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KANYE WEST ARRESTED AT L.A.X.: Rapper and road manager charged with felony vandalism after scuffle with paparazzi.
*Kanye West and his road manager were arrested on suspicion of felony vandalism Thursday morning after a violent run-in with paparazzi at Los Angeles International Airport. [View footage here:
http://www.tmz.com/tmz_main_video?titleid=1788889337]
The artist's road manager, described in some reports as his bodyguard, is also suspected of committing battery during the incident near the American Airlines terminal. Both remained in police custody at press time.
According to the Associated Press, West and his road manager were about to go through the security checkpoint shortly before 8 a.m. when they got into an altercation with a commercial photographer who had snapped two photos of the rapper.
TMZ.com reported that West grabbed the camera, valued at more than $10,000, and threw it to the ground, smashing it. A TMZ videographer was filming the incident, according to the Web site, which prompted the rapper's road manager to grab that camera as well. After a struggle, he managed to crack the viewfinder and smash the microphone before security was able to take the camera away.
The TMZ cameraman said security asked to see the tape he just shot.
When West realized he'd been filmed, he reportedly charged at the cameraman – yelling "Gimme that f---ing tape" – before being restrained by airport security.
MARIAH TRIES TO BLOCK TELL-ALL: Music producer Damizza says he'll expose all the dirt from their working relationship.
*The New York Post is reporting that Mariah Carey is attempting to stop a planned tell-all book by former record producer Damion "Damizza"
Young that aims to expose their "intimate" relationship and their struggle to keep it a secret.
Titled "Guilty by Association," Young says the book will bare details of the "intense four-year personal relationship" they shared and "worked diligently to disguise from the world's press," Page Six reported.
Young says he received a letter from Carey's lawyer, Sonya Guardo, reminding him of a confidentiality agreement that prohibits him from ever spilling any secrets about Carey.
During their collaborative years, Young helped produce Carey’s award-winning singles “I Still Believe,” “Irresistible,” and “Crybaby.” He also worked behind the scenes on Carey’s post-Glitter comeback and her signature Super Bowl performance after 9/11.
THIEVES TARGET OBAMA'S KENYAN GRANDMA: Uncle Obama says suspects tried unsuccessfully to break in.
*The Kenyan grandmother of Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama is safe and sound today after thieves attempted to break into her home early Wednesday, the candidate's uncle told The Associated Press.
Located in the western Kenya village of Kogelo, the home of Sarah Obama was targeted by robbers who used a ladder to access the roof after finding all of the doors had been locked.
"I just spoke to Sarah, and she's OK," he told The AP Thursday. "The police have been there since yesterday, and we're not worried. Everything is fine."
As of press time, it was not known how many thieves were involved or if any were in police custody.
Barack Obama's late father was born and raised in Kenya. According to The AP, his Kenyan relatives have tried to keep a low profile and have been reluctant to comment on their security in Kogelo, more than 300 miles from the capital, Nairobi.
The Illinois senator is wildly popular in Kenya, where minibuses are emblazoned with his picture and vendors sell T-shirts bearing his image at traffic lights.
RUSSELL CROWE STANDS UP FOR SNOOP: Aussie actor writes letter to immigration officials hoping to reverse visa ban.
*As immigration officials in Australia continue their character assessment of Snoop Dogg and his worthiness to be granted a visa, an Academy Award-winning actor from Down Under has come forward to offer the rapper support.
The Melbourne Herald Sun is reporting that Russell Crowe has written a letter to Australia's Minister of Immigration urging the country to allow Snoop to participate in next month's Smoked Out Tour with Ice Cube and Bone Thugs in Harmony.
“I have known Snoop Dogg for 3 years…[he] poses no threat to Australia or to any individual in this country; he has toured here three times before without incident and there are no reasons to assume this tour will be anything but the positive experience the last three have been,” Crowe wrote. “Snoop has built a stellar reputation with promoters and audiences worldwide.”
