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03-28-08 EUR ALL ON ONE PAGE
T.I. PLEADS GUILTY TO GUN CHARGES: Rapper must complete a year of community service before sentencing.
*T.I. pleaded guilty Thursday to federal weapons possession charges and will spend one year doing community service while awaiting a sentence that includes prison time.
The rapper, whose real name is Clifford Harris, must complete at least 1,000 hours of a total 1,500 hours of community service, talking to kids about the pitfalls of guns, gangs and drugs.
Following the community service, he'll be sentenced to serve about 12 months in prison, officials said. His prison time could be increased or reduced, depending on his fulfillment of the terms of the deal and good behavior, they said.
Dressed in a gray business suit, the 27-year-old pleaded guilty Thursday to possession of an unregistered firearm, possession of machine guns and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
T.I. was charged with possession of unregistered machine guns and silencers, as well as possession of firearms by a convicted felon following his Oct. 13 arrest in an ATF sting in Atlanta. He faced a maximum of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each count.
REMY MA CONVICTED OF ASSAULT: Rapper faces up to 25 years in prison for shooting acquaintance over missing money.
*Remy Ma broke down in tears Thursday after she was found guilty on four charges of assault in state Supreme Court in Manhattan.
The Bronx-born rapper, whose real name is Remy Smith, was convicted on two counts of first-degree assault, attempted coercion, and criminal possession of a weapon in the shooting of Makeda Barnes Joseph outside a night club last summer.
According to reports, Remy cried silently during the reading of the verdict, then broke into the "ugly cry" once outside of the courtroom.
Meanwhile, friends and family of Barnes Joseph reportedly cheered and taunted Remy when the verdicts were read. Some were said to have chanted "bye, bye" in a singsong tone as Smith left the courtroom in handcuffs.
Justice Rena Uviller ordered Remy jailed without bail while awaiting sentencing on April 23. The Bronx artist faces up to 25 years in prison.
The July 14, 2007 incident took place after Remy accused Barnes Joseph of stealing $3,000 from her purse. The defense argued that the gun carried by Remy went off accidentally during a struggle, striking Barnes Joseph in the abdomen.
Meanwhile, Remy was acquitted of gang assault and witness tampering, among the nine total charges she faced. Prosecutors had also accused her of dispatching friends to harass and beat up the boyfriend of a witness in the case. A man who tried to help the boyfriend was also attacked.
KIMORA OFFICIALLY FILES FOR DIVORCE: Move comes two years after announced separation.
*After two years of separation from her husband Russell Simmons, Kimora Lee Simmons filed for divorce Tuesday in Los Angeles Superior Court citing irreconcilable differences.
The 32-year-old fashion entrepreneur, currently dating actor Djimon Hounsou, was married to Simmons for seven years. They are the parents of two daughters: 8-year-old Ming Lee and 5-year-old Aoki Lee.
Kimora, star of her own E! reality show "Life in the Fab Lane," is seeking legal and physical custody of the children. She requested that Russell Simmons, 50, be granted "reasonable child visitation ... accompanied at all times by the children's nanny and security personnel."
ICE CUBE GETS 'JANKY' IN NEW MOVIE PROJECT: Rapper writes first film since final 'Friday' flick.
*Dimension Films has acquired a script written by Ice Cube called "Janky Promoters," about two music promoters who get the chance to book a famous hip hop star into a mid-sized California venue, but quickly learn they are in over their heads.
Cube will star in the film as one of the promoters, and produce with Cube Vision partner Matt Alvarez, reports Daily Variety. The rap star took less money upfront but will partner with Dimension on the proceeds after recoupment on a budget likely to be about $10 million.
Casting is set to begin immediately, while a director is expected to be named soon. Dimension head Bob Weinstein said he hopes to cast a big-name rapper to play himself in the film.
"This feels a lot like 'Uptown Saturday Night' to me, a caper film where you have these music promoters who are slightly shady but are good enough guys that you root for them," Weinstein told Daily Variety. "This is going to be R-rated, and it appeals right to the core of Cube's audience."
