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06-22-08 EUR ALL ON ONE PAGE
OBAMA REMARK OFFENDS REP. DIANNE WATSON: CBC meeting has tense moment after senator's comment regarding Hillary supporters.
*Rep. Diane Watson, D-Calif., a longtime supporter of Hillary Clinton, reportedly took offense to a comment made by presumptive Democratic nominee Barack Obama during his recent meeting with members of the Congressional Black Caucus.
Sources told ABC News that during the pow wow on Thursday afternoon, Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, a Clinton supporter, suggested that Obama and his campaign reach out to the millions of women still upset and disappointed that Clinton lost in the primaries.
Obama agreed that the Democratic Party has a ways to go before it can completely heal, and expressed hoped that the Clinton supporters in the room would help as much as possible.
According to Rep. Yvette Clarke, D-N.Y., Obama then said, "However, I need to make a decision in the next few months as to how I manage that since I'm running against John McCain, which takes a lot of time. If women take a moment to realize that on every issue important to women, John McCain is not in their corner, that would help them get over it."
Rep. Watson, reportedly, bristled at his use of the term "get over it," finding the phrase dismissive and off-putting.
"Don't use that terminology," Watson told Obama.
But, not everyone in the room absorbed the comment in the same manner.
"I, personally, as a Hillary supporter, did not take that as something distasteful," Clarke said. "Nothing like that." But, Watson "latched on to those three words," Clarke said.
STAR PROSECUTION WITNESS IN R. KELLY TRIAL SPEAKS: Lisa Van Allen explains relationship with singer; comments on verdict.
*Essence.com sat down recently with Lisa Van Allen, a key witness in the prosecution's child pornography case against R. Kelly.
The jury returned a not guilty verdict on all 14 counts against the R&B star, despite testimony from Van Allen that she participated in sexual threesomes with Kelly and the underage girl at the center of the trial.
Van Allen, now 28, received immunity for her testimony and is speaking to Essence.com about her relationship with Kelly, the sex tape and why she came forward. Below is an excerpt of the Q&A:
Essence.com: What are your feelings about the verdict?
Lisa Van Allen: I'm not surprised. The evidence against him was there, but the case seemed to be going in the defense's favor. I never thought he would actually go to jail, just based on what I've seen happen with celebrities when they get in trouble. I thought he'd get a slap on the wrist, like, "Don't do it again." But I at least wanted him to be held responsible for what he had done.
Essence.com: How did you meet R. Kelly?
Van Allen: I met him in Alpharetta, Georgia, at the "Home Alone" video shoot, probably in '98. I was 17, and he was 31. I was fresh out of high school. My friend's girlfriend was going to the video shoot, and he didn't want her to go by herself. I just tagged along with her and ended up being an extra in it.
Essence.com: So how did you go from being an extra to meeting him personally?
Van Allen: He sent his cousin over to me. This guy told me his cousin wanted to talk to me. I asked him who his cousin was, and he said, "R. Kelly." I said, "Okay," and he arranged for me to be taken back to his trailer. In between the scenes, he came back to the trailer and talked to me. I was very flattered. Out of all the girls at the video shoot, he picked me out of everybody to talk to. We ended up having intercourse.
Essence.com: You had sex with him in the trailer that same day?
Van Allen: Yes. He started with a kiss, and from there we leaned back, and I just didn't stop him. I was kind of worried that he wouldn't want to see me again after that, but I wasn't worried about the actual act at that time because I was just honored that he picked me. Being a young girl, I was like, "Wow." I wasn't thinking as a woman would. Now that I'm older, things are different. I would never go that route today. As a child, you don't make all the right decisions. That's why young girls shouldn't be involved with grown men.
Essence.com: So do you feel like he seduced you?
Van Allen: No, I don't feel like he seduced me. He was just being really nice, and I was basically going along with whatever he wanted to do. We didn't talk about much. He was just asking me my name and how old I was.
When I said my age, he asked me if my mom would let me come to Chicago and visit. I told him, "Yeah."
Essence.com: How did your relationship with R. Kelly evolve from there?
Van Allen: I actually didn't call him for about a month, because I didn't know what to say to him. When I did finally call him, he got straight to the point and said, "When can you come up here?" I visited him maybe twice in Chicago before I moved there. He would tell me, "Don't leave yet; I want to talk to you." I kept missing my flights back home and missed days from my job at the mall. So I ended up quitting my job and moved to Chicago.
Essence.com: Where did you live?
Van Allen: I stayed at the studio the majority of the time, but I also had a hotel room. He was always at the studio. He had closets full of clothes there, a bed, a refrigerator, a big-screen TV, a shower, the whole works.
You would think it was a mini apartment.
Essence.com: Did you feel emotionally connected with him, or was it mostly a sexual relationship?
