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11-18-08 EUR ALL ON ONE PAGE
OBAMA'S '60 MINUTES' SCORES BIG: CBS news program had highest overnight ratings in nearly 10 years.
*A record audience tuned in to CBS' "60 Minutes" Sunday night to watch the first televised interview with Barack Obama and his wife Michelle since he was elected the 44th U.S. President.
According to the Associated Press, Nielsen Media Research showed the program was seen by 25 million people, giving the news hour its highest overnight ratings since January 1999 and the most viewers of any prime-time show seen this season.
The ratings likely got a boost by the down-to-the-wire NFL game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and San Diego Chargers that immediately preceded the show on the East coast.
HATE CRIMES IN U.S. SPIKE AFTER OBAMA WIN: AP compiles list of incidents in the wake of Nov. 4.
*From California to Maine, reports of hate crimes have increased dramatically since the Nov. 4 election of Barack Obama, the nation's first African American president.
Cross burnings, schoolchildren chanting "Assassinate Obama," black figures hung from nooses and racial epithets scrawled on homes and cars are among the "hundreds" of incidents that have been documented by police in the past two weeks.
The alleged crimes also include vandalism, vague threats and at least one physical attack, according to the Associated Press. Insults and taunts have been delivered by adults, college students as well as second-graders.
One incident took place in Snellville, Ga., where Denene Millner said a boy on the school bus told her 9-year-old daughter the day after the election: "I hope Obama gets assassinated." That night, someone trashed her sister-in-law's front lawn, mangled the Obama lawn signs, and left two pizza boxes filled with human feces outside the front door, said Millner, who is black.
Black high school student Barbara Tyler of Marietta, Ga., said she heard hateful Obama comments from white students, and that teachers cut off discussion about Obama's victory. Tyler spoke at a press conference by the Georgia chapter of the NAACP calling for a town hall meeting to address complaints from across the state about hostility and resentment.
Another student, from a Covington middle school, said he was suspended for wearing an Obama shirt to school Nov. 5 after the principal told students not to wear political paraphernalia. The student's mother, Eshe Riviears, said the principal told her: "Whether you like it or not, we're in the South, and there are a lot of people who are not happy with this decision."
Other incidents include:
• Four North Carolina State University students admitted writing anti-Obama comments in a tunnel designated for free speech expression, including one that said: "Let's shoot that (N-word) in the head." Obama has received more threats than any other president-elect, authorities say.
• At Standish, Maine, a sign inside the Oak Hill General Store read: "Osama Obama Shotgun Pool." Customers could sign up to bet $1 on a date when Obama would be killed. "Stabbing, shooting, roadside bombs, they all count," the sign said. At the bottom of the marker board was written "Let's hope someone wins."
• Racist graffiti was found in places including New York's Long Island, where two dozen cars were spray-painted; Kilgore, Texas, where the local high school and skate park were defaced; and the Los Angeles area, where swastikas, racial slurs and "Go Back To Africa" were spray painted on sidewalks, houses and cars.
• Second- and third-grade students on a school bus in Rexburg, Idaho, chanted "assassinate Obama," a district official said.
• University of Alabama professor Marsha L. Houston said a poster of the Obama family was ripped off her office door. A replacement poster was defaced with a death threat and a racial slur. "It seems the election brought the racist rats out of the woodwork," Houston said.
• Black figures were hanged by nooses from trees on Mount Desert Island, Maine, the Bangor Daily News reported. The president of Baylor University in Waco, Texas said a rope found hanging from a campus tree was apparently an abandoned swing and not a noose.
• Crosses were burned in yards of Obama supporters in Hardwick, N.J., and Apolacan Township, Pa.
• A black teenager in New York City said he was attacked with a bat on election night by four white men who shouted 'Obama.'
• In the Pittsburgh suburb of Forest Hills, a black man said he found a note with a racial slur on his car windshield, saying "now that you voted for Obama, just watch out for your house."
WILDFIRES FORCE SNOOP TO EVACUATE: Rapper and fam among 26,000 forced to flee weekend flames.
*The Southern California wildfires that threatened to destroy the Montecito home of Oprah Winfrey have also caused Snoop Dogg to evacuate his multi-million dollar home in Diamond Bar, reports E! Online.
The rapper, his family and his staff were among 26,000 residents forced to leave their homes on Sunday due to an uncontrollable blaze that has already destroyed 150 homes and threatens 3,500 more.
"My family had to be evacuated. It's right in the area of where I live in, so I'm just praying for everybody, hopefully rain, and that firefighters get it done trying to bring an end," the rapper tells E! News.
Snoop's home is located in The Country Estates, an exclusive, gated hillside community about 29 miles east of downtown Los Angeles in the San Gabriel Valley.
As part of the "Triangle Complex" fire, the inferno has already scorched 10,000 acres and spans four counties: Orange, Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Riverside.
BAHRAIN SHEIK SUES MIJAC FOR ALBUM ADVANCE: Breach-of-contract case filed at London's Royal Courts of Justice
*A $7 million breach-of-contract lawsuit was filed against Michael Jackson by the king of Bahrain's son over an album that was promised by the entertainer, but never delivered.
The Bell Pottinger Group says Sheik Abdulla bin Hamad Al Khalifa filed the case against Jackson at London's Royal Courts of Justice. The suit was to be heard Monday afternoon, reports the Associated Press.
In 2006, Jackson announced the release of a new album for Khalifa's record label 2 Seas Records. Media reports say Khalifa has yet to see a completed album.
The lawsuit comes a week after Jackson gave up the title to his Neverland ranch in California.
DON CORNELIUS ORDERED TO SURRENDER GUNS: Judge issued request Monday in the wake of spousal battery charges.
*TMZ.com reported Monday that a judge ordered Don Cornelius to give up all of his guns following Friday's charges in connection with two domestic incidents involving his wife.
"He was also hit with a protective order, limiting contact with his victim to just 'peaceful contact,'" the Web site said.
