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05-13-08 EUR ALL ON ONE PAGE
MAN WHO SLUGGED SUGE KNIGHT SPEAKS: Also, is one-time mogul planning to retaliate? 'Rollin' With Dre' author weighs in.
*The man who claims to be behind Suge Knight's knockout punch has emerged.
According to TMZ.com, dude is a barbershop owner in Los Angeles who is friends with the man Knight was trying to defend in the now infamous altercation outside of Hollywood's Shag nightclub.
The brawler, who would not give his name, yet is pictured on TMZ, says he was playfully arguing about money with the mutual friend when the former music mogul misunderstood and thought it was serious.
When Suge tried to defend his friend, fisticuffs jumped off and the barber – all of 5'10" and 173 lbs – delivered the punch that knocked 6'3", 315 lb Knight unconscious for a good three minutes, according to the Web site.
View TMZ's photo gallery of the "knockout kid" here: http://photos.tmz.com/galleries/the_knockout_kid
Meanwhile, the author of a new book about Knight's former Death Row partner Dr. Dre and West Coast hip hop fears a war may have been started by the knockout punch.
Bruce Williams, whose book "Rollin' With Dre" is in stores now from Ballantine/Random House, said in a statement Monday: "Although it goes against my gut feeling of how he’ll handle this situation, I hope and pray that Suge doesn't do anything stupid and lets this thing go."
“Suge Knight has long been someone who has no problems using violence to handle business," Williams stated. "I’ve seen what he’s capable of first-hand and wrote in detail about some of these instances in my book, 'Rollin' With Dre.' It’s unfortunate that this incident has occurred because it is likely that more people will want to test Suge to make a name for themselves, which in turn means more violence.
"Although I’m sure there are countless people who are relieved to see something like this happen to Suge, all it means to me is retaliation is almost certain. The fact that Suge did not bother to press charges against his assailant makes me certain of it."
DAY TWO AT THE R. KELLY TRIAL: Jury selection seeks to weed out the R&B star's fans.
*R. Kelly reportedly showed little emotion Monday and occasionally leaned over to speak with his lawyers as jury selection for his child pornography trial continued in Chicago.
According to the Associated Press, the judge and attorneys questioned 150 potential jurors yesterday, asking about their previous knowledge of allegations against the high profile R&B superstar.
The 41-year-old singer has pleaded not guilty to charges that he videotaped himself having sex with a girl as young as 13.
Steve Cron, a defense lawyer from Santa Monica, Calif., who has practiced for 35 years, tells the AP that it's unlikely the defense could pack the jury with R. Kelly fans, because "the prosecution should be successful in excluding them," he said.
Prosecutors may seek well-educated jurors, which could help their cause if they call technical experts to speak about the videotape, he said.
The girl believed to be on the videotape, who is now 23, will reportedly testify that it wasn't her. And Kelly's lawyers — including prominent Chicago attorney Ed Genson — haven't conceded that it's Kelly in the video.
On the first day of the trial Friday, Cook County Circuit Judge Vincent Gaughan addressed the potential jurors.
"As you know, this is a high-profile case," he said, according to court transcripts. "And if you don't know, God love you. You're probably the only person on Earth that doesn't."
AL REYNOLDS GETS HIS FACEBOOK ON: Mr. Star Jones tearing up the social scene after divorce announcement.
*Two New York newspapers reported yesterday that Al Reynolds has been a fixture on the social scene – accompanied by young ladies – ever since his wife Star Jones announced that she has filed for divorce.
The Post's Page Six says Reynolds "hit club Home late last week with a new buxom lady friend, where he was drinking and dancing till the wee hours."
The column quotes a cocktail waitress at the club who said: "He was at the bar with her. She was a pretty big girl. They were dancing to hip-hop and bobbing their heads. He had on a white button-down [shirt], open with a diamond necklace hanging out. And he was drinking all night with his pinky in the air."
Meanwhile, the Daily News' Full Disclosure column claims Reynolds, a Florida Memorial University professor, has decided to expand his dating options by joining the social networking site Facebook.com.
As of press time, he had 36 online friends and still listed himself as married on his page.
MIJAC RELEASES STATEMENT ABOUT NEVERLAND: Singer confirms auction has been averted.
*Michael Jackson has officially announced that tomorrow's scheduled auction of his Neverland Ranch has been cancelled.
The property's existing $23.5 million loan from New York-based private equity and hedge fund Fortress Investment Group was acquired by Colony Capital, a large real estate investment firm.
“I am pleased with recent developments involving Neverland Ranch and I am in discussions with Colony and Tom Barrack with regard to the Ranch and other matters that would allow me to focus on the future,” Jackson said in a statement.
The 2,700-acre property in Santa Barbara County was slated to be auctioned off on May 14 after Jackson defaulted on loan payments.
Colony, a Los Angeles-based firm that has invested more than $39 billion since its founding in 1991, tells Reuters that it's "very comfortable" holding the loan while negotiating new mortgage payment terms for the King of Pop.
