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12-23-08 EUR ALL ON ONE PAGE
IS MIJAC REALLY SICK WITH RARE DISEASE: Not in the least, claims Fox411 columnist Roger Friedman.
*The author of a new biography on Michael Jackson claims the star is fighting for his life due to a rare respiratory condition, but a columnist who covers the singer closely says reports of the alleged illness are "extremely exaggerated."
As previously reported, author Ian Halperin told In Touch magazine and Britain's Sunday Express newspaper that the reclusive performer needs a lung transplant because he's suffering from Alpha 1-antitrypsin deficiency, an occasionally fatal genetic condition.
"He's had it for years, but it's gotten worse,' Halperin told In Touch. "He needs a lung transplant but may be too weak to go through with it. He also has emphysema and chronic gastrointestinal bleeding, which his doctors have had a lot of trouble stopping. It's the bleeding that is the most problematic part. It could kill him.'
Jackson "can barely speak" and "the vision in his left eye is 95 percent gone," Halperin added. The King of Pop's brother Jermaine didn't deny the reports, telling Fox News, "He's not doing so well right now. This isn't a good time."
The Halperin quotes made news around the world Monday, but Fox411 columnist Roger Friedman says none of it is true.
"Michael Jackson is not suffering from any life threatening diseases.
Everyone can relax. Reports of his ailing health have been extremely exaggerated," he wrote in Monday's column.
Friedman continued: Yesterday I spoke to one of Jackson's regular insiders who reported that the kooky former King of Pop is just fine, playing with his kids, and living large in a house he can't afford in Beverly Hills.
On top of that, it was just a few days ago that this columnist spoke with Darren Julien, the man arranging the big Jackson memorabilia auction in Los Angeles next April. Our conversation occurred just before the "news" of Jackson's illness broke. Julien told me that his dealings with Jackson and Jackson's manager, the enigmatic Dr. Tohme Tohme, were proceeding without incident. Jackson wasn't ill, and, Julien said, 'seemed really organized'
about the sale.
Over the years, Jackson illnesses have been identified as vitiligo, Lupus, addiction to prescription pain killers, and laziness. He's also a publicity hound who thinks that news of illness will make him sympathetic to the public. He learned this from Elizabeth Taylor, his one-time best friend.
More importantly, Jackson remains in financial peril thanks to his recent settlement of a $7 million lawsuit with Prince Adbulla of Bahrain.
Additionally, Jackson just refinanced his Neverland ranch with Colony Capital LLC and Thomas Barrack because of his never ending need for cash.
Apparently, he's used the money to squander it on a new expensive home rental rather than just return to Neverland or live in his parent's home in Encino, California, where he holds the mortgage.
But dying or in need of emergency surgery? Not Michael Jackson. It was just recently that he ventured outside his house wearing a Zorro mask to get attention. An easier way might be just to make an album or perform a concert.
NO CHAIRS OR STROLLERS AT OBAMA INAUGURATION: Officials release a list of items banned from the Mall.
*Washington officials have released a list of items that will not be allowed at President-elect Barack Obama's inauguration for security reasons.
Among them, no strollers near the U.S. Capitol, no tents on the National Mall and no Silly String along the parade route, according to the Associated Press. Also, thermoses, coolers and backpacks are out at both the Capitol and the parade route.
"The tightest rules are reserved for the lucky 240,000 ticket-holders, who get to sit closest to the swearing-in ceremony on the West Front of the Capitol," reports the AP. "There are understandable prohibitions on weapons and pepper spray. But you also can't carry an umbrella. And don't think about holding up any "Yes We Did" signs — posters also are not allowed.
"The rules aren't so strict on the National Mall, where most people will end up because tickets aren't required. Officials have said everyone will be checked, but they haven't said what that will entail.
"People won't be able to see much, except what's on Jumbotrons, but they can bring all sorts of stuff. Besides the obvious no-nos — firearms, explosives, fireworks — the only bans are on alcohol, tents and glass bottles."
JAMIE FOXX, KEYSHIA COLE IN ADOPTION TV SPECIAL: Singers to share their stories on CBS' 'Home for the Holidays'
*Jamie Foxx, Keyshia Cole and Faith Hill will share their personal experiences with adoption on the CBS special "A Home for the Holidays,"
which airs tonight from 8 to 9 p.m.