The former "Soul Train" host was charged with spousal battery, assault with a deadly weapon and dissuading a witness from making a police report. The 72-year-old was arrested and jailed last month after police were called to his Hollywood Hills home following a report of domestic dispute.
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He's currently free on $50,000 bail, but faces up to one year in prison for each of the five misdemeanor charges. He's due back in court on Dec. 4.
OUTKAST TO TRIPLE UP ON 2009 OUTPUT: Duo says they'll release two solo albums and one collective project next year.
*Rap duo Outkast, whose last album "Speakerboxxx/The Love Below" was released to critical acclaim in September 2003, will have a new full-length album on the streets sometime before the end of 2009.
Speaking to MTV News, group member Big Boi said he's planning on releasing his second solo record, "Sir Lucious Leftfoot: The Son Of Chico Dusty," either in January or February, with Andre 3000 releasing his solo effort soon after. The pair will then begin recording the Outkast project for release later in the year.
Big Boi said: "Me and 'Dre were on the conference call [recently]. He's working on his album; my album is done. We're gonna wait until the top of the year--January or February--to put it out. Then Dre is gonna come hit y'all, and [then] we're gonna do the Outkast album."
He added: "So y'all gonna get three records from the 'Kast next year."
IS PAULA LEAVING 'IDOL' FOR OTHER PROJECTS? : Plus, rep denies she's 'haunted' by fan's suicide; fan's family blames death on 'Idol' comments.
*According to a report by OK! Magazine, Paula Abdul is about to “transition” out of her involvement with Fox's "American Idol" to begin working on several new TV projects.
“She knows that every season could be her last. Now she’s got a new secret venture that she’s really excited about,” OK! quoted a source as saying.
She is currently filming “Paula Abdul’s RAH Cheerleading Bowl,” a competition program that will air New Year’s Day on MTV.
In other Abdul news, a rep for the entertainer is denying reports of her being so shaken by last week's suicide of obsessed fan Paula Goodspeed outside of her Beverly Hills home that she now considers her house "haunted."
The New York Post quoted a friend of the "Idol" judge who said she refuses to return to the home, even after hiring "healers" to cleanse the house of ghosts.
"[Paula Goodspeed] was a deranged stalker who sent her death threats.
Paula instructed guards to keep Goodspeed away from her at all costs," said the source. "She refuses to stay at home because she fears that the spirit of Goodspeed is haunting her house. She feels like this is the absolute worst omen, a really bad curse . . . Paula is suffering. It is well known that she is emotionally fragile."
A rep for Abdul, however, said the whole story is false: "There's no validity to this. She's been home since the incident happened. There's no issue with spirits. Paula is shocked and saddened by what transpired. Her heart and prayers go out to the Goodspeed family."
Meanwhile, the Goodspeed family is now claiming that her treatment by the "American Idol" judges ultimately caused her to kill herself.
Charles McIntyre tells Starmagazine.com that his sister was crushed after Abdul panned her performance at the 2005 audition. He also said judge Simon Cowell was out of line to criticize his sister's braces.
Paula Goodspeed's niece tells the New York Daily News her aunt was neither suicidal nor a stalker. The niece says Goodspeed even told her that she and Abdul once had coffee together at a Starbucks.
"Not an ounce of truth to this," said Abdul's publicist. "Paula met her only at Idol."
Goodspeed changed her name from Sandra to Paula 16 years ago, says her cousin. She headed to Hollywood from her home state of Maine five years ago to pursue a career in show business but had no success. According to her brother, Goodspeed was planning to give up her Hollywood dreams and return to Maine this week.
EBONY SCORES FIRST POST-ELECTION OBAMA SITDOWN: President-elect interviewed Thursday by hometown-based magazine.
*Barack Obama decided to give his first interview as President-elect to Ebony magazine, one of the oldest black-owned publications in the United States and based in his hometown of Chicago.
The interview took place Thursday, Nov. 13, and will appear in Ebony's January 2009 issue, the magazine said in a statement.
The article includes Obama's thoughts on the historic election, the international reaction to it and his hope to capitalize on the enthusiasm of millions of supporters.
"I'm very humbled by the fact that I stand on the shoulders of all the people who made these incredible contributions to lift this country up,"Obama was quoted as saying in the interview.
Meanwhile, Obama's second post-election interview, which aired Sunday night on "60 Minutes," was watched by 25 million people and gave the CBS news program its highest overnight ratings in 10 years.
EX-PORN STAR 'SOUL MEN': Vanessa Del talks about memorable scene with Bernie Mac. - by Cameron Turner
*Old school adult film legend Vanessa Del Rio put a hurting on Bernie Mac while filming their hilarious sex scene for the wild, grown-up comedy Soul Men.
Fit and fierce at age 56, Del Rio retains all the fire that made her an X-rated superstar back in the pre-video, Boogie Nights era of porn (when dudes still watched "skin flicks" in movie theaters).
Soul Men co-star Samuel L. Jackson remembers Bernie pulling him aside on the set.
"He was like, 'Man, she 'bout to kill me!' I said, 'What?' 'She's jumping up and down and she's just like buck wild over there!'"
Del Rio bursts out laughing when she's told that story. If she frightened Mac with her unbridled freakiness she didn't realize it. What she remembers most about her day on the Soul Men set is that Bernie Mac was a kind and considerate gentleman who spoke lovingly about his family and kept her laughing continuously.
"He was talking about his kids and about his dog and he just came across as such a wonderful, warm person," Del Rio remembers. "We laughed a lot (and) I think laughter is very sexy!"
Her playful attitude toward sex defined Vanessa Del Rio's onscreen persona back in the 1970s and early '80s. She was renowned for having zero inhibitions on camera and for really enjoying her work. Samuel L. Jackson dug Del Rio's movies when he was in college because "she was the first porn star who acted like she really enjoyed sex!" Del Rio takes that as a huge compliment.