ASHANTI ALREADY PREPARING FOR KIDS: Singer says she wants to have at least 12 children someday.
*In the new Sister2Sister magazine, Ashanti says she's looking forward to motherhood, but wants to wait until she has enough money in the bank to take care of the amount of kids she's hoping to have.
"I need, like, 12 (kids)… I love kids. I definitely want to get married… I'm so family oriented. I want the big wedding, I want the long marriage, I want kids," she said. "(But) I've got to stack my cheese a little bit more… I want to be able to bring my kids into the world nice and comfortable."
In the meantime, the singer/songwriter plans to continue learning how to become a successful businesswoman.
"First of all, you have to read everything. If you can't then you hire someone that you can trust that can help you read every single contract," she says. "It's all about your advisors. If you don't know, take a business class."
The 27-year-old, who is dating rap star Nelly, says she's planning to start her own record label, called Written Entertainment.
IS REMY MA A MARRIED WOMAN NOW?: Jailed rapper was due to marry Papoose yesterday.
*Remy Ma was due to marry her fiancé Papoose yesterday in a wedding on New York's Rikers Island, where the rapper is awaiting sentencing for shooting a woman in the stomach.
If a jailhouse ceremony did take place, Remy will go into her scheduled sentencing today as a married woman. She faces up to 25 years behind bars for the shooting of acquaintance Makeda Barnes-Joseph last July.
The bride and groom, whose real name is Shamele Mackie, were each allowed to invite two guests to the ceremony.
JAY-Z SAYS VEGAS 40/40 CLUB IS DOING FINE: Venue had a rough New Year's Eve start, but rapper is pleased with progress.
*Jay-Z's newest 40/40 Club in Las Vegas may have had some early bumps in the road – complete with disgruntled employees and a last minute struggle to meet its New Year's Eve launch deadline - but he says the kinks have all been worked out.
One of the more recent rumors had the venue's multibillionaire landlord Sheldon Adelson upset after visiting the club, which is located in his new Palazzo Hotel and Casino.
"No, not true at all," said Jay-Z in an e-mail to the Las Vegas Review Journal. "He actually appeared very pleased, and a week after that visit, he held his grand-opening party at the club. He has only been there twice (and I) would love to have him back. I'd move walls if he so desired."
He added, "We have met our financial projections well above our expectations. Business is great. We have conquered all the operational goals and are pleased with the results."
CONSERVATIVE RUPERT MURDOCH BEHIND OBAMA?: Owner of Fox News and NY Post may endorse Democratic candidate over McCain.
*Ultra conservative Rupert Murdoch and his wife, Windi, not only attended an unabashedly liberal party for Arianna Huffington, but he was reportedly overheard at the function praising Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.
While mingling at Huffington's fete for her book "Right Is Wrong:
How the Lunatic Fringe Hijacked America, Shredded the Constitution, and Made Us All Less Safe," Murdoch approached the author and started chatting enthusiastically about Obama's strong showing in the Indiana and North Carolina primaries.
"It's a great day for Obama. Very good. The wall broke," Murdoch said, according to the Daily News' Rush & Malloy column."
Huffington, a former Republican, has known Murdoch for 30 years. Some Murdoch-watchers have gone so far as to speculate that one or more of his newspapers may endorse Obama over John McCain. One confidant cautions:
"Rupert really does admire Obama. But he hasn't decided yet about endorsements."
CW GREENLIGHTS TYRA'S NEW SHOW 'STYLISTA': Also, The Game will return for a third season.
*The CW announced yesterday that it has given a series order to "Stylista," a new reality series from former supermodel Tyra Banks and Ken Mok, and renewed "Girlfriends" spinoff "The Game" for another season.
Tyra's "Stylista" follows fashion fans as they compete for a job at Elle magazine, according to Variety.
Banks and Mok are executive producing the series along with Eli Holzman, Desiree Gruber and Jane Cha. Mok’s 10 by 10 Ent., Banks’ Bankable shingle and Magic Molehill will produce with Warner Horizon.
Meanwhile, The Game has survived the axe that brought down its launching pad "Girlfriends." The CW has renewed the sitcom for a third season and will likely pair it with “Everybody Hates Chris” on its new Friday schedule, Variety reports.
CEE-LO PUTS HIS FOOT IN 'KUNG FU FIGHTING': Carl Douglas classic gets an update for new animated film.
*Gnarls Barkley's CeeLo Green and actor/rocker Jack Black have joined forces to update the 1974 Carl Douglas song "Kung Fu Fighting" for the soundtrack to "Kung Fu Panda," an animated comedy starring the voice of Black.
"A fan of the song first, it was inspiring and an honor to have the opportunity to reintroduce the record to a brand new audience sprinkled with a little of me on top," says a smiling CeeLo.
The neo-funk/electronica cover, the soundtrack's first single, has all new lyrics and was produced by The Underdogs, whose credits include Chris Brown, Marques Houston, and Beyonce.
