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07-21-08 EUR ALL ON ONE PAGE
GUESS WHAT HAPPENED TO DMX – YET AGAIN?: Rapper arrested at a Phoenix mall Saturday for trying to get out of hospital bill in April.
*As of press time, rapper DMX was back in an Arizona jail after being arrested in a Phoenix mall on suspicion that he gave a false name and Social Security number to a hospital to get out of paying for medical expenses.
As previously reported, DMX was accused of using the fake name "Troy Jones" to avoid paying a $7,500 bill after checking out of the Scottsdale Mayo Clinic in April.
Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio said his office began investigating the charge following an animal neglect investigation last year at the 37-year-old rapper's north Phoenix home. The artist, born Earl Simmons, was arrested in that case on felony drug possession and misdemeanor animal cruelty charges after authorities seized 12 pit bull dogs and dug up the remains of three others.
Earlier this month, DMX was arrested at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport on outstanding warrants after he failed to appear in court. The week before, he was arrested in Miami on charges of attempting to purchase cocaine and marijuana.
"He's back in jail again," Arpaio said, according to the Associated Press. "I don't know why judges keep letting this guy out. Every time he goes in there, he gets out on bond.
"I'm hoping this is the one time he's going to pay the penalty for his offense," he added.
COMMUNITY GROUP PLOTS R. KELLY BOYCOTT: Plus, is singer planning to cut ties with Jive?
*R. Kelly has been laying low since his acquittal of child pornography charges, but at least one community group has not forgotten about the allegations that brought him before a judge and jury.
The Daily Swarm reports that a group of 19 male professors, writers and activists in the African-American community – including New York congressional candidate Kevin Powell – are calling themselves “Black Men Against the Exploitation of Black Women” and are urging people to “make a personal pledge to never support R. Kelly again in any form or fashion unless he publicly apologizes for his behavior and gets help for his long-standing sexual conduct in his private life and in his music.”
Meanwhile, there are rumblings that R. Kelly is trying to leave his longtime label Jive and sign with Universal's Interscope.
His new album, titled "12 Play: Fourth Quarter," is the fourth installment of the "12 Play" series and will be released soon on Jive, but his management team has been seeking a new and more lucrative deal for future releases, and they’ve approached several other companies, including Interscope, reports The Business Sheet.
LAUGH FACTORY WANTS JESSE TO PAY FOR N-WORD: Owner Jamie Masada says he should pay a fine like comics on his stage.
*Laugh Factory owner Jamie Masada, who has had some experience in dealing with the N-word spewing forth from his stage, says Jesse Jackson should be fined for his recent public use of the racist term.
After the Michael Richards episode two years ago, when the actor repeatedly shouted the N-word at a black patron, Rev. Jackson joined Masada in calling for the term to be banned at the Laugh Factory. Since the outburst, Masada has fined comics $50 for every time they use the word on stage.
"Unfortunately, Jesse Jackson has broken his own principles," Masada told The Associated Press. "Jesse embraced the notion of fining talent for using such a word and he should be held to his own standards."
Masada also wants Rev. Jackson to pay the same amount to the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles.
Fox News confirmed Thursday that Jackson used the word during a break in a TV interview when he criticized Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.
JAMES BROWN'S STUFF UNLOADED: Christie's auction nets more than $850,000; medical bracelet, blue cape among items sold.
*The James Brown auction took place Thursday as scheduled with more than 300 lots netting just over $857,688 – albeit much less than the $1 million to $2 million expected.
Two of the Godfather's capes were among the auction's top three lots: a full length embroidered one went for $47,500 and was bought by an unidentified institution. David Letterman's bandleader Paul Shaffer purchased a blue satin cape, embroidered with "Thy Name Is Godfather of Soul," for $35,000.
Brown's medical bracelet which warned that Brown was diabetic and allergic to penicillin was sold for $32,500, much more than its estimated worth of $200 to $300. A red leather furniture set sold for $40,000, or 20 times its high estimate.