“Snoop has used his celebrity in many positive ways," he continued. "I would like to bring to your attention a very significant contribution he has made in the City of Los Angeles where he started and continues to operate a Youth Football League for 8 to 10 year olds, put in place so that disadvantaged kids could take part in organized team sports. It has been very successful, even to the point it has been examined by the NFL as they look to replicate the enthusiasm and engagement that kids have with this program.”
Snoop, whose real name is Calvin Broadas, was initially granted a visa to travel on the tour, but it was rescinded after the office received angry complaints from various activist groups.
Meanwhile, tour promoter Andrew McManus stands to lose $1.2 million if immigration authorities refuse to allow Snoop Dogg entry. The money is non-refundable regardless of whether Dogg, who has drug convictions, gets a visa or not.
McManus, who already has invested hundreds of thousands of dollars on the Smoked Out tour, is still waiting for a decision on whether the October
29 tour will be allowed to go ahead.
T.I. RULES BILLBOARD FOR 3RD STRAIGHT WEEK: Hot 100 still run by 'Whatever You Like.'
*T.I.'s new single "Whatever You Like" spends a third week atop the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and also has the distinction of being the fastest-growing track at radio.
The song continues to dominate digital sales as well, having sold 145,000 copies in the United States this week, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
Pink's "So What," jumps 3-2, Rihanna's "Disturbia" slips 2-3, while Chris Brown's "Forever" and M.I.A.'s "Paper Planes" hold at Nos. 4 and 5, respectively.
Elsewhere on the Hot 100, Artists Stand Up To Cancer's "Just Stand Up!" explodes 78-11 in the wake of its performance on a multi-network cancer telethon last Friday. The song, which features Beyonce, Mariah Carey, Mary J. Blige, Ciara, Keyshia Cole, Rihanna and more than a dozen more female artists, sold 110,000 downloads.
On Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, Jazmine Sullivan begins a third week at No. 1 on with "Need U Bad," while Jennifer Hudson's "Spotlight" jumps 8-3 as the fastest growing track at radio.
'LINCOLN HEIGHTS' GEARS UP FOR SEASON 3: President of ABC Family explains reasons for green-lighting TV's lone African American series.
*The ABC Family series "Lincoln Heights" returns for its third season on Tuesday (Sept. 16) as the lone African American drama on television.
The show stars Russell Hornsby as a Los Angeles Police Department officer who moves his family back to his old Los Angeles neighborhood to start a new life and help out his old community.
ABC Family president Paul Lee says it's just the kind of drama that exemplifies the network's commitment to strong stories, as well as diversity.
"We picked it up because we fell in love with it as a show," Lee told EUR's Lee Bailey during a press event for the program Wednesday. "I mean we're super proud to have a very diverse crowd on ABC Family, but we picked it up because we burst out crying at the pilot."
"Lincoln Heights" has given ABC Family consistently high ratings while African American-themed dramas on broadcast networks have not proven as successful. Lee says his network's demographic has a lot to do with the show's crossover appeal.
"Our audience is younger than the broadcast networks," Lee said. "ABC Family goes for what we call the "millennials," which are the 14 to 28-year-olds. We do a lot of research on this audience, and this audience – I don’t' know who gets the credit for it, probably not us – is distinctly more, both diverse and colorblind than the older generations."
"Honestly, our audience sees a great story first, and then an African American story second," Lee said.
MAGNOLIA CARRIES 'TIRED BLACK MAN": Urbanworld Film Festival entry from Tim Alexander picks up worldwide distribution.
*Magnolia Pictures has picked up worldwide distribution rights to this weekend's Urbanworld Film Festival entry "Diary of a Tired Black Man,"
according to the Hollywood Reporter.
The film, produced, directed, edited and scored by Tim Alexander, follows the love life of a successful man (Jimmy Jean-Louise) as he attempts to navigate "stereotypes, resentment and anger harbored by black women towards the men in their community."
The film – which comes with the tagline "Now it's black men's turn to exhale" – will screen Sept. 13 at the Urbanworld fest in New York, followed by a 2009 Magnolia release.
PRINCE'S COFFEE TABLE BOOK DUE IN OCT: '21 Nights' to feature pictures from 2007 O2 Arena stand and new CD.