"We were truly having a good time because we were expressing ourselves," she says. "It was the '70s sexual revolution. There was a lot of freedom then, a lot of free thinking .Back then (pornography) was something you did to have fun and to rebel."
Del Rio retired from hardcore work in 1986 but she never fully abandoned the adult entertainment industry. Today she thrives on the Internet, personally managing a web site (www.vanessadelrio.com) where she performs naughty cam shows and hawks sexy merchandise including her memoir, a racy coffee table book with the deliberately ironic title, 50 Years of Slightly Slutty Behavior.
"That title is me being sort of tongue in cheek and coy ... But by today's standards I was just slightly slutty!" the pioneer pornista laughs.
Three decades after storming the adult movie scene, Vanessa Del Rio is in Energizer bunny mode and she isn't even thinking about slowing down -- ever.
"I always said that when it's my turn to go into a retirement home just give me my drugs, put me in a wheelchair and point me towards the men!"
Del Rio declares with a saucy laugh.
SEAL'S SAM COOKE COVER INSPIRED BY OBAMA: Plus, singer says Vanity Fair misquoted him regarding presidential election.
*British singer Seal says he was inspired to record the Sam Cooke hit "A Change Is Gonna Come" by the mood of optimism gripping America leading up to Barack Obama's historic presidential election.
He told Billboard, "The initial inspiration came from what I perceived to be a collective consciousness of people, not only in America but around the world, saying, 'Look, the whole place is in turmoil, the economy's in the toilet, people are reckless, frustrated and irresponsible'. And I think the collective got together realizing there's something that needed to change."
Meanwhile, Seal is firing back at Vanity Fair, claiming the magazine misquoted him by writing he would leave America with his wife, Heidi Klum, and their children if John McCain was elected President.
He tells "Access Hollywood," "What I did say (was), the country has gone through perhaps the worst eight years during the current administration, since I have been living here the past 20 years.
"I said, 'It's OK for us, if a country gets too bad, too polarized, if it gets too divisive, we have options. We can always go somewhere.
"But we don't have those options any more because we have three very beautiful, very healthy American children. And this is their country. And my wife has just become a U.S. citizen. And neither of us are about to up and take them (kids) from this country."
ROCK BAND ON THE MAP WITH LIL WAYNE COVER: New version of "Lollipop" gives boost to struggling Tenn. group.
*Framing Henley, a little known rock band from Tennessee, is now firmly implanted on the national music radar thanks to their guitar-heavy cover of Lil Wayne's summer smash, "Lollipop."
The idea to cover the song was hatched during rehearsals with a new guitarist who replaced a band member that quit because of health issues.
"We came home from tour in April, and we were trying to get our new guitar player, Ryan, in the band. We wanted to see how things would work out between us musically," lead vocalist Kenneth Nixon told Billboard.com. "During rehearsal, I'd mentioned we should cover Lil Wayne's 'Lollipop' at our next show. Next thing I knew, Ryan was playing the intro on his guitar and an hour later we had our own rock rendition of it."
The band played the re-imagined track at a show in their hometown of Nashville a few days later, and shortly after that, fans began requesting it via the act's MySpace page. The demand prompted Framing Hanley to record the song and upload it. "The plays went through the roof," Nixon said.
The song – which will be available on a rerelease of Framing Hanley's debut album, "The Moment," due today from Silent Majority – is No. 37 on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks chart. This means Lil Wayne, a ubiquitous presence on Billboard's pop and R&B/hip-hop charts, will score his first appearance on a Billboard rock tally.
Watch the video for Framing Hanley's version of "Lollipop" here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbUR0SRceD0
MONEY WOES CONTINUE FOR DAMON DASH: Lawyers, lenders and landlords reportedly after the one-time mogul.
*The New York Daily News is reporting that Damon Dash continues to be hampered by severe money problems and is currently "under assault in Manhattan Supreme Court from lawyers, lenders and landlords fed up with not getting paid."
The co-founder of Roc-A-Fella Records and Rocawear fashion line - who in 2005 sold his share in the clothing empire to Jay-Z for $20 million – "has gone from owning Keds, a vodka company and 1,300 pairs of shoes to dodging bills and accusing a former accountant of ripping him off for millions of dollars," the paper reported.
A Manhattan judge last week ordered the city to seize Dash's leased Chevrolet Tahoe because he wasn't making the $714.99 monthly payment. In August, Eastern Savings Bank foreclosed on the $7.3 million mortgage for his two trendy Tribeca condos where the monthly $78,504.26 bill went unpaid for months.
Dash also faces an outstanding $2.1 million tab with the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance, a $4,500 bill from the state for not paying workers' comp and a suit that says he stiffed the law firm that handled his child-custody case.
Dash even got dumped by another firm representing him in a $3.5 million suit against accountant-to-the-stars Barry Klarberg, who is accused of bungling his tax returns, costing him millions.
The Daily News was told by Dash's spokesperson that the ex-tycoon was not in financial straits because he "won all of his lawsuits."
However, the newspaper found court records that show Dash settled two suits accusing him of not paying rent on two Manhattan offices, as well as suits charging that he owed money to fashion designer Charlotte Ronson, the fashion firm Showroom Seven, and a security company that guards celebrities.
GHOSTFACE PULLS CLASSICS FOR NEW ALBUM: Rapper's new release features greatest hits with remixes and new verses.
*Ghostface Killah of the Wu Tang Clan offers classic tracks with remixes and new verses on his upcoming Def Jam collection "GhostDeini the Great," due Dec. 16, reports Billboard.
The set will be available as a single CD or bundled with a DVD chronicling the artist's Hip-Hop Live tour.
"GhostDeini" includes several tracks unknown to fans, including "Ghostface Christmas," a remix of "Be Easy" featuring Ice Cube" and a remix of "Kilo" with fellow Wu-Tang Clan colleague Raekwon and Pusha T. "Slept on Tony" is a new song.