Van Allen: I thought we were really good friends and were really close. Once I moved up there, we did everything together. He'd be in the studio recording; I'd be there. He'd go to video shoots; I'd be there. He even went to get a colon cleanse, and I went with him. It wasn't only sexual, but sex was a major part.
Essence.com: Was he very controlling when it came to sex?
Van Allen: Yeah. He would always tell you what to do. You'd come into a situation where he'd want to have sex, and he'd coach you through the whole thing. He'd tell you which way to lie, which way to turn, what noises to make, how loud to moan, how to roll your body around. It was weird, but being that I was so young I still didn't know what was the right way to do things sexually. I was still learning. He was a man, so I just followed his lead. I figured he knew more about this stuff, and that this is how it's supposed to go.
Essence.com: One of the more appalling aspects of the tape at the center of the trial is that the man peed on the girl in the video. Is that something R. Kelly did with you?
Van Allen: No, he never asked me to do that. We had never had a conversation about it, and he never tried to do that with me.
Read the rest of Van Allen's interview here:
http://www.essence.com/essence/themix/entertainment/0,16109,1816207,00.html
TYRA TO HATERS – KISS MY 'BOOTYLICIOUS' A**: Talk show host gets personal at Daytime Emmys; Kristoff St. John wins his first grown-up Emmy.
*The 35th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards on Friday started off with a win for Tyra Banks in the category of Outstanding Informative Talk Show, which offered one of the more memorable acceptance speeches of the evening.
"They said that 'The Tyra Banks Show' would last two weeks and we are entering our fourth season this September," she told the crowd gathered at the Kodak Theater in Hollywood. "I just have a message for everybody out
there: When you have a dream, there are going to be so many people out there who tell you you cannot do it, that you are not good enough. And I want you to tell them to kiss your dimply, flat, juicy, bootylicious, skinny, jiggly, saggy, fat ass!"
Kristoff St. John of CBS's "The Young and the Restless" won for Outstanding Supporting Actor, giving the daytime drama three wins overall and the soap star his first Emmy in the adult category. His 1992 win was for Outstanding Younger Actor.
The night's big winners were Ellen DeGeneres, who won her fourth consecutive Emmy for Outstanding Talk Show Host; and Rachel Ray, whose Oprah Winfrey-produced program upset "Ellen" to take the Outstanding Talk Show prize.
Although Winfrey has taken herself out of the running since 1999, her presence at the Daytime Emmys was felt in various forms throughout the ceremony. Banks also said in her acceptance speech: "I want to thank Oprah Winfrey for her inspiration. She is the queen. She will always be the queen."
Also, DeGeneres addressed talk that she should follow in Oprah's footsteps and withdraw her name from contention after winning best talk show host four years in a row.
"I'm not going to take my name out," DeGeneres told reporters backstage. "Oprah has made so many bad choices. Look at her career."
Regis Philbin, a lifetime achievement award recipient Friday, began his acceptance speech by saying: "What a night. Tyra Banks told me to kiss her big beautiful, and I found out that I'm older than the 'Guiding Light.'"
Sherri Shepherd and Cameron Mathison served as co-hosts for the evening. The complete list of winners is listed below.
• Supporting Actress in a Drama Series: Gina Tognoni, "Guiding Light."
• Talk Show — Informative: "The Tyra Banks Show."
• Younger Actor in a Drama Series: Tom Pelphrey, "Guiding Light."
• Younger Actress in a Drama Series: Jennifer Landon, "As the World Turns"
• Talk Show Host: Ellen DeGeneres, "The Ellen DeGeneres Show."
• Drama Series Directing Team: "One Life to Live."
• Legal/Courtroom Program: "Cristina's Court."
• Supporting Actor in a Drama Series: Kristoff St. John, "The Young and the Restless."
• Drama Series Writing Team: "One Life to Live."
• Talk Show — Entertainment: "Rachael Ray."
• Lifetime Achievement: Regis Philbin.
• Lead Actress in a Drama Series: Jeanne Cooper, "The Young and the Restless."
• Lead Actor in a Drama Series: Anthony Geary, "General Hospital."
• Drama Series: "General Hospital."
NAOMI SAYS RACISM SPARKED HER AIR RAGE: Supermodel claims she lost it when someone called her a "golliwog."
*Naomi Campbell says a racist slur caused her to lash out while boarding a Los Angeles-bound British Airways flight from London's Heathrow Airport two months ago.
The supermodel, who pleaded guilty Friday to kicking, spitting and swearing at two police officers, told Sky News that she regrets her behavior toward the cops, but has no love for the airline after someone on board referred to her as a "Golliwog."
"I was called a racial name on that flight and that was part of my reaction," she said. "I was called a 'Golliwog supermodel' -- I don't think that's really fair, do you?" Asked who had used the term, which refers to a black rag doll from children's literature, Campbell said: "Someone on the flight, not the passenger."
