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07-09-08 EUR ALL ON ONE PAGE
TV ONE TO COVER DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION: Nightly recaps to feature Michael Eric Dyson, Jacque Reid and Sheryl Underwood.
*TV One announced yesterday morning that it has assembled a team to offer live, nightly coverage of the Democratic National Convention in Denver, from Monday, Aug. 25 through Thursday, Aug. 28.
The convention floor coverage co-hosted by XM Radio and WOL-AM radio host Joe Madison and CN8 Anchor Arthur Fennell will be followed by the show "TV One Live: DNC Afterparty," anchored by veteran journalist Jacque Reid and co-hosted by Rev. Marcia and Michael Eric Dyson.
TV One commentator Roland Martin will serve as chief political analyst and provide daily commentary and a wrap up of the day’s events.
Regular contributors to the post-convention show will include Rev. Al Sharpton, actor and author Hill Harper, comedienne Sheryl Underwood, Sister2Sister magazine publisher Jamie Foster Brown, TV One chef and culinary expert G. Garvin, and style and fashion expert Paul Wharton Huggy Lowdown, The Celebrity Snitch from the Tom Joyner Morning Show, will also phone in celebrity gossip and reports from around the convention’s official and unofficial events.
“The nomination of Sen. Barack Obama as the Democratic Party’s candidate for President of the United States is a historic event in the lives of African Americans, so it is important for TV One to be there for our audience,” said TV One President and CEO Johnathan Rodgers. “While viewers can get coverage of the convention from any number of networks, we plan to cover the convention from a uniquely African American perspective.
Rodgers added: “While viewers can get coverage of the convention from any number of networks, we plan to cover the convention from a uniquely African American perspective. Our post-convention show, in particular, will be a celebration of this historic occasion, but in a format that will combine compelling commentary from well-known African Americans with a range of viewpoints – combined with a witty and entertaining look at the day’s events."
PRODUCERS OF B.I.G. DOCUMENTARY SUED: Former rapper wants $5 million for footage used without his permission.
*A man featured in the documentary "Notorious B.I.G.: Bigger Than Life" is suing its producers for $5 million alleging they included footage of him battling the rapper without permission.
William Troy McCune, a rapper during the 80s and 90s, says he is featured "throughout the video and is a dominant feature in the extras portion,” according to the complaint. “The use of the photograph, image, and likeness of the Plaintiff, in the video by the Defendants, jointly and severally, and acting in active concert was unauthorized.”
Other defendants named in the suit include director Peter Spirer, co-producer Dream Hampton, Rugged Entertainment, and Aslan Productions.
MICHAEL VICK FILES FOR BANKRUPTCY: Jailed quarterback owes between $10 million and $15 million to creditors.
*Michael Vick, currently doing time on federal dogfighting charges, has filed Chapter 11 papers in U.S. Bankruptcy Court, saying he owes between $10 million and $50 million to creditors.
The seven largest creditors named in the court papers filed Monday in Newport News, VA are owed a total of about $12.8 million, reports the Associated Press.
The suspended Atlanta Falcons quarterback hopes he "can, after the conclusion of the bankruptcy case, rebuild his life on a personal and spiritual level, resurrect his image as a public figure, and resolve matters with the NFL such that he can resume his career," according to the filings.
The athlete is serving a 23-month prison sentence at the U.S. Penitentiary in Leavenworth, Kan., after pleading guilty last year to financing a dogfighting ring. He also faces state charges related to dogfighting.
NATE DOGG HIT WITH FELONY CHARGES: Crooner allegedly chased estranged wife down the 405.
*Nate Dogg, 38, will face several felony charges in connection with the alleged stalking of his estranged wife, which included a car chase down a Los Angeles freeway.
The singer, born Nathaniel Dwayne Hale, will be arraigned July 16 on felony counts of making criminal threats, stalking and a misdemeanor charge of driving while his license was suspended for a drunken driving violation.
As previously reported, a woman identifying herself as Nate Dogg's wife called 911 from her vehicle to report that she was being chased by her husband on the 405 freeway. California Highway Patrol arrested and booked the singer on June 23. He was later released from the Twin Towers jail after posting a $50,000 bond.
His attorney, Mark Geragos, said Tuesday he looked forward to defending his client in court. "Unfortunately he's had a tough year and we look forward to getting him through it," Geragos said, according to the Associated Press.
GAME SUED BY COUSIN OVER FUNERAL FIGHT: Rapper supposedly volunteered to pay half of cousin's burial – and didn't.
*Not only has The Game been accused of going back on a promise to pay for part of his cousin's funeral, but the rapper allegedly got into a fight with another cousin following the actual service.
