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ANGELA BASSETT CHECKS INTO NBC'S 'ER': Actress to join cast next season as a regular.
*Angela Bassett will become a regular cast member on NBC's "ER" next year during its 15th and final season. The role will be her first full-time gig on a televisionseries.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, the actress will play a tough attending physician with a troubled past who returns to Chicago from Indonesia, where she was involved in tsunami relief. Her arrival in the second episode next season promises to shake up the staff at County General.
"Angela is a wonderfully talented actress whom I've long hoped to work with," said "ER" exec producer John Wells.
In addition to Bassett, original cast member Noah Wyle will join "ER"
next season in at least four of the show's planned 19 episodes.
Bassett, whose husband is actor Courtney B. Vance welcomed twins in January 2006 via a surrogate mother. She recently wrapped the B.I.G. biopic "Notorious."
WHITNEY HOUSTON BOMBS IN TOBAGO: EbonyJet.com review says she was 'flat, hoarse, listless' and kept shouting out the wrong island.
*EbonyJet.com was in Tobago over the weekend to catch a concert event featuring Whitney Houston as a headline. Unfortunately, the performance was reviewed as a disaster.
The following are excerpts from the review at EbonyJet.com:
Houston, 44, banned photographers and the media from getting within 200 yards of her on Sunday night at the Plymouth Jazz Festival stage.
Nervous, no doubt about the quality of her voice, the ex-Mrs. Brown kept telling the Tobago audience how happy she was to be in Trinidad.
Unfortunately, she had good reason to be nervous. After such a long time away from the stage, Houston’s flat, horse and listeless voice was a big disappointment to those who knew the power she commanded at the height of her career.
All that said, Houston looked great, decked out in a form-fitting white gown. And given the fact that this is her first real concert date since her December 2006 appearance in Malaysia, you gotta give the sister credit for at least showing up on time for her 30-minute, seven-song set.
Houston started out with “It’s Not Right, But It’s OK,” a song that few folks in the audience appeared to know, and followed it up with an old favorite “Step by Step.” As peppy as that tune is, Houston failed to get much of a rise out of the audience, many of whom had come extra early to make sure they got a good spot on the lawn.
After her second song, Houston paid tribute to Diana Ross, Smokey Robinson and En Vogue who had performed on Friday and Saturday nights. On “Saving All My Love For You,” another song that should have brought the capacity crowd to their feet, Houston’s voice cracked.
“I don’t think the voice is still there,” said one patron on his way out. He probably felt the same way about her delivery on “I’ll Always Love You” since she missed all the notes that once made that ballad one of her signature tunes. The folks who had paid $120 (general admission) were already a little unhappy but after that song they stopped applauding.
Continue reading the review here:
http://www.ebonyjet.com/10items/?p=178
CHAKA KHAN MUST PAY $1.3M JUDGMENT: Singer and son must compensate family of teen killed in their home.
*Los Angeles newspaper Daily Breeze is reporting that Chaka Khan and her son Damien Holland have been ordered to pay more than $1.3 million to the family of a teen who was killed in their home following a dispute in 2004.
According to court records, Superior Court Judge Bob Hight approved a default judgment against them in November for more than $1.3 million, plus interest, after Khan and Holland failed to respond to the lawsuit.
Khan's manager, Tammy McCrary, said Friday that the singer never received the lawsuit and knew nothing about the judgment.
The family of 17-year-old Christopher Bailey filed a wrongful death and negligence lawsuit against Khan and Holland, 29, after a jury acquitted Holland of Bailey's murder in May 2006.
Holland shot Bailey in the face with an M-16 assault rifle on Sept. 24, 2004. During the trial, Holland admitted he had a friend punch him in the face and initially lied to the police to make it seem as if Bailey attacked him. He also testified he was upset because Bailey was having an affair with his girlfriend, but that the gun went off accidentally.
Bailey, in pursuit of a rap career, moved in with Khan and her family to work with Holland in their studio.
Bailey's parents filed the wrongful death and negligence suit in September 2006 against Khan, Holland, Khan's mother and Khan's company. While Khan and Holland never responded to the lawsuit, Khan's mother, Sandra Coleman, settled with Bailey's family for $500,000, court records show.
However, the family contends that was only half of what they agreed to.
JEREMIAH WRIGHT ALL OVER TV MONDAY: Will presence help or hurt Barack Obama's campaign?
*Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama’s former pastor Jeremiah Wright spoke at an NAACP dinner Sunday and at the National Press Club on Monday – with both events covered heavily by the national media.
In Sunday's speech before thousands at the NAACP’s Freedom Fund dinner in Detroit, Rev. Wright said that his sermons – deemed controversial among some circles – have been “descriptive” but “not divisive.”
“I describe the conditions in this country,” he said during his lively keynote address. “Conditions divide, not my descriptions."
“I am sorry your local political analysts and your neighboring county executives think my being here is polarizing and my sermons are divisive, but I’m not here to address an analyst’s opinion,” he said. “I am here to address your 2008 theme … (of) change is going to come.”
Yesterday, Wright delivered a speech about the black religious experience to an audience of 300 at the National Press Club in Washington D.C.
He said the theology of the black church is a “theology of liberation, it is a theology of transformation and it is ultimately a theology of reconciliation.” He also said the black religious tradition, despite its long history, is in some ways “invisible to the dominant culture.”
Wright seemed to enjoy his chance to finally take questions from the press. Rejecting those who have labeled him unpatriotic, he said: "I served six years in the military. Does that make me patriotic? How many years did (Vice President Dick) Cheney serve?"
