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MARIAH, BEYONCE, BLIGE RECORD CHARITY SONG: Ciara, Keyshia Cole, and Ashanti also take part in 'Just Stand Up.'
*A who's who of female singers from every music genre are included in the upcoming single "Just Stand Up," a charity song done in tandem with the forthcoming multi-network television special "Stand Up to Cancer."
The tune features Mariah Carey, Beyonce, Mary J. Blige, Rihanna, Fergie, Sheryl Crow, Miley Cyrus, Melissa Etheridge, Ashanti, Natasha Bedingfield, Keyshia Cole, Ciara, Leona Lewis, LeAnn Rimes and Carrie Underwood.
Record exec Antonio "L.A." Reid joined former creative partner Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds to produce the track, which hits radio and iTunes on Sept. 2.
All 15 singers will share the stage to perform the song live on Sept. 5 during the "Stand Up to Cancer" television special, set to air simultaneously on ABC, NBC and CBS.
Other stars expected to turn out for the hourlong fund- and awareness-raising program include Jennifer Aniston, Lance Armstrong, Katie Couric, Sally Field, Salma Hayek, Meryl Streep, Forest Whitaker and Reese Witherspoon.
'WENDY WILLIAMS SHOW' TO GO NATIONWIDE: Move follows six-week preview in NY, LA, Dallas and Detroit.
*Fox has announced that "The Wendy Williams Show" will follow up its six-week, four-market trial run with a nationwide launch via the Fox Television Stations group in mid-2009.
The daily one-hour talk show, distributed by Debmar-Mercury, will end its preview run Friday in the cities of Los Angeles (KTTV), New York (WNYW), Dallas (KDFW) and Detroit (WJBK).
Ordering 30 episodes of "Wendy Williams" and airing it on a cross-section of stations allowed Fox to test the waters on an expensive national launch before committing millions of dollars on a 52-week order. Since the show's July 15 debut in those four key markets, "Wendy Williams" boosted key time period ratings significantly over comparable May sweeps performances. Average viewership was up 80% in the target demo of women 25-54, for example, and 200% among femmes 18-34, reports Variety.
Broadcast live from New York, "Wendy Williams" features the shock jock's commentary on celebrity gossip and news events, interviews, and fashion and advice segments.
In other Wendy Williams news, Danity Kane singer Aubrey O'Day was recently on the show and lamented about how "people tend to focus on certain things about my character." Williams said, "Yeah, the plastic surgery, the blond hair and the black men." O'Day shot back, "No plastic surgery. Definitely the black men and the blond hair. I've had no plastic surgery at all."
COLUMNIST NOTES POLITICS AT ISAAC HAYES MEMORIALS: Fox.com's Roger Friedman details the drama.
*Fox.com columnist Roger Friedman has written a piece that takes a closer look at memorial services held Sunday and Monday for Isaac Hayes.
As previously reported, Sunday's ceremony was a private affair that included a host of celebrities, while Monday's gathering at Hope Presbyterian Church was for the public. Leading up to the memorial, church leaders had been protesting news that a Scientologist minister would lead the service.
Friedman addresses the necessity of the two services, the Scientology presence and much more in his Tuesday column, featured below:
Isaac Hayes, Oscar-winner, R&B legend and musical icon, got two sendoffs in two days here in his Tennessee hometown, and each was as strange as it was surreal. Monday afternoon had been billed as a tribute to Hayes, and many in the Memphis music community thought it would be the day of the Stax Records star’s actual funeral. But in fact, a "secret" service was held on Sunday in order to accommodate a boatload of celebrities who flew into town under cloak of night.
Some were associated with the Church of Scientology, of which Hayes was a member for the last 16 years, including Tom Cruise, church leaders David Miscavige and Tom Davis, actress Anne Archer (who is Davis' mom), Kelly Preston (aka Mrs. John Travolta), musicians Chick Corea and Mark Isham, and comic Doug E. Fresh.
But then there were the celebs who just zipped in and zipped out for the Sunday service with no religious connection to Hayes: Denzel Washington, Wesley Snipes, musicians Bootsy Collins and Chuck D., Earth Wind & Fire’s Maurice White, R&B great Denise La Salle, directors John Singleton and Craig Brewer, and actor Richard Roundtree, who played the original John Shaft in the movie for which Isaac got his Oscar for Best Music in a Motion Picture.