Speaking to the Associated Press backstage last month after filming their appearances, the artists explained how they coped with being adopted and why they performed for the special, which offers a mix of musical entertainment and information about child adoption.
"I was lucky," said the Oscar-winning Foxx ("Ray"). "I was adopted at
7 months, but the lady who adopted me also adopted my mother, so I had a relationship with my biological parents, also."
R&B star Keyshia Cole said, "My personal story was my mother was on drugs all my life and she didn't get a little bit better until I became 'Keyshia Cole the Celebrity.' Maybe it was a good way for her to see herself — that your daughter has become so much and she's become so big."
The special is the brainchild of Dave Thomas, the Wendy's restaurant founder. Thomas, who was adopted, created the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption in 1992.
The show will feature musical performances by Hill's husband Tim McGraw, as well as Kristin Chenoweth, Gavin Rossdale and Melissa Etheridge.
D.C. HAIRDRESSERS COURT MICHELLE OBAMA: Black salons in the area hope to secure First Lady as a client.
*Just where will Michelle Obama "get her hair did" while living in the White House? Hair stylists in the Washington D.C. area are already angling to secure the soon-to-be First Lady as a client, reports the Associated Press.
"I'm going to be doing her hair!" says positive thinker Barry Fletcher, the 52-year-old owner of The Hair Palace Salon in Mitchellville, Md. He cites his experience in international hairstyling challenges and working with actress Halle Berry and singer Mya, a D.C. native.
"This would pretty much validate all of my hard work and effort to get to a level where I could handle a powerful queen like the First Lady,"
added Fletcher, who sent Michelle Obama a 17-minute DVD about himself.
Hairdresser Keith Harley of Keith Harley Hair & Scalp Clinic in Arlington, Va. uploaded his resume to President-elect Barack Obama's Web site a month ago.
"It would be the highlight of my career. It would be an honor," said 39-year-old Harley, who styles Black Entertainment Television chief executive Debra Lee.
Nicole Cober-Blake, the 37-year-old lawyer-turned-owner of D.C.'s Soul Day Spa and Salon, plans to get her name in the mix by sending Michelle Obama a welcome basket with bath gels, hair products and a robe. Cober-Blake said she's excited about the possibility of having Obama experience the services at Soul, where she said they "treat everyone like a Michelle Obama."
For election night, Michael "Rahni" Flowers of Van Cleef Hair Studio in Chicago — Obama's stylist since she was 18 — did her hair. And for the Democratic National Convention, Obama turned to Chicago-native Johnny Wright of Frederic Fekkai's Los Angeles salon.
"The thing about being the first lady, you're only as fashionable as your last picture," said Dennis Roche, 58, of D.C.'s Roche Salon, which has African-American-hair experts he said could style Obama. "This is kind of risky because of the fact that we all have bad hair days."
BLACK THEATER CO. PLANS BERNIE MAC TRIBUTE: NY's Ujamaa group sends out casting notice for talent.
*New York's Ujamaa Black Theater is planning a special tribute show to honor the late Bernie Mac, who died of pneumonia last August at age 50.
The company has placed an ad in Back Stage – an entertainment-industry magazine with a special focus on casting – seeking black actors, singers, and comedians, as well as look-alikes for Mac, Isaac Hayes and James Brown, according to the New York Post.
In the meantime, fans of the comic can look forward to one more blast of Bernie in the movies with Disney's "Old Dogs," in which he co-stars with John Travolta and Robin Williams.
OPRAH'S CAMP DENIES DC HOUSE HUNT: Rumored $50 million price for Georgetown digs also viewed as ridiculous.
*Rumors of Oprah Winfrey looking for property in Washington D.C. to be closer to the Obama White House have been shot down by her reps, according to TMZ.com.
The New York Post reported that Winfrey was eyeing "a nine-bedroom Georgetown mansion" listed at $50 million. But according to TMZ, "Oprah's peeps tell us [there's] no truth to this at all.
"In fact, some D.C. real estate sources say there's exactly one house in the District even approaching that price -- an estate called Evermay -- and Oprah hasn't looked at it."
Winfrey will record two shows at the Kennedy Center next month while she's in town for the inauguration.
MARY J SUED FOR COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT: Production duo claims 'Enough Cryin' rips off one of their songs.
*Two producers have filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against Mary J. Blige and others claiming her track, "On My Grind," is too similar to a tune they submitted to the song's producer, reports TMZ.com.