Interscope Records will release the soundtrack album on June 3, preceding the film's nationwide release from DreamWorks Animation on June 6.
TERRELL OWENS TO PLAY FLAVOR FLAV'S BROTHER: Dallas Cowboy makes guest appearance on 'Under One Roof.'
*Critics of Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Terrell Owens say he has a flair for the dramatic, but what about for comedy?
The NFL star will find out soon enough when he tackles his first sitcom, the MyNetworkTV show "Under One Roof." T.O. makes a guest appearance as the long-lost brother of the show's star, Flavor Flav.
In the plot, Owens tries convincing Flav and sitcom sibling Kelly Perine that they're all brothers in hopes of getting them to invest in his Web site.
"I see dollar signs," Owens said of his character to The Associated Press. "I'm trying to kind of smooth my way into the family, but Flav is not buying it. It's a lot of funny dialogue. It was a good time."
Owens said this role will help him decide whether or not Hollywood will be his next career move following retirement from football.
"If I'm going to really consider doing acting after football, this a great start to let me get my feet wet," Owens said. "For an actor trying to become an A-lister, I think I'm on the bottom of the pile. I'm a D-lister."
"I know what's the breadwinner for me," he added. "But definitely I'm looking forward to doing some acting after football, in the offseason next year. I think I did well enough that they even may bring me back for some recurring roles. It's a start for me, and I don't like to fail at anything I do."
'LIFELONG REPUBLICAN' WINS OBAMA AD CONTEST: MoveOn.org picks entry from war vet who explains why he's now supporting Dem. candidate.
*MoveOn.org has announced the winner of its Make Your Own Obama Ad contest and is currently soliciting donations to reach the $250,000 it needs to get the spot broadcast on television.
After judging by such celebrity Obama supporters as Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Oliver Stone, Naomi Wolf, Markos Moulitas, Russell Simmons and Jesse Jackson, the winning ad came from former Air Force Staff Sgt. John Weiler, who describes himself as a Republican before he could even vote.
In the ad, he says he is supporting Obama because of the Democrat's strength and ability to bring people together. [Watch ad here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvO1xELHp3k]
To make a donation toward MoveOn.org's $250,000 goal, click here:
https://pol.moveon.org/donate/oi30s_winner.html?rc=homepage
Meanwhile, Obama is not only newly ahead in superdelegates as of late Sunday, but he's also beating his Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton in the number of unsolicited campaign songs – from will.i.am's star-studded viral hit "Yes We Can" to amateur odes folk to Spanish-language tunes and even a Jamaican reggae tribute.
"Songs about candidates have really taken off," Steve Grove, head of YouTube.com's news and politics division, tells the Associated Press. "They've found a new way to support their candidates. ... it stretches from regular average voters all the way up to somebody like will.i.am in terms of being kind of like a new, broader trend in political video."
While Grove says there's no specific statistical data to prove it, just on YouTube alone "it seems that (Obama) has really garnered a lot of songs. I think the early success of the Obama girl music video (the song by a scantily clad woman that became a national sensation last year) probably had something to do with that."
ITTY BITTY BITS: Benet wishes Nahla well; concierge Kanye; Tucker hosts 'Smile for Life'; Ursh disoriented in Kent.
*Halle Berry's ex-husband Eric Benet was asked to comment on the actress' new bundle of joy, Nahla. "I wish Halle [and the baby] all the happiness and success in the world, as that is what I'm experiencing at this point in my life," he said at a recent party, according to the New York Daily News.
*Kanye West became a concierge for several minutes while waiting for his car in the lobby of Miami's Shore Club. According to the Daily News, the rapper asked if he could use the concierge's computer while his car was being brought around. "After he sat down, confused guests started bombarding the rapper with questions about where to go and how to nail down reservations in South Beach. A surprised West tried to answer each question to the best of his ability until the valet pulled his car around and he made his escape."
*Lending his hands and legs to benefit children battling cancer, acclaimed actor and comedian Chris Tucker will host BrittiCares International’s 3rd annual “Smile for Life,” 5K Run/Walk from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., this Saturday, May 17 at Pacific Palisades High School (15777 Bowdoin St.). A cancer victim herself, Brittiana started the organization to provide support services to other children, before succumbing in 2007 at age 13 years. Actor Kyle Massey will also be on hand. To register or obtain additional information, call 323.292.8527 or visit www.britticares.org.
*Usher reportedly pulled a Whitney and yelled out the wrong city during a concert in England last weekend. "Hello Manchester!" the singer shouted to the 20,000 music fans in Kent. The 29-year-old made the slip-up at the beginning of his set at Radio 1's Big Weekend in Maidstone, prompting boos from sections of the crowd. But listeners quickly forgave him as he went on to perform material from his upcoming album, "Here I Stand," due May 27. During Whitney Houston's concert last month in Tobago, she kept yelling, "I love you Trinidad."
