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06-09-08 EUR ALL ON ONE PAGE
CLINTON OFFICIALLY SUSPENDS CAMPAIGN: New York senator endorses Barack Obama, calls for party unity.
*Sen. Hillary Clinton officially stepped to the side of the presidential campaign Saturday and gave her official endorsement to Sen.
Barack Obama, the party's presumptive presidential nominee.
"I endorse him and throw my full support behind him," said the former first lady of her one-time rival during a speech in front of enthusiastic supporters at the National Building Museum in Washington.
Clinton called for unity that emphasized the cultural and political milestones that she and Obama, the first African American to secure a presidential nomination, represent.
"Children today will grow up taking for granted that an African-American or a woman can, yes, become the president of the United States," she said.
Attempting to heal the rift in the party - one that separated Democrats in part by class, by gender and by race, Clinton said: "The way to continue our fight now to accomplish the goals for which we stand is to take our energy, our passion, our strength and do all we can to help elect Barack Obama, the next president of the United States."
"Today as I suspend my campaign, I congratulate him on the victory he has won and the extraordinary race he has run. I endorse him and throw my full support behind him and I ask of you to join me in working as hard for Barack Obama as you have for me," the New York senator said in her 28-minute address. Loud boos were heard amidst the cheers and applause from the crowd.
Obama, according to his aides, watched Clinton's speech live on the Internet from his home base in Chicago, where he spent the weekend. He released a statement saying he was "thrilled and honored" to have Clinton's support.
"I honor her today for the valiant and historic campaign she has run," he said. "She shattered barriers on behalf of my daughters and women everywhere, who now know that there are no limits to their dreams. And she inspired millions with her strength, courage and unyielding commitment to the cause of working Americans."
Obama's campaign immediately posted a photo of Sen. Clinton on its Web site and urged supporters to send her a message of thanks. Likewise, Clinton's Web site thanked her backers.
"Support Senator Obama today," her Web page said. "Sign up now and together we can write the next chapter in America's story."
Meanwhile, the Republican National Committee jumped into the headlines Friday with the launch of a "Clinton vs. Obama" page that lists her many criticisms of the Illinois senator's campaign. President Bush, however, praised the symbolism of the 2008 field.
"I thought it was a really good statement, powerful moment when a major political party nominates an African-American man to be their standard bearer," he said in an interview Friday with an Italian journalist. "And it's good for our democracy that that happened. And we also had a major contender being a woman. Obviously Hillary Clinton was a major contender. So I think it's a good sign for American democracy."
Immediately upon completion of Clinton's speech, some of her nearly 300 superdelegates released statements announcing they now back Obama. The switchers included Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm, Maryland Sen. Barbara Mikulski and Maine Gov. John Baldacci.
EASTWOOD SAYS SPIKE SHOULD 'SHUT HIS FACE': Dirty Harry responds to director's whitewash criticism; Spike fires back, calling him 'angry old man.'
*Clint Eastwood and Spike Lee are officially in a public spat over the omission of African American soldiers in two of Eastwood's critically-acclaimed movies about World War II.
As previously reported, Lee fired the first shot last month at the Cannes Film Festival, accusing Eastwood of leaving black soldiers out of his Iwo Jima-themed films "Flags of Our Fathers" and "Letters From Iwo Jima."
Lee was in Cannes to promote his own WWII film, "Miracle at St Anna,"
about an all-black U.S. unit stationed in Italy. He told reporters that a group of black soldiers was present on Iwo Jima during the war, but none were shown in Eastwood's work.
In British newspaper The Guardian, Eastwood hit back at the "Malcolm X" director, stating, "Has he ever studied the history?"
Regarding "Flags of Our Fathers," Eastwood admits a small detachment of black troops did exist on Iwo Jima as a part of a munitions company, "but they didn't raise the flag. The story is 'Flags of Our Fathers,' the famous flag-raising picture, and they didn't do that. If I go ahead and put an African-American actor in there, people'd go, 'This guy's lost his mind.' I mean, it's not accurate."
He said further of Lee: "He was complaining when I did 'Bird' [the 1988 biopic of Charlie Parker]. Why would a white guy be doing that? I was the only guy who made it, that's why. He could have gone ahead and made it.
Instead he was making something else."
Eastwood also said Lee will likely have a problem with his next film "Changeling," which is set in Los Angeles during the Depression, before the city's make-up was changed by the large black influx.
"What are you going to do, you gonna tell a f**king story about that?" he growls. "Make it look like a commercial for an equal opportunity player? I'm not in that game. I'm playing it the way I read it historically, and that's the way it is. When I do a picture and it's 90% black, like 'Bird,' I use 90% black people."
The Guardian said he then took a breath and said of Lee: "A guy like him should shut his face."