An autographed "Dancin' Shoutin' James Brown doll" that performs "I Feel Good" and was kept in Brown's living room was sold off for 750 dollars.
The auction took place against the wishes of several of Brown's children, and following months of legal drama involving the children, as well as ex-wives and girlfriends.
Court-appointed trustees for his estate, variously reported to be worth between $100 million and $200 million, filed lawsuit in South Carolina earlier this year against Brown's business managers, former estate manager, a law firm and the investment bank Morgan Stanley, claiming fraud had been conspired against the singer and accusing the bank of not preventing fraud by the managers. Another court hearing in South Carolina is slated for August 19.
The Augusta Chronicle has reported that Brown's Grammy Award for "Living in America" was withdrawn from the auction without explanation.
50 CENT PASSES DRUG TEST, CAN TRAVEL WITH SON: Judge grants rapper permission after test comes back clean.
*Rapper 50 Cent is free to take his 11-year-old son Marquise on vacation after passing a court ordered drug test.
The artist, 33, appeared before a judge in Long Island Thursday to request permission to travel with his son, who lives with his mother, Shaniqua Tompkins.
Tompkins, 50's ex-girlfriend, blames the hip hop star for a fire that destroyed the Long Island mansion where she and their son were living. 50, born Curtis Jackson, has denied the accusation.
Six people, including Tompkins and Marquise, were treated for smoke inhalation after the May blaze.
DARRYL MCDANIELS HOSPITALIZED WITH BLOD CLOTS: DMC had been suffering from swelling in his left arm.
*Darryl McDaniels, a.k.a. DMC of Run-DMC, was admitted to a New Jersey hospital where he was scheduled for surgery to remove two major blood clots.
According to E! News, the rapper was suffering from pain and swelling in his left arm that had gotten so severe that he went to the hospital, where doctors discovered the blockages.
The 44-year-old had to drop out of a planned appearance at the AVP Beach Volleyball Tournament that was scheduled to take place in Brooklyn Saturday and air live on NBC.
NO TEAMS WANT BARRY BONDS…SO FAR: Agent says home run king hasn't received a single offer.
*Things aren't looking very good for Barry Bonds. The home run king, a free agent who turns 44 this week, has not received a single offer to join another team, his agent said.
"I'm an optimistic guy by nature and I have told Barry that the prospects look bleak," said Jeff Borris, who represents the former San Francisco Giants slugger.
Bonds has been without a team since filing for free agency last Oct. 30. There were rumors that the Arizona Diamondbacks and the New York Mets were interested in the athlete, and he worked out with the Boston Red Sox.
However, Borris told CBS: "The rumors about Arizona, the Mets and Boston are completely false. He never had a secret workout with the Red Sox. I have had numerous conversations with all three organizations, back to the time when Barry became a free agent in November of 2007, and none of those clubs are interested in him. Barry would play for any one of those clubs if they extended an offer.
"No one is even asking about him. I talk to the clubs every day for a variety of reasons and his name is never brought up anymore. I'm more convinced now than ever that he won't be in a major-league uniform in 2008 and I think that is a pathetic way for him to go out. He is deserving of better [because] he gave his heart and soul to this game.."
HENDRIX TUNES COMING TO GUITAR HERO: Estate allows icon's music and likeness for latest offering of video game franchise.
*A purple haze is about to set over the video game franchise "Guitar Hero." A rep for publisher and developer Activision and Red Octane told The Associated Press that Jimi Hendrix music will be offered for a new game in the franchise.
The Seattle-based company Experience Hendrix, which controls the rock legend's musical legacy, has agreed to provide Hendrix's music and likeness for "Guitar Hero World Tour" — the fourth edition of the popular game franchise scheduled for release Oct. 27.
An avatar of Hendrix as well as the song "The Wind Cries Mary" and a live version of "Purple Haze," which was recorded in 1969 at the San Diego Sports Arena, will be included on the video game.