Also featured are remixes of "Run" and "Back Like That," the Ghostface-dominated version of the Amy Winehouse hit "You Know I'm No Good" and the Mary J. Blige-laced "All I Got Is You."
Here is the track list for "GhostDeini the Great":
"Slept on Tony"
"Run" remix (feat. Jadakiss, Lil Wayne, Raekwon, Freeway) "Kilo" remix (feat. Raekwon and& Pusha T) "Be Easy" remix (feat. Ice Cube) "Tony Segal" (aka Barrel Bros.) (feat. Styles P and Beanie Sigel) "It's Over"
"Walk Around"
"9 Milli Bros." (feat. Wu-Tang Clan)
"Mighty Healthy"
"Apollo Kids"
"All I Got Is You" (feat. Mary J Blige)
"Cher Chez La Ghost"
"Back Like That" remix (feat. Kanye West and Ne-Yo) "Street Opera" (feat. Sun God) "You Know I'm No Good" (feat. Amy Winehouse) "The Champ" remix "Ghostface Christmas"
CELEBS FLOCK TO MIAMI FOR VICTORIA SECRET SHOW: Diddy, Kravitz, Howard on hand; Ursh performs.
*Terrence Howard, Lenny Kravitz and Sean "Diddy" Combs were among the celebs who flew down to Miami's South Beach on Saturday for the annual Victoria's Secret Fashion Show.
The trio all scored front row seats to the runway extravaganza, which took place this year at the Fontainebleau Resort with a musical performance by Usher.
Other famous faces in the audience included Paris Hilton, Kim Kardashian, Martha Stewart and John Stamos – all in the front row – and Aubrey O'Day, who sat in Row 5, according to E! Online.
"At the official after party at LIV, Diddy, Terrence Howard and the VS models had their own VIP area on the stage, while all other stars in attendance had to settle for tables on the dance floor stocked with bottles of Belvedere," E! Online reported.
"Heidi Klum opted to avoid the packed club, instead heading to Blade with hubby Seal. The lovey dovey duo held hands and sipped champagne as they hung with Usher and Lenny Kravitz. And although A-Rod skipped the VS show, he made a late night appearance at Blade."
Among the VS Angels strutting the runway were Heidi Klum, Alessandria Ambrosia, Miranda Kerr and Karolina Kurkova. The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show airs Dec. 3 on CBS.
ITTY BITTY BITS: 'Miracle' in Bahamas; Prince still witnessing for Jehovah; Sacramento Kings get reality show.
*Spike Lee's "Miracle at St. Anna" will close the fifth edition of the Bahamas Film Festival in Nassau on Dec. 11, reports Variety. Aaron Woodley's "Tennessee" starring Mariah Carey will also screen at this year's event. Sean Connery is scheduled to present Laurence Fishburne with the career achievement award.
*Prince is still knocking on the doors of strangers to spread the word of Jehovah's Witnesses. His Royal Badness tells this week's New Yorker that since he joined the Christian denomination two years ago, he's started leaving his gated community in Los Angeles to proselytize around the neighborhood. "Sometimes people act surprised, but mostly they're totally cool about it," says Prince. The singer adds that he sees his conversion as more of "a realization. It's like Morpheus and Neo in 'The Matrix.'"
*Mark Burnett Productions and production company Maloof Television are teaming to produce a new reality series following NBA team the Sacramento Kings. "Rebuilding the Kingdom," according to the Hollywood Reporter, will follow the franchise as it undergoes an overhaul to regain some winning traction. The production will follow the players and coaches, and the unique challenges in running an NBA team.
EUR FILM REVIEW: Role Models
Slackers Mentor Troubled Kids in Crass Shock Comedy
Film Review by Kam Williams
*Sometimes a promising production can add up to far less than the sum of its parts. Case in point: Role Models.
Director David Wain (The Ten) probably thought he had an inspired idea when he cast his crass comedy with some of the most famous faces from recent teensploits, including Seann William Scott, aka Stiffler from the American Pie franchise, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, aka McLovin from Superbad, Bobb'e J. Thompson aka Slam from Fred Claus, and blonde-of-the-moment Elizabeth Banks, who just this year has been in Zack and Miri Make a Porno, Meet Dave, W. and Definitely, Maybe.
The film also features MD-turned standup comic Dr. Ken Jeong, a colorful character actor with memorable outings in Knocked Up or Pineapple Express.
Then there's Reno 911!'s Kerri Kenney and scene-stealer Jane Lynch who's best known for her unforgettable cameo as a cougar in heat in The 40 Year-Old Virgin.
Regrettably, here, this admittedly gifted ensemble has been assembled in service of a relentlessly coarse script which fails to do justice to any of their considerable talents. Instead of having them portray fresh characters, director Wain simply attempted to cash in on their former glory by having them reprise slight variations on their most celebrated roles.
At the point of departure, we find twenty-something best friends Wheeler (Scott) and Danny (Paul Rudd) visiting junior high schools to lecture students about the danger of drugs in their capacity as spokesmen for Minotaur energy drink. However, after they trash a company truck on a campus after a drunken binge during lunch, the pair ends up in court where they are offered the option of 150 hours of community service as mentors as an alternative to jail.
Although they have no parenting skills, they opt for the former, and are directed to the offices of Sturdy Wings, a charity whose inexplicably flirtatious founder (Lynch) assigns them a couple of youngsters to spend time with. Danny gets Augie (Mintz-Plasse), a 16 year-old nerd who spends all his free time dressing up in medieval outfits to participate in Dungeon and Dragons-style re-enactments, while Wheeler has his hands full with Ronnie (Thompson), a 10 year-old ghetto-gangsta with a mouth more foul than his own.
Of course, both these slackers initially prove to be failures as role models, with Danny exhibiting no sensitivity about Augie's obsessive compulsive disorder, and party animal Wheeler carelessly exposing Ronnie to sex, drugs and rock & roll. Hauled back into court, it falls to Danny's attorney ex-girlfriend, Beth (Banks), to beg the judge for mercy and one last chance to behave like decent Big Brothers.
