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07-08-08 EUR ALL ON ONE PAGE
USHER MAY REHIRE MOM-AGER: Word has it that he's in talks with mom Jonetta Patton to come back and handle business.
*The New York Daily News' Rush & Malloy column is reporting that Usher has been "quietly talking" with his mother Jonetta Patton about returning to her position as his manager.
The superstar fired his mom just before Mother's Day in 2007 and replaced her with Benny Medina, who has successfully guided the careers of Mariah Carey and Jennifer Lopez, among others.
"But now that Usher's new album has been slow off the mark, he's blaming Medina," according to Rush & Malloy. "True, the CD, 'Here I Stand,'
debuted at number one. But Usher is said to have been disappointed that it sold 433,000 in its first week, compared with his last CD, 2004's "Confessions," which had sales of 1.1 million in its first seven days."
According to the columnists, Lil Wayne's "Tha Carter III" selling a million in its first week didn't help matters. "Usher was livid!," claims an insider. "He threatened to fire everyone."
The BET Awards was also reportedly a sour spot for Ursh. While the show pulled 6.3 million viewers when Beyonce opened it last year, the Usher-headlined show drew only 5.8 million.
"People have been telling Usher to listen to his mother," says a source. "Nobody knows how to sell him better than she does. Usher can be stubborn. But he may be ready."
The firing of Mrs. Patton was rumored to have been encouraged by Usher's wife Tameka Foster, but "now that Foster has given her a grandson, the two ladies are said to be getting along better," the column states.
BEYONCE'S SECRET PASSPORT FILES BREACHED: Singer one of over 100 famous victims.
*Beyonce Knowles is one of 127 celebrities whose passport files were accessed repeatedly by unknown parties.
This spring, passport files of presidential candidates Sens. Barack Obama, John McCain and Hillary Clinton were accessed by contractors for the State Department. In response, the State Department's Inspector General examined how often celebrity files were perused, reports the Houston Chronicle.
Authors of the Inspector General's report took a sample list of 150 celebrities and found 127 files were accessed a total of 4,148 times in a six-year period. Nine of the 127 passport files, including Beyonce's file, were pulled up more than a hundred times, the report showed.
Officials won't say which celebs were repeatedly browsed.
SISQO QUIETLY ARRESTED FOR DUI IN DECEMBER: News breaks after caller to radio station reveals incident.
*News is just now surfacing about Sisqo being arrested for DUI back in December.
The one-time front man for Baltimore R&B group Dru Hill was sentenced to probation and ordered to pay $1700 in fines for the charge.
Somehow, the arrest managed to stay out of the headlines for about eight months. It only came to light yesterday because a caller to Baltimore's Mix 106.5 radio station Monday morning spilled the beans.
NICOLE RICHIE DENIES HOTEL SCUFFLE: TMZ claims Harlow's mom had to be escorted out of Hard Rock by security.
*TMZ.com reported Sunday that Nicole Richie caused such a ruckus outside the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas that she was thrown off the premises by security. Her publicist, however, says it's not true.
"She was in Vegas but there wasn't an altercation of any kind involving her," Richie's rep told TMZ.
The Web site had reported that Richie, mother of 6-month-old Harlow with boyfriend Joel Madden, was involved in an altercation around 1 a.m.
Sunday morning while in line at the hotel valet.
"Sources say Richie was so rowdy she had to be escorted off the property by security," TMZ reported.
LIONEL RICHIE'S TOUGH TIME IN THE HAMPTONS: Singer banned from one venue; performs through rain at another.
*While Nicole Richie may or may not have been kicked out of the Hard Rock Hotel in Vegas for being too rowdy, it's confirmed that her daddy, Lionel Richie, was banned from performing at a Hamptons home because neighbors feared it would be noisy.
According to the New York Post's Page Six, party promoter Scott Feldman planned to charge guests $1,250 each to watch Richie sing in the backyard of his rented home in the Long Island town of Sag. But newspaper claims requests for a permit were rejected after the wealthy townspeople stepped in and voiced their objections.
Fox.com columnist Roger Friedman says the Richie event then moved to the Guyer Rd., Water Mill estate of Michael Hirtenstein. Tickets were still $1,250 and included a dinner prepared by "Top Chef's" Tom Colicchio. "But what a mess at the new venue!" Friedman wrote in his Monday column. Rain during the event made things a bit muddy, Friedman noted.
"Insiders are wondering though how much Richie must get for a private show if tickets were $1,250 and only 250 people were invited," Friedman added. "Even if sponsors kicked in the rest and Richie got $300,000 for the night, none of the math quite works out. It sounds so similar to Meli's debacle of last summer, when his concert promoting cost investor Edgar Bronfman Jr. between $18 and $30 million. You've got to ask: who needs that kind of aggravation - especially when Richie's agent, CAA, comes looking for its commission."
GLASTONBURY CRITIC GETS EARFUL OF JAY-Z: Sun journalist confronted by rapper over bad review.
*Most British journalists gave Jay-Z's performance at the Glastonbury Music Festival a glowing review - some even calling his presence at a traditional rock venue historic. But one critic wasn't so impressed.
Gordon Smart of The Sun agreed with the pre-show comments made by Oasis front man Noel Gallagher about the rap star not being "right" as a Glastonbury headliner.
It just so happens that Jigga ran into Smart Saturday night at London club Paper and the two had a little chat about the performance.
Smart recounted in his column: "With the big guy poking me in the chest and his minders all around, he launched into an incredible rant. He told me: 'You were the only one who gave me a bad review. Everyone else said it was history. I'm not one of those guys who gets cut up about good or bad reviews but you missed the moment, man. It was a first for Glastonbury and you didn't get it. You're a non-believer. I was making history and you missed the moment.'"
Smart added: "I still respect him and would still buy his records...but still don't think his set was quite right for Saturday night at Glastonbury. I would tell him that again - but next time I might take Ricky Hatton for moral support."