The Revs. Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson were there, too.
And then there were what might be described as two other factions, each belonging to one larger group: the locals. They were the musicians Isaac had known and grown up with for 40 years, including Stax chiefs Jim Stewart and Al Bell, Eddie Floyd, Sir Mack Rice, William Bell, Marvell Thomas, Mabel John, Pat Lewis and the original back-up singers from Isaac’s albums, song collaborator David Porter and all of the band members who’d comprised Isaac’s road shows for the last four decades.
The other side of the local coin included his 11 grown children, three ex-wives, 2-year-old son, his widow, and many friends who had come in cars, buses and trains from all over the country to pay their final respects. Booker T Jones, of Booker T and the MGs, took three flights to Memphis to make the Monday service after playing in New York on Friday night and Nantucket on Saturday night.
The Scientologists and the Memphians were certainly not an easy mesh, as the Memphis Commercial Appeal noted for several days leading up to the funerals. The Hope Presbyterian Church, a big, hulking concrete church, was chosen for its size. But the church leaders did not want a Scientologist minister leading a service there. So the memorial service, planned mostly by the Scientologists, was hosted by R&B star William Bell as a compromise.
During the service, we learned from the Rev. Alfreddie Johnson how Hayes became a Scientologist in 1992 in Los Angeles. Many others invoked the name of the religion's founder, L. Ron Hubbard, during the three-hour memorial, and the church filmed its members at the podium.
But no one bothered to sing an Isaac Hayes song or talk much about his music. Most of the offerings were about the speakers, with little light shined on the man they were honoring. The exception was a Ghanian woman named Princess Asie Oscansey, who described in lengthy detail the charitable contribution Hayes had made to her village to support an 8,000-square-foot school that uses Scientology teaching methods.
Not only were there no Hayes songs, there was little discussion of his movie career, barely a whisper about his famous “Theme from Shaft,” and not even a suggestion of his long, funny career as Chef on “South Park.”
The Scientology speakers and performers — there were seven in all — made little reference to Hayes’ 11 grown children, just to his wife of three years and their 2-year-old son. This prompted Hayes' eldest daughter, Veronica, who didn’t get to speak until nearly two and a half hours had passed, to declare, "Just to clear it up, there are 11 children." Ouch!
There also were tributes from Isaac’s music celebrity friends, like Dionne Warwick, Stevie Wonder, Sam Moore and Aretha Franklin.
The frisson, if you will, between the Memphians and the Scientologists was a first, but had an interesting aspect to it. Each is more or less a closed society, and neither was much interested in learning anything about the other — though there were occasional compliments tossed in either direction.
Hayes was buried, by the way, not next to his beloved grandmother, but in a cemetery described by his music friends, somewhat bitterly, as "mostly all Caucasian." Luckily, here’s a great footnote: Despite these odd events, Isaac’s real friends finally got to throw him a going away party late Monday night. It happened at an unlikely place: the restaurant lounge at the Executive Inn at the airport.
Every musician associated with Stax or who had known or worked with Isaac and was around was invited by Randy Stewart and Gene Mason to come down and put on a show. And so they did, with a hot pick-up band that included Marvell Thomas, Ben Cauley, Ronnie Williams and various members of Stax groups like the MadLads, Bar Kays, Temprees and Soul Children.
The place was so packed that the heat became an issue, and people kept dragging in larger and larger fans. Memphis stalwarts like Toni Greene and Stacey Marino sang, and eventually Isaac’s Sam & Dave hits like "Hold On I’m Coming" and "When Something Is Wrong with My Baby" were sung by the whole crowd.
It was a glorious, proper ending to a wild day, proving Memphis R&B lives on no matter what.
50 CENT REPLACES JAY-Z AS RICHEST RAPPER: Forbes announces new tally; Diddy, Kanye, Dr. Dre earn spots.
*While Jay-Z topped Forbes.com's inaugural Hip-Hop Cash Kings list of the top-earning people in the business last year, in 2008 he cedes the throne to Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson, who raked in $150 million over the past
12 months--almost twice what Jay-Z made.