Of course, they reform themselves the second time around, and more appropriately bond with the boys just before the obligatory "happily ever after" finale, but far too late in this critic's opinion to undo the overall mean-spirited tone of the film. An irresponsible frittering away of the cinematic capital amassed by Stiffler, McLovin and other beloved icons of the teen genre.
Fair (1 star)
Rated R for nudity, profanity, sexuality and crude humor.
Running time: 99 minutes
Studi Universal Pictures
To see a trailer for Role Models, visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kd9WJnV9Gek
BOBB'E J. THOMPSON: The Role Models Interview with Kam Williams
Tete-a-Tete with "The Tot Heard Round the World"
*Bobb'e Jacques Thompson was born in Kansas City, Missouri on February 28, 1996, the youngest of nine siblings.
Like his baseball great namesake whose pennant-winning walk-off home run in
1951 was dubbed "The shot heard round the world," this Bobby's meteoric rise has led to his being referred to as "The tot seen round the world."
For he exhibited promise as an entertainer early on, starting out as a rapper at the age of 5.
The next year, he made his acting debut on the TV series My Wife and Kids, and he's been working steadily in showbiz ever since.
The talented youngster has been on such shows as That's So Raven, Human Giant, Cory in the House, Just Jordan, Whoopi, Joey and The Tracy Morgan Show. And he's made just as much of a mark on the big screen in everything from My Baby's Daddy to Shark Tale to Cellular to Idlewild to Fred Claus.
Here, he talks about his new movie, Role Models, a raunchy teensploitation flick where he co-stars opposite Seann "Stiffler" William Scott and Christopher "McLovin" Mintz-Plasse.
Kam Williams: Hi Bobb'e, thanks for the time.
Bobb'e Thompson: No problem, no problem.
KW: In Role Models, you have a couple of co-stars, Seann and Christopher, who are better known as Stiffler and McLovin. Do you think that might happen to you after everybody sees you playing Ronnie in this picture?
BT: Yep, everybody's going to be like, "Hi Ronnie!"
KW: How was it on the set working with them and the rest of the cast?
BT: It was a blast! This movie was just so much fun to make. It felt like we were a family and we had a ball doing what we did.
KW: And how was David Wain as a director?
BT: Oh, he was nice. He's a cool person to work with. He let's you be you.
KW: Do you have a mentor in real-life, like your character?
BT: No.
KW: Have you had any wild experiences similar to what Ronnie is exposed to in the movie?
BT: No, I haven't.
KW: You started rapping at the age of 5. Where did that ability come from?
BT: From my musical ear. I just picked it up.
KW: Were you still living in Kansas City at that time?
BT: Yeah.
KW: Are any of your other brothers or sisters actors?
BT: No, I'm the only one.
KW: Bookworm Troy Johnson asks: What was the last book you read?
BT: They have me reading a little Shakespeare, the Bard of Avon.
KW: Do you have a tutor, or do you go to school?
BT: I'm home-schooled.
KW: Is there any question no one has ever asked you, that you wish someone would?
BT: No, not really.
KW: Music maven Heather Covington was wondering: What music you're listening to nowadays?
BT: I listen to Lil Wayne.
KW: Do you have any plans to make your own album?
BT: Yeah, I'm going to make a CD a little later.
KW: I heard you talking about going to church before. What's your favorite Gospel tune?
BT: My favorite Gospel tune would probably be one of Kirk Franklin's songs.
KW: How have you been able to be on TV so much and make so many movies and you're not even a teenager yet?
BT: Auditions, basically. I went out to auditions.
KW: Yeah, but you have to be really good, too. Plenty of unemployed actors go to lots of auditions, but still don't get work. What's your secret? Have you taken a lot of acting lessons?
BT: No, I never took any acting classes.
KW: Which do you prefer comedic or dramatic roles?
BT: It doesn't matter. They both pay the bills.
KW: [Laughs] That's funny. You sound like a natural comedian. Have you ever considered doing standup?
BT: I've done it already, at the Belly Room.
KW: Where, in Hollywood?
BT: Yeah.
KW: "Realtor to the Stars" Jimmy Bayan would want me to ask you where in L.A. you live.
BT: Marino Valley.
KW: How can your fans get in touch with you?
BT: I have a page at MySpace.
KW: Do you answer your fan email?
BT: Yep, all the time!
KW: What's your favorite hobby?
BT: Football. I play running back in a pee-wee league.
KW: Who's your favorite pro football team?
BT: The Dallas Cowboys.
KW: The Columbus Short question: Are you happy?
BT: Yes.
KW: The Tasha Smith question: Are you ever afraid?
BT: No.
KW: Thanks, again, Bobb'e, and best of luck in the future.
BT: Okay, bye.
To see a trailer for Role Models, visit:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kd9WJnV9Gek
THE MO'KELLY REPORT: Kanye West - Take Your Meds as Prescribed
*There are some general truths in life. They aren’t “laws” necessarily and they can’t be validated in an empirical sense. Yet and still, we just know them to be true. There’s an old science axiom that says not all things that matter can be measured and not all things that can be measured, matter.
Nevertheless, some things just are.
Along those lines, although we can’t quantitatively measure ‘crazy’ we know for a fact it exists and has a stranglehold on Kanye West.
Kanye West - musical genius…maybe. Superstar producer…absolutely. Mentally stable?
Not likely.
From the inexplicable awards program behavior over the years to his ongoing inability to peacefully coexist with the paparazzi…Kanye seems to be a few drumsticks short of a bucket of chicken.
Don’t take Mo’Kelly’s word for it…take Kanye's.
Last week in an interview, Kanye was quoted as follows…
"I realize that my place and position in history is that I will go down as the voice of this generation, of this decade, I will be the loudest voice," he said in an interview last Wednesday. "It's me settling into that position of just really accepting that it's one thing to say you want to do it and it's another thing to really end up being like Michael Jordan."