British Airways said it rejected the accusation made by Campbell, who was sentenced Friday to 200 hours of community service. She was also ordered to pay 200 pounds ($395) compensation to one of the police officers, 150 pounds to the captain and 2,300 ($4,600) pounds in fines.
In the Sky interview, Campbell apologized to London's Metropolitan Police force, but added: "As for British Airways, I just think they are disgusting."
Meanwhile, Naomi's court drama caused her to miss a scheduled catwalk appearance at the summer 2009 swimsuit collection by the Rio label Rosa Cha in Sao Paulo, Brazil, according to Globo.com, Terra and other Brazilian media.
PROSECUTORS WANT WESLEY SNIPES IN JAIL: U.S. Attorney's Office says actor should be in custody pending appeal on tax conviction.
*Wesley Snipes is currently free on bail pending an appeal of his tax conviction, but it may not be for long if the U.S. Attorney's Office has its way. They want the actor to begin serving his three-year prison sentence immediately.
Judge William Terrell Hodges had ruled that he could remain free on bail because he doesn't pose a flight risk, but prosecutors filed a request Thursday saying the "Blade" star shouldn't be allowed to roam free following his sentence.
"We want him in custody, Steve Cole, the spokesman for the U.S.
Attorney's Office, tells the Associated Press." He's been convicted by a jury. He has been sentenced to three years and he should be in custody."
In April, Snipes was sentenced to three years in prison after he was found guilty of failing to file his taxes for five years. But his lawyers secured a bail request last month to allow Snipes to remain free on bond while they try to appeal the convictions.
Last week, prosecutors sent Snipes a "cost of prosecution bill" that demands repayment for the $217,363 they spent convicting him on tax charges.
50 CENT EXPLAINS RECORDING OF BUCK CONVO: Plus, rapper must surrender guns due to restraining order; Taco Bell offer harshly rejected.
*Rapper 50 Cent did an interview with New York radio station Hot 97 to explain his reasons for recording a phone conversation with former G-Unit rapper Young Buck, clips of which were posted on 50's Web site.
The release of the audio, in which Young Buck cries to 50 about his financial woes and dismissal from G-Unit, led Buck to retaliate with a diss record called "Taped Conversations." Soon, 50 Cent fired back by placing his entire telephone exchange with Buck on his Web site.
"A lot of times people don't see what the other person is doing," 50 said, explaining to Hot 97's Angie Martinez why he recorded the conversation in the first place. "They don't understand the cause and effect. They don't see the other person; they just pay attention to me."
According to MTV.com, 50 said the phone call took place in March, at a time when he "was trying to be as helpful as possible" to Buck. 50 also said that he would not record any future tracks dissing Buck, but did imply that their friendship is beyond repair.
"It's crazy. When I see people showing me so many different things within their character, I don't value them anymore," said 50.
He also suggested that Buck has a problem with impulsive spending and drug use.
"He needs to go to a program and get some real help," 50 said. "Then maybe we can talk to each other."
When asked if he taped all his phone conversations, 50 said, "With idiots, yeah! So if they saying something crazy, it's right there."
According to Billboard.com, Young Buck will team with fellow ex-G-Unit member The Game for a duet mixtape hosted by DJ’s Skee, Nu Jerzey Devil and Haze, which is due out in July. 50 kicked Game out of G-Unit during promotion for his 2005 LP, “The Massacre.”
Meanwhile, a Long Island judge has ordered 50 to surrender any guns he may own as part of a newly-granted restraining order barring him from coming near his estranged baby mama, Shaniqua Tompkins.
"To my knowledge, he has no guns," said 50's lawyer Brett Kimmel, who plans to contest the order, calling it "a retaliatory and vindictive move."
Kimmel's team responded to Tompkins' order of protection by filing a contempt of court petition, alleging Tompkins is not living up to the terms of their custody agreement. As previously reported, 50's legal team also filed a $20 million defamation suit against Tompkins for accusing the artist of masterminding a recent fire that forced her out of the home they once shared.
In other 50 news, Taco Bell offered to donate $10,000 to a charity of 50's choice if he agrees to change his name to 79, 89 or 99 Cent (his
choice) to help promote the chain's value menu. Needless to say, it didn't go over so well with the rapper.
"When my legal team is finished with them, Taco Bell is going to have a new corporate slogan: 'We messed with the bull and got the horns!'" Fiddy said, according to E! Online.
The rapper's rep added: "This is a sleazy and ill-conceived publicity stunt by Taco Bell's president, Greg Creed, whose disingenuous offer was leaked to the press before it was even presented to 50 Cent's agent."
ITALIAN VOGUE TO PUBLISH ALL-BLACK ISSUE: July's offering will feature only black models and articles related to black women.