EUR FILM REVIEW: Cover
DVD Mystery Explores Life on the Down-Low
DVD Review by Kam Williams
*Valerie Maas' (Aunjanue Ellis) world comes apart at the seams the day she catches her husband, Dutch (Raz Adoti), in the shower naked with another man.
She doesn't buy his "It's not what it looks like defense," and realizes she's been living a lie with a guy who didn't even use protection while on the so-called down-low.
But before she can figure out how to break the news that daddy is bisexual to their young daughter, Nicole (Tomorrow Baldwin Montgomery), Valerie finds herself behind bars and facing a murder rap.
Fortunately, this churchgoing Christian has a strong enough faith to help her bear the burden of being wrongfully accused.
On the way to clearing her name, we're treated to such silliness in Philly that one has to wonder exactly what's going on here. For Cover, directed by veteran director Bill Duke, is an unintentionally funny, flashback flick which is practically impossible to take seriously at face value.
For example, one character calls homosexuality a "white disease." Another, who has AIDS, boasts about secretly "sharing the gift," meaning having unprotected sex with people who don't know he's HIV+, illogically explaining that he'd rather be a monster than honest.
As confusing as it is improbable, this mess of a movie wastes a talented cast which includes Vivica A. Fox, Lou Gossett, Jr., Leon, Patti LaBelle, Paula Jai Parker, Clifton Davis, Roger Guenveur Smith and Mya. However, the goings-on bear such little resemblance to reality, that I was often unsure what genre of movie I was even watching.
A blaxploit? A sci-fi adventure? An out of the closet drama? A whodunit? A genderbending romance? A slapstick sitcom? Likely, a little of all of the above. A disaster which fails miserably in an attempt to address a pressing social issue.
Fair (1 star)
Rated PG-13 for mature themes, profanity, sexuality, violence and drug use.
Running time: 98 minutes
Studi 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
VIVICA A FOX: The Cover/Three Can Play That Game Interview with Kam Williams
A Fox Named Vivica
*Born in South Bend, Indiana on July 30, 1964, Vivica Anjanetta Fox is of both Native and African-American heritage.
After graduating from Arlington High School in Indianapolis, she moved to California to attend Golden West College just south of Los Angeles.
Since earning an associate's degree in Social Sciences, she's embarked on an enviable showbiz career which began with bit roles on such daytime soap operas as Days of Our Lives, the Young and the Restless and Generations.
The 5'7" fashion plate parlayed that success into appearances on sitcoms like The Fresh Prince, Family Matters, Who's the Boss and Martin. Next, she made the jump to the big screen, landing her big break opposite Will Smith in Independence Day in 1996. She subsequently co-starred in Booty Call, Batman & Robin, Soul Food, Why Do Fools Fall in Love, Two Can Play That Game, Kill Bill 1, and Kickin' It Old Skool.
The beguiling vixen has been picked as one of People Magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People in the World (1997), one of the 10 Sexiest Women by Black Men Magazine (2001), and one of the 40 Hottest Hotties over 40 by VH1 (2005). Here, she talks about her two latest pictures, The Cover, a drama about brothers on the down-low, coming to DVD on 5/13, and Three Can Play That Game, a sequel to her hit battle-of-the-sexes comedy which was released on DVD earlier this year.
Kam Williams: What interested you in making Cover, a movie about brothers on the down-low?
Vivica A. Fox: I think it's something that's been a little taboo in the African-American community. And also, I wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to work with [director] Bill Duke.and some of the other actors who got involved with the project.
KW: Do you think you'd be as supportive of your best friend in real-life as your character was of Aunjanue Ellis' in this picture?
VF: I try to be a supportive and real friend who would look out for her and tell her the truth.
KW: What do you think a young black woman should learn to do from this film to prevent this from happening to her?
VF: I definitely hope that she would always be inquisitive. If your womanly instinct tells you something ain't right, girl, check it out. Sometimes, we have a tendency to trust, especially if you've been with a man a long time.
But you might just want to follow your instincts to make sure that everything is alright.
KW: Especially given the high HIV+ rate among married African-American females.
VF: Yeah, Bill gave me that incredible stat. So, I say, practice safe sex, and look out for yourself first at all times.
KW: Well, Mr. Duke deserves some praise for tackling a taboo subject in making a movie that was long overdue.
VF: It was enlightening and eye opening, wasn't it?
KW: Yep.
VF: And scary, but it made you think. That's why we're hoping that the word of mouth will spread on this and that people will want to check it out. It has really good acting as well as being very informative.
KW: Have you become aware of anyone being on the down-low in your personal circles?
VF: I have a lot of friends who are in the fashion and entertainment industries, in general. One of the reasons why I like having what I call my gay boyfriends is because they can warn you and keep you in the loop.
KW: Why did Three Can Play That Game go straight to video?
VF: I was disappointed because it was totally funny and really good, and had a built-in audience. But as one of the film's producers, I was glad that I got the sequel done, and got to employ some African-American actors that I hadn't had a chance to work with.
KW: What would say are the elements of success?