Spike immediately responded to Eastwood's statements, saying: "First of all, the man is not my father and we're not on a plantation either... I didn't personally attack him, and a comment like 'a guy like that should shut his face...' Come on, Clint, come on. He sounds like an angry old man.
"If he wishes, I could assemble African-American men who fought at Iwo Jima and I'd like him to tell these guys that what they did was insignificant and they did not exist.
"I'm not making this up. I know history. I'm a student of history. And I know the history of Hollywood and its omission of the one million African-American men and women who contributed to World War II."
REALITY SHOW PUNKS CHRIS ROCK IN SOUTH AFRICA: But are false accusations of sex with a minor funny?
*Chris Rock was the victim of an elaborate hoax in South Africa recently when he was accused of having sexual relations with a British minor, reported Agence France-Presse.
Rock was in South Africa as part of his "No Apologies" comedy tour when he was told he'd be arrested for the sexual assault of an underage British girl.
"It was a hoax, it was for one of the U.S. reality television programs," National Prosecuting Authority spokesman Tlali Tlali told AFP. "They pulled one on him, information got to him that the South African Police Service was going to arrest him. Acting on that information he quickly approached lawyers who brought an urgent application at the Johannesburg High Court where judgment was in his favor."
A fake prosecutor, a cast member of the unnamed television show, appeared in court Monday urging that Rock be arrested and jailed, however the judge ruled he could not be detained without a proper warrant.
"This one went far, it must have been organized quite carefully," said Tlali, who said when prosecutors realized the following day it was a prank there were mixed reactions with some finding it humorous and others slamming it as a waste of time.
HOLYFIELD DENIES BEING BROKE: Former boxer responds to foreclosure and child support headlines.
*Evander Holyfield says his 109-room estate in Fairburn, GA is no longer up for foreclosure, and the mother of one of his 11 children falsely accused him of skipping child support payments only to embarrass him.
"I'm not broke. I'm just not liquid," Holyfield told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Friday. "I do feel kind of sad because things have always been positive and now everybody wants to jump on me like I'm the worst person in the world and I went out and blew all my money."
The former heavyweight boxing champ was responding to a foreclosure notice that appeared in Wednesday's Fayette Daily News. Lien holder Washington Mutual, demanding full repayment of a $10 million loan, had scheduled an auction on July 1.
According to the Journal-Constitution, a law firm representing Holyfield's lending company confirmed Friday that the estate - as of Thursday - was no longer up for auction. He declined to comment further. Holyfield, too, would not elaborate, except to say "everything is alright with the house now."
The 9-year-old home, worth an estimated $20 million, sits at the end of Evander Holyfield Highway and has a bowling alley and movie theater. According to the Journal-Constitution, the ex champ has taken out two additional mortgages totaling more than $5 million.
Meanwhile, there were also headlines last week that Toi Irvin, mother of Holyfield's 10-year-old son Evan, filed a petition for contempt in Fayette Superior Court, claiming the "Real Deal" is behind on his child support payments.
"I would've liked to have seen him take care of his child support obligations before worrying about his house," said Irvin's attorney Randy Kessler, who expects a court date to be scheduled within 30 days. "If he hasn't made the proper arrangements by then, we'll ask that he be incarcerated."
Regarding the delinquent child support accusations, Holyfield said Friday: "Never -- I would never do something like that. That's been a consistency in my whole life. I have always taken care of my children. It's just one of the mothers who's saying something because she thinks it will embarrass me. I just have to roll with the punches in this situation."
Added to that situation, Holyfield also is being sued by a Utah consulting company for failing to repay a $550,000 loan. The lawsuit, filed last month in U.S. District Court in Salt Lake City, alleges Holyfield borrowed the funds to pay for landscaping on his estate. Holyfield would not comment Friday on the loan.
IS DEF JAM GIVING UP ON JANET'S 'DISCIPLINE': SOHH blog says singer has 'stopped all promotion.'
*SOHH.com's "Sohh Soulful" blog is claiming that Def Jam has stopped promoting Janet Jackson's latest album "Discipline" and has no plans to release any other singles from the project - despite the launch of her tour in September.
When the blogger asked Janet what the next single from "Discipline" would be, the superstar replied: "That's pretty difficult to say, only because of the record label at this point. We started off with 'Feedback' and the label and myself haven't quite seen eye to eye since the 'Feedback' single so they've kind of basically stopped all promotion.
"I'm trying to figure out a way to say this, but just to say it and to be quite honest, they just stopped all promotion whatsoever on the album so I don't think you're going to hear another single off this album."
SUPERHEAD SAYS DARIUS MCCRARY ASSAULTED HER: Video vixen files report after incident on L.A. street.
*Karrine "Superhead" Steffans, the self-proclaimed video vixen whose books celebrate her sexual exploits with famous men, is accusing her latest conquest of turning violent in the middle of a Los Angeles street.