New Jersey-based Jermaine Jumpp and Michael C. Adams say in their federal lawsuit that they handed a "compact disk" to the "office" of producer Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins that contained the song "On My Grind," reports TMZ.com.
Four years later, Darkchild produced the track "Enough Cryin'" for Mary J., and the guys say it's a rip off of "On My Grind."
"Enough Cryin" was recorded and mixed in 2005 for Blige's multi-platinum album "The Breakthrough." Blige and Darkchild are credited with writing the tune, which features a rap segment from Brook-Lyn, Blige's alter ego whom Mary created to give her lyrical freedom without the fear of damaging her own persona.
Jay-Z was also named in the lawsuit, although his role is unclear.
RUSSELL HORNSBY IN HBO'S 'TREATMENT': 'Lincoln Heights' star to be a regular on second season.
*Actor Russell Hornsby will be among the ensemble cast of HBO's "In Treatment" when it begins its second season next year.
The star of ABC Family's "Lincoln Heights" will be a regular on the cable channel's original series that follows the life and patients of psychotherapist Paul, played by Gabriel Byrne.
In October, it was announced that Hope Davis and John Mahoney were also booked for season 2, joining Alison Pill in the new season as a patient battling lymphoma.
O.J.'S COLLECTIBLES HEADED BACK TO L.A.: Sheriff's Dept. to figure out the items' rightful owners.
*A Las Vegas judge has ordered that the sports memorabilia caught up in O.J. Simpson's bungled robbery attempt must be turned over to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, where the items' ownership will be determined.
According to E! Online, collectibles judged to be Simpson's will likely be auctioned off with proceeds going toward the wrongful death judgment awarded to the families of Ron Goldman and Nicole Brown.
Las Vegas District Judge Jackie Glass also ruled during the brief hearing that Simpson, along with codefendant Clarence "C.J." Stewart and the other defendants who struck plea deals, must pool their resources and pay a combined $3,560 in restitution to the robbery victim – memorabilia dealer Bruce Fromong.
Fromong claimed he was left with $2,600 in medical bills due to injuries suffered during the altercation.
Alfred Beardsley, the other memorabilia dealer targeted by Simpson, testified at a separate hearing that he didn't have Simpson's NFL Hall of Fame ring, which the Goldman family is looking for.
CHICAGO RAPPERS REMAKE 'SELF DESTRUCTION': KRS-One returns to update anti-violence plea with Twista, Syleena Johnson and more.
*Nearly two decades after KRS-One assembled several of the hottest rap acts to record the anti-violence anthem "Self-Destruction," the song has been updated by Chicago-area artists in an attempt to keep the message going.
The new version, released Dec 19, also features KRS-One, along with Syleena Johnson, Twista, Crucial Conflict, Phil G, Kenny Bogus, Straw and Pugs. [Listen to song below.]
“Self Destruction 2009” is the brainchild of CoalMine Music executive Joanne Coalman, once an active member of the Chicago division of KRS-One's Stop The Violence movement, according to Allhiphop.com.
The song was recorded as a way to address Chicago's rise in crime.
Self Destruction 2009:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8EtDPXAQO40&eurl=http://video.aol.com/video-d
etail/krs-one-twista-syleena-jhonson-phil-g-crucial-conflict-kenny-bogus-str
aw-the-vegas-don-and-p
Self-Destruction 1989: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxyYP_bS_6s
BRADY, BLEU TO ANNOUNCE IMAGE AWARD NOMS: Talent to reveal acts in the running on Jan. 7.
*Wayne Brady, Corbin Bleu, Audra McDonald and others will appear at a press conference next month to announce the nominees, honorees and other details for the 40th NAACP Image Awards.
Winners will be revealed on Feb. 12 during a live telecast on Fox, The ceremony coincides with the NAACP's 100th anniversary.
As reported earlier, Halle Berry and Tyler Perry will co-host the awards show. Previously announced honorees include former Vice President Al Gore and Dr. Wangari Muta Maathai, who will be presented with the NAACP Chairman's Award.
Tickets for the show – ranging from $50 to $500 – will be available through Ticketmaster beginning in early January.
‘TAVIS SMILEY’ PREPARES FOR SEASON 6: Producer says to 'expect more' when new run begins on Jan. 5.
*Tavis Smiley kicks off the sixth season of his late night PBS talk show on Monday, January 5, with two-time Academy Award-winning actor Dustin Hoffman.
