07-28-09 EUR ALL ON ONE PAGE
STEPHON MARBURY CRIES, EATS VASELINE: NBA free agent stars in marathon webcast; breaks down in tears during Kirk Franklin song.
*NBA free agent Stephon Marbury became emotional and began sobbing uncontrollably as he played Kirk Franklin’s “Lean On Me” during a live 24-hour video broadcast over the weekend – and that's just the tip of the iceberg.
Blog chatter has been pegging the NBA player as either certifiably insane, high on drugs or both following his marathon video session via JustinTV and UStream.
During one 20 minute span, Marbury went through his morning routine of stretching and doing crunches in front of his camera. He also danced in front of the mirror in his bedroom.
The athlete also suggested that he no longer cares about basketball,
stating: “No, I’m not the best player in the N.B.A. Kobe Bryant is the best player. I don’t care about the NBA. Those days are over with.”
Near the 24th hour of his continuous broadcast, Marbury stuck his finger in a tub of petroleum jelly, scooped some out and ate it off of his finger. He then said he wanted someone to write him a check for "a billion dollars" so he could start his own TV network "like Oprah."
See footage here.
OBAMA TO MEET WITH GATES & CROWLEY THIS WEEK: Plus, 911 caller never said the suspects were 'black.'
*President Obama will meet this week with Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. and Cambridge, Massachusetts, police officer James Crowley, who arrested Gates for disorderly conduct, the White House said Monday.
White House spokesman Robert Gibbs did not announce the date or time the three men will convene at the White House, reports CNN.
Last week, Obama said that he called Crowley, and "there was a discussion about he and I and Professor Gates having a beer here in the White House." Gibbs said: "I think it was Sergeant Crowley's suggestion about the beer, and I think the president thought it was a good idea."
Obama said he hoped the incident in Cambridge -- which quickly spiraled into a national, racially charged controversy -- "ends up being what's called a teachable moment" for the country. The president acknowledged that he had contributed to "ratcheting it up" by declaring that the police department had "acted stupidly" even though he didn't know all the facts of the case and is a personal friend of Gates.
Cambridge police had called on Obama to apologize for the remark.
Obama did not apologize, but in the phone call with Crowley he said his choice of words was "unfortunate."
Gates, a top African-American scholar, was arrested July 16 for disorderly conduct outside his home after police responded to a report of a possible burglary. The charge was later dropped.
In a CNN interview, Gates called himself the victim of a "rogue"
officer. But he said Friday he looks forward to meeting with Obama and Crowley, and to making the experience "a teaching moment to improve racial relations in America."
Meanwhile, the woman who made the 911 call that led to Gates' arrest never referred to black suspects when she called authorities for what she thought was a potential break-in.
Police in Cambridge, Massachusetts, released the 911 phone call Monday. In the call, Lucia Whalen reports seeing "two larger men, one looked kind of Hispanic, but I'm not really sure, and the other one entered, and I didn't see what he looked like at all."
"I just saw it from a distance, and this older woman was worried, thinking somebody's breaking in someone's house and barging in," Whalen says. "She interrupted me, and that's when I noticed. Otherwise, I probably wouldn't have noticed at all, to be honest with you."
Attorney Wendy Murphy, who represents Whalen, also categorically rejected part of the police report that said Whalen talked with Sgt. James Crowley, the arresting officer, at the scene.
"Let me be clear: She never had a conversation with Sgt. Crowley at the scene," Murphy told CNN. "And she never said to any police officer or to anybody 'two black men.' She never used the word 'black.' Period."
She added, "I'm not sure what the police explanation will be. Frankly, I don't care. Her only goal is to make it clear she never described them as black. She never saw their race. ... All she reported was behavior, not skin color."
In the police report, filed by Crowley, he says he spoke with Whalen outside the home before he approached Gates' house.
"She went on to tell me that she observed what appeared to be two black males with backpacks on the porch of Ware Street," the report says.
"She told me that her suspicions were aroused when she observed one of the men wedging his shoulder into the door as if he was trying to force entry."
Murphy also disputed accounts of her client as a white woman in the traditional sense. "The fact is, she's olive-skinned and of Portuguese descent. You wouldn't look at her and say, necessarily, 'Oh, there's a white woman.' You might think she was Hispanic," Murphy said.
Speaking to CNN, Murphy said she was trying to clear Whalen's name after she's come under attack by bloggers and in chat rooms, accused of racial profiling when she first called police. She said Whalen is "devastated" by such characterizations because she is sensitive about such issues because of her own complexion. Whalen worked down the street and was on her lunch break when she called police.
"She just wants to clear her name. She doesn't want to create more controversy," Murphy said. "She falls outside the plain lines of race, and I think she wanted people to know that."
KANYE, SALT & PEPA SONGS IN NEW 'GLEE' EPISODE: Producers reveal secrets of upcoming season at Comic-Con.
*Kanye West's "Golddigger," Salt-n-Pepa's "Push It" and Rihanna's "Take a Bow" are among the songs getting prominent airtime in the anticipated second episode of new Fox sitcom "Glee."
The cast and producers behind the popular show, which premiered in May after "American Idol" and is set to return for its new season in September, unveiled the second episode Saturday for thousands of fans at Comic-Con, reports the Associated Press.