According to TMZ.com, the author filed a police report claiming her boyfriend, actor Darius McCrary nearly ran her over with his car on Thursday (June 5) near Universal Studios.
Steffans says the incident took place after she kicked McCrary out for not pulling his weight around the house. Her son then "had an emotional breakdown" after not seeing McCrary for several days, so Steffans says she went to find her ex -- to talk.
She claims he was calm at first, but then became irate, getting into his car on the corner of Barham and Cahuenga, backing towards her and hitting her. McCrary then sped off, running over her foot, she says. She filed a police report hours later, and says she's in the process of obtaining a restraining order.
Apparently, McCrary has a pattern. In August of 2007, Steffans filed a police report claiming the "Family Matters" veteran choked her "til she passed out." The case went to the L.A. City Attorney, but was dropped after Karrine admits she lied to protect McCrary. "I didn't want him going to prison," she told TMZ, "so I told them I was drunk and didn't remember what happened."
FLOYD MAYWEATHER JR. RETIRES FROM BOXING, AGAIN: Undefeated boxer says he's lost the desire to keep going.
*Unbeaten welterweight Floyd Mayweather Jr. (39-0, 25 KOs) said Friday that he will again retire from boxing because no longer has the passion necessary to fight.
Mayweather, an Olympic bronze medalist who owns belts in five different weight classes, made the abrupt announcement in a letter to select media members Friday, reports the Associated Press.
"This decision was not an easy one for me to make, as boxing is all I have done since I was a child," said Mayweather, 31. "However, these past few years have been extremely difficult for me to find the desire and joy to continue in the sport."
The WBC welterweight champ's last fight was a victorious battle against Ricky Hatton last December. He was widely expected to take on Oscar De La Hoya in September in a rematch of the richest fight in boxing history.
"I loved competing and winning and also wanted to continue my career for the fans, knowing they were there for me and enjoyed watching me fight," Mayweather said. "However, after many sleepless nights and intense soul-searching, I realized I could no longer base my decision on anything but my own personal happiness, which I no longer could find."
Mayweather gave no indication of what he plans to do next, though it probably involves increasing his fame. He gained a broader measure of fans through two short-run reality shows on HBO leading up to his last two fights, detailing the wacky family dynamics of the Mayweather clan.
In the past year alone, he has appeared on "Dancing With the Stars," worked on his record label, served as the honorary starter at the Indianapolis 500 and entered the wrestling ring for a choreographed tussle with the 440-pound "Big Show" at WrestleMania in Orlando, winning that bout with a set of brass knuckles.
LIL WAYNE WON'T SUE OVER LEAKS: Cash Money says lawsuit against mixtape king DJ Empire 'isn't worth it.'
*Lil Wayne's record company announced they would not take legal action against DJ Empire, who released a four-part mixtape series of the rapper's leaked material.
Last week, the artist put the DJ and entire mixtape industry on blast for taking money out of his pocket, but the head of his label, Cash Money's Ron "Slim" Williams, tells Billboard: "It'll cost more for me to sue him and it's not worth it."
Instead, Williams says Cash Money is negotiating with DJ Empire.
"Wayne has spoken to him, so I don't know what's going on with that," says Williams. "I think Empire said he has more music to put out. Most DJs are just local, so they're not making that much money anyway."
For his part, DJ Empire told XXL this week that Wayne was aware of his multi-part "The Drought Is Over" mixtape series, and even participated in one, so he doesn't understand the attack.
Wayne's "Tha Carter III" album is due out tomorrow (June 10). A video for the next single, "Got Money" featuring T-Pain, will be shot within the next two weeks, according to Williams. The track is already No. 13 on the Hot 100.
Wayne will sell downloads of his Universal Motown album directly to fans via his Web site, social network pages and official blog using the Musicane widget -- a viral player with embedded commerce capability. The Musicane widget will be posted on all of his official sites offering fans a chance to buy the entire album and/or individual songs directly from his page. See the Musicane widget on Lil Wayne's website www.lilwayne-online.com
F. GARY GRAY BEHIND 2ND GAYE BIOPIC: Film will rival James Gandolfini-produced film starring Jesse L. Martin.
*Two Marvin Gaye biopics are now on Hollywood's front burner. F. Gary Gray will direct "Marvin" for co-producer David Foster, while "Law & Order" veteran Jesse L. Martin toplines the previously-announced "Sexual Healing" for producer James Gandolfini.
"Marvin" will be written by "Blood Diamond" scribe C. Gaby Mitchell and focus on Gaye's entire life, from his emergence at Motown through his defiance of Motown head Berry Gordy to record "What's Goin' On" and on up to his death.
