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06-02-08 EUR ALL ON ONE PAGE
50'S BABY MAMA: 'TELL HIM TO CALL HIS SON!': Shaniqua says rapper has yet to check on his 10-year-old after house burns down.
*Amid a throng of reporters, 50 Cent's ex-girlfriend Shaniqua Tompkins continued accusing the rapper of masterminding the fire that destroyed his Long Island home, where she stayed with two of her children - including the rapper's 10-year-old son, Marquise.
The $2.4 million mansion has been at the center of a nasty legal battle between the two parties. The rap star has been trying to evict her from the house. She, in turn, countersued in Manhattan Supreme Court claiming she's entitled to half of 50's fortune. The blaze ignited just days after Tompkins' boyfriend and two of his friends got into a fight with 50's bodyguard at the Manhattan office of Tompkins' lawyer.
Saturday, Tompkins returned to the scorched Dix Hills pad to retrieve some items – and reporters were there waiting.
"Tell him to call his son!" Tompkins screamed at the press gathered outside the house. "He didn't even attempt to call his son to see how he was doing. A good father would do that!"
According to the New York Daily News, a 5-gallon gas container was found on the edge of the property hours after the fire erupted about 5 a.m.
As previously reported, 50's rep denied that he had anything to do with the fire. As previously reported, 50 issued a statement Friday expressing gratitude that his son escaped the fire.
Tompkins had also been living at the house with her new boyfriend.
RADIOHEAD VS. PRINCE: Alternative band questions Purple One's YouTube block on live cover of their song "Creep."
*Prince's cover of Radiohead's "Creep" at Coachella this spring became the highlight of the annual desert festival, but YouTube clips of the performance, filmed by audience members, were quickly removed by his label, NPG Records, citing copyright violation.
Needless to say, the members of Radiohead were a bit confused at the notion of Prince blocking a performance of their song.
Lead singer Thom Yorke said he heard about the Prince rendition and thought it was "hilarious." Yorke said he laughed when his bandmate, guitarist Ed O'Brien, said the blocking had prevented him from seeing Prince's version of their song.
"Really? He's blocked it?" asked Yorke, who figured it was their song to block or not. "Surely we should block it. Hang on a moment." Yorke added:
"Well, tell him to unblock it. It's our ... song."
According to the AP, Prince prohibited the standard arrangement of allowing photographers to shoot near the stage during his first three songs at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on April 26 in Indio, Calif.
Instead, he had a camera crew filming his performance.
YouTube's policy is to take down a copyrighted posting if it receives a complaint from a copyright owner. Whether the same could be done for a company not holding a copyright is less clear, but Yorke's argument would seem to bear some credence according to YouTube's policies, reports AP.
Meanwhile, Prince fans have organized to urge him to relent in his legal fights to control images and photographs of himself.
REPORTER ORDERED TO TESTIFY IN R. KELLY TRIAL: Also, lawyer tossed from court house for trying to give singer a CD.
*Chicago Sun-Times music critic Jim DeRogatis was ordered Friday to testify in R. Kelly's child pornography trial after his lawyer's argument that he was protected by reporter's privilege and the 1st Amendment was rejected.
DeRogatis handed over the sex tape at the center of the case to police in 2002 after he received it anonymously in the mail. Judge Vincent Gaughan ruled that he is not protected from testifying by any reporter's privilege or the 1st Amendment because he is the first person known to have possessed the video.
Gaughan will not allow the defense to ask him about his sources or subpoena any reporting notes he took before he gave the tape to a law-enforcement official, according to the ruling.
The defense, however, may question him about what he may have done with the VHS cassette between the time he received it and the moment he handed it over to the authorities. DeRogatis also must turn over notes from an interview he conducted after police began investigating the case.
The Sun-Times will appeal the decision, attorney Damon Dunn said.
Also on Friday, a lawyer was kicked out of the Cook County Criminal Courts Building after trying to give his CD to Kelly in the courtroom where his trial is taking place.