*In an effort to tackle the race problem within the modeling industry, July's Italian Vogue will feature only black models, and present features relating only to black women in the arts and entertainment.
Italian Vogue's editor, Franca Sozzani, said her decision was influenced by a protest group formed in New York to highlight the problem, as well as by Sen. Barack Obama's success in the U.S. presidential primaries.
World famous photographer Steven Meisel shot the issue's fashion spreads, which will cover about 100 pages and include such top black models as Tyra Banks, Iman, Naomi Campbell, Alek Wek, Liya Kebede, Pat Cleveland, Jourdan Dunn, Sessilee Lopez, Chanel Iman, Veronica Webb, and Karen Alexander.
Also included is Toccara Jones, a plus-sized model from Banks' CW show "America's Next Top Model" and frequent on air personality for BET.
"I thought, it's ridiculous, this discrimination. It's so crazy to live in such a narrow, narrow place. Age, weight, sexuality, race - every kind of prejudice," Meisel told the New York Times.
He blamed designers, magazine editors and advertisers for the decline in the numbers of black women in fashion shows and the absence of black models on the covers of fashion magazines. "I have asked my advertising clients so many times, 'Can we use a black girl?' They say no."
Vogue's U.S. version is unlikely to follow in the footsteps of its Italian counterpart, but as a gesture, July's stateside issue will run an article about the lack of black models.
• Read New York Times writer Cathy Horyn's blog about Italian Vogue's all-black issue here:
http://runway.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/06/18/beauty-and-soul/
RAMSEY LEWIS COMMISSIONED FOR "LINCOLN" PIECE: Jazz man asked to compose new work inspired by life of 16th president.
*Jazz pianist Ramsey Lewis and choreographer Bill T. Jones have been commissioned to create works inspired by the life of Abraham Lincoln as part of the Ravina Festival, a musical gathering to be held north of Chicago.
Lewis will contribute a musical composition, while Jones is to create a dance theater work as part of Ravina's seasonlong celebration of Lincoln, reports the Associated Press.
The 73-year-old Lewis, Ravinia's artistic director for jazz, said he was pleased that the Lincoln celebration will feature the works of two black people — Jones and himself.
"I think it's extraordinary that in this year when an African-American has a viable shot at the White House that Ravinia would bookend its Lincoln celebration with the works from the black perspective,"
he said in a statement.
Lewis also found it appropriate that Lincoln's story will be told through the "purely American music" of jazz.
GOLF ANALYST APOLOGIZES FOR TIGER-RELATED REMARK: Johnny Miller said Mediate 'looks like the guy who cleans Tiger's pool.'
*NBC Sports golf analyst Johnny Miller apologized for his description of U.S. Open runner-up Rocco Mediate – a 45-year-old Pennsylvanian of Italian heritage – saying the comments had "absolutely nothing to do with his ethnicity."
As Mediate held a one stroke lead over Tiger during the fourth round last Sunday, Miller said he "looks like the guy who cleans Tiger's swimming pool." He also said, "Guys with the name 'Rocco' don't get on the trophy, do they?"
In a statement released Friday through NBC, Miller said: "I apologize to anyone who was offended by my remarks. My intention was to convey my affection and admiration for Rocco's everyman qualities and had absolutely nothing to do with his ethnicity. I chose my words poorly and in the future will be more careful."
Woods went on to beat Mediate in a playoff that lasted 19 holes for his third U.S. Open title.
SPIKE LEE TEASES 'LEVEES' FOLLOW-UP: Film may explore mental issues, suicide rates following Katrina.
*During an appearance Thursday at a film fest outside of Washington D.C., Spike Lee said he may return to the topic of Hurricane Katrina in a follow up to his HBO miniseries "When the Levees Broke."
While staying away from specifics, he hinted at its focus when he described his feelings about the current situation on the Gulf Coast, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
"What the press is not really talking about is the mental state -- suicide, self-medication. It's horrible," Lee told the crowd at Silverdocs, the AFI/Discovery Channel documentary fest in Silver Spring, Md. "I'm going to go back, not just to New Orleans but to other areas affected, because it's not over."
Lee also said he thinks there's room for a scripted feature about post-Katrina New Orleans, and tipped that "The Wire" creator David Simon, whose "Generation Kill" debuts this summer on HBO, may be working on such a picture.
Lee said that his forthcoming day-in-the-life documentary on Kobe Bryant would kick off the NBA season on ABC/ESPN this fall, while his documentary about Michael Jordan's last season should be ready next year.
OBAMA BITS: Racist shirts; Japanese monkey ad; personal apology to two Muslim women; Hillary to start stumping; new campaign seal.
*Several racist t-shirts targeting Sen. Barack Obama were removed from the Web site Road Kill T-Shirts. One design featured a noose underneath the word "swing state." Another had Ku Klux Klan members chasing Obama over the phrase "Run Obama Run." The third had a drawing of the White House accompanied by the words, "They call it the 'White House' for a reason."
