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OBAMA CD IN THE WORKS: Kanye, Will.I.Am, Legend, Stevie contributing songs to effort celebrating change movement.
*Kanye West, Will.I.Am, Stevie Wonder and John Legend are among a number of artists contributing songs to an upcoming fundraising album for Barack Obama.
Titled "We Can: Voices of a Grassroots Movement," the effort from Hidden Beach Recordings will retail for $24.99 per digital download and $30 for the physical CD with proceeds benefiting Obama's presidential campaign through Election Day on Nov. 4.
Hidden Beach CEO Steve McKeever, a longtime Obama supporter, said the idea for "Yes We Can" had been in the pipeline for a while.
"We had conversations quite some time ago about how to harness what was happening really organically and naturally with so many artists," he told the Associated Press. "The whole concept (was) how do we translate that to inspire and invigorate and also give people a keepsake that they can own while at the same time providing some important capital needed for this campaign."
McKeever said he had over 150 submissions for the CD, a mix of previously-released tunes such as John Mayer's "Waiting On the World to Change" and Stevie Wonder's classic "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours"; and new songs, including Legend's "Pride in the Name of Love" and "Promised Land," a song by Malik Yusef featuring Kanye West and Adam Levine of Maroon 5.
To make sure the CD project met federal campaign standards, McKeever said it went through a rigorous vetting process. The Obama campaign purchased the rights to the CD, he said, declining to name the price. The artists on the CD "are all being compensated as fair market value for their services," he added.
After the election, the CD is due to be released through other outlets and Hidden Beach will reap the profits.
NATALIE COLE HOSPITALIZED FOR HEPATITIS C: Artist suffers 'setback' in her battle against the disease.
*Natalie Cole has been hospitalized in New York due to complications from her battle against Hepatitis C, her rep said Friday.
"She has had a setback and is in the hospital in New York. We expect her to make a full recovery. She will be in the hospital a few more days and then will be sent home for bed rest," her spokeswoman, who declined to be named, told Reuters.
The Grammy winner, 58, has cancelled or postponed her tour dates and other appearances that were scheduled for October.
In July, Cole disclosed that she was diagnosed with Hepatitis C likely contracted decades ago during her admitted drug use. Her doctors said she was responding well to treatment, including chemotherapy, but was suffering "significant side effects," including fatigue, muscle aches and dehydration.
LIL WAYNE TO POP BOTTLES IN BAHAMAS: Rapper to headline landmark concert on island.
*Rapper Lil Wayne will spend his 26th birthday in the Bahamas headlining "Poppin' Bottles," a landmark concert to feature the best in hip hop, dancehall and reggae talent across U.S. and the Caribbean, reports Allhiphop.com.
The Sept. 26 event, to include Bahamian talent Daddy Whites, Golden Child, and Bobo Ken, will begin at 10 p.m. at the Bristol Wines and Spirits Grounds and is billed as an all-night celebration, according to creator Lisa "Red" Tootle of Red City Entertainment.
"This concert is quite a fusion. You have one of the leading phenomena of reggae in Buju Banton, who is a legend in his own right, and then you're taking the number one Hip-Hop artist in the world right now and you're putting them on the same stage," Tootle told the Nassau Guardian. "I think that in itself puts our concert above all others, and I say that with authority because I've been in and out of the Bahamas for the past 8 to 10 years and I've been to many, many concerts."
"Wayne is expected to be on stage by 1 or 2 a.m. and from what I understand Buju is just so excited about being a part of this show that he is expected to come out with a crazy performance," Tootle explained. "So it will be quite a night."
P. MILLER LAUNCHES FEMALE CLOTHING LINE: 'Miller Peaches' available for women and girls.
*Hip hop mogul Percy "P." Miller has announced the launch of a new clothing line for women and girls called Miller Peaches.
The enterprise, expected to be sold in Wal-Mart, specializes in stretch denim and will retail between $10 and $20, according to P. Miller. The line will also include plus-sizes.