According to the Chicago Tribune, attorney Mike Roman stepped to Kelly while the singer was sitting alone at the defense table. With his lawyers and the prosecutors meeting privately in the judge's chambers, Kelly was left to deal with the man by himself.
Roman--a local criminal-defense lawyer who fronts the Latin rock band, Mike Roman and the Tellstars, in his spare time--offered Kelly a free copy of his CD "Cha Cha Time."
"No, thank you," Kelly reportedly said with a polite smile. "I'm not allowed to take anything." Roman persisted, but Kelly continued to decline the CD. "I'm not allowed to talk to anyone," Kelly said, citing the gag order imposed on him by trial Gaughan.
Roman offered to just leave the disc, but Kelly asked him not to.
"Please," Kelly said quietly. "You have to leave me alone."
Other attorneys in the courtroom noticed the conversation and called security to intervene. Roman was briefly detained in a courthouse anteroom while the matter was discussed with Gaughan. The judge later ordered officers to escort him from the building.
Roman cooperated with his removal--but not before trying to sell a "Cha Cha Time" CD to one of Kelly's defense attorneys for $15, the Tribune reported.
USHER TAPPED TO PLUG NEW WALKMAN PHONE: Sony Ericsson hires singer to promote product through U.S., Canada and Europe.
*Usher is teaming with Sony Ericsson to help promote its new Walkman music phone across the U.S., Canada and 20 European countries, the singer's rep tells Billboard.
The deal calls for Usher to engage in joint marketing activities with AT&T, which is the exclusive wireless operator in the United States.
The campaign will allow users access to exclusive content, contests to meet Usher on a video shoot and the chance to win VIP tickets for the artist's North American tour later this year, which is sponsored by Sony Ericsson.
Fans will also be able to vote on what other band Usher will go on tour with. In addition, the phone will come loaded with Usher ringtones and full-album downloads.
Usher's fifth album, "Here I Stand," was released Tuesday and is expected to debut next week at No. 1 on The Billboard 200.
NAS HOSTS LISTENING PARTY FOR NEW VIDEO: Clip and new album cover unveiled for media Thursday night in NY.
*Nas world-premiered the video for his new single "Be a N*gger Too" and also unveiled the cover of his upcoming album during a press event Thursday night at the Tribeca Grand Hotel in New York.
Directed by Rik Cordero, the black-and-white clip features Nas looking at his reflection through a mirror and rapping about racism, politics and religion, among other things, while images of people of different races sporadically appear throughout, according to Billboard.
Towards the middle of the video, a scene of what appears to be a white slave owner pointing a gun at a black male slave emerges, right before the song shifts into its chorus: "They like to strangle n*ggers / blaming n*ggers / hanging n*ggers / still you wanna be a n*gger too?"
At the end, Nas, still facing the mirror, says, "F*ck you. You had it all and you threw it all away." When asked about the significance of that scene, Nas said the concept was Cordero's idea and he "just went with it."
Cordero said the video's theme was inspired by old Spike Lee films. It features cameos by Latina rapper La Bruja and Asian actor John Cho, among others. The song is the first single from his upcoming untitled album, due July 1 via Def Jam. Nas originally wanted to name the album "N*gger," but has since decided against it.
The album cover features an image of Nas' bare back with welts similar to the ones slaves endured from lashings – It "speaks for itself. It says 'n*gger' real loud," he said.
OBAMA BITS: Clinton wins in P.R.; study refutes Billary claim of biased coverage; GOP senator's wife donates to Democrat's campaign; 'Podemos Con Obama.'
*Hillary Clinton won the Democratic primary in Puerto Rico on Sunday, but still trails front-runner Barack Obama as he draws closer to clinching the party's presidential nomination. The win comes off of Saturday's vote by Democratic Party leaders to seat Michigan and Florida delegates with half-votes at this summer's convention. The compromise left Obama on the verge of the nomination but angered irate Clinton backers who threatened to fight to the August convention. Clinton's win in Puerto Rico, a territory where residents are not allowed to vote in the November election, gave her more fuel for her argument that she has won more popular votes and is the best Democrat to face presumptive Republican nominee, John McCain.