Mike from Road Kill T-Shirts explains: “We recently hired a freelancer to create designs and post them on our site. We have teams of them and, unfortunately, these were put up in the last couple of days without approval. While the site can be edgy…I can guarantee you this is not the type of stuff we approve of.”
*A Japanese mobile phone commercial is under fire for parodying Obama's large crowds and message of change. The ad shows supporters cheering loudly at a rally and holding signs calling for “Change” while a monkey in a suit addresses them at a podium. E-mobile has used the monkey as their mascot in commercials before, and Obama has received a healthy dose of positive media coverage in the country. But critics of the ad, such as blog site Black Tokyo, say monkeys have been used in Japanese ads to portray black people in the past.
• View E Mobile ad here: http://emobile.jp/movie/2008/EMCM2008-6.html
• Read response on blog site Black Tokyo here: http://blacktokyo.com/?p=148
*Obama made personal phone calls Thursday to the two Muslim women from Michigan who were told by his campaign volunteers that they could not sit behind the presidential candidate – and in full view of TV cameras – during his speech at Joe Lewis Arena because of their Islamic head scarves.
They were told by the staffers that it would create a negative impression.
One of the women, Shimaa Abdelfadeel, told the Detroit Free Press that Obama called her "to personally convey his deepest apologies and acknowledge that this was inexcusable." Obama also left a voice mail for the other woman, Hebba Aref, 25, of Bloomfield Hills, according to Abdelfadeel. "We both immensely appreciate the senator's phone call and his commitment to remedy this issue," Abdelfadeel, a Sudanese American, told the Free Press. "We commend him for displaying qualities befitting an effective president," she added. "We are ready to move forward."
*Sen. Hillary Clinton will join her one-time rival Obama on the campaign trail this week in efforts to unify a Democratic Party fractured by their contentious primary fight. Obama's campaign said in a brief e-mail that the two senators and former opponents will campaign together for the first time on Friday, June 27, and more details would be forthcoming.
*Obama recently unveiled a new seal that made headlines for its close resemblance to the U.S. presidential seal. Shown for the first time Friday during a meeting of Democratic Governors at the Chicago History Museum, Obama's new seal – like the president's – has a blue background featuring an eagle clutching arrows on the left and an olive branch on right. But instead of the Latin 'E pluribus unum' (out of many, one), Obama's says 'Vero possumus', rough Latin for "Yes, we can." Instead of saying "Seal of the President of the United States," Obama's Web site address is listed. And instead of a shield, Obama's eagle wears his 'O' campaign logo with a rising sun representing hope ahead.
STEVIE LOVES PERFORMING IN THE SUMMER: Singer's current North American tour aims to foster unity across racial and religious lines.
*After the first stop of his 14-city North American tour Wednesday, Stevie Wonder told reporters that it was "nice" to be on the road again, and he's loving the fact that his jaunt takes place during the summer months.
"Performing in the summer is always fun, there's something magical about the summer," he said during a conference call Wednesday from Long Island.
The trek ends July 12 in Canada, and comes on the heels of his successful road show in 2007 that was his first series of concerts in more than a decade. Other stops on the current tour include Chicago, Detroit and Los Angeles.
Wonder, 58, says the overall theme of his tour is unity.
"I think that we have to really come together for the common ground and be about the perpetuation of life," Wonder said. "No matter what religion or color or ethnicity that we are, we have to be about the perpetuation of life."
TWO CHARGED IN DEATH OF T.I.'S ASSISTANT: Siblings accused of killing Philant Johnson and wounding three others.
*Charges were brought in Cincinnati against two brothers in the slaying of rapper T.I.'s assistant during a party following a performance in 2006.
According to the Associated Press, 34-year-old Hosea Thomas and 40-year-old Padron Thomas were charged Thursday in the death of 26-year-old Philant Johnson and the wounding of three others in the rapper's entourage.
The incident took place on May 3, 2006, following a local performance by T.I., whose real name is Clifford Harris. Detective Tim Gormly said gunfire erupted after the brothers tried to get into T.I.'s VIP area during an after party.
Harris pleaded guilty in March to federal weapons charges and was sentenced in Atlanta to a year in prison, three years of supervised home detention, 1,500 hours of community service and a $100,000 fine.
FORECLOSURE HAUNTS PACMAN JONES, VIN BAKER: Athletes close to losing homes after falling way behind in mortgage payments.
*Suspended Dallas Cowboys player Adam "Pacman" Jones and former NBA star Vin Baker are both in jeopardy of losing their homes in scheduled foreclosure sales.
Jones, recently traded from the Tennessee Titans, defaulted on the terms and conditions of a mortgage with U.S. Bank, according to a notice of foreclosure sale published Thursday in The Tennessean newspaper in Nashville. His home and 30 acres, located in a Nashville suburb, will hit the auction block on June 27 at the Williamson County Courthouse.