"This is my passion project, the one that I wake up every day thinking about," Gray told Daily Variety. "I'm going to tell a truthful story, and there is no shortage of drama and extreme conflict in a relationship with his father that at its core is Shakespearean and tragic.
"This isn't the average biopic of a rock star wrestling with drugs and women, but a man whose musical awakening became a call to action that questioned critical issues like a costly foreign war, recession, environment, inequality -- issues that are relevant now."
Foster and co-producer Duncan McGillivray will this week shop to studios and financiers a package that includes the complete music rights to Gaye's catalog. The plan is for the film's lead actor to lip synch Gaye's recordings.
"My mantra was, no music, no movie," said McGillivray, who secured the music rights. "But to me, the core story is a man who spent his whole life trying to justify and prove himself to a father who beat him down physically and later mentally. His father was a cross-dressing, alcoholic Baptist minister who was let off the hook for shooting his son."
Meanwhile, the Jesse L. Martin-led "Sexual Healing" will focus on the singer's declining years, because the filmmakers have rights to use songs only from his post-Motown career. That film, reportedly scheduled to start last month in Europe, has not begun production.
FORENSIC EXPERT DENIES MOLE IN KELLY TRIAL: Video analysis veteran says black mark on back of man in sex tape is from footage distortion.
*A forensic expert testified Thursday at R. Kelly's child pornography trial that a mark seen on the lower back of the man in the sex tape at the center of the case was not a mole but video distortion.
According to Reuters, video analysis expert Charles Palm testified for the defense that the black mark appears - and disappears - because the video has been duplicated so many times.
The prosecution's forensic expert, Grant Fredericks, said the mark just above the man's waistline appeared to be a mole. He compared freeze frames of the man's back with 2002 police photos of Kelly's back, concluding the spots were in the exact same position.
Palm disagreed Thursday.
"I see a black mark but it doesn't appear to be a mole," Palm said.
Kelly, 41, is charged with allegedly videotaping himself having sex with a female who prosecutors say was as young as 13. He has pleaded not guilty and faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted. Both Kelly and the alleged victim, who is now 23, deny it's them in the video.
Palm disagreed with Fredericks and another prosecution witness who also testified that digitally altering the nearly half-hour video - 100,000 frames on the entire footage - would be practically impossible, requiring that someone go through each frame to calibrate everything from shadows to blinks of an eye so that they all move in perfect sync.
Palm testified that a video such as this could be altered in a mere months. To support his point, he showed jurors footage of the sex tape that he manipulated. In it, images of the male and female fade in and out against the tape's distinctive log-cabin background.
"I created most of that over a couple of spare hours," he said, adding that the video editing software he used was available between 1998 and 2000-when authorities say the tape was made.
On cross-examination Palm acknowledged that the tape shown by prosecutors during opening statements did not appear to be manipulated, but he said the picture quality was too degraded for him to be sure.
SAMUEL L. SIGNS DEAL WITH CBS/PARAMOUNT TV: Eye network gives actor two-year first look agreement.
*Samuel L. Jackson has signed a two-year, first look deal with CBS Paramount Network TV that calls for the actor to develop and executive produce projects for the studio through his Uppity Films banner.
The film star will also keep the door open to appear in any of the projects he develops, in the vein of Salma Hayek's arc on ABC's "Ugly Betty," which she executive produces.
"Samuel Jackson is not only a fan of television but a really astute historian who knows it well," CBS Paramount president David Stapf tells the Hollywood Reporter.
Jackson's only previous stint as a television producer is with Spike TV's animated series "Afro Samurai," which is returning this fall. His recent movie credits include "Jumper" and "1408."
TODD BRIDGES TO WRESTLE WITH CMT: Actor joins Dennis Rodman and other celebs for new reality show.
*Todd Bridges and Dennis Rodman will hit the mat with other semi-famous faces for the new CMT wrestling show ""Hulk Hogan's Celebrity Championship Wrestling."
Danny Bonaduce, Dustin "Screech" Diamond super-heavyweight boxer ButterBean and Trishelle Cannatella from MTV's "The Real World" are among the other participants who have joined the series.
They'll compete in various challenges - including mastering complex wrestling moves, talking smack and working the crowd - to be named "Celebrity All-Star Wrestling Champion."
Rounding out the cast are Erin Murphy (Tabitha Stephens on "Bewitched"), Frank Stallone, '80s pop star Tiffany and Playboy playmate Nikki Ziering. Production on the eight-episode series is under way in Los Angeles for a fall premiere.
JIMMY SMITS JOINS CAST OF SHOWTIME'S 'DEXTER': Actor to play assistant district attorney who teams with show's star to track serial killer.
*The upcoming third season of Showtime's critically-acclaimed series "Dexter" will include former "NYPD Blue" standout Jimmy Smits.
According to trade reports, the veteran actor will play Miguel Prado, an ambitious, charismatic assistant district attorney who comes from one of Miami's most politically powerful and beloved families.