*Prince has gathered a collection of glossy photos from his 21-night stand at London's O2 Arena last year for his first-ever coffee table book,
"21 Nights," due in stores next month.
The pictures were all shot by fashion photographer and music video director Randee St. Nicholas and show Prince doing things such as lounging on a bed in his pajamas, picking out his stage wardrobe and doing sound checks, reports Billboard.
Featured along with the photos are various short phrases, poems and song lyrics. The back of the book includes a list of the clothiers, apparel makers and candle suppliers whose goods are shown in the photos.
"21 Nights" also comes with his new CD "Indigo Nights," a 15-track collection designed to take listeners into one of Prince's vintage post-concert jams.
DAMON DASH'S EX STILL IN TROUBLE: Linda Williams said she didn’t return boy to court because she enrolled him in school.
*The mother of Damon Dash's 16-year-old son defied court orders to return the boy to his father because she enrolled him at a school in Long Island, according to WENN.
Judge Susan Knipps ruled at a Manhattan Family Court hearing on Wednesday that the boy's mother, Linda Williams, must return Damon Jr. to his father immediately or face legal consequences.
Damon Jr's mom, Linda Williams, was only supposed to enjoy a visit with her son – per the custody arrangement – then return him to Dash, who has sole custody. Dash had reportedly planned for the teenager to attend school in the city's Upper West Side.
When the boy didn't return, Dash went to Manhattan Family Court and got the judge to order Williams to bring him back. As previously reported, Judge Susan Knipps threatened to issue an arrest warrant for Williams - who did not turn up at the hearing. However, Knipps held off issuing an arrest warrant over concerns of whether or not Williams had been properly notified.
Williams has been ordered to make a court appearance on Monday (Sept. 15).
Dash's lawyer, Robert Wallack, said, "Damon's position is we expect the child to be turned over immediately, and we expect Ms. Williams to comply with the judge's orders."
CHECKER'S 'TWIST' MOST POPULAR SINGLE EVER: Songs from Braxton and Carey also make top 10.
*Chubby Checker has a huge smile on his face these days after Billboard announced that his classic hit "The Twist" ranks as the most popular single in the 50-year history of its Hot 100 chart.
"I'm glad they've finally recognized it," Checker told the Associated Press, adding that the song broke new ground when it was released in 1960. "Anyplace on the planet, when someone has a song that has a beat, they're on the floor dancing apart to the beat, and before Chubby Checker, it wasn't here, and I think that has a lot to do with me being on the charts."
The Billboard Hot 100 chart measures airplay and sales information (and more recently digital downloads) in determining the nation's most popular songs. To determine the most popular song of the Hot 100 era, Billboard used a formula to determine the top song — not always relying on weeks at No. 1 since the data was reported differently in its early days.
"We went through each era, and we looked through the rate of turnover. The rate of turnover was very high in the late '50s and early '60s, and we had to put a weight on that to make the chart runs of that era equal to the chart runs that can be accomplished since 1991," said Geoff Mayfield, director of charts at Billboard magazine.
Checker's "The Twist" spent a total of only three weeks at the top of the charts, but did so twice in two separate runs more than a year apart.
"It's the only song that was ever No. 1 in two different chart runs," Mayfield said.
Following Checker on the list of most popular Hot 100 songs are Santana's "Smooth" at No. 2, Bobby Darin's "Mack the Knife," Leann Rimes' "How Do I Live" and "The Macarena" by Los Del Rio at 3, 4 an 5 respectively.
Rounding out the top ten are Olivia Newton-John's "Physical," Debby Boone's "You Light Up My Life," The Beatles' "Hey Jude," Mariah Carey's "We Belong Together" at No. 9 and Toni Braxton's "Un-break My Heart" at No. 10.
CELTICS GIVE DOC RIVERS THREE MORE YEARS: Contract extended through 2010-2001 season.
*Doc Rivers, coach of the NBA world champion Boston Celtics, received a three-year contract extension that will keep him employed through the 2010-2011 season at an annual salary of about $5.5 million, reports the Associated Press.