"P. Miller truly is a complete lifestyle brand, which now includes P.Miller Designs for young men, Miller Peaches for young women, Kids, Shoes and Accessories lines," Miller said in a statement. "This brand seeks to clothe the entire family from head to toe and target the African American and Hispanic minority customers and make history by being a quality, affordable, urban lifestyle brand for the community."
A nationwide search for a Miller Peaches spokeswoman is underway at his media venture Better Black TV Network.
"We are looking for The Miller Peaches Great American Girl... is it you?" asked Miller. "Tell us what makes you The Miller Peaches Great American Girl for a chance at an opportunity with our national advertising campaign for Miller Peaches clothing."
WE REMEMBER SESSION DRUMMER EARL PALMER: Musician played on some of music's biggest hits.
*Earl Palmer, a veteran session drummer whose licks were heard behind the likes of Little Richard, Ike and Tina Turner and Fats Domino, has died at his Los Angeles home following "a lengthy illness," his spokesman said. He was 84.
Palmer played on hundreds of hits during a career that ran from the 1940s through the 1970s and earned him an induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
His drums powered such hits as Little Richard's "Tutti Frutti," Fats Domino's "I'm Walkin'," The Righteous Brothers' "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'," Ike and Tina Turner's "River Deep, Mountain High" and "I Hear You Knockin'" by Smiley Lewis.
He also appeared on the records of artists as diverse as The Monkees, Elvis Costello, Frank Sinatra and Neil Young.
His drum work was featured as well on a number of popular television themes, including "The Odd Couple," "77 Sunset Strip" and "The Brady Bunch."
Ed Vodika, pianist in the Earl Palmer Trio - formed 10 years ago - said the drummer had "shaped American music for the '50s, '60s and '70s."
Palmer married four times and he is survived by seven children.
OPRAH PICKS 500-PAGE NOVEL FOR BOOK CLUB: David Wroblewski's story follows a mute boy who communicates best with his dogs.
*First time author David Wroblewski will see his fame skyrocket after Friday's broadcast of "The Oprah Winfrey Show," which introduced his novel as her first book club selection of the new season.
"The Story of Edgar Sawtelle," a 500-page project that took the author more than 10 years to complete, is the story of a mute boy who communicates best with his dogs.
The book is set in rural Wisconsin, where Wroblewski was raised. He currently lives near Denver with his partner, writer Kimberly McClintock.
SEAL, SERENA CELEBRATE ISRAEL'S B'DAY: Hollywood event also toasted movie producer Arnon Milchan.
*Tennis star Serena Williams and pop singer Seal were among the celebrities on hand at Hollywood's Paramount Studios Thursday to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Israel, as well as to honor Israeli-born producer Arnon Milchan.
Milchan met Williams in 1998 when he controlled the television rights to the Women's Tennis Association and brokered Williams' endorsement deal with Puma, reports the Associated Press.
"He was one of the people who always believed in me," Williams told the crowd while appearing on stage with Milchan during the event.
Milchan, a one-time fertilizer merchant, also helped produce such films as "Pretty Woman" and "L.A. Confidential." News Corp. President Peter Chernin presented him with a lifetime achievement award from the Citizens' Empowerment Center in Israel, a nonprofit that promotes democracy and civic involvement.
CHRISTINA MILIAN JOINS MYSPACE RECORDS: Singer's deal calls for new album by next spring.
*After leaving Def Jam in 2006, Christina Milian has finally found a new label home at MySpace Records, according to Billboard.com.
The singer-songwriter's debut album for the company is due next spring, but the first single - a "cinematic power ballad" titled "Us Against the World" - will be available via the social networking site on Oct. 6.
"I've been out of the game for one and a half years, and I think I'm long overdue for a comeback, so I'm treating this album like it's my last chance to make an impression. I'm competing with myself and being very detailed," the 26-year-old Cuban-American told Billboard. "Before, I had a label telling me what direction to go in. Now, it's my choice, so I'm being very particular about it and I'm really excited."
So far, Kanye West is the lone guest artist on the as-yet-untitled set, which she considers to be a fresh look after the poor sales of her 2006 album "So Amazin'" led to her dismissal from Def Jam.
