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05-09-08 EUR ALL ON ONE PAGE!
FOXY PLEADS GUILTY IN BROOKLYN CASE: Rapper sentenced to time served and submitted an apology.
*Recent inmate Foxy Brown will avoid more jail time after taking a plea deal Thursday in her Brooklyn Blackberry Beatdown case.
The rapper made it to her rescheduled hearing in Brooklyn Criminal Court Thursday and entered a guilty plea to one misdemeanor charge of menacing. A felony assault charge was thrown out by the prosecution as part of the plea deal.
She was sentenced to time served, and a letter of apology was submitted. "She basically had to write a letter of apology to the victim, and a full order of protection was also issued," Kings County District Attorney's Office rep Sandy Silverstein told E! News.
On Monday, the judge mistakenly issued a bench warrant for Brown's arrest when she failed to turn up for a hearing. The warrant was rescinded after the judge determined there was a clerical error by failing to note the hearing was changed to Thursday.
Brown is also expected to plead out this week in a misdemeanor assault case in Pembroke Pines, Fla., stemming from a February 2007 incident in which she was arrested for causing a disturbance in a beauty shop and allegedly spitting on an employee.
DMX ARRESTED FOR SPEEDING IN ARIZ: Rapper caught by cameras going 114 mph down a freeway.
*DMX was arrested Tuesday after speed-enforcement cameras caught him driving 114 mph on a freeway outside of Phoenix, Ariz.
On January 21st, cameras along the Loop 101 freeway in Scottsdale snapped him three times (driving at 100, 101 and 114 mph) in his bright yellow 1966 Chevy Nova, which had a huge "DMX" decal plastered on the windshield. The speed limit on that stretch of freeway is 65 mph.
Cops showed up to his north Phoenix home Tuesday and took him into custody without incident. The artist, born Earl Simmons, was booked on charges of criminal speeding, public endangerment, reckless driving and driving on a suspended license. He posted bond and was later released.
In other DMX news, Maricopa County, Ariz. Sheriff Joe Arpaio told local KTAR TV Channel 12 that an investigation into his animal cruelty charges is in "full progress."
"Very soon, I will announce a resolution to that case,” Sheriff Arpaio said when asked about the case at a news conference. "When I say I'm going to do something, I do it, OK? Some of you may think I do it just to get publicity and then hide."
DMX was accused of animal cruelty last August after 12 undernourished dogs were discovered at his Cave Creek, Ariz. home during a police raid.
Authorities also uncovered three buried dogs in the backyard.
NE-YO TO HOST MOTHER'S DAY BRUNCH: Singer to honor foster mothers from the metro Atlanta area.
*Ne-Yo will host a Mother's Day brunch for 50 single and foster mothers from the metro Atlanta area Sunday to raise awareness of the need to drastically reform the U.S. foster care system.
"They need something special," the 28-year-old singer/songwriter told the Associated Press. "So with the success I've been given, through the blessings I have, how could I not use it for good? This is a way to help people who deserve it — for both the mothers and children."
While the invited mothers enjoy a performance from Ne-Yo, licensed child care workers are expected to provide activities for children between the ages of 1 and 10 in rooms separate from the event.
"My efforts are minor for what should be done," he said. "We're in a day and age where people care about themselves and no one else. That's the outlook a lot of people have. But it is everybody's responsibility to make sure that our future, which is these kids, are brought up the right way."
The artist, born Shaffer C. Smith, recalls the sacrifices of his own mother, who raised him as a single parent.
"A lot of aggravation was inside me," said Ne-Yo. "Dad stuck around for a minute and decided it wasn't for him. But I credit my mom for being so positive, putting the pen in my hand. It's single women like her who don't get enough recognition."
Ne-Yo's mother, Loraine Smith, said she broke into tears when Ne-Yo told her about the event.
"I got a little emotional because trying to help children is a passion of mine," said Smith, 45. She helped maintain a household that included Ne-Yo, his grandmother, sister and five aunts while on welfare for a short stint.
"This is the best thing so far he has done to give back to the community," she said.
NICK CANNON EXPLAINS WHIRLWIND MARRIAGE: Artist says he and Mariah clicked from the moment they met.
*In today's new issue of People magazine, Nick Cannon explains how he met, fell in love and married Mariah Carey – all within the span of one month.