Rivers coached the Celtics to their NBA record 17th championship and their first in 22 years in his fourth season as coach. Their 66-16 regular record was the best in the NBA and third best in club history.
The team's record during his first season was 45-37, and dipped to
24-58 in his third. The one year 42-win turnaround from that is a league record.
"He can handle the pressure of having to go through losses. He was extremely even keel in the worst periods," Steve Pagliuca, an owner and managing partner of the team, told The Associated Press.
In his four seasons as coach of the Celtics, Rivers is 168-160.
"He's extremely team oriented in everything that he does so he wants the focus to be on the players," Pagliuca said. "He's a great teacher of young guys and because he was an NBA All-Star and very well respected point guard player, he's had an unbelievably good rapport with the superstars. He knows how to handle them and he knows how to really bring young players along."
FIRST REVIEWS IN FOR JANET'S TOUR: Canadian papers rave; describe multiple costume changes; 30 song set list.
*Critics appear to be pleased with the presentation of Janet Jackson's new Rock Witchu Tour, which began Wednesday at the GM Palace in Vancouver, reports People.com.
According to Canadian reports, the 42-year-old had multiple costume changes and performed 30 hit songs, including "Control," "Let's Wait Awhile" and "Rhythm Nation." She also had an S&M segment involving an audience member.
The show was a "reminder that she is a trend-setter in her own right, a true diva, and a marvelous performer," noted the Vancouver Sun.
"The most memorable moment of the show," writes Marsha Lederman of Canada's Globe and Mail, "came when Jackson, dressed in a gold and black glam hip hop-inspired track suit (and one gold glove) ... listened to the crowd roar its approval and became emotional – really emotional. We're talking tears. 'Thank you,' she said, seeming to really mean it, as she waved her hands, begging the audience to stop."
The Live Nation-produced tour hits the U.S. on Saturday in Oakland, Calif., and includes stops in Los Angeles, Dallas, Washington D.C., New York and Atlanta.
MICHELLE OBAMA DISHES WITH PAULA DEEN: Barack's wife visits Food Network host; cooks seafood gumbo.
*During a recent taping of the Food Network show "Paula's Party," Michelle Obama joined down home host Paula Deen to whip up a meal that she once cooked for her husband, Sen. Barack Obama, when they first began dating.
"It was an impressive first attempt ... I must have really been in love," Obama told Deen of her attempt to make seafood gumbo – which includes lobster, shrimp and mussels. "No, I haven't cooked it since."
"It was so good that once was enough," Deen responded, according to People.com.
The Savannah, GA cook said of her time with the senator's wife: "She was everything I thought she would be: Smart, great sense of humor and loves to talk about family."
The "Paula's Party" episode featuring Michelle Obama is scheduled to air on Sept. 20.
OPRAH TOPS LIST OF GENEROUS STARS: TV host recognized for giving away $50 million to charities in the past year.
*Another poll has Oprah Winfrey sitting alone at the pinnacle. The latest comes from The Giving Back Fund and Parade magazine, who this weekend will publish its Oprah-topped list of America's most generous celebrities.
Winfrey's philanthropy in the past year totaled more than $50 million, according to Parade. It includes her personal donations to The Oprah Winfrey Foundation and Oprah’s Angel Network, which have helped to provide education and healthcare for women and children worldwide.
Music mogul Herb Alpert places second on the list after handing out $13 million to music education programs. Barbra Streisand comes in third, followed by actors Paul Newman and Mel Gibson at 4 and 5 respectively.
LAILA ALI GIVES BIRTH TO SON: Former boxer and husband welcome Curtis Muhammad Conway.
*"American Gladiator" host Laila Ali, 30, announced Thursday that she and her husband, former NFL star Curtis Conway, welcomed their first son together, reports People.com.
"Although mom and baby are both healthy and happy, there were some surprises during labor that altered Laila's birth plan," the statement said.
The baby, named Curtis Muhammad Conway, weighed in at 6.8 lbs. and measured 19 inches in length, according to People.com.
Conway Sr., 37, has twin sons Kelton and Cameron, 13, and daughter Leilani, 9, from a previous relationship.