On the deal specifics, Weinstein said: "[Cube is] producing the movie, sharing in the funding, so it's more complicated than previous deals we've made with Cube. He's a brand, like Tyler Perry, and that's the direction he's headed in. We're happy to assist him in that because we believe in him."
Weinstein is already working out the details for an early summer start date that will factor in Cube's promotion schedule for "The Long Shots," the Fred Durst-directed Dimension film that Cube just wrapped as star and producer.
Cube has a first-look Dimension deal and is also developing "Welcome Back, Kotter" as a starring vehicle.
NEW 50 CENT VIDEOGAME TO HIT SHELVES: Vivendi Games' Sierra label readies follow-up to 2005's 'Bulletproof.'
*50 Cent is once again in videogame form via the upcoming release "50 Cent: Blood on the Sand," a follow-up to the 2005 release "50 Cent: Bulletproof" – which was tied to his starring role in the film "Get Rich or Die Tryin'."
Due this fall from Vivendi Games' Sierra label, "Blood" calls on players to control 50 Cent and, in a co-op option for those who want to play together, other members of his crew in an all out battle to protect the rap star's assets and to collect payment from a crooked overlord.
G Unit members Lloyd Banks, Tony Yayo and DJ Whoo Kid are all providing likeness rights and voiceover work. 50 and G Unit will also contribute new music for the game, as well as existing tracks.
"We are taking this sequel to the next level with exciting combat and gunplay, new original music, great graphics and a new story," said 50 in a statement. "50 Cent: Blood on the Sand will have everything my fans are looking for in a 50 Cent game."
50's deal with Sierra for "Bulletproof" gave the company an option to greenlight a sequel. The rapper has been providing input on the follow-up, which unlike the first title won't exclusively take place in an inner-city environment.
Variety reports that "Blood" will likely be released by Activision, which is in the process of merging with Vivendi and will handle all Sierra games once the deal is complete. However Vivendi is not allowed to talk to Activision until the merger is finalized, which is expected to happen by June.
MARY J. BLIGE SPENDS $12 MIL FOR N.J. MANSION: Queen of Hip Hop/Soul gets a bargain on Saddle River dream house.
*Mary J. Blige has just become a neighbor of Ja Rule, Wyclef Jean and Run DMC's Rev. Run after purchasing a home in Saddle River, NJ for a reported $12.3 million.
It was a bargain, according to the New York Daily News, because it originally went on the market last year for $17 million and was reduced this year to $13.9 million, a source told the newspaper.
Described as a French country manor, the mansion features a 14-seat movie theater, a fitness center, a hardwood basketball court and an elevator. It also has a gourmet kitchen, eight bathrooms, a spiral staircase and a wine tasting room.
Sources tell the Daily News that Blige plans to personalize the landscaping, boost security and possibly revamp a few garages to accommodate her tour bus.
Blige and her husband, record-industry executive Kendu Isaacs, are expected to move once the singer concludes her current 25-arena Heart of the City tour with Jay-Z. Tonight the Brooklyn native plays the Izod Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
SNOOP DOGG BRINGS HIS 'EGO' TO 'STORYTELLERS': VH1 concert series to feature rapper taking fans through his career in music.
*Snoop Dogg had the audience hyped during a March 13th taping of his "VH1 Storytellers" special at Steiner Studios in Brooklyn.
The one-hour episode features the rapper performing songs from his new album "Ego Trippin'" as well as his past hits. Joining Snoop on stage throughout the evening were special guests Doug E. Fresh, Charlie Wilson, Too Short and Mistah FAB.
Following in the "Storytellers" format, Snoop will answer questions from fans and give viewers an opportunity to hear the inspiration behind such hits as "What's My Name?," "Drop It Like It's Hot," "Lodi Dodi (w/ Doug E. Fresh)" and from his new album Ego Trippin', "Sensual Seduction," "Life Of Da Party," (w/ Too Short and Mistah FAB), "My Medicine" and "Can't Say Goodbye" (w/ Charlie Wilson).
"VH1 Storytellers: Snoop Dogg" premieres Monday (March 31) at 10 p.m. on VH1 and is simulcast on VH1 Soul and MHD: Music High Definition. Additionally, two exclusive songs that won't be seen in the televised broadcast and one sneak peek from the concert will be available online at Storytellers.VH1.com beginning today (March 28). The online exclusive performances include, "Neva Have To Worry," and "Gin And Juice."