VF: Dedication, persistence and professionalism.
KW: The Columbus Short question. Are you happy?
VF: Yeah, I'm in a good space in my life right now.
KW: The "Realtor to the Stars" Jimmy Bayan question. Where in L.A. do you live?
VF: I live in The Valley.
KW: Thanks for the time, Vivica.
VF: You are so welcome, and spread the word.
STEVEN IVORY: The Sacredness of Summer
*On a recent network evening news broadcast, I watched a segment about summer school. The benefit of summer classes, said the report, is that kids learn more in a shorter amount of time, and thus leave the school system earlier. And, summer school keeps them out of trouble.
The down side, the report said, is that the amount of homework kids are assigned is stressing them out.
Nonsense, countered a well-to-do stay-at-home mom in a sound bite. "These kids," she declared with an authoritative lilt, "need something to do. Summer is for learning."
I couldn't agree more.
One summer of my childhood, I finally learned how to pop a wheelie on my silver stingray bicycle. I'd been working on it for weeks and one day it just happened.
That's not all I learned during summers. At Washington Park, on Oklahoma City's predominantly black east side, I learned how to swim like a fish.
Gazing up into the heavens on still, humid nights, I learned how to pick out the Big and Little Dipper. I could stay outside in our front yard with the neighborhood kids way past my school day bedtime, because summer is when I learned the divine joy of sleeping late and, aside from my chores, not having a damn thing to do or a place to be all day.
School year 'round? Gee, what a concept. First they make it morally unfashionable for parents to lovingly present a child boundaries through discipline, and now they rob them of summer. What's next? Using a giant fan to rid the sky of unsightly rainbows after a midday summer shower? These people take the J out of joy.
When I was a youngster, summer school was for kids to make up a flunking grade. And even then it wasn't all summer and class lasted only half a day.
To be sure, a formal education is a gift to be approached with gratitude and dedication. However, to a child, summers should be scared. There may not be school books, but during summer there certainly is learning involved.
Almost mythic in emotion and spirit, summer is when a child learns the vital, dying art of doing, just occasionally, absolutely nothing.
The seemingly endless days of summer can breed personal independence, nurture a child's ability to make wise use of time--time that, for once, is their own--and make valiant personal choices.
From wholesale daydreaming can emerge spectacular, breathtaking future reality.
It's not like my own childhood summers didn't bring responsibility. It was up to Don Minnis and I to see that the snow cones sold down on Fourth Street were ice cold and that the lady running the shop didn't skimp on the delicious Number 2 dye strawberry syrup that left our lips red.
It fell to us two spindly kids to make certain that all the little corner stores within our general neighborhood had penny candy in stock. We tested the massive trees along our beat for reliability in supplying sufficient shade against the unrelenting noonday sun. We gave a serious workout to whatever toy Wham-O had out that summer. Our rigorous studies revealed that Slip 'n Slide was misrepresented in its exciting TV commercials, but Mr. Wiggles got a thumbs up.
These things had to be done, and we took the deed upon ourselves. Self motivation--another lesson to be learned during the leisure of summer.
To take away a child's summer is akin to a music video sapping a viewer's privilege to concoct their own images to a melody. Likewise, the memories created during summer have to last a lifetime. They need to be remembrances of wonder, discovery and sheer fun.
As one grows, so do the life experiences. One fateful teenage summer I discovered the rupture of a girl's soft lips pressed in earnest against mine.
After that, my summers would never be the same: the passion, the butterflies, the euphoric giddiness, the cliffhanging expectation, the nagging yearn and the extraordinary sense of something said to be "love"--most of us have been chasing the elusive sensation of that initial thrill ever since.
They don't teach that kind of patience in school.
Steven Ivory's book, FOOL IN LOVE (Touchstone/Simon & Schuster) is in stores now or at Amazon.com (www.Amazon.com) Respond to him via STEVRIVORY@AOL.COM or MYfeedback@eurweb.com
THE BRIDGE: Who Stole The Soul? (Part 1)
By Darryl James
*James Brown was affectionately referred to as “Soul Brother Number One,” not just because he was one of the leaders of Soul Music, but because he was the physical embodiment of all things representative of the Soul of Black folks.
Brown had the rhythm, the rhymes, the cool walk, the cool talk, the cool clothing, and oh yeah, baby, the Soul Curl that only stayed in style for Cool Ass Brother James.
And he didn’t just represent Soul—he lived it. At a time when he was at the top of his career and even white people loved him, he made a record urging people to “Say It Loud, I’m Black And I’m Proud.”
He was stone cold and had Soul to the bone.
Soul was never truly pursued by Black folks, because most of us were just born with it. Soul was as innate as our ability to absorb the rays of the sun without destruction to our skin.
But in a nation at the end of its run, where everything has been commoditized, even the Soul of Black folks as well as their literal souls are for sale on the open market, which means that our Soul is no longer natural and endemic to us.
Soul is now for sale and we are not even the purveyors of the Soul that once came from us.