Fitty banked $100 million after taxes on one deal alone when his stake in VitaminWater's parent, Glacéau, was bought by Coca-Cola as part of a $4.1 billion deal. The rapper's business empire also includes the G-Unit clothing line and record label, plus films, videogames and platinum albums, including last year's "Curtis."
Also in the works is a partnership with South African mining billionaire Partrice Motsepe that would bring the rapper an equity stake in the mine--and 50 Cent-branded platinum to the world.
For the second year in a row, Sean "Diddy" Combs finished third on the list with $35 million from his revenue streams, including his clothing line Sean John, record label Bad Boy, premium vodka Ciroc and two reality-TV shows.
Kanye West clocks in at No. 4 with $30 million, while Andre "Dr. Dre" Young earned $15 million last year – based solely on his catalog of hits spanning two decades.
Tupac, who died 10 years ago, also made about $15 million, according to Forbes.
Click here to see the full list: http://www.forbes.com/media/2008/08/15/music-media-hiphop-biz-media-cz_zog_0
818cashkings.html
HALLE BERRY SERENADED BY ROBIN THICKE: New mom gets a birthday present from crooner at Los Angeles concert.
*Halle Berry and her man, Gabriel Aubry, got a musical surprise Thursday night while attending a Robin Thicke performance at Hollywood's House of Blues.
At the end of his show, Thicke told the crowd that a very special lady is in the audience and she's celebrating a birthday.
The entire crowd looked to the Oscar-winning actress as the R&B star serenaded her with the "Happy Birthday" song.
Berry, who turned 42 that night, was invited to the concert as Thicke's special guest along with Sean "Diddy" Combs and Britney Spears.
MOS DEF BEHIND MOULIN ROUGE PIC: Rapper in one of three production companies teaming for film about first integrated hotel.
*Mos Def, his brother Khalil Prescott-Bey and Rahman Prescott of Garden Grown Entertainment are teaming with two other production companies for the film "The Fabulous Moulin Rouge."
The story, according to Variety, focuses on the Moulin Rouge as the first desegregated hotel and casino in Las Vegas. Shot entirely in Dubai, "The Fabulous Moulin Rouge" will feature a fictional African-American character who rises from mob debt collector to manager of the famed venue.
Dubai-based Exwaze and Hollywood-based Hughes Capital Entertainment are the other two companies on board. Exwaze managing director Abbi Shabazz and Hughes Capital president Patrick Hughes will be producers.
While casino gambling is forbidden in Dubai, Shabazz and Hughes said they plan to erect a replica of the casino that sprang up in 1955 and closed six months later under mysterious circumstances just as it was gaining momentum and attracting singers such as Sammy Davis Jr., Nat King Cole, Louis Armstrong and Frank Sinatra.
Shabazz said Dubai is ambitious about attracting film shoots, and he opened a company there to take advantage of funding opportunities as they raise money to shoot the picture late next year.
F. GARY GRAY TO TACKLE URBAN 'JULIUS CAESAR': Director to adapt graphic novel version of Shakespeare play.
*F. Gary Gray is attached to direct an adaptation of the Oni Press graphic novel "Julius," a contemporary urban crime adaptation of William Shakespeare’s "Julius Caesar."
According to Variety, Mandalay president Cathy Schulman said Gray "has a vision for this adaptation that will satirize obsessive consumerism while providing a thrilling ride for audiences."
"Julius" is written by Antony Johnston and illustrated by Brett Weldele. The film adaptation is the latest Oni project to be set up for the bigscreen. Other titles in various stages of development include "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World," currently in pre-production with Edgar Wright helming and Michael Cera starring, at Universal; "Resurrection" at U; "Courtney Crumrin and the Night Things" and "The Damned" at DreamWorks; and "Maintenance" and "Billy Smoke" at Warner Bros.
Gray’s directing credits include "The Italian Job" and "The Negotiator."
COURTNEY B. VANCE JOINS WIFE ON E.R.: Actor to play a role very close to home.