SEAN LEVERT PUNISHED OVER CHILD SUPPORT: Brother of late singer Gerald Levert owes more than 80 grand for three kids.
*Time has run out on singer Sean Levert. The brother of late R&B star Gerald Levert was sentenced to 22 months in prison Monday for failure to pay child support.
According to Cleveland's 19ActionNews.com, Levert owes $85,427.68 in back support for his three children - ages 11, 15 and 17. He did not speak at his sentencing.
The son of O'Jays founder Eddie Levert, Sean was also a member of the group Levert with Gerald and Marc Gordon.
XM RADIO ADDS AFRIKA BAMBAATAA: Zulu Beatz to premiere next month on The Rhyme-Channel 65.
*Hip hop pioneer Afrika Bambaataa joins XM Satellite nation with the April 5th 10 p.m. premiere of his new show Zulu Beatz on Channel 65 – The Rhyme.
The South Bronx native and founder of socially-conscious rap movement Universal Zulu Nation will host the show along with The Cutman LG and Mickey Bentson aka Mick Benzo, reports Allhiphop.com. The format will include classic hip hop records that reflect the genre's evolution.
“Zulu Beatz is true school for the people,” Afrika Bambaataa told AllHipHop.com. “If you are tired of hearing the same 10 songs over and over again, then this is the show you don't want to miss."
In related news, the Justice Department this week approved a $4.6-billion buyout of XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. by rival Sirius Satellite Radio Inc., despite intense opposition from consumer groups that argued the merger would give a single company control of the market.
Sirius and XM argued that they should be allowed to merge into a monopoly because they actually compete against terrestrial radio, iPods, cellphones and other listening choices.
'DEBATERS' STAR PLAYS VIETNAM VET IN NEXT FILM: Nate Parker signs on for true story set in 1970.
*Nate Parker, one of the young breakout stars in Denzel Washington's "The Great Debaters," scored the lead role in the upcoming film "Blood Done Sign My Name."
Based on a true story, the movie is about a black Vietnam veteran who was allegedly murdered by a white businessman and a young teacher's role in the civil unrest that followed.
Parker will play the teacher who emerged as a leader after an Oxford, N.C., businessman was exonerated in the 1970 killing, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
"Fugitive" scribe Jeb Stuart will direct the picture and adapted the screenplay from Duke University professor Tim Tyson's book. The independently financed production will be filmed in North Carolina in May and June.
KANYE SUED OVER 'GOOD LIFE': Maryland man claims artist sampled his record without permission.
*Kanye West has been sued for copyright infringement by a Maryland songwriter/producer who claims one of his tracks was sampled in the artist's single "Good Life."
Dayna "D'Mystro" Staggs filed the lawsuit in Maryland District Court last week claiming West "didn't obtain a license" to sample his record "Volume of Good Life" for the song featured on West's third album, "Graduation," reports WENN.
In legal papers, Staggs states West "was only at the age of six or seven years of age (sic)" when his song was written. He has also objected to the "vulgar and offensive" images associated with the song, claiming it "harms the reputation" of his inoffensive tune.
Staggs seeks 85 percent of all world sales of the proceeds from "Good Life," although he fails to detail exactly how he came up with that number, reports WENN. West is named in the lawsuit alongside his various record labels, including his own G.O.O.D. Music and Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter's Roc-A-Fella Records.
JENIFER LEWIS IS THE NEW MOTORMOUTH MAYBELLE: Entertainer to replace Darlene Love in Broadway company.
*Beginning April 22, actress Jenifer Lewis will take over the role of Motormouth Maybelle in the Broadway production of Hairspray, reports Broadway.com.
Lewis replaces Darlene Love, who has starred in the long-running musical at the Neil Simon Theatre since July 2005.
Currently on the big screen in "Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns,"
Lewis last appeared on a New York stage in the Public Theater's 2006 Central Park production of Mother Courage and Her Children. Her Broadway credits include Comin' Uptown, Eubie! and Rock 'n' Roll: The First 5,000 Years.
