EURweb |
11-25-08 EUR ALL ON ONE PAGE!
TOXICOLOGY REPORTS PENDING FOR MC BREED: Rapper died Saturday at a friend's home near Detroit.
*At press time, an official cause of death was still pending for rapper MC Breed, who died Saturday at a friend's home in Ypsilanti, about 30 miles southwest of Detroit. He was 37.
The Flint, MI native, best known for his 1991 hit "Ain't No Future in Yo' Frontin'," had suffered from kidney failure and was hospitalized in his adopted home of Atlanta in September. Multiple outlets reported that he was placed on life support after losing 70 percent of his kidney function. A benefit concert was being planned to raise money for his medical bills, but it was put on hold as the artist appeared to be recovering.
A Washtenaw County medical examiner's spokesman said toxicology reports are still pending, but no foul play is suspected.
"More than just an artist, we mourn the loss of a beloved father, son, brother and friend," his family said in a statement. "We are thankful and blessed to have been in his presence and want him to be remembered for his creative, caring, talented and hardworking spirit."
Born Eric Breed, the former rapper released 13 albums from 1991 to 2004, and collaborated with artists such as Tupac Shakur and Too Short. He is survived by three daughters and two sons; his parents; two brothers; and a sister.
Funeral arrangements were being completed Monday in Flint.
MIJAC, SHEIK KEEP SETTLEMENT A SECRET: Breach of contract lawsuit against singer ends after agreement reached.
*Michael Jackson won't have to make a trip to London after all. The lawsuit filed against him by Sheik Abdulla bin Hamad Al Khalifa of Bahrain has been settled "in principle," however, both sides said details of the arrangement are to remain private.
After first claiming an illness could prevent him from flying to London for the breach-of-contract trial, Jackson agreed last week to testify in person. But Al Khalifa's attorney Bankim Thanki announced that the two parties have come to a confidential agreement that they will sign soon.
"As Mr. Jackson was about to board his plane to London, he was advised by his legal team to postpone his travels since the parties had concluded a settlement in principle," a London spokeswoman for Jackson said on Sunday.
Al Khalifa had claimed Jackson accepted $7 million to record an album, write a memoir and stage a Broadway show, but failed to deliver on any of the arranged collaborations. The sheik sued Jackson for return of the money.
The courts took the unusual step last week of issuing tickets to media outlets wanting to attend the hearing on Monday, in anticipation of the huge press and public interest his appearance was likely to generate.
'BEYJAY' IS FORBES' RICHEST COUPLE: Beyonce and Jay-Z beat Will & Jada; the Beckhams and Brangelina.
*The collective bank account of Jay-Z and his wife Beyonce Knowles is bigger than any other celebrity couple in the entertainment industry, according to Forbes magazine's new list of Hollywood’s 20 Top-Earning Couples.
"BeyonJay" earned a total of $162 million between June 1, 2007 and June 1, 2008, which puts them on a perch overlooking second-place finishers Will and Jada Pinkett Smith, who pulled $85 million in the same time frame.
David Beckham and his wife Victoria come in third with $58 million, followed by country music couple, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill with $35 million, and non-married couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, banking $34 million together.
R. KELLY'S TEEN NEPHEW CHARGED AS AN ADULT: Bond was set at $200,000 Friday for Brayel Kelly in attempted murder case.
*The 16-year-old nephew of R. Kelly was charged as an adult with attempted murder, attempted armed robbery and aggravated discharge of a firearm after allegedly trying to rob a barbershop in Chicago, only to be shot by the owner.
Brayel, the son of R. Kelly’s estranged brother Carey Kelly, is scheduled to return to court for a Dec. 3 preliminary hearing. He faces six to 30 years in prison if convicted, according to the Cook County state's attorney's office.
Calumet City police told MTV News that on Nov 6 at about 11:40 a.m., Brayel went into the barbershop and allegedly tried to rob the owner by flashing a gun and demanding that he place his money and jewelry in a plastic bag.
Though the owner complied, he also drew a gun. Police said Kelly fired, and the victim returned fire, shooting Kelly in the back. Carey Kelly told reporters that one bullet collapsed his son's lung and the other pierced his liver, and the boy remains hospitalized in intensive care at Advocate Christ Medical Center.
Brayel's older brother Brandon, who allegedly acted as a lookout, has not been charged.
OPRAH SEEKS DISMISSAL OF DEFAMATION LAWSUIT: Ex-headmistress of her S.A. school sued TV host over sex abuse remarks.
*Oprah Winfrey has asked a court to either dismiss the defamation lawsuit filed against her in Philadelphia last month by the ex-headmistress of her South Africa girls school, or order that the matter be settled in arbitration.
Nomvuyo Mzamane accuses Winfrey of falsely implying that she wasn't trustworthy, and of making such statements as, "I thought she cared about the girls of South Africa" in the wake of a sex abuse scandal at her Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls.
Tiny Virginia Makopo, a dorm matron who worked under Mzamane, was charged with abusing six students last year. She has pleaded not guilty to 14 related charges in a South African court.
Mzamane's lawsuit seeks more than $250,000 on five defamation and related counts from Winfrey and her production companies, reports the Associated Press. Winfrey denies making any false or defamatory statements and argues that the federal suit should not proceed in Pennsylvania.
Winfrey recruited Mzamane for the $150,000-a-year post in late 2006. Mzamane worked from about January 2007 through October 2007, when she learned, during a meeting with Winfrey in Chicago, that allegations of sexual and physical abuse had surfaced and she was being put on leave.
