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08-19-09 EUR ALL ON ONE PAGE
DR. CONRAD MURRAY TAKES TO YOUTUBE: 'I have faith the truth will prevail,' he says in the 60 second clip.
*Michael Jackson's personal physician Dr. Conrad Murray has posted a short clip on YouTube thanking supporters as he continues to be the primary focus of a manslaughter investigation. [Click here to watch http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1bjDWRJx9I&feature=player_embedded]
In the one-minute video, the doctor thanks friends and patients and refers to his two interviews with Los Angeles police detectives. It was the first time Murray had spoken publicly since Jackson died June 25.
"I have done all I could do," a solemn-sounding Murray says as he looks into the camera. "I told the truth and I have faith the truth will prevail."
According to the AP, the video was recorded last week at a private residence in Houston, said Miranda Sevcik, the spokeswoman for Murray's lawyer.
After Jackson died, Murray received death threats, hired a body guard and was forced into seclusion at his Las Vegas home, Sevcik said. He also has received many calls from patients, former patients and strangers offering him support.
"Because of all that is going on, I am afraid to return phone calls or use my e-mail," Murray says. "I recorded this video to let all of you know that I have been receiving your messages ... Your messages give me strength and courage and keep me going. They mean the world to me."
Since Jackson's death, Murray has not worked and has closed his Las Vegas practice. The doctor was in dire financial shape when he signed on with Jackson earlier this year at $150,000 a month, owing at least $780,000 in judgments and outstanding payments.
Sevcik said the only reason Murray made the video was to address supporters, but she added Murray told her he misses being able to work.
"He says he wants to get back to work, he really does genuinely care about the people he works with," Sevcik said. "He has to just wait, he's in limbo."
KATHERINE JACKSON MULLS WRONGFUL DEATH SUIT: MJ's mom questions circumstances surrounding son's death.
*An attorney for Katherine Jackson says a wrongful death lawsuit is being considered - likely against her son Michael's personal physician - because of the circumstances surrounding his demise.
Attorney Burt Levitch made the revelation Monday following a court hearing, where a judge approved a merchandising deal that will benefit the King of Pop's estate.
"The possibility of a wrongful death action has been floated,"Levitch said, according to the Associated Press. "In that regard, no decision has been finalized ... Dr. Murray's name has been floated because he is under investigation."
Authorities investigating Jackson's June 25 death have been focusing on Murray, who they believe administered a powerful anesthetic to Michael the day he died. Levitch wouldn't say whether concert promoter AEG might also be a defendant.
"It's fairly obvious from press accounts that AEG had a very active role in Michael's life for the last six months," Levitch said. "They paid for his home and for Dr. Conrad Murray."
KIM K. TO GUEST STAR ON 'BROTHERS': Reality star to play herself on Fox sitcom starring Michael Strahan.
*Kim Kardashian, the ex-girlfriend of NFL running back Reggie Bush, will guest star as the rumored fling of a retired pro football athlete on the new Fox sitcom "Brothers," reports People.
In the episode, set to be filmed in a few weeks and to air in October, the "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" reality star, 28, plays herself as she confronts former football star Michael Trainor - played by real ex-New York Giant Michael Strahan - about rumors that the two have enjoyed a secret tryst.
"Access Hollywood" host Nancy O'Dell also makes a cameo appearance as herself - chasing down news of the supposed affair between Kardashian and Trainor.
"Brothers," which also stars Daryl "Chill" Mitchell, CCH Pounder and Carl Weathers, premieres Sept. 25.
MAN TAKES CREDIT FOR SHAQ'S NEW TV SHOW: Author says baller's ABC bites his book 'Andy Roddick Beat Me with a Frying Pan.'
*The author of a book titled "Andy Roddick Beat Me with a Frying Pan" is claiming that his agents stole the concept and pitched it as a new show with tennis star Roddick replaced by Shaquille O'Neal.
Author Todd Gallagher alleges his agency William Morris Endeavor Entertainment approached him last year to turn his book into a TV show, only to have them take his idea and turn it into "Shaq Vs.," reports TMZ.com.
Todd's book was based on him competing against professional athletes who agreed to play with handicaps -- such as Roddick using a frying pan instead of a tennis racket. Shaq's show has the same concept, with the NBA star taking on various athletes of other sports who play with handicaps.
