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08-06-08 EUR ALL ON ONE PAGE
TONI BRAXTON ON 'DANCING WITH THE STARS?': Singer rumored to be among cast for next season.
*Apparently, Toni Braxton's health crisis has been averted. If rumors reported by TMZ.com are true, the recently-hospitalized entertainer is ready to get her ballroom dance on as part of ABC's "Dancing With the Stars."
Just last May, the entertainer was forced to close her Las Vegas show "Toni Braxton: Revealed" at The Flamingo Hotel to focus on her health. She had been hospitalized in April for chest pains.
But TMZ is quoting "spies" who say the entertainer has been booked for "Dancing's" new season, alongside other unconfirmed-but-rumored contestants Warren Sapp, Florence Henderson, Kim Kardashian and Lance Bass.
ABC, meanwhile, has yet to make an official announcement regarding next season's cast.
Several years ago, Braxton was diagnosed with pericarditis, an inflammation of the tissues surrounding the heart.
FREEMAN IN 'GOOD SPIRITS' AFTER SURGERY: Actor underwent procedure to repair damage from Sunday night car wreck.
*Morgan Freeman is reportedly on the mend following surgery Monday night to reconnect nerves and repair damage to his left arm and hand.
The procedure at the Regional Medical Center in Memphis "lasted approximately four and a half hours including recovery and he is in good spirits and was visiting with family members this morning," his publicist Donna Lee said in a statement Tuesday. "He was walking this (morning), and is looking forward to his release as soon as possible."
Freeman, 71, was driving a 1997 Nissan Maxima owned by his passenger, Demaris Meyer, 48, of Memphis, Tenn., when the car careened off of the rural highway in Tallahatchie County, Miss. and flipped several times before landing upright in a ditch.
Rescuers used a jaws-of-life machine to free "The Dark Knight" star and Meyer from the wreckage. Retired police officer Bill Rogers, a witness to the accident, told the Associated Press he said he was "watching television about 11:15 [Sunday night] and I heard a car sliding on the highway out in front of our house."
"As I looked out the window, I saw it began to flip after it hit our next-door neighbor's drive. It went end-over-end about twice and then it came back on its wheels in the ditch. It was a mess," he said.
Rogers said Freeman complained of pain from injuries before being loaded onto a medical helicopter and airlifted to the hospital, but "was more concerned about the people around him than himself."
"Mr. Freeman thought he may have gone to sleep but he wasn't sure," Rogers said. "He didn't know what happened."
The Mississippi Highway Patrol is still investigating the accident, Sgt. Ben Williams said Tuesday. Alcohol and drugs don't appear to be a factor and no citations are likely to be filed, he said.
Hospital spokeswoman Kathy Stringer said Freeman remained in serious condition Tuesday. Meyer's name wasn't in the hospital registry, Stringer said. However, under medical privacy laws, people can request that their names not be listed as patients at a hospital.
OPRAH WINFREY RUMORED TO OPEN EMMYS: E! says she's agreed to make an appearance at the beginning of the show.
*Will Oprah Winfrey grace the 2008 Emmy Awards stage this year? E! Online is reporting that the talk show tycoon is set to open the Sept. 21 ceremony at the new Nokia Theatre in downtown Los Angeles.
"It's still unclear what the talk-show queen will do, but she has agreed to be on stage for the first moments of the live telecast," a source tells the Web site.
Winfrey took herself out of Emmy contention back in 1999 following several years of sweeping the "talk show host" and "talk show" categories.
For next month's presentation, producers have booked five co-hosts from the world of reality TV — "American Idol's" Ryan Seacrest, "Project Runway's" Heidi Klum, "Dancing With the Stars'" Tom Bergeron, "Deal or No Deal's" Howie Mandel and Jeff Probst of "Survivor."
BIANCA/BLONSKY BRAWL HAS N-WORD TIES?: Nikki's fam reportedly dropped N-bombs; 'Top Model's' camp overheard saying 'white b*tch' during scuffle.