In other Jay-Z news, apparently the rapper has a new way of needling entertainers who upset him. After taking the Glastonbury stage singing Gallagher's "Wonderwall," Jay performed at the 02 Wireless festival in Hyde Park and mocked Amy Winehouse's hit "Rehab."
As previously reported, the hip hop mogul didn't appreciate Winehouse calling Kanye West a c**t during her Glastonbury set. "There's no need for that. I don't know what went down, but Kanye's cool," Jay said.
TYSON GAY SAYS HE'LL BE READY FOR BEIJING: Sprinter suffered mild muscle strain at Olympic trials; promises to bounce back in time.
*Sprinter Tyson Gay crashed out of the U.S. 200 meters quarter-finals at the Track and Field Olympic trials Saturday in Eugene, Ore., but his management said Sunday that he'll be ready to run the 100 meters and 4x100 meters relay in Beijing.
"He is expected to engage in active rest for up to 12-14 days, with light physical activity increasing through that period, and then resume training," said his publicist Barrbara Huebner.
Huebner also said Gay is on schedule to compete in the London Grand Prix meeting on July 25.
Gay, the defending world champion in the 100 and 200, tumbled to the track about 40 meters into the 200 meters quarterfinals race Saturday, ending his hopes of competing at the distance in Beijing. He suffered a mild muscle strain in the semitendinosus muscle of his left leg.
Right before the 200, Gay said he felt a "little tweak" in his hamstring and alerted his coach Jon Drummond, who recommended he not run.
But Gay participated anyway.
"I thought it would go away once I warmed up," he said, according to the Associated Press. "By the time I came off the blocks, 20, 25 meters into the race, my hamstring pulled up."
Gay had already qualified for the Olympic 100 meters. That competition begins Aug. 15 in Beijing. He's also hoping his leg will hold up to run on the Olympic 400-meter relay team.
ROCHELLE AYTES GETS ROLE OF A LIFETIME: 'Shark' actress cast in network's pilot 'Mistresses.'
*Actress Rochelle Aytes, best known for her role on the cancelled CBS drama "Shark," has found new employment at cable channel Lifetime on its upcoming pilot "Mistresses."
Aytes joins Holly Marie Combs and Brooke Burns in the title role of a quartet of thirtysomething women who have been friends since college.
Combs will play Jane, who gave up her career to be a stay-at-home mom. Burns will play Shannon, an outspoken and sharp attorney. Aytes will play Ava, a bright and spunky soap star.
The pilot from Fox 21 is based on the BBC series.
NBC SCORES WITH ALL-WILLIAMS WIMBLEDON FINAL: Saturday's sister affair draws best number in three years.
*Viewers flocked to NBC Saturday morning at 9 a.m. on the East and 6 a.m. on the West to watch defending Wimbledon champ Venus Williams take on her little sister Serena in this year's ladies final.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, the match, won by Venus in straight sets, posted a 3.4 rating/10 share, a 21% increase over last year's final between Venus Williams and Marion Bartoli, also won by Williams. It peaked toward the end with a 5.1/15.
The match was most popular in the Williams sisters' home town of West Palm Beach, where it drew a 6.8/17.
The 3.4/10 mark is the highest since the 4.0/12 posted in 2005 by another final between two Americans, Venus Williams and Lindsay Davenport.
SNOOP GOES BOLLYWOOD FOR NEW VIDEO: Rapper teams with Indian star for theme song of new movie.
*After tackling country music in his latest single, "My Medicine,"
the rapper is about to get his Bollywood on by teaming with Indian superstar Akshay Kumar to film a music video for the theme song of his new movie, "Singh Is Kinng."
According to the New York Post's Page Six, the pair will get together next month to produce the clip.
Kumar, who has starred in more than 80 Indian films, is best known for his Khiladi series, in which he plays an Indian version of James Bond.
In "Singh Is Kinng," he'll play a dangerous underworld gangster.
A-ROD HECKLED BY FANS WITH KRAVITZ SIGNS: Boston fans try to distract Yankee with his divorce issues. It didn't work.
*Several Boston fans at Yankee Stadium tried to help their Red Sox beat the men in pinstripes Sunday by making fun of the drama surrounding the divorce and rumored affairs of both Alex and Cynthia Rodriguez.
Some Red Sox supporters held up face signs of Madonna, who was reported to have hosted late night visits from A-Rod. Over the weekend.
Cynthia's lawyer says his meetings with the pop icon finally pushed her to file for divorce.
Other Red Sox fans toted around face signs of Lenny Kravitz, who opened up his Paris home to Cynthia when the Madonna rumors were all over the news. He has denied anything other than a close friendship with Cynthia.
According to TMZ.com, Yankees security confiscated the masks and trashed them at the gate. A-Rod, meanwhile, hit a home run during the game - helping his team beat the Red Sox 5-4.
VERIZON PULLS THE PLUG: Communication behemoth shows TechNigga the door.
*As reported in yesterday’s EUR, Verizon was under fire for picking up a distribution deal with 1938 Media, which created a video blog called “TechNigga.” The concern regarding the deal between Verizon Wireless and 1938 Media was led by Najee Ali of Project Islamic Hope and Paul Porter of Industry Ears in an effort to maintain respect from Verizon Wireless to its African American customers.
Verizon heard the complaints of the groups and fortunately for all involved sided with those who feel that 1938 Media -- along with its founder Loren Feldman who is the star of TechNigga -- “promotes racism”.
Verizon Wireless, as immediately as yesterday morning, said that “clips from 1938 media were moved off our service this morning." Organizers Najee Ali and Paul Porter, were satisfied with the immediate attention Verizon gave to the concerns of the community.
