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04-04-08 EUR ALL ON ONE PAGE
WHITNEY TAKES 'HIGH ROAD' ON BOBBY'S TELL-ALL: Singer responds to accusation that she 'drove' him to cocaine.
*Whitney Houston has responded to accusations that appear in her ex-husband's new tell-all book, "Bobby Brown: The Truth, the Whole Truth and Nothing But."
In one chapter, Bobby claims that it was Whitney who introduced him to cocaine, and not the other way around as people have long suspected.
"I never used cocaine until after I met Whitney. Before then, I had experimented with other drugs, but marijuana was my drug of choice," wrote Brown, who shares 15-year-old daughter Bobbi Kristina with Houston.
Responding to the allegation, Whitney's rep tells People magazine in a statement: "Miss Houston is sad that Bobby feels he needs to say such things but she chooses to take the high road and will not speak badly about the father of her child even if it's to set the record straight."
Bobby kisses and tells about other aspects of their 15-year marriage.
In one passage, he writes it "was doomed from the very beginning. Within the first year we separated, with several more to follow," Brown writes. "I think we got married for all the wrong reasons. Now, I realize Whitney had a different agenda than I did when we got married . . . I believe her agenda was to clean up her image, while mine was to be loved and have children."
Whitney, he alleges, had been under "a lot of pressure. The media was accusing her of having a bisexual relationship with her assistant, Robin Crawford. Since she was the American Sweetheart and all, that didn't go too well with her image . . . In Whitney's situation, the only solution was to get married and have kids. That would kill all speculation, whether it was true or not. In the short, I think I got caught up in the politics and ended up marrying one of the biggest stars in the world."
But Brown admits to stepping out on his ex-wife on several occasions,
stating: "I am guilty of sleeping with other women . . . Women are always throwing themselves at you. I'm only human, so I would make the mistake and bite the hook sometimes . . . I let the testosterone take over."
One of his most public indiscretions was an affair with former exotic dancer Karrine "Superhead" Steffans. "Yes, I've slept with her," he confesses. "Yes, I've spent several nights at her house. But she was only good for what her nickname stood for."
Brown also says he dated Janet Jackson and Madonna before hooking up with Houston. Chapter titles from the book include "Whitney Houston – The Untold Truth," "The Press, More Problems, and Passion for Drugs," and "The Bad Boy Of Boston ... Straight From The Hood."
NAOMI CAMPBELL TAKEN INTO CUSTODY: Supermodel arrested in London after allegedly spitting on a cop.
*A stint cleaning toilets and attending anger management classes apparently was not enough to calm down Naomi Campbell. The supermodel was arrested at London's Heathrow Airport Thursday for allegedly spitting at a police officer.
At 5:11 p.m., officers were called to the newly opened Terminal 5, where chronic baggage delays had been causing folks to lose their tempers all week, according to People.com. But it appears as if Naomi took her frustration a bit too far.
After boarding a plane, she was arrested on suspicion of assaulting a police officer and taken to Heathrow Police Station where she remained in custody as of press time.
Campbell's rap sheet is riddled with incidents involving her unchecked temper. In 2000, the British runway diva pleaded guilty in Toronto to an assault charge for beating an assistant while making a film in Canada in 1998.
In January 2007, Campbell pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault for throwing her mobile phone at her maid in a dispute over a missing pair of jeans. Her sentence in that case was community service that involved anger management and one week of housecleaning duties at a public building in New York City.
JAY-Z TO SIGN $150 MILLION LIVE NATION DEAL: Rapper to leave Def Jam for one of richest contracts ever.
*Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter is reportedly ready to sign with concert promoter Live Nation in a 10-year deal worth about $150 million, a total that rivals the biggest music contracts ever, the New York Times reported.
The rap tycoon will officially bounce from his longtime record label, Def Jam, and enter into a partnership that includes recordings and tours – as well as the financing of his new entertainment venture Roc Nation - an umbrella company that will include his own label, music publishing, and talent consulting and managing. The venture would split profits with Jay-Z.
The rap mogul will reportedly receive $25 million upfront and another $10 million each for at least three studio albums. The deal also includes
$25 million for concert tours and $50 million to finance his other investments.