Later, he added: "My goddaughter's unit just arrived in Iraq this week while those who call me unpatriotic have used their positions of privilege to avoid military service while sending over 4,000 American boys and girls to die over a lie."
In a sermon days after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, Wright said "America's chickens are coming home to roost." Asked Monday what he meant by "suggesting that the United States brought the terrorist attacks on itself,"
Wright challenged the reporter questioning him.
"Have you heard the whole sermon?" he responded. "No. You haven't heard the whole sermon. That nullifies that question."
Rev. Wright's entire speeches – at both the NAACP dinner Sunday in Detroit and the National Press Club yesterday in Washington – may be viewed via the YouTube links listed below:
NAACP REMARKS
Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upNvLOjo-ew
Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=leg1oARLXDM
Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wfrjiADBBA
Part 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40XICxRA7mc
NATIONAL PRESS CLUB REMARKS
Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lV8x_-Uk2c
Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=am50KvOWaaw
Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BWWx4Q1VFg
Part 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0fGH86DPag
Part 5: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YJW0nevW38
Part 6: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWejjxWQWfE
BEYONCE AND ELLEN IN NEW AMEX SPOT: Singer and comedian film commercial plugging card's new entertainment hookups.
*Beyonce joins Ellen Degeneres in a new ad campaign from American Express promoting its exclusive access to various entertainment experiences via the Web site www.americanexpress.com/entertainment.
Under its “Are you a Cardmember?" brand campaign, the new TV spot has Ellen searching for her "people" after Beyoncé tells Ellen to “have your people call my people” to get tickets to her upcoming concert. [Scroll down to view commercial.
http://www.redlasso.com/ClipPlayer.aspx?id=7968bc3a-7b0d-410a-b0fe-6cec850a0
219]
"We are thrilled to be working again with Ellen, the quintessential entertainer, who has been a part of the American Express family for years,"
said Deborah Curtis, AMEX's Vice President of Advertising. "Both she and Beyoncé truly know what it means to engage and delight audiences.”
The new television spot began airing yesterday (April 28) via major broadcast outlets.
PAPOOSE VS. BED STUY PARAMEDICS: Rapper may face lawsuit over ambulance used in latest video.
*The Bedford-Stuyvesant Volunteer Ambulance Corps. (BSVAC) is threatening to sue rapper Papoose for duping them into allowing their ambulance and paramedics to be part of a song promoting violence.
"His people told us the video would be about the neighborhood and how we respond to save lives," said BSVAC founder Rocky Robinson of the rapper's video for "Ambulance." However, the track contains violent lyrics likely directed toward rival rapper Leonard (Uncle Murder) Grant.
Papoose raps in the song: "In the back of that ambulance truck I'll put you’re a**. In the back of that ambulance truck you die slow. …Now they're asking your name, your age, you address, but you can't give an answer. You breathing your last breath."
"We don't want to be a part of something where somebody gets hurt,"
said Robinson, who says his group is now planning legal action against the artist. He "probably hasn't got much, but we'll sue anyway. Our image is everything to us."
Papoose is engaged to rapper Remy Ma, who faces up to 25 years in jail for shooting a woman outside a nightclub in Manhattan's Meatpacking District.
AL REYNOLDS PARTYING IN MIAMI: Plus, another 'source' blames money disparity for breakup.
*The New York Daily News gossip pages have quoted another source close to divorcing couple Star Jones and Al Reynolds who pins the demise of their marriage on Star being the main bread winner.
The paper's new "Full Disclosure" column stated Monday:
The beginning of the end was reportedly last summer in Saint-Tropez, where the couple loudly fought on the beach over Star being Al's sugar mama.
One friend recounted an incident where Al refused to pay for beach chairs, demanding that Star fork over the cash.
"She paid for everything. He never even took out his wallet," the pal snitched.
For the past year, the pair have been living separately, because of Al's job as a professor of social science at Florida Memorial University in Miami Gardens (they actually do give degrees; we checked).
But Reynolds hasn't exactly been missing his wife's company.
"When he is in Miami, he's always on the beach or at the pool at the Delano," a pal in South Beach tells us. Reynolds reportedly works on his tan all day, then parties hard at night. "He hits Mansion, Privé, Mokai and the Florida Room at the Delano four nights a week."
And he isn't alone.
"Al always has a posse of hot young dudes and scantily clad women with him," our spy says. "He brings strippers back from Gold Rush strip bar to the Delano and dirty dances all night long."
OPRAH'S TOM CRUISE SECRETS REVEALED: Interview to include questions about Scientology and Matt Lauer in addition to the couch jumping.
*Someone attending a Las Vegas taping of "The Oprah Winfrey Show"
over the weekend defied orders from producers and told a news outlet about Winfrey's own account of her interview with Tom Cruise, which is due to air in two parts on Friday and May 5.
During the taping at Caesars Palace, a Harpo staffer hit the stage and asked audience members not to repeat anything they were about to see or hear. They were even made to repeat several times in unison, "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas."
But one member of the audience apparently buckled and ran to E!
Online, who reported Monday that Winfrey told the audience that her Cruise interview included questions about Scientology, his contentious interview with Matt Lauer on the "Today" show and, of course, the infamous couch-jumping incident.
The first of the two-part Cruise one-on-one has already taken place at his estate in Telluride, Colo., Winfrey said. "Oprah said Tom gave her a ride on a snowmobile," the audience member recounted. "She also said Katie and Suri were there for the interview, too."
As previously reported, the Telluride segment is set to air Friday.
Then on May 5, Cruise will be interviewed by Winfrey at her studio in Chicago. Meanwhile, the Vegas episode feturing Tina Turner and Cher is scheduled to air May 8.