*A new study shows that Barack Obama "has not enjoyed a better ride in the press" during the primary battles as claimed by his rival Hillary Clinton and her husband, former President Bill Clinton. The Clintons and their supporters have cited gender bias among the media as a major reason she is not doing better in her run to be the nominee. But a review of primary coverage conducted by the Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism and the Joan Shorenstein Center on Press, Politics and Public Policy at Harvard found that during the height of the primary season, "The dominant personal narratives in the media about Obama and Clinton were almost identical in tone."
*Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel is a longtime friend of presumptive GOP presidential nominee Sen. John McCain, but that hasn't stopped Hagel's wife Lilibet from donating to the campaign of McCain's likely Democratic rival – twice. According to Federal Election Commission records, Mrs. Hagel made two donations to Obama's campaign in February for a total of $500. The money was contributed a month before Sen. Hagel, a sharp GOP critic of the war in Iraq, appeared on ABC's "This Week" and declared that he and McCain have "pretty fundamental disagreements on the future of foreign policy."
*Latin artists Paulina Rubio, Don Omar and Alejandro Sanz have taken part in "Podemos Con Obama," a Spanish-language song and video in support of Barack Obama. Produced by Andres Levin, the tune was released in advance of Puerto Rico's Sunday presidential primary and includes a chant of "Obama" interspersed with the talent saying things like "Obama is our future,"
"Obama is education, youth," "Obama is the end of this war in Iraq," and "I identify with him." Other artists on the song include George Lopez, Jessica Alba, Yerba Buena, Brazilian Girls and Lin Manuel Miranda (of the Broadway musical "In the Heights"). [View "Podemos Con Obama" video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuXqy40F4Co]
CONDI ROCKED BY KISS IN SWEDEN: Mutual love fest between Secretary of State and rock band took place Friday.
*Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice did all but raise the devil horns Friday while posing for pictures with rock band Kiss after a chance encounter in Stockholm.
The rock/metal band was in the Swedish capital for a sold-out concert Friday, while Rice was in town attending an international conference on Iraq held the day before.
"I was thrilled," Rice said of her late-night encounter with Kiss frontman Gene Simmons and bandmates Paul Stanley, Eric Singer and Tommy Thayer in the executive lounge of the Sheraton Hotel where they signed autographs and handed out backstage passes and T-shirts to her staff.
"It was really fun to meet Kiss and Gene Simmons," she told reporters, adding that they appeared to be up on current events. The band had asked if she could roll through their suite after she finished dinner with the Swedish foreign minister and Rice readily agreed, she said.
Rice, a classically trained pianist whose music tastes range from Beethoven to Bruce Springsteen, said she was a fan of Kiss and that her favorite Kiss tune of theirs is "Rock and Roll All Nite."
DIDDY BUYS A $33 MILLION YACHT: Boat was three-years in the making; includes party floor, bar, stage and projector screen.
*Britain's Daily Mirror is reporting that Sean "Diddy" Combs recently purchased a new 54-foot motor yacht for $33 million.
Dubbed "The Maraya," the craft was reportedly built over the course of three years and includes a top-deck party floor complete with bar, stage and projector screen.
During one gathering, guests were asked to remove their stilettos to protect the thick, cream-colored carpets. The living area features creamy leather sofas accented with pillows. Giant jars of dried apricots adorn the mantelpieces and books about Africa are displayed on tables.
According to the newspaper, each deck comes with a private quarter behind sliding doors. Electric blue lights beam, greeting those guests invited inside. In one secluded space, Diddy's emperor size bed is decorated with monogrammed pillows.