"I have a lot of support from my peers. I have lots of people that love me and want the best for me," she said. "Sometimes things don't work out the right way, but I know I work my butt off on my end. As long as you know you worked hard, you feel accomplished. Thankfully, I took the time off to check out what's going on and now I'm back, and MySpace is allowing me to do tons of different things creatively."
Milian will appear on the big screen in the romantic comedy "The Ghosts of Girlfriends," starring Matthew McConaughey and scheduled to hit theaters in February. She is featured as the lead in a live-action film made for the EA videogame "Need for Speed," due Nov. 28.
O.J. JURY VISITS SCENE OF ALLEGED CRIME: Jurors travel to Vegas hotel room; spend 30 seconds each looking around.
*The jury serving in O.J. Simpson's trial took a quick trip on Friday to the Las Vegas hotel room where the former NFL star is accused of bringing several men along to confront two sports memorabilia dealers and steal nearly $100,000 worth of items.
According to various reports, the nine-man, six-woman panel (and six alternates) took turns examining Room 1203 of the Palace Station Hotel and Casino in pairs, each of which spent no more than 30 seconds apiece glancing from bed to bathroom to chair and so on.
The jurors were accompanied by Simpson's attorneys and codefendant Clarence Stewart. Both Simpson and Stewart are charged with 12 counts of armed robbery, burglary, kidnapping, conspiracy and coercion, and could face life in prison if convicted of kidnapping.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Juror No. 12 measured the distance between the bathroom and a chair against the wall, and Alternate No. 5 touched the top of the bureau where the man who arranged the meeting, memorabilia collector Tom Riccio, secretly perched a digital tape recorder.
The jury also heard on Friday the complete recording that Riccio professes to have made of the confrontation, which the defense has already contended may have been doctored before he turned it over to authorities.
Riccio testified that one of the men with Simpson (later identified as accused accomplice Mike McClinton) "pulled out a gun...and it got crazy from there." The confrontation lasted about six minutes, Riccio said, and throughout Simpson was yelling at the alleged victims Alfred Beardsley and Bruce Fromong, both of whom have already given similar accounts of what went down in the room.
"Don't let nobody out of this room," Simpson can be heard saying at one point on the tape.
"I don't have a problem with you, man. Are you mad at me?" Beardsley is heard asking. Beardsley called 911 afterward, reporting that he had been robbed at gunpoint by Simpson and a group of "thugs."
EMINEM BACK IN THE STUDIO: Rapper recording new material, but no release date announced.
*Eminem says he's currently recording material for a new album that could be released by year's end.
"I'm concentrating on my own stuff right now -- just banging out tracks," Eminem told listeners of his Sirius XM satellite radio station, Shade 45. "The more I keep producing, the better it seems I get. I start knowing stuff, learning the boards like the back of my hands."
The Detroit rapper said he was producing tracks for both himself as well as artists signed to his Shady Records label.
A rep for Interscope said there is no official release date for the project, nor a first single, but confirmed that an album may arrive before year's end, reports Billboard.
Rapper 50 Cent, with whom Eminem has collaborated in the past, spoke to BBC Radio 1 this week and said fans will be "seeing (Eminem) shortly. "He's working. I spent the weekend at his house," said 50. "Even though he tries to relax and stay home, it's impossible for him to stay in."
NATE DOGG CONDITION WORSE THAN REPORTED: Singer was reportedly on life support with feeding tube.
*E! News is reporting that singer Nate Dogg was in worse condition than initially reported after suffering a stroke nearly two weeks ago, his second in less than a year.
The artist's cousin, former rap artist Lil Half Dead, said Nate was on life support at a Los Angeles-area hospital and was hooked up to a feeding tube as of Wednesday. He has since been taken off of life support, but the feeding tube is still inserted, according to TMZ.
"He has suffered another stroke from his bad eating habits and unhealthy lifestyle," said Lil Half Dead, born Donald Smith. "All we can do now is pray for him."
Nate Dogg, born Nathanial Hale, suffered his first stroke on Dec. 19. It left him partially paralyzed.