Other guests booked during the first two weeks include founder Berry Gordy (Jan. 9), Notorious B.I.G.s mother Voletta Wallace with actor Jamal Woolard (Jan. 14) and Lionel Richie (Jan. 16).
On Jan. 20, Smiley will broadcast an Inauguration-Day special featuring highlights from President-Elect Barack Obama’s six appearances on the "Tavis Smiley" show, including his first in March 2004 – four months prior to the rousing speech at the Democratic National Convention that catapulted Obama to the national stage, and only three months into the first season of "Tavis Smiley" on PBS.
“We are living through exciting and challenging times,” says Smiley. “I am so grateful for the continuing opportunity to help advance those conversations that help us stay enlightened, encouraged and empowered.”
Additional guests during the first two weeks of the sixth season include Marisa Tomei (Jan. 6), "24’s" Carlos Bernard (Jan. 7), "Frost/Nixon" director Ron Howard with actor Frank Langella (Jan. 8), "The Mentalist" star Simon Baker, actress Emma Thompson and actor Eric Braeden (Jan. 13), job training expert and author Bill Strickland, author Ben Barber and country star Glen Campbell (Jan. 15).
“This is a terrific all-star line up,” says executive producer Neal Kendall. “We’ve challenged ourselves and our viewers. The message is clear: ‘Expect More.’ Our goal is to make our sixth season on PBS the best ever. The range of issues discussed, the wide cross-section of political viewpoints, the in-depth conversations with people we rarely get to hear from – all of these factors contribute to our ability to provide an unmatched viewer experience in the late night TV talk genre.”
Additional plans during season six include special remote broadcasts that will be announced early next year.
SEAN LEVERT DEATH LEADS TO JAIL REFORM: Cuyahoga County officials say policies regarding prescription meds will change.
TMZ.com is reporting that the death of Sean Levert in a Cleveland, Ohio jail after being forced to go without his prescription medicine for six days has led Cuyahoga County authorities to change its policies and give inmates meds for valid prescriptions.
At the time of his death, Levert was jailed for failure to pay child support. He died in March of this year and initially it was reported that he died from natural causes.
The jail had refused to give him his prescribed Xanax. His death was later said to have been caused, in part, by withdrawals from the medication.
KEYSHIA COLE IS DONE WITH SAD SONGS: R&B artist says her new CD is titled 'A Different Me' for a reason.
*While Keyshia Cole elbowed her way into the crowded R&B field several years ago with heartbreak songs such as "Love" and "I Remember," the singer says she can't stand to listen to them anymore – which explains the title of her new album, "A Different Me."
Currently on tour with Lil Wayne and Gym Class Heroes, the 27-year-old diva — who is also a big reality star thanks to her successful BET show "Keyshia Cole: The Way It Is" — recently sat down with the Associated Press to discuss just how different her life has become since releasing her debut album in June 2005.
AP: On the opening track of the new CD, you introduce your "sexier" side.
What does that mean exactly?
Cole: Just the mood of some of the music, and also the pictures that I took for the album packaging were a little bit sexier than normal. It's a lot lighter and sexier, you can listen to it and it's not so heartbroken and painful.
AP: Do you feel sexier now than before?
Cole: I just think that sexier is, I guess, the clothes that you're wearing.
I've always been a young lady but I just chose to do certain things or look a certain way before. I really did like the fact that I work really hard to make it here. It's just a sexier or softer side of myself that I chose to put forth and show the world. I think it's always been there, it's just the point of bringing it out and being comfortable with yourself.
AP: Talk about the songwriting process when recording the new CD.
Cole: With "Love," after I wrote that song, I couldn't listen to it, I still can't listen to "Love," I just can't. Like I don't even listen to my own albums, which is bad because I really need to do that because I perform them all the time. It's just that after I write it, and I felt that way and I remember that way, it's hard for me to go back and really listen to it because I hate feeling that way. But I perform those songs almost every night so it's something that I have to take myself back to and remember that feeling and project that feeling to the world. But that's why I went with the "A Different Me" title because I am a traveling performer and a growing entertainer and I wanted to switch up the music and change it up and give it a different vibe because I don't want to be on the same vibe every night singing the same type of song.
AP: Is it going to be easier to perform the new songs because the material is lighter?