BRAXTON EXPLAINS WHY SHE'S 'DANCING': Singer was diagnosed with heart disease in 2003 and had a health scare in April.
*News of Toni Braxton signing on for ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" caused some concern among fans who are worried about her health, but the singer says she is determined to overcome the fears and anxiety that go along with her illness.
“To be honest, I am a little nervous. Just because when I perform, the adrenaline gets pumping. I am a little nervous how my heart is going to feel,” Braxton said on Access Hollywood . And second, am I going to remember my steps because I am so worried about my heart?”
Braxton was diagnosed with the heart disease pericarditis five years ago, and had a health scare last April that forced her Las Vegas show "Revealed" to close early. Participating in "Dancing with the Stars," she believes, will help her to conquer the apprehension of performing everyday activities – such as climbing stairs – without worrying that she'll experience tightness in her chest. Still, she intends to remain cautious.
“I am not thinking about my blood pressure although my doctor has been on me to check it during rehearsals, so I have to stop and check it,”
she added.
As far as the competition goes, Toni said she’s not looking for any sympathy votes.
“I’m competing with myself because I don’t want to be the victim because people will be like, ‘Toni has heart disease, oh she is a victim,’” she added.
REV. AL SHARPTON GETS A TRIAL DATE: Activist was charged with disturbing the peace during Sean Bell protests.
*A trial date has been set for Rev. Al Sharpton regarding his arrest during the Sean Bell protests in Manhattan last spring.
The civil rights activist, who says he welcomes a trial, will join eight other defendants before a judge on Oct. 6, reports the Associated Press.
Scores of protesters were arrested on May 7 for blocking Manhattan intersections to protest the acquittals of officers involved in the Nov. 25, 2006 shooting of Bell, an unarmed groom-to-be, outside a Queens strip club after his bachelor party.
Most of their cases have been dismissed, or adjourned in contemplation of dismissal.
Sharpton said Wednesday that his protest was peaceful. He commented: "Every time they bring me back, it further exposes the disparity of justice in this city."
ITTY BITTY BITS: Eco-friendly Lesure; Mo'Nique's secret; Diddy's jet; Ving's cell; W.D.'s autopsy; Naomi's PSA; Isaiah's campaign; Smiley's anniversary.
*Actor James Lesure, recently added to the cast of NBC's "Lipstick Jungle," showed off his sense of style at an eco-friendly runway show during NY's Fashion Week. The TV star sported a recycled wool blazer by Sean John and a gray T shirt by Edun. Lesure, best known for his role on NBC's "Las Vegas," says living a green lifestyle "means taking care of this planet like it was my home, my neighborhood. I consider this planet one big neighborhood. I want to live in a great, beautiful, healthy neighborhood.
It's all connected to me."
*In the October issue of Essence magazine, actress and radio personality Mo'Nique shares a painful sexual abuse secret that she has kept hidden for 25 years. "I'm not excited to talk about this, but I've had a lot of men because I wanted to feel protected. I wanted to know that abuse would never happen again," Mo'Nique says in the article titled "Free at Last."
*Diddy has recorded a video response to reports that the jet he claimed to own in a previous blog rant about high gas prices was not entirely his. Addressing the Palm Beach Post reporter who was unable to find any jet registered in Diddy's name - or the name of his various companies – the mogul jokes that he does indeed own a jet and it's registered under his latest moniker "Ciroc Obama," but he can only afford to own one wing of the plane. View clip here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wcIAXGEqlU
*The New York Post's Page Six says one of its spies caught actor Ving Rhames using new millennium tactics to get a woman's phone number recently. "He was chatting up a blond when he suddenly grabbed her phone and called himself from it, just to get her digits," said the spy at Brother Jimmy's BBQ opening party at the El San Juan hotel.
*An autopsy done on former Nation of Islam leader Imam W.D. Mohammed showed that he died of heart disease and diabetes, reports the Associated Press. The Cook County medical examiner's office released the autopsy results for Mohammed, 74, who died Tuesday at his Markham home. Family members were due to have a Muslim prayer service Thursday. Additional community memorial and prayer services are planned for today and Saturday.