It all started in late March when Carey cast him as her love interest in the video for her new single, "Bye Bye."
"From the first time we sat down to discuss the video at the Beverly Hills Hotel, we connected," Cannon said in the May 19 issue, which features exclusive photos from the wedding. "We had so much in common spiritually, and we laugh at the same things. I didn't have to put on my Mac Daddy suave mode. I was able to be myself with her. We are both eternally 12 years old."
They began showing up at various events together, sparking talk that a romance may be afoot. Carey kicked the rumors into high gear at the Tribeca Film Festival premiere of her movie "Tennessee," where she sported a huge diamond on her left ring finger.
Next thing you know, the 38-year-old singer and the 27-year-old actor were exchanging vows on April 30 at Carey's Bahamian estate. Were Carey's friends surprised?
"Some were, but some weren't," she told People. "One thing (few
people) knew was we got tattoos a few weeks earlier. So anyone who saw my (Mrs. Cannon) tattoo wasn't surprised."
Oprah Winfrey told her audience Wednesday that she saw the "Mrs.
Cannon" tattoo when Carey appeared on her show about a week before the wedding, but thought nothing of it.
Cannon said, "To me rings are special and exciting, but tattoos mean more than anything. They're forever and ever. They professed our love."
According to People, a dozen guests attended their sunset wedding, where guests feasted on Maine lobster and Dom Perignon champagne. The bride wore a gown by Nile Cmylo that showed off her curves and faded from off-white to pale pink.
"My pastor Clarence Keaton flew in from New York," Carey said. "The whole wedding was really beautiful and sweet. Being there with loved ones under the sky ... it was a spiritual moment."
Cannon said he was speechless watching Carey walk down the aisle: "I was elated, but I was thinking, 'Don't pass out.' ... (The pastor) said, 'The eyes are the window to the soul,' then gave us an entire minute to stare into each other's eyes. So I was saying, 'Don't cry.'"
The pair said they're already thinking about having kids. "It's part of the whole purpose of getting married," Carey said. "I'd just want our children to have the best childhood and upbringing they possibly could."
WILL SMITH'S 'HANCOCK' FIGHTS RATINGS BOARD: Producers want PG-13 but MPAA twice slapped it with an R.
*The upcoming Will Smith movie "Hancock" is having trouble getting the PG-13 rating desired by the film's producers.
According to the New York Times, the $150 million film has been submitted twice to the ratings board and tagged each time with an R, citing several objectionable scenes.
Director Peter Berg revealed that the movie – starring Smith as an unconventional, alcoholic superhero – contained scenes of a statutory rape up until three weeks ago. Another scene, changed before filming began, had Hancock getting drunk with a 12-year-old. The final version features the same scene with a 17-year-old.
Nevertheless, Berg says that the film "remained surprisingly sexual, violent and true in spirit to an original script" from screenwriter Vincent Ngo. His early draft was considered "brilliant, but unfilmable" in early studio buzz.
The current film is now undergoing a tug-of-war of sorts between the filmmakers who want to keep the darker and more dramatic meat of the story - and both the studio execs and ratings boards who want something that will pull in as big an audience as possible under a PG-13 rating.
Helping soothe this is the film's marketing campaign, which apparently plays up the lighter and more comedic moments of the film. Berg admits: "The ad campaign for this movie is much friendlier than the film."
Sony chief Amy Pascal says "It’s scary in that it goes farther than we’ve gone before."
View "Hancock" trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icJ-qNA5wpg
CARMELO FOLLOWS DUI WITH SPEEDING TICKET: Denver Nugget nabbed for driving 15 mph over speed limit.
*Three weeks after his DUI arrest, Carmelo Anthony was cited for speeding Saturday after cops caught him allegedly driving 60 mph in a 45-mph zone.
A Denver cop pulled him over in the 2400 block of South Santa Fe Drive after getting a radar gun indication of 15 to 19 mph over the limit, the Rocky Mountain News reported.
On April 14, the NBA star was arrested in Denver and charged with driving under the influence. He's due back in court on June 5 to answer the charge.
Police spokesman Sonny Jackson says Anthony does not have to appear in court on the speeding ticket if he mails in the $130 fine.
