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10-16-09 EUR ALL ON ONE PAGE
OBAMA: GULF WILL BE 'STRONGER THAN BEFORE': President makes first visit to New Orleans as president; vows rebuilding during town hall.
*About an hour or so before all cable news channels began covering a runaway helium balloon thought to have a 6-year-old boy inside (he was hiding in the attic), President Barack Obama's town hall from New Orleans was the big story of the day.
Speaking Thursday afternoon at the University of New Orleans, Obama promised city residents that his administration would never forget the Gulf Coast in the wake of damage caused by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
"I promise you this," Obama said. "Together we will rebuild this region and we will build it stronger than before."
Making his first stop as president in the region devastated by flooding more than four years ago, Obama was able to hear in person concerns from a number of residents. One man asked why federal damage reimbursements are coming so slowly and in amounts far less than needed.
"I expected as much from the Bush administration, but why are we still being nickeled and dimed in our recovery?" the man said.
The president replied that his administration was "working as hard as we can, as quickly as we can."
"I know since a lot of these problems have been going on since Katrina, people understandably feel impatient," Obama said, addressing hundreds of people who won tickets in an Internet lottery to attend. "On the other hand, a lot of these things are not going to be fixed tomorrow."
The president cited reconstruction projects that have moved forward after stalling due to disagreements over whether the state or federal government would foot the bill, with officials working "around the clock to clean up red tape."
The Federal Emergency Management Agency said that of the 120 Louisiana reconstruction projects that were stuck at the beginning of Obama's presidency, 76 have been resolved. This has sent more than $1.4 billion in additional federal aid to Louisiana.
Obama said officials from his administration have made 35 trips to the Gulf Coast since March — and "not just to make appearances, but to listen and to learn and help you move forward."
LEONA LEWIS STILL REELING FROM PUNCH: Singer cancels Germany visit; says she was 'extremely hurt and upset' (video); suspect charged.
*British singer Leona Lewis pulled out of a planned one-day promo visit to Germany Thursday as she recovered from being sucker punched in the head during a book signing Wednesday in London, her spokesman stated.
The 24-year-old, who last year became the first British woman to top the US charts for more than 20 years with her single "Bleeding Love," was signing copies of her autobiography "Dreams" at Waterstone's book store in the Piccadilly district of London when "a guy came up and punched her to the side of the head," her rep told the BBC Wednesday.
The spokesman said he did not hear the man say anything to Lewis during the "unprovoked" incident. Security swooped in immediately and the man, 29-year-old Peter Kowalczyk, was immediately arrested. He was charged Thursday with assault and placed in an area for prisoners with mental-health issues. The south London resident will appear in court on Oct. 26.
The attack has reportedly left Lewis with bruising on the side of her head. Initial reports had her going to the hospital as a precautionary measure, but in subsequent accounts, Lewis was reported to have seen her own doctor. Her rep says she is doing OK, although "understandably badly shaken." The singer also cancelled a scheduled appearance on BBC's The One Show Wednesday night.
Lewis addressed the incident on her Web site Thursday, writing:
"Thank you so much for your support it is truly overwhelming. Yesterday was a horrible shock and left me extremely hurt and upset. I’m very sorry to those I wasn’t able to meet at the signing. Thank you again for all of the lovely messages."
According to an eyewitness at the store, "[The attacker] walked up there with the book, she signed it and, as she looked up, he just punched her. …She was running out with her hand over her eye and I just saw a man on the floor."
Waterstone's released a statement about the incident, saying they were supporting any police investigation and thanking Lewis for her professionalism.
Lewis recently released a new single, "Happy," from her sophomore album, "Echo," due Nov. 17.
Aftermath of the punch is seen in footage here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pUCCAR538s
SICKLE CELL FACTORED INTO A.J. JEWELL DEATH?: Preliminary autopsy reports show Kandi's ex had the blood disorder.
*TMZ.com is reporting that Sickle Cell Anemia may have played a significant role in the death of Ashley "A.J." Jewell, the ex-fiancé of "Real Housewives of Atlanta" star Kandi Burress.
Fulton County Associate Medical Examiner Dr. Kelly Rose tells TMZ preliminary autopsy results led her to believe that A.J., who died two weeks ago after a strip club brawl, suffered from the life long blood disorder that inhibits oxygen flow to tissues in the body.