Mzamane, a native of Lesotho, previously held a leadership post at the Germantown Friends School in Philadelphia and returned to the area after her contract wasn't renewed at Winfrey's school. Mzamane says she has been unable to find work because of Winfrey's comments.
Winfrey asked the court either to dismiss the suit for jurisdictional reasons or, in keeping with the school contract, to order arbitration. She and her companies do no business in Pennsylvania, according to the response from lawyers Carl A. Salono of Philadelphia and Charles S. Sims of New York.
"The fact that her statements were reported from the press in South Africa around the world does not support, and rather contradicts, any contention that she targeted Pennsylvania in making her comments," they wrote.
DETROIT TEEN GETS ROLE OF A LIFETIME: Rosie O'Donnell discovered 17-year-old at a Detroit restaurant.
*Philip Johnson, a 17-year-old African American student at Detroit's Cass Technological High School, was minding his own business at a restaurant in his hometown when Rosie O'Donnell strolled in and literally changed his life overnight.
"I thought it was just somebody who looked like her," Johnson, who had never acted before, told the Detroit Free Press. "I didn't think it was actually her. I mean, what's Rosie O'Donnell doing in Detroit?"
O'Donnell was in the city doing pre-production on a new movie for Lifetime. She spotted him and asked whether he would be interested in trying out for the film. He took a screen test the next day and won the title role.
The film, titled "America," will debut as a Lifetime Original Movie on Feb. 28. The story is based on the young-adult novel by E.R. Frank about a teenager named America who has spent most of his life lost in the foster care system. He confronts his troubled past with help from a therapist, played by O'Donnell.
O'Donnell told "Entertainment Tonight" that she sensed "a soulful kind of stillness" when she saw Johnson.
During a break in shooting at a former homeless shelter in the impoverished Detroit enclave of Highland Park, Johnson said he remains shocked by his luck.
"It still hasn't hit me," the teen said. "I won't even realize it until it comes on TV; then it will finally hit me, I think."
ITALY'S PRIME MINISTER EXPLAINS OBAMA REMARK: Berlusconi says "tan" description was supposed to be a compliment.
*Italy's Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has no idea why folks are outraged over his now-infamous comment that President-elect Barack Obama is "young, handsome and even tanned."
He told ANSA news agency his initial remark was intended as a "compliment," adding that he looks upon black supermodel Naomi Campbell with the same amount of envy.
"My compliment to Barack is a little envious," said Berlusconi, who had what he described as a "long, cordial" telephone conversation with the President-elect -- instigated by Obama -- on Nov. 7.
"We would all like to be tanned like Naomi Campbell and Obama," said the self-made billionaire, who sports a permanent tan, during a press conference in Pescara, Italy.
Italian-born French first lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy was so embarrassed by Berlusconi's initial comment that she said she was "happy" to have "become French."
RETIRED LENNOX LEWIS SAYS 'BOXING NEEDS ME': British fighter says he will come out of retirement for the right price.
*It's going to take $100 million for retired boxer Lennox Lewis to step back into the ring again.
After former foe Vitali Klitschko called for a re-match of their 2007 fight, Lewis said on Sunday he would be tempted to return only if he was offered the $100 million sum, and nothing less.
"If someone wants to pay me serious money, $100 million or so, then I will fight again," said Lewis, according to AFP. "I don't have to do this, I don't need the money and my legacy speaks for itself. But boxing needs me - the heavyweight game is so boring now. All the characters are gone. I would like to save my sport."
"The fights have been so dull and one-sided. I couldn't believe what I was watching," added the former heavyweight champ after seeing the Klitschko-Peter fight from Berlin last month.
"Boxers usually come back or continue fighting for two reasons," he said. "Either the atmosphere of the crowd or the money. Me? I don't need either, I'm happy as I am. But I think the sport needs me and I love my sport. And I don't like seeing it the way it is."
So far Lewis has only received offers of $40 million to return to the ring.
"It would have to be nearer $100 million to make me say yes, but there are people out there who can get that kind of money together," he said. "There are a lot of people who would pay to see me fight again. It would be exciting, for the sport and for me. And if I come back, it will be to win, not play."
Lewis quit in June 2003 after he won a technical knock-out victory over Klitschko when the referee had to intervene in the sixth round with the Ukrainian suffering a badly cut eye.
LIL WAYNE ANNOUNCES DEC. TOUR: Rapper still promoting 'Carter III,' Keyshia Cole, T-Pain, Keri Hilson to open in select cities.
*One day after going winless at the American Music Awards, Lil Wayne announced plans to hit the road again to support his double-platinum album, "Tha Carter III."
The rapper will begin Dec. 6 with a makeup date in Rochester, NY, and then play more than a dozen shows across the US into January. Several stops along the way will include Keyshia Cole, T-Pain, Gym Class Heroes and Keri Hilson. Details are included below.
A couple of Lil Wayne performances have been scrapped at the last minute in recent weeks. Halfway through the Oct. 26 Rochester show at Blue Cross Arena, the audience reportedly was told the rapper would not show because he didn't like the venue's sound system. The next night in Boston, Wayne pulled out of a concert because he "was apparently unable or unwilling" to comply with a security checkpoint at TD Banknorth Garden, according to the Boston Herald.