In previous times, Soul came from the Black community organically and only then was it marketed and sold to the world. Brother James Brown was ours and THEN the world claimed him.
With music and all other things cool, we created it and then the world took hold of it because we said it was cool.
Now, a watered-down, backwards version of Soul is manufactured and purveyed to us as though it is our very own.
But it is not.
The Soul that we see today on the open market has been stolen and twisted.
The stealing of our Soul should come as no surprise to anyone aware, because we were already selling it in a nation that has never treasured having a soul.
In America, both the economic and political systems are purely consumer oriented. No one does anything without a profit motive, including philanthropy.
There is no spiritual or moral component to Western democracy and there hasn’t been for a long time.
There is no longer a pure intrinsic spiritual or moral element to religion, which is why we see contrary religious zealots wanting everyone to believe as they do, instead of focusing on the doing of good works.
There has been an injection of spiritual and moral rhetoric surrounding the marketing of souls—God wants this or that—but that has taken all of the substance out of spirituality and the real thinkers realize it.
For evidence, watch someone such as, say, the retarded president talk about God while bombing oil-rich nations to hell, lying about the spread of democracy.
The American people are no different, with many supporting the war monger, because they want to make certain that their gas continues to flow freely.
These selfish assholes claim that such pursuits are part of the “American way of life,” as though being in this nation gives anyone a God-given right to a way of life that children of God in other nations don’t deserve.
And, really, most Americans aren’t even getting that so-called “American way of life” anymore.
Too many of the nation’s citizens are on the bottom with no way to reach the strata where freedom, justice and economic fluidity reign supreme.
Now, to get what used to be considered middle class trappings, you have to be upper class.
And the middle class is lying to itself while racking up debt that it can not manage.
Taxes and blame are heaped upon the lower class in healthy portions.
Even the blaming of the poor while feigning assistance to the hopeless has become cool.
People cheered Bill Cosby when he said that the “lower economic people” were not holding up their end of the bargain, but the likes of Cosby were the first to throw the rules out of the window.
Cosby neglected his children (his daughter will tell anyone who listens), drugged women to feel on them and then released a movie (Fat Albert) rife with all of the stereotypes he claimed poor people were suffering from.
He was being cool by blaming the poor for things he was pursuing, but in this environment, he gets praise because he has money.
He sold his soul.
Eventually this nation will reveal itself for what it has truly been—a marketplace in every sense of the word.
The rest of the world already sees it, but the citizens of America refuse to look closely for fear that their “God-given lifestyle” will be in jeopardy.
Where America was once the great hope of all the world, it is now the great international scourge, serving as the bully on the world block while pretending to provide aid to needy nations. Instead of aid, America strips foreign nations of their natural resources, leaving the people with less than before the invasion.
But since American media has also souled out, reports of America’s foreign dealings portray the nation as philanthropic and as the world’s police. If there really were world police, they would have arrested America long ago for crimes against humanity.
And, anyone who understands America’s history realizes that this nation has long been in the business of being souled out and cajoling its citizens into selling or completely giving away their own souls.
NEXT WEEK: African American Souls For Sale
Darryl James is an award-winning author of the forthcoming powerful anthology “Notes From The Edge.” Discounted Autographed and Numbered Pre-Release copies can be ordered at www.darryljames.com. He released his first mini-movie, “Crack,” and this year, will release his first full-length documentary. View previous installments of this column at www.bridgecolumn.proboards36.com. Reach James at djames@theblackgendergap.com.
THE JOURNAL OF STEFFANIE RIVERS Running Scared Part 2 of 2
There’s a theory called Six Degrees of Separation. It says you are no more than six people away from anybody you ever would want to meet; you just have to connect the right six people.
It’s the people to which Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama is connected that have political commentator Pat Buchanan running scared. And when fear is a factor it can change what you say and do. That is the impetus for Buchanan’s angry white man rant against Obama and his former pastor Rev. Jeremiah Wright. (See my column last Tuesday).
Why is he afraid? I’m glad you asked.
The media has turned a spotlight on Wright because of recent comments he made about political transgressions in America. He doesn’t mince words and he calls it like he sees it regardless of what others say.
Wright even refused to criticize Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan during a recent interview when asked about their relationship. Instead Wright told reporters he, Farrakhan and other Chicago leaders must work together to build their communities.
Buchanan – who failed in his presidential bid a few terms back - doesn’t want to see a Black man as president, especially a Black man who keeps company with other assertive, articulate Black men in positions of authority.
Apparently, it’s acceptable to be the president and be a recovering alcoholic, a former draft dodger and a current liar that puts the lives of millions of people in jeopardy. But a smart Black man with outspoken friends? That’s unacceptable.
I know Obama’s father was Kenyan, his mother was a white woman and he was raised by his mother’s side of the family. But in America that still makes him a Black man, right?
The (real or perceived) influence that Wright - or anyone in his alliance - has to affect Obama’s presidential decision making is more than Buchanan wants to imagine, let alone deal with if Obama is elected the first African-American United States President.