Baker, according to public records, will see his nearly 10,000 square foot home in Durham, Connecticut head to auction later this month with a price of $2.3 million.
The former Celtics player's restaurant, Vinnie's Saybrook Fish House, also went under earlier this year after lender TD Banknorth foreclosed on the property.
MAN WHO DEFACED TUPAC STATUE EXPLAINS ACTIONS: Kenneth Anthony Wilson says it was a stand against gangsta rap.
*Kenneth Anthony Wilson, the African American man who defaced a statue of Tupac Shakur at a center bearing his name in Stone Mountain, GA, has released a statement detailing the reason behind his actions.
“Yes I defaced that statue of Tupac Shakur because the center is a cancer on the community,” said Wilson, according to Allhiphop.com. “For we reap what we sow…Tupac Shakur is no messiah, that’s why when he stuck his dumbass on his album cover and claimed he was not disrespecting Jesus Christ, God crucified his evil ass before the album came out.”
Wilson says he believes Tupac and his mother, Afeni Shakur, are misleading the youth through the late rapper's image and message.
“Tupac Shakur is not only a rapist and murderer of his own people, his center of the arts is in the business of molesting the young minds of our youths into believing that Thug Life is the American Dream,” Wilson continued in the statement.
“Since Afeni Shakur insists on lying to the youth at her center that her son is the Messiah and he died for the sake of them…So she resurrects a statue of Tupac Shakur dressed as a reverend with the Holy Bible in his right hand… Death Row Records did not destroy Tupac Shakur; smoking crack when he was in her womb did! Tupac Shakur was not only weak he was a complete fool who never for one minute practiced what he preached.”
Wilson also said he hopes a court system will some day prove that his destructive actions were justified on moral grounds.
“I have every intention of proving in a court of law not only the hypocrisy of the Tupac Shakur center, but also its immorality, injustice, and illegality,” Wilson said.
The 43-year-old was arrested on Oct. 22 for defacing Tupac’s statue with handbills of threats against the center, other rappers, and record labels. Initial hate crime charges were dropped due to Wilson being black and there being no racial motivation in the threats. His trial date has not yet been scheduled.
VENUS WANTS FIFTH WIMBLEDON TROPHY: Tennis star says waterworks may turn on if it happens.
*Venus Williams said she may break from her tradition and actually shed a tear or two if she can come away with her fifth Wimbledon victory in the coming weeks.
"I'm definitely not a crier. I'm the happiest winner ever, but I think maybe I would even cry if I do it," said the tennis star, currently ranked 7th in the world.
Wimbledon is Williams' favorite tournament and certainly one that means the most to her.
"I just think it's the ultimate place to play your best tennis. The most wonderful tournament to win would definitely be here. I've been blessed to do well a few times here, so that feels obviously very good. I just love it here. It's good for my game too," she said.
"It's always extremely exciting coming back as the defending champion. It's nice to have the memories from last year all kind of flowing into this year.
"Really just all the wonderful times I've had here on the court, too.
But I've also had really great times with my family and my friends here. So I think just the combination of memories on and off the court."
Williams has won Wimbledon twice in the last three years, the latest occurring in 2007 over Marion Bartoli in the finals.
"Of course I think about what a fifth title would be like," she said. "But I know that I'm gonna have to work for it. I'm willing to pay that price.
Despite the fine form of French Open champion Ana Ivanovic, Williams, who will play doubles with sister Serena, believes her biggest rival for the title will probably come from her own family.
"I have the most respect for Serena as a player on tour. Definitely I see her as a player who can produce any shot at any time from anywhere," she said.
ITTY BITTY BITS: USA Hoops; J-Hud's video; Bingham's 'Reality Show!'; Leona's new title; Keys' 'Superwoman'; 'Wol.ver.ine'; Mariah's registered; Kearse's DUI.
*The NBA will today formally announce the athletes selected to play on the U.S. Olympic basketball team. The 12-member squad includes LeBron James, Dwyane Wade NBA MVP Kobe Bryant, Jason Kidd and Carmelo Anthony. The U.S. team will try to win America's first gold medal since 1996. Team U.S.A. finished a disappointing third and won a bronze medal at the Athens Games in 2004.
*Billboard.com is reporting that Jennifer Hudson will debut the video for her first single, “Spotlight,” tomorrow (June 24) during the BET Awards pre-show. The clip was directed by Chris Robinson, and will premiere online via Yahoo on June 25. "Spotlight" checks in at No. 49 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. Her long-awaited self-titled CD is due Sept. 30 from Arista.