T.I.'S 'PAPER TRAIL' COMING SOONER THAN EXPECTED: Label pushes up release date to August.
*As T.I. awaits sentencing on federal gun charges, the rapper has announced that the release of his upcoming CD "Paper Trail" has been pushed up from September to Aug. 12.
"There was a great demand for the product," T.I. told Billboard.com.
"Once we put out 'No Matter What,' we got so much positive response that we moved up the date."
"No Matter What," produced by Danja, was leaked to the Internet last week and is currently available for purchase digitally at the Atlantic Records Media Store at http://store.atlanticrecords.com.
As for an official first single, T.I. says it might be "Top of the World" featuring rapper BOB and Kanye West. "It's a reflective song about our humble beginnings and how far we've come," says T.I.
Listen to "No Matter What" here: http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=uShfgNKrxQE&feature=related
MORGAN FREEMAN TIRED OF BEING 'MR. GRAVITAS': Actor returns to the stage in role unlike any he's played before.
*Morgan Freeman, 70, is looking to stretch his seasoned acting muscles into fresh territory with his new role in Broadway's "The Country Girl," a production of Clifford Odets' 1950 drama, directed by Mike Nichols.
After decades of playing such characters as the all-knowing cop, the principal with a heart of gold, the voice-of-reason sidekick and the ultra-cool president, the Academy Award-winner travels to the other end of the spectrum in "The Country Girl" to play an insecure man described as a "bleary bum," reports the AP.
Freeman plays Frank Elgin, a stage actor long past his prime who is battling both insecurity and an alcohol problem. When a juicy part in a Broadway-bound play comes along, a battle of sorts breaks out between his long-suffering wife (Francis McDormand) and a producer (Peter Gallagher) banking that Elgin will reclaim his acting chops.
Freeman, who has twice played God on film, hopes the role will remind fans that he can also play characters with a less than noble core.
"There's a finite number of characters who are like that before you start repeating yourself ad nauseam. I think that's the bigger danger than being Mr. Gravitas," he says. "You look at your last work and say, 'That's four characters in a row that said, did, thought, acted the same. They're going to find me out any minute now.'"
ANTOINE FUQUA FLASHES HIS 'BADGE': Filmmaker teams with company to option book about undercover cop embedded in Cali drug cartel
*Director Antoine Fuqua and his Fuqua Films, Inc. have teamed with Public Media Works, Inc. to option the life story of Jerry Speziale, a NYPD detective who details his undercover work with a drug cartel in the book "Without a Badge: Undercover in the World's Deadliest Criminal Organization."
In the book, co-written by Mark Seal, Speziale details how he was able to infiltrate powerful drug distribution cartels by leading them to believe that he was a trustworthy member of the illegal drug importing network.
On "loan" to the DEA, Speziale proved to be a one man wrecking crew whose shrewd tactics undermined the very foundations of the cartels' code of honor. Once the web of distrust was spun the organization crumbled under its own weight as many members were killed by their drug over-lords.
"We are excited about the possibility of making a film detailing the authentic real world experiences of Jerry Speziale," stated Public Media Works company CEO Al Hayes. "And the prospect of doing so with Fuqua Films, which is the independent creative vehicle of noted director Antoine Fuqua, is a major leap forward for Public Media Works.
"Antoine has directed films such as 'Shooter,' 'Training Day' and 'Tears of the Sun,' all of which have been huge successes. We believe that being 50/50 partners in the book option with Fuqua Films is an important first step in developing a working relationship with him."
PORN COMPANY SAYS HENDRIX SEX TAPE IS LEGIT: Vivid Entertainment asks rock legend's estate to prove that it isn't.
*Vivid Entertainment on Thursday began selling a video it believes shows Jimi Hendrix having sex with two women in a hotel room. The company moved forward despite allegations by the late rocker's estate claiming that it's not Hendrix on the tape.
In a statement released this week, Vivid co-chairman Steven Hirsch said his company "is so confident of the authenticity of the 40-year-old footage in 'Jimi Hendrix The Sex Tape' that it recently offered $100,000 to Experience Hendrix, LLC, the family company of the legendary guitarist, if it can provide verifiable proof that Hendrix is not the 'star' of the tape."