Although he won’t admit it, Buchanan is afraid of any decisions President Obama would make under the advisement of Wright or people within Wright’s circle of influence – especially in the area of civil rights and immigration.
The immigration issues of today are much like the slavery importation issues of 200 years ag To control the number of non-white people who are allowed to reside in the United States is to maintain the majority position in the population, in the financial world and in politics. In other words he who has the gold makes the rules and controls the world.
But births and illegal immigration have turned the U.S. population into a melting pot of ethnic groups, not to mention that leaders in most foreign countries are more likely to have melanin in their skin and have experienced their own oppression at the hands of white men.
Most white people get scared when too many people with melanin get together and start comparing notes and planning events.
Some elected officials, their friends and extremists like Buchanan who have done nothing to help and everything to hinder human rights advancement in America realize that this could be the beginning of the end of their reign. And they don’t like it.
To that I say it’s time for new leadership and a new direction. Make peace, not war. All angry white man should report to the back of the line.
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.
TURNER’S TWO CENTS: MANNING UP: WILL R. KELLY FOLLOW T.I.’S EXAMPLE?
By Cameron Turner
*Taking responsibility for your mistakes is a sign of maturity and integrity. Rap superstar T.I. demonstrated those qualities last week in an exclusive interview with BET News. Referring to his conviction on federal weapons charges (he was busted trying to buy machine guns and silencers), Tip said, “I must be a man and stand up and accept responsibility. I exercised extremely poor judgment, and for that, I must be willing to pay whatever price that comes before me.”
This is the message T.I. has been sharing with high school students around Atlanta for the past several weeks as part of his community service obligation. It’s also the message he shared on Easter Sunday (days before closing the plea deal), when he addressed a massive worship service led by Bishop Eddie Long.) It’s inspiring to see T.I. own up to his errors, especially since so many celebrities play the victim and blame others for the messes they create. Lindsay Lohan and Amy Winehouse insist that they aren’t addicts. Remy Ma says racism is the reason she was convicted for shooting her friend twice in the stomach.
We’re likely to hear a lot of far-fetched excuses now that R. Kelly’s child pornography trial has finally gotten underway. Way back in ’02, when the Chicago Sun-Times first broke the news about the infamous video of Kelly having kinky sex with an allegedly underage girl, The Pied Piper got way up on his high horse and denied the claims with ferocious indignation. “It’s crap, and that’s how we're going to treat it,” Kelly told television station WMAQ while preparing to sing at the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics. “The world is getting ready to watch me sing a song called ‘The World’s Greatest,’ and you’ve got a tape out there trying to ruin my career.”
Kelly blamed the allegations on vindictive former employees who were angry because he refused to pay blackmail. See. Playing the victim.
Personally, I have no doubt that R. Kelly is guilty. The girl in the tape was identified as a minor by her best friend and an aunt. Their testimony could easily undermine the “wasn’t me” defense being offered by R. Kelly and the girl from the tape (who is now in her 20s).
Criminal cases should always turn on the evidence. But there’s no denying that Robert Kelly has a titanic credibility problem going into his trial. He settled at least three civil cases involving allegations of sex with underage teens. He reportedly paid out a quarter-of-a-million in one case alone. Cops in Florida found sexually explicit photos of a teenage girl on a camera inside a duffel bag at Kelly’s residence. That case was dropped on a technicality; the judge ruled that a lower court didn’t have just cause to issue the original search warrant. But the fact remains: the nasty pictures were there.
Oh, and we all know that he married Aaliyah when she was 15.
It would be amazing if R. Kelly would man up the way T.I. has done. Maybe that will happen after the trial (T.I. claimed innocence, too, for a long time). But you’ll pardon me if I don’t hold my breath.
I’m Cameron Turner and that’s my two cents.
THINK! IT AIN’T ILLEGAL…YET!
BETWEEN THE LINES: Obama And Superdelegate Accountability: What Are Reps. Maxine Waters and Diane Watson Waiting On?
Anthony Asadullah Samad
*After the last "firewall" states fell last week in North Carolina and Indiana, many Democratic Party "Superdelegates" have now seen the writing on the wall.
In case some of 'em didn't get the memo, Barack Obama WILL BE the Democratic Party nominee.
On May 6th, Obama, who was leading in every other imaginable category (states won, pledged delegates, popular vote), was behind in the superdelegate count by twelve. May 7th, it began raining superdelegates for Obama. By May 10th, Obama had overtaken Clinton in the superdelegate count.
Party leaders have changed their tone. More are having "private conversations" with Hillary Clinton about "giving it up." Clinton, instead has chosen to continue her divisive ways, loaning herself money until she can get to California this week-where all candidates find economic relief from star-struck and power-struck donors.
She continues to race-bait, using codified language about what "hard-working white voters" will or will not do, casting the subliminal "black shadow" over Barack's prospects of being elected in the fall by xenophobic voters.