*Former "Baywatch" co-star Traci Bingham will join a cast of other D-list celebs in Fox Reality Channel's upcoming series "Gimme My Reality Show!" which revolves around lower-tired stars in unscripted shows who battle for star recognition in a variety of challenges, reports Variety. The winner will get his or own four-episode show. "Project Runway" runner up Santino Rice is also among the contestants. The show premieres Oct. 11 at midnight, following the network's Really Awards.
*British pop star Leona Lewis is the World's Sexiest Vegetarian for 2008. The winner of Britain's "X Factor" was voted in by thousands on the PETA Web site, beating other close contenders including Abbie Cornish, Kristen Bell and Hayden Panettiere.
*Alicia Keys recently shot her fourth video, “Superwoman,” from her “As I Am” CD. The Chris Robinson-directed clip will hit video channels in the next two weeks. Keys also collaborated with producer Swizz Beatz for a remix of her current single "Teenage Love Affair" with LL Cool J. The original mix sits at No. 6 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
*Black Eyed Peas member will.i.am spoke to MTV.com about his role in "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," due in theaters May 1. "I'm a teleporter. ... I'm here, I'm there, I'm everywhere. Boom, boom, boom!" he revealed. "My character's name is John Wraith. He's a black Texan. He's not a cowboy, but his gear suggests that he is. He's just a badass who'll whoop your ass." For more of the interview, click here (http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1589665/story.jhtml).
*Word has it that Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon have a wedding registry set up at New York's Bergdorf Goodman, nearly three months after their nuptials at her home in the Bahamas. According to In Touch magazine, the 40-item wish list includes a 19th-century Moser vase, a Buccellati sterling silver picture frame and 24 Christofle Aria place settings, which sell for more than $2,100 each. The rumored U.S. wedding ceremony for friends and family is supposed to take place "later this summer," according to In Touch.
*NFL star Jevon 'The Freak" Kearse was charged with a DUI after police pulled him over in Nashville at 4:42 a.m. Sunday for "swerving at a high rate of speed." The -6 foot 4, 265 pound defensive end for the Tennessee Titans failed field sobriety tests and refused to take a breathalyzer. He was booked into the Criminal Justice Center in downtown Nashville and later released on $1,000 bond.
WHITES LARGELY 'COMFORTABLE' WITH BLACK PREZ: New Washington Post-ABC News poll takes on issue of race in election.
*A new Washington Post-ABC News poll finds that 90 percent of whites in the country are "comfortable" with a black president, while fewer whites, about two-thirds, said they would be "entirely comfortable."
The poll seeks to explore attitudes about race as Sen. Barack Obama ramps up his historic run to become the nation's first black president.
Just over half of whites in the new poll called Obama a "risky" choice for the White House, while two-thirds said his Republican opponent, Sen. John McCain, is a "safe" pick. Forty-three percent of whites said Obama has sufficient experience to serve effectively as president, and about two in 10 worry he would overrepresent the interests of African Americans.
The study also found that 3 in 10 Americans admit to having a racial bias, and nearly half of all Americans say race relations in the U.S. are in bad shape.
As for the overall presidential contest, Obama leads in the Post-ABC poll by six percentage points among all adults, but among those who are most likely to vote, the race is a tossup, with McCain at 48 percent and Obama at
47 percent.
The poll was conducted by telephone June 12 through June 15 among a national random sample of 1,125 adults. The results from the full poll have a margin of sampling error of plus or minus three percentage points. The error margin is larger for subgroups; it is four points among whites and seven points among African Americans.
EUR FILM REVIEW: The Love Guru
Mike Myers Serves Up Sophomoric Mess as "The Love Guru"
Film Review by Kam Williams
*Those familiar with Mike Myers' work know that he's a comedic genius quite capable of keeping you in hysterics whether cavorting across the screen as Austin Powers, Shrek, Dr. Evil, Fat Bastard, Goldmember, Wayne Campbell or any of the other unforgettable character he's portrayed.
That impressive track record makes his latest offering all the more disappointing, for The Love Guru barely registers a blip on the audience laff-o-meter over the course of its patience-testing, 90-minute duration.
In 25 words or less, the story revolves around Maurice Pitka (Myers), an American-born orphan raised in an ashram who returns to the States from India hoping to replace Deepak Chopra as America's #1 self help guru and thereby earn an invite to appear on Oprah.
While on this quest, Pitka happens to be hired by the owner (Jessica Alba) of the Toronto Maple Leafs to help her star player (Romany Malco) win back his wife (Meagan Good) from the better-endowed goalie (Justin Timberlake) of her team's arch rivals in time to win the Stanley Cup.
Every bit as scattered as that synopsis reads, this overambitious picture endeavors to bridge a dizzying number of cinematic genres only to end up doing none of them justice in at desperate attempt to be all things to all demographics.