Really Kanye?
This would be the same Michael Jordan who was a 14-time all-star, 10-time all-NBA 1st team, 9-time all NBA Defensive team, 6 NBA championships, 6-time NBA Finals MVP, 5-time NBA MVP, 2 Olympic gold medals,1 NCAA championship, 1 NBA Defensive Player of the Year and a Partridge in a Pear Tree.
THAT “Jordan?”
Are you sure you didn’t mean Jordin Sparks or maybe the basketball player Adonis "Jordan?"
But “Michael” Jordan arguably, arguably is without peer in the world of sports. Some could make a case for Bill Russell and his 11-rings. Others may mention Muhammad Ali. And we’ll see about Tiger Woods when all is said and done. Regardless, Jordan is in each and every discussion about the greatest athlete in history.
Every single one, irrespective of sport or era; Jordan is in the discussion.
Kanye West isn’t even in the discussion of the greatest rapper of the past 10 years, much less all-time. He’s not even in the discussion of the “greatest” producer of the past 10 years, much less all-time.
And in terms of CD sales?
Of the 181 top-selling artists of all time (i.e. those who have sold at least 50 million records) Kanye West is NOT one of them.
See HERE
Of those 181 (and likely more who presently have outsold West), the list includes names like:
The Spice Girls
Destiny's Child
New Kids on the Block
Jay-Z
Eminem
Mariah Carey
All, with the exception of NKOTB are generational contemporaries of West. In truth, West doesn’t even measure up to “Jordan” Knight of NKOTB, much less Michael “Jordan.”
That “Jordin” Sparks comparison is looking more and more reasonable with each paragraph that passes.
Let’s be clear, Michael Jordan hits near the top of every statistical list in basketball that matters, not #182 or lower. It’s a bit disingenuous to call oneself the “voice of a generation” and you’re not even in the top 181 most popular voices in the first place. Take your meds as prescribed by your doctor Kanye.
Now that we’ve already established that Kanye’s not even NEAR becoming the top-selling hip-hop artist of the past 10 years and isn’t even close to being the biggest star in music, past or present, let’s continue to look at his comments through the prism of common sense. And what does it say about West’s “ voice,” given his music is not even known primarily for being “conscious” in nature?
What does it say?
It says you’re off your meds Kanye. Please take them as prescribed and do not miss any more doses.
Being “a voice of a generation” implies having said something meaningful, continuously and consistently over the course of that generation. Just doing so “on occasion” for 4+ CDs doesn’t satisfy that requirement. He (like Nas) is occasionally conscious, in the way that Shaquille O’Neal occasionally hits a free throw. With every shot (or Kanye West song), it could go either way. Might be conscious, might not be. Shaq might make a free throw, he might brick. It could go either way.
Nobody (in their right mind) would call Shaq a great free throw shooter and likely nobody is calling West the voice of this generation either…other than West.
"I realize that my place and position in history is that I will go down as the voice of this generation, of this decade, I will be the loudest voice.”
Having the biggest mouth doesn’t equate to the “loudest voice” either. They’re not the same thing. Take your meds Kanye.
Let’s look at this from another angle.
Despite Kanye’s ego which would have you believe he should have won EVERY award ever; to date West has won only 5 Grammy Awards. But…for the sake of argument, let’s just assume he’s “right” and we grant him another NINE gramophones for ego sake.
A Grammy total of 14 would STILL put him behind the following individuals:
George Solti 31
Quincy Jones 27
Pierre Boulez 25
Vladimir Horowitz 25
Stevie Wonder 22
Henry Mancini 20
U2 17
Ray Charles 17
Alison Krauss 17
Leonard Bernstein 16
Eric Clapton 16
Aretha Franklin 16
Vince Gill 16
Pat Metheny 16
Robert Shaw 16
Paul Simon/Art Garfunkel 16
Sting/Police 16
Yo-Yo Ma 15
Itzhak Perlman15
Al Schmitt 15
Chet Atkins 14
David Foster 14
James Mallinson 14
Jimmy Sturr 14
Voice of a generation? Jordan-esque? By what measure? Neither sales nor accolades, nor resume validate such a claim.
OK, so what about cultural impact?
Unequivocally Jay-Z and 50 Cent have had far more of a cultural impact than Kanye West. That too is not even up for debate. Kanye may have sold more CDs than Fiddy this last time out but from a cultural standpoint, Fiddy owns West in terms of overall sales, brand-awareness, business acumen and longevity. Jay-Z crushes Kanye in that respect too. Jay-Z is an icon. Kanye on the other hand is a “star” and there’s a world of difference in between the two.
Eddie Murphy, icon. Steve Harvey…star.
Sidney Poitier, icon. Terrence Howard, star.
See the difference? There’s nothing wrong with “only” being a star, except when you stop taking your meds. Martin Lawrence, he stopped taking his meds (or took too many) and ended up in his robe, slowdancing with a gun in the middle of an intersection. Terrence Howard stopped taking his meds and didn’t even realize he released a horrible music CD or had been released from Iron Man II.
Kanye, take your meds as prescribed by your doctor. 2 pills, every four hours, with food. Do not mix with alcohol or operate heavy machinery.
HISTORY decides one’s place within it; not the person in question. History will decide just how poorly President Bush will be remembered, not Bush. Historians will have the last word on where Kanye ranks in the pantheon of musical artistry, not Kanye. Slow your roll. Make history first, then let history do its thing. There’s an order here and Kanye’s way ahead of himself. He still hasn’t even made history yet.
In keeping with the underlying sports theme of this discussion, sports fans argue year-in and year-out as to who should be in the Hall of Fame in any respective sport.
For Mo’Kelly, it’s very simple. If you have to make an argument for someone to be inducted… then that’s the best argument as to why they shouldn’t be inducted at all. If you have to somehow convince Mo’Kelly that Kanye West is akin to Michael Jordan…then that’s the best argument as to why he isn’t. Kanye West is the latest in the string of talented, successful, inventive music minds. No more, no less.