Jay-Z's partnership is the latest in a series of new pacts between Live Nation and mega-entertainers. Earlier this week, the company announced a 12-year agreement to handle the merchandising, digital and branding rights and touring of Irish group U2.
Live Nation, which unveiled a $120 million deal with Madonna five months ago, has been expanding its business model to develop more far-reaching and deeper relationships with artists beyond just handling their touring as CD sales plunge.
Jay-Z, 38, in December left his post as president of Def Jam Records, saying he wanted to "take on new challenges."
In other Jay-Z news, People.com posted an article yesterday that questioned whether a recent afterparty for the Toronto stop of his "Heart of the City" tour was, in fact, a bachelor party.
"It looked like a bachelor party because soon the doors closed to all but the immediate guests," a source told People regarding the private bash at downtown hot spot Lobby. "Jay-Z was laughing and happy and talking to everyone around him. It was amazing how many girls were flirting with him, but he was just being nice to everyone."
The party was held one day after Jay-Z applied for a marriage license with his squeeze, Beyoncé Knowles.
50 CENT SUED BY HIS BABY MOM: Shaniqua claims rapper is trying to evict her and their 10-year-old son.
*50 Cent was hit with a breach-of-contract lawsuit by the mother of his 10-year-old boy for trying to evict them from their home in Long Island.
The lawsuit, filed by his former girlfriend Shaniqua Tompkins in Manhattan, claims the 32-year-old rapper broke a promise to buy her a house of her own.
Tompkins' lawyer, Paul Catsandonis, says Fitty promised until the closing to buy the $2.4 million Dix Hills home for Tompkins — but the artist ended up putting the house in his name alone.
Tompkins already receives child support from the rapper, whose real name is Curtis Jackson.
T.I. BEGINS HIS COMMUNITY SERVICE: Lawyer says he got busy the day after his court appearance on Thursday.
*Allhiphop.com is reporting that T.I. has already begun serving his community service under the terms of his plea agreement last week on federal weapons possession charges.
Attorney Dwight Thomas says T.I., born Clifford Harris, began his ordered 1500 hours on Friday (Mar 28), one day after entering his guilty plea during a court appearance in Atlanta.
Thomas would not give details about the type of community service being done by the rapper, who must have his 1500 hours completed prior to his sentencing date on March 27, 2009, according to the plea deal.
"We've been doing some good faith negotiations for some time," Thomas told AllHipHop.com. "This [plea deal] didn't happen over a couple of days.
We've been involved in some lengthy discussions, both the attorneys for the state and the defense attorneys. This was a reasonable outcome and it was in his best interest. He's expressed remorse for what he's done and accepted responsibility."
"He's committed, he's sincere, he has a passion about helping others," Thomas said of T.I. "That was one of the factors even at his bond
hearing: the fact that he's such a charitable person. So I think it's going to work out for him."
"While he is awaiting sentencing, he is under modified restrictions outside of work and religion," explained Thomas. "He's still able to perform, he's able to go to church, he's able to pursue any type of work related to his industry."
T.I.'s new curfew requires him to be at home between the hours of 11 p.m. and 6 a.m., unless he is working, in which case the hours are adjusted to 1 a.m. to 8 a.m.
NEW USHER ALBUM NOW DUE IN MAY: Release date pushed up one month due to 'global demand.'
*Usher's new album "Here I Stand" will be available on May 27 from record label LaFace/Zomba, which announced Thursday it had moved up the release date from its original June target.
The company cites "increasing global demand" as the reason for the move, according to Billboard.
The album, which includes former No. 1 single "Love In This Club"
feat. Young Jeezy, comes four years after the release of his 9.5 million-selling LP "Confessions."
Confirmed guests on "Here I Stand" include Ludacris ("Dat Girl Right There"), Jermaine Dupri and T-Pain. The music video for "Love In This Club"
is set to debut April 7 on MTV.
WILL DOWNING TO LAUNCH 'SPEAKING' TOUR: Unable to perform, the singer will promote new album via intimate talks with fans across U.S.
