preached by its outspoken former pastor Jeremiah Wright.
I certainly understand and even agree that a Christianity that is relevant and strong must be a Christianity that defends the weak and fights against oppression. It is indeed one of the puzzlements of history that down through time so many “good friends of Jesus” have used their Christianity as a pretext to enslave and oppress other human beings. So there is something very compelling about any theology -- black or otherwise -- that says the church must be a source of power for the powerless. There is something very persuasive in the belief that God must be about liberty, must be about uplifting the downtrodden, and must ultimately be about salvation for all men regardless of race.
The problem with Black Liberation Theology (at least as we understand it through the words of the Reverend Jeremiah Wright) is that it rejects the universal God, the god of all Children and instead casts him as a Black Tribal champion. In order to be relevant to this community God must be African centered, must be for the goals of the black community -- though what those might be depends a great deal on whom you ask -- and must oppose our enemies, which again no doubt means those enemies of those defining the “black agenda”. This doctrine is problematic given that mainstream Christians like to imagine their God as God of all mankind. Mainstream Christianity also teaches that the mind of man is too limited to fully understand the infinite nature of God and that our suffering is redemptive – that ultimately god uses us to his purpose and our sufferings often become blessings. To suppose that a God that allows suffering is unjust and that in the words of James Cone, Wright’s spiritual mentor, therefore “we had better kill him,” implies that we have power to impart human reason to a God that often appears irrational.
But it is the tribal aspect of this vision of God’s work here on earth that presents the greatest problem for the political aspirations of Barak Obama. Few Christians would take issue with a church that boldly proclaims the god we worship is a God of Justice. Plenty have difficulty with a church that says the god we worship is for us and against you. For a candidate that positions himself as a healer and unifier that is a problem.
More problematic is that as Obama continues to implore the nation to have a new conversation about race, he continues to see race through the same old lens. He supports racial preferences and has opposed passage of civil rights initiatives slated to be on the ballot in five states in the November elections.
The initiatives state: “The state shall not discriminate against, or grant preferential treatment to any individual or group n the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity or national origin…” Oddly enough, this language is almost identical to the language of the original civil rights act, language now found disagreeable by preferentialists, which includes the post racial candidate Barak Obama.
In what is sure to be a great irony, the lure of electing the first Black president of the United States is bound to move voters in those five states to conclude that indeed discrimination based on race is unconscionable and therefore ought to be outlawed.
I will let Jeremiah Wright fight it out with the Aryan nation as to whether God is Black or White. But the post racial or as some have termed him the post racism candidate must decide whether he is afoot or horseback. Certainly, he realizes that he can no longer have it both ways. He can’t demand that the nation judge him based on his values, abilities and talent, while at the same time campaigning against non discrimination laws. Nor can he be the candidate of change so long as he embraces the Reverend Wright of the church of “get back whitey.”
Joseph C. Phillips is the author of “He Talk Like A White Boy” available wherever books are sold.
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By - AdviceChick@ameritech.net
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Dear Advice Chick,
*I have an 11-year old son and have known his father for about 13 years. We broke up when our son was about 6. So for the past five years we have been seeing each other off and on. He has been dating this person (and eventually moved in with her) about three years ago. Well, things, according to him, had been bad for awhile and, according to him, he slept in the other bedroom (which he told me was his room and he shares with our son when he comes over). He said he was only there until his lease ran out which was around May or June of this year. So the past two years, our seeing each other became frequent and we have been having a sexual relationship ever since.
We traveled last year to SC, FL, NJ, and WVA. When we returned back to my house after our last trip (which was our son's birthday), his roommate" was at my house. Nothing happened and I didn't know it was her until after the fact. I questioned him about this and he said that she likes drama. I said if it's nothing between you and her than there should be no drama. Later that evening she called my house and apologized for being there earlier that day. I didn't say anything. When she called, the name registered as her first name/his last name. I asked him was he married and he blatantly told me "NO". He said something about her needing to use his last name to get the phone turned on because of some outstanding issues she had with the phone company. I believed his story and left it at that.
