06-05-09 EUR ALL ON ONE PAGE

NEW WHITNEY ALBUM DUE IN SEPTEMBER: Arista finally announces release date.
Title still unknown.

 *Arista Records has announced that the release date for Whitney Houston's new album is Sept. 1.

       The set, her first studio CD in seven years, was shepherded by her mentor Clive Davis with hopes that it will put the pop star back on top of
her game.  
      
       The 45-year-old Grammy-winner is one of the best-selling artists of all-time, but in recent years, she's been in the headlines more for her drug problems, marital drama and erratic behavior.
      
       In recent months, Houston has sought to put those problems behind her with well-received public performances, including a rousing set at Davis'
pre-Grammy party in February.
      
OPRAH OFF FORBES' 'MOST POWERFUL' PERCH: TV host falls to No. 2, Obama makes the list – and makes history.

       *For the first time in a bajillion years, Oprah Winfrey is not ranked No. 1 on Forbes' Celebrity 100 list of the world's most powerful stars. Also for the first time ever, the annual list includes a sitting Commander-in-Chief.
      
       Based on media exposure and career earnings over the past year, the Celeb 100 title-holder is now Angelina Jolie, who jumped to the top from third place last year. She made just $27 million, but Forbes says the actress wields more power than any other entertainer due to high-profile turns in such hit films as "Wanted" and "Kung Fu Panda."
      
       Winfrey is still the list's richest celeb, with $275 million earned last year, but she ranks No. 2.  Madonna came in third, trailed by Beyonce
($87 million), Tiger Woods ($110 million), Bruce Springsteen ($70 million) and Steven Spielberg ($150 million).
      
       Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt came in at eighth and ninth place, respectively, while Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant takes the tenth spot
($45 million), due in large part to endorsement deals scored after the Beijing Olympics.
      
       President Barack Obama makes an appearance at No. 49 ($2.5 million) as the first sitting head of state to appear on Forbes' Celebrity 100 list.
He was chosen because of his worldwide fame, his historic election and his career as a best-selling author.
      
       Although he's one of the biggest acts in entertainment, Justin Timberlake went from 12th to falling off the list completely, since ending his lucrative "FutureSex/LoveShow" concert tour. Jennifer Lopez, Johnny Depp and Tyra Banks also dropped off the list.

BOBBY BROWN WELCOMES CHILD NO. 5: Whitney's ex says his manager/girlfriend has given birth to a boy.

 *On the same day his ex-wife Whitney Houston made news with the announcement of her new album's release date, Bobby Brown grabbed headlines by announcing the arrival of Cassius, his newborn son. 

 While performing at Rok nightclub in New York on Wednesday, "Bobbay"
told the crowd that his manager/girlfriend, Alicia Etheridge, gave birth to their son on Monday (June 1), reports TMZ.com.

       Brown has four other children from previous relationships, including 16-year-old Bobbi Kristina, his daughter with Houston.
      
       Brown and Etheridge have been dating since the former New Edition singer's marriage to Houston fell apart in 2006.

TERRENCE HOWARD BEHIND BLACK PANTHER PROJECT: Actor developing TV series based on undercover cop who infiltrated the group.

       *Terrence Howard and the entertainment company Radical Media have teamed to develop a TV drama based on the life of Ronald Farwell, an undercover LAPD detective who infiltrated the Black Panthers.
       
       "Pigs and Panthers" will be set in 1960s and early 1970s Los Angeles and will draw from the story of Farwell and his wife, an L.A. Sheriff's deputy, as he soon finds himself on the wrong side of the Black Panther Party, the FBI and the LAPD itself, reports Variety.
      
       Howard's production company, A Huge Quality Film, is developing the project and will produce with Radical Media. Ron Hutchinson ("The Tuskegee
Airmen") is writing the pilot script.
      
       Radical Media, the shingle also behind Sundance's "Iconoclasts,"
AMC's "Storymakers," the documentary "The Fog of War" and the pilot to "Mad Men," is currently pitching the project around town.

LANCE GROSS ADDED TO FAMUYIWA'S WEDDING: 'House of Payne' star joins Forest Whitaker and America Ferrera in Fox Searchlight comedy.

 *During a break from "Tyler Perry's House of Payne," actor Lance Gross will put in work as the newest cast member of Fox Searchlight's untitled family wedding project from director Rick Famuyiwa.
 
 The TV star joins America Ferrera, Forest Whitaker and Carlos Mencia in the story of two families – one African American, one Latino - who clash while trying to throw together a wedding in two short weeks.