Prado, who has risen in the ranks because of his aggressive stance against crime, will work on a difficult murder case with Dexter (Michael C. Hall), a blood-spatter expert for the Miami Police Department who moonlights as a vigilante serial killer. They'll join forces in the pursuit of a murderer who affects both of their lives directly.
Smits will be featured in 10 of the third season's 12 episodes. He most recently starred in the short-lived CBS family drama "Cane."
VIN DIESEL WELCOMES A DAUGHTER: Actor's girlfriend delivers their first child in April.
*Actor Vin Diesel and his girlfriend, Mexican model Paloma Jimenez, welcomed a baby girl in Los Angeles on April 2, Diesel's rep Meredith O'Sullivan announced in an e-mail.
The little Dieselette is the couple's first child together.
O'Sullivan said the action star wasn't releasing the baby's name.
Her 40-year-old daddy returns to theaters Aug. 29 in futuristic sci-fi thriller "Babylon A.D." He's also shooting a fourth film in "The Fast and the Furious" franchise.
Titled "Fast and Furious," the movie is a sequel to the first and second films, but a prequel to the third, 2006's "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift."
"Fast and Furious" is scheduled for release in mid-2009.
PRODIGY RELEASES VIDEO EN ESPANOL: Incarcerated rapper uses language conversion software for Spanish version of 'The Life."
*Rapper Prodigy, currently serving a three-year prison sentence for gun possession, has decided to release a Spanish-language video for his current single, "The Life," and a full Spanish-language album titled "H.N.I.C. Pt. Dos."
The member of duo Mobb Deep will use Voxonic's Voice Conversion Technology, a software that converts recorded voice samples into different languages in the original voice, reports Billboard.biz.
The Spanish version of "The Life" is set to appear on "H.N.I.C. Pt. 2: The DVD Collection," which will be available in stores July 8. The album "H.N.I.C. Pt. Dos" is due in September via Voxonic Music, the record label adjacent to the software.
Voxonic president Ari Deutsch told Billboard.biz: "I've always been a big fan of Mobb Deep, and he just happened to be available when I was looking to sign someone to Voxonic Music. I'm thrilled and couldn't be happier that our first commercial release was Prodigy."
Voxonic is a technology that recreates voice samples by using voice prints. An actual human translator does the vocals, which are eventually mashed up with the recreated voice print.
T-PAIN UNVEILS FIRST ARTIST ON HIS DIGITAL LABEL: Tay Dizm's 'Beam Me Up' hit the Internet on May 30.
*T-Pain has chosen Miami rapper Tay Dizm as the first official release from his digital label, Nappy Boy, reports Billboard.
Dizm's debut single, "Beam Me Up" featuring T-Pain and Rick Ross, was pushed onto iTunes May 30 without significant promotion and managed to sell 4,000 downloads, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
"It's been tearing up the Internet," T-Pain tells Billboard. "A producer named Bangladash produced the song, not me, because I don't want my artist's LP to sound like a another T-Pain album."
Nappy Boy's other artists include Young Cash, an MC from Jacksonville, Fla., Sophia Fresh, a female R&B group from Houston that Pain describes as a contemporary TLC, and R&B singer Jay Lyriq from Tallahassee, Fla.
Though Nappy Boy is strictly digital, T-Pain says he plans to eventually release physical product through the label.
"Right now they still represent 45% of album sales, so we won't ignore it," he says. "But in three or four years, there won't be anymore records stores, so we'll be ready."
T-Pain says Nappy Boy will work "Beam Me Up" to radio next month and shoot a video soon. "We'll work it mainly through iTunes, digital downloads and blogs," says T-Pain. "Now, we're just finishing up his album so we can release it third quarter."
BOB DYLAN OUT OF SECLUSION TO BACK OBAMA: Folk icon says presidential nominee is "redefining the nature of politics from the ground up."
*Bob Dylan, whose 1964 anthem "The Times They are a-Changin'" came to symbolize his generation's social struggle against the establishment, says presidential nominee and "change" proponent Barack Obama is inspiring the same movement in 2008.
In an exclusive interview with London's Times, Dylan gives a ringing endorsement to the first ever black presidential candidate, claiming he is "redefining the nature of politics from the ground up."
"He's redefining what a politician is, so we'll have to see how things play out," said Dylan, 67. "Am I hopeful? Yes, I'm hopeful that things might change. Some things are going to have to." He added: "You should always take the best from the past, leave the worst back there and go forward into the future."
Memorable lines from Dylan's "The Times They are a-Changin'"
included: "Come senators, congressmen, please heed the call. Don't stand in the doorway, don't block up the hall," and: "Come mothers and fathers throughout the land, and don't criticize what you can't understand. Your sons and your daughters are beyond your command. Your old road is rapidly agin'."