"World Tour" will be the first "Guitar Hero" to feature playable drums and a microphone. Other Hendrix tunes would be released in the future as downloadable content for the game.
MANDELA'S BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION CONTINUES: Events still being held for former South African leader.
*South Africa's first black president, Nelson Mandela, has been celebrating his July 18th birthday for the entire month, and included a party Saturday with some 500 guests at his Eastern Cape homestead.
Meanwhile, tributes to the 90-year-old political icon continued to pour in Friday. Newspapers printed special "Madiba" supplements, and preparations were under way for celebratory events around the country, including a boxing tournament in honor of the one-time amateur fighter.
"We are honored that you wish to celebrate the birthday of a retired old man who no longer has power or influence," Mandela said Saturday in a pre-recorded birthday message. "We wish you well wherever you are. We are all celebrating and we thank you for joining me in those celebrations."
Mandela's birthday celebrations also included a massive concert last month in Hyde Park, London, to raise funds for his AIDS charity. Limited edition coins and stamps bearing his image have been launched to also generate money for his charitable foundation.
TCA TIDBITS: Ludacris, Bobby Brown, Shonda Rhimes, Martin-Campbell discuss new shows at summer conference in Beverly Hills.
*Rapper Ludacris and rocker Tommy Lee compete to see who can get the most people to go green on "Battleground Earth," to air Aug. 3 on Discovery's new Planet Green channel. Asked at the Television Critics Association [TCA] Press Tour last week what green steps he's taken in his own life, Luda said: "Definitely working on getting solar panels in my house in Atlanta, Georgia. Georgia is one of the few states that I know that you can charge the power company back for the energy that you don't use. And another thing, I just bought a Tahoe Hybrid GM. And of course, started recycling also."
*Shonda Rhimes, the creator of "Grey's Anatomy," was bombarded with questions about show star Katherine Heigl and the actress' decision to take herself out of Emmy contention because of a lackluster storyline this year. “I didn’t feel insulted,” Rhimes told reporters Thursday during an ABC TCA panel in Los Angeles. But, she added: “When I was told [what Heigl said] I found it surprising. I love and respect Katie as an actress. But she is outspoken.”
*Tristan Wilde, the lone black character on the CW's "90210," was asked about his transition from the drug-infested streets of inner city Baltimore in HBO's "The Wire," to the wealthy, white world of Beverly Hills, where he is the adopted son of the show's central family. "It's been an easier transition than what I thought it would be," he told critics Saturday morning. "The characters – ["90210's] Dixon and ["The Wire's"] Michael - are somewhat alike. They both grew up in bad environments and both had to grow up by themselves very quickly. So from Dixon, moving from group home to group home; and Michael living with a drug addict mother and raising his little brother, it's similar in an extent that they both had to teach themselves how to grow, how to live by themselves."
*Actor Michael C. Hall created a memorable moment Friday when he was asked if his family had any kind of reaction to his role as a serial killer on Showtime's "Dexter." Hall, a North Carolina native, said his kinfolk responded: "As long as you're not kissing a black man.'" After a round of raucous laughter by the reporters, he added: "Honestly, I think my family was relatively more comfortable with me simulating murder and vivisection than [having] a nice healthy relationship with a black man," referring to his previous role of undertaker David Fisher on HBO's "Six Feet Under."
*Bobby Brown appears in CMT's new "Outsider's Inn," a spinoff of the network's reality show "Gone Country," which featured Brown and other celebs attempting to become country singers. Premiering Aug. 15, "Outsider's Inn" has Brown and his fellow "Gone Country" roommates Maureen McCormick and Carnie Wilson attempting to operate a bed and breakfast. "I was the entertainment director because you know I like to have a good time," Brown said of his job at the Inn. "And we had a good time, trust me."