ROOTS HAVING A ROUGH TIME AT DEF JAM: Group searching for traction in the absence of Jay-Z.
*The Roots bounced from MCA and Geffen to sign with Def Jam in 2006 under then-label president Jay-Z – only to see him step down at the end of the following year.
And thus continues the career-long label woes experienced by the critically-acclaimed, Philly-based collective.
The group says it has experienced more drama since the Dec. 2006 departure of Jay-Z. Attempting to satisfy Def Jam, they wrote a pop-friendly single called "Birthday Girl" featuring Fall Out Boy's Patrick Stump.
Although staffers loved it, most fans weren't feeling it and the track was promptly removed from the U.S. version of their new album, "Rising Down,"
according to Billboard.
Roots drummer Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson says the group operates far below the radar of Island Def Jam chairman Antonio "L.A." Reid.
"He has no idea that 'Birthday Girl' isn't even on the album,"
Thompson says. "They don't know we shot the 'Rising Down' video. They just know they approved an (electronic press kit) budget."
"Rising Down" opens and closes with a 1994 conversation where the members vent their frustration about not garnering the attention they expected from MCA. Thompson says the snippets show that their Def Jam predicament isn't the first time the Roots have "been mired in some sort of label battle."
However, Def Jam marketing director Erica Holley says plenty of initiatives are in the pipeline to promote "Rising Down."
BOB MARLEY'S MOM REMEMBERED IN KINGSTON: Mother of late reggae legend honored before burial Monday beside late son.
*The body of Bob Marley's mother Cedella Booker was laid to rest Monday alongside her famous son in his hometown of Nine Miles, Jamaica, according to reports.
Thousands of mourners paid their last respects during a tribute Sunday in Kingston's National Stadium, where her casket – draped in blue, red, yellow and black cloths, the colors of the Rastafarian faith – was on display.
Richard Booker, one of two sons from a second marriage, remembered his mother as a deeply spiritual woman who joyfully cared for her family.
"She read her Bible every day and listened to gospel music every evening," he told crowds of friends and relatives who gathered as drummers performed traditional Rastafarian rhythms and chants.
Cedella Booker, a native Jamaican, was 18 when she married 50-year-old British man Norval Marley. The reggae music of their son Bob Marley would attract worldwide fame before his 1981 death of a brain tumor at age 36.
Booker, who was 81 at the time of her death on April 8, is survived by two children and several grandchildren.
ISAIAH RIDER WANTED IN LOS ANGELES: Bench warrant issued for former NBA player after he skips arraignment.
*A $30,000 bench warrant was issued Monday for former NBA star Isaiah Rider after he failed to show up for a scheduled arraignment in Los Angeles.
The one-time athlete was arrested earlier this month for failing to stop behind a limit line at an intersection in LA's Skid Row section.
Police originally suspected him of having stolen the 2001 Chevy Monte Carlo he was driving, but he was ultimately charged with one misdemeanor count of driving with a suspended license.
Rider's rap sheet includes an arrest on kidnapping charges, numerous drug busts and one for unlawful firearm possession.
MARIAH CAREY AND NICK CANNON SPUR MORE RUMORS: Pair spotted holding hands at another public event.
*Sporting a ring on her left hand, Mariah Carey, 39, clung to Nick Cannon Saturday night at an afterparty for her new film, "Tennessee,"
sparking another round of dating rumors, reports People.com.
They held hands and stayed by each other's side in the VIP section of New York's Tenjune nightspot. Asked what he loved about Carey, Cannon, 27,
said: "Everything." Cannon, who appears in an upcoming Carey video, has been cozy with the singer in at least two previous outings, including an event in Las Vegas on April 14.
While Carey won't comment on the Cannon rumors, she's all too willing to publicly profess her love for Jack, her Jack Russell terrier.
"I'm in love with my dog," said the singer. "He is my special someone. I love spending time with him."
In her new film, Carey plays Krystal, a troubled diner waitress and aspiring singer who tackles personal demons on a road trip to Tennessee.
"This is something very close to my heart," she said of her first major role since "Glitter" in 2001. "I'm very grateful to be here tonight.
Some people come into our lives and take a chance, someone like Lee Daniels," who produced Tennessee. "I feel that everything happens for a reason."
MEDIA WANTS ACCESS TO R. KELLY PRETRIAL DOCS: Lawyers for two papers and AP file emergency motion.
*Lawyers for two newspapers and The Associated Press filed an emergency motion Monday in the Illinois Supreme Court seeking sealed court records and transcripts related to R. Kelly's pornography case.
Judge Vincent Gaughan has said he's trying to protect Kelly's rights and prevent information from influencing prospective jurors.
However, the Chicago Tribune, the Chicago Sun-Times and the AP want the Supreme Court to order the Cook County Circuit Court to unseal the records immediately.
Kelly, 41, has pleaded not guilty to charges that he videotaped himself having sex with an underage girl. His trial is scheduled to start in Chicago May 9.
SIMMONS CALLS CLINTON NOMINATION 'A STRETCH': Def Jam co-founder adds that Obama is more yoga-friendly.
*Russell Simmons said at least two of the three candidates running for president are overlooking a key constituency - the yoga vote.
"As a yogi, we are looking for someone who is looking to create change and bring about peace," Simmons told the New York Daily News. "And Barack [Obama] is [now] that candidate."
The Def Jam co-founder and philanthropist also weighed in on the recent Pennsylvania Democratic primary won by presidential candidate Hillary Clinton 54 % to Obama's 45%.
"Nine points isn't very much," Simmons said about her percentage of victory.