Also, a 10-member staff is on hand to maintain the ship, with duties that include baking chocolate chip cookies, according to a Daily Mirror spy.
'COLLEGE HILL'S' WILLIE MACC BOOKS FILM ROLE: University of Virgin Islands standout to co-star in romantic comedy.
*Actor-comedian Willie Macc, best known as one of the co-eds on BET's "College Hill: Virgin Island," has joined the cast of "Incomplete," a romantic comedy centered around two merging church choirs, one African American and one Latino.
The reality TV star was due to graduate from the University of Virgin Islands on Saturday (May 31), and already he's racked up several acting gigs, including bit parts on TVs "CSI" and "Journeyman."
He also made a cameo in the feature film "Meet the Spartans" as a "yo mama" joke-cracking opponent of the Spartan army. He also appeared in the Cedric the Entertainer-directed "Chicago Pulaski Jones."
"Incomplete," which begins shooting tomorrow (June 3) in Los Angeles, is a romantic comedy surrounding two choir directors – played by Lamman Rucker and the film's writer/director Aida Rodriquez – who fall in love despite their many differences. Tony Rock co-stars.
"This actually is one of the best scripts I've ever read," says Macc. "I'm looking forward to shooting it. And then to get the chance to work with Lamman and Tony will be cool. I see both those guys all the time and know them personally, so it should be fun. Not to mention the beautiful women that they got lined up to co-star in the movie."
ESSENCE FEST TO HONOR PATTI LABELLE: Angie Stone, Chrisette Michelle, others join in all-star tribute.
*The 2008 Essence Music Festival will host an all-star tribute concert to celebrate the legacy of R&B veteran Patti LaBelle.
"Essence Icons Celebrate Patti LaBelle," to be held Saturday, July 5, will include the original members of LaBelle (Sarah Dash and Nona Hendryx), as well as Angie Stone, Chrisette Michele, Irma Thomas, Ledisi, Ruby Amanfu and others.
“It is an honor for us to have Ms. Patti LaBelle, a living legend, grace our stage during the 2008 Essence Music Festival,” says Michelle Ebanks, president of Essence Communications Inc. “This will be a very special performance in the history of the Essence Music Festival as the original members of LaBelle, Angie Stone, Chrisette Michele, Ledisi and more come together for a stellar celebration of a voice that is timeless.”
Previously announced Essence Music Festival performers throughout the July 4th weekend include Rihanna, Kanye West, Mary J. Blige, Chris Rock, Keyshia Cole, Chris Brown, Jill Scott, Morris Day and The Time and Maze featuring Frankie Beverly.
Tickets for the evening concerts are on sale at ticketmaster.com or (800) 488-5252. To find performance dates for your favorite artists, hotel accommodations, ticket prices, weekly promotions and volunteer opportunities for the 2008 Essence Music Festival log on to www.essence.com/emf.
MABLEAN EPHRIAM PREPARES TO HONOR FATHERS: Donnie McClurkin, Loretta Devine, Taraji Henson set to appear at annual luncheon in L.A.
*Loretta Devine, Taraji Henson and Denzel Whitaker are among the stars booked to join Judge Mablean Ephriam on June 15 in Los Angeles to salute fathers at her annual Honoring Unsung Fathers (H.U.F.) Awards and Scholarship Brunch.
The noon event is scheduled to take place at the Marriott Hotel (333 South Figueroa St.) and feature an awards program and brunch followed by a concert including performances by gospel artist Donnie McClurkin and BET’s "Sunday Best" runner-up Shari Addison.
Also scheduled to perform are jazz singer Phyllis Battle (formerly of the 5th Dimension) and music director, Cornelius Mims & Band. Comedian Michael Colyar and KJLH radio personality Delores Thompson will serve as co-emcees.
A total of five awards will be presented during the brunch program to a single father (Solo Warrior), married father (Love Cares), divorced father (Fatherhood Forever), non-biological father (Village Dad) and a senior father (Living Legacy).