Najee Ali from Project Islamic Hope stated "This was another important victory for consumers and Black leadership. We salute Verizon for listening to the concerns of our community and their customers by refusing to be a corporate partner and supporter of Loren Feldman, president of 1938 Media. We feel that his site and content espoused racism and bigotry. He is best known for the racist online skit called Technigga. That type of racist material and association obviously was not suitable for Verizon or its customers."
Paul Porter also gave this statement, “We are glad to hear that Verizon moved quickly to cease 1938 Media's offensive content off their V Cast. Corporate responsibility is not an option. In less than twenty-four hours the voice of the consumer was heard loud and clear. Industry Ears values our partnership with Project Islamic Hope and the strength of the web to deliver information that consumers truly need to hear.”
IT’S A WRAP!: 14th Annual Essence Festival is over.
*New Orleans gets a complete makeover during the Essence Festival. It was reported that the festival was privy to the most R&B acts in one venue ever. People were thoroughly satisfied by the music, shopping and seminars.
Mary J. Blige and Chris Rock are event regulars. Blige has been invited to perform four times in a row and Chris Rock made his second appearance in 12 years. Lots of people in attendance didn’t realize the festival had so much to offer.
As reported by the Associated Press, Danae Green, of Pittsburgh, Calif., said, "This is just my second year attending…I had a good time at the concerts, but I didn't know all this was going on."
The multi-faceted event includes appearances by gospel artists as well. Sunday's schedule included performances by gospel stars Tye Tribett and Regina Belle and inspiration from televangelist Juanita Bynum.
Some use the event as a way of reuniting and enjoying one another as a family. According to AP, Reggie Wilson of Atlanta said, "We've made it into a reunion. It's one of the few times of the year that we're able to meet up together as a family. The empowerment seminars are great, the concerts are the bomb and I'll keep coming back as long as they keep having it."
SMOKEY’S MAMA IS ON THE MAIN STAGE: Vickilyn Reynolds plays Hattie McDaniel.
*You may know her best as Smokey’s cigarette puffin’, phone yackin’, funky braid wearin’ mama in Friday. But, now people know her well from her performances on stage.
Vickilyn Reynolds is a New York theatre actress and singer who will soon take her bow as the Academy Awards first African American Oscar winner Hattie McDaniel. According to Playbill.com, she’s going to portray her in the play “Hattie…What I Need You to Know”. The play is being presented in association with 2008 Harlem Week at National Black Theater, Inc. in Manhattan and will run Aug. 6-Sept. 27.
Reynolds has starred in productions of Bring in 'da Noise, Bring in 'da Funk and Mama I Want to Sing, but she may have been born to play this role. In a statement the multi-talented Reynolds said, "I feel like this is one of my destinies to portray Hattie McDaniel. We have so many parallels. My brother was a Tony Award winner who pulled me into show business. We sing, dance and act as well as write. We even favor in appearance."
The show will be held at The National Black Theater and is being presented by American Legacy Magazine and produced by 3-G Entertainment. Reynolds wrote the McDaniel tribute and Reginald D. Brown will be in the director’s seat. Showtimes will be Wednesdays-Saturdays at 8 PM and Sundays at 4 PM. Tickets are between $25 and $40 and are available by calling (212) 722-3800 or by visiting www.HattieWhatINeedYouToKnow.com.
STEVEN IVORY: The Wonder of a Win
*"You're caller number five." Click.
On most days, I'd come home from Douglass High, get out of the “good” clothes, and in my room take refuge with my best friend: the radio.
If music was a lonely fifteen year-old boy's salvation, then WKY and KOMA, Oklahoma City's two powerful AM top 40 pop stations, were church and their disc jockeys my clergymen.
"You're caller number ten." Click.
All evening I'd sit anxiously on the side of my bed tending to the white box-shaped Westinghouse AM radio on my night stand, my hand on the dial, monitoring frequencies like a young man in search of messages from outer space, or more succinctly, for a song to cosign my own introverted existence.
The music that captured my heart was a skillful if often cliched mélange of five dollar chords, memorable melodies, modern harmonies and cohesive production. Anything from the Archies' bubblegum confection, "Sugar Sugar," to most Three Dog Night, all of it supplemented with helpings of James Brown and Hendrix.
The lyrics had to speak to whatever I was going through, and as far as I was concerned, I was in pain. It was hip to be angry about the Vietnam war. Moreover, I lived in unrequited love with any number of girls who didn't know I was alive. Music accommodated my melancholy.
Tuning into a favorite song as it was ending--finding Steam's “Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Good-bye” in the middle of its breakdown climax, or the Friends of Distinction's exhilarating “Love Or Let Me Be Lonely” at its fade--hurt. My consolation was that I'd probably track it down later somewhere on the dial.
I'd listen until Mama called us to dinner, do the dishes and return to my vigil. I slept with the radio on, its volume low. The Spinners' “It's A Shame” and the Carpenters' “(They Long To Be) Close To You” supplied the top-forty soundtrack to my dreams.
"You're caller number eight." Click.
I used to try to win stuff on the air. It wasn't my motivation for listening, but when I felt lucky, I'd grab the phone.
"Be caller number twelve and win tickets to the Oklahoma State Fair…be caller six and win the Rolling Stones collection....”
There was a technique to getting through that I never mastered: The second the disc jockey announced the game, you went for it. Either the line stayed busy--and I'd hear the disc jockey on the radio say, "We've got a winner"--or I'd be too early: with, say, number thirteen being the magic number, he'd answer and say, "You're caller number seven." Click. I'd call again--and again--but by then, it was too late.
One evening, at the D.J.'s announcement of a game, I dialed. It rang, which wasn't unusual; nor was his answering. But what he said this time, was: “Hold on a minute.” He laid the phone down and I went queasy.
Through the receiver, I could hear strains of the same song coming out of my radio--Chicago's “25 or 6 to 4," which segued into a series of recorded commercials. While they played, the D.J. returned to the phone. “Give me your name and address,” he said perfunctorily, nothing like the bright and dynamic personality he was behind the microphone. My voice quivered. He extended a cursory “Thank you,” and hung up.