  Famuyiwa also wrote the script for the film, which began shooting Monday, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Gross will play the groom-to-be, opposite Ferrera.

TONI MORRISON AT 'FREE SPEECH' EVENT: New literary group launched during Wednesday gathering in New York.

       *Nobel laureate Toni Morrison was the guest speaker Wednesday for a group of about 50 publishers, writers and other First Amendment supporters gathered in New York to launch the Free Speech Leadership Council - an advocacy arm of the National Coalition Against Censorship, a nonprofit founded in 1974.
      
       The meeting was held at the Upper East Side duplex apartment of former HarperCollins CEO and council chairwoman Jane Friedman.
      
       "I don't see how you can be in publishing for 40 years and not care about this," Friedman said, according to the Associated Press.
      
       Morrison, 78, has long experience with censorship. Her novels "Beloved," "Song of Solomon" and "The Bluest Eye" have frequently been threatened with removal from library shelves — and sometimes pulled — because of sexual, racial or violent content.

       Seated regally in Friedman's living room as other guests stood around her, Morrison said the problem was fear — fear of information, dating back to the book of Genesis and the fatal temptation of the Tree of Knowledge.
      
       "Knowledge is bad" is the Bible's message, Morrison said, while being interviewed by author-humorist Fran Lebowitz. "It is sinful. It will corrupt you and you will die."
      
       And that fear still "floats around in the back of the brain,"
Morrison added, noting how slaves once risked their lives to learn to read.
"To know stuff is a bad thing. It has consequences, and the consequences are death."
      
       Also attending was Judy Blume, whose books, too, often show up on lists of banned works – among them, "Forever" and "Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret."
      
       Morrison recalled a letter being sent to her publisher, Alfred A.
Knopf, from a Texas inmate, who informed the author that "Song of Solomon"
was not permitted at the prison because it might start a riot.
      
       "And I thought, `What a powerful book,'" Morrison said. "This book is so powerful."
      
JONAS BROTHER BECOMES 'SINGLE LADIES' DANCER: Joe Jonas is the latest to spoof Beyonce's video.

 *First Justin Timberlake, then the president, and now a Jonas Brother? The endless number of folks mimicking Beyonce's "Single Ladies"
video culminated in November with Justin Timberlake's memorable skit on "Saturday Night Live."

 That should've been the end of that. But alas, seven months and four "I Am…Sasha Fierce" singles later, teen heartthrobs the Jonas Brothers have posted their own spoof of the video.
 
       Middle bro Joe sports a black leotard and matching high heels as he half-heartedly attempts a few moves while barely mouthing the words. His brothers and band mates, Nick and Kevin, are shown at the beginning of the video egging him on to perform, saying, "You have to do it."
      
 View spoof here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rP-KFnYg6Hw 

RAPHAEL SAADIQ PREPS CONCERT DVD: Collection documents last year's 'The Way I See It' tour.

 *R&B crooner Raphael Saadiq will release his first-ever concert DVD
- "Raphael Saadiq: Live From the Artists Den" – on July 21 via Artists Den Entertainment and Columbia Records.

       The disc chronicles his live show supporting last year's album release "The Way I See It."
      
       The 18-tracks were filmed at a private Dec. 3 show at the Harvard Club of Boston. Portions of it aired on the "Live at the Artists Den" PBS series, but the DVD will feature songs not included in the broadcast plus bonus interview clips.
      
       PBS will make the DVD available as a pledge drive promotion at www.publictelevisionrocks.com for 30 days before the street date.
      
       "It was a great night," Saadiq tells Billboard.com about the performance. "The set was good and it was shot very well -- that was important to me -- and it sounded very good. It exposed everybody in the band, and that's what I was really excited about. I thought it was a piece that could show me in a light I wanted to be seen in."

ARETHA CANCELS ANOTHER APPEARANCE: Singer pulls out of June 16 gig in San Antonio.

 *Aretha Franklin has been making more headlines these days for gigs she has cancelled.
 
 The Queen of Soul has just nixed her scheduled June 16 performance in San Antonio, TX, and ticketholders are being told they can request a refund at the point of purchase. No reason was given for the cancellation.

       "All of our artists are human and from time to time this is unavoidable," said John Tooley, President and Executive Director of ARTS San Antonio. "We hope to find an opportunity in the future to invite Aretha Franklin back to San Antonio."
      
       This follows a cancelled appearance at Brown University last month due to a family emergency. The singer was scheduled to receive an honorary doctorate of music from the Ivy League school.
      
       So far, Franklin is still confirmed for "A Capitol Fourth," the annual Independence Day concert and fireworks celebration on the National Mall.