*The New York Post is reporting that racial epithets may have sparked the big airport brawl between "America's Next Top Model" contestant Bianca Golden, "Hairspray" star Nikki Blonsky and their respective families.
The fight took place Wednesday in the lounge of Providenciales Airport on the Turks and Caicos Islands as both parties were waiting to board a flight back to New York. Bianca's mother, Elaine Golden, was allegedly beaten by Nikki's father Carl Blonsky so badly that she was airlifted to a Florida hospital, where she remains in the intensive care unit with a broken nose and cracked skull.
"She's still in a lot of pain," Bianca's aunt, Annette Glinton, told the newspaper from the mom's hospital room Monday.
The New York Post provided details of the events leading up to the violent showdown:
The Blonskys allegedly had commandeered several seats in the tiny airport departure lounge just for their luggage, and only reluctantly put some of the bags on the floor when one of Golden's male relatives, who was holding a child, asked to sit, a witness said.
Peeved that their luggage had to be placed on the floor, the Blonsky family apparently started spouting racial hatred, referring to blacks as animals and throwing around the N-word, claims witness Maria Williams, Bianca's cousin, who brought Golden and her family to the airport.
"Bianca sat and listened and tried to ignore it until it got too much for her, and then she told Nikki to shut her mouth," Williams said.
But a source claims the racial invective began when a member of Golden's group proclaimed: "I don't want to sit next to any white b*tch."
Nikki Blonsky, who hasn't had a hit since her breakout in the 2007 musical, and Bianca Golden exchanged words but not blows, though Nikki allegedly tried to rip Golden's earring off, Williams said.
Elaine was only trying to defuse the situation at Providenciales Airport on the Turks and Caicos Islands when "a big man" - believed to be Blonsky's dad, Carl - began punching her in the head, said Glinton.
Blonsky's mother, Karen, told TMZ that Golden, who's 5-feet-11, "punched [4-foot-11 Nikki] in the head."
Both 19-year-old celebs were arrested on charges of assault with "actual bodily harm," which carries a possible sentence of two years. Both women were released. Nikki, who was sprung on $6,000 bail, will have to appear in Turks & Caicos criminal court on charges of assault.
Nikki's father is still in jail on the island because his family is unable to post the $75,000 bail, a relative said. Carl Blonsky faces a potential eight-year prison term and is being held at least until Friday on a charge of "grievous bodily harm."
TYRA DRESSES AS MICHELLE OBAMA FOR BAZAAR: Magazine's Sept. issue features model in a mock Oval Office setting with fake Barack.
*It's no secret that Tyra Banks like to play dress up – whether it's on the fashion runways as a supermodel, or in disguise while going undercover as an obese woman or stripper for her daytime talk show.
Her latest endeavor, seen within the pages of September's Harper's Bazaar magazine, has the entertainer sporting hair, makeup and wardrobe designed to make her resemble would-be First Lady Michelle Obama.
In the photo, Banks wears a slinky black shift dress, pearls, and poses next to a Barack Obama look-a-like in the White House Oval Office with a little black girl playing under the desk.
"When Barack won the nomination, I just started bawling," Banks, 34, says in the issue (out August 19). "I started calling all these people, and everybody was talking to me like I was crazy. They’re like, ‘Well, he hasn’t won yet,’ but I’m like, ‘Yes, he has, because he’s gotten this far.
"So what gives me tears is if Barack Obama wins, kids are going to say that a black man can be president, too," she continues. “I think it will give so many people – black, Latin, Asian, even white people that feel forgotten – hope. I did not think I would see it in my lifetime, and I’m only 34.”
Calling Michelle Obama "one hot mama," Banks says: "With Barack Obama, his becoming president is them becoming president because Michelle was there from the beginning. Without Michelle, he wouldn’t be there.”
Banks' prescription for a modern first lady?
“Oh, I want her to not take herself too seriously," she says. "She’d need to know how to take a fierce picture, but at the same time be able to eat fried chicken, have grease on her fingers, and be okay with getting photographed like that, too. I’d want her to feel like every child in America is hers – to have a true connection.”