But back on the air, he was Mr. Gregarious again. “It's eight fifteen in the city, and we have a winner. Steven Ivory of the Oklahoma City area made the call….”
I sat on my bed, stunned. I still don't know what fascinated me more: hearing my name on the radio--via no less than the hallowed frequency carrying songs by the Jackson 5 and the Beatles--or having my name and "winner" used in the same sentence. I'd never experienced that before.
“…We'll be sending him 'Chapter Two,' the new album by Roberta Flack.”
Roberta Flack? Who the hell is Roberta Flack? Oh well. It didn't matter. Whoever she was, I won her record. I hadn't won a thing in my whole life, really. Never had the gumption to try. I made the call and somehow got through. Succeeding was the real prize. Excitedly, I called my friend Donny. He was happy for me, but it wasn't the same; he hadn't heard it for himself.
That night I didn't sleep. Is there truly any slumbering on Cloud Nine?
The next day at school, I walked a little taller. I feigned nonchalance as I worked the tale of last night's victory into every single conversation I had.
What would I do for an encore? Attempt conversation with Anita Wedgeworth? I mean, real talking this time, not telepathy. Actually dress for physical Ed class and show 'em how to dodge ball? Well, no. Hey, but if I had, I'd have been the last skinny man standing on the court. After all, at least that day, I was a winner, and winners win, baby.
I love you, Roberta Flack.
Steven Ivory's book, FOOL IN LOVE (Touchstone/Simon & Schuster) is in stores now or at Amazon.com (www.Amazon.com) Respond to him via STEVRIVORY@AOL.COM or MYfeedback@eurweb.com
ASK ADVICE CHICK: Answers to YOUR Dating, Sex, Life, & Love Questions!
By AdviceChick @ameritech.net
>>> Coming 8-22-08 … The ULTIMATE Ladies NITE Out - CHICAGO!
Visit http://www.hireblackdancers.com NOW For the details!
Send YOUR questions to AdviceChick @ameritech.net !
Dear Advice Chick,
*I am writing this as more of a confessional than a question, but if I touch something in your heart, please share with the world. A good man is considered someone who is emotionally supportive, financially supportive, and physically supportive. So if a man steps out with another woman does it mean he has lower feelings for his significant other than said? Does it mean all they have shared, experienced, laughed about, cried about mean nothing? Does one act of indiscretion erase years of faithfulness? Does it erase the fact that he still pays all the bills, still romances his woman every chance he gets, still picks up the kids and takes the kids out so the mother can have some alone time (even when the kids are not his). Is a good man capable of falling by the wayside, and still being considered a good man? Is the love they share not strong enough for both to realize that love and sex are not intertwined but two separate entities that so many of us get confused?
If a man steps out before marriage, and then once marriage has commenced stays faithful for life, does that one indiscretion not make him a good man? Or is a good man one you can count on in times of need and times of want. He will make a way out of no way and even sacrifice his own happiness so the woman and kids can be happy. Can a good man not stumble? Women put so much emphasis on faithfulness and how doggish a man can be, but what about the good ones who don't ruin there family lives for a skeezer on the street? What about the good ones who cry with their women, pray to God for their women’s happiness, and will lay down his life to protect hers. Does that one indiscretion make him no less a good man? Physical bonds have not hold if there are no spiritual, emotional, and mental bonds. Is a piece of ass worth a great relationship? HELL NO. But is it a great relationship if that storm cannot be weathered?
I have read your column over the past year, and your advice is stern, yet sound and realistic. So please help me, I am confused not by what is done, but by what the consequences are........Yours truly, A stumbling (good) man.
Advice Chick replies,
I ain’t buying it. You already know you’re stumbling, so it’s your charge to do everything you can not to fall, and not to fail your current relationship. A piece of ass is not worth sacrificing your good thing at home. The consequences are real. You can lose everything. It’s not just women who place so much emphasis on faithfulness, God also commands us to be faithful to our spouse. You heard that? We’re to be faithful to our spouse – not our baby daddy, baby momma, sugar daddy, or sugar dumpling. I realize many of us live with our mates, and those of us who do are living in sin. Sex is supposed to be enjoyed with your husband, or wife.
Who’s to say that the hoochie you’re thinking about hitt’in doesn’t have a disease? She can have the big one, AIDS, or one of hundreds of other S.T.D’s. Condoms are not 100%, bruh. Relationships are ridden with trials and tribulations. Many of which are unforeseen, and/or unexpected. Your pee pee throbbing for another woman doesn’t qualify for either. You raised some valid issues, but they hold no water. Do not step out on your girl, and don’t let her remain your girl too long. Make her your wife, and keep the vows you make before friends, family, and God. Be strong - I’ve got faith in you.
ULTIMATE Ladies NITE Out CHICAGO will be held August 22, 2008! I’m seeking businesses and companies willing to provide items of value for my 100 goodie bag
give-a-ways and my six raffles!
I’m also seeking sponsors. For more info, please express your interest in an email to advicechick @ameritech.net.
Send YOUR questions and comments to Advice Chick right NOW! Please put “Dear Advice Chick” in the subject line so your email isn’t deleted as spam. Thanks! Send your emails t advicechick @ ameritech.net
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Ask Advice Chick about ANYTHING and EVERYTHING related to dating, sex, love, and life! She is THE resident dating expert at EURweb.com, and calls on over 11 years of dating and relationship industry experience.
THE BRIDGE: Black Women Hate Black Men
By Darryl James
*I think that it is sad indeed that R Kelly’s case is being compared to the Mike Tyson rape conviction. In that case, I still maintain that Tyson was also a victim, not just the woman who allowed him to perform oral sex on her while menstruating and then emerged from a locked bathroom with a phone to continue engaging with her “attacker.”
Muddied and confusing.
Do I think R Kelly is guilty?