Future episodes will include songs from Van Halen, Barbra Streisand and the Rolling Stones and feature appearances by guest stars such as Kristen Chenowith, Josh Groban, Victor Garber and Eve, producers said.
Expect three to seven songs an episode, they said.
Producers also announced that a soundtrack will be available in November and that the cast plans to visit 10 cities in the fall to meet fans and promote the musical-comedy series.
THE-DREAM ANNOUNCES FINAL SOLO ALBUM: Artist tweets he will continue producing for other artists; but it's a wrap for him.
*Singer/songwriter The-Dream has announced via Twitter that his next studio album, Love King," will be his last.
"I am engaged and 'Love King' IS going to be my LAST album!" he tweeted on July 23.
In a subsequent post, The-Dream explained, "It is going to be [his] last bcuz, everybody is trying to 'KILL THE DREAM!' [The Dream is] the ONLY one that can end [his] career," although he did clarify he "will still be producing, writing, and featuring on other artist albums though."
The-Dream is reportedly in the studio with Mariah Carey, working on her upcoming album, "Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel," among others, reports Billboard. The first single, "Obsessed," co-written and produced by Carey, The-Dream and Christopher "Tricky" Stewart is currently No. 28 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts.
During a video interview with Vlad.tv, The-Dream said he has finished recording three additional records for the deluxe edition of his sophomore album, "Love Vs. Money," although no release date has been announced yet.
The singer talked about his desire to add songs that would make the album "more upbeat 'cause it was a real dark album," stating that one of the new tracks is titled "Hit In On The Road," a "real fun" record.
"Love King," meanwhile, is due later this year.
J.LO NOT REPLACING PAULA ON 'IDOL': Plus, Lopez has star-studded 40th birthday celebration.
*Jennifer Lopez is denying reports that she’s being considered to replace "American Idol" judge Paula Abdul on the upcoming eighth season.
A rep for Lopez tells People.com, “The rumor of Jennifer Lopez throwing herself in the ring to take over for Paula Abdul is completely false. Jennifer loves Idol but just as a fan. She just wrapped the feature film The Back-Up Plan, due out January 2010, and will release an album then as well.”
The J.Lo rumors come in the wake of Abdul's rep announcing that she may not return next season because contract negotiations have stalled.
Rumors of Lopez replacing Abdul ramped up after she was spotted having dinner with "Idol" host Ryan Seacrest at Madeo in Los Angeles earlier this month. Seacrest told paparazzi outside that “Jennifer and Paula would be a hell of a combination” on the show.
Meanwhile, Lopez had more celebrations to mark her 40th birthday over the weekend. On Friday, she had a dinner party at Greenwich Village's Hotel Griffou, followed by a celebrity-filled bash on Saturday night thrown by her husband Marc Anthony at midtown Manhattan's Edison Ballroom.
Dubbed "An Evening For Lola" – a nod to Anthony's nickname for his wife – the bash was attended by sister Lynda, mom Guadelupe, manager Benny Medina, as well as BFF Leah Remini. Other guests included Liza Minnelli, Gayle King, Australian actor Alex O'Loughlin, New York Mets player Carlos Beltran and music mogul LA Reid, reports People.com.
Lopez and Anthony rolled up to the spot in a Bentley. Sporting a Grecian-inspired gown, she met with fans outside the venue who were standing behind barricades across the street, which had been closed to traffic.
"Jen was in an amazing mood and was just so excited about seeing all the fans [and] the marquee outside the Edison that said, 'An Evening For Lola.' She was really energized," says a source, adding: "Jennifer was the belle of the ball. She was glowing, and just radiating happiness. She really had a great time."
When it came to the party, "It was a glamorous setting, with white flowers around. Very classy. Everyone had a really good time, and it was a nice mix of her family, business associates and her friends."
As for Lopez and her husband, the source says, "They were affectionate with each other and obviously loving the night. Marc's arm was around Jennifer a lot, they'd give each other pecks on the face every now and then.
She was clearly pleased with how the night went."
KELIS TWEETS ABOUT BIRTH OF SON: 'I was in labor for 3 of the longest most painful days of my life.'
*Kelis took to her Twitter page Thursday to discuss the labor pains she endured during the birth of her son Knight.
“I was in labor for 3 of the longest most painful days of my life,"
she tweeted. "I don’t understand when women say they don’t remember giving birth. I will remember for the rest of my life. He’s kinda perfect [by the way] :)”
The 29-year-old singer, who sent the tweet just hours after giving birth, also called her son “7.8 pounds of the greatest stuff on earth.” She said motherhood is “so amazing. I’m at a loss for words.”
A few hours later, Kelis sent an update saying she and her son were heading home: “Me [and] Knight are takin’ our first car ride today! Woohoo!”
Knight is the first child for Kelis and the second for her estranged husband Nas, who is already dad to 15-year-old Destiny, from a previous relationship.
DIDDY'S ATL RESTAURANT WANTED BY TAX MAN: Mogul has explanations for owing more than 7 thousand in federal taxes.
*The IRS has its sights on Sean "Diddy" Combs' Atlanta spot Justin's Restaurant, claiming it owes $7,373 in federal taxes, reports the Detroit News citing public records.