Sloppily combining elements of the pop culture parody, the overcoming-the-odds sports saga, the Bollywood musical, the love triangle melodrama, the loss of innocence tale, the social satire, the gross-out teensploit and the shameless product placement-laden production, The Love Guru looks like someone lazily decided to throw a bunch of bull substance at the screen to see what sticks. Nothing does, trust me.
The bulk of what's passed off as humor here are double entendres about male genitalia, starting with the names of characters like Tugginmypudha (Ben Kingsley), Jacques Le Coq (Timberlake), Dick Pants (John Oliver) and Satchabignoba (Omid Djialili). Leaving even less to the imagination are the titles of Guru's Pitka best-selling books, such as BLOW ME (a mnemonic for Be Loving & Openhearted With My Emotions).
One scene featured a scrotum-looking delicacy called "Nuts in a Sling," an East Indian dish served astride a big pickle to make sure you get it. And groan-inducing lines like "Would you like your nuts crushed?" "Help Uncle Jack off an elephant" and "Did you know a Dickie Withers at 85?" are all right out of a junior high school locker room.
When not making a play on penis words, the slapstick turns sophomoric, as in the gross game where the participants try to swat each other in the mouth with urine soaked mops. Guess who gets a handle shoved right up his rectum?
Ha-ha.
Otherwise, The Love Guru is generally obsessed with bodily functions, ranging from farts to feces to ejaculation. Perhaps what's most disturbing is that scriptwriter Myers must be out of ideas, given his borrowing stale ideas from mediocre movies. We could've been spared the shots up the skirts of Britney Spears, Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan san panties, the same three celebutantes similarly showcased in Meet the Spartans.
Don't be suckered by all the celebrities in the cast, including Jessica Simpson, Kanye West, Verne "Mini-Me" Troyer, Stephen Colbert, Val Kilmer, Telma Hopkins, Deepak Chopra and Mariska Hargitay. It's Mike Myers job to make you laugh, and he fails miserably in what might not be the best performance of his career, but it's certainly his worst.
Poor (0 stars)
Rated PG-13 for sexuality, profanity, slapstick violence, crude humor and drug references.
Running time: 88 minutes
Studi Paramount Pictures
To see a trailer of The Love Guru, visit:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLB1r9lh7gY
Or: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbBr_aDdgjM&feature=related
EUR DVD REVIEW: Be Kind, Rewind
Jack Black and Mos Def Teamed in Dumb DVD
DVD Review by Kam Williams
*Mike (Mos Def) is the only employee at Be Kind, Rewind, a struggling video rental store slated to close in 60 days unless his boss, Mr. Fletcher (Danny Glover), brings the place up to code.
Fletcher knows if his business is to survive he needs to modernize in order to catch up with his cross-town rival.
Unfortunately, this means he must leave Mike in charge for the first time, which is problematical because Mike isn't the brightest bulb in the batch.
One day after work, Mike and his wacky pal Jerry (Jack Black) try to short circuit the power station by tossing an anchor into the works.
Of course, the prank goes horribly wrong and Mike ends up receiving a shock of several thousand volts. This incident leaves him not only dazed and confused, but magnified to the extent that his body now starts sticking to everything from metal street lamps to galvanized steel fences.
The plot thickens the next time he enters Be Kind, Rewind, when his body immediately demagnetizes and erases every videotape on the shelves. It's not long before people start complaining that the movies they've rented are blank.
So, the buddies come up with another crazy idea, namely, to re-shoot each film a customer requests, armed only with a hand-held camcorder.
Unfortunately, as promising as this premise might sound, Be Kind, Rewind fails to measure up to expectations. The poorly-executed recreations of familiar scenes from hit films simply fall flat.
Even the teaming of Jack Black and Mos Def fails since they're abandoned by a rudderless, humorless script. Nothing can save this overambitious enterprise embarked upon by a couple of idiots, full of sound and fury but ultimately signifying nothing.
Fair (1 star)
Rated PG-13 for sexual references.
Running time: 102 minutes
Studi New Line Home Entertainment
DVD Extras: A "Behind-the-Scenes" featurette.
To see a trailer of the film, visit:
http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi1152975129/
or http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi3669033241/
EUR MOTIVATIONAL NOTE
"We tend to get what we expect." — Norman Vincent Peale
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
June 23: "American Idol" judge Randy Jackson is 52. Singer Chico DeBarge is 38. Singer Duffy is 24.
WEBSITE OF THE WEEK
This Virginia based site sells gourmet fruit baskets for all occasions It's has been well rated for its ease of use and wide collection of fruit baskets. www.freshfruitbaskets.com
Submit your favorite Web site to us along with a 15-20 word (or less) description to info@eurweb.com.
BLACK HISTORY
June 23, 1970: Charles Rangel defeated Adam Clayton Powell in Democratic primary in Harlem, ending the political career of one of the major political symbols of the post-World War II period. (source:
www.BlackFacts.com)
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