But so was Teddy Riley (The ‘Kanye West’ of yesteryear)…and nobody was “crazy” enough to compare him to Jordan either. And by the way, the King of the New Jack Swing is broke in 2008.
History had the last word.
Take your meds as prescribed by your doctor Kanye and leave the ill-conceived statements of self-aggrandizement alone…please…once and for all.
The Mo'Kelly Report is an entertainment journal with a political slant; published weekly at www.eurweb.com. It is meant to inform, infuse and incite meaningful discourse...as well as entertain. The Mo’Kelly Report is syndicated by Newstex and Blogburst. For more Mo’Kelly, http://www.mokellyreport.blogspot.com.
Morris W. O'Kelly can be reached at mokellyreport@sbcglobal.net and he welcomes all commentary.
THE JOURNAL OF STEFFANIE RIVERS: What's In It For Me?
*Last week I filled up my gas tank for under $25. Gas prices are just under $1.85 per gallon around my way. Whatever you do, President-elect Barack Obama, don’t tamper with gas prices. For once in four years they finally are headed in the right direction.
So far the recession is working for me. But I have to remind myself it’s not all about me. At a time when overspending has become as American as playing soccer and eating French fries, some people have had to redefine their priorities.
I stopped shopping at the mall years ago. I expected more value for my dollar than any mall store was willing to give. In other words the merchandise wasn’t cheap enough. Or I could just say there was more month left at the end of my money than I was comfortable with. And apparently millions of others are experiencing the same. The credit crunch has caused shoppers to abandon regular retail spending habits. Some stores don’t have the sales volume to keep their doors open. And that means they’re either going out of business or closing some locations to avoid going out of business.
When retail stores close their doors people lose their jobs. That’s the bad news. And what’s worse, gift cards connected to those outlets become void and the possibility of getting refunds on transferring leftover value is next to impossible. Just as some companies have ceased to extend credit, don’t extend credit to them by holding onto unused gift cards in anticipation of last minute holiday sales. Do your shopping now. If you wait too long it could be too late.
If you haven’t kicked the shopping habit and want a good excuse to spend money, great deals are in abundance at some retail stores that probably won’t be around by the end of the year. High end clothing and jewelry stores all the way to suppliers of home improvement items are lowering prices or closing locations. And that’s good news for you.
When retail outlets reduce their inventory surplus items are donated to second-hand stores and sold for dimes on the dollar. Last week I paid $18 for a leather jacket (it’s not a typo) at a Salvation Army clothing store. I’m not sure if it was brand new or just lightly used. And frankly my dear…
What I know for sure is while most people spend money they don’t have on things they don’t need to impress people they don’t like, I’d rather look good and smell better for dimes on the dollar.
Steffanie Rivers is a free-lance journalist living in the Dallas, Texas metroplex. For speaking engagements, questions or comments contact her at teamtcbadvertising@hotmail.com
TURNER’S TWO CENTS: Conservatives Must Check Anti-Obama Threats
by Cameron Turner
*Well, we knew this was going to happen.
Barack Obama faced an unprecedented number of death threats during the campaign (500 according to Good Morning America) and now that he is America’s first black President-elect, Obama is at greater risk for assassination than anyone else who has ever been voted into the White House. The Associated Press assessed the evil climate this way: “The Secret Service would not comment or provide the number of cases they are investigating. But since the Nov. 4 election, law enforcement officials have seen more potentially threatening writings, Internet postings and other activity directed at Obama than has been seen with any past president-elect.”
That same AP story went on to state that “the Secret Service also has cautioned the public not to assume that any threats against Obama are due to racism.”
Yeah, right. Tragically, we know better than that.
Racism is clearly the reason that President-elect Obama is confronted with this higher-than-ever level of danger. Check out this chilling fact (from that same AP article): on the day after Obama’s election -- when you and I were still celebrating, crying and hugging one another -- 2,000 other Americans signed up as new members on stormfront.org, one of the nation’s largest white supremacist web sites. Make no mistake, the racists are not about to pass gently into the night. They are enraged, terrified and are plotting to destroy Barack Obama and the spirit of racial harmony that swept him into the Oval Office.
But, no matter what these misguided, evil-minded people do or say we must not allow them to harm our President or disrupt the unity that is spreading across our great nation. White supremacy, race hatred, prejudice and bigotry represent America’s past, not its future. So don’t let their evil corrupt you by provoking you into misdirected expressions of anger.
White people are not the enemy. Racists are the enemy.
But there’s something else that needs to happen here. The conservative opinion leaders from who directly or indirectly fanned the flames of racial discontent during the campaign need to step up and denounce racism and this unheard of spike in assassination threats against President-elect Obama. Our nation needs to hear from John McCain, Sarah Palin, Republicans in the House and Senate and their allies in right wing talk radio and TV. They have unique influence over the demographic that includes the people who are now talking about killing the new President of the United States. If conservative leaders speak, if they blast these threats as indefensible, intolerable and un-American, then some of these would-be killers will listen and scurry back into the shadows. A few of them might wake up and seek constructive ways to air their grievances.
Meanwhile, I am hopeful that the Secret Service, FBI and local law enforcement agencies across the land will do everything in their power to keep President-elect Obama and his family safe. In doing so they are not simply protecting the President, they are protecting our collective aspiration for a greater America.
Thanks for listening. I’m Cameron Turner and that’s my two cents.
THINK! IT AIN’T ILLEGAL…YET!