JUNETEENTH EVENT IN MISSOURI CITY, TX: Celebration begins today to commemorate announcement of emancipation in Texas.
*Dubbed the largest Juneteenth commemoration in the nation, the 6th Annual Missouri City Juneteenth Celebration kicks off in Texas today (June
9) and will continue through Saturday, June 14.
The event's host, the Missouri City Juneteenth Celebration Foundation (MCJCF), will welcome 10,000 guests from across the country for the annual event highlighting education as a means to true freedom from poverty, abuse and stagnation in life.
Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the end of slavery in the United States. From its Galveston, Texas, origin in 1865, the observance has spread across the United States and includes celebrants of all nationalities.
Events this year are designed to raise cultural awareness, build character in our youth, and provide wholesome entertainment for the entire family, regardless of background or nationality.
6th Annual Missouri City Juneteenth Celebration activities include:
June 9. Celebrity Golf Tournament, Sienna Plantation Golf Club, One Waters Lake Blvd., Missouri City, Texas 77459 June 12 . Freedom Tree Dramatization, Freedom Tree Park, Lake Olympia, 2 Swan Isle Blvd., Missouri City, TX 77459 . Picnic in the Park, Grand Lakes, Lake Olympia . Community Service Awards Dinner featuring Dr. Rod Paige, Sugar Land Marriott Town Square, 16090 City Walk, Sugar Land, TX 77479 June 13 . Director's Dance, Missouri City Civic Center, 1533 Texas Parkway, Missouri City, TX 77459 June 13 & 14 . Houston Rockets Blacktop Battle 3-on-3 Summer Tour, Hunter's Glen Park, 1340 Independence Blvd., Missouri City, TX 77489 . 14 - Juneteenth Festival (arts/crafts, kid, food, health/wellness, business zones), Hunter's Glen Park . 14 - Juneteenth Musical Festival, Hunter's Glen Park . 14 - "One Mile of Smiles" Parade, Texas Parkway, begins at Wells Fargo Bank, 2440 Texas Parkway, Missouri City, Texas 77489 . 14 - Praise 92.1 Spirit of Praise Youth Choir Challenge, Hunter's Glen Park . 14 - Battle of the Bands, Hunter's Glen Park
BO DIDDLEY GIVEN MUSICAL SENDOFF: Hundreds attend funeral for rock-n-roll pioneer.
*Bo Diddley's funeral in Florida Saturday turned out to be a rollicking four-hour celebration of the music pioneer's legacy - which included a signature beat that influenced Buddy Holly, Elvis Presley, the Rolling Stones and many others.
As family members passed by the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer's casket, a gospel band played his namesake song. Several hundred began clapping in time and shouting, "Hey, Bo Diddley!" according to the Associated Press.
"In 1955 he used to keep the crowds rocking and rolling way before Elvis Presley," Diddley's grandson, Garry Mitchell, said before kicking his legs sideways, the way Diddley did onstage. Mourners cheered. "I'm just telling it the way it is," Mitchell said.
Friends spoke about his generosity, manifested in concerts for the homeless and work with youth groups and other charities; and the way he loved to talk to just about anybody he met.
Gainesville Mayor Pegeen Hanrahan referred to one of his most famous hits as she told the crowd, "When the question is asked, 'Who do you love?', it's you, Bo."
Eric Burdon, leader of the rock group The Animals, attended the service, and flowers were sent from musicians including Jerry Lee Lewis, Tom Petty, George Thorogood and others.
Diddley died of heart failure Monday at his home in nearby Archer. He was 79.
MAGAZINE RACK: Uptown's 'Entertainment Issue' features Spike Lee on Obama; Ebony/Jet launches fitness challenge; black music month profiles.
*A special Entertainment Issue of Uptown Magazine, a luxury lifestyle publication targeted at affluent African Americans, arrives on newsstands June 15 with filmmaker Spike Lee's take on the Barack Obama Effect and the historical impact of the country's first African American major party presidential nominee.
The cover story marks Uptown's first illustrated cover and features an interior photo with Obama as Abraham Lincoln, both commissioned by artist Alex Ostroy.
"Do you know how uplifting it's going to be for people of color to have someone who looks like them be President of the United States?" Lee says in the article." It changes everything, and it's not just symbolism."
The Entertainment issue also includes stories Top 35 Rising Stars in Hollywood and Bloggers Behind the Web's Juiciest Sites. The magazine is available by subscription at www.uptownlife.net and on national newsstands, including Hudson News.
*EbonyJet, meanwhile, is encouraging readers to get fit through its new "50 Million Pound Challenge." Patti LaBelle and fitness guru Dr. Ian Smith have teamed with the publications in hopes that readers will drop the pounds, exercise and eat right.