*In addition to working at the London soup kitchen Whitechapel Mission as part of her community service for the air rage incident in April, Naomi Campbell has also shot a promotional video to raise awareness of the center. A man who attends the unit where Campbell is working tells Britain's Daily Star: "She is here today working, making a video that they can put on their screens inside the mission." Campbell, 38, pleaded guilty to assaulting two police officers at Heathrow Airport.
*Actor Isaiah Washington says his "Reach One Million" campaign to help a village in Sierra Leone has raised nearly $20,000 since its launch on Aug. 3, Washington's 45th birthday. A $10,000 donation from New Orleans Saints defensive end Bobby McCray and a $5,000 donation from Stevie Wonder’s LA radio station KJLH 102.3. were included in the total. The money will go toward building water wells in the rural village of Njala Kendema in the Bo Region of Sierra Leone, where 47% of the country’s children under the age of 5 are afflicted with malaria and 28% percent of the population are unable to meet basic food requirements.
*On Thursday, Sept. 18, "Tavis Smiley" on PBS will celebrate its 1,000th episode with highlights of its mix of current events, politics, pop culture and entertainment – including clips featuring Dustin Hoffman, Coretta Scott King, Prince and Harry Belafonte. “I feel blessed beyond measure to have had the opportunity to reach this milestone,” stated Tavis Smiley.
BLACK ENTERPRISE RANKS CITIES ON RETIREMENT: October issue lists 20 best places to spend golden years.
*Durham, N.C., has topped the list of Black Enterprise magazine's 20 best places to retire, based on quality of life, affordable health care and other considerations.
The magazine, the most recent national publication to release a list of desirable retirement spots, considered a number of factors when tabulating its annual list of "20 Best Places to Retire" in the October issue.
The other top seven locations — Charlottesville, Va., Ann Arbor, Mich., Nashville, Tenn.; Lexington, Ky.; Roswell, Ga. and Columbia, Mo. — also received the magazine's best score for quality of life, which included housing prices, public schools, crime levels, traffic congestion and commercial air access.
The rankings, in a survey created by the magazine's editors, gave places 40 percent of the total score for quality of life, 20 percent for health care, and 15 percent each for taxes and leisure. Arts & Culture and climate were each given 5 percent of the total score.
Many of the 20 locations are in the South, where the climate can be milder, although a few locations are in the Upper Midwest or Northeast, which received high scores for quality of life but lower marks for climate.
Editor-In-Chief Derek Dingle said the goal was to present readers retirement options with high quality of life standards, quality health care and low taxes so they could stretch their retirement nest egg further.
In addition, many of the cities are near metropolitan areas with access to historically black colleges and universities "where they can engage in leisure and arts and cultural activities, areas for our audience that had some African American orientation."
OPENING THIS WEEK: Kam's Kapsules: Weekly Previews That Make Choosing a Film Fun
For movies opening September 12, 2008
by Kam Williams
BIG BUDGET FILMS
Burn after Reading (R for sexuality, violence and pervasive profanity) Coen Brothers crime caper about a personal trainer (Brad Pitt) and a gym owner (Frances McDormand) who try to blackmail the CIA Agent (John Malkovich) whose computer disk they find. Ensemble cast includes George Clooney, Tilda Swinton, J.K. Simmons, Richard Jenkins and Dermot Mulroney.
The Family That Preys (PG-13 for mature themes, sexual references and brief violence) Tyler Perry wrote, directed and co-stars in this skeletons-in-the-closet drama cutting across color lines about a friendship between a wealthy white woman (Kathy Bates) and a working-class black woman (Alfre Woodard) which is tested by the revelation of incestuous family secrets involving infidelity, paternity and unethical business practices. With Sanaa Lathan, Taraji P. Henson, Cole Hauser, Rockmond Dunbar and Robin Givens.