*Courtney B. Vance will join NBC's "ER" this season in a recurring role as the husband of a new attending physician at Chicago's County General Hospital – a character played by his real wife, Angela Bassett.
"We are excited to see the on-screen chemistry and emotion this incredibly talented husband and wife team will bring to our show," executive producer David Zabel says. "Fans are in for a treat, and we couldn't be more thrilled that they chose 'ER' to make their first [TV] appearance together."
Vance returns to NBC after starring for five seasons as Assistant District Attorney Ron Carver on "Law & Order: Criminal Intent." His TV credits also include Lifetime's "State of Mind," the original "Law & Order"
and the 1995 HBO movie "The Tuskegee Airmen."
"ER" is preparing for its 15th and final season on the Peacock network.
SHOOTINGS MAY LINK TO ANTOINE WALKER PARTY: Fight spilled out of Chicago club before shots were fired.
*Antoine Walker of the Memphis Grizzlies is being investigated by police in his native Chicago after the shootings of two men following a fight that took place at a club hosting the athlete's birthday party.
According to the Chicago Sun-Times, cops were called to the corner of Clark and Ohio Streets about 4:15 a.m. after shots were reported in the area. The two victims had already driven themselves to Stroger Hospital, where 25-year-old Curtis Ellis died, authorities said. The second victim, a 30-year-old, was listed in critical condition.
The investigation concerns whether the shooting stemmed from a gang dispute and whether it’s connected to a fight that might have happened Sunday night at Excaliber nightclub, where Walker's party took place.
Walker’s mother—who was at the party all night—said there were no fights she was aware of at the gathering. Diane Walker said the party for her son was held in the entire club and that it was “fantastic’’— with no problems.
ROSEANNE BLAMES OPRAH FOR RIFT IN DEM PARTY: Comic goes on another tear, vows to vote Cynthia McKinney for president.
*Roseanne Barr has followed up her Brangelina tirade with a verbal assault on Barack and Michelle Obama, Democratic Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, DNC Chairman Howard Dean, and Democrats overall.
The liberal comedian's latest blog rant also blames Oprah Winfrey's support of Obama for taking away primary votes that would've gone to Sen.
Hillary Clinton.
Below is Barr's posting in its entirety:
democrats want to lose
and therefore did not fully vet the candidate they shoved down everyone's throat. I am the first blogger to blog about Obama's abortion vote and how it would become the october surprise...they have michelle obama on tape defending live birth abortion, and raising money for it too...(they called this "the whitey" tape, but its far better than just that kind of a boring thing...she is on tape defending sucking the brains out of babies who live through late term abortions). This is the greatest gift pelosi and dean can give to the republicans they work for. It took alot of doing in order to throw this election to the republicans after iraq, katrina, and the economy, but pelosi and dean found a way!
Oprah Winfrey always gets her republican friends elected!! She and she alone split the woman's vote, thereby destabilizing the entire party and fracturing it forever along racial and gender lines. It is estimated that her endorsement of Obama swung over one million women's votes from Hillary, who remains the only candidate who polls to win against mccain. Oprah can rest well now knowing that her dogs will not have to pay inheritance tax over the next four years if she dies. However, in 2012, when dean pelosi and the rest of the traitors are out of jobs, and Hillary again runs for president, wins, and changes inheritance taxes to cover health care costs, we will have a nice drink to the end of the Oprah Winfrey "pray to angels instead of protest injustice" method of female stinkthink.
My great hope is that the green party will have overrun the democratic party by that time, and made its entire platform green instead of corporate controlled. I am voting for cynthia mckinney for president.
SPIKE LEE SAYS POP CULTURE GIVES U.S. DOMINANCE: Filmmaker denies that nuclear power is America's biggest calling card.
*Speaking to an international business conference in Singapore, filmmaker Spike Lee said America's pop culture has made the United States the most powerful country in the world, and not nuclear weapons as some folks insist.
"The reason why America has been the most dominant country in the world is not because America has more nuclear arms than anybody else," Lee told the Global Brand Forum, according to AFP. "Has anyone seen exactly where a nuclear arm influenced how other people dress, the way they talk, the way they think?