Here are Lil Wayne's tour dates:
December 2008
6 - Rochester, NY - Blue Cross Arena
14 - Miami, FL - American Airlines Arena
18 - Houston, TX - Toyota Center*
19 - Dallas, TX - American Airlines Center*
21 - Universal City, CA - Gibson Amphitheatre at Universal CityWalk
23 - Oakland, CA - ORACLE Arena*
26 - Detroit, MI - Joe Louis Arena*
27 - Chicago, IL - United Center/WGCI Big Jam
28 - Camden, NJ - Susquehanna Bank Center/Power 99 HollaDay Jam
29 - Greensboro, NC - Greensboro Coliseum Complex 30 - Washington, DC - Verizon Center
31 - Atlanta, GA - Philips Arena*
January 2009
2 - Charlotte, NC - Time Warner Cable Arena
3 - Hampton, VA - Hampton Coliseum
*Lil' Wayne with Keyshia Cole, T-Pain, Gym Class Heroes and Keri Hilson
KRAVITZ DENIES FLING WITH SPITZER HOOKER'S FRIEND: Rep for singer tries to tamp down rumors of romantic relationship.
*A woman who claimed to have worked as a call girl alongside Eliot Spitzer's prostitute Ashley Dupre is rumored to have had a more intimate relationship with Lenny Kravitz, but a rep for the rocker says the reports are not true.
Natalie McLennan, who wrote a memoir about her experiences as a hooker, is the subject of much blog gossip claiming that she and Kravitz were romantically linked.
But a rep for the musician tells the New York Daily News, "(The story
is) an absolute fabrication. Lenny Kravitz does not know nor has he slept with this woman."
Dupre, meanwhile, was exposed as the prostitute frequented by former New York governor Eliot Spitzer. He was forced to resign earlier this year when the news was made public.
OBAMA BITS: Oprah throwing Inauguration bash?; why the gym over church?; Ol Dirty Bastard would've been proud.
*The Washington Post's Reliable Source is reporting that Oprah Winfrey is planning a monstrous Obama inauguration bash in D.C. Sources say the talk show host -- who said Election Day she'd already picked out her inauguration dress -- is hoping to broadcast three of her shows from the Nation's Capitol that week, potentially from the historic Kennedy Center. Event planners also working for Winfrey apparently are combing D.C. to find a site for a huge inauguration party.
*Politco.com featured an article Monday on Obama's decision not to attend church services on the three Sundays since his election, and instead use that time to hit the gym. A transition aide told the Web site that the Obamas valued their faith experience in Chicago but were concerned about the impact their large retinue may have on other parishioners. "Because they have a great deal of respect for places of worship, they do not want to draw unwelcome or inappropriate attention to a church not used to the attention their attendance would draw," said the aide.
*Barack Obama can feel comforted in knowing that he would've had a huge fan in the late Ol' Dirty Bastard. "My son would have been at that rally in Chicago when the first African American president was elected, and I'm sure he would have gone up onstage and grabbed the microphone as only he could," Cherry Jones said in an e-mail to Page Six.
ITTY BITTY BITS: Joy Behar reads Star Jones; Tyra's CW move; Ced the Entertainer's 'Buffalo' killed; G. Garvin at The Grove.
*Joy Behar of "The View" got some laughs at the expense of her former co-host Star Jones by choosing one of her books for "Celebrity Autobiography," an upper West Side show that features celebs reading aloud from their peers' personal memoirs. According to the New York Daily News, Behar "had the crowd at the Triad Theatre in stitches last week," particularly when she read a passage in which Jones talks about meeting a young Latin guy at a dance club populated by "gays, straights and trannies." The Daily News wrote, "With material like that, Behar didn't even have to spin it, and played it - well, straight."
*More details have emerged regarding the move of Tyra Banks' talk show from syndication to the CW. According to trade mags Hollywood Reporter and Variety, the daily chatfest has suffered in the global economic crisis and will cut costs by shortening the production schedule from 34 weeks to just 26. Also, the series has suffered a nine per cent drop in ratings since November 2007.
*The profanity-laced revival of David Mamet's "American Buffalo," starring Ced the Entertainer and John Leguizamo, closed its Broadway run on Sunday after just eight performances. The production opened Nov. 17 to largely negative reviews. It was the second Mamet revival of the Broadway season. The first, "Speed-the-Plow," starring Jeremy Piven, Elisabeth Moss and Raul Esparza, is running at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre.
*Acclaimed Chef G. Garvin will be in Los Angeles on Saturday, Dec. 14, to sign his books at the Barnes and Noble located inside of The Grove (189 Grove Drive). The event is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m.
SPORTS BITS: Wizards fire Eddie Jordan; some Bonds charges dismissed; McNabb to start Thursday; GM ends deal with Tiger.
*Eddie Jordan was fired as coach of the Washington Wizards on Monday after opening the season 1-10 without injured starters Gilbert Arenas and Brendan Haywood. "That's an unacceptable record, obviously," team president Ernie Grunfeld said at a news conference to introduce director of player development Ed Tapscott as interim coach. "We had to do something. The way we're losing games was unacceptable." The Wizards' record matches the worst start in franchise history; the only other time the team was 1-10 was in 1966, when it was called the Baltimore Bullets. The final straw for Jordan appears to have been a 122-117 loss Saturday night to the undermanned New York Knicks, who had only seven players available.
*A federal judge in San Francisco has dismissed several charges against Barry Bonds but has left intact most of the indictment alleging he lied to a grand jury about taking performance-enhancing drugs, reports the AP. Monday's ruling clears a path for Bonds to go to trial in March. The former slugger faced 14 counts of making false declarations to a grand jury and one count of obstruction of justice. His lawyers had asked U.S. District Judge Susan Illston to dismiss 10 of the charges, saying Bonds was asked ambiguous questions in front of the grand jury. Illston ruled Monday to dismiss or combine five of the charges.