The answer is: “Does it matter?”
I ask if it matters because out of all the positions that people hold, few want to take the position I hold, which is that if Kelly is to be held accountable, then other people, including the women who enabled him must be held accountable as well.
How about Sparkle, the young girl’s aunt, who allegedly served her up in order to get Kelly’s support for her own music career?
How about the girl’s parents who failed miserably as parents and had no idea what a freak their little girl had become? Why was a thirteen-year-old girl alone with a grown man? Why was she having sex like a Porn Star? Is all of that Kelly’s fault?
How about a society that allows and even encourages young girls to dress and act like adult hookers and then flashes righteous indignation when grown men look and interact with those young girls inappropriately?
There are plenty of young girls with super tight clothing pushing and pressing sexual flesh into the public eye and there is no moral outrage over it. In fact, when I wrote about it in this column, some ignorant asshead Feminatzis accused me of hating women and being a sexist for my own moral outrage.
Go figure.
You see, there are a lot of people who enable the abuse of Black women, including some Black women. It’s counterintuitive and counterproductive to lay the blame squarely at the feet of Black men or to ever claim that Black men fail to protect Black women and yet expect Black men to lead in the protection of anyone, when many members of that group fail to protect themselves.
It’s like Black people supporting the Wayans family, Martin Lawrence, Flavor Flav or many of the Buffoonish Black Coons of Comedy and rap sellouts who make Black people look bad on the world stage and then expecting white people to protect our image.
If you want respect, you must first respect yourself.
And, it’s difficult for Black women to make demands of Black men, when far too many Black women are far too willing to toss Black men under the bus for personal gain or for nothing at all.
This includes the proliferation of the Down Low myth, propagated by Black women more than anyone; the myth of more Black men being in prison than college and the ever-popular claim of Black men’s undying love and lust for white women. All popular myths that fall from the lips of Black women more than any other group of people in this nation.
The ignorant bag of crap JL King has recently released a DVD designed to educate people on how to recognize a Down Low Black man. Instead of challenging this asshole to do some real research or shut up, many Black women are passing his promotions around as though he is speaking from the Bible.
So, before we get to shaming Black men into standing up for Black women more than Black women are apparently willing to stand up for themselves, we must address the question of why too many Black women fail to stand up for their brothers, sons and husbands.
Really, we must ask ourselves: who’s hating whom?
Do Black women hate Black men?
We know that during the primary election, many Black women decided that it was in their best interests to support Senator Hillary Clinton because she was a woman, as opposed to supporting Senator Barack Obama because he was Black. So, if in fact the choice was made to assert womanhood over Blackness, doesn’t that also mean that the choice was made to assert their interests as women over the interests of their husbands, sons and brothers?
Take the case in point in California. Congresswoman Maxine Waters and LA County Supervisor Yvonne Burke both represent constituencies that were overwhelmingly pro-Obama, yet both decided to go sharply against their constituency and support Clinton.
Were they hating on Obama?
But, really, let’s go back to the R. Kelly case and examine some of the messages that came from it.
What we heard from many of the Black women who were outraged over Kelly’s acquittal is that Black men fail to protect Black women and girls, particularly from the oversexualization of modern entertainment.
But what we did not hear was that the same oversexualization of modern entertainment adversely affects Black men and boys. It’s as though having young Black boys growing up watching themselves marginalized as hungry sexual animals doesn’t do damage to their psyche or sense of self-worth.
Or it’s as though no one cares, because the focus has been on saving and/or protecting Black girls.
If Black women can challenge Black men to protect Black women and girls, then why is it wrong to challenge Black women to protect Black men and boys?
Why do people want to view the young girl in the R Kelly sex tape who was overly comfortable getting freaky with a grown man as a victim, but not the grown man who is sick enough to be sexually drawn to young girls?
Wasn’t R Kelly once a child? And if he is damaged, wasn’t he damaged as a young Black boy? Even if no one cares about him, what about other Black males like him?
I already know the answer. Damn the male, save the female.
Really, we should be concerned about both males and females.
But, sadly, we see far too much focus on the uplift of Black women and girls, as opposed to Black people.
For example, organizations such as Black Girls Rock exist to raise the self-esteem of Black girls, where we used to be concerned about the condition of all Black children. Why wasn’t the organization named Black Children Rock? And why is their propaganda only aimed at getting people to view Black girls in a different light?
Ashley Dunn, a board member of that organization draws a clear line in the sand.
“The type of education Black women and Black men have had about the importance of Black women has been pretty much non-existent, and what they have seen hasn't been positive," said Dunn. "With that in mind, why would anyone get upset about a Black girl being abused and urinated on? She was nothing anyway, and that is how both women and men feel in our community."
Really? Are Black girls being abused and devalued or are Black children—male and female—being abused and devalued?
Where is the education about the importance of Black men? Isn’t much of what we see negative?
In nearly every corner, young Black boys are being devalued. They are told that they are destined to be gang members, drug dealers, prisoners above college students, harbingers of AIDS, lovers of white women and haters of Black women.
And, in efforts to protect Black women and girls, Black men and boys are typically thrown under the bus as the perpetrators of all things bad and absent from all things good in the Black community.
What the hell does that do to the psyche and self-esteem of Black boys?
Where is the outrage? Particularly since some of that anti-Black male propaganda comes from Black women?
If Black men and boys are doing so horribly in society, why then are there no Herculean efforts to save them?
And why are there so many Black women telling us how horrible we are?
We hear far too many stories of single Black mothers telling their Black male children that their destiny is to become the same kind of garbage as their father who abandoned them.
Talk to Black men who were educated in public schools and you will hear plentiful stories of how they were devalued by Black female educators.
I have one of my own.
Even though I had good grades, I was a discipline problem after the death of my stepfather, grandmother and brother all during my sophomore year in high school. I managed to pull things together by my senior year (thanks to some strong Black men who stepped in), yet the Black female college career counselor at my school tried to discourage me from going to college. She told me that I was not college material, that I would never amount to anything and that I should instead join the military.