The foundation will also present five scholarships to students from the Greater Los Angeles Area. Three will be awarded to 2008 high school graduates and two to continuing college students between the ages of 19-35 who quit college, but have now returned.
“I am so grateful for the opportunity to extend love to these remarkable men and dispel the myth that fathers are not nurturers as well as providers,” says Judge Mablean.
For more information regarding nomination application, purchasing tickets and vendor or sponsorship opportunities visit Web site: www.hufawards.com; email: efromfoundation@aol.com or call (323) 445-6669.
ALICIA KEYS OPENS UP TO 'SEVENTEEN': Artist says she's more willing to 'embrace the many sides of myself.'
*The New York Post's Page Six is reporting that Alicia Keys gave folks the silent treatment at a recent Seventeen magazine photo shoot in Paris – but it was only to protect her vocal chords for a concert later that night.
"She did not speak the entire time," the column quotes of a source.
"She whispered a bit, but while the music was blasting, she'd just move her lips along with the words."
A rep for Keys said, "We had her on strict vocal rest for her performances, which was the right thing to do."
In her "Seventeen" interview, Keys says she's having fun exploring all of the nooks and crannies of her personality.
"I think at one time I was so bent on being just one way that I didn't allow myself to explore the many ways I can be or express myself,"
Keys, 28, tells the magazine's June issue. "I've learned to embrace the many sides of myself. And there are so many sides to who I am."
MICHELLE WILLIAMS STILL LOOKING FOR LOVE: Destiny's Child says her dating life is 'so unfortunate.'
*She's had success in music and on Broadway, but singer-actress Michelle Williams hasn't been quite as blessed when it comes to dating. The former Destiny's Child member calls her situation with men "so unfortunate."
"I haven't had any luck this year," she told People magazine Thursday night at a benefit for the Jazz Foundation of America at the famed Apollo Theater in New York City. "It's been a couple years since I've been in a really serious relationship. Every now and then, you might think you're coming up on a winner, and then it doesn't work out."
Williams, meanwhile, has been keeping busy on the professional front with the recording of her first solo R&B album "Unexpected," due in August.
Still, the 27-year-old singer is hoping that her hectic career won't delay goals in her personal life.
She says: "It's like, am I now falling in that percentage of women who could possibly be single for the rest of their life because of their career or what they do? And I don't want that."
ITTY BITTY BITS: Griffin served; Perrineau's newborn; The Rock's divorce; Death Row auction; Anthony's fatherhood; new CRUNK drink; Heart & Soul magazine.
*Comedian Eddie Griffin was reportedly served with court papers while he was on stage in the middle of a stand-up routine. According to TMZ.com, the actor was performing at a comedy club in Agoura Hills, Calif. on Friday (May 30) when a process server handed him documents on the stage.Griffin reportedly took it in stride and even incorporated the material into his act. As previously reported, a production manager on one of Griffin's shows sued him for assault.
*"Lost" star Harold Perrineau and his wife, Brittany, have welcomed a new baby girl, People magazine reported. The couple's second child, Wynter Aria, was born May 7 in Los Angeles. "Mom and baby are doing fine, along with dad and big sister," according to a statement released Friday.
*Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's is now officially divorced from his wife, Dany Garcia. According to TMZ.com, their agreement calls for both sides to provide monthly payments of $5,000 into a trust fund to be used towards a private school, college education and other living expenses for their 7-year-old daughter, Simone. Her parents will share custody and both agreed to waive their right to alimony, though The Rock will pay $22,454/month in child support. Garcia, a financial adviser, reportedly made $700,000 in 2007.
*A judge has ordered Death Row's assets to be auctioned off on June 24, reports TMZ.com. The financially-strapped label, under head Suge Knight, filed for bankruptcy in 2006. The minimum starting bid is reportedly $24 million. Included with the label are masters of various tracks by Tupac Shakur, Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre and others.