*After being benched for the first time in his career, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb will get the start on Thanksgiving when his team hosts the Arizona Cardinals, reports the AP. The five-time Pro Bowl quarterback was pulled from the game at halftime of Philly's 36-7 loss at Baltimore on Sunday. Second-year pro Kevin Kolb played poorly against the Ravens, and Eagles coach Andy Reid said Monday he's going back to McNabb."As I sit here right now, he's my starting quarterback," Reid said. "I need to coach better. Donovan needs to play better and the guys around Donovan need to play better."
*The bad economy has forced General Motors to end its 9-year endorsement deal with Tiger Woods one year earlier than stated in his contract. General Motors Corp. said Monday it's trying to survive the worst sales downturn in a quarter-century. Also, Tiger wasn't too fazed, because he wanted more time for himself, especially with a second child on the way. "Timing is everything," said Larry Peck, golf marketing manager for Buick. "We've had such a great partnership with Tiger. It's hard for us to walk away from that. But this frees up time for him. And it sure frees up a lot of money for us." The endorsement deal, believed to be worth at least $7 million a year, was to expire at the end of 2009.
EUR DVD REVIEW: Still Trippin’
Steve Harvey Adds Blue Humor Back to His Standup Act
DVD Review by Kam Williams
*Steve Harvey was one of the Original Kings of Comedy, along with Cedric the Entertainer, D.L. Hughley and the late Bernie Mac.
In the wake of the success of that brilliant standup concert film, Steve became a Born Again Christian and released Don’t Trip, a spiritually-oriented standup flick which was totally clean.
Since then, the irrepressibly funnyman has shaved his head and added foul language back into his act, the net result being a hilarious, if often profane, DVD called Still Trippin’. For the occasion, Steve brought his special brand of observational humor to Newark, New Jersey, where he filmed an expletive-laced performance in front of a very enthusiastic audience.
The movie marks the colorful comic’s fifth solo special, and the subjects he touches upon here are generally quite topical. He jokes about everything from the female astronaut caught wearing soiled adult diapers after driving 1,000 miles to murder her lover’s other girlfriend, to the homely-looking housewives in that polygamous cult located in Texas, women he compares to Aunt Bee of The Andy Griffith Show and Jane Hathaway of The Beverly Hillbillies.
Steve also delves into politics, discussing the differences between Obama to McCain, and taking potshot at president Bush’s “lying ass.” Besides that, he weighs in on the Michael Vick sentence, on ignorant people, on fat husbands, and on why you ought to get all the recommended inoculations before visiting Africa.
Overall, the blue Steve Harvey rates an A, although this critic would prefer that he leave out the cursing, since he already proved to me that he can be just as funny without four-letter words.
Excellent (4 stars)
Unrated
Running time: 106 minutes
Studi CodeBlack Entertainment
To see a trailer for Still Trippin’, visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sK-VeQ8howI
EUR DVD REVIEW: Mister Lonely
Michael Jackson Look-a-Like Dominates Drama Due on DVD
DVD Review by Kam Williams
*A Michael Jackson impersonator (Diego Luna) has been eking out a living on the streets of Paris even though, except for the trademark dance moves, felt fedora and a single glove, he doesn’t really look anything like him.
As fate would have it, while performing for the elderly at a senior citizen center he meets a hauntingly-beautiful Marilyn Monroe look-a-like (Samantha Morton).
Sensing that “Michael” is a lost and lonely soul, she invites him home to her castle in the Scottish Highlands where she lives with a host of other celebrity wannabes, including her mustachioed husband, Charlie Chaplin (Dennis Lavant), and their mop-topped, six year-old daughter, Shirley Temple (Esme Creed-Miles).
Michael takes her up on the generous offer, as much because he was instantly smitten, as for the company of like-minded oddballs. Upon their arrival at the seaside estate, Marilyn matter-of-factly announces, “I found a Michael,” whereupon the stranger finds himself welcomed into a community of losers pretending to be everyone from Madonna (Melita Morgan) to Sammy Davis, Jr. (Jason Pennycooke) to James Dean (Joseph Morgan) to Abraham Lincoln (Richard Strange) to Buckwheat (Michael-Joel Stuart) to the Pope (James Fox) to Little Red Riding Hood (Rachel Korine) to the Queen of England (Anita Pallenberg) to The Three Stooges, Moe (Daniel Rovai), Larry (Mal Whiteley) and Curly (Nigel Cooper).
The front story of this uneven production revolves around this motley crew’s plans to put on a vaudeville show. Meanwhile, a subplot revolves around the simmering sexual tensions which arise between Michael and Marilyn after she rejects her hubby because he reminds her more of Hitler than Chaplin.
Unfortunately, once the novelty of all the celebrity impersonations wears off, the film never gives you much of a reason to care about the predicaments of any of its cardboard characters.
Fair (1.5 stars)
Unrated
Running time: 112 minutes
Studi Genius Products
DVD Extras: Deleted scenes and “The Making of” featurette.
To see a trailer of Mister Lonely, visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lybo2JQc2zM
HEALTHY YOU! Healthy eating tips for Thanksgiving.
By: Tibberly G. Richard
*The holiday season can put many of us on edge. Travel plans, accommodating family and friends at your home for dinner, as well as visiting family and friends to wish them good cheer for the holiday. It all adds up to lots of food and maybe just a little more food consumption than usual.
Sheri Barke, MPH., RD created the following tips for fully enjoying the holiday season without gaining weight! These tips were originally created to give UCLA students a guide to holiday eating. I thought that the tips were a perfect guide to holiday eating. Print the list out and give a copy to members of your household, place the list on the fridge, share them with friends and family via email. Preparation and awareness can lead to a guilt free, splurge free holiday season. Enjoy!
