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07-04-08 EUR ALL ON ONE PAGE
IT'S VENUS VS. SERENA IN WIMBLEDON FINAL: Sisters to battle for silver dish Saturday in first all-Williams final in five years.
*Venus and Serena Williams steamrolled over their opponents at Wimbledon this week to reach Saturday's final round together for the first time in five years.
In that 2003 face-off, Serena beat her older sister in the championship match for the second consecutive year (4-6 6-4 6-2).
Saturday's matchup comes at the expense of Elena Dementieva, who fell Thursday to defending champion Venus 6-1, 7-6 (3); and China's Zheng Lie, who lost several hours later to Serena 6-2, 7-6 (5).
The Williams sisters showdown will be their third battle for the Wimbledon crown, and their seventh time facing off for a Grand Slam title.
Serena told reporters that Venus will be the toughest opponent she's played all tournament. Venus, meanwhile, said of Saturday's match: "It's every Williams for themself."
KRAVITZ DENIES DATING A-ROD'S SOON-TO-BE EX: Rocker finds rumor 'extremely hurtful.'
*Some 18 years after Lenny Kravitz and Madonna collaborated on her dance hit "Justify My Love," the pair finds themselves linked again – this time through tabloid headlines surrounding New York Yankees star Alex Rodriguez and his wife.
Kravitz released a statement early Thursday addressing reports that Cynthia Rodriguez spent four days in Paris shacking up with the rocker.
"There is absolutely no affair between Cynthia Rodriguez and myself,"
Kravitz said. "This is unequivocally 100 percent not true.
New York has been abuzz with rumors that Rodriguez is dating pop icon Madonna. Local papers said the ball player made several late night visits to her Manhattan apartment.
Madonna's rep Liz Rosenberg released a statement Wednesday claiming Madonna and A-Rod are "just friends" who have the same agent.
Meanwhile, reports surfaced later Wednesday that the Rodriguezes have decided to divorce after having "problems" for the past three months.
Kravitz, in his statement Thursday, claims he was just trying to offer Mrs. Rodriguez some refuge from all the drama at his Paris chateau.
"Cynthia is a friend and is here with the godfather of her baby, who is also Alex's trainer, his wife and their baby girl. She came here to escape from everything happening in New York City," he said. "I opened my home to her as a friend and I find it extremely hurtful that I am now being referred to as an adulterer."
NICK AND MARIAH MARRIAGE IN TROUBLE?: OK! magazine says they're arguing about her diva behavior.
*OK! magazine is quoting an unnamed source who swears the two-month-old marriage of Nick Cannon and Mariah Carey is already in shambles, mostly due to arguments over her diva behavior.
Word has it that Nick is not only running himself ragged trying to meet all of her demands, but she's reportedly put some restrictions on the kinds of jobs he can take.
According to the source, Nick is no longer allowed to accept D-list jobs. In fact, she reportedly made him cancel his scheduled performance at a sweet sixteen party that he had booked before they got married.
"Mariah needs to oversee and approve his career moves," said the source. "There are no more silly small-time gigs. She wants him to do big venues and projects. She definitely wears the pants in the relationship.”
WESLEY SNIPES FREE TO TRAVEL FOR WORK: Judge grants actor's request to visit London and Bangkok for film work.
*Not only is Wesley Snipes free to roam around the country while his lawyers appeal his tax conviction and three-year prison sentence, but a judge on Wednesday allowed him to roam freely overseas as well.
According to the Associated Press, federal judge William Terrell Hodges granted his request to spend three days in London completing post-production on "Gallowwalker," and eight weeks in Bangkok, Thailand to film "Chasing the Dragon."
The actor was convicted in February on three counts of willfully failing to file his income taxes. The 45-year-old has appealed the convictions and his prison sentence to the 11th Circuit Court in Atlanta.
CAN JAMIE FOXX TURN A G INTO A GENT?: He'll have Fonzworth Bentley attempt to orchestrate makeovers in new MTV reality series.
*Fonzworth Bentley, who first gained fame as Diddy's smartly-dressed umbrella holder, will serve as host of the forthcoming MTV reality series "From G's to Gents," executive produced by Oscar winner Jamie Foxx.