Robert "Kirky" Kirkwood says his cousin The Game agreed to pay half of the $14,000 tab to bury Kirky's sister. But when it was time to pay up, Game was nowhere to be found – that is until the day of the funeral, when the rap star showed up to speak.
Kirky said he stepped to The Game after the service to discuss the money situation. An altercation ensued and Kirky claims in a police report that the Compton M.C. punched him in the face.
Kirky filed a police report, according to TMZ.
JAMES BROWN TO CO-HOST 'INSIDE THE NFL': Show moves from HBO to Showtime; Phil Simms and Cris Collinsworth also on board.
*"Inside the NFL" moves from HBO to Showtime this year and will be hosted by James Brown, who is currently under contract with Showtime's sister channel CBS under the corporate umbrella Viacom.
Brown, who is replacing Bob Costas as host, will be joined on the long-running series with CBS Sports analysts Cris Collinsworth and Phil Simms, reports Variety.
The program will air Wednesday nights on Showtime beginning Sept. 10 and follows a run on competitor HBO that began in 1977.
In addition to their "Inside the NFL" duties, Brown will continue anchoring "The NFL Today" on CBS, while Simms will once again be paired with Jim Nantz, and Collinsworth will work for NBC on its Sunday-night football package.
VILLAGE PEOPLE COP HAS VOCAL CORD SURGERY: Former lead singer Victor Willis postpones his tour during recovery.
*Former Village People lead singer Victor Willis, who sang lead and co-wrote lyrics to such Village People hits as "Y-M-C-A" and "Macho Man," has put his tour on hold to recover from surgery on his vocal cords.
According to the Associated Press, the band's original policeman is convalescing in a San Diego hospital after surgery Monday to remove nodules from his vocal cords.
The singer developed hoarseness after several performances in 2007, forcing him to scrap scheduled gigs in Europe and Canada this year. He's expected to make a full recovery and reschedule all canceled dates.
Willis left the group in 1980. In 2006, San Francisco police found cocaine in his car; he pleaded no contest to drug possession and served three years' probation.
JADA PINKETT SMITH HIRES DOG WHISPERER: Cesar Millan called in after actress' dog killed by a snake.
*Devastated over the loss of her dog Rocco at the hands of a rattlesnake, Jada Pinkett Smith has enlisted the services of TV's "Dog Whisperer" Cesar Millan to help teach her pooches to avoid the slippery creatures.
According to WENN news, her Malibu home with actor Will Smith is a popular hangout for area rattlesnakes, and she's hoping Millan can help prevent her other dogs from falling victim to another deadly attack.
"I'm willing to do what's necessary to make sure I don't have this same event happen again," Smith told WENN news.
The famous Dog Whisperer uses real rattlesnakes to teach dogs to beware of their sounds. He told Jada that more than 150,000 household pets are killed or left injured by snakes each year.
OBAMA'S INVESCO FIELD AUDIBLE THROWS NETWORKS: That big of a venue wasn't budgeted.
*Networks were thrown for a loop Monday when Barack Obama's campaign announced it was moving his closing-day acceptance speech of the Democratic presidential nomination from the 19,000-seat Pepsi Center to the 76,000-seat Invesco Field.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, the networks had already set their budget for the Pepsi Center. Millions of dollars were set aside for the transportation of anchors and staff, the costs of cameras and cables and dozens of other line items.
With less than two months to go, Obama's move to Invesco Field has sent networks into a financial tailspin.
"It's going to cost us all more than we budgeted, and we'll have to figure out how to handle it," CBS News senior vp Paul Friedman said.
On Monday, the networks had a conference call to decide how to deal with the bigger venue and its extra charges Fox News Channel previously had been selected to handle the pool coverage, and that won't change. Marty Ryan, executive producer of political coverage at Fox News, said some resources originally earmarked for the venue over four days will move to Invesco for the convention's final day.
"It's just a question of how big in each place," Ryan said. "That we're still resolving."
The budget-conscious broadcast networks will also consider scaling back the size of studios they traditionally build at the convention center.
CHRIS ROCK TEAMS WITH HALLMARK: Comedian's voice will be featured on new line at Gold Crown stores.
*The edgy, unexpected humor of comedian Chris Rock is now available at Hallmark Gold Crown stores across the country. The comedian is featured on a new line of cards joking about age, finances, and the relationship between men and women.
Many of the cards feature original clips from Rock's comedy routine. The cover of one card reads, "You're at that age now. That age where every drug commercial on TV is aimed right at you." When the card is opened, Rock says, "And they keep naming symptoms 'til they find one that you (bleep) got, ok. Are you sad, are you lonely? Do you got Athlete's foot? Are you hot? Are you cold? What do you got? You want this pill? Huh (bleep)? You got to take this pill!"