"I know how important it is as a people for us to start eating properly and exercising and just start doing better things for ourselves," LaBelle tells Jet Magazine in its new issue, on stands today (June 9). "I think people look at me because I'm a diabetic and because I'm menopausal and because I have issues and I seem to work them out."
*Throughout June, Jet magazine will also promote profiles of black music artists to complement VH1 Soul's Black Music Month video and documentary programming. Illustrating the impact of music pioneers such as Quincy Jones, Marvin Gaye, James Brown, Issac Hayes and Prince on today's music, Jet's Soul Power campaign will feature podcasts, music reviews, archival slideshows and multimedia.
ITTY BITTY BITS: Barry Bonds enters plea; Keys discusses Egypt; 'Tony Rock Project'; Seal's b'day gift; AADA model call; Luniz' Numskull charged..
*Barry Bonds' trial is scheduled to begin March 2 now that he has pleaded not guilty to 14 charges of making false statements under oath about whether he used performance-enhancing drugs and to one charge of obstruction of justice. The charges against baseball's career home run leader stem from statements he made in 2003 in a federal investigation. Upon entering the courtroom Friday, Bonds leaned over to kiss the hand of his aunt Rosie Bonds Kreidler, his father's sister. She said she was there because her brother, Bobby Bonds, is dead, and she wanted someone from the family to be there to support Barry. The plea was entered by Bonds's lead lawyer, Allen Ruby. Bonds's next court appearance was scheduled for a pretrial hearing Feb. 17.
*Alicia Keys spoke with Reuters about the near meltdown she suffered two years ago, and her trip overseas that helped to clear the cobwebs. "I knew I needed time away, so I went to Egypt for a month -- on my own, which gave it a whole different perspective," she said. "It allowed me to see things I'd never seen before -- all the temples on the Nile, the Pyramids, the history. It was so rich and beautiful and strong, and it inspired me so much, and renewed me."
*MyNetworkTV has officially ordered up "The Tony Rock Project" for fall, reports Variety. The half-hour sketch-comedy show stars Chris Rock's brother doing man-on-the-street interviews and hidden camera segments. The series, airing Wednesday nights, is from producers Langley Prods ("Jail," "Cops") and C to the B Prods. ("Under One Roof"). Both companies already have relationships with the network.
*Seal surprised his wife Heidi Klum by having a brand new gold Bentley Flying Spur delivered to their door in a big red bow, according to gossip blogger Janet Charlton. "Seal drives a silver Bentley of his own and now they have his n' hers gold and silver Bentleys," she wrote. Heidi's version features customized baby seats priced at around $250,000 total.
*African American Designer and Apparel (AADA) Expo is hosting a model search in Atlanta from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday (June 13) and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel. "We are in search of African-American, Asian, Hispanic, Caucasian, etc. models that embody the true style, swagger, edge and 'it' factor that represents the urban lifestyle," AADA says in a statement. Selected models will represent the organization at events throughout the summer as well as AADA fashion showcases at the Expo from October 23-26 in Atlanta. For more info, e-mail aadamodels@gmail.com or visit www.myspace.com/shadesoffashion.
*Rapper Numskull from the duo the Luniz, best known for their hit "I Got 5 on It," was charged with 12 felony counts, according to TMZ.com, including assault, sodomy, corporal injury and possession of a firearm. The offenses appeared in Calif.'s Alameda County Superior Court documents, but no further details were released as of press time. Numskull's real name is Garrick Demond Husbands.
D.C. COPS SET UP CONTROVERSIAL CHECKPOINT: Effort designed to curb gun violence; methods questioned by civil liberties groups.
*Civil liberties groups are keeping a close eye on police in Washington D.C. who are patrolling a vehicle checkpoint set up Saturday in a neighborhood plagued with gun violence.
The checkpoints were announced after eight people were killed in the city last weekend, most in Trinidad - a neighborhood near the National Arboretum in the city's northeast section. Already this year, the district has had 22 killings - one more than in all of last year.
Folks driving through Trinidad are being stopped by police in neon yellow vests and asked for identification. Those who don't have a "legitimate purpose" in the area, such as a church visit or doctor's appointment, were told to make a u-turn and head back.
"Trinidad should not be treated like Baghdad," said Mark Thompson, the leader of the NAACP's local police task force. Thompson was joined Saturday morning by about a dozen activists representing myriad groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union, at the intersection where the checkpoints began in the evening. They warned of legal action if residents' constitutional rights were violated.
"It seems interesting that police are willing to easily cast aside fundamental freedoms for quick-fix, lazy law enforcement tactics," said Johnny Barnes, executive director of the ACLU for the National Capital Area. "We're going to do everything to make sure that the rights of citizens are protected."
Interim D.C. Attorney General Peter Nickles and Mayor Adrian M.