Gallagher's allegations are part of a letter sent to Endeavor, in which his lawyers claim the company "intentionally cut him out ...
creatively and financially" and then got another one of their clients -- Shaquille O'Neal -- to fill in for him.
Lawyers for Gallagher were trying to meet up with Endeavor for a possible settlement discussion before the show premiered last night.
BIGGIE'S DAUGHTER HONORS DAD AT SWEET 16: T'yanna Wallace wears button of rapper's face over her heart.
*T'yanna Wallace, who was 3-years-old when her father Christopher "Notorious B.I.G." Wallace was gunned down in Los Angeles, turned 16 Monday night with a huge party that she made sure included her father's presence.
Sporting a custom made pink dress by Bronx designer Walter Steele and Nikes to match at her Sweet 16 party, Wallace wore a button over her heart that bore the image of her dad's face.
"I needed to have him here with me," she told the New York Daily News, standing outside of Taj, an upscale lounge in the Flatiron District.
"I feel like I'm all grown up now," the teenager added.
Lollipops and Jolly Ranchers were scattered across the dress, in keeping with the party's theme of candy. "It was a combination of a magical candy land meets rock star," Steele explained.
The hit "Candy Girl" by New Edition played as she skipped down a red carpet outside the club and greeted friends.
Kid Cudi, her favorite rapper, was scheduled to perform at her birthday party.
"I'm excited," she said, hoping to hear the up-and-coming rapper's hits, "Day 'n' Nite" and "Make Her Say."
"I dressed up for him," she said, smiling from ear to ear. "I got this little pretty dress just for him."
ATL HOUSEWIFE NENE LEAKES ADMITS STRIPPER PAST: 'Let the judgments ensue' the TV standout says in her new autobiography.
*In her autobiography "Never Make the Same Mistake Twice," Nene Leakes of Bravo's "Real Housewives of Atlanta" confirms what many folks have already known.
"Yes, I was a stripper - let the judgments ensue," the reality show star announced in her book, according to the New York Daily News. "I'm not ashamed."
Leakes adds that while she may have worked the pole back in the day, her past has no reflection on her present life as an Atlanta socialite.
"What difference does it make if I danced or not?" she asks. "Is the sun going to stop shining? Is my past taking food out of your mouth?"
Explaining her past decisions, Leakes wrote: "[I stripped] for the sake of my son, and to restore my confidence in myself. My son was in private school, his father wasn't chipping in for pull-ups or food, I had no job and no money coming in, the rent was past due, and the super told me and my roommate that our condo owner was about to put us out. It was about survival."
But Nene - who called herself Silk during her dancing days as a twentysomething - admits that she liked the power that came with being an exotic dancer.
"I could make $500 off one guy just by turning him on," she confides in the tome from Touchstone Books. These men "were obviously there to see what I had, and I quickly realized that those men weren't there to make me feel bad about myself."
Nene doesn't let the book end without taking a swipe at her "frenemy," fellow "Housewives" cast member Kim Zolciak.
"I'm not sure if she's been clinically diagnosed," Nene says, "but I'm convinced that if she were to lie down on a doctor's couch, a psychiatrist could surmise within minutes that Kim is a wack job."
She adds that Kim "without question [is] the most superficial person I have ever come across in my life. If Kim doesn't have labels and nice cars and an expensive home, she will literally die ... gag me with two spoons."
BEANIE SIGEL ARRESTED ON WEED CHARGES: Rapper taken into custody in Jersey suburb after traffic stop.
*Rapper Beanie Sigel, 35, was arrested in a New Jersey suburb on Sunday after police pulled over a car he was riding in and found a stash of marijuana.
The artist, whose real name is Dwight Grant, was stopped in Wrightstown, New Jersey, shortly after 12:30 a.m., according to New Jersey State police. He was en route to perform at a private event held at Kelly's Bar, which is owned by local councilman Scott Timberman.
The Burlington County Times reports that Sigel and two other men in the vehicle were charged with marijuana possession under 50 grams and released. The private performance, however, had to be cancelled due to the arrest.
Meanwhile, his upcoming album "The Broad Street Bully" has a tentative release date of Sept. 1.
OBAMA TO ATTEND CRONKITE MEMORIAL: Plus, first family takes in sights of Grand Canyon.