Superdelegates are "shocked" at the level Clinton has fallen to to try to save her candidacy, as she seems intent on pulling down Barack Obama on her way down. Even her biggest cheerleader, New York House Representative, Charlie Rangel, is dismayed at Clinton's failure to realize "the inevitable" and her behavior on the way out the door. Expect the superdelegate defections to continue as those that are elected officials seek to be more accountable, either to the interest of the party or two their constituencies, as scrutiny on superdelegates increase with passing of the last remaining primaries.
Some superdelegates continue to stand with Clinton, largely out of loyalty-though a few try to profess that she can still win-despite the fact that their congressional districts overwhelmingly supported Obama. Two of them, California House Members, Reps. Maxine Waters and Diane Watson, made their reputations as being legislators for the "people." They represent the last two "black" congressional seats in the state (Black Congress Members Barbara Lee and Laura Richardson represent non-black majority districts). They also represent the only two congressional districts Barack Obama won outright in the California primary. These are probably two of the "blackest-talking" politicians in Congress, yet "the people" they represent, talked for Obama and voted for him too. Unlike Atlanta Congressman, John Lewis, and most recently, Newark Congressman, Donald Payne, who switched from Clinton to Obama-as previously committed superdelegates-out of being accountable to their constituents, Waters and Watson have yet to make a move.
What the hell are they waiting on? Clinton to give up? Well that's not going to happen. Like the movie, Groundhog Day, we keep waking up to that bad dream called Hillary Clinton, on the morning after she just got thrashed and hearing the media double-talk us when Clinton doesn't win in the way she needed to before the election, suddenly try to rationalize her irrational projections to victory. Hillary Clinton's "path to victory" is to trip Barack Obama before he crosses the finish line. She's shown she's prepared to do that as long as the superdelegates hold out and Obama doesn't get to 2025. Those superdelegates that see what Clinton is trying to do, are refusing to play that game and are either deciding or defecting. Those superdelegates who stay with Clinton are playing a complicit role in the undermining of their own party. Those who are going against the will of their constituents are doubly complicit. As grassroots and race-conscious as both Waters and Watson claim to be, why would they continue to front off their constituencies like this? Part of the criticism of black elected officials is that they think they're "Gods" and can do anything they want to do, and the community rarely holds them accountable. Well, at this critical juncture in history, it's "accountability time." It's time to ask Reps.
Maxine Waters and Diane Watson, what are they going to do? And why are they waiting when their constituencies have already "made it plain," as Malcolm used to say, as to where they stand in their candidate choice?
Okay, we understand why they both went "Clinton." Watson was a Clinton appointed ambassador, and Waters brokered her husband an ambassadorship (this is now a "car salesman" case study at Claremont Graduate University in the art of political dealmaking). But that was Bill, not Hillary, and most of their political debts to Clinton should have been paid when they (the Congressional Black Caucus members) stood by his lying a** on the Lewinsky impeachment. Hillary is a more vindictive player and I'm sure the pitch was that "we're going to win, get on the bandwagon early or else." Some people gotta do what they gotta do. But once it is obvious that the public interest is not being served, they should do what the people put them there to do, which is "represent constituent interest." Both of these Congresswomen's districts voted for Barack Obama in the 80 percentile-overwhelmingly affirming the change candidacy. Obviously, both Maxine Waters and Diane Watson think they are bigger than the constituents they represent. One of them said (I'll let you guess which one) said she's not going to be made to support anybody she doesn't want to support. This is the same woman who invokes fear in anyone who has the audacity to go against candidates she wants you to support (after she makes you pay for her endorsement). She lost total credibility on the Clinton pick. It will certainly make people think twice about her future endorsements (a conversation still to be had). The point here is, if your constituents can't change you, who can? It's time to take that nonsense to task. Let's start here and now. No politician is bigger than the voters that put them in office. And no "political deal" should go against constituent interest. What are they waiting for, the white woman to break (Feinstein and Boxer, and Speaker Pelosi) and to give them permission to the same? We always gotta be more loyal than others do. There is really no excuse for Waters and Watson not defecting.
It is now clear that, like any other black man in America, they (the "hard-working"white voters Clinton is pandering to) are not going to hand Barack Obama anything. We all are going to have to help Barack get across the finish line. We are going to have to pick off superdelegates, one by one, to get to 2025 and what better place to start than with the superdelegates that should be in his camp anyway-because their constituents are. Maxine Waters, Diane Watson, what are waiting for? An invitation?
Well, here it is...time to switch to Barack Obama, so says YOUR constituents.
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
EUR MOTIVATIONAL NOTE
“Let us become the change we seek in this world.” – Mohandas Gandhi
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
May 13: Actor Franklyn Ajaye is 59. Singer Stevie Wonder is 58. Singer Darius Rucker of Hootie and the Blowfish is 42.
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 13, 1862: Robert Smalls and 12 fellow African-American seamen captured the Planter, a cotton steamer converted into a Confederate battleship. (Source: www.BlackFacts.com)
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