BETWEEN THE LINES: Superintendent David Brewer’s Report Card: It’s The L.A. Times That Fails To Make The Grade
Anthony Asadullah Samad
*The Los Angeles Times newspaper has rarely offered a fair and balanced portrayal of the black community. It usually was (is) a strategic player in the witch hunt to depose black leaders, no matter who they were (are). Whether it was former Lt Govenor Mervyn Dymally, the late Mayor Tom Bradley, former Police Chief, Willie Williams or now their latest target, Los Angeles Unified School District, David Brewer, you could rarely ever expect to read anything positive about local black leadership in the L.A. Times. Now being run from Chicago, the L.A. Times has no clue on what is going on in the black community. Truth be told, they never really did—save for a few well respected journalists they had that actually lived in the community and had to jump up and down on their editors’ desks to get anything newsworthy (and positive) in the paper. Okay, so we understand what the L.A. Times is and what it represents. However, the Times rabid attacks on Superintendent Brewer took an unjustified turn when the paper called for his resignation last week (in a November 13th editorial). Now, I’ve called the Times “propaganda press” in the past, but this latest dig against Brewer is over the top.
First and foremost, you have to ask, who’s tugging the Times chain on this? Villaraigosa (he better not be—he’s running for re-election in 2009 and wouldn’t want Brewer, who’s only halfway through his contract, to represent to him what Bernie Parks’ contract non-renewal represented to Jim Hahn’s re-election prospects)? UTLA? The LAUSD Board? None of whom have brought the kind of change to the district in the last two years that Brewer has. All of the above have continued to either point out problems or be part of the problem. Their solutions have been part and parcel conjecture at Brewer expense. The Times editorial has to be more about politics than it is about Brewer’s performance, which has been commendable considering the arrays of problems he walked into. On it’s face, the timing of the Times editorial doesn’t pass the smell test. In fact, it down right stinks when you lift it up to try to find out what’s beneath it.
Brewer, in the meantime, have deflected the complaints of his detractors—some of whom didn’t want him there in the first place—like water down a duck’s back, while working the air, the ground and the sea to remedy the district’s problems. And he’s making progress. What more can he be asked to do, that he hasn’t already done, with a district as large, cumbersome and dysfunctional as LAUSD? Did I say dysfunctional??? I mean to say, deca-dysfunctional. Ten times as dysfunctional as any school district you can point to in the nation. He spent most of his first year cleaning up the doo-doo of his predecessor while he was handcuffed to what most consider a co-superintendent. And he’s still advanced the district. Brewer’s accomplishments are no small feats. First, he landed in the midst of a political school board take-over and survived. He was forced to manage two crises, neither of his own violation—the payroll system and the lead in the water crisis. That was the reason for his “slow start”. If Barack Obama wants to know what its like to fight multiple wars on multiple fronts, have him call Dave. He gave the lowest performing schools the highest priority netting the highest academic gains in recent years (higher than the schools the Mayor is over), created a statewide coalition of superintendents to restore much needed programs in the poorest schools, and got a critical school bond passed—the bond in U.S. history with 69% of the vote, despite two major newspapers endorsing against it and a bad economy. The Times endorsed against and did everything in it’s power, editorially, to defeat the bond. The voters rejected the Times and sided with Brewer to create 50,000-80,000 jobs over 10 years. Brewer beat the Times so now they want to orchestrate his ouster by blaming him when there is plenty blame to go around for others.
The district projected financial shortfall, the core of the Times apprehension, is tied to the state’s budget shortfall and has nothing to do with Brewer. When the state bleeds, local government bleeds and the district has been bleeding for a while. The test to fiscally turn around the district will take more than the length of Brewer’s contract, but the Times is trying to fail Brewer before he can finish the test. He’s passed every other test in district to date. The test scores are up. The bond was passed. The schools are being built. Bad teachers are being replaced. Violence in the schools is down. In the black community, Brewer is passing the test with flying colors and everybody I talk to is willing to let him finish taking the test. Any anybody who has half a brain knows that nobody can fix this level of dysfunction, one that was 30 years in the making, in four years—much less two. The Times need to stop their biased foolishness.
Obviously, Brewer has done a better job at adjusting to the L.A. landscape than the Los Angeles Times new owners have. The Times editorial was wrongheaded and misguided. With the way they continue to endorse the wrong choices in the black community (No on Measure Q, Bernard Parks for Supervisor), whatever the Times likes, we don’t (except Obama), and whatever the Times dislikes, we definitely need to take a longer look at. David Brewer included.
Anthony Asadullah Samad, Ph.D., is a national columnist, managing director of the Urban Issues Forum (www.urbanissuesforum.com) and author of the new book, Saving The Race: Empowerment Through Wisdom. He can be reached at www.AnthonySamad.com
PEOPLE OF NOTE: Take 6 Gives Take on Europe’s Reaction to Obama By Deardra Shuler
Photo by Anthony Scarlati
*Ellen Banks, a 96 year old African American woman, waited impatiently for her homecare worker to wheel her to the voting booth. No longer able to walk as well as she once did, Ellen swore there was no way she was going to miss her opportunity to pull the lever for her candidate. After all, she had lived long enough to see 7 wars. And, now, there was the chance of having an African American president, something she never expected she would live to see. Could life be any sweeter! Oh yes, Ellen was getting to the polls this day no matter what. It was with pride that Ellen, (also fondly known as Gracie), had her attendant wheel her into the voting booth where Gracie pulled the lever with all her might so that she could make certain her vote earned her a place in history. Inside the lobby of her building, 94 year old Sylvia Fishbein, a Jewish American woman, was thinking what a great day it was for America. Many things had brought her to that voting booth, memories of a time in 1949 when she and her husband traveled to Biloxi, Ms., and were sickened by the separate treatment of African Americans. She thought back then it was a terrible way to treat human beings and now 59 years later she was thrilled and determined to strike her blow for humanity. Her daughter Eleanor Newirth, moved by her mother’s determination to vote, stated that her mother saw this as a victory for America. “This has opened up the floodgates,” remarked Eleanor. “How little we have had to accept from this country. As Americans we have accepted the pitting of people against one another and lost sight of the fundamentals by which this country was established. Through the election of Barack Obama, I see an America being restored to its potential.”
Overseas, the Acapella group “Take 6,” had the unique advantage of touring Europe while the election in America was underway. They witnessed firs
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