*President Barack Obama is scheduled to speak at a memorial service for the late CBS News anchorman Walter Cronkite next month at New York's Lincoln Center, the White House announced.
The public will be invited to attend the Sept. 9 service, with ticket arrangements to be announced later, according to a CBS executive speaking anonymously to the Associated Press because plans weren't finalized.
The executive says Bill Clinton, Katie Couric, Andy Rooney, Buzz Aldrin, Bob Schieffer and Tom Brokaw are also expected, while Mickey Hart, Wynton Marsalis, Michael Feinstein, Jimmy Buffett and the U.S. Marine Corps band are anticipated performers.
Cronkite, known as "the most trusted man in America" died at age 92 last month.
In other Obama news, the first family continued their vacation touring national parks with a stop at Arizona's Grand Canyon.
"Pretty nice," the president said Sunday as he, wife Michelle and their two daughters took in the breathtaking view from the Grand Canyon's Hopi Point. "Last time I was here was when I was 11 years old."
OMAROSA GETS A MUSTARD SEED: Reality show star given the gift on first day of classes at seminary school.
*The first day of seminary school for Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth came with the institution's president bearing gifts.
Wendy Deichmann, president of the United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio, presented "The Apprentice" villain with a tiny mustard seed, a reminder of the Bible passage in which Jesus says an amount of faith even as small as a mustard seed makes all things possible.
Monday began what will likely be a two-year course of study for Omarosa toward a doctor of ministry degree.
She's taking classes in the Old and New Testaments and the History of Christianity. She's also required to minister to the sick and dying at hospitals.
BOW WOW TWEETS ABOUT JOINING CASH MONEY: Guess this means he's out of retirement.
*After announcing his retirement from rap at age 22 to focus on a budding film career, Bow Wow has reversed course and decided to give his original career another shot.
"It's official, I'm a Cash Money Millionaire," he told his thousands of followers on Twitter.
The artist had severed ties with longtime label Columbia Records earlier this year ahead of his "retirement," but he had spent recent months considering a return to hip hop.
In previous Twitter postings, he explained that he was deciding between two recording options: signing to T.I.'s Grand Hustle camp through Atlantic Records or relaunching So So Def with longtime mentor/producer Jermaine Dupri, reports Billboard.
The recent tweet, however, marks his return to the music genre as part of Cash Money Records' stable of artists.
His last album, "New Jack City II," for which he reunited with Dupri, sold a meek 73,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
ANTHONY MACKIE JOINS THE 'BUREAU': Actor now alongside Matt Damon and Emily Blunt in sci-fi thriller.
*Anthony Mackie ("The Hurt Locker") has joined the cast of Universal's sci-fi thriller "The Adjustment Bureau," opposite Matt Damon and Emily Blunt, reports Variety.
Written and directed by George Nolfi and adapted from Philip K. Dick's short story, the plot centers on a smooth-talking congressman whose political future is thrown in doubt by the arrival of a mysterious ballerina in his life.
Mackie is currently appearing in "The Bacchae" in New York as part of Shakespeare in the Park.
"The Adjustment Bureau" will shoot in New York immediately following the wrap of the play.
TERRENCE HOWARD IN A 'LITTLE' SOMETHIN': Actor cast in indie thriller with Josh Lucas and Lake Bell.
*Terrence Howard has secured a spot in the Lake Bell and Josh Lucas-led indie thriller "Little Murder," reports Variety.
The film is set in the wake of Hurricane Katrina and centers on a disgraced detective (Lucas) who gets an unexpected shot at redemption when the ghost of a beautiful cellist (Bell) solicits his help in finding her killer.
Peter "Gaga" Antonijevic is directing. Production is set to begin next week in New Orleans.
Howard will next be seen in Lucasfilms' "Red Tails."
'PASSING STRANGE' TO LAUNCH SUNDANCE VOD: Service kicks off Aug. 26 with Spike Lee-directed film version of Broadway musical.
*Cable television's Sundance Channel unveiled a video-on-demand service offering documentaries and international films endorsed by Sundance festival founder Robert Redford and often available the same day the movies hit theaters.
Sundance Selects will make its debut on Aug. 26 with Spike Lee's new documentary, "Passing Strange: The Movie."