Righteous Overkill (R for violence, sexuality, drug use and pervasive profanity) Robert De Niro and Al Pacino co-star in this high-octane thriller about a pair of veteran NYPD detectives who postpone their retirement to track down the vigilante serial killer targeting criminals never brought to justice. Cast includes 50 Cent, John Leguizamo, Donnie Wahlberg, Brian
Dennehy. Melissa Leo and Carla Gugino,
The Women (PG-13 for sexuality, profanity, drug use and smoking) Remake of 1939 classic based on the Claire Booth Luce play about a NYC socialite (Meg Ryan) whose crumbling marriage becomes the subject of gossip when it comes to light that her husband is cheating on her with a shop girl (Eva Mendes). Cast includes Annette Bening, Jada Pinkett-Smith and Devbra Messing.
INDEPENDENT & FOREIGN FILMS
Able Danger (Unrated) International political potboiler about a 9-11 conspiracy theorist (Tom Nee) whose search for the truth about the terrorist attacks leads to a mysterious Eastern European femme fatale (Elina Lowensohn) with something to hide. (In English and German with subtitles)
Christmas on Mars (Unrated) Members of the rock group The Flaming Lips star in this sci-fi musical comedy about a compassionate Martian (Wayne Coyne) who comes to the rescue when oxygen and gravity generators fail, thereby imperiling the lives of American astronauts colonizing the Red Planet. With Fred Armisen, Adam Goldberg and Elijah Wood.
Forgiveness (Unrated) Psychological flashback flick about a 20 year-old Jewish-American (Itay Turan) who moves to the Middle East to join the Israeli Army only to end up committed to a mental institution located on the site of a Palestinian village where 100 townspeople had been slain during a battle back in 1948.
Greetings from the Shore (R for profanity) Bittersweet romantic comedy, about a college-bound teen (Kim Shaw) grieving the death of her father, who decides to spend the summer working at a posh yacht club on the Jersey Shore where she falls in love with a Cuban busboy (David Fumero).
Moving Midway (Unrated) Thumbs-up documentary about New York film critic Godfrey Cheshire's controversial decision to research both the black and white sides of his family tree while moving the Raleigh, North Carolina mansion he's inherited away from the site of the slave plantation on which it had been located since 1848.
Phoebe in Wonderland (PG-13 for mature themes and brief profanity) Elle Fanning stars in this modern fairy tale about a young girl with Tourette's Syndrome who finds a constructive way to channel her destructive, obsessive-compulsive urges with the help of a drama teacher (Patricia Clarkson) who casts her in a school production as Alice in Wonderland.
Towelhead (R for profanity and for disturbing sexuality and abuse involving a young teen) Coming-of-age drama about a 13 year-old Arab-American freshman (Summer Bishil) who, after encountering racism and rejection at her new high school, finds comfort in a romantic relationship with a black upperclassman (Eugene Jones III).
The Tree of Life (Unrated) WWII-revisited documentary chronicles Hava Volterra's trip taken with her octogenarian aunt from Los Angeles back to Europe to find their Jewish-Italian roots while retracing the family's perilous path of survival during the Holocaust.
EUR MOTIVATIONAL NOTE
"Do a little more each day than you think you can." — Lowell Thomas
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Sept. 12: Bassist Norwood Fisher of Fishbone is 43. Singer Ruben Studdard is 30. Singer-actress Jennifer Hudson ("American Idol," "Dreamgirls") is 27.
Sept. 13: Radio and TV personality Tavis Smiley is 44. Actor-director Tyler Perry ("Madea's Family Reunion") is 39.
Sept. 14: Rapper Nas is 35. Singer Amy Winehouse is 25.
WEBSITE OF THE WEEK
Not just a bridal showcase, but www.BlackBridalGuide.com is a community where brides can chat with other brides about their pre and post-wedding experiences.
Submit your favorite Web site to us along with a 15-20 word (or less) description to info@eurweb.com.
BLACK HISTORY
Sept. 12, 1947: First Black baseball player in the major leagues, Jackie Robinson, named National League Rookie of the Year.
Sept. 13, 1962: President Kennedy denounced the burning of churches in Georgia and supported voter registration drive in the South.
Sept. 14, 1940: Blacks were allowed to enter all branches of the U.S. Military Service, when President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs Selective Service Act. (Source: www.BlackFacts.com)