Cole: I'll see. Hopefully it brings a wider base of a crowd for me to perform in front of. To get that arena audience, I felt like I had to switch it up just a little tiny bit, and touch (on) different (subject) matters in relationships, just on a worldwide basis.
AP: What else are you doing differently?
Cole: I definitely changed choreographers, I switched by band up, I revamped my whole staging and just rehearsing and working at that because I never really incorporated a bunch of dance moves or choreography on the stage, but now I'm trying new things. I just want to live up to the title "A Different Me." I just want to become a headlining entertainer at arenas and do it that big.
CONDI TO RELOCATE NEAR STANFORD U: Plus, outgoing Secretary of State to write book about her parents living in segregated south.
*With weeks to go before her job as secretary of state comes to an end, Condoleezza Rice said Monday she is looking for a new home near Stanford University in northern California, reports the AFP.
"I have a place to live temporarily," said Rice who will resume her academic career at Stanford after Barack Obama becomes the U.S. president on Jan. 20.
"I have not really had time to look and so when I get out to California, I will start looking for a place to live," she said. "But I know I will not live too far from where I work, because I am not a commuter by nature."
For eight years under President George W. Bush, first as national security adviser and then secretary of state, she lived at the Watergate complex in Washington, just a few hundred yards (meters) from her State Department office.
Rice is due to take up her new post at Stanford's Hoover Institution, a research center specializing in international relations. She was teaching at Stanford when the Bush administration brought her aboard in 2001.
She also plans to write two books, one a tribute to her African American parents at the time of the racially-segregated south and the other on international affairs.
"I will write a book on foreign policy as every secretary of state is obliged to do," she said. But the second one might have to simmer for a while because it "has been such a turbulent time and such a consequential time that it may take a little reflection," she added.
"I want to write a book about my parents who were incredible people and emblematic really of a whole generation of black parents who just were not going to let their children be held hostages to segregation," Rice said.
"And so they just invested and invested and invested. And so I want to write about that," said Rice, the only child of a couple from Alabama and the first African-American female secretary of state.
T-PAIN BRINGING AUTOTUNE TO TIM MCGRAW?: Artists taking their November 'SNL' skit to the next level.
*When country star Tim McGraw and R&B singer T-Pain appeared together in a "Saturday Night Live" skit last month, little did they know it would lead to a real musical collaboration.
"We talked about getting in the studio together, so that's probably going to happen soon," T-Pain tells E! Online. "I definitely think we could do something cool and different."
The pairing wouldn't be McGraw's first with an urban artist. In 2004, he recorded the song "Over and Over" with rapper Nelly; and earlier this month McGraw reportedly recorded a new single, "Human," for Chris Brown's upcoming album.
T-Pain says his collaboration with McGraw will be different from Nelly's approach on "Over and Over."
"The hip-hop has been done with Tim and Nelly, so we gotta be more country than hip-hop," he says.
EUR DVD REVIEW: Savage Grace
Melodrama Revisiting Plastics Heir Tragedy Arrives on DVD
DVD Review by Kam Williams
*In 1907, Dr. Leo Baekeland made a fortune when he invented a new type of plastic he called Bakelite.
A couple of generations later, his grandson Brooks (Stephen Dillane) didn’t know what he was getting into when he wed a shameless gold digger named Barbara Daly (Julianne Moore).
Worse than the fact that the beautiful redhead married him for his money, was that she was mentally unstable and given to bouts of depression and impulsive angry outbursts.
Furthermore, she led a decadent, self-indulgent lifestyle marked by infidelity and substance abuse, so it is no surprise that her marital relationship was unusually stormy.
Some people should never have kids, case in point, the Baekelands. But, unfortunately, they did have a son, Tony (Eddie Redmayne), who turned out to be even nuttier than his domineering mother. No doubt, he was driven crazy by her going to great lengths to change his sexual preference once she realized he was gay.
Not only did she pressure him to date girls, but the incestuous cougar even pounced upon the poor boy to try to turn him straight. But because Tony didn’t share her Oedipal inclinations, theirs wasn’t a story with a happily ever after ending.
The tragic trajectory of this dysfunctional family is carefully chronicled by this warts-and-all bio-pic directed by Tom Kalin. Spanning the years of 1946 through 1972, the picture unfolds against assorted glamorous backdrops in cities like New York, Paris, Mallorca and London.