The restaurant, named in honor of his son, opened in 1998 and specializes in upscale Southern and Caribbean cuisine. An identically named restaurant in New York City closed a few years ago.
The Internal Revenue Service filed the tax lien against Diddy's ATL joint on May 18. A rep for the mogul blamed the tax debt on a series of errors. First, the IRS was sending notices to the restaurant’s old corporate address in New York -- one which hasn’t been used in about 10 years.
"The new address was on file with the IRS, so it is surprising this happened," the spokesman said.
Second, the company that handles payroll tax payments for Justin's apparently underpaid the IRS for taxes in 2007.
After being notified about the lien by The Tax Watchdog, Combs’
representatives reportedly wrote out a $7,373 check to pay it off, said Combs' spokesman.
MJ ALREADY DEAD WHEN PARAMEDICS ARRIVED?: TMZ makes this claim and also says Dr. Murray insisted singer be taken to the hospital anyway.
*TMZ.com is citing law enforcement sources who say that Michael Jackson was already dead when paramedics arrived at his home following a 911 call, but that his personal physician Conrad Murray insisted that he be taken to the hospital anyway.
Citing multiple sources, TMZ says paramedics wanted to pronounce the King of Pop dead at the scene, but Dr. Murray – as a higher medical authority than the EMTs – had the power to overrule them.
Investigators are said to be probing a theory that Dr. Murray administered Propofol to the singer and then left the room, eventually to return to a dead body. Paramedics reportedly arrived to find Jackson with an IV in his arm, an IV stand nearby along with an empty IV bag and oxygen tank.
TMZ says paramedics who arrived on scene say Dr. Murray's conduct was "strange" -- he was "hard to deal with" and was "getting in the way" of emergency responders.
Also, paramedics didn't realize for nearly 10 minutes the victim was Michael Jackson, TMZ claims. As one emergency worker put it: "It just looked like a frail, old, sickly man."
CLEAR CHANNEL SUPPORTS MINORITY RADIO OWNERSHIP: Company donates stations in effort to boost diversity in media ownership.
*New Mexico Business Weekly is reporting that Clear Channel has donated radio stations and equipment to the Minority Media and Telecommunications Council as part of a move to increase diversity in media ownership.
Clear Channel Radio will donate several AM stations to the council through the MMTC-Clear Channel Ownership Diversity Initiative. Initially, Clear Channel Radio plans to donate AM radio stations KYHN in Fort Smith, Ark.; WTFX in Winchester, Va.; KMFX in Rochester, Minn.; and WHJA in Laurel, Miss.
The council will work with the National Association of Broadcasters
(NAB) Education Foundation’s Broadcast Leadership Training Program to use these radio stations for training purposes as well as incubate a new generation of minority and women broadcast owners, says David Honig, president and executive director of the council.
For years, Honig and the council have been pressing their case before the Federal Communications Commission for regulators to award more station licenses to minority and women investors.
“Clear Channel Radio’s generosity and support creates an enormous opportunity not only for our own training programs, but for minority and women broadcasters who would not otherwise have the means to operate their own stations,” Honig says. “We look forward to working with Clear Channel through this ongoing program to promote diversity in radio broadcasting.”
The Minority Media and Telecommunications Council is a nonpartisan and nonprofit organization that works to promote equality and civil rights in the mass media and telecommunications industries.
OMER BHATTI DENIES BEING MJ'S LOVE CHILD: Dancer, 25, says singer was nothing more than a 'best friend.'
*Michael Jackson is not the biological father of Omer Bhatti, the 25-year-old dancer who appeared in the front row of the singer's funeral, sparking tabloid reports that he is the King of Pop's secret love child.
Bhatti, who's now living back in his native Norway, insists that Jackson was nothing more than a "best friend," reports London's "Daily Mail."
Omer had moved to the singer's Neverland Ranch with his family in 1996. His mother Pia was employed as a nanny, while his dad Huayoun was taken on as a driver.
BLACKSINGLES.COM BEHIND NEW FILM: 'Speed-Dating' described as a full-length romantic comedy.
*BlackSingles.com, an online community for African-American singles, is teaming up with the speed dating event company HurryDate to support a feature-length romantic comedy from Eizzil Entertainment.
Due in 2010, "Speed-Dating" will be promoted via a national tour through 12 major cities. The first BlackSingles.com HurryDate event will be a kick-off party in Los Angeles featuring members of the "Speed-Dating" cast at ONE Sunset on July 30th.
In addition to daters getting the chance to meet likeminded singles through five minute speed dates while enjoying drink specials and dancing, they will get to mingle with the "Speed Dating" film actors.
To sign up for one of the BlackSingles.com HurryDate events in a city near you, visiting: www.hurrydate.com/blacksingles, http://www.BlackSingles.com or www.speed-datingmovie.com.
NICOLE RICHIE TO NAME BABY AFTER MIJAC?: Celebrity reportedly wants to pay tribute to her late godfather.
*Nicole Richie is reportedly planning to honor her late godfather Michael Jackson by naming her unborn child after him, according to Star magazine.