WILL.I.AM WANTS TO DUET WITH PAUL POTTS: 'Britain's Got Talent' winner says Black Eyed Pea is sweating him. 

       *Black Eyed Peas star will.i.am is reportedly trying to hook up a duet with British opera star Paul Potts, the former cell phone store manager who went on to win 2007's "Britain's Got Talent."
      
       Potts told WENN, "I was at a Google conference recently and will.i.am came up to me and said he was a big fan and asked to do a duet. He really thinks we would work well together.
      
       "I'm not sure how it would work but it would certainly be interesting. A mix of opera and rap. My wife is a fan of his music - we play it in the car. I'm not aware of much of it but I know he worked with (Girls Aloud singer) Cheryl Cole.
      
       "He even called my manager again the other day chasing it up. We'll see. He seems keen."
      
JAY-Z TOPS SOURCE MAG'S POWER 30: Diddy, Fitty, Weezy, Snoop, will.i.am and, yes, President Obama, also make the cut.

 *Rapper-mogul Jay-Z is ranked No. 1 on Source magazine's new Power 30 list, which honors the top 30 power players in hip hop culture, business, politics, entertainment and lifestyle.

 The publication says Jigga rules the roost because he's an industry leader and a top businessman – with ventures including Live Nation, his clothing line Rocawear, and his part-ownership of the New Jersey Nets.

       Others Power 30 list-makers include Diddy, 50 Cent, Lil Wayne, will.i.am, Snoop Dogg, T-Pain and Kimora Lee Simmons.
      
       President Barack Obama also made the list because of his influence on the new hip-hop generation.

WYCLEF'S ANTI-POVERTY EFFORTS HONORED: World Hunger Year taps Harry Belafonte to present award to musician.

       *Wyclef Jean will be honored in New York Monday (June 8) by the World Hunger Year (WHY) organization for his global efforts in fighting against poverty.
      
    WHY is a leading advocate for innovative, community-based solutions to hunger and poverty, and combats these issues by promoting methods for creating self-reliance, economic justice, and equal access to nutritious and affordable food.

       The one-time Fugees member will receive the organization's ASCAP-Harry Chapin Humanitarian award at the 2009 WHY-Chapin awards dinner, which will take place at the Lighthouse at Chelsea Piers in New York City.

       Musician/actor/activist Harry Belafonte will be on hand to present Jean the award, reports Allhiphop.com.
      
       In 2005, Jean established his Yéle Haiti foundation, which works towards long-term progress for Haiti via small-scale, manageable and replicable projects. The effort is credited with changing the lives of children and adults through education, health, environment and community development programs.
 
BIG TIGGER PREPS CELEBRITY CLASSIC: Annual fundraiser for HIV/AIDS research takes place this weekend in D.C.
 
       *Big Tigger is gearing up for his star-studded 8th Annual Celebrity Classic this weekend at various locations around Washington D.C.
      
       The fundraiser for HIV/AIDS awareness aims to eradicate the deadly disease among young adults, minorities and women in our Nation’s Capital through innovative testing programs, education workshops and community events to take place Friday and Saturday, June 5 and 6.
      
       Denyce Lawton from TBS's “House of Payne,” Omorosa from “The Apprentice,” “One Tree Hill” star Antwon Tanner and Anwar “Big G” Glover from “The Wire” are among the confirmed celebrities, professional athletes and political and health officials scheduled to attend.
      
       Athletes putting in face time are Caron Butler, Clinton Portis, Jason Campbell, Albert Haynesworth, Fred Smoot, Terrell Owens, Daunte Culpepper, Anthony Henry,  Darnell Dockett, Deon Grant, Fred Smoot, Jerry Porter, Patrick Watkins, T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Vince Carter, Sam Cassell, middleweight boxer Ronald “Winky” Wright and professional drag racer Rickey Gadson.
      
       This year’s celebrity weekend follows alarming new data regarding HIV infections in D.C. and the disproportionate rise in HIV infections among African Americans. Last year, Big Tigger’s Celebrity Classic attracted 15,000 attendees and drew a record number of youth undergoing HIV testing.
According to the D.C. Department of Health, the testing contributed to a 57 percent increase over previous records.
      
       Other confirmed celebrities for this weekend include multi-platinum recording artist Nelly; platinum recording artist D. Woods; hip-hop artists Mims, Twista and Trey Songz; actors Jackie Long from "ATL," Laz Alonzo from “Miracle on St. Anna” and Wesley Jonathan from “Daddy’s Little Girl”; actress Jurnee Smollett from “The Great Debaters” and reality TV stars Christina “Calli” Ly and Mercedes “Prancer” Clausen from VH1's “I Love Money.”
      