*Marc Anthony told The Billy Bush Show that he and his wife Jennifer Lopez are getting along just fine with their three-month-old twins Max and Emme. "She's such an amazing mom and I'm so proud of her. She's such a gem to watch," the singer said Thursday, noting that the babies are being cared for without the help of a nanny. "It's just us, man. We're figuring it out and having a great time," he said. "She expects me to help and she makes no bones about it. I get the late shift. I get literally from 10 on because we don't have a nanny. It's just me and Jennifer figuring it out. From 10 p.m.
to 8 [a.m.], that's my shift."
*CRUNK!!! Energy Drink this month launches a new lemon-lime citrus flavor and new yellow and green can. “With the continuing popularity of the pomegranate flavor CRUNK!!!, we are thrilled to be introducing CRUNK!!! Citrus to the market this summer,” says Tom Mahlke, President and CEO. Since January, the product has added Los Angeles, North Carolina, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Tennessee; and the expansion will continue through the summer. First launched in 2004 by Lil Jon and beverage industry mogul Sidney Frank, CRUNK!!! Energy Drink is "designed to deliver mental and physical vitality while supporting the immune system."
Heart & Soul, a health and fitness magazine for African-American women, features "Ugly Betty" star Vanessa Williams on the cover of its new June/July issue. The actress shares her secrets on keeping mind and body strong via healthy eating and fitness training, including a new exercise - pole dancing. Also featured is an interview with singer Will Downing, who discusses his ongoing battle with the autoimmune disease polymyositis. Now on newsstands, the June/July issue also includes expert-driven updates on health, fitness, nutrition, fiscal management and overall positive living.
POLL: 47% WANT MICH. GOV. TO REMOVE KILPATRICK: Rep for Detroit mayor says only poll that matters is on Election Day.
*A statewide poll in Michigan has found 47 percent of respondents say Gov. Jennifer Granholm should remove Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick from office for misconduct related to his text-messaging sex scandal.
The poll also found 84 percent of respondents said Kilpatrick should resign, according to the Associated Press.
Granholm is reviewing a request from Detroit City Council asking her to remove Kilpatrick, a fellow Democrat, from office. The mayor has said he won't resign as he fights criminal charges stemming from the scandal.
Kilpatrick spokesman James Canning said the polling doesn't matter. "The only poll that matters is the one Detroiters take when they step into the voting booth on Election Day," Canning said in a statement. "All other polls taken prior to Election Day only serve as fodder for so-called pundits."
Earlier this month, the city council approved asking Granholm to remove Kilpatrick. State law allows the governor to remove an elected official for a number of reasons, including when an officeholder has been guilty of official misconduct.
Kilpatrick and former Chief of Staff Christine Beatty face a Sept. 22 preliminary examination on perjury, misconduct in office and obstruction of justice charges stemming from testimony during a whistle-blowers' trial when Kilpatrick and Beatty denied having a romantic relationship.
They were charged March 24 by Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy. Kilpatrick and Beatty also are accused of lying under oath about their roles in the firing of a top police official.
EUR FIM REVIEW: Sex and the City
Ballyhooed HBO Series Brought to Screen as a Bloated Blabfest Strictly for Loyal Fan Base
Film Review by Kam Williams
*Since I was never swept up into any of the hysteria surrounding Sex and the City during its six-season run on HBO, this big screen adaptation had to serve as my introduction to the adult-oriented sitcom.
As someone only casually familiar with the franchise, I anticipated seeing a sophisticated romantic romp revolving around four best friends who candidly confide in each other about the state of their love relationships.
But what I found instead was a bloated blabfest featuring a few of the most shallow, middle-aged females imaginable, immature material girls commenting about men, money, baubles and designer clothes in a flip and superficial manner.
When not celebrating conspicuous consumption and the acquisition of status symbols, the film resorts to the sort of comic relief one would ordinarily associate with a typical raunchy teensploit: fart sound effects, poop and pubic hair jokes, a running-gag about a pet in heat, and the current romantic comedy rage, the gratuitous unveiling of male genitalia (ala Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Harold & Kumar 2, et al).