Fenty have insisted that the checkpoints are a legal and necessary step to stop a spike in violence.
"It would be unconscionable, maybe even a dereliction of our duty, for the police chief and I to not do something different, to not turn up the heat," Fenty said.
The checkpoints will be enforced at random hours for at least five days, though it could be extended to 10 days, police said. Officers will search cars only if they observe guns or drugs. Pedestrians will not be affected.
EUR FILM REVIEW: You Don't Mess with the Zohan
Adam Sandler Takes on Terrorism in Raunchy, Shock Comedy
Film Review by Kam Williams
*Although Zohan Dvir (Adam Sandler) is the best counter-terrorism commando in the Israeli army, the national hero doesn't see himself as a career soldier.
Rather, he dreams of the day when his services as a spy will no longer be needed so that he will be free to emigrate to America to open his own beauty salon.
But such a move would definitely disappoint his parents (Dina Doron and Shelley Berman), since his patriotic father is a veteran who served in the '67 War when Israel defeated seven hostile Arab neighbors in six days.
Plus, his folks see hairdressing as a gay profession which might turn their son into a "fagela," a Yiddish slur for gays.
Nonetheless, Zohan's patience runs out when he is asked to track down The Phantom (John Turturro), a Palestinian terrorist he'd already captured previously. However, the maniacal murderer was recently released from jail as part of a prisoner exchange, and he's now back on the streets and up to his old tricks.
Seeing no end in sight to the neverending, millennia-long Arab-Israeli conflict, Zohan fakes his own death and disappears, resurfacing in New York City under an alias as the flamboyant Scrappy Coco. There, he applies for a job as a stylist at a leading salon, but is turned down because of a lack of experience.
Willing to work his way up, Scrappy settles for a position sweeping the floor at a fledgling beauty parlor owned by Dalia (Emmanuelle Chriqui), an apolitical Palestinian who has no idea that her new employee is an AWOL Mossad agent. Meanwhile, Zohan, who passes himself off as half-Australian/half-Tibetan, is equally unaware that his gorgeous boss' brother, Fat-tush, is none other than his militant Muslim nemesis, The Phantom.
So, it's only a matter of time before the truth is revealed and everything has to come to a head in a big showdown. In the interim, alter ego Scrappy takes advantage of any opportunity to make his mark on Manhattan by behaving in the sort of sophomoric fashion we've come to expect of an Adam Sandler. Thus, we have to endure an annoying Israeli accent for the duration while being treated to the supposedly funny sight of him brushing his teeth with hummus, playing hacky sack with a live cat, and making love to his elderly landlady (Lainie Kazan) right in front of her mortified son (Nick Swardson).
Directed by Dennis Dugan (Happy Gilmore), You Don't Mess with the Zohan is a throwback to the sort of sloppily-edited, crude fare which first made Sandler famous. This bawdy insult to the intelligence is likely to resonate only with his rabid fans nostalgic for flashes of that locker room brand of humor, such as the tasteless scene where guys take turns fantasizing about sleeping with Cindy McCain, Michelle Obama, Laura Bush, and both Hillary and Chelsea Clinton.
Thoroughly wasted are the efforts of a supporting cast topped by Rob Schneider, Kevin Nealon and boxing emcee Michael "Let's get ready to rumble!" Buffer, along with "blinked and you missed it" cameos by Chris Rock, John McEnroe, Kevin James, Henry "The Fonz" Winkler, Talia "Yo, Adrian!" Shire, George "Lt. Sulu" Takei, r&b diva Maria Carey, Bruce Vilanch and pop singer Dave Matthews.
To work in all of these extraneous characters, the film ended up surprisingly over-plotted, featuring more distracting sidebars than one might care to keep track of, especially in a comedy going more for the crass joke than a coherent storyline. Afterall, the aim here is to elicit laughs via generous helpings of homophobia, misogyny, animal cruelty, bodily function slapstick and ethnic stereotyping, an 11th hour appeal to tolerance notwithstanding.
Can anybody explain to me how a flick this raunchy earned a PG-13 rating?
Fair (1 star)
Rated PG-13 for nudity, profanity, graphic sexuality and crude humor.
Running time: 113 minutes
Studi Columbia Pictures
EUR MOTIVATIONAL NOTE
“The discipline of writing something down is the first step toward making it happen.” - by Lee Iacocca
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
June 9: Actress Gloria Reuben ("The Agency," "ER") is 44.
WEBSITE OF THE WEEK
WWW.RushmoreDrive.com is a new site designed expressly for the purpose of black/urban search.
Submit your favorite Web site to us along with a 15-20 word (or less) description to info@eurweb.com.
BLACK HISTORY
June 9, 1989: Congressman John Conyers D-Michigan announced a call for a reparations study. (Source: www.BlackFacts.com)
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