Banks says if she were First Lady, her Secret Service acronym would be "KMFA: Kiss My Fat A**."
SNIPES ORDERED TO REIMBURSE FEDS FOR TAX CASE: Actor must pay more than $217,000.
*A federal judge in Ocala, Fla. ruled Thursday that Wesley Snipes must pay more than $217,000 to reimburse the government for the costs of prosecuting his tax evasion case.
The local Star-Banner newspaper reports that Senior U.S. District Judge William Terrell Hodges ruled that Snipes must pay $217,363.74 of the cost of prosecuting the case, in which he was charged with conspiracy and willful failure to file federal income taxes.
In upholding a recommendation U.S. Magistrate Judge Gary R. Jones made July 2, Hodges overruled objections by Snipes' lawyers to the proposed fee.
In February, a jury found Snipes guilty of three misdemeanor counts of willfully failing to file tax returns, but acquitted him of felony conspiracy and tax fraud charges and three additional counts of failure to file.
Two months later, Snipes was sentenced to three years in prison, but he remains free on bail while appealing his conviction.
DR. DRE COGNAC READY TO SPILL: Product among first drinks under partnership between Interscope, Geffen, A&M and Drinks Americas.
*An indication that Dr. Dre is serious this time about his "Detox" album dropping sometime before year's end is the set's promotional tie-in with a Dre-branded Cognac, which is confirmed to be released within the next two months.
Aftermath Cognac, named after Dre's record label, will be introduced at the same time as "Detox" and will be part of an integrated marketing plan surrounding the album, reports Billboard.com.
The beverage is among the first alcoholic drinks from the Interscope Geffen A&M Records joint venture with beverage company Drinks Americas. In the Drinks Americas Q4 earnings, which were released on Monday, the company said it would introduce Aftermath Cognac in the next sixty days.
In late July Dr. Dre told USA Today that the album would be out in "November or December."
NEW BOOK DETAILS END OF SAMMY'S LIFE: Author claims Davis treated cancer based on finances; was pressured into marrying black woman.
*A new book about Sammy Davis Jr. details the entertainer's financial state at the time of his death, and makes claims regarding his motivation for marrying his second wife, Altovise.
In "Deconstructing Sammy," due next month from Amistad/HarperCollins, author/journalist Matt Birkbeck says the Rat Pack member died broke, in debt to the IRS, and left his estate in such disarray that it still hasn't been straightened out.
Birkbeck also claims that after Davis' cancer diagnosis in August 1989, doctors recommended surgery on his throat that offered an 80 percent chance of survival. The singer instead chose radiation, which had a 30 percent survival rate. Davis made his decision based on his dismal finances. If he couldn't sing, he reasoned, he couldn't make money.
The book also says Davis was pressured into marrying a black woman, Altovise Gore, in 1970 following his 1968 divorce from May Britt, a white woman. Birkbeck says Davis pressured Altovise into participating in wild parties.
Other notable tidbits from the book, according to the New York Post, are listed below:
• Among the many men Altovise befriended was former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, whom Davis met in the 1970s when Rumsfeld worked for the Nixon administration. Rumsfeld remained friendly with Altovise after the legendary entertainer's death, even to the point of calling her when she was living in poverty in Pennsylvania in 1993.
• When Sammy's good friend and long-time conductor, George Rhodes, died in 1985, he asked another good friend, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, to give the eulogy. Jackson agreed but for a price: He demanded $5,000 in cash, four first-class plane tickets and two suites at the Four Seasons Hotel. Davis, who was broke, turned to bodyguard Brian Dellow, who took an advance off his credit card to pay Jackson's fee.
• Despite more than $50 million in lifetime earnings, Davis died in 1990 some $15 million in debt, owing more than half to the IRS for investments in bogus tax shelters.
GEORGE LOPEZ SAYS LATINOS WILL VOTE FOR BLACK MAN: Comic touts support for Obama during 'Swing Vote' premiere.