The service will be available on cable TV systems owned by three major operators -- Comcast Corp, Cox Communications and Cablevision Systems Corp. -- reaching as many as 50 million U.S. households.
For Sundance Channel, which plays films and shows aimed at art-house and independent film fans and is owned by Cablevision unit Rainbow Media Holdings, a video-on-demand service provides new revenues in a growing business arena.
And indie movie fans who live in smaller cities or towns that may not have art houses can now access documentaries and foreign language films they only hear about from media coverage of festivals like Sundance.
The service will launch with five other titles: animated film "Mary and Max" from Australian director Adam Elliot; "Unmade Beds" from Alexis Dos Santos; and documentaries "Complete History of My Sexual Failures," "Kassim the Dream" and "Nick Nolte: No Exit."
NDEGEOCELLO TO PLUG NEW CD WITH MINI-TOUR: Singer heading out to 11 major US markets this fall for 'Devil's Halo.'
*Meshell Ndegeocello will promote her forthcoming album, "Devil's Halo," with a three-week club tour of the US beginning this fall, reports Live Daily.
The singer/musician will kick things off Oct. 6 in New York, stopping by intimate venues in 11 major markets across the country through the Oct. 28 finale in Bellingham, WA.
The autumn outing will include a full band, featuring guitarist Chris Bruce, bassist Mark Kelley, drummer Deantoni Parks and keyboardist Keefus Ciancia.
"Devil's Halo," Ndegeocello's eighth studio set and first for Mercer Street Records, follows her 2007 release, "The World Has Made Me the Man of My Dreams." The 10-time Grammy nominee co-produced the new album alongside guitarist Chris Bruce.
Tour details are listed below:
October 2009
6 - New York, NY - HighLine Ballroom
7 - Cambridge, MA - Middle East Downstairs
8 - Washington, DC - Black Cat
15 - Detroit, MI - Music Hall Center for the Performing Arts
16 - Chicago, IL - Old Town School of Folk Music
18 - Minneapolis, MN - Dakota Jazz Club & Restaurant
22 - Los Angeles, CA - El Rey Theatre
23 - Oakland, CA - Town Hall
24 - San Francisco, CA - The Independent
27 - Seattle, WA - The Triple Door
28 - Bellingham, WA - The Nightlight
ROSARIO DAWSON HOPS ON 'UNSTOPPABLE': Actress joins Denzel Washington's runaway train flick.
*Rosario Dawson has joined Denzel Washington and Chris Pine in director Tony Scott's "Unstoppable," reports Production Weekly.
The action-thriller, which 20th Century Fox is targeting for a Nov. 12, 2010 release, follows an unmanned train carrying a cargo of toxic chemicals. The film pits an engineer (Washington) and his young conductor
(Pine) in a race against time.
Pre-production is underway in Pittsburgh, with shooting set to begin this fall.
The entire project was thrown into limbo several weeks ago when Fox tried to cut both Washington and Scott's salaries, causing Washington to exit the film.
Fox reportedly begged Washington to return to the bargaining table and both parties worked out a deal.
ITTY BITTY BITS: MJ/Ed Hardy clothing line revealed; more MJ burial details; Bythewood among Humanitas finalists.
*The clothing line that was being developed by Michael Jackson and Ed Hardy designer Christian Audigier was revealed on NBC's "Today" show Tuesday. With over 100 designs already approved by Michael, the collection was set to include a rhinestone glove and socks, a red jacket, T-shirts, a belt and umbrellas, according to the report on "Today." Audigier now hopes to work with Michael Jackson's estate to release the line, but nothing is finalized.
*As previously reported, Michael Jackson will be laid to rest on what would have been his 51st birthday. The family followed up patriarch Joe Jackson's unofficial announcement to the New York Daily News with a statement saying the King of Pop will be buried at Holly Terrace in the Grand Mausoleum at Glendale Forest Lawn Memorial Park on Saturday, August 29 at 10 a.m. The ceremony will be limited to family and close friends.
*Director Gina Prince Bythewood is among the list of finalists for the 2009 Humanitas prizes, which recognizes work that explores the human condition and affirms human dignity. She received a feature-film nomination for "The Secret Life of Bees" and will face director John Patrick Shanley("Doubt") in the category. Two writers from Keke Palmer's Nickelodeon series "True Jackson, VP" -- Andy Gordon and Dan Kopelman -- joined Arika Lisanne Mittman ("South of Nowhere") in the children's live-action category.