1. Focus on weight maintenance vs. weight loss during the holidays. If you are currently overweight and want to lose weight, this is not the time to do it. Maintenance of your present weight is a big enough challenge during the holiday season. Don’t set yourself up for failure by making unrealistic goals for yourself.
2. Plan on NOT dieting after the New Year. Restrictive diets don’t work in the long run. They increase your loss of lean body mass vs. fat, slow down your metabolism, increase anxiety, depression, food preoccupation, and binge eating, and make weight re-gain more likely.
3. Be physically active every day. Physical activity, especially aerobic activities, like brisk walking, jogging, bicycling, roller blading, and swimming, can help relieve stress, regulate appetite, and burn up extra calories from holiday eating.
4. Eat a light snack before going to holiday parties. It is not a good idea to arrive at a party hungry. Not only are you more likely to overeat, but you are also less likely to resist the temptation of eating the higher fat and higher calorie foods. Try eating a piece of fruit, a small carton of yogurt, or a string cheese before you go.
5. Make a plan. Think about where you will be, who you will be with, what foods will be available, what foods you really want to eat vs. those that you could probably do without, what are your personal triggers to overeat and how can you minimize them. Once you've thought about all of these things, make a plan of action. It's much easier to deal with a difficult social eating situation if you've already planned for it.
6. Take steps to avoid recreational eating. While some foods are more calorie-dense than others, no food will make you gain weight unless you eat too much of it.To avoid recreational eating, consciously make one plate of the foods you really want. Eat it slowly--enjoying and savoring every tasty bite. Then, when you’re done, pop a mint or stick of gum in your mouth, get a tall glass of water and sip on it throughout the night, or position yourself away from the buffet table or food trays to keep yourself from overeating.
7. Reduce the fat in holiday recipes. There are plenty of low fat and low calorie substitutes that are amazingly tasty. Try using applesauce in place of oil in your favorite holiday breads; use egg substitutes in place of whole eggs; try plain nonfat yogurt in place of sour cream. Magazines are full of reduced calorie and reduced fat holiday recipes. Give them a try, and share your cooking creations with friends and family.
8. Choose your beverages wisely. Alcohol is high in calories. Liquors, sweet wines and sweet mixed drinks contain 150-450 calories per glass. By contrast, water and diet sodas are calorie-free. If you choose to drink, select light wines and beers, and use non-alcoholic mixers such as water and diet soda. Limit your intake to 1 or 2 alcoholic drinks per occasion. And, watch out for calories in soda, fruit punch, and egg nog.
9. Enjoy good friends and family. Although food can be a big part of the season, it does not have to be the focus. Holidays are a time to reunite with good friends and family, to share laughter and cheer, to celebrate and to give thanks. Focus more these holiday pleasures, in addition to the tastes of holiday foods. The important thing to remember is balance and moderation. It’s OK to eat too much once in a while. Just relax, enjoy the holidays, and remember what the season is all about.
10. Maintain perspective. Overeating one day won't make or break your eating plan. And it certainly won't make you gain weight! It takes days and days of overeating to gain weight. If you over-indulge at a holiday meal, put it behind you. Return to your usual eating plan the next day without guilt or despair!
"Be Yourself. Do Your Best. Stand Firm. Never Settle. ALWAYS Maintain Your Character and Integrity!"
Tibberly G. Richard, Vital Communications
PEOPLE OF NOTE: Latin Band to Perform 30th Anniversary Concert
By Deardra Shuler
*The Latin Grammy nominated band, Conjunto Clasico, will swing into Lehman Center for the Performing Arts, on Saturday, November 29, 2008 at 8:00 p.m. Surrounded by a predominately black and Latin neighborhood, Lehman Center is sure to have the joint jumpin’ with the melodious strains of Puerto Rican and Afro Cuban rhythms.
Lehman Center for the Performing Arts is featuring the concert in association with RC Entertainment and V.A.I. Entertainment, and is proud to present this not-to-be-missed 30th anniversary concert which features one of Latin music’s most popular bands, Ray Castro’s Conjunto Clasico, an orchestra Ray Castro founded in the late ‘70s with vocalist/composer Ramon Rodriguez.
Celebrated around the world for preserving its Puerto Rican and Afro Cuban roots, Conjunto Clásico has sold over ten million albums during the 30 years the band has been in the music business. Vocalists Hector Luis Pagan, Ramon Rodriguez and David Navedo will be lending their considerable talents to the orchestra as will Johnny Rivera and invited guest vocalists Tito Allen and Rafael De Jesus. These great hit makers will feature many of their hits with the band for the first time in twenty years. It is sure to be an exciting night, especially since their very special guest will be Johnny Pacheco.
Pacheco is one of the greats of Latin music. Born in the Dominican Republic, this salsa pioneer’s talent has earned him a 40 year career span which consists of composing, arranging, band leading, and producing. Pacheco has garnered nine Grammy nominations, ten Gold records, and numerous awards. At age 11, Pacheco moved with his family to New York, where he learned to play accordion, violin, saxophone, and clarinet. Studying percussion at the Julliard School of Music, he mastered both percussion and flute. In 1960, he organized his legendary orchestra, Pacheco y Su Charanga, the first Latin band to headline at the Apollo, and signed with Alegre Records. His first album, Johnny Pacheco Y Su Charanga Vol. 1, sold over 100,000 copies its first year. Pacheco was instrumental in introducing the "Pachanga," which brought about a new dance craze. It wasn’t long before he was known both nationally and internationally via his extensive tours throughout the world. In 1963, Pacheco created Fania Records with Jerry Masucci, and by 1964, the label released Pacheco's next album, Canonazo, featuring a switch from Charanga to Conjunto style. In 2006, Pacheco celebrated 50 years in music with the two-disc, 30-track retrospective, A Man and His Music, as well as performed at the Latin Grammy Awards with the Fania All-Stars that year.