He considers a Clinton nomination "a stretch" when all of the votes are counted.
"I just hope that when she does bow out, she bows out gracefully,"
he said.
HBFF 2008 ADDS MORE FILMS TO LINE-UP: More than 100 total set to screen June 3-8 in Beverly Hills.
*The 2008 Hollywood Black Film Festival (HBFF) has released a list of additional films set to unspool at the 9th annual event which runs June 3-8 in Beverly Hills, CA.
HBFF 2008 will screen a total of 117 films including 25 features, 58 shorts, 18 documentaries, 12 student films, 2 animated films and 2 music videos. Opening and closing night films will be announced early next month.
The world premiere of "A Good Man is Hard to Find," a Codeblack Entertainment release written by David Payton and directed by Leslie Small, has been added to the out-of-competition Featured Presentations program.
"Keeping the Faith," written and directed by Bobby Mardis, is a documentary about faith based organizations who helped out in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. "Tribute: Stanley Tookie Williams, 1953-2005," written and co-directed by Barbara Becnel, will also have its world premiere at HBFF 2008.
Also added is "Adjust Your Color: The Truth of Petey Greene," from the producers of "Talk to Me," starring Don Cheadle. The documentary includes 50 hours of footage from his television show "Petey Greene's Washington" from 1977-1983. Writer/director Loren Mendell was able to capture the truth of Petey Greene in only a way that Petey can tell it.
For a complete list of the lineup visit www.hbff.org.
SEAN BELL VERDICT AFTERMATH: The Game to release single; Bell fam receives prank call; Rep. Conyers to visit scene of shooting.
*Rapper The Game plans to debut a new song today about the acquittal of three plainclothes undercover police officers in the killing of Sean Bell, an unarmed man who was to be married the following day. Borrowing its title from Public Enemy's Flavor Flav-led track "911 Is a Joke," the song addresses controversial police procedures and violence. "I'm outraged and speaking out for my generation that are afraid to speak out against police brutality and murder," The Game told AllHipHop.com. "I grew up in Compton and had to stay silent because of the fear that was prevalent in my community, but now that I have a voice I'm speaking out." The song will debut on the rapper's new Web site www.ThisizGame.com.
*The NYPD's Internal Affairs Bureau is investigating a prank call to the family of Sean Bell's fiancée that originated from the Manhattan offices of Sergeants Benevolent Association, a prominent police union. According to the New York Post, someone said "ha, ha, ha" during the 1:15 p.m. Friday call to the home of Nicole Bell's father Les Paultre. "It was just horrible to get that phone call after coming back from the cemetery," said Nicole Bell. Her father added, "The guy was taunting us, laughing. It was horrible because we had just come back from the court and the cemetery." The president of the union, Edward Mullins, said, "If the accusations are true, we will deal with it."
Rep. John Conyers, a Michigan Democrat and chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, was scheduled to meet yesterday with Bell's family as well as visit the scene in Queens where five officers fired 50 shots at Bell and his two friends. Conyers' scheduled visit comes a day after national and local civil rights leaders and elected officials repeated calls for the U.S.
Department of Justice to bring federal charges against the three officers who were acquitted. Also Sunday, other critics of the acquittal proposed a permanent state-level special prosecutor to investigate police misconduct and brutality cases.
ITTY BITTY BITS: Anucha's money; Kim K endorses Obama; Compton turns 120; Jamie Foster Brown gets honorary degree.
*Anucha Browne Sanders put some of the $11 million she won in her sexual harassment case against Isiah Thomas toward various items at a silent auction held last week at the Arthur Ashe SportsBall, a fund-raiser for urban youth programs. Some of the lots she signed up for included an Oprah Winfrey experience, a Roger Federer tennis racket and a Barack Obama-signed basketball, according to Page Six.
*Speaking of Obama, he has received an official endorsement from socialite and sex video vixen Kim Kardashian. She told Hollywood.com: "He just seemed very firm about the change, and that’s, like, his motto."
*Compton Mayor Eric J. Perrodin and the City Council will host a series of concerts in front of Compton Court House celebrating the 120th Anniversary of the City of Compton. The events will take place May 9 – 11 behind the Compton City Hall (205 S. Willowbrook Ave.). Performers will include Tank, Rolls Royce, Miki Howard, Confunkshun and Tierra. Free and open to the public – the weekend will also feature a carnival, culture vendors, foods, and arts and crafts for young children.
*Sister 2 Sister Publisher Jamie Foster Brown will receive an honorary doctorate degree from Bennett College for Women during commencement ceremonies on Saturday, May 3 at the Greensboro Coliseum, Special Events Center (1921 West Lee Street). Brown, who celebrates her 20th year as founder and publisher of Sister 2 Sister, will receive the institution’s Degree of Doctor of Humane Letters.
FILM/TV/MUSIC BITS: Farrakhan's violin; Paltrow backs Jay-Z; JB memorabilia; 'Seven Pounds" injury; Three6 on CBS; Chuck Berry gig.
*Min. Louis Farrakhan will reportedly play violin on Wyclef Jean's upcoming album "Carnival Part II," reports the New York Post's Page Six. The Nation of Islam leader began taking violin lessons at the age of five and started his career as a professional violinist and singer.
*Gwyneth Paltrow has come forward in support of her homie Jay-Z in the face of criticism that his upcoming presence at UK's Glastonbury music festival is solely responsible for this year's sluggish ticket sales. "He's the best rapper of all-time and I think he'll knock it out of the park," Paltrow reportedly told the BBC about the rapper's headlining slot.