Hirsh said his company "took considerable time and spent a substantial sum of money to authenticate the footage and we are very comfortable that this is the real thing. We believe that those who say otherwise are relying on their emotions to make unsubstantiated claims. If Experience Hendrix can prove definitively that it's not Jimi Hendrix on this footage then we will pay them $100,000."
Consumers can view a trailer at www.hendrixsextape.com.
ISAIAH WASHINGTON REP QUESTIONS 'ANATOMY' MOVE: Says show has the nerve to use his image after they fired him.
*Isaiah Washington is apparently upset over the use of his image in last night's episode of "Grey's Anatomy," as well as in promos leading up to the airing.
The actor's face is pictured in a newspaper clipping that hangs on a wall in the show's hospital.
According to TMZ.com, Washington doesn't appreciate the producer's decision to use a picture of him on the program since they had a hand in his controversial firing last June for using a homophobic slur.
Isaiah's rep, Howard Bragman, tells TMZ.com: "Isaiah has no plans to go back to 'Grey's Anatomy' ... That being said, we were more than a little surprised that ABC used his likeness in a promo for the show, and indeed advanced his character's storyline. Mr. Washington's attorney has contacted the Screen Actors Guild and ABC as to the appropriateness of that action."
Washington is currently in New Orleans filming "Patriots" opposite Forrest Whitaker.
D'ANGELO'S 'GREATEST SO FAR' DUE IN STORES: Virgin/EMI offers hits, rare tracks and unreleased music videos in one CD/DVD collection.
*D'Angelo's top hits, music videos and collaborative tracks to date, including rare recordings for soundtracks and other compilations, have been gathered for the first time for "The Best So Far ... ," a CD/DVD due June 24 on Virgin/EMI.
The package includes 17 audio tracks – including his biggest hits "Brown Sugar," "Lady" and "Cruisin'" – as well as seven previously unreleased music videos. A 15-track digital album and four video downloads will also debut June 24, as well as four "ringtunes."
The tracklist for the CD/DVD and digital versions of "The Best So Far…" is as follows:
CD
1. Lady
2. Brown Sugar
3. Cruisin'
4. Me And Those Dreamin' Eyes Of Mine
5. Smooth
6. I Found My Smile Again
7. Girl, You Need A Change Of Mind
8. She's Always In My Hair
9. Can't Hide Love [live]
10. Heaven Must Be Like This
11. Your Precious Love [Erykah Badu with D'Angelo]
12. Devil's Pie (A Cappella Interlude)
13. Left And Right [with Method Man and Redman]
14. Untitled (How Does It Feel)
15. Send It On
16. Feel Like Makin' Love
17. Be Here [Raphael Saadiq with D'Angelo]
DVD
1. Lady
2. Brown Sugar
3. Cruisin'
4. Me And Those Dreamin' Eyes Of Mine
5. Left And Right [with Method Man and Redman]
6. Untitled (How Does It Feel)
7. Send It On
Digital Album
1. Lady
2. Brown Sugar
3. Cruisin'
4. Me And Those Dreamin' Eyes Of Mine
5. Smooth
6. I Found My Smile Again
7. Girl, You Need A Change Of Mind
8. She's Always In My Hair
9. Can't Hide Love [live]
10. Heaven Must Be Like This
11. Devil's Pie (A Cappella Interlude)
12. Left And Right [with Method Man and Redman]
13. Untitled (How Does It Feel)
14. Send It On
15. Feel Like Makin' Love
Video Downloads
Brown Sugar
Left And Right [with Method Man and Redman]
Me And Those Dreamin' Eyes of Mine
Send It On
Ringtunes
Left And Right
Me And Those Dreamin' Eyes Of Mine
Send It On
Untitled (How Does It Feel)
SHARPTON, BELL FIANCEE ARRESTED DURING PROTEST: Hundreds of demonstrators shut down traffic during rush hour.
*The Rev. Al Sharpton made good on his promise to shut New York City down in protest of the acquittal of three detectives in the 50-bullet shooting of unarmed black man Sean Bell on his wedding day.
Sharpton, two survivors of the shooting and Bell's fiancée Nicole, took to the streets chanting "no justice, no peace" and converged on six heavily used bridges and tunnels that carry traffic to and from Manhattan island.
Sharpton, the two shooting survivors and Nicole Bell were among the 216 people arrested on disorderly conduct charges. They were detained for about four hours before being released.