The week of March 3rd, he went out of town. Called me everyday, but on Wednesday of that week, I was having bad vibes. We spoke that morning. Before I left work, something told me to put her name into a search on the internet. Not much came up, so I type in her first name/his last name. A webpage came up with her first name/his last name. I called and asked him was he married, he kept saying no. So I hung up and did some more research. I found her work number, dialed it, and asked to speak to her (using his last name). They said she was not in that week, but here is her number. Now call me crazy, but why would someone be going by another name at her place of business? I called her number and her voicemail said this is her first name/his last name. So, I called him back, told him not to lie because too many things were coming up showing her/his name. I asked him was she there and he said no, she was out of town on another trip.
He finally admitted that he married her and he only married her because she would not turn over the title to his car unless they were married. (She took out a loan and put the car in her name because his credit was too bad). And it was late January when he did get the car switched to his mother name. He said it was the biggest mistake of his life, but he claims that was the only way he could get his car. He said he worked so hard to get this car and I wouldn't understand. He said he was going to tell me on our cruise (oh, I forgot to mention that we booked a family cruise in February for departure in June) because by then he would have left her and filed for a divorce. Now to make this worse, I had given him a check for $9,400 to cover a high interest rate loan he was paying and he was to pay me $300 a month until it was paid in full. The check was made out to the company. Call me stupid, but I love him and after 13 years, I thought I knew him. As I mentioned earlier, we had been having sex constantly for about two years and I found out he got married in January of this year and our son was in it. He got married on a Saturday. He was at my house, in my bed that Friday and back at my house that Monday. He was having dinner with me and my family to celebrate my mother's birthday three days later and he never missed a beat.
I'm hurt, torn, and want to kill. He was making promises to me and stabbing me in the back at the same time. But he says he loves me.
Advice Chick replies,
This liar with bad credit does not love you. You knew what it was but kept going forward. You wanted to be with this liar, cheater, deceiver, heartbreaker although you knew he was NOT available. "Things are bad .. we don't even sleep together ...blah, blah ..." ALL lies and deep in your (broken) heart you knew he was lying. You believed him because you wanted to believe him NOT because you thought there was a remote chance he was telling the truth.
How you gonna tell me he was dating AND living with another woman, but you and he had been seeing each other off and on? The only person he needed to be seeing (while he is livng with another woman who we now KNOW is his wife) was his son. That is plain ol' foolish.
Girl, you doing web searches, having bad vibes, calling folks, hanging up, pressing redial - that is too damn much work. Plus - you came home from vacation and his wife, WIFEY is in your crib - WHAT? Then she's calling you to apologize - this is some scurry sheit.
He lied about being married, then confessed. Now you reveal that you've fronted dude over 9,000.00?! You fronted $9,400.00 to a man that married somebody else? You keep bringing up the fact that y'all were still having sex, so what? You were the damn dummy letting him hit it, quit it, and go home to his WIFE with YOUR nine thousand dollars.
You're hurt, torn, and want to kill, but seriously? You only have yourself to be upset with. You knew something was wrong, ma. Stop front'in on me. You know that sick a$$ feeling you were having in the pit of your stomach? That feeling does not ever lie.
I do not want to read about you in the crime section on cnn. You now know better, so please do better. Stop having meaningless sex with that woman's husband. Stop listening to anything he says, you now know that he is a liar. I hope you had him sign a promissory note for the 9,400.00 check. I feel like you didn't but I hope you did. If you didn't, it's going to be next to impossible to collect. If you don't collect, chalk it up to an (expensive) lesson learned. He does not love you.
In closing, a man can only treat you as poorly as you allow him too.
Send YOUR questions and comments to Advice Chick right NOW! Please put “Dear Advice Chick” in the subject line so your email isn’t deleted as spam. Thanks! advicechick@ameritech.net.
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Ask Advice Chick about ANYTHING and EVERYTHING related to dating, sex, love, and life! She is THE resident dating expert at EURweb.com, and calls on over 11 years of dating and relationship industry experience.