*Memorabilia from the late James Brown will go on display at South Carolina State University after its interim President Leonard McIntyre secured rights from the late singer's estate, reports the (Charleston) Post and Courier. Items will include clothing, shoes, awards, furniture and sheet music. The exhibit, which is expected to be ready by the middle of the summer, will be at the university's IP Stanback Museum & Planetarium.
*A 50-year-old grip on the Los Angeles set of Will Smith's "Seven Pounds" was rushed to Cedars-Sinai hospital Monday morning after he "fell and injured himself," reports TMZ.com. The injury was not serious, the Web site reported. The film made headlines days earlier after a woman who resides near the production put up signs to express her grief over portable toilets being placed near her house. As previously reported, Tom Cruise's son Conner has been cast as the younger version of Smith's character in the Sony drama.
*Juicy J and DJ Paul from the rap group Three 6 Mafia guest star in CBS's "NUMB3RS" on Friday, May 9 at 10 p.m. In the episode, Don (Rob Morrow) and the FBI investigate the murder of a rap star and uncovers a conspiracy of embezzlement and bribery which may be connected to his death. Juicy J and DJ Paul will perform "Lolli Lolli (Pop That Body)," the first single from their new album "Last 2 Walk" which comes out on June 24.
*Chuck Berry is among the performers added to the third annual Virgin Mobile Festival at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore on Aug. 9-10. Kanye West is already a confirmed headliner, along with Lupe Fiasco, Foo Fighters, Jack Johnson, Nine Inch Nails and Stone Temple Pilots. Other added acts include Bob Dylan, Iggy & the Stooges and Paramore. Beginning May 3, tickets will be available through Ticketmaster. Two-day tickets are $175 for general admission and $450 for VIP. Single-day tickets are $97.50 for general admission and $250 for VIP. A charity contribution of $1.50 will be applied to each day's ticket.
THE BRIDGE: Let It Go
By Darryl James
*Most Americans subscribe to a religion--Christian, Muslim, Jew, Hindu, etc. With those subscriptions come admonishments to forgive, but how many actually can do what is required to actually forgive?
And even amongst those who can forgive, how many can truly let go and keep on forgiving year after year after year?
Perhaps representing the universal sentiment of forgiveness, Mahatma Ghandi once said “You can ask me to forgive, but if you ask me to forget, you are asking me to give up my experiences."
Ghandi, a man recognized as an agent of peace, was all about forgiving, but still held on to the experience and refused to intentionally forget.
But how many of us have actually internalized the true meaning of the word forgiveness?
What the words of Ghandi actually dictate is that we hold on to the experience that required forgiveness so that it may shield us from repeating it, but clearly, it is in the best interest of our emotional health to forgive.
Perhaps some dear friend has committed a crime of distrust.
Or, perhaps a family member has committed a crime of deceit, theft, or mistrust.
And, for those of us who love, a lover may have committed a crime of infidelity.
Let's discuss the last one for a moment.
How many of us have relationships that were killed because we could not forgive?
Instead of forgiving the person and allowing them to have a second chance, many of us choose to move on and take a new chance with a stranger who may repeat the offense or commit a new one. An old saying goes: "The devil you know is better than the devil you don't know."
Think about it: A lover has a lapse of judgement that brings you pain. But perhaps the lapse really was a lapse and will never occur again. Is it really worth the time and effort required to leave and start anew, taking yet another chance on someone new who may hurt you in new and different, or even worse ways?
A friend has a moment of weakness and betrays your trust or cheats you. But the moment of weakness may dictate that the friend really needs you, and seeing him or her through that moment may make your friendship stronger and that person whole.
A close family member cheats you or steals money from you. In the end, you weren’t put out badly and the loved one absolutely needed the money. Perhaps it changed or even saved their life and they are now carrying the resulting guilt and would never repeat the transgression.
In all of these cases, forgiveness may be in order.
Sometimes, it appears that the bad things that other people do to us are so egregious that we are certain they mean no good for us and must be removed from our lives permanently. If such is the case, we can forgive them and keep them away from the closeness given before the transgression or never allow them near us again.
But what if the committed offense is not symptomatic of a dark heart with malevolent intent?
What if the offense is a purely honest mistake--a single failed moment in time never to be repeated?
If in fact the offense is an anomaly and we toss the offender out of our lives with no forgiveness, then we may be turning away a best friend, or a close sibling, a lover and/or confidant the likes of which are hard to find.
And, what if our failure or refusal to forgive in turn, damages the offender, causing them to actually become an intrinsic offender from bearing the burden of never being forgiven?
As humans, we need to be forgiven, so that we can make peace with a deed that we may not have really meant to commit. A deed that may not have had devious intent, even though the result was still damaging.
Sometimes, as humans, we need to be forgiven so that we can be given another chance to do the right thing. If we believe that what goes around comes around, doesn’t it make sense to send forgiveness around?
Let’s take a look at what is required for forgiveness.
First, the person must show contrition, which is a sincere remorse for the wrongdoing. If we know what is wrong, that knowledge should allow us to keep from re-offending.
Second, the person must be prepared for making amends by repaying the debt, making up for the offense and/or changing for the better.
Out of all God’s animals, humans have the capacity to change their own destiny and to alter their demeanor and offensive nature.
Sometimes, they just need to be forgiven.
So, today, right now, think of someone who has done wrong to you. Think of what that wrong thing was and whether it is worth losing someone close to you. If the wrong done to you far outweighs the love you have for the person who did you wrong, then let them leave your life. However, if the value of the person who committed the offense outweighs the actual trespass, and if the person really meant no harm, then perhaps forgiveness is in order.