"America is dominating the world because of culture - movies, television, Levi's, Coca-Cola, Disney, rock and roll, hip-hop. That's power - when you influence how people think, how they dress, how they talk ... not because we could blow the sh*t up."
Lee also said Hollywood is influential in pushing villain stereotypes. Early Hollywood films portrayed African-Americans and Native Americans as the villains. After World War II, the Nazis emerged as the "bad guys," followed by the Soviet Union during the Cold War.
After the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, "terrorists" and "people from Islamic or Arabic states" became the villains in Hollywood movies.
Asked what will happen if Hollywood runs out of villains, Lee replied: "They will find somebody; they always do."
FENCES EYES SPRING 2009 FOR BROADWAY BOW: Suzan-Lori Parks directs revival of August Wilson play.
*The new Suzan-Lori Parks-directed Broadway production of August Wilson's Fences, previously due to bow in fall 2008, is now aiming for a spring 2009 opening, reps for the production confirm to Playbill News.
The second of Wilson's cycle of plays about one hundred years of the African-American experience, Fences is set in the backyard of the Maxson house in an urban neighborhood of a North American industrial city, 1957-1965.
The play follows 53-year-old sanitation worker and former Negro League baseball star, Troy Maxson, who dissuades his son from accepting a college football scholarship and persuades his wife to rear the child he recently fathered with another woman.
James Earl Jones won a Tony Award for his performance as Troy Maxson in the 1987-88 original Broadway run. The production also won Tonys in the categories of Best Play, Best Actor in a Play, Best Featured Actress in a Play (Mary Alice) and Best Direction of a Play (Lloyd Richards).
Carole Shorenstein Hays directs the revival, which so far has yet to announce a cast.
DIDDY HOLDS AUDITIONS FOR NEW MTV SHOW: Producer looking for next big talent on 'Starmaker.'
*Sean "Diddy" Combs has partnered with reality show visionary Mark Burnett ("Survivor," "The Apprentice") for a new competition series that searches for the next big artist to sign with the mogul's Bad Boy Records.
"Starmaker," set to air this winter on MTV, will be produced and hosted by Diddy as he searches for one guy and one girl to sign to his label.
Auditions for the series will be held in Hollywood on Saturday, Sept. 6 at Musicians Institute (1655 N. McCadden Place). Tryouts are open to singers 18 and over in all styles of music: pop, rock, R&B, etc.
LL COOL J GEAR READY FOR SEARS DEBUT: Collection to debut in 450 stores nationwide next month.
*A date has been set for the official launch of LL Cool J's new line of children's apparel for fall.
According to VMSD.com, the collection – called LL Cool J for Sears – will debut in 450 Sears stores nationwide on Sunday, Sept. 7. That coincides with the Sept. 9 release of his latest album, "Exit 13," also available at select Sears stores.
The ad campaign will feature black-and-white images of the rapper and his family by photographer Mark Seliger. The photos will appear in the October 2008 issues of Cosmopolitan, CosmoGIRL!, Seventeen, Spin and Vibe.
The photography will also feature prominently in Sears' in-store signage.
"Mark Seliger and I have been collaborating on various projects for years,” said LL Cool J. “He photographed me for his first Rolling Stone cover. . . . Mark's photography is able to convey the heritage of the LL Cool J brand and expertly captures the collection."
The images feature LL Cool J (born as James Todd Smith), his wife Simone Smith, and their four children photographed with a group of models gathered around a DJ turntable. The models and Smith family wear embroidered denim, cotton hooded sweatshirts and fleur-de-lis bejeweled t-shirts from the collection. A full body portrait of the singer will also appear in the LL Cool J section of Sears stores.
BOW WOW AND ANGELA SIMMONS? Rapper and reality show star were reportedly "all over each other" at her birthday party.
*This time last year, Bow Wow and Rev. Run's daughter Angela Simmons were rumored to be a couple. According to the New York Post, the rapper has apparently moved on to her older sister.
Page Six claims Bow Wow, 21, showed up to the 25th birthday party for Vanessa Simmons at Mansion in Miami and the two were "all over each other," a spy noted. "We all did a double take because she was dating pro skater Terry Kennedy."