The adopted daughter of pop legend Lionel Richie remained close to the King of Pop until he died of a cardiac arrest last month. Star cites friends of the star who say she's planning to mark his death by giving her second child his name -- Michael for a boy and Michelle for a girl.
A source tells Star magazine, "Nicole is devastated by Michael's death. She loved him and it happened so suddenly. She wasn't planning on naming the baby after him, but she thinks it's fitting now that he's gone."
Richie is due to give birth to her second child with partner Joel Madden in the fall. The pair has a 1-year-old daughter, Harlow.
SPIKE LEE TALKS FREEDOM OF PRESS IN VENEZUELA: Filmmaker also discusses Michael Jackson during visit to screen 'Do the Right Thing.'
*Spike Lee supported the concept of a free press during a visit Friday to Venezuela, where broadcasters are under pressure to avoid criticizing President Hugo Chavez’s leftist government.
Without specifically referring to the dispute in Venezuela, Lee said there are “no circumstances” under which news media should be silenced.
The filmmaker was in the country to screen his 1989 film “Do The Right Thing” and met with fans to discuss race relations, his career and the late Michael Jackson, as well as the importance of free speech, of which he said he is “a firm believer."
“It’s my opinion that there are no circumstances where the media should be shut down,” he said to loud applause. “I’m not talking about any country specifically, but globally.”
Chavez has increasingly clashed with Venezuela’s private media, endorsing plans to revoke the licenses of 240 radio stations after officials said they didn’t update their registrations. Regulators also have begun a series of investigations into Globovision — the only strongly anti-Chavez TV channel on the open airwaves — that could lead to its closure.
As for Michael Jackson, Lee reminisced about making the music video “They Don’t Care About Us” with the King of Pop in Brazil. In the video, Jackson performs in a Rio de Janeiro shantytown as the Brazilian group Olodum beats drums in the background.
Street vendors in Venezuela’s capital have been playing the video regularly since Jackson’s death June 25.
“I’m one of the billions of people who miss him dearly,” Lee said.
MARIAH, DIDDY, WAYNE ALBUMS DELAYED: Amerie's project also among anticipated new albums pushed back.
*Some of the most highly-anticipated albums of the summer have been delayed, including Mariah Carey's "Memoirs of An imperfect Angel," Sean "Diddy" Combs' "Last Train To Paris" and Lil Wayne's rock and roll album "Rebirth," reports Billboard.
"Memoirs," was originally due on Aug 25, but will now be released via Island Def Jam on Sept. 15, according to the Universal Music Group business-to-business website. Carey's new single, "Obsessed," is at No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 this week.
Diddy said via a video interview with MTV News last week that his project's been delayed partially because it's "Jay-Z time and Drake time -- enjoy those guys. But the 'Train' is coming, baby," he warns. "Get your ticket, you don't want to be left out."
Lil Wayne's label publicist confirmed to Billboard.com that his release date has also been moved, although a new date hasn't been scheduled yet. "Rebirth" was last slated for a June 23rd street date.
In addition, Amerie's long-awaited return, "In Love & War," which was originally slated for an Aug. 11 release, will now be available on Sept.
8th. Lead single, "Why R U," reaches No. 62 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart this week.
MICHAEL VICK COULD TAKE THE FIELD IN OCTOBER: NFL commissioner cleared for preseason; could play this fall if a team will take him.
*Michael Vick was conditionally reinstated by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell on Monday and may see playing time during the regular season as early as October, reports the Associated Press.
The quarterback can immediately participate in preseason practices, workouts and meetings and can play in the final two preseason games -- if he can find a team that will sign him. However, several teams have already said they would not.
"Needless to say, your margin for error is extremely limited," Goodell said in a letter to Vick. "I urge you to take full advantage of the resources available to support you and to dedicate yourself to rebuilding your life and your career. If you do this, the NFL will support you."
Goodell suspended Vick indefinitely in August 2007 after the former Atlanta Falcons QB admitted financing the "Bad Newz Kennels" dogfighting operation. Goodell said then that Vick must show remorse and signs that he has changed before he would consider reinstating him.
Once the season begins, Vick may participate in all team activities except games, and Goodell said he would consider Vick for full reinstatement by Week 6 (Oct. 18-19).
"I would like to express my sincere gratitude and appreciation to commissioner Goodell for allowing me to be readmitted to the National Football League," Vick said through agent Joel Segal. "I fully understand that playing football in the NFL is a privilege, not a right, and I am truly thankful for the opportunity I have been given.
"As you can imagine, the last two years have given me time to re-evaluate my life, mature as an individual and fully understand the terrible mistakes I have made in the past and what type of life I must lead moving forward.
"Again, I want to thank the commissioner for the chance to return to the game I love and the opportunity to become an example of positive change."
EUR DVD REVIEW: An American Affair
JFK Becomes Embroiled in Unsavory Triangle in Historical Drama
DVD Review by Kam Williams
*While President Kennedy was in office, the press apparently turned the other way while he was cheating on Jackie with Marilyn Monroe and other girlfriends.
Those days were very different from the present when everything is fair game, and it’s always up to a loyal wife to save the political career of her philandering husband, like First Lady Hillary did for Bill Clinton repeatedly.