Examine their behavior. Is the person showing genuine regret? Does the person have a plan to make things good (if possible)? And, finally, does the person have a plan to mend the hurt feelings between you and he or she? These are the things that will give us a good idea of whether or not we should forgive, which is not to say that we should forget.
"The weak can never forgive.”
--Mahatma Ghandi
It’s difficult to forgive, but the emotional cleansing is well worth the effort. And the learning potential is also great.
We can learn from the transgressions people commit against us. We can use those experiences to protect ourselves from having the same situation repeat itself and we can use those experiences to determine if people are out to harm us or if they simply made a mistake without malice.
And, perhaps forgiving others can bring a peace in our lives, which carries a certain freedom. Forgiveness keeps us from having to carry hatred, resentment and regret through our lives.
I've been through a storm that has been showing me a silver lining. I'm discovering grace restored, because I've had grace before. That grace comes from letting go of resentment, hatred and regret.
I've forgiven family members who hurt me unknowingly, and friends who hurt me without intent to do real harm. I have forgiven lovers who have broken my heart or cheated. But most importantly, I've forgiven myself for many of the wrong things I've done in my own life that brought pain to others.
It’s hard, but typically, the first step towards forgiveness of others is forgiving ourselves.
" Once that forgiving has taken place, you can then console yourself with the knowledge that a diamond is the result of extreme pressure. The pressure can make you something quite precious, quite wonderful, quite beautiful, and extremely hard. You are the only person who can forgive yourself.”
--Maya Angelou
Darryl James is an award-winning author who is now a filmmaker. He released his first mini-movie, “Crack,” and this year, will release his first full-length documentary. James appears in the film “What Black Men Think,” an in-depth view of misrepresentations, myths and stereotypes about Black men. View previous installments of this column at www.bridgecolumn.proboards36.com. Reach James at djames@theblackgendergap.com.
THE JOURNAL OF STEFFANIE RIVERS: Costly Mistakes
*Even if Passion of the Christ actor Jim Caviezel would have resumed his role as Jesus Christ and parted the Red Sea again, it wouldn’t have stopped Wesley Snipes from being convicted of tax evasion last week and sentenced to three years in prison.
That’s because his conviction wasn’t about celebrity endorsements, and it wasn’t about the millions of dollars in back taxes the IRS maintains that Snipes owes. After all, Snipes presented checks worth $5 million as payment to the court at the eleventh hour on the day of his conviction.
In the end it was about making an example out of the latest well-known celebrity to buck the system while the whole world watched. And when he was called to account for his unfiled tax returns, Snipes kept IRS agents at bay for years and continued with his movie star business as usual until he ran out of time and they had run out of patience.
This thespian of A and B movies had a starring role in the IRS’ unofficial public service announcement: Always file and pay your taxes. If you don’t this could happen to you.
I’m surprised they didn’t put the handcuffs and an orange jumpsuit on Blade that same day just for dramatic effect. I’m sure you realize the timing of the To Wong Foo star’s trial – at the crescendo of the tax season - was no coincidence.
Regardless of your opinion of the Demolition Man co-star’s conviction, millions of Americans take the same approach to taxes: They avoid them like the plague claiming the IRS is an illegal entity with no right to collect tariffs.
According to news accounts, Snipes had not filed tax returns since 1998 insistent that he never had to pay. The government also claims Snipes told his employees to stop paying their own taxes He was sentenced to three years in federal prison for failure to file taxes in years 1999 though 2001, for which the government said he owed as much as $3 million.
Snipes’ de-licensed accountant who prepared his paperwork and another associate also received prison terms.
In his defense Snipes blamed his “costly mistakes” on crooked advisors attracted to his wealth and celebrity status. But allowing someone else to control your money is akin to reading the Bible only when the pastor reads it to you in church: If you don’t know it for yourself you’re probably going down the wrong path. Ignorance of the law is no excuse.
There are people who have renounced their U.S. citizenship to avoid paying taxes to the IRS. Others take advantage of tax shelters, credits and deductions that are part of the IRS tax code. So most – if not all – of their tax dollars are legally refunded to them. That’s called tax avoidance, which is legal. What Snipes did is called tax evasion. And well, as I’m sure you’ve figured out by now, that’s illegal.
When it comes to money and finance, like Snipes, many people don’t know as much as they should. Support groups and advisors help keep us informed, but it’s important to do your own research. As Snipes found out, the price of ignorance costs more time and money than he will ever have to give.
Steffanie Rivers is a free-lance journalist living in the Washington, D.C. metro area. Send your questions and comments to her at teamtcbadvertising@hotmail.com.
BETWEEN THE LINES: The Relative Truth Of This Presidential Election Is 'WWWPD' (What Would White People Do?)
Anthony Asadullah Samad
*The Pennsylvania Primary unveiled the stark realities of what this Presidential election is about-in terms of the other candidates, the media and, of course, the electorate.
It's no secret I'm for Barack Obama, but I'm also for fair play. I'm also for genuine processes. I have an aversion to disingenuous processes and this national election is beginning to look pretty disingenuous.
Watching the media frame lies as "episodes" and close races as "big victories" is a little overwhelming. It kind of reminds me of the disingenuous periods of American history where we were told if we were hardworking and honest, got education-we would be equal; then if we got political power (right to vote), we would be equal, when neither were true in the absolute sense since economics has always been the real equalizer.
To act if race didn't have an impact on Pennsylvania (as Ed Rendell said it would) and that codified racial messages haven't become dominant themes in this election that both Clinton and McCain are playing to (and benefiting from) is simply disingenuous. Rendell knew what some white people would do.