The demonstrations – which included praying, singing and shouts of protest slogans – were part of a coordinated campaign to urge federal authorities to investigate the shooting of Sean Bell in November 2006.
The three officers were acquitted of state charges last month in a case that from the start ignited protests and spurred criticism of police tactics. One of the officers fired 31 shots, emptying his clip two times in a few short seconds.
Sharpton has said Wednesday's "pray-in" protest was a preview of potential future demonstrations designed to paralyze the city.
JESSE JACKSON WANTS BLACK FOLKS INVESTING: Rev says prosperity and education are keys to civil rights.
*Jesse Jackson was in Houston Wednesday speaking to local businesspeople and others about the need to involve minorities more in publicly traded corporations, and to urge parents to get more involved in their children's education.
He spoke at the downtown Crowne Plaza during a symposium, "Building Capacity to Power America: Our Pipeline to Equanomics," organized by his Rainbow Push Coalition.
According to the Houston Chronicle, Jackson told about 100 people at the luncheon that African-Americans battled through Jim Crow laws, earned the right to vote and gained other liberties, but now they must fight for economic equality.
He suggested that minorities buy stock in publicly traded corporations to have a say in the company's decisions. Rainbow Push Coalition, he said, is buying stock in the nation's largest public companies.
"We can be better, but not better off unless there are some economic securities," he said. "This is the fourth stage of our civil rights struggle. This stage of struggle is access to capital."
Jackson also encouraged the participants to get involved with their children's education, including meeting their children's teachers, exchanging phone numbers with the teachers, picking up their children's report cards, turning off the television in their homes three hours a day and taking their children to their place of worship once a week.
His coalition, he said, hopes to enlist 20,000 parents in Houston and 2 million nationwide to make a greater commitment to their children's schooling.
"Nothing is more fundamental than the role of parents (in education)," he said.
CHANTE MOORE ON TOUR WITH NORMAN BROWN: Singer promoting her June 17th release, 'Love the Woman.'
*Following two duet albums with her husband Kenny Lattimore, Grammy nominee Chante Moore returns to her solo roots with the June 17th release of her new album "Love the Woman."
Led by first single "Ain't Supposed To Be," the Peak Records CD reunites Moore with her longtime musical mentor, George Duke, who helped to launch her career in the early 1990s.
This time they collaborated on her rendition of Minnie Ripperton's "Give Me The Time," the song that was played during her wedding six years ago. Other producers on the album include Raphael Saadiq and Warryn Campbell.
Moore is currently on tour with smooth jazz artist Norman Brown. She's scheduled to perform in the following cities: May 18, Hyatt Newporter, Newport Beach, CA; May 24, Benaryoa Hall, Seattle, WA ; June 16, Chene Park, Detroit, MI; July 20, Oceanside Pier Amp, Oceanside, CA ; Sept. 19, Hyatt Newporter, Newport Beach, CA ; and Sept. 21, Thornton Winery, Temecula, CA.
ITTY BITTY BITS: Whoopi to host Tonys; Kim K. vs. Sonja; BeyonJay in Ariz.; 'café Oakley'; Million DJ March.
*Whoopi Goldberg announced Thursday that she will host the 62nd Annual Tony Awards, to be presented June 15 and broadcast live on CBS from Radio City Music Hall, 8-11 p.m. ET. An Academy Award-winning actress and co-host on ABC's "The View," Goldberg has appeared on Broadway in Whoopi, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and Ma Rainey's Black Bottom.
*Kim Kardashian has filed a response to the lawsuit against her by Brandy and Ray J's mother Sonja Norwood, who claimed that the reality show star and her family purchased unauthorized items on her American Express card while she worked for the Norwoods as a stylist in 2004. Kim K. denies the allegations in her filing, according to TMZ.com. In her lawsuit, Sonja Norwood said she gave Kardashian permission to use the card to make one purchase, but the socialite ended up buying several items totaling $120,635.65.
*Newlyweds Jay-Z and Beyonce reportedly honeymooned secretly at a luxury resort in the Arizona desert, according to reports. OK! magazine claims the couple escaped to the Sanctuary Camelback Mountain resort a week after jumping the broom.