Conjunto Clasico is popular throughout Latin America, Europe, New York, and La Isla del Encanto (Puerto Rico), due to the vision of band leader Ray Castro, who embraced the traditional dance forms from his native Puerto Rico with that of the more aggressive style of New York swing. Conjunto Clásico has garnered two prestigious ACE Awards for Best Salsa Band and spawned some of the hottest talent in today’s music, including fine arrangers such as Jose Febles, Luis “Perico” Ortiz, Louis Ramírez, and Ramón Sánchez.
Always in search of new talent and determined to feature the best artists possible, Castro’s newest find is lead vocalist and composer Héctor Luis Pagan. Hector Luis made his debut with the band with the group’s eighteenth album Si Ella Estuviera, recorded in 2006. The album featured new songs by legendary composer Ramón Rodríguez. Last year the band released En Conciert Sólo Éxitos Live in Colombia. This April the band followed up their En Conciert Solo Exitos Live in Columbia CD success with Ray Castro’s Conjunto Clásico En Vivo NYC, featuring vintage New York Clásico performances from the 1980s.
Lehman Center for the Performing Arts receives support from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and the New York State Council on the Arts and is located on the campus of Lehman College at 250 Bedford Park Boulevard West, Bronx, NY 10468.
Tickets for Saturday, November 29th concert, RAY CASTRO’S CONJUNTO CLÁSICO 30th Anniversary can be purchased by calling the Lehman Center box office at 718.960.8833 (Mon. through Fri., 10AM–5PM, and beginning at 12 noon on the day of the concert), or through 24-hour online access at www.LehmanCenter.org. Ticket prices are $60, $55, $50 and $45. Lehman Center is accessible by #4 or D train to Bedford Park Blvd. and is off the Saw Mill River Parkway and the Major Deegan Expressway. Free parking is available.
THE JOURNAL OF STEFFANIE RIVERS: Welfare Mentality
*There’s an old saying that goes “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.” What members of Congress failed to do in the recent Wall Street bailout - get a detailed plan of action from company CEOs, require them to scale back lavish spending habits and overall demand that company executives be good stewards of tax payers’ money - they don’t plan to make the same mistake when it comes to the auto industry.
So when the three CEO’s of Chrysler, Ford and General Motors flew into Washington, DC in three separate private jets last week to plead their case on Capitol Hill, their claims of destitution were met with skepticism. The least they could have done was jet-pool. That’s probably one of the reasons Congress fell way short of approving a potential $25 billion handout last week.
That’s not to say Congress won’t eventually give in to the billion dollar grant to prevent Chrysler, Ford and General Motors from drowning in their own man-made cesspool of debt, especially when the glare from their bling blinds their physical eye while the strings of their emotional extortion pull at their sentimental eye to take them down with a one-two punch. Like a Thanksgiving Day meal, if the pork doesn’t get you the sugar will.
When asked by members of Congress if they plan to sell their jets to cut down on expenses the same as someone might sell their car if they can’t afford the note and insurance, the CEO’s declined. Company talking heads claimed the need for private jets was for safety reasons. But their fat rat status didn’t speak favorably to their argument of need.
According to some people who would know, the cost of a private roundtrip jet ride from Detroit to Washington, D.C. is around $20,000, times three jets equals $60,000. A first class roundtrip flight on a commercial jet costs around $500. Cheaper air travel won’t solve the problem, but it’s a step in the right direction.
It’s just like the person who drives up in a Bentley wearing designer clothes to apply for welfare. He doesn’t need more money. He needs to manage his money better.
As for the emotional extortion part of my opinion, automakers say if they don’t get the money they need to pay mostly retiree benefits and other operating expenses, manufacturing plants will be forced to cut jobs and shut the doors causing other companies connected to the auto industry to do the same. They claim it will compound an already grave situation for the American middle class. And on cue there are news stories featuring middle-class Americans as poster children for the auto industry.
Growing up as the child of a single mother and currently a member of the middle class, I understand the struggle. Also, my uncle’s pension comes from a company that made car seat belts. But it seems most company executives want to borrow our story to gain access to public funds then get amnesia about who the beneficiaries should be once the deal is done.
Before there can be an effective solution, first one must admit to the problem. It’s the same process for corporate American CEOs as it is for recovering substance abusers. In the words of Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn), “Their board rooms…have been devoid of vision. The Big Three turned a blind eye to opportunities. They have promoted and often driven the demand of inefficient, gas guzzling vehicles, and dismissed the threat of global warming."
Also after-the-sell customer service and resale value of most American vehicles is a concern.
Although I prefer to purchase American-made products as a show of support for our economy ( I drive a 1998 Ford Mustang), the reason U.S. automakers are in their current predicament is that oversees auto makers are taking a majority share of the American car market leaving less money to divide among the big three. Polls as late as 2007 reveal most Americans prefer to own foreign cars because of their better quality and better gas mileage.
So before Congress forks over a quarter of a trillion dollars into what could be a bottomless hole with an accelerator attached, they should realize that more money is not the solution to the auto industry problem.
Steffanie Rivers is a free-lance journalist living in the Dallas, Texas metroplex. To schedule speaking engagements or to send questions or comments email her at teamtcbadvertising@hotmail.com
BETWEEN THE LINES: The Proposition 8 Debate: Are "Gay Riots" Really The Way To Sway The Black Community?