*Tisha Campbell Martin plays a mail carrier by day and rock musician by night in the upcoming Lifetime comedy "Rita Rocks," with Mad TV's Nicole Sullivan in the title role. Martin was asked if the character's musical aspect was a draw. "Yes it was a part of the appeal because I come from musical theater and I missed it a lot," she told reporters. 'I miss being up there and singing. But I kind of went with where it would best help my family. To be able to sing and incorporate it, too, is like a dream come true."
*ABC Family announced that "Lincoln Heights" will premiere its third season on Tuesday, Sept. 16 at 8 p.m. This time around, Cassie and Charles take their relationship to new levels, while Lizzie gets recruited to attend a prestigious private school. Tay is focused on creating his own music. The show will similarly return for 10 all-new episodes that will air through mid-November.
ISAIAH WASHINGTON SUPPORTS GAY MARRIAGE: Actor fired for homophobic outburst donates to group against anti-marriage amendment.
*Outsports.com is reporting that Isaiah Washington has contributed money to a group that seeks to stop the anti-gay marriage amendment on the ballot in November.
The actor's publicist, Howard Bragman, got married to his partner under the new law several days ago and requested that in lieu of gifts, guests donate to Equality California, which sponsors and helps lobby for the passage of dozens of bills supporting gay rights.
Washington was among the many guests who have contributed to the group, the Web site reported.
“Chuck and I were very touched by his generosity and his support of this cause, and we expect many other high-profile contributions,” Bragman told Outsports.com of Washington. “He said he wishes us all the best and he supports the rights of others in our community to get married.”
COPS SAY NO RACISM INVOLVED IN WRIGHT ARREST: Police say officers used 'professionalism' with actor, despite reports of N-word being tossed.
*Cops in Shreveport, La. say racism was not involved in the July 12th arrest of Jeffrey Wright and Josh Brolin following a bar fight.
A spokesman for the Shreveport PD tells TMZ.com that the chief has reviewed all in-car audio and video and found the officers used "professionalism" in the arrests.
The Web site had reported that witnesses heard the arresting officers use foul language toward Wright -- including the "N" word -- and there's cell phone video of at least a portion of the confrontation.
Other officers were reported to have heard the offensive tirade, according to TMZ, but Shreveport police said none have come forward. So far, the Department has not taken any action against the officers.
BEN VEREEN HOSTS FUNDRAISER FOR BRAIN CENTER: Entertainer to help raise money for $32 million center in Arkansas.
*Ben Vereen has been recruited to host a fundraiser for the Psychiatric Research Institute, a venue at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences that researches brain damages.
Opening in December, the Psychiatric Research Institute is one of a few centers that offer outpatient and inpatient care, reports the Associated Press.
Vereen, best known for his role as Chicken George in the 1977 mini-series "Roots," suffered brain injuries in 1992 when a car crash damaged an artery in his brain and led to a stroke the same day. That night, he was hit by a sport utility vehicle and thrown 130 feet while walking along the Pacific Coast Highway.
"The doctor said it would be at least three years before I would even walk again," Vereen told the AP. "They told me that I should start thinking about another career."
Ten months later the Tony winner was back on Broadway, performing opposite Gregory Hines in "Jelly's Last Jam" and later performed in "Fosse."
BOUNTY KILLA ARRESTED FOR PROFANITY: Dancehall deejay cuffed in Jamaica after allegedly cursing during a performance.
*Reggae and Dancehall DJ Bounty Killa was arrested for profanity Friday after he allegedly used curse words during a performance in Jamaica at the annual Sumfest festival's first night.
The artist, whose real name is Rodney Pryce, was arrested shortly after dawn and charged with two counts of using indecent language and disorderly conduct. He was released on bond and ordered to appear in court on July 31. He faces a maximum penalty of 30 days in prison, or a fine.
According to police, Pryce was the second-to-last act on the Sumfest festival's first night, when fans booed him after he dissed other deejays in his lyrics. Pryce, police said, unleashed a series of expletives and left the stage in a huff.
Jamaican laws prohibit entertainers from using profanity on stage.