An American Affair, set in Washington, D.C. in 1963, revolves around an implausible love triangle involving JFK, a beautiful divorcee (Gretchen Mol) and a 13 year-old boy (Cameron Bright).
At the point of departure we meet Adam in uniform at his Catholic school, where he is obviously unhappy about being bullied. Soon thereafter, we see the lonely latchkey kid letting himself into his home in Georgetown, since both of his parents (Perrey Reeves and Noah Wyle) are employed as journalists. Then, just while he’s enjoying a layout in the latest issue of Playboy, he looks out the window and lo and behold is treated to the sight of his gorgeous, new next-door neighbor undressing.
This fortuitous development turns Adam into a Peeping Tom till he summons up the courage to introduce himself to the object of his affection. The excuse he uses to approach Catherine is that he needs a job to raise money for a school trip to Europe. Aware of his barely-contained crush, she decides to hire him as her gardener.
However, this only serves to escalate his obsession to the level of stalking. Now monitoring the inside of her apartment with a camera, he can’t help but notice that his competition is the President. He even sneaks in one day to read her journal only to end up watching them make love from inside Catherine’s closet.
The entire kinky scenario unfolds against the backdrop of the Cuban Missile Crisis, and it gradually becomes clear that Castro might be planning a little revenge in Dallas. Regrettably, JFK was too busy sowing his wild oats to listen to a mistress trying to pass along a warning from an earnest CIA operative.
Brace yourself for a bittersweet sendoff, since the prognosis is likely tragic for a wayward woman not only sleeping with the President but entertaining the advances of a minor to boot. A flick for Kennedy assassination conspiracy buffs which puts a whole new spin on the phrase “grassy knoll” courtesy of the flamboyance of a nearly-naked Gretchen Mol.
Very Good (3 stars)
Rated R for nudity, sexuality and profanity.
Running time: 93 minutes
Studi Screen Media Films
DVD Extras: Deleted and extended scenes.
To see a trailer for An American Affair, visit:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wVS3B99tsU
EUR DVD REVIEW: Miss March
Girl Next-Door Becomes Playboy Playmate in Raunchy Teensploit Released on DVD
DVD Review by Kam Williams
*High school seniors Eugene Pratt (Zach Cregger) and Tucker Cleigh (Trevor Moore) are best friends, despite the fact that the former is a celibate nerd, while the latter is a popular player who openly boasts openly about having already slept with a dozen different women.
Eugene and his girlfriend, Cindi Whitehall (Raquel Alessi) have agreed to abstinence, because his big brother got a woman pregnant the first time he had sex.
But since they’re about to graduate, Cindi suggests that they make love the night of the Prom. Eugene reluctantly agrees, but then gets so drunk on Jack Daniels that he spoils the big moment by falling down a flight of stairs and ending up in a coma.
Much has changed by the time he comes around four years later when Cindi just happens to be naked in the current issue of Playboy Magazine where she is featured as Playmate of the Month.
Furthermore, she’s living out in L.A. at the Playboy Mansion with Hugh Hefner and the rest of his harem. And to add insult to injury, Eugene learns that she’s no longer a virgin from a former classmate-turned-gangsta’ rapper who goes by the monicker Horsedick MPEG (Craig Robinson).
The foulmouthed MPEG has catchy hit songs at the top of the charts with titles like “I’m going to [f-word] a white bitch” and “Suck my [d-word] while I [f-word] that [a-word]. Charming. One of the most reprehensible African-American characters in the history of cinema, he actually celebrates that fans were killed at his CD release party.
Even more disgusting is the scene where, upon learning that Eugene is still a virgin, he orders Crystal (Tanjareen Martin) a woman in his entourage to “Get in here and have sex with this dude.” Sadly, the attractive sister simply obliges, immediately taking off her top to try to seduce the stranger, only to die suddenly when an act of God intervenes. .
This is no surprise, since it’s obvious that Eugene is supposed to save himself for his long-lost sweetheart. Will Cindi see the error of her ways and want Eugene back, or has she been irreversibly turned into a wanton blonde bimbo only too willing to be seen as a sex object? Who cares?
This relentlessly insulting and offensive flick attempts to redeem itself with 11th-hour moralizing after every frame up to the end had been a wholesale celebration of the debasement of females and the stereotyping of blacks as depraved? I‘m done.
Poor (0 stars)
Rated R for nudity, sexuality, drug use, pervasive profanity, and crude humor.
Running time: 91 minutes
Studi Fox Home Entertainment
DVD Extras: Unrated version of film, Fox trailers, viral videos, two auditions and a “Down and Dirty” music featurette.
To see a trailer for Miss March, visit:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcdpDwzDaGU
THE BRIDGE: More Top Ten Random Thoughts
By: Darryl James
*There’s a lot going on in the news lately. Death, childbirth, rumors and criminal charges. Some of it has my head spinning and some of it has my stomach churning. But all of it is being talked about, so I’m going to toss in my two cents.
In no particular order, here are my Top Ten Random Thoughts for this week:
More Top Ten Random Thoughts:
1. I was sad indeed to hear about the passing of my fraternity brother, best-selling author E. Lynn Harris.
Harris paved the way for self-publishing authors to be taken seriously and to bridge themselves to the next phase of their career. As for his talent, I didn’t particularly care for the subject matter he wrote about most, but was still strongly drawn to his writing style and read his work anyway. I wanted him to write mysteries, because I love that genre and loved his writing style. He was too young a talent to leave so soon.