REGGAE UPDATES FROM JAMAICA: Cezar brings soul to reggae; Lefside teams with Sean Paul; New Ja Cure videos; New Mykal Rose album
By Kevin Jackson
Cezar bringing soul to reggae music
*His father Rupert Cunningham was a singer/producer/songwriter and also a record label owner. So it came as no surprise that Cezar would follow have followed in his footsteps. Cezar’s musical journey has far from being an easy ride. ‘It has been a struggle for me. I have a formal education in a field where I can live comfortably and I have given that up the certainty of financial comfort for a field of uncertainty. It has really been a difficult journey for me’, Cezar revealed in a recent interview.
Cezar who made his recording debut in 2003, has been getting some attention of late with his single Will You Be which was recorded on the Renaissance label’s Legal rhythm. The song is accompanied by an excellently shot, directed and conceptualized music video, that has been getting a lot of airtime of late.
‘The video was shot in New York in November last year and it was directed by Nadia Sampson and Tim Naylor. The feedback on the song since the video came out, has been tremendous. Interest in the song has really picked up in recent times’, Cezar explained.
Cezar says his mother is one of the persons who has been very supportive of his career choice. He said she keeps him motivated and she has also been the one to encourage him to keep focused.
A former student at Howard University in Washington, USA, Cezar studied architecture. He debuted in 2003 with the song I’ll be dancing which he credits Jazzy T for putting into rotation on ZIP 103 FM. Sexy Ways on the Tunda Clap rhythm later followed. Lay You Down on the Stepz rhythm is probably his better known song.
The talented singer whose material includes reggae, alternative, pop and R&B, Cezar has also written and co written songs for Tami Chynn, Wayne Marshall, Machel Montano and television personality Empress.
Asked how he got involved with the legal rhythm project, Cezar explained ‘Delano and myself have had a long standing friendship and when the rhythm was given to me, the song immediately came to my mind. Will You Be isn’t necessarily about a relationship with someone. It is also relevant when it comes to dealing with matters relating to family or even a friendship with someone’.
Cezar’s debut album is being earmarked for a May 2008 release. The album as well as his latest singles will be available on I-tunes via Rebelmix.
Lefside aka Mr. Evil teams up with Sean Paul
Entertainer Lefside aka Dr. Evil once honed his craft as turntable selector for Sean Paul when the international toaster first hit the road earlier in his career. It came as no surprise when Lefside teamed up with Sean to record the female anthem Back it Up . ‘When I got my record deal with Sequence Records, Sean had suggested that we do a song for my album. Having Sean Paul endorse my single is a real blessing’, Lefside said in a recent interview.
The video for Back it Up was shot last week. It was directed by Kimala Bennett. Bennett has been making a name for herself on the music video circuit having helmed clips including Blaze by D’Angel; Over and Over by Tami Chynn; and You and Me Against the World by Cherine Anderson.
Said Lefside ‘I chose to work with Kimala because I have seen a lot of her video and she knows how to capture concepts. We also had Taneisha Scott who dealt with the choreography for the video’.
Back it Up according to Lefside, has been enjoying solid rotation locally and across the Caribbean. The video is a performance driven one with lots of sexy hot girls.
Lefside who signed with Sequence Records a few years ago, is under the management of Jeremy Harding of 2 Hard Records. Harding also manages Sean Paul.
Commenting on his pending album with Sequence Records, Lefside said ‘I cant really rush the album right now. A lot of maturity took place in my production since I got signed. I was really the one who held back the album. I also have a few projects working on including tracks for Sean Paul’s upcoming album; and starting up my own label, Keep Lef Records. I recently put out a one drop juggling and the video for Fluffy has been getting a lot of love’.
New videos coming for Jah Cure
Jah Cure is getting ready to shoot three music videos this month. The videos are for the songs Journey, Green Grass and So High. So High is a collaboration with rapper Stacks. That video will be directed by Jay Will. Additionally, Jah Cure’s forthcoming album Jah the Universal Cure is set for a July release. On March 29, Jah Cure is set to perform in Grenada , while on May 2 he will perform in St. Maarten.
Mykal Rose rides high with Shoot Out, new album set for release
Mykal Rose has been riding red hot with the song Shoot Out. Currently there is a remix of the song which features Junior Gong. The song is currently number one on the RETV Dancehall Chart.
Mykal Rose a former lead singer for the Grammy Award winning group Black Uhuru, is set to release his first album in ten years. The album is called Great Expectations and will be released through OJ 36 Records. The first single is called Mama Africa.