The sliding truth "goal posts" on the Democratic side and the "selective amnesia" on the Republican side are going to undermine America's system and the lack of integrity that the country has in the global community will evidence itself on the domestic front.
In the final analysis, this election is going to test the moral compass of the dominate population (69%) in this country as to whether they've moved past race and are prepared to do what's right AND just. To many of them, the truth is relative. Part of the socio-political justice problem in America is we (Black Americans, and everybody else) never know what we're dealing with when it comes to integrity of white people on hidden racial biases. Like any other race, there's good, and there's bad, then there's mostly indifferent who tolerate the bad and obliterate the good.
Moral persuasion has never moved the majority of whites. That's a historical fact. It didn't in the abolishment of slavery, and it didn't in the abolishment of segregation. The next test will be if they accept the moral candidacy of someone who has emerged as the people's choice to lead. I don't believe this query is subjective. It's based on the reaction of the largest number of people to participate in the primary election-in the history of this country. We all know, at the end of the day, white voters-many who consider themselves "Christians" are going to determine Obama's political fate. Popular culture has a way of interjecting religious justice in our daily decisions by wearing things labeled WWJD, subliminally asking ourselves in times of challenge or trial, "What Would Jesus Do?" To know how the Democratic nomination, and the subsequent general election, is going to play out, we simply have to ask ourselves, WWWPD (What would White People Do?). A clear decision has become clouded. Everyone is nervous because we, of all people, know white's history on racial questions.
First, a disclaimer; I'm not talking about all white people. We know Barack has broad white support, particularly among Post-Civil Rights Era whites who came of age after the race (civil rights [1950s/1960s], affirmative action [1970s/early 1980s], white backlash [late 1980s/1990s]) movements in this country and whose prism isn't framed in racial context. And even if this campaign weren't as realized as it has become, who can claim all support from old versus the young, conservative versus liberal, Christian versus Agnostic? Whites are no more a monolith than Blacks are. I'm just talking about the ones that are being disingenuous about their hidden biases and their irrational choices. They're the ones that claim they want change, but not "that kind" of change, or claim they want to do what's in the best interest of the country but look past the kind of politics that got the country in the state it's in. This election has become exactly what those who have run this country (for two hundred years, in various iterations) want it to be, an illusion of change that reinforces the same political realities of this nation and the status quo choices that lie therein. The rich and powerful in this nation will morph themselves into anything to retain power. They will paint any picture, and create any scenario-true or not, to frame themselves in a sympathetic to the masses. Finally and most critically (or controversially), the status quo makes the truth a lie and a lie the truth to where truth is a relative engagement in how losers becomes winners and how some people are able to disguise their biases (not very effectively) to justify irrational political choices not in their political or cultural interests. Wa-la, relativity!!!
The false truths that continue to undermine a "change election" are beginning to be pervasive. The thousands that Obama draws in comparison to the hundreds the other two draw as being misrepresented as "stagers" put young people behind candidates and polls create false illusions of WWYPD (what would young people do?) in the general election. Watching this relative truth game is debilitating, as the Clintons continue to twist truth the way they always have (starting with "I smoked, but I didn't inhale" in 1991) and McCain acts like he doesn't know what's going on after labeling himself 'the Straight Talk Express" for much of his career. The reality of Hillary Clinton's political fate is rooted in a falseness that gives her more "life chances" than a cat has lives, more false scenarios than any practical political scientist would suggest is logical, more false media forecasts than any ethical media would report and more time to create false issues about the things that don't really matter. The reality of John McCain's political fate is rooted in being able to hold the lies that the Bush Administration has told in order to get enough party support to play the "alternative choice" to a woman and, of course, the unspeakable-having to make a decision that most white Americans (and truth be told-black Americans) never thought they would have to face, the prospect of choosing a legitimate black Presidential nominee. So the truth becomes a lie.
Most know (and acknowledge) that Hillary won't win. Not that she can't if she was the nominee, but she won't be the nominee-not if the Democrats' nomination process has any integrity, or if the truth becomes the lie. The Democratic Party created the proportional delegate process. Now Clinton wants winner take all or a big state consideration, or a "blue state"-anything but what the rules say. Florida/Michigan situation, which the Democratic National Committee, is now being manipulated just to make her seem as if she is equal to Obama. The media effort to keep her in the race has resorted to the Clintons lying and the media soft-soaping it, or the media coming complicit in the lie itself. Never, in recent history, has a candidate who was caught in a bold-faced lie not lost public confidence. The Clintons were caught in two-Hillary on the Bosnia crossfire, and Bill on the time she told it. Obviously, some voters in Pennsylvania didn't care what she said-they weren't going to vote for Obama anyway, and exits polls of nearly 30% of them said if he gets the nomination, they're voting for McCain. Very telling about what white people would do if Obama wins the nomination, and it's not exclusive to Pennsylvania voters. Before the Pennsylvania primary, most all the pundits stated that Clinton needed to win that primary "large," meaning by 20 points or more. In fact, they said she had to win all the remaining primaries in the 60-65% range just to pull close by the end of the primaries. If Obama won just 40% of the remaining primaries, even with re-votes in Florida and Michigan, she would never catch him. So the bar became the "double digit" victory for Hilary not to bow out. On election night, their claimed 10 point victory sufficed as meeting the "double digit" bar she needed to stay in, when in fact, the victory wasn't a double digit. The final result was 9.2% (www.electionreturns.state.pa.us). Yet, the media still allows Clinton to lie about the double digit victory, and no one wants to talk about what happened to the 25 point lead. They would rather talk about why he hasn't "put her away." Remember, he's the underdog (even as the frontrunner). The primaries were set up for her-she was supposed to put him away. But truth about what was supposed to happen (a Clinton nomination), has become a lie about what hasn't happened (Obama closing the nomination). The relative truth has us now guessing what will happen next and expectation is, if Obama loses the nomination (or has it stolen)-to Blacks, it's viewed as "white folk just being folk" when comes to the issue of race. They'll never tell that what's it is, but it is. When nearly one of three Hilary voters (28%) say they'll vote for McCain if she doesn't get the nomination (when the norm in past elections is 10%), what else could it be besides racism?