2. I’m about sick of losers talking about Michael Jackson.
I didn’t want to say too much while people were still mourning, but many of the so-called “fans” were the same people who had written him off as a child molester and claimed that his career was over. Now, after crying their eyes out, they are all proclaiming themselves his number one fan.
3. How crazy is it that Nas has to shell out more than half a million dollars per year to his estranged wife Kelis?
$44,000 per month is an awful lot of money for one woman and one child. Of course he should support her and the baby, especially if she isn’t working and he has been the breadwinner. I haven’t heard anything from Kelis since “Milkshake.” But why does the settlement have to come in like a lottery ticket just because he has it?
4. I need some of these goofy Black people to decide what they want from President Obama.
Let’s be clear: Barack Obama is the president of the United States, not the president of Black people. And since there is no general consensus from Black people in terms of what we expect from him, how about we just let him do his damned job and focus on trying to fix the nation’s economic nightmare?
5. If the bonehead gay people who responded to my piece on gay racism (“Gay Racism Must End”) are the best the gay community has, they are in some serious trouble.
A bunch of rotten brained gay “activists” decided to email me and post to message boards to tell me I am wrong about gays being silly to blame Blacks for the gay marriage initiative failing. Okay, let’s get this straight—I don’t have a problem with you doing your thing, but I don’t owe you anything to help you get it. And just because you say I’m homophobic doesn’t mean I have any fear. How about either using critical reasoning to make a convincing argument or focus on getting more gay people to support your cause? We don’t call on you for support and you need to not harass us. Some Blacks are gay and some gays are Black—we know that, now move on.
6. How sad is it that Vernon Forrest lost his life after giving money to a person he thought was in need?
I’m a huge advocate of providing spare change for people in need, but I have to admit, I won’t be doling out cash at the gas station anytime soon. Forrest was only 38 years old. He was approached by a man asking for money and his act of kindness went insanely and tragically awry.
7. If the stupid cops who arrested Henry Gates weren’t acting stupidly, the president wouldn’t have said they were acting stupidly.
I’m not mad at the cops for coming to the scene. It’s happened to me before. But once you show that you are the person who lives in the house, they need to move on to the next donut shop. There was obviously something else going on and since this tree didn’t fall in the forest, many of us hear it loud and clear.
8. Michael Jackson’s personal doctor, Dr. Conrad Murray may soon be running a jailhouse clinic.
C’mon dude—you’re living in the house with Jackson and you give him a powerful drug and then leave the room? What did you think? The horrible possibilities were endless and as a doctor, you should have known better. I think this guy was just so happy to be Michael Jackson’s doctor that he would have done anything the singer told him to do. That’s just sad.
9. What a surprise that Michael Vick was reinstated by the NFL commissioner and may actually play as early as October.
America loves its dogs (sometimes more than people), so his reinstatement was quite a shocker. However, there is no shock to learn that both the NY Giants and the NY Jets have expressed a lack of interest in Vick.
10. Who the hell was surprised that Sarah Palin was embroiled in an ethics scandal that forced her to leave the Alaska governor’s mansion?
The woman was a fluke to begin with. I never thought she was the sharpest pencil in the box and I was less than impressed with the beauty people kept referring to. What I am impressed with is the fact that we may finally be hearing the last from this foolish woman who helped the Republican Party make a foolish mess of itself.
As random as they are, those are my top ten thoughts for this week. Please feel free to add your own.
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: Unofficially Committed
*With the passing of each generation it seems the term ‘committed relationship’ moves farther away from what it used to be.
Marriage, in its traditional connotation, is when two mature heterosexual people publically avow to live together in love and harmony with a legal and binding document called a marriage certificate.
According to a Time Magazine report, more than 5 million unmarried couples cohabit in the United States. That’s nearly eight times the statistic in 1970. Also, forty percent of babies born in
2007 had unmarried parents, up 25% since 2002.
So if couples are willing to go half on living expenses and a baby, what could be holding them back from walking down the matrimonial isle? If you like the cow so much that you taste the milk on the regular, you might as well put a contract on it, right?
My first thought is fear: Fear of the unknown or fear that their relationship could end like most others in America – in divorce court.
Then there are those people who say they don’t need a marriage certificate to create commitment for them. And the money they save on a wedding is better used to pay for the cost of living and child care.
You can’t argue with that.
But if two people care enough about each other to do all the things that married people do – and they’ve been doing it successfully for years – they should make it official.
For those couples trying to avoid the legal consequences of a failed marriage, they might be surprised to learn that some state laws consider them to be married because of the amount of time they have lived together as a couple, and they are parties in a common law marriage contract.
You can run but you can’t hide.
Send questions, comments or requests for speaking engagements to Steffanie at teamtcbadvertising@hotmail.com. And view the video version of her journal at youtube.com/steffanierivers.