But according to Page Six, that relationship was over when Kennedy took all of Vanessa's pictures off his MySpace page earlier last week. Not that Vanessa cared. "She only had eyes for Bow Wow all night," said their source.
GLOVER BLAMES RACISM FOR 'LOUVERTURE' STALL: Actor says Hollywood refused to finance a 'black film.'
*Danny Glover says Hollywood racism is the reason why he could never get his film about Haitian independence hero Toussaint L'Ouverture off the ground.
As previously reported, Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez kicked in $18 million to finance half of the project. The rest was supposed to come from a distributor, but according to the New York Post, no one in Hollywood was interested.
Glover told a Paris film seminar: "Producers said, It's a nice project, a great project . . . where are the white heroes?'"
The Pan-African Newswire also quoted the "Lethal Weapon" star saying, "I couldn't get the money here. I couldn't get the money in Britain. I went to everybody . . . The first question you get is, 'Is it a black film?' All of them agree, 'It's not going to do good in Europe, it's not going to do good in Japan.' Somebody has to prove that to be a lie."
ITTY BITTY BITS: Kanye's white girl; Usher's wife's charity; Toby Keith praises Obama; J.Lo's triathlon; '90210' doc sued; "Big Black" Boykin sued.
*Kanye West used his blog to broadcast his affection for actress Scarlett Johansson. Under the title "MY FAVORITE WHITE GIRL!!!!!!!" Kanye lists more than a dozen photos of the 23-year-old actress, who stars in the upcoming Woody Allen film "Vicky Cristina Barcelona." View Kanye's blog ode to Scar-Jo here:
http://www.kanyeuniversecity.com/blog/?em3106=202721_-1__0_~0_-1_8_2008_0_0&
em3281=&em3161=
*Usher's wife, Tameka Raymond, hosts the first annual "Back to School Expo” on Aug. 24 in her native hometown of Oakland, CA. The Oakland Natives Give Back Fund, founded by Raymond and philanthropist friends Nyeisha DeWitt and Delicia Abdur-Rahim, have partnered with the mayor's office and Unified School District to present a day filled with family-friendly activities for Oakland public school youth grades K-12 and their parents. The Back to School Expo will provide backpacks filled with school supplies to over 600 Oakland public school students. The expo will also feature a fashion show, teen summit, talent showcase and surprise celebrity appearance. The event will be held from 12-5 p.m. at Oakland’s City Hall.
*Barack Obama is getting support from one of country music's biggest stars. Toby Keith, whose post-Sept. 11 song "Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue" praised the U.S. war effort against the Taliban, said he was impressed with the senator from Illinois. "There's a big part of America that really believes that there is a war on terrorism, and that we need to finish up,"
said Keith, a Democrat. "So I thought it was beautiful the other day when Obama went to Afghanistan and got educated about Afghanistan and Iraq. He came back and said some really nice things. So as far as leadership and patriotism goes, I think it's really important that those things have to take place. And I think he's the best Democratic candidate we've had since Bill Clinton. And that's coming from a Democrat."
*Jennifer Lopez has opened up about her training schedule in preparation for her first triathlon. '"You have to start slow and give yourself time," Lopez, 39, said during an interview from New York's Central Park on Good Morning America. "I'm always challenging myself and seeing what I can do." With less than a month left until the Sept. 14 event in Malibu, Lopez says she has worked her way through various challenges. "Swimming is a killer, I'm not going to lie" she said, laughing. "[But] I'm a good athlete. My stamina, I can get that up there if I really try."
*Dr. David Matlock of the reality series "Dr. 90210" has been sued by a patient who claims the plastic surgeon verbally promised to give him a V-shape waist and flat stomach via liposculpturing, but failed to realize that an existing condition - "macerate fat" behind his intestines – would make the desired outcome impossible. Kevin Hawkins says the surgery left him with pain and "substantial psychological trauma from his disappointment."
He's asking for a refund of various expenses totaling just under $15,000, and $500,000 for pain and suffering.