CROWLEY GIVEN STANDING O AT CALI EVENT: Cop who arrested Gates praised at Fraternal Order of Police convention.
*The police sergeant who sparked a national debate on race with his arrest of Harvard University professor Dr. Henry Louis Gates in his home received a standing ovation Monday from thousands of cops at a Fraternal Order of Police convention.
According to the Associated Press, more than 3,000 officers cheered Cambridge, Mass., police Sgt. James Crowley when he briefly spoke to kick off the five-day meeting. Dozens left their seats to take snapshots of him on the podium at the Long Beach Convention Center.
"The past month has been very difficult for my family, my friends and my colleagues back in Cambridge, and it's no exaggeration to say that it wouldn't be as easy for me to handle this without the support from the Fraternal Order of Police ... and the support that the men and women who do this job have given me," Crowley said. "Thank you very much."
He declined to comment further after leaving the stage.
Crowley, who is white, was first to respond to the home the renowned black scholar rents from Harvard University, after a woman reported seeing two men trying to force open the front door on July 16. Gates said he had to shove the door open because it was jammed.
He was charged with disorderly conduct after police said he yelled at Crowley, accused him of racial bias and refused to calm down after Crowley demanded Gates show him identification. The charge was later dropped, but Gates demanded an apology and called the incident racial profiling.
Crowley has said he followed protocol and responded to Gates' "tumultuous behavior" appropriately.
President Barack Obama further inflamed the debate when said at a nationally televised news conference that Crowley had "acted stupidly." Obama later invited Gates and Crowley to the White House for a beer to bring all three men together.
EUR DVD REVIEW: Becoming Barack: Evolution of a Leader
DVD Revisits President Obama’s Formative Years as a Community Organizer
DVD Review by Kam Williams
*There’s been an explosion of Barack Obama memorabilia onto the market since the presidential election, much of it garbage just trying to cash in on the hysteria.
This includes DVDs, although the best of the bunch for my money is this bio-pic which focuses on Obama’s life from his days as a community organizer in Chicago right up to the present.
The film includes footage of a 1990 interview conducted after he had been elected editor-in-chief of the Harvard Law Review which offers a hint of his greatness to come.
We also learn that the name Obama means “Blessed by God,” and that he had been heavily influenced by the writings of the late Saul Alinsky (1909-1972), a radical advocate for revolutionary change not by violence but by working within the system.
Apparently Barack was attracted to Alinsky’s progressive political philosophy because he was bothered by the inequalities he had observed in American society. And in news footage from 1993 we hear him state that he “wants to do something for blacks in the inner city,” adding that “change won’t come from the top. It’ll come from the grassroots.”
Pivotal to Obama’s agenda was “power” which Alinsky defined as “the ability to act in concert with others.” In fact, Barack used the phrase, “It’s a power thing,” as the slogan of one of his early campaigns in Illinois. And, according to this bio-pic, “the reason he ran for President of the United States is for more power.” His goal? “To create a community where every person has a decent shot at a decent life, and where people are lifted out of poverty and the middle class is expanded.”
A fitting tribute to the only President to dedicate his career to the poor and the disenfranchised.
Excellent (4 stars)
Unrated
Running time: 55 minutes
Studi Little Dizzy Home Video
To order a copy of Becoming Barack, visit:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002B5FOGW?ie=UTF8&tag=thslfofire-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B002B5FOGW
EUR MOTIVATIONAL NOTE
"You can't live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you." — John Wooden
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Aug. 19: Singer Ivan Neville is 50. Rapper Nate Dogg is 40. Rapper Fat Joe is 39. Actress Tracie Thoms ("Cold Case") is 34. Rapper Romeo (formerly Lil' Romeo) is 20.
WEBSITE OF THE WEEK
Channel Live TV brings you the best urban, black entertainment and Latino TV at its realest. Check it out here: www.channellivetv.com/
Submit your favorite Web site to us along with a 15-20 word (or less) description to info@eurweb.com.
BLACK HISTORY
Aug. 19, 1954: Ralph J. Bunche named undersecretary of the United Nations. (Source: www.BlackFacts.com)
Click for the latest Obama - Political headlines
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