A source at the resort, where a two-night stay costs $8,000, tells OK! magazine: "Beyonce looked stunning, even though she was wearing no make-up. They looked so in love and so happy."
*The New York Post is reporting that former New York Knicks player Charles Oakley is trying to launch his own cooking show called "Café Oakley." He's joined by his former teammate John Starks for one of the three episodes already taped. They cooked fried chicken and macaroni salad, pasta and sausages, and smothered steak and rice. Ingredients for Oak's beef short ribs in cinnamon wine sauce include 18 beers and two or three Cuban cigars, and the directions begin, "Drink 10 beers."
*The economic plight of the deejay within the music industry is to be the focus of a three day event in Washington, D.C. this summer with rallies and activities beginning Aug. 28. The event will culminate in a Million DJ March from the Capitol Building to the Washington Monument on Aug. 30. Plans for an organized union, representing deejays and their push for 401Ks and gig compensation security, is expected to be introduced. For further information, or to become involved, contact Nancy Byron, OGPR (832) 220-6071 or nancyb@ogpr.net.
PHILLY MAYOR SAYS RACE NOT A FACTOR IN COP BEATING: Nutter says he's 'tremendously disappointed' in behavior of officers in video.
*The mayor and police commissioner of Philadelphia have called the videotaped beatings of three restrained black men by several officers "inexcusable" and "unacceptable," but both say it had nothing to do with race.
“The conduct was unacceptable,” Mayor Michael Nutter said Thursday while appearing with Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey on CNN's "American Morning." "It did not live up to the professional standards we have set for the police department." He added that the incident has "virtually nothing to do with race; it has to do with crime."
"There’s no excuse for that type of behavior and we certainly want to take action,” said Ramsey.
Nutter said he was “tremendously disappointed” by the officers’ behavior and promised to deal with the matter.
The violent beating, captured on video Monday night (May 5) by a Fox television news crew and broadcast across the nation, shows several police squad cars surrounding a vehicle occupied by three black men. Officers, who appear to be white in the footage, pull each occupant out of the car and proceed to kick and stomp them repeatedly in the head, neck and torso.
A sergeant and five officers have been removed from street duty as authorities investigate the video footage, according to the Associated Press.
On "Good Morning America" Thursday, Police Commissioner Ramsey urged the public to wait until the investigation was completed before jumping to conclusions.
"With all due respect, none of … us were out there. We don't know the circumstances. The video doesn't tell you everything," he said.
The three men who were beaten were suspects in an earlier shooting, Ramsey said.
Tensions were already high within the police department due to the shooting death of an officer the week before. Police Sgt. Stephen Liczbinski was fatally shot after a robbery, and devastated fellow officers spent the weekend searching for a suspect in that murder.
Ramsey said that Liczbinski's death is no excuse for the actions of the officers caught on tape.
"I understand the emotion," said Ramsey. "I understand everything that's involved, but there's nothing in our policy that would allow kicking individuals and taking them into custody the way I saw on that tape."
EUR MOTIVATIONAL NOTE
"People with goals succeed because they know where they are going... It's as simple as that." — Earl Nightingale
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
May 9: Rapper Ghostface Killah of Wu-Tang Clan is 38. Singer Tamia is 33. Actress Rosario Dawson ("Grindhouse," "Josie and the Pussycats") is 29.
May 10: Rapper Young MC is 41. Actor Kenan Thompson ("Kenan and Kel") is 30.
May 11: Actress Shohreh Aghdashloo ("24") is 56.
WEBSITE OF THE WEEK
This blog is the home of entertainment writer and author Shelia M.
Goss. It's a blog with a flair for the dramatic (www.sheliagoss.com/blog).
Submit your favorite Web site to us along with a 15-20 word (or less) description to info@eurweb.com.
BLACK HISTORY
May 9, 1867: Sojourner Truth delivers a speech to the First Annual Meeting of the American Equal Rights Association, championing for the rights of all people.
May 10, 1950: Jackie Robinson appears on the cover of Life magazine; first time an African American is featured on the cover in the magazine's 13 year history.
May 11, 1967: Nine caravans of poor people arrived in Washington for first phase of Poor People's Campaign. Caravans started from different sections of country on May 2 and picked up demonstrators along the way.
(Source: www.BlackFacts.com)
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