Police say Ashley "A.J." Jewell suffered severe head injuries during the fight at the Atlanta strip club Body Tap. He was rushed to Piedmont Hospital, and later died.
"Rose says it's most likely that Jewell was worked up from the fight
-- and because of his condition, it's probable that he couldn't replenish the oxygen he lost during the incident ... which the Dr. says could have fatal consequences," TMZ reported.
'DWTS' TO HONOR MIJAC ON TUESDAY SHOW: Several of the professional dancers have choreographed a routine to three of his iconic songs.
*"Dancing With the Stars" will present a special dance tribute to Michael Jackson during next week's live results show (Oct. 20), ABC announced.
The show’s professional dancers have been busy working on a routine to three of Jackson’s most iconic songs, according to executive producer Conrad Green. He's keeping the tunes a secret.
“A lot of our dancers were very upset when he died. He was an inspiration to them and they wanted to do something fitting to honor him,”
Green told People.com.
Jackson’s music has been featured “like 13 or 14 times during the course of the show,” he says. “This is quite personal for a lot of our dancers and our production.”
The number will be choreographed by several of the "DWTS" pros, including Mark Ballas, Derek Hough, Maksim Chmerkovskiy, Tony Dovolani and Cheryl Burke, who earned her first Emmy nomination for choreography for season 2's routine with celebrity partner Drew Lachey to Jackson's "Thriller."
OPRAH PROMOTES TYSON/HOLYFIELD III: Iron Mike returns today for 'Friday's Live'; Holyfield to make appearance.
*Twelve years after biting off a chunk of Evander Holyfield's ear during their second heavyweight fight, Mike Tyson will again come face to face with his boxing rival – this time with Oprah as the referee.
Harpo Productions announced Wednesday the two fighters would appear on today's live episode of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" from Chicago for their first joint interview since the ear incident in Las Vegas.
Winfrey aired an interview with Tyson on Monday during which he briefly discussed the infamous June 28, 1997, WBA heavyweight title fight.
Tyson was disqualified after biting off part of Holyfield's right ear.
Tyson said the violent act was in response to Holyfield's constant head butting.
Also on today's "Oprah," the director of Michael Jackson's "This Is It" documentary, Kenny Ortega, will discuss the King of Pop's final days.
RUSH REMOVED FROM GROUP BIDDING ON RAMS: Leader says his involvement has become 'a distraction to our intentions.'
*The group that included Rush Limbaugh in their bid to buy the NFL's St. Louis Rams has decided to cut ties with the conservative radio talk show host, saying his participation had complicated the effort.
Limbaugh was to be a limited partner in the bid led by St. Louis Blues chairman Dave Checketts, but Checketts said in a statement Wednesday that the group will move forward without him.
"It has become clear that his involvement in our group has become a complication and a distraction to our intentions; endangering our bid to keep the team in St. Louis," Checketts said. "As such, we have decided to move forward without him and hope it will eventually lead us to a successful conclusion."
Limbaugh said on his radio show earlier Wednesday that he had been flooded with e-mails from listeners who supported him in the bid.
"This is not about the NFL, it's not about the St. Louis Rams, it's not about me," Limbaugh said. "This is about the ongoing effort by the left in this country, wherever you find them, in the media, the Democrat Party, or wherever, to destroy conservatism, to prevent the mainstreaming of anyone who is prominent as a conservative. …Therefore, this is about the future of the United States of America and what kind of country we're going to have."
Limbaugh's removal comes in the wake of reports Tuesday that Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay said he would vote against the radio personality. Also, Commissioner Roger Goodell said the commentator's "divisive" comments would not be tolerated from any NFL insider.
Before getting dropped, Limbaugh said he had no intention of backing out.
"I'm not even thinking of caving," he said. "I am not a caver.
Pioneers take the arrows. We are pioneers. It's a sad thing that our country, over 200 years old now, needs pioneers all over again, but we do."
VING RHAMES FLOATS INTO 'GRAVITY': Actor part of foursome added to half-hour dramedy for Starz.
*Ving Rhames will join Krysten Ritter, Ivan Sergei and Rachel Hunter for the new Starz original series "Gravity," according to Variety.
The half-hour comedy-drama, formerly known as "Failure to Fly,"
revolves around a group from an eccentric outpatient program of suicide survivors. Rhames plays Dogg McFee, the group's leader and a former big-league baseball player who is confined to a wheelchair.