THE ILL PROFESSORS: Visible Life, Remembering E. Lynn Harris
*This week, Phill Boogie remembers E. Lynn Harris. He shares a little bit of his personal experience with E. Lynn’s work and how it impacted his life. Randy Bandit also wishes to express his respect for and condolences to Mr. Harris’ loved ones.
I’d never had a physical reaction to a book before. I’d always been an avid reader. As a child, I spent many afternoons communing with friends reading Encyclopedia Brown. In high school I moved on to James Baldwin, Malcolm X and Donald Goines. Still, while I had emotional reactions to many of the books that I spent time with, I’d never physically responded.
I moved to Los Angeles a few months after graduating from Hampton University. Saying that I “moved” is actually a generous description of my arrival in L.A. I was a squatter. I had very little money and stayed on the floor of my friends’ apartment. The whole experience was overwhelming. Beyond the ordinary adjustments we all make after leaving the nest, I became increasingly restless with myself as I struggled with my identity.
I wanted to start over in L.A., but it’s hard to do that when so much of your past still lingers in your present. I was a popular guy at Hampton. Literally, I was voted “most popular” the week before graduation. I pledged. I was class president. I was “that” guy.
I was also lonely as hell. I was trapped between two worlds. In my public life, I was confident, smart and affable. Privately, I was uncertain.
Instead of starting over in Los Angeles, I found myself having to be “that” guy again. Surrounded by old schoolmates, I was crushed by the weight of expectation of being what I’d imagined people wanted and needed me to be. I didn’t know what it would take to jump start my real life, as opposed to the imagined one I’d created. Oddly enough, it wasn’t some spiritual event that helped push me forward. It was a rent payment.
My first apartment in L.A. was a shared three bedroom in a complex called Park LaBrea. Park LaBrea is not cheap. My roommates and I wanted to live in Venice Beach like the cast of “The Real World;”
but one look at the then dusty Venice neighborhoods, sent us headed towards greener and too expensive pastures. One night, as I was writing my rent check, I realized that there was no way I needed to be paying this much money to live in hiding.
I came out.
It was a slow process. It started with my roommates and a couple of friends. Still, even after taking that step, I was uneasy. What had I done? I knew that I’d changed the course of my life and wasn’t quite prepared for the consequences. I thought I would be less lonely and freer; but I felt more trapped. I felt exposed and I didn’t have anyone to talk to; at least not anyone who I thought would understand.
My friend Danielle, one of the people whose floor I’d once slept on, recommended that I read a book called Invisible Life, by this guy named E. Lynn Harris. She told me it would help, but I was resistant.
I had led a “normal” life I thought. I wasn’t teased, or ostracized and made to feel different in the way that I’d heard most gay men had been. I didn’t think Invisible Life could do anything for me. However, weeks later, I found myself in the bookstore looking for it.
It’s hard to imagine now, but I was actually nervous about picking the book up. What if someone I knew walked up on me? How would I explain? I crept up on the book as if we were playing hide and seek.
I went to the store a couple times before I finally bought it. I went home, jumped on to my foam, eggshell temporary mattress and began reading.
About twenty pages into the book, I’d cried, laughed and gotten an erection. I felt like I’d been under surveillance for the last five years of my life and someone told my story. When I read of his protagonist Raymond’s fear of everyone knowing he’d just had his first gay experience, my stomach was in knots. Raymond contemplated the humiliation his family and fraternity brothers would feel. He’s consumed with paranoia and goes as far as considering dropping out of school.
E. Lynn was writing my life.
After reading that one paragraph of Raymond’s morning-after, fear laden regret, I literally threw the book against the wall. I let it sit there on the floor for a while. All of the feelings I had after my first experience came rushing back to me. I too, felt sick the next day. I thought that everyone was looking at me. I was so physically ill; my father had to pick me up from school. It was the flu, I told everyone. I almost did not go back to school the next semester.
After taking a moment to process the idea of not being alone and having what I now knew was a shared experience, I picked the book back up. By the time I finished it a couple hours later, my life was changed. While I can appreciate depictions of gay life that explore the perspective of people who are immersed in the culture, E. Lynn’s books were more representative of my experience. His books were about the whole person, as opposed to just the individual parts.
I am a man; a black man, an educated black man, a son, brother and writer. I am many things including being gay. E. Lynn’s work, especially his first two books, examines what it means to be all of those things and the difficulty in finding balance. Invisible Life didn’t give me answers, but it gave me hope. It gave me the courage to be able to write this piece and not be afraid.
E. Lynn Harris will be remembered in many different ways. For some he will be the author who exposed women to the “D.L.” For others he will be a commercially successful author who opened doors. I had an opportunity to tell him how much his work means to me. I’m sure he’s heard this a million times over. Still, he responded like he’d heard this for the first time and was appreciative of my admiration.
We call everyone a pioneer, or a legend nowadays and it’s become a bit pedestrian. Instead, I’ll be more personal and say E. Lynn Harris was a gift. I am thankful that he shared a piece of himself with the world and I hope that his work and life continues to be an inspiration.
~Phill Boogie
To hear more, please visit illprofessors.com and listen to our podcasts on literature, film and music. Subscribe and please leave comments. This article is courtesy of Written Magazine and appears in a special insert honoring E. Lynn Harris.