The goal posts will continue to shift, and the game will change, according to how one can pick at what Obama says, or a surrogate says, or a preacher says, or some long ago associate once said-none of which has anything to do with what Barack is saying-in how to change the nation.
I'm not convinced some people want change in this country. The real question is how many whites want the change Barack represents. Like when slavery and segregation's end came, some white people will not be ready for it. Barack's nomination/election will depend on what fair white people will do. The rest will continue to support the relative truth we've come to know as America.
Anthony Asadullah Samad, Ph.D., is a national columnist, managing director of the Urban Issues Forum (www.urbanissuesforum.com) and author of the new book, Saving The Race: Empowerment Through Wisdom. He can be reached at www.AnthonySamad.com
PEOPLE OF NOTE: 3 One Act Plays Focus on The Fringe of Life
By Deardra Shuler
*H.A.D.L.E.Y Players kicked off the theaters latest offering, “3 On The Fringe,” a three act play which opened recently at its temporary home within the North Presbyterian Church, located at 525 West 155th Street in Manhattan on Sunday, April 27th at 4:30 p.m. The production is slated to run every weekend until May 18th.
These three One Act plays feature the stories of individuals who live on the fringe of life holding on to its very edge via a precarious balancing act. “Dem Bones, Dem Bones” written by J.e. Franklin stars Geany Masai and Zene Coley. Is Hannah (Masai) a crazy old lady, burning her incense, crushing her roots into powder form and shaking her rattle as she pays homage to the dead? Is she insane or is she crazy like a fox? Hannah represents the ancient past, the silent voice of Africa no longer heard by a transplanted African American youth. Hannah seeks to wake up the young street hustler who thinks nothing of selling African items like trinkets with no real knowledge of them or his own cultural rituals or familial link to them. Cut off from his past by the rigors of slavery which sought to destroy and tear away a people from their rituals, religions, culture and Mother land. This street huckster, this modern day youth, stands on sacred ground, oblivious to his ancestors that lie beneath. So purged is he of his cultural link, the significance of his ancestral remains means little more to him than an opportunity to make money off the bits and pieces of skeletal remains he hawks to passerbys. But Hannah prevails, stirring up buried subliminal memories, so deeply buried in the recesses of the young hawker’s DNA it takes the working of roots to help the man get in touch with his own roots. And thus, by digging up the bones of the past, old and new come together in recognition that only 6 degrees of separation stand between flesh and bones, life and death and the present and the past.
Via Mark Rector’s play “God Weighs 210 Lbs,” the audience witness the weighty determination two homeless men come to when faced with the checks and balances of life and whether God really weighs in upon the lives of mankind. Why do some suffer not knowing from whence their next meal will come, sleep in cardboard boxes, living shadow lives on the peripheral of human existence, while others seemingly live lives of opulence? By what scale does God measure the worth of one man’s mortality over another? How does one who is denied the privileges within life still see God in the beauty of a morning sunset while another honed by the pain, disappointments and hardships of their experiences, feel keenly the unfairness of his circumstance, and in doing so, no longer believes in God. Yet, despite his protestations, a spark of hope burns somewhere within the recesses of his inner core, a hope, an expectation that God will somehow prove he truly exists. What is this thing that drives mankind forward? A need so great that man clings to any sliver of hope that somewhere, somehow, there is a power greater than himself; a power that will be the source of his salvation and come to his rescue during his darkest hour.
Jack, played by Victor Arnez, is a rather simple man, still holding onto the belief that God can be found in the very dawn. He swears he sees God’s face shining forth from within the morning sun. Victor believes that as he reaches for God, God touches him and becomes part of him. Often confounded by a befuddled mind, Jack finds clarity through his faith. He suddenly realizes that God is everywhere and within everything, even a cast off scale he discovers on a garbage heap. One in which Jack feels God weighed in. So certain is Jack via his newly found epiphany he offers hope to a jaded Victor Arnold (who plays the embittered Joe) by showing Joe that if one seeks long enough, one is sure to find.
The last play, “Late Bus To Mecca” by Pearl Cleage, takes place in a bus station and depicts the interaction between two strangers waiting for a bus to Atlanta. The roles portrayed by Carol Carter and Cecilia Foreman run the gamut of human emotion. In fact, it is the most poignant and humorous of the 3 plays. This play is played to perfection by the outstanding acting ability of Miss Foreman who plays Ava, and the tremendous ability by actress Carol Carter, who never speaks a word throughout the play, but whose facial expression speaks louder than words. Both women live on the fringe of their respective lives. One whose animated personality initially appears she has it all together but in truth she is merely surviving. The other woman is so traumatized by life, she is barely surviving at all. For the hour they sit waiting for the bus the two women forge a bond that changes both their lives.
This reviewer found “3 On The Fringe,” thought provoking and insightful and definitely a play that will make one laugh and make one think. Performances are Fridays & Saturdays (7:30 PM) and Sundays (4:30 PM). Tickets are $20.00 (General Admission), $18.00 (Seniors, Students & Groups of 10 or more) and $8.00 (Children under 14). For more information and reservations call 212-368-9314 or
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