Ritter ("Breaking Bad") plays Lily Champagne, a twentysomething clinically depressed outcast looking for the love that her father never gave her. Sergei ("The Break-Up") plays Robert Collingsworth, an ophthalmologist who is despondent after his wife's death from cancer and becomes an Internet celebrity when his suicide attempt goes comically awry. Schaeffer co-stars as Miller, an NYPD cop who seems to be everywhere Lily is.
The 10-episode ensemble series is slated to premiere in the spring.
Robyn Cohen ("Starved"), James Martinez ("Brother to Brother") and Seth Numrich ("How to Kill a Mockingbird") round out the main cast.
TIGER WORKS OUT WITH THE DALLAS COWBOYS: Valley Ranch visit follows box seat bonding with players during U2 concert night before.
*So why was Tiger Woods getting his workout on in the Dallas Cowboys'
weight room Tuesday at the team's Valley Ranch facility? Blame rock group U2.
On Monday night, Tiger joined Dallas quarterback Tony Romo and right end Jason Witten to watch the U2 concert from a suite at Cowboys Stadium.
Lead singer Bono even shouted out the trio during the show.
Cowboys coach Wade Phillips said he enjoyed the opportunity to speak with Woods, who "talked about being a leader" during his visit.
On Sunday in San Francisco, Woods helped the United States win the Presidents Cup, becoming the third player to go 5-0 in the team event.
LIL WAYNE EXPECTING ANOTHER CHILD: Rapper confirms R&B singer Nivea is carrying baby number four.
*Despite a jam-packed schedule of touring, recording and court dates in the past year, Lil Wayne always carves out time to make a baby.
With this week's confirmation that R&B singer Nivea is carrying his fourth child, the rapper will soon have a grand total of four kids by four different mothers – a son born last October by a Cincinnati woman, another son born last month to actress Lauren London, and daughter Reginae with ex-wife Antonia "Toya" Carter of the BET reality series "Tiny & Toya."
Lil Wayne confirmed to BBC's Tim Westwood that his fourth child will indeed be with Nivea, the ex-wife of producer/singer The Dream. Dream, meanwhile, is expecting a child with new wife Christina Milian.
EW MAGAZINE HAS FIRST LOOK AT 'THIS IS IT': Sony exec says 'It’s heartbreaking and inspiring at the same time. It gives you chills.'
*Entertainment Weekly's latest issue has a first look at the new Michael Jackson documentary "This Is It," noting that it's not just a concert movie or documentary.
“It’s somewhere in between,” explains Sony Pictures co-chair Amy Pascal in the issue, which hits newsstands today. The movie consists of behind-the-scenes footage of Jackson rehearsing for his planned comeback concerts at London’s O2 arena.
“It’s a movie about rehearsing for a concert that never happened,"
said Pascal. "It’s heartbreaking and inspiring at the same time. It gives you chills.”
As preparations for the production got under way, Michael's ambitions for the stage sets became more and more grandiose, according to the EW article. With the budget already past $24 million, Jackson told his team he wanted to recreate one of the world’s largest waterfalls — Victoria Falls in southern Africa — on the stage.
“I was ready to jump off the balcony of my office,” says Randy Phillips, president of the concert promotion firm AEG Live. “We went and met
with Michael, and [director]
Kenny [Ortega] said, ‘Michael, you’ve got to stop. We’ve got an incredible show, we don’t need any more vignettes.’ Michael said, ‘But Kenny, God channels this through me at night. I can’t sleep because I’m so supercharged.’ Kenny said, ‘But Michael, we have to finish. Can’t God take a vacation?’ Without missing a beat, Michael said, ‘You don’t understand — if I’m not there to receive these ideas, God might give them to Prince.’”
Read more on the upcoming Michael Jackson movie, including exclusive photos, in the new issue of Entertainment Weekly on stands today.
JANET'S TRACK LIST FOR 'NUMBER ONES' REVEALED: Thirty of the album's 34 songs reached the top of Billboard.
*The track listing for Janet Jackson's upcoming greatest hits album "Number Ones" was officially announced yesterday.
As previously reported, the collection is due Nov. 17 from A&M/UMe and contains one new track titled "Make Me," produced by Jackson and Rodney Jerkins. Thirty of the album's remaining 33 tracks reached No. 1 on either Billboard's Hot 100, R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, Dance/Club Play Songs or Adult Contemporary charts.