Delivering such messages is abusive and devaluing.
The problem is that if we only focus on one side and not both, we end up tacitly diminishing the one side not given focus.
The question that must be asked is whether Black women actually hate Black men.
Or we must at least ask whether they are concerned about the plight of their brothers, sons and husbands.
Next Week: The Hole At My End Of Our Boat.
Darryl James is an award-winning author of the forthcoming powerful anthology “Notes From The Edge.” Discounted Autographed and Numbered Pre-Release copies can be ordered at www.darryljames.com. He released his first mini-movie, “Crack,” and this year, will release his first full-length documentary. View previous installments of this column at www.bridgecolumn.proboards36.com. Reach James at djames@theblackgendergap.com.
*Whenever this country wants to get a gauge of the mood or inclinations of its populace, it usually resorts to the simple and unscientific “poll.”
Yes, there are “scientific aspects” of opinion polls, in terms of statistical sampling and monitoring the control variables as any good scientist would. All of which are done to bring about the most accurate and verifiable results. But at its root, an opinion poll is by definition unscientific.
Ask Mo’Kelly a question on Tuesday and then ask him the same question on Wednesday and the answers might likely be different, for no discernible reason.
Such is the nature of polls.
People can answer them largely at their whim, with no guarantee as to being reasonable, rational or intellectually honest in the process.
One week Senator Obama is leading in the polls, the next he’s trailing…nobody knows for sure and nobody really knows why as to the former or the latter. The only thing “for sure” is that there will be another equally head-scratching poll conducted the following week.
Regardless, every pollster will argue that a poll is a “snapshot” of a moment in time. Meaning, with new information to process, people often reassess their answers or at least the veracity of them.
Maybe…maybe not.
Mo’Kelly would say most polls elucidate how full of s@#$ we Americans are. The statement applies to ALL Americans irrespective of color, class or gender. When the Gallup organization approaches you and asks you whether you “would” vote for an African-American (or a woman) for president, we understand what the “right” answer is and often choose to toe the line of political correctness. We answer the question with blithe and indefatigable ignorance as to the truth of how African-Americans are largely viewed in this country.
It’s connected to why Senator Obama was openly questioned as to why a jazz singer in Denver would replace the national anthem with Lift Every Voice and Sing; (see attached link) even though Obama has no connection whatsoever to the Denver mayor’s office or the jazz singer Rene Marie.
Other than skin color that is…
Just FYI, John McCain was not asked about the incident or requested to comment publicly and McCain CAMPAIGNED in Denver on July 3rd. (see attached link)
Note, both linked articles regarding McCain and Obama came from the SAME Colorado news source. In short, there is the illusion of inclusion and racial respect but the realities are in stark contrast.
But back to polling…
ESPN Sportscenter and ESPN.com recently queried their audiences, ”Which is the better pair of current sports siblings?”
Two choices were offered:
A) Peyton and Eli Manning
B) Venus and Serena Williams
As of Saturday July 5, 62,293 votes had been tallied, 69% of which were for the Manning brothers. You should see where Mo’Kelly is going with this. Mo’Kelly won’t resort to cheap taunts of racism to support his points.
But…
Mo’Kelly will dare anyone to reasonably explain how the Manning brothers are anywhere NEAR the accomplishments of the Williams siblings, yet are considered “better” by more than a 2-1 ratio.
The following are the facts and are inarguable in nature.
Venus Williams –
16 Grand Slam titles (7 singles, 7 doubles, 2 mixed)
· 5 Wimbledon titles
· 7 runner up Grand Slam finishes
· 47 titles overall, (37 singles)
· 21 singles runner up finishes
· 482-115 for her entire career
Serena Williams
17 Grand Slam titles (7 singles, 8 doubles, 2 mixed)
· 2 Wimbledon titles
· 42 titles overall (31 singles)
· 382-81 for her entire career.
To put that in its proper tennis dominance perspective, imagine TWO Martina Navratilovas at the same kitchen table. The real question is if it weren’t for canceling each other out, might one or the other have ended up being the single greatest tennis player of all time?
Peyton Manning
1 Super Bowl win (1 total appearance overall)
Eli Manning
1 Super Bowl win (1 total appearance overall)
Mo’Kelly takes the ESPN poll MORE seriously than any CNN/Gallup poll in this instance, because the ESPN poll arguably more accurately reflects the HONESTY of Americans. More than 2/1 have greater "respect" for the accomplishments of the Manning brothers, even though they are nowhere close to the Williams exploits. No, Mo’Kelly won’t use the “R” word, but he will continue to cite statistical fact. Feel free to further “justify” it any way you want. Mo’Kelly will stick to the facts.
The fact of the matter is that the Mannings (although incredibly talented) haven't scratched the surface of the Williams greatness. Not to mention, prior to the Super Bowl (and even arguably afterwards) Eli Manning was considered a marginal QB at best. If all four athletes retire today...only three make their respective Hall of Fames and guess who doesn't?
Remember, even Trent Dilfer has ONE Super Bowl ring as a quarterback. Try and name 'all' of the "marginal" tennis players who have won Wimbledon multiple times. Mo'Kelly will give you all week to field an answer.
Exactly.
Notre Dame football coach Charlie Weis begins his fourth season at Notre Dame this August. That would be the same fourth season NOT granted to his predecessor Tyrone Willingham. Do remember that when Willingham started off 8-0 in his first season, he was given a handshake and a pat on the head. When Weis began 5-2, he was re-upped with a ridiculous 10-year extension.
When Willingham won in his first year, his detractors accused him of “winning with (i.e. 'thanks to') Bob Davie’s” players, Willingham’s predecessor. When Weis “won” in his first year, he was credited with “better developing Willingham’s players.”