       Also confirmed are HIV/AIDS Activist Hydeia Broadbent and last year's all-star basketball game MVP - Rare Essence frontman Dave 32.
      
       Click here for a full schedule of events:
http://www.bigtigweekend.net/home.html.

ITTY BITTY BITS: New Ebony issue; Phylicia Rashad's cell phone; '106 & Coke.'

 *Bernie Mac's daughter JéNeice McCullough, 31, is featured in the June 2009 issue of Ebony magazine. The budding TV writer and mother gives readers a view of what it was like living with her late father, who died last August at age 50. Also in the issue, cover girl Jada Pinkett-Smith talks about her new TNT drama, "HawthoRNe," her views on the Church of Scientology and Internet rumors.

       *Spies for the New York Daily News were at Tuesday's Theatre World Awards ceremony in New York when a cell phone went off while Condola Rashad was accepting an award for her role in the Pulitzer Prize-winning play Ruined. "Turns out the culprit was her own mom, Phylicia, who hastily fumbled in her purse before muting the offending device," the paper reported.

       *Coca-Cola and BET's "106 & Park" are launching a summer program celebrating African American teens’ passion for self-expression and connectivity. Beginning now and running for 13 weeks, teen viewers of the show will be encouraged to submit video entries to www.bet.com/mycokerewards describing their “formula”…in other words, how they express themselves and what makes them unique. The winning entry will receive a trip to the "106 & Park" set. To enter, teens purchasing 20-ounce bottles of Coca-Cola and Coke Zero from June 1 – Aug. 31 can text the under-the-cap code plus the word “BET” to 844778 (THIRST) to be entered for a chance to win a trip to the show’s taping in Atlanta in October.
      
MINORITY RADIO REPS MEET WITH JOHN CONYERS: Discussion centered on congressman's controversial Performance Rights Act bill.

       *House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers (D-MI) hosted a town-hall meeting in Detroit Tuesday with artists and broadcast representatives to discuss his proposed Performance Rights Act, which would award artists performance royalties for broadcast radio.
      
       The Performance Rights Act was approved last month by the Judiciary Committee despite objections from civil rights groups that had wanted a hearing on the possible impact of a royalty on minority radio.
      
       Student broadcasters have also protested the royalty, and a House resolution against the bill, the Local Radio Freedom Act, has been picking up momentum and now has the support of 214 House members, reports Radio Ink.

      
       Among the artists gathered at the meeting were Dionne Warwick, Sam Moore (of Sam & Dave), and Martha Reeves, according to WDIV-TV/Detroit.
Warwick said at the meeting, "This [bill] is basically allowing those dollars -- that are rightfully ours -- to be paid to us ... I will not allow them to take advantage of me."
      
       Michigan Association of Broadcasters President/CEO Karole White was also reportedly on hand at the meeting at Wayne State University, along with representatives of Radio One, Clear Channel, Greater Media, and CBS Radio/Detroit.

OPENING THIS WEEK: Kam's Kapsules: Weekly Previews That Make Choosing a Film Fun         
For movies opening June 5, 2009
by Kam Williams

BIG BUDGET FILMS

The Hangover (R for sexuality, nudity, drug and alcohol abuse and pervasive profanity) “What Happens in Vegas” comedy about three friends (Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms and Zach Galifianakis) of the groom-to-be (Justin Bartha) who throw a wild bachelor party in a suite at Caesar’s Palace only to have their pal disappear without a trace the day before the wedding. With Heather Graham, Mike Tyson, Jeffrey Tambor and Dr. Ken Jeong.  

Land of the Lost (PG-13 for profanity, sexuality, crude humor and a drug reference) Sci-fi comedy abut a trio of explorers (Will Ferrell, Danny McBride and Anna Friel) forced to survive by their wits after being sucked though a space-time vortex into a parallel universe filled with dinosaurs and other strange creatures. Cast includes Jorma Taccone, Douglas Tait and Bobb’e J. Thompson.

My Life in Ruins (PG-13 for sexuality) My Big Fat Greek Vacation. Nia Vardalos stars as a jaded, middle-aged American of Greek ancestry who gets her groove back while working as a tour guide in Athens when she falls in love with a local bus driver (Alexis Georgoulis). Cast includes Richard Dreyfuss, Rachel Dratch and Ian Ogilvy.