"He really jumped into that executive-producer seat," Bentley tells E! Online of Foxx. "There were some ideas that I would come up with, and I'd say, 'You know, I would love to be able to do this.' He was like, 'All right! If that's what we've got to do to get these guys to change, then let's do it.'"
The series will feature a bunch of street toughs who attempt to become sophisticated gentlemen. Bentley was not only on hand to teach the thugs how to dress, speak and even eat with class, but he was also the lone judge deciding who gets booted off each week. The winner pockets $100,000.
MTV is saving further details for the series premiere on July 15. But Bentley did reveal sadness over having to dismiss a "G" who was struggling with severe anger issues. The man was repeatedly fired from jobs due to his temper, Bentley said.
"We actually ended up bringing in this lady who meets with prisoners in San Quentin—like a life coach—and we did some sessions with her," Bentley says. "She's actually still doing sessions with this young man."
XZIBIT SCORES ROLE IN 'BAD LIEUTENANT' REMAKE: Nicolas Cage, Eva Mendes and Val Kilmer round out cast.
*The 1992 Abel Ferrara-directed film "Bad Lieutenant" is getting a fresh coat of actors - including rapper Xzibit – and a "re-imagined" plot for a remake from director Werner Herzog.
The original movie starred Harvey Keitel as a disturbingly horrible police lieutenant who was also a gambler, thief, junkie and killer. When he investigates the rape of a nun, he uses the opportunity to purge himself of inner demons and possibly attempt redemption.
While the plot for Herzon's "re-imagined" version has not been disclosed, it was announced that Nicholas Cage will step into Keitel's role as the troubled cop, while Val Kilmer will portray his partner, reports Variety. Xzibit is playing a nemesis named Big Fade.
Eva Mendes has also been cast in the indie project, which will be financed by Nu Image/Millennium Films.
Xzibit, whose real name is Alvin Joiner, will next be seen in the Fox release "X Files: I Want to Believe."
DANNY GLOVER TO BE HONORED IN CZECH REPUBLIC: Actor due to receive special film award in ceremony today.
*Danny Glover will receive a special film honor at the 43rd Karlovy Vary Film Festival, an event held annually in the Czech Republic.
The film star will receive an award given to actors, directors and producers who have contributed in a fundamental way to the development of contemporary world film, reports Variety.
The festival, which bills itself as the most important international film in Central and Eastern Europe and the only one in the Czech Republic, begins today with Glover among the batch of last minute guest stars added to the guest list.
Robert DeNiro is also scheduled to appear at the event.
TIGER'S KNEE HAS ALWAYS BEEN A PROBLEM: Golfer says it's been sore for the past decade.
*Tiger Woods says we've all been on the late freight when it comes to his bum knee. The golfer said Monday it has been sore for much of his PGA Tour career and he looks forward to the day he can play without any pain whatsoever.
"My left knee has been sore for 10 to 12 years," Woods said during a conference call for his AT&T National tournament, his first public comments since reconstructive surgery last Tuesday. "It will be nice to finally have a healthy leg. The doctors have assured me that my long-term health will be a hell of a lot better than it's been over the last decade. I'm really looking forward to that."
Woods announced last month that he would sit out the rest of the season so that his knee can properly heal following surgery. According to the Associated Press, doctors in Utah used a tendon from his right hamstring to rebuild the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, which he said had always been weak and finally snapped while jogging on a golf course last July. He is in a brace and will be on crutches for three weeks to keep weight off his knee.
Woods said he most likely would not be able to attend the AT&T National, which started yesterday at Congressional in Bethesda, MD, because there was swelling on the flight home to Florida after surgery and doctors have advised him to avoid planes.
OPENING THIS WEEK Kam's Kapsules: Weekly Previews That Make Choosing a Film Fun
For movies opening July 2-4, 2008
by Kam Williams
BIG BUDGET FILMS
Hancock (PG-13 for profanity and sci-fi violence) Will Smith stars in this action Comedy about a misunderstood superhero out of favor with the public who tries to resurrect his image with the help of the PR executive (Jason Bateman) whose life he saves. Featuring Charlize Theron and cameos by scriptwriter Akiva Goldsman and director Michael Mann.