*Comedian George Lopez, a staunch support of Barack Obama for president, says all the talk about Latinos being unwilling to support a black nominee is ridículo.
"I don't like the fact that people think Latinos won't vote for an African-American. It's bull***," he told the New York Daily News' Rush & Malloy column at the "Swing Vote" premiere in Los Angeles.
"We're going to vote for the right person who can restore faith and hope in this country. Latinos feel disenfranchised. [Obama's] dream is our dream," he said.
The Daily News points out that Obama's approval rating with registered Latino voters is at 66%, versus 23% favoring John McCain.
HEMSLEY'S 'JEFFERSONS' MONEY IN COURT BATTLE: Two men are fighting over actor's residuals.
*TMZ.com is reporting that two men are in a legal dispute over residuals for actor Sherman Hemsley, a.k.a. George Jefferson of the 70s television series "The Jeffersons."
According to the Web site, William Little and David Pullman purchased Hemsley's residuals from "The Jeffersons" and other shows after the 70-year-old fell on hard times in the mid-90s.
Per the lawsuit filed Monday in L.A. County Superior Court, the two men got into a dispute with each other, which resulted in Little acquiring all claims to the residuals by paying Pullman $42,500.
In April 2008, a residual check for $10,000 was issued for Hemsley's Old Navy commercial. According to the lawsuit, Little claims Pullman went back on the agreement and contacted the Screen Actors Guild (which issues residual checks), demanding that the money be withheld from Little.
Little is suing Pullman for $25,000.01.
OBAMA NETS $5 MILLION AT BOSTON BIRTHDAY PARTY: City's fundraiser reportedly the biggest in city history.
*Sen. Barack Obama received a nice chunk of change for his campaign Monday night from a Boston fundraiser that doubled as a party to celebrate his 47th birthday.
The event, held at the swank State Room near Faneuil Hall, was expected to bring in close to $5 million for Obama and the Democratic Party, which organizers say would make it the biggest political fund-raiser ever in Boston, reports the Boston Globe.
The reception also served as a unity gathering for Hillary Clinton supporters who were angry at how they believed she was treated by the media and some Obama surrogates during her primary run.
"We all wanted to make a dramatic statement that we're with him every step of the way," said Steven Grossman, a leading Clinton fund-raiser and former chairman of the Democratic National Committee.
Clinton supporters by themselves raised $700,000 for Obama at last night's event, according to Grossman and Shanti Fry, a longtime Democratic activist who said she campaigned hard for Clinton in five primary states. Fry said that she hoped that the amount contributed by Clinton supporters would squash all talk of them being unsupportive of Obama.
"Given the perception out there, I hope that figure would be a surprise to people," Fry said.
Crooner Harry Connick Jr. and his 9-year-old daughter led the crowd of 850 people in singing "Happy Birthday" to Obama. About 250 people paid $15,000 each - $28,500 for a couple - to dine with him afterward.
For a birthday present, supporters presented Obama with a Red Sox-themed Hawaiian shirt, for use on his vacation next week in Honolulu. "I gotta say that, as a White Sox fan, this hurts a little bit, particularly because we've been losing lately," Obama said. "But it is a very attractive shirt, I must say."
EBONY GETS PERSONAL WITH MICHELLE OBAMA: Sept. issue also has exclusive interview with her mom, Marian Robinson.
*Harpers Bazaar may have the Tyra Banks version of Michelle Obama in its September offering, but Ebony magazine has the real thing in its new August issue. In fact, the article is titled "The Real Michelle Obama."
Inside the issue, Mrs. Obama talks about her husband, presidential hopeful Barack Obama, as well as her signature style and life on the campaign trail.
Ebony states in a press release: "Going beyond the surface view of poise, elegance, style and the utmost class, Ebony magazine unveils the real Michelle Obama: mother, wife, potential first lady and style icon.
"Take a rare look behind-the-scenes of Michelle's life on the road to the White House and how she finds the necessary balance between managing the household with Sen. Barack Obama and joining her husband in pursuit of the most ambitious American dream."