*I've been watching this same sex marriage debate for some time and like most of my community, I'm deeply conflicted about it.
As sexual orientation is a deeply personal matter, I chose to remain silent in the pre-election debate. I believe what I believe about who I should be allowed to marry and was not prepared to castrate others for what they believe.
In my family discussions, the views were varied and like many black families, the gay/lesbian orientation is "in the family." So there couldn't be an "us" versus "them" conversation. As we know all too well in the black community, they are us, and we are them as it relates to gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender (GLBT) lifestyles.
Blacks are highly sensitized to this issue, however, African Americans are not homophobes. They are very religious, given our experience in America, God is about that only we have been able to consistently count to survive this piece. Thus, the African American relationship prism is framed by religion. It's a deep, deep confliction for the black community, given a social conservatism, rooted in religious teachings. Same sex marriage is a religious contradiction for most people, even if it's socially tolerated.
Tolerance should not be viewed as acceptability, point blank. That's where most black people are. So when November 4th came and went, the initiative won and exit polling suggested 70% of black voters voted for the initiative (which is inaccurate-but a majority voted yes), the gay backlash against African Americans was vicious and vile. Oh, now we are "Ni**gers" again.
I didn't take kindly to being confronted by No on Prop. 8 folk on why Blacks didn't support civil rights for gays. That was their first mistake, this propensity to compare their equality struggle to ours. It's offensive and inappropriate, and here's why:
The civil rights struggle for racial equality was a deeply entrenched race caste system that was deeply rooted in the American psyche and integrated in the public policy agenda (Constitution) from the outset.
From slavery in the 17th, 18th and most of the 19th centuries to de jure and de facto segregation in the 19th and 20th centuries was a cultural impediment rooted in hate solely based on skin color that subjugated and marginalized black people in a very regimented way by the total society (women, children, foreigners, it didn't matter).
Signs were posted, protocols enforced and social (not legal) penalties enforced by the society (and reinforced by the courts). Discrimination could be imposed on sight. Not even the women's movement could be compared to America's race movement because not even women were mistreated, assaulted and killed with the frequency and volatility of the African American and Native American. Women, who were also discriminated on sight, were often turned (told to "go home") and assaulted if they persisted. African Americans were assaulted and killed if they persisted. Even womanists and feminists show a deference to the depth of hate waged against the African American and don't compare their movement to ours.
Not so with Gays and therein lies the problem. Sexuality is a disclosure (right of privacy) that allows people to be with who they please, in enjoyment and cohabitation. It also allows people to weigh their views on relationships against their moral values.
Most in the GLBT community "pass" for straight for fear of offending cultural sensibilities on sex that are rooted in American Christian values. Gays have "come out" before they are confronted. There are no signs that say "No Gays Allowed." There are no restrictive covenants that say, "NO Gays served" or "We do not rent to Gays." Gays have been able to vote, to work, to live where they want to live and move about society freely. Yes, their counter-culturalist views on sexuality makes them vulnerable, but so does ones views on bigamy, lawlessness, underaged marriage, drug use and views that are considered counter-cultural. Gays are not attacked on their gender or race. They are attacked on their counter-cultural views that go against cultural beliefs around family and relationships. Gays don't understand why their constant comparison to the black social justice or civil rights movement is so offensive. They need to be properly educated on this. I tried to last year in West Hollywood at a King Day panel, and the crowd turned real ignorant. My view is still my view. And now they found out it's also my community's view too. Now educate me on your view.
But since the GLBT community want to reference and replicate the black struggle movement as their model to achieve social equality in marriage, they should know that the breakdown of the movement centered in the transition from non-violent protest to violent protest. While the riots of the late 1960s represented a point of rebellion and frustration for urban cities and a new generation of Blacks tired of waiting for the promise to be fulfilled, it did little (or nothing) for racial reconciliation. Shouts of "Kill Whitey" only caused white people to leave the urban centers for the suburbs, arm up (buy guns) and continue their discriminatory behaviors from where they were. Affirmative action did little to change their views on race, and mandatory hiring and busing were failures as attempts to legislate behavior lost to the inability to legislate people's attitudes toward race.
Not until race was engaged in a more humanistic manner did (some) racial barriers break down. The GLBT community is going to have to humanize their issues around marriage with African Americans. Attacking Blacks on their views are only going to re-entrench their attitudes. It's not going to change anybody's minds. Particularly the way Hollywood uses gay lifestyles as a way to emasculate black men. Retaliating against those who may have supported the initiative in the black community is not going to bring them closer to enlightenment. Rioting against the black community, in the media, in the blogs, in community forums will not bring black people closer to gays' position on same sex marriage. Education and a sensitive, humanizing approach will change some minds. Barack Obama didn't change all white people's view about black people. He did change some people's views about black people. It was enough for him to win. The GLBT "NO on 8" activists need to take a page from this book.
The civil rights movement is over. Cultural pragmatism is in. Come out of the 60s and explain how America should embrace a culture shift on sexuality. Don't just say, "It's racism in the same way blacks experienced in the civil rights movement." That's a lie, an inappropriate comparison and an insult to the intelligence of black people. And probably why the initiative won. Miseducation tends to bring about misguided results. Educate yourself about our (the civil rights) movement, then educate the black community about your same sex equality movement. They are two different and distinct movements. You might just get some traction, but we're not going to be nobody's ni**gers again. You can riots if you want to. It won't change any minds.
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
THE BRIDGE: Thanks For Being Black
By Darryl James
*Another Thanksgiving.