While this much-ballyhooed film version failed to measure up to my expectations, that doesn’t necessarily mean that the TV series’ devoted fans are likely to be as disappointed. Afterall, the picture is essentially an extended episode reuniting the original cast members and placing their characters in plausible predicaments based on their personalities and the passage of time since the show went on hiatus.
Once we get past the opening credits, the NYC-situated saga proceeds to embroil each of the leading ladies in a personal emotional drama. The primary plotline finds narrator Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) and John James Preston, aka Mr. Big (Chris Noth) finally agreeing to marry after having dated off and on for ten years. She then calls gal pal Samantha (Kim Catrall) to share her “big decision,” when the lamebrained bimbo guesses, “You finally got Botox.”
We subsequently learn that sexaholic Samantha, the most promiscuous of the clique, has settled down in L.A. with her neglectful boy-toy, Smith (Jason Lewis), a waiter-turned-Hollywood actor. Her crisis arrives when she finds herself attracted to Dante (Gilles Marini), a tall, dark and handsome hunk next-door with an equally-overactive libido. Will substituting food stifle the carnality she craves, or will that simply pack on poundage?
Meanwhile, back in the Big Apple, Miranda (Cynthia Hobbes), a career-oriented attorney with a five year-old son (Joseph Pupo), has been too busy to notice that she and her husband, Steve (David Eigenberg), haven’t slept together in six months. After he makes an admission of infidelity, she is forced to wrestle with whether she wants to work on or simply abandon the marriage.
The last of the interlocking plotlines involves the disruption of Charlotte’s (Kristin Davis) practically-perfect family life by an unplanned pregnancy. For she and hubby Harry (Evan Handler) had already adopted a Chinese orphan (Alexandra and Parker Fong) after she suffered a miscarriage.
It feels like forever by the time this 2½ hour soap opera ties all these assorted loose ends together, especially given that the dialogue is laced with annoying lines like, “It was the best money I ever spent” from spoiled rotten Carrie about buying a Louis Vuitton. On another occasion, Miranda complains that she can’t get a 917 area code for her new cell phone number, after she narcissisticly threw the last one in the ocean in a fit of rage.
Unfortunately, the supporting cast isn’t any more endearing, starting with Jennifer Hudson who plays best-selling writer Carrie’s just-hired assistant, Louise. The Oscar-winner (for Dreamgirls) isn’t given much to do here other than to look relatively frumpy while gushing over her fashion plate boss’ great taste and generosity. Meanwhile, Mario Cantone camps it up as Anthony, a gay wedding planner who seizes on any excuse to steal a scene like a flamboyant queen.
An estrogen-fueled salute to the virtues of excess, if that’s your Gucci bag.
Fair (1 star)
Rated R for profanity, sexuality and graphic nudity.
Running time: 142 minutes
Studi New Line Cinema
EUR MOTIVATIONAL NOTE
"All who have accomplished great things have had a great aim, have fixed their gaze on a goal which was high, one which sometimes seemed impossible." — Orison Swett Marden
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
June 2: Singer William Guest with Gladys Knight and the Pips is 67. Actor Dennis Haysbert ("24") is 54. Rapper B-Real of Cypress Hill is 38. Comedian Wayne Brady is 36. Actor Deon Richmond ("Van Wilder," "Scream 3") is 30.
WEBSITE OF THE WEEK
Ledge Magazine is the nation's premiere HIV/AIDS awareness and lifestyle publication written by and for today's Black college students. For more visit www.LedgeMagazine.com.
Submit your favorite Web site to us along with a 15-20 word (or less) description to info@eurweb.com.
BLACK HISTORY
June 2, 1899: Black Americans observed day of fasting called by National Afro-American Council to protest lynching and racial massacres. (Source: www.BlackFacts.com)
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