The album features all 10 of her Billboard Hot 100 No. 1s and her 16 toppers on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. [View full track listing below.]
Jackson is also currently at work on her 11th studio album, which is due out in 2010. Next year will also see the release of Jackson's first book, which, according to a press release, will provide "an intimate look at her life and how she has dealt with issues of self-esteem" and will "reveal aspects not known before about her uniquely successful career in music, television and films."
Here is the track list for Janet Jackson's "Number Ones:"
DISC 1
1. What Have You Done For Me Lately
2. Nasty
3. When I Think Of You
4. Control
5. Let's Wait Awhile [Single Remix Version] 6. The Pleasure Principle 7. Diamonds - HERB ALPERT with JANET JACKSON 8. Miss You Much 9. Rhythm Nation 10. Escapade 11. Alright [7" Video Version w/Rap] 12. Come Back To Me 13. Black Cat [Video Mix/Short Solo Single Version] 14. Love Will Never Do (Without You) 15. The Best Things In Life Are Free- LUTHER VANDROSS and JANET JACKSON with special guests BBD and RALPH TRESVANT 16. That's The Way Love Goes
DISC 2
1. If
2. Again
3. Because Of Love
4. Any Time, Any Place
5. Scream - MICHAEL JACKSON & JANET JACKSON 6. Runaway 7. Got 'Til It's Gone - Featuring Q-TIP and JONI MITCHELL 8. Together Again 9. I Get Lonely - JANET featuring BLACKSTREET 10. Go Deep 11. What's It Gonna Be?! - BUSTA RHYMES featuring JANET 12. Doesn't Really Matter 13. All For You Video [Single Mix] 14. Someone To Call My Lover 15. All Nite (Don't Stop) 16. Call On Me - JANET with NELLY 17. Feedback 18. Make Me
APL.DE.AP BRINGS AID TO NATIVE PHILIPPINES: Black Eyed Peas member takes the stage and brings food and cash to flood victims.
*Black Eyed Peas member apl.de.ap was to perform a benefit concert Thursday in his native Philippines in the wake of devastating back-to-back storms that have led to the country's worst flooding in 40 years.
"I just want to tell everybody that my heart goes out to you guys and I will try my best to help out," he told reporters ahead of the event.
Apl, whose real name is Allan Pineda Lindo, also brought canned goods from California, donated cash and appealed for more money for victims from around the world.
The artist, who was adopted at 14 and moved to the United States, said he remains proud of his roots.
"I love our culture, and you know I wanna share that all over the world," he said. "I'm not ashamed of who I am, I'm very proud to be Filipino."
Apl had been involved in various projects in his native country before the storm. He recently performed in a music video, created in partnership with the Philippine Department of Tourism and MTV Asia, singing a new rap song, "Take U to the Philippines," which features the country's white sand beaches, mountains and bustling cities.
He has also launched his own music label, Jeepney Music, which he hopes will provide a platform for emerging Filipino music talent. As previously reported, participants can sign up and upload original music on the MTV Emerge Web site. Anyone can vote online to choose the finalists, who will be evaluated by a panel of judges including apl. Artists with the most talent and potential will be announced in November, when apl returns to Manila for another benefit concert. The winner will received a one-year recording contract with Jeepney Music.
"This is my way of giving back," he said.
CHICO DEBARGE TO SING ON 'STEVE HARVEY': Appearance to take place next Friday during broadcast from Howard University homecoming.
*Chico DeBarge will appear on the "Steve Harvey Morning Show" during a live Oct. 23 broadcast from Howard University in Washington D.C.
DeBarge will perform songs from his new studio album "Addiction,"
described by his rep as "filled with passion and intensity…encompassing Chico's sensual delivery and style that fans have always loved and embraced."
Steve and the morning crew will be broadcasting 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. EST live from the HBCU campus as it kicks off its homecoming weekend.
Meanwhile, Chico appears in the November issue of "Ebony" Magazine where he discusses what he finds sexy in a woman.
ITTY BITTY BITS: Ursh's 911 call; Roland Martin honored; Jimmy Jean-Louis in 'I Sing of a Well.'