When Willingham was fired after his 3rd season, he was fired in part because of “the program not going in the right direction.” Willingham finished 6-6.
When Charlie Weis finished his 3rd season at 3-9…there was no talk of “the program not going in the right direction.” In fact, there were those who STILL blamed Tyrone Willingham, 3 years removed. After 3 years, Tyrone Willingham...21-16. Charlie Weis...22-15. And if Weis didn't play ALL of the service academies in his first season; Willingham likely has the better overall record.
It is what it is.
This isn't an indictment of ESPN per se, as historically the network has been both credible and sincere in its attempts at presenting issues of race equitably and intellectually honestly. Specifically, hosts such as Colin Cowherd (The Herd on ESPN Radio) and Jim Rome (The Jim Rome Show and Jim Rome is Burning) have been intelligent, thoughtful and thought-provoking when addressing the issue of racial inequities in sports. Let's give credit where credit is due.
In more recent news, retired and undefeated boxing champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. criticized the HBO announcing team for alleged biases against him and other Black fighters; arguing that White fighters akin to middleweight Kelly Pavlik receive unmerited/undue acclaim.
As for Mayweather’s criticism, it gets to be a bit more murky. Mayweather readily admits he has relished the role of “villain” in his fights. Meaning, he’s the “bad guy” and he's glad about it. Meaning, he knows most fans don’t “root” for the “bad guy.” It’s a role he’s embraced and more times than not he has presented himself to be a certifiable jerk. That much, we should all be able to agree. If Mayweather is any less "popular" or less likeable...that's on him. A similar comparison could be made to (ahem) "all-time home run leader," Barry Bonds.
At the same time, there is an undeniable bias against African-American athletes in terms of the perception of their contributions. Mo’Kelly understands what Mayweather is hinting at and the sentiment he’s attempting to express. Mayweather using himself as the centerpiece of his argument is misguided but the overriding point is well-taken nonetheless. The exclusion of the late Buck O’Neil (the first African-American coach in all of MLB) from The National Baseball Hall of Fame, yet inclusion of names like .260 career hitter Bill Mazeroski is unforgivable.
Un-for-givable.
Racism at its root, is the devaluation of another people and their collective accomplishments. It’s more than the exclusion of people from diners or the orchestra seats of a performance hall. It’s far more insidious than simply being denied the right to vote. Such inequities are the more blatant outward manifestations of an inner disposition.
At the very foundation of racism is the thought process which espouses inherent inequality. We can identify it in this manner - when all things are equal, they still aren’t equal; for reasons having nothing to do with the yardsticks used to measure greatness.
The Williams sisters are likely the greatest sports siblings in the history of all professional sports, bar none. Their combined accomplishments are far greater than any the world has seen. And 2 mere Super Bowl rings amongst two brothers in a TEAM sport will never change these facts.
No, of course, it’s not “racism,”…just be sure to email Mo’Kelly when you find a more suitable synonym or euphemism. Let’s not get sidetracked by “labels” but surely let’s wallow in intellectual honesty. It’s time, in this supposed “post-race America” to begin to have an honest and open dialogue in earnest as to why race still matters. Until we do, race will forever plague and prevent us from reaching the level of enlightenment we allege to have achieved. No number of Obama nominations will ever change the reality of what is in our hearts. Equality is more than just an issue of legalities, it also encompasses respect…and clearly the latter is lacking.
Thanks ESPN for that dose of reality, though unintended.
The Mo'Kelly Report is an entertainment journal with a political slant; published weekly at www.eurweb.com. It is meant to inform, infuse and incite meaningful discourse...as well as entertain. The Mo’Kelly Report is syndicated by Newstex and Blogburst. For more Mo’Kelly, http://www.mokellyreport.blogspot.com.
Morris W. O'Kelly can be reached at mokellyreport@sbcglobal.net and he welcomes all commentary.
THE JOURNAL OF STEFFANIE RIVERS: Justice Denied
*If you visit any prison in America a good percentage of inmates claim to be wrongly convicted. But if you’re in Dallas, Texas there’s a good chance some of those inmates are telling the truth.
Since 2001, DNA testing has helped to exonerate eighteen former prisoners in Dallas County thanks to the Innocence Project of Texas. That’s more than any other county in the country.
Last week Patrick Waller became the latest falsely accused man to be released from prison in Dallas County. He spent the last 16 years behind bars convicted of kidnapping, robbery and rape.
Charles Chatman, James Giles, Thomas McGowan, Billy James Smith, James Waller and James Lee Woodard have served a total of 116 years in prison for crimes they did not commit in Dallas County, Texas. Although clearing their records and releasing them from prison is a step in the right direction, these men can’t escape the stigma that comes with their criminal backgrounds – even though they are false.
A recent CNN report revealed that most employers would choose to hire a white person without a college degree and no work experience over a minority with a college degree and a verified work history. So where does that leave people like Charles Chatman?
At 47 years old, Chatman was released last January after serving nearly 27 years of a 99-year sentence. His criminal record has yet to be cleared and he still can’t find a job. Chatman has filed a federal lawsuit against the Dallas Police Department and Donald Ortega, the officer who investigated the case, claiming they violated his civil rights and maliciously prosecuted him for a rape that he did not commit in 1981. In the lawsuit, Chatman accuses Ortega and the DPD of conspiracy by manipulating evidence and failing to investigate his alibi.
The Innocence Project of Texas is a non-profit organization affiliated with the Cardozo School of Law in New York. To date more than 212 people nationwide have been exonerated through DNA testing, and nearly two-thirds of those cases involve in part faulty or fraudulent forensic science.
In the case of malicious prosecution, it’s not enough for the justice system to set free a wrongly accused man. Lawmakers should do everything possible to make the wrongly accused whole. That includes holding accountable the person(s) responsible for taking away his freedom in the first place. It’s the first step to cleansing the justice system of discrimination and it sends the message that injustice won’t be tolerated.