The magazine also features an exclusive interview with Michelle's mother, Marian Robinson. She "reflects on her daughter's childhood and transition to being one step away from changing her address from Chicago to Washington, D.C."
The issue hits newsstands nationwide on Tuesday (Aug. 12).
HAMPTONS BENEFIT TO SUPPORT PERFORMING ARTS: 'On Our Toes' event hosted by TV personality Rene Syler.
*Billed as the premiere African American cultural event in the Hamptons, the 5th Annual "On Our Toes" summer benefit will take place on Aug. 23 in Bridgehampton, NY.
The celebration from Brooklyn-based Evidence, A Dance Company, will include a cocktail reception, dance performance and a "Dancing with the Dancers" post event party.
Festivities kick off at 4 p.m. at Nova's Ark Sculpture Park (60 Millstone Rd.). Writer, producer and activist Crystal McCrary Anthony is Honorary Chair and TV personality Rene Syler is mistress of ceremonies.
Evidence, A Dance Company, was founded in 1985 under the artistic leadership of choreographer Ronald K. Brown. In addition to touring across the U.S. and overseas 25 - 30 weeks a year, the company supports community outreach activities and educational programs for dance enthusiasts of all ages.
REMY MA HOPING TO EARN FREEDOM: Rapper hires famous trial attorney to try and overturn sentence.
*Rapper Remy Ma has not given up her fight to get out of jail. The artist just hired lawyer William “Billy” Murphy, Jr. to handle her appeal on charges of assault, illegal weapons possession and attempted coercion.
Murphy's name first made headlines when he successfully defended fight promoter Don King on federal charges that he defrauded Lloyd’s of London. Recently, he reversed a $1.6 million verdict against rapper DMX and secured a civil judgment of $35 million for former Ravens Defensive End Michael McCrary.
“With the addition of Mr. Murphy, Ravenell, and Levitt, I now believe I have assembled a team that will have the might and expertise to tell my side of the story,” stated Remy Ma, according to Allhiphop.com. “I am confident that after hearing everything my side will prevail. Mr. Murphy comes highly recommended and I am pleased that he has agreed to lead my defense team.”
Murphy is a senior partner in the Murphy Firm and represents DMX, Redman, Mary J. Blige, and Missy Elliott.
“We are pleased to handle Remy Ma’s appeal,” Murphy explained to AllHipHop.com. “We are confident that when we present all the facts, the public for the first time will get a true picture of what actually happened; and Remy will be vindicated.”
Remy Ma is currently serving an eight-year prison sentence at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility for Women in Westchester County, New York.
EUR FILM REVIEW: Sixty Six
Coming-of-Age Comedy Chronicles British Bar Mitzvah Boy’s Nightmare
Film Review by Kam Williams
In the Summer of 1966, Great Britain became swept up in soccer fever, as the country attempted to win the World Cup. After all, the competition was being hosted by England, so the national team was able to play all of its games at famed Wembley Stadium in front of 98,000 rabid fans.
The competition began in early July with the championship match set for the 30th of the month. While the rest of his friends were patriotically rooting for England to survive all the early rounds, 12 year-old Bernie Reubens (Gregg Sulkin) had his own selfish reason for wanting it to lose.
You see, Bernie was born on July 30th and his parents (Helena Bonham Carter and Eddie Marsan) were planning to throw the perfect bar mitzvah celebration for him that day. But if England were simultaneously playing in the World Cup finale, he sensed that his rite of passage would easily be overshadowed.
Based on the real-life experience of the film’s director Paul Weiland, Sixty Six is a lighthearted, coming-of-age comedy which revisits the events of that fateful day. Unfortunately, for him, England did win the World Cup, which meant that many of his guests and relatives ended up paying more attention to the historic sports event that day than to him.
Apparently he was left sufficiently traumatized by the experience to make a movie about it now, some forty years later. This predictable costume drama might have a certain nostalgic appeal for soccer fans and folks familiar with Judaic culture and religious traditions. Otherwise, it’s just a pleasant one-trick diversion offering a few laughs but little of depth to sink one’s teeth into.