Don’t be deceived by the glitz, for despite the Baekelands being able to afford the finer things in life, their wealth proved to be no defense against such antisocial behaviors as suicide, matricide and grandma-cide. A feel-bad peek at how the other half lives which shows that no one knows what goes on behind closed doors.
Very Good (3 stars)
Unrated
Running time: 98 minutes
Studi Genius Products
DVD Extras: “The Making of” featurette.
To see a trailer of Savage Grace, visit:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lm5hxpeNOQQ
EUR DVD REVIEW: Ghost Town
DVD Sitcom Starring Ricky Gervais as Dentist Who Sees Dead People
DVD Review by Kam Williams
*What happens to you when you die? Perhaps you remain on Earth unable to rest in peace until you resolve all of your unfinished business.
This is the sort of limbo Frank Herlihy (Greg Kinnear) finds himself in following his untimely demise on the streets of Manhattan.
Hope for completing the transition arrives the day that something goes horribly wrong during Bertram Pincus’ (Ricky Gervais) routine colonoscopy, an anesthesia accident that leaves the dentist dead on the operating table for several minutes.
Once revived, he can suddenly see ghosts, and this development is not lost on Frank who befriends Bertram hoping to sabotage his widow Gwen’s (Tea Leoni) impending remarriage to a conniving attorney (Billy Campbell).
Although Bertram is a misanthrope not inclined to do anything for anybody, he promises to help prevent her from walking down the aisle. In return, Frank agrees to keep all the other ghosts suddenly annoying Bertram at bay. However, what neither anticipates is that Bert might develop feelings for Gwen, and the love quadrangle which ensues is the hub around which Ghost Town revolves.
Directed by David Koepp, this offbeat sitcom might be best thought of as a bittersweet cross of Ghost (1990) and The Sixth Sense (1999), as it combines some of the former’s romantic elements with the latter’s “I see dead people” theme. Moreover, this pleasantly-unpredictable picture adds a few surprising wrinkles of its own to the macabre mix which make it feel like a totally fresh concept.
A Ricky Gervais vehicle likely to work for you to the extent that you enjoy laughing at the cliché of a coldhearted cad who ultimately experiences an 11th-hour epiphany right on cue for the flick to deliver a universal message about what really matters most in life.
Very Good (3 stars)
Rated PG-13 for sexuality, profanity and drug references.
Running time: 102 minutes
Studi Dreamworks Home Video
DVD Extras: Commentary by Ricky Gervais and director David Koepp, a gag reel, “The Making of” and special f/x featurettes, plus Dreamworks previews.
To see a Ghost Town trailer, visit:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpkN4CbxYYg
THE BRIDGE: The Black Top Ten—Christmas Gifts
By Darryl James
*‘Tis The Season and all that sort of stuff.
The economy is in the toilet, people are losing their homes and jobs and yet, some of us are still shopping until we drop.
Now that you have spent next month’s earnings of gifts that will last a few weeks, it’s time to focus on gifts that will keep on giving.
There are a few things that Blacks can give to themselves, which will continue to give throughout the year, making us a stronger, more unified and powerful people.
In another Black Top Ten List, I’d like to propose some things that Black people can give themselves for Christmas or for Kwanzaa. Some of these gifts are reflective of the Nguzo Saba—the seven principles of Kwanzaa.
Top Ten Christmas Gifts Blacks Can Give Themselves:
1. A Black Women’s Rights Movement. My sisters, the women’s rights movement duped you into thinking that it was for you, but it was not. It was for white women and you were pimped. If you want a real revolution, create a Black Women’s Rights Movement and many of your brothers will be first in line. Black women have been speaking about their rights and talking about Black men as their oppressors, which is ridiculous. Oppression is a product of power, and quite frankly, Black people in this nation have not exercised power in any intrinsic manner since the 1960’s. Let’s exercise our creativity (Kuumba) and create something that will benefit us all.
2. A Million Man Investment Club. Following the lead of The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan I propose we bring one million Black men together to invest ten dollars each in one company. It’s too easy to do. That’s ten million dollars and that is empowerment and reflective of Ujamaa (cooperative economics).
3. Black Love. We hear the song “Give Love On Christmas Day,” and we like it, so why not give that love to ourselves as a people? Tell someone you love them and then turn around and show someone that you love them. Finally, look for ways each day to demonstrate your love for yourself as a Black person. For a list of things to love about us, refer to my column called “Thanks For Being Black,” which lists the Top Ten Things To Love About Being Black (www.bridgecolumn.proboards36.com).