*Usher's September 911 call accusing ex-wife Tameka Raymond of vandalizing his truck has surfaced on TMZ.com. The artist is heard telling the operator that he called cops the night before to file "a complaint because of potential domestic violence between me and my ex wife." He says he awoke the next morning to find his truck had been keyed on the side.
During the call, Usher never directly accuses Tameka -- but insinuates that the scratch occurred as a result of the incident the night before. Cops investigated, but found insufficient evidence to make an arrest. Click here to hear the call: http://www.aolcdn.com/tmz_audio/101409_usher.mp3
*Journalist and author Roland Martin is being honored today by the Rainbow PUSH coalition and will receive the organization’s “Broadcaster of the Year” award at this week’s 10th Annual Creating Opportunity Conference in Atlanta. Reverend Jesse Jackson, the organization’s founder and president, will present the award to Martin for his dedication and accomplishments as one of the nation’s premier journalists at the “Keep Hope Alive Gala.” Jackson said in a statement, “Roland Martin's coverage and analysis of the 2008 election was outstanding, as is the commentary he provides every night on CNN, and now on 'Washington Watch with Roland Martin' on TV One. His reporting and commentary indicate that he has his finger on the pulse of African American thought, and is a respected voice of our community."
*Haitian-born actor Jimmy Jean-Louis, best known for his role as The Haitian on NBC’s “Heroes,” has signed on to narrate “I Sing of A Well,” the first film of the slave trade trilogy “Legions of Slaves.” Set in Ghana in the time of the Mali kingdom under King Mansa Musa, “I Sing of A Well”
follows Prince Wenambe (John Osei Tutu Agyeman) as he wins the throne from his father. He hands over the kingdom to Mansa Musa for protection from slave raiders. Basking in his glory as king, he seeks tirelessly after the beautiful Soraya (Akofa E Asiedu) who is betrothed to another, Dume (Godwin Kotey), but his glory is short lived as Mansa Musa himself becomes a slave raider. The three-year project will have special screenings in Ghana and Nigeria at the end of October 2009, followed by screening on the festival circuit.
INTERRACIAL COUPLE DENIED MARRIAGE LICENSE: Louisiana justice of the peace says he's not racist, just concerned for kids couple may have.
*A Louisiana justice of the peace has refused to grant a marriage license to an interracial couple out of concern for any possible children the couple might have, according to the Associated Press.
Keith Bardwell, justice of the peace in Tangipahoa Parish, says he is of the understanding that most interracial marriages don’t last. In an interview with the Daily Star of Hammond, Bardwell insists that his opinion does not make him a racist.
"I do ceremonies for black couples right here in my house," Bardwell said. "My main concern is for the children."
Bardwell said his conversations with both blacks and whites led him to conclude that most of black society does not readily accept offspring of such relationships, and neither does white society, he said.
"I don't do interracial marriages because I don't want to put children in a situation they didn't bring on themselves," Bardwell said. "In my heart, I feel the children will later suffer."
Meanwhile, the couple who was denied a license – 30-year-old Beth Humphrey and 32-year-old Terence McKay, both of Hammond – say they will consult the U.S. Justice Department about filing a discrimination complaint.
OPENING THIS WEEK: Kam's Kapsules: Weekly Previews That Make Choosing a Film Fun
For movies opening October 16, 2009
by Kam Williams
BIG BUDGET FILMS
Law Abiding Citizen (R for graphic violence, rape, torture and pervasive profanity) Revenge thriller, set in Philly, about a family man (Gerard Butler) who takes the law into his own hands after his wife's (Brooke Mills) and daughter's (Ksenia Hulayev) killers are set free by a plea bargain with the District Attorney (Jamie Foxx). With Viola Davis, Bruce McGill, Roger Bart and Regina Hall.
The Stepfather (PG-13 for mature themes, disturbing images, intense violence and brief sensuality) Remake of the 1987 horror flick about a military school student (Penn Badgley) who returns home to find his mother (Sela Ward) engaged to a suspicious man (Dylan Walsh) hiding a checkered past. Cast includes Amber Heard, Skyler Samuels and Braeden Lemasters.
Where the Wild Things Are (PG for mature themes, brief epithets and action sequences) Spike Jonze directs this screen adaptation of Maurice Sendak's classic children's tale about a misunderstood little boy (Max Records) crowned king by the strange creatures inhabiting a magical world created by his vivid imagination. With Catherine Keener, Forest Whitaker, Mark Ruffalo, James Gandolfini, Chris Cooper and Catherine O'Hara.