INDEPENDENT & FOREIGN FILMS
Diminished Capacity (Unrated) Ensemble comedy about a newspaper editor (Matthew Broderick) who quits his job after developing amnesia and returns to his hometown where he hatches a plan with an old flame (Virginia Madsen) and his senile uncle (Alan Alda) to sell a rare baseball card at a sports memorabilia show.
Gonz The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson (R for nudity, sexuality, profanity and drug use) Oscar-winner Alex Gibney (for Taxi to the Dark Side) directs tenth documentary about Hunter S. Thompson (1937-2005), this bio-pic revisiting highlights in the career of the substance-abusing, anarchistic journalist celebrated for thumbing his nose at the Establishment.
Holding Trevor (R for profanity, sexuality and drug use) Homoerotic romance drama, set in L.A., about a jaded telemarketer (Brent Gorski) who dumps his heroin-addicted boyfriend (Christopher Wyllie) aft4er an overdose for a handsome intern (Eli Karnski) he meets at the hospital.
Kabluey (PG-13 for sexuality, a crude reference and brief profanity) Screwball comedy starring Lisa Kudrow as the cash-strapped wife of a National Guardsman stationed in Iraq whose brother-in-law (Scott
Prendergast) takes a job as a corporate mascot to help support her and the kids during his stop-lossed sibling's absence. With Terri Garr and Christine Taylor (wife of Ben Stiller).
Tell No One (Unrated) Crime thriller about a still-grieving pediatrician (Francois Cluzet) who suddenly finds himself a suspect in his wife's (Marie-Josee Croze) murder when the police decide to reopen the case at the same time that he receives an anonymous email warning him to "tell no one" that she's still alive. (In French with subtitles)
Very Young Girls (Unrated) Sex trade documentary examines the state of prostitution in the United States where the average hooker now enters the oldest profession at the tender age of 13. Film focuses on the efforts of victim-turned-advocate Rachel Lloyd to help exploited young women escape from their pimps.
The Wackness (R for profanity, sexuality and pervasive drug use) Hip-hop era romantic comedy, set in 1994, about a college-bound teen (Josh Peck) who spends the summer dealing weed on the streets of New York while falling in love with his shrink's (Ben Kingsley) step-daughter (Olivia Thirlby) Cast includes Mary-Kate Olsen, Method Man and Famke Janssen.
We Are Together (PG for mature themes) South African documentary chronicling the indomitability of the human spirit as exemplified by 12 year-old Slindile Moya and other kids living at an AIDS orphanage where they find a measure of comfort by singing in a choir. (In Zulu and English with subtitles)
EUR MOTIVATIONAL NOTE
"Are you bored with life? Then throw yourself into some work you believe in with all your heart, live for it, die for it, and you will find happiness that you had thought could never be yours." — Dale Carnegie
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
July 4: Singer Bill Withers is 70. Percussionist Ralph Johnson of Earth, Wind and Fire is 57.
July 5: Rapper RZA is 39. Singer Joe is 35. Rapper Bizarre of D12 is 32.
July 6: Actress-singer Della Reese is 77. Singer Nanci Griffith is 55. Rapper Inspectah Deck of Wu-Tang Clan is 38. Rapper 50 Cent is 32. Actresses Tia and Tamera Mowry ("Sister, Sister") are 30. Actor Jeremy Suarez ("Bernie Mac") is 18.
WEBSITE OF THE WEEK
Read the "real story" beyond Motown's legend and founder of the Supremes, Florence Ballard, in her sister's book "The True Story of Florence Ballard." Visit www.maxineballard.com.
Submit your favorite Web site to us along with a 15-20 word (or less) description to info@eurweb.com.
BLACK HISTORY
July 4, 1827: Slavery abolished in New York State.
July 5, 1975: Arthur Ashe won the men's single championship at Wimbeldon, defeating Jimmy Connors.
July 6, 1853: William Wells Brown published “Clotel,” the first novel by a black American. (Source: www.BlackFacts.com)
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