*Will Downing is about to embark on a series of one-on-one speaking engagements and listening parties in various markets throughout the U.S.
The artist, nicknamed "the prince of sophisticated soul," will spend each evening in an intimate conversation that explores his current illness, his faith, his family's support, his musical career (including his new CD, "After Tonight") and his future tour plans.
Thanks to hard work, faith and family, Downing has made miraculous progress in his battle with the muscle disease Polymyositis. At one point he was unable to lift his head, let alone leave his bed without assistance.
Now, the singer can walk on his own with the aid of a walker.
Taking advantage of his improving condition, Downing will rekindle his relationships with fans in Chicago, Detroit, Washington, D.C., Baltimore and Atlanta. In each city, the event will be held in an upscale social center and hosted by a prominent local media personality.
Because Downing is still in recovery he will not be performing, but he will field questions directly from fans in an intimate setting, sign autographs and possibly pose for photos.
Below is the schedule for "A Private Evening with Will Downing":
Tuesday, April 22nd - DuSable Museum - Chicago Thursday, April 24th - Sweet Georgia Browns - Detroit Tuesday, April 29th - Station 9 - Washington, D.C.
Thursday, May 1st - Reginald Lewis African American Museum - Baltimore Wednesday, May 7th - Atlanta - (location - tba)
CHANDRA WILSON HAS A NEW 'FRIENDSHIP': 'Anatomy' standout to play homeless woman in new Hallmark film.
*"Grey's Anatomy" star Chandra Wilson will take off the scrubs and hit the streets for her next project, "Accidental Friendship," a Hallmark Channel original film scheduled to premiere in late November or December.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Wilson will play a homeless woman whose life looks to be hopeless until she unexpectedly crosses paths with a female police officer who puts her back on track.
Production on "Accidental Friendship" is scheduled to begin in early May. In the meantime, Wilson's day job as Dr. Bailey on ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" continues on, with new post-strike episodes to begin April 24.
JAMES BROWN'S STUFF HEADED TO AUCTION BLOCK: Christie's to sell Godfather's personal belongings this summer.
*Auction house Christie's has stepped into the ongoing settlement of James Brown's estate with plans to put his personal belongings up for bid, reports Reuters.
The lot will include instruments, awards, furniture, photographs and memorabilia once owned by the Godfather of Soul, who died of congestive heart failure on Christmas Day in 2006. He was 73.
"Widely regarded as one of the greatest musical legends of the 20th century, (Brown's) enormous talent and innovative style are responsible for influencing generations of singers and songwriters, and capturing the hearts of music lovers everywhere," Simeon Lipman, Christie's head of popular culture in New York said in a statement.
The auction is scheduled to take place in late July.
DIDDY GROUPS TRADE PLACES ATOP BILLBOARD: Danity Kane is dethroned this week by Day26.
*The Billboard 200 album chart's number one spot has been occupied by two different Diddy-backed groups in the past two weeks.
Day26, the boy band assembled on the mogul's MTV series "Making the Band," knocked off their fellow "MTB" cohorts Danity Kane with the No. 1 debut of their self-titled album. Danity Kane's "Welcome to the Dollhouse"
falls back to No. 4.
Bad Boy's "Day 26" moved 190,000 copies this week, according to Nielsen SoundScan, a marked decline from Danity Kane's 236,000-copy start last week.
The five-member band is the first new male group to open at No. 1 since 2001, when D12 bowed on top with "Devil's Night." It's also the highest charting for a debut album by a group since Danity Kane's eponymous first set started at No. 1 in 2006.
ASHANTI'S 'DECLARATION' DUE IN JUNE: Singer's album includes production from Robin Thicke and Jermaine Dupri.
*June 3rd marks the arrival of Ashanti's new album "The Declaration," a collection of songs tied together under the theme "womanhood and empowerment," according to Billboard.com.
"It's been a long time coming for change, and the timing was just right," she tells Billboard.com. The album "touches on those low points in life that determine whether you're strong enough to go on. It reminds women that they can't let things get the best of them."