Hairspray's Broadway cast currently stars George Wendt, Shannon Durig, Ashley Parker Angel, Tevin Campbell, Clarke Thorell, Mary Birdsong, Susan Mosher, Scott Davidson and Niki Scalera.
DIDDY BRINGS MASH-UPS TO MIAMI BEACH: Miami's Winter Music Conference '08 to host mogul's annual DJ event tonight.
*Sean "Diddy" Combs is bringing his mash-up music series to Miami's Winter Music Conference '08 tonight in Miami Beach.
The rap mogul hand-picked his list of accomplished and promising underground players for the event with aims to "further the global dialogue in the dance, electro, and house music scenes," according to a statement from organizers.
The one-night-only event will take place tonight at Cameo in Miami Beach. Diddy will lead the mash-up by incorporating live vocals and instrumentation, as each DJ and producer showcases how far outside the realm of popular dance, electronica, and house music they're willing to go.
Diddy's previous mash-ups were held in Ibiza and Portugal. In Ibiza, he presided over mash-up battles against Felix Da Housecat and DJ Morillo, whom he also battled in Portugal. Previously, Diddy has collaborated with Stuart Price, Deep Dish, and DJ Hell.
TAVIS TAKES PBS SHOW TO MEMPHIS: Broadcasts will commemorate 40th anniversary of King assassination.
*Tavis Smiley will travel to Memphis to broadcast his PBS late-night talk show from the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, March 31 through April 4, in commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
In addition, The Tavis Smiley Show from PRI (Public Radio International) will broadcast Thursday, April 3 at 9-11 a.m. from the historic Mason Temple, the site of Dr. King's "I've been to the Mountaintop" speech delivered April 3, 1968 the night before his death.
For the PRI broadcast, Tavis will lead a discussion about the speech and Dr. King's legacy before a live audience with guests including Martin Luther King III, Harry Belafonte, Dorothy Cotton, Clarence Jones, and Beverly Robertson as well as historian Clayborne Carson, Earl Caldwell, the New York Times journalist who witnessed the assassination, and Bishop Charles Blake, presiding Bishop of Church of God in Christ and Mason Temple.
Throughout the week, Tavis Smiley's PBS program will feature guests who were touched by the life of Dr. King, including actor and King colleague Harry Belafonte; Rev. Al Sharpton; Princeton professor Dr. Cornel West; Monumental Baptist Church's Rev. Samuel Billy Kyles; former King attorney Clarence B. Jones; Taylor Rogers, one of the striking Memphis sanitation workers in 1968; former King secretary Dorothy Cotton; Beverly Robertson, executive director of the Civil Rights Museum; and minister/social commentator Michael Eric Dyson.
PAM GRIER TO RECEIVE AWARD AT N.C. FILM FEST: Hometown event to honor her career in film and television.
*Actress Pam Grier, 58, will be honored next month at a film festival to be held in her home state of North Carolina.
A native of Winston-Salem, the star who became famous via a series of blaxploitation films in the 1970s will receive a master of cinema award during the RiverRun International Film Festival in her hometown, reports the Winston-Salem Journal.
Born Pamela Suzette Grier in 1949, the budding film star moved with her family to Colorado, where she graduated from high school.
Among her most popular early movies are "Foxy Brown," "Coffy" and "Sheba Baby." In more recent years, she's starred on the big screen in Quentin Tarantino's "Jackie Brown."
Grier just wrapped her fifth season as Kit Porter on Showtime's original series "The L Word."
DANITY KANE, LEONA LEWIS TOP BILLBOARD: Diddy's girl group scores second No. 1 album; British 'X-Factor' winner finally invades U.S.
*Danity Kane's "Welcome to the Dollhouse" debuted at No. 1 on The Billboard 200 this week, while the Hot 100 singles chart has British sensation Leona Lewis in the pole position with her debut single, "Bleeding Love."
The sophomore album from Danity Kane moved 236,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The "Making the Band 3"
troupe's 2006 self-titled debut also started at the top, with 234,000.