The Bar Mitzvah Boy gets the boot.
Good (2.stars)
Rated R for profanity and some sexual references.
Running time: 93 minutes
Studi First Independent Pictures
To see a trailer of Sixty Six, visit: http://youtube.com/watch?v=fmrYPNLW0-E
ITTY BITTY BITS: Joss Stone on 'Tudors'; Chris Rock in Australia; Beyonce in Obama t-shirt; 50 Cent finally sees Marquise.
*Joss Stone has been cast in the Showtime original series "The Tudors" as Anne of Cleves, the homely wife of King Henry VIII, played by star Jonathan Rhys Meyers. According to the Hollywood Reporter, the role is expected to be a brief one - as Henry was so unhappy with Anne's looks he annulled their marriage after six months.
*Chris Rock shocked patrons at a pub in Australia Friday (Aug 1) night by jumping on stage and performing a surprise set. According to WENN, the comedian kicked off his first tour of Australia on Monday night (Aug 4), with a 30 minute performance that poked fun at presidential candidate Barack Obama and Australia's heritage. A witness who saw the show said: "He was hilarious. Lots of f-bombs but he was really funny. He's going to be a big hit Down Under. There was only about 100 people in the pub. I guess he wanted to test his material."
*Beyonce was photographed by paps sporting a red, white and blue Barack Obama "Progress" t-shirt while walking down a New York street with hubby Jay-Z. Both husband and wife were mentioned by the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee as two of his favorite artists.
*Rapper 50 Cent is reportedly spending time with his son Marquise at his home in Connecticut until the middle of next week, when he's scheduled to fly overseas to film a movie. TMZ.com is reporting that father and son hadn't seen each other since before the house where Marquise stayed with his mother, Shaniqua Tompkins, burned down at the end of May. Tompkins has accused 50 of masterminding the blaze. The artist, in turn, has sued Tompkins for slander. They're both due back in family court in September to settle a restraining order.
CHARTERS SAY BLACK STUDENTS ARE DOING BETTER: Study shows improvements in academic achievement.
*Results from four studies show black students in public charter schools making important gains and outperforming their counterparts in traditional schools on standard academic tests.
The studies are summarized in a new issue brief "The Color of Success: Black Student Achievement in Public Charter Schools," released by the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools.
"Taken together, these reports provide encouraging news about public charter schools' effectiveness in helping raise the academic achievement of black students who too frequently have been poorly served by traditional public schools," said Nelson Smith, president of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools." Closing the achievement gap is a long process, but charter schools are clearly helping lead the way toward that goal."
The issue brief highlights the following four studies:
• A national comparison of student achievement on 4th grade reading and math state tests conducted by Stanford University Professor Caroline Hoxby found that, on average, public charter schools serving a high percentage of black students have more students earning proficient scores than traditional public schools serving a similar student population
• A Florida Department of Education study shows public charter schools closing the achievement gap between black and white students at a faster rate than traditional public schools in key subjects and grade levels.
• Black students in Massachusetts charter schools are overtaking peers in non-charters on state reading and math tests, according to a study by the Massachusetts Department of Education.
• A 2008 survey of Chicago charter schools reveals that black studentswho attend a charter high school have an average composite ACT score half a point higher than black students in a traditional district school. This increases their chances of graduating from high school by seven percentage points, and increases the likelihood that student will in enroll in college by 11 percentage points.
EUR MOTIVATIONAL NOTE
“Plan for the future, because that is where you are going to spend the rest of your life.” – Mark Twain
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Aug. 6: Singer Randy DeBarge of DeBarge is 50. Actress Merrin Dungey ("Summerland," "Alias") is 37. Singer Travis McCoy of Gym Class Heroes is 27.
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
Aug. 6, 1854: Congress passed the Confiscation Act, authorizing the appropriation of the property, including slaves, of rebel slaveholders. (Source: www.BlackFacts.com)
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