INDEPENDENT & FOREIGN FILMS
All the Best: Fun Begins (Unrated) Bollywood musical comedy revolving around the madcap antics of a dysfunctional family whose lives are turned upside down when a broke rock singer's (Fardeen Khan) benefactor step-brother (Sanjay Dutt) returns to town unannounced for an unexpected visit. Cast includes Bipasha Bapu and Mugdha Godse. (In Hindi with subtitles)
Black Dynamite (R for profanity, nudity, sexuality, drug use, violence and ethnic slurs) Michael Jai White stars in this homage to blaxploitation era flicks about a two-fisted superhero bent on avenging the murder of his brother by the mob cartel that's been flooding the ghetto with heroin and malt liquor. Ensemble cast includes Arsenio Hall, Tommy Davidson, Mykelti Williamson, Brian McKnight, Salli Richardson, Bokeem Woodbine, Richard Edson and Richard Yuan.
Food Beware: The French Organic Revolution (Unrated) Eco-documentary inspired by a tiny French village whose mayor mandated that local schools adopt an organic lunch menu in order to protect the children from cancer-causing pesticides, chemicals and food additives. (In French with subtitles)
The Little Traitor (Unrated) Israeli independence saga, set in 1947, based on "Panther in the Basement," the Amos Oz novel about the unlikely friendship forged between a militant Jewish boy (Ido Port) and a Sergeant (Alfred Dunlop) in the British Army he'd like to drive out of Palestine. With Theodore Bikel, Gilya Stern and Lior Sasson.
The Maid (Unrated) Psychological thriller, set in Santiago, Chile, about the overreaction of a nanny (Catalina Saavedra) suddenly threatened by her employer's (Claudia Celedon) hiring another housekeeper. (In Spanish with subtitles)
New York, I Love You (R for profanity and sexuality) 11 directors, including Mira Nair, Brett Ratner, Wen Jiang, Faith Akin and Allen Hughes contributed segments to this sequel to Paris, Je T'aime, a series of cinematic shorts celebrating life in The Big Apple. Cast includes Orlando Bloom, Chris Cooper, Christina Ricci, Robin Wright Penn, Irfan Khan, Natalie Portman, Maggie Q, Hayden Christensen and Shia LaBeouf.
One Fast Move or I'm Gone (Unrated) Beat Generation bio-pic revisits Jack Kerouac's descent into alcoholism and depression in the wake of the overnight fame he enjoyed upon publication of Off the Road in 1957. Documentary includes recollections of such Kerouac contemporaries as Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Carolyn Cassady and Michael McClure
CLARK SISTERS CHRISTMAS: Holiday CD is first in 30 years.
*The Grammy-winning Clark Sisters have released only their second Christmas CD in 30 years entitled A Clark Family Christmas. It’s in stores now and features their family and friends including Stellar Award winner Kierra Sheard and producer J. Drew Sheard. The Clarks’ cousins, J. Moss and Bill Moss Jr., also show up for the family reunion. The Sheards are the children of Karen Clark-Sheard. She and her sisters Twinkie, Dorinda and Jacky are the famed Clark Sisters.
The sizzling live production was recorded on a hot summer night at Detroit’s Arturo’s’ Jazz Theater where the close-knit family sang with all the cheerful merriment that December 25th usually brings. The sisters recorded their first holiday project, New Dimensions of Christmas Carols, back in 1978 near the beginning of their career. They lift three songs from that album and bring them into the 21st century.
The eleven-track project features holiday favorites infused with an R&B tempo. According to JL Media, the project is as warm and inviting as a cup of cocoa in the winter.
BURNING BIBLES: Church celebrates Halloween by burning books.
*The Amazing Grace Baptist Church in Canton, N.C. will celebrate Halloween by burning Bibles that aren’t the King James Version, as well as music and books and anything else Pastor Marc Grizzard said is a satanic influence, according to SunNews.com. Among the authors whose books Grizzard plans to burn are well known ministers Rick Warren and Billy Graham because he says they have occasionally used Bibles other than the King James Version, which is the sole biblical source he considers infallible.
In an interview with Grizzard by WLOS-TV in Asheville, N.C., members will also burn "Satan's music such as country, rap, rock, pop, heavy metal, western, soft and easy, southern gospel, contemporary Christian, jazz, soul (and) oldies."