Steffanie Rivers is a free-lance journalist living in the Dallas, TX metroplex. Send your questions and comments to her at teamtcbadvertising@hotmail.com.
TURNER’S TWO CENTS: Is Jay-Z Acting Like “The Man?”
By Cameron Turner
*Jay-Z’s Manhattan sports bar, the 40/40 club, has been hit with a class action suit by some 20 employees who claim that they were paid for fewer hours than they actually worked and were not paid at all for overtime. The plaintiffs also complain that 40/40 charged them full price for accidentally broken bottles, a practice which their lawyer, Maimon Kirschenbaum, decries as “completely illegal.”
This all grows out of a lawsuit originally filed over a year ago by Celeste Williams, an ex-40/40 waitress, who accused the club of playing funny with her money then firing her when she complained. Back then, a 40/40 rep dismissed Williams to the media as a disgruntled employee. But now that Williams’ legal action has been joined by several current and former 40/40 workers, it seems there’s a lot more going on here than the club would have us believe. There’s at least enough here to warrant a courtroom investigation. When upgrading Celeste Williams’ suit to class action status, Manhattan Federal Judge Loretta Preska ruled, “The record contains corroborating evidence of the allegations.”
40/40 spokesman Ron Berkowitz reacted to the class action suit by declaring that “the club is innocent” and stressing that the lawsuit was filed against 40/40, not its famous part owner. Fair enough. No one has suggested that Jay-Z was personally involved in labor relations at 40/40. But this club is his baby, his name has propelled its success and his reputation is connected to it. Moreover, as a black man who worked his way up from poverty to the heights of international commerce, Jay-Z should have made sure that the people who work for him were taken care of. After all, he knows personally what its like to struggle and to be broke.
For generations the black middle class has been accused (with some justification) of turning away from its brethren in the ‘hood. But what about a black man from the ‘hood who attains ridiculous wealth then turns his back on poor folks by ignoring unscrupulous labor practices at a company he owns?
It seems that Jay-Z could have squashed this mess when Celeste Williams first accused the club. He could have investigated her claims, rooted out any patterns of unethical and illegal activity and made corrections. If his memories of his lean years weren’t enough motivation, then he should have been spurred on by selfish interests. After all, a lawsuit like this won’t do his image a bit of good.
Entertainment and sports have made it possible for a lot of young black folks with limited opportunities to rise up out of extremely difficult circumstances. This is a blessing and it is truly the American Dream fulfilled. These newly minted millionaires have every right to enjoy their money (after all, they earned it) but it would be a crime against morality and the ancestors if they started acting like The Man.
Thanks for listening. I’m Cameron Turner and that’s my two cents.
THINK! IT AIN’T ILLEGAL…YET!
BETWEEN THE LINES: What Is Patriotism Really About?
Anthony Asadullah Samad
*The Fourth of July is a date that historically brings about much confliction in the African American community. Never one to miss a great party, black people spend much money on bar-b-ques and fireworks. And you see as many American flags hanging on the porches of black homes as any other.
Why? Because as Langston Hughes once said, "We too are America." We sing America; we work America and we love America-even when America hasn't always loved us. The African in America built America, then became America as the social construct was left with no choice but to include Africa in America's melting pot.
Ever since slavery was abolish in 1865, black people have had to demonstrate their love of country beyond any reasonable expectation, despite a continuing racial animus toward them. Black people have fought in every war, from the Revolutionary War to the Iraqi War, despite America's exclusionary politics of Slavery, Segregation and Colorblindness.
Black soldiers suffered the greater indignities of false promises of freedom, separation from their own ranks, treatment worse than prisoners of war and constant assaults on their humanity. From Fort Pillow (where Black Union Soldiers were captured and executed) to Port Chicago (where black WWII soldiers were court marshaled after a mass mutiny in the aftermath of an explosion that killed 202 black ammunition loaders), from Tuskegee (where they never lost a fighter) to Viet Nam (where they were disproportionately frontline fighters), there has been no greater demonstration of love of country than that of the African American. So what is patriotism really about? What does it mean to be a patriot? And who determines another's patriotism is sufficient, particularly in the current applications of Barack Obama's run for President of the United States.
"Love of country," the primary definition of Patriotism, has always served as a subterfuge for the subversion of criticism about what America is, what America is not and what America could be. To criticize America is a public right, but it, somehow, makes you less patriotic. When you don't love what America is, and say so, you somehow don't love America. When you call out the imperfections in America that really exacerbate our cultural and social differences, you somehow don't stand for America-if you don't stand for what America (right or wrong) stands for. And when you challenge America (and
Americans) to be better, to do better, to want better-you somehow don't appreciate "how good things are" because you live in America. It's becomes a discourse in relativism where "a bad life" here is rationalized in the context of it, at least, not being as bad as where some communist regime or third world developing nation might be. White people are considered "Patriots" no matter how bad they might have been-"they loved their country."
Black people's patriotism is always suspect, no matter how good they are or how dedicated they may have been. Recent examples of this affirm this inconsistency. On this past fourth of July, former North Carolina Senator, Jesse Helms died. Jesse Helms, unlike former Alabama Governor, George Wallace, or former South Carolina Senator, Strom Thurman, died an unrepentant segregationist. Yet former North Carolina GOP Rep, Bill Robey called him a "patriot" in the mold of other great "giants" that died on the fourth of July (Thomas Jefferson and John Adams). On the other hand, the Republican Party has now sought to challenge Barack Obama's patriotism. So dominate is the discussion that it was the cover story of last week's Time magazine and has put Obama (and his flag pin) on the cover of this month's Rolling Stone magazine. It started with the claim that Barack didn't say the Pledge of Allegiance at a public event, then it rolled over to him not wearing a flag pin, and continued with him not putting his hand over his heart. Then, of course, there is the whisper campaign about Obama
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