"Chris Rock's brand of comedy is unapologetic and hilarious," said Tina Neidlein, a senior writer at Hallmark. "The occasional bleep is indicative of how raw this humor is. By putting Chris's words in greeting cards, Hallmark is giving consumers an even larger selection of funny cards to help them connect with the people in their lives."
BROADWAY'S B.J. CROSBY RECOVERING FROM STROKE: Star of Smokey Joe's Café says she needs lots of prayer.
*B.J. Crosby, the Tony-nominated Broadway actress from Smokey Joe's Café, suffered a stroke on the right side of her body in mid-June, reports Playbill News.
The theater star famous for her powerful voice is able to speak and walk and has regained some use of her right hand and arm, but is unable to sing at this point, according to a report in the Times-Picayune.
"My speech is slurred, but I take my time when I talk so you can understand me," Crosby told the Times-Picayune. "It's OK. I know I'm getting better. . . . I'm not mad that this happened to me. But it's difficult to get through. I'm taking it one day at a time. I'm going to recover. It's just going to take a little time."
Crosby, who has played Matron "Mama" Morton in the hit Broadway revival of Chicago, does not have medical insurance. To help raise funds for her bills, donations are being accepted, and a benefit concert is planned for the fall.
"I need prayers more than money," Crosby told the New Orleans paper. "Tell people not to stop praying for me. I know prayer changes things."
CHAKA KHAN IN 'TV ONE' HOT SEAT: Singer sits down with Cathy Hughes; discusses roller coaster career; son's legal drama and more.
*Chaka Khan will be the guest of honor this weekend on "TV One on One." The Cathy Hughes-hosted series on TV One will feature the ten-time Grammy winner for the full hour on Sunday, July 13 from 10-11 p.m.
During the interview, Khan says during the period she was out of the public eye, there were some tough times. But it had unforeseen, positive results.
“I’ve had a couple of life-altering experiences in my absence, but I come back to you new and improved,” she tells Hughes.
Khan also opens up about the 2004 shooting of a family friend in her home by her son Damien. He was eventually acquitted after a 2006 trial. The incident, however, took a toll on her family. She tells Hughes that the experience also brought her a kind of enlightenment.
“I’ve grown. I am in present time [now] at all times. And not afraid. More fearless because I am trusting in my higher powers," says Khan. "I still get my usual butterflies, but I think what we’re referring to here is just a fear of feeling, a fear of feeling any pain; a fear of experiencing anything unpleasant. Fear of life. I didn’t want to experience it, and so I hibernated and medicated.“
She continues, “I got shaken out of that with the ordeal with my son. But I took that as an opportunity…I was being spoken to in a profound way. It was definitely a lesson – a life lesson and a message. I had to be there. I had to sit up and show up [at the trial] every morning. But it’s not just that. I had to carry the Holy Spirit with me everywhere I went and stay in a constant state of prayer and surrender to God. That’s when I really learned what it means when people so flippantly say, ‘Give it to God.’”
In the last segments of the show, Khan is joined by a surprise guest, her friend R&B vocalist Betty Wright, and the two talk about the early days of their careers.
TIMOTHY WRIGHT 'HOLDING ON' AFTER CRASH: Pastor suffered extensive injuries; wife and grandson were killed.
*The Rev. Timothy Wright is said to be slowly recovering from a car crash that left him with serious injuries and killed his wife, Betty, and grandson. He was in critical condition Monday at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, Pa.
"He's holding on," said David Wright of his father, who suffered extensive injuries, including a broken jaw. "He's conscious. He can't talk, but he can nod his head."
Timothy Wright knows that his grandson died, but as of press time, he had not yet been told that his wife and co-pastor had died, according to Newsday.
Another of the pastor's five sons Danny Wright -- whose own 14-year-old son D.J. died in the crash -- said his father has been asking for his wife. The family decided to wait to break the news until Wright is physically stronger.
The Wrights were returning from a religious convention in Detroit late on July 4 when their car was struck head-on by another car driving the wrong way on Interstate 80 in Pennsylvania.
D.J., who died from his injuries on Saturday night, was a recent graduate of Roosevelt Middle School. He loved cooking and the Power Rangers, and he wanted to be a gospel singer like his grandfather, reports Newsday.
The trip to Detroit with his grandparents was a special graduation present for D.J., one of the couple's three sons, Danny Wright said.
"I never really let them away from us, but he wanted to go," Danny Wright told Newsday. He said he spoke to his son every day during the trip, and had just talked with him hours before the crash.