INDEPENDENT & FOREIGN FILMS

24 City (Unrated) Modernization mockumentary, set in Sichuan Province, shot from the diverse perspectives of nine interviewees representing three generations of Chinese whose lives are affected in different ways by the demolition of a military factory in Chengdu to make way for a complex of luxury apartments. Cast includes Joan Chen, Tao Zhao and Liping Lu. (In Mandarin and Shanghainese with subtitles)

The Art of Being Straight (Unrated) Homoerotic comedy about a ladies man (Jesse Rosen) who breaks up with his girlfriend only to end up in bed with his boss (Johnny Ray) after taking an entry-level position at an L.A. ad agency. With Jim Dineen, Rachel Castillo and Jared Grey.

Away We Go (R for profanity and sexuality) Road comedy chronicling the misadventures of an expecting couple (Maya Rudolph and Jon Krasinski) traveling around the country to find the perfect place to put down roots and start a family. Ensemble includes Maggie Gyllenhaal, Allison Janney and Catherine O’Hara.  

Ball Don’t Lie (Unrated) Hoop dreams drama about a 17 year-old white kid (Grayson Boucher) raised in the ‘hood by a prostitute (Rosanna Arquette) whose only hope of escaping the ghetto rests with making it to the NBA with the help of his cute girlfriend (Kim Hidalgo). Cast includes Nick Cannon, Melissa Leo, Harold Perrineau and Ludacris for street cred. 

Downloading Nancy (Unrated) Romantic thriller about a suicidal housewife (Maria Bello) who hires a hit man (Jason Patric) over the internet to kill her, only to fall in love with the handsome stranger when she meets him in person. With Rufus Sewell as the odd man out.    

Herb and Dorothy (Unrated) Salt-of-the-Earth bio-pic about the Vogels, a modest married couple with an eye for art who stupefied the experts by amassing a priceless contemporary collection containing over 4,000 pieces on the salaries of a postal clerk and a librarian. 

Kassim the Dream (Unrated) Boxing documentary chronicles the career of Junior Middleweight Champ Kassim Ouma who was pressed into service as a child soldier by rebels in his native Uganda from the age of 6 until he finally sought political asylum in the U.S. at the age of 18. 

Seraphine (Unrated) Warts-and-all bio-pic based on the life of Seraphine de Senlis (Yolande Moreau), the French maid-turned-folk artist who came to fame between the First and Second World Wars before dying friendless and penniless in obscurity on the psychiatric ward of an old folks home in 1942. (In French and German with subtitles)

Sugisball (Unrated) Ensemble drama, set in Estonia, explores the lonely existence of six jaded souls all living in the same impersonal housing development built during the Soviet Era. Cast includes Rain Tolk, Taavi Eelmaa, Juhan Ulfsak, Maarja Jakobson, Iris Persson and Mirtel Pohla. (In Estonian with subtitles)

Tennessee (R for profanity) Dysfunctional family drama about two brothers (Adam Rothenberg and Ethan Peck) who pick up a truck stop waitress (Mariah Carey) with an abusive husband (Lance Reddick) while en route from New Mexico to Tennessee where they hope to reconcile with their long-estranged father.

Unmistaken Child (Unrated) “Hello Dalai” documentary, set in 2001, retraces the worldwide search of a Buddhist monk for his new master, a boy under 4 years of age born with the reincarnated soul of his dearly-departed guru. (In English, Tibetan, Nepali and Hindi)

EUR MOTIVATIONAL NOTE

 "The only way to discover the limits of the possible is to go beyond them into the impossible." — Arthur C. Clarke
 
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS  

  June 5: Guitarist Fred Stone of Sly and the Family Stone is 63.
Singer Brian McKnight is 40.

       June 6: Record producer Jimmy Jam is 50. Singer Damion Hall of Guy is 41.

       June 7: Record producer L.A. Reid is 53. Musician Prince is 51.
Rapper Ecstasy of Whodini is 45.

WEBSITE OF THE WEEK
 
       Afromine.com was founded by artist Michael J. Riley for those interested in collectible original drawings, fine art and spiritual
poetry.(http://afromine.com)  

       Submit your favorite Web site to us along with a 15-20 word (or less) description to info@eurweb.com.     
 
BLACK HISTORY
  
   June 5, 1956: Federal court ruled that racial segregation on city buses in Montgomery, Alabama violated Constitution.

       June 6, 1790: Jean Baptist Pointe Desable, a French speaking Santo Domingo native, becomes the first permanent resident, and thus founder of Chicago.

       June 7, 1930: Respecting Negro demands, the "New York Times"
announced that the "N" in the word "Negro" would be henceforth capitalized in its pages. (Source: www.BlackFacts.com)