MIJAC FANS TO PROGRAM NEW ALBUM: Tracks to be chosen by the people in honor of King of Pop's 50th birthday.
*Michael Jackson fans will have major input in the creation of a new album titled "King of Pop." The set will feature tracks chosen by the public in honor of his 50th birthday, which comes on the set's release date, Aug. 29.
Fans are being asked to select their 18 favorite songs from a choice of 50 Jackson tracks, and the most popular will appear on the compilation record.
Countries around the world will all host their own polls, meaning several different versions of the new record will be available - sparking the prospect of die-hard followers of the artist travelling around the world to collect a complete set of CDs.
One of Jackson's new songs, "Hold my Hand" feat. Akon, was recently leaked online and will reportedly be included on his comeback album.
DON CHEADLE GETS 'MARCHING' ORDERS: Actor to star in and produce pet project about a British drug trafficker.
*Don Cheadle will finally get to produce and star in "Marching Powder," a drama based on the memoir titled, "Marching Powder: A True Story of Friendship, Cocaine and South America's Strangest Jail."
The actor intends to play McFadden, a British drug trafficker who was arrested in Bolivia and jailed in La Paz's San Pedro prison. During his six-year stretch, McFadden served as a tour guide in a prison that thrived under a capitalist system made possible by bribery of officials.
Jose Padilha will write and direct the drama; Cheadle is producing through his Crescendo Prods., with Plan B's Brad Pitt, Periscope Entertainment's David Guy Levy and Benjamin Goldhirsh of Good Worldwide.
NEW NAS ALBUM READY FOR BILLBOARD TAKEOVER: Set formerly known as 'Ni**er' sells enough to put him on top.
*Rapper Nas is about to replace Lil Wayne atop the Billboard 200 chart Wednesday when sales figures for his new untitled album hit the streets from Nielsen SoundScan.
According to the tracking firm, the Def Jam release sold 113,000 copies during its first three days of commercial availability through Thursday. The total, however, is considerably less than the first week sales of Nas' last No. 1 album, "Hip-Hop Is Dead," which arrived in late December 2006 selling 354,000 copies during Christmas week.
Lil Wayne currently leads the chart with "Tha Carter III," which sold 125,000 copies during the week ending July 13.
The three-day tally for Nas' album represents un-weighted sales at nine leading music merchants -- Trans World Entertainment, Apple, Best Buy, Circuit City, Borders, Starbucks, Target, Anderson Merchandisers and Handleman Co. They account for about 80% of the U.S. album market.
CHRIS BROWN, NE-YO REMIX WRIGLEY'S JINGLES: Double Mint and Big Red songs get an urban contemporary update.
*Ne-Yo and Chris Brown have been tapped by Wrigley's to remix the iconic jingles of two of its most popular brands of gum.
Brown will update the Double Mint jingle, while Ne-Yo will put his own take on the Big Red song. Country singer Julianne Hough has also been recruited and will take on Juicy Fruit, reports Billboard.com.
Wrigley's will host a concert in New York on July 29 to unveil the new jingles. Radio station Hot 97 is expected to give away tickets for the show as part of the promotion.
Chris Brown dropped a hint about his Wrigley's deal earlier this year in his video "Forever" from his re-release, "Exclusive (The Forever Edition)." In the beginning of the clip he eats a piece of gum and sings the line "double your pleasure, double your fun," the long time tag line for Doublemint.
SCOTT STORCH HAS FALLEN ON HARD TIMES: Producer squanders everything; has not seen kids in months.
*Scott Storch is apparently still broke. Billboard.com says the hip hop producer is "hobbled by debt" and "mismanagement" after owing more than $500,000 in real estate taxes.
He had a warrant out for his arrest when he failed to show up in court in a child-support case last month.
Adding insult to injury, he has not had a top 10 hit in three years. Storch's lawyer said he's trying to refinance his $10.5 million mansion on an exclusive Miami island after a "catastrophic occurrence this year" resulting from "mismanagement."