4. Black Pride. There are a plethora of things to be proud of as a member of the most oppressed race in the world, and we need to focus on those things every day to spread the feeling of pride that will allow us to move forward in the new millennium with faith in ourselves, reflective of Imani (Faith).
5. Black Unity. How can any of us progress and feel good about it, when so many of us are not progressing? Our gift to ourselves should be to care for the least of us, so that we can all move onward and upward together. This is reflective of Umoja (Unity).
6. Peace in the streets. There are many brothers in the streets working for peace among the warring gang factions across the nation and they need the support of the entire community. You can talk about how bad it is in the streets, or you can find out what you need to do to make it better. I don’t want to talk about peace in the Middle East until there is peace in the Black community. Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me.
7. Self-Awareness. My gift to my people would be to make them aware of the most critical issues facing us, and then to focus on those things without being confused by politics of religion, class, sex or political parties. I would also give them the gift of history, so that we could remain mindful of whence we came. If you know where you came from, you can more easily determine where you are going. This is reflective of Kujichagulia (Self-Determination).
8. Mutual Support. As a people, we have everything we need to manufacture, distribute, buy and sell the goods and services we seek from others. If each of us supports another of us, we can begin to recycle Black dollars and resources more productively.
9. A good conversation. Many of us just need someone to talk to who will listen and understand. Let’s stop talking at or about each other and start talking to each other.
10. A collective consciousness. Today, many of us scoff at the idea of most of us coming together for common purposes (Nia), but no matter what the socio-economic differences, we are still all the same people with the same challenges and the same work lying before us. This is also reflective of Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility.
So, this holiday season, instead of wishing for expensive material items, let’s all wish for and give gifts that will continue to keep giving long after these current lives are over.
Happy Holidays!
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.
THE JOURNAL OF STEFFANIE RIVERS: What I Want For Christmas
*The remains of Caylee Anthony were identified last week. She’s the little girl who was reported missing in Florida last June. Casey Anthony, the girl’s mother, wasn’t the first person to report her daughter missing and for more than a month refused to admit she was gone.
On the word of other family members and friends, police started a feverish search that garnered national attention and sparked protest against the Anthony family throughout Orlando.
Even before the girl’s remains were found police charged her mother with her death. I’m sure the murder trial will be even more of a spectacle.
Judging from the collective reaction in Florida you would’ve thought police had no other missing people to search for and the media had no other important news to cover. Were there no other missing children who needed that same attention?
And we can’t forget Natalee Holloway. She’s the Alabama girl who disappeared after she left her friends at a night club to hang out with some local guys during her high school senior trip in Aruba. Holloway never has been found and despite every effort law enforcement officials haven’t had enough evidence to prosecute anyone involved in the case.
Still Holloway commands media attention as if her disappearance happened last month instead of May 2005.
Every time I hear about a child disappearing my heart goes out to their families and I say a silent prayer. But I can’t ignore the obvious.
These are just two of the 800,000 children under 18 years old who are reported missing every year, according to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. That’s 2,000 reports filed every day.
So how is it that only a handful of white girls get the media attention that might save their lives or at least catch the person responsible for their disappearance? Not to mention the juicy back story that keeps CNN’s Nancy Grace on the prowl.
Although there are plenty of statistics about children who are abducted by family members, strangers, strangers who are pedophiles and other comparisons, I could find none that kept track of the race or nationality of the victims. It might lead some people to assume only white children are abducted in America. With 2,000 reports of missing children filed nationwide everyday I’m sure that’s far from the truth.
As a former news reporter, I am passionate about the journalism profession. And I respect the job that law enforcement officials do. But if I could grant one wish this Christmas it would be for everyone to place the same value on the life of every child regardless of that child’s race or nationality.
Oftentimes media and law enforcement officials are faced with more negative stereotypes of people of color because of the nature of their business. Consequently that negative stereotype could affect the way they react to people of color in distress.
I’m glad my mother never lost me! She said I always was a cute little girl with baby fat legs. But I might not have gotten the media coverage or police response needed to find me because I didn’t fit the profile.
Children of color deserve the same consideration, protection and resources as white children, especially when they are victimized. Every child’s destiny is determined by their nurturing. It’s not what they’re born with, rather what they do with what they’re born with. It is our responsibility to give every child the opportunity to reach her destiny, because the child you save could be the next person to change the history of America.
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
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