I love the food and the fabricated reason for a gathering of loved ones.
I love the time away from work and away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life even though I don’t necessarily love this nation. Although I am open to loving America, now that it has finally elected a Black man to the highest office in the land.
Now, I just have to see how far that will take us.
In the meantime, I won’t be sending up any thanks to God for the dirty pirates who ransacked this land from the Native Americans; nor for them stealing my people from Africa and using us to build a nation for free and then disrespecting us during and after nation-building, treating us far less than human.
But I will send up thanks to my God for the simple fact that I am Black.
People of all races love many things about being Black, and they take those things, trying to make them their own, while too many of us look at ourselves with disdain. I believe that Black people need to change our minds about us and begin to embrace the things that are uniquely Black. We have to love those things, while loving ourselves.
Black people in America are a special and wonderful blend of horrible oppression, faith, hope, creativity, spirituality and unresolved issues. No matter how bad things are, we still have what it takes to make it better.
Haven’t we always?
Yes, and I love that about us.
For all the problems, the ups and downs of being part of the most challenged race on the planet, there is nothing more beautiful than walking, talking and dancing in the sun as Black people. We are the party and everyone wants to attend. It’s time for us to celebrate.
In another Black Top Ten List, I’d like to celebrate the things that are to be loved about being Black.
Top Ten Things To Love About Being Black:
Melanin. The sun loves us. Melanin protects us from the harmful UV rays and when we absorb them, we are in tune and in time with the earth’s rotation and the rhythm of the universe. Plus, God gave us our own rainbow in the shades of Africans, from light-bright and damn-near white to Blue-Black and every shade in between. God is an artist and we are the canvas.
Rhythm, baby. Show me a person who says: “Blacks have natural rhythm” as a putdown and I will show you someone who is jealous because they can’t find the beat. Dance like no one is watching…
Resilience, brothers and sisters. There is no other group of people who has the ugly history carried by Black people in America, and yet, we still exist and find a way to party as well as carry on through ugly conditions, making it look beautiful. Maya Angelou said it best: “And still I rise…”
The Black female physique. Females of other races go through hell and high water, surgery and the risk of cancer in the sun just to imitate what God gave my sisters naturally--lips and hips, skin and hair, rhythm in the talk and walk and sex appeal as deep as Atlantis. Yes, I’m a girl watcher. Here comes one now…
The Black man’s walk. It took years of watching my older brothers and cousins before I could walk the walk of a man that still has all eyes on me when I walk into a room. Eventually, it just came to me naturally. There’s a rhythmic swagger of confidence that belongs to my brothers and I and no matter how hard you work to imitate it, you can’t walk it like we can.
Black hair. Dreads, braids and fades are just different and artistic on natural Black hair, and even when the sisters lay their hair down with heat or chemicals, it’s still a beautiful and different thing, because no one can rock relaxed hair like Black women. And no one can rock a bald head like a Black man. Am I rockin’ it, baby?
Resourcefulness. We took the waste products that were tossed to us and made them taste like the food of the Gods. Chitterlings are now a delicacy in France and you can’t keep white folks out of Soul Food restaurants where grits and greens are done just right. And, many of us have stories of a Black mother who stretched nothing out to make it seem like something that a house full of kids could enjoy and have fond memories about for years.
Black mothers. Stretching food is nothing compared to the feat of stretching love and making Christmas or a birthday special without one store-bought gift. The original mother of the universe stretched her arms and provided love and comfort for an entire race, even when we don’t feel deserving of love. Why do you think Black kids are the most protective of their mothers?
Black dances. Okay, I will brag about the stepping that has emerged from my hometown of Chicago to become a national craze, but not without also bragging about dances from tap to the Boogaloo and Funky chicken to the Wop and the Pop Yo’ Collar. Dance mechanically by the numbers if you want to, but Britney Spears is still regurgitating old half-warmed Janet Jackson moves from the 1980’s and it ain’t half as fly.
Black creativity. Take away school music programs and give us old record collections from previous generations and only Black people could create an entirely new musical style based on our natural rhythms and rhymes. Popular rap music may be mostly ignorant in it’s content, but the beats are still bangin’ and the underground is developing new lyrical styles and content. Who’s fresh? African descendants in America, G! Don’t front, you know we got you open.
Now, there are at least ten reasons to celebrate being you. Add to the list on your own. Keep them near and dear to your heart whenever anyone tries to say we are anything but a beautiful people. We may not wear the t-shirts anymore, but I still love being Black!
Along with turkey, dressing and the gathering of family and friends, let us give thanks to the Almighty for blessing us with being Black.
Darryl James is an award-winning author of the powerful new anthology “Notes From The Edge.” He released his first mini-movie, “Crack,” and will soon release his first full-length documentary. View previous installments of this column at www.bridgecolumn.proboards36.com. Reach James at djames@theblackgendergap.com.
EUR MOTIVATIONAL NOTE
“You must begin to think of yourself as becoming the person you want to be.”
by David Viscott
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Nov. 25: Singer Percy Sledge is 68. Singer Stacy Lattisaw is 42.
Rapper-producer Erick Sermon is 40.
WEBSITE OF THE WEEK
Learn all about Amour Creole, a new lifestyle magazine that focuses on Haitian fashion trends, culture, art and music (www.amourcreole.com/).
Submit your favorite Web site to us along with a 15-20 word (or less) description to info@eurweb.com.
BLACK HISTORY
Nov. 25, 1841: Thirty-five Amistad survivors returned to Africa. (Source: www.BlackFacts.com)
Click for the latest Obama - Political headlines
Share and Bookmark |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