Other books on the burn instead of read list include those by authors Oral Roberts, Joyce Myers, Robert Schuller, Mother Teresa and the Pope. Initially this information was written on the church’s website. But the website has been shut down after all the inquiries from the media.
UNWANTED PREGNANCY: Girl pays to be beaten to induce abortion.
*A Utah teen who paid a man to beat her to cause her to abort her fetus has been released from jail. Although the judge ruled that under Utah law and around the country women are not held criminally liable for soliciting an abortion, he called her actions "shocking and crude," according to the Salt Lake Tribune. The 17-year old Vernal girl was 7 months pregnant at the time.
Prosecutors had argued the girl's failed attempt was not a legal abortion, which in Utah can only be performed before the fetus is able to survive outside the womb by a physician licensed to perform abortions in a medical facility.
According to charging documents, the girl paid $150 to her 21-year-old friend who allegedly struck and bit her in an effort to make her abort her baby. The girl's boyfriend had threatened to leave her if she did not get an abortion, the documents said. The girl and the man later allegedly confessed their scheme to police; the fetus survived the attack and the girl was induced in mid-August a few days before her due date.
CHRISTIAN RUNAWAY ORDERD TO FOSTER CARE: Muslim family to receive psychiatric evaluation.
*A teenage girl who ran away from home in Ohio because she feared her father would kill her has been court-ordered to return to Ohio. A Florida judge, where 17-year-old Rifqa Bary fled, said the teen likely will enter the foster care system in her home state while her family attends psychiatric evaluation.
Bary’s immigration status and that of her family also will be reviewed in the coming weeks, according to the World Net Daily. In the meantime Bary could continue her education through virtual schooling classes.
Bary said she fled from her home because her father threatened to kill her for converting to Christianity. Her family is Muslim.
ABORTION STUDY: Contraception and good healthcare effect the numbers.
*A three year study shows that while increased use of contraceptives has cut the number of legal abortions worldwide, 70,000 women a year die as a result of unsafe abortions, according the AP Wire. The report was compiled by the New York-based Guttmacher Institute, which supports abortion rights and is a leading source of data on abortion-related trends. Researchers examined data from individual countries and multinational organizations.
More than half the deaths, about 38,000, are in sub-Saharan Africa, which was singled out as the region with by far the lowest rates of contraceptive use and the highest rates of unintended pregnancies.
"In almost all developed countries, abortion is safe and legal," said Sharon Camp, president of the institute. "But in much of the developing world, abortion remains highly restricted, and unsafe abortion is common and continues to damage women's health and threaten their survival."
The report calls for further easing of developing nations' abortion laws, a move criticized by Deirdre McQuade, a policy director with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities. "We need to be much more creative in assisting women with supportive services so they don't need to resort to the unnatural act of abortion," she said.
EUR MOTIVATIONAL NOTE
"Great spirits have always faced violent protest from mediocre minds." — Albert Einstein
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Oct. 16: Actress Terri J. Vaughn ("All of Us," "The Steve Harvey Show") is 40.
Oct. 17: Reggae singer Ziggy Marley is 41. Rapper Eminem is 37. Singer Wyclef Jean of The Fugees is 37. Actress Sharon Leal ("Boston Public") is 37.
Oct. 18: Singer-guitarist Chuck Berry is 83. Actor Joe Morton is 62.
Jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis is 48. Rapper Nonchalant is 36. R&B singer Ne-Yo is 30.
WEBSITE OF THE WEEK
Afro Gotham is a black-owned vibrant one-stop online hub providing the latest in African-American news, as well as syndicated and original articles covering current events, business, the arts, culture and style (www.AfroGotham.com).
Submit your favorite Web site to us along with a 15-20 word (or less) description to info@eurweb.com.
BLACK HISTORY
Oct. 16, 1901: Booker T. Washington dined at the White House with President Roosevelt and was criticized in the South.
Oct. 17, 1969: Dr. Clifton R. Wharton Jr. was elected president of Michigan State University and became the first African American to head a major, predominantly white university in the 20th century.
Oct. 18, 1968: World long jump was beaten by Bob Beamon, record at 29 ft, 2.5 in., at the Mexico City Olympics. (Source: www.BlackFacts.com)
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