Storch no longer works with his old manager or publicist. He hasn't talked to either of his children in months.
LUPE FIASCO HEADLINES COCA-COLA TOUR: Rapper fronting six-city, invitation-only trek.
*Rapper Lupe Fiasco just kicked off the six-city “Coca-Cola Refresh Your Flow Tour,” a venture aimed at teens ages 13-17 with tickets available by invitation only.
The trek kicked off July 17 at the Avalon in Hollywood and continues Aug. 3 in Philadelphia (The Electric Factory); Aug.. 8 in Atlanta (The Tabernacle); Aug. 17 in Chicago (Park West); Aug 21 in Washington D.C. (LOVE nightclub) and Aug. 29 in New York City (the Filmore at Irving Plaza).
“Not only will each concert offer the teens an unforgettable musical experience, it will give each of them a taste of the Coke Side of Life-a moment in time that is refreshingly optimistic and uplifting,” said Yolanda White, assistant VP of African American Marketing at Coca-Cola. "And, by engaging an artist like Lupe Fiasco, they will be encouraged to live on the positive side of life.”
Tickets to the shows are free. However, they can only be obtained through partnering radio stations, retail outlets, and Coca-Cola street teams who will hit up teen “hot spots” in the tour cities.
Radio stations offering free tickets include: Power 106 (Los Angeles), Power 99 (Philadelphia), Hot 107.9 (Atlanta), WGCI (Chicago), WPGC Jams (Washington DC), and Hot 97 (New York City).
OBAMA TO ROCK LOLLAPALOOZA?: Unconfirmed sources claim he may appear at Chicago stop to introduce hometown acts Kanye and Wilco.
*The Daily Swarm is reporting that Barack Obama could possibly make an appearance during the first concert of this year's Lollapalooza tour, which takes place in his hometown of Chicago.
Citing unnamed “multiple sources familiar with the ongoing planning and logistics” for the candidate, the site claimed that Obama may make a “brief appearance onstage to introduce one of the headlining acts that share his hometown.”
Among the potential acts he could introduce are Kanye West and Wilco. Both acts are headlining the event and have spoken out — and in Wilco’s case, performed — in support of the candidate. Obama met with West (and Jay-Z) earlier this year to ask for their support.
As previously reported, unconfirmed reports earlier this week in the Washington Post claimed that West was booked to perform at the Democratic National Convention in August in Denver. The story also said N.E.R.D. and Wyclef Jean were “likely” to perform in Denver for Obama, though their spokespeople did not return calls for comment.
DISNEY'S 'FROG PRINCESS' STILL MAKING CHANGES: Studio's first African American lead animated character being tweaked.
*Disney has literally gone back to the drawing board to remove any aspect of its first African American princess movie that would be considered racist or riddled with black stereotypes.
When the studio first announced that its forthcoming movie "The Princess and the Frog: An American Fairy Tale" would have a black female lead named Maddy who works as a chambermaid, has a voodoo priestess fairy godmother and is pining for the heart of a white prince – critics immediately charged Disney with racial stereotyping.
The name Maddy was said to have sounded too much like "mammy," a stereotype of a black woman, depicted as rotund, homely, and matronly. Critics said Maddy was given a clichéd subservient role with echoes of slavery.
Bombarded by charges of racism, the film – set in 1920s New Orleans – scrapped its original storyboard, swapped the name Maddy for Tiana and changed its name to "The Frog Princess" (which some in France had interpreted as a slur).
In more recent changes, Tiana is now a 19-year-old princess who suddenly finds herself in a country that has never had a monarchy. Also, she's now slated to live "happily ever after" with a man said to be of Middle Eastern heritage and called Naveen. The race of the villain in the cartoon is reported to have also been revised.
Disney commented: "The story takes place in the charming elegance and grandeur of New Orleans' fabled French Quarter during the Jazz Age... Princess Tiana will be a heroine in the great tradition of Disney's rich animated fairy tale legacy, and all other characters and aspects of the story will be treated with the greatest respect and sensitivity."