"He was making excellent progress with his recovery from the first stroke," said his manager Rod McGrew. "This is an unfortunate setback. We welcome all prayers in support of Nate's recovery but we would appreciate privacy."
Nate Dogg's condition will undoubtedly force a Compton judge to postpone a Sept. 24 hearing in which he faces felony charges for threatening and stalking his estranged wife.
BYNUM'S EX-HUSBAND LOOKING FOR LOVE: Bishop Thomas Weeks to post webisodes on search for next wife.
*Bishop Thomas Weeks, who pleaded guilty to assaulting his ex-wife Juanita Bynum in a hotel parking lot, has launched a new online search for love titled "Who Will Be the Next Mrs. Weeks?"
"What kind of advice would you give me about the next Mrs. Weeks?" the Bishop asks in a video posted on his Web site (http://www.bishopweeks.com/). "I'm sure there are some of you that would like to just share your personal heartfelt [thoughts] of what you would say to either Mrs. Weeks in the future, or to myself about Mrs. Weeks."
According to TMZ.com, "a bunch of women" have already responded to his call for wife number three. He says he's looking for someone who can bear children, a woman who is sensual and she can't be ugly.
Bishop Weeks, 40, was sentenced to three years probation, 200 hours of community service and anger management classes after pleading guilty to aggravated assault. He admitted to attacking Bynum in the parking lot of the Renaissance Concourse Hotel in Atlanta on Aug. 21.
ITTY BITTY BITS: Correspondent Scary Spice; Jackson's 'Lakeview' No. 1; Miss USA stumbles again.
*Melanie "Mel B." Brown will return as a "Dancing With the Stars" guest correspondent for "Access Hollywood" when the ABC reality show premieres tonight. Brown, who was a finalist in season five of the competition, will deliver reports from the set, interview the cast after the live shows on Monday and Tuesday nights and will document backstage moments. "I'm ecstatic to continue working with my Access Hollywood family," Brown said in a statement. "I am looking forward to the new season of Dancing with the Stars."
*Samuel L. Jackson's movie "Lakeview Terrace" sold $15.6 million to earn the top spot at the box office, according to estimates issued on Sunday. It barely surpassed the $14 million opening for Jackson's 2006 bomb "Snakes on a Plane." In the Neil LaBute-directed "Lakeview Terrace," Jackson plays a vindictive cop who makes life hell for his new neighbors.
*The New York Post is reporting that Miss USA, Crystle Stewart - the woman who famously tripped and fell during the Miss Universe competition in Thailand over the summer - nearly hit the deck again at the recent party for NBC's "Lipstick Jungle" in New York. The beauty showed up to Studio 450 in "incredibly high heels," a witness told Page Six. Stewart made her way to the outside balcony and proceeded to "lose her balance on the rubber floor and started to fall." A public relations man came to her rescue and escorted her to solid ground. Later, Stewart declined a shot of 1942 Don Julio tequila, saying, "I'm not allowed to drink, or I will get yelled at."
INTERIM MAYOR TAKES OATH IN DETROIT: Kenneth Cockrel Jr. replaces disgraced Kwame Kilpatrick.
*Kenneth V. Cockrel Jr. was sworn in Friday as the interim mayor of Detroit, replacing the scandal-plagued administration of Kwame M.
Kilpatrick.
After eight months of insisting he would be vindicated, Kilpatrick plead guilty to obstruction of justice after admitting he spent about $10 million in city funds largely to hide an extramarital affair with his chief of staff.
Cockrel told an overflow crowd in the City Council auditorium that "this is our time to breathe life back into the city."
He introduced an agenda that included expanding the city's convention center, cleaning up trash and "coming after" criminals.
"It is critical that we find closure, mend our wounds, treat our bumps and bruises and heal as a city," he said. "It is also important that after that healing, we get back to work."
Kilpatrick left City Hall as mayor for the last time on Thursday afternoon, wearing a sweatsuit and flashing a peace sign as he was driven away in a black Cadillac Escalade. Later, he was seen boarding an American Airlines flight to Dallas with his wife and three sons for a court-approved 10-day vacation.