Already a superstar in her native U.K., Lewis scores her first No. 1 hit in the states with "Bleeding Love," which rocketed 8-1 on the Hot 100. She's the first female to take her inaugural single to the top of this tally since Fergie's "London Bridge" in 2006 and the first British woman in over 20 years to reach No. 1 on the Hot 100.
Kim Wilde was the last British female solo singer to top the Billboard Hot 100 chart with her 1987 song "You Keep Me Hangin' On," a cover of The Supremes song.
"Bleeding Love" is also No. 1 on Hot Digital Songs after selling 219,000 downloads, up 82%. Last week's Hot 100 No. 1, Usher's "Love in This Club" featuring Young Jeezy, drops to No. 2 but is still the fastest growing track at radio.
Lewis, 22, was the winner of popular British television talent show "The X Factor" during its third season in 2006.
NYC TOLLBOOTH WORKER IS TOAST OF HOLLYWOOD: Man entered screenwriting contest hoping prize money will buy a car.
*A New York City tollbooth worker wrote a screenplay with the sole purpose of entering it into a contest and possibly winning prize money to buy a new car after his old vehicle was totaled in an accident.
"I had never written a screenplay before," Michael Martin told the Hollywood Reporter. "I thought, 'How hard can it be?' I was more like, 'If I win this, I can get a new car."
His script, a gritty crime story titled "Brooklyn's Finest," placed second in the contest, but eventually ended up at Warner Bros. where a producer, Mary Viola, just so happened to be looking for a writer with an authentic and original voice to pen a straight-to-DVD sequel to the 1991 film "New Jack City."
In the hands of Viola, "Finest" became hot property and quickly drew the attention of Hollywood's elite. Richard Gere and Don Cheadle signed on to star as cops in the ensemble police thriller, which Antoine Fuqua will direct for indie financier Millennium Films.
The story features three intertwining story lines involving Brooklyn police officers.
"I worked for a bus company that got indicted by the Feds because of Mob connections," Martin said. "I could not have written 'Brooklyn's Finest'
without that experience."
The movie is prepping for a May shoot in Brooklyn, in the very locations that inspired Martin to write the script. "Things are moving very fast right now. It's something I've been waiting a long time for," Martin said.
Meanwhile, Martin, a new dad, was recently promoted to construction flagger within the Transit Authority, working inside the subway system. He is writing "New Jack City 2," often during his breaks in the subway tunnels.
He's also driving a new car.
ITTY BITTY BITS: Wyclef in HD; Snoop on Music Choice; Phat Fashions at WrestleMania; Braugher's Claudius; Quddus'Sunset'; Grier's 'News'; 'Idol's' Doolittle; Bonds denied.
*Wyclef Jean premieres on the HDNet Concert series from the famed Tabernacle in Atlanta, Georgia this Sunday (March 30) at 8 p.m. ET. Jean plays from his catalogue of hits, including "Gone Til November," "Carnival,"
"Ready or Not," and "Stayin' Alive." He also performs his own version of reggae standards "No Woman No Cry," and "Redemption Song."
*Snoop Dogg, 50 Cent, Jay Z, Jim Jones, Rick Ross, Flo Rida, and Shawty Lo are all featured next month in the multi-platform video and music network Music Choice. “We Love Hip-Hop: A Celebration of Hip-Hop Music” will premiere on Music Choice’s On Demand network with Music Choice Originals and a music video catalog that features today’s hip-hop megastars. Snoop is featured in two Originals – “Snoop Dogg: Does Starkville” and “Snoop Dogg:
Naked.”
*Phat Fashions Kids will join Raven-Symoné as participants in World Wrestling Entertainment’s biggest wish-granting event ever at WrestleMania XXIV on March 30 in Orlando, Fla. As part of the WWE’s expanded partnership with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, 50 children with life-threatening medical conditions will have their wishes fulfilled at WrestleMania XXIV. Phat Fashions Kids will provide a gifting table offering apparel and promotional items, photo booths featuring customized photos, and a raffle for a family lifestyle basket to be awarded at the Bacon, Bagels and Biceps brunch on Sunday, March 30, where Raven-Symoné will also be on hand.