NETWORK ANCHORS FOLLOW OBAMA OVERSEAS: Williams, Gibson and Couric to get one-on-one interviews throughout excursion.
*News of all three networks sending anchors to cover Barack Obama's trip overseas this week has generated more accusations of media bias in favor of the Democratic presidential nominee.
NBC's Brian Williams, ABC's Charles Gibson and CBS' Katie Couric are scheduled to follow the senator around Europe and the Middle East as he makes the case for his foreign policy and Commander in Chief credentials.
Meanwhile Republican nominee John McCain's overseas trips didn't rate accompaniment from the network anchors or even, in at least one case, a full complement of network correspondents.
Meeting with television critics via satellite Friday morning, Couric defended her presence on Obama's overseas trip, and suggested that the senator's campaign made it hard for any of the anchors to turn down the offer of one-on-one access to the Democratic hopeful.
"I think it was very deft on the part of the Obama campaign – I mean I have to be honest with you," said Couric.. "When John McCain went to four countries in the Middle East in March with a Senate trip, I think that had he extended an invitation and offered time for each network anchor to sit down and have extensive conversations and access to him during that trip, that's something we would have strongly considered as well."
EUR FILM REVIEW: A Man Named Pearl
Black Man’s Green Thumb Proves Best Revenge for White Intolerance
Film Review by Kam Williams
*When Pearl Fryar needed to move to Bishopville, South Carolina in 1976 to start a new job as a janitor in a can factory located there, the first house he and his wife, Metra, settled on was located on the white side of town.
However, they changed their plans upon being informed by their new neighbors that they weren’t welcome because “Black people don’t keep up their yards.”
Though hurt by the racist remark, the African-American couple didn’t become embittered but instead opted to buy a place on a 3½ acre plot across the proverbial tracks in the black community.
Immediately, Pearl began to cultivate a top-flight garden, determined to make those bigots eat their words.
Even though he had to work a 12-hour day shift, he would find time in the evenings to attend to his flowers and bushes, hoping to become the first black person to win the Iris Garden Club’s “Yard of the Month Award.”
Because he didn’t have much money to fund his ambitious enterprise, most of Pearl’s plants and seedlings came from the dump behind the local nursery. And even though this son of a sharecropper didn’t have any book knowledge about botany, he had enough of a green thumb to figure out ways to revive all sorts of ailing and abandoned vegetation.
Mr. Fryar knew that to land the “Yard of the Month Award” he would have to create something spectacular, so he began shaping his growing shrubs into an eye-catching collection of over 150 topiary figures. Not only did he ultimately earn the coveted accolade, but today folks flock from all over to see his world-renowned garden. In fact, because Bishopville is in economic decline due to the outsourcing overseas of the industries which had served as the city’s backbone, it can thank its lucky stars that Pearl’s topiaries have turned tourism into an alternate source of revenue.
This moving story of rejection-turned-acceptance is the subject of A Man Named Pearl, a touching bio-pic about a humble soul who encountered racism and responded with love, peace and goodwill towards all people. A life-affirming documentary illustrating how a black man’s green thumb proved to be the best revenge for white intolerance.
Excellent (4 stars)
Unrated
Running time: 78 minutes
Studi Shadow Distribution
To see a trailer of A Man Named Pearl, visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFW2zuWCcFg
EUR MOTIVATIONAL NOTE
Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. -Alex Noble
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
July 21: Reggae singer Damian Marley is 30.
WEBSITE OF THE WEEK
Independent author Jenna Marie Christian's wants you to know her mission is to Inform, Entertain, and Uplift her community. You can support her at: www.missjenaamarie.com.
Submit your favorite Web site to us along with a 15-20 word (or less) description to info@eurweb.com.
BLACK HISTORY
July 21, 1864: The first daily Black newspaper, The New Orleans Tribune, is published in English and French. (Source: www.BlackFacts.com)
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