THE PULSE OF ENTERTAINMENT: Jazz pianist Marcus Johnson plays for a "Cause," and Gospel artist Brent Jones records live CD
By Eunice Moseley
Jazz pianist Marcus Johnson has found a “cause” with new CD
*“I just want people to smile,” Jazz pianist, Marcus Johnson said about his newest CD release, “In Concert for a Cause: Marcus Johnson,” on Three Keys Music.
Some of the CD’s revenue goes towards the Washington, DC YMCA Scholarship Fund to aid kids in the “before and after-school programs” of the Building Bridges Campaign.
“Parents send letters that say if it wasn’t for the program they would have had to quite their jobs,” Marcus points out..
Johnson’s last CD was “The Phoenix;” that release and his previous three CDs reached the Top 20 on the Billboard Contemporary Jazz Chart. He started producing his own CDs since 1997 when his debut sold 40,000 units on his own label, Marimelj Entertainment Group (MEG). BET founder Bob Johnson initially financed that label. Today Marcus has Three Keys Music Group, Three Keys Music Publishing, Marimelj Music Publishing, and 8121 Studio (full-service) in Washington, DC.
“In Concert for a Cause: Marcus Johnson,” is his second album produced to support the program, the first CD it was distributed locally. This CD release is nationally distributed.
“It’s for those who don’t have it,” Marcus said about the Building Bridge’s Campaign. “We’ve sent allot of kids. Sometimes we get checks in the mail (from those the program helped) for $5.00 and sometimes $5,000.”
The release has an amazing collection of songs. Marcus Johnson covers Eryakah Badu’s “Bag Lady,” and Beyonce’s “Me, Myself and I.” He does unbelievable things on the piano, it’s truly a masterpiece for your jazz CD collection.
For Marcus Johnson tour dates visit his web site at www.threekeys.com.
Brent Jones and The T. P. Mobb releases third album on Tyscot Records
Gospel artist Brent Jones is currently on the road promoting his latest Tyscot Records CD/DVD set, “The Ultimate Weekend,” released late last year. It has been so popular he hasn’t stop to rest yet.
“I am doing a concert in Phoenix tomorrow; L.A. Saturday and Sunday; then back to the east coast for DC; then Baltimore; back to L.A., and Alaska,” Jones informed me. “I love being busy...I love getting close to people.”
Brent has been in the game (of Gospel music) for a long time. In the beginning he couldn’t get a record deal. Major Gospel labels would sign him, but shelved, then independent Tyscot Records came along, signed him, and released his debut. “Tyscot gets a little frustrated because I’m so independent.”
Brent recorded the project live at the historic Capitol Records. It features performances by Nysa Shenay and Orlando Wright. Jones produced the lead single, “Cry Holy,” a radio favorite. Aside from the single, my favorites are “Give Him what He wants,” “Blessing with your name in it,” and “Help me Lord.”
KEV'S VIEW (cartoon commentary) America Ready for Self Examination?
*It has always been the trademark of leadership: taking a negative situation and using it as a platform to take a positive step forward. On Tuesday morning, March 18, 2008, Barack Obama took such a step, amidst a controversy
instigated by the words of the pastor of the Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr.
In his historic run for the presidency, it was merely a matter of time before race and the subject of racism would emerge from the private dialogues of dinner tables and office cubicles to rest squarely in the lap of the senator from Illinois. Richard McCulloch
EUR MOTIVATIONAL NOTE
The only thing that stands between a man and what he wants from life is often merely the will to try it and the faith to believe that it is possible. — Richard M. DeVos
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
March 27: Singer Mariah Carey is 38. Singer Fergie of Black Eyed Peas is 33.
WEBSITE OF THE WEEK
This is an original idea. Atlanta based Kenya's Kandle Kreations features "scents for the soul." Check it out here: www.kenyakandle.com
Submit your favorite Web site to us along with a 15-20 word (or less) description to info@eurweb.com.
BLACK HISTORY
March 27, 2002: Shirley Ajayi becomes the first African American given a part on a television show as a psychic. (Source:
www.BlackFacts.com)
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