*The Public Theater announced that Emmy Award winner Andre Braugher will play Claudius and Drama Desk nominee Lily Rabe will play Ophelia in Hamlet, the first production of Shakespeare in the Park's 2008 summer season at the Delacorte Theatre, joining previously announced stars Michael Stuhlbarg (Hamlet) and Richard Easton (Polonius). The show will begin previews on May 27 and run through June 29, directed by the Public's artistic director Oskar Eustis. Braugher's Shakespearian credits include Henry V, Richard II, Twelfth Night, Measure for Measure and Much Ado About Nothing.
*MTV's Quddus will host a new kids-themed dance show on Nickelodeon called "Dance on Sunset," which is filmed before a live audience at the Nickelodeon Studios on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood. "It's a little bit different insofar as the vibe is a whole lot more about fun. Nothing but fun and a good time," Quddus Philippe, 27, says of his new gig. "At MTV, the emphasis was more on being cool." After a Saturday night debut at 9:30 following the Kids Choice Awards, the show will air weekly at 8:30 p.m.
Sundays, reports AP.
*"David Alan Grier's Chocolate News" has been officially picked up by Comedy Central, according to the trades. The fake magazine show will investigate such "inherently urban pop culture topics" as an operation to save black and white conjoined twins, steroid use in Little Leaguers and a rapper's public service announcement gone awry, the cable channel said.
Grier hosts the half-hour show, which is set to premiere in the first quarter. No word yet on the amount of episodes ordered.
*"American Idol" past finalists Melinda Doolittle and George Huff are part of a Dreyer's ice cream national promotional tour at the grocery stores Vons, Stop & Shop and Winn-Dixie. When you buy two Slow Churned light ice cream products you get a free CD compilation of songs from eight Idol finalists, including Doolittle and Huff. Also on the disc are songs from Mandisa, Nadia Turner and Justin Guarini.
*The San Francisco Giants will not consider re-signing home run king Barry Bonds, the team president said on Wednesday. In fact, prominent tributes in the stadium to the slugger, who has steroid allegations and perjury charges hanging over his head, have all been removed. "We're going in a new direction; that would not be going in a new direction. The time has come to turn the page," said team president Peter Magowan. "We're very respectful, at least I am, appreciative of all the contributions he made to the Giants over all that long period of time but the time came when we needed to go in a new direction." A team spokeswoman said the Giants would put up a plaque to note where Bonds had hit his last homer.
COURT RULES ABU-JAMAL SHOULD GET NEW HEARING: Ball now in prosecutors' court regarding sentencing.
*A federal appeals court on Thursday said former Black Panther Mumia Abu-Jamal cannot be executed for murdering a Philadelphia police officer without a new penalty hearing, reports the Associated Press.
The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Abu-Jamal's conviction, but said he should get a new sentencing hearing because of flawed jury instructions. If prosecutors don't want to give him a new death penalty hearing, Abu-Jamal would be sentenced automatically to life in prison.
Prosecutors are weighing their options, Assistant District Attorney Hugh Burns Jr. said Thursday. Abu-Jamal's lead attorney, Robert R. Bryan, said he was glad the court did not uphold the death sentence, and said he wants a new trial.
"I've never seen a case as permeated and riddled with racism as this one," Bryan said Thursday. "I want a new trial and I want him free. His conviction was a travesty of justice."
Abu-Jamal, 53, once a radio reporter, has attracted a legion of artists and activists to his cause in a quarter-century on death row. A Philadelphia jury convicted him in 1982 of killing Officer Daniel Faulkner, 25, after the patrolman pulled over Abu-Jamal's brother in an overnight traffic stop.
He had appealed, arguing that racism by the judge and prosecutors corrupted his conviction at the hands of a mostly white jury. Prosecutors, meanwhile, had appealed a federal judge's 2001 decision to grant Abu-Jamal a new sentencing hearing because of the jury instructions.
The flaw in the jury instructions related to whether jurors understood how to weigh mitigating circumstances that might keep Abu-Jamal off death row. Under the law, jurors did not have to unanimously agree on a mitigating circumstance.
"The jury instructions and the verdict form created a reasonable likelihood that the jury believed it was precluded from finding a mitigating circumstance that had not been unanimously agreed upon," the appeals court wrote.
Arguments before the 3rd Circuit focused on several constitutional issues, including whether prosecutors improperly eliminated black jurors.
Ten whites and two blacks served on the jury. Prosecutors struck 10 blacks and five whites from the pool, while accepting four blacks and 20 whites, according to Bryan, who argued that prosecutors of the day fostered "a culture of discrimination."
OPENING THIS WEEK : Kam's Kapsules: Weekly Previews That Make Choosing a Film Fun
For movies opening March 28, 2008
by Kam Williams
BIG BUDGET FILM
21 (PG-13 for violence, sexuality and partial nudity) Vegas casino caper recalls the real-life exploits of a quintet of card-counting MIT students who, with the help of their math professor (Kevin Spacey), beat the house for millions in winnings. Cast includes Kate Bosworth, Laurence Fishburne, Jim Sturgess and Aaron Yoo.
Run, Fatboy, Run (PG-13 for crude humor, profanity, sexuality, nudity and
smoking) David Schwimmer makes an impressive directorial debut with this romantic comedy about a chubby loser (Simon Pegg) looking for a second chance to impress the ex-fiancée (Thandie Newton) he’d abandoned at the altar on their wedding day five years ago after getting cold feet because she was pregnant. Supporting cast includes Hank Azaria, Harish Patel and India de Beaufort.
Stop Loss (R for graphic violence and pervasive profanity) Iraq War saga about the emotional toll exacted on an honorably-disharged veteran (Ryan Phillippe) and his family when he is ordered by the Army to return to Baghdad for another tour of duty. With Rob Brown, Channing Tatum and Ciaran Hinds.
Superhero Movie (PG-13 for profanity, sexuality, crude humor, slapstick violence and drug references) Leslie Nielsen, Tracy Morgan and Pamela Anderson are among the large ensemble cast in this parody of the superhero genre which satirizes a host of comic book screen adaptations including Fantastic Four, X-Men, Spider-Man and Batman.
INDEPENDENT & FOREIGN FILMS
Alexandra (Unrated) Man’s inhumanity to man is the theme of this introspective road flick revolving around an elderly Russian woman’s (Galina Vishnevskaya) visit to the army base in Chechnya where her grandson’s (Vasily Shevtsov) battle-hardened unit is stationed. (In Russian and Chechen with subtitles)
American Zombie (Unrated) Horror comedy, directed by Grace Lee (The Grace Lee Project) chronicles the efforts of a couple of filmmakers (John Solomon and Grace Lee) to document the challenging daily lives of four zombies facing discrimination in Los Angeles.
Backseat (Unrated) Buddy road comedy revolving around the male-bonding opportunity afforded when a couple of thirty-something slackers (Robert Bogue and Josh Alexander) opt to drive from NYC to Montreal to try to meet actor Donald Sutherland.
Chapter 27 (R for profanity and sexuality) Grim drama reconstructs events unfolding in the life of assassin Mark David Chapman (Jared Leto) in the days leading up to the killing of John Lennon (Mark Lindsay Chapman). With Lindsay Lohan as an obsessed Beatle fan, Mariko Takai as Yoko, Judah Friedlander as Paul, and Lauren Milberger as Gilda Ratner.
The Cool School (Unrated) Beat Generation documentary revisits the rise of California‘s “Cool School” of modern artists who emerged in the Fifties with the help of the legendary Ferus Gallery in Los Angeles.
Flawless (PG-13 for brief profanity) Crime caper, set in London in 1960, about a disgruntled executive (Demi Moore) at a diamond importer who is enlisted by the company’s about-to-retire janitor (Michael Caine) in a scheme to steal a cache of priceless jewels from their employer.
My Brother Is an Only Child (Unrated) Something must have gotten lost in the translation of the oxymoronic title of this dysfunctional family comedy, set in rural Italy in the Sixties, chronicling the relationship of two siblings, one (Elio Germano), a neo-Fascist, the other (Ricardo Scamarcio), a Communist Party organizer. (In Italian with subtitles)
Priceless (PG-13 for nudity and sexuality) Audrey Tautou stars in this French farce as a scheming gold digger in search of a wealthy sugar daddy who seduces a shy bartender (Gad Elmaleh), mistakenly believing him to be a multi-millionaire. (In French with subtitles)
Shotgun Series (PG-13 for violence, mature themes and brief profanity) The death of a patriarch who fathered seven sons with a couple of different women sparks a bloody family feud between his two warring strains of heirs in this Shakespearean tragedy set amidst the cotton fields of a sleepy, Southern Arkansas town.
EUR FILM REVIEW: Funny Games
Naomi Watts Wasted in English Language Remake of German Snuff Flick
Film Review by Kam Williams
*Obviously, director Michael Haneke wasn’t satisfied merely with having made Funny Games in German for the kinky S&M enthusiasts in his native Deutschland.
No, he was apparently so self-impressed with his disturbing snuff flick that he had to shoot a virtually-identical, English-language version, ala Gus Van Sant’s scene-for-scene, line-for-line remake of Psycho.
But while that Hitchcock classic may have been very worthy of an homage, Funny Games is just a disturbing headscratcher likely to leave an audience feeling more abused than entertained, and also wondering how an Oscar-nominated actress of the caliber of Naomi Watts (for 21 Grams) ever agreed to the project. Equally-ponderous is the question of why it ever got greenlighted in Hollywood in the first place
Nonetheless, the picture has been released in theaters, which makes it my job to warn you of the morally-objectionable content of this inappropriately titled indulgence in bloodlust. For Funny Games has nothing to do with either fun or games, unless you consider lingering scenes of bondage, torture, animal cruelty, splatter, sexual assault and eroticized violence fun and games. If there were truth in advertising, its title would be Gruesome Murders.
This whodunit might best be described as an endurance test during which the director all but directly dares you to walk out of the theater. For instance, he’ll have his villains occasionally break the proverbial fourth wall to comment on their latest diabolical deed. And on one occasion, he even lets a creep rewind a fight scene to change the outcome.
Superficially, the set-up reads like a stock plotline ripped right out of the psychological thriller script book. As the film unfolds, we find the Farber family, Anne (Watts), George (Tim Roth) and George, Jr. (Devon
Gearheart) on their way to spending their summer vacation at their sprawling country estate which shares a lake in an upscale community comprised of the idle rich.
Before they get a chance to settle into the house there’s a knock, and the Mrs. is asked by an overly-polite, handsome young stranger (Brady Corbet) if he might borrow a few eggs for their next-door neighbor, Mrs. Thompson.
Despite his manners, there’s something odd about Peter, and it’s not just the fact that he’s wearing white gloves.
He creates diversions for a few minutes until his pal Paul (Michael Pitt), also clad in white gloves, arrives and finds further excuses to dilly-dally.
When asked to leave, the rude pair finally informs the Farbers that they’re being kidnapped, and apparently for kicks.
The preppy psychopaths then proceed to kill the dog, break George’s kneecap with a golf club, make Anne strip naked in front of her son, and worse.
Without divulging any specific subsequent developments, let me say that, at this juncture, the movie defies convention and degenerates into further displays of anti-social behavior, sadly sans consequences for the crooks.
Naomi Watts might want to fire her agent for attaching her to this infuriating fiasco. Walk-out bad.
Poor (0 stars)
Rated R for terror, partial nudity, profanity graphic gore and eroticized violence.
Running time: 107 minutes
Studi Warner Independent
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 28: Rapper Mr. Cheeks of Lost Boyz is 36. Actor Ken L. ("The Parkers") is 34.
March 29: Singer Bobby Kimball of Toto is 61
March 30: Rapper MC Hammer is 44. Singer Tracy Chapman is 43. Singer Norah Jones is 28.
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
Mar. 28, 1966: Bill Russell was named head coach of the Boston Celtics, becoming the first African American to coach an NBA team.
Mar. 29, 1898: W. J. Ballow patents the combined hat rack and table.
Mar. 30, 1941: National Urban League presented one-hour program over a national radio network and urged equal participation for blacks in national defense program. (Source: www.BlackFacts.com)
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