*Chris "Big Black" Boykin -- Rob Dyrdek's bodyguard in "Rob and Big"
has been sued by his own management team for allegedly failing to pay their commission. The lawsuit from JLK Worldwide, filed this week in L.A. Superior Court, calls the MTV reality star a "low level of celebrity" and says they only helped get Big a $9,250 raise per episode for "the possibility of synergy with Mr. Dyrdek," reports TMZ.com. They also say Big owes them for the deal that scored the giant a $25,000 bonus. JKL is seeking $16,750.
BARACK OBAMA TO PICK VEEP BY SATURDAY: Candidate's senior advisor says pair will make joint appearance in Illinois.
*The Associated Press reported late Tuesday that Barack Obama will announce his running mate by Saturday, when the senator and his choice for vice president are scheduled to make a joint appearance.
Speaking to the AP on condition of anonymity, a senior Obama adviser confirmed that the pair will appear in front of the former state Capitol in Illinois where Abraham Lincoln once served. The last time Obama appeared there, he announced he was running for president.
As previously reported, Obama's campaign said the announcement will come in a cell phone text message to supporters first.
EUR FILM REVIEW: A Girl Cut in Two (La Fillee Coupee en Deux)
Weathergirl Forecasts Stormy Love Triangle in Romance Drama from Claude Chabrol
Film Review by Kam Williams
*Gabrielle (Ludivine Sagnier) is a television weathergirl in France whose star is rapidly rising. Afterall, the popular blonde-of-the-moment has just landed a plum position as host of her own talk show called “Icing on the Cake.”
Unfortunately, her career takes a backseat to her love life soon after she crosses paths with the dashing Charles Saint-Denis (Francois Berleand), a famous novelist she meets when he comes to the station as a guest to plug his latest best seller.
What she doesn’t know is that although he’s been married for over 25 years, his long-suffering wife (Valeria Cavalli) has learned to put up with her philandering husband’s flagrant womanizing.
Consequently, Gabrielle allows herself to fall under the aging playboy’s spell, unaware that she means no more to him than another notch on his belt. And after a whirlwind romance during which she’s wined and dined, the naïve newscaster is ill-prepared to be seduced and abandoned. So, she’s shocked to find herself soon dumped summarily by the cruel player, who is heartless enough to change the locks on the pied-a-terre to which he’d given her a key.
Fortunately, Gabrielle has an ardent admirer (Benoit Magimel) waiting in the wings in Paul Gaudens, and he just happens to be not only much younger than Charles but also the filthy rich heir to an industrial fortune. Strategizing, the jilted jet-setter starts entertaining the advances of Mr. Moneybags just to make her ex jealous, and when that doesn’t work she escalates matters by accepting his marriage proposal.
The way Gabrielle figures it, she’ll still be able to sleep with her true love, Charles, and now they will both be cheating. What she forgot to factor in was the possibility that Paul’s finding out might lead to a crime of passion.
So, unfolds A Girl Cut in Two, the latest offering from the legendary Claude Chabrol, a master talespinner who hasn’t lost anything off his fastball at the age of 78. This intriguing character study relies on the trademarks of the French romance genre, namely, dialogue, coupling, smoking, uncoupling followed by more of the same.
An ill-fated love triangle with an alarming twist leading to a sobering message for shameless gold-diggers and suave Casanovas alike.
Excellent (3.5 stars)
Unrated
In French with subtitles.
Running time: 115 minutes
Studi IFC Films
To see a trailer of A Girl Cut in Two, visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pj5PaLxpwgA
EUR MOTIVATIONAL NOTE
"The real voyage of discovery consists not in making new landscapes but in having new eyes." — Marcel Proust
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Aug. 20: "Today" show weatherman Al Roker is 54. Rapper KRS-One is 43.
WEBSITE OF THE WEEK
AABoomers.com is for and about the savvy African-African Baby Boomer. It focuses on specific issues facing African-American Baby Boomers today, as well as celebrates their accomplishments (www.AABoomers.com).
Submit your favorite Web site to us along with a 15-20 word (or less) description to info@eurweb.com.
BLACK HISTORY
Aug. 20, 1619: Twenty Africans arrived in Jamestown, Virginia, aboard a Dutch ship. They are the first blacks to be forcibly settled as involuntary laborers in the North American British Colonies. (Source:
www.BlackFacts.com)
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