The next time he saw D.J., "he looked like himself, like he was just sleeping," Wright said. "He probably didn't even know what happened."
SHERYL UNDERWOOD IS NEW ZETA PHI BETA PREZ: Comedian crowned during sorority's business meeting in Vegas.
*Comedian Sheryl P. Underwood has a new title - the 23rd International President of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated.
Appointed during the organization's bi-annual business meeting in Las Vegas on June 27, Underwood becomes the first professional entertainer to hold the highest elected office of a historically black National Pan-Hellenic Council.
"I am honored that my beloved sisterhood elected me as their 23rd International President", said a jubilant Sheryl Underwood. "Through my New Beginnings for Every Generation's plan of action, members of Zeta will enter into a new era of public service by strengthening our sisterhood, building on our Sorority's national service initiative Z-HOPE: Zetas Helping Other People to Excel and preparing the next generation of service leaders.
Underwood, a regular on-air personality with the Tom Joyner Morning Show, first joined the sorority in 1990 and has served the organization as its National Chair of Honorary Members, Graduate Member at Large and just completed two consecutive terms as the National Executive Board Chair.
ITTY BITTY BITS: Snoop's wife cleared; 'Kinky' does Broadway; Mandela coin; 'Cooper' on ION; Dan-Jumbo arrested; Venus 'owes' Serena.
*DUI charges against Snoop Dogg's wife Shante were dropped yesterday due to lack of evidence. Boss Lady was popped last month in Fullerton, California on suspicion of driving under the influence of marijuana, but the Orange County District Attorney dismissed the case because there wasn't enough evidence to prove that her driving was impaired.
*"Kinky Boots," the British comedy that starred Chiwetel Ejiofor as a drag queen, is about to step foot onto the Great White Way. The film has been acquired for the stage by veteran Broadway producers Daryl Roth ("August: Osage County") and Hal Luftig ("Movin' Out"), who aim to turn it into a musical, according to the Hollywood Reporter. "Kinky Boots," released by Miramax in 2006, depicts the drag queen's efforts to help the chief of a struggling shoe company save his business by designing a line of fetish shoes.
*The South African Reserve Bank on July 18 will begin issuing 5 million coins featuring Nelson Mandela to commemorate the former president's 90th birthday. The new five rand coin will be South Africa's largest coin and is worth about 65 U.S. cents, according to the Associated Press.
*ION Television has launched the sitcom “Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper” on its weeknight schedule from 5 p.m. – 6 p.m. (ET) Mondays through Fridays. The family comedy starred Mark Curry as a former basketball star who coaches the high school team and works as a substitute teacher. The popular series, which aired on ABC from 1992–1997, also features Holly Robinson Peete, Raven-Symoné, Saundra Quarterman, Marquise Wilson, Omar Gooding and Dawnn Lewis.
*Andrew Dan-Jumbo, the half-African handyman from the former TLC series "While You Were Out," has been charged with assault, petty larceny and harassment after cops allege he stole property from a home back in March. According to TMZ.com, Dan-Jumbo turned himself into Amherst, NY police on July 1st.
*Venus Williams says she owes much of her success in tennis to her sister Serena, whom she beat in the Wimbledon ladies finals Saturday. "Without her, I couldn't have achieved anything," Venus, 28, tells Shape in the August issue, out yesterday. "She's helped me believe in myself." More than just a roommate, constant companion and rival, Serena has also given her big sister advice to help win tennis matches. "That got me through one final at Wimbledon," Venus says. "I was also thinking, 'I want to be like Serena; I want to win like Serena.' And I did."
ALPHA KAPPA ALPHA BARBIE MAKES DEBUT: Mattel creates limited-edition dolls to sell at convention this week in D.C.
*Mattel Inc. is making a limited-edition Barbie series based on the oldest black sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha, and will introduce it this week at the group's biennial convention in Washington D.C.
AKA Centennial Barbie, the first Barbie based on any sorority, is outfitted in a pink and green evening gown, matching jeweled shoes and gold jewelry, reports the Chicago Sun-Times.
The Mattel doll will sell for $50 through the Barbie Collector catalog, the Barbie Collector.com Web site and retailers. The sorority will pocket a percentage of the sales.
AKA has inducted about 200,000 members -- including actress Phylicia Rashad, educator Marva Collins and author Toni Morrison -- since its founding at Howard University in 1908.
The sorority's other recent corporate deals include the following:
· Converse has designed shoes for Alpha Kappa Alpha and five other black Greek-letter organizations and will sponsor a march at the AKA convention.
· Chase last year gave AKA more than $100,000 to support an African-American home ownership initiative.
· DNA tracing firm African Ancestry Inc. has partnered with the group.