TURNER’S TWO CENTS: TOP COPS CRITICIZE CROWLEY
By Cameron Turner
OBAMA OWES NO APOLOGY
*Police unions in Cambridge, Massachusetts and elsewhere should be content with President Obama’s conditional retraction of his original comments on the arrest of Dr. Henry Louis Gates.
Personally, I think Mr. Obama was accurate when he said the Cambridge cops “acted stupidly” when they arrested Dr. Gates at his own house on a clearly trumped-up disorderly conduct charge. But, as President, Mr. Obama should have been more diplomatic in his phrasing.
On the other hand, the President was mad because an American citizen was wrongfully arrested – under circumstances that hinted at possible racial bias. Every American should all feel angry when that happens.
Mr. Obama lost no time in re-phrasing his criticism. In an ABC News interview and then in a brief appearance in the White House press room, the President acknowledged that both Dr. Gates and Sgt. Crowley became overly emotional. But, Mr. Obama stood firm (appropriately) on his assertion that Gates should not have been arrested. He even called Crowley and Gates personally and invited them to discuss the incident over a beer at the White House.
The President has gone the extra mile to cool this thing out.
Now, it’s time for the police to be accountable.
President Obama does not owe America’s police an apology. But Sgt. Crowley, the Cambridge Police Department and their backers should apologize to Dr. Gates and to the American People. Why? Because Sgt.
Crowley was wrong and he alone bears the legal responsibility for this terrible and unnecessary incident which may have worsened complicated police-community relations nationwide.
COPS SAY CROWLEY WAS WRONG
Sgt. Crowley’s conduct has been publicly criticized by police professionals from across the U.S., including active and retired chiefs and cops-turned educators. For example:
-- Miami Police Chief John Timoney told New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd: “There’s a fine line between disorderly conduct and freedom of speech. It can get tough out there, but I tell my officers, ‘Don’t make matters worse by throwing handcuffs on someone. Bite your tongue and just leave.’ ”
-- San Jose, California’s retired police chief, Joseph McNamara, told the Los Angeles Times: “The law is clear. You can’t be guilty of disorderly conduct simply because you are saying bad things to a police officer.”
-- Jon Shane, 17-year veteran of the Newark, N.J. police department who teaches at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City, tells TIME magazine, “…a police officer can't go out and lock you up for disorderly conduct because you were disrespectful toward them. The First Amendment allows you to say pretty much anything to the police. You could tell them to go (expletive) themselves and that's fine."
-- Norm Stamper, ex-chief of the Seattle PD, told the L.A. Times that Sgt. Crowley “lured (Gates) outside…and cuffed him up.” Stamper added that Dr. Gates’ anger at Crowley was typical of “a true American” with “a healthy skepticism about authority.”
Dr. Richard Weinblatt, a former North Carolina police chief who oversees the education of would-be police officers as director of Central Ohio Technical College’s Institute for Public Safety, studied Crowley’s arrest report and concluded that the sergeant provoked Dr.
Gates by continuing to question him after he established that Gates was inside the house legally. Weinblatt wrote on his blog
(http://richardweinblatt.blogspot.com): “While perhaps the Professor was overly agitated, it was the police presence that was creating the agitation. Remove the police presence, and the agitation is gone.”
Weinblatt believes that Sgt. Crowley lost sight of his duty as a peace officer.
“We in policing are supposed to be professional problem solvers…We are supposed to deescalate situations even if it means walking away,” Weinblatt writes. “While I believe in officer discretion, I do not believe that it was executed wisely here. I feel that (Sgt. Crowley) should have seen that the big picture of what we do and why we are here was forgotten for the heat of the moment. We in law enforcement are supposed to be above that.”
Weinblatt believes that Sgt. Crowley’s actions will damage the public image of police, making it harder for cops to do their jobs.
He closes his blog by lamenting: “Officers nationwide will have to contend with folks that have yet another seed of discontent with law enforcers. All because the big picture was not heeded here.”
Defending Crowley at this point is stubborn, thin-skinned and, perhaps, agenda-driven. So, instead of sweating the President for an undeserved apology, police unions in Cambridge and elsewhere should admit that Sgt. Crowley messed up and then go about reassuring the public that emotional, unprofessional reactions will not be accepted from our men and women in blue.
Thanks for listening. I’m Cameron Turner and that’s my two cents.
THINK! IT AIN’T ILLEGAL…YET!
Cameron Turner is a veteran entertainment reporter and columnist based in Monrovia, CA. Contact him at turnerstwocents@verizon.net and read more of his “Turner’s Two Cents” editorials at www.UrbanThoughtCollective.com.
EUR MOTIVATIONAL NOTE
"There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure." — Colin Powell
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
July 28: Singer Afroman is 35. Rapper Soulja Boy is 19.
WEBSITE OF THE WEEK
Mocha Moms Online is a support group for mothers of color who have chosen not to work full-time outside of the home in order to devote more time to their families and communities: www.mochamoms.org/
Submit your favorite Web site to us along with a 15-20 word (or
less) description to info@eurweb.com.
BLACK HISTORY
July 28, 1915: Ten thousand blacks marched in silence down Fifth Avenue in New York City to protest lynchings and racial indignities.
(Source: www.BlackFacts.com)