The Inc./Universal Motown project includes the first single "The Way That I Love You," which is currently No. 18 on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. Robin Thicke, Jermaine Dupri, LT Hutton, Babyface, and Pharrell Williams are among the set's producers.
"Declaration" is expected to feature "Mother," inspired by Ashanti's close bond with her own mother, and "Click," which she says is "a relationship record done from a female point of view. It's about when you're trying to get in contact with someone you're seeing but he's not answering, and by the time he calls you feel like, 'I don't want to talk to you now.'"
Ashanti is also working on a teen-skewed lifestyle book titled "Ashanti Style" via Jump at the Sun/Hyperion, but no release date has been announced yet.
AL ROKER IN A 'FEUD' WITH NBC? Talks drag on for deal to bring 'Today' host into prime time for celeb edition of 'Family Feud.'
*"Today Show" weatherman Al Roker is reportedly in negotiations to host an upcoming celebrity version of "Family Feud," which, for the occasion, has been renamed, "Feud."
No official deal was on the table as of press time, but Roker's reps have been in talks with producer FremantleMedia North America for more than a week, reports Daily Variety.
"One reason the parties might be reluctant to confirm any agreement is because Roker is said to have come tantalizingly close to toplining other projects for the Peacock over the years, only to have talks fall apart," the trade reported.
When away from "Today," Roker keeps busy with a successful New York-based production company that has supplied programming to numerous cable networks.
MARIAH CAREY AND NICK CANNON?: Gossip columnist claims they're secretly dating; plus, Mimi snarls traffic during appearance in London.
*Gossip columnist Janet Charlton wrote on her Web site Thursday:
"Sneaky little Mariah Carey is getting romantic with MTV's Nick Cannon and doesn't want anyone to know!"
Charlton claims the two longtime friends got much closer after she asked him to film a cameo in one of her upcoming videos.
"They started spending time together working on the video script and they got VERY close," Charlton writes. "Sparks flew and the next thing she knew, Mariah had promoted Nick from a cameo in her first video, to DIRECTOR of her second video! They were both at Butter in New York the other night but keep up the charade of 'just friends.' She's been flying around promoting her album so they secretly hook up whenever they can."
Meanwhile, WENN is reporting that Mariah caused a nasty traffic situation in London recently while there to promote her new album, " E=MC2."
Hundreds of fans turned out to catch a glimpse of the star as she arrived for a signing session at Oxford Street's Selfridges department store. But police could barely handle the huge crowds, causing officers to divert cars away from the Selfridges store because of the commotion surrounding her appearance.
After posing for waiting photographers outside the store, Carey -- who was two hours late for the appearance -- was soon ushered inside Selfridges, where two floors had been cordoned off in preparation for her arrival.
ITTY BITTY BITS: 'Legend' DVD; Timbaland and Ne-Yo help LiLo?; Glover's 'Alpha'; ?uestlove helps Al Green; Bengals cut Henry; Lincoln letter.
*Will Smith's "I Am Legend" his taken over the national DVD sales chart this week, swapping spots with the fairy tale spoof "Unchanted," which drops to No. 2. The sci-fi film has generated an estimated $20 million in rental revenue alone. "I Am Legend" also was the top-selling Blu-ray Disc in the week ended March 30, with "No Country for Old Men" No. 2.
*Timbaland and Ne-Yo were mentioned in a New York Daily News column as possibly contributing to a new album from Lindsay Lohan. "Universal is trying to make her new album a success by lining up great producing talents, and, recently, they even hooked Timbaland. But Lindsay has canceled their planned meetings twice," a source told the paper's Gatecrasher column. The source also said Lohan had turned down some initial tracks submitted by Ne-Yo, but "he is still in talks to work with the rehabbed pop star, and staffers hope that one song will make the cut."
*Danny Glover has been booked to voice a character in the new animated family film "Alpha and Omega," about two kidnapped wolves trying to get back to their pack, reports Variety. Production is under way in Los Angeles under director Anthony Bell ("The Boondocks"). Key animation will be created at Crest's India-based studio with a debut anticipated for 2010. Actors voicing other characters include Christina Ricci, Dennis Hopper, Larry Miller and the two lead wolves Justin Long and Hayden Panettiere.