EUR DVD REVIEW: Chop Shop
End of Innocence Flick Arrives on DVD
DVD Review by Kam Williams
*Siblings Ale (Alejandro Polanco) and Isamar (Isamar Gonzales) are orphans forced by circumstances to fend for themselves in an industrial section of New York City known as the Iron Triangle. Located in the shadow of Shea Stadium, this sprawling Queens neighborhood is comprised of nothing but acre after acre of junkyards, scrap heaps, garbage dumps and auto-body repair garages.
Kids grow up fast and living in such a godforsaken environment and, even though he's only 12, Ale works full-time in a chop-shop, a front where stolen cars are purchased, quickly disassembled to be sold for parts. He's also sees himself as the man of the family, and is very protective of his 16 year-old big sister with whom he shares a one-room dive above the shop. It ain't much, but it's home. He even found a job for her as a cook in a mobile food canteen catering to folks employed in the area.
Despite their dire circumstances, Ale still dreams of going into business with his sis as the owners of their own deli van. However, Isamar, a budding beauty, is already attracting men interested in her for the wrong reasons. She discovers a way to make some fast money, although Ale is unprepared to handle it emotionally when he and his pal, Carlos (Carlos Zapata), catch her in a compromising position.
So unfolds Chop Shop, an engaging end-of-innocence flick directed by Ramin Bahrani (Man Push Cart). What makes this film fascinating is that it's hard to know whether what you're watching is acting or just a slice-of-life documentary. Consequently, you might start to feel uncomfortable to see children with such a hard knock life involved in so much antisocial and immoral adult behavior, whether they be thespians or hooligans.
Little Orphan Annie Latino-style, with an Oliver Twist.
Excellent (3.5 stars)
Unrated
Running time: 84 minutes
Studi Koch Lorber Films
DVD Extras: Audio commentary with the director, cast and crew, rehearsal footage and the original theatrical trailer.
To see a trailer of Chop Shop, visit:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjL8NLanOeg
EUR FILM REVIEW: We Are Together (Thins Simunye)
Musical Documentary Examines Plight of South African AIDS Orphans
Film Review by Kam Williams
*Grandma Zodwa Mqadi was working as an AIDS counselor in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa when she decided to do something about the fact that the epidemic had created over a million young orphans.
For she witnessed that, invariably, dying parents would expressed a concern that their offspring be cared for in their absence.
So, she founded Agape, an orphanage capable of housing about 30 AIDS orphans, a place appropriately named after the Greek word meaning
unconditional love.
In 2003, the fledgling charity came to the attention of Paul Taylor who spent three months there as a volunteer. Deeply affected by what he witnessed, he soon returned with a camera and would devote the next several years of his life to making a movie about Zodwa and the children she'd adopted.
The upshot of those efforts is We Are Together, Taylor's brilliant directorial debut and as inspirational a documentary as you could ever hope to find. Relying on music to grieve, bond and overcome their mutual hardships, the kids form a choir not only to help with the healing, but to make a CD, go on tour, and raise money to enable Grandma Zodwa to extend her services to more orphans.
This heartrending film focuses on the misfortunes of one family in particular, the Moyas, especially Slindile, now 17. She has been staying at Agape since she was 8 with three younger sisters and a younger brother. She also has a big brother, Sifiso, who is HIV+ and still lives at home over an hour away. We learn that he can't afford the expensive AIDS medication, so he must make do with the Vitamin B he gets from a local hospice.
I guarantee that there won't be a dry eye in the house by the time these innocent, wide-eyed waifs make their way from Africa to New York City to perform their well-rehearsed repertoire at an uplifting benefit concert.
Excellent (4 stars)
Rated PG for mature themes.
In Zulu and English with subtitles.
Running time: 86 minutes
Studi Palm Pictures
To see a trailer of We Are Together, visit:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=LpX4JGn4PzU
EUR MOTIVATIONAL NOTE
"The first step to becoming is to will it." — Mother Teresa
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
July 9: Actor Richard Roundtree is 66. Singer Debbie Sledge of Sister Sledge is 54. Actor Jimmy Smits is 53. Singer Kiely Williams of 3LW is 22.
WEBSITE OF THE WEEK
Need your Eric Benet fix? Well then www.TrueEBfans.com is the official fan club of Eric Benet and the BEST place to get Eric Benet news.
Submit your favorite Web site to us along with a 15-20 word (or less) description to info@eurweb.com.
BLACK HISTORY
July 9, 1893: The first successful open heart surgery without anesthesia was performed by Dr. Daniel Hale Williams at Provident Hospital in Chicago. (Source: www.BlackFacts.com)
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