In late October, Kilpatrick is scheduled to begin serving 120 days in prison, as part of his settlement with prosecutors, followed by five years' probation, during which he is barred from seeking elective office. He must also pay the city $1 million in restitution.
EUR FILM REVIEW: Lakeview Terrace
Samuel L. Jackson Stars in Embarrassing Outing as Racist Cop
Film Review by Kam Williams
*One hint that a movie’s a bomb is when the studio won’t let the critics screen it prior to its release. Another clue is when its cast members are reluctant to promote it, which was what I encountered in the case of Lakeview Terrace when its stars, Samuel L. Jackson and Kerry Washington, decided to duck me, rather than grant an interview about the picture.
And now that I’ve seen this cinematic fiasco, I understand entirely, for this movie rings false from beginning to end, from its patently absurd premise clear through to its unintentionally funny resolution. Unless director Neil LaBute pulled a switcheroo, I’d guess the stars must have known even when they read the script that it was a turkey, yet they probably decided to sign on the bottom line anyway for one of those take-the-money-and-run paydays.
Get a load of the how ridiculous the plot is. Jackson plays Abel “A.T.” Turner, a short-tempered bigot with a very specific prejudice, namely, mixed couples where the man is white and the woman is black. Otherwise, this guy has friends of every ethnicity.
Now, somehow, on an LAPD cop’s salary, this widower in need of anger management somehow owns a mountaintop home with a view in an upscale section of Los Angeles. At the point of departure, newlyweds Chris (Patrick Wilson) and Lisa Mattson (Washington) buy the house next-door, and wouldn’t you know he’s Caucasian and she’s African-American.
Pleasant and attractive, but dumber than dirt, the clueless couple fails to pick up on the fact that A.T. is out to make their lives a living Hell.
Their denseness enables Abel to find meaning in life by secretly torturing them, even though he’s a gainfully-employed, single-dad raising a couple of kids (Regine Nehy and Jaishon Fisher) alone since his wife died three years ago. Nonetheless, the sadist embarks on an ever-escalating reign of terror which includes such Geneva Conventions violations as “accidentally” banging Chris’ hand with a wrench on purpose, training floodlights on his new neighbors’ property, trimming their tress without permission, sabotaging their air conditioner, and hiring a hoodlum (Keith Loneker) to trash their house, to name a few.
But no matter how devious or cruel A.T. gets, the Stepford-like Mattsons merely question themselves rather than suspect that their many misfortunes might be the work of a racist psycho. So, in between Abel’s dastardly deeds, they keep accepting his social invitations, even sometimes apologizing, when they’ve done nothing wrong.
Protagonists this dumb don’t deserve an audience’s sympathy, especially when they recycle lame Rodney King poster-speak like “Can’t we all just get along?” This has the unfortunate effect of turning the movie into a comedy prior to the denouement confessional during which they belatedly wise up.
You don’t have to be a Biblical scholar to figure out what happens to Abel next, although investing your hard-earned cash and a couple of hours in a molasses-paced picture this pathetic is likely to leave you raising Cain.
Definite 10 Worst List candidate.
Poor (0 stars)
Rated PG-13 for sexuality, profanity, mature themes, violence and drug references
Running time: 110 minutes
Studi Screen Gems
To see a trailer of Lakeview Terrace, visit:
_http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RigUfNqmH_c&feature=pyv_
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RigUfNqmH_c&feature=pyv>
EUR MOTIVATIONAL NOTE
"Look at a stone cutter hammering away at his rock, perhaps a hundred times without as much as a crack showing in it. Yet at the hundred-and-first blow it will split in two, and I know it was not the last blow that did it, but all that had gone before." — Jacob A. Riis
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Sept. 22: Actress Shari Belafonte is 54.
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. 22, 1998: Sprinter Florence Griffith-Joyner, winner of three gold medals and a silver medal at the 1988 Olympics, dies. She was 38. (Source: www.BlackFacts.com)
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