*Al Green is teaming with Roots drummer Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson and keyboardist James Poyser for his new studio album, "Lay It Down," due May 27 on Blue Note Records. ?uestlove and Poyser have previously worked together on projects by Erykah Badu, Common and Jill Scott. "The reason why we are doing this is because we all idolize Al Green," ?uestlove said, according to allhiphop.com. "Even today, nobody has range like him."
*Wide receiver Chris Henry was cut by the Cincinnati Bengals Thursday following his fifth arrest in nearly three years. The 24-year-old pleaded not guilty to charges of misdemeanor assault and criminal damaging. He was arrested for punching an 18-year-old man in the face and breaking his car window with a beer bottle. Municipal Court Judge Bernie Bouchard set bond at $51,000. Noting Henry's previous arrests involving drugs, guns and alcohol, the judge called Henry "a one-man crime wave." Bengals president Mike Brown said: "His conduct can no longer be tolerated."
*A letter written by late U.S. president Abraham Lincoln in response to a children's petition to end slavery sold for a record 3.4 million dollars at auction in New York on Thursday. The letter, an emotional response to a "Children's Petition to the president asking him to free all the little slave children in this country," dates from 1864 and was the highlight of a sale of historical American manuscripts. The top lot, which was bought by an anonymous US buyer bidding by phone, set a record price for a US manuscript at auction. "Please tell these little people I am very glad their young hearts are so full of just and generous sympathy," Lincoln wrote in the letter. "While I have not the power to grant all they ask, I trust they will remember that God has, and that, as it seems, He wills to do it."
JUDGE SAYS TOSSING WHITE LAWYERS WAS A 'MISTAKE': Black judge wanted to give private pep talk to black defendants.
*An Atlanta judge who ordered white lawyers out of his courtroom so he could lecture African-American defendants called that decision a "mistake" Tuesday night, reports CNN.
"In retrospect, it was a mistake," Judge Marvin Arrington told the network. "Because my sheriff said to me, 'Judge, that message should be given to everybody' -- 'Don't violate the law, make something out of yourself, go to school, find a role model, somebody that will help you advance your life.'"
Arrington, an African-American judge in Fulton County, said he was simply tired of young black defendants in his courtroom and decided to address them one day last week -- out of the earshot of white lawyers.
"I came out and saw the defendants, and it was about 99.9 percent Afro-Americans," Arrington told CNN affiliate WSB-TV of Atlanta, "and at some point in time, I excused some lawyers -- most of them white -- and said to the young people in here, 'What in the world are you doing with your lives?'"
The judge thought his message would make a greater impact if he delivered it to a black-only audience, he said. "I didn't want them to think I was talking down to them; trying to embarrass them or insult them; be derogatory toward them, and I was just saying, 'Please get yourself together.'"
EUR MOTIVATIONAL NOTE
"Our attitudes control our lives. Attitudes are a secret power working 24 hours a day, for good or bad. It is of paramount importance that we know how to harness and control this great force." — Tom Blandi
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
April 4: Author-poet Maya Angelou is 80. Bandleader Hugh Masekela is 69. Singer Jill Scott is 36. Singer Kelly Price is 35. Singer Andre Dalyrimple of Soul for Real is 34.
April 5: Rapper-producer Pharrell Williams is 35.
April 6: Actor Billy Dee Williams is 71.
WEBSITE OF THE WEEK
This is a news, information, cultural and charitable site aimed at connecting members of the African Diaspora: www.myafricandiaspora.com.
Submit your favorite Web site to us along with a 15-20 word (or less) description to info@eurweb.com.
BLACK HISTORY
Apr. 4, 1968: Martin Luther King was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee. In the following week riots occurred in at least 125 places throughout the country.
Apr. 5, 1976: FBI documents, released in response to a freedom of information suit, revealed that the government mounted an intensive campaign against civil rights organizations in the sixties.
Apr. 6, 1909: Matthew Henson reached the North Pole. Traveling with the Admiral Peary Expedition, Henson managed to reach the North Pole almost 45 minutes before Peary and the rest of the